Above: Danny and his partner Russ. I know Danny from Cincinnati, but we’ve gotten to know each other better since we both moved to Colorado within a month of each other. Danny’s out in Boulder now, but he and Russ were visiting Fort Collins and had time for dinner at Restaurant 415. Dan and I had a great time catching up on bike culture, local food, and Jim Borgman.

Below: I met Melissa (front and center) while we were both working at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. About a year before I moved to Colorado, Melissa moved to New York City, where she works in public radio. Melissa was kind enough to introduce Dan and me to Lauren and Evan, longtime friends of hers who were also recent Midwestern transplants to Colorado. (There are so many of us!) This weekend Melissa was in town to visit Lauren and Evan, and invited Dan and me to an incredible brunch spot in Denver to catch up.

Between visits with Melissa and Danny and our bike adventure, it has been a wild and wonderful weekend. (Oh, and please note all the t-shirts. We’re due for a foot of snow tomorrow.)

After our brunch with Melissa, Dan suggested we pop by the Denver flagship store of a favorite brand of his, Evo. Dan wandered around the ski/bike/skate gear while I couldn’t help snapping pictures of the gorgeous shop.

Naturally, we didn’t leave empty-handed. Dan was searching for bike gloves but left with something more neck-breaky.