Lately there hasn’t been much to report. Dan and I keep busy with our respective jobs, and my MFA program is off to a great start. We both ride our bikes to stay active — Dan more than me, of course. Other than that it’s meals at home, movies at home, reading at home… the mid-pandemic usual.

But every now and then, we manage to make a day feel different. Dan and I both took a bonus day off of work to enjoy a 20-mile loop to get lunch in neighboring Loveland, Colorado.

20 miles is not a herculean amount of bike riding, but it’s more than I’ve been able to fit in before work most days. On weekends the trails get much more crowded, something I try to avoid when I can.

In June Dan and I enjoyed a similar ride to Loveland, though that one clocked in at 30 miles, the most I’ve ever ridden.

This time our goal was a Sonic drive-thru, where we could order and eat outside.

A little tip: if you’re trying to restrain yourself from indulging in milkshakes all the time, try riding your bike to the restaurant — the idea of being full of dairy on your ride home will repulse you.

P.S. In other adventure news, Dan and I continue to take our packrafts No Name and Minerva out to local lakes and reservoirs. Our most recent foray took us to Douglas Reservoir — it was no Monarch Lake, but we loved Douglas’ solitude and choppy green water.