Springtime In The Rockies

Early this morning, I was watching a local Colorado Springs TV station, and the weatherman said something about this being the time of year when we get a lot of variety in the weather.  Yesterday went from very chilly in the morning to hot and windy in the afternoon.  Today has been so-so, with moderate temperature and – wind.  Tomorrow and the next day, well, we just need to make sure our winter clothes are handy, that’s all.  Oh, and yes, the forecast calls for – wind.  Jim remarked that he doesn’t remember it being so windy when we lived here.  Oh well, who needs to have their awning out, right?

I had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday with son Josh and daughter Robin with her son Jacob and Robin’s friend, Paul.  They all came over to enjoy a meal of grilled burgers and dogs with macaroni salad (yes, it was a Weight Watchers version) and one of Jim’s famous cherry pie-cakes (sort of semi-Weight Watchers friendly).  We all had a good time getting caught up with each other’s news, playing Wii games and just enjoying the day.

Jim scheduled a visit with his friends today, which involved getting up at before dark-thirty for one of his friends to pick him up and drive to Pueblo, where they visited with Steve on the ranch.  That left me with the car and plans to join my friend for a couple exercise classes at 24-Hour Fitness.  I got the dogs out for their walk and measured the distance around this RV park  - it’s about 3/4 of a mile all the way around.  I’m trying to work up to a 5k challenge on June 6, so I will need to get in at least 4 complete loops to make my 3.1 miles.  I probably walk at least 4 loops over the course of a whole day here, but I need to be able to do the loops all at once, so I’ll definitely be working on that.

I arrived at the gym in plenty of time to talk to them about their membership or visitor opportunities.  After looking the place over and reviewing the options, I’ve chosen to join with a monthly plan that doesn’t involve any contracts, and is not exorbitantly expensive, about $29 a month.  I can cancel it anytime.  This plan is good at any facility, and there are over 450 gyms nationwide, although they do tend to be located in larger cities.  Even if I don’t keep the membership, it was the best option since I can cancel it with no penalties.  This facility has a huge workout area with machines, treadmills, free weights, a pool, hot tub, sauna, and exercise classes.  I took note of the cleanliness of the place, and the type of people working out.  There were a mix of all different sorts of people – young, old, male, female, good shape, not-so-good shape, etc.  The staff I saw did not strike me as the “hot bod” type, they didn’t show off and strut around like they know it all, they seemed to be doing their jobs – helping people get/stay more fit.

Once the business of signing up and paying my initial fees was completed, my friend Karen had arrived and we got set up for the class - “Boot Camp” – that gives you a pretty good clue about the nature of the class.  It’s a combination step-aerobics, calisthenics, strength training (complete with the ever-popular abdominal segment), and stretching/cool-down.   After that class, it was time for the next class – Yoga.  Can you hear my groaning and moaning?  Ok, so 2 grueling hours later, I hobbled out to my car and headed home for sustenance.  I was starving!  I probably will have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, but I still plan to go back tomorrow evening for another class – Zumba!  That ought to prove interesting…

Jim got home about an hour or so after I did and we’ve spent a nice afternoon relaxing.  I haven’t been taking any pictures around here yet, this one is to remind me of the quiet of the desert as I sit here and listen to the traffic on I-25 just behind our current home: