One of the things I like most about Fort Collins—besides its people , the outdoor recreation , its downtown , and low crime —is its weather. Despite featuring 300 days of sunshine, low humidity, and moderate temperatures that make bicycling year-round possible, it does have four distinct seasons, resulting in some interesting changes in scenery.
Another upside is not having to do ANY yard work (including mowing the lawn) from October-April, as nothing really grows!
See this photo gallery of my back yard from the last nine months for a study of contrasts.
[Mile 0, 4:15 a.m.] Canny all set to go, all loaded up and weighing in at 35.4 lbs. [Mile 45, 8:15 a.m.] The view of the Front Range from Timnath. [Mile 87, 11:02 a.m.] Cornfields, snow-capped mountains, and horses. [Mile 95, 11:40 a.m.] Canny makes a new friend. [Mile 105, 12:16 p.m.] Beautiful Colorado fall colors! [Mile 103, 12:30 p.m.] First "real" test of the day: a "Level 5 Road," featuring a 18% grade I had (in months prior) gone down at 52.5 mph! [Mile 104, 12:38 p.m.] Felix Wong overlooking the north end of the Horsetooth Reservoir. [Mile 105, 12:53 p.m.] There are an abundance of mountain biking trails here. [Mile 107, 1:15 p.m.] Some bluffs in picturesque Horsetooth Reservoir. [Mile 110, 1:20 p.m.] You can see the expanse of the Horsetooth Reservoir, the largest body of water in CO. Amazingly, each August 100 people swim its entire 6.1-mile length! [Mile 115, 1:10 p.m.] In historic Masonville now... [Mile 122, 2:12 p.m.] Nice fountain. [Mile 121, 2:08 p.m.] Toothy red rock. [Mile 121, 2:17] Yes, I love my bike. Canny in front of an unnamed lake. [Mile 123, 2:27 p.m.] More CO fall colors. The female cyclist in this photo warned me that she had just seen a baby black bear nearby here! [Mile 132, 3:26 p.m.] Sailboats in Carter Lake. [Mile 172, 6:22 p.m.] Back at the south end of the Horsetooth Reservoir again. [Mile 195, 8:22 p.m.] Canny in Fort Collin's Old Town. Twenty minutes later... home!