ALL TIME FAVORITE

Thinking back as far as I can, spring (minus the tornadoes) has always been my favorite season.  What I really love are the mornings.  The air is crisp, the sun is shining, the day holds promise, and I'm full of good vibes and energy. 

Nearly every spring morning, at one time or another, I am reminded of my grade school days and riding my bike to the bus stop.  These thoughts always trigger a smile, however brief.  Maybe it's because times were simpler, maybe it's because I remember how cool I looked rocking stone-washed and tight rolled jeans, maybe I remember how awesome my music sounded coming out of a brick of a walkman.  Whatever the reason, spring mornings have always make me happy.


This morning was no different. 

So with that, Happy Monday!

MOUNTAIN BIKING ADVENTURE

While unloading the bikes I took a quick look around the grass parking lot and thought, for the first time of the day (but not the last), that I might be in over my head.  The outfit I wore for the upcoming adventure consisted of blue mesh shorts and a cotton t-shirt…not a bicycling jersey, spandex shorts, and biking shoes like everyone else was wearing.  If I wasn’t feeling enough like a newbie my bike looked child’s toy compared the mud caked bikes with knobby tires and aggressive stances that were also being unloaded.   Yup.  It was going to be a long day.

We rode what the International Mountain Bicycling Association calls an Epic trail.  Here is how their website describes this type of trail, “demanding, single-track adventures in a natural setting.  The 2013 class of Epics celebrates true back country riding experiences that are technically and physically challenging, more than 80 percent single-track and at least 20 miles in length.”  (The section I did was only around 17 miles.)

Demanding?!?!  Holy Cow.  This ride humbled me within the first 15 minutes.  I should probably mention that I have never been mountain biking before and the people I was riding with are experts.  I'm not talking about self-proclaimed experts, I'm talking about the kind that have all been on competitive mountain biking race teams at one point or another.  They made everything look so easy, especially the climbing.  On more occasions than I’d like to admit, I had to get off my bike and walk it up the inclines.

Although I slowed down the group everyone was really supportive and encouraging.  The downhill part was obviously much faster than the climbing, but still very challenging.  It is amazing how quickly you can gain speed going down a mountain.  One of the best pieces of advice from the day was to try and keep your eyes looking 10 feet in front of the bike rather than just looking at what is immediately in front of you.  Which, is easier said than done.  My only wipe-out of the day happened with only about a half-mile left of the ride.  I forgot the whole, “look 10 feet ahead of the bike” rule and almost ran into a tree.  I avoided that crash by swerving into a pile of kitty-litter (small, loose rocks) and over I went.  Since I didn’t break anything (on me or the bike) and I didn’t fall off the side of a mountain I’ll call it a win.   

One of the scariest parts of the decent was going over the boulders…sometimes you couldn’t see the bottom of them until you were already heading down.  Luckily, I was coached about the proper way to go down/over them and did it without incident.  

Another learning opportunity came when we were loading the bikes back into the truck at the end of the day.  The speed release lever on my front wheel had been jarred lose and my wheel was barely staying on.  Now I know that if my bike starts making odd noises while going down the mountain that I should stop and make sure everything is tight.

At the end of the day I was exhausted, humbled, sore, and extremely happy.  I now understand the draw of the sport and why people continue to go back for more.

I’m hooked and can’t wait to go again. 

THIS GUY

In his element on his birthday. Happy birthday Evan!

SOFTBALL SEASON

MEET WILLIS

This is Willis.

Meet Willis, my new road bike.  We are going to be spending quite a bit of time together over the next couple of months, so I wanted to introduce him properly. 

Our maiden voyage, a 35 mile ride on the Cherry Creek and Platte River trails, was great.  I even managed to learn a few things along the way.

1. One water bottle is not enough for that distance.  I was out of water by mile 12. I now have two...and will most likely get two more
2. A snack of some sort would be great, and even necessary, for a ride this long.
3. You should always carry some cash or plastic in case learning points 1 or 2 are realized (This was just stupidity on my part.  I follow this rule on my long runs and it should have been a no-brainer on a bike.) 
4. By the end of the ride, I realized why cyclists wear those fingerless gloves.  I now have some.
5. I also realized a bike jersey (with the pockets on the back) would be very beneficial.  I now have one.

MAKIN' BEER & LOSIN' FINGER TIPS

I’m a little late on this update…but I suppose better late than never.

I’ve got a buddy who has the knack for making some of the best beer on this side of the Mississippi.  So, when he asked if I wanted to come hang out and learn a thing or two while he was making a new batch I instantly agreed. 

I took as many pictures as I could to try and capture the event but just as we were starting a situation occurred which caused the lesson to be shortened.  I’m sure you’re like, “What?!?! What type of thing could cause a master to halt his craft before completion?”  I’ll tell you—his wife chopped a portion of her finger off and he had to take her to the ER.

Below are the pictures I was able to capture of the brewing process and the finger emergency.  Beware, if you don’t want to see some pretty graphic pictures you should stop reading, close out of this post, and come back tomorrow.  You’ve been warned.

Picking up the supplies

All the ingredients

The start of the process.  Boiling water, hops, and malt added.

This is where the fun ended.

Cauterized to stop the bleeding. (Thanks for sending Scott)

Bandaged up and good as new...minus the missing piece.

NEW INK...BUT NOT ON MY SKIN