Cross-eyed

Fall is finally here, and with the cool temps, so comes cyclocross racing!! We went to Victor, ID on Friday night for a Saturday cross race and Octoberfest at the Teton Brewing company. Our friends from Salt lake Rhonda and Andy also were up there. It was a nice weekemd, but alittle cold and rainy. The cross race was on a new course that was constructed this spring/summer. Nice course with some interesting features, though a bit rough and rocky. Overall the race was fun, not too hot, some rain, lots of dust. a good hour workout. I did have a crash on the first lap, that jammed my shifter and left me with only the three smallest gears (46x23,21,19) which was just not enough to maintain contact with the "bunch". I had decided to race in the Cat 1/2 class for a good workout. Only 6 people showed and I had the unfortunate place of "DFL". Maybe better luck next time.

So it was time for "Octoberfest" at the brewery, which happened to be across the street. Seemed that it was doomed however as the clouds rolled in and drenched everything. While having a beer, eating brats, watching drunking pseudo-Germans throw beer kegs and fall on the ground and wearing our full down jackets, fleece, gloves, winter hats we noticed a ray of light in the rainbows that were so close you could touch!! After karen and Rhonda tried their hands at the Stein holding competition (3 32oz steins of rootbeer in one hand), karen was last to go out in her round, we headed for Rhonda and Andy's B&B to have some wine in the warmth. Finally we wrapped it up by parking the van in the campground to sleep for the night. After a good drive through the ID mtns we arrived back in SLC for a warm afternoon. A week of call, some trainer sessions then SLC cross season begins Oct. 4. Maybe I will pick up a place or two in the next two weeks!!\

rk

Friendship

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin
So, I'm going to get serious for a minute here, wander a little bit astray from the usual blog type entries. I'm going to talk about Friendship. I was just so impressed and touched by the generosity of my two friends April and Jody this evening that it got me thinking about how utterly blessed I am to have such great friends in my life. From my longest, dearest friend, Bea, to the newest friends that I have here in Salt Lake City. It never ceases to amaze me how kind and thoughtful and amazing all of these people are and what an honor it is to know them and how much better my life is for having them in it. I often wonder... what the heck did I ever do to deserve this? They say that a man's character and greatness is judged by the friends that he keeps... if that is true, I must be of the highest character and greatness there can be, because all of you, my dear, wonderful friends, who I love so much, have made me who I am and I would not be the person I am today without you. Thank you for all you have given me.
"I count myselt in nothing else so happy
As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends."
- William Shakespeare

So much going on!

First, the pictures are of the Spiral Jetty, an "earth art" piece found north of SLC, in the Great Salt Lake:
Robert Smithson's monumental earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970) is located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Using black basalt rocks and earth from the site, the artist created a coil 1500 feet long and 15 feet wide that stretches out counterclockwise into the translucent red water. Spiral Jetty was acquired by Dia Art Foundation as a gift from the Estate of the artist in 1999.
Kathy and I took a trip out there a couple of weekends ago for kicks, she hadnt seen it before and I love to visit, it is so unreal and has great energy. There is never any people there and looks different every time depending on the water level, the amount of salt crystals on the rocks, etc.

So what else is new? I quit my job. YIKES. What am I doing? Well, it's a long story involving a change in job description and philosophical differences in how to best teach special ed kids, not to mention the total jerk that the new director is. So, what is the new job? I'll be a counselor for the Salt Lake School District. I"ll be one of 4 itinerant counselors hired specifically to work in the most high risk Title 1 schools doing direct counseling with elementary students. This will be actual counseling work, one on one and small groups. The idea is to try to help these students deal with whatever is going on in their lives that may be interfering with their ability to work well in school. I'll also be helping the families find resources in the community and things like that. Title 1 schools are schools with 80-90% poverty. There are many immigrants and refugee families here as well. I think the job will be very interesting and will be a great learning experience! It is extremely difficult to leave Entheos as I have really enjoyed my job there, of course with only 3 days left, I am naturally hoping I made the right decsion! :-)

Rich and I have been doing a ton of riding lately. Unfortunately, I have no pictures. Rich rode with some guys last weekend and did 8 hours of riding and 13,000 feet of climbing!! That is so insane to me! I did a paltry 2 hours and 45 minutes and 2,700 feet of climbing, haha. :-) We have both signed on for 24 hours of Moab mountain bike race. More on that later, it's in October.

My friend Bea is now a grandma!! The first of us crazy gals to breech that hurdle, I guess the only one that it's even possible for! haha! And my friend Tammy's little girl, Annika, is getting cuter and cuter as the weeks go by.

Other than that, we're livin' life, havin' a good time and hangin' loose. Hope all is well with you out there.

New Addition......

Okay, now don't get all crazy with those thoughts. But yes Karen and I have a new addition to our family.....of bikes!! Because Karen has been soooooo good, she now has a new Gary Fisher Superfly!! Quite possibly the new standard for all good cross country bikes. Do you really need suspension? After riding the 29er (of all 29er's) from Surly, I became convinced that suspension is NOT needed in the wasatch and that Karen would LOVE climbing and rolling over the small rocks, as well as stable handling on the trails. So far one ride and one happy customer, other than the heat stroke?!!

Anyway, we also had the Tour of Utah come thru last week. Took a short ride out to the canyon climb that ended at snowbird to watch them coem by. Not exactly the TdF, but got to see a bunch of cycling celebrities.Was good to see some of the biggies pushing up the mountain, some with panache (tyler), and some looking.....well like me!!!

Supposed to go away this weekend, but storms, back pain, and cold (snow possible above 8000') may just keep us home to train. Yes, I said train. We are both now officially entered in the 24hrs of Moab. Karen on a sport team (Chicks on the Rocks) and me (2 gears 2 Monkey's 1 Wrench) in the Duo pro class (what am I thinking?). Should be FUN. Until later.....
r

Weekend R & R

I needed some rest and relaxation, actually, more like stress relief. Crazy stuff going on at work for me.... Rich and I decided to take the van and head out of dodge. After a nice long bike ride Saturday morning, we loaded up the Vanagon, made quick stops at the grocery and wine store, and headed to Timpanogos Camground and Sundance for some camping and mountain biking. Timp is about an hour away through some of the most scenic mountain roads you can imagine. Mount Timpanogos looms large over you, at 11,000+ feet, and aspen trees stand like massive armies, on guard, along the way. The mountain sunflowers were in bloom and the blue sky was dotted by beautiful fluffy white clouds, a slice of heaven, to be sure. We arrived at the campsite and just simply started to breath, every breath of fresh air bringing me a bit closer to feeling human again. We built a fire and prepared dinner. As it was cooking (pizza in the oven on the camp stove), it began to rain, a perfect rain, the kind that sounds awesome, smells great and is caught in the trees so that you can find solace under some thick foliage without having to go inside. Perfect wine allowed us to completely relax and enjoy the moments. After a perfect night's sleep (for me anyway), we got up, made a mug of camp coffee that wouldn't taste consumable at home, but delicious and perfect at camp. Soon, we headed out to Sundance for some mountain biking. Cool temps and a perfect sky set us up with a stellar background for some riding. We began to climb the trails to the top of the mountain, through thick forests and rocky trails perched precariously on the mountain's side. Finally, to the top, our reward, going down!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Super fun, heart pounding now from exhilaration, instead of effort, we smiled and laughed and before we knew it we were down and heading up again - this time on the chairlift! After a bit more riding, about two hours worth, we called it a day and headed home, refreshed, revitalized and re energized.

Michigan Part 1

FRIENDS AND FAMILY!! It was so great to be back in MI and visiting my dear friends and my wonderful family. We also got to visit with Rich's awesome family as well! It's been a few years since I was able to spend any time in MI and any substantial time with anyone. I love being in MI with all the green trees and farm land. I even took pictures of the dirt roads that I miss so much! :-) Although it always seems way too rushed and not enough time in any one place, I feel like I got a pretty good dose of all the people I love so much. Never enough, but it's hard when we live so far away, I always like to encourage you all to come visit, for more one on one time! (when are you all going to learn to love skiing?!!) :-) Anyway, I got out to MI and was able to spend 4 days with Bea, and spend some time with Lori and Deanna as well. We had a blast just hanging out - it seems as if there has never been any time apart whenever we get together, it's awesome. Going back to Ann Arbor and being with my old friends is like putting on your favorite flannel shirt and slippers at the end of a long day... perfectly comfortable. Bea, Lori and I went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth... not a great movie in it own right, but it was in 3D! We had sooooooooo much fun, being goofy and carrying on! The pic with the glasses is of us after the show. :-) I was able to spend a couple of afternoons with my mom and John and we enjoyed some relaxing time cleaning out the gardens and doing some work around the house. I always wish I were closer to be able to help out my family more, so I do what I can when I visit. It's a nice way to spend time. Rich and I took Mom and John out to Common Grill for dinner after riding the Poto, and it was great, Lori joined us as well. We also spent some time up north, with Dad and Jane, and David. David treated Rich and me to lunch at the golf club he works at. I felt like I had to speak with a drawl, and say "dah-ling" a lot there! Lunch was great and it was awesome to see Dave in his element. He and Dad cooked a great dinner for us one night - yum yum!! Rich and I then went back to Milford to stay a few days and visit with his uncles and aunts. We had a great time, his family is so great! Lots of eating out, and gaining back the 4 lbs I lost before going to MI!! Worth it though! Lots of mountain biking helped keep it in check. :-) I also got to visit with my dear friend Pat. Pat and I worked together in Taylor for many years. She invited a handful of our good friends and old colleagues over for lunch and we had a ball. Lots of laughing and getting caught up. I had lunch with Jenny and her kids - one of which is my Godson, Jacob. Then on back to Ann Arbor for food and drinks with Cheryl, who is doing and looking great! We had a great time shopping, and trying on jeans! :-) A visit to our favorite old haunt, the Irish Pub topped off the evening. Then the long drive home the next day and you can read about that in Part 3! :-) Whew! A whirlwind visit but perfect all the same! I miss everyone terribly!!

Michigan Part 2

MOUNTAIN BIKING!!! One of the things I really wanted to do while in MI was visit some of my old mountain biking haunts. The trails in MI are so much fun and so easy compared to out here, I really wanted to just get out and play. So... I drove out with my bike and Rich's on top of my car and we hit the trails while there. First, I met up with Jody and April at Pontiac Lake, before Rich got there. Jody and I did a loop before April arrived and then did a second one with her. It was so much fun!! I had forgotten what a great trail PL is and I think it must be my favorite trail now. We had a great girl's ride that day, then we all had dinner and spent the night at Jody's with a good glass of wine and lot's of girl talk. Jody and April headed out to work in the morning and I headed to Island Lake to ride by myself before picking up Rich at the airport. Island Lake is a super fun trail that I call the Superhighway of mountain biking. Flat and fast. I did both loops, for a total of about 15 beautiful and fun miles. The pines are my favorite section - Mmmmm, smells so good!! After picking up Rich, we headed up to Petoskey to visit my dad and brother. Up there, we rode the North Country Trail, which we had a blast on. The beginning climb used to seem sooooooo long, but compared to the 4 to 6 miles climbs you get out here, it was over before I knew it. Dont get me wrong, I still had to stop and catch my breath!! From there, it's just a series of whoop-de-dos and giggles. What a great trail. The next day, we went to the VASA singletrack in Traverse City. This trail was made longer then the last time I rode it, to about 12miles and it was sooooooooo flat it was funny. The fun part though, when not cruisin' along at mach speed (haha) was that there were some sections that were soooo tight and twisty it was crackin' me up! Geez, watch your shoulders and hips!! So great to be in Northern MI riding a bike! After we got back downstate, we rode the Poto, what a grunt that trail is in 90 degrees and 95% humidity!! ugh. We also met up with Tammy and Ian (our MI friends who now live in SLC as well - they were visiting at the same time we were!) and Jody and Todd, for another round at Pontiac Lake. Unfortunately, we got rained out of our ride at Highland. Well, that was it. Lots of fun riding in the beautiful MI forests. The amazing trees, the shade and the smell of pine. I loved every minute of it and miss it a lot. This Sunday, back to our 17 mile mountian loop!