Sunday, October 26, 2008

What's the best way to spend the day?


With a bunch of girls riding a super techy trail in Colorado.

6 of us rode Golden Gate today and had an absolute blast, gabbing, whoopin' and hollerin'.

This was Megan's 1st ride back from a broken shoulder blade and she was on a new bike! She did amazingly awesome and she had a perma grin on her face the entire time :)


As usual, Jeny showing us all that's she's an absolutely amazing rider!


Me looking silly in my pink striped socks


Jen starting the fun descent


Tracy making the switchback look easy


A great end to an awesome day...beers & food & great conversation at the Southern Sun


Thanks Cynthia for organizing another awesome ride!

Many more pics here (I'm too tired to post anymore)


-Kim

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Another fun day on the moto's


Jason, Tracy & myself headed out to Camp Dick again while Dan went to Veloswap to sell all his stuff. It was super cold and windy when we started but after about a half an hour the blood started circulating again.

We just explored the area, taking one marked road until the end and then trying another one. Most of the roads in this area were pretty easy and it was good to just work on shifting. I wanted to try getting into 1st gear a little smoother than I did last weekend and I also wanted to work the rear brake and get the feel for where my foot needed to be to use it without looking.

We did find a pretty techy loop, 216 I think it was...and it was techy immediately with big rocks, steep climbs, large exposed tree roots...fun fun!


Tomorrow it's a girls ride! We're headed out to Golden Gate to play on the rocks with our mtn bikes.

More pics here


-Kim

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Say Yay! To Old Pipes!

Say YAY! to coming home from walking the dog to the entire house smelling like poop, say YAY! to using your nose to find the source and say YAY! to almost barfing when you find the source!

Our pipes got backed up again last night, this time it was the sewage pipes and our shower filled up with sewage and poop! Wonderful! We called our landlord around 6:30 and the plumber finally showed up around 8:45!

Wonderful! We had to sit on the couch waiting until then...no run, no ride, just sitting on the couch smelling poop!

Great way to spend the evening. I used an entire bottle of bleach to clean the shower last night.....

I would have taken pictures but I couldn't get that close to all that grossness....plumbers have the worst job! Guess that's why they make big bucks.

-Kim

Sunday, October 19, 2008

2nd Day on the moto's - Middle St Vrain


Okay, I could BARELY walk this morning my quads hurt so bad but I decided to head out for a quick run while Dan nursed his migrane, I'm glad I did because it loosened my legs up quite a bit. Dan was still hurting when I got home but decided to get up and move around to see if it made him feel better...good thing he did because we had to go to McGuckin's to see if they had a bolt that would fit my kick start, which I lost yesterday out on the trail somewhere. It was kinda funny because the bolt that we needed had a fine thread on it and the stuff out on the floor at McGuckin's just wasn't small enough, the lady told us to wait a minute while she checked a drawer in back and amazingly they had the bolt we needed....guess she had to look in their "junk drawer" to find it :) McGuckin's is amazing!

Anyway, Tracy & Jason met us at our house and we headed up. We got our gear on and headed out to the trail, which consisted of a rock garden at the beginning that we had to get thru...great! After a mellow twisty section we were hit with HUGE water crossings, huge rocks, small loose rocks, log crossings, snow and more water crossings! I had a minor melt down after I crashed off into the woods and I thought the trail was a little over my head but Tracy said that Jason told her to keep it in 1st and grip the bike with her legs while standing up. I agreed to go on further and took their advice...it totally worked! I was able to control the bike way better in 1st and gripping the bike with my legs while I was standing allowed me to control the bike better! Oh man, what a great feeling!

We got to the end of the road and rested a little bit, turned around and went back down. I was a little nervous because of the rock sections and huge water crossings at the end but it really wasn't all that bad and I found that on the descent, keeping the bike in 2nd gave me the speed Ineeded to get through the rocks a little better.

Me going thru a small water crossing on the descent


Dan going thru the big, deep water crossing at the end


Tracy going thru the same huge water crossing at the end


Jason making his was thru the same water crossing


Another amazing day on the dirt bikes! I'm super sore and I can barely walk but I can not wait to get back out there! Too bad we have VeloSwap to go to on Saturday and Dan has to work on Sunday :( Maybe I can get Tracy & Jason to go back out with me on Sunday ;)

More pics here



-Kim

Saturday, October 18, 2008

First day on the moto's


Today Tracy, Jason, Dan and myself FINALLY got to ride our new moto's and headed up to Caribou.

After some short instruction in the parking lot, we hit jeep roads. Now, I thought we'd just be riding up and down a dirt road but we actually rode jeep trails with rocks, roots, water crossing, descents and uphills! And we handled it no problem at all. We had our "oh shit" moments and we had our OMG we made it moments...it was the most fun I had in a long time.





We even got dirt and mud on the bikes ;)


We were resting before the final trek back, eating some bars and out of the blue, Dan said he was really really impressed with the way we were both riding, he was absolutely amazed that we picked it up so quickly. That was probably the best thing I could have heard and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. After our break and getting all cocky, I crashed into a tree :0


We finished up our ride and headed out to this place for some food and beers....and brought home a growler of their tasty IPA.


I'm sore and I can barely walk but we're headed back out again tomorrow...if I can walk in the morning I'm going to try and get a run in beforehand.

Almost forgot, when we were almost to the parking lot, Tracy saw 2 moose heading into the woods! We saw them just hanging out in the woods as were were riding by! Pretty darn cool....

More pics here


-Kim

Friday Hookey Ride



Tracy was taking a half day off on Friday and put the word out to everyone that she wanted to do a ride in the afternoon, I've turned down a few offers in the past to do so with Cynthia but today I thought why the heck not...if I don't use the few days I have by the end of the year I'm gonna lose them.

We decided to ride Hall. I felt good but I haven't really been on the mountain bike in a few weeks and I was rusty.

Tracy on the rock face


Tracy on the tight switchback


Some friends also enjoying the perfect day


As usual, I left some skin on the rocks. For some reason, Hall is the place where I fall and leave my mark in blood.


After that, I cleaned up and Dan and I went down to The Foundry where Cynthia was shooting some pool. We watched her play a game and then convinced her to come get some food with us over at Juanita's. Yummy!

-Kim

Friday, October 17, 2008

Thursday Night Ride


Good showing tonight, I think 15 people rode, and I couldn't hang with any of them....damn weinies.



Saw some gross stuff too

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Living by Ideal Market is making us eat better

I'm lazy in the evenings and I don't like to cook but have been forced to in the past because we didn't live that close to a good grocery store. Now that we live within walking distance to Ideal Market, I let them do the cooking for me.

Last night we walked down and got a Quinoa Black Bean Salad. I've never had Quinoa before but had heard it was good for you...looked it up today and it has like 12-18% protein! Holy Moly...and it was delicious!

And Ideal is not as expensive as you'd think. We spent $32 on the black bean salad, a chicken quesadilla, a large tub of soup for tonight's meal and a loaf of sourdough bread. Pretty good to 2 nights worth of dinner!

I've also been buying organic bananas, apples and oranges and I've got to say they are better. The organic bananas don't go bad as fast as the non organic one's do and I think they just taste a whole lot better, come to think of it by the end of the week the non organic bananas are usually rotting and the organic one's I bought on Sunday are still perfect.

-Kim

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Storm Trooper



I got my new moto boots today! I'm going for the black & white theme...boots & pants, I'll use my DH jerseys and helmet, the helmet will be just fine since I won't be turning the dirt bike into anything street legal right now.





Now all I have to do is learn to ride :) This weekend is looking good in the weather department so I know we'll be spending some quality time on our new toys.

-Kim

Calling all Night Riders

If you've got lights and want to do an easy night ride, we're headed out to ride the North Boulder Trails tomorrow. It's a U Bikes shop ride and we're probably leaving the shop or our house around 7pm.

C'mon...it's fun and scary! And it'll be really really dark :)

-Kim

Sunday, October 12, 2008

What to do on a rainy day?

Get up and run! I got in a good hour run today right from the house down to the Boulder Creek Path, up canyon until the creek path ended and then back again.

After that Cynthia and Megan came over and we headed up to Carey's Open Studio. Her art is very earthy, she works with clay and metal and wood and fiber and makes the most amazing pieces...if I had more money I would have spent it all.

Dan and I don't have much but art but that's just because most of our disposable income is spent on toys.

Here's the piece that I bought...and if I sell my CX bike I'm going to buy more. Cynthia went crazy and bought 6 square wall hanging pieces, good thing she just sold her Seven frame!





I think it goes rather nicely next to my Lumberjack 100 trophy...I lack so much in culture it's sad...


Check out more of Carey's stuff here.

-Kim

Another day of drizzle




Yesterday it drizzled ALL DAY LONG and it looks like we're in for more of the same today :( I'm sure it's snowing in the higher elevations.

Dan and I were supposed to take the new dirt bikes out yesterday with Tracy & Jason but we couldn't so we opted for a run instead....now our shoes are caked with mud:( Guess I'm in for another long run today while Dan works.

Living in Colorado, have 2 back to back days of no sun and rain is really rare and everyone can feel it. Although, on days like this you get lots of stuff done that you normally wouldn't....like lots of shopping :) We got our SKE passes for the ski and DH season, we hit up the Spyder clearance sale and we got some new MX gear while sitting on the couch watching a movie....I got some new Fox boots :)

Fingers crossed it stops raining and starts drying out so we can do some night riding next week!

-Kim

Friday, October 10, 2008

Hey Sarah Palin (with lyrics/subtitles)

Sweater weather

I LOVE the cooler temps...if I could live somewhere and wear sweaters and fleece all year round I would (San Francisco is too expensive!)

When the weather turns cool like this it makes me want to spend all my money on nice cozy warm sweaters.

Which in turn makes me think about what I could sell to buy a whole bunch of nice cozy warm sweaters....I'm thinking I'll sell my CX bike and just build up my old singlespeed into a hardtail to ride around the open space trails.

Anyone want to buy a custom painted Velo Bella CX bike???? It's got a nice new carbon fork on it. Guess I'll have to post it up on Craigslist tonight :)


-Kim

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Politics

I got this sent to me today...pretty funny.

Whether Democrat or Republican, I think you'll get a kick out of this!

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is Politics?'

Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way:

I am the head of the family, so call me The President

Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.

We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.

The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.

And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.

Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.

He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.

So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother asleep.

Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room.

Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.'

The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about!

The little boy replies, 'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit!

That pretty much sums it all up! - Kim

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The scary spiders come out at night



Dan wanted to see how close we were to the North Boulder Trails and Boulder Res tonight instead of Marshall, we're super close. We saw lots of deer, rabbits and a couple foxes and that nasty huge spider I saw on the ground as we rode past it. Yick!

Don't shine your light in my face!


Quick take my picture before that damn spider crawls up my leg!


It was the perfect night to be out, temps were moderate and the wind died down from earlier today.

Can't wait for the first full moon ride!

-Kim

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Good news on the home front!

My stepdad Jim had his surgery today to remove his prostate. The doctor told my mom it went really well with minimal blood loss. Unfortunately, he'll have to stay in the hospital overnight....something tells me he'll talk his way out of it!

Now all he has to do is recover from the surgery and get back to his life!

-Kim

Monday, October 6, 2008

Aw....aren't they cute




Dan had the day off today and had planned on going to a couple places to look at some dirt bikes, one being out it Loveland. I asked him about it when I got home and he said they were all pretty beat and that he didn't buy anything yet. He really really wanted me to look at my bike in the light since I only saw it in the dark last night so I followed him out to the trailer. When he opened the trailer....I saw the bike that he lied about not getting :) OMG! His bike is an '06, it's only been ridden 6 times and it still has the new tire tab thingys on it! He got a smokin' deal...he got a smokin' deal on both our bikes...he basically paid under $4000 for 2 dirt bikes! Can't beat that!

So, he started mine up and went thru the basics with me and told me to get on a take it for a spin in the backyard. I was scared and didn't really want to but after watching him ride it a few laps....I wanted on! So, I got on put it in first and gave it too much gas, it lunged me forward faster than I expected and instead of pulling in the clutch....I gave it gas and tried to stop the bike with my feet:0 and I almost crashed into the garage! Whoopsey! After a few more times, I was able to get it into first and move forward without taking anything else out and I was able to make numerous laps around the yard....only in first since our yard really isn't all that big.

So the plan for the weekend is to take the bikes up to Ned so I can ride it on some long straight roads.

Best thing about both bikes is they came with their ORV stickers that don't expire until 2009! So if I start to get the hang of it we can duck into some trails!

Let the fun begin!! I can't wait to get back on it!!!

-Kim

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Oh no he didn't!!!

Buy me a dirt bike!



So Tracy, when are we goint outfit shopping?

-Kim

Solo ride at Betasso

Dan had to work on Sunday so I decided to do a solo ride from our house out to Betasso after he left.


I put on my lucky socks, which I thought I had lost but found when when we were moving the dryer in our old place. Hurray!!! These are my lucky socks because I wore them during my first and only 100 mile race that I won....on my singlespeed....beating all the geared girls at 8 hrs 53 mins....this being my only claim to fame.

Anyway, I put on my lucky socks and headed out to Betasso. Man, I could tell I hadn't been on the XC bike in a couple weeks....once I started climbing the connector trail, I couldn't hold my bike in a straight line if you offered me a million dollars to do it. I only wanted to do one lap once I got up to Betasso because I wanted to walk the dog and I had a lot of running around to do. All in all, it took me 1hr and 15min from house to trail and back home again...which is pretty good seeing as this will become my quickie ride when I don't have time to go anywhere else.


My bike was very happy to be on dirt...


After I got home I walked Patch up to Mt. Sanitas and let him run around with the other doggies before I locked him in the house to run errands.

-Kim