We're finally home and a little settled. We're still at our parents house but have our furniture moved into our friends house, who is letting us stay at her house while she's working out of state....she's absolutely amazing for letting us stay!
We've been riding everyday, I'm trying to get my legs back into singlespeed shape. Before we left 4 years ago I was running 1 below 2:1 and now I'm one above and struggling. I can't sustain fast speeds for long and I don't have strength on long climbs...but it'll come back, hopefully sooner than later!
Today we're headed out to Poto, which is a special trail for me....always has been. We may even stop in a little special section and carve our names into a tree :)
It's so good to be back.....I'm finally happy again. It feels so good to be back on the trails and I'm absolutely in love with riding again!
First race for Dan is in a coupe weeks and we've got a DH trip planned in October, I've secured an Iceman entry for Dan and I'm waiting for another one to come available so I can snatch it up! Last big race of the year and it's always a HUGE party!!
We headed out to WP for some playtime with Jen & Jesper (who are ripping it up their first season on DH bikes), Carey & Craig (who rip it up everytime) and Josh (tri guy's very first time on a DH bike who kicked butt and had way too much fun).
Dan on ballucanb drop to gap.
Dan on ballucanb step up
Josh on Boot Camp wall ride
Only 2 weeks left here and hopefully we'll get back to WP at least once more before we leave. Dan's last day of work is Friday and he's going to start packing up the trailer....I'm hoping to get out a week early as well so we can get everything loaded, our place cleaned and our butts back to Michigan for some epic fall riding!
Our house in the mountains fell through, we actually found some stuff out about the well during inspection time that we didn't like and didn't really have the resources to fix it since the house was at the top of our budget so we walked away from it. This truly put things in perspective for us. As we went through the whole house buying process, our fears and yearning to be home really sunk in. I think, in hindsight, the whole house buying thing was our attempt to make Colorado feel like home and as we got closer and closer to the final decision on it we knew in our hearts that unfortunately Colorado will never be home to us.
How can we walk away from such a magical place to live? How can we walk away from some of the best riding in the world? Don't know...but something here just isn't right. I don't desire to be on my bike here and that's a seriously messed up thing and I just don't get it.
I do desire to be on the fast, tight and tree lined trails that the midwest and east coast has to offer. I do desire to hammer on my singlespeed well into the night and I desire to wake up every morning on a lake and sit around the bonfire with a beer and friends in the evening. I want to grow old on a lake......
So, come September 20th we'll be packed up and on our way back home....this time for good. I'm beside myself with excitement! I'm beside myself to be able to hang out with all our friends that we have missed so much! I can't wait to be on my singlespeed hammering out fast laps....I can't wait to ride the east coast DH trails, I can't wait to be riding wet roots and rocks again and I can't wait to ride the best DH trails in Canada again. Bring on the big stuff.
Which brings me to what we've been doing lately, riding our DH bikes as much as we can. My main goal this year was to get more comfortable in the air and going off drops. I know that a lot of the parks out east have lots and lots of stuff to hit and drop off of and I wanted to make sure I could do it before we left Colorado.
Last weekend, I accomplished my goal and hit my first 4 footer to transition and then immediately I hit my first 8 footer to transition! I was so happy and freaked out at how easy they both were. All these years of Dan and all the boys telling me that these drops are so easy...just do it and you'll find out...well I did it and I now know!
Here's my first go at the 4 footer. I followed Dan off of it so I could gauge my speed.
After hitting this twice and noticing where I was landing, I knew I could hit the big one. So again, I followed Dan off of it to gauge my speed.
My rear wheel hit a little shy of the transition but who the F cares! I did it!!! And the weird thing is you don't even notice how high up you are and you don't notice how long you're in the air for! We hit it again later in the afternoon, without hesitation.
Another one of my goals was to nail a couple tricky switchbacks that have been hounding me for a few years. And I can happily say...they've been nailed!
Here's Dan last year on the first tricky switchback, it's on Helter and it's right at the entrance of the trail and it's so STEEP that walking down it is actually way harder than riding it.
The other switchback was on Wild Thing and it was the tight left hand switchback with rock that you have to ride over. No pics but it's been dogging me ever since we started riding there and I finally nailed it.
So weird how my DH riding has progressed so much this year and we're leaving :( Oh well, we've got places to ride in Michigan....we just have to travel a little further. I'm actually thinking of racing some DH races next year!
Goal for next year, learning to jump better and conquer big doubles, small ones don't bother me but the big ones with feet in between them scare the heck out of me and the chance of 50/50ing the jump is too much for me to handle right now. But I WILL conquer my fear! And I'm sure I will eat a lot of dirt trying :(
Woot! Here's to change and whatever the future holds!!
First, here's a video of Dan and his brother Joe on Keystone's corkscrew. Joe is first and that's Dan's squeaky break protesting :)
Man, I really like these short little video's...way more fun than pictures!
I don't desire being on my mountain bike as much anymore, this feeling started last year and hence the purchase of our dirt bikes. I made the sacrifice of selling mine for our house purchase but I know I'll get another one. I think Dan already has a bigger better bike in mind for me.
It's a weird feeling and I feel guilty a lot for the desire not being there. I love getting out on the weekends for a ride with friends but I don't feel the need to get out everyday to ride. I found other things I really enjoy like running and I've been enjoying hitting the pavement for a road ride and I'm really looking forward to a winter full of snowboarding.
I don't know what has happened, I don't know why I'm feeling this way. I've got a kickbutt new bike that I love to ride and I've got awesome friends to ride with. But I just don't desire to get out and ride EVERYDAY like I used to.
I'm getting more comfortable with slowing down, I don't feel like I've always got to be in motion or exercising as hard as I can anymore. I think the move up high is going to give me a new focus in life. I'll have a house to love and take of and I'll have the peace and quiet to let my body and desire and feelings lead me the way instead of the desire to be the fittest person I can be. Believe me, I still want to be fit but I want to be healthy inside more and I desire to be mentally healthy...just happy being and doing what my body tells me to do rather than what my schedule and routine tells me to do.
I guess I'm just feeling more comfortable in my own skin and I'm comfortable just doing what I want to do, whether it's being on my bike or taking a long hike or just sitting and reading. I don't feel I have to keep up with what everyone else is doing anymore....
Well, looks like Dan gets screwed again and is working his 3rd consecutive weekend in a row all because everyone wants to go race :( Um..what happened to fairness here??? Why does he get to pick up all the fucking slack and work all the weekends??? Why can't weekends be alternated??? Why the FUCK is that such a fucking goddamn hard concept to grasp?????
Hm..wonder if he'll even get our moving weekend off...probably NOT if there's a stupid fucking I've gotta prove myself for goddamn nothing race going on!
I think Dan needs to get 3 weeks of weekends off in a row soon.
Told you sweetie...nothing will EVER change!
At least I have friends that I can ride with because I sure as hell can't ride with my boyfriend anymore.
I've started wearing spandex shorts while riding my roadie bike. I've been having issues with the liners in my baggies and was just sick and tired of hurting so I pulled out the old spandex shorts. At first is was a really really weird feeling...I couldn't tell I was wearing anything and had to keep looking down to see if I was actually wearing anything :)
It's been about a week now and I'm feel really comfortable in them! My private parts are thanking me as well.
I think the discomfort stems from the fact that I've lost some weight and the baggies that I currently have are too big for me and the liners just get all bunched up and are causing more grief than anything else. I'm hoping to get a couple different pairs of baggies...maybe some Jett or Fox but until then...please don't hold it against me if I show up riding my XC bike in spandex shorts :) I promise I won't turn into a weenie and I most certainly promise not to start wearing some stupid "I race for this team" kit!!!
On to more positive notes! Our inspection's are happening on Monday. We're getting the house inspected, the well, the septic and the propane tank inspected...that should be close to or more than $1000 in inspection costs, but totally worth it!
Our stupid college kid neighbors are planning on having a HUGE bonfire next Thursday to celebrate their moving out. Joy!! I wonder if they know they're not allowed to have open fires in the City of Boulder. Guess they're going to find out, aren't they :) MWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
We decided to buy a house in Colorado. We started looking in June, got really discouraged and then decided to rent again, then decided that once again throwing our money into someone else's pocket wasn't smart, found a new realtor and started the whole process again. Then we found our house....in the mountains.
I'm scared to move up there but I know that this is the right decision. I hate neighbors, I hate other people's noise....I love it being quiet when I'm at home.
So we took the plunge. Offer was accepted on Saturday and this is when the stress hit. Secure the mortgage, come up with the money, see how much we're going to actually spend a month on this place and basically sign stuff we don't really understand but trust the people who are making us do it. All to have our little slice of heaven....
Next week, we have all the inspections...house inspection, well inspection, septic inspection. After that I think some of the stress will subside but then the fear of commitment will probably sink in and the fear of us not being able to tolerate a mountain lifestyle...and the winter up there.
Oh well. The house is perfect for us. Not too big but big enough for all our stuff and we have 1 acre of property to do whatever we want with. And I can sit on my deck and hear nothing but the wind.
