starling!

thank you for every moment of our lovely long weekend of riding, hiking, hiking, skiing, and culinary creativity and magnificence!



jj

Tick-Off Lists (or: More Pix of ROCKS)

The deeper, more complicated side of my day today would include discussions and ramblings on what it feels like to have a TechnicalMtbGoal, and to tick it off 'your list', (and there meaning therein) (the Deeper Meaning Part) (if there is such a thing))). The not-so-deep side of that experience of today only really includes pictures, and fleeting descriptions of what it feels like to have adrenaline pulsing like MAD in every single cell of the body.

I don't really know which one to indulge in here and now ;-) Truly, either conveyance of the experience only really includes a lot of manic-body-shaking ... which I don't feel currently capable of explaining.

So, what you're going to get is more pix of riding rocks -- more pix of my MyssM riding rocks ... because I can't take pix of myself winning-over my goals, and I don't have Ede's pix yet to show what it looks like from the outside.

I have a lot to say about today!!! Just not sure what it is yet --- but the pix excite me, so I feel like sharing before the words and internal expressions come to me full swing....

Is that Normal, or OK? Does it matter?

Clicky the picky for a full-meal-deal of a few Jj shots, and a lot of M shots:

pic courtesy of ede -- whom i had to seduce and charm to get the 2 pix i have in this collection.

just a few MORE PIX (from EDE), click HERE!!

I can say this: I'm VERY excited for MyssM today -- she not only ticked some major things off her list, but she added new ones and then ticked those off immediately thereafter. How is THAT for a Pre-Turkey-Burn!!!

jj

More pix from the weekend!

The real story behind going to Moab this weekend is that it was/is Megan's 30th b-day extravaganza. She had rock-stars from the Front Range (Boulder, Denver, Evergreen, Golden), Durango, Salt Lake, and Other Places. Megan is one of those deeply GOOD spirits, and as such, has a rich following of friends. I showed up mid-extravaganza on Friday evening (pix in my previous post). There had to be at least 15 people at dinner on Friday night. All I can say about that is that we ALL owe Skylere a huge thanks ;-)

Saturdays ride (pix also display in my previous post) found us just playing and hootin' on the rocks of Amassa back. Fun day on all accounts. Saturday night, the party increased to at least 25, and man, what a dinner it was ;-)

Sunday's ride (clix for pix below) found us basking in pure joy on Sovereign. (Theme for the weekend had to have been ROCKS, whether anyone admitted it or not). What a great ride!!! It was truly spectacular to have such a huge crew (at least 15?) move so well together! What a treat! I didn't get too many pix, because, well, it just didn't fit the day. Sorry! But alas, we all had fun, and truly, that is all that counts.

Sunday:


The goal for the weekend was complete and utter celebration of Megan and all her glory -- manifesting in the time, manner and place of so, so, SO many awesome individuals, such incredible light and space and synchronicity!

Thanks, Megan, for YOU!

Happy Birthday!

Jj

feelin' groovy

Feeling lucky-lucky-lucky, and ever so grateful.

Clix for pix:

From 11.22.08

So much for the winter/ski focus plan....

;-)

JJ

conflicted and determined

I'm trying. I really am. I know it's in me, somewhere ... my Winter Spirit, my Tele Spirit, my Snow Spirit. HHHhhheeelllllllooooooo?????? It's kinda echo-y in my universe when I call to it.

As you all know, I've been very, very present playing with this kind of warm, Fiery Spirit:

Note the shorts and the short sleeves ... the really faintly lingering summer glow ... the lack of snow and therefore lack of bitterness in the air. Note all that. Note, also, the lack of tele-quads ... the lingering SummerSlimm, and all the brown, green and red DIRT. My MtbSpirit has had a long and ultra-satisfying dry, warm season ... not that it's over, by any means.... But I'm just saying: Winter is on it's merry way, and I am spectacularly NOT prepared!

What I need to do, and what I'm trying to do is get my spirit warmed up and Winterized:

What you can't see is that all that summer glow is GONE (i'm as white and blue as snow under all that fluff and puff)' Tele-quads and TelePower primed and On; Spirit absolutely on FIRE and screaming through the universe as I careen through the WinterBliss. Ahhhh.....

Sighhhhh.... If I could just get my body and mental-space primed for the Freeze and Frost so that I can be excited to be happy in this kind of environment again...


...Then I'd feel a little more connected to my Inner Winter.

Without that connection, I think I feel a little nervous ;-)

It's just ODD not being connected with my Winter Spirit. Tele has been the absolute center of life for so long ... and for it to seem so unreachable and so unfamiliar is just somewhat ... disorienting.

I am, however, conjuring a plan. I have to. There is no other way. Somehow I must lure the PlayMagic that I've been flirting so heavily with on the MTB and in the Dirt to show up in the Inner and Outer Winter space ... Somehow I must get the the warmth of my MtbWorld and the frost of my TeleHeaven to merge and co-exist.

I really admire The Tough, The Gooney, The Ryders: http://gooneyriders.typepad.com/.

I like their UpHillBliss, and their WildAdventureBliss.... Thanks for the inspiration you GooneyBlissfulFreaks....

jj

the high life

Oh the things we get ourselves into.

M and AJ offered up a tasty option of some GGSP -- the '4,000+' vert, large loop ending on the best, most technical parts, all trails possible' version. I can always count on them ;-)

Late edit: I woke up this morning realizing I didn't post any of the yummy details from our late fall, bite-off-more-that-you-can-chew adventure ;-).

SO! I think I've posted about this particular ride in GGSP before -- on 7/12/2008. It's a 22 mile loop with 4,000+' of climbing... ending on a wicked climb and a tasty, tasty techy bit of descending. Did I mention that there was a lot of climbing? OWIE! I think our group started with 3 hangovers, one set of completely cooked legs, and one body who didn't really want to be there. What a great way to start, in the cold morning, in the wind, in November ;-)

Regardless, hangovers burned off within the first ffin' climb. My legs never really came around. And Ed decided that he was more up for hiking around in the woods that following our sorry asses all over the park and back. So Steevie, AJ, Michelle and I suffered up the hills and danced down all the rocks. We covered the majority of the park and actually completed our convoluted figure 8 of a ride. We ended on Mtn. Lion, and really had to mentally prepare for that climb up (well, I did, anyway).

A few weeks ago, when I rode this trail with my posse of 6 kick-ass women, I came very close to nailing a tricky switchback with a rather large step/ramp in the middle of it. I didn't think that I would have it in me today to try too many times ... but lo-and-behold: attempt #3 found the right line up and the right push, and waaaa-la!! I DID IT!!!

Here is a pic from a few weeks ago, credit i think to IttyBittyBetty:


After all the noise that ensued (sorry people), we finished the climb and found Ed at the top waiting for us. And then we descended like crazy people and enjoyed yet one more reward for pushing ourselves so far and so hard for the day. What a way to end a long ride! I mean, really.

I think it's safe to say that we all had HUGE successes on the way down -- and along the whole entire ride. I have now cleared every part of the Mtn Lion trail both up and down and all along the valley/riverbed, and that feels good. Michelle is SO completely ON HER GAME she is just flyin' and rippin' right over everything. I'm so proud of her. Ed and Steevie are still nutcases riding their rigid (ss) ponies all over the rocks and making the rest of us look like fools ;-) And AJ --- what, you were out front ALL DAY LONG... you badass you ;-)

Click on any of the pix below for the better, larger version -- and a whole heap more pictures to go along with these. Ed will have more pix up soon, I promise ;-)

Meanwhile ...


aj


M


jj -- moi -- photo credit stevvie



steevie -- photo credit moi


ed, darling, rockin' it

jj

whhhhhhinds of change

M and I rode the wave of the winds of insanity this evening... and into the darkness no less! That darkness is coming awfully early these days.... way too early. We got a bit caught out in the black light ;-)

Then, home to Ede, who masterminded a succulent dinner.

It's finally Friday. And I'm looking forward to every second of this weekend.


M


M, nailed it!


Love this spot


JJ -- photo credit M



M setting herself up ...



UP UP UP!



M, more up!



JJ -- lookin' funny ;-)

thanks for the ride, M!!!

jj

scratching the surface

It's been a good weekend. Solid. Deep. Full of light and with a panoramic view of both the insides and the outsides ;-)

Saturday found Ed and I (and Steevie and Johnny) out in the buff creek woods, goofing OFF and riding like absolute crazy people. Literally. We rode and rode and and rolled, we laughed our asses off and basked in the warmth and light of the first-of-November warmth (WTF!?!?). Steevie filled the entire valley with his laughter and his thoughts and warnings of hunting season. Someday, Ed will put up pix from the brilliant day and one Jj who crashed and burned and bled from ear to knee. Don't ask. The only pix worth noting that I took (and that Steevie took) are these:


Ed, pre-ride pampering for the pony


Ed, taking pictures of me sessioning the only technical spot in buff creek. Photo credit steevie

I am going to admit to complete and utter laziness for the rest of the weekend (for me). Sunday found me tired and really in need of sitting still. So that is what I've done.

Sunday, for Tonka, looked a lot like this:

Tonka, wasted on cat-nip, or bird juju, or god knows what (photo courtesy Ed)

And, I've finally created and settled into my studio space. It's about time. There is a LOT that has been left undone. I have been negligent.


my space

The end of daylight savings (the end of naturally-lit rides after work) brings with it the need to occupy internal and external time in more creative (and yet still healthy) ways. I am hoping I can find the motivation and the gumption to ride at night, and to ride in the cold. I am hoping to find the focus to cross-train ... because I really, really it. I am also hoping for the fire of an old and now unfamiliar spirit to burn bright and steady. I'll let you know how that goes ;-)
jj