more experimenting

Friday evening last week I found myself desperate for a dirty date ride! Ed was busy, so what to do? Solo Date Ride -- what else?! This is a little experimental video of a loop I call the Dog Loop. From home, it's just about an hours worth of play time. It is the flattest ride I can loop together from home. So this is a 'rest day' type of ride. There are a few good climbs at the beginning and end, but other than that, it's just a delightful roller.

Again, totally boring video exploration going on here. But... what the heck:


Saturday Ed and I high-tailed it down to Salida, to go and check out some new trails!! We really didn't ride much, but what we did ride was a TOTAL hoot! More to come on these trails sometime soon, I'm sure of it. I took really tremendously crappy pix... but Ed got some good ones!! Go check out his blog for the pix. He sent me one of me (thanks hun):


Sunday we did a little VT125/snow status recon up in them-thar-hills. Lovely day!

We arrived home Sunday evening to rain and then snow. We awoke to a solid 7" of snow on the ground Monday morning!

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine today!

Jj

experimenting

Wednesday afternoon was the last chance to get in a little dry trail and sunshine. I left work early and made the most of it. I got to ride from home and hit DD, A3S, EM, a little extra A3S fun stuff ... and back home the way I came. It was so satisfying to be able to sneak in a 20-miler with a nice kick-in-the-pants bit of climbing before the snow hit.

In the process, I thought I'd experiment a little: I'm playing with video stuff... just out of sheer curiosity. Mind you, the content is BORING as all get out ... but this could prove to be a fun option in the future... it feels like I was able to take a little of the sun and warmth and dry trail home with me!! And, I can now maybe play with this stuff a little to demonstrate the inner experience as well as the outer experience. Who knows. Anyway. Videos below.

Things to note first:

• I chose this type of music because this is what goes through my head when I'm really "on" on the bike. Actually, it's always there. The slower the music, the harder, faster and better the ride. (Not that this was a particularly fast or game-on ride... but I wanted to play a little while out zipping around the backyard trails).
• Yes, this is boring, that's ok........ I will make more interesting ones soon! There is more blog post below if you wanna go read that. I discuss Tonka below. That might be more interesting.
• Try not to laugh too hard. Or, if you must, don't have a cup of coffee or red juice in your hand.

Top of EM. This is, of course, steeper than it looks. M will vouch for that.... But it's so flippin' easy!!


This is just a fun bit out on A3S. Again, it's look so much more interesting in person and on the bike! WTF.


Same section, going up. Blah blah blah.

I'm trying to figure out how to thread all these things together. I'll figure it out ;-)

Anyway:

I will say this: the weather has gone schitzo on us and it's now a white winter wonder land once again.

This was the last pic I took of the ride and evening... the weather rollin' in:


A day later:

It's become apparent that Tonka does not understand weather. He wakes up, goes to the front door, and whines until we open the door. We open the door, and out he goes... only to come roaring back into the house, as he cannot deal with the cold and wind and snowflakes. He then proceeds to be MAD at us because of the state of the world outside the house.

We've decided that Tonka thinks that "we do this TO HIM" .... And he treats us accordingly.



Hope everyone finds one way or another to have fun in all the snow!

Jj

PlayBliss

Work vs. Play.
Work hurt.
Play readjusted the body, mind and spirit ... again.



I have a sneaking suspicion that Monday for Michelle was a lot like Monday for me: difficult and tiresome on all levels. And, I am pretty darn sure that Play re-aligned her stars just as much as it did mine.

Need proof? How about some pix!!!!

We'll start with Michelle:

This kind of (playful) work...


... and this kind of (playful) work...


... and this kind of rock work...


(...and this kind of rock work, too)...


... most certainly leads to places with this kind of (high) Bliss...


... and this kind of beauty (check out that glow!):


And, since Michelle is figuring out her new camera ... I can now show you a bit of Jj-AdjustmentBliss as well!

This kind of rock work...


... just basically leads to a big, happy, mtbBlissed-out heart and smile... watch:


see it starting to show:


ahhh, happy, well adjusted woman!


I must say this: I have never once ridden these trails when they were tacky. I didn't think that state possible for these trails. But, lo-and-behold... not only was the trail in prime shape, there was no one there ;-)... Except for these guys:


Michelle and I nailed it on the timing! LUSCIOUS TRAILS!

Monday afternoon Play was just what the spirits ordered. We both finished the ride grateful for the time, the dirt, the climbing and ... well, yeah, the descending, too ;-)

Thanks, Michelle!!!!

Jj

dirt addictions

First, I've just got to say this: I have hair envy, in a really lovely and bad way:


Yes, that is Dan's head of hair. Below, he is trying to tell me something. All I can think is: how can I get my hair to come out of my helmet and look that good?


Cyn, the absolute POWER BUNNY ... no, make that the Energizer Bunny; my god, cyn, nice SS JOB!


Kim, rider on the storm:


And Myss Anne -- the Lovely Anne, listening to us nutcases all day long:


The last month of heavy-duty work has pretty much stolen a LOT of what I've worked on over the winter. What I was flying up with glee a month and a half ago, finds me now a bit on the ... slower and hurtin' side. Ah-well. Nothing a few more weeks of less office-work can't fix ;-)

Lucky to ride with these brilliant folks today! Thanks for letting me in on your ride!

Lucky me for riding dirt like this and in this manner 2 days in a row... and looking for perhaps a third?

Hope everyone has had a wonderful day!

And, I just have to do this here: Michelle, you are an ANGEL!

Jj

true colors

Ahhhhhhh - happy, happy day!



Dirt.

I feel MUCH, MUCH better now.

Jj

winter returns ... again

Lovely morning hike with the man. Thanks for dragging me out of bed, darling ;-)

View from the top

Abandoned car 1/4 of the way up ... i love this thing!


One of the many rewards for getting up early(ish) and getting out onto the trail, is that we get fresh tracks, and everything is undisturbed!!!! And, with the odd lack of wind this morning, the snow was just so heavenly!


Also looking off the top

More sunshine and snow


More old car ;-)

Hope everyone had a fantastic day!

Jj