the freedom to choose

today,

ed and i hit the trail early.

first on the trails as the sun was barely warming things up.

33 degrees; stellar-blue sky; fresh coat of pristine all over everything.

we chose to climb sandy,


and then up and over to miller. we chose to play our hearts out descending charlies,


and slip back down the upper part of sandy, and then turn off onto homestead. we chose to thoroughly bomb baldy




and then saunter our way up tramway.




we chose to rail all the way down more CoTr and then to go ride our way along red skin. we chose to giggle our way all the way up gashouse. then we chose to meander our finagley way


over to the CoTr over by wellington. we SOOOO chose to descend the CoTr. but first we chose to stop and say hi to the riff-raff.



the riff-raff leader, spikeypoo, just HAD to get his paws on the tiny pony.

at mile 38, ed chose to continue on to meet his 50-mile goal.


and i chose to lie in the grass and take a nap.






it was a beautiful nap.

and there was much Joy.

thank you, starling, for the most lovely day.

jj

morning view

Morning, SUNSHINE!!!


jj

CooCoo for KOKO!!!

A few months ago Lynda and I hatched a crack-pot plan: PlayDate on the KOKO! I was in need of a little 're-do' action to try and get this beauty done, and she was likely in need of a nice spinn around the block. This last Sunday, our spirits converged, and we set out for a lovely, beautiful, soulful day out on the KoKo.

Quick note: I did not bring my camera. Again. (It's broken really, so why bother, right)? So Lynda took most of the pictures, except for when I had a mind enough to ask her for it. And, we took pix until about ... Mcgraw, sort of. Then we stopped taking pix, so that is all I've got.

Annyyywwwaaayyyyy..... lalaa!!

Lynda, Dave, Ed and I all met in Moab Saturday afternoon. With a little futzing and packing, we were ready in no time flat. I think Lynda caught a couple/few hours sleep before hand. I, on the other hand, was wide-eyed and couldn't fall to sleep to save my life. Energy is good, right?

Lynda and I suited up, and we were ready to roll by 2 am, sharp.

Ed snapped a few pix of us riding around in circles (for his entertainment) ... and we were OFF!!!


We rode casually up sandflats and chit-chatted the piddle-pedal time away ;-) We hit the singletrack that led to the top of the loop road and I was totally out of my skull giddy at getting closer to the true 'launch point' of this route (which to me feels like Beaver Mesa). We took our time, and we slowly glided up, up and up. It was dark and the moon made a magical appearance late into the climb. Lynda found a chain tool in the dirt, and we picked it up, in case it was an omen;-)

We quickly bombed the loop road, and started climbing again, making our way up to the high-point. Along the way, I could hear the stream running, and what else did I sense? The birds were slowly coming to life, singing their little hearts out as we snuck by in the deep hours. The black edge of the la sals silhouette had a faint light rim outlining -- the sun was rising, and we were feeding off of it.

We kept a steady pedal and a quiet conversation (well, quiet for me anyway) as the sun made it's quiet way to the horizon.


And then, as we hit the absolute summit, giggling, the sunlight forced it's way over the horizon and we were bathed in the most beautiful light...

SPLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!


Lynda wears the sunshine on her shoulders (but you all knew that already, didn't ya).


And Jeny has a hard time containing her excitement (but you all knew that already, too).


We rolled along in the sunrise, and I was screaming with energy (sorry, Lynda;-)).


And Lynda was smooooving along in the brilliant morning air with the biggest smile EVER.



We bombed down the short, fast pitch. We passed one car coming the other way, and started to dive fast into the next corner, when Lynda said: "watch it" ... and another car crept around the corner with 10 dogs all peering out of it and standing on top of it ... she didn't even see it or hear it... she just KNEW it was going to be there.

And how did she know? Because she is IN TUUUNNNEEE with the KOKO...

And we danced our little in-tune souls right up onto beaver mesa. And life was Grand. And I was exploding with love and light and happiness. I was in my happy place with a happy angel and we were in heaven. I REALLY like this spot ;-) It's one of my favorite places to be... EVER.



SIIIIGGGHHHHHH.

We played our way on down the other side of the mesa, and HAD to stop for the mind-blowing earth-scape blooming in morning glory!

Here she is, the angel, with her wings:


And Jeny, hardly containing all that energy... I could have jumped off that rock and soared ... forever...


We rolled and rolled down all the rocky bliss. I was certainly glad to be going down this hill this time, as opposed to up it. I'm not sure what I was thinking last time. DUH. Much, much more fun in this direction!

And we meandered around in the desert. Giggling. Spinning. Soaring.

And then we got our selves up RoseGarden. We found a tupperware feast on the way up the hill. We chose NOT to pick this stuff up. Someone was going to want it;-)

And then I followed behind the angel for a long time getting up the hill after RoseGarden. Why did that one have to hurt so much? It shouldn't have ;) that is some FUN STUFF out there.

Yes, my name is Jeny, and I walked RoseGarden!



We filtered at a spot before Dewey bridge. I sat down to filter water and eat food, and I had the distinct sense that it might be a smart move for me to REALLY sit there for a while. This was roughly the 1/2-way point, and we had been out for a nice long ride thus far. I was trying to prepare my head and body for ... "another ride," basically ... because we had another 75+/- miles to go.

So Ii called a "rest stop". I laid back into the sand and grass ... and promptly passed out cold ... twice! ;-)

I awoke as if I had had a solid nights sleep! So we packed up the ponies and headed off.... only to see Dave barreling down on us, asking us if either of us were carrying extra.... SOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! He offered to pay $100 for a pair of socks. Lynda, of course, gave him ONE and said he owed her $50 bucks... and then we took off.

Little did I know that Ed was waiting a bit closer to Dewey! So I got to see my honey (and get a kiss) before I started a section I was a bit afraid of!

Pic credit Ed:

DH got his one new sock on and danced off to follow us up Yellow Jacket. See how happy he looks with his extra sock?

And, with the nap, the DH, the Angel, and a kiss: I WAS STOKED to be going up YJ with ENERGY and positive thoughts!!!! Wwwwrrrraaaaaawwwwrrrrrrr.....


I was trying to play CUTIE to try and enliven all the spirits in the YJ canyon. I'm not sure it worked ;-)


ANNNDD ... then we stopped taking pix!

We rallied up YJ MUCH faster than I had expected, and getting down and thru the other side of it was delightfully playful!! SO much so that I blew a tire near the end. DOH!

So DH and LW took off and waited at 128. I threw a cursing fit at the Jones + Arch rim combo -- but I got it DONE and done right;-)

DH and Lynda don't know it yet, but I was REALLY proud of myself for getting that tire re-done. It certainly took a while (had to give them time to kiss), but that is ok. I got it done.

And we were off thru Mcgraw.... and the flowers were going off!!! And, surprisingly, I felt like going off, too! The singletrack light my fire a bit and I just wanted to rail and push and play! I'm pretty sure we were all giggling, madly.


Such a lovely, lovely wide-expanse of flowers in the spot I absolutely least expected it.


And then we hit what i consider MARS.

And we all started to really sink into our own music and our own pace...

And we rolled with a tailwind for a LOOONNNNGGG TIMMMMEEEE (thank GOD for all that tail wind).

In my mind, I was thinking that it was like there were 3 separate movies playing one screen, all layered together: Lynda's movie, my movie, and Dave's movie. Same landscape, different films. And yet, we stayed together as a pack, blowing our way towards West Water, totally in sync.

I'm a lucky girl to get to be out in the middle of nowhere with these two crack heads. That thought did not escape me for even a second. Not once.

We rolled into West Water to refill with water. I ate. I drank. I lied down. I almost fell to sleep. DH drank a red-bull, then passed out cold for a few minutes.

I ate some more. I drank some more. And I was feeling really dark in my head. I started doing some finish-time math... and promptly dismissed my pathetic math skills and conclusions.... until DH chirped in and gave his finish time assessment.

DOH. Confirmation can suck sometimes ;-)

I didn't want to be out that late, that long. Fear crept into my belly -- which was already having a horrible time trying to process everything I had just stuffed into it -- and I was filled with a deep sense of panic.

We left the watering hole and jumped back onto the route. My legs felt oddly good, and that felt like a wild success for me: to be mostly physically AOK after 16 hours out. That is really big for me. However, the belly was not processing the food. And the big one: the head and emotions were unraveling, rapidly. I had myself a solid, solo cry while I was riding in the wide-expanse of the middle of the two crack-heads. That felt really good. HA!

We jumped onto the dirt to head up the hill that would eventually drop us into Rabbit Valley... a place I've been riding a LOT already this season. And I was filled with a bit of dread.

Lynda and I stopped and chatted.... It was time to stop. And it was a good spot to stop. So we sent DH up the hill with the cell in search of service so we could call our Rescue Angel, Ed.

In 30 minutes we were all piled in the car and blasting back to Moab for the Best Pizza Ever (Paradox Pizza in Moab).

The ride ended with the following stats:

We did not make it to Fruita
105 miles (of 142)
12,400+/- vert
16 hours out
and get this last one: 4 HOURS of down time!! DOHHHHHH!!!!!! Oops. Sorry about that DH and LW ;-)

It was a FANTASTIC PLAY DATE! I'm pretty certain that we all had lovely, deep and beautiful adventures. I know that I came away from the day feeling clear and grounded and healthy ... and blissed out of my skull ;-)

I do have a lot more to say about the ride and the day -- but it will have to wait for now ;-)

And, since I do have a new pony, I can't leave her out of the story, right?

She carries well distributed weight VERY well ... something she's not used to doing very often:


For ALL of the pictures go here. And yes, Lynda gets all of the photo credit!!!!

THANK YOU, LW and DH -- for all your time, energy, playfullness ... and your MtbSpirits. I love you both so very, very much!

Jj

majik and much love

i like the energy things



the big dark energy colliding with the flamboyant



the fresh and the expansive



and the earthy and the heavenly



the warm and the cold in the crux of change



the love of so many things all in one place



in one moment



one moment lasting



a lifetime



thank you, darling



for all the love and energy


(and the extra special ti bling)


jj

better late than never ;-)

As a treat to myself for taking a solid 10 days off of riding the bike, I went out to ride some fun, playful stuff with my dear friend M.

We had a casual ride up Falcon and over to LOTB. We talked with EVERYONE on Falcon as we rode up, and it was so neat to see so many MtbSpirits all amped up and positive! What a neat thing. Then, we got to hit LOTB in all it's swoopy, flowing goodness. Everyone we met and saw there was also on a glorious MtbHigh.

Luckily for M and I, there are 3 little rock sections along the way that are just fun enough to play around on. Pix below are of those 3 sections, and they're really mostly just pix of ME, because my camera STINKS ... and I failed to get as many good pix of M as she did of me;-) Bad Jeny. Booooo....



Maybe everyone was in such a good mood because we ALL knew we were totally sneaking in a dirt ride just before the next spring storm showered us with unending sleet and snow. Maybe ;-)

Anyway. M had the patience to let me try and try again on a big thing that I've only cleared once in this lifetime.. and was not able to clear this day. ;-( Booooo... But ... that just leaves fun for next time we're out there.

And M -- I promise to either get a better camera soon, or to start using YOURS while we're out playing.... Thanks for the lovely, lovely evening in the dirt!!!

jj

just.keep.going.

people are just SO much fun ;-)



even when i'm not so much ;-)

thanks for a rollicking, frolicking, climbingly blissful pummeling....

and the down-hill parts didn't suck either.

jj

yogi reflections

I'm going to interrupt the As the Beautiful World Turns series of posts and stories for a brief reflection.

But first, a gratuitous pony shot... she's becoming the Tiny Dancer ;-)


My wandering, funny thought:

So I'm in yoga the other day.

Specifically, I'm in downward-dog, as much as my hips allow me to be in downward-dog. I'm all stretched out, sweating like MAD, shoulders pulled and head relaxed.

I'm staring at my knees and I find myself thinking...

WTF. I used to have really sexy knees.... now they just look beat to hell.

And I continue thinking to myself... why on earth would that be?

Yesterday, I finally put it all together. This is why:



Yup. I have a penchant for liking rock funk, uphill.


And liking such silly things, I find that I slam my knees into hard things ON my bike, like I almost do here:

photo credit: Michelle

I woke up thinking about this so much, in fact, that I woke up this morning with one thought: Up is the new Down! OH yes indeedy!!!

But anyway. Michelle and I met up for another Raucous Rock Date. I'm really lovin' these outings!



Michelle has such grace!


whereas, jj has ... to just LAUGH!


She's so SMOOOVVEEEEE!


I have a lot more pix, and a few more words in regard to riding this hill in this direction.

I think I've found my new Funk Focus. What a great way to school yourself over and over and over again.

THANK YOU, MICHELLE!!!

Such Bliss.

Alright SpaceFans... time for WORKEY!

Jj

Anticipation and Hindsight: Episode One

westwater mesa view

Alright. I'm going to blatantly steal something from Ez ... something she said to me while we were driving for an extra bit of time on Sunday for our ride date with the Chickadees... she said (as per one of her brilliant yoga instructors: "use every moment, and every obstacle as an opportunity for adventure. Adventure doesn't have to be an 'in-hindsight' experience ... it can be a PRESENT experience. Every moment is an adventure, if you let it be so."

And how!

I don't know where to begin, really, because there has been so much adventure --- external things and internal (extra credit) things happening as of late. And by that I mean, fun things planned and lined up, as well as challenges, obstacles, and things I otherwise see as barriers for me to clamor over.

So, I'm going to start with a challenge. This is just ONE of a large handful of stories and topics I am excited to present to you. I am very specifically restraining myself to one topic today, as each and every moment deserves it's own episode and attention. I am merely starting with the one people keep asking me about ...

... The Pony Adventure! Yeah.... Remember in my last episode, I broke the HummingBird Pony, and was in desperate shape because of it? Well, let's just say that Jj gets a bit stressed about things like this. I had decisions to make, and a lot back-and-forthing between here, Salida, my mind, other pony dreams, and well ... other inputs... not to mention a head cold that completely took me out. I finally came upon the most efficient decision (duuuhhh) and WOW was I excited!!!!


ghost jeny

However, upon meeting the new pony, and heading out for our maiden voyage on local almost-ready trails, it was pretty apparent that either she didn't fit right, or that I no longer knew how to ride a mountain bike AT ALL. Sometimes, in my lows, I can be a pessimist. And the combination of those two possibilities sat in my stomach like a sack of potatoes.

Thus: in my anticipation and stress ... the evolution of an adventure.

So. it was in a state of fear and almost dread that I packed up the car at the last minute on Friday afternoon and just blindly bolted West with my road-trippin, mountain biking, partner-in-professional-eating Chika: Ez. We were destined to meet up with the Chikadees for their annual trip, and they were awaiting our arrival ASAP!

I stressed about the Pony and the Fit (and the potential end of my MtbLove) a LOT. So, after sleeping (not much) out in the open, under the stars, Eszter and I got to it: Between the "numbers sheet" I got from the last fit I did, and Eszters powerful 2-processor brain, we shakked and shimmied the new pony into a slightly different set of dimensions. And.... are you ready for this...........



My New TiPony!!!! SHE's a DREAM!!!! She's like a unicorn with wings (duuuhhh -- you knew I was going to say that, right?)! She is magic, and she flys!!! But no -- I have no idea what her name is just yet. She is SUPER smooth compared to the Scandium version of this bike. And she is ready to rock and roll!

Alright. That was a lot of build up, and I know you don't come here for the words, really.

So, for now I will just leave you with that, and you can expect another installment of As The Brilliant World Turns. Stay tuned for: "It's a Big Journey, Jeny. A BIG ONE." and "Is This Really Where We're Starting?" And, most delectably, "Desert Yoga." OH, and I cannot forget to mention "The Jesus Ride".

For now. I have to scoot to the place they call "office" and do the thing they call "work".

I'll leave you with a few parting shots to whet your appetite:

is this really where we start?


eszter in flow and bliss


sarah, dancin'! Prepare for an entire episode of How To Know When To Drop Your Pony And Do Yoga In The Middle Of NOWHERE. Oh I can't wait for this one! Wait til you see!!


And this.... well. THIS is the way to finish a ride.

Oh, and I cannot forget THIS episode:


Alrighty, space-fans. Stay tuned!!

Jj