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

the Bold and the Beautiful

... or, as some of you may know them, the GooneyRyder and the BeautyWild ... both of whom are both powerfully bold and beautiful ... these were my play-time partners for the weekend....

this is where we went to play:


how do you tell your friends you love them, deeply?

you go out to the desert with them and you play like absolute MAD!!!!! that's how!

From left to right: Carney - wondering how he lucked out so big; BeautyWild - contemplating the breeze coming up beneath her feet; and Ez - holding onto the tree for dear life!

we were also tremendously lucky to hook up and pony around with local front-range tech-ryder-master, LIZ (hawt extrordinaire)!!!!

no real pix (i took all of these with the phone camera, and that just wasn't cutting it), as the camera FAILED on the first climb of the first day. and, no real pix from day 2, as the pony died on the first climb of the second day.



i highly recommend heading to the bold and the beautiful blogs for more pix and more words than i dare to try and come up with.

thank you both, for such a magical weekend in the DIRT!

yyyeeeeehhhhaaawwwww!!!

jj

dirty little luv muffin ride

Sunshine! Ponies! Sunshine! Ponies! Sunshine! Ponies! Mud!
see how WIIILLLDDD the pony looks!! i love the pony!!!!! check out his crazy furry coat and mane!

eszter has a much more appropriate title for our ride-date on sunday. but honestly, the ride was really one of the dirty-est rides of the year, it was indeed NOT a little ride (50 mi, 6,500vert, 4.5 hrs, i think? Ez?), we ate muffins, we rode bikes, we ran with real ponies, and all that makes for a lot of mtbLove. So there you have it.

we do pretty much have the same story:
ride up sunshine, then up some more, then down-up thru gold hill, then up, then up, then down-up-down into Ned, then eat a super yummy muffin and coffee from the Co-op, then up, then up Mag, then down Mag, then more down Mag, then down the canyon, then up 4mile, then up poorman, then down sunshine. then home.

or, it could be conveyed like this: dry pavement, dry/damp dirt, really damp dirt, ponies!, white-velvet ice, mud, clean chains with snow, more slushy mud, more mud, some ice, clean chains with snow, dry pavement, muffin, coffee, dry pavement, mud, tailwind, slush, mud, tailwind, slush, stupid-ffin' subaru flying by absolutely spraying us with more slush, then more mud, more slush, then pavement with fine-grained sand for a nice really long time, dry pavement, dry pavement with massive boulders in the middle of the road, then some tacky dirt, then dry pavement, then home.

and yes, we did giggle the whole time... most particularly during the muddy sections, which was pretty much most of the dirt roads, which is a large part of the whole ride.

pix!


i think for both of us the highlight of the ride was seeing and running/riding with the ponies! tho the treat-stop at the co-op came in a close second ;-) and, i have to say, just getting to ride with ez on such a lovely day, all day, was just freakin' awesome! i had an absolute blast, and am still glowing from the whole day!

hope everyone got some sunshine this weekend! next storm: tomorrow.

jj

outlook good

i've decided that it is A-OK to over-process my photos because basically this is how i view the world anyway... might as well give you an accurate representation of JenyVision, eh?

this is an accurate representation of how i view the current 'state-of-being' and 'play-time' for all the mtbFreaks i know:

(yes, we are all just out there, splashing around in puddles and getting dirty on purpose ... with absolute JOY).


i seem to see the SKY reflected in all things... somehow.


maybe i just like the color blue. i definitely just like RR tracks.



this bike has wings... even tho it's not going anywhere. in fact, i would venture to say that this is a magical bike. that is what JenyVision says, anyway.


i'm almost positive that ed is quite sick of me sticking to his rear wheel these days. i've come up with a new technique for NOT bumping his rear wheel when he transitions between sit-pedal and stand-pedal. and no, honey, i'm not going to tell you what that new technique is, because you'll just get more frustrated with my extra-close mtbPresence. ;-) teehheee!!!


i found my painted pony today. however, she ran away when i held out my hand. and, she wasn't moving very fast at all.... gggaaaahhhhhhhh.....



ghost singletrack. yes.



thanks for checking in! hope everyone found at least one puddle to whole-heartedly leap into today ;-)

jj

dawn and dusk ride day

one of my favorite memories from childhood is that feeling and sense of tiredness and late-day-outside-play of after-school soccer practice. a very large part of that sense had to do with the smell of wet grass in the late afternoon.

i got to ride through that smell today, really worked ..... before the winter storm hit. i was driving home in a snowstorm in 30 degrees no more than 10 minutes after the following pix were taken.


looking west


looking east

chalk up another 'sneaky ride' to pure luck ;-) 40 miles with the pony without having to wear my winter shoes OR my rain coat ;-)

jj

patiently awaiting spring...

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday:

Saturday morning: coffee, oatmeal+berries, and some yoga out on the deck, basking in the sunshine.

Saddled up the SS pony and hit Stagecoach to Wittier ... to the top at Squaw in 58:50! I thought I wouldn't make it at all, let alone make it in under and hour ;-) ... and on the SS no less.

That got my happysmack goin'!!!

So I rolled down through Old Squaw, back onto 103, then down into Soda Creek and up the last few steep pitched climbs of the neighborhood. Then rolled 'backwards' (relative to the route I usually take) through the ridge (where the heck were YOU calGone?), and took the meandering and climby way home ;-)

I felt SPECTACULAR.

Sunday:

Sunday was bound to be another SS climb-fest. Ed joined me (inspired me) ... and together we came up with THE most convoluted route possible for a 4-hour jaunt around some of the higher 'hoods. No, Juth, we did NOT find your house, despite covering almost EVERY SINGLE ROAD UP THERE (more than once) ... looking for the ominous Orange Door.... Where are you in relation to the TreeFreaks as pictured above, eh!?!?

I definitely didn't expect it, but I felt SPECTACULAR once again ;-)

Thanks, Edmund, for the lovely mud-flinging fest. I really enjoyed that one ;-)

Jj

change of scenery

i'm sick of seeing the race-post, too;-)

how about some RED VELVET CAKE instead?



No? How about my SS, back from a filthy-making long day?

yes, it's still icy and icky here... but not icky enough to keep us from exhausting outselves silly. the SS is offering a nice change of pace.... well, that and the VooDoo Kitty is making some REALLY wrong noises from OP. BrandNewBB Issues? REALLY?


or how about BooBoo, recovering from his TeamBooBoo race efforts?

see what you did to him DB? he had so much fun ;-)

or how about some birthday GOODNESS!! Happy Birthday GooneyBunny!


and.... that is about all i've got.

well, except for all these grand ideas for riding ...... still bouncing off the walls and scheeming rides like MAD!

crack-out,
jj

24 hours of Oh-P!!! Riot in the Desert!

Night-Moves, by Edemtbs.

Below is an odd account of my first-ever 24 Hour race in the co-ed Duo class. My partner in crime for this MtbBilssFest was fast-as-lightning Aaron Gulley, from Santa Fe, NM. Together, we made up Fast and Sassy! And we took 2nd place, following National Champion Lynda Wallenfels, and DeepSpaceRacer Scott Morris.

Together, Aaron and I completed 19 laps (breaking the co-ed duo course record of 18 laps, only to be bested by LW and SM for their 20-lap mania).

I sincerely cannot jot down a blow-by-blow/lap-by-lap account of my 24 Hours of Old Pueblo race experience. Simply put, I was literally out of my skull INSANE the entire race, and I don't remember all that much detail.

Please note that this is more of a collection of thoughts than it is a race report. My skull is still blasted and manic and I am having a difficult time piecing something "race report like" together.

So, here are a bunch of random thoughts and pix linked together with hopefully some semblance of organization or structure:

LOGISTICS:

• First and absolutely foremost: we had a heavenly crew for support: Edmund my starling, CynnyBunn my race bunny, and Jen -Aaron's wife and my oldest and dearest friend. With out them, pit stops would have been chaos and ineffective. They helped to keep the MtbRaceLove on HIGH the entire time.
• My starling, Ed, took care of me the entire week ... and is still taking care of me ;-) He has put out so much energy and love to support me for this event, I can hardly express my gratitude. Thank you, love.
• CynnyBunn literally handed me every single item I needed right when I requested it. Food. CLOTHING. Shorts. Chamois Creme ;-))))) Thanks, CYN...
• And JEN!! BACK RUB and TEA!!!! Saviour!!!

LAPS:

It's pretty apparent that in order for me to 'race well', I need to do my best to keep a LID on the 'stress'. 'Stress', apparently, is far, far different from CRACK and MANIA!!! Thank god! Because it's true, my CrackSpirit ruled the day(s), hands down. There seems to be very little incentive to keep that manic part in check. But the 'stress' factor, I knew, would kill me.

So, in order to keep it in check, it would seem that I employed the following tactics to keep myself from stress-implosion:

• Simplicity. This is how the race went for me: PitFeedChange. Bathroom. Lap. Bathroom. Prep Bike. PitFeedChange. Bathroom. Lap. Bathroom. Prep Bike. PitFeedChange. Bathroom. Lap. Bathroom. Prep Bike. PitFeedChange. Bathroom. Lap ....
• I found that I was far, far more comfortable OUT on the course than I was in the pit. My body was not comfortable sitting still, and I found that my mind was not comfortable sitting still. Not that the pit wasn't heavenly, but that my body didn't want to slow down. It wanted to be flowing out on the singletrack. I did, however, make the most of the pit stops. More on that in a second.
• Humor. I made fun of myself, and everything else around me, the entire time. Case in point: this is me leaving for my first lap ... and YES, I DID do this on purpose:
  
  What do you think? How about this one:
  
• I did my best to stay as OBLIVIOUS AS POSSIBLE the entire race. Ignorance is Bliss? Outside of LW and SM, I knew for absolute certain that I didn't know jack squat about who else we were racing. I didn't think about it. I didn't look for it. I left it up to my crew to know if I needed to step on the gas or to change things up. Many times during many laps, I told myself to just stop thinking about ANYTHING else but MY RIDE.
• My mantra for the race: SMART LAPS. I wanted to keep things in check, and I wanted to NOT get a nice big phat cacti hug. I wanted to be mindful of my pacing, mindful of my surroundings. I kept saying this: "ALL FLOW, NO BLOW!"
• First lap: FUN and FAST and I felt crack-crazy.
• Second lap: FUN and FAST and I felt CRACK-CRAZY.
• Third lap: I distinctly remember some chatty, yeeehawwin' BLISS with ByerBunny ... and the lights came ON! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!! Byers and I held a full on manic hootin' fest with other riders around us ;-) I'd LOVE to know what their thoughts were.
• Fourth Lap: Night lap, felt like I could "hide in the dark" a little... too bad my voice has no clue what that means. I did my best to keep it spinny and mellow.
• Fifth lap: ditto.
• Sixth lap: ditto.
• Seventh lap: I got lost in my lap counts. And I think I started giggling to myself quite a lot.
• Eighth lap: Didn't enjoy the headwind, but enjoyed railing every section that could be railed.
• Ninth lap: Didn't enjoy the headwind, but enjoyed bombing every section that could be bombed.

Racin' AND SCREAMIN'... theme for the event for me:

PIT STOPS:

As I mentioned before: I was far more comfortable out on the bike than sitting in camp. That said, I did make the most of camp, and it was a life-saver every single time. And, true to one of my golden rules above, I kept it as mellow as possible:

• I ATE. Too much, in fact. On my 2nd pit I started to get intensely nauseated. Turns out, I just needed to stop eating. THANK YOU!!!
• 3rd pit, I came in hungry and had my favorite meal of the whole race: plain white jasmine rice, handfuls of gold fish, a large number of dark chocolate with peanut butter candies.
• Other foods inhaled: String cheese, yogurts (cherry and peach), some sustained and heed, but that wasn't workin' out too well. MY MOTHERS COOKIES!!! I think I hate 2 fist fulls of sugar cookies before I went out for my last lap. That was awesome.
• I napped 3 times, for about 5 minutes. That was manna for the mind, and I think it helped to keep me on the safe side of insane instead of the other side of insane.
• A few pix to demonstrate my calm, cool, even-keel demeanor:
  
  jeny eating mashed sweet potatoes... mmmmmmmm!!!!! see how sweet i can be!
  
  
  jeny trying to get the 'puter rollin' for CynnyBun. Didn't work.
  
  
  a bit of socializing with the international traveler showing up for her race.

Other Random Meaningful Thoughts and Observations:

• I have absolutely NO 'game-face' or 'race-face.' Anyone know where I can get one?
• I held onto my CrackBliss the entire race.......... and still, I'm bouncing off the walls. Case in point, check out how I HOVER to my pony on my last lap:
  
• I NEEDED Dave, and I NEEDED Lynda, and I NEEED Scott. I felt like our MtbManicSpirits were all connected out on that course ... like we were all riding a long sliver wave of energy that kept our Positive, Powerful, Energized spirits blazing!!!! I think that if there is one thing I will never, ever, ever forget about this race, is the sheer amount of POSITIVE ENERGY from our extended web of crazies.

AARON GULLEY -- Partner in Crime:

Aaron... what to say about my race partner? Holy criminy, this race was definitely HIS race! First and foremost, the man was in the top 10 getting TO his bike at the start of the race ... which was at the far, far end of the running section.... About a handful of freaky-speeders blew by ON their bikes, and here comes Aaron, RUNNING in the midst of them... He was WAY early out on course.

See:

All of Aarons laps were well under 1hr, 18min. SMOKIN' FAST!!! And, I credit Aaron for keeping us far enough ahead of 3rd place that I could play Oblivious Racer ;-) Thanks, Aaron!!!

Aaron has emailed and has this to say about the race:
anything to add? just how lucky i feel to be able to go to such a stunning place and do something as frivolous as ride my bike. a month ago, i thought i was facing my dad's death. he survived, but some 200,000 people weren't as lucky and 3 million are homeless. meanwhile i get to go race. that makes me feel pretty fortunate.

Aaron is full of Grace.

QUOTE of the RACE:

The day before the race, I spotted Lynda in her circus tent area. I bolted over, to steal a hug ... and to chat. And, true to form, I was bouncing off the walls, the ceiling, and everything else. I sincerely tried to keep it all in check and and as mellow as possible... I really was trying as hard as I could.

This is what Lynda had to say to me: "Jeny, do you know how to hit the PAUSE button?"

And, last but not least ... I DID IT. ;-) And I'm glowing still.

Fast and Sassy, true to form:

Thank you, all you crazy people, for making this such a wonderful event for EVERYONE!!! We really are lucky to get out and play as hard and fast and fun as we do ....

Jj

PS: here are all the other pix!! Ed took 99% of them -- and I think there are a few more that I've blatantly stolen ...