Vacation

Mid June, some challenges presented themselves at my work and late June to July were consumed with a focused effort on resolving some technical problems at work and planning the logistics of our trip to Spain. I poured through the Eroski website, blogs, and Lonely Planet guidebook to make our itinerary and see how we could fit in a trip to Picos de Europa without a great deal of extra climbing. Patrick worked on buying gear for the trip and packing the bicycles.

We were able to fit in a trip with friends to the White Mountains. The highlights was a hike up Mount Mariah for excellent views and watching a group of engineers prepare camp for an impending rainstorm. An elaborate system of moats and tarps was designed and executed. Lowlight was breaking into a Tule box for a roofrack using an ax, after keys to the box were left at home.

After had a nice trip to the White with folks from NEBC. I liked chilling out reading my box in the backyard, swimming in the river, taking another hike with great views, and getting to know some folks better. Mount Washington Century ride was a nice bonus.

Patrick and I left on my birthday for an amazing trip to Spain. I will save details for another blog including many pics, to be written when I have more time. The cycling and touristic aspects on the trip were great. I'm happy to say that Patrick took his cycling to a new level on this trip. He estimated that the 1st day on the bicycle was his hardest ride ever, and he hung in there to complete another 10 challenging rides. Spain has some steep roads!!