I've thought for a while that people that run ultramarathons have something a little wrong with them. I decided to see just how crazy they are by running one myself. A month ago, a friend told me on Wed that there was an ultramarathon near my house on Sat. I had no idea! - and a race so small that it depends on word of mouth to attract athletes is appealing to me - in fact could not be passed up. That race was laps of a 10 K course through the woods and featured a challenging section of rolling single track and enough ice that you had to wear spikes or Yaktrax on your shoes to avoid slipping around. I missed the start after I went back to the car to get my Yaktrax. My friend and I started at the back. Easy jog, he knew many of the other runners and we had a chatty first lap. Lap number 2, steady easy pace - I got ahead of my friend in the singletrack and kept going, picked the pace up a bit. I saw that a dog was running in the race, dog and runner were wearing harnesses and connected by a line. Patrick and Mocha were waiting in the woods to say hi. Lap 3, I couldn't see anyone ahead of me for some sections of the course and a few people passed me. I passed some others. The rolling single track took some effort, even at the slow pace - and I saw some people walking on it. Not the leader of the race. He passed me on the singletrack going so fast he slid through some of the corners. The straight and flat section seemed to have stretched somehow - when did it end? I had intended to run 3 laps, but I was going so slowly, it seemed like an opportunity to push for a mental challenge - heck I've been nothing but lazy for months now - many other people were running another lap. Lap 4, alone for most of it and super slow. Passed by a solid looking woman wearing a camelback - not just passed- left in the dust actually. I did pass a old man with a flowing white beard and a dog that was running off leash in the race. Chug chug - chatted with another runner -and was pretty happy when the parking lot came around again. Good luck to those making the final lap- I thought I would have walked some sections had I kept going.
Last weekend we made an early morning trip to the Cape for a 50 K race on the beach. That is an event that warrants more preparation that I put into it (none). The race started on a cold beach - temps in the 20s and into the wind. This was not the beach running I've done before (on a solid surface, for a half mile, years ago). It was a rocky beach with plenty of loose deep sand - and the sections that weren't on the beach were on a road that had a surface or loose sand or rocks - not much better at all- except no wind on the road. The race was 2 loops of a figure 8 type of course. When we approached the first turn on the course, the leader was about a quarter mile ahead of me. A few miles later and I could barely see anyone ahead of me. I had to stop for a break in the bushes and quite a few people passed - so I had someone to look at again. On we went, past beach houses - again I couldn't see anyone ahead by the footprints did indicate I was on course. It was peaceful, nice back there in the dunes. I had run out of food and water but surely we were close to the car and start of the 2nd lap was coming up. To the contrary, about 5 miles on the beach into the wind stood between me and the car. What a slog! Sand was in my shoes, I was depleted, and motivation was in question. I had come here because I like the beach - ha! the beach was out to show me what brutal unforgiving force nature is. I was thrilled to reach the parking lot and ate some soup with others that were finishing after only one lap. I told Patrick about how hard it was to run on sand while dumping my shoes. The 2nd lap was slow and more like hiking than running. I later found out that I had been the 1st woman until about mile 20 - when I was left in the dust by the leader. It allowed for plenty of thought and reflection. Especially the long finish stretch on the beach - that really had some surreal aspects - run to the horizon on sand - it seemed like a dream. The next person ahead of me was barely in sight - and pulling away farther as time went by. It was not clear where on the beach the finish actually was - someone out there. I ran the last mile or so with Mocha on a leash. Mocha finished an ultramarathon!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
I'm alive in 2013!
Kicked off the New Year with a ride to the beach with a great group from Exeter, New Hampshire. Good challenge to increase my fitness this year when they reminded me what it feels like the get the legs churning and heart pumping. My puppy Mocha gives me daily inspiration to wake up rejuvenated, each day totally fresh and full of possibilities.
New Year's was the 60th anniversary of the date Peace Pilgrim set off on her pilgrimage. My news Year's resolution is to take her teachings to heart. http://www.peacepilgrim.org/steps1.htm
I gave the inside of most of the house a good deep clean for the New Year over my Christmas break and I see why Peace Pilgrim viewed possessions as burdens. First weekend of the year I ran an ad hoc 40K slowly in the woods and took a gun safety course during which I loaded, shot, and cleaned handguns (already contradicting the resolution of cultivating peace). I also picked up Pablo Neruda's Extravagaria again and found this poem which I think is great for long distance hiking couples.
Con Ella
Pablo Neruda
Como es duro este tiempo, espérame:
vamos a vivirlo con ganas
Dame tu pequeña mano:
vamos a subir y sufrir
vamos a sentir y saltar.
Somos de nuevo la pareja
que vivió en lugares hirsutos
en nidos ásperos de roca
Como es largo este tiempo, esperame
con una cesta, con tu pala,
con tus zapatos y tu ropa.
Ahora nos necesitamos
no sólo para los claveles,
no sólo para buscar miel:
necesitamos nuestras manos
para lavar y hacer el fuego,
y que se atreva el tiempo duro
a desafiar el infinito
de cuatro manos y cuatro ojos.
With Her
Pablo Neruda
This time is difficult. Wait for me.
We will live it out vividly.
Give me your small hand:
we will rise and suffer
we will feel, we will fly.
We are once more the pair
who lived in barbed places,
in harsh nests in the rock.
This time is difficult. Wait for me
with a basket, with your clothes,
with your shoes and a shovel.
Now we need each other,
not only for the carnations’ sake,
not only to harvest honey -
we need our hands
to wash with, to make fire.
So in this difficult time
let us face up to infinity
with four hands and four eyes.
New Year's was the 60th anniversary of the date Peace Pilgrim set off on her pilgrimage. My news Year's resolution is to take her teachings to heart. http://www.peacepilgrim.org/steps1.htm
I gave the inside of most of the house a good deep clean for the New Year over my Christmas break and I see why Peace Pilgrim viewed possessions as burdens. First weekend of the year I ran an ad hoc 40K slowly in the woods and took a gun safety course during which I loaded, shot, and cleaned handguns (already contradicting the resolution of cultivating peace). I also picked up Pablo Neruda's Extravagaria again and found this poem which I think is great for long distance hiking couples.
Con Ella
Pablo Neruda
Como es duro este tiempo, espérame:
vamos a vivirlo con ganas
Dame tu pequeña mano:
vamos a subir y sufrir
vamos a sentir y saltar.
Somos de nuevo la pareja
que vivió en lugares hirsutos
en nidos ásperos de roca
Como es largo este tiempo, esperame
con una cesta, con tu pala,
con tus zapatos y tu ropa.
Ahora nos necesitamos
no sólo para los claveles,
no sólo para buscar miel:
necesitamos nuestras manos
para lavar y hacer el fuego,
y que se atreva el tiempo duro
a desafiar el infinito
de cuatro manos y cuatro ojos.
With Her
This time is difficult. Wait for me.
We will live it out vividly.
Give me your small hand:
we will rise and suffer
we will feel, we will fly.
We are once more the pair
who lived in barbed places,
in harsh nests in the rock.
This time is difficult. Wait for me
with a basket, with your clothes,
with your shoes and a shovel.
Now we need each other,
not only for the carnations’ sake,
not only to harvest honey -
we need our hands
to wash with, to make fire.
So in this difficult time
let us face up to infinity
with four hands and four eyes.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Celebrating Life
Great weekend to celebrate the lives of cyclists! Anna and Sasha married on Saturday in a wonderful ceremony followed by night at the museum. Susanne back in action in a 60 mile group ride. Ironically, the dog bite incident encouraged her back into group riding. She had previously sworn off most group riding following a head injury from a crash at Mayor's Cup.
On the topic of brain damage, I heard this very interesting article about an athlete on the radio yesterday. This goes to support a few ideas
mind over matter
something is wrong with ultra runners
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/apr/05/in-running/
Added in 2013, the link to Anna and Sasha's blog - continuing to celebrate life as a grand adventure in Germany http://annaandsasha.blogspot.com/
On the topic of brain damage, I heard this very interesting article about an athlete on the radio yesterday. This goes to support a few ideas
mind over matter
something is wrong with ultra runners
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/apr/05/in-running/
Added in 2013, the link to Anna and Sasha's blog - continuing to celebrate life as a grand adventure in Germany http://annaandsasha.blogspot.com/
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Ladies' 6 Gap
Belated post regarding my May 17th assault on the 6 Gaps Route with Jessica Eckhardt. I was excited about the prospect of a all woman (yes, even just 2) 6 Gap ride. Jessica has been riding likely about 10 x more than I have this year so I figured if I could stay on a bike all day, Jessica would have no problem. The Friday morning before the big day I was so tired that I felt queasy- sadly this state was brought on my late nights at work not overtraining. Thinking about getting up at 4 am to drive to Vermont seemed ridiculous. I decided to call Jessica to cancel, but did not have a break to get to my desk all morning. By the time I did get to my desk, she had sent an e-mail about how excited she was and had purchased and installed a mountain bike cassette. I hoped for the best.
Jessica arrived after 10pm at my house with bug spray and sunblock attached to her bicycle with velcro. Hmmm, I have never found bugs much of a problem on a road bike. I have found extra weight to be a problem. I assisted her with lightening up this set-up.
9:30 on Sat morning, out bikes were rolling towards Brandon Gap. Patrick did a nice job driving us to Vermont as well as climbing Brandon and Middlebury Gap. He then left us for a nap. Lincoln Gap was tough for Jessica, as she had a pinched nerve from a previous injury act up during the slow grinding section. Given that there really was no rush, I found that it is possible to do a track stand for half a mile and finish the climb without getting the heart rate up. This is a super slow method, but faster than pushing. On the descent from Lincoln, my cable broke in the right shifter, setting the stage for the most challenging climb of App Gap ever. We tried to give Patrick a call to let him know we could be stuck on the other side of the mountains with the mechanical- the call went to voicemail so we set about jury rigging the shifting. Jessica really did a wonder on the bike and managed to get the chain into the 2nd easiest gear. The cable was held in place using a multi tool and medical tape we bought in Lincoln. We had finished Baby Gap when Patrick arrived. He got a signal when he got to Warren to bring us snacks. We replaced the cable and I headed up App with all gears in play. Jessica was not in great shape when we took our snack break- the pinched nerve was a frustrating concern. She was determined to knock off the last 2 gaps though so with the sun low in the sky we headed up towards Roxbury. Roxbury is a dirt climb which is challenging with 80 miles in the legs. Loose gravel made it quite more challenging. Considering Jessica's modest experience riding gravel, I wasn't too surprised to see her pushing through that section of road. (I found here that if you go slow enough a dusk, actually bugs can be a problem) I thought that this might be it for the ride and offered to turn around. No turning around for Jessica - the bike could be pushed to the top and off we went. We worked though most of the last climb in the dark and had a thrilling nocturnal descent to the car. Jessica's headlight is so bright that I briefly thought that she was a car.
We finished around 9 or 9:30 and happily ate the two pizzas had Patrick bought for us while discussing the constellations overhead. Really a great ride. Unfortunately, Patrick had spent nap time delivering the cable to us, so did not get a nap. He did manage to drive us back home with home sweet home at about 1 am.
I'm hoping for some more long scenic rides this summer and hope Jessica is able to fulfill her dream of racing across America next summer. This weekend she is riding her bicycle to Maine where she has business. I hope that she is expensing the miles and lots of gummi worms.
Jessica arrived after 10pm at my house with bug spray and sunblock attached to her bicycle with velcro. Hmmm, I have never found bugs much of a problem on a road bike. I have found extra weight to be a problem. I assisted her with lightening up this set-up.
9:30 on Sat morning, out bikes were rolling towards Brandon Gap. Patrick did a nice job driving us to Vermont as well as climbing Brandon and Middlebury Gap. He then left us for a nap. Lincoln Gap was tough for Jessica, as she had a pinched nerve from a previous injury act up during the slow grinding section. Given that there really was no rush, I found that it is possible to do a track stand for half a mile and finish the climb without getting the heart rate up. This is a super slow method, but faster than pushing. On the descent from Lincoln, my cable broke in the right shifter, setting the stage for the most challenging climb of App Gap ever. We tried to give Patrick a call to let him know we could be stuck on the other side of the mountains with the mechanical- the call went to voicemail so we set about jury rigging the shifting. Jessica really did a wonder on the bike and managed to get the chain into the 2nd easiest gear. The cable was held in place using a multi tool and medical tape we bought in Lincoln. We had finished Baby Gap when Patrick arrived. He got a signal when he got to Warren to bring us snacks. We replaced the cable and I headed up App with all gears in play. Jessica was not in great shape when we took our snack break- the pinched nerve was a frustrating concern. She was determined to knock off the last 2 gaps though so with the sun low in the sky we headed up towards Roxbury. Roxbury is a dirt climb which is challenging with 80 miles in the legs. Loose gravel made it quite more challenging. Considering Jessica's modest experience riding gravel, I wasn't too surprised to see her pushing through that section of road. (I found here that if you go slow enough a dusk, actually bugs can be a problem) I thought that this might be it for the ride and offered to turn around. No turning around for Jessica - the bike could be pushed to the top and off we went. We worked though most of the last climb in the dark and had a thrilling nocturnal descent to the car. Jessica's headlight is so bright that I briefly thought that she was a car.
We finished around 9 or 9:30 and happily ate the two pizzas had Patrick bought for us while discussing the constellations overhead. Really a great ride. Unfortunately, Patrick had spent nap time delivering the cable to us, so did not get a nap. He did manage to drive us back home with home sweet home at about 1 am.
I'm hoping for some more long scenic rides this summer and hope Jessica is able to fulfill her dream of racing across America next summer. This weekend she is riding her bicycle to Maine where she has business. I hope that she is expensing the miles and lots of gummi worms.
Bicycle Race
Most unusual sight at the Sunapee Road Race today. I passed a rider with only one leg. That man has a remarkable attitude to enter a cycling race. I think that the bicycle may be very special to him because I think that he can move around more smoothly on a bicycle than by hopping. Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to discuss his motives for entering the race with him, although I am very interested.
Also, I saw Susanne at the race today and she looks great. I'm happy to see that she is back riding her bicycle as well.
In general, turnout at the race today was quite low. 16 ladies in the Pro, 1,2,3 field. I appreciate the promoter having the race for us. Last weekend I drove 2.5 hours to Connecticut to find that the promoter had cancelled the Pro,1,2 race at the Nutmeg Crit on the day of the race because of low numbers of preregistered ladies. I arrived a half hour before the men's race and missed the chance to jump into my kit and jump into the men's race - so I went back home bummed out about waste of lovely day in the car.
Today was a great day for a bike race. This one left me motivated to improve my fitness. My long hours at work combined with laziness has left me in sluggy condition.
Also, I saw Susanne at the race today and she looks great. I'm happy to see that she is back riding her bicycle as well.
In general, turnout at the race today was quite low. 16 ladies in the Pro, 1,2,3 field. I appreciate the promoter having the race for us. Last weekend I drove 2.5 hours to Connecticut to find that the promoter had cancelled the Pro,1,2 race at the Nutmeg Crit on the day of the race because of low numbers of preregistered ladies. I arrived a half hour before the men's race and missed the chance to jump into my kit and jump into the men's race - so I went back home bummed out about waste of lovely day in the car.
Today was a great day for a bike race. This one left me motivated to improve my fitness. My long hours at work combined with laziness has left me in sluggy condition.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Susanne Diaries
Cycling has been on the back burner lately for me as I'm busy with work, finishing up my master's degree and enjoying some time with Patrick. After nearly 18 years of spending a fair bit of time enjoying solo outdoor activities and not heeding the warnings of others regarding the risks of these, I was quite shaken up by some recent news from my friend, Susanne. She was riding her bicycle home from work on one of the first warm spring days here when a pit bull ran into the road and bit her on the shin. I call this post the Susanne diaries because when I went to visit her yesterday she was losing track of the events of the days she has spent in the hospital. One day was marked by the beginning of shots in the stomach. Another by feeling horrible from pain medicine and throwing up. Another day was surgery prep. Another day was bad news that the surgery did not go as hoped. Another day was when a needle was sewn into her and she became a mass balance - bags of fluid going in bags of fluid coming out. The real Susanne diaries are typed on a i phone inside of Susanne's forest of flowers and stuffed animals. Tough times for Susanne and Tim.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Happy New Year, 2012
"Drive, Race, Fix Bike, Make Her Dinner"
This is Patrick's description of several of his past summers during a discussion whether I should join a road team for the upcoming season.
His comments on my improving my speed on the bicycle through diet.
"You have the small thing down, you just need to get smaller."
The winter has been mild and I'm happy to say that I have not been on the trainer yet nor felt that I was freezing my toes! Today I went for what turned out to be a long and wandering ride north of my house and really could not tell it was winter at all.
Patrick and I enjoyed the autumn here mountain biking together and riding several long rides in scenic Western Mass. The most exciting was spotting a moose one morning on one of these rides.
Unfortunately I have felt a strain the past few months since I took on new responsibilities at work in addition to plugging away at grad school. Cycling and fitness were put on the back burner and it was truly a joy to get out for a nice ride today.
Over the holidays, Patrick and I took a short trip to Zion National Park. We rode mountain bikes near the town of Hurricane. I could get used to that! Smooth trail, lovely views, and playgrounds of rock. Patrick had a blast too and really loved it.
I really enjoyed reading the book Be Brave, Be Strong by Jill Homer while on vacation. I'm now procrastinating on work by reading this blog - associated links are excellent. Now, to find a way to squeeze out of my responsibilities so I can take off on an epic adventure too. http://joecruz.wordpress.com/category/inspired-rides/
This is Patrick's description of several of his past summers during a discussion whether I should join a road team for the upcoming season.
His comments on my improving my speed on the bicycle through diet.
"You have the small thing down, you just need to get smaller."
The winter has been mild and I'm happy to say that I have not been on the trainer yet nor felt that I was freezing my toes! Today I went for what turned out to be a long and wandering ride north of my house and really could not tell it was winter at all.
Patrick and I enjoyed the autumn here mountain biking together and riding several long rides in scenic Western Mass. The most exciting was spotting a moose one morning on one of these rides.
Unfortunately I have felt a strain the past few months since I took on new responsibilities at work in addition to plugging away at grad school. Cycling and fitness were put on the back burner and it was truly a joy to get out for a nice ride today.
Over the holidays, Patrick and I took a short trip to Zion National Park. We rode mountain bikes near the town of Hurricane. I could get used to that! Smooth trail, lovely views, and playgrounds of rock. Patrick had a blast too and really loved it.
I really enjoyed reading the book Be Brave, Be Strong by Jill Homer while on vacation. I'm now procrastinating on work by reading this blog - associated links are excellent. Now, to find a way to squeeze out of my responsibilities so I can take off on an epic adventure too. http://joecruz.wordpress.com/category/inspired-rides/
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
D2R2 pre hurricane Irene
D2R2 was great fun again this year. The valley and hills are lovely! I enjoyed wonderful company with Anna Mcloon and Anna Milkowski. It was just as much fun listening to their stories as riding around the scenic countryside up and down hills. Patrick completed the new 115 K course, his longest and hardest D2R2 course and and Anna's boyfriend Sasha did his longest ride EVER which was exciting. With the hurricane on the way, the skies were overcast which made for pleasant riding. Dirt was packed. Truly great conditions for an epic ride. This year I had my GPS which was very helpful, but not foolproof. It told me to take a U turn a few times for no reason at all. Anna Mcloon kept us on course by reading from the cue sheet so our group made it all the way around without a wrong turn downhill. What a great day! Our group of ladies arrived back at camp right as it started to drizzle. Nice conversational pace this year with no mechanicals, mishaps or sore legs. Almost too good to be true for a cycling event.
Due to the hurricane forcast, we decided to head back Sat - and came home to no power. Fortunately that came back on Sun morning and our neighborhood had little damage from the storm. A lot of sticks to pick up. The D2R2 course did not fare so well. The field for camping was flooded and a lot of damage to the riverside park used for lunch, and the road to the park. Also, one of the covered bridges was damaged. I hope that these areas are rebuilt. There is a call out for cyclists' donations.
Due to the hurricane forcast, we decided to head back Sat - and came home to no power. Fortunately that came back on Sun morning and our neighborhood had little damage from the storm. A lot of sticks to pick up. The D2R2 course did not fare so well. The field for camping was flooded and a lot of damage to the riverside park used for lunch, and the road to the park. Also, one of the covered bridges was damaged. I hope that these areas are rebuilt. There is a call out for cyclists' donations.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
On my mountain bike
I completed a personal challenge of riding the New Hampshire 100. Thanks to Patrick for keeping my mountain bike operating through my practice rides this summer and to Luna Chix and NEBC mountain bike team for their clinics which taught me the basic skills I needed to stay on bike for well, as long as I managed too. This was my longest competitive event yet and did not disappoint in terms of the emotional highs and lows endurance events are known for. Highs were some fast riding down dirt roads the first 10 miles, making it up some hills on loose dirt roads, and enjoying the views in the forests.
Lows started at about mile 40 when I started going very, very slowly on mossy rocky singletrack sections. I pushed my bike more during the race than I expected. I even pushed up a few climbs- and it was to the point where today my arms are sore and my legs are fine. Over the next 15 miles, I suffered 3 mishaps and was passed by perhaps 15 guys. One end-o causing a bash of knee on rock. One clip of bars on a tree while descending, causing a crash and near miss with wacking head on a rock. 3nd mishap involved a water crossing. There was one place where the route went through a deep puddle to the point where I was pedaling under the water. That was kind of fun. Not long after I came to another large muddy puddle. I didn't see a way around it, although later I found there was indeed a path to the side. I headed into the puddle with some speed and got about one bike length in the water before the bottom fell out and my bike went nearly under the water (wheels were fully submerged). I jumped off and tried to take the bike with me, but it was going nowhere. The wheels were stuck fast in the mud! I positioned myself on the "shore" of the puddle and yanked as hard as I could to free the bike. Riding into water like that was a mistake that I won't repeat!!! I finished the race with some bruising on the the legs, but still riding strong and ready for more practice on my mountain bike.
Top highlight of the day was when Patrick received a medal for 3rd place in the 25 mile ride. He was not aware that this was his first race on a mountain bike too!
Lows started at about mile 40 when I started going very, very slowly on mossy rocky singletrack sections. I pushed my bike more during the race than I expected. I even pushed up a few climbs- and it was to the point where today my arms are sore and my legs are fine. Over the next 15 miles, I suffered 3 mishaps and was passed by perhaps 15 guys. One end-o causing a bash of knee on rock. One clip of bars on a tree while descending, causing a crash and near miss with wacking head on a rock. 3nd mishap involved a water crossing. There was one place where the route went through a deep puddle to the point where I was pedaling under the water. That was kind of fun. Not long after I came to another large muddy puddle. I didn't see a way around it, although later I found there was indeed a path to the side. I headed into the puddle with some speed and got about one bike length in the water before the bottom fell out and my bike went nearly under the water (wheels were fully submerged). I jumped off and tried to take the bike with me, but it was going nowhere. The wheels were stuck fast in the mud! I positioned myself on the "shore" of the puddle and yanked as hard as I could to free the bike. Riding into water like that was a mistake that I won't repeat!!! I finished the race with some bruising on the the legs, but still riding strong and ready for more practice on my mountain bike.
Top highlight of the day was when Patrick received a medal for 3rd place in the 25 mile ride. He was not aware that this was his first race on a mountain bike too!
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!!
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!!
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