Mountain Biking-err crashing

Yesterday, I went for my second mountain biking voyage at China Camp. I’m fortunate enough to be borrowing what is apparently one of the best mountain bikes, ever. A women’s Specialized Stump Jumper. I’m not sure if its the 29er. I don’t think that it is. But I do know, that I’m a long way from being to afford such a bike. And I’ll be disappointed in any other mountain bike in the event that I decide to continue with this sport. And that’s a big if, especially after this weekend.

It’s funny, the first time you try something new sure its hard, but you push through it and are rewarded with endorphines and the satisfaction of good job well done. So why is the second time so much harder?

I’m not a great climber by any means. I huff and I puff and my quads burn. The week prior to mountain biking, I had spent road biking and running, crosstraining as I like to call it. So, why was my second trip so hard? The first part of the climb, I did really well, albeit all the while huffing and pufing. The second half of the climb was brutual. My legs became jell-o faster and I had to stop a few times on the trail in order to catch my breath and give my quivering my legs a break. Trying to stand to even make the tiniest of climbs was nearly impossible.

Then the rewardning part of the adventure began-the downhill. I should also make note that this is also the most dangerous part of the ride. The first go round I didn’t wear any protective gear other than my helmet. This time borrowing leg guards from boyfriend we began the descent. I can’t describe the feeling of ripping around corners and picking up gears as you shuffle on the rocks. The first time that I took on this adventure I had to get the feel of the bike and trust that the bike was going to be underneath me. I know that sounds weird, but sometimes after hitting loose rocks I could feel the bike shifting around under me. Not having the time to really think about it kept me calm. If I would’ve had time to think about the situation I probably would’ve freaked out and crashed. This time I was more confident. Probably going faster than I should have been going and taking a few more risks than was good for me.

My first crash was an easy one. I wasn’t going very fast at all, but my pedals clipped some rocks sending me off balance and down to the ground. I fell in a tangled heap on the side of the cliff. Ace was nice enough to disentangle me from the bike and readjust the seat which I had somehow landed on. I dusted myself off and continued downhill. I probably should’ve taken my cue to slow it down when I topped a hill a bit too fast and was faced with lots of treacherous trail. Sharp rocks, steep crevasses cut into the trail, and only a split second to choose my route. I somehow managed that one, but I was quickly about to meet my fate.

I knew the end of the hard techinical trail was coming to a close and I was getting excited. I don’t know what happened really. I was on an easy part of the trail, it was wide and nothing but dirt. I look ahead and see a tree. I knew that I needed to move to the right of the tree. But I was somehow unable to make this happen. I was breaking and trying to steer right, but nothing was happening. At the last moment, at least I think this is how it happened, I grabbed the left brake too hard and it sent me flying over the handle bars. Which scraped down the tops of my quads, which are now a lovely shade of purple. I also took a hard hit to my upper abdomen. I’ve never seen such a color before. It’s red with tinges of purple. But the worst is my shoulder. Immediately upon impact, I screamed out in the hopes of catching Ace’s attention. It didn’t work. I knew people were on the trail behind me and I couldn’t stay where I was. I somehow managed to pick myself up and move the bike out of the path. But there was no way that I would be able to finish the ride, which I was bummed about. I was doing so well. I kept apologizing for crashing because I didn’t want to be a disspointment.

I’ll get back on the bike, in a couple of weeks or more, because I can’t raise my arm past my waist at the moment. But next time, I’ll be a bit slower and go easier. Maybe, I’ll even go on a less physically demanding downhill course.

 

Stuff To Do, Yo!

I work from home, which as a new resident to the Bay Area provides me with a few challenges.
Challenge One, I have no reason to get dressed at all. Unless of course, I find myself with no food in the house.
Challenge Two, I have no reason to leave the house. Unless, I need food or some other household item.
Challenge Three, New friends are seldom found knocking on your door asking you to come out and play.
Challenge Four, This is a HUGE area with lots going on and even more to explore. So how do you narrow your choices down and pick the right activity? (Answer: Lots of reading and research!)

I’ll be working on compiling a list every so often of stuff that might be of interest to those of you who are of similar minds. Just to give you an idea, I love music, kitsch, food, adult beverages, the great outdoors, etc.

Let’s get started shall we? First Up:

July 7- Fun & Games Night at California Academy of Sciences. http://www.sfstation.com/7-7-fun-and-games-nightlife-e1304901
Yeah, I wanna play gigantor Jenga. Your point?

*If you’re in the North Bay area, like me, every Friday at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, food trucks are serving some of the best the city has to dish! (starts at 5 pm)

July 9 & 10 – Renegade Arts & Crafts Faire, Fort Mason Pavillion, San Francisco http://www.renegadecraft.com/san-francisco
Shut the Front Door! Its a live version of ETSY. You know you wanna geek out too!

July 19 & 20- The Avett Brothers @ The Fox Theater in Oakland

July 30 & 31 – Treasure Island Flea Market

As I uncover more events, I’ll keep you posted. One event that I’m hoping not to miss is Outside Lands in August. http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/

Also coming to the area are Jeff Bridges & The Abiders August 24 and The Kills September 9.

 

California Dreamin’

It was my intent to write an adventure daily. I fail. But I will vow to do better. Ok? good. Let’s Go.

So lemme tell you about my “epic” bike ride yesterday. And by bike I mean bicycle. (I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle!)
A red and white classic, she’s a beautiful bike and I call her The Little Red Rocket or Little Red. She’s a bit older, an 80’s something or another Trek. This means that she’s also a bit heavier because she a steel frame. Also something that is quite unique is that the gears aren’t round their oval. I think its called bi-pedal? I’m not sure so don’t quote me. It’s supposed to help distribute the work more evenly between your legs, but its a coin toss as to whether or not that’s true and some even believe it to be harmful. Did I mention that she has a bell?

Up until a month ago, I hadn’t been ridding in long time. But now that I’m in California and Ace doesn’t feel complete without doing serious riding at least twice a week, I’ve become a more avid rider. Small rides at first, to the grocery store, which was maybe a mile from home. And then it was roughly 5 miles. And then a little more. The first 15 mile I did was surprisingly moderate. The second time I did it, it felt super easy. I completed a couple of climbs that are normally more challenging without slowing down or losing my breath. Hu-zah! how

So when Ace said that he wanted to do a 30 mile loop, I thought that I could tackle that. And I did. Slowly, painfully and all while huffing and puffing. It wasn’t all that bad. Until I got to Lucas Valley. And then it was ALL up hill. A winding long, narrow at times hill err, mountain. As I’m working my way along oh-so-slowly a show off passed me. Ugh, she on her shiny, new, sleek, light-weight, super fast bicycle. I wanted to push her over. OK, not really, it didn’t even cross my mind. What I did think however, was that she as she was passing me she was probably thinking “Aww, look at the pudgy girl huffing and puffing, now get out of my way.” I was also sure that Ace wished I was more like her. And then I started wondering why he wasn’t with a bicycle obsessed girl. And what the hell did he see in me? And then all I could think was OMG I’m never going to make it up this damn hill!

Eventually, I did make it to a place called Big Rock. From there it was easier for a hot minute. Little Red LOVES going downhill. It’s great! You get that feeling that you had as a kid. Whoosh! Wee! And then the down was over and it became flat and my legs became cement. It felt like I was going through mud. No matter how much I exerted myself or tried to go faster, I just wasn’t moving. At least the scenery made the slow going enjoyable: golden hills, lush redwood forest, wildlife, all enjoyed at a snail’s pace.

My favorite part of the trip was the downhill decent into Fairfax. Little Red became a rocket! She really whooshed right down. I probably topped out somewhere around 45 mph. Going that speed is a nerve racking. After all, the only thing separating you from the pavement is your clothing. Fun thought, right? But I made it. Even if my legs felt like jell-o after getting home.

Will I do it again? Probably? Will it be easier? Probably not. Will I still want to push over the flashy girls on their flashy bikes? Oh yeah. The point is, I’m doing it and maybe one day I can do it without all the huffing and puffing.

 

Woah.

After a briefly long hiatus, I’m back and what an adventure its been. Woah became my new word of the trip. There was also something impressive looming in the distance.

After 14 days, 8 cities, and more than 4,000 miles I arrived to my new home in the Bay area. The trip was amazing. America is such a beautiful place with every changing scenery. One moment you’re in the desert, next you’re in a green valley. In the blink of an eye stone monuments are front and center. It was definitely an unforgettable journey, although, I think I would like to forget the desert. After resisting the urge to drink lotion and applying chap stick every other minute, I realized that I need more than 4% humidity in my life.

A brief synopsis of the journey:

1) Home in Arkansas: Always good to see the fam. Mom made one of my favorite dishes from childhood her lasagna and homemade french bread. She also sent us on our way with a jar of spicy crackers.

2) Houston, TX: A stop in to see some of Ace’s long time friends. A visit to the Alabama Ice House was also in order. Once an actual ice house, now converted into the host of a perpetual block party complete with Mexican fare.

3) Austin, TX: A spur of the moment decision that was all about finding bbq. Which we did, in the most unassuming store fronts for a bbq joint. Blue Ribbon BBQ in downtown has some of the best lip smackin’ bbq even if it looks like a “city slicker” kinda place. Ace also discovered and acquaintance from ages ago behind the counter, who was kind to show us around. Also upon recommendation was a stop at the South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery. A community of mobile food vendors selling innovative food.

4) Carlsbad, NM: A visit to see stalactites and stalagmites. Impressive, but with so much of the cave destroyed, large paved walking paths, and with what once used to be a restaurant on the cave floor, it feels like an overdone tourist amusement park ride. Still glad that I went though.

5) Page, AZ: A stop of necessity. Loosing daylight and not wanting to continue our trip in the dark, we stumbled into this dusty little town that boasted no fewer than 10 different churches all within a 3 blocks or so. After setting up camp for night, we were off to do a little bit wondering about and discovered a forgotten fact that Page is home of the controversial Glen Canyon Dam.

6) Durango, Co: A trip down memory lane for Ace. An old mining town of the west that now plays host to those seeking recreation in her hills.

7) Mesa Verde: On the outskirts of Durango, is the former home of the Cliff Dwellers. Its mind-boggling that people would choose to live in what seems to be a completely inconvenient location. If you want to visit, I would recommend early spring before the summer masses begin to arrive.

8 ) Zion National Park: Probably the most impressive stop of the entire journey. Jaw dropping views. It didn’t take long for my neck to start hurting from looking up so much. The peaks that rise above to tower over everything in the valley are nothing short of stunning. This is also the part of the journey where I definitely had to push myself the hardest. We decided to do an overnight hiking trip into the back country and we chose Cable Mountain. I’m not how much of my stress was caused mentally and how much was physical. All I know is that at a certain point, I could no longer breathe. I had been hiking up at a moderate pace, taking time to catch my breath frequently, but then I almost collapsed. My lungs rattled and felt hollow and I struggled to take even a shallow breath. It took me some time to calm myself down and regain control of breathing. It’s what I imagine an asthma attack to feel like. It’s a terrible feeling. But I made it. Huzah!

9) Las Vegas: Another unplanned stop, but with our trip coinciding with National Parks week we were unable to stay in Zion another night due to the crowds. And since we were passing through, why not? We basically just strolled down the strip stopping when we needed another tasty beverage. In the morning all hilarity ensued. After traveling in a tiny car for 2 weeks, the thought of trying to cram ourselves back in the car for another day was all it took for us to crack. But at least we cracked with laughter and not anger.

And now I have been home for the past 23 days. Having plenty of adventures that have yet to be documented. Its my hope that I will start documenting my daily adventures, no matter how small. So stay tuned.

 

Meeting Kate

I was out enjoying drinks with a friend last night and a girl interrupts to ask for a lighter. After lending her a lighter, she begins to profusely apologize for interrupting our conversation and I assure her that it is no big deal by uttering “no worries.”

Those two words then began a conversation that did in fact involve our new guest, Kate. She loved that I use that phrase and commented that it sounds distinguished. (I’ve been asked on occasion if I’m Canadian b/c of those words.)

We start relating stories to one another and as it turns out young Kate has an affinity for making up stories to tell randoms. I too have been known to do this on occasion. But Kate really goes above and beyond anything that I’ve told. And then she began telling us how she and her friend Paul had decided to get married not for love but to save money. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I had just read an article that made the arguement that staying single is actually cheaper. According to Kate, being married would be the perfect excuse to give someone if she wasn’t interested in that person. In the event that either of them meets someone that captures their fancy, no big thing, they’ll divorce. Ahh, Kate.

As Kate kept talking, the more I began to wonder what was, if anything, real about her.

At the time I had wished that I told more elaborate stories to others. What’s the harm right? As I’m writing this, I’m not so sure. It sounds fun, but there are consequences for everything. At least that’s what my inner Jiminy Cricket is telling me. I’m eclectic for sure and full of quirks, but I’m not so sure that I want to add full time storyteller to my list. I think that I will let Kate keep her stories.

 

Last Day

Today is my last day as a 29 year old. Yes, that’s right, my birthday is April 1st and no its not a joke. This is the point where people ask or state rather, that I must be good at April Fool’s Day Jokes. Nope not really. I can’t even say that I’ve really tried. I don’t want to pull a prank unless it’s going to be really really good! Maybe next year.

I guess I should be reflective now. I’ve had a great year with a lot of unexpected surprises. Wonderful surprises I might add. As I momentarily reflect, I’m also reminded that I’m moving forward. It could be the boxes sitting in my room half packed and the continual debate about what I can truly bare to part ways with. There is nothing like moving across the country and knowing that the only things you’re taking with you are the things that will fit in your tiny car.
This is one chapter that I’m glad to be putting to bed, not because it was a terrible year, but because I’m excited and ready to start this new adventure. My newest adventure will start next week, after I bid adieu to friends and meet the parents. For some meeting the parents will invoke a knee jerk reaction of fight or flight, I actually like meeting parents. Parents love me! This time however, I am nervous maybe it has something to do with the seriousness of this relationship. I know Ace is nervous and not looking forward to meeting my parents. It’s a non-negotiable that he meet my parents before I move across the country with someone that they’ve never met. He could care less if I met his and would probably prefer that I didn’t. Family is important to me and so he’s willing to introduce me to his family as well as meet mine.
And speaking of family, my friend FINALLY had her baby! YAY! Weighing in at 7.3lbs and gorgeous. I’m glad that I’ll get to “meet” her, but also sad that I’m leaving and will miss so much of her life.

I won’t give the clichéd statement of “If you would have told me this a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it.” I probably say “nah” while smiling and thinking to myself it’s quite possible. After all anything is possible, well almost anything.

P.S. I’ll report back on how meeting the parents went, from both sides.

 

More on the Open Road…

My road trip across America has just been extended to 2 weeks. The orginal plan was just a fairly straightforward trip across the Southwest, but now Ace is throwing States such as Colorado into the hat for conversation.

I for one just want to make sure that I get in my fill of kitsch on this trip. I would love to stop at the dinosaurs that appeared in Pew Wee Herman’s Big Adventure. FYI: They are located in Cabazon, CA. And anything that claims to be the “World’s Largest ________.” I found a book ages ago that detailed the best roadside attractions from Coast to Coast. I wish I would have bought it!

I also like the idea of getting in some outdoor adventure time as well. I would love to be able to take Ace kayaking along the Buffalo or Quchita rivers in Arkansas. (I am orginally from this state.) I know that everyone likes to poke fun at people that are from Arkansas, but I promise that we aren’t all barefoot, missing our teeth, or talk like hillbillies. Its a nature lovers dream.

I would love to know where you’ve great roadside attractions stretching from North Florida to San Francisco. Ready, Set, Go! And thanks for playing!

 

The Adventure of Moving

Let the adventure begin!

Year 29 has been a crazy whirlwind of travel, life adventures, and to end this year I will be trading the Sunshine State for the Golden State. What better time to move than at the culmination of my 20’s and the celebration of the next great chapter?

Using Google and Road Trip USA.com, I’ve been researching possible road trip routes to my new home for slightly over a month now. There are a couple of viable options in my mind. Side note: I also realized that it will be slightly after I turn 30, but this will fulfill one of my Top 30 adventures, The Great American Road Trip.

The first leg of my trip will be to visit my parents in Arkansas; this will also be the first time that Ace will get to meet my parents. Not an opportunity that he’s exactly thrilled about, because my family is important to me (as is he) he’s willing to play along.

After leaving my parents, it’s off to Te-has (Texas) where, I want to visit the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. I recently read that they have the largest display of tulips this side of Holland and with tulips being my favorite flower I simply HAVE to stop. I wonder if I can find some little wooden shoes?

Dallas could be the only stop in Texas because there doesn’t seem to be much after that until New Mexico. My great-grandmother lived in Cave City, AR and when we would visit her we would take a trip to the cave there. I always loved it and when I found out about the Carlsbad Caverns, I knew I had to go. From there Roswell could be the next mini-stop just a couple of pictures with signs and then we’d be off to finish crossing New Mexico, perhaps stopping in Albuquerque to visit family.

Ace requested a stop at the Grand Canyon. If we time it just right, I’m hoping that we can witness sunrise over the canyon. I think he’s mentioned that he wants to hike down to the bottom. I’m not sure how long that takes, but it seems like that could several hours. The going down part not so bad, it’d be the going up part that I’m not so sure about. Although, I know that it would be an amazing opportunity. I can’t even begin to imagine looking up from the floor of the G.C.

Bryce Canyon is another possible stop. However, in mind I feel like its out of the way and there isn’t a good way to make it over to California from there. If I weren’t driving my car, I would want to drive through America’s loneliest highway in Nevada, but I’m not so sure that my little car can make that trip.
There is still plenty of time to decide logistics and plan stops along the way. I know I’m missing out on some of the finer points of traveling across the Southwest, so if you’ve got ideas or suggestions let me know!

 

The Big Easy Adventure

An intern in my office is headed to Nola, one of my favorite cities for spring break and I’ve agreed to come up with a list of places and things to do that she should at least attempt.

I’ve been several times and I’ve only done the Bourbon Street crawl once. It was a very memorable night, Halloween 2009, which coincided with Voodoo Fest. If you’ve never been to VF, I highly recommend it. Its 3 days of incredible music, in an amazing city and the weather is finally tolerable. We were a group of 5 women and had all decided to dress as sailor girls on Halloween night and enjoy the festivities on Bourbon.

We had agreed to meet in the French Quarter and once all 5 of us were assembled it became our first experience with “paparazzi.” It was dizzying at first. I don’t think that we moved for 20 minutes because of all the pictures that were being taken, which was unfair, we needed our “Big Ass Beers” or a Hurricane or some variety of a tasty adult beverage. After we had drinks firmly in hand, the paparazzi effect became easy to deal with. The street was jovial, everyone was there to have a great time and no one was flashing out of season (at least from what I remember.)

As the intern is going there next week she will get to experience Fat Tuesday. I’m kind of jealous, but I think that I will take my Voodoo Experience and call it a day. From the war stories of friends, it seems as though Halloween on Bourbon is Mardi Gras minus all the puking frat boys. Not to say there aren’t some aspects of Mardi Gras that I would love to experience such as the costume balls, parades as rider, and other festivities that Old Orleans society participates in. That would be how I want to experience it from the front of a grand home in the Garden District. But alas I’ll dream and make a list for the intern.

 

Free Oranges

As I was walking to my car last Friday, I encountered two almost unsavory men on bicycles. I’ve had two bicycles stolen and I’m always on the lookout for them, as I passed them I studied the frames and looked for my “You are beautiful” sticker. As I’m passing the second man I see him mouth words at me so I remove my earphones and he repeats himself. “Have a beautiful weekend.” The simple gesture of good tidings made me smile and remember how far I’d come since my prized bicycle was stolen.

Where I am this year vs. last year is astounding. This time last year, my apartment had flooded, I was unemployed, completely broke (I was over drafting at a terrifying pace), I totaled my car, and my bicycle was stolen (again). Needless to say, I didn’t have very good expectations for the year 2010. I was optimistic that things would turn around, but I wasn’t expecting all that happened.

Who knew that the year that started in utter misery would turn out to be one of the best? I’ve done a lot of traveling, accomplished a few of adventures, and found love when I wasn’t looking. All in all not too shabby.

I was reminded of the “Beautiful Weekend” man later as I was leaving the grocery store. I don’t even know why, but suddenly his words were echoing in my head and my ridiculous smile and reemerged. Those words again brought me happiness and made me determined to have a beautiful weekend.

Of course, the next day I had all but forgotten those words. I awoke late, spent way too much time at the coffee shop, and made plans to meet up with friends. It struck me though as I was nosing about a new home décor store and stumbled across “free oranges,” which of course made me smile, which brought back to mind the earlier event, which made me realize that I was having a an absolutely beautiful weekend. The challenge now is to have a beautiful Monday.