Day 11-14: Whidbey to Bozeman to Denver

The week flew by, and before we knew it, we were packing up the u-haul trailer with my old stuff, and starting the trek back to Denver.Last time on the ferry this summer! Goodbye Whidbey!
On our way out of town, we were able to stop briefly in Edmonds and see my friend Melissa, her husband Drew and their daughter Nai'a at her 2nd birthday party. We also saw my friend Justine, who is 7 months pregnant and her husband Adam. It is great to see old friends!

The drive back across Washington, through the panhandle of Idaho, and into Montana was nondescript. We headed to Bozeman, where we stopped for 2 days and stayed with my friend Joey, her husband Camas, and their daughter Cayle.

Bozeman is such a beautiful town in the summer, surrounded by steep mountains, cold streams, and friendly people.
We got in two great mtn bike rides - History Rock to South Cottonwood, and Grassy Mountain.
Descending down to South Cottonwood.

Grassy Mountain with Bridger Bowl ski area in the background.

Time flies when you're having fun... and it was certainly a fun trip, full of good friends, family, riding, and driving. Now, it's just one short week before I start my first clinical rotation, and get back into the swing of school.

Day 5-10: Whidbey Island

We spent the bulk of our trip at Dad's house (and my childhood home) on Whidbey Island. It was quiet and relaxing, but still a bit sad and emotional to return to an empty house. We got in late at night, after the all-day drive from Pullman, and slept like babies. My legs were getting worse from the bee stings, and I ended up sleeping nearly 18 hours that first day!

As opposed to the sunny hot weather we'd been dealt thus far, our first couple days on Whidbey were cool and rainy, with temps barely cracking 50F. It was nice to see green trees and grass after months of brown in Colorado. We went for a couple bike rides on my old running trails, and it was fun to navigate roots and logs, without any major climbing. (After all we were only about 25 ft above sea level!)

Our main purpose of the trip was to spread my Dad's ashes and say our goodbyes. We all got together as a family and went out on the boat to the special spot. (Thank you Jon for taking us on your boat!).
My youngest nephew Connor, and niece, Amanda joined in as well. After the boat trip we had an awesome dinner of seafood lasagna, with fresh peach, blueberry, and blackberry pies for dessert. (Thanks so much Betty and Pete!)It was fun to see my sister Liss and her husband Chris, and hang out.


We also got to go to Connor's 4th birthday party.

The party of crazy 4-year-olds was dinosaur themed, complete with a chocolate lava cake!

Amanda is almost ready for her first birthday and she stole the show!

Day 4-5: Pullman to Whidbey

After leaving the race in Idaho, we drove 6 hours northwest to Pullman, WA, home of my alma mater, WSU. Chris had never been to "cougar country," so it was definitely worth a trip!

Unfortunately, we had suffered a bit more than just the usual physical tolls during our mtn bike race. Right before the start of the race, we were grabbing our waterbottles out of the truck, which had unknowingly been parked on top of a yellowjacket's nest. I got attacked by the evil, angry bees, and got stung multiple times on each leg, just below the knees. Chris got in the truck to move it, and the bees followed, stinging him on the legs as he was driving. We were both in pain, but we had driven too far to not start the race. I am moderately allergic to bee stings, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before it really hurt. As we drove toward Washington, my legs, ankles, and feet swelled up, itched, and were incredibly painful.
I had some nasty looking cankles!!

In addition, during one of the several creek crossings during the race, Chris fell and lodged his left ring finger under his brake lever, and broke his finger. It swelled up pretty bad and his ring was cemented on his finger.
We arrived in Pullman late that night after the race, found a hotel, and put our weary bodies to bed.The next morning we walked around Pullman, and I played tour guide, showing Chris all the coolness of Wazzu. We made sure to stock up on Coug clothing and memorabilia before we headed out of town.
We began the 6 hour drive west, leaving the wheatfields and hills of the Palouse behind.
One of the coolest sites just about an hour west of Pullman - GO COUGS on the side of a barn!


Finally we are halfway home! Crossing the Columbia River at Vantage.

Just over the bridge, up the hill, and another 150 miles to Whidbey Island!

Day 1-3: Denver to Idaho

After a boring drive through Wyoming and northern Utah, we met up with some friends in Boise, enjoyed a great dinner (thanks Gregg!), and hit the hay early. In the morning we drove 2+ hours northwest to a cross country mtn bike race, basically out in the middle of nowhere.
We arrived just as the sun was coming up. (Early!!)
Despite its remote location, the Silver Creek Plunge XC race had a pretty good showing, and we mixed it up with the hardcore Idaho locals. It began in a campground, way out in the middle of Idaho, and climbed up the surrounding mountains.The course was absolutely brutal, and can best be described as an "adventure" race. It was only 22 miles, but lasted more than 3 hours. The slow pace was attributed to a monster sandy 2-mile uphill hike-a-bike, and then the steepest, sandiest, most terrifying downhill I have ever seen. (I walked my bike downhill for over 30 minutes, rather than risk my life and go over a cliff!)
Chris and I rode much of the race together, but he beat me by about 10 min in the end, as exhaustion set in. We both ran out of water, the temperature rose to 100F, and riding the last 10 miles to the finish was a death march!
Silver Creek was right by the campground, so we cooled off right away! Those are some nice tan lines!
There were no other women in Expert, so I won! Woo hoo!
We stopped and enjoyed some of the beautiful Idaho scenery after leaving the race site.
Good thing there were lots of outhouses on the side of the road in Idaho. Lots of pit stops on our trip!

Seattle driving trip - a look back through pictures

Chris and I just returned from our 2-week long driving trip to Seattle and back. We had some family business to take care of, and while I was still emotionally depleted, we did manage to have a lot of fun, be with family, visit lots of friends, and get some good riding in along the way.

The following several posts are a look at our trip through the camera lens.

Downhill Experiment

Being on vacation from school during the month of August, and finally having my first weekend free of studying since last Christmas, has afforded Chris and me to partake in some "cross training" and fun! I have never ridden a bike with more than 4" of travel, and nothing other than an XC race bike at that. I have been wanting to ride a big cushy downhill bike for over 2 years now, and today I got my chance!
We drove out to Winter Park and rented Kona DH bikes and rode the lift all day. (Unfortunately it wasn't a Yeti, but beggers can't be choosers). Neither Chris nor I had ever ridden one of these plush monsters, so we took it easy on the first trail down, and I selected a "blue" trail. Contrary to the aim of going downhill, this particular trail involved A LOT of uphill! Chris said that I had not yet gotten out of my cross country mindset, and began cursing my trail selection. So, being the tough-minded stubborn person I am, I pedaled that 40 lb sled up every hill, sweating profusely in the process! Chris begrudgingly followed.On our next lift up, we got onto the proper black trails, which actually kept going downhill the entire time, but we faced a new adversary in that it began pouring down rain. The trail immediately turned into a river of mud and slop. Even so, we negotiated some of the fun little wood ramps, rock launches, high berms, and such. I was determined to ride this wooden bridge feature that curved around the corner, and Chris got a great picture! (Unfortunately the next time I tried it, I got a little over ambitious, got too high up, and with the wood being extremely wet and slippery, I fell about 5 feet from the top, crashing hard!)It was very different getting used to a DH bike, versus the XC type bike that I've always ridden. I have a new-found respect for the downhillers, considering that the bike is slower to turn, requires much more muscle to handle and weight shift, momentum and speed are essential even when you seem out of control, flat pedals were a bit challenging especially when wet, and with 7+" of suspension front and rear, you just roll the beast over nearly everything! It was certainly a good workout, and especially since we were bombing top to bottom each time without taking breaks!

While we were drenched and frozen to the bone most of the day, we stuck it out, and the weather did eventually improve. It was a very fun day, and while Chris and I won't be making our MSC downhill debuts anytime soon, we did agree that we wouldn't mind playing around on the DH bike at a resort from time to time!

Semester 3 is done... On to more fun!!!

I finished up my last final exam this morning, and put a close to what has been an extra-long summer semester. In the midst of extreme adversity I really surprised myself - I earned better grades in my 5 classes than I had in either of the past 2 semesters! I surely don't cough it up to being smarter (that will come over time), but to the existential motivation I live by everyday... Dad is watching down on me, cheering me on, and I'm continuing to make him proud. It certainly hasn't been easy...

After my exam I cruised up to Golden to the Yeti factory, and picked up my reward to myself - a new ARC-X frame and kit! I am excited to race 'cross this fall, a venture I have not yet experienced! After watching a couple races last year and getting the hang of the crazy party that 'cross consists of, I knew I would love it! After all, running was my first love, and I wasn't too shabby when I was winning several D-1 races in college and earning All-American honors in cross country. On the track, the steeplechase was my favorite event, and in the inaugural year of the women's steeple, I got 4th in the Pac-10 championships. To me, 'cross is the best of all worlds - biking, running, and hurdling! Not to mention the mud, weather and adverse racing conditions. When it comes to mud, my Northwest roots prevail!

As soon as I got the new ARC-X home, it had to be inspected for approval by none other than the heads of the household: the kitties.Guinness checks out the frame construction and rear triangle. She gives her approval on the sweet paint job and graphics!Jameson weaves his way through the frame and comments on the superb stiffness and superior handling. He gives the thumbs up on the stability and quality!Good thing both kitties approve!! Now it's time to kick back with a cold beer and a little hard-earned celebration. ;)

A Sweeter Shock

This weekend's race at Sol Vista, MSC #6 Sol Survivor, turned out to be very successful for both Chris and me. It has been one long summer - mentally and emotionally - and getting back on the bike has proven to be good therapy.Chris' sport race got off early at 8:00a. While we both haven't been riding much, the aim this weekend was to have FUN. Chris took the hole shot in the first 50 meters at the start of the race, charging up the hill with a big smile on his face! I laughed, knowing that he was already setting a good example of having fun, and no pressure. I stayed at the bottom of the course with the camera as he came through at the end of his first lap. While going around the grassy switchbacks, he was again playful, popping wheelies and grinning ear to ear!At the end of his 16-mile race, he finished a respectable 6th place!
My race had a bit more serious tone, but I still told myself to take it easy and have fun. I got off to a good start, and felt surprisingly fresh during the first 2.5 mile climb. The hardest part was that nearly the entire 24-mile course was in the sun, and it was getting hot! I held a steady pace, and just concentrated on riding smart. While I was stuck in "no man's land" for most of the race, I descended like a rocket, and started to slowly catch some of the girls in my group. After I had passed 4 girls by the end of the 2nd lap, I was poised to charge hard on the last lap.
My last big climb was decent, but over the top I started to lose steam and feel whoozy. I had 6 more miles left and it was then that it became a race of attrition. I could feel the severe lack of endurance in my legs, as the longest ride I've done for the last 8 weeks has barely topped an hour. My legs were cramping bad... lactic acid and heat like I haven't felt in a long time! At the final water station I doused my helmet and back with water trying to cool down, and just focused on turning the pedals. I was definitely more conservative on the final descending section, as my vision was blurring and my body wavering in exhaustion. I had no idea how I would finish in my group, but my only thought in the last few miles was that I didn't want to get passed. I cruised down the last grassy slope to the finish, and while I didn't have the energy to pop a wheelie like Chris, I did cross the line with a smile, knowing that I had fun!I found out soon after that I had pulled off 3rd place! I was shocked! I definitely had not even thought about placing that high, especially with no real training for 2 months. A podium finish was the icing on the cake!
The CoMotion team had a good showing this weekend and we still hold the top spot in the team race, with only 2 more races left in the season. I was glad that Chris and I decided to race this weekend. I was the second highest scorer on the team and Chris was the fourth highest! It was certainly painful, but in the end it was all about the FUN!!