Post #100 and just as worthless as the rest

The past couple of days here in Flagstaff have been pretty mellow for me. The weather here is super nice right now but the snow is rapidly declining especially around town. Anne and I went up to Snowbowl yesterday to get in a few turns and it was probably 50 degrees with pure blue skies and no wind. The visibility was amazing with all of the old cinder cones within close proximity and the Grand Canyon in the distance. I then cooked dinner for Anne last night for her birthday. She requested cherry cobbler so I had to get the family recipe from her mom to insure that it tasted like the cobbler she was envisioning. Then I made the lentil loaf she was wanted for the main course. It sounds gross of course but is actually delicious but takes forever to make. It is basically an Italian vegetarian meat loaf. Lentil and brown rice make up the substance of the meal and it is held together with mozzarella, egg, and parmesan. There is also a lot of fresh spinach, onion, carrot, corn and basil to add a bit more goodness to it. To finish it off is a Checha sauce which is cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper pulsed together in the food processor. Mmmmm....glad I am going to eat some leftovers when I am done with this because describing it is making me hungry.

While we were skiing yesterday I fell awkwardly and tweaked my shoulder. It is pretty sore today so instead of riding down in Sedona I had to settle for a long ride on the trainer. It was fine for me because of the wind that was blowing cats and small children down the street. I am NOT a big fan of wind.

I moved on to the garage project this afternoon and came across many old water bottles that needed to be sorted through. I found an old Cactus Cup bottle from 1995 before I ever thought I would be living in Arizona. In the bottle stash was also a Soul Ride bottle from the days when the bottles Epic Rides gave out were crappy. Glad to see they have gone to the standard bottle for there races now. If they would only change the t-shirts and stop giving out the white ones. Oh well at least the events are good stuff.

Lastly I wanted to commend the folks at Turner Bikes for having outstanding customer service. As stated in the previous blog I had some issues this weekend in Phoenix with the rocker arm on my bike. On Monday morning I called Turner and told them my problem and they said that I would not have that problem with the new rocker arm. They also told me it would be in the mail that afternoon and would absolutely be covered by the warranty. Just before I got off the phone they said to look for it today. Sure enough this afternoon Fed Ex pulled up outside the house and dropped off the new parts.

Trader Joes and racing at Estrella

Yesterday I loaded up the Jetta with camping gear, some bike stuff, and a few empty shopping bags. My first stop was Trader Joes to stock up on the staples. Dried mango, instant miso soup, pasta, beans, etc. etc. After Trader Joes it was off to Estrella Mountain Park to set up camp and relax before todays race. I took a few photos at Estrella. I had a sweet camping spot that looked up at the Estrella Mountains which are green with lush desert vegetation right now. I paid it no mind that Phoenix International Raceway obstructed my view in the other direction. I was racing in the marathon class today with a race that consisted of four 9.5 mile laps. I was riding a pace that put me right at my goal for lap times when I heard a loud clunk. This loud clunk came at around 35 miles with only 3 to go. I thought to myself that I had never heard a noise like that before while riding. I knew that something had just broken. Sure enough the rocker arm had sheared and my race was over. Oh well at least things were going well up to that point. Now back in Flag I write this blog with my sleeping dog by my side and a Dale's Pale Ale in front of me and I have to say that life in not to shabby. On a parting note if you ever need to stop at a rest stop about 40 miles south of Flagstaff be sure to check out the view from the back. The view looks up toward Sedona and I have to say it is the best rest stop view I have seen in my travels.

Back from another trip to the Old Pueblo

Well another trip down to Tucson come and gone. Anne and I loaded up the truck, threw the dog in the back seat and headed off the rim. We were heading to the 24 Hours of the Old Pueblo. I had very little expectations as far as my performance in the race were concerned. I was just interested in getting in some good riding in the desert and having a great time. I ended up with 7 laps that put me in about 57th place. The laps were a little over 16 miles so that made it 115 miles for the race. That was enough for me in the middle of February. We did not get too many photos but I threw one in of me heading out for a lap and one of me finishing up the last lap of the weekend. During the weekend we did meet some new people, saw some old friends and had a swell camping trip. Yampa (the dog) was excited about all of the dogs running around but we think she was a bit disheartened by having to be tied up the majority of the time. She did get about one thousand walks around the desert over the weekend because we knew she would be tied up at the camp site. She was thoroughly exhausted when we got home and has been sleeping almost the entire time since. Heading to Phoenix this weekend for another race and then off until the middle of March. That time will be dedicated to some skiing and family time.

Winter is Back!

The past few weeks have seen warm temperatures and dry weather here in Northern Arizona. Yesterday that all changed with a visit from Old Man Winter. It has been snowing off and on since yesterday and heavier snows are expected this afternoon and tonight. I was down in Phoenix for the Mcdowell Meltdown race on Saturday. I rode in the marathon class which was a 55 mile course through the desert trails of Mcdowell. The weather was great and the trails were fast. I finished 17th but felt good and strong throughout. I snapped a couple of photos from camp Friday night. One photo is of the truck with the new campstove on the tailgate. I finally broke down and purchased a two burner stove instead of using the backpacking stove like the olden days. The other photo is of the entrance to Mcdowell and the mountains in the distance. Not a bad place to camp during the middle of winter.

Sorting through old crap from the garage

I have been riding some the last week and yesterday we attempted a ride on some local Flagstaff trails. After riding some dry stuff we rapidly found the mud and snow that pushed us to return on the road. Oh well no camera anyway. I have been slowly looking through boxes in the garage and getting rid of stuff that I don't need(or want). I found these relics from the races of old and thought that I would take a few pictures and maybe toss them in the garbage(we'll see). These are all from 1996 which was the first year that I thought I was a serious mountain bike racer. I have long since recovered from those visions of grandeur and just strive for the upper tier of the mediocrity. The first photo is from the Get Fit Again Race at Cedro Peak in Tijeras, NM. First race of the year, second place in the beginner category. The gold medal is for a sweet win at the Coyote Classic in Las Cruces, NM in the, you guessed it, beginner category. I then raced the King of the Mountain stage race at Sandia Peak outside of Albuquerque in my first sport category race and finished the weekend in 5th overall and wound up with a nice plaque. The race after that was by far the hardest race of my season that year and also the most rewarding. It was the Pajarito Punishment outside of my hometown of Los Alamos, NM. My parents were there to support me with my Dad handing me some Ultrafuel and a banana at the bottom of the 10 mile climb to the finish. I caught about 20 people on the climb to finish 3rd in the sport class and received this awesome Specialized watch. 1st and 2nd places got cash for their prizes and I got this watch. AWESOME! Nice to have a good day when family comes out to support you though. I think my parents, at least my dad, were stoked because I was way behind at the bottom but finished really well. Ahhhh....the glory days. Now I just try and ride as much as possible and enjoy the environment that I happen to be encapsulated in on any given ride.