My Little Barnyard

Just in case you don't know, I've become quite the little backyard farmer. Last year I posted on my garden. Now in addition to growing my own veggies, I have daily fresh eggs as well. Keeping chickens and ducks is very simple, requiring almost no work. Here are some photos.

Sadness for the Helen's/Subaru/Gary Fisher regional mountain bike team

Unfortunately, the failing economy has finally made it's way to our team. The team's contract won't be renewed next year. I feel very lucky to have been part of the team and intend to continue riding for Subaru/Fisher regardless. I was treated very well by John and Matt, the national team manager and mechanic and will show my support whenever I can. They helped me discover the awesomeness and excitement of mountain bike racing, which has provided some of the best experiences of my life. Thanks guys!!!

Just because I feel like posting again even though this blog is dead I'm sure to anyone who used to read it...So, to my non-existent audience:

It's been a long time since I've been out on a mountain bike. For me it was first school, and then the fires ravaging the Angeles Crest that kept me off the bike. So Sunday was a great day, getting on my 29er again. I didn't know what to expect, given last month's fires.

Heading up Lower Sam Merrill trail, it started out same as always: every hiker never failing to obey their subconscious compulsion to "graciously" stop exactly in the middle of the most ridable line on only the most technical sections of the trail. But despite their ignorant "politeness" I was really happy to find that the trail wasn't touched by the fire the whole way up, and even happier to discover that my legs were still completely capable of taking me up that trail!

As a side note, mountain biking is amazing: even if you are already in good spirits, going out for a ride never fails to bring those spirits up even more!

Anyways, cresting Lower Sam and crossing Mt Lowe Toll Rd, I decided to head down Sunset. Apparently the Toll Rd acted as a fire break because the mountains were stark and desolate beyond that point. Everything was black and dead and brushless. There were two black crows perching in the most perfectly sinister position on a fire-blackened leafless tree, I was almost positive they worked for Sauron himself. Sunset Ridge Trail was covered in debris: dead branches, rocks, gravel, leaves and sand. But still somewhat rideable in sections.

And then I encountered the landslide just before the half-way exit point. SCARY AS HELL! I was in quite a dilemma as to whether I should hike my bike all the way back up the trail, which would mean I'd be up in the mountains by myself after dark without any sort of light or phone or... Or whether I should risk crossing the landslide to the paved road just on the other side. It didn't appeal to me to be the only living animal left up there at night with the dinner-less mountain lions, so I chose the latter. With each step I took across that sand, I spent about 30 seconds of moving one muscle fiber at a time and trying to shift my weight imperceptibly to minimize moving the sand under my feet. If I started sliding, I knew wouldn't stop until I was 1/2 mile straight down the steep canyon buried in rocks. After about 5-6 steps like this I get across to solid ground, only to find there is another, steeper slide just ahead. Now I'm between 2 slides, no safe way out. So I cross this one too, SLOWLY, SLOWLY, SLOWLY! Some sand is sliding a bit above and below me, and so I leap the last two steps quickly to get off. Whew! Just writing about it gets my heart beating. Sorry I have no pictures to illustrate my point!

I decided not to bother continuing on to El Prieto (my original plan) until I got some more trail condition info from someone...(Might I risk hoping that anyone is reading this thing??? Any current info?) I headed out Chaney Trail Rd, and lo and behold THERE are the forrest closure notices! Why didn't they put up signs for people coming from the other direction! Apparently the infraction I just committed is worthy of 6 months imprisonment and $5000 that I don't have...AND possible death by burying in the bottom of a ravine by a landslide. Hmm. It would have been nice if they'd made it clear not to go down Sunset Trail, just like they made it clear not to go up it. (Okay, okay, I know it is my responsibility to check trail conditions and access...and I can't guarantee I would've followed the rules anyway [sheepish grin] ;).

So that was my fun for the weekend. And fun it was! Thanks to my fabulous and trusty Gary Fisher 29er!

The Funniest Shit I Have EVER SEEN!

Naked Crow

The Naked Crow Mountain Bike Challenge was last weekend. For a little local, weekend-warrior dominated race, the course was decent! And the cash prizes didn't hurt-especially since no one knew about it and so there weren't too many to try to beat!

I'm still alive

It's been a great big retarded amount of forever since I last posted. I heard all the cool kids weren't posting on their blogs either. But I guess blogging's coming back into fashion now.

Race season has been well under way, and that makes me happy :). Racing hurts, but that's one of the good things about it. It is really amazing what mountain bike racers accomplish on race day. I don't care if you get DFL, you are still a bad ass. What we put our bodies through is beyond what the average non-racer could ever even fathom. The pain and the courage, without relenting to the obstacles, Wow.

Props to all of you!

Vote!!!

It's been weeks since I put up the poll on Lyle's hair, and according to the number of votes so far, I have reason to believe that no more than 2 people read my blog. For all I know, it's one person who voted twice. So, if you do read my blog, would you mind taking half a second to vote for me? Then I will know that I am not just writing to myself. :) ------>

Why do I look so retarded on a bike?

What's wrong with my posture or position or whatever????
RETARDED:

BAD ASS:


Hey Davis, any ideas?

Not DFL!

In fact, even better--I got 4th out of 6 today! I have to say thanks, Chepe, for your coaching! It's working... I was only 1 minute out of standing on the box.

Sounds like Nationals were fun

Sorry I missed it. Check out Joy's post: http://joyonbike.blogspot.com/2008/07/dude-is-that-magura.html

My Husband Has Become Unrecognizable (or ReRecognizable)

Yes, it's true. The mullet and 'stash are gone. Unfortunately, we discovered that that's where manliness lies: in the hair. So, he'll be working on regaining his chuck-noresque strength on a strict regimen of deep conditioning the hair follicles to re-grow at warp speed. Wait, did I just say that?!?

I guess my sense of style has been completely brainwashed by Lyle and his cronies. Witness: here I am, posting this picture of Lyle with extreme PRIDE at his choice of sun glasses.

Lesson Learned

I learned it is a bad idea to go to altitude, even just 10,600 when you're sick. It just makes you a LOT sicker. But our brief backpacking trip to Mono Pass in Yosemite was pretty despite me not being so:



Me before we got to the top:

Gardening

Thanks to my mom inspiring me, Lyle and I are now eating lots of home grown organic produce from right out our back door. I recommend gardening to everyone. It's so satisfying and extra delicious. Check out the progression:
dirt
mud
little
bigger
even bigger
harvest!

By the way, this post very much relates to cycling. You should eat healthy if you want to get faster and it's hard to eat healthy considering what is generally sold in most stores. So, grow your own, you can't go wrong! (produce, I mean).

Sexy Smooth

I can't resist saying more about my new "machine". It's so buttery, I just can't get enough of it! I'd recommend a 29er to anyone. Even short people-I'm only 5'1 and a half (very important, emphasizing that half inch, when you're short as me). It floats over anything rough and you can't even tell it's a hard tail unless you are actually sitting heavily on the saddle. It's actually smoother than my full-suspension Santa Cruz (and a 1.4 lbs lighter). I can't wait to race it. That'll be Rim Nordic on the 27th, and then Naked Crow Mtn Bike Challenge on Aug 3rd. See ya all there! (and then you can ogle over my bike to humor me).

Here's a cute non-sequitur picture to add interest, since this blog doesn't seem to be extremely interesting (but I better not hear anyone agreeing with that statement!) I snapped this picture near the Los Olivos race earlier this year.

My New Beauty

Check 'er out!
And guess who the mechanic was that built her up...ME! Like Chepe said to Lyle after I told him I built it up myself "...uh...you better check that out cabron...maybe she go riding and 'kapow!'(with lots of arm gestures)..." Well, I'm happy to announce there was only one slight handle bar twistage on my maiden voyage. All the other bolts held quite nicely!

I'm lovin' the 29er so far. The main thing I noticed is that everything seems to roll under it really smoothly. I heard that tight switchbacks would be more difficult on a 29er because of the wider wheelbase, which I did notice would be true IF you suck at switchbacks. Basically I learned it's not the bike, it's the rider. And I am quite happy with the rider in this particular instance!

I can't wait to spend more time on this baby!

Birthday Bash

We went tubing on the Kern for my 27th! It was pretty awesome:


This section of the river tried to eat us up but luckily a few of us made it out alive.

Unfortunately, there were some who were not so lucky:

Here are the survivors gazing over their conquered territory:

I asked the guys to strike the manliest pose they could. I think Lyle takes first place with the expression on his face. (He is quite competitive.)

We went white water rafting too, but a camera didn't make it onto the boat for your viewing pleasure.

Today (a week later), we attempted to go scuba diving. I got part way out from the beach when a particularly vicious wave with the mistaken identity of a washing machine scooped me up and battered me around as if it were trying to take out a particularly nasty stain. All it succeeded in taking out was my mask and snorkel, abruptly ending my dive right then. With that size wave, there was no chance of seeing the mask again. So, until next time. And now you are updated on the most recent this's and that's and whatchamahooza's of my life.

Lyle's Hair

I think it's about time that I officially comment on Lyle's hair. I get numerous questions about how I feel about his current style as his wife and if I can't wait until he cuts it. (Like that even matters.)

Admittedly, the first time he ever grew the horseshoe mustache several years ago, I was embarrassed. But with the mullet and mustache, I've had a complete change of heart. Just think about it this way: chances are, you have a clean-cut, average hairstyle, or know of plenty of people who do. Now, how often do you get stopped in the street by a stranger who just HAS to tell you "I like your style, man"; or how often do you get invited for free margaritas and beers by a stranger (probably because having someone so cool looking at a party would up the status of it); and how often do you find out that two models were arguing about how hot your hair was after you left. I'm pretty sure probably none of that has happened to you. Don't you think that makes life a little more fun and a little more interesting?

Lately, with the summer heat moving in Lyle has been considering doing a "Pedro" move and giving it the chop. But, considering the above reasons, instead of looking forward to the day when I will have a normal looking, hansom husband again, I tell him not to do it. I'd rather have a awesomely radical looking husband with redneck hair who is liable at any moment to go blow something up just for the fun of it, or possibly go pick a fight with Chuck Norris just to show him who's boss. Wouldn't you?

So, his boldness on style piqued my curiousity and I decided to try it out with this hat (not like it comes close to the amazingness of his style).And guess what--it paid off! Just after this picture was taken, we were walking to our car in Old Town (Pasadena) when a valet parking attendant asked me where I was from. So, I was obviously standing out from the crowd or he wouldn't have even noticed. I told him I was from LA and he said he thought we must be tourists and that the hat was a dead give-away. Great Success! Maybe I should hire Lyle as my fashion adviser.

By the way, props to Team Bearclaw for knowing the definition of STYLE.

If any of this is of interest to you, vote in the poll to the right side of the page.

Race Update

Well, guess what...I didn't take last place at Sea Otter! In fact, I beat not one, but 2, count 'em, two girls. That's all I was hoping for at Sea Otter, so I'm happy! Next time maybe I'll beat three...

In other news, I just did my first road race this weekend (Devil's Punchbowl). I found out that I am NOT a road racer. I'll stick to mountain bikes, thank you very much. Unlike mtb racing where you just ride as fast as you can for the length of the race, in road racing you actually have to THINK and plan and other stuff like that, like when to go hard, not getting dropped, and numerous other things I'm not even aware of.

By the way, if anyone can recommend a cheap coach or training plan out there, let me know. My budget is only about $50/mo so I'm not sure what I'll be able to find. But it's about time I had some advice on how to train!

Christmas in April???

Lyle's super excited-guess why! This is appropriate behavior for Christmas, but somehow he's always a Scrooge at Christmas. Maybe he's saving it all for this day. Check his next post.

My Debut Into the Expert Field

Well, I knew I wasn't ready to upgrade, but didn't quite realize how unready I was.

Cal State #1 Bonelli Park:

Keysville Classic, Kernville:

NMBS #1 Fontana:Oh, well, I'm just stoked to be racing. It certainly ain't gettin me down to not be podiuming. I now have something to grow into. By the end of the season I should be beating one or two experts and I'll be happy. With results like these, the only place I can go is up!
I'm starting to realize I need to actually TRAIN (like with an actual plan and some structure to my riding instead of just riding whenever) (oh, and having a coach probably wouldn't hurt!-seems like most all the experts do.)

In other news, this boy got a chance to stretch his legs out on some snow-less ground. Must be a relief to see actual dirt and flowers and temperatures above 50 or whatever you're getting!

The Subie Fisher semi-pro's looked pretty slick in arguably the best kit out there!

And to top it off, Matt sure showed those California pretty boys how it's done in Texas when he laid the smack down in Short Track today and took the bronze. It's a toss up what's better: his third place finish or some snazzy kits. I don't know, you decide.