I was checking out the scores for the race series I'm doing and they had me down for a DNF, (did not finish), for the Seatac race. Ack! After much back and forth with person who keeps track of these things, it all got figured out and I ended up getting my points back for finishing.
In the process of this, I came to find out that I really was the last one out there 'cause the girl listed behind me only finished one lap. So, maybe the only lesson I learned is the knowledge that I have a pretty good sense of where everybody is on the course. Though, that doesn't really do me any good if I'm always the back. Maybe the real lesson here is that I don't enjoy being at the back of the pack and should not let my self settle for just finishing races. I'm a poor loser when it comes right down to it, (which is why I don't gamble or play the lottery), and now I have to put the time into training to get faster. Darn it. I hate training, but I hate losing even more. We'll have to wait and see which one prevails.
5.04.2005
4.27.2005
Don't Make Me Pull This Car Over
If one more person complains to me about the price of gas here in WA or
anywhere else, I'm going to throw up on them! Is it really productive
to bitch about a self imposed situation? Hello...! Ride your bike. Take
the bus, walk. Do something and stop complaining to me about how it
costs 50 bucks to fill up your gas guzzling, 6 miles to gallon, piece
of crap-SUV, that only carries your fat ass to and from work. I don't
care if you go broke, because it's your decision. And really, I don't
care what your excuse is. Everyone has one. I have to drive to work,
or I live too far from where I go to work, or I have to pick my kids up
from school. You know what? When I was a kid, there was no one to pick
me up from school. My parents both worked full time jobs and I managed
to get myself home just fine. Thank you very much.
anywhere else, I'm going to throw up on them! Is it really productive
to bitch about a self imposed situation? Hello...! Ride your bike. Take
the bus, walk. Do something and stop complaining to me about how it
costs 50 bucks to fill up your gas guzzling, 6 miles to gallon, piece
of crap-SUV, that only carries your fat ass to and from work. I don't
care if you go broke, because it's your decision. And really, I don't
care what your excuse is. Everyone has one. I have to drive to work,
or I live too far from where I go to work, or I have to pick my kids up
from school. You know what? When I was a kid, there was no one to pick
me up from school. My parents both worked full time jobs and I managed
to get myself home just fine. Thank you very much.
All I'm saying is, it's just not that hard. If you don't like paying a lot of money for gas, then don't drive your car so much. And be thankful you don't live in Communist France or some other Western European country, 'cause then you'd really be sorry if you were paying for gas.
4.26.2005
Lesson Learned
This last weekend I raced at Seatac. Great course and always a lot of fun. This race was different though. I somehow convinced myself that I was the last one on the course and so, really what was the hurry? It's amazing how much time you have to think in a 25 mile race. Since I had convinced myself that I had completly lost the race, I figured that I should enjoy the ride. I mean it is Spring and there are lots of nice flowers blooming. Silly me. I ended up coming in 4th. Now I know for next time.
I'm baaack....
I am the accidental blogger. I go through phases with my posts. Either life gets too busy or I'm so bored out of my mind that I'm uninspired to write. No inspiration= no post. Today inspiration took hold, so here it is...
Every spring we have a flock of Swallows that hang out at our place for a few weeks. At sunset, they fly around like maniacs chasing bugs in the air. I love going out and watching them. I'm sure it's some sort of highly organized procedure, but it sure seems chaotic and crazy. Hundreds of tiny birds flying to and fro in waves over the creek behind our apartment. It's always cool on that first day when you notice they've arrived. Spring is here!
Now, I don't know which direction they are migrating, but I like to imagine they are headed to my Aunt's house in Alaska. She and my Uncle live in Homer on a beautiful ridge overlooking Kechemak Bay and the Cook Inlet. You can see glaciers and volcanos from their living room and kitchen windows. We had the pleasure of being there one summer during the time that the Swallows hatched. My Aunt built little bird houses for them under the eaves right outside the living room window. We spent hours watching the Mom Swallow bring food to them through out the day. We marveled as they grew and we could hear their little chirps all day long as the Mom flew in and out of the nest. We even got to witness the first flight of these little creatures. I think one pushed the other out of the nest. Ooops! It all happened so fast. We were only there for a few weeks and in that time they went from being tiny little babies, unable to feed themselves, to tiny little flying, bug eating machines.
So, it is always in the Spring when the Swallows come that I am once again reminded of how amazing nature is. Not that I really need reminding, but it sure is cool.
Every spring we have a flock of Swallows that hang out at our place for a few weeks. At sunset, they fly around like maniacs chasing bugs in the air. I love going out and watching them. I'm sure it's some sort of highly organized procedure, but it sure seems chaotic and crazy. Hundreds of tiny birds flying to and fro in waves over the creek behind our apartment. It's always cool on that first day when you notice they've arrived. Spring is here!
Now, I don't know which direction they are migrating, but I like to imagine they are headed to my Aunt's house in Alaska. She and my Uncle live in Homer on a beautiful ridge overlooking Kechemak Bay and the Cook Inlet. You can see glaciers and volcanos from their living room and kitchen windows. We had the pleasure of being there one summer during the time that the Swallows hatched. My Aunt built little bird houses for them under the eaves right outside the living room window. We spent hours watching the Mom Swallow bring food to them through out the day. We marveled as they grew and we could hear their little chirps all day long as the Mom flew in and out of the nest. We even got to witness the first flight of these little creatures. I think one pushed the other out of the nest. Ooops! It all happened so fast. We were only there for a few weeks and in that time they went from being tiny little babies, unable to feed themselves, to tiny little flying, bug eating machines.
So, it is always in the Spring when the Swallows come that I am once again reminded of how amazing nature is. Not that I really need reminding, but it sure is cool.
4.12.2005
Where Have I Been?
I've been living uner a rock or in a cave or something... I just found out about this thing called Weather Modification. Say what????? Scottie mentioned to me last night that Texas has been using a cloud seeding procedure to battle their on-going drought. What the fuck? Cloud seeding? With in five minutes of doing some fact finding online, it is clear to me that this is the most whacked thing I've heard about in a long ass time. Apparently, some dude predicted that weather patterns all over the west would be all screwed up from the cloud seeding in Texas. Ah, duh... I read one report that the military, some decaedes ago, did some cloud seeding on a hurricane out in the Atlantic. It immediately changed it's course and ended hitting land and causing massive damage. Ooops. Also, it seems that some 39 countries use some kind of weather modification and this is big cause for concern amongst the whacko conspiracy folks out there.
How is it that I've managed to make it 33 years without ever knowing about this? I swear I havent been living under a rock.
How is it that I've managed to make it 33 years without ever knowing about this? I swear I havent been living under a rock.
4.08.2005
Wash, Rinse, and Hang Out to Dry
CAUTION: Long rant to follow...
We were at Fred Meyer last night picking up rice milk and Newman O's, (the minty one are truly addicting). If you've ever been to Freddy's, you know that more common than not, there are like 52 check stands and a "U-SCAN". Usually of those 52 stands, only 2 or 3 are ever open and if you are there when it's busy, the lines are ridiculous. The U-SCAN is where you check your own groceries through. It goes something like this: scan item, wait for computer to beep, place item in bag, oops, item didn't scan, try again, then try again, oh that's beer, wait for guy to come over and check your ID, then place in bag, scan next item. Oh, wait, it's produce... place on scale, input proper code, oh, that code doesn't work. Call Dude over again and wait for him to find code for your apples and so it goes. On and on. You get the idea. Meanwhile, all of the people in the other lanes are out in their cars getting on with their lives. I don't know about you, but when I go to the market I figure part of the price I pay is for the service I get there and checking and bagging my own groceries doesn't really feel like sevice. Call me crazy.
So, we are wondering around looking for the check stand with the little light on telling us the lane is open, and Scotty walks right by and starts to head for the U-SCAN. I'm thinking this is really weird because I know he hates the U-SCAN. I grab him and turn back to the open lane and find a very young man with a bewildered look on his face sort of ready to help us. He makes a comment about us not using the U-SCAN. He says that it really get easier once you learn how to use it, (as if we were to stupid to figure it out.) He wasn't being mean though. He was just doing his job. Spewing the company line. I asked if he was worried that he would have nothing to do if we had decided not to come through his line. In my mind I'm thinking that paying people to do customer service when there are no customers really isn't in the spirit of how large corporations do business. He assured us that that they still need people to man the U-SCAN station, but here's the rub - it was his boss at the U-SCAN.
The brain washing of America has become so complete that even grocery store clerks are willing to encourage customers to take advantage of a situation that makes their very job obsolete. Corporate America is winning! At some point we, the consumer, will never have to make contact with a single soul, whether we are going the movies, the grocery store, the gas station, or any number of fully automated establishments. These jobs are becoming irrevelant and human contact is on it's way to extinction. We are on our way to having a country filled with unemployed freaks. I mean really, human contact is what makes us care about other people and make the right decisions where others are concerned.
This is going to sound corny but Howard Shultz of Starbucks says, "We are NOT in the coffee business serving people, we are in the people business serving coffee." And he still manages to rake in crap loads of money. Hmm... I hope that technology in the future will make my job easier and free up more of my time so I can spend it with my employees and my customers. Hopefully, it won't make what I do worthless to the people who pay me to do it.
We were at Fred Meyer last night picking up rice milk and Newman O's, (the minty one are truly addicting). If you've ever been to Freddy's, you know that more common than not, there are like 52 check stands and a "U-SCAN". Usually of those 52 stands, only 2 or 3 are ever open and if you are there when it's busy, the lines are ridiculous. The U-SCAN is where you check your own groceries through. It goes something like this: scan item, wait for computer to beep, place item in bag, oops, item didn't scan, try again, then try again, oh that's beer, wait for guy to come over and check your ID, then place in bag, scan next item. Oh, wait, it's produce... place on scale, input proper code, oh, that code doesn't work. Call Dude over again and wait for him to find code for your apples and so it goes. On and on. You get the idea. Meanwhile, all of the people in the other lanes are out in their cars getting on with their lives. I don't know about you, but when I go to the market I figure part of the price I pay is for the service I get there and checking and bagging my own groceries doesn't really feel like sevice. Call me crazy.
So, we are wondering around looking for the check stand with the little light on telling us the lane is open, and Scotty walks right by and starts to head for the U-SCAN. I'm thinking this is really weird because I know he hates the U-SCAN. I grab him and turn back to the open lane and find a very young man with a bewildered look on his face sort of ready to help us. He makes a comment about us not using the U-SCAN. He says that it really get easier once you learn how to use it, (as if we were to stupid to figure it out.) He wasn't being mean though. He was just doing his job. Spewing the company line. I asked if he was worried that he would have nothing to do if we had decided not to come through his line. In my mind I'm thinking that paying people to do customer service when there are no customers really isn't in the spirit of how large corporations do business. He assured us that that they still need people to man the U-SCAN station, but here's the rub - it was his boss at the U-SCAN.
The brain washing of America has become so complete that even grocery store clerks are willing to encourage customers to take advantage of a situation that makes their very job obsolete. Corporate America is winning! At some point we, the consumer, will never have to make contact with a single soul, whether we are going the movies, the grocery store, the gas station, or any number of fully automated establishments. These jobs are becoming irrevelant and human contact is on it's way to extinction. We are on our way to having a country filled with unemployed freaks. I mean really, human contact is what makes us care about other people and make the right decisions where others are concerned.
This is going to sound corny but Howard Shultz of Starbucks says, "We are NOT in the coffee business serving people, we are in the people business serving coffee." And he still manages to rake in crap loads of money. Hmm... I hope that technology in the future will make my job easier and free up more of my time so I can spend it with my employees and my customers. Hopefully, it won't make what I do worthless to the people who pay me to do it.
3.24.2005
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
I promised myself I wouldn't weigh in on the issue of Terri Schiavo and her right to life or death, but there's one little tid bit that won't leave me alone. Our oh-so brilliant President Bush said in regards to this situation,"it is wise to always err on the side of life." All I have to say to that is... Ah, anybody aware of what's going on in Iraq? What a two-faced, bold liar.
Either he's too stupid to realize what he said or just too callous to care. I'm hoping for the stupid agrument because otherwise I'm flat out scared. Side note: Add and extra "r" to scared and you get scarred. I'm probably that too. I wonder if I can sue him for emotional trauma? Just a thought...
Either he's too stupid to realize what he said or just too callous to care. I'm hoping for the stupid agrument because otherwise I'm flat out scared. Side note: Add and extra "r" to scared and you get scarred. I'm probably that too. I wonder if I can sue him for emotional trauma? Just a thought...
3.23.2005
All in a Days Work
I have to tell you about this dream I had the other night...
O.k., so I'm at the Aveda store, (in real life this where you buy hair products), in some mall somewhere and of course I order a Frappuccino. 'Cause what else do you get at the Aveda store? I'm sitting on a bar stool at the counter and this very pudgy round guy with greying curly hair serves me my Java Chip Frappuccino. But the thing is a disaster. He's served it to me in a plexi, (plastic), box beacuse it's oozing down the sides of the cup. There is no lid on it and the whipped cream and chocolate are only half on top and the other half is running down the side. I can tell that it wasn't blended well enough because there are giant chuncks of of ice visible and I'm thinking to myself self, "how am I going to get those chunks through the straw?"
Then I get mad. I start yelling at him about this disaster of a drink and something about paying money for something that won't even fit through the straw. I'm trying to figure out how to get the drink out of the box, which I finally do and then I threw it at him! Just like that. He's sitting there with chunky, brown Frappuccino dribbling down his face. Aren't dreams cool?
I think I need a vacation.
O.k., so I'm at the Aveda store, (in real life this where you buy hair products), in some mall somewhere and of course I order a Frappuccino. 'Cause what else do you get at the Aveda store? I'm sitting on a bar stool at the counter and this very pudgy round guy with greying curly hair serves me my Java Chip Frappuccino. But the thing is a disaster. He's served it to me in a plexi, (plastic), box beacuse it's oozing down the sides of the cup. There is no lid on it and the whipped cream and chocolate are only half on top and the other half is running down the side. I can tell that it wasn't blended well enough because there are giant chuncks of of ice visible and I'm thinking to myself self, "how am I going to get those chunks through the straw?"
Then I get mad. I start yelling at him about this disaster of a drink and something about paying money for something that won't even fit through the straw. I'm trying to figure out how to get the drink out of the box, which I finally do and then I threw it at him! Just like that. He's sitting there with chunky, brown Frappuccino dribbling down his face. Aren't dreams cool?
I think I need a vacation.
3.21.2005
GARBLEDGOOK
I'm pissed and no, not the drunk kind of pissed. Although, after realizing that I spent a couple hours of rewriting the html to change the backround of this blog and add links to the side bar, I wished I was drunk. I'm pissed 'cause I can't believe I could waste that much time on the computer, let alone rewrite code. What the hell is wrong with me? Shouldn't I be doing something more productive like... anything? I mean, really now.
Oh well, the time is gone and the cat is on the internet. On a side note, it was completly unintentional that the color of the backround is so close to Bodie and Mandimu's page. I searched for hours for just the right green. Actually, I searched for hours before I even found any green. Apparently, my html skills are not all that good. I should have just called them to get the color code.
Oh well, the time is gone and the cat is on the internet. On a side note, it was completly unintentional that the color of the backround is so close to Bodie and Mandimu's page. I searched for hours for just the right green. Actually, I searched for hours before I even found any green. Apparently, my html skills are not all that good. I should have just called them to get the color code.
3.20.2005
NOW THAT'S FUNNY
Scott came home last night and stated that he wasn't going to drink alcohol anymore... (insert hysterical fit of laughter).
3.16.2005
AAARRRGGHHHHH!
Freakin' government and their stupid energy bill. Drilling in the Arctic Natl' Wildlife Refuge is just flat out wrong. It pisses me off that we can't leave one corner of the planet in tact. Is that really too much to ask for? We won't even see the oil for ten years and "they" are trying to convince people that this is a good idea because the price of oil is high right now. What is wrong with these people? Do they really think we're that stupid???? Makes me so mad. We pay less for a gallon of gas than anyone else in the western world. In fact, I think we should pay more. Maybe then people will get out of their stupid cars a little more often and we won't have shoulder the burden of paying for a generation of fat people's medical bills.
I'm on a tangent. I've been in the Arctic and it's amazing. That's all there is to it. It's a flipping amazing place that shouldn't be screwed around with. Visit NRDC to find out who to call and what you can do to make sure this thing doesn't get all the way through to a point where we can't take it back. It's a huge mistake.
I'm on a tangent. I've been in the Arctic and it's amazing. That's all there is to it. It's a flipping amazing place that shouldn't be screwed around with. Visit NRDC to find out who to call and what you can do to make sure this thing doesn't get all the way through to a point where we can't take it back. It's a huge mistake.
3.15.2005
To Walk a Mile
So, I'm on my home and I'm listening to public radio and there's this piece about a guy who is driving around the country in a U-Haul truck filled with 1500 pairs of boots. Each pair of boots represents a fallen solider in Iraq. This is depressing, right? But, then the depression turned to a sort of intrigue. The kind of intrigue that hits when you're really not interested, but something about the whole thing takes hold of you.
So, I get to thinking, is he trying to make some kind of statement? I mean, what kind of person feels it necessary to drive around and set up 1500 pairs of boots in nice rows with names and pictures attached to them? Very odd. At first I was feeling sad about the whole thing. All those kids killed for what? American freedom? Nope. To keep people safe? Nope. For democracy? Nope.
None of these explanations ring true and yet the truth of the matter is that they are dead and some dude is displaying their boots and it's not even their own boots, just a pair of random boots purchased from army surplus store. Maybe he thought it would be a nice way to see the country. It's all very strange. Maybe I'm missing something, but my observation that people are weird has been confirmed once again.
So, I get to thinking, is he trying to make some kind of statement? I mean, what kind of person feels it necessary to drive around and set up 1500 pairs of boots in nice rows with names and pictures attached to them? Very odd. At first I was feeling sad about the whole thing. All those kids killed for what? American freedom? Nope. To keep people safe? Nope. For democracy? Nope.
None of these explanations ring true and yet the truth of the matter is that they are dead and some dude is displaying their boots and it's not even their own boots, just a pair of random boots purchased from army surplus store. Maybe he thought it would be a nice way to see the country. It's all very strange. Maybe I'm missing something, but my observation that people are weird has been confirmed once again.
3.11.2005
Might as Well be Dead
Bodie made a comment asking if my blog was dead. No, it's not. It's just having an identity crisis and my time and energy have been in short supply lately. I'm spending most of my time watching "quality" TV before the anti-tv week kicks in. It's like carbo-loading the night before a race.
No one reads this anyway...
So, I was out on a ride yesterday and was thinking about my blog and about how I really don't have much to say these days. The state of the world is such that I can't really make heads or tales of it anymore and I started to get depressed. I thought since no one really reads this blog anyway, that I should be using it to air my real feelings about everything and not worry if I offend anyone, or make anyone uncomfortable, or piss anyone off. I've, for so long, been ensconsed in an environment where it's unacceptable to tell people what I really think because it would be inapropriate. I have just simply given up on practicng the fine art sharing my views and beliefs. So, it may take a while to get into the swing of things here. That's the joy of having a job where being kind, fair and level-headed gets you beat up on a daily basis by rude, obnoxious, and utterly miserable people.
The Fine Print:
This blog will not be backed up by facts. Facts are for people who care what others think.
This blog will not make any apologies.
This blog probably won't make much sense.
And to the guy who threw his sandwich at me the other day. Fuck off!
And to the lady who yelled at me because 3 seconds was too long to wait for her coffee pot to stop dribbling... Fuck off!
And especially to those who run this place, (US), stop stealing my money to kill people. You suck!
Ah, I feel better already. Blogging is like techo-primal scream therapy.
The Fine Print:
This blog will not be backed up by facts. Facts are for people who care what others think.
This blog will not make any apologies.
This blog probably won't make much sense.
And to the guy who threw his sandwich at me the other day. Fuck off!
And to the lady who yelled at me because 3 seconds was too long to wait for her coffee pot to stop dribbling... Fuck off!
And especially to those who run this place, (US), stop stealing my money to kill people. You suck!
Ah, I feel better already. Blogging is like techo-primal scream therapy.
2.15.2005
Top Ten Peeves of Riding in the Winter
1) Ice cream headache in my face for the first 15 minutes of the ride.
2) The snot dripping from my nose and freezing on my upper lip. Yummy snot cicle.
3) Bike lanes that just disapear. Another brilliant concept by King County.
4) Fat-ass SUV's and their Bush supporting bumper stickers. Stupidity at it's best.
5) Knowing that it's freezing outside, the procrastinator in me is able to turn a planned 2 hour ride into a 45 min. ride.
So much for training.
6) Cold feet. I mean achingly cold feet that turn firey hot once back inside.
7) Other riders on the road that look warm. How dare they go around acting as if they are enjoying themselves?
8) Cold feet, cold ears, cold everything.
9) Cold feet.
10) Damn those cold feet.
Obviously, some of these are year-round riding peeves, but the cold weather seems to compound the iritation factor...
As usual, I formulated this list while on a ride and now that I'm home in basking in the warmth, I'm wishing that I had another 2 hours before work to go riding. Heck, I wish I had the whole day. Apparently, it wasn't that bad.
2) The snot dripping from my nose and freezing on my upper lip. Yummy snot cicle.
3) Bike lanes that just disapear. Another brilliant concept by King County.
4) Fat-ass SUV's and their Bush supporting bumper stickers. Stupidity at it's best.
5) Knowing that it's freezing outside, the procrastinator in me is able to turn a planned 2 hour ride into a 45 min. ride.
So much for training.
6) Cold feet. I mean achingly cold feet that turn firey hot once back inside.
7) Other riders on the road that look warm. How dare they go around acting as if they are enjoying themselves?
8) Cold feet, cold ears, cold everything.
9) Cold feet.
10) Damn those cold feet.
Obviously, some of these are year-round riding peeves, but the cold weather seems to compound the iritation factor...
As usual, I formulated this list while on a ride and now that I'm home in basking in the warmth, I'm wishing that I had another 2 hours before work to go riding. Heck, I wish I had the whole day. Apparently, it wasn't that bad.
Calling all crazies...
Yesterday was Valentines Day and all the nut jobs were out en masse. What's up with that? We had this one guy come into the store that smelled really bad and was wondering around in a manic way that was making us very uncomfortable. He kept picking stuff up off the shelves looking at it and then putting it back. He was trying to look busy and not succeeding. Then when I thought he was in line to order something he bolted to the condiment bar, picked out a stir stick, (these are wood and made for stiiring coffee)),and started chewing and then spitting the pieces out onto the floor. I approached him to find out what the hell was going on and he started muttering about not bothering anyone. Did I mention he smelled really bad? I told him he couldn't hang out and spit stuff onto my floor and he replied that he might order something. As if that was going to make a difference at this point.
Next thing I know he is jumping into a car that is parked in the pull-through/fire lane in front of the store. We all looked at each other in shock because none of us had noticed that there was a car there in the first place and my first thought was that he was stealing someone elses car. I had one of my partners check the bathrooms and we asked all the other customers if their car was parked in the pull-through lane. As he pulled away, I noticed he had Florida plates and watched as he drove 50 ft. into a space in the parking lot. Perhaps he was suffering from post traumatic stress from the 2000 elcetion debacle in Florida and now wonders around the country spitting wooden stir sticks onto the floors of coffee shops everywhere...
On the other hand, this is North Bend and pretty much everyone here suffers from some sort of craziness. At least he wasn't as bad as the guy we had one morning that was whacking off outside the window. But that's another story.
Next thing I know he is jumping into a car that is parked in the pull-through/fire lane in front of the store. We all looked at each other in shock because none of us had noticed that there was a car there in the first place and my first thought was that he was stealing someone elses car. I had one of my partners check the bathrooms and we asked all the other customers if their car was parked in the pull-through lane. As he pulled away, I noticed he had Florida plates and watched as he drove 50 ft. into a space in the parking lot. Perhaps he was suffering from post traumatic stress from the 2000 elcetion debacle in Florida and now wonders around the country spitting wooden stir sticks onto the floors of coffee shops everywhere...
On the other hand, this is North Bend and pretty much everyone here suffers from some sort of craziness. At least he wasn't as bad as the guy we had one morning that was whacking off outside the window. But that's another story.
2.10.2005
Ahhhh, snow...!
Yesterday was a totally perfect day and really, that can't be said too often. My Dad played hooky from work and we met out at Longmire with our skis and snowshoes and hiking boots, (just in case we couldn't find snow). But, oh did we find snow! The most fluffy, sparkling snow I've ever skied on in WA. The weather was just about as good as it could get. Warm and crystal clear. And the Mountain! Did I mention the mountain? There are no pictures because of course I forgot the camera. Doh! Suffice it to say that it was huge and beautiful.
We made our way from Paradise up to Mazama Ridge. Watched a group of telemarkers bomb a big bowl and then climb back up to the top just to do it all over again. Man, those guys work for their fun. I wanna learn to telemark... Some day. We then spent a good part of the afternoon making our way down the ridge. The thing about playing in the snow is that you get to make your own trail. You go where the path looks friendly, which is...nice.
I realized about half way through the day that I'm no skier. I like to bomb little slopes and the whoopdy-do's through the trees are fun, but I'm really not cut out to be on skis. My legs get all rubbery and I fall down a lot. Put me on a bike, any bike, and I'll be right at home. I adapt easily to different terrain, different bikes, and different conditions without even thinking. Not skis. My Dad kept reminding me to keep my edges this way or that, and not to ski into creeks or off the side of the ridge. It's just not intuitive like cycling. Kinda makes sense though. I grew up in Santa Cruz and we didn't have snow, but we did have bikes and I've been riding one since I was 3 or 4 years old.
The good part of skiing is I still have fun doing it even if I'm really no good at it. And the best part about skiing is that it gets me outside during the winter months and we always end up at these most spectacular places on these amazing days. That in itself is worth flinging myself haphazardly through the snow, (even when it get down my pants!).
We made our way from Paradise up to Mazama Ridge. Watched a group of telemarkers bomb a big bowl and then climb back up to the top just to do it all over again. Man, those guys work for their fun. I wanna learn to telemark... Some day. We then spent a good part of the afternoon making our way down the ridge. The thing about playing in the snow is that you get to make your own trail. You go where the path looks friendly, which is...nice.
I realized about half way through the day that I'm no skier. I like to bomb little slopes and the whoopdy-do's through the trees are fun, but I'm really not cut out to be on skis. My legs get all rubbery and I fall down a lot. Put me on a bike, any bike, and I'll be right at home. I adapt easily to different terrain, different bikes, and different conditions without even thinking. Not skis. My Dad kept reminding me to keep my edges this way or that, and not to ski into creeks or off the side of the ridge. It's just not intuitive like cycling. Kinda makes sense though. I grew up in Santa Cruz and we didn't have snow, but we did have bikes and I've been riding one since I was 3 or 4 years old.
The good part of skiing is I still have fun doing it even if I'm really no good at it. And the best part about skiing is that it gets me outside during the winter months and we always end up at these most spectacular places on these amazing days. That in itself is worth flinging myself haphazardly through the snow, (even when it get down my pants!).
2.08.2005
Exploration
So, today I went for a ride. I tried to get out of the house early, but I had to put a new tube in on the road bike but the rim tape is falling apart and about 2 minutes after I got everything back together, it exploded. Sad. I decided I would finally go see if I could get to North Bend from Issaquah by way of the Cedar River or the south side of Rattle Snake Ridge. I would need a map and had to scan one out of the Gazateer. That done, I couldn't decide if I wanted to take the single mt. of the multi gear mt. bike. Figuring I didn't really know what I was in for, I opted for the multi gear and set out a whole lot later than I wanted. Off I went into the unknown.
According to my map there is a way to get there, but I wasn't confident I would make it. So, I rode and rode and rode... Through the forest and into the middle of nowhere. Literally nowhere. But here's the crazy thing, people live out there. I'm about two thirds of the way down this road and a car goes whizzing by. I'm thinking they'll be back soon. The road is suppose to be a dead end. Then a short time later another car goes by. Weird. I keep riding and then wholly crap, there's a
whole neighborhood out there-in the middle of freaking nowhere.
Long story short, I never found the way into North Bend. The four way intersection I was supposed find never presented itself and since I started so late, it was sure to be dark before I got all the way home. So I turned around at the end of the "private road" I ended up on. Funny side note: this road had a huge sign that said, "NO ADMITTENCE, ROAD DEAD ENDS, PRIVATE, NO TRESSPASSING". I went up it any way. I mean what were they going to do to me? But every car that went by, the person waved and smiled. Do they know they live on a private road? Nice people. It was good to know if I need anything that they might help.
There was snow up there and starting to get very cold. I realized as I was heading out that I was going down hill. I hadn't even realized I had been climbing for the last 15+ miles. I was frozen by the time I made back to pavement and just couldn't wait to get home. All in all, I spent 3 hours on the bike and rode 33.5 miles and never found the way to North Bend.
Sometimes, that's the way exploration goes. You do a lot of exploring and not a lot of finding.
According to my map there is a way to get there, but I wasn't confident I would make it. So, I rode and rode and rode... Through the forest and into the middle of nowhere. Literally nowhere. But here's the crazy thing, people live out there. I'm about two thirds of the way down this road and a car goes whizzing by. I'm thinking they'll be back soon. The road is suppose to be a dead end. Then a short time later another car goes by. Weird. I keep riding and then wholly crap, there's a
whole neighborhood out there-in the middle of freaking nowhere.
Long story short, I never found the way into North Bend. The four way intersection I was supposed find never presented itself and since I started so late, it was sure to be dark before I got all the way home. So I turned around at the end of the "private road" I ended up on. Funny side note: this road had a huge sign that said, "NO ADMITTENCE, ROAD DEAD ENDS, PRIVATE, NO TRESSPASSING". I went up it any way. I mean what were they going to do to me? But every car that went by, the person waved and smiled. Do they know they live on a private road? Nice people. It was good to know if I need anything that they might help.
There was snow up there and starting to get very cold. I realized as I was heading out that I was going down hill. I hadn't even realized I had been climbing for the last 15+ miles. I was frozen by the time I made back to pavement and just couldn't wait to get home. All in all, I spent 3 hours on the bike and rode 33.5 miles and never found the way to North Bend.
Sometimes, that's the way exploration goes. You do a lot of exploring and not a lot of finding.
