7th place, again!

Well, 7th place again! I knew I wouldn't do too well in this race because of all the hills. This course was probably the most challenging yet. VERY steep climbs, and gnarly technical descents made for a long race. I won't bore you with the details of the race. Just enjoy the pictures and video!

Just about to finish!


One lap to go!

Click To Play

Next race!

So I think I have 3 blog regulars now. What a milestone! Here is what you have been waiting for: another biking update. I have my next race this Saturday up at Solitude Ski resort. For details, check out www.intermountaincup.com. I went and pre rode this course last Saturday, and there is a ton of climbing! We climbed like 1100 feet in only 2 1/2 miles! Of course, Rich flew up the hills, while the rest of us were left wondering how he does it. I feel bad for Steve, having just moved here from Arizona, then trying to do these hills at 9,000 feet. I was sucking wind pretty bad, I can only imagine how he must have felt. Sorry Steve, we'll do a better one next time! But anyway, come to my race this Saturday. This will be one of the few races where you will be able to see me more than just when I start and finish, as I will have to do 2 laps. See you there!

Fun at Brian and Cheryl's

We promised our nieces that we would post pictures from when we babysat them for a night, so here they are!

They both say they are afraid of Kylie, does this look like fear to you?

U2 The sweetest thing live in manchester 2001

Check out this live video of the sweetest thing! Only been played a few times live.

Cheryl's morning fun!

So while Brian was out all morning riding his bike and havning fun, Cheryl had the task of babysitting. The only way Mike could go is if someone watched his kids, since Amy had to work that morning. So Cheryl gladly accepted the challenge. It wouldn't have been so much if it were only Mike and Amy's kids, but she was also watching Dylan, her brother's kid. Then, our neighbor had to run an errand at the last minute and asked if she could watch his kids for an hour or so. So all told, Cheryl was running the neighborhood daycare for the morning! She managed the task quite well though, and all the kids had a great time! They played Wii, went on a walk, had lunch, and played games out on the lawn. While over at the school on the walk, they found a butterfly that kept following them around.

On another note, we had our first flower bloom on our lily pad this morning! Oh and thanks to Matt and Nicole for giving us the lily pad. The bloom will only last for a day or two, so if you want to come see it, you have to do it soon!

yet another bike ride

Ok, so I know that all 2 of my blog regulars are getting tired of reading about my mountain biking adventures, but too bad! Ok, this one will actually be a little different, maybe. We did the Wasatch Crest trail today, one of the best rides close to home. Let me backtrack a little first though. I did the Temple quarry trail on Tuesday evening while Cheryl went to some Relief Society thing. While there, she was talking to my home teaching companion's wife. She said she had to get home early because she promised her husband, Steve, that she would be home in time for him to go biking. Turns out, he did the same trail I did that night, although neither of us knew it. Fast forward to Friday night. Steve called to see if I wanted to go riding with him the following morning at the Wasatch Crest of all places! The same ride that Mike and I had been planning to do all week. Crazy stuff!





The ride was good. Ran into a ton of hikers (almost literally!) I don't know what it was, but there was a ton of people up the canyon today, maybe to escape the heat, I don't know. So while it was hot, we decided to stop at Desolation Lake halfway down the trail and go swimming. What one needs to realize is the water in the lake was snow only a few days ago! Needless to say, it was very cold! I think that is the coldest water I have ever been in, okay maybe not. I did jump into Nicole's parents' pool in the middle of winter. That was pretty cold.





So, as always, enjoy the pictures of the day!

Look at the snow in the background!

Always check the water before you dive in!

Mike demonstrating the proper riding technique

Rich kicking everyone's !@#

Mike riding along at 9,900 feet! This will really test your lungs!

singletracks.com

Ok, if you are viewing this today (Thursday), go to singletracks.com and look at the picture at the top of the page. It's me! If you you don't make it today, fear not. It makes it up there about once a week. I'm famous!

New car!

Everyone behold the glory that is my 1979 Honda Accord. '79 was a good year for Accords. It comes standard with an am/fm tuner (not digital), an analog clock, 80 horsepower, and everything else that an economy car came with back in '79. What a beauty!

Group Ride

We went on a group ride this morning up Millcreek Canyon. We started at Mike and Amy's house (3300 s and Highland Dr) and rode our bikes up the canyon, then down the pipeline trail, then down Rattlesnake gulch, then back to Mike's house. It was a very humbling experience, as Mike's friend Rich came along. We showed up at Rich's house at about 9 am and he comes walking out with his bike, a $99 Toys R us special! I mean, this thing is lower than a huffy! It weighs in at like 40 pounds. I couldn't help but laugh a little, as I am riding my top-o-the-line Specialized S-works that I paid more for than some people pay for their car. Anyway, we getting ready to go, and he doesn't even have a helmet, or water bottles, or anything! I was there thinking "man, this is going to be a long day, waiting for this guy!" So we start off, and Rich just takes off! Of course, I am thinking he can't keep that pace forever, but sure enough, many miles later, straight up the canyon he is still cruising! Like Lance Armstrong said "it's not about the bike" and sure enough, he was right. So it just tells me that I need to work on my weak little girl legs! Anyway, here are some pictures from today. Oh, and Rich, if you ever read this, I have all the respect in the world for you! No kidding!

7th place!

Ok, look how steep this hill is!
Here I am in the middle of the pack.

This is me just before the finish. It is out of focus because I am going so fast!

I just finished my 4th race and took 7th place! Hooray for me! The guy in front of me was only 8 seconds ahead of me too. If I had known that, I could have pushed a little harder there at the end, as the top six finishers get at least a ribbon! Anyway, the problem again was those darn hills! It isn't that I am slow going up them (there are people who walk up them!), there are just people who don't seem to realize that they are going up, and don't slow down! But I still managed to pass at least 3 people in my group in the last 2 miles or so to get my 7th place finish. Oh, and the winner was only 7 minutes ahead of me too! I am slowly closing the gap!

Most comments

Ok, the only point of this post is to see how many comments I can get on it. You may comment about anything. Here are just a few suggestions: The weather, politics, other blogs, work, cars, people, etc. You get the idea. Oh, you don't have to stop at just one comment either. Oh, and why has no one sent me a dollar yet?!

Turtle

Look at our turtle! We got this turtle a few weeks ago, we thought it would be neat to have in our pond, but it just seems to sit at the bottom of the pond. Maybe one of these days we will actually see it swim around or something!

Ian and Nicole

So I am putting together a video from Ian and Nicole's wedding, and am playing around with my video software. Here is a preview, let me know what you think!

Click To Play

Next race!

Ok everyone (all 2 people who actually view this blog!), I have my next race this coming Saturday up at Deer Valley. Make sure you come and cheer me on to better than 12th place! Since everyone likes to post lists on blogs, here is a list why you should come show support this Saturday:

1. It will be fun
2. You get to see me
3. You get to see me in spandex
4. You get to see others in spandex
5. I will like you better
6. You get to talk with Cheryl while I am out on the course
7. She will have someone to talk to while I am out on the course
8. It might motivate you
9. It might not
10. It is in the morning, so you have the rest of the day to do whatever
11. I'll post more when I think of more

Tipover

So I was going through all my pictures and I found this video clip of me crashing on my bike. The hill was really steep, and you can see that I just didn't have the ooomph to make it. Check it out!

Click To Play

Group ride

Come one, come all! I am putting together a group ride for anyone who wants to join. I think we will go every Tuesday evening at around 5:30. It doesn't matter how good or how bad you think you are at mountain biking, just come. We will choose a trail that will be suitable for all who show up. Don't have a bike? Don't worry about it! Just let me know in advance and I can get one for you. So seriously, get off your lazy can and join me for a group ride! Tuesdays at 5:30.

Movie night

Pirates of the Caribbean movie night was a big success! Everyone had a grand ol time! In case you didn't read the earlier post where you were invited, we watched both movies in one night. The first was inside, then as it got dark, we moved outside for the second. We finished at about 1 am, but no one was complaining!