We haven't skied since Memorial Day weekend. Even that ski wasn't much. We toodled around Chinook Pass the afternoon it opened but the snow was mush and my legs were fried from a workout from the day before (thanks Cross Fit!). That same weekend we started mountain biking in earnest. We drove over to some friends in Yakima. They have small children so we expected to hang out a lot and possibly do a couple kid-friendly bike rides.
We hung out a lot and went on one mountain bike ride that involved hike-a-bike through snow. Sans the children and their mother. Unfortunately our fun little down hill single track section was still under snow. No fair! We got lost a few times, which is par for the course. Eventually we made it back to the truck wet, muddy but in once piece and with big grins on our faces. It was pretty fun!
Since then we've pretty much done a little mountain biking locally every weekend, still waiting for the snow to melt out in the high country. We've biked the Anacortes Community Forest Lands a couple times, St. Ed's in Bothell once, and a ride on the ridge between Cle Elum and Roslyn (think Northern Exposure). In general I've had my share of scrapes and bruises. Bruised my right thigh twice in the same place — the space between my knee armor and shorts. Scraped my left elbow on the ride where I found out that my handle bars didn't fit between two trees on a steep loose downhill section. Oh, and my elbow pads were still in my pack. I put them on after that. Too little too late. And today I bruised my left thigh when something in a fairly short downhill section caught me by surprise. I can't even say how many times that happens, except that it happens every time I fall.
This morning over breakfast, we were a little unmotivated to get going. I told Randy that it wasn't that I didn't want to ride. It's just that I'm already tired of the scrapes and bruises. He basically said that was all part of the learning curve and everyone had to go through it. Yes, he's a swell fella! In a way, his words were comforting. Someday, as long as I keep riding, I'll ride as well as he and his friends. I'm already stronger this year and in a much better starting point than this time last year. I've been riding in clipless pedals since last August, which has made a huge difference. This is my second season on a pretty nice bike. Other riders tell me it's their dream bike. Or it's a sweet ride. It really is. The Santa Cruz Blur gets a lot of hype but I think it's deserved. It's reasonably light for a full-suspension bike and it handles well. When I tried it out it in October 2007 it felt like the bike that fit me and my riding style. Plus it felt like it would still serve me very well after I got to be a better rider. I still believe that.
Soon we will start the epic rides. First in eastern Washington then back over here. We hope to ride the 7 Summits in B.C. sometime this year. The mountain bike tour around Mt. Hood seemed appealing until we saw how much of the ride is on roads. No thanks. Not on our mountain bikes when there is such good trail riding with fabulous views in so many places within a day's drive.
In the meantime I ride my bike to work a lot (about 19.5 miles each way), work out a couple times a week at Mount Baker Cross Fit, and occasionally get an after work mountain bike ride in with the Speedy Beaver Ladies Racing Team. With all that I should be in pretty good shape for next ski season!