We get to see fall up close and personal while we travel to and from these mountain bike races every other week in the fall. I love cheering for Hank, I love a long drive, I love the community of the mountain bike families, the team dinners, cheering for each others' kids. I love seeing Hank challenge himself in something he loves and come out a little more mature, resilient, confident, humble, experienced each time. It's not about being the best. It's about doing something you love and challenging yourself to do better each time. It's about a team family and community that centers around this love for the outdoors and adventure. We are so joyful to be experiencing this alongside of him. Race 1 - Frisco, COPre-ride and team dinner was cancelled due to the rainstorm. Hank raced first in the morning. Everything went smoothly. He said people during the race on the sidelines were commenting on him smiling during the race. "That's it! Have fun. That's how you race!" I think he was reminded about the love he has for this sport. He said it was FUN! He placed 21st and which means he is very much a strong contender for the state race in October. Top 40 move on to state. As long as he keeps it up, he will have another strong season. Frisco was beautiful as usual. It always reminds me how much I want to live there whenever we go. It's got the lake, the bike path, tons of hiking trails, nearby skiing (both downhill and xcountry), good food, and beautiful mountain scenery. Great way to start the season. On to Glenwood in two weeks. Race 2 - Glenwood Springs, COI like Glenwood the more time I spend there. Big mid town bridge with restaurants and outdoor area under the bridge that they have lit up. The kids are old enough now that we just go out on a date and the kids hang out at the hotel and watch cable TV (something we don't have at home). They have their shows and Henry has a routine he follows the night before a race and the morning of that he tries to keep consistent. He likes to have the same race day breakfast. Plain oatmeal and a banana. I like cafe where we get smoothies and lattes and paninis while Hank is on his pre-ride. The race track is so dusty every time. While it isn't his favorite track to race on, it's good practice for state when we come back next month here to the same spot with many many more racers. This was the one where the racers nearly crashed into us on the sidelines. Someone's bike clipped someone else's and it started a chain of events where if you were behind the crash at the start, you were really behind in the race from that point on. I think Hank nearly missed it and maybe got a little delayed and had to make up for it in the race. Doing cross country and mountain biking at the same time is no joke. If he isn't running, he is biking and visa versa. School and practice every day, and travel on the weekends to races. Neither of the types of workouts are easy. Running 10 miles at a 6 or 7 minute mile pace daily is pretty intense. Then adding 4 x 20-30 mile mountain bike rides (not road bike) a week... you get the idea. I think this will be the last season he does both because the schedules conflict constantly and there is virtually no recovery time. Needless to say, he's tired and he tells me so. It's a commitment that he wanted to make so he's sticking with it to the end of the season. The race went smoothly with the exception of the major pile up crash at the beginning. He's still a top competitor for state after this race. I don't remember what he placed but I think it was about the same as the last. Race 3 - Leadville, COI could live in Leadville. Home of the highest elevation ultramarathon race in the country. Beautiful tall densely packed in coniferous trees. Home of the famous Mellanzana. The best mountain thrift stores. The best hiking. Turquoise Lake is actually turquoise. The town is a weird mix of blue collar mining families that go back generations, then you've got your mountain hippies, and then you've got your uber-ultra-endurance athletes who want to climb the tallest mountains, run the longest distances, and ski all winter long. It makes for a hardy interesting mix of people. This is one of Hank's favorite races in the series. The drive was beautiful and fall is really here. The weather was pretty mild. It's not too cold yet. OThank goodness for these weekend trips where I get to see the seasons change all over the state. Where I get to have a change of scenery and get out of the busy week of day to day work and home and dinner and sleep and work and all over again. I'm so proud of Hank's resilience. All his constant hard work. He works so hard and he is doing something he loves. I love seeing him go through these experiences. Race 4 - Eagle, COEach of the races in the series has a theme for spectators and riders alike. The theme in Eagle this year was "noisemakers." Natalie's been looking forward to using our rubber chicken noisemakers all season long to cheer on the racers! People bring an endless variety of drums and cow bells and kazoos and anything else homemade or store-bought that makes a distinctly fun noise. This is the race that I really get to see the gold rush come through all the aspen trees. They shimmer and flutter in the wind. Going through Vail on the way to Eagle is especially lovely. I think the challenge in Eagle this year was that our puppy Murphy had gotten a hold of Hank's hydration tube days before the race and we had to replace it. We couldn't get the exact same one so it was a bit longer than the previous one. The tubing kept getting stuck around his seat during the race preventing him from standing up to gain more leverage. He said he had to stop several times during the race to adjust it and lost some time. Obviously, during a race pulling over to adjust gear is not the most ideal or advantageous to your placing. He didn't lose much time though, or he made up for it somehow. He still held and gained in his placing. Headed to state for year 2. State Competition - Glenwood Springs, COmosNot many states in the US really have the type of terrain and trail systems for mountain bike trails, much less a full state competition and race series that occurs across the state in various divisions. From Durango to Aspen, to Vail and Frisco; this competition takes many people to organize a lot of trail systems, the racers, and their coaches and parents for a full season of races. It's a world class event. It's part of the reason I'm documenting it. There are over 800 racers in total. The top racers in the state, in the top state for mountain biking. It's a big deal for him to qualify and then participate in this race. He'll remember it for the rest of his life. The only thing I care about is that he has fun and walks away feeling stronger, more capable, more confident. He has done it for himself. For the simple fun of it and the satisfaction of the experience. As a family we don't really care about the winning. We ask, "did you do your best?" and "did you improve from last time?" and "what did you learn about yourself this time?" At the end of season banquet, coaches speak about the racers. The coach that spoke about Hank said that Hank was his favorite kind of racer. He's out there because he loves it. He's out there for the fun of it. How many adults do I know that have forgotten to have fun without the use of some substance giving them some false sense of what fun is and an a bad habit that leads to bad decisions. More than anything, I want my kids to have healthy outlets to give them a more fulfilling lives. It's not about the winning. I used to have this negative opinion of uber sport moms ("soccer mom" types or baseball dads). I think its all about what you make it and what your kid wants out of it. It can't be some weird ego trip for the parent. It has to be something the kids wants. For us/for Hank its about the adventure, the community, the experience, the self-discovery, the character development and most importantly the fun of the ride. and on the way home Hank says, "it's time for ski season!"
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6/25/2023 0 Comments Santa Fe getaway
take awaysI've been trying to figure out how to reconcile the history of my indigenous roots with the insensitive and misleading narrative of the Thanksgiving holiday. Since we have stopped celebrating, I have wondered what will I do to honor and show respect of the history and culture of the native tribes of the North American region. This trip felt like a lot of awareness and learning was beginning to be built for us as a family. I have more of a mission to expose them and educate them on Native American history, art, and culture to build respect and appreciation. I think this is where I am at with it now. I like the idea that my money is going towards these people when I buy art made by natives on a reservation. I want to keep doing that. I also want to keep going to places like museums and cultural meccas where my kids can be reminded of all of the diversity of life. This is how we avoid the small-mindedness that can sometimes come out of small town America. My mountain town is absolutely beautiful and forested and lovely, however it is lacking in diversity and culture. I want my kids to have a wider perspective of the world around them. This trip was certainly an excellent addition to that life-long goal. We will always be looking for that. 6/6/2023 0 Comments Rocky Mountain National ParkWeatherIt was a beautiful and very rainy 3 hour drive to Estes Park. While my husband stayed home to work, I took the kids to Rocky Mountain National Park to initiate the summer season. We drove straight to RMNP and did a short 2 mile hike in the rain. It was not the weather I was hoping for but we still enjoyed the scenery and the fresh rain air. We went to a pizza place and then back to the lodge where we explored the grounds and checked in for the night. The next morning, we went to a coffee shop for breakfast and decided try Deer Mountain in RMNP. This would be a 6 mile hike and smallish mountain summit. It was something that was realistically accomplished before the forecasted rain. After a year of cross country, track, and mountain biking; the 3 mile climb to the top of deer mountain seemed easy for Henry. I was almost running just to keep up with him. This is what we always talked about though. We wanted our kids to be so comfortable and confident in the outdoors so that they could go out and have their own adventures and life a full life grounded in nature and appreciation for life. Now Henry seeks out adventure with his friends. He goes hiking after school and on the weekend hikes 27 miles in a day! Hiking in Colorado is not the same as hiking in the PNW or most other places. Hiking here means you usually climbing up steep grades to get to vast view points. So 6 miles here is different than 6 miles in the Redwoods or Olympic. That is just a walk in the woods. Hiking here is an endurance sport. After our hike we went to this incredible bakery/deli called Scratch. We went back and watched a movie at the lodge and then headed out again for roller skating, long boarding, and mini golf. This morning we will head home and go through Boulder on our way. We will walk on the famous Pearl Street and then finally make our way back home to see the dogs and Allen. We miss them.
The weather is changing and school will be out after this week. My husband wanted to get out of town for the weekend. Buena vista, Colorado has the perfect personality match up to our family to be found yet. It's got the outdoor adventure, tons of good hiking trails, scenic drives, dispersed campsites, cool main street vibes, the riverwalk, river rafting and kayaking culture, mountaineering and cycling culture, hot springs, proximity to ski towns, great food and coffee options. I could go on. I think we could all use a go-to place that is easy enough to get to, but makes you feel like you can break away for a short while from the fast pace of day-to-day life. I find it facilitates perspective shifts, makes our problems seem tiny in the grande scheme, reminds us how big the world really is, and makes us grateful to come home again. what we like to do in BV
what we did this tripOn this particular trip, we spent the majority of the time hiking and eating. We did a long steep climb on the first day at Silver Creek Trail. On the second day we were planning on going easier but it turns out that the trail we were climbing was the same that you take to summit Mt. Yale. I had done Denny Creek years ago so it was nice to revisit. It's a beautiful hike with switch backs through forested areas and some snowy mountain views this time of year. There were river crossings and makeshift bridges. We were stopped on both days by snow on the trail in greater and greater amounts as we continued to climb. It all comes back to me every season as if I forget throughout the winter. Oh yeah, this is why I don't summit mountains in June! There is still snow until July and August. The weather was great, the trails were great, and the conversations had were important. This time we went to two fantastic places to eat. The first was a whiskey distillery called The DeerHammer. I had never been here before but I really liked the live music and the indoor outdoor atmosphere. Everyone is always so hungry after hiking so many miles in the hot sun. The second place we ate was House Rock Kitchen. They have super good bowls of fresh ingredients and sauces and types of protein you can add. They have house made kombucha other cool options for beverages. I love the outdoor patio area here. People bring their dogs on the outdoor patio. It's a super dog friendly town. The food is always so fresh and good. I feel like this is one of the best examples of the personality of BV. Outdoor, nature, bohemian, organic, fresh, healthy, and rugged. Of course, we have to stop at Brown Dog Coffee on the way out of town for an iced coffee and other accoutrements for the road. Thanks BV, you know how to have a good time. I feel ready to get back at it and finish up this school year strong.
Moab is an easy 6 hour drive from where we live. Far enough to make it really feel like getaway and close enough that we don't have to worry about flying or spending an entire two days traveling on the way there and back. We like it because of its artsy vibes, bike culture, scenery, and food scene. This yearly trip started out of a search for something to do over Thanksgiving Break. the trouble with thanksgiving
our moab days
1/28/2023 0 Comments our fall season...mountain bike mayhem
6/24/2022 0 Comments exploring the redwoods
One of my favorite experiences was the Humboldt Botanical Gardens. I love going to Botanical Gardens everywhere and this one was one of the best I have EVER been to. Layering of color and flowers and variety and texture .... every bench you sat at was positioned to have a meditative place to stare in awe at the vast beauty of the landscape. More than anything else, these trips are a way for us to recalibrate together away from the day-to-day routine of our lives. We have to remind ourselves that the world is vast and the possibilities are endless. And as parents, we are "home" for our kids always regardless of our physical location. So in terms of pulling us all towards center again and regrouping after a long busy school year, being in awe of the big world, and spending time in nature; this trip was a resounding success.
what I wish I knew earlier
....until I think of more 5/17/2022 0 Comments the purpose of our relationships
5/15/2022 0 Comments final countdown to summer
So weekends are a little more free. Free as they should be for us. We can collect ourselves and gather up our lives and reconnect. We went hiking and cooked food and prepped the garden for planting and played cards and cleaned the house. The normal things that are so grounding for us all. Soon enough, we will be backpacking, and growing food, and eating outside, and riding bikes, and traveling to California and doing all the things that help us remember how teeny tiny we are in the grand scheme of things in this life. Almost there. Summer is almost here.
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AuthorMy cathartic stream-of-consciousness processing of the day-to-day. Archives
September 2023
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