Passing Time

This past weekend marked the anniversary of my arrival on this earth. As has been the case for the past several years, my birthday included a casual evening spent with friends. I had a nice dinner (thanks Cathy) and a few drinks with some truly wonderful people and yet, even though it wasn’t a wild night, I managed to have a ridiculous headache the next day. I hate to admit it, but I think it means I’m getting old.

See, in my twenties, I could rage all night long, get about an hour of sleep (if I was lucky), and function like a normal human being. Now that I’ve added a few years to my resume of life, I have a much harder time bouncing back, even after just a few pops. While I would have preferred to spend the weekend lounging around the house sipping coffee and recuperating, I didn’t have that luxury. I had to shake the cobwebs out and head to the mountain for some fresh air and early spring mashed potatoes.

I’d like to say digging trenches in the unseasonably soft snow was the highlight of my weekend but that wouldn’t be true. It was really nice to receive phone calls from my nieces and nephews (including you Josie), and the ginger cookies were better than ever. What really put the icing on the proverbial cake though, were the humorous messages and birthday wishes I got from Jeremy who was in Missouri celebrating in his own special way.

Training Weekend

As the saying goes, sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug. This past weekend I’m pretty certain I was the bug. See Jerry and Colin came into town for a weekend of bike riding in the hills around State College. I, being a fool, decided I would try and tag along for as much as I could and maybe learn a thing or two from them. That, as it turns out, was a bad idea.

Jerry and Colin rolled into town on Friday afternoon. Since it was an unseasonably warm day I decided to leave work early and join them for an “easy” afternoon ride to loosen the legs. It was a bit windy but overall it was a decent day. We were out for about two hours which was plenty for my first outdoor ride of the year. Saturday, however, was a different story. Not only was it cold, there were gale force winds and snow. It was brutal to say the least. Jerry, Colin, and I started out riding together but I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to hang on with them and decided to cut my ride short.

The winds were swirling every which way and I almost got knocked off my bike on several occasions. It was like being punched in the face over and over. Then, I hit the wall. I don’t know if it was a serious bonk or just the weather conditions but I had to throw in the towel and call for a ride. It’s the first time I’ve ever given up on a ride but for some reason I didn’t think I was going to finish in one piece. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but while I was riding home in the warmth of Cathy’s car I realized I made the right choice.

Yinz Get Outta Here N’at

Since I’ve been living in the SC, there has always been one event that occurs every winter. Sometime in late January or early February we get a wicked crazy heat wave for about sixteen hours. While this warming trend really sucks for digging trenches on the slopes (at least in the days after), it’s kind of nice because it’s a minor blip on the radar of spring (not you; the season. It’s a lower case ess) that, for some reason, gets my subconscious thinking about the impending warmth. Of course this can only mean that the trails will soon be ready to open up and reveal their sweet sweet goodness once again.

For some reason, we didn’t get that warm spell this year. In fact, it’s been the exact opposite where the temperatures have been extremely low. Needless to say it’s been rather cold. While I’m not complaining, the chilly temperatures have kept this gilded lily (yeah that’s me) on his indoor trainer for any type of cycling experience. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, however this year it’s caused me to consider drastic measures.

Typically, I like to end my season of snowy goodness with a trip out west to enjoy some steeps, powder, and back country summits. This year, however, I’m considering the conclusion of my snowboarding season will be a trip down south, to ride a bike. That’s right; I’m trying to get an excursion together and visit some very good friends that have recently relocated to the Atlanta area. While I won’t hold their geographical location against them, I will allow Lucy to make at least one of the items that have been showcased here.

Unadvantageous Plugs

So this past weekend, my father, who has been retired for many years and enjoys his time without doing manual labor, decided to visit the SC for some good ole fashioned elbow-grease laden work on the house of his youngest child; me. While ridiculously fit, my father can only handle so much strenuous lifting and heavy-duty work, so the fact that he spent two days with me revamping my basement is a testament to his resolve. I love my father very much and appreciate everything he did for me over this past weekend and the multiple years this work took off his life. Unfortunately, I’m not going to tell you about all the sacrifices my aged father made to spend time with me.

Instead, I’m going to talk about my “friend” Jeremy. So Jeremy has this little business that he likes to think is awesome. I suppose it has a certain cache if you’re into that whole mountain biking or trail running or outdoor lifestyle that the limited few odd-ball, wacko, hippie types like to enjoy. If that’s you, then by all means, be sure to check out his wicked awesome website about all kinds of trail goodness. It’s actually super stylin’ but not nearly as cool as my dad. Of course, we’re not talking about my pop anymore. Jerome gets the goods now, so please check out his site, and if you see my father, tell him he was bonzer this weekend. I was planning to do that in this post, but I don’t want Jeremy to think I wasn’t listening to him.