I was able to name that sport in one note !

Today was the usual Sunday morning ride with the team. With Cyclocross only weeks away, these rides will soon take a hiatus until the season is over. I arrived at the start unusually early today and thought I would ride over to Tim's place and then ride back with him. I was headed for his street and was passing the alley that his place backs to. I heard a "click" and knew in an instant it was Tim clipping in. I spun around and there was Tim rolling out of the alley onto the street.

This woman kind of looks like my mom in 1953

The ride had twelve riders which is more than normal, but we have had more. The ride was also super fast, which is predictable considering the time of year. Wick, Brad and Tim made sure the pace was toxic to all but the fittest. What was unusual was that all twelve of us made it all the way to the steep hill together. We averaged over 25 mph for this section and the route was rolling to hilly, and if we slowed to 24 mph, then Tim or Wick would jump back to front to keep the burners on high.

I made the final selection after the hill and survived the false flat that has claims riders every week. I held on for a couple more minutes and then gave up the ghost. I latched onto the second group a minute or two later. Brad was leading that group and that fact says it all. I held on and didn't even think about sprinting at the line. The remains of our group came across "the line" a little later and to say they looked haggard is being kind.

The return was more sociable and everyone was impressed we had hung together for so long while going so fast. Everyone was cooked from ripping on Mercer and we were glad to behave like gentlemen the rest of the way back.

Yep, this is Seattle

My friend Kevin commented that 95% of us look better with clothes on. He then reminded me that he is a doctor, and that he made the statement with some authority.

I think the choice of clothing also has something to do with it.

Red is not everyone's best color.....

Mountain biking is also pretty fun

A real "Sound of Music moment" (above Pipestone Canyon)

Hottie and I took some time in our favorite spot of Winthrop, Washington. We mixed road and mountain biking with eating and napping. My mum hung with Tux back at Bridge house and the break was wonderful.

Hottie sporting the summer colors on the backroads of Okanogan county

This was the first time Hottie was allowed to get on her mountain bike since her horrific surgery back in January 2010. She is so much stronger than she has been in years. I was reminded how scary fast she likes to go on downhills. I asked her to slow down and she ignored me.

Try and keep up, Evo...

After climbing to the top on the fire road, we now get to fly down the trail!

Post Vacation Report

It was a blast. I will try to keep this short.

Highlights:
Taking a vacation that was just a vacation
No racing, no family obligations, no objectives other than fun. I used miles for airfare and because of the economy I got a great deal on the condo and the car. We had been to the big island before and were able to do all that we wanted at our pace and only did one thing as part of a group.

Snorkeling
This is so much fun. We enjoyed warm water with cool fish, and colorful coral. Our gear worked perfectly. Captain Cook was by far the best place to snorkel. We opened the gate because we were the first ones there. That made a big difference. 69 Beach was also great as was Mauna Kea resort beach (also the first ones in the water there). Swimming with turtles makes you feel like you are flying.

Kilauea
We hiked the Thurston lava tube and brought flashlights (or torches for my European followers) and went all the way to the end. Hottie took some photos with her weapon camera that revealed amazing colors in the tube that we couldn’t see with our lights. We got to see “the glow” after sunset. We took the expensive, but worth it, pre-dawn boat ride to see where the molten lava enters the ocean. That was an experience that involved all five senses.
Video
We have never really used the video function on our cameras before and we went whole hog on this trip.

Gear Notes:
Patagonia “23” board shorts
These were amazing. I used to measure the quality of a vacation by how many days I could go without socks. Based on a comment from Big John M and my excellent experience with these board shorts I will be amending my criteria away from socks. They dried quickly and could go from ocean to restaurant to condo all in the same day. I now view my other shorts with contempt. I am considering using them on a backpack trip that I haven’t thought of yet.
Mini bieners
It would have been smart to clip my mini dry box to the key loop in my board shorts. I could have used a bunch on the trip. Mental note to self…

Lands’ End Lighthouse Duffle (size medium) Look at that baby..
When I realized my fins were too big to fit in my REI duffle, I put my REI duffle in my big orange Lands’ End duffle and put the fins inside that as well. The big orange duffle proved the perfect bag to dump fins, masks, towels, snorkels, sunscreen, etc. into. When we arrived to go snorkeling, just grab the bag and go. This was totally unplanned, but proved to be really handy. My REI bag has pockets and compartments galore. It is an organizers dream. In contrast, the Lands’ End bag is essentially a single compartment that swallows gear. Both have their ideal uses. This Lands’ End is a bargain and was perfect for our needs.
Dive booties
I worried they might be a bit of overkill; same with the shorty wetsuits. Both proved to be invaluable. Walking out on the rocks without recoiling like we were walking on a bed of nails was nice. Also, no blisters from the fins, and I attribute that to the dive booties. We were in the water for a long time, and the shorties allowed us to stay out longer.

Bose noise cancelling headphones
On the flight home these kept me from screaming. Hottie and I had two seats of the triple and were dreading an obese row companion. Not to worry, a woman with a one year old girl that acted like a monkey on cocaine sat next to me. I smiled and turned up the volume and pretended I didn’t feel the tiny arm that flailed and grabbed me for the next five hours. I made faces and played with her as much as I could, but she just kept squirming. When the mom purchased a fruit plate and a small bottle of wine from the flight attendant (by the way, they hate it when you call them waitresses) I prayed she would put the wine into a bottle and give it to the little girl. She selfishly drank it all herself.

Experience, Research and Recommendations
Having been there before we had an idea what we wanted to do. Friends and a great book, “Hawaii - The Big Island Revealed,” really gave us an inside track. The internet was a source for directions and personal accounts. We talked to everyone and got some good recommendations. This included friends here on the mainland, as well as locals on the island. Just slowing down and listening, people were happy to share their knowledge with two pale visitors.

Lucky me

Don't look kids..

Hottie and I took flashlights and explored the Thurston Lava Tube. Way cool...

Hottie and Evo chillin'

Lava spilling into the ocean..

Too much desertn't

Life is a beach

Oh, and the water is warm..

The air is fresh as well...

Road Trip !

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

Summer in the Northwest is an amazing time. With sunrise at five in the morning and sunsets after nine at night, there is plenty of time to play. The distraction of Hottie’s back healing meant it was mid-summer before we realized we hadn’t scheduled a real vacation. Hottie has been ready to go for a while; I guess I was the one that was distracted.

We elected to enjoy the summer here and take a trip after school started, but before Cyclocross got rolling. We have been to a lot of fun places together. On a bunch of those trips we have taken family and it was time for some Hottie and Evo time, so we’re off on our own.

Hottie is a pro at traveling and we make a great team. I confess I am excited.

Summertime Nooner

Distractions abound

Paulo and I went for a ride today around Alki. To welcome the warm weather we took an extended lunch and got in just under 23 miles. I wore a sleeveless jersey for the first time this year and noticed it has a small zippered key pocket inside the right rear jersey pocket. We like those kind of surprises.

The route to West Seattle was true urban grit. Not the downtown with buses and bike messengers and girls with purple hair. This was the dirty manufacturing, with rusty nails, train tracks, loose gravel and zoned for heavy carcinogen production grit.

Then we passed under the spaghetti that is the west end of the West Seattle Freeway and we were smelling the water and feeling the sunshine.

After a long winter and disappointing spring of riding at noon under grey skies on wet roads, this was what we had dreamed of. We stopped and took it all in.

Seattle skyline from Alki.

Paulo looking lean and fast..

Evo
We proceeded around Alki and on down to Fauntleroy. The sun was warm and the road was essentially flat and we were in no hurry to shorten our ride time by going fast. Paul showed me a short cut that avoided the hill before the ferry and after a deep drink of nuun, we climbed from the water to cut across south of White Center to Boulevard Park and then to the office.


Time for lunch. Someone photo-shopped this so I have lines on my forehead and grey in my sideburns. What the heck ?

Only two more days till Summer starts

Tux completing the swim portion of the Event

Although it was a soggy morning, hope prevailed and the sun came out.

I stole one !

I had about three hours of work related phone calls this past weekend. It made a big dent in my racing schedule (more on that in another post). So when the forecast said 85 degrees for the first day of fall, I didn't feel too much shame taking a long lunch and riding down to the waters edge. A few moments on google maps and a wander down the aisles of my memory library and I thought I could make it here and back without raising eyebrows.

I put my blackberry in my back pocket and made my way here. Sleeveless jersey was the attire for the day and plenty of drink was smart as well. I had been on the beachfront street before on some Cascade Bicycle Club ride once or twice before. On those rides Hottie and I were bundled in cold weather gear. This sunny day was a complete bonus and on this first day of fall I do feel like I stole a day of summer from somewhere.