Blue and green

If you look at the first picture closely you'll see that whatever kind of snake this is it's pretty big. I think it was about 6 feet long. He stretched all the way across the path. Yeah, pretty big. Pretty easy to figure out where it was. Any guesses? Better to have a recovery day, the dishes aren't glued back together yet from the rides the last few days. I bet trying to put it all together won't be as hard as I think it will. The puzzle seems to find it's pieces and order returns from the mess. I can't call it chaos, it's just not. I had an iced/blended/whipcreamed coffee drink today mmmmmmmmmm calories. Then after getting home I ate a burger, half of Bs grilled cheese and now I'm about to have a panang for my, er, third dinner. I love it when the furnace fires up and I can open up the stomach.

Broken

I broke a few dishes today, I started at 8.15 and when I was done it was nearly 5 hours on the bike. Lots of good work and a fair bit of solo tempo. Groups are good just not ideal to have all the time. I listened to the wind in my ears, I could still hear the semi's coming. Pretty light on the redneck factor, one in the first 5 minutes, then clear the rest of the way. Now my head hurts but I'm hydrated and the legs are better than the stomach that desperately wants to evacuate.

Friday

A little window into spring, I don't need to whine for a few days. The sun came out, dried up the black ice and puddles made for less skating the rest of the day. Riding home after a few beers was fun, it was social hour on the path, warm evening rides in spring, the opposite of the other side of the commute. No little nasties were smuggled home in my GI. I think Dr. Hotplate almost ran me off the road yesterday morning. She came rallying out of the gas station and didn't look twice. I doubt she bought a chili cheese dog for breakfast, that'd be her calories for a week. Maybe a few boring handlebar shots later.

Iceeeeee

I skated to work on the road bike in the new kit, thanks Nat! Good stuff makes the sketchy days that much better. I hope to trade up to a better build on the fendered machine to not rock the fresh roadie on iffy mornings. I got out, that was what mattered. The black ice is more frequent in the shoulder season than in the head of winter. I can take the bad days in February, right now it gets a bit tougher. Front Range gets 70-80s for the weekend we'll be lucky to crack 55, I hate to whine with my cheese but I could handle some more-ideal training weather right now to fill in the base holes. This a pic of Lars Michaelsen's winter bike. I wish I only needed a bike like this for winter. Living here this is a spring/summer/fall bike.

Waterboy

The kid is a full-on waterboy, pool, ocean whatever. I hope he ca nswim better than me. I need a board under me to make it around the openwater with any kind of pace.

I don't think I brought any little guys home with me from Mexico, but I still have some doubts.

Back in it

Welcome back to Northern North America, I prefer a lot of things about Southern North America. The way the weather plays out in Colorado in spring is odd, especially this year. Fog and snow on the return made the drive even more difficult coupled with the missed connecting flight and car trouble. And Yeltsin is dead. We left the maggots and enormous bugs behind, spiders the size of your palm, crabs running around the house, and Paul taking it all in, wondering if he should try to eat it let that one go.

Close

I know the trip is almost over but a few things kind of work out oddly, the surfing doesn't really go that far away even after all the years. I get stiff and old but that's because I'm stiff and old. I know the keys aren't in the maggots and the rotting everything in the tropics and the tricks are somewhere up on the mountain passes and in the long days this next few weeks.

 

The more I leave the bike the more I want to come back to it. Certainly my vice of choice. Paul helped put that to right. I'll post pics of the feline scavenger after I get north. Tests are getting closer and my homework is just about finished.

Mex

Little breaks are good ofr the head sitting on a beach for a week is odd, no bikes, no snow, no extra layers. building up a pretty good wax rash to go with the bug bites. Gringo life could be much worse. Homemade ceviche last night's dinner, no one was sick. Who knew?

 

Guilt builds as I take another day off the machine. I need to make up when I get home. Running and swimming is a good sub anyway.

 

Photos next week.

Skid Marks

This guy rides way better than I do. Now if I could work this technique into my commute... Friday morning it would have been very easy. I don't really have any tricks, I can ride up a hill and not be that tired, what fun is that? Hey, I rode up that hill! BFD.