downieville classic

yay! downieville! it's been on our to-do list for a while now, so stoked to of finally made it happen.
14 miles and almost 5000ft of downhill single track;  seriously one of the most fun trails we've yet to ride.

can't wait to go back and give it another go.

mt rose meadows to chimney beach downhill

taking a breather at the mid-point mark on marlette peak

definetly looking a little worse for wear. it's been warm out folks!

i'm not complaining though, can't help but love these hot summer days.

the plan was to give ourselves an early start and try to avoid the late afternoon heat but our intentions were waylaid by a shady front porch, cool morning air and a latte in had...that latte machine is really getting the best of us these days.

we finally made it off the porch and up to the trailhead only to discover that denver's bike had a flat and we didn't have the correct repair pieces.

back down the hill to the house for the needed piece

back up the hill to the trailhead, so much for beating the heat.

it was one of the harder trails we've done on our mountain bikes, due to mileage and elevation gain, but the views were incredible and that portion of the tahoe rim trail is my favorite so far.

28.

sheesh, that guy i married is 28-years-old.

starting to feel like time is against us, so much to do and so little time.

 i feel like we're racing the clock, which is a stupid race because we're sure to lose.

we've been wanting to bring our mountain bikes to santa cruz for a while now, having heard so much about the singeltrack in the area, and were certainly not disappointed.

it is a pretty incredible experience to go zipping along through the redwoods, the trails are incredibly smooth and fast.

there was a woodies on the wharf event happening over the weekend.

although by the time we finally made it downtown (traffic was a bit of a cluster cuss) it was woodies in a parking lot for us.

i'm not usually that into old cars, but there is just something extra special about these iconic surf-era cars.

we ended our weekend getaway with a stop in san francisco to pick-up a range spotted on craigslist. made us feel somewhat justified for taking four days off of house work. it's hard to leave guilt-free these days with such a mega-project on our hands.

the range is bright shiny and beautiful, can't wait to get the sucker in our new kitchen.

birthday weekend

denver's birthday is this weekend

we're planning on celebrating the best way possible...in his book anyways,

surfboards and bikes included.

tyrolean downhill

pretty stoked to have ol Brian back in town for the weekend
it's always fun trying to catch up with him on our bikes

arizona

We headed out for the weekend in search of single track, warm weather and cacti. We found all three. Plus a ridiculously long drive and a new appreciation for McDonald's free coffee refills.

The Sonoran desert has truly captured my heart. The desert landscapes are the most beautiful I've yet to experience. From the hazy distant mountain ranges to the clear blue sky and craggy rock formations.  I love the evening light across the landscape, the long cactus shadows and the aroma that comes wafting up from the harsh landscape. The morning light is just as magical, the desert seems to sing it's last song before the sun works it's way over the horizon and the spell of the night is broken.
 
I got a little self-indulgent in posting pictures here...it's just so hard to pick a favorite. I haven't seen a cactus that didn't beg to be photographed and Denver apparently feels the same way.

a friend

 
You have a friend, and his ways are your ways. You travel together, you spree together confidentially, and you suit each other down to the ground.  -The Virginian

It's beautiful outside

The fall colors this year are absolutely stunning. There is a tree around every corner that catches our attention and calls for a declaration of the "most perfect specimen of fall." Our neighborhood streets are lined with piles of crunchy dead leaves and an overhead canopy of glowing reds and golds. The scenes are a bit more rugged outside of the city but just as eye-catching.











Our mountain bikes were stolen a few months ago and we decided to wait until sometime after Christmas to buy replacements. We've largely been ok with that decision during the sweltering heat of summer when the only thing that mattered was finding a large body of water. However, it's an entirely different story now that fall officially happened. The cool air and empty trails are just begging to be enjoyed on a mountain bike. Trail running or hiking is just not the same. We've found ourselves huffing and puffing up some hill numerous times only to have a mountain biker come whizzing by, seemingly grinning from ear-to-ear.  Seriously, has anyone else noticed how happy people are while riding bikes?  Funny how we never noticed that before.

Because once just isn't enough

Camping:


Biking:


Lounging:


Bedheads:

Couldn't resist sharing these fresh faces. Good morning sunshine!

Another flat

We made it last year without any flats on the trail. In the last three weeks we've counted eight, quickly making up for last year's streak of good luck. "A quick downhill" he says, "should take about an hour or so." Six flats and three hours later we made it back to the parking lot. I'd say we've paid our dues.

Endless Suns

There's a high pressure ridge that's been sitting on the whole west coast in general and our piece of the Sierras in particular, since Thanksgiving-ish. I've never been big on griping about the weather, but everybody has a breaking point. Get ready to hear me gripe.
I never knew that weather could cause so much angst and frustration and general misery. It can. Not in the grand scheme of things, but in a small inconvenient sort of fashion. This high pressure apparently has the tenacity of a starfish clinging to a piling at low tide and is refusing to to let go, even for a tasty mollusk. The weather and snow forecasters are predicting the same clear cold weather for another 2-3 weeks. No storms, no snow, just endless suns.
We've settled into a little routine for our weekends during this unusually long shoulder season. We go for a ride one day, a trail run another day and up to Squaw Valley on the third day. Kind of different to have all of those options open at the same time. Last weekend was our fourth in a row being faithful to the routine and we have become intimately familiar with the two runs that are open at Squaw Valley.

Waiting for snow

We're checking the forecast and doing the snow dance but still nothing more then a few inches here and there. Just enough to limit activity up at higher elevations. We've been trying to keep things interesting by riding the local trails that we haven't been on before or riding the same trail in the opposite direction or convincing Denver to do something cool like eat-a-banana-while-scratching-his-chin-and-keep-pedaling. Super cool, right? We've by no means explored all the options but it's time for something new. Something new = Snow.

How about this:



Instead of this:

Flume Trail

We stomped the Flume trail last weekend. For sure.

6 years and counting

Denver and I celebrated our six year anniversary. As a co-worker stated the other day "it's amazing how the years accrue when one gets married as a high school student." I see her point; however, I do feel the need to clarify that I had indeed graduated before we decided to "tie the knot." For how long? Unnecessary question.

In the past, I haven't really been all that excited about holidays. Holidays seemed unnecessary and a bit of a stress; however, I decided to change my approach. Life seems to short to not cheer for the occasional birthday or anniversary. I've turned over a new leaf regarding holidays just in time for my birthday. Let the celebrations begin.

Thus stated this is the first time, as far as I can remember, that we have actually made a special effort to celebrate our anniversary. It was fun. I can't wait for next year. Denver and I headed down to the Mammoth area for some bike riding and fresh air. Our goal for the weekend was the Lower Rock Creek Trail. A highly recommended trail that involves over 2700ft of elevation drop entirely on single track. The relentless climb up the hill made the single track even more magical. We also did some hiking and reading and camping and watching the thunder clouds roll overhead.


Fuel for the ride. Coffee from Shat's baker and muffins from home


The top of the trail



The long anticipated single track



Convict Lake

Bliss

Tahoe Rim Trail



Post ride swim

happy pedaling

From Thick World

Another ride. Can't get over how perfect the trails and the weather and the views have been.

bikes and cool mountain air

The snow is finally receding and we were able to ride a few nice trails at higher elevations. It's been rather hot in the valley but the weather in the mountains is perfect for biking and swimming and eating six-dollar, one-pound, burritos for lunch.


Pedaling along the North Tahoe City Loop


Wildflowers along the Spooner Lake to South Camp Peak Summit trail