Steamboat...cont'd

Here are a bunch of pictures to make up for my long-winded story from below...

THURSDAY NIGHT GROUP RIDE!!!

(Here's my new fork!!)

Meet at The Village Hub @6pm; roll out shortly thereafter. Oh yeah, and Robby Rob has new gear to sport!!!! Yes, I'm serious, I wouldn't jest about something that important.

Be there or be square. Rec District Trails most likely.

SJ

Steamboat Trip: Singletrack, Kombucha, and my friend Mandi!

This trip was so much fun that if I describe and relay every piece of the fun, this would be way too long of a post! Basically, from the moment we left Grand Lake, til the moment we returned, fun was had by all...

It started out with a late departure from G.L. since I got out of work a little late. Little did we know that the Strawberry Hot Springs, where we were planning to stay for the next two nights, had a last check in time of 9:30 p.m. Well, we left G.L. at about 7:30 and knew that there was probably no way to get there in that short of time, especially since we wanted to catch a bite in Steamboat before checking in. I called to verify that we wouldn't be totally locked out if we arrived after that 9:30 deadline and was given the answer that no, we wouldn't be homeless for the night if we weren't there exactly at 9:30. So, given a bit of freedom, we ventured into Steamboat for some Mexican food and mojitos at The Cantina. The food was decent, drinks even better, and the entertainment was second to none! The entertainment being: the goofy underage bus boy who sat down at the table next to us and wouldn't leave us alone!! He was so funny. He just kept interrupting our conversation and telling us about his life and love/hate relationship with Steamboat. We asked him what there was to do in the fine town of Steamboat Springs on a Sunday evening (meaning what bar would provide us with some fun) and he proceeded to tell us that later that night he'd be heading over to his friend's house, who was 21, and would get some beer. Oh man, I guess you had to be there but it was all we could do to not just explode with laughter right in the poor kid's face. Funny.

We left The Cantina and headed up to the springs. I really wish I had gotten a picture of the gate keeper/night watchman, Les, because that would really complete this post. Unfortunately, I didn't and will just have to do my best to paint you the picture. We rolled up to the gate ( at 10:45) and were greeted with a cloud of cigarette smoke. Enveloped in the cloud was Les. Short for Lester, or Molester, or Leslie, we don't know but what we do know is that he takes his job quite seriously! We got about a 10 minute dissertation on all of the rules and regulations of the Springs. Spoken in a slow, monotone, raspy old man voice, "There will be no glass on the property. If I find any glass, one or all of you will be asked to leave the premises. County says no alcohol; owners say no late hours. Everyone has to be out of the pools by midnight; yes, there is someone here watching after midnight." Mandi and I kept sneaking glances at each other and trying not to laugh at good ol Les giving us the lecture that he had given probably 2538 times before us. At the end of his speech we had to hassle him a bit. We asked if he enjoyed his job and how long he had been there. Then he loosened up a little and turned out to be a decent guy. Our advice to you: even if you've never been there before, when you encounter Les and he asks if you have been there, just lie, save yourself at least 20 minutes and just figure it out on your own.

We left Les and drove down to our little cabin in the dark. I got out, ready to turn on my handy headlamp and wouldn't you know, out of batteries! So we stumbled down the path and stairs to our rustic accomodations for the evening and fumbled in the dark with the match Les had given us to light our gas lamp in the room. Turned out fine. Took an evening dipin the springs and had a nice night.

The next day we woke up and headed into town for breakfast at Winona's. Great little place; check it out if you're around. Then Mandi had to go to a meeting for work and I was left to my own devices for a few hours. I walked up and down main street and actally went shopping; I know, I know, you might not think of me as a shopper, because I'm not. But dang did I have fun! Book stores, shoe stores, outdoor shops, you name it, I was there and spending money! Strange but true.

Met back up with Mandi and hit up a few bike shops for trail info. We heard from 2 different sources that the trail leading right out of the Hot Springs would lead us to some other trails and turn into about a 2+ hour loop. Perfecto! We decided to get a quick bite to eat to sustain us for our ride and couldn't decide what to eat. Almost ate at Winona's again but didn't want to spend $10 on a wrap. Instead we thought we'd check out this cool little natural foods market for a quick snack. So instead of spending $10 on a delicious Winona's wrap, we each spent about $10 on random health food stuff: I got a plum, a Mary Jane chocolate chip cookie, and a glass bottle of Kombucha. Ah, Kombucha... Mandi bought a chocolate bar, a peach, and some crackers. Wow, money well spent. The purchase of the chocolate bar brings us to the next entertaining turn of affairs. Keep in mind that it is a rather warm day in Steamboat and we realllly don't want our $4 bar of deliciousness to melt. We stopped at one other place and mistakenly left the bar in the car. Oops! We then realized, after such a close call with losing our post-ride reward, that we would need to take it with us where ever we went; it wasn't to be left alone in the heat of the car!!! I thought that it would be happier resting in a nice bed of ice; we stopped at Quizno's to get a quick sandwich and a cup of ice for our precious chocolate bar. It worked! We were able to enjoy the bar after the ride, and it wasn't melted!!!

Back to Kombucha. For some reason the bottle caught my eye; whether it was the promises of energy and wellness contained within or the fact that it was something that I'd never tried, I had to see what it was all about. Apparently it is a tea and ginger concoction that is fermented and tastes pretty bad. I somehow drank almost all of it but was left feeling a bit disappointed; the best part was the name.

We then headed back to the springs to find our new trails for the day!! After situating our chocolate bar in its bed of ice in the cabin, we headed out.

This was the beginning of the trail. It started out downhill following this creek out of the springs. Then all of a sudden the trail stopped following the water and hooked a sorta (not really) sharp right up and away from the water. Unfortunately, I continued to follow the river and came screaming into the dusty corner too fast to successfully stop. Presto-chango: I was instantly transformed from a confident singletrack queen, to a bleeding lump of distress on the ground. Still clipped into my pedals, it took me a minute to regroup and realize what happened. Mandi came around the corner and asked where the blood was coming from. I thought it was from my leg, which hurt a bit more, but nope, it was from the gash on my right arm.

It was almost kind of funny because I'd been bitching to Mandi about how I felt naked without my gloves and sure enough, really ended up missing them after cramming a few rocks into the palm of my hand...

Ride Tonight!!??!!

Weather permitting, we shall ride tonight!! It's clouding up a bit now but a quick sprinkle might just provide tacky perfection on the new trails for this evening's ride. We'll just have to see. Meet at the Hub @ 6pm tonight and roll by 6:15. Hoping to hit the Rec. District trails by the golf course. Tim's been putting in a bunch of trail time.
Also, THANK YOU all for reading and posting on my little blog! It makes it so much more fun when I feel like people actually enjoy the pictures and commentary. The stat counter was at about 8,000 just about 2.5 weeks ago and now is over 19,000!!!! Hooray. Thanks again. Fun stuff.
Happy Trails,
SJ

Thursday's Mosquito Fest

Stopped to feed the mosquitos and enjoy the view from the top. The view nearly made the insufferable climb worth it...nearly...

Fairly good turnout for this evening's ride: Rockstar Rob, Big Jim, Jimmy Reed, James Reed, Lisa from Cali, Mandiiiii, Super Dave, & yours truly. I kinda feel like I'm missing someone but it may just be the post-ride consumption of El Pacifico's giant margaritas!! Tim was unable to ride & took one for the team by closing up shop and letting me ride. Thanks Timmer.

So, I had never been on this trail before and all I can say is it's damn rocky. I know, I know, we live in the Rocky Mountains but still! This was unusually rocky in my opinion. No big wipe outs that I was aware of but it was tricky to get started once you bumped off of a rock going up a super steep section. Oh, and then the log crossings, oh, and then the narrow treed sections, oh and the mosquitos. Did I mention the freaking mosquitos?!?!? Someone, for the love of God, remind me to get some dang bug spray!!!!! At least we made some mosquitos happy.

So the ride was good and then the mexi-madness that insued was almost better than the ride. Ok, not really, but a close second. I'm afraid I'm addicted to the supreme bean burritos. (You thought I was going to say to the margaritas, didn't you?!)

Monday night ride will happen but I won't be there. Mandi and I are taking a girly trip to Steamboat Springs and intend to ride a sweet little trail that leads right out of the Strawberry Hot Springs. I'm excited. More pics to come.

Happy Trails,

SJ

Group Ride Tonight!!!!

I hesitate to even type this (get ready to knock on wood) but it looks like the weather should hold up for us tonight!! We're planning to meet at the shop at 6p.m. and roll out by about 6:15. Jimmy Reed and the boys have been putting together and grooming a new trail off of North Supply!!!
The positive thing about all of this logging is that we have no choice but to make new, better trails! Tim is out right now too, at the Rec. District, putting that new trail system together. Exciting times. And, from the sound of it, the trails are coming together pretty darn fast. There is already about 5 miles of rideable singletrack available now for us all at the Golf Course (Rec. District land). Tim and Janice have been working their butts off to bring us some excellent new riding opportunities. Thanks guys.
Anyhoo... Shop ride tonight. Probably beers afterwards. Be there or be square.

Last week's group ride/hike

So, unfortunately but necessarily, most of our trails have gone to trash. Logging operations have completely destroyed some of the best singletrack I've ridden. Depressing but true. Our rides as of late, have mostly included bushwacking (and wrecking if you're me) and hoping to find tidbits of trails left from the destruction. The good part is, we're in the process of working with the Rec District to build a bunch of sweet new ones. Also, log riding skills have no option but to improve!! We basically just head out knowing that there will be some hiking, ok, alot of hiking. So much so that Rob and I are forming a hiking club. Not really...yet. Another good thing is the views have really opened up; you can see the lakes from just about anywhere now. Despite the hiking, last week's rides were entertaining. We dragged Rob out again; I think he hates us a little bit less than last time, so that's good. Also, Kirk and Jimmy & Jed Reed were out and about with us. Good time.

Tonight's ride: meet at the shop by 6p.m. and we are thinking about driving out to CR 4 to ride Spruce Em Up again. We'll see. Meet at the shop and we'll figure it out. Happy trails.

Trip to the springs

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Ride Info...

There are now 3 rides out of the shop per week!!! Hooray! Monday nights: off road. Meet either at the shop or trail head @ 6p.m. Call in the afternoon to see what we're doing.
Wednesdays: Meet at the shop @ 6p.m. for a road ride into the park. Karl is leading this one.
Thursdays: Same as Mondays...definitely off road but call in the afternoon to get the details.
Pics to come soon....
SJ

Dirt Rides Are Back!!! or Rob Rocks!!!!

We all decided that we'd had enough of the road and last minute we switched the ride up Trail Ridge, to a ride up Spruce Em Up Jack!! Great decision, I'd say. There was a decent turn out too: Mandi, Annie, Tim, Joe, Dave, Jim, Ryan, and our new all-star, Rob!!
We'd been harassing Rob for quite some time now about his need for a mountain bike. Good finally outweighed evil and now Robby Rob has a nice little Orbea Lanza which he seems to love (or at least did before we made him ride with us the other night!) After Spruce Em Up, we looped into the Bull Mtn. Loop which was definitely affected by the logging operations that are happening everywhere these days.

Poor Rob, not all trails are so friendly, are they?! You reallllly impressed all of us. So here's Rob: skinny little white smoker dude with a ridiculously positive attitude and great sense of humor but not much of an atheletic past. We drug him around for over 2 hours and I never heard a negative word. Love you Rob!! Tomorrow is another dose!

Annie and Jim! Beautiful back drop that is never done justice by our little camera.

The aspens are really starting to make it look like summer!

Part of the crew laughing about who knows what.

It was a bit of a mud fest in a few spots and everyone's posterior showed it. So, here's a nice butt shot for you!

So, Mondays and Thursdays will be off road rides from here on out. We're talking about maybe alternating houses after the ride for a little food and beverage action. This Thursday, like tomorrow: Meet at the shop by 6 and we'll ride up towards the rec district trails. Our house after the ride for fire, food and fun. I promise not to fling burning marshmallows. (Sorry Barry!)
Happy Trails.

Monday Nite Group Rides

So, Monday night rides have started up again. The last few have been a bit chilly but it's really fun to be on the road again and off of the trainers inside sweating on ourselves. Last night we knew as we started that there was a potential of some bad weather heading our way. Nine of us left the shop at about 6pm and by the time we reached the top of the road the weather had started blowing in. Shortly thereafter I thought I saw something (that resembled a snowflake) fall out of a tree. I asked if anyone else saw it or felt any raindrops and I was just brushed off as crazy Sarah. Then, a few minutes later we were full in it! It started as sleet and then quickly turned into snow. If that's not motivation to pedal faster, I don't know what is. We made it home chilled to the bone but happy to have another 25 beautiful miles under our belts. Join us here at The Village Hub every Monday night by 6p.m. for a fun ride into the park!!!
Then, once the trails dry out (which at this rate, may never happen) we'll be off road.
We woke up to 5 inches this a.m. Great way to start May 13th!!!!
We're moving to Mexico.

Moab Part Deux

So, anyhoo... carried home by alternating between the backs of Barry and Annie. You guys are life savers.
The night basically ended there until at about 2 a.m. we heard a horrendous noise coming from some poor unbelievably sick soul. I assumed that it had something to do with the tequila shots at the Rio, but came to find out later that morning that it was Terry sick from the salmon wrap he had enjoyed that evening at the brewery. Sorry again for that Terry; it sounded like you were dying. I think the sounds of the moaning and groaning in between actually puking that got to me the most.
Tim woke up at 4a.m. to get ready for race time!! Got all decked out and hit the road to be on the course by about 5:30a.m. It was supposed to be about a 92 miler and he had hoped to be home by approximately 4 that afternoon. So the rest of us decided to ride and enjoy the day and try not to think too much about the pain that the race boyz would be experiencing.
The day started pretty slow for those of us who had partied a little too heartily the nite before. I basically lounged around and bitched for a while about the blister I had acquired from dancing the night away in Birks w/o socks. Barry, Abbi, Julie, and Ryan ventured out to find some caffeine and food while Annie and I sat outside in the sun and tried to find a suitable trail for the whole group to enjoy.
Finally the food group returned and we had picked out a mild trail: Klondike Bluffs.
While they were out, I had talked to Julie and she'd decided to rent a bike for the day. So I'd made several calls to local shops and found the most economical/only available option and reserved it for her. Then, we find out that Abbi and Barry are not going to be riding with us and so Julie can use Abbi's bike. This creates a bit of an issue with trying to get out of the rental reservation; finally, it's all taken care of and we decide to leave for the trail head.
Meanwhile, Mandi's out on some marathonish run through a canyon and is supposed to meet up with us to ride that afternoon.
Annie and I basically waited around for everything to get taken care of and by the time everyone was ready, it was about 1:30. Yikes.
So, we rolled out to the trail and rode for a few hours. Poor Julie had never really ridden off road, let alone in Moab. She was a total trooper though and made it up whatever we threw at her. I kept telling her that we were almost to the top about every 5 minutes for encouragement. She rocked. We finished the ride and decided it was time to head home for showers and adult beverages.
We stopped on the way home to locate some beer and boy howdy, was that a challenge! We were looking for the liquor store so that we didn't have to buy 3.2 beer. We didn't find the liquor store but instead stumbled across a gas station that advertised beer in the window. We walked in and got sucked immediately towards the walk-in beer cooler. Hooray beer! Or at least that's what I thought when I saw the Red Stripe label staring me down. I figured that even though some other near-by options were 3.2, surely they wouldn't defile a Red stripe. I was wrong. We bought several different sixers of various libations and headed back to our condo.
The plan for the evening was to wait for the race guys to get home and then go to dinner. In the mean time we were going to snack, drink, and be merry. Well, I had decided to give Tim until 6ish before I started to worry. So as 6 o'clock passed, 7 & 8 o'clock, I slowly started to freak out. I knew that something was up and we decided to send out Dave to walk to course backwards and try to find him. Jamie was the other racer that day and had ridden about 40ish miles and called it a day; so he was back by about 2pm. Tim finally called my phone at about 9p.m. telling me that he was sorry that he wasn't home yet and he was ok but not anywhere near the end of the race. Then, I got another phone call at about 10 and he was pissed. He didn't know where he was and explained that after it had gotten dark it was really hard to see where the trail was considering it was on a big slickrock mesa. At this point I really was starting to worry. He tried to reassure me that he had everything he needed and would be fine, but I wasn't so sure. Everyone at the condo was also trying to tell me that Tim's a resourceful guy and he'd be fine, but I could tell they didn't quite believe what they were telling me. This is when the bag of Oreos came into play. I started demolishing them; it was a nice flavor compliment to the watered down Red Stripes I was pounding at this juncture. Basically, the rest of us who were waiting at the condo drank our weight in beer and margaritas and mowed through a few bags of chips with Mandi's tasty home-made salsa. I was frantic and finished off nearly the entire bag of cookies when Dave called. He informed us that he had been walking for a while and there was no sign of Tim. It was at this point that we called the race director who got ahold of Tim and tried to help walk him through getting back on the trail. He told us that it sounded like he had about 2+ hours left if he was where it sounded like he was.
I kept trying to call Tim and Dave to get any updates I could but had no luck. Finally at about a quarter to midnight I got ahold of Tim and before I even heard Tim's voice I heard the barking of Dave's dog!! Hooray beer! So, he was found and ended up finishing the race. Nice job Tim! That was his goal: to finish the race and he did. It turns out he took a wrong turn on Poison Spider which threw him for a loop. He survived and all is well.
The next day we were supposed to check out of our condos by 11a.m. Abbi made a few delicious quiches and somehow set off the smoke detectors. LOUD!!! But probably still not as obnoxious as the next door neighbor children hooting and hollering the whole weekend. So we checked out but didn't really want to return the the reality of Grand Lake so packed up and headed to the river. We all sat around and drank the remaining alcohol from the night before and had a gay old time. There was kite flying and dancing and shenanigans galore. All in all, a wonderful trip. On the way back we all stopped in Fruita for our favorite mexican restaurant and it was a great way to end a great weekend.
Until next time...

MOAB!!!

This one may have to be a 2-parter since I'm at work in between customers.

Basically, Moab rocks.

The group headed west on Friday afternoon and arrived in town around 6ish. Went to dinner at the Moab Brewery with the gang and had a blast. Everyone enjoyed their food and tasty hand-crafted beers and it started out to be a great trip. After dinner, the racer boys decided to hit the sack and rest up for their big day on Saturday. The rest of us decided that the night was young!! I had unfortunately left my I.D. in Grand Lake and the law-abiding Utah folks are strict with carding everyone who enters any bar. Thankfully at the brewery it wasn't an issue.

The first bar we wanted to visit was a no-go since I was unsuccessful with my bribery. The female bouncer at the door had no sympathy for my story so we travelled onward. Our next stop was kind of a last resort that was conveniently located about 3 blocks from our condos. It was called The Rio!! At this point I was determined to talk my way into this place; it turns out, attitude really is everything. I went up to the geeky mohawked bouncer guy and explained that I was really truly old enough and wouldn't start too much trouble and so he let me in with out my I.D. Hooray beer!!
We sauntered up to the bar and picked up some tasty beverages before heading back to the corner foosball table. After a quick game I decided that the perfectly good dance floor (complete with stripper pole) needed some attention and I was just the gal for the job! It's kind of liberating not knowing anyone in the entire town and therefore being able to enjoy the anonymity and cutting loose. Good times... Anyhoo, about 3+ hours later I had created a nice little blister and decided that my Birks just weren't the dancing shoes I needed. So, ditched them and continued dancing sans shoes. Great idea, I know. Basically the entire evening involved picking out the most nerdy guys we could and luring them to the dance floor. It was a huge success and Abbi gets props for the day-glo orange vest guy with dreads. I didn't do too poorly myself with victims including head-to-toe-denim-guy and fast-footed-gay-mexi-man. Damn that was a fun night. Oh yeah, Barry: this is my jam!!!
So, that was Friday night. Thank goodness for good (drunk) friends...my foot was soooo sore that I some how got piggy-backed home by

Friday...

A few Omaha buddies are headed this way for the weekend and a bunch of us from up here are meeting them at W.P. for some fun on the hill. Join us!!

Thursday

So, the last few Thursdays have been my day to myself. And, I'm really enjoying them! Today I went to yoga again which was really great and then came home thinking I'd take a short ski in the field with the dogs. Geared up, tried not to kill Echo for barking her head off, and hit the field. Then, we skiied through the field and I figured we'd all (Echo, Copper, and myself) enjoy a bit of a change of scenery. We always just ski the field for a quick dog-tiring activity but this time I decided that the lake would be a fun option. Field, through the trees, to alley, cross one sorta busy street (which was still snowpacked = happy skis), and voila! Le lake! We didn't even really get onto the lake though b/c the snow was sooooo deep that the dogs were really struggling to leap through it. Actually I was having just about as much trouble...I kept sinking up to my knees in powder. We've been getting so much snow lately that it was crazy out there. Untouched powder. Fun stuff. So we turned around and headed back homeward. Copper kept stopping every few yards to de-snowball her paws and Echo was trying to tell me to hurry up. We finally made it home tired and happy! Now the dogs are both sleeping which was the goal! Hooray for snow! Now I think I'll curl up on the couch in the sun with a good book. I like Thursdays.

Customer Appreciation Nite

Imitation is the best form of flattery...
Dave's in the cool club
Super Dave
Mandi & Trustin

Tim, Dave, Shane Hooray Beer!
Sock shot
Trying to see if blondes really do have more fun. I really don't know why I'm posting this one...

Backroom boys

Super Dave
MMMandi
MMMom

Thanks to my mom and dad for coming out to the event! And also, everyone loves the fireplace which was also thanks to them.

Customer Appreciation Nite Part Deux

They were making fun of the fact that I roll my jeans. They obviously aren't part of the cool club. Mayor Russ!!!
Jake the Snake
Slappy
Shane, Mr. Lebowski
Lipstick Liza

Jamie, Smiling Bob from that one commercial...
Jess loves me!
Jeff...rockin in the wig
Big Tim...hoodie winner!

Jeff, w/o the wig. Thanks for the awesome music!

Darci, Mrs. Lebowski
Karla the photo bug
Jeff
crowd shot