VT Biker Gang

Today we started a pretty legit Biker Gang and forever claimed the hashtag: vtbikergang. The Biker Gang currently consists of some of our wonderful friends: Tiffany and Paul, Laura, and Jeremy and me. We have 5 members and counting!!  I am totally dying to get some fake tats to celebrate the forming of the crew.

We got together this morning to ride some great trails in the Equinox Preserve and the weather was just perfect for mountain biking.  We rode 1/2 the Pond Loop, jumped on to Trillium, did the SVAC loop, and then Flatlanders back to the pond.  Our legs were burning and we were learning how to master the trails from the experts - Tiffany and Paul.  We get better every time.  I even feel comfortable moving from "novice" to "beginner."  That's pretty big stuff right there.

Jeremy - Laura - Tiffany - Paul

It was a beautiful morning!

Surprises

Early this morning I biked Mt. Bluff with my new friend Tiffany.  

Almost to the Top! (that's Tiffany)

I know you don't know anything about Mt. Bluff, so here's the scoop.

I really didn't think I could do Mt. Bluff.  Jeremy and I had tried it in early August and we abandoned it pretty fast for a less intense trail.  One that would be more appropriate for our novice skill level since it was one of our first rides.  I hiked it a couple weeks ago, so I knew it was intense! Steeeeep on the way up and really steeeeep on the way down with all sorts of rocks and tree roots mixed in. So I was kind of definitely scared of Mt. Bluff.

Well, this morning Tiffany and I didn't even tackle the trail on purpose.  We meant to do the Trillium trail, which is more of a moderate trail.  We missed the turn off though, so we found ourselves going up and up and up. I was about ready to throw in the towel, but with Tiffany ahead pedaling away (she's a rockstar, especially on a bike!), I had to keep going.  And then I realized I could keep going.  And I did. And I was more and more excited about the whole thing.  I was actually riding up Mt. Bluff.  I was sweating, I was panting, I was burning, I was feeling it all.  And I loved it.  

We finally made it the flat part of the trail, which was so dreamy for my legs and my lungs.   I was soaking it all in as the morning sun peaked through the leaves.  I have been loving everything but the downhills when it comes to mountain biking.  When I'm going uphill my legs may be on fire, but I don't feel like I am going to fly off the bike if I make a wrong move.  Those downhills are terrifying! 

So before the downhill Tiffany gave me some pointers on how to descend.  The pointers were top notch, because I was going a lot faster and at the same time I felt more in control.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I was whooping and hollering as we came down because I just couldn't contain my excitement.  I conquered Mt. Bluff... and it was a gorgeous ride.

Let's Ride!

We spent this afternoon riding on one of our favorite trails: The West River Trail.  We went about 12 miles and we were exhausted by the time we made it back to the car.  We took a little water break at the river about 1/2 through our ride and it was all sorts of lovely and peaceful.  Jeremy and I were the only people around, so we hung out for a while hopping from rock to rock.  I put my feet in the water to cool down and some little fishies even nibbled on them a couple times - which of course led to screaming and laughing.  It was such a wonderful day... I just love our adventures.

It's safe to say that we are loving our bikes.
 (And my birthday is in 2 weeks....HOORAY!)

August 12, 2015

I resurrected this file from Jeremy's phone.  I forgot that I took a video with his phone the first night we had our bikes and I saw it today in his DELETE album.  The nerve!  So I "recovered" it, stole it, and saved it forever on the internet.  Mwah-ha-ha! < That is supposed to be an evil laugh.

Our Maiden Voyage

Today we ventured out on our new bikes for our Saturday morning adventure.  We took our novice talents to the West River Trail. It was mostly an old road that used to be a railroad.  There were a few single track parts along the river that were a little more technical.  It was a great first ride and we just can't wait for more! 

Here are some phone pictures of the trail:

It was beautiful and the day was just perfect for riding!

Welcome Stella!

Today we got to pick up our beautiful bikes!

We love them!  I named mine Stella and she's a champ.  Jeremy hasn't named his yet and sadly, he probably won't.  He's not really into that thing.  We went on a ride when we got home, but it got cut short when it started raining.  We can't wait to take them out for a real ride this weekend.

A Week to Play

(Welcome to the longest post of my life!)

I barely got settled in Vermont, before I took off for Utah to play for a week.  My new job starts next Monday, so I had to take advantage of the days off.  I had such a fun time playing with my family. Here are some of the highlights.

On Thursday, Sammy took me mountain biking for my first time in Corner Canyon.  It was 2.5 miles up and 2.5 miles down.  We mozied on up the mountain and had a blast coming down.  I loved it!!  I was also really muddy and exhausted.  He rented me a "fat bike" and it was amazing!  Those tires could cruise over anything.

After mountain biking with Sammy, I drove to Provo to do some rock climbing in Rock Canyon with Riley and his friend Payden.  We got some Costa Vida to go and ate it at the base of the climbing routes because we were trying to beat the rain.  It rained on and off and then poured on Riley's second climb.  We bailed and ran to the car like a bunch of hooligans.  We were soaked and we most definitely felt alive!

My grandma joined us for our weekend of fun Thursday night.  Friday was our Saturday (everyone had the day off), so we went out to breakfast, went bowling, and drove up to Snow Basin to check it out.  Beautiful place!!  And only 20 minutes from my parent's.

We had s'mores with some of the neighbor kids when it got dark.  Reese's s'mores are my favorite... every time!

Saturday morning Riley and I headed back up to Snow Basin to do some hiking while everyone else had stuff to do.  Then we went home and did a bunch of yard work in the hot sun.  We grilled some steak for dinner and saw Jurassic World - and LOVED IT! 

Sunday we went to church and had some family over for a backyard BBQ and rootbeer floats.  YUM!

Monday, I followed the boys to Provo. We all had lunch together, Sam went to work, and then Rye and I made our dance video. It was so hot, so we made sure to get some shave ice after to rehydrate.  The Strawberry Colada from Hokulia was amazing.

On Tuesday, Sam, Riley, and I headed to Park City to do some more mountain biking.  We went 5 miles up and then 5 miles down.  It was hard, awesome, beautiful, and we had so much fun.  We had no falls and got really muddy... what can be better?  It really was awesome. I have been talking up mountain biking to Jeremy.  I think I almost have him convinced.  I will have to take him biking in Vermont to completely seal the deal.  After biking we got some delicious pizza at Park City Pizza Co for a late lunch and then headed on home.

Wednesday, I helped my mom with some projects, went out to lunch with my mom and dad while the boys went to work, and then I packed up my stuff to go home.  I had a later flight home so I could have maximum time with the fam.  Jeremy picked me up at 1:00 am in Albany last night, we drove an hour home, and he had work at 8:00 this morning.  He is a rockstar and he is so happy that I'm home.  See??

What an awesome week!!  I just played and played in the mountains and I loved every minute.  Thanks Mom, Dad, Sam, and Rye!  It was the best!

Now someone needs to come visit me.