I’m not going to worry about telling you too much about my winter other than I got myself into a “funk” and couldn’t dig myself out. Let’s call it that seasonal disorder/boredom thing if we need to label it. Hopefully the feeling of being “fat and lazy” and “unaffective” can be behind me. I’m trying not to let work things bother me. I can’t do it all. Especially when it sometimes feels like hard work goes un-rewarded or noticed.
This is a picture of my mom and dad that is in the room at her home (not sure if they call them nursing homes anymore). It's tough to know that my mom's days are probably few. Old age dimentia has really set in so visiting her is tough since I can't tell if she even recognizes her children anymore. I like this old-timey picture because it's nice to think that they were once newly married without 5 children. Now there are grandchildren and even the first great grandchild this winter. They did a good job.
I’m looking forward to what is ahead. Now that I’ve started the traveling season I feel better and get accustomed to the little adventures I get to face everyday. I’ve become a wanderer over the years and like it. (I think I would have been a good cowboy in the old days.)
The first event for the Timex Team was Ironman St. George. I had that childlike excitement to fire up the truck and drive out to Utah. Wisconsin spring was non-existent so the thought of sun and heat was welcomed (be careful what you wish for).
On the way through Wyoming I wanted to stop and ride the Happy Jack Trails but when I pulled into the parking lot I saw folks pulling skis out of their cars. “No mountain biking here for at least another month”, one skier told me. He said he skied last year until May 20th and there is more snow this year.
One thing that kept my head above water this winter was the acquisition of a motorcycle and the intentions of loading it in the truck to take with me. After a winter of preventitive maintenance to learn how the moto operates and getting my license in April, I was finally living the dream. St. George has a bunch of public land to ride with a motorcycle so I carefully took my mountain bike skills to the throttle-assisted-bike. I had a blast and can’t wait to progress further with the moto skills.
St. George has great mountain biking. Mostly open desert trails . Even though my fitness wasn’t really ready for it I did several rides and Chris D. came down to hang out for a few days and sleep on my thermarest pad under the hotel room desk. HA!
I blew up from the heat on one 4 hour journey. Not sure what happened but I just felt like I was not acclimatized to the heat. Imagine wanting to find some shade for two hours and finding none. I actually felt I had to partial out my energy so I wouldn’t become a statistic involving a heat related emergency. I’m glad at least I was riding with Chris in case something went wrong.
ADVENTURE! That’s what I’ve been wanting. One evening I had 2 hours before some dinner plans so I went for a quick rip on the moto. The excitement of mini-accomplishments changed when I realized, just after taking this photo, I had a flat rear tire and was 12 miles from town. I decided to ride it out with periodic insertions of Co2 (which really didn’t help) rather than change the tube in the desert heat. I faired just fine in retrospect. (Note to self: DON’T forget the Slime sealant next time.)
Here’s the reason for the flat.
We fix all two wheel things here!
Our two pro women in the race did well with a 2nd and 5th place. Most of the competitors looked cooked at the finish line. The dry heat took a lot out of people. Didn’t matter if you were a seasoned pro or an age grouper.
I’ve got some more photos coming. I’m traveling to Texas for the next Ironman in a week. Thanks for reading so far and check back for more from the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Texas.
