Red Rock World: family

Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Too Busy to Articulate....

Perhaps once the temperatures drop, I'll have more time (or interest?) for me to "use my words", for I do love words. But for now, my noggin' is all about the visual. And the smells. And the feels of wind and dirt and alpine air and pine needles and even of the branches as I slam into them in my clumsy descents of sweet so sweet singletrack. But today it's all visual...all that I can muster to convey in this post. As such, all I have to offer are some pics today, and the subject matter....divine!

Or, is it a laugh that you seek?
Wanna hear a mountain joke?

Sure, but you won't get over it.

Badampbambam....

Speaking of mountains, some wholesome ones were romped around this summer. So on w/a few pics to hopefully spread the stoke...

Colorado Trail....ahhhhh....

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Amazeballs. Alpine lake @ 12,400'. Ummm....cold!
(Pic: by uber cool chica @tooley )

Looking south into the Weminuche, the high CT winding thru and some old ruins. And Lil Donkey125 is parked down below at the pass (road, right).
Oh, and some views.

All days aren't bluebird skies and rainbows. Montrose mud.....sucks.
Bikey no likey.

Cool cool uncle showing me a "trail"....yah right.

Fun lil independence wknd shuttle w/the baggie shorts crew...fun!

Watched these lil guys from the day they hatched til they flew off.

Speaking of new ones, loved this sunny high-elevation walk with my favorite new mama, her baby chica and of course Turner-dawg!

Yes, in July.

Snuck south to the roots for warmer temps and some family time! Me and the mama on the Gulf.

And for some bike rides w/the mama and aunties.

Then, back up toward the sky about 13,000 more feet.....

Miss @tooley getting ready to JUMP IN that ice cold water!

This guy knows some stuff!

One of my favorite spots. Zoom in, scroll around, pics never do these places justice.
Can see a lot from here...lots of CT to include those "flawless" switchbacks; Weminuche,
Lots of 13ers and 14ers, basically 360d of ooolala. Meh :)
Schilling, et al, we shall ride (errr HAB) this, 2016.

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Ups & Downs...

Loss of friends or family members is never easy.

Too many things not yet done.
Too many questions unanswered.
None of it in our control.
No upsides to any of it, other than perhaps a reminder to appreciate each moment...

Dogs in NC like to run & always brighten up my day!

Thankful for...

Thanksgiving --

I'm so thankful for so many things in my life...indeed a lucky gal. Awesome family, good friends near and far, solid health and so-far a pretty able body, unique experiences, a safe country we live in, a roof over my head, clean drinking water and so much more.

One thing I'm thankful for is that I get to live/work/play in relatively warm climates. Sunshine and warmth rock!! But, for those nights that it gets a little extra nippy, I'm so thankful for my mom who hand-made these gorgeous and personalized quilts for me and my travels. (I love the African woman dancing throughout the one.) And on top of that, she hand delivers them to me! Thanks Mamaduke!

(Zoom in to check out the detail.)

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy!

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I did a little "shout out" to Daddy a few weeks ago, but since today IS Father's Day, here's another. Have a great day, Daddy!!!

2007??

On a separate note, sadly, those trees in the background of the pic are probably not there as of this week. Fires, strong winds, rugged/remote terrain (and probably a negligent camper/coyote/illegal) have contributed to some terrible fires raging across Arizona, this being at the Coronado Monument at the southern end of the Huachuca Mountains at the Arizona & Mexico border. Specifically, this pic was taken nearby one of the caves where the Apache (Chiricahua) Geronimo sometimes hid out, as well as nearby the location where in the 1500s, Francisco Vasquez de Cornonado passed thru in search of the "seven cities of cibola" (read more here).

This remote area ranks in my top 3 of places to hike, trail run and everything else....and it hurts knowing how much devastation these fires are causing. :-(

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Arizona to Alaska... sundresses need not be packed (oops)

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55 Brown Bears,
a handful of moose/mooses/meese,
22ish hours of daylight,
a long run on the beach,
a (flatwater) kayak in way-too crazy water w/my Mom,
a cruiser/fixie ride,
full-fledge puking a few feet above a glacier,
Priceless family time :-)

Happy Mama's Day, Mama!! :-)

Thanks for everything you are and do for us, Mom! :-)

Still kickin...for the most part - Part II

As for me...lots of work but squeezed in some cool R&R here and there...

- tested out the knee at a race -- yep, XTERRA baby!;
- visited some great friends in NV/CA; MTB'd at Tahoe;
- ran "Donkey" into the ground;
- hosted some cool family members in and around AZ & even discovered some things;
- was "bullied" into some shotty bungee/slingshot flying appartus (which was operated by teenagers...ugh);
- paddleboard'ed in the pacific;
- snorkeled about every day in the pacific until my face was purple and I was freezing my tata's off;
- tried (again) to partake in some yoga (ugh);
- finally got my motorcycle license (during which I popped my first wheelie...oops);
- reconnected with some long-time friends, most of whom need to get their butts to AZ to visit!
(KK&KK!)
- watched in amazement when CB did all sorts of awe-inspiring stuff...willingly shuttled donkey up casner mountain, smiling, when I couldn't; built some gorgeous furniture; levitated up gnarly trails on his new 29'er, and more!
- returned to Cochise county...even got in some MTB;

I'll try to add some good stories over the next few days, but for now, here are some pics...

Still kickin...for the most part - Part I

Ok, well I'm not even sure where to start because I've been somewhat MIA from this site all summer. Lots going on and my head is still spinning...in a good way of course. I'll put together a few short posts to bring ya up to date....

First and foremost, our super cool Papa passed away a few weeks ago....after 92 solid years! While it's horrible for all of us, especially my grandmother (they were married for 68 years!!! wow!!), he was certainly ready to go and was tired of not being able to be more active as he was pretty active his entire life. He was such a great man, a cool buddy, and of course we will all miss him terribly. A great inspiration for all of us! :-)

Back in the US of A....

Goodbye snow...hello sunshine! Yes, the sunrise is visible from Florida's Gulf coast....when on an island! :-)

Happy Thankgiving...

Though I'm not getting to eat turkey with the family this Thanksgiving, nor indulge on my grandmother's/aunt's tasty pumpkin pies, I am sooooooo thankful that I have such a great family. We're scattered all over the place but somehow stay pretty darn close. And how lucky we grandkids are because we have grandparents who are totally internet-savvy and stay in touch via email! (Technically, they are great-grandparents!!) Very cool!

Anyway, have a great day...and take a second to be grateful for the perks in life.

Cheers...

(pic courtesy of someone else)

Recap of Yet Another Impromptu Roadtrip

Finally back home in the red rocks and crisp junipers :-)

An abbreviated recap:

MTB, of course. Ran, of course. What's that 'pain' in my ham? my knee? Hrmmm...??

MTB more anyway :-)

M& amp; J's wedding in Maine.

Beautiful. M and J launched their adventures...more to come.

For us, fun Atlantic swims...spinnerbait as feet.

Sweet stretch of perfect sand to run.

AZ again.

A young guest arrives...lots to do, teach, play,...

(Her firsts: exposure to the southwest, hikes, mtb, 4x4, long-eared squirrels, grand canyon trip, imax, spotting for javelina, coyote, bobcat, hurling on a red rock,...

En route to NV/CA.

But first, who can resist a solo sunset swim at Lake Mead, esp after driving all day?

And the 'perfect' little private 'pond' outside Vegas, especially while in the middle of a 100+ deg mid-day run? Who would've thought about high acidic/alkaline/parasitic levels??

Arrrrghhh!! (Thank you concierge for the benadryl and hydrocortizone! Thank you urgent care nurse for the guidance! And apologies to those who saw us freaking out, stripping and scratching like mad!! Thank you CB for driving us!)

NV ticket for speeding. NV ticket for passanger sleeping in the back (w/o proper seatbelt).

Finally...Big Blue (Tahoe).

Cool cabin.

Gorgeous clear water, as usual!

Still not sure about leg/knee, but will probably race anyway.
After all, we're here.

Race - performance wasn't spectacular, but views/temps were the best yet.

Knee...ouchhhhhh!

Tortillas, guac, etc. on a rooftop...yummmm.

Knee is out, so rather than Socal to surf, head to Rocky mtns to chill...via the 'Loneliest Road in the USA'.

Stumbled across coolest patch of sand dunes en route (NV), which were a blast, but the sand didnt mix too well w/the post-race massage oil nor the acidic/parasitic issues which were brewing under our skin (which we were still ignorant to at that point).

Alas, the San Juan Rockies and a cabin to call 'ours'. Thanks KRE!!

Must swim in Ouray - best pool and hot springs. (And another corky?)

Engineer pass, Stony pass, Miss Excursion rocks!

But still no running nor mtb for me :-(

Finally found the lake above the cabin, sits at about 12,000' elev - w/3 elks and a chipmunk. Absolutely worth the effort!! :-)

Started off w/brilliant clear blue sky and bright sun above; 2 hrs later was snowing on us.

Gotta love colorado!

Headed south to Durango for an eve of sushi and civility.

Spent entire morning at topnotch sports hospital for xrays etc: knee/ham far overused, overtrained, etc. Must rest. Learned about kinesio taping. (am not getting old, repeat, am not getting old,...)

En route southward to NM thru gorgeous terrain!!!.

But both still itching & scratching, so detoured at local clinic. Diagnosis, not good but pretty darn funny. HIGH-FIVE!!!

Wash everything, scrub everywhere, quarantine, best friday night ever!! Arghhh!

Mosey'd around Sante Fe, headed south to see family.

Great day...so good to hang w/the family!

Great day, great chats, great lunch.

Even met an alpaca, llama, pig and more.

Finally, a short mtb, tho sadly on the road. (Knee is healing, but still can't have any REAL play yet.)