Red Rock World

Truckin' around....

I grew up on a farm -- a farm with lots of race horses and some crops. And on that farm, among other things, I learned to do two of my now-favorite things -- to ride a bike and to drive a truck. (Thanks, Daddy!)

These days, it's growing more popular and "green" for people to ride their bikes everywhere. I guess I can get kudos for riding mine around, even though usually it's for "fun", although I've been known to run a few errands on it (one errand was about about 60 miles/roundtrip, although, admittedly, it was more because I wanted to ride, not specifically to be more "green").

On the other hand, however, it seems to be quite anti-"green" to drive a big ol' noisy jacked-up truck. To those folks, I nod my head, say "roger, out", as I drive away as a happy girl in the big ol' truck -- the Excursionator with the faint Arizona "pinstriping". Simply, I just plain out adore that truck!

Yes, it's huge and sorta like a modern day T-72, but it takes me just about anywhere I want to go. Although pretty darn big, it's actually pretty low-key and quiet other than the sweet hum of its diesel engine. Ol' Excursionator will get me as far off the beaten track as I need to go, and I can either hang there or dismount and keep going by foot, bike and/or dirtbike....any of which Excursionator will haul without even flinching. (Donkey has actually been transported INSIDE of the truck...not really planned, but it worked.) All over the southwest, the Rockies, several trips cross-country back east and to Fla, Alaska, around Canada, almost Mejico (see below), etc.) Sorry, folks, a Prius just won't do it.

Crossing some snow run-off in Colorado.

Rise and shine!

Other than having one too many pairs of running shoes, flipflops, sunglasses, Lululemon gear, I'm pretty minimalistic, so I like that the Excursionator plays several roles in addition to mere transportation.

It provides a roof over my head when needed, as many many many nights have been spent slumbered in its hull.   It even serves as an observatory....laying on top, you can see the gorgeous night sky, stars, planets, etc., which can really only be seen so clearly from our high-altitude desert mountains of the west.   We've sat up top watching and listening for critters, and have watched elk, moose, deer, bobcat, antelope, bear (both grizzly and black), porcupine, javelina, rabbits, turkeys, skunks (esp all the slow/squashed ones up the canyon), raccoon, squirrel, sheep (being herded), and even had a bunch of curious cows LICKING the back of the truck up in northern Colorado a few years ago. Last week, I sat up there, ate chips and salsa while watching surfers brave the cold Pacific swells.

So now, I just wanted to give a huge thanks and a shout-out to the Excursionator for being so darn good!   I just got back from another outstanding roadtrip. 2100 miles....no problems at all.

   . . . Mojave National Preserve, the forest outside Ojai (wow!), Santa Cruz/Monterey for an XTERRA, southern Californina to chill, Anza Borrego to explore, almost ol' Mejico (didn't happen), then back to warmth at home in Northern AZ.   (Did I mention that the water temps for the Calif race was a friggin frigid 51 degrees??!!!    OMG!!!!   But I digress.)

And even with the gas prices being pretty high right now, the prices for DIESEL in California were surprisingly not too bad. Yay! It actually gets/got pretty good mileage, provided me with a bed every few nights (when I wanted to escape concrete and/or wasn't in a beachfront hotel), emits satellite radio to me, and lets me get off the beaten path any ol' time an intriguing patch of dirt calls my name.    And it's sorta it's birthday/anniversary...hitting 100K miles this week! Just getting started!

So, here are some pics from the most recent trip...

I love these long trains parallelling old Rt 66.

View looking down when I woke up after a long day of driving the day prior. Near Ojai. (That's a road down there.)

Crap, y'all have those here too?? Errrr.

The Pacific was MUCH warmer here near Santa Barbara than up off Santa Cruz where I actually had to swim in it for a mile...FRIGID!!

XTERRA MTB course at Wilder. Fun trails...linking the beach with the forest.

XTERRA Pacific Cup Championship - Brrrrrr! (Photo by Brightroom)

Laguna Beach. Seven miles of good sand for running.

Still showing up for the MTB races, even though waaay outta shape. It's fun no matter what!
(Photo by Lester Sarmiento)

XTERRA Pacific.
"Hey, you rude condescending surgeon in Flagstaff w/whom I sought help in 2009: Really? I'll never run again? Ha ha ha!" BIG GRIN!!! :-)
(Love the Newtons!)

Ooops, guess it's time to turn north and head on home.

So, yay, for everyone trying to be green. I'm all for that! When I can, I will opt to walk, to ride the bike or to ride Donkey (who, cooincidentally is BRIGHT green). But it's good to know that the Excursionator is out there ready and reliable.

And, THANKS DADDY...for those important lessons which have undoubtedly help direct my life. (...and sorry that I didn't pay better attention to your tractor-driving lessons and wrecked those two in the sink-hole.)

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

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

Trying to Stop and Smell the Cacti...

For the past three days, I've been conducting an experiment: Chilling (what is that?!) Sleeping in (made it til 0845 this morning!), eating whatever & whenever I'm hungry (grilled cheese at midnight last night), propping up my feet in front of the TV (wow, TV options suck!), MTBing/running/etc for no more than an hour, and generally just trying to chill, rest and recover. I actually went on two "mere" walks, although I must admit they were actually recons on some MTB local trails that I am told might be a bit too challenging for me. (Btw, yep, they were right...challenging indeed...but were good hikes in my barefoot 5-fingers anyway.)

So far, the experiment is going ok, although I'm having a bit of a hard time wrapping my MIND around it all. I want to keep moving at 500 mph. The past few weeks were at at least 500 mph. Coming back home to AZ is always full-speed the first few days, as I can't seem to fit enough outdoor fun in the day....MTBing, running, exploring, dirtbiking, etc.. Then, those first few days smeared into the next week, with good friends coming to visit, the Whiskey 50 MTB race (a great race put on by Epic Rides) which is another story of its own :-), many more hours of MTBing and showing our friends the trails, trying to keep up w/the guys on the dirtbikes, etc.. Poor lil "Donkey" didn't stand a chance.

From sun-up to sun-down.
So much to do, so little time.

I'll write up more later, but wanted send a short sign of life, as well as say THANKS again to our friends who came all the way to AZ to play. Hope you had as great of a time as I did and can't wait til the 2012 edition!

Next up... Heading west. My first attempt at a full XTERRA since the knee issues, on the same singletrack I first "learned" to ride.

Fast, in a skirt, and sadly gone...

I guess this post has two points...

First of all, was so heartbroken to hear about the young runner and olympics-bound Sally Meyerhoff being killed this week while she was out riding her bike at home in AZ. She was so full of energy, ran in pink skirts and girlie braids, and OMG was fast as lightning!! A 2:37 marathon and a 16:23 5K...holy smokes!! Oh, and won XTERRA trail run world championship last year!! If you want to be inspired or need a pick-me-up, check out her blog.

Also, I'll post part of a poem which I'd read somewhere a while back. And part of it was quoted on Sally's blog. It's from the Invitation by Oriah. It's been stuck in my mind a lot over the past few years, as it really captures the essence of how we should live. Bottom line, be happy, seize the day, appreciate that which is good in others, and don't get bogged down by the petty stuff. Life's short and this isn't a dress rehearsal.

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
...
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
...
It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

RIP Sally :-)

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Back to Fun Stuff...

Ok, I promise not to get too serious again anytime soon. Back to fun stuff...
Here are some fun events to do this year...

XTERRA OFF-ROAD TRIATHLONs
    They're all over the country/globe and almost always is gorgeous locations!

XTERRA Trail Run Series
     Various distances. It's much mo funner to stay off the pavement!

Leadville 100 MTB
     Which mortals will be allowed in this year?

Whiskey 50 MTB Race
      Be there or be square!

An Inevitable Implosion...?

It was inevitable I suppose.

The news out of the Middle East is wild, and I have to say, a little exciting. From the youth twittering like mad, to Libyan pilots defecting with the multi-billion dollar fighter jets, to even Qadafi, with his "high-fashion" (tacky) ensemble declaring his dedication to martyrdom if need be, it's compelling to keep up w/it all -- even though I, you, we, they,... will never fully grasp it. Am trying not to be too swayed by the media images, as I personally know how they can be misconstrued.

With such the huge and disproportionate youth population in the Middle East who has now grown-up, matured and tried to become educated, along with the underlying electricity of the movement, being fed-up w/socioeconomic challenges, and a load of issues that non-residents will ever understand, the time has come. It was inevitable. Can only imagine how this might trigger a (another?) spark in Iraq. Whatever does happen there, yep, it is inevitable.

It's ~~difficult~~ impossible for anyone to describe it all accurately, even for those living there and personally experiencing these protests, and what many would consider a revolution(s). It's a wave -- based of fundamental desires of the people, likely with the dynamics of a mass movement.

And it's inevitable that the US will also evolve/change/degrade/pick-the-verb at some point. Personally, I don't see it happening in the near future. While we have some of the brightest and most motivated citizens, en masse, we are mainly a big lot of relatively content citizens (and perhaps sorta too lazy/complacent/spoiled) for any such uprising for change these days. Yes, things are rough in the US for many. And some elements of our government, such as health care, the frustrating tax system maze and education system, are embarrassingly inept. However, overall, it seems the general population is content with the luxury and freedom to eat crap from fast food restaurants and sit around watching overpaid athletes play professional sports. I won't even get into our youth's general lack of duty-to-country urges.

I still think that everyone, yep EVERYONE, should have to serve our country (maybe state) for at least one year. It doesn't have to be for the military. It COULD for be the postal service, the forest service, etc.. Defend your country, clean up litter in your country, etc...DO SOMETHING to...
   (a) contribute to your country and your fellow citizens;
   (b) appreciate the complexities, the luxuries and the career employees; and
   (c) learn the processes.
From there, one can later be more versed on their gripes and complaints. But most importantly, it would provide a stronger bonding and a sharper degree of nationalism to Americans. We'll never all agree on everything. Why would we want to?

So, while it's compelling to watch the waves of movement, our limited peeks into the protests rising from under the veils of these long-time regimes, and unfortunately some of the violence that's involved, I can't help but to overlay some of it on our country. What would we do differently? How bad would it have to be for Americans to ever uprise like this? What will happen next? Whatever it is, we can't forecast it nor think we understand it.

Whatever it is, it is. It is inevitable. Insha Allah!

Stick a fork in it...

Although I'm terribly outta shape (thx to, hrmmm, winter? lingering knee issues? no training plan for, um er, over a year????...yeah, probably mainly that one), I still partook in 4 races over the past 4 weeks. Three of those were in the past mere 8 days. Two MTB races, one desert trail race and one hilly hilly hilly (paved) half-marathon. The two running races were totally last-minute...probably mainly in spite of that certain doc in Flagstaff who dismissively told me I'd never run again and to "go find a new hobby". I podium'd in both, so...take that doc! (And thanks thanks thanks thanks to the best doc...Dr. Amit...who was honest, patient, and apparently pretty darn good!) All in all, the knee is ok. Calves are screaming, but that's soft tissue, so I deserve that pain, considering I didn't train at all.

That said, the races weren't exactly pretty. And the MTB race...yikes...definitely not pretty. Very technical course. But I'll keep on keeping on; if anything, 'racing' on the technical crap will hopefully just push me to be a stronger rider. (BTW, I'm not bothered at all though that the Cat 1 winner of one of the MTB races is actually a pro XTERRAn and world-class athlete. And she's super nice, so...can't really complain about that one :-) Not every day a nomad like me gets to share a podium w/that caliber, so...coolio.

As it was winter this trip home, there wasn't much sweating nor dirtbiking going on, altho we did let "Donkey" out of his stall a few times. I did try out a hot yoga class which was the best non-hokey yoga class I've ever attended (definitely sweated in there:-)

And CB and I became temporarily obsessed w/trying to 'capture' one of the area mountain lions on film, via our new motion sensor wildlife cameras. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand to wait more than a few days to go see what the cameras caught (who me? impatient? b'lash!). So, there wasn't much more than a deer (actually, just its butt), a stray hiker, lots of wind (trees a'blowin), and me and CB who imitated a herd of wild javelina in front of the camera to test if the motion sensor was working. So, there's that.

So, am now tired. Stick a fork in it. Am ready to take a break for a few days and to make the most of forced rest while travelling. Might even read a book or get back in the pool or something. Next up is a 50-mile MTB race, some more MTB ego-crushers, and of course some XTERRAs. Come play!!

Some random shots...

Snack break.

Cool shot.

Shwag (another XL for CB).

Just more technical crap for me to make me go 'uggh'.

"Javelinas" testing out the camera.

Parting shot.

Happy trails...

Happy new year to me, MTB and Donkey!

Yep, the trails are still here. The rocks are still red. The sky is still blue. And the air is clean. It's a bit colder than the norm...but yaaaay, am home! :-)

Ya know your knee is better when...

...the worst thing about your morning 80min run was merely an almost-blister, and only because you just took brand new shoes outta the box. Alas!!! Hollah!!!

(These Newtons rock!)

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! :-)