tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57994766152362759712024-03-18T21:20:16.555-05:00Josie's Bike LifeEmbracing the challenges, lessons, and successes by bike. #BikeLifeJosie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.comBlogger773125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-76648771926360646952023-12-15T16:42:00.008-06:002023-12-15T16:42:58.646-06:00Where Can You Find Me?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1LZirDBZVzWmdMBAz9bmqbbU5IlJpXwZOxzDRoMJKXx4r7_kq5BlYSxrxX7_BsR-RqyJOXOUiDmrJzLaGLGIAJcZK19bZfT_zb_HzW0nCB8zvUQ1zuOp5am1e51LNMa2EUa3Qt1Ctotq5zktH6elwmc-XGefejnbJc9-ESOBLsJsCZejS3TQgtsCiPZK/s4608/20231031_141048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1LZirDBZVzWmdMBAz9bmqbbU5IlJpXwZOxzDRoMJKXx4r7_kq5BlYSxrxX7_BsR-RqyJOXOUiDmrJzLaGLGIAJcZK19bZfT_zb_HzW0nCB8zvUQ1zuOp5am1e51LNMa2EUa3Qt1Ctotq5zktH6elwmc-XGefejnbJc9-ESOBLsJsCZejS3TQgtsCiPZK/s320/20231031_141048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />If you have been a regular follower of me on the socials @fearlesswomenofdirt and @josiebikelife you will notice that things have been very quiet over the past few years.<p></p><p>Truthfully this will likely not change anytime soon, because I'm on a path of pursuing my other interests. Frankly, I burnt myself out over trying to be a mountain biking ambassador (in general) and for a company. I came to the conclusion that all of my rides were turning into work vs. riding for fun. I spent too many hours trying to set my GoPro up for the perfect shot. I took a dive into creating some YouTube content, and thus learned that creating a bare bones video indeed, took several hours. </p><p>I believe the uterine fibroids slowly sucked away my energy, so that made things even more difficult for me. Work got busier during 2020 and 2021, and that took away some of my free time. So everything piled up and in turn, I wanted to hide. I was peopled out. I was social media content-ed out.</p><p>If there is any interest in knowing what I'm up to, then you should follow me at @iamjosieleah on Instagram.</p><p>My website is <a href="http://www.josieleah.com">www.josieleah.com</a></p><p>You can find my writing at <a href="https://josieleah.substack.com/">https://josieleah.substack.com/</a></p><p>You can find me on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/josieleahcoaching">https://www.facebook.com/josieleahcoaching</a></p><p>At this point I can't tell you what I'll be doing with this website, but for the time being, there won't be any new interviews being posted. Towards the end it seemed there was zero interest in folks wanting to communicate via email, and thus, I hung the proverbial hat.<br /><br />Also, if you have been interviewed and you want to make modifications to your publication, please reach out. There have been several instances where life has changed for folks and they have reached out to either have their post deleted and/or modified.<br /><br />I will not be doing check-ins, so if you have anything you wish to change or update, it is your responsibility to get those updates and changes to me in their entirety. </p><p><br /></p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-27607715668482971802023-12-06T13:01:00.004-06:002023-12-06T19:43:06.712-06:00So Many Updates<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjunEusAlny6tMgphIHPNA2oydG73siZEUGNlxKSzIw-yPwoAw29g6CwO1xDAE00QFJEtr2rIFme9tarelIZFkM9T4L_WEYwjsvctQC_d9lD0xNUI4Qr9fxmaRfGGTylnQyH7aBRqwp_xAcddrLn5poCakdzackL25hzp1pJjNgWL5L6zwqCocicIEw-5/s2944/20231205_085318.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjunEusAlny6tMgphIHPNA2oydG73siZEUGNlxKSzIw-yPwoAw29g6CwO1xDAE00QFJEtr2rIFme9tarelIZFkM9T4L_WEYwjsvctQC_d9lD0xNUI4Qr9fxmaRfGGTylnQyH7aBRqwp_xAcddrLn5poCakdzackL25hzp1pJjNgWL5L6zwqCocicIEw-5/s320/20231205_085318.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Greetings #bikelife enthusiasts, it has been many moons since I've posted anything on this website. You know what? Life happened.<p></p><p>In the fall of 2022 I signed up for a Feminine Embodiment Coaching program provided by a wonderful school: <a href="https://www.schoolofembodiedarts.com/a/30892/cBLH5JA9">School of Embodied Arts</a>, so that I might pursue a passion of mine which is to offer 1:1 coaching sessions to those who want to get in touch with their feelings and emotions, to get out of their head and into their body.<br /><br />Shortly after I signed up for another program called Integrative Pelvic Health, which allows me to facilitate 1:1 sessions with individuals wanting to connect more deeply with their pelvic bowl and womb space. I felt called to this modality due to my own journey with my uterine fibroids.</p><p>Then in 2023, I signed up for Heal Through Dance- a somatic movement/ecstatic dance instructor training, along with training to lead Goddess Yoga sessions- a beautiful modality of movement with ties to traditional yoga, somatic and sensual movement, and belly dance.</p><p>When I was last active on this site I was dealing with uterine fibroids then, and surprise, I'm still dealing with them now. Since my procedure in '21, my fibroid that was operated on grew back and grew back larger. Unfortunately, both fibroids are located in the "perfect storm" location in my uterus, which causes a boatload of period problems. I'm regularly dealing with pelvic discomfort, lower back pain, fatigue, and spotting or bleeding outside of my period. It has made work life during my period absolutely awful. During my period I'm extremely tired and dealing with a lot of pain and discomfort- sometimes to the point of wanting to throw up. My flow during my period ranges from medium to heavy. Let me tell you, it's an absolute blast. (JK)</p><p>Work at the bike shop, along with my fibroids, has minimized my time on the saddle when it comes to mountain biking. Most times this season (and last) I was so very tired, and didn't want to try and mountain bike while feeling so out of it. That's why I decided to find modalities of movement to incorporate into my life that are good for me. Hikes, walking, dancing, and Goddess Yoga have kept me feeling relatively sane.</p><p>Bike Shop Life has been pretty wild. I've learned a few more mechanical things this year, which is pretty fun. I've spent many hours after we closed cleaning rental bikes and building bikes. A goal this next season is to carve out time a couple days out of the week for Travis and me to go for a short walk to get some sunshine and fresh air- because when the busy season is on...it's on...and far too easy to choose to work all the time vs. take care of yourself. </p><p>My e-bikes (pedal assist) have been a godsend, and if anyone wants to give me $hi* for riding them, go ahead, but that won't stop me from doing so. Nor will it make me feel bad for riding them. I've driven my car less than 6 times this year because I used my e-bike to get groceries and do other errands. Frankly, it feels weird to drive!</p><p>Travis and I went on a wonderful trip to mountain bike up at Cuyuna with our low-power, pedal-assist, Specialized Turbo Levo SL bikes (Yes! Dirty Gertie got DIRTY!) and it made the trip SO enjoyable and SO fun. My knee didn't blow up, I didn't blow up (I was also supposed to start my period during vacation, so my energy was low.) I cannot sing enough praises over how wonderful it is to have a pedal-assist mountain bike I can ride my bike and actually have FUN instead of feeling depleted and exhausted. We rode almost 20 or so miles for 3 days in a row. (<i>Don't think I can't ride a non-e-mtb...I had 3 lovely rides on my Trek Top Fuel this season. Those were the only rides I got in on our local trails before our vacation. 3 rides.</i>)</p><p>Not to mention, my mom really blossomed with riding her pedal-assist bike this year and rode the TRT numerous times during the summer/fall season. It's absolutely amazing to see and I'm so glad she's enjoying it.</p><p>Overall, life has been good, but my uterine fibroids have taken me down over the past year. I didn't realize how much they were affecting me until my periods became horrendous over the past 5 months. I needed to take some time away from trying to force myself to mountain bike, post on socials, etc. Work also took time away from extracurriculars, and being my interests have shifted and grown, I prioritized what made me feel the most fulfilled and happy.<br /><br />I'm still always going to mountain bike, and I'm hoping 2024 will have many more rides than ever (once I've recovered)...and about that...I'm having a hysterectomy in January. So it'll be a while before I'll be able to bike to work and such, but overall I'm hoping that the surgery will give me quality of life back. Unless something dictates otherwise, everything will go except my ovaries. I'm very nervous about the surgery, but I'm so hopeful and excited to actually feel GOOD again...that trumps fear.</p><p>There you have it. One big ol' update. <br />Keep being awesome and living your best #bikelife</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-41852559140797693962021-10-28T13:18:00.001-05:002021-10-28T13:18:37.587-05:00Not Really a #BikeLife Update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOiSX_ojZLU/YXrpa94_BII/AAAAAAAApyM/MvLsTyB5H2oqh5VrnAgYwF6eTn8ZoJBNACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20211026_165345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LOiSX_ojZLU/YXrpa94_BII/AAAAAAAApyM/MvLsTyB5H2oqh5VrnAgYwF6eTn8ZoJBNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20211026_165345.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />I figured an update on my uterine fibroid journey was appropriate given that is part of why my #bikelife was so held back this season. <br /><br />On October 22nd I went to the Gundersen hospital in La Crosse, WI for a hysteroscopic myomectomy. Gee, what a mouthful! Basically, it's a procedure where I was partially knocked out aka "conscious sedation" and a scope was inserted into my vagina and past my cervix, into the uterine cavity. There is a little blade that is attached to this contraption, and they used it to chop up my fibroid. Only the fibroid material that is in my uterine cavity could be chopped up, so there may or may not be fibroid material left. The fibroid that was evicted to the best of the doctor's ability was one that was on the posterior of my uterus. From an ultrasound, I'm supposed to have a fibroid on the anterior of my uterus as well, and supposedly the same kind (submucosal) however, there wasn't any portion of that fibroid in my uterine cavity. So at this time, it's safe to say the one fibroid was the main problem causer. You can have uterine fibroids and not have any signs or symptoms- it's when you have symptoms that they become a nuisance and that's when you may choose to do something about it.<p></p><p>Post-procedure I was told I had a weight lifting restriction of sub 20 pounds, so that means for 2 weeks I'm not able to lift bikes off racks or in the workstand. I'm nearing the end of week 1 and decidedly bonkers about the limitation. Obviously, no sex for at least 2 weeks, and the first period after the procedure it's recommended to not use tampons. (For me, it'll be essentially the end of week 2 when I'll have my period, so there we go.)<br /></p><p>I've had spotting on and off during this time period, and actually, as of writing this I had a couple days of nothing, and then this morning I had some mild spotting. I also feel slightly crampy again (very very minor, and very different from the cramping I felt daily for months on end.) So perhaps I put forth a little too much effort with removing a tire yesterday- truly I don't have a clue. I am learning to not have concrete expectations. <br /><br />The first day after the procedure was rough for me- I did feel extra tired and I definitely felt uncomfortable. However, from the start, I've stated that the feeling of discomfort is different from what I had for at least half a year, and that alone makes it more tolerable. I am assuming the fibroid was impinging on some nerves that were contributing to chronic discomfort- hardly minimized by Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Aleve. It was almost daily that my uterus had a headache, and it was very emotionally exhausting. I hurt, BUT it was different. Pain relievers also HELPED! I napped a good bit that first day after. I had a short day at work the next day and promptly went home to sit with the heating pad. Day 3 I was slightly active, took a nap, and found I needed to take fewer pain relievers. Day 4 I was able to go a whole day without a nap, went on a hike, and found a minimal dose of pain relievers worked just peachy.<br /><br />Progress has been made, but the situation is not black and white. I could develop more fibroids...but I might not. My mystery fibroid may or may not do anything at all...could shrink, could grow...dunno!<br />I've decided if I have additional fibroid issues I'm going to heavily consider a procedure called UFE- Uterine Fibroid Embolization. A radiologist would do the procedure instead of an OBGYN, and basically, a summary is that they would inject something that would block blood flow to the artery that feeds the fibroid. That is if I'm a candidate for the procedure based on the type of fibroid- but from reading different articles it seems like a possible good route to go for a plan B. My hope is that plan B doesn't come to fruition. Enough reading has me set on not wanting to have any type of full or partial hysterectomy at this time.<br /><br />The procedure has left me feeling relieved, and feeling the most normal I've felt for so long. I'm open to saying I'm afraid of losing that feeling as it's so precious to me right now. I can't let it dictate my thoughts on a daily basis, and I'm going to keep walking forward with the mentality that I'm done with this issue. However, I've researched, I know some options, and I will be my best and strongest advocate.<br /><br />To my knowledge, no one in my family has dealt with uterine fibroids, so I'm a special unicorn. Hormones can contribute. Possibly being child-free has a contributing factor. There are a lot of unknowns about uterine fibroids, so anyone's guess is as good as any. I am starting to take an herbal supplement called FLO from OPostiv, to see if that can bring possible hormone balance. Personally, I would like to steer clear of hormone contraceptives as much as possible as I seem to be one who reacts poorly to futzing with my hormones with pills, IUDs, etc. <br /><br />So, in short, I am feeling better and I hope it's for good!<br />I'm grateful to have a break from dealing with constant and chronic pain/discomfort. Because what I went through could be considered "invisible" and being I work in a public setting, having to try and fake it on a daily basis sucked a lot. There were days I wanted to cry, curl up in a ball, and just be left alone. Instead, I had to hustle around the shop, pop my pain reliever of choice, and bear it. It's a reminder to us all that we should be good humans to one another because you really don't know what someone might be going through.<br /><br />Here is to a happy uterus, a happy me, and more #bikelife!</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-62623140500728900442021-10-05T09:43:00.005-05:002021-10-05T15:08:08.935-05:00Re-Imagining My #BikeLife<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydJW0IFLcNA/YVxkHb9TUlI/AAAAAAAApqY/jnTuNm7VbsQ0Mvxd43NLaHXGPgv9BUNmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/IMG_20210913_182605_525.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydJW0IFLcNA/YVxkHb9TUlI/AAAAAAAApqY/jnTuNm7VbsQ0Mvxd43NLaHXGPgv9BUNmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210913_182605_525.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>I looked down at my phone, reading the email from Strava saying "Uh Oh!"</div><p></p><p>I won't lie and say I didn't do an eye roll. More or less because I think their delivery is a bit...stupid. I think it's great that my QOM is gone- I have zero issues with not being the fastest on a climb. I'm one of the fastest. That's good enough for me.<br /></p><p>Strava can be a great tool for some- it can help someone feel motivated. Some folks like the drive that competition (among others and with themselves) that Strava gives. </p><p>It can be a great tool for keeping track of stats, activities, etc. There can be usefulness behind it, without question.</p><p>I am just one of the folks who got sucked in and went to a darker place when I used Strava. It made me stop doing some of what I enjoyed (like stopping to take a photo or two.) It made me turn almost every ride into a personal race, even when I didn't WANT to. I would forcibly push myself to try hard, even when my body wasn't feeling it. I would become annoyed when something would happen that would stop my QOM seeking. I craved the boost I got from accomplishing a QOM and I felt defeated every time I fell short. I also got tired of pushing myself to ride past my comfort level in certain areas, just to try and "win."<br /><br />For me, it sucked the fun out of riding, because I was someone that couldn't separate themselves from it. <br /><br />What I'm trying to say, I think, is that I got sucked into this vortex of feeling like I had to continually prove my worthiness as a local mountain biker. This has been going on for a while in a variety of different ways, and only with my stepping back due to work and health reasons, have I realized what I've really missed when it came to my mountain biking #BikeLife.<br /></p><p>When I first started mountain biking, everything felt fresh and new. It could incite fear yet curiosity...I had new things to accomplish! I could get that same adrenaline and dopamine hit from successfully making a climb or (scary-to-me) descent. <br /><br />I would stop and take photos whenever I wanted- because I saw pretty flowers or leaves. Fungi. Animals. Whatever! I'm not a photographer per-say, but it's something of a hobby I enjoy. I've always liked taking photos of things that intrigued me, or that I thought were beautiful.</p><p>Then something changed. Mountain biking became easier and there were fewer things to feel accomplished over. What else could I do? The next step was to ride faster- and with that came racing.<br /><br />Racing...I went into it wanting to represent and support other women mountain bikers. Increase the field by 1. Locally, I wanted to and felt like I needed to prove something...I'm not originally from Decorah. I came into the sport late. I (at the time) dated a "bike shop guy"...I had a fancy bike. I felt like I needed to prove my worth.</p><p>I did. On flats no less.<br /><br />I felt like I needed to put myself out there in other races too...Chequamegon, Pert'Near, Borah Epic, 45Nrth Whiteout, and Frozen 40 (in the 20 mile). I wasn't just a rider, I was a rider who could race and sometimes podium or at least be within the top 10! Amazing!</p><p>Truthfully. I had a love/hate relationship with racing. I enjoyed meeting folks (when my shyness didn't take over) and I enjoyed riding in new locations/on new trails. I had immense anxiety that would keep me up the night before and that stayed with me up until the race started. I could hardly eat anything the morning of, let alone take nutrition in during the race. I hardly trained, so anything I did was out of sheer determination, and perhaps a little bit of luck. I would feel like crap the day after I put forth a lot of effort. Usually, I didn't want to touch my bike for at least a week after. All of my season was me trying to get out for a bike ride almost every day, to try and get some sort of training in- and that resulted in burnout at the end of the season. I lost myself out in the woods, but not in a soul-fulfilling way.</p><p>After my dad died, I felt like I had been given a different outlook. If it's not bringing me joy, then I don't have to do it. So I decided I wouldn't race again- because it didn't bring me as much joy as I thought it would.</p><p>I also realized that I stopped mountain biking for just myself- I turned it into something that I felt like I had to do for other people. I tried creating a women's mtb group in town but found that it was a lot more difficult than expected. I think, looking back, it would have better served me to maybe focus on introducing one person at a time rather than trying to make it a "group" at first. I put pressure on myself to create rides, and continually felt disappointed when it didn't pan out like I thought it would in my mind. The group and its lack of success became a direct reflection on me (in my mind) and that rolls around again to the whole concept of my feeling the need to continually "prove myself" in the eyes of other riders.</p><p>Then I pursued an ambassadorship with a bike company, and when I was accepted I was elated! This happened shortly after my dad died, and at the time I think it was a good thing. It helped to motivate me and get me out on the trails. Yet as I continued forward with being an ambassador for a couple additional years, I started to feel...empty. It's not exactly what I envisioned. <br /><br />My time to ride became drastically reduced, and then when I could ride all I could do was think about the requirements I should be fulfilling- so I lost my ability to just bike because I felt like it- I had to incorporate purpose into each ride beyond just riding my bike. Also, the requirement of hosting group rides- I'm not ready to put myself out there to have 1-2 people show up if I'm lucky. I did that for years and that really bummed me out. Plus my work schedule makes certain days work best, and usually, those days aren't what works for other folks. </p><p>I realized that I gave away my personal freedom to just mountain bike. <br />I gave away my personal freedom to take photos that I wanted to take when I wanted to take them. Sometimes for content, you have to have a certain bike for certain pictures. I personally got tired of feeling forced to make posts when I just didn't feel up to it. I got tired of trying to get photos of myself riding a bike, but not being able to be out during the right time of day, or have the right look, etc. Continually "pushing" myself on social media all the time...I found that it took the joy out of the experience for me. I didn't have the same luxury as some of the other ambassadors, living in areas where there are cool features to ride on/off, and such. I didn't have the luxury of being able to travel all the time, either. I also felt like because I made the decision to stop racing, I was less valuable as an ambassador.</p><p>2020 I had one of the most fulfilling and joyful times on the bike when Travis and I took our trip to Copper Harbor. YES....sometimes I can be annoying with how many photos I want to take. Sometimes I want photos of me riding something cool simply because I want to see me doing something that I thought was scary AF or cool AF. YES...it can be annoying when I stop and say "I need to change the battery in the GoPro!" However, I enjoyed going back and making video edits so very much, even if I can't edit videos for shit. (Okay, I didn't do a terrible job, I'm a novice. Gotta start somewhere.)</p><p>This year has been a challenging year for my #BikeLife due to work and health. With my not being out on the trails as much, it's given me time to reflect on what I want for the upcoming season.</p><p>I want to bike when I want to and how I want to. No agenda. <br />If I want to go out on a ride to take a bunch of photos and play with the GoPros I own, I'm going to do it. Mosquitos be damned!<br />I like taking photos.<br />I like riding my bike and not feeling like it needs to be a race every time. I've crashed enough times going past my point of no return, I think that I'm okay with pulling the reins a little bit.<br />I like mountain bike adventure rides. (Like Point Trail)<br />I like sharing bike rides with others either with one-on-one rides or with the videos I create.<br /><br />I need to take time to make mountain biking something that brings light to my soul and happyness into my heart. If I make mountain biking into some sort of agenda- or using it to compare, compete, or prove- it takes the fun out of it. <br /><br />All in all, #BikeLife is literally a "choose your adventure" sort of thing. You can make it into whatever you want! You can be the Strava champ, a racer, a weekend warrior, and anything else in between that you can think of. It's a "You-Do-You" sort of thing. Perhaps you'll find multiple styles of bike riding that you enjoy and go back and forth between them. You can race. You don't have to race. You can commute. You can do whatever YOU want. </p><p>I put too much focus on areas of #BikeLife that weren't for me necessarily. I lost myself in the shuffle of trying to be what I thought I should be, or what I thought was expected of me. Really, all I want to do is ride my damn bike and take all the pictures. So that's what next year is going to be, and I really can't wait to bring you along for the ride!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f431FB7WaNQ/YVxka77ubSI/AAAAAAAApqk/jIe1wGHTxpork3_aigJUxLjJkFgLdxqcACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210906_182527.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f431FB7WaNQ/YVxka77ubSI/AAAAAAAApqk/jIe1wGHTxpork3_aigJUxLjJkFgLdxqcACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210906_182527.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-20928679467121491102021-07-29T20:34:00.003-05:002021-07-29T20:34:29.353-05:00Where Has #BikeLife Gone?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVawrMTf0fw/YQNWcNDvoAI/AAAAAAAAo_Y/yhJbuDxfiW8RwvHA4WqatyYjQv-CejNhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/IMG_20210714_195440_297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVawrMTf0fw/YQNWcNDvoAI/AAAAAAAAo_Y/yhJbuDxfiW8RwvHA4WqatyYjQv-CejNhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20210714_195440_297.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hey friends!<br />It's been a heck of a long time since I wrote a post for this site, and I'll say that it's been a mixture of intentional and unintentional. Travis and I closed off the busy 2020 season with a wonderful trip filled with mountain biking. Then as soon as we got home, it seemed the cold fall season hit- any day trips were unable to happen due to trail conditions/weather. Back to work, back to projects large and small. Back to reality.<p></p><p>Over the winter I realized that I totally pushed away almost anything in my life that was not bike-related. The busy season is filled with bikes of some sort, either service work or bike builds. I put extreme pressure on myself to get out and bike AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE...even if I didn't really WANT to. That, my friends, is the key to successful burnout. I decided that for 2021 I wanted to make sure to incorporate more into my life, to feed the other interests and curiosities, so that I could feel like a more well-rounded human. I mean, that's part of the human experience, amiright?</p><p>2021 started off right, and I managed to keep myself interested in mountain biking while taking an online course, journaling, reading, and (in general) feeding all parts of my soul. I was feeling great. Then the busy season hit full force- the ongoing bike industry shortage kept slapping us in the face. Having the same conversations over and over again: days, weeks, and months on end. </p><p>I mean, I legitimately can't bring myself to write all the nitty-gritty details because I'm truly exhausted on a mental/emotional level. To write what I talk about almost daily, every single week, is just...I can't. Nope. Too tired. You're not here for that anyway.</p><p>Because of #bikeshoplife our week vacation will play out a little differently with a couple (hopefully!) day trips to ride somewhere. Locations are to be determined in the future, but we've been pondering visiting the Davenport or Dubuque areas. For my actual birthday weekend, we're going to take a trip to Minnesota and visit a Renaissance Fair! We'll likely take a gander and ride at Lebanon once or twice (weather permitting) Basically, we're keeping ourselves open to whatever Mother Nature allows....and I'm hoping that she will allow for some mountain biking.</p><p>Another bit that has had me take a step back has been a wee bump in the metaphorical road health-wise. Late June, I discovered I was the proud owner of two Submucosal Uterine Fibroids- literally right before July aka Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month. Go figure.</p><p>In June I may or may not have had an ovarian cyst that popped, either way, I had a period from Hell because of so much cramping. Not only that, but I had dealt with almost constant, daily cramping of some degree that entire month. THE ENTIRE MONTH. Basically, it's as if my uterus had a tension headache that never went away. Ibuprofen and Tylenol were taken cocktail style to try and alleviate the discomfort. I have a high pain tolerance, which makes me question if I'm actually uncomfortable or not- and if I'm questioning...duh. I am. Lower back pain plus pain radiating down my legs...walking sucked. Sitting sucked. Having to suck it up and run around at work sucked. Literally. There are days where I legit felt/feel miserable. </p><p>I'm glad I figured out what's going on, but the next part is figuring out the remedy that may or may not last. Once you develop fibroids it seems very likely you'll continue to develop them until you hit menopause. (I got, I think, a long way to go.) Because I'm child-free, that also puts me at higher risk for developing fibroids. (Yay. Not.) You can have fibroids and not even know you have them. I'd look at that as my best-case scenario if more come my way...in the worst case, I'll go back to Painville.</p><p>I have an appointment at the end of September to visit with a Gynecologist to figure out my next step. My hope is that I can have a treatment/procedure/surgery before March so I can start off the next busy season feeling FABULOUS. (Do note when I'm considering procedures/surgery, I'm only considering removal of my 2 fibroids or UFE, not anything beyond that.)</p><p>#BikeLife this year has been more about actively using a Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 as transportation. The ride to work and back is an absolute blast, and I love being able to keep up with vehicle traffic!</p><p>Most of my time has been sucked up at work and I may feel up to going out on the trails once a week or a couple times a month. It's really toned down due to work commitments and my fibroids taking the wind out of my sails.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9mZgB1qFhgQ/YQNWRMfIKpI/AAAAAAAAo_U/Ge3MgmruU0IkGjQAV0uODJXwI-akfoOVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20210719_103126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9mZgB1qFhgQ/YQNWRMfIKpI/AAAAAAAAo_U/Ge3MgmruU0IkGjQAV0uODJXwI-akfoOVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20210719_103126.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Using the Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 to bike out to Freeport area to visit my mom has been fun. I also have a cute little Burley Nomad trailer and some panniers that I use to get groceries! I legitimately battle anxiety getting myself out onto the trail, due to how busy it can be, but once I'm out there it's been a-okay. I am very lucky I think with timing, and from my house to say, Walmart, is a short blip all things considered. It's been quite liberating to think that almost the entire month of July I have been able to use my bike for all of my previous car-using trips! Trail access is a major part of that. Now I'm sad thinking about the winter months and my not biking out to visit my mom. It'll depend on the trail conditions (part of it doesn't get plowed) and also how cold it may be. I do have a limit because of Raynaud's.<p></p><p>Anyway, I wanted to write something to give you all some sort of update. Mostly it's just me being busy and being extra tried on a mental, emotional, and physical level. Life is good. There may be a new bike (or two?!) coming soon. Well, for sure one bike...and it's going to be frickn' amazing.</p><p>I'm hoping when the shop slows down some this fall I can get out and get some more rides in on the mountain bike trails...and maybe we can take a couple additional day trips in October....and maybe I can get some of those on the GoPro. (Which I legit haven't used at all this season, and I have some fun lenses I want to try out!)</p><p>#BikeLife is not dead...just going a little bit of a different direction than in years past. I've realized more than ever that I need to take care of my mental/emotional health. Sometimes it's okay to take a step back and reprioritize. Mountain biking is super important to me, but it's not ALL that makes me, me. Sometimes you have to remind yourself, and allow yourself, to spend time doing other things. Sometimes you have to be okay with accepting that other things have to take priority. It is what it is.</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-19169788911672969442021-01-04T19:00:00.000-06:002021-01-04T19:00:17.856-06:00Bike Life Interview: Meet Ed and Cory aka The Duke of MTB<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBbWRpbJM0w/X-TEmjcYHHI/AAAAAAAAjzY/yjYB3hhUrDM9MybdyAn1sPHtvCs8g6KLACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200310_155031b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBbWRpbJM0w/X-TEmjcYHHI/AAAAAAAAjzY/yjYB3hhUrDM9MybdyAn1sPHtvCs8g6KLACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20200310_155031b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Who are the folks behind the camera? </b><br />Edward & Cory, aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dukeofmtb/?hl=en">The Duke of MTB</a><br />Outside of the channel, we're mostly just a regular couple. <div><br /></div><div>We've been together since college. It's been thirteen and a half years now and we've just always done everything together.<div><br /></div><div><br />I've been in the flooring business for almost a decade and Cory's a BSN-RN, but mountain biking is our true passion. We're always counting down to the day that we can ride again.<br /><b><br />When it came to mountain biking, did you both start together or did one of you introduce the other?</b><br />We started together. It was by accident really. We were looking for something we could do together to break up the daily grind of work, sleep, rinse, and repeat. We bought some cheap bikes and started riding on the sidewalk at first. One day, we saw a dirt path that led into the woods. It turned out to be a "green" mtb trail. The bikes broke right away but we were hooked. That green trail at the time felt exhilarating. It all just snowballed from there.<br /><br /><b>What inspired the two of you to create your YouTube channel?</b><br />About a year into riding, we were planning to go to visit family in Alberta and bring our bikes. Cory insisted that we buy a GoPro to record our "adventures" there. I was resistant at first. I tried to explain that it would be a waste of money. We would use it once, see that the footage doesn't look as good as the GoPro commercials, and it would sit in a drawer for the rest of time. She was persistent though, so we bought a GoPro anyway. My OCD just kind of took over. We recorded some footage in a kind of vloggy way to make a video that we might post for friends and family to see, but I just randomly decided to make a YouTube account and post it there. Again, it all just kind of snowballed from there. I found that I enjoyed doing it. It started as a hobby on top of a hobby.<br /><br /><b>Was either of you nervous when it came to launching the channel?</b><br />Not really. The nervousness came after we actually started getting views and comments. I was like, "Oh, sh*t, people are actually watching us."<br /><br /><b>The channel showcases the awesome, humorous, and human moments of riding- why do you feel it's important to show even the less-than-ideal stuff?</b><br />We really just wanna show that we're regular people. Not everyone can do backflips and stuff. We crash a lot. Things happen. We want to show that it's okay to just have fun and that you shouldn't worry about what people might think. There are enough channels out there that just show "badassery" done by people that seem like bike gods.<br /><br /><b>What has been the most interesting thing that has happened to you since creating the YouTube channel?</b><br />It still feels weird when people recognize us. I still can't quite wrap my head around that one.<br /><br /><b>What has been the most challenging part of having your YouTube channel?</b><br />Editing. It's so much work to take hours of mundane footage and turn it into an entertaining video. When I'm not at work, I'm editing. It can be a little much at times.<br /><br /><b>What are your (current) future goals for the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNBrbBA4D3AUCSp6hSTrK3w">Duke of MTB channel</a>?</b><br />It would be nice to grow the channel to a point that it can sustain itself, so we can really focus on making entertaining content. We hardly have any time to make videos, and that's with me burning the candle from both ends. The ultimate goal would be to travel the world, riding trails all over the place and making videos of all our adventures. It's a little "pie in the sky," but it doesn't hurt to dream big.<div><br /></div><b>How can folks support you?</b><br />At the moment, we don't have a Patreon account yet. I just don't have the time to offer any extra perks or content due to work. <br />But...if someone would like to make a one-time donation, we have a PayPal link here: <br /><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=thedukeofmtb@gmail.com&lc=US&no_note=0&item_name=&cn=&curency_code=USD&bn=PP-DonationsBF:btn_donateCC_LG.gif:NonHosted">https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=thedukeofmtb@gmail.com&lc=US&no_note=0&item_name=&cn=&curency_code=USD&bn=PP-DonationsBF:btn_donateCC_LG.gif:NonHosted</a>We also have a merch store: <br /><a href="https://teespring.com/stores/thedukeofmtb">https://teespring.com/stores/thedukeofmtb</a><br />and an Amazon storefront you can make some purchases through: <br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/shop/thedukeofmtb">https://www.amazon.com/shop/thedukeofmtb</a> <div> <br /><b>2020 has been a year of change and growth, what would you say has been something you both have learned in 2020?</b></div>Don't take things for granted. Enjoy every moment. Go out there and experience things with people you care about. At the end of it all, that's the stuff that you'll look back on. That's the stuff that really matters.</div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-83595000856188278782020-12-19T08:48:00.000-06:002020-12-21T10:09:49.641-06:00Bike Life Interview: Kyle and April of Ride MTB<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20L1cRde5DY/X9fohbWPyXI/AAAAAAAAje8/LKV4VyW19F4ws2ZmyCA0atYSJARw5PmbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/DSC01668.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-20L1cRde5DY/X9fohbWPyXI/AAAAAAAAje8/LKV4VyW19F4ws2ZmyCA0atYSJARw5PmbACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/DSC01668.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>This year Travis and I discovered an awesome YouTube channel called <a href="https://www.ridemtb.com/">Kyle and April- Ride MTB</a> and it's been one that we have started recommending to folks on a regular basis who are new to mountain biking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the things I've loved about watching videos on this channel is seeing April progress during the video, which is awesome to see as most videos out there are of folks who are already super great at a skill, teaching that skill. To be able to see someone practice and visibly progress is inspiring and helpful. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>I reached out to Kyle and April to learn a bit more about why they started Ride MTB and what their plans are for the future. You can learn more about Kyle and April <a href="https://www.ridemtb.com/about">here</a>! </div><div><br /></div><b>How did mountain biking/biking in general, bring the two of you together?</b><br />On a macro level, mountain biking is 100% responsible for us meeting. April is a gear designer at a motorcycle racing apparel company called <a href="https://www.flyracing.com/mtb">Fly Racing</a> and back in 2016 they were in the early stages of launching their mountain bike program. They wanted to find some athletes to help them market the new Mtb gear and they reached out to me to become an ambassador. On my first trip to Boise to meet with Fly they had a big company-wide lunch and I actually ended up sitting down across from April and got to chat with her for a little bit. To be honest, neither of us really thought anything of it, but a year later we connected again at a big company gear launch and we got to mountain bike all day together at a ski resort and just really hit it off. It was one of April's first times riding a mountain bike, and she had such a great attitude and was so fun to hang out with. Since then mountain biking has been such a huge part of our relationship. It's allowed us to share a passion, travel together, and push each other. Without mountain biking, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet and share our lives together. <br /><br /><b>What inspired the two of you to create your YouTube channel?</b><br />Honestly, it kind of just happened organically. I had seen the impact that YouTube was able to have on people a few years ago while I was at the Sea Otter Classic event in Monterey, California. The line for a Seth's Bike Hacks meet and greet was the longest line in the pits and so many people were so excited to meet him after spending so much time watching his videos. I just thought that it was so cool how he was able to connect with people and I started my own little YouTube channel and started experimenting making some videos and trying to learn how to use a camera. After about 2 years of messing around with YouTube and acquiring camera gear, we found ourselves in the middle of a pandemic, with all of the races and events canceled, and a lot of free time. It was April's idea to try to learn some new skills over the lockdown and try documenting it. We never expected it to be something big, and that's why at first it was just still titled under my name as the channel. After a few videos started to get some serious traction it was apparent that people were enjoying them for some reason and we should try to do some more haha. At that point, we changed the channel name to Kyle & April - Ride MTB and the rest is history :)<br /><br /><b>Was either of you nervous when it came to launching the channel?</b><br />We are both somewhat private people so we were nervous about putting ourselves and our relationship out there for people to judge. Surprisingly though the majority of all the response has been really positive. There has been some negative stuff here and there which can be really tough but overall it's been a really cool experience.<br /><br /><b>For many, having their partner coach them with mountain bike skills can be for lack of better words...challenging. How do the two of you make it work so well?</b><br />Honestly, we aren't perfect by any means. We try our best to work well together and to be understanding of each other but there are times that the film days can run long or there can be frustration over learning something new. I think that having a shared goal of creating the video really helps us a lot though. It allows us to get through any of the rough patches throughout the film process and see light at the end of the tunnel haha. <br /><br /><b>What inspired you to start mountain biking?</b><br />April: When my work, Fly Racing, started making MTB apparel there was more of a buzz around mountain bikes around the office and I would more regularly see bikes in the back of trucks, so it was in my face more than ever and the interest came naturally from already having a long term passion with dirt bikes. It took me a little longer to actually pursue MTB because I was overwhelmed with the number of options that go into getting a mountain bike as well as pricing. When Kyle and I first started dating, I was able to borrow one of his bikes and he eventually did the hard work for me by picking a bike for me and gave me my first one for my birthday!<br /><br /><b>You are so inspirational when it comes to showing your progression! Do you have any words of advice for folks who are nervous about working on skills?</b><br />April: Thank you so much! I am also trying to figure out some of that for myself, but I can share from where I am at so far. I am known for my stubbornness and I also have a strong desire to conquer things, it can become addicting for me to be able to check things off. So basically I don't give up too easily. Passion is also another factor that drives me even further and can be very crucial. I would say that I work on many skills, probably too many, and am always trying to better myself. I just want to be a well-rounded person (except musically, there is no hope for me there haha). <br /><br /><b>Tell us about "Look for Success, Not for Failure" and why that's a good phrase for folks to keep in mind-</b><br />April: That saying actually came from a corning video that we did when Kyle was giving tips on where to look in a corner. Many things learned with riding or racing also apply to other areas in life and this was one of them that really stood out to people. When applying it to life, It is kind of another way of manifesting your destiny with your thoughts or actions and works really well in a corner too!<br /><br /><b>What are your (current) future goals for Ride MTB/YouTube Channel/Podcasts?</b><br />We actually have some really exciting plans for 2021! <a href="https://youtu.be/VW7d3Cyltqk">We just bought a building to act as our HQ and Film Studio.</a> We really want to try to slowly grow the channel to be something bigger than just April and me. We will be announcing the studio in the next week or so and then plan on building it out through a series of videos. It will serve as a bike shop to film maintenance videos, a podcast studio to host some round table style podcasts, and a merchandise warehouse for some of the new stuff April has been designing :) <br /><br /><b>How can folks support you?</b><br />We have had a lot of people reaching out via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/RideMtb">Patreon</a> which has been amazing! Also, a lot of people have helped support us by buying some <a href="https://shopridemtb.com/">merchandise</a>. It has been really fun doing some clothing this year and we have some big things we are working on for next year :). The shop / HQ is a huge investment for us but we really want to do something special and try to build something bigger than ourselves so we can reach as many people as possible.<br /><br /><b>2020 has been a year of change and growth, what would you say has been something you both have learned in 2020?</b><br />Kyle: The biggest thing that I have learned this year is how small and connected the world is. It's been insane to see just how many people stop us and say hi or thanks for the videos while we are out on the trails. It's been really cool to see :)<br /><br />April: I feel like I have learned more than I can put into words. The obvious for me is that I have learned so many skills this year and more about MTB in general. But maybe the biggest thing is my communication and people skills. I am more of an introvert and shy person, so it has been a really big improvement for me this year and I look forward to getting better at it.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kyle.april.ridemtb/">Kyle and April- Ride MTB Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ridemtbofficial"></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ridemtbofficial">Kyle and April- Ride MTB Facebook</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ridemtb.com/">Ride MTB Website</a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kylewarnermtb/">Kyle's Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aprilzastrow11/"></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aprilzastrow11/">April's Instagram</a></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-65438393305984889552020-12-12T14:53:00.002-06:002020-12-14T17:02:40.456-06:00The NA Beer Experiment<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EPwEWIMH0VI/X9UilReXZYI/AAAAAAAAjdA/HrV1dkvayFkYs3r8_-KDASU6xT_s5c8OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201206_154548.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EPwEWIMH0VI/X9UilReXZYI/AAAAAAAAjdA/HrV1dkvayFkYs3r8_-KDASU6xT_s5c8OQCLcBGAsYHQ/w225-h400/20201206_154548.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>During most of November, I decided I wanted to nix drinking my nightly beer on a regular basis, mostly to see if I would notice any changes with my digestive system. Admittedly, there were a few evenings where I opted to experiment and have a "regular" beer, more or less to see how I would react the next day.<p></p><p><b>Things that I noticed:</b><br />After having a span of several evenings without beer, I found myself experiencing night sweats. Now I'm not 100% sure if this was because I wasn't drinking alcohol, closeness to my period, or my anti-anxiety medicine. <br /><br />I had really messed up dreams!</p><p>I went back to having issues falling asleep for a few nights in a row and eventually got back to falling asleep at night in a timely fashion.</p><p>I ultimately seemed to sleep better, as in, I would wake up and not feel so fatigued.<br /><br />My morning bathroom visit, even after drinking coffee, was WAY better.</p><p>The evenings I indulged in "regular" beer, I found that sometimes I did fall asleep quicker, but I woke up fatigued. Other evenings I'd lie in bed wide awake for several hours before I could fall asleep, and again, I'd wake up fatigued. My morning bathroom visit was not as nice as it was on days where I had NA beer. </p><p>Ultimately, what I found was drinking beer was not actually benefitting me in any way, shape, or form. Do I keep drinking something because I enjoy it, or do I listen to my body and do what makes me (as a whole) feel better? I think it's the latter because that decision can improve the quality of life on multiple levels rather than instant gratification.</p><p>One thing that has made this transition easier and enjoyable for me, was discovering Surreal Brewing Company. This NA beer option has (most times) several different IPA options available all the time, plus some other flavor choices as well. <br /><br />Some things to know about <a href="https://surrealbrewing.com/shop/">Surreal Brewing Company</a>:<br /></p>*2-7X fewer calories than other NA beer options<br /><br />*Their beer starts at 17 calories/can, and my favorites are <a href="https://surrealbrewing.com/creatives/">44</a> and <a href="https://surrealbrewing.com/milkshake/">65</a> calories/can!<br /><br />*0G sugar options<br /><br />*2 gluten-reduced styles <br /><br />*Low carbs<br /><br />*All-natural, non-GMO ingredients<br /><br />When I bought beer/drank beer, I opted for ones with high alcohol content. My absolute favorite options were DIPAs and IPAs with the occasional Triple IPA. High flavor, big punch, and if I had more than one...digestive sadness the next day. I knew making the switch to NA beer would be different, but I was up for the experience. I figured if I found an option I enjoyed, that would definitely make the whole sober experience a lot more enjoyable! <div><br /></div><div>My favorites from Surreal are the Creatives IPA and the Milkshake IPA- I had never had a "milkshake" style IPA before and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor profile of this NA beer. To me, it definitely has something that resembles a "real beer" flavor, but without the alcohol. The Creatives IPA is a nice, crisp option that I can see becoming a nightly staple real quick. It is so refreshing, and I am enjoying the IPA flavor without it being so "heavy."</div><div><br /></div><div>One that I was surprised at, and I have to thank Surreal Brewing for the opportunity, is their <a href="https://surrealbrewing.com/natural-bridges/">Natural Bridges Kolsch Style</a> NA beer. I would have never purchased this as I consider myself a straight-up IPA diehard, but this Kolsch Style NA beer had a lovely flavor that I wasn't expecting, and I found it very pleasant to drink! Okay. I can step outside of my proverbial box and enjoy something different now and again. Imagine that!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>How I feel after I drink a NA beer from Surreal Brewing Company-</b></div><div>I feel good. I don't feel "heavy"...frankly I feel legitimately good like I drank something that is good for me. How do I describe it? I suppose if one drinks something that has stuff in it that affects their gut health, you don't feel good. If you drink something that doesn't have those irritants in it, you feel good. I'm sure someone out there knows what I'm trying to say!</div><div><br /></div><div>Not drinking "real beer" has me feeling happier and my sleep seems to be more fulfilling. <br /><br /></div><div>Ultimately, I'm not missing drinking beer with alcohol in it, and that is <b><i>awesome</i></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div>My experience with being sober for a few months in early 2020 was a bit on the boring side, and I think that's part of why it was easy to fall back into having a beer here and there. I'm so glad that I opted to search for other options to try to make the experience more enjoyable.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're curious about NA brews, I highly recommend checking out Surreal Brewing Company as an option to try. There are several styles to choose from if you're not an IPA-lover, but if you are an IPA-lover, they have multiple styles to choose from on a regular basis which is great for variety! </div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-89502149559910203602020-12-06T14:31:00.001-06:002020-12-06T14:32:16.312-06:00Favorite Things of 2020<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYCOrlv2eek/X8K_xb1RdkI/AAAAAAAAjLc/qowqYHu__NkeZSHDRZlZE1d1xhnzYKBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200501_171328.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYCOrlv2eek/X8K_xb1RdkI/AAAAAAAAjLc/qowqYHu__NkeZSHDRZlZE1d1xhnzYKBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/20200501_171328.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Another year down and a new list of favorite products to go! 2020 has been the year of change to be sure. <div><br /><a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/04/bike-life-adventures-with-dirty-gertie.html">Specialized Turbo Levo SL-</a><br />This bike has been my saving grace for 2020! It allowed me to ride on afternoons when I would have been too tired to go out after work. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was able to enjoy longer rides without as much stress on my knee, plus easily give back to the community by pedaling around the three parks where I regularly mountain bike to pick up trash.<p></p><p>Just being able to go out for rides after a long workday and not feel incredibly bonked was amazing. My allergies were challenging to deal with and when I rode my Levo SL I didn't feel the need to use an inhaler.</p><p>I would work as much as I wanted or keep it easier on my knee and lungs when needed. I could cover twice the ground and even tho I rode fewer days, I rode roughly twice the number of miles. Definitely more smiles per mile!</p><p><a href="https://surrealbrewing.com/">Surreal Brewing Company-</a><br />Surreal was one of the NA craft beer companies I discovered when I opted to start incorporating more NA and alcohol-free beverages into my life. I was excited to discover Surreal had multiple IPA options available regularly rather than a single one. Also, I like their motto of "Dare to be Different" which is something that I've basically been living for years now. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OOpUUcBeccA/X80-723-JuI/AAAAAAAAjUI/lYvoyfeZehcoOU3818nha4QDpOhes8AbACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201206_142555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OOpUUcBeccA/X80-723-JuI/AAAAAAAAjUI/lYvoyfeZehcoOU3818nha4QDpOhes8AbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201206_142555.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Not that I calorie count, but I appreciate the reduced calories, especially during the winter season when I'm not out biking quite as much as I like if the weather isn't cooperative. Non-GMO ingredients are an added bonus! All in all, it's an NA beer option I feel good drinking for a variety of reasons, which makes it all the more enjoyable. As crazy as 2020 has been, it's a simple way for me to increase my healthfulness and mindfulness of what I'm putting into my body.</p><p><a href="https://www.43cbd.com/">43CBD</a>-<br />I was introduced to 43CBD this year and I truly feel that their CBD balm helped my knee from blowing up with all of our biking during our fall bike trip. I used two salves, one was their deep tissue balm and the other was Extra Strength. Most times I used the Ultra Deep Tissue balm on my knee, neck/shoulder as it had more CBD in it and I like the warm/cool sensation. The nice thing is that it wasn't overpowering with scent nor the hot/cold feeling. It was just right!</p><p>I like the Extra Strength salve for menstrual cramps and bruises. It doesn't have any sort of essential oils in it that could be potentially irritating to the skin if you had a burn, cut, scrape, etc. Other CBD salves I have used in the past would often have some sort of ingredient or essential oil that shouldn't be applied to abrasions. It's nice to find something free of irritating products that can be used to promote healing on multiple levels. Heck, I've even used the ointment on some blemishes and found that it helped the healing process.</p><p>The product is organic and palm oil free.<br /><br />I've also been using the Full Spectrum, 1000 mg CBD oil in the Cinnamon flavor. I'm not the best at taking oils on a regular basis, but I am working towards using it more often than the standard Ibuprofen. I had some terribly uncomfortable menstrual cramps one morning and took a good-sized dropper of the oil and I will say that my discomfort subsided quite a bit! I am more apt to take this oil because of the cinnamon flavor, it really helps take away the mental thought of ingesting something that tastes "green." Also, I will say it's the first CBD oil that I've used that I feel actually helped to take the edge off some pain. I highly recommend checking out 43CBD and their products!</p><p><a href="https://us.monsroyale.com/">Mons Royale</a>-<br />Wool...I have fallen in love with wool and wool blends pretty darn hard. I discovered this brand through a friend, and before our trip to Copper Harbor, I went a bit wild with purchasing some key pieces that quickly became favorites. One thing I like about Mons Royale is their fit descriptions and I felt that they helped me make educated guesses on which size would fit me best depending on the fit. If it was very loose, I sized down to an XS and if it was more fitted I stuck with a size Small. I was also thrilled that any item I chose that had long sleeves, the sleeves were long enough to actually cover my wrists! I was also able to successfully utilize the thumb holes without having my hands hurt because the sleeves were too short because the sleeves were just right. I found my "Goldilocks" of apparel for fit, style, and comfort.</p><p>I really like the wind front jersey I purchased from Mons Royale. It's the perfect item to wear when it's just a "wee bit" chilly or you're having a mixture of temperatures that might be slightly cool but not freezing cold. When we rode the Point Trail in Copper Harbor it worked perfectly! I did have a wind jacket to wear after our stop at the Point, but once I warmed up it came off and the jersey was just right. I never knew such a thing existed and I'm so glad it does. It helps take away some of the guesswork of layering and that makes it nice for packing.</p><p>Also, the wind front jersey was surprisingly durable. I had a crash on one of our local trails prior to our Copper Harbor trip and I landed on my right side. My shoulder had a good bit of impact (kinda scraped up) and I had dirt all down the side of my (sleeved) arm. Everything came out (no stains!) and the fabric didn't look like it sustained any trauma from the crash. </p><p>I also wore one of their jerseys for 3 hot day rides in a row and was thrilled that the armpit area did not stink! Really impressed. Because it's wool there will be a pretty price tag associated, so these pieces were purchased for longevity and functionality and I feel it's money well spent.</p><p><a href="https://bit.ly/3mAAT5p">Specialized </a>Deflect Jacket w/SWAT-<br />This wind jacket is absolutely amazing. It's lightweight and easily packable and it's a jacket I'll bring with me on most rides as that crucial "just in case" piece. I wore it quite a bit in the spring months for my after-work rides on my e-bike because it kept the wind from making me chilly but was breathable enough to not turn me into a sweaty mess. It's perfect to take on trips because you can pack it into its pocket to maximize storage. It fits in my two, most used hip-packs without issue, even if I don't have it zipped into its pocket.</p><p>Sizing was tricky and I sized up to a Medium. Depending on the brand and fit I may be a XS or a Small- this jacket was snug enough in the shoulders that sizing up to a Medium made it far more comfortable, plus easier to use as a layering piece.</p><p><a href="https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras/hero9-black/CHDHX-901-master.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAkuP9BRCkARIsAKGLE8XR5bKB84WORkFH9dUkh9bosLezVSTqxQwCk4L03zh5aZL3CFXTLj4aAjYpEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#hero9blackbundle">GoPro Hero 9</a>- <br />Okay, I'll admit I seem to have a bit of an action camera obsession, however, I've been very happy with the GoPro Hero 9 and I feel it's an awesome compliment to the other two cameras I've been using. Now I just need to get Travis to use one so I can have multi-perspective footage! I have yet to use this camera to its full potential, but I feel that the updates to it have made it an excellent option for folks. Plus the removable protective lenses! That actually came in handy because during our Copper Harbor trip the protective lense did get scratched- so being able to replace it is a nice thing! The front-facing screen is definitely a nice feature. All in all, if a person hasn't purchased a GoPro, I would say the 9 is definitely worth the money if you're coming from a Hero 7 or below. This is an opinion from someone who is new to action cameras and have only the GoPro Hero 7 and 8 to compare with. </p><p>Because of this additional camera, I felt compelled to start my official <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdM_xwfjviu7jxfdSUhMwQg?view_as=subscriber">YouTube channel</a>!</p><p><a href="https://www.nubusnacks.com/">NuBu Nut Butter Bites-</a><br />These crunchy little squares saved me multiple times this season when we were so busy that lunch wasn't in the cards. To me, these taste like Butterfinger bars without the chocolate coating. My favorite is the Nut Butter Bites with Cashew. Simple ingredients, dairy, and preservative-free. A fine snack for at work to keep me from falling into the depths of my hangry abyss.</p><p><a href="https://www.miomiclothing.com/">Mio Mi-</a><br />The Mio Mi masks have been my go-to for masks because of the fun colors and the elastic bands that go around my head rather than around my ears. I feel that if one has a small face, this is an awesome mask to go with as it covers what it needs to cover without feeling obtrusive or overly large. There is a nose wire to fit the mask to your face, which is quite nice. Unlike some other masks that I've used, it doesn't suck into my mouth when I breathe. The big thing for me was the ability to get a mask with an elastic band that goes around my head vs. just around my ears. I can handle bands around my ears for shorter periods of time, but for an all-day workday, it drives me nuts. They put pressure on points that end up giving me headaches for some reason. I really like how this mask is virtually a "set it and forget it." If I never had to blow my nose, I could wear this mask all day without any sort of adjustment. It's super comfortable! Plus, if you pull the mask down, it stays around your neck which makes it super easy to pull back up.</p><p>Tifosi Swank Sunglasses-<br />For a daily driver of sunglasses, these run $25 bucks and are just great! They are super comfortable, fit small faces nicely, and are durable. They are simply a decent pair of sunglasses for the price and I highly recommend them.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DecorahBicycles">Decorah Bicycles</a> has some options in stock!</p><p>Camelbak Solstice 10 LR hydration pack-<br />This is not a current hydration pack option, so if you are looking for one you'll have to see if you can find one somewhere online. Anyway, this hydration pack was one I took on my trip to Roam Bike Fest in 2019 and was utilized a lot this season when I went on my "Trashy Rides" to pick up trail trash. It's a substantial pack in size, but the bladder is lower on your back which helps distribute weight. When I went on my trash pick up rides, I didn't have the bladder in the pack so I could maximize space for carrying...well...crap.</p><p>I had enough room for essentials, my hand saw, a couple trash bags, and my maple syrup packets. </p><p>Otherwise, it's my favorite pack for carrying my GoPro equipment if I'm wanting to have a more casual day on the trails. I like using the zipper pouch for housing batteries and an extra SD card. The middle pouch without a zipper holds my larger tripod, and I have ample room for whatever else I may need!</p><p>What sold me on this pack was the upper-middle pocket is a soft-lined pouch that holds my phone! Easy access to my phone while keeping it protected is a big deal to me, and this was just perfect. </p><p><a href="https://www.specialized.com/us/en/flux-1250-headlight/p/187419?color=300762-187419&searchText=49121-1610">Specialized Flux 1250/1200 headlight-</a><br />I started off the earlier riding season with the Specialized Flux 1200 light and I thought it was pretty darn awesome! I liked that it had a wide beam pattern and for using it on my handlebar, I felt like I could see relatively well. (I prefer to mountain bike with a helmet-mounted light.) Early season riding I'd have the light on so I could illuminate my way home during my evening rides when it would start getting dark around 8:30/9 p.m. </p><p>Eventually, they came out with the updated version of the Flux in a 1250 format, and in the box, they provided you with a bar mount and a helmet mount! At some point, I will go on a night ride with both of these lights to see how they work for a longer ride. My issue is that I dislike having extra weight on my head, so night rides end up being somewhat short because I'll get a headache after about an hour of riding with a light mounted on my helmet.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zg-8r2pBjB4/X80_H1mTqtI/AAAAAAAAjUM/3_hFuPmOu0swKa1lJLxkyYsX3FajDa8CACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_143724.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zg-8r2pBjB4/X80_H1mTqtI/AAAAAAAAjUM/3_hFuPmOu0swKa1lJLxkyYsX3FajDa8CACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_143724.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://andersonsmaplesyrup.com/product-category/pure-fuel/">Anderson's Pure Fuel Maple Syrup packets-</a><br />If you cannot stand the texture of energy gels, but love maple syrup, this is the perfect riding fuel for you! It's literally maple syrup, but it's a dark and flavorful syrup that is so incredibly delicious. I love that it's all-natural and it's a good boost for when you need that quick sugar. It's not going to cause gut rot and it's lovely to sip on. It's become my go-to for trailside snacking on longer rides and I'm thrilled that I don't have to force myself to consume energy gels anymore.<p></p></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-10666142939948639792020-11-14T16:45:00.000-06:002020-11-14T16:45:09.166-06:00Bike Life Ramblings: To Drink or Not To Drink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UqBscfi2UrY/X7Bbdt6AN2I/AAAAAAAAi68/5--x1DDof90gHq4jQNjD5DQeNpyWRDQxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1795/IMG_20201112_092320_885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1795" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UqBscfi2UrY/X7Bbdt6AN2I/AAAAAAAAi68/5--x1DDof90gHq4jQNjD5DQeNpyWRDQxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20201112_092320_885.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>At the beginning of November, I decided that a break from alcohol was in order, simply because I felt like it. There wasn't a monumental moment that made me decide to stop drinking beer, I didn't have a massive hangover or anything of the sort, but I simply wanted to take a break to reevaluate my relationship with it.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know when it happened, but over the past couple of years, I started to question my relationship with alcohol. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, for the past year or so, I've found myself feeling a bit indifferent towards beer. The thrill of trying a new IPA was not as great as it was before, and trying a new beer that didn't meet my flavor expectations was a letdown. Something shifted and I started questioning more and more WHY I drank in the first place.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd say the idea of drinking beer came to fruition more or less because my step-dad drank beer when we milked cows every night. I felt that if I learned how to appreciate beer, my relationship with my step-dad would strengthen because we could bond over a shared beverage. We've had beers together a couple of times, and in those moments I felt included and it made me happy...because all I ever wanted was a man who I considered to be a father, to love and accept me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Growing up, I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world to have two men who were father figures in my life. I had this idea that if something happened to one, I would have a backup. I'd always have a dad in my life, no matter what.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now fast forward to 2020 and my mom and step-dad are getting divorced. Sadly, my relationship with my step-dad disintegrated over the past several years, and not necessarily by my choice. I won't say that I was perfect with trying to cultivate our relationship, but after so many attempts of trying to invite him over to visit or include him and not getting a response...I gave up. This happened before my real dad passed away in 2018. I feel like the loss of my dad, Steve, and the overall loss of my step-dad in my life sent me into a downward spiral of sadness. Now that things are officially moving forward between my mom and step-dad, it feels obvious that I'm no longer a part of his life. I'm accepting of his decision and with that, why not take a break from alcohol? It only seems fitting to do so, because I feel like part of my drinking was to be more accepted by other people- not necessarily because I felt that it added value to my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have absolutely nothing against folks who drink, but I know that I need a break from it on a personal level. In 2018 I indulged slightly more than I usually would because the pain I had from losing my dad was so great. The stresses I encountered from being shoved into a world of unknown adulting were overwhelming. Beer was a security blanket. I also felt that it helped me when I would have extremely painful nerve pain episodes. I'll admit, I used it to help me cope to a degree. Even tho I wasn't getting drunk, I feel that having beer for me should always be a simple pleasure, and not for coping. Instead, I looked at beer more like something to get me through the darkness. The reality was this: I was depressed and my anxiety was through the roof. Beer wasn't the answer, but I felt like it was good enough at the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been suspecting my gut hasn't liked high alcohol content beer for a while now, but it's my favorite kind, so I did what many other folks likely do and ignored it. When I took a break from drinking in January 2020, I found that my gut felt happier and in theory, I should have continued my sober journey but I went back to beer within a few months. Basically, beer was my cozy sweatshirt and I didn't want to let it go.</div><div><br /></div><div>The idea of eliminating alcohol from my life has been something on my mind since late 2019 and into 2020. Being it was an idea that kept coming into my thoughts, I figured it should be something that I legitimately take the time to investigate long-term, and not just for a month. When I did my first sober month I relied on tea and sparkling water as replacements. This time I wanted to find some other options without alcohol or classified as NA to try. I feel that a sober life shouldn't be boring and that I could use it as an opportunity to try something new!</div><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qu_fsTnVGzE/X7Bbo8ryyTI/AAAAAAAAi7A/Cvg5E6E6Aa0NP9ZPdP2hCfkUJ_i_JR1WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201109_145758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qu_fsTnVGzE/X7Bbo8ryyTI/AAAAAAAAi7A/Cvg5E6E6Aa0NP9ZPdP2hCfkUJ_i_JR1WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201109_145758.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>I'll be rambling some on JBL about this personal sober journey, and I'll talk about the NA and alcohol-free options I've discovered that have made the transition enjoyable. I'm not here to preach alcohol-free living, but I hope that my rambling about this topic might help folks who are flirting with the idea of trying a sober month or more to go ahead and give it a go. You have absolutely nothing to lose and you'll gain a better understanding of yourself, your wants, and your needs. Cheers!</div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-24029953204417263162020-10-25T16:05:00.009-05:002020-10-28T16:43:43.137-05:00Bike Life Adventures With Dirty Gertie Vol. 5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EGV1exYg0I/X5XkLiYc1aI/AAAAAAAAimo/yqmTMpqlQZURtM4FvV_M9vH_KMvKag3PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201019_151243.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EGV1exYg0I/X5XkLiYc1aI/AAAAAAAAimo/yqmTMpqlQZURtM4FvV_M9vH_KMvKag3PgCLcBGAsYHQ/w181-h320/20201019_151243.jpg" width="181" /></a></div>Well, folks, I hate to say it but it feels like the (dry) riding season is winding down and that makes my heart a little sad. <div><br /></div><div>Thankfully, Travis and I were able to sneak in a day trip to Levis Mound with our EMTBS (!!!) to see how they would perform.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div>It would be my longest Emtb ride away from home, and I was curious about how the battery life would fare (would I ever need a range extender?) and in general, see how I would feel riding my bike somewhere else for a change.</div><div><p></p><p>Dirty Gertie and I have established a comfortable relationship on our local trails, tho I will say we still have some kinks to work out when it comes to what tires I'll eventually run and be happy with on a regular. </p><p>I have had some stunning accidents on this bike, and every time I feel it has had something to do with the tires not being grippy enough. One lives and learns and sometimes just has to accept that part of mountain biking nerdery is experimenting with tires.</p><p>Now, let's get back to what you're really wanting to know. How was riding the Levo SL at <a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2019/09/bike-life-adventures-levis-mounds.html">Levis Mound</a>?</p><p>Overall, I would say <a href="https://www.clarkcounty.wi.gov/for-trails-levis-mound">Levis Mound</a> is equal to Decorah when it comes to being a fantastic proving ground for pedal-assist mountain bikes (Emtbs). Sure, there are a lot of awesome trails that have less elevation but if you want to see some majestic views you need to climb to the top. (The overlooks and such are well worth the climb, for sure!)</p><p>We started our ride on some of the lower-lying trails with a goal of making sure to hit up a trail named Wolf Run. It has an awesome wooden berm that originally freaked me out when I first saw it, but after riding it a few times, it gives this awesome adrenaline rush!</p><p>The day we rode at Levis wasn't going to be warm by any means, the high for the day stayed roughly around 34 degrees and it was mostly overcast. Being that we would be riding Emtbs, I dressed with an additional layer as I knew I wouldn't be working quite as hard as I would be on an acoustic bike. (acoustic bike=bike without battery or motor.)</p><p>Back home I've gotten used to riding my Emtb with my custom Trail mode setting. I changed the Trail setting to be more of a "one and done" setting so I wouldn't have to go back and forth between Eco, Trail, and Turbo. Because of that tune, I hardly ride in Eco and I rarely use Turbo- except when I absolutely feel like I have to. However, being that this was my first time riding somewhere else with my Emtb, I opted to start with Eco mode. One because most of the riding we were doing at the time was relatively level, and second, I didn't want to use up my battery power quickly. </p><p>Honestly, when we started our ride I was feeling out of sorts. I was nervous for whatever reason- maybe it was the tires or just being on an Emtb for the first time on mountain bike trails in weeks. Also, Levis is roughly a once-a-year trip so I remember some stuff but not all, and I always seem to get surprised by something on our trips- but that makes it entertaining and worth coming back to.</p><p>Overall, going from riding an acoustic mountain bike to an Emtb does take some getting used to. Even tho I have ridden my Emtb a lot this season, if I have an extensive break from riding it on the trails, I found I had to get used to having assistance. For being in an area that I don't ride on a regular basis, I found that Eco mode was perfect. It gives just enough to take the edge off, but it doesn't overpower the whole experience. I only bumped it up to my Trail setting a few times during the ride, and that was when we were doing extensive climbs. Because the temps were much colder than I have been used to for some time, I appreciated having that extra boost. Cold air and my lungs do not mix, and it's often something that can trigger an asthma flareup. </p><p>If I had not had assistance, I can guarantee that with the climbs we did, my lungs would have gone past the point of just burning and I would have been having coughing fits that would last several minutes long. It would mean longer stops between riding making two cold humans even colder, which would greatly decrease the enjoyment of our ride.</p><p>So many folks seem to believe that riding an Emtb takes away all effort, and I can assure you as I look back on my GoPro footage, I had times where my breathing was up and I did break a sweat. I'm not blasting around with reckless abandon, I'm legitimately riding a bike and the assistance allows me to 1. ride longer with less strain on my knee and 2. breathe more easily when my lungs are working or the air is cold.</p><p>Truth be told, I spent many hours on my Emtb this year, and it was definitely a wonderful tool to add to my quiver. I imagine that I will find it to be ridden many times next season as well, if not for rides after a long day at work, then for picking up litter on our trails. However, as much as I love my bike, I know it's not something that will take the place of all of my other mountain bikes at this time. Not all mountain bike trails are open/accepting to Emtbs on them, even if they are strictly pedal assist, so I make sure to do research and ride my Emtb where they are allowed.</p><p>I may not look like a human that has anything going on that would be physically limiting. I would say I'm one of those folks who looks completely normal on the outside, which can be confusing to some as to why I love riding my Emtb so much. This season was one of the most enjoyable mountain biking seasons I've had, all things considered. Breathing wasn't an issue and my knee wasn't problematic- to be able to go out and put in double the usual miles was awesome!</p><p>Riding my Emtb has been a great learning experience this season and I am so happy to own one. Please know I'm not telling you that you <b>have </b>to go out and buy an Emtb or any other Pedal-Assist bike, but I am asking that you do not knock them until you try them. Maybe it's not something that would be particularly beneficial to you, but it could very well be beneficial for someone you know. You may have heard stories of folks on Emtbs or other Pedal Assist bikes riding disrespectfully out outside of their limits. In my opinion, if folks are riding Emtbs or Pedal-Assist bikes recklessly and/or act disrespectfully towards other trail users it's more of a personal issue than a bike issue. I think they would act that way no matter what bike they are on. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWMZE3w_m4w/X5XkUS9igDI/AAAAAAAAims/67dCpSaITWwMACsTttKtsVxtQJGUC6PIACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/20201025_154521.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWMZE3w_m4w/X5XkUS9igDI/AAAAAAAAims/67dCpSaITWwMACsTttKtsVxtQJGUC6PIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201025_154521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In closing, I feel that the <a href="https://www.specialized.com/us/en?wly_id=JosieBikeLife">Levo SL</a> is an absolutely awesome tool that I can see many folks adding to their quiver of bikes. It doesn't have to be the daily driver, but it can certainly add some depth to the riding season by allowing one to explore more ground and give their bodies a break while still getting out for a ride. In terms of battery life, we had plenty of battery left that we could have easily done a second ride if our extremities hadn't gotten cold. I feel confident saying that if I'm riding somewhere more "pedally" and less climb-intensive, I would have zero range anxiety. We rode over 17 miles and had over half of our battery power left (roughly 63-65%) All in all, a fabulous day of riding in which the only reason we quit was because of the cold and not exhaustion.</p></div></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-23735991091676055742020-10-13T17:17:00.005-05:002020-10-13T18:06:37.510-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation Pt. 5<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o84FZquNOSI/X4YlyJm02JI/AAAAAAAAiTs/qqSpIOlwvREU5MGB-a7Vmssmp-V_rab8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1253/20201013_163615.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1253" height="345" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o84FZquNOSI/X4YlyJm02JI/AAAAAAAAiTs/qqSpIOlwvREU5MGB-a7Vmssmp-V_rab8ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h345/20201013_163615.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>It's Sunday, and that means that after we get one last breakfast out of the way, we will be heading towards Iowa to go home. The mountain biking adventure isn't quite over yet, as I was able to have us sneak in one last stop. <br /><p></p><p>We would make our way to <a href="https://www.trailforks.com/region/river-falls/?activitytype=1&z=14.4&lat=44.88626&lon=-92.63744">River Falls, Wisconsin</a> to ride at Whitetail Ridge. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KinniOffRoadCyclists">Kinnickinnic Off-Road Cyclists</a> build and maintain the trails. (KORC)</p><p><br />We were dressed and ready to ride when we pulled into the parking lot. It looked to be a busy trail day as there were several vehicles in the lot. I hoped that this trail system, even if it was smaller, would be built as such to spread folks out some.</p><p>Upon researching before we arrived, I found an updated <a href="https://kinnioffroadcyclists.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/newmap.pdf">trail map</a>, which I downloaded to my phone. I still had Trailforks up as a backup. However, you'll see if you look at the map vs. Trailforks, Trailforks is not 100% complete now and some of the trail names have changed. Without asking, I assume that with the work that is going into this growing trail system, folks decided to have more family-friendly names (which I do not disagree with.) </p><p>The experience visiting these trails I would say would have benefited from having a local guide to take us out. We definitely got turned around, slightly lost (or were we adventuring?), and experienced some minor frustrations trying to figure out where the heck we were in spots. </p><p>There are some signs, but there are many intersections or places where trails cross in spots and you legitimately have no idea where you're going if you aren't familiar with the area. I tried to use Trailforks, but because it's not 100% current, that little blue gps dot did nothing to inspire confidence. We legitimately threw caution to the wind, developed a case of the f*ckits, and rode our bikes, hoping that everything would somehow fall into place.</p><p>Luckily, for the most part, it did!</p><p>I knew there was a fun wooden feature somewhere on the trails and I knew that Mullet had a tech section that would be challenging due to how steep it was. We managed to accomplish both of those plus I believe, hit most of the other singletrack options that weren't jump-intensive.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBgEcqCHYnw/X4Yl6rI8r6I/AAAAAAAAiTw/nJgqVyaqM3UxRVBq8IstrgQGotU70DvwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/20201013_163531.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1013" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBgEcqCHYnw/X4Yl6rI8r6I/AAAAAAAAiTw/nJgqVyaqM3UxRVBq8IstrgQGotU70DvwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_163531.jpg" /></a></div><p>Visiting the trails at Whitetail Ridge didn't disappoint, but it definitely made me appreciate trail systems that seem much easier to navigate. <a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/01/bike-life-adventures-decorah-mountain.html">We live in an area</a> where many out of towners get confused by our local trails due to unmarked intersections, so we know that sometimes you just have to roll with it. It's all about finding some sort of positive out of the cluster that is feeling lost/like you're going the wrong direction/etc.</p><p>If you are driving through the area, I would say it's definitely a spot to check out so you can get some fresh air and stretch the legs. My hope is that in the future, their trail signage will be further updated. Perhaps an additional kiosk or two, or at least something at the intersections so a non-local knows which way goes where. Nothing makes a person feel stressed out quicker than showing up to an intersection and having zero clues as to which direction to take. Had we not been in a COVID year, I would have tried to seek out a local guide if I had known there would be so many mysterious intersections. A great map isn't helpful for someone who is directionally challenged if there aren't any markers to navigate by. Like I said, I'm definitely not disappointed that we stopped. I think that KORC is creating an area that will have a lot of great riding options for a variety of riders. </p><p>I was sad to leave because it meant that our mountain biking vacation was over. As we left our final destination, we started rolling by farm country again. I sighed. I missed the trees I saw when we made our way to Michigan. I love trees. I knew, even tho my heart would miss seeing the woods, the kitties would be thrilled to have us home.</p><p>When we pulled into our garage, I quickly left the truck to get inside as fast as possible to see our cats: Cordie, Phoebie, and Figgy. As much as we needed time away to rest, reset, and spend some quality time together, I sure did miss the kitty kids. Let me tell you when you're the cat magnet when you're lying in bed (as in, having 1-2 cats on you/by you at all times) it's hard to fall asleep.</p><p>Soon, the work week will start up all over again and the trip somewhat fades back into memory as if it were a dream. There are plenty of photos for me to look at, and probably way too much GoPro footage. Now I'll have to work on compiling all of that footage into some sort of video or two, and I'm not sure how long that will take. At least I'll be able to relive the adventure!</p><p>Some folks might question why would we travel during a COVID year because as we found out, it did make certain things a little more challenging- like food.<br />I guess because we don't see COVID entirely disappearing. It's almost like we're practicing to have it be something that will be around for years to come. So, take the opportunity to practice safe traveling now so that if things do calm down, we know what we need to do to feel safe and comfortable.<br /><br />Also, our activity was an outdoor activity. We didn't ask folks to ride with us or anything. Legitimately we kept to ourselves 99% of the time. Truthfully, I felt the safest in Copper Harbor when it came to how things were being handled. I have extreme sympathy for the community as being it's a tourist town, I can only imagine how stressful it can be for some of the businesses. We did our absolute best to be polite, abide by local restrictions, sanitize, and give some income to the local businesses.</p><p>I felt less comfortable in Hayward in certain areas: one being our first motel and second, eating inside a restaurant. I guess partly because there weren't any restrictions on the number of folks in place and I didn't feel as tho there were any social distancing measures taking place. It was a lesson learned and we changed how we did the next two mornings to make ourselves feel more at ease.</p><p>All in all, I managed to (mostly) successfully, create a great mountain biking trip away for the two of us, even with COVID precautions in place. Now, we wait and see what the next year brings. Hopefully, we can have a great Minnesota mountain biking adventure trip in early October if we feel that it's safe enough to do so.</p><p>This has been one heck of a year, and I'm not sure if folks truly realize how much some time away for Travis and me was needed. Having a bike shop during this first COVID year has been a whirlwind adventure to be sure. It was nice to be able to get away to ride bikes together, sleep in a little, smile, laugh, and just have fun. I love our road trips because we can be goofy together. I find 80's rock stations, play my air guitar with reckless abandon, and we say the darndest things to each other. Life feels good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vzh0hUGvC24/X4Ymx_dSUsI/AAAAAAAAiT8/BnLmYdswXpg3X_zLdSH7H9zgUDAf_LWogCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201008_084713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vzh0hUGvC24/X4Ymx_dSUsI/AAAAAAAAiT8/BnLmYdswXpg3X_zLdSH7H9zgUDAf_LWogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201008_084713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Travis is slowly coming to terms that I firmly believe we need some sort of vacation every year. So this is a fair warning to him and everyone else reading- it's going to happen again, and that's a promise.</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-84101931625858714862020-10-13T16:13:00.004-05:002020-11-30T19:37:55.667-06:00Bike Life Adventures: Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation Pt. 4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oEfPwzYMzxs/X4YQ9a92S7I/AAAAAAAAiSE/TZbiAxWBbfsfHudb8fkwW8moDGDF2_89QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201009_111530.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oEfPwzYMzxs/X4YQ9a92S7I/AAAAAAAAiSE/TZbiAxWBbfsfHudb8fkwW8moDGDF2_89QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/20201009_111530.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Friday would be our Hayward mountain biking adventure day and I had our route all planned out. I had decided from looking at the map, we should ride the entire Ojibwe trail, which would intersect with Dirt Candy, and then we would ride Dirt Candy back to the Ojibwe trail. <div><br /></div><div>In my mind, I thought this would be the best and least confusing way. We wouldn't have to worry about parking on some random road, also wouldn't have to worry about riding too many miles (in case my knee blew up) and we would be riding two trails that would be new to us.<div><p></p><p>Let me get straight to the point. Dirt Candy was fun. The Ojibwe trail was not so fun. I guess I should say that even with what I read about the trail, my mental image of what it would be was more positive than it should've been. It is <i>the</i> definition of old school singletrack with some rock garden spots and roots. It was just a chug fest on our Stumpjumpers (We did the whole "Run what ya brung" and only brought one style of bike for the entire trip and the Ojibwe was slow going on our Stumpies. Yet at the same time, having that cushion wasn't so bad.)</p><p>I was excited to see the wooden feature that we would ride over/under on Dirt Candy. I love wooden features like this one or well-built wall rides/berms. This was impressive!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e12TG1BQML0/X4YROEzHeAI/AAAAAAAAiSM/o-YKhTj6ZJIMeqQwXwnyEdC95pPZu9wLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_153854.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2019" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e12TG1BQML0/X4YROEzHeAI/AAAAAAAAiSM/o-YKhTj6ZJIMeqQwXwnyEdC95pPZu9wLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_153854.jpg" /></a></div><p>Also, the start of the day had stressed me out and I could definitely tell that my riding was being affected by it. I was holding back. I felt nervous. I was hesitant to try stuff. Certain things started to freak me out. On <a href="https://www.trailforks.com/trails/dirt-candy/">Dirt Candy</a> I did go off of a drop feature of sorts and had some okay attempts at it solo.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_OQv9eaaC4/X4YRdXVuLcI/AAAAAAAAiSQ/o-b1usNHSfYJHFddpWc80PJWNvKltgztACLcBGAsYHQ/s1116/20201013_143544.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1116" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_OQv9eaaC4/X4YRdXVuLcI/AAAAAAAAiSQ/o-b1usNHSfYJHFddpWc80PJWNvKltgztACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_143544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Later in the trail was a narrow wooden drop that had a landing further down/away. I did that drop twice, and both times I landed terribly, tho the first was worse than the second. I stayed on my bike, but my handling was poor. I'm not sure what it was...the feeling of being on something more narrow. The leaves at the bottom of the landing. Whatever it was, I decided I was lucky to escape without eating sh*t, thus, would not attempt it anymore.</p><p>To watch Travis go off of different features is amazing. He may not have cared for his technique or how his Stumpjumper handled some of the time, but damn. Travis is much braver than I when it comes to certain things. I mean, look at him! He's like 50 feet in the air or some sh*t!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6cVWt7w38A/X4YRlhDwA_I/AAAAAAAAiSY/B-npWYiVEIce0bs3DFnAqzS0TwI2rpgKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1207/20201013_143717.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1207" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W6cVWt7w38A/X4YRlhDwA_I/AAAAAAAAiSY/B-npWYiVEIce0bs3DFnAqzS0TwI2rpgKACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_143717.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>At the end of our ride, I was feeling extremely down. I felt like I had taken us down a turd slide that plopped us into a proverbial pool of sh*t. It wasn't the ride I had been expecting, and I know that I had a hard time trying to stay positive when a bunch of stressful crap was looming over my head.</p><p>After we made our great escape to the new motel, we grabbed food at the grocery store and ate in our new and comfortable room. I had been doing some heavy pondering as we had run into a fellow right before we started on the Dirt Candy trail who lived in <a href="https://bayfield.org/what-to-do/south-shore/">Bayfield, Wisconsin</a>. His local trail system is the Mt. Ashwabay trail system and he said it was absolutely awesome. His directions were that it was "40" minutes away....and by that, it's really 1 hr and some minutes away. (Haha!) Either way, with a fresh start/fresh room and feeling more uplifted and motivated, we decided that we should make the drive on Saturday to check out <a href="https://www.trailforks.com/region/mt-ashwabay/">Mt. Ashwabay.</a> Ultimately, our travel plans for next year will be more Minnesota based if all goes well, so we didn't want to miss out.</p><p>My research ahead of time chatting with mountain biking friend, Brady, made it sound like it could be potentially awesome. You do have more climbing than in Hayward/Cable, but you have more downhill, too! Plus, they have a trail named Trogdor! We had nothing to lose after a somewhat crappy 24 hour time period. This could be just what we needed.</p><p>Breakfast on Saturday was from Perkins, which was within walking distance. Travis ordered a breakfast that could have fed probably 3 people, and I had a California Eggs Benedict. I have no complaints. Yoke-y egg, avocado, and hollandaise sauce....happy Josie.</p><p>The drive to Bayfield was nice and it felt like we were heading back into Copper Harbor territory (almost) and the overall feel and vibe of the area was pleasant. I appreciate Hayward, but this felt more...I'm not sure...Homey? Plus I could say hi to Lake Superior once more!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llFlEVVsWHg/X4YVoUn-2aI/AAAAAAAAiTg/Z4rvEakv6V4kJnTiDb4wKRoSamEJ2k4wwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201010_134223.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-llFlEVVsWHg/X4YVoUn-2aI/AAAAAAAAiTg/Z4rvEakv6V4kJnTiDb4wKRoSamEJ2k4wwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201010_134223.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>For being a Saturday, the trailhead we parked at didn't seem too busy. I wore bright colors as hunting season was happening in Wisconsin, plus I figured I (we) would be more noticeable to other trail users if I was a color bomb. I was also super excited that my socks matched my gloves. </p><p>The trails at Mt. Ashwaby are well marked, plus you ride several directionally, which eliminates the worry of riding them "wrong." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4b7qTYcVY6o/X4YS7RKSQcI/AAAAAAAAiSo/etPlRxGeOQQwwJVwUIJIjZBI0lmW3D0nwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_143810.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4b7qTYcVY6o/X4YS7RKSQcI/AAAAAAAAiSo/etPlRxGeOQQwwJVwUIJIjZBI0lmW3D0nwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_143810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>As soon as we were able, we hopped onto <a href="https://youtu.be/mm-aovm1axQ">Trogdor</a> and made our way to the scenic overlook. A kind person offered to take our photo (Finally! A non-selfie photo!) We proceeded to make our way down, which was an absolute blast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb7BTUzVz5E/X4YTEp_PPqI/AAAAAAAAiSs/zY2g0PeBzf0a64GrwkIaBr1hfBqXagYgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201010_132110.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb7BTUzVz5E/X4YTEp_PPqI/AAAAAAAAiSs/zY2g0PeBzf0a64GrwkIaBr1hfBqXagYgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201010_132110.jpg" /></a></div><p>We ended up riding Hoot'n Hollow, which had a healthy dose of climbing but some awesome fun downhill. I noticed on an uphill climb that someone had decorated a tree stump with some Disney princess figurines. I was so busy looking at the decorations that I didn't pay attention to the climb I was on and my back wheel zipped out over a tree root. Ha!</p><p>After we rode the trail we took a short break near the intersection where several trails meet up. I saw some riders coming up a trail and saw Jay Henderson. I've not met him in person, but I know him from images that his wife, Kristy, posts. Kristy is someone I interviewed a few years back for Josie's Bike Life, and she's also a fellow <a href="https://www.specialized.com/us/en?wly_id=JosieBikeLife">Specialized </a>USA Ambassador. I saw someone who I thought looked like her coming up and called "Is that <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kristykreme612/?hl=en">Kristy</a>?!" Yeah! I finally got to meet someone I've known through the magic of the interwebs. How fun!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuekCc8rlsM/X4YTNbyrOtI/AAAAAAAAiS0/vwCrY966oJI6hkYqLjLsI_Pno6Fu45yNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201010_134406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuekCc8rlsM/X4YTNbyrOtI/AAAAAAAAiS0/vwCrY966oJI6hkYqLjLsI_Pno6Fu45yNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201010_134406.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We took the group's recommendation of riding Tsuga Daddy next, which is also the longest trail in their trail system. (6 miles) and yes, it was fun. Probably would've been more fun on a bike other than the Stumpjumper, but it was still fun.</p><p>What I thought was cool was to see literal families out mountain biking together. You'd see a mom, dad, and kid(s) out having a great time. Mt. Ashwaby really has something for everyone, and for those who are experienced riders, you have features off to the side you can go off of, or you simply learn how to ride fast in a controlled manner, or you can challenge yourself with some technical climbs on certain trails.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLn3IDO2iZU/X4YTXX3bB3I/AAAAAAAAiS8/cMIJYs7M_sYJMRd554QJeuvcASvVCzuMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201010_151606.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLn3IDO2iZU/X4YTXX3bB3I/AAAAAAAAiS8/cMIJYs7M_sYJMRd554QJeuvcASvVCzuMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201010_151606.jpg" /></a></div><p>We were there for a few hours and rode every trail in the system and had logged over 20 miles of smiles for the day. It was the first time since riding The Flow trail in Copper Harbor that we both were complimenting each trail we rode after riding it. There was always just enough fun descent to make even the more challenging trails totally worth it! I give this trail system a 10/10...highly recommend it. Honestly, I want to come back and ride these trails before riding the Hayward/Cable trails again. They were that darn good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MxkN5hJx34/X4YThuUENvI/AAAAAAAAiTE/jbRhH3bA2D45ehWQpAVWRpHhmlprzc-7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_144026.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MxkN5hJx34/X4YThuUENvI/AAAAAAAAiTE/jbRhH3bA2D45ehWQpAVWRpHhmlprzc-7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_144026.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We stopped at a park on the way back to Hayward so I could see Lake Superior one last time. It was a sandy beach, so I wasn't going to be able to rock hunt so much. It was still pretty to see, and I always love hearing the sound of water crashing against rocks/shore.</p><p>When we got back to Hayward we stopped at the grocery store to pick up food for our supper, I bought one last round of beer and headed back to our room. I was again happy and feeling rejuvenated, which was the point of our trip: Spending quality time together outside of the bike shop while mountain biking new trails.</p><p>Stay tuned for the final installment of Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation! <a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/10/bike-life-adventures-team-greensmith_81.html">Part 5</a> will highlight the mountain bike trails located in River Falls, Wisconsin.</p></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-61070424646871183722020-10-13T14:13:00.008-05:002020-10-14T12:47:53.473-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation Pt. 3<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbGUW58kUG4/X4X4UCrybPI/AAAAAAAAiQk/9bU92B0QX0Acxiujmk93gdmwqmJKKwYCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_130848.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbGUW58kUG4/X4X4UCrybPI/AAAAAAAAiQk/9bU92B0QX0Acxiujmk93gdmwqmJKKwYCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/20201013_130848.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Waking up on Thursday morning was hard to do, because I knew it meant we would be leaving Copper Harbor and that made me sad. I hadn't expected Copper Harbor to warm my soul as much as it did, but it definitely brought some much-needed happyness* into my life. <p></p><p style="text-align: center;">I had hoped we would be able to see some beautiful fall colors, and boy did the upper peninsula provide!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_b36KHawIBg/X4X7XT92-NI/AAAAAAAAiRo/dkNHwMbPvPIUwjy46creZY--yLQiwyIhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_140706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_b36KHawIBg/X4X7XT92-NI/AAAAAAAAiRo/dkNHwMbPvPIUwjy46creZY--yLQiwyIhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_140706.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>For breakfast on this day, we would walk over to <a href="http://www.jamsen.biz/">Jamsen's Fish Market</a> to procure some <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fishmarketandbakery/">baked goods.</a> I would finally get my ever-elusive doughnut and then some. There were several baked good options to choose from because we got there early in the morning. I opted for a chocolate cake doughnut with thimbleberry frosting, a Cheddar/Bacon/Chive scone, and a salted caramel cookie. Travis got a glazed doughnut, a turnover, a smores cookie, and a blueberry scone. Oh, yeah, I got some coffee too!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fQhVbnV-oe8/X4X4_AwVt_I/AAAAAAAAiQs/n9z51u3dI8gf4RAXByREpJVCAatsMUlpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201008_075750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fQhVbnV-oe8/X4X4_AwVt_I/AAAAAAAAiQs/n9z51u3dI8gf4RAXByREpJVCAatsMUlpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201008_075750.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We walked briskly back to our room as it was a bit chilly that morning. I moved a chair over to the sliding doors that would take you out to the little porch area and sat, eating my doughnut and watching the sun continue to rise. As soon as I warmed up enough, I went out with my coffee to take some final photos of the lake.</p><p>We packed up the truck and headed to visit the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine_Mountains">Porcupine Mountains</a>, a state park that has a place called the <a href="https://www.porcupineup.com/lake-of-the-clouds/#">Lake of the Clouds.</a> You pay a small fee for a day pass, which would allow you to hike on the extensive hiking trails (which we didn't do due to time constraints), see the overlook, and more. </p><p>When we got to the parking lot specific to the Lake of the Clouds, we opted to have a snack. I chose my cheddar/bacon/chive scone. Now, it should be known that I have this wild desire to absolutely love scones- but I've never had one that made me go "Damn, this is a good scone" that is, until the moment I took a small bite.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NV361p73Lw/X4X5GjEaOGI/AAAAAAAAiQw/MUErtfcWJ_c9EL48ZxoNGOgl6JhjDJczwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_130516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6NV361p73Lw/X4X5GjEaOGI/AAAAAAAAiQw/MUErtfcWJ_c9EL48ZxoNGOgl6JhjDJczwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_130516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I swear light shone down from the heavens upon my head as I could say nothing but "Oh my gawd...OH MY GAWD...Wow...(chew chew chew)....OMG....What the heck?!...Oooooh....WOW." This was pretty much me the entire time I ate that scone. I fell in love with scones. I fell in love with THAT scone. I damned myself for not buying 20 of them. For not eating one every single day that I was in Copper Harbor. This, my friends, is a scone made of dreams. Crunchy scone exterior with a soft inside, crunchy baked cheese, savory inside, chunks of bacon...just everything. I swear. Unicorns fart out these scones. It's that good. So, if you go to Copper Harbor you MUST get the cheddar/bacon/chive scone from Jamsen's Fish Market. You will absolutely, without a doubt, not regret it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7r0FFOlFdQ/X4X5NToOXZI/AAAAAAAAiQ0/m7auCNjO45MpOqqEdtbo2n7X3shr5-sBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201008_105922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7r0FFOlFdQ/X4X5NToOXZI/AAAAAAAAiQ0/m7auCNjO45MpOqqEdtbo2n7X3shr5-sBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201008_105922.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>(Now, back to the Lake of the Clouds...)<br />Beeeyyoootifulllll!!!</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEbHZXnH3NU/X4X5sGcTgnI/AAAAAAAAiRI/1Q7h-kGmAMgw7dM3P08HrNphEKUw2OrbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_130943.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEbHZXnH3NU/X4X5sGcTgnI/AAAAAAAAiRI/1Q7h-kGmAMgw7dM3P08HrNphEKUw2OrbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_130943.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>We walked up the rocks to the first lookout. Nothing gives you a greater pause than to soak in the scenery of a place so beautiful. I can't say enough how majestic everything looked. Even tho we didn't spend half the day hiking the trails, just being able to see the Lake of the Clouds was totally worth it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xy-Ilbywqoc/X4X5nsdC_7I/AAAAAAAAiRA/3adVhIreuDEnU5HbPLA_-OyTCVTO2nntACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_131100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xy-Ilbywqoc/X4X5nsdC_7I/AAAAAAAAiRA/3adVhIreuDEnU5HbPLA_-OyTCVTO2nntACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_131100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>On the way back down to the main road, we stopped at a spot so I could get out and try my hand at rock hunting for a bit. We found some neat driftwood, sea glass, and some Michigan rocks. I also found another small agate that was a neat cream/peach coloration.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfv9lh2ecTo/X4X54pNvZ8I/AAAAAAAAiRM/qe281KxL4lcHW_qBGHTg8dkgCZx7s1y2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_131135.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfv9lh2ecTo/X4X54pNvZ8I/AAAAAAAAiRM/qe281KxL4lcHW_qBGHTg8dkgCZx7s1y2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_131135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After I bid farewell to the lake one last time, we made our way to Hayward, Wisconsin. Hayward is an area we've enjoyed over the past several years when we would attend the Chequamegon MTB Festival. This would be our first time experiencing Hayward without thousands of mountain bikers visiting all at once. It's silly, but I didn't realize what a difference that would make. Anyway...onward.</p><p>We pulled into a motel we've stayed at once a year for the past several years while we attended the Chequamegon MTB Festival. This place is definitely considered "budget" but the location is so damn good and we would be able to house our bikes in our room if necessary.</p><p>I'm not going to name the location, but if one is curious please feel free to ask. Those who attended the CMTB will likely know where we stayed, and I give this warning: DO NOT STAY THERE AGAIN.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">*Big sigh*</div><br />We went inside to check into our room, we were told by a fellow working outside that if his wife isn't at the counter to come out to get him and he'd assist. No one was at the counter, so I sent Travis out to get the fellow. This is now when stuff goes wrong. (<i>Author note: I will talk about mountain biking in the next installment, let's get this adulting 101 trainwreck out of the way, first.</i>)<p></p><p>I booked online, but I didn't use Travelocity or any other site, but I went to the branch site that was specific to the Hayward motel and booked online like I had in the past. The fellow said I had booked two rooms. WTF? I had a single confirmation email that showed I had booked 1 room. I showed him the screenshot I took of the confirmation email and was then told that I shouldn't book through Expedia/Travelocity/etc. I told him that I booked through the motel's website, and he assured me that I couldn't have done so. Either way, he said he'd cancel the second room even tho he shouldn't, and then asked if we wanted an outdoor room or we could upgrade to a King bed inside. Well, it's vacation, so why not go King and be inside. The times we've stayed in the outdoor room were okay, but you always walk into a room that smells like 20-year-old cigarettes. I knew the indoor rooms didn't smell that way. Plus, the time I stayed in an indoor room when I attended the Borah Epic MTB race, I had perfect wifi.</p><p>We get the room keys and unload the truck, when we're starting to unpack in the room we hear a knock on the door. The wife tells us that she wants to show us another room in case we might like it better and that she hadn't been in to inspect the room we were just given to make sure it was clean, etc. Long story short, we opt to keep our current room.</p><p>Okay. Sh*t here is just plain weird now. We were also concerned because the fellow said the place would get rowdy on the weekends, and whenever we stayed it wasn't ever an issue. However, that's because it's mountain bikers coming to race (I suppose) so anxiety started to rise as more folks started to check into the motel. </p><p>We walk over to the grocery store to pick up some snacks/beer and walk back. We find something to watch on T.V. and I try to calm my nerves. I felt horrible. This wasn't what I was expecting, not one bit. The whole situation seemed to lack professionalism and let's be real, the room wasn't great, to begin with. It was literally the only place we stayed where I took sanitizing spray to hard surfaces because we felt skeeved out.</p><p>The next morning we go over to the Hayward Family Cafe to eat breakfast and came back to our room to get changed for our day of mountain biking. It was somewhere around 10/10:30 a.m. when the person who was doing housekeeping opened the door and started to walk into our room. We literally had just finished putting on our last bits of clothing. There was zero announcement of someone entering, no knock on the door...nothing. What IF we had been doing anything else other than getting dressed?! Talk about awkward. I was freaked the f**k out. My anxiety had shot through the roof so much so, that when we were out mountain biking I had to pull off to the side of the trail to cry.</p><p>Fast forward to us back in the room after our ride. We notice it's super warm, and we start to do the logical thing like check the thermostat, turn the heat down, turn the AC on. I shower. Travis showers. It's 90 degrees in the room. We panic. I do something I've never done before- I throw in the towel and I attempt to see if we can get in at a different motel. Success!</p><p>We packed in a hurry, checked out early, and made our exit. We both felt like we were doing something entirely wrong, but at the same time, we needed to do this for our mental sanity. If stuff can change in a year, let me say, it changed for the worse. </p><p>In our new room, I instantly felt comfortable and at ease. The folks in the lobby were wearing masks, the room was clean, and it felt SAFE. A professional establishment in which housekeeping knocks on the door and announces themselves before entry. The bed was smaller, but the world felt brighter, and that's all that mattered.</p><p>(<i>Fast forward to the present and I'm still reeling from the first motel experience. Not only was it a sh*tshow, but I have also been double charged. Charged on check-in day and charged again the next day. I called and talked to the fellow who checked us in, who was still adamant I couldn't have used a website other than Travelocity or some other site to book online, who said he'd have his manager call, to which at this time I have received zero phone calls. I have contacted the credit card company and communicated to 3 other emails tied to the motel chain, which at this time have all gone unanswered. I am assuming I will be out that money in the long haul and will take this as a valuable adulting lesson. To boot, I will not ever touch that establishment with a 10-foot pole. I don't care to leave negative reviews, but do want to share this experience so folks do not make the same mistake I did. At this time I'm keeping the recap of that experience here and in the emails I sent, but do not plan to post anything else publicly about the situation.)</i></p><p>So on that note, we shall end this recap of the Team GreenSmith trip and get to the good stuff! In the <a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/10/bike-life-adventures-team-greensmith_55.html">next installment</a> of this vacation tale, we make our way to ride the new Dirt Candy trail and explore an entirely new trail system!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii3B4sP7qzk/X4X6BnDlwNI/AAAAAAAAiRQ/EtmUrlHOldk5HKl-oYTtETLGFXEqEetRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/20201013_131232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ii3B4sP7qzk/X4X6BnDlwNI/AAAAAAAAiRQ/EtmUrlHOldk5HKl-oYTtETLGFXEqEetRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_131232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2019/09/bike-life-adventures-living-happyness.html">*Happyness</a>: It's how my dad spelled it in a letter he wrote to me that I found after he passed away. So I spell it this way because it makes me happy.</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-56624266420312903852020-10-13T11:16:00.004-05:002020-10-28T16:47:20.919-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation Pt. 2<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU288--Aojo/X4XDt8u-GPI/AAAAAAAAiOA/4MCNfpbSEA4IG0-G_is4E5jFHCMvwWvlACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_101009.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OU288--Aojo/X4XDt8u-GPI/AAAAAAAAiOA/4MCNfpbSEA4IG0-G_is4E5jFHCMvwWvlACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/20201013_101009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Continuing on from Part 1, we now dive into riding in Copper Harbor. With the two days we had to ride, I planned for us to do two different mountain bike rides.<br /><br /><div>Day 1 would be <a href="https://copperharbortrails.org/">legit mountain biking</a> with the purpose to hit some features I saw on YouTube prior to our trip. <br /><br /></div><div>Day 2 would be an adventure-focused mountain bike ride on <a href="https://copperharbortrails.org/keweenaw-point-trail">the Point Trail</a> to take us to the literal point of the Keweenaw Peninsula. This would be more or less an all-day destination ride that would be a mixture of mountain biking and biking on some jeep/gravel roads.<p>Because of COVID and all of that jazz, and us wanting to be self-supportive/socially distanced, we didn't utilize any sort of shuttle service. We also decided that we would ride up <a href="http://www.copperharbor.org/things-to-do/scenic-drives/">Brockway Mtn. Drive</a> rather than bike up some of the 2-way trails as we preferred the idea of <b>1. </b>Not running into folks blasting down and <b>2.</b> I wanted to see some of the scenic views from the road area that I read about.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKkf8cWNAyg/X4XEb7krfwI/AAAAAAAAiOU/QO7foiWVpbIiiWhkD7HFWFc_CsGYz9aqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_101336.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKkf8cWNAyg/X4XEb7krfwI/AAAAAAAAiOU/QO7foiWVpbIiiWhkD7HFWFc_CsGYz9aqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_101336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We did indeed see some gorgeous scenery, but this is also where I started my first round of navigational bumbles. I didn't want our ride to start on The Flow trail and have us ride all the way back up again right away, so I was on the lookout for other trail options on the side of the road. However, I think with my focus on climbing up a steep paved road, I missed some telltale signs. Using Trailforks, we navigated our way back down to a section of trail that ultimately took us to Danimal.</p><p>There are many YouTube videos for Danimal, a trail boasting some sizeable drops for someone of my extremely limited experience to attempt to do. It does turn more into a jump trail after those drops, which I do completely suck at. No matter. The goal of Danimal was to do the drops. Drops are something that ignites a spark of wonderment and excitement laced with fear. It's that moment of being in the air...the float. I've always wanted to fly. I just didn't want to land with my body slamming into the ground like I did on the Luge trail back home right before our trip. Ouch.</p><p>There was a good bit of trailside hemming and hawing. Travis said we could come back later if I wasn't feeling it. I worried about getting lost and actually NOT making it back. (Logical worry). I also didn't want to tell myself it was okay to wait and then just not do it. The way I looked at it, there was no going back. I had to commit and I had to commit early on into our ride. </p><p>This is a good <a href="https://youtu.be/jfooy73OKtM">YouTube video</a> to watch of a ride through on Danimal. Now, as with all action cameras, it does this magical thing where it makes what you're riding look super EASY. Somehow everything looks less "big" or less "steep."</p><p>For me, it took several attempts of Travis leading me in to do the first drop. A good bit of it was figuring out speed. You have to ride up a steep ramp to get to the top, get a few pedal strokes in, and be going at a good enough speed to clear everything but also get yourself into a good body position so you can land proper. I get the gist of all of it, but with so few things of height to practice on back home, I'm literally learning on the trail.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5teXkPP1kU/X4XGPfxnZtI/AAAAAAAAiOg/4lk2rs9eNJU4mWq1ViGwuOWey4h3k-3_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/20201012_192708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z5teXkPP1kU/X4XGPfxnZtI/AAAAAAAAiOg/4lk2rs9eNJU4mWq1ViGwuOWey4h3k-3_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_192708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I had Travis pull me in a few times until I started to feel comfortable. I was making small steps of progress and eventually felt comfortable enough to do the feature on my own, without Travis in front of me. Even tho my technique wasn't 100% (thank goodness for squishy bikes) I still feel I improved from where I started. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M16cHK7S8uY/X4XINxCHR9I/AAAAAAAAiOs/v8XTogi5oqwSkxAR9lq-1iICdqgP__nKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201006_122105.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M16cHK7S8uY/X4XINxCHR9I/AAAAAAAAiOs/v8XTogi5oqwSkxAR9lq-1iICdqgP__nKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201006_122105.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The second drop feature, I never did feel as comfortable with to do it by myself, but I did feel comfortable to session it with Travis leading me in. I'm not sure why my comfort level varied. I suppose it might be because you come in at just the slightest turn...either way, I was successful in going off of that feature without injury/crashing/etc. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf451yNn2CU/X4XIXeF24WI/AAAAAAAAiOw/6bkdZdPiaBYiKV9FEiBmqDx0pfWtjQMUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_102525-01.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1912" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tf451yNn2CU/X4XIXeF24WI/AAAAAAAAiOw/6bkdZdPiaBYiKV9FEiBmqDx0pfWtjQMUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_102525-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Now we come to the part of the journey that most of the YouTube videos don't show or talk about. You're on a mountainous hill so that means after you've ridden down you're going to have to ride UP. I suspected this and was mentally prepared for it, but Travis wondered what the bleep was going on. (Insert giggles here.) </p><p>Also, as much as I tried to use Trailforks, I still got us stuck in a weird wormhole of a circle. I never ride with my phone on the bike (as I do crash and I care about my phone a lot...) so there was a lot of stopping at intersections, walking spots, thinking I was getting us up where we needed to be and instead we went down where we didn't want to be. We knew there were some trails we just didn't care to experience on this trip, so we ultimately had to accept that this is the adventurous part of mountain biking in a new area.</p><p>Not all trails in Copper Harbor are like Danimal and The Flow. You'll have spots where you'll have awesome descents, then you plateau, then you climb. Some of the trails have some "old school" tech like rocks/roots. Basically, don't expect everything to be manicured, hard dirt- you indeed <a href="https://youtu.be/EbHYn2Q6w9I">earn your turns.</a></p><p>Eventually, we ended up back down to a road and I basically gave up. My internal compass is broken. If the blue dot isn't on a trail, I'm utterly lost. So our game plan was to swing back to the motel for a quick break, have Travis eat some food, and we'd ride back up Brockway Mtn. Drive to hit up The Flow trail.</p><p>On The Flow trail, earlier in, I had to stop and get a picture of my beloved <a href="https://www.specialized.com/us/en?wly_id=JosieBikeLife">Stumpjumper</a>, Frankie G. The trees were just so beautiful and I couldn't help myself. Seriously, I had been doing a really good job of not taking too many photos (or making Travis take them for me...hehe)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DlMcaP7uto/X4XJPJhNF2I/AAAAAAAAiPA/3oiYKecivaouohxLheLKUjl8FrzopS2KQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_103355.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DlMcaP7uto/X4XJPJhNF2I/AAAAAAAAiPA/3oiYKecivaouohxLheLKUjl8FrzopS2KQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_103355.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>A kind fellow rode by and asked if I was okay, and we let him know that I was just snapping a photo of my bike. Later into the trail, we rode by him and he had been doing the same! He said I inspired him, and he followed behind me for a way down the trail.</p><p>Whomever this rad dude was, he was an exemplary mountain biking human. This is a guy who has been mountain biking as long as Travis, who had no problem following behind someone who was new to riding a legit downhill flow trail (there were times I was afraid of how fast I was going, so I would use my brakes some...especially around some of the berms as I have a tendency of hitting them high and worry about overshooting off the top. Trust me, it's happened to me before!)</p><p>He told me to ride my pace. He was totally fine with it and could understand where I was coming from as I didn't come from an area that has trails like The Flow at all. He lives in a similar area...you have what I call "triangle climbs"...basically your straight up/down stuff. It's punchy. You don't have 10 minutes of downhill. All in all, this is a guy that gets respect for being a person who wants folks to have fun mountain biking and isn't annoyed by those of us who are learning to embrace The Flow. Literally.</p><p>After a bit, Travis did pull off to the side when it plateaued out and we let the kind dude go by. To be honest, I was super grateful for the break, because riding a constant downhill works different muscles and I was definitely tense! (But having a BLAST!) It was great to catch my breath and calm my heart rate. After the break, we continued on and had a great end to our ride that day. I wish we had more time before the rain came to ride The Flow again, but unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Now, the great food mission begins. Would Travis and Josie be successful with finding supper? Stay tuned!</i></p><p>Insert Travis and Josie walking in the rain to the place they hoped to eat at, given they were arriving at a weird (what they assumed) off-time. Heckn' Nope. </p><p>Well, <b>fart</b>. </p><p>So, being that Travis and Josie are already wet, they walked to The Genny to see what was there. Worst case scenario, they would buy some stuff (other than beer) to sustain them through the night. Beer was indeed bought because when else are you going to get Michigan beer other than in Michigan? Also purchased were some fun sodas with ginger. (Okay, only one was good.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tw_2P4Zz6t4/X4XKvDG-YKI/AAAAAAAAiPM/HK8mTnyJJNIQNTyEzyZl7wu0SQE4ad6jgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_095609.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1475" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tw_2P4Zz6t4/X4XKvDG-YKI/AAAAAAAAiPM/HK8mTnyJJNIQNTyEzyZl7wu0SQE4ad6jgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h288/20201013_095609.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Backup plan #3 was on tap.<br /><a href="https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/1.32/9ac0c5/#/select">Order pizza</a> from The Log Cabin located at <a href="https://www.mtbohemia.com/">Mount Bohemia Resort.</a><br />Woodfired pizza...and order 4 of them so we have supper for two nights! (Or more!)<br />It actually worked out slicker than sh*t. <br />You order online and choose a pickup time, and they scan a QR code that is emailed to you. Poof! Done. We had food. We wouldn't starve. Plus, it's pizza.<p></p><p><i>A self-care note: I utilized my <a href="https://www.43cbd.com/">Ultra Deep Tissue 43 CBD salve on my knees.</a> I did this every night after every ride day to help my knees stay happy. My legs definitely were fatigued by the end of our journey, but neither knee blew up! Highly recommend the products from 43 CBD, especially the salves. I really love the Ultra Deep Tissue kind as I love IcyHot type products, but the smell is much less obnoxious.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YHHAr7V0bc4/X4XMpx-hhtI/AAAAAAAAiPY/VFQlMxF-WIMWjUbFUiPJKH8Wg2F9zjs4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_104127.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YHHAr7V0bc4/X4XMpx-hhtI/AAAAAAAAiPY/VFQlMxF-WIMWjUbFUiPJKH8Wg2F9zjs4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_104127.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The next day we had breakfast at Tamarack Inn once again. I had the same (#5) and again...no complaints. The eggs were perfect over easy and I was super duper pleased. Today would be our nearly 30-mile ride out to The Point and I wanted to make sure I was well fueled for the ride.</p><p>On our way to the first portion of the KPT, we stopped to see the <a href="https://www.waterfallsofthekeweenaw.com/manganese-creek/manganese-falls/">Maganese Falls</a>. It's not the most impressive waterfall you'll ever see but it's still pretty! It's kinda the whole "When in Rome" sort of thing. Stop and see the bits and pieces, especially when you know it's not going to be a trip retaken any time soon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGjkcWNAbVM/X4XMz_bFu0I/AAAAAAAAiPc/NY84w-nh4rEfU0_Hg1uVOqZq_yXsBnmawCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_111347.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGjkcWNAbVM/X4XMz_bFu0I/AAAAAAAAiPc/NY84w-nh4rEfU0_Hg1uVOqZq_yXsBnmawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_111347.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Because of my wonderful internal compass...we added on a few extra miles after we completed Phase 1 of the Point Trail. Go figure! (To make myself feel better, I tell myself I just wanted to see more of the beautiful fall colors.) Just so you know, when you are riding down a jeep road and you see a gated area to your right with a "No Trespassing" sign, look closer. It's where you want to be. For reals.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyHKWtCkBrA/X4XNFJS5LOI/AAAAAAAAiPo/_ywZmFcccBwwPllsBuAegWBdP28ilhl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201013_095907.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iyHKWtCkBrA/X4XNFJS5LOI/AAAAAAAAiPo/_ywZmFcccBwwPllsBuAegWBdP28ilhl-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201013_095907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>On the second leg of the ride, you come to a spot where there looks like there used to be a bridge or they are working on putting one in. You stop dead in your tracks for a second and wonder "How the heck?!" Then you see that folks either use momentum to ride down into the creek and up the steep hill or you hike a bike. (Which I opted to do. Travis was able to ride the section both ways!)</p><p>All in all, I would say that the KPT provides a really entertaining adventure ride. You get to ride mostly singletrack, you ride up and down some stuff that you didn't think you could do, and you get to experience the joy of a destination ride. I can't tell you how much my heart swelled up once I could hear the sound of waves crashing on the rocks. I literally teared up. It was the perfect sized adventure ride for me- something that could be done in a day, pretty easily marked, and beautiful scenery.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gPNIUBGJcoU/X4XNP5PgtgI/AAAAAAAAiPs/hH_TmudoSscUoxIitXDEl_zuMV8AeOz_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_144947.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gPNIUBGJcoU/X4XNP5PgtgI/AAAAAAAAiPs/hH_TmudoSscUoxIitXDEl_zuMV8AeOz_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_144947.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We spent a good bit of time on the beach looking for neat Michigan rocks. I found a few smaller agates, which I was thrilled about because I wasn't expecting to find any at all. I also spent time simply enjoying the sounds of the waves. I love and respect water; it hits me in my soul.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1qskG75neE/X4XOO1IBu5I/AAAAAAAAiQE/pAD869QvAr8xnFAotekoVDtUfAS070XBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_144713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1qskG75neE/X4XOO1IBu5I/AAAAAAAAiQE/pAD869QvAr8xnFAotekoVDtUfAS070XBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_144713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After having some maple syrup and a small Twix, we decided to make our way back. The ride back did not disappoint! We did not ride down Flo'Rion for this trip as we were both happy enough to not add more climbing into our day, plus Travis was really excited to see how the trail we rode up would be riding down. (Think of it this way...we had nearly 20 miles at WinMan, 25ish on Copper Harber mtb trails, and then almost 30 for this day of riding. Tired legs!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2ETpoh9brI/X4XNZP1vaMI/AAAAAAAAiP0/eaut5K8SWycrHhIpx21MEk9sukoQY7q7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_170503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2ETpoh9brI/X4XNZP1vaMI/AAAAAAAAiP0/eaut5K8SWycrHhIpx21MEk9sukoQY7q7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_170503.jpg" /></a></div><p>When we rolled back into town, we utilized the bike wash at the main trailhead. Copper Harbor had gotten a good bit of rain overnight and our bikes were totally trashed (as were we!) </p><p>Back at the motel, I grabbed a beer and went outside to sit in a chair and enjoy the view of Lake Superior. I was tired, but my heart and soul were happy. I love riding and I love long rides that push me to my limits in a non-competitive way. I feel that the area is a healing area, it sounds hokey, but I don't care...I think those who visit the area know what I'm trying to say. For those who haven't visited, I feel it's something that is a must-do at least once in your life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ai5dOLyCK2I/X4XNij4SOKI/AAAAAAAAiP4/hhbjzPf8LcEawPoeStqiwFIx0bUgzrX4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201007_172316.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ai5dOLyCK2I/X4XNij4SOKI/AAAAAAAAiP4/hhbjzPf8LcEawPoeStqiwFIx0bUgzrX4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201007_172316.jpg" /></a></div><p>Stay tuned for more Team GreenSmith adventures! <a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/10/bike-life-adventures-team-greensmith_4.html">Part 3</a> will talk about the world's most amazing scone, beautiful views, and the worst motel stay to date.</p></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-64444339818557334572020-10-12T18:04:00.006-05:002020-10-13T18:03:27.765-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation Pt. 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AL6kCjuEGEc/X4TRr9IFmuI/AAAAAAAAhdY/Qb3DdfTX9eU1tAX5KSh3svqVP13U_YlRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201004_112330.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AL6kCjuEGEc/X4TRr9IFmuI/AAAAAAAAhdY/Qb3DdfTX9eU1tAX5KSh3svqVP13U_YlRQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/20201004_112330.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>When it comes to planning a vacation, my words of wisdom are: Preparation is great for when it works out, but keeping an open mind is essential at all times. <p></p><p>This was my first time taking the reins on trying to plan out a mountain biking trip all by myself (figuring out where to ride, lodging, food, etc.) <br /><br /></p><p>It was, all in all, a worthwhile experience, and I would say, pretty successful. I did encounter unexpected hiccups, but the good thing is even with foiled plans or quick changes, Travis and I were able to have a great time away from the shop to enjoy mountain biking for several days.</p><p>Part one of the adventure starts with us packing up our adventure truck and heading to Mercer, WI. We would be staying at the <a href="https://cranberryinnofmercer.com/">Cranberry Inn</a> overnight and ordering food to go from the restaurant. As we went further north, the drive turned out to be beautiful. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQh7l5uTJhE/X4TR_KNLPtI/AAAAAAAAhdg/AwbIrJVcHKcqjQA-MEoOGPWUjQvwFMILQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201004_171257.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQh7l5uTJhE/X4TR_KNLPtI/AAAAAAAAhdg/AwbIrJVcHKcqjQA-MEoOGPWUjQvwFMILQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201004_171257.jpg" /></a></div><p>We had to go to the restaurant portion to check-in, which worked out well because we could grab a menu to look over for what we would want for supper. We had a corner room and in general, the whole thing had a cozy cabin feel. Everything was very clean and the room had a comforting feeling. The bedding was minimal, which during COVID times, is understandable. We had brought a blanket just in case I would need it, but the one thing I never bring and should, was a pillow. The only negative about the place was the pillow, and usually, I'm a person who can sleep on just about anything. <b>The lesson for Josie #1:</b> Bring some sort of pillow that you can sleep on okay but aren't going to cry if you accidentally leave it behind. (I left a pillow once, thankfully got it back, but that literally scarred me for life and that's why I don't bring pillows on trips.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4JLzHwDkis/X4TUdaZy1II/AAAAAAAAhi4/DsSsfbgMUxI5SC9m7ITg688qYzxlEpCiACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201012_170326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1901" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4JLzHwDkis/X4TUdaZy1II/AAAAAAAAhi4/DsSsfbgMUxI5SC9m7ITg688qYzxlEpCiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_170326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Supper from the Cranberry Inn was very good. As you can see, someone had a very big appetite as I truly only ordered the sandwich with fries. I did steal some cheese curds tho because we're on vacation so why not?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkMjNBFjUkk/X4TTScDWkEI/AAAAAAAAhgI/DD-aZrsTVXka4a_2QKxuUg4wZg-g2RbxACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201005_083203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkMjNBFjUkk/X4TTScDWkEI/AAAAAAAAhgI/DD-aZrsTVXka4a_2QKxuUg4wZg-g2RbxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201005_083203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Breakfast would be ordered from the <a href="http://mwaurora.com/">Aurora Borealis Cafe</a>, which wasn't too far of a drive from the Cranberry Inn. Originally I hoped to hit up a breakfast spot not far from the Cranberry, but upon double-checking their hours on Facebook I had seen they had been broken into and were closed temporarily. The breakfast from Aurora Borealis was good and I enjoyed having fuel in the proverbial tank for the mountain biking we'd be doing.</p><p>We would be heading to Winchester, WI to ride the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WinManTrails">WinMan Trails.</a> I had heard about this trail system from a friend of ours and from following their Facebook page, I was very keen on seeing what it was all about. </p><p>WinMan Trails has a chalet (which during COVID may not be open.) They have a large kiosk area with a map, donation box, and other news. They also had a picnic bench and an outdoor changing area (which I thought was rather neat!) The parking lot was spacious, too. (Granted, it was a Monday, but there seemed to be ample room.)</p><p><a href="https://www.winmantrails.com/mountain-bike-trails/">WinMan Trails</a> truly has something for everyone (personal opinion)<br />You have 14+ miles of machine-built trails (and more to be added!) that provide riding for all levels of folks to enjoy. You had fun, fast, flowy descents. Climbs that didn't make you feel like you would pop a lung out. What I loved was you had features you could ride around if your comfort level wasn't there yet. The best part for me was being able to session some stuff to ready myself mentally for what we might see at Copper Harbor. Visiting this system during a weekday morning was perfect because I was able to session a drop feature numerous times without worrying about being in the way. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ji0-QMNqb8/X4TX1yGUNdI/AAAAAAAAhtU/VoiM5U6qNyIukyem6tetOJIGRM4Bvmv-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1113/20201012_171634.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ji0-QMNqb8/X4TX1yGUNdI/AAAAAAAAhtU/VoiM5U6qNyIukyem6tetOJIGRM4Bvmv-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_171634.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The other thing I liked about the WinMan trails was that they are directional. You don't question if you're going the "right" or "wrong" way and that makes it so easy!<br />I had taken a photo of the map but also had Trailforks up if it was necessary and from what I can gather the Trailforks app is current/up-to-date with the trails they have.</p><p>I can't tell you which trail I liked most because it was our first time and I am not great with remembering exactly which trails we rode, but working on the drops was super fun and the exit we had going down The Twins was also a blast! (I will be working on some videos for my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdM_xwfjviu7jxfdSUhMwQg/">YouTube channel</a> to showcase the riding we did on our vacation.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHAoAZPtG8s/X4Tba8wvXmI/AAAAAAAAhu0/vSrj4rw0uN8LXqas_5HzDuVfXtDtkbzfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1426/20201012_173018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DHAoAZPtG8s/X4Tba8wvXmI/AAAAAAAAhu0/vSrj4rw0uN8LXqas_5HzDuVfXtDtkbzfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_173018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>All in all, we had a solid ride for the day and I was sad to leave! Really, I would have loved to have ridden longer, but at the same time, we still had some driving to go before we would reach Copper Harbor.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVsrm-NvFYU/X4TWwL48NaI/AAAAAAAAhqU/UI6aq1cm2-gR65KNTO6NtTUkgXCyuU-DgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201012_165149.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vVsrm-NvFYU/X4TWwL48NaI/AAAAAAAAhqU/UI6aq1cm2-gR65KNTO6NtTUkgXCyuU-DgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_165149.jpg" /></a></div>Now, the drive to Copper Harbor...oh my goodness. Beautiful. When you drive through what feels like a never-ending canopy of fall color...my heart melted. We checked in at a cute lakefront motel called <a href="http://www.bellavistamotel.com/">Bella Vista</a>. The room was small but spacious enough for us and our bikes. You had a door leading out to a deck that ran along the backside of the building that gave you a glorious view of the lake/harbor. The bed was comfy and the pillows were just fine for my head! Overall the room was clean, it had a scenic view, and it was cozy/comfortable.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAE-iXBWUFg/X4TXasgEN-I/AAAAAAAAhsc/gPozyw-Fr4UkjnVhkwqPeajVG_O1o_ttQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201012_165228.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAE-iXBWUFg/X4TXasgEN-I/AAAAAAAAhsc/gPozyw-Fr4UkjnVhkwqPeajVG_O1o_ttQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_165228.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Now...when I mentioned above about the whole being open-minded...well, that's because my well-laid plans didn't work out quite as expected when it came to supper. See, the dates that I chose for our trip fell on days that some restaurants weren't open, and that made it extremely interesting/tricky. Especially because Michigan was going through a tough COVID time and would soon be having to step back in capacity numbers in businesses, etc. By the time we got going to see about ordering food to go from an establishment, they had already reached capacity and weren't accepting any to-go orders or additional dine-in. It would be a giant question mark if we would be able to get any food from there at all.</p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thegenny">The Genny</a> was also closed, so we couldn't grab food from there. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/copperharborfuelstop/">The Fuel Stop</a> was also closed. Same story. This was one thing I did not properly plan for and it would be one unfortunate situation where Travis wouldn't have a solid meal and that would make us both feel grumpy and frustrated. I drank a beer with bitter feelings towards myself while Travis ate chips & salsa along with whatever other snack foods we brought that would curb the growls from his stomach. Zero points for Josie.<div><p></p><p>I promised that we would make the next day better. No matter what, we WOULD find FOOD somewhere. </p><p>To start off our morning, I made sure we got up super early so we could have breakfast at the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g42110-d5097702-Reviews-Tamarack_Inn-Copper_Harbor_Upper_Peninsula_Michigan.html">Tamarack Inn.</a> I wanted to give this place a shot even tho there were mixed reviews because the opportunity for a filling breakfast to fuel our ride was of utmost importance to me. I do best if I have your "meat and potatoes" sort of breakfast...as much as I love baked goods and such, I know I'd be feeling hangry soon after. Plus, if I had a solid breakfast, I can literally go without lunch. So there was some strategy in that!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39iAH_Vny8w/X4TXkdmnsbI/AAAAAAAAhsg/XDrEI22Pjp8J_hbnCrG2BauNcgUh-Gn6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201012_165344.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39iAH_Vny8w/X4TXkdmnsbI/AAAAAAAAhsg/XDrEI22Pjp8J_hbnCrG2BauNcgUh-Gn6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201012_165344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We were the second couple to be seated that morning and it was an establishment that was definitely following social distancing protocol. A limited number of persons could be in at one time and there were only so many tables. The menu wasn't filled to the brim with options, but the options available were good ones. I had a #5, which was two eggs your way (over easy), meat (bacon!), hashbrowns, and toast. Literally, my favorite breakfast. The eggs were done absolutely perfectly! I was so excited about yoke-y eggs. Over easy is a cook that I feel is very easy to mess up resulting in very little runny yoke, which means if you want a runny yoke, then you would get sunny side up and run into the possibility of runny egg whites. It's no yoke...the cook did a fabulous job. </p><p><a href="https://www.josiebikelife.com/2020/10/bike-life-adventures-team-greensmith_13.html">Part two</a> of Team GreenSmith Goes on Vacation will talk about our rides at Copper Harbor, how we survived the great supper dilemma, and more! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SGrfu5SGQU/X4TXsBl59gI/AAAAAAAAhs0/K6v9HMEjKdk8EobtKDJLsUNRqkOSyaikwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20201005_181234.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SGrfu5SGQU/X4TXsBl59gI/AAAAAAAAhs0/K6v9HMEjKdk8EobtKDJLsUNRqkOSyaikwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20201005_181234.jpg" /></a></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-77734485105160811892020-09-13T09:31:00.001-05:002020-09-13T09:31:47.165-05:00Bike Life Adventures: The Great Plan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uN1jnyPFqy0/X14qp35LUdI/AAAAAAAAhMk/XpSJX7TDKdkVyvpVII10CE0gm5wwC6joQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4000/G0095055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uN1jnyPFqy0/X14qp35LUdI/AAAAAAAAhMk/XpSJX7TDKdkVyvpVII10CE0gm5wwC6joQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/G0095055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hi friends!<br /><p></p><p>It's been a while since I've written any sort of post with my own words, and that's because...well...life? #bikeshoplife is going full force, slowing down, but at the same time, it's still as busy as ever. This is good yet also stressful. Seriously, the one thing that is making me feel just a tiny bit sane is...</p><p><i><b>Vacation</b></i>.</p><p>Yes, the bike shop will be closed from October 4th-October 13th. Travis and I, well, perhaps more myself...(JK! Both of us. <i>Seriously</i>...) need some time off away from the shop. </p><p>Not that we do not appreciate our wonderful customers, but it's been a long and stressful season. We actually pushed back our vacation a whole extra week because of the calls we received for bike rental at the end of September. You read that right. <b>Pushed back</b>. Truth be told it would be wonderful to spend some time with my husband outside of the shop. Home life is: Come home, eat supper, watch an episode or two of some show during supper, and go to bed. Obviously there is basically no quality time. For us, COVID actually made our lives busier than ever/less time together outside of work...and for those who do not work with their spouse/significant other...work time together is absolutely NOT the same as actual non-work time together. (At least for us.)</p><p>So, consider it a mutual celebration of my 36th birthday and our 3 year anniversary, because our trip (mind you a <i>very </i>socially distanced trip), will be right after my birthday and right before our anniversary. Cripes. Come to think of it, since Travis and I got married, our years have been riddled with chaotic adulting (on my end...) We didn't use the traditional vows of "For better/For Worse"...but dingdang. There has been a lot of "For Worse." </p><p>I went whole hog into planning mode after I got an "<i>okay</i>" for making an adventure (with a stop before and after) to Copper Harbor, MI. Thanks to my friend, Libby, for her suggestion! It was a bucket list destination that I put on the back burner. Now it's on the big burner up front, ha! Originally it was going to be just a socially distanced trip to Hayward, WI. Now it's a trip to visit the <a href="winmantrails.com" target="_blank">WinMan</a> trail system, <a href="https://copperharbortrails.org/trails" target="_blank">Copper Harbor</a>, and ends in <a href="https://cambatrails.org/" target="_blank">Hayward, WI </a>(and then, of course, come home.)</p><p>I can't tell you how stoked I am. Even if, worst-case scenario (we don't get to mountain bike) happens, I will simply appreciate seeing the areas we are visiting, maybe hike some, and make our #tourdepizza happen. Yup. We plan to eat a <b>lot </b>of pizza...and my goal is to eat some fresh doughnuts. </p><p>I am ready to bike.<br />I'm ready to progress. <br />Like ride some stuff that makes my butt pucker. <br />Jump some stuff (but not anything that is truly outside of my skill set as I'm technically an infant when it comes to drops/jumps.)<br /><br />The bike that I'll be riding the entire time is my custom built, S-Works Stumpjumper aka Frankie G. The Glitter Queen. Ideally, I'd love to ride Dirty Gertie, but I can't take an e-bike everywhere (yet?) so going full squish and sparkle power is what I'll be doing. I'm super confident on my Stumpjumper when riding somewhere new, so having the extra beef will certainly be helpful to me in some situations. I was halfway tempted to take Shreddy Ruger, my custom built S-Works Epic Evo, but decided the beefier tires and cushier suspension would be better suited for my style. (Which is a cautious with dramatic dreams of shred.) I know it's a "big bike" to ride in other areas (aka Hayward/Cable, etc.) but the nice thing is that elevation in those areas is less than Decorah, so I'll be fine. Here's hoping my knee will be, too.</p><p>I had a knee treatment that has kept me away from mountain biking for a while (which sucks, but the hope is that it will help me from developing water knee on the trip.) Not counting that, we just had a slew of rainy days in Decorah, so that's a great reason for staying off the bike? At least I'll have (hopefully) an epic mtb/pizza filled vacation before getting another treatment. </p><p>Look for future reviews on some <a href="https://monsroyale.com/" target="_blank">Mons Royale</a> items I purchased. I haven't been able to test out everything, but so far I've been extremely impressed and have found that I love wool and/or wool blends very much. Seriously, I have been super happy to add some color back into my wardrobe that I really love, plus have some stuff that keeps me super comfortable in cooler weather. One item is a black jersey, and I wore it 3 rides in a row, two of which were very hot/humid. Absolutely NO ARMPIT STANK! (insert heart eye emoji here.) I figured for the trip it would be nice to possibly have some items that really wouldn't need to be washed ASAP. I do plan to pack prepaired for some chamois washing, but if I don't have to worry about jerseys on top of that...awesome!</p><p>Also, I'll be trying out some products from <a href="https://www.43cbd.com/" target="_blank">43 CBD Solutions</a>! Even tho I take anti-anxiety medication, I do like to use CBD products for my annoying aches/pains. Also, they are USDA Certified organic and Orangutan safe (no palm oil.) </p><p>I've really been enjoying the whole planning process of this socially distanced vacation. It's given me something to focus on besides work. Let me say that I do not take traveling lightly and the objective is to be as safe as possible. It's been a weird year, and I feel like I can say with full truth that I've felt awkard most of the year (until we implemented a mask policy at the shop.) Since that policy came in place, I have felt less worried (to an extent.) Knowing we are going to areas with mask mandates/policies in place makes me feel a lot more comfortable. We'll be in our room as much as possible excluding actual biking/rock hunting/hiking/etc. Also, hand sanitizer, alcohol spray, and Lysol spray will be packed. #allthethings</p><p>I've been waiting for the moment we could escape and go somewhere with very little cell reception, a lot of trees, lakes, and mountain bike trails. Have no fear, we'll come back to Decorah! I also know that I'll have a huge case of FOMO and I will miss out on some stuff. In reality, until we know exactly what the weather does, who knows what we will or will not be doing. It might be hiking instead of biking for all I know. I'm totally open to whatever this adventure brings, but truth be told, I am asking my dad to bring fair weather for the trip because I really, really, really want to ride the <a href="https://youtu.be/jfooy73OKtM" target="_blank">Danimal trail</a> in Copper Harbor. Also, the <a href="https://youtu.be/Ww0vVVNUUSA" target="_blank">Point Trail</a>. Really...I want to get in as much riding as possible. My soul needs it.</p><p>It's funny, because as September dwindles, my heart gets all fluttery because October is one of my favorite months. I've always loved my birthday month...and knowing that we'll be doing something I absolutely love (be immersed in nature, ride bikes/hike, rock hunt, eat yummy food, sleep in(?), and not be sucked into my phone every 5 seconds like I am here.) I love trees. I love water. I love rocks. I'm flippn' stoked. No matter what happens, I know I'll make the best of it...and Travis already knows that we'll go back at some point. Heh, heh, heh!</p>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-63458627074639056372020-09-09T11:41:00.008-05:002020-09-09T11:47:19.791-05:00Bike Life Voices: Melody Dosanjh<div class="separator"><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEwdEwqKDi4/X1kG5VWy-0I/AAAAAAAAhLY/cMUiBSy1n88cWCQWtOyLo3lds5ALiddTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s511/melody.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="511" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEwdEwqKDi4/X1kG5VWy-0I/AAAAAAAAhLY/cMUiBSy1n88cWCQWtOyLo3lds5ALiddTQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/melody.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I am an engineer located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was born and raised here, although I spent some time out in the midwest for work. <br />I am of mixed race -- my mother's side of the family is mostly Norwegian, and my father immigrated from India when he was five. Growing up in New Mexico, there's a huge Hispanic population so the difference in my skin tone wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the most part -- it wasn't until I moved to the midwest that I felt my visual look set me apart from other people.<br /><br />As far as mountain biking goes, I picked it up a little over 4 years ago. I fell in with a group of mountain bikers and figured I'd give it a try and I became addicted to it very rapidly. </div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">There's something about mountain biking that engages my brain and my body in a way that is extremely satisfying. </div></div><div><b><br />What are your preferred pronouns?</b><br />She/her<br /><br /><b>Being a BIPOC, have you felt that you had to go the extra mile to prove that you belong in the cycling community?</b><br />This is an interesting question! As women are already at a disadvantage in the cycling community, it's hard to even dissect what obstacles I've had to overcome due to race vs. my gender. I would also like to point out that as an Indian, I see significantly less bias towards my race than others -- in fact, in some instances, South Asians have a positive bias because only skilled workers were allowed to immigrate starting in 1965 with the abolishment of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is also the same time period my father immigrated. The systemic racism that Black and Indigenous people face in the US is rooted in the history of how we've treated these people since the beginning of our country; S. Asians do not have a similar heavy history in the US.<br /><br /><b>What would you love to see happen in the industry to make it more inclusive to the lgbtqia+ and BIPOC communities?</b><br />The main thing I've been focusing on is promoting the images and voices of lgbtqia+ and BIPOC in the community. It's hard to pick a single thing to make the industry inclusive, but the first steps for the images of people of all colors, sexualities, and gender expressions to be normal. I also think there's a lot to be said about allowing space for people to control the way their content is going to be promoted -- the one thing I'm wary about is companies trying to capitalize on the current movement by bringing BIPOC on board, but still controlling their narrative and image, which leads us to...<br /><br /><b>Do you have any favorite cycling-specific organizations/groups that are BIPOC and lgbtqia+ friendly that folks should know about?</b><br />There are a ton of great ones out there, but I would start with @theblackfoxes on Instagram! They're a black-run organization promoting black cyclists of all types. I also love following Alexandra Houchin, although she does not have a strong social media presence. She does have a blog, and there are a ton of interviews, podcasts, and articles on her for those who aren't familiar. Rachel Olzer is also a great mountain biker to follow on Instagram. As a side note, while this isn't cycling specific, @pattiegonia on Instagram does great things for the lgbtqia+ community in the outdoors. <br /><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ6DoL5ac9g/XzNINmaT0iI/AAAAAAAAhDw/Pu8dg06TdUMi50slq_8gdMOJujI3NrFFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Snapseed.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ6DoL5ac9g/XzNINmaT0iI/AAAAAAAAhDw/Pu8dg06TdUMi50slq_8gdMOJujI3NrFFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h410/Snapseed.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div><b>Any final thoughts/ideas that you would like to share?</b><br />If there is any main takeaway I want to emphasize it’s that while we've always tried to label the not-white folks (first PoC, now BIPOC), it's very hard to apply blanket statements to the entirety of people who aren't white. Every racial group faces its own distinct biases, and each one needs unique solutions to it to fix it, which is hard to do for every single race. The best thing anyone can do right now is to keep an open mind, and listen to folks who aren't like you with an open heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>Diversify your feed and be open to learning things. Also be willing to make mistakes, because it will happen. It's just like mountain biking; you're going to crash sometimes, but the important part is to get back up and keep trying.</div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-15731768671033004662020-08-26T12:05:00.003-05:002020-08-26T12:05:49.465-05:00Bike Life Voices: Anne Keller<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj6bbUBbKvU/XzHRQ7t-xII/AAAAAAAAhAw/MkGqXO93-QA4zsDGy99JK58LwM-V3NYSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/IMG_4691.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1280" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gj6bbUBbKvU/XzHRQ7t-xII/AAAAAAAAhAw/MkGqXO93-QA4zsDGy99JK58LwM-V3NYSQCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h308/IMG_4691.jpeg" width="410" /></a></div>I am the founder and owner of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7yg2PO07u8">Hot Tomato</a> in Fruita, CO with my partner Jen Zeuner. We opened in 2005 basically because we didn't really know what else to do with ourselves, thought a restaurant couldn't be too hard (ha!) and because we didn't want to drive <i>all the way</i> to Grand Junction for jobs, which left little other choice in Fruita at the time. <p></p><div dir="ltr">Prior to moving to Fruita, I lived in Moab, UT where in typical Moab fashion I worked as a mountain bike guide and at a bike shop.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">I grew up in the Seattle area in the town of Issaquah, which now has some of the most stellar biking in the state. It would have been great had mountain biking existed at the level it does now back when I was growing up there as it probably would have made my awkward teen years less agonizing.....</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><b>What are your preferred pronouns?</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>She/Her/"Hey Pizza Lady"/etc</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><b>Tell us about the Action Sisters!</b><div dir="ltr">Those bitches are formidable. They generally keep to themselves tending to their ailments, but on occasion can be coerced out when bikes and alcohol are involved. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">The Action Sisters came about when our good friend Geri Action (the original sister) needed some moral support for her entry into the 90-plus age category at Durango Singlespeed Worlds in 2009. The sisters drove all the way from their retirement in Florida to cheer Geri on and heckle and harass all the young men and women racing. The family is pretty large; Geri, Teri, Sheri, Mary, Keri and recently we just found out about our distant cousin Dairy Action; she's lactose intolerant. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H8m69SGh_M/XzHRlpNwneI/AAAAAAAAhA4/L6phK162USwL2UvtupD58sXK4-UoWevuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/IMG_4043.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1280" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H8m69SGh_M/XzHRlpNwneI/AAAAAAAAhA4/L6phK162USwL2UvtupD58sXK4-UoWevuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h380/IMG_4043.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><div dir="ltr">Unfortunately, Teri Action might be down for the count for a while; she goes in for hip surgery in a few weeks. She'll actually put the walker to good use.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><b>Have you felt that you had to go the extra mile to prove that you belong in the cycling community?</b><div dir="ltr">Not really to be honest. I've been fortunate to have always felt mostly included in the cycling community and outdoor community in general. I've been biking long enough to have been involved in the sport before it became 'cool' and I like to think that the roots of being a kind of misfit sport can help a feeling of inclusivity. To be fair, I know that the experience of people actually <i>working</i> within the cycling industry has been different, but in terms of being largely just a participant, I've always felt that it was a welcoming environment. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><b>Have you felt that you had to go the extra mile to prove that you belong in your (non-cycling) community?</b><div dir="ltr">Whew, I think that any woman in a business ownership role or leadership role will tell you that our implicit biases towards women in positions of leadership have a long way to go. That's just simply being female in business, nothing to do with being gay. Thankfully this attitude is much less apparent in younger generations, so I imagine some big leaps forward as Millennials and Gen Z age folks start opening/continue opening their own businesses.</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">One of my favorite stories is of an older gentleman who came, sat at our bar for a few hours, watched everything, and then asked our bartender "<i>So, who is the man that is behind all of this because this business is too well run to be owned by women.</i>" While he might have been the most explicit in his verbalization, that opinion is one that we have commonly felt in much more underhanded ways. </div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">I'm going to veer a little off the original question, but I'm really happy with the direction the restaurant industry is heading. The industry in general has been particularly dominated by straight, white men for so long in regards to who gets recognition and exposure. In parallel to the timing of the outdoor industry examining diversity and inclusion within its ranks I do feel that the restaurant industry has also been taking a long hard look at itself lately. The recognition of women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC folks in the food industry is finally happening. It's not that restaurants haven't been diverse, particularly culturally; it's an industry that has a long history of diversity as the economic barrier to entry in restaurants is typically low enough, (provided it's not some fancy crazy build out or in expensive urban areas or resort towns) that food establishments have long been attractive business opportunities to immigrant communities in our country. In my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful things about our melting pot country is the huge variety of food available to us. It's refreshing to see that the industry as a whole is finally recognizing places like the mom and pop Lebanese restaurant in the shopping center or the James Beard award-winning taco truck in Tucson and not just white celebrity chef culture like the Gordon Ramsays of the world. I'm not certain I'd describe our position as feeling like we had something to prove per se, but only because I'm fairly non-competitive and honestly don't really care about proving anything. However, as Women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities gain more traction in food culture, the result I imagine will be a lessening of an assumption of our incompetence by the old guys of the world :)</div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><b>What would you love to see happen in the industry to make it more inclusive to the lgbtqia+ and BIPOC communities?</b><div dir="ltr">I think a lot about my experience becoming involved in mountain biking. I started riding in the mid-nineties, which correlated to the peak of exposure of mountain bike racing in the US. There was TV coverage, there was tons of magazine coverage, sponsors, advertisements, etc. Annndddd, there were a number of prominent gay female athletes in both DH and XC racing. While I probably couldn't articulate it at the time, the idea of representation is a powerful one for me. Because of the exposure of people like the Missy Gioves in cycling it was really easy for me, as a 19-year-old gay girl, to be like "<i>Oh yeah, there's totally a place for me in this sport.</i>" We know statistics of group involvement because there's been a number of social studies that tell me that if I look around at a given activity and I see no one that looks like me, It's unlikely I will consider joining. </div><div dir="ltr">While representation doesn't answer all the questions in terms of participation; we have very big economic and access based hurdles to figure out in our sport, I do think it is a powerful driver for inclusivity. </div><div dir="ltr">I support the trend of many big companies right now publishing media content and advertising content using athletes from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. If we hope to broaden our participation it's really important that all of us see a place in the sport. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4--wJ73y2M/XzHR0tc2MtI/AAAAAAAAhA8/kF6dK20-ct0LIrJ9lxcMuy8eLu_sHsYJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/IMG_4161.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4--wJ73y2M/XzHR0tc2MtI/AAAAAAAAhA8/kF6dK20-ct0LIrJ9lxcMuy8eLu_sHsYJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h342/IMG_4161.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><b>Do you have any favorite cycling-specific organizations/groups that are BIPOC and lgbtqia+ friendly that folks should know about?</b></div><div dir="ltr">I think People for Bikes has been one of the first major mainstream bike organizations to start having the conversation around participation and accessibility. In terms of general outdoor groups, as of yet I don't think they've done anything cycling specific but the Venture Out Project is doing some great things for LGBTQ+ folks in regards to hiking and backpacking. </div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-82913703895518471612020-08-12T14:48:00.011-05:002020-08-16T15:39:27.282-05:00Bike Life Adventures With Dirty Gertie Vol. 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-2OHAULwo0/XzH4cWXToCI/AAAAAAAAhBQ/JSIOWE4CsFY0gAocZ7-ia0wOQc_d3PajACLcBGAsYHQ/s1350/IMG_20200802_202344_467-01.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-2OHAULwo0/XzH4cWXToCI/AAAAAAAAhBQ/JSIOWE4CsFY0gAocZ7-ia0wOQc_d3PajACLcBGAsYHQ/w328-h410/IMG_20200802_202344_467-01.jpeg" width="328" /></a></div>Alrighty, I'm coming at ya with another review on my Specialized Turbo Levo SL because I finally put it to the ultimate test. We had a mini-DHPT meeting and went on a group ride prior to, and during the group ride I was able to keep up with whom I'll enduringly call "Da Boyz." The trio of fellows known as Pearch, Nich, and of course my husband- Travis. Travis was sweet and rode one of our rental Turbo Levo SL bikes so I wouldn't be the only one riding an EMTB. Frankly, I didn't give two toots if I showed up on an e-bike, let alone one toot. <div><br /></div><div>I knew the only way I would be able to legitimately enjoy the group ride would be to ride Dirty Gertie. </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">There wouldn't be any other way to bust out another nearly 6-mile ride after my 6-mile ride prior to the meeting without her.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearch led the ride for part of the time and I started to feel comfortable with handling Gertie at more of a race pace. Truth be told, one of the last times I did anything "race pace" I ended up crashing and landing on both knees. (I still have a bone bruise or something from that...and yes...I hear Libby saying "Knee pads!")</div><div><br /></div><div>I was a little nervous because it's been so dry on our trails as of late. Any rain we're predicted to get seems to either dissipate or move north or south. Loose rocks pose a silent threat of helping your wheel roll out from under you. Going fast and leaning in, not using your brakes so much, all things I'm working on gaining confidence with. (Big sigh.) I'll admit that my latest mishap with my neck has also put a damper on my bike handling confidence (just a wee bit.) So I'm feeling a little timider going around some turns at speed because I've been down the road of going too fast and leaning too far in when it's dry.</div><div><br /></div><div>We came to GT Park and I was feeling good. I was on Travis' back wheel and feeling very brave. Pearch said the ebike riders should go first. My heart dropped. F*ck. </div><div>Travis took off like a shot. I always had him in my sight, but could not catch up without riding what I would consider "too stupid fast" for me.</div><div>Nick and Pearch were on my tail. Anxiety welled up. I pushed myself, feeling like my heart wanted to explode in my chest. Damn, I hate when people are right on my wheel, even if they are like my adoptive brothers! Travis is sometimes on my wheel when we ride together, which often causes him to flub up if I'm too slow in a spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>We came to the intersection of Lower and Upper LBH trail to wait for the group to gather. I chugged some water. My lungs were working hard, but they didn't crest the past the point of being too overworked. Good thing, because I didn't have an inhaler with me. (Bad.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Travis took off again, Nick went second, I was third, and Pearch was behind me. I felt my nervousness slightly dissipate as I only had one rider behind me. I also felt that I was better able to keep up while we rode the upper half of Little Big Horn. At one point I almost wiped out on a corner, but that's because of my leaning over a wee bit too far. I was able to correct myself (impressively!) and continued on. (This sort of thing could happen on any bike, so don't say it's because I was on an EMTB. It was because I was pushing myself beyond my comfort zone for speed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before we rode down Gunnar, I told Pearch to go ahead of me. Aaaah, yes. Now we're talking! I was able to follow all three carrots and ride fast yet feel comfortable that no one was right on my tail. That, my friends, is what I consider to be bliss. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a person that really does prefer to have some space between riders unless the rider behind me is extremely aware and efficient at being able to pay attention to my riding and understand that I'm probably going to use my brakes, I hate having people right on my rear. I've been on the rear wheel of people before, and if something messes them up, I'm messed up. So the concept that the 4 of us were moving like literal train cars impressed yet caused me some minor anxiety. In a way, it's great because the folks behind me knew I was skilled enough as a rider that they apparently felt comfortable enough to ride with me like I was legitimately "one of the fast guys."</div><div><br /></div><div>So, that brings me to say that I am just so super stoked over this bike. I'm not telling everyone to go out and buy an EMTB or anything of the sort, but for ME it's totally bridged a gap that my body would never allow. I was breathing heavy (a combination of anxiety and going fast) but I never once reached the point where I would get "racer's cough" that would always afflict me after group rides with the guys or events. Can I say how much I enjoy riding fast and pushing my limits (yet still being safe!) and not coughing up my lungs at the end? I LOVE IT.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gertie felt planted and in control, even tho conditions were dusty. I'm glad I went back to the original (stock) tires that came on the bike as the lugs really helped to keep me upright. I had my suspension fully open because I do feel that extra bit of squish really helps to keep me stable because it's so forgiving.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, even tho the ride wasn't super long, being able to actually blast with the guys was super fun! It proves that even tho I was on an EMTB, I do indeed have the handling skills to go that fast. It's not like the bike is making me a better rider, but it's allowing me to be the rider I can be if I had the lungs of someone who didn't have allergies or exercise-induced asthma OR a bum knee. I was beyond happy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Absolutely one of the best purchases I've ever made for myself. No regrets. Zip, zilch, nada. Dirty Gertie is hands down a favorite bike of mine and I'm so grateful that technology can bring so much joy!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-69046071203289697552020-08-10T16:17:00.008-05:002020-08-10T16:25:17.205-05:00Bike Life Voices: Cory Wala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QOrBHR_u0u8/XvIP2lZ00BI/AAAAAAAAf_I/RyB3IhZp2q0RKgel68Lh6maVehsXFXDnACK4BGAsYHg/s1890/IMG_9729.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1890" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QOrBHR_u0u8/XvIP2lZ00BI/AAAAAAAAf_I/RyB3IhZp2q0RKgel68Lh6maVehsXFXDnACK4BGAsYHg/w256-h205/IMG_9729.JPG" width="256" /></a></div><div>My name is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mtbgirlcory/">Cory</a>. <br />I’m an avid mountain biker and a registered nurse.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Being a BIPOC, have you had any issues establishing yourself in the mountain biking community?</b></div><div>I haven’t had any issues, but then again, we usually keep to ourselves and just have fun.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Being on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/thedukeofmtb">YouTube</a>, do you feel that sharing your riding adventures have made you more approachable and relatable to folks in the mountain biking community?</b></div><div>Yes. I think that when people see a normal person attempting certain features and progressing on them, they can relate. </div><div>People come up to me all the time and tell me that I inspire them to try features they wouldn’t otherwise. If I can do it, anyone can.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What would you love to see happen in the industry to make it more inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC persons?</b></div><div>I don’t know if I’m the right person to ask because I never really felt excluded, and we have LGBTQIA and BIPOC friends that also mountain bike. I don’t know if the situation is different with professional athletes, but I’ve always felt that the mtb industry and community has been pretty inclusive. Recently we had a transsexual bodybuilder post some mtb stuff in our local mtb groups and all the comments were positive. In fact, no one brought up the issue. They just saw a person being a badass on a bike.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you have any favorite cycling-specific organizations/groups that are BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ that folks should know about?</b></div><div>I'm sorry. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to groups and stuff. It’s usually just me and my husband riding trails, sessioning features, and just having fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmf-7TvL4lQ/XvIQCeU0v0I/AAAAAAAAf_U/9UW3EM4BQ70R0RJwzKpRp1ZDKzPR-ushgCK4BGAsYHg/s2048/IMG_9732.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmf-7TvL4lQ/XvIQCeU0v0I/AAAAAAAAf_U/9UW3EM4BQ70R0RJwzKpRp1ZDKzPR-ushgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/IMG_9732.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>How can we, as a collective, ensure that the cycling industry is more inclusive?</b></div><div>Again, I don’t feel the mtb industry excludes anyone. There might be some problematic individuals, but they don’t represent the industry or the overall vibe of the biking community.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Any final thoughts/ideas you'd like to share?</b></div><div>Don’t worry about what anybody thinks. Just be yourself, ride your bike, and have fun!</div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-46975006398773271142020-08-04T15:57:00.001-05:002020-08-05T11:57:23.594-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Keeping On Keeping On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1t4Oj4vjRA/XynKZSMrvkI/AAAAAAAAg-I/jS-hUkrvLmg3Y_bCJ_mJU73EBQ4-XQCJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200803_142653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1t4Oj4vjRA/XynKZSMrvkI/AAAAAAAAg-I/jS-hUkrvLmg3Y_bCJ_mJU73EBQ4-XQCJwCLcBGAsYHQ/w307-h410/20200803_142653.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>To be honest, I've had a hard time coming back to writing because I know that I'm totally blocking myself from fully feeling all of the emotions I know I have from my mountain biking mishap. I suppose I feel that because I can't fully open myself up to the full effect, that I must be a fraud. Much if not all of my personal writing is emotion-based. It is a therapy to me, and when I know I have a block, it has me wanting to hide until I have a breakthrough. Only then do I feel legitimate.<div><br /></div><div>It's safe to say that I'm still in a state of denial over how serious the injury was as it stands let alone how much more serious it could have been if various things hadn't played out the way they did. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have never been in a situation where I've had such a close call, so it's no wonder I've subconsciously chosen to push away the fearful thoughts. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have been true to my own word and have reigned it in a bit when it comes to riding. It's more that I'm choosing to be more cautious than before. I am the second half of Decorah Bicycles. I don't want to land myself in the hospital again. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are more folks than ever out on our trails and there are enough blind corners that it simply makes sense to tone it down. (Even tho I don't feel as if I was riding out of control before.) I am choosing to be more aware. I'm also not going out on rides if I'm feeling completely mentally/emotionally zapped.</div><div><br /></div><div>My accident happened on a day where a lot of my energy was taken up by some emotional crap. One thing after another, and I think that's why I ignored my warning signal of "You don't really want to do this today." When I'm riding emotionally charged or emotionally drained, I tend to make mistakes, so the best thing most times is to just give myself a whole body break.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have also decided that part of my "therapy" would be to go out on Mondays for a triple park ride, to pick up trash during my ride. I've done three long rides on Mondays so far, probably totaling around 7 hours of what I like to think as "community service" to the local trails. This has included picking up trash and sawing some larger limbs that were small enough for me to handle on my own. My wee hand saw from last year still cuts! Thank goodness for small things.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will say that it's been a challenging year for me looking at it strictly from an anxiety point of view. I've been used to having the trails "to myself" but this year that's entirely different. It doesn't seem there is a great time to go where you don't have to concern yourself with running into someone. Believe me, I'm glad folks are discovering the awesome trail systems that Decorah has, but I also miss the feeling of being out in the woods totally alone. (That's because I work with the public, and there is such a thing as feeling "peopled out.")</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that has made me feel less anxious is having a wee bell on my bike. That has been a stress-reducer more than once!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm also challenged by the folks that choose to litter when they are out recreating. Be it those who leave wrappers and wet wipes on the side of the trail to those who leave beer cans at the parking area by Palisades. One thing I was taught to do was to pick up after myself, and I'm baffled by how many folks in this day and age do not practice "leave no trace." It's as if they are afraid of getting lost, so they leave behind the label of their bottled water or the lid to their tea as a breadcrumb. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've been taught that nature is important and to respect it. That's a value that has been passed down from both sides of my family, and I'm grateful that I was taught to be responsible. I might not get a lot of things right all of the time, but I can say I don't litter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Gkm7nE1-Q/XynK1NscvDI/AAAAAAAAg-Q/UAf_gOFRVdo1IisjMP6oAJFV021YkCRvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20200803_142737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Gkm7nE1-Q/XynK1NscvDI/AAAAAAAAg-Q/UAf_gOFRVdo1IisjMP6oAJFV021YkCRvgCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h230/20200803_142737.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div>I don't feel like I was given a second chance (from my accident.) But I do think that it gave me a good bit to continually reflect on. With everything that is going on this year, it's not a bad idea for me to take a step back to reevaluate certain things. Honestly, my "Trashy Rides" have been some of the most fulfilling rides for me at this point. I'm out to log as many miles as I can while paying attention to my surroundings. It gets tiring, to be sure, because of the extra weight on my back from my Camelbak and whatever items I pick up. I usually need a break at some point to take my helmet off because my head hurts. All in all, I'm outdoors doing what I love to do most and that is simply to ride my bike. I also feel good because I'm doing something helpful, even if it is a literal drop in the bucket. All that matters to me is that I'm out on my bike and I'm being a good human.</div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-6398909599898971662020-07-13T16:21:00.000-05:002020-07-13T16:21:13.284-05:00Bike Life Voices: Kate Weatherly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-voC7_dBqQY8/XvITLh3zTQI/AAAAAAAAf_4/7B9zLkXR-5AvWpjbEObhkLEVmRRA-XyBwCK4BGAsYHg/s1600/Les-gets-2019-smantha-dugon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-voC7_dBqQY8/XvITLh3zTQI/AAAAAAAAf_4/7B9zLkXR-5AvWpjbEObhkLEVmRRA-XyBwCK4BGAsYHg/s320/Les-gets-2019-smantha-dugon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>My name is <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kateweatherlymtb/">Kate</a>, I'm 23 years old and I live in Auckland New Zealand. I like to consider myself a fairly outgoing person, often though I end up just being a bit loud (at least for a kiwi anyway). </div><div><br /></div><div>My life has been a bit all over the place in terms of interests, but I've always been a keen sportsperson.</div><div><br /></div><div>Growing up I had a lung disease that damaged my lungs and kept me from being very good at sports, although this just meant I got very sick of people telling me things I couldn't do and I made an effort to try just about every sport I came across. Everything from archery to snowboarding. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually, I came across mountain biking and I've basically lived and breathed cycling since then (which was in around 2012). Although downhill mountain biking has been my main focus for many years I've dabbled in most other disciplines and I have a current focus on enduro mountain biking. I spent some of 2018 and most of 2019 competing in the UCI World Cup circuit for downhill and manage to get 2 podiums and many top 10 finishes. Aside from mountain biking I work as a medical device research assistant and am currently completing my masters. I love training and going to the gym and that fills up most of my time outside of university and work. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What are your preferred pronouns?<br /></b>My pronouns are She/Her<br /><b><br />Being a transgender cyclist, what challenges have you faced in the industry?</b><br />As a trans woman I haven't faced many issues as a cyclist, I am privileged enough to pass relatively well some most people I see on the trails day to day don't realise I'm not cis, and those who do largely don't mind or care. However, as an athlete competing on the world stage, I have definitely faced my fair share of difficulties. Largely due to people's transphobia or ignorance understanding the biological changes that come with a medical transition. Many people have never met a trans person and don't understand or know about the changes that a medical transition causes, the loss of muscle size, muscle strength, the loss of red blood cell count, etc. I've tried my best to educate people and be compassionate to those whose preconceived ideas about trans people may think we have an unfair advantage (which both the current science and evidence suggests we don't). I generally deal with this following any good result (such as a win or a podium), which is ironic, I often complain that when I get good results its amazing but I always know the hate will follow soon after. No one seems to care when I'm not winning races. I also feel that I may have faced some extra difficulties getting support from sponsors since because my very place in the sport is controversial people may be less willing to support me, although I have no confirmation of this.<br /><br /><b>How important was it for you to find a place for yourself in the cycling industry (be job-wise or ride-wise)<br /></b>I think I loved riding and I always will, and finding a place within the sport is very important to me. I've always wanted to be the best and it was very hard having people suggest I shouldn't be able to race, but for me, the most important thing is that I have friends who enjoy riding with me and that I can do what I love, and for the most part, the governing bodies are on my side (not the side of my opinion but the side of science and evidence) and while they are, I can keep racing.<b><br /></b><br /><b>When you podiumed at the world cup last year, how did that accomplishment make you feel?</b><br />My podium in Leogang was a real highlight, of my whole life really. I wasn't expecting such a good result so early in my season so it was a real surprise. I was happy and honestly, at the time I wasn't even thinking about what people might say about my result. I was also over the moon for Tracey Hannah, since she had been trying to get a World Cup win for a very long time and this was her first win in many years and I was pretty excited to see her finally get there. The whole day was pretty amazing.<br /><br /><b>What would you love to see happen in the industry to make it more inclusive to the lgbtqia+ and BIPOC communities?</b><br />I think the biggest steps for a riding community that is more accepting of LGBT people is really about a shift away from the often conservative views that make up much of riding community, although I think that's a view that impacts much of the cycling world. I think if everyone took the time to listen to each other and consider the viewpoints and experiences of others we would create a larger community that is both more compassionate and more accepting of those that are outside our norms. I don't think I can speak to the experiences of BIPOC communities as I don't want to speak over or on behalf of them but I think these same ideas of compassion could help.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YIAJ5c9WUag/XvIT6GxFTkI/AAAAAAAAgAw/P0zFipS0vXAzG89yxm5_VjBafFosfSgtwCK4BGAsYHg/s1600/lenzerheide-nathan-hughes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YIAJ5c9WUag/XvIT6GxFTkI/AAAAAAAAgAw/P0zFipS0vXAzG89yxm5_VjBafFosfSgtwCK4BGAsYHg/s320/lenzerheide-nathan-hughes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Do you have any favorite cycling-specific organizations/groups that are BIPOC an</b><b>d lgbtqia+ that folks should know about?</b></div><div>In terms of companies, I feel putting the work in, the biggest one that stands out to me is Specialized, few other companies actually willingly and openly support trans athletes and are proud to do so. I feel the work that is doing in terms of social good really isn't rivaled by any other major cycling company. I also feel I should mention Leatt who supports me personally and has stuck by me through everything over the last year which goes a long way.</div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-44607439628246173252020-07-07T20:03:00.003-05:002020-07-07T22:30:25.667-05:00Bike Life Adventures: Healing From Trauma<i></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rioFnTSshBs/XwUV4BotT3I/AAAAAAAAgg4/pqYERI5zSQEb3cDHdDwR90mivd1KyykHACK4BGAsYHg/s1920/GOPR2496_1594043186527.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rioFnTSshBs/XwUV4BotT3I/AAAAAAAAgg4/pqYERI5zSQEb3cDHdDwR90mivd1KyykHACK4BGAsYHg/s320/GOPR2496_1594043186527.jpg" /></a></i></div>
<i>This post is going to have some crude language and will be quite descriptive at times. If you are sensitive to reading about bike accidents or dislike colorful language, you have been warned.</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
</div>
To be perfectly honest I'm still in shock over what happened on Sunday night and really, it's kinda like when my dad died. It felt surreal. It had to be a dream. No way am I actually in reality. However, the aches and pains I'm feeling while I sit here and write this tell me otherwise.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sunday was one of those crap days where multiple things happened during the day that really tried my personal patience.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, Travis and I were able to remedy a minor problem in enough time that I was able to go out for a mountain bike ride. Usually, we don't talk about where I'm going to ride, but we ended up conversing about the start point: Palisades Park. I had a section in mind that I wanted to revisit that I bumbled on a couple weeks ago (<i>resulting in falling off the side of the trail into a gully</i>) and majorly busting my pride.<br />
<br />
I wanted to go back and prove to myself that I could ride that spot because I have in the past, so why is it different now? I got dressed, grabbed my bike, and rolled out. I also had a mission of trying different angles with my handlebar-mounted GoPro Max 360 camera. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I made my way to Dead Pet, entering the trail from the gravel road, and gingerly started climbing my way up. It was wet, and a few spots were sloppy because of natural springs. I made my way to the dip that has decided to play tricks with my mind. As you come up to it, you're rolling over roots (<i>which can easily trip you up</i>) and as you ride down into the dip, there are more roots that can trip you up. I didn't think about how wet my tires were, nor that the humidity would be making everything greasy. For some reason, I downplayed all of that in my head. My first attempt was thwarted by nerves, so I walked my bike back to a good starting point.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What kept playing in my head was something that I learned at a mountain bike clinic a few years back. "<i>Red Light. Yellow Light. Green Light.</i>" How was I feeling? I honestly kept feeling "<i>Red. Red. <b>RED</b>!</i>" but my ego told me "<i>You can do it, damnit. Stop freaking out over NOTHING.</i>"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I started towards the dip, making it over the roots at the top, but then things got hairy on the way down. I know I had gotten off balance with my rear wheel wanting to slide out. I could see from the footage that I had my left foot out on the hillside to help keep me stable as I gingerly made my way down the hill. My plan was to make it to the bottom of the dip, get off my bike, and walk up the hill as I had discovered I had zero confidence in me to try and push through my red light moment. Looking back at the footage, I was basically at the bottom of the dip, but somehow I ended up losing my balance and fell to the right. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The right is the gully side. I already fell down into the gully a couple weeks ago and it scared me shitless because I couldn't see what was coming. This was no different. Especially since I saw and felt the earth give way under my right foot. I don't know what was running through my mind at the moment, other than "<i>Oh shit. Oh SHIT. OH SHIT.</i>"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This time, my fall was different. I wasn't just hitting my helmet on rocks, but I felt a stick hit my neck. It hurt, but it was more of a dull hurt than a sharp hurt. As I got up, I started shaking and decided I was absolutely done trying to ride that section. I worked to catch my breath and assess my bike. I looked over and saw my GoPro Max nesting in a pile of rocks, and was absolutely shocked to see that it wasn't broken. Holy crap. The lenses weren't even scratched.</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGEKA-265OA/XwUvIXs-OII/AAAAAAAAgnM/HhzmkRm6aYk-T19doS122egcFkFh6m2kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_20200707_175512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGEKA-265OA/XwUvIXs-OII/AAAAAAAAgnM/HhzmkRm6aYk-T19doS122egcFkFh6m2kgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_20200707_175512.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I worked quickly to gently pack it up in my hip pack and work on hoisting my bike back up onto the trail. What sucks is that you can't get the idea of how steep it is, and lifting a 38-pound bike up isn't necessarily the easiest, most graceful display when you're fighting for traction on damp rocks and mosquitos are swarming you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I rode ahead on the trail little way, hoping to get rid of the mosquitos trying to eat me alive and apply more spray and Eucalyptus oil. My neck felt stingy, so I did the most logical thing possible and whipped out my phone to take a selfie. Blood?! What the hell? I wasn't full-on bleeding, but I had a good bit of blood on my neck. I tried to take 2 pictures to see what the damage was and deduced it was a scratch. Figures. The neck is pretty thin skin.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHS2V3gKxec/XwUWFbeZ-wI/AAAAAAAAghI/jT4lQpiT6ZkJpOA32T1-Q0jPn3wd8tSngCK4BGAsYHg/s2944/20200705_192035.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHS2V3gKxec/XwUWFbeZ-wI/AAAAAAAAghI/jT4lQpiT6ZkJpOA32T1-Q0jPn3wd8tSngCK4BGAsYHg/s320/20200705_192035.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
I continued on, but felt completely self-conscious and was also in total flight mode. I wanted to get the heck out of Palisades, but I also didn't want to run into anyone. I looked like hell. I felt like an animal stuck in a live trap. I came across a downed tree in my way on Dead Pet, so I turned around to ride back to an intersection where I could ride a different section of Dead Pet to the top. I rode up Middle Palisades, Upper Palisades, Lee's Loop, and made my way down Smeby's. It was right when I was close to crossing a gully to head down their yard, I saw a group of folks walking the same trail. I absolutely did not want them to see me. I didn't want to freak kids out, either. So I did the most logical thing I could and that was to turn back around and ride up Smeby's. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Locals would know that it's an extremely challenging climb, and it's gotten worse over the years. Adrenaline was high, as indicated by my standing up and cranking up the hill like it was nothing. (<i>It is not a hill that I climb while standing up the entire time, absolutely no way. I spin up that sucker. This was not typical Josie. This was Super Power Josie.</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I rode down the blacktop and made my way home. I wanted to get home, wash up, and go ride Pines because I wanted something familiar, beautiful, and safe. I was completely feeling out of my element and when that happens, the best thing for me is to find something mellow.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Os8tL_mE9YM/XwUW8MrPD-I/AAAAAAAAgig/6wvdPvoI8gQQqcCapeeJ0WF3SDbdA3zfQCK4BGAsYHg/s300/tis-but-a-scratch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Os8tL_mE9YM/XwUW8MrPD-I/AAAAAAAAgig/6wvdPvoI8gQQqcCapeeJ0WF3SDbdA3zfQCK4BGAsYHg/tis-but-a-scratch.jpg" /></a></div>
I threw my bike into our bike rack and bolted inside straight to the bathroom. I grabbed a washcloth and really looked. <b>Oh</b>. <i>Shit</i>. It wasn't just a scratch. It wasn't just a scrape. I basically had gouge marks in my neck. I looked closely and could see my pulse pulsating. I started to feel nauseous. I was for lack of better words, pretty fucked.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQViy3kDQKg/XwUYNEBQk8I/AAAAAAAAglA/NuAAGhgAbDIhYugAjkQEWd50mfp3IdxngCK4BGAsYHg/s2048/IMG_5990.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQViy3kDQKg/XwUYNEBQk8I/AAAAAAAAglA/NuAAGhgAbDIhYugAjkQEWd50mfp3IdxngCK4BGAsYHg/s320/IMG_5990.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
I called a friend. Then I called Travis. I knew that Travis would not be happy, because who would be happy hearing that their loved one had a ridiculously stupid accident that put holes in their neck? My friend called me back after I had gotten off the phone with Travis. I felt a bit of relief hearing a familiar voice. She said she'd come over to take a look. I was a swirling pile of embarrassment laced with the feeling of wanting to simultaneously barf and shit. I'm not sure if that's a side effect of losing the adrenaline rush or simply the fact that my anxiety had shot through the roof or both.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All I could do was sit on the bathroom floor, lean against the vanity, and swim in shock. What the fuck happened? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our friend came and confirmed that this was definitely something to go to the E.R. for. I would need some sort of stitches, either actual stitches or maybe those neat strips. She also said I was extremely lucky because both wounds were close to my carotid artery and my jugular. Literally, I cheated <b>a.</b> death or <b>b.</b> a more serious trip to the E.R. I heard what she said, but it didn't really register with me at that moment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-76_OIuySwIY/XwUYaOKfOdI/AAAAAAAAglc/FH9hdcagViobntA7XsWLbS0P67h2ZIXUgCK4BGAsYHg/s2560/Resized_20200705_210114.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1919" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-76_OIuySwIY/XwUYaOKfOdI/AAAAAAAAglc/FH9hdcagViobntA7XsWLbS0P67h2ZIXUgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/Resized_20200705_210114.jpeg" /></a>I felt extremely sheepish going into the E.R.<br />
Of course, I still felt barfy.<br />
I also knew needles would be involved and I absolutely hate needles.</div>
<div>
Because of COVID I also had to go in solo, so moral support came from text messages and a cute video that Travis and our friend sent. </div>
<div>
The cleaning of the wound felt weird. When the Dr. washed it out by shooting water into the crevices it felt uncomfortable. When I got the numbing shots...that sucked. I whimpered. I hate whimpering. I apologized. It was so strange to feel but not feel myself getting stitched up. The last time I had stitches I was super concussed so I don't remember anything.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I was stitched up and done, but then the blow of having to get a tetanus shot had me almost shaking. Really I think the shock was wearing off, but good gravy, I did not want to feel another poke. I was done being poked. I had to get poked. It sucked.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Supper was a can of beer.</div>
<div>
I can't tell you how much I cried. I was blubbering before my shower, in the shower, and out of the shower. I used so many tissues. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I kept trying to replay what happened, but I wasn't sure what happened. My confidence and pride in mountain biking were virtually shattered. I also knew that it was a freak accident that I hadn't even heard of happening, and I vowed to get back on the bike as soon as possible. (<i>Of course within a reasonable healing time.</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I couldn't sleep well Sunday night. I laid in bed and kept replaying what I knew I saw and how surprisingly lucky I was. I was quite uncomfortable. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next day I looked at my GoPro Max footage and I'll say that it was extremely valuable in helping me see what happened. I didn't just happen to roll down the hill and have a stick come up and poke me, but I landed on a branch on a larger tree limb. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was also able to see that I had basically gotten myself down to the bottom but lost my balance and that's why I fell. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also saw that it seemed more like my back tire had slid out rather than my front. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either way, we'll be changing tires on Dirty Gertie at some point. I'm also keeping my vow of not riding that spot any time soon because I just have zero desire to put myself in an uncomfortable position.<br />
<br />
<div dir="auto">
As part of my coping, I did go out and find the stick that tried to off me. I think partly because I have a chunk of the tree that killed my dad, so I might as well have the bit that tried to do me in. Mentally, the fact that I was almost either seriously injured or possibly killed by a tree does freak me out. It feels very weird. It's also a reminder that regardless if it's dead or alive, nature is powerful in many ways.</div>
<div dir="auto">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto">
I feel like I took a LOT for granted over these years. This is a solid slap in the face that is more eye-opening than losing a parent. I'm going to be more proactive in making sure that my friends/Travis know more where I'm riding. I'm not going to take my ability to mountain bike for granted. I'm also going to better listen to my gut...when it says no, just leave it be.</div>
<div dir="auto">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto">
I'll be getting my "<i>neck whiskers</i>" out on Monday and that is when I'll feel comfortable actually going out and mountain biking again. I'll be taking a break and riding McNasty for a while, too, to basically ease into the experience again. You know what? I'm feeling excited to ride that bike again. I'm just happy that I'll be able to ride again. Period.</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pwVOfxMMlWI/XwUXZk6GOmI/AAAAAAAAgjc/xGxFLXu_3ugN_BZ21Mf62OfV_d-sZSdVACK4BGAsYHg/s2944/20200706_165238.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pwVOfxMMlWI/XwUXZk6GOmI/AAAAAAAAgjc/xGxFLXu_3ugN_BZ21Mf62OfV_d-sZSdVACK4BGAsYHg/s320/20200706_165238.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now for my words of wisdom that I shared on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/josiebikelife/">Instagram </a>that everyone should think about., especially since COVID has some of us recreating solo more than ever.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div dir="auto">
<b>1.</b> This is the most freak accident I have known and it could have been way, way worse. Somehow it wasn't. I either have 9 lives, my dad watching out for me, or I am a GD unicorn.<br />
<br />
<b>2.</b> If you are attempting to ride something that makes you at all uncomfortable, so much so that you feel it's a "<i>red light</i>"...trying to push past that will likely NOT work. Do NOT force yourself to ride something "just because you can" if you are NOT feeling it. For the love of everything. Walk. It.<br />
<br />
<b>3. </b>Adrenaline kicked in. I assumed from what I saw in my phone "'<i>Tis but a scratch</i>." Not really. I was too afraid to ride back the way I came and I was thinking that I was afraid people would see me. So I continued riding to get back to the road as little-seen as possible. I am positive if I had been bleeding freely I would have done it differently. However, what I did was not at all smart. Stop. Assess. Do not continue riding or at least do not extend your ride. Holy crap. Just don't do what I did.<br />
<br />
I went home thinking I would clean up and go back out. I wasn't anticipating a trip to the E.R.<br />
<br />
<b>4.</b> ANY outdoor activity poses some sort of risk. You can trip on a root while hiking, roll your ankle on a leaf-covered nut while trail running, or slip out on a root while biking. I am not going to stop mountain biking because of this accident. This is the first mountain biking accident since I started mountain biking in 2014 that was not typical. I may definitely choose to not ride that spot ever again, and I am a-ok with that.<br />
<br />
<b>5.</b> Wear a helmet. (<i>To add to this, if anyone dare says to me "but it didn't save your neck!" I say that it definitely helped me avoid having a serious head injury, like a serious concussion. Helmet. Helmet. Helmet.</i>)<br />
<br />
<b>6.</b> If you mountain bike solo, know that there is even more risk. I have mountain biked solo most of the time and this is definitely an eye-opener. Take extra precautions. Let multiple people know where you are going. Get an ANGi sensor or something. If you do any sort of outdoor activity solo, make sure people know. Maybe go so far as to do a check-in text to a friend a couple of times if you don't want tracking. Your loved ones will appreciate your recreating safely.</div>
</div>
</div>
Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5799476615236275971.post-74057113949264720462020-06-23T14:45:00.000-05:002020-06-23T14:45:44.966-05:00Bike Life Voices: Derrick Holland<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2944" data-original-width="2208" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kAN1oj9lSF4/XvICW8MZbPI/AAAAAAAAf9w/cy13TTMJ_uw86eqLvS7816A6hWDKxLohACK4BGAsYHg/s320/20200222_093642.jpg" /></div></div>Hello, My name is Derrick A. Holland I am 43 years old, married Two kids. I am a former Military brat (Air Force), Suisun City, California is my adopted home.<div><br /> I have been a teacher for 19 years, I have coached Track and Field, I earned my blackbelt in Kajukenbo, I started mountain biking 4 years ago as a way to get healthy. Start it for health reasons but ending up falling hard for it. I am a major lover of Music. I started playing bass 3 years ago. I ride a 2016 Diamondback Mason Trail 27.5 +, it has held up from my weight at 390 to my current weight.</div><div><br /></div><div> I rode bikes as a kid but I reintroduced myself when I was 40 after I had a deep conversation about my health with my family that lives in Portland, Oregon.<br /><br /><b>Being a BIPOC, have you had any issues establishing yourself in the cycling community?</b><br />Yes. I would say that people base your abilities on the trail and in the shops on how you look. On the Trail, they seem to question you more about if you can do something or not. <div><br />In the shops, they will automatically assume you either you have no money or you don't have a clue. Then there have been times when I have checked out shops and I let them talk about bikes to see what they are going to tell me. They show me the cheapest stuff and the weakest gear. But once I start showing that I do know something they start showing me better stuff.<div><br /> A buddy mine who is BIPOC had $5000 to drop on a bike and he went into a shop and they treated him like he had $5 dollars. As he walked out he told them how much was going to spend and then they all of a sudden seem like they cared. He was like nope and left. </div><div><br />Being a teacher I am big into doing research so instead of going through the local shops I just start learning a lot of the stuff about bikes through youtube and reading articles. I only go through local shops when I need stuff sooner than later.<br /><br /><b>What has been your favorite part about documenting your weight loss by bike journey on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unlikelybiker/">Instagram</a>?</b><br />My Favorite part is seeing the difference in size from when I started to present. I am like wow I lost the equivalent of a 12-year-old human! I post because it motivates me and It motivates other people. I like showing people that it can be done, never say never. Also, you are never too old to start anything.<br /><br /><b>How do you feel documenting your #bikelife journey has helped to open doors to more inclusivity?</b><br />I want to shows that biking is not just for certain groups that it is for everybody. We need to get out of the habit of saying " white folks do this" and "BIPOC do this" !<br />We need to stop letting society pigeon hole us into these boxes. Because people are missing out on a lot of things that they could love or potentially be good at. For example, my brother and his friends were Skaters growing up. A mixed group of kids. They were the first group to push for a skate park in Fairfield Ca. <div><br />I love seeing BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ doing things outside the Box! Don't let society define you.<br /><br /><b>What would you love to see happen in the industry to make it more inclusive to the lgbtqia+ and BIPOC persons?</b><br />I love how Diamondback and SRAM have both said that they are down for Social Justice. @SRAMMTB Post on their Instagram " Black Lives Matter" I was like wow you see me!<br />@Diamondbackbike posted on their Instagram "Stick to bikes". They were echoing what some customers have been telling them but they took it further. Here is the quote: <i>"We have also been told to leave politics out of it and “Stick to Bikes”. We are going to do both. We believe bikes are important. We believe they provide mobility, a way to a healthier lifestyle, and a tool to simply get out and have fun. We also believe bikes can be a tool for social change. We want to support all people, especially BIPOC, in joining this community and to feel safe doing so."</i> I was like Holy Shit you just got a lifetime customer!<div><br />Because people will say race is not an issue but they say it isn't because nobody talks about it. Also, they don't see it as an issue because the sport is predominantly white. I have seen a total of 12 BIPOC on the trails where I live. Other places there might be more. When it doesn't affect you, people don't see it as a problem. Companies cannot turn a blind eye to society's ills. They have to take a stand. "<i>Once we can see things as a WE problem and not a YOU problem the world would be a better place.</i>"<div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wMcPLVGsfVY/XvIDFXW1pCI/AAAAAAAAf-g/MpDQjcEheRAOAf7ZZDYdmPtajicwBbFcACK4BGAsYHg/s320/20200601_195532.jpg" /></div>It is insane to think that societies' ills don't affect other parts of life. They also need to put more BIPOC and lgbtqia+ in the advertisements. representation is very important. Because if a person sees a rider in an advertisement that looks like them, it might be the spark that gets them out there riding. Plus for African Americans, bike riding is apart of African American History.</div><div><br /> For example, there was a Regiment of Buffalo Soldier that rode bikes all through the west. Isaac Johnson, while not the first person to invent the bicycle frame, was the first African American to invent and patent a bicycle frame that could be folded or taken apart for easy storage. Also, Major Taylor was the first African American Cyclist Champion.</div><div><br /><div><b>Do you have any favorite cycling-specific organizations/groups that are BIPOC and lgbtqia+ that folks should know about?</b><br />@Allmountianbros, @blackgirlsdobike @pedal2thepeople @patagonia_mtb, @blackmenbike are a few<br /><br /><div><b>How can we, as a collective, ensure that the cycling industry is more inclusive?</b><br />Support causes that represent other groups that are outside of your norm especially if they benefit the collective as a whole. invite your friends to come along for a ride.<br /> Support causes that push for inclusivity.<div><br /><b>Any final thoughts/ideas you'd like to share?</b><br />I am a lifer for riding. The more riders the better. Once a person sees my humanity then they can say that we are all riders. One Love and Much Love.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Josie Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188853658488855603noreply@blogger.com0