Primo!

We decided to start our busy weekend with a day of riding instead of working on the house and getting ready for Open Studios. It was a lovely day and the Aspens are peaking right now in regard to color, it's so breathtaking off of Peak to Peak and of course there's all the sightseers out there driving reallllly slow too. Craig and I met Jim just a little NE of Ned off of Sugarloaf, we decided to do one of my favorite rides in BC, Primo. Which is basically a bunch of ST that is convoluted and hard to find unless you know where it is and it ends in one of the best DH runs around, 2 miles or so of technical riding with the last mile being so fast with jumps that you want to pee your pants with delight. We had the place to ourselves and enjoyed it immensely, such a sweet season. We shot some video of the crux on Primo which I'll post here soon. I was so proud of Jim on this ride he finally cleared the crux on his second try, and it's a solid, black diamond section., Yea Jim, way to go!

The bikes taking a rest.

Craig, Me and Jim (my chin is still looking a little funny)

Craig and Jim next too some skinny ST.

Jim following the flow.

What a beautiful spot to be riding through!

I noticed that two of my knobbies on my Nevegals had fallen off and the other's were starting to as well. These tires are no more than 3 months old, bummer, I love these tires. I may send the shot to Kenda and see what they say.
Today is Sunday and it's been all chores and work but productive. Next weekend I'll be doing Open Studios so no rides other then the trails behind the house. Then Moab!

Thursday ride and no TV..

I headed to Lyons this afternoon for a solo ride at Hall and of course I forgot my camera. I also wanted to stop by my friend Glenn's bike shop, Bitterbrush, to say hi and see how he's doing. He and his fiance Paige are getting married next weekend and I can't go because of Open Studios, bummer. They're super nice people and I wish them the best, I'm sure their wedding will be a lot of fun.
I was leary of the higher temps today in regard to trying to ride Hall and I was right, it was too hot for me. I rode from town, up Antelope, around the lollipop and then down the front side back to town. I was feeling the heat for sure and my legs just wouldn't cooperate on the climbs, they felt tired and unresponsive. That seems to be a theme for me lately, and I'm constantly trying to figure out what's going on. Am I riding too much, not eating well enough, is it stress, I dunno..I try to take care and rest but I do ride 5 days a week, not super long rides or anything each day but consistent pedaling. I take two days off per week, usually Monday and Friday. It was still a good ride though, lovely up there and no one else around except for the one startled women I came upon while she was peeing right there next to the trail, not such a good idea really, I bet she won't do that again. She stood up so fast when she saw me her knickers were still around her ankles, oh boy. She got lucky with me being a gurl.
The DH was as usual a blast and felt good, I hit all the jumps and felt dialed in, yea for that.
When I got home Craig informed me that our internet connection had been restored but the guy had found that we had reconnected our TV service which we had requested to be disconnected a few months ago to save money, well he permanently disconnected us this time, no jerry rigging it like we did before. It's gonna be a weird experiment for us, not having the tube to watch and with the days getting shorter what will we do? I think I will be knitting a lot more hats. I'm kinda interested to see how our routine changes. I mean we can always turn it back on but it would be nice if we found a way to spend our time without it. I don't hate TV but I can see how it can take up a lot of your time and energy. I think I'll be reading more, working in the studio more and maybe hanging out with friends a little more. We'll see...

Home School Video

Craig made this short video of me in the backyard, he even created the soundtrack..

Socks and Arm Warmers

Well today is my rest day and I'm dorking around. In the mail I received my new knee highs and arm warmers from Sock Dreams and they're awesome, thanks for the beta on them Cynthia. So I thought I'd waste some time and put 'em up on the blog. Can't wait to wear them while riding.

Skulls with Stars & Stripes

Rad!

The Arm Warmers are sweet too and they'll keep the cold winds from sneaking up the arms.

Arkansas Valley

Craig, Randy (Craig's brother) and I headed down to the Arkansas Valley this weekend. I had to drop some artwork off at the Culture Clash gallery in Salida so we decided to make a weekend of it with camping, riding and for Craig and Randy some fly fishing on the Arkansas River. We arrived Friday night at Stone Cabin. Saturday dawned a lovely day, Craig and Randy were going fishing and I was going to ride the Rainbow Trail and meet them later off of 50 at the river, this would make my ride close to 30 miles.

Me, ready to head out for the Rainbow.

This is one of my favorite trails in this area, so much fun with plenty of ups and downs and fast. I pedaled up the 201 to the start of the Rainbow trail, a moderate 4WD road with some nice views.

The 201

I made it to the Rainbow Trail in no time and had a little snack before I headed down the trail, I also wanted to give a couple of different groups of riders a chance to get ahead of me so I wasn't riding right behind them. I was enjoying being on my own.

Getting ready to head down the trail.

So after a short break off I went down the trail, fall has really set in in Chaffee County, everything golden and the air crisp. I didn't stop to take many pictures up higher on the trail, I was having too much fun riding. This trail starts up in the Aspens, Pines and Firs and ends down low in the Juniper, Pinon and sage.

Trail goodness down lower.

I caught up to the two parties that I had let go ahead of me, the ride went by quickly, I enjoyed my solo time and the fun downhill sections near the end of the Rainbow. The ride on the road to meet Randy and Craig was pretty dull, I don't think I could be a roadie.

Skinny, sweet singletrack

Part Two, Sunday, Twin Lakes Riding.

It rained Saturday night, Craig and I headed over to Twin Lakes Sunday morning to ride a 15 mile loop that goes around the reservoir and heads up the valley. Much of the riding is on the Colorado Trail and it's almost entirely singletrack. We dropped Randy off at the river for more fishing and headed up.

Twin Lakes looking West

Bike with Mountains.

This ride starts in little town of Twin Lakes and heads out East on singletrack through sage above the shoreline, it's fast and rolling.

Heading out..

Once you cross over the dam you hit the Colorado Trail proper and some more fun riding in the trees.

Craig and I

Me climbing out of the big, white Aspens

Craig raging in the sage.

This ride is fast and fun with lots of little ups and downs, you can really get a groove on. The most challangeing section isn't until the very end with a very steep rock section and then a short but fun techy downhill that puts you at the road a mile from the vehicle.
It was a nice weekend with good riding and lovely fall weather. The fishing though was kinda slow for Craig and Randy, the water on the Ark was low..

Josy stretching her legs

Burning Man

My friend Anne, is an amazing photographer, she went to Burning Man recently and took a few pictures and sent them to me and I wanted to share them. I'd like to go sometime, maybe, we'll see, I would love to see the freedom of expression that goes on, meanwhile we can enjoy Anne's images.

If you'd like to see more of Anne's photography please visit her website: www.annehayunga.com

2008 Open Studios

I'm doing the Boulder Open Studios tour this year. I haven't done it before so I'm a little excited about it and hope it's worthwhile. I think it will be good exposure locally and will open some doors here in Boulder. I'm in the process of making work and preparing to deep clean and reorganize my studio as well. It should be fun!

Click on the image below for a larger, more easily read postcard.

New Website

Craig recently registered my first and last name as a domain name for a website with the idea that I could use the site as place to have a blog, store pictures, etc, something to share with friends and family. Well he sent me the home page this morning and I think it turned out really cool and it has a link to my blog page. The image is one that Craig took last fall on one of my favorite technical trails in BC (Boulder County). So the website is an easier address to remember and give out if anyone wants to check out my blog, which is good. Here's the link!
http://careyreynolds.com/

Fall Ridin'

Got out for a fun group ride on Sunday with Jim, Kim, Dan and Craig. We started out in a grey, swirling mist, felt like the NW but in true Colorado fashion the sun ruled by the end of the ride, which meant plenty of stops to put on and take off layers.
We headed NW out of Lyons for some sweet singletrack that sees little traffic, we had plenty of climbing ahead of us, some of it technical and some of it trials-like with rock formations that needed climbing up and over, lots of short bursts of power and technique. Our plan was to ride a very new and longer lollipop than what we normally ride up there.

Taking a break in the mist...Doesn't Dan look happy?

Kim powering up..

Craig coming down the trail..

Dan's turn.

Here comes Jim..

Kim smiling large..

Expansive view starting to emerge from the low clouds, huge drop behind us.

The ride was almost 4 hours and the return is downhill, so lots of fun. I felt OK for the first part of the ride but started to bonk more than half way through, I don't think I ate well enough however I wasn't feeling hungry so I didn't think to eat and I shoulda gotten to bed a little earlier the night before but it was all good in the end. Everyone rode well and had a good time, as it should be. I'm looking forward to getting back up there soon as we didn't ride our usual lollipop, which is a shorter variation. I'm also looking forward to showing Kim and Dan more rides hopefully before the season is over, things should stay open through October, there's so much out there and fall ridin' is the best.

Rain, Rain Go Away

I like rain, it doesn't rain here very much but I wanted to ride my bike today, so I'm complaining, boo!
This weekend is supposed to be beautiful though and the trails will be buff, so I'll look forward to that and just do a bunch of sit-ups and bench presses this evening, I sound pretty lame, I know, I am. I've got to keep my body moving, it makes a difference to my all around well being.
It poured at the house last night, just dumped and the driveway and dirt road from our house is a mud bath, really slippery and slidy. So much so that I've got the Wellies on today, I love my Wellies.
Have a good Friday, the sun is on it's way!

Miller Rock Rocked

It's also known as Ceran St Vrain, but I've always referred to it as Miller Rock. This ride doesn't always rock, sometimes it's too crowded, too short, or I'm not on my game mentally or physically. Regardless Craig and I rode there yesterday afternoon, close to home, however I failed to remember to bring my camera so no pictures and it was a picture worthy ride. Sometimes everything comes together on a ride and it feels close to perfect and effortless and that was the kinda afternoon it was for me. The weather was perfect, cool fall day with brillant sun inside the trees making for a warm, golden glow all around. The trail was empty and buff and if you've ever ridden this trail you know the first section along the river is fast and fun with some good technical sections (mainly climbing skills) here and there to keep you honest. It was nice to be out with Craig as we don't ride just the two of us a whole lot, so we were in our own space with each other. The foliage along the trail is starting to change color as well. We made our way up to Miller Rock and enjoyed the views while we ate my favorite snack Sharkies and then headed down on the ST back to the main trail. This piece of ST is technincal and requires focus and it was even more washed out then I rememer it the last time. I felt good on this ride, better than I did on Sunday, so my strength is coming back, yea! I cleared every technical ascent on the trail which made me feel stoked, love it. The fact that there was noone else on the trail was awesome as well, you can really get a flow on without having to stop for other trail users, that doesn't happen often on this trail and it's too be avoided on weekends all together. I've been riding Miller Rock for over 15 years and this trail never ceases to be fun, even if it didn't quite rock, I'm always smiling after the ride and it's a beautiful trail too.

NOCAL '07

Found some images from our trip to Northern California last August. The drive is full of very beautiful landscapes and I love the Pacific Coast, the weather, the plants, so different and amazing in it's own way.

Island of rock out on the Sand Flats near Bonneville, UT

Evening on the Sand Flats, Western Utah

Small and funky local fish shack on beach north of San Fran

Grasses on Dune above Pacific

Craig waiting for his fish and chips at the Fish Shack

Pacific Ocean

Me and the Pacific Ocean

Day Dreaming

For many years I have been riding out around the Boulder Res. in Nobo twice a week over lunch, year round, in the winter it's sometimes the only riding to be had. I head out from work and park at the entrance to the res. I gear up and take off and usually ride the Eagle Trail lollipop and then make the loop back to the truck around the res. itself. The ride is easy and pretty much a no brainer but I enjoy these afternoon rides because I get to daydream and not think about what I'm doing for the most part. There is some ST next to the WIDE dirt paths, so that's good, mixes it up. I get to look at the mountains, swerve around the dog walkers, do the subtle finger wave to other cyclists and runners, check out the huge diversity of birds out there (Bald and Golden Eagles, Osprey, Hawks, Falcons, Cranes, Pelicans, the lists goes on), watch the Prarie Dogs run about (I actually ran one over this year and killed it, sorry!), I try not to spook the horseback riders, so I always say HI to them. But it's just a chill way of getting some miles in and riding my bike without having to think much about it. You see so many different types of people out there, from the wired hardcore tri-athletes in training to the folks just out for a walk, it's good and now that summer is winding down it's quiet, not as much traffic out there.
Now I just need to take a camera with me so I can have pictures for my entries..

Back in the Saddle

Kim took this picture of Brian, Me, Craig, Kim and Dan..(Thanks Kim!)
However I, the Jolly Green Giant, managed to make yet another silly face, what's with the tongue?

Well Saturday was a good day of ridin' in the early fall of Colorado high country. The air was crisp, the trail was buff and the people were good and happy. I was particularly happy to be out ridin' again after my fall, good to be turning the wheels and feeling the flow. I wasn't 100% yet, maybe 75% but that was good enough to get out for 3 or 4 hours, I took it easy on myself.
Craig and I met Kim and Dan up at South Mag. we were also joined by a nice fellow named Brian, it was all good and Kim and Dan hadn't ridden from this point before so it was new for them. I enjoy showing other riders new trails, especially when they're up for an adventure which Kim and Dan are. Kim and Dan are both very skilled and confident riders and it's a blast to ride with them. We got up to the Eldora Nordic trails and rode a loop up there and meandered back to the vehicles on some fast and fun trails, all on ST for the most part, some of it pretty obscure.

Kim also took this picture of Me and Brian ascending..

We saw some other riders but lost most of them as soon as we ascended away from the School Bus trail. Just the way I like it.
I had the familiar mechanicals with my drivetrain I've been having lately but between Craig and Dan we were able to tune it well enough that I was able to forget about it.
I need to get better about taking pictures when we ride but I'm lazy and didn't take a single shot so please take a look at this link if you want to see more of Kim's images from the ride. Thanks Kim, you're so good.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kimluks/SouthMag90608#

Today my head kinda ached, I think it was due to some of the bouncing around and the head still not 100% but it's really nothing.
I even got a ride in on the Backside trail behind the house with my brother-in-law Randy, that was the first ride I've done with him since he broke his back, back in March. He did really well and again it was a beautiful day and nice to be out in it.
I also did some purging in the studio, getting rid of stuff so my studio is spiffy for Open Studios, I need to make a dump run for sure.
Next weekend I hope to show Dan and Kim another local down low favorite trail of mine.
Stay tuned..

Sweet Pea

Just couldn't resist putting a picture up of my nephew Aaron, he's so cute on his way to preschool!

Itching to Ride

Sedona/March '08

It's been a week and half since I landed on my head and I'm starting to really want to get out and ride, I take this as a good sign. I want to get back on my bike and build my confidence, it would be great if I could ride that bridge I fell off of, as I know that I can, but that will have to wait until next season as Keystone is closed for the winter now.
I'm going to pedal around the trails in NOBO tomorrow, see how I feel and if all goes well do a ride this weekend.
The weather has gotten so nice lately, very fall like with cooler temps, the best time of year to ride really.
I've been doing plenty of walks with the dogs, mostly Ringo, Josy and Root can't walk very far anymore, they're just too old and arthritic.
I've also been working a lot in the studio, getting ready for Boulder Open Studios which is the first two weekends in October. Never done it before but hope that it's successful and opens some doors for me locally.
That's about all for today..
Here are some ridin' pics from this past year...

Primo/'07

Somewhere in BC (Boulder County) '07

Buildin' Ladders and Jumps

We spent most of the day on Monday moving the wood we got for free up to the riding area behind the house. Once that was finished Craig started working on building two new ladders. One for a jump and the second for a bridge probably. It's exciting to build new stuff for our little bike park, though it may be another week or so before I'm playing around out there due to my bruised noggin. I'm healing but it's a delicate process.

Craig working on the ladder platforms.
(We also cleaned out the shed before we started so there's a lot stuff laying about)

Craig inspecting his handy work.

Placing the ladder into location and making legs for it. This will be a solid 2' drop into a transition.

Ringo sleeping on the job!