Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Grand Canyon

We've been back from the Grand Canyon for over a week now and a lot of people have asked to hear about the trip. Eventually I'll have much more to say, but I want to make sure I have time to do it justice.

In short it was amazing. This is my third trip through the Grand Canyon on a raft, and each time I come away with something different. This was my first oar trip, and moving down the river with nothing but the sound of the oars creaking in the oar locks is a beautiful thing.

I'll probably type up and post my journal like I did last time, and I kind of hope to do more of a summary post prior to that. Stay tuned.


Self portrait from Bass Trail

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Back in the saddle

Back from vacation, it's time get on with the riding. Early on this year, I kind of figured that I wouldn't do as much cyclocross racing this year as last year. So far, I think I'm right. The long vacation has kind of gotten me out of the training groove. But cyclocross is fun regardless of your fitness level. Unlike a criterium, where getting dropped in the first lap means your race is over, in a 'cross race you're still out there having a good time by yourself.

My race start time wasn't until 4PM so I had plenty of time to sleep in before heading out to a new venue in Allenspark. The course had all sorts of technical features that made it a challenge for a slacker like me. It wasn't "scary" technical, but "fun" technical. I wish I had a course like that to practice on near home. I'm sure it exists, I just need to find it.

Since I missed the only points race of the season so far, I wasn't getting a call-up to the start line. It's probably better that way, since I'm feeling kind of slow. Instead, I pretty much started at the back and took it easy for the first lap. After that, I hit the gas, and started having some fun. I had a couple mechanical issues - dropped chain, pedal issues, and a front derailleur that wasn't adjust right, but whatever. Not sure where I finished, but I had a good time. Fun to have some teammates on the sidelines cheering/heckling.