29029- snow basin

I’ve just completed my first 29029 “everesting” event- it’s a monster hike where you complete a certain number of ascents with your total elevation gain = 29029 feet, or the height of Everest.

For me this event meant REDEMPTION 🔥 after being hit last summer and missing out on ALL of the events I’d paid for and planned on, this one (if it went well) was to be my personal signal that I am on my road to recovery and making my comeback 💪🏼

I chose this event back in December because with this new knee of mine I knew hike up- gondola-down could be a really great combo for me. Plus it seemed like a new audacious goal wayyyyy outside of the 📦 of my norm endeavors/conquests. Here there are no winners or podiums - you either finish and get your red hat, or you don’t.

52.42% of the 250 participants got the hat.

I hiked & prepped a lot but I’ll tell you after that 1st ascent I wondered if I’d done enough. …ascent after ascent I kept meeting the 🏔️ and giving it my best.

After 9 climbs on Friday I decided to stop at 830pm and get some sleep. (You’ve got 36 hours to get the 13 ascents in and you can stop whenever you want). After some amazing rest I went back out for four more today and finished at noon.

I’ll be honest, the uber competitive part of me wanted to see if I could “crush” all 13… and it was hard to go to bed walking away from being one of just a few people with nine accents. I knew I’d wake up to people way ahead of me. And you know what- I prioritized myself and my wellness and rest and I put myself to bed. Not ONE regret.

The boards don’t show finishing times… so I worked on dialing down my “crush it” and turned up my “bring maximum stoke.” Finished it off with a jog to the finish and collected my red hat.

I’ve been absolutely BLOWN away by this event and the caliber of the staff & volunteers & aid stations & accommodations.

I didn’t stay in the 🛖 since I’ve got the 🚐 and Ramsey 🐶 but the tents looked amazing. The food has been stellar and truly just feeling like a rockstar with all the cheers and all-round stoke has made this an event I’ll def recommend to others. *It’s not cheap but you get lodging and meals as well as a top notch event.

Don’t underestimate the challenge- the 🏔️ is humbling. People are going home without hats and I’ll tell you what— I never once took for granted that I would either. I’m dealing with new body parts & hardware that’s only a year old; it was all new to me seeing how my body handled this long event. I was super happy it went so well. 🙏🏼— #getbusyliving #29029everesting #29029 #onelifetolive❤️

photos:

The trip began with a stop at blue Mesa reservoir for a night; I’ve wanted to check this out and now that the water levels are topped off I wanted to see it in its full splendor !

Then it was on to Snow Basin, Utah … (a spot I’ve not been to before) … some pics of the venue and setup:

Day one: we started at 6am. Amazing to see everyone with their headlights on and to feel the nervous energy !!! I logged nine ascents and stopped at about 830 to sleep.

After some solid sleep Friday night, I started my final four ascents around 630am Saturday and finished by noon.

I showered and laid down for an hour to let my back recover and then rode the gondola up to the top with Ramsey to cheer on the finishers who were under the gun to get their final ascent in by 6pm. So inspiring 🙌 the volunteers at this event bring MAXIMUM enthusiasm— oh my gosh they all cheered so hard for all of us 🙏🏼

The event finished with an awards ceremony and recap video - so good.

We wrapped up the trip with a second stay at Blue Mesa res on the way home; this time on the west side (before we stayed towards the east end). It’s absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!!

A special SPECIAL thanks and shout-out to volunteer Pip, a dog-loving goddess, who volunteered to let Ramsey hang out with her near the ascent boards at the base so that Ramsey could be part of the action and not stuck in the van alone. Pip is truly an Angel 😇!!! 🙏🏼

Gore creek & turquoise lake

The idea of checking out gore creek- both the campground and the trail- came about in the winter of 2021 at mcdowell mtn park in Scottsdale az. Yes this is how my world works. I’d potted some little plants in old jam jars and felt called to give one to the super cute volunteer couple who often worked the gate there. I was leaving a van camping adventure, departing the park, and on my way out I stopped and gave them a little plant.

Somehow we got to talking about them being camp hosts at various campgrounds around the country and he said- hands down- his favorite place of all time where they’d been camp hosts- was the gore creek campground just outside of vail.

Well with that kind of endorsement I couldn’t NOT check it out ! So I added it to my adventure list for the summer and booked a campsite for a few days - June 2022 …

And then I got hit by a motorist in early June 2022 and 100% of my summer plans were immediately canceled. Including this one. I scrapped the camp reservation, ate the cancellation fee and kinda mentally moved on.

Until this summer … when I began adding adventures back on the books; I recalled this gore creek campground Recommendation and decided I still very much wanted to check it out.

Van camping for Ramsey and me in the peak summer months can be tricky as my van has a rooftop air fan but not an AC. Just the van itself has ac and I don’t like to run the van and have it idling just to keep us cool. Thankfully vail is at a higher elevation and as the trip approached I checked the weather to ensure we wouldn’t roast — the temps seemed doable esp with nice cool overnight lows so off we went :)

It’s such a lovely and small campground RIGHT at the base of the vail pass bike path/climb ! not sure how I never noticed this little gem in here before but what a hidden treasure. I could understand fully why it was so hard to find available sites here. (**Note: I booked this site MONTHS ago! No more days of winging it with campsites- too many people are also doing the #workfromanywhere thing these days to be spontaneous - plan ahead!). 🗺️

We settled in, set up camp, went for a couple walks, made a quick run to get some groceries and then I enjoyed an *evening of light yoga and meditation as well as reading one of the books I leave permanently in the van— The Fifth Agreement.

*With all the rain colorado has enjoyed this spring and summer, this is the first trip in the van EVER where we’ve had a really bad issue with biting flies. 😞 they made it impossible to focus during yoga and super easy to go to bed early.

Tuesday morning i woke up excited to finally check out the gore creek trail as well as one called deluge. We started on deluge as I assumed it would feature fewer humans given its “black” trail difficulty designation on trail forks - the trail was gorgeous but very overgrown, making me nervous about snakes/ poison ivy/ ticks etc.

We went about 1.5 miles up gaining almost 1000ft elev before I’d had enough foliage scraping my legs and we turned back. We only saw a couple humans— which was awesome — This trail made me 100% convicted about (finally) getting myself a pair of hiking pants asap.

We doubled back to the sign where the gore creek path started and went up that for awhile- it was not as overgrown and followed the creek, offering that lovely rushing water sound as well as several water crossings which give Ramsey a chance to get wet and cool down. Soooo pretty. I turned us back once I felt she was starting to run out of steam (ok and I was, too 😉) and we made our way back to the van.

At the end of both trails are lakes and while it would have been cool to see one of them by making it to the trail end, I was happy with our adventure. I don’t do efforting or muscling my way through things these days; when I feel complete, I shut it down. I let my intuition and what my body is craving guide me and while it leads to a fair number of “Incompletes” I also 100% do not give a damn ✌️

I try to soak up these adventures with Ramsey while I can before she isn’t able to or doesn’t want to anymore. She’s twelve and still hikes like A BOSS but I know it won’t always be like that 😞 🐶 ❤️

I’m in a major retraction phase (again) now after being really open, outgoing and energy-outputting for the last few weeks … a few folks overstepped some boundaries of mine, I felt over-asked and over-stretched really quickly, and I came right back into energy preservation mode… it’s really notable to me how quickly and desperately I needed to shut things down and go back within again.

It’s just showing me so clearly how deeply depleted and grief-filled I still am and how much healing there is to do yet. Grief works like that I think.One step forward and two steps back - for me that’s how it feels in this season anyways.

So I’m super thankful for this van outing where I don’t need to talk to anyone or summon courage or energy. I simply get to do whatever I feel called to do next. Moment by moment. 🙏🏼

On day two I (of course!) got the road bike out and rode vail pass - 3x. The first time I took super easy, the second I gave it some gas and then the third just took in the scenery. Not even close to my PRs from back in 2013 but 🤷‍♀️

I wanted to get four climbs in but started too late and needed to pack up the campsite for noon checkout (camp hosts take this very seriously I’ve learned in these years of camping!).

It was absolutely perfect out. A pristine bike path far away from any motorized vehicles and just a few other riders out. Slight cloud cover, ideal temps —- true slice of heaven out there. 🙏🏼

We left vail/gore creek (aka the land of pernicious flies) and with fingers and paws crossed (that the 🪰problem would not follow us) we made our way to our campsite at turquoise lake near Leadville…

Wow. In a word. At this even higher elevation (Approx 10k feet), Temps were nice and cool and with the lake right here the breeze felt heavenly - and it kept the flies at bay … thank GOODNESS. 🌲🪵 (although a few sneaky 🦟 found me and bit me up!).

The lake is breathtaking and the campsites are fantastic. I wasn’t choosy when i selected my spot here but once I got Ramsey put for a walk and did some recon I quickly learned the “beachfront property” spots are the ones to aim for next time.

Even better- no signal here. 🙏🏼 that’s always my goal when we’re out camping - to have my 📱rendered useless. I had just one bar of signal in vail which meant some annoyances found me there // that I was touching my phone more than I wanted to be.

Here- radio silence. Just the breeze and the absence of flies and quiet. 🐾 Ramsey and I are in heaven. (I use my iPhone notes app to draft my eventual blog post when I’m in places w/out signal).

We sat by the lake for a long time just… being.

It began to sprinkle so we returned to the van where I looked for another book and found “she- understanding feminine psychology.”  I read it cover to cover as I have before on van trips (hence the reason i leave it in here). Something about sitting in the midst of tall trees with nothing to do and nowhere to be really heightens my reading experience.

Each time something new jumps out from this book — this time:

“A woman has a profound capacity to be still, perhaps the most powerful act any human being can make. She is required to go back to a very still inner center every time something profound happens to her. This is a highly creative act but must be done correctly. She is to be receptive, not passive.”

This book blows me away every time.

I highly recommend it. It’s 80 pages and will probably take you an hour to cruise through.

I woke excited to ride the mtb trails along the lake— stunning!!!

I had an absolute blast and can’t wait to come back here!!

**I always post these blogs after the fact -never contemporaneously with my trip.

Breck & Frisco- summer solstice

I’ve done a thing… I rented my house in golden- aka what’s been HOMEbase since May, 2009 … and I’ve committed myself to some months of wonder - adventure - exploration - and self love/self care … it’s exciting and so far I love being in new places and spaces and trying different things on for size.

Thankful for the van & other lodging, for a flexible schedule and the ability to work from anywhere, grateful for my health and well-being; yeah, it’s FULL SEND for me after last year’s events and trips were disrupted due to the crash— absolutely unapologetically going for it and I don’t care what anyone thinks about it ! 💖 🚀

Last night I raced in a breck Wednesday night mtn bike race series for the first time ever. The trails were new to me and I didn’t get a chance to preride much of it so I was racing blind 🤪which isn’t my favorite. I’m still battling anemia related to the miscarriage two months ago and my hemoglobin remains low so I really feel the shortage of red blood cells up at 10k feet elevation ! But I wanted to have fun and just explore and try new things - so I did ! After all it’s the solstice and what a difference in this solstice versus last year ! 🤩

The race was fun/ my heart rate was pegged - no matter how hard or fast I climb I still get beat by the other women on the descents. Maddening for sure but I’ve got Loads of work to do in my desire to be a more proficient mtn-biker.

Mother Nature put on QUITE show out there. We had the most gorgeous weather and temps. Wow.

After the race we relocated to Frisco to a campsite I’d reserved near the lake. We enjoyed the most amazing sunset hike and the clouds just blew my mind. I stayed up way past my bedtime but then again isn’t that the point of the longest day of the year ?!? The overwhelming feelings of gratitude washed over me like waves. I feel more like myself than I have for months.

We woke the next morning and went for a lovely run- which was a pivot from my original plan of riding the reverse Cooper triangle route on my road bike. As I felt into what I needed and what my body wanted (something I do every morning nowadays), I knew my back was tight from racing last night and I wanted to involve Ramsey and so the opportunity to run alongside a gorgeous lake (something i don’t normally have the chance to do!) overrode the road bike ride and away we went for a beautiful morning run/jog/hike. 💯 stoked on my decision.

One of the absolutely essential apps I use and happily pay for in my adventures is trail forks. You can download an entire state at once so I’ve always got all the trails and maps accessible even when my phone doesn’t have signal. It’s kept me from getting lost so many times and helps me quickly find my way to trails etc. I highly recommend ! Here’s the route of our run:

Where to next ? Well …I know the answer to that of course but I’ll never share my adventures or plans online until after I’ve left the place or done the thing. Safety first. 👋🏻

Lake Havasu & Cattail Cove

For the price of a @mbaaraceseries @mangledmomentum bike race entry … we got two free nights of 🚐 camping out at the rodeo grounds. Yes it was just a dirt lot but we had loads of room to spread out, clean restrooms and showers! And who doesn’t love a pop-up bike party out in the desert.

I was thrilled to come away with 🥈 in my second race back post-crash. How far I’ve come since last June. The body is an amazing thing and I’m constantly blown away by its capacity to heal and grow stronger 🙏🏼.

After the race was done, we went into town to check out the famous London Bridge— timing it early on Sunday morning and enjoying the quiet while everyone was still sleeping.

Do you know the story of this bridge ? It’s mind-boggling:

“After it was dismantled, each of its 10,276 exterior granite blocks from the original bridge was shipped to Lake Havasu City. Each block was numbered before the bridge was disassembled. The blocks were shipped overseas through the Panama Canal to California and trucked from Long Beach to Arizona. The shipping and assembly of the bridge, and dredging of a man-made channel underneath, cost $7 million.”

Source: https://www.golakehavasu.com/london-bridge

Then back out to the SARA trails for a hike attempt (cut it short due to loose scrambly nature of the trails; much better for riding than hiking).

Ready to see more of the lake, we moved to our campsite at @cattailcovestatepark … What a little slice of lake heaven ! While there weren’t any trails I could ride in the area, we enjoyed one of our best-hikes-ever along the water. Water on one side as far as the eye could see and then yellow and purple flowers on the hillsides - it was a visual feast that elicited emotions of feeling supported and held by nature. 🌱 💕 🌸

Spring break in this area was understandably busy & congested but the weather was cool and lovely and we had a great adventure here. 🌵 amazing to see such a huge body of water in the middle of the desert, 3.5 ish hours away from phx. We will def go back to explore more of the waterfront campgrounds in the future. 🗺️

@golakehavasu @lhcazgov is a spot that’s been on my AZ list for a few years now, and I am so glad I finally made it out there (once again thx to bike racing for providing the impetus and destination!).

#explorearizona #vanlife #lakehavasu #lakehavasucity @cattailcovestatepark @lhcazgov @golakehavasu #latergram #arizona #optoutside @trustforpublicland #homeiswhereyouparkit #freshairandsunshine☀️ #dogsofinstagram #vandog #mountainbikeracing

Little Ramsey deserved her own little cute gallery :)

Book review: Feral by Emily Pennington

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

If you know me or follow me on IG you see most books get five stars from me - I suppose I am intentional with my choices or perhaps am generally easy to please ?!

I really wanted to like this book. It called to me as a vanlife adventurer and someone who of course wants to see as many national parks as possible…

I saved it for this road trip and devoured it in the course of three days. But truthfully I read it so fast because the book itself brought on feelings of rush, haste, and yes- caused me some bedtime anxiety (I read before bed).

While i appreciated (and yes at times 100% related to) her “get this quest done in a year following my plan as much as possible” … I also wanted her to slow down and share more photos and feelings and to SOAK IT IN. She got herself good and sick several times on the journey and much of her angst was related to a crumbling relationship which really hung over her trip like a wet blanket. I appreciated her frankness and candor but I also wanted her to enjoy it more. For much of the book, this once in a lifetime adventure simply felt to me like … work. I felt depleted reading it not energized as I’d hoped.

If nothing else it reminded me to slow down and savor my own adventures more…

An indication of how much a book impacts me is how many bottom corners are bent, signaling a page I wanted to come back to. Here there aren’t many corners bent. I’ll share the lines that touched me most:

I was struck by a quote from Edna brush perkins in the visitor center: “how can rocks and sand and silence make us so afraid and yet be so wonderful?”

three life altering mantras:

In this very moment …there is nothing to worry about - nothing is lacking - there is much to be grateful for.

it’s not a race I kept telling myself it’s an excuse to roam around a beautiful place in the name of self discovery. why do I keep forgetting that? This is what’s real wilderness sickness loss beauty what if the parks are showing me exactly what I need to learn? That if I don’t slow the F down I’ll miss out on the miracles happening all around me

I have been a fugitive from the void for too long I have traveled too far to keep running away if I am to love let it be easy if I am to find horror let me wrap a ring of flowers around its neck if I am to belong nowhere let me belong everywhere

Snowmass, Twin Peaks, Twin Lakes

Back in September I had the amazing opportunity to head to snowmass for CO mtn league high school mountain bike race. I got to support the kids and help with hand ups and pre ride etc etc. it was SUCH a wonderful experience. The van camping was a huge plus on top of a great trip. Through the league we had the chance to camp in the snowmass rec center. (Proved really convenient since for $15 day pass there I got to workout, hit the outdoor pool and shower!).

The next day I got up and went on a ride there as I’ve not been to snowmass in years and never in the non-snow months. Right from the rec center lot I was able to grab the north and south rim trail. Spectacular. Truly. Wow. Despite that I’m coming back from injury and still super skittish on the bike I just took my time, stopped often and soaked in the changing leaves. 🍁

And THEN I wanted to eke out a bit more magic from an already magical van trip … so as I drove back down independence pass I looked for a cool campground and VIOLA! Twin peaks caught my eye. And wouldn’t you know it- it was the last night it was open for the season. And wow. The yellow aspens were… positively glorious.

Finally- having learned that Mondays are a really great day to be out on the trails when many folks have returned to their homes or workplaces, I decided to check out Twin Lakes. And the changing leaves could not have rewarded me MORE for this decision. I was in awe the entire time ! And having spent most of my summer unable to walk or hike, this felt like a double triple treat. Immense gratitude feels the entire time.

I cannot recommend the Twin Lakes trail (aka the CDT trail!) especially this time of year. 🙌

Humboldt Mountain Bike Adventure

Humboldt mountain sits at 5204 feet and is located between Cave Creek and Carefree north of Scottsdale in the Phoenix metro area.

The climb itself is paved **but there are numerous sections of gravel (and washboards) to get to the base of the paved climb so bring a bike that can handle some dirt (and/or drive a vehicle that can handle a bumpy road). I chose to use my cannondale f-si hardtail mountain bike for this adventure since I knew it would be a mixed surface ride and I wanted a little suspension to ease the jolts of the gravel road washboard sections. It was the perfect tool for the job.

At the top of the climb is a white golf ball shaped tower… that “golf ball” is actually an FAA radar station. The ride is great -with very little motorized traffic out there and amazing views in all directions. Temps are cooler at these higher elevations too ! Plus you’re likely to see friendly cows who’ll give you the nod as you pedal past. ;)

Stop at ravens view when you’re done, for a great coffee or lunch. It’s a rad little woman-owned restaurant that you’ll drive or ride past and dogs are also welcome.

Cactus Cup, Tortilla Flats, Sedona, Dead Horse Ranch & Cave Creek

We’ve been out and about exploring a LOT the last few weeks with some solid van adventures, a rad mountain bike race, plenty of work and adulting mixed in (plus some relationship repair/restart {referenced in my last blog]), and some fitness/form coming back as well.

I’m honestly not sure if anyone finds these adventure recaps helpful or useful or even entertaining, but I sure like writing about them ;) So if you’re here reading, WELCOME! And enjoy!
Last year I raced my first cactus cup- a 3 day mountain bike race- and learned a LOT of lessons. This year I was back with all of that intel and was determined to improve on my 2021 results- even if just shaving time off my own times and racing against myself … I had to keep in mind that from mid September into late December 2021, I wasn’t riding or training at all due to chronic back pain /injury …. so to even be lining up evoked big feels of gratitude… those months of chronic pain just about did me in mentally-not being able to ride was SO hard. And then I found myself fearful of the bike, fearful it would hurt me and make my back awful again. It’s been a slow road coming back, one with consistency being the primary focus.

So with around 2.5 months of rides and consistency in me, I gave the 3-stage race my all. I was most proud of shaving 30 minutes off my time in the 40-mile XC loop from last year. That felt amazing. And then shockingly two of the women in my AG no-showed for Sundays enduro, so I moved up to 3rd Place and got to stand on the podium- yeasssssss!!! 🥉

**If you are visiting the Scottsdale area and want a nice long 43-ish mile Mountain Bike Loop to ride, I recommend check out the Cactus cup website, route page, and downloading the saturday course to your computer so you’ve got turn-by-turn help… you can just follow the computer and enjoy a really lovely 3-4 hour ride!!

It was such a fun weekend overall — van camping in the big parking lot with all the other racers was so much fun and it was great to see friends and just feel a hint of post-two-year pandemic times morphing into more normalcy. 🙏🏼 It felt amazing to be back in the bike community once again.

After the race wrapped up Sunday, I moved us to a campsite I’d booked for us in the park (McDowell), since we had a couple more days of exploring and adventuring to come. For me and vanlife, I’ve found as the quote says, “it’s easier to stay out than to get out.” So once I’m out with the van loaded and my vanlife mindset, I try to make the trips 3-5 days to make the loading/unloading worth it.

As with almost all of our nights in the park, it was magical and lovely. The evening hikes/walks and sunsets, and then the quiet with the stars overhead -it’s truly special. We’ve never stayed at the same place in the park, we’ve tried out different campsites in the main campground as well as the tent sites. All are winners (**except for the tent sites when you’re sandwiched between two other spots-those offer NO privacy and I don’t recommend those unless you’re actually in a tent and can be away from the parking spots).

TORTILLA FLATS/CANYON LAKE

From McDowell, we made our way out to Tortilla Flats- to the Tortilla Campground and the site I’d booked us. On the way there we drove past Canyon Lake, truly gorgeous and unexpected out there in the desert! We hung out at the lake’s edge for hours, watching people boat, jetski, paddleboard and watching dogs swim out chasing after balls thrown by their owners. I had originally set this as a hiking destination I wanted to try, and the lake added a true bonus - next time I’ll definitely try to find a campsite closer to the water. NOTE: the tortilla campground is closed a good chunk of the year (it closes at the end of March, as temps start to rise). This campground was nice - though not much to do and sadly, no trailheads nearby (which is a first, I’m used to us being able to hike from our campgrounds). For me that is a deal-breaker, as I don’t want to have to drive the van to get to our recreation activities….

** Here’s where I’ll add one of my big personal takeaways so far in my first 15 months of vancamping- I don’t do boondocking or off-grid, remote van camps. I just don’t. I don’t like it, I don’t like being way out away from people, often in areas with lots of ATVs/Side-by-Sides and places people go to shoot off their guns- and often in spots that are super dusty, and pretty hard on a vehicle to get to. It’s not to say I’ll NEVER do it, but it’s not my preference.

I am ok spending the $ fees on campsites in parks with bathrooms and friendly campers- where I feel much safer, and have resources near me (like water hookups at some sites), if we need them. Yes-sometimes you are tooo close to your neighbors and you can hear everyone’s business, but in general everyone is out there for some peace and quiet; people usually keep to themselves other than a little friendly chit-chat…. so that’s why I choose campgrounds.

The next morning we drove back toward the lake and started our hike - up Boulder Canyon trail, ironically ;) It was there I began to realize my brand new phone case for my new iphone 13 (new as of December) had somehow scratched or fogged from the inside, and my photos were getting blurrier and blurrier! The hike was great- though by then I was itching to “plug back into the matrix” (aka re-engage in adulting stuff) after being relatively-offline for 5 days. I’ve found 4 days is kinda my sweet spot… after that I get a little angsty as things start to stack up, and am ready to re-engage with emails, work, daily tasks).

**Another van camping/exploration/adventure tip: I LOVE TrailForks - the app is AMAZING. WELL worth the $35/year fee! You download all trails in the state you want to your phone, so it doesn’t matter if you have signal or not- and you can just so easily find trails wherever you are, color-coded by difficulty (similar to skiing gradient, where black is hardest, then blue, then green is easiest). PLUS you often get other users’ input, photos, intel to help plan a route…. I use this app EVERY time we are out exploring somewhere new. And of course, the Garmin InReach is always along too just in case I ever get into trouble and need help or need to text someone and don’t have a cell signal.

It was back to work for the rest of that week and weekend which -after the 3 day race weekend, was a recovery week, training-wise. **This serves me well as then I can truly buckle down on work and other life tasks with low levels of training intensity. It set me up for success as we embarked on a second van adventure the following week….

SEDONA

Last winter I’d set a goal to get to Sedona and wasn’t able to pull it off, so this winter getting there was a top priority. Months ago, I’d located a large and lovely group campsite and booked it, thinking surely a few of my arizona friends might want to come join me for camping, hiking, biking, etc. But as the dates grew closer, everyone’s response was some version of, “sorry, work has really blown up on me, I can’t make it….” So that’s how I found myself enjoying a really awesome HUGE campsite RIGHT on Oak Creek- all to myself! (This spot is intended to host up to 50 people/ 10 vehicles). And while it’s the most expensive campsite I’ve ever stayed at, it is still likely one of the least-expensive places to stay in Sedona !!! The traffic here has gone WILD, so having a bike to use for errands was handy- as to drive in town adds 30+ minutes since it’s backed up almost all day, every day.

The creek RIGHT outside the van door- -AMAZING.

Other than bike commutes, I didn’t have plans to ride in Sedona, however. The trails there are candidly, too tech for me and that translates to Megan isn’t having fun- so my goal all along was to nab 2 solid hikes and one 10-mile run… which I did. Add to that some cold creek soaks for the legs, some bike commutes to Whole Foods and the Hike House, checking emails using my cell phone hotspot, making awesome meals, soaking up the red dirt and amazing vortex vibes there, and I’d call it a GRAND success. I loved every minute of my time there and can’t wait to go back. (I hadn’t been to Sedona since 2019 and would really love to make it an annual visit if I can possibly pull that off). If you’re going- plan ahead! This town is PACKED and expensive!

DEAD HORSE RANCH

From Sedona I decided to break up the drive back to Phoenix by first stopping at Dead Horse Ranch State Park for a night. I could see on TrailForks there were lots of nice green/blue trails right from the campground and I was itching to get some mtn biking in, so that’s what we did!

NOTE: if you are in a small van and don’t need hook-ups, you can almost always reserve and stay at the tent-only sites. Those spots will have strong NO RV language because they are smaller and don’t have any hookups- but if you have a small vehicle or van like mine, you are good to go (which is good, since these sites are often the only ones available!) . Once we arrived and setup the van, I popped out for a late afternoon mtn bike recon ride to scope out the trails a little bit. Then it was a gorgeous evening, as the park sits up higher than surrounding areas, and the stars were SO bright and visible.

The next morning I enjoyed another short mtn bike spin, and then it was time to pack up & hit the road!

CAVE CREEK REGIONAL PARK

And…for our final stop, we paid a second visit to Cave Creek Regional Park. (We stayed here back on Superbowl Sunday and I felt I’d only just sampled some of the offerings of this area so I wanted to return for a second stay). It’s a VERY quiet park- no water sports so no boats and trailers, and it’s a much smaller campground/park than Mcdowell, so the number of people camping there is much lower. It’s just super chill- lots of horses in the area, and I think it’s absolutely gorgeous… plus we can see the hot air balloons off to the west rising in the mornings… that is really something to witness on your morning walk!

My parents arrived at the park right around the time I did, to meet me for a campsite lunch -we had Such a great time hanging out and chatting while chasing the shade underneath my awning… the higher elevations in Sedona and Dead Horse had mitigated the rising temps and it was much warmer “down” in town (still at 2k elev).

After they left, Rams and I enjoyed a nice long sunset hike. Then the next morning, I got out for a 3- hour mtn bike ride exploring some more new-to-me trails in the area, and then we made our way home!

Overall these were ALL solid places to stay, ride, hike, and hang out. I enjoyed these adventures very much, and I continue to learn more about myself on each outing.

The COFFEE/ANXIOUS THOUGHTS EXPERIMENT:

On these recent outings I really began experimenting with removing coffee to see if it affected my mood/anxiety levels- and it DOES! I was having lots of anxious mind middle-of-the-night wakeups on the McDowell race weekend (coffee each morning), so I switched to match tea on the second outing and the anxious brain was gone. I have removed coffee from my daily routine now, and am drinking only Matcha Tea or MUD/WTR instead, and am noticing a big difference in my daily headspace.

ON the van life topic in general- I believe that keeping it basic and uncomplicated is the key to getting out there as often as possible….

I try to keep all of the van life stuff as simple as possible to make popping out like this as easy and low-stress as I can. I try to keep the van mostly clean, I restock the water and rewash the towels between trips, I try to keep basics like dog food and instant meals always packed in there…. With so many people “working from anywhere” these days and so many like me adopting the vanlife, it is no longer possible to “wing it” and book campsites on the fly- campgrounds especially in warmer areas this time of year, are all booked to the gills…. so I can’t emphasize enough the need to plan ahead.

If you have questions, hit me up in the comments, I’m happy to share what I’ve learned so far!

100 miles in 100, er, 30 days

As these things go… I was following the AZhikeaholics on the ‘gram and then started down the rabbit hole of amazing Phoenix area hikes and then … I stumbled on Maricopa County’s 100 miles in 100 days challenge … with about 30 days remaining in the challenge GAME ON 💪🏼! Need another tshirt ? Nope… but I did need a new challenge ✅

The challenge started back in November ‘21 and ends Feb 8. I logged my first miles of the challenge on January 7. 

So yeah… no time like the present ;) let’s do this

It counts trail runs, hikes, mtn bike rides and horse back riding miles. (The biking miles are only counted 50% which makes sense as four easy rides would knock the whole challenge out). Hikes/trail runs count 1:1 mileage. No clue on the horse miles as that’s not my jam. 🐴

**You also need to visit a minimum of 3 of the Maricopa county parks. uh, yes please - I’ve always wanted an excuse to tour all of these amazing sites

So- with the white tank xterra 20k run as my first race of 2022, I nabbed some hiking, running and cycling miles the weekend of that race at White Tank park wayyyyyyy out on the west end of Phoenix. That was my first visit to white tank and I really enjoyed it. The campsites were nice and spread out - and as with my overall experience in Maricopa parks, the restrooms and facilities were all uber clean and nice. 

The following week I booked a thurs-sat campspot reservation at Mcdowell, with the goal of getting a nice long mtn bike ride in (my first since sept 19- the monarch crest crank ! The dirt from that event was still on my bike!) as well as a nice long trail run … I love mcdowell and have spent the most time at this park. I’ve learned that when the scheduling is within my control it’s much better to camp mid week than on weekends because the weekends are just so much busier of course. 

I logged a three hour (30ish mile) mtn bike ride Friday afternoon checking out some new trails I’ve not ridden before as well as reconning some that I’ll be racing in March. I happened to time this camp excursion with the full moon and let me just tell you- that is the secret sauce right there. It makes sitting outside after the sun goes down, soooo magical. I mean seriously check out these pics : 

As of the Friday evening post mtn bike ride and hikes in mcdowell I had 44.34 miles counted towards the challenge. 

White tank and mcdowell will spoil a person when it comes to immaculate (and new) restrooms and showers. They set the bar sooo high it’s hard to measure up at other parks.

After that outing … the following week I booked a night at Usery park and while I was on that end of town I decided to nab a night at Lost Dutchman - (not a Maricopa park for purposes of the 100 mile challenge but I’ve wanted to check it out and do some hiking there). 

I should pause and say- this time of year in AZ and esp with Covid lending to more people out in the campgrounds now due to work from home / work from anywhere and people just generally being out in the wild more (myself included) it’s not really feasible anymore to just “wing it” and nab a campsite reservation a day or two out. It has to be planned and booked a few weeks out. i actually have come to really like having van trips PENNED in on my calendar so that I can map life and work around them and always have something ahead to look forward to!

Honestly — it does get me out in the van more — the default and easiest thing to do is ALWAYS to just stay home.  Van life is amazing but yes- it does take effort and planning/packing/prep of some meals and more. So for me at least, making campsite reservations a ways out really helps. 

Usery was great for full moon photos as it’s got a bit more character to it, I feel, BUT the biggest reason I won’t camp there again is the gun range across the road. Ugh 😣 The shooting went from early in the am until well after dark and while I don’t really mind it, poor Ramsey does- fireworks and gunshots have her either hiding in the van or else trying to make a run for it - neither of which is ideal. 🤦‍♀️

I got in an ok ride there… Usery isn’t just wide open and flowy like Mcdowell is, and then the next day I got in a solid 7 mile run/hike which included a jaunt with Miss Ramsey up to Wind Cave:

As of leaving Usery park… I had 63.43 of my 100 miles of the challenge done:

After relocating from Usery out to Lost Dutchman, I truly began to appreciate the cleanliness and newness of Maricopa parks. LD is an arizona state park and it’s much older - the bathrooms/showers are clean but quite dated (paint chipping etc). 

It was great to see this spot on the WAY east side of phx. The campsite is super full/booked - but I lucked out with a spot that sits all by itself which is totally ideal (135 if you ever camp here).

All in all a great trip and some really great sights, workouts and sunsets in the bag. The hike was more tech than I realized so I went up as far as I felt safe with Ramsey and then turned back - I’ll need to tackle it solo another day. (Siphon Draw trail up to its peak).

So then- being a woman on a mission to now camp at all the Maricopa parks- I checked campsite availability and found a SINGLE night out at Lake pleasant— it is wayyyyy out there on the NW corner of phx but I’ve never been and so with such limited campsite availability there I added it to my mid-week calendar / plans. Two nights would’ve been better given the haul up there but that just wasn’t in the cards… it ended up being ok since folks there LOVE their generators 🤦‍♀️ and the spot i’d booked was nowhere near water as the edges are all dry.
I’m glad I got out there and got to see it - a giant lake in the middle of the desert is pretty cool - but one night was plenty. That was my least favorite of the four Maricopa parks.
That boosted my challenge miles a bit and made for the 4th (bonus round) Maricopa park visit. ✅

photos:

I was back to mcdowell the first weekend of February, for another xterra trail run and - what would be my last chance to get miles in before the contest ended on Feb 8.  I got out to the park Saturday midday and nabbed a nice and easy 16-mile mountain bike ride which gave me 8 more miles towards the challenge. A couple hikes added to the tally and then it was time to hit the hay before my run the next morning. Check out these lovely photos of the Saturday adventures and sunset :

Going into the 15-mile run, I needed a little over 15 miles to finish the challenge:

And I’m happy to say the run went SPECTACULARLY!! Wow.
Surprised myself big time with a 2nd place AG finish and 9th woman overall…
the race not only went really well but it + a short hike with Ramsey afterwards put me over the 100 mile goal and marked my completion of the challenge JUST in the nick of time- it ends tomorrow!

Rapha Prestige - Aspen

It’s been years since I’ve been to Aspen so when I was asked to join a four-woman team for this event I said HELL yes! 

With I-70 being closed at glenwood canyon I was worried independence pass would be a zoo but the drive was relaxing and enjoyable. I set up the 🚐 in the campsite (Difficult Campground - by far one of the cleanest sets of camp restrooms I’ve ever seen, highly recommend) and then rode into town to meet a friend for a spin-out ride.
We cruised up to Maroon Bells easy and took some requisite photos at the lake. ;) it is so gorgeous up there and I am so thankful I got to experience those views as it’s been too long since I last saw them!

I cruised back to the van and then made a nice dinner from some leftovers I’d packed (we’d hosted a neighborhood cookout Wed nite and are those not the BEST leftovers?!). I got in some journaling (no cell signal at the campsite- worth the price of admission!) and some yoga and then hit the hay early. 💤 campground sleep can be the best sleep I’ve learned, since it feels so safe and they’re usually super quiet.

Saturday morning I rolled into town early to be sure i could secure a nice shaded spot for the van. 

I knew we were in for a big day and there was a little nervousness palpable in our group. The route was approximately 110 miles an over 8000 feet of elevation gain. The thing that would make the ride most difficult was that most of the extended climbing was in the latter half -specifically between miles 60 and 100. 

And… Yep- those late climbs were tough!!! My garmin died close to town but my garmin varia radar/light stayed strong all day long - I really like having it alert me to cars approaching us from behind.

It was definitely a big long day (soooo much stopping and standing and waiting that part KILLED me!) but we had a great time out there; the route was really incredible, the weather was cool and wind was low-  and I was thankful that a good chunk of it was on pavement and not all on gravel. 🙏🏼

It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another a bit better and learn more about ourselves in the process too. Liz, Micah, I-ling and I wore our red, yellow, green and blue jerseys and white socks, 🤍Going by the team name, “clean socks dirty hearts.” 😊 we were the queens of primary colors! ❤️💛💚💙

On a personal note… After the last few weeks of bike events and being more disciplined with my intervals and gym work lately, I could feel some fitness coming on and it felt great to FINALLY feel great on the bike!! For most of this year I have not felt good on the bike - most days have felt like a battle - harder than they should feel- and this time I finally felt like I had something to give to the pedals. When you return to some form and the body feels part of the bike instead of feeling like it’s awkwardly struggling - that’s a good day. 🏆

When we got back to Rapha they had an amazing dinner cooked up for us and we all hung out for a bit, savoring the day’s events.
Then I loaded up the van and started driving away from Aspen with no real plan other than to get somewhere before dark.

I ended up settling us on the top of Independence pass because- why not ! At 12k feet elevation or so I knew I ran the risk of my sleep being somewhat disrupted but the sight of the setting sun up here was worth it (albeit colored by the smoky haze we are all realizing may be our new normal due to summer wildfires across the US). 

We settled in and called it a night nice and early. I woke to the sight of the sun rising and filling the van with some warmth (it’s cold up there!) and after making coffee and oatmeal, Ramsey and I struck off for a high elevation hike before the humans arrived.

We had the whole place to ourselves !! As we returned to the van, humanity was arriving and it was time for us to ✌️ out. 

This is one of the biggest upsides to vanlife- being where you want to be, camping at no cost with no setup, having all your stuff with you and being flexible with plans and adventures, and being first out there and first done before the crowds descend …. 

A lovely human saw me taking pics of Rams and asked if I wanted a photo with my pup. I sure did ! Humans are awesome. 🙏🏼

Ramble Ride July 2021

Ramble Ride 2021

I carried my GoPro camera along and compiled a video of the trip. You can watch it HERE.

Day 1: 

Today was hard. Like… real hard. 😯 

It’s taken me 5 years to forget how hard this ride is/can be. I last did it in 2016- the first year they did this event- and I’d honestly forgotten (selective memory?)  just how difficult the riding is. And also how much fun… To get off grid away from cell signals; to meet a whole new group of rad humans; to ride bikes on quiet back roads with the ONLY objective of the day being simply to make it to the evening campsite, and set up my tent before dark.

Yes, It’s a good way to spend a few days. I’m so thankful I can do things like this. 

The primitive simplicity of it is the biggest piece of this vacation for me -  we laughed today as we struggled up this brute of a climb, that we could be vacationing on a beach 🏖 or in a ritz carlton but … why? We got to see the sights and take in the views from our bikes with only our legs to power us and mountain ranges and wildflowers and cattle and wildlife to look at. Yes it’s hard —and it’s also really rewarding.

Last night we arrived in Walden and camped there (I slept in my van, naturally!) and this morning we took off and rode 65 miles towards this lake, where we are camped out tonight. That doesn’t sound very daunting but let me tell you… this course is NOT for the faint of heart. Over 5000 feet of elevation gain achieved at times on 15-18% gradient roads that were relentless; yes, some walking and pushing of the bike took place, I’m not gonna lie. 10mph average pace is the goal. and even that isn’t always attainable.

I brought my Cannondale Fsi hard tail mountain bike - it’s the perfect tool for the job here. Super light weight with the Lefty Ocho fork for some moderate front suspension, easily locked out when not needed. I just recently put on new wider tires too-2.4/2.5 nice and grippy. Albeit -a bit much for this ride - but being able to manage the gravel on these tires gives me immense confidence. The roads we’re riding are rough enough this bike is much kinder on the arms and shoulders than a gravel bike would be plus some of these roads today were almost legit mtn bike trail-ish. I was glad for the front suspension and the upright position.  The bike was admired and wished-for by several riders. Gravel bikes are rad but they can be quite a bit less forgiving especially day after day. I’m thrilled with my choice of steed. 

This morning the RR Crew served us homemade bread pitas with eggs and sausage and spinach. Delicious.

Then the roll out time was up to us. The day’s pace is up to us - it’s a ramble NOT a race … some of us choose to travel light and let the vans carry the bulk of our gear while others choose to try out the full bike packing experience by loading their bikes with all the gear. We lighter riders rolled in earlier and those fully loaded down came in later. Then we all dodged a big storm that luckily blew through without pouring rain on us.  Tonight’s dinner was burgers, veggies and cucumbers. So good. Out on course they kept us rolling with fluids and a solid lunch stop where Peter made us sandwiches - that was so good. Eating real food versus eating sugarybike food all day makes such a difference. 

I type this tonight after this first hard day from inside my brand new tent - the first I’ve ever owned. ⛺️ Truly. It’s the Big Agnes bike packing tent - (two person for more room!) and I highly recommend it ! Today was the first official time I’ve set it up for myself (i practiced last weekend but that didn’t count). Tonight I’m set up right next to the lake where our campsite is …and I hear the water lapping up on the beach. I’m tired and so SO ready for bed. It’s only 815. Too soon? I guess that’s up to me to decide. I enjoyed lots of laughs with new friends at dinner and now it’s time for me- for solitude. 

This trip was just what I needed; I needed a clean break from the daily duties to give my head time and space to rest and download all that’s happened in recent months. So much loss and grief and trauma in the cycling world- far too many cyclists hit and taken from us. It’s my job to stand up and do something about it but of course it comes with a personal cost; I’m not a robot- this stuff lands hard with me. There is a price it exacts from me as a human. Perhaps more than most since I am such a deep feeler. No amount of compartmentalizing has ever made this work easier me. I feel things very deeply, Especially others’ pain.  It is how I’m wired; it’s how I see and experience the world- deeply- with my heart out front of me taking it in. It is both my greatest strength and also at times my greatest weakness. Lawyers aren’t exactly supposed to wear their hearts on their sleeves. 

So I’m out here trying to heal my heart by riding bikes in nature away from screens and cell towers. Today was hard enough that the monkey mind is for the time being, Silenced. 🤫 The fatigue quiets the mind and for that I say thank you. 🙏🏼 I’m tired mentally and physically and I welcome rest tonight in this cute little new tent home of mine surrounded by new friends and colorado gloriousness. If that isn’t a salve for broken hearts, frenetic minds and emotional wear and tear, I don’t know what is. ❤️ 😴 💤 🌅 

Tomorrow is a shorter day followed by two longer days: days 3-4 are re-routes due to the morgan creek fire currently burning which affected the original route. We won’t make it into steamboat as originally planned but that’s ok - this way we can leave our tents set up for both nights 2&3. 

We will ride back into Walden on Saturday and then I’ll head home- I hope- with renewed spirit, clarity in some big decisions pressing down in me, and tired legs. And a little more fitness than I had when I left home, I hope. 

Day 2

Much shorter ride today thankfully. Everyone was upbeat this morning as a result; yesterday wiped all of us out. Today was just 41 miles and normal climbs, none of that 15-18% gradient stuff we had yesterday. The highlight of the day was riding smack into a cattle drive on the road - we rode through a large herd broken up into three squads - I got to see cattle dogs working the herd back down towards the road and cowboys and girls working the herd forward. With their blessing & encouragement they told us to ride right through the cows. It was exhilarating and intimidating both. I was all by myself for most of it. Another rider (Jeff from Marin County CA- hospital IT) caught up to me towards the end which made me feel better. Those animals are large up close. And noisy and talkative ! It amazed me how scared they were of me riding my bike by myself into their groups. Some ran alongside me for awhile. Truly a remarkable experience. 🐮

We set up camp at the lake here (hog park) and this will now be our home for two nights. This lake is gorgeous and great for swimming. I didn’t set up camp quite as close to the water this time; instead I opted for some tree cover and I was hoping it would give me some wind cover too. But right now we are in the midst of quite a storm with strong gusts and rain and it doesn’t feel like the trees are helping. I can’t believe this tent & what it is capable of handling right now. I am truly Impressed. (But if I’m being honest I miss the comforts of 🚐 life!). 

With the early end to our ride today I had time to set up my spot and then I laid down in the tent and passed out for awhile. 💤 With no signal there’s not much else to do and it was lovely to just rest. Nowhere to be. Nothing to do. Hunkered down while the storm passes (we hope) before dinner time. It truly does feel like vacation when the only job at hand is to rest. 

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and another group sit afterwards chatting and laughing. So good for the soul- to meet kindred spirits from all over. There are riders here from CA, NY and everywhere in between. Many of us are from CO too of course. A CU professor, freelance writers from Foco and Aspen … a Lamborghini race engineer (I kid you not), folks from Pearl Izumi, a nurse, guys in mortgages from CA, a guy in real estate development from TX, a physician, several school teachers, a veterinarian— all ages and all levels of cyclist … so many interesting backgrounds and stories. I think I am the only attorney here- I wish more lawyers would avail themselves of experiences like this. 

Another light rain storm kicked up sending many of us to our tents to retire early. It’s nice to lay flat letting the body just be. And without a book, journal or internet to read stuff online, I find myself literally with nothing to do but think about the things I came here grappling with. Funny how we can use work and being busy -in motion to avoid giving deep thought to the things most weighing on us. 

It’s been 2.5 days since I last checked email and I can’t express how freeing it is to be away from that endless beast. Having no signal is the only way many of us here feel we can truly let down and have a break. Crazy, isn’t it… ?

Day 3: 

Today we had a 50-ish mile fairly challenging loop on tap starting & finishing at our campsite. Old megan would’ve ridden it and every other included mile for the achievement and accomplishment factor. Conquering every bit of it would’ve been the sentiment. 🏆
Current megan needed and wanted to show herself some love and take advantage of cell signal-less scenery by a beautiful lake. So I rode out an hour turned around and rode back for a nice easy two hour cruise. 

And then I rode out onto the boat dock here and sat there for a nice long while. As I stared out at the water, the tears came. Raw perhaps from tent sleeps and hard bike days - or maybe the grief saw a window of opportunity for release. Thoughts of my grandmother Jane and beloved dog Phoenix and friend Gwen came rushing to my mind; I sat and let the tears roll. The way our cycling community is hurting so badly this year with tragedy after tragedy — after last year when bikes saved so many people during Covid- it’s been even harder to see the aggression and anger towards us as riders now that the country has gone back to its old ways …

It was cathartic. It needed to happen. I sat there until it felt finished, then returned to our campsite and washed my hair (in the lake) for the first time on the trip and chatted with members of the RR team and then passed out again… another hard nap. I woke to the sound of rain hitting my tent and the sounds of voices of riders starting to come in. They’d had a good hard day out there compete with hail and rain… I knew I’d made the right call for what I needed. 

We enjoyed another fun evening of chatting, Jokes and laughter and then Peter bid us all farewell as tomorrow when we get back to Walden we’ll be grabbing bags and departing for home. It was a lovely evening here with a gorgeous sunset 🌅 and positive vibes all around. Everyone is tired //feeling accomplished & for good reason - peter said he designs these rides to be hard enough that we are pushed to new limits. 

It’s been a lovely adventure, one I needed and would for sure do again —and highly recommend to anyone who wants to get away for a few days but without the need to have to carry everything and be totally self supported. This is the perfect mix of roughing it and support - of feeling safe in the wilderness and also being self sufficient. You’re on your own out there, mostly, but you won’t be left behind, you’ll be cared for it something happens … It’s been fantastic. It’s gone too fast.

Tomorrow will be a big hard day and I know I’ll be sad when it’s over. And I’ll be glad to be home in my bed, too. I’ve really missed my dog Ramsey a lot while I’ve been here, she rarely gets left behind. 

I’m not sure I found the clarity I came out here seeking but my mind feels more sedated and peaceful than it did when we began… I have the sense that everything is going to be ok, which is better than when I started . I am thankful for the remainder of the weekend to download this experience and process it. I don’t want to simply rush on to the next thing and get sucked back into work mode too quickly. 

Day 4: 

Today’s ride was hard. It was gorgeous. And hard. Midday I got into a group pace line and we were so focused on clicking off the miles we missed a turn 🤦‍♀️ whoops. Added some bonus miles with that. County road 9b (9a?! 🤷‍♀️) was our reward- this gorgeous dirt road in the middle of nowhere it felt. Then it was pavement back into Walden …
The perfect end to a wonderful experience. I finished just as it started raining in Walden. Loaded up my stuff and began the drive home- loads of traffic plus a crash on Berthoud pass added an extra hour and let me tell you, the shower 🚿 at home felt amazing once I finally got there. It was nice to have Saturday night and all day Sunday to process the trip and get stuff cleaned up and put away. 

learn more about future trips at RambleRides.com ✅

*******

Ok so- what to pack for something like this? We are limited to 80L bags. I brought a 60L duffel —
here’s my pre trip load spread out on the floor (not shown-sleeping bag):

Guilty pleasure: clean bibs for each day (4 pair of cycling shorts). Fresh chamois makes a huge difference for me & it doesn’t take up much space

Things I regret taking: none

Things I packed but didn’t use: only two shirts & my swimsuit went unused. And some bike food that I didn’t end up eating/needing. 

Things I wish I’d had with me:

a chair for the campsites

a Warmer sleeping bag ! mine at 30 degrees wasn’t enough for me even with my puffy on and stocking cap while I slept - that higher altitude air plus being on the ground meant I needed a warmer bag 🥶

Rag for bike washing

Bug spray

Ibuprofen

Closed toed shoes- flip flops 🩴 were bad idea. =Cold and wet or dirty feet all the time 

Headphones for evening wind-down in my tent or at minimum a book 📕

All in all this was a wonderful experience- one I highly recommend. 

Visit their website to learn more about future Rambles.

White Rim In A Day: A Bike Adventure

On October 21, 2020, I experienced a harrowing near-death experience while riding my bike in the bike lane through downtown Golden… my instagram post compiled shortly thereafter tells the tale:

I went back to the scene 2 days later, that Friday evening, and walked the steps and path, counting one-one thousand, two-one-thousand as cars passed by at the speed limit of approximately 25 mph. The police officer who responded to the crash above calculated the driver’s speed at 65-70mph. He would have closed in on me within seconds from behind, I would have never known the difference or seen it coming, and it would have been permanent - lights- out for me. That very afternoon my parents were arriving in town to visit me, and they would have been confused by why I wasn’t home. My heart hurts to think of it.

The good news is that in the days prior to this experience, I’d visited Moab. I’d ridden my mountain bike there for the first time ever with a very close friend who was patient with me and helped me learn as we rode- she’s such a role model to me on the bike and in life in general. And then I’d spent all day that Tuesday exploring Moab with a new friend who took me “Jeepin’” (my first time ever) on the 4x4 trails there, and we’d wrapped the magical days by enjoying sunset hikes in Arches National Park.

“The recurring thought that went through my mind as I rode home from the above-pictured event, was, “if my last day would have been yesterday, that was an amazing day of being outside, breathing fresh air, seeing new things, experiencing the world and connecting with amazing people. And if that was my last day, I would have been very happy to go out with that as my final experience here.””

— -Megan

So… with that as the backdrop- I got a LOT more serious about my bucket list of things I want to do before I die. With COVID I decided to focus on things I could do closer to home, i.e., drive-able - safe- outdoors - inexpensive - accessible. While I suspect we all have places we want to see and experience around the world, there are always plenty of treasures to be discovered closer to home, too.

One such item that moved to the top of my list was riding the White Rim in Moab- in a day. And I found myself blessed with a travel partner with a 4x4 capable Jeep- a vehicle that is set up for such an adventure, (versus a stock vehicle like mine which would get destroyed on such a trail). I found myself with no reasons NOT to pursue the goal…. but mind you, I fell victim to some of those doggone “shoulds” for awhile. We can get in our own way now and then, can’t we?

It takes courage to say YES to something scary. It is always FAR easier to stay home, to stay in the same daily routine, to talk about the bucket list without actually taking steps to do the big audacious things… Even as adventurous as I am, taking the actual steps to go do something big for the first time is always challenging. (PLEASE-GO DO IT ANYWAY!).

I got clear on my YES— YES, I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS! — and with the weather forecast sealing the deal (warm, dry, no wind!), off we went to Moab.

RECON:

I talked to a friend who’d ridden it and she assured me I had the skill and fitness to capably handle this…. I did as much online recon on websites /blog sites as I could as we drove to Moab. The Mountain Bike Project app/website provided a great downloadable- GPX file for directions and descriptions of some of the things we’d encounter. Friends said it was doable- but a big day- and warned yet again, “don’t take a vehicle out there that isn’t super 4x4 trail capable.” We were cautioned that SAG support would have a hard time keeping up with me on the bike due to the trail conditions, but we dismissed that, thinking we’d be different in our riding/driving capabilities somehow. I downloaded the file to my Garmin for turn-by-turn nav, but to be honest, the trail is pretty obvious the entire day.

THE GEAR:

I chose to ride my full suspension Mountain Bike out there even though plenty of folks have done this on a gravel bike or a hard-tail mountain bike. I decided comfort and fun would make the day the absolute best, and I was very happy with my bike choice. I think it’s easy to dismiss the trail as a “jeep road” but it’s rough terrain out there, and my body was grateful for the suspension-kindness. Five-Stars for FULL SQUISH.

Shafer descent down into the canyon. No guardrails — proceed with caution but be sure to soak up the views!!!

THE DAY:

Shafer descent down into the canyon. No guardrails — proceed with caution but be sure to soak up the views!!!

This would not be a FKT attempt for me (Fastest Known Time) but rather a mission to enjoy the day, take photos, see the sights, feel the feels and live the experience fully. (Also, possible recon for a future FKT?!!? …TBD). We decided to ride the route as recommended on the Mountain Bike Project site- - clockwise. We started at the Shafer Trail trailhead and decided that Erik (my Jeep SAG support) would wait a few minutes and give me a head start (we thought that would be best so I wasn’t breathing in the dust from the vehicle by riding behind him). I enjoyed the descent down those switchbacks dropping me down into the canyon. GORGEOUS.

I couldn’t believe I was finally doing it -and I’d never ridden anything like this- the scenery, rocks, landscapes were breathtaking. (“…is this really my life?! How am I this lucky?”).

Off I went and occasionally would look back to see if I could see the Jeep. Every now and then across a canyon I could spot him. But eventually the way the canyon trail winds back on itself so much, around so many curves, I lost sight of him behind me.

Unbeknownst to me, Erik was pushing the Jeep to its limits to try and catch me — vacillating between frustration that he couldn’t drive over the rough terrain any faster without ripping up the Jeep, and thinking he’d likely missed me somewhere at a pull out or bathroom because there was no way I could be so far ahead of him. Dodgy cell signal made our communication difficult. Note: If you are doing it this way- use the trailhead spots and time to communicate to your SAG -not your mileage.

“As a first time SAG driver, I expected I would be able to provide the support Megan needed, when she needed it, and then pull ahead of her to reach the next checkpoint. WRONG! Even as someone who considers himself to be somewhat skilled in the off-road world, with a vehicle that is definitely capable, I couldn’t keep up with her! I was pushing it way too fast to try to catch her and I was really concerned about what I was doing to the Jeep. She was killing it and I just could not keep up. She was a rockstar! Next time, I’d have a different plan in place to allow me more time in the beginning to reach a predetermined location in order to provide her better support...and decreased stress on both of us as well as the Jeep.”

— Erik M., Jacksonville FL

Lesson I learned: I should have said, “I’m passing ____ campground and it’s (TIME)” so that whenever he got the text he could have seen where I was relative to his position. Instead, I made the mistake of texting “I’m at mile ….” (Whoops). We reconnected around mile 35 when I stopped to talk to a family and after that it was smooth(er) sailing. We tried to let him go ahead for awhile, but I was right on his bumper— there is no doubt, the bike can cover that trail so much quicker than anything with 4 wheels.

(Note: it was SUPREMELY satisfying to be able to overtake and outpace the vehicles out there all day long- even the most worthy 4x4 vehicle couldn’t hang with the bike ;) .

As the miles clicked off I realized I was enjoying a “no chain” kind of day-feeling amazing mentally and physically. The views were incredible and ever-changing. I took as many photos as I could. We saw very few cyclists /4x4 motorists out there-it was a glorious day to enjoy the Rim and have it mostly to ourselves.

The Route:

When you ride it clockwise, you finish the Rim up a brutal climb that is only SLIGHTLY less steep than the Shafer descent was- it’s a big punch in the legs when you’re 80 miles into the day. Due to Daylight savings having just taken place a few days before, and my desire to wait to start my day until the temps had warmed a bit (versus starting at first light), I began to run out of daylight as we exited the rim and hit the 10-mile stretch of open unnamed gravel road, (which then drops you onto the road for the final 10-mile section if you’re going for a complete loop and the full 100-miler). As it grew dark and I donned my lights, the temps dropped big time. Even putting on additional layers, I couldn’t warm up after being soaked in sweat coming up that last monster climb. My feet were suddenly frozen. With the Jeep behind me and my body feeling cold and unsteady, I decided I didn’t need the final 10 miles of gravel and 10 miles of pavement to make it a perfect loop— I’d already had the perfect day. Perhaps when it’s warmer in the spring and there is more daylight, I’ll strike out again to ride the full loop.

One thing to consider: some riders prefer to get the big climb out of the way first. You could either have your driver drop you at the base of Shafer and climb that first and proceed counter-clockwise on the loop, OR you could have your driver drop you at the Mineral Canyon Climb and climb that first, proceed to the 10 mile gravel stretch, hit the pavement, roll to the top of Shafter, and then finish at the base of the Mineral Canyon climb -which is probably the ideal way to go if you want to get that big ol climb done early.

If you haven’t picked this up by now I’ll restate myself once more: Do NOT under-estimate the gnarliness of the trail when you select your SAG vehicle.

I was lucky enough to have a very capable driver who is accustomed to doing extreme obstacles and trails in his Jeep- which is outfitted with WAY -beyond- stock upgrades in terms of lift, tires, bumpers, winch, etc. I promise you --the website descriptions of some parts of the trail significantly underplay some of the gnarly sections, especially the 2 super-steep uphills. Bring an experienced off-road driver!

Of course it goes without saying- - be a trail steward and cycling ambassador— it’s a $30 fee for your vehicle to get into the park AND then you also need to get your day pass to be out there! If you plan to break it up into multi-days, reserve a campsite at one of the many spots along the way. But if you’re riding it in a day, just get a DAY PASS and save the confirmation to your phone or print it out. We encountered a Park Ranger out there and he asked us about our plans and confirmed we had our pass and THANKED US for doing what was asked of us — it’s for your own safety, also, as they ask for your vehicle description in the event search & rescue needs to come find you.

All in all, it was an incredible experience, one I highly recommend if you’ve not done it- and it’s one I’ll definitely do again now that I know what I know!

Pack a LOT of water- it is NO joke out there! And bring your camera and a smile- this is like one giant playground to be enjoyed and savored on 2 wheels or 4.

““Hey, I’m thinking of heading out to Moab to ride White Rim Road tomorrow...” When you associate yourself with badass go-getters, receiving texts like this is the norm. Now knowing the impetus behind this ride, the narrow escape from Ford St in Golden, Hottman is setting an example that we could all follow in 2020. What is left on your list, and how can we get after it? In a year void of major endurance events and races, we can use this time to chase dreams. So, what are you going to do first?”

— Thomas Stott, Elevation Running/ coach

Golden to COS with dogs: a bike adventure

I have always wanted to go credit card camping on a bike adventure…. By that I mean- ride somewhere cool with a credit card, clean pair of clothes and flip flops, and explore the new spot, then maybe ride back.

On Tuesday of this week, my friend Chris introduced me via email to the owner of the Buffalo Lodge Bike Resort in Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, saying, “Megan, you need to know this place and the woman who owns it!” I checked out this cute spot online and as I looked ahead to the upcoming weekend I thought- why not go and visit? When I learned they were hosting a “folk & flannel” festival with live music, I decided I was in— I was ready for a new spot to visit and a new adventure to experience …

I don’t know why but my immediate reaction to their website (upon learning that it is ALL about bikes AND that it loves dog guests), is “I gotta take my girls with me.” I have taken my dogs on short bike-trailer rides like to the vet and to the park but never more than 5-6 miles. This would truly be an adventure for all 3 of us. ;)

I don’t really talk much about my dogs but since they are my family I feel they deserve a bit of storytelling time here…

My girls are a 14 year old pittie pup named Phoenix and my 9-year old endlessly energetic running partner, Ramsey aka Rambo. 14 years ago on a bike ride, I found a mom pup and a box of 5 puppies someone had stashed under a bridge embankment in KCMO - they were pit mixes, illegal in KC at the time and it was clear someone just wanted to be rid of them. I took them to the vet as they were all in very poor health- the puppies were only a few weeks old and were starving, dehydrated, had heart worm, etc. Once we got them in good health I was able to find homes for them all- primarily with friends but I kept the runt- the peanut butter brindle girl and named her Phoenix, as in, risen from ashes. She has survived and outlived her siblings and a major neck surgery and even a dire prognosis back in July and she’s still here with me game for morning walks, human food, and face licks. I know my time remaining with her is running short so I savor my days with her by my side.

I say all the time that I rescued her once, but she’s rescued me right back 100-fold.

She’s truly a special animal.

Ramsey is also a rescue- we adopted her in 2011 from Foothills animal shelter in Golden right about the time I was trying to mourn the death of my bike racing dreams after a heart-breaking season. We asked for a puppy and she is what they had that day- approximately 9 months old they told us she was a “tri colored collie” and not knowing any better we accepted that as true … well she’s not really a collie, though she is clearly a working or herding dog of some kind. The closest thing online I’ve found for her is a “new zealand heading dog,” described as virtually inexhaustible, and that sounded about right… Ramsey has been my Ironman running training partner and is known to go on a 12-14mile run and then come home to immediately grab her ball to play fetch. She is wicked smart and teachable - she thrives with exercise and mental stimulation.

Combined, Phoenix and Ramsey are quite a duo- protective of me when it’s called for, otherwise fairly relaxed and chill once they’ve had a bit of exercise— just like their Mom ;) …

Initially as I began planning this trip- I thought that I might leave Phoenix home since she’s old and tired and loves to sleep all day AND she weighs about 55#. But then I felt bad for leaving her out of our adventure. So I decided we’d ALL 3 hit the road - four days later - Friday - and ride from our house in north Golden down to the resort in Manitou, COS.

Early mapping recon showed me this would be around 100 miles and approx 4500 ft elevation gain. Not a big deal by Colorado and front range riding standards (honestly) … but taking into account the 90#+ of dog weight plus Burley trailer weight + supplies and backpack weight, the difficulty in this ride would come from me basically doubling my body weight. I weigh 120# on an average day and I was undertaking the task of towing my bodyweight behind me- asking my legs and body to push around 240# on this adventure.

Could it be done? “Only one way to find out,” is my usual response.

After scouting the route and using Ride with GPS to create the route and download the file to my garmin so I’d have turn by turn help in the unfamiliar areas, I turned my focus to packing.

Backpack contents👆🏼

I feel like I nailed the goal of keeping it light yet covering all of my bases. The one thing I wanted to bring but couldn’t squeeze in was my tennis shoes- so I settled for flip flops even though the evenings are cool now. And it would limit my hiking options. The one other thing I forgot in light of the evening festival was a stocking hat to keep my head warm at night. (I bought one once I arrived). Otherwise I covered it all and kept my backpack pretty manageable. I’d guess it weighed in around 15-20#.

The start … and so it begins ;)

Friday morning, it was time to depart. I figured optimistically we would average 10mph including the stops I knew we’d need to make for the girls and for me to refuel. And that ended up being spot on. We left at 8:16am and (spoiler alert) we rolled into the hotel exactly ten hours later, 6:16pm.

The route was great leaving Denver- I know the roads out of Golden, and the C-470 trail took me south towards Chatfield. While we were in BCLP, I let Ramsey out and she ran alongside me for awhile to burn up some energy.

I decided to stop at a gas station off the trail to grab a jug of water - while I hated to add that extra weight to our rig for the remainder of the day, I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to fill bottles again once we got further south. (Turned out to be a GREAT plan - we never had to stress about water, and to be candid, there were no other spots to stop the rest of the way!).

I took the bike path into Chatfield where we enjoyed nice smooth bike lanes through the park. We stopped for a quick stretch and snack at one of the campgrounds before leaving the park. From that point on I was entering the unknown part of the day.

Douglas County surprised me with these brand new glorious bike paths leaving the park headed towards Titan Road, and a nice bike path along Titan - PLUS huge bonus, I was able to skip 85 by heading south on the road just west of Santa Fe instead (south on Moore Road) , and low&behold discovered a new and gorgeous stretch of road near the airport that made that entire stretch a breeze (Airport Road?). We took that to the frontage road and just like that we were in Sedalia.

This was the stretch I was most worried about after reading other people’s accounts online. I knew it was the most common cycling route however it didn’t have a shoulder and was heavily trafficked by trucks and semis. I was not prepared for the difficulty I would experience in the endless rollers. The miles ticked by painfully slow and on several climbs I had to get off and walk and push the bike and burley uphill … thankfully every overtaking vehicle (except for one) was kind to us. But the volume of traffic was much heavier than I expected.

I wasn’t able to look around much and enjoy the scenery, and I neglected to eat or drink enough on this section which further resulted in the proverbial wheels falling off…. it was a rough stretch and for those thinking of doing this route, I am not going to sugar coat it - I was desperate to get that part over.

We were SO lucky to have a tailwind the entire stretch.

Finally we arrived at Palmer Lake and the entrance to the Santa Fe trail- which would take us through Monument and the Air Force Academy and south into COS. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, since the remainder of the journey would all be bike path. THAT SIGN WAS SOOOOO GOOD TO SEE!

Ramsey got out again and ran alongside me for a few miles - we took in the sights of Palmer Lake and Monument:

On this stretch about 10 or so miles south, my friend Chris (mentioned above), met me and escorted us through the final 20-25ish miles on the bike paths through COS -into Colorado city and finally into Manitou Springs to the Bike Resort. I was so thankful to have him navigating those miles so that I didn’t have to stop and consult my phone or the bike trail maps. My brain was fried by that point of the day.

As we rolled into the Bike Resort we were greeted by the owner and she came out and took photos of my tired little caravan - by that point the pups and I were exhausted and hungry. Thankful for arriving before the sun went down, I got us settled, showered and then pursued food. I was tired and the pups were tired too—but it felt so great to have accomplished the thing I set out to do. And the girls were so good all day and so cooperative with my crazy idea. 🙏🏼

Saturday at the Resort was a blast. The resort owner Torie led a morning group ride through Garden of the Gods to the Castle, and there was no way I was going to miss this (even though yes let’s be honest my legs were tired!). I detached the trailer, downed coffee, savored a fresh chamois and a clean bike, and off we went for a gorgeous spin. 🚲 ☀️

Saturday afternoon included a kombucha and then an evening walk with the girls, followed by the Folk & Flannel festival hosted at the resort. Such good times and fun - just being part of community, even while wearing masks and keeping our distances, felt so good for the soul.

The original plan was to ride back home Sunday - but after having such a fortunate ride with zero mechanicals, flats, incidents with motorists or injuries- I decided not to press my luck and instead opted to “phone a friend” for a lift home. Aka - Bill, owner of 303 Endurance. Serendipity played a role here - he had texted Friday to thank me for a package I’d sent him. I’d responded during the ride telling him what I was doing — then, full circle and because he owns a cycling media company, he wanted to check out the resort anyways —he got to interview Torie about the Resort and hear all about its history from her, so it worked out great. Check out 303’s Video interview of Torie HERE.

Before he arrived, we snuck in one last walk and I hopped on the bike for one more short spin through GOTG…

All in all and as you can tell above, it was an amazing experience and wonderful weekend.

The top questions I got from folks along the way and at the resort were:

1. What route did you take? View the route on RIDE SPOT- HERE. (My Strava post is HERE but it’s private unless you follow me). Generally speaking the route was: Golden to BCLP, to 470 trail, south to Chatfield, through the park to Titan Road, to Airport Road, to Sedalia. Then, Hwy 105 south to Palmer Lake. Sante Fe Trail south into COS, then city bike paths the rest of the way. Approx 95 miles/4500 ft elev gain, give or take.

2. Have you done this kind of thing before? No- not really. A bike Packing trip 4 years ago but that didn’t really count as there were no dogs involved.

3. Did you train for this? No. This idea was hatched on a Tuesday and the ride happened Friday.

4. What kind of sunglasses are those? Ride 100% (not sponsored). Highly recommend.

5. What made you want to do this? Haha have we met? If you don’t know me, know that my answer is usually -”Why not?”

6. Do your dogs just lay down in the trailer? Mostly, yes. They face opposite directions so that they each have a view (either forward or backward) and we stopped often enough they got to get out and stretch their legs, have a snack and a drink, and then they were game to hop back in. (Ahem- copious treats help).

7. What did you eat along the way? Normal bike food- Crafted Energy Bars, Clif Blocks, a couple bananas, Skratch hydration mix and then I also had sour gummi bears in my bento box which were the only thing that sounded good to me late in the day. Probably did not fuel enough as I reflect back on the day- that is an area for improvement for future adventures.

We Broke The World Record !

The Longest Static Cycling Class Guinness World Record is Now 28 Hours!

Ryan Avery, Breaking History at L, and Michael, Guinness WR official, R

Forgive me if this blog post is a bit rambling, semi-intelligible, and with random gushes of emotions (tears on the keyboard causing inherent typos) … we are fresh off the finish of our 28-hour-long cycling class which culminated yesterday (Dec 2) midday. From there, it’s been a haze. How in the world did it get to be Dec 3? We essentially stepped into a time warp and are just now re-acclimating to planet Earth. Brain cells are sluggish and the body is …well. It’s about like you’d imagine after pedaling around 90-100rpm for 28 hours. (That’s 151,200 pedal revolutions if you’re counting!).

Yes- the riders’ bodies are all wrecked today. 25 of us pedaled for 28 hours on spin bikes and today we take stock of the carnage... It pales in comparison to the feels of SUCCESS, FINISHING, NOT GIVING UP, TEAMWORK, the amazing support from our VILLAGE, the love from FAMILY AND FRIENDS, and the overwhelming emotion of achievement.

WE were ALL scared of this goal. We were ALL scared of its unknowns.

FINAL MILEAGE CHART

None of us had ever been on a spin bike more than a few hours.

Most of us had never ridden a regular bike for even half of that time.

We rushed towards something that scared us a lot - and we said “HELL YES, LET’S DO THIS!”

“I will tell you one of the best feelings in the world is to take an idea and make it real, with real people, for a real cause! The thing that surprised me the most was every single one of us finished and we all had things that we had to push past and get through! Every single one of us in the room were tested at some point throughout the 28 hours which made the attempt and the record all that much better! I am proud of the leadership Megan showed, I am proud of every single person in that room, and I am thankful for every volunteer who showed up and made this world record happen! There was a six hour stretch where I was in so much pain I thought my knee had a knife in it and I didn’t know how I was going to get through the ride. With the help and support and love from everyone in the room I can say with complete certainty that was the reason why I kept peddling! Keep dreaming BIG, doing BIG, and of course... keep Breaking History!”

— Ryan Avery, Rider, World Record Holder, & Host of Breaking History

“Surprised: everyone finished. Highlight: the actual structure of “classes” and how quickly the instructor was able to change to avoid injuries. Lowlight: the entire class starting to bonk at the same was alarming but it only(thankfully) lasted 15 min on the minimum. Advise: don’t tread lightly into over12 hr anything endurance without a structured plan and allow time to train your body. Lastly: do not do these 12+ hr endurance adventures without a true friend; that endearment goes a long way when one truly gets in a bind. Love is the most powerful endorphin we can tap into; I say use it!!!”

— Cheryl Gaiser, Rider & World Record Holder

Images by Natalie Starr:

“Are there words to describe how we all feel right now? I’m not sure there are ... To take on a GIANT goal with so many unknowns (that candidly scared me a LOT), to add a lot of public attention and press and buildup to it, (thereby risking a giant public failure if we weren’t successful), to ask 100 people (riders and volunteers) to donate their time and energy to this big thing with no guarantee of success, to pair it with a really important cause that means the world to me and to the most important people in my life, and to put it all out there and risk it all in such a big, public, insane way…. Well.
Let’s just say my word right now is jubilant!”

— — Megan Hottman, Instructor, World Record Holder & The Cyclist Lawyer

My pre - and post - event photos:

Just because the event is over, doesn’t mean our fundraising is! We are still going for our $100,000 goal and our fundraising site will be up into January. Please consider donating to our effort:

http://peopleforbikes.org/breaking-history

“Knowing that this WR attempt was going to be quite the feat, I spent a lot of time riding my bike in preparation. I felt ready to reach deep into the tank, but I was not prepared for how big a role my fellow riders would play in my success. While I was the only one that could physically turn my pedals, I was floored at how quickly our group came together and truly became family after 28 hours of cycling together.”

— Thomas Stott, Owner, Elevation Running, World Record Holder

“Mantra’s.....I loved that we had them up on the mirror, mine was “trust your journey”. A tie for me is “passion is contagious”. I think we proved both of those over the 28 hours. You believed in us and we believed in you on the journey we where all about to go on together for 28 hours as a team, there was much energy, passion and quite frankly love in that space the there was no doubt we where going to finish the journey together. We were all feeding off each others’ passion to raise money, make cycling safer and set a Guinness World Record. I made some amazing new friends, Tim, Heather and I-Ling, among others. It reminded me that I needed to get out of my comfort zone more often socially. I loved seeing everyones’ family members come in to see them, hi five, hugs etc. So good. We did something incredible for the greater good and the best part is we where all really giving without expectation ...... sure we were going to set a world record, but it was all bigger than that.....and we knew it. I teared up several times in the early morning hours thinking about what we where doing and what it was all for and meant.......
For me the Hardest part was 1:30am, I was having some GI issues similar to you I imagine, I managed them with some Waterloo as well as Chicken and Stars Soup, one of my go to endurance event foods, Favorite Songs .....I love the Remix stuff, Armin remix of Jump and Faithless, can’t get no sleep.......and the Cyndi Lauper Time after Time Remix, to be honest :)
Thanks again for everything, life changing event and that is an understatement.”

— — Andrew Christman, Owner, Pedal, World Record Holder

“I want to share how impressed I was with this event and team. My words feel so inadequate. Megan and Ryan, I love the planning side of big events as well as the execution. I thought that you were just phenomenal in both. To everyone else, never having met a single one of you beforehand, I am humbled by the camaraderie and teamwork displayed. The encouragement and pats on the back- both literal AND figurative- before, during, and after the ride blew me away. Thank you. I was there to represent SRAM, but if that’s true, it was simply the most incredible business trip of my career! It was way more.”

— — Dave Schweikert, SRAM, World Record holder

“When I arrived for my volunteer shift on Monday morning, I really wasn’t expecting to see all 25 riders still on their bikes, but not one rider had dropped out! Amazing...since they had already been riding for 24 hours and were still going strong. I think this was a result of great leadership, athleticism, positive attitudes, willpower, teamwork, and camaraderie. It was very exciting to watch and awesome to see the team break the world record. Congratulations!”

— — Maureen Massidda, World Record Volunteer

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Your Struggles Develop Your Strengths: A Personal Story

On May 23, 2017, I went down in a bad bike crash.  While I've raced my bike for many years, (and therefore suffered my fair share of bike-race-related crashes), this was by far, the worst. I was on a group ride, and it was a complete fluke -someone rode over a stick and it shot under my front wheel, taking me out in a split second.  I suffered a concussion, a fractured sacrum (pelvis) a torn labrum in my right hip, and ample road rash.  My bike broke in 9 places-including the saddle.  Initially, I didn't fully appreciate (or understand) the extent of my injuries. 

I did what we cyclists do -I brushed myself off, and tried to push through.

Looking back now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can see that was not a smart move.  I kept trying to ride, and train.  I kept pushing hard at work and at home.  I didn't ask for the help I needed.  I kept coming unraveled emotionally and then beating myself up for being weak and soft.

The crash happened at the end of a strong, disciplined spring of training and my season was looking promising.  I was registered to race the first-ever women's singlespeed category at DK200, I was registered to race numerous triathlons including Boulder 70.3, in an attempt to try and qualify as an elite triathlete.  I was registered for my third Ironman AZ in November with a lofty goal of trying to earn a spot to Kona.  2017 was to be my year of big audacious goals.

In May, I felt those goals all slipping away.  I had to let everything go and just focus on being whole again- on being healthy, mentally and physically.  And 6 months later, well... I'll let the video show you (below).

I love Arnold's quote at the beginning of this video we made, because he's right - Your Struggles Develop Your Strengths.  We don't ask for adversity or setbacks, but we will ALL experience them.  And sometimes the struggle makes the ultimate journey -and accomplishment- that much sweeter.  And sometimes, we learn we were stronger than we knew. 

Huge thanks to our friends over at HayMaker Media for their work on this project, and in capturing the essence of the struggle, the emotions, the gratitude, and the finish at Ironman Arizona.  What a journey, indeed.  

(Let me just acknowledge that many of our clients suffer injuries far more serious, and endure recoveries that take much longer.  Some clients can never resume their favorite activities and some never fully recover.  That reality is not lost on me, and I fully realize and appreciate that my injuries did and/or will eventually heal- and that my recovery will be pretty short in the scheme of things.  But let me also say this- I read somewhere recently that when we compare our pain, or our joy, to others' ... we diminish our pain or our joy; death by comparison.  We feel what we feel and that's what.  Personally, I wanted to share a video about my experience, not to compare it to anything else but simply to document it and share it).