Finale approaches fast!

A Ripp down ye ol' Gallop'n Goose at 6am and Chumbawumba jogged the morning memory of a KHS Kilshaw & Son Rebuild.

That bike was awesome. Rebuilt from the Cro-Mo up, she had a blue frame & yellow rat trap. True to the core, she was 100% Deore, LX that is, rapid fire shifters and all. Good memories of the bike & even better of the build.

"Wanna throw on head lamps & rip our bikes off the GC sand pits tomorrow morning?"

"Definitely."

Night rides have always been hi pri through the off season and this weekend it was a wicked way to match the awesomeness of a classic XC run, the Thetis 20K Relay.

Lap one with the lead pack was fun, but the legs need to last a little.

Lap two found a groove & made it 1/2 way to the hobble.

Lap three was actually pretty fun.

Lap four was a gut fest up & down those final two climbs.

Shouts out to Phil, the "Island Runner," & Mr Bob Reid for putting on the event.

Cross the rock finale approaches fast!

Rest well.

Chicken Fat:

If it smelled just a little better, I would cover all my cycling clothes in it.

***

Mr. Scotty C says, "Make space my friend, make space."

But how can there be any space for space when I'm stumbling over all these roots, rocks, and logs?

"Make space."

But the moss is to slippery to make space.

"My friend, make space."

The trail is too narrow. I need to fit right here.

Then the moment when you see.

The trail is moving.

The trail jogs left. The trail jogs right. The trail winds up, before carrying you down.

The body is moving.

The trail is living, just as you are living.

As you move, the trail moves.

We are moving together. We are dancing.

The moss is grace, the ups are strength,

And the downs are speed.

All this space when we are dancing.



Rest well.

Cross the Rock

Back to the series!

3 years? Really three years since Juan de Fuca cross? You betcha.

Man oh man this stuff is fun. Here are a few thoughts by play.

First, the Cross the Rock series is wicked fun. It has the grass roots feel all over, and is run by a wicked awesome bunch. So chill, yet so let's-get-out-there-and-just-giv'er. How many series are there where the race director hops into the final race of the day? Norm does. Wicked cool.

Pre-ride was groov-tastic. An attempt to stick the tracks of super rock star T Trace for a loop proved handy for figuring a few corners. Honestly, riding behind a guy like that is like putting your learning curve into over drive. It's amazing. Just watch. Then do. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Throw yourself in race mode and it's a must do situation. Must keep up. Must ride that line. Must hop that ditch. Must ride that sand pit. Must round all seven hundred eighty nine corners with minimal breaking. Ahhh the key.

There are of course a few situations where the skills are just a little to far spread. Who do we call? Mr. Engine.

Come on. When are we going to be at that massive climb, followed by the other massive climb? That's were we catch 'em. BUILD THE BEAST.

On 4/6 loops, just post stair climb, the hi was a little too high before landing low.

Hiiiiii-Ho Silver . . . Thbthbthtb.

Lap 4 - 5 was a running lap & I think I was faster overall on the windey bits.

The Vegan Dove himself caught me & offered a wheel. Wicked cool.

Round the 'bout and it's one to go. Hi Ho Hi Ho.

Thanks Bro for riding up for the show.

Off to work we go.

Rest well.

Build the Beast!

Chin ups to the extreme.

+ 2 days and the arms still seem to be stuck at 160 degrees.

"Come on . . . you can do one more . . . "

Todd says.

"You want strong legs. Do lunges for 60 minutes with a 50lb vest."

BUILD

THE

BEAST.

Rest well.

High tides, Pumpkins, & Firecrackers

We travel to become along a road named aspiration. We pass through valleys, over mountains, and cross rivers.

From the top of a mountain we can see a path to the sea.

From the valley we can see the mountains we have just climbed.

At the river we can pause for a drink before jumping in.

***

It is time. There's excitement for next season and appreciation of the last.

Apples on the lawn, chestnuts on the grass, & logs on the fire.

Mid terms, roller skis, & new Yoga routines.

Squash in the oven, soup on the stove, & sand on the tires.

Early sunsets, late sunrises, and dew in the morning.

Let's go ride bikes.

Rest Well.

for each of us

The days were becoming quite short, and long nights meant cold starts. So far we had seen one night of snow in the Victoria Harbor, but with just a little elevation, it was a different story all together. The Highlands had been covered for weeks.

It was going to be perfect, almost 10 days up in the woods to rest and recover.

. . . Chopping wood, morning fires, walks, reading, quiet contemplation, and relaxation . . .

The best part was that Roman & Lucy knew just what to do. They knew breakfast. They knew dinner. They knew where to wander, where the leashes were, and what happens next.

We arrived home late at night to Roman's howl.

"Is he scary?"

"Nope, just a big bark."

"I'm still a little scared."

"It's ok, just follow me."

Pretty soon the big bark turned into a big head leaning against our hips, lifting our hands with his wet nose, meanwhile doing the whole body wag.

"Welcome home! I'm Roman & I'm so happy to see you. I'm here to take care of you. I'll take you to over to my friend Lucy. This is where I sit, & that's where she sits. We're very happy you're here. Can we go have dinner please?"

We found the food, fed our new best friends, and made our way inside.

Wake up, chop wood, light the fire, make a coffee, contemplate the day, head out for an adventure. I knew a few of the fire roads, but the rest was very new, especially with a fresh coat of snow. Fortunately Roman & Lucy knew exactly where they were going.

About an hour or so later we started to make our way home and our fearless leaders took off.

"Come back!"

"It's ok, they do this sometimes. We'll just meet them back home."

Sure enough as we rounded the corner to approach the cabin, first came the howl, then head to the hip, wet nose, & body wag.

Thoughts on dinner. Thoughts on lunch. Thoughts on a year gone by. Thoughts on the year ahead. Tea. Toast. This retreat had perfect timing.

By late afternoon we were ready for another wander, this time up Lone Tree Hill.

Leashes off & they were gone.

Calling, calling, calling & no response. We must have been too slow for the sort of adventure they were looking for.

Up the hill, down the hill, 'round the hill, and there was still no sign. One, two, three more loops of Lone Tree.

It had been dark for a little while & we needed to make it back.

"I betcha they'll be waiting for us on the front porch when we return."

"Me too."

With hopeful anticipation we rounded the corner. No howl. Maybe they're hungry & in the kennel. No head to hip.

Ok, well apparently this had happened before. Let's just put out a few big bowls of food in case they come back in the middle of the night.

Knowing that this had happened before made it possible to fall asleep, but it was definitely one of those sleeps where you wake up and hope everything is ok for most of the night.

After a thoughtful night, morning finally came. No sign, only about 12 inches of fresh snow.

Chop wood, tea, toast, contemplate.

We retraced our steps to lone tree hill. Up, down, and around. Calling, calling, calling as we ollowed the path from the backside. Maybe this is another way home. Nope. Back up the hill, up, down, and around. Still no sign.

Back home we called Kingston.

"Honestly guys, please no worries. They've done this before. They'll be home soon. Just keep a bowl of food out for them because they'll be famished when they come back.

Chop wood, tea, toast, contemplate.

Thoughtful night, early morning . . . are they home?

They must be. Over night? They must be home now.

Food in bowl, still no sign.

Thermos, extra clothes, and dog kibble, we're sending out our search party.

Can we still enjoy the trees, the birds, the snow, and the breeze? Can this still be a peaceful time, even with thoughts that bring us down to our knees?

Focus and connect. Connect and focus. Are you out there? Where?

Calling. Calling. Calling. I'm here. Are you there? Where?

Around the corner, up the path, and still now howl. Crawl into the kennel & still no sign. Full bowl of food.

It snowed all day & all night.

It snowed all day & all night for yet another night.

Chop wood. Tea. Toast. Contemplate.

Searching, seeking, searching, seeking.

Are you still out there? Con - fi - dence . . . Con - fi - dence . . . Con - fi - dence . . .

Searching soon became a walking meditation.

Searching without became seeking within.

We spoke with neighbors, passers by, friends, and family. What do we do?

"When will we see you?" A passionate cry.

Friends, family, and passers by, all with positive thoughts, hope, and prayer for safety.

When? Where?

It was Christmas morning. Lucy came to the door? Lucy came to the door!

Come inside! You're here! Christmas morning? Christmas morning!

Have some eggs. Have some sausage. We need to fatten you up!

Where's Roman? He must be close behind. Check the kennel.

In the hay. Roman! You're home.

***

It was a five night journey through the snow for each of us.

***

Rest well.

Sunburns and Growing Pains.

Nearly two weeks ago the plane started to rumble and shake. It was dark outside, visibility about one foot. Flight attendants were seated and all passengers were buckled in. Tray tables and seats were in their upright and locked position. I had "OceanWaves" playing over a background of GKilshaw designed binaural beats.

Head tilting. Eyes closing, closing, closed. Mind exploring. Let the beats do their business.

Eyes opening, opening, alert. What's all this light?

That's sunshine! I had forgotten about sunshine.

We just had to break through the clouds. And to think that all this time the sun was still hanging out above the clouds.


Nearly 11 years ago I crawled into the top bunk and lay down.

Knees aching, shoulders stretching, body breaking & rebuilding.

Eyes closing, closing, closing . . .

Why do we have growing pains? . . . I guess it's just part of growing.

Eyes closing, closing, closing . . . closed. Let the body do it's business.


The sun can burn and growing pains can hurt, but sunburns mean sun & growing pains mean growing.

Aloe vera for the sunburn (in hindsight SPF 100+ beforehand) & allow the growing pains to help you grow.

Home soon.

Rest well.

Henny tried to steal my eggs

From without we experiment with and experience desire. From within we experiment with allow.

Deep within there lies burning desire to perform, desire to expand, surpass, and express; however, in the moment desire can compress, restrict, and restrain.

Desire can congest, cloud, and confuse, or desire can be the fire which lifts a burning coal. Desire can propel a new spark, an allowance to be, a blazing fire to become.

To balance desire we have trust, trust in one's Self, trust in one's ability, trust in one spark to start a new fire.

From within we balance desire with trust.

***

There's just one more day in beautiful Oceanside California before shipping out to the South East Coast.

Many thanks to the Lawes Family here in San Elijo hills.

Spencer had a sweet sub 6h performance on the weekend - Congrats mate! Galveston still has spots open :) Bohdi showed me how to keep just about everything in the house in working order - Thanks pal! Josh bailed on his bmx & has some serious road rash - Wicked cool! Luna licked my face while I was getting a massage - dog slobber has extreme healing properties! Henny tried to steal my breakfast - better luck next time! And Debbie calmly keeps the clan smoothly running all the while!

Sunshine is awesome.

Rest well.