Sea Otter weekend

While the boys were burning 7000 calories riding the grand fondo, the rest of us were doing this...

A lot less work, but I am thinking a bit more fun.  Clay would probably beg to differ.

Oh, I forgot all that junk food.  Definitely more fun.  No sports drinks or Cliff Bars here.

Sea Otter Classic Gran Fondo

Clay's turn.

Back in October 2008 I had a bad motorcycle crash that ruptured a ligament in my knee. I did months of rehab, it wasn't getting better, and I was considering surgery. At the end of last summer, I decided to start cycling to BART to further strengthen my knee. And despite my cycling crash in October 2009 (I'm not leaving the house next October), I set a goal in November when I got a new bike to one, ride to the top of Mt Diablo, and two, ride a century. Check, and check.

Corey, Josh, and I rode in the Sea Otter Classic Gran Fondo, long route (see link below) on April 17. We lined up with 1300 riders (450 of them on the long route like us) on the Laguna Seca Raceway at 7 am to start out ride. It was not a race, it was a ride, the rules said. 

Together we rode through 50 flat miles of the Salinas Valley, before making it over three different climbs in the last half. The first climb to Cahoon Summit was timed, and I must brag here, as I beat Josh and Corey to the top, placing 70th out of 359. Josh beat Corey by .03 of a second, as documented by this photo, for 137th. And I almost forgot, after the first mile or so, I was actually in first place. For about 30 yards. Corey was yelling for me to take the lead so I did. Alas, 'twas not my powerful thighs that gave me a lead, a poorly marked course sent most riders the wrong way, and we were in the right place (the back) at the right time (the officials realized it and started correcting everyone) to benefit.

One the way down we latched on to four "Alpha males," to quote Josh, and steamed to Carmel Valley in their draft. The 3 mile Laureles Grade, with its 10-12% grades was especially brutal coming after 85 miles. At 93 miles, the 16% grade back into Laguna Seca was a leg killer.

Post ride we had showers (and one towel), a 15 minute massage (glad that Josh got the one male masseur, not Corey), a lovely meal of pasta, and a short stroll through the exhibits. The drive from our house in San Ramon to our hotel in Salinas was about the same length as the ride.

In June, we're going to a century somewhere near Shaver Lake, with tentative plans for the San Luis Obispo Gran Fondo in late October. And depending on the scheduling of my long delayed knee surgery, we'll back at the Sea Otter next year. At the Embassy Suites (reminder to Corey). My next goal you ask?  The Mt. Diablo Challenge on October 3rd, finishing in less than one hour. My current time is about 1:25, so I've got some work to do. Every free Saturday morning until then, I'll be riding it at 6 am. All are invited. To quote Tim Krabbe's book The Rider: "Road racing is all about generating pain."

Broken Record

Yes. Sunday. Hiking again. We have to. Pretty soon it will be all dried up and brown (still beautiful, but different, and hotter).  How could we resist this?

Off to the ball

Spring Break: Kirby Cove camping

Remember when we camped at this place last summer?

This site is pretty sweet. Four campsites, right under the Golden Gate bridge. No fog. No cars driving around the campsite. Plenty of sun (got lucky again). Great company. Dirty kids. Perfection.

The best part was that, like last Spring Break, Clay was stuck going to work.  Luckily the campsite was only 9 miles from his office, so he just got up and rode to work from the tent (showering at the gym in his building) and then rode back home at night.  He cut about 45 minutes off his commute each way.  Bonus.

Henry's Dress (after all this time)

When Clay and I were in college and dating, we love love loved this band. I must have gone to see 100 bands play when I was footloose and fancy free. Henry's Dress was not one of them, much to my chagrin.

That all changed a few weeks ago after Neve's birthday party. We rocked the birthday party, then sweet Annie took our kids for the night (hard to ask a teenage sitter to stay at our house until 3:00 a.m.) and we headed into the city to the Slumberland Records 20th anniversary party. Henry's Dress was well worth the wait. So much fun to see them play all those songs we loved when we were dating/newlyweds.

My iphone didn't do so well in the low light, but I found this sweet video someone got that night.

We got home around three and tried to get some shut eye before our 7 a.m. wake up call for church. When we arrived to pick up our children, we found out that Kiera had woken up the entire house at 5:30 in the morning. No good deed goes unpunished. Only a true friend would put up with that crap from someone else's kid.

I promptly baked a pan of lemon bars to say, "So sorry my kid woke up your whole house on Sunday morning (and you have late church)".

Love ya, Annie. Thanks for letting Clay and I relive our college years.

Spring Break: Black Rock Ranch

Another trip to the ranch. This place is fantastic. The ranch was taken to a whole new level with the addition of the guns. Makes me so nervous. I could ereally just skip it, but Neve, Kiera and Clay loved it. Maren stuck by her conscience and protested against the guns. She called everyone "killas". That is my strong willed girl.  Peer pressure isn't going to get her!

Thanks to Brad and Rach for hosting yet another great weekend.  Please don't ever sell!

My darling is eight

Still trying to put the house together from the two spring break trips and hosting sweet Neve's baptism this weekend.  Oh, and the quickie trip to Fresno and back on Sunday.  Boy, I am tired.

Trying to process 6GB of photos from the past week.  Almost there.

King Tut/SF weekend

Getting so behind. This was two weekends ago and I have taken about 600 pictures since. I'll get caught up next week. Next week.

Conversations

Kiera is really into DIY crowns

Kiera is starting to figure out the town.  All the time she is calling out from her post in the back of the van with me "oh, look.  we are by James' house".  "Hey look, we went to this park before," she exclaims.

The other day we are driving down the road and she informs me "hey, Maren had activity days there one time".  We are NO WHERE near Activity Days and have never even driven in the neighborhood where she is pointing.  "No," I say "not here, baby.  We have never gone here before."

"Yes, we have mommy.  I remember.  You just didn't video when we went there, so you can't remember.  I don't video, I just remember."