Back in ABQ

It seems like forever since I was around the house! One week in West Virginia, then off to Angel Fire for the MSC Chili Challege. Great weekend hanging with the RMR boys/girls. Two houses, 20 people, bikes, beer, and a long weekend. Very nice.

First off! West Virginia is beautiful. So green with large tracks of green grass and a ton of trees. I saw the Potamac River as well as the Shenandoah River (you know the one Good Old John Denver sings about!).

Just an hour away is DC and how life changes! Fast paced, tons of traffic and crazy Dulles International Airport! People watching is so cool.

Just down the street from our training center is a historic Civil War battle site. Once I get the pics developed I will show them off. Talk about some powerful sites.

Ok now back to Angel Fire. I did a lap on the course on Saturday. Wow! I had forgotten how challenging the course is. Thus the name! Lots of climbing, rock gardens, and a great downhill. That was it for me. I decided not to race this weekend (lack of sleep while in WV, as well as all the food I ate while there). Instead I hung out at a feed zone and handed water bottles to my RMR teammates.
Team did well this week, though we had a couple of guys end up at the ER for stitches and x-rays.

until next time . . . .

Ahhh......finally

After a long week of work and a few chores around the house, I was finally able to get the bike out and get a ride in. I got up early today and hit the White Mesa trail system at about 6:30 am. Nothing like getting the HR up early in the morning. Once again, no one out on the trails so I had it all to myself. Recent rains made the singletrack super tacky so the ride on the ridge was fast. The backside was a bit muddy and might have doubled the weight of the La Pierre. Clay mud just does not fall off. 1 hr and 6 min later I am done and only then do I see a car pulling into the lot. That's it for riding for a few days. I am off to West Virginia for a training course. Guess I will have to find a stationary bike and spin the pedals that way.

A week at the Butte

This weeks work adventure took me to Elephant Butte. First time at the reservoir. It is quite the site, though I hear next weekend is the time to be out on the lake. It's the start of a Prey base study so we spent our days setting and picking fish out of gills nets. What did we catch? Catfish, carp (too many to count), small mouth buffalo (those things are freaking huge!), white bass and few other species.
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The biggest smallmouth buffalo we caught was about 33 inches! I bet he weighed 20 lbs!
Pretty uneventful week except for the evening downpours! Isn't this NM? I think we got a whole years worth of moisture in 2 days. The Marmot tent held up though. My only concern was not getting BBQ'd by the lightning. Talk about intense.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to ride the bike so my fitness is getting worse by the day! Ugh!! Leadville 100 is not to far away.
Back home now. Time to unpack, and get ready for the next trip. W. Virginia here I come! Heard there is great riding in WV, but I have a feeling the course I am enrolled in isn't going to allow time for exploring the trails.