Archive for the ‘Mountain Biking’ Category

Mountain Biking – Buffalo Creek

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Buffalo Creek Mountain Biking is FUN

Dennis Guiding Me Around Buffalo Creek

Clare Mountain Biking Buffalo Creek

The day after getting back from the whirlwind trip up Blanca and Ellingwood, I joined Dennis for a half day of mountain biking around Buffalo Creek. My legs were totally trashed, but I still had a good time.

Or, at least until the last 30 minutes, when I totally wiped out going down a steep section of trail. There was a girl riding right behind me, so I tried to pull the bike over and hit a soft patch of sand. My bike came to a sudden stop and I kept moving…Not good! A relatively minor accident, but I was totally steaming…I shouted a bunch of bad words and then walked my bike down the rest of the steep hill.

It took me a while to calm down, but I still feel like griping. Why do people ride their bikes inches from my back tire? It’s not like we have airbags and anti-lock breaks! Geez Louise!

Mountain Biking – Elk Meadow, Evergreen, CO

Friday, June 14th, 2013

Ready to Ride
Redas are Ready to Ride!

Dennis and Clare Mountain Biking in Elk Meadow
Elk Meadow is Beautiful. Bergen Peak in the background!

Painters Pause Trail Signage
Trail Signage Abounds

On our Friday off, Dennis and I take our mountain bikes over to Elk Meadow to thrash down some trails. I had not been to EM since I went trail running there a few years ago. I remember running up to the top of Bergen Peak, so I was hoping we weren’t going to be doing that on the bikes. It was steep and a bit rocky, so it stuck out in my mind as being pretty advanced.

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Portugal, Day 9 – Mountain Bike Riding, Bacalhoa Winery, and Tile Factory

Friday, September 28th, 2012

Clare and Dennis Mountain Biking in Portugal

Dennis was super happy, we finally had the chance to go mountain biking. Pedro drove us out to the country and we road down a gravelly jeep style road. It was slightly hilly, but beautiful terrain.

Bacalhoa Winery - Odd Statues
At the Bacalhoa Winery there were these odd sculptures out in front!

On the way out there, we stopped at the Bacalhoa Winery and bought some delicious Moscatel Roxo (Red). I wish we could have purchased an entire case, but we were going to be travelling over the next week and didn’t want to lug it around from place to place!

We also visited a Mom and Pop tile factory named Ceramica Do Lapidario (email them at lapidario at clix dot pt or call them at 212191123, for tour information and products). We met with the crafts people and purchased some hand painted mosaic tiles. It was neat to take a small tour and learn how they make the tile. The gal who painted our tiles has been doing so since she was a little girl.

Clare Playing on Beach in Portugal
Later that afternoon, Pedro drove us to another area and we rode the bikes downhill to a very nice beach. We lounged about on the beach for an hour and then called it a day!

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Day 11 – Mountain Biking – Cusco, Peru

Friday, December 16th, 2011

In the morning, we said goodbye to the tour folks and donated a few things to the porters. We then set out to meet the Reserv Cusco folks for our half day mountain bike excursion. We were really excited to go biking.

In the video above, you can get a feel for our ride.

It started up on a hill, above Cusco, near the Pukapukara Ruins. We rode along a two lane road for a little while, passing some construction. Brenda had some trouble with her brakes and I had a flat tire…but we fixed those problems and were able to finish the ride. At one point we stopped for a breather (riding at over 12,000 ft is a challenge!). The view was amazing.

We veered off the concrete onto a muddy downhill road. This was where the fun really started. It was steep, full of puddles, and did I mention…Muddy!

William, our guide is a very profficient mountain biker, so he usually rode ahead of us a little. He’d stop on occasion and let us catch up. At one time, I asked him to take video of us riding and he caught some awesome footage of us negotiating the turns of the road. (more…)

The Fig Adventure Race

Saturday, November 5th, 2011


On Saturday, I woke up at 4:45am Eastern Standard time.

Barry and I ate a simple breakfast while Ann and Jane cooked up eggs & more. At this hour, I just shove food down the hatch and hope it stays down! I can’t eat anything complicated-a little rice or a banana is sufficient.

Ann’s other drove us the 30 minutes to the race start, thank goodness! We were all much too groggy & pre-occupied with last minute race preparations.

Big Bone Lick State Park Rangers
Overall, I was very happy we worked so smoothly as a team. The hurdles we encountered were mostly caused by our lack of experience and I believe we were all very proud that we finished. It is definitely a challenging and serious undertaking to do the Fig!

Jane & Ann Study the Map Barry - One Tough Kayaker Ann, Our Expert Navigator Team Gets Checkpoint #5
We found out later that one team capsized in the river and became hypothermic, one gal broke her nose when she went over her handle bars, and one team did not finish because they got lost and had to walk back to an aid station-following railroad tracks.

Barry did crash his bicycle, but thank goodness he was okay enough to make it the last couple of miles to the finish. He’s one tough dude, that’s for sure!

Clare Kayaking on the Kentucky River
Thanks to my companions: Ann, Jane, and Barry. I will look back at my first Adventure Race with fond memories. Wobbly bacon, the repeated offerings of warm gloves, kayaking advice & help on the river, and the frequent stops to make our “bladders gladder”! What an amazing day!