Summer of the Bike

 Just like the Chinese calendar has "The year of the dragon, rabbit, horse, rooster. . . ,"  I have officially named 2012 - The Summer of the Bike. I've always biked, sometimes more and sometimes less, but I decided today when Bryant and I were looping around trails at Kepler Bradley that so far I've biked more in April, May, and June than I have in past whole summers.  Bryant picked up a road bike in April and he replaced parts on my road bike from the college days last summer.  So now, road biking or mountain biking are choices that we now have to motivate each other into action.    

Top of Hatcher's Pass

In Alaska, we always fight the weather when it comes to outdoor activities, and biking in the rain is a lot less comfortable than running in the rain.  On Saturday we lucked out; we biked to the top of Hatcher's Pass and it was 76 degrees.  I'm not sure if all my sweat came from the unusual heat or the elevation climb of 3,900 feet and 65 miles that we did that day.  I do like wearing shorts and a T-shirt all day and not getting cold. 

Palmer to Moose Creek Old Railroad Grade

Unlike last weekend where I'm only smiling in this picture because it was before the thunderstorm and where I climbed a big steep cliff carrying a bike to the highway to ride the last 6 miles back to the car in a downpour.

We decided to explore a new trail: Palmer to Moose Creek Railroad Trail.  The write up said it was an easy to moderate trail with a few mud slide washouts. Had we turned around at Mile 5 that would have been true, but when the write-up says its 6 miles, we figured we needed to do it at least once to ride it to the end.  We carried bikes over several more washouts and beaver felled trees only to find a swamp and sketchy trails. The GPS on the I-Phone gave us a general direction to the road because returning on the old railroad trail was no longer an option; it was that bad!  About the time we heard the first clap of thunder, we saw a faint trail heading uphill. 

Whether it be a mountain bike or a road bike, weather plays a role.  And I can always hope that "The Summer of the Bike" gets its fair share of rain free days.  All the wishing in the world for sun filled days, won't make it happen, so I'll just go with rain free!

Picasa Web Album - Mexico; June 2012

I tried to sort through all the pictures and find the ones that tell the story best from our Mexico trip. I keep thinking I'll take the time to write up more details about these trips to the Baja, but I've started to accept the fact I'm better at documenting a trip with pictures than recapturing all the events in words. 

Here is the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/MexicoJune2012   

Taming the Jungle

I spent a significant amount of time outside yesterday trying to tame the jungle that invaded our yard during our 17 day absence.  That drippy rain I came home to makes every tree, bush, weed, and blade of grass grow until it feels like it will wrap you around the neck and strangle you to death.  It really is amazing how fast and tall some of the flowers and weeds grow around here especially given the 3 1/2 months of frost free days. 

Wild Rose

We, meaning the boys and I, managed to attack half of the lawn with what the boys called the worst lawn mower ever.  They whined plenty while it was their turn to push it around.  Gus asked if I even knew they made lawn mowers with wheels that pushed themselves and then mentioned that Grandpa Aho has a lawn mower he can sit on.  I said when he turns 74 he can get one of those too, but in the meantime keep pushing and quit complaining.  Although even I need to admit that given the length and thickness of the grass and weeds in the lawn, our mower wasn't what we needed for the job, but it was what we had and we made it work.  Amongst the jungle I did find a few of the early season wildflowers growing and flowers are one of my favorite things to take pictures of. 

Bluebell

Keeping watch while we're away!

We got in late last night and I woke up this morning to rain, clouds, and 46 degrees.  I looked out the kitchen window and saw the moose relaxing in the middle of my overgrown lawn keeping an eye on everything. Yep, welcome home!

I LOVE the sunsets in La Paz

Here are few pictures from our 2 1/2 week trip down to Baja Sur.  We spent some time on the boat in La Paz and car camping in Todos Santos, Los Cobos, and Cabo Pulmo.  

Sea Lions on Los Islotes

Surfing at Playa Los Cerritos near Todos Santos

Exploring the beaches near Cabo Pulmo

One of the many beaches on Espiritu Santo

Eventually, I'll put together a Picasa Album with more pictures.