My Relationship with Cycling

Needless to say for those of you that know me I have a lot of free time on my hands right now. In the past I would have spent all day working on getting stronger by going for a run, doing yoga, riding my bike, going to the gym, etc. But as of late I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to do those things with the intent to get stronger. A few weeks ago I rode 60 miles and I was really beat by the end. Last weekend I didn't even take my Pinarello down off the rack. In Houston I had the MS150. I had a whole host of friends who wanted to ride. I knew the regulars on the bike shop rides. Here I don't have that. I don't think I'm sad about it because there a lot of other things I'm working on that fill my time. I guess I just wanted to acknowledge it. I have changed. My goals have changed. My life has changed. I am different and cycling has taken a backseat to other things. Don't get me wrong I still love it. I will always love it, but I just think it's interesting how it has evolved.

I have a friend who is just getting into cycling and it reminds me of myself 4 years ago. Keen eyed, ready to devour all the details about bikes, envious of expensive components and lighter frames. But now none of that really matters to me. I'm considering fixing up my steel frame to be able to ride longer distances. I told him that I haven't ridden with a computer in over 2 years and he was shocked. I explained to him that the numbers stopped mattering to me. It doesn't matter how fast I'm going or how far I ride because every ride is different. It only matters now that I keep up, stay with my friends and enjoy myself. I will always love riding so the number of miles willl just keep piling on whether I count them or not. My speed and strength will ebb and flow with my lifestyle but I will always love riding. Nothing else matters. So I stopped thinking about the numbers.

And yes I think of it as a relationship with cycling or with my bike. I usually think of my bike as a person. They are a part of the trip, experience, ride. I think I mentioned that my steel bike is named Frankenstein. And I just picked a name for my Pinarello, Amico. Who knows maybe when I get all my ducks in a row I'll pick some new crazy ride to do and start training again. I got wind of a 140 mile ride to San Diego in July and I am tempted...

Zion then Havasu Falls

This month I went on a week long road/camp trip with my friends to Zion National Park and Havasu Falls. How many emotions did I feel on this trip? Almost all of them interestingly enough. But let's just recount events and enjoy photos.

We started with a lunch and grocery adventure in Las Vegas then headed out to Zion from there. There was plenty of car sleeping. We played Categories, and listened to Jesse's music. When we got there we pitched camp, had dinner, and planned the coming days. Day 2 was a hike to Angel's Landing. It's a 5 mile hike, but the elevation gain is ~1500ft so round trip took us about 5 hours. The last mile of the trip was through a rocky narrow path that required chains and lots of caution. People could fall pretty easily, but there were plenty of hand holds and safety chains to help. The view was excellent. Highlights: Huge ice creams, deer, sleeping in the hammock, and s'mores.

Zion

Day 3 was a hike 3 miles into the Narrows, which is basically a river that flows through a canyon. The canyon closes in which is why you call it the Narrows. The waters were about waste deep so we rented dry suits and went exploring. I've never done anything like it, but wow it was amazing to be surrounded by the canyon. The best part was when we turned around, blew up our dry suits and floated back down the river. Carla got video of us floating around. Can't wait to see it. Highlights: falling in the river, floating, watching Rose and Kian blow up their dry suits.

The Narrows

Day 4 was a driving adventure where we stopped at the Grand Canyon, ate some homemade chicken fried steak and got lost before getting to our lodge. Day 5 we woke early to hike into Havasupai. It was a 10 mile hike downhill, most of us carrying about 30lbs of extra weight into the canyon. I tried to let the weight and momentum carry me down most of the way but the last 3 miles were especially brutal on my feet. I'm impressed that everyone faired so well and had energy the next day to hike. Not to mention Brian who was definitely carrying 60-70lbs of weight. What a boss. Haha. We made camp next to a really beautiful part of the water and all jumped into the chilly stream to celebrate. Highlights: Havasu falls, hanging food in a tree, Cards Against Humanity.

Day 6 we all got up early and went exploring. No one thought we would be gone long, but we ended up finding a trail down to another waterfall that was way more trecherous than Angel's Landing. Then we followed a foot trail 3 miles to Beaver Falls. Luckily I wore my Vibrams so I could wade through the water all I wanted. Others didn't and we had to ferry people across the water from time to time. This one was probably my most favorite hike. I wish we brought food with us so we could have stayed out longer, but no one planned on hiking 6 miles round trip. Oh well. That's why it was an adventure right? Highlights: Jerry carrying Jesse across the river, yoga in the middle of Beaver Falls, chains and the climb down to the bottom of Mooney Falls.

Beaver Falls

Day 7 was also an early morning. We threw 4 packs onto a mule and then shared the rest of the weight between us for the hike uphill. It went fast. I think we finished in about 4 hours. It was not the most fun hike, but not the hardest hike I've ever done either. We were glad to be done though. After we all had lunch at the lodge then sped all the way to Las Vegas for showers. Well I was definitely interested in the shower, not sure about everyone else. I think food and fun were a big motivation. Haha. When we got clean and unpacked we all had dinner at the Buffet in the Bellagio. YUM. It's crazy how much you can get done in a day. Highlights: Pushing each other up the canyon with one finger, showering and moisturizing, and macaroons.

Day 8 was Diego's corn beef hash breakfast and then a drive back to LA. When we got to Jesse's his parents made us lunch. There's nothing like a homemade meal and it made me happy to know I was going to Houston the next day. Afterwards we braved the traffic to Santa Monica and then hung out and had dinner until traffic subsided. 

Overall highlights: Friends you only see once a year but you can pick up where you left off easily and peanut butter on a spoon. 

Change

75% of people in the U.S. hate their job.

Ok so this statistic was based on a population of 8 people from a party last night, but seriously how many people do you know that can say they love their job? Some people may be in between, which is better than hating your job, but honestly I can only think of one or two people in my life who can honestly say, "I've found my calling."

Finding what you were meant for takes a lot of work. You have to spend time and money searching, trying, and experiencing life. You have to get to know yourself and what you care about. You have to change. Rip the band aid off, jump off the cliff, and do what is hard. Success doesn't come to those who sit comfortably. Successful people have suffered and sacrificed. Truth. You can't have it all. At least not right away.

Remain steadfast, open minded and most of all keep in touch with your friends. Change is hard, but change is good.