Tales of Tuesday

I tried to leave the camera behind today, but as usual, there were some pretty cool things to take pictures of. I was glad I brought it! We were coming down the Postal Route single track today, and came around a corner to find the flock of sheep. Both the sheep and we were surprised! Todd cleared the sheep off the trail. They seemed a little nervous around him for some reason. I'm sure it's nothing.




The sheep had many different voices. Some deep, some high pitched. Almost human like occasionally.


After work Marcus and I joined Jeff P. for a loop out at Centennial on the other side of town. The terrain and dirt conditions are much different out here as you can see. The wind was howling! What would normally be a peaceful trail ride felt more like an expedition. None of us had a Sherpa though. The temperatures dropped quickly throughout the ride, and I was grateful that I had some winter clothes with me for the ride. I'm not saying we didn't have a blast though. On the way home in the car, a blizzard broke out. Visibility was at a minimum with the high winds and swirling snow. What a strange day!

Windy Daze

Windy Day
Originally uploaded by Facility Bike Club.

It's been several days since my last post. I've been fighting a cold, and haven't felt like doing much of anything! I was able to ride yesterday though. It was a sunny day with brutal winds. And not just winds from any particular direction...the foothills and canyons seem to direct wind in multiple directions. Usually the opposite direction you are riding. In this first picture, Barbara is taking it easy down the hill. It's hard to appreciate from this angle, but there's a pretty good drop off the right hand side of the photo. The wind was trying really hard to push us over the edge!

The winds were high today, and it looks like even worse tomorrow. Wind driven snow/rain. Yippee! If I'm feeling better tomorrow, I'll have to come up with some new excuse not to ride. Maybe I'll create an emergency at work...

I felt great on Monday though! It was a cold day, but we had lots of sunshine. We were able to get a 30 mile road ride from Carson City through Washoe Valley and back. We had originally planned to ride from Folsom (where Johnny Cash really wasn't in prison) to Old Sacramento and back, but the weather didn't cooperate. The Washoe Valley loop was a good substitute.

In environmental news, it looks like the Bush Administration wants to build a new Coal Power plant in Eastern Nevada. I bet our new coal friendly governor/ex congressman couldn't wait to get this dirty project going. In a state that is full of wind, sun, and geothermal energy potential, a huge coal plant is ridiculous. If you'd like to take action and preserve your cyclist lungs, protect your family from mercury emissions, slow down global warming, etc., it's easy. Just visit the NRDC Take Action webpage, fill in the blanks and hit submit. There are plenty of other action items to get involved in too. Check it out!