No photos, dang

HOLIDAY/HONEYMOON: So, have you ever been to Mammoth? Have you ever found a reason to go beyond, that thin strip of high way called the 395? Don't. Just kidding. But if you continue on, you will pass Bodie, a historic Ghost Town. Then 120 leading into the back side of Yosemite, and when you sneeze or glance down at your cell phone that is in fact, accepting no cell at all, you will pass by Colevill, CA. Jason and i headed up there, about 7 h 30 min from FF for Thanksgiving to see Uriah, the small one. I packed the cooler with all food imaginable, it was NOT in the budget to eat out on this trip. We scraped together all our wedding money, gassed up the Sub and headed north. The hotel we stayed in didnt have a phone in the room and with the lack of cell service, i became worried, twice.

The weather was blistery and dry, forcing me to apply ample amounts of Natural Ice chapstick through out the stay. The company was pleasent enough, Uriahs mom, her husband, and Uriahs brother and sister and random military folk. The only reason they live there, or anyone lives there for that matter is the military training center. Sure beats Iraq though. Uriahs step dad was on track for his 3rd deployment when they relocated.

The new graze, i guess, is a deep fried turkey. I had two of them over the holiday, and supposedly they keep in the moisture better and hold in the taste. Whatever. i just know it wasnt tofu.

TRAINING RIDES: i found myself in unfamiliar sticks, laden with high winds and freezing temps. This posed quite a problem as i snuggly stuffed myself into my lycra. So i decided i would hit up the trainer big time. This made for an awkward moment. The only place i could fit without totally annoying everyone else was the bathroom. With handle bars on the outside of the door and me and the bike in the bathroom i could hardly see the glare of the TV as it spit out oddities like "I shouldn't Be Alive" and "Man Vs. Wild" now that is ALL i would watch if i had a TV at home! None the less, calories were burned and the pores were cleaned out.

RANDOM THINGS X 5:
1. I have a student teacher, i actually knew him in college, and well, we just play all day and talk about innovative ways to play dodge ball or trick children into running a mile without actually knowing it.
2.Said student teacher asked me about a HUGE fiasco that left my entire college basketball team in shambles, hating eachother, crying, and wishing for that greener grass that would never come. I COULD NOT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED!i still know it was really stressful and certain people still wont talk to eachother due to the way the chips fell, and i was a big player in the thing, but i have no clue about the particulars and when i tried to explain it, i sounded really stupid. So time really does clear some things up.
3. Dozers mom had another litter of small pets. Get yours while they are hot!
4. Charity bike ride at the Azure Hills SDA church Sunday, 8am. For the good of the children and the food bank. Be there.
5. It MIGHT snow tonight.

The Cycling Continuum

To start things off, we have to welcome SITKA to the pet family. He is with Suzanne, my sister-in-law in this picture. I think he is about 9 months old. He seems a bit on the evil side, maybe it is the white eye brows or something. Jeremy and Suzanne had him for a weekend, they act as a Husky Foster home at times. Then they just kept him, making him NUMBER 4!!!!!!

But he is a good boy, even bell trained. They put a cow bell on the sliding glass door and he rings it when he needs to go out. Unlike Sherpa, who simply pees on the door during the night, thinking he is outside. He is now leashed to the bed at night. The other two pets are Glacier and Koho.



In rare Britney Spears Fashion: oops i did it again.

Poor, poor Jason. The ride was titled the HELL RIDE for a reason.

The trail: Santa Ana River Trail.

The Terrain: Rocks, sand, pebbles, ACORNS (of death), leaves, roots, lunar scape (burned areas) and shear cliffs.

The Length: Oh, only about 27 miles

The Company: Just a few, about 34

If you are up to date, as you should be, with my blog, you know that the new husband and even more newely converted cyclist, has gone on a few rides. Now i used to bail out and leave him to his devices, but now his shiney bike awaits the hitch rack as he sits poised on the futon, wearing the same jersey he wore yesterday with the same tufts of helmet hair sticking out of his helmet vents. He MUST come a long.

But a ride of this magnitude is stressful. There are people all "racered out like spandex warriors" (direct quote) that push the pace. The first 20 minutes found him gasping for any semblance of oxygen in the crisp mountain air. I had the dubious distinction of riding SWEEPER, cleaner upper and the one who wards off monsters. This put me last in the pack, strategicly placed to help Jason as well as the others who, literally, only ride once a year.

Through all the wailing and gnashing of teeth, scraped shins, near death drops onto holly bushes, Jason was planning his next adventure. Although it would be approximately 3 hours 25 minutes shorter then the ride being completed, it would happen none the less.

I had a good time too, and saw some crazy wild techniques and had some great laughs. One guys did a number on his derailur hanger, and there was nothing i could do to bend it back and get the chain out of the spokes. Then a rider came UP the SART and said "Hey Joy!! SOmeone took your bike!!" Actually, i was loaning the good ol' Gary Fisher Sugar to a friend of the crew, who was riding up the trail from me. I have a habit of having things that stand out, so good to know that if one of my bikes actually WAS stollen, the cycling community would have my back and pretty much take them down.

The guys who stopped was BRIAN BLAIR, used to ride with the Warrior Society, who is a mechanic, and fixed the rear der!!! NOw THAT Is what the cycling community is all about!!!

This ride was STELLAR hahahah, funny word. But truly, to have from the novice athlete through the Pro rankings, they all came out and rode together. Nodody was throwing down or strutting their Pecock feathers. Everyone was helping someone else, supporting and cheering. Christie organized the ride through her "very important job" and it is a yearly tradition for them.

bottles of death

"Don't drink water from a bottle that has been sitting in your car. Heated plastic will bleed toxic substances that can be carcinogenic. Don't heat or freeze in plastic for the same reason. Heat in glass. Do NOT cook in olive oil at high heat. This too is carcinogenic. It is fine to saute in olive oil but if you are browning or frying, use canola oil. Spices that are cancer preventative, particularly prostate and colon cancer, are cinnamon and tumeric. "

I got this quote off of Sheryl Crows official website regarding her bout with Breat Cancer. I drink out of my cycling bottles everyday and sometimes they get really hot in my car, or i put coffee in them (totally extreme situations only). My brother Jeremy told me to stop using Nalgene bottles and to go totally glass. SO, mission number one: FInd a class bottle that i can take EVERYWHERE with me like a cycling one...

Be healthy!

Hardest Day at work...

First, i eat yogurt every day. I abhor fruit on the bottom, yet i continue to accidently purchase it, and not realize what it actually is until i have dug in.

THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR BUT NO WAY TO ADEQUATELY SAY THANX:
Wedding gift from my coworkers: Paid the tab on Jason's Fat Pussom Mountain Bike

A brief Honeymoon night sported by my mountain bike pals: The Mission Inn

An excellent sponsorship package and support from: Team Jose Ole

A working heater in the house: The fire place was literally filling the house and loft - where we sleep (pet included) with smoke. The chimney was swept two times and different wood was used. Finally we resorted to the huge propane heater. Although it took us well over 30 minutes to figure out how to jerry-rig it so that it stays on, it works. It smelled like cat urine for awhile and Jason and i stare helplessly down into the abyss that holds the piping hot coils, a straw, a baby spoon and tooth brush, Dozers fur and cobwebs. So far, nothing has ignited.

Oh yes, the hardest day: Monday was parent teacher conferences at the school i work at. We were all slotted to be there and available for 15 minute appointments from 7am until 6pm. I had.....NOBODY sign up to see me, the entire day!!! So i arrived at around 8:15 and left at 5pm. I did grading, attendence, and lesson plans. We also got lunch from La Basil. What a very difficult day.

That evening, I convinced Jason to come with me to the high school barn party at Riley Farms. This place was crazy. We were in the old packing shed where we drank apple cider, square danced and had a soup contest. I was a bit disgruntled that mine did not win, but i guess you have to let the kids win every now and again.
Thanx cousin Malora for fixing my hair! (and Audrey and Ector for finding the foliage for my du)





Our bride/groom cake from Martha Greens!

The reception, thank you SALLY AND RICH for sharing your awesome home!!!




So it is a bit out of focus... but this is us in the Historic Riverside Court House. the Judge was awesome!!! "I would highly suggest ceremony C. It is short and to the point yet personal enough to make it special." Super