Gorgeous Today!

Last week was the coldest week we've experienced since we moved to Nevada. Sure, Minnesota and Boston were both colder, but last year was so mild here that it kinda took us by surprise. We had snow and blowing snow and wind and days where we did not get above the freezing mark. (This didn't happen last year). Real mountain weather. Our water supplies need it---or so they keep telling us, but it was an "all-of-a-sudden" thing---as up until last Monday, we were riding outside. It was cold, but doable.

There was so much ice on the ground and it didn't melt, and so Mike and I were indoor trainer bound on Monday-Thursday. Thursday night the wind howled at about 60mph (sustained) until about 2:30pm on Friday. But it was warmer...about 40 degrees. And at 2:31pm, in glorious sunshine and 40 degrees, I strapped on my Newton running shoes and headed out for an hour and I felt human again. Why does outdoor exercise make you feel so good?

According to my esteemed weather reporter, we are "in between" storms. But you would never know it. The wind is non-existent, the sky is a deep blue with no clouds, the sun is brilliant, and the mountains may be snowy white, but the roads are dried up and perfect. It is still chilly in the high 30's though, so while my husband is out pedaling, I went for a longish run again. There were some icy parts where I needed to be careful not to slip, but all I can say is WOW!

One thing I will never get used to (because I never lived where there were real seasons until the last 4 years), is that when there is a break in the weather, you need to get things like holiday shopping, grocery shopping and getting to the post office, done while you have the window. It never occurs to me that you might be snowed/iced in for a while. We don't really have an "all-weather" car, and Mike thinks he is in Minnesota where it is flat. We have a half mile long steep hill to get up and down in the ice, and he gets annoyed with me when I tell him to slow down. Sigh.

I know we took our time in getting this done--but we applied for our Nevada Driver's Licenses at last. Our Minnesota ones were expiring on our birthdays and as much as I wanted to keep my Minnesota one, it was time to get a new one. So now my Minnesota DL has a hole punched in it, like my California one and I will be officially a Nevada citizen as soon as it arrives. Pretty exciting, huh?! Ha!

So I hope you are enjoying a lovely Saturday. This "in between the storm" thing is a good reminder to appreciate the beautiful days when you can go outside and play even more. Time to go take the small hound for a run in the snowy canyons! Enjoy the day!

Some folks get company cars...

...but for me, the perks are different. I just built up my new "company" bicycle. A race-ready, light weight (14lbs and change) road machine that I will try to be worthy of. It was a hot one today---but this is my first weekend in many weeks where I wasn't traveling beforehand and Mike was here and we were a family home. Nice. We woke up early and contemplated going to Markleeville. We decided Friday evening if it was smokey here, we would head to the climbs...but if it looked ridable in Reno, we would watch the Tour Stage and then head out from home.

We woke up to a kind of haze---but I was so tired of traveling that even the thought of driving in a car to ride my bike felt like too much of a contradiction. So we watched the Tour and suited up and I didn't care about the smokey haze, the heat, the road work being done on my favorite road to my climb or anything. It just felt good to head out into the sunshine on a new lightweight racing machine, after a relaxing morning with Mike and the Scrapper

This little Ridley is the exact same bike Mike rides---only in miniature. I may not ride like a racer, but I was dressed in the finest cycling clothing money can buy (yes---biased as they get, and yes, Campagnolo is all over me) on a fast race bike and I had nothing to do but ride for hours.

I had a date when I got back with Mike for a sushi feast, courtesy of my brother/sister and nephews, and so life is pretty good today. New bike, new clothes and lots of food after a long hot ride.

I am heading out on Tuesday and will be gone for the week in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a Grand Opening Party of a new Bicycle Studio in San Francisco. At least this trip will include a long over due Movie Night with Mom---It is looking like I will be away more than home for the rest of the summer, but after this trip, Mike will be with me as well. Otherwise I would never see him. I am already counting the days to a relaxing week in the Fall in Marshall.

Sunrise in NW Reno!

Yesterday was so lovely! I was going to take the day off the bike---the morning was cold and I had many "jobs" to do (laundry, groceries, weekend house-stuff), but I was finished by 12:30. Instead of setting up the trainer and watching the football games, I talked myself into just a short ride. It had warmed up nicely and there was zero wind. Next thing I knew and I was headed towards Mt. Rose.

On Thomas Creek I see this attractive skinny guy heading my way. You guessed it. Mike was just heading home from his Mt. Rose adventure. He stopped and turned back my way for a bit. "Hey sweetie...can you believe how nice it is?" I told him I couldn't. I wasn't ready for a long ride...but my bike was headed towards Mt. Rose as if it had a mind of it's own. I made sure he had a key to the house and we headed in opposite directions.

I can't explain the silence here. There are no big cities and unless you live in a place where there are no big cities within 100's of miles, you won't understand. It is amazing to me how the sound of silence is so calming. Instead (of distant city sounds) I hear the sounds of my wheels, the breeze in my helmet and the birds in the bushes.

As I headed up the 2 mile grinder home, the weather had changed. I pulled up my arm-warmers (for the climb) and as I got to the top, the clouds had rolled in. The weather channel didn't say anything that would make you think a storm might be blowing in. When I got home I started a warm bath and as soon as I got in, Mike called out "Hey---you got home just in time...it's hailing!" Imagine that!

We ate a feast and watched the hail turn to rain---the clean air turning into a more extreme clarity!

And check out this sunrise!!

Sunset in NW Reno

Can't you just see the swirling of a Vincent Van Gogh paintbrush? Of course I can not capture the delight of scene with a camera---nor in words. Just a big Wow! In our front yard we watched the sun set over the Mountains, and in our backyard, we watched the full moon rise. I took a picture of that too, but it didn't work very well. Too bad Watson or Joe wasn't here to take THAT picture!

I've been changing my riding patterns to the afternoons during the work week, since it is a bit chilly in the mornings. The routes in Verdi are a bit more limited, but I can get out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and do a few laps of the Dog Valley road climb, which means I ride over the Stateline and into California a couple of times a day. It's also virtually car free---maybe 5 cars total.

Friday, while riding I saw the biggest wild cat I've ever seen in person. Not sure what kind of cat it was...bigger (taller and fatter) than Sydney though and it had a kitten-like face. I must have scared it though---as it took off into the woods before I could worry about whether or not it would come after me. It was a big cat.

Last night Mike and I sat out in the backyard, watching the moon-rise, looking out at the Nevada Mountain ranges to the East and BBQ'ing some chow. Hard to believe it is already the end of October, 2007. Enjoy the day!