The Big Dawgs - as Coined by Tira

Back in the Saddle, Again

Pictured above is the back side (or is it the front side?...) of our favorite trail. We intended to ride this trail yesterday to see how bad the damage is, but it will have to wait for another day. Also on the list of currently unrideable trails is Lake Hodges. The fire ripped down through this canyon following the water and winding its way close to the ocean. So, we made do with a trail that was dubbed, "not exactly perfect" and included, among other things, crawling under the freeway and riding through a nursery, down a fire road and past a dead coyote. It actually turned out to be a great ride! What you can't see from the picture below are the 25 other people that were with us on the ride. But rest assured, I could always find my husband in the pack up ahead with his lime green jersey and red shorts!

Night Riding - Part 2

They say Mission Trails is a good spot for bird watching, but never did I expect one to "jump" out of the bushes and fly around erratically in front of us. This large-bat-type-thing or small bird-looking-creature (it didn't quite look like that thing pictured above, but you get the idea!) just loved being in the spotlight -literally- and made sure to stay in the bike lights so we could see it. So, in typical fashion, Sean took off after it, it veered to the sidelines, got confused once it was out of our lights and I'm pretty sure it intended to double back around and come after us - well me in particular! But since it was behind us and no longer in our lights, I guess it gave up. Whew! Just another adventure with the boys.

Can we please go home now?

When one starts out on a trail with the word, "Mount, Mountain" or any other such word denoting a large obstacle, there is only one way to go when you are at the bottom of it - UP! There were more sections that I had to push my bike up than I care to admit and a few points at which I even had to pick up my bike to carry it over the rocks, but the reward was well worth it! The downhill single track on the back side of the mountain was spectacular and I think this was the funnest ride I've ever been on! Ironically enough, it dumped us out into the "leisurly" path I had spotted the week before when I accompanied my dad golfing. So at that point, we just rode home! And now we have a new favorite ride right down the street from us!
And in case you are wondering, no, we did not ride up or down the rocks you see pictured above. This was our, "I give," turnaround point!

Night Rider

Rather than take a leisurely ride around the golf course yesterday, I got the invitation to ride with the boys on their weekly night ride around Lake Poway! As the trail wound up and down, back and forth, I felt like a little kid on Halloween running through the woods with a flashlight! Exhilarating? Yes. Cold? Yes. A little on the spooky side? Uh huh! But that's all part of the fun. Although, it's never a good feeling when I have to yell out in front of me, "Are you guys over here?" Luckily our lights are never too hard to spot on a dark night with no moon in sight-well except when my light goes out! Note to self: keep the ride under 1 hour next time! Must learn to pedal faster!
Photo courtesy of NiteRider.

Biker Buddy in Training

Who's up next?

Now Go Get it Dirty!

I just love the blogging community. You never know who you might come across that might be an inspiration to you! I came across Ginger's blog the other day and was so excited to see another crafty woman that likes to ride a mountain bike. I commented on her blog and invited here to come check out the pics of my new bike and she left this comment, "Looks like a nice ride. Now go get it dirty!" I love it - and I did! On Sunday my husband and I met some friends at Anderson Truck Trail, just outside San Diego. At the top of the trail we could see all the way to downtown San Diego and Point Loma. It was a gorgeous day filled with great friends and a challenging, but fun ride. I'm ready for more!
Although I did bring my camera, the battery ran out. I "borrowed" the pic above from this website so you could get an idea of what the trail looks like. Although it was nowhere as green as this yesterday, it was still beautiful!

My new bike

My sweet husband just can't pass up a good deal and I am now the lucky recipient of a brand spankin' new bike!

Just part of my daily bike ride

You can just barely see the baby poking his head up above the grass!
Tomorrow I'll post some pics of my new bike!