Oct 15 - Kid In A Candy Shop; Man Finally In The Mountains

I am like a kid in a candy shop. Looking around and feeling overwhelmed by everything I want to sink my teeth into... Having overindulged, today I’m spending most of the day laying in bed, drinking hot lemon tea, wearing a wool scarf, and recuperating.

We have been house sitting Deb and Dalen’s house in the Hastings Mesa, CO, for a week now. At times it feels surreal -- at times so-real that I feel "home" in a way I haven’t felt since selling the farmhouse that I was born and raised in. Before they left Dalen toured me around-- His grand piano, the composition he is working on inspired by a night sleeping under the stars, upstairs another piano, a midi-keyboard and computer, a harp, harpsichord, trombone... all in this stunning house with huge windows, comfy reading areas, beautiful artwork, plants and trees, beautiful pottery made in the studio at the other end of the house. He talked about the amazing mountain biking, hiking, backcountry skiing right outside the door. I said to Margo after they left, “it is like I am meeting my future self.”

My Tuesday bike ride I huffed and puffed after turning out of the driveway and starting to climb. I had had two sleeps to acclimatize to the elevation – Dalen said the body produces more red blood cells while we sleep to help us adjust – but this is really high. Sunday and Monday I was out of breath just walking up the stairs. The house sits around 9000ft. For reference, the peak of Whistler mountain is just over 7000ft.

Views from my Tuesday ride

Wednesday I chose a ride near Montrose, (where we went for groceries), using Trailforks - an app that lists detailed info and maps for bike trails all over the world. This trail was 11.5 km mostly downhill through a canyon. Some sections of flowy singletrack, others technical and rocky; incredible riding! I should mention that every day since we arrived it has snowed, hailed or rained at some point. As a result, I had the trail to myself because the mud was deep and thick. The end was 20 minutes of pushing my bike up muddy switchbacks to get out of the canyon to where Margo was waiting to pick me up. She had hiked out to the ridge to watch me come in, but somehow we missed each other. I ended up waiting by the locked car for 20 minutes, wet and muddy, feeling abandoned, trying to stay positive and enjoy the ice-cold rain that had started to fall. I’d like to give a shout out to all the practices I have gathered over the years, because after a brief dip, I did indeed stay positive, grateful that I have the opportunity to enjoy my body’s stamina and explore this amazing earth. (see photo gallery week two for ride pics)

Thursday was rainy, snowy and overcast all day, so we launched this blog.

Friday we hiked the property, then I cleaned my bike. The mud I’d collected on Wednesday was almost like clay and required taking some things apart to clean them properly. This was a good opportunity to learn my bike, something I’ve been wanting to do for the 2 years I’ve had it.

Saturday, we drove to Telluride on what Margo described as the scariest road she’s been on since Peru. Telluride is stunningly beautiful; picturesque views in every direction. We had lunch by this huge rock, then took the free Gondola up the mountain. I rode down, back to the main village and Margo rode along the valley floor.

Sunday, to make up for all the downhill riding I’d been doing, I decided to ride up into the mountains. It was snowing lightly when I left just after lunch. While peeling off some layers after quickly getting sweaty, I noticed the thought, “you are going to catch a cold,” followed quickly by, “shut up!” Pleased that my mind had worked that out, I carried on, enjoying the climbs and the vastness of the mountains. After about 50 minutes of dirt road riding I made it to Last Dollar Pass, a 4x4 road that I was told wound up through the saddle between the mountain peaks. I was excited to get above the tree line to the rocky, snowy mountains ahead. I stopped by an aspen grove for a nature call and had a strong sense of our friend Karuna. Hmmm... I got back on my bike and sped off down the road. Still on ranch land, I crossed over a cattle guard and heard the devastating pssss!, psssss!, psssss! of air whooshing out of my tire. My second flat tire in just over a week. I walked the 30 minutes back to the main road and called Margo to come and pick me up.

Later we were in bed reflecting on dreams and I was talking about people I know who I consider to be strong feminine, people who can take a stand for their true needs no matter how against the grain that might be. I mentioned Karuna. I was reminded of the aspen grove, the “catch a cold” dialogue and the beautiful way, in hindsight, I am given the opportunity to become conscious of what I really need and how, if I speed on, something a bit more dramatic happens.