Sometimes it is wise to not follow directions

Backcountry Film Festival

The Bend Backcountry Alliance Film Festival was a huge success. Gathered in a packed house, standing room only, backcountry lovers and supporters of the Tumalo Backcountry Recreation Zone (BRZ) joined together for a night of great entertainment, raffles prizes, and discussion on the Forest Service’s proposed Kapka Butte Sno-Park.

It is time to act!! Let your voice be heard. We have only few days left to submit comments opposing the development of Kapka Butte Sno-Park and in favor of the BRZ to the Forest Service. Send your comments via email to comments-pacificnorthwest-deschutes-bend-ftrock@fs.fed.us and copy info@bendbc.com

A huge “thank you” goes out to the local sponsors of last night’s event.
MAKE LOCAL HABIT and visit your favorite local shops.

Backporch Coffee Roasters
FootZone
Pandora’s Backpack
Pine Mountain Sports
Sunnyside Sports
Pizza Mondo
Kebaba
Wanderlust Tours
Off-Piste Magazine
Music Makers

Bend Backcountry Alliance Action Alert

The Forest Service is proposing the construction of a massive sno-park at Kapka Butte. This will add more snowmobiles to the Century Drive corridor but will not address the safety, parking, and access needs of skiers and snowshoers. The Bend Backcountry Alliance needs our help!
You can comment on this proposal, voicing your opposition to this new sno-park and your support for equitable accommodations for non-motorized users.

Ways to support the Bend Backcountry Zone and voice opposition to the Kapka Butte Sno-Park:

1. Email the Forest Service with your comments @ comments-pacificnorthwest-deschutes-bend-ftrock@fs.fed.us
(Please put “Kapka Scoping Comments” in the subject line of your email and cc: info@bendbc.com)
2. Attend the Backcountry Film Festival on Tuesday, January 27, 9pm @ Mcmenamins, its FREE!!!


Get all the details and talking points for your comments at www.bendbc.com

Get involved, its your backyard!!!!

Winter Lessons

It is Sunday, mid-morning and I have just flown down Oli’s Alley, smiling all the way, but knowing full well that with this rapid decent comes a long, sustained climb back out. The first time I skied this loop, I gasped for air and longed for the top; but now it is different.
I have learned how to skate, how to glide, how to transfer my weight and how to control my breath. Skating is no longer a thing I have to do, but something I love to do. A long Sunday morning skate has taken the place of my long runs this winter season. The change is welcome, surprising, and wonderful. The trails are quiet, at least the lower sections; I pass just few people as I climb out of the Alley and see no one on Leslie’s. A light snow is falling; it is perfectly quiet, except of course, for the distant throttle of the snowmobiles. I have by means mastered the sport of skate skiing, but I have learned enough to enjoy and share this with others.
This winter has been a great learning experience for me. I have embraced the snow. I love to telemark, I love to skate, and I am thoroughly enjoying teaching.
Teaching skate ski lessons at the Nordic Center on Saturday mornings has been a great break from the norm. I am helping people develop the skills and muscle memory that will allow them to enjoy the snow covered forest in a way I, too, am only just discovering. I am connecting with people; helping them over come their hesitations and challenge themselves in new ways. Seeing the improvement in my students is incredibly rewarding and I reason I continue to work to improve in my teaching methods, drills, and movement analysis.
As an adult, learning new things is difficult, especially new things with a steep learning curve. I feel silly, foolish and compare myself to the twelve year old who mastered the skill 3 years ago and I can only hope to catch. But, when I am able to get over my insecurities and fear of failure and simply launch into the learning process, the rewards are overwhelming.
As adults we tend to do what we are good at, repeatedly, without introducing new challenges and the excitement that comes along. This monotony becomes exhausting after a while, slowing us down and letting us become complacent. Resist this normal and very natural life, branch out, work to further develop your current interests, embark on new pursuits and step out of the comfort zone, only then will we discover of what we are truly capable.

And Speaking of Katie Compton

She won the Roubaix cyclocross World Cup last Sunday and is preparing for World Championships in The Netherlands the last weekend of January.

Setting Goals

It is January. The start of a new year (in my case, a new decade), a time to reflect on 2008, to set goals for 2009 and look forward………..
I am currently trudging through Joe Friel’s Mountain Bike Training Bible and actually enjoying it. Friel talks a lot about power and watts and lactate threshold, about developing training plans and planning races and training smarter. He talks about identifying strengths and weaknesses, training those weaknesses and seeing marked improvement. He doesn’t talk much about having fun, but he does talk about setting goals.
What are your goals, how do you work to achieve them, how do you respond to success and failure? Are your goals attainable, realistic, and measurable?
Cross Crusade, US Grand Prix, Cross Nationals.
I want to be a cycloscross racer, and not just a cyclocross racer, a good cyclocross racer and I want to have fun. Everytime I get on the trainer or head out for a run, or clip into my skate skis I think about cyclocross. I think about Katie Compton and Sue Butler and Wendy Williams. I want to know what their training schedule looks like. I want to know what I should be doing when. The XC season doesn’t start for almost 9 months, maybe I should just chill out.
I am doing the biweekly intervals Don prescribed, in addition to everything else. My legs are getting bigger, which I have not yet deemed to be good or bad. Ben says it is good, I am trying to believe him.
I think am thinking about running Peterson Ridge and McDonald Forest 50K and possibility trying my hand a couple of road races, but really, my sights for 2009 are set on cyclocross: Top ten in the Women’s A Cross Crusade Series. I have no idea if this goal is attainable or realistic, but it is measurable and I all I can do is work hard, train smart, smiling and see what my legs can bring to the mud and cowbells of Cyclocross Season.

Sometimes I just need a good slap in the face.

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week in Portland; working from coffee shops I used to call my own, now quite foreign to me. The pace of life in the city is different than I remember. I lived and worked in the heart of it for 5 years and only once in a blue moon noticed it to be busy, hectic, or otherwise chaotic. This time, it was different, or maybe, I was different. The sounds of chaos filled my ears, I felt unsettled behind the wheel of my trusty Subaru as I made my way from one side of town to the other – I wished for my bike.
Intersections were crowded, people moving so quickly, everyone looked to be in a hurry. I know that big cities behave like this, but not Portland… or had it morphed into such a beast in the few years I had been absent, or had my absence altered my view, my expectations?
Taking it all in, I had a renewed appreciation for my small little house on a quite little street in a beautiful town, I forgot about all the reasons I think more opportunity lies in Portland.
I struggle sometimes with my work and career, lack of challenge and direction, I think about what my life would look like if I had remained in the bustling, outdoor industry mecca that now calls Portland home.
With so many opportunities just across the Cascades, I can’t help but wonder, once in a while, about the choices I have made. Sometimes I need a real slap in the face to take note of just how good I have it. No, I don’t have my dream job, but I can ride and run on single track any day of the week. No, I don’t have a fancy car or a huge house, but I have bikes and skis, and a small little cottage that I wouldn’t trade for 10,000 square feet. No, I can’t hand out a business card which reflects stature and success, but I can spend my weekends on any type of ski I choose.
Everyday we make a thousand tiny decisions, most inconsequential, some monumental. Four years ago I made a choice that changed the direction of my life. I came to a junction and took the road less traveled. I may look over my shoulder now and again, but mostly I smile, laugh, cry and continue on.

A Well Fitting bike and an Hour with Don

I made the appointment with great anticipation. My new YETI ARC X Cross Bike had been sitting in the laundry room since Ben gifted it to me last Thursday night. It would have slept in the bedroom with us, but there isn’t enough room for both Ben and the bike.
The shiny gray-sliver cranks were still virgin, no pedals had yet pushed the drive train. The chain was clean, tires perfect, rear cassette mud free, but not for long.
Last night I walked down to Sunnyside for my bike-fit with Don. I actually carried my new beautiful bike over my shoulder, not wanting to get the tires dirty – I know, I know, it is a bike and a cross bike at that, but for now if is clean and perfect.
I came prepared with my cycling shoes, shorts, and a brand new set of Crank Brothers pedals, which Don quick put on and we off to the trainer. In all his expertise, Don was able to get the correct saddle height and position quickly and then we dialed in the cockpit. The handle bars were a bit wide, narrower ones will be put on today – we flipped over and lowered the stem, adjusted the cross brake levers and worked on my position.
The new YETI was just about ready for the road, trail, and grass, and I can’t wait to take it out for a spin, but the real enjoyable part of the evening was talking with Don.
Don is honest, real, and confident – opinionated does start to describe him and while he is compassionate and respectful, doesn’t care if people don’t agree with him. I value his opinions and his knowledge. I respect his outlook on life and his hard work. I am proud to be on his team and thankful for the training philosophy he is willing to share.
Maybe it is because I am getting older and with age comes the knowledge that you don’t know a lick about just about anything, but lately I have been so honored to have good friends that are willing to be a part of my life, listen to what I have to say, share their own experiences and not turn away when my eyes swell up with tears. To my friends, thank you.

29ing Out

The clock clicked over to 12:00am, the start of a new year and for me, the start a new decade. I just turned 30. For whatever reason, I was handling my birthday much better this year than last, which was surprising for me, as I was turning the big 3-0; or as Ben likes to put it, 29ing Out.
So, I was thirty. So what? All my parts and pieces still seemed to work as I deliberately wiggled each of my toes. I don’t feel 30. Maybe 30 is the new 20, maybe staying healthy and active and smiling on a regular basis keeps you young. Maybe having your younger sister call you at 2 hour increments asking you “How do you feel about turning 30 in 7 hours” and responding “Pretty damn good, you had better hope you look this good when you turn 30” helps to lift the spirit. No matter the reason, turning thirty was a blast.
On New Year’s Day (aka my birthday) I woke up to Ben delivering coffee and a muffin to my bedside from my favorite bakery. He had gotten up extra early just to make sure I woke up smiling. He had to work up at Mt. Bachelor and I wanted to do some skate skiing, you we enjoying our hot drinks and make our way up to the hill, in the rain. As we gaining elevation, the rain didn’t seem to be turning to snow, freezing rain, perhaps, but definitely not snow. I dropped Ben at the Sunrise lodge and arrived at the Nordic lodge, only to learn that all my skate-skiing friends had bailed on me for various reasons, mostly due to the weather.
Yes, it was raining, but it was my day and I wanted to skate, so I ventured out alone, not seeing another soul once I got 3km from the lodge. It was wonderful, no one around, finally figuring out how to move along with 5 foot sticks attached to my feet, fresh air, only a little bit of rain. I skated for almost 2 hours and only headed in because of the need for food and water. I headed home and to my surprise, Ben wasn’t too far behind, as the mountain closed early due to high winds. Mom and Mark were expected to arrive in Bend by 3 or 4, so in the mean while, Ben and I took a long walk around town, talking about nothing but life and love and living.
About 4:30 we headed back to the house and Mom and Mark met us there. The visit started fairly normal, but then the surprises began. First, the bike……

The Yeti ARC X

Beautiful, I started crying, couldn’t help myself. Ben spearheaded the whole thing, but my family all pitched in a bit to help. He worked with Don to get it just right, and a set of tubeless tire to boot. When I started racing cross and doing well in the B category, Ben said “If you move up to A’s, you will have to a new bike”. I am moving up to A’s, I guess he was right.
Check out my new bike

Then the Dinner…………….

Ben had told me he made dinner reservations at Merenda for my birthday, which I was excited about, but he just seemed so nonchalant and the whole thing. Like, “No big deal, we are just going out with your family…….la, la, la.” My friends kept asking me what I was doing and no one was very anxious to help me celebrate. I understood, the holidays are a busy time, everyone is tired of parties and such. Oh, but how wrong I was. We arrived downtown just about 7pm and Mark wanted to go into Goodies to get some chocolate – I don’t ever argue with a offer for chocolate, so we all went in a picked out a piece or two for later.
We then walked across the street to the restaurant and gave them our names. Well, I guess we were a little early for the actual “surprise”, but I walked upstairs and standing around, chatting, were all my friends. I couldn’t believe it. Terra and Jay, Dave and Tracy, Andrea and Greg, Kim and Zach, Renee and Chad, Hailey and Aaron, and Rachel. My Aunt Rena was even there….. I had no idea! Ben and my Mom had really pulled it off, I couldn’t have asked for more. We had a wonderful time, I never saw one person without a smile on their face. The only folks missing were Kacy and Andrew, Papa and Connie, and Carol, Larry, Carly, and Eric, but they were all there is spirit.

Hash Run – the Newest New Year’s Eve Tradition

What happens when you gather 25 of your closest friends, have them dress up in costumes, pass out Pabst Blue Ribbon, and have them follow a flour trail all around town??

The first annual New Year’s Hash Run.

The gathering started at our place at 8pm and Hailey and I, acting as the Rabbits, took off. Soon, the group of jovial participants followed, running through Newport Market, and along 12th street toward the first Beer Stop at Greg and Andrea’s. From there, the brightly colored mob made their way through Columbia Park and over the foot bridge. The next PBR stop was Jenni and Aaron’s, but first, the runners had to navigate their way through a couple of icy alleys and tricky turns.
Then on to downtown…. By this point Hailey and I had completed the marking of the course and were able to meet up with the group just as they crossed over onto Bond Street and into the Downtown. We heard them hollering from 4 blocks away and we knew they were having fun, when we got closer and saw the smiles on their faces, we knew the course we had set was just right. Through McMenamins, the Double D, Deschutes Brewery, the Decoy, a little dancing at the Bend Distillery, along the streets of downtown, through Drake Park, over the footbridge and on home.


We capped of the night with hot spiced cider and some dancing to Jodi Gold’s music mix. A house full of happy faces soon dispersed to the arranged after parties in great spirits as they went to ring in the New Year. More than one party-goer expressed

“This Was the Best New Year’s Eve Ever”

Currier would be proud.

Christmas in a Winter Wonderland

I never thought making our way to Portland would secure our chance at a white Christmas, but this year things looked different in the Rose City. After canceled flights and terrible weather warnings, Ben and I weren’t about to miss the holidays with our family, so we jumped in the car on Tuesday Night and ventured across the pass to the snow and ice covered streets of P-town.

I had never seen Portland so smothered in snow and the city was all but shut down. Wednsday, Christmas Eve, was one of the most relaxing days we have had in a long time. Sleeping in, breakfast with Kacy, Andrew, and the waffle eating Max and then a lot of lounging and the introduction of Wii…. Around 2pm Ben and I decided to make a move and ventured out, equipped with 4-wheel drive and made the holiday rounds… We were able to visit with John, Hillary and family – Jackson showing off his ski jumping skills on “Dead Man Hill”. Next we made our way to Vancouver and over treacherous roads to visit Papa & Connie, as well as Kelly, Phil and their family. Although the time passed too quickly, it was nice to get some long awaited hugs. We finished off the evening with a hearty warm soup at Mom’s house, after being greeted by Mom, Mark, Barbara, Kim, Gram, and of course Kacy, Andrew and Max.

Christmas morning was one of the most relaxing and fun I can remember… maybe because it was Max’s first Christmas, maybe it was because Ben was there to share it with us, or maybe because instead of exchanging presents this year, our family made a contribution to the Raphael House in Portland. We had stocking filled with Pez dispensers, socks, and a few other fun things… along with a lot of good cheers, smiles and hugs.

Ben and I had to head home that afternoon, leaving Portland around 2:30 and not arriving home until almost 8pm – it was a long drive, but well worth the trip.