Road tripping

I have not been writing on here a whole lot, I suppose because I've been busy living. Life has been quite the whirlwind of late – and not just of the athletic nature. Did some traveling across the pond to Europe, got engaged and now am in the process of making waves to take the next step and make this life rad. 

I was planning on taking a WFR recert course this weekend, but some last minute information rendered that as a "no-go." However, as me and the girl already had Stella booked for the weekend, we decided to go on a trip anyway. It's a good opportunity, as we both will start working again this week. We looked at the map, scoped the weather, and decided to make Santa Fe the destination of choice. I'd been there once, on a school trip years ago, and she's never been. It's a sweet town, and it really feels like you are in another country down there. Checked out the museums and churches, and she got a sweet eagle and lightning leather bracelet, while I picked up a necklace made from a blue shark tooth. Santa Fe is a nice town if you have money, but we don't, but we managed to smile just fine while searching for cheap Mexican food, mixed in with Raman noodles, the $0.33 special. That and the camper set-up in the back of the truck. No five-star hotels here, thankfully.

It was baking in Santa Fe, so we decided to head out Saturday evening to the mountains. Made a stop in Los Alamos, where we listened to a good deal of propaganda in the local museum about how nuclear bombs are really good things for the world, and then north to the middle of nowhere. A cool campsite up around 10,000 feet in an Aspen grove. A goofy night with stellar stars and the milky way galaxy raging. Back in the truck this morning for a jaunt up to the Great Sand Dunes, the ultimate dryland skiing training location in the world. We're both stoked to start getting hella fit – she's had E-coli for a month now and has been sapped of strength and is finally on the up-and-up. I've been showing solidarity and taking some things I've learned from past mistakes and just rest and support her through the illness, as opposed to going off skiing for five hours. That's how I used to be, but that's just not the way to be in a relationship, and if I don't learn from past mistakes then I deserve all the shit handed my way. Get knocked down, get back up and be a better man because of it. It was a crappy go for her – she'd get a couple fevers a day – up to 103° and had zero strength. Here's a girl who can race up mountains, and she could barely do a 15 minute walk. There were three visits to the E.R. in the past month trying to figure out what the hell was wrong – first it was a kidney infection, then possible appendicitis and finally they went to the nines and discovered the E-Coli thing. We actually got a call from the health department, as they were worried she would suffer permanent kidney damage and were trying to find the source of the E-Coli infection (there have been a number of cases in the area). Thankfully things are turning out OK and she's going to be alright.

I am excited to get on these freshly tacky trails in the local hood, and work on the new project. Ski season 2010-11 is going to be epic, as we will be living in the land "where nobody really knows how good the skiing is…it's that good" (according to local lore), and it's time to get fit.

All this road-tripping reminded me of the old days when I used to drive around the state following the mountain bike race circuit. Fun times for sure, with a lot of great memories. And maybe someday, I'll go back there, although I have to say the world of bike racing strikes me as one of the more selfish endeavors a person can do. And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just…it's a lot of self-absorption. I guess 10 years ago that's what mattered to me. Today, not so much. Besides, if I'm going to go on an outdoor adventure, I'd rather go alone, with my girl or with Stella. Spinning around a dusty track with 500 other folks just doesn't hold that much appeal anymore.