Daydreaming

Some blue skies would be nice! Maybe a few puffy clouds thrown in just for texture?

New Zealand

I am planning to go in October, no matter what - but at this point I don't believe the minimum of 10 needed for the group rates on the trip have signed up. Details of the trip are here - have a look.

I know it's expensive, and it's a big commitment which is exactly why I'm planning to go. I need something big, something HUGE, something totally out of reach and seemingly impossible to prove to myself that I can do it - save the money, make the sacrifices, do the training, do the planning, take the time off and travel halfway around the world, to another timezone, another day, and enjoy the culture of another country. So, I'm in.

Are you?

my version of spring fever

Really, pro cycling? The Giro d'Italia and Tour of California both in May? How can you do this to me? I knew this would happen when I heard about it last year, but I didn't realize how much it would wreak havoc on my attention span. In previous years, it was all about catching whatever news I could find about the Giro, but now it's everywhere - live feed, recorded stages on the DVR, blogs, and Twitter. I can barely keep up. It's not so much about watching the day's stage as reading the entertaining blog updates (such as the one @BikesnobNYC is writing for Universal Sports). So, after the ToC officially begins, will sleep really be necessary? I may have to re-prioritize. It's only May.

It's these 70+ degree days that make me wish I wasn't indoors at the office or inside a car on the way to & from work, but rather navigating stoplights, train tracks and car traffic commuting to work. On weekends, I enjoy the long rides on west side country roads, but during the late Spring and Summer, I feel guilty sometimes commuting by car. But people typically understand why I don't do it very often when I admit that I live in Hillsboro and work on the east side, and the one way ride, while not even 20 miles, takes over an hour. And I frequently have errands to run, meetings to attend, or somewhere to go after work, which require a car. So, there you have it. Convenient, yet sensible excuses. Right?

I do look forward to being able to plan ahead, organize my schedule, and hop on the Max in the morning, work my (+/-)8 hours, and then hop on the bike for a leisurely ride home in the evening. I'll gladly ride up Washington Park and beside the zoo, along 26, and mostly downhill through Beaverton neighborhoods to get home, where I can relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Soon.