Dirt!

Originally uploaded by blueeyedwheels

Amazingly I can still mountain bike, I didn't even fall in the process! They aren't great pictures and there aren't very many of them (too much fun actually riding), but there are the few obligatory posed shots. Kelly is test riding bikes for her upcoming Great Divide journey and I joined her for a ride in Sycamore Canyon (Malibu) last weekend. I'm reborn.

My parents will be happy to hear this, seeing as how the Rockhopper I had to coerce them into buying me has been ridden more on the road in Santa Barbara than off of it. If you haven't heard the story of my mountain bike and its lack of use, it goes as follows: I had spent the summer in Park City, living at my Aunt's house where I could simply jump off the back deck onto single track (literally). My uncle made the mistake of taking me biking, on slick rock, single track, over roots, stumps, through puddles and everything else that you could think of that would get me dirty and give me the appearance of being a domestic abuse victim. Seeing as how, I'm your typical girly, girl, loving the cuts and scrapes and all, I was hooked. I returned home to Champaign to get ready for a road touring trip in the Canadian Rockies and my parents offering to buy me a road bike. I wanted a mountain bike! Some how all my arguing paid off and I got the mountain bike (FYI: the largest elevation gain in Champaign County is on the order of 100 feet on the I-57 overpass). I even managed to ride 50 miles on the road in slick tires on it. I even took the bike to Kickapoo State Park a lot.

Then I moved to California, rode, I should say hiked with my bike, the trails a total of two times, bought a road bike and I was finished. But thanks to a friend for letting me borrow her sweet bike (no mine isn't in the picture) and another friend for helping me get my bike back in shape, I'm up for more dirt!