Down to the Count

The count down starts with Chattanooga. Looking forward to it. Goose's legs are a tad sore (age - lol) We head out Thur night for a few hours - makes traveling easier with an almost 3 year old. Plans have changed for Sat night - guess we will do Sticky Fingers and pool (swimming) . Hopefully we will connect with others that night. We head home on Monday - hope the weather holds out.

Day 3 and Home

On Tues they rode to Mt Mitchell. Jeff said they all started together (duh!) and after a few miles separated. At 1 a.m. this morning he was trying to explain to me how beautiful the mountains were and he was able to do a lot of "soul searching". I think the beauty of the land tends to bring your soul to the forefront of life. He said he had a great ride, at night after riding they did "guy" stuff - I know they played some pool. I think Jeff really enjoyed his trip, they accomplished what they went for, but also at night left their day's ride in the mountains.

I am glad he is home - now he can get up every 2 hours with the dog (haha). I am sure in the next few days, more and more will come out about the cycling. He did share a funny story about Ezo - I am still chuckling about it. If you read this Ezo - you know the Secret Service was circling in helicopters on Tuesday - and I thought they were checking out the schools! Little did I know what an artist you were!

Well as we move on, looking forward to 3 State/3 Mountain. It will be a fun trip - I think the mountains contain more answers than we think - sometimes you just have to be alone and hear what they tell you.

Day 2 - "EPIC"

Jeff just called and sounded like a little boy who just opened the best Christmas present ever. They had to drive a a small family owned outdoor store to replace the bladder in Ezio's backpack (or maybe called a camelpack - don't know). The guy there was a rider and gave them a new route to ride. Guess he mapblasted it and highlighted the route for them. They were able to stay mainly protected from the 50 mile an hour sustained winds in get in 55 miles of serious climbing. I think Shawn and Ezio were a little surprised at how well Jeff was able to hold on. Like he said -- it is a mental thing with him - he can run up hill but has had a mental block on cycling up hill. Hopefully this will help him over that hump.

Looks like they will do Mt Michell tomorrow and then head home. The weather looks a little better and hopefully they will have better weather to drive home in.

I have to say I have missed him - not the same in the house without him :(. Will be glad to have him home again. I know it has only been 4 days - but the dog isn't the best to snuggle up to at night!

Ashville Day 2

Well I just talked to Jeff about noon and they have not been out to ride yet. They are hoping the 50 mile winds die down a little. He said they went out and walked about 7 miles last night up one of the mountains. They wanted to see what it included - it was just too windy to ride and he said walking in the gusts was almost to scary for walking (that is something, cause nothing scares Jeff). I guess if anything could go wrong it has - the latest was Ezio's water backpack bladder sprung a leak.

I don't know if they plan on Mt Mitchell today or tomorrow. Tues weather looks really good. I think it might be actually warmer here than in Asheville.

Day One Part Two

Hmmm - not sure where to start - I don't think I can use the language that Jeff used in the first 5 minutes of conversation. It was the "F" word and I don't mean fun. Guess this morning when they left it was sunny. After only a few miles the torrential down pouring of rain came - followed by lots of hail to finish the ride with snow. Everyone dressed or the weather, but I don't think Jeff expected this. Never discussed gearing, route, etc - only mother nature. He said he was close to hypothermia. After a hot shower, a good meal - I am sure to be followed by beer, they plan on heading out for the long ride on Monday. Looks like they will ride Tues and head home later in the afternoon (weather permitting).

Asheville Day 1

Well after leaving at 3 on Saturday and driving though mostly storms, they finally got there about 10:30. Talked to Jeff Sunday morning and they were heading out about 10 am. It was "sunny" and looked like it was going to be the best part of the day. They hope to ride until about 4 today - depending on the weather. Forecast was very high winds (up to 30 miles an hour - great tail wind!), storms and possible 1 inch of snow (sounds like Ohio). Hopefully they can get a good day of riding in.

More later.

Asheville

Well Goose headed south this afternoon. Weather pretty crappy for the drive - doesn't look much better for Asheville. At least it will be warmer there. They hope to ride tomorrow afternoon and all day on Monday. Tues is still up in the air, depends on the weather and then they will head home. I think he was looking forward to this :). At least he gets a few days away from crazy days at work and can get some saddle time in before 3 State/3 Mountain.

What Else?

Well today was a day to really forget. Jeff was extremely busy at work - which is a good thing for the company - I think he would have enjoyed a little slower day. I took AJ to the Y and I don't think anyone under the age of 3 had any listening abilities today. Got home, was warm enough in the sun to take a five mile walk. Decided to start laundry while I was gone - when I got home it was done, except it decided not to spin the clothes. After about 2 hours of hand wringing the clothes out to put in the dryer - very flustrated - Jeff got home. He decided to ride the trainer tonight - can't take a chance on getting sick between now and the weekend. He had a good ride (I think) - I was too busy grumbling about the washer. So to get one between now and Saturday when he leaves - nobody really caries them in "stock" - you can buy one and pick it up a few days later or have them deliver it. After talking to the sale agent - I decided to have it delivered - I don't really want something else for Jeff to worry about before he goes to Asheville and I really need a washer. I really hate when things break down - that just sucks. I do a lot of Jeff laundry and it bugs the hell out of me when I can't get it done. Oh Well!

Many people have bigger issues to deal with - we now have a roof that we know won't leak - we have food in the fridge and cars that hopefully won't break down for awhile AND I am semi employed again - YEAH. Lots of good stuff. And did I mention that I will miss Jeff this weekend? Oh I am sure I will mention it many times between now and Tues when he gets back. I love our animals, but I love waking up to kick him to stop snoring!

Run Forest Run!

Kinda like the old books kids use to read - like Go Dog Go - well it is Go Goose Go. Jeff ran again on Sunday (5 miles flat) and he said it felt pretty good. He is getting in the water again Monday night just for safety of his knees.

Looks like it will be warmer in Asheville this coming weekend (call for scattered showers). I think the 60-70's will be much better than 30-40's. This will hopefully let him know what he needs to work on for the 3 State/3 Mountain. Looking forward to that - hopefully warm weather and not Ohio!

It's Official (I Think!)

Well we thought our roof would be done on Saturday - not :(. With rain the installers called it a day. Came back Monday morning to finish. When I got home, found a note that they had run out of roof. They would have to track some down and then finish the job. They didn't know how long that would be. The guy didn't show to fix a couple of windows that he had installed - lord only knows what happened to him. It actually was no surprise - he never showed when he said he would when he installed them. What is it with installers? OK I am done bitching about the work progress at home (at least for now!)

Tuesday -- With storms brewing, a late delivery needing to be made, things changed. Instead of riding outside, it was trainer day. Jeff was pleased with the ride and it looking forward to a couple miles of running this week.

After much discussion, all these guys going, some backing out, it was decided to rent a van for Asheville. As of today - Goose, Shawn and Ezio are heading out on the 14th. Of course this could all change in one hormonal moment (and they say women are hormonal?). One thing is certain there will be a van - Hotwire requires money upfront with no refund. Shawn is taking care of the room(s) depending on how many go. Guess he is putting Goose and Ezio together in a room for gastric reasons (lol).

Sunday

Beautiful day for a ride and Jeff was able to get in a ride mid morning with Shawn. He said his knees are feeling much better, hopefully he can try and run a couple of miles this week.

We are trying to get out bedroom put back together - don't know who's idea it was to remodel - but they should be shot! We have AJ overnight tonight - should be fun. Bringing his bike so he can ride around the cul-de-sac.

And always remember:

Life is short
Break the rules
Forgive quickly
Love truly
Laugh uncontrollably
And never regret anything that made you smile