# MCHB's fitness log!



## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

So in an effort to keep myself motivated in achieving my fitness goals this year, I've decided to start a dedicated thread to keep track. When I started biking 3 years ago, I didn't know how far I'd go with it. Initially my plan was to just bike on rail trails, but that changed quickly when depression hit full force; it quickly became a coping mechanism. The physical exertion seemed to drastically help in that regard.

Whenever I'm on my mountain bike, it's the only thing that matters. All of the stressers of the outside world might as well not exist. Where it initially started as a coping mechanism for depression, it quickly became an obsession. I would go out as hard as I could and as far as I could. I liked the exploration aspect of it, never knowing what there was to see around the next corner.

While this thread won't be dedicated entirely to biking, my goal is to get out every second day whenever possible. Once I start fencing again, I'll document that. Whenever I have pictures to show of something interesting, I'll post them.

So with that being said, so far this year I've managed to get a bit of riding in. A slow start, but a start none-the-less.

Jan 24 - 4km
First ride of the year!


Jan 26 - 5km


Jan 27 - 8.8km
lol.


Jan 29 - 6.8km. No pics.
Jan 31 - 9.5km. No pics.

Feb 2 - 11km
Cranbrook in the distance









Feb 4 - 14.3km
The sky looked wicked this evening!









Feb 6 - 7km
To icey to ride, so I took my bike for a hike. No pictures, unfortunately.

Feb 7 - 9km
Dealt with the ice; studded my tires using 500 framing screws! It only took 6 hours...









Feb 8 - 16km
Took a random turn and wound up at a frozen lake!









Feb 10 - 15km. No pics.
Feb 12 - 17.1km. No pics.

Feb 14 - 10km
Big tree.









Feb 15th-18th - took a break; sore back

Feb 19 - 17km
Biked up past the reservoir. Got covered in mud, but it was worth it. The service road actually circles up and around Mt Baker (that hill in the background)


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Feb 21 - 32 km
Elevation gain - 1857ft
Max Elevation - 4312 ft

The first 3km is always character building, kicking the body into burn mode as opposed to store mode. After that though, things always get easier. Not as muddy today; around 4000' the road turned to ice, which was awesome!









Just a bit of snow!









Made it up to the turnoff that heads up Mt Baker. The road would have been...eh...character building in the state it was in, so I opted to have lunch here before heading down. Apart from the sound of gunshots in the distance, the ambiance was still and quiet. Maybe a little bit of a breeze, but nothing to write home about.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Feb 23 - 22km
Ascent - 1809'
Max Elevation - 4025'

Up. Lots of up. Lots and lots of up this evening! Not much for mud, but there was skating rink smooth ice in spots. A few sections I was biking in frozen bike treads. Biked across a huge frozen puddle and my rear wheel broke through. It's still as awesome as crunching ice as a kid.

I'm supposed to be doing shorter rides during the week, but the weather was awesome! I wound up following the powerlines for awhile, before cheating over onto the trail network through the community forest. Took in the sights before heading back down.










Looking down the power lines in the other direction, there's mountains in them thar hills! :grin2:


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Feb 25 - Busy, busy, busy!

Didn't get out today, unfortunately. Trying to get all my notes typed up so I can study for my final exam that's on the third. Hoping to get out on the bike tomorrow after I finish getting everything written up (I'm at about 5000 words now, lol!), and then the knowledge grind begins. This coming week as well as the following one may be somewhat chaotic in terms of updates, so bare with me!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

*Whew* Busy couple of days; changed locations and I'm getting back into the routine now. Did 14.3km today. After riding on Ice and hard packed snow all winter, dirt, rock and sand feels weird. Riding around here reminds me that my cardio needs a lot of work!

Trails weren't as muddy as I thought they would be; higher up they're probably wet, but where I rode they were fine. Front suspension on my bike is shot (it...kinda...works?), but that won't be a problem in a few days when my rigid fork gets here. A lot of new development around here; place is starting to feel like a suburb of Vancouver. Miss being in a smaller town already!


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## CaptainPeanuts (Oct 29, 2015)

Hey MCHB. Great way of exercising. Come to think of it, this is excellence exercise considering those roads a pretty remote. Just keep bear spray on you (it works for other animals too). 

It must be hard to riding in the snow with a mountain bike though, quite slippery.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

thelastsamurai said:


> Hey MCHB. Great way of exercising. Come to think of it, this is excellence exercise considering those roads a pretty remote. Just keep bear spray on you (it works for other animals too).
> 
> It must be hard to riding in the snow with a mountain bike though, quite slippery.


Biking on frozen hardpack isn't all that different if the conditions and you set your tires up right. Slush and soft snow was the worst; in slush, the tires would spin no matter what and any deep soft snow would result in a yardsale. After studding the tires, ice was no longer an issue and was remarkably similar to riding on hardpack with slightly less rolling resistance. It was basically possible to bike uphill on spots that were the same slickness as skating rink ice. Without the studs on ice, my bike would basically shoot out from underneath me!

I do carry Super Funtime Spray, but I've never had to use it. The largest animal I've come across on the trails was a moose last spring and she was as shocked to see me as I was to see her! For such a large animal, they sure blend in well with the terrain. Outside of that, I've seen quail, small snakes, rabbits and several deer. I have never come across anything large, furry and predatory. Not saying it can't happen, mind you!

Weather's been rainy the past few days, so I have the bike torn apart in the garage. For some reason I thought taking the fork out would be more labor intensive, but it was actually really easy. Cleaned up the bearings and their races (they were dirty...why they decided to paint the bearing race surfaces is beyond me!) and have everything ready to go for when the new fork gets here.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

New fork installed, I decided to try my luck up at the KVR. It's still winter up there! The snow was slushy (resulting in like zero traction) and it snowed briefly..backwards! The snow was going upwards in places, lol.

I made it as far as the second tunnel, but it was slow going and it was only a 7 km round trip from the truck.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

20 km ride today. I'm calling it the "Ride of Exposure Therapy"

I came upon someone riding horseback, stopped and pulled off to the side of the trail and said hello. Asked how it was going, and she thanked me for talking! Apparently it calms the horse as before talking, it can't identify the "Scary thing in the distance" but when they hear a human voice coming from said scary object, they mellow out. Made my day.

Farther along the trail, I stopped and chatted with some other mountain bikers that were asking things like how far I went, how the trail was higher up (muddy!), etc. Carried on my way, and eventually came upon a dog walker and we talked for a bit about the ride, etc. I've gotten better when it comes to conversations, apparently.

The weather was gorgeous and my cardio/lungs leave a lot to be desired. I am asthmatic, but these days the only symptoms I have are an overabundance of lung butter when I'm going hard. A few more rides and it'll become less and less of an issue.

The rigid fork performed awesome; it's not much different than how I was riding with the pogo stick, however I do tend to put more of my weight on my pedals and let the bars float in my hands. Going over rocks or bumpy sections wasn't an issue! I also found it easier to launch the front tire off the ground! 

On the uphills I do tend to get a bit philosophical, but I'll leave that for another day. I always feel so much better after a ride; less stressed, less anxious, more mellow, etc. I think even just being outside makes a difference.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Another 20km today and I can safely say that my recovery time is improving. I recorded a section of the trail today; while I wasn't quite going Mach Chicken on the downhill, I still had a lot of fun! Was good to get out and burn off some psychological turmoil!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Did 22.5 km tonight as well as two hours of rapier practice; It was awesome! I've been pretty wirey lately; not sure if it's a stress reaction, being more active or being off the wellbutrin since September!

Had a good laugh on the way back to the house; a guy was out walking his dog (a young beagle :3 ) and I passed by them. About 5 seconds later, I looked down to my right and the beagle was happily running alongside me, not a care in the world! "Hey dood, I'm goins with yous!" lol! I stopped and he got super excited and hopped up against my leg, so I gave him skritches and we waited for his owner to catch up. Why he wasn't on a leash is beyond me, but that seems to be the norm with dog owners around this area!

Rapier practice was great; my first one since september. It was great to see old friends again and I'm definitely out of practice, but not as badly as I thought! Apparently the local college has a medieval club now and they hold practices on thursday, so I'm going to give armored combat a try. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a wicked upper body workout! One of the reasons I got back into doing SCA stuff is that it's exposure therapy to the max! 

I don't have any fencing pics (probably won't unless other people take them), but I do have a pic of my rapier and helmet.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Stressed lately, but did another 20km on the bike. Changed my route up a bit and went up the spring bypass trail about partway up lost lake trail. It was tighter with a lot of switchbacks (while going up and around one, the end of my handlebar was touching my knee), but so much more involving (not to mention not a mud bog). Windy on the way back to the house, but the sky looked cool! Today's ride puts me at over 300km since January.

Armored practice was awesome! Totally different dynamic from rapier; some carry over, but not as much as I thought there would be. I kept trying to use a big ol viking round shield like a buckler, which didn't really work out very well! Lots to learn and I know they were taking it easy on me, but it was a riot! I'll have pictures at some point as there was a lady there taking a bunch, so I'll post a few when I have copies!:grin2:


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Whoa, busy Easter! My nephew can sure be a handful when he wants to be, lol!

Anyway, Rapier practice was today! I'll tell you, after lugging around that big ol viking shield last thursday, my little buckler sure felt light! Really need to practice my footwork and lunging, especially the transitioning. It was a lot of fun tonight; small turn out which basically worked out to being a one-on-one lesson followed by sparring.

I'm making a few changes to my fitness schedule; biking every second day was working great, but not so much when it falls on days when I have rapier or armored combat happening; doing both on the same day is a bit much. As such, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are now bike and lunging days, where Tuesday is dedicated rapier night and likewise Thursday is armored night. Occasionally I will be having practices on sunday with a few old friends (we go waaaaaaaay back; a lot of history and not all of it good, but we resolved our differences last fall. It's a long story, so maybe I'll save it for another thread!), but those may not be all the time.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Armored practice was awesome; my cardio endurance is good, but my upper body...heh...my shoulders are killing me! I need to practice delivering power from the hips; it's a dynamic I'm not used to. In rapier we fight to the touch, in armored we deliver shots with full power and in delivering that power from the hips, the energy transfer through the upper body creates a snapping motion. Done right, when blows strike a surface (helmet, shield or otherwise) it gives off a satisfying *CRACK!* or *PWANG!* You can definitely tell when you've taken a solid shot to the head; it doesn't hurt because the helms are padded, but you can feel the good ones!

Skiing tomorrow with my old man and on Saturday I'm going biking. I put a new crankset on my bike with a slightly different gear ratio; 22/32/42 instead of 24/34/42.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I guess I've been neglecting this thread lately, lol! I've been crazy busy building armor between practices (so many parts!), so much so that up until this past week I took a break from biking. Met up with a buddy last sunday and caught up; we have a lot of history; not all of it good mind you, but we've made amends and moved forward. We've been talking about practicing on Sundays again. 

Anyway,

Did 22 km last night, 21 a few days ago, and 18.5km shortly before that!

Deer!









Foliage!









Head armor!









Neck armor! (The U channel edging around the neck opening has since been fixed!)









Torso Armor!









I have shoulder armor on the work bench at the moment, so between biking, this stuff and job hunting, there's lots going on! I'll update as I can, but any updates will be sporadic at best!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Gorgeous night last night; I could almost bike by moonlight. Did just shy of 24km. My new favorite obstacle is tight uphill switchbacks; so much fun! It was profitable as well; I came around a corner and found a reflector! My exact thoughts were, "OOOH! RED SHINY THING!" I was hoping it was a tail light, lol.

Today I hit the treadmill and did a mile at 7mph (the treadmill readouts are in miles)...in armor (helmet, gambeson, breast and back plate, gorget, pauldrons, elbows, forearms and wrists), lol. Trying to get used to my kit and I couldn't think of a more sadistic way to do it. By the time I finished the mile, I was drenched! The helmet is really loud to run in; clank clank clank. Dang near needed to wear a pair of noise cancelling earbuds! We'll see how well I do when I have the legs and roundshield finished. My upper body strength leaves a lot to be desired, but I intend to change that! >


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Awesome armored practice tonight; my shoulders are just killing me! As much as I despise upper body exercises, I'm thinking I might need to start looking into doing more. Technically if I keep going to practices, I'll get stronger, however if I put in some effort out of practice. I might be able to speed up the process!

We went out to the pub afterwards and met a few new people. I get super uncomfortable on that environment, but it seemed like a step forward as well as an opporutunity for exposure. I wound up having to drive one of my new friends home as she may have had a few drinks to many! That caused me a TON of anxiety, but I wasn't going to say no; I'd rather see everyone make it home safe than not. 

I still kick myself for skipping out on that bush party back in March. Everyone I talk to says I can't beat myself up, but there's a sense of "What if?" I don't talk about it a lot, but if I got anything out of their passing, it's to enjoy and appreciate every moment you can, for you never know when it can be taken away. I guess it's a massive part of why I'm trying to be more outgoing. More understanding. More open and willing. I'm trying to be a better person; trying to live more in the moment. Trying to not let my emotions get the best of me. It's not easy, but one step at a time, right?


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Wanted to bike today, but it was storming outside. To compensate, I did 2 miles on the hampster wheel at 8mph. The last 1/4 mile was a push, lol. No armor, but I was wearing my hoodie! Drenched again, lol.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

This afternoon's rapier practice with my buddy and his bro was awesome. The atmosphere at our "street rules" backyard practices is always super chill; we're just out there to have fun. We do something stupid and we laugh about it. Funniest moment was when My buddy's brother accidentally punched me in the face with the sailguard on his dagger, lol! The look of horror on his face when he realised what he did (meanwhile, I'm busting a gut laughing because I thought it was epic!)


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I had to take it easy the past few days (may have overexerted, lol), but during that time I converted my bike to 1x7 (32 on the crank and 14/34 freewheel) and put on a downhill tire up front (26 x 2.70). I did 20km tonight, and man it felt good to be back on the bike. I've noticed that my coordination improves when I listen to music on my rides; no idea why. It must quiet my mind or something and help me focus. 

Sunset was cool!









Frankenbike taking in the view!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Tuesday's fencing practice was fun; there were only 3 of us though. I got some pointers to improve my buckler work. No armored this week because we had a meeting regarding practice locations (it was about as much fun as it sounds!)

The past few days were stormy, so I did some work on my bike and put on a 30 tooth narrow-wide chainring; it seems to be a good compromise between climbing and cross country trail riding. Downhill I sometimes pedal, but not often lol.

Tonight I did another 21.3km on the Speeder Bike (it is Revenge of the Six you know?). I'm starting to get more dynamic in terms of body positioning on the bike, especially while climbing. It's more of a workout, but I think it's making me a better rider. Another sweet sunset! :3










Sunday I'm going over to a buddies place for more fencing practice and Monday I want to head across the lake and drop a job application off at the local mill.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

25.2 km tonight; lots of up. On my way back to the house I made it a goal to leave my bike in the hardest gear. It was character building; not bad on the gentler rolling grades, but the hills! My god, single speeders must just be ripped! O_O

It was supposed to rain today, but the sky cleared up around 6:30-ish. It was cooler out tonight, but felt good. Ticks are out; picked up a tag along last time, so I doused myself head to toe with deet tonight. Seemed to do the trick! Last year the ticks were horrible; I remember I stopped at one spot higher up and the ground (and subsequently my hiking boots), was just crawling with the little b*stards!


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## hyacinth girl (May 9, 2015)

I love looking at your pictures, Canada is so beautiful!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

hyacinth girl said:


> I love looking at your pictures, Canada is so beautiful!


Thanks, I enjoy taking them! I've been trying to get more creative with the angles to keep things varied and interesting. There's a bunch of Trails out Vernon way around Kalamalka lake that I wouldn't mind exploring more and closer to where I live, I've been eyeing up Okanagan Mountain Park as well as Hike-a-biking up Little White. The exploration aspect is one of my favorite things about biking.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

26.1 km tonight; tried to get up to Obelisk, but the trail turned into a mucky stream...My riding style is getting a hell of a lot more aggressive; interesting feeling when both wheels leave the ground and one's feet float off the pedals. Probably riding harder because I've been stressed out and frustrated lately (to the extent that I don't want to be around people; it happens). Regardless of the reasoning, it was a good ride.

No pictures tonight as I wasn't feeling inspired. I'll make up for it in the next update!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

20.5km tonight; not spectacular, but I was sick as a dog on fire last weekend and foolishly waited on the weather to improve (rain be damned, I'm not waiting anymore!) There was about a 2 minute window tonight to catch the sunset before the sun dipped behind the distant hills across the lake.

Anyway,


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

*Drops Bike*


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I went to a medieval event on the weekend and it was my first camping event in about 6 or 7 years and I forgot how fun they can be! The rapier scenario's were a lot of fun (I forgot how much fun melee is; it's like paintball with swords!), I met a lot of awesome people and even with the constant rain, had a blast! Saturday night I drank way to much as people kept handing me drinks...Sunday I was hurting and reminded of why I barely ever drink; mistakes were made! :lol 

Tonight I jumped on the mountain bike and did just over 19km (biked up to Flamingo and came ripping down Race Classic, which according to Trailforks is a black run). I tried recording it, but the video didn't turn out...Obviously recording rides is best done during daylight hours and not at dusk. The rocky techy droppy sections are awesome on a rigid, lol!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

So uhh...this happened at fencing practice on Tuesday, lol! I'm the guy in the poofy white shirt! :lol


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Blissful 20km tonight; the weather was gorgeous and there was lots to see! I didn't get to carried away as I have to go do a demo down in Oliver tomorrow; I guess there's some interest in the combat arts down there. Should be fun and one of my friends is like super excited to see me, lol.

My technical climbing ability is gradually improving; there are so many things to coordinate. I have started (reluctantly) doing some basic strength training so that helps; I have about 30lbs worth of weight at my disposal which isn't much, but I can work with it. Unless fencing is involved, I refuse to set foot inside a gym.

I biked up to Flamingo and came down Race Classic. I didn't feel like biking through a gravel pit again, so I went left at a junction and wound up on a trail called "Surf and Turf." It was super sandy and flowy; the steep sections were awesome as the back end of my bike drifted quite a bit, but I never lost control. I guess that's where having the big downhill tire in the front makes a difference. Once I commited though, it's not like I could stop anyway, so one way or another I'd get to the bottom!

One of my dad's golfing buddies gave me a bunch of tires a little while ago, so the other night I threw one on as a back tire; it's a 2.35" Small Block 8 (The nobbies are curiously tiny, but like Legion they are many!) and it worked surprisingly well!























































I don't normally stop and take pictures of plants or flowers, but for a first attempt in poor light, I don't think it's to bad!


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

The demo went well! It was great to see a few people I haven't seen in awhile. It was crazy, a few of the people that were interested in the fighting knew people I fenced with ages ago before I took a hiatus! 

Another 22km tonight. I made it up and around the first techy climb on Race Classic. Got to the top and thought to myself, "Holy Crap! I made it!" The second one not so much, lol. Third one I got within 4m of the top. Went down the usual downhill route and came across a trail called "Bullwinkle" (FWIW, there is a Boris and Natasha). Now I don't know what I expected from a trail called Bullwinkle other than stupid, but it spit me out into the center of a wetland! I wonder if going down it made me an honorary graduate of Wossamotta U? Oh well, it was a good ride! _:3_
_
_ 
...and a picture...because I don't take enough sunset pictures!


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

MCHB said:


> So uhh...this happened at fencing practice on Tuesday, lol! I'm the guy in the poofy white shirt! :lol


new songs....

Fencing in the Moonlight :spit
You Make Me Feel Like Fencing (I want to fence the night away!)


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

millenniumman75 said:


> new songs....
> 
> Fencing in the Moonlight :spit
> You Make Me Feel Like Fencing (I want to fence the night away!)


:lol


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

MCHB said:


> :lol


I forgot to put SASsy with them, but you got the picture :lol.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

Totally, lol. I think at this point it's almost implied subconsciously! :grin2:

Aaaaanyway,

28.6km tonight. I went up to Flamingo and went the opposite way up Race Classic. It spit me out onto Lost Lake Trail just above Teddy Bear. From there, I ventured up to Lost Lake via the bypass trail since I haven't been up that way since last summer. The lake is basically a mud puddle right now, lol. Can't recall the trail offhand, but I went up from there and down the twisty trails that eventually meet up with Fairlane and back to the house via Upper Bench and misc other trails.

Almost bought the park a few times, but overall it was a good ride. With the warmer weather and my doing longer rides, I need to start carrying more water; two bottles isn't enough apparently!










One of these days my Picasa account is going to explode, lol...


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I was on a mission tonight and did 39 km on the bike. Through brute force and ignorance, I was determined to get up to the KVR by any means necessary. Now I've managed my way up two of the trails from Crawford and was always curious about the center one...well it turns out the center one is ***** off steep near the top! There was a lot of hiking, pushing, carrying my bike on my back and quite literally in a few spots dragging it up behind me. My calves were killing me. My thighs were killing me. By the time I reached the KVR I might as well have been freaking Lieutenant Dan! :lol

Once at the KVR it was smooth sailing...took a break at the horse paddock up there before totally making train noises as I crossed Bellevue trestle...things were good...and then I came across three massive puddles! I figured, "Oh yeah...a couple inches maybe! I can totally bomb through them!"

Axle deep. Got half way through the first puddle and stopped dead. Mistakes were made. My hiking boots and socks got thoroughly saturated and soaked clean through!

The ride down the logging road was *****ing awesome. What more can I say? Like the old school cruiser clunken denim sporting chaps back in the 70's that tore down logging roads with coaster breaks, I was grinning the entire way. When it opened up, I felt like I was coming in hot landing a plane; eventually making it back to the house.


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## MCHB (Jan 1, 2013)

I never do this, lol...but I guess having a basis for progress isn't necessarily a bad thing. My upper body needs work, but I know this. I don't eat terribly, but there's certainly room for improvement. Between my usual stuff, I've been doing some basic weight training and pushups; need to dig out the treadmill for sustained cardio exercise.

The second picture with the feder was just for fun after practicing rapier parries (yay...). You'll have to forgive the lack of descriptiveness, but I was at an event on the weekend and still burned out from being around people for an extended period of time.

It's enjoyable, but the exposure always burns me out. I've been meeting a lot of new people though, so that's a plus. I was talking with a guy that does longsword and finally took the plunge and ordered a proper blunted steel longsword blade. The armor requirements for doing cut and thrust aren't as insane as I initially thought; taking away the gear I already have, really all I need is knee and hand protection.

*lame excuse* Was hoping to bike tonight, but the weather looked sketchy. */lame excuse*. Tomorrow is rapier practice, and then thursday is hopefully bike day!


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## TheDoubtfulGuest6 (Aug 25, 2016)

I really like your photos. that picture of the sky is Amazing!


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