Babageik News: Bikin', Hikin' and more

So a wonderfully beautiful weekend has come to a close, the sun was out in full force, temps were close to the 70's and it was time to head outdoors!
2007 has been an interesting year, a rocky start followed by learning (with a lot of help and a lot more to learn) about what makes me who I am has led to a deeper grasp on what I have to be thankful for and how hard I am willing to work to keep it...

So where to begin?

Let's start with Saturday.

Cari is training a lot heavier for some upcoming rides and races she has dedicated herself to (Cinderella Classic, Tour De Cure and NV Trail Marathon) and was ready to get back out on the bike in earnest and re-acquaint herself with who she used to be (on the bike). Who was I to stop her? Hell-there's nothing I'd rather do than ride with her, so we started to make the plans to get outdoors. It became clear to me (after I made the call) that we were being a bit selfish thinking our family would drop everything to watch Jake with an hours notice (sorry guys) so we did what we should have done in the first place-spend a family day outdoors.

We were heading to Alston with Kona, but Jake said he wanted to go father away and hike in a new place, one with a mountain. It was decided right there, on our way to Alston, to head home, gear and food up and head to Calistoga and hike some of Oat Hill. What a great choice!

We got there and Jake did his usual trooper mode and hike the whole way up and down (about 3 miles)—he really makes me proud. Along the way we found a baby rattle snake (yes I played with it), some lizards, some grasshoppers and some great views. It's a great trail and I kept relating that I couldn't wait to get Cari and Jake out there on bikes, cause it's a blast.

While out there we decided that Jake's Teva sandles were not adequate and we'd head to REI to see if we could find him some better hikes boots/shoes. That worked well with my plan as I had to head into Berkeley to pick up a couple of bike jersey's that I had won...

Well, it was more like I was chosen to wear them, but I was really excited to pick them up.

It all went down about a week ago when I saw an ad on craigslist (I love CL) looking for cyclists to wear jerseys for a really cool company called Stonehouse California Olive Oil. I had seen the jersey on my morning walk through the Ferry Building about 3 months ago and really liked the design and colors, so I jumped at the opportunity to represent the company. I fired off an email response outlining my experience with King, the Gourmet Century and my riding habits and crossed my fingers. Just as I was about to think I wasn't chosen, the email came through congratulating me! Anyway, we jetted down to Berkeley and met Elizabeth at Wheelgirl ( a really cool person and a great shop) who handed us a sweet pair of jerseys, some really delicious organically grown olive oil and some informational pamphlets. The deal is to wear the jersey's at least 2X a week on rides and spread the good word about a great company.

Traffic was a bear both ways and we were pooped. Jake had an appointment to sleep over at Papa and Yaya's house so Cari and I could ride early on Sunday morning...

Sunday both Cari and I donned our sweet new jerseys and I set out to show Cari the Carneros ride I do with Curtis and the Retrotec crew on Saturday mornings before our bigger rides. Again it was beautiful out and we had a great time (actually our first ride together in a long time) on the road. After we got back, Cari had to meet her boss and I headed to pick Jake up at Papa and Yaya's.

On our way home, Jake and I decided to head out on a hike in Browns Valley to see what we could see, and maybe catch a lizard. It's a pretty steep climb up the trail and again Jake showed his trooper side and made it up and down with no help. We gazed across the valley and enjoyed some snacks while taking in the sun and day. Jake exclaimed what a great day it was and I couldn't have agreed more.

There was still plenty of sun when we got home so I opened the garage, cracked open a Red Stripe, turned on some tunes and got my trusty Kestrel back to running as a townie-of-sorts while Jake played in the dirt and Cari hung out indoors.

Sure we had missed the prologue to the Tour of California , but it just would not have compared with the time spent with my family (although it would have been nice to see Steve—we'll plan something soon I hope).