Wild Adventures in Photography, part 1

Disappointment, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Dog behind fence: ruff ruff ruff....ruff ruff

me: (click click.....click)

Dog behind fence: (more intently now) ruff ruff ruff....ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff....ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff....ruff ruff

me: (click click.....click)

Man behind fence: Roscoe! What's going on out there?

Man behind fence: (peering around fence) What's going on out here?

me: (pointing at knothole in fence) Oh, I'm sorry, I was just taking a picture of your fence.

Man peering around fence: My fence? Well that doesn't seem very interesting.

me: Its not (then trying to add levity to a tense encounter) but maybe if you had something interesting that showed through the peephole?

Man peering around fence: Is that your bike?

me: (hopeful that maybe he wants to put my bike in the peephole view, which is a little trite, but since when has trite stopped me) Yes, it is!

Man peering around fence: Then maybe you should ride it to somewhere more interesting and take pictures there.

~~

And now for something completely different

I need a little Walken this morning.

Don't you?

and yes, that his him dancing most of those moves. I'm gonna memorize it and bust it out some night.

Cabin Fever

The Morning of My Content, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Ack!

Double Ack!

Its raining a thousand rains right now, with those little teaser breaks that make you think maybe, just maybe...then it comes down again.

Yesterday was nice, but I need more...I still have energy to burn.

But not enough that I want to get on the trainer or anything. Maybe just go see a movie instead.

This tree is in my neighbor's yard. It gives me hope.

My IQ just went up by like 57 points

That there photo up above is the radar image at just about the time that the Cat 3 women were finishing off their last lap at Snelling.

I kissed Michael goodbye as he left this morning for Snelling, and I headed out for a happy trails ride instead. Dawn, Beth, Steve, Brent and I zigged and zagged and had a rocking good time on the nicely packed but not muddy trails. And about fifteen minutes after our lovely 3+ hour ride was over, it started to pour. But for our ride, we were dry and even saw some goody sunshine.

Now I am sitting here eating roasted tomato soup, drinking a Hoeegarden, skippily dippilying around the internet, all while encased in the furry comfort of warm kitties.

I'm just sayin

Kobe for Erika

Montana Del Oro, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

I totally want to blog about TOC. I didn't get a chance to go see any part of it, but I saw pictures. And, man, I have a few things to say.

Hopefully will find some time later today.

In the meantime, there was a segment on the women's race and Brooke Miller and Team Tibco on KGO this morning. Thats huge publicity. A 30 second spot on KGO is about as expensive as it gets in the radio industry. It would be awesome if the TOC promotors could add another race or two to this event. This one race for them went a long way towards promoting women's cycling.

Livin la Vida

Crossing, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Ohmigosh what a fabulous weekend.

And now I face a foggy Monday at work, while the rest of the world (the world I know anyway) plays at the Tour of CA on El Presidente day.

But, after my dreamy weekend, I can hardly complain.

And its funny, when I think back on the fun I had this weekend, very little of it had to do with racing. I didn't even race at all, and felt only a teeny tiny twinge of regret over that.

I have really tried to be motivated to race this season, but as of yet, I have not quite struck it. I have not yet been able to give up the things you gotta give up to do it. Things like sleep, that second glass of wine, Kobe burgers, and simply not riding when I don't much feel like it. Or, not riding hard.

I dunno. Maybe I will find the motivation later. But for now, I am enjoying la vida.

~~~


Some more pics of the beautiful race down in Los Olivos are here

The promotor, Mike Hecker, of that race is doing something interesting. Ever go driving down the highway, and look off into all that Cattle ranchland thats here in California, and see a little dirt road and wish you could go ride it?



I do that all the time. Well, Mike must have done that too. He's gotten in touch with the owners of the Chamberlin Cattle Ranch and they've allowed a network of trails to be built on that land. Hecker's group plans on holding about 8 races there this year, including a Norba National as well as downhill and dual slalom races.

Sometime this summer, the ranch will be open for riding outside of races for like a $5 fee or something.

Its a lot of work forming a partnership like this. And you have to ride alongside cowpatties and the occasionally ornery bull, but if this past weekend was any indication, the work is well worth it.



While not technical, the singletrack was stunning. There was one trail, in particular, that was along the top of the ridge, offering fabulous views of Foxen on one side, and Vaca Station on the other. I did not get a picture of this piece, because I was too busy enjoying it in person. (its hard to be both photographer and do-er).

And when in Los Olivos, you just HAVE to visit American Flatbread in Los Alamos. YUM!

Sunshine Dilemna

Sunseekers, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

To ride in it?

Or nap in it?

We're smarter than we look

NO, thats not Cherry Pie, its Ollalieberry Pie.

And its better than Cherry Pie because we didn't have to race to eat it. We just pedaled our bikes on sunshiney roads at whatever pace we felt like.

We didn't plan on pie. Didn't even think about it. Until we came up on the Gizdich ranch sign and Stella said "blah blah blah blah pie?"

So we all searched our pockets for whatever chumpchange we might have with us, and between all of our jersey pockets we had enough for one pie and 5 forks.

Erika complained that we couldn't possibly buy and eat a WHOLE pie. "A WHOLE pie???", she exclaimed.

This picture was taken right before (or maybe after) she helped herself to seconds.

In Portland

Cross Fans, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is happening this weekend. I sort of wish I had gone. How silly that I did not go the first two years it was in San Jose.

I dread dread dread going to Interbike for various reasons. Vegas being the biggest. But honestly, bike people, sometimes annoy me. I know, I am a bike person and I am probably pretty annoying myself, but the concentration of annoying bike people at Vegas overwhelms me.

I have a feeling I'd like the Portland crowd a bit better.

Cyclingnews has coverage here

and suprise surprise, Velonews has coverage too!

If you are there, give a big squeezy hug to the fabulous Sheila Moon and Jason at De La Paz for me!

Release

Release, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Its a good thing I am going on a mountain bike ride this morning.

Learnins

Page and Wells, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

I learned how to do this today.

Not ride my bike through the mud, because obviously, I fail miserably at that.

But how to make a photo look all grittyness.

I love learnins.

Cooking with the Nimwit

Makin Stucco, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Here is a great recipe for disaster:

1 freeride bike with whopping big tires. The less clearance for the tire the better.

1 Nasty steep fireroad

2 day old cow mud

7,000,000 tons of recently poured base rock

You can substitute the disk brakes for Vbrakes. But today's recipe calls for disk brakes.

MIx the first three ingredients really well at the beginning of your ride. You'll know you got the mixture just right when the sticky old mud jams in your seatstays and stops the wheel from rolling. Be sure to try and spin just a few more pedal strokes anyway just to prove to absolutely no one how fuckin strong you are.

Once you are finally forced off the bike, walk your bike to where the road is covered in freshly laid gravel.

Proceed to try to ride again. It helps to remain seated and have low tire pressure. Done correctly, the rocks will stick to the mud and form a nice layer of stucco over your tires. You should not be able to pluck off the stucco with a stick or a multi-tool.

Your bike should weigh about 63 pounds at this point. If so, continue to try and pedal because its your only damn lunch hour and you are not got to waste it dammit.

Yummy!

Breaking the Blues

Blue Again, originally uploaded by Sabine Dukes.

Oh thank goodness for the sunshine.

I thought I'd go stark raving freakin mad if there were one more day of rain.

The birds were going nuts this morning with the chippity chirping and man, birdies, I hear ya.

I did my own chippity chirping in the car this morning. I was feeling too cheery to listen to the news, so I fiddled with the station until something fun came on.

And I danced and sang in the car and was totally getting my groove on. I was feeling pretty full of myself, until the station break announcement that told me I was listening to a soft rock station.

Soft rock.

Not Oldies, because, Oldies would be cool. But Soft Rock. The Oxymoron station. Dental office music. I was getting my groove on to Dental Office music.

Shit.