Saturday, June 28, 2008

A Joy Ride Through Cache Valley

For those who know me well, know that I love a good ride...especially in the countryside. (I got this from my dad.) Unfortunately, the price of gas has caused me to reduce the amount of car "rides" I go on.

Well, Saturday, I had the privilege of going on a beautiful, 40-mile ride through Cache Valley...powered not by the engine of a car, but by my legs and heart. The only fuel consumed is what I ate and drank at the feed stops throughout the course. A plus of doing a ride on a bicylce, as opposed to one in the car, is that you get to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the area.

Additionally, this ride was not only for my enjoyment, but also for a very worthy cause; to raise awareness and money to find a cure for MS. I have to say this ride was very organized and I give a big "thank-you" to the sponsors and especially the many volunteers. It was a beautiful, clear-blue-sky day to ride through the small rural communities north of Logan...Benson, Cache Junction, Newton, Trenton, Amalga were the communities on my route.

This is me at the Cache County fairgrounds just before we started the ride.

Richard Vandenberg. Karin's dad and my riding partner for a good part of the ride. That was a really fun part of the ride - being able to talk to him and catch on up on him and Daisy and their grandchildren.

The feed stop in Trenton. This is where the routes separated. The 75- and 100-mile routes went north and the 40-mile route went east.


This is just a closer view of the Trenton feed stop.

Highlights of the ride:

  • Taking in the view of Cache Valley. It was a beautiful day in an equally beautiful valley!!!
  • Getting some exercise. I need to get more...on a daily basis. I have just enough pain in my left knee today to know that I need to train (what's that?) next time. :)
  • The smell of Russian olive trees. I know they are "trash" trees, but the sweet smell of those trees is the smell of summer to me...and bring back a ton of memories of growing up on a farm in northern Utah.
  • Cache Valley dairies. Okay, dairies can be "smelly" if you're not used to them, and I'm really kind of glad I don't live next door to one, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are still several dairies throughout Cache Valley.
  • Passing a moving vehicle - going in the same direction as me. So it was a tractor, but I still passed it!!!
  • Riding with Richard Vandenberg. He is awesome. I told him he could "leave me in his dust" if he wanted to...and he did. I hope we can be riding partners again next year.
  • Staying at Kerry and Howard's the night before. It was great going over to Logan on Friday night to pick up my ride packet and going to the temple with them while we were over there, then staying at their home in Tremonton the night before the ride. Thank you Kerry for getting up soooo early to see me off!!
  • Participating in a worthwhile cause. "Thank You" to all who contributed!!
  • Being part of Karin's team and being at the end of the race to see Karin and Steve ride in from their 100-mile ride!!

Karin and Steve at the finish.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Cat Fight

Yesterday Midnight seemed a little clingy towards me and equally mean towards Oreo and Shadow. As I got a good look at Midnight's backside I noticed he had a fairly decent-sized wound. Obviously he had gotten into a cat fight within the last day or so. (I hope not with Oreo or Shadow.) So first thing today I called South Fork Animal Clinic to see if I could make an appointment to take him in and get him started on antibiotics.

This is what he looks like tonight. He was a very good cat while at the vet's...albeit quite stressed as he shed like crazy...and of course got shaved where his wound is.

I have been leaving the garage door slightly open during the night so he can come and go at will during the night. That's changing tonight because I am assuming stray cats have been coming into the garage to eat his cat food.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

It must be summer

Today was a blissful day. I slept in a little bit...with the window open and a cool, gentle breeze coming in. Nice. Got up, mowed the lawn, and washed both cars...had to do some chores. That took me to mid-afternoon, when I got cleaned up and went to the temple and then to a wedding reception (garden party) for Carissa (Tieken) and Rowdy Lewis this evening. What a nice day.

It looks like summer and feels like summer...so it must be summer. Officially. Today. Love it!!

Maybe it was a subconscious thing with relation to summer being officially here now, but last night/this morning I had a dream about going white-water rafting on the Snake River. It has been a few years since I have done this...too long. So if I can talk anybody into doing it with me, it will be something to put on my schedule for July or August.

Have a great SUMMER!!