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August 23, 2015

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Bike MS Training August 22 & 23: Ride those hills

My Bike MS event is drawing closer, only two more training weekends left! The Bike MS Rock’n Hot Ride goes from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs and back over two days, 140 miles, and 8,000 feet of elevation gain. I’ve been getting serious about riding the hills around Austin so I can be prepared for all of that climbing. This weekend I rode 112 miles with 6,900 ft of elevation gain to get ready. I ride in memory of my godmother Barbara Hoffman who died of the progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis in December 2014. Please consider supporting my 8th annual Bike MS ride and helping me meet my fundraising goal by donating to the National MS Society.

Saturday’s ride was a new route to me, heading due south from home into a decent headwind. The winds have been light these last few weekends so I was definitely spoiled and sad to deal with stronger winds again. I rode two extremely steep climbs, one to get off of loop 360 at its southern end and the other was coming up Barton Creek Blvd to get on 2244. I think I would have fallen off my bike if I tried to dismount and walk up either hill.

I started off just after 7 am with the sun just beginning to show itself.

Sunrise over Mopac

Sunrise over Mopac

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Sunrise on Loop 360

The morning sun illuminated the enormous houses on the hills along 360. DCIM100GOPRO

The view to the west while crossing the 360 bridge:DCIM100GOPRO

I triggered the speed sign! I wasn’t speeding though…DCIM100GOPRO

Nice south Austin neighborhood:DCIM100GOPRO

Part of my ride went along the very southern end of Mopac to where it ends, passing the Slaughter Lane Alamo and this awesome artwork on the side of the building:DCIM100GOPRO

Part of the southern end of Mopac is fittingly sponsored by the Salt Lick:DCIM100GOPRO

I rode on (bike) Route 66!DCIM100GOPRO

I took a meandering route through some neighborhoods off of Southwest Parkway. Through these stone gates are where the really really big houses live:DCIM100GOPRO

What you can’t see about this enormous house is that to the left is a covered walkway connecting to a whole other building, about as big as my house. Huge!DCIM100GOPRO

Pretty view along Southwest Parkway:DCIM100GOPRO

I turned on to Barton Creek Blvd and enjoyed some really nice rolling hill riding with beautiful scenery:DCIM100GOPRO

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And then came the climb. So steep I wasn’t sure if I would stay on my bike. Luckily I did and I made it to the top to 2244. This picture of the top of the hill does not do it justice.

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From there I headed over to loop 360 and back north to home for a 72 mile ride.

On Sunday I wanted to ride hills again, so I rode out and back on 360 for 40 miles.

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Bull creek from one of the bridges:DCIM100GOPRO

Midway Food Park, towards the southern end of 360:DCIM100GOPRO

Big house up on a ridge:  DCIM100GOPRO

360 bridge and Lake Austin:DCIM100GOPRO

My legs were definitely worn out after Saturday’s hills, but I’m glad I got in good hills on Sunday as well. After warming up for a bit on a few hills they stopped complaining.

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August 16, 2015

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Bike training August 15 & 16: Riding surprises

Only three more training weekends left until the Bike MS Rock’n Hot Ride which goes from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs and back over two days, 140 miles, and 8,000 feet of elevation gain. I ride in memory of my godmother Barbara Hoffman who died of Multiple Sclerosis in December 2014. Please consider supporting my 8th annual Bike MS ride and helping me meet my fundraising goal by donating to the National MS Society.

This Saturday I followed a similar route as last Saturday, doing a version of the Dam(n) Loop so that I could ride hills. Luckily, this weekend it was about 5 degrees cooler than last weekend when I complained about the heat in my post. That cooler (but still hot) weather was accompanied by some great clouds.

I started my ride at 7 am with the sunrise.

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There were lots of clouds around creating a picturesque sky hard to capture with my GoPro.

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The green landscape, blue sky, and clouds made the ride down loop 360 very pretty:DCIM100GOPRO DCIM100GOPRO

Once on Bee Caves I realized I saw some spots of rain in the distance. First I thought “yay, rain!” Then I thought “Wait, I might have to ride through that…”

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And not too long after making the turn onto 620, it happened. I got rained on. But the sky wasn’t completely covered in clouds so I knew it wouldn’t last that long, and it didn’t.DCIM100GOPRO

I even got to see a rainbow behind me!

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Which was nice because not very long after that the annoying happened. Rear flat!

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After getting to the north end of 620, I snaked through some neighborhoods in Cedar Park to hit Lakeline Blvd and ended up in Leander.

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I hit a different section of the new paved trail along the 183 toll road. It is wide and pretty smooth except for when you hit some wood bridges!

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The trail goes by Cedar Park Center, home of the Texas Stars.DCIM100GOPRO

I exited the trail at the same point as I did last week, but coming from the north this time.DCIM100GOPRO

Saturday’s ride was not nearly as hot as last week’s ride because of the cloud cover and rain. I averaged 16 mph over the 72 mile, 3,500 fit elevation gain route.

On Sunday, I had a volunteer orientation at the Austin Animal Center so I used that as my bike ride. I rode there and back for a total of 37 miles round trip.

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August 13, 2015

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Making Blueberry Chia Jam

It must be blueberry season. They’ve been abundant at the grocery store and I can’t stop buying them. I can only eat so many with breakfast and my summer Vegetarian Times magazine had a collection of blueberry recipes. I made the blueberry chia jam – it’s a refrigerator jam with only minimal sugar so it’s much healthier than store bought jam.

I followed the recipe and didn’t add any extra maple syrup after it cooled. If I make this again, I’ll probably use our vast supply of honey to sweeten the jam.BlueberryJam-2 BlueberryJam-3 BlueberryJam-4This was my first experience cooking with chia seeds. They thickened the jam, but are soft and you can’t even tell that you’re eating them.BlueberryJam-5

It was great on toast, either plain or over some cream cheese. I also drizzled some extra honey over the jam sometimes when I wanted it to be sweeter. I’d definitely make this recipe again.BlueberryJam-6 BlueberryJam-7

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August 10, 2015

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Bike training August 8 & 9: Is summer over yet?

It’s my 8th year training for, and riding in, a Bike MS event. This year, I’m riding the Bike MS Rock’n Hot Ride which goes from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs and back over two days, 140 miles, and 8,000 feet of elevation gain. I ride in memory of my godmother Barbara Hoffman who died of Multiple Sclerosis in December 2014. Please consider supporting my 8th annual Bike MS ride and helping me meet my fundraising goal by donating to the National MS Society.

This weekend I realized that this heat is here to stay. We had such a nice, long, mild spring with lots of rain and now we’re paying the price with 100+ degree days and brutal sun. I try to get my long rides done by noon (and even then it’s hot hot hot) so I have to start early, just as the sun is coming up around 7 am. Maybe next weekend I’ll slap on the bike lights and start earlier. Saturday’s ride was 70 hot, hilly miles to help me prep for lots of climbing in Arkansas.

Good morning, sun:DCIM100GOPRO

Starting south on loop 360:DCIM100GOPROThe clouds were a welcome sight in the morning, keeping the sun off of me for a while:DCIM100GOPRO

Riding along a ridge with good views:DCIM100GOPRO

Picked up my late grandfather’s favorite snack at the gas station since I didn’t have enough bike jersey pocket foods at home. Brought back some memories.DCIM100GOPRO

This picture doesn’t do it justice, but the lake was beautifully sparkly as I approached the bridge in front of Mansfield Dam:DCIM100GOPRO

After making it all the way north on 620, I took a turn to the north on Anderson Mill. Eventually I made my way over to the 183 toll road and took a brief turn onto the new pedestrian and bike trail. Pretty nice! Could use some more shade though.DCIM100GOPRONext I rode on a road I haven’t tried before, up in Cedar Park. It seems new with small trees and a very wide sidewalk:DCIM100GOPROThen I entered the land of the enormous suburban high school sports stadiums:DCIM100GOPRO DCIM100GOPRO

I made it home right around noon, at which point it was definitely too hot.

On Sunday I rode 30 miles around town. I went over on Jollyville Rd and then through the Arboretum and used the bike path the connects from Barnes & Noble over across loop 360:DCIM100GOPRO

Mesa Drive has relatively fresh bike lines, including a dotted line wherever there is a driveway indicating it’s ok to turn through the bike lane. Seemed a bit overkill.

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Shoal Creek Blvd is having massive utilities work done and has a bunch of detours leading me down a road I’ve not been on before. Love the Purple Martin Houses and the pretty red standing cypress flowers at this house:DCIM100GOPRO

I will focus on ride more hills on my next few Sunday rides to make sure I can handle two days of decent climbing in a row!

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August 9, 2015

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drinks, Food & Drink, infusion

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Blueberry, lemon, honey & thyme infused vodka

Blueberries have been everywhere in the grocery store lately, and they’re delicious, so I infused some with lemon slices, honey from our bee hive, and thyme from our garden.

I tried it tonight, and it’s delicious. I made a light drink with Topo Chico, a squeeze of lemon, the vodka infusion and Creme de Cassis, garnished with a few raspberries. Yum!

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August 7, 2015

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Bike Training August 1 & 2: El Diablo Ride and a Birthday run

 

 

Only 5 more training weekends until the Bike MS Rock’n Hot Ride. The ride goes from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs and back over two days. This year, I’m riding in memory of my godmother Barbara Hoffman who died of MS in December 2014. Please consider supporting my participation in the ride by donating to the National MS Society.

On August 1st, Bicycle Sport Shop hosted the El Diablo poker ride, which visited all 3 of their shops. At each shop and the finish we collected a card. Later that evening at the benefit party for the Texas High School Mountain Bike League we got the final card. My hand was definitely not a winner, but at least I got a pair of 8s. I rode 12 miles down to Bicycle Sport Shop before the ride started and then rode 58 miles on the El Diablo ride for a total of 70 for the day.

I started out from home as the sun was coming up. Good morning, moon!

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I checked in with the small crowd at BSS Lamar.

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The route took me on a number of roads I haven’t been on before and had a good amount of climbing. Spicewood Springs road west of 360 has nice shady curves, but a decent amount of traffic and no shoulder. Also, a cemetery.

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Cool cliffs sometime before making it to the Parmer store.

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After the Parmer store, we rode some big hills in the Spicewood / Balcones neighborhoods and went by the golf course:

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Riding along a ridge:

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Pretty neighborhood:

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You can’t really tell, but this was after making it up a giant hill on Rain Creek Parkway:

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Stopping at the Research Store:

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Going back downtown we crossed the pedestrian bridge:

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At the end of that ride Carl met me downtown and we had lunch before he drove me and my bike back home.

Sunday, August 2nd was our friend Jordan’s birthday. He runs his age in miles each year for his birthday. Since he’s approximately my age you can assume that this is quite an impressive feat. I decided to ride part of his route with him so I set out from our house early.

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I met him on the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. Carl met up with us on his bike shortly thereafter and we rode together and chatted with Jordan while he ran.

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We rode down to the end of the trail with him where Hannah was waiting to run the rest of the way with him (about 8 miles).

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From there Carl and I rode back to his car and joined the runners at Barton Springs Pool for a quick swim before lunch. I rode 30 miles for the day.

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August 2, 2015

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Fig, lemon and honey infused rum

I infused some Cruzan white rum with figs from our tree, lemon slices, and honey from our bee hive about 10 days ago. Tonight, I strained the mixture and made a drink.

The drink was the rum, Topo Chico, St. Germain, and a squeeze of lemon garnished with a lemon slice and some raspberries. Out of all the infusions I’ve made, this one may well be my favorite. Just in time for tiki week, too!image

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August 2, 2015

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Bike training on the Dam(n) Loop: July 18 & 19

It’s official! I’ve set up my fundraising page for the Rock’n Hot Bike MS Ride and made the first donation, so now you can too! I’ve been training for this ride for most of this summer and I’ve got 6 weeks left until I ride from Little Rock to Hot Springs, Arkansas and back. The ride is an out and back with the Saturday overnight in Hot Springs. 70 miles each direction with 3800 ft of climbing.

This year I’m riding in memory of my godmother Barbara Hoffman who passed away from Multiple Sclerosis in December 2014.

On the weekend of July 18 & 19 I rode a total of 93 training miles. On Saturday, I rode a particularly hilly 60 mile route known locally as the Dam Loop although this time I modified it to take Southwest Parkway instead of Bee Caves road to add some miles.

Me and my shadow on Loop 360:

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The cliffs are stained from all of the rain this spring:

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Bridge over Lake Austin:

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Such a pretty day:

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Nice fountain and view from 620:

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The lighthouse:

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You can just barely make out the lake in the distance. It’s so nice to see it so full!

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Crossing in front of Mansfield Dam:

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On Sunday I rode a route south from home and picked up the Southern Walnut Creek Trail. First I was greeted by a terribly torn up road, miserable to ride on:

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View of Decker Lake in the distance:

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The trail:

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Handful of sunflowers:

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A bit overgrown in places:

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Very modern house next to a very run down house in east Austin:

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Sunday’s ride was 33 miles.

Check back soon for my latest ride update!

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July 29, 2015

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Bike Training: July 11 & 12

After two weekends off from bike training due to vacation in Saint Martin (rough, I know), I finally got back home to Austin to put in some good miles on my bike. Bike MS Rock N Hot Ride is only 6 weeks away! My fundraising page will be up soon, I promise. On Saturday July 11 I planned a route mostly east from my home, 64 miles in total with a 15.7 mph average. The morning started out thankfully without much sun so the temperatures were mostly pleasant. I rode part of the Southern Walnut Creek Trail:

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On the north end of the trail, it just ends and you have to ride through grass / gravel to get back on the road. I assume that has something to do with property ownership, but it’s super annoying especially if it’s muddy.

 

 

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Visibility wasn’t that great for the first part of the ride – usually I get nice views on this road:

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Then the sun came out and it got hot.

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I like this old abandoned farm house out in the countryside:

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And the sunflower field next to this cute little olive green house:

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Railroad bridge!

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Tree tunnel on Littig Road:

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A train was blocking the road, not moving. It moved slowly out of the intersection as I approached. When I crossed the tracks I could see the engineer dressed in a long sleeve button down bright green shirt with white polka dots and a red hat. I guess if you’re a train engineer, you better dress the part!

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It was a lovely day for a photo of this Asian temple I see coming back into town on North Lamar:

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On Sunday I did an around town ride of 30 miles, but the GoPro battery failed me again… Stay tuned as I continue to catch up on my bike training posts and get my fundraising page in order!