First Bike Trip to Vail Village!

                                                                                     

I won't have any recent photos until I receive the new camera
cord I ordered, but this is what I look like riding a bike :)
Crested Butte, CO summer 2012

Today was the first car-free day!

It started around 8 a.m. after about an hour of hitting -snooze- on repeat :) My original plan for the day was to join Nate & Susi on a hike up to Booth Lake in East Vail, but I (thankfully!) followed the nagging feeling I had in the back of my mind to check MindBody (my online schedule of massages) and saw that I was on call.  I hope you guys had a great trip!

I rushed around all morning and left the house at about 8:45 to head to Vail Village. I noticed that I had a lot of energy and my hands where shaking while I tried to adjust my helmet strap. I was anxious in both an excited and nervous way. I am SO used to being VERY lazy and taking the lazy half-assed, rushing at the end approach to getting things done and going places, but I noticed some apprehension of leaving my front porch and the 'safe zone' of my home. I just wanted to GET THERE and be at my destination already, and had to re-mind myself to enjoy the present moments along the journey.

I adjusted my helmet and bike seat to a comfortable position, thankful for how smoothly everything was functioning after the wonderful and accommodating gentlemen at SSV in Lionshead Village brought the brakes, front tire, and pedals back to a functioning level. Thanks guys! The morning was brisk,  and I was cutting sharply through the morning breeze heading out of Minturn, grateful for the clear blue sky and sunshine warming my back. I'm glad I also remembered a scarf! I noticed how quickly I was feeling out of breath riding up hills and remembered the mantra of -slow down, take a break- often, greeting the downhill slopes with relief.

On the car ride back from Moab, Utah
April 2012
Left: Moon  Right: Shadow

My ride took me along the winding Eagle River through valleys so beautiful, even the morning bustle of the I-70 interstate could not take away from my bliss. I felt compelled to soak in the green lushness of my surroundings with frequent rests at look-out points and some much needed morning stretches. My backpack was filled with a few books, laptop, and food for the day, and the ol' neck n' shoulders where definitely calling out for some love about halfway through the ride.

A few bikers wizzed past me so fast that I began to question how safe it was going to be to bring my dogs along for the next trip. There are only two ways to get to Vail from Minturn - one is by car via I-70 and the other is along the bike path until I reach West Vail. Im going to try Moon (my Chihuahua/Min Pin mix) in an open-ish backpack until I find a front end basket that he can burrow in. Shadow, (a former sled dog husky who's gait, at nine years old, easily overtakes mine even on a bike), and I will have to practice a side-by-side position with a leash for a while, until he learns to stay on the right side of the bike path for the safety of everyone involved :)

I was surprised at how quickly I arrived at Intermountain in West Vail, but was ready to give my legs and lungs a break so I snapped a few photos of my bike and some trees while I waited for the next bus to scoop me up :) I had never used the bike rack before, so the bus driver's helpfulness and eagerness to show me how to mount my bicycle was greatly appreciated!

I was the only passenger for a while, feeling energized and happy to have caught a bus that greeted my ears with amazing music the second I stepped on. It was when others started to board at later stops that I noticed my psyche re-acting in ways that are less-than helpful for my well being. I began to feel uncomfortable and tense when a very beautiful man and woman sat immediately across from me, and had to re-mind myself over and over again to unclench my jaw and shoulders, and to open up my heart. (To the beautiful people and myself - also a beautiful person, that doesn't always believe this is true.) It seems like I am still very tightly holding on to false belief systems of not being attractive enough, especially since cutting my hair short again and ceasing to obsess over the few extra pounds I still carry around.  I sat back, closed my eyes and began to breath in relaxation and breath out the limiting stories my aunt Ninnie brain was adamantly pushing forward into my conscious stream of thought.   On the still nearly empty bus, I sat with soft eyelids for the remainder of the ride, absorbing my current state of listening and being open to whatever thoughts came up, soaking in the bluegrass tunes that seemed to dance straight out of the mountains themselves.

After a day spent hanging out at Starbucks, working on the blog, and compiling jammin' music playlists, I hopped back on my bike, and rode all the way home to two very excited puppies VERY ready to go outside and play :)

Thank you for reading <3 Here are some wise words from a very kind man.

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."
-Dalai Lama




Love and Blessings,
Sofie