and the thunder rolls...

last night i was awaken by thunder.
thunder out here is not like in the west...you know the phrase "rolling thunder"?  well, the midwest thunder really does roll.  immediately following the first roll of thunder, i heard our printer in the other room start beeping and acting like it was going to print something...creeeeeeeeeeepy.  so naturally i woke my husband up to go check it out.  then in my mind i decided we really need to keep the baseball bat in our bedroom.  

anyway, it's been almost a month since leaving the 801, and we've decided columbus is a pretty cool city.  we love living in a bicycle friendly city and our date nights usually consist of riding our bikes into downtown to find somewhere to eat or check out some event (like the festival latino, woot woot!).  

               

one of our favorite places to eat is the North Market.  it's basically just a bunch of local restaurants in a warehouse, and on saturdays there is a small farmers market outside.  but the most awesome thing is that it's right off the olentangy river trail, so we ride our bikes and eat delicious food.  win.

        

just a few blocks down the road is columbus commons which might be the coolest park downtown.  they have fitness classes, concerts, an interactive game thing, a carousel, a food truck rally, and who knows what else!

   

korean bbq in a burrito.  everything tastes better in a tortilla

if we don't want to go downtown, there are some pretty awesome things right in our backyard.

like Antrim Park, complete with a quarried lake and jogging trail around the lake.  or in the opposite direction there's the Park of Roses -- 13 acres with three different rose gardens and 400+ different kinds of roses.  both of these parks are about a 10 minute bike ride from our apartment.  did i mention there is a park just about every half mile along the river trail?

there's also lots of free concerts, delicious bbq, one of the best ranked zoos in the world, the best ice cream you'll ever eat, and cool people (aka us), so now that you know how awesome columbus is, come visit!

i suppose i should update

it's that time of year again.  i spent last week riding my bike 425 miles.  it was a really nice break after 12 hours in the car to get to Cour D'Alenes.

at the top of dobson pass-a 12 mile climb with my new friends from iowa/the only other 20-something's on the trip.

mountain biking the hiawatha trail

climbing up Schwietzer

my new wolf friend shyla

two weeks before that i spent 3 days backpacking in the tetons with this cute boy and his family...

and in three weeks it will be a bittersweet goodbye to utah as i head to mexico to start my mtc adventure.

peace+love

m.i.a.

it's been over a month since my last post...perhaps i should update my blog...

then again, maybe not.  see you when summer is over.

peace+love

true love

i am in a very serious, intimate relationship.  i love it.  he's never hurt me, at least not too badly.  he's always there for me.  we've been so many beautiful places and seen so many things together.  and even when we're just running errands together, he doesn't seem to mind...we're just happy to be together.  he truly understands me.  he pushes me beyond what i think is possible for myself.  we've been through a lot of uphills, done some cruising, and fun little descents.  and he's really quite low maintenance, as long as i show him a little tlc every once in a while.  and we never fight.  he's perfect.  yes, the same "he" i was with all last summer/fall and neglected for way too long (3 months too long).  but he's so forgiving.

isn't he beautiful?

he even looks good naked

i could ride him all day long if i had the time

yes, it's true, ruby...i love you

peace+love

a whale of a tale

i feel like i should have something awesome to say, but honestly i have 6 essays to write, a 45 minute presentation on the Merchant of Venice, a 5 page short story to make up, and my 16-credit spanish exam all within the next 2 weeks.  oh, and i have to read moby dick.  it's great, i love it, i love my major, but i have nothing interesting to say.

except that it is SPRINGTIME!  i took my bike out for a little spin up south fork canyon on saturday.  the weather was ideal. 

on sunday on my way home from church i found an awesome knot-hole in this tree...name that book..

 then on tuesday night i went for a spontaneous y-mountain hike a 11 p.m. also perfect weather and a beautiful view.  good company too aka a cute boy.

yes, i still find time to be outside.  i have to or i'll go insane.  and i don't want to be a crazy...oh wait.

peace+love

speechless

peace+love

words of wisdom..

what a funny day.
this morning i went on a bike ride (shocker, i know), and on the way down i passed this old guy on the provo river trail.  he caught up to me and we started chatting.  he is turning 80 this year and has been cycling for 60 years.  he said he wanted to chat because he used to race and doesn't like when people pass him so he "had to know who this sharp looking young girl on this first class bike was".  before he turned off to finish his ride he said, "well, i thought i'd share with you my wisdom...you don't have to look like a potato with toothpicks sticking out of it when you're old".
then, later i went to this local farm to buy some fruit.  when i paid for it, the lady that sold it to me said, "always remember to be kind to yourself."
apparently i look like a troubled youth.

fye...cousinly/sisterly love

peace+love

love is in the air...

today on my ride up to big springs i spotted something that made me smile.  speckles of red, orange, and yellow that highlighted the mountainside...

fall.  it's getting so close i can almost smell it.

peace+love

i-duh-ho

nothing makes me feel like a small child quite like riding my bike does. this is how we do it on ride idaho.

new meadows to white bird
-100+ degree weather
-rafted the salmon river
-rode 50 some-odd miles
-hung out in a bar on a sunday
-got asked if i was old enough to be there

white bird to cottonwood
-rode 40 miles
-10 of them were climbing
-fell asleep in a monastery during the nun's tour
-saw dog bark park
..seriously, this town is something from "true stories"

cottonwood to elk city
-rode 77 miles
-stopped along the way for a dip in the river
-then for a gigantic ice cream cone
-tried to teach two drunk guys to play go fish...fail

elk city to grangeville
-rode 81 miles
-climbed a killer grade in sweltering heat
-got ice cream in a parlor where i found a cute redhead
-played on the sweet slip 'n slide in the park

grangeville to winchester
-rode 51 miles to the best hick town ever
-in the gas station found photo albums labeled "hunting" and "fishing" featuring the locals
-even has a giant rifle hanging from the power line in the middle of town
-learned some sweet middle eastern rhythms in a drum circle
-went to bed with the most beautiful sunset of the trip

winchester to genesee
-woke up to a blood-red sunrise
-62 miles with a 10 mile grateful climb

genesee to moscow
-felt something touching my toe as i was putting my gear away...i turned around only to find a mouse under the tent
-22 short, easy miles into moscow
-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG drive from moscow to boise then to north salt lake.

and suddenly my vacation ended.  what a tragedy.
peace+love

long days of summer...

i cannot believe it's already july 22nd...before i know it i'll be cooped up in the hbll reading one of the bajiliion books i'll have to read between my 3 english classes and spanish writing and reading class.  boo. so, i'm just filling my days with all the outdoor fun stuff i possibly can....kind of like how chipmunks gather as much food as they possibly can.
-night swimming
-lots and lots of bike rides.  long ones, short ones, uphill, downhill, fast, slow.
-floating down the provo river
-more bike rides
-red rocks brandi carlile concert...i die of happiness...and pot
-roasting mallows
-hiking
-more biking
-more swimming
-lots of working...but have i told you how much i LOVE both of my jobs?

have a happy summer

p.s.  my cute auntie stephanie is due for chemo tomorrow...if you could remember her in your prayers tonight and tomorrow morning we'd all really appreciate it.

peace+love

if you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again...

between these two joys...

...i'll be peacing out for a while.

happy riding

peace+love

remember that one time we rode 65 miles everyday for a week to train for ride idaho...?

...oh wait, that never actually happened.

but, if i am ever wealthy, i will have a cabin in priest lake, idaho.

RIDE IDAHO

day 0--got carsick and barfed at the gas station in cascade, idaho...a few miles later, the car broke down. lucky for us, PAM! drove by and drove us the rest of the way to hayden, idaho.

day 1--a painful, but stunning, 67 miles to priest lake. got to camp and asked my dad why we couldn't have just gone on a cruise for our family vacation...then went for a refreshing swim in the most beautiful lake i've ever seen. think alaska without the cold.

day 2--a less painful, just as beautiful 56 miles to sandpoint. met our camp neighbors for the next week, john and kip. they loved us. then went for a refreshing swim in the lake.

day 3--a very painful, scenic 76 mile ride to troy, montana...started a mud fight with trevie in the frigid cold river and watched the one-armed man play a mean guitar.

(parent kid teams aka pretty much the only people under 50 on the trip--mom+trevor, trevie+mom, kelli+kerri+dad)

day 4--80 miles to thompson falls, montana. saw mennonites on bicycles on the way and almost died in the rain. but there was a river there too with a rope swing. and the best food on the whole trip aka banana cupcake for dessert.

day 5--fat camp. 65 miles and two summits. the second one was 2.8 miles of 8-11% grade. that

basically means it was really steep. the whole time i just kept telling myself, "i'm burning fat, i'm burning fat, gotta keep going". got to kellog in the rain. woke up in the middle of the night with

water levels rising around us in our tent. (so much for sleeping in that day). got up at 6 to dry all our stuff at the hotel and sleep in the lobby.

(after dominating fat camp hill)

day 6--a flat, relaxing 46 mile recovery to my future hometown (if things don't work out in the pacific northwest), harrison, idaho. swam in the lake (shocker) and finally got my mint chocolate chip ice cream (and a phone number) from a very cute red headed boy working at the creamery. in case you didn't know, that night was also the peak of the perseids meteor shower, so we laid out on the dock and watched mother nature's show.

day 7--56 mile finish to hayden. head winds kept me from moving basically at all downhill. but we all made it alive and ready to sleep. lucky for us our self-proclaimed aunt amy and her husband mike offered us a ride in their rv. which meant lots of sleep on the 8 hour drive to boise.

deb...the only person to finally get my dad to get up and dance...oh how embarrassing.

7 days of 448 miles of cycling+camping in the rain+eating whatever they feed you+doing your duty in port-a-potties+some of the most beautiful terrain in the united states+awesome people=i'd do it again in a heartbeat.

peace+love

arachnophobia

there was this one time that i melted from the heat.

oh wait, that was today.

yesterday i woke up with a spider bite on my cheek. which means there was a spider crawling on my face that night. in my bed. with me.

then last night i was sitting at my computer and put my foot down in the corner underneath my desk. i landed right in a spider trap with 8 dead spiders.

the chaos that ensued went something like this:

me screaming looking up at the ceiling so as to avoid witnessing what i had actually done "KERRI! GETITOFF! GETITOFF! GETITOFF!"

"I AM NOT TOUCHING THAT THING!"

"PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GETITOFF! GET A PAPER TOWEL"

i felt like i was going to throw up for the next half hour.

on friday i got some new freckles at the lake. that night i watched fireworks on the roof of the rec center.

saturday i went for a nice long bike ride all inclusive with a nice little steep uphill right at the end. i rewarded myself with neilsen's frozen custard that night. except actually kerri paid.

and today i watched sound of music.

a good weekend on all accounts.

what did you do?

peace+love

i HATE the heat....and other thoughts on life

summer is not my favorite season in utah. unless i'm sitting next to a body of water. when i grow up i'm moving northwest. oregon, washington, northern cali, or alaska. mark my words.

cycling on the legacy parkway trail just isn't the same as my routes in southern utah. but, there is one section of the trail called birnham wood. all they need to do is name a section dunsinane and we'll have a full-fledged shakespearean tragedy on our hands.

life has been going 100 mph and i don't think it will slow down until i'm retired, living in my winnebago travelling the u.s. with my handsome, charming hubby.

i made up new kesha lyrics to fit that one song..."wake up in the morning feelin' like p-diddy. i don't know how to sing but i make lots of money. i'm really really smart but i write stupid lyrics, they play me constantly on the radio so everyone can hear it....pedicure on my toes toes blah blah blah blah blah blah"

on the other hand, my life will be complete in just 15 days. (click me! click me!)

it's good to be home with my family. except i think kerri is getting sick of sharing a bed with me. (yes, i have my own bed. no, i don't sleep in it) and they left me this weekend. with absolutely no food in the house.

i went to bear lake and discovered my new favorite dessert (second only to mint choc. chip ice cream)--chocolate covered raspberries. HELLLLOOOO heaven in mouth.

i decided i want to go on a mission for the lds church. my papers are almost in but not quite cause guess what? the last thing i need is my wisdom teeth x-rays. i went in thrusday morning to get them and the dentist said her machine wasn't working. which means now i have to wait till monday. which makes me want to cry. or scream, seeing as i don't cry. either way i just want to goooooooooooo.

peace+love

melancholy

not to put a downer on life {let's face it, it's a joy!}, but sometimes i'm melancholy. and right now i'm somewhat melancholy. you see, i'm leaving my beloved cedar city for a while to embark on another adventure elsewhere ('twill be further explained at a later date...plus i have no idea where yet)...when i moved here 10 short months ago i did not expect to love this place as deeply as i do. if you are ever considering a move and need all the reasons to move to cedar city i will convince you this is a fantastic place to call your home.

i have this giant tree with faces carved into the trunk that i climb to go ponder and write.

and just up the canyon from my tree is a small cove carved into the sandstone where i go to ponder some more (or have good conversations with friends).

the colors are vivid. black soil against green foliage against red sandstone.

the weather is always perfect as there is a small but constant northward breeze (why always that direction? i have no idea).

i fall asleep at night to a symphony of crickets and wake up only to hear birds chirping outside my window. there are so many birds in cedar. big, beautiful birds. and in the summertime-bats everywhere at night.

cedar canyon is easily one of the most beautiful and surprisingly diverse places i have ever seen. crystal blue lakes surrounded by aspen groves next to lava fields.

and lets not forget cedar city's proximity to my home away from home, zion national park. a majestic sight everyone should see in this life.

then there's the lifestyle. the benefits of being in a city (with the exception of the severe lack of a music scene) with the perks of living in a small town. the pastry pub, the shakespearean festival (which comes with the most delicious raspberry tarts you'll ever taste), utah summer games, and last night we even had a senate candidates' debate. if you like hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, swimming, walking, reading, pretty much anything-ing, there's plenty of it to go around. especially hiking {but maybe that's just cause i'm biased}.

and the people. that means you, my bosom cedar friends. the people i've met and the memories i've made in the last 10 months have influenced my life in some small {or large} way that has made me a better person--or at least made me want to be a better person. genuine, high quality people. plus in the summer there are tons of tourists and i love tourists.

it's true, folks, cedar city {almost} has it all. {all we're missing is the ocean} my heart will break as i say goodbye, but not to worry....i'll be back before too long.

peace+love

i blaze my own trail.

kolob canyon arch {image found here}

my dear friend, scott, and i decided to go for a little hike on wednesday. okay, actually a big hike. we wanted to do the trail to "possibly the biggest arch in the world". a daunting 14 miles round-trip. we started hiking and made it to the taylor creek cove. then moved on to the arch. or so we thought. just a little ways beyond the normal distance people hike we found ourselves climbing over and under trees and in and out of bushes. we found this beautiful waterfall cutting a young slot canyon that was completely unexpected {and probably the best part of the hike}. as we blazed on we hiked up and slid down sand hills. we hiked through the water and eventually through snow. then, we hit a dead end.

fast forward 3 hours.

i'm laying on my bed looking at the trail map trying to figure out where we went wrong.

if we would have just driven two more minutes up the hill we would have been dead on.

that's right, we started at the wrong trail head. which means i made up the trail the entire way past the cove. that's how i roll.

between my guide skills failure and yesterdays cycling work-out i definitely needed this video my sister sent me to give me a little more faith in my ability to progress and {eventually} keep up with the old guys.

peace+love

breaking away

today i decided to join the color country cycling club to help me train for a big tour i'm doing at the end of the summer. it was my first time pacing with a group and it was a 35 mile ride. plus i rode my bike to our meeting area. so 40 total. 40 mile ride while out of shape=NO bueno. (oh and if you're thinking i kept up with the old guys you're out of your mind). i'm proud of myself for just finishing. and in case you were wondering, yes, my bum is completely numb and i'm probably NOT going to be able to walk tomorrow. as a result, i am exhausted. which means i have no energy to write about an artist and look up songs. but if you have never seen it, watch breaking away. it's my inspiration for life. and i told my dad that as a reward for completing the ride today he should buy me my own copy. PLUS dave stoller is to cycling as paulie bleeker is to running aka the hottest thing on two wheels (legs). he might even be hotter than paulie because he woos a girl by singing in italian. and dennis quiad wears cut off shorts {1:58 of trailer}. seriously. hilarious. watch. now.

peace+love

i left my heart in salzburg

one year ago i was traipsing here

{from ali--thanks girl}

now, i'm cycling here{via}

in case you were wondering...yes, life is beautiful

peace+love