2010 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

What a mild start to Balloon Fiesta this year compared to last. Last year even I was in long pants, jacket and gloves! This year, shorts and short sleeves (for me anyway!).


The negative aspect of a milder start, balloons do not fly as well in warm air. So the mass ascension wasn't quite what it could have been. Some of the balloons didn't get very far, in fact, some didn't even lift off.

But the awe of that first morning was certainly still there. I'm not as totally nuts about them as Jodi but I do enjoy them a lot and enjoy her being like a kid in a candy store. And this year her Aunt Carol from Phoenix came to stay with us for the weekend and we met a couple people, Jim and Milay (wish I had asked how to spell it, pronounced mu (as in mud) lay) from the general vicinity of Nashville that this was their first year. So Jodi and I, being old-times since we've seen in one year before, tried to make sure they all really enjoyed the experience and didn't miss anything.

Jodi and Carol are there again right now for the evening "glow." I stayed home a) because I wanted to and this is why I was thrilled that Carol came and she can keep Jodi company and b) because I really needed a ride tonight. Which I just got back from. On the Tri this time.

Going to my first Cyclocross race tomorrow morning. I will go see the balloons with the ladies and ride the Tri to the race from there. Can't wait to see it. If everything goes half as planned I hope to race in a few events next year. Not trying to be competitive in the circuit, just for my own satisfaction.

I'll report after the race.

Road-tripping time is here again!!

We're off (tomorrow) to see Jonathan for the Labor Day weekend. Can't wait. He and I are going to look at bikes for him, we're planning on camping and no doubt doing some geocaching! You never know what this group will do.

Jonathan has started back to school, MSU, but hopefully he can find some time for us!

I just wish Stephen could be with us. He did finally arrive in his permanent station in Afghanistan a couple days ago. He's pretty stoked. The conditions are much better where he stopped than some of the horror stories he had heard and relayed to us. I'm just glad he's in a hard shelter instead of a tent!

I wish Hannah and Nora were on the mainland instead of way across the Pacific in HI ! Yes there are much worse places they could be (Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois.....) but at least in most of them we could drive to see them.

Gotta go pack and get camping gear, etc ready. Haven't decided if I'm taking a bike or not. Probably will.

07 Aug 2010, Riding near home

It may have been a short ride but with the wind and the climbs it was a great workout. I like my Tricross better every time I mount up. The "roadie" in her makes for good speed with less effort and the "mountain" in her is surprising. It's like being torn between two jobs or two places you want to be, and she differentiates well.

We can cruise along a gentle greenbelt, hammer down a highway or backroad or get pretty serious in the dirt and rocks. She really surprised me in the rocks last Monday at the volcanoes. I was working way too hard and going way too fast that day to bother with many pictures. The only one I shot today was with my phone.

But regardless of where I want to go or when I'm ready that baby is always sitting in the garage chomping at the bits to go play. I've not got two sets of two wheels that ARE my sanity and my health all wrapped up in two.

Sunday 18 July 2010 New road bike

WOW!! I've been head-over-handlebars in love with my Scott Scale 50 mountain bike for over 2 years now, but yesterday I finally added a badly needed mount to my stable. Specialized TriCross Sport cyclocross bike.

Cyclocross is a sport of its own. The bike is built in the style of a road bike but the geometry is between a road and a mountain bike, closer to a roadie. The tires are much more narrow than a mountain bike, and still have some tread to them, but not as narrow and slick as roadie tires. The frame is somewhat beefier and what made me go with the TriCross is the fact that they use mountain bike components. The rear derailleur is LX, not bad stuff.

But the minimal asphalt resistance, the more-road frame and somewhat lighter will allow me to get out and stroll and build cardio and upper body for riding more. Not to mention I certainly will lose weight. The mountain ride Monday kicked my butt terribly. I could tell I had been hiking instead of riding. But that's all changed. NOT that I will quit hiking by any means.

As nextstop.com, my favorite ever of all internet sites, revamps as it is acquired by Facebook I looked back and found an interview they asked me to do as one of their early contributors. The links to the articles it mentions do not work here. I really hope Facebook does them justice.

nextstop Q&A with wanderingpops

One of the best parts about working at nextstop is getting to know different members of the nextstop community through their recommendations and guides. We noticed a couple epic guides by one nextstopper, wanderingpops:

Geologic, geographic, cultural, historic sites or just doesn't fit any other category! | nextstop.com

Hikes | nextstop.com


Every now and then on the nextstop blog we like to take a moment to do a quick interview with a top nextstopper to get to know them a bit better. The following is a Q&A with wanderingpops:

nextstop: So tell us a bit about you, your background and how you got into traveling around the U.S.

wanderingpops: I grew up in a small town in TN and never really gained a desire to travel until I was married and had the opportunity to travel some for work. Then my wife and I began taking our kids on bigger and better vacations. But the travel bug really grabbed me after we moved to WA state. While living there my wife and I did a 6732 mile road trip loop from WA to TN and back for our 20th anniversary. We traveled through 20 states, camped, stayed in KOA kabins, stayed in a casino near Vegas because 2 storms were coming and Jodi wouldn't camp and a couple nights just stayed in hotels. While living in WA we also visited Canada a few times and just before moving back to TN became certified divers and spent a week at Scuba Club Cozumel in Mexico. The more we see and experience in the world the more we want to explore.

NS: You've got a website barefootroadtrip.com, what was the inspiration? How does it fit with nextstop?

WP: I started barefootroadtrip after Sara, that I work with and is our webmaster, took my suggestions for a couple of trips, had a wonderful time at each place and suggested I start a site. She has the expertise and I have the gift of gab and a lot of stories and photos. She wants me to turn it into a "trip suggestion" blog and I will be glad to if we can make it work. We link my nextstop guides on the front page and on each linked page. Nextstop was really my inspiration. I found the site through the scuba challenge popping up on Facebook and fell immediately in love. I have spent more time on nextstop since I found it than I have traveling.

NS: From looking at all your recommendations, it's clear that you've been all over the country. Do you have a favorite moment while traveling?

WP: That is the easiest of all questions to answer. I LOVE mountain biking and I have hiked all my life, but the single most memorable moment in my travels happened at about 1:30 in the a.m. in October 0f 2002 while on the anniversary road trip I mentioned before. We were camped, in the rain again, at the KOA in Williams, AZ just south of the Grand Canyon. We were sleeping comfortably in our tent when all of a sudden we both sat bolt up and realized that what startled us awake was a bull elk in rut bugling [ns: We didn't know what this was either. Here's a great example] less than 150 yards from the tent. I have never forgotten what that sounded like.

NS: So what's next on your list? Where are the places you can't wait to go?

WP: Mountain biking in Utah, backpacking in AK (the only of the US states I haven't yet visited) and diving off the northern coast of South America (Belize, Bonaire and Aruba for example). And I cannot wait to do all three and get to my laptop so I can post them on both sites. See you on the road.

NS: Well, you just might be able to find a few great places around here for just that sort of thing!

We wish all the best to wanderingpops on his roadtrips, and look forward to checking in to see all his travels in the future. For more on wanderingpops, you can find him on nextstop and at his website: barefootroadtrip.com.
Posted by Kevin S. at Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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Mountain biking Placitas

It's been a while. Since the crash in Placitas in the spring that hurt my knee and kept me off the bike for so long I have used mostly hiking to strengthen my knee. I could tell today that has worked well. BUT, hiking isn't nearly as good for cardio as biking. I could tell that also. This made the climbs seem brutal. But I was thrilled with the knee and my 2-wheeled baby performed flawlessly.

I am still working on finishing the trail map out here. I can't find anyone that's ever heard of there being a map for out here. But someone has done such a good job of building a great network of trails that it will take a very long time to get it all mapped. I keep running into so many intersections that I've only been one or two of the legs. I will eventually get it all put together though!!

The important thing is, I had a great day off and a great ride and it's within 20 miles of the house.

To read more and see several photos click here.
Hmmmm, next????

Paliza Canyon hiking near Albuquerque

What better way to spend a 4th of July afternoon than hiking in a new area!!! Jodi and I had a great hike. Quite easy really but still plenty for a good work out. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get in a good bike ride but I wonder what we will do next week.

Read more of the story and get directions here.