Yes, I like winter!

Here are some of my favorite shots from today:

The frozen waterfall is one of my favorite subjects.
This is the first time I've shot it in thawing conditions.

A covered bridge, to . . . ?

We can never make up for the past.  We can only strive for today to be the person we're called to be.

This afternoon with my grown daughter was a really precious time.

"I'll take the Physical Challenge"

"How ya doin?" the volunteer asked enthusiastically, as I approached the rest stop.

"Okay," I replied waveringly. Then, deciding honesty was the best policy, "But there's no way I'm going to be able to finish this ride," I concluded with far more conviction. He nodded his head sympathetically, rushing over to grab my bike from me as I dismounted, my right hamstring suddenly seized by another cramp as I raised my leg over the seat, immediately followed by my left. "Walk it out," he advised, which was easy advice to take as I'd been forced to do that very thing during part of the climb I'd just finished.

I still had 45 very hilly miles to go, and it was pretty clear why they called this the Cheat Mountain Challenge. But even if I wasn't going to be up to meeting this challenge, I was glad I'd taken it on. After all, how often do we get a chance to really test our limits? If I hadn't come - budget considerations had nearly kept me away - I'd be wondering what it was like, how my friends were doing, how much additional ground I'd lost on them because of the work they were getting in this weekend while I was either sitting at home or riding more casually. Even though I was convinced I'd be riding the bus rather than my bike up the remaining climbs, especially the 6-mile finish up to the Snowshoe resort, I was glad I'd tested myself in this way. And the scenery so far had varied from "very nice" to "breathtaking."

We don't have any mountains around my current home in Dayton. I'd trained on a few of the more popular and challenging cycling hills in the area, and thought I'd gotten in enough work to be well-prepared. Little did I know. And somehow we'd overlooked the first climb of the day, near the beginning of the course. About two-thirds up it and already in my lowest gear, I considered turning around right then and there; struggling this much so early, how was I going to handle the steeper and longer ascents to come? But I'd pressed on thus far, beginning to cramp on the climb up Cranberry Mountain, and having to walk for a while on the steepest part of Black Mountain due to stronger and more unyielding cramps. I'd been careful to drink a lot all morning, too.

I talked to the rest stop volunteers about the SAG bus, which they told me was following the last rider on the course. After downing another whole bottle of sports drink ("It's got electrolytes. It's what plants crave.") and eating a bit - well, what hadn't been put away because of the rainstorm that had passed through just before I got to the stop - and resting for about 10 minutes, I got to thinking. "Y'know," I said to myself, "if I can't go any further, I can just get off the bike and wait by the side of the road for the bus." That thought was pretty comforting; I wasn't going to be stuck in the middle of West Virginia with no way back to Snowshoe. So I refilled my water bottles and climbed back onto the saddle. There were another couple of miles left of this climb, but not nearly as steep as the section before the rest stop. I passed another rider sitting in the grass, waiting for the SAG bus. But I managed this section pretty well, stopping to rest my legs once and hitting the next rest stop in pretty good shape.

"Okay," they advised us, "you've got a smooth, 5-mile descent, followed by a 3-mile, 7% climb. Don't look up, just keep your head down and keep pedaling." Well, that strategy was not going to work for me today. My legs were going to need to rest a couple times during that three miles. But since I don't have a cyclocomputer on my bike, I thought I might deceive myself a little along the way. A mile into the ascent, I'd tell myself it had only been a half mile. I'd pick a point ahead of me at which I'd take a short break, then pedal beyond it and pick another point. I did stop on the way up, but only twice, and at no point did I think I couldn't make it up the hill. Now, the six mile climb at the end? That was sure to be another matter. But I was beginning to think I just might finish on my bike instead of on the bus.

At this rest area, they let me know I had a gradual uphill in front of me, followed by mostly downhill to the Snowshoe Welcome Center. That easily winding descent was a great break and a lot of fun, and when things flattened out to slightly uphill for the last couple miles before the ascent up Cheat Mountain, I felt I might be ready to give it a shot.

Maybe a mile into it, I was straddling my bike, resting for a moment, when I heard the SAG bus
pull up. I figured that meant there were no more riders on the course behind me. I thought I might make it up this hill using the same strategies as the previous one, but I sure didn't want an audience! I waved for the driver of the bus to pull up alongside of me.

"I'm going to make it up this hill," I told him with far more confidence than I felt, "but I may have to stop a few times along the way." He had about a dozen riders on the bus, with their bikes on the trailer behind it. He said he'd take them up and drop them off, then come back to check on me.

I probably stopped about 4 more times on the way up that hill, but was pedaling when the bus driver waved on his way back down the hill, and still going as he passed me going back up with two more bikes on the trailer. As things started leveling off, I saw another rider walking his bike in front of me. As I approached him, I saw it was one of my friends, and called his name in inquisitive surprise. He turned and replied with mine in the exact same tone of voice. Shortly after riding past him, I turned to see him back on his bike, pedaling along behind me.

We were the last two finishers. But we did it! The following morning, as I drove down the mountain to begin the journey home, I was amazed at the length of that final climb, and proud that I'd accomplished it. But my proudest moment had come while still sweaty and smelly, after stowing my bike in the car, walking back into Snowshoe Village. As I walked up alongside a couple of strangers, I heard one of them say, "Hey, there's my new hero!" At first I thought he was teasing, but he'd been on the bus at the end, and heard me tell the driver I was going to make it up the mountain, and was impressed that I'd done it.

While I'm sure he didn't mean all that might imply - I have a pretty good idea of what real heroism is and am painfully aware of my own failings - I'm really pleased with having met the Cheat Mountain Challenge!

Saturday in the park

Here are a few shots I took on 1/31. It was a bitterly cold (single-digits °F) morning, at the end of a cold week following a round of sleet and snow on Tuesday night and Wednesday. The snow still looked fresh even though it had been on the ground for several days, and many of the trees were ice covered. These first shots are from nearby Clifton Gorge. When I got there, another guy told me I'd encounter this frozen waterfall in perfect light about 500 yards in. Having decided to go on the spur of the moment and snapping other shots along the way, I nearly ran out of battery before I had a chance to shoot this one! (I've got to buy an extra!) But he was definitely right about the lighting. I'd been playing around with the manual exposure settings on my digital (Kodak P712), which is as close as I've ever gotten to "real" photography. I'm really pleased with the results!

I've noticed these trees growing from the side of the Gorge many times before. This morning I was also trying to capture the ice-covered twigs which show up pretty well on the left side of the color version of this shot. The printed black-and-white version looks almost drawn rather than photographed, like a piece of sci-fi/fantasy art, especially near the bottom. I'm not sure how that will show up in the reduced-resolution online version.

This one was shot before the others, at home before I went to the Gorge. There's a lot going on for a simple-looking photo. I love the interplay of light and shadow, especially on the vertical posts supporting the lattice. The path worn in the snow from the porch door was from our dog (Col. Potter) going out to do his business throughout the week. But my favorite part of the picture is pretty subtle: there's a thin horizontal line of sunlight peeking through the snow on top of the railing, on the right. It (along with some shots of the sunlight glistening on icicles, which I might post later) was what got me playing around with the manual settings in the first place; the automatic exposure settings just wouldn't capture it, and that thin, glowing line that so captivated me was completely lost in the snow above and below it. Switched to manual, and on my third adjustment (on a different shot, taken from the porch doorway) - BINGO! (You'll see it better if you click on the link.) Then I was heading down for a couple shots in the back yard, happened to look back where I'd been, and saw this shot. It doesn't seem as effective in monochrome, but I may tweak it a bit more and try again.

Beachin'

We took our bikes with us, as I was determined to get in at least two rides while we were in MD. So on Wednesday morning I arose fairly early, ate and took my wife's stuff down to the beach, snapping a few pictures while there. Then I got my gear on and headed my bike north to Rehoboth Beach. Just a few miles short of the 50-miler I'd planned, it was a nice ride on a beautiful day, with a pleasant assist from a bit of unexpected tailwind on the way back.

Not much beach time on Wednesday, but instead a brief afternoon nap, until hunger overwhelmed my tiredness - I always eat a lot after a long ride. Dinner was tacos at the other sister's place. The corn salsa and guac we'd planned on making during the trip fit right in. It was our 3rd batch of corn salsa in a week and a half, so we abandoned the leftovers, which one of our nephews gladly took along with him when he left to spend the rest of the weekend with friends. Some more Catch Phrase and some Wii Bowling (Wii bowls wobble . . . ) finished out the night.

Thursday was another early rise for a run along the beach. My first run of the year, actually, and just a mile-and-a-half along the beach, but that was plenty. The walk back seemed like forever! After getting back and cleaning up, mrs tg and I decided to ride our bikes to the boardwalk for a few hours, where I bought my first bucket hat. After walking around a while and having lunch (pizza by the slice, including a really great slice of mushroom pizza!) we headed back to the motel. She was pleasantly surprised by how well she did on the ride.

Thursday afternoon completed my mini-triathlon for the day as I did some more ocean swimming. Then pasta for supper, and the guys and kids went and putt-putted while the sisters went out by themselves for a while. Some more Wii after everyone was back, and another wonderful day was complete. It was our last night in OC (no, not the OC, but we called it that long before the show).

Friday morning I got up early to take in the sunrise and grab some more pics, then headed back to bed. Next time I've got to remember to do that before the day we have to check out of our room! Still, we hung out all day, giving me a chance to catch a nap on my sister-in-law's sofa while everyone was out. A nice dinner out with the mrs. and last bit of souvenir shopping rounded out the trip. We headed back to sister-in-law's house for the night. End of the beach, but not the end of the trip yet!