Labor Day

We spent Labor Day at the lakes with the Wood's in Clemson.  Growing up in Northern Indiana the official start to summer was Memorial Day and the close of the season, Labor Day.  I am fortunate to continue that tradition with our best friends on Lake Hartwell every year.  Friday evening I brought six cupcakes from our gourmet bakery in Boone, each a different flavor.  It's clear we don't have kids because I naively cut each cupcake into fours so everyone could have a taste and called the kids over to indulge.  In less than 60 seconds the two little people devoured two cupcakes and we realized the error of our ways.  Sugar really is the devils medicine, but it tasted so good!  Saturday in preparation for my crazy October of mountain bike racing, I rode 65 miles in the 90 degree heat with my Clemson peeps up to Bob's Place on HWY 178.  I was pleasantly surprised at how my nutrition was perfectly dialed in, the heat didn't get to me, and legs were happy until the last 10 miles.  After taking a few years off from structured training and simply enjoying the bike, I have chosen some long distance mountain bike races to train for.  Then we spent the next two days lounging at the pool, watching the Clemson game with friends, and mountain biking.  Sean raced the Labor Day races in Anderson and placed 7th, 15th in the Pro 1,2 field and 15th in the Omnium.  He turns 43 this month and I continue to be impressed how he can race with those young'ins in the crazy heat!  September brings a much needed break in travel to recoup at home, put in some long training days, and enjoy the cool mountain fall.

The Last of Summer

August flew by!  Took a girl's trip to Plumtree, NC where we visited two waterfalls, hiked, and paddled down the Toe River.  Although the Toe was supposed to be a mild river with walking sections and a lot of portage points, it turned out to have class two and three rapids after a full day of rain. Needless to say it was 4 hours of adventure!  We try to take a trip every year, with last year the Alaskan Adventure and next year RAGBRI.   Late August we headed down to Clemson for a visit the Wood's and kids on the lake.  School is off to a great start and the with end of road season we are looking forward to spending some time in the forest on our mountain bikes.