The Missing Shirt and the Mystery Backpack

This was my second time facing the mountain passes of Monitor, Ebbetts, and Carson in the Tour of the Alps.....aka The Death Ride.

I finished in 2008, and there was a terrible thunderstorm on Carson. This year I decided that I was going to carry rain gear with me all day. I was the girl wearing the REI staff backpack stuffed with arm warmers, leg warmers, and rain gear. I couldn't even count how many people asked, what is in the backpack? Dude, why do people care??? I started making up stories: A) Its my diabetic supplies B) Its rain gear because I have Raynaud's disease C) I have sandbags in it to make the ride more difficult. I don't know. I just had a little fun with it.

On the top of Ebbetts, my third pass, I decided to grab a few (5-10) Oreo cookies, and use the restroom in a porter-potty (PP). I decided that setting my shirt outside of the PP was a better option then attempting to hold my shirt in my mouth while simultaneously pulling down my bib shorts, or placing my shirt in the (PP) pee puddle. I must admit, I spent a little bit of time in the PP. My stomach was pretty tore up from all of the processed food and riding. When I walked out of the PP I noticed my shirt was missing. Two thoughts were running through my head: A) My pass finisher stickers!! B) Am I going to have to ride the remainder of the death ride in only my spandex bib shorts and REI staff backpack?? I began to panic and look for my shirt. It turns out that an older gentleman picked it up thinking that someone dropped it in the dirt. Doesn't he know people prefer dirt over a PP pee puddle? Whatever. To make a long story short I got my shirt back, with all 3 stickers on it. I ended up finishing the death ride for a second time:)

On a side note..... I love camping. I had a ton of fun. The boys tell me that Hot Tub Time Machine is a great movie:)

The First Post: The Belly Up Lizard

I have decided to start blogging. I am unable to join the twitter bandwagon because I have far more to say then twitter characters will allow. I am not even sure what the initial blog post should contain, but I figure I'll just talk about my day. You will get to know me through my writing I am sure.

Today was, well, normal. I really didn't do anything at all to contribute to society. I woke up around 3am thinking about a photo shoot I have on Wednesday. I don't know why, but I'm a tad nervous. I think it's because I have terrible cycling tan lines. I want these photos to look good for the Miss California USA program. I had a hard time falling back to sleep because my boyfriend tends to sleep dead center and my cat at the end of the bed. This leaves little room for me and they both breath terribly loud. Keith and I woke up late and did the regular household chores. He cleaned the bikes up and got them ready for the weekends races. I watered the plants and planed a BBQ for our PC race team DILLIGAF. Keith left for work and I decided to lay out and fix my tan lines. I grabbed my sign language book so that I could study up a bit. I got in the pool, floating on the little raft. To my surprise I saw a nasty belly up lizard in the pool. I almost died! I tried to paddle to the other end of the pool with one hand while holding my book in the other. I found my self turing in circles in a panic. I didn't want to get my book wet, but possible diseases that I may encounter from a belly up lizard were rushing through my mind. Needless to say I somehow made it out of the pool. I almost just left the lizard, but I managed to scoop it out with the pool cleaning thing. I tossed him over the fence. I hope he doesn't start to smell. I couldn't possibly be by the pool any longer, so the next best thing was to add to my already horrible tan lines by getting on my bike. I went to go visit Keith at work. He was on his break looking at bicycle parts. The ride there was just grand. I saw a poor dead kitten and was stopped on the path due to a fire. I then thought about the damage the smoke was causing to my pre-race lungs. I think I may be some sort of paranoid science geek. I don't know. I made it home, now writing a blog.

I guess thats my day. It's kind of fun to just jot down my thoughts.

Thanks for reading

JenniferMarie