Happy New Year
It's Already 2007...damn!

So how was my 2006, you may ask? It was quite painful. No seriously! I decided to run a marathon the early part of December. Why? Don't ask why, ask why not. (Thanks, Jen!) Honestly, I didn't have enough physical challenges under my belt for the year and felt very, well, blah. Needed something to boost my desire to compete and keep myself in my $150 jeans, especially since new designer jeans are costing upwards of $300. Who in their right fucking mind pays that much for jeans? The parents' of college students, that's who. Anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent... So I ran really far and it hurt really bad. Got the medal, got the t-shirt, limped home

What was next in the ol' bag o' tricks? Why not camping in the middle of December? Sounds fab on this end! I'm not joking - Terry and I rode the bikes to Armstrong Grove in Guerneville on Friday, December 29th. If you have any appreciation at all for nature and all it's beauty, you must take this trip! After entering the park and following the road to the end, take the very, VERY windy and narrow road up and watch out for those 5 MPH switchbacks. Dude, no joke. One bad turn, one stalled engine and you're a boulder sliding down the hillside. As you ride, you will find yourself immersed in a mass of rolling green hills that span for what seems eternity. Take the time to stop and soak it in. It's magnificent. It reminds you of what the world looked like before Walmart and Home Depot. When you come to the end of the road, you are introduced to Bullfrog Pond. I remember coming here once a long time ago when Terry and I were first dating. Loooooong time ago... It's a natural pond on the top of the rolling hills of Sonoma County, surrounded by redwood trees, crisp air and loads of wildlife. No joke, packs of coyotes roam the hills through the night, crying to each other, letting others know of their locale. This time of year, because of the chilly air, the bullfrog's sounds were few and far between. But a few did put on a display for us as we ate dinner. And what was dinner? Hey, why not hit the local Safeway, pick up that pre-cooked chicken and some veggies & dip and call it done! Oh, and a big fat bottle of Jagermeister, too. All items purchased were consumed to the last drop. Seriously, you should've heard Terry - he's such a funny drunk. We stumbled to our tent some time around 7PM and fell (passed out?) asleep. Slept pretty damn good until around 3AM. Had to pee like a mad woman! But wait, are those the packs of coyotes I hear crying to each other?!? And don't they sound kind of close? I'll just wait a few minutes until they spread out. Forty-five minutes later, I felt it was safe enough to venture out of the tent. Not a peep from the coyotes. Sigh of relief. Wait a minute. What the hell? That coyote cry sounded WAAAAAY too close, just up over the ridge. Pee fast, dammit, pee fast! FASTER!!! All the while, Terry found it quite entertaining. Sounds of laughter and "Can I have your motorcycle?" came barreling from the tent. Hey, jackass, if you find it so amusing, why don't you come hang your ass out in the cold with me? Running back to the tent as I was pulling up the long underwear, fleece and all the other layers I had piled on, I quickly found my way back inside my sleeping bag, making sure to elbow my neighbor in the gut before settling in for the rest of the night.

We emerged from our cocoon around 6AM. Chilly, yes, but not as bad as we thought. Maybe only in the low 40's. Where IS that JetBoil (the most awesome camping invention EVER)? Time to make some hot coffee, if only just to hold for warmth. Some coffee in our systems and a Clif Bar for sustenance, we ventured off for a morning hike. There are dozens of trails that you can walk, mountain bike or ride on horseback. We headed west to see if we could catch the sun breaking over the eastern hills. We followed a windy, very narrow path through valleys and wooded areas and found ourselves smack in the middle of Eden. Nice. The sun had yet to crest, but it didn't matter. No clouds, no fog (a rarity for this area), no noises from the outside world. Priceless. We talked, we laughed, we planned our next adventure. In fact, this whole trip we really got to enjoy each others company without the nuisance of phones or television. We were back to us. Again, priceless. Ventures such as these are coveted and should be required for all married with kids couples. No computer, no makeup, just us.

After a very nice chat with the park ranger (a gentleman who had done and seen a lot when it came to outdoor adventures), we rode the backroads to Healdsburg. When you're traveling from the coast and heading north to Healdsburg, Cloverdale, etc., never, EVER take the freeway. There are so many back roads that wind you through redwood groves and vineyards. These roads hug the hillsides and swallow you in their dense branch arbors only to open back up to a valley of vines, working ranches and views of Mount St. Helena. Never take the freeway. We continued through Healdsburg, stopped to say "Hi and Bye" to dad (he and Arlene were leaving for 3 months) and continued on Highway 128. Took another road, Chalk Hill to be exact, and wound our way back to Santa Rosa and eventually onto Highway 12 to Sonoma to pick up Mr. Jack, who could've cared less about our presence as he was helping papa clean the pool. Man stuff. We ended up spending the whole New Year's weekend at the Borden abode in Sonoma. Made some cioppino New Year's Eve, drank waaaaaay to much Jack Daniel's, and finally left for home Monday morning.

My thoughts for 2007? I can only speculate based on previous years, but I'm hoping that 2007 does away with WalMart and $300 jeans. Ick. Just ick. I hope people wakeup, drop the fast food and get their fat asses out walking, skipping, limping, something! Hello America! You're fat! Put down the Whopper. Put down the remote. There's an entire planet out your window that's begging to be discovered, and I'm NOT talking about visiting Graceland. There's more than you'll ever have time to see, but wouldn't it be nice to try? And my resolution? I gotta get my ass back in the blog saddle, at least two new entries a month. Anyone who knows me knows that I have to keep my word. And now that it has been said (written?), it's a done deal. I already have enough pics and stories for at least two more after this. Sorry to all who have been checking for new entries in the past several months. Life and lack of time have helped contribute to my negligence. No excuse, really. Terry and I have several adventures on the books with hopes of adding a few more. So watch for adventures races, motorcycle rides and whatever else our twisted little minds may come up with. Who knows where I'll end up next. But, as long as I can take my family with me, it should be memorable and full of unexpected quirks. Hey, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cheers and love to all. Ciao.

P.S.

We stopped to take a pic of our bikes at sunset. I, of course, forgot to put my kickstand down before I got off and, alas, over it went. Idiot. So, we're standing there admiring the view when, low and behold...

...down goes Terry's bike. Busted up laughin', dude. Mind you, Terry's bike weighs in excess of 700 pounds plus when loaded. It took both of us to upright it as we kept slipping in the wet grass. And the cause of the fall?

The ground hadn't quite recovered from all the rain and the kickstand punctured right through. Nice. Happy motoring...and don't forget to put your kickstand down on solid ground.