its been hot and smokey

FOXY IS LOSING IT

I think the smoke is getting to Foxy. She looks to be going a little crazy.

UDO IS JUST CHILLING

Udo is the same as always, he just wants to hang out and sit on mine or Hollies feet. He has this thing where he has to be touching one of us...so I thought i would give him a big old bear hug

AND SHE IS SPENT

After Foxy's little freak out session, she went to sleep.

EDWARDS CROSSING

So I went out for some exploration yesterday. It was too hot and there was too much smoke. I suffered like a dog. Anyway, I rode out to edwards crossing (over the Yuba river) and headed up the dirt rode to the town of North Bloomfield. This is part of the big ride I am going to do to truckee. I got dusted by about 100 enduro moto bikes yesterday, no love for mcgov

I went by this sign.

Checked out mans scars on the earth here

Ah, Mans scars...I started to ride a horse trail back in here and all of a sudden I realized I was not alone. I could hear a symphony of rattle snakes. I hate snakes...I hauled ass out of there back to the dirt road

Wreckage. There are decrepit buildings all over the place up here. I guess when the gold ran out so did the people. I went into the cemetery up in North Bloomfield and I was shocked by the number of children that died up there in the 1850's. I wonder if it had to do with all the mercury the miners used to pull the gold out of all the debris after blasting the hillsides with hydraulic cannons??
I rode back home after getting to N.Bloomfield. I was fried and I couldnt breathe very well because of the smoke. I was smoked!

Meet Stan

STAN THE MAN

Meet Stan Sanderson. I have known Stan for 22 years now and he is responisble for getting me into bike racing. When I was 13, Stan used to make sure I did not get lost on group rides, that I did not bonk and that I treated the sport of cycling with respect. For the last 22 years Stan and I have ridden together quite a bit and I have enjoyed every ride. Stan is a super fan. He loves cycling and has a deep pool of this sports history. There is NO ego with the man and he has a magical way of diffusing many an odd moment. Stan is the man

Great Air Today

Because there was soo much smoke down in our part of the county this morning Stan and I car pooled up to Cisco, hoping some elevation would get us above the smoke. Not only were we treated with clear air, but great weather to boot.

Almost The Top

This is the old bridge on old Donner Pass. It is a great climb and a very popular loop by the local Truckee cyclists. We saw at least 30 cyclist this morning and 1-2 cars. I wonder if the cars felt out of place.

The View

Here is a look down towards the bridge and Donner Lake.

Happy Chris

Stan, thanks for getting and keeping me on the bike. It makes me really happy. You have talked me down so many times and kept me focused and passionate through out my racing days. Thanks. I owe you.