Western Spirit Cycling

Christmas time! What a time. I must admit that I did not do the “shop-till-you-drop” thing this year…or for the past 10 years I suppose. Chad (the lucky father of my growing child and love of my life) asked me, “What do you need for Christmas this year?” I said, “A new camera…and a massage…and a night light…oh, and a bivy for the Chariot bike trailer we’re buying for the baby in my belly.”

I then asked him, “What do YOU need for Christmas?” Chad replied, “A book, a coffee mug, and a new pair of sunglasses.”

We live in Moab, UT. So needless to say, much of our shopping is done online. BUT, we were lucky enough to find some of the things locally-a massage right from Chad’s hands, a night light at a local gift shop, and a book and mug at Arches Book Company. Not bad for keeping it local. As for the rest, the purchases were made online. No bustle.

What’s the meaning of Christmas? For us this year, Christmas was the excuse to get the stuff that we couldn’t justify buying in November. But the real gift I received this year was a gift from myself. Being almost 9 months pregnant and having an entire 12 pound free-range organic turkey cooking in the oven for just me and my husband was the best Christmas gift I have ever had!

I just had a visit yesterday with the Midwife. All is well, and we have 8 weeks to go (give or take 2 weeks) which means that I have 8 weeks until I get to ride my bike again, right?

Maybe I’m too hopeful? My friends who have had children are not so optimistic. OK-I hear you. But, can I daydream at least?

My dream….Costa Rica in February. Western Spirit has a bike trip going to Costa Rica La Vuelta Sur (the Southern Tour) in February. Mmmmmmm. Rainforest. Volcanoes. The Pacific Ocean. Beaches. Rivers. On this trip I would get to ride my bike, hike across the Irazu volcano, raft the Pacuare River, sea kayak in the Pacific, and eat great food all week long. Multi-sport sounds really good to me right now, as I sit at my computer and blog my heart out.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I could not be happier to be pregnant right now in my life. I would not trade anything for the experience that I’m going to have giving birth in February. Not even Costa Rica. Really. I’d rather be sitting in the birthing tub than sitting in the Pacuare or the Pacific. Next year? We’ll see. My dreams might be changing as quickly as the shape of my belly. I may just crave the comfort of a place like the Grand Tetons to take my little boy. Who knows?

Right now, I’m just dreaming of biking and Christmas ham.

We made it! The shortest day of the year is in the record books and we can all look forward to more sunshine in the days to come. That’s right, as of Dec. 22nd -(tomorrow) the days will gradually start to get longer. Hooray!  - you do like sunshine? or at least daylight? While not my favorite bike holiday, it’s certainly worth celebrating. In fact I know a few hardy individuals who headed out in the Moab backcountry for their own little bike tour - even with 3″ of snow on the ground. Now that gives the word slickrock a  whole new meaning.

Now for the next six months we can look forward to longer days - culminating with the Vernal Equinox on June 21st - the longest day of the year. Now that date conjures up the visions of epic eight hour rides in the high country. Some true summer time classics are held every summer solstice to take advantage of all that daylight. Burro Pass -from town? CB to Aspen - for lunch - and back home for beer thirty? six, eight, ten hours on the Colorado Trail?  - all very doable on the Summer Solstice. Warm dreams for a cold winter night. Until then, get a good night’s sleep (it’s also the longest night) and rejoice in our new added daylight! Happy Holidays

Just got off the phone with a friend from college who wants to bring his management team on a Western Spirit trip.  The last corporate trip we did was in late October and it was for Nike Europe. They were celebrating 20 years of All Conditions Gear and we had 30 folks from 17 countries, including Russia, for 3 days. There were Nike athletes; two kayakers, a skier, and a climber, so we went boating, hiking, bouldering, and biking!  (No skiing of course, but you could almost do it here today–lots of snow in Moab right now.)

Nike invited editors from all different types of media, and everybody was so happy to be in Moab and to go camping.  Hanging by the campfire is where the bonding really happens.  A backcountry retreat, where you travel under your own steam, and see almost nobody is so different from a hotel based event, where everyone goes back to their rooms to check their email. While the trip was only 3 days, we really got to know each other and spent some great time with the Tinker Hatfield hearing about the early days at Nike.

So I will be working to recreate that type of magic for this next event. It’s all about providing interesting outdoor challenges with minimal logistics. At these events, it is so important to have some down time for people to really get a feel for where they are.  The Nike guys loved their time on the Colorado River. It was a sunny day and Take Out Beach was warm. They couldn’t believe they were walking around in warm sand barefoot at the end of October.

Of course planning something for a management team of 10 to 12 folks is easier. They will hopefully arrive at the same time and already know each other–at least in the context of work. Our job is to lay the groundwork for a shared experience that will make working together easier.  There is something about making it to the top of the pass, or through the thunderstorm, or just gliding through the red rock on bikes that makes showing up at work on Monday better.

Maybe we will take the next corporate trip to Lockhart Basin, or the White Rim, or Bryce to Zion.  I have a bunch of groups that went for 3 days last year, that are thinking about 4 for this year, which is great. It means we have more time to really get them out there.

Snowing outside…  In the office… Waiting for the phone to ring… Day dreaming……

Well, the party is over for a while.  I was riding my road bike at lunch a few days a week all through November.  The Indian Summer just wouldn’t quit.  Until a few days ago, that is.  We have been having a big taste of winter here in Moab and the snow on the roads, and gravel being spread by the road guys is making a road ride seem less than desirable.  I don’t mind freezing my butt off on the downhills, but the added challenge of dodging rocks and snow patches puts me out of the loop!

All through November, the fall colors just kept lingering on the cottonwoods and on a breezy day, you could hear the leaves as the hit the ground.  You could watch the progression of the leaves changing color up in the La Sal Mountains as well; little patches of golden aspens viewed from below.

I’m perfectly equipped for cold rides- booties, tights, tons of fancy jackets, lobster gloves with furry lining, ear coverings, neck gaiters, I’ve got it all.  I’m just a cold wimp so I have to have to talk myself into how fun it’s going to be.  I’m always proud of myself at the end of the ride and it’s always definitely worth it.  I just have to remember to keep training for that Crater Lake Road Tour I want to do next summer.

And if all else fails, I just need to wait a few days.  Here in Moab, the winter moments don’t usually last too long.  By next week, I bet the snow will have melted, it always does.  Unless there’s another storm looming out over the Pacific……

Just wanted to remind everyone that it’s Monday Dec 15 and there are only a few more shopping days left to get free bikes and camp gear on all Western Spirit domestic trips for 2009.  This will save the average rider a few hundred bucks, so take advantage of it.

Hope to hear from all you rad road and mountain bikers!

Hmmmm. So what do all of these things have in common? Chocolate. Sex. Biking.

I can remember the last time I did each of these!

Since I’m nearing the end of my pregnancy, I have noticed some ‘changes’ in my behavior. First: chocolate. I want it so badly, and I really need to stop. It’s not the weight that concerns me (well, maybe a little), but it’s the SUGAR! It’s no good for the baby to have so much sugar. I am barely 5′2″, and the baby measured to be in the 77th percentile. When I eat chocolate, the little one does a party dance that just wrecks my ribs! So, I’m cutting back. My last bite was 15 minutes ago.

Second: sex. Now, don’t think you are going to get anything juicy from me here. I’M PREGNANT for God’s sake! But, I have been enjoying something better…It’s a rare phenomenon that I thought was just myth until it happened to me. I fell in love again with my husband, Chad. I can’t describe it. I just love him more and more every day. The ‘little things’ that once drove me crazy (almost to psychoanalysis) now just roll off the back. What a love drug! And no, I won’t tell you when the last time was in this category!

Finally: biking. I am not going to count my bike commute since it has become more infrequent anyway (read my last blog-Doc. says I need to walk more), but instead my last mountain biking trip. Hold on a second…I’m starting to tear up. Really, I’m tearing! May 21st I hoped on my bike and soared down the big decent and onto the White Rim. It was a Western Spirit trip, so naturally the food was yummy! But the best part was the ride. It’s not super duper technical. It’s just gorgeous and fun fun fun. On this particular trip we had rain every day which is pretty unusual for the desert. It was quite possibly one of my favorite trips ever. Just to follow the water down sections of slickrock-just to splash through huge potholes filled with brown water on the trail-just to stop and rinse my face in other crystal clear potholes off the trail filled with that afternoon’s cool rain. Oh man, I wanna go back there.

Funny enough, it was just after that trip that Chad and I got the news that would keep me from anymore trips for the season. PREGNANT. PREGNANT. PREGNANT.

I wouldn’t change anything for the world, but I have been fantasizing about having a zipper on my belly so I could take the baby out for an afternoon and ride the Slickrock Bike Trail up in Sand Flats. I’ll just have to wait.

Emily ‘the pregnant one’ Niehaus

If you’re like me and we’re born during the summer of love -1969 then you’ve got a significant birthday coming up next year. Some will hide it, others will go all out to party like never before, while others still will treat it like just another b-day. Since we’re in the business of throwing parties I’ve got a few recommendations. 1st - figure out if you really need to make this special. Guys only trip? Family? Couples? Kids too?! Yikes - maybe a solo vision quest is in order. Just this fall I personally helped three of my friends with their celebrations. It was kind of like being a wedding planner for your bros.The most memorable was a weekend extravaganza that included two nights of camping and bonfires,  one all day epic mountain bike ride and two nights of incredible feasts. Oh yeah, some tasty breakfasts “the morning after” we’re darn good as well. The ride was a guys only affair, but the rest of the weekend had kids, family, and even a few dogs.

Forty has some significance as “mid-life” but I’ve also heard “50 is the new 40″ so there you have it. When ever you’re ready for an excuse to party - and want to include cycling as part of it, then give the folks at Western Spirit a call and we can help out. I’m already planning two big weeklong trips for friends next summer and hopefully I’ll have enough energy left to plan my own. Who ever thought getting old could be so much fun?!

Yes it’s true - Moab has an offseason, and while there’s no official beginning or end, I’d have to say we’re somewhere near the start. While Moab businesses enjoyed a record season (partially thanks to a healthy Euro) - for most of the year - we’re feeling the slow down in visitors now. Western Spirit has some winter trips going to Copper Canyon in Feb. but until then we’re gearing up for 2009 by selling old equipment and buying some new stuff. That and starting to book trips for the 09 season which are starting to fill. The shuttle companies are still bringing folks up to LPS/Porc. Rim but slowing down as the snow line creeps down from the LaSals. Thanksgiving was a busy weekend in town but now most folks are planning for the holidays and where their ski trips will take them. December & Jan are our two coldest months here in town but that does not mean an end to bicycling. The slickrock bike trail is often ridable year round since it’s on the sunny side of our valley. Even if we get a few inches of snow, it typically melts out by that same afternoon. Watch out for those shady areas though, as it lingers there for weeks. Road biking gets more limited and only the hardcore venture out in the mid day sun to get in a few miles here and there. As Feb. rolls around the weather will begin to warm and the days continue to get longer. Then by March  - “poof” it’s Springtime again and our “offseason” is over. While some mountain towns consider offseason a muddy excuse to get out of town most of us locals here in Moab relish this downtime to regroup, get some work done and enjoy another season in beautiful Moab, Utah.