Western Spirit Cycling

Thanks to climate change this has been one of the windiest (windy-est?) springs in the Moab valley.  The wind storm last week was the worst in local history and most of the blowing sand ended up over in Colorado.  Having seen some pictures of folks in Crested Butte I’d say their snow pack should be about melted by now.  Our La Sal mountains here have been hit pretty hard.  And now, due to the dirt drop, they are looking as if they are going to melt out fast and early.  From what my intelligent friends tell me (how intelligent can they be to be MY friend?) this is going to be really bad news for the seedlings that will be trying to sprout up in a few weeks.  Another drought here we come.  Thank goodness I live in a 3.2 beer state- at least I know I won’t go thirsty.

Our local river run is starting to come up and we’ve been out kayaking and looking forward to high water…..which is looking like it’s going to come early this year.  I’ll keep you posted.

I don’t know if any of you have run the Salt River down by Tucson AZ, but if you ever get the chance then do not hesitate.  Such a beautiful canyon, such fun water.  After the first day you start to see the Sauguaro cactus and they don’t leave for the rest of the trip.  My passenger is from Tucson and she even said she had never seen so many in one place.  The water is pretty constant, rocks, moving, really fun rowing.  I used a 14′ and would have been even happier with a 12′ or smaller rig.  A bit tight in some places, it looked like we lost cfs, but it was still super fun.  Since I’ve been back I’ve heard of 2 friends who were suppose to come on that trip and bailed out and all I have to say about that is NEVER BAIL!!

Have fun out there- high water is coming.

The Nike photographers and talent were hanging in Moab UT with Western Spirit Cycling these past 2 weeks shooting various athletes in various athletic Nike garb.  Really amazing athletes!  Not only were they European, which is always fun to listen to their funny voices- but the incredible feats these folks pulled off would make your chin drop to your chest.  Two of these guys are base jumpers, crazy I know, but the places they have been and the jumps they have done were amazing.  They have both used those bat suit wing suit suits which basically means they honestly fly thru the air.  A couple of climbers, a mountain biker and that pretty well rounded up the talent portion of their show.

They got the shots they wanted and you’ll probably start seeing them in magazines soon.  I just hope they come back and just chat me up a bit…..love the accents.

If you haven’t checked out Bike Mag for March 09 you need to jump on your bike right now and buzz on down to the newstand and get yourself one.  Seriously; stop reading this and GO!!  Allez, allez.

Just looking at the pictures has been enough to get me salivating for my springtime riding.  Another best thing about checking out the best rides in the best bike ‘zine is knowing that we at Western Spirit ride on almost every trail described in the issue on one of our trips.  We are talking hassle free, week long riding on the best trail EVER!  And when I say ‘ever’ we all know it really means: ’so far’.  And as the new best trails come into view you know that Western Spirit will be there re-conning the best flow, getting all the permit paperwork lined up and getting a new ride out there for ya’ll.

Dude’s, I am sooo pumped right now!  Can’t wait for the snow to thaw.  See you out there on the best trails- I’ll be the one with the best smile.

Best,

Sheri

So, Tonya and I took a looooong weekend and headed over to Denver for some quality car shopping time.  Despite the fact that the car dealers are closed on Sundays!  Despite the fact that we woke up Monday to 6 inches of slippery snow.  Despite the fact that we drove way the heck out to a private seller that didn’t pan out.  The trip was a SUCCESS!!  I ended up buying a 07 Prius and I’m glad I did.  Once I finally decided on how much I was willing to spend I then had to decide what was really important to me in a car.  Debating between a fun driving Mazda 3 or the gas saving, casual driving of the Prius I obviously decided on the mpg.  White, for our hot desert days here in Moab Utah.  Other main considerations were….. can I fit my  Jackson 2Fun in the back?  Answer: Yes, and I can fit Tonya’s 2Fun too.  So two 2funs fit!  The other big question:  Can I fit my bikes in there?  Since I’m too lazy to put the bikes on the roof I really wanted enough room for my pedal rides- so far so good on that front too.  So- here it is coming up on the end of January 2009, haven’t seen the sun for days and I sit here typing away with a big smile on my face.  I call that a success all around.  Oh- did I mention I also dyed my hair blonde?  Just want to see if they really do have more fun.

Safe driving and riding.

Sheri

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!