Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. I guess I've been having way too much fun this summer.
First of all, on the last day of finals my sister Jennica and I flew out for a two-week trip to Germany. Being back where I served my mission and meeting up with people I knew and loved was an incredible experience for me. It was also amazing to see the beautiful landscape again and to visit some places I never made it to during my two-year stay. Jennica and I both had a great time and came home with a few too many crazy inside jokes. For a small sampling of pictures from the trip, click here.
Also while in Germany, I got an email that is making my summer a little more painful. My friends David, Austin, and Chris, as well as my brother-in-law Brian, had all applied for a slot in this year's LOTOJA road bike race (a 206 mile race from Logan to Jackson Hole with 10,000 feet of vertical climbing). We knew it wasn't easy to get in, and secretly most of us were hoping we would strike out so we wouldn't have to spend all summer training. But sure enough, the email came confirming our success in drawing out for the race. My first reaction was "oh crap."
Needless to say, I've been on my bike even more since I got home from Germany—and not just to work off the German chocolate. Yesterday, Austin and I had the crazy idea to ride 60-70% of LOTOJA's 10,000 feet of climbing in about 20% of the mileage. Starting at Mutual Dell, we rode up AF canyon to the top of the loop, then down to Sundance, back up, down to Cascade Springs, back up, and back down to Mutual Dell. Walking up the stairs was a chore for the rest of the day, but the pain was worth it.
Speaking of biking, I had a more-than-interesting mountain bike race on Memorial Day. It started in Draper and was supposed to meander up to the overlook for a good 16-mile race. Because the course was still wet from the rain on the previous days, however, the start times were postponed for two and half long and frustrating hours and the course was changed. By the time my category finally started, I hadn't eaten in about four and a half hours, so I just about hit the wall at the start of the second lap. I also crashed twice, all but ruining my rear brake. To finish off a frustrating morning, I threw up as I crossed the finish line in 7th place out of 10 in my category. I figured it was a sign that I should start focusing more on road biking and give the mountain bike racing some time…
