Cycling season continues to ramp up. \u00a0I got in two decent road-rides last week, and a rather epic mountain bike ride. \u00a0The road rides are mostly just an effort to acclimate myself to the hills out here, which honestly I’m not sure is ever going to happen. \u00a0I’m gonna give it a try though. \u00a0So far I ride on the road by myself, so if I get winded I just slow down. \u00a0The mountain bike rides are generally with two or more other guys, so if (when) I get winded I either feel like an\u00a0old man or I get lost because everybody is so far ahead. \u00a0Geez, they ride\u00a0fast. \u00a0I’d like to blame it on the fact that I have 10+ years on all of them, but more likely it’s because I’ve got 20+ lbs on all of them. \u00a0Or, as my more politically correct college amigos would say, I’ve sprouted a few extra backs.<\/p>\n
Anyway, to the weekend. \u00a0Friday, Donette flew out ridiculously early (5:30 flight) to meet her Mom in Phoenix. \u00a0She was on the\u00a0way here to visit us, and as those plans developed they came up with the rather clever idea to meet up at her layover in Phoenix and drive to a Spring Training game in Surprise. \u00a0Fine idea indeed. \u00a0I cannot relate a whole lot of that day because, well, I wasn’t there. \u00a0Looked fun in the pictures. \u00a0I was still scheduled to work Friday, but late Thursday a guy called and asked if I wanted to head out to Hidden Falls<\/a> trail in Auburn for some cycling. \u00a0Matter of fact, that sounded darn fun. \u00a0I was mostly drawn in by the fact that it was forecast to be 70 and sunny out, with rain starting over the weekend. \u00a0Enjoy it while it’s here, so to speak. \u00a0We had a great ride, or at least I did. \u00a0I found the trails moderately less torturous than the others they’ve taken me on. \u00a0As a matter of fact, I rode nearly<\/strong> the entire trail. \u00a0Granted, sometimes I was going so slow I might as well have just walked, but it’s a pride thing I guess. \u00a0I didn’t make it up one nearly vertical (or so it felt) hill, and I bailed out over one rocky section that appeared to promise sure death if I didn’t make it. \u00a0All-in-all, I called it a successful ride.<\/p>\n Donette and her Mom got in early Saturday morning, and did some catching up on their sleep into the afternoon. \u00a0After they got up and around, we met up with a few other couples and headed to Amador to visit some wineries. \u00a0Her Mom doesn’t actually like wine, or have any interest in it what-so-ever, but it’s really the only thing we know to do when company comes out. \u00a0We hit the usual spots, and mixed in a nice little picnic at one of the more scenic locations. \u00a0After that we headed back to the house and threw a tri tip on the grill for some dinner.<\/p>\n