It’s been a couple of months since we wrapped up the 2nd ‘once in a lifetime’ adventure. I’ve read that some people have a big downer after they realize the goal of a lifetime. I can see how that’s possible, but I refuse to fall into a funk because I may not know what to do with the rest of my life.
For the last four years we’ve lived out of bags. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been a bad situation at all. In fact, it was part of a wonderful live changing experience in which our bags served us well. As we settle into the next part of our life, I had a moment to look back on things that kept us happy while traveling.
Fresh off our two year stint on the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, we decided one day of retirement was good enough. We postponed our move into an actual dwelling (see the progression – bicycle, car, structure with walls and a door…) and instead hopped a plane to West Virginia.
Late last spring we traveled way up north to work in Portland, Maine with local mountain bike club on our Trail Care Crew tour. While we were there I shot some images for an article featuring the riding in this hip town in the southern part of the state. The article was recently published on Bicycling.com
Last Friday we turned in our car, handed over our keys, and entered the Trail Care Crew Alumni Association as the 14th Crew. We are so very grateful for the journey we traveled over the last two years. Without a doubt, it ranks as the ‘best job in the world’.
No matter what we did all weekend, we always seemed to have a lot of fun. As one of the key ingredients to building great trail communities, RAT is already wise beyond their years. Our visit was nicely wrapped inside the inaugural, and certain to be legendary, RAT-fest. Festivities included bike demos, live music and auction, kid’s clinic, and group rides. This is just the kind of fun thatt RAT can use to bring new people into the fold, build relationships, and create future leaders.
With only two visits to go we achieved another milestone in our Trail Care Crew travels – the highest visit. At 10,200 feet, Leadville Colorado is in the heart of the Rockies and home to the Cloud City Wheelers.
It’s been a rule of thumb to expect the unexpected on the Trail Care Crew. We usually roll into a new town with new faces and new trails every weekend. It’s actually become the rule, not the exception. This past weekend was a little bit different. We started the last month of our TCC tour in very familiar territory: our home state of Colorado.
After a Trail Care Crew in 2010, a group of dedicated fat tire enthusiasts set out to make an already successful trails community even better. It’s no surprise that TCC Lommele ( go Steve and Morgan!) did their little things well and inspired the formation of the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society. Since last July SFFTS has been following their vision and working towards putting Santa Fe on the mountain bike map.
Chris is short for Christmas. Tom, his best friend, found him wandering around Christmas Eve day and took him in for the night. Thirteen years later he’s spent his lifetime hiking in the woods. Chris was our constant companion during our visit with TRACKS, the local trails organization in the Pinetop-Lakeside area.
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