Gone ridin' with my daddy!

Saturday started off early picking up my friend Sean Wellnitz and packing the kid, bikes and food in the car and heading east. We arrived at the Cedar Creek trail head at 9:15am. By the time we got everything setup, hooked up, packed and situated we were finally on the trail by 9:50am later than I wanted but glad to be riding none the less. Abigael was having a blast riding along in the sidecar trailer and of course after about 3 miles she had to go potty. Now I have avoided letting her go potty in the woods just because if she knows she can it would be the only way she would want to go, but when ya gotta go ya gotta go!! She only had to tinkle and soon we were off again. Abigael sang and looked out and generally had a very good time. At mile 10 we finally made it to one of the "primitive" campsites on the trail and gave Abigael a chance to get out and stretch her legs and go potty in a proper (very clean!!) pit toilet. We took a few minute break and let Abigael run around and play in the gravel. Sean was feeling great considering he was riding my only other mountain bike a fully rigid steel single speed 29er the Raleigh XXIX. Sean was having a blast and loving his first ever MTB ride! We gave Abigael the choice to keep riding up the hill (towards the tunnel @ 8.5 more miles) or turn back to the car (for a 20 mile total) she said, "Keep riding up the hill!" So we loaded up and kept plugging away east. About mile 13 or 14 I started feel really weak and very hungry so I downed a Hammer gel and a water bottle of Perpetuem (liquid calories!!) and it got me through the rest of the way up to the tunnel. Abigael proceeded to nod off from the avalanche shed to the tunnel in a bouncy uncomfortable looking slumber! As we approached the avalanche shed, about 1.5 mile before the tunnel, I told Sean how far we were away and he took off like a rocket. He is very strong on the bike thanks to riding the urban assualt bike to work everyday!! When we got to the tunnel we met a few mt bikers coming out of the tunnel and they said the east end was still locked and the road still snowed in so Sean and I decided not to add 4.5 miles thru the tunnel and back to our trip and we sat down for lunch. W ate lunch from about 12:45 till about 1:30. We had a small smorgishborg of food from PBJs to bananas, almonds to Oreos, and a little flask Crown for Sean and I. Abigael ate some lunch and ran around throwing rocks into the trail side stream. We topped out at 19.1 miles and before we left I took Abigael about 500 meters into the tunnel and she loved it!! On the way back Abigael sang and talked to me.

She knew when to cover up with her blanket and when to just hang out. She "tried" to color some with her water safe coloring pads, but no luck there though too bumpy. She desperately wanted to collect some rocks (the rocks over the trestles were reddish/pink) for her mommy and daddy so we stopped to get a few of those. She marveled at the waterfalls and loved looking down at the raging glacial flows under the super high trestles!! When we arrived back at the car we had ridden for 38 miles and almost 3 and a half hours of ride time!! Abigael and Sean both held up like champs.
Saturday night, actually Sunday morning, I got up at 1am and drove out to Woodinville to meet Kevin Axt and a few other mt. bikers to do a night ride and be on the trail when the time and date met a momentous occasion, at 02:03:04 05/06/07!!! The one and only time it would ever do this!! Pretty cool and as Kevin watch alarm sounded we snapped a few pics and continued riding. We put in 5.1 tight twist single track night miles in about 56 minutes and at 3am I headed home. On a "bright" note my Ay Up! lights performed BEAUTIFULLY and they were just as bright as the HID lights a few of the other guys had!! I am totally sold and even the guys were impressed!! (Pictures ARE HERE!!!!!)
Sunday morning we got up and went down to Tacoma and met our Realtor, Debra Truelove, to look at a few houses. Most of the houses were a disappointment and we realized it would take some research and time to find the right one!! But on a positive note we received pre-approval from USAA bank for a $250,000 home loan!!! So we are on our way to finding a home of our own!!!
I also found out that I have a 50/50 chance of getting into the Cascade Cream Puff 100 in July. The "Puff" as it's known is one of the toughest hundies around and the only hundie in the Pacific Northwest. I feel like I am ready to attempt this race even though I will be riding to complete vs. racing it! I will have the 24hr race and the 50 mile Test of Endurance under my belt before the Puff to determine whether I will be fit enough and physically able to complete/compete in the Puff!!