Black Dog Days

Have you ever been in a deep funk in your life where you feel like you’re just going through the motions of daily life? Every day is the same- wake up, go to work, go home, maybe ride your bike, go to bed. The feeling like you’re living for the weekend, and your weekdays are punctuated by random bursts of excitement like going to Starbucks for coffee? Oh wait, no? Ok, yeah, me neither.

Truthfully though, I’ve struggled with depression most of my life, and since I’ve been able to recognize what it for what it is, controlling it has become much more manageable. I have a phenomenal primary care doctor who I trust deeply, wonderful health insurance (hello $3.00/month Prozac!), and a great therapist!

 

Even with this level of mental health management, there are still some days where it’s a struggle to get out of bed. Everyday feels like groundhog day. Wake up, work, look at the internet, go home. Repeat.

So it’s been super exciting to finally feel like I’m taking my life in my own hands again and steering it in a direction that I want it to go. I have a number of really exciting things lined up on the horizon (and concurrently happening) to look forward to, and let me tell you, when you’re depressed, having something to look forward to is seriously the BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!

In no particular order, here is what I’m currently excited about:

·         My mom is an internet sensation!

·         My S24O article published in the Cascade Courier

·         Took my fenders and back rack off my bike to turn it into a bikepacking bike, and realized that a Revelate Tangle Frame bag fits! Bikepacking here I come!!

·         Speaking of, got invited to join the women of Komorebi Bicycling Team on a trip! I’ve looked to them for inspiration since I learned of them, and to be invited on a trip is blowing my mind!

·         I booked a trip to Anchorage for Memorial Day weekend. Going by myself to backpack and camp Chugach State Park near Anchorage. The stoke is high.

·         Lots of Point83 trips coming up- Ben Country (1 year anniversary of all this bike camping craziness), Clam Slam, Girls of Summer, and so much more!

I’m also helping put on an Intro to Bike Camping Class with Swift Industries, and going to be leading The Bikery’s Swift Campout with possibly 40 people. (I'm also really proud of this image I created for the class- I'm totally not a designer, but we've gotten really good feedback!)

So many things happening. No time to be depressed! If only it worked that way.

 

We All Start Somewhere

This weekend was a perfectly normal weekend for me-since Thursday I've logged around 90 miles on my bike. Nothing too crazy, no camping trips, no big group rides, in fact, I don't think any of my rides were over 30 miles. Just lovely, sunny day bike riding with friends.

Today's ramble was with a friend from college who is brand new to biking. She just bought a used bicycle and it's been fun to take a step back in time with her to when I was new to this whole world of biking. Together we rode from Eastlake to Capitol Hill to Lake Washington and then back through the Arboretum. 

Exploring the bike routes of Seattle with Amara

 

Now that #bikeeverywhere month has started, riding with Amara was a great reminder that we all start somewhere as cyclists. It felt so good to slow down a bit, chat as we rode up hills and through the neighborhoods. Our leisurely pace allowed me to explain tricks that I find helpful when biking in traffic (such as avoiding the door zone), how I assert myself for making left turns, and how to trigger the lights using the bike sensor.

Riding together, it made me wish that I would have had a bike mentor when I was learning the ropes. I will always remember when I got my first bike with Presta tire valves and trying in vain to air up the tires. Nobody at the bike shop I had bought the bike from took the time to explain this basic step to me and for the life of me, I could not figure it out. (I wasn't opening the valve- just putting it on the pump. Ha!) I took my bike into 20/20 Cycles and thankfully wasn't laughed out the shop as they showed me how my bike tires worked. 

I am so looking forward to riding more with Amara and hopefully more friends, as they too discover the fun of life on two wheels!

 

Great North, Here I Come!

Yesterday I booked a plane ticket to Alaska. A friend posted on Facebook about super cheap plane tickets to Anchorage so of course I had to look, and I have zero impulse control, and now, here we are.

I leave on May 27th, 6 days after my 30th birthday, with a tentative plan to bike camp in and around Chugach State Park. I’ve got 4 weeks to plan the exact details of this trip, including how to box up my bike, where exactly I’m going to camp, the food situation, and the whole bear spray deal.

But holy shit! I’m going to Alaska, by myself, to explore, just for fun, because I can! #campallthetime 

So, any suggestions of must-see places that are bike-able from Anchorage? Favorite campgrounds? Let me hear all about it!

A Non-Definitive Guide to Bike Overnighters within an Hour-ish of Seattle

A Non-Definitive Guide to Bike Overnighters within an Hour-ish of Seattle

A year ago today, I’d never gone bike camping. My first bike overnighter was in May 2015, but since then, I’ve more than made up for lost time, with over 20 trips under my belt. Most of these trips have been S24O outings, a fancy way of saying a trip that takes less than 24 hours. This post is a round-up of my favorite local spots all within an hour-ish bike ride of Seattle.