Rung By the Bell

     The hectic nature of September continued as soon as we got back form Huntsville. I had a full Monday of physical therapy, then new job training on Tuesday. It wasn't a new job, just more responsibilities I would taking on. I was offered a new position within the fundraiser company I work for on the side. The new job would be entering all the fundraiser forms when the students turn them in. We just refer to it as "keying." It's an easy job that can be done from home. The schools mail the forms to your house and then you type them into a spreadsheet. The finished spreadsheet then is emailed to our owner who orders the product and sets up the delivery. They said I had two weeks to get an order keyed from the time it was mailed to me. I was excited to do it because I could do it any time of day, meaning I could ride at any point of a day I wasn't doing physical therapy, or ride after work when I did do physical therapy. My keying could be done at night. My Mom would be helping me with this new job in addition to our jobs of delivering the products, as sometimes there are so many orders coming in that it takes two people to keep up with the load. We would also be stuffing the envelopes the kids take home when their fundraisers first start. We have always used a company to do that for us, but they went up drastically on their charges to stuff with some fancy machine, so we took it on by hand. It got us both more money and saved our company about 40%. I am always looking to make extra money to help me get to bigger races, and it would be nice to have a back-up job in case I ever reach another drought in the physical therapy world where I can't find work like what happened last summer. I also hope one day when we have kids that Shannon can cut back to working part time and this would be a great supplemental job for her to be able to do from home as well.

     I had to drive out east of Nashville to do my training. I picked up on it right away. It's not hard at all if you know anything about using Excel. The work started immediately. We brought home stacks of papers to begin stuffing into the envelopes. Two days later the first orders were arriving to be keyed. At this same time, Shannon and I were working on getting the farm back under control. Peppers were coming in heavy. I was picking two five-gallon buckets of hot peppers a week. We had a big order coming up the next week that we were working towards.

     We were also trying to decide what to do with those off days we were now stuck with. We definitely wanted to take advantage of having a week and a half off work, but we no longer had any plans. I didn't want to got to Texas now. That was really only ever a plan because we were having to go to Dallas for the class. We had scrapped all Missouri plans, so weren't really ready to go there now with only a week to prep. I wanted more time than that to hunt down good campgrounds and all the awesome trail networks in northwest Arkansas. Shannon and I discussed some other options we had lower down our list of trips to take one day, like running the Atlantic coast from Richmond down through Florida, and exploring Virginia. She mentioned having a friend in Washington, D.C. we might could stay with if we wanted to go there. We slowly started leaning toward a D.C./Virginia trip. Her friend, Kaleb, was open to hosting us for a few days and showing us around town. Add in that I then found some super cheap tickets to the NASCAR race in Richmond and it was set.

     We had one weekend to pack before the trip. I had to pack around farming and racing as it was a double-header race weekend at Montgomery Bell State Park just 45 minutes from our house. If you have read my blogs in the past you will know about my love-hate relationship with Montgomery Bell. I have had some of my best performances there, and also some of the most disappointing bike days of my life there. I am fascinated by Montgomery Bell. It is a technical, rugged and all-around tough trail. There are roots, rocks, layers of slick pine needles and plenty of short, steep climbs. And in the summer time, it is blazing hot in those pines. There is no getting lucky at Montgomery Bell, you have to earn a win in those woods. If you come into any race here off your game, the Bell will find your flaws and show them to the world. Rusty skills or being a bit on the heavy side for climbing that might cost you a minute on any other course, will cost you five minutes at the Bell. I just love all the variables and how difficult it can be to put everything together at the right time on the right day.

     With all the busy happenings lately, riding had kind of taken a back seat. As a result, my legs were all over the place. Some days I felt good, but more often I felt like trash. What I have learned this year from my dismal DINO performances was that inconsistent training leads to inconsistent performances. Saturday I actually felt pretty good in my warm-up for a short 3-mile time trial to kick off the weekend. The course for the TT is a fast one, with a lot of pedaling early on as you run the first part of the Perimeter trail. It is mostly flat with some gradual grades. Other than a few corners at the beginning, it's not overly technical, but there is some skill required when you are hitting it at top speed. About halfway through the run, the trail crosses a tabletop bridge and then begins a short climb, followed by a long descent. There is a small climb in the middle of the descent. Once at the bottom, there is a creek crossing, then you climb all the way to the finish up a real climb. The challenge of this course is that you have to go hard on the pedaling first half, but you can't blow up as you have to crush the climb to the finish to have a chance at winning.

     It had been a few years since I raced the TT, but I remembered it well. My tactic is usually to go 90% on the first half, sprint the small hill in the middle of the descent, then destroy myself up the climb to the finish. I felt super good when I took off. I could tell I was flying and it just motivated me to go even harder. I rode super fast to the descent. I could tell I needed to back it down as my stomach was really hurting from the effort and the heat. I tried to catch my breath on the descent, but I still wasn't ready for the small climb when I got to it. I felt like I gave it 80% up the small hill, but I was still dying. When I reached the creek crossing I knew I had screwed up. I was completely maxed out as I approached the final climb. It takes about two minutes to get to the line once you begin climbing. Ten seconds into the climb I was blown up and soft pedaling. I was crawling by the time I could see the finish. I tried my best to hang on, but it was obvious I was going way too slow. My lungs and legs were shutting down on me. Too much intensity on the start for such a hot afternoon. My time showed exactly how the effort felt. I finished 4th out of four in Pro/Cat. 1, coming in with a time of 11:00. That put me 43 seconds off the win. I have run sub-10 minutes here before so I was not happy with this ride at all. Harrison Klapheke had started behind me, which probably contributed to me going out too hard, but he too had trouble with the heat. Harrison ended up 3rd, just 4 seconds ahead of me.

     Dina was the only woman in attendance today, so she nabbed a win. She turned a 13:43, which I thought was a really good time for her. After the race, we hung out with Mike Taglio for a while. Mike is such a great guy and one heck of an athlete. We have know him for a long time. He worked with my Dad when I was a kid. Mike was a stud runner back in those days. Once he got older and swapped over to cycling, he became a stud on the bike too, still cranking out races at 75 years old. He plans to do the Leadville 100 next year.

Mike, Dina and me after the TT

photo by Tammy Richardson

     Sunday started early as I had a church meeting that I really needed to be at before I hopped in the car and drove down to the Bell. This year the XC course would be run in reverse. The loop has minimal flow in this direction. We rode it Saturday after the TT and if confirmed all my suspicions that this race would be brutal. The climbs are harder going this direction. They are steeper and have more roots hanging out as people have been descending these hills since this trail was first made.

     We were scheduled for three laps on a loop that is roughly nine miles long. We started with a short burst across a field to a hard left around a tree. Then it was about 50 more yards of grass to a road crossing and into the singletrack. It is all tight trail the rest of the lap with the exception of the 30 seconds of grass to the finish line. Passing is difficult to say the least.

     The loop in this direction begins with a long descent, going down the climb that finished yesterday's TT. We had the first creek crossing at the bottom, then a short uphill before more descending. Then things get real following a second creek crossing, the one that I crashed on when it was frozen in the Winter TT last year. After that crossing you go up Heartbreak Hill. It descends back to the creek immediately and then begins climbing the stair step hills up toward the North Slope. We then get a short break before a series of climbs and descents. You go up Chain Reaction, down Gnome Climb, up The Esses, and then down Charlotte's Ridge before you get a bit of rest as you flow parallel to Hwy 70. Then comes a major climb up the Moguls. Fortunately, we would take the side route up the Moguls for this race rather than the main way up like the Winter TT uses. The tough section known as "Tommy's Revenge" follows before another steep and rough climb up to the Back Blue trail. I like the flow from that point to the finish despite there about three more climbs to get you back to the tabletop bridge and onto the Perimeter Trail to fly back to the finish. Gauging your effort would be key on this course.

     Dina had the first race of the day and I missed her first lap due to my meeting. I actually got there a bit later than I had planned and didn't get in my full warm-up. I was a little slow getting up to speed on the start and found myself entering the woods in 3rd out of four starters in the Pro/Cat. 1 group. I was really hoping for more riders, but a lot of people were plain scared of this course. Harrison had been unable to start due to not feeling well. Chase Peeler was sure to be my toughest competition. I knew he was strong after he beat me at Lock 4 back in July. Chase got the holeshot. The first technical section is just seconds into the woods and I bounced my chain off as soon as we hit the first root. I had to stop to put it back on the chainring. The clutch on my rear derailleur was stuck and it took me some effort to get it to unlock. I lost a good 30 seconds before I was able to get it on and get myself rolling again. Not how I wanted to start my day.

     I didn't panic. I knew this race was far from over. As quickly as things went bad, they went good again. One rider flatted on the first creek crossing so I got one spot back. I caught 2nd on the next climb and went right by him. I could see Chase up ahead and was able to easily bridge across to him by the bottom of the first descent. He then crashed in a turn and suddenly I was in front. That went well!

     I settled into my pace on the opening climbs. Chase was on my wheel until we hit the climb up Chain Reaction. Some of the exposed roots on the steepest part messed him up, giving me a small gap. I tried to stay steady, but I know I picked the pace up while he was off the back. My legs felt a bit funky and I was not climbing well, so I knew I needed to pace myself to make three laps with so much tough climbing. But I just couldn't help myself with the gap I had been given. Chase caught back up to me fairly easily as he was climbing better. He made another mistake on the next climb and again I got a little gap. He came back across a little slower this time. The same thing happened up The Esses, but this time he didn't come back across. When I realized the gap was staying the same, I punched it hard over the top and down Charlotte's Ridge. I know that trail and the following Green Trail so I tried to open it up on him. I was out of sight as we raced next to Hwy 70. I hit the Moguls climb hard and then disaster struck. Just as I came to the top of the climb, I flatted. My front tire exploded. I got off to find a giant cut from the rim all the way up the sidewall into the tread. My day was done for sure. I have no idea what caused the cut, but obviously something sharp was in the trail, probably something metal sticking up. I looked for it, but never found anything.

     I was off the bike for over a minute before Chase came up the climb. I could not believe how much of a gap I had put on him in such a short amount of time. I was so bummed to be walking out of the woods. I was in front and maybe rolling towards my first win of the year! I could really use a win after how the last few months have gone. I don't want to end the year with a goose egg in the win column. The other rider that flatted was also out of the race. Only Chase and Jeff Barber finished the full three laps. The Cat. 1 40+ class also saw only two riders finish out of five starters. It was a tough, tough day on both bodies and equipment.

Chase Peeler starts another lap at Montgomery Bell

Craig Battinelli on his way to finishing 2nd in the Cat. 1 40+ class.

     Dina was still in the woods when we started so I didn't get to hear about her race until I had hiked out of the woods. Turns out she took the win in Cat. 2 Women!

     My Dad raced in the Cat. 3 races later in the day. They shortened the course a bit for this wave of races. They completed the first downhill, then turned left onto Back Blue, skipping all of the super steep climbs and the most technical sections. It is still a tough loop though with three climbs coming on Back Blue in the middle of their four-mile loop.

     We watched the start, then jumped into the woods for some viewing of the action. Back Blue gets close to the first creek crossing so we were able to watch them come through the hills about halfway through the lap, then see them hit the first creek crossing starting their next lap. Most of the classes did two laps.

Holeshot!

Junior racers rounding the first turn

Keyton Rush leading the Cat. 3 19-39 group towards the woods.

Cat, 3 40+ riders in the woods.

Dad in about 3rd at this point.

Presleigh Jennings

Zach Lowe on the first bridge.

Nolan Long on the bridge with Matthew Edens not far behind. These two are always together.

    Pops had some stiff competition with both Paul Carter and Chris Beck being in his race. Both are fairly new to mountain biking, but they are super fit and would do well on the climbs. Paul in particular has been flying lately. None of them had a great start and were buried back in the group of 10 Cat. 3 40+ riders. My Dad moved up quickly, coming through the midway point of the first lap in 2nd, with Chris in 3rd and Paul a bit further back in 4th. Dad managed to get to the lead by the end of lap 1. Paul was just seconds behind him in 2nd as they crossed the creek early in lap 2.

Paul Carter midway through lap 1

Zach Lowe

Dad on the first creek crossing of lap 2, now in front.

Paul was in pursuit.

Chris Beck

     Paul closed the gap on the next climb and then took the lead just before halfway through lap 2 as my Dad began to fade. Paul was getting better all the way to the line, pulling away to beat Dad by 1:38. It was a fun battle to watch and a great way to end a day on the trails.

James Stanford leading Cat. 3 19-39 with half a lap to go.

Keyton Rush was in pursuit and eventually passed Stanford for the win.

Paul Carter now leads the Cat. 3 40+ class.

Dad in 2nd chasing Paul.

     Next up, I'll write about our trip up to Virginia as we started off with a visit to Monticello and Richmond. Thanks for reading my belated posts!

Changing Plans

     Our schedule went from busy to crazy in September 2018. We have now worked for STAR Physical Therapy for so long that we are getting some good PTO. Well, Shannon is. Since I am not full-time anymore I don't get paid for off days, but part-time also means I can take off whenever needed as long as I know ahead of time. The increase in PTO has allowed us to be able to take a second shorter vacation each year. The past couple of years we got an extra week outside of our usual two week break to go out west and see the family in Utah. We have visited north Georgia, northern Michigan and West Virginia on those extra weeks the last few years, and used it some years to race the Crossroads Classic in North Carolina. Shannon got another PTO increase this year as she has now been with the company for 10 years. That increase allowed for us to have another few days this year and should translate into a second two week vacation next year if we plan things out correctly.

     The original plan for a second vacation was to stay in Missouri after Gateway Cup for a week and a half. We have been wanting to visit the Ozarks and southern Missouri for a while now. We want to see Branson and then work our way down into Arkansas where there are some killer mountain biking areas that have been developed recently. But the plan didn't work out. We have been waiting to take the first Pilates Matwork course for work. We had signed up for one back in July when we had some off weekends. We also needed to take a CPR re-certification course. The CPR class came first. We had to drive down to Murfreesboro to find a Saturday course. That is a bit of a drive for us, but we made the most of it by doing some exploring over at Stones River National Battlefield. Both of us had been there before, but it had been about 8 years since Shannon went and 4th grade since I was there on a field trip. I remember seeing a cannonball lodged in a tree on that trip. We searched everywhere for it this visit so Shannon could see it, but never found it. I saw one section of woods that looked just like I remember, but no cannonball. Maybe the tree finally died. Maybe we were in the wrong spot as my brain was trying to remember one walk through the woods 23 years ago. We forgot a camera so no pictures from the battlefield.

     The Matwork course was supposed to be a weekend class in Franklin the next weekend. It was canceled and we didn't find out until the day of. STAR had payed for Shannon to take the course. I couldn't afford it at the time so I was going to have to miss it. There were no other courses planned anywhere near us, so Shannon got a credit and waited for new classes to be scheduled. Suddenly in August, a class was scheduled in Dallas, TX for the end of September. It looked to be the only one that would happen outside of California in the next year, so Shannon transferred her fees to the Dallas course and we changed our fall travel plans to go to Texas instead of the Ozarks. By this time, I had saved up enough money to sign myself up for the class too.

     We planned everything out for Texas. We found a place to stay near the class location and were about to book it when suddenly things changed again. A new Matwork course was added in Huntsville, AL. We got only two weeks notice for this one, just enough time to transfer our registration yet again, this time from Dallas to Huntsville. This would be sooo much closer, but also ruin my plans. The Huntsville class was the weekend after Labor Day. My parents were taking a trip to north Georgia and wanted me to go with them. I agreed to go and show them around Hiawassee, Clayton, Helen and Blairsville since I have been there so many times. They were heading out Labor Day weekend while we were in St. Louis, and I was to join them on Wednesday and stay through the weekend. With the class change, I had to cut short my portion of the trip with them. I was tired after Gateway Cup. We got home late Monday night, I worked a 10 hour day on Tuesday followed by tending the veggie farm. I got everything unpacked Tuesday night, only to repack on Wednesday morning and head out for Hiawassee. I really didn't want to go now as I was super tired, but I didn't want to bail on my parents. They had scheduled a lot of their trip around me coming.

     I got to Hiawassee Wednesday early in the afternoon. I threw my bike into their truck and off we went to Tiger, GA, where I took them mountain biking on the Stonewall Falls trail. I liked this trail when Shannon and I were here two years ago. It had that remote feeling and you ended the loop with a few waterfalls deep enough to take a little dip in. The trailhead can be hard to find, so I doubt my parents would have tried to come here if I hadn't been on the trip.

Ocoee Dam on the way to Hiawassee

     We had a good ride on the 10-mile loop. I hadn't ridden since the race at Benton Park on Monday so my legs were a bit funky. Some portions of the trail were overgrown, but most of it was good. Both of them liked the trail. We saw a hognose snake, something I had never seen before. It was a fairly large snake and acted like I have always learned hognose snakes will do. It puffed up, hissed a little and then played dead. They are such strange little creatures and I was happy to finally see one.

Some of the open sections were a bit overgrown.

Eastern Hognose Snake

     We stopped to enjoy the waterfalls at the end of the loop. Both of my parents seemed to really like this part of the ride. My Mom could have done without the creek crossings you have to wade across. They are pretty deep. My Dad refused to walk and just plowed through them. He got across most of them, but a rock hiding along the bottom of the creek got him on the last crossing and he had to put his feet down in the water.

Mom coming to the first creek crossing

Shoes off crossing it on foot.

Dad prepping his line for the last crossing.

He went for it...

...and wet shoes.

Little drop above the upper falls

The top of Upper Stonewall Falls

The bottom ledge of Upper Stonewall Falls

Lower Stonewall Falls

My Dad hardly ever takes a picture of anything so he must have enjoyed this.

Video: Clips of Stonewall Falls

     After the ride, I took them by Tallulah Gorge State Park so they could see the massive gorge and experience the leg burn that comes with the hundreds of stairs that take you from the bottom to the rim. It was my third stop at this park. It's a cool little place, but I think I've had my fill of those stairs for a while. I was just there with Dina about two months ago.

Tallulah Gorge

Following Dad across the suspension bridge

Hurricane Falls at the bottom of the gorge

     After the hiking was done and we were sufficiently tired, we cruised into Clayton for dinner at Chick-fil-A as my Dad was getting hangry and didn't think he could make it back to the campground to eat. He was worn out. Welcome to taking trips with me Dad! Now he knows how Shannon feels.

     On Thursday, we started off early as my parents had a concert they were going to in the evening. We drove over to Helen so I could show my parents around. My Dad had a broken spoke in his mountain bike wheel so we went up to Woody's bike shop. He didn't have any spokes that fit his wheel. I took off on the road bike from the shop while my parents drove over to Cleveland to find another shop. Fortunately, their drive was not in vein and they were able to get his wheel fixed. I rode up the Richard B. Russell Scenic Byway over Hogpen Gap, then descended to Blairsville. I then headed over to Wolfpen Gap, which is my favorite climb in this area. I climbed to the top, then turned around and went back to Blairsville, where I then turned right to head over to Brasstown Bald. My parents finally caught up to me just as I started Jack's Gap which leads to the turn for Brasstown. I was climbing slow today as I was feeling tired and I forgot to change my cassette. I had my crit cassette still on from Gateway and was struggling on tried legs to turn a 23-tooth cog up Hogpen and Jack's. I don't know if I even had to legs to get up Brasstown, but I was going to try it. I ran out of time though before we had to head back to Hiawassee for the concert. I had to call it a day at the top of Jack's Gap with just 42 miles of riding. I hate it because my parents didn't even have time to go up to the top of Brasstown Bald. Fortunately, they did make it up there later in the weekend.

A familiar view from the top of Hogpen Gap

Starting down the Blairsville side of Hogpen

     I was super tired and happy to rest at the camper while they were at the concert. My parents upgraded their camper last year, moving up to a really nice fifth-wheel with several large slide-outs. I had not stayed in it prior to this trip. It was nicer than most places I have ever slept in. I enjoyed a relaxing evening of watching movies in an air-conditioned living room and having a big dinner before hitting the bed early. I really needed that with how busy the last week has been and how busy the weekend was about to be.

     Friday was absolutely beautiful with cooler temps and super sunny skies. My Dad wanted me to ride a trail they had found earlier in the week. The mountain bike trails at Jackrabbit Mountain Recreation Area were only a few miles away, just across the border into North Carolina. The rec area lies within the Nantahala National Forest. We detoured on the way over, going first up to the top of Bell Mountain. I saw it labeled on Google Maps and it looked like a good view. What we found was not only an unbelievable view, but also an unbelievable road to the top. It started off innocent with just a steady climb, then it gets narrow at just over a lane wide. It was tight in my Dad's big truck. Near the top it gets crazy steep. We spun the tires on not one, but two of the switchbacks. There is a small parking area before the top as the peak is pretty small so there are few spots and limited room to turn around a big truck up there if the spots are full. They weren't but we didn't want to take any chances after seeing the road up the mountain. It was a tough little hike up the rest of the road to reach the top. You can climb stairs up the rocks to a viewing platform where you can see all of Hiawassee and Chatuge Lake. The morning had been very foggy, but the sun was beginning to burn off the fog. We were above the small clouds that remained and could watch them shrink and eventually disappear as the sun baked them. The rocks at the peak are absolutely covered with graffiti. I have never seen so much paint in one place. It was a cool experience and a bit scary on the ride back down. You do not want to lose your brakes going down that mountain. It just made me want to get my bike out and try to ride it. I promise you it would take everything you have in your body and mind to conquer this thing. Too bad we didn't have time as we had another stop to make before Jackrabbit.

Great view of Chatuge Lake from the top of Bell Mountain

Their prosecuting threats aren't working...

Nice strawberry on that rock

View off the east side of the mountain

The viewing platform on top of the peak.

     After surviving the descent of Bell Mountain, we took an old gravel forest road up a mountain in the Swallow Creek Wildlife Management Area to find Mill Creek Falls. It was a rough little road, but we were treated to beautiful forest and even saw a family of wild boar crossing the road up ahead of us.

Only caught a quick picture of one of the boar, but there were at least four of them that scampered across the road.

     Mill Creek Falls was not the most spectacular waterfall. It was a short, steep hike down to what was really more of a steep cascade down the mountain. The undergrowth was thick along the creek, making for limited viewing opportunities. It was a lot of work to get around and find a place to see, but worth it. I like scrambling around.

Top of Mill Creek Falls

Steep cascade

Mill Creek Falls

Video: Mill Creek Falls

     We finally made it to Jackrabbit just before lunch. I had time to ride about two hours, then had to hit the road. My Dad loved this trail as it is mostly flat and super fast. He could ride it fast without too much work, and my Mom could hold a good pace on it too. The trails wound their way around a point of land that sticks out into Chatuge Lake. You spend a lot of time right next to the water on flowy trails that are super fun to ride. There was some climbing when you got more toward the center of the peninsula away from the water. I did a full lap with my parents, which is about 10 miles in length. They were done for the day as they had another concert they were going to. I stayed for a second faster lap. The trails are so fast that you can get in over your head pretty easily. I snapped a spoke just before the start of the last loop and had to cut out. It was a fun ride and I hope to come back one day with Shannon as I think she would really like it here. There is also a campground inside the rec area, so it would be a great place to camp and ride.

Mom on the Jackrabbit trails

The trail goes out onto this tiny point surrounded by Chatuge Lake

     I made one more stop on the way out of the area, going up to the Chatuge Dam which is what forms Chatuge Lake. It was a cool dam and had a nice view of the lake. I enjoyed it for a minute and grabbed a snack before hitting the road for home. I had to be home in time to unload the van, then repack things to head out early for Huntsville.

On the Chatuge Dam

Chatuge Lake

Turbine like the ones used below the dam to generate electricity

     We hit the road about 5am on Saturday. We had about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Huntsville to make it to our class that began at 8am. We got there with a little time to spare despite missing a turn in town. Our class went all day long, ending about 5pm. It was a fun class with plenty of exercise along the way. We didn't have a place to stay so we decided to camp. There were open sites up at Monte Sano State Park. I had never been there before despite them having a lot of mountain bike trails. We checked out the Japanese Garden that is located atop the mountain after we registered for a campsite.

Japanese Garden atop Monte Sano Mountain

     Then we drove the van into the campground. It would be getting dark soon, but we wanted to explore. I knew I wouldn't have time to ride on this trip so I didn't bring a bike. But we had feet, so we hit the trails for some hike time. They looked like they would be really fun on a bike. We hiked along the side of the mountain and then climbed up to an overlook. It was a nice view. We then finished our 2-mile hike around the North Plateau just before dusk. We had just enough daylight left to go get a quick shower, then cook up some dinner on our little stove while we listened to college football and enjoyed the stars appearing in a clear sky. We didn't bring our tent, but instead just decided to sleep in the van on our sleeping mats. We weren't sure that we would be able to get a campsite on such short notice on a weekend, and thought maybe we would have to sleep in the parking lot at the class, so we were prepared to be inside the van. It was a bit warm in there as we couldn't let the windows down due to mosquitoes, but it worked out alright.

North Plateau Loop Trail

View from the main overlook

Amphitheater

Secondary viewpoint near the end of the loop

     We were up early on Sunday heading back down the mountain for day two of our Matwork class. It was easy to get out of the campground when you only have to roll up a sleeping mat to be packed. We cooked breakfast and lunch on our little stove in the parking lot at the class. The second day was a little shorter and we were out of there in the afternoon and back home at a reasonable hour. Just in time to unload and get ready for work the next day. I was happy to be home and done with what has been a crazy few weeks. It also felt good to get that class out of the way. We did it about as cheaply as possible too, so I would say it was a success. It sure beat driving to Dallas. The class also moves us one step closer to another certification, and counts for continuing education hours for both our physical therapy and CSCS/Personal Trainer licenses. Check and check.

     Now what to do with that time off we scheduled at the end of September...