To Italy!

Our next stop- Bolzano, Italia.
It was quite the bus ride out there, but beautiful mountains flanked both sides of the autobahn (freeway) the whole drive out and before we knew it...we were in the Dolomites.  Bolzano is known as the gateway to the Dolomites and we could see why.  As soon as the city was near, beautiful spired limestone mountains appeared just outside the city.  These spires are some of the most magnificent mountains I have ever seen. Perfectly placed and plentiful, the Dolomites encompass many alpine meadows full of rich green grasses and small Austrian-style towns.
Gelato was on our minds almost immediately.  And a nap.  We were still a little jet-lagged at this point, but eager to get out and see the city.  First stop-macchiatos.  Italian coffee was always served with a small shot-glass sized glass of water and a wafer and was strong, very strong.  After our coffees, we ended up at the Ice Man's museum which houses Otzi the Ice Man.  He was discovered high in the mountains along the Austrian/Italian border by a backpacking couple (imagine having that happen on your getaway?!) who reported his nearly perfect frozen form to authorities.  After some missunderstandings, it was discovered that Otzi was in fact not a lost hiker, but a near-perfectly preserved 5,300 year old man complete with his clothes, weapons, food and backpack.  We went to Italy and saw the ice man!  Mission complete.
Bolzano also proved to be our first opportunity to get some mountain biking back in our systems.  With the Alpe di Siusi (pronounced alp dee sise), less than 45 minutes from us, we decided to go the following morning.  The Alpe Di Siusi is the largest alpine meadow in all of Europe and is one of the meadows surrounded by the beautiful Dolomites, how could we not?  We got tickets for a bus (which Nik successfully completed entirely in Italian) and began the windy ride all the way up to base of the Seiseralm Bergbahn cable car.  This cable car, complete with little blue pods for its passengers, took us to the alpine town of Compatsch.  It was there we rented bikes and took off for the day- equipped with food, water, complete rain gear and a small map given to us by a tourist information office.
What an incredible ride.  The Alpe Di Siusi was one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced.  I got lost, naturally, in a cow pasture for a little while, but decided the best idea would be to go downhill and ended up with some of the best moments of the entire day.  I stumbled upon one of the best single tracks of the whole day and made it back to town just in time for a macchiato and apple strudel.  Yuss...  Nik definitely takes the cake as he stumbled upon a pub right at the base of the Dolomites and stopped in for a quick liter of beer before heading back to town.
While in town, in my full-blown gortex after my ride because it was freezing (we were up at 6,700ft and the clouds were setting in), I met some fellow mountain bikers who stopped to chat with me.  I must have stuck out like a sore thumb as they were nowhere near as overdressed as me.  They spoke English and turns out they were all Bolzano-locals.  When I told them I was from California, they asked where.  When I told them Santa Cruz, one of them exclaimed, "That place is like a fairy land for mountain biking, we hope we get to bike there someday."  It proved to me that even though these bikers got to bike here in this fairyland in Italy any time they wanted, they thought our hometown was the pinnacle.  It was a wonderful feeling knowing we got to come back to Santa Cruz and bike through the redwoods and have their fairyland be our homeland.
Our pod ride down the mountain and back to the bus left us both nodding off on the ride down and anxious to get back.  My gosh, people sure do know how to drive in Italy.  Our bus driver navigated a full-sized metro bus down a windy road with blind turns, one lane tunnels and crazy drivers coming in opposite him like a pro.  That being said, I was happy to get off the bus.
We found hand made pizzas with fresh mozzarella and pepperonis and olive bread at a little cart in the town square near the beautiful stone church and then went on  mission for an 800 year old pub close by to our hotel.  A quick nap and a quick shopping spree (for me) led us to our second and last night in Italy.  Our room overlooked the cobblestone road below frequented late at night by groups coming or going from various restaurants and pubs in the area.  Our evening wrapped up with round two of gelato (mint and chocolate chip) and a wander through the streets on our last warm Italian night.
Salute!

Downtown Bolzano

Open air market

Nik at the beginning of the ride

The meadow- Alpe Di Siusi

Bike shot! 

So directions were interesting...

It got a little chilly mid-ride

Going up in the pod (you can see the little blue pods on the right)

Accidental detour on my ride

Looking toward Bolzano (behind the spires)

Post ride victory round for Meggan

The bus ride down the windy road back to town

Our last evening light- around 9:45pm

Off to Fussen, Germany!

International Adventure

We went to Europe!  More specifically, we ventured into the alpine regions of Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. We traveled by bus between locations and had quite a bundle of amazing experiences along the way.

In an effort to minimize the luggage-fiasco-catastrophes we all hear so much about when traveling internationally, we brought only carry ons- more specifically, a 30L pack and purse for a little over two weeks of travel.  I'm as surprised as you.

We were both granted the time off of work (how this happened, I'm still unsure, but it's amazing) and flew out to Salzburg, Austria on Sunday, May 25th where we began our trip...
"The HILLLSSSSS ARE ALLLIVVEEEE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSSSSICCCC...."

BUT before we did that, we were lucky enough to cruise up to the Kings River (50+miles east of Fresno) for some much needed kayak play time before our international adventure.
Normal people would have stayed home and prepared for their trip, you know, packing, repacking, looking up packing lists and resting, but not us.  Initially I was amazed that we were going to make it work and looking back, I am so glad we were able to get that time to play with new and old friends in the fresh clear waters on the Kings.  We spent three beautiful days on the Kings River, camping out and running the river with friends from all along the California coastline.
Highlight of that trip: running the river in a raft at night by headlamp. Wow.  And I mean w-o-w.  What a special treat which I will carry with me forever.  No moon, clear night, just us and the steady pull downstream.  I am so thankful for our pre-vacation vacation and the wonderful people that made it so special.

The next few posts will take a little bit closer look at the places we adventured to, the people we met along the way, the adventures we created and the food we ate...

Our adventure begins...
Salzburg, Austria
We flew into Salzburg, Austria after an eleven hour direct flight from San Francisco and a layover in Frankfurt, Germany to a giant thunderstorm.  The booming cracks of lightning and dark puffy clouds blanketed the area in a grim, mysterious light.  From the air we were able to see the giant stone fortress that looks out over the old city, Hohensalzburg Fortress.  It's a castle.  We saw a castle from the air.  I freaked out.
Crash course on Salzburg- The Sound of Music was toured around this area and so there is a major tourist industry geared around sites from the film (I still haven't seen it).  Mozart was born here and although I am not sure if he was laid to rest here, his family is and as a result, you can find funny Mozart memorabilia everywhere.  You will also find St. Peter's Cathedral and Cemetery at the base of the hill that leads to the fortress.  People speak German and are very patient with you while you attempt your first German non-swear words (thank you Jan Ole). :)  And the health care system is very black and white when you're an American- you give the doctor money and he gives you a prescription for your infected leg.  (unfortunate mishap on the river, all is well). Back to the story...
As it were, the Fortress we flew over was built and never fully completed, but was fully functioning as a walled miniature city.  As we learned from our walk-about, the fortress was complete with salt barracks, dungeons, churches and ale houses.  The stone walls, when observed more closely, were etched, by hand, for the first 20 feet in height where blocks were then placed to complete the fortress, which had little arrow slits in them to get the bad guys, wow.
Side note: A repeating occurrence throughout our trip was the incredible attention paid to detail here- so many years of work put into single rooms, it was absolutely incredible.   

The weather, was not the most favorable for us here, but we definitely made the best of it with plenty of exploring, pretzel and sausage eating and beer drinking.  We came prepared for wet weather as most of Europe is experiencing more 'normal' seasons than us Californians have experienced this year.  We looked like Teletubbies in our brightly colored rain jackets, but as a bonus, never got separated from one another.  The Salzach River was gushing.  Lots of mineral rich, milky colored water running right through the center of the city, also a sight for sore eyes as all the rivers in California are hurting for water.  We found a bridge covered in lovers lockets and plenty of Sound of Music memorabilia as well as Mozart's Chocolate Balls.  (disclaimer: Mozart's birth city has taken full advantage of his fame, by turning a profit on tourist trinkets, such as chocolate balls with Mozart's face on them) (we found this entertaining as they were literally everywhere)(We bought Mozart's balls).
Through eavesdropping over breakfast we were able to find some local hot spots for some great authentic Austrian food and beverage.  We were not disappointed as the portions were huge and the beer was cold.

From Austria we traveled southeast to the land of Hallstatt.
Hallstatt, Austria
Talk about a gorgeous sight.  Hallstatt, population 795, is this beautiful little town tucked away in the mountains on the side of beautiful swan-filled lake (Hallstatter See).  Our hotel was tucked right next to the giant Protestant Church on the water.  We looked out our hotel window and saw the church...and heard the bells on the hour, I actually loved it.
Disclaimer: swans are massive birds and these were surprisingly mellow in comparison to their annoying goose cousins.
We ventured to ice caves above the neighboring town, where we experienced freezing temperatures and wave-like formations in the ice.  Unbelievably huge waves of ice (9+meters thick).  The way it was explained is the caves were beginning their thawing process, but because of the cool winds from the mountain tops, the waves were forming and refreezing.  This process happened every year, and would thaw out as summer arrived only to refreeze the following winter.
After missing the bus down the hill, we found ourselves napping (still jet lagged) at the bus stop in the rain for an hour and a half while we waited for the last bus back to our town.  We made it, which was good as it would have been a long wet walk back.  The food was equally amazing here in Hallstatt as were the desserts.
It took us a few days to get our clocks on the right schedule, 9 hours ahead of PST.  Wide awake at 3am for several days.
We only spent one night in Hallstatt and then headed off to Italy.

View of Salzburg from the Fortress

Fortress in the background

The walls of the fortress were amazing

Sausage, sauerkraut, potatoes and beer

Pretzels for ALL! 

The Lover's Lockets (I heard a bridge in Paris just started to collapse because of all the love locked to it...?!)

More pretzels...

Nik's dungeon entrance

Mozart, in the flesh, also floating...

We arrive in Hallstatt.  Nik has found the swans...

The view in front of our hotel

The church that was literally next door to our bedroom window.

Hallstatt, Austria

The day we left, the clouds had tucked in close.

Our journey continues to Italy, Germany, Switzerland and France.

Anatomy of a Mountain Biker

The world of mountain biking is a strange and beautiful place.  Everything from the gear a rider uses, to the media updates world wide to the constant advances in the technology used-riders find inspiration and quench their thirst everywhere, at all hours of the day.  Being relatively new to this world means I can still remember some of my initial impressions of this sport- the stigmas, the quirks and the fascinations of what people do in the world of mountain biking.
Lets talk about the gear for a second.  It can either look like you are setting out to let it all hang out, particularly if you are wearing the cushy butt shorts that are a littlllleee tooo small for you...or you can look like you're gearing up for combat against a tiger.  In my time on the trails, I have seen a couple of sets of women's specific mountain biking shorts that did not make you look like you were hiding more than just a cushy butt pad in your shorts and as a result my full support for padding has been a long, hard resistance.
As a rider, you have the nifty little padded gloves, because it seems the response to anything mountain biking clothing related is to add more padding (which is a positive thing in hind sight...) You will need a backpack to carry the 2+ liters of water along with you because you never know what you might encounter out there or how lost you might become.  You'll carry a light, even though you are going out for an 8:00 am ride, your patch kit, pump, rape whistle and phone (for Strava and emergencies).  Your chapstick and sunglasses are at the bottom and will likely both be needed approximately a quarter mile into the ride.  For those who suffer from bad bad cases of hanger it is wisest to carry a 2 day supply of clif bars and bloks in your cute little bike-specific backpack's top pocket.  Make sure it is easy to access in loo of the hanger attack, so as to prevent you from lashing out irrationally at your biking partner, innocent passerby, small woodland creature, etc.  This puts your pack load weighing in at about 47.5 lbs. (approx 21.5kg)
While riding, especially if you are not in the greatest shape, not unlike yours truly, you start to sweat.  A lot.  Who am I kidding, even if you're in good shape, dare I say great shape, you sweat a lot.  There are moments of discomfort because you are sweating so much.  Mostly because you are not in the tropics, it is not that humid and there is no excuse for your body to be releasing this much water without you surely dying at any moment.  You sweat in places you didn't know you could sweat- like your forearms and your calves.  You sweat down below where you really wish  you weren't sweating because you have a big cushy butt pad on that is only making it worse.  However there are ways to combat the sweat: headbands that mop up the sweat off your brow to keep it from running into your eyes and "vapor wicking" materials that will let the sweat drift right off of your body as you glide beneath the trees (keep in mind you need speed for something like this to occur...hard pressed when you're going up a hill).  All of these different articles costing approximately $150 give or take.
Once you arrive back at your start point having lost three pounds of water weight, you notice the tingling in your toes from pushing on pedals for the last 2 hours.  After the tingling, the weird walk rears its ugly face as your body remembers how to stand up again and finally the sensation of taking off your helmet, or being born again as a friendly fellow rider once put it. With the ride behind you, the next task of paramount importance is to find food.
That being said, the nutrition options will surely overwhelm you.  The second you decide to give your body exactly what it needs to be the best hill climbing machine the world has ever seen, you realize there are about 2 million options to put in your mouth.  There is a lot to be said about the choices people are making when it comes to the fuels they are putting into their bodies-both on trail and off.  I have recently noticed, having to severely minimize my sugar intake, that most of the nutritional options have an incredible range of things in them to "make you go fast."  Some stick to the easy ingredient of sugar.  Others have random ingredients that you are pretty sure belong under the kitchen sink in the cleaning supplies area.  While others have the most specific ingredients known to mankind, like chia seeds harvested off of Mama Sonilli's quarter acre farm in Nicaragua- organically grown and harvested only on a quarter moon.  I remember, or at least I think I remember, when the only fuel options for bars were power bar and clif bar.  Now there are goo packets, bars, bloks, more goo packets, drinks, powders, boosting mixes, recovery formulas and pastes.  My personal favorite is anything non-cherry flavored and dripping with the speed of a thousand wild mustangs- I need all the help I can get.
One truly amazing thing about this sport is it exhibits a miraculous display of camaraderie, that is of course assuming you are staying out of everyone's way and not messing with their abilities to PR.  I joke, but honestly, I have actually experienced next to nothing in the negative when it comes to meeting strangers on the trail.  Mountain bikers seem to be pretty happy people.  Maybe it's because they are physically working so hard to be where they are that they don't have spare energy to be a jerk or perhaps they realize, especially when they see someone like me huffing and puffing my way up a hill, that they were at that point at one time too and appreciated the smile they experienced from a passerby at one time also.  The words of encouragement and feeling of community I have experienced from both female and male riders have made me love the sport even more.
Just like anything, there are absolutely catty people out there too who are the greatest riders ever and will be the first to tell you.  They'll give you unsolicited beta and generally be the fun-sucker of the day, so ride quickly or slowly depending and do everyone a solid and don't be one of those people.
Mountain bikers are constantly fighting battles for rights to trails.  Unfortunately, like everything there are always two sides to a battle and in this case, getting anything resolved, like proper trail access is often sluggish to come to pass. It takes just a few people to give an entire group a bad reputation for the damage caused by riding at certain times of the year, and unfortunately the more times it happens the harder it is for people to be willing to compromise.  This battle continues here in Santa Cruz and has strong parties on both sides fighting for what they believe is right.

All any of us can really do is ride respectfully.  When I say respectfully I think of not running over the menacing little dog trying to bite your tires or elbow checking the two ladies power walking with purpose who pretend to not hear you or rutting out the trail when you know you should give it another day.  The beauty of the places we are lucky enough to ride is they are there to be shared and enjoyed by more than just bikers. It's a coexistence situation and as far as I'm concerned, we're existing and doing so in an incredible fashion.

Helmets are sexy,
M.

Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel.  But ride. ~Eddy Merckx

"Oh the places you'll go" ~Dr. Seuss

Journeys from Home

What do you write about when you aren't anywhere but home for a while?
It seems ridiculous seeing as I was originally able to write a ton about random things like going to a farmers market or going swimming as it was in a place so foreign to me at the time (Hawaii) or to write about climbing in a different state as I hadn't been there before (Colorado), but now that I have cooled my jets a little bit for the "winter" season, I am finding it hard to grasp the motivation needed to write.
That being said, I realized I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world- the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.  Many people spend their whole lives without ever setting sights on these beautiful giant trees or experiencing the freezing waters of the central coastline of the United States.  The southern sea otters and gray whales migrating leave you with an incredible connection to the world around you, no matter how many times you've seen them.  There is something to be said about breathing in the eucalyptus and redwood scent as you ride a trail or step out onto your front porch.  I hear the blue jays and chickadees and sparrows calling in the morning instead of parrots and Japanese pheasants.  There are three fluffy cats living next door who come over to hang out in the morning and watch the birds in the bird bath.  There's the raccoons walking through the brush at night outside the window and the deer eyeing the garden from the other side of the fence.
There are trails just up the road leading into several different state parks or into the backside of the university's upper campus.  Mountain lions, bobcats and deer frequent these pathways as they are the routes less traveled and quiet for most of the year.  The nights are cold here for the most part with more stars than you could ever hope to see if the night is clear.  The mornings are quiet and cool with blankets up to my ears not wanting to get out of bed.
There are so many beautiful places here and yet because I call it home I feel like I need to adventure away from it to have a new experience, when in fact there is so much here still left unexplored.  I am learning more and more there does not need to be a big trip planned in order to have new experiences and enjoy new sites.  There are plenty of new opportunities close to home often overlooked or forgotten that can keep a mind and body occupied and inspired.
I met a woman the other day who came into the shop to rent a board to go paddling for her first time.  She said she had lived here for 35 years and had never been out on the water.  Not once.  I asked her what her change of heart was and she said she saw a whale spout in the distance.  In my mind, I'm thinking, "just one little spout?  Geez..."  I imagine it was probably a couple of miles off shore and nothing more than a little puff of air, but it had inspired her to come and get a board and do something she had never done before (keep in mind she wasn't going by herself, but had a friend along for the journey with their own board).  This got me thinking about how this woman had lived here over a decade longer than my whole lifespan and had never ventured out into the water.  To many of you, myself included, this seems ridiculous, as most of us have a special place in our hearts and lives for the water, but for some it is a boundary, a no pass zone.  Her story gave me a new bit of inspiration to explore places I haven't been before here in the Santa Cruz mountains and along the coastline.  It isn't far from home and I can get there easily enough, but when you think of something as a boundary zone, we no longer see it as an option for exploration and growth.  Basically, kudos to a woman over twice my age who is going out to do something new- you're inspiring.
Now that the rain has shown up, even if for a brief moment, the trails are delicate and need some time away from my bike tires, but I'm confident the exploration will continue once the storm passes.
To all of my friends near and far- thank you for thinking of me on my corner life day.  I am grateful for all of you as you are what make my life so special and peppered with amazing experiences and adventures.  Travel safely, the roads are wet now (finally!).

-M.

~We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. -Jawaharial Nehru