Week=over

Man, this is crazy high. The gondolas are big enough where it might not be too big a deal but still, seems pretty insane to me! Of course I probably won’t be going to China any time soon, so I’ll just settle for the Star Flyer thrill I had last year.

Sonic and I are breaking up. Not one of those bad break-ups, we both are just going to go our own ways. I like Sonic and if there was one locally or one conveniently located I’d go sometimes. But I am no longer going out of my way to get some. I like tots, but they aren’t as good as they could be. Jess even ordered fries on Monday…and they were horrid. Burgers are pricey. Everything is kind of pricey. They have good drinks, desserts and breakfast, but a lot of places do that. We only went twice this weekend because Jess and I each thought each other wanted to eat there (the second time.) So sorry Sonic, I need a break.

This week has flown by. Monday I was off driving back from Indiana. Tuesday back to work and back to the dog park. Wednesday I went to a sales training seminar for my new work job and then went to the dog park at night. Thursday more training seminar and then I got to help some friends move. Basically 10-1/2 hours of work and 4 hours of moving…good times! Friday started with some basketball and then back to work for a quick 8 hours of catch-up…broke away for a weight lifting session at lunch and I’ve really been able to step up my weight lifting game these past two weeks. Weekend should be fun and super busy as well. Really looking forward to the next four weeks too, actually the next two months should be pretty decent until we hit the thick of winter and end of football season.

Having Copper Cup withdrawls...

Caution- May contain cycling related content...

Wednesday- Chili was not given his clean bill of health like we had hoped. One more week before he can resume contact. We bought him a muzzle and took him to the park anyways...he spent half the time playing and the other half trying to get the muzzle off.

Thursday- Left work early and dropped the pups off at the kennel. We headed south to the homeland (Indiana) to visit Jess' sister. Pretty uneventful drive although they doubled the amount of big-ass fans (wind farms) on the way down. Rocked the Sonic. Got to Indiana and just hung out with Jess' parents until it was bedtime.

Friday- Went to the best coffee shop ever (Copper Cup). Got some groceries and they even had Kaboom cereal so I was real happy! Jess and I got ready and headed out to Brown County State Park. Some of the best singletrack I've ever seen awaited. We started on a new section and you couldn't wipe the smile off my face! Here's Jess rockin' an early section.

I loved this downhill corner. Perfect weather. Jess ended it early but I went on and kept riding! It was the perfect mountain bike day, awesome fall weather, riding with Jess, no mechanicals, no mishaps, just pure fall mountain biking joy! Afterward we went into Nashville. That place is crazy busy with tourists in the fall. We did a little wine tasting.We decided to hit another winery on the way home and called Jess' parents to join us. We had a great time! We then headed back into town to meet up with Jess' sister to get some supper and then back to the condo to play some games and watch TV and chill. Good day!

Saturday: Started like Friday with some Copper Cup. Then I regrouped and no one wanted to ride with me so I headed out to Nebo Ridge. It was 42F when I left Bloomington and it usually gets warmer as the day goes on. 32F when I get to Nebo. Nebo was overrated. It was super fast, did 16+ miles of singletrack in roughly one and a half hours. It was open, rippable singletrack with lots of ups and downs. It was beautiful and a great ride for the legs and lungs. I went and hung out in Nashville again for a couple hours and met up with the Smulkas to go to Brown County again. We climbed up this old fire tower and did a couple hikes. Hit yet another winery on the way home. Then we went to Mother Bear's Pizza, it was rated one of the Top 9 pizzerias in the US and I can see why...it was awesome! Didn't do much else.

Sunday, I toyed with heading to Brown County again but decided not to. Jess' dad got up early too so we headed to Copper Cup and to Square Donuts.

We then picked up the ladies and headed to tour Campus and then to Lake Monroe State rec area. Stopped alot and skipped some rocks and saw some crazy fall colors. It was fun! Got home and Jess' dad bought a sack full of sliders. Both the Packers and Colts played big games on National TV so I parked it for 7 hours. One good and one bad result. Didn't do much else on Sunday.

Monday was time to leave. I got up super early and got to Brown County for some singletrack. A little secret, Brown County is the best place to ride mountain bikes if you are into cross country. 20 miles+ of pure singletrack...it's all beautiful and I've never ridden anything quite so good. Think Levis but with no crappy trails, or sand, and well maintained.

Perfect weather and I was the only one out there. Got back, showered and were on the road by 10:15am. Hit Sonic on the way back. Got home at 3:45 and while unloading the car it started to snow! Freakin' crazy!

Thanks for reading. Jess' camera contains a whole different trip perspective so maybe I'll upload some of her photos later.