Great Christmas
Wednesday, December 26th, 2007I had a great four-day weekend, since I took the 24th off and the office was closed on Christmas day. I did a fun road ride on Christmas Eve Day, once again doing the Shilo Road route of which I am so fond. That was a good length, about 25 miles. Sarah and I exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve. Her gifts to me followed a bicycle touring theme, including a book and a backpacking sleeping pad and sleeping bag.
They are incredibly compact and lightweight, the sleeping bag weighing exactly 1 kilogram. I’ve been talking about doing a bicycle tour for a while now and I’m feeling more and more confident that I’ll be able to do one sometime in 2008. Last year, fitness would have been the biggest concern but hopefully I can stay in some semblance of shape over the winter and be in better shape next year. And now I have a lot of the gear I’ll need to do some sub 24-hour overnight trips and/or a longer tour. Thanks, hot stuff!
Christmas morning, we went over to mom’s house to exchange gifts with my family. We had a great time. Mom made lasagna for dinner as is becoming a tradition, and after dinner, I proposed a hike. The high was 47 degrees, and it was sunny — an incredibly beautiful day and surprisingly warm. After some discussion, everyone decided to come. We decided to hike the Wolf Cave trail (trail #5) at McCormick’s Creek State Park. It’s an easy two-mile trail.
Everyone really seemed to enjoy the hike, including my sister Becky, who hasn’t gone on the past few family hikes. I was really glad that everyone went and had a good time. In fact, it had been a long time since Sarah and I went hiking, and I think I had forgotten just how much I enjoy it. Here are some photos from the hike. Sarah took some of these.
Shadows
Sarah and me
Avery (my nephew) showing me a hiding place in Wolf Cave
Avery, mom, and me
Rock bridge with icicles
Avery and mom crossing the creek
Becky (my sister) and me
Becky, looking aloof
Avery, hiding in a tree
Hiking into the sun
December 26th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
that’s a nice shot of you and sarah. that hike looked fun! merry christmas bro
December 28th, 2007 at 10:41 am
A tour? I have my choices narrowed to either the C&O/Allegheny from Washington to Pittsburg, (Or part of it), and the Erie Canal towpath from Buffalo to Albany.
It’s be a cheap motel tour, but we’ll be taking along a small tent just in case there is one of those great nights to sleep under the stars.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I just finished reading a number of your posts and enjoyed them a lot. I especially like your pictures. I also liked the report of the security workshop. It reminded me to nudge a couple of our staff who attended to get a report.
I write another Bloomington bicycling blog - http://bikingbloom.wordpress.com/. Do mind if I link to your blog?
John Kennedy