camp tx4k day 2 and 3

camp day 2 (yesterday) i fell and bruised my rear. three other people from our group fell at the same place and we also had a 3 person pile up. it would be a great story if there was some man-eating pothole, but really it was just a blind curb. we hadn't had any big falls yet, so i suppose it was bound to happen. fortunately, aside from a few bruises and scrapes, everyone is ok.

yesterday evening, some of the alumni hosted us for dinner. we got to relax poolside and grill. the food was delicious and the company was great. the alumni had some good pointers and great stories! today is camp day 3. the picture above is us circling up for stretching before the ride. we only went out on a 40 mile ride today, but we hit lost creek, barton creek, ladera norte and far west. for those not in the austin area, those are some of the biggest hills in the area, and they will make your legs burn. the picture to the right is the view off the top of ladera norte. there was a decent sized group of us who went up it, but there were only five of us who wanted to go down it afterwards and then back up far west. of those five people, four of them are on the rockies route. represent. unfortunately, however, we've had one rider leave our route. she'll be joining the 2009 team though, so she'll still get to go on the ride eventually!

this evening we'll be having another meeting and dinner. i need to start packing and i need to get some sleep. my bf told me the other day i didn't need it (he was serious). i told him i just hide the tiredness better than other people. we're not riding a ton right now, all things considered; however, spending all day out in the sun and then showering and starting with other work that needs to be done is very tiring. one of the alum at the dinner last night told me that saturday will be a huge relief. when i asked her why she told me it was because we've been planning this trip for so long and to actually start will just take a weight off your shoulders. i suppose it puts another one on at the same time though because of daily logistics. it will be a challenge of living constantly in the present and not in the future or the past.