Archive for the ‘Nature & Scenery’ Category
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Hello Spring!
Sunday, February 7th, 2016
We still need more rain and snow, but I am so thankful for a lovely weekend to get some good cycling in. Yesterday was beautiful and today promises to be even better!
Along Seivers Road between Winters and Dixon. Spring is here already!
We enjoyed a nice caffeine stop mid-ride.
Cappuccino & Espresso at a favorite rest stop, Steady Eddy’s in Winters.
Post ride I made a spicy fish stew that made for a perfect dinner. Served here with some short grain brown rice, lightly stir fried mixed baby greens (mix from the Farmer’s Market), and garnished with a bit of Chevre cheese. I posted a similar recipe a few months ago.
This batch was about half seafood (two types of cod) and half chicken Andouille sausage. It was super spicy because I did not adjust the chili flakes (oops) to account for the spicy sausage. The Chevre cheese helped to temper the heat a bit and added just a bit of richness.
Spicy Fish Stew with Chicken Andouille Sausage, Greens, and Brown Rice.
Yesterday I logged about 65 miles on my Colnago and today I hope to ride even a little more. I’ve got to get out and ride, ride, ride to get myself ready for the 2016 Tour de Cure. I’m striving for Champion Status again this year. Please help me to reach this goal by making a donation to support my ride. Simply click here to go to my personal Tour de Cure page.
Here’s wishing you a fabulous weekend!
Cycling the “Davis Hills” Today!
Monday, February 1st, 2016
It was a pretty breezy day today, with 20+mph winds on my ride. As you may recall from previous posts, in these here parts we call these winds the “Davis Hills.” I managed to get in over 43 miles total: 14 solo and 29 with my cycling partner. Most of the ride there was either a brutal head wind or side wind. Oh, but for a few miles there was a very sweet tail wind!
Saturday was a much better day weather-wise for cycling, but I had other commitments, so I only got about 15 miles in. Oh, but it felt soo good! I have not been getting nearly enough cycling in and the trainer has proven to be more difficult to get situated than expected. Tomorrow morning will be my first ride on the trainer.
We had some very dramatic clouds this weekend – this was Saturday.
This morning I made a scramble with loads of wild mushrooms, some fresh stir fry greens, chicken Andouille sausage, eggs, and just a touch of light Irish cheddar cheese.
Wild Mushrooms, Chicken Andouille Sausage, and Greens ready for the scramble.
Served with some fresh fruit, whole grain toast … this will power you through those headwinds!
With the recent cold, rainy weather, I’ve been playing with some serious comfort food … this was last weekend …
Espresso & Stout Lamb Stew served with Colcannon – perfect on a cold night!
If you haven’t tried Colcannon, consider making some. It’s basically perfect mashed potatoes with some lightly steamed fresh greens mixed in. A little milk, butter, and garlic if you want. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed and steamed in just enough water so that by the time the potatoes were done most of the excess water had evaporated. Add a splash of hot milk and a pat of Irish butter and whip together with a wooden spoon to make perfect mashed potatoes, then fold in some gently steamed mixed greens (baby kale, spinach, and chard), salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy! Here’s wishing you many happy and healthy miles!
Christmas 2015 Full Moon
Sunday, December 27th, 2015
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
Santa brought Northern California some lovely rain, followed by a beautiful clear Christmas night to enjoy this stunning full moon.
We won’t see another Christmas Full Moon until Christmas 2034!
I’ll post some foodie pictures and perhaps a recipe later, but for now, a quick ride on this ch-ch-chilly day. Making some additional adjustments to the Reve and hope to have her just right very soon!
Happy Monday
Monday, November 23rd, 2015
Short work week!
Beautiful morning for a walk or run!
There is just something I like about this photo.
Sunrise, Coffee, and Muffins
Thursday, November 19th, 2015
This would have been a lovely morning for a ride, but there’s not enough time before work to get the kind of ride in I really want. It would be waaay too tempting to just keep riding past the turn around point, you know? So, it’s a brisk morning walk instead.
Good Morning!
Sometimes it helps to take a slightly different perspective.
Actually, I’m not sure why this picture uploaded sideways, but sometimes that’s just how life is, isn’t it?
Enjoying the Autumn leaves while they last.
A delicate spot of color.
A relaxing touch of fog.
Now it’s time for a hot cup of freshly brewed, locally roasted Pepper Peddler coffee and a warmed up Apple Yogurt Muffin. Oh, yeah, and work work work.
To warm the muffin, you can pop it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds, or wrap it in foil and heat it in a 350 degree oven until it’s warmed to your liking.
Sunrise Walks
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015
Sunrise walks … a lovely way to start the day.
A Few Good Rides
Friday, July 10th, 2015
I’ve been able to get a few good rides and even a little hiking in lately.
Post work ride to Winters, off Putah Creek Road
Pre-work ride, along the Sacramento River
How I miss cycling these roads every morning ...
... and every evening.
I even got to hike in Auburn recently!
All this exercise makes me …
Smile!
I’m not sure if it’s allergies or I picked up a bit of a cold, but I was feeling a bit funky yesterday. I’m hoping I feel up to lots of cycling this weekend. I’m thinking it’s just allergies because Wednesday night I rode out to Winters and it was crazy windy*. Of all of the rides to forget to take The Buff … It might look a little funky, and if it’s hot out, it is a little uncomfortable, but it sure does help with allergy prevention. Oh, and keeping bugs off my face.
* The headwind on the way out was brutal, but the tailwind on the way back … oh, yes!
OK, enough blah blah blah, must get to work.
Peru – Machu Picchu
Thursday, June 11th, 2015
I took hundreds of photos in Machu Picchu and not one adequately captured the awe-inspiring, breathtaking beauty, but here are a few from my visit. To see them larger, simply click on the photo.
Panoramic View - before the crowds show up!
Machu Picchu - Las Ruinas (The Ruins)
Stunning views ...this is the BIG mountain climb ... what is the name?
The air was deliciously clean ...
Contemplative Llamas ...
Some of the terraces ... these were all built by hand ...
Some of the buildings ...
... more ...
... a different view a bit later ... clouds and impending rain, much welcomed by this parched Californian!
Aaaah ... cool, refreshing, invigorating, delicious, gentle rain!
I am still mentally and emotionally processing this experience. What I will take away from this and keep with me for the rest of my life is a feeling, and though our group was given a very informative tour by a very knowledgeable tour guide (Eddie), what I will remember more than the history, is how warm, welcoming, gracious, and kind he was.
I will always remember how the air was so clean.
My breathing was surprisingly good at this altitude. Yes, it took a few minutes at first to get my breathe, and it was very helpful to stop now and then to hear the history and to take photos. We did not take on any super challenging hiking (no Inca Trail, no BIG mountain pictured above … which I cannot remember the name of and at this time I cannot find it and I have to go to sleep!), but I felt like I could have hiked UP almost anything (as long as I had a wall or railing or something to hold on to because a few times I felt a little wambly … THAT was the altitude and that is my story and I’m sticking to it.) Downhill … well, that’s an entirely different story. For some reason, I often find it harder to hike down than up.
If you’re interested in learning more about Machu Picchu, here are a few good sites to check out:
I’ll be posting more about my trip to Peru. The food. The sites. The people. The experience.