Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

Every year the Salvation Army puts up a Christmas tree Christiana Mall with names of kids and their Christmas wish list. There are 4,000 needy children in New Castle county. To me, that's a staggering number. It's an increase from previous years and I suspect it will increase even more now that extended unemployment benefits ran out. So for the umpteenth year in a row, I'm skipping the frazzled frenzy of buying Christmas presents for people who don't need a thing and buying for 4 of the 4,000 kids who don't have a thing. It really makes you think when you see "winter coat" on the wish list of a 4-yr old. So, there are 4 kids in New Castle County who will get that winter coat, along with some clothes...and a toy. I feel bad that I didn't buy them a lot of toys...but toys won't keep them warm.

"My Baby Takes the Morning Train"

Well, maybe not the train...but John is working full time again! He got a job at The Bike Boutique in Wilmington. One of these Saturdays I'll ride in and check it out. I don't know much about it other than it involves bike storage for those who commute. This is the first store to open in the U.S. It's a pretty interesting concept and they may be a little bit ahead of their time. But maybe that's not a bad thing.

Go Take A Hike...Mush, Mush

A couple of weeks ago I got invited to go for a hike at Fair Hill. Hmmm, give up a riding day, especially when the forecast was for a mild day. I'm definitely not a hiker. In fact, this would be my first. And giving up a riding day is tough...but I decided the change 'o pace would be good. I was a little intimidated by the women I'd be hiking with - all very athletic and fit. So, I met Karen Smith, Amy Wise, Jane, Robin and Julie at 7:15 at lot #1 at Fair Hill. The game plan was a 3-hr hike, then brunch at Home Grown in Newark.

After having ridden there the weekend before, I realized Fair Hill is even more beautiful on foot. It was sort of weird walking on trails that I've ridden. And wow, what looked "technical" (to me) or steep on the bike seat looked fairly smooth and level on foot. Probably won't change the way I ride but it did give me a different perspective. And now I'm antsy to ride there again.

We started out about 7:30 on the orange trail and from there, who knows. It was a bit unnerving to realize at one point we were at the Appleton lot. And I'm thinking, OMG, who can I call to come pick me up!

Was expecting to see more mtn bikers or even more people on horses, but we saw very few. Or is Fair Hill really that big? We did notice a sled dog team practicing and stopped for a few minutes to pet the dogs. And yes, the musher was wearing a bike helmet!

So, after 3 hrs, they tell me we hiked about 10 miles. I have the shin splints and sore hip to prove it, although neither of these discomforts affected my Monday afternoon ride. Okay, maybe 10 miles was a bit much for my first hike! But despite the minor discomforts it was a really great day and I would do it again.

Mountain Biking

With the windy forecast (15-25 mph) it seemed like a good day to ride off-road. Besides, I've been meaning to get out on the mountain bike and swore I would the last time I rode, but road biking got in the way. So I decided I'd do the Trail Spinners 5th Annual Mountain Bike Jamboree at Fair Hill. I'm out of touch with the mountain bike scene and was surprised at how many people I didn't know! I saw Kris Kuss and her boyfriend, and afterwards I ran into Greg Wood. But out the hundreds of people I saw today, that was about it for the ones I knew.

I started out with the intermediate group. I'm an intermediate rider with beginner skills so I knew it wouldn't be long before I was off the back...and I was. I rode a little while with a man who was 10 years older than me, but then he decided to cut it short. I've decided not to get any older. He was somewhat cranky with me when I bobbled and was partially blocking the trail. He told me it was a stupid place for me to stop. I chalked up his crankiness to being old.

So, most of the ride was solo. Not a big deal - the trail was marked. Besides, I'm used to riding solo. It gave me a chance to ride at my pace and not have to worry about holding anyone up or playing catch up. Fair Hill is such a huge place and I had forgotten what a wonderful place it is to ride. I regret not stopping along the way to take some pictures.

I finished up earlier than I expected, so I decided to go back out with one of the beginner groups. Okay, so I'm a beginner rider with begintermediate skills...

Lots of food at the end...well, at least for some. They had such a good turnout they ran out of food about an hour after they started serving! And beer (Dogfish) which I think there was plenty of. And several displays - Wooden Wheels, Eastern Mountain Sports, Garrison's Cyclery.

A fun day!