A New Route For Bandi

 

Song:  FF Prelude (cover)

Cover Artist:  Jonathan Morris

Original Composer:  Nobuo Uematsu 

I had awakened to another beautiful day.

Last night it had snowed just a bit...

covering the landscape with just enough snow to glinter in the sunlight.

Although the air temperature was 5 F ( - 15 C )...

the warmth of the sun made it perfectly comfortable to be outside with just light clothing.

As I knew today Bandi and I would go a little farther and on a different route...

I made sure we fueled up with a heavier breakfast.

I often pick up Rotisserie Chicken whenever I go grocery shopping.

I put together some Chicken Quesadillas.

I usually buy 200 flour tortillas at once and freeze them.

Just 1 minute in the micro and they come out steaming hot.

I put in some chicken...

and crumbled some pepper jack cheese over it...

and I then folded it over and put it in the microwave for 1 minute.

Everything was heated up...

and the cheese had melted perfectly.

This is the verde I love most.

Its the sauce...

both the verde...

and the red enchilada and taco sauces that make Mexican food so addictive.

I smothered the chicken and melted cheese with the verde sauce...

...and re-folded the tortilla...

and I ate a total of three of these.

After I had finished one...

I would make another so each one would be nice and hot.

I shared some with Bandi...

as she also loves them.

A few hours later...

Bandi and I started on our new trike route.

As you can see...

just a few inches of fresh snow coated the ground.

Bandi loves going on her runs.

When she gets back...

she hops up on my bed (our bed  :)...

stretches out...

and takes a nap.

This time we would go halfway down the mountain...

and then turn around...

for a total of 3 miles on this run.

I am carefully building Bandi's endurance 

by slowly increasing the distance...

while providing more breaks during her run.

I keep my eye on her as she runs next to my trike.

If she starts to fall back...

I know it is break time.

I wait until her breathing returns to normal before going again.

Just around this curve is Sunset Point.

I rested her here for a bit...

but as the first half of our route is all downhill...

she only needed short breaks.

However...

on our way back up...

I gave her much longer breaks.

The county had plowed the roads this morning.

We were at the halfway point here...

so I turned around.

We headed back up the mountain...

towards home.

You can see how the road serpentines its way up the mountain.

We made our way to an overlook of the road from which we had just come.

In the distance you can see our turnaround point.

I zoomed in on the turnaround point...

just beyond the middle of the sideways "M".

We continued our climb...

with magnificent view after magnificent view presenting itself.

We were nearing Sunset Point in this photo.

We arrived home feeling refreshed.

What another beautiful day.

Being out on the road with fresh snow on the ground...

crisp air and blue skies...

made me feel as if I were a child once again.

The joy felt being in the middle of a winter wonderland is always so refreshing.

And even though the air temperature was 5 F...

there was very little wind...

and so...

the sun and our exercise kept us plenty warm.

I just had on sweat pants...

a sweat jacket...

a micro fiber beanie...

micro fiber gloves...

and my regular shoes.

My trike is just so perfect for mountain riding in the snow.

It is perfectly stable...

the tires have excellent grip...

and with the e-drive...

I may keep my heart rate in my desired zone.

I will be traveling around the whole state of Colorado in the future...

seeking out great riding trails.

I will be towing Bandi's doggie carrier for the longer runs...

so she may rest as I ride once she tires.

We have many adventures in store for our future.

In the meantime...

I had ordered a chainsaw and other tree felling equipment.

Winter is the perfect time for me to start clearing some of the surrounding forest.

I will be going more into this once I start felling the first of many trees.

And even though I will have to cut each piece of wood into certain sizes...

and then haul them up the ridge near the road and pile them in neat groups...

this is all part of living on a forested mountain ridge.

I look forward to it...

as not only will it be a workout in and of itself...

but I love doing projects around the home...

I love making and seeing improvements.

I will be doing this for not only fire prevention...

but to clear some of the distant views so I may better enjoy the mountains...

and to make space for some different trees I will try to grow at my altitude

(I want some autumn red colors as well).

I will be working at my own pace...

but I will be doing a little bit almost everyday.

----------------------

We all have an inner desire to make progress in life...

or at least...

all of us should.

I have seen too many people not even start projects

because they simply get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the whole job.

However...

by just taking small bites on a frequent basis...

the job is broken up into much smaller daily objectives...

all of which may then easily be accomplished.

My Second Mountain Trike Ride w/Bandi

 

BGM

YouTube Channel:  Enjoy Peace

As today was my trike ride day (I trike every other day)...

in the late morning...

I fueled up extra heavily.

I made mushroom and egg Udon.

This is my yogurt maker.

I am presently making another batch of 9 yogurt containers.

I made the udon with 6 eggs...

6 shiitake mushrooms...

and a handful of enoki mushrooms.

I also share my meal with Bandi.

We are preparing to go.

I would go my same route as the other day...

but I added about another half a mile farther.

I want to get Bandi used to the runs without tiring her too much.

I stopped to turn on my phone...

The current temperature was 27 F (almost -3 C)...

but the sun was shining brightly and warmly.

It added a surreal feel...

 the chill in the air...

and the warmth of the sun on my skin.

...and my bike computer

(the time setting is off).

We headed uphill.

We stopped briefly so Bandi wouldn't get too tired.

Another brief rest stop for Bandi...

...and another.

We went beyond our last trike ride stop...

...and then turned around after an extra half a mile.

We headed back up to the top of the mountain.

More rest stops for Bandi.

We are almost home here.

Back home.

I was surprised...

my tires had amazingly good traction on the ice.

Bandi looking back at the road.

She always enjoys her runs.

I will be slowly getting her into running shape by taking slightly longer routes

each time...

with at least a day's rest between runs.

---------

I was sore from my first ride...

but on the following day...

I lifted weights, stretched, sat in the IR sauna...

and then took a hot shower.

And this morning...

I was sore a bit as well...

but, I knew that I would feel so much better after today's ride.

--------------

I feel so much better after having ridden...

and I know Bandi feels very good as well.

With the fresh and crisp air filling our lungs...

feeling the warm sun on our bodies...

and seeing beautiful views the whole way...

exercise had never felt so good.

---------------

I am a senior citizen (65)...

and I cannot emphasize enough the great value of exercise...

on the body and the mind.

With a recumbent trike...

almost anyone can cycle their way to much better health.

--------------

In my home high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains...

I have finally found the deep serenity for which I had long been searching.

You must always remember...

as you walk your path in life...

it is not the pitfalls which so often derail dreams...

but the seductively comfortable stops along the way.

Too many people look at the length of the journey ahead...

and then allow despair to set in at the projected effort...

which then sucks out all of their energy as their motivation melts away...

and so...

lesser rewards in life start to look good enough...

as dreams melt away.

Our subconscious is a child...

he or she only wants immediate comfort.

It is our conscious mind that sets long term goals...

and if the dream is grand enough...

 the subconscious then sets up the appropriate drives and rewards to achieve it.

The subconscious is blind...

he or she only sees what the conscious mind's eye sees...

whether good or bad...

and so...

by which we allow our life to be run...

either through the negative of anxiety or fear...

or through the positive of our dreams of a better future.

----------

THE key to living life well is...

deferred gratification.

It is the ability to put off now...

for better later.

It is to eschew the comfort points along your path in life...

so as for you to be able to steadily climb the mountain...

until you achieve the top.

So long as you keep your goals in your heart...

so long as you never take your eyes off the summit...

so long as your comfort points in life are only for you 

to momentarily catch your breath and not for you to permanently stay...

and...

so long as you are willing to make any sacrifice to achieve your goals...

then...

and only then...

will it become a foregone conclusion...

given time.

As I have said before...

the path to heaven lies on the other side of hell

(metaphorically speaking).

If your dream is true to yourself...

you will readily do anything it takes to achieve your dreams.

If you are tempted to quit...

for any reason...

this automatically tells you your dream is not a true one...

not a true passion which sets your heart aflame.

This in turn tells you of your need to search within yourself.

You first must know what stirs your heart the most...

what truly makes you happy.

Heavy exercise primes the heart and mind...

and a beautiful sunset or sunrise...

and moving pieces of music set the stage...

and it is then in this moment of solitude that your sub-conscious speaks to your conscious...

and it is in this that what you value most in life makes its appearance...

if you but listen and observe quietly.

The Three Wheeled Philosopher