Hiking + Biking

What a power-filled weekend.

Monday I rocked the Burger Bike with my best time yet: 2 hours and 5 minutes. Every time I do that ride I feel more awesome, and there's stretches when I ride now that I'm just cruisin' along at 18/19/20mph, in the groove, just like back in the old days. I love it! Of course, it was very helpful that the headwind only lasted the first 15 miles instead of the whole 30 this time, but still. I shaved a full ten minutes off my time this week. That's awesome.

Today I hiked the Dodson Trail on a through hike with a few friends. It was a great hike - very varied terrain, with lots of gorgeous views. Not to mention that the weather was perfect: mid-60s, cloudy, with a light breeze. I couldn't have asked for anything better. It was a lot of fun, and I got to know people better, I think. Plus, as is always the case with long hikes (and long bikes), I was able to work a lot of things out in my brain, like how I'm definitely going to stay here at least through the end of April, and how legit my job is, despite it being totally illegit. (Alyssa called me out on "legit" being my favorite word today... maybe I have come to use that one too often....) At 12 miles, this is the longest hike to date for the year, and if my records are right it's the longest I've done in the last 2 years. And quite possibly the longest I've done since 2010? or maybe even 2009? I'm not really sure. Craziest bit of all: I did the whole thing in my Merrell Barefoot shoes, and am pleased to say that I didn't get any blisters! That little flexible part just above the heel but behind/below the ankle bone is a bit sore, but otherwise my feet actually don't feel all that bad post-soaking in the bath tub.

That being said: I found a wicked steal of a deal on some hiking boots online and they're hopefully shipping to me soon (and hopefully fitting as well) so I'll be able to hike without getting so many stones and pokers and whatnot in my shoes.

So just to give you a run-down on the numbers. I've been here just over a month now, and I've put in 184.5 miles on the bicycle, and roughly 39.05 miles of hiking. In January and February. How crazy is that!? And that's not even counting the many miles that I've put in just walking around RGV on my work days between the visitor center, the campgrounds, and my house. I'm gonna be super-fit! :)

Prayer Request

So... there's no news on my job. No one can tell me when my duty station is going to open, and after emailing Marshall Gold Discovery SHP in California I've found that it's still viable for me to transfer to their park for March through May, as I had planned last fall. Now I've got a decision to make: should I stay or should I go? Please pray for guidance and clarity as I weigh the pros and cons of these options over the next few days. I'll probably have to make a final decision by the end of next week, and at the moment I really don't know what to do.

Productivity:

At last: my home is complete.

The weekend has been somewhat full, and yet I've had a lot of relaxation, too. I hitched an early-morning ride to Castolon and rode my bike from there to the main road, about 23.5 miles, and thoroughly pooped myself for the rest of my Monday. The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, washing linens, visiting with friends, napping, and putting up the eye-hooks for my hammock. Last night I spent at least an hour star-gazing on my back patio, nestled in my hammock with a couple blankets on top. So cozy! Once it starts to get warmer at night I might try sleeping out here... we'll see.

Yesterday, in case you were wondering, marked one month since I moved into this house. Of course, that meant that today I had to clean it. I borrowed a broom and swept every room of the house. I cleaned the bathroom, dusted all the surfaces, tidied up my bedroom... you get the idea. I'm also hosting the SCA interns at my house for supper tonight, so I made the innards of a coconut cream pie this morning, and am preparing to get (my favorite!) orange chicken underway here pretty soon. Since I was in such a cooking craze, I decided to make scotch eggs that I can heat up for breakfast for the next five days. That'll be nice! Tonight, we're having supper and then playing Settlers of Catan (which I haven't played in ages!) - hopefully it'll be a good night.

No news yet on the crossing or the fate of my position. I don't know that I'm very good at waiting for things with no set deadline...