Extreme Sports

Wow. What a weekend I had upstate in the Catskills where my brother lives. We went Mountain Biking... and I mean the REAL DEAL Moutain Biking. There is no flat land, just 3-inch high tree roots, LOTS of rocks/gravel, dirt, trees 1 foot away from you, thorn bushes, and what I like to call mini boulders. It was in a forest, so you could only imagine the raw terrain.

I survived though! All two hours of it (from 9am to 11am) Just call me Mrs. Armstrong.. NOT! I wish! Although, I am proud I was the only girl in my family who went. Granted we all had to dismount our bikes at a couple of insane inclines and these "stairs" nature made out of tree roots and rocks (rocks I'd like to call boulders, but whatever). My nephew ran into a bush, and I looked closer, it was a thorn bush!! He had to pull a couple off his arms and face, but he was good to go. lol. I have to admit, my stamina out-lasted Jordan's. =D I have to give him credit though b/c he made it dehydrated, but I was the one still energized after, ready for trail #2.

There were a couple of moments were I had to say a small prayer b/c I swore I was going to get thrown off. Especially when my hands left the handle bars for a split second due to the speed and terrain. There were pot holes that were ridiculous -- you either had to know how to dodge them using your rear brakes ever-so-slightly or just eat them. I just didn't want to go home in a stretcher b/c looking around you, that was possible if you fell the wrong way or direction (we're in the mountains, ya know). Changing your bike gears were important. I only learned the importance of them yesterday. What was funny was that when there was an incline, you could faintly hear all of us clicking our gears to 1 (lowest gears are used for inclines for easier pedaling). Every time I picked up speed, all I kept yelling was "SPACE!!!!!". I didn't want whoever was behind me to come too close b/c I could slow down at moment's notice since the turns and twists are all blind, and I might underestimate the group of rocks (mini-boulders) ahead.

Since trail #1 was straight out of an extreme sports magazine, trail #2 was more relaxing and more to enjoy scenery. We (this trip included the kids) biked 7 miles to New Paltz and I love that town! Its a small, quaint, college town. There are some spots where the view is crazy! You were looking at a mountain right in front of you. Definitely more breath-taking than the Poconos. I will definitely go back there and just explore. For a moment I felt like I was not in NY while biking and being in the town.

So in total I biked 15 miles that day. I would've biked 7 more miles back from New Paltz, but my butt was soooooooooooo sore (I feel like I was shot in my butt) and my arms and back and legs are sore. I even have blisters on both my thumbs and a black and blue on my calf (how did that happen?) But boy, did it feel good! I've used muscles I never knew I had before. Living w/ my brother and his lifestyle of semi-extreme sports will make anyone's body look incredible. No wonder he is in the best shape of his life. I've agreed to do the 15-mile bike tour on October w/ him and his wife. Now I need to find shorts w/ padding. I can't even sit on a soft couch w/out wincing. Enough about my butt...

He's introduced me to: skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, moutain biking. what's next? Sky diving? Let's Go!!

Everyone has to experience what life has to offer at least once, right? ;-P

Since we didn't want to bring cameras to the rough trail in fear of crushing it when we'd fall, these are some online pics that resembled a mountain bike trail (the trail we went to had more trees and more inclines than I wanted)