Biltmore House...

Andrea's graduation

Since I didn't have a chance to ride in the Pisgah National Forest near Asheville, NC on my mountain bike, might as well talk about what I did on that day instead. In the morning, it poured rain so hard and on the tv there was a message about a tornado warning out there in Avery Creek, pretty close where I was going to ride, then the weather turned decent after ten in the morning but everything was muddy. I decided to go to the Biltmore House with the girls and look around. The Biltmore house was owned by George Vanderbuilt, a millionaire who ran a shipping company in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, if he was living, he would be considered a billionaire. His house was built between 1888 and 1895, it has 205 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms but the bedrooms are not small, they are huge like really big and spacious, the size of 6 of my bedrooms with 15 foot or so high ceilings. It also has a huge 4 story library full of books. Should of seen the dining room, English type and about 80 chairs, also 7 stories high. Nice stairway. All the bedrooms were decorated differently from different countries, like French, English, German, etc. In the basement, big swimming pool with lights inside. While George Vanderbuilt used electricity for his pool lights, everybody else in other houses didn't have electricity at all so they were in the dark and all that. This guy was so loaded I couldn't believe it. Also I have to tell you this guy had a bowling alley and a gym in the basement. This house is the biggest private home in America. Not a motel, but a real house with only a rich dude, his wife, daughter, a crapload of servants, and a few guests. After a grumpy morning of no hope to ride because of the lousy storm turned the day of education.

North Carolina mountain biking: Owl's Roost Trail...

This is a fun, technical trail but I wouldn't do it again because there were a lot of people on it, I probably will because it's located 10 minutes from Rob's work. It is right in the middle of the city of Greensboro, about an hour north of Karen's house. This is right by a lake and in a park where all the people were. To get there you have to ride on the walkway in the Park where I saw two gay guys walking together(bleh!). Owl's Roost is about 5 miles long so I did two laps and I did it backwards so I can get a better workout. A lot bikers heading towards me. I would say this is more technical than most trails I have ridden there, lot's of roots and logs. I was going to do the Black Mountain trail in Asheville, NC with 2,000 vertical feet of climbing and 13.5 miles but it rained a lot that morning and there was a tornado warning so I went to the Biltmore House with the girls instead. Better than sitting in the motel though but I did find it interesting really. Big house. But a ride would have been funner, all well. A Louis XV red velvet tower cake cheered me up. Thanks Karen for the fun day with you. I have to admit it, the Biltmore House was like the coolest thing.

North Carolina road riding:near Karen's house...

Performance Bike outlet store in Greensboro

The paved roads out in the back country where Karen's house looked fun to ride on so I decided to get google maps and make a ride out of it. The roads weren't so flat and boring like Utah, in NC, the roads were more hilly and windy which made it fun. You could climb three minutes, then go down 2 minutes, then climb another two or three minutes, sometimes four. It was like that the whole two hours I went. I did 30 miles, I enjoyed the ride very much and it was a beautiful day, it was a little hot but I had to go fast to keep me cool.

North Carolina mountain biking: Super Tree Trail...

I liked this trail the best because it's funner, less people(actually there was no one there), and I can get a better workout. This trail is a 5 mile loop and I did two laps. It is located in the Uwharrie National Forest about an hour south of Karen's house. There is another trail that connects to it that it is another 5 miles but I didn't do it because it is way too technical for Rob's bike(no suspension). I did do the trail last time I visited two years ago, so I did do the Super Tree and the other trail. The Super Tree Trail is way fast and rolling, so I did like this one the best. The bike above is Rob's bike(brother-in-law), the one I rode. Very old bike and still works good, better than no bike. I was actually the last rider on it two years ago, so two years later, I put air in the tires(there was zero air), tweeked it a little bit and put my pedals on. I didn't have a chance to take my own mountain bike with me because when we got to the airport, they charged $265 each way so I put it back in the car and tried to figure something else.

Race #6: Sundance Spin, Sundance Resort, UT...

At first, I thought it was going to rain according to the liar weatherman, but it ended up a beautiful, gorgeous, clear, sunny day at the Sundance Spin Bike Race in Sundance Resort near Provo, UT. The race was a real blast I thought, it was nice to ride on the mostly singletrack trails which was very hard to pass other racers or be passed by because of the narrow singletrack most of the way and that made it a lot harder. I have ridden this trail like a thousand times when I was living in Provo a few years ago so I knew the course very well so it was a lot easier to race on. There were a lot of racers in this race just like Soldier Hollow but I don't know about Draper because I wasn't there so there was a lot. This race has the best scenery in this series because of Timpinogous Mountain right next to it which made it very enjoyable. And it is very nice to race in the mountains again. At first of the race I snapped my seat railing in half so I rode the rest of the way with the seat kind of bent with only one railing holding me up. So I finished 14th out of 16. So I bought a new saddle when mom and I got to downtown at the bike shop. The last race in Soldier Hollow, I broke one of my pedals and ended up buying new pedals in Park City and the race before that, I had to buy a new seatpost. I guess that's what happens in races, you really beat the hell out of your bike! But otherwise I have a lot fun no matter how I finish but the most important part is to have fun and at least finish it.

Race #5: Hammerfest at the Hollow, Soldier Hollow

This race was at Soldier Hollow near Midway and Heber City. We rode over the trails where the cross country ski trails were which they use for cross country skiing in the winter. Soldier Hollow is where they had all the cross country ski races during the 2002 Olympics. The mountain bike race course also went all the way to the top of the mountain on a snowshoe trail which was very physically demanding. This is a very unique course because it had all the short climbs and short downhills all at the bottom on the cross country ski trails and then up the snowshoe trail had all uphill for a ways which had a good view of Timponogus Mountain at the top then a fun downhill. At first of the race we went through a canyon and then turned around and went back down towards the start and I thought that was it, then when we turned south and I could see all the riders at the top of a damn mountain and I thought, "we are climbing again? I guess so". And that is when it was starting to hurt because I was like sprinting a lot at first and didn't have much energy left so I slowed down a bit at the large climb and then went again. It was so hard that I really couldn't wait to finish and go to a motel and rest. So I finished at 11th place out of 17 riders in the beginner class. I thought there is no way in hell I'd do it again but I would on an another day. The course was so far the funnest race course I have ridden this year in the race series.

Race #4: Wimmer's XC Race at Sherwood

This race was surprisenly nice and very entertaining. I thought this race was very organized and fun. This was in Sherwood Hills in Sardine Canyon between Brigham City and Logan. The snow was barely gone and there were a few mud spots in some places but it was mostly in the best shape in years according to the race promoter. My class did 2 five mile laps and I was very tired at the end. This trail was very fun with twisty, tight, and windy singletrack through the trees. I got a pint glass and a coupon for the motel. Might use it later in the year, maybe in the fall when all the racing is all over then I can bike the trail again but with the fall colored leaves, that would be different. I remember I did this same race in '97 but the leaves were out and it smelled good. They had it later in the month, that is why. So I placed fifth in this one. There were only 8 guys in the class but it was still fun, it would have been more funner if there were more guys but all well. Hopefully there will be more guys in the next race in Soldier Hollow this weekend.