More Riding...

I've been fighting this cold for over two weeks and it just doesn't want to die! It (my cold) seemed to lull a bit last weekend but maybe the stress of snow again caused it rear its ugly head in my throat, nose, & lungs. Its hard to keep teaching when ones' voice is so raw. So despite continued congestion & coughing - I joined Jason on a ride on a pretty amazing day weather-wise. It was a bit breezy out in the open but in the bush a balmy 5 degrees C or so.

Pat joined us for a bit as well but had been involved in the clean-up of the ski trails with the Sandilands Ski Club earlier on. We rode down a few of the trails - the Green, Purple, & Red and checked it for fallen branches, etc. but it all had already been walked & new signs installed in the morning. We mooched off some hot soup at the ranger station from some of the other volunteers and rode a bit more on a short loop. No real significant highlights other than it was good to spin the wheels and stretch the legs - 19kms later we were back on the van and headed for home.

Wendy did her annual pumpkin carving with her friend Kerri - while I looked after the girls for the evening complete with a Dora The Explorer video & chicken noodle soup. Time change tonight - means our rides in the evening will be completely in the dark...if it was up to me it would stay dark till 9 or 10am and we could still ride till 9pm in the light.

Recent Snow Biking Pics

Recent snowfall and a brother who willingly took pics with my camera reveal some cool results of yours truly!
Somewhere near Star Lake - on a short hidden trail created by the Friesen Brothers.
Freestylin' for the Camera...
Tricky traction but lots of fun!

Recent Autumn Pics

Self-portrait taken while mtn biking solo in the Sandilands last Sunday...
Big buck I've gotten to know this past year near Star Lake
A yearling clearly tame enough for me to get nearby.
Feeding on what the snow didn't cover up...
Pretty much the dumbest birds on the planet - I was 12 inches away before it flew away!
I believe the birds above are called pine grouse but are commonly known as chickens...
Lucky the Squirrel
Caught swiper on the run...
A rare shot of a tri-colored fox...
Got lucky on this shot as well!

October Snow

It seems we've been dusted a few times by that four letter word other wise known as snow!
Aimee staring out the patio door - hoping to be let out in the snow!
Aimee playing with melting snow near the cottage
Close-up of Aimee's hand catching the snowmelt!
Chelsea enjoying the hopefully temporary snow!
All bundled up and ready to sled...
Okay - so maybe they were a little too eager considering the snow barely covered the leaves & grass...
Snow Patrol

Autumn's Pics

These shots were all taken at a Loewen Family Gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving a couple weekends ago - we've not only had an amazing summer but the fall has been pretty good too! Although we had a bit of snow blow through last week - all melted though thankfully.Yep, Aimee loves autumn's leaves!
Chelsea encouraging her sister Aimee down the slide - with her cousin Kalia alongside.
Some interesting seeds I captured at sunset & with a flash
Aimee caught in motion and apparently in a monstrous pile of leaves!
Aimee loves to jump on trampolines.
There is something about tree forts, slides, & piles of leaves that make kids delight!
I shot this one using a flash & then held the shutter open for about a minute...the flash captured the image of the kids in motion - and the open shutter brought the color & light to finish off the image...
These night shots were experimental but worked out alright.
Chelsea & her cousin caught in the wonder of falling leaves.

Here's a first - came close to being hit by shotgun fire!!!

Update to follow....

Okay - sorry for the tardy reply - let's just say I'm still in recovery. It all started out on yet another thrilling mtn bike ride in the Sandilands. Pat, Jason & yours truly along with two guests. We started our epic ride at the beaver dam staging area and proceeded past a large 4X4 that had gotten stuck we assumed the previous night.

Admittedly, the riding was a bit on the cool side (it was around 4 degrees C) but nice and fast. We unfortunately had to avoid some horse crap as this time of year brings "that kind" around but I prefer them over dirtbikers. At least there are fewer and less noisy. Both unfortunately do not tread lightly, tearing up the climbs making us more eco-friendly bikers a wee bit perturbed.

We managed to find our way to Suicide Hill - where the steepest climbs & descents exist. We were chatting at the top when suddenly - BOOM - and the sound of pellets dropping between me & Jason - resulted in me losing my cool. Yes I vocalised my disapproval and a sheepish spruce grouse hunter peeped from the valley below and quickly walked on.

My riding companions convinced me it wasn't worth pursuing any more riding around such freakin' rednecks! I later found out that I could have pressed charges - as the guy was in full camo and should be wearing some blaze - but who knows - if we would have pursued him someone might have ended up dead. So yeah - that's my story... By the way - this allegedly all took place in a so-called provincial park where it is apparently perfectly legal to cut down trees (& not replace them until lumber prices increase) or hunt bikers & other living creatures or tear up the trails with ATVs driven by underaged & intoxicated rednecks.