vacation in the highlands

Last week we went on vacation to the highlands of SW Virginia. We stayed in a town called Whitetop which is at the base of Whitetop mountain, the second highest peak in Virginia. The is only a few miles from Mt. Rogers, the highest peak, both are around 6000ft. There was lots of nice hiking in the area, including the Grayson Highlands State Park. Also, we were less than a mile from the Virginia Creeper Trail which is a rails-to-trails path. The trail is very smooth gravel and is around 33 miles long, and mostly downhill from our end. It used to serve as the train tracks to bring lumber out of the mountains. Now its a bike trail. We saw tons of wildlife including seeing bears in our front yard, twice! We also caught salamanders including the third biggest salamander in the world. Good trip!

Excited to hit the road!

Hiking in the Grayson Highlands. This was a 2 mile hike and Amalia did the whole thing.

Relaxing by the stream.

Riding the Virginia Creeper Trail. We did rides of 2, 5, 6, and 10 miles. Lisa would pull Camilo in the trailer while Amalia rode along side, or usually in front. Ignacio would drive ahead and park and backtrack up the trail, running, and then guide them back to the car.

Camilo seemed to like riding in the trailer but would probably prefer his own bike.

Its tiring riding and hiking all day.
Camilo was fascinated by the cows next door.
Amalia caught dozens of salamanders.
She did great on the hikes but sometimes needed to sit on a rock and rest.
Its not easy riding in the backpack. Sometimes Camilo needs to sit down on a rock and eat a bagel.
Tom and Ana (Ignacio's parents) came out for a couple of days. Amalia loved having them around to read to her and go hiking with her. Camilo won't sit still for anyone!
The best find was Ignacio catching a hellbender salamander in the Whitetop-Laural Creek. They are super rare and this one was walking along the bottom. They are super slimy so the shirt was used to hold it.
Probably about a foot long. Big salamander!
When we let him go he just walked/swam away.
I definitely recommend the area for a vacation. Nice a cool, especially in the hot summer months.

summer racing

Been a while since I posted some prose. So here is some non-fiction. The second half of this summer has been dominated by racing of one form or another.

First, there was a big bike race in Roanoke for the 4th of July weekend. We went down there for the day. I did my race and rolled around a city block for an hour or so. Nothing to write about except that I had the biggest fan club! Amalia went crazy and cheered every time I came around. Its pretty cool having fans but all I could show her was how to be honorable in defeat. After my race was the kids race. Unfortunately, she was too young to do a full lap, that was for the big kids. So she did a 1/4 lap with a few other kids. Her bike is geared too low though. It helps on hills but her feet fly off when she starts pedaling really fast. Anyway, she finished and got a medal and a hotdog! Thats a good prize!

I almost forgot that the day before this race there was a 5k in Shawsville. Amalia did the 1 mile fun run with Lisa and Camilo. Unfortunately, she crashed in warm-ups and bloodied her knees. She still toughed it out and made us proud! I did the 5K and did a personal best of 17:13 which means I averaged 5:33/mile for 3.1 miles. I was pretty pleased.

Then there was the Blacksburg Bicycle Classic. Unfortunately there was no kids race, just adults. So Lisa decided to do her first road race, well actually a criterium. It was right near our home so we all rode over to watch. Unfortunately with women's racing there aren't too many participants so they combine categories. So Lisa, as a beginner, got to race with women who are one step away from being pro (whatever that means in the US bicycle racing scene). In any case, what it meant for Lisa was pain. She hung with the group for a couple of laps and then got gapped off the back. But she didn't quit and rode hard all the way to the end. I think she had a good time. Amalia and I had made her a sign and once again Amalia was the biggest fan at the race and cheered like crazy. The best part was that we were positioned at the base of the climb so for a couple of laps Amalia got to run along side Lisa, just like at the Tour de France! Next time we might have to go out the night before and paint 'SpeedMoore Racing' on the road! Lisa ended up 5th out of 7, not bad for a first race. The next day was the road race out in Maggie, Virginia, about 20 miles away. My race was about 50 miles and ended on a 2.5 mile climb that averaged 8% grade. Needless to say, it hurt. I ended up 4th out of probably 40. Both days were stupid hot with temperatures over 90 and very humid. This has been the hottest summer since we moved here.

The most recent race was just this friday, the Draper mile associated with the Steppin' Out street fair. Its a straight 1 mile race that is downhill and ends in the middle of the fair. Its pretty cool because there are tons of people watching and cheering. Amalia did the kids race with 2 of her friends. Apparently she was super fast and no one could keep up with her. She had a great time! I did the elite race and did a 4:54. Every year I do about the same. This year I am in better shape but have had a cold all week. I felt it too. I was looking for a rest station in a 1 mile race!

We still aren't done racing though. Lisa has a triathlon coming up and then starts cyclocross season. I love 'cross and Lisa has mentioned wanting to do a race or two as well. Hopefully there will be kids races too. Pretty soon Camilo will be racing too.

SpeedMoore Racing!