MTB:
1 ride at North Mills River > New Years Day celebratory ride
2 Kitsuma rides (much lower than my average over the last few years)
1 Hedleys ride with some lower Creek added in
1 Buffalo Creek / Weed Patch Mountain night ride 10 miles (stopped at the first big overlook)
2 Green Way rides with Starla. 11 miles each
1 Fonta Flora 27 mile ride
1Chestnut Mountain out and back + Sinkhole. 14 miles
Kayak:
13 runs on Wilson Creek
2 runs on the Nolichucky River
1 run lower Upper Creek
The kayaking has been good and when I did ride, the trails were in good shape. Obviously I didn't MTB nearly as much as I usually do but there has been a lot going on besides kayaking.
I'm revisiting this post on June 7, 2020.
What a strange and crazy trip we have been on since then!
I had the breakdown above in the drafts since 3/1/20 but never published. The last sentence really seems like an understatement now: "Obviously I didn't MTB nearly as much as I usually do but there has been a lot going on besides kayaking."
I think that the last 3 months have been the most unusual and surreal months in terms of our general populations public health (Corona Virus), the economical impacts (Starla has been out of work for months and I expect my workplace to have a major incident at any time) - people don't support the automotive industry when there is a pandemic and major recession going on and the quantity of confirmed cases in Morganton keeps rising daily.
If all that was not enough crises; there are nationwide protests against police brutality especially racially motivated. I'm 55 and during my life there have been many riots and protests related to this topic. This movement is by far the most widespread and aggressively violent. Or so it seems thanks to all of the modern media/news, now that everyone has the ability to capture every moment to social media with a smart phone. Maybe there will be some positive change that comes out of it but it will not be without a lot of sacrifices.
Anyway... Very sad state of affairs as a population. I've been working all along thanks to being in an essential position. Let's hope it stays that way but I am not overly confident. Only time will tell.
With all the necessary social distancing and shutdown activities, it has throngs of people heading to recreate outdoors. Trailheads and boat launches are more crowded than I have ever seen them so I have been trying to go off the beaten pass when I get out which has not been as often as usual.
Fortunately, "the nature of the beast" that I am, when it comes to outdoors activities I have always preferred to get off the beaten path and socially distance from "group events". I have almost always preferred to be in a crowd of 4 or less. Like the perfect size for a rock band, haha.
On a very personal note, both Noel and Starla moved out at the end of 2019 and my divorce finally became final early April. All has been sad but eventually expected milestones.
I've changed my diet to pescatarian (only fish in terms of meat). Since the girls moved out, I've been cooking almost every meal for myself. Since all of the restaurants that I frequent have been closed for a couple of months, cooking for myself has been a necessity and a blessing. I've probably been eating healthier than I ever had my entire life.
I'm lucky to have had the 3 key women cooks in my life that I have learned the cooking fundamentals that I use from: Mom, Noel, and most recently Starla. All 3 are awesome cooks, my mom has been doing it forever and does it great (glad I paid attention a little bit all those years). Noel does not give herself as much credit as she deserves but she really learned to cook for herself while at college and has maintained the vegetarian lifestyle for a few years now and was regularly feeding me the last couple of years while she was living here and Starla has become an accomplished Chef / Kitchen Manager at a very special locally owned restaurant: Treat. Anyway if anyone even looks at the blog anymore there will be some food photos along with the prerequisite nature shots.
Enough Rambling On for now. End of 2019 Picture time. My next post will have early 2020 pics:
11/16/19 Weed Patch Mtn Soul-O:
11/24/19 Black Mountain Hike out of Montreat with Noel:
New Years Eve in Asheville with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
