Ready or Not, Here I Come

 

I stared at the side road in disbelief. What the heck?!! 

I had just arrived by bike at the road to Byers Lake Campground, where I had planned to spend the night. But a closed gate across the road held a sign saying the campground was closed. And worse, the road was covered in a foot of wet snow.

There's still a lot of snow on the ground in mid-May

I had reserved a public use cabin at the lake, but it was about a mile down the unplowed access road. What to do? Should I push my bike through that snow, getting my shoes and socks soaked? And then do it again the next morning when it was supposed to be raining, with temperatures near freezing? Or should I keep riding? I had already ridden 100 miles that day, 50 of them with a headwind.

It was just another problem to deal with. And I knew there would be plenty of those in my upcoming attempt at the Bike NonStop US (BNSUS) bikepacking race. I guess I could consider this problem part of my training.

Anchorage Bound

Last fall I learned that David Sedaris would be performing in Anchorage in mid-May. He writes dry humor about himself and his family. Eric and I find his books hilarious. We have listened to most of them and love them. He narrates the audiobooks with a dry delivery that complements the writing. It would be fun to see him perform live. And the timing could work out. We had planned to drive to Oregon before my race to pick up a lightweight pop-up camper for our truck. Our plan had been to leave in mid-May. We could just head to Anchorage first, then leave from there for the lower 48. So, I bought two tickets as Christmas presents for us.

Then I started thinking. Maybe I could bike to Anchorage with my fully loaded bike as a final shakedown ride and Eric could meet me with the truck. It would be perfect timing for a big ride and then I could taper for two weeks until the start of the race. I had never biked all the way to Anchorage and had always wanted to. This might be the time to do it.

The route from Fairbanks to Anchorage is straightforward, you stay on the Parks Highway until Wasilla and then switch to the Glenn Highway. It’s about 370 miles, so I could easily get it done in 3-4 days. The weather is usually good in May although it would most likely be below freezing at night. I sleep cold and was only taking a lightweight summer sleeping bag, so I really didn’t want to camp out. Plus, there was still a lot of snow on the ground from Fairbanks to Talkeetna. I decided to look for places to stay inside at night. 

Using Google Maps, I looked for hotels about 100 miles apart. The first night was easy, I found a place to stay in Healy. The second night was harder. After Cantwell, 40 miles from Healy, there isn’t much until near Talkeetna, another 100 miles from Cantwell. But there are public use cabins at Byers Lake, 100 miles from Healy. One was available, so I snagged it. For night three, I rented a hotel room in Palmer, 120 miles from Byers Lake, and would then just have a 50-mile day to the Airbnb I rented in Anchorage. 

Medical Issues

With logistics out of the way, I could start stressing about other things. Such as my health. I have ankylosing spondylitis, a rare type of autoimmune arthritis that mainly affects the spine. It has been under good control with my very expensive weekly injectable biologic medication. Did I have enough for our almost 3-month trip? Nope. And getting enough was a logistical nightmare. I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies trying to get a vacation override and finally got it figured out. The medication would arrive the night before Eric left Fairbanks. Whew!  

(Spoiler alert – it did not work out. The day the medication was supposed to arrive, I got a call that there was a delay in shipping. Really?!!! It looks like I will have to have the medication sent to a friend’s house sometime during my race or go without for a couple of weeks. Sigh.)

Also, I have not seen a rheumatologist – a specialist in autoimmune disorders – in years. Usually, I have just seen one of my family medicine partners about getting my medication. I had been thinking about getting a rheumatologist again anyway, so I decided to see if my favorite rheumatologist, Ryan Ragle in Anchorage, would take me on. While working, I had been on the phone with him almost monthly about my own patients. Maybe he could see me while I was in Anchorage? I called and he agreed to fit me in just a few days before the David Sedaris performance. 

Then over the past month I started having more problems with my thumbs. I have osteoarthritis in them, but I also started having trigger thumb, a condition where your joint locks up and it hurts and pops when you try to flex or extend the joint. Most likely it was worse due to riding drop bar handlebars on my gravel bike. What if it got worse while on my bike race? I decided to see if my favorite hand surgeon, Owen Ala in Anchorage, could also fit me in and give me steroid injections. Amazingly, he had an appointment that fit perfectly with my timing. How did I get so lucky? It probably helped that I have been a fellow physician who refers patients to these doctors frequently. You gotta take your perks where you can. Finally, with the health issues figured out, I was ready to just ride my bike.

Day One – The Hilly Day

What a great day! Lots of climbing out of Fairbanks but minimal headwinds. It was a mostly sunny day. Cool, but not too cold. I have biked between Fairbanks and Denali several times, so I knew what to expect. I made good progress and got to Healy around dinner time. Ride stats: 115 miles with 5500 feet elevation gain. 

I checked into my hotel and decided to eat at the closest restaurant, the Totem Inn. I knew their burgers are good even if their service is slow. While I was waiting for the waitress to acknowledge me, my friend and family medicine partner, Cris Kaufmann, walked in the door with her nephew and another friend! They had come down for the day to bike the Denali National Park Road and were getting dinner before heading back to Fairbanks. It was fun to share stories over dinner. 

I ran into Cris, her nephew, and her friend at the Totem Inn at dinner

Day Two – The Long and Windy Day

I had also reached out to another friend in Healy, Patrice LaVigne, who agreed to meet me for breakfast the next morning. We met as soon as the coffee shop opened and had a leisurely breakfast talking and waiting for the sun to warm things up. It looked to be another beautiful day. 

Patrice meets me for breakfast

And it was, except for the headwind that continued for 50 miles until I was over Broad Pass where it thankfully turned into a tailwind. But the sky was cloudless, and the mountains were spectacular in the clear air. Denali was out in all her glory. The temperature warmed to 50 but felt warmer with the sun shining down. Once again, I made steady progress, but I as I got closer to Byers Lake at 7:30 PM, I was ready to be done for the day.

There aren't many services for about 90 miles after Cantwell

So, I was thrown for a loop when I saw the road to the campground – and cabin – hadn’t been plowed. I called Eric, but cell coverage was spotty, so it was hard to communicate. I looked at Google Maps and wondered about the McKinley View Princess Hotel, which was only 15 miles further. I asked Eric to see if he could make a reservation for me while I kept biking. A few minutes later he texted that the Princess was not open yet, but he made me a reservation at the Three Bears Trapper Creek Inn at mile 115 of the Parks Highway. I thanked him for getting me a room somewhere. (Eric is the best!)

Byers Lake is at mile 150 so I would need to ride another 35 miles to get to the hotel. While I was tired, I wasn’t exhausted. I had plenty of food and water. Plus, the route was mostly trending downhill. And it was a beautiful evening. The next day was supposed to be rainy, so getting in more miles while the weather was good made sense. I turned on some good music and the miles flew by. I made it to the hotel by 9:30 PM, ate a burrito I had been carrying all day, took a quick shower, and went to bed. Ride stats: 135 miles with 4700 feet elevation.

Day Three – The Cold and Rainy Day

The next morning was cold and rainy as predicted. And it looked like it was going to rain all day. I was glad I had a reservation at a hotel in Palmer instead of camping out. But first I had to backtrack half a mile to get some breakfast at the only open restaurant at the gas station. I ate and lingered a bit, having a hard time motivating to leave. 

Am I ready to ride in the cold rain?!

And the day proved to be miserable. It rained all day, and the temperature never got above 45F. I had waterproof socks, but even with them, my toes got cold and wet. I put in some toe warmers and added plastic bags over my feet, which helped a little. 

Between my rain gear and the dishwashing gloves I had brought along, the rest of me did fine. I stopped every 20 miles or so at a gas station to get some food and dry out a little. I put on a good audiobook, which helped the time pass. My bike got covered in grit but worked just fine. After Willow, the traffic really picked up, but fortunately there is a bike path, so I could get off the highway. I made the turn onto the Wasilla-Palmer Highway and before I knew it, I was at my hotel. 

Pro tip - Dishwasher gloves to keep hands warm and mostly dry in the rain

I had contacted my friend in Palmer, Carlene, and she and her husband wanted to join me for dinner. She brought me some crocs to wear so I could get out of my wet shoes and socks. And another friend, Stacey, brought over a boot drier to dry out my shoes. I felt well taken care of. And after a hot shower and some good Italian food, life was good again! I was proud of myself for maintaining a good attitude all day. And I only had 50 miles to go the next day. Stats: 85 miles with 2300 feet elevation.

Dinner with Carlene and her husband Pat

Day Four – The Short Day

Both Stacey and Carlene met me for breakfast, and I was glad they did. They discussed the best way for me to get through the busy corridor between Palmer and Anchorage and how to access the bike paths. They spent a lot of time coming up with a great route and we all worked to get it on my bike navigation computer. Carlene offered to ride with me for a bit to head me in the right direction. We didn’t leave Palmer until almost noon but that gave the rain a chance to stop and the temperature to warm up. By the time we started riding, the sun was even peeking out between the clouds. Carlene ended up going about a third of the way with me before turning back. Thank you, Carlene and Stacey!

Carlene and Stacey figuring out a good route for me to take

Crossing the old historic Knik Bridge

It was great to ride with Carlene for about 15 miles

I had only a couple of hours more to get to my Airbnb in Anchorage. It was easy riding but stressful due to all the traffic. Luckily, I was mostly on bike paths but generally they ran right next to the highway and so there was constant noise from the traffic. It made me realize how good we have it in Fairbanks for road biking. 

A lot of the bike paths are along busy roads with lots of traffic noise

Final thoughts

I was happy to finally get to my Airbnb. I had done 385 miles in three-and-a-half days, and I felt better than expected.  This shakedown trip had a little of everything:  some hills, some headwind, a lot of rain and cool temperatures but I survived them all with not too much fuss. I was tired, of course, but not exhausted. I even did a couple of fun bike rides around Anchorage in between doctor appointments. I have more confidence that I can still do long back-to-back days. Maybe I can finish this BNSUS bike race! And it was a special treat to meet up with friends every day. Thanks to everybody who shared in my journey. Now it’s time to taper while we drive out of Alaska to the race start in Astoria, Oregon.  

And here is the link for those who want to follow my tracker during the race which starts June 1.

Life is Short

 post by Corrine

“I feel that as I’m getting older, it’s harder to get outside of my comfort zone. I used to just take off on adventures and wing it, but now I plan and worry more.”

Ryan told me this as we were having Mexican food together in Boulder, Colorado. Ryan Van Duzer is a YouTuber who encourages people to get outside. He goes on many bikepacking adventures, which is how I found him online. I started following him and became a Patreon of his. I finally met him in person in 2023 at RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). I had lunch with him on a recent trip to Boulder, where he lives.

Photo with Ryan on a cold, snowy Boulder day

Ryan was talking to me about a 250-mile running race that he was going to do in early May. He has done several 100-mile running races, but this was a big step up. His comment about getting outside the comfort zone resonated with me. It’s exactly how I’ve been feeling this past year. I still want to push myself but it’s getting harder. It was validating to hear Ryan say the same thing, especially since he is 20 years younger. We both decided that as we get older, we should push outside our comfort zones even if it is harder to do. Life is short, we should savor new experiences and keep having them. 

“Life is short” is a refrain I kept thinking about on my recent trip to Colorado.

I headed to Colorado in mid-April to see my friend, Betsy, who was diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma (brain tumor) 18 months ago. She had treatment with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, but a couple of months ago the tumor came back with a vengeance. We have no idea how much time she has left, and I wanted a chance to see her one more time. So, I booked a ticket to Colorado as soon as I could.

Betsy two years ago when she came up to do a fat bike trip in the White Mountains

Life is not just short; sometimes it’s not fair. Betsy is only 46, married with two young children. She was always going off on adventures, from bikepacking to climbing, snowboarding, packrafting, and surfing. I am amazed at how many adventures she has already had in her 46 years. But this tumor has drastically changed her life, stealing from her many of the activities she used to love.

A few days before she was diagnosed, she had done the hardest rock climb of her life. But now her vision and balance are poor. Her strength has diminished. And she is fatigued a lot of the time. Life can change on a dime at any time. I’ve seen this many times as a doctor. One day a patient is fine and then the next day, due to illness or an accident, their life is vastly different. Then they must change expectations and goals. It can be incredibly hard.

Betsy's body is giving out but her spirit is strong- Steroids have caused puffiness

Betsy has had to do this over and over for the past year-and-a-half. First, she couldn’t climb any more. Then it was harder to bike. Now some days she barely has energy to get out of bed. Yet, she still has her adventurous spirit, and she still pushes her limits as she can. In the past, we might have taken off for an overnight mega bike trip. She can’t do that anymore, but she can still have fun, smaller adventures. And we did. While I was there, we went for a walk, did a weightlifting session, attended her daughter’s art exhibit and went out for dinner. And binge watched a new show on Netflix. 

Pizza dinner with Betsy and her family

On my trip, I also spent time with friends, Jill and Beat, who live in the hills above Boulder. They recently bought a home in France and will soon be spending most of their time there. I was glad to visit them again before they move, and get in a bike ride with Jill. Although they still plan to visit us in Alaska, you never know. Beat is not an American citizen. Will he be allowed back if he leaves? Most likely but who knows given the current political situation? Life is short. It’s important to spend time with the people we care about. 

Always good to spend time with Jill and Beat

I brought my gravel bike to Colorado so I could get in some longer training rides. It was great to bike in warmer temperatures and feel the sun after the long Fairbanks winter. And to see green grass and flowers blooming. And the biking infrastructure in Boulder is amazing. So many bike paths. So many people out on bikes. So easy to bike around town and the surrounding area. But the altitude kicked my butt. Boulder is at 5400 feet. Jill and Beat live at the top of Flagstaff Road at 7200 feet. Any ride from their house involves a lot of climbing just to get back home! Good for training but exhausting. I ended up driving to the start of one of my rides (after seeing Betsy) just so I didn’t have to do the 1800-foot climb again! 

While in Boulder I also met with Chad of Corvid Cycles who makes custom titanium bikes. A friend in Fairbanks had bought one of his bikes and let me try it out last summer. I was sold. I’ve been thinking about a new hardtail mountain bike for bikepack adventures for about three years and I was finally ready to order one. It will cost a pretty penny, but I reminded myself that life is short. If a new bike makes my life more enjoyable, I should buy one. Plus, I ride my bikes a lot. My current mountain bike is over 12 years old with more than 40,000 miles on it. And this one would have a Pinion Gates belt drive. Goodbye to derailleurs and chain lube! I was glad to have the chance to meet Chad in person to discuss specifics. My new bike won’t be ready until fall, but that’s okay as I’ll be gone most of the summer on my Trans Am Bike Nonstop US adventure. 

Corvid Cycles Sojourner bike that I just ordered

I’ve been questioning my decision to do this race. I’m getting anxious and worrying about all the details. While Ryan told me his worries of his upcoming 250-mile running race, I told him about my worries of the Trans Am. Am I too old to do it? Will my body hold up? Am I in good enough shape? Will I be able to climb the hills with the gearing on my bike? Can I meet my goals? Can I deal with any mechanicals? Like Ryan, I feel like I’m stressing more about challenges like this as I get older.

I stressed about these same things when I was younger, but it feels different now. I’ve had many older patients who start to worry more as they age. I’ve always wondered why. They’ve lived through many difficult challenges and have had long vibrant lives. They’ve made it through all the hard times. They shouldn’t be worrying more now. Yet they do. And now I feel like I’m starting to do the same thing. Is it that my mortality is staring me in the face? The end of my life is closer than it was twenty years ago. When I was younger, I didn’t think much about how long I had left to live. But now there’s less of life ahead than there is behind. Who knows. Are we all scared, at least a little, about growing old and having our lives change?

Or maybe it’s because I know what can go wrong, and I feel less equipped to deal with adversity when it comes my way. But that makes no sense either. I’ve overcome adversity in the past, why wouldn’t I be able to do it now? Maybe I keep trying to do hard things because it helps build resilience for the unknown adversities in my future. I may not be ready, and I may not have all the answers, but I can keep moving forward. Is that it? So many questions and no clear answers. Why do I keep doing going outside my comfort zone and causing myself this stress? 

In the end, I guess I do it because life IS short. If I don’t do these hard things now, I might never do them. I’m not quite ready to give up pushing myself. And I don’t want to have regrets that I didn’t at least try while I still could. Life WILL change and even though I will still be able to push my limits in the future, those limits will be different. My comfort zone will get smaller.

It scary to think about this, but it’s going to happen one day whether I like it or not. All I can do is keep moving forward and pushing on. Like Betsy, I should try to live every day to the fullest that I can. And because “life is short”, when June 1 arrives, I’ll get on my bike and start pedaling east and just figure it out as I go. 

Another Year Older

 

Post by Corrine

“Get up NOW!”

I woke out of a deep sleep when Nikki yelled from the open cabin door.  Erica and I immediately jumped out of our warm sleeping bags, tossed on our jackets, and followed Nikki outside. We assumed her rude awakening was due to the lights. We had made a pact to wake each other up if the aurora was spectacular.

And! It! Was! 

All aurora photos are from Erica and Nikki as their phones took better night photos than my older phone

The sky all around Crowberry Cabin was lit up with auroras. The display kept going and going. We kept ducking back inside to warm up only to quickly head back out so as not to miss any of the show. We stayed outside for close to an hour watching in awe while trying to get photos to capture the auroral display. What a perfect end to my birthday!

Another Birthday

Another March, another year older. I don’t think that much about birthdays or generally worry about getting older or slower (although I am). Mostly I find them a good excuse to plan something fun. When I looked at the calendar, I realized my birthday was the day before the White Mountains 100, a multisport 100-mile race that makes a loop around the White Mountains just north of Fairbanks. Although my days of racing it are over (I skied it twice and biked it once), I still love this race. Two years ago, I rode the course backwards with Eric and two friends, over several days.  We took pictures of all the racers as they went by us. This year I thought I could just plan an overnight but still get photos of all the racers. That would be a fun way to spend a birthday. I checked online and Crowberry Cabin (25 miles into the race) was available the night before the race started. Perfect. 

Crowberry Cabin

Eric wasn’t interested in coming. And even I wasn’t sure if I would have the energy to do another overnight trip since I had another multi-day cabin trip planned earlier in the week. But, heck, I am training for a month-long bike race this summer and doing back-to-back trips would be good training. So, I booked the cabin and hoped for good weather. I decided to ask a couple of women bike friends if they wanted to join me. I told them I would be slow, but they said they didn’t care. Husbands were invited, too, but none could come, which was okay. It would be fun to have a girl’s only weekend.

Erica and Nikki join me for a girl's weekend

My Birthday Could Not Have Been Better

As my birthday got closer, Mother Nature gave me the perfect birthday present with phenomenal conditions. Sunny with highs in the lower 30s and minimal wind. I couldn’t have wished for a better forecast. In fact, most of March had had amazing weather. And I knew the trails were quite good from my previous trip, so it was looking like a great birthday weekend.

Erica, Nikki, and I met up at the trailhead Saturday morning around 11 AM. Erica and Nikki immediately surged ahead on the first mile-long uphill. 

“Told you I would be slow,” I muttered to myself as they disappeared up the trail. Oh well, they are both quite a bit younger than me and I am another year older. It was too nice of a day to be grumpy. They could either wait or just go ahead and meet me at the cabin. I was fine with either. 

Erica and Nikki wait for me before we start the Moose Connector 

We decided to take the long way to Crowberry Cabin by heading down the Wickersham Creek Trail and then taking the Moose Connector over to Trail Creek Trail, adding about 4 miles to our day for a total of 29 miles. Erica had never been on the connector trail, and it was in the best shape I have ever seen it. No overflow, no wind drifts, good riding the whole way. 

Great biking on the Moose Connector Trail

Erica and Nikki waited for me at the Moose Creek Cabin, where the trail got a lot softer due to warmer afternoon temperatures and a large group of snowmachiners going by. Once again, I was left in the dust as we pedaled the last nine miles to the cabin. I was slow but steady and it was such a beautiful day, I didn’t care.

The trail was a little softer after Moose Creek Cabin but the views were outstanding

Once at the cabin, we were happy to see there was plenty of firewood but were dismayed to find no pots for melting water. There are always a few pots around the cabins. Somebody must have taken them. Luckily, Erica had included a larger collapsible pot that we could use, as we had otherwise just brought small 1-liter pots with us. It would take a long time to melt enough snow with those.

While Erica melted snow, Nikki and I got more firewood to replace what we would use. It was so nice to be out in the sun in just our long john shirts sawing dead tree trunks. Soon all the chores were done, and we were ready to make our freeze-dried dinners. 

Eating dinner at the cabin

Then Erica pulled out a large plastic container holding a huge piece of cake to celebrate my birthday. She carried it the whole way on her bike, and it didn’t even get smushed! She and Nikki offered to sing “Happy Birthday.” But they both said they couldn’t sing, so I didn’t push for it! The piece of cake was large enough for all three of us to share. It was an unexpected birthday surprise and made my day feel even more special than it had been. This was my second surprise cake this month! On our recent trip on the Denali Highway, Nikki and another friend Erica ordered one from Tangle Lakes Lodge for my retirement. I could get used to having cake on all winter trips!

Yum!  Birthday cake.  I can't believe that Erica carried in on her bike all day.

As the sun was setting, we went for a short walk back up the trail. It was a beautiful evening. Crowberry Cabin is in a stunning location with expansive views of the mountains. Watching the sun set was another high point of my day. 

Watching the sunset

We were tired and so were snug in our sleeping bags with lights out by 9 PM. Luckily, Nikki had drunk a lot of tea that evening and had to go pee a couple of hours later. She walked outside and looked up thinking the stars were quite nice. But then she turned toward the outhouse and saw the sky was exploding with auroras. That’s when she threw open the cabin door and yelled at us.

That aurora display was one of the more spectacular light shows that any of us had seen in a long time. And it lasted forever. 

We finally settled back into bed. The aurora were out again when I had to get up at 2 AM to pee and again at 3 AM when Nikki got up. But they weren’t quite as spectacular as earlier in the evening, so we let each other sleep. I was surprised the auroras were so spectacular as the forecast was for low activity with a Kp index of 2. We hoped it would be as good the next night for the WM100 racers who would be out on the course after dark. 

My birthday had been filled with many surprising moments, more than I could have imagined. What a fantastic day!

The White Mountains 100 Race

We weren’t in a big rush the next morning but were up and ready to leave at 9 AM. I had told Nikki and Erica to just go ahead as I planned to take photos of all the racers, which would mean a lot of stopping. The race started at 8 AM so I figured I would start seeing the racers at about 10. And I did. As I started up the last long uphill before Moose Creek Cabin, the lead bikers came bombing downhill. I stopped and quickly took a couple of photos before recognizing one of them, Curtis, as he said hi while whizzing by. 

Curtis and Conner in the lead. Curtis went on to win the race in 8 hours 40 minutes.

When my friend, Ben, came biking towards me a few minutes later, he stopped his bike and started rummaging in his bag. I thought it was a weird place for him to stop - on a steeper downhill - but maybe he needed a snack? Then he handed me a small container of Haagen Daas ice cream. And then a card. And then he pulled out a plastic container with a cupcake. And put a candle in it. And pulled out his lighter to light the candle. Ben is a man of few words, so I had to figure out on my own that this was a birthday celebration! 

Ben stops to make my birthday special while racing!  He went on to finish the race in 14 hours 32 minutes.

I started laughing and told him he needed to get going, this is a race! He shouldn’t be stopping to wish me a happy birthday. Or carrying all this extra weight. He didn’t say anything, just gave me a look and kept trying to light the candle. We finally decided it wasn’t worth lighting (there was a slight breeze that kept blowing it out). I had him take my picture and then I sent him on his way. Just another fun and surprising birthday moment in this amazing weekend. 

A little while later, I decided I needed to put the ice cream in a spot where it wouldn’t melt with the sun beating down, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Twice I emptied my entire pack but still couldn’t find it. Dang, it must have fallen out. I was so disappointed, but I hoped that one of the racers would find the treat and enjoy it. And I still had my cupcake and card!

For the next hour-and-a-half, the racers continued to pass me. I had fun stopping and cheering and taking photographs of each one. They were all in good spirits. It was a gorgeous day, and the trail conditions were excellent for biking, skiing, and running. Plus, it was still early in the race, too. I was happy to see them out there and had no FOMO about not doing the race myself. 

Shalane smashed her own women's ski record by an hour. She finished in 11 hours 43 minutes!

Jamie did the race with his son, Liam.  Liam at age 12 is the youngest racer ever to finish!

Beat having fun on the trail! He finished on foot in 30 hours 28 minutes.

Another Year Older and Still Having Fun

After passing the last racer, I continued to bike to the trailhead passing lots of other people out biking, skiing, hiking, and mushing, all enjoying the wonderful spring weather. I may be getting older -- though not quite over the hill -- and I may be getting slower, and maybe I can’t quite keep up with some of my younger friends anymore, but I can still have a lot of fun. This weekend definitely proved that!

Thanks to Erica and Nikki for sharing my birthday weekend with me!