Stuck in Puerto Rico

Our flight from Miami got delayed and so we missed our last flight into Guadeloupe. It was one of those movie moments where we are sprinting and sweating and praying that the gate wasn't closed....we didn't make it though....so AA put us up in the airport hotel gave on some food vouchers and put us on the plane for the following afternoon. I was angry at first and then remembered there was no point in getting all stressed with it because there was nothing we could do....and heck it wasn't so bad being stuck on a Carribean island. So Daniel and I woke up this morning morning ate some continental breakfast and then went for a run in search of a beach... after some running on the freeway, some hoping fences etc we found the beaches and alked along the beach and eventually ran in and went swimming... I love beaches with warm water! We eventually ran back all salty and sandy and now are getting ready to board yet some more planes....hopefully tonight we will find ourselves in Guadeloupe and start racing tomorrow!

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!

lina

Chapter 2: Leaving for Guadeloupe

Follow the Yogaslackers as Daniel and I head to the Carribean to race for the next week. The race is found at IGWA. We will also try and update the Yogaslacker website as well as this one.

Yesterday I went for my last big trail/beach run and night ride in SB with Daniel and today we went for a kayak in a double kayak.... It's been a blast here in SB and it will be sad to leave but I am ready for the next adventure.... and who doesn't love heading to the Carribean? I've been nicely acclimatized to the hot weather the last week and been training at least twice a day amongst some nicely deserved relaxation...

We are now packing and are getting excited about our trip (not that excited about the 4am wake up..but what can you do?).

Wish us luck and keep in touch!

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!

lina

Tunnel Trail/Rattlesnake.....running in SB

Andrew is off heading back North to Vancouver BC... it was hard seeing him off but luckily the fun continues... I have to learn to enjoy it all without him otherwise it will be a long long journey down south....



So Daniel and I hit up some trails for a little mountain run... again I was not disappointed with fab views, awesome trails and a great running partner! We also tried to catch a view of the damage from the nutty fires that engulfed the local mountains in Santa Barbara... We didn't get too close but close enough to see the sad damage....





We are now getting ourselves ready for our big trip down to the Carribean to race in the IGWA race in the Guadeloupe islands... The race involves a wide variety of sports and cultural events from surfing to golfing from cooking to dancing.... it will be a fun adventure no doubt!



Following IGWA I will head back to Vancouver for about 9 hours hit up the backcountry slopes of Mt Seymour for my little backcountry ski adventure and then I am off to Peru that same evening to live, learn and explore....

Live, Love, Laugh,...DREAM!

lina

Mountain Biking in Santa Barbara

Andrew and I found an awesome trail yesterday... we were being turned around by the narrow streets and large fire trucks.... Luckily somehow by good chance we found one of the trails that Daniel told us about. We rode up some very technical uphills for awhile, enjoyed some amazing views of SB from the mountains and rode down some awesome single track and magically found ourselves back at the car....



Today Daniel took us up Little Pine trail in the backcountry and it was again an amazing ride... we rode up for 2 hours and then rode down some awesome single track through a variety of terrain... There were some areas that were mentally tough due to the high drop off into the canyons... Following the ride were gorged ourselves with burritos and nachos... delicious!





Andrew unfortunately must head back up to Vancouver BC... I will miss him a lot but am getting exited about the next adventure in the Carribean... Daniel and I are heading to a race on the Islands of Guadeloupe. IGWA is a two person 6 day stage race...



Live, Love, Laugh,...DREAM!

Livin the Dream in Santa Barbara

Following some slacklining and juggling on the UCSB campus Thursday afternoon Andrew and I hit up some hot springs out in the mountains…. The road there was long, interesting and beautiful…. We got to ride along the ridge of the mountain for awhile before we dropped down on the other side and rode in the valley for quite some time. We arrived at this deserted parking lot with old change rooms and bathrooms and one old cold stinky hot spring tub…. We were not impressed… Before heading out disappointed I wanted to check out a trail at the end of the lot…. As the evening was getting dark I was following my desperate want for hot springs…. And BAM there they were two stone tubs full of hot water…. They were awesome! We savored the moment and enjoyed some private wild hot springs! We set up camp not too far away, enjoyed some good eats and a full moon.





Friday morning we were planning on doing a solid mountain bike ride as we were already in the mountains and had brought our bikes with us. Unfortunately for us and the mountains of SB as we were rolling out the Ranger came by to warn us of fires on the mountains and that the main road down into SB was closed. So after some debate whether or not we could still ride the trails we decided to head out but were not satisfied with the decision so somewhere along the way we saw a logging road… we stopped grabbed our bikes and went exploring down the road… other than great views nothing too exiting the road just stopped at one point and we had to climb some steep steep dirt roads back up…. Later that evening we hit up the beach for a night run….it was awesome we took off before sunset and got to experience it while running on the beach… I love it!.





Saturday Andrew and I met up with some old camp friends of mine Kritin and Mark. We met them at Santa Claus beach where we got to try out some SUP (stand up paddling), walk along the beach and have lunch at a fab little grill right on the beach… it was a full on beach day in Cali…. I think I may have found a new sport…. OH no…haha…





I’m already building some fantastic memories and getting my training back up to par…. I feel great!


Live, love, laugh,…DREAM!

lina

Wednesday Night Ride with Hazards Cycle Shop

Last night Daniel invited us along on his weekly night rides with the cycle shop. I wasn't sure what to expect going in... I'll admit I was a little nervous. We added on 2 hours by riding downtown to meet them and then riding back to Daniels at the end of the evening. We met at 6pm at the shop and right off the bat I knew it was going to be a unique experience. The guys were great as well as fast. We sprinted up the roads, up the hills, the guys foolin around with each other on the way to keep everyone on their toes. It was a cool experience to have absolutely no clue where we were going or for how long or how much vertical or type of descents we were about to embark on. We cruised up and up and up on road, single track and logging roads.... the moon was amazing bright and full and the air WARM.... It took me a little while to get the hang of the new terrain but after the first descent I felt like I had it....We got to experience riding up "The Wall" (steep, technical sprint of an uphill) and some amazing downhill... Following the ride and our little adventures back to near Daniel's place we stopped in for some veggie nachos and taquito (taco, burrito, quesadilla all in one) and a refreshing jug of beer! All in all an amazing evening! I feel so lucky...


Live, Love, Laugh,....DREAM!
lina

Santa Barbara

We are now in Santa Barbara. Enjoying beach cruisers, beach runs, bike night riding, good food and fantastic company! i love beach towns! We are staying put until Andrew leaves to head back North and I head to the Carribean to race with Daniel.

Andrew and I sat infront of a coffee shop this morning and were amazed by the amount of beach cruisers flying past us as students were heading to and from classes.... I am learning how to chill and enjoy a nice cup of coffee while lounging outside the coffee shop and chatting... much easier with hot sunny weather....haha...



life is good...



live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

West Coast Road Trip

West coast road trip….

Some pics can be found on my new Flickr website: click here.


My life took a dramatic turn in early October. To make a long story very short I now find myself sitting in Santa Cruz.

Andrew and I are taking a road trip down the west coast from Vancouver to Santa Barbara. We brought it all from skis to bikes, running shoes to climbing gear. Our plans were slim.. I knew I wanted to catch up with some folks on my way down but other than that? I suppose the road was ours to explore.

Vancouver to Portland
The first morning we woke up before the sun and headed for the border in order to try and beat as much traffic as possible…with success we rolled into Vivace coffees by REI in Seattle by 9.15am and met my buddy Colin. We caught up, drank probably the most delicious coffee to date and went and checked out REI (it is huge).



We rocked it to Portland and had enough time to check out the Pearl District, go for a run in the Forest trails before meeting up with another good friend Kristi and her man Mike. They made us a delicious dinner, we chatted about fermentation, had some of their home brew (which was fantastic) and eventually made it to the futon….



Portland to Redwoods California
After a good morning faff sorting out some flights, Kristi showed us around her neighbourhood, we played in the park and then headed for the coast. The Oregon coast is beautiful…. I made Andrew stop a lot as I was getting excited at every turn….The Oregon coast is long… We managed to sneak in a long long walk on a secluded beach into the night….We almost got stranded but luckily somehow found the car again. We drove into California late into the evening and set up camp in Redwood National Park. We managed to illegally park as well as set up our tent on an archeological finds area…. We got off lucky!



Redwood National Park to San Francisco
We rose with the sun and started off on what became a somewhat epic journey to San Francisco. The highway 1 proved to be gorgeous but very very slow….there is one section that is mighty twisty and sketchy but Andrew’s mad driving skills got us through.



We managed to run on Blind Beach which is slated as one of the most deadly beaches in California….. it was beautiful in that mysteriously frightening way. We left right before a coastal storm hit us…The end of the drive proved to be quite interested with fierce winds, showers and darkness. We met Kyle (an old high school friend) in San Francisco around 6pm. We went out for some yummy food and then hit up a Tiki bar which was full on…It rained, it thundered, the dance floor was on a wooden boat and the live band was playing on a moving platform in a pool of water. We drank all sorts of fruity drinks.




San Francisco to Santa Cruz



We woke up early in San Francisco as we had big plans before heading down to Santa Cruz. We started off the morning with coffees at a famous little coffee place called Blue Bottle. It lived up to its name. We then put on our running shoes and set out for what turned out to be an epic run! We managed to run over the Golden Gate Bridge through Fisherman’s Wharf and the Market Road, Downtown etc. We were out on our feet for 6 hours…. FUN! We managed to take off before dark and drive the coast road to Santa Cruz while hitting up a beach for sunset. We finally made it to a friend Alex’s place and Daniel (team Yogaslackers) arrived shortly after. Alex and Daniel prepared an amazing Indian dish…chatters and eats we didn’t hit the hay until about 1am.



A day in Santa Cruz
After dealer with parking issues Daniel, Andrew and I headed for a really fun mountain bike ride. What was supposed to be an hour ride turned into 3 hours of fun! He showed a bunch of the trails around campus. We finished the ride close to dark but managed to squeeze in a fun atypical trail run with Alex before figuring out dinner. Alex and Daniel once again prepared two outstanding meals.. We ate like Kings and Queens and Katharyn (Daniels friend from SD came over for a visit).

We are now heading to Santa Barbara.

Live, Love, Laugh,…DREAM!
Lina