The Sleepy Thoughts of an Inu

What is it that you want?  Do you have a cookie for me?  No?  (gives the evil eye)



I can not believe you bothered me for that...



Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Summer Storms

According to my doctor, I have at least four more weeks of inactivity to survive through before I can start being mobile again.  This is most unfortunate as I am very much going crazy inside the four walls of my home.  This does however, give me lots of time to reflect.

While watching a nice summer thunderstorm (or, late Spring if you must be technical about it), I realized how much I have missed running and biking in the rain.  

A trail run in the warm rain of a summer storm is one of the most peaceful adventures you can have without traveling.  The canopy of the trees diffuses the rain into an incredibly relaxing shower.  The smell of the forest in the rain is so clean and fresh and just radiates green.  All of the woodland creatures come out to frolic in the cooler air.  

It gets even better on a bike.  Dusty trails turn into slick mud.  Puddles form to splash through.  And the air turns into a nice cool breeze.  

Only a few more weeks until I can get back on the bike.  I am really looking forward to it.  I just wish this time would pass quickly!

Why Do You Ride?

I get asked this question a lot.  

Why do I ride?  

There are many reasons.  Most of them are pretty obvious.  

The Freedom:  Riding a bicycle (regardless of type, quality, or fashion) gives an incredible amount of freedom.  Bikes are relatively low maintenance and require no state issued license to operate them.  Even children can have the freedom to be mobile with bicycles.  I can get from Point A to Point B without much hassle as long as there are no major hills or maniac auto drivers.




You Can See:  The speed at which a bicycle moves along is definitely faster than we can walk, so we can cover more ground.  However, riding a bicycle is definitely a slower pace than our highly efficient autos.  Therefore, a bicycle travels at the perfect speed for seeing the world.  You can cover a fair amount of ground and still SEE what is around you.  A great example of this would be to take your bike on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  You can truly admire the beauty of the mountains around you.  Plus it is not a hassle to stop at every viewpoint and just take a gander at the amazing-ness of nature.



Adventure Awaits:  On a bike (especially a mountain bike) one can take an ordinary day and turn it in to an adventurous exploration!  Do you have any idea how many parks and trails there are out there just waiting for your knobby tires to locate them?  And do you have any idea how fun it is to just spend the day getting lost on those trails?  Granted, it is definitely a good idea to have maps and/or a GPS to help you get unlost as the sun starts to set.  



Challenge Yourself:  Mountain biking can be an incredible challenge at times.  You try balancing yourself on two wheels while navigating single track riddled with rocks and tree limbs while huffing and puffing up a 20% grade.  It will definitely get your heart pumping.  Yes, you will fall.  Yes, you will probably hurt yourself.  But once you are able to make it up that mountain, there is no greater feeling of accomplishment.  Especially once you realize you get to go DOWN that mountain!




And probably the biggest reason for me...

It allows me to really relax and find myself.  To me, getting lost in the woods with nothing but my bike, my camelback (filled with lifesaving goods like Clif Bars, water, a GPS, tool kit, a headlamp, and my iPod), and no mission is the greatest therapy from the every day world there is.  It truly makes me feel like I have control over my life.  



We all get lost in the day to day world of work, paying bills, making other people happy, and being boxed into our four little walls (of homes, stores, offices, etc.).  It really makes a huge difference in my outlook on life and my overall well being when I can take a few hours and just follow a trail wherever it goes.

In the Beginning...

There was a simple girl, living in a very complex world, just trying to find her way over the river and through the woods.

Haha, just kidding...  I would never try and get out of the woods.  At least not on purpose anyway.

Hi, I am Casey and this is my Blog.  Or what I hope will become my blog.

I have been said to have a very adventurous spirit.  And I suppose that is true.  In my spare time from my job, I mountain bike, hike, kayak, and generally just try and get lost in the mountains around the city in which I live.  Oh, and I also save lives (I am an EMT).  If that is not adventurous, then I have no idea what is.

I have two incredibly entertaining Inus (that would be Japanese for dogs as they are Japanese dogs).

Bella:


and Nola:


They are awesome.

My adventurous spirit has gotten me into trouble a few times...  And I am currently recovering from one of those troubles.  I recently had back surgery and am off the adventurous circuit for a couple of months while I recuperate.  Well, to be completely honest, I am off any kind of circuit as I have been off work for a few weeks as well.  But it has given me a lot of time to plan my future adventures!

So thanks for reading, and hopefully I can find some quasi interesting topics to discuss while I wait to get back to wandering through the mountains.  I think this blog will be a combination of random thoughts, antics about my Inus, and fun filled adventure tails that may or may not be slightly exaggerated.

Until next time!