2019 rolled in and it's just as busy as the previous ones.....

We left Anchorage Alaska, a little over a 6 months ago and are really feeling a little more settled into the life down here in the lower 48. There are many things we as a family miss from Alaska but equally things we appreciate down here.

The munchkin is now swimming four times a week at the local swim club (King Marlin Swim Club),

Getting ready for another training session

she has also joined the cub scouts where I am helping out as a leader.

Becoming a Bobcat, she is actually a Webelos 

Amanda is getting to grips with her job, learning lots about the many different clients she now is working for. She also completed a course about landscape gardening. I am expecting exciting projects to come.

We have also managed to start to find some interesting hiking areas where we get to see some cool geology. 

Family fun looking at rocks

I am currently still playing at being a home maker although I am pursuing work opportunities somewhat related to my degree rather than going back to work at a bike shop. The bike shop is still on my mind though since it was a super fun job. The current situation would mean working weekends for any job would be complicated as Amanda's schedule is so irregular.

I have also joined a new bike team whose primary sponsor is the Bike Lab. They are a lot bigger than Revolution Racing I believe over 80 members. Many of them are road riders/racers but I won't hold that against them :D  they are a really fun crowd to ride with. 

On the road trying to keep up. 

I am riding a lot of gravel in preparation for the gravel races I have signed up for in February and March. Fortunately I can get onto nice and quiet gravel roads within 7 miles of the house, although they don't have (m)any bends I am improving my riding of 90 degree turns and stop signs.

Solo training for the gravel rides

The mountain biking here is very different to Alaska, there are no mountains, although Kincaid wasn't on a mountain either. I am enjoying riding when I get to ride though it normally involves a 40+ min drive to ride. I am to be racing on the 20th January for a 4hr 19min race at a location called Thunder Bird Lake, I pre rode the course with some team mates the other week and enjoyed it a lot.

MTB team pre ride of 419 course

I am also excited to try and work out what category I will race in for the rest of the year on mountain bikes. In Alaska it was easy to choose, I had worked my way up to Expert/open. I don't know how this relates to here though. Hopefully I'll work it out after the 419 event.