Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Many people (and by many, I mean 1) have asked me where my garden posts have disappeared to. I've so far managed to avoid answering questions, but it is time the truth was revealed - my garden and I have broken up. To this day, it's difficult to talk about the ending of our relationship, but after 3 seasons I finally realized that the garden just couldn't commit. Every spring/summer we would have a great time and make all sorts of promises for the next year, but after a frosty winter, I realized that the garden just couldn't be there for me in the Spring. It was a tough thing to accept, but I just could not continue to live with the disappointment of disappearing perennials and late spring frosts. The straw that broke the camel's back was the 10 new daylily plants that failed to live and left me with an ugly empty plot of weeds and dirt.

As with most break-ups, it's been hard to let go and I have to admit to the occasional slip up where I've wandered barefoot into the dirt thinking that a few seeds and a new annual could heal all the hurt, only to wake up the next day and see the empty spot where my white columbines used to grow. While these temporary delusions have been hard to bare, they have also taught me that just because I couldn't be in a relationship with the garden, doesn't mean we can't be friends. I have tried to find ways to make this friendship work, outside of all the expectations of grandeur.

Distancing myself from the garden has been aided by the horrendous weather that Whitehorse has suffered this summer. The drive to loiter around amongst the flowers has been curbed by what seems like a continuous cycle of cold rain and gloomy skies. I should have predicted fate when on June 9th we were covered in snow while Ottawa basked in 30 degree heat.

There are a few parts of the garden that are doing well:

I've had fun growing some moon flower vines, which are, unfortunately, being overwhelmed by my overzealous cosmos.

I've learned that blanket flowers will not make it through the winter, but instead of being upset about it every Spring, I've decided to replace them on an annual basis.

The vegetable beds are doing well, considering the bad weather. It seems like lettuce and cabbage are the greatest benefactors of the consistent moisture.

I started these white begonias from bulbs in April, we will see if I can keep them alive through the winter and next year.

I decided last year to try out alliums, despite the fact I knew they wouldn't survive through the winter. I kept them in the fridge all year long and put them in the garden in May. Only one survived, but it was a special surprise.

Finally - the only perennials to truly perform are the globeflowers and delphiniums which are running rampant and threaten to take over the entire side bed.

I caution everyone to not feel too sorry for me, yes the breakup was bad, but I've met a wonderful new partner...actually multiple partners. I've decided that I'm not ready to commit myself to anyone had have been seeing a variety of bicyles and I'm definitely enjoying the ride.

Sierra posted this on Jul 29, 2008 from the garden | | permanent link

Ice Bath

Week 20: July 14-July 20

Bike: 129 km (100 on the road, 29 on trail)
Run: 36 km
Swim: 1 hour and 20 minutes in the lake

For many years, I spent my Alberta summers in Lac La Biche at the Maccagno cabin. While there, I was famous for lounging in the warm water for the entire days and spending the entire weekend in my swimsuit. Since moving to the Yukon my lake hours have been tragically limited. For some strange reason, swimming in glacial waters does not appeal to me...it must be something about liking to keep my body at 37 degrees celsius.

The sad fact about a triathlon, is that there is a swimming portion that is usually held in an outdoor lake/ocean/body of water. It is only in places like the Yukon where outdoor swimming could mean mass-hypothermia where a swimming pool is used in the first leg of the race. As I am planning to do some triathlons South of 60, I decided it was time to get in the water. (You'll have to watch the first 45 seconds of the clip to get my fabulous little joke).

Since I don't have Ryan Gosling, or a cute 50's style bathing suit, I needed to get a wetsuit. Thankfully the Polar Swim Shop in Whitehorse carries suits that are made for Yukon summers (or B.C winters). Because Mary-Anne, who owns the shop, regularly swims in the frigidly cold Marsh Lake, I fully trusted her opinion of appropriate outdoor swim gear. The only problem with this, is that Mary-Anne's expertise is widely known, so every other girl in the Yukon is sporting the same outfit - how embarrassing...

Cassandra and I bought identical suits and began meeting for open water swims. Our mutual fear of drowning made us perfect partners for swimming beside the shore in 3 foot deep water. In addition to some regular Thursday night meetings, we decided to take advantage of Mary-Anne's generosity and join her in Marsh Lake.

There is not much I can say about Marsh Lake - partially because I suffered permanent brain damage from immersion in ice water. The amazing thing about it is that between my ankles and neck, I remained relatively comfortable. It is really only those unfortunate areas left uncovered by neoprene that made me empathize with Sam McGee and wish for a furnace to crawl into. Despite the crazy cold, there is no swimming pool in the world with a better view to enjoy and no lifeguard that is as nice as Mary-Anne. PLUS, there were hot smokies and coffee cake when we got out - which was much better than the Cheetohs available in the vending machines at the Canada Games Center.

After the swim, I rode my bike 60 km back to Whitehorse with a super-triathlete. We had a raging tailwind that made the ride fast and fun. it was also an eye-opener to the advantages of training with someone faster, stronger, etc... I had my butt kicked up every hill leading into Whitehorse, and I certainly did my best to keep up - forcing myself to pedal faster than I would if by myself.

The only real tragedy of the day was using my waterproof camera to take some pictures. Turns out that my new Olympus Stylus 770 was waterproof until used in the water. I was excited when buying my Stylus because of its underwater picture abilities, so when I watched it slowly fill with water, it was a bit disappointing. On Monday morning I quickly phoned the Olympus warranty center (because in a great miracle, it had actually broken on day 89 of a 90 day warranty), only to be told that I had to magically transport my camera to Markham Ontario to be evaluated BEFORE the 90 days, or it would not be covered. Shockingly, I think that sounds slightly unfair, since the actual breakage clearly occurred within the covered period. I've sent it to Olympus and am hoping that they will get it fixed. If not, I will unleash great blog rage on Olympus.

Sierra posted this on Jul 28, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link

Saying Goodbye

A couple weeks ago a group of us joined together to say goodbye to a very special colleague and friend - the ass hatchet. As some of you may remember, the ass hatchet was an important part of the Triathlon team, although his butt paralyzing powers led to his retirement from cycling and the world in general.

The ass hatchet was born in a small factory in southeast asia. He traveled across the continent with a couple dozen of his closest family members. Life across the ocean was tough for the small ass hatchet, as his rough edge kept him bouncing from bicycle to bicycle. In March of 2008 he joined his final bicycle, the Ghetto Greyhound. At first, it seemed that the ass hatchet had finally found the bike he so desparately wanted. But, after 35 km in the triathlon, something horrible happened, and the ass hatchet started to cut off circulation to Ben's legs. The day after of the triathlon, the ass hatchet was replaced by a less horrifically painful seat.

On Ben's last full day in the Yukon, we decided that it was time to properly lay the ass hatchet to rest. There were lots of ideas - a burial in the backyard garden, a cremation along the triathlon route, or a crucifixion on the power pole marking the triathlon turn around. There was one problem with each of these suggestions - as Tony so astutely observed, they did not involve power tools. It was decided that the only way to integrate power tools into a ridiculously over the top burial was to host a Viking burial complete with a burning funeral pyre.

While Tony and Ben worked on constructing a floating pyre, Lisa, Jen and I collected other important funeral items - basically champagne. Once the pyre was ready, we headed to Schwatka Lake for the ceremony.

Unfortunately, we forgot one important item - matches. Tony and I worked hard to get the pyre going with a pathetic bbq lighter. It took us a while, but eventually the pyre was lit.

Using a long piece of wood, we pushed the pyre out to sea and watched as it left this world in a glorious sea of chemically enhanced (thank you fire starter) flames.

As the seat slowly melted away, we enjoyed our bottle of champagne and a final day with our friend Ben on the shores of Schwatka lake.

Sierra posted this on Jul 25, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link

I'm It

Jill from Juneau tagged me with this little meme that was originated by Elden from Fat Cyclist (a much enjoyed blog and excellent source of fashionable jerseys).

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?

Princess - the most favored of all the bikes. Princess is my Giant Cruiser and primary mode of transportation to and from work. While all my other bicycles (current and/or future) serve some sort of specific and much appreciated service, Princess meets my most basic needs by getting me to and from downtown. More importantly, you can easily blow bubbles, facebook your friends, or sip a hot latte while cruising down the street.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not? I do not have my coveted Cervelo R3 road bike, but no worries, I'm working towards it. I've officially done a deal with the devil...I mean Mom (who I should clarify is not evil, just really generous and would never ever back out on a promise to her lovely daughter). In exchange for the Cervelo R3, I will produce a grandchild of curly blond locks and piercing blue eyes. It's a great deal, because my womb is vacant and my garage has space available. Once said bike is in the garage, I have 2 years to either attach a Chariot to the back or the bike will be repossessed by the Grandma Brigade. If I knew I could so easily pawn my children, I'd have a house full of bikes and possibly a problem with a small man named Rumpelstiltskin.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? I'm not sure if it is a blessing, or pathetic that I choose the very path that I do ride everyday - the Whitehorse Millennium trail. There are lots of logical reasons I would choose this path - first of all it is paved with concrete and only 5 km around. This makes it ideal for a geriatric 85 year old woman trying to motor around her bright pink cruiser. See - I'm a forward thinker that knows that the favored 200 km stretch of road today won't be much fun when I'm on a diet of prune juice and mushed carrots. On a more positive note - the millennium trail is a beautiful route along the Yukon River that boasts flowers, wild strawberries and the occasional beaver or eagle.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to to do for the rest of her / his life? Either some demonic presence - or the same crazy person that pedals their exercise bike through the entire DVD collection of Melrose Place. Wait...was this a rhetorical question? Was I even suppose to answer that?

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrowminded? Yes I ride both. At the moment, I prefer my road bike. There is something about the constant pedaling, and straight concrete road that leads you to a place of meditation that $1500 worth of yoga classes never could. Plus - I have to admit, there is something comforting about knowing that the next endo is not just around the corner.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent. I have never ridden a recumbent. In order to get me on a recumbent, you would need the perfect set of conditions - me and a recumbent bike. So far the universe has not aligned, but I have faith that someday it will all come together in perfect harmony.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss? I have raced a couple of triathlons and plan to race a couple more. I have decided that triathlons are perfect for those people who aren't particularly talented at any one sport. Mediocrity at all three can somehow propel you right to the middle of the pack. Right now, I'm planning for 2 half ironmans and a full ironman in 09. Also - I have never tried strangling myself with dental floss, I don't suspect I ever will...I've got a bit of a phobia of the dentist and floss reminds me of my psychotic dental hygienist.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why? Ice cream because there is still Frozen Yogurt, Gelato and Sorbet to meet my frozen dessert needs. Plus, if I stopped eating ice cream I could save thousands of dollars on trying to reduce my bike weight by 38 grams because I'd be so much svelter.

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it. If you could destroy anyone in a 24 Hours of Light solo event and make her wish she was never born who would it be? Tough question, but I think I'm going to go with Jill from Juneau.

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do? If I'm in a group, look around and see if I'm the slowest cyclist. Chances are I will be - and in that case jam a pump in someone's spokes and pedal like hell. I suppose if I was alone I would beg the bear to take me and spare my innocent bike.

Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below. What do I do when the only biking bloggers I know have already done this. Was this question designed just to make me feel bad about my lack of internet based social skills? I'll have you know I have 138 Facebook friends, so it's not like I'm a total loser...just a biking loser apparently. That's it - I'm going to eat ice cream, it's going to take a whole tub to get over this incident... I will tag the one and only bike blogger that I know and that hasn't been tagged - Mr. Daniel Sessford superbiker of the Yukoner.

Sierra posted this on Jul 24, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link

Pinktastic

Week 19: July 7-July 13

Bike: 77 km (32 on the road, 45 on trail)
Run: 26 km
Swim: 1500 m + 40 minutes in Marsh Lake

What do you do when the garage has no room for cars and you are late every morning because you can't decide which bike to get to work with? Simple - you buy a new bike. Believe me, I realize that the last thing I need in this world is another bicycle. In fact, most of the winter/spring was spent pimping out my existing mountain bike into a pink goddess. You might ask - how did I give up Frederika the Wonderbike? Simple - I found a pinker bike. More importantly I found a pinker bike that rides like a La-Z-Boy.

Thankfully, I was able to sell Frederika to someone who I knew would value her looks - fashionista extraordinaire Barb. The best part of this little deal was that now Barb has an awesome bike, so I can force her to ride with me more often. In the end New Pike Bike + Friend With New Bike = Sierra Wins X 2. My new bike is named Shera Princess of Power:

The first few rides on Shera weren't fabulous, but after making some adjustments she has become a wonderful ride and threatens to convert me from a road rider....gasp.

In celebration of the new bike, I have been spending lots of time exploring the trails of the Yukon. Tuesdays, I've been joining the Dirt Girls on all female rides; and Fridays has become a traditional beer and BBQ ride out of our house. This picture is from the aptly named "Broken Truck Trail", about 15 minutes before this picture was taken a log left me with a permanent fear of wood. Riding after rain (and boasting about mad log jumping abilities) led to a slide-out crash that threatens to have me walking over ever twig i ever pass.

One of my favorite trails is R n' D, a loop located behind Copper Ridge and created by a work colleague's husband. This trail has some fun tricks that are easy enough for me (which says something). We tend to ride this trail with many stops to accommodate unexplained bouts of fear, followed by idiotic delusions of grandeur that result in retrying tricks. I am not nearly as brave as Jennifer, who somehow found the guts to ride the teeter-totter, despite what appears to be overwhelming fear.

Speaking of fear... this week also marked the arrival of Tony's friend Tony (it was a confusing week). We dragged Tony on his first couple mountain bike rides and learned that inexperience is not a deterrent. Little Tony was brave enough to try out jumps in the Riverdale jump park, some were awesome...some did not end so well...

The mountain biking week ended with a trip to Haines Junction and the Alsek Trail. I have to be honest, I do not enjoy riding the Alsek trail. In the end, it is about 30 km of riding on rocks that are slow and bumpy (even on a La-Z-Boy). The views are gorgeous, and some might say worth the riding (those some are probably not me). I did enjoy the creek crossings and was thrilled with the good weather.

Unfortunately the weather did not last and our plans to hike on Saturday were ruined by yet another day of rain.

Sierra posted this on Jul 18, 2008 from the gym | | permanent link

Trying it Dry

Week 18: June 30-July 6

Bike: 42 km
Run: 31 km
Swim: 500 m (but in the lake, so it should count for more)

After 2 consecutive bike event weekends, I was tempted to spend this weekend relaxing on my deck. But, it's the Yukon and it's summer which means if you aren't over-programmed and over-tired, you simply aren't taking advantage of the long days. This week-end was the Dry-Tri, an event that I'd never participated in, but had heard great things about. It was also an opportunity for Tony and I to actually participate in an activity together.

The Dry-Tri is a duathlon composed of a 4 km trail run, 14 km mountain bike ride, and 8 km trail run. I was planning on taking legs 1 and 3 (the two running legs), and Tony was going to conquer legs 2 and 4 (the mountain biking and beer drinking legs). I started us off with the run, which was a 2 km climb up a consistently horrific hill, followed by 2 km down a horrific hill. Thankfully, I had Cassandra to run with and she kept me powering up when I was seriously considering faking an ankle injury. On the final 500 m of the event, Cassandra screamed at me to lay down the hammer, which I was not really prepared for. I sprinted towards the transition zone and watched Cassandra race past me on the final corner (rumor has it she was shooting EPO before the race...). I'm getting my own revenge by posting this picture of her - you know the event must be good, normally people don't smile like this at the beginning of the race.

Cassandra and I then sat around the picnic tables and waited for our mountain biking team-mates to finish their portion of the event. Tony ripped it up on the bike and managed to pass about 20 people, before sending me back on the course to get passed by most of those people (and a few others). I'm worried that Tony might trade me in for a faster team mate next year.

We managed to finish in under 2 hours and got straight to the beer and salmon. The highlight of the Dry-Tri was definitely the post-event party. Lots of awesome Yukoners (and their dogs) were out and about, and we were lucky to have one of the nicest days of the summer. By the time the rain started, Tony and I were off to Beth and George's for a lovely pot of pasta. Weekends don't get much better than this! Plus I got to make out with Sid Vicious the wonder Vizsla

Sierra posted this on Jul 13, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link

Faerie Faerie Fast

Jenn and I as faeries...I don't know who the creep with the moustache is.

Week 17: June 23-June 29

Bike: 114 km (of trail)
Run: 0 km
Swim: 1000 m

As many of you know, I became Mrs. North of 60 almost 2 years ago when I married Mr. North of 60 (aka Anthony). Since that day I’ve enjoyed what most would consider wedded bliss - minus the occasional “disagreement”, when Tony can’t accept that I’m always right (even when I’m wrong). Some might be shocked however to discover that Tony and I suffer from one fundamental disagreement that threatens to destroy everything that we have built together. I am a “roadie” and he is a “mountain boy”. This great divide has resulted in a garage that contains an odd collection of bicycles - my half have skinny wheels and carbon frames, while his collection are big, tough and willing to run over anything that stands in their path. In an attempt to find some common ground, we have both tried to convert the other. In my case, the attempted conversion resulted in a pimped out mountain bike - I think Tony figured “build it pink and she will ride”.

This year, Tony has been wonderful about hitting the pavement with me, and we’ve gone on some nice long road rides, including our Golden Circle adventure. Now that the Kluane Chilkat bike relay was over, it was my turn to put away the carbon and bring out Frederika the Goddess of the Trail (my mountain bike). This weekend was Tony’s favourite sporting event of the entire year - the 24 Hours of Light. The appeal of this particular event is that it combines Tony’s three favourite activities - mountain biking, drinking beer and watching me walk around in spandex. Unfortunately for him, the cool weather curbed the spandex watching, as more substantial clothing was required.

While the 24 hours of Light has always involved some sort of build up, this year was particularly special with loads of guests coming out to participate in the big event. Jenn and Ben had recruited six friends from the South to ride on our teams and Jill from Juneau was here to defend her solo female championship; I had discovered that an old high school colleague was driving up from Edmonton to race with his wife, so we were expecting a packed house.

Before the actual week-end event, the entire gaggle of guests decided to enjoy the Yukon’s mountain bike trails, including a special trip to Montana Mountain in Carcross. Getting to Carcross with 13 bikes and riders was not something I’d like to attempt again, but I think the chaos of packing was ultimately worth the riding. With the large number of riders and skill levels, we spent most of our ride divided into two groups. The girls group had the elite riders who wanted to huck off massive jumps and nose-manual over catwalks. The boys were generally sissies that just wanted to climb up the massive mountain and brake down weenie trails - they were joined by Steph, a former pro-mountain bike racer. Yes, that was sarcasm - the difference in skill/technical level was evident from the start when we chose to ride “Old Wagon Trail” and they went down “The Rock Garden”…where would you rather fall off a bike?

The riding in Carcross was phenomenal, although the girls certainly chose to take more of a hike-bike-click approach. According to my Garmin watch, we spent about 1/3 of the time taking pictures of our crazy manoeuvres. The highlight was when Aisha walked back up a hill, so that 4 of us with cameras could stand at the bottom and catch her in all of her mountain biking glory. The result was definitely worth the extra time and multiple camera angles.

After riding down “Tin Cup Trail”, my favourite of the Carcross paths, we rode the railway back into town and stopped for the highlight of any Carcross trip - ice cream!

The next day, we woke up bright and early - ready for 24 straight hours of biking, drinking, eating and cow-belling. We had divided our teams along the same lines as our recreational riding - girls vs. boys. In this case, however, we got to keep Steph, our secret weapon. The girls team was named Faerie, Faerie, Fast and was composed of myself, Lisa, Tracy, Jenn, Barb, Steph, Aisha, and Heather. In keeping with our theme we decked ourselves out in faerie ears and sparkly wings. Barb, decorator extraordinaire, also brought fresh flowers for our picnic table and tulle to decorate our campsite. The boys, who had decided to go with the “Strange Brew” (Bob and Doug McKenzie) theme, quickly ruined all our faerie hard work with back bacon, beer and flannel.

The riding was great! Steph threw down the fastest girl lap of the entire race with a blistering 45 minute turn. The rest of us happily puttered around the course, a little bit slower, but just as sweaty at the end. Barb impressed everyone with her late night laps, and we managed to keep someone on the course for the entire time, except for 2 hours between 5 and 7 am, when I was cooking breakfast for all the riders (I will NEVER eat bacon again) and Jenn was getting ready for the first morning lap.

I had two highlights from the race - I successfully hit my sub-1 hour goal by finishing my first lap in 53 minutes (while wearing a skirt and faerie ears as displayed in my last post). I also rode the Kona Africa Bike. This is a 35 pound, single speed, steel bike that Kona makes and donates to aid workers in Africa. Each team was “allowed” to ride the bike in exchange for a donation, and each lap completed on the Africa Bike counted as a double lap. I knew that riding this bike would be difficult, but didn’t quite expect the pain that came with pounding up the hills on a single speed tank, nor did I expect the fear associated with tearing down steep hills with nothing but coaster brakes to keep me from death. Despite all this, I completed my Kona bike lap in an hour and fifteen minutes, while wearing a charming green skirt that I think complimented the cruiser-like quality of the bike quite nicely. If you are interested in donating to the Africa Bike follow the link.. Please note, that the look on my face is one of terror as I speed down a single track section with coaster brakes that aren't particularly effective.

Sierra posted this on Jul 09, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link

Back Smack

Dear Jill from Juneau,

I hope you enjoyed your stay with us here in Whitehorse. I hope you enjoyed the down duvet and feather pillows, not to mention the swimsuit you borrowed to use the hot tub. I hope you didn’t mind us touring you around the best Yukon mountain bike trails, and feeding you fresh lettuce greens from my garden. It is unfortunate that I didn’t have a chance to read the smack talk you posted on your blog before you got here – I must have missed it while I was frantically cleaning and cooking in anticipation of your arrival.

I have some good news for you – next year, if you dare to cross the border, I will be waiting to crush you in the 24 Hours of Light race. You may have set the new female solo record – but I will take that record and annihilate it. Starting today, I will methodically prepare for the day that I destroy you, using all my Yukon powers. I will stop shaving my legs to create a warm covering that will keep me moving through the cold Yukon night. I will make friends with the local bears and coyotes and use them to block your path and distract you in the early morning hours. I will use all 22 hours of light to train my body into an endurance biking machine.

I know that you are scared, I know that you recognize you are coming to the end of your reign as the Whitehorse 24 Hours of Light champion, but I have more bad news for you Jill from Juneau – I’m half American. That’s right Jill, I am the spawn of a full-blooded American mother, which means in addition to all my amazing Canadian skills – I know how to win. I will dig deep into my American self and I will do whatever it takes. If it looks like you are ahead of me, I will jam a pump into your wheels then bunny hop over your sprawled body. If your insanely fit body has more speed/endurance (which we all know it does) – I will accidentally make the wrong turn and shorten the course by a couple miles (yeah – that’s right, I know what a mile is). I will use every manipulative trick known to cyclists and beat you in the name of freedom and democracy. So be prepared Jill – be prepared to hurt!

Sierra from Whitehorse

P.S Can I still come stay at your place when I visit Juneau?

Sierra posted this on Jul 01, 2008 from the outside | | permanent link