Black Friday

Today was pretty warm up here and I know the cold is coming so, despite the fact that I still have Shingles, I've been busting ass on the cafe tank because soon...I won't be able to. This was after several hours of sanding. I was really discouraged when I started this morning but after this skim coat of filler set up and I got it sanded, I felt better about how things were "shaping up." 

I worked 6 hours today on this tank and now, I can barely move my left shoulder. Tomorrow I will work on the right side. It's an absolute bitch trying to eyeball both sides and get them even but I think I'm close.

The left side is the side that had the big dent in it. It's really about done. I found one little spot that I wasn't happy with (imagine that) and filled it in and will sand it out in the morning.

I've been having a lot of fun working on this cafe project but...it's not the same as cycling was for me. My new job is stressful as can be but I'm still happy to be there. Every day. But I've realized that cycling was not only a passion for me but also an outlet. An outlet for stress. I loved training. I've done Insanity workouts since figuring out that cycling needs to look drastically different for me. I've done T-25. I'm thinking about trail running. They are not the same. I don't ever get jazzed to do those like I did for doing an interval session. I'm desperately trying to find a substitute but I have ridden bicycles for most of my life. Hard to find a substitute.

I ran across these pictures tonight. These are from my last big ride. Kokopellis Trail. The few hours before the sun went down that night were AMAZING.

This was a killer downhill on pavement before the long climb to Fisher Creek and the eventual drop to the highway and the pit shitter that I slept in while waiting for the rain to pass.

This was sometime the next morning. My friend wanted to thumb a ride back to Moab for my car but it was too beautiful to not pedal the 20ish miles into town. I rode it and then drove back to get him because he was wrecked from yacking all night long after a superhero start.

I quit that ride and...now...I would give my cafe project to anyone for just one crack at it where I wouldn't have to worry about neck pain. Don't take the small things in life that you enjoy for granted. Go do what you enjoy and be thankful that you can.