Friday, September 23, 2011

This Saturday Ladies Only Bike Ride 9/24/2011

Good Morning Ladies
The ride will start from the Fountain in Fountain hills. meeting on the avenue of the fountain off Saguaro blvd
From the west valley take shea blvd east up and over Eagle Mountain ridge down to the second light which should be Saguaro blvd head north.


From the east valley take I87/Arizona Ave/B-line north to shea blvd west to Saguaro blvd head north.

For both direction drive north on saguaro blvd about 3 miles. After the first light there will be a 4 way stop, you should see the fountain out the right window we will be parked to your left on the south side of the street.

We will meet at 5:45 am wheels down at 6 am... The ride will take us south on Saguaro blvd, east on shea, north on the B-line about 11 miles to bush hwy... cross over the overpass and re group. The return home will be fast and a lot of fun...

This will be a sag supported ride, if there is something special you would like to eat bring it and add it to the sag car.
We will supply: water, gatorade, bananas, bagels & peanut butter, fruit and fig bars.
Please chime in yes or no. I rather have too much supplies than not enough.

Have a great week and see you saturday.
LaVerne

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

This Saturday Ladies Only Bike Ride 9/17/2011

Good Morning Ladies
This saturday we will meet at the Tribe on Indian School Rd and Miller in the Frys Food Parking lot. At 5:45am ready to ride at 6 am. We will ride out to and up the b-line to Shea. This is a steady .5 to 1% climb. Doable by all new and seasoned riders..

Although the weather is getting nice we still have to drink as though it is hot. During any exercise/yard work/playing tennis/cycling the body has no gage stating its 90...its 100... or its 70 degrees out. All it know is that you are calling on it to perform, and it will as long as you provide it with the proper nutrition before, during and after. To me the nutrition before and after is important. Before you are filling a bank to draw from and after you are replenishing that bank so the body can repair itself for the next time you call on it. During stands out the most, your body is like a furnish, and with out constant(every 15 min) fuel(nutrition), it will start to pull from your everywhere causing you to cramp,feel light headed, loose focus and have a uneasy feeling in your body...
I say all this just to drive the point home to eat a proper meal before an physical exertion and a light breakfast the morning of. Continue to sip your water/electrolyte during the entire ride. No Matter what the Temperature of the day.
Take advantage of the supplies in the SAG, They are there to help you have a great Ride.

Jan Hartzfeld will be leading us in some basic core exercises that you can do on your own after the ride. If you would like to participate bring a towel or a mat, we will go over to the park behind tribe.

Thank you for making this happen

LaVerne

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The September Ladies Only bike ride Calendar

Good Morning Ladies

Where did August go, We had some great rides and Melissa Guthrie gave us some good info on nutrition.. If you missed the nutrition clinic you can find the notes and melissa BIO on the Ladies Blog. www.theladiespac.blogspot.com. The Lake Mary bike ride/sleepover was a blast Thank you all for sharing the day and Pic on the Ladies Face book.



This Saturday Ladies Only bike ride will be from the Bagel Nosh on 48th street and Warner. Meeting at 5:45 wheels down at 6 am.. Yes the ride times are starting to move back.. Although it is still a bit hot, Daybreak has started to change it time, and we must follow. Prep yourself by drinking plenty of water and/or Electrolyte drinks such as Powerade/gatorade. Prep your water bottles by filling them half way and placing them in the Freezer on a slant. Top them off the morning of the ride. always eat a good dinner and a light breakfast.



Jane and Karen are both doing better, please keep them in your prayers.



Thank you for making this happen

See you all on Saturday and Have a Safe Labor day

LaVerne

602-565-1839

Laung Probang....Where in the World is Jayne(8)

Delightful boat trip. Gorgeous scenery. Huge karsts on both sides of the river with jungle vegetation growing on them. Later on it was regular mountain jungle with a lot of slash and burn agriculture. I was surprised at the lack of riverside villages with all the fields and the small canoe type boat traffic. Our river was a tributary to the Mekong and for the last hour of the trip we were on the Mekong. During rainy season it's a BIG river.
Luang Probang is a sleepy little city right on the Mekong and we found a room for rent (as opposed to a hotel) with a big balcony overlooking the river. Lao food is delicious and that night we ate at a river side restaurant with great food and even better prices. We had a hot pot--where you cook the food right at your table. The spices on both the meat and the veggies were superb. The next day we ceased being tourists and dedicated the day to us--e-mail, massage, wax job, pedicure, etc. We chose the wrong place to do it. The wax job was good but I forgot to say I only wanted from knees down so paid for the whole works. It was the worst massage I've ever had and Nancy's pedicure was particularly funny. In Viet Nam she had a pedicure with a beautiful flower painted on her big toe. After this lady painted five white dots as a flower Nancy suggested that she put some accent to it. The lady got angry so another person came and painted another five white dots for a second flower. It was a pre-kindergarten effort. I have picture of it. Wish I had taken a picture of the Vietnamese one. The lady had to have seen the Vietnamese one when she took the old polish off so how she could have even said she did flowers is a mystery. The next day we did the tourist thing--the temples and the night market. Nancy had been eying the fish for quite a few days so we had some at the night market food stalls. They do wonderful things with their spices and the taste was marvelous.
Through out the Far East you can see the monks begging for food early in the morning but in Luang Probang it's a special sight. There are large processions of them and people line up along the road side waiting to donate. If you donate it raises your status --with Buddha I guess. Of course this is a tourist attraction--big time. We got up early, early in the morning to see it. The guide book gives all the courtesy regulations on how to deal with this: be quiet, don't look the monks in the eye, keep a respectful distance, etc. All the westerners do well with this. The little group on my street corner followed the procession at a nice distance and then as we came around a corner the Asian tour groups were there in mass in their modern, over-sized, golf cart type tuk-tuks. They were laughing, taking pictures of each other, getting in the monks faces and so on---I've traveled in Asia enough to wonder why this surprised me. At first I thought Buddha was taking his revenge out on me. All my pictures were blurred. Then I realized that I was so excited about taking these pictures that I didn't take time to let the camera focus. Once I focused I got some great shots.
This is getting too long so will close and tell about our second waterfall trip in the next episode.

100 Waterfalls Hike... Where in the World is Jayne(7)

We liked our little hut and garden so well we decided to stay an extra day. I had read about a waterfall hike so checked on that. A 45 minute boat ride, 90 minute hike and then climb the waterfalls. In all it would last 7 hours. The English guy that was in charge of the company told me that my tevas would be great for the hike. Well he had either never taken the hike or had never taken it in rainy season. They were fine in the waterfalls, the river, and the canals but as soon as we got on land --I mean mud--they filled up with slime and I could hardly stand let alone walk. This wasn't so bad going up but it was a disaster coming down. And, it didn't do much for my self esteem that the guide was doing all of this in flip flops. We hiked through rice fields, and then into the jungle. The guide kept saying don't stop until we get to the water. Of course we all wanted to take picutres so we went slow in many places. We got to the first canal and he said, "leach check". I knew about the leaches because of a hike I did in Borneo but, although these leaches were smaller, there were three times as many. I guess they have a hay day getting on you when you stand still. Needless to say there was no stopping in the jungle after that. It wasn't an end all because we still got leaches but not in the quantity of our first leach check. I wanted to take a picture of Nancy when we got to the first waterfall but she wouldn't pose. She was busy getting a leach off her finger. She would grab it to take it off and then it would attach itself to that finger. They were pesky little critters.
Climbing the falls was loads of fun. Nancy lost her footing on one of the falls and she was dangling there with the helper holding her by one arm and water splashing all over her. It was fun to watch but Nancy probably didn't think so. By the time I got to falls number 88 or somewhere around in that vicinity I was a little tired. One of the helpers almost dragged me up some of the remaining falls. That reminds me. I have a new name. It's Mama. At first it hurt my ego a little but I finally decided it was like the first time someone asked if I wanted the Senior Citizen discount. I was pissed but when I saw it came with a $3 refund I decided it was pretty good. Mama also comes with bennies--help in carrying my pack, a helping hand getting up and down mountains, off boats, etc., and the kids look at me and kind of seek permission to splash water on me. Nancy gets splashed a lot. If I laugh I get splashed but if I shake my head they pretty much leave me alone. I know water throwing is a big New Year's activity but it seems to be year round with the kids and with the Mekong in full flood there's a lot of splashing going on. Anyhow, being Mama was a god send on our hike down. It started to rain--down pore-- just before we started our decent. The trail was almost straight down and nothing but gumbo. If the helper hadn't had a hold of my hand I would still be on the trail picking my way or maybe I would have just slid down on my behind. Our little hut with the garden --and a cold beer-- was much appreciated that evening.
Tomorrow we take the boat to Luang Probang.

On to Laos... Where in the World is Jayne(6)

I ended up the last e-mail with an 8 hour mini-van ride with one stop. Got up at 4:45 to catch the 5:30 bus to Laos. It left pretty much on time and at 7:30 we had traveled approximately 10 miles. We stopped to pick up people, deliver packages, have breakfast, get gas, change any Vietnamese money we had left into Lao Kip, and other reasons that never became clear. One time we were on a bridge for about 20 minutes. No one came, no one left. Again the scenery was gorgeous and once again I was glad it wasn't raining. This time there were big drop offs. It was a new road carved out of the mountain side and no vegetation growing to hold the soil. When I say new road don't think in terms of American roads. The Apache Trail is a super highway in comparison. Got to the Lao boarder and the first thing they did was take our temperatures. No sick people allowed in. I guess a carry over from the bird flu scare. Had never had that happen before at any boarder. The bus had to go through a couple of rivers. One time it was a big enough river that we all had to get out and walk over a foot bridge while the bus charged the river. Sure glad I wasn't in it. If it had been raining I'm not sure the bus would have been able to go. Have no idea what we would have done then. Finally we got to a big river and the bus stopped and unloaded our luggage. It was the end of the line. A little boat came over to take us across. Seemed like an awful little boat for such a big river but that opinion was before we encountered ferries on the Mekong in full flood. Caught a bus to Umodxai as the rains hit. We were now on a plateau so no problem. It was Nancys first encounter with local people loading anything and everything on the bus--unfortunately for the ambiance there were no live animals. She's rather used to it now.
Next day we took a mini van to Nang Khiwa. The trip was seventy kilometers (45 miles) and took 4 1/2 hours. The roads in Laos are not the best. There was a nice Italian guy on the bus that was very discussed with a Lao guy that kept spitting out the window. I kept thinking --he obviously never took a bus in China in the 80's--if he had he would have been used to it and also glad that he wasn't near an open window where it could come back in the bus. Two Lao kids got sick and threw up. Must be a normal thing because all seats come with barf bags. I was quite impressed with the father. He was the one that took care of it. Anyhow we are now in a lovely $5 a night reed hut looking out on to a lush garden by the Ox river.

Sapa conti...Where in the World is Jayne (5)

The reason we hired a guide for our trek was because we wanted to do the home stay. It turned out not to be a home stay. It was more like a youth hostel. There were other trekkers there and one did not see the family except when they were serving food. It turned out fine because the other trekkers were really nice young kids. Many of them had been to Laos so I got great information on where to go and what to do. One fact of life is that, in the jungle and in the rural villages in many parts of the world, there are rats. I was down stairs and slept very well under my mosquito net but I guess the kids up stairs were kept awake all night by the pitter-patter of rats feet running over the tin roof. If it had just been the tin roof it would have been fine but one rat jumped on John's net and got on his bed. We got all the details of these events at breakfast the next morning. Since then Nancy looks for rat poop in every hotel room we look at.
The second day's trek was great. We hiked through rice patties and bamboo forests. Lovely scenery. Ended up at a waterfall with a swimming hole down at the river. Of course now that we are down at the river one has to go up to get out of the valley. It was a pretty long trek but we had a van waiting at the top to take us back to town. Hurrah!!
The next day we were off to Dien Bien Phu, the boarder town for Laos and France's Waterloo of South East Asia. This was the part of the trip I was a little concerned about and I didn't want it to be Jayne and Nancy's Waterloo. The Lonely Planet Guidebook is very good on how to get to places. On this boarder crossing it was very sketchy. The crossing hadn't been open very long and details were not in yet. I had planned to do this crossing because it was a little bit off the beaten path and I also didn't want to back track. The book talked about the harrowing trip from Hanoi to DBP but only said if you try it from Sapa you may get stuck in some villages waiting for a bus. I asked the man at our hotel about the trip he said it took 8 hours. When I asked about the road, the buses, and the drivers he just said they do it every day--so, I figured it couldn't be too bad. I thought it was possible that we may be the only westeners on the bus but we were joined by 8 others that had no more information than we did. We took off in a cramped mini-van making one stop all day. The bathroom at this stop was in the woods behind the hut. As I said Dien Bien Phu was the battle that ended France's control in SE Asia. The Captain at the fort assured his superiors that there was no way the Viet Minh could get arms over the mountains so the fort was secure. After going over the mountains I agree with the Captain but we were both wrong. I don't mind being wrong but the Captain did. He committed suicide. The road wasn't all that bad and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. There were a few places where there were big drop-offs but mostly it was OK. I would not, however, have wanted to be on the road when it was raining. The potential for land slides lurked around every corner.
(to be continued)

Sapa.... Where in the World is Jayne(4)

Took overnight train and then a 45 minute minibus up the mountain to Sapa. What a kick the arrival is. The Hmong ladies--in full dress--hang around main street--there's really only one street--waiting for vans to arrive. When they do there's a big scramble with lots of chatter running after the van to be the first person there, with their wares, when you get off the bus. Got out of the crowd and into a hotel. The ladies stood at the windows showing us their goods. One was making thread out of a reed. Got information on where to go and left the hotel. Impossible to leave the hotel without accumulating an entourage. They are really quite delightful. I've read about the Hmong and how gentle they are. (Found the next day on our trek that even the dogs are gentle). Even when the ladies are pestering you to buy they're nice. Buy from me. You bought from Zur, you make her happy, make me happy. By the time we got though the market we just had two followers. They seemed to have adopted us and the others accepted this and went on their merry way to find other tourists to adopt. Market was interesting. You could buy grub worms, blue chickens, fried crickets, and a whole menagerie of weird things.
We had decided to climb the hill. When we got there we found that there was an entrance fee. This got rid of our little friends. I loved the way they put it. At the top of the hill there was folk dancing --"free". It's just that there's a $5.00 charge to climb the hill. Five dollars was quite steep--and so was the hill-- but once we got to the top it was really fun climbing through the rock formations. The folk dancing was good too. And guess what. When we got down our little friends were waiting for us. Nancy found that you don't say maybe later to their request to buy. They don't forget and hold you to it.
The next day we took a trek. Could have done the same thing without a guide but we wanted to do the home stay in one of the villages so we did the tour thing. We were joined on the tour by a very nice family from England--and of course another entourage of Hmong. We walked for a while down the road and then started down the valley. I was standing looking down and there were some Hmong ladies coming up a VERY steep path. I made the comment to one of the English kids (22 years old kid) that they surely don't expect us to go down there, do they? He said, I'm sure not. There's a path going this way. Well, it just shows how much we knew. Down we started and thank goodness a Hmong girl adopted me. She stayed with me all morning helping me on the down hill. Up hill I'm fine but the old knees start screaming after so much down hill. At lunch break my girl said she was home and wouldn't see me any more. I asked our guide about tipping her and she said not to tip--buy something from her. So, I now have another pillow case. Bought one the day before because I wanted one--but not necessarily two. I really like the concept of buy something rather than give them money. We were now down in the valley so the afternoon trekking was easy. Beautiful scenery and interesting villages. We left the Hmong area and now our entourage was the Red Daz tribe. They were very soft spoken with lovely smiles.

Waiting,, Where in the World is Jayne(2)

Up early waiting for the bus to appear. Lady said it could arrive any time between 6:45 and 8:00. I' hoping for the latter.
In Hoi An we rented an Xe Om's--Motor cycle with driver. Breaking into the traffic scene slowly--pedestrian, bike, and now the real challenge--putting your life in the hands of some dare-devil on a motorbike. As you can tell I'm just fascinated with the traffic patterns. Maybe I wouldn't be so amazed if I hadn't joined The Ladies Bike Club and know how safety conscious one has to be and how difficult it is to maneuver in just regular organized traffic. But then that is the problem. Here anything is expected and they're ready for it.
Our Xe Om trip was really good. A little long. My butt got a little tired sitting on the cycle but we got to go into little areas that we wouldn't have been able to if we had taken the bus. Went to a Cham ruin in the jungle--reminded me of the Yucatan. Ended up at Marble Mountain and China Beach. The last time I was here Marble Mountain was one of my favorite places. We met some kids that took us through tunnels and up chimney climbs through out the whole area. Today you must stay on the path and you get no idea that the whole area is full of crevices. It's now just a trip from one Buddhist shrine to another--with an elevator to get up there if you're not into climbing stairs. China beach was also a disappointment. They have torn down all the little kiosks on the beach and it has been taken over by squatters waiting to be kicked out when the economic down turn is over and the new developments continue to ruin every beautiful beach in this country. It's called progress and is part of the progression of civilization. Has happened in every country in the world. Anyhow, the 30 mile beach from Hoi An to China Beach is going to be developed. At one development Greg Norman is building a golf course.
Went to Hoa Lo prison yesterday--better known to Americans as the Hanoi Hilton. To the victor belongs the spoils --and the writing of history. The prison was set up by the French to hold Vietnamese revolutionaries. According to the info at the prison the treatment was barbaric--and I have read many times that the French were not the nicest of people in dealing with their colonies. Most of the museum is dedicated to that part in history. At the end of the display you get into the American part of the history. Pictures of American pilots playing basketball, volleyball, billiards, decorating a Christmas tree, viewing movies, and Midnight Mass. Must have been a real country club. There's a picture of McCain visiting the prison in 2000. Wonder what his feelings were in dealing with all the memories.
Can not buy anything because I left the states with a full backpack. However I did manage to squeeze in three little kitchen gadgets. Will make a good addition the the drawer full that I already have. Come to my house for dinner when I get back and you'll be really impressed with the presentation of the meal with my new purchases.
After we do Halong Bay and our Sapa trek we are heading for Laos. Problem is getting the information to get there. Because of lack of foresight we started out in Saigon rather than Hanoi so we're doing the trip backwards and have to get into Laos over a very remote boarder crossing. Wish us luck!
F&A/D&G/M Took two overnight busses. One nice and one very nice. Now I see why you didn't dwell on that part of your trip. Compared to the Golmud/Lhasa trip these busses were rolling palaces. I can still depend on my Confusion Curse (May you take the overnight bus from Golmud to Lhasa) being the ultimate in wishing someone a bad day.

Where in the World is Jayne (1)

I've been in Viet Nam for two weeks but have not had time to write anything because all my time on the computer has been trying to set up a group e-mail address book. Have given up on that.
Things happen in twenty years and in Viet Nam that's and understatement. Twenty years ago Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon) was a sleepy little --not quite village--but one could say town. Today it's one big, noisy, city. The Lonely Planet guidebook gives instructions on how to cross the street. Wait for a lull in the traffic (which rarely exists)--then step out onto the street and slowly cross. Do NOT go back or dart in any direction. Just wait for the parting of the seas so you can take your next step. A good thing we had practice in this by the time we got to Nha Trang because we rented bikes and with out our introduction into pedestrian traffic etiquette we would never have survived bike transits. Stop lights create a mass start for a motor bike marathon. Only difference is they are all going on different routes so the criss-cross pattern is really interesting--especially if you're in the middle of it. Then, thrown into the mix there is always one motorbike that's going the opposite direction from the regular flow.
Twenty years ago the War Museum didn't feel so anti-American to me but today it really is. The people don't give that feeling--they say the war was a long time ago and it's over now. Of course through out their history all they have known is struggle for independence. They seem to have achieved it and are doing well. Their baby boomers are now in their twenties and if they keep up with their economic boom along with the population explosion the cities are going to be one big parking lot.
Have a lot to report but no time to do so. Tomorrow we go for a three day boat trip in Halong Bay. It's the postcard perfect scenery area in Viet Nam. It's also the first place we are going to that I haven't been. We went on a boat trip in Nha Trang where I expected it to be nice and peaceful with beautiful coral. NOT SO!! No coral and hundreds of Vietnamese along with their carnival atmosphere on each of the islands we visited. After I got over the shock of not having a peaceful snorkel I got into the Vietnamese mode and rather enjoyed the trip. If this trip follows that same scenario I will not be that tolerant.
We arrived in Hanoi yesterday morning. I spent the morning arranging trips to Halong Bay and to Sapa--a trekking place in the mountains. We were going to go to see Ho Chi Mihn's tomb--he's in a glass sarcophagai for all to see. We found that it's closed in the afternoon and on Fridays. We are here for the only 45 hour period that it's impossible to see him.
Will send more later.
Jayne

Camping Event‏ invite from Natalie

Hey Ladies!
I work for Arizona Game and Fish Department and me and the other Game Wardens that work for me are having the second annual Outdoor Camp on Friday evening 6 PM Sept 30 thru noon on Sunday Oct 2 at Sharps Creek Campground which is about 15 miles east of Payson off of Highway 260.

This camp is a lot of fun and we do it voluntarily recruit people to learn more about the outdoors so they will spend more time recreating and thereby creating wildlife advocates in the future. The camp will have 50 participants and we are targeting adults or adults with kids who have done very little to no camping and are interested in learning more about wildlife watching, fishing and small game hunting. You will have your choice of activities and we will have people that can help you learn how to camp, watch elk, fish, hike, birdwatch, and squirrel hunt.

We also want to introduce people to the camp fire camping experience so all meals are provided (and they are fantastic!).
The camp is free but a $10.00 donation check to Red Bear Outfitters is required to hold your spot. It will be refunded to you when you show up.

If you are interested, please let me know soon. We haven't advertised it yet and it fills up quick. I am giving the Ladies first shot.
Hope to see you there! and email me if you have any ??
Thanks,

Natalie
natrobb@hotmail.com

CHANGE YOUR DARKNESS INTO LIGHT

By Miles Patrick Yohnke © 2010


Last week I saw Allan. A person I went to high school with. Allan has severe Cerebral Palsy. He is disabled. In a wheelchair. Thankfully his mind is sharp. He had so much trouble getting around from class to class. Our school was very old. It had many floors and so many stairs.

It had been about thirty years since I saw him last. Nothing had changed. He was still the same. Still as clear as then. That same big vibrant smile on his face. And it seemed somewhat fitting as he was being lifted into a vehicle when I saw him.

When I'm on the highway cycling or other sports I perform, I think of people like Allan. And how lucky we are to have our health. We have to use our bodies. They will fail when we don't use them. When we eat improperly. Exercise improves your mood. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You'll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression. Exercise combats chronic diseases. Regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage high blood pressure and lower the buildup of plaque in your arteries.

And there's more. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. It is stated that when one exercises there is a sixty percent decrease in getting breast cancer. Why wouldn't one exercise? I just hate seeing people cheat themselves of it.

God creates this beautiful body full of muscle and detail and one doesn't use it. What a sin! It goes hand in hand. People aren't happy in their lives, yet they really do nothing to correct this. They dwell in their own dysfunction. They think they should, that they should do something more with their life. Well, when does this happen? When does this occur? We make that decision. We get just this one life. If waiting for it to happen, then one is in for a long, dark wait.

Unlike Allan we can exercise in many ways in which he may be limited. We should never take that for granted. Today is that day. That flash of light.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Globally recognized and award-nominated engineer, producer, writer, poet and founder and C.E.O. of 5 Star Productions, Miles Patrick Yohnke brings many years of experience to the music industry; including many awards in sales and marketing. You can reach him at miles@5-starproductions.com 



Thank You Amy For Sharing.