Your Exceptional Life » Cycling http://www.valeriecrowell.com Shining in the shadow of Mount Diablo Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:58:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 And the sun shines on the bay http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/06/02/and-the-sun-shines-on-the-bay/ http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/06/02/and-the-sun-shines-on-the-bay/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:45:04 +0000 Valerie Crowell http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/06/02/and-the-sun-shines-on-the-bay/ Yesterday was a lucky day for me in the shadow of the mountain. I started the day with a ride OVER the mountain. I’d never done that before. It was a five hour bike ride door to door. It was also the hardest thing I’ve done in years. And I’m soo doing it again next week. The views are spectacular, the work out unmatched. It was a gorgeous day on the mountain, the wind was mild, and I’m still in awe of the whole day.

Last night I had dinner at Metro in Lafayette. It’s the second time I’ve been there. The first time they had a duck confit on the menu that was ridiculous. How ridiculous you may ask? When the guy came and asked about dessert we both said “can we have the duck for dessert?” That’s an amazing dish. Last night the duck wasn’t on the menu, but a Croque Monsieur was and so was a Bucatini with sausage. Both dishes were excellent. My friend Harry ordered the spicy fries and we spent a goodly amount of time figuring out the amazing spice concoction.  (We nailed it)  Service was very attentive, just like the last time. This place is a little jewel in a strip mall. The owner is a sommelier so the wine list is interesting and well priced. We had the Tempranillo by the glass and for the first time in a long time I could say that a by the glass wine was both good and well priced. Stop by, they bring a certain sophistication to their house that’s nice to see in Contra Costa County.

]]> http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/06/02/and-the-sun-shines-on-the-bay/feed/ 0 And echoed in the wells of silence. http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/21/and-echoed-in-the-wells-of-silence/ http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/21/and-echoed-in-the-wells-of-silence/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 12:04:22 +0000 Valerie Crowell http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/21/and-echoed-in-the-wells-of-silence/ Tonight, throughout the country, world.  Take a moment for the cyclists that have been hurt and/or killed by vehicles.

]]> http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/21/and-echoed-in-the-wells-of-silence/feed/ 0 The conflict rubs against my grain http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/11/the-conflict-rubs-against-my-grain/ http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/11/the-conflict-rubs-against-my-grain/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 03:30:21 +0000 Valerie Crowell http://www.valeriecrowell.com/2008/05/11/the-conflict-rubs-against-my-grain/ It was an interesting weekend out here in Coco County. Gorgeous warm weather on Saturday and nice, but funky wind thing going on today. I took my new bike out and road it along the Canal Trail this afternoon. It’s much simpler to ride the trails than take your chances on surface streets. I really wish that drivers would follow some basic laws, like stop behind the white line and look and then start into the intersection. It’s unnerving for a cyclist when they don’t. Every single time a cyclist has to determine if they’re going to dump, go airborne or evade collision. See, when a bike hits a car, the cyclist gets hurt. If it’s the cyclist’s fault, the cyclist gets hurt. If it’s the car’s fault the cyclist gets hurt. The common thread is what scares me. Once I got on the canal trail it was a great ride. Strangely, everyone was pretty much paying attention, which is unusual. Only one family stopped on a curve to look at something in the canal. While I understand the need to show children new and interesting things, stopping on a curve and remaining stopped on the trail is dangerous. Just step off the trail with your children and everyone will be safer.

I’m getting to ride again because Dr. Elkind at Integro got my back fixed in record time. The last time I injured myself like this, I was unable to bend over and tie my shoes for over a week. They couldn’t settle my back down enough to make the adjustments for over a week. I had to sleep on my living room floor because the bed was too painful. I was down for a month. This time I was back on the bike a week later, I deadlifted successfully yesterday, only 14 days after the initial injury. I thank Dr. Elkind and Active Release Technique for the remarkable results. It’s nice to have such a gifted practitioner right in our back yard.

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