I NEED SOME HELP!!!!!!

Well, you all know Mr. Whiskers by now. This pictures was taken at my birthday party last January. Isn't it nice of him to wear that stupid hat for me:)
Well, as some of you know, we got Whiskers to keep Chelsea...
company. She was my beloved Jack Russell that I had for over 12 years. Chelsea went to Doggy Heaven last May and Whiskers became an only child.

Today, I got this picture by email from Whisker's family. These are all little full brothers and sisters of him and they are looking for are home....

How on earth can you resist a picture like that? I know the dogs come from a good home, I would like to have a play mate for Mr. W, BUT.....

HELP!!!!!!

My ski career

This is a picture that I took out of a calendar that I got for Xmas. It shows an Ibex in the French Alps. It is also my zodiac sign, Capricorn, so that's maybe why I like the mountains so much...
I like this picture because it shows this animal reining in his mountain and then you see all the snowy caps in the background.









My parents started me early with the skiing. I was probably 7 or 8 years old in this pictures. Styling in an early 70ies ski ensemble. My smile wasn't telling the whole story though. Right behind me is the reason of my misery. At the time there where no chair-lifts. And I still think to this day these kind of lifts are a creation to torture me. When you are the age and weight, I was then, it used to lift you up on a frequent basis and make the whole thing even more unpleasant.
Anyway, I LOVE chair-lifts:) (This picture was taken in Valebella, Sitzerland)
























All that didn't keep me from doing the end of ski-school-week-race. Don't remember how well I did, but I am smiling...couldn't have been too bad.



After that I took a long break in skiing until one day in 1999, I threw down some money for a set of skis, boots and poles. As you can see, I got so excited, I had to try them on at home (oh mey)









For folks with some ski knowledge. The Dude sold me carving skis that were way too long for me and I struggled constantly with them, but once you pointed them downhill, there were (I was) unstoppable...yeah, I even won a race against a Dutch guy over a hat that I wanted (Yes, I do collect hats....)










This picture was taken in 1999, in the meantime chair lifts outnumber the torture machines and I realized that I LOVE skiing. It is hard to find a picture of me in the mountains without a smile on my face that goes from one ear to the other...might be the lack of oxygen!?!?

Besides my love for MOUNTAIN biking, I love skiing especially, because that is the sport that I met Martin through. We met at a Ski Club meeting in Stuttgart, Germany and our first weekend date was a ski trip. So going on a ski trip with Martin brings back all these memories....

And so far, I have been lucky, that I have never gotten injured (knock on wood)...





The reason I am writing (again) about skiing (some folks might say, isn't this supposed to be a bike blog???) is, that I will join Mr. M, who left today to drive to CO, on Thursday to spend the weekend in Winter Park CO. I know it will be tough, but we will suffer through it.

Ode to Blur II

I just wanted to add MUD to the places you can take a Blur...









...well, you have to add a rider that keeps pedaling through it.

I took these pictures at a race at Lake Manawa. It was sometime in July last year and it had rained...as it had at many races last season. But I think, this race was actually the first one, that I raced in the MUD.
Normally, it would have been intimidated, but that day, I wasn't in the best mood to start with.
Ten minutes before the start, I decided to check the air in my tires and broke the valve off the back tube: S%#%*!!! Yes, I can change a tire in less then ten minutes but it doesn't improve my mood.

At the start just in time, I am in a really crappy mood and I am telling myself that I am not getting stopped by this MUD and I am pushing, eh pedaling away...
It takes me the first quarter to pass what it seems about everybody. They are all pulled over, cleaning their bikes. I keep pushing. I even manage to be able to shift until the last quarter mile. After that it is all on the big chain ring...well just have to push a little harder.
No idea where I stand when I cross the finish line, but it turns out I am second.
Second after Sydney Brown, good for her, since it was her first MTB race!!

COOL was that the two of us beat all the guys. We were faster than everybody else.

Well, I learnt that day, that you can really keep you bike moving by keeping pedaling:)

MTB Poetry by Missy Giove

"I don't want cycling to become an elite sport like skiing. To me it's a soul sport, an art form. I see the world in a different light when I'm looking at it from a bicycle."


Missy Giove is a very talented Downhill (DH) MTBiker. I admire her because she is another female rider and because she says these beautiful things about this sport.

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Momentum cures all ills.
Recently, I've been trying to master some tricky stuff on my mountain bike. I've noticed that when I slow down, I start seeing all the rocks and not the other side of the stream.
It's at that moment when I find myself off my bike and soaking wet.
But the faster I go, the more I focus on my goal, the less I notice the big rocks and the more likely I am to end up safe and dry on the other side. A lot can happen, in life or on a mountain bike, if I just keep it moving, ignore the obstacles and stay focused on where I'm headed...Momentum will take care of the rest.

Keep on Moving.

Missy

found in the new titlenine catalogue on page 2 (www.titlenine.com)

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In my own words, I always say: keep on pedaling...it will get you through a lot

RIDE ON!

Missing my Blur

OK, I know the weather is crappy and I am still sick but I am starting to miss my Santa Cruz Blur.

I have it now for a bit over two years and I love it. It is my loyal steed that goes over and through everything.
I started out mountain biking on a hardtail and I still have that bike. It is a Cannondale and it is also a very good bike.

I should actually race it this year, since it is faster than my Blur, even though it is less comfy...and it climbs better and that helps in "steep moments".

Then, there is my very expensive Polo-bike. It cost us about $15 in parts and some labor for my personal mechanic, aka Martin:) For being such an expensive bike, it works really well on the Polo field. I had to find out about a month ago, that I can bent the steel fork with my knee and we were able to "bang" it right back into shape. Same with the "tacoed" wheel. Oh yes, Polo is lots of fun!!

I know you can get high speed on the road and make bigger distances on a road bike, but you can't sneak up with it on a moose in the Rocky Mountains, or chase some turkeys through Manawa; that you can only do on knobby tires off road...

Snowy Sunday

It's snowing....

So it is really snowing, who would have thought... In case you wonder, I have been playing with my software and found some additional stuff to download. So now, it is on the computer and I have to write something to see how it shows up on the blog:) I can play with colors,print size, and what not. Cool! There are also a few buttons that I am not sure, what they do, but I will figure it out....

Oh and it is still snowing, so are we going to have out Thor-meeting tomorrow?

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Change of Scenery

I realized that my cool blog template was being used by too many other people so I needed a change of scenery and played around with the different templates this morning. First, I changed to a real simple one with basically no colors in it, good for those bloggers that are really good about putting their own art and such on it, which I am not (yet). So, I changed it once more, gave it some more color, so you won't miss the lack of my colors and voila: my new scenery and home for the Bergziegen. I hope Roxzy will feel at home as well:) And since she got her first ski legs in, I thought I put one more ski picture up, even though this one was taken at the Stubai glacier in Austria.
So is everybody ready for our big snow storm this weekend? I can't believe that the Heartland Race got postponed. They are known for racing in any kind of weather, well, maybe not in tornadoes and snow... I am actually glad, since I am fighting a bronchitis and I would not have been able to race this weekend.
If you are into MTB you should check the Heartland Race Series out. It is not too far from here. The races are all around Kansas City. They are well organized and a nice change in scenery. Plus us Nebraska riders, being used to our trails here have the tendency to do pretty well down there. Good times!

Off the Bike...

By doctor's order:( Having bronchitis. I guess the ski trip didn't help (but it was fun anyway).

Right now, I am laying low, so I get better soon, so I can get back on my bike.

Isn't it amazing that they even postponed the Heartland Race#1 for me...just kidding, they did it because of the weather but one can dream.

I also need to get better because I "have" to go skiing again. And if that wouldn't be bad enough, this time it is Winter Park, CO, what a "horrible" place....OK, OK, I love this town, even though, I only know it by bike. It is actually the place, where I got my Blur. Only fond memory, besides those few bruises and indentations that I got from those ROCKY mountains:)

Tonight Roxzy, her sister and two nieces, Martin and I went to the Christina Aguilera Concert at the Quest Center in Omaha. Pretty good show! Men, that girl can sing and dance. The Pussy Cat Dolls opened for her and they did a pretty darn good job themselves. I always like good live music and enjoy a well done show.

Amazing how these girls (ladies) can dance on these high-heels without breaking their feet. But that is why that get paid so much money for doing that.

Now we are back home and settling in for the weekend. Are we going to get all that snow??

Isn't it time for spring? I did my first garden walk yesterday to see, if my bulbs are coming up and a few of them are sticking their first green out.

Isn't that one of these beautiful miracles of nature? You put a bulb in the soil in the fall (in hope that no darn deer nor squirrel will feast on it) and then, wen spring comes those bulbs start coming to live and start growing and blooming. I planted about 150 more bulbs last fall. That should bring my bulbous flowers up to, oh almost 400....

Yes, I do like to garden, can't you tell:)

Anyway, I better go to sleep now, it is late.

Die Bergziegen at Lake Tahoe

Die Bergziegen made their way around Lake Tahoe. Well, almost, we had only two days to ski and skied at two opposite ski-resorts: Heavenly and Squaw Valley.

I think we all liked Squaw Valley better. For Roxzy and Ryan, it meant their second day on the skis and more confidence and way more action. I liked it better, because it had less snow boarders. Yes, I have a problem with snow boarders. At least with a lot of them. There at Heavenly they were flying right by you with lightening speed and even I got intimidated. Well, I keep trying to let them be...

The other reason, I like Squaw valley better is, that it was so spread out. It seemed like you had more choices of runs and lifts.

As Martin would say: "It didn't suck!"

It had also a better snow cover and that made for better skiing. Martin and I made it to some nice black runs in the afternoon and they were worth their money. One was called "Siberian Bowl" and, yes it makes your hair stand up for a reason:)

Saturday was so warm, that we could have skied in T-shirts. I have never been that hot skiing. It was a good promotion for the sport. Roxzy doesn't like the cold weather so much and I had told her that it is much easier to stay warm skiing than it is biking. (I didn't tell her of my days on the slopes, where the icy wind is trying to blow you off the mountain; that is, why I own a pair of down mittens...)

We got good work-outs in. I think Sunday, we skied for almost five hours.

Back home

Back Home in Omaha. This isn't one of my pics buy it was taken here in the area on a frozen lake. When we came in tonight it didn't look very frozen outside. It looked as if everything was melting, very messy. From sunny CA to melting NE...it is still good to be home. Picked up Mr. W from the neighbors. He is tired. We guess, he played allot with his girl friend Daisy. We are all tired ans sore from skiing. There are quite a few muscles that one only uses when screaming down a hill on skis, especially, when those hills have "black" names...
My gold is still pretty bad. I guess, I have to take a time out tomorrow to get better.
If everything works out well, I will be flying to Deutschland on a business trip in March. And on preparation for that, I will need some training (loads of it) Wish me luck, this might me my career change that I was hoping for!! A job that would let me travel on business expenses to my home land and surprise my parents:)))

the bandwagon

Bandwagon makes life easier and offeres free iTunes for bloggers.

So VeloCC will jump on that wagon to get free Tunes...

Squaw Valley

Sunday, we went around to the other side of Lake Tahoe and ended up at Squaw Valley , what a nice place to ski. It has a little bit for everybody. Little snow rats, beginners, snowboarders, normal peeps and even the few thrill seekers( "I need to ski off-piste"-king of peple)
Ryan and Roxzy improved and we could take them to some more challenging places. Towards the end of the afternoon, they were a bit skied-out, so Martin and I tackled a few black runs (YUMMY!) and then finally skied down to the car (SLUSHY!)
All in all: Good times!!
After dropping off the rental skis and boots, we had dinner at "Nu Yalk Pizza". 18 inch handmade with a pitcher of good ole Spaten beer. (German beer)
After that it was time to go back to the hotel, pack and get some sleep. We need to be on the road by 6.15 am to catch our flight in Sacramento,CA.

Skiing at Lake Tahoe

Today was our first ski day and what a glorious day it was. Bright, sunny and WARM, even on top of the mountains at about 10,000 feet the temperatures reached 50 in the afternoon. I don't think, I have ever been that hot skiing. Perfect for Ryan and Roxzy to get their ski-legs going. It was Roxzanne's first time on skis and she did really well.
We all thought the day today was great and the views were beautiful (more pics will follow). I guess, other folks thought thought the same and called this area Heavenly:)
Martin and I found out weapon of choice if we ever had to "fight" against R & R: Skis. They were pooped tonight,lol. (Well, we are tired as well, but that is a whole different story)

Isn't it Heavenly?

Reno leaves me speachless!

Our first day in Reno Nevada. Ryan had to work today, so Martin, Roxz and I went exploring the town of Reno, Nevada. First thing on the list: breakfast on "the Strip" at The Nugget. Oh boy, it feels like a movie at 10 in the morning slot machines and all the characters you need. I have a hilarious incident in the bathroom, trying to help an employee to remove a "careful-wet-floor-cone" that is stuck underneath the entrance door to the bathroom. Here is the scene: she sits on the floor (smoking) behind the door, pushing with her feet against the door, while I am pulling on the cone...
Roxzy comes upstairs, but all she sees is me "trying to get out of the bathroom, totally out of breath (I do have a bad cold, we are 5000 feet high and that girl is smoking right into my face plus, I have to pee) IT IS FUNNY!!! Another employee comes in and tries to help and I have to idea to put soap on the cone, so we put three pumps of soap on the cone...nothing.
Well, we push, pull, pry the door open so we can get out and to our breakfast, b/c that is more important and I can't laugh anymore.
A few minutes later that girl comes to the table and thanx us for our help. I guess that got the cone out........what can you say.
After the breakfast we drive around and rent skis and boots, look at some bike shops and enjoy the tempartures in the 60ies.
By mid-afternoon, I have to take a time-out. My voice is totally gone(=hoarse=speachless). This dry dessert air is hart on my cold.
Ryan joins us for dinner and we find this really cool Chinese place. Yummy! By this time, we all have skis, ski-poles and boots. I am sooooo excited. I L O V E skiing. I met Martin through skiing. I love mountains and tomorrow will be the first time that I ski in the U.S.A.
Well, that is not true, b/c I skied at Mt. Crescent, IA. Yes, I have and I can proof it:))
Well, it is time for the ski bunny to go to sleep, so I can tear uo some trails tomorrow.
Die Bergziege in ihrem Element!

Reno, Nevada, 60 degrees, no bike

Roxzy, Martin and I arrived late last nite in Sacramento, CA. Flying into Sacramento was much cheaper than flying into Reno. Well ,flight and all that went well, until we stood in front of the baggage carousel....and nothing with our name on came out. Actually, there were around 20 folks from Omaha that spent about 3 hours in Denver to change planes, that didn't get the bags. It was a first for all of us and tell you waht it really makes for traveling lite.
We picked up our rental car and drove to Reno to join Ryan, who is working here this week.
We dropped off Roxzy and checked in to our hotel and then went to W-Mart to get some sleep wear and snacks....
Well Frontier made up for their mishap and delivered our bags overnite. So we woke up to a nice suprise: our own stuff:))
Now we can face the elements here. Right now 60 degrees. Where is your bike when you need it. Will write some more later. Gotta change now:)

The Bergziege goes playing in the snow:)

All the pics where taken over the last Tanxgivingweekend. Martin and I were blessed with a business trip on his side that brought him to Germany and I had promised my parents, who live in Stuttgart, Germany, that I'd come to see them before Xmas... As luck had it M and I could meet up and spent some time with my folks, jump in the rental car and drive to the Alps...

It was a beautiful drive there, only one thing was missing: the snow. Europe had such a mild fall that there wasn't any snow but on a few glaciers. So the decision was made for us and we went to the Stubaital, which is about 30 min from Innsbruck. We found a need little hotel and rented some boots and skis.
We were lucky with the weather and has two perfect days 0f skiing.....ahhhhhh

Don't ask me what I was doing in this pic, but one thing is for sure, I looked successfully schupid...

I didn't care....b/c I was skiing:))))))

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Two more need things we found on our trip. First if all a new had for my collection...YES, I DO collect hats, baseball baps, etc,... this one is need b/c it carries my colors, you might not know yet, but I am German. (At least that's what the papers say!:!+????)

The second great find wast this peace of property: a diamond in the rough! And don't they say you should invest in real estate....

Anyway, altogether a WONDERFUL weekend!!!

Now, tomorrow, I "have" to fly to Reno and spent a weekend there. It will be my first skiing in the U.S. (well that is if you don't count Mt. Crescent, IA).

The BIG question is, will I came back with a had a can I resist????????????

Sick Day

Sick Day for me not for Mr. Whiskers but his loyalty is endless. I decided to stay in bed today and take it easy. Mr. Whiskers, who never leaves my side anyways, thought, since I look pathetic, he must do the same. I don't know what I do to my Jack Russell Terriers, but they always turn into these part-time couch-potatoes...am I really that lazy? Or am I so calming that their "nervous" energy just melts away. They say the dogs always turn out like their owners...at least he is a pretty smart and cute guy, so he must have that also from hanging out with me all the time, yes?!!

Like I said, I am in bed and take advantage of the modern technologies, like my lap-top, wireless Internet and the cyberspace. I have been around computers for a while, but I really never liked them all that much. When the Internet started my interest grew, especially having friends all over the world and all of a sudden being able to stay in touch with them. But again, I am not the person to spend much time in front of the TV or the computer instead of.... Last year, yes I know sometimes, it takes me a bit longer and I am not a techno-geek, I saw a blog for the first time and though: "need".

Now, due to the weather, winter, TV program, I know I am looking for excuses, I am hitchhiking through cyberspace and I am having a blast! I get to know people from all over the world AND I finally found an outlet for myself. I can write some things down and doing this on my blog feels like telling it to a friend. I am not sure how many people read my blog, but it doesn't really matter. For right now, it is my diary, where I can put things in that I don't want to be forgotten and that I would like to share with whoever might be interested.

Girls and mechanics...

...is it really true, that we have problems with mechanics? At least today I did, or at least I learnt a valuable lesson: when putting a fender on your full-suspension MTB, you have to adjust the height of the fender to the suspension sag, meaning, once your bottom sits on the bike, the fender will sit lower. I didn't think about that and I didn't notice that...two hours later and thanks to my IPod (and my ignorance!?), I had cranked enough and worked myself through the fender...

Made for a good laugh on Martin's side when I came home, so I thought, I need to share this, I and I thought all the grinding noises came from all the yak on the roads and my bearings that need to be exchanged (due to riding in to much mud last summer and now salt and s-stuff...)

Deutschland

or Germany as you know it. This is picture Martin took in late November in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany. It was a rainy day but what you see on the windows on the right are flowers still in bloom.
Well, I put a German picture on the blog today, because there might be a chance that I am going to Germany in March:)) Don't want to give away too may details but I wouldn't have to pay for the flight...
Went for a long ride on the Keystone today. Still too afraid to take my new road bike out in this weather. I know my Blur well enough to ride over smaller icy patches. I am amazed how well they keep the Keystone trail maintained. Yes it is cold out there, but you don't have to watch for anybody. I met one runner. That was it.
I worked out every day this week and I can feel it. I am sore...but I also feel a bit thinner, well, I am, the scale tells me the same. Great feeling. There is hope after all.

Mr. Whiskers at the TNR

While I followed my work-out program and went to the gym. Martin and Mr. Whiskers went to Swanson to ride/run the TNR. Good for them! Whiskers loves to run with the bikes. And he is fast.

I am excited that he loves to run and is able to keep up. I was hoping for that, when I got him.

My beloved dog Chelsea that passed away last May,

played until everybody got tired, but she wouldn't run with us. She was also shorter legged. But she is still missed dearly...

Well, the riding makes Mr. Whiskers tired and a tired Jack Russell is a good Jack Russell:))

What is that color in the picture?

What is that game called again that they are playing?!??!
Men, I just got done shoveling snow, good 4 cm or so (yes I do the metric thing) and as I am sitting here taking the white out there in:), I think of this other color that nature is famous for and I look through my pictures and there it is....ahhh and then the next shock. We haven't had a game of bike Polo for two weeks already because of the snow. Yes, I am playing, Polo, crazy, eh!
And those extra 4 cm mean.....scheiße!

Booties make life warmer...

at least for my toes and feet. I went to Highgear today and got some booties. What difference. I didn't do the extra sock-layering due to the "heat" wave today. Martin, Mr. Whiskers and I set out to go to Swanson, but I got shyed away by the ice. I battled my way up on the Keystone instead against the wind. I wished so bad for my IPod to keep my thoughts and eyes off my watch, but I had left it at home. Still got a 1.15 hrs ride in. Saw one other rider and three walkers, who took advantage of the warm weather (haha).
Martin and Mr. W. stuck it out at Swanson and so we are all tired. Good day!

Season's Start

Well, last week was my official start in the new season, that is the Riding Season. I braved the elements and started to ride outside. Great on one hand but freaking cold on my toes. But to see nature go buy and the sunshine is so much nicer than sitting and the trainer in the basement watching TV or a movie. I also got a great tip from Sydney how to layer some warmth over my feet to keep the warmth in and the cold out. I might have to give that a try tomorrow.
Also got my Invitation for the Heartland Races. So that is an extra motivation.
While I was at the gym today pushing weights, I pictured myself riding down there in Kansas. Good goal:)

I hear skiing is in my future:))

Looks like R&R, and Martin and I swapping out the nobby tires for some smooth skies towards the end of the months for some skiing in Nevada.

How COOL is that!!!

In order to get a feel the the wintery conditions, I went for another ride today. Yes, you can call me crazy. It was 7 Degrees when I left and oh yes there was some wind. I was actually fine until my toes got cold. I still haven't figured out how to keep them warm. That is so much easier in ski-boots:)

Winter-Gardening has its challenges as well. Well, I am trying to put some cuttings into soil that I got this week. Well the bag of soil was outside, behind the house, so I hauled that thing in and let it sit for a while until I could knock a bit out of it. It is still too frozen to be worked with. My cuttings will have to wait until tomorrow to get into the soil.

Ride like the Wind...

...or against the wind.

YES, I finally made it outside and rode. It was fun but also fery (one of those f-words) COLD!

Men, it is so much more work to ride outside but then again, it is also more fun.

Now, I want to do it again and now the weather is even getting colder. What is up with that??

All I can say is, guys: Stay warm!

Doggy TV

Well, while I was doing some work on the computer Mr. Whiskers decided he needed to go onto the outlook and see what is going on out there. And who would have known, he got lucky, or better the squirrel did, since Mr. W could only watch and plan the killing in his head...

He likes to sit up on the computer desk to look outside. Guess it beats sitting on the floor looking at my hopefully not so smelly feet:)

After that I took him for a long walk. Today was my gym day and I am still hoping that those weights will get lighter...

I did buy some ski gloves and a balaclava and I do want to go out biking but driving home from the gym, watching the snow being blown sideways over the roads just didn't turn me on.

Well, tomorrow is another day and maybe the power of motivation will come over me and I will take out my bike for a spinn...

From Mobile to Blog in Cyber-Speed

OK, I am not trying to show my obsession with this dog. (Which dog,.....) I actually took THIS picture with my cell phone this morning and tried to send it via text message to my blog site and trough the magic cyberspace: voila, here it is, very cool. And he is cute, isn't he...melt:)

Gebraut nach dem deutschen Reinheitsgebot!

I was down in Lincoln today and had dinner with Marc and Sydney. Marc talked about German beer and I remembered this picture I took in a German supermarket of the beer section. This is just ONE row of several. The beer gets mostly sold in these racks, that you pay a refund for (as well as for the bottles), so everything gets returned, cleaned and re-used AND filled again with delicious German beer (gebraut nach dem deutschen Reinheitsgebot, which means, it consists pretty much only of the basic ingredients needed to brew beer....whatever those are, sorry I don't really know, I am a wine drinker, and I know there isn't a beer berry.
Marc and Sydney were also brave enough to go out and ride today.
A big hohaa to them. I rode as well, in my basement. That is after walking Mr. Whiskers for an hour. Somehow, it seems so much easier for me to keep warm walking than biking...
Well, I had a great evening thanks to the Lincoln peeps and now it is time to go to bed.