RATPOD

Okay, okay I know it's been a while, sorry about that. I guess after the marathon I preoccupied myself with finishing up the school year and settling into summer vacation mode. In lieu of boring you with the details of our last month (conference in Bozeman, skateboard and violin camp, housing and cabin projects, and playdates) I'll just start with current events.

Last weekend's event is one we look forward to every summer. It is called the RATPOD. I know this sounds like something involving rodents but it's not. RATPOD stands for Ride Around the Pioneers in One Day and is a benefit bike ride for Camp Mak a Dream a medical camp for children and adolescents fighting or surviving cancer. The ride starts and ends in Dillon, Montana covering 130 miles around the Pioneer Mountains. This was EJ's third RATPOD and although I would love to ride it (and will someday) I think I'll chalk up the marathon as my big spring event. Now, when I say this is a ride, I do mean RIDE not RACE. Here's the difference between ride and race. RACE: you work your butt off, take quick breaks (some possibly while still on your bike...if you know what I mean) and survive and refuel on goo and bar food. This was accomplished by EJ in the fall while racing in the LOTOJA (don't you love these acronyms?) RIDE: now in EJ's case, he still works his butt off while he's riding however...there is the breakfast stop with breakfast burritos, the lunch stop with live music, and the pie and ice cream stop before bringing it into the finish. I don't know how well this works for the gut, especially since advise given to me during marathon training was not to ingest anything during the race that I didn't train with but it seems to work. Again, it's a ride, no worries if your breaks require some digestion time (and appropriate relief time).

So, now that we have all that cleared up, I can tell you that we had a perfect weekend! We were lucky to be joined by Farfar and EJ2 (also know as EJ's bro) and the weather was amazing (as opposed to hail and a flat tire the first ride and cross winds the second).

Our weekend always starts with a spaghetti feed at the Elks Lodge which was accompanied by a favorite local band to set the mood. Ride day the boys and I usually attempt a fun outing like digging for crystals, exploring a fairly remote hot spring or roaming the nearby ghost town. This year we got to be part of ride day action as we shuttled Farfar so he could ride approximately 50 miles of the course...way to go Farfar! It was fun to see all the riders and cheer for friends (although I got some strange looks at my cheering attempts...again, the possible difference between race and ride). On Saturday night there is a great dinner on campus with free beer and a band. As we have participated in this event and lived in MT for a while now, it is a great time to hang out with friends and hear about our friend's rides (at which point I become a little jealous, especially when questioned about how my ride went...it didn't'). To finish off the weekend EJ and his posse head to the Big Hole for a little fishing action. I, in the meantime, hang at the pool with boys at the KOA...it is the one time during the year I can confess to "laying out." They have a blast and Roo has enjoyed the company of a new friend from Seattle two years in a row (they have also found the joy of KOA camping during the RATPOD...cheap and showers). Oh, and did I mention the Patagonia Outlet? Oh yeah, that's really why I go at all.