Thursday July 18th till July 24th: Salt Lake City, UT or ... we know our way around

Our flight over the Big Water went smooth. My boss watched a couple of movies (she liked the Queen one very well...) while I took a nap. In Atlanta we had to change planes - picking up the luggage and Sweet Machine was no problem for little pinky (still in it's protected environment). We had almost 4 hours - time to stroll around and listen to some live music played at the food court where restless passengers ate some junk food. On the flight to Salt Lake City we had more room to move around - the middle person on our row was missing. In the arrival hall my boss had no trouble to find her packs - Sweet Machine had taken an earlier plane and we had to fetch him at the luggage depot of Delta. Once we had all our stuff, my boss stepted up to a man and asked him to phone the hotel ("I do not have a cell phone!"). It was around 9 pm when we finally got to the room.
Next morning I found out that this hotel was far from the center: we had to go back to the airport and then take the Trax Green Line. We walked around in the center, did some shopping for food and returned to our room.

Came the day we had to switch hotels... the plan of my boss wasn't very clever... we could have gone with Sweet Machine to the bike store before the move. Now she had to drag all the bags and the box again to the airport, find someone to phone the new hotel and then shuttle to the hotel. Once there, the taxi picked her up to go to the bike store. It was a lot of moving around, but hey ... we had nothing special to do.

On july 22nd we cycled the city:

The route took us to City Creek Canyon - "Hey, we have never been here before! What a green place, just at the outskirts of the city!" The road - for cyclists (my woman thought) leads to the Capitol.

From the hill it is a short ride down to Temple Square.

Later in the hotel I showed my woman a leaflet saying that the canyon is open on uneven days for cyclists ... We could have been in jail ...

On July 23rd my woman cycled again on streets she had never been before... I must say: the uphills (some steep ones) looked steeper than steep and my woman had to get of the bicycle a few times. We finally reached the hospital and from there we had no trouble to find the Mariott at the University where we picked up our running number. Yes ... tomorrow is Pioneer Day again!

The first days of july or ... we are still in Belgium

Yes, it's that time of the year again. Summer holidays. Let's see: is our boss strong enough to tackle any hill or any mountain again? What"s pinky going to do? Will the doctor be happy with the progress so far? 

But she is definitely going to cycle. A tour to the Flemish Ardennes will be a nice touring weekend. 

Let's start from home. After cycling 10 minutes I almost feel like being somewhere in a national park:

"No", my boss corrects me, "this is a farm... you know... where they will kill those animals..."

I guess I'm happy I don't live there! 

Along the old railroad path to Torhout... it's kind of dusty, but there are spots along the trail which bring some color into our ride:

The final destination of our first day is close to Oudenaarde. We liked the windmill along the road:

The next day we head towards the terrain where the Tour the France and the Tour of Flanders cycles. After that ride I must say: I will never ride Paris - Roubaix. Cobblestones are not for me:

The last day it's back to Ghent. Did you know they have zebra's grazing?

This time we cycled on the "Interstate of the cycling routes"... my boss didn't always find the arrows and signs. She just headed "That way"...  The cycle bridge over the highway close to Ghent was something new for us. The path made some fierce turns here. "It"s like cycling in the Black Hills of South Dakaota..."

Once in Ghent my boss drinks a coffee at the station and makes a phone call to meet her sister for lunch. Time with and for family!


A couple days later a big box arrives in the living room: it's Sweet Machine all ready packed... Let's sit next to the box to make sure our woman doesn't forget us!

One more night - with a partially moon eclipse:

I told the doctor I'll make sure my boss will practice her pinky... even when it hurts a bit!

Tuesday July 24th: or ... you do need a little more practice!

My woman woke up at 4 am. It’s still early but she decides to get ready for the run. Breakfast in bed with the two muffins and the banana. Woops, the tablet’s battery is almost dead. Guess she won’t use it while running. The taxi was already waiting outside. It took my boss to Wakara way almost along the way she biked yesterday… well not exactly, it seemed less steep. At the start they played Queen… And then at 6 am the national anthem was played. My boss sang hers! Finally came the start: a walk to the line and then … run baby! The whole time she kept her eyes on two women: they walked a few times but they ran faster… while my boss kept a steady pace. Well, not so steady… She was happy to find some sprinklers which made her shirt somewhat wet. Came the first water stop …what a relief! My boss often thought about her runs along the dike in Ostend. Must get there! The people sleeping outside on the road, waiting for the parade to show up at 9 am, were just about to wake up. Some were cheering, giving hugs, high fives… The 2^nd water stop always seems to be further – my boss needs it. Allright – just the turn around the corner and then 7 blocks slightly uphill. Here there’s more active people around and they cheer more. “Listen, woman, that’s your name I hear over the boxes…” And finally, the big medal of the 50^th marathon is hanging around my bosses neck. Some water, please… and a cookie before heading to the computer box to get the result. My woman was 3 minutes slower than last year… but I’m proud she did it again. In her age group she ended 10^th… And overall, she sits in the middle group… Average… as always. Not outstanding good or bad. She walks all the way back to first avenue – to Harmon’s to get a bagel with cream cheese and a mint tea. The lady who’s behind the counter seems to be confused … but she is friendly. The bagel tastes superb. The tea, well … it wasn’t mint tea, but my woman didn’t want to embarrass the lady again. It was tea. The clock showed almost 9 o’clock. Time for the parade. My boss finds a spot on the street, but after one hour of watching, her back doesn’t find this too comfortable anymore. Time to get up and find a new seat – somewhere in the shade. The 100 floats are often very beautifully decorated. She also admires the students in the marching bands… a long wait before a long march in the heat... At the end the streets get cleaned immediately – there is no extra litter laying around! Time to go back to the hotel where laundry is waiting. My boss shows us her medal… I’m proud of her! Tonight I hope we can watch the fireworks from the hotel room.