New Bikes!

Saturday morning we get up, fix the new trees that were bent over from the snow storm and we make our way to Pedal Head Bikes to do some "testing." Turns out Testing means shopping and we found some slick bikes to buy - yeah! The top bike is Katie's -- A Giant Trance 1 : full suspension, XT components, disc brakes -- a sweet brushed paint job and it's a wicked ride. For full specs check this out: http://www.giant-bicycle.com/en-CA/bikes/mountain/737/26795/

The one below is Scott's -- A Brodie Mettle : full suspension, XT components, disc brakes -- a clean and crisp white frame that begs to get dirty! For full specs check this out: http://www.brodiebikes.com/2007/2007_bikes/mettle.php
Anyway - we're off to get in a quick ride in the neighbourhood until the trails dry up a little. Hope you're having fun too!

Condo Rented!

RENTED! Yeah, our condo has been rented! It took less than three (3) weeks to find the right people for the condo -- although it was crazy how many phone calls and emails we "weeded out" to find people that were a good fit.

We have Tracy & Lisa who are cousins and were looking to upgrade their space. They work @ the Foothills Hospital and downtown Calgary, so it should be nice and close for them. They seem very nice and were excited with the quality of the condo. They had some crazy rental viewing stories about the price people are asking for dirty apartments, condos and basements -- so it makes us happy to be able to provide something nice to good people.

Hope everyone is enjoying their May Long Weekend. Mud Slides in Golden & work work stuff complicated our GT Bike Trip this weekend -- so we didn't get to go this year. We have been out for a few nice rides in Calgary & got tons of yard stuff taken care of. It's all good.

May Long Weekend Biking

Here's some charts to show you what we'll be biking this weekend.

You have to read each map backwards, as we do the route from Castle Junction to Golden on Day 1. Golden to Radium on Day 2. And finish with Radium back to Castle Junction on Day 3. 300kms in 3 days -- it's not a race, it's about good friends, biking, beers and laughs! We'll have photos to share with you after the weekend - hope the maps help you envision the journey.

Should be a blast -- just hoping for dry weather! Whatever you get up to this May Long Weekend, we hope it includes you having a great time too!

Day Two -- a great flat route. For the past few years, we always have the wind on our face for the entire day -- so that is the only bad thing about it! Beautiful scenery and if you're lucky a train will pass you with the mountains in the backdrop and he'll honk his train horn if you give him the signal!


Day Three -- Yes, the climb out of Radium is a brutal as it looks. If you know the area, you know that it's steep from the go. It's tough @ 8am when your legs haven't had a chance to warm-up and your body is screaming from the last two-days. But somehow you press on and the top of the Pass you get your photo taken with the hill grade sign and the sense of accomplishment is overwhelming. Then you get to toss on all the layers of clothing you took off during the climb and race down the other side. The rest of the day is a continuous up-hill battle and we have lunch before the final assent. The beer at the end is always worth it tho!

Boyd Biking Twins!

OK - so maybe we aren't twins, but we do have matching Bike Jersey's! And let me say they are wicked! Kinda makes us feel like the couple in the pick-up truck who sit right next to each other - but we're OK with that!

As you can see, it was an excellent Spring morning for a ride. Hope you like our Jersey's and hope that you are enjoying the sun whereever you happen to be! GT '07 next weekend - whoo-hoo!! Where we first met a few May Long Weekends ago : )

Spring Time Warning !!!

A little later in the day while we were out buying trees for our backyard...we noticed this....

Don't make our mistake...wear sunscreen!

Hello Sports Fans...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a sports writer? I have and I often think what would I write after witnessing such a horriffic slo-pitch game, like I played, last Tuesday!

It's easy to write about a great game you've played -- the amazing hits, the great diving catch. But when your play is akin to the Bad News Bears on their first day at training camp, you pause to ponder if the article is even worth writing. And as I did this, I was struck by the fact that our audience needs to know the truth. The Boyd Biking & Adventures Blog readers are not a fickle bunch - they want to read the truth and will still stand by your side. Right?! So here are the Game Facts. Enjoy faithful reader and know that the gravel rash I have on my ass and leg from a failed attempt to catch a ball will heal more quickly than my bruised ego.

Game Facts:

• At bat, I went 2 for 5. I left people stranded on base, hit into double plays and probably would have been better if I had just gone up to the plate and swung three times in a row prior to the first pitch and then sat back on the bench : )


• In the field, I played short-stop. I was quickly identified by the other team as having a bad game and they made their best attempts to hit the ball to me, so I could drop it, fumble it or watch me roll on the dirt in a feable attempt to stop the ball.


• As for the rest of the team. Well, we all had a bad night. But most of them are engineers, so you have to give the smart kids a break every once in a while!


• All in all, we lost. The good news is we did seem to get better as the game went on. The bad news is that the other team did get more intoxicated as the game went on. I think there is a connection.

Until next time - hit the batting cage this weekend and work on that swing!

Bike Shopping

What a fantastic weekend! If you weren't in Calgary, you missed out on some great sunshine and warmer temps! We did dinner and a movie on Friday night (saw Fracture -- good story, sorry for figuring out the ending and sharing it before it happened, Katie!)

Saturday we biked from our place to downtown Calgary and had our morning treats on a sun-drenched patio. It felt so good to be on the bikes. It was a respectable 50km trip and the first one we've done together this season - so that made it even better! A couple of driver challenged individuals on the roads - a quick reminder to "share" the roads with bikers, please! Of course, we're only two (2) weekends away from the GT '07 weekend - so some more time on our roadbikes is much needed!

Saturday night Scott BBQ'd one of his best pre-summer meals and we just relaxed together.

Sunday, Katie got up for a run and Scott made excuses : ) Then we headed to MEC - Katie insisted Scott needed a biking vest (turns out it looks really good and I like it - so thanks, baby!) Then we were off to Cadence for brunch - amazing eats, if you're in the Bowness area. And then we hit Bow Cycle. Turns out we are talking about new Mountain Bikes this year for us both! We are in the early research stage, but Scott has already "fell in like" with the SCOTT FX15 model. Katie was scoping a sweet Specialized and a Santa Cruz too. Test rides are planned for next weekend - wicked!

Another busy week ahead - but hope you have fun along the way. A quick shout out to Mark B. -- Good luck on your LEED exam on Monday...:"You can do it!"

Condo For Rent!

Our great tenant is moving out and so our Condo is available for rent come July 1st.

We are advertising on a website that has helped us find our last two renters http://www.rentfaster.ca/listingview.php?listingID=5506 but we figured we'd also post here in case anyone has a friend looking for an awesome place to stay in Calgary!!

Pictures and details can be viewed there. If you know of someone who's looking - let us know!

Winning Feels Good

Hey Sports Fans!

Just a quick update to let you know that the Corked Bats won their first game tonight - yeah!! It was a battle of sluggers as we edged out the competition 28-23.

We played without our star left fielder, Katie, as she is in Portland for a training camp with the pros (hee-hee!) Scott picked up te slack tho & went 5 for 6 at bat - hitting a double in a bases loaded situation to rally the team and spark a seven-run inning.

In non-sports news, we had a wicked evening with Adam and Roxcie @ the John Mayer Concert. Unreal guitar player with some amazing solos and a great sound quality considering the big venue he was playing.

Hope you're having a great week too and enjoyed the first day of May! Where's the time going?!

Until next time - keep your eye on the ball!