Adventures in Fauncy Paunts

It has been a pretty eventful month since my last blog post - and since I didn't seem to convey the  message as I intended in my last post, I became a little un-enthused on blogging in general.  I figured other people could relate to being used to having the awesomest friends in the world who could and would do anything you could possibly want to do in name of recreation... to moving to a new town and finding that yes, you could find people to climb/mountain bike/workout whatever with you... but you would have to pay them to do it.  Apparently it's just me.  So, moving on, I won't try to summarize how I  moved into a new house, had a great visit with my first houseguests, Nina and Andrew (whose visit meant the world to me!), have experimented with the paleo diet - very successful until I started cheating, so maybe i have time to do that blog as I get back into it, and also did my first mountain bike race last weekend (to finish was to win, let's say, rather than, I got creamed)... I can't even remember what else I've skipped, but now I'm moving ahead!

Looking at the Blue Ridge mountains I climbed from Airmont, VA

Yesterday was a fantastic day.  Adam and I both had the day off, so we were able to sleep in and catch up on cuddling... then it was off to accomplish our seperate activities.  Adam had an essay to write for his literature class and I had adventures to embark upon.

My first adventure was to drive out to Purcelleville for a horseback riding lesson.  Ever since I was a pre-teen, it was my dream to move to Virginia and ride horses cross-country.  Chase the hounds, compete in 3-day eventing, and just be immersed in horsey wonderfulness, which was pretty much all I could think about in those days.  Now, as an adult living in Virginia, I haven't given horses much thought, and all I have been able to think about is moving back out West - to the mountains!  I had actually completely forgotten about my childhood dream until it clicked back into my head somehow at some point, probably as Adam and I traversed Northern Virginia's horse/wine country in search of fermented grape juice.  So, my thought was, instead of whining about the traffic and the humidity and the East Coast people... why not get a taste of what I had wanted so badly so many years ago.  Better late than never!  It was only one 1/2 hour ride, but I did get to hop a few fences and I hope to be able to write  more on my horsey adventures in the near future.

After my horseback ride, I traded my riding breeches for my bicycle chamois.  The lightly travelled country roads that make chasing small dogs over obstacles on horseback seem like a good idea, also make for some amazing cycling adventures!  I started my ride in Purcelleville and road about 12 miles to Bluemont, where I had been warned on the internet would be my last chance to stock up on supplies for the next 50 or so miles I planned to ride.  I stopped at the Bluemont store around 2 pm for pie and cheddar for a late lunch and also got some country ham sliders for the road (not paleo at all, but I knew i needed some serious calories for the beastly climb ahead).  To make up for my diet indiscretion, I also purchased a gallon jug of water for added training weight (since the gallon was about as cheap as getting another liter).  I am seriously loving riding with panniers.

The climb up Blueridge Mountain Road was very challenging and unrelenting.  I think I went "up" for about an hour.  At the top, admidst the woods and quaint mountain homes, I spied the Department of Homeland Security's "Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center" amidst a sea of barbed wire fencing.  Kind of cool.  I wonder how I could get a gig up there... the bike commute would be fantastic!

After the killer climb, I descended into Paris, VA, where the mountains turned into a lovely flat/rolling ride through country inns, farms, and estates so large you couldn't even see the mansions and stables from the road... just elegant signs proclaiming that they were there.  All along they way, I noticed that the fences to the farms were made up to be a horseman's playground, with sections angled and lowered perfectly to invite the horses and riders on the hunt to go over them.  Eeeeeek!  Apparently these fox hunts are very hoity toity affairs and one must be invited to join... but I am going to have to figure out how to get in on one or two as a critical element on my bucket list.

Very tired and sore, I headed back home.  As beautiful as the weather was all day, the radio was calling for a tornado warning not far from where I'd been riding.  Thank goodness all that waited!  When I got home, Adam put some steaks on the grill and we enjoyed a wonderful candle and lightning-lit dinner thanks to a fierce and fast-moving storm that knocked out the power for a bit.  Icing on the delicious cake that was my day was a care package from our recent houseguests, Nina and Andrew, which included about a dozen thoughtful items in typical, over-the-top Nina style.  Most appreciated was a toy with six squeaky devices inside for Ruffian.  24 hours later... One squeaky down, 5 to go!

Ruffy loves her new squeaky (it has 6 separate squeak features and only 1 is out in 24 hours!)