Today marks my fourth day in the lovely state of New Hampshire and so far it has been great.  The past day and a half however, have been absolutely crazy and full of firsts!  Here are some pictures…

 Last evening was my first ever food shop in New Hampshire and the aisles of the “Market Basket” were packed. If I would have known that beforehand I would have worn my nice shirt!

 Yeah Scotty there are the same number of eggs in a dozen here in New Hampshire as there is in California!

 Now onto this morning where I got to have my first ever New Hampshire Starbucks coffee.

 Ooohhhh, here is the state flower of New Hampshire…poison ivy!  I have never had poison ivy before which makes me want to touch it to see if anything happens?

Then this evening I even got to watch my first New Hampshire bad movie….”The Incredible Hulk”…it was terrible! However, after the movie Teddy drove Scotty, Richie and I over the bridge into Maine! Maine…check that off the list off states to visit!

Tomorrow is the Exeter Crit near Teddy’s parents house so hopefully we can get the local hometown hero a win?

Okay, I am off to listen to Scotty argue on the phone with his gf…

…it is very stressful listening to them argue…five times a day! This stress is throwing my cortisol levels all out of whack…no wonder why I was unable to win the other day!  Seriously, why can’t we all just get along?

later, g.

Thought I would pass along this photo of my teammate Teddy…

…or is that Richard Simmons?

Photo courtesy of Scotty who spotted it while pissing in the downstairs bathroom of Teddy’s parent’s house!

later, g.

After a short stint at home in Boulder which involved…paying bills, washing clothes, mopping floors, cleaning toilets, adding chemicals to the hot tub, grilling out, mountain biking, a short track mountain bike race, sun bathing, and various other activites…it was back on the road.

My current road trip takes me to New Hampshire where my teammates Scotty, Richie, and I are staying at Tedward King’s house.  It is a very exciting trip for me since I have never been to New England!  So far after flying into Boston, staying at Teddy’s house, and racing in Providence…the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and RI have been knocked off of my “states to visit” list.  However, I still need to visit Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine!

 Richie, Scotty, and Teddy, hanging out at Teddy’s mom and dad’s house in New Hampshire.

 On the way to the race in Rhode Island yesterday the back seat of the van really gave me some great views of the New England countryside!

later, g.

PS. I quit doing my training journal so should have a lot more time to update my blog!

The past few days have been nice and relaxing here in the northwoods.  The weather has been great and I have gotten a few good days in on the bike…mainly to offset the calories from mom’s cooking!  Dad even had the privilege of motor pacing me yesterday and he did a good job after he got used the high speeds at which he had to drive his vehicle!

Here are a few examples of what life is like up north…

 Who says cows are happier in California??? Actually, I think the cow on the ground is a California transplant based on the way she is flashing her boobies…or maybe Wisconsin has gotten less conservative of the years?

 Lake Superior…it is cold.

 The city of Washburn (where I went to high school) from the other side of Chequamegon Bay.  On a side note my Grandpa still holds the record for swimming across the Bay!

 Since I am never home for Thanksgiving we had one this evening! (Mom, Brother, Joyce, and Dale).

Tomorrow I head south for the “Giro de Grafton” and Sheboygan crits this weekend which I am excited for. Then back to Boulder on Monday!

later, g.

Yesterday, after a fairly succesful Nature Valley Grand Prix for the Bissell Pro Cycling team, I packed up my bags and headed to ”the northwoods” with my parents where I will be spending the upcoming week!  For normal drivers it is about a four hour drive north of Minneapolis to my parents house. However, with my dad at the helm it takes a solid ten since drives twelve mph!!! 

Anyway, it is always nice to be home…or as I now say my parents house.  Things don’t change much but there is something comforting about that…

 Here is mom who washed, folded, and mended my torn clothes just like she used to!

 Dad still loves to drive slow, read the paper, and mow the lawn!  Hope he likes the two doughnuts I bought him for fathers day?

 Older brother Shane who is fresh off his bike touring trip from Arizona to Wisconsin still loves to “organize” all of his belongings!

 And Wisconsinites definitely love the Packers!

On a side note…I know it has only been one day but I am missing my hotel roommate Scotty

 How could I not miss this?

later, g.

PS. Scotty hope you are not too mad but I had to post the picture