mountainbiking

Bobcat, sometime around 2022

#Bobcats #Cats #Wildlife #California #cycling #MountainBiking #MTB #Animals

August Recap Part 2: Earning the Bliss

And here comes the active part!

I promised you more summer holiday vibes. As mentioned in the previous post, we didn’t spend all day lazing on the beach. Only the afternoons.

Almost every morning, my father and I set off on a mountain bike tour. I usually prefer hiking, but when the weather is really hot, I find mountain biking much more enjoyable. You can reach higher and cooler altitudes much faster, and there is always that refreshing wind in your face, at least when you’re going downhill!

Over the course of the week, we covered quite a few kilometres and climbed a fair amount of elevation.

Tour 1: 27 km and 1,000 metres of elevation gain:

Tour 2: 41 km and 750 metres of elevation gain. And some nice viewpoints along the way:

Tour 3: 26 km and 850 metres of elevation gain:

Tour 4: 51 km and 950 metres of elevation gain:

We always made sure to be back by lunchtime, before the heat became too intense.

And there is probably no better feeling after a long, hot workout than diving straight into the lake. One minute you’re sweaty and exhausted; the next, you’re immersed in cool, clear water. That wonderful post-exercise feeling: your muscles are worn out, but you’re happy, relaxed, and satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.

So yes, there was plenty of doing nothing during our camping holiday. But we earned that.

The mornings were for movement, the afternoons for cooling off – and the evenings for paddling across the lake. That’s what made the week so perfect: just the right balance between exercise and relaxing.