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No damn place like home

Just home from Raleigh,NC and I can tell you, there really is nothing like darkening your own doorstep.  It is so inexplicably sweet to be home after 3 weeks away.  For those curious, I was up there writing a technical manual and getting in some biking on the side. Or was it the other way around?

Speaking of, there is plenty of biking to be had up there and lots of greenspace.  Raleigh has a great outdoorsy vibe and is pretty laid back.  Only problem is there's not much elevation or climbing to speak of on the trails, which was disappointing.  I had to ride a long way to get a decent workout but I needed that kind of riding because I normally grind it out on hilly singletrack which really takes a toll and need to incorporate "easier" road rides.  The trails were plenty technical and challenging but nothing to put me in 80% max heart rate for too long.  Got to work on some of my bike handling skills though with plenty of drops and log jumps.  Favorite trails were bandit trails, known as 286 and Rocky Road. They're secret trails that no one talks about because they're actually on Raleigh Durham Airport property!  But people ride them anyway, gnarly! The trails have a nice renegade, grassroots feel to them. Not groomed at all and no signage  but put together as a labor of love.  About 20 miles total of sweet singletrack out there.  Then there was Umstead, which is like road biking, except on dirt.  Good place to get in some mindless miles. A few climbs but mostly flat. I topped out on my Singlespeed 32-20 setup numerous times.  Needed an 18 rear cog for sure.  There was some fun bombing downhills for catching gnats in your teeth going 30mph.y goo

I feel pretty good about my biking and my writing.  I think the manual is a winner and I was glad to finally get some technical writing experience.  July is the most I've ever biked according to Strava so that must be good.  Next up is the Blanket's 6-hour race, which should be interesting because I don't feel trained up for it at all being up in the flatlands for 3 weeks.

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