Grand Traverse Mountain Bike Association

I want to alert you to a great new website.

http://gtmtba.com/

They are your source for all things related to mountain biking and outdoor-lifestyle in northern Michigan. I recently started to write for them.

Keep an eye on them, they are doing great things; they provided great Iceman 2011 coverage, give product reviews, trail news and the word on the street is that they will be starting a race team for next season!

Check them out.

Have a great day.

-J

Motivation

Sometimes it is hard to get out of bed, get a workout in and then plop down to study for several hours followed by class.

Today is one of those days.

On days such as this I need to find a whole bunch of inspiration to pull me through the day.

The beginning of my inspiration comes from the group at M22:

Perfection

Another of my motivators of the day is my XC skiis that I will be picking up this morning. Though they are old and probably need a little work, I still cannot wait to give them a try.

The final motivator: I was approached by a classmate last week in regards to some mountain-biking, I think that he is pretty serious about it, and I think that when the weather warms up that I am going to take him up on his offer of checking out some of Ann Arbor's terrain. What better motivator to get in shape and stay current on all of my schoolwork than the promise of some outdoors fun?

I leave you, to go study, with a parting shot from the Portage Point Channel. The geometric shapes of the ice are just awesome.

Hope your weekend is swell!

I have been here, and I have been there...

In the past few days it seems like I have been everywhere, in Michigan that is.

After what seemed like forever in the darkness, the trip from Ann Arbor, we awoke and darted further North to Traverse City. I delightfully gloomy day indeed was in front of us as we dropped mother off at the MRI joint and moseyed downtown TC to find a drink.

We stopped at Espresso Bay, a locally owned and operated cafe where the staff was more than accommodating and friendly, the barista even offered to put ice in the tea and gave us tips on cooling it quickly. Delightful indeed.

After a quick stroll downtown we stopped for a quick photo-op at one of C. Bromley's favorites: The State Theater:

All in all, a great day, got a few Christmas presents picked out, picked up a new watch and a cover for my Kindle.

Enjoy this day,

-J

In the next post look for a super cool Birthday present that my little brother got me! It will blow your mind!

Have you ever seen...

The sunset on any of Lake Michigan's beaches? Well if you have not you need to get to the west side of the state. It is worth any length of drive. Last night I chronicled one. All that I can say is that it is good to be home. Let me know what you think.

Everything is beautiful, and the clouds could not have cooperated more.

This is my personal favorite from the night, love the light waves coming in.

You should see the shots she took! They will be accessible from: http://cinemarie.tumblr.com/ any day! Check it out!

A great way to end a great day in Northern Michigan.

Having a blast, hope you are too.

-J