Venus de Miles

Venus's Greek name is Aphrodite. She is known as the Daughter of Heaven and Sea, the child of Uranus and Gaia. Her story tells of fertility, love and pleasure.

Venus wasn't conceived out of pleasure, but she worked hard to find her own. She was born when Gaia, Goddess of Mother Earth, got so angry at her husband Uranus that she sliced off his genitals and threw them into the sea. They mixed with the foam of the ocean and formed Venus, a symbol unconcerned with maternal issues and focused on sensuality and pleasure.

Venus married and bore children but did not stay focused on her home affairs. In fact, she concentrated almost completely on her extramarital affairs. Her many lovers include Aries, the God of War, and the handsome Adonis.

The goddess loved to pamper herself and cultivate her beauty. Her symbol represents the hand-held vanity mirror that Venus used to admire her beauty. Truly, Venus has become the symbol for feminity itself.



Venus de Miles
Longmont, Colorado
August 30, 2009
63 mile road ride
Unconcerned with maternal issues and focused on sensuality and pleasure.



Up at 4:30 a.m. ... at the Start Line at 7:00 a.m.


After 15 miles of riding ... 1st SAG stop in Lyons.


Lyons, Colorado

Venus de Miles Art

Girl on Top (Jamestown)

An M.I.D. (Man In Drag) [Male support staff/mechanics dressed in drag ... to keep it an ALL-WOMEN Event ... it was very entertaining]

M.I.D.

M.I.D.

Jamestown Church

Message

Meanwhile across the street ... M.I.D. in action

The Finish Line.

FREE BEER! FREE WINE! FREE MOJITOS! FREE FOOD! FREE MASSAGES! FREE MUSIC! (Girls on Top)

It was like Christmas in August!

New Belgium Flowing Freely

Lots of post ride re-hydration ... beer and mojitos ... yummy!

Pampering ... Venus-Style.



Can I sign up for Venus de Miles 2010 yet?

Flowers and Ribbons (Crested Butte, Colorado)

Falling in love ... over and over.

How much can somebody love where they live? This state amazes me. Crested Butte is absolutely beautiful. This weekend was a "Dirt Diva" weekend. We had a small group this year, but sometimes that can actually be easier and better.

We camped in the middle of no-where ... the new Honda Pilot went camping ... she got filthy ... she crossed streams ... she did some light 4x4ing ... and she's only 5 days old today!





The cows ... there were cows everywhere where we camped ... cow herds! They weren't fenced off. They were in the road ... in the streams ... in the woods. I kept thinking ... what a cool spot for a Chick-Fil-A commercial. They OWNED the place. We were awoken this morning at 6:45 A.M. by a big head pushing/sniffing down the entire length of the tent. I thought it was a bear - FOR SURE - then there through the back window I see a BIG cow ass walking by ... she scared me to death! (Dear Lord, I'm afraid of Colorado cows now ... bears, mountain lions ... and COWS). These cows didn't "moo" either ... they sort of "grooannned" ... kind of scary - seriously.



The mountain biking was STELLAR. I'm thinking the 401 Trail is officially my 2nd favorite trail in Colorado (behind the Monarch Crest trail). The weather was PERFECT.









The road biking was sweet too. We biked from Crested Butte toward Gunnison. It was absolutely gorgeous.




Post-ride picnic was pretty sweet too!
(grapes/mozarella/pistachios/prosciutto/crackers/nan/cold Smirnoff Ice/Oreos/Milk ... cradled by Crested Butte's loving arms ... while getting smiled on by the warm sunshine)

14,270'

I suffer above 11,000 ft. Since the day I arrived in Colorado ... anything I do at elevation KICKS MY ASS. I rode Monarch Crest (nearly 12,000 ft) when I first moved here and I thought I was going to pass out on the trail. FAST FORWARD ... (one year later) I felt like I was going to have a heart attack after walking 50 yards back up a hill (bathroom break :) last weekend at 11,000 ft on a camping trip in Silverton, CO. So, acclimation ... not happening for me!

SOOOOOO, I have been super-scared of trying to climb a 14'er ... because of the altitude.

I was convinced to climb one today.

Grays Peak
Elevation: 14,270 feet (9th highest)

Grays Peak is the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is one of 54 fourteeners (mountains of over 14,000 feet (4,268 m) in elevation) in Colorado. Its nearest major city is Denver. The first man to ascend Grays Peak, botanist Charles C. Parry, named the peak for his botanist colleague Asa Gray. Gray actually did not see the peak until 1872, 11 years later. It is nearly always mentioned in conjunction with nearby Torreys Peak. Grays Peak is located on the Continental Divide, as well as the boundary between Clear Creek County and Summit County. Its summit is the highest point exactly on the Continental Divide.











Did I suffer? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely YES.

What a sense of accomplishment!

What a beautiful day!

What an awesome post-hike meal!

Beau Jo's, Idaho Springs, Colorado

The Sky Hawk
Beau Jo’s pizza sauce, fire-roasted green chilies, pepperoni,
whole milk mozzarella and feta cheeses.

Big thank you to my trail guide for an amazing day!

Aimer et Paris

Paris Trip Report

Thursday was a bad day.
- I was leaving for Paris. Airport. Missing my all-hands/fire your ass/industry/merger/bullshit meeting ... getting updates from my BFF Jennifer Sandoval ... finally it's all revealed ... no job ... after December 31. OUCH. OKAY... okay ... Joe Cool enters the scene. Deal with this when I get back. Focus on the fact that I'm GOING TO FRANCE. The plan ... Plane to Philly. Plane to Paris. Vacation. However, flight is delayed. Delayed again. Delayed again. Delayed again. 10:00A.M. flight leaves at 1:00P.M. Plane lands in Philly at 6:50P.M. Missed connection to Paris by mere minutes. Stuck in Philly over night. No luggage. No future employment. No Deb. I cried. Big FAT Crocodile Tears. Took the Stinking Butt Hole-Scented Shuttle to the Stinking Cheap Sketchy Hotel in Nasty Ass Section of Philadelphia. Managed to fall asleep.

Mentally/Emotionally/Physically exhausted.

(*sorry - no pictures of the emotional trauma)

Friday was a good day.
- Get up. Eat breakfast. Go to the airport. Leave for Paris.

(*sorry - no pictures of me trudging through this day)

Saturday was a GREAT day.
- Luggage makes it (thanks to Jen's prayers). Deb and Lionel greet me with open arms... and WE'RE off.

Breakfast at home. Lunch in Paris. Sight seeing. Dinner in Paris. Bar hopping. Awake for day break.









Sunday was a fantastic day.
-Eiffel Tower. Spent the day with Deb, Lionel, Max and Marie. Dinner at home. Concert.















Monday was another fantastic day.
- The Louvre. Lunch in Paris. Dinner in Paris.















EVERY DAY in Paris ... involved Nutella, bread, cheese, wine, Helmut Fritz - ça m'énerve, Lily Allen and the word SORTIE.

Tuesday was a travel day.
- Back to USA.

Back to reality.

Ouch.

Big Fat Crocodile Tears.