A Weekend on the Farms

Friday I got a call from my mother that one of my sister's goats (she has five) had two babies that afternoon. The whole situation was made really funny because my Dad had been working his butt of for the past week building stalls for the goats because he thought one of them was pregnant. Why is that funny you ask? Because the one he thought was pregnant wasn't and out of no where a different one had a litter of two. I was planning on coming to the Morgantown area for the cross race but with the new babies at my parents house I had to swing by and check them out.

This one is a climber
I was at my parent's house for a few hours and couldn't stop playing with the new ones. I was shocked at how well they got around for only being 24 hours old. One of them kept trying to climb my head. It wasn't all fun and games though. From some reason that I don't know goat babies are not great at going to their mother for milk when they are new born. For the first few days they need a little help pointing them in the right direction. This isn't the easiest task to complete when the mother wants to run around and the little ones don't know what to do. However we did finally get the job done! I can't wait to go back for Thanksgiving and play with them again.

What can I say, I have a way with the animals
The following day it of was of to another farm. This time I was headed to the Park's Farm in Bruceton Mills for the 5th annual Bruceton Mills Cyclocross. This event had a little bit of a special meaning for me. It was one year ago at this race when I decided to really start riding again. What a great idea that was. I have had so much fun in the last 12 months. I wonder what I would have been doing if I never made that decision.

Is it just me or do I look cold
Just like last year the weather was pretty darn cold on top the mountain but unlike last year there was a good bit of snow on the ground. Considering the conditions I wondered if anyone would show up for the race. Guess I am not the crazy one out there because the number of racers doubled this year from last.

Believe it or not I was pretty warm in my tights
With my other Bi-atch Teammates racing again at the MABRA race in Maryland it was up to me to represent for the team. Right before the race started I decided to change bikes. The course had been snow plowed that morning and the sun was starting to melt what was left on the course, so I thought a fatter tire would do me better. However my pit bike was my single speed mountain bike.

After the start I was really happy to have picked the wider tires and was felling pretty good. I was also staying pretty close to a few guys that I know were faster then I was. However each lap became tougher and tougher trying to push the single gear around the course. My buddy Tim Bishop was cheering for my on the sidelines and every time I went by him I would howler out a WOOT! About the fourth lap he yelled back that my Woot was starting to become weak. He was right, it was. I was in the pain box. That was a good thing. May times I find myself not racing as hard as I possible could but I was giving it 100% on the old single speed. At the finish my overall standing were not that great but it was a good race for me.

Greatest help you coulf ever find
With it being a WVMBA race in all I was there to clean up afterward. I was thinking it was going to take me forever, but thanks to some great folks from Morgantown I was done in an hour. Thanks you guys for all your help.

The day was capped off with a great sunset. I had my junky camera with my and no tripod. I wish I had my gear or I would have really put some effort into the above photo. Atleast one more race left this year, will see after that.