I was torn. I really wanted to go kayaking with friends this weekend in Western NC. They are running the Nolichucky and Cheoah, two great rivers (especially the Cheoah). A couple of these friends, I haven't paddled with since last summer. And then recently I gave them kind of a hard time because I was kind of feeling excluded from the paddling groups around here (a perpetual complex? or what?). So they worked hard to keep me in the loop on this trip and I didn't go. I was feeling a bit sick, and I would have had to either drive by myself, or ride as the third passenger in a Honda Civic for a six hour drive (each way) along with boating, camping, and other gear. Given that I'm about 6' tall, that was sounding a bit cramped. I'm not 20 anymore.... Also, I went kayaking for the past two weekends, also long drives, and am behind on work. So I stayed home. It's really nice weather here, and I got some stuff done, including a bit of work I needed to do. I also made it out road biking in the Dairyland area, North of town. I only did an hour ride, but I pushed it hard. Considering that I'm feeling sick and haven't been on my road bike in about six months, I don't feel too bad about my average 17mph.

But I still wish I was kayaking with friends.

One thing I noticed is how important exercise is. I've noticed this before. I hadn't made it out to do anything for three days, and this morning I was a useless blob. I was in a bad mood, feeling totally apathetic and wanting to go back to bed. Then I go out and crank on my bike for a while, and suddenly I'm a different girl. A much more happy and energetic one. I worked on stuff all day after that, then cooked dinner (yummy - Indian food - Lamb Saag). Now I need to eat, instead of blogging more.

Tomorrow we hope to meet some friends at a local market, then go canoeing a bit. It's supposed to be another hot day... in the 90's.... wow. This is weird for april.

Music hint for the day: check out WUNC tonight (Sat) or tomorrow night (Sun). Their show, Back Porch Music, is awesome.

If you're a cross country skiier and you've never checked out the Nordic center in Canmore, Alberta, you need to. It is an incredible place. There is a huge, well maintained trail network, a great lodge, and friendly staff. We spent the afternoon skiing yesterday. Eva had a great time (see her video here). We had thought the snow might not be so hot because there isn't much of it in the lower valley of Canmore, and even around the lodge at the resort. However, the snow was great. They do a lot of snowmaking here, and keep the trails groomed every day. There was only one spot the whole day that we encountered which was a bit thin. Mark and I skiied about ~20k, and I had a good challenge trying to keep up with him. We of course chose the hilly route, and there are plenty of hills if you want them. The weather was perfect, at just around freezing.

Today we head to Lake Louise for some skiing. There is a trail that goes from the lake to another lake, supposedly about 7 miles. We'll pull Eva in the Pulk (a sled for kids). These can be rented from the Trail Shop at the nordic center. The weather is nice and sunny, though colder than yesterday, with highs predicted in the high 20's (thats around -2 or -3 C). It's a bit of a drive from Canmore to Lake Louise, over an hour. More later!

I'm writing from Canmore in the great province of Alberta, Canada. We just got here today. Sadly, there's not a lot of snow here. That might be fine for the locals, but it's not great for skiing, which is why we came. But we'll figure out something. We're staying at the Sunset Resort in Canmore, and it seems nice so far, though the room is HOT (windows open, in the winter, in Alberta).

Politics. I'm going to add a section on the blog for them. I know two people running for office this year. The level of involvement at the grassroots level amongst those I know (mostly "lefties" if you ascribe to right-wing name calling) is greater than any time I can remember. People are fed up, and ready for something new. And the Gen-X'ers are overcoming their stereotype of apathy and getting involved. Watch out.

The one political thing I'll mention is Canada. They just had an election here, and voted in a conservative Prime Minister, Paul Martin. So now Canada is "conservative". Yeah, right. This place is totally different than North Carolina. Being a non-traditional family, it's easy to notice how people look and act when they realize we are not the standard Leave It To Beaver Family. A lot of people in North Carolina are fine with it, but there is a minority of persons who make their displeasure clear through various facial gestures, looks, and so on. Usually these are middle-aged, dumpy looking women who have nothing better to do than dissaprove of other people's lives (not lifestyles - I'll get into that in another post). They'd rather spend their time staring down the occasional "lesbo commie freak" than actually going out and excersising to get rid of some of that hideous flab. How pathetic. Anyway, my simple point is this: in Canada, I've noticed no such people. Everyone has been friendly. They have a "mind your own business" point of view. As long as I'm not hurting them, then they don't bother me. Now, why is it in the great old US of A, a significant minority of people can't see the rationality in simply letting people live their lives? I don't really understand the psychology behind this... so I will explore it again, another time. But not tonight. Tonight, I say "Good Night and Good Luck."