jetset1

<R> Hello fearless friends, happy Friday wherever you may be

I am recouperated from my biking trip and glad that I experienced it. Four of my motivated friends talked me into riding between Wasilla and Fairbanks. We had a fifth wheel trailer along, and covered approximately thirty miles each day. I am grateful that my health and lungs are strong enough to do this at my advanced stage,lol. After all, estrogen is a terrible thing to lose, as I often lament.

A sort of rocky cyber friendship with matnikstym resulted in an invitation to visit his slice of paradise, and BayouGal, who shall act as part friend/part bodyguard, and I are coordinating travel plans. I should add here that my wonderful dh fully endorsed the trip knowing two things.. a new school year is fast approaching, and matnik is sort of harmless when you get to know him, plus, he loves Africa as much as I do, so what's not to like!>

I have also been hanging around silently on the Asia board, getting ideas for a family trip to Shanghai next spring. My brother-in-law and family live there, and this is a huge opportunity for my kids to see an interesting area of the world.

I look forward to the rest of the summer, which always goes much too fast, but we have six months of skiing to look forward to, and it's not as scorching hot here as my friends and family are coping with in other areas. My best to all, Jetset

TahitiTams

Welcome Back you Wild and Crazy Girl!

GoTravel

Welcome back jetset!

jetset1

Hey Tama
Not so wild and crazy.. I am tired and can't manage much more than watching birds out my window for the time being,lol. But thanks for the greeting
Thinking of San Diego, my boys want to return. They had so much fun doing the flight simulator games on the Midway, I'm thinking they would be thrilled to do that again.. one is intent on the Navy and the other, Air Force, so it's the perfect vacation destination for our family!
Yelling across the swamp to Bayou, girl, check both your email addresses.. we have serious itinerary issues to clarify asap.
Thanks for the reply Tahiti, and have a great weekend too, Jetset

crefloors

Well, just think, all that exercise helps make up for the loss of estrogen. Keeps your bones strong so you won't break anything during ski season.

jetset1

GoTravel~ howdy back to you. Have you been having fun around here?
crefloors~ Ha, yeah, they say if you learn to "survive" the slopes at Alyeska, you can ski anywhere, so I guess I'm actually more worried about breaking something and being not able to excercise than of my estrogen count.. that mountain is straight down, hardly a slope to speak of... but you are right.. yes, I am a firm believer in excercise and weight training. I like the endorphin rush kicking in and knowing I have to push myself for results. I'm inspired by seeing the people in their 60's and beyond who have that serenity and inner peace, oblivious to a number stopping them from participating in life.
My dh is naturally fit and being tall, lucky. Me, at 5'3", it's like a shark, if I stop, I'd just keel over,lol. take care, J.

z

We are all proud of you. Thank you for telling us. May I ask how old you are? I am 56 and thinking of doing a bike ride 642 miles long in September. BTW, please, please do not bald a whole long message. It is very hard to read.

jetset1

z~ I am in my mid forties. I had started riding our local trails and doing a loop between two sister towns, 26 miles total. My bike is a Trek, Judy series, btw.
The bigger ride was two years ago, Soldotna to Homer. Then our group would go north and ride places like Turnagain Arm to Hope, which is challenging with the hills. The ride to Seward is gorgeous in the fall from the Y past Cooper Landing.
I had taken pacing classes at a local gym for couple years which taught me proper form and helped immensely with endurance.
You must forgive the bold type. I have been experimenting with color, and had not intended it and didn't realize it was too much.
Good luck with your trip. I use one of the camelbak hydration packs and every morning, we'd strtch and do some light yoga(evenings too)..then Advil to ward off soreness.
I'd be happy to answer any more ?'s, and will be posting photos soon. Saw three bears, many moose, eagles, and birds. Take crae, J.

jetset1

sorry for the typos.. coffee not kicking in yet! J.

OneWanderingJew

Wow, Jetset! I've driven the routes you've biked through and I'm exhausted just thinking what you've accomplished. You go, Ms Not-so-low Estrogen!!

enzian

Hi Jetset----welcome home! What was your route from Wasilla to Fairbanks? Parks Hwy? Was the traffic bad or annoying? I used to bike up around Fairbanks (College, actually) many years ago---was run off the road a couple of times by pickup trucks. I hope times have changed!

jetset1

owj~ hello! The reason I make jokes is because I am the oldest rider in the group. When I moved here, it became clear that the big b-days are something gals dread- the black balloons, the rhymes in the local paper, lordy lordy, nifty fifty, etc,lol.
Of course, our local docs are doing botox and other stuff too, but I am old school and rely on sweat and moisturizer to get by.

enzian~ the Parks Highway. We all wore the yellow jackets and people were respectful.. even waving and taking photos. We did stop often and managed some light hikes(kept bikes locked up in fifth wheel).. I am thinking of sending an essay and photo story to a couple of my favorite fitness magazines. I am pretty happy about this particular trek, because I didn't know if I was up to it.. we seem to understimate our abilities often.
Here's a Fodors funny tho.. when we were within fifty miles of the park, I began wondering if any motorhomes had Fodorites headed in for the tour..I almost wished I had a sticker on the back of my jacket that said "HEY, I'm the obnoxious Jetset",lol.

enzian

Interesting comment about the "ageism", Jetset. The only "over-the-hill" birthday party I've ever been to (black balloons and jokes) was in Alaska. The honoree was turning. . . thirty.

But good on you for trying something you didn't know you could do ----and then having a great time accomplishing it. I'll look forward to your trip report, magazine article, or whatever you put together.

jetset1

enzian~ it is truly puzzling to me, since life doesn't seem as interesting or full of possibilities until one has crossed the 40 mark!
For me, having kids that are older and independent frees up my personal time and sets an example, just as my parents did for my sister and myself.
Maybe it's just the need to call attention to the honoree in a fun way, a theme party with black!!
I remember what my mother-in-law sometimes says too. "I can't believe I have a daughter who is 60, 50, 40...", maybe harder on them than us!

BayouGal

Hi, J! I'm back in town. Posting hotel reviews on TA today from our trip. Got my baby registered for college, and this Friday she will have oral surgery. Four wisdom teeth--any good advice for this new episode in our lives from my Fodorite friends??

I will check my email promptly and get back to you.

HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYONE!

jetset1

Welcome back girl!

Glad your trip to college in a neighboring(travel related) state was safe and your daughter is adjusting well!!
All is locked in on my end.. just weeding, like everyone else after rain and being gone, now planning the coming adventure..
BTW, I've thought of a clever new heading that no one will be wise to.. ready?
Coming to Alaska in the next two years? that will be "code talk" for call or email asap(before I am injected with a foreign Merlot).. J.

BayouGal

That's cool!8-)

I am virtually locked in, too. Winding up so many details with DDs sx and send off to college, my trip to Yellowstone with DH in Sept, and now this trip tossed right into the middle. LoL

I am so excited! And glad I took off 5 lbs this summer . . . bikini shopping with summer sales going on now . . . my kind of fun!!!

jetset1

My husband wants me to bring back the Kitchen Cook'd brand of Maui potato chips..
Well, it's like buying Godiva's for a friend.. you aren't just getting them some, you have to have your own and not miss out.
That means finding a retro swimsuit, circa 1920, knee to neck, prison stripes to hide the flubbage,lol.

BayouGal

Don't I know it, dearie!!! I try to avoid those dressing rooms that have bright lights and lots of mirrors which seem to magnify every little cellulite bump!!! (SURELY, that's some kind of mirror tricks and not my own big bottom!)

My DH laughs every time I talk about going to HI. I am so thrilled about his trip and he's so excited for me. I am very blessed to have him!!

BayouGal

OOPS! See how excited I am . . . that should be "this trip" NOT "his" trip. LoL