They say there are two kinds of people, and when it comes to vacations, that seems to be the truth. Some people pack up the car and hit the road or just fly to a destination and explore it, without any specific plans. Other people plan each part of their vacations, knowing just where they will be and what they will be doing the whole time. I’ve usually been part of the second group—planning things out. I plan where to stay and how long I will drive each day, and I make reservations ahead of time. But in August of 2009 my 2-week planned vacation got cancelled, so I decided I was doing something different this time and that I was going to do it by myself. Quite a few of my personal training clients had vacationed to different parts in Colorado and brought back pictures and exciting stories, so I was Colorado bound. I packed up my jeep and put my bicycle on the back, let my family know the basic route I was taking and that I would check in periodically throughout the day and again when I landed at a hotel for the night. What a wonderful experience it was to live out of the norm for two weeks, to take chances, to do something completely different. I ended up staying in the Springs with a coworker who happened to be here, and I ventured out a new direction every day. One way I decided to really push myself beyond what I thought I could do was to ride a mountain bike down Pikes Peak. I contacted Pikes Peak Mountain Bike Tours, and signed up for the 19-mile ride. We rode in a van to the 14,110-foot summit. You talk about being out of my comfort zone! I’m from Illinois—flat, prairie Illinois. We set out into rainy weather. I had dressed warmly, but it was not enough for the 12-degrees below zero and the 35 mph winds. I added more layers from the touring company until I had 6 layers and 3 pairs of gloves.

I looked like the Michelin tire woman—and then I had to get on a bicycle and ride it! The brochure says the descent is 95% downhill, so I wasn’t too worried. The part I didn’t pay attention to was the 5% uphill. I overheat rather quickly, and (did I say?) I had on 6 layers. I could hardly breathe with the altitude and the layers of clothes, and now I was supposed to RIDE UPHILL. I could barely push the bike up the hills. We would stop occasionally and the guide would tell us if it wasn’t raining you would be able to see blah, blah, blah. I wasn’t seeing much at all between the rain and the fog on my glasses. Clearly, this trip for me was meant to be about sight-seeing; the weather had other plans. It was all about physical challenge. Many people that day had given up, and at any point I could have done that, too. I could have put the bike in the van and just blamed the weather or the altitude or my lack of knowledge of the area or the challenge of the experience. I could have called it a day, but I didn’t. Something inside me loved the challenge, loved myself for pushing beyond my limits, and loved NOT giving up. I reached the bottom, cold, wet and exhilarated. The last part of the ride was on pavement and a nice downhill sprint; we all yelled WOOHOO as we crossed the finish. I actually revisited Pikes Peak two weeks ago in my jeep. I must say, if I had driven up first, I may have thought twice about riding a bicycle down (especially in the rain). But I’m glad it didn’t go that way. I like having that experience—that accomplishment—to remember! If, like me, you tend to plan-out your vacations, I encourage you to stay a bit more flexible so you are open to surprises that your destination has to offer. I’m very glad I did! Otherwise, I might never have found Colorado Springs, and I love it here! Of course I also encourage you to take advantage of the adventure that is right here in our own back yard! Like I said, I loved (finishing) that ride down Pikes Peak! What do you do for local or vacation adventure? Leave me a comment, and I might give your idea a try for a future article! This article recently appeared on SpringsOver40 e-magazine ~ An online magazine for grown-up locals! ~ where I am the Fitness and Outdoor Editor. Check out www.SpringsOver40.com today!