Forty-one

I turned 41 years old this week. It's official: I am now rapidly moving towards 50. I have more grey hairs than ever. I can't pretend anymore that I am in my thirties. It feels like I should move into midlife crisis mode and buy myself a Harley Davidson. Since I don't have any spare change for one of those, and since I wouldn't ride a motorcycle now that I am a mother (despite the fact that in my 20's, my only mode of transportation WAS a motorcycle – I even rode with my dog on it), I opted instead to ride my bicycle on my 41^st birthday.

Since I am feeling so ancient, I thought I would throw in this photo of our bike ride showing off my muscles.  Actually, I was a little surprised to see them, since I have never flexed my muscles for a photo!

The family packed up to drive over the Cascade Mountains to Winthrop in the Methow Valley, only two hours away from our house, and in an entirely different climate. In the Methow, it is hot and dry, with very different flora and fauna. There's big sky, lots of dramatic, gorgeous scenery, and the kids' favorite ice cream place.
You drive over Washington Pass here...

... and then get here:

The bike ride was a blast! Steve hung out with Eva at the river and playground, while my two sons and I rode our bikes on an incredibly scenic road. Lukas' bike had problems shifting into first gear, which made it really hard for him, since the first ten miles were mostly uphill. Also, his bike has really fat tires, so the poor guy worked extra hard, and had an extra shitty attitude because of it. Kai and I tried to be sympathetic, but we were pretty blissed out on endorphins and nature. I called Steve to request a pick up for Lukas, which happened at the half-way point of the ride. Relieved of our cheerleading and slowing down for Luke, Kai and I blasted the rest of the ten miles at high speed. Kai kept yelling, “This is soooo beautiful!”, which made me smile even more. What a kid to ride with!

On my actual birthday, we hiked up Patterson mountain, four miles of non-stop beauty and bliss. At some point, I heard cowbells and was reminded of the alps, where I hiked as a kid. The cowbells belonged to a herd of mules, who took themselves for a walk without any people. It was a very surreal scene, but incredibly romantic. Eva walked a lot of the way, although Steve and I served as mules when she got tired and whiny.

See the mules sauntering along?

How very reassuring...

Daddy as a mule

Mama as a mule

We celebrated all this physical activity (and getting older, sigh...) with a stop at Sun Mountain Lodge, where the view is breathtaking, the rooms are sinfully expensive (we didn't stay there, of course), and the food is excellent. The walls are decorated with many dead animals, which is creepy and cool at the same time. On the deck, we consumed root beer, white Riesling, and a strawberry daquiri.  A perfect birthday!