Extreme Mountain Biking

Our "extreme" trip started and ended with an "extreme ride" packed into the back of this truck. It was the bumpiest, craziest ride I have ever took. The ride there took 6 hours, yet somehow the ride home took almost 12!?! It was almost impossible to sleep which make the time drag on. We finally arrived home at 6:30am.

After arrival we unloaded all our bikes and stopped for photo ops at this turqoise sulfur lake hidden away in the mountains. I have never seen so many guys obsessed with taking photos!

Oh, did I forget to mention.....this 2 day biking trip through the mountains (Mark's idea) consisted of 75km (both on and off-road) and 50 people....48 of which were men (all Indonesian except for Mark)!! I was excited, yet a little apprehensive about the difficulty of the trip and wondering how all these guys would react to having a girl join the 'boys club'.....nobody told me Indonesian women don't like mountain biking. This shot is one of 100+ group shots taken along the way. I totally appreciated the frequent stops for photos: A) 'cause they'll be great for my scrapbook and B) to rest tired legs and hands.

Here we are winding our way up through a tea plantation over rain-slicked stones and rocks. At times the mountain climbs were nearly a 45 degree angle up!!!? Yikes. That was exhausting and resulted in walking up part way, but every single incline I would try to bike up, pushing myself further each time, before occasionally needing to walk. I was amazed at how much energy I still had after a long day.

As you can see, the scenery was stunning. It was so green and lush and diverse. It definitely made all the pain and mental mind games of the bike ride worthwhile!