Doug Adventures

As we enter our final month in Swaziland, Doug has gotten really nostalgic about his running and biking routes. Living in the mountains means that beautiful landscapes await every time you exit the front door. Doug usually seeks out the tallest mountain and runs (as fast as he can) to the top, or carries his bike up an impassable trail so that he can mountain bike along a ridge he's driven by recently. I (on the other hand) take a totally different approach. As in, I try to find the smallest mountain to run (around) and the flattest route possible (there's just no hiding from the hills when you live in the mountains)! Alas. I'm in much better shape for it.

Anyways. Doug has been so remiss about leaving his favorite running and biking routes that he's been taking the camera along on his workouts this past week. So, here's a collection of photos from Doug's workouts and the area immediately surrounding our house. Beautiful. Simply, beautiful (and really mean if you are running). Okay, I'll stop.

If you exit our house and turn right, you enter 'Pine Valley.' These photos are from the left side of the valley and along the ridge that looks across to Sibebe (largest exposed granite dome in the world). There she be.

Close-up (with mountain bike)

Views along the ridge

Sunbeams

It's kind of awesome to be able to ride wherever you want; into the great wide open...

The next day, instead of riding along the left side of Pine Valley, Doug drove down to the base of Sibebe and carried his bike up to go biking along the right side of the valley. Let me just say that this is a 45 minute hike up (when not carrying a bike on one's back). My husband is a total nutter.

Bike posing once again at the base of Sibebe

About halfway up and looking into Pine Valley

Nearly there

Made it to the top!

Now it's time to actually ride the mountain bike! And the route possibilities are endless

Following the cow track and old jeep trails

Doug ran into some friends hiking while biking on Sibebe on Monday and they took a couple of pictures of him with their camera

Doug's happy place