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doshjemotts11 · 3 years

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Why I enjoy MTB, and why I want my daughter to get into it

I’ve posted several times about the main reasons I personally got into mountain biking, but now I’d like to get into why I want to share this sport with my daughter.

First off… It’s just fun! And it’s something I we can enjoy together once she’s old enough. Mountain biking can be such a rush and so much fun when your skills are progressing from riding to bike maintenance.

Next up… It’s an amazing way to get low-impact exercise, unless of course you crash, then it’s high impact. All humans need to exercise and I think we might as well have fun doing it. And as far as crashing goes, if you learn to ride with proper technique, wear proper safety gear and ride within your limits, you can ride safely. But if you let your guard down for a second, or your head isn’t in the ride, it’s quite easy to take a spill.

Mountain biking also has a large and diverse community that welcomes anyone, as long as you have passion and fun. I’ve only been mountain biking for a very short time, but I’ve already felt how inclusive this community is, whether it’s a social media channel that encourages new riders, a facebook group dedicated to riding local trails, or the dudes at the bike shops that are super chill and full of free advice.

This Instagram post is from a friend who I had briefly met years ago at another assignment, but because we have a shared passion, we’ve become fast friends and reliable riding partners.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ryan Crane (@theabstractcrane)

Then there’s this guy who sold me my bike, and freely shared several of his favorite places to ride, and sure enough, when Ryan and I went riding at one of the spots, we ran into him and he was just as friendly and happy to see me as he was back at the bike shop.

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And lastly… Mountain biking gets you outside! Being outside is so good for us, as it’s a way to recharge our batteries and forget about all the stressors in our lives. Especially when riding down a trail, your mind hyper focuses on the trail and all the dangerous feature that come speeding toward you.

I thought I was pretty clever with my reasons to ride a mountain bike, but then I came across this video and he pretty much talks about all of the things I tapped out here on my keyboard, but I also feel affirmation knowing that I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

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I’m looking forward to the days when my daughter can join me on the trails for some magical outdoor adventures! Whether it’s just a day trip to a local single track or a six to ten week bike packing trip along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Canada to Mexico.

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doshjemotts11 · 3 years

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Riding with OP

When I decide to do something, I tend to jump in head first and my new obsession with mountain biking definitely reinforces that idea.

(Listen audio here)

Another weekend and another mountain biking trip to O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio, Texas, exploring the many trails of the more than 200 acre park.

I’ve found a couple of reliable riding partners from the Air Force, Gordon Miesner or “Gordy” works in my office, he’s the gear head and mechanic of the bunch, and Ryan Crane is a reacquainted friend and fellow photojournalist from a past assignment, he’s the youthful energy we need to get us down the trail and default “jump tester” as we’ve got a decade on him.

I literally just purchased a brand new Bianchi Magma hard tail cross-country style mountain bike a month ago, it’s a beautiful bike with Bianchi’s trademark baby blue, but a lot of the trails around here are pretty bumpy so I made an impulsive purchase and upgraded to Orbea Occam M30, a full-suspension carbon-frame trail style mountain bike.

Trail mountain bikes are just great all around mountain bikes with enough versatility for most riders to have fun in most conditions. I definitely ended up spending more money than I planned, but it’s money well spent as it’s a new hobby that will get me outside burning calories without pound my joints.

I’m enjoying this fitness journey and I look forward to sharing mountain biking with my daughter one day soon.

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doshjemotts11 · 3 years

Audio

When I decide to do something, I tend to jump in head first and my new obsession with mountain biking is no exception.

Another weekend and another mountain biking trip to O.P. Schnabel Park in San Antonio, Texas, exploring the many trails of the more than 200 acre park.

I’ve found a couple of reliable riding partners from the Air Force, Gordon Miesner , “Gordy,” works in my office, he’s the gear head and mechanic of the bunch, and Ryan Crane is a reacquainted friend and fellow photojournalist from a past assignment, he’s the youthful energy we need to get us down the trail and default “jump tester” as Gordy and I have a decade on him.

I literally just purchased a brand new Bianchi Magma hard tail cross-country style mountain bike a month ago, it’s a beautiful bike with Bianchi’s trademark baby blue, but a lot of the trails around here are pretty bumpy so I made an impulsive purchase and upgraded to an Orbea Occam M30, a full-suspension carbon-frame trail style mountain bike.

Trail mountain bikes are just great all around mountain bikes with enough versatility for most riders to have fun in most conditions. I definitely ended up spending more money than I planned, but it’s money well spent as it’s a new hobby that will get me outside burning calories without pounding my joints.

I’m enjoying this fitness journey and I look forward to sharing mountain biking with my daughter in a few years, now I just have to stay fit so I’ll be able to keep up with her.

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doshjemotts11 · 3 years

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As an older parent, it’s become glaringly obvious that I’m going to have to stay healthy and avoid injury so I can pass along my love for outdoor activities to my daughter.

I’ve dealt with numerous ankle injuries over the years, many sprains playing sports, and now I’ve been diagnosed with gout, a form of arthritis. It’s super painful and even forces me to use crutches as I literally can’t walk when I have flare ups.

I’ve always enjoyed running, but I may have to limit running quite a bit or give it up if I can’t get my ankle back to normal. So I was motivated to purchase a mountain bike. I figured it’s a low impact way to burn calories and keep my cardio fitness up.

In fact, I burned 5014 calories throughout the day and that just feels good.

It’s been super fun and motivating to get out on my bike and explore the many trails San Antonio has to offer. I’ve even enjoyed learning more about bike maintenance. One friend helped me go tubeless with my tires, and now I’m looking for more upgrades to save weight and improve performance.

I’m looking forward to the day I can teach my daughter to ride a bike and then get her onto the trails with a mountain bike! Who knows, maybe we can ride the Great Divide Trail together one day!

(GoPro video by my friend Gordon Miesner) (Music is royalty free from Motion Array)

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doshjemotts11 · 3 years

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My Reason For Everything

I’d like to talk about being a father, and what having a baby has meant for me.

I was 40 years old when my daughter was born, which is fairly old to start having kids, but life is funny that way. When I was young I always thought it would be cool to have kids, I even had name ideas, Aspen for a girl and Cedar for a boy. But I was in no rush. I mean I had a lot to figure out and to work through just to get myself on track, let alone raising and nurturing a baby.

I joined the U.S. Air Force at 25, married at 27, and my job got super busy. It’s taken me all over the world, which is great, but all those travels and work didn’t leave a lot of time to plan parenthood. Next thing we knew we were in our mid-30s and resolved to not having kids.

Then strangely, I began having dreams about having a kid, and I remember thinking if it happens it would be cool. And sure enough, we were pregnant with our beautiful daughter, Aspen.

Being a father makes me extremely proud and humbled. I don’t make too many decisions anymore that I don’t first think about my daughter.

According to an article on VeryWellFamily.com about the unique struggles and benefits older parents face, Apryl Duncan wrote, “the first benefit of having children later in life is financial security. Older parents who've waited to have children have probably spent most of their adult lives working. They're more likely to have already climbed the corporate ladder, received those promotions, and be financially ready to raise children.

I definitely concur, I never felt like I could afford a kid when I was in my twenties, but we are certainly far more stable now.

“There are a number of perks that come with the extra years of being an adult. They include knowing who you are as a person and not feeling like you've missed anything in your life because you had children so young,” Duncan said. “You are better able to handle medical, school, and day-to-day situations with less drama, more knowledge, and calmness.”

Old, young, it doesn’t really matter, but at the end of the day, I love my daughter to the moon and back. I wouldn’t change a thing, and she’s my new reason for everything!

(Photos by my wife, Maricel DeMotts)

#aspen #joshua demotts

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doshjemotts11 · 5 years

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Politics on Social Media

Democracy depends on the will of citizens, so it makes sense that politicians aim to reach and connect with as many people as possible.

Therefore, with the advent of each new mass media comes a new way of reaching people. So it’s a given that social media have become a boon to politicians of all stripes.

I wasn’t around when TV emerged as a household staple, but I’m almost certain that it was as controversial as social media is today in regard to politics and the influence each respective media has held.

Though, social media has certainly democratized the ability to promote and publish information, speech, and ideas. Now the debate seems to be whether or not the “free market place of ideas” is oversaturated. Is there too much information? Is there more misinformation of “fake news” than ever?

There’s no doubt that it’s difficult to keep up with it all and to keep it all straight. And then there’s the idea that social media contributes to people getting lost in their “echo chambers,” but research seems to indicate otherwise.

“Our results show that most people are not in a political echo chamber. The people at risk are those who depend on only a single medium for political news and who are not politically interested: about 8% of the population. However, because of their lack of political engagement, their opinions are less formative and their influence on others is likely to be comparatively small.” - Dr. Elizabeth Dubois, co-author and Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa.

For the sake of our democracy around the world and future of the United States, let’s all keep our minds open to different points of view, but most importantly, let’s validate what we read and confirm the “facts” uttered by those charged with leading us.

To quote The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s mission statement.

Here’s to “building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.”

#mco435 #social media #politics

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