On the Ranch

Just back from our Team Dude Girl Training Camp in Palm Springs. Amazing athletes — Dudes too!, great people, an out-n-back ride from La Quinta to Joshua Tree through a picturesque box canyon, topped off by a raging sandstorm, incredible “staff” of generous volunteers, and a humorous cast of characters (laughter is a requirement).

More to come on our growing cycling team. But, for the moment, here are a few pictures that tell the story.

Scharla's pre-ride fashion : Sparkly Uggs

Two Dude Girls on the road...

Kim's post-ride-through-raging-sandstorm face. Still smiling!

In time for Valentine’s! Our Best-Selling Bike Love tees are in stock and ready to ship! Classic Black/Silver is always a winner but check out the fresh new colors: White/Beetroot, Oatmeal/Poppy Red — a friend of mine saw it and immediately exclaimed, “Oh, that’s pretty! Strawberry red!” Delicious. We used this same color on our Shell long-sleeve, my favorite of the bunch. Reminds me of being in a beautiful candy store or ice cream parlor. Feels refreshing. Try it.

I love this bit on creating new habits by Leo Babauta at Zenhabits. Leo encourages us to forget the resolutions, which, for most people, are broken by March. Instead, create lasting habits that have the capacity to truly change your life for the better, for the rest of your life.

For those of you needing some extra encouragement to start and stick with a fitness program, please join us for a once-a-week morning run here in Truckee! Contact me if you are insterested : kim@dudegirl.com. All levels welcome.

We know you have 10 emails every day now from retailers wanting your last-minute business… we haven’t bugged you all season, in order make this one, very exciting announcement: We have a few NEW ITEMS for you and your loved ones, just in time for Christmas. We’re in under the wire, so to speak (love those race sayings), so we’re offering FREE UPGRADED SHIPPING on any order over $60.00. You’ll have your gifts sleeping under the tree by Christmas Eve, and they will have new GiddyUp on Christmas morning!

If your Dude Girl is sporty and outdoorsy, we recommend our new GiddyUp Thermals. If you have a yogini in your life, the new Jaipur Long Sleeve Burnouts are gorgeous. The Tadasana Tank is empowering and easy on the pocketbook. So are our Yoga City Tanks.

New GiddyUp Thermal!

Tadasana Tank Top Artwork

Bicycle Flash Mob! (you have to see this!) Will bring a huge smile to your face! Click here!

I must admit that I have mixed emotions about being a clothing brand and retailer, especially during the overly commercialized Holidays. Look, we love sports. We love creating beautiful gear for the sports we love. We love when you play in our beautiful gear doing the sports you love. We need to sell our beautiful gear in order to keep making it for you. But we recognize the distasteful appetite in our culture for more stuff. More stuff. More stuff. More stuff. Do you ever walk into big box stores — even grocery stores — and marvel at just how much STUFF there is on the shelves, and then imagine it all being dumped into shopping carts of folks like you and me, and deposited onto shelves at home, and then into the trash, etc. I’m reminded of a Bay Area company’s recent advertising slogan, “Buy more stuff!” Doesn’t it make you just want to STOP shopping altogether? We are bombarded, every day, but an absurd amount of stuff.

There is a need to slow down. Buy less stuff. When you do shop, buy items that connect you to the joys of your heart, that connect you to your local economy, that last a long time. I’m still wearing and loving my Spur Pants and Flares that we made in 2007, our GiddyUp Thermals that we made in 2008, and our cycling shorts and jerseys from those same years. That’s 4+ years of use, and they’re still in great shape! I’ve heard others say, “Your stuff lasts forever!” We intend for every Dude Girl purchase to be in your closet for years, and not without tons of hard use in the studio or out on the trails! If you are looking for gifts this season, buy quality. You may pay a little more for it, but the value will be there years from now.

Most of all, we wish you the Joys of the Heart this Holiday season. Cherish the Sparkle!

With thanks to all of you over the years for your support, emails, calls, purchases — and for wearing it proudly — we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful weekend to follow. We hope you’ll take advantage of the incredible deals we’re offering through Sunday night. GOBBLE & GIDDYUP!

Here in the mountains, fall is upon us. We’ve had our first snow storm and with it, persistent chilled temperatures that are quickly ushering in winter. Today it’s raining. I adore the warmth of summer, but the autumnal sights and sounds have always held a special place in my heart. The dampened trails are punctuated at first, and then blanketed, with golds and oranges and lichen green. Each step in the forest cushioned with pine needles. The air carries the smell of wood fires. Leaves rustle in the wind, as if they are calling to the creatures of the forest to “Hurry! Collect your winter stores!” The whispering pines begin practicing their winter shrill. There is a certain romance this season offers us — a firelit room; softer, slower conversation; the blanket-wrapped comfort of a good book. Slow-cooked food. Soupy aromas. Simplicity.

I think it’s easier here in the mountains to find time for the forest and to meld your pace with nature. But even in a place that is firing on urban electricity, it is important to notice. It may take more of an effort, but I wonder what you will find if you slow down a little and let the season touch your heart.

SAMPLE SALE THIS WKEND in Truckee featuring the following brands: Dude Girl, Under Armour, Ouray, Level, Odlo, Dale of Norway, Native Sunglasses, and more!

Great Holiday Gifts — yes, I know it’s early, but with these deals you’ll want to shop! Dude Girl will be offering our regular items as well as samples — all sizes!

WHEN: Saturday October 1, 2011
WHERE: 10531 REGENCY CIRCLE, TRUCKEE, CA 96161(GLENSHIRE – off SOMERSET & COURTNAY)
TIME: 4 PM to  8PM
WHAT: GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS!

• Assorted Apparel: Under Armour, Ouray, Level, Odlo, Dude Girl
• Adult Skiwear: Under Armour, Dale of Norway, Ouray, Odlo, Dude Girl
• Accessories: Native Sunglasses, Ouray bb hats, Swany gloves, Eurosocks, Sol Sunguard products, misc bags, misc T shirts, Dude Girl Tees!
• Yoga:   Dude Girl – tons of our yoga bottoms and some tops!
• Cycling:   Dude Girl – summer and winter gear!
• Running:  Dude Girl – summer and winter gear!

Fall is upon us in Truckee. We still have beautiful warm days near the 80′s, but nights and mornings are harkening winter’s chill. Got out on the bike with some friends this weekend to enjoy the ride up over Donner Summit, down to Cisco Grove and back — a lovely Sunday that followed a Saturday afternoon run up Shirley Canyon and a hike down. The creek is gorgeous and the wildflowers wildly punctuating the beauty all around. There’s still time to see the splendor!

Now is the time to get yourself a pair of our GiddyUp Knickers and a pair of GiddyUp Armwarmers for cooler riding temps. These are two of our favorite items, not only because of the gorgeous design, but because their great fit and function.

Hope we see you riding in your Fall GiddyUp very soon!