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12.30.04 "Don't think meat, it can only hurt the ballclub...." Crash Davis. This is my new years resolution... ...waxing, scraping, brushing---these are a few of my favorite things. Got a few pair of skis all ready to go for three days over in the methow. They've been getting snow the last few days and we'll be leaving bright and early to get in on the action. This season I'm trying to stay restrained and focus on balance and a relaxed, sweet skating rhythm instead of the usual early season excitement that jacks your heart rate up and has you flailing off the k's as fast and raggedly as possible. We'll see if this year I actually follow that advice 12.28.04....was going to blog about how grumpy I was that I couldn't go skiing on my day off, what with the miserable winter we've had so far, maybe lament that school starts up again next week and I haven't had the chance to get out as much as I'd hoped over the break from classes, maybe how work was quiet this week and I was a wee bit bored or the longer run with the beach section and some killer ups through the woods I did today that kicked my ass. i.e. the typical spew I fill this cyber corner with But it all seems a little petty and trivial after seeing videos of the immense power of the Tsunami/Earthquake this weekend that has killed over 50,000 people in a single moment. That's almost as many people as the US lost in Vietnam over a decade (53,000) and 16 or 17 times the WTC attacks (just to give a sense of people lost, not to try and compare)... and according to most sources estimates are going to be increasing dramatically in the next few days as recovery efforts and potential diseases increase. I've had a hard time grappling with the immensity and the suffering. A wake up call to be thankful for what we've got. Sad holidays for many families around the world.
12.23.04 Meanwhile back at the ranch, while we're arguing about night riding the Bush administration is rewriting forest planning rules, hoping that maybe we're not paying attention over the holidays. The new rules for long-term forest planning will likely reduce protections for forest wildlife and eliminate requirements that forest plans comply with the National Environmental Policy Act. The final rules will change enforcement of the 1976 National Forest Management Act, and are expected to conform closely to a timber industry wish list presented shortly after the presidential inauguration. The quote is from the Wilderness Society and more info is also at the NY Times 12.22.04 Memories---I saw a guy riding up the ave' today with a pair of Scott AT-4 handlebars on his rig....reminded me of all those parts I cycled through in my early days of riding. I had a pair of AT-4's until I cut them down into AT-3 wannabes, before selling them for the Ritchey WCS bar that would crimp if you looked at it the wrong way since it was about as thick as a beer can. But shortly thereafter rumors abounded of ultralight aluminum and catastrophic failure, so I switched to the best flat bar of all time, the Titec PG. And a pair of drop-ins on the road bike for that ultra aero position that required inhuman amounts of ab/back strength to maintain, with contrasting tape just like Greg Lemond. Then there was the the Allsop soft-ride stem on the mb-1 (suspend the rider--not the bike) Why I was just like Henrik Djernis & Frischy back in the day... Until I replaced that with the mag-21 after particulary heinous high-speed dismount that bent my forks. One of the stupider "upgrades" was a pair of superlight, aluminum control-tech skewers that took the quick out of release, but added back in some slippage as a reward for having to dick around with a 5mil allen every time you wanted to take a wheel off. I went from suntour xc pro, to grip-shift to rapidfire plus in the span of a year just because I knew the next best thing would make me _______. Kind of ironic to look back at the mb-1 still rolling on as a single-speed with simple, durable components... although it's soon to be retired to coffee-cruzer. The pendulum swings back from cutting-edge to simple after realizing at some point that it's the ride, not the bike. 12.21.04 Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am---a reluctant enthusiast...a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. -Edward Abbey Been enjoying the discussions over at offcamber and wheels on fire the last few days and they reminded me of this Ed Abbey quote. I do think that we will have to start dealing with the prospect of wild places being "loved to death". Just as the tide slowly turned (more precisely became much more contentious) against huge hydro projects, massive, heavily subsidized timber cuts and hardrock mining in the past 20 years, I think we will see infighting and battles over recreation access and other more subtle issues that will splinter many environmental/recreational types. High Country News had a big article on the White River National Forest in Colorado a few years ago about this subject. Personally, I'm not that familiar with issues of the Front Range, but imagine that like Seattle, a huge metropolitan area that abuts the mountains means huge impacts on popular trails. We skate at snoqualmie pass at night, but usually it's in small groups of two or three and the groomers usually run in the evening as well so the impact isn't clear. I think anytime the numbers creep up impacts rise exponentially. You take a place like Moab and you have 80% of the mtb'ers on Poison Spider, Porcupine, Slickrock & Amasa back and the impacts are dramatic, but conversly that lessens impacts further afield. Hmmm, don't have any great answers on this but I do agree that we shouldn't be able to recreate everywhere we please at all hours. On the other hand, humans are part of the ecosystem though and we need to attempt to mitigate and understand impacts on habitiats and what levels can be accomodated-because it will continue to be an issue. The precautionary principle suggests that we assume the worst and as we learn the true impacts we adjust accordingly. I think it is a better model currently since we have conflicting visions of "science" in this current administration. Population issues will continue to bring this up, whether it's boise, bend, boulder or seattle, you've got a huge amount of athletes and major impacts. Impacts that used to just be a few crazies out in the woods have multiplied into much more. How to proceed without alienating constituencies who support the same things you do: i.e. more wilderness, protections of wild spaces and preservation of ecosystem functions is the million dollar question. Do you mtb for kicks or do you mtb because it can take you into incredible places and allow you to move through the mountains quickly, quietly and under your own power with minimal disturbance??? ...on an unrelated note, nice urban hiking today--rambling through downtown seattle picking up some christmas gifts, drinking coffee and just enjoying being out wrapping up loose ends. Nice to be on foot all day with just a big messenger bag to stick the presents in as I walked through downtown, belltown, pike place market and back up over capital hill, my bag getting a little heavier and my x-mas list getting a little shorter as my caffeine levels reached the saturation point. 12.20.04 The longest night of the year tonight (or shortest day if you're one of those glass half-empty types)---15:36 of nighttime up here in the 47.6 latitudes. 12.17.04 Just booked a place for Summer and I over in the Methow for 3 days of skiing over New Years weekend. It will be nice to be in the mountains on New Years Eve and get the year started off right. As luck would have it the first event of the Nordic Cup Series is on the 2nd as well. It's nice to have the opportunity to start the year with full on snot-dripping, lactic burning, hunchbacked freestyle race with only a few k's on skis for the season... Interesting thread over on TTips about gear lust and lifestyle choices I was surprised how defensive some people get when their consumptive habits are questioned. I'm always torn between new gear and just beating the shit out of the gear I have for another year and usually feel pretty good about my choices, but I do have a weakness for jackets--I've got one for about every temperature interval and precipitation level--although I haven't got started on the soft-shell collection just yet. You make your choices, try to minimize your ecological impact and get on with your life. It's ridiculous to think you won't have any impact, but you can be concious of your lifestyle choices and what you NEED. Well---I guess that is the end of my sermon. Let the weekend begin. Hitching a Mark Jenkins story for your weekend reading pleasure... 12.16.04 Was running a few minutes late this morning but was treated to a spectacular sunrise (7:52 a.m.)....dry roads, clear skies and the sun rising over the Cascades makes for a happy commuter. 12.14.04 A little rush of adrenaline last night on the way home. Cruising uphill through Montlake on a rainy dark night when I see something just a couple feet to my right. A woman in a navy blue coat and a gigantic malamute on a leash just stepped out between two parked cars to cross the street-I grabbed a big ol' handful of brake and managed a big nose-wheelie stop about a 6 inches away from the dog who was nonplussed. The woman had no idea where I had come from even with a niterider light on the bike. She just kept apologizing over and over and over---while asking whether I was ok. Never a dull day... In case singlespeeding becomes too big of a niche, there is always unicycle cx racing with the ladies. 12.13.04 As of 11:55 this morning I turned in my last paper and my first quarter back in school is over. Looking forward to some quality time in the mountains assuming it snows... we're still waiting for for any skiing within 250 miles to open up, Friday's 6 inches of rain not only made the commute a slog, it also washed away the miniscule base of snow at the pass.
12.09.04 Another quick session at the gym the other night, trying to maintain a little fitness so I don't have a heart attack when we finally get enough snow to ski on.... This is always the hardest time of the year, late fall. My favorite little smart playlist on the ipod these dark days is "bottom-o-the barrel" A playlist comes up with 25 songs that haven't been listened to in the last month--It always mines a few gems that you'd forgotten you even owned. How can you not smile when Convoy comes blasting through the headphones while you're doing some tricep work??? 12.07.04 twas' a night of cold, cold rain and asshole drivers. Miserable weather makes commuters grumpy and I imagine they perceive me as just one more inconsiderate ass on a bike (instead of in a car, like any self-respecting citizen) keeping them from the comfy couch and a greasy remote control. Guess the holiday spirit hasn't quite kicked in for everyone just yet.... In other unrelated news, deepak passed along this gem about tight pants and broken cellphones--those crazy Swedes. 12.06.04 I could use one of these caffeine pushers on my x-mas list ...especially after the fateful "accident" many years ago. Every morning when I ride into work I usually stop and pick up a bagel and an espresso before coasting back across campus to the office. A few years back, running a yellow light with hot coffee in hand, morning sun filtering through the trees, life couldn't have been better. When inexplicably I reached down to adjust my front brake. Why I chose to do this with scalding coffee in my hand, in the middle of an intersection is another days fodder. Let me mention that I reached down with the non coffee holding hand. So if you're following along, I've got no hands on the bars, leaning forward to adjust my brake cable with one hand and coffee in my other hand. At this exact moment I hit a manhole cover and eject,smashing my left side onto the cold hard pavement, sliding through a puddle of hot coffee, abrading much skin, bleeding profusely, staining my clothes with blood,dirt and coffee as the light changes to red and cross-traffic has to wait patiently while I collect myself, a very bruised ego and my machine to limp to the sidewalk at 7:25 in the morning. Unfortunately, Summer witnessed this incident and all gory details were leaked far and wide. Since that fateful day, whenever I mention coffee and cycling, giggles abound. So that is why the caffeine pusher is on my list. Java + Sports=Goodness: But be forwarned, things can go awry. Alas, the real reason for this little cycling anecdote is that I spent the whole weekend bathed in the eerie blue glow of my computer, pushing hard on a group project. And that my friends makes for a pretty damn dull blog...especially one concerning mountains, cycling, skiing and related outdoor pursuits. 12.2.04 Skimmed through the new BIKE mag(rag) at lunch...specifically the "10 best trails" article. You always like to see what you've ridden for comparison (Downieville,Porcupine Rim, Imperial Gulch(Ketchum, ID),Edge loop) are the ones I remember off the top of my head from the list that we've ridden.. But I also always breath a sigh of relief that my personal "best" trails aren't on the list. Everytime you ride a signature trail, you run into people or signs of heavy use that corrupts the experience in some inexplicable way. (Although those trails are all a pretty damn good time--don't get me wrong) The real favorites are boiled down to the essence of solitude, singletrack and a backcountry experience. Trails where you are astounded when you do see other riders and a flushing grouse can scare the shit of you as you climb in silence. Where you might spend as much time walking or searching for the trail as you do riding, but are rewarded with big 5000 vf descents or the thrill of looping a loop, or pushing through a concept that you scoped on the map. Some of these aren't even long, they just have the components that create the experience. All this pondering has me thinking of the N. Summit project--need to revisit that one next summer. In case you haven't been keeping track of the Bush rollbacks... another big one in the PNW decreasing habitat protection by up to 80% for endangered chinook salmon. It's all about the $$. "In setting its marker for saving wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest, the Bush administration dealt an apparent setback to prospects for recovery of a signature species - and effectively sided with industries rather than fisheries that rely on the region's waterways. The administration is pushing to maintain major dams and reduce habitat protections for the endangered salmon - decisions that indicate a clear tilt toward development interests in a long-running dispute over the use of resources in a region the size of central Europe" from CSM
Last night was one of those days when you forget some key piece of gear (raingear) and have the commute become a little more than you expected....cold rain soaking through all of my clothes, shoes squishing all the way home. 11.29.04 Got the kelly resurrected after last weeks mishap... it has risen like an orange phoenix from the ashes of despair as a sweet singlespeed. 42 x 18 seems a bit tall if I actually show up to a cx race, but it's a nice all-around gear. The first two missions have been good, smooth, quiet and peppy with that combo. Snow in the cascades, but still no skating as of yet...got in a few nice stair workouts over the holiday but would much rather be skiing, DV8 called it "training" on his blog, but I gotta argue that it's lifestyle, what we do... whether riding, skiing, hiking etc. The gauntlet may get thrown down and elbows may come out, but in my mind I always like to think of it as stretching the legs a bit. Training makes me feel too serious. (which could be my problem--that's another issue to ponder) 11.23.04 Nice! A solar powered ipod charger made out of recycled plastic...Whether you are on a deserted island with no power socket, or on the move and can't charge your iPod, Solio is the perfect solution... 11.22.04 After a two-year hiatus from racing cross, I got motivated this weekend. The Emerald City CX series was only ten miles from home this weekend, so like a lamb to slaughter I hopped on the kelly and moseyed down to Magnuson park to line up and accept my pennance for a few too many donuts while studying and not enough after dark training rides...I didn't think the trips to the gym would help much on a fast, slippery cx course. Well I never got to find out...after paying my fee, stashing my bag I took off on a recon of the course. Tight, slippey corners, fast corners transitioning from dirt to pavement, a few small rideable barriers, and two massive mud pits that were a slurry of water, sand and gravel. I cruised through first mud pit nicely, the line seemed decent and you could definately ride it. The second one ended the day(remember I'm only on my recon lap-which comes before warming up) Must have caught a rock or piece of gravel in my rear wheel cuz' it locked up like fort knox--ripping the rear der. into the spokes and bending the hell out of my hanger...game over. I think I can straighten it without having to replace the drop-out which is good. After calling home to get a ride, I was able to hang out and ponder whether you can have a DNF in combination with a DNS? Does one preclude the other?? DFL doesn't matter because you showed up and put your cards on the table...racing is about the intangibles, the risks taken and the effort thrown down---results are always fleeting and only you know if you've tried every trick, scraped all the speed possible out of your legs (donut addled or not) and taken all the chances you could muster. Life is all about the unseen details... 11.18.04 The work/grad school vise ratchets up the pressure week by week--making me not quite as relaxed and easygoing as I'd like (or Summer would probably like) but this morning, after listening to the rain fall all night, it was blustery and rapidly clearing which made for a perfect ride into work on drying roads and a cool, fresh breeze that swept away all the mindless drivel bouncing around in my head. 3 more weeks until the quarter is over and then it will be time to hit the Methow for a few days of skiing. Was desperately hoping to be able to skate over the long t-day weekend, but it's looking a wee bit rocky to entertain thoughts of that. Sigh, it begins just as we thought it would....feeling a bit queasy about the next four years. From Today's CSN. The administration is eager to achieve things denied it during President Bush's first term: pumping oil out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), allowing loggers access to millions of acres of roadless national forest land, easing Clean Air Act restrictions on some pollutants, making it easier to extract oil and gas in the Rocky Mountains, and passing an energy bill put together by Vice President Dick Cheney with help from the energy industry. Read the the whole damn depressing story here 11.17.04 Roger just put up a few pics up from his trip to the road World Championships in Verona last month... Materialistic Madness-- "Americans are still voting for denial. The SUV forest thickens. The real forest thins. America voted for the asphalt jungle...Since the 1970s, our cars, homes, and stomachs have become the biggest in the world. The mayor of Washington, D.C., wants a publicly funded $530-million baseball stadium a half year after the city slashed 285 teachers. Little about daily life in America has changed after 9/11 except for long lines at airports and allowing fear to become an excuse to cling even more desperately to cash....." Read the rest of this diatribe at Boston.com 11.15.04 A historic photo of Mt. St. Helens from the 20's. It's from the UW Special Collections Photo is by Asahel Curtis, 1925.
11.11.04 a day off to sleep in, go out to breakfast, sit in the sun drinking coffee and reading the paper with Summer, run the long loop with a double sets on the stairs and then a trip to campus to drink some more coffee, work on a GIS project and then a quiet, cool ride back across town... pondering how I could turn the kelly into a scorcher this winter to liven up the commute (eno hub?) A rant from this weeks stranger
11.09.04 I got nothing....not a damn thing of interest to offer up on this stale blog. Just trying to duck under the big waves of life as they keep rolling in...while remembering to take a breath now and then. Sunset at 4:39 tonight, looks like a trip to the gym to get the triceps/upper body ready for a wicked double pole this winter-well maybe not wicked---medicore? Then pedal home to hit the schoolbooks. 11.04.04 Another one of the Chiwawa Gangster's has joined the ranks of the world wide web... Check our Corey & Ye's new blog, soulsurfa.com , straight from the warm sands of Hawaii. A nice change of pace from the usual stories of cycling and skiing you get around these parts. I'm still coming to grips with the so-called "mandate" on Tuesday night. Looking for anything positive amongst the rubble.... My only thought is that this might politicize us a bit more, forcing us to get involved in local trail organizations, land trusts, social & environmental justice groups because in a free market model for public lands (i.e the Bush ideology), human powered recreation, conservation and wildlands doesn't wield a whole lot of clout... I'm not quite ready to dwell on this without getting annoyed and bitter so that's all my preaching for now. 11.02.04 VOTE!!!! and wish Deepak a happy birthday today. The only digital picture I could find of Dee was way back before he was a married man and a papa (i.e. when he rode a bike) Here a much younger, lean and mean version of Darryl drops off the top of Imogene pass on a 7000 foot plunge back to Ouray, CO. One of the original crew that you could count on for any adventure. He was on 3 or 4 trips to Moab (in which he set an all-time record for bodily harm and blood loss) and a long road-trip through cb, durango, ketchum way back when this pic was taken. A trip where he cemented his title as the "king of pain"... hope you have a good day Dee.
10.28.04 A story in today's New York Times about an artist that had a recent show at the Tate Modern specializing in trespassing... crossing European borders illegally. Below is an excerpt from the NYT article. "I've always wanted to be nomadic - to beg, borrow, find things,'' Mr. Bunting said. He travels light, often with no change of clothes and only a few basics: a penknife, a diary, a passport. The BorderXing Web site, available for individual use by request (at irational.org/cgi-bin/border/clients/ deny.pl) offers pictures, suggested routes and tips for evading the authorities. A vacation slide show of the couple's journey is on view at the New Museum, as well as online, without registration, at duo.irational.org.. Despite the political provocation involved, the project retains the aura of a pilgrimage - to be close to the land, to throw off the weight of nationality and statehood, simply to put one foot in front of the other and go. It reminded me of a conversation years ago with GeeStik about trespassing from Eastern Europe to China, following the route of Marco Polo... a conversation that originated in the lifelist, a listing of adventures you wanted to experience in the pursuit of a "full" life. A list that sent doug traveling for the better part of the last 5 years. 10.27.04 spun down the boulevard tonight for an hour and half, enjoying the last of the longer after work rides that won't involve lights, red flashers and all the assorted complications that arise next week with a return to standard time. Weekday rides will be pretty much just the commute to work since a quick calculation suggests that sunset will be at about 4:55 or so next monday-- Time to start think about actually taking a refresher avy course so I can flail my way through the backcountry on my tele skis and learning how to classic ski with some sort of distinction for the days I don't want to skate. Two things that seem to be on the list every winter.... 10.22.04 48 degrees and pissing down rain....snow is forecast for the passes this weekend. The times they are a changing. We're heading into that off-season of sorts where you don't have daylight to ride and there isn't snow in the mountains yet.
10.19.04 Roger making a deal with the devil in Verona. Hopefully we'll get a full report of the World Championships over at www.nosephone.com once Roger gets settled back in... ...a mental/physical break at the madrona stairs tonight. The only time I run is during the fall and winter--fits in well with diminished daylight and we've got some trails and about 400 vertical feet of stairs about two miles from home. Makes for a nice loop to head down to lake washington through madison valley and then along the lake with an occasional glimpse of mt. rainier before ramping up the heartrate on the madrona stairs... they divide themselves into handy little intervals with short connecting blocks for rest between the staircases. Probably more beneficial for skiing than cycling since my legs feel wooden the next day on the bike, but it's a good break from the usual and nice way to see what's happening in the neighborhood. 10.17.04 Watched the rain fall, drank copious amounts of coffee, read for my class, ate a delicious pumpkin donut at top pot, drank more coffee, tried to shake the lethargy of being sick,did more reading.... saw an incredible rainbow a few minutes before sunset while the leaves blew down the street. 10.15.04 The dreaded fall cold has struck, leaving my head cloudy and my reaction time slooowwwwww. After a week straight of stunningly sunny fall days, it's quiet, warm and gray today. Threatening rain, but nothing yet. I cruised into work thinking all of Seattle must have slept in. Luckily not the people who provide the morning espresso and bagel to get my day started... was seriously kicking around the idea of finally road-tripping to West Yellowstone over thanksgiving for an early season nordic overload, but two weeks into the school year I realize that it might not happen this year (again) Although if I went I might just get seriously irate about the administrations complete lack of judgement on the snowmobile issue in the National parks... and finally a little note from Ye, who's traipsing through Nepal and India while the rest of us sit at work. I read this in a little gift shop at the residence of the dalai lama yesterday...i had to share this with you. the paradox of our age: we have bigger houses but smaller families, more convenience but less time, we have more degrees but less common sense, more knowledge but less judgement, more experts but more problems, more medicine but less healthiness, we've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor, we built more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but less communication we have become long on quantity, but short on quality, these are the times of fast food but slow digestion. tall man but short character steep profits but shallow relationships it is a time when there is much in the window, but nothing in the room. ~his holiness, the Dalai Lama 10.11.04 Stunning sunrise on the ride to work made monday morning not so bad...... 10.09.04 A few snapshots from last weeks trip to the methow....mostly ride pics from the twisp river trail and tiffany mountain. All but a distant memory as it's been raining the last 3 days and grad school has started to seriously cut into my free time... 10.07.04 Is the mythical PNW still in existence??? In the absence of updates check the VOLCANO CAM to make sure Mt. St. Helens hasn't reasserted itself and the natural world at the top of the heap. Alan atop Tiffany mtn in the new banner....The most ironic moment of last weekend was, after three days of riding rocky, glorious singletrack and swimming in the river, me slipping and falling flat on my back on a big old slab of polished granite about 5 minutes before heading home. I was down before I even had a chance to put my hands out. My shoulder blade and the pointy bone on the inside of my elbow were the main points of contact and damn if river rock isn't unforgiving. They're just starting to turn a fetching yellow/green color and still hurt like hell. I like to think of it as a reminder to appreciate my usually good health. There seem to be two types of ipod owners on campus, those who just tune into their music and go about their business, and the other type which seem to place said ipod in the most conspicuous spot, so we all know that they have an ipod... Just my rambling obeservations from this morning 10.05.04 Faux pro's get their own street signs--from the stranger (I'll take my lumps as I've hit the Leschi starbucks in full lycra more times than I can remember... was a funny story though although their message is a little muddled..) 10.4.04 Brent and Stephen climb the lower slopes of Tiffany mountain with golden larches and the North Cascades looming in the background... more pics later from the methow valley.
09.30.04 I must have a latent/regressive moustache bar gene.... picked up my cross bike yesterday after cobbling together enough old parts to get the new frame up and running. Hopped on and instantly felt bonded with the moustache bars, seemed good for climbing and pretty damn comfortable---kind of retro/sporty as well. The bike is a steel Kelly Knobby X, with single front chainring for a 1 x 9 setup with a bar-con shifter. It's a purty orange and steers quicker than my reflexes are accustomed to (so quick that I'm sure I'll stuff the front end into a loose corner the first time I push it hard and flip into the bushes....) Should be the perfect bike for just riding, wherever the hell it happens to be. Leaving for the Methow valley tonight, looking forward to starry skies,golden larches & aspens, waking up on the Chewuch river with the smell of sage and a cup of hot coffee. We've got a good crew coming over and it should be 3-days of north cascades goodness. 9.29.04 "There is no such thing as an objective observer or an apolitical human being. "Passivity" is an active stance: only the lingo is obfuscating. If you are not against the extermination, you are for it. The battle has alwys been as simple as that. Ignorance is not an excuse, it is approval of atrocities" John Nichols--author of Milagro Beanfield War something to think about when you hesitate to get involved....
spent saturday morning making a deposit into the karma bank by doing trailwork at the imba epic. Then with sunlight fading I raced up to crystal for a few hours of subalpine singletrack. After a busy week at work it felt good to disconnect and just climb for over an hour--make all those little voices go away.. Sunday under bluebird skies we rode up white river/corral pass/dalles ridge etc. with a cool group of people I hadn't met before. Our group had a vast array of speeds----I wouldn't be surprised if the guy with slick tires is still out there working his way down Ranger creek. Everybody did seem to be having a great time and the weather was incredible so it didn't really matter.... perfect day for riding and it was fun to climb with one of the intergalactic pilots (until I cracked and was left for dead...) Then we had an hour to lay in the sun while the rest of the group made their way to the top... But Dan and I had plenty of time to chat up different rides and such... The rest of the ride took so long that I had to bail down Ranger Creek in order to be back in Seattle by 5:30... It was a perfect day to show off PNW trails though, they were damp, the colors were changing and Mt. Rainier was huge 9.22.04 Ch-ch-ch-changes.... Crazy week at work and embarking on a new adventure has made for a hectic few days. I'm returning to grad school to pursue a masters degree in environmental planning/sustainable design. I've reached a point where I'm ready to go in a new direction and hopefully have some more opportunities to slow down the blighted, sprawling, strip-malled landscape that seems to dominate so many places. I'm sure many lofty ideals will be worn down a bit trying to balance classes,work and the glacial pace it takes to affect change, but no sense in not doing anything... On a brighter note, if I can survive the week I've got nothing but mtb'ing in the mountains on tap for the weekend. Should be a good time, a chance to do a little trailwork and get in a few nice rides before the high country disappears under snow for 8 more months... Also a chance to meet up with DV8 who singlehandedly has quadrupled my hits with his link from offcamber.com 09.21.04 The most perfect fall evening last night, sunny with a little nip in air. Tried to soak it all in on my ride, because pretty soon it's going to be all about arm warmers, rainjackets, fenders, gloves and the other miscellaneous crap you have to haul around all winter to stave off the elements.
Came home to sunny skies and trip up to the coffee shop to read the paper and sit in the sun... 09.16/04 It must be fall...
09.14/04 Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. Antoine de St. Exupery You see this quote around fairly often (Patagonia catalog), but it always strikes a chord with me. It should be the mantra of singlespeeders and others seeking to just ride, using the bike as a way to travel through the landscape, whether it be mountains or just riding to work... Words of wisdom with Interbike and other gadget laden temptresses lurking in the near future. BTW: the quote comes from Antoine de St. Exupery's book, The Wind, the Sand, and the Stars which chronicles his days flying mail over N.Africa and S.America in the 1930's. 09.13.04 Summer and I had to meet the family for breakfast yesterday so I hatched a plan that we could ride the 25 miles to my sister's and then ride home after brunch... It worked to perfection,(at first) quiet, gray Sunday morning spent pedaling around the lake...then the first shower hit, followed by about 3 more absolute soakings. To top things off we were running late and the only shortcut I knew was closed by a detour, but a little ducking/dodging and we made it. Thankfully the ride home around the north end of the lake was under beautiful, breezyseptember skies. 09.10.04 From VeloNews MTB world's: Big changes for 2005 World Cup For years it's was the one thing that definitively separated mountain biking from its road-racing cousin. If you get a flat, you fix it. Bust your chain, get out the chain tool. But that will all change starting next year when the UCI introduces a rule that will allow outside technical assistance in cross-country races at World Cup and world championship events. The details of exactly how it's all going to work are still a little murky, but Regis Alexandre, the president of the UCI mountain bike commission, says he envisions two or three pit zones where riders can swap out everything but the frame. The new rule will also allow teammates to exchange parts, meaning the era of cross-country domestiques may well have arrived. "We can not except that the best rider in the world with a lot of sponsors can lose a race just because of a puncture," said Alexandre in an exclusive interview with VeloNews. Not that anyone really pays attention to mtb racing right now, but the whole notion of "self supported" and able to keep man and machine running for the duration of the race was one of the major charms of mountain bike racing. I suppose now that courses are usually in ski resorts and short multiple lap affairs that it isn't important anymore that you can fix your bike and make it back out to the trailhead before dark. I kinda of liked the idea that parts were chosen for a mixture of durability/weight/etc.... Although the most telling quote is about the $$$--- can't let SPORT interfere with marketing opportunities... 09.09.04 glory through suffering... I second that. 09.07/04 Why I'll never be a fast skate skiier..... 09/06/04 Wrapping a long 3-day weekend... ran stairs for the first time since last winter on Saturday, road ride on sunday. Today I got up pretty early and drove out to Suntop/Skookum flats to get in a ride. It was cool (cold) at the start but after a mile you begin to climb and being cold was the least of my worries. Got passed by a few groups shuttling riders to the top, without so much as a wave or nod... You top out at a view of Mt. Rainier and then it's just a quick skip from sub-alpine meadows to old-growth forest. Suntop was rebuilt a few years ago and it's almost too buffed out. Very smooth and fast with little to halt your progress on the 3300 foot drop back to the white river. There you turn west and pick up the skookum flats trail for 6 rocky,rooty miles back to the trailhead. I'd never ridden skookum on single speed but it's a perfect match. You can scamper up most of the short climbs and roll through everything else. It was a day where everything clicked, nobody to wait for or try to keep up with, just purity of essence... Why is it that trails keep getting wider and wider as suspension increases? It's hard to believe that people with a 5 inch travel bike need to ride around a 3 inch root...but I don't have any other answer. Some of these trails I only ride once every year or two and they keep getting wider and wider as riders attempt to navigate around every little object in the trail... A few pics from the ride-
09/02/04 A webpage that generates 5 Edward Abbey quotes everytime you hit reload.... a handy site when you need a little cynical wit. Click here and enjoy 09/01/04 As sunset in Seattle is 7:49 today, I've got a heightened appreciation for the long rides after work that are still possible....circled the lake with a good friend last night. A beautiful evening to chat, ride and just enjoying being outside in the sunshine. The affirmation was even more complete this morning when I awoke to heavy rain and wet ride back to work. You don't always realize how good you have it. 08/31/04 A picture from Red Pass, above commonwealth basin from Sunday afternoon...looking south over snoqualmie pass towards Mt. Rainier. A perfect day to be hiking in the mountains. It looks like an easy scramble from the pass to Red mountain or a traverse to Lundin peak. Also the old cascade crest trail drops toward the middle fork as well. A lot of possibilities for exploration.
08/16/04 Rode Kachess ridge yesterday under a blazing sun....It turned out to be an epic struggle up the climb as I couldn't keep my gear turning over without standing and straining every vertical foot of the climb. I seriously thought I would have to push a few sections, but took a breather and hauled my carcass up. Finally caught another couple and that gave me enough motivation to turn over the gear. Once at the top it was all butter. The sweetest downhill within an hour of Seattle. My new Geax blade tire took an edge off the numerous root drops and the trail was in pristine shape. A guy with a Santa Cruz heckler was chasing me down from behind which inspired me to let it ride... fantastic day on the bike and I've already forgotten about the climb. 08/12/04 Been lazy about updating lately, but it's the dog days of summer. The woman in front of me at the grocery store yesterday had a 40oz Old English, 12pk of Pepsi and two dozen low quality sweet rolls...now that's living. Getting some miles in on the road this week, but the legs just haven't found the groove since returning from Tahoe-feels like work, no snap. Roger just put a few pictures of Downieville/Tahoe today-including a bunch of yours truly- One of my all-time favorite photographers died yesterday, Henri Cartier-Bresson Stunning work that first attracted me to the power of photography. 08/05/04 For the first time in a month or two it rained on the ride into work today.... had almost forgotten what it was like to pedal through the rainy morning. How can you not mention the President's verbal gaffe this a.m.? I'm personally looking forward to Nov. 2nd and my (2nd) chance to vote him out of office. Thanks to Corey for sending this my way.... 07/30/04 Montezuma's Revengeis underway--One of these years, before I get too old I'm goingto toe the line.... Off to the Methow tonight for a weekend of single-speeding, stargazing and swimming....ahh the dawg days of summer, ya gotta love it.
7.20.04 WTF? 20,000 big macs... 07/20/04 After ten days in NorCal and then home for two days and then to Vegas' for 30 hours I'm finally back at home and updating this stale, stale site..First off a quick recount of our Tahoe trip. We left Seattle on 7/5 and made it about two hours south of Bend, OR. before pulling off into the sagebrush for a night under the stars. Around noon on Tuesday we rolled in to Downieville for maps, lunch and to try to see what we should ride. It was hotter than hell so we opted to camp about 4000 feet above in the Sierras. Got in a perfect, rocky short ride to a high lake that was perfect for swimming. A nice way to start the trip. Wednesday we did the Downieville Downhill through Butcher Ranch. Claimed, (by our map) to be the best downhill in CA. A steep 1000 foot climb made us realize that our sea-level lungs were in big trouble at 7500 feet. After that we had a sweet 5000 foot descent on nice trails, but not the best downhill ever.... you pop right out in Downieville where we had lunch and got ready for the 5000 foot climb back up to Packer Saddle and down to camp...it was hot and I faded faster than you can say OTB on the climb....it was almost laughable as I had nothing and could just barely keep the granny gear turning. I swear Roger must've been a half hour in front of me at times....Not a good omen for the week. It was one of the stranger days I've had on the bike. Plenty hydrated, lots of food but something wasn't working. It was hot and the altitude was a factor but I've never felt like that (basically fine-I just couldn't go faster than 3 mph) Day 3 saw us take in a sweet 50 mile road loop over a couple of passes. Absolutely beautiful road ride with a stop at the ole' Satterly Cash Store (the only store in Satterly) before a nice climb up Yuba pass. Thankfully the legs were good and I felt normal after the prior days lameness. Probably one of the best road rides I've done. Great climbs, gorgeous park lands/meadows with the Sierra's rising above. Saturday we were up at 4:00 so we could be in Markleeville for the deathride by 5:30. Since I hadn't really put in much distance training the goal was steady tempo. Beautiful descents off the five passes. My favorite was the west side of monitor where I followed a guy down at alarming speeds....couldn't wipe the grin off my face for about 15 miles... My secret weapon was the 26 cog I put on before heading south. This allowed me to just sit and dink along while Roger had to stand a bit more and work a bigger gear on some of the steeper climbs. I did have a bad patch heading toward Carson pass, but managed to work through it and felt amazingly good at the end of the day. Our last day was an incredible loop on the Tahoe Rim Trail and the flume trail. Absolutely beautiful technical climb and unbelievable views. My legs felt great and this was easily the best ride of the summer. Then the long drive back to Seattle.....Pictures as soon as I get some time. 07/04/04 Roger and I leave tomorrow for NorCal for 8 or 9 days of riding. Should be in N. Lake Tahoe or Downieville, CA and riding singletrack by Tuesday. Nothing on the agenda but coffee, camping and cycling. The 3 C's. Spent today getting the bikes ready, charging up ipods and cameras and trying not to forget anything too important. 07/02/04 Typical Bush administration tactics today, releasing a logging proposal on Friday of a holiday weekend so little uproar will be caused....The roadless rule in national forests is in serious jeopardy. Read the article in today's Seattle Times UPDATE: pictures added Did the classic lightning creek ride last weekend in the Methow. A ride I first did in 1992 with BJK. The trail is still as sweet as ever and Friday nights thundershowers kept the dust down and the speed up...Pictures from saturdays ride are up. 06/24/04 Some good news out of Utah, an ancient Indian settlement has been announced. The Seattle PI has an article here It looks like the Trust for Public Land and Federal money will preserve the site which was privately owned for the last 53 years. I can still remember the tingle you get in your spine when you first go to Grand Gulch, Paria Canyon or Mesa Verde. 06/23/04 Harmonic convergence last night for the first time since late April....my bike had no problems, my legs felt good and the weather was outstanding...the kind of day that makes you want to give it a little go on every single hill for no real reason at all(except that you can). A much needed boost before our NorCal road trip that's leaving town in just a couple of weeks... Bend, Tahoe, Downieville and Markleeville figure prominently on the agenda. Been checking out dangerousmeta.com more often lately...Kinda of like a quick scan of a liberal newspaper along with a few photos of New Mexico. Kudos to Spot Brand Bikes They're shipping me a brand new stainless steel axle out free of charge today(the old ones were aluminum) and told me I could just pay for shipping the next time I ordered something from them.That's some nice service. 06/21/04 Tough week on the bikes....Saturday after a glorious 3 hours of singletrack perfection I got greedy and went for one last 20 minutes of singletrack bliss while Summer cut out to the road. Not 2 minutes after we seperated my rear axle broke and I went from singlespeed to no speed...I had to cut back out to the road and coast/scooter two or so miles back to the car after a few trailside repairs failed to work. That nullified all opportunities to ride on Sunday so we just lounged in the sun on icicle creek for a few hours interspersed with frigid plunges into the river.... Called Spot Bikes today and hopefully an axle will be headed my way this week.
In addition to my tire woes, Paradise had no electricity, so the visitors center was completely dark and my dreams of a coca-cola were foiled so I just started back. Ended the day with about 9000+ feet of climbing and a little over 80 miles after limping over cayuse pass in 23 cog. Needless to say,I'll be switching back to Continental tires. 06/15/04 No wonder everyone in the U.S. is getting so damn fat.... French Fries as fresh veggies. Bonk-0-Rama on last nights ride, had to wobble into Tully's and order up a cream cheese/blackberry cookie bar to keep the dizzy,bonky shakes at bay. $2 and probably 500 calories of fatty sugary goodness was soon pumping into my bloodstream and I managed to get back on top of the gear and make it home before dark. I wonder if the blackberries made that snack a fruit not a cookie? Stale, stale, stale....that's what this blog is....Soon I'll put Methow photos up from last weekend. Weather was sketchy and the Bear Creek trails were completely covered in blowdowns, but Pipestone was in full glory with Balsamroots, sunflowers and lupine blooming in green fields bisected by lovely singletrack. 06/04/04 Finally over the cold that plagued me for much of May and trying to make up for lost time on the bike. I searched in vain for any gear out of the 18 that would feel comfortable last night on the lake loop, but gave up and just hacked away with dull, stale legs....Speed and power were so-so, so mostly just the elusive "feel" or being comfortable putting down the miles. Off to the methow this weekend in search of sunshine, singletrack, balsamroots and the good life.
05/26/04 A rainy cold morning that begs for a second cup of coffee.... 05/22/04 A nice overview with pictures from the fasterskier.com website that profiles the pole,pedal,paddle race we did last week in Bend, Oregon. Team Bella, ended up in 5th place in our divison which sounds pretty damn good...The 200-something overall is the more realistic number out of about 800 teams. NEWS: A tough week for GW Bush was wrapped up with a spill from his mountain bike (now that's hard to picture) Velonews has the dirt..... After being sick for almost two weeks, I just gave up yesterday and started riding again...still don't feel that great, but didn't seem to be getting much better sitting on the couch. 05/20/04 Tomorrow is Bike-to-Work-day (shouldn't every day be that?) so get off your arse, leave the cell phone and the SUV at home and take a nice spin in to the office... A good quote I saw while surfing ttips today... "Good judgement requires experience. Bad judgement creates experience." 05/17/04 I've always wanted to go to Iceland and this photo gallery just sets the hook a wee bit deeper. Absolutely beautiful topography (and it looks damn cold) The gallery is from the always good www.offcamber.com 05/17/04 Damn, I've been sick for 8 days now and I'm still coughing and hacking up vile things....enough! About died during my ski leg on saturday morning, had to lean up against a cool cement wall after finishing for a bit to keep from throwing up....started out a little hard on the slight downhill opening K's and didn't let the heart rate go down during the rollers and then just suffered in the last 2 uphill K's to the finish. Pacing, huh? 05/13/04 Off to Bend for the Pole,Pedal,Paddle tomorrow morning. Should be a good time with a little skate-skiing and singlespeeding in the mix. Just hope I can shake the cold by Saturday morning.
For those not in the know, Mother's day is the day to climb mt. st. helens and honor mom by skiing down in a dress. 05/12/04 caught a nasty spring cold after coming back from Mt. St. Helens. Haven't done a thing but lay in bed with a Nyquil induced fog for the past 36 hours. I leave for Bend on Friday, so I'm hoping for a full recovery before the skate leg saturday morning...
05/03/04 Fruita Fat Tire Fest was this last weekend, and although I wasn't there, I couldn't help but daydream of zippity-doo-dah, the edge loop and the smile-inducing joys of prime cut. For pure singletrack enjoyment, almost nothing is better than a day off the 18 road. Reading the blogs today made it worse... 05/3/04 After five years of drought, the Colorado River compact is finally raising some eyebrows about the true "average" volume of the river. An interesting article about the longevity of Glen Canyon Dam and the future water clashes in the west in yesterdays New York Times 04/27/04 Certain days reveal the depth of your committment towards cycling. As the rain/hail/wind unleash havoc outside I debate whether I should go home and sit on the couch or push on with my planned ride around the lake... Am I a hard man who shrugs at torrential rain or a fairweather dandy??? What to do? UPDATE: Well, Roger and I pushed on into the tempest and were greeted with heavy rain, downed powerlines and trees blocking the road for the first hour..but kept on and it turned clear, cold and breezy for the rest of the evening. My feet never got warm again but after getting home at 8:15 a hot shower felt oh so good. 04/22/04 Earth day today and my racing debut at Seward Park....will I get shelled out the back? Stay tuned. UPDATE: I emerged from the 32 lap race safely in the main field.... luckily it wasn't a super fast night and I was able to sit in and not have to close any gaps (cuz' I wouldn't have been able too..) 04/22/04 Spent an hour and a half watching Catch-22 last night. Creepy, surreal and very dark. Quite a contrast with the story in today's Seattle Times about a woman who was fired for taking a picture of flag draped caskets in Kuwait and letting the Times publish it. Apparently that hits to close to home, that real people die. I guess our love of reality TV doesn't quite extend to the horrors of war. Catch-22 repulses, yet you can't look away and when it's not making you sick it's pretty damn funny. 04/21/04 An interesting and enlightening exchange at yesterday's Supreme Court hearing over the rights of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. From the New York Times ... Even Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson's opening declaration, "The United States is at war," appeared to rankle rather than persuade the skeptical justices. "Supposing the war had ended," Justice John Paul Stevens asked Mr. Olson. "Could you continue to detain these people in Guantnamo, and would there then be jurisdiction?" Mr. Olson replied, "We believe that there would not be jurisdiction." Justice Stevens then asked, "So the existence of the war is really irrelevant to the legal issue, is it not?" 04/20/04 Ten minutes til' 5:00 and freedom... My regular Tuesday night ride after daylight savings time is the north end of the lake, in a desperate attempt to shed a couple extra pounds and get some miles in the legs before it's too late. Should be a blustery evening, but it's not raining so I'm not going to bitch. Two and a half hours to get away from bills, work, homework and any other distractions.. Just my creaky saddle that I still need to fix and the steady rhythm of the pedals... 04/18/04 A 1200 square foot ranch house on long island is renovated into a fantastic little house with an open floor plan (and Art with a capital A). Check it out in the nytimes magazine 04/11/04 SUV Bashing... It's always open season on huge SUV's. 04/11/04 Travel waxed the skate ski's and put them away-marking the end of the ski season. Saturday got in a good 65 miles on the bike. A pretty good week of getting back into the riding groove with two lake loops and a couple of trips down the boulevard. Legs are coming around bit by bit. Also heard back from the deathride about getting an entry, so now it looks like a trip to NorCal is in store which promises a week of MTB action in Downieville and Tahoe as well. 04/06/04 The weekend was spent chasing the last remnants of winter. Saturday we took one last trip up to Hyak for the closing day of skiing. Thermometer at the pass was already reading close to 60 degrees at 9:30 in the morning. We rode up Silver Fir and I instantly missed the turn into the nordic trails and Summer and Roger unknowingly followed on a nice little 15 minute bc skating episode through deep slushy snow. Finally sweating like mad we arrived at the trail to find conditions weren't much better. On about 2/3 of the downhills I had to V2 to maintain any semblance of speed. The skating was laughable, but it was nice to be out in the mountains soaking up the sun. That afternoon we pulled out all the Tele and snowboard gear and drove up to Bellingham to meet Alan. The plan was to spend Sunday getting in a little spring skiing at Mt. Baker. The sun was out, Shuksan was incredible and we had a posse of local tele skiers taking us to all the good spots. It was incredible until my legs gave out and I couldn't muster enough strength to control my skis on steeper runs. I Had to retire to the groomers for the last few runs. After that beer in the parking lot and then pizza on the way back to b'ham. The only day of riding the lifts this year was perfect. With daylight savings time in full effect the Tuesday night rides will commence tonight with a lap of the lake. 04/02/04 Pulling a big fat trick on the skate ski's has to be pretty sweet (but I wouldn't know)... The course was short and took about three minutes to complete the loop. The course designer decided that it was time for these cross country skiers to have an event which might be called Extreme Nordic Racing! As the skiers started down the hill they had to choose between a double gap jump or to weave their way through a number of slalom gates. It quickly became obvious that the faster route was up and over the jump. ...At the jump during my other two laps I awed the crowed with a huge nordic helicopter 360 spin (which I did not land too pretty) and a very high iron cross with the skis. The crowd went wild. I was lapped by the junior leader from Czech Republic so I pulled myself out the race at the end of my third lap. I was beat, bruised from my crashes, and could hardly breath. It was fun though! From www.fasterskier.com 03/31/04 One last chance to get your pink surly 1X1...don't delay, operators are standing by(buy?) 03/29/04 Tired legs today after two good days on the bike, finally clicked off a few longer rides in a feeble effort to find some legs before daylight savings time kicks in and the season gets underway.
03/18/04 03/17/04 On a lighter note, three recent thread titles on the TelemarkTips forum: (1) Dog owners, would you put a beacon on your dog?, (2) POLL: Avalung for your dog? (3) Dog owners, would you put bacon on your dog? 03/17/04 Scathing critique of the American way of life by James Howard Kunstler, author of Geography of Nowhere among other things in Orion Magazine... We live in places where virtually no activity or service can be accessed without driving a car, and the (usually solo) journey past horrifying vistas of on-ramps and off-ramps offers no chance of a social encounter along the way. Our suburban environments have by definition destroyed the transition between the urban habitat and the rural hinterlands. In other words, we can't walk out of town into the countryside anywhere. Our "homes," as we have taken to calling mere mass-produced vinyl boxes at the prompting of the realtors, exist in settings leached of meaningful public space or connection to civic amenity, with all activity focused inward to the canned entertainments piped into giant receivers.... Read the whole commentary at OrionOnline 03/15/04 Regret...feeling a tinge after electing to save a few vacation days and $$ by not going to Moab this spring. But now that it's almost April, the urge to be in the high desert of Utah has grown exponentially. It just doesn't seem right to not be catching the 6:15 flight to SLC and riding out of the Portal CG that afternoon....I'm sure I'll get over it this summer with a week of mtb'ing in NorCal, but for now I long for sunshine,waffles and coffee at the Mondo,fruita, goldbar rim, the frontside of amasa back and all the other favorites
03/08/04 Hardcore, yes or no?....yesterday as I got up at 7:00 to head up to cabin creek for the Ozabaldy 50k skate race I discovered the answer was no. With the pass report claiming heavy rain,fog,wind and temperatures in the mid-40's I realized that I had no burning desire to race 50 kilometers in that slop. So I ignored the beautifully waxed ski's in the corner and fired up the French press, plucked the sunday paper off the porch and skipped out. I felt guilty but oh well.... 03/02/04 A story in today's Seattle PI about Brett Wolfe, the nicest endurance rider you could ever meet...the fact that he does more than 99% of the population with one leg is an inspiration to all who know him. I was lucky to have had the pleasure of working with him for a couple of years back in the REI days. Get the story here
03/01/04 March 1st usually means it's time to start transitioning from skate and tele ski's to the bike. I'm hoping that the winter on the singlespeed commuting to work will have kept the legs willing to turn the big gears as we start to rack up the miles in anticipation of the big summer rides. 03/01/04 Say what you will about Bored of the Rings, but an Oscar for best editing??? Give me a break-that movie could easily have 25 minutes removed with absolutely no lessening of the impact.
02/19/04 I'd forgotten what it's like to skate in the rain, the slow, soggy tracks. the cold water soaking through your pants, the lack of visibility in the dark since the headlamp reflects every single drop of rain or snow. But in the end it was a nice night skiing up cold creek about 2/3 of the way to windy pass. Rain down low changing to heavy snow about 1/2 say up the climb. The tracks were so slow with the fresh snow that I had to turn my headlamp on to see what was wrong. A nice 1:40 on a wednesday night. No matter how much hassle it is getting out of town after work, it's always worth it. As an added bonus the groomer managed to put in a few 15 inch dropoffs at trail transitions and a debris pile down the middle that was about 2k's long. Ahh, Hyak. 02/18/04 A good interview with Paul Hawken about politics, the environment and taking all of the cookies without saying thank you... Read it, it's good for you. 02/18/04 This page is growing a wee bit stale after a week of absolutely nothing...no skiing, not much cycling or anything else physical, been fighting a cold all week. A recovery week after 4 straight days of skating. A few results from Rendzvous Mountain Tour are up at mvsta.com Safe to say that any smugness about being a fast skier was left high on the hills above Fawn Creek. 02/09/04 Dreaded Monday morning blues after being out of town for 3-days. Now back to the same old thing in front of the computer. Weekend was excellent. I got out skiing 4 different times and survived the Rendezvous Mountain Tour (barely). My legs were so shot at the end that I was just able to hold it together for the final 5k's to the line. I had absolutely nothing left at the end-completely empty. The weather was perfect, 19 degrees at 7:30 in the morning and then warming up throughout the day. Blue skies and fast tracks. 02/06/04 Off to the Methow Valley for three days of skiing. Planning on racing the Rendezvouz Mountain Tour on saturday for the first time. 30k's and 2500 feet of climbing. The race info says you start off with a 2000 foot climb in the first 9.5k's and then descend 800 feet before climbing back up 500. After that a quick plunge to the valley floor and rolling slightly uphill drive to the finish in Mazama. I'm looking forward to it, though I hope I feel better than I did on Wednesday night. 02/04/04 Oh, the pain. Skied the first leg of the relay up at the pass last night after about 4 minutes of warm-up. I lined up DFL and tried to ski well but mostly just managed a tattered, ragged leg. After that a beautiful ski under an almost full moon up Hidden Valley and out to the upper trails on flawless, untracked corduroy. 02/03/04 Now that's a weekend.... from CarsRCoffins What a cracker of a weekend. Saturday was the 7th Annual Stupor Bowl. Quite an annual feat, generally revolves around racing your bike from checkpoint to checkpoint, each one a bar, and 13 in all. What better way to kick off the weekend than a pre-registration party at Mackenzie's, where someone forgot to tell the staff that PBR's shouldn't cost $3.25. So en masse we rode to Luce for $2 cans and hangovers. Saturday afternoon, close to 70 bicycle rednecks showed up. Pre-race spirits were high, and racers smoked american spirits. The route was pretty straightforward. With the greenway bench as the start, I ran it like this: country bar bryant lake bowl lyles lee's skyway luce downtown grumpy's nordeast mayslacks spring st. bar terminal bar grumpy's downtown bullwinkle's triple rock Got a bitchen start. Everyone went out and up LaSalle. I rode straight thru Loring Park and up Lyndale. John Swanson roared past me holding the spoiler on a purple dodge shadow. From the country bar to blb, I was riding against stopped traffic and made an evasive maneuver that had to have looked cool. 2 wheel slide, Clyde. Rode with O-tree after that. He pulled me around all day, talking about dominating 24 of 9 on single speeds this year. Sounds good to me. Some fast rides later see Brauer at Grumpys NE, down bourbon and roar out of there, eventually make it to triple rock. Marco and two milwaukee's sprinted for the win, but dq'd: all missed the terminal. Mpls. kid won it, but Brauer Power! got 2nd overall. Mac drank at 11 of 13 stops. I got 9th. Today, to celebrate Ground Hog's Day, I went xc skiing at Bassett Creek I think we've got foot of snow in the last 48 hours. No sign of the groundhog, and no sign of Janet Jackson's tits. burn in hell, -hurl 02/03/04 Subsidy's for Wal-Mart...give me a break. For a myriad of reasons, I hope to never set foot in Wal-Mart again... yet another reason appears in a recent Writers on the Range column. Read it here 02/01/04 Weekend wrapup: A damn fine weekend with no pressing obligations to spoil the usual coffee drinking, exercise, sitting around and relaxing routine. Went running on saturday in a major rainstorm, but the ipod saw me through the worst of it. Bounding up the madrona stairs with Ani Di Franco screaming into the headphones distracts one from the weather. Yesterday was another sunday spent skiing. After getting to cabin creek and finding they hadn't groomed, we did some double pole action and then returned to the stampede pass sno-park where the skating was fantastic. The parking lot was full of snowmobilers, but you quickly got to the non-motorized part where the they had a bunch of interconnected short loops to spin some hot laps on. We skied til' our legs wobbled and then went to Top Pot for a big fat double trouble donut. Next weekend Mazama and the Rendezvous Mountain Tour. 01/29/04 I went to a very cool lecture on sustainable architecture last night. The principles were from Arkin/Tilt They have a done projects using rammed earth, strawbale and many other alternative building materials. My favorite was a remodel of a 700 sq. foot house in Berkley that they daylighted with transom windows and used a piece of railroad track as a structural beam. Check out a few pictures here 01/26/04 3:15 of long, not so slow, distance yesterday at Hyak. Much nicer snow conditions than we had on Wednesday along with three other motors made for an excellent day. We went up Mt. Catherine and then back around to Grand Junction and a few inner loops before dropping down creek run. I was worn out at the end but it was nice to ski slow and long for a change instead of my usual sprint/rest repeat sessions. 01/23/04 Mmmmmm, 30-day McDonalds diet sounds good. Gain 25 pounds, vomit out the window and watch your cholesterol levels skyrocket. What people will do to make a movie these days. Read the article, which is pretty interesting here about a guy who ate 3 meals a day at McDonalds for 30 straight days. 01/22/04 Ugh, tough race up at the pass last night. Sloppy, sugary snow on the climbs and icy on the descents. Started off in an ok group but soon left them behind, ego was put in check though when three guys who started after me came by like the proverbial freight train, I tried to latch on but they left me for dead. I somehow thought that I would be able to keep up for a kilometer or two, but was sadly mistaken. The gulf between sorta fast and truly fast is vast. After that painful episode I went for a nice quiet sking on cold creek for an hour with the headlamp. Absolutely beautiful to be out in the woods at night skating. So quiet and peaceful... 01/21/04 Finishing up the work day and getting ready to ride the single speed home, then a quick transition to the car and we'll head up to the pass for the Wednesday night XC TT series. I've only raced on my skis twice in the last two years so I'm sure to flail. You've got to get back in the groove at some point though. I felt good on the Mt. Catherine climbs this weekend, so I hope to have a wee bit o' snap in the legs. Nothing is much more painful than a short skate time trial. Let the wheezing commence. 01/16/04 01/14/04 When is a spade not a spade??? Apparently when it's a Subaru. Disappointing at best....from the NYT Subaru is tweaking some parts of the Outback sedan and wagon this year to meet the specifications of a light truck, the same regulatory category used by pickups and sport utilities. Why? Largely to avoid tougher fuel economy and air pollution standards for cars. The move will let Subaru sell more vehicles with turbochargers, which pep up performance but hurt mileage and increase pollution. "It was difficult to achieve emissions performance with the turbos," said Fred D. Adcock, executive vice president of Subaru of America. They also made it hard to meet fleetwide fuel economy standards for cars. 01/11/04 Another sunday up at cabin creek clicking off the k's. I felt like it was my first day on ski's(possibly due to only consuming 1 cup-o-coffee before heading out the door) and really managed to suffer on the Ozabaldy loop--a perfect interval of steep unti you're exhausted, then you get about 20 seconds of recovery before another kicker, after that 20 seconds of flat and the third short, sharp climb followed by a longer flat stretch and the final off-camber climb. By the time I hit the top I can barely bring my poles up past my waist. 01/07/04 A great ride yesterday through the winter wonderland...about 6 inches of snow on the ground play in. Let work early and went for ride around campus before heading up the hill. It adds a whole new dimension to a ride you've done 100's of times. Especially when you really have to work it to clean the climbs. This morning it was still exciting but miserable in the icy slushy mess. 01/04/04 The freakish weather continues into the new year. After an extra hot and dry summer we're now blessed with a cold snowy winter. It was 21 degrees as I left on my bike this morning and snow is forecast for tonight. I'm going to switch over to the knobby tires and dream of big fat flakes tonight. Today's ride was the coldest of the last week, but the least sketchy as it's quite dry out there which means Idon't have to live in mortal fear of black ice patches that will send me to the deck. No skiing this weekend due to some car issues (have I mentioned that I hate cars?) but continued some good dryland run/stair training so all wasn't lost. 01/02/04 First ride of the New Year started at 7:30 this morning and was followed by the first crash about ten minutes later. Black ice all over made for super-sketchy and slow ride in. I went down so fast didn't even have time to think about it--good thing I was going slow and no cars were coming. Hopefully not an omen for 2004. |
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12.12.04 Today, we start with the 
11.01.04 Felt the need to be in the mountains yesterday so Summer and I headed out for quick trip to climb Mt. Si. A fine fall day, sunny with temps in the high 30's at the top and a dusting of new snow was visible on all the peaks to the east. It felt good to get some vertical feet in the legs and fresh air in the lungs. I don't spend enough time hiking in the summer months, so it always is nice to sneak some in before snow covers the trails.
09.28.04 been savoring every minute of fall this year, sunny days have taken on an unprecedented value compared to other years. I've tried to absorb all the little temperature changes, the fall colors in the mountains and tacky snow-free trails.
09.20.04 What a difference a month makes. When I rode Kachess ridge in August it was pushing the upper 90's and I suffered all the way up the climb. Early yesterday morning it was 44 degree's when I came over the pass and the snow level was supposedly 4000 feet and I was supposed to top out above 5200. The legs seemed to work better yesterday, allowing me to stay on top of the gear (34 x 18) and not fantasize about an extra tooth to save my legs. Topped out without any snow on the ground and enjoyed the fall colors and an absolutely empty trail. Didn't see any other bikes the whole day. The trail was firm,tacky and fast (but the creek crossing were high and damn cold) A perfect fall day in the mountains...
08/27/04 Chiwawapalooza last weekend... Sangria, singlespeeds, olympics and plenty of huckin' the frisbee's. We rode chikamin ridge on saturday with a bonus loop up to chikamin tie for a few more vertical feet.... tale of the tape: doug crashed twice, punctured 3 times, thus sweeping all the bad categories, leaving roger, alan and I to just choke back the dust and let speed be our guide. Trails were in pretty good shape for August, a bit dusty but I didn't hear any complaints...Roger put in his first big ride on the single and he looked pretty damn strong. Unfortunately the rest of the pictures were destroyed in a downloading mishap last night.
08/25/04 What's better than technology and bikes together to defeat Bush in November... check out 
07/25/04 A few photos from our trip to Cali. Unfortunately the riding was pretty damn good and I couldn't bring myself to stop, disrupt the rhythm and take many photos. The few that were passable are 
06/17/04 A spur-of-the-moment day off yesterday. I wanted to get some road climbing in so I journeyed down 410 to the Crystal Mountain Blvd(The epicenter of uphill). The climb to sunrise was closed so I set off on an 80+ mile journey to paradise in MRNP that would take me over Cayuse pass twice and the 3400 foot climb to Paradise. Steady tempo was the order of the day and excitement was supplied by my IRC tire that completely detonated on the second climb of the day. Luckily I booted it with duct tape and a Clif bar wrapper and was able to ride it for 50+ miles (albeit very nervously)
05/27/04 A refreshing victory salute by Pavel Tonkov at the Giro, for all the naysayers he offers up the goods...not sure if the sponsors (Vini Caldirola) will appreciate it as much as I did. Image from 
05/12/04 Mother's Day @ Mt St. Helens. We managed to completely luck out with the weather, we miraculously met up with Alan just before the summit and were able to enjoy relaxing in the warm sunshine for an hour before descending the 5600 feet back to the cars. We had momentary doubts about Summer's feet, the weather and many other minor setbacks. But our group of 4 snowboarders, 2 tele skiers and two randonee skiers all made the summit(diversity in action). Pictures with heavy cross-dressing content are 
03/23/04 Springtime has arrived in the Methow...no skating to be had and we had to drive up to the Silver Star gate on Hwy. 20 to get into the backcountry. Saturday we skinned up into the lower basin of Silver Star and lounged in blinding sunshine, while decimating a nice slope above our lunch spot. After that an entertaining ski out through doghair pines, tree wells and other impediments kept the style points low and the laughs high. Sunday was a hike out on Elbow Coulee for an hour and then the long drive home. Disappointed that we didn't get to skate at Sun Mountain, but excited about camping and mtb opportunities rapidly approaching. A few mediocre pics are up 
Moab's best 
03/11/04 Second annual Mt. Catherine night ski yesterday...clicked into my bindings at about 7:00pm under starry but dark skies (where was that 73% waning gibbous moon?) Tracks were lightning fast, almost felt like an escalator on the slight uphills. A sensation that only happens on the rarest of days. Up over windy pass with only a minimal stop for a picture or two and then down towards Oallie meadows and then back up to rockdale bowl. Finally onto sunset loops where I thought I saw a large mountain lion tracks heading all the way out hidden valley(of course last weeks email discussing tracks up top at Hyak had me extra paranoid). Being alone in the pitch dark and wondering if a mountain lion is about makes for a very alert(and quick) skier. A quick plunge down hidden valley and some nice V2 skating out cold creek had me back at the parking lot by 9:00.
03/01/04 After a weekend of skiing and driving to the pass, I always daydream about my cabin in the Methow (Where we don't have to drive an hour to go skate)...came across this 
02/22/04 Perfect day up skiing up at Hyak. Fast tracks, still icy in the trees and perfect corduroy. Wasted a few hours up top spinning laps and checking out trails I rarely ski. Also managed to have my most painful crash of the season after popping out of the tracks on a super fast downhill. I didn't even get my hands out in front of me before pile-driving into the snow face first. Then it was reading the newspaper on the porch and walking up to victrola for a coffee.
A pretty shot of our comrade Dougie tele skiing on the continent and living the vagabond lifestyle somewhere near the eiger we think. Last report I got was he left Italy for Bern, Switzerland and then was in Berlin.