Wondering - Wandering

Really, what's the difference...........

Busy at work with shutdown projects, but still getting on the mountain bike.  Riding the crap out of that same section of Shore Line Trail, but it fits the schedule.  It looks like the Avon Divide road may be clear enough to ride.  Not technical at all, but it can really burn the legs - if you hit it hard.  We'll see what things look like in the next couple of days.

I've been thinking a lot of character.  You know, the things we do when nobody else is watching, or more importantly, when it really counts.  There are those that put up a good show, waving arms and all, but who really puts up when it counts? If you have to stop to think about something, rather than react, that is not your true character.- right?  I mean............are you truly invested, or are you just putting on an act? Hmmmmm.............

There are things I've earned over the course of my life that have served me well.  Other things - just a good lesson.  I learned to whistle loud without my fingers when I was like six years old.  Talk about a useful skill! And then there was that time about in the first grade or so, I came home to ask my parents what you see when you look down a mole-hole.  I had know Idea what the punch line really meant, but my folks sure did.  I'm fairly certain my dad turn to my mom at that moment and said; "No piano lessons or braces for him.  He won't need them in prison".  Well, here I am, no piano lessons and didn't have braces.  Never made it to prison, but I sure made a mess of a lot of things along the way.

So what does that have to do with anything?  Character, the thing people are rally made of, regardless of what they may think of themselves.  I think we're to that point where it may actually matter.

Pay attention!

Click here - '71

Ride HARD!

Piecing things together

The "Cantaloupe" Antelope Island way out there under those clouds.

"Frankenstein" 

Oh.....about a hundred years ago - give or take, I used to read a particular trade magazine pretty much every month. It was back in the college days when I was broke most of the time, and could generally read it at the University library for free - then, my favorite word. There was this article about Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer, making the classic track "Frankenstein". They explained how it was originally supposed to be "Drum Solo", but kind of evolved. After some period of time, they had accumulated a massive collection of master tape, of which none were connected. The album they were building was "They only come out at night" an absolute classic, and one of my all time favorites. At some point they figured they had to get the master tapes all together for this "thing" they had been creating all along. Literally hand splicing tape from piles on the floor, they compiled their monster. Add to it the lumbering tempo and you have the enduring classic that has always fascinated me - personally.

It appears this year is developing much like the classic - more than in previous years. The weather sucks, the riding has been sparse, funding is uncertain.............I mean everything is just a mess. The only thing that is constant from previous years is the pile that has to somehow come together to make it work. Everyone has the will to put up a good fight, but not everyone, in fact few, are willing to prepare for that fight. That's where we're at this year. All the ancillary crap is simply making it hard to have the will to prepare. Things wont change unless I make them change, and I'm not really sure how to do it.

The above elevation profile shows the section of trail I've been riding. Just under 700' climbing, but still pretty technical - in several areas. It's good interval training, with some short burns, but nothing for endurance. It's barely 40 minutes from start to finish. It beats indoor spinning for sure. I need to get some road time, but until the roads dry out............

A lesson in adapting.....Click here and pay attention!

Ride HARD!

Back in business......

Leaving the dropper down after a quick descent.

"Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean I don't love it...

It's never easy, or so it seems.  I did manage to get on the Shore Line Trail this past week.  Weather works for me on this trail, as it scares the "fair weather" rider away.  Yesterday was primo!  Only a few riders and conditions were excellent - and cold.  Getting on to the trail takes some motivation, but once I'm up there - I love it.  It's the same with riding Monte in the summer.  Getting started is hard, but riding over Monte Cristo takes me to a place in my mind that I simply can't explain.  It'll be likely first part of June before they have SR39 open for the summer.  For now, I'll take the dirt rides to fill-in until then.

I'm hoping for a little break this week on general funding for HHH.  If it falls through, we - and do mean WE, will have a different charter.  Rub the lucky rabbits foot - or whatever you do for such things.  

Meanwhile, the donation page is "Hot and Ready"!

461 always reminds me of Monte Cristo, September 1978.  What I'd give..................

click here - Florida Mainline

Ride HARD!

Gearing-Up

Change of Plans?

Snow Cactus on the Shore Line Trail

Things are not going well - at all.  Along with the other crap I've had to deal with this season, now it appears we may start $20K in the hole.  If there is a "silver-lining", we have all season to off-set the loss.  The truth is, it will be hard, and I mean hard, to make up that deficit.  Our goal is to break the $2M mark this year.  To do that, we really need to make up that loss.  If something doesn't come through in the next 48 hours, I'll start to plan the thing I've always wanted to do, or thought about anyway.  Nothing to elaborate on yet, so stay tuned.

The way things are shaping up, I'll be on the road within the next 14 days.  Still a lot of sand and salt, with not much for shoulders (on the road).  I need to ride the dirt every night this week, and start doing extended climbs.  Maybe two more weeks and the Avon Divide road should be clear enough to climb at night.  I'll probably stay down on the Shore Line Trail until the Rattle Snakes start coming out.  Those stupid things are a menace.  You quite often don't see them stretched out across the trail until you run over them.  Most of the time, they try to get out of sight before they are seen, but boy can they get mad.  There is a long and steep climb up to an abandon surface mine that is always a ton of work.  The southern exposures are where you'll find them, trying to get warm in the spring sun.  Gotta keep a sharp eye.

The mountain bike needs some TLC.  It's been rode hard and needs a complete overhaul.  Shocks need drained and cleaned.  Chain has a ton of hard miles.  All the pivot points need cleaned and lubed.  Tires need to be replaced (ouch) and re-filled with Stan's Racing Sealant.  I could take an entire afternoon to service this thing, but probably will do it a little at a time.  Meaning, a lot of it may not get done for several months.  Bikes need attention too.  Especially when you hammer them as do I.

This is going to different than anything in the past.  But then.......there was 52's.  Talk about different.  Did anyone else make the connection with Fred and Squidward?  I mean, who saw that one coming?

Fred's do'in it....Click here

Ride HARD!

The Test

A slick-rock face on the Shore Line Trail - a lot steeper than it looks!

Hard Things...............and more

Riding on the Shore Line Trail has been getting better - in that I'm starting to get some confidence back.  Still, the image in my mind of breaking my ankle still keeps me a bit timid. The trail is getting busy as there are few areas that aren't still buried in snow elsewhere.  So....I tied the "lion" bell under my saddle.  Normally I reserve the bell to keep the mountain cats from sneaking up and pealing me on the bike.  Right now, the bell gives others on the narrow single track, a heads-up.  This trail is blind spot after blind spot, compounded by sharp drop-off reliefs that can send you 75' with a simple "stall-and-fall".  No bueno!  Yesterday I was able to get out in the rain and hail, which meant only a few fools as myself, on the trail ( a great day).  The rock faces that slope like above are particularly dangerous when the tires are loaded with mud and grit.  Just having a wet surface is enough to make it sketchy.  Without grip...........just plain stupid.  That picture above is on a dry day.  Notice the trail picking up in the skyline.  Good times!

This past week has been full of surprises, most of which are not favorable.  I've always said we have to be ready for whatever may come our way - when it comes our way.  Well now..........I may have to really put up.  The "porpoise" may take on a whole new function; one that is almost overwhelming.

If you're new to this, stick around.  If you have been here before, come back in a few days.  We may have a completely new challenge ahead this year.  

I guess we'll see what the "porpoise" is really made of.

Saddle up!

Ride HARD!

Click here for "I can do hard things"

A slow start

Making it work........um, kind of.

Last year was totally different compared to this.  We had pretty good riding through most of January and February - until I busted my ankle in March.  This go around, it's been rough - as in little to no real riding due to snow.  This past week the "old stomping grounds" up on the Bonneville Shore Line Trail burned off and made for some fairly good terrain.  Monday night, I took one of the kids up with me; his first time up in that area.  We did a few miles of simple familiarity on the service road and jumped up to the single track directly above the Douglas trail head.  This is a section that starts out pretty fast, but still easy, and then turns rather technical.  The key is to keep the momentum  up while getting over the rocks.  Balance and position are important.  You can find yourself over the handlebars, if not falling down the mountain due to stalling and falling over.  

About a mile into the single track, we ran across a guy that we'd been following, but had crashed.  The dreaded "stall and fall".  Having piled-up about 9 feet down, he was pretty beat up.  After checking him for head injuries, we found his left arm was jacked up.  Looks like he tried to catch himself with his left arm, which always ends in disaster.  Long story short, we cut our ride short to get him off the mountain and back to the Douglas trail head.  So much for that ride.

I hit it again last night after work, only to have to deal with a bunch of other riders in both directions.  Word spreads fast.  The short of that one is, I need a ton of time to get my confidence back on the MTB.  Maybe I'll start running up there during "lunch", when it is less likely to have much traffic.  This is a really good place to build leg strength and cardio early.  I'm thinking we'll be road riding in about another month.  That is more dependent on sand and salt, rather than clear roads.  That crap really causes problems all the way around.  Until then, mountain biking on the other side of the mountain.

In case you didn't figure it out by now, I didn't make it to "True Grit" last weekend.  That really sucks.  I couldn't get any local riding in, thus there was no reason to go down for the any training rides. Add to this the delays in funding; we are not doing very well on any front at the moment.  We're hoping the funding comes through this week for the MS 150, LOTOJA and Huntsman.  Kind of late, but I think we'll have everything in hand by the end of next week.

Hey, it's not Sedona, but it's still my old stomping grounds.

Ride HARD!

Click here - Keep the Faith

Call it what you will - it's not riding

That picture says it all.  No riding, except on the indoor stuff.  I don't fat bike.  You'd think otherwise, but I'm not a fan.  I'm sure has it has its place, but not really for me.  Maybe doing anything that suggests fat just makes me a bit self conscious.  Whatever.  I don't do the fat thing.

So..............another sleepless night.  Stewing over a ton of sh.........crap.  Been working on a problem for a client that I've finally cracked and now the math begins.  Trying to do phase vectors in ones head will keep anyone awake.  More so, a lot has happened this past week that just has my head spinning.  Back when I was in high school, I'd run stadium stairs several nights each week, late enough it would keep me awake for hours.  Needless to say, many hours spent listening to "Stereo X" deep-cuts, maybe playing solitaire, playing my guitar, or just mulling things over.  When you're sixteen, you can only mull so much over in your head, given I didn't even know what a phase vector was at the time.  Lots of time lost.

This past week I lost another one.  Make that several  - from my younger years.  As I write this, a dear gentlemen that I've know since moving into this valley is winding his watch for the last time.  It's nothing I can adequately describe, but that is a bunch of empty to deal with.  I need the hurt that is Monte Cristo.  My day starts in just a few more minutes and I'll move past it for now, only to forget the pain that drives me, or any of us for that matter.

To those in the Plaid of my Class; Remember Marisa and the others that have already gone. I guess we're not immortal anymore.  To all; be somebody's, anybody's hero and pass it along.  Just for a minute.  Be larger than the moment - for the moment.

Man it's dark this morning........

Ride HARD!

Click here - Not too loud