The Grind Starts

Stringing things together

Still no official word from the Race Director, but The Jackson Hole Times ran an article last weekend saying LOTOJA is still a go.  Brent (the Race Director) will make an official announcement in one week.When you consider all of the jurisdictions, municipalities, and permits required, one can only image the work he's putting in to make this happen.  He has a great staff and they know what they are doing.  Still, it's hard to say what to expect.  With positive cases still higher than our State Governor wants, I'd say all bets are off - either way.

Mixing it up

Combinations of indoor spinning, dirt riding, hill intervals and weight bearing intervals are the current course.  The spinning is truly important as this helps mechanics.  Poor mechanics adds up over a 200 mile ride, and can make the difference between finishing and failing.  Hill intervals are hard and boring.  Still, it conditions the mind to overcome the discomfort of the grind.  I still do the half-mile spoke bender right near by, as it is steeper than anything else you can ride around these parts - without a ton of traffic.  I typically will hit this in the evening, just after the sun has gone behind the mountain.  From there I can get a solid ten repeating intervals in.  Kind of the equivalent of riding North Ogden Divide back and fort, with steeper climbs and higher overall elevation.  Of course if I want to peg my heart rate, I hit the dirt.  New connectors have made the ride home a little more fun, as well as provide a little more grind than before.  I've added some weight bearing stuff again this year, much as I've done during the winter to train for mountain bike races.  I've only got about seven weeks, and no organized centuries this year.  I'll have to make things work anyway.  A lot depends on the announcement next Saturday.

New Trails and Features

The pic above shows one of the features being added to a new connector.  That is probably a 7' drop, with a 12' gap.  Add to it, the approach angle, and that is going to be gnarly.  The added trail is spreading the riders out over larger areas, but it is still getting pretty busy.  My private little trail network is getting quite popular.  A ride to the overlook is still a grind and will work you as hard as you may otherwise want.  Outside of doing open road sprints, this is the only place I can peg my heart rate.  By the time I get around the top of the "ball cap", the sweat is pouring out of my helmet.  I can't tell you how many times I've done this same old ride this year, but it is a known quantity and yet a good burn.  Better yet, all of these rides are literally right out of my garage.

Stay tuned and rub that lucky rabbits foot.  We could use a little break this year.  What a ..........mess.

This was the B-side to the single "My love", 1972 - from "Red Rose Speedway". It was never listed, or released as part of the album, and only got a little air-play on some early FM stations - late night.  This was one of their "college shows" they did (at the Hague), trying to "sharpen the edges".

Click here for "The Mess" Live, 1972 - Wings

Ride HARD!

A Delicate Balance

Minor injuries that can become game changers....

Our little trek last Saturday left me a little beat up.  The Cutler trail is considerably steeper than the North Ogden Divide trail.  As such, it works you pretty good going up and coming down.  Still, I've done this countless times, but for whatever reason this time left me a little tight after 24 hours.  I decided to take Monday off form all things training and attempted a moderately paced tempo ride this evening.  Throw in some smoke from a local wild land fire and it was less then a good idea.  Fighting the wind all the way home (not unusual for evening rides this time of year), I was starting to smoke my left knee.  Before I "bent" anything else, I called for a bailout - 3 miles from home.

As much as I want to push through, I've learned the hard way about not listening to the machine.  An extra 20 minutes, with 500 feet of climbing and the wonderful "welcome to North Fork" headwind, can make the difference between having to sit out the rest of the week, and simple changes to a routine.  I should have been smart enough to have done more of a recovery ride than any kind of a tempo ride.  I'll have to make some adjustments to my plan for the next few days, but somehow I also need to stay on my road bike.  It still doesn't feel natural quite yet.  In a matter of only a couple more weeks, Ill need to start looking at all day rides, over tall elevations, with heat.  This is no time to get hurt.

The above pic is from our hike Saturday.  The guy you can barely see through the brush is cranking a 29er, clipped in, on his way to the top.  Kill'n it!  It gets very loose and rocky immediately after this point.

Set backs happen.  And of course, that always takes me to a comfort food - or next best thing.  461 has aged well, and is it smooth.

Click here for Mainline Florida. Man '74 was good....

Ride HARD!

A change of View.........

A trek to the top

It seemed like a good idea to do something a little different.  Not getting a ton of road miles and spending most of my time on the dirt has made for less than effective training.  Never mind the garbage that seems to have enveloped most all of us these days.  A few of us (fam) got out early and took the seldom used Cutler trail up to Ben Lomond - a literal hike. (See my post from October 2017 as well).

The Broad Shoulders

Ben Lomond was named by early settlers in the Ogden area (Montgomerys), as it reminded them of a mountain of the same name in their homeland of Scotland.  That mountain rises above Loc Lomond, which also has an island called the Black Island.  As a result, the steep dark outcropping that is directly below our mountain to the east is called "The Black Mountain" (often referred to as "Blacks Mountain").  With the exception of the Unita range, all the mountains in Utah run virtually South-North.  That is except Ben Lomond.  "Ol' Ben" juts out and takes a stand East-West, before heading back toward Willard Peak.  As such, the "broad shoulders" can be seen far to the south as weather permits.  It is known as the original mountain featured in Paramount Pictures opening credits, as William W. Hodkinson (the founder of Paramount) was originally from Ogden.  A lot to be said, but for now, this is my home.  I've lived on both sides of this mountain my entire life.  For the past 33+ years, I have marveled at the majesty of the Rocky peak and the beauty of the Black Mountain, from my home.  

I've ridden this thing on my mountain bike and even dragged one to the top just for the money shot (again, see Oct 2017).  We encountered several bikers yesterday coming up from the recently re-opened North Ogden Divide trail head.  Apparently at least one of them ditched the bike for the last mile up to the top.

It doesn't define me, but it certainly centers me.  I love this hike/bike ride.  I highly recommend it, but do it when it is not hot, and no chance of inclement weather.  You'll be glad you did.  From the North Ogden Divide trail head, it is a pretty good walk - maybe 8 miles one way.  Cutler is not quite as long, but it is considerably steeper.  You can also dive to Willard Basin and cut it two a few, much easier miles one way.  Put it on you list anyway.

Welcome to my backyard.

Donations

Huntsman support is down this years, as you can imagine.  That said, we are still seeing some donations roll in.  Thanks to the absolutely awesome Deboer family for supporting the Porpoise this year.  Also, thanks to the "old man" that go me into this in the first place.  He and his family are back supporting the Porpoise again.  I still can't keep up with him. You guys are what makes it happen.  Obrigado!

We'll see what the next couple of weeks may bring.  Holding out hope for good things.

Not sure why, but here's one that takes us all back.

Click Here for the Bellamy Brothers

Ride HARD!

It's been a month...........

Finally, back on the road bike....

It really took a while, but I finally got the road bike back out.  I usually take an early morning ride on Independence Day, that is to say, when I don't have scheduled power outages to support.  Normally I get out around 6:00, so I can get past all the parades and community events. This year was very different.  Traffic got busy just after 08:00, so I resorted to catching the "pathway" part way back from Huntsville - that costs time and is a bit risky.  When I got back to the house, I felt almost sick from riding on an empty stomach and pushing a little harder.  Just about right.

Truth is, I was quite apprehensive about getting on the road bike again.  It's been one full month, and I just couldn't bring myself to get back on.  I've been riding the heck out of my mountain bike, and actually taking some time to enjoy all the local trails.  I don't drag my mountain bike behind a truck, I just ride straight out of the garage - and it is always good riding.  I know this area well and have been all around it most of my life. When I first moved into the area more than 33 years ago, I would ride my first mountain bike around the service roads with my yellow lab.  There were no single track trails, and people would look at my as if I were from another planet. Now there are new trails being developed regularly.  There is a constant stream of mountain bikes pouring in and out of the area.  I typically go out later in the evening when most people have already left.  Yesterday I went about mid day when it was a little warmer.  Still a spectacle; wearing the collared and long sleeve flannel shirt, old duck Carharts (and riding shorts underneath) with the old reliable wool socks.  Yep, I'm that guy.  But I'm also the guy that knows the area and the history better than most.  So when I got to the overlook yesterday, I too a little time to listen to all the bustling from the campgrounds. The fact that I (or anyone for that matter) can ride to these places is nothing to take for granted.  Sure, there are still horses and the occasional trail runner, or hiker.  Still, it is something to just take in when you can.  Lately, the escape and the chance to reflect has been good.

What's to come?

Pretty much every major race/ride has been scrubbed for the year.  Laramie cancelled a couple weeks ago, due to some State and local regulations.  It makes me wonder if LOTOJA will survive, as it only takes one municipality or State to close it down.  The Cache Grand Fondo (or Jane as we call it) is still planning on limited starts next Saturday. With the increase of Covid cases state wide, I suspect, they'll be pressured to fold as well.  There is also the inaugural Iron Lung Scheduled in a couple weeks out of Huntsville.  I suppose it is being looked at closely as well.  I suspect if either of them get the ax, everything including LOTOJA will be a write-off for the year.  Meanwhile, we have to prepare as though we are a go in September - for what its worth.

Still a job to do.............

It was good to be on the road again.

Click here for a little tribute to Glen. Great to see Randy with the boys.....

Ride HARD anyway!

Grinding in the Dirt

Doing what it takes - kind of...

The other morning I was passing over Pine View Dam a bit before 05:00 in the morning. In my last post I mentioned going fishing when I was just a pup, here at Pine View. I can still smell the wet morning dew on the sage brush and hear the Red Winged Blackbird singing across the open fields of wild flowers. I remember as we'd come up over the dam, quite often you'd see the morning star out over the eastern sky, just above Monte Cristo. If you look closely at this picture, the morning star is just at the top of the breaking light, directly over Monte - maybe over Woodruff.

Just last night I ran across some old grade school pictures. It really hit home how many season have passed and how much life has been lived. As I looked at the face of the 5 year, 6 year old and so on, I could see so much of what I have forgotten.  Those years seemed like an eternity, and now.........they just spin by. I guess its good to take inventory from time to time, but we also have to live out the day in front of us.

A lot of dirt....

The kids decided my old dirt helmet was getting a little ridiculous. The Fathers Day gift was a new dirt helmet.  Needless to say I immediately went looking for some stickers, but could only find a few - for now (how about that tank decal). Still the little kid at heart.  

The evening climbs are getting better.  I busted the free hub on my Trek a couple weeks ago and had to do an emergency rebuild.  The past few nights have been void of any other riders, but then most people don't like the grinding to get to the top.  Tonight I didn't see another person on the trail anywhere.  It was premium time on the mountain - and right out of my driveway at that. The bike still needs a little work, but I'll get to it...sometime.  I just can't bring myself to get back on my road bike, and haven't been since that particular morning.  It'll come.

For now, here is a little something from Joni.  I believe this is her reply to Neil's "Sugar Mountain".

Click here for the Circle Game

Ride HARD!

Why?

Sometimes we make things harder than they have to be...

From time to tome, I like to "noodle" on my otherwise well worn Takamine acoustic guitar.  This habit goes back decades, from the days when I'd workout in the early evening and not be able to sleep as a result. Having broken my little finger on my left hand when first learning to play guitar, I had to adapt to working around that thing constantly getting the way.  It would be many years before I could really learn to use that finger and change my hand position.  As such, I learned to play a lot of stuff.....anyway that I could.  A lot of stuff I play today, I couldn't really pull off that many years ago.

Something like '75/'76 I bought "The White Album". Being a huge Beatles fan early on, I was intrigued by so much of what they'd do and how it worked.  Having a fairly good background in music, I knew a little about theory and how things were done - in the day.  I listened to one track incessantly, trying to figure it out. Needless to say, I was convinced it was far more complicated than I could master. Later, I caught a glimpse of some sheet music, but I couldn't make it work - jacked up finger and all.  Many years later, I realized how simple it was, aside from the method.  Still it wasn't as hard as I needed to make it.  Okay, the busted finger made things hard to manage, but eventually that worked itself out and..............I quite often find myself picking through it in the quiet of the night.

The things that shape us

June 4th, 2020 will be a ride, a day I will never forget. An early morning ride up SR 39 to Causey was absolutely awesome. (the little thing in the lower left corner is a ZipLock bag I keep my phone in while riding). Not feeling particularly frisky, I was still feeling good and thought I was on the right track.  The ride was pretty straight forward and enjoyable, something I needed and truly appreciated. As I rolled up to Liberty Park nearly home, something caught my eye that just drew me in.  As my mind processed what I was seeing, I couldn't understand what I was visualizing with my eyes.  Still, as natural as anything, I ditched my bike and dropped the helmet and found myself kneeling next to a person doing chest compressions on a small lifeless body. What happened at that initial moment will haunt me forever and is extremely personal - for lack of any further discussion.  Still, I relieved the person doing compressions briefly, and he tried a couple times to provide air. As many times as I've practiced this procedure, this was almost automatic and surreal. Aside from counting compressions (which I'm sure were way to fast) I remember nothing else other than calling out to my god for.........something, anything.  As it turns out, this other person was her father, and her younger brother was standing over his sister's lifeless body as the 911 dispatcher was counting compression pulses.  I had no idea at the time, but in our little valley we all kind of know each other - in one way or the other. After medical arrived and I was no longer needed, I stood by as I heard her father call what I believe would have been her mother and told her of the desperate situation. I hung around for a few more minutes to give my name rank and serial number to the deputy before I left.  At that moment, it hit me what was happening. Needless to say, getting on my bike and "pinning" that last four miles went by fast.

A few days later, I found out what had happened, and who these people are. I go back with this extended family a long way and was probably better I didn't know who was who at the time.  Still, as I read this young person's obituary a few days later, I felt even more helpless than before. She had just graduated from High School - or whatever they did this year. Undoubtedly, there is much more to the story, but I can' help but feel what desperation must have contributed to this event. Out of respect to her and the family, I will leave it at that.

It doesn't have to be this hard

I know these are some pretty crappy times, but we will prevail.  I've had a rough time over the past 10 weeks and have found myself doubting so much.  These are the things that make us who we are - for better or worse.  Accept it. It shapes us and our views on the world around us.  Like that song that took me a life time to finally figure out, it wasn't as hard as we make it on ourselves. We still have to negotiate broken fingers and other things that get in our way, but we'll get there eventually.  So...sometimes when I'm not paying attention, I'll get the bridge or chorus wrong occasionally.  Still, I just noodle and it eventually works out.  It's hard. Sometimes it's unbearable, but hang on. There is nothing sweeter than crossing that line against all odds, even if you don't finish first. It is the human spirit to overcome that I find so compelling.  For those who cannot; just hang on a little longer.  And for those who cannot - I'm sorry I couldn't do more to make a difference.

That song

Some of my earliest memories of fishing when I was maybe four or five years old, are of hearing a Red Wing Blackbird singing in the early mornings at Pine View.  Life seemed so simple at that age.....

This ones for you kiddo.

click here - Blackbird 1968

Ride HARD!

Shoving off for another year

What to expect

No need to get into all the crap that's been going on for the past few months, but aside from that, there are a lot of things on which to get caught-up.  LOTOJA is still a go for this year, but given how fast things have been known to change, anything can happen.  Huntsman has called off , or modified several events this year.   At the moment, Huntsman Heroes is still going, but at a far diminished force.  Bummer!: That's how it's going to be.

Riding Conditions

As of this writing, the road bike hasn't seen any action.  It is still hanging in the garage from last years race.  Since then, it has been all MTB.  The image above is from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, looking back toward Allen Peak.  This is good early season riding, albeit a tad technical.  I really don't care to ride it after it gets warm, as the Rattlers tend to sun themselves across the trail.  I grew up on this mountain and know it well.  I've dispatched more than my fair share of that vermin, but I hate stumbling onto them while riding.  It's generally not good for either side.  Still, riding early in the morning tends avoid such problems.

Riding the local favorite.  You know; the one that makes me work my guts out.  The image from above is the Cole Canyon Water Fall as seen from the overlook (the top).  A week ago the trail was pretty darn dusty for this time of year.  Several small storms have made the trail ideal.  Saturday morning, the snow level dropped to about 6,000 feet - just below the look-out.  That evening the conditions were superb. 

During the warmest days of the year, I find this trail to be a great evening workout, when I don't have time to be on the road for 3+ hours. If I can catch it just after the sun drops behind Willard Peak, I can sprint (climb hard) for about an hour.  Occasionally you'll see a snake on the trail, but usually they're trying to get out of the way.  Occasionally there will be a Rattler stretched across a trail or road as well., but not often enough to worry about.  At the moment, I have to deal with the occasional horse, rider or hiker, but nothing too serious.  The fact that I can ride excellent trails right out of my garage is awesome.  I see dozens of cars and trucks dragging bikes up here to ride what is literally outside my door.  

This past winter

A lot has happened since last fall.  You'll catch more of the details as the summer progresses.  For now, there is a ton of ground to recapture.  

Brothers'...........

Last December some old friends of mine got together in town.  I had other commitments, so I couldn't make the event.  Still, they sent a few group pictures of the gang.  I'm not sure if I found the correct image, but I think it is the one shown below (they all look alike).  I talk to a couple of these guys on occasion and we compare notes.  Sometime talk about old times, but generally just get caught up on what has happened over the years.  I ran into one particular chap (he calls himself the "angry black-man"), a darn good guy.  I've known him since little league baseball.  We played football together all through school - on the line together most of the time.  We are employed (if you can call it that) by the same company.  When I ran into him the other day, he was like everyone else - a little less sure of things.  Later that day I heard a song radio that reminded me of riding the bus back from a long road game (that we won).  The radio on the bus was blaring and things had turned into a casual sing along - for lack of a better description.  As bad as things were then, we really didn't care.  We were all living in the moment.  Life was good......I mean it was great. Somewhere I have a picture of our O-line, with both tight-ends, "the angry black-man" in a leg cast and our position coach. When I think of that moment, I truly believe we all thought we could do anything.  One of these days I'll find that picture............

Maybe not all beer drinkers, but certainly hell raisers.......

Click here - Tres Hombres

Ride HARD!