Terra Incognita

#355

2011-12-26T09:41:00.000-09:00

Seems my taking a photo has become part of another photographers project. I was out on the solstice trying to find some color in an otherwise stark landscape when asked if I minded my own photo taken. Ok, no big deal but he didnt really give any info when I asked him what it was for. Later that night he emailed me a link to his project, as it turns out this guy has been doing a portrait a day project and I was lucky #355.
Clark James Mishler- Portrait a Day is the artist and project. Check it out if you have a minute, some great shots of some great people here in Alaska. I am glad to have been part of it.

My Shot...

Just not ready yet-

2011-11-26T10:14:00.001-09:00

The garage area and the home office are elbowing each other for space in the new apt, but that is to be expected I guess. The transformation of the Rockhopper from moderately mannered street cruiser to snow thrower has went well. It hangs here all but ready to head out on the hundreds of miles of trails here in the Anchorage area, but I am not. Im just quite honestly not interested in recreating out in it all just yet. The second Frigid Bits group ride went off last night but it didn’t include me - maybe next time. Don’t worry, there will be at least 6 more months of this nonsense to live with, Im sure I will end up out there eventually.

New stuff; Klondike Bluffs trail system

2011-10-24T08:59:00.003-08:00

For all of us who upon heading north out of Moab have looked of to the east and wondered why there wasn’t any riding out there across that beautiful expanse of slickrock jutting up out of the desert floor, well; wonder no more. After the OuterBike event I stayed in Moab several days and was able to once again hook up with Scott Escott and the Trail Mix crew for some new trail work. I was fortunate to be there on a day we put the finishing touches on one of the last trails to be opened in the newly created Klondike Bluffs trails network.

Of course the Klondike Bluffs trail has been there for quite some time and is famously known to be used as an introduction ride for those new to MTB, new to the Moab scenery or both. New signage and a color coded marking system add to the ease of navigating this area.

The Baby Steps trail adjacent to the KB trail has been slowly growing and morphing over the years and is now a full loop around this area. Add the Mega Steps section at the north end and the EKG trail across the face of the ridge and this area now has a multitude of route options.

Mike from Magpie Adventures takes a break from trail work to talk w/riders

This EKG trail has quickly become one of my favorite routes and just a fun and challenging ride full of twists & turns and a surprise-a-minute ride. Im very anxious to get back there and tackle it again.

Listings on Singletracks

@ the top of Mega Steps looking east towards the Arches N.P.

Outerbike 2011

2011-10-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

I was able to make it to Moab in time for the Outerbike event. A very cool time indeed, was good to see so many people out enjoying the trails we worked hard on last spring during my visit. The event itself was a big hit. I wrote a blog post that has been posted on Singletracks along with a few photos from the weekend.

Outerbike 2011

One amazingly fast & agile trail bike!

Learning History

2011-10-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

Ive been in Moab attending the Outerbike festival since last week, and its been a pretty full week! It started with a showing of the MTB movie ‘Klunkerz’ at the Star Hall in downtown Moab. A fun and very informative film about the origins just 3 short decades ago of what today is a several billion dollar industry. I recommend this movie for anyone curious about how it all began-

Klunkerz

More outer bike stuff to come…

Now they fit-

2011-10-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

Some Pieces fit, some don’t…

2011-10-02T06:30:00.001-08:00

I find myself starring into another storage unit of mine, this one just north of Seattle (last storage unit post here). This one is the James Bond type closet for the adventurer- all my gear that I outfit the jeep with to take off on whatever adventure I have thought up. This location has served me well for several years but with the passing of my grandmother who lived right down the street and several of my friends and family moving out of the area; not so much any more.

Its now time to move this storage to somewhere it will be more accessible and useful to me in the future. Trouble is; there is more gear than will fit into the jeep at once. Uhaul says my wiring harness on the Jeep isn’t compatible with their trailers- I am pretty sure it’s the other way around but we are going to try to come to some sort of agreement later today. I am trying to be in Moab by Wednesday, yea, I know-

Stay tuned, more photo’s, commentary and stupid Uncle tricks forthcoming…

So it begins-

2011-09-18T09:17:00.001-08:00

Summer is coming to a grinding halt.
Pages are about to be turned.
Travel plans have been made.
Future plans have been set in motion.
Life is looking OK.

This photo actually taken a couple weeks ago so the seasons have evolved much more than this by now. Time waits for no man but with any luck we can keep up with it.

Progress

2011-08-29T05:58:00.002-08:00

The newly cut in trails at Kincaid Park being inspected by one of the 'Locals'.

Scenes of Moab

2011-08-09T06:06:00.001-08:00

This spring I got to spend almost a month in Moab, doing something most people don’t- just hanging out. I tried to take some photos capturing the essence of this pretty cool community, not sure if I succeeded, here is a collection of them that made the cut;

Scenes of Moab

Summer's on

2011-07-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

Busy summer. Slow on the to-do list. This blog seems to be more interesting when Im out adventuring, it will be again. A recent job change has me working more than I would like to but is a good move and will be worth it in the long run. It also has me working in Whittier a few days a week, which has its unexpected benefits-

Bolivia '11 on Pinkbike

2011-07-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

photo by Marco Toniolo

Im not really a big fan of most MTB video’s these days, most seem too be semi pro riders out there doing stunts that 99% of us will never be able to do- or want to for that matter. But lets face it; x-country riding like I do doesn’t make for attention grabbing video either. These days I find myself watching bike videos for the scenery and possibly trail construction, route selection, etc. PinkBike offers up quite a few video’s that hit the web, I have been following a couple riders who have been down riding with Gravity Bolivia and the final edit of their video is out now.
This one captures several aspects of riding that I want in my riding adventures, beautiful scenery, some history of the place they are in, interacting with the locals (in a positive way), and experiencing a new place from the seat of a bike- which to me is one of the most fantastic ways of doing so.
Someday I may get my act together enough to do these kinds of rides-

This final cut is about 15 minutes but worth the watch in my opinion.

Bolivia 2011 on Pinkbike

Could have been-

2011-07-10T08:39:00.002-08:00

If you know me you know that I have a few storage units in a couple different locations (Anchorage and Seattle right now, always subject to change). Storage units; that extra room for junk most people don’t want to admit they have. But take a drive through any American community and you can see just how popular they are. Mine are handy because I dislike taking a bunch of luggage when I fly back and forth from Alaska to the states. They are also for storing them few things I deem important or worthy of saving as I travel through this life here- and because I choose not to have the burden of a permanent home to keep them in, yet.
So as one of my summer projects here in Anchorage I am sorting through some belongings that have been here for some time now and seeing which of them are still worthy of paying rent for. I’m running across some old pieces- mainly photographs that bring back memories of good times. Friends that have come and gone and some that have returned again. Old family stuff, keepsakes from both of my grandfathers, several pieces of artwork from several old girlfriends. And of course there are many ‘What the hell did I save this for?’ moments.

From the back of the top shelf comes a stark reminder of just how very different my life could be today. Laying in a hospital bed in ‘93 I remember hearing; ‘you may not walk, or at least not as good as you should but we are going to try this procedure‘. A lot of alcohol and a large motorcycle were the key ingredients too an Evil Kneivel type stunt that had landed me in said position. Obviously the procedure worked and I haven’t stopped walking since.

Life goes on. And what a strange trip it is.
The torso splint, worn between episodes of a full on body cast during my recovery, isn’t your average small keepsake like most sane people would save. For reasons I haven’t yet worked out with myself I haven’t been able to throw it out. Its followed me for almost 20 years now, do I need a reminder? My back hurts like hell at times, ok, pretty much hurts every day really, isn’t that reminder enough?
The storage units themselves, the sometimes strange contents collecting in them, my freedom, curiosity and wanderlust- Im just not ready to give them all up yet. Like small change continually thrown into a jar on a night stand, will it all amount to anything in the end? Who knows, maybe someday Ill buy a TV, a couch and will sit still long enough to answer that question… or not.

　

Chainring Circus

2011-07-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

The annual 24 hour MTB Race in Palmer was once again a successes. I really enjoyed hanging with such a great group of people. Helping out where I could and taking photos. Overcast skies on Saturday created conditions almost too dark for taking action shots with my current camera equipment. The sun did come out Sunday morning and gave me an opportunity for some scenic shots of surrounding mountains, etc.

Race results and info can be found at;
Arctic Bicycle Mountain Division

My photos from the race can be viewed here;
Chainring Circus

I am donating the money collected from the sale of any photos to the Kincaid Trails project here in Anchorage.

Trash?- Not here

2011-06-28T18:38:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend shooting pictures at the 24 Hours of Matanuska MTB Race up near Palmer. A great event with fantastic people. I will write more about it when I get through the photos but wanted to post an observation made after the race-

In the last 5 or 6 years Ive been fortunate to have attended/ volunteered/ photographed, or all the above, several MTB race events in a few different states. Usually at the end of each event there is a crew sent out to clean the course of trash intentionally or accidentally discarded by the riders. Now, granted that many of these events are ten times larger than our race around the valley, but the standard here holds true.
I rode the course at about 11 a.m. Sunday taking a few last lap photos as the sun made a late guest appearance. I did not see any trash. Not one Goo packet, Cliff Bar wrapper or any lost water bottles, nothing other than the pin flags used to mark the course that wasn’t supposed to be there.
Alaska Mountain Bikers Rock.

Unlike some trail users;

My photos here-

Back to Black

2011-06-24T06:47:00.001-08:00

After a while of flirting with different components of shall we say; ‘questionable origin’ the Rockhopper is now Back to Black. Thanks to drive train parts from the K2 and a new set of BB7 Stoppers, it’s a fine running machine once again.
Having had enough of cables going bad I drilled out the guides on the frame enabling me to run fully jacketed cables for most all the components. Still quite a few battle scars on the frame itself so its never going to win any place in a show but all in all its just about bullet proof.

Parting is such sweet...

2011-06-20T07:51:00.003-08:00

It was the spring of ‘07, I had just worked through a very cold Alaskan winter at a job I really didn’t like in a place I still hate. I was searching for an ‘out’. An invitation showed up in my inbox announcing the wedding of my friend Erinn to her Australian sweetheart, -and they were having this grand event in Moab. Now some may have worried about a flight, arranging for time off, booking a room, maybe buying a new suit, at least some clean shoes- Hell, I needed a new bike!
I put in my notice and bought a plane ticket south and scraped the bank account. A couple days later a 20% off coupon for REI showed up in the mail. Say what you want about REI but they have saved my butt many times. I did the best I could with the funds I had to work with, and it all turned out just right.

Above Seward, AK

The Lithium 3 has since been replaced by a bike costing 3 times as much and is basically 3 times the bike. However, for the time I rode this bike it was the perfect bike for me to have. Like that popular T-shirt says; ‘My bike takes me places school never could’, this bike enabled me to go places and see things I never thought I would. It was just high enough quality to keep on working but just cheap enough to make constant maintenance to it mandatory. I learned a lot from my time with this one, a lot about maintenance, a lot about technique, a lot about different parts, which ones tick together and which ones didn’t, plus I learned a lot about myself and I seen a whole lot of the western U.S. I sent it to Alaska in ‘09 and have used it up here for the last two years, it has traveled an unbelievable number of miles since I bought it.

Above Bryce Canyon N.P., Utah

In the end the seals in the shock failed, because of its age and original quality getting this one rebuilt wasn’t really feasible. The brakes, a constant source of frustration, were on their very last leg also, plus a pretty good rumble has developed in the bottom bracket. Some very expensive components gone out making rebuilding it one more time just not worth it. Several of the drive train parts will go on the commuter and various other parts will go elsewhere.

Oak Ridge, OR

Fruita, CO

There was a bit of an emotional attachment while I was stripping the frame of all its possibly useful parts, all them good time riding memories came flooding back. Then while trying to loosen the last crank arm the wrench slipped and I dug two teeth of the big charn ring into my hand- you know that soft spot right between your thumb and forefinger, yeah. All the emotional attachment left the vicinity at that time.

Sedona, AZ

Talkeetna, AK

Childs Glacier, Cordova, AK

In the end, this frame didn’t land in that dumpster, couldn’t bring myself to do it. I will donate it and a handful of other parts Ive collected up to a bike recycle org here in Anchorage. Maybe someone new to the sport will pick it up and have the resources to put it all back together and begin their own adventure with it. Hey, stranger things have happened.

Mighty Bikes or What to do with over a hundred bored kids-

2011-06-13T07:00:00.001-08:00

Mighty Bikes is an Org here in Anchorage for kids 8 to 18 interested in MTB. They meets twice a week during the summer months and teach a whole list of skills I know most adults wish they could master. With obesity among kids today and the ever growing popularity of this sport Im pretty sure this can only be a good thing. Make sure and check out their photo page if your interested-

Mighty Bikes. Org

An evening race last week had more than 100 kids racing around there own course in Kincaid Park. The older kids ran one lap of the adult course, tough stuff.

Trails Day

2011-06-06T06:08:00.001-08:00

Weather has been in one of them pattern of wait 15 minutes it will change- I do swear that saying originated here in AK. Some rain, lots of clouds, cold, sun breaks just long enough to get you excited and out of the house then it changes again. Hard to make any big plans, oh well.
Saturday was National Trails Day. I hooked up with about 30 other volunteers under the guidance of Singletrack Advocates here in Anc and spent about 3 hours de-rutting the STA trails on the hillside. Riders who are a bit too anxious have ridden the trails before they have had sufficient time to dry out from the snow pack of winter. This leaves ruts in the trail tread that need to be fixed at the beginning of every summer.. There really is no way of stopping them except to ask nicely, or not-so-nicely but either way there will always be some who ride the muddy trails anyway.
I have been doing a little trail work on a small network of trails out in West Anc in my spare time. Not a big network but enough that is fun to ride and it is right off of the Coastal Trail and in a scenic part of town. The area is of a Moraine nature where the land seems as if its been folded, or ‘scrunched up’, creating a lot of ridges with small ponds in between them. Routing trails that wind around on top of these ridges has been fun and the riding although there is no elevation gain really can be a bit challenging. I have gained access to a few specialty pallets that are just under 3 ft wide by 12 feet long; Score. This morning I carried one of these sections out into the area and installed it over a small wetland spot in the main trail. The ground right here is always muddy and continued riding through it just makes a mess out of the trail. Im afraid that the Municipality will close off the area completely if they see how big of a mess this can be. Locals have been laying whatever boards they have found in the hole for the last decade it seems with not much succsess but with any luck this new bridge will negate the need for that for quite some time.

Kincaid Park

2011-05-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

ADN ran a great article showcasing the new Singletrack Trails Project to be built out in Kincaid Park this summer. Anchorage has such a great trails system already its quickly becoming one of the best cities to ride in. With many miles of shared trails and singletrack already in the park this is going to turn Kincaid into a major riding attraction. Very cool!
I am hoping to volunteer on this project as much as possible while here this summer. Cant wait to ride this one-

ADN story here;
9 Miles of Singletrack going into Kincaid

Soon-

2011-05-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

My search for housing here in Anchorage hasn’t yet been very successful. I would bitch about all the people BS I am going through here but really its all just getting very old.
So Im temporarily staying in a camp trailer owned by my employer for a short time- thus no internet connection. So the Photo a Day hasn’t really been that lately, sorry. With any luck I’ll get all these speed bumps worked out soon, Later…

Light Junkie-

2011-05-07T09:18:00.001-08:00

Having spent a majority of my life in AK there is a quite a bit of the ‘amazingness’ of the place that is kind of lost on me. Yea its beautiful, great photo material. Dealing with 6 months of winter and the two months of ‘in-between’ for the 4 actual months of summer hardly seems worth it anymore. And I am really over shoveling snow. However, the extended daylight these northern latitudes receive in the summer gets me every time. Glancing at your surroundings while staring disbelievingly at the clock on your phone becomes common and it seems everyone is doing it. You will find yourself stopping strangers to compare the time you have just to make sure. I love it. Once the daytime temps go over 50 and you get more than 2 days of sunshine in a row its like a junkie finding a dime bag that someone else dropped- Those with adventurous minds get this glazed look in their eyes and automatically go into planning mode trying to fit as much excitement into 24 hour periods as possible.
It is hard to explain to those people who have never experienced it, and believe it or not there are some people here who can go about their daily routine and not even seem to notice, poor bastards. Its not that evening type twilight that other places receive, it’s the 10 p.m. ‘good god, wheres my freaking sunglasses?!’ kind of daylight. Give it just a few days and it becomes somewhat of an addiction.
Getting together for an evening ride on Thursday a small group of us met in Spenard at around 8. There was no talk about how long the ride should be or if we should take lights with us. Just go. At about 11 p.m., back in the truck when I finally headed home I actually had to debate with myself if I needed to turn on my headlights.

After a few hours of riding last night I walked up town to enjoy First Friday in Anchorage. Close to 10 I started thinking about dinner. By 10:35 I was standing on another bike path shooting the sun setting behind the Sleeping Lady. Normally I am one of them few people who actually likes to watch the Evening News, that seems dam hard to do when it comes on at what my body-clock says is the middle of the day, oh well. In another couple weeks the sun will set but it really wont get completely dark in the few hours before it rises again over the Chugach Range. Whats a guy to do? Its no wonder Kaladis Brothers is such a popular and growing company here in Alaska.

Ive only been back a week or so and am already hooked. I anticipate many very late dinners and, weather permitting, midnight bike rides this summer. This is one addiction I think it will be alright to feed.

William Curry

2011-05-03T09:12:00.001-08:00

A memorial at the intersection of Tudor & C streets for William Curry struck by a driver April 5^th. Nearly a month later a ‘Ghost Bike’ still stands here reminding us its not all fun & games. I did not know William, but skimming info from those who did, he was by no means a ‘rookie’ to riding here.
I dearly hope I don’t have to see any more of these in the Anchorage area this summer.
T has posted more info over on his blog Bicycles & Icycles.

Hop, Skip & a Jump

2011-04-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Moab- Boise- Seattle- Anchorage

Very distinct climates and eco-zones but kind of a cool journey. Now find myself stepping back in season changes to where all the snow has just melted and we are anxiously awaiting the first signs of the Alaskan Spring. I am holding some pretty high hopes and expectations for this summer, whatever happens I plan to make it a memorable adventure.
Dinner and a walk through the park with a friend quickly brings me right back to where Im from.
LIG.

Spring

2011-04-27T07:57:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year when things are unfolding around us- I always like to stay put and watch everything change. But I usually find myself moving on for one reason or another, usually work. This year is no different, See you on the Trail.

Another New Moab Trail- Pipe Dream

2011-04-17T09:16:00.004-08:00

Pipe Dream officially opened last week. A new singletrack right in Moab that is surely to become a favorite with visitors and locals alike because of its proximity to downtown. One look at this trail will give you an idea of all the planning and hard work that went into getting it where it is.

Trail listing w/more photos on Singletracks

Section we takled on one saturday

Ready to Ride!
Finished product later in the week

2011-04-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

Fountain of Youth- ?

2011-04-11T08:05:00.003-08:00

As part of a photo project I am working on I have driven by the jump track in a residential section of Moab several times. I was hoping to find some teenagers there doing jumps I could photograph, but no such luck in almost a week. Finally on a very grey evening a couple days ago I found some people there having fun and decided to take advantage of it. They weren’t really the kids I was expecting, turns out they were a group; of friends all from Washington D.C. out here visiting Moab for the week, plus one local bike shop employee. The numbers on their drivers licenses may have all said early thirty-something but the laughs and big smiles said ‘all kid‘, but then; Moab has that effect on people doesn’t it?

(small size here doesnt do the photos justice- click to open larger)

See you on the trail...

Trail Work/Attitude

2011-04-08T09:42:00.003-08:00

Ive spent a couple days here in Moab doing volunteer trail work. Earlier this week I was fortunate to join in a group that was made up of several local business owners. Scott Escott, the trail crew leader/designer/all around trail guru headed up the group along with a couple other ‘paid’ Moab trail crew employee’s. Joining us was Fred from Paradox Pizza, Christine who along with her husband own and operate Coyote Shuttle Service. Also joining us was Steve(?) owner of Poison Spider Bicycle shop, a couple of his shop employees and a few other 'locals'. We put the finishing touches and opened up the final segment of the Deadman’s Ridge trail within the Moab Brands Trail Network. Some great trail design here and I got to practice armoring up some trail sections along with building a couple small ‘French Drains‘. Although erosion isn’t really a huge problem here in Moab it was good practice for future reference to use in other areas.

The cooperation of the different user groups and the participation of many business owners themselves in the upkeep of the trail systems speaks volumes about the Moab mindset in general. Although Im sure on some levels there is some finger pointing back and forth, for the most part I have found that its a ‘lets do it’ attitude here. All of these business’ benefit greatly from not only the condition of the surrounding trails but the constant addition of new ones that keep many users coming back time after time.

Slowly but Surely

2011-04-06T11:20:00.001-08:00

My thawing out and rejuvenation from my sedimentary lifestyle has been slow going, but making progress for sure. I have been in Moab for a bit over a week and Im starting to remember the life I once had and so desperately want back.

While in WA in January I had the Fox shock and fork on my bike rebuilt. Gregg's Cycles near the Alderwood Mall did the work for me. I have to say they did go too extra lengths to accommodate my travel schedule at that time. As a shop they have a great selection and staff although I though it was too many people. I never did get to really talk with the same person twice when I called or even went in there- made it hard to track down answers to on going questions. But the job got done just the same and the Tomac has been working almost flawlessly on my current trip here.

I cant really say the same about me though. Daily routine here has involved a 20 mile round trip pavement ride out to UT 313 and back to town. Followed by some trail ridding of some sort or another. Just being active and warming up has done wonders for me really but the breathing and cardio seem to be very slow in recuperating from the sluggishness of the last year or so. I know, I know… I am working on it.

120 Years

2011-04-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

Too bad so few communities across America cant get it right. FYI; urban sprawl and more strip malls is not change, that’s just growth. To change is to actually mold and adapt with the public and become a progressive positive community that encourages and enables people to get out and live!

DiscoverMoab.com

Black Phantom

2011-03-29T05:52:00.000-08:00

'49 Black Phantom

I ran across a great coffee shop in Ontario Oregon this week. Jolts & juice- they roast some if not all their own coffee’s right there on site, good stuff. The owner, Todd used to own a bike store in the area and is still quite the bicycle enthusiast. A few old rides hang from the ceiling in the coffee shop but the one that caught my eye is a replica of a ‘49 Schwinn Black Phantom. Todd told me they originally sold for $65 in 1949.

Yesterday while trying to shoot a few pics for an article I am working on I got to familiarize myself with Boise’s main bike path through town. An east/west route that follows the river for close to 30 miles worth of trail, stretching all the way through Boise and into the next communities. Winter is just now releasing its grip here in Idaho and I really don’t think the photos I got will be usable in the article but it was nice to find another urban area that is becoming so bike friendly. Ill be back.

4 in 3

2011-03-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

I crossed Snoqualmie Pass again for the fourth time in 3 months, just as my odometer read about 202,000. This jeep has got to be about the most dependable vehicle I have ever had. I don’t really do much but change the oil faithfully and try to use decent gas in it. Turn the key it starts, push the pedal, it goes. Never gives me much grief at all- better find a block of wood to knock on really soon…

Im loaded for adventure and headed towards Moab for the time being. Got a couple stops along the way but there should sun screen and Cliff Bars in my near future. The Mountains of eastern Oregon are covered with snow as I cross the 45 th parallel, there is something psychologically comforting about being closer to the equator than the north pole. LIG.

Decisions, decisions…

2011-03-23T12:14:00.002-08:00

Regularly Scheduled Chaos

2011-03-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

As the sun slowly warmed the asphalt yesterday I jumped on stretch and hit the InterUrban Trail near Lynwood and headed north. By the time the odometer said about 6 miles I was having too remind myself I havent spun any cranks in over two months. By mile 16 I was really feeling it. Out of Practice! Heading back to the house and at mile 22 a stop by Gregs Cycles for fuel was mandatory. 1 Mojo Bar and 3 Shot Blocks later I felt sort of human. Mile 26 brought me back into the driveway and kicking off my shoes, tired and sore- WAY out of practice….

9 P.M. found me standing on an old pier out over Lk Washington trying to take photos of the full moon framed in by masts from a nearby boat harbor. In the dark I couldn’t remember where all the appropriate buttons were on the back of the new camera. Having taken my small headlight out of my camera bag to use on the dam job, I didn’t even have that option. I took about 30 shots and have two that may be keepers. Way out of Practice.

The things I enjoy doing that go hand in hand with the lifestyle I like to lead require a fairly high amount of attention and just basic practice to keep them all second nature in my daily life. Im not a complete idiot, I do realize that staying in practice is way easier than getting back in it. But here I go again, back to the learning process and just getting my life back here.

Stay tuned, we will be back to our regularly scheduled chaos soon…

A Cinderella Story

2011-03-16T05:14:00.001-08:00

3/12/11 5:50 A.M. running a few minutes late. The shuffle mode on the Ipod switches from Pink telling me how she knew to a Cinderella Story- is it too early in the morning for Mudvayne? …………………….
Evidently not.

Been an interesting winter here. Interesting job. Interesting place. But its not for me. There is an amazing amount of work out here, if you can find housing you can come out here and work yourself straight into the ground if that’s what you want to do. The money is not great but it sure beats unemployment. As long as your life is not more complicated or more engaging than work, beer and television this would be the perfect place you. I cant do it, I want more out of life, want more in my life. Ill be leaving soon and just before it finally warms up and there may be subtle signs of life emerging here eventually. Oh well.
There is a slight breeze blowing as usual and although its finally above zero it will be a cold, mono-tone day. All day. Smile, it wont be long. Turn the stereo up a couple notches---

You just left me alone
Tell me, please tell me it aint so
Had to believe it so I walk alone
So I walk alone

Work, work, work…..

2011-03-08T19:27:00.000-09:00

Getting burnt out.

Tired of the cold, tired of being tired, tired of no outdoor activities….
But in my spare time I have started some remodeling here on TI. I sat down and put to keyboard some bike philosophy that has been rolling around my mind for some time now. Its posted over on the new page listing my bikes and gear- My Current Bikes
It must have turned out OK, the page has been got a couple hundred hits in a week where as this one may get 10- go figure.

I have been wanting to find a platform to share the bike related information Ive been collecting. A lot of it is either urban riding or infrastructure related stuff so the basic MTB site really isn’t the appropriate venue. Im open for suggestions if anyone has any.

Surrounding myself

2011-02-23T14:06:00.001-09:00

It’s a beautiful day outside my window, there is about a foot of new snow under sunny skies- a winter wonderland.

A very intelligent person once told me it’s a good idea to surround oneself with people that you want to be like. At the time I understood what she meant but the definition of what I want to be like has been a slowly evolving revelation.
The occupations I am doing and the geographical locations they keep landing me in don’t seem to have many, if any of these people Im looking for. I want to live, I want to lead an active/relatively healthy lifestyle. I want to be proactive & positive, I want to be part of solutions not just bitch about the problems. I want to help those in need and have fun living on a daily basis.
These days I find myself surrounded by those only interested in chasing the dollar, and making as many of them as they possibly can, dammed with the rules or cost to their health, mental or physical. Society seems to have adopted the outlook that as long as your doing a job, paying your bills and not breaking any laws- your doing good. I guess, I cant fault anyone for doing that. But is that all? Seriously?
I know there are many people who think like I do- who live like I want to. You would think over time I would get smart enough to keep moving away from them. Changes are on the wind, but for right now Im feeling very lonely.
It’s a beautiful day outside my window, there is about a foot of new snow under sunny skies- there are no kids out playing. There are no people out walking their dogs, no pedestrians what so ever. An occasional car or two drives by but there are absolutely no signs of life out there other than that- it’s a frozen wasteland.

Worthwhile side trip

2011-02-01T19:39:00.000-09:00

So almost a year and a half ago now I found myself wandering in northern Montana checking the news/internet daily for updated reports on a forest fire in Yellowstone park that had one of the major entrances into the park closed. Road construction had two others closed so that mean if I wanted to get into the park I had to drive all the way around it and enter from the south- but then travel inside the park was limited due to the fire... I never did make it to Yellowstone, instead I found myself heading farther north to check out Glacier N.P. That led to one of my most amazing days on a bike ever, looking back on it now I still cant believe my luck to have such a once in a lifetime (if even that often) opportunity. Right place at an unlikely but right time…

So anyway this time as I was heading across the states back to ND I wasn’t about to pass up driving into Yellowstone and taking a quick look around. During the winter months there is only about 50 miles of road inside the park open to vehicles- the rest is ski’s and guided snow machine tours only. Starting at Mammoth Hot Springs and wandering up towards Lamar Valley I then turned around and headed out before dark. Kind of marginal weather but lots of wildlife and some spectacular sights made the trip up there well worth it.

I can positively say I will be back when the rest of the park is open with enough free time to give it a full test drive. Who knows, maybe Ill get handed another one of them once in a lifetime adventures- hey, stranger things have happened.

Dark Days

2011-01-31T19:19:00.000-09:00

I recently flew up to Anchorage for a few days to take care of a little business. I was greeted by cold but sunny weather that was a welcome change from what seems to have become my norm. A bit of free time found me wandering around a few of the trails reminiscing about summer fun there. I really do love AK and Anchorage in the summer time but have to admit the winter is a bit much for me these days. I figured out it isn’t necessarily the cold, although that has its drawbacks, but it’s the dark, very short days. I am up early, Id prefer the sun to be up too. Not sure if I could get used to it again.

But for now it’s low level sun at about noon lighting up the first tracks of an ice skater on Westchester Lagoon, and watching a few people out recreating in the short daylight they have. Meanwhile planning ahead to the late night bike rides, swatting mosquito’s and midnight BBQ’s.

See you on the trail.

Still a Secret

2011-01-11T08:02:00.000-09:00

There is a trail network in WA I stumbled upon a few years back that I like to ride whenever I land in this part of the country. When I first started going there several of the trails were still brand new and hadn’t even had the moss ridden off them yet.

It all starts with a $7/20 minute ferry ride followed by a 30 mile drive up two lane blacktop.

These days I can tell there is a bit more traffic out there but not much really. Maybe its just far enough off the beaten path it doesn’t get many visitors or not enough publicity- Im not really trying to keep it a secret, I did list it in the world-wide directory at Singletracks. But it still remains to be a nice quiet get-away where you can go for a quiet ride through the woods… yea right! How about; go rail some very fast flowing trail, huck some big drops, bounce your way through some rock gardens, Test your skill on the technical runs, suck wind up the steep switchback climbs and white-knuckle down the other side, all through some fantastic old growth forest that gives you the feeling of being in another world at times.

With roughly 30 miles of trails neatly packed into a small area the boredom factor here is pretty nil.

There is no real elevation gain but up & down the same 200 ft constantly, sometimes very steeply, will give a good workout for sure.

Standing on an old gun turret that held a mega-millimeter canon at one time, watching the kite people, listening to seagulls and the clang of a buoy bell a mile out to sea- its easy to forget you are within a 25 mile radius of one of the largest metro areas in the NW.

A 50 spot campground sits at the heart of it all and a 4 mile paved trail will lead you into town and the nearest espresso stand if your heart desires, what’s not to like?

another detour

2011-01-08T22:24:00.000-09:00

Watching a few raindrops hit the deck of a WA state ferry I sip Tully’s coffee as the waters of Puget Sound slowly slide by. How I got here from my exile in North Dakota was spur of the moment and without much planning. A couple days after x-mas I received word my grandmother had passed away. Even at 87 she was in relatively good health and her heart attack came a big surprise to everyone. We had gotten pretty close over the last few years and although I will miss her very much I will remember her fondly and be thankful that she enjoyed such good quality of health right up until her passing.

The job taken in North Dakota (now passionately referred to as Middle Earth) is just that, a job. There is a lot of work available out there, not much else though, not much to attract people to live there. I do keep reminding myself that I have shown up there at the worst time of year and hopefully things will get better. I seem to keep ending up in these jobs that totally consume my time and my life in trade for a paycheck- I am not liking it at all. But with the current state of the economy and things like month long trips to Costa Rica & Amsterdam on my to-do list a job with a decent paycheck is a good thing to have I guess. Some day soon I sure do hope to find a balance. I sacrifice so many of the regular life comforts that others enjoy on a daily basis one would think that would buy me a little more freedom with the schedule, in time maybe. I’ll be heading back to ND near the end of the month, for how long- I am not sure. Life is calling….
Its grey and cold, not really raining, just 98% humidity. Im on my way out to the island to ride some trails I know, one of the pleasures I do enjoy when the weather cooperates. This time of year at this latitude that doesn’t seem too be very often.

2010-11-16T15:43:00.000-09:00

Who would have guessed?

2010-11-13T20:04:00.001-09:00

I never would have guessed, not even as soon as 3 weeks ago that I would end up in North Dakota, in November no less, out on a grey, blustery, threatening to snow type of day scouting out a newly cut MTB trail. Life takes some strange turns now & then. The trail is a new extension on the south end of the famous 100 mile Maah Daah Hey trail. Leaving from Sully Creek State Park on the banks of the Little Missouri River just outside of the Theodore Roosevelt N.P. this new section winds some 25 miles (?) south through some classic Badlands country. I only managed to ride about 8 miles out and then back but the whole thing is definitely on the ride list for next spring when the temps get back up above, oh, say; 35 at least!

A Constant Re-newal

2010-11-11T18:52:00.002-09:00

Over the last couple weeks around the net on a few different websites, forum discussions and blogs the subject of certain communities that have embraced MTB riding over the past decade or so has come up, and how they are continuing to economically benefit from doing so. Of course this all hinges on the continued cooperation of the business owners, land managers, bike organizations and volunteers. The maintenance of existing trails and other bike related infrastructure is crucial to the sport as riders will get tired of a certain place or set of trails if they are not kept up and move on. The week I spent in Bend, OR was a real eye opener as to how good it can be when everyone works together. Last week in Moab was the same really although I have been there many times, have ridden most all the trails and was wondering what I was going to do differently this time-?

On my way out to tackle the Sovereign area I spied a new trail head kiosk and a large parking lot where the Bar-M trail is. Now the Bar-M is really just a doubletrack considered good for beginners- curiosity got me so I pulled in and to my surprise found a map with several new trails on it. Loops off of the Bar-M that added over ten miles of singletrack to the area, I even rode some trails that were so new they weren’t on the map yet. The Moab Brands Trails they are called, named after old Moab ranches from years gone by. A great mix of low to high intermediate rated trails with lots of slickrock and fantastic scenery.

And just for the record; ‘Aerobically easy & technically challenging’ are two descriptive phrases that maybe should not go together as they do on the Circle-O sign, Im just sayin….

Anyway, its this constant renewal and the addition of new stuff that keeps riders coming back to Moab. Back in town at the Poison Spider I over heard talk of another new section I hadn’t known about. And the young lady at the Chile Pepper was telling me of a new ‘Pipeline trail’ south of town that should be rideable and open by spring, so I should hurry back.

Rockin A Trail

By contrast, the following day I spent in nearby Fruita. There are really two areas to ride there and I chose to go up to the Book Cliffs area as it had been a couple years since hitting the runs there. It was Saturday and the parking lots were full, the campgrounds were full, there were riders everywhere and although having a good time I could sense a difference there. Once again the road in there was 4 miles of dusty washboard. The trails are essentially the same as the first time I rode there 5 years ago, no real maintenance or any attempt to fix the bad spots. Although originally signed well quite a few of these are now missing or shot up beyond recognition. I made a run down Chutes & Ladders and Joe’s Ridge, also had wanted to do Zippity-do-dah but after seeing the condition of Joe’s I blew it off and hit the road.
Now I should add that I personally have never worked on any trails in Fruita so shouldn’t bitch too much here, thats not my intent. My point is that there are obviously many riders willing to return here so I feel that maybe the community itself could be a little more proactive with the maintenance issues if they are to keep benefiting from all the users. The area has such a great start, reputation and trails already in place, it would be a shame to see it all fade away.

Circle-O Trail, Moab

Arches N.P.

2010-11-07T18:18:00.000-09:00

A recent morning spent in Arches National Park yielded a few good pictures from the new camera. Im still trying to get used to it ‘on the fly’ here. I do have the big book and really plan to put in the time and effort to getting it right once I stop traveling so much-

Rolling East

2010-11-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

After a couple weeks spent in the Reno/Tahoe enjoying the company of some very dear friends and a couple new ones I find myself rolling east. Reno is fantastic in the fall, I really like the way it has changed since I lived here, grown up and then slowed way down with the economy pausing to take a deep breath like it has. I did manage to squeeze some riding in on the hillsides west of town and some up around Truckee. The Ash Canyon trail system in Carson City got a decent write up from me also.

It wasn’t however all playing, I managed to find a job with a company there that is sending me north to the Dakota’s. It is not at all what I had planned but I do think it will be a good thing. With a schedule that will grant me enough time to still travel quite often I am pretty sure I can still squeeze enough fun into life to keep it interesting. And quite possibly, with the added structure of schedule and a constant place to live maybe I will be able to devote more time and effort into this page and my photography, hey- stranger things have happened…

Bend part 2; The Trails

2010-10-27T09:49:00.004-08:00

(part 1- Bend, OR)

Click to enlarge- area shown is over 20 miles end to end

Starring at a central Oregon trail map it doesn’t take an engineering genius to figure out why Bend’s MTB trails are so successful. Bend city limits sits adjacent to the eastern edge of national forest land, so literally within a few miles of standing downtown you can be in the woods of the Deschutes N.F. The forest lands extend some 40 - 50 miles up and over the crest of the Cascade Mt range and encompass nearby Mt’s Bachelor, Broken Top, Washington and several other very impressive peaks. A few rivers, canyons and a gradual, rolling ascent up towards Bachelor make for prime MTB trail country. Close proximity to bike shops, lodging and pizza make it all that more appealing.

Of course none of this would matter if it wasn’t for the cooperation of local Forest Service management. Ive written about this before so wont go into detail here but long story short; local F.S. offices now have most of the authority in the decision making process over what user groups are allowed and how much access they are allowed to the forest lands. It is obvious that this office is very MTB friendly.

On the ground these trails are constantly evolving due to the efforts of many local bike groups and trail volunteers. Because its such a popular sport here in Bend this number of volunteers quite often exceeds the amount of work that needs to be done- most other places in the U.S. can only wish they had that problem. Most routes that were just a few years ago utilizing the old FS roads are now re-routed onto new and sustainable built singletrack. I highly advise double checking any older trail descriptions you find that include FS roads as these have probably changed. Utilizing a signage system that marks and numbers the intersections along with naming the trails makes getting around here with a map easy, even for those riders who seem to be directionally challenged (we all know at least one).

A system of naming trails and numbering intersections works very well-

This is heavily forested country but it is also on the drier side of the Cascades. While riding in early Oct I found the trail surfaces ranging from volcanic rock to a hard packed loamy type dirt- with quite a bit of dust this time of year. I can imagine that early in the spring while the snow melt is going on there are certain trails susceptible to heavy water runoff and soft/muddy condition. I do not suspect this lasts very long with all the sunshine this side of the mountains receives and Im sure any LBS in town would be happy to give you updated trail info.

There is a main trails network within just a few miles of town that most casual riders never seem to leave, with good reason. Centering around what’s called Phil’s Trail this area is commonly referred to as just that but includes almost a dozen other trails that intersect each other making for almost endless route options. With the bulk of this network lying between Skyliners Rd and the Mt Bachelor Hyway this 3 by 5 mile area has some 50+ miles of MTB trails in it. However it also serves as a launching point for some pretty amazing and long x-country rides. With a 15 mile singletrack that follows the Deschutes River all the way into the community of Sun River, a couple trails that reach up to the base of Mt Bachelor and 25+ miles of trails leading north to the town of Sisters and beyond you can surely ride here for a very long time and not hit the same root twice. Oh, and lets not forget the 5 official Sno-Parks all falling within shadow of Mt Bachelor that have well over 100 miles of x-country ski trails that in the summer double as MTB trails, a few of the afore mentioned longer x-country routes utilize small sections of these trails as they wind there way through the forests up the mountain.

Several years ago when researching the trails in Bend I kind of scoffed at its publicized popularity, mainly due to the fact they were utilizing so many old F.S. roads and calling them MTB trails. I can now see that from the hard work and cooperation of people/agencies here this has truly become one of the greater MTB riding destinations in the lower 48. The quality of the infrastructure not only in the MTB trails but the entire devotion to the outdoor recreationalist and the incorporation of that into seemingly every aspect of the place is outstanding. I am just hoping that there are many other communities that will look to Bend in the future as an example when doing there own city planning.

See you on the trail.

Bend Oregon- take 1

2010-10-11T09:55:00.003-08:00

Ive always heard good things about Bend, but more-so about the mountain biking than the community itself. Wandering around here I am pleasantly surprised by what I have found. I usually judge a new town by the condition of its infrastructure and most everything in Bend is fairly new, this is one of them communities that has underwent serious population growth over the past decade. There is the older, more middle class sections of town mixed in with the small business zones that look pretty normal. However one look at all the new high end houses on the hillsides surrounding town tell me it has been more of the big money crowd that was responsible for this areas growth spurt. But with that comes the tax dollars to improve upon the city itself and Bend has done a great job. Along with the big shopping centers, manicured landscaping (not really my thing but somebody must like it), roundabouts and new streets, there are park systems throughout, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure to minimize the conflicts between these and vehicles. All of this making for a really pleasant place to live & play. I am curious however why they couldn’t have straightened out some of these streets? These seem to be twisty old horse trails that were widened over the years and eventually paved…. And it seems any street’s name can change 3 times within a mile- ? There would be a pretty big learning curve associated with moving here for sure, oh well.

Next thing Im looking for in a new place is bikes. How many of the residents are actually out using the trails/bike lanes- Bend does not disappoint. Although this time of year there are more empty bike racks on vehicles than full ones Im seeing plenty of bike users here. From the Lexus with a trunk rack to a rusty old pickup carrying a couple bikes worth well over 5K, they are here.
Plenty of art studios, coffee shops and small café’s suggest a socializing culture crowd not just surrounding bars and booze. And not nearly as many old people here as the surrounding communities or other eastern Oregon towns Ive been in. All in all a nice mix of outgoing, adventurous people that take pride in the community they live in.

Now- find a bike shop and buy a trail map!

(Part 2; The Trails)

Gone by era

2010-10-11T09:25:00.002-08:00

With any luck this will be a re-emerging industry. I really believe that at some point in the near future America will be kicking itself for letting the condition of its railways deteriorate so far-

Hell & Back...

2010-10-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

4 years, over 50K miles, 11 states, 1 new windshield, 1 new starter, same tires, 4 different bikes. Ready to do it again. Photos taken at Carter’s Landing, Snake River - Hells Canyon 4 years apart.

In the dark of the night

2010-10-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

So what is it with Oregon? In all my travels I have never been anywhere that the stars are so brilliantly visible. From out on the coast, high up in the Cascades to way out east, Ive seen them from everywhere in the state.

Is it just the geographical location?
A few nights ago I stood on an old iron bridge in a steep canyon high in the mountains on one of them almost forgotten ribbons of two lane blacktop. It was so incredibly black out, you know that kind that you can almost feel- I swear there were more stars than I had ever seen in the small amount of unobstructed sky I could see, and I have had almost that same experience every time I come to Oregon and actually take the time to pay attention.
I think the lack of light pollution comes into play somewhat, but Ive been other dark places too. Maybe it’s the time of year- I seem to always be here either in the fall or winter- colder skies are clearer- ? Are they? Guess I could check into that.
Anyone else notice this?
Anyone know why?

Re-acquaint

2010-09-29T08:08:00.000-08:00

Pieces-

2010-09-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

One piece at a time things are falling together here, the few issues that I wanted to address on the jeep are just about done and it is pretty road-ready. Its looking like I may head out of here the first of next week. I wanted to reconfigure the packing system for all my gear but after going through it all a couple times how I am doing it already seems to be the most efficient for what I have to work with- back to one of my favorite motto’s; if it works, leave it alone.

My new camera finally arrived- How long it takes to ship an item seems to always be in direct proportion to how anxious you are for it to arrive…. I decided on the 50D, there is a seemingly never ending list of reviews out there so I wont bore you with mine. Picking up an extra lens and several accessories I have spent over 2k on photo equipment in the last week- that’s a little deceiving; I first sold several pieces bring in about $800 and then bought the new gear. But still, the bank account has taken a fairly big hit for someone unemployed. Ive been busy with other things but so far I have been pretty impressed with the few shots I have taken with it. It is however going to be an ongoing learning process as this camera is capable of performing better than I have the abilities to make happen- kind of like my bike… With the $100 I won from my buddy Greg’s photo contest over on his site I finally bought a nice camera bag to carry it all in.

Its been grey/cold during most of my stay here, and rather depressing. Today however is looking to be very nice and I plan to spend a good portion of it on one bike or another.

Because I said I would-

2010-09-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am back at one of them ‘turn the page’ places in my life right now. Staring out the window at a very wet day in western Washington I am reminiscing about the last 6 months, where my life was then and how it got me where I am now.

Taking the job in Cordova started out as a good thing. There were specific reasons I chose to take an ’on the beach’ job rather than a boat position, these reasons however never did manifest themselves over the course of the summer. When other personnel quit and all of a sudden early in the spring and we were a short handed crew the owner turned to me and ask if I was going to stay the entire season-?

“Yes’. and with that I gave my word to stick it out, no matter what happened. Being true and keeping my word is extremely important, even if only to myself. Most often my word is all I have to stand by, so when I do commit to something I will almost kill myself trying to make sure it gets done. Thus my reluctance to commit to a lot of things, those friends who know me understand why but it will baffle some who don’t understand me. Its better to not promise at all than to have to break one is my thought on the subject.
The job turned out ok although in the end the money really wasn’t enough. I got to work with some great people and some I hope will be good friends in the future. My living conditions there were nasty but with no vacancies anywhere in town I had to make do with what I could find. The summer weather was grey and depressing. All of these factors have had a very detrimental effect on my overall health.

Last spring I was riding everyday and in very good shape for someone in my age bracket. After this summer I have only ridden about half a dozen times in 4 months, I havent worked out in 6 months. With no cooking facilities all year my diet has just sucked. The almost constant blanket off grey has turned into depression and the arthritis that has set in makes even hiking painful - yea Im whining.
So, begin again- find some dry fucking weather for starters and take some ‘Me’ time to get healthy again. Re-prioritizing will come soon and I will plot another course and try it all again.
See you on the trail soon-

Crank Brothers Joplin 4

2010-09-04T06:19:00.001-08:00

After sending in my original Joplin to be rebuilt the company contacted me and gave me the option of trading in my old one, throwing in another $100 and getting the new & improved model- Sold.

The adjustable seat post is one of them items that if you never use one you may never miss it or need one- however if you get used to having one and then for some reason don’t, its like going back to training wheels. After two years of abuse the seals in my original post had worn out and it wouldn’t stay in a locked position. Two years aint bad, that’s a lot of abuse around me.

The new model has 4 inches of travel vs. 3 on the old one thus the model # being… well, you get it. Also that annoying little side to side play that some riders complained about is virtually gone. The head seems to lock and hold seat position better than the old one too. I have 30 miles of singletrack and about 50 miles of big ring riding on this post so far and it has worked flawlessly, honest.

Mountain Bike Action Magazine just ripped CB over this post calling it pretty crappy- Im not seeing the problems, maybe their riders should learn to get up off their asses now and then. Or maybe Crank Brothers just doesn’t buy enough ad space from them- who knows. Im very happy with the performance of the Joplin 4 as I have been with all Crank Brothers products and highly recommend them.

Just telling it like it is-

2010-09-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

Taken from the Adventure Life Blog

Looking Forward-

2010-08-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

Flume Trail- Lake Tahoe

We are at that point on the calendar for me to buy some plane tickets for my escape once this job is done. My jeep is once again in Seattle but I believe my fall destination will be in the Reno/Tahoe area for a few weeks of riding there before the cold sets in for the winter. I have a dear friend who has been seriously shopping for her first MTB there so I may even get some trail company on the weekends. I am so looking forward too being back in the Tahoe basin….. And sunshine!

Allergic Reaction

2010-08-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

A friend and I were trading comments about rainy places, a subject that has been on most of Alaskans minds this summer especially here near the coast. She made the comment that she is ‘allergic to the rain’. Now a genuine allergic reaction is a physical thing, but what about something that seriously effects your mental health? A lot of people don’t even notice things like this, theirs lives don’t really change because of their surrounding elements- I used to be puzzled by this but after observing it for some time Ive come to the conclusion these are the folks who are so self-centered and living either completely inside their heads (a fantasy or drama) that they don’t know whats really going on. On the flip side there are more people with open minds and try to be very ‘in tune’ with the world around them.

So that’s it; I am allergic too the rain, long periods of it anyway. It creates an over all depressing mood and lets way too much Dark Energy grow inside my head. It surely negatively effects what I like to do for recreation and how I spend my free time, which has become how we all stay sane as toil away at our jobs and daily routines right? Life is short, I have had my lifetime quota of rain so far. This summer has been a good reminder of that and to put my allergy way back up on the priority list when it comes to planning where I want too be. See you on the trail-

137%

2010-08-02T07:03:00.001-08:00

Humidity that is. I recently used this exaggeration to describe the constant state of things here in Cordova this summer. I am tough enough to overcome all that is going on here but in order to do so I have had to scale back all my plans and put my activities on hold. I left the Snyper safely locked away in the storage unit in Anchorage last time I was there, giving up all hope of riding it here. No more trail building, this year anyway, mother nature has won this one. No hiking, no- just work for the next month and then be done.

I constantly find myself wondering how come as a society we have gotten to the point of just putting up with people who have seriously socially disrupting issues- power tripping, control issues come to mind first and foremost. We have gotten to the point that it is almost unlawful to hurt someone’s feelings (and they get hurt at the slightest things now) so if you do tell someone they are a fucking moron or drag them outside and teach them a few lessons in how to treat others your in the wrong. I don’t get it. But rise above it…. My making waves just makes things hard for others around me who live here year round and count on things being the way they are, even if they are messed up.

So in keeping with one of my own life rules, #2 I believe, I am looking forward and realizing this all can only last so long and then it will be time too turn the page and start a new chapter.

Ive also come to the stark reality lately that for me to be mentally attracted to a woman- the physical part is easy (.)(.), she has to be smart enough to not have anything to do with me…. Im just not sure how this one is going to work out.

Help Krista get to Germany- Win cool stuff!

2010-07-26T19:59:00.001-08:00

Here is a way to help Krista Park, a very dedicated young lady I had the pleasure of meeting last winter. She has been chosen to be part of the Team USA in Germany soon. $5 for a raffle ticket can get you in line for some pretty high dollar prizes, drawing on Aug 3- check it out, thanks.
Raffle Site

Gooseberry Mesa, Utah

2010-07-11T22:28:00.006-08:00

‘The Goose’, over the last few years has become my favorite MTB destination. The area itself sits high on a mesa south of Virgin, UT, east of Hurricane and just outside of Zion N.P. Getting up to it is no picnic and best left for high clearance vehicles (although I am always amazed to find at least one sag wagon up there in the parking lot, go figure). This unique terrain is made up of several square miles of slickrock patches that greatly vary in size and shapes, all separated by areas of intertwining pine forest. The trails that make up the riding here connect these slickrock patches in routes that create several different loops varying in difficulty and length. All well marked with signs and white dots painted on the rock. I could write all day here and you may still not quite understand what Im trying to describe. Over the years I have collected a few photos that I hope will better convey what the riding here is like (all these pics will open a larger window if desired);

Although a beginner can visit here and have a great time (just expect several hike-a-bike sections, OMG’s & WTF‘s?!), it is such an area that will challenge just about anyone. My riding abilities don’t really fall into the Pro category, but I don’t consider myself a novice anymore either. However, after riding the Goose 5 different times I have 4 scars from it. I can promise it will test you no matter what your skill level is.

Originally conceived in ‘93 and then presented to the BLM in ‘96 by brothers Mike & Morgan Harris from nearby Hurricane, UT the trails became official in ‘98. Its popularity today can be attributed to its excellent trail design, promotion by local bike shops and riding clubs, and being taken care of by the people who ride there. This is one of them places that once you make it here and realize how special it is the last thing on any ones mind is trashing the place.

See you on the trail-

Russian Lakes- just another day

2010-07-04T19:30:00.003-08:00

(Adventure from a couple weeks ago- just got around to writting about it)
One of the perks of my job here is to be able to ride the barge/tug boat for free across Prince William Sound back & forth to Whittier, which by means of a tunnel connects one to the road system about 45 miles south of Anchorage. Most people have never been anywhere they arent connected to the highway system so may never full understand the importance of this. Round trip on the AK ferry system is about $250, so this is a pretty good deal, bad part is the barge takes about 12 hours to make the crossing, the ferry takes 4. With weather patterns continually drenching the eastern part of the state while leaving the central section fairly dry I set my sights on some mountain biking on the Kenai Peninsula, namely the Russian Lakes tr just outside of Coopers Landing.

The boat pulled out of CDV in the evening just after work, I enjoyed sunny skies as we headed out across the sound, the smell of the cook working at dinner on a BBQ filled the air. Later I found myself sitting on deck relaxed and reading a book at my leisure, something I hadn’t done in like forever. By 5 A.M. I was driving my truck off the barge in Whittier and waiting for the tunnel to open at 6. A slight detour north to Girdwood and the bakery there for coffee was definitely a good idea. Seeing the owner Daniella with her funny smile and beautiful Serbian accent filling the air would be worth a hundred mile detour- not to mention she makes apple fritters the size of frisbee’s.

2 hours later starting down the trail wearing a thick layer of bug dope and my large pack full of everything I would need for a full days ride I was pretty stoked to have dry ridding conditions, grey skies but not the threatening kind. I wont bore you with all the details of the trail here but did post a description here at Akspokes. The first 3 miles are manicured hiking trail catering to all the anglers headed up to fish the lower lake, after that the trail is a 20 mile singletrack through the Alaskan wilderness. Passing lakes and following a couple different rivers as it heads up almost 1000 feet to the other end at Cooper Lake and Snug Harbor road. The native trail tread meant some rough trail in places and wet in others. The wildflowers were in bloom making for a very colorful journey through the woods. This trail doesn’t really have a specific, grand destination, its just a great ride through the wilderness.

Not having ridden much lately I was out of practice and pretty wore out by about 15 miles in, determination kept me going until I was on a hill over looking Cooper Lake.

Wore out- 19 miles to go back to the trailhead….

A couple cliff bars, a couple shot blocks and a couple advils and I almost felt human again. With the assistance of gravity this time I took back off down the trail with a fresh coat of bug dope. 5 miles later I was forced to take a break due to leg cramps and just about every couple miles after that. I would walk every so often just to give my legs a different motion than going in circles, however walking wasn’t fast enough to get away from the mosquito’s so the hike-a-bike sesssions never lasted long. The Tomac performed flawlessly, again. At one point on the way up it started jumping gears and I thought I was going to have to adjust my shifting for the first time in a year. However a quick look revealed I had enough grass to weave a basket wrapped up in my rear cassette, cleaned it, rode on.

This is serious bear country. Running by at least one pile of bear crap per mile is pretty normal. The trail was seriously overgrown in places and I have to admit there were times I had that ‘hair standing up’ feeling on the back of my neck- just keep moving. Quite often I don’t tell anyone where Im going or tell them about my adventures when there over because I don’t want to listen to anyone bitching about me being out there alone. Id love to have someone to ride with, and do join in group rides when I can. But I have learned over the years that waiting on other peoples busy schedules to coincide with my life and adventures is a serious waste of my time. Thanks, but Ill go it alone.

Back at the truck (40 miles later) I was absolutely whipped! I remember feeling disappointed at being so out of it, but then I hadn’t done any real riding in weeks. The feeling of finally riding a trail that had been on my hit list for a couple years was great though.

Back through the tunnel to Whittier, aboard the boat and underway just before midnight. A hot shower to get rid of all the deet, dinner and sleep came very easy. Driving off the boat in Cordova at about 10 A.M. just in time to start work. I was later told that was a bit excessive, to me it seemed like a very worthwhile way to spend a day off, cant wait to do it again.

Cold & Grey

2010-07-03T04:34:00.000-08:00

Life gets pretty empty, cold & grey sometimes. At times like this just getting through to the end of a boring chapter can be most difficult, the end is a ways off but I see it coming-

Staying Busy

2010-06-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

My trail building efforts here have been slow going and Im not sure if they will ever amount to much in the end. It does however give me something to do with my time off, seems all my buddies are out of town fishing different areas of the Sound and other than holding down a barstool there just isn’t that much going on here socially.

One of the main issues I am running into is the soil here is made up of a sandy, wet compound mixed with polished round river/glacier rock- the kind that will never compact down to a hard surface no matter how many times you ride over it. I am finding some crushed granite from an old dike that I have been able too use for base stones etc and that is helping. In most places there is a layer of a couple inches of moss/top soil on top but once that is disturbed Im down to the soft stuff. Corners and inclines have to be planned differently here than elsewhere for sure. One thing I do have going for me is an almost endless supply of wooden pallets that when cut in half make a 20 x 48 panel, and plenty of old fishing web to tack over it for traction. Its all pretty labor intensive for a one man show but I hope be able to make something out of all of it.

My second major issue is mother nature herself. With the 24 hours of daylight here in the summer months everything grows at an astounding rate and she keeps trying too take back the trails I have already cleared. Oh well, all in the name of fun.

Petra- back on track

2010-06-20T22:15:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember from the news or even me writing about Petra Davis, the young lady who was mauled by a brown bear during a 24 hour race in Anchorage just about two years ago. I had taken her photo earlier in the day ironically almost in the same location she had the bear encounter some 8 hours later. Alaska magazine went on too use that photo in the only in depth interview the family would grant the media. I met her again a year later at another race we were both volunteering for and at that time she informed me she wasn’t riding much yet.

While walking through the crowd of racers at the x-country race at Kincaid Park a couple weeks ago, just before the starting gun I spotted Petra astride her bike with a number plate on it. It was so good to see her there and then to later see and photograph her on the track kickin butt. Kind of like a happy ending and the beginning of a new chapter.

Productive Trip

2010-06-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

A 3:30 A.M. alarm and 6 hour ferry ride across Prince William Sound was the beginning of what would turn out to be all in all, a pretty productive trip to Anchorage. Once on the west side of the tunnel I stopped and spent an hour doing a quick ride of a newly constructed trail that runs through the Portage Valley. More of a hiking/nature trail also open to bikes its nothing to brag about but I needed the ride to write up a proper description for AKSpokes.

In Anchorage I finally found a McLeod! The last one on the shelf too boot. Im jazzed about this because I have looked from Portland to Tucson over the winter and never found a shop that had one in stock. I could have ordered one online at any time but being on the road makes it a little difficult to have things shipped to you. Anyone who has done any trail work can testify, if you can only take one tool with you, this is the one to have.

Having knocked a few priorities off my list I was headed out to Kincaid Park to do some riding in the evening when I got word that there was actually a x-country race going on out there that night. I showed up to find almost 300 riders all geared up and raring to go. For a mid-week, evening event this was a great turn out, I love the biking scene in Anchorage. I charged out into the woods to intercept riders and shoot some pics as they rode by. Hauling down the trail I came up on the west end of an east facing moose who was standing there watching the race- no lie, I couldn’t make this up-

The following day after spending a few hours digging in the storage unit and doing errands I took a break and headed back out to Kincaid and did some riding myself. Found several new sections of singletrack and just enjoyed being on some real trails again. Stopping by a bike shop in the afternoon I learned my buddy Jamon who was with Speedway Cycles is now managing The Bicycle Shop- Diamond. Very good thing, he’s a great guy and although I personally don’t care for the shop being a Specialized dealer it’s a great store and he will do fine there Im sure.

After a few more to-do’s I geared up once again and headed for the STA trail on the hillside. This will be the third summer for these trails and they are starting to really get ridden in nicely. Smoother, the lines more defined and the surrounding foliage that was disturbed during construction has really grown back nicely- it’s a fantastic setting. This area has a lot more climbing to it than Kincaid, after the first hour I was feeling it, but I stuck it out and made a couple more runs down the Hornets Nest and the Stinger. Cool stuff, a fellow rider made this short video that captures the trails pretty good- STA Trails Anchorage

My truck packed to the gills I was back in Whittier the following day for my ride back across the Sound to Cordova. I didn’t get everything I wanted done but a good trip none the less, next time there will be way less to-do’s and a whole lot more riding!

Closed in feeling-

2010-06-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

Our weather has turned to more of the seasonal norm here with rain and temps in the 50’s on a daily basis. Just in case this point has somehow slipped by anyone here; I am not a fan of the rain. Every once in a while to give things a rinse and a drink is fine but the constant drenching patterns that these coastal eco zones can get into really get to me. That rural, closed in and boredom feeling is settling over me. Nothing some sunshine wont cure and I do know it will come eventually.

I found a temp place to live that will get me by for now. Finished the net I was hanging and am looking for another side project. My trails project I think will come together nicely in the long run, been doing a lot of scouting and just general brush clearing. You can see what Im up against in the photo- This area is about 18 miles out of town so I only get out there a couple times a week. A few of the connector trails I plant to put in are going to be tricky and may even include some boardwalk type structures, but as luck has it I have access to a vast amount of scrap lumber. Im in need of a McLeod & some other hand tools that I should be able to get this week. I have reservations to catch the ferry Tuesday morning for the other side and Anchorage for a couple days. Between all my to-do’s there I plan to get some saddle time in on the Tomac probably on the STA Trails and upper Hillside (fingers are crossed for dry weather there).

Project for Isabella

2010-06-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

My buddy Oscar had rescued a Marin bike from the police scrap yard for his step-daughter. Turns out it’s a Bolinas Ridge model, with a bit of polishing the brushed aluminum finish looks great. I repacked the wheel bearings, installed several feet of new Jagwire, fine tuned the shifting and swapped out the knobbies for some Kenda’s with a more street friendly tread as most of her riding will be on the roads around town. The fork really needs replaced but will work ok for now, besides Izzie doesn’t weigh all that much. I cant remember what I was riding when I was 13 but it sure wasn’t this cool.

Jones'n

2010-05-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

We have had just fabulous weather here in Cordova the last week. I am working into a decent schedule at the main job and the side job should get rolling in another week or so in my spare time. I took on re-hanging a fish net that has turned into more of a time consuming project than I anticipated. It is inside a warehouse which normally is the ideal location, however with the weather so nice outside its pretty difficult to force myself to stay in and work on it.

My riding has been limited to just running around town and a little on Power Cr rd. I went out onto the Copper River Delta area and did some looking around and think I have found a small area I can throw in some stacked loops for practice. There are many miles of old jeep roads out there but they will take some time to scout out and see where they go as they are pretty over grown. I keep reading great trail reports on Akspokes from riders near the Anchorage and Kenai side and cant help but wish I was over there. Having found something I truly love doing and then not having access to the trails to ride is frustrating. Fellow rider Greg wrote a great entry about this Dark Side of MTB over on his blogsite, check it out.

I hope to have this net finished in the next couple days and then get a few other things finished and take a few days to jump on the ferry and head over to the other side of the Sound and do some riding - plus get a few of my belongings out of my storage unit, we’ll see…

In Cordova

2010-05-22T08:12:00.001-08:00

Cordova’s year round population usually hits somewhere between 1500 and 2000 residents, in the summer during fishing season though the number of people here can get up close to 5000. Winter and spring time weather can be down right atrocious, but being the land of contrasts it is when the sun does break through for a day now & then it is one of the most beautiful places in AK. I got there to find lots of activity and all my buddies gearing up for the upcoming salmon season. The excitement and anticipation this time of year is thick enough to cut with a knife, it’s a great time to be here. The opportunity for a couple different fishing jobs came up but I was reluctant to commit to being on a boat for up to 5 months. Since then I have taken a job with a major freight shipper and that should work out pretty good, plus it leaves me time to take a side job now & then. I have started a new photography project that so far is working out pretty well; A Photo a Day in Cordova is my way of trying to capture over time the feel and ambience of the place. Plus its just fun sometimes, check it out.

The decision to stay here vs. Anchorage was a hard one. In Anc I’m sure I could find work but would have to drive in the big city traffic, socially there are a thousand things to do but downside is I am surrounded by too many people I don’t know. There is also access to all the great bike riding both within the Anc area and much more within a 50 mile drive.Cordova on the other hand is small town, everyone knows everyone with only about 15 total miles of highway. Not being a drinker the social scene is a hella boring, but on a daily basis I am surrounded by friends and many people Ive known as acquaintances for many years. There is however no mountain bike riding to speak of. I can still ride the bike around but there are really no decent trails. There is the potential to link together many miles of over grown logging roads and some old trails this summer and I hope to take that on as my own project but I also foresee myself taking the ferry back and forth to the Anchorage side just to go ride whenever possible. This could get interesting.

North Bound

2010-05-21T17:53:00.001-08:00

I managed to travel from Phoenix to Olympia, WA only using 3 short sections of Interstate highways. The rest was done all by small state routes & backroads, was great. Stormy weather and very heavy rains was the only thing that kept me from spending a couple days in the Redwoods. The storm slowly broke as I made my way up the Oregon Coast and across the Columbia river. With the jeep safely stowed in Seattle I packed the Tomac and hopped a plane to Anchorage.

Surprisingly my POS Chevy truck fired right up without needing primed, pumped or jumped even after sitting all winter. The snow was all gone around town but there is still plenty just up a couple hundred feet on the hill sides and the mountain tops still have a very thick blanket that may persist most of the summer. I was thinking about traveling over to Cordova to visit friends before some of them got too busy with fishing season. A friend a the ferry office told me she had one empty spot on board the next day and then it was booked up for the next 10 days- I was in Whittier the next morning ready to board the M/V Aurora bound for Valdez and then Cordova. Good times.

2510 miles

2010-05-04T21:13:00.002-08:00

Usually I reset all my odometers on my Cat Eye bike computers back to zero at the beginning of each year. This year I basically forgot. I bought the Tomac right around the first of last May, so that sounds like a decent reset date to me- for most people that is the beginning of riding season anyway.
I racked up 1458 miles on the Tomac in a year, not bad considering it sat in storage from mid-June until Sept. The road bike only had a little over 700 which I think is pretty low- pavement miles usually add up rather quickly. I rode the K2 last summer in AK when I wasn’t out of town working, its computer says 320 so all in all a productive year, but it always amazes me how much riding it takes to get in and stay in good shape, and how quickly I can loose that when I miss several days in a row. Somewhere there is a balance, Im still searching for it.

New Trail

2010-05-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Inquiring about trail info while passing through southern Utah I was asked to go ride a small network that isn’t officially on any map yet. A large outer loop ran along the edge of a mesa while a couple intersecting trails gave the almost 10 miles of singletrack a figure 8 shape. The terrain gave the trail a fantastic and challenging mix of trees, sand and slickrock. Lots of step up’s & small drops followed by fast runs through the trees. This will be a hugely popular network once it is legal-

I say that because for years it has been a ‘locals only’ trail, meaning it was kind of a hush-hush subject so nobody would get caught riding up there. Recently however the folks that created & maintain it took some of the land managers (BLM & Forestry) up to it and said, ‘hey, this is what we’ve got. How do we make it a legal trail?’ Of course the key to this is having land managers that are actually interested in working with the public. The chance of this is slowly increasing nationwide as the grumpy old stuffed shirt generation retire and make way for a more energetic and cooperative crowd (hallelujah!). So the paperwork is being pushed through the process, slowly, but there is a very good chance this area will soon be open to all. I highly applaud this kind of stuff as so many trails are built without even knowing who’s land they are on. Only to be shut down completely later on. And although it is slow and tedious, there is a certain procedure to be followed in the process.
Anyone who rides a lot knows that one of the major obstacles for trails is just access to them, and such is the case here. Currently you are required to park in a designated lot and ride a mile of pavement through a high dollar residential area to the singletrack. Which is acceptable for the local home owners and most riders who visit here. However just like any cross section of Americans these days, within this group there will always be them few assholes that are pretty sure that ‘No Parking’ sign means everybody but them. At this point I believe this is one of the only major issue’s holding this project back- it all seems to go back to what we learned in grade school about how breaking the rules effects everybody.
I hope to someday- see you on this trail.

When nothing will work

2010-04-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Driving down the hill into Page AZ last week I past a small sign pointing towards a parking lot labeled trailhead for the Horseshoe Bend… I drove on to Lake Powell, set up a camp and headed back up so I could arrive before sunset. Horseshoe Bend is one of the most photographed spots on the Colorado River. Millions of shots are taken here every year, I really doubted I could get one as good but you know I took my camera down there just in case-

Immediately my new lens wasn’t wide enough so I had to switch back to the old POS lens. I snapped a couple dozen shots right alongside all the other tourists and photographer but was really not happy with the results I was getting. Eventually I remembered something I read many years ago about photography; ‘sometimes there is nothing you can do to correctly capture the scene your looking at. No different setting, no bigger lens, nothing, and then it gets frustrating. At times like this you should turn off the camera, sit back and just enjoy the view’.

And that’s what I did, the pics came out ok, but sitting there watching the sunset was amazing-

Leaving Tucson

2010-04-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

Starting my northern migration now I leave Tucson with a good feeling about the place. At some point, probably when I can sit down and go through all my pictures to jar my memory, I hope to do a full write up on my experiences and the things that really impressed me about it. I tend to notice different things about a community than a lot of people, first is sidewalks, bike lanes/paths & public transportation with people actually out using them. I want an infrastructure designed for more than cars. And I want to be around other people who get out and take advantage of having such amenities. Tucson has had a ‘gold standard’ for its bike lane infrastructure for a long time now. With a mountain backdrop on 3 sides, two wilderness areas and a national park there is more than enough outdoor activities to keep anyone busy. There is also a lot of history here- been a city since 1775, been a settlement of one kind or another for the last 1200 years. Tucson is proud of its history but doesn’t exploit it like a lot of communities do. The university is also a huge part of the community and filling some very important roles on the worldwide stage also. There is quite a bit of Tucson that revolves around the school here.

Being the social drawback I can be at times I really didn’t meet too many people in my 2 months of being there this winter, that will change if I can make it back to spend any real time there. More than enough programs and organizations to get involved with on a volunteer basis should work for breaking the ice with the locals. I do hope to make it back next winter, until then Ill see you on the trail-

LIVESTRONG

2010-04-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

In my search for a new helmet I wasn’t able to locate the same exact model but I did run across a RIFT which is the same one I have and really like in Alaska. Flat black which is good but it had this annoying yellow stripe- closer inspection revealed it was part of the LIVESTRONG line up. You know, Lance’s cancer org. ... Talking with the young guy at the shop he said it didn’t really match his bike and was overkill- even I wondered if maybe the helmet was a little ‘much’, and bought a different model that was nothing special. Last night laying in my tent trying to find a position that wasn’t killing my shoulder I wondered what answer I would get if I asked that question of someone who has cancer - ?

See you on the trail. You will surely be able to see me…

Kuddo's to GIRO

2010-04-07T10:04:00.001-08:00

In hindsight it was clearly a case of not enough momentum to carry the appropriate angle of lift far enough forward resulting in premature decrease in the attack angle landing my front wheel in the gap well before the anticipated safe zone.- Yes it hurt.

I hit my head harder than I can ever remember hitting it before. The gushing of blood from my elbow and alarming amount of pain from inside my shoulder made me forget all about my head within seconds. After all said and done the Giro helmet took one hell of a hit, and left me with not so much as even a slight headache.
Im sure other helmets could absorb this too but having actually test drove this particular one myself Im off too town in hopes of finding the exact same model.

Patagonia Lake

2010-04-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

Monday I pulled into the campground at Patagonia Lake only to have my Jeep break down and leave me stranded there for several days. Oh darn….

The 18 mile road ride into Nogales for parts against 40mph winds was enough to piss me off. It just seemed to really bring to light my unemployed, alone, broke down in the middle of nowhere situation. Once I got there rolling through the century old streets of the boarder town was very intriguing and did have somewhat of a calming effect. Kind of like standing in a great forest and realizing there are bigger, older, stronger and more respectable things on this earth than just me. Being next in line at the auto parts store I stood staring at the young lady behind the counter. Lucy, according to her name tag. Lucy would be a Latino 10 dressed in lace, leather or a burlap onion bag, an absolute angel.
“Buenos Dias Senor”
-young lady you have no idea……
Needless to say the 18 mile ride in 40 MPH winds back to the lake was a lot more pleasant. Note to self; Find time to spend in Nogales, preferably not broke down.

KENDA- Fading Fast

2010-04-01T16:25:00.001-08:00

I hate to say it but I think KENDA is falling from my choices of riding tires, they are at least on their way down the list. They do make several decent tires but their customer service practices (at least for me) have put them right in the ranks with Starbucks- or Specialized for that matter. This all started with the Nevgals, which are one of the best performing tires I have ever ran (except here in the SW). Once I got to Vegas and points south they just shredded in the sharp terrain here. So I took them off and rode some WTB’s for a while. Looking for a different model of Kenda led me to several ‘Kenda Dealers’ in Vegas & Phoenix - according to their directory @ kenda.com, only to find bike shops that only had a couple Kenda tires in stock if any at all. They were however not shy about trying too sell me other brands they did stock.

I eventually picked up a Kenda Blue Groove tire and ran it for about 250 miles before it too began to shred apart on me. I wrote an email to the company including all the particulars and pictures, asking them which one of their tires I should be running here and where I could get them. No reply what-so-ever. So back the drawing board so to speak. Looking around at what the other aggressive riders here are using I eventually decided to switch over to the Saguaro made by GEAX. I have yet to put more than a couple miles on them as Ive been busy fixing the Jeep lately but hope to give them a proper thrashing soon.
I have enjoyed using Kenda’s for the most part but with customer service like they have now I do believe am feeling a shift in the force….

MULE NVIS

2010-03-24T15:58:00.002-08:00

Anyone who has spent time riding or hiking while wearing any kind of pack knows first hand how the sweat factor between your back and said pack soon becomes an issue. Those of us engaging in the more active sports know this all too well. The outdoor gear industry has spent many years and boo-koo bucks trying to come up with solutions especially in the hydration pack category in order to keep us adrenaline junkies cooler while out there on the trail. Camelbak has a new system that I think is way ahead of the others (for the money) right now. Seeing this pack in the Summit Hut I was intrigued by the NVIS design and really wanted to try it but the overall size of the pack kept me from purchasing it. After using one for a day borrowed from my buddy Justin, I bought the original MULE pack. That was a little over a year ago and I thought; ‘this is as big as I ever want a bike hydration pack.’ And it is really, I got to really like how well the old one fit and rode right in the center of my back without being too bulky. However even with the airflow padded design, using it in anything above 70 degrees it would eventually end up being just a sweat soaked foam pad sticking to my back regardless of what type of moisture wicking jersey I wore. Then the Summit Hut put the MULE NV on sale for %20 off; Sold.

It is larger than I would like and empty weight is a little heavier than the old one but nothing I wont get used too. First thing I did was modify the 90 degree, cable grabbing, get hooked on everything, fishhook shaped mouthpiece back to the old straight style. This pack is constructed with a hard but flexible barrier between the pack and you held almost an inch away by some breathable foam blocks all covered with a stretch mesh material. The whole system just makes sense, why it took this many years to come up with it I don’t know… (all they had to do was ask).

On the inaugural ride I chose a trail that had a lot of pack-a-bike to work up a good sweat. I could really feel the breeze through the pack on the subsequent downhill run thus drying the trapped moisture. The fit of it was nice and even during an emergency quick dismount(crash) the pack never felt like it was attacking me or trying to climb up over my head like some do. Im sure that built in rain cover will come in really handy at some point, and the over sized mesh stretch helmet pocket on the outside may just be big enough to carry my SLR camera. It is still a pack on your back that will gather sweat to some degree but until we get the solar powered, air conditioned units this is about as good as it gets.

My original MULE, just barely showing signs of wear after a very hard year, has just gone into a box and will be shipped back too AK. There I can still use it comfortably in the lower temps, right after I figure out how to make it smell a little better.

Spring

2010-03-21T16:06:00.002-08:00

One of the first days of spring ‘10 finds me sitting in a campground at the Tucson Mountain Park. By 8:30 A.M. its warm enough I am down to my Tshirt already, not bad. Ive been on call for a job all week and a little reluctant to start anything big or head off in any other direction until I get confirmation. My ADD (self diagnosed) is kicked into high gear as I sit around spinning my mental wheels. Im way behind on posting pics to my photography site. The jeep is full. Way too full, I really need to either ship some of these belongings back to storage or just throw some away. I could use a haircut. Morning coffee is my comfort zone, after that anything goes. I hope to finish my video and get it posted today.
Its so nice to sit here warm & dry. Adjusting my life so I can still have the flexibility to travel and experience the world in the future is becoming a very high priority. I no longer see my self working any kind of an ‘in town’ job unless its temporary or seasonal. What to do…..

The Bicycle Church

2010-03-15T11:09:00.000-08:00

My extended job hunt has brought me to Tucson, AZ. Driving around through one of the smaller neighborhoods I spotted a white, gazebo type structure standing in an empty lot. As I got closer I noticed what looked like a bike frame in the structure…. ‘Wait its all bike frames, and, other parts, cool!’

A small plaque declared it the ‘Bike Church’ but had little other info on the structure so a search brought up a couple small articles on it. Basically it was built in ‘09 with a grant by a local artist and about a dozen students. It is dedicated to all who have been killed or hurt while riding bicycles. Where it stands is also important, this will be the north end of a proposed greenbelt with bike paths to the Barrio Anita neighborhood. This trail will connect two large existing trail systems that come close but have never been joined. As it is now to get from one to the other commuters are required to use a crowded vehicle underpass beneath the freeway which Im told is quite often a near death experience.

The ingenuity of the use of all the different bike parts is really cool. There are even sections of frame tubes cut in different lengths and hung as wind chimes. The colored art in the stripped wheels is actually colored plastic instead of stained glass, but hey, Im sure it will last much longer-While shooting pics I noticed a solar panel and battery box and figured it had to be for lights. I returned at night to see this awesomely lit, self contained structure standing in an otherwise very dark part of the city. Very cool indeed.

Catching up-

2010-03-12T06:23:00.002-09:00

I was reminded that there is at least one person in the world who checks in here every so often to see what Im up to, so I apologize for going so long between updates.

It seems for the past few months I have been racing off in one direction or another, following a fairly loose plan but a plan none the less. I stayed for a while outside of Phoenix in a great park, that’s where my plan kind of came to an end. I never really did adjusted to the huge city or all the rich, cranky, prejudice old people that live there. Since driving into Tucson Ive felt a bit at home almost, comfortable anyway. I like the place. I will go into that more in detail later on but for now I will post a recap of the adventures of the past month;

On Sat Feb 13th I drove north of Tucson and checked out the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo MTB race. I had heard it was a pretty big deal, and arriving just minutes before the starting gun I was amazed to see just how big it was. Over the years this race has morphed from a small gathering of locals into a highly anticipated and sold out yearly ritual. A 1600 rider limit means over 3000 people in attendance, camping, socializing and supporting their teams. Proceeds from this event go to several charitable organizations. With a mandatory donation of 2 cans of food along with the price of admission, the Tri-Community Food Bank was the recipient of several truck loads of food.

Several vendors, food and info booths were set up around a central location. Very well organized and a lot of fun. Being my first time attending I was truly amazed at the number of riders and just how well and organized this all was. I managed a few hundred shots on Saturday before nightfall. Sunday morning I awoke to a bad radiator hose on the jeep and did not make it back out to the race grounds. Next year, schedule willing you will find me as a volunteer and there for the entire weekend.

Although the course was 16 miles long and fairly grueling everyone was having a fantastic time and it shows through in the photos with all the fun & big smiles. (24 hrs in the Old Pueblo photos) I ran into several people I had met over the preceding weeks of riding around Phoenix and from farther north also.

The next weekend found me back up in Phoenix and another race on a different course. Lots of rain made for interesting conditions and probably a less than average turn out of riders. Regardless there was a good time had by all and I got to spend some time getting to know the Absolute Bikes Race Team down from Flagstaff, who seem to always be on the winners podium. Good people, stop in the store and say hi if your ever there.

Becoming very disgusted with while reviewing my pics from the race I turned to Craigslist and found a used but much higher quality lens for my camera. So far Im very pleased with the difference in my pictures. One thing that strikes me funny while going through all these race photos is the fact that women seem to instinctively know to smile when you point a camera at them. It has made for some fantastic photos and Im very happy to have had this opportunity to be around these racing events.

Back in Tucson hanging out at Catalina St Park is just great, everything is turning green and the temps are getting warmer every day. On the north edge of town and near quite a bit of riding with stores and internet access within a couple miles for my continued job search this has been a great place to hang out. I will regroup and formulate a plan but for right now Im just kind of wandering, and more mentally than physically. However I do find myself in a great place for doing that.

See you on the trail-

El Nino

2010-02-09T09:08:00.000-09:00

Live & learn.
When planning to spend a great deal of time tent camping in the western states try to pick a winter that is not an El Nino year. The temps in the greater Phoenix area the past month have stayed above freezing which is a good thing considering Im sleeping outside. However we get a pretty heavy dose of rain about every 4 days it seems. The soil around here doesn’t really handle that much water well and remains quite saturated even though the sun warms it up quite nice for a few days before the next rain. The amount of moisture evaporating from the ground makes for some pretty wet conditions even on the sunny days. Hanging the fly of my tent between two trees to dry out is almost a daily chore.
I have moved back to the East side of the area and am back at McDowell Mtn park. Its really the most convenient place to camp price-wise and the proximity to town (Fountain Hills) and internet access, about 7 miles. Fountain Hills is a retirement type community that turns out the lights right about 7 P.M. every night. I really don’t care for the class of people here as they don’t have any problem staring down their fat noses at other people.
I had an issue with my own bike that kept me from riding for about 10 days so I am once again trying to get my riding endurance back to a decent level. Ill go into my bike ordeal inn more detail some other time.

The photos from the White Tanks MTB race turned out great and everyone was pretty jazzed to see them, although nobody seems interested in buying any of them. Oh well, although the money would sure help right now my photography is something I do for enjoyment rather than money. I hope I will always be able to maintain that priority.
I have changed my travel plans and hope to head south tomorrow to the Tucson area. It would be a shame to be this close and not at least go see it. In the last 3 weeks I have watched the desert surrounding me turn a bright, lush green due to all the rain we have been having. Even my favorite brutal bush, the Ocotillo has put on its formal wear in preparation for the big show coming in the next few weeks. I do hope I am able to be here to witness it all.

McDowell Meltdown 1/9-10/2010

2010-01-28T10:21:00.001-09:00

I was fortunate to have been able to act as photographer for the McDowell Meltdown Mountain Bike race here a couple weeks ago. It was great to meet all the AZ riders out shredding the trails in January. The MBAA is a great org that has many different things going on within the biking community. I was actually overwhelmed by the shear number of riders on Sunday not to mention the grey skies and less than perfect photographing conditions. Using whats left of my camera equip I did ok. Ive post most of the pics up on my Pbase website.

Right now I am in the process of moving to the other side of town in order to get set up to shoot the White Tank Whirlwind race this coming weekend. After the ‘30 year storm’ that has rolled through the state this past week I think we are all praying for some sunshine for the race!

Detoured

2010-01-21T19:55:00.001-09:00

Absolute general nastiness has moved into the western states. AZ has issued a flash flood warning, a high wind warning, a tornado warning, issued a state of emergency, closed major interstates near Flagstaff and shut down Phoenix airport. Its going to be interesting to see what the place looks like in the daylight tomorrow.
Im felling pretty good about my decision to pull up stakes and shack up at the Super 8 Hotel for a couple days.
Life is Good.

a few free moments

2010-01-16T11:40:00.003-09:00

A few free moments to tap on the keyboard here, Ive been steadily working on over 500 photos from a race I shot here at McDowell Park last weekend (more on that later). The campground I have been staying at is in a Sonoran type desert, I know its all Greek too me also- but Im learning. My cousin told me that learning the names of the plants helps one identify with your surroundings and actually its working quite well. There are some fantastic, and some not so nice things growing around here. My favorite has to be the Ocotillo cactus type thing, large, very simple and extremely brutal. I could not even imagine crashing into one of these things. Speaking of that the local foliage is fantastic at keeping you on the designated trail. I do believe the

fuzzy looking Teddy Bear Cholla cactus has to be the most evil plant I have ever run up against, literally. With spines so small they look like fur and so sharp they can penetrate anything this side of solid steel, and why yes, they are barbed! The branches(?) break off and become little tennis ball size land mines of pain. Get them stuck to your shoe and then you instinctively try to brush it off- that’s just the first mistake…, trust me this always get much uglier from there. So far for me they usually end with a bloody something and a whole new vocabulary of profanities.

The amount of wildlife here is outstanding though, meaning the small variety. Birds, bunnies and of course coyotes. I have a whole posse of birds show up for breakfast every morning and several owl’s hunting through the night have waken me up more than a few times.

It isn’t warm enough for all the creepy-crawly stuff to be out of hibernation just yet. When that happens my entire outlook on the place could very well change, drastically. During the many weekends spent hiking with my friend Robyn around Tahoe she would tell me how different the desert around Phoenix was, and how beautiful it was when it started to bloom in the spring time. I am not sure what the future has in store for me or my travel plans but I am kind of hoping I am right here when that happens. I am a little concerned about the 100 days over 100 degrees I am hearing about though…

We’ll see.

A New Year and Back On Track

2010-01-07T09:51:00.000-09:00

Ok, back on track here.

New surroundings and much better health the last week has prompted some new thinking, different outlook (slightly) and maybe even a new direction for the site here. I find myself camped at McDowell Mountain Park outside of Phoenix surrounded by a few thousand acres of trails and wildlife which has been instrumental in my recuperation efforts and fantastic for getting me back on the bike. Ive come to realize how big of a part the bike ridding has become to me over the past few years, through the ebb & flow of life from one chapter to another it has given me something to cling to. Im not even really good at it, it is however really good for me.
MTB riding, even for fun makes you a better all around person just as any disciplined sport will do; karate, yoga, judo, etc. It requires a level of concentration and focus that is not found in most regular outdoor leisure activities, and after some time this ‘training’ has a way of sticking with you. Personally I ride alone most of the time, so there is no one else there cheering me on as I finally master that technical spot with grace or would anyone be able to tell if I gave up and walked up that hill (AKA- Hike-a-bike), but I would know. So over time bike riding has become a great tool for building self confidence, no one else may notice or care, but it matters to me.
By continually riding into the unknown, pushing your limits to both success and failure, and just scaring the B’jeezus outta yourself quite often makes the twists & bumps of daily life seem almost trivial.

The people I get to meet out there also enjoying this sport/activity are generally a pretty good crowd to be associated with. They are the people who regularly volunteer their time, donate to worthy causes and are in one way or another pretty successful people. For the most part responsible & accountable people that have a general lust for life.

The access to good riding will greatly influence where I decide to live from this point on, and will more than likely also have a bearing on what I do for a living.

Mountain biking takes me away from worrying so much about the messed up world around us and my part in it. It is my passion, my exercise and my escape.

See you on the trail.

S by SE

2009-12-28T17:44:00.000-09:00

Waking up in Bakersfield to a fog so thick I couldn’t see across the street wasn’t going to help my condition much at all. Spending the next hour coughing up blood clouts further reinforced my theory. Driving the few hours over to Barstow and then up into Joshua Tree NP I could feel the dryness of the air starting to make a slight but very welcome difference to my respiratory system. I spent two nights there, one up high and the next down at lower elevations due to an incoming storm. The higher elevations of the park are full of great rock formations and fascinating geology, its no wonder why this park is so popular with the rock climbing/bouldering crowd. On day three there, still not feeling very well I forced my self to get out and hike, if nothing else just to keep my blood moving. I did an 8 mile out & back to the Lost Palms Oasis, pretty cool stuff and I usually like desert hiking. At about the 1 mile marker and 3500 ft elevation the sun glaring off of something caught my eye, to the south between mountain peaks the sun was shining on the Salton Sea a few miles away sitting at about 100 ft below sea level. I never did make it by there, probably not much to see really.

The hike was good and Im glad I did it but really I was whipped by the time I made it back to camp. It blew 60+ that night and I woke up to see snow on the mountains surrounding Palm Springs. Filled the gas tank and pointed the jeep east driving in strong, gusty winds all day long until I reached Phoenix. At a hotel on the east side of town I did some Google Earth research then went and found an REI. Armed with a new map and ideas, a heavy swig of cough syrup and a quick stop at the grocery store was all that stood between me and the highway into the Tonto National Forest & the Superstition Mountains.

Drained

2009-12-18T09:58:00.000-09:00

Sometimes it seems the universe aligns in a not so positive way. I am really regretting my decision to come back to N CA at this time. My goal was to have somewhere to do a few projects to the jeep, let my mail catch up with me and just to have some sit still time to essentially regroup. I didn’t anticipate all the nasty side effects though. I must give a big thank you to my friends Bob & Cindy for letting me stay on their property, use their mailbox and the shower on occasion.

I find myself in a geographical halfway point that couldn’t be more counter productive to me as far as the direction I want and have had my life going the last couple of years. With no close by recreation areas I have not been riding the bike at all, no other outdoor activities means I have not been getting any exercise to speak of since Thanksgiving. Shortly after that I caught a cold that turned into the flu that morphed back into a respiratory system cementing experience that I am still dealing with the after effects 10 days later. Still coughing, still gagging, still blowing my nose every few minutes. This one really whipped me. I attribute a lot of the staying power of this one to the 98% humidity here in the valley this time of year. Physically I am drained, the great shape I had gotten myself into and was in up until a month ago has faded away and I now find myself faced with starting the process all over again.
With no internet access, laundry facilities or refrigerator I find myself getting in my car and driving to town every time I want something, and anyone who knows me realizes how much that isn’t how I like to live.

Ill be packing up and leaving here soon, maybe tomorrow morning. Headed south and then east, looking for sunshine and temperatures warm enough to camp in- and miles of singletrack trail so I can start the rebuilding process. See you on the trail.

The Challenges of Angels Landing

2009-12-07T10:11:00.000-09:00

The hike up to Angels Landing in Zion N.P. has to be one of the most popular hikes in America, I don’t know any specific numbers but Ive never seen a day at any time of year when there isn’t a fairly steady stream of people headed up the 2.5 mile trail. However I will venture to say out of that number only about half of them, probably less, ever stand at the top 1500‘ later. Although not a huge challenge for people who do this kind of thing on a regular basis, for the majority of the people attempting the trip it can create a lifelong memory. During my last trip to Zion near the end of Nov I made the climb once again.

One of the main things I love about Zion is the fact that you can not drive private vehicles back into the valley, yes Gertrude, you actually have too get your big butt out of your car and take one of the free, eco-friendly shuttle buses that run every 10 minutes and will stop to let you off & on at just about any point you like- I know, what an inconvenience! Or you can ride your bicycle on a traffic & noise free road seven miles through one of the most amazing and scenic canyons in the world- I know, it’s a rough decision. Upon entering the park this time I was sad to learn that because of some work being done on the visitor center the shuttles were not running and vehicles were being allowed to make the drive. Fortunately it was mid week and the end of Nov so the amount of traffic was pretty minimal compared to what it normally is. Although rather small Zion is one of the most visited Parks in the system, and rightly so, it is amazingly beautiful and has more stunning geology than you can shake a Nalgene bottle at.
Crossing the Virgin River you then follow it upstream for half a mile before starting up a long series of switchbacks cut into the south facing wall, this can be murderously hot in the summer months and is best attempted early in the day. Because of the amount of traffic it gets the trail has been ‘improved’ to either a concrete or a cold asphalt surface, hard but rough enough for good traction. At this point you are seeing all different kinds of hikers, from the ladies who look like they just stepped out of an REI commercial to the couple with either a baby in a pack or a toddler in tow, or both. Old & young, fit & fat, the obviously experienced hikers to them that look as if this may be their first hiking experience, this part of the trail seems to have them all. Its almost human nature to silently try to figure out who you think will make it all the way. The trail seems to get a few degrees steeper with each switchback. People are stopping to remove layers of sweat soaked clothing and wait for stragglers within their groups. Although the scenery is always great the higher you climb the farther you can see adding to that mental pull up the grade. The last switchback takes you across the face of the wall on a steep trail basically cut into the rock, from here the view SW is almost all the way out the valley.

Around a corner the trail suddenly levels out and enter into a slot canyon about 20 ft wide at best, Refrigerator Canyon. But why is it called…. Holy Crap! Where is that layer I took off a few switchbacks ago?
Receiving maybe only an hour of direct sunlight each day this canyon never really warms up to anything near what the surrounding terrain does and is quite a welcome relief in the summer months. More amazing geology and an ever red glow as the canyon walls tower up to a thousand ft above your head. A couple hundred yards later the trail starts a steeper ascent again, then another switchback, then another and your climbing out of the slot canyon on a familiar trajectory. Many people hanging around this point taking pics and are seemingly reluctant to start the climb again, some turn back.

Around another corner and you come to what looks like a red brick wall stretching skyward, but it is in fact the trail cut up a very steep wall. More tight switchbacks than I ever really wanted to count, this set gets you up to a saddle between the ridge that is Angels Landing and the rest of the mountain raange. This is a popular rest stop and staging area for the next leg of the climb. There are a couple heavily used latrines here but no drinking water. Its always amazed me how some people can set off on a hike like this carrying only a small bottle of water they picked up at the gift shop. Another reason so many have to turn around before they are finished.

From this point up to the summit the trail is what experienced people call ‘Exposed’, meaning while walking on it you are exposed to the elements & forces of Mother Nature, no shade, no shelter, etc and wandering too far off trail can have dire consequences. In this particular case gravity is one of the main forces to be reckoned with. This part of the ridge is fairly wide however on your left is a 1000’ vertical drop to the valley floor and the Virgin River near a spot that is called ‘Big Bend’. To your right is a steep slope about 100’ that disappears over an edge that you know drops into Refrigerator Canyon, the trail itself is routed over a steep climb up a rock knoll about 100’ feet to the next staging area. The Park Service has drilled and mounted metal poles with chain running between them as handrails in the more precarious places, you will find people clinging to these going up and down the slope. Some will breeze right up here where others will take a very long step by step, hand over hand cautious climb. Others will wait at the bottom looking up, never to go another step further.

Upon reaching the next stop/rest/viewpoint/mind changing spot you will stand and catch your breath next to a very large pine tree that has for decades grown right out of a crack in the rock, its roots stretching across the face of the incline providing handholds to a thousand climbers a day. The path before you has become dramatically defined, it now becomes obvious you are on top of a 1000’ tall wall that has just narrowed down to a mere 10 feet. Any one of us could walk down a 10’ hallway, perhaps even blindfolded without even thinking twice about it. I find it intriguing, the effects exposure and heights have on the mind. It effects people so differently, and some of those you would least expect, & visa versa.

The real skinny portion is only about 50 feet long and then the wall stretches back out to about 25 ft wide, however it then starts a pretty steep climb up to the summit about 250’ higher. All of a sudden there arent near as many people on the trail. The chains are still there in the more dangerous spots however some of this is an all out scramble up and over the rock with the main trail precariously close to either one edge or the other.

The views from the top westward out the valley are spectacular, the top isn’t that big in area so chances are you will be closely sharing it with many other people who made it past all the challenges. Your sitting there with a couple middle aged ladies from Minn., a family from Texas and a little old lady from.., who knows, she looks like she would have trouble making it across Wal-mart’s parking lot, but here she is, offering you some trail mix, go figure. That group of college kids you had to listen too half way up the climb are still back there clinging to the big pine tree, freaked out by the height of it all. Them two muscle guys with the southern accents dressed in camo from head to toe, yea they turned around somewhere back there too. One of the young kids you seen earlier in the day crests the top wide eyed and all smiles, his father drenched in sweat, terrified and white as a ghost is a minute behind him. Its in places and instances like this that you once again realize you cant always apply the same rule of measurement too people, there is always a lot more inside each of us that makes us who we are than the outside would let on.

It’s a beautiful day, your on top of Angels Landing, your looking at the people around you and they all seem to have that same gleam in their eye, a slight breeze blows cool air across the mountain top, you close your eyes & take a deep breath, Life is Good.

Gold Fish - the Amazing Pacific Salmon

2009-12-05T20:01:00.000-09:00

Originally written 6/09 and posted to Facebook

One of my last evenings in town I caught a special on the Discovery Channel about the wild Pacific Salmon run, part of their Amazing Events series. The TV was originally on as background noise but I soon found myself putting everything else aside and paying close attention as the show went on. I soon realized that even after growing up on the banks of the Kenai River and later spending over a decade being a commercial salmon fisherman I didn’t know near as much as I thought I did about them. I wont try to hold your attention with a big list of facts here but the big picture is as such; out of ever 1000 eggs laid, on average only 4 mature salmon make it back to spawn 4 years later. The Pacific Salmon as a species, nourishes more other species on this planet than any other one species of animal (did that make sense?).

Discussing this with my friend Amy, who is herself knee-deep in promoting awareness of environmental issues, she mentioned how this is a good extra point to just about every debate over issues concerning natural salmon habitat because the larger picture is often overlooked. The website has very little info on it other than a show schedule but I highly recommend trying to catch this show if your at all interested in how the whole eco-big picture fits together, along with some outstanding video of some amazing places.

Fast forward a couple days and Im sitting on the plane headed to work reading an article in the new issue of Outside Magazine, ‘Gold Fish’. Any Alaskan is already familiar with the debate over the proposed Pebble Mine in a remote region of southwest AK near the head waters of countless salmon spawning waterways as we have been bombarded by news and TV ads supporting both sides for several years now. This issue is set to mushroom into a debate rivaled recently only by the battle over ANWAR. Outside sent a reporter to spend time researching the issue in which he spent a few weeks with the Bristol Bay Salmon fishery on board with Lindsey Bloom.

I bring these two points up because although this is a fantastic article, very pro-salmon and I encourage you to read it (not just look at the pictures). However I feel Outside has done the same thing a lot of organizations/causes/groups have done in the past; they measure the value of the natural salmon runs strictly by the gross dollar amount gained by the commercial fishing industry and the communities that are supported by it, neglecting to take into account how the wild salmon runs fit into the bigger, fragile picture that is our already strained eco-system. I get the fact that main stream america for the most part only understands $ amounts, but isn’t it time to try and change that?
I can only hope someone else with equal clout & reputation as Outside will step up and bring more if not all of the bigger picture to public awareness.

My Demise- Drown in the Desert

2009-11-24T19:26:00.002-09:00

I have happened across a gem of a campground that is located in the middle of many adventure spots and good trail riding, but more details on that later-

This campground sits at the mouth of a canyon that I decided to explore today. The first mile was just a nice hike following the creek bed through the cottonwood trees that are all but bare of leaves this late in the year. The canyon slowly tightened and the trail detoured up and around some difficult spots in the slick rock. The route was turning into a fantastic hike up through fairly narrow slots and over some ledges. Had there been any water running it could have been more difficult however there were just ponds of standing water and areas of mud here & there left over from the last rains, who knows when. The pools and ledges did become more challenging to get over or around the farther up the canyon I traveled. I caught up with a few other hikers who were turning around at a stone ladder because their dogs couldn’t make it any farther.

More photos, taking lots of photos at this point.
The light reflecting down the sandstone walls gave everything a red glow and the pools were making for some great reflection shots. The canyon soon split and I of course chose the route less traveled leading me into a smaller slot canyon filled with pools of standing water, some of these were only inches deep and some were dark enough I had no idea how far down the bottom may be. Maneuvering back and forth, climbing up or squatting down to get the right angles for my shots I took my time wandering through the slot. I stood in a bit of mud at the edge of a long & deep pool and while I was trying to find that magic angle for a reflection mud oozed its way into the tread of my boots and remained there as I walked away.

The right side of the canyon was straight up and down, if not at a little of a negative angle, the other side was too steep to climb but had just a little bit of a steep bank to walk on for about 30 feet until there was good walking area again. I snapped another shot of the slot and then stowed the camera away so as to have both my hands free. I really didn’t think anything of ‘side hilling’ across the slick rock as I had done the same a thousand times before. One hand on the wall and feet slightly facing uphill for maximum gripage, one step at a time I slowly made my way through the slot. I can now imagine the thin film of mud between my Vibram soles and the slick rock undermining the sense of security I had in my traction.., done this before, nothing too it.

When it happened it there was absolutely no warning at all, I cant even tell you which foot slipped first. There was no falling and trying to catch myself, no ’oh shit!’ or enough of a warning to even take a deep breath. Like a fat fisherman holding a 15 H.P. outboard motor blindly stepping off the end of the city dock, one minute I was completely dry and in an instant I was underwater; completely underwater.

Those who know me well know that even though Im a Viking by heritage and a pisces by birth I am not really a water guy. ‘But Dan, what about all them years you spent commercial fishing?’ Yea.., but really the idea was not to get out of the boat ya know. Truth be known; in a pool wearing just a swimsuit I would have trouble swimming 50 ft to save my life.

My feet never did touch the bottom, I have no idea how deep that crack in the rocks goes. I was able to get a hand on each side of the slot and push my self back to the surface, spit out the water and get a deep breath air.
I knew what had happened but I was absolutely stunned at the quickness of it all.

Another deep breath, several now.

One hand on the far wall and my elbow wedged against the other I held my head above the water, frantically trying to get my feet securely onto something under there, anything.

This water is very cold.

Quit fighting & hold still, think.

I have about 12 lbs and $900 worth of camera equipment around my waste in a belt pack that is underwater!

I had on my Fox riding gloves and the leather palms were giving me a bit of grip on the rock however with the wall angling towards me I couldn’t just ‘hand walk’ up, it was all just fucking backwards for making any kind of a climbing move out of there.

The weight of the pack, all my clothes and my now water logged, large hiking boots were all just too much, I couldn’t move, and my hand on the far wall giving way, I was slowly slipping back under the water.

The cold of the water, my heavy breathing that had me on the edge of hyperventilating and no apparent option had me close to a panic, I actually had to tell myself to stop and think.

I remember thinking ‘Im going to drown in the desert, that’s fucked up’.

Nobody knows where I am.

I just phoned mom last night, it will be weeks before anyone even misses me.

This water is REALLY COLD!

My right foot found a nub no bigger than a bottle cap sticking out of the slimy rock face underwater. I tried pressure on it and it slipped off. Shift weight a little and try again, it held enough to get the weight off of my right arm and able to reach the buckle on my pack. In one motion I had it unsnapped and with a fling & a prayer I threw the pack out of the water and towards the flattest spot on the rock wall ahead of me. It landed and actually clung there, (whew) had it rolled or slipped back towards the water I wouldn’t have been able to catch it and would have watched my camera kit sink to who knows where.
The sun hadn’t reached this low in the canyon in decades, this water is cold!

12 feet ahead of me the pond came to a point and I could tell that was my best bet for finding sufficient footing to get me up and out of here. My foot slipped off the minute nub as I pushed off giving me no forward momentum and I did the best I could to just pull my self towards the end by my now slippery grip on the walls.
By the time my feet finally hit some solid bottom I was underwater again and sinking. I just started climbing using whatever I could and finally raised up and out of the pond.
Spitting, cussing and shivering I grabbed my camera pack and having reached a point in the slot the walls weren’t so steep I scrambled up the rock until I found some direct sunshine and just stood there once again trying to catch my breath.

It was only 60 degrees in the sun but it sure felt a world away from the pond, I stripped off my clothes and let the sun dry me off while I surveyed the damage. My camera bag is not waterproof by any means but somehow my camera although wet and in need of attention eventually fired up and seemed to work just fine. My large telephoto lens however didn’t fair so well, the nice padded lens case I kept it in acted as a sponge and the lens eventually took on water. My cell phone which was in my pants pocket the whole time is in dire straights also.
After drying off & wringing out I dressed and scrambled my way over the ridge back into the main canyon and headed back to camp and dry clothes.
All the way back I couldn’t help but think how close that was or what I should take away from the experience. So, ok, you can drown here but wearing a PFD in the desert doesn’t seem logical. Although I may be more careful I will do the same thing again Im sure. Waterproof camera bag, that’s it, lesson learned.
Although I hope it doesn’t happen anytime soon, if any of you ever have to read the news of my demise I do hope it is extremely baffling, maybe even awe inspiring & just as cool as; ‘Drown in the Desert‘, then you will know I was actually out here living.

Life in Camp 4

2009-11-07T19:24:00.002-09:00

I recently traveled back to Yosemite after having spent a weekend doing trail work in Arnold, CA. Driving into the Valley I was thrilled to see the fall colors in full swing at that elevation (I subsequently took over 400 photos in a week that I am still going through). I found myself standing in line at the kiosk for Camp 4 once again and very happy to be there. I had just spent $35 a night to stay in a CA state campground so when the ranger told me $5 a night I signed up for most of a week. Camp 4 is such a different environment than just about any other campground in the nation, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a diversity in people and positive, adventurous energy.

Officially it’s a 200+ person walk in campground on the north edge of Yosemite Valley, across the road from the Yosemite Lodge. About a 1 acre slopped area of disintegrated granite (sierra sand) sparsely covered with large pine trees with a few semi-truck sized boulders strewn about, all at the base of a 2000 ft granite wall just west of Yosemite falls themselves. With your tent facing the right direction from a few of the sites you can even wake up to the sun lighting up the falls in the morning. The setting is multiple group camp sites all side by side, its not exactly the mental picture camping out in wilderness inspires. Permanent wall tents are set up at the west end of the camp as housing for the Search & Rescue teams that work Yosemite Park, a fitting place as most of these people are also avid climbers and back country hikers.

Being the farthest west bus stop on the now winter route suits this crowd just fine. Its only one more mile west too the famous El Capitan, the pinnacle for most climbers in the area. 95% of the residents here are climbers, some very serious, some here just to boulder or take a couple lessons. The few left over are people like me, photographers, hikers, weekend warriors or just anyone who desires to stay in the valley and didn’t have reservations for a room or doesn’t want to put up with the chaos of the motor home campgrounds. It only takes 5 minutes communicating around a camp fire or picnic table for them to figure out Im not a climber and for me to realize I don’t have a clue what they are talking about. However there is that one common thread that brings us all to the same place at this particular time and that is a general lust for life, a sense of adventure. We are all feeding an inner yearning whether it’s miles of trail slipping by under your boots or the thrill of hanging by your fingertips from a granite ledge 1000’ above the valley floor.

They are mostly 20-somethings but a lot of older folks like myself too, many people from foreign countries make some of the campfire chats a real world lesson. There is the guy from LA that has recently finished law school and has spent the last month right here camping & climbing while awaiting the results of his bar exam. The couple roadtrippin from CO just passing through. 2 guys, best friends for years, one now lives in NY, the other LA, this is their yearly guys week-out. The female bike rider with full panniers and saddle bags that came coasting in late in the night, the guy from Seattle who showed up on the one day it was raining and exclaimed loudly how he thought that was a really bad joke. Run across these people in town and they are the ones with a smile, an attitude and usually unruly hair, they are the folks most townies are cautious about, Im probably even guilty of judging myself. However here, in their element I feel like Im a welcome guest, I leave my camp and everything there while I head off for an all day excursion and not even think twice about it. In contrast if I was staying at the lodge across the road I wouldn’t leave the jeep unlocked while I ran into the bathroom… hmm, what’s that tell you? They are the people who use the least amount of resources and the ones most likely to utilize the recycling facilities, and sharing is second nature. Making friends is as easy as a handshake and just about everyone has a story to tell, and it wont be about their job.

The days usually start before dawn for everyone except the soundest sleepers, as there is always one or more groups looking to get an early start and there is nothing quiet about opening & closing the mandatory metal food/bear lockers. The sun is slow to reach the valley floor this time of year, the place resembles a down coat convention anytime before 9 AM. By ten most everyone is gone except the few ‘taking the day off’- I realize they are referring too climbing but really, what a way to spend a day off.

Surroundings

2009-11-05T07:37:00.001-09:00

“Yea its not a big deal really, but if you have a different room available it would be great to switch”
“The room your in is pretty popular, one of our nicest”
“It doesn’t get much sunlight, its on the wrong side of the building”
“We have one, but its all the way at the end of the row away from everything, on the top floor”
“Cool”
“There is no view, it doesn’t look over the pool or anything”
“That’s alright, as long as I can see some sunshine”
“It has a lot of stairs”
“Im built for stairs”
“Ok, but I think you maybe disappointed, its really private & just overlooks the forest service property out back”
“Ill try to manage, I think it will be ok”

Interstate Love Affair - not

2009-10-27T09:46:00.002-08:00

There’s been more than one hit song with that title, not really my gig…

Leaving Seattle a couple days behind schedule meant I was destined to drive Interstate 5 all the way south almost to Sacramento. I don’t care to drive on the interstate’s at all and avoid it whenever I can. The jeep was made the year before they started putting in cruise control standard meaning I actually have to pay attention to my driving, which is a drag. I don’t like driving that fast and everyone else is always in such a big hurry, oh well. The interstates do serve a purpose when needed, guess I can just be thankful I don’t have too be one of the majority that has to use one or more in my daily life.

Cruising through Portland for about the fourth time in 2 years I realized I still haven’t spent any real time there. Its one of them places on my list to visit however it seems every time I come through Im either in a hurry or its storming outside making hanging around to recreate kind of a mute subject. From what I do know about the city I find it intriguing and do hope that I can arrange that weekend or possibly longer to just hang out and experience it on one of these trips, someday.

Removing the kayak from the roof of the Jeep bumped the gas mileage back up a couple mpg, which does help, these jeeps arent really known for being gas misers.

Back on the noisy interstate-

I did stay about 24 hours in Ashland this time through. The fall colors were very bright and the town look especially appealing. Other than a small college and a bit of tourism there isn’t really any industry there to speak of. The population seems to be mostly folks who telecommute, artists of one kind or another, students, the town infrastructure employees and a few left over hippies. Perfect mix really, just not sure what I could do to carve out a living there, oh well, maybe its just as well to save for the occasional weekend escape. I did ride a lot of the trails up the Lithia Loop rd, took photos, saved a GPS track and put together a nice trail listing for Singletracks. I really like being somewhere I can ride right from main st, have proper signage on the trails and run into lots of college ladies out on the trails also, a few places Ive been make this list, Flagstaff comes to mind…

Back on the noisy interstate pointed south-

Work Less, Live More

2009-10-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Regrouping back in Spokane for a couple days has been good. I had a little maintenance to do on the bikes and it always helps to empty the laundry bag and start over. Waking up and watching a few hours of CNN every morning is something I like to do however I do find it becomes a bit overwhelming, just the worrying about all the crap that is going on out there in the world can be exhausting. So then I wander outside and try to find and do some good, either for the world or just myself, usually just me. I find the rest of the world pretty dam busy.

I find myself living in a society today where a lot of people have over the years filled just about every waken moment of their days with Have-to’s or Got-to‘s. Whether its being a workaholic, not being able to say No or just simply addicted too the rush of seeing how many to-do’s one can have on their list, there seems to be a lot of people out here who have just forgotten what they are living for. I found myself thinking today that maybe I should be a little more diligent in my job search, maybe just go get ’any job’. But as I rode off of the singletrack on Beacon Hill I saw a reminder in the parking lot that maybe Im doing just what I should be doing.

See you on the trail.

Seasons Change-

2009-10-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Seasons change like the flipping of a switch on the northern edge of the US forcing us mere humans to adjust and adapt to mother natures conditions. I had hopped to make it into a couple places before the change this fall but am a couple weeks late for sure.
My travels did take me across Idaho’s panhandle and into northern Montana. I spent about 5 days around the Whitefish/Kalispell/Glacier NP area and really enjoyed it. It is an area I plan to spend more time in someday. I rode a few MTB trails with directions taken from Singletracks but poor descriptions and conflicting trail #’s had me finding my own way more than once, but it’s all good.

The highlight I think was spending a couple days in Glacier NP, grey skies and chilly temps overshadowed my stay and made for less than desirable photography conditions. With the ‘Going to the Sun’ road closed at the Avalanche cr area driving through the park was out of the question. However after questioning the Rangers about it they let me ride my bicycle past the gate and up the highway to what is known as ‘the loop’. Basically giving me 9 miles of highway through the canyon and a couple miles up the mountain all to myself. What a fantastic way to experience the park on my first visit. I did take a few pics but really just enjoyed the peaceful ride, I feel that was a once in a lifetime chance and will remember it for a long time. Too bad we cant have a ‘car free’ days more often-

Speed Bumped'd in Spokane

2009-09-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

Hanging in Spokane for several days while I formulate a trip plan Ive been able to spend some nice, quality time with the cousins here. Our weather has been clear and in the low 80’s, for the most part very nice. However over night the temps dipped severely with arrival of a low pressure system, the outlook is for much cooler temps and wetter weather for the next, oh, six months or so Im pretty sure. The time spent here has been good, I had an alarm system installed on the jeep, restocked the camp supplies and put in some time riding the trails around town here. I helped put up a fence and practiced my ‘take a kid mountain biking’ skills and continue diving into the very large ’how-to’ manual for my new camera.

I really feel like Im about ten days late getting started on my trip here with the sudden change in weather. Im determined to get under way anyhow after packing up the jeep last night and checking the news online I see a small story on CNN that is just about a ‘oh yea, BTW- there is a 14 sq mile forest fire in Yellowstone NP that has the major North/South route closed at the moment. But that’s ok because they are expecting snow there by Wednesday…’

Well…, Im not sure if any of these speed bumps are going to change my route at this time or not, I do hope to leave in the morning heading east but just where that takes me is unclear. Some might say that is pretty normal-

See you on the road.