County Road 5

Ok, so it's a picture from last fall...this time there is more white and less yellow, but I did not bring a camera.

But with a bit of work near Ridgway, I hit up a nice dirt road run up County Road 5 to the mesa just below Sneffels. Whew, what goes up must come down and it turned into another 90-minute run.

No music in the ears on the day, and a near death experience from a unrepentant UPS driver (who also decided to stop the truck and chastise me for the sin of dirt road running..... Yes "it" was overweight and somehow thought I had no right to run there....)

All I can think of is Wille the Pimp.

This has the unique distinction of not only being one of the greatest guitar jams of all time, but also one of the best videos.

Many imitated afterward.

This should be in schoolbook texts for American History. I mean seriously - you really think Calvin Coolidge, or George W. Bush for that matter contributed to the union more than Frank Zappa?

Ok that's is a pretty darn low hurdle to jump over. I admit....

Run like an antelope

Well perhaps more like roll like a cantaloupe. I've been getting some running lately and have been enjoying it. When I travel it is much easier to hit up an epic trail run than it is for a biking one primarily because of time.

So with some work down in Taos and then Red River, I settled on the Lobo Peak Trail near Questa.

I am surprised I never biked this - awesome singletrack.
Nice meadows, but as amazing as fall colors are when in full decaying bloom - it is even more amazing how it turns to nothing but dull grays when it is over.
I think I need one of those runners caps so I can hide my suffering. Actually, not much suffering at all, but the right knee acts up after an hour or so. Hopefully I can harden that and push on. I got 90-mins of pain free running this time which was a good sign.

Festival 8

Ok, so had better planning been involved in my life, Festival 8 would have been witnessed. But 3 days of Phish is kinda hard to swing in mid career, but the download isn't. 3 Days of Phish playing all their best tunes, and then a hellacious attempt at playing the Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street from cover to cover.

So I downloaded all THREE days of Festival 8 and decided a huge ride was in store to listen to some of it. Yeah, thats right - you can't ride long enough to wear out a Phish download.

Trust me - download this and be amazed. There is on like Donkey Kong and there is on like the Crimson Tide. Phish was on, I mean seriously on.

But what made this even better was I caught on with a big Peloton and listened to the concerts.

I figured I'd ride with some heavy hitters and listen to my new tunes. What a way a day can play.

On the way out to Hesperus, I eyed the group and there was big, bad Marco Esqualondolas leading us west to run like antelopes, and the effervescent Harry Hood ready to lead us up the Steep, and a whole slew of others to lead us that steep climb west. There were some heavy hitters here for sure.

I followed Susie Greenberg's wheel, and little Susie with her head caved in showed a lot. She's got a strong pull, but climbing up that steep Hesperus Hill I found that Susie's about as clean as a slot machine. Pays off once in a while, but she will rob you clean.

We moved toward Mancos and it was cold, cold, cold, cold, cold! I mean it was like I stepped into a Freezer! I fell back and was riding with Uncle Ebenezer!

But Mancos brought on special treats!
I had heard of the place, but never had seen the face.
Apple Ginger Bar. By the grace of Rutherford The Brave and the holy 44x16, I arrived.
But this Peloton was wickedly fast. I caught the wheel of Runaway Jim as best I could, but then came the hard charging Mike and he taught us his song. We turned toward Breen, and it was time to listen to the Stones, I mean I never heard Tumbling Dice play that well. The Black Crowes, while not exactly a band I listen to, did show us a great cover a few years ago, but damn Phish just rocked this one in an extended version played out in American musical roots that the Stones only pretended to play.
Agriculture was abundant, but Wilson kept yaking in the group ride and, well I almost felt like punching him in the eye. The dude kept trying to control the Peloton! But out of the corner of my eye, I got distracted! I saw an Ocelot out prancing in the field!

He pranced about like he could hide in the herd and float with the flock.
By then it was back to town and I decided to head north to Dalton Ranch. Kids were playing soccer in the golf course and it was just beautiful, too scenic to even contemplate a picture. When one sees a photographic moment like this, one doesn't even think of grabbing a camera.

As we rolled back toward town, it was apparent that we were fighting the Squirming Coil of Sunlight. I caught Satan's wheel, but he was too busy catching a Ray and he soon slipped out of sight. But nothing to fear, I caught a man with a Torn and Frayed jacket that was so epic, I think Keith Richards shed a tear. Damn that tune brought me back into town and I thought it might be best to roll down 3rd Street and back up Guglein.

Wouldn't you know it, but David Bowie wanted to pull me up the hill! I rocked the extended Bowie riff up to the Hostel and by then it was time to listen to the Ghost. At 95-miles and almost home, his answer gave actions, but he never spoke a word. It was 100 we went for and got.

Just like we had been instructed from the Ocelot.

I mean it was like living in a Loving Cup. Just one drink and I fell down drunk. As I said goodbye to Mick and the Stones, we both nodded to the Phish, who gave us this 100.

Lower

Dirt is good, and Cortez served a good dose of it.

Low

If you ride early, you gotta get low to avoid the chill. Fortunately La Plata County has tons of this stuff, with little traffic to be found. Road season is close to beginning.

Not yet Thermal Jacket weather, but windbreaker needed at times.
I picked up these Lake Winter shoes a few weeks ago from Colorado Cyclist. Really nice insulated shoes making shoe covers a thing of the past.
Roll low, but still roll big.

Wave that flag

Got to head south for work and picked up a sweet ride along the way in a place that I know well.

Roktober

Boom, boom, boom.

Bang, bang, bang.

Boom, boom, boom.

Man it's great to ride up in the mountains still.

You can climb all the way to Kennebec if you want, but I prefer to stay local.
Right out the front door.

Skip

We used to call this guy "Skip" back in High School.

Now he goes by Jim.

I think it's time to resurrect the old name if he keeps doing this.

Etruscan Warrior

Years ago, when I was a DAWU (dumb ass with undergrad), I started my first career as a field engineer. This was before the days when most field engineers had computers, imagine that. For each job I'd take out a huge paper file, sometimes with paper forms that had been started - and still had the ink stains - from the first engineer back in the 1940s!

It was really cool with the history and all, but due to the years and years of being handled by people, many of the smoking generation, these files actually smelled like money. When I needed to write a report myself, I'd do it handwritten on a yellow pad and send it off to a central typing pool halfway across the country where they still did not have computers, but rather things called data processors. A few weeks later a paper letter would be sent out and someone would amend that letter to the every growing file. Such was the way of doing business.

The job file thing was cumbersome, but sometimes there was the "Kilroy was here" kind of humor on those old test forms. Here is the story of one such episode.

In one particular job, I remember seeing all of these three digit numbers outside the column of a particular common test form. In other words in addition to the regular recorded data, there was extra information outside the form template itself - like another column had been added. Numbers like 302, 301, 303, 305...and on and on way down the page.

I didn't pay much mind to it, since my job was to put numbers into the rows and columns actually INSIDE of the form. But it did strike me as odd.

So I eventually visit this particular manufacturing plant located in the depths of the USA backwaters and upon my arrival, I meet an older gentleman who has been there for years, knows many of my coworkers and has been working with my company way before I could walk most likely. He's a big fellow, but friendly as all can be and he leads me out to do our regularly scheduled test. It takes a lot of time to make our rounds, but I see this fellow is quite entertaining with the ability to tell a story or two while we conduct these series of tests.

Ahh, makes the work day go by much speedier, eh?

It takes a couple of hours or so before we finish, but still need to walk back to his office. Tests went fine and I had my form all filled out - that is within the columns. Now it's just a walk-back and drive home to end the day.

As we stroll on the way back we stop, near the loading docks of his particular company.

On the floor there is a huge metal pad attached to a weighing scale. I have no idea why we stop here. Hmm, maybe he needs to talk to someone before we head back?

My new customer looks me in the eye and asks "Do you know what 300-lbs looks like?" And before I can reply, he steps right on the scale.

302-lbs.

So at that moment I knew I still had another piece of information to add to my form.

True story.

The Bianchi is back up and running, again.
Cold forged by big handed ironmongers in their spare time between making weapons for conquest.....
Do you know what 23-lbs looks like?

Sit Rep

In ARMY speak, that means Situation Report, which is appropriate right now. In D-town and thereabouts it's mid 70's, Sunny, and everything is open. Amazing, even some yellow aspens in pockets, and the in town potpourri of trees are in wild shades of the first half of ROY G BIV.

People are riding the high stuff, but I just can't convince myself to load a bike on a vehicle and drive up there. Instead, it's like Groundhog Day ride for the stuff accessible from in town.

Let's get some flapjacks!

High Point means something much different in Colorado than it does in the midwest.
The CT still works because it isn't broken.
And here SNAFU actually means, Situation Normal, All Funned Up?
And then FUBAR mean Funned Up Beyond All Reason?
Classified information.
What is amazing in this picture - and it takes an educated eye to appreciate - damn near every ride and valley I ride in.
Ride the dirt until you can only ride the pavement. It's that simple.

Right Wing Conspiracy

You know back in 82, I could throw a pigskin for a quarter mile.

But now my wrist, shoulder, and now lower back on the right side hurt, and hurt like hell just trying to brush my teeth.

It ain't no big thing. (sheesh...back in 88 I heard this song every damn morning for 2 semesters from a Jr. Republican roommate...)

Keep trying inbreds, but you can't keep this lefty down.

UPDATE: So after rehabilitation all week, which included a Rolf session I stayed off the bike, and went for a great run up Skyline and down the entire Raiders ridge. Result? Injured knee, on the right hand side.....of course. Doh!

Testing Tracks

I took Jeni out for a ride on the west side of town, before I did a loop in the Gulch. She brought her new Carver 96er and despite a tall gear, she climbed damn near everything thrown her way. It was fun!

Before she partook in massive Jedi warfare.
Then a bit of the hidden tracks to be explored.
And over to the Slimy Gulch for a bit.
Ending by exploration on the "new trail" before the final cemetery loop. Damn that thing was nice!
After this we hit Steaming Bean for some good bean and some Bread confections and then split ways. I looped out Horse Gulch all the way over to South Rim and Cowboy and she tried out the test fleet from Specialized for their demo days at MBS in the meadow.

This town makes biking waaaaaay to easy.

Hayden Peak

With some work back in Ridgway, I was hoping to do a repeat on my adventure via the Dallas Trail from last fall. But the NOAA weather forecast made me flinch, so I left the bike behind.

But when you travel a territory like this, you have to be prepared, so on the way home, I decided to go for a hike. I had the clothes, and the shoes, but I decided to keep on my 10-year old Doc Martens, which turned out to be a damn fine hiking boot.

I started at Hayden Lake as you can see in the picture above. It's a pretty popular spot in Ironton.
Just a couple of miles down the road from Richmond Trail, this one goes pretty much straight up like all trails here do.
Well marked and some snow along the way - with amazing views once above treeline.
Tredway brought me the hat in August and I think I found a ballcap that I actually like. Thanks!
But as I neared the crest, I saw the storm coming in. I decided to turn around and skip the final 30-min RT to the peak.
Good call, it was snowing hard at Red Mountain Pass on the drive back home.
Hiking....a great alternative to biking. Got my calorie burn in for the day, and then went with Jeni to Pint Night when I got back in town.

I read Icculus

Have your read the book?

Just pick up the book!

C'mon now, just pick up the book!
Can you read a book?
Just pick up the book!
Pick up the book!

Pick up the effing book!

Mountains are not cones.

"Clouds are not spheres, mountains are not cones, coastlines are not circles, and bark is not smooth, nor does lightning travel in a straight line." - Benoit Mandlebrot, father of fractal geometry.

With regards to cycling, I might that mountain bike training is not like weight lifting. You grab any text or listen to any expert like Chris Charmichael, and there is always this set/rep repeat, repeat, repeat based approach to training. Why? Well because it easiest to communicate to the masses a very prescriptive approach to improving fitness.

It all sounds so very similar to what we have heard in life before from others in authority:

*The Priest who told you "give me 10 hail marys, 3 psalms, and 10% of your money"

*The Drill Instructor told you "give me 50 reps in the front leaning rest position and your body to block a bullet"

*The IRS who tells you "give me 32 forms and your money"

But have you ever found a mountain bike course that has exactly 12 perfectly spaced hills that require 85% Critical Power for exactly the prescribed time duration? It is not a linear sport, never has been, never will be, because as Mandelbrot proves, Mountains are NOT cones.

Life is not euclidian geometry, but rather very fractal like.

With fractals there is a recursive pattern in which the small things mirror the large things, and thus create non-linearities in form or function and thus appearance. At a distance, a mountain may appear as conical, but then as you move closer you see smaller cones on the surface, and then smaller cones on that surface.

To apply to cycling, the only thing you have to do is repeat the process in continuous fashion, mimicking the geometry with your power output, food intake, manual dexterity, and a whole host of others key.

The crack scientific team at RBWATL will be working on that equation in the coming months.

Fall Blaze

Year 4 for us and it's been a blast every time. We turned in a pedestrian time this year by choice (about and hour slower than last year) - nice tour of the local country at a leisurely pace.


Ok these pictures look funny. Around here I broke my restraint and started taking in food, tired from a 4 hour self imposed starvation period! (diet on wheels)

Thank you for the last aid station PB and Honey Sandwiches!




And Jeni and I both purse our lips here - looks weird doesn't it? If I recall though both of us were caught mid bite in PB and Honey sandwichs.

But no beer at the Elmores Corner liquor store like we did 2 years back! That beer intake was saved for the Octoberfest!

More Colors

#It was time for the Carver's maiden voyage, so we headed out west, and rode a town classic.

And the colors were up high, and down low.
Set up rigid and 34x19, with a big wheel leading the way.
She climbed like a goat!
Then it was the CT back to town.
Spinning 26 in back.
At Gudy's Rest.
With my old Kooka crank!

Fall Blaztoberfest

The annual Fall Blaze Century Ride came and Jeni and I did our usual 100-mile ride together. Me on my single and she on her geared and we are a good match. We even found FLC flag so we rode with it for a while.

The town is all lit up from the scrub oak which turned sooner than the Aspens.
The it was onto the Octoberfest downtown and we tried for another century. In fluid Ozs.
The discussion at this point really was about harpooning whales for fat samples. No kidding.
Peace.

Revival

Saving the planet, one beer at a time.....

SSwirleds complete!

Wow, what an event! Amazing turnout!

Jeni and I both finished and it was cool seeing her spin across the line. I went hard for about and hour, then tried to keep the same intensity for another half hour and then the void from Vapor Trail last weekend caught up with me. So I stopped, worked through some cramps and just enjoyed the rest of the event. Would have loved to given a good XC effort, but wasn't in the cards for me. But I did ride damn near most of the ridge - I cleared stuff I never even attempted before - thats how fast I was pushing it before the Zipline bonk. Need to spend a little more time at xc races, me thinks.

I did sustain a separated shoulder early on - I slipped on a steep hike a bike over a boulder and slid downhill to my left - with my arm still on the bike up higher to the right. It didn't bother me until Secret Trail and then it was really hard to steer. Which again, by then didn't matter because I was at a ride pace and fighting cramps anyway. The shoulder should be fine in a few days, but how the hell can someone seperate a shoulder on a damn hike-a-bike?!?!? Lol.

As amazing as the actual event was, the party afterward was world class, complete with a basketball game between New Zealand and Italy, with the Italians shooting many jumpers but not making points. Must have been 4000 or so people at Ska Brewery. Can't describe, didn't take pictures. Just in awe. Think Andy Warhol/David Bowie/Lou Reed in the early 70's.