KanyonKris

Video: Fall Moab - Fruita

2009-11-10T14:55:00.002-07:00

I didn't get the best footage, but here's what I did with it:

I was amazed Bob tried the rock drop on a fully rigid bike. And he almost landed it.

I enjoyed watching the guys try stuff over and over. Like a playground.

Laid-back mood for every ride. No hurry, even though all these guys are fast. Regrouped frequently. Help with mechanicals. Encouragement to try stunts, but no pressure. Just a good time out with the boys.

Fall Moab - Fruita Edition

2009-11-08T22:31:00.003-07:00

This weekend I was in Fruita mountain biking with the brethren. It was an excellent trip with sunny days in the 60s - hard to believe it's November.

Friday afternoon was a quick ride of the Horsethief loop. The drop in is rough. Eric and Erik give it a go.

Bob gave it a run.

Saturday we rode the Tabeguache (Lunch Loops) area. Up Eagle's Wing and made our way over and down Gunny then back up and down Holy Cross then back to the parking lot.

Regrouping on Eagle's Wing.

Our fearless (quite literally!) leader, Rocky.

Bob and Nick flew in from Seattle. The abundant sunshine was too much and they sought out a darker spot to remind them of home.

Fruita is rugged, so you get your share of hike-a-bikes.

We finished off Saturday with a quick run out to the 18 Road area. A moderate climb up Prime Cut then flying down the whoop-dee-doos and banked turns of Kessel Run.

Sunday we went back out to the Kokopelli area and took Mary's out to Steve's Loop then on the way back we took Wrangler.

Good riding and nice views out on Steve's.

On the way back home we stopped at Ray's Tavern for burgers and ate outside. (It is the place for everyone.)

Yes, this is an abbreviated report. After days of riding with fast guys through rugged terrain, I'm tired. Didn't have it in me to tell the tale.

I enjoyed the company. Thanks to all who made this happen.

I've got some good video I'll put together and post tomorrow.

Lunch Ride Gift

2009-11-04T19:06:00.004-07:00

68 degrees + 11 month + 12 PM = lunch ride

Not riding yesterday was a sin (warm, sunny, trails mostly dry). Fortunately I was given a second chance today.

I've been riding Corner Canyon a lot lately so I mixed it up by riding up Oak Hollow. The trail was in good shape and I even made the tight switchback (on the 2nd attempt).

I headed up Maple Hollow through the culvert. The deep pea gravel in the lower half had me pumping the pedals to churn through it. The upper half has a deep washed out channel but there is room to ride on the sides.

I chugged up the trail and made the tight switchback on the ridge/hillside (1st try this time). The climb was fantastic with dry trail and some good views (except for the smog in the valley).

At the place where the trail ended last time I rode it, I found it continued in a roughed-in state. I was able to ride some, but more often pushed or carried the bike.

I was surprised to see snow lurking in the shadows. The trail was muddy in places, but nothing bad.

I arrived at the downhill trail, Crack at this stunt (which I rode for kicks).

Which is right above the half pipe trench. The Mapple Hollow trail is visible on the other side. The roughed in section begins not far past the left edge of the photo. I was hike-a-biking for 150 yards or so.

I was looking forward to the downhill trail, but it was pretty muddy and chewed up. I was off the bike several times. But the lower stuff down in the gully was dry so I got some DH fun.

I finished off the ride by going back down Oak Hollow. A good ride on a sunny, warm gift of a day in November.

(And the frightening Halloween post gets pushed farther down, yeah.)

Recent Books

2009-11-03T21:33:00.012-07:00

Before I get to the books ... Tonight my wife said something she thought she'd never say: "Please do a blog post." What prompted this? The hideous photo of me dressed up for Halloween. I must admit, while it seemed funny at the time, post-Halloween it's disturbing. My chubby, pasty, hairy gut is an affront to all that is good and decent. (I can't believe I didn't get razzed in the comments for it.) The purpose of this post is to push the Halloween post down where it won't be seen.

Now to the books. I've read a few recently. Here are my reviews:

First a story. Last Fall I yearned for something new to read, so at lunch I stopped by a bookstore and asked a 50-something guy there what he recommended. Those of you who are more literary will probably view this as a rookie mistake. He showed me several books and I selected Founding Brothers. I immediately discovered this is not a light read. It's dense and precise. It's obvious the author knows this subject deeply and he works hard to craft each long sentence to convey the exact meaning and tone he intends. But this level of exactness is tiring and I put this book aside 4 times for other books. A less stuborn person would have dumped the book, but this book was my choice, and I paid money for it - not like some library loaner. So my pride compelled me to finish it. Well last week I finished it and I felt pleased I'd stuck with it. No, that's not true, I felt relieved to be done with it.
My twisted motivations aside, I'll try to give an impartial review. The author is obvious an expert in Revolutionary history. His ample command of language allows him to accurately convey his assembled picture of the scenes and the people involved. His insights into the events, motives, and personalities is fascinating. Consequently I gained a deeper understanding of a handful of key Revolutionary events. But the reading is slow going with long sentences filled with big words. Often I got to the end of a sentence only to realize I'd read the words but not soaked in the meaning, so I read it again. A good book, but it made me work and sometimes I resented that. Dug listened to the audiobook - that's the way to go as it would be a stimulating lecture.

From the title you'd expect this book to be a long, dry explanation of the big bang theory. But it's really a fascinating history of astronomy, cosmology, physics and other sciences that led to the theory of the big bang. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (disclaimer: I dig science), although the epilogue was a bit too philosophical. Also, some of the examples were not needed as the explanation was enough (but they are easy to skip).

Good writing, good story - I liked this book for what it is. Tough to do this kind of story without it being too sappy, sentimental, preachy - he mostly pulls it off. Some good ideas and food for thought.

We watched the made-for-TV movie based on this book with Jon Voight and it was pretty good.

I liked the staccato writing style, the Nazi Germany setting and the unconventional 3rd person storytelling. Is kindness all that really matters in life? Possibly.

It was a freezer book for dug, and I agree with that.

Now I'm reading Angels And Demons. Everyone I asked liked it. So far it's a roller coaster ride like The Da Vinci Code. I'll finish it in a month - yeah, I'm a slow reader. I need to try some audiobooks for the commute, as dug and Mark have recommended.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:20:00.004-07:00

Meet my Halloween persona - Wyatt Rash.

When I was in costume I tried to kiss my wife but she recoiled and pushed me away. Evidently this is NOT her type.

She was even less pleased by the influence I'm having on my son.

For the Hell-o-Ween night ride with the guys I'd prepared a few red-neck accessories. The old Trek helmet with lycra cover and a $1 flashlight was good for lighting up a full 2 feet ahead. And the camALEbak took care of my "hydration" needs. (I didn't wear these on the ride.)

Here's the sign I came up with for the ride. I found the pumpkin along the road on the way home from work - it was fate. I did the carving.

I only had time for these two photos before the ride started. I was impressed by all the good costumes.

For the race up the Water Tank road climb I pushed it, but not too hard - didn't want to be blown for the rest of the ride. (That's the story I'm sticking too.) I couldn't believe how fast the lead guys shot up the hill.

At the top I volunteered to run sweep, in honor of Dug, who some people said was there, but others said he wasn't.

Heading up the Belt trail was an awesome sight with all the lights marching up the hillside.

At the Altar a few riders decided to cut it short so they went down and I took off trying to catch the group, whose lights had just gone over the ride to the west.

It was a little eerie going solo. The clouds were moving across the sky alternately hiding and revealing the nearly full moon. There were occasionally sounds off in the brush. And at the ridge a purple ghost decoration was hanging from a tree. It was a perfect Halloween night.

At the puddle I saw the group, but couldn't catch them. Up on top I was surprised to see Kenny coming the other way - he was going back to look for his lost glasses.

On the downhill I settled into a good rhythm and enjoyed the nearly effortless flow. Certainly it helped that these are my home trails.

On the hillside above Dry Canyon I could see the group's lights down in the canyon. I made it down in time to catch the tail end of the group and Rick taking video.

The ride down Dry Canyon was sweet. The darkness makes the edges look more ominous. I heard a few people rode the pipe - I did not. The lead group went down the stairs, but I took the cutoff and joined the pack about ready to ride the final leg - the BST back to the parking lot.

I asked Rick if he wanted to lead out, he told me to go for it. I love this section of trail and my home court advantage allowed me to ride it pretty fast. I was still in a good groove and it flowed so smooth - I had a big grin on my face the whole time. And Rick was right behind me, motivating me to keep the pace up.

Many of us headed to Denny's for breakfast. I enjoyed the food and spending time laughing and talking. Then, well after midnight, we all went our separate ways in the dark - back home.

Halloween day I went out to mow the lawn and it was so nice I decided I HAD to go for a ride.

I went up the Water Tank road, up Betty and Belt, down Frank then out the road and down Dragon's Back, up the pipeline then down to Nunn's Park and over to the BST by Bridal Veil and took it up and out the canyon.

After crossing Squaw Peak road I usually go up, but this time I stayed on the old double-track looking for a trail I'd heard people mention. I found it and took it down to a little trail head park near the mouth of the canyon. It was a fun ride, but the switchbacks are tight and didn't make any of them. I'm still finding new trail, how sweet is that?

Here's the family dressed up for Halloween.

I took the ninja boy out trick-or-treating.

Here are our jack-o-lanterns. I did the flaming one. Soak a roll of toilet paper in kerosene and light. It's supposed to last an hour, but mine only lasted 20 minutes. Perhaps cheap toilet paper isn't even good for burning.

Photo Pun

2009-10-28T21:19:00.002-06:00

This photo is a visual pun. If you figure it out, give your answer in the comments.

I'm not sure why my daughter had that word painted on her forehead. Something to do with Halloween festivities at school.

Hints (the text below is white - to see it highlight it)

1. You need to know my daughter's name.

2. She is my youngest daughter.

3. You're looking for the name of an animal.

4. An animal the size of an elk.

5. The animal lives up north.

6. The animal is known for it's migration.

7. I'm out of hints.

New Stuff

2009-10-26T21:16:00.006-06:00

A quick night ride up in the foothills tonight. Up the Water Tank road, up Betty, went up past the Altar 20 yards then took a left on the new, roughed-in trail that goes west and generally follows Lament (very fun ride!), up Crank then took 051 (Lament) west/north, down Dry Canyon then back on BST. I had sunlight until Betty then turned on the bike lights. Dry Canyon in the dark looks scarier - over the edges it appears bottomless due to the ink-black shadows.

(Hey Sham-wow, why do I forget you live so close to me? We need to get together for some night rides, unless my slowness would drive you nuts.)

OK, on to the new stuff (sorry, no new bike stuff).

Last week I watched a 5 minute presentation about remote control flight on the cheap (presentation slides). I got so pumped I ordered the parts the next day. I picked up the airplane kit locally and built it Sunday (while I stayed home with my son who was acutely constipated, but I won't go there). I'm waiting for the radio, motor, batteries, servos and other bits to be shipped from a discount hobby store in Hong Kong.

The airplane I bought is a GWS Slow Stick. It's a cheap beginner plane that flies slow and steady. Years ago I flew R/C gliders at The Point. This plane is powered by an electric motor and it's docile and quiet enough I can fly it at the local park. I'll let the kids fly it too.

It was pretty easy to build - most of the parts are ready to go, just needed some assembly. I put the stickers only on the right side so when it's far away you can tell which way it's facing (trust me, it can be hard to tell from the ground sometimes).

CD in photo to show scale

Here's a Slow Stick (outfitted with pontoons) taking off from Lake Powell with a camera attached to show the bird's-eye-view:

Once I get comfortable flying this plane I'd be happy to let people take it for a spin. Let me know if you're interested.

This should make Mark happy:

I'm guessing I'll be eating In-N-Out burgers in November. This store is on State Street just north of 123rd South.

Finally, my old Moab sticker was dying.

So out with the old, in with the new Watcher sticker.

Will people think I belong to some new-age mason cult? I hope so.

Saturday A Bust

2009-10-25T22:46:00.002-06:00

If I would have known it was going to rain Saturday afternoon I would have gone for a ride in the morning. But work first so I bought new tires for my car and got it (and the van) inspected and registered. Oh, joy.

We were planning to attend the Bike Peddler season-end ride and BBQ. The rain nixed the ride for us and most of the others, except these two die-hards:

When they rolled in they were both so cold they could hardly talk and were shivering uncontrollably.

It rained off and on (and even a bit of hail), but the burgers were good and the fire was warm.

Josh (photo below far right) ran a little point series and the frozen mud man (photo above right) took the glorious trophy (next to Josh below).

But tomorrow looks OK and I'm going to try a mountain bike ride. I hope Corner Canyon isn't muddy.

Corner Canyon Double-Up

2009-10-22T22:52:00.002-06:00

Rode Corner Canyon again tonight - this time with Mark. Still good conditions.

A little different route: from equestrian center up Creekview, up Clarks, down Mistress, up Canyon Hollow and Brocks, down Brocks then up the upper part of Canyon Hollow, down the dirt road, down Ghost Falls (amazingly fast and fun), down Stairs and down Canyon Hollow.

The photos are from Mistress (Jamie, you better name that trail before Mistress sticks). The trail is settling in nicely. Still a bit rough, but that will smooth out. A few turns are wicked tight, maybe just need some tweaking. Already flows nice and will only get better.

Chatted with Brad in the parking lot. He was rolling a secret weapon cross bike that he'll unleash Saturday. And Brad's facial hair is full in - it would be rad if it were part of his Halloween costume.

Fallen Corner Canyon

2009-10-21T21:34:00.002-06:00

Changed clothes and left work at 5 to ride Corner Canyon.

The low 50s and blustery wind had a little sting to it.

Rode from the equestrian center up Corner Canyon, BST, Pipeline, South Ghost Falls, Canyon Hollow, Brock's Point.

Then up the old double-tracks to Jacob's Ladder.

It has been months since I last did Jacob's. Unfortunately the trail has taken a beating. Way more washboards (especially before the turns) and a few deep grooves. Hey, sKids, knock it off! It was still fun, just not as sweet.

I continued down Ghost Falls - wow!

Last week Jolene rode it with the girls and most of the leaves were still on the trees. Now most of the leaves are fallen, but the leaf carpet is fantastic. I think I slipped into a psychedelic trance a few times as I watched the technocolor trail. The trail was perfectly hard and tacky.

Ran into a UMB buddy, Jake, on the way down and we finished off with a run down Creekside.

Some good color in the sunset as the finale.

Saw a few PsychoCross guys doing laps - getting ready for the Draper race this Saturday. No way I would have traded my ride for that. I did the race last year on my mountain bike - felt pretty much like an ICup race, meh. The cross addicts tell me the bike makes a difference so perhaps I'll finagle a real cross bike and try again. I dunno, hard for me to give up the trails while they're still not snowed in.

Glenwild / Flying Dog Loop

2009-10-18T13:31:00.002-06:00

In case you missed it Friday, Andy Hampsten is my new hero!

Mark and I rode the Glenwild / Flying Dog loop Saturday afternoon. Comfortable temperature and sunny under a bright blue sky.

We rode clockwise (first time going this direction for me) and I liked it. The climb from Sagebrush up into the Aspens of Flying Dog was just the right effort I was hoping for. I enjoyed rolling down the switchbacks on the east side.

The trail was in good shape (except for a few wet spots). Plenty of people out riding, but spread out enough it didn't feel crowded. A sweet 2 hours of Fall riding with the musty smell of fallen leaves in the air.

My Hero Andy Hampsten

2009-10-16T12:30:00.005-06:00

I'm not into celebrities. There are a few people I admire and think it would be cool to meet, and I take note of the news enough that if a name comes up in conversation I will sometimes know who it is, but that's about it.

(Tangent: Asking for an autograph seems lame to me. And don't get me started on kids at Disneyland hounding "characters" [aka teenagers in costume] for autographs.)

But yesterday I found a reason to like Andy Hampsten. A lot. In fact, he's a hero to me. Why? Because of this photo I saw on FatCyclist:

Those are Andy Hampsten's legs in the foreground left. And you see why I got excited, right? No, not his socks or shoes.

Andy's legs have hair!

That's right, a pro cycling icon is not shaving his legs! Finally, a big name in cycling is taking a stand against the vain and emasculating practice of leg shaving.

I can feel it, this is a milestone in cycling history similar to when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat. With Andy's bold stand the winds of cycling fashion are about to change in favor of au natural. Free from the bondage of the razor!

Thanks to Andy, when some girly-legged cyclists makes a snide comment about my leg hair I will just tell them cycling legend Andy Hampsten doesn't shave, and if leg hair is OK with him, it's OK with me and should be OK for every cyclist.

Stand tall, Andy! The hairy-legged cyclists of the world stand with you.

That's why Andy Hampsten is my new hero.

24 Hours Of Moab

2009-10-12T19:37:00.004-06:00

When I arrived at Mad Dog base camp, Jolene was still out on her pre-ride. I talked to some of the folks at camp, ate lunch, then wandered around the booths and HQ.

When Jolene came in she was a little concerned. We expected a mostly flat course with sand being the biggest obstacle. Not so. The first 5 miles featured a lot of broken rock and ups and downs with tricky technical challenges. After that it is mostly flat, hard pack with sporadic sand traps to keep it interesting.

Saturday I went out and rode the course before the race started. I was also surprised how tough the course was. I walked many technical spots. The last 2/3 of the course were easier going, but I cutoff the loop beyond Prostitute Bluff because I didn't want to miss the the start. I made it just in time. Check out the costumed dude who sprinted for all he was worth to lead the run. (Reminded me of Wez from The Road Warrior.)

That start was quite the spectacle. The runners churned up a big cloud of dust. The poor runners in the middle and rear must have been choking on it.

After the start it got quiet. But an hour later in came the lead group and Chris Holley was in it. Thereafter riders kept streaming past camp which was on the edge of the road leading to the finish.

At evening we were treated to a nice sunset.

Jolene and I retired to the van but we didn't sleep much. At 1 AM we got up and got ready. At 1:45 we set out. Jolene hasn't done much night riding so I rode the night lap with her.

Riding the course at night was familiar yet strange. Everything looked different but recognizable. Surprisingly I rode a few of the technical spots I had walked during the day. I liked the night lap but Jolene not so much. She doesn't see well in the dark and she'd crashed in the sand on her 1st lap so she was tentative.

With 3 miles to go we could see the lights of the encampment. But as we went down in a depression I lost sight of it, got turned around and didn't recognize it went we crested the rise at the west end. It felt good to be done.

We ate some soup (both of us had been hungry since half way into the lap) then went to bed and got some sleep.

In the morning we ate some breakfast, talked, sent racers out, watched racers go by and welcomed them back after a lap.

This group cheered, waved the flag and had music going as they escorted their racer in.

Dorothy came in at 10:30 AM and it was time for Jolene's last lap. I was a little worried about her. She doesn't do much endurance stuff and I wondered if her fatigue would cause her to crash or just be too tired to enjoy the last lap. So I was glad to see a smile on her face when she came in.

The Great Dames had a good time racing and came in 2nd.

All in all it was a good experience. I can see that doing this would be fun, but I was happy with my for-fun laps and spectating. Given a choice I'd rather be riding some of the incredible trails in Moab, but this event is good for variety.

Rant: I was disappointed to see all the garbage on the trail as the race wore on. Especially after the technical stuff where it flattened out the ground was heavily littered with empty gel pouches. Come on mountain bikers, we're better than that. On a positive note, I was pleased to see everyone at camp Mad Dog cleaning up the campsite before leaving.

Moab Road Ride

2009-10-12T19:35:00.008-06:00

This weekend we went down to 24 Hours of Moab and I squeezed in a road ride on Friday.

Around 2:00 PM Jolene dropped me off at Castle Valley to ride up and over the La Sal Loop Road then out to 24 Hours of Moab. I was a bit apprehensive to go solo, but I've wanted to ride the "reverse" direction ever since I did the Moab Century in 2006.

Jolene took this photo of me before she drove off.

Starting up the road I caught sight of Castleton Tower (climbing it in 2004 was one of the best experiences of my life).

The road is flat at first but then climbs at a mellow 3-4% for a few miles which was a good warm-up. Then the steeper climbing begins. Fortunately it rolls enough to give some breaks, unlike The Big Nasty on the other (south) end which is always steep or steeper.

Part way up the climb looking back into Castle Valley with Porcupine Rim on the left and Castleton Tower to the right.

Up ahead I could see what looked like the summit. My legs wanted it to be, but my brain said it couldn't be high enough. Sure enough after climbing the switchbacks and cresting the saddle I could see another small valley I had to cross and more climbing on the other side.

There had been a fire in this valley recently. All the trees were burned black, but new growth was coming up. Here the road had patches of loose, gravel (perhaps caused by the fire) and I went slow to avoid a crash. On the other side there was this pleasant forest of conifers and Aspen.

A few miles later I reached the true summit. I could still see Castleton Tower off in the distance.

After the summit I was treated to some nice descents and a few short, mellow climbs.

As I went south I could see the La Sals above me.

I had one major drainage to cross. Descending into Mill Creek was bitter-sweet knowing I'd have to climb back out. The creek was still running. The bridge was new - put in 1-2 years ago. Climbing out was not too long or hard.

Part way down the real descent off the mountain I could see encampment for 24 Hours of Moab.

I really enjoyed coming down and it seemed to go on and on. Eventually the grade dropped to 2-4% as I headed north toward Moab but it was still fun as I could lightly pedal in my highest gear and zip along.

I took a road that connects over to highway 191 and started south again. This was only 4-5 miles, but it seemed longer. My legs were getting tired. When I rounded what I hoped was the last bend I was not happy to see a hill. I ground up it and there was the turnoff.

My wife had left me a message on my cell to tell me the road in was dirt but hard packed. Cyclocross time. It wasn't bad on the road bike except for a few spots of loose sand that the skinny tires dropped right through.

I got some looks as I drove through the temporary mountain bike mecca and found the Mad Dog camp. It was a good ride of 43 miles and just under 5,000' climbing. My legs did OK, but not having been on the road bike much this year my back ached on the big climb. The scenery was amazing and the cooler Fall temperature was perfect for the ride.

Tomorrow I'll post about 24 Hours of Moab.

Prepping For 24 Hours Of Moab

2009-10-07T22:40:00.004-06:00

Jolene is on a 4 woman team for 24 Hours of Moab. I'm going down to spectate, crew a bit and do a few rides. We've been getting things ready for the race / trip.

I replaced the headset in both Jolene's Sugar and my X-Caliber. The X-Cal had a little slop that turned into bigger slop. I tried to snug it up, but the slop remained - that usually means bad headset. And it was bad. The inner race had been worn in two. The Sugar was still on it's original headset from 2004. It actually looked pretty good, the grease wasn't filthy, but I couldn't tighten up the slop so I figured it was time for an overhaul.

I have worked on almost every part of a bike, but not a headset. I did the X-Cal at the UMB shop with Mikey. With the right tools it's an easy job. Knock the old cups out, press the new ones in, remove the old crown race from the fork and install the new one, install the fork with the new bearings in place, snug it up and lock the stem down.

I borrowed Mike's tools and did the Sugar at home. Went fine except I broke Mike's cool plastic pipe crown race setter and had to run to Mad Dog to giterdone.

The new headsets are nothing fancy, Cane Creek S-1 and S-3, but they are sealed with cartridge bearings and should last a long time.

I enjoyed learning something new about fixing bikes, and it was pretty easy.

We've also been getting stuff together we need to take down to Moab. Packing is so much fun.

I'm thinking I'll do a road ride Friday. Here's my plan: Have Jolene drop me off at the Colorado River bridge and do the Moab Century route in reverse. Up along the river, ride up Castle Valley, across the foothills of the LaSals, then down, 3-4 miles south on the highway then turn off and do 1.5 miles of cyclocross on the dirt road to the 24 Hours of Moab mobile city. Looks like 60 miles.

Not sure what I'll do Saturday. I've heard such good things about Upper Porcupine I may have to go give it a ride.

Or I may be lazy and hang out at Burning Moab the whole time. Maybe do a lap with Jolene. Sneak over and do fake live blog posts while Elden is out doing his lap ("Fatty attacked by swarm of scorpions and viciously stung - he's swollen and looks like the Michelin Man, but he continued riding."). You know, general goofing off.

But I've been feeling my oldness lately so I may just sit and eat, talk and read (I'm enjoying Big Bang - another good recommendation, dug).

Foothills Ride

Got in a little ride tonight up in the foothills. First ride for the X-Cal in a few weeks since it was out with the bad headset. I went up to the Altar to find the new trail that parallels Lament. Last time I went looking for it I went too far up GWT and found some other new trail.

I liked the trail. It's "rustic" and feels like I'm blazing trail. It connected with Crank not too far from top where it Tees into Lament (051).

Then I cruised down Crank and Ireland as the sun set and the light faded. It was dark when I got home.

Dutch Hollow

2009-10-04T18:16:00.003-06:00

Saturday Jolene and I spent a few hours riding up at Dutch Hollow State Park near Midway. The trails are pretty good and we enjoyed connecting up routes. This was Jolene's 4th time riding Dutch Hollow and my first.

The weather threatened, but we didn't get rained on and the leaves had some good color.

(Dutch Hollow brochure PDF)

From the parking lot we went up Cottontail and out to the Heber Valley Overlook. Then we went up Sage and down Aqueduct to take my first run down The Barrel which goes down a gully banking up on the sides (similar to Rodeo at Lambert Park but bigger). Next we went up Dutchman Way then down Aqueduct and The Barrel again. Looped back up Sage and Aqueduct to hit The Barrel the 3rd time. Finally we went up Sage and Aqueduct and descended Dutchman Way.

Jolene riding down Aqueduct

Taking a big bank on The Barrel

Riding the upper line after the big bank

Catching some air on the lower half of The Barrel

Jolene passing a bright red maple as she comes up Dutchman Way

Ruddy red Gambel Oak lining Dutchman Way

Hearing dead leaves crunch under the tires - one of the joys of Fall riding

I liked riding Dutch Hollow. The trails are mostly buff cruisers with moderate climbing/descending with a few technical features. There are enough trails to keep things interesting as we connected them together to make up routes on the fly.

We skipped all the higher trails because Jolene feels they aren't very good. Burnt Ridge is an old double-track that's not very interesting - better to take Cottontail and Sage. 1000 Turns and Enchanted Forest are overgrown and don't flow due to all the sharp turns. Gobblers Gulch is a trench. Boneyard is OK but isolated.

I managed to crash. Operator error on a sideslope coming down The Barrel. I slid out. It did burp the front tubeless tire - that's a first for me. I added some more air and had no issues for the rest of the ride.

From Orem it took us 1/2 hour to get there. It was worth the drive to try some new trails. The trails aren't much different or any better than those in the foothills or Corner Canyon, Lambert Park or Glenwild so it I can't see myself riding Dutch Hollow more than once or twice a year. But if I lived in the Heber Valley I'd ride these trails a lot.

Matrix Glitch

2009-10-01T12:30:00.001-06:00

Driving to work this morning I concluded there's been a glitch in The Matrix. What else can explain this?

Or this?

(Full disclosure: The above photo was reused from this post, but I really did see another one of these W'04 stickers on the bumper of a Ford pickup truck this morning.)

Or the pigeon that tried to fly into my car?

Perhaps the humans have sabotaged The Matrix to try and free more of us plugged-in minds. The machines will fix the anomalies soon and I'll be back to blithely enjoying Fall again.

Fall Family Fun

2009-09-29T20:35:00.002-06:00

Evidently we have an addiction to Autumn because we were back at it Sunday and Monday.

Sunday afternoon we drove up to Big Spring Hollow to have a picnic dinner and hike with the kids. A lot of other people had the same idea, but it wasn't too crowded.

The first meadow.

Saw a Ruffed Grouse on the way up.

More crazy colors.

The big meadow looked amazing at twilight with the moon rising.

Monday we went up to Timpanogos Cave.

Kade had issues. He didn't like the steep edges of the trail or the height. I carried him half way up and then finally he got brave and started hiking and then he was fine. When we got to the cave he didn't want to go in, so I carried him in. He was upset and wanted out, but I kept working with him until another switch flipped and he was excitedly exploring the cave features. I'm feeling pretty good about my parenting psychology skills, but I'm sure they'll throw me a curve ball soon enough.

On the way up.

The heart of Timpanogos (but I don't think they call it that anymore - what's up with that?)

Stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, and cave bacon.

Nice flowstone.

I always forget how steep and long the hike is up to the cave. Only 1.5 miles, but over 1,000' vertical. The views were spectacular, especially with the colored leaves.

The kids enjoyed the cave. It has good decoration and is tight and twisty, but not claustrophobic. Take a flashlight for each kid (how did I not think of this?). The cave closes October 19th so if you want to see it this year do it soon.

Web Fun Roundup

2009-09-29T12:10:00.000-06:00

I've had a few good web "things" come my way recently. It's sharing time.

Autotuned Carl Sagan, with Stephen Hawking. Amusing, yet substantive.

Remixed 1987 dating video. The personalities, fashion, preferences, hang-ups - it's all here. I can't help wonder, what's happened since with these guys?

Awkward Family Photos is having a couples contest. Here's my favorite entry so far:

Blackhawk Blaze

2009-09-27T22:12:00.002-06:00

Saturday was the 2nd annual Fall Blackhawk, since we did a similar ride last year. Like last year: pleasant weather, the trails were in good shape, and we enjoyed riding with Jesse and Patty.

We parked at the Loafer Mountain trail head then went up Blackhawk, down Frank Young, across Rock Springs, down Jones Ranch, jogged over to Payson Lakes, down the Blackhawk then flew down Bennie Creek. 14 miles of outstanding single-track punctuated with a few technical features and only marred by some spots of dust.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

The first part of the ride with Loafer Mountain in the background.

The trail is fun, but even better when you add Fall scenery like this:

Jesse and Patty climbing the head of Beaver Dam Creek.

Jolene likes this tree - every Fall we've been down Bennie Creek this maple is lit up in deep red.

I've Seen Fire

2009-09-23T20:39:00.002-06:00

Jolene and I did a quick ride up Big Springs Hollow this evening. It would have been shorter but we couldn't ride very far without seeing another amazing display of Fall colors. Get to the mountains soon, the colors won't last long.

Heading up the trail.

The upper meadow.

The gully crossing.

The big meadow.

The dirt road out of the big meadow.

Two turkeys.

Near the end I came upon four turkeys only 10 feet away in the trail. They scattered as I stopped to pull out the camera. As I walked around trying to get a photo I was hearing other turkeys in the bushes. Jolene and I wandered around trying to get photos of them and spooking them from one place to another. A few times they flew up into the Cottonwoods - I don't believe we'd seen wild turkeys fly before.

The turkeys were the icing on the cake of a fantastic ride.

Topeak Mountain Morph Pump

2009-09-22T21:19:00.004-06:00

Over the years I've had good and bad mini pumps. The last pump I had was finicky - it always took several tries before it locked onto the stem properly. So on a ride I asked Alex if he could recommend a pump and he immediately gave a strong recommendation for the Topeak Morph series of pumps. So I bought a Mountain Morph a month ago.

They are called Morph because they transform from an ordinary-looking mini-pump into a small floor pump. I've used the pump twice now and it is much easier to use. No more death gripping the pump head to support it on the stem.

The Morph pumps work like a small floor pump: Unclip the head and attached it to the stem via the foot-long hose, fold out the foot pad and stand on it, extend the handle and rotate it sideways then pump air.

The head can accommodate Presta or Schrader valves by unscrewing the cap on the head and flipping two pieces inside.

The Mountain Morph pumps a good volume of air with each stroke. It didn't take long to fill the 2.1" wide tire on my 29er bike.

Most important is the reduced effort. It takes me 2/3 the time and 1/2 the effort to pump up a tire.

The pump is larger and heavier than other mini-pumps. I have plenty of room in my CamelBak so size is not a big deal to me, and I'll gladly carry a few more ounces for a pump that works well. If you want smaller and lighter, the Mini Morph may be the pump for you.

There is also the Turbo Morph G (a Mountain Morph with a gauge) and for road bikes the Road Morph and Road Morph G (with gauge).

I'm impressed with this pump and recommend it. And Alex reports his pump has held up pretty well over the years.

Autumn Panic

2009-09-20T11:14:00.003-06:00

When the days get shorter, the air gets cooler and the leaves start changing color I panic a little. Even though Fall is a great time to ride, I get nervous it won't last long enough for me to get in all the riding I want to do before the snow flies. The only remedy I know is to take every opportunity to ride.

This means pulling a night shift in Corner Canyon on Thursday. A good ride with a good crew. I rode Clarks, Ghost Falls, Canyon Hollow, and the upper part of Jamie's trail. I ended my shift a little early and headed home at 11:30, but as I loaded up the bike I could see an undulating string of lights moving across the mountain side as they rode out on the BST - in the words of my son, it looked freakin' awesome. Rick wonders if the locals call in UFO sightings on Thursdays, after seeing it myself it looks like an alien invasion.

Saturday morning I joined a big crew to work on Jamie's trail. The trail dozer had cut a few more miles of trail and we were there to add the finish work. I spent a lot of time kneeling in the dirt cutting out roots (aka derailleur destroyers). When I rode back up the trail I was amazed at the transformation. This trail is good and only getting better. Jamie joked that one possible name for the trail is Divorce since Jamie has spent 5 weekends in it. My vote is for Pogostick. But maybe the right name will come once the trail is complete and we get a feel for it.

Just a little dirty from the trail work.

After the trail work Jolene and I met up with Andy and Rhonda for an outstanding Park City ride. Not a good start when I realized I forgot my shoes. Luckily we had just purchased some new MTB shoes for Jolene in Heber on the way up. I bought some cleats at Cole Sport, squeezed my feet into her new shoes and we were off. (Yes, my big toe hurt the whole ride, but it was so worth it.)

The Crest loop was one option on the table, but in the end we went with a fantastic route Andy put together. Up Crescent Mine Grade, down Thayne's Road, up Powerline, around the Shadow Lake Loop, down Keystone, down Apex, down Steps, across Riser, down Empire Link, up Tour de Suds, then return on Mid Mountain and finish off down Spiro and back to the cars on Silver Spur.

The ladies cranking up Crescent Mine Grade.

Jolene and I on Apex.

I was on the full suspension 26er Prophet today. The headset of the 29er X-Caliber is worn out (I should have it fixed this week). It was weird to be back on "small" wheels and full suspension again. I was riding like a spaz at first, but settled in after a few miles. I had to keep reminding myself to stay in the saddle. The cush of the rear suspension was nice. The new, full-coverage shift cable worked great all day with no shifting problems that weren't operator error.

Jolene all smiles on Empire Link.

All the trails were good, but the highlight for me was ripping down Empire Link. The trail flows through a thick forest and is loaded with humps for catching air.

There were definite signs of Fall with the leaves changing color. I recommend you get up there this week or next to check it out.

The Autumn colors are in the air.

We ended the ride with a long downhill run. Spiro was sweet. 25 miles and around 4000 feet of climbing.

After the ride we were all hungry. We ate 3 buffalo burgers and a turkey sandwich at Squatters. After dinner we said good-bye to Andy and Rhonda and drove home. A most excellent Saturday.

The Vuelta Stage 17 Thriller

2009-09-17T11:00:00.005-06:00

Last night I watched the last 45 thrilling minutes of Stage 17 of the Vuelta.

A 5-man break was out 6 km from the start of this flat stage. As usual the peloton was drilling it near the end to reel them in. The peloton was hitting speeds over 70 km/h (43 mph) and was eroding the gap fast.

The break faltered 5 km from the finish as they jockeyed to avoid the lead and looked over their shoulders for the charging peloton. Finally Maaskant took charge and shot off the front. Then Roux made a huge bridge up to Maaskant, rested for a while on his wheel, then took the lead.

With 3 km to go the peloton was bearing down under 30 seconds away and Roux was giving the pedals everything he had left. At the last turn the peloton was right there but Roux took the win by only a few meters.

It was one of the most exciting sports moments I've seen. You could feel the impending doom as the massive peloton charged forward, closer and closer to Roux. At a left turn through a round-about you could see Roux exit with the peloton right behind him entering the round-about (see the video below). Jolene and I were both physically tense as we watched. And how sweet it was when Roux crossed the line.

This video recap is pretty good, but cuts out too much. If you have this stage recorded, go watch the last 30 minutes or more to get the full impact.

Bonus

I saw this sticker mentioned on the UMB forum - not a bad idea:

There are two other stickers to chose from.

Group Ride Close To Home

2009-09-16T21:06:00.003-06:00

Met up with the Bike Peddler group ride tonight since they were riding close to our house. We rode up the Water Tank Road, up Betty, up Fretty (my name for the new trail between Frank and Betty), up Frank to the Altar, then up Lament. Here we split - Bill and Nate went on to Dry Canyon while the rest of us went down Crank and Ireland then back down the Water Tank Road.

It was a good ride. I haven't been up in the foothills for over almost two months and since then it's turned from green to gold. The trails were in fairly good shape, but the recent rains had caused water to run down the trails in places washing away dirt and leaving loose rocks. But it wasn't bad and was less dusty.

The sun was setting as we rode down Ireland lighting everything in golden orange. I snapped this photo quick and was surprised how well it turned out. Nice pose, Josh!

It was good to ride with some folks I hadn't seen in a while and meet some new friends.

Bike Maintenance: Shift Cable

I did some work on the bikes before the Moab trip. I tried to get my old Prophet going for Moab, but stupidly tried to clean a shift cable only to get it stuck. The Prophet has a ghost shifting problem that shows up after only 3-4 rides of installing new shift cables. Talking to Mike at the UMB shop we hit upon a simple idea which I hope will fix it.

The bike has lugs on the downtube for the cables and normally there is a break in the cable housing here and bare cable between the lugs. But the front wheel flips dirt and mud up onto the cable which runs down into the housing, gunking it up.

So we installed solid, unbroken cable housing from the shifter all the way down to the rear derailleur. While at the shop I noticed that Bruce ran solid cable housing on his Prophet also so I'll bet he had the same problem and arrived at the same solution. I'll get the Prophet out for some test rides to see if this change fixes the ghost shifting.

I'm not certain why frame designers / bike manufacturers put these break in the cable housing. Sheldon Brown states that it's to save weight. I think that's a bad idea for a mountain bike - I'd rather gain a few grams in shift cable housing to get smoother and longer-lasting shifting.