Man on the Silver Mountain

Brent, Sandie and Morgan discussing good whiskey.

Lauren and Morgan at the top of the Rock.

Jeff showboating for Morgan's video camera.

Sandie, Lauren and Jeff at the top of the climb.

Rocks along the Flume, looking down on Lake Tahoe.

Virginia City hills, just before the bar fights start!

Jeff driving like a maniac down the mountain toward Carson City.

I’m a wheel, I’m a wheel
I can roll, I can feel
And you can’t stop me turning
cause I’m the sun, I’m the sun
I can move, I can run
But you’ll never stop me burning

This man has left the mountain. And the mountain has won again. To say the ride kicked my ass
is to disparage all good ass kicking. It handed me my hat, showed me the door and told me to go home and cry to my momma. And yet, it was one of the best days I have ever had in the saddle.
The back story to my back-side trouncing started last fall during our first Official Bloggers ride in the hills around Oakland. Jeff, Lauren, Smudgemo and I hatched the original ride when it was discovered that my wife Rene would be traveling for work to San Fran. We met up in Berkley and after a great breakfast, rode most of the day in Joaquin Miller Park. Afterwards, it was agreed we must meet again the following summer, this time, in Tahoe. Though sadly, Smudgemo could not make it to this years event, we did manage to find a big crew of riders. The group consisted of a number of Jeff’s friends from the local area as well as Lauren’s husband Morgan and two friends of Morgan’s from Oakland. 11 folks originally and as Sandie said, if we finish with 9.5, it was a successful ride!

Rene and I flew out on Thursday morning and arrived in Sacramento CA around noon. We decided to take a day there and see the city before heading up to Tahoe. It was a beautiful day and we visited the home of Goven-ator Arnold while taking a walking tour of town. That night we found a nice restaurant near the hotel with outside seating and enjoyed a great meal. We stayed up as late as we could that day to try to assimilate to West Coast time, eventually crashing after a long 22 hour day.

In the morning we grabbed a Starbuck’s and then headed for the hills. Jeff had mentioned the elevation around Tahoe but I actually thought he was kidding. Along the way out (about a 2 hour drive from Sacramento), I started to see elevation signs along the way which quickly shot up to 5,000 feet plus! It eventually topped out just over 7,000 feet in the town of Incline Village on the North western edge of Lake Tahoe. It is hard to describe how amazing the lake and the surrounding mountains are but it was impressive. We found the condo and quickly unpacked before heading out to meet up with Jeff and Kristy and Charlie for lunch. We stopped by the Flume Trail bike shop located in Spooner Lake Park, right at the foot of the trail system to check on my rental bike for the next day. And then it was off for a whirlwind tour of South Lake Tahoe with the Moser’s.

Jeff took us to a number of great places including the Emerald Bay State Park where we viewed the Vikingsholm and Tea House and the nature trails. Of course, we both just spent time taking pictures of each other!

And then it was off to the Kingsbury Grade and down into Nevada to visit Carson City.
After a quick spin through town, we headed over to the Moser Estate where Jeff showed off his sprawling gardens and even more impressive bike storage facility! To see the Yute in person is really not to be missed!

Jeff and Kristy and Charlie took us out to see the Bunny Ranch (they insisted we see it!) and then on to what appeared to be a Hollywood western movie set but was actually a town called Virginia City. There we had a great dinner at Del Rios (along with my first Black Butte Porter!) before heading back to Casa Moser. Along the way we were ambushed by some armed desperado's who took all of our silver and gold (and lupines!) before riding off into the surrounding black hills. Actually, we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for the local authorities to clean up after a biker crash.

We headed back to Incline Village and a good night’s sleep before the big ride on Saturday. Lauren and Morgan arrived around noon that day and after dropping their bags at the Condo, we headed out to meet the others at the trail head. Rene spent the day slaving over a hot stove preparing our post-ride Mexican feast! Just kidding; sort of. After a round of introductions and the securing of my rental bike, we were off to the trail. Trails here in Michigan do not feature much in the way of elevation change. Typically, it is a series of rollers, with a climb immediately followed by a decent. Not here. From the first wheel off the pavement, the trail started climbing. And climbing. And then, it continued up. For 4 miles. There, we took a break and at that point, I actually thought I could cut it. And then Morgan mentioned that the next section was a bit steeper. More climbing? Oh, yeah. Two more miles. Needless to say, I had to bail about half way and walk the last section. So, here we are at 6 miles in and I am walking already.

From that point, the trail ran back down for a mile until turning sharply into the reservoir and into the first section of the Flume Trail. This is section I loved the most. Flat or mostly flat it runs along the perimeter of the mountainside, directly above the west shoreline of Lake Tahoe. To say the views are awesome is an understatement! Needless to say, we stopped a number of times to take pictures and jaw a bit, but eventually, this section came to an end. There we re-grouped and then headed into the next section, the Tahoe Rim Trail. Again with the climbing. Another mile of up. And then, it went up again. Now on single track, the trail runs back and forth along the edge of the mountain, virtually always uphill. This is where my fun in the saddle came to an end. Not only was I starting to feel the effects of elevation, but I was also not keeping up on nutrition and water. Both conspired against me and I lost energy fast. That combined with a very tricky trail (sharp rocks!), I had to bail numerous times and walk. This section seemed to go on forever and it was frustrating to only ride a small portion.

The rim trail eventually leads out of the woods near the summit to an open field where the views are unbelievable. It feels like your on top of world and at 8,400+ feet, you are close to it. There we hung out for awhile enjoying the beauty, taking more pictures and even enjoying a shot of whiskey, courtesy of Morgan. After a final group picture (see Jeff’s photos on flickr) we started our decent. And stupid me, I had my front shock locked out! The trail was so steep, rocky and fast there was no taking your hands off the bar for a second. I found a small level section, switched it out and then proceeded with the bomber run. This downhill went on forever, eventually leading back to the location where we had crossed the reservoir before heading back up one more climb.

At this point, there was nothing left in the tank and after riding a small portion of the climb, I wussed out and walked the rest of the way. Others there offered me gels and gummy bears and bars but I was so surly from the lack of water and food, I just yelled at them to leave me alone and started sobbing! Okay, I’m kidding about yelling.

The last section was the same first 6 mile section we had climbed at the end of the day. Thank God! Almost all downhill back to the cars. Never loved gravity more than that moment. We eventually rolled into the parking lot and I hustled over to the bike shop to drop my rig before rejoining the group. They were all talking and laughing and sharing a beer but I was weaving around like Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking! Slurring words and staring off into space, the days 22+ miles were hitting me hard. We finally said our goodbyes and then jumped in the truck for the ride back to the Condo.

After some much needed water, a little scrubbing and couple taco chips, I was starting to return to semi-normal. Rene had just finished up an amazing pile of burritos and guacamole and we all dived in. That combined with a couple New Belgiums and I was finally back in my happy place! Jeff, Kristy, Lauren, Morgan, Rene and I had a great evening of conversation and food and drink and I did not want it to end. But the Moser’s had little ones to attend to back home (dogs), so Rene made them a goodie bag and sent them on their way. Lauren and Morgan were staying with us that night and we all tried desperately to stay up and continue our discussions. Needless to say, it was a losing battle!

The next morning, Morgan was slated to head out and meet up with some friends for more riding, but thanks to my sobbing and wailing, he was convinced to stay and hang out with us for the day! We finished off a pizza, a pie, a roast-beast sandwich (with horseradish) and numerous bottles of water while chatting the day away. It was finally time for them to head home and we were shortly behind them, heading back to Sacramento for the final night. We checked in about 6 in the afternoon and the heatwave in the valley had reached 114 degrees! Do not let anyone sell you on that b.s. about it being “a dry heat”. It was a freaking oven outside! I do not think I have ever been in hotter weather. To survive it, Rene and I ducked into the same restaurant we had visited the first night but this time, stayed inside for dinner. And a couple gin and tonics (they had Hendricks!).

The next day we left CA around noon and went from 108 degrees to 63 upon landing in GR! And the cool air actually felt good. I have to say, this was one of the best trips we have ever taken. Not only was Tahoe an amazing place and the trail riding unbelievable, but the best part was the people who shared the experience with us. Thank you for everything. I cannot wait to get out there again and enjoy another ride.
Or just a beer and good conversation.

In fact, if anyone wants to skip the ride next time and just enjoy the beer, I am good with that too. Have a great 4th of July!!

Heat of the Moment

Okay, I get it. Summer is here. I can officially stop complaining about Spring now. 80’s+ and humid as heck here this weekend. And rain? Ummm, I think we’re good thanks! Check out this video taken at a local fairgrounds where they were holding a large annual Country Music Bash. This was also on the National news Sunday night!

My niece’s car is out in that field somewhere! My oldest son went on Saturday and said it was a mud-fest but they managed to get their van out before the flood. Organizers are going to be “underwater” after this fee-ass-co!

It was a busy one (again). More grad parties, yard work, Rene packing for MN today and both of us preparing for our Tahoe trip on Thursday. I wasn’t able to paddle the Flat this weekend but it would have been a great one for it. Hot weather combined with high, fast water! Instead, I went out for a road ride late in the afternoon on Saturday. And it was hot and windy. The trails here are saturated right now, so I have made the choice to stay off until they have time to dry out. The ride on Saturday was so painful I didn’t even feel like stopping to take pictures. 35 miles later, I was cooked.

Last night was my last night to ride before Tahoe. Rene was in Minn-e-soda until today, so right after work I took the single-speed out for a long gravel grind (trails are still wet here). Along the way, I stopped at the White’s Bridge launch and found a small dog wandering around, obviously lost. I called him over and sat with him for 5 or 10 minutes until a car pulled up and two distraught teenage girls ran out calling his name. Turns out, he wandered away and after looking for him for awhile, they gave up and left to go get gas in their car! DOOH! Why they did not think to leave one of them there while the other went for gas (nearest station is 10-12 miles away) is beyond me. The dog could easily have been killed by the regular traffic of 4x4’s and cars that run up and down the dirt road near the bridge! I so wanted to get on their case about leaving, but they said thanks about a thousand times and high-tailed it before I could get all preachy on them.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Well, except for the oppressive heat and humidity. It is full-on summertime here all of a sudden! Prediction is we hit 90F+ today. Felt like it at the construction site this morning. Not a big fan of extreme heat, but after all my bitching about cool and rain, I guess I have to shut up and enjoy it!

We are off to Tahoe on Thursday morning. I am looking forward to the get away and seeing old friends. Jeff has our trail ride mapped out for Saturday and we are planning to have the gang back to the condo for a Mexican food feast that night. Wish it was a longer stay, but I have a daughter and son in college now!

Hope your all staying cool!

Sound of no one clapping

Since no one reads my blog anymore (except blue), i thought i would take the easy way out and just post pictures of last nights ride. enjoy!

Into the Heat

Summer is here, finally. The grass is growing anyway!

And the Queen’s Coronation is complete. Friday was my daughter’s G-Day party and it was a hectic week leading up to the event. Rene has heard from others that this celebration festival called a Graduation Party is more of a mid-western tradition. Not sure when that started.

When I was in high school (they had them back then?), we did not have parties. The town I lived in was near the lake shore (Lake Michigan) and we typically spent one to two weeks camping at the beach, leaving for the there 5 minutes after post-graduation pictures. My parents did not have to rent a tent or tables or a slushy machine and invite their 3rd cousin to pay a visit and bring a check. I think they got me a radio, which I took to the beach with me, if I remember it correctly. That was it. Some cake with Grandma and Grandpa who came for the ceremony and then I was out of there. Times have changed I guess. Maybe they need to change again.

Anyway. The rest of the weekend was clean-up duty and attendance at other graduation parties. And a little riding.

I was able to get out on Sunday morning and it was a beautiful day. Maybe the best day of the summer so far. About time. It was a nice lazy, 2-1/2 hour loop.

Past a vandalized old schoolhouse.

Over the Townsend Park trail bridge.

Past a few barns and silos.



And back home.

The rest of the day was spent at another graduation party. We were there until almost 10, helping them to take down the tent and put away the chairs. I thought carnivals had roadies to do that? Too many slushies, a few too many bbq sandwiches and probably too many beers. Needless to say, I slept like a rock that night!

Yesterday evening was another beautiful night and we decided to take the boyz out to the park. We had not been there in a week or more due to all the prep for the party. The trail is about a three mile round trip and for a portion of it we can let the guys run free.

The flowers were still in bloom and the field grass as high as I have ever seen it.



The trail runs over the river at the bridge and crossing it is always interesting with the dogs.

Back home and our wildflowers are really starting to pop. Daisy’s have gone crazy!

I am back on the bike tonight, hoping to get some much needed dirt time on the single-speed. It has been neglected for awhile, so we will be enjoying the State Game area trail after work. Final prep is in the works for Tahoe and it looks like everyone is in. Jeff has been wetting my appetite for riding by flashing pictures of him and his buddies enjoying the rare air of the Flume Trail. I know I am going to get bit hard by the mountain riding bug. Probably just call the kids that Monday and have them start packing to move!

Hope everyone is getting out there and enjoying summer!

City Escape

Back to reality today after our partial weekend trip to the City of the Big Shoulders (Chicago). We had a great time on Friday night with our friends from the area, but my ride in suburbia was a bit of a bust. Besides breaking a rear wheel spoke, my biggest disappointment was with the trails. A co-worker of Rene’s who knew the area suggested that I ride the Busse Woods Trail, which is located near the Woodfield Mall and close by the hotel we were staying at in Itasca. The problem was, it was a paved trail and I had hoped to ride off-road on this trip. Looking back on it now, I should have brought the road bike and taken his suggestion. On our way to dinner on Thursday night we went by the park and it was very busy with bikes, skaters and dog-walkers.

I had researched trails last week and found a Chicago mountain bike site where the trails in the area were listed. Nice maps of the trails were posted courtesy of the Cook County Forest Park Preserve as well as photos and commentary about the different loops. I settled on the Palos Park Preserve, located near Willow Springs in the Western suburbs. The setting is beautiful with a series of park access points, picnic areas, boating/paddling areas and as I was to discover later, horse riding stables. The word on the site was to start at a location called Wolf Creek.

Following some minor wrong turns, I eventually found the area. There were other cars with bike racks and the trail head signs, so it must be the place. After unloading the bike, I checked the map and then headed out. The first trail section I found was the main yellow loop, which turned out to be the longest trail in the park. It however, was not single track but rather a wide hard gravel trail. It rode very fast, with ups and downs and a few twisty turns but it felt more like a gravel road than a trail. In numerous spots there were serious wash outs that appeared to be were caused by poor trail planning. No diversions were put in place to run the water off to the edge and in most places, the trail was lower than the surrounding forested area so the it served as a gully for water instead of shedding it. As I went along, I found this was a consistent problem everywhere.







Within the first 2 miles, I came to a section of legitimate single-track, the black loop and dove in. It appeared to be very similar to trails in our area, but within a short distance, it started to get greasy and wet. I came across a hiker who told me “there is a little water but most of it was in good shape”. As I continued down the trail was clear, but it continued to be wet and muddy. As a result there were numerous areas where riders were obviously re-routing the trail wider and wider to avoid the mud. I know they had received some recent rains (as we did in MI the week before), but the soil was more clay-like than ours and it did not appear to shed water well. But the more disturbing issue was the complete lack of trail maintenance and diverters that could have helped to route water away from the trail. The other issue was, rather than follow the contours of the ground, the trail often dove straight down a swale and then right straight up the other side. Both sides then became a funnel for ground water creating more wet and muddy spots. This section of trail was pretty clear and easy to ride and actually had some fun twisty sections. It eventually came back to the main gravel trail (yellow loop) after 4 or 5 miles of single-track.

From there I headed up the gravel trail which eventually led to an open field area and the next section of single track. As I was turning in, I noticed a deer heading towards me, so I stopped and got out the camera. It did not run away and walked around me, stopping to eat as he went. I decided to bail before he did and head in to the green loop trail. At first, in the open areas, it was appeared to be another fun section with some twists and turns, but it soon deteriorated as it ran back into the woods. This time, the trail was not only muddy and wet but now it was over grown. In sections you had to spread the branches out in front of you to avoid being hit in the face. In sections it improved, but then came the horses. Two riders appeared out of nowhere around a corner and I immediately stopped. I stood off to the side and let them pass with little comment, but have to admit to being surprised they were riding that trail. One, because horses and bikes typically do not share trails back home and second, this trail was not well suited to horseback riding. That coupled with the wet trail, they were doing obvious damage. I stayed with it until the trail came out to a main road, somewhere in the central part of the park. I did not immediately see another extension to the trail and rode up the road a bit to look for it. I eventually found it across the road and it was in worse shape than the first section. From the overgrowth and wash outs, it looked like it had not been ridden in some time. As I went along, I found out why.

The rest of this single-track was worthless. It constantly crossed muddy, wet areas, especially lowlands and yet showed numerous re-routes along the edges where riders had tried to avoid the mess. By the time I got out of this section and back to the park main gravel trail, I was coated in mud, my shorts were wet and I was not having fun. More than a few expletives later, I decided to stick to the gravel trail for the near future, if for no other reason than to clean the mud from my tires! There were other, non-marked single tracks that broke off of the main trail, but within a hundred yards, most deteriorated pretty quickly. I would be forced to back track and that became tiresome very quickly. So, I stayed on the main trail and at an intersection took off to follow the brown loop which headed south and west away from where I had started. I rode this trail for some time and saw numerous washouts especially on hills where no provisions had been made for water diversion.

After about 4 miles, the trail came to an elevated main road and there was a tunnel underneath. I noticed a sign stating that it was a horse crossing, but the trail markings did not indicate that it was for horses only. On the other side, I began to see more and more horsesh_t on the trail and found myself constantly avoiding it. After a couple miles, I came to a main turn in the trail and there I found the first stable. There were a couple horse riders on the trail and they made muttering comments as they walked by about bikes on trails (I was standing off to the side while they passed). I continued on for 5 or 6 miles until the trail dead ended at another stable. All along the way, it was covered in droppings and I suspect that is why there were no other bikers on the trail. It was open to bikes but given the mess and the potential confrontations probably not worth riding.

At that point, I started heading back to the car, hoping to find other single track sections along the way. I followed the yellow loop until it intersected the orange and cruised that for 3 or 4 miles until it came to the red. There I turned down a short section of trail that I thought was a loop, but it dead ended at another road. That is where I broke a rear wheel spoke, trying to hop up off the trail onto the road to turn around. I torqued a little too hard and bang. Luckily, the wheel was still rideable, so I looped the broken spoke around an adjacent one and started riding again. I still had about 6 miles to go but avoided the rest of the single track, cruising the gravel trail back to the car.

In the end, I did get quite a few miles in and it was a beautiful day to ride. But the lack of single-track was disappointing. I am not sure why it was in such poor shape but maintenance did not appear to be high on the park systems priority list. But allowing horses to ride MTB trails? That is just stupid. The park is so large it seemed to me that they easily could have segregated the groups into specific regions to avoid conflicts as well as trail damage. I enjoyed the chance to ride the trails but I think next time, I’ll bring my road bike!

We moved downtown on Friday night after Rene finished her training class and stayed at the W on Lakeshore Drive. We were lucky enough to have a room on the lake side, so I was able to take pictures of the Navy Pier and beachfront from the room. After checking in, we headed into town for some coffee and shopping along Michigan Avenue. We only had a couple hours and then it was back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We were meeting some good old friends who live in the area at one of our favorite restaurants, Coco Pazzo. We have gone there numerous times and it never fails to please, but we especially love sitting out along the sidewalk where you can really people-watch!

After dinner we headed to a local piano bar where we actually sat at the piano and enjoyed a night of good music. I will post some of those pictures later!
The evening ended back at the W. The lobby bar was closed but they have a Club on the 33rd floor, so we stopped up for last call. All of us had a great time watching the "crowd". From the looks of things, desperate times call for desperate measures I guess!

Rene and I had breakfast in town before heading out. The traffic wasn't bad and with only a few construction zones along the way, we made it home in record time. Just in time to head back out to a number of my daughter's friends graduation parties! Fun stuff; not. It felt great to just sit on the couch and vegetate that night!

Sunday was all work and no play which made me a very dull boy. But it had to be done. Weed pulling, garage cleaning and basement cleaning, all in preparation for our girl's party. Friday is only 4 days away now and everything must be perfect or else. Not sure what else is, but believe me, it is not an option!

Hope you got some riding in!

Random Analysis

It has been a busy couple weeks. My daughter’s graduation, Rene’s travel and my work schedule have conspired against me riding as much as I would like. Our yard/garden/wildflower work is slowly coming together. Given the amount of rain we have had of late, all is growing like crazy. Some of the local farms have made their first cutting of hay this week! The great lake levels are up so dramatically this spring (we were in a deficit for years) folks along the shore are whining about losing beach!

We had some unusual visitors to the office last week: Sandhill Cranes! They were tapping on the door trying to get in at one point and spent most of the day hanging around in the yard.

My car has been a royal pain in the ass of late. With mileage in the 130k range, it has been very reliable for a long time. But of late, the car randomly will not start. There is a glitch in the electrical system that Volvo can’t find so I am taking it there on a regular basis every time it fails. I would ditch the car and ride if I could but with construction site meetings, client meetings, Rene’s trips out of town and no bus or rail service to fall back on, I need the car to work. A 21 mile commute one way and outside office trips, I can only plan to ride 1 or 2 days a week right now. I also can’t afford to buy a new or even newer car, so getting it fixed is a necessity. Anyway.

Rides of late have been typically on the road. It is saves time and trips to the trails, especially without a car! Last night was a long gravel grinder. It was good to get out and put some miles in while enjoying the wildflowers, random animals and few assorted “good folks” along the way! Photos are in the phone so nothing to show here at this time. I was able to combine single-track, double-track, gravel and pavement all in one ride. And all on the single-speed.

We are off to Chicago on Thursday afternoon (Rene flies out tonight) for a bit of a get away. She has a class on Thursday and Friday, so I am planning to do some off-road riding just outside the City. There is a cool trail system in Willow Springs (Palos Park Preserve).

http://cambr.org/TrailGuides/guideElements/maps/Palos2008Map.pdf

It appears to have quite a few miles of riding and I am planning to spend the day exploring all of them on Friday. Taking the Sinister out for the first time in awhile.

We will move that night to the ‘W’ in downtown Chicago (free room!) and then meet some friends from the area for dinner. Saturday might be a quick one in the City as we have to be back for graduation parties that night. Fun!

After that, it is all about Lauren (my daughter) next week. Her graduation party is on Friday (and if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by!). I personally will be glad when the hoopla is over!

Then we start prepping for the Tahoe trip!! I need to step up my riding to hopefully avoid embarrassing myself too bad while we’re out there. I have been suffering from congestion that has lingered on for weeks now due to allergies, so I hope to be rid of that by then as well. Gonna be fun!

Not much else to say. Work is slowing and that makes me nervous. GM is in bankruptcy and that will trickle down to all of us here in the Mitten State. Just fun, fun, fun to live in Michigan these day. Still no final word on moves, but we are leaning that direction. Biggest issue is whether to sell the house or sit on it until we have a more firm grasp on the future. And who knows when that will be!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Brighter Days

The sun came out today after what seemed like a week hiatus. Bright and warm but windy, it was a beautiful day. One that requires you to appreciate how nice a day can be and not waste it. Though I did not ride today, I did take a hike. Not figuratively, but literally. Down to the park with Rene and the Boyz, along the river, finally settling into its normal summer shallow-ness, watching the kayaks from the bridge under the bridge and stealing lilacs from an abandon home's yard. Better we enjoy them than no one!

All in all, a good day. A little salad with salmon for dinner, a good beer and bread with a movie and it is 11 p.m. before we knew it. Tired now, but good tired. Even the boyz were. They didn't fight me too hard when I said it was time to hit the kennel. Usually, they grumble or ask to go out one more time and then run around the yard for 30 more minutes. But not tonight. Tonight, they were satisfied they had accomplish all they needed to. Any more would be greedy!

So, we head to bed. Tomorrow, my youngest baby walks up to the podium and receives her well earned diploma. And I will be proud. Happy in her accomplishments, glad to see that she is becoming an adult, but a little sad that she can fly now. 

But they all do someday. It seemed so far away just yesterday and now, it is here. I love her as much as all of them, but she is the last. 

And now she too is taking flight.