Friday, September 26, 2014

Bikepacking Timp

Many years ago I bought a couple of camelbak packs with the idea of being able to fit enough gear to go on an overnight bike trip with my son. This was long before I had ever heard the term bikepacking. Unfortunately I never did get out on a bikepacking trip with my son.

As strange as it is, my first bikepacking trip was in Antarctica. After getting back I have been wanting to go on a bikepacking trip with my other son, but he hates camping. Now he is in Spain, so once again I failed to go bikepacking with my son. 

I decided to close the store on Wednesday and Thursday and go bikepacking. Since I don't have a car available I started from my home. 

The plan: up AF canyon, across the face of Timp and down Battle Creek. I set up camp somewhere above the G on the mountain above pleasant grove amongst all the deer hunters.

It was great using all the gear that has been unused since Antarctica. But this was nothing like the South Pole. It was too hot until the sun went down, and then it was dark. The first time I had used this tent in the dark (the sun never set when I was I Antarctica). Later I woke to the howl of a coyote. 

In the morning I descended down Battle Creek. I was surprised at the size is the creek and the beautiful water falls. However the trail was not very good for a bike loaded down with camping gear. Still it was a great trip.

I just love to ride my bike.
 






Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Reroute

Monday, September 22, 2014

Not So Hard

There is a small climb on the Cedar Pass Ranch trail. It isn't too steep, it isn't too rocky, and it isn't too long. Yet it is just steep, rocky, and long enough to make it challenging. The strange thing is, sometimes I give it everything I have and yet fail to clear the climb. Other times it seems that it is just easy.

And really that is just the way things are in life. What seems impossible sometimes, is no problem other times. We just need to make sure that we don't allow those hard times to keep us from trying, or we may never know or enjoy those easier times.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Trail Work

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Back in Time

I switched back to my Time pedals. SO MUCH better. They are easy to click into and to get out of.

The trail in Tickville Gulch has a little damage from the recent flash floods. For the most part it handled all that water well, but there are a few places where rocks got deposited on the trail and a couple of places were the water gouged out a deep rut. I need to go back with a shovel and fix a few things, but the trail is still ridable.

When I got home Monday night I put on some tight socks to keep the swelling down on my ankle. I think it helped but when I took the sock off today my ankle didn't look good. I am lucky that my ankle is the worst of it. Those stupid iSSi pedals could have killed me. Glad to be back in Time.

I just love to ride my bike.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Function over Color

Saturday, September 13, 2014

I Love Our Trails

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Biking Home in the Dark

Commuting by bike means I bike in the dark frequently. With proper lights it isn't really that bad. In fact mountain biking at night is a lot of fun. 

When I was in Antarctica it didn't matter what time of the day I was biking it was always light. Since then I have had a real hard time convincing myself to bike in the dark. With the days getting shorter and the nights longer I decided it was time to get over it, get my lights charged and get back to commuting by bike even if it means biking in the dark.

On the way home I was thinking about some of the great things about biking in Antarctica.
  • It is always light. True you couldn't see anything in a whiteout but it wasn't dark.
  • The air was clean. There were no fumes from cars, and there were no diesel drivers thinking they are clever by blowing out big clouds of black smoke. It was great to breath clean air for two months.
  • It was quiet. It was REALLY quiet. I can find routes to and from work that avoid the roads and the peace of not hearing and endless stream of cars is nice. Sometimes though it is easier to just take the short route to work and deal with the cars. It seems obvious now looking back but Antarctica was amazingly quiet.
  • Never had to worry about getting hit by a car. There are so many distracted drivers out on the roads. I think biking to the South Pole is less dangerous than biking to work.
It really was amazing to be able to ride a bike in Antarctica. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to bike in the world's greatest wilderness.


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