missing the monkey

missed race two of the cranky monkey
missing race three of the cranky monkey this sunday

no worries
there will be other races
although this one is so local that the fun factor is increased

my results at the Cranky Monkey #1 shock many including myself
it was a fun day for racing

my DCMTB team mate Chris Clarke stepped it up and won the 35+ last Sunday
wonder where everyone sits in the standings
(chris also kicked ass when we teamed up on a 35+ team for the 24 Hours of Big Bear)
((scroll down for the race report from that event)

citybikesmike has a good post about the rapidly approaching SM100

dial up sucks
I am going to bed

the domestic side of bike guatemala

bike guatemala/old town outfitters

was going to post about how the domestic half of Old Town Outfitters is going to be on HGTV House Hunters with his beautiful family this Sunday....
but can not find the email with the specifics so the message loses its punch
I have yet to make it down to Guatamala for an Old Town Outfitter's adventure
maybe when the boys get bigger

totally wired... totally space

f_ck!

packing my bags
getting ready to evacuate grand lake colorado and head to boulder in the am
as I was scanning my gear it occurred to me
the desire to snap some shots, drop off a rental bike, and get back to a rented mini-van to a cranky two and a half year old clogged my objectives
I totally spaced as I returned my rental to totally wired
left my TIME pedals on the bike

will need to track those folks down
did a GOOGLE
will have to GOOGLE further
need to get give them a call and see if they can send those pedals to dc
as I need those pedals

GOT IT!

• TOTALLY WIRED CYCLERY
• 543 ZEREX
• FRASER, CO 80442
• p. (970)726-4400

dirt rag has them listed as a totally cool shop
the folks running the place seemed cool
so...
there should be no issue

funny... they had a computer in the shop
yet they have no Internet presence
the guy that helped me out, rented me the bike, and pointed me to the trails on the mountain was online reading some stuff at NPR
wonder if he checked out my blog?
as I did give him my card

stole this from blue collar mountain biking

.

landis is offer cash for a polygraph

.

music brings back memories

I have always enjoyed the music of Seal
his first album still goes into my rotation

just as I enjoy the sound of seal
I enjoy the site of Heidi

sales people

"i get sales talk from sales assistants"
-martin fry of ABC

today I got on the bike
it was awesome
not well planned
but awesome just the same
as per usual
it all worked out

loaded up the car with the kids and drove from grand lake to winter park
not a long drive
40 minutes, well, a tad longer than forty minutes as we searched for a place to drop our recycling and dump our trash

arrived in winter park and scanned the area for a mountain bike
went to a number of shops and was less than pleased with the selection
a good number of deore level hardtails
nothing with disc brakes
nothing in my size
at one shop the sales person asked me what I rode
I told him a 22 inch 29er
asked me my inseam... I told him my bike size
he told me we were the same size and he rode a 19 inch bike
I withheld my east coast and took my attention elsewhere
he was six foot
I am six four
that is not the same size
and
I doubt that he rides a ninteen inch frame
asshole...
hope he comes east to dc and asks me for directions
I will send his green horn ass straight to anacostia

the other shops were less aggressive with the improper fitting
the third shop sent me to a shop in fasier
while all shops should have sent me to the base of the mountain
but... I feared getting to the base of the mountain and not finding anything in my size
just as I fear getting to the bowling alley or the skating rink and them not having shoes in my size
so I settled with what I could get in frasier
a 20 inch double banger
a short cockpit on a heavy bike
but... figured it could work for the day
it had disc brakes
loaded it in the car and headed to the base of the Zephr chair at Winter Park
where I saw a line of big travel Konas that looked nicer that the bike whose manufacturer I have already forgotten

the sales person at Totally Wired was cool and helpful so he got my business

was totally stoked with my decision to ride the chair lift rather than guessing around some xc trails around the area

an 11 minute chair ride fed me onto all sorts of terrain... most of which pointed me down

rode a few times
got lost once
was having too much fun to notice that I was off the designated trails
did not complain
was still on single track
was just pointed away from the mountain
got to get a little cardio as I worked the flats to get back to the base of the mountain
most of the ride was in the woods and I guessed the right way back
so it was all good

while I rode lisa and the boys indulged themselves to the summer activities of winter park
there were all sorts of things for them to do.... climbing walls, alpine slides, bungee assisted trampolines, minature golf... and yes more.... did I say more
sure it was a heafty ticket... but not for kids five and under
it was good to see my wife and kids smiling each time when I got to the base of the mountain

we met for lunch
just as I told lisa I would rather ride than eat.... thunder and lightning rolled in
with lightening in the sky... the lifts closed
our day was cut short

which was fine...
it was time for grant to take a nap
so we pointed the mini-van rental for grand lake
dropping off my rental in frasier on the way home

everyone was tired
everyone was smiling
well... other than grant
as grant was napping
I wanted to nap
but I was driving
napping while driving is bad

rocky mountain national park

here it is
the halfway point of my humble vacation
okay... it is less than humble
it is totally awesome

all has gone well so far
our younger son grant was suffering a little bit of a cold
but nothing that a shot glass of motrin did not cure
now.... he is up to his usual self

my vacation has been bike free thus far
there was a moment on a paddle boat today at Grand Lake
but... I quickly traded it in for a canoe
Grant demanded to have the right to steer
lisa and I were working very hard
grant had us going in circles
we turned to back to the dock... with grand demanding to steer I held our course for the dock
we traded the paddle boat for a canoe
so, I took Dean and Grant out for separate canoe trips in Grand Lake
it was awesome
I tried to get them to imagine that the houses that surrounded the lake were tee pees
and that we were indians
I later learned that the indigenous people were wiped out by a great fire
the indians tried to seek safety in the middle of the lake in their boats
they were robbed of oxygen and died
we were not playing that indian game
although I did get winded trying to paddle these guys around the lake

we have done a variety of hikes
Adams Falls twice
Crater Hike, Dean rocked it at an adult pace... Grant road like a prince up and down on my shoulders
then the rocks on the Ridge Trail
in addition to all the hikes there have been evening drives and walks trying to find moose
lots of elk
finally a few moose
no males
although we did see a deer buck at Adams Falls and an elk bull on the road side in Rocky Mountain National Park
no bull moose
just cows and calves... awesome... but not the prize that we all seek

amazing
I never saw Colorado until I graduated from college
saved up some money
got on my motorcycle and pointed west
these kids... they are exposed to a great deal
hope it aids in their development in one way or another
maybe one day they will thank us
but... I bet they will give us the finger as they take the car keys before they thank us

things do not look good for landis

could landis be innocent?
sure, he could be

maybe it is a witch hunt

either way... it does not look good

landis on leno

floyd's lame blog
it reads like a few captions without the images

someone wants to sue landis?
absurd
sue them all... he does not stand alone

today at the highest point of Rocky Mountain National Park as I climbed some rocks with my son Dean there were some Menonites on the trail
I considered making some small talk
chatting them up
getting a feeling of how this whole episode with Floyd Landis has effected their community

he could be innocent?

Phonak Cycling has a history for being dirty

are there levels of cheating?
is syntheic testosterone as bad as EPO
is it the same?
is this like leading versus stealing?

oh....
that is Carole Landis
it seemed more interesting than another picture of a geek on a bike

nina gordon

nina gordon
a friend of a friend
which makes her a friend
especially if there is a chance to drop her name

glad to Seether still rocking and rolling

ninagordon.com

nina gordon at myspace

when I get back to high speed I will give it a look and give it a listen

sent her a clever and cute myspace email
but it got lost in the dial up

that is a cute shot
not the glossy beauty shots that you can also see representing her
she is very cute
with or without the fancy photographer

independent for Arkansas govenor

bicycles
recycling
common sense
an independent

this guy does not have a chance
rob bryan for governor

I must say
I do like his style

strange sites for me.... everyday for colorado

passing through Estes Park I saw Elk munching on the freshly watered and well trimmed grass at the McDonalds

deer in your front yard
(well, that is not so strange.... I see deer in Rock Creek Park, which is my front yard)

double rainbows after a short afternoon rain

mountains
mountains
and more mountains


hmmmm.....

wanted to create a list

two sets of images from Boulder

[image one: street performer- imagine a bearded street performer, maybe in his forties... maybe older maybe younger... years of fun and partying may have taken its toll
imagine a tall home made unicycle
white wall tire with low tire pressure
the body of the unicycle stretching 8-10 feet tall
add in a background of the Pearl Street Mall and a crowd of on lookers
a close up of his bearded face
a picture from below with a wide angle lense stressing the length of the unicycle
his shadow on the brick
and
a close up of the talented street performer juggling three sticks on fire]

[image two: a hip hop kid with a crunchy touch on a kids bike with 12 inch wheels
picture a baseball hat askew
the boy is young
his clothing is urban hip hop with a mountain spin
he pedals his bike till the chain falls off
then he walks along side the diminutive frame
several images: moving past, close up with a smile, walking the bike]

actual images to appear when I return to the city

camelbacks.... and the kids

[imagine a camelback or better yet... imagine a collage of my two boys hiking up to some peak above tree line in Rocky Mountain National Park*]

still not in dc
not complaining about the lack of heat, lack of humidity, or the lack of work
although....
this trip could use a little bike
that may change
it will be cool if the bike thing happens
while
it would be fine if it does not
Winter Park is on the radar for tomorrow

in Rocky Mountain National Park with the family

last month at the swarm of Wednesday at Wakefield races I managed to take the series in the Clydesdale class
(yes, first in clydesdale with four races... while my doubling up and racing single speed before the clydesdale race put me in last for single speed in the series)
for the three wins out of four clydesdale races I scored a camelback for each win
although this may seem like overkill
to a father with two young boys
this was perfect
actually... the fourth would have equiped the wife.... now that would have been perfect
but that is not how it played out

took these three packs out with the family on this colorado trip
in an effort to keep the boys hydrated I am having them wear these packs
the novelty is so strong that they sip while seated in the car
very cute to see two and a half year old Grant wearing gear
Dean is totally into the pack
he has already customized it with an olympic badge that came with some item from the grocery store
Dean is wearing the pack on all hikes....
Grant is touch and go with the process

killer

Dean and Grant have both chewed through the bite down valve
bummer
my free packs are already starting to cost me
guess I will get a chest strap when I get the replacement valve as these pack could serve us well back east

thanks PVC for a great set of races at Wakefield
and
thanks for a great set of prizes
oh... the boys look great in the medal
but coming home with one medal did initiate a fight

*not only am I on dial up and bypassing the long upload time of images
this computer lacks a slot for an SD card
had thought it had such a slot
but... was thinking of my silver laptop
not the work silver laptop that I am traveling with
oh well...
guess the images will be played with when I get back
a few images of bikes in Boulder
lots of images of the family

off road to athens... 24 Hour Solo Movie!

jason berry east coast film maker and east coast local mountain biker is not just promoting OFF ROAD TO ATHENS
(jason won sport series at my heavily blogged about Wakefield event last year... while he raced with the single speeds this year)
Jason Berry is moving forward and working on his next film
this film earning his the Trek Sponsorship that he saught with his Olympic quest film is found on his new project following Chris Eatough and his quest for the 24 Hour Solo Championship

I am certain it will ROCK!

www.24-solo.com
and
jason has a blog

[on a dial up connection... no time for the loading of images... so... imagine a flashy logo for Gripped Films with Chris Eatough and Jason Berry]

do we need a sign for everything?

[Imagine a picture of Yogi Bear here... that is Yoge Bear.... Not Yogi Berra]

yesterday I was driving with my family through the Wild and Wonderful turns and twists of the road that passes through Rocky Mountain National Park

much like every other tour-on in the park we made a number of stops
we stopped for scenic overlooks
we stopped to pee
we stopped to see elk
we stopped and saw elk while we peed

at one of our stops, perhaps the highest stretch of road in the park
two miles high
there were all sorts of mountain chipmunks and mountain squirrels
we stopped to take in the view, but hardly looked past the nearly domesticated vermin at our feet
while I guided my children to be cautious of the overly comfortable and curious little animals
I told them not to feed the animals
by my side was one of the many overly large american tourists breaking open a bag of sunflower seeds
I informed here that we are not supposed to feed the animals
she said that there was no sign
I said... that there were signs everywhere
she said she had not seen them
I asked if she had seen the Yogi Bear cartoon as a child...
then told her that it was common sense
to that she told me, my children, and her fat children with nascar t-shirts and rat tails that I am a f-ckhead

seconds later Ranger Bob rolled up and told us not to feed the animals as I was instructing my older son to mimic the action of feeding the animals to get a shot of him along with the local critters

to this I thought about our world of signs....
so many signs exist
so many signs are ignored
I say.... take down the signs... take down all the signs

take down the sign with the icon of the camera telling the tourist of the photo opportunity
if they do not see that this is a great place to take the picture then well... they do not need the picture
take down the warning sign of the sharp curve as it may allow natural selection to rid us of a few undesireables

take all the signs down
take them all down
take a few year break
then...
lets put the signs up again
as the signs for the most part go unseen
maybe we could put up the signs and have them be a tad more effective if they are noticed

Boulder has great signs
Boulder has great bicycle related signs
the cyclists have rights... so the cyclists tend to obey the law

In Washington DC, the cyclist has no rights
the cyclist in Washington DC grits their teeth, throws out their elbows and takes what they can
the DC cyclist takes what it gets... the law does not protect them... so the law does not apply to them
in Boulder, the laws instruct the cars how to behave around cyclists and the laws instruct the cars how to behave around cyclists
it is a much more civil world than the anarchy that is Washington DC

that is really two different thoughts..
but that is how my mind rolls

nice grill....