jinxed

A pogo stick memory

2009-02-22T16:46:00.003-07:00

If you don't want to bring home a puppy, it would be best not to visit the pound.

I am weak, and nostalgic.

Browsing the ARC looking for a suitable table to mod into a sandbox for the kiddo, I happened to catch a glint of day glo green on a bike fork in their pile of huffys and magnas. In a flash it was 1991 again...hot shit, that's a Scott Unishock! I pulled the bike out and gave it the once over. A Specialized Rockhopper c. 1988 or so. Mountain LX components, almost new XT thumb shifters, and an original (non-recalled BTW) SCOTT UNISHOCK. It was seized...but hell the XT thumbies were worth the $9.00 price tag.

Now this particular suspension fork holds a certain place for me, as it was the first "shock" I had ever owned. It replaced the stock rigid aluminum fork that came with my Klein Rascal frame. Someplace I have a picture of it's arrival home from Mountain Bike Specialists being freshly built from the ground up. My first real mountain bike...anyway, that's another post.

Back on point, the Rockhopper came home with me. I aired the rear tire and rode it around. Seemed to have good bones, and everything pertinent was there. I disassembled the fork and it will live again, now to decide if I throw some juju on the whole bike and resurrect it. Not stock, as it's not that special a bike, but maybe a nice clean rework of the parts and fresh color.

Stay tuned.

Super Sunday Slide!

2009-02-22T16:39:00.002-07:00

My daughter hates slides.

You can tell by the look on her face...just no interest what so ever.

I guess we'll wait another year on the giant slalom course.

We are less sexy today

2008-12-12T09:04:00.002-07:00

Bettie.

One woman who changed the lives of generations of people has left us.

Photographers, artists, gear heads, hot rodders, pin stripers, beauty queens, drag queens, fetishists, fashion designers, goths, punks, rock'n'rollas you name it...we are mourning.

Maybe not the leopards. They never looked as stunning in their fur.

I hope she found her peace and knows how prolific her influence truly was.

Thanks for giving.

2008-11-26T17:01:00.002-07:00

I ventured out on the limb. Made a pie.

Read a bunch of recipes then "wung" it.

Here's the way the A-team does it:

3 Honey crisp apples
3 Fuji apples
3 Golden delicious apples
1/2 cup raw sugar + some for sprinkle
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs ground ginger paste
1 pinch nutmeg
1 egg
1 lemon
9" pie pan
Crusts...yea, I went store bought here. No place to "roll my own"

-Melt butter/sugar in a skillet....and while that's happening:
-Peel, core, then slice apples @ 1/4 inch thick. Toss them in a bowl with a bit of lemon juice to stop browning.
-Add your apples and ginger to the sweet buttery skillet and cook on med/low covered for @ 5 min.
-Toss them up and cook @ 5 min with the top off. We're looking to cook out the juice but not make em mushy. Dig?
-Drain and save the juice...it goes back in the skillet.
-Simmer the juice down till it's nice and syrupy, maybe 3-4 tbs worth.
-Pour that over the cooked apples, add your spices and toss. Let this cool down then pop it in the fridge till tomorrow. (You don't have to wait, but I did)
-When you're ready, fill the bottom crust with the apples, sprinkle with some cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Egg wash the edges of the crust and put the lid on! Pinch poke or crimp the top to your liking, just make sure to get some holes in it for steam, then egg wash the whole thing and sprinkle with some more sugar and cinnamon.
-Bake at 370 on a cookie sheet, bottom 3rd or so rack for 50-60 minutes. Keep an eye out for that nice golden crust!

From here, I will let your geography decide any accoutrement. Ice cream, whipped cream, creme fraiche, cheddar cheese...or my personal favorite, espresso.

Be safe and love your loved ones.

What the hell is a door dangle?!

2008-11-25T11:08:00.003-07:00

Not "door dangle"!

Dorodango.

Or a shiny ball of mud. I ran across this while reading a design blog that will, on occasion, highlight artists and link to their blogs/gallerys/websites. Deep into the link chain I found myself on Bruce Gardner's site with some shiny balls sitting in a bowl. At first I passed right by not impressed by what I thought were polished stones. Yep, seen em at Pier 1. But I read a bit further and was then in disbelief that these reflective orbs were nothing more than mud shaped by human hands.

My aimless web surfing had found a target. Hikaru Dorodango.

I will leave it to you as to how far your interest goes on this. I will say that from an artists point of view this really struck me as one of the most simplistic and beautiful creations. There are no tools besides your hands and no materials other than the dirt under your feet.

Being that it is popular among school children in Japan, I figured I couldn't louse it up all that bad. Or maybe so...I have made several attempts to varying degrees of success. But even though many of my starts ended up broken, cracked, and plain falling apart, I still became totally enthralled with each one. Being a bit of an obsessive compulsive, the repetitive meticulous nature of the process appealed to me greatly. I could easily sit creekside at the cabin and spend the day doing this. Dare I say just enjoying the zen of it?

The dorodango I pictured is the nicest of my attempts and was my 7th go over a 4 day period. I left it at that being content that I had indeed made a ball of shiny mud. Unfortunately it has since developed some fine cracks in the shell. But I learned more of the subtleties in technique having made it, and my next one will hopefully reflect that.

Drafted by the Empire?

2008-11-03T17:53:00.002-07:00

So. Being in the geek loop I get wind of some fairly nerdy things. This particular tip came from my primary Star Wars informer we'll call "Mr. Swift" in way of a link to an online site selling geeky goodies. Sometimes these things are so obviously simple, I can't believe they weren't done a long time ago. In a galaxy far far away.

This not only falls into the geeky, simple, duh bucket, but I am also filing it in the "why didn't I think of that?" bin. Oh well, I didn't. But Marc Echo did. Or at least someone under his employ did. Along with a slew of other SW branded/imaged clothing are two specific hoodies. One an Imperial Storm Trooper Armor print, the other Boba Fett. Nice. At @ $100/pc I have neither the funds, nor the drive to purchase one, but was fairly thrilled with their existence.

Anyway, strolling through Macys today looking for snow boots for the girlie, I happened by the hoodies in the flesh. No geek worth his action figures would be caught without an iphone, so I made for an impromptu fashion show and hit the catwalk.

"Nothing comes between me and my codpiece."

Quemadura de la Muerta

2008-10-26T20:06:00.002-06:00

A rolling stone may not gather moss, but a rolling scorcher will lose paint.

I have been hammering on the grinder bike. Literally. Decided it was looking a bit too new, so with some advice from around the world via Olli Erkkilä, it got some patina.

It got beat, sanded, rusted, and grimed up. I abused it with old motor oil out of my Ducati monster (haven't owned that bike for years) and then smeared it with gunk scraped off the belly of the MGB. Then I cleaned it :)

Now it's starting to (not) look it's age. Yes that makes sense...kind of.

Anyway, she does ride quite smooth even if a little on the heavy side. There may be some more vintage pieces added here or there, and the bars will most likely change if I find a better shape, but basically it can now "Keep on Truckin".

Trying to find the ritmo

2008-10-25T17:11:00.002-06:00

Again, it has again been a while.

I write from inspiration, and of late those shelves have been sparse.

2 days ago, I received a proverbial phone call.

Back up two weeks.

The wife and I were sat talking to our insurance agent regarding life insurance policies. This being the responsible thing for parents of a lovely young girl to have in place. Although I for the most part find insurance a massive scam, this is one area I do feel its appropriate. Being the more "hold my beer watch this" of our union, I certainly want myself covered. So we do the dance, get the spiel, they send the vampires to collect the appropriate fluids, all hand shakes and smiles. Now keep in mind, how much you pay for this policy depends on the lab and a bunch of people you've never met deciding how healthy you are...or aren't. Read "risk".

Come on back to the near present...the lady's policy/lab work come in first. She qualifies for the lowest cost "Super Premium Policy" due to her "health". My wife (who looks stunning btw) does not eat well. Cheese, bacon, fried, pastry, chocolate, you name it. Does not exercise. Matter of fact, she will go out of her way to avoid it. Yea, still shops in the petite/juniors section to find clothes slim enough to fit her 5'6" frame. Chalk it to her Chinese DNA I guess.

Mine hits the mail couple days later. I pulled it out of the box at the end of a 30mi fixed gear ride in shit weather with a 20lb pack. See where I'm pointing?

Anyway, I let it set on the desk a day before opening it. Reason? Well, lets just say this summer has been the worst riding year for me in the last 10. And I feel it. I have under my belt all of 9 rides for the 2008 season. I usually have done that by Jan 15th. On top of the inactivity, I have been battling some demons keeping myself out of depression. Mostly from the gigantic swing to my new "child care" status and lack of adult contact. Boredom etc...fairly standard coping type stuff. Well as a Click, I can eat. No seriously. I can fuck up 2 chipotle burritos in a sitting. With chips.

And the lab report...my dark harbinger. The skeleton I knew was lurking in my physiological closet, decided to come out and play. Open, give a read: normal, normal, normal, normal....abnormal. Hmmm. OK, what the hell is a triglyceride?! And why is that number WAY off?! Seems the BeeCee has been consuming far too many calories and not putting them to work.

The phone, the phone is ringing! By now you have figured out that my policy wasn't quite so preferred. That was not really the cause for alarm as we are talking about $50 a year. My concern is for my little one. Funny how kids become your first measure of all things "life". Her papa has got some serious fat floating around in the veins, and that simply will not do.

Fire lit.

Time to get back to reality. Food intake, cut in half. Exercise now routine, not accidental. Turn the art, mind, love knobs all to 11. Because it's one more than 10. Get back in touch with my cyber-self. Even if it's really just to see it with my own eyes. Let it stare back at me. Champion the good.

Next up, something more cheery!

Visions released by the trepanning

2008-04-12T14:07:00.005-06:00

Ya'll know Jon Grinder.

If not...look over there➠

Generally, there are "Jon" bikes and their are "My" bikes. Although we ofter ride together, our bikes are typically on opposite ends of the spectrum. That said, I am a regular visitor to the grinder bikes web site, where I spend most of my time looking at his past builds. There is one in particular that I always go back to:

This bike speaks to me. Not "this exact" bike necessarily , but this particular style that Jon puts together. He has a way of mixing bike parts with funky juju and creating these "cafe scorcher" type rides. I could put one together, and it would be fine. But much in the same way the Japanese play classical music, mine would be too mechanical, too calculated.

So, I have "commissioned" Herr Grinder to throw some fire under the voodoo pot and cook me up a scorcher. I have shared with him some fevered visions, and will turn over some personal parts to the project...but it will be up to his black magic to place the soul in it.

Fellow Ohioan Screamin' Jay Hawkins put it best:

"I came in this world black,naked and ugly.And no matter how much I accumulate here, it's a short journey. I will go out of this world black, naked and ugly. So I enjoy life. And I like to see when people are happy... And if I can,since I am in this business, I like to make people forget some of their problems. I like to make 'em laugh "

It's been a while huh?

2008-03-16T07:28:00.004-06:00

Well, life'll do that to you at times. Our family "unit" is still very much in the forging stage with much heat and pressure yet to be applied.

Oh, and I picked up a convertible. 1975 MG B Roadster.

Yea I know how it looks...late thirties, first child, buying a red sports car. To be honest, I would have rather had it any other color. Not that it matters much...anyone reading this knows it will not remain unchanged as long as I'm the owner.

It is a runner and has great character but not without some issues. Find me anything more than 33 years old without issues...hell, Jesus only made it to 33. Regardless, I plan to do as much of the renovation possible and will share the interesting bits.

The game plan in order of priority:

Sort the mechanicals, fluids, etc
Gear box...yea, bad syncros. This one will sting a bit
New steering wheel as the old one is split and a bit dangerous
Lower the car back down to it's original ride height, freshen the suspension
Revert the car back to chrome bumpers / grille
Cosmetics

I have owned it all of 4 days and have already installed new clutch master and slave cylinders, and have a new water pump to go in possibly today to keep the green stuff inside the block. Neither of these have rendered it garage bound, but were more of a preventative measure to keep it that way. Leaky fluids and multi colored puddles under the car are not very sporting...unless it's oil. It IS British you know.

Cheerio

Unleash the hounds

2008-02-15T16:00:00.002-07:00

Ol'Sport over at "The Sporting Life" honored me with an interview request. We just finished up and it's live.

Head over and check it out.

While you're there, take a look around. Not content on merely spectating the adventure, Brett is a man with his priorities in line and knows how life should be lived.

There's a goat in the beehive

2008-02-13T16:47:00.002-07:00

The wife and I being new to the parenting business has found me digging into my own past.

Get back to roots. How did mum n' da do it?

One of the most bizarre sensations is to gaze on my daughter, then at one of our childhood pictures. It's magic right before your eyes. This is nothing new to "parents" as every single thing their child does is magic. But to literally see yourself some 35 years younger...in the flesh. As the French say "le dang".

I am my fathers son. I could never claim otherwise. I even happen to share the Harold moniker. Although it sits silently right there in front of the name I have gone by since birth...I cannot escape it. I am Harold. I sit like him. I stand with the same hip shot. Apparently we have the same gait. And the nose...yep, go back as many generations as you can find photographic evidence...we all got it.

My mom. Yea, that smile pretty much defines who she was. She was a mother to any and all people who knew her. She loved us with every ounce of her being. I learned from her compassion, patience, and above all, unconditional love. If I was molded in my dads image, then I was most certainly wired with my mothers personality and passion. At times I hated that particular arrangement, but with wiser eyes I look back with great appreciation.

I also happen to think that she pulls off the blue eye shadow and beehive rather stylishly.

So what does a killer bouffant coiffure replete with goatee and polyester suit have to do with anything? Well, a glimpse perhaps. Maybe a warning? I am looking at this image of my parents in their 20ies with 36 year old eyes. I am a decade past them in years as pictured, but am still so far behind in wisdom as a parent. But I remember us as pictured, and that is the thousand words rattling in my head at night. A simple time to use as a focus for the future of my family.

Sheldon Brown 1944-2008

2008-02-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

The guy was a nut, no question. But I can't count how many times I visited his site, Harris Cyclery for technical information. A true advocate of the sport we love has left us.

His family will most certainly not be alone in feeling his absence. He was held in very high regard by the people who shared his passion.

Good bye Sheldon.

Cost vs. Value

2008-02-03T09:37:00.001-07:00

There will be times, albeit rare, that an items value will exceed its cost.

Take a quick mental note of something you have acquired on a retail level that surpassed your expectations. Or more to the point, left you thinking...I would have paid more for this.

Gotta dig deep for that one yea?

I have come across a few and will review them here from time to time. Not always a "hard or soft good" mind you. Value can be exceeded in many ways. Obviously being my blog, I will be noting attributes that are of value to me. However I think you will find little argument in something that is quality made of sound materials, and by persons who take pride in their work.

This brings me to the Randolph Aviators.

At age 11 I placed my very first mail order. My stepfather being a pilot, always had the current Sporty's Pilot Shop catalog sitting on the coffee table. I loved flipping through it checking out the leather flight jackets, helmets, boom mics, and sunglasses.

After what seemed like an eternity of lawn mowing to earn the $45 or so dollars, my (mom's) check was in the mail. My first pair of Randolph glasses were on the way. "Zulu Time" green lenses, gold frames, and ended up fitting me more like goggles than glasses. That first pair, despite my best attempts at destruction, lasted 5 years of absolute abuse.

Since then, I've owned a few pair in differing styles till I picked up the "Aviator" model. These have become my favorite pair by far.

I will let you do your own research on the finer points of Randolph and the models they make, but let me share a few of the things about the Aviator that make them exceptional in my opinion.

Hand Made in the USA since 1972
Rx quality frames and lenses
Lifetime solder joint guarantee
Standard issue to US Military Pilots and NASA Astronauts since 1982
You choose the tint, temple style, frame size and finish
Comes with a hard case and lens cloth
$70 retail and can be had for @ $60 online

Every time I wear them, I am still bewildered by the price. I have worn glasses that cost triple and were not half the quality.

"Classics" are classic for a reason.

Connections

2008-01-26T15:36:00.001-07:00

Connections.

Not like, "aaay, I know'a guy."

But as in one thing to another.

The year was nineteen and ninety eight. Christ, ten years ago. I was well into the bike biz by then, but was a die hard mountain biker. Didn't pay much mind to road bikes or their riders unless I was wrenching on em. But that summer changed me.

I was handed a ProCycling magazine. This was given to me solely because they believed I bore an uncanny resemblance to the cover boy, David Millar. Heh. I didn't see it, but what ever. I had no idea who the guy was anyway. Regardless, I sat in the coffee shop some days later thumbing through it and read one of the articles. Then another. Then the whole thing...like twice.

Shortly thereafter was the beginning of the Tour de France. I knew the premise, and had watched it before. Just never really paid much attention to it. But this year was different, and not just for me, but the Tour as well. THIS year was to see: one of the largest scandals, crazed media coverage, two teams banned, protests and sit downs, not to mention two of the biggest names in the sport duking it out for a yellow shirt.

I came away from that years tour with several fires burning. A new found love for a machine and it's beauty. A renewed amazement of human capability. History. Ullrich...and my god...PANTANI! I was drunk with it.

And one other thing. Festina. Not only "The Official Timekeepers of the Tour de France", but the main sponsor of the Festina-Lotus team centered in the doping controversy. It was odd that "Festina" came to symbolize the tour for me. But whenever I saw their logo, I was transported immediately back to the wonderment and thrill of the Tour from that year.

Although, I wasn't lost on the irony that Festina could be not only the face of honest, non-relenting "time" that cannot be cheated, but also sponsor the poster team for all the deceit that plagues the sport.

Without that moment in my life, I would have missed the exhilaration just at the mention of names like: Bartoli, Moreau, Virenque, VDB, Pantani, Cipollini!!

So for the last 10 years, I have promised myself that one day I would pop the couple hundred bucks for a Tour edition Festina. Certainly not the most prestigious timepiece, but it held a certain place in my mind. A bookmark in my life...a connection.

Last August, for the 36th anniversary of my birth, my beautiful wife surprised me with a chunk of stainless steel that just happened to have a certain yellow face.

A quite afternoon later I sat alone in the living room, watch on my wrist, and popped in all 4 dvds of the 98 tour...then went back in time.

Make Soup

2008-01-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

It has been on the rather cold side of the thermometer here lately. This brings out the slow cooker in our household. Coming home from a day of work and entering from the cold is akin to no other comfort. Add to this the aroma of home made soup cooking, and it can become down right seraphic.

I have played around with my own recipe for a ham and lentil soup that could not be easier, and in my opinion is just damn good. A gentleman shares.

To preface, I do not claim to be of any specific training or proficiency in the kitchen. I also do not adhere to any strict measurements, and would expect you to add or dismiss to your liking.

The parts:

Couple of meaty ham hocks or shanks (fresh from Mr. Butcher is best, but thawed from frozen works too.)
2 cans or @ 4 cups of stock, I use chicken or vegetable
2 cups water (optional)
1 cup uncooked lentils. Green, yellow, or my favorite, black.
2 large carrots
2 large celery stalks
1/2 white onion
garlic cloves to taste. I usually put in a couple or so.
1/3 cup canned black beans and their "juice"
couple of bay leaves
sea salt and black pepper

The Build:

Rinse your lentils in a colander
Clean and chop the vegetables
Mince or micro grate the garlic
Take the black beans and mash em up all rustic in a small bowl. Use a fork or spoon. This adds a wonderful body to the mix.
Now throw all the above in the slow cooker with the (fresh or thawed) pork products
Add in the 2 cans of stock, give it a stir and take a look...if you want it soupier, add water. I add @ 2 cups. The lentils will absorb quite a bit of liquid.
Add the bay leaves then throw in some cracked pepper. Hold off on the salt till it's done. Most chicken stock is already fairly salty.
Depending on how much time you have: Cook on high for 4-5 hrs or low for 7-8+
Pull out the hocks, get rid of the bones, and hand shred the meat back into the pot. Done

I like to serve up with a hand full of saltines and a grind from the pepper mill. If your cardiac karma is in check, drop a spoon of sour cream on the top for some extra special creaminess.

This is best cooked on low all day, and even though the first bowl you dish out is tasty, the flavor and texture really come to life after an evening in the fridge. Warmed the next day for lunch or dinner is incredible. This recipe will feed several people once or one person several times.

Modern - History?

2008-01-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

What exactly are you looking at?

Is this the new compact geometry Seven Ti integrated full suspension frame with ultra secret SRAM Red prototype internal 15spd shifting hub and Avid juicy carbon ceramic front drum brake?

Nah. Couldn't be from this day and age. But only due to the fact it's not a mass produced Taiwanese monocoq carbon fiber frame that appears to have sat under a heat lamp too long...

This is a frame designed in the late 1940's by Ducati as an upgrade to the mostly stock bicycle frames they were attaching engines to. The "Cucciolo" was their springboard into the legendary bikes we know today.

When I turned the corner into this room of the Ducati Museo in Bologna Italy, I said aloud, "What the hell is a 1993 Rocky Mountain Cycles suspension frame doing here?!". Obviously I knew better, but the resemblance was truly uncanny.

It only reiterates that we live mostly in an era of refinement. I don't mean in a societal, moral, or cultural sense...Ms. Spears keeps those bars set quite low indeed. I mean in the way that the basis for most things have been established and we continue to look back on them in order to move forward. Refine the idea. This lends to the true innovators being few and far between. But that's exactly what makes them truly special when they emerge.

The more things change right?

Pine for art

2008-01-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

It's late January.

I have entered my 10th month of being a parent, and 8th month of "stay at home dad". Which is a fantastic gift.

It has been close to a year since I've stood in a room full of my artwork.

These things are not exclusive to one another, but there has obviously been a connection. Watching Noella grow, and being a major source of her learning has been monumental to speak lightly. We laugh and play together and feed off each others enjoyment. One of the first "activities" we had was watching the Tour every morning. She was mesmerized, and that alone made the race for me. I also dug that a climbing specialist like Contador [ultimately] won.

The other things in my life, namely my art and cycling, have taken a well deserved back seat for the most part. Now that she is older and the prospect of attending a bit of day care is on the horizon, I am faced with reintegrating my self back into my life.

Goals...right? Thats how you motivate, plan, expect "to do" so to speak.

As for ART. I already have some larger scale projects in the mental works. One, a commission for Matt Unger and his lady Sue. Or is it Sue, and her lady Matt? Hmmm. I digress. Anyway, they dropped me a line 'round the holidays and we schemed. BIG is the word. "We like what you do, come up with something." That is a freedom rarely awarded and will be met with vigor. Yes vigor. Stay tuned for updates of the visual persuasion.

Quant au cyclisme. Well simply, get back to it. The plan is to do a few things: Get out with people I've never ridden with. Break out of the ruts. Do some more group riding instead of the totally alone mode that has persisted over the last couple years. Mountain, road, cross, track...whatever. Racing too. That should do it. There are some new faces at the shop that are super excited about riding. They have extended invites so it should be fun to ride some roads I've not been down.

Sounds a lot like "resolutions" being the time of year for it n' all. But it's more of a return to who I was, not something new...but hopefully improved.

Call the DEA!

2008-01-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

So...about 45 days ago I bought a set of XC Pro Brakes off ebay. Yea, you seen em too...dude out of Mexico. Wants $50 bones for the set. Fairly cheap, and I needed brakes for the bike. Since it had been over a month and the guy was not real informative through email, I figured they were lost/not gonna show. Decided to buy a set of Spooky's from Rich...which had I known he was wanting to sell...well.

Anyway bout a week ago, Post man rings my door wanting me to sign for a "package". No longer expecting anything (read "I forgot") I asked who from? Post man- "You HAVE to sign first"...OK so your not gonna show me yours till I show you mine (no pun intended). Got it. One John Hancock (pun intended) later he hands me a rather odd looking tied bundle...from Mexico.

Now anyone who knows me is aware I am about the most naive cat when it comes to drugs, their usage, and paraphernalia. However, I seen plenty a movie and have a wicked imagination. To me this package embodied the vision of the "brick-o-black tar heroine" if said object were to be mailed through the post.

I have yet to open it.

If you happen to see me in the new year and I seem to have lost a few...or 50 pounds and look a bit gaunt with my pinkie nails inexplicably long, be nice.

Don't judge.

Maybe I'll invite you to the Opium den.

Wood, Beer, Metal

2007-11-30T19:36:00.001-07:00

An evening in. Polished a beer...and my crank.

Thanksgiving indeed

2007-11-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

A plan came together. Several weeks of gathering parts and last night about 10:30 I run the mental list and realize whatever I don't have...can be gotten around. If by the morning, weather has not turned an ugly head I was going to give it a shot. Got up this morning to sunshine. That's all I needed. Some coffee, some chores, round up the goods and threw together the new cross bike. Dinner in Parker is (supposed) to be at 5, so at 1:30 I am throwing on the layers to meet the 32 degree temps and hit the road by 1:47.

All clean and shiney like

Conditions from Aurora were cold and dry, any mud at this point was frozen. Plenty of sand though. My plan was to ride as much of the dirt trails that run along the paved CC trail. My surprise was just how far I could go on dirt.

As I got south of the resevoir temps must have been a bit higher, the trails were softer and sticky. Basically you could zig zag the paved trail and stay on single track.

cold but perfect!

2 hours, @ 25 mi, at least 70% in the dirt, getting lost and having a blast

upon arrival in Parker, got the pimp stance on...Leia-"I love you" Han-"I Know"

All in time for the spread. HUP!