Rock And Roll

I’ve been a bit busy doing some last minute odds and ends on the singletrack project. Sunday afternoon I finished a rather nasty looking, but not too bad riding, down-hill rock garden. It does look scary, but, it doesn’t ride that scary.

As I finished that and was working on a rock bermed corner, trail dig volunteers Kevin and New Steve ( we have three Steves - Just Steve, Skinny Steve, and New Steve) rode the new rock garden. In fact, they hiked their bikes back up a few times to ride it shooting video of each other as they rode that section. Once I was able to pry them off the new rock garden we moved what I estimate to be a five-hundred (500 lbs) pound rock into position to act as a rock berm.

Once a roller exits the rock garden (s)he makes a left turn and heads down a reasonably steep hill. The corner at the bottom is an approximately forty-five (45) degree corner. We placed the rather large rock, with a nice flat face, to act as a berm. Testing it, it seemed to work quite well.

This evening I will start work on a trailhead kiosk. It will house the map of the trails, some rules, some logos, and some alligator clips and hooks. The clips and hooks are for lost and found on the trail items or notes to whoever. Photo coming once I have the thing built and installed.

The trail marker posts are about to be ordered. The company recommended to us by our Parks and Rec department was just a wee bit lax on getting back to me. As in after several attempts using multiple mediums, they had not gotten back to me – at all. You snooze, you lose.

Ride On.

Useful

Ride on.

A One Percenter’s Views

A member of the one percent (1%) gives his/her views of Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Bagger Movement, and taxes. Read the whole story HERE. It really is worth your time and might not be exactly what you expected.

Oh yeah, there's this:

Ride On.

Layering For Cold Weather

I’ll just go ahead and assume you’ll not be giving up your bike when winter / snow / cold hits. For the experienced winter bike commuter, you know all about how to dress. For the not-so-long-in-the-tooth, there’s one (1) ideal way to handle the cold – layering. Here’s a great video on how to layer.

As with most things, a little trial and error period is probably necessary. I’ve got my layers dialed in such that, at worst, I’m just a touch too cold or a touch too warm. Never freezing my ass off or sweating like a pig.

Mornings before I depart I watch the Weather Channel. I pay attention to the temperature, the wind speed, and wind direction for both my morning ride to work and my afternoon ride home. I wear / pack the necessary layers and off I go.

Ride On.

Bike Camping Pics

With strong headwinds, it took me seven (7) hours of riding to get here (fifty-five (55) miles).

Deck of my cabin at Lake Vermillon.

Interior of the cabin.

Another shot of the interior.

Ride on.

Reverse Tattoo

I found this on the internets. It's sort of a cool reverse tattoo thing.

Ride on.

Saturdays

Quite a bit of my Saturday was spent in Leaders Park. If you recall, that is the scene of our singletrack project.

Saturday morning I met some dudes and we spent about one and one half (1 ½) hours raking leaves from the trails. It didn’t seem like that long. It felt like the time flew. We’re opting to rake instead of gas powered leaf blow this first season. The reason being we can place the leaves where we want. This encourages rollers to roll where I’d like them to “riding in” the trail in the proper location.

While I had some bodies in the park I put them to use hauling rocks. Our rock garden is not quite complete. The weekend Atom and I were after it, we ran out of close by rocks. Now there’s many more and I’ll finish that up.

Raking leaves and hauling rocks got me wanting to be riding trail. Saturday afternoon I threw a leg over the single speed and made my way over.

I rode a couple (2) laps of various loops and noticed Chad and off-spring getting ready to roll. I hung with them a bit and rode with them a bit.

After my initial laps, some with Chad and Company, and more on my own I made my way home. I arrived home with a sense of joy. It was a nice day and I was riding trails. The trails are trails I laid out, supervised building, and built sometimes on my own. It’s a cool feeling riding on something I’ve created.

Ride On.

This Sort Of Explains Things

The following drawing is by Chris Piascik.

Ride On.

Shatner

I'm still very fricking busy these days. I'm not finding much time to blog about anything. So, until something gives or exciting comes up, have some Shatner to tide you over.

Ride on.

Been Busy

I've been meaning to get at a bike camping recap, but, I've been too busy. Being gone, even for a few days, shit piles up. I've got to get un-buried at the paying job and that is going to take some evenings. Crap.

So, in the mean time, enjoy a little desert mountain biking video by Not Me.

The short version of the bike camping trip - great time. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Ride on.

Departure

Later today I throw a leg over the Long Haul Trucker and head out. I’m departing on a four and one half (4 1/2) day, four (4) night cruise.

I plan to loop to nearby state parks. Tent camping, camp fires. Since this is sort of a mini, active vacation, so the riding pace is of no concern. My longer distance days will range in the fifty plus (50 +) mile category. Easy stuff, really.

Ride On.

Weekend Recap

It seems a Saturday morning habit is being established. I’m finding myself sitting at the bar at Michelle’s drinking coffee and eating biscuits and gravy. Not a bad habit to have, I’d say.

This past Saturday Michelle offered up a homemade (not her home) jar of jalapeño jelly. She only asks that I bring back the empty container when so. Score!

Saturday is a day to mark on your calendar. Atom seemed to have cleaned all the sand out of his vagina as he was at the park ready to do some work. Our task was to begin construction on a rock garden.

If you remember from last weekend, friend of the project Rick brought is motorized, track driven, wheelbarrow to haul some rocks from our stockpile to close to the final placement. We hauled several loads. The rocks for the rock garden we transported to right up to the edge of the drainage ditch / creek and tossed them across.

Saturday Atom and I advanced on the cache of rocks from the other side. Friday evening and early Saturday morning brought rain. The creek was now higher and half of the rock pile was submerged. We gathered the high and dry rocks and fished some others from the creek. We lugged them up the hill and started to place them rock garden fashion.

I’ve not much experience placing rock gardens. A little on-the-job experience mixed with some inventive methods and we were underway. I’m very please to report seventy-five percent (75 %) of the rock garden is placed. It would have been completed, but, we ran short of rocks. We’ll transport more later.

I spend most of all Sunday at the paying job. I had much work to catch up on plus some additional special projects to tackle. I was sort of counting on the weather to be bad. I didn’t want to be inside on a nice day. However, the weather was nice. I tried to put my back to my office window as best I could. It was an exercise in focus. Resolutely I tackled each task.

Which brings us to today – Monday. I’ve a short work-week this week. I’m departing mid afternoon Wednesday on a previously posted shorter unsupported tour of some the nearby State Parks. The longer term forecast indicated good weather. I’m so looking forward to this I can’t begin to describe. Craziness at work, the end of the singletrack project, and a handful of other issues has my nerves verging on frayed.

Ride On.

Delirious

Busy stuff both at the paying job and the last odds and ends with the singletrack project are driving me nuts. I seem to be working days, evenings, and weekends with both.



But, the singletrack project is coming to a close. I’m heading out of town this coming Wednesday afternoon and not coming back until Sunday. I do need to gather some non riding time reading materials. Maybe I’ll take that stack of magazines accumulating in my abode.

Looking forward, I’m seeing a few winter time activities to pass the colder months. More on these later. Until things calm down at the paying job and the last few non paying job obligations are done, I’ll suck it up and get things done.

Ride On.

Wait. What???

Ride on.

One Week

I am now one (1) week away from my mini, bike camping, vacation. The touring bike is ready, most all the camping gear has been located, and all that is left is to pack and sort out the food.

The only thing that might slow me down would be very bad weather. Showers are not considered “very bad weather.”

I’ve glanced at some possible routes, but really, I’m not too concerned over finding my way. I’ve a pretty good idea on which roads roll best.

At long last, some rest and relaxation. I feel long over due in both departments.

Ride On.

Weekend Update

Saturday AM

Eat breakfast at Michelle’s (biscuits and gravy, coffee). Make my way to the park for the AM dig session. Do a walk-through of the middle loop taking out trees, fixing off camber areas, and doing final tweaks.

Saturday Lunch

Shower. Have lunch. Make my way to the University of Sioux Falls campus to speak to Falls Area Bicyclist regarding Falls Area SingleTrack (FAST) singletrack project. Thank them for the five-hundred dollar ($500) donation.

Saturday PM

Make my way to the park for the PM dig session. Do a walk-through of the north loop taking out trees, fixing off camber areas, and doing final tweaks.

Sunday AM

Have breakfast at Queen City Bakery. Make my way to the paying job to weld together an angle frame. Make my way home for lunch.

Sunday PM

Make my way to the park to rake leaves from the trail. Meet Rick and his motorized wheel barrow. Move several loads of rocks. Make my way home. Shower. Cook and eat. Make my way to the paying job. Finish angle frame. Load into company truck. Deliver angle frame. Go home. Shower (again). Take sleeping drugs. Go to sleep.

How was your weekend?

Ride On.