May showers

It's been raining a bit lately here, reminding me of how it is riding in norcal in winter (sans the crazy thunderstorms). Near 100% humidity and 60 degrees, I rode in a short sleeve shirt in and out of rainshowers. I think this is my 2nd favorite time to ride with my favorite being late September/early October. Summer...not so much. Today I rode some more local trails, just out the back door to enjoy the precip, smell of spring, and new experience on our usually dry trails now housing wet roots and rocks. Every section of every trail is a different experience - things you usually don't even think twice about become a challenge to clean. On the Hunter as a singlespeed now it's an even bigger challenge keeping momentum on the ups while not hurling over the bars from slipping on a root.

I'm having trouble motivating for any spring couloir skiing this year. I'm not sure why exactly but it's probably the combination of waking up at 4:30am to get up to the trail head and hike for a few hours with all that crap on my back. I know I'd love it, like i always do once i get out there, but maybe it's time for a year off to refuel the tank.

If you haven't been keeping up, or even seen, my better half's site...check it out.
I rarely write about our (non-human) family, but you really should check out the video of our new foal and read the backstory if you can. Baby horses are insanely cute and just hilarious to watch.

Aspens leaf out

Sunday I headed out on what was to be a short ride around the hood. Got out the door around 8:30am or so, then headed up the road to the start of the trails I was gonna 'patrol' for downed wood. This time of year we go out with the saw because after winter, there's a ton of blown down and dead trees across most trails. This year there's even more from all the broken-top trees from the 4 foot snowstorm we had in April. Many others have hit these trails before me, so several of the trees had been moved or pruned back so it wasn't as bad as i expected. But now all that was left was the high-hanging fruit...the heavy and huge trees. No matter, it was a beautiful 75 degrees and sunny day with nobody on the trails.

Of course after thinking that, I ran into people, but all locals. I first ran into KB - another local from the more eastern mongolia universe. I was headed her way, she was headed mine on one of our favorite secret trails that is not so secret anymore. Hasn't been for a few years actually. But anyways, this was the first time we actually met and it was great to get to chat with her about a variety of topics from the aforementioned secret trails status to how our pets are doing. If you don't know KB, her excellent blog is linked on the right "Romp and roll in the Rockies." Years ago, i recall seeing her on my morning commutes riding with her pup K. We called her "spinnygirl" as she spins at a higher cadence than anyone I know, and having read her blog it's due to her back issues I should follow suit due to my developing left knee issue...

Later on, I was on another secret trail that is nearly impossible to see the route in places from overwintering. Moving some fallen trees, picking up some scattered barbed wire, I see a group of 5 or 6 coming towards me on the trail...do i run and hide? How do they know about this trail? WHO ARE THEY? Well it was King NIMBY and his trail crew doing the exact same thing I was doing - removing the deadfall from the local trails...too funny. Again, chatted again about the weather, trails, stuff, and moved on towards home. It was that type of day...just beautiful, "ladeedah" like a butterfly in the wind, going where ever it took me.

Aspen Peeping in May: Our aspens started leafing out yesterday - May 20th. What seems to be a good week earlier than last year.

Nature: 1
Pavement: 0

New Bike Law in Colorado!

Amazing...never thought I'd see a law like this passed here. I've already heard of backlash from some angry drivers but this is good in the long run for cyclists safety in Colorado! It's really too bad people can't just be polite enough on their own without a law.
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/may/11/bike-safety-law-boulder-cycling-ritter-signed/

And in other news...
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/may/12/tony-hawk-nederland-skatepark-grand-opening-/

Kokopelli Trail Tour

I'm back! I left in rain and snow on the Hunter at 4:30am last Sunday to catch the 8am train to the Junction, and came back a week later to very similar rain and snow. It's great to have a wet spring, but glad I got some heat in the desert to break it up.

It was a very successful tour from Fruita to Moab on the Kokopelli Trail. Great friends and a great tour doing what we love most - ride bikes and camp out in the woods in beautiful places. What more could one ask for from a vacation?! More of the same! We were already thinking of the next tour immediately following this one.

Here's a narrated photo album of the trip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/whitcj/KokopelliTrailTour#

From snow to Koko

The top of the hill on my backyard ski after the 4 foot snow on April 18th. Seems so far away right now as I look outside at the clouds, rain, and green grass popping up everywhere. It's been a wet April and beginning of May, thankfully, as I was starting to stress about the fire danger with the hundreds of beetle-killed lodgepoles around the ranch as well as the newly topped-trees that cracked under the stress of that huge snowfall. Instead of putting another nail in the coffin for the lodgepoles, it appears to have affected significantly more ponderosas and douglas firs a bit lower in elevation than us (heavier and/or more snow a bit down hill...?). We had maybe one tree get topped from the storm. Moving from snow to bike at this time of year...

...the Hunter is ready for Kokopelli.

Pete and his rig at the Amtrak station this morning. As you can see, he uses a much different rig than either TK's (pic below) or mine. Check the flat pedals and full pannier bags! He's the most experienced out of all us for touring so has some great insights on what works and doesn't. He likes the full panniers as they keep the weight lower on the bike and lower the center of gravity allowing it to handle more normally.

So anyway, I leave the house tomorrow at 4:30AM to get to the Denver bus by 6. Then the train leaves Union Station at 8am. I'm expecting to be riding to Boulder in the snow tomorrow morning -- they're calling for a couple of inches tonight up here. From snow to the desert Koko. They told me to get there an hour early to pack up my bike in one of the bike boxes they supply at the station (you can purchase the box and get it loaded for only $20 total each way!). The weather is looking good, some rain there today and tonight to pat down the dust, and then a slight chance of T-storms with 70s during the day...that is perfect.

Maybe a post in Fruita tomorrow, and one from Moab a few days later...otherwise, we'll see you in a week!

TK's rig

TK and Berridge are leaving on Amtrak tomorrow (Sat) morning. Here's TK's ride...sweet!
I'll post the Hunter all dressed up and ready to go tomorrow...