Back to Boarding

Yeah, last year I said the Gems had my eye and the resorts could never have me. Breckenridge though, has grown on me. Perhaps more likely because it has the most snow and runs open. Missus Goat's best childhood friend is in town from Connecticut who also happens to be a snowboarder. So the Mad Scientist and myself took her up for a day on the board. The powder wasn't as I hoped but the lines moved fast and you couldn't asked for a better day of weather.

Colleen Ripping down Peak 7


The Mad Scientist in full Ninja gear and Colleen in the background

Boxing Rocks!

So it was Boxing day today. What else to do but ride...ummm....Hike a Bike Box O Rox!

Box o Rox entry right off the bottom of Green Mountain Road


Within the Valley


Yes sir, I just wanted to post hole today


But I did get to do some riding


and more hiking


Better then sitting at home staring at the tv while the girls take a nap


Some mighty snow drifts up top


aw...look...little goat boy has the chin beard thingy going again


Twas a good day on the mountain but the snow is deep in crusty on top..Still...as I told the hiker who told me, "you have a long hike a bike ahead."

"Its all in the spirit of the adventure."

Merry Christmas ya Fuggers!

If you didn't get something from here you might as well have gotten a lump of Coal.

Merry Christmas ya Fuggers!

What I want for the Winter Solstice is a Mountain Ride

So I went and got it. For the MTBR, picture heavy version, click here.

Georgetown, Empire and all the surrounding Mining Ruins were my playground for the day before I reached 10,000 ft above sea level and got shut down by snowdrifts. Still 4 hours, a bit of 4x4 roads and singletrack made life good while the rest of Denver mountain bikers regulated themselves to road riding(pfft!) or driving 2 hour south to Pueblo.

Death to the cell phone by Apple Juice

A few of you received my email , "Needing phone numbers" where within, I composed a short bit of tale that my phone had suffered a horrible watery death. You took to yourselves to surmise that my phone suffered a death of truly epic proportions. Rumors of a toilet and a peeing incident, a bottle of Stanahan's and an attempt to get a phone bound friend drunk, and even scandal of a tub full of jello and a fun evening with my wife. Sorry friends but I must dispel all of these rumors and tell you the truth.

It was a bottle of apple juice that did my ancient relic of a cell phone in. I had that phone since before I even had children and even then I think it was a few years older, being drug out of a useless trinkets drawer and given to me by my father in law. Though younger then my old bag phone and even younger then the old radio CB that I could cook my lunch upon the antenna, it had served its life. I'm sure at least some of my friends might even be happy to know this phone is gone, being the battery could not hold a charge longer then 5 minutes when I was talking on it so everyone I spoke to got hung up on or so they thought.

It was a harmless enough day. I had just gotten back from Riding the Lake with Lubes and Spike. My wife, the lovely Missus Goat needed to get some work done without the chitlins running between her legs. So I took the little ones for a short hike on the Stonehouse Trail in Lakewood. At the trailhead there was a store and within that store a bottle of some over sugared kid's oriented crap drink that my oldest really wanted. Being a somewhat responsible father I directed her to the apple juice instead, which while still being over sugared, contained none of the dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives of that over sugared kid's oriented crap drink.



I let Ayla take a drink of her juice, I allowed her to put the cap back on and I slipped the bottle into my coat pocket beside my phone. Later, while walking down the trail I noticed a golden liquid raining on the snow at my feet, realizing I was not drunk, therefore not publicly peeing myself I took the bottle out of my coat pocket and found it to be three quarters empty compared to the three quarters full that it had been when first put there. Of course I quickly pulled the phone out but being submerged in the golden liquid, it had suffered its fate, to be a shorted hunk of plastic and circuits. So there you have it, no epic tale of a bathroom incident, no scandal of a tub full of jello, my wife and myself and no Stranahan's, though if your still looking me a present, a bottle or two would be nice.

By the way, with the purchase of my new LG ENV3, I decided I should lose my old east coast number and become a true Colorado Man with a local number. So if for some reason my email missed you and you want my new number give me a shout at the email on my profile page.

The Frozen Lake Ride

Hooked up with Lubes, Spike and Velo Steve for a little snow riding Saturday on the Stone House Trail and Bear Creek Lake Park. Riding was good n powdery and the Lake was frozen solid enough that we rode out to the center and played around while the ice fisherman looked on like we were crazy....something could be said for those folks as well but we all do what we love.

Lubes and his "jugs"


Spike on the Stonehouse Trail



Spike hitting the stream crossing


Velo Steve on the Stonehouse Trail


Lubes and Steve hiking up a ridge


Lubes and Steve


Riding on the frozen Bear Creek Lake


Spike showing us how his Nokian spikes grip the ice


Myself giving an example of why I need spikes in my own tires.


Snow on top of the ice provides for better traction


Bear Creek Lake


Steve riding a snow bridge


The start of the journey home



A Youtube Video of riding across the ice of Bear Creek Lake by Lubes

Fear is good for the soul...Part 2

Continued from "Fear is good for the Soul:"

As soon as Kristen yelled for help, 4 of us were scrambling up the rock to where PBR lay.

When I 1st saw PBR, my initial reaction was pure shock... PBR was laying on a pile of jagged boulders and rocks, his head hanging over the edge and blood raining on the ground beneath him. His hands were down by his waist and he was staring up at the sky in a moan of blinding pain or a convulsion...I knelt beside him as another rider Joe took ahold of PBR and spun him around into my lap. Blood immediately filled the palms of my gloves and the front of my jersey and I could see a large gaping hole in his right ear from which protruded cartilage. Surprisingly, though, with the amount of blood that was spilling, there only appeared to be minor scraps to his neck and face. Joe was asking PBR a series of questions and after about 2-3 minutes PBR regained himself enough that he could start answering his name, age, and questions about his family.

PBR started to try to get up, talking about continuing the ride, but Joe and I held him back telling him to take it easy. We told him the ambulance was on the way but he immediately declined to it.Being so close to Mt. Herman road, I decided to hike to it and ride back down to get my truck so we could cart PBR out.

One of the Springs riders decided to ride down with me and as we rode, we passed the ambulance and a firetruck headed up to where the others were getting PBR out. When we hit the 1st climb, I powered through it and dropped the other rider (he showed up as I was about to pull out of the parking lot). I threw his bike on the truck and rushed back up the mountain.

When we reached the trailhead, PBR was standing and talking to the Paramedics, declining an ambulance ride. I took PBR and Spike back down to the main trailhead where we met Jerry who had ridden his bike down. There was talk from PBR of not going to the hospital and I said, maybe a bit hostilely," Dude, you got a hole through your ear that I can see daylight through!" That seemed to end the argument and we were off to a hospital in Highlands Ranch.

Some three or four later of sitting in the Emergency Room lobby, The docs finally released PBR with 19 stitches in his ear and other then a concussion and a sore back, He had a clean bill of health.

That day was perhaps the worst day I've ever had on a bike and I hope its the worst I ever get to endure. Here's to you PBR, Heal up quick and lets ride again soon.

Fear is good for the soul

So says the man who I found laying on a pile of jagged rocks with blood raining out the back of his head.

Earlier that day I called PBR right at 9am to ask about a ride he had texted to me the night before. A couple of locals were headed down to Monument to met some Colorado Springs riders for a chill ride in the Mount Herman area. I had originally bailed since I had hurt my right leg the Friday before snowboarding in Breckenridge but I woke up that Saturday morning with a spring to my step and not wanting to go slip sliding down icy slopes again, I opted for the ride.

I met PBR, Spike, and Canyonrat down in Monument...with us all riding our rigid bikes, Spike's bike wearing skinny touring spikes when we met some of the Springs folks who showed up in body armour, 6 inch + travel bikes and full face helmets. We picked on their bikes, they picked on ours and we cominced a cheerful positive energy ride. Temps were in the 30's, the sun was shining, and the trails were a perfect 3-4 inches of vanilla fluff.

Feeling strong and enjoying the ride I took to the front of the group helping the ride leader, Joe break trail for the trailing of 10 or so riders behind us. Eventually we broke out to Mount Herman Rd, a steady climbing dirt road that reminds me of the great fire road climbs of the east. It was firmly snowpacked and icy in spots but it climbed like a smooth paved road, just enough traction to never break free.

Finally we made it to what I believe is called Middle Stoopid Trail. The top is a washed out gully pitched at 30 plus degrees with a scattered assortment of jagged, rotten granite boulders. I was the third man in and discovered quickly that I was way in over my head. I consider myself a good technical rider but this laberynth of gullies and rock had me dabbing like I was doing the Irish jig set upon a bike.

I stopped at the bottom of the techical bohemith and stepped to the side as two of the armored Springs riders came barroling down the chute with their six plus inches of travel riding the boulder garden like it was a blobsled chute, their suspension absorbing every hit. I saw Kristen stop about mid way up and turn to take pictures...

Next PBR came down. He was making it then we saw his front tire get sucked between a couple of rocks and stopped..all his foward momentum slung him over the bars and we saw him dissapear behind some boulders. Next thing I know I hear Kristen yelling for help...

Continued in Fear is good for the soul part 2

A week of Cold

The interweb has been a place of obscurity for me of late. Hiding in the shadows, lurking in dark corners I have been. Denver has been cold as hell of late with temps staying in the single digits and if I heard correctly we hit our record low of 14 degrees below Fahrenheit last night.

Fuggin Cold I tell ya...This past weekend has many tales to be told...many beers were consumed, a few rides on the bike and the snowboard and the scariest experience I've ever had on a bike. PBR's dried blood on my gloves and jersey stand testimate to that experience that will come in a later posting but I'm happy to say I still have my beer drinking, bike riding, bald headed friend.

For now, I give you last Thursday afternoon's ride on Green Mtn...

Looking west


Snowboard Helmet, goggles, and a little frost in the soul patch


Coming up Hayden


Looking North on the Top


Down Two Towers


Another shot from Two Towers

I Found my Mojo...Then I went Boom!

Welcome back Goat...its been a while.

Last night was our weekly TiTs ride hosted by PBR, congregated locally by MTBR.

Everyone else must of been stuffed turkey's from all the thanks given as the Goat led 90 % of the ride. I know, how the hell did that happen? The Alfine must be feeling the pressure as I recently went out and bought a Surly Cog and have been threatening for the past week that I will be selling the 1500 gram anchor. More on that later....

The ride started at Ironworks, our favorite little Lakewood Brewery and ladie's 80's hair bar. As per usual PBR and Lubes took to the front but by the time we hit Green Mtn and the Hayden trail, the goat made a pass while those two were suckin wind. For the rest of the evening I pulled the night train...6 riders pulling on the goat's tail all evening long....Till the Vista Trail.

Vista Trail starts with some painful rolling climbs and then becomes a mostly sidehill style downhill with a few rollers mixed in....My Captain Control was way out of control as I came around a curve and all the sudden I looked to my right and rear of my bike was in front of the front of my bike....just before I could have my oh shit! moment I was flying....I felt like super man for all of 2.5 milliseconds and then I hit the ground with a great resounding BOOM! Yardselling my camera and a few other items I tumbled to a stop where I laid there chewing on the tall grass as Bad Andy! and the rest of the crew came pullin up..

Later...2am in the morning...

I wake up silent screaming and hobble around the house for 15 minutes as a cramp in my left thigh takes hold and throws me into the bowels of agony....the goat's final paid fee for being the night's leader.

To be Thankful

I could not have asked for a better Thanksgiving.

I met Bad Andy at 7am for a ride on Dakota Ridge, Matthew Winters and Zorro. Laughed at each other falling off the side of the ridge, got off trail for a bit and did a little bushwacking to discover nothing other then the fact that we just like to explore.



I got home and took the wee ones for a walk to the park, played on the playground, and back home to have a great Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Mrs. Goat for us along with a few friends and my sister.

I hope yours was as great as mine.

Powder Floppin in BC

BC Failed us. The micro climate that hung above BC for so long has cracked and that left for 6-8 inches or more of powdery fluff to play in. That though, did not deter 16 riders from coming out to play.

PBR


Avion Nomad


My Ride


Spike on Skinny....spikes


PBR is Fast


the two track was good


Lower Sandy Was was good for laps


Somewhere in the middle of it all I threw a powdery snow ball at Bad Andy.

Bad Andy said, "What, you wanna go?!"



Throwing down my bike I took to Bad Andy Like Velcro....At the end of it though, the Old Codger slammed the Goat like a bag of dry goods....next time old man!