Crested Butte Colors

It was as spectacular as imagined






as awe inspiring as remembered



and there were a few miles of great riding















and even a bit of hiking with the family





and all around good guy, The Mad Scientist



Ah, the magic of Crested Butte

Longer Then an Elephant's Penis

I originally planned this year to end on that which is longer then an Elephant's Penis...The Crested Butte Classic. A semi underground race in Crested Butte, CO consisting of 3 loops which total 100 miles with 13,000 ft of accumulated climbing.



After my bonk that felt like death tapping me on the shoulder after the Gunnison Growler and the abysmal treatment of my family the following day I realized that racing isn't what mountain biking is about for me. Being on the bike is more of a spiritual experience that lets me discover new places both on this big ol rock we call Earth and within mt heart. New dirt is always exciting to ride and that place it carries me to that lets me feel like a kid again is priceless.


Big Ring on the 403

The Mad Scientist got a room this weekend in Crested Butte and asked the family and I to join him. His original plan was to ride a loop or two of the Elephant's Penis and to see if I could really complete it. Well, as I have a tendency to do, I took his plans and rearranged them a bit to make the weekend a bit more fun for all.


The Valley near Gothic

I've become humble in the past few years and the need to prove myself in some macho-cyclist form has become a less of a need then the adventure of riding itself, so thinking about doing any loop of the Classic which included enormous amounts of pavement and dirt roads became less and less appealing. So my suggestion for the trip was to do two early morning rides where I would break off sometime before lunch and help the family discover the wonders of the Butte.


The Spectacular Wonder of the 401

Fall should be prime In the Butte which means a spectacular splash of color should be washing the valleys and mountains with a crisp edge to the air to let us know that we should savor every moment, as snow will soon follow.


The leaves of the Great Aspen Grove on the Dyke Trail should be a golden treat

Where our Tires Roll

Centennial Cone always provides when one is seeking a short ride. You can make the climbs just as as tough or easy as you want and I think this weekends intervals could be set to the tougher side as PBR pushed and pulled me up the switchbacks.





On to another wheeled note. The Explorer is now more of an explorer.

The before...with smallish tires,tuperware, and low ground clearance



The after....what was just another grocery getting wannabe 4x4 is now more capable of being offroad. 2inch lift, tuperware removed, 31x10.50 tires, and Rockcrawler rims.



That may be just the beginning...for now though...just a safari rack, new shocks and bushings in the works.

Guacamole it also seems gets a new hand...

what was this



has become Bionic..some guys get all the cool toys



Guacamole likes it



He says its better to crush cans of Dr. Pepper spiked with Vodka and to rip his carbon bars apart.

The Most Beautiful Place in the Land

From the mountains that seem to have been landscaped and painted in place to the endless stands of Aspens to the endless expanses of huge mountain valleys, Crested Butte is a beautiful yet humble mountain town.

Take this as a teaser for what may become a month's worth of blog posts.

The Porcupine chewed sign leads the way to camp



Deadman's



Reno



Flag



Bear



and back to Deadmans



Doctor's Park..so fuggin rad!



The 401



The Dyke Trail



where the Canadian Bacon got his fool on



The 403



Deer Creek



where Guacamole broke his hand



Strand Hill

Destination Crusty Butte

The Canadian Bacon arrives today and on Thursday morning we depart for Crusty Butt along with Guacamole. Much singletrack goodness to be had in that part of Colorado along with stellar views and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

Here's just a little preview of what we'll be riding over the next 5 days..





Tune in sometime next week for the recap of riding, to see if the the Bacon needed to use canned air, and of course, to see all the fantastic pictures of Crested Butte.