Went to McCall for Christmas. Took the bike along to try some riding in the McCall snow. The riding went really good. It was nice not having the trailer attached to the back of the bike. Hauling that slows me down especially if there powdery snow.
On Friday the 24th I did almost 3 miles. The sky was overcast and the temperature was a balmy 15 degrees. I started at the house and rode out past the airport to the old dump and then back into town all the way to the library. The trail was well groomed and the ride was pretty easy. Didn't have any problem with slick spots.
Christmas Day was the day for another ride. The weather really cooperated this day and it ended up being partly cloudy with a temperature of 22 degrees. Talk about a heat wave. This ride would end up being 6.25 miles long. I rode out towards the airport and rode part of the route that we did for the first day of the MS150. It was a very good day and a very good ride. Kind of wish I would have gone for a longer one.
Sunday the 26th brought a little bit of snow. I was going to go out during one of the storms but by the time I got out there it had stopped. I ended up doing the same ride I did on Friday. It was overcast and the temperature was 23 degrees. There was about an inch of snow on the road and trail which made it a little harder to navigate.
Final ride of the year came at home on December 31st. 10 degrees and clear skies. Ended up doing about 8 miles through town and a little way on the non-plowed Chipman Trail. I was hoping to get out as far as the state line or the Toyota dealer but that was fine. Certain parts of my body were really not enjoying the cold.
All in all this year was a great one for me in the number of miles ridden. Over 2500 miles covered and several really good long rides on the mountain and road bikes.
Biking in and around Moscow, plus other things that randomly seem to make sense to me.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
It is really that cold
Decided to ride the bike to work today. In order to ride I needed to put the knobby tires back on the bike the last night. It was cold just trying to get them on. I started wondering if I really wanted to ride. I ended up bringing the back wheel in to get it warmed up so that it would be easier to change the tire. After getting it changed and back on the bike I realized the it would be best to ride.
Temperature was a balmy -5 degrees with no wind when I left for work. The tires gripped the snow real well. Sure am glad that I changed them out. Rode 2.9 miles to get to work at an average speed of 9.2 mph. I think my maximum speed ended up being a little over 17 mph. Don't think I could do anymore then that. It was getting pretty chilly on the fingers and toes as I got closer to work.
The ride home was an even warmer 8 degrees and the wind chill made it -2. Ended up doing 2.6 miles with a maximum speed of 16.8 mph. The average speed ended up being 8.1 mph. A little slower going home. I guess I was in no hurry since I was just going home.
All in all it was an enjoyable time riding the bike and I am planning on riding to work more during the month of December.
Temperature was a balmy -5 degrees with no wind when I left for work. The tires gripped the snow real well. Sure am glad that I changed them out. Rode 2.9 miles to get to work at an average speed of 9.2 mph. I think my maximum speed ended up being a little over 17 mph. Don't think I could do anymore then that. It was getting pretty chilly on the fingers and toes as I got closer to work.
The ride home was an even warmer 8 degrees and the wind chill made it -2. Ended up doing 2.6 miles with a maximum speed of 16.8 mph. The average speed ended up being 8.1 mph. A little slower going home. I guess I was in no hurry since I was just going home.
All in all it was an enjoyable time riding the bike and I am planning on riding to work more during the month of December.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Riding Along - Haiku
Riding on the road
Dry leaves crunching and flying
Hopefully no snow
Fairly cold riding these past few days back and forth to work. I really am enjoying not having to drive onto campus. I do drive everyone to their morning destinations. The car is then parked at home and then I ride. I notice a lot of other people are riding up onto campus.
Dry leaves crunching and flying
Hopefully no snow
Fairly cold riding these past few days back and forth to work. I really am enjoying not having to drive onto campus. I do drive everyone to their morning destinations. The car is then parked at home and then I ride. I notice a lot of other people are riding up onto campus.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
MS Ride - Day 2 - Part 2 of 2
Joe Vandal’s Perspective – Alright, already!
Bill is standing over me with a yard stick making me finish this tale of bicycling mayhem.
The last thing Bill and Steve were doing was resting at the turnaround rest stop. After resting they decided to head on back to McCall.
I should pause right here and say that I was never offered a snack along the way. I was not offered the smallest of morsel to keep me going on this ride. I was not even offered any water. You would think that these two people would have thought of offering this poor mascot something for his effort during this two day ride. Oh, the humanity. At least I did not have to peddle the bike.
As we rode out of the resort we saw quite a few other bikers heading towards the turnaround. Steve and Bill chatted as they made their way. Don’t really recall much of the conversation that they had since I was busy worrying about what everyone was thinking of when they passed by us. I also had different questions that went through my mind: was my hair messed up; did it look weird with me riding in front of this jersey; is bicycle riding actually fun…?
We did see Deb riding towards us. She was looking good as she headed towards the turnaround. We just kept on going towards the Donnelly. Every so often Bill or Steve would have to pull in front of the other to let cars go by. We continued to see other riders heading out to the turnaround. We finally made it to Donnelly and had a little rest.
We crossed Highway 55 to follow our bike tracks back to Roseberry. This part of the ride was more of a chat session again. Bill said later that it was nice to have Steve ride with him on the way back. We passed all sorts of things on the way back: Cows, horses, old buildings, a Finnish Cemetery, and European Fallow Deer. I don’t remember seeing these things on the way out. It might have been that we travelled at a much greater speed then when we came back. We did have a little bit of a head wind so it did make it a little slower going.
We stopped at the final rest area at the turn off for Jug Mountain before finishing up the ride. They did not need a snack here so Steve and Bill got back on the bikes and headed out. The rest of the ride was pretty good. The climb up the back side of Bethel Hill went pretty good. Bill said that this is the fastest he has gone up it. Ride down the other side and take the turn to head over towards the middle school. Then back across the highway to follow get towards Alpine Village.
It was a great sight to see the finish line for the ride. This meant that I did not have to be riding along for a while and that we would be heading back up to Moscow a little bit later. Bill and Steve waited for a while to see if Deb was coming but she had rode back to the house since she had bonked (hit the wall, ran out of energy) part way back to McCall. When Bill and Steve heard that she was at the house they went ahead and ate lunch and Alpine Village and then wondered back over to the house.
Bill and I will do this again next year and I think he wants to take me on the 4 Summit Ride next July. I think that will be quite the ride. He tells me that it is quite a bit more climbing then the first day of this ride.
Bill is standing over me with a yard stick making me finish this tale of bicycling mayhem.
The last thing Bill and Steve were doing was resting at the turnaround rest stop. After resting they decided to head on back to McCall.
I should pause right here and say that I was never offered a snack along the way. I was not offered the smallest of morsel to keep me going on this ride. I was not even offered any water. You would think that these two people would have thought of offering this poor mascot something for his effort during this two day ride. Oh, the humanity. At least I did not have to peddle the bike.
As we rode out of the resort we saw quite a few other bikers heading towards the turnaround. Steve and Bill chatted as they made their way. Don’t really recall much of the conversation that they had since I was busy worrying about what everyone was thinking of when they passed by us. I also had different questions that went through my mind: was my hair messed up; did it look weird with me riding in front of this jersey; is bicycle riding actually fun…?
We did see Deb riding towards us. She was looking good as she headed towards the turnaround. We just kept on going towards the Donnelly. Every so often Bill or Steve would have to pull in front of the other to let cars go by. We continued to see other riders heading out to the turnaround. We finally made it to Donnelly and had a little rest.
We crossed Highway 55 to follow our bike tracks back to Roseberry. This part of the ride was more of a chat session again. Bill said later that it was nice to have Steve ride with him on the way back. We passed all sorts of things on the way back: Cows, horses, old buildings, a Finnish Cemetery, and European Fallow Deer. I don’t remember seeing these things on the way out. It might have been that we travelled at a much greater speed then when we came back. We did have a little bit of a head wind so it did make it a little slower going.
We stopped at the final rest area at the turn off for Jug Mountain before finishing up the ride. They did not need a snack here so Steve and Bill got back on the bikes and headed out. The rest of the ride was pretty good. The climb up the back side of Bethel Hill went pretty good. Bill said that this is the fastest he has gone up it. Ride down the other side and take the turn to head over towards the middle school. Then back across the highway to follow get towards Alpine Village.
It was a great sight to see the finish line for the ride. This meant that I did not have to be riding along for a while and that we would be heading back up to Moscow a little bit later. Bill and Steve waited for a while to see if Deb was coming but she had rode back to the house since she had bonked (hit the wall, ran out of energy) part way back to McCall. When Bill and Steve heard that she was at the house they went ahead and ate lunch and Alpine Village and then wondered back over to the house.
Bill and I will do this again next year and I think he wants to take me on the 4 Summit Ride next July. I think that will be quite the ride. He tells me that it is quite a bit more climbing then the first day of this ride.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
MS Ride - Day 2 - Part 1 of 2
Joe Vandal’s Perspective - Do you really?
I did not have to get up early on this second day of the ride. I slept attached to Bill’s Camelbak on the floor of the living room. Not a very comfortable position to sleep in. Deb and Steve had dog problems during the night. Lucy decided that sleeping was not required. Bill said that he had a very good sleep. The beer and massage must have really helped.
Bill’s dad made up a bunch of sourdough pancakes the night before which Deb, Steve and Bill ate. Nothing like wonderful sourdough pancakes to get a person going in the morning.
Water bottles were filled. Air was checked on tires. The bike that Bill has is pretty cool. Deb and Steve came out dressed in their Vandal gear. To my horror Bill came out with a jersey that made me kind of throw up in my mouth. He explained to me that his cousin Summer had been wondering why he never wore anything with blue and orange. He said that if she came up with $200 in pledges for MS he would wear a BSU jersey. So she ended up getting the $200 and Bill had to wear a jersey on the second day.
Before I continue with the tale of the second day, Bill wants to share a little something he wrote with the help of Victoria.
Orange and blue I wore
Pledges from Summer condemn
My silver and gold
The wonderful thing is that the only clothing on Bill that was not Vandal was the jersey. Bill even had his Vandal bike for this day of the ride. Once Bill put on his Camelbak I was able to overshadow the bronco on his chest. This was going to be an interesting ride.
Deb and Steve went ahead to the starting area in search of some coffee, while Bill waited for Amy and Todd (a couple who live in Moscow that came down to do the ride) to drop their kids off. Victoria and Rachel were going to hang out with them while everyone was out riding. After getting the kids all settled in, Amy and Bill rode over while Todd drove over. The air was a little cooler but the sun was out and ready to warm everything up.
I couldn’t help thinking back to the start from yesterday and hope that all the right turns would be taken today. Steve and Deb were waiting with coffee in hand. Pam arrived to take a picture of all of us and wish us a safe ride. The time was getting close to get on the bikes and ride. Deb, Steve and Bill moved to the starting area and then they were off. Everything went perfectly. No wrong turns and no bikes dropped in the middle of the road.
Steve and Bill headed out with Deb following behind. I could tell that it was going to be a faster ride then yesterday. We went by the airport for the third time this weekend. This time after crossing the highway we ended up turning right to go to Elo Road and onto Farm-to-Market Road. The first challenge was coming up called Bethel Hill. Bill actually stood up and peddled past a few of the bikers. He said that most times he would get stuck behind somebody as people passed him. Down the other side we went. Tucked down and watching the road.
We came to another climb and Bill didn’t stand up on this one he just sat back and peddled up it at a pretty good clip. After the climb it was pretty flat to get to the first rest stop where Steve was waiting for us. Steve and Bill rode together for a while after the rest stop then Steve started gaining ground. Bill kept a pretty good pace. He wasn’t going so fast that I could not see what we were going by. This is a pretty area to ride a bike.
We finally got to Roseberry and turned right to head towards Donnelly. There were two bikers riding in the middle of the road and Bill hollered out "To Your Left" and one of them said that he had scared them. Good thing it was him and not somebody in a car because that would have been even scarier.
Finally we reach Donnelly and the second rest stop. Steve is waiting and they get some snacks for the ride out to the turn around. I was hung on Bill’s handle bar at this point so that he could use the port-a-potty. When he was finished we got back on the bike and headed out towards Tamarack Resort. This time Steve and Bill rode together. They made pretty good time especially when Steve was in front setting the pace. Bill followed pretty closely and was almost swallowed up by some of the manhole covers that are littered along the roadway. Steve would point them out and Bill would miss them just in the nick of time. They arrived at the turnaround rest stop and rested for a little while.
To be continued ...
I did not have to get up early on this second day of the ride. I slept attached to Bill’s Camelbak on the floor of the living room. Not a very comfortable position to sleep in. Deb and Steve had dog problems during the night. Lucy decided that sleeping was not required. Bill said that he had a very good sleep. The beer and massage must have really helped.
Bill’s dad made up a bunch of sourdough pancakes the night before which Deb, Steve and Bill ate. Nothing like wonderful sourdough pancakes to get a person going in the morning.
Water bottles were filled. Air was checked on tires. The bike that Bill has is pretty cool. Deb and Steve came out dressed in their Vandal gear. To my horror Bill came out with a jersey that made me kind of throw up in my mouth. He explained to me that his cousin Summer had been wondering why he never wore anything with blue and orange. He said that if she came up with $200 in pledges for MS he would wear a BSU jersey. So she ended up getting the $200 and Bill had to wear a jersey on the second day.
Before I continue with the tale of the second day, Bill wants to share a little something he wrote with the help of Victoria.
Orange and blue I wore
Pledges from Summer condemn
My silver and gold
The wonderful thing is that the only clothing on Bill that was not Vandal was the jersey. Bill even had his Vandal bike for this day of the ride. Once Bill put on his Camelbak I was able to overshadow the bronco on his chest. This was going to be an interesting ride.
Deb and Steve went ahead to the starting area in search of some coffee, while Bill waited for Amy and Todd (a couple who live in Moscow that came down to do the ride) to drop their kids off. Victoria and Rachel were going to hang out with them while everyone was out riding. After getting the kids all settled in, Amy and Bill rode over while Todd drove over. The air was a little cooler but the sun was out and ready to warm everything up.
I couldn’t help thinking back to the start from yesterday and hope that all the right turns would be taken today. Steve and Deb were waiting with coffee in hand. Pam arrived to take a picture of all of us and wish us a safe ride. The time was getting close to get on the bikes and ride. Deb, Steve and Bill moved to the starting area and then they were off. Everything went perfectly. No wrong turns and no bikes dropped in the middle of the road.
Steve and Bill headed out with Deb following behind. I could tell that it was going to be a faster ride then yesterday. We went by the airport for the third time this weekend. This time after crossing the highway we ended up turning right to go to Elo Road and onto Farm-to-Market Road. The first challenge was coming up called Bethel Hill. Bill actually stood up and peddled past a few of the bikers. He said that most times he would get stuck behind somebody as people passed him. Down the other side we went. Tucked down and watching the road.
We came to another climb and Bill didn’t stand up on this one he just sat back and peddled up it at a pretty good clip. After the climb it was pretty flat to get to the first rest stop where Steve was waiting for us. Steve and Bill rode together for a while after the rest stop then Steve started gaining ground. Bill kept a pretty good pace. He wasn’t going so fast that I could not see what we were going by. This is a pretty area to ride a bike.
We finally got to Roseberry and turned right to head towards Donnelly. There were two bikers riding in the middle of the road and Bill hollered out "To Your Left" and one of them said that he had scared them. Good thing it was him and not somebody in a car because that would have been even scarier.
Finally we reach Donnelly and the second rest stop. Steve is waiting and they get some snacks for the ride out to the turn around. I was hung on Bill’s handle bar at this point so that he could use the port-a-potty. When he was finished we got back on the bike and headed out towards Tamarack Resort. This time Steve and Bill rode together. They made pretty good time especially when Steve was in front setting the pace. Bill followed pretty closely and was almost swallowed up by some of the manhole covers that are littered along the roadway. Steve would point them out and Bill would miss them just in the nick of time. They arrived at the turnaround rest stop and rested for a little while.
To be continued ...
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
MS Ride - Day 1 - Part 3 of 3
Joe Vandal’s Perspective – I think I can – 25 more miles is all
We got to the house and Bill got some extra food and water to take along just in case. Bill said that if he sat down he probably would not want to get back up again so we just kept on going. Back onto the bike and heading out to go around the lake.
We did a loop to start out to add a little mileage since the route around the lake is about 20 miles. The wind had actually died down a bit so the start of the ride went a little easier. We connected into the same route through Spring Mountain Ranch from earlier in the day. We continued out around the lake. This time we did not need to turn around at the condominiums because no one was standing there telling us to turn around. Gravel road was going to be our friend for the next few miles. If gravel is our friend then dust was going to be our enemy. Cars sure can create a lot of dust when they go by. I could hear Bill hacking every so often when a car went by. It was hard on my eyes to see as we went. When there were no cars the scenery was very nice this way. There is one downhill section that is makes your hair stand up straight. Of course Bill does not have an issue with that. The bottom of this section curves left but slopes right causing the tires to slide to the right. Can’t go to fast through here since you really need to stay in your lane to keep from missing cars.
The north end of the lake was busy with activity. Boats and other watercraft parked with people having a fun time. No time to stop for us since we had to finish this ride. The river that feeds into the lake had a lot of canoes and kayaks on it. We got to the 10 miles to go mark and Bill started to ponder turning around and going back. I mentioned to him that it really didn’t matter since we would still have to bike the 10 miles to get back. He just shook his head and kept on going. After 6 hours on a bike he was getting rummy.
From gravel to paved road was a nice transition. We headed towards McCall on Warren Wagon Road. It seemed like we had been this way earlier. Not much had changed since the last time here so it was just peddle, peddle, and peddle our way along the road. Finally making it to downtown and then to the house. Almost 7 hours and 100 miles on the mountain bike was quite the feat.
The only things on Bill’s mind were getting taking a shower, getting a massage, eating dinner, having a beer and going to bed. He was not very sore but the shower and massage would help relieve the muscle tightness. The meal and the beer would just be icing on the day. Sleep would be good since Sunday brings 50 miles of road biking. I hope I am ready for it. I will be hanging on for dear life again.
Day 2 on the way …
We got to the house and Bill got some extra food and water to take along just in case. Bill said that if he sat down he probably would not want to get back up again so we just kept on going. Back onto the bike and heading out to go around the lake.
We did a loop to start out to add a little mileage since the route around the lake is about 20 miles. The wind had actually died down a bit so the start of the ride went a little easier. We connected into the same route through Spring Mountain Ranch from earlier in the day. We continued out around the lake. This time we did not need to turn around at the condominiums because no one was standing there telling us to turn around. Gravel road was going to be our friend for the next few miles. If gravel is our friend then dust was going to be our enemy. Cars sure can create a lot of dust when they go by. I could hear Bill hacking every so often when a car went by. It was hard on my eyes to see as we went. When there were no cars the scenery was very nice this way. There is one downhill section that is makes your hair stand up straight. Of course Bill does not have an issue with that. The bottom of this section curves left but slopes right causing the tires to slide to the right. Can’t go to fast through here since you really need to stay in your lane to keep from missing cars.
The north end of the lake was busy with activity. Boats and other watercraft parked with people having a fun time. No time to stop for us since we had to finish this ride. The river that feeds into the lake had a lot of canoes and kayaks on it. We got to the 10 miles to go mark and Bill started to ponder turning around and going back. I mentioned to him that it really didn’t matter since we would still have to bike the 10 miles to get back. He just shook his head and kept on going. After 6 hours on a bike he was getting rummy.
From gravel to paved road was a nice transition. We headed towards McCall on Warren Wagon Road. It seemed like we had been this way earlier. Not much had changed since the last time here so it was just peddle, peddle, and peddle our way along the road. Finally making it to downtown and then to the house. Almost 7 hours and 100 miles on the mountain bike was quite the feat.
The only things on Bill’s mind were getting taking a shower, getting a massage, eating dinner, having a beer and going to bed. He was not very sore but the shower and massage would help relieve the muscle tightness. The meal and the beer would just be icing on the day. Sleep would be good since Sunday brings 50 miles of road biking. I hope I am ready for it. I will be hanging on for dear life again.
Day 2 on the way …
Monday, August 30, 2010
MS150 Ride – Day 1 – Part 2 of 3
Joe Vandal’s Perspective - Into the Wind
We stopped about 200 yards up from the "Y" so that Bill could take a couple of pictures. The wind was blowing kind of hard at this point. We started up again and the wind was making for some slow going. It did make it easier to see things as we rode along. A couple of miles after the turn we saw Steve heading down and Bill told him that we would meet him back up at the top of the summit. The climb was not that bad. Riders were yelling excitedly as they came down from the summit and a guy that was passing us said that they still had to ride back up with the wind blowing on them. When we got to the rest area Bill got a Payday bar and had a couple of pickles. One of the other riders told Bill that pickles help when riding.
Steve made it back to the top and we chatted for a little bit. We never did see Deb at the top, so we went ahead and started down towards McCall. Steve went out ahead and we just coasted down the road after him. The wind made the trip down a little slower than when we went down the other side. Bill told me about the deer that ran out in front of him on this part of the ride a couple of years ago. After he told me this I kept my eyes peeled for any movement on both sides of the road. The upper lake came into view and I marveled at the colors. The burned out trees are starting to have more and more smaller trees and bushes growing among them. This area was pretty well devastated several years ago from fires that came through and it is nice to see more and more vegetation growing.
We finally made it to the rest stop where Deb and Steve were waiting for us. Deb had actually made it to the summit but it was a couple of minutes after Steve had gone down the back side. They got more fuel for the ride in and headed off towards the big long gravel part. Everyone made it through just fine and started the trek toward McCall. There were a lot more cars driving on the road now. This was making it a little scarier for me to be on a bike. Bill didn’t seem to mind and I think he actually liked having the cars and trucks driving by. Deb and Bill stayed with Steve for a little while but then Steve started going at Steve-pace. Before he started off they decided that they would meet at Deb and Bill’s Dad’s office to walk over to the McCall Brewery for the after ride lunch. Deb and Bill plugged along getting closer to McCall as the seconds passed. Finally they reached the turn onto the main road and Steve was waiting at Lardo’s to ride with them across town.
The ride across town was not very eventful. They basically acted like they were lost as they went this way and that. I was thinking that somebody had been drinking something other than water on the ride. They finally made it to the office and put their bikes inside before walking to lunch. Bill took me off of the Camelbak and carried me over so that I could watch them eat. They had a potato with fixings and a make your own salad. Pretty good stuff and Bill said that it tasted good. After they finished up lunch they went and got the bikes and went back to the house. Deb and Steve decided that they did not want to do any more riding for the day. Bill said that he would go ahead and do a loop around the lake to get 100 miles for the day.
To be continued ...
We stopped about 200 yards up from the "Y" so that Bill could take a couple of pictures. The wind was blowing kind of hard at this point. We started up again and the wind was making for some slow going. It did make it easier to see things as we rode along. A couple of miles after the turn we saw Steve heading down and Bill told him that we would meet him back up at the top of the summit. The climb was not that bad. Riders were yelling excitedly as they came down from the summit and a guy that was passing us said that they still had to ride back up with the wind blowing on them. When we got to the rest area Bill got a Payday bar and had a couple of pickles. One of the other riders told Bill that pickles help when riding.
Steve made it back to the top and we chatted for a little bit. We never did see Deb at the top, so we went ahead and started down towards McCall. Steve went out ahead and we just coasted down the road after him. The wind made the trip down a little slower than when we went down the other side. Bill told me about the deer that ran out in front of him on this part of the ride a couple of years ago. After he told me this I kept my eyes peeled for any movement on both sides of the road. The upper lake came into view and I marveled at the colors. The burned out trees are starting to have more and more smaller trees and bushes growing among them. This area was pretty well devastated several years ago from fires that came through and it is nice to see more and more vegetation growing.
We finally made it to the rest stop where Deb and Steve were waiting for us. Deb had actually made it to the summit but it was a couple of minutes after Steve had gone down the back side. They got more fuel for the ride in and headed off towards the big long gravel part. Everyone made it through just fine and started the trek toward McCall. There were a lot more cars driving on the road now. This was making it a little scarier for me to be on a bike. Bill didn’t seem to mind and I think he actually liked having the cars and trucks driving by. Deb and Bill stayed with Steve for a little while but then Steve started going at Steve-pace. Before he started off they decided that they would meet at Deb and Bill’s Dad’s office to walk over to the McCall Brewery for the after ride lunch. Deb and Bill plugged along getting closer to McCall as the seconds passed. Finally they reached the turn onto the main road and Steve was waiting at Lardo’s to ride with them across town.
The ride across town was not very eventful. They basically acted like they were lost as they went this way and that. I was thinking that somebody had been drinking something other than water on the ride. They finally made it to the office and put their bikes inside before walking to lunch. Bill took me off of the Camelbak and carried me over so that I could watch them eat. They had a potato with fixings and a make your own salad. Pretty good stuff and Bill said that it tasted good. After they finished up lunch they went and got the bikes and went back to the house. Deb and Steve decided that they did not want to do any more riding for the day. Bill said that he would go ahead and do a loop around the lake to get 100 miles for the day.
To be continued ...
MS Ride Day 1 part 1
Joe Vandal’s Perspective - To the “Y”, Burgdorf Y that is
Why do we have to get up so early? Sourdough pancakes do sound good for breakfast but 6:00 is early. Guess Deb, Steve and Bill want to have everything digested before the time the ride starts. Guess I will go back to sleep up here above the TV. I had to sleep up here since Lucy (one of Deb and Steve’s dogs) wanted to play with me. I don’t think I would have been able to handle the trauma.
After devouring their breakfast they started getting dressed in all of the tight fitting clothes they could find. Bill wore his Vandal Club Cycling jersey and the bike shorts that he got from the MS ride last year. I dressed the same way I usually dress and it is not tight fitting clothing. Bill then put me on the strap of his Camelbak water pack so that I would be able to watch where we were going on the ride.
Deb, Steve, Bill and I rode over to the starting area at Alpine Village at about 7:30. Other riders were already there and more were filtering in. As we wandered around the parking lot we met Lori from the College of Education. They had a pretty neat rack of new Trek road bikes that Bill and Steve went over and drooled over. I got a few questions about why I was riding along. Bill said that it was for the fun of it. I started to wonder what fun it was going to be riding along hanging from a strap. I would suppose it would be easier than trying to ride the bike myself.
With about 5 minutes to go everyone gathered near the starting area to listen to final instructions for the ride. All I remember was: right, right, right, left, left and follow the motorcycle. 10, 9, 8 … 2, 1, GO! Right, right, left, OOPS! Motorcycle heading back the way we came. A lady drops her bike in the middle of the road and Bill heads through the dirt to bypass all of the chaos. The motorcycle gets back on track. Bill and a few others fall in behind him.
It sure does feel nice to have the cool air flowing through my beard as we head out on the ride. This part will take us past the airport and then across Highway 55 to Spring Mountain Ranch. There is not very much traffic so we do not have to wait very long at the light to cross the highway. Spring Mountain Ranch is a subdivision in McCall near the golf course. It is a nice area to ride in since it allows you to bypass the downtown area in order to get to the eastside of the lake. Our first destination was the Tamarack Bay Condominiums. This is where we were going to turn around and come back into town before heading up Warren Wagon Road to get to the Burgdorf Y. We made it to the turn around and headed back towards downtown.
Riding on the road through the forested area on this side of the lake was pretty neat. Bill rides this way whenever he rides around the lake. There is are few up and down sections along this route so it gives you a pretty good work out and you can get some good speed.
As we got near downtown we stopped at the first rest stop at Gravity Sports. All of the rest stops had a Hawaiian theme to them. Bill had a half of a banana at this one and then we were off again. As we made the turn back onto Highway 55 by the Hotel McCall we could hear cheering. It was Pam (Bill’s sister), Victoria and three other ladies sitting at the opposite corner. It was great to have somebody cheering for you as you rode by. Kind of made me think about the Tour de France and how loud it must get.
We rode on towards Warren Wagon Road with the shouts still ringing in our ears. We made the turn onto the road and made our way towards the “Y”. It was at this point that I realized that Bill sings and talks a lot as he rides. Never really sings a whole song, just kind of skips around and mixes them up. I can see why he rides alone. We were making pretty good time as we made our way alongside the lake. It is amazing the number of house and cabins that they have along here. Bill was following a couple of guys as we came to the first gravel area, (It seems that during the spring there was some washout damage in several spots along this road). As they got almost on top of the gravel area they almost stopped and Bill had to swerve around them to make it across. The bigger tires on his mountain bike made it easier to navigate across the gravel.
The lake sure looked pretty as we rode towards the north end of it. I should have taken some pictures but Bill had the camera in his back pocket. We came to the next part of the road that was gravel and it ended up being about twice as long as the last time Bill road along here. They had to fix two areas so it looked like they decided to do both of them together. We ended up riding on the left hand side since it was smoother than any other part. After making it through there we came to the second rest stop. We decided to wait here for Steve and Deb.
Bill grabbed some extra snacks to keep his energy level up. They had a nice variety of snacks for the riders. Since Bill was the one doing the pedaling I really did not need anything for the ride. Steve and Deb made it to the rest stop and rested for a while. After they got what they needed we took off. We made it to the third area for graveled road and made it across it just fine. Steve was in the lead with Bill behind and Deb behind him. All of the sudden, Bill had to stop to throw something off of the road. Deb asked if there was anything wrong he replied that he had stopped to throw something off the road. He then followed Deb up the road. Soon we decided to pass her to start the little climb to get to the Upper Payette Lake. This area is so beautiful. The river flows on the right side of the road as you ride along. Trees and brush all around you. Sun just starting to warm everything up. What a nice day for a bike ride or to be attached to someone who is riding a bike.
I noticed as we passed the lake that the road started to get a little steeper and wondered if I would need to get off to help push the bike. Bill seemed to just keep going with much resolve. It was as if he had done this before. He started singing and talking again and I wondered if this helped him. I guess I would have to ask him later. We continued on passing a couple people as we trudged up the incline. Bill mentioned that this was not as bad as the climbs that Steve and he did during the Three Summit Challenge. As we got near the Secesh Summit, Bill lost his watch and had to turn around and go back to get it. Velcro is good but when it goes bad it does not hold up to well. After getting the watch we finished making it to the summit where Steve was waiting. We decided to stick around for a little bit to see if Deb was going to make it.
After a while Bill and I decided to take off towards the “Y” and Steve would wait for her. The trip down the other side was awesome. We reached some pretty fast speeds and I felt pretty sure that Bill had everything under control. We made it to the Burgdorf Y with no issues and turned around there.
To be continued…
Why do we have to get up so early? Sourdough pancakes do sound good for breakfast but 6:00 is early. Guess Deb, Steve and Bill want to have everything digested before the time the ride starts. Guess I will go back to sleep up here above the TV. I had to sleep up here since Lucy (one of Deb and Steve’s dogs) wanted to play with me. I don’t think I would have been able to handle the trauma.
After devouring their breakfast they started getting dressed in all of the tight fitting clothes they could find. Bill wore his Vandal Club Cycling jersey and the bike shorts that he got from the MS ride last year. I dressed the same way I usually dress and it is not tight fitting clothing. Bill then put me on the strap of his Camelbak water pack so that I would be able to watch where we were going on the ride.
Deb, Steve, Bill and I rode over to the starting area at Alpine Village at about 7:30. Other riders were already there and more were filtering in. As we wandered around the parking lot we met Lori from the College of Education. They had a pretty neat rack of new Trek road bikes that Bill and Steve went over and drooled over. I got a few questions about why I was riding along. Bill said that it was for the fun of it. I started to wonder what fun it was going to be riding along hanging from a strap. I would suppose it would be easier than trying to ride the bike myself.
With about 5 minutes to go everyone gathered near the starting area to listen to final instructions for the ride. All I remember was: right, right, right, left, left and follow the motorcycle. 10, 9, 8 … 2, 1, GO! Right, right, left, OOPS! Motorcycle heading back the way we came. A lady drops her bike in the middle of the road and Bill heads through the dirt to bypass all of the chaos. The motorcycle gets back on track. Bill and a few others fall in behind him.
It sure does feel nice to have the cool air flowing through my beard as we head out on the ride. This part will take us past the airport and then across Highway 55 to Spring Mountain Ranch. There is not very much traffic so we do not have to wait very long at the light to cross the highway. Spring Mountain Ranch is a subdivision in McCall near the golf course. It is a nice area to ride in since it allows you to bypass the downtown area in order to get to the eastside of the lake. Our first destination was the Tamarack Bay Condominiums. This is where we were going to turn around and come back into town before heading up Warren Wagon Road to get to the Burgdorf Y. We made it to the turn around and headed back towards downtown.
Riding on the road through the forested area on this side of the lake was pretty neat. Bill rides this way whenever he rides around the lake. There is are few up and down sections along this route so it gives you a pretty good work out and you can get some good speed.
As we got near downtown we stopped at the first rest stop at Gravity Sports. All of the rest stops had a Hawaiian theme to them. Bill had a half of a banana at this one and then we were off again. As we made the turn back onto Highway 55 by the Hotel McCall we could hear cheering. It was Pam (Bill’s sister), Victoria and three other ladies sitting at the opposite corner. It was great to have somebody cheering for you as you rode by. Kind of made me think about the Tour de France and how loud it must get.
We rode on towards Warren Wagon Road with the shouts still ringing in our ears. We made the turn onto the road and made our way towards the “Y”. It was at this point that I realized that Bill sings and talks a lot as he rides. Never really sings a whole song, just kind of skips around and mixes them up. I can see why he rides alone. We were making pretty good time as we made our way alongside the lake. It is amazing the number of house and cabins that they have along here. Bill was following a couple of guys as we came to the first gravel area, (It seems that during the spring there was some washout damage in several spots along this road). As they got almost on top of the gravel area they almost stopped and Bill had to swerve around them to make it across. The bigger tires on his mountain bike made it easier to navigate across the gravel.
The lake sure looked pretty as we rode towards the north end of it. I should have taken some pictures but Bill had the camera in his back pocket. We came to the next part of the road that was gravel and it ended up being about twice as long as the last time Bill road along here. They had to fix two areas so it looked like they decided to do both of them together. We ended up riding on the left hand side since it was smoother than any other part. After making it through there we came to the second rest stop. We decided to wait here for Steve and Deb.
Bill grabbed some extra snacks to keep his energy level up. They had a nice variety of snacks for the riders. Since Bill was the one doing the pedaling I really did not need anything for the ride. Steve and Deb made it to the rest stop and rested for a while. After they got what they needed we took off. We made it to the third area for graveled road and made it across it just fine. Steve was in the lead with Bill behind and Deb behind him. All of the sudden, Bill had to stop to throw something off of the road. Deb asked if there was anything wrong he replied that he had stopped to throw something off the road. He then followed Deb up the road. Soon we decided to pass her to start the little climb to get to the Upper Payette Lake. This area is so beautiful. The river flows on the right side of the road as you ride along. Trees and brush all around you. Sun just starting to warm everything up. What a nice day for a bike ride or to be attached to someone who is riding a bike.
I noticed as we passed the lake that the road started to get a little steeper and wondered if I would need to get off to help push the bike. Bill seemed to just keep going with much resolve. It was as if he had done this before. He started singing and talking again and I wondered if this helped him. I guess I would have to ask him later. We continued on passing a couple people as we trudged up the incline. Bill mentioned that this was not as bad as the climbs that Steve and he did during the Three Summit Challenge. As we got near the Secesh Summit, Bill lost his watch and had to turn around and go back to get it. Velcro is good but when it goes bad it does not hold up to well. After getting the watch we finished making it to the summit where Steve was waiting. We decided to stick around for a little bit to see if Deb was going to make it.
After a while Bill and I decided to take off towards the “Y” and Steve would wait for her. The trip down the other side was awesome. We reached some pretty fast speeds and I felt pretty sure that Bill had everything under control. We made it to the Burgdorf Y with no issues and turned around there.
To be continued…
Sunday, August 15, 2010
MS150 coming up.
The MS150 is almost here. A few more days and I will be heading to McCall to relax for a bit before the two day event. On the first day we will be covering 75+ miles. Steve, Deb and I might end up going for another 25 on that day to make it a century type of day. Still playing it by ear at this point and it depends on how my legs and tush feel after the first 75.
The next day is the 50 mile ride to Tamarack Resort and back to McCall. I doubt we will do any extra miles that day.
I am really looking forward to the weekend and getting together with all of the other riders that are raising money for this cause. I would like to thank all who have donated so generously to help out.
The next day is the 50 mile ride to Tamarack Resort and back to McCall. I doubt we will do any extra miles that day.
I am really looking forward to the weekend and getting together with all of the other riders that are raising money for this cause. I would like to thank all who have donated so generously to help out.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Ride like the wind and climb like a mountain goat
What a finish to biking in July. Went to McCall this past weekend to participate in the 3 Summit Challenge and hang out in McCall.
Victoria and I went down on Thursday evening to just hang out and for me to get ready for the ride on Saturday. Friday morning I took a ride out around the lake and up to the Upper Payette Lake. This ride allowed me to see how the Warren Wagon Road looked for when we ride on it for the MS150 at the end of August. I got to see where the roadway was washed out during some of the hard rains that hit the McCall area during the Spring. Two places are single lane and one of them is about 50 or so feet of gravel. The gravel may give the road bikers a little bit of a problem but hopefully they are able to make it through with not much trouble.
On Saturday morning Deb, Steve, Victoria and I headed to Cascade for Steve and I to get ready for the 3 Summit Challenge. At 8:00 AM we headed out on Highway 55 towards Warm Lake. The weather was perfect for this ride. Nice and cool with the sun out. First destination is Big Creek Summit, elevation 6594 feet, 17 miles out from where we started. I start the climb up at about 13 miles out and it is 4 more miles of pretty good grinding to get to the top of this summit. I am feeling pretty good as I go up this climb but I can tell it is going to be a long ride since I will have two more of these climbs to deal with. I get to the rest area at the top and get a couple of things to tide me over for the trip down. The decent is very nice hitting speeds of 38MPH while passing and getting passed by other bikers. Talk about an adrenaline rush.
The second ascent to Warm Lake Summit started
at about 28 miles out and ended up being about 4 miles of major kick in the tush. I had to stop about 5 times on the way up to just catch my breath. WOW! Maximum slope of 11% with an average of 8.7%. This was getting the best of me. Finally got to the top of the summit and an elevation of around 7300 feet. Steve was there getting stuff for the ride back into Cascade so I decided I had better get some essential nutrients. I got back on the bike and started back down to go to Big Creek Summit. As I started the decent a chipmunk decided to come out and run into the side of my tire. I looked back to see if he was hurt but he just spun around a couple of times and rushed off of the road. I hit a maximum of almost 42MPH as I headed down the road. This was another adrenaline rush.
To bad I didn't save the adrenaline rush for the climb back up to the third summit. I ended up stopping a couple of times and walked the bike a quarter of a mile just to keep my calves from disowning me. I finally made it up to the summit. On the way down towards Cascade it started raining. The rain felt good as I descended down the mountain road.
This was a great ride and I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
With this ride I ended up going 677 miles for the month of July. It was a great month for riding and I hope that I will be able to get that much in August.
Victoria and I went down on Thursday evening to just hang out and for me to get ready for the ride on Saturday. Friday morning I took a ride out around the lake and up to the Upper Payette Lake. This ride allowed me to see how the Warren Wagon Road looked for when we ride on it for the MS150 at the end of August. I got to see where the roadway was washed out during some of the hard rains that hit the McCall area during the Spring. Two places are single lane and one of them is about 50 or so feet of gravel. The gravel may give the road bikers a little bit of a problem but hopefully they are able to make it through with not much trouble.
On Saturday morning Deb, Steve, Victoria and I headed to Cascade for Steve and I to get ready for the 3 Summit Challenge. At 8:00 AM we headed out on Highway 55 towards Warm Lake. The weather was perfect for this ride. Nice and cool with the sun out. First destination is Big Creek Summit, elevation 6594 feet, 17 miles out from where we started. I start the climb up at about 13 miles out and it is 4 more miles of pretty good grinding to get to the top of this summit. I am feeling pretty good as I go up this climb but I can tell it is going to be a long ride since I will have two more of these climbs to deal with. I get to the rest area at the top and get a couple of things to tide me over for the trip down. The decent is very nice hitting speeds of 38MPH while passing and getting passed by other bikers. Talk about an adrenaline rush.
The second ascent to Warm Lake Summit started
at about 28 miles out and ended up being about 4 miles of major kick in the tush. I had to stop about 5 times on the way up to just catch my breath. WOW! Maximum slope of 11% with an average of 8.7%. This was getting the best of me. Finally got to the top of the summit and an elevation of around 7300 feet. Steve was there getting stuff for the ride back into Cascade so I decided I had better get some essential nutrients. I got back on the bike and started back down to go to Big Creek Summit. As I started the decent a chipmunk decided to come out and run into the side of my tire. I looked back to see if he was hurt but he just spun around a couple of times and rushed off of the road. I hit a maximum of almost 42MPH as I headed down the road. This was another adrenaline rush.To bad I didn't save the adrenaline rush for the climb back up to the third summit. I ended up stopping a couple of times and walked the bike a quarter of a mile just to keep my calves from disowning me. I finally made it up to the summit. On the way down towards Cascade it started raining. The rain felt good as I descended down the mountain road.
This was a great ride and I am looking forward to doing it again next year.
With this ride I ended up going 677 miles for the month of July. It was a great month for riding and I hope that I will be able to get that much in August.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Weekend and Ramblings
Trail of the Coeur d'Alene
The Trail of the Coeur d'Alene is a pretty neat trail. Ended up biking 37 miles of it. 7.5 miles I did twice in the same direction. A blown tube was the main reason that I got to ride it again. I ended up getting a hole in my rear tire so one of the gentlemen that does upkeep on the trail gave me a ride in his little Mitsubishi pickup back to Harrison to get a new tire. Took about 45 minutes to get it all back together. After getting the wheel back on the bike I went back down to the trail to head out towards Cataldo. I met up with the group after they had turned around after about 15 miles. The weather was great for the ride. Kind of wished that I would have been able to get farther on the trail but I was glad that I did what I did.
Miles
So far this month I have ridden 430+ miles. I have not driven to work at all since the beginning of the month. I have driven on out of town trips but most of my running around town has been on one bike or the other. Most of my miles have been for just pure riding. I am going to try and do a century this month at some point. If I do not get it done this month then I will probably do it in August at some point.
MS150
And of course we can not have a post without the usually plea for pledges to support research and helping those with MS. On August 21st and 22nd I will be joining other cyclists from all over the state on a two day ride in the McCall area. Please help if you can either by donating money or donating time at the event. They are needing help in all areas to support the riders as they ride. You can either donate at my page. If you are going to be in McCall that weekend and would like to help out then you can go to the volunteer page. Thanks to all that help at this wonderful event.
Cycling
A couple of rants to end this:
The Trail of the Coeur d'Alene is a pretty neat trail. Ended up biking 37 miles of it. 7.5 miles I did twice in the same direction. A blown tube was the main reason that I got to ride it again. I ended up getting a hole in my rear tire so one of the gentlemen that does upkeep on the trail gave me a ride in his little Mitsubishi pickup back to Harrison to get a new tire. Took about 45 minutes to get it all back together. After getting the wheel back on the bike I went back down to the trail to head out towards Cataldo. I met up with the group after they had turned around after about 15 miles. The weather was great for the ride. Kind of wished that I would have been able to get farther on the trail but I was glad that I did what I did.
Miles
So far this month I have ridden 430+ miles. I have not driven to work at all since the beginning of the month. I have driven on out of town trips but most of my running around town has been on one bike or the other. Most of my miles have been for just pure riding. I am going to try and do a century this month at some point. If I do not get it done this month then I will probably do it in August at some point.
MS150
And of course we can not have a post without the usually plea for pledges to support research and helping those with MS. On August 21st and 22nd I will be joining other cyclists from all over the state on a two day ride in the McCall area. Please help if you can either by donating money or donating time at the event. They are needing help in all areas to support the riders as they ride. You can either donate at my page. If you are going to be in McCall that weekend and would like to help out then you can go to the volunteer page. Thanks to all that help at this wonderful event.
Cycling
A couple of rants to end this:
- Please do not ride your bike on the sidewalk at speed. If you are going to ride on the sidewalk please ride as fast as foot traffic. Bobbing and weaving is dangerous.
- Please ride on the right hand side of the road.
- Cars do not need to stop if I am waiting for traffic. I am not a pedestrian unless I get off my bike and walk it over to the crosswalk.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
4th of July
What a weekend. It was a great time to go to McCall and spend time with family. Got in quite a few rides. Ended up going around the lake twice by myself. The second time was on the 4th when everyone was trying to get to the north end of the lake for whatever festivities were going on up there. There was quite a bit of beer flowing I am sure.
Rode to North Beach with Philip, Steve, Deb, and Rochelle (friend of Deb's from high school). Philip did very good. Thanks to Steve for teaching him a bit about how to ride on the way back. That is the most he has ridden in a day. The ride to North Beach allowed Deb, Steve and I to see what the condition of the road will be for the first day of the MS150 (August 21st). It was not to bad except for where a bridge is no longer paved and places where they put seal coat on the seams of the road.
Steve, Deb and I rode to Roseberry in preparation for the second day of MS150 (August 22nd). It was a nice 30 mile ride to see how the road was doing. The road was fine so we should have a good ride.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Pullman, Troy and Back
Baseball game at 9:00 with warm-ups starting at 8:00. The morning came quickly as I got to bed at 4:30 AM after a great senior party. Last game of the season for Philip and they won the game on a last inning past ball to allow the runner on third to get home. What excitement for the team.
Made it home after and decided against taking a nap at that time. It was bike ride time and this was going to be a long ride. Pullman was the first destination of the day. Other riders and runners where out in force. There was a slight wind coming from the west so it did not hinder my progress. The wind helped a little after I turned around to head back to Moscow and beyond. It was so nice to be riding without the usual threatening clouds that we have had for the past month. There were just little cotton ball clouds that would shade the trail every so often. Back through Moscow and onto Troy for the second destination of the day. I was making good time and feeling really good on the bike. As I started the downhill into Troy I came upon this little chipmunk starting to run down the trail. Tail up and trying to stay in front of me. What a hilarious sight. I ended up passing it. I was kind of worried that it was going to run right in front of me and become a casualty of a skinny tire. I went ahead and rode through Troy and to the end of the trail pavement east of Troy. The ride back to Moscow was a little more of a struggle as the wind had picked up a little more the closer I got to town. All in all this was a pretty good ride.
Made it home after and decided against taking a nap at that time. It was bike ride time and this was going to be a long ride. Pullman was the first destination of the day. Other riders and runners where out in force. There was a slight wind coming from the west so it did not hinder my progress. The wind helped a little after I turned around to head back to Moscow and beyond. It was so nice to be riding without the usual threatening clouds that we have had for the past month. There were just little cotton ball clouds that would shade the trail every so often. Back through Moscow and onto Troy for the second destination of the day. I was making good time and feeling really good on the bike. As I started the downhill into Troy I came upon this little chipmunk starting to run down the trail. Tail up and trying to stay in front of me. What a hilarious sight. I ended up passing it. I was kind of worried that it was going to run right in front of me and become a casualty of a skinny tire. I went ahead and rode through Troy and to the end of the trail pavement east of Troy. The ride back to Moscow was a little more of a struggle as the wind had picked up a little more the closer I got to town. All in all this was a pretty good ride.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Sunny June Day
For once we have a sunny day in Moscow and I got to go for a good long ride. Went to the end of the Latah Trail outside of Troy this morning. This trail is so nice to ride on. Quite a few people out jogging, riding and walking. On the way back through Troy I stopped to see some friends and then headed back to Moscow. Came up on a group of people doing a charity walk on the trail near the cemetery.
In the afternoon Philip and I rode downtown and over to the baseball fields to watch the end of a game and then rode home. His new bike is working really well for him. This summer will be fun riding with him in the mornings. He can keep up a lot better with this bike then the previous one.
Latah Trail
Sunny day
Riding hard
Joggers and walkers
Bikers biking
Dogs not leashed
Watch the poop
End of the line
Turn around
Back home
Arches
Rock formations
Wind blown
Pictures taken
Arches and Balanced
Climbing up
Flying down
Leadville
High elevation
Twelve miles to go
Mining area
Nineteen degrees
Skiff of snow
In the afternoon Philip and I rode downtown and over to the baseball fields to watch the end of a game and then rode home. His new bike is working really well for him. This summer will be fun riding with him in the mornings. He can keep up a lot better with this bike then the previous one.
Latah Trail
Sunny day
Riding hard
Joggers and walkers
Bikers biking
Dogs not leashed
Watch the poop
End of the line
Turn around
Back home
Arches
Rock formations
Wind blown
Pictures taken
Arches and Balanced
Climbing up
Flying down
Leadville
High elevation
Twelve miles to go
Mining area
Nineteen degrees
Skiff of snow
Monday, May 10, 2010
A tale of two rides
This past Saturday was spent doing a little biking in the Moab area.
The first ride was into Arches National Park. You have to pay $5 to bike in the park but it is well worth it. The rock formations are truly amazing. After entering the park you come to the biggest climb of the day as you bike to the area where all of the rock formations are at. I ended up doing a total of over 51 miles from Moab into Arches and back to Moab. I was not able to see any of the famous arches but did get to see one of the balanced rocks.
The second ride was along the Potash-Colorado River Scenic Byway outside of Moab. The rock formations along this route were pretty amazing to look at. I did get to see a few people rock climbing on the rock faces along the roadway. It is amazing how the water has made all of the cuts in this area. I ended up doing a total 21 mile out and back on this ride.
The first ride was into Arches National Park. You have to pay $5 to bike in the park but it is well worth it. The rock formations are truly amazing. After entering the park you come to the biggest climb of the day as you bike to the area where all of the rock formations are at. I ended up doing a total of over 51 miles from Moab into Arches and back to Moab. I was not able to see any of the famous arches but did get to see one of the balanced rocks.
The second ride was along the Potash-Colorado River Scenic Byway outside of Moab. The rock formations along this route were pretty amazing to look at. I did get to see a few people rock climbing on the rock faces along the roadway. It is amazing how the water has made all of the cuts in this area. I ended up doing a total 21 mile out and back on this ride.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Leadville Ride
What a ride in Leadville, CO. Trying to breath at 10,000 plus feet above sea level is very interesting if you are not used to it. 19 degrees at the start with a wind chill that brought it down to 14 degrees. Light dusting of snow all along the ride, with snow over the trail in places. Beautiful views all along the trail. Lots of snow on the mountains.
What a really neat ride around the Mineral Belt Trail that loops the city of Leadville. There is sure a lot of history in this area.
Moab is on the menu this afternoon and tomorrow.
What a really neat ride around the Mineral Belt Trail that loops the city of Leadville. There is sure a lot of history in this area.
Moab is on the menu this afternoon and tomorrow.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Good weekend
Rain. Friday evening brought it. Saturday morning started out overcast for the opening ceremonies of the Cal Ripken Baseball season. The clouds kept moving east to allow blue sky the chance to take over the sky. After the ceremonies it was off to practice for a 1.5 hours. Decided to go watch one of Philip's friends play ball that afternoon. Headed home after a couple of innings and then went for a nice bike ride towards Troy with Eric. It was a nice and well deserved easy ride. Ended the day going to St. Mary's Center for a wine and cheese.
Saturday night it decided to rain and we even had some lightning and thunder. Darn, that meant that biking was not in the cards for the next day. Wake up to see sun shine and the Chipman Trail calling. Made it to Pullman and back on the Vandal Bike in pretty good time. I really need to clean off the worm guts. The rain caused a lot of worms to come out of the ground in the night. Tried my best to dodge but it just was easier to stay in a pretty straight line to keep from crashing.
Saturday night it decided to rain and we even had some lightning and thunder. Darn, that meant that biking was not in the cards for the next day. Wake up to see sun shine and the Chipman Trail calling. Made it to Pullman and back on the Vandal Bike in pretty good time. I really need to clean off the worm guts. The rain caused a lot of worms to come out of the ground in the night. Tried my best to dodge but it just was easier to stay in a pretty straight line to keep from crashing.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday Ramblings
Wow! What a day. The breakfast for Lady Chavez went really well. People where so generous to help the family out. I helped her husband wash a lot of dishes.
After the breakfast I was able to ride to Troy on the Vandal bike. Stopped in to see Susan, Ryan, Rio and Summer. Had a nice little chat and then headed back to Moscow. It sure is a nice trail. I could do without all of the dog bombs along the way.
After the breakfast I was able to ride to Troy on the Vandal bike. Stopped in to see Susan, Ryan, Rio and Summer. Had a nice little chat and then headed back to Moscow. It sure is a nice trail. I could do without all of the dog bombs along the way.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Commuting
This morning was the first official day of getting back on the Giant bike with the trailer and commuting to work. First it was drive the kids to school and then go home to get the bags into the trailer. I place the 30 pounds of flat weights that is in an old laptop case in the bottom of the trailer for something extra to pull around. The rest of my bags go on top of that. It was cold ride but it felt great to get back into riding to work. The Vandal bike will not be used for commuting with the trailer. The attachment is a little harsh on the bike frame for doing that.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Blustery Day and a Plea
Blustery day today riding towards Pullman. I was expecting Pooh and Piglet to come flying at me. Only got in a little over 4 miles (to the WalMart turnoff) with the wind blowing almost 25 mph in my face. The ride back home was a lot quicker. Ran into a little bit of what seemed like snow falling out of the sky. It is sure Spring in Moscow by this weather. At some point maybe it will start warming up. Really need to get out and ride more everyday.
Now for a plea to everyone that reads this. I am riding in a ride this August that supports Multiple Sclerosis. It is a two day ride in the McCall area. We cover 60 miles on the first day as we ride to the Burgdorf Y north of McCall. This is a very beautiful and scenic ride that has an ascent of 1590 feet over ten miles. The next day we take a little flatter approach to the ride as we travel south of McCall towards the Tamarack Ski area. This is a 50 mile round trip ride not on the highway.
Day One Map
Day Two Map
All that I am asking is that you consider donating to this cause by supporting me as I ride. This will be my third year doing this and I feel real strong about this cause.
If you want to support me then you can go to my personal page on the MS Society site to donate.
Thank you to those have supported me in the past and thanks to those that will support me this year.
Now for a plea to everyone that reads this. I am riding in a ride this August that supports Multiple Sclerosis. It is a two day ride in the McCall area. We cover 60 miles on the first day as we ride to the Burgdorf Y north of McCall. This is a very beautiful and scenic ride that has an ascent of 1590 feet over ten miles. The next day we take a little flatter approach to the ride as we travel south of McCall towards the Tamarack Ski area. This is a 50 mile round trip ride not on the highway.
Day One Map
Day Two Map
All that I am asking is that you consider donating to this cause by supporting me as I ride. This will be my third year doing this and I feel real strong about this cause.
If you want to support me then you can go to my personal page on the MS Society site to donate.
Thank you to those have supported me in the past and thanks to those that will support me this year.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Riding Fun
Got up early today to take the Vandal Bike for a ride. Nice cool morning for a ride so I dressed warmly. Made sure I had my gloves, hat, helmet and helmet light. After the garage door closed I realized that I did not have my glasses. Punch in the number to open the garage door and realize that the battery is dead. Ended up going for a ride in the dark without my glasses. Had a nice 12.5 mile ride and got back home to call the phone in the house for someone to let me in the garage. Good thing I carry my cell phone when I go riding.
The bike is so smooth and I am really going to enjoy the time that I ride it. Can't wait to get my first ride to Troy and back in for the year. Still going to use the Giant for commuting.
The bike is so smooth and I am really going to enjoy the time that I ride it. Can't wait to get my first ride to Troy and back in for the year. Still going to use the Giant for commuting.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Why the MS 150
I am really thinking about this ride and why I do it. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. Helping find new treatments and advances in research by raising money on a bike is how I want to do it. I think that everyone should have a cause that they are 
passionate about. This is my cause. Please support me as I ride this year to help those that have MS.
Why I Ride: I've registered for the MS Bike Tour because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.
Why You Should Sponsor Me: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the MS Bike Tour to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today.
Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS Bike Tour, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."
I have blogged about the past two years of riding in the MS150.
2008 Ride
2009 Ride
Here is a link if you would like to donate any amount to help with this cause. Thank you for your support.
passionate about. This is my cause. Please support me as I ride this year to help those that have MS.Why I Ride: I've registered for the MS Bike Tour because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.
Why You Should Sponsor Me: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the MS Bike Tour to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today.
Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS Bike Tour, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."I have blogged about the past two years of riding in the MS150.
2008 Ride
2009 Ride
Here is a link if you would like to donate any amount to help with this cause. Thank you for your support.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Random
Registered for the Warm Lake 3 Summit Challenge scheduled for the end of July. 60 miles of some very intense elevation changes. Looks like a very good ride to get me prepared for the MS150 that is at the end of August. I am really looking forward to all of the riding that I will be doing.
Finally took the Vandal Bike in to Paradise Creek Bicycles to get it looked at. Everyone in there thought the bike looked really cool. Very nice place to get all of your cycling needs taken care of. I can't wait to be able to get it out on the roads and trails to see what it can do.
Finally took the Vandal Bike in to Paradise Creek Bicycles to get it looked at. Everyone in there thought the bike looked really cool. Very nice place to get all of your cycling needs taken care of. I can't wait to be able to get it out on the roads and trails to see what it can do.
Monday, January 25, 2010
MS150 Registration
Registered for the MS150 last night. This will be my third year riding in this event. I have not ridden a bike since sometime in November and I really need to get on one. I have been playing basketball 3-4 times a week to keep up some on the exercise. The past couple of weeks were pretty nice weather wise but I did not get out and ride.
Did get some cool Vandal cycling socks last week.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Bike Stuff
I received a cycling jersey and shorts from the MS150 ride that I did in August. Now I have more then one jersey and shorts to use when riding.
I am currently in the process of getting a Vandal cycling jersey from the University of Idaho cycling team. Have been wanting to get one for several years but it has been one of those things that has been a luxury item. It is now an item that will be well used in my riding of the new bike.
I am really looking forward to getting out and riding again. I might get out on my old Giant in the next couple of weeks depending on the weather. My new bike needs to get the seat adjusted and looked at to make sure it is all ready for many miles of riding this summer.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Christmas Suprise
Wow! I am still reeling from one of the gifts that I got for Christmas. This gift was one that was made by someone. It entailed a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and tire goo on the carpet. It was several months in the making but it turned out to be the most awesome present ever. A new road bike for me to ride. This bike will not be used to haul the trailer with all of my stuff to work. This bike will be used to ride the bike trails.
Thanks Steve for this wonderful bike. Thank you Debbie for putting up with the bike mess as Steve built it.
All I can say is WOW!
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