december gravel

gravel and dirt roads around here have a nice coating of ice and snow. thin coating for now. air temperatures today allowed for some longer mileage, and it was nice to get out into the country.

Perhaps one of the best things ever.

Found here.

You're welcome.

Human Pincushion, and more fun

My friend Amber is a naturopathic doc, so when I hurt my knee she offered acupuncture...looks quite awful but actually doesn't hurt, and really seems to help it feel better.


In more fun news, it's Sedona season! Warm sun, slickrock, crazy views, always finished up by a margarita at the Javelina Cantina. Nice way to get out of the snow...

No exceptions Saturdays Part 1 & 2 - Photo Essay (& other cool shit)

No exceptions Saturdays.

PART 1

The view on the way up.

The view at one of higher points

Decision time. Chose the Serenity Trail & made the right one.

End of ride food. Well, the no remains of the off-the-beaten path BBQ joint. Ok choice. The BBQ was delicious, but not serving beer or any alcohol whatsoever is considered anarchy in the State of Texas when BBQ is involved. The establishment does not deserve hole-in-the-wall status. Lesson learned. The quest continues.

PART 2

Great Rearview mirror shot. Like to see this!

The view on the trail. It was quite tasty.

The view from the top. Here is where the excitement happened. If you have ever woken up at Christmas and found that very thing you had been wishing for, you know the feeling here. Yes, dreams do come true. Waves of sheer bliss took over, and the ride went from a couple hours into several hours. From this picture here, you can see the trails go on for quite a bit. Which is exactly what happened - taken over with that giddiness not comprehending what's in store - then reality hits you. Oh shit, gotta get back somehow. Butt kicked and proud of it.

One of the trails. I like this type of school.

Now, this is definitely what I like to see post ride. Hole-in-the-wall Mexican food complete with a margarita to wash it all down. Would have liked to have seen a shrimp dish on the menu, but chicken fajitas was definitely worthy of trade-off complete with sports TV at the bar in Spanish. Thumbs up!

OTHER COOL SHIT (OCS)

This is the drawing from my very 1st Soulcraft. I printed out the drawing and framed it. I haven't seen this piece of artwork in almost year due to being in storage. It felt good to see it again & look forward to hanging on wall. Look out Picasso.

Here is it is again waiting to be hung above the bikes (see below). Although, I do recommend if you take this route, that some lamination or stronger paper will be needed. I used regular paper, and I noticed it has started to bunch - meaning not holding it's flat, smooth shape.

My herd. All three of them Soulcrafts. Artwork in themselves. Complete with mud, dirt, lots of wear and tear.

This is a blog post. Now I demand the trimmings of sponsorship.

I kind of assumed a Tijuana picnic would have consisted of a broader assortment of pharmaceuticals, a woman named Juanita and her horny Donkey, but what the hell do I know?
The 70s were a long time ago, and it's foolish for me not to expect change.

In other news;

"Soulcraft Bicycles. We'd give you the shirt off your back."

Sunrise

This is the sunrise that greeted me on my ride to work today. Best one I've seen in a long time!

USGP New Belgium Cup #2 - Nebraska Friends

Some photos of Nebraska friends racing in the USGP New Belgium Cup #2 last Sunday in Fort Collins, CO.

[click the banner or click here to see the photos]