The Mongolia Chronicles

A Frigid Monday in PilotLand

Rolling up the road. Not a ton of light. Showers threatening to the west. Snow capping some peaks to the west between clouds. Roll up and up - ignoring the urge to head STRAIGHT to work - as hey - it's only work. So - head AWAY from work and go check out the leaf progress since yesterday....I mean - it's been almost 12 hours.

Rolled through this place with light drizzle. Leaves are starting to go. Not huge - but they are getting there. Struck by the fact that this particular place holds interest so many times of year (don't they all) - but I come here looking for Columbines, first leaves in the Spring, and now leaf changes in the Fall.

Had to pay homage to the elk/donut monument. Apparently - it didn't work for me. I got SLAMMED as I moved down toward the other trail - I mean like cats and dogs and rain and thunder and lightning. Had to do some tree huddles and hunker down. Rivers of rain pouring over the top of Mag, damn - back here agin - a flashback to last Monday's drubbing. Temp dropped like 15 degrees - could see my breathe - damn - it's coming. Sun broke through as I crossed town, and other than a squeaky bike and a wet buttcrack - I was no worse for the wear. Tuesday? Who knows what Tuesday brings???? Friday brings Crested Butte - and that is a lovely thing!!

There Are Days.........

When you should skate the Mojo, and days when you should work on the mojo. I warmed up for over an hour...started getting into some more complex trix..like the bs smith off the extension to disaster on the spine. I was literally about 1.5 inches from serious hospital time. I thank - whoever - saved me from that one - even if it was myself. Days fork - and today could have been an all day affair getting stitched up - but instead - it was installing new skatelite and eating at the brewery...for this - I am grateful.

Home is where the heart is....

All I need..is my family....a few close friends...this little blue house....this pack.....this bike (ok - maybe a few bikes) and these woods. That - is the answer. Oh - and the ramp.....and some other stuff. But mostly the first stuff.

Abbey Road?

Early departure. Legs worked from last nite's excursion to the west. Another front flat. No time to change it. Ride 'n' pump and ride 'n' pump. Skate session mid-day. Spent 160 on tires for rolling therapy and 140 on sedentary therapy for the mind. WHAT are you thinking? the answers are in front of you weedhopper. Follow your heart - it is all that matters. Q got his 1 year shots - that sucked. Onward. inward. "tis the season for introspection.

Gooooood Morning

Tough wake up.  6:10am - nail through the tire on the ridge. Big meeting. Big day. Coulda rolled the dice and dropped, but between the time to chane the tubeless and the fact that if I flatted a 2nd time - I would be in danger of missing the beginning of an important meeting....so I turned around. Rolled BACK home - changed the front tire, got a lift to the top of mag to compensate for the lost time. Bombed mag - thinking of leaning into turns and speed and MotoGP (yes - I think it's bitchin'). Had the 7 hour meeting - which in the middle of had a 200MM dollar announcement...BOOOOM....wow. Crazy. So - moods were high - so I fled after the meetings - for - of course - the bike. Met Fitness and Wunder - and we climbed the road with 2 - 5's, I on a single - faring pretty well - feeling pretty good - bitch of a climb and hard to get psyched up for on a 1x in the evening when all you want to do is drink beer. It was sick, great, gorgeous. Made it home in time to tap the Growler and put The Dude down - and that's money in the bank - and WHAT - exactly - is it that I am so FUCKING freaked out about?????? Lay it down.....Go My Son And Rock. This would be my mission...and I am seeking the answers in an aggressive manner.

AND lastly - The NEW K-west - Graduation...is out - and it is magic and poetry..."I'm gonna get on this tv momma...I'm gonna push it down....."

With a cherry on top

Thank gawd for rest days - like tomorrow. After the 730 - 1230 ride, and then the 3 - 6 'ride', the early wake up and the drizzle and the 39 degrees and the rain and the mud and the slow and the cold and the ache. All I have to do now is make it across town tonite to the waiting car, crack a beer - and roll up the hill - gas assisted - as in a motor. This morning was surprisingly uncomfortable - with borderline drizzle at the top of mag, some high-ish water volume on the road on the dscent. Saving grace was indeed the cross town warm up and dry off. Felt great to pedal hard and get some heat going in the body. I am going to make the bold attempt to NOT get on a bike tomorrow - hmmmmmmm - that could be rough depending on the weather..what with the tacky trails and the changing leaves....when do we hibernate?

the moose and the spider

This morning - it was a 4,000 pound moose that woke me up to the continued wonders of the WORLD that surrounds us. Tonite - on round II (round 1 was 7 - 12:30; round II was 3 - 6:30) it was the little, itty bitty wood spider crawling along the branch in front of my and Mr F's faces as we marvelled at the wonder of Stone beers.  We were huddled under a ledge, in the middle of discovering some totally messed up trail that DENIES the time/space continuum - it defies logic, gravity and all that we know of the universe. I knew it was there. I knew today was the day, and I knew we would stumble upon it AFTER it started to pour - this evening. I dub theeeeee magic trail: 10% Spider. Whatta fricking gorgeous nite.

Bullwinkle in the hizzouse

JRA - and the tree moves, and it turns and it has a face and a butt and it's like seven and a half feet tall. IT'S A MOOOOOSE!! I know this guy is around here all the time - but I have never personally seen him from - oh - 18 feet. Foggy as hell at the house - headed out and west and UP at 7, and kept going until about 12:30. Heading out for round II in a few, and I think the weather that we avoided this morning will be heading back in. Bring it - I say. Feels like fall - and fall feeeels great!

I will leave it at this

Two sessions to get going. I think - it was worth it. Thanks to 'Ban This' for the idea of the high to low air to fakie.

Stoppedin my Trax

By this one. I won't take the traditional angry rant. I won't blow my top because someone - I am assuming a local - decided that a 8X10 Kiosk wasn't quite enough. So, since they (they?) didn't cut down ALL the aspens for the kiosk from hell (oops - I sounded a little angry there) - hey - why not drill three huge holes in one of the aspens thay LEFT - and put a handmade (with love) sign. Just bolt it to the tree. Don't mind that THE KIOSK is 2 feet away - and has plenty of ALREADY DEAD WOOD that you could screw your 'eclectic little sign' into and people would still see it and MARVEL at the intimacy and knowledge you have with the area since you call this rutted piece of shit (formerly known as 'the jamaican bobsled run as it holds so much snow in the winter - or used to BEFORE it became 10 feet wide)Sugar Mag. Phew. I almost got angry there. So - I just turned around last nite. Rode home in ways that don't highlight KIOSKS or people. I just can't soil my love for trails and/or this area by riding the west mag stuff anymore. It's just so ugly...so terrible......Carried a bomber of the Breckenridge something short bacth (bus) all the way home - and was just enjoying the ride so much I forgot to drink it.

Then - in a strange turn of fate - I saw this: a reminder of days gone past, when friends blissfully rolled through the woods on magic trails*. Hadn't seen this artifact in about a year and a half - and strange to see it last nite when the CLOSURE of this trail is so fresh. Funny things, man. The most important thing was - I rolled home solo - the woods are alive with fall - and it's supposed to snow Sunday nite to 7500. Bust out the fenders - and Let's get it on.

*this still happens, for sure. it's just things are not as simple as they used to be - but then they nevere are - are they?