The Mongolia Chronicles

Lost is always the best way to go

I'd rather be lost, than be pretty much anywhere else in the world. Outstanding Thursday.

Home. Grown. Protection form the Flagstaff Fire.

If it is fire mitigation you want. It is fore mitigation you will get. The next gen. Rocking the home protection. We may be screwed, but we will not go down without effort. Money.

Peril

The view. From the deck. Really not what we are after.

Rocky Mountain High

It is a Rocky Mountain High. We are indeed in Colorado. Lotsa killer work on Sunday up high. The Q offered me some new trasining techniques and rode almost 5 miles and almost 400 feet of vertical. Watching that kid ride is unreal on so many levels, I can barely communicate it.

Primitive, yet so civil

We got up high, it was righteous and just on the solstice. Shenna got her new bike, and the universe is aligned.

Give is this day.....

Busy times. Good times. Q is sleeping upstairs all week as we are hosting a british soccer coach as is the tradition when the soccer camp is in town. He rolled off the window seat at about 5:10am and hit the carpeted floor with a thud. I gathered him up and got back in the 8 foot long window seat with him and pulled the blankets up and sat there and watched the clouds move across the ridge for an hour while he snortled and snored and elbowed me. Amazing light. Busy times. Amazing times.

Happy Birthday SKF; (nice) NOTE TO RED RAKE PERSON ON CARIBOU

Phew. We are cramming it in, and it os good. Girl's B'Day, so we went large, about 5 hours, to the west and the north and the east and then back to the west and up, up and up. It was HOT. We were at 11,000 feet and it was hot. God save the Flatlanders. A great 4-day 'binge' (jj i believe that is your term) and i am feeling fit and like I could ride for quite a while (15 hours in the saddle in the last 4 days - WITH a rest day in there - wow!). Butt, I need to connect with ye of the red rake on Caribou. Not to argue, or chastize, simply to collaborate. Before you do more work, please, let's go ride. You are SO close to some legacy stuff that would really benfit your effort and OUR shared riding experience. Pls reach out to me @ dkingsbury@newhope.com. It will be a private conversation, and I will show good intent by taking you on some things that will blow your mind and compliment your effort. Enough said. We have some of the same ideas and you need to know what else is there if you are going to put that kind of time and effort into the 'Bu.

Into the week, sated and wrecked. We built a new bridge on the pump course tonite and q and max both rocked it. It was elegant and lovely and amazing.

The Gift of Time: Happy Faja's Day

Improbable Father's Day. Faja's Day. Normally, maybe more self indulgent. Now, more family indulgent. We all slept out last nite in the meadow we call home. Shenna in the grass, and Q and I in the 28 year old tent that I slept in for 54 days in a row back in '84 (yes - that would be 8-4 kids, back before suspension, toe-clips or ipods) while I traversed the country on my two-wheeled bicycle, the beginning of the addiction, as it were. Had to explain (or 'splain - as he says) that I dreamt of him, in this place. In that small shelter that I hauled some 3,400 miles while I was trying to figure out what the fuck I might be on earth for (still searching - all good). We slept out, we made MAD progress on the Chicken Shack, which is great 'cuz they are growing so fast it's scary and the highlight of the day - yes - the pinnacle of Dad's Day 2012 - was a 3 hour nap, in the cold, cool confines of Quinn's room. We crashed hard after lunch and next thing I know it's almost 5pm. We have an unwritten rule for the last 6 years, that if we nap, I am not allowed to leave until he wakes up. So I read my 'dumb meditation book (thank you - miss kim) and felt myself grounding into the moment, and not worrying about 'missing' a ride, and just chilling the fuck out. Even as we prepare mentally and physically for The Vapor, the stillness is becoming a more and more important part of life.

Solid 7

The first pic really just gets it. Lalalalalalalalalal-BOOM! The cool thing is, if the ride is long enough - in this case about 7 hours, you actually do the natural 'trail-dry' thing. And that's gratifying and lovely. Hadn't done this ride in about 10 years. Felt good. Some stomach issues, but they passed and the legs felt better @ 6 hours than they did @ 2 and that's a good sign for building long term fitness. Couple of 'easy' days and then another monster on Monday for Shenna's B'day. That that don't kill ya, will only make ya stronger.....

Forgotten (almost) but not gone

'The Man' appears to be out in force. Whatever, I say. Lest we take heed to the occasional encroahments of The Law on the High Country, 'tis much easier to just go around, and plumb the depths of the record books and the millions of rides and dig out some juicy bits that haven't seen wheels in a while. This, is the wealth of restriction and the joy of redirection. So, OSF's (open space fucks) I will not confuse you with the OFS (one fucking speed). You are temporary. We are permanent. You drive in. We hike in. You need trucks and tools. We just need feet and creativity. You can take a trail or two, but you can never take our imaginations.