715 Death March

Went for what was supposed to be a quick 2 hr ride (read 6 hr death march) to check out a couple techy descents in Monument. On this trip I encountered snow/rain, running out of food, almost running out of water, and discovering that the map I had was way outdated. In addition to this I was treated to Pisgah like ruggedness, in that this was the first trail system that I felt like I was actually in the woods, not on some in town, urban trail system. I was also informed that if you have a new car and are not used to it's blind spots, you are not responsible for clipping cyclists on the road, while passing and turning in front of them.

Down The Road a Piece

I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be in North Carolina for PMBAR over the weekend.  The thought of all that beautiful singletrack, and all my friends playing in the woods got me stoked on putting together a longer ride.  I've been scouting out Monument Park for the last couple weeks.  I had concluded, after heading up Mt. Herman Road for some target practice, that the the road might actually go all the way to Woodland Park.  After consulting a few of the locals at the shop, I learned that my hypothesis was correct, and the ride would be a 50 mile round trip fire road/singletrack mix.  I loaded up the Hydration pack, grabbed the cross bike, and headed out the door.  I was treated to beautiful views, 40 mph winds, discovery of techy singletrack, and peanut butter cracker awesomeness.  Enjoy the picture show.

Heading to the far side of the ridge in the distance

Mt. Herman Trail Head

One of the many rock formations in the area

Mt. Herman Trail

Info about what you can ride, burn, shoot, and get to

3000 feet of climbing over 25 miles

Hmm only 63 miles more

Pikes Peak in the distance

Weapon of choice for the day

Town of Monument down in the valley

Where I live

Short photo dump to give you an idea of the terrain in CO Springs.  In other news, looks like Teller County Search and Rescue is gonna be a go! w00t!  In other, other news, it was 78 degrees yesterday.  I got to wear a basketball jersey for the first time this season.  And then I got a sunburn, waah.  Yep, brown people burn too.

Shade Tree Mechanics

Before I left for Colorado, my dad asked if I could help him work on the Toyota Hilux.  This truck belonged to my mom's dad and was bought originally in 74.  He passed away several years ago, and my mom always had plans of bringing it back to Virginia and restoring it.  My dad and his brother had done a lot of restoration work on it, replacing old hoses and seals on the drivetrain and engine.  They also prepped it for body work as it had a few rust holes in it.  It had been repainted the original pea green, and was pretty much restored back to factory condition.  Somehow, while replacing a seal on the tail of the transmission, something had knocked loose and the transmission was completely locked up.  The plan was to drop the transmission and check why the forks were bound up.  I hadn't worked on a car with my dad since I was 10, when he taught me basic mechanics on a 1977 Datsun 280z.  I am always appreciative that he got me started in maintaining my own vehicles, which got me started on more complicated repairs and modifications.  It was pretty awesome to be under a car with him again.

Durango + Moab = Drab?

Certainly not!  Planned a trip to meet up with Ashlee down in Durango.  The plan was to hang out in town for a couple of days and then make my way westward to Moab, in hopes of meeting up with Beth at Poison Spider bike shop (if you ever need a guide for Moab, this is your girl).  Here is a photographic evidence of the awesomeness that ensued!