Fatback Moments

It came, so I went...



Fresh snow is always a good reason to ride, to explore the backyard, to feel like a kid again, to...



Get out and ride your bike today -  Don't miss moments like these because they come around only once in a lifetime!!!

Fatback, Gunnar, and Shameful Fall Rides

This past week's rides have been some of the best for views, pure jaw-dropping-can't-see-enough-awesome-beauty, not to mention it has been extraordinarily nice with many sun filled days and some perfect riding temperatures.






Amazingly, I had 1st snow here so of course I rode the Fatback in the 4-6 inch mini dump. It was quite magical this day, fresh snow that started melting off the trees as soon as the sun hit them. It was a very awesome day of riding the Fatback.






As fast as the snow came, it melted away giving more sweet fall days and some extended time on the mountain with a regular mountain bike.  As I write today all is changed since it seems it's suddenly cold with temps in the single digits. No snow though which is a huge bummer, I'll try to be patient, which is obviously torturous as you can see.









It's hard to tell people what I see on my rides (although anyone is welcome to ride with me) so once again I am sharing a small fraction of the many photos I took this last week or so.





As far as this bike goes, I do not know where it came from or how it ended up in my possession...but it sure is fun to ride not to mention is has a cool looking custom (rattle can) paint job.






Quit wasting your life confined in a box...Go on an adventure...Ride your bike!!!

The Fat is Back!!!

I had way too much fun the other day riding my Fatback up in my backyard...So I did it once more today and must say that I had too much fun again. There is just some kind of grin inducing power that comes from riding a fat tire bike. I really can not describe what that power is other than pure, pleasing, powerful, fun.



I mean who needs suspension with supersized monster tires like these? Just let some air out and shazaam! you have like 2-inches of suspension that rolls over anything, which includes rocks, logs, squirrels, dogs, and small kids.

I'm starting to think that riding a fatbike all summer could be seriously fun...maybe some 29+ wheels and tires would make my Fatback into the ultimate back roads bike packing unit....hmmm!

Get out and ride your bike!

Restless Fatback

A nice fall day means it's a good day for a bike ride up on the mountain. The Fatback seemed a little restless (or maybe I was dreaming of snow), so off we went for a spectacular ride. The weather was so perfect as were the trails.



I made it up quite high on the mountain and miraculously found some of that awesome white stuff. Whoohoo!!!



The day ended as it started, with a smile and a super elated mood without any distractions other than what was offered along my ride. It is so beautiful out there right now. I thank God I have such a great country to ride in and enjoy freely.

Turn off your stupid-phone, your TV, and your computer  - Get out and ride your bike!!! You are missing some of the best riding of the year!

You should ride too! Right Now!

While the world seems to be failing fast, full of hate, discontent, and destruction, I am at peace in my little fall paradise. I am not necessarily happy about the world around me with all the crap that is being forced upon us in the name of self service and entitlement attitudes, but where I am now I can still practice my beliefs without some elitist dork telling me I can not. I've never been a person to be fearful of the world, however I am no longer sure we are immune to an uprising from the evil among us. I thank God I can ride a bike in such beautiful country, that I can leave all the electronic stupidness at home when I ride, that I can witness beautiful country in a peace of mind on a simple bike with one gear.



I love my country, I love exploring it on a bike, I love worshiping God, I love my children and my wife oh so dearly, I love other people, I love being able to pack and shoot a gun, I love fall color and the cooler weather that comes this time of year, I love being a ER Nurse and taking care of people in true need, I love old people, I love children, I love my community, I love my church, I love life, I love my friends, I love late fall flowers, I love...



Why is the rest of the world so full of destruction, hate, and self servitude? Maybe we should let go of our electronic worlds for a few hours and fill that time with observing and paying attention to the environment, people immediately around us, and the beauty it all has to offer - amazingly it is free for the taking.



I can not convince anyone that there exists much more to this life than a cell phone, a computer, TV, etc., but I can tell you that those things have become horrible addictions that we should strive to take time out from to be with family, to see the world, and to realize that fun does exist outside those silly little boxes.



I am a loner when I ride, I'm not complaining about this since I rather enjoy the solitude. However, I would always rather have someone to ride with so I can share the beauty I see, but alas my schedule never seems to match anyone elses.



I really don't mind enjoying the sweet solitude of some of the most beautiful country the USA has to offer.

Early Colors

As usual I spent some time riding this past week. I had some big rides and some small ones, but all on my single speed. I have so much fun riding that thing...




There was definitely some climbing involved...




But the color was worth every foot of climbing and every inch of pedaling...




The early fall colors in the higher elevations are already spectacular and I anticipate that it will get even better. In the mean time I am going to keep mashing that one geared bike with a big smile on. Get on your bike and ride!

The Fall Rides are Here!

One minute it's mid-July and the next it's going on mid-September. Late summer just seems to have swept on by me this year. Truly though I had many great rides, but just neglected to tell anyone, yet everyone was invited..too bad no one came to ride except me and my kiddos. We also had our usual end of summer tasks like gathering firewood for winter, hauling hay, and of course picking some of nature's finest berries. Whoa, we had a HUGE bumper crop of huckleberries this year and, of course, we took full advantage of those tasty little purple yummies!



I also took as much advantage as possible to ride and further explore around our home in Grangeville and what an adventure that has been so far...the places I've seen traveling on both new and old forest roads as well as some odd trails have been simply amazing. I love dirt riding! You can call it what you want, mountain biking, gravel grinding, dirt road riding, trail riding, whatever...I love riding on dirt, pure and simple!







I now have numerous very fun loops to ride with many options for different routes all starting from my front door.  All of this and I've just started exploring...I have several other routes waiting for me to go ride and many more that I've spied on maps that will make the list of "must explore" routes. It's so overwelming to have so many areas to ride...yeah right! Too bad I have to work - gotta pay to play it seems.








I will not get to ride everything on my list before winter sets in though since fall is obviously starting to appear on the mountains. This is OK, it will keep me hungry for more next year and besides, winter means time for the Fatback fatbike...makes me drool just thinking about it. I don't want to rush into the white stuff too soon though since fall is by far my favorite season to ride bikes in the high country.





In the mean time I am amazingly finding huge huckleberries in the higher elevations on plants that are showing fall colors. Very sweet they are and plentiful still in the right areas, but you have to put down your goofy phone, turn off your TV, and get on your bike to find them. Also, you'd never find these riding in or on a vehicle. Get out and ride your bike!

Ghost Rider

I've been on some great rides lately. The scenery has been so much fun to see....







It's really too bad I have to work or I would be out doing this everyday. But I have to pay for my riding addiction somehow since it's obviously not free.



The weather has been perfect up high, not too warm like it has been down in the low elevations. I thrive in the higher elevations and just can not get enough time on the mountain in my new back yard around Grangeville, ID.





There has been and continues to be so much to explore. I have ridden hundreds of miles here already and I keep finding new stuff to explore. I have years of exploring here and I'm sure many more seriously fun adventures.








In the mean time I accidentally crossed paths with this ghost ride. So I hopped on an went for a spin. It's been a long time since I have been on a full suspension bike. I seem to have lost no skill in riding one though...it's different than a rigid bike in that you really don't have to worry about picking a smooth line through the rocks - you just ride over everything. I did pinch flat a rear tire because I got a little too aggressive for the air pressure I was running. Can you say, FUN!!! Yep, it was.



The summer fire season seems to have started all at once. There are fires buring everywhere it seems, which means less riding for now except on days when the smoke has cleared out. I'm not one to ride in smokey conditions, my lungs are important to me. Guess I'll have to ride my motorcycle a bit more.

Kid Times

Once in a great while I can talk my kids into biking, but on this day they both asked to go (yes, it was shocking to hear this from them) and so we loaded up the bikes for some forest road riding.



Sadie is an amazing little endurance rider for someone that rarely rides a bike...on this ride we rode nearly 20-miles with 1100-feet of climbing. She has all but outgrown her bike and I am thinking about upgrading to a larger size for her this summer. It all depends on how much she will ride. Sadie is one of those kids with natural cycling ability and a strong mindset - a winning combination that could kick some butt if she ever decided to race. It's up to her though since I am not going to force my kiddos into any sport.



Alejandro is having a similar issue with outgrowing his bike. I put him on a small 29er a few years ago and he's ready to start riding my medium sized frames (and he does when I let him). Alejandro also has a natural athletic ability and could be a serious competitor if he ever decided to train a little bit. Without training he is starting to give me some competition up hills...it won't be long and he will be my equal or more.



Days like this one are special for good memories and fun times. I still can not believe that Sadie did this ride without a whimper. She was very determined to go the distance. Someone at a bike shop told her that if she rode her current bike 100-miles in a week that she could have a new bike (thanks a lot Seanman). Now she is asking me to ride almost daily, unfortunately I can not ride that much right now due to work and other chores. Time is coming though.