Just when I’m sure…

Just when I’m sure it’ll never be “better than this” it does get better…or so it seems. I’m always in awe of the beautiful country that surrounds me, even a burned out forest. 

When I first saw the entire forest gone for miles I was initially sad that one of my old favorite riding areas was forever gone…gone as I had always known it until this day. I have ridden this area hundreds of times when I lived nearby and it was always green as far as the eye could see....this is the same area 11-years ago...

But after sitting there for a while and riding forward some more miles I found some strangely unique, incredible beauty in the disappointingly charred landscape. 

Several times I found myself sitting still scanning every detail, every charred tree, animal bones, and heat cracked rock….the intensity of this fire must have been something. Fire is truly amazing. 

I’ll return in the future to further explore my old riding areas and for now I’m thankful that my local, close to home riding areas are still a live forest. 

The Unpredictables of Life

 It's been a while since I've posted anything here for several reasons which none are really worthy. But all said and done I'm lucky to be here (as we all are) and I appreciate things a little differently now than last year. I'm not talking about the goofiness of this politicized pandemic, but rather a life altering event that I had no way of preventing, predicting, or controlling. 

Last year I spent some time visiting a Neuro-ICU for a spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke (aka Subarachnoid Hemorrhage or more specifically a perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage). Well anyway I had a very large amount of blood invade my brainstem which is a person's command and control center essentially. To say the least I am lucky to be alive and able to walk, talk and have only minor deficits now. As an ER nurse I've sent out dozens of these cases and I've never seen one come back alive or without being severely disabled. Oddly, I had a calmness about me when it was happening and I knew exactly what was happening the moment it started...I was strangely ready for the worst outcome. 

I couldn't drive for several months due to visual distortional impairments, but I could ride a bike (slowly). My first ride was only 2-miles and it felt like a hundred. I was tippy and felt very drunk feeling on that 1st ride, but it lead to more over time...

Soon 14 miles felt like a century ride, then 20, then...well you get the idea. Just over a year later and I still get crazy fatigue and require naps on a daily basis. I wake up every day feeling severely hungover and I don't drink alcohol anymore for obvious reasons. I'm up to working 2-days a week which is sometimes like running a marathon. But it's all good...I'm alive and functioning. 

Winter came and went...

Then...A few weeks ago...

I rode in the Butte-50 that I signed up for a few year ago but was postponed like everything was in 2020. My victory would be only to finish. Which I did...this was no easy task at 56-miles with 8600-ft of elevation change. With a lot of suffering and determination I did finish, not last but a long way down in the lineup. My secondary goal was to ride it in less than 8-hrs. I finished with just over 8-hrs of ride time, but I did spend a few hours resting along the way due to my fatigue issues and some moderate dehydration problems (it was hot). Still I won, total victory, I finished.  I vowed to never do that race again since it was so hard...

But a day later I started getting terrible urges to do it on a single speed bike (I have such a weird passion for single speed bikes - feel so comfortable on them). My broken brain is convincing me that with all the hill climbing it would be a lot easier with the right gear ratio. Well for now I have some months to really think those crazy thoughts over a bit more. 

In the meantime I'm totally having fun just riding and enjoying my life, my wife, and my goofy dog. 

Trail Dog - Addie the Wonder-Dog

Trail dog - Addie the Wonder Dog, feared by squirrels and hyper beyond belief. We've been exploring some new stuff together on the bike while we both learn the trail-dog way. For the most part she is a natural and at 7-months age she has endurance enough to accomplish 9-10 miles easily. 

Australian Kelpies are known for their ability to go 30-miles. For now I'm leaving the ride length up to her...she tells me in her own way when she'd done (like laying under the bike for a nap when we take a break). 

Would you keep going?

Would you keep going? I would (did)...bike packing has always had an alternate meaning for me.

This is the way forward currently....

Mushy, slushy snow patchwork that sticks to tires and quickly plugs up ability to freely roll. Even a fatbike would find difficulty traversing this stuff. So the solution is pack your bike forward or turn back (which is my last choice). 

I love this kind of adventure and would do it again any day. 

There's Supposed to be a Trail Here

While bushwacking myself and bike through thick brush I think, "There's supposed to be a trail here, but not finding any is OK too." Initially there was a trail but it got narrower and narrower until it was full on brush with only a faint little rabbit trail under it all.

So being stubborn as I am and knowing that the top of the hill and a clearer path "had to be just ahead," I continued to force myself and bike through. After all the satellite image burned into by head shows a trail here. So yes I will make sure I'm going to get through because turning back is epic defeat.

Oh this is perfectly me in every way. And I like it this way. The reward always sweet!

Ever See a Chubby Turtle Climb

Climbing up hills has always been a strange addiction for me. Long ago I would sprint up hill - the longer the better. Then I discovered biking up hills was even more interesting. On the other hand downhill stuff is a yawning event...I’d rather stop and have a look around. 

(Note-to-self: Riding drop bars down long, steep roads is stupid, don’t do it!)

Oh yeah! Mountain bike bars are soooo...much mo-better! And yes, my 2002 Gary Fisher Supercaliber-29 is still an amazing bike to ride. 

I’ve recently discovered that climbing hills with and extra 24-lbs of porky-pig fat hanging off my belly is a prelude to harder-than-I-remember efforts to get up some previously easy climbs. So now I’m a (fat) turtle climbing hills. The good news is that these hills are fat burning maximums; often 8-10 miles of sustained climbing upwards of 3500-ft elevation change, which when climbed without stopping seems to melt away the chubby quite rapidly. 

I’m taking my own advice - Get out and ride your bike. 

Cowgirl-On-A-Bike Rides Again

The Cowgirl-On-A-Bike is back at it! After a few years off she’s tearing up the gravel roads in our backyard on a newer, lighter lean-mean-green-machine. 

Her bike kit today was Wrangler jeans and her barn shoes. 

I’m telling ya if she starts training or even riding a few days a week I fear she will start easily dusting everyone. This Cowgirl has an amazing natural ability on a bike. 

Snow Ride at Turtle Speed

Most people don’t start a new “training” regime with a hard workout...I guess I must be one of those exceptions.  

Riding unconsolidated snow is tough on a good day when I was in shape and it was pure pain today in my current form (which is more the form of a blobby jelly fish these days). 

There were a few moments where I could feel the spark of the old me, but for the most part I felt like a turtle floundering along in the snow.  I’m sure I’ll get past this, but in the meantime I think this is fun!?

I’m a Turtle

I’m still at a loss for explaining where time has gone. I know part of it, well a lot of it, was spent putting an addition onto our tiny house. I was the sole contractor, but now it’s finished and my days are no longer threatened with working for income only to come home and work for space. Now we’re living in 800 sqft of luxury a small increase from 480 sqft. 

Now I simply don’t know what to do with myself...except go back to bike adventures. I’ve gotten a bit soft in the legs (we won’t need to mention my pudgy middle) but I feel super fast on my bike every ride! However, looking at numbers I have a very sad reality check once I compare average speed to that of a few years ago...I seem to have morphed into a turtle. 

I have work to do.