A Dose of Medicine ... Bow

Yet another installation in the Hell's Anglers saga, Steve "Tater" Tatarchuk and I rolled fast on a Friday night a few weeks ago for a weekend backpacking trip in the Medicine Bow Range near Centennial, Wyo. These mountains are pristine, untraveled and majestic like the national anthem ... or a bald eagle.

Anyhow, after a quick two hour throttle-fest from the office over a few passes and hairpins, we arrived at the trailhead where we were greeted by a flock of mosquitoes. After a quick Deet bath and organizing the alcohol and guns, we set out for three hour hike shouldering 50 pounds each of ammunition, fishing supplies, bratwurst and beer (yes, we forgot the tents and sleeping bags).

Here's a photo of me at some watering hole/greasy burger joint in Centennial. Nothin' like a cheerburger, fries and beer after you've been stuck in the wilderness with nothing to eat but bratwurst and beer for a few days ... makes sense, right?

Steve is in the photo above, wondering if that noise behind us is a bear.

Outdoor Retailer Moto journey

There is no better way for business travel than via motorbike. I recently rode from Fort Collins to Salt Lake City for the summer Outdoor Retailer tradeshow, taking the scenic route both ways.

Combining business with pleasure is only way to go. That's why I've chosen a career in the outdoor industry. You've got to enjoy life ... stop and smell the sunflowers!

Our trip out followed Hwy. 14 Poudre Canyon to over Cameron Pass to Walden, through Steamboat Springs on 40 through Dinosaur, Vernal, Heber, Park City and to SLC. A great ride, but nothing compared to our route home.

We put in back to back 9 hour days riding from SLC through Provo Canyon south to Moab and finally Cortez and Durango Colorado--a great day. Day 2 was an epic, Durango over Molas Pass to Silverton, over Red Mountain Pass to Ouray, Gunnison, Blue Mesa reservoir over Monarch Pass, then Red Hill Pass and into Denver. This was about 350 miles straight of bitchen, high-speed twisties, abusing our bikes the whole way. Wow.

We took a few minutes near Moab to get our bikes dirty in the red sand. No spills, but my clutch was not happy!

Cheers!

Moto fishing: the next big thing?

I think I'm on the bleeding edge of a new sport--call me an innovator, if you'd like. By combining the thrill of high speed adventure motorcycling with the rush of hooking a scrappy brook trout, I have successfully fused to fantastic passtimes into one. It's a biathlon of sorts, except without the guns ... or the skiing part ...

For the past two Sundays a fellow moto-angler, Steve Tatarchuk, and I have braved twisty mountain roads and early mornings making runs up the Big Thompson canyon to Rocky Mountain National Park for dawn patrol angling. The fish haven't exactly been huge, or plentiful, but the scenery is amazing and there's nothing like freezing your feet off while chasing tiny trout in fresh Rocky Mountain runoff. So ... we've been willing to make the sacrifice.

We're considering starting up a motorcycle-fishing gang--you know, to spread the word. We're considering a few different patch designs incorporating fishing flies and an embroidered skull. We still need a name though ... Hell's Anglers?

First blood

My mountain bike season is off to a great start this year. As you may have noticed in previous posts, I bought a new ride in April. So, I have been riding as much as possible on the dirt, while my roadie hangs lonely in the garage.

On Saturday, while descending the Wathen Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park, I missed a move and somehow hammered my knee directly into a large boulder. I'll spare you the details, but it was a pretty sexy fall, I must say.

Luckily, I was riding with my friend Trace Whitcomb, who sacrificed his jersey to stop the bleeding. Ill equipped for accidents, we used a bike inner tube to tie the jersey on, and I pedaled and pushed about 5 miles of single track back to the car in Lory State Park. Good times.

The hole in my knee was pretty sweet, as you could see all the way to the bone and tendon. The photo shows my stitches, so you can't actually see any bone. I know you're dissapointed.

Anyhow, here's my list of take aways:
1. ALWAYS carry some first aid equipment, even when you're on home turf.
2. Riding a new bike does require you to break any downhil records.
3. It's nice to have a friend along, when you crash and burn
4. If you have a more severe accident, i.e. broken patella or femur... you are screwed even when you're just a few miles from the car.
5. Maybe knee/shin guards are not a horrible idea?

Santa Cruz Blur LT, aka the BLT

Got the bike a few days ago and I've spent about 6 hours on the trail with it since. It's definitely a different machine than my Cannondale Jekyll. Wicked fast with plenty of travel to smooth out any scree field.

Gear as Inspiration--the Maximalist philosophy

I just ordered a new mountain bike a few days ago ... and I'm counting the minutes until it arrives. I am soooo stoked to ride it; I've got visions of serpentine singletrack, quaking aspen and alpine meadows. With my new Santa Cruz Blur under me, I am officially dedicating this summer to dirt and trail.

I've been hooked on mountain biking since about 1991, when I bought my first mountain bike, a purple Specialized Stumpjumper, to explore the urban mountain trails of Tantalus, near Honolulu, HI. I honed my skills on the slick roots of banyans and tunneled through the thick, swaying bamboo--the air was sweet with the scent of guava and pineapple. Good memories, great times. I have a mental catalog of great images associated with mountain biking; the memories will last a life time. Unfortunately, my bikes don't survive that long, hence the aforementioned new bike.

I own a garage full of gear: skis for alpine touring, skis for resort skiing, skis for light touring, bikes for road, bikes for cruising to the coffee shop on Sunday afternoon, a large BMW motorcycle and all associated accessories. I have three kayaks, two paddles, three or four tents, a dozen backpacks, four pairs of snowshoes and the list just goes on.

Yet, when I look in the mirror, I want to see a "minimalist" staring back at me--it's funny. I have tried and tried to pare down on the gear, but it seems that I just go through cycles--one year it's a new boat, the next a new road bike, then a motorcycle, now a new mountain bike. I don't want to own so much stuff.

Historically, I've viewed this excess of gear as an addicition of sorts, but now, today, it came into focus for me in a more positive light. GEAR is my inspiration, it's what makes me go. A new bike pushes me to ride more, a new pair of hiking shoes will motivate me to hit the trail more often. This is true. So, I'm officially abandoning the minimalist philosophy and replacing it with maximalist. MORE gear means MORE GOOD TIMES .... I can live with that, for this summer at least :) See you out there.

Why is North always up?

I recently discovered the joy of world exploration through Google Earth! How incredibly freakin' kewl is this software? So I've been planning numerous motorcycle trips, exploring Patagonia, Chile, Buenos Aires -- South America basically. And in this process of spinning the digital globe, scoping different geographical features from new aspects, I became curious--why are maps always viewed with north up?

This doesn't make much sense to me, so I did a little research (5 minutes of Googling), and discovered .... there is no good reason, only that many years ago, some Egyptian cartographer decided that's the way it should be ... and that's the way it is. Apparently, in Australia you can find the occasional South up map or globe. I'd like to get my hands on an South up globe; seems like it would a good conversation piece for cocktail parties.