Ah, the sweet taste of anticipation, the smell of adventure on the horizon. Gather ’round, friends, for I have a tale to spin about our beloved van and its transformation into a sun-chasing chariot.
Once upon a time, in the not-so-far-off land of Our Driveway, we became the proud guardians of a vessel we lovingly named Vincent VanGo. Vincent, with his steely gaze and unwavering wheels, promised us a future filled with starlit skies and open roads. But, as with all great epics, there was a twist—a leaky roof that would give any wanderer pause. And so, as the drops of rain danced through the cracks, our dear Vincent was christened anew: River.
River, like a stubborn stream, refused to be hindered by the occasional downpour. Instead, it urged us to dream bigger, to build a nest within its metal walls that could harness the sun itself. And so, we toiled, our hands and hearts weaving together wires and panels, creating a tapestry of energy that hummed with potential.
As the green glow of the solar charge controller flickered to life, it whispered promises of journeys powered by nothing but the sky. The Titan batteries, mighty in their silent strength, stood ready to cradle the sun’s bounty. And there, in the corner, lay the empty space, a void waiting to be filled with the final gifts from Powerworks, the missing pieces to complete our puzzle.
The van’s transformation is nearly complete, a metamorphosis two years in the making. And though our driveway has been a place of growth and learning, the call of the wild is in our bones, an itch only the open road can scratch. We’re ready to bid farewell to River, not in name, but in spirit, as we embrace our new mantra: We Need To Go Camping Soon.
Our compass is set to PA, where turkey and thanks will fill our hearts and bellies. And when we return, oh, when we return, the final chapter of our build will unfold, and the road will be our home.
Until then, we wait, we dream, and we plan, for the adventures that lie in wait, just beyond the turn of a key in River’s eager ignition.
Amerika … perhaps from some ancient language meaning gap. Lots of rich and everyone else pretty much being taken advantage of by … well … the rich. Maybe it is no one’s fault. This is happening throughout life. For instance, take my friends who the last time I rode with could ride pretty much what I ride … just a tad slower sometimes.
Mo and Paul on otter slide
So how is it that the latest ride I went down a couple of steep berms and then found myself alone. When they finally walked down it was reported to me that it was unrideable. But I just rode it. A gap perhaps.
I woke up and snuck out to the ridge. Looking at my GPS I had 1 minute before the sun would be up. I wanted to be at the theater for the morning show.
Rise
I didn’t have much time to think because I was scrambling through the brush and into a decent position for picture taking. Wen I arrived at the edge of Horse Pasture Plateau I had about 10 seconds. But my positioning was not optimal and the shrubbery blocked any attempts at photos. With the show about to begin I basically threw myself down the slope until I broke out into a open view.
Sunset Over The Narrows
Then it came, the sun. Peaking over the Plateau ridge to my left. My mind raced back to my hasty path down the scree slope. At one point it could give way to a thousand foot sandstone cliff. One must be careful getting to the morning show.
Ivan’s Morning
To my right the new rays started to warm distant castle like mountains. With the sun’s warmth not hitting me yet I looked up the slope. The sunlight line progressing down towards me. Then it hit me. I could see the sunrise again.
Sediment
Zion Layering System
So I ran down farther, closer and closer to the edge. With every step I plunged down in time. Sedimentary layer by sedimentary layer. I was running away from the sun and going back in time.
Dashboard
I came upon a level place. And while it seemed as though I could go down even farther this was such a good level spot to set up the tripod. I got off a few shots but he sun started to catch up to me. Before I could get things set up the sun came over the ridge again. I grabbed the camera and bolted down even further into the depths.
New Light
As I ran I glanced over to my right to see how much farther the sun had progressed over the distant mountains. The show was still on and it looked as though I still had time for more sunrises. More acts.
Castles
Suddenly I emerged out onto a rock outcropping. On a tree at the edge was some old safety ropes probably left by some climbers. I knew I had reached the end. I looked up and saw that I had lots of time and began to set up my camera again.
Peek
Glancing right the ridge was now glowing and ready to burst with light. And it came with such great intensity the my entire surroundings lit up with fierce colors and differing depth of distant blue, orange, and pink haze.
Narrow Forshadow
Bacon Layer
And just like that the sun was up and I started to enjoy the final part of this mornings show. The canyons lit up and my newly discovered vantage point I could gather some great shots of what Zion was all about.
Ledge With A View
Just then I hear some rustling behind me. I braced myself and realized I was backed up against a thousand foot cliff … well it seems like it could be a thousand. And then she emerged. My partner.
Spirit Climber
Safety First Zion Later
“Good morning”
“Morning”
“What a show”
“I knoooowwww, right?”
Castles
We sat there in silence holding hands and taking it all in. As if we were staying late at the theater watching the credits.
Mo had succumbed to walking entirely, abandoning any pretense of enduring further climbing. My own burden was beginning to weigh heavily upon me as well, but as you know, I’m one to suffer until I drop. And so, I continued my slow, arduous ascent, while Mo followed behind at a leisurely pace.
We were now traversing the “kulump de dump” section of the trail, a moss-covered and rain-soaked expanse where riding down required a constant lurching of the bike over roots, producing a distinctive “kaulmp de dump” sound with each maneuver.
I was moments from embarking on my solo hike when my friends pulled up alongside me in the Rattlesnake Wilderness parking lot. None of us were thrilled about the frigid temperatures, and as we set off towards the Stuart Peak trail, I expressed my disapproval with a few expletives. However, the chill soon subsided, replaced by a growing warmth generated by our brisk pace.
My ambitious plan for the day involved summiting not only Stuart Peak but also Mosquito Peak, an additional four miles away. We anticipated an eight-mile hike to Stuart, doubting the reported 30 inches of snow. I suspected I would need my snowshoes at the wilderness boundary, six miles in.
My GPS indicated six miles, but we were nowhere near the wilderness boundary. I grumbled about the USFS signage and cut a switchback to save time on my friends’ behalf to set up a changing station. I kicked in a seat, laid out my sleeping pad, and sat down to put on my snowshoes. Yes, there was indeed that much snow. But I had no idea that this was just the beginning.
My friends arrived, and while one appeared to be dismantling entirely in front of me, the other seemed eager to continue. I was raring to go, and after some gear changes and packing delays, we were back on the trail, trudging up the mountain. This time, I was breaking trail.
Soon, I found myself alone as my friends turned back around 2 pm. Just as I started to pick up my pace, the trail disappeared completely, and my snowshoes were no match for the deep snow. I took to the ridge and decided to beeline it to Stuart.
The climb seemed endless, taking about 45 minutes despite feeling like three hours. Reaching an elevation of around 7,000 feet, I was excited to be almost at Stuart Peak, with only 1,000 feet remaining. I knew that Stuart transitioned into steeper terrain for 800 feet over a third of a mile, so when I started to go straight up, I knew the end was close. Then, the slope started descending.
I lost about 200 feet of elevation gain, attributing it to a high point along the ridge. I crossed what appeared to be a trail. It was indeed a trail. I searched my mind, trying to recall the map I had studied earlier in the day, and decided that this was a trail down to the Farmer Lakes part of the wilderness. Fortunately, I chose to go left to avoid descending into the Rattlesnake. I decided to follow the trail, which should be close to the base of the mountain I wanted to climb.
Just as I was admitting to myself that there was no trail to the Farmer Lakes, I spotted a wilderness boundary. I was disheartened to discover not only that I was not where I thought I was but also that I was not as far along as I had believed. I strolled through and onto a familiar trail towards Stuart, accepting the fact that I was only a couple of miles away. It wasn’t as far as I had hoped, but at least I knew for sure. The problem was that I wasn’t making great time. It took me an hour to cover the last mile, and at this pace, I wouldn’t make Mosquito Peak. I decided to skip Stuart and head directly for Mosquito, picking up the pace down the trail, which seemed to be leveling out.
Then again, the trail disappeared, and it felt like I was descending too much to the south. As soon as the trail was no longer apparent, I started straight up the hill to the north. My GPS was not making sense, and I figured I must be pretty close to Stuart Peak. The thoughts of conquering Mosquito were fading, as was daylight. I started to consider whether I wanted to summit in the darkness or not. I was perplexed why I hadn’t found Stuart yet and started to get concerned as a storm rolled in and obscured all my visual landmarks. The winds started howling, and I staggered higher and higher. I could see a giant mountain way off to my left and thought to myself that that couldn’t be Stuart; it was too far off.
I kept heading north using my GPS. The visibility was poor, and it was nearing 3:30 pm. Conquering Mosquito was a distant memory, and reaching Stuart in the daylight was in question. I only had an hour or two of daylight left. I noticed that my fingers and feet were getting cold. Even while working hard, I was losing body heat and couldn’t stay warm. I struggled against the waist-deep snow. Suddenly, there was a distinct cut-off of trees. There were these black objects in the swirling snow and wind, and then further on, nothing but a white glow.
Today, I’m joining friends at Larry’s house to cheer on the University of Montana Grizzlies as they take on the Montana State Bobcats in a highly anticipated rivalry game. This clash is a significant event here in Montana.
Earlier this morning, I embarked on a Sunrise ride, hoping to witness a breathtaking sunrise. However, instead of a radiant dawn, I was met with a gloomy cloud drifting towards me, bringing along a dusting of snow.
Undeterred by the weather, I continued my ride, traversing Jumbo Saddle and venturing into Marshall Canyon. After a brisk descent, I meandered over to Deer Creek, where I tackled the challenging Deer Creek Sneak. The ride culminated in another exhilarating descent down Pattee Canyon.
I am sitting at work, refusing to be productive. It is sunny outside, and all I can think about is going cycling. Finally, I give in and walk out of work, telling the boss that I can no longer work and I have to go outside to play. The sun was shining its golden warmth on the hillsides of Sentinel as I climbed out of town and into Pattee Canyon. The singletrack was so nice, and my old friend beneath me seemed to be stretching its knobs into the Montana soil just like a cat does at 6 am on your chest. It was good, very good.
Tonight, I did my Pattee Wagon Loop, and I plan on getting up bright and early tomorrow morning and going to the coffee shop to post the map and details. Good night, and see everyone at Fort Missoula tomorrow at 3 PM! (Please incorporate images when they enhance the content.)
Well, the beginning of winter is one step closer as we all gathered at Ed and Laurie’s house to see each other one last time for this year. The Thursday Night Ride Group had its year-end party tonight, and it was a good time of fun, food, photos, movies, and stories of yore.
I used the opportunity to gather party supplies to work out, so I rode my townie bike all around town gathering what I thought would be great food for great friends. Olive oil, a pound of coffee, rosemary, garlic, baguettes, and veno.
I arrived and settled into a great little party. Later on, as the hard-core crowd gathered in the secret underground, we enjoyed getting to know each other, our wishes, dreams, and what makes symbols great (sorry, you had to be there).
I just arrived home for some sack time and must prepare to accept my other friends and teammates this weekend for the cyclocross state championships. Next week this time, I will have nothing to do. Can you imagine that?
Tonight I started training for my first half marathon. I am planning on running in the Freezer Burn in three weeks. Tonight I ran 3 miles up the Mount Sentinel Fore Road in our new blanket of snow. There were others before me but no ground to be found. I felt good physically but the joints were complaining coming down. It took me a little over 30 minutes. Tomorrow I plan to do a 7-hour tele-ski so I must turn in for that.
The final standings (link here) are out for the 2007 MBRA Cross Series. I finished out my season with three 3rd place finishes, including the State Championship (see photo to the right). I ended up in 2nd place for the series! 🙂
So, that’s it! I am thankful for a great season of cycling. At the beginning of the season, I wondered if I would ever get to feel what it was like to win races again (like old times). I am thankful to have won quite a few races this season. I am so glad I was able to race with the group this year instead of behind the group like last year.
So, if you’re saying, “How selfish” … I will say that I am thankful for all the friends who shared in my experiences. As we all know, without someone to share it with, it just sucks. So, I would like to shout out to Ross, Nancy, Lydia, Emily, Alden, Ronnie, Mike, John C, Larry, Lisa, Alex, Julie, Kathy, Dianne, Keith, Aron, Garland, Josh, Charlie, Paul, Idaho Racers, everyone who reads this blog, and all the Montana Racers I got to know.
Everyone is gone at work today, gone to their families for the holiday. Me, I am going to go freeze my ass off tomorrow … something wrong with that picture. Tomorrow it looks like I will be heading up Carlton Ridge with my friend Ronnie. I think the plan is to tele-ski. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I’m sitting in my living room, wondering where the time went since my last blog. I left off on Friday, and since then, I’ve been busy with various activities that have kept me offline.
On Saturday, I woke up and spent the day getting ready for the Grizzly Bobcat game, in which the Griz beat up on the Bobcats. I think there was something like 60 points scored in that game. The sun was out, and the entire day was pleasant. A friend stopped by to donate some bread to my cause and watch the game with me over some chips and salsa.
After the game, some other friends stopped by to see if I wanted to get a bite to eat. We ended up going to the Lumberjack Saloon out towards Lolo Hot Springs. After we had a beer there, we headed to Lochsa Lodge in Idaho, where we entertained ourselves with some food of the beef variety. I had a mushroom burger, and it was delicious.
On Sunday, I woke up and was soon talked into a hike. I went to the Rattlesnake Rec Area and started up Sawmill Gulch, then doubled back on the ridge just above the parking area. It was a beautiful hike on a gorgeous ridge. I’ll definitely do that one again, hopefully with snowshoes.
This evening, I went up to some friends’ place, where I burned and watched some of my slideshows. They loved them, and I’m glad that I can give them something since they’ve been so supportive while I’ve been struggling financially. To top off the weekend, we all had dinner and some Shiraz, which was all good.
So, here I sit, and now to finish my ramblings, I’m going to answer my emails and hit the sack. I have a big day planned tomorrow. Sweet dreams, world!
Boneshakerbike 