Boneshakerbike

Author: Bill

  • What am I doing?

    What am I doing?

    Why am I out here?

    What am I doing and where am I going? Well, it certainly is beautiful out here.

    Although. My rickety old body doesn’t think so.

    Distance five miles. Awesome. It amazes me. What something like a little juniper tree will do. In the winter out here. It makes a drift. So big that it stops all persons trying to cross the prairies. I’m on this carpet of gravel that weaves around all these drifts. Sometimes I have to dive into these corridors of snow where people have tried to bust through with their four-wheel drives. Through a monster drift.

    Over the mountain pass and through some punks. Showing off by getting air over a couple of snow doubles. And now I am on a monster climb. What am I doing out here?

    Does anybody else get excited when they cross the top of a hill? Like a puppy when it’s owner comes home. Like what’s up there? My cadence increases. I start working harder. I can’t wait to get up there. So exciting. And then to find out it is a false summit. You stupid; you’ve been out here a million times.

    How come you thought that was the top? And yet when we get to the next one. Summit or not we’re gonna get excited. We’re gonna paint like a little puppy. I’m already excited about this. Where’s the next one? Why am I out here?

    I’m getting tired because I stopped talking to myself. I’m no longer interested in a stimulating conversation. Why am I out this far?

    ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY:

    Dive into these snapshots of life’s adventures, from musings on the simplicity of daily moments to the thrill of outdoor exploration. Each post is a testament to the journey of self-discovery and the ever-evolving adventure of life.

  • Buttons (RIP)

    Buttons (RIP)

    • June 27th, 2019 – Buttons Birthday
      Buttons is the name of our new van. It’s album can be found at https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi75cEsy7oNhD6TUA
    • July 15, 2019 – First Modifications
      We coordinated a window install as well as a ceiling fan.
    • August 29, 2020 – Buttons Pick Up Day
      Just so happens that dear friend went on a worldwide tour of Adventure and we missed them. No matter … we got to meet our new Buttons.
      So we grabbed our new van and headed north to bring it home
      The most exciting time is when we opened that door and saw our new home for the first time. I remember well the smell of fresh wood.
    • August 30, 2019 – First Day
      https://photos.app.goo.gl/xi75cEsy7oNhD6TUA
    • August 31, 2019 – Second Day
    • September 1, 2019 – Day 3
    • September 3, 2019 Final Leg
    • September 3rd – Welcome Home

    Mods

    • September 4, 2019
      Our first mod and priority was how we are going to store bikes. So we started prototyping. Also we needed a bulkhead sine I was headed to a enduro where camping was not permitted. This would allow us to go stealth.
    • September 12, 2019
      Our second round of prototyping and bike placement.
    • September 24, 2019
      Installing kitchen lights and adding metal so that the magnetized window coverings would attach to our custom window installed by Wayfarer Vans.
    • September 27, 2019
      Going into winter we found the need for heat. Enter Mr Heater little buddy.
    • October 9, 2019
      Frustrations mount (pun intended) as we try different bikes in our limited space.
    • October 14, 2019
      The pesky idea to mount bikes without a slide out drawer which most van-lifers use became a real bugger. To install a drawer or pull out we would have to remove the floor due to limited space for the bed and our insanely huge enduro bikes. So we keep trying new ideas and angles.
    • October 22, 2019
      Perfecting our bulkhead and installing some customization in the kitchen. We bought some sides for our windows from Wayfarer Vans and installed washers to hold our lights.
    • October 24, 2019
      Probably one of our best and most professional looking mods was to install a USB hub to run our lights and charge our phones. We hooked it directly to the battery and agreed to only use it sparingly until we got a Goal Zero.
    • December 3, 2019
      We start our insulation project. It is winter camping time. We started with the doors …
      Then the ceilings
    • December 5, 2019
      After futzing with bike storage it became clear we had to raise the bed. Not to long after this Wayfarer Vans offered this option.
    • December 21, 2019
      For our Christmas trip we installed something to hang our coats or wet gear.
    • December 23, 2019
      Adding lights and attempting a interior decorating idea, rugs, and comforters.
      Enjoying the view and interior lights
    • April 26, 2020
      We redone the lights to a more permanent solution. Indirect lighting at that.
    • May 20, 2020
      We want to make shelves for a slide out fridge and on top of that a power bank. For now I needed to find a place for our little Goal Zero until we upgrade and can get the shelves in. Why not on a shelf …. HEAT … that is why. These things don’t work over 100 degrees.
    • June 16, 2020
      We finally decided to give the bikes lots more room and went one last time with a non-pullout solution. I think this one will work. Super easy now.

    • June 18, 2020
      Mods start ramping up now that summer is here. We took out the walls so that I had enough room to sprawl out and sleep like a rock.We are making panels that we already use for the windows and bare walls. This gave us 6 more inches of room.
    • June 24, 2020
      It was finally time to hang all those items that were just laying around or taped into place.
    • July 18, 2020
      It was finally time to fix the panel above the door so our custom coat hanger wouldn’t pull it down. Plus we are thinking of a bug screen.
      Cleaning up where the light switch would be as apposed to a hanging cord that was hard to turn the lights on and off.
      I put the batter in the kitchen counter and started to monitor the temperature in the van. This was the only place to hide from 100+ temps.
      It’s about time we got a Berkey.
    • October 20, 2020

      Buttons gets a fridge

    • October 21, 2020

      Buttons gets a roof rack

    • October 25, 2020

      Buttons gets trimmed

    • October 27, 2020

      Buttons gets a solar panel

    • November 7, 2020

      Buttons gets a ladder

    • November 18, 2020
    • January, 2021 – Van 3.0
  • The end is near

    The end is near

    The devil dust did come last week. And we did escape and go south until we found some more sun. And as I reflect on the season I must milk every last stitch of sunlight and dirt that I can. Long are the days of Enduro racing, which my favorite was Grand Targhee, but there is gravity and dirt still and I need to get out there and enjoy it.

  • Never know what you might see

    Never know what you might see

    This just in from Yellowstone National Park. Turn around and you never know what you will see. Mo got a picture of a grizzly bear when she saw everybody on the road pointing and yelling to turn around. Yeah, so I guess you never know what you will see. So this is the second day that I’ve went to the WordPress free plan and I am still testing to see whether or not I can upload media. I should be at the limit for uploads. Otherwise it is blizzarding right now and I am enjoying pictures of what the ground looks like without a covering of white. As you were. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ZqYNRnGSJ/?igshid=5c2glt288dq2

    Check out more photos at https://photos.app.goo.gl/LhrKPpKMWLw7u7Jg7

  • Checking In

    Checking In

    Today my personal plan expired here at WordPress. I am now on the free plan. I’m still in the same place just choosing to post pictures in various social media sites and share that way. I’m starting to get an itch to write something. Especially because my writing skills have really deteriorated.

  • Photos and Videos

    2018
    2016
    2015
    2014
    2013
    2012
    2011
    2010
    2009
    2008
    2007
    2006
    2005
    2004
    2003
    2002
    2001
    1990(s)
    1980(s)
    Childhood

    All our photos are tucked away in “Google Photos,” and yeah, this site’s built on WordPress. Now, you’d think it’d be a breeze to link the two, but nope! Of course not. So, if you want to scroll through snapshots from my awkward childhood years all the way to our latest escapades, click on a specific year or “Album” (as GP so kindly calls them) and you’re good to go.

  • Good Bye Everybody

    Good Bye Everybody

    It has been a long ride. I have had some great posts here and fun times have been spread to many. But recently I just have been posting images. I feel I need to move on. 

    Is this the real life?
    Is this just fantasy?
    Caught in a landslide
    No escape from reality
    Open your eyes
    Look up to the skies and see
    I’m just a poor boy (Poor boy)
    I need no sympathy
    Because I’m easy come, easy go
    Little high, little low
    Any way the wind blows
    Doesn’t really matter to me, to me …

    Freddie Mercury
    Bohemian Rhapsody lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

    Maybe someday I will feel the need to write again. I need to get on on the bike more and let go of this obsession to keep something going just because it has a long history. I mean I suspect no one will even read this.

    … Didn’t mean to make you cry
    If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
    Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
    Too late, my time has come
    Sends shivers down my spine
    Body’s aching all the time
    Goodbye, everybody
    I’ve got to go
    Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

    Freddie Mercury
    Bohemian Rhapsody lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  • A Night Out On Mission Creek

    A Night Out On Mission Creek

    Snowplace
    Snowplace
    Stonework
    Stonework
    Here kitty kitty
    Here kitty kitty
    Sneeky hanging out in the evening after the ride
    Sneeky hanging out in the evening after the ride
    Ruby taking a rest
    Ruby taking a rest
    Antenna
    Antenna
    The joy of fat biking ... if one could find joy in winter
    The joy of fat biking … if one could find joy in winter
    Alien
    Alien
    Ridge
    Ridge
    Heading up from Bruffery Lane
    Heading up from Bruffery Lane
    Mo riding on an easement
    Mo riding on an easement
    Mo riding with the perfect backdrop
    Mo riding with the perfect backdrop
    Looking into what we call the gateway to the wilderness
    Looking into what we call the gateway to the wilderness
    Right of way through private land
    Right of way through private land
    IMG_20181118_124804.jpg
    Amber waves of field
    Amber waves of field
    Bruffey Lane
    Bruffey Lane
    Back on Forest Service land
    Back on Forest Service land
    Fat bike pow
    Fat bike pow

  • Fat Bike Video

    Fat Bike Video

  • Fat Bike Suce

    Fat Bike Suce

    In the winter the road turns to fat bike transfer
    Fat bike singletrack at its finest
    It’s snuggles approved
    Ruby rests before testing out the downhill fun-a-bility
    The sunset
    He’ll be comming around the corner when he comes …o/o
    The shred

  • The Loft

    The Loft

  • Developing the Urban Legend

    Developing the Urban Legend

    Ruby, the consummate warrior of winter
    Livingston Montana
    The Livingston version of spooky woods

  • Mo’s Walkabout

    Mo’s Walkabout

    Some walks aren’t about the destination. They’re about the quiet spaces in between, the ones that beg you to pause, breathe, and notice the details we usually pass by.

    This walk, like many before it, was more of a meander—a slow exploration through the familiar woods, now coated in winter’s soft embrace. Snow clung to the trees, like nature’s way of tucking them in for a long rest. The world felt still, but alive in that particular winter way. Every step crunched underfoot, a reminder that even in silence, there’s movement, there’s life.

    It wasn’t about finding anything new, but rediscovering the beauty of what’s always been there. The weathered wood of an old fence, the way frost edges each branch, the familiar warmth of a favorite cup when you come back inside.

    Sometimes, it’s the small moments that linger the longest.

  • Urban Legend Scout

    Urban Legend Scout

    Mo scampers down the second of the three hilla downhill sections we have planned.
    Urban Legend Scout

  • Fat bike jump line

    Fat bike jump line

     

    Fat Bike Gap
    This will get you up to speed

  • Boulder River Expedition

    Boulder River Expedition

    Storyboard
    For this time of year pretty good snow.
    Armour Pond
    by Maureen Mislivets

  • Livingston Morning Walkabout

    Livingston Morning Walkabout

    Man! I hate the Eagles … man
    Whoaaa
    Coffee Crossing

  • Livingston Peak Trailhead Ride

    Livingston Peak Trailhead Ride

    The Bench
    Damn
    And we top out at “The Bench”