Author: Bill

My partner came into the room with a winter trail map. I haven’t seen this thing in a long time. Not since the Buck Ridge Incident anyway. She unfolded it out and we went to the ground to check it out. After deciphering different trail types our creative juices started to flow. Wow, we have never fat biked up the Storm Castle drainage.

That is what we will do. We packed up our gear, our bikes, the trail passes, and some snacks then headed out to the Gallatin Gateway.

The trail was in great condition and we rolled through the valley passing big  cliffs and encountering virtually no other users. We had numerous off-trail excursion options but stuck to the groomed trail. You see just two days before it had been groomed.

The trail turned and started up the ridge to the South. This was new to us. I think it is near the orchard trail or called something similar to that. And boy did it climb.

The surface was weird though. It is almost as if they groomed it in extremely cold conditions. The snow was so dry that it didn’t compact and set up. So we had this 3 inches of soft slightly packed snow. It was like trying to climb a slippery muddy hill. I was relegated to walking at times. Snuggles was able to climb just about everything because of her lightweight.

Soon enough though the sun was getting near the horizon and it was time to turn around.

The trip up was nothing like the trip down. All of 15 minutes we were flying as fast as we could peddle. The occasional jettison to the side because of a deflection rut or something could have caused a disaster … but hadn’t.

We arrived at the bottom safely with big smiles on our faces. We then spun down and back to the car. What a fabulous day.

All of this because snuggles decided to pull out some old maps. From there we got excited and our adventure juices started to flow. And when has anybody ever gone out on an adventure and had a bad time?

Leave it to mother nature to make the most out of any situation.

During the winter in the mornings, you awake with a frozen nose and reluctantly leave bed to try to start the day. We know that mother nature gives us magnificent sunrises. Especially during the magic hour when the sun is about to peek out over the horizon. So I motivate to rise.

Then in the evenings when you are tired and everything looks bleak. Bleak because for me I get grumpy and mental energy is at its lowest. If we can get out on our bike for that last bit of light, as the sun dips behind some hills. We are treated by mother nature’s offerings once again.

Now all of this only pertains to winter. In the summer the days are long and everything about the earth is welcoming and fun. Winter, well, cold and unforgiving.

Oh, sure mother earth gives us some fun stuff during a winter’s day. Sometimes. Sometimes it storms and they are fun. Sometimes the sun comes out. That is rare.

But mostly it is the first and last hour of the day that is the best gifts in winter for me. Problem is motivation … no, having the faith … that getting out into it during these times will always be rewarding.

Holy shit, talk about a rut. Another bike ride in the neighborhood. Another round. I feel like one of those drunks sitting at the bar. Every day after work … another round.

I am not addicted or trapped. Shit, things are great and we have the freedom to do what we want. Every day it is the same though, I mean when we weigh our options. One day it is cold but no snow, next its warm and rain, then snow and warm, then something weird.

To get us out and trying a backcountry ski, I know said I would never do it again, we need some snow that is conducive to some fun. Not slogging or unworthy of the commute to the mountains. Nothing that will send us to the ER with a torn ACL. Like a foot of fresh. Not cement or slush.

Then when it does snow we go skate skiing because it is across the street.  At least that is what Mo does, I can only do that every other day … I mean fat biking is much more fun. And well … there are trails in the hood.

Back to the ski, if it would just cooperate. Like on the weekend. But usually it warms up and it is just not worth the changing conditions and sticking snow. It is easier to just head out into the neighborhood.

Again with deciding to do the easiest thing at our disposal. Fat biking. Darn, I miss the dirt. I miss summer. This doesn’t happen in the summer. At least on the weekends, we have been trying to get out and find a snowmobile trail in good condition. Yes … we have trail passes.

It’s like that scene in the Big Lebowski when Walter says, “fuck it, dude, let’s go bowling“. Whenever we find any excuse, any excuse at all, we do the same. Fuck it, dude, let’s go fat biking.

Maybe we should take some trinkets of great wisdom from the dude. I mean he is out there doing what he does for all us sinners.  We are sinners. Working too hard and falling in line. And this is what happens. With the little bit of energy, we are only able to get a measly bike ride in.

For once I just want to be out on a big bike pack adventure and run into some uptight person who asks me why I am, “biking on a weekday”. I want to look up and seem confused with the reply, “wait, what day is it?”

Even though we are sinners we are trying to convert. For instance, we are downsizing and attempting to jack out. To stop sinning and being a slave to the norm. So we don’t get into the rut to just go for a neighborhood ride with what measly morsel of time it gives us.

A rut for now. But today … fuck it, dude, let’s go fat biking.

We might as well take advantage of this place while we can. In a couple months we will be gone. I mean we won’t have a cross country ski area accross the street from us. Maybe we will though, never know where we’re going to end up in the Park. It’s right across the street for crying out loud. So convenient and of course I think we take it for granted.

I mean it is not Lake Placid or Canmore, dont let me prop it up that far. It is pretty but there’s no elevation gain so that is a bummer. Not to keep putting stuff down? If you put all the routes together it will total up to 3 or so miles. That’s enough for a quickie. So that is what we tend to do on a lunch break or something.

I usually follow snuggles around which puts our adventure rolls flipped. She is effortlessly gliding long like it is as easy as walking. I have to go anerobic to keep up.

When we are out on the bikes it is totally diffrent. She follows me around and slowly fades back as I efforlessly glid along the terrrain. She has to tatally go anerobic and put aside all fear to keep up.

Today is no diffrent. I watch her ski off into the distance as I settle into my slog. There is a reason I dont ski much. Talking about cronic cardio, this shit is hard.

After 10 minutes I am skiing alone. And I am completely aware that she is up there and probably wondering if she should wait up. Wondering if I fell and broke my neck or something. I mean, that is what I do when we are on the bikes. Wonder is she gpt a flat or fell.

I come into a clearing and slide up to a junction. No snuggles in sight. I’ll probably see her at home.

A ride after work is all we need for now. With moving and downsizing in full swing a sudden snowstorm prompts an outing to experience it first hand.

And what better place then around town since most intelligent humans stay indoors during a storm.

Downsizing has gotten some momentum. We got rid of our futon/bed in the spare room so now guests must bring sleeping pads and bags. Soon we will be on sleeping pads in bags as well. The biggest baggage I have walked away from is the online info stream and constant news. The addiction to media. After one day I am getting feelings I remember from a happier time. I will continue to share and blog since it is part of my creative space. I push the crap, but will rarely go out looking for any online interaction. I like sharing.

It has been a while since we have been on our fatbikes in town. Some trails are not even open anymore due to snow accumulation.  I always suspected it was myself packing down trails every day that kept them open in the past. Funny, no one will even go down a trail unless someone else has blazed a path.

But there was enough good stuff that we made a loop of it. We only had to use the sidewalk for a half mile to get to another trail.

So it seems my biking has paralleled the current life situation. Downsizing and not getting online much, just sharing from the phone one in a while. I love sharing. And not getting out on the trails here as much. I really like sharing the ride though. It was fun.

Winter outing is the goal. Getting out of the house and away from the media and just news in general. Isn’t everything so overwhelming? I can remember a time when all I did was bike and didn’t even know who was the president. Clueless. And maybe much better off.

Oh, and a secondary goal of the day was to try out this new lens I got for my camera. Just like all new technology. Exciting. But it all comes at a cost. Having the media and news right in your hand and available at all times. And this new lens has its cost, come to find out, it was heavy.  But hopefully worth it.

We found perfect conditions. The snowmobile and ski traffic was pretty heavy and combined with the thaw and freeze recently it was set up perfectly. Didn’t even need to let a bunch of air out of the tires. I forgot to put my phone in airplane mode so it made this comforting sound. I so wanted to look at it to see whats up but instead just turned it off. The winter day again enveloped me.

Soon we reached our first junction and decided to hit the ridge to see what was up there. Just like when we get notifications and we check it out to see what is up. But this foray turned out beneficial. I got to try out the new lens. So much beauty. This lens would surely make it even more beautiful.  Enhancement of technology.

The detour took us up to the top of a ridge where the hoar-frost covered everything. And as a big bonus, the sun was low behind the scene. I started snapping off photos.

At the time I glanced at the results and the images looked spectacular. But something was askew. A little off. But I couldn’t tell in the field what was happening. I just snapped off more shots. Media and news are like that. Something is askew so you just look at it more. Next thing you know you have a pile of data?

We left the ridge and rejoined our initial plan which was to ride to the Trail Creek Cabin. Hopefully, our distraction wouldn’t affect us getting to our goal.  Yea, like when you take a moment during work to glance at the news. It’s just a glance, shouldn’t affect getting any work done.

But as we discovered we were running out of light and needed to turn around. The sun was getting low and we did not have lights. Not a big deal, just to be out here was worth it. No goal needed.

The bomb back to the vehicle was fast and furious. The rest of the day a blur as our super focused eyes hunted down the trail for anything that would send our fat bikes off the trail. At these speeds, a snowmobile runner indent could be disastrous.

Just like every day recently. Going along with grand ideas of things to do in a day to only get derailed by the latest news feed. These little sidetracks have been derailing me. Ruining my day. And resulting in a crash.

Back at home, I couldn’t wait to see the photos I had taken. To see how my new lens affected my shots. They sucked. Distorted and blurred at the edges. Just like the media and news lately. This new technology did not enhance my shots only destroyed what I was trying to capture. Is this how a consistent tether to technology has affected my life? Instead of enhancement I am getting distorted and blurry view-port into life?

Maybe this lens is not the problem. I have never had any issues with a simple camera. I always seem to capture something I want to portray. I don’t need no stinking latest in lens technology. I don’t need any more media and news.

I am going to try to use what I have and immerse in current life. Unsubscribe from Facebook and Twitter feeds. Stop listening and watching the news. Un-friending anyone with a political view. I am just jacking out. Just me and this camera I want to create my reality. And be more immersed in it. Without distractions. Without the paradox of progress and technology. Good luck with it all folks. Good luck.

We have skis so why not go skiing? Is it not good to not get all caught up in one activity? So then we should take a break from biking and go skiing. And for that, we choose a nice little adventure in the Moser area.  In the summer we go mountain biking there so a nice little exploratory ski in the winter would probably turn out pretty good.

It started out pretty well and soon I felt this desire to do some turns down a slope. So we turned our climbing efforts into a more uphill direction and just headed up the ridge. That is about as much fun as we had because things started to turn sour.

On this beautiful day in January, the snow started to chronically stick to our bases. Double check … January. OK, so middle of winter right? What are the chances that we would have spring-like conditions? Not too bad. But it didn’t seem like spring and it wasn’t warm out. The sun was so warm that it was melting the snow I guess. OK, so one doesn’t have to be so cognizant of the conditions biking.

I mean the damn fat bike will go through anything. Snow, slush, mud, dust, sand, and dirt. Much simpler life on a bike. I so wanted this day to be over. I just wanted to go home. Why did we even try to get outdoors anyway?

We tried to salvage the day. Headed into the woods. Same thing. Tried to ski off the backside. Stuck to the ground like flypaper. Soo it was evident we needed to bail on the day and go into town and buy some beer. But the day was not over.

For an hour we tried to ski walk our way out. It was like doing some sort of sick heavy weighted leg extensions on a torture device. I even tried to take them off and boot it out. Snow was over my head. No walking today. Darn, could I get airlifted out? I told my partner to go and save herself and leave me to die. If she had enough time maybe she could send for help.

Yea, we finally made it out. Others at the parking lot were reporting the same bizarre stuff. F’this we were done with alternative winter sports. We have been fat biking since.  A day on the bike is a good day. A day doing anything else is a crapshoot.

A life lived to identify an existence. Deep, perhaps … like the snow. Probably just a bunch of silly nonsense dribbled out of a morning coffee induced brain dump. Still, I am stuck on it.

“Whatever it is, it’s got to be funky”, a friend of ours will sometimes say. An elixir is what I pour into life to make it funky. Pharmacology? Perhaps a, “sweetened, aromatic solution of alcohol and water containing, or used as a vehicle for, medicinal substances”, according to the dictionary types. I surely identify with what this elixir induces.

Is that the reason a poison-induced window of life can be called the elixir of life?  Poison yes, but removing stress can also be an alchemic preparation believed by some to be capable of prolonging life. Long live the funk!

The gold diggers used an elixir to alchemically, if that is a word, prepare base metals turning them into gold. Never worked. For me, never was into gold.

My mind wanders, then wonders. Am I off topic yet? What was I thinking about? An eagle screeches overhead.  Shit, it is cold outside. My fat bike leaned against a guardrail.

Wait a silly second. I am not in the park. Instead today I am in Bozeman biking the city trails. But at this second my partner who is in the “Da Park” spots a bald eagle. Funky, right? A quintessence or absolute embodiment of anything is really something that doesn’t make any sense actually making sense.

Am I biking under the influence? Absolutely not. Just a little snow blind. Everything is so white right now. All that devil dust covering anything and everything. All I see is white. So my thoughts wander as I squint out the reality. A panacea; cure-all; the sovereign remedy to not being able to see.

Perhaps I should let my eyes widen. And take in the beauty of it all. The funkiness making it all so beautiful. I am right where I need to be. Just a ramble, that’s all. Just a bike ride. Maybe we will have some wine tonight.

We are still hoping that we get to live in the park this summer. Things are looking bleak since they tore down our transit hut from last year. Now we just hope something becomes available with WiFi so I can work from home. The backup plan is to get a cheap place in Gardiner. We have options.

How is the park? Well, Mo has been out recording wolf sounds and volunteering for a birds project. Definitely keeping busy she brings back images from the field. I sure wish we could switch places. Feeling sorry for myself standing in the cold and looking at my bike I feel trapped a bit.

Me, when I am not in the Park I am back in Bozeman squeezing in a bike ride once in a while. Right now for some reason I just can’t throw my leg over my bike. I have to say I have been extremely disgruntled since coming back from the Desert.

How cool would it be to trounce around in the Park and check out the wildlife? It beats enduring the cold devil dust to finish by going inside for a showing of YouTube videos into the evenings. I’m relegated, a self-inflicted state, to ride the same trail every single day. Same old spooky woods, same old pond, etc, wash and repeat. When I do feel like going outside the car is out-of-town.  I turn around to go back inside, to heck with it.

Mo is going out for another wolf recording session and is sitting by the Lamar River waiting for the dawn. That is when the wolves will finally start to howl. They are trying to get a good track for their podcast.

The microphone picks up everything. Even flakes of snow hitting the surface. All the while I stay quiet at home working and wishing for the desert.

And the wolves finally tells all. How it is to be wild and free. They are not trapped. Not at all, even in the winter. They are at home. Why shouldn’t I should do the same? Raise my head to the skies and howl. And thank mother earth for my freedom. And what I do is my choice. Hell yea, going for a ride.

One more sunrise ride. One more morning. One of the last days left in 2017. I will miss St George. Back to reality. Now I know.

I run into the turtle fence. The Desert Turtle in danger. Just like me. The fence keeps them out of trouble. I need a fence. Maybe there is a fence but I’m on the wrong side.

I haven’t been outside in a while, biking only once only because I was told I needed to get outside. I am hating the winter and unmotivated to be in it since we came back from St George. I’m in a funk and need to crawl out from under this rock. Speaking of which I harken back to our trip. Did I mention we were in the desert … gosh how I miss it. Anyway …

We needed a rest and the Beaver Dam Mountains, which sit in the southwest corner of Washington County, Utah, being made up primarily of Permian Age limestone, was a good candidate for a distraction from biking. We decided to do a safari with our Ele into the Beaver Dam Mountains, and check out the Bloomington Cave. It can be found approximately 15 miles west of the City of St. George although we took the log way around and descended from the mountain range crest.

Bloomington Cave is the most extensive and well-known cave in the St. George Field Office. It is a large tectonic cave, and has at least six distinct levels and a maze of passages that are generally narrow, often with steeply dipping floors. The surveyed length of the cave is currently 1.43 miles (7,574 feet), making it the fifth longest cave in Utah. In 1994, this cave was listed as a significant cave on federal lands, under the authority and mandate of the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act (FCRPA) of 1988.

Good thing that when we did finally find this gem we were missing a permit. And the good thing is that we would have been totally unprepared. According to some people we met there this cave’s difficulty level is currently unrated. And after looking at the sign it became abundantly apparent we would have found the cave much more difficult than expected. Bloomington Cave requires squeezing through little cramped spaces, rock climbing (whoa!), and moving on slippery surfaces. There are 5 routes and this thing was over a mile long. A mile of puzzles. Hmmmm.

So we ended up posing at the entrance.

Anyone wishing to enter Bloomington Cave must have a permit. The permit is free and available from the St. George Field Office. View our Permit System document to learn the process for submitting your application.

Oh yea, we are going back. A brand new type of adventure. But first I need to start getting outside. Arg …o/o