Last Sunday we hit up the park for national parks day or more importantly free entrance day. We picked Tower Falls, closed to cars, to ride our bikes. We need to come back when they open the Dunraven Pass Road to bikes or the day before they open it to cars. Would be a sick climb … sick!
Biking up the closed to vehicle road one gets a little closer to wildlife
Us
Sandhill Cranes
Looking down the beginning of the grand canyon of the Yellowstone
Snuggles overlook
Slippery Slope
Riding along the narrows the views over the edge … the needle
Looking East from the narrows
A river runs through it
The tower in tower falls
Bison and sage a true western scene
Bison
Bear print
Road past the narrows
Looks like they are rebuilding the roads and the traffic will no longer go through the arch.
Most of the morning was spent trying to figure out what to do. Can not go up due to the new snow we just got. I am sick of snow. Lower trails are too muddy. We did not want to get in the car … in Bozeman there are no trails from town like in Missoula. So we ended up just doing town paths. Just relaxed and enjoyed the sun. Gosh this town is boring.
As I approached the bridge I stopped to take a photo of two geese. Then it struck me how life can become more enhanced. Everyone knows to simplify. Don’t over-plan adventure. Team up to accomplish more … to experience more, and enhance it all with sharing. The less you have the more you can interface with our natural world.
This ride is a first. A first ride on a bike that I will ride as my mountain bike. Gone are the days of buying parts for numerous bikes. No more cookie cutter summer bike. KIND OF gone is the fat bike of winter … because fat is where it is at. Just one. I just switch wheels … that simple. Versatility without compromise. It is lighter then my old summer bike and after riding it today I can say surprisingly faster then anything I have ridden … I think.
The two gees flew off together as I rode over the bridge. On my way to meet up with my partner. To fly off together. Simplified again.
A pair of geese on the rail as I approach a trail bridge
“Listen it is storage. I mean the dude has a 12 pack of carbonated water and other groceries on board. It’s called a frame bag.”
Upon learning of this conversation I decided to take my frame bags off. Maybe even start driving a car. I mean if I am accused of being assisted I will get more groceries.
And you people that think you want to “participate” with me with assistance … go to hell. You suck.
For now I am going bag-less. And let’s be honest, the OTHERS are just disguised motorcycles. Should we also start letting smokers back in public places?
And just like that! Our weekend at Calf Creek is over. Sure we had a little fun in store, fat biking out. And then it happened. On my first day of my second lap of 50. I spotted a wolf. That is a good sign right?
After a coffee I can not contain my ambitions so I go for a ride. To just be doing something. Take some photos, explore places I have not set tire, and return for a second cup when my partner wakes. I guess in her world we have coffee together in the morning. Our first cup. But I have this entire other world after MY first cup. I call this Bill time and it has been referenced here before. This weekend I have a project brewing so Bill time should be exciting.
While my sister reminisced and summed up our childhood on Facebook …
Today is my brother’s birthday! But he’s not just my brother, he’s also my friend! I was the youngest and the brat of our entire relationship! He was my superhero when we had a bully on the block. I was his irritating little sister that felt like she had to tag along on all his adventures including several bruises from a hockey puck as it never failed that I had to be goalie! This quote is from an unknown source but said our relationship very well,
“It was nice growing up with someone like you – someone to lean on, someone to count on… someone to tell on!” . But all in all, he made life interesting. We always had the neatest inventions in our back yard! Space shuttle flight in his closet … preparing for take off. The haunted bedroom with his killer monkey, no lie. Our band as we rocked out to Kiss and Pat Benatar and yes, that included The Village People. The carnival in our side yard, to the man-made ice rink in the back yard. We had our fights, I’m not going to lie, it was his fault 95% … ok it was my fault 95%. But he always made life exciting. And if you know my brother today, he still makes life interesting! I’m so proud of him and brag a lot because that’s what little sisters are for! I love you so much, I wish I could spend the day with you, but it’s not realistic! So….think of me today during your adventures and look up to the sky, know that I’m also seeing that same beautiful sky!
Mo gave me something that truly made me remember my first 50 years as something special. I am so lucky to have lived the storybook life I have so far and the adventures that most never get to set out upon.
I opened my package … something to make our adventures more fun. A packable pillow. Perfect. Setting out on my second lap …o/o
Mo set this up. Paid for the cabin and suggested we FatPack another weekend in a row. As long as I didn’t hit my head again … I wore a helmet. I suspected it was because my birthday is tomorrow. She knows my favorite thing to do is adventure. And no questions asked about her, or may I say what was in it, backpack. It was important and I was not allowed to see it. I did know about a cake we were carrying in. And I suspected it was for my birthday tomorrow. So I took on most of our load on my fatty for the ride in.
Then we got our element stuck. A great location to launch our trip. And only 4 miles out. And within 45 minutes we were enjoying the setting sun at the Calf Creek Cabin.
When the lights came on all I could think of was to get up and try to act normal so that if Mo was looking out of the window she would not be alarmed to see me sprawled out in front of the woodshed like I had been shot.
So I did get to my feet even though I felt dizzy an really couldn’t answer the question as to why I was even out by the shed in the first place. Then I noticed that the North side of Little Bear Cabin did not have a window. And it was so early in the morning that she would of not been up anyway. I think. Well at least I could remember that.
The rest of the morning I stumbled around, fidgeted, and took some photos. Then it was time to leave and get back home for the up and coming wonderful world of work. When we finally got back to the car I came clean.
“I hit my head while trying to get to the woodshed … I think. Knocked me out cold … I think”
I was a little unsettled before we arrived at the parking area because Bozeman had survived 3 major snowfalls since we were there last. We had done a scout trip on a Wednesday Night Adventure. And even then going was tough due to the lack of snow machine traffic. Heavy powder is tough to push through as all us fat bikers know. And with my partner verging on sickness I suspected we would turn around and just go to the hot springs instead.
Leaving the vehicle my hopes went up and it seemed that maybe things would be packed down and doable. The only thing that could get in the way would be if the warm temps were so warm that we fall through and couldn’t ride. Which would be the show stopper.
5 miles out and at the base of the big 2 mile climb things turned sour. Indeed it was hot enough and we could not float the crust or peddle through the fresh wet powder. Only 1 snow machine had been up there that morning and their track was not enough. I waited for Mo to make “the decision”.
“let’s just push for an hour and then see if it improves”, she said.
I knew it wouldn’t but what the heck. A hour of nice sunny day of easy pushing … right? Walking in the track was not that hard. And then there was the fact that I could ride certain parts. Actually I cleared 60% of the 2 mile climb. Mo did not. And that was 2 hours after we wanted to make “the decision”. And then it was too late. We might as well push to the cabin at that point.
When the one snow machine track we had was not enough to hold us any longer the pushing became very hard. I did not want to kill my partner so I force-ably made her LET me push her bike. She did not have the energy to fend me off and just let me. I would of never gotten away with this tactic if she felt OK. So my routine was to push my bike through the heavy snow for a mile then run back and push hers on my track … kind of a rest push as you will.
We made it to the cabin almost 5 hours later and I went to work to get it warmed up. Neither of us had the energy for anything else and just passed out in the bunks.
We were late for the meet up in Hyalite Canyon. We explained to zero attendees that we got hung up on miscommunications and the fact that we ran out of gas as well. In any case we jolted up the hill and too outran all tracks from previous users. The sliders and the doggers. No signs of the snomachines though which kind of sucked because we had to pedal through crust and 5 inches of fresh pow. The BOMB down was stellar with only one crust fall through into a swamp. Fun times for all 2 attendies. Will the snow hold out for another week? Stay tuned.
Every time the sun comes out, it hints at something bigger than that one blissful moment. As I write, the snow is falling outside, so I must go off what I remembered from this past weekend. And as I start to go over that moment and what made it so great, I remember that feeling of something bigger… just around the corner. Could it be that there will be a string of entire days in sunlight? Could it be that a time is coming when it stays warm? Will we be able to eat outside on the porch? Maybe?
Last night, amidst the remnants of a pesky cold, I decided to brave it all and embark on an ambitious fat bike ride in the evening, accompanied by our “massive” group of… wait for it… two. It initially felt like a simple quest for fresh air, but boy, did it morph into a bona fide fat bike adventure. And the cherry on top? We were treading wheels in a place that was a mystery to both of us. Imagine that – two intrepid explorers, against all odds, navigating the unknown on two chunky tires. It’s like we were boldly going where no one in our duo had gone before.
I now have two bikes, a fattie and a cross bike. The two extremes, fat and skinny. Like me … right? RIP Gonzo and RIP Askia. Gone are my old cross bike and sadly the El Mariachi is also retired. New is a cobbled* together gravel grinder. Well not gone but for sale. Selling my cross bike frame, carbon fork, wheels, and crank for $200 bucks.
*Ha, slipped in a Classics reference.
On this day in history, Back in the mystical land of ’04, I found myself perched on the edge of destiny, with the “2004 EFTA Race Schedule” in hand. Picture me, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to etch my name onto the unforgiving terrain of cycling lore..
We have friends over and I am recovering from a vitamin C burn in my chest so I sit at the computer with a hint of wanting to go for a ride to enjoy the sunrise. Speaking of sunrises my friend Jill and I share sunrise moments even across the miles due to a magical morning encounter during a 24 hour race ages back. This morning as the sun streams through our front windows I know that I am the only one enjoying such a moment. 2,404 miles away Jill is bivvying out on Island Point in Alaska. Possibly hunkered down behind Little Mountain surrounded by the sea. The ITI facebook site suggests,
“Jill Homer and Mike B are out of Shaktoolik and they are crossing 30 miles of sea ice in the morning. at 0 degrees with 25-35 mph they are looking at wind chills of down to -27 F and slow progress with this crossing.”
Wow, doesn’t sound like she is enjoying a sunrise this morning. From here I await her dot’s movement. And wonder when all my packages arrive to start my new adventure.
On this day in history, ‘Hey Zeph! Want an Action Wipe?‘ I asked, after cleaning the blood from my shin.
This is Lammy’s fifth year visiting the Tetons. With his help we were able to launch a major blow to the 40 hour work week. This week I only worked 32 hours. Last week, the same. Ha! Take that you blood sucking mongrels.
On this day in history, ‘Hey Zeph! Want an Action Wipe?‘ I asked, after cleaning the blood from my shin.
Last night was the 34th installment of our Wednesday Night Adventure Series. We had the average group size of 2 and getting to the launch site proved to be a little challenging. This time of year unless you want to road ride or mountain bike mud slog you need to get yourself high. We attempted the upper snowmobile parking lot of the Big Sky Trail but got a tad stuck. Not really, just had to turn around. We parked high and hit the fresh fallen snow. At the turn around point was 3 inches of fresh powder. Down below troughed ice. Still on snow people. Still rolling fatties on snow. Next week … Bridger Canyon possibly.
On this day in history, ‘Hey Zeph! Want an Action Wipe?‘ I asked, after cleaning the blood from my shin.
As I mentioned in a previous post this is our 5th time coming to the Togwotee Winter Classic. Traditionally we have just rushed back to work the morning after the race. 3 days and two nights max. We always wished that we could do this one ride up to Brooks Lake Lodge. So this year we took 4 days off. And boy what a diffrence a day makes. So much more relaxation and peace. Strike another against the 40 hour work week. Right?
So we woke when we wanted and didn’t rush anything; which was absolutely fantastic. We ended up first riding some snow shoe trails and then turned our wheels up the big climb to Brooks Lake. It was a hell of a climb but the views from our fatties were absolutely the most picturesque I think that I have ever done. There were crown-like cliffs and buttes surrounding us as we trudged up the trail. Mo remarked that it almost seemed like we were in Canada. When we got to the lodge we took some time and read about the history. There was this one story about a grizzly bear who broke a 30 pound trap and carried it away. Three fellas hunted it down and shot it … which wasn’t my favorite part. But they describe how 3 guys shot at it but only found one puncture. Everybody still claimed the victory. But oh well, we bombed back down the mountain.
The big surprise of the weekend was Dubois Wyoming. What a cool little town. I have never seen a town like it, except for where I grew up in Roundup. The Utah like cliffs that surrounded the town on the north side where cool to. At the top of one was a mountain bike park. For sure a diamond discovery. We will be back!
Boneshakerbike 