We had a earthquake last night.
(CNN) A magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck southwestern Montana on Monday night, rattling windows and shaking buildings, but there were no immediate reports of any serious damage or injuries … The USGS categorized the earthquake as “moderate,” saying initial reports showed it occurred about 25 miles underground.
I was sitting at my computer at home and everything started to sway. I figured it was a huge gust of wind but soon realized that I live in a basement.
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It is called the ”Case of the Mondays“ and I got it full bore. I cannot say that I am confused at how I ended up like this. This last weekend was a perfect one to just sleep and get some rest. None of my friends were doing anything that I could participate in so I had the perfect opportunity to just swing in a hammock. But did I? NO!
Saturday started out as a rest day until out of the blue I got an inspiration. Maybe it was because I had a friend that was climbing a big mountain. I don't know what it was but at around 12 noon I decided I was going to do McLeod in the Rattlesnake. And that is what I did. I stumbled out of the woods (well, more like ride my bike) to finish that bright idea a little after 9 hours from when I started. I even got home before ten.
Well then the next thing I knew it was Sunday. I knew that I was going to get some rest on Sunday. I was supposed to go with some friends to Glacier Park for a Sunday drive. I great opportunity to rest up and be with friends … right? That was not to be as I got word that I was not going to go on the trip. I was so jealous that I decided to go on my own trip. So I went to Skalkaho Pass and Skalkaho Falls. I barely made it home on the gas that I had. Well, not entirely … I spent my lunch money for gas.
So now here I sit at work not lunch money and tired as hell. I know I will make it through and I will. But for now I am feeling overwhelmed and confused.
Dont read further: A debugging tool ini_set(“display_errors”,”1″);
This weekend I will photograph the Cycle Montana leg from Missoula to Darby. Adventure Cycling‘s Greg Siple got a-hold of me yesterday and asked if I would like to try a day of photography for the Cycle Montana event. Even though I cannot during the weekdays because of my job, I agreed to spend Sunday shooting the leg that runs from Missoula to Darby. This weekend I will photograph the Cycle Montana leg from Missoula to Darby. Adventure Cycling‘s Greg Siple got a-hold of me yesterday and asked if I would like to try a day of photography for the Cycle Montana event. Even though I cannot during the weekdays because of my job, I agreed to spend Sunday shooting the leg that runs from Missoula to Darby.
It should be a full day and I expect to take an astonishing amount of shots hoping to get the special few that transfer the cycling oracle to the masses. I get excited to go on a bike adventure and maybe I can capture a piece of that excitement.
If I can’t, well there is Saturday in which I hope to do a ride of my own. If anyone is interested, give me a ring.
Montana isn’t just about the grind; we get our fair share of fun, too. This weekend, Paul and I tackled Sweeney Peak in the Bitterroots. It’s a solid climb, but nothing too taxing. On the descent, I got a bit creative and used my old tent fly for a bit of snow sledding.
I’ll try to share some pics of the escapade tomorrow. But for now, it’s all about prepping the bike for a mountain ride tomorrow. The big question is, where to? Night, everyone!
Just returned from a weekend at Thompson Lake near Happy’s Inn with Aunt Wanda and Uncle Jerry. Beautiful spot, and we had our camp ready by Friday night, even watched “Meet The Fockers” on my laptop.
Saturday was windy. After breakfast, decided to tackle Meadow Peak. It’s a tough climb, reminiscent of Mineral Peak, but the view and bear grass fields were worth it. A storm hit in the evening, but it left behind stunning sunset scenes. Attempted “National Treasure,” but our laptop died mid-movie.
Sunday, I biked the Lost Prairie loop while the others fished. Captured shots of red wildflowers and prairies. We relaxed that evening, took turns in the hammock, and watched “The Day After Tomorrow.”
Monday, we headed home early. Had plans in Missoula, but ended up biking alone and wrecked my tire. Ended the weekend with ice cream and sleep.
I just got off the phone with Aunt Wanda from Whitefish. They are going camping on lake Thompson and I am going to make a break for it to join them. Heck, why sit around Missoula. So after work Marcy and I are packing up the Beetle and heading out of town for some camping, biking, and photography.
The trip itself should be cool. I start out driving to plains via Route 200 and the beautiful Flathead River. The river through this part is so turquoise and neat. Once in Plains I hit dirt roads for around 60 miles of backcountry exploration. Lewis and Clarks heck … it Bill and Marcy!
The gravel road hits and heads up the Thompson River. If I can conquer the wilds with the beetle then the task is to find my aunt and uncle at one of the campgrounds in the area. Yahoo is off to the wilds. I hope everyone has a good holiday!
Got a long weekend up your sleeve? Don’t let it slip through your fingers! I’m on the hunt for some camping, biking, and hiking action, but looks like my usual gang’s skipped town. So, here’s the deal: I’m eyeing Duffy Lake and Sweeny Peak in the majestic Bitterroots. Think leaving Saturday morn and rolling back into town by Monday. If you’re up for it or wouldn’t mind an extra buddy on your trip, hit me up. Had a few plans tank, so I’m pretty much game for whatever.
Also, heads up: the Rattlesnake and McLeod hike is on pause till August. Waiting on Larry and maybe Alden to free up.
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This morning is a little rainy but it is nice. It is nice that it is summer. I ponder this morning … I have no money … the car is out of gas. Then it comes to me, I will use my CITI card to get $5.00 in gas then use it to just drive downtown and back. Then I can pretend that everything is normal, heck Ill even stop into Bernice's for a goodie and coffee. Oh, wait! No money … sure, ok! Well … I could stop by the bank, if I try to take out $10.00 and it denies me, no harm done. However, if it gives me $10.00, the sky is the limit. Yahoo, so I am off to do normal things this morning. Even if it is just for this morning! This morning is a little rainy but it is nice. It is nice that it is summer. I ponder this morning … I have no money … the car is out of gas. Then it comes to me, I will use my CITI card to get $5.00 in gas then use it to just drive downtown and back. Then I can pretend that everything is normal, heck Ill even stop into Bernice's for a goodie and coffee. Oh, wait! No money … sure, ok! Well … I could stop by the bank, if I try to take out $10.00 and it denies me, no harm done. However, if it gives me $10.00, the sky is the limit. Yahoo, so I am off to do normal things this morning. Even if it is just for this morning!
So now, I have coffee, Danish, and the Missoula Indy. I am happy! There are a few things though. I bet you did not think I would let you off the hook this easy. Lets get this out in the open early on this weekend so I can ease through the rest, or at least till the next big bike ride.
This is my blog so I choose to use Connecticut as a representation of all things bad the closer you get to DC. I lived in Connecticut and liked it there.
I remember living in CT and it seemed like if you had a dog or children you were not the norm. Most of the population was more interested in Money and possessions. Fancy cars were allowed in parking lots but dogs were banned from certain communities. Well it seems a little bit of CT has tried to peek into Montana.
Darby's pit bulls may soon find themselves in the peculiar position of being both in and out of the doghouse after the Town Council voted June 15 to ban the beasts from city limits. Though the ordinance, which would ban pit bulls and other breeds with aggressive reputations, passed 3
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I have not been eating this last week so my ride to where the Thursday Night Ride was starting became quite an ordeal. I headed out after work and by the time I had climbed out of town on the Treasure Trail, I realized that it was going to be a long night. As I approached the group, I tried to clear my head as apparently I was seeing a mirage. I was looking at the largest weekly group I have seen in a long time. Was it a mirage? I have not been eating this last week so my ride to where the Thursday Night Ride was starting became quite an ordeal. I headed out after work and by the time I had climbed out of town on the Treasure Trail, I realized that it was going to be a long night. As I approached the group, I tried to clear my head as apparently I was seeing a mirage. I was looking at the largest weekly group I have seen in a long time. Was it a mirage?
It was not a mirage, the group was the largest so for this year. With large groups comes the possibility that someone is going to break down and someone did. I was feeling very weak so after the third stop for people having bike problems I decided to keep riding. Moreover, I did! I rode all the way to the first ridge and stopped to take pictures. The group was so strung out that I only saw Larry and Alden, but I was not satisfied with my position. Therefore, I rode on.
I finally did find a position on top where I caught people as they rode through the wildflowers. On top of University Mountain we all took family pictures before heading down the ridge.
The ridge is the fun part and beautiful as well. Being as exhausted as I was, my photographic instinct was not as good as required and try as I may, I am not happy with the rest of the pictures. I stopped at the wrong places and did the best I could I guess. The downhill was fun however and soon the ride was over.
Julie had a post ride BBQ and we all gathered at her house to eat, drink, and watch mountain bike slideshows. Ahh the perfect evening.
I was in search of something to eat this morning and thought back to last weekend. Tonight is the Thursday Night Ride and I was marveling at how long it has been since I rode with everyone. Ok, so it has not been a while but that is not my point. My point is that I have been Mountain Biking every day and when you take advantage of the time you’re given and where you are … life seems longer.
Someone just asked me what I think of something they saw in the news. I felt out of the loop but maybe it is them who are out of the loop. It is nice to sit in front of a publication or TV all evening after work, but you are missing out on life. I am just saying that making the most of life actually does make life seem longer. Its too bad people are missing out.
What trails have I been riding … well let me see:
Like I said, I am making the most of life. Now just need to make some money …. hmmmm!
Well I decided to not starve completely this week but so far I haven't ate. I got up late this morning and haven't had time to make porage. I am thinking I can live off of what I have left from last week. Oatmeal in the morning, a peanut butter sandwich at noon, a can of fruit after work, and a rice and butter after my ride. That should do it! I have $20.00 saved for groceries next week.
On Saturday my friend Larry and I rode two trails down by Hamilton. In between the rides Larry treated me to the best hamburger that I have ever had. We also stopped at a bike shop to drool over the new K2s.
Sunday I rode the Beacon Trail with Marcy in tow. She barely made it down as usual. She had fun though and we stopped under a huge ponderosa for the noon peanut butter sandwich.
I have been committed to a slide show presentation and the hoopla is making me uncomfortable. I don't even think I have any slideshows that will do for a mountain biker barbeque! The email says that I will be presenting my “World Class Cycling Pictures”. I think they have the wrong person.
So there you go.
I am up at 3 a.m. because I cannot sleep. My legs are a little achy from last nights little adventure. It was a sunny night and after work, I headed out to the deer creek drainage for some mountain bike exploring.
As I climbed into the Deer Creek Drainage (the back road to Patte Canyon), I realized that maybe this was a large undertaking for an after-work ride. After an hour of climbing, I still was not in the first saddle between Mitten Mountain and some other range. I wanted to get to at least where Marcy and I got to the weekend before. I did, but after an hour and a half.
I felt good so I headed off the saddle into Vista Gulch and boy what a vista. I raced down some great dirt roads built for logging but smooth enough for cars. Of course, this road is not accessible by any vehicles and I had to dodge the occasional big rock. Soon I found myself at a beautiful creek deep in Vista Gulch. I wish I had my camera.
Soon after and up a climb that told me my legs were done for the day, I reached a heli-pad used for logging. From there I saw that I was on the fast track to nowhere and decided to turn around after 21 miles and 6,200 vert-ft of climbing.
The big task was to get back out of Vista Gulch and I had to dig deep into my climbing skills and energy reserves. With a little patience, I climbed out and headed home. All downhill and through the magnificent Sam Braxton Trails, I got home after 3.5 hours of biking. Whew, and this was a workday.
Has anyone ever watched the movie “Office Space”. It's a funny movie with a part where an obnoxious secretary says, “looks like you have a bad case of the Mondays”. I guess you have had to be there. Why do I lead off with this … ?
Well I don’t know. it is Monday and I am quite bored. I wanted to blog just for the heck of it but I have nothing to say. Tonight I hope to go mountain biking before the Friends and Family meeting. I was planning on a trip up Deer Creek but I just realized that I would not make the meeting. So I guess I'll have to do the Treasure Trail or the Sam Braxton Trail.
Currently I am working on a online tutorial for our online forms at work. Go ahead, check it out. Thats about the most exciting thing that is happening today. I did read one real funny quote. It is by George Bush. Get this, he said ,”The use of federal dollars to destroy life is something I simply do not support“. Of course he is referring to stem cell research but isn't that the biggest contradiction you have ever heard. How many tax dollars are being used to destroy life in Baghdad?
Yep, a case of the Mondays! On a good note, our Governor is standing up to Bush.
Yo Missoula! Let’s rewind to yesterday: glorious sunshine, exploring Deer Creek Drainage with Marcy, and uncovering epic mountain bike trails. (Disclaimer: poor Marcy definitely got the cardio workout, my mountain bike made it a breeze ).
But alas, the weather gods unleashed their rain fury, washing away my grand “Around The Rattlesnake In One Day” (ATRIOD) adventure. This self-proclaimed epic involves conquering Arlee and traversing the majestic Jocko Road between the Mission and Rattlesnake ranges. Soaking weekend blues got me channel my energy into a much-needed website revamp. ✨
Presenting: a sleek new interface to fuel our palaver! The front page sheds unnecessary clutter, showcasing only the good stuff. Quick Palaver gets its own dedicated page, and the cherry on top: the latest blog post takes center stage, keeping everyone in the loop.
Rain or shine, the show must go on! Now, off to Skalaho Pass for some (hopefully!) waterfall photography. Nothing like adapting to the weather’s whims.
Wishing everyone a successful and awesome week ahead! Until next time, stay awesome, stay palavering.
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Saturday was a beautiful day so Marcy and I went exploring on Jumbo Mountain.
The big adventure was Sunday when my friends Alden, Larry, and I embarked on a pretty ambitious adventure. I am naming it the Grave Creek Growler because it goes along the Grave Creek Range. Although most of the party got all bloodied up and the weather turned extreme, the trip was a great success.
The first half of the ride was typical with the sun shinning we rode up Blue Mountain ans started into the Grave Creek Range. The hill-climbs were brutal and we spent most of your time riding the beautiful terrain from one climb to the other. We would recover and move on.
The second half of the ride was everything but normal. As we started the loggin road down to Dry Gulch the weather turned bad. We got blasted by high winds and torrential downpours. There was bloody crashes and cracks of thunder and lightening. We made it through and I am grateful to have friends that like to adventure with me.
Now it is Monday and time to recouver. Brutal Mondays … is it time for luch yet?
I Left town on Saturday after making a stop at Bernice’s Bakery for some goodies. Went up Rock Creek to find the Grizzly Campground sold out. Not only had that been a bummer but the spaces cost $6.00 a night. Screw that, I just keep going up Rock Creek until I found a free campground. I asked a person that was currently at a large site if he minded it if I camped next to him. They did not care so I set up camp.
I was a little rusty getting the tent up but soon camp was ready for a serious weekend. My first ride of the day took me north back up Rock Creek in search of a trail that was mountain bike-able. I could not find one so I turned around at the swinging bridge. I came back to camp and enjoyed some chips and salsa before crashing in the hammock for a nap.
I awoke wanting to ride some more so I went South up Rock Creek for about an hour. Did not find any bike trails so came back to camp again for another nap in the hammock. Ahh the life! In all my riding of 30 miles made me hit the sack early. The night was great and I slept like a baby.
In the morning, I cooked some cheesy eggs and made some coffee. I took off for my big ride of the weekend around 10am and did not run into to much traffic. That is important because of the dust the jeeps and trucks kicked up. I started up Brewster creek and started passing an ATV. The person told me to slow down. Slow down on my bike, he was on an ATV, give me a break.
I climbed the jeep trail and almost did not make it without dismounting. I rode down into Willow creek to an awaiting beautiful scene. The Pintler Mountains graced the skyline and the green valley was breath taking.
I barely got my sore ass to the car after 5.5 grueling hours in the saddle. I noticed that I got sun burned pretty badly. The night at camp was painful and with the sunburn, kicking in I managed to fall asleep for the second night.
It was a good decision the night before to ruff it out because I woke up Sunday refreshed and badly in need of coffee. After breaking down camp and downing the rest of the coffee and rolls, we set out to go home. We had one more stop at the footbridge to Welcome Creek. Marcy and I were off on our last adventure of the weekend. We climbed to the top of a ridge and said goodbye to the Rock Creek Area.
This morning I decided to go to Bernice’s Bakery for a coffee and cinnamon roll. When I arrived, the city was a bustling with activity. Today is the Annual YMCA River Run here in Missoula. Good thing I brought my camera.
As the sun started to shine and warm up Missoulians the race started and I grabbed a few shots of some racers huffing and puffing along. My favorite is of the winner as he runs to the finish line and the ”M“ in the backdrop. It would be a good news pic. Well since I am not a news photographer, why not blog it?
Today I am relaxing with the biggest project being my hair. I need a cut. My plan is to get some clippers so I can do my own and save a butt load of cash for good things like groceries.
Cycling is going well with my mountain bike having only brake problems now. I am going to fashion some return springs from some old spokes. My ex-roommate Pat did a wonderful thing and sent me the mountain bike I left in CT. I am so glad to have It back, it is a blast to ride. It is my K2 Proflex that I was sponsored on 10 years ago.
Well for me it is out the door to hunt down some clippers … Have a great spring all!
Its all over the news, Lance Armstrong is going to ride in one more Tour. Frankly I am surprised he is going to ride again. I thought he was going to take a tour off and race in other races that he has missed out in the past 6 years.
Its all over the news, Lance Armstrong is going to ride in one more Tour. Frankly I am surprised he is going to ride again. I thought he was going to take a tour off and race in other races that he has missed out in the past 6 years.
You know he is probably thinking that there is more to life than racing and he just wants to have fun this year. In my opinion he is disillusioned! He thinks it will be fun but in fact he will strangely be feeling more failure because as everyone gets into the racing mode he will feel that he too should be there, but by that time it will be too late. The rest of the Tour he will struggle to put on a smiley face. In the end he will lie to himself and the press that he is happy with his career and that he is excited to be leaving it to explore the rest of life.
Lance there is no more life. What it is to other people will not feel the same to you. You have beaten cancer and won the Tour more time than any other human. There is nothing better than that. Keep racing man, it is what you are. Your bike is your wings and if you have them clipped to experience life in the cage … well, that is just something that some have regretted the rest of their life.
But then again I do not believe he should go on winning the Tour. It would be so cool for him to go to the Tour to help the next big racer win. What if he goes to bat for Tyler? The Tour in fact needs to find its own identity again or it will collapse in the future. Its time for more drama, more heroes, more suspense, and more Phil Liggett.
Boneshakerbike 
