Category: Blog Posts

After work I got my CarboRocket on and headed to the Treasure Trail with Ed “Mr. SCymbols” Stalling. We climbed Sentinel in around 40 minutes and bombed back into town. What a great after work jaunt.

Upon landing at home base I quickly downed a TRP Recoverite and headed to the Kettlehouse. We gathered, shared, got all caught up on everyone’s summer, and learned we would not be seeing “Mr. SCymbols” do a set. Bummed out but not discouraged we all hoped upon our trusty steeds and headed to the Depot for some grub.

More stories and careful planning of the next two days and I put a great night in the books. We planned a Bitterroot ride today and then tomorrow we will be doing the Sheep Mountain Trail 10 AM from the Rattlesnake Parking Lot. Be there, all is welcome as is all abilities. This ride should not be missed.

Got to run, Larry is picking me up in 20 minutes

The Missoula Thursday Night Ride once again lived up to its potential. There was single track, beer, and Ice Cream. Doesn’t that cover all the bases?

Our route started at the Rattlesnake Rec Area Trailhead and we hit the Spring Gulch trails up to the top of Turkey Run. Mostly climbing I found myself pumping out frustrations of the currents events with my car and cancellation of Stone Temple 8. Once on top though I was basking the the sunset with friends planning our post ride activities.

We bombed down to the trail head and quickly gathered into small groups, some in cars, some riding. We headed to Rattlesnake Gardens where we put down some Double Hauls, Cold Smokes, and other assorted tall cans of beer.

Then it was of to Big Dipper to test out the latest Cold Smoke Ice Cream. I was overcome with the desire for a double scoop and opted for a Ginger scoop and a Double Haul scoop. I actually ended up taking the last bit of Ginger so my TNR mates were a little angered at me. I shared and ate most of it. Ginger is real strong but good none the less. The Cold Smoke was awesome. Not too  strong like I thought but almost like a vanilla flavor with a overtone of hops

Hello from a cold Missoula morning. I just left my car at Four Season Motors the official Missoula Volkswagen dealer. This morning I tried my battery pack one last time and of course it failed. Luckily a friend dropped off a battery (deep cycle, whatever that means) for me to jump start off of. At first it did not do anything but I let it sit with the new battery hooked up and that gave me a couple cranks and the piece of shit finally started. I quickly ran it down to Four Seasons and abandon it.

Last night I tried my jump start idea three times … fail, fail, fail. I tried to push start it and that provided me with a dashboard light show and clicking sound that made me fear that I started a fire in the instrument panel.

I called my friend Sten to provide a excuse in case I was to bail on this weekends race plans in Laramie. He suggest to pull some fuses so I went to pulling until I had at least cut the throat to all the power sucking elements that I could see. This actually seems to help as I went to bed I gave the jump one more try and got three cranks out of it.

So now I sit at work and the race this weekend looks real bleak. I will await the phone call from the mechanic. I cant wait … should be, “um Mr Martin, your car … um …. better off dead”.

• http://4seasonsmotors.com/
• http://www.cars-that-suck.com/

It is hard to tell what exactly wrong with my car. I do know the electrical system is messed up because I get locked out all the time and I need to make sure all the enterior lights are disconnected because they will not shut off. That is why I don’t just go get a new battery. I have to find the root cause or short in the electrical system or risk ruining another battery.

So I picked up this baby and I don’t know why I didn’t have one in the car already since they are way more inexpensive then I thought. I got this for $30 bucks at OReillys Auto. So now I am hopeful to make the Laramie trip this Thursday.

After that big acusition I was still left with grocery shopping to do and I couldn’t use the new contraption untill it charges up for 20 hours. So instead of taking a 3 hour mountin bike ride I went grocery biking. I had to do 1 load per store and did Good Food Store, Orange Street Market, and Patte Creek Market. All in all a 25 mile ride for 2 hours of ride time (including the OReillys trip).

That left me with a hour to work out so I decided to hit Orange Street Trail with my friend Ross who just happened to bump into me at the last market.

Today it is laundry day but first I try the new contraption. Cross your fingers

Yesterday I packed the car and was headed to Hamilton for a mountain bike ride. When I went to start it … Nothing.

The electrical elements of my car have been going out since last winter when I was stranded in Billings (broke down of course). Since then my car locks me out, all electrical gadgets stop working, and I have had to disconnect all interior lights.

So now the car’s battery is ruined and I am afraid to put a new one (like I can afford that) in it.

I went looking for a garage but the VW place is closed on Saturdays. I went looking for someone to help but all were gone or working/busy. So I went home and plopped down on the couch and have been there ever since.

Now the big project is figuring out bow to get groceries. Backpacking them home is what comes to mind first. As far a future races. All gone. Stranded.

Just stumbled upon a collection of images that whisk you away on a visual journey, each snapshot capturing a unique story, frozen in time. First up, a breathtaking view of Missoula, the landscape bathed in the soft light of dusk (or dawn), showcasing the tranquil beauty of this place we call home. It’s like the city’s saying, “Take a moment, breathe in, and let the worries of the day drift away.”

Then, there’s this charming photo of Julie and Laurie, caught in a moment of laughter or conversation, a testament to the joy of friendship and the stories shared between them. It’s those unplanned, candid captures that really tell the heartwarming tales of connection and camaraderie.

Moving on, we’ve got the squad, triumphantly perched atop a peak or maybe the end of a challenging hike, a symbol of collective achievement and the exhilarating rush of conquering goals together. There’s a sense of accomplishment, of reaching heights both literal and metaphorical, that comes through in this image.

And who could overlook the whimsical capture of a Dairy Queen visit? A sweet reminder of the simple pleasures, of sunny days spent indulging in icy treats and making memories over shared smiles and sticky fingers. It’s a universal snapshot of happiness, of finding delight in the little things that, in retrospect, feel pretty big.

Each image, from scenic vistas to intimate gatherings, from triumphant group shots to delightful dairy detours, weaves a narrative of adventure, friendship, and the simple joys of life. They’re a reminder to pause, to cherish the moments big and small, and to always keep an eye out for the beauty that surrounds us, waiting to be captured and remembered.

Saturday I procrastinated (not really, dealing with a dead car battery all day) my way into a bad situation that luckily worked itself out. I should have learned my lesson from last year when I walked out in the middle of the night sometimes on my hands and knees. Saturday I decided at around 5 PM that I would see how fast I could ride Sheep Mountain. So I set out to do it backwards at 5:37 PM.

After about an hour I had completed the prolog (ride to trailhead) and got up the Rattlesnake Corridor to the start of the climb.

As I approached the summit the sun was just hitting the horizon and I knew that I could bomb the decent to make it out before it got dark. Then my Kenda rear tire busted its liquid latex out all over the trail. I had cut a sidewall. So there I was at 8 PM on top of Sheep with a torn sidewall. I used a Velcro strap and a Otwalla Bar wrapper to boot the tire and pumped like a madman to get the tire up so I could try and descend as much as I could while I had final daylight now disappearing fast. Deja vu!

I had to ride gingerly and the going was slow. I found myself dreading the few climbs that remained on the ridge. Soon it was so dark I was trying to use my cell phone as a light. One wonders at this time why after all the times I have been out there I didn’t bring a headlamp. Somewhere on Wisherd Ridge I ran into some horsepersons camping. One of them loaned me his light so I could descend and get home. This made all the difference.

So around 9:25 I was descending Wood Gulch and left the light in their truck.  I finished the official loop in 4 hours and 16 minutes a long way from the fast time I had in mind (sub 3 hrs). At 9:53 I was on Rattlesnake Drive heading home. I arrived in the comfort of modern living around 10:20 PM and fell fast asleep after a beer and the final moments of the Griz game.

Ever had one of those weekends where you feel like you’ve been put through the wringer and then some? That was me, this past weekend at the “8 Hours of Labor” event. And let me tell you, it was more laborious than trying to find a decent cup of coffee in a tea-loving country. I spent a good chunk of it pushing myself so hard, I swear my legs were ready to unionize and go on strike. And amidst all this, I’m scratching my head, wondering why I’m feeling like a character out of a tragedy – you know, the kind that makes even Shakespeare go, “Dude, lighten up.”

So, I’m thinking, there’s got to be a reason for this misery that’s more profound than my apparent lack of common sense when it comes to self-preservation. Maybe Joe has a clue. That guy’s got more insights than a fortune cookie factory.

Just a quickie post before my laptop dies. Some photos of this weekends 8 Hour of Labor Mountain Bike Race. Some other great posts can be found at GMan

 

My friend and training partner Zephanie is moving to Pocatello Idaho and last night was the good bye party. it was all good and it started out with pizza from The Bridge Pizza. [lost the rest of this post somehow]

My good friend Paul Bardis wrote up a great piece about my journey to the Worlds last month and it got published in Vermont Sports. I used to grace their pages back in the day (check it) and it is nice to see the love and support from my North Country peeps. Click the image above to visit (or here).

I just woke up from a weird dream about a wounded elephant. What was that about? And then moments later I sit here at work with a tweaked back. How did I tweak it? Don’t know, only that I was late for work and thrashing about the apartment gathering what I would need while I was incarcerated in prison. I am also feeling like I have fallen from being in shape and am putting on weight.  HEY! That’s the wounded elephant.

Now that I have that figured out.

Last night I went for a

So yea got off work and biked down Orange Street to the trailhead at the I90 exit. I usually go straight up to a ridge top and come back down for a recovery hike. Takes about 40 minutes and only 400 feet elevation gain. Perfect for recovery.

On this hike I decided to do a longer loop that took me around and up the Waterworks Hill trail and back around. A great little hike.

Along the way I called my friend Paul from Plattsburgh NY to say hi. he used to call me from on top of a Plattsburgh mountain to say hi so this time I thought I would call him.

He was out biking with Richard and it was getting dark there. in addition it was

Yesterday I finally got out and attempted an assault on the RMVQ route. By the time I arrived at Blue Mountain Rec Area it was evident that I would encounter bad weather and all I had was a long sleeve jersey.

I arrived at CP 1 Blue Mtn Fire Tower soaked and cold. By the time I got to CP2 at the end of the Grave Range Growler I had been rained on three more times and almost crashed because of all the muddy conditions.

I gave up the effort at the bottom of Dry Gulch and headed home. At least I tried for around 6 hours, a pretty decent effort.

— Post From My iPhone

So yesterday I did the usual early escape from prison (work) and went home to do some TieBo. And as usual I passed out for a nap to wake up just an hour before my planned meet up with friends ant the new Kettle House Brewery location in Ronnie