Category — General

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about cycling, with the news of the latest Tour dopeys and with the dusting of snow on the peaks coupled with the upcoming Fruita trip and I guess I am all cycling. I feel like I can’t get enough, almost like I have my own bucket list and have been given a terminal diagnosis.

Towards the end of every season I get this feeling whether it be for skiing, climbing or cycling or what ever- I always feel like I can push the hardest for that last great line.

Often I credit it to the knowledge that I really need to have that back surgery and have my shoulders rebuilt again. Then I slip into the thought of “hell I will be out for the season of *fill in sport here*.” One day I know I will have to end an activity for a few months I just cannot bring myself to face it!

So here I was riding some really nice lines of loose fast single track my senses heightened, waiting for that mountain lion to step out on the trail in front of me or for one to pounce on me or for me to fly off of one of the many loose exposed hairpin turns. None of which have happened before, but you can dream, right?

As I was banking these turns I started thinking about the Tour and two images came to mind. The first is the famous gap jump during the ‘07 Tour, the second is a close up of Lance Armstrong climbing in the ‘05 Tour, a picture where you can feel his intensity.

These are inspirations to me of sheer determination and will- coupled with physical prowess and insanity. With those images I started to power through the turns harder, working through the searing pain and something happened. I was liquid, my Blur and I were one, flowing like water over the trail everything was in tune as all sound disappeared and I was focused on the moment and on the simple beauty of being. The ride was no longer a series of climbs and drops it was not a matter of that mountain lion or the cliffs, The track did not seem as loose and my surroundings were a blur, my vision tunneled and slowed and I was there, in that moment, a focused single track mind of pure simplicity. Simply enjoying today for what it was.

Thanks to all of you that keep the dreams alive through inspiration and ingenuity. I found my Zen.

Some of us are fortunate enough to live in an area of the world with annual leaf change from the brilliant greens of spring and summer to the vibrant yellows, oranges, and fiery reds. During the fall months as the temperatures start to decrease and the days shorten there is an explosion of color unlike any other.

If you have witnessed the awe inspiring, jaw dropping display you know exactly what I am speaking of. Have you ever wondered why leaves change color and fall off of their branches?

Today during a hike near my house MtnMama and I walked through a wonderful mix of Ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, Blue spruce and Quaking aspen. The aspen were the trees that brought us to this hike and lured deep into the forest as we became entranced by the delicate beauty of the white trunks now alight with every phase of color change you can imagine.

I knew a little of why these leaves turn color and fall but I did not know exactly what was going on so I read up on it and here is what I discovered.

The true cause of the color change is due to the lengthening nights. You see the leaves have chlorophyll in them as a means to capture ultraviolet light and through a chemical reaction called photosynthesis they can turn the light into sugars that feed the tree. Trees store this sugar to make it through the winter months long after the leaves have dropped.

There are three basic coloring agents in a leaf.

• Chlorophyll, which gives leaves their basic green color. It is necessary for photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for their food. Trees in the temperate zones store these sugars for their winter dormant period.
• Carotenoids, which produce yellow, orange, and brown colors in such things as corn, carrots, and daffodils, as well as rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.
• Anthocyanins, which give color to such familiar things as cranberries, red apples, concord grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums. They are water soluble and appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.

Now as the days grow shorter, the chlorophyll looses its ability to make simple sugars and slowly dies off. With its death the Carotenoids and Anthocyanins take over and are able to display there vibrant colors. These colors are displayed until the leaves are shed in anticipation of the cold winter months.

The color displayed is affected by the warmth of the day and cool of the night. The greater the difference between day and night temps- the more vibrant the display.

Fortunately around the west we are seeing a particularly vibrant display.

I got a good deal of this information from this site. All of the pictures MtnMama and I took during our hike this morning.

There is no easy way to do this. Juice Box and I decided that we would choose for you who the next President of the U.S. would be based on the results of a beer tasting contest. We paired the most popular breweries from each of the VP candidates home states against each other.

Representing the democratic party we chose the much reveled Dogfish Head 90 Minute I.P.A. from Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware. Representing the Republican party we have a brew from Palin’s  home state- Alaskan Brewing’s Amber.

Thinking this debate would be a shoe-in, we were actually surprised to find a deep division between the two beers.  Here’s how the debate played out.

YETI: The FUN-de-mental difference between these two fine brews was the outstanding track record of the Dogfish Head- being a two time Battle of the beers winner! Founded in 1995 AND they have a freaking shark on the label!

JUICE BOX: First of all, I’d like to thank both breweries from the two wonderful states in allowing me to drink their beers.  Our beer from the great state of Alaska was brewed by the hard working brewers of our great state and. . . I would just like to say we. . . they have been brewing beer since 1986- which is 9 yrs prior to when Dogfish Head was. . . has been brewed.

YETI: Thank you for allowing the fact that in your longer time producing beers, you have yet to make any true head way, as in figuring out how to get your fans what they want, more bang for their buck! Also I would like to point out that as an “energy producing” state you have relied less on nature and its beauty and more on industry and oil consumption. This is clearly displayed by your choice of label subjects. Yours is a diesel burning schooner, while ours maintains the strict adherence to reducing foreign energy dependency and connects back with nature by proudly displaying a shark (and no there are no freaking lasers on their heads to fend off the Russians that you can see from your home state). In addition I would like to state that we proudly brew beers well over your piddly 6.5% ABV. . . hell our 120 Minute IPA boasts 21% ABV!!!!

JUICE BOX: Well. . . I would like to reiterate that despite the content of our label- gosh dang it looks good.  I would also like to point out that my opponent would like to raise Alcohol By Volume to 21%  which the average American cannot handle.  We need to keep ABV’s low. It is “Joe Six Pack’s” family gathered around kitchen tables not “Joe Four Pack”.  My opponent wants to charge the peoples. . . Americans. . .$10 for not 6, but 4 beers at a time.  How can you justify paying more for less beers?

YETI: Underestimating the average American. . .classy. As for the more for less…Hmm lets do the math.

Cost: DFH 90min IPA $8.99 and has 4.32 ounces of pure alcohol which means you pay roughly $2.08 per oz of alcohol.

AA costs $8.32 has 3.88 ounces of pure alcohol which means you pay roughly $2.14 per ounce. Math does not lie!!

So in summation Dogfish Head is a better tasting beer with MORE alcohol period! And it costs less for more alcohol. With these facts in mind it is undeniable that Dogfish Head is the winner of this debate!!

JUICE BOX: You know, you betcha Alaskan Amber provides more alcohol per dollar than the Dogfish Head.  Yeti won’t admit that the beer is working. But never mind the question, I want to let you know about my track record.  I have reached across the aisle and tried both these beers and I am proud to say that together these honest beers have worked together to completely F-me up.  I’m going to bed.

Blanche de Bruxelles was the moderator for this debate. No beers were injured during this debate. No beers survived either.

Not much of a story yet. But apparently hikers claim to have found some of missing millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett’s personal items while hiking near Mammoth Lakes, California. As of now no plane wreckage has been found. Apparently the items found were a sweat shirt a small bit of cash and two Federal Aviation Administration cards with Fossett’s name on them. All of the items were located in an area just over the Nevada/California border near where the search originally took place.

I will keep updating this post if more info is reported.

After a short search in the area surrounding the area where the personal effects were discovered, the wreckage of Steve Fossett’s plane was found. No human remains have been located though.

There has been much speculation concerning Fossett’s disappearance, some skeptics believe he staged his own death due to an enormous amount of debt. When Fossett took off to fly over the desert on Sept 3, 2007 he had one bottle of water and no parachute.

However it is common when someone panics or starts to succumb to shock they often will act irrationally, such as discarding clothing and personal effects.

Here is the original write up about Fossett’s disappearance.

UPDATE: Human remains have been found in the wreckage, however it will still take some time to determine what exactly they are.

UPDATE: Several large humans bones have been discovered near the wreckage of the Fossett plane. These along with tennis shoes and Fossett’s drivers license have added more evidence to the case that Fossett did indeed meet his end in the crash last September.

Over the past few years we a have seen the market for hiking boots shift from the bulky, high ankle, leather clad, beefy lug soled, 2+ pound each, steel shanked do anything boots to the simple, light, flexible, not so supportive trail runners as the hiking staple.

Before trail runners were so popular and numerous when someone got into hiking/backpacking you needed these large boots to protect your ankles and give you the support for the heavy equipment and long days you would assuredly be facing upon launching into an outdoor adventure.

Now as technology has advanced and lightened our gear we see that the days of the heavy boot is waning. At least for the weekend warrior or simple backpacker. Andrew Skurka showed us that a hiker can spend a great deal of time on the trail covering a great deal of ground with minimalist equipment (although since comfort is subjective to each his own).
[Read more →]