Checking Out My New Digs

A quick break at Ghost Falls  on my ride in Corner Canyon.  I think I can get used to this.

The view around every corner.

Leaving

I have just given up my residency in Colorado for the second time in the past 11 years.  Last time the move was for a career-starting job in California.  It was a hard move for many reasons but the biggest one was simply that I (we) love living here.  Now years after my first farewell, I am again moving on for career advancement.  It is hard to drive westbound past that familiar sign on I-70 for  the last time with no certainty of return.  Over the years I've driven by countless times with little fanfare always knowing that I will soon be passing the east-bound sign welcoming me back to Colorado, back home.  Colorado has a way of placing a hold on it's residents that is hard... make that painful to break.  The state is rich in everything that makes life worth living and has given me experiences that will last forever.

Lloyd was in fact mistaken... John Denver knew exactly what he was talking about.

Stay tuned for my new adventures of riding fun as I mingle with the Saints one state to the west.

Dawn Patrol

Dawn Patrol cockpit with optional "critter bell"

I pulled myself out of bed at 4:30am this morning.  Just like I have been doing regularly 3 times a week since late August.  With rare exception (today being one of them) I have been riding the same route every morning on my single-speed.  With the kids starting back to school the first of August I had to keep riding time on a tight leash.  It also felt good to have the training pressure off and drop back into a holding pattern of sorts, almost mechanical in nature, and something I could repeat with timely accuracy to keep my spirits up, legs fresh, and family routine on schedule.  I have grown to tolerate early mornings over the past 2 years.  I say tolerate because I do not enjoy getting up anymore than the next guy but I do it out of necessity.  Over time it has become mechanical and sometimes I don't remember the specifics of leaving the house, just that I'm on the trail riding.  My body comes alive and faculties engage.  There is a relaxing simplicity in riding without shifting gears,  taking the same route, no need to think too hard, just pedal and drift off where the mind wonders.  Indeed, I've had some of my best mind sessions cranking away with headlights showing just enough of the trail to keep going.

It's therapy for me, the sun yawning as the first light crests over the horizon,  Deer eyes reflecting in my headlamp,  Coyote howl, and the winding trail.

Binary Logic

There is a common tactic in sales when a sales person want's to close a sale.  To get the deal done they must maximize efficiency and remove unnecessary confusion for the buyer.  That is to limit the number of choices for a buyer to choose from.  Limiting to 2 or 3 rather than 10 makes it much easier for a buyer to narrow it down and make a decision. When there is only 1 choice it is all the better as the buyer is left to decide between buying and walking away, doing or not doing.  I'm no salesman, far from it in fact, I'm an an ADD plagued computer geek.  If there is a shiny object,  I'll be the first one to drop what I'm doing and check it out.  Give me 10 or 20 choices and I'll waste a lot of time getting to the bottom of the decision.  Now to the photo above.  Choices? One.  Actually that's not true.  Before setting out on the trail I had 3 options at my disposal: 17T, 18T, and 19T.  Once on the trail, I was left with 2.  In some cases those were "pedal" or "push" and other times "stand" or "sit".  The whole riding experience was reduced to binary logic: On or off, do or dont, 1 or 0.  Contrast that with the riding experience on a geared bike and you are now up to 20+ choices of gearing alone (2x10 drivetrain).  My Superfly 100 has been torn apart in the Garage ever since my last STXC race in August and I've been riding the Niner shown above regularly since then.  I can't say I miss my geared bike, in fact, I am seriously considering dropping gears all together for 2012.  Why? I've been drawn in by the illusion or reality of simplistic bliss that comes with one gear.  On a single-speed I don't have to think, just ride.  If I can't ride, I walk.  If I walk, it is probably too steep to ride anyway.  Really those walking times are rare.  There is one secret the geared-bike-riders-that-have-never-ridden-a-single-speed types don't know... but I'll give you the inside scoop now.

It's not as hard as everyone makes it look.

That's right, those big hills you see ss'ers mashing up at 10rpm hunched over the top tube?  They aren't working much harder than you are,  just slower.  I constantly surprise myself with what I can climb using only one gear.  I'm starting to think one is all you need... I'm (almost) sold.

Crazy Flying Dreams

For as long as I can remember I have had at least one or two dreams a year about flying.  Most of the time I am soaring over forests, through canyons, and over valleys but occasionally I'll be "flying" under water (isn't that called swimming?).  They usually end with me loosing altitude and floating to a standstill.  I always wake up a little disappointed that it was all a dream and I really don't have super-human flying / swimming powers.  I'm not really sure what all of that means but this video pretty much captures the essence of those dreams. This one is pretty crazy as well.