Monumentally Afflicted

Got out for a very short ride on Flow Dog today. Brought Marley and Tess along. Put the new Echo Trials / Nexus wheel on with the 2.7 Timberwolf. Feels much more stable and less likely to pinch flat than when I was riding the same tire on a skinny rim. Gotta build the front wheel but spazzed out and ordered straight pull spokes accidentally.

Went out for a HOT ride at lunch today. In the continuing quest for geek knowledge, I wanted to capture some more video and edit the results. I had a couple crashes, which added to the excitement, footage, and pain. I should definitely not be pushing the pace like i was, but this is why I'm constantly injured. I tried the camera on my helmet, but it was way too shaky. I put it on the bars and it was still insanely shaky, but produced some usable video. Anyway, had a good time riding, but the heel of my left hand is seriously unhappy, due to the unintentional high five I gave a big boulder during one of the crashes.

Got out for a good ride today. More technical than it should have been, due to my knee, but I made sure to walk most of the sketchy stuff. Rode up 715, so I could check out the new trailwork by BSA and Nordby. Very nice reroute. Way more enjoyable, and should handle water much better. Where 715 hits the road at the old firing range, I crossed and went up the steep loose climb there. I managed to clean it all the way to the beginning of the descent, which surprised me. I rarely go that direction any more, choosing to drop in higher up Mt Herman Rd. Hit the meadow with high wildflower expectations, and was not let down. Flowers everywhere, above handlebar height. Very nice. Used the DZ Trail exit, walked all 4 switchbacks, plus a bunch of other stuff. Finished things off with a descent of Flow Dog and Stoopid. All in all, a very nice ride and I think my knee is no worse for the wear. Well, maybe a little sore... ;-)

Took the Inbred out for some more Work Center riding at lunch today. For some reason, I got the idea to try a little video action. Specifically wanted to see those giant tires approaching and going over the camera. Above is my fairly lame attempt, but whatever, I'm learning a bit. Also, I received my new fattish Echo trials rims today. The front 32 hole rim is 44mm wide and weighs 783g. The rear 36 hole rim is 46mm wide and weighs 860g. These rims will be sweet for snow and ice. Hopefully, they'll make the fat tires behave a bit better for regular trail riding, too. The pic above shows a normal rim (Mavic 517) between the two Echo rims...

The super wet Spring and early Summer are bringing a great display of flowers this year. Flowers, flowers, everywhere. Despite my hosed knee, I got out for a decent ride last night with Tirpak and another good ride this morning by myself. I'm trying to stay off the real technical stuff, so I don't crash or have to plant my right leg heavily. So far so good. Even the cactus are flowering this year. Along with the flowers, the rain has blessed us with trail erosion and even serious road washouts. Mt Herman Rd is actually closed now due to a fairly substantial washout. Check it out... Over the long weekend, I headed up to the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota for a Baker family reunion. I managed to get in a couple rides, one of which involved trail exploration with my Dad. That also gave me the opportunity to practice my tick removal and poison ivy avoidance techniques. Yuck!