It was only on the market for two days & it sold anyway. After the 30-day Escrow is up, our little house on Raven Way will no longer belong to us, but the new owner has agreed to rent it back to Denise & I until July 15th. By that time our new place will be done & we won’t have to go through the trouble of moving twice. Actually, it should be done by the end of June, which will give us two weeks to landscape the backyard with a tricycle track around the perimeter (complete with cobbles), a patio & cover, a spa, some grass & a few trees. Long-term plans include a climbing wall scaling the side of the master bedroom outside wall.
Injury Report
In a freak teaching accident, Cindy Noriega managed to get a paper cut on her eye ball this Tuesday. It must have hurt like hell. Hopefully for her sake, it won’t change her liberal views. Joey Lanza seems to be recovering quickly from the broken femur he suffered at this year’s Adelanto Grand Prix. He should be off crutches soon & be able to ride a bicycle as part of his rehab program. Joey & my sister got Dance Dance Revolution for their X-Box, so that will probably serve as a form of rehab too.
Quote: “There’s a victim.”
– Steelman Steve when he saw Sam roll up, as we sat drinking coffee at GFE on Saturday morning in preparation to ride to the 8,442 foot peak of Onyx Summit. As it turned out, Hwy 38 was iced over so we went to Oak Glen instead. And we were the victims because Sam bailed early & Steve & I nearly froze to death on the way down. Then we were met with a stiff headwind in San Timoteo Canyon.
Stick a Fork in Me
It warmed up on Sunday, which made it a perfect day to ride up to the 7 Oaks Dam, over to Warm Springs & down to Hwy 38 from the halfway point of Morton Peak. I left my house around 7:50 AM on the mountain bike and got to GFE with a half hour to spare before Steve & Greg Johnson were supposed to be there at 9. That gave me plenty of time to have breakfast & coffee. I should have eaten more because not long after crossing the dam I fell apart. Between racing the previous Sunday, putting in a really hard training week, freezing in Oak Glen on Saturday & not eating enough on Sunday, I became as lame as lowered pick-up truck as we climbed Warm Springs. Even after reaching the Mill Creek Ranger Station, I still had to ride all the way home to Grand Terrace. Luckily I made it to GFE & got a Coke & three-quarters of a crumb cake in me before passing out of exhaustion. To add insult to injury Steve did the whole damn (no pun intended) in his big ring. For Johnson, it turned out to be more like a yard sale than a mountain bike ride. Before we reached the dam his Oakley glasses fell off his helmet & landed somewhere on the road & later on the air cap fell off of his Fox fork. The next observant guy who does that ride is going to score big if he finds the glasses.
By the time I got home it was 1:50 AM & I had been on the bike for nearly five hours. I got home just in time to watch Paris-Roubaix on OLN. It was freaking awesome to see an American finish second. That race is just freaking awesome period.
Vacation Continued
When we last left off, Denise had just suffered a horrible defeat in a round of mini-golf in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. She was also very disappointed to learn that the hot springs closed early on Sundays, which meant she’d have to wait another day before soaking in the sulfur.
Monday, 8-2-04
The day started like most; with a quest for coffee. From bed Denise requested a lemon or cheese Danish, but when I got inside the lobby & saw the offering I knew she’d be eating the breakfast bars we had brought with us. The continental breakfast at the Silver Spruce Motel was less than desirable. I brought her back a couple of pastries – the only one they had. I also made her some instant oatmeal with brown sugar & maple syrup. For myself, I toasted up the world’s largest English muffin topped with grape jelly & Country Crock (speaking of crock, it was a freaking crock that they didn’t have any peanut butter). I balance all that, two cups of coffee & a newspaper back to the room. Denise wasn’t into what was on the menu so I ended up eating her instant oat meal. It wasn’t bad (and so began my relationship with instant oat meal).
By 8:50 I was out the door & on my bike headed for the bike shop in town. A guy at the shop gave me directions to a pair of mountain bike trails & sent me on my way with a map. I chose to ride the one called Transfer Trail & it wasn’t much of a trail. It was a dirt road that headed up the mountain in the direction of the Glenwood Springs Sky Tram. The road was wide at first & reminded me of Radford Jeep Trail, but I rode it anyway. At times it split off into some two- & single-track but I thought it wise to stay on the road more-traveled since I was riding solo. I climbed at a heart rate of 170 beats-per-minute for over 40 minutes, finally stopping when the then narrow road was completely surrounded by trees & brush on both sides. Bears had been in the news so I decided to cut the ride a little short & began bombing down the same dirt road I had just came up. Just like the old days – ride up a fire road until you’re about to puke or run out of water & then turn around & head home.
Once I got back into town I found the bike trail by the river & rode that until about 11 AM. When I arrived back at the motel Denise was back from shopping. She had found a couple of dirty birthday cards at a book store. I got cleaned up & we walked back into town & ate at Doc Holliday’s Tavern. Denise had French dip & I was bad & had a buffalo burger w/fries. It was good. Afterward Denise took me back to the bookstore where she found the dirty greeting cards. I purchased two rare bike magazines & three magnets. They said, “Jesus Loves You, But Everyone Else Thinks You’re an Asshole.” “No Whining” & “Team Work, Dedication & Motivation – There’ll Be None of that Bullshit around Here.”
After good laughs we walked to the Glenwood Springs Hot Pool & by a few minutes after 1:00 we were with hundreds of other people enjoying the hot springs. The big pool was about 90-degress & the small pool was about 104! In the large pool we walked around its shallow grounds & watched a bunch of idiots plunge from the diving board. Two teenage kids did a couple of impressive dives, but everyone else pretty much sucked. For fun we judged each person’s dive. There were some pretty big splashes, if you know what I mean. We flip-flopped back & forth from pool to pool, leaving the cooler pool only because I actually got cold in the 90-degree water. Denise thought I was weird. The last half hour I spend napping & Denise spent swimming. Afterward we went into the locker room, rinsed the sulfur off our skin & then met in the hallway. Denise was surprised to find out that I got totally naked in the men’s shower. “Big deal,” I said.
Just before leaving the hot springs we saw a little dog tied up outside with a couple of kids trying to pet it. The owner of the dog didn’t seem to be around so every time the boys reached to pet him, he would bark & snap at them. This went on for a few minutes. Finally, one of the little boys summed it up best when he said, “I don’t think that dog likes little kids.” Luckily he figured that out before losing a finger.
Before eating dinner we walked back to the hotel, picked up the van & then drove into town. We dined on the patio of an Italian place called something-Nino’s. I had kick-ass crab-stuffed salmon topped w/shrimp & pasta on the side. Denise had the usual. The place was really good because they left the pitchers of water on the table & when I ordered ice tea, it came out in a carafe. Since it was our last night in Glenwood Springs (or so we thought), we walked Grand Ave. one last time, almost purchased ice cream & laughed at the Teva sandals at an adventure clothing store. Our last stop in town was to get water, yogurt & ice at City Market. Oh, & M&M’s too. The checker at City Market asked where we were from & when we told him, he told us of his family in Laguna. When we got back to the van, we realized we had forgotten ice so Denise went back inside & when he saw her standing there he said, “Ice?” She said, “Yes,” & he let her cut in line to pay for it. The dogs in Colorado may not be friendly, but the people are.
About two exits up Interstate 70 is where our Monday night’s resting place was located. The campground on the river was called Rock Garden. It was very beautiful, in a canyon & if I mis-stepped out of the van a dip in the river would have been for sure. Where we were driving in to the campground we had to wait about five minutes as some family in a giant fifth wheel was trying to back into their campsite. They finally let us pass, but never got themselves situated until about 30 minutes after we had parked the van. I think they may have even hit something while trying to park. It reminded me of vacationing with my parents.
We walked up to the campground office & paid $4.95 for a bundle of fire wood. When I got back to our campsite I realized the only thing I had to start the fire with was a road flare so I did it. The fire got going pretty good, but I was nervous about keeping the flare going so I put it out with some gravel. That eventually meant the death of our entire fire so went to bed.
To be continued…
On the Road
Okay, I’m off to Monterey for the Sea Otter Classic. I’ve got a circuit race on the Laguna Seca Raceway at 8 AM (brrrrr!) Friday morning, a road race at 8 AM (brrrr!) on Saturday & finally a mountain bike race around noon on Sunday. I’m sure by Sunday I’ll feel like a million bucks. Hopefully Denise doesn’t go into labor over the weekend.
I promise no bike stuff next time.
freemanrace@sbcglobal.net
Apr 14, 2005
Apr 8, 2005
K&N Baby Shower
Yesterday they had a surprise baby shower for me at work. It was pretty cool & we got a lot of good gifts. I was pretty embarrassed with a bunch of people all staring at Denise & me as we opened gifts. Kathy B. (a.k.a. Lil' Bit) and Julie Wofford arranged it & even got Denise in on it. I would have been totally surprised, but the day before the shower Fes, from work, said in his usual Fes accent, "I can not make it to your baby shower, but I'll send you the gift." We got a lot of cool gifts including a Descendents onesie, Social Distortion onesie & Social D toddler's T-shirt - all from Hot Topic. Pretty much the regular crew was there except for Jon Sorenson because he pulled an all-nighter editting German commercials & the Fram Monkey becuase he wasn't invited.
Vacation Continued
When we last left off from our Summer Vacation 2004 Denise & I had just stopped overnight at Colorado Nat'l Monument & were trying to get some sleep after a long day of traveling. Easier said than done. Little did we know that we would be parked next to an episode of Cops.
Sunday, 8-1-04
We woke up well-rested (despite the civil dispute) about 7 AM, took a walk down to a swimming hole & snapped a few pictures of the rim rocks of the Colorado National Monument. It should be noted that Denise dipped her feet in the water. I didn’t. I hate getting wet unless my whole body is going to get wet. We drove a short distance to the town of Fruita in search of breakfast & the Mike the Headless Chicken Statue that I saw on the internet. Couldn’t find either so we stopped at City Market, purchased a doughnut with sprinkles for me, & a croissant & yogurt for Denise. Then we drove through Burger King & ordered a large “bare-footed” coffee, or at least that’s what the lady at the drive-thru called it. While we were in line for coffee, a black cat crossed our path & it worried me, but it turned out to be a perfect day.
We headed toward CO Nat’l Monument, entered the park & drove up Rim Rock Rd. We then parked at the visitor’s center & after visiting & buying some post cards we headed out on a bike ride on the scenic road. I on my mountain bike & Denise on her road bike, we left at 10 AM & vowed to ride for an hour before turning around & heading back. The ride was awesome; hardly any traffic - just other riders. The road hugs the red rim rock canyons & overlooks Fruita and the town of Grand Junction. The best views however, were of the deep canyons that are home to only plants and animals.
Denise rode well. At 11 AM we were supposed to turn around except she wanted to continue on in order to get in 11 miles. After that we turned around & climbed back out of the canyon to a nice long descent. It was a nice ride. Afterward, during the slide show at the visitor’s center, Denise pointed out that we didn’t even fight on our ride; in my mind, a very successful ride.
After taking a spit-shower in the visitor center bathroom (I washed my feet), we drove back down to Fruita & went in to Over the Edge Bikes. The guy in the shop was friendly & said there is 1,000 miles of trails in the area. Maybe I’ll ride some of them next year at their Fat Tire Festival. We bought a pint glass & water bottle, but what I really wanted was the used Gary Fisher Super Caliber 29er that was tagged at $1599. I walked away from it and got in the van headed for Grand Junction.
In Grand Junction we stopped for lunch in the scenic downtown area that reminded us of a bigger version of State St. in Redlands. We ate at Rock Slide Brewery. I had Salmon Caesar salad & a pint of the house hef, while Denise had Chicken Fried Steak & mashed potatoes. My salad was pretty good & Denise was more than satisfied with her lunch. The hef wasn’t great, but everything else, including the service was top shelf.
Because it was Sunday nearly every store on the street was closed so we high-tailed it for Glenwood Springs. We arrived between 4 & 5 PM & checked into our motel – The Silver Spruce Motel. The room meant our first shower since Friday & it felt damn good.
Glenwood Springs has lots to see & do so we headed out on foot & began exploring. We crossed the old bridge that arches over the Colorado River into the downtown area. The buildings were very old, mostly made of red brick. Doc Holiday is buried in town so there was a Doc Holiday Tavern, however due to our big & late lunch we didn’t dine there. Instead Denise had a smoothie at a book/coffee shop & I opted to keep walking to work off my lunch. Although it was closed, I spotted a bike shop in town that I made plans to stop by on Monday morning to try to pick up a group ride.
After walking around we stopped & played a round of mini-golf at a small 18-hole course above the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs. Playing in front of us was a mom & her two kids. Although stern, she was a softy compared to the woman playing two spots ahead of us. She was accompanied by her two little girls & kept accusing & scolding the youngest daughter (about 3 years old) of cheating. At nearly every hole the little girl did something wrong & got a stern ass-chewing from the mom. Just as I about to call the Glenwood Springs Child Abuse Hotline, the threesome finally abandoned at the start of the back nine, mostly likely to go get a beating somewhere out of site. I bet that’s how Tiger Woods’ dad used to be. Speaking of beating, I ruined Denise on the mini-golf links. On the back nine I finished on par & in total I beat her by 14 strokes. Ouch! She did shoot the only hole in one & I congratulated her on that.
Denise took the walk of shame across the street to the old & huge Colorado Hotel. We peeked in & then walked a few blocks of the city to check out some houses. I finally decided to eat Subway around 8 PM. I had a chicken creaser wrap & Denise had a salad. After eating we retired to room to plan the next day.
To be continued...
I promise no bike stuff next time.
freemanrace.sbcglobal.net
Vacation Continued
When we last left off from our Summer Vacation 2004 Denise & I had just stopped overnight at Colorado Nat'l Monument & were trying to get some sleep after a long day of traveling. Easier said than done. Little did we know that we would be parked next to an episode of Cops.
Sunday, 8-1-04
We woke up well-rested (despite the civil dispute) about 7 AM, took a walk down to a swimming hole & snapped a few pictures of the rim rocks of the Colorado National Monument. It should be noted that Denise dipped her feet in the water. I didn’t. I hate getting wet unless my whole body is going to get wet. We drove a short distance to the town of Fruita in search of breakfast & the Mike the Headless Chicken Statue that I saw on the internet. Couldn’t find either so we stopped at City Market, purchased a doughnut with sprinkles for me, & a croissant & yogurt for Denise. Then we drove through Burger King & ordered a large “bare-footed” coffee, or at least that’s what the lady at the drive-thru called it. While we were in line for coffee, a black cat crossed our path & it worried me, but it turned out to be a perfect day.
We headed toward CO Nat’l Monument, entered the park & drove up Rim Rock Rd. We then parked at the visitor’s center & after visiting & buying some post cards we headed out on a bike ride on the scenic road. I on my mountain bike & Denise on her road bike, we left at 10 AM & vowed to ride for an hour before turning around & heading back. The ride was awesome; hardly any traffic - just other riders. The road hugs the red rim rock canyons & overlooks Fruita and the town of Grand Junction. The best views however, were of the deep canyons that are home to only plants and animals.
Denise rode well. At 11 AM we were supposed to turn around except she wanted to continue on in order to get in 11 miles. After that we turned around & climbed back out of the canyon to a nice long descent. It was a nice ride. Afterward, during the slide show at the visitor’s center, Denise pointed out that we didn’t even fight on our ride; in my mind, a very successful ride.
After taking a spit-shower in the visitor center bathroom (I washed my feet), we drove back down to Fruita & went in to Over the Edge Bikes. The guy in the shop was friendly & said there is 1,000 miles of trails in the area. Maybe I’ll ride some of them next year at their Fat Tire Festival. We bought a pint glass & water bottle, but what I really wanted was the used Gary Fisher Super Caliber 29er that was tagged at $1599. I walked away from it and got in the van headed for Grand Junction.
In Grand Junction we stopped for lunch in the scenic downtown area that reminded us of a bigger version of State St. in Redlands. We ate at Rock Slide Brewery. I had Salmon Caesar salad & a pint of the house hef, while Denise had Chicken Fried Steak & mashed potatoes. My salad was pretty good & Denise was more than satisfied with her lunch. The hef wasn’t great, but everything else, including the service was top shelf.
Because it was Sunday nearly every store on the street was closed so we high-tailed it for Glenwood Springs. We arrived between 4 & 5 PM & checked into our motel – The Silver Spruce Motel. The room meant our first shower since Friday & it felt damn good.
Glenwood Springs has lots to see & do so we headed out on foot & began exploring. We crossed the old bridge that arches over the Colorado River into the downtown area. The buildings were very old, mostly made of red brick. Doc Holiday is buried in town so there was a Doc Holiday Tavern, however due to our big & late lunch we didn’t dine there. Instead Denise had a smoothie at a book/coffee shop & I opted to keep walking to work off my lunch. Although it was closed, I spotted a bike shop in town that I made plans to stop by on Monday morning to try to pick up a group ride.
After walking around we stopped & played a round of mini-golf at a small 18-hole course above the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs. Playing in front of us was a mom & her two kids. Although stern, she was a softy compared to the woman playing two spots ahead of us. She was accompanied by her two little girls & kept accusing & scolding the youngest daughter (about 3 years old) of cheating. At nearly every hole the little girl did something wrong & got a stern ass-chewing from the mom. Just as I about to call the Glenwood Springs Child Abuse Hotline, the threesome finally abandoned at the start of the back nine, mostly likely to go get a beating somewhere out of site. I bet that’s how Tiger Woods’ dad used to be. Speaking of beating, I ruined Denise on the mini-golf links. On the back nine I finished on par & in total I beat her by 14 strokes. Ouch! She did shoot the only hole in one & I congratulated her on that.
Denise took the walk of shame across the street to the old & huge Colorado Hotel. We peeked in & then walked a few blocks of the city to check out some houses. I finally decided to eat Subway around 8 PM. I had a chicken creaser wrap & Denise had a salad. After eating we retired to room to plan the next day.
To be continued...
I promise no bike stuff next time.
freemanrace.sbcglobal.net
Apr 6, 2005
Nothing In Particular
Tuesday Night
I’ve only been racing bikes for about four years, & yet as I spun down Olive toward Terracina on Tuesday night, it felt like I’ve been doing it for a decade. Not that I’m getting bored with it; I’m just saying it’s a familiar feeling, even though it was the first Tuesday night since the time change. I guess it’s been about 6 months since the last Tuesday night Sunset ride, but it almost felt like we hadn’t skipped a week. Anyway, my new 10-speed Dura Ace-equipped Trek 5.9 Madone allowed me to hold big ring on the first lap with little stress & on the second time up Sunset, it allowed me to gap the group by a few yards. When I looked back & realized that I had a cushion, I picked it up a notch and put more time on the break. For a while it appeared that I was on my own, but Andy Padilla managed to bridge up to me & we rode the final lap together. Padilla wasn’t letting up at all on the descents either, so there was no time to rest. It was a good workout and I needed that after my poor performance at Sagebrush.
I suspect that as the summer progresses so will the fitness of certain people. Plus, Zuke, Mike Shepard & Josh weren’t there. It will get harder. There were probably between 40 to 50 dudes & I was glad to see some new Tuesday night faces too, like Art, Jon Weaver, Jon Reth & a bunch of other guys I don’t know. Hopefully they’ll keep coming out. Apparently Josh opted to ride his swanky new mountain bike instead & Turner has been working up in Big Bear, so neither one of them was a factor. I’m not sure where Zuke & Shepard were. Steelman Steve & I are planning to do Puke w/Zuke tonight. I’m sure that will hurt.
Writer’s Block
Since I’m lacking motivation & creativity to write much new, I’ve decided to type up portions of our vacation journal from last summer. I was trying to find a home for it & decided to open it up & reread it. Turns out, it’s mildly amusing, so why not type it up:
I’ve only been racing bikes for about four years, & yet as I spun down Olive toward Terracina on Tuesday night, it felt like I’ve been doing it for a decade. Not that I’m getting bored with it; I’m just saying it’s a familiar feeling, even though it was the first Tuesday night since the time change. I guess it’s been about 6 months since the last Tuesday night Sunset ride, but it almost felt like we hadn’t skipped a week. Anyway, my new 10-speed Dura Ace-equipped Trek 5.9 Madone allowed me to hold big ring on the first lap with little stress & on the second time up Sunset, it allowed me to gap the group by a few yards. When I looked back & realized that I had a cushion, I picked it up a notch and put more time on the break. For a while it appeared that I was on my own, but Andy Padilla managed to bridge up to me & we rode the final lap together. Padilla wasn’t letting up at all on the descents either, so there was no time to rest. It was a good workout and I needed that after my poor performance at Sagebrush.
I suspect that as the summer progresses so will the fitness of certain people. Plus, Zuke, Mike Shepard & Josh weren’t there. It will get harder. There were probably between 40 to 50 dudes & I was glad to see some new Tuesday night faces too, like Art, Jon Weaver, Jon Reth & a bunch of other guys I don’t know. Hopefully they’ll keep coming out. Apparently Josh opted to ride his swanky new mountain bike instead & Turner has been working up in Big Bear, so neither one of them was a factor. I’m not sure where Zuke & Shepard were. Steelman Steve & I are planning to do Puke w/Zuke tonight. I’m sure that will hurt.
Writer’s Block
Since I’m lacking motivation & creativity to write much new, I’ve decided to type up portions of our vacation journal from last summer. I was trying to find a home for it & decided to open it up & reread it. Turns out, it’s mildly amusing, so why not type it up:
Friday, July 30, 2004
We left @ about 8pm on Friday night, but before we even got out of Grand Terrace, Denise realized that she forgot this journal that I’m currently writing in (obviously, we must have went back for it). We stopped for the night in Jean, NV in the parking lot of the Gold Strike Hotel & Casino. When we got there we immediately used the restroom in the casino. On the way out we saw some guy passed out on the floor in the casino entry way.
Saturday, 7-31-04
We were awoken early by the rising sun & the urge to use the restroom. At approximately 5:30 am we urinated in the bushes of the hotel parking lot. Then we went back to bed for an hour or so. I didn’t sleep very well on the first night but Denise did, so that’s all that matters. Finally up & out of the van, we entered the Gold Strike for a final bathroom run. This time, on the way out we saw some old dude with a cane asleep on a park bench outside of the casino. Odd? Yes. Mre odd is the fact that the same old dude was asleep on the very same park bench the night before. Maybe he was sleeping. Hopefully he wasn’t dead, but we weren’t going to stick around to find out.
We didn’t even stop in Vegas, however we stopped in St. George, UT to stretch our legs & you guessed it; use the bathroom. Denise spotted an Old Navy so we stopped there. She purchased two pair of shorts. I got nothing. Somewhere along the line we decided to drive to Zion Nat’l Park instead of continuing on I15. Once into to Zion we paid $20 & rode the park tram to the Zion Lodge, which was maybe a third of the way in to the canyon. We hiked a mile to the Emerald Pools. The trail was mostly single-track & very hot. We hiked back to the lodge & instead of heading out of the park, we continued in the van through the park toward I70. Before leaving we went through a mile-long tunnel that was cut through the red rock in the 30’s. Zion was beautiful & we decided that a return trip in the spring or fall, of any year, would be worth the price of admission.
Just outside of Zion we got gas & then took Hwy 89 toward I70. Famished from our big 2-mile hike, we had dinner in the town of Hatch @ some Hotel/Restaurant. For $9.95 we split a 12” pepperoni pizza that was served to us on a round piece of cardboard. I think it was from the nearest Wal Mart, but neither of us cared because we were freaking starved.
We forged on past the Big Rock Candy Mt. outside of Richfield, UT. I was excited because I had ridden ATV’s with Ken Vreeke & Michael MonroE at the same site the summer before for some Honda deal. By about 10 pm we arrived in Fruita, CO & almost stayed at the CO Welcome Center, but decided we better not because the sign said, “No Overnight Camping,” which in my opinion isn’t very welcoming. Plus, it’s redundant because who ever camps without staying overnight. Before finding a place to stay we drove through at Wendy’s and paid $1.06 for a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger that I ate. Then we drove across the street to the Colorado Nat’l Monument Camp Ground. We paid the “Overnight Camping” box $17 (some of it in pennies, like a couple of hippies) & parked in the tent camping area. Just as we were lying down to sleep a civil dispute broke out between a couple parked by us. They yelled & screamed at each other for a while. I think alcohol was involved. I slept through most of it, but Denise watched & listened from inside the van to get the low-down. I think the couple was from Texas.
To be continued…
We left @ about 8pm on Friday night, but before we even got out of Grand Terrace, Denise realized that she forgot this journal that I’m currently writing in (obviously, we must have went back for it). We stopped for the night in Jean, NV in the parking lot of the Gold Strike Hotel & Casino. When we got there we immediately used the restroom in the casino. On the way out we saw some guy passed out on the floor in the casino entry way.
Saturday, 7-31-04
We were awoken early by the rising sun & the urge to use the restroom. At approximately 5:30 am we urinated in the bushes of the hotel parking lot. Then we went back to bed for an hour or so. I didn’t sleep very well on the first night but Denise did, so that’s all that matters. Finally up & out of the van, we entered the Gold Strike for a final bathroom run. This time, on the way out we saw some old dude with a cane asleep on a park bench outside of the casino. Odd? Yes. Mre odd is the fact that the same old dude was asleep on the very same park bench the night before. Maybe he was sleeping. Hopefully he wasn’t dead, but we weren’t going to stick around to find out.
We didn’t even stop in Vegas, however we stopped in St. George, UT to stretch our legs & you guessed it; use the bathroom. Denise spotted an Old Navy so we stopped there. She purchased two pair of shorts. I got nothing. Somewhere along the line we decided to drive to Zion Nat’l Park instead of continuing on I15. Once into to Zion we paid $20 & rode the park tram to the Zion Lodge, which was maybe a third of the way in to the canyon. We hiked a mile to the Emerald Pools. The trail was mostly single-track & very hot. We hiked back to the lodge & instead of heading out of the park, we continued in the van through the park toward I70. Before leaving we went through a mile-long tunnel that was cut through the red rock in the 30’s. Zion was beautiful & we decided that a return trip in the spring or fall, of any year, would be worth the price of admission.
Just outside of Zion we got gas & then took Hwy 89 toward I70. Famished from our big 2-mile hike, we had dinner in the town of Hatch @ some Hotel/Restaurant. For $9.95 we split a 12” pepperoni pizza that was served to us on a round piece of cardboard. I think it was from the nearest Wal Mart, but neither of us cared because we were freaking starved.
We forged on past the Big Rock Candy Mt. outside of Richfield, UT. I was excited because I had ridden ATV’s with Ken Vreeke & Michael MonroE at the same site the summer before for some Honda deal. By about 10 pm we arrived in Fruita, CO & almost stayed at the CO Welcome Center, but decided we better not because the sign said, “No Overnight Camping,” which in my opinion isn’t very welcoming. Plus, it’s redundant because who ever camps without staying overnight. Before finding a place to stay we drove through at Wendy’s and paid $1.06 for a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger that I ate. Then we drove across the street to the Colorado Nat’l Monument Camp Ground. We paid the “Overnight Camping” box $17 (some of it in pennies, like a couple of hippies) & parked in the tent camping area. Just as we were lying down to sleep a civil dispute broke out between a couple parked by us. They yelled & screamed at each other for a while. I think alcohol was involved. I slept through most of it, but Denise watched & listened from inside the van to get the low-down. I think the couple was from Texas.
To be continued…
I promise no bike stuff next time.
Apr 4, 2005
The Classic, Sagebrush & A Nameless Infant
Another Redlands Classic Come & Gone
Three stages and a prologue, in my opinion, made for a somewhat less exciting race. Saturday’s criterium actually turned out to be entertaining because a group of three riders – a Jelly Belly, Sea Silver & the other team I can’t remember – went on a break that lasted for about 20 minutes. Just when it looked like it may stick to the end of the 90-minute crit, Colavita & Health Net drove it home on the last lap & caught the escapees. An Argentinean from Colavita took the sprint with a blown apart field behind him. Dudes were popping off left & right, especially in the last 30 minutes.
Turns out the same guy won Sunday’s stage, however Health Net’s, & new Durango resident, Chris Wherry won the whole deal. Apparently the Durango weather didn’t hurt his fitness much. I was proud to see mountain bikers Trent Lowe & Liam Killeen second & third in GC. Only 60-some guys made it to the finish. After hearing about Friday’s windy Oak Glen stage, for once I’m glad I wasn’t riding.
I actually slept in on Saturday morning, which didn’t mean much since I woke up with a mean headache. I figured I’d skip the Saturday RBC ride thinking it would be lame due to the Classic, but I ran into Steelman Steve at GFE later that morning and he said it was business as usual. Probably a good ideal I did skip it because I didn’t have the legs for Sagebrush on Sunday as it was. I probably put in 2 hours total on Saturday & in that time I put in zero efforts. In hind site I should have gotten my heart rate up.
Another Sagebrush Safari Come & Gone
Never drink anything new an hour before a race. I dealt with stomach problems for half the race and I’m thinking it’s because I drank one of those weight loss drinks an hour before the start. They’re packed with carbs (go figure) & they’re a great recovery drink so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to down one prior to the start. Bad idea. Plus my wrist is still bothering me from the Nova crash a couple weeks ago. I rode like a freaking beginner on the upper portion of the course, like I was walking bare-footed through broken glass. It was just one of those days where I wasn’t willing to suffer. I ended up in 9th place & since it was a CA State & an AMBC Race, I qualified for the Nat’l Championship in Mammoth this September. Thank God I don’t have to go to Castaic (a.k.a. Crapstaic) next weekend. I could race only the remaining Nationals for the rest of the summer and be content. I say that now, but before I know it I’ll be on the starting line at some Am Cup race.
Thanks to Denise & Jeannie for the excellent feed. Josh turned in a second place in Exp 30-34 so his bid for a Semi-pro upgrade is well on its way. Poor guy. For Josh the race was somewhat ceremonial because it marked the final voyage for the Home Grown. Yes, it’s true. The Bass Boat is being replaced with a SRAM-equipped titanium hardtail that will be race-ready by Sea Otter. Josh has had a love/hate relationship with the Homegrown since I’ve known him, so it was only fitting that in their last race together, they finished runner-up even though he wasn’t able to shift the son-of-a-bitch into the big ring for most the race. Goodbye old friend.
I think Sagebrush is actually one of the best races all year, but the last four miles plain sucks because of the course split near the final decent that is always littered with Beginner & Sport riders. Over half of them refuse to get out of your way. This year was the worst. I even accidentally stuck some guy in the bushes, but I don’t feel too bad because I had been following him for far too long. He should have let me by sooner.
Let the Suffering Commence
Day Light Savings Time means two things and one of them is Tuesday nights on Sunset. The first few Tuesdays will probably be lack-luster because the days still aren’t long enough to do more than two laps, but as soon as the days grow longer so will the suffering. I can’t wait. The other thing that the time change means is that I’ll finally be motivated to do the riding I should be doing. More daylight and warmer weather is a great motivator since I’m anti-nocturnal and don’t fancy cold weather.
Lil’ Punk Still Nameless
So Denise thought she’d send an internet pole asking people to vote on Shane, Grant or Ryder. It seems that Shane is most popular, followed by Grant & then Ryder. The results from Florida aren’t in yet, but if only everyone knew the inspiration behind the name Shane, they’d think twice before clicking their mouse on that e-chad.
I promise, no bike stuff in the next post...
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