March 22, 2007
Love is Work
I was speaking with my wife yesterday and I started giving her some greif about not wanting to work on a project for her because I was too tired. She quickly said,
"Sometimes love means doing something that you don't necessarily want to do for someone else"
I didn't say anything at the time, but in my head I started thinking about my defenition of work:
Work: Doing something that you don't necessarily want to do for someone else.
I slept on it and this morning I told my wife that "Love" sounds a lot like "Work." She laughed and appended "without compensation" to the end of her last statement.
ah... good point.
haha
March 21, 2007
What are the odds?
While I was brainstorming ideas about what to do with the header I simply asked my wife...
"What do you think about this? You know how the shopping area in Caesar's Palace changes from day to night every 1/2 hour? What if I did that with my website header?"
If you have ever been to Caesar's Palace you know what I'm talking about. The shopping area in the building looks like a real outdoor street and the ceiling has a sky painted on it. In the course of 1/2 hour to 1 hour the lighting changes to make it appear as though it is daytime or night. It is a really neat effect and worth stepping away from the gaming tables to check it out.
So, I wanted to implement that on my website. For the header, I wanted a photo to display that would correspond to the time of day.
Well, apparently I wasn't the only one that thought that was a cool idea. When I logged into my work station yesterday I started reading current tech news and I saw this headline: "Google adds decorative themes to home page." It goes on to read "Sprucing up its famously plain Web site, Google Inc. is offering a new option that plants its Internet search box in panoramic settings that change with the time of day and the outside weather."
Ok, Google trumped me by adding outside weather to the idea. I wasn't thinking that detailed, but I'll be damned if I was beaten to the punch by the time of day.
Well, I'll be branded a copy cat, but I'm still going to implement the time of day photo into my header. I think it will be really cool on TrailCentral!
March 20, 2007
Lookout Mountain Hill Repeats...
- Last week my road bike kicked the dust and I can't afford to get it fixed. That is the problem with having multiple bikes, one of them always needs work!
- Since my road bike kicked it, I've spent my evenings working on the new blogging referral tool at TrailCentral, rather than putting in a couple extra hours of riding.
- Today was the Big Ring group ride. It started two weeks ago and my team (Feedback Sports) is the team that leads the ride. Basically, this means until word gets around a bit about the ride, and more than just the Feedback team shows, the ride is going to be ridden by mostly expert riders. A great bunch of guys, but punishers on the bike.
- Previously said point 1 left me without a road bike to ride on Lookout, which means the DEAN Ti MTB was the steed of the day for me.
- The previously said point 2 left another 5 lbs on my ass because I was working on the computer, rather than putting time in on the bike. I'll be doing a happy dance once I get below 200 lbs again. This has been a long winter and I got super lazy and packed on some serious poundage. My first race is in June and I have until then to get back down to the 180s. We'll see if I can do it.
- Previously said point 3 left me, the fatty, riding my fat tire ride up lookout with a group of expert riders on road bikes. It was a recipe for disaster...
Would I do it again. Yes. In fact, I plan to next Tuesday at Big Ring.
March 19, 2007
My ride is bad ass!

Today I was riding the Surly 1x1. The bike is a bitch. I say that knowing that a bike is the only thing you can call a bitch and still expect a great ride from it, but that is for another post...
Truly, the bike has attitude. Her frame is jet black (yes, my bikes are female). Black as in outlaw. Hell, even the name, Surly, throws out attitude. On the downtube there is a sticker that reads "One Gear, More Beer." Move the eyes to the top tube and you get to see my enthusiasm for single speeding with a sticker that reads "Fuck That Shift." An awesome sticker that my bike wears like a medal of honor. On the paint is a fine layer of red dust. Dust that got picked up while riding in Moab last month. I refuse to wash my bike because I don't want it to loose the look of being ridden hard. It suits the bike and all the attitude it emits.
Now if you move the eyes to the rear triangle you'll see a clamp. On that clamp is a trailer hitch that leads to a bright yellow and blue rumble seat where my son sits . The trailer comes complete with an orange warning flag and reflectors. My son is so proud of his ride! Under his red helmet is a grin from ear to ear as we cruise along the local bike paths... me on my bad ass ride, and he in his...
March 3, 2007
Single Speeding Amasa Back Trail in Moab, Utah
I didn't have any idea how the trails would be in Moab when I started packing for my trip to Utah. It has been a particularly snowy winter on the Front Range so I had prepared for the worst.
The bicycle of choice was a Surly 1x1. I chose this bike because I could ride it in any weather condition.There was one risk, however. It was too early in the season for me to be hammering some of the more difficult trails on the 1x1, which meant I wouldn't be able to choose any trail I wanted to ride. Instead, I had to limit my riding to those trails I could comfortably ride on my 1x1.
In all honestly, that didn't limit me much. I only had 5 days of riding in Moab and there is plenty of good dirt that can be ridden with a single speed. The first trail I opted to ride was Amasa Back.
Amasa Back is a short distance from main street in Moab. I stayed at the Holiday Inn just north of town and rode my bike to the trail. This gave me a nice warm-up as I rode the paved streets outside of Moab and along side the Colorado River.
I knew I was getting close when the paved street ended and dirt road began. The dirt road hugged the north side of a canyon wall and it was slick! And I don't mean slick in terms of "Slick Rock." I mean hard packed snow that had an icy sheen. This was a little unnerving.
Although a lot of Amasa Back is well exposed, there is a short canyon dip where there could have been similar conditions. I split away from the icy road and as I rode down to the canyon valley I was pleasantly surprised that there was no snow or ice on the trail. In fact, the trail was in great condition!
From the valley bottom I continued to hammer my way up the trail with my single gear. Amasa Back has a perfect combination of dirt and slickrock and is quite possibly my favorite trail to ride in Moab.
My early season form didn't slow me down at all as I churned the single speed up the hills towards the end point of the trail. Once at the end I forced myself to look over the edge of the cliff. I'm a big chicken when it comes to heights and this little challenge was a way for me to fight back a bit. I may have been nervous, but like hell I was going to let it get the best of me!
When I've ridden Amasa Back in the past I've absolutely loved the descent. However, on my rigid single speed it wasn't as enjoyable. At this point I was wishing my upper body had a couple more months of training. Single speeding on a rigid frame requires a lot of strength in the upper body. The constant jarring on my early season form made for a much slower descent than usual.
The slow descent didn't really didn't bother me. I used it as an excuse to really enjoy the perfect weather (mid 60s), the scenery, and the fact that I wasn't on the snowy Front Range!
Enjoy!
March 2, 2007
Snap, Crackle, Pop! I Visit a Chiropractor.
I've been bitching an moaning to my wife lately about feeling like a 90 year old man. The bitching doesn't fall on deaf ears. In fact, she too does her share of bitching about aches and pains and can sympathise. We are both relatively young (No where near 90), yet we both feel like the aches and pains have really started to take a toll on our energy levels and general health.
For a while we were thinking that "maybe this is the way people our age feel." I don't think either of us bought into it, but it was the only excuse we could come up with. So lately both my wife and I have said "Bullshit, there is no way I'm going to feel like this. I'm still young!"
Today I took a baby step on the road to feeling normal and visited a local chiropractor. I've never been to a chiropractor so I honestly didn't know what to expect.
It started with a series of questions about my health. Then it time was spent evaluating my back. The Dr. seemed please and said I had a rather healthy back. However, I had some misalignment in my mid back and there seemed to be a small hip shift that she was curious about.
Apparently the hips only shift if there is a large impact. She asked if I had fallen hard enough to remember in the last couple years. I was quickly able to rattle off about a dozen different times my hips and seat bone would have had pretty hard impacts; hit by a car while riding my bike, crashing on my mountain bike about a dozen times, etc. Don't get me wrong, I think of myself as a pretty good cyclist, but as anyone who rides can tell you, the more your ride the more likely you will be to have an accident or crash on your bike.
The last ten minutes of the appointment is where the Snap, Crackle, and Pop happened. She started with my neck. A simple twist of her wrists while holding my head and I heard the loudest cracks I've ever heard, without any pain. In fact, suddenly when I got up my head felt like it was on a well greased bearing. It was wonderful.
She did some work on my mid back in hopes to realign the rotated vertebrae, but time ran out before she could adjust the lower back.
It has been about 10 hours since my visit and at first I didn't really notice a difference. However, as the day has progressed, I've really noticed small things have been a bit easier, such as being able to bend over to pick something up.
The Dr. told me that I wasn't cured, but with some minor tweaks hear and there I should really start feeling more my age. That was music to my ears!
24 of Big Bear and other 24 Hour Races
Recently, one of the community members uploaded the 24 Hours of Big Bear course to the GPS Mapping section of TrailCentral.While taking a look at the course in Google Earth (Pictured at left), I started thinking of all the the other 24 hour races promoted by Granny Gear Productions.
Well, that started the snowball rolling and I spent some time this afternoon adding all the 24 hour races to the TrailCentral events page.
You can view details about all seven races - promoted by Granny Gear Productions - by going to the events page and searching by "24 Hour Event." Alternatively, you can go right to the source using the links below.
So if endurance racing is your bag, you better get into gear because the first race is the 24 Hours of Temecula, which is only 49 days away from the time I'm posting this... Good Luck!
Granny Gear Production Races:
24 Hours of Temecula
24 Hours of Conyers
24 Hours of Big Bear
24 Hours of Killington
24 Hours of Landahl
24 Hours of Moab
March 1, 2007
Music: The Fray - How To Save A Life
In any case, The Fray has a great sound. The thing about their music is that it oddly all sounds the same. I don't know how else to explain it. If you like one of there songs, you are most likely going to like the entire album. Same can be said if you dislike one of their songs. You'll probably not like any of them.
I wouldn't say that it is my favorite or that even second favorite album, but it does help in the quest to update the CD collection and it makes for some good listening at home, in the car, or at work!
February 28, 2007
Banner Day for GPS Mapping on TrailCentral
Today was a banner day for GPS mapping on TrailCentral. Five new trails were added to the GPX catalog. That doesn't sound very impressive, now does it?Well, that part isn't. What is impressive is that those five trails now give representation to Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
How cool is that!
Links:
Maryland Trail Maps
West Virginia Trail Maps
Virginia Trail maps
February 27, 2007
What does Fruita have that others don't?
So what makes Fruita so special, especially in the early season? Yeah, they got sick single track, but this post doesn't have anything to do with their trails.Here is a hint; it has something to do with their weather...
Yeah, Fruita has winter months - just like the Front Range - and boy does it suck to ride those trails when they are wet and muddy. However, the speed in which those trails dry out makes it an awesome location to get some early season training and racing done!
Fruita has relief for many of the overly winterized folks on the Front Range. That relief comes early in the season with events like the Fruita Fat Tire Festival, 18 Hours of Fruita, and Bikerpelli.
Geared towards anyone, from the weekend warrior to the enduro racer, these events will give you an excuse to escape your daily training routine to enjoy the Western Slope.
I've spent the afternoon adding Fruita events to the TrailCentral events page. Check them out!
Or go right to the source:
Fruita Fat Tire Festival
18 Hours of Fruita
Bikerpelli
February 26, 2007
Trail Advocacy Regarding Tour de Front Range 2007
Trails on the Front Range haven't melted and already my mind has been focused on the annual Tour de Front Range. A bike ride that in years past has signified the end of the riding season (at least for me).I got to thinking about how we have been able to connect really great trails together for this event. Trails such as: White Ranch, Chimney, Apex, Matthews Winters, Green Mountain, Mount Falcon, Lair 'o The Bear, and others in between.
All of these trails are available to the lucky riders on the Front Range all year. It got me wondering if there was any way to give a little back to these trails that challenge us during the TdFR?
These trails are part of Jefferson County Parks and I'm not sure the best way to handle this idea. Is a monetary donation the way to go? How about trail work?
If a monetary donation, does that mean there needs to be a entry fee or do we do it as a optional donation at the trailhead. How about corporate matching? Would there be a company out there that would be interested in helping the trails in the name of mountain biking by matching any donations that the TdFR raises?
If it is trail work, would the County Parks even want our help. There are full time employees that maintain these parks. I'll be the honest and say that I truly don't know the best way to organize a trail work day that the county would approve of.
My head is full of questions and right now I don't have any answers. However, I do believe I'm thinking about this early enough in the season to be able to have answers by the time the TdFR 2007 hits the trails in September.
Do you have any ideas on how to give back to the trails? If so, I'd love to hear about them!
More Info (2006) TdFR:
TdFR Course Analysis (1 of 3)
TdFR Course Analysis (2 of 3)
TdFR Course Analysis (3 of 3)
February 19, 2007
Tongue Twisted? Dr Seuss Can Cure That!
I've never been an out spoken individual and as a result, my tongue has gotten a bit lazy. With a lazy tongue I feel a bit self-conscious about my speaking, so I don't speak as much, which then causes my tongue to get lazier. Get the picture? It's a vicious circle.Recently, I started reading a book to my son that my wife bought for him called, "Oh say can you say?" A Dr. Seuss book that is 48 pages of tongue twisters. As I read the book out loud to my son, I started tripping over every other word. It was frustrating, but it became a fun challenge for my lazy tongue!
I've been reading the book - out loud - for about a week. In that week I've noticed an incredible difference. My tongue is starting to listening to my head and say exactly what I want it to. This makes the story more enjoyable for my son and is allowing me to break that vicious circle.
I know the book is geared towards young children, but it also acts as a great reminder to me as an adult. As an adult I cannot expect to move forward until I have learned the basics. In my case, I can not work towards being a well spoken individual at work or in meetings until I revisit, and in some cases relearn, the basics. As I become fore comfortable and confident in my speaking, I will reflect that comfort and confidence in the work space around me.
Baby Steps...
February 18, 2007
Ever Wonder What TrailCentral Looks Like From Space?
For the past year, TrailCentral.com has allowed visitors to upload GPX files. GPX files are created by mapping software when an individual with a GPS downloads a track from their GPS of a trail they recorded.When a visitor uploads a GPX file to TrailCentral.com they are sharing a wealth of information about a trail. The cool thing is that TrailCentral.com analyses the trail and posts this information on the website. Plus, it allows you to view the trail in Google Earth or download the GPX file so you can upload it to your GPS. This allows thousands of visitors the opportunity to know as much as possible before they hit a new trail. And TrailCentral.com does all this for free!
I'm writing this up because as you can see in the image, a lot of really awesome people have pooled their rides together and cataloged it on TrailCentral.com over the past year.
This feature on TrailCentral is something that separates us from a lot of the other websites. Others that copy, don't hit the mark, others charge for the same information. I'm not down with the whole charge to view basic information thing. Never have been, never will be!
Those that have a GPS, I encourage you to share your information with the mountain biking community by cataloging your ride on TrailCentral.com. Those that do not have a GPS, but enjoy the feature, please act as an advocate and spread the word about TrailCentral's mapping feature!
Two more points to make. One, you don't need to be a Coloradoan to use it. GPS Mapping on TrailCentral works Nation wide! Two, it doesn't have to be a mountain bike trail. We accept any trail (multi-use, hiking-only, bike path, road bike). You ride it with a GPS and we'll catalog it!
I've worked really hard to get any bugs out of the system, so as long as you have a valid GPX file, there shouldn't be any issue and it will take less than 5 min of your time!
If you do have any questions about how to upload, please post comments and I'd be glad to answer them!
Currently there is no incentive, other than using a really cool tool and sharing/receiving information from fellow mountain bikers. However, as TrailCentral begins to make money, I'll do my best to create incentives for GPX uploads.
Thanks!
State we currently represent: AZ, CA, CO, FL, MT, NE, NM, UT, WA
February 17, 2007
Balanced Rock Trail
Balanced Rock Trail Trail Information
Photo Gallery
GPS Map
Arches National Park is filled with dozens of natural formations that will make you say "oh…" or maybe you prefer "ah…?" Either way, one of the formations in the park is called Balancing Rock and it will certainly provoke one or the other, depending on your personality type.
As you can see in the pictures, there is nothing misleading about the name of the rock formation. The rock formation truly looks like a huge boulder balancing, rather precariously, on a pedestal.
A trail is available that circles the base of the rock. Easy to access, the trail is located 9.1 miles from the Park Entrance fee area.
Two quick facts need to be known about this trail before packing the car and heading to the trailhead. The trail is hiking only and it is only .36 miles in length. This means you will need to pack the family into the car instead of your biking gear.
Truly, if you have a young member of your family, this is a great trail to use as an introduction to the great outdoors! Don't worry, the older members of the family will not go away disappointed either. The views from the trails are spectacular, ranging from arches within the park to the La Sals mountain range in the distance.
I had the great fortune of hiking this trail in the off-season, which meant my family was the only one on the trail. If you are traveling to the rock during the high tourist season I can only assume you will have plenty of company. I make this assumption because of the overflow parking that is available at the trailhead as well as the many signs along the road that warn of heavy road congestion.
No matter the time of the year, I think you will enjoy this trail. It will give you great family time, awesome views, and fresh air. Sounds like a great combination to me!
Enjoy!
February 15, 2007
Valentine's Day Gift For My Wife
I'm not an overly romantic man and Valentine's Day has never been a holiday that shows up on my holiday radar. However, this year my wife has been on a mission to make me a more romantic man. For the past two weeks she has been reminding me of the coming holiday and post scripted the reminders with a little guilt. She would say "I got you something special!"Ugh! I didn't have a clue as to what to do for her this holiday until the mid point of the holiday. She stopped by my office and told me about a great song that she heard on the radio. She told me how the lyrics sounded so much like us and how she was going to find out who sang it. I asked her for a couple lyrics to see if I knew what it was. She sang some of the song and I had no idea.
When I went back to my desk I typed the lyrics she sang to me into Google. God Bless that search engine! :-) I found out the group was Snow Patrol and the song she had to have was called Chasing Cars.
After work I swung by the music store and picked up the CD. Needless to say, it was a huge success of a gift!
She quickly put it in the CD player and played the song for me. It quickly became a favorite of mine as well.
February 12, 2007
Ass Crack Rock in Arches National Park
W109 35.294
February 11, 2007
Destination Moab: Nightmare at the Comfort Inn Suites
I'll be honest, I tried to save a couple bucks while planning the stay at Moab. That was a huge mistake. Note to self: You get what you pay for!We got to the Comfort Inn Suites in Moab around 8 pm. My entire family was exhausted and ready to crash. When we walked in the front door I liked what I saw. The foyer was a nice Southwest theme with Kokopellis and lizards. I liked it. I quickly got our key and headed to our room. We opened the door and right away my wife wasn't happy.
My wife is a stickler on bathroom cleanliness and I can't blame her. I don't particularly enjoy seeing scum from someone else in an area that I'm trying to get clean in. I tried to let things slide for a while and tried to make the best of it by suggesting we go to the indoor pool. One of the requirements I had for our accommodations.
When we walked into the pool I was greeted by a barking dog. "What the hell is a dog doing in the pool area?" The owner didn't appear right away and I walked towards it. As I rounded the corner where the dog was I saw a man around 50 and what looked to be a 20 year old hooker trying as fast as they could to put their clothes back on. I turned around to my wife and son and said "Rule 1: No one goes in the hot tub!"
Once we sufficiently embarrassed the couple and they left, we looked at the pool. The pool was this cloudy brown and I could barely see the bottom. I knelt down and got a handful of the water and put it to my nose. Usually when a pool looks this cloudy it means it has too much chlorine in it. Not this pool! I didn't smell any chlorine in it! It was disgusting and I turned to my wife and son and said "Rule 2: No one goes in the pool!"
We headed back to the room and tried to take showers instead. Only one problem; the faucet didn't work and we couldn't get hot water. When I tried to call the front desk I was unable to. For some reason we just got a dial tone...
My attention went back to trying to get hot water, while my wife filled the sink to wash her face. Well, within 5 min of my wife filling the sink, all the water had drained from the sink onto the bathroom floor!
At this point my patience was done and I just wanted to sleep. Neither of us trusted that the sheets were clean. Luckily we had some blankets in the car. We brought them up and laid on those while sleeping on the bed.
My original plan was to stay in the Comfort Inn Suites for 3 nights. After the first night I woke up bright and early and asked my wife to pack while I hunted down a new hotel. I found a Holiday Inn Express and as soon as I was booked in that hotel, I checked out of the Comfort Inn Suites.
We will NEVER visit a Comfort Inn Suites again!
February 10, 2007
Caution: 40+ Mile Per Hour Gusts
Movie: Da Vinci and the code he lived by
I finally got around to watching a movie that I've let sit around for a while, "Da Vinci and the code he lived by." My first thought was that it was going to have something to do with "The Da Vinci Code," but I was pleasantly surprised when it was documentary about the renaissance icon, Leonardo Da Vinci.The documentary wasn't the typical documentary that showed a lot of facts and artifacts that support. Instead, it was a movie of reenactment that traced the life of Leonardo from his birth as an illegitimate child through his death.
This movie was entertaining and the information was very interesting. Such as:
1. Leonardo always kept a notebook with him and through his life he documented over 15,000 pages of notes. (Not a single page was ever published during his life)
2. He was a painter by trade, but his passion was in creating weapons of war
3. Da Vinci and Michael Angelo hated each other
One of the greatest point made during the movie was that while there wasn't even a method of keeping time, yet; Leonardo was already thinking about how to walk on the bottom of the ocean and fly with the birds.
Rating: Thumbs Up
February 1, 2007
Wear a Medal as an Accessory
Today while I was getting a cup of coffee at work a co-worker walked into the kitchen wearing a medal around his neck. I only know the name of this co-worker and I really have no idea what his personality is like. Though at first it struck me as slightly odd that he was wearing an IronMan medal around his neck. I didn't ask him about his medal. Instead, like most others around me I speculated as to why he was wearing it.This is what I speculated...
1. He's being arrogant and this is his flamboyant way of showing off.
2. He's not being arrogant, maybe he's being goofy.
3. Maybe he is really proud of his accomplishment and it was just collecting dust on his wall. Why not wear it?
4. Maybe he is stressed or life is getting him down a bit and wearing that medal takes his mind of it.
There are truly a hundred different possibilities and after thinking about them I couldn't help but be impressed that he chose to wear his medal as an accessory today.
~Margaret Thatcher