chollaball.net

Not wanting to trash either the trails or my bike, amped and desperate for some adventure in all this interesting weather, and possessing the day off work, I came up with a good’un:  ride the road about 40 minutes to Wind Cave, hike, then retire to a local ale haus.  Maad was up for the challenge, his wholly inappropriate all-mountain bike his utensil of (not)choice, though he kept up admirably on the road stretches.

Early afternoon during a lull in the storms.  brought my $5 coat, shell pants, extra shirt, socks and gloves jic

It was touch and go for a while with the weather, but it broke in our favor

The Wind Cave, from Usery Pass Rd.

locking the bikes at the TH.  I left my oldest nastiest helmet and shoes next to the bike rather than haul them up the mtn

2 years since I’ve hiked this

and the trail was seriously scoured from the storm

Its really nice to hike fast without 30lbs of protoplasm strapped to you; before either me or The Knee knew it we were shooting up and down the hard spots, which thanks to the weather was most of it.  If you can keep the cadence, its such an easier more fun trail.  The descent for a brief few minutes made up for not snowboarding.  The sensation of speed and motion on a bike is amazing, but it doesn’t compare to the empowerment of having your legs under you.  I’m so thrilled my knee handled this, i’ve really missed this hike, and I’m going to do this workout again.

clear air made the views exemplary

water trickled constantly over the cave mouth

the little shiny dot out there past Camelback is Cardinals Stadium

Beckie and Alana joined us for chips and beers at Nando’s - a new (unimpressive) Mexican place

The rain at sunset drove us off the patio, and justified the gore-tex gear.  i left it on and took Kila out when the rain slowed at nightfall. Damp soft ground, cool air, and romping offleash are invigorating for Kila.  I have to try to catch it on film before this season is out. The rain had filled the drainage basins, so i cruised one side on the Heckler through off-camber rocks and gravel, and Kila matched my pace from 50 yards across the pond running atop a retention wall.  Water was a foot deep in spots on the RMR golf course path, and climbing the railroad tie staircases was slippery work, almost like riding in Colorado.

tonight Beckie made dinner

After weeks of surfing NOAA and weather.com for long-range forecasts, we targetted this weekend for Byron and my 5th Annual Low-Overhead Highly-Flexible Ski Trip, this time with James and maybe another along. And OMFG were the storms stacking up. Right at the end of a week of puking snow. Unfortunately, Byron’s work was also stacking up, as was mine orthogonally, as was the sunshine. This caused great angst - neither of us wanting to break the tradition, but respecting the respective constraints on eachother’s schedules. Byron ultimately bowed out gracefully and gave James and I his blessing for a great trip. This was the epitome of “no friends on powder days.“.

We hit the road at 4am, but it was already heavy rain. Should have left the night before and deadheaded to the hotel parking lot. Snow was blowing sideways when we hit Camp Verde, and discovered I-17 was closed at Sedona. No way out, and it would only get worse for the next 2 days. We drove 2 hrs home, I went to work. It sucked. A friend of mine in Durango told me the snow in his front yard was up to his nipples - douche bag.

G was trapped inside daycare from the time they opened til I got her at 6:30. The wrong one of us went bell-to-bell cause of the snow. I convinced her she was antsy, mostly cause i was antsy; weather this different you need to experience, for all the unrelenting weeks of 104. I talked G into the Pink Park where we could play in the mud and feel the wind, and hang out and salvage a scrap from the day. She was happy enough climbing to the attic to look for her old boots, or wearing Beckie’s all night. The Park only lasted 15 minutes, the storm will last 2 more days.

I will hit Wolf Creek this year!! and technically, I have never eaten scrapple, but I have made many scrapple-inspired dishes from leftover hams and turkeys, delicious meat-like casseroles and meatspready loaves of meaty-tasty soup. Once you’re resigned to eating the scraps, such minor differentiations are insignificant. Now I have a day off and its raining too hard to ride anywhere and I don’t wanna trash my bike? Ride to and hike Wind Cave? Pass the cajun seasoning.

I called in sick. I needed a mental day. One of my developers said to me recently “we worked over Thanksgiving, you get to work over Christmas.“  its all good, i have a flexible schedule; i gotta be me.

dawn patrol

Snowbowl from the Verde Valley

good morning!

good morning!

conditions were a bit crusty, a bit creamcheesey, extremely threadbare, but we still managed some tree runs

James, Sam and i met up with Jason and his bud Benning. First time I have ridden with a group more than 2 or 3, we stayed together well. Also the first day I have on late-notice gone somewhere that the conditions were not primo. Flag crowds suck, but after after-a-storm when there is still base and no lines was a ton of fun. Beckie’s smaller board was far superior for the packed conditions, and i was very psyched to stay with people far more experienced.

there is a completely reasonable explanation for this, but it won’t matter once it makes the cover of ‘Out’ magazine. Don’t tell the Office!

Sam made a nice vid, including an outstanding faceplant by me.

Giant winter rainstorm today, meaning 3 feet at Wolf Creek.  The trip is going to have to be in January this year, more time to get a hard-on.

Since it was still on the floor of the garage, and since we had some friends celebrating their anniversary with some paddling, we scrounged up a bit of spare coin to hire a sitter and goto Canyon Lake.   50 min from driveway to water!

Brett and Tiffany’s sitter fell through at the last minute, but ours was cool with 4 kids, and a pretty respectable hourly rate for her efforts.  G got to play with Miranda (3.5) and Sydney (2), while our humble kayak morphed into a little flotilla.  Other than 2 tours in Hawaii, and a trip with some friends in Reno on Lake Tahoe…our first time paddling, where capsizing worries, motor boats, and smacking each other’s paddles had us on edge…I don’t think Beckie and I have ever paddled with anyone else.  Yet all of our speeds, stamina, shit-togetheredness, and je ne sais quo matched quite well. A fantastic time was had. A well-above average number of photos were taken for a yakking trip, which is still not saying much. We got no shots of the peaceful narrows under the first metal bridge.

lunch break

diving off rocks. Brett’s flip was much more impressive, but the camera was not ready

water was chilly, but too nice to forego

On the drive back, I described to Beckie every turn in the road, was amazed how quickly we got up the climb to the scenic vista pullout, and how similar pace to the roadie we went down the descent. The 13 mile stop-and-go slog back from AJ was much better in a car, though after a day of rumbling motorboat and shoulderless roads in our giant-ass truck I appreciated the roadie even more.

The kids were all alive and had a far better time together than apart, which made my still sun-warmed skin tingle that much more. G taught Miranda and Sydney how much fun it is to throw rocks into the pool. I have a chore this weekend that will be colder than the lake.

Summer had one last (knock-on-wood) 100 degree gasp, and we had my parents around to watch the kids, so the kayak made its first appearance in 2.5 years.

30 min to get the boat from rafters to rack, 30 min into the water at Butcher Jones Beach; not bad being out of practice and with a new piece-of-shit truck.  So what we forgot our tortilla chips, and only had cheap beer in cans, and would only get to be out for about 3 hrs…for the first time in about as long as I can remember, it seemed like Beckie and I both relaxed within about 10 minutes and started having fun together.  Must be the steady cadence of paddling, just like the road bike, lulling you into a semi-conscious state of effort, lulling you into a slow drift from here to there and all the details in between.  Every muscle involved quickly let me know its been awhile, but got numb in about 30 minutes and didn’t much bother me the rest of the afternoon or the next day.

It was a beautiful afternoon.  So what it was Saguaro Lake, and the stream of boat engines reverberated off the walls and kept a steady roll on the water…our boat is stable, and the waves sounded like the ocean.  Some of my friends fixate on the road traffic and fumes riding to the lake, but I’m used to it.  Its beautiful, rolling and close.  We stuck to the edges, and got off just at dark.

and left the boat on the floor with plans of hiring a sitter one day next week, before it gets hung from the roof for another 2 years.

Foreword: A post about riding in Sedona, that has not a single picture.

Plot Summary: A large group camping in the heart of the Sedona trail system.  Kids, friends, dogs, bikes.  New riding challenges, new personal challenges, for all of us, even Kila.  Beckie rides with the group, and allegedly has fun. Jason watches kids and then rides solo.  Potluck, beer, campfire, cold night on hard ground.  Beckie and brood return for a littleBirthDayParty; Jason catches ride home after more red rocks.

Scene 1 - The Arrival: G is covered in puke, there is a hullaboo, Beckie puts on tight pants, a tent is raised, dog butts are sniffed.

Scene 2 - The Watching: Children climb walls, litterally.  100 ft. up one made of red rocks.  Parents and grandparents panic, bonks happen.

Scene 3 - The Group Ride: 16 strong.  Beckie agonizes over returning home, until Noel asks “what would Jason do?“  Beckie rides on.

Scene 4 - Arrivals, Departures:  Jason steals DurtGurl’s $230 pedals for solo ride.  Beckie returns to camp with exploding boobs.

Scene 5 - HOTH: Jason rides High on the Hog 1.5 times, nearly dies twice, great fun is had. Beckie, G and various children and parents embrace the goods of Sedona and 2 wheels

Scene 6 - The Potluck:  Food, camping, beer, children, fire, bdays, pie.

Scene 7 - The Departure: Beckie and kind return to Mesa

Scene 8 - The Sunday Ride: More High on the Hog. so many trials, so many good pics.

Some great pics from Dale and Kathleen. Thanks DG for organizing, and everyone for such a great time.

my cousin got married, I stayed about a block from where we stayed during the marathon. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPricey. But its a sweet location. How is it that I repeatedly hit the hotel gym, the pool, walk for about 8 hrs in 2 days, and still come home a fat sack of crap?  I was in the damn gym this morning when I’m pretty sure I was still legally drunk!!!  The Embassy Suites breakfast buffet is quite good, the wedding food was better. I’m so full I didn’t even eat the snack pack on SouthWest Airlines, but i gave it a good home in my backpack.  I’m very tired, and thinking about ordering pizza, and need a beer to cure my hangover.

I met a cool tri-girl at the lake who watched my stuff while I swam, and told me about the lake path that’s like 20 miles in either direction.  If Chicago gets the 2016 marathon, I will definitely go there to work and bring my road bike.  The lake front area totally kicks ass, a year’s worth of activities crammed into a few months of good weather.   There was simultaneously:  a Mexico festival, an Irish festival, a wine tasting, free entry to the Art Institute of Chicago, and a health care protest.  I could not figure out which side it was for - people need their slogans to not contain cryptic buzzwords if they want passersby to be influenced, and with as dumbed-down as Fox News makes it, I’m very surprised it wasn’t a hegemonic  army of  zombies.  But I thought zombies were what they were allegedly going to be turned into by Obama, so maybe they were actually fighting off their deterioration into the ranks of the undead, and I should have supported them??  *shrug* I went to the Art Museum.

The wedding was very well done and some beautiful places, and the reception was on the top floor of the shwanky lakefront “W” hotel that had a 360 view.  The ceremony was mercifully short.  My younger cousin has grown up right.  She’s a doctor now.  It was kinda weird seeing some of my family that I’ve only seen at weddings and funerals over the last 20 years, it was nice but awkward.  You gotta start somewhere.  my sister’s kids remember me and have turned out pretty good too.

Annoying travel note 1:  The Chicago Transit Authority subway card machines do not give change, and whoever designed their UI doesn’t know shit about usability.  So $15 in the hole, I talked 7 good people into giving me $2 each and letting me swipe them through.  When I finally went through, the thing didn’t read my card and I had to jump the gate, leaving me with an extra fare after all that.  On the return, a clearly not-well-to-do  guy saw me looking for the right way to Midway and offered me directions, and I gave him the still-valid card.  Karma is cool like that.

Annoying travel note 2:  it is still ass-hot in Phoenix.

The Planet always wins, but these Tevas put up a good fight. Never have I had a pair get so worked by daily usage, running, climbing, swimming, painting, shlepping children and spreading dung in the garden. The tread is faded, the cushion is shot, the velcro won’t hold, sand and my grime have sealed up the airflow, and the soles are coming apart at the toes. You know something has given up all it has when the shitty old pair you leave in your beach house turns out to be better than the shitty old pair you are wearing. What this says about the quality of construction of these shoes, my lifestyle, or my cheapness in wearing an old shitty pair of shoes til they rot off my feet is an open question. They only cost about $75 retail, and I got em for $26 closeout.

I could wax philosophical about the intimate relationship between a person and an excellent piece of gear, the miles and experiences and daily grind and adventures we’ve been through, deliver a eulogy for an excellent (set of) friends.

I shall give in to no such inflated oratory. They’re not dead til they shuffle off the mortal coil attaching themselves to my feet.

The Squealer and Gumbar Rally on the same day!

Is such a day stuffed full of so much silliness possible?

Would 4 hours sleep be enough to survive?

Would 19 hours of non-stop activity leave me bed-ridden with exhaustion?

The answer was yes to all of the above.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Up and 4:45 to get FIP at 5:45 and make the 30 minute trek to the start atop the Ridgeline trail, with a few minutes to relax prior to my 6:36 start time.  I was number 47 this year, better than last year’s 22 based on my last 2:20 finish.  Hard to believe the first rider launched before 6am in the early morning rain.

No plates this year, just a sticker for my fork leg, as Jim was keeping things more underground

riders collecting slowly prior to their TT starts one every minute

bright new jersey looks good in the rain

The hike-a-bike up to the top of Ridgeline should have clued me right in to how crappy I was feeling after barely sleeping all week (but wrapping up 4 months worth of projects yay!!!),  and how heavy the Heckler was to carry.  Maybe I should train for hike-a-biking?  I’ve got a huge bruise on my left bicep from resting the seat on it while I shlepped the bike up mountains.

The wheels could not climb anything as it was all slick and the tread was encrusted in sand, I was off my bike within 30 seconds on a short technical rockface.  Great, and where everyone sitting at the launching pad could see too .  I’ve never ridden Ridgeline, but the initial descent was a quick technical wake-up call to start the race.  It was fun to start on a downhill, and one that had some consequences for starting sleepy.

The course headed up Mormon this year, to avoid being so noticeable on National, and it was for the best as I would have been pushing up everything.  As it was, I pushed all of Widowmaker and practically every hard trial til above the Waterfall.  I was pissed at myself for being such a sandbagger on a trail where I can get nearly everything, but there was no point in fighting the sour stomach, achey back and the moisture.  In this race, there is no glory in making something - its all about speed, and that means sometimes walking is just as fast as riding, and if it keeps your legs from going anaerobic its a better strategy.  But it sucks for the ego.

The stretch from BV to Telegraph was fun, and the Heckler shredded.  A lot of riders talked about how sketchy the slickness made them feel, but I actually felt great through this decent.  Surprising, cause I’m not that fast a descender.  I made it to Telegraph in 1:07, same as last year.  My goal this year was 2 hrs, not sure if it was realistic, but it gave me something to shoot for.

That inspiration lasted about 200 yards into the big hike out of Telegraph Pass.  Every time I do this, I wonder why the hell I’m riding the west side of National?  The ridgeline is nice and the view is great, but its hard on a big bike after the hike and the hour and half of sustained effort.  Being tired and poor traction just made it seem longer.  Still, I was not getting passed.  Other than my buddy Zort who started 2 minutes behind me and passed me at about 1 hr, I only got caught by a few guys on the hike.  My time was good, but when we pulled off to find our Easter Eggs I realized I was not going to make 2 hrs.  The eggs were stashed in the same place as 2 years ago, up a short but hard 100 foot ascent.  It took just about 10 minutes round trip, maybe a little less but I also took the time off the bike to stash my foggy glasses and secure my kneepads for the final descent. Those extra 2 minutes wound up costing me about 5 spots.  Stupid vision!  Stupid safety!

At least the ride from here to the finish was mostly fast and downhill. I ripped the ridgeline as fast as I could, conscious to pass a few slower riders prior to the big nasty descent.  The scree face was surprisingly tame, packed in with the water and 40 or so prior riders.  I rolled down it without any worries, so easy I wasn’t sure I was even past it until I entered the final canyon leading off the mountain.  It too went fast and easy, and from there I felt the finish and hammered as hard as I could til the end, passing a couple riders in the last mile.  Typically this race finishes a mile across the road at the San Juan gate, but Jim redirected the finish to a big wash a little bit up the Bajada trail to stay out of sight.  Bajada is XC, but a total ass-kicker as its all rocks and there is no rolling to it.  I was bracing for a 10 minutes of pain, but blew through the finish chute to find the awaiting Bunnies in only about a minute.  Sexy fishnet stockings look good in any weather.

I might have shaved a minute or 2 going harder on the ridgeline if I knew there was nothing to save for Bajada, but like every year, by the time it was over I was just happy to be done.  My time was 2:10, off my goal but still 10 minutes better than last year! Probably no faster, but no mechanicals this year to slow me down.  I finished 40th overall out of about 80 riders, like every endurance race I am right in the middle of the pack.   It seems very average, I am stout and sturdy but hardly fast, except when you realize that this pack consists of people who think a coast-to-coast race across National is a fun idea…somewhat of a self-selecting crowd.   Since I didn’t really try to climb anything hard, and the descents felt very easy, I’m thinking the Hei Hei for next year might be a better choice.  The section into Telegraph and the 2 miles dropping off National might go a bit slower, but the lighter bike should more than make up for it on the traverses and hike-a-bikes where you really lose time down a black hole.  The Heckler is good for the hardest of moves, but I think I’m finally capable enough on gnar that I can dial back my bike a little and still be ok in many situations, especially when I know the trail.  Tomorrow I am taking the Hei Hei out on Pass Mountain, my 100th? ride on that trail, so it should put this theory to the test.

Kathleen and me at the finish

a soggy finish line

Usually everyone chills for about an hour waiting for the final riders to arrive before heading to the party, and in preparation I brought a couple beers and a bag of snacks.  I opened a beer (its only 9am), but the cold and wet that hadn’t bothered me while moving for the last 3 hours began to feel really really awful.  Kathleen, Doug, Zort and I began the long ride back to our cars - a 10 mile, dismal slog on the roads.   I left them at the park entrance to pick up my Park Steward kit, then opened my second beer to take the edge off  the final 30 minute spin.  The irony of drinking a beer after completing an unsanctioned race was not lost on me as I stuffed my new capilene Steward jersey into my pack and a fat chocolate chip cookie in my mouth.   I just put my head down and spun til I got back to my car at Chongoman’s house near the old office.  Then to the party to exchange war stories with Doug, Zort, DG, Lynette, Yuri, Juan and many other friends and acquaintances, found out that the difficulty climbing affected everyone, had a beer, got a nice bottle of chain lube from Jim for my efforts, but unfortunately had to bolt prior to the awards to get home in time for…

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

…the Gumbar Rally

My dear friend Al Taylor does this insane scavenger hunt every 2 or 3 years.  I was a defending champ from 3 years ago, so was really looking forward to this year.  Beckie would also be competing, and we got Sam to baby sit for us AND to come pick us up so we could partake liberally.  Gumbar rules clearly stipulated a drink needed to be had in each bar visited.

Pauline, JT, me, Kevin and Amber after our victory in ‘06

I turned around from the house almost as soon as I got my bike unloaded from The Squealer.   We made it to Al’s late but with just enough time to grab a drink, say hey to the many Ultimate folks I hadn’t seen in a few years, and say this a bunch of times: “2, 2 months old, riding a lot, I miss it every single day but I enjoy walking more.”   and I gushed to Kathi about Squealer, who enjoyed hearing the stories and then promptly chose to forget everything I said .

My team this year was X-Ray, Jill Mayer, and P. Norton Brown’s new girl Mary.  A quick meeting of the minds then off we went to a bowling alley in central Mesa.  In typical Al-fashion, we had 20 minutes to complete a game, which was scored on a number of criteria including high\low, gutterballs, and strikes.  I suck at bowling, and have absolutely no idea how we did in this challenge.

Our next challenge sent us to The Tavern on Mill Ave, but by way of the Light Rail.  We did not pick up on this Light Rail clue, like pretty much every team but Beckie’s since she’s all plugged into the local guberments, and arrived at the bar prior to our judges.  That was our clue that we blew it.  Whatever…it was cool, we drank.

Beckie’s team on the Light Rail: Kathi, Tim, Autumn, with Al along to judge. She had the camera, hence no pics from me

Our challenge at the bar was to complete a 2-sided puzzle.  The first side had a picture of A Mtn, the second a picture of The Library (another bar on Mill).  We then set off up A Mtn with the goal of capturing a couple of pics that were in our clue sheet.

mandatory photo location on A Mtn

Unfortunately the climb, knee ailments (not mine), and varying desires to embrace the drizzle began to put a damper on our team chemistry.  Its funny that it took til another event with Ultimate players to get a reminder on the importance of team spirit.  I can’t pinpoint why our team did not click - everyone got along, and Ray is one of my best friends.  No clear leader or happy blend of personalities? We had a good group, but no one like the fabulous JT or Kathi to really propel our team towards new realms of silliness.  For my part, I was feeling kinda tired after a couple drinks and the morning ride, and the predominance of mental challenges inside bars compared to the past event’s more physical activities with roving bonus challenges (and sunny weather) made the event flow a little differently and underscored my fatigue.  We had a little frustration over blowing our first challenge too.   And definitely could have used more creativity with our photos.   For whatever reason, our team just did not quite gel, and while we had fun, we didn’t have the kind of stoopid fun as 3 years ago or that Beckie’s team had.

Its funny how the same personas that make a great Gumbar team contribute to how people get drafted in VOTS leagues every year - some people are just awesome karma and make teams better. Usually I’m one of those guys, so I’m sticking with my story of being tired.

Coming down from A Mtn, we headed up Mill to the Library.  Why it is called that, when most of the waitresses don’t look like they have every read a book, is a mystery.

Here we were presented with a loooong list of line items in about 4 pt type requesting information such as the number of draft beers offered, the times for Happy Hour, the price of vodka, etc.  Around item 20 on the list was the declarative statement: “The only question you need to answer is the number of TVs.” 34. Except around item 35 was the next clue - double that number.  Our team failed again to get the answer within our time period, then got our next clue sending us back down the Light Rail to the Urban Campfire (the bar we should have hit several challenges ago).

We waitied about 25 minutes in the drizzle for the Light Rail, an experience which pretty much guaranteed none of us will ever be taking it again.  The challenge at this bar was to add up the total of every possible item on the menu.  I actually could have done this pretty easily fresh and sober, modeling it like an algorithm rather than using straight math, but by now I was really tired and cold and a little hungover and mostly wanted to get back to Al’s to sit on the couch and drink heavily.

We made it back to Al’s about 7:30, picture show ensued to much heckling.  I felt kinda disconnected from all this since I didn’t have a camera and no one on our team who did took many photos.  But these were pretty damn funny!

Sam came to get us about 9, and again I missed the awards ceremony.  I was asleep on my feet taking a very agitated dog out to the park.

It was a totally cool day, and awesome to get to do these events with 2 little kids, and see so many friends in both circles. But in retrospect I think I should have picked one or the other, and enjoyed that event to the fullest instead of cutting corners on both of them.  Less would have been more.   Beckie got to have a great time, which was cool.   Perhaps she will add on to this post.

Thanks Jim and Al for an amazing day!