Thank you Jeebus!

Thank God that I can believe again in this country. Thank you for hope.

Keep Your FIngers Crossed.

After I read this article in the Colorado Springs Independent I've started developing heartburn worrying that the Mccain campaign might do anything to win this election. Its happened before, in 2000 (and maybe 2004) Florida, I'm looking at you, no more more shady shit!
Bill Maher has a fabulous segment on "Real Time" called exit strategy that I'm starting to take a lot more seriously.


Someone please reassure me I'm being paranoid.

Please?

Into the Wild Blue Yonder!

Since I did not get out for a ride this weekend, and never got around to posting my ride from last weekend, I'll put my Air Force Academy ride up now to fill in.


Since the whole trail is contained within the boundaries of the Academy, it is referred to as the
after the school Mascot. Incidentally I ran into this little guy on a flight between the Springs and Denver a couple years ago. Apparently this falcon did not make the team and was on his way homeThe Stadium from the freeway.

And from the backside where I parked. No game today.
This is the first stretch of down. Pretty short. I almost rear ended a deer here. Big one too, 6 points or more on his head. Fortunately I think it was as surprised as me and it took off.
This little cabin is way off in the boonies. No roads or anything near by. I don't know if anyone who doesn't ride the trail here even knows it exists.
A rough section! Pretty rare at the Academy. I don't know if the cadets who goof off get sentenced to trail maintenance or what, but the trail is always freeway smooth and as soon as a bermed corner starts to develop their leveled off. I think this is to keep bikers slower since so many cadets run on the Falcon Trail.

Nice day for a ride.


New England?
The only two technical sections, on short up...


....and one short, steep down. I have yet to clean the up, and I'm not willing to try the down, even when I rode here with the guys from Ascent. The down section is a "high price of failure" spot, especially with my broken ass body.

This is a neat spot, in a creek bottom right up against a cliff.
Wear your helmet. This could come loose any time.
Real narrow squeeze right at the end. I'm not even sure this is "rideable" I always scrape something here, pedal, bar end, knee, elbow etc.
This is the start of "The Climb" the only really challenging part of the trail. You can see it on the profile. Its unrelenting. Not technical, but it just gets steeper and steeper, and the switch backs are all loose powdery dirt that makes climbing them a bitch.

Some A-hole practically blew me off the trail here while he was descending. Up-hill has the right of way ass. But revenge would be mine!
Obligatory view shot. Not much to see here actually, the trail is behind or at the bottom of mountains most of the time.
Communication towers at the top.
The Top!
Now we go down hill fast for a bit. Snow is already forming in the shady spots so there were some muddy places.
Set your suspensions to "fun".

After the first big descent is another brief/easy climb to this.
Followed by another steep switchbacky descent.
This might actually be the scariest part of the trail. Its super fast double track maintained by 4 wheelers with plows that tend to leave these deep wheel sucking spots of loose gravel randomly placed about. A high speed OTB (over the bars) is a real possibility here.
The last climb. A couple of steep loose switchbacks. Short and steep.
The view looking back.
The ridge line. This is the best part. Almost 3 miles of down hill with water bar/roller/jumps. Tight single track with switch backs follow ending with single track skirting the Golf Course. During my descent in the switchback area I saw the guy that ran me off the trail during my climb and totally edged him off the trail. Sucks don't it Jackass!

No trip to the AFA is complete without stopping to view the planes-on-a-stick. Or in the case of the b52, a plane-on-a-bunch-of-sticks (its big!).
A10 "warthog", it has the same engines that the CRJ700 that I work on has.
Big gun, something like 5000 rounds per minute. Turns tanks to Swiss Cheese.
As an interesting side note (i think), the A10 shoots 30MM depleted uranium slugs that some believe are responsible for Gulf War Syndrome.

The Last Season.

I just finished "The Last Season" by Eric Blehm. I realize that most people who read this book probably won't read it the same way I did. I mean, there are several people in this book who lived on the same street I grew up on, I was a Park Service Brat, I back packed in a lot of the area that's in this book and have a pretty good idea about how unforgiving the High Sierra can be. Randy was a guy who seemed to be pretty sure what his purpose in life was and yet when he died he was full of doubt about himself. This book was completely compelling and totally heart breaking.

Just writing this depresses me. Who wants to hike John Muir next summer?

The Supposed Golden Path?

My drive home this morning was slowed dramatically this morning as I attempted to drive by the baseball stadium, and now helicopters circle over head. Why you might ask?
As the song says, I've found myself in some kind of Hell. I must have died the night I got hit and nobodies gotten around to telling me about it yet. Isn't it enough for me to suffer living in this backwards ass town surrounded by mouth breathers?
Apparently not, for their queen has arrived in town! And not just in town, but two blocks down the street in my beloved Skysox stadium. Which at this very moment is being filled with dumb Republicans (redundant?) who will hang gleefully on Sarah Palins every word, despite the weird mix of pep rally/cross burning that her speeches seem to have become. The good news is is that with any luck she'll say something colossaly stupid again and I'll have some more ammo to put in my quiver to shoot at people at work.

How am I going to sleep today with so much energy from the dark side of the force radiating into my house?

Finally, a Mountain Bike Ride!

Its been awhile since I posted a ride, which is what this blog is supposed to be about, so I present:
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, I think perhaps the most under rated trail systems on the Front Range. Its only been open for about 2 years so I think a lot of people don't even know it exists.Although, A race, sponsored by my good friends at Ascent Cycling, is being held there tomorrow so I think the secret is getting out.

The Riding here is easy to moderate, with only a few technical sections (that kicked my ass today, since its been so long since I rode the Niner). My map and profile are incomplete as the batteries in the GPS crapped out. Cheap ass "industrial" batteries.



On the way into the park you pass this....


....which goes up here where...
...this is, which is where........the end of the world comes from....
....at least NORAD moves it all here. (saving money you know!)
All of this is right across the street from the Park, so when the bomb drops Cheyenne Mountain State Park will be a super bad place to be. But anywho...

The lower portions are all really wide, fairly easy climbs. Packed well and so far holding up to the weather. Medicine Wheel did a fantastic job building all these trails from scratch.

Feel the flow.
At least till you get up higher and you get to places like here. I watched some guy try blaze by me here all pimped out on his carbon hard tail and spandex. I assume he was pre riding for tomorrows race. He did have to do this section twice to clean it. Made me not feel so bad for finally giving up and walking.
While I was waiting I just happened to notice this. Wonder if you can eat it?Just up the trail is this fun little feature. Wish I'd been here to see if lycra-boy cleaned it.
this is my 3rd and finall pathetic attempt. I have a 3 try obstacle rule. If you haven't made it in three your not going to, I just wind up mad, hurt, or both if I keep trying.


But then the descent begins.This will be THE place to be at for the race. The berm is super high, and the chicane below it only encourages speed.
plus the outside of this corner just below (where my bike is laying) is very open, great place to sit.
I'll bet these guys will be scarce tomorrow. I only saw three today, every other time I've been there I've seen at minimum 5.
There is also a bunch of turkey's running around. I tried to get a picture but I didn't get the camera out fast enough and the pics came out like crap.

Views of Ft. Carson and Fountian (the water tower way out yonder).

Then there is this fun little climb. There are a couple like this, including an up hill off camber one at the exit of a 90 degree corner. Didn't make it to that one today.


More views on the way up Talon, the highest point in the park.

This is the Very tip-top. The terrain is kind of sketchy up here, hence the carin on the left to assure you, yes, you are on an actual trail.

Coming down is a full tilt roller coaster. How fast you say? I had gnats pasted all over me. Ferrari fast.
I usually do at least two laps here. I usually wuss out and do all my consecutive south side climbs up this road to save as much energy for the technical climbs as I can.
I always end my trips here on Bobcat Way, which has lots of big water bars for jumps and is butter smooth. And pretty today with fall on the way.
Cheers!