Thank God that I can believe again in this country. Thank you for hope.
Crimes and Misdemeanors
5 years ago
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
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?
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?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
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 home
The 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.
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 home
The 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?
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