Multimedia message

First day of classes. Whoop dee doo

Multimedia message

Puerto ricans love their phones

Multimedia message

How to get around a puerto rican traffic jam

EPIC

Yesterday was the most epic day of riding/hiking i have ever had. It all started Friday night when Kiel and I were trying to think of a long ride to do. Well what else to do than look at road on mapquest, right? We ended up finding a connecting road that went all the way to Winter Park. We decided right there that it was meant to be.

The day started off with a 6:45 wake up call. Ate a lot of calories and were out the door by 7:30. The first leg of the ride was up to Nederland. Kiel and I decided that the best way to start a long ride would be to pin it, an hour later we were in Ned to refill bottles and go on our way.


The next leg was a dirt road in Rollinsville. It was beautiful and smooth. Awesome views and things really couldn't have gotten better.



Now, from here on i will not refer to the following set of changing circumstances as becoming worse, but rather more epic. From that awesome road in Rollinsville things couldn't have gotten much better but they sure got ....more epic. As we came to an intersection, we almost didn't stop due to the extreme differences in road surfaces. However after viewing our mapquest directions we realized the rugged 4X4 road was the way to our very distant destination. After laughing and contemplating the ridiculous road in front of us kiel and I decided why not? And so it began.


While navigating through the pot holes and jagged rocks, we did manage to stop and enjoy the views that we Colorad-o-eons? come to take for granted.


But we had places to go and, well that's about it.


The road became worse, the pot holes deeper, the rocks bigger and sharper and we soon found ourselves "in the zone". Going miles without saying anything to each other, simply trying to ride our bikes on this road that was not intended to be ridden by our skinny tired steeds. However the haze briefly settled at we came across this awesome lake.


We continued up and up, until we found ourselves in the barren tundra above the tree line. The air was thin and the beating out bodies had taken were starting to take effect. Little did we know how much more suffering we would endure. As we rode we saw the top of the snow covered peaks and realized that we really couldn't go any higher and the top must be near. The whole way up kiel was becoming increasingly nervous about the fact that if this rode didn't make it through we were absolutely screwed. There was no way our bikes would make it down what we can gone up. Well, with that in mind i about shat my pants when i saw this sign.


Luckily there was a group of campers who informed us that cars cannot pass but if we wanted to, we could HIKE, OVER the tunnel where we could take another road to Winter Park. Well that was really our only option, and so we continued.



We finally came to the tunnel at the top of Rollins Pass, roughly 12,000ft.


Then we found the goat path the campers we talking about.


So off came the cleats and kiel and i started our hike.


Making it to the top was very rewarding. The views were amazing as we could see over the mountains all the way back to the foothills of what i think was Boulder.


It was also easy to spot the beige colored road of hell that we had taken to get this far.


However once at the top we didn't see a road anywhere. Kiel and I wondered around the barren tundra until we spotted a parking lot in the distance.


Thinking the worst was over we headed down, took a breath, slammed the remainder of our water and started heading up the road. That's when we both just about snapped. As we looked ahead of us not only did we see the road still going up, but the road had gotten so bad we couldn't ride it.


Riiiiight............so, what do we do? We considering the grass next to the road was easier to walk on than the road itself Kiel and I b-lined it across the tundra. After about an hour we made it to a section that was ridable again, well...kinda.


Now the next leg of the trip started with excitement as we finally crested the summit and began our descent down but eventually found Kiel and I hating life to the max. At this point in our trip we were at about 4.5hrs plus an hour hike. Our bodies felt like they had been thrown into a fryer full of lead bean bags (don't ask, i just thought that was a good analogy). Seeing the ski runs of Winter Park in the distance we headed down the road. At first the road was pretty smooth, however it soon went to utter crap full of pot holes large rocks and the worst of all, 100yrd patches of washboarded road the spanned the entire width of the road. After 7 miles of this crap i was ready to get off my bike and wait for someone to take me. I really couldn't do it. Kiel and I occasionally screamed as if life had ended. Profanities were becoming part of our language and the thought that i might not ever be able to have kids definitely cross my mind. My hands hurt, my toes hurt from standing up over the washboards, my ass hurt from the beating the road up Rollins had given it, my head hurt, my arms were a wreck we had been out of food and water for nearly two hours now and i was ready to give up. But just then Kiel and I came to a stop and heard the best sound ever. Traffic. We road down the rutted out road another half mile and saw the most relieving sight we had seen all day.


We soon found ourselves in Winter Park, eating overpriced fake Mexican food, but it was so delicious.


Thinking our mission was accomplished, we soon found ourselves in quite the predicament. Our ride back home had fallen though. 7 hours in the saddle ride time plus an hour hike and apparently we had to get home. HAHA, funny. Well the brutal reality of the story was we had to be proactive and since there was no way besides the local taxi service to get us home we were forced to ride. Not dare going back the way we had come, we decided to go up and over Bertha Pass. Thunderstorms were moving in and we needed to get out of dodge quick. We soon found ourselves at the same elevation we had just come from. After about 50 minutes we were at the top and going strong although it was now raining on us.


At about the 8.5 hrs mark we decided to get a "quick fix" from the Empire ice cream parlor. I think kiel asked for everything they had to be put into this concoction.


By this point in time the plan was to get to Idaho Springs and make emergency calls for home as the sun was going down quick. Kiel and I was in a weird delirious mood where almost everything we did or say, or someone else did or say made us laugh. Exhausted and cracked beyond repair we found ourselves in Idaho Springs. We took a bike path that led us right up to town until this happened. Really? Are you serious? Is this really happening? The bike path just decided to stop.


Of course this just led to more laughing. We backtracked and soon found ourselves sprinting all out attacking each other and racing for city limit signs although kiel mentioned that he thought a cat 5 racer could have probably passed us at this point. After making some phone calls and riding around in Idaho Springs we finally caved in and crashed on a nice lawn outside of Micky D's.


9 hours, 11 minutes, an hour long hike, and 12 hrs of chamois time Kiel and I laid on the grass waiting for out savior to arrive. Our phones both died and we could only hope that communication had been adequate enough to make going home a real possibility. As we slipped into a coma like state Kim, our hero showed up! Oh yea, we were going home!


And just as the sun went down, so did I, as i closed my eyes in the car and fell asleep.



NOT!!!!! we rallied and everyone got drunk at CAF, although it only took about one beer.

Daytime TV

I write at this very moment because i have realized how horrible weekday, daytime tv has become. I mean even the good stations play pure crap during the days.

Discovery: A Haunting ( family in scary house) LAME!
National Geo: Dog Whisperer, yea.....
VS. : Hunting pigeons, please....
TBS: NASCAR!
USA: LAW and Order re runs from 2000
History Channel: Worlds seven Wonders...ok...sweet! NOT, fake out and now playing the biblical translation of the Garden of Eve. AAAA!

Now of course you have your Days of our Lives, Jerry Springer, Montel, Oprah, Judge Judy and if your really lucky a re run of Walker Texas Ranger, but dont get your hopes up.


Well, lets see here. Bryan, Old man Becker and I went to Kenosha Pass for some epic single track last weekend. Until now it didnt seem like i had slacked so bad on the blog but maybe thats because my bike is still dirty....my bad.


Check out Chunk, i cant find a picture of him not stuffing food into that overweight body of his!


The riding was a blast. 100% single track, sick descents and awesome views. We rode up to Georgia Pass which lies above the treeline, and oh man did i get dropped. Bryan laid down the law with collin in hot pursuit. Meanwhile im trying to stay on my bike as my front wheel kept hitting the berms of the ditch i was riding in. The long DH was killer and super fast. We all ripped it, even collin who was on his HT.




SICK!!!!


Bryan eating...again.


The NMBS Finals are this weekend and i will not be attending. I just came off two weeks rest and am now just starting to do anything that resembles intensity. However in less than 2 weeks i will be here:


And then of course when i get back its time for school to start, friends to move in and another year will begin. Ok well until next time.

I Saw a Bear today

yep, while riding with dumb and dumber we stumbled across this black beauty. He/She didnt care at all that we were there yelling Bear Grills comments such as "Yo bear" at it. The ride today was 3hrs 40mins out to heil ranch, a lap and back home. Doesnt sound like much but we rode mtn bikes pretty slowly. Except for Dumber who decided he would go backwards and complain on the one track but rip it on the pavement.

Dumb, AKA Uncle Becker:


and Dumber, aka old grumple.



3 days ago Kiel and I went to the Modest Mouse Concert at Red Rocks. It kicked some serious ass and i found a new band I like. A Band of Horses opened for MM and it is only a matter of time before i pick up some music. While we were there it dumped on us for a good 1.5hrs. We both got cold and me being the only intelligent one had to share clothes since i had a raincoat. However it was definitely worth every second of shivering. In my personal research i found very mixed reviews of MM concerts ranging from "i cant believe i paid for that shit" to "I'm flying halfway across the US to see another show". Well i dont know about flying across the US but that show kicked ass! It was about 1:45hrs set which is pretty good.

Kiel looks like a dork.


Relentless.


Getting to the concert 2hrs before the start paid off. We were in about the 7th row. It got packed!





Happy Thursday was indeed happy thursday marking my first ride after two weeks off as well as the thursday night cruiser ride complete with its redneck theme.

Its nice to be riding again.


And of course nothing beats hanging out with friends.


Take it to the limit.


In more recent news, the end of the world almost came today. well, not really but these downpours of rain cause the bike path next to our house flood to amazing levels. And of course the whole house cleared out to witness the powa of mother nature.




You guys should NOT GO TO ALDERS SITE SINCE HE DOESNT UPDATE! Well the next few weeks will consist of riding my bike a lot in preparations for Puerto Rico. A stage race and some RnR will be awaiting me before school starts, woohoo!  Hope everyone is well, now that im riding i will hopefully be able to add a few more minutes to your web reading material. Chowder for now.

Multimedia message

Oh yeah!