WestyLivin

A Winters Ride

2012-01-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

I guess it wouldn’t be winter without at least one snowy ride (now I’m officially looking forward to spring!!).

REDEMPTION

2012-01-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

Andy Dufresne: "Get busy living, or get busy dying"

Horsethief Bench Drop In
2 ½ years ago

Today

It’s been an amazing journey from when I thought there would be no way in Hell I could ever ride down the drop in. A special thanks to Landon M. for being my Sensei in all things all mountain.

Poison Spider

2012-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

It is always interesting to ride with a different group of folks and when it’s in Moab, it’s even more interesting. I’ve ridden with Tyson Swasey a couple of times so I didn’t feel too awkward meeting up with a different crew of folks in Moab for one of my favorite rides. Tyson is such an amazing rider, I’ve had the opportunity to ride with a lot of very good riders in my lifetime but Tyson has to be at or near the top of the list when it come to just all around bike riding ability. Tyson is also one of the nicest, humblest guys also and seems more interested in making sure that everyone is having a good time than showing off his ablities. If you ever make your way to Moab, you should check out the Poison Spider shop and you just might be getting your trail info from one of the best riders around.

Pics from the ride;

Fixing my chain (Photos by Tyson)

IPhone break (photo by Tyson)

Poison Spider

(a pic of Tyson from Poison Spider's site)

Saw these guys (or girls) from the Amasa Back parking lot. In the shade on a 30's winter day... I think I'll stick with mtbing!

Year End

2012-01-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Looking back, 2011 was a great year! Lots of good trips and some great times with the people I care about. Right around the first of the year I came up with my normal list of stuff I would like to do the following year. I normally do about 2/3 of it or so but its fun to think about and maybe having a little goal out there might help. But I do despise lists or at least the idea of having stuff on a list that is supposed be fun but you end up wanting them to be over so as soon as possible so you can put a check mark by them. So this year I’m not going to think about the list at all, going to focus more on the day to day stuff and living each day to the fullest, not waiting for the next thing to happen.

A couple of pics from today. I’ve really enjoyed the winter here so far; it’s nice that the trails are all pretty much open but I haven’t ridden a ton. It’s nice to still have a little down time in the year and look forward to going full bore this spring!!

Some pics from 2011 (kind of an excuse to see how it looks with combining photos) Not sure I’m sold yet??

Phoenix, AZ

2012-01-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

After a few years of taking shorter trips down south, we finally made it down to the Phoenix area with the camper and a plan to stay awhile. The temperatures were amazing to say the least. The combination of short sleaves and the lower elevation acted like a drug and I was charged for some bike rides. We camped out at Usery Park on the east side of Phoenix where one of my favorite rides is located (Pass Mountain trail) It’s not long, but it’s fun. The highlight of the riding was a 5 hour ride at South Mountain with most of it being on the National trail. I'm sure with the population of Phoenix I’m far from the most qualified to give trail advice, but I can tell you that they have far more than their quota of good trails. If you don’t like really technical stuff you might want to skip the harder trails, I know five or so years ago I would have hated the trails that are now among my favorites down there.

On the way down to AZ

(Pass Mt.) You know a trail is going to be fun with a sign like that! I'm still a long way off on cleaning it!

Some of the lower land stuff on Pass Mt trail.

Spent!! after 5 hours at South Mt. ... waiting for the wife to pick me up.

Nothing really says southwest like Saguaros.

The family outings were quite fun also!

Sedona, AZ

2011-12-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a very lucky man. I seem to have everything I could ask for - a great family, a good job (hopefully still have it after today’s surprise budget meeting), and I’m able to get away on more than my fair share of mountain biking trips. And when one of those trips includes Sedona, AZ, I feel especially lucky! Sedona is one of those places that has its own charm and you know you’re in a different place than home. The trails seem to be in the same family as the more familiar to me Grand Junction/Fruita/Moab trails, but maybe more like the crazy uncle in the family that you only see a couple of times a year.

A little Sedona video;

Sedona 2011 from Westylivin on Vimeo.

What happens when the trailhead also has a skatepark.

(Landon with a little more style than me as the sun is coming up on a perfect day!)

The weekend didn’t disappoint. It was a great time with Over The Edge Sedona playing host to us northerners.

(Photos by Landon or at least Landon's camera; commandonlandon.blogspot)

A Dream Lived Ride (for Travis Patriquin)

2011-12-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Travis at work

I’m not one who is really big on doing athletic stuff for a cause. Maybe it’s my cynical side but I’ve always thought if you wanted to do some big athletic endeavor, do it because you love it. But in all honesty I’ve never really had a strong feeling about a charity or a cause.

I guess that brings me to today and this day 5 years ago. It will be 5 years ago today that my cousin was killed in Iraq. If that was all to the story it would be sad enough and strong enough to make me do something to remember the day but there is so much more to the story. My cousin, Travis Patriquin, had an almost unbelievable experience in Iraq, and in is life in general. He was truly an amazing person, but not in the way most people think when someone says something like that. I sum up his experience in Iraq as someone who went there with the idea of making a small difference with a gun but ended up maybe changing the course of a county with his compassion, curiosity, and his personality. (You can read about Travis in the book, A Soldier’sDream, Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq by William Doyle, CBS news video on Travis video).

So today I’m going on a bike ride like I do almost every day, but this day will be different. I’m going to pause at an overlook and ponder life in a way I don’t do very often. I’m going to be thankful for my family and being able to spend time with my kids, all the time knowing that Travis cannot. I’m going to do this ride because I think it’s something Travis would have liked to do. And although my life dreams are so much smaller than his, and I don’t even know if I’m close to living it, I just feel better knowing that someone out there did.

I’m not going to complain about the cold or the couple of injuries I seem to have acquired over the past week. I’m going to be thinking about all the people who have paid the ultimate price trying to make the world a better place, all the time living their dream.

From the Inside Out

2011-12-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

I went over to Grassroots to see the new mtb movie From the Inside Out. It was pretty good, maybe not quite as amazing film work as the last couple of movies, but it pretty much filled its bill as “This film is from us-the riders”. It was really good to see the top pros working through moves just like all the rest of us (kind of).

Grassroots always seems to put on a pretty good show; if you have a tap from a bike frame you know it’s going to be a good time. It also gave me a chance to take some photos with my new iPhone 4 (my first smart phone). Still need to work on the photo taking part.

There are so many good "homemade" biking videos anymore; this is one I really like. I think the shot at about 2:20 is classic.

The Knock Out

2011-12-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

After a pretty injury free year it seems like my bike crashes are coming in bunches and this time in very similar ways. Like my last accident post (Foot) I had a very deja vu feeling yesterday.

One thing our trails here do is train you to look down at the trail; there are very few obstacles at eye level (i.e. tree branches etc…). The one exception to this is the few places where you go under rocks like the one I hit. The sad thing, like my last experience with the toe rock, I’ve hit my head on this rock before and have watched for it so it hasn’t happened for a while. I think I was beginning to chalk it up to a bad line choice coming off the small drop before you go under the rock. So it came as quite the surprise when my head hit the rock - hard. I remember everything going white for a split section and then falling off the bike onto some other rocks. I guess all things considered, I’m not feeling too bad - just a really sore neck that I’m hoping will go away in a couple of days.

I was kind of hoping to maybe try a few of the harder moves around town just before the snow comes, so if I did tweak myself a little, I would have some time to heal. But now I think it might just be better to count my blessings for not hurting myself worse!

The said rock

Foot

2011-11-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

I’ve hit the same #%#@! rock on Eagles at least 3 times right on the same toe…this time was the worst! It is not even a rock that you look for (I guess that might be the problem). I think the last couple of times I’ve ridden the trail, I’ve focused on missing it. This time “I was just riding along” and whack!

Some more hiking pics from another day;

Hiking

2011-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

For the most part I’m not a big hiker; it always seems to feel like climbing on the bike but with no payoff on the descents. But from time to time, it isn’t too bad and it’s usually someplace that I can’t access via a bike or it’s some valuable time with the wife.

A couple of recent hikes also gave me an opportunity to play with the camera a little more.

I really enjoy the desert, everything seems so wide open and the harshness seems to bring out a toughness in all the life forms. I like how this pic could almost be from someplace underwater.

Reawakened all over again

2011-11-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

"...to startle the senses and surprise the mind out of their ruts of habit to compel us into a reawakened awareness of the wonderful" - Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

pic by Landon

Pic by Mike Curiak

Pic of me by Landon M

Pic by Mike Curiak

Pic of me by Landon M

pic of Tyson Swayse by Landon M

Pic of me by Landon M

Pic by Mike Curiak

Pic by Landon M

Pic of Landon M by Mike Curiak

Pic of me by Landon M

Thanks to Landon M, Mike C, and the Moab crew for a great ride or two.

Jonesing

2011-11-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

I guess it’s a pretty cool thing when the trail that’s been on your mind, you can ride from your house. I know I’ve ridden a bunch this year but I feel like there are so many trails I haven’t ridden enough. It must have something to do with this time of year, when you never know how much longer until that big snow will put an end to riding for a while. Butterknife is one of those trails, and I’m glad I got another chance to ride it.

Moab Intensity

2011-10-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

I can’t remember feeling more mentally drained from a weekend of riding. I think Moab can be a pretty intense place, a lot of extremes in a lot of different ways. I did the Ho Down Super D race on Saturday; I think that was pretty mentally draining just trying to go all out. Then Sunday was a longer group ride. I rode a lot of stuff I hadn’t in the past and pretty much the whole ride was brain engaging. All in all though, I guess it’s a good tired!!

Landon on just another typical Moab drop

Anne killing it on a perfect late fall Moab ride

The group on its way to Rock Stacker

Some more Moab (Halloween) Intensity

Nancy rolling the Notch in the Super D race!! (I walked it)

(photo by someone else)

Then having the energy for some Monster Boarding

The Super D was a lot of fun and it was my first Super D or any kind of gravity race. I was hoping to have a respectable time and I think I achieved that?? Not too bad for an over 40 guy at his first race. My Remedy was definitely an advantage, the perfect bike for the course. It was nice not to have bike envy at a race (no one was on a Slash yet). I’m definitely not going to get carried away with racing, but hopefully I’ll find my way back for this race next year!! Moab Ho-Down Super D Results

Getting a little air

2011-10-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

some pic's from Greg;

Landon, Mary, and Dinka on Horsethief

2011-10-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Photo Geeking

2011-10-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto a photo geeking session with two of the valley’s best photo/rider guys, so I tagged along for a few photos and some fun riding (after the light got too low for photos). I really like the blogs that these guys do (much better than mine), they seem to really capture the “mountain bike lifestyle” that I really enjoy reading about. So here are a few of Mike’s pics from that night and links to their blogs, I’ll also put a link to a video of one of Mike’s trips to Alaska. If you haven’t seen it, you should!! I don’t ever see myself doing a trip like this but it doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of his video.

lacemine29.blogspot.com/

dirtanddogs.blogspot.com/

Random

2011-10-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Rolling over a car this is very similar to my first car; I think it’s the exact same make, model and year.

A very "cool" ride from LPS down.

Carbondale, CO

2011-10-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

When something is holding onto a secret or doesn’t let itsself be easily discovered, it automatically seems more interesting. I guess in our weaker moments we become frustrated and move on without ever knowing what we missed. But at our best we enjoy the wrong turns and the side trips as part of the journey and we look forward to future discoveries.

Photo by Landon Monholland

Bruised Ego...

2011-09-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

and Butt

I guess its one good thing about mountain biking, about the time you think you're cool, something happens and you find out you're not quite as cool as you think. (Like taking a fall at someone's feet.) Long story short this is a couple of OK photos that I don’t think really does justice to the difficulty of the riding.

Ouray mountain bike / Dallas Trail

2011-09-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Finally finished up a complete Dallas Trail loop, I guess I sort of coxed the wife into giving me a ride up East Dallas Road. It was a pretty cool ride, I'm glad to finally get the whole loop done. ( You don’t want to see this view if you ride this trail. I took about an hour detour)

Favorite Climb

2011-09-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I normally get a funny look from most of my riding friends when I say something about a climb being fun or my favorite. But Amasa Back in Moab has to be one of, if not my favorite climbs. It’s ledgy and can require putting a few moves together to clean a section. It’s not particularly hard on the lungs either. I spent the good part of a day this past weekend patting myself on the back for cleaning the whole climb, and then I realized I didn’t try the really hard section coming out of the creek. It might be doable for me, and I’m sure people have done it, but I’m always too worried about having sand in my drivetrain for the rest of the ride to give it a try.

The payoff isn't bad either.

Harvest Moon

2011-09-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Occasional Ribbon

2011-09-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

I’m a little embarrassed about how few times I ride the Ribbon (trail) being that I pretty much live right next to it. But it’s definitely higher on the tourist agenda than it is on the local’s one. I’d say it’s more of a unique trail than a really great one but it definitely has its moments and some cool views. I was feeling a little flat from maybe riding more than I have been so I called in a favor from the wife and caught a ride to the top. It was fun to take the trail kind of slow, take some photos, and leave for the ride mid-day and not over heat!

Some Crazy Crypto

Lots of little oasis along the way with flowers still blooming

Even shuttle rides in this part of the state are going to have some of this

The one nice thing about the ribbon is you always get to end the ride with adding another trail at the end.

"The Road"

2011-09-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

“And for just a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach, which was the complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows, and wonderment in the bleakness of the mortal realm, and the sensation of death kicking at my heels to move on…” Jack Kerouac, On the Road