Sound Advice

On another note, I'm meeting with the Burlington Parks Dept. next wednesday at Dehn's. Its their intention to do a GPS survey of our little trail, I want to use the opportunity to make the case that these trails are a city ASSET, and should be left AS IS. it would be nice to be able to hold events there, protect the area from developement or destruction from off road vechiles, help the City understand how unique this area really is. Maybe even secure some funding for trail maintenance issues, trail marking signs. We'll see what happens

You love me, you really love me...

I almost won an award Sunday. Unfortunately it would have been a "http://www.darwinawards.com/ "CHARLIE" I was attempting to dislodge approximately 300 feet of nasty hanging vines attached from a rather large branch laying on the trail to the very top of an old Oak 65 feet directly above me. My first attempt did nothing to break it loose, so I tried again, HARDER, maybe another 25 feet of vine and some smaller tree limbs started raining down but the majority of this mess was still sky high above me and I couldn't move it off the trail until I had enough slack in this twisted mess. I "Tazan-ed" again, this third try resulted in a tremendous snap overhead, I had broken the ENTIRE top of this Oak off and it was now accelerating towards me, according to Newton, at 30ft per second squared. Now I'm not the fastest guy in the woods but by the sound of this thing coming down I knew it had to be HUGE, what I ended up with was a pile of dead or dying vine three feet deep and a 30 foot section of dry Oak a foot in diameter to clean off the trail. Thank GOD I had moved my bike or it would have been smashed too, I'm sure I had inches to spare, but I would have been really depressed had I been killed, I can almost read my own nomination for my "Charlie" statue...

Karma and laziness

I'm building an ARK

This is a pic from where I work, after 6 inches of rain overnight we now have a wonderful lake. It didn't take the geese long to find it either. Dehn's is going to be a nightmare after this as well, if it indeed stops raining I'll post up some damage photos as I'm sure its going to nasty down there. Burlington and surrounding areas got some really wicked lightening storms as well, I've rarely seen that much lightning in one storm, kinda freaky

No Sugar

two deaths valley B.O.D (bridge of death) SPASM CHASM Guess where I parked the trail maintenance truck, hint: there used to be a trail here Sugar bottom WAS postponed, now its September 16th. I used 6 hrs saturday to do some much needed chainsawing and weedwacking in Dehn's. The only maintenance remaining is the ladder bridge over the big creek. Sunday I decided to ride 30 miles (Sugar race distance),and with the shortened trail it took 8 laps. ouch...

I bet it rains again

Sweet Butt Its the Sugarbottom Scramble, I know that SOUNDS naughty but its THE XC race in Iowa. Tight and twisty and if the rain holds off it should be decent weather See you there...

Not THULE, its TOOL (again)

This was taken in the La Sal mountains Utah at 11,000 feet up, your looking east into Colorado a good 50 miles or so...i could not see any cornfields, sorry I know, I know the lyrics are SO cliche...But I can't help feeling the same way. For your listening pleasure, here's TOOL's "Right in Two"... Angels on the sideline, Puzzled and amused. Why did Father give these humans free will? Now they're all confused. Don't these talking monkeys know that Eden has enough to go around? Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys, Where there's one you're bound to divide it. Right in two. Angels on the sideline, Baffled and confused. Father blessed them all with reason. And this is what they choose. And this is what they choose... Monkey killing monkey killing monkey Over pieces of the ground. Silly monkeys give them thumbs, They forge a blade, And where there's one they're bound to divide it, Right in two. Right in two. Monkey killing monkey killing monkey. Over pieces of the ground. Silly monkeys give them thumbs. They make a club. And beat their brother, down. How they survive so misguided is a mystery. Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here. Cut it all right in two [x4] Fight over the clouds, over wind, over sky Fight over life, over blood, over prayer, overhead and light Fight over love, over sun, over another, Fight... Angels on the sideline again. Been soon long with patience and reason. Angels on the sideline again Wondering when this tug of war will end. Cut it all right in two [x3] RIGHT IN TWO! Right in two...

Da BEARS!

I was sitting on my arse watching the tube one day a few weeks ago, (right before our trip) the lead story was a young Utah boy pulled from his tent and mauled by a black bear, right thru his sleeping bag/pad and all. Now when your sitting in the comfort of your air conditioning smack dab in the middle of Iowa you think "yeah, poor kid, I hope everything turns out ok", and life goes on just like before. HO HUM. When your actually IN YOUR TENT IN BLACK BEAR COUNTRY UTAH, this thought crosses your mind in a much different way, more like "Oh shit, ya know some kid got drug out of his tent right about HERE!" which is why my LOADED rifle was with me during our little excursion, not that it would have made much difference, and really offered NO comfort as Mrs. Brakeville and I tried to get to sleep that first night, and the previous campers had left a veritable BEAR schmorgasborg of foodstuffs laying all over the place, why not eat the corn fed Iowan's? Like a big green cream filled turnover, we went to sleep in our tent. (shhhhh! did you hear THAT?)growl/snort!!! The observation above came after a few of lifes little reminders that a person really has the ILLUSION of control at any given time, case in point; When your river guide tells you "hey you know you can jump out of the boat and do these next class III rapids in your life vest"... He's right! you can, however hitting a 7 foot high wall of water tends to knock the air from your lungs, and the next time you see daylight could be downstream quite a ways, my advice? Stay in the boat, you paid for a RAFTING trip, not FLOATING... Before ANY thought of Bears entered my mind, we decided that being in the MAZE during the 106 degree days was a death wish, (the locals confirmed this), so we headed up to the La Sal Mountains instead, 15 miles to the turn off, and 14 miles of 4X4 ONLY "road" would get us to "DARK CANYON LAKE", the 4x4 road took over two hours of climbing in low range locked in, with roughly 6,000 ft of elevation gained, once at our campsite my truck decided it would not shift into any forward (or reverse for that matter) gear. Crap. Stuck in park- 30+ miles from ANYWHERE, 11,500 feet high, no tow truck in sight. what to do? well you take your bike and head downhill, 40 mph at some points on texas sized gravel to get a cell phone signal, after 10 miles or so, i was finally able to make the call, only to have my phone DIE. OK. Well we're descending toward the town of La Sal Utah (pop. 15) might as well keep going. Off we went, I'm riding ahead (kinda enjoying the massive downhill) until I feel the warm stans-no-tubes solution washing over me from my front tire, no ordinary punture, I've torn the tire big time, I whittle a piece of pine into a tire plug and we're able to close the wound with 10 lbs of air remaining, almost enough to make it to La Sal without destoying my rim...long story short, got a ride back up from a nice local rancher, fixed my truck, ( I had jammed the steering column and key switch enroute UP the "road") and we commenced camping. Oh it rained THREE times that evening, had I not been able to move my truck, it would have been sitting in axle deep water...it had not rained there for a couple of weeks, and we camped without the bear fearing campfire going, burn ban don't you know? I rode the slickrock trail. sweet.

2,663 miles later

On Holiday!!!!!

Headed out this friday towards the Canyonlands in Utah! I'm going to miss a couple of cross country races but OH WELL! We'll be loaded with film and video, but I won't be able to post up until we get back. Slickrock Trail, Rafting the Colorado, Desert Camping, Climbing and Cayoneering I need more frickin hobbies...

DANGER WILL ROBINSON...DANGER

The "railroad track loop" of Dehn's took a BEATING from all the rain we had this weekend! I'm guessing by the waterline it was about six feet deep over the new steel bridge, the creek couldn't move it, so it dug a new 1 1/2' deep channel on the far end...the 30 foot long ladder bridge at the other end of the trail??? GONE!...well not gone gone, its laying about 10 feet up the bank on the opposite side of the creek. I have an idea where to put it the next time because the flood also removed what was left of the little piece of land it was attached to. The water must have been rushing through there pretty fast cause it pulled up the 10' long pillings I drove in the creek bed to anchor it!!! If anyone wants to give a hand on the re-build gimmie a call!! The rest of the trails look OK just alot of sticks and such again.

THE MAZE

This will be our vacation destination, first rafting the Colorado river in Moab, then...THE MAZE According to the Park Service this is the most REMOTE spot in the lower 48 states, accessible only by high clearance 4X4, better bring the kitchen sink in supplies cause the nearest town to the entrance is 45 miles away. The Mrs. and I will be biking un-charted slickrock, hiking the slot canyons, and poopin in a "honey pot" (no turds left behind) When someone tells you to get lost, THIS is where to go...

Farmdale!

I rode more single track yesterday than I did ALL of the month of MAY!! The "Farmdale Frenzy" gets better every year. Trail conditions and the weather were perfect and this years race course was superb. Going down "Whistler" I registered 31.2 MPH!!! and hitting the high banked 180 at the bottom was like a 8G rollout in a F-18. PAMBA puts on a great race. I ripped off these photo's from Aaron, I should have given him my front wheel and at least had an idea what riding in the front feels like. I hate cramps ow ow OW!!! Oh, who ever designed the log pile-to-log pile gap jump desreves an "A+", that is so smooth at speed you don't even realize how far it is between them, i hit it kinda hard on the first lap hoping I'd clear it OK and damn near hit the trees on the other side. I may have to copy that thing here locally! Me likey alot!!

Wednesday Night ride

WINDY AS HELL going home!!

ROCK "THE FARM"

Throw down at the "Farm", the trails here are sweet twisty single track and the PAMBA folks put on a great race. HOWIE, you WILL race this weekend!!! You gotta beat those young punks down! Farmdale Reservoir Recreation Area Bittersweet Rd. Washington, IL About This Event PAMBA's Farmdale Frenzy I-74 XC & BigHit DH and MTX consists of: June 9th - The first of two Downhill and Mountain Cross races for 2007, and...June 10th - Frenzy Cross Country MTB Race, Race #2 in the I-74 Homegrown Race Series. DH/MTNX Categories June 9th - Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Downhill Race has been CANCELLED! Mudslides and standing water from spring rains have closed access for shuttle and emergency vehicles. We are sorry for any inconvenience. This situation should be resolved before the Sept. race. MTX is still a go!! There will be novice and advanced categories. Practice runs will begin at 3 p.m. and will be single elimination style tournament until the top three remain. XC CATEGORIES June 10th - Frenzy Cross Country MTB Race. No divisions or age groups for First Timer's Race. Novice and Sport Age Groups in both Male and Female Categories: 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40 and up. Expert will only be divided by gender- NO age groups. This race can be used as a qualifier for inclusion in the I-74 Homegrown Race Series. You must attend/complete 4 of the 6 scheduled races for 2007 to be considered for Series contention. For 2007, you're finishing position against ALL racers in your class determines your points for that race. DH/MTNX Awards Medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each category in each event. Gift Certificates, to local bike shops, will also be awarded to top three finishers. XC AWARDS Expert: Cash payout for top three finishers in both Male and Female categories. Sport: Medals and Bike Shop Gift Certificates to top three finishers in all age groups by gender division. Novice: Medals for top three finishers in all age groups by gender division. First Timers: some good swag.

Tuesday Nights..

Tuesday night roadie/racer/wannabee ride map for shits and giggles :) Pretty cool website

Don't neglect your chain rings...

I only had 4000 miles on this chain ring, surely its got one more little climb in it? "HOUSTON, WE ARE GO AT THROTTLE UP" I'm a loser baby, so why don't ya kill me? The Green Mile?

The more things change...

I had an adventure getting this one Large animals and sheet metal don't mix... From Jersey Devil to Amityville Horror, here we go again!

SHOCKING...

I can't help but WHINE about the price of gas, CRIPES! a day of racing is approaching $150.00 anymore. Yeah I know I'm driving a brick with wheels but $3.10 a friggin gallon??? Any takers on 2nd quarter 2007 profits for Exxon, the figure from last year was $10 billion, thats "B" for BILLION, and "P" for PROFIT. Thats after all the bills are paid kids. In a three month period thats $1300.00 per second give or take. (Don't trust my math, my calculator only goes to 1,000,000,000) On a lighter note next week is bike to work week, I may actually do it a couple times. So if I'm in meetings all week, I better apologize for the funky smell now. Who knows, it could speed them up a little.

BUZZKILL...

Its always good to hit the road with friends, just a bunch of like minded folks turning the pedals, great fun! I finished the evening with a successful deer hunt! PETA CAN KISS MY ASS! The "usual suspects" OR "Any given Tuesday" OR a new hit show called "Operation Puerto" Amanda gives a shout out to "Peace Guy" Scott Murphy, Somewhere off the coast of China I'm sure that riding one handed snapping pics is perfectly safe peloton educate! There were three Deer, I tried for the hat trick but missed the other two... GODDAMMIT!

Need a Ride for your Bride???? For Sale!

2004 TREK 2100 ZR9000 Frame w/OCLV Fork and Seat Stays 52cm Cateye Computer $800.00

So far so GOOD...

Testing out the knee the past couple of days with some short rides, still hurts to climb or really push a big gear, also each revolution you can hear an audible "CLICK" but it appears to be every other revolution now. During the winter I attempted (notice I said that) some snowboard tricks that I could not stick, now my shoulder is STILL hurting, that one is really getting annoying and frustrating. OK WHINE OFF. Dehns is ROCKIN and firming up nicely, and Memorial day is fast approaching, I'll leave you with some stolen pics from Sylvan Island for your veiwing pleasure.

Oh shucks...

This is Sylvan Island, somewhere there are pieces of my right knee lying around, I think this is a Trans Iowa 3 ending injury, it sounds like someone is enjoying a nice bowl rice crispy's when I bend it now. More on that later, I just hope its not a season ender. This just in, they are installing a new cell tower at Dehn's, it could effect the "bridge of death" trail, we'll have to see how close they come to it. Maybe the next time I post it will be GOOD news... Also I apologize to any youngsters who witnessed my crash, there may have been a few choice words uttered as I hit the deck right in front of a bunch of spectators...potty mouth anyway. They call me BRUUUUUUCE Amanda alone and out front The "Hammer" and Jeremiah Tryin to hold em off, pre knee plant (photos taken by Conner Brakeville, also on the mend)

This is SPRING?

Skeeter Park in Burlington "Oh I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK, I sleep all night and I work all day" Nice and cold this weekend, had to ride in the morning while it was still frozen cause when it warmed up we had GOO for trails. Speaking of trails, Dehn's is lookin really good after team ATLAS and I did massive trail maintenance on Sunday. We were able to remove the last of the deadfall trees, clean the ENTIRE 5+ miles, and we even got to ride our handy work afterwords. Needless to say that without Tracy, Amanda and Nick it would have been a long trail to rake, MANY thanks Kids!!! I will post pics when I figure out my "new" camera, The old one quit working after I drop...oops I mean it just quit working, trying to take a picture of a proverbial flock of seagulls eating turds from the gambling boat, thanks to the walton family heirs for replacing it for me! The Sylvan Island Stampede is this Sunday Hope to see all the usual suspects from IOWA and ILLINOIS.

Goods and bads...

Good = nice new single track to connect the bypass from last year Good = First rappel! the first step is always the hardest. Good = Climbing the Tower at Horn feild campus in Macomb Bad = Trees are still coming down in Dehn's Bad = I just finished trail maintenance a day earlier, soft soil, old trees.