Blanca's Adventure Blog

new riding partner!

2007-07-17T05:13:00.000-05:00

Well it's been over a year since I've updated this thing, and who knows when I’ll update it again but I’m sure it will be sooner than a year. I've done a lot of riding since my last post and will be doing a lot more in the coming weeks but last Saturday's ride was definitely something I need to write about.

In April I rode in Cycle Zydeco again. It's a 200 mile bike rally in Southern Louisiana. Shortly after, I posted some pics of the ride on my site and sent the link out to everyone as a way to share my experience. Not long after, Lisa visited the site and decided then that she no longer wanted to miss out on these experiences and decided to buy a road bike. We went to the bike shop the next week and bought her a new Giant OCRW road bike and the appropriate gear.

She then started to ride around the neighborhood, 3 miles here, 10 miles there. She was amazed at how much faster and easier it was to ride than her mountain bike. She also decided that she wanted to ride a few of the weekend rallies that I do. She had already ridden the Tour de Pants twice, in 2004 and 2005, on her mountain bike. But she had only done the 12 mile route (which just happens to be the toughest 12 mile route in the area) and had not really experienced the bigger and longer rides. We decided her first rally on her new bike would be the Cow Creek Classic in Waxahachie. She did the 20 mile route. It's mostly flat with a few rollers but very manageable for a novice. She completed the route easily and seemed to have a good time.

Next, she decided she wanted to do the Peach Pedal ride in Weatherford. They had routes of 11, 26, 42 and 62 miles. The morning of the ride she decided she would do the 26 mile route. My route (62 mile) started at 7:30am and hers started at 8:00am.

7:30 rolled around and I was off! I was having a great ride and had completed 57 miles when Phil, Rick and I rolled past the last rest stop. We had no plans on stopping until we noticed a smiling Lisa waving at us as we passed. At this point I was a little confused. I knew the 26 mile route did not join up with the 62mile and could not figure out how she had made her way to that particular rest stop. I stopped and asked how she was doing and she had that "I'm done" look in her eyes, but she was still smiling. She asked if I would ride back to the car and come pick her up. Still thinking that she had only ridden about 21 miles, I said, "come on, it's only 5 miles to the finish." Thats when she told me she had done the 42 mile route and had just completed 37 miles of it and that was enough for her.

I was blown away! My baby had just done 37 miles! Not because she got lost, but because she wanted to! The 42 mile route on this ride in no picnic either, it's very hilly and definitely not for a beginner. I'm so proud of her for having the will to go for the longer route and for sticking with it as long as she did. I'm also ecstatic that I have a new riding partner and someone to share these experiences with and even more excited that she's my wife!

I was a little worried that she had over done it and that it would discourage her from doing future rides, but the next day she felt fine and was asking when the next ride was.

She'll be doing the 50 mile route at this years Hott'er than Hell!

Yea Baby!!

-blanca

Colin Classic

2006-06-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

After reading the reviews on this ride I almost didn’t do it. People complained about everything, road surfaces, volunteers, the organizer, you name it!

I left work a 7am and make it to the start just in time. Again I only did the shorter route (55 miles) due to the fact that I had just completed a 12 shift….. and I was the only MBBC member to show for this one as well.

The ride started at 8am from the McKinney North High School and headed North East toward Chambliss, Valdesta and then to Blue Ridge. Almost immediately we were traveling on some beautiful, lightly traveled country roads. I only stopped at one rest stop and found that it was adequate, nothing impressive but it served its purpose.

From Blue Ridge we made our way through New Hope and then on to the finish in McKinney. I finished the 55 Mile route with a 17.17mph Ave. and had a great time.

The only issues I had with the event were the $2 Tacos Chipole was selling at the end of the event..... that’s one taco for $2. Other than that the ride was better then expected, and certainly didn’t warrant all of the bad reviews.

-blanca

Mesquite Rodeo Ride

2006-06-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

This was second year to participate in this one. Last year I did the 40 miler with Danny and Michelle. This year I decided to do the long route (56 miles) and was the only MBBC member to show.

I got off work at 7am and rushed to Mesquite to try to make it in time for the start. I showed up with 10 minutes to spare. I quickly registered, but the ride started as I was getting my bike ready. I managed roll out with the 20 milers (about 10 minutes late). I got up to speed quickly and 15 minutes later I had caught up with the tail end of the 56 milers.

About 18 miles into the ride I started to really move, I was feeling great and passing folks with ease. It was at this point I noticed a small group of riders on my tail. Two of them liked the pace I was keeping and decided to help pull for a while.

We took a brief break at the 30 mile rest stop and were off again. Not long after the rest stop our pace line was down to 2. Ken, a member of the TI team and I were the only ones to stay together till the end. We would pick up a few riders along to the way, but they all eventually got dropped.

We finished the 57.02 miles with and 18.59 mph average. My highest average since the 05 HHH.

It still amazes me just how well planned this ride is, everything was perfect! The route, the rest stops, traffic control, SAG and even the weather.

A perfect ride on a perfect day!

-blanca

MADD'er than Hell

2006-05-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

The ride start was in Pilot Point, about 10 minutes from my house and it was sponsored by MADD, needless to say my little bottle of Captain Morgan's on the back of my bike, didn't go over very well.

I arrived early and met up with Danny, Nathan and Burt. The ride started at 8:30 on a route that completely circled Lake Ray Roberts. Nathan, Burt and Danny quickly pulled ahead of me, but I did manage to catch up with them at the 15 mile rest stop. After a quick break we started to head north along the I35 service road and quickly got up to speed. We were traveling at about 25 mph, occasionally hitting 30+ mph. The roads at this point were smooth and flat, plus we had a strong wind at our back. When we turned to the East, we had to deal with a wicked cross wind, especially on the bridges crossing the lake.

We all managed to stick together until about the 30 mile mark. At this point Nathan and Burt pulled away slightly and then I dropped Danny on some moderate hills around mile 35. All of us still averaging over 19 mph at this point.

The last 8 miles were pure hell! We knew it was coming, but had hoped the conditions would improve by the time we reached the end of the ride. As we turned south on 377 we were meet with a 21 mph head wind, with gusts over 30 mph. I trudged along, passing a few folks along the way, traveling at a blistering pace of 9 mph. About a mile from the finish, I meet up with Nathan again, who had been waiting for us at a gas station. We took a short break as we waited for Danny than the three of us finished the ride together.

The head wind on the last part of the ride really killed my average. I finished up with 46 miles at 17.3 mph average for the ride. It was a great route, a beautiful ride and considering how close it is to my house, I'm sure I will be doing it again soon!

Richardson Wild Ride

2006-05-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

This was the second time, in as many years, that I've ridden in this ride and this year was far better than last. After last years ride and the fact that I had just got off work 45 prior to the start I decide to do the 40 mile route.

The ride started promptly at 8:00am from the Richardson Regional Medical Center and made its way out towards Lake Lavon and back. The route was fairly flat on good road surfaces. The rest stops and volunteers were great, as was the traffic control, which is no easy task in this part of town. The weather was a little better than last year, 96 degrees with a 14mph south wind.

The ride itself was pretty uneventful, I was the only MBBC member to show up for this one and I never did hook up with any substantial pace lines, they were either to fast or to slow for me.

I completed the ride in 2 hour and 38 minutes with an Average Speed of 17.37mph. I hung around afterwards for some free Pizza and drinks and to see was would walk away with the Trek Maldone they were giving away......... it wasn’t me, so I left after the drawing .

It was a great ride and look forward to doing again next year.

-blanca

North Texas Classic

2006-05-19T00:39:00.000-05:00

The second annual North Texas Classic. Not much has changed for the previous year. We had a large turnout from Team Bulge...... Nathan, Danny, Michelle, Rico, Babs, John and Myself.

The route took us along Old Decatur Rd. in Saginaw, to the service road of NE Loop 820, onto Jacksboro Hwy, to Azle, then onto Boyd, Newark and back to Saginaw....... completely circling Eagle Mountain Lake. The roads seemed to be in better shape this year and the northern part this ride when along the same roads as the MS-150 route from the previous week.

The start was fast, I managed kept up with the lead group for a little while, then noticed that Danny and Michelle had stopped to help one of the Broken Films guys with a flat. I stopped and waited with them.... not more the 3 miles later his back tire went flat again. Again we stopped, then Danny and I decided to made our way to the rest stop to re-hydrate and wait for them there. Once we were all back together, we held a good line for about 5 miles. When we hit the hills I started to pull away. I figured that the three of them would eventually catch me, all three being much stronger riders then I. Usually I'd be lucky if I can hang with them for 20 miles, but I did not see them again till the finish. The last 20 Miles I was keeping a great pace and it nice to be riding on familiar roads.

The ride organizers did changed some things for the better this year, such as the new start location which cut down on the Rail Road Crossings and The 5 mile stretch north or Newark and along the 287 service road which kept us from having to make a left turn across Business 287...... much safer route.

I only had three complaints

1: The complete lack of Traffic Support. You really don’t need a lot on this route, but there were a few spots in Azle and Newark that help was desperately needed.

2: The signs were difficult to see and too close to the turns. I didn’t have any problems, being that these were some of my normal training routes when I lived in Saginaw, but I did notice a lot of other riders having a difficult time.

3: For some reason they decided that Porta Potties were not necessary for this ride. Last year they had at least one at each rest stop, this year none! We were told to go to Whataburger or the Exxon Station down the road. I opted for a lovely bush along 718.

Other than the above issues, It was a great ride and I finished up with a total of 58.1 miles with an average speed of 17.4 mph. Not bad considering the amount of hills on the back half of the route.

-blanca

MS150

2006-05-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

WOW!! What a great ride!

The MS150 is a 2 Day, 150 Mile (162 Actual Miles) annual bike rally benefiting the National MS Society. This was my first year to do this ride and what a great ride it turned out to be!

I was Riding for Plano Cycling and Fitness - Team Ticket. Which turn out to be the largest team in the History of the tour, 380 riders on our team alone and a total of 2890 riders altogether.

Day 1: We started on the Morning of May 6th at Rough Rider Stadium in Frisco at 7am. It was a staggered team start. The first days ride took us from Frisco, to Pilot Point, over the Lake Ray Roberts dam, then onto Sanger, Krum, Justin and Finishing at the Texas Motor Speedway for a total of 79 Miles. The weather couldn’t have been better. 83 degrees with overcast skies and an 8 to 10 mph tail wind for most of the ride. The ride support and traffic control were outstanding.

It took me 45 miles to find a group that was keeping a similar pace. I had just stopped at the lunch stop for a quick bite and was merging back in to traffic, when I hooked up with a pace line of about 35 riders. Most of the riders were with "Team Texas Irish". We held it together to the finish and maintained an average speed of about 19 mph.

When we arrive at the finish, a little after noon, I quickly gathered my gear, set up camp and went in search of the free beer. The Ticket tent had all kinds of snacks and drinks. I hung out there for about 30 minutes and then decided to take a shower before the lines got too long. After getting cleaned up, I hung around visiting with the other cyclists, grabed a bite to eat from the Hooters tent and enjoyed the Bands that were playing nearby.

Later that evening we were treated to a nice fire works display, I then decided to call it night.

Day 2

I woke up around 5:30am, packed up my tent, had some breakfast and made my way to the track. The ride started with a lap on the speedway and then onto Hwy 114. From here we rode to Hazlet, Rhome and Boyd with a lunch stop in Paradise. We then rode back to Boyd, Through Newark and Saginaw, then onto the Finish at Sundance Square in Fort Worth, for a total of 83 miles.

This route was much tougher than the previous day. A lot of rolling hills on the first half, primarily between Boyd and Paradise. That part of the ride took a lot out of me, I was feeling pretty worn out by the time I reached the lunch stop. I took about a 30 minute break, grabbed some food and headed back out to finish things up. Being familiar with the roads around Saginaw, I knew that the toughest climbs were still ahead. So I eased up a bit to save some energy.

As expected the hills along Boat Club road were killers. I made it up the first couple sets of hills with no problem, but about halfway up the final (largest) hill the guy directly in front of me went down, almost taking with him. He dropped his chain while trying to shift and fell to my right, causing me to swerve to the left and into traffic. Luckily the car behind us was paying attention and slowed just enough for me to get by. I stopped briefly to make sure he was alright and then continued up the hill and to the final rest stop. At this point I was getting my second wind and was feeling great. Maybe it was the food, the last rest stop or the fact that I knew the toughest part was over…… whatever it was, I was feeling stronger then I had all day.

The ride into Fort Worth was much faster than I had expected. About a mile from the rest stop I got overtaken by a 5 man/woman pace line. I got onto the tail end and we kept pace at about 23/24 mph. We were having a blast until about 3 miles from the finish when one of the cyclists, again directly in front of me, hit a pothole which sent her front tire into a 2 inch crack in the road and she went down hard. I grabbed the brakes and swerved to the right while the guy behind me made a few impressive evasive maneuvers to avoid the two of us. We stopped while her husband, who just happened to be a Paramedic, check her out. She had some road rash on both shoulders, and a really bad headache (She cracked her helmet) but otherwise she was ok and wanted to finish out the ride.

The ride into Sundance Square was incredible! They had Houston and Main Street barricaded while loads of people lined the streets and cheered us on as we crossed the finish line. My first priority upon arrival was to find the Food/Beer tents. Once they were located, we had an awesome post ride meal, provided by Razzoo's, grabbed a couple beers and enjoyed the live funk band playing in the background.

Great ride from beginning to end!

Thanks to all my Family, Friends and Co-workers who supported me on this ride. I was able to raise just over $1400 and had a blast doing it. I hope to do it again next year.

Totals:

Total Miles: 162
Ave Speed: 17.02 mph
Total Number of Riders: 2890
Total Amount Raised: 1,256,300

Muenster Metric Century

2006-04-29T14:08:00.000-05:00

This was my second year to do this ride and what a difference a year makes! I was planning on doing the long route, last year I did the 40 mile route and had a blast.

I arrived in Muenster at about 10am, got my bike ready and headed to the start line. I meet up with Danny and Michelle at the start, chatted with them for a bit and then noticed the menacing clouds off to the west. Just prior to the start the weather was fine, it was a little chilly with Overcast skies and a slight wind out to the South.

When the ride started the weather quickly deteriorated. The Temperature dropped, the rain started to fall and wind the really picked up. Two miles in, the wind was blowing so hard I could barely stay on my bike.... 30 mph sustained cross wind, with 41 mph gusts.

After watching three people literally get blown off there bikes I said "Screw This!" and headed back to the start. I was one of many that turned around. On the ride back I saw more people heading back then I did continuing on with the ride. The weather was so bad I even passed on the free beer at the German Fest, that and I didn’t want to pay $5 to park.

From what I hear the weather cleared up about 45 minutes after I got back to the start and many of those who toughed it out had a nice ride, but I had no desire to wreck my new bike or get sick the week before the MS ride.

Cycle Zydeco

2006-04-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

200 miles in 4 days! What an experience. I mentioned this ride to Nathan months ago he ran with it. The entire MBBC team was invited but in the end it was just Nathan, Tracy, Brut, Phil and Myself. Tracy and I arrived in Lafayette, La. at 12:30pm and meet up Nathan, Phil and Burt around 3:30pm than headed to for the Kickoff Reception. When we arrived, they were quick to point out that I was one of the youngest people in the room. We picked up our packets, had dinner and watch Burt as he attempted to dance to the Live Zydeco band. We then returned to Hotel to get our bikes ready and then hit the sack.

Day 1

The ride started promptly at 9:00am at a rather slow pace. They tried to keep us all together for the first 5 miles as we left Lafayette, for safety reasons. Once we got out of the city limits we picked up the pace. At about mile 20 I was following behind Tracy when he just blew past a marked turn, I tried yelling at him but with the strong head wind he was unable to hear me. So I turned around and begun chasing after him. I took me about half a mile to catch him. After finally catching up Tracy we got back on Course and headed into St. Martinsville for lunch on the Bayou Teche, where we were served a heaping bowl of the best Crawfish Étouffée.

We then hit the road and had a fast, but uneventful ride to Breaux Bridge. Upon our arrival we noticed that we were some of the first to arrive. Wanting to get our tents set up early and get a good camp site, we decided to unload the luggage truck ourselves..... all 700 pieces of it. We set up camp next to the Bayou Teche and underneath a huge Oak Tree. We also met the Towns Crazy Ass Mayor....... The guy was a complete nut!

That evening we wandered around Breaux Bridge had Dinner at Cafe des Amis and enjoyed a few beers while the Zydeco music played on. The Dinner at Cafe des Amis was unbelievable, I had some sort of Crawfish Pasta dish that was just incredible and very reasonably priced. Definitely worth a detour if you ever take a road trip through that part of Southern Louisiana.

Once the beer was gone, we decided to head back to camp and call it a night.

Day 2

After a quick breakfast at the Cafe des Amis, we left Breaux Bridge. We really picked up the pace as we made our way to Arnaudville. We stopped at here for a short time and then headed towards Port Barre. Upon our arrival Mother Nature greeted us with some menacing clouds and a light rain, so Phil and I decided to stop and put on our rain gear..... Big mistake! With the humidity the rain gear acted as a sauna. Burt, Nathan and Tracy quickly pulled away from Phil and I. After about 3 miles the rain stopped and we ditched the rain gear. Ten minutes later the Skies opened up. It was by far the heaviest rain I had ever ridden in. The roads were flooded, The rain and wind was blowing so hard at times we couldn’t see more than a couple of feet in front of us...... not to mention the small bits of hail mixed with the rain.

When we arrive at the overnight spot in Washington, the rain finally stopped and we noticed that we were, again, the first to arrive. So we set up camp and made our way to the pavilion for dinner. After Dinner we made a stop at the Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant and chatted with the owner while Nathan showed the bartender how to make an earthquake.

Although it rained on us for half of the ride, the stop in Washington was the highlight of the trip. The rain was refreshing and the folks in Washington were the friendliest around!

Day 3

Again we were the last the leave in the morning, we just couldn’t get enough of the Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant. The Breakfast was the best on the ride...... beef tips in a thick gravy with biscuits and eggs. The ride to Mamou was uneventful. The lunch stop was at Fred’s lounge and where we stopped for a quick beer then hit the road again. Mamou to Eunice was nothing but crawfish farms and the roughest road of the ride. We arrived in at about 1:30 and just chilled out for bit. There wasn’t much happening in town and we weren’t within walking distance of anything, so took the Shuttle the crawfish broil and stepped into the Preserve Prairie Acadian Cultural Center for some Live Cajun/Zydeco Music.

Day4

We left Eunice at about 8:30 am and rode to the Chretien Point Plantation which was our first rest stop of the day. We hung out there for a bit and just took in the scenery. We then headed off to Sunset and then to the ride Finish in Grand Coteau. At the finish we had lunch said goodbye to the folks we had meet along the ride and then I was off to New Orleans for a short visit with Steve.

Summary

In all the ride was a blast, with the first two days being the best. We meet a lot of great people, enjoyed some fantastic Cajun food and got to ride some beautiful roads. I would definitely do it again. Its well worth money!

Lancaster Country Ride

2006-04-08T16:40:00.000-05:00

This was my second year to do this ride and it was a much different experience. On the drive out to Lancaster I was debating whether or not I was going to ride. I had already registered but the cold and the wind were more than I wanted to deal with. I was just going to pick up my packet and decide at start time.

I put on my cold weather gear and decided to go ahead and ride 42 mile route. The ride started on time and I made good time for the first 20 miles. About 15 miles in, the route hits the hills, all of which are short but steep. Not long after the hills we turned into the wind, 18+ mph and man was it cold! The temp was in the low 50's but with the wind mixed in it felt much colder. At this point, I was glad that I decided to do the 42 mile route.

The roads seemed much worse than the previous year. I did the long route (65 miles) last year and we rode a lot of the same roads, but I don’t remember them being as bad as they were on this ride.

The rest of the ride was slow but uneventful. I strolled into Lancaster with and average speed of 15.3 mph and had a pretty good ride, all things considered.

The wind really killed my average. I was hoping to finish in between 16 and 17 mph but the wind was just to strong.

Aledo Ride for Heroes

2006-04-01T17:57:00.000-06:00

Second ride of the season and I opted for the shorter route (50 Miles). Again, I didn't make the decision on which route I would attempt until the 50/62 mile split, which happened to be at around mile 46. By that time I was already tired of dealing with the Wind and Hills, which we were riding into the entire second half of the ride.

I arrived early to pick up my packet and locate the rest of the MBBC clan. I meet up with Danny and Michelle when I arrived but didn't see them again until the end of the ride. The start of the ride was a little unnerving. It started about 20 minutes late and their choice of roads at the start was poor, too many turns and narrow roads in the first 2 miles make for a slow start. Once we got out of Aledo the crowds thinned out a bit and the ride became a little more enjoyable. The route took us north of Aledo and then onto some nice winding roads that circled Lake Weatherford. This was the prettiest part of the ride and is one of the reasons I love doing rides in this area.

After circling the lake the route takes you to White Settlement for some wonderful views of the Huge Landfill? Not exactly scenic. Next we turned directly into the wind (18+ mph), just in time for the most challenging climbs on the route. The scenery got better, but the climbs tougher. From what I had heard, the last 12 miles (on the 62 mile route) had one of the routes toughest climbs and again it was into the wind, so when I reached to 50/62 mile split I decided to call it a day and head to the finish line. 50 miles was enough!

At the finish I meet up with the rest of the MBBC team, all of which cut there routes short due to the wind. I didn't feel so bad after hearing everyone else made the same decision. The post ride meal was great, Hamburger and Hotdogs cooked but the local Fire Department.

The ride had its good points and more than its share of bad. In my opinion It didn't live up to the hype, but was still a decent ride and it was for a good cause. Hopefully next year they'll start on time, change the start location and avoid the landfill...... I'm sure they could find some nicer routes North or West of the lake.

The wind and hills really kill my average on this one, I ended up averaging 14.3 mph..... Owwwwwwwch!

Spring Fever

2006-03-25T16:36:00.000-06:00

Well today I officially began my cycling season with a nice tour of the Sulpher Springs area. The Weather was perfect and they had a pretty good turn out. This was my first time to ride this rally and it definitely wont be the last! The reviews I had read said this was once of the best rides of the year and they were right.

The rest stops were well stocked, the volunteers were friendly and the home made stew, cookies and cake at the end were incredible. Best post ride spread of any ride. The Terrain was mostly flat on good roads with minimal Traffic.

Since it was so early in the season I wasn't sure which ride I was going to attempt. I decided to made the decision at the 41/66 mile split. When I arrived at the split (About 20 Miles in) I was feeling pretty good and decided to do the 66 mile route (which ended up being 69 miles). I ended the ride averaging just under 16 mph and for being as out of shape as I am, I felt pretty good afterwards.

I look forward to doing it again next year!

Aledo's next!

lifelong adventure......

2006-03-08T07:55:00.000-06:00

....to begin in just 4 days!

BTW.... Blanca's "Abrigo De Huricane" is now open for business.

a new post?

2006-02-07T08:35:00.000-06:00

Being that this is the first post of the New Year for me, I figured I would post my goals for the upcoming cycling season.

They are as Follows:

4000+ miles
A minimum of 12 Organized / Supported Rides
and Ave. speed over 18mph.

I'm already off to a great start! As of today I have logged 490 miles. Even though Mother Nature has been very generous with the great weather as of late, most of those miles are on the Trainer. I'll get out on the road more once I find some good, safe routes in Denton.

I have already signed up for two supported rides.... The Cycle Zydeco ride in Lafayette and the MS150 Dallas to Fort Worth.

The Cycle Zydeco is a 4 day, 200 miles ride that starts and ends in Lafayette, Louisiana. It looks like Nathan, Phil, Tracy and I are the only MBBC Members riding in this one and from what I've seem on the web site, It looks like it'll be a freaking blast.......... 4 days of Beer, Cajun Food, Zydeco Music, and cycling.

The second ride I’ve signed up for is the MS150 Dallas to Forth Worth. I will be riding for Plano Cycling + Fitness Team Ticket. We will be riding to raise money for Lone Star Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It will be a 2 day 150 mile ride that starts in Frisco, rides out to Lake Ray Roberts just north of Denton, then to TMS, around Eagle Mountain Lake, and finishing in Sundance Square in Downtown Fort Worth. Again, this one looks like a great ride and is for a great cause.

-Scott

Greatness!

2005-12-19T17:58:00.000-06:00

Santa's gone wild!

The group behind the mahiem.

WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!

2005-12-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

Just reached 3000 miles for the year! Check out my road log.

Tour de Peppermint

2005-11-13T19:59:00.000-06:00

A pretty shitty ride all the way around. This one started in Southlake went through Keller, Hazlet, Justin, Flowermound and Roanoke. They couldnt have picked more heavily travel and just plain rotten roads. The ride took us on FM156, 377, 407 and 1171.

The registration was ok. Nathan, Rico, Babs and I were the only MBBC member to show. I decided that since I really hadn’t ridden much after my wreck that I would do the 40 mile with Rico and Nathan. My plans changed about 3 miles into the ride.

Rico and Nathan dropped me pretty quick, so I decided to make my own route. I did a variation of the 40 and 70 mile routes. Traffic Control was Good for the first 5 miles, but after that we were on our own. The rest stops were hit and miss... and I mean that literally! The first one was at about mile 15, exiting it was a trick. The second stop, that was supposed to be at mile 40, was missing! The third stop, at Mile 50 was ok.... except for the fact that the cheerleaders working the stop, were eating all of the cookies and cliff bars. The last part of the ride from 170 to Dove rd to Carroll Ave was the best part of the ride.

The terrain was decent, plenty good inclines. For the first half of the ride we had a nice 12 mph headwind, with higher gusts early on, and Temps was right at 75.

My total mileage was just over 60 miles, with and ave. Speed of 15.30 mph

by far the worst ride of the year..

Afterwards I meet up with Nathan and we had lunch at Po' Melvin’s.

OWWWW!

2005-11-01T22:51:00.000-06:00

Well it was bound to happen and today it finally did...... I took a major spill on my bike!

I was 34.25 miles into a 34.88 mile ride. I was making the final turn into my neighborhood traveling at a little over 18 mph, when my chain broke sending me to the pavement! Luckily I was close to home, because my bike was pretty F'ed up!

The Damage to Me:

Road Rash on Left lower left leg, Knee, Left Arm and Right Elbow.
Good size cut on Left Knee and Small nicks on hands.
Some bruising on the upper portion of my right leg
Some major soreness of the Left Shoulder, Neck, Lower Back and Butt
And major damage to my pride.... I busted ass right in front of one of my neighbors and his kid!

The Damage to the bike:

Broken chain.
Broken Left shifter/brake lever.
Broken rear derailleur
Lost the right end cap on the handle bar
Scratched the hell out of everything else
and worst of all..... I Lost my bottle of Captain Morgan’s

....... Now that really hurts!

-blanca

dust to dust to diamonds?

2005-10-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

This is just too cool. I found it while surfing around yahoo today......

CHICAGO (AFP) - Everyone said she was a gem. Now, just eight ounces of cremated remains is all it takes to turn your mother into a diamond.

In fact, there's enough carbon in those ashes to make about 20 gems. And there will still be several pounds of ashes left over to display on the mantelpiece.

So far, nobody's ordered more than 11 diamonds, said Dean VandenBiesen, vice president of operations for LifeGem, which uses super-hot ovens to transform ashes to graphite and then presses the stone into blue and yellow diamonds that retail for anywhere from 2,700 to 20,000 dollars.

"It's not for everyone," VandenBiesen admitted, adding that for those who do chose to immortalize their loved ones in jewelry, the experience is extremely positive.

"We have people that approach us who have just experienced a tragedy and they say I can't wait, I'm so excited about this," he said. "In the field of death care, when someone says I'm really excited about this, I think we've achieved what we wanted to do which is change the culture of death."

The success of LifeGem is just one example of a radical shift in the funeral industry, said Mark Musgrove, immediate past president of the National Funeral Directors Association.

Americans are moving away from traditional funerals and are seeking instead less somber occasions that reflect the personality of the deceased.

They are also looking for alternative ways to remember their loved ones.

While a decline in religiosity has contributed to the shift, Musgrove said it's mainly a reflection of a cultural phenomenon.

"Back in the 60's the baby boomers were getting married in scuba gear," he said. "They're getting older and they have the same individualism."

A quick stroll through the exhibition hall of association's annual conference shows just how far the 11-billion dollar US funeral home industry has moved towards "personalization."

Jeff Barrette is leaning on a maroon motorcycle, his leather vest and scull and crossbones bandana a striking change from the dark suits of most of his customers.

Displayed in his booth are urns made out of the engine cylinders of Harley Davidsons and mounted on stands with epitaphs like "Rider's Last Rest," which doubles as the company's name.

"It holds 270 cubic inches -- you could fit a big guy in there," Barrette told a potential customer, before explaining that the urn's carrying case is specially constructed to fit on the back of a bike in case "you want to take your buddy for a ride."

Demand for the 1,350 dollar hand-made urns has been slow, Barrette said, but that's to be expected in a niche market.

Memorial videos and websites, however, are a bustling business, said Joe Joachim, president of funeralOne, who has signed up 1,500 funeral homes in the past five months.

"Our ultimate goal is creating the ultimate funeral experience," Joachim said. "We want to make this a celebration of life and take it to the next level."

FuneralOne offers software that allows funeral homes to help families create videos, burn them onto DVDs and even make personalized brochures and websites. It also offers webcasting services so people who can't make the funeral can watch online.

The two-and-a-half-year-old company has recently partnered with another firm which makes solar-powered video screens that can be mounted on a tombstone and play a 5 to 10 minute tribute.

The 7-inch (18 cm) serenity panels will hit the market in January and Vidstone and chief executive officer Sergio Aguirre said he expects to sell up to 100,000 in the first year.

"Everyone has a story to tell, and what better way than to share it?" he said.

got nothin!

2005-10-05T17:33:00.000-05:00

Haven’t been feeling very adventurous the last month or so. I've just got way too much goin on!

I'll to try to get my ass back on the bike this week..... must hit 3000 miles!

-B

new routes

2005-09-10T18:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I got off work this morning and went for a nice little ride around Denton. I really haven’t ridden much since the HHH. There has been just two much going on and I’ve been sick for the past 4 days. But this morning, I felt great and I really wanted to find some good routes around Lisa's house.

I started out at about 7:30am and found a nice little route that started in a residential area, then dumped me off on Hwy 377. I took 377 to Craford Rd. and rode around the Robson Ranch/Justin area. There were some really good, lightly traveled roads in that area and the whole route was great for a weekend ride, but the first 5 fives could be a little dicey during the week. I'll just have find some better road to start on.

There were also some challenging inclines along the way, 850 ft. of elevation gain on a 24 mile route. A lot more hills than the Saginaw area. Plus, I saw quite a few other riders along the route.... seems to be a popular area for cyclists.

quickie cancelled

2005-09-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I never made it to Colorado. I was planning on leaving after the HHH, but decided to come home first and leave the following day. On the drive back to Saginaw I called Steve, just to BS, and that’s when he informed me about Hurricane Katrina. He told me he was in the middle of packing things up and getting ready to evacuate. So, I let him go and told him that the "Saginaw Hurricane Shelter" was avalible if they needed it!

Steve, Wendy, Doreen, Harry, Cody, the Girls and Wendy's Parents are all OK. As far as we know, none of their house's are under water and have no structural damage. They have only received some minor to moderate wind damage.

I decided to hold off on Colorado until I knew how things were going with Thompson’s and whether or not they would need a place to stay. I cleaned up the house and got everything ready for the possible arrival of the clan. They arrived on Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 31st) and have been at my place since.... I'll be staying at Lisa’s to give them more room

Upon the arrival of the refugee's I made the decision to cancel the Colorado trip altogether. It just didn’t feel right to be taking a trip to heaven while they were going through hell!

Hotter N' Hell Hundred

2005-08-27T23:41:00.000-05:00

What an amazing experience! I had been looking forward to this ride for over a year and it lived up to all my expectations.

Before I get into a review of the ride, I want to give out a special "Thanks" to Jim and Sheryl for letting me stay at there place the night before the race. With no Hotel/Motel rooms available in the area, I jumped on the HH100 site a couple nights before the race to see about alternative lodging. That's when I noticed a blurb about "Host Homes". Basically the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce matches up bed-less riders with generous locals who are offering up rooms in there homes. I called the WFCC and they gave me several number and names with descriptions of the living situations.... no cats, 1 bed, will cook breakfast, ect…..

My needs were pretty basic. I needed a room with a bed and a shower! When I called the first number on my list, the lady offering the room informed me that she had already given the room to someone else, but she had some friends that had a room and would forward them my number. A short time later Jim called and said he had a room available. So I accepted.

I arrived at Wichita Falls at around 5pm and headed straight to the registration area. There I meet up with Nathan, Tracy, Danny, Michelle and Phil. We wandered around the area briefly, split up and made plans to meet up later for dinner. So, I made my way to Jim and Sheryl's home to get settled in.

I can’t say enough about the "Host Home" program, Jim and Sheryl were very accommodating and just are the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. They had a beautiful home, which was fairly close to the Start/Finish, and made my stay as pleasant as possible.

The Ride

I woke up at 5am, on the morning of the ride, gathered my things and made my way to the hotel were Nathan and the clan were staying. We got the bikes ready hooked up with Eric and made our way close to the front....... we were about a block from the Starting line.

The ride started at 7:04am. The first 15 minutes were slow as expected, it takes a while to get 9000+ cyclists spread out and up to speed..... Luckily we were up front. I heard it was 30 to 45 minute wait for those towards to back of the pack.

A little over a mile in, things weren't looking too good for me. Just as we were picking up speed, I shifted to my big ring and dropped the chain. I pulled to the side of the road, quickly fixed the chain and caught up with Eric. At about the 17 mile mark we came across a pretty bad accident, there were about 5 riders down, all being attended to by emergency personnel. Not long after that we came across another with two guys down in the middle of the road about halfway up a hill. This one wasn't serious, just a pain in the ass to maneuver around.

From there we just cruised to the 100 Mile/100K split. At this point Eric and I had a killer pace going and were riding 2 abreast when Eric notice a couple riders on our wheels...... a few minutes later there were ever more. We had a nice size pace line going. It held together for about 6 miles, but it fell apart once we hit Electra. Half of the riders in our pace line stopped at the rest stop and the rest apparently had no desire to lead the group. It was fun while it lasted but neither Eric nor I wanted to pull that group around much longer.... no one wanted to share the work and we didn't want to wear ourselves out.

At about 40 miles in we finally caught up with the small storm we had been watching most of the morning. It showered us with some bone chilling rain for about five miles and produced the occasional lightning bolt, which was a bit unnerving.

At 50 miles we stopped at our first rest stop. As we were rifling thought the normal assortment of fruit and cookies, when we saw a guy in the back serving grilled Hot Dogs and Sausages. They were available on either Bun or Tortilla...... we had two dogs a piece, a few more cookies, then hopped back on our bikes. We made it though Hell's Gate (Mile 60) at about 10:20am, 2 hours before it closed. I was felling remarkably well and was surprised to see that our Ave. MPH had jumped to 19.3.

Just past Hells gate, we started looking for the Hills that everyone had been talking about. We were told they were just beyond Hell's gate at about mile 64. At one point a guy came along side of me and asked whether the bump in the road just ahead of us was "Hell's Hill".... After I told him I didn't know, He hap-hazard’ly flung himself down on his aero bars pulled ahead of me. About 2 minutes later Eric and I blew past him as he struggle to climbed, what seems to us (and most everybody else) to be a slight incline at most. About 20 miles later we were trying to figure out just were these "Hills" were.

The next stop we made was at about 75 miles, we stop quickly, refueled and cool off a bit. We then decided we would make one more stop at 90 miles and hopefully finish in good time. The ride to the 90 mile rest stop was pretty uneventful we just trudged along and counted down the miles until the finish. At the 90 mile stop I noticed that the crowds had really thinned out.

The next ten miles were great. As we were leaving the hwy 79 and heading up to the finish into downtown WF, we notice a makeshift rest stop with guys passing out free beer. As much a I wanted to stop, I decided to pass it up and just finish the ride.... besides, the beer was being served in open cups, I probably would have spilled more than I would have drank.

It was really cool coming down the last half mile, with the road blocked off, crowds of people lining the street cheering each of us on as we approached the finish line. It was also cool to see Nathan and Burt waiting at the finish line as we crossed.....

103 miles in 5 hours and 26 minutes with an average speed of 18.9mph. Almost 2 mph faster than I had hoped to do it in.

The people of Wichita Falls, Iowa Park, Electra and Burkburnett were out in force all along the route. It was by far the most enjoyable ride of the year..... People along street waving and the kid’s high-five’ing the cyclist as we pasted. They are the reason so many people make trip to WF’s ride this event year after year...... and the reason I won’t miss another!

I had a freaking blast!!

colorado quickie

2005-08-17T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well the dates are set.... sort of.

I will be leaving for Colorado on Aug. 28th and will return some time between the 1st and 3rd of September. I will be leaving directly from Wichita Falls, after the HHH on Saturday.

Anyone what to tag along?

Email me!

It will be a quick trip but, I just cant go another year without climbing something.......

-blanca

Tour de Pants

2005-08-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

Toughest ride of the year..... but one of the best!

This ride had three routes to choose from, 10, 40 or 75 miles. Last year I did the 40 and after my experience last week I decided to do the longer route. MBBC had a large turnout on this one, Lisa rode the 10 mile route, Danny and Michelle rode the 40, and Nathan, Burt, Tracy, Eric and I rode the 75! The long route circles Possum Kingdom Lake, rewarding us with some incredible views.

I was with the lead pack for the first 8 miles and but got dropped on the first large hill. I stopped at the first rest stop at the 17 mile mark and meet up with Tracy and Eric. The three of us rode together for the next 25 miles. Then came the BIG HILLS!

We had been going up some small to moderate rollers almost the entire first half of the ride, but the next 25 miles made the first part seem flat! It started just after rest stop #2. The Hills were just never ending. The last half consisted of two walls, several large rollers and a steep mile and a half long climb to the finish.

It was an extremely tiring and difficult route, but I did manage to complete it..... 75 miles in 4 hours 59 Minutes with an average of 15 mph. Not my best average, but considering the terrain, I was happy just to finish. It was by far the most difficult route that I have done and it was also longest distance I ever ridden.

After the ride we headed to the Ticket tent for some, well deserved, free Pasta and Beer.

Next stop Wichita Falls!

-blanca

Tour de Goatneck

2005-07-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

One of the best!

I was planning on doing the 69 mile route but I changed my mind just prior to the ride. I didn’t ride at all the week prior and knowing that this was on of the most challenging rides in the area, I decided to do the 42 mile route.

The ride started promptly at 7:30 and there was a great turnout. I managed to meet up with Eric (Tour de Paris) just prior to the start and got to ride with him for the first few miles. The routes then spilt and I was on my own. The roads were in excellent shape and lightly traveled. The rest stops were the best I’ve seen all year and the locals were just great! The community really gets behind this ride.

The route was indeed very challenging. The route travels from Cleburne HS, past Cleburne State Park, towards Glen Rose and back...... some incredibly beautiful terrain!

There were two killer climbs on the 42 mile route and the rest was small to large rollers. After the first 3 miles, there's not a flat stretch road on the route.

I finished in 2 hours and 39 minutes with an average of 16.3 mph. I really wish I had done the 69 mile route. At the end I felt like I still had at least another 15 to 20 miles in me and would have had no problem completing the longer route.

Oh, well! I'll just have to do it next year!

It was one of the most enjoyable rides I had been on all year.

how much are you worth?

2005-07-26T01:00:00.000-05:00

I am worth $1,946,860 on HumanForSale.com

happy moon day

2005-07-20T06:05:00.000-05:00

Quite cleaver of the folks at Google, I must say!

Click on the above link and be sure to keep zooming in.... It gets really interesting.

-blanca

Tour de Paris

2005-07-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

Another great ride!!

I made the trek to Paris, from Denton, at 5:30am and arrived just in time for the start. I quickly got to the front of the group and we were off! The ride started out really fast. My average was 19mph for the first 20 miles, then the lead groups started thin out and I got dropped….. So I decided to take it easy for the rest of the ride, I rode solo for the next 5 miles and after that I rode with Erik.

He also had been riding with one of the faster groups and decided to slow his pace. We rode at a moderate pace and BS'ed for the next 35 miles. The route remained flat until about the 50 mile mark and even then, the hills that we encountered were minor...... although I still managed to get dropped with six miles remaining……. It must have been Erik’s KOM socks!

I finished the ride (60.23 miles) in 3 hours and 49 minutes, with an Average of 16mph, only stoping at 3 rest stops along the way. Traffic was extremely light, the weather was good and the locals were friendly. .

Another ride I look forward to doing next year......

Also, I had great time riding with Erik….. I believe he’s planning on riding in both the Goatneck and Hotter ‘n Hell this year, so I’ll more than likely get an opportunity to ride with him again….

Peach Pedal

2005-07-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

What a great ride! The weather was perfect and the turnout was great. I met up with Danny and Michelle just prior to the ride, but lost them shortly after the start. I choose 100k route, which had been change to 88k (54 miles) due to some bridge construction. I found the distance to be perfect considering the large amount of hills on the later part of the route.

The start was very fast and I had the pleasure of riding with Nathan for most of the ride. We hooked up with a fast group about five miles in into the ride and rode with them until the 25 mile mark. All it took was one big hill to break up the group. But that was just a preview of what was to come.

We stopped at rest stop #4 for a few minutes and then carried on. My Ave was 17.6mph at this point and it would only drop from here on out.

The rest of the ride was tough..... we encountered a number of steep rollers and one hellacious hill on the new portion of the route. It was a tough climb but we were rewarded with some killer views when we reached the top.

Although Nathan could have easily dropped me at any point during the ride, he stayed close and rode with me to the finish. The past few rides that I have done I have been pretty much on my own. These rides are much more enjoyable when you have someone to ride with.

The organizers did a great job with the last half of the route. The views were great, the terrain was challenging and the traffic was light. I look forward to doing next year!

My Final Numbers were 53.84 Miles, in 3 Hours and 16 minutes, with an average speed of 16.48 mph.

Firecracker 100

2005-07-02T18:34:00.000-05:00

My ninth organized ride of the year and it was a great one! Nathan had car trouble and didn't make it, so I was the only MBBC member on the 62 mile (100k) route. We started off in Stephenville at Tarleton State University at 8am. The ride started out fast. I was able to keep up with the lead group for the first 5 miles or so, with the route being fairly flat until we hit FM 2481.

Then came the rollers, nothing to difficult, small to moderate in size with good enough downhill's to level out uphill's. After the Third rest stop is where the real work begins. From Alexander to Dublin the rollers turned into several moderate inclines. The route from Dublin to the finish was not any easier, the hills were as plentiful as the previous 15 miles, only steeper.

The rest stop in Dublin was great. They had a tent set up with a couple bench's and they were passing out Real Dr. Pepper (The Original Formula)... the kind with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar! The only place you can get it is in Dublin, which happens to be the site of the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant in the world! They also had DR. P brownies.... very interesting stuff.

Anyway, I made it back in just under 4 hours and with an average speed of 15.5 mph.... not bad considering all of the hills (about 2000ft of elevation gain).

A lot of unhappy Ladies!

2005-06-26T04:21:00.000-05:00

.....for more on this Engaging story click here.

Cow Creek Classic

2005-06-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Another great ride! Most of the MBBC clan showed up for this one, there were a total of 8 of us at the rally. Most of us rode the 46 mile route.... Burt was the lone MBBC rider on the 75 mile route. It was an interesting ride, the start was good and the terrain was similar to the Lancaster ride. There were a few moderate hills, one really fast downhill and a some rollers. The roads were good in the beginning but gradually got worse, a lot of bone jarring chip seal on the last half of the ride.... what are you going to do?

I finished in just under 3 hours with an average speed of 16mph and a max of 33.5mph. I only stopped at two rest stops and both seemed to be well stocked. The only problem I had was with other riders. It seems like the closer the rides are to Dallas, the more inconsiderate assholes you find on the course.

After the ride I helped myself to a shower and a snow clone, then headed back to the town of the cow!

Goals Revisited

2005-06-07T23:33:00.000-05:00

My cycling goals for 2005 were to ride a total of 8 organized rides and finish the year with 2000 miles.

As of today, I have already ridden in a total of 7 Organized rides and have accumulated over 1500 miles.

This summer I plan on riding in at least 5 more rallies, including The Goatneck, Tour de Pants and Hotter 'N Hell. This should put my yearly total somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 miles by year end.

Also, as of today, 9 months smoke free!!!!

Mesquite Rodeo Ride

2005-06-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

By far the best ride of the year! I was planning on doing the Road Kill Rally in Ardmore, but decided the night before that I would stay a little closer to home. Plus, I knew Danny and Michelle would be riding this one.

I arrived at the Rodeo Grounds at about 7am and quickly registered. I then got the bike ready, meet up with Danny and Michelle and kept an eye out for Nathan. He said he was going to try to make it, but never showed. I decided I was going to take a different approach to this ride. I wanted to go for speed rather than distance, so I decided to do the 40 mile route.

The ride started promptly at 8am, as a light rain started to fall. This was a fast course with very few hills and incredible traffic control, every intersection was manned, and many lanes were coned off just for cyclists. Never had to worry about the traffic and with about 1500 cyclist there was always a group close by draft off of.

I only stopped at 2 rest stops. Both were well stocked and well staffed. The 28 miles stop featured a three legged dog that was having the time of his life... everyone was feeding him cookies.

I finished the ride in 2 hour and 28 minutes with an average speed of 16.5 mph. I then made my way to the large Air Conditioned convention center and chow'd down on a free lunch from Outback Steakhouse.... we were also treated to Soft Drinks, Water, Chips and Ice Cream.

It completely amazed me, just how organized the entire event was. It was just a perfect ride and I look forward to doing it next year!

-blanca

Day 12784

2005-05-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Now..... PISS OFF!

Wide Ride

2005-05-21T23:06:00.000-05:00

Drove out to Richardson today for the 2nd annual Wild Ride. I choose the 64 mile route and was expecting a fast and uneventful ride. Little did I know the events the previous day would catch up with me!

I arrive in Richardson at about 6:30, registered for the ride, and then just milled about until the rally started.

The ride started promptly at 8am and for the first 20 miles I was averaging 18.2 mph. I managed to get in with a really fast group and was able to keep up for the first 15 miles or so. The route was mostly flat and the traffic control was excellent! The first rest stop I stopped at was stop #3. I loaded up on the usual items, water, bananas and oranges slices…… then headed off, hoping to finish in less than 4 hours.

Not long after that rest stop was when I noticed that heat was really starting to affect me. My pace had slowed considerably and I was beginning to fell drained. I stopped at the next rest stop, sat in the shade for a bit and again loaded up on water.

48 miles into the Wild Ride, I bonked! Could not go any farther, had absolutely no energy left! I have never felt so completely drained! I got off the bike, flattened my front tire and waited for the SAG wagon...... yes, I flattened my front tire on purpose. I did so to make sure that I did not get back on the bike and try to "tough it out". Although I wanted too, I felt that I would be in some serious trouble if I tried to make it to the next rest stop. Luckily, the SAG wagon was only ten minutes behind me, so I just sat in the shade until they arrived. The van was full of distressed riders, and we would to pass many more on our way back to the finish.

Although the heat is what finally stopped me, I still believe the day before, played the largest role in my defeat. I’ve ridden in the heat several times before and have done longer routes, on much more difficult terrain, without any issues...... Below are my observation’s on everything that factored into my defeat:

20 mile ride at 16.+ mph, 12 hours prior to ride start
+ not enough sleep the night before, 4 1/2 hours
+ record heat, 99 degree’s
+ high humidity, just shy of hell
+ too fast a pace to start, 18.2 ave. mph

= MAJOR BONK!!!

Other than that, it was a great ride. I still managed to beat my best AVE MPH for a ride over 40 miles.

Afterwards, I meet up with Lisa at the Flower Mound Music Festival.....

North Texas Classic

2005-05-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

5th ride of the year and all went fairly well.

The start of the ride was close to home (2.3 miles to be exact) so I didn't have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn and drive to BFE, which was nice for a change. This was the first year of the ride and they had routes of 10, 20, 40 and 60 miles. I spoke with Nathan the night before and he informed me that, due to being sick earlier in the week, he would be riding the 20 miler. Danny and Michele both showed up the morning of the ride and chose the 40 mile route. Since it was a local ride, I was already familiar with the roads on the shorter routes and wanted to find some more challenging roads, I decided to do the 60 miler.... plus, I needed the extra mileage to make up for the times that I haven't been able to ride in the past few weeks.

The start threw us onto the mean street of Saginaw promptly at 8am. The first 15 miles were a bit rough. There was no traffic control once we crossed Main street and I almost lost it while riding in a pack down Marine Creek Pwy, I hit a huge pot hole that was not visible until it was too late. After that, they sent us through some residential streets, in lake worth, that were just horrid! Some of the roads were tore up (Patches of Dirt) and with the thunder storms the night before there was mud everywhere (we were warned of the mud prior to the start). Once the route turned onto Ten Mile Bridge Rd, the roads got much better. We then turned onto FM730 and we were now heading directly into the wind and had some pretty good size hills for the next 10 miles. From this point, traffic control was in place at all major intersections, all of the rest stops were well placed and the few that I stopped at were well stocked and staffed with friendly folks.

I heard a lot of people bitching about the amount of traffic on the roads, but what can you expect in the DFW area? To me, the traffic was light in most areas and well behaved for the most part. As mentioned earlier, I ride in the area regularly and am used to riding in much heavier traffic. The only other problem I had was with the last part of the route. For some odd reason they decided to change the route at the last minute and sent us down a road that normally Dead End's into Hicks field, but they had the barricades open, for the riders, which sent us down the Airport Road/Taxi-way and thru to the South Entrance. We then rejoined the normal route and had an uneventful ride to the finish. I finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes. with an Average of 15.2 mph.

For the most part, the ride organizers did a great job considering it was their first time. They do need to make a few changes to the route and improve traffic control in a few places but other than that you couldn't ask for a better first ride!

The Beauty and the Beast Tour

2005-04-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today I rode in the “Beauty and the Beast Tour” in Tyler, TX. Nathan, Burt and I headed towards Tyler last night and stayed in a 30' trailer on Nathan’s Parents property near Canton.

After a horrible nights sleep, we woke up promptly at 6:00AM, got our things together and make our way to the UT Tyler Campus for the start of the ride. The night before, the weather forecast said Sunny Skies and temps in the low 60’s at 8AM...... not even close! It was cloudy and about 48. Then about 5 miles into the ride, we encountered a light rain that steadily picked up as the ride when on. This made for a very cold and wet day.

The start of the ride was a cluster f***. All riders starting from what appeared to be three different areas, all at the same time and all merging onto the main road leading out of the UT Campus. About halfway down that road we encountered two vehicles trying to make it into the campus parking lot. Cyclists were swerving in every direction trying to avoid these two vehicles and each other. Luckily, no one went down. After that mess, things started to look a little better. I completely missed the first rest stop, and apparently so did all the other riders I spoke with. I saw the signs, but nothing else. Oh well, I wouldn’t have stopped anyway.

The roads on this route were great and the traffic support, for the most part, was good. I only had one problem and that was with a flag girl, at the 64 mile turn in Troup, she was not paying attention and waited until the last minute to show herself and flag me/us in the right direction, which caused me to have to make a sharp turn on wet pavement..... not good! I almost busted ass!

Shortly after Rest Stop #3, a gentlemen by the name of Paul pull up beside me and we keep pace with each other for the remainder of the ride. Not long after that, the rain really started to come down and my computer stopped working. It stopped at 23.98 miles and showed my average speed at 16.2 mph. Not bad considering the terrain and weather. At this point I was considering cutting the ride short and only doing the 50 mile route. I was cold, wet and wasn’t sure if I could make it up “The Beast”, but when Paul and I stopped at rest stop #4, he talked me into doing 64 mile route. So we hopped back on our bikes and prepared for the climb ahead. We were told to start looking for the first part of the climb at around mile 30 and sure enough there it was, a steady climb up Mt. Selman. The first half of the climb was steep but nothing to difficult. The second half was much steeper (around 200ft in about a ¼ mile), but it was fairly short. Though we saw numerous people walking it, Paul and I both make it up with no problems. We just dropped down to our lowest gears and spun our way to the top.

We were now at the halfway point and the rain was starting to lighten up a bit, but we were now heading directly into a 14mph wind. I found myself looking forward to hills and dreading fast descents. The descents were just too damn cold. We continued at a much slower pace, until we reached Rest Stop #6. By this time the rain had stopped and it was starting to warm up. One of the SAG support guys asked me if we needed a ride back to the start, but before I could open my mouth, Paul said “Hell No! we didn’t ride this damn far to SAG back in, were gonna finish it up!”

The next 17 miles were just incredible, the scenery was amazing and the Sun finally showed itself. We rode around Lake Tyler and were just having a blast racing up the final hills. The Sun seemed to revive me. On one hill in particular (around mile 55), I took off and attacked it. I passed 7 or 8 other cyclists and it seemed as if they were standing still.... Paul still managed to pass me with about 10 feet to go, but I have never felt so good climbing a hill, I wasn’t tired and had no pain in the legs.... nothing but unspent energy. It was an incredible feeling!

We finished the ride in about 4 hours and 12 minutes, with an Average speed of 15.2 mph and total elevation gain of 3000ft. The route was challenging and absolutely beautiful. The volunteers were friendly. This was by far the prettiest ride of the year and I look forward to doing it next year……

The Metric Century Bicycle Rally

2005-04-23T17:45:00.000-05:00

This was my 3rd organized ride in as many weeks and IMO it was best! The ride started at 11:15am in downtown Muenster and headed south for the first 10 miles. The ride started with a strong tail wind as we climbed 2 moderate hills…… then nothing by rollers until mile 10. Next we encountered a series of challenging hills and we now had a wicked cross wind, 18mph with gusts of 26mph. I stayed with a small group of riders until rest stop #2. There, I grabbed some Orange slices, a few cookies and meet up with Danny and Michelle, from the Bull N Bush. I would ride with them the rest of the route.

The next 14 miles were the most challenging. One hill after another and they seemed to gradually get bigger. The largest hill came at around mile 30 and it was as painful as it looked. Most of the hill was visible as we approached it. Danny just kept saying “don’t look at it, it’ll only make it worse”..... and DAMN, was he right! I barley made it up and many of the group that had been following us were walking it.

At the next rest stop we fueled up and prepared for the strong head wind that we would be battling the final 6 miles. I lost Danny and Michelle briefly as they were drafting off another rider..... I wasn’t paying attention and dropped off pace pretty quick. I couldn’t seem too catch up with them until the last 2 miles, which thankfully, was all downhill.

After crossing the finish line, I hung out in Downtown with Nathan and the MBBC team for a while. I then wandered over to the German Festival for my, well earned, FREE beers. I meet up with Shayne and the Fam at the festival. Unfortunately I could only visit with them for about and hour........ I had plans (To see the greatness of Steve Poltz) later in Dallas and had to leave.

The last total I heard was somewhere around 2000 cyclists at the rally, although the highest registration number I saw was 1551. I later found out from Danny that we (Danny, Michelle and I) were in top 100 riders to finish the 40 mile route. That’s gives me a little more confidence going into the Beauty and Beast ride in Tyler next weekend.

One Sad Note:

Not long after the first rest stop, the group I was riding with was passed by 2 ambulances and a fire truck. It turned out that a cyclist had been hit by a car while descending a hill, one rider appeared to be seriously injured and was still being treated by the paramedics when we passed the scene. Another was transported via ambulance just prior to our arrival. I later heard that the rider that was hit, was riding in a group of about 30 and when he went down, he took 10 – 12 other riders with him. Most of the others just had minor injuries and were gone by the time I passed. Hopefully, all those involved in the accident are alright and doing well.

Cruisin' De Hood

2005-04-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

Today I rode in the Cruisin' de Hood bike rally in Granbury, and man what a bitch of a ride..... 63 miles of Hills, one after another. I finished in 4 hours and 10 minutes, with and average speed of 14.9 mph. that's actually better than the Lancaster ride.... my mph went down by 0.1 but there were 4 times the hills in this ride and, what seemed like, an endless climb up Chalk Mountain.

Again the weather was great, wind was minimal and the organizers were as friendly as could be!

I might be doing the Metric Century Bicycle Rally and German fest in Muenster next Saturday if anyone is interested all riders get free entrance to the Festival after the ride along with 2 free beer coupons. The ride starts at 11:00am and they will have routes of 22, 40, and 63 miles.......

anyone? anyone?

real?

2005-04-13T01:04:00.000-05:00

I thought mine was the real thing until saw this........... be sure and watch the video.

www.counterfeitmini.org

Also, check out these fakes:

mini4auction.com/

-blanca

Lancaster County Ride

2005-04-09T23:04:00.000-05:00

I have been planning this for the past few months but was not sure which route I would do. I didn’t make my decision until about 30 minutes prior to the start of the ride...... The 62 mile route, it would be!

This is the farthest I have ever ridden and the weather couldn’t have been better. It was a staggered start, 62 milers fast, 42 fast, than 62 moderate, 42 moderate followed by the 25 milers. The first 10 miles, the roads were crowded, but once we passed the first rest stop things started to thin out. When climbing the first big hill, I was about ¾’s of the way up when, the rider directly in front of me went down. Her and I were running at about the same pace and were crankin our way up the hill when her chain broke..... Down she went! I barely had enough room to get around her and I came close to rolling right over her head! She was alright, just a little frustrated and embarrassed. I had been following the group she was with for about five miles and was now on my own.... for the next 10 miles anyway.

At about 25 miles in I finally found my legs and just had a killer pace going, I felt great and was able to catch up with and stay close to a group of riders that had passed me earlier. The first rest stop I stopped at was 31 miles into the ride, rest stop #3. The crowds were minimal at this point, I was able to load up on snacks, Gatorade and take a 10 minute break before turning towards the North.

We now had the wind at our backs and the timing couldn’t have been better, the wind really picked up on the second half of the ride. When we started it was from the South at 7mph by the time we started to head North the wind was from the South-West at 18mph. I stayed with the same group for another 15 miles before they started to pull away. I was pretty much on my own the rest of the ride. I did visit one last rest stop at mile 52, and again there was plenty of food and water and no crowds.

I crossed the finish line, with a time of 3 hours and 59 minutes and an average of 15 mph. I meet up with Nathan, from the Bull and Bush, and as the two of us compared notes from the ride we realized that the 62 mile route was actually 60....... don’t know were the other two miles went but both of our computers read the same distance.

All in all, it was a great day. Incredible weather and beautiful scenery, the Blue Bonnets and other wild flowers were in full bloom. The folks who organized the ride did an incredible job, all major intersections were controled by the local police and DPS, the rest stops were well stocked, the route was well marked and the volunteers were friendly, outgoing and helpful.

Looks like I’ll be doing the Granbury ride this coming Saturday..... anyone want to join me? I NEED A RIDING PARTNER DAMN IT!

the purpose

2005-03-26T07:35:00.000-06:00

The purpose of this post is to have no purpose; so far I think I am succeeding. I really have nothing new to post, and since Jay and Shayne (aka Pete) have been entertaining the masses (all 6 of them) with useless drivel for weeks now, I figured I would do the same.

In order for me to be half as successful at this as they are, I need to First, find a topic that is not worth discussing, and not discuss it or even mention it after the first mention of said topic…… which has yet to be said! Second, I need to come up with a cleaver “Secret” name to call myself to help hide my identity. I certainly don’t want the people who read this to know that it was me who wrote it. So the “Secret” name I have chosen is Scott v2.6!

Next, I must have at least two users other than myself post comments that are completely off topic and confusing to new readers, not that I am expecting new readers, but just in case someone happens to wander by and read the entire post. We must be assured the post and comments are completely off topic and as confusing as possible.

Last, I must come up with some creative shtick. This is much harder than it sounds. Creating good shtick is a God given talent and can not be taught. You must be born with it….. or steal it. Stealing shtick is not a crime and in many cases it is expected. But only steal shtick you can handle, otherwise you will look foolish and ruin the shtick for others. This infuriates great Shtick creators (aka Schtickters). Many a great shtick has been destroyed by unworthy, wannabe Schtickters.

Great Shtickters are few and far between in the world as we know it. But in the world as Jay and Pete (aka Shayne) know it, there are only two who are truly worthy of the title of “Great Shtickter”, and that would be them. Unfortunately nobody else shares this opinion and none of there friends have had the heart to tell them that they are not “Great Shtickter”, but rather Shtick Shmossels ……. I’m certainly not going to tell them that there Schick sucks. What kind of friend would that make me? A damn good, even if I dont say so myself.

Ok, I now feel that I have wasted enough of your time and will deliver what you have been so patiently waiting for…….. my purposeless post!

I saw a truck today with a Bumper Sticker that read “Bumper Sticker”. Where does Gay come from? And why is it so damn happy? …….calm!

Flatulist: www.mrmethane.com

Find a Grave: www.findagrave.com

-Scott v2.6

f'ing wind

2005-03-10T23:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I ended February with 257 miles, unfortunately Mother Nature has not cooperated with my plans so far this month.

I have only managed to ride three days and a little over 65 miles. If it's not the rain, it the f'ing wind..... 21mph with gusts of 31mph today and yesterday was worse, 24 with gusts of 36! Screw that!

It's bad enough riding alongside all the ya-ho's and idiots in big trucks..... That's all I need, A 30+ mph gust bringing me even closer to Saginaw traffic. No thanks, I'll just stay home.

Tomorrow morning I will be trying something new..... a morning ride. I'll get home from work at about 7:30am and will head out shortly after. The wind will not be as strong and hopefully all of the ya-ho's will still be asleep.....

Also, some sad news in the music world..... George Scott of The Blind Boys of Alabama, has died at the age of 75!

-blanca

One other note: 6 months and 3 days smoke free..... and no, I wouldnt give you one if I had one Jay!

on my way!

2005-02-25T02:02:00.000-06:00

…..as of yesterday, I have ridden a total of 202 miles for the month of February and I still have 4 days left! That’s a little over 60 miles a week, for the first three weeks and 14 out of 24 days. If things go as planned, I will finish out the month with a total of 250 miles. I took the past two days off to give my legs a rest for the final push. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Officially, it is the most miles I have ridden in a single month. My previous best was 172 (July ‘04).

I know it may sound strange getting fired up over 200 miles, some roadies put in 200 a week, but when I look back at this next year, I hope to be laughing my ass off at how excited I “was” about hitting the 200 mile mark…….. by then I hope to be doing 300 to 400 a month…… Then again, I might just look back at that last comment and ask myself “what the hell were you thinking?” We’ll just have to wait and see……… until then I’m going to ride as often as I can, as far as my legs will carry me and as long as the weather will allow.

Also, I found a nice long route close to the house. It will range anywhere from a 25 to 35 mile route depending on which variation I choose to ride. It’s lightly traveled on the weekends and the roads are in pretty good shape, considering they’re County roads. The route is fairly flat at the beginning and end with two moderate Hills in the middle. It has some nice rollers as well, if I chose the longer route.

One other note: 172 days smoke free!!

-blanca

goals

2005-02-11T07:33:00.000-06:00

I've ridden a total of 61 miles this month and 5 out of the last 8 days. I seem to be getting my legs back after months of no activity. I have been doing some research on local organized rides and am shooting for the Lancaster County Ride (62 miles), on April 9th, as my first major ride of the year. I also plan on riding in the Beauty and the Beast ride (64 miles), in Tyler on April 30th and after that the MS150 - Red River challenge (150 miles) on May 14th and 15th.

I am looking to do a minimum 8 organized rides this year and am shooting for 2000 miles by year end.

To do this I will need to ride a minimum of 65 miles a week, which is not difficult at all, as long as I can stay motivated.....

one

2005-01-24T17:17:00.000-06:00

Today was my first ride of the new year. It was about 60º with a strong 17mph wind from the South. Unfortunately, I was only able to ride 6 and a half miles, my lungs just couldn't take anymore.

I've been sick for the past few weeks and thought I was over it, but apparently my lungs haven't completely recovered.

anyway, the milage will add up end, 6 is better than none....

-blanca

.........

2005-01-15T05:19:00.000-06:00

shhhhhh..... I'm hibernating.

end already!

2004-12-23T23:34:00.000-06:00

....not much has been going on lately, its been too cold and windy to ride lately. It snowed yesterday,which was quite nice. I didn't have to work so I just stayed home, messed around with my Mac and watched movies.

Last night I decided to watch "Lord of the Rings: Return of the king"...... The cinematography and special effects were excellent and the story is good, but DAMN! COME ON! END ALREADY! A lot of the crap, particularly towards the end, could have been cut without compromising the plot. This Film could have easily been 45 minutes shorter..... and even that would have been too long. Hell, I get tired just thinking about it. 3 hours & 10 F'ing Minutes? There should be laws against making a movie this long!

The night before, Lisa and I watched "Kingpin" .......Man, what a shit movie! We watched the first 45 minutes, then just had turn it off.

Maybe I'll have better luck with movies next week.......

-blanca

by the numbers

2004-12-02T01:54:00.000-06:00

where there's smoke

2004-09-29T05:54:00.000-05:00

...you won't find Me!

22 days smoke free, Brotha!!!

Blanca gives himself a pat on the back...... and refers to himself in the 3rd person.

Where’s all of the support man! Someone show me the love! Help a brother out!

-3rd person

ACL

2004-09-22T05:02:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a long one!

This past weekend, Lisa and I attended the Austin City Limits Music Festival and I must say, it was by far the most organized and entertaining event I have been a part of. Here the lowdown…….

Parking/Transportation:

No parking was allowed at or around Zilker Park. Your choices were too ride a bike, take a free shuttle or take a Taxi.

On day 1, we rode the shuttle. Shuttle parking was in Downtown Austin, around the Capitol Building. We had no problem finding a spot park and It was just a short walk to the shuttle pick up area. There, awaiting our arrival, were 15 to 20 City Buses. They were loading people as fast as they arrived. No waiting!

We arrived at Zilker Park within 15 minutes and were givin a free bottle of water and a few promotional items. There were minimal lines at the front Gate, at most 3 to 4 people deep. When leaving the show the first night, we took the shuttle back to Downtown and arrived within 30 minutes. The shuttle line looked long, but moved extremely fast......... not bad with a crowd of 70,000.

Day 2, we decided to take a cab. $15 and 15 minutes later we were at Zilker Park. At the end of the night we took the shuttle to Downtown, hung out on 6th street and took Taxi back to the Hotel from there.

Day 3, we took a Taxi to and from Zilker Park. The closing act finished at 10pm and we were back at the Hotel by 10:40. It was simply amazing. No lines, no traffic and no headaches. This city defiantly has thier shit together. Traffic control was first rate. The Shuttle and Taxi drop off points were about a quarter of a mile apart and because they were not allowing people to park at or around the festival site, there was no traffic, just busses and cabs.

Food/Beverage/Restrooms:

They were allowing concert goers to bring in only 2 factory sealed bottles of water and no food. I was completely expecting to spend enormous amounts of cash on such items, but again, I was pleasantly surprised by how everything was handled. There were numerous water stations located throughout the park, water was priced $2 a bottle....... Beer was $4. The Beer and Water stands were so numerous that you rarely had to wait, and when you did, again the lines were only 2 to 3 people deep.

The Food Stands were just incredible. We were given about 30 to choose from, all of which served different types of food from local restaurants, such as Stubb’s BBQ, Cafe Serranos, ect. No big name chains here! The food was reasonably priced, $4 to $5 for a BBQ sandwitch or Fajita Wrap, and the food quality was simply outstanding. When it was time to release all of the food and drink, you were sure to find an empty Porta Potty near by and never once had to wait. They were well placed and like everything else, plentiful!

The Staff:

Never encountered an unfriendly person. Even the Security Staff was friendly and quite talkative. They answered questions, gave advise and during one of the shows and even passed out water to those of us sweating away in the front row.

The Bands:

Day 1: We started off with a great performance by The Killers. To me they sounded like a Heavier Depeche Mode. Next we made our way to the front of the stage and waited on the Blind Boys of Alabama. They were the surprise of the day. An outstanding, energetic performance that just blew us away. They had more energy on stage then two thirds of the bands playing this festival. The highlight was when one of the 70 year old blind boys demanded to be carried off stage so he sing with the people, the crowd. His wish was granted and the crowd went nuts!

After the Blind Boys, we meet up with Jeanna and Tammera to watch The John Butler Trio. We only stuck around for about 20 minutes. It was good but I really wanted to see Patty Griffin, so we headed that way. Patty’s set, in my opinion, was the most disappointing of the festival. The sound was just horrible, which was surpriseing, considering everyone else that played that stage sounded great, I guess it just wasn’t her day.

We left Patty's set early and headed over to the SBC stage, in order to get up close for Ryan Adams. We ended up catching the last half of Solomon Burke. He was OK, but I think he’s more suited to play the Euless Arbor Daze Festival. I just didn’t think he was a good fit for ACL.

Lisa and I then pushed our way to the front of the stage to wait for Ryan's set.... and what a set it was! He played a wide selection of songs off of his Solo albums and was very personable. While Ryan was playing, Lisa noticed Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong on the side of the stage just hanging out. I managed to take a picture before they exited.

After Ryans set we rushed over to the other side of the park for Franz Ferdinand. We couldnt get close enough for a good view, but they sounded great! I would love to see them in a smaller venue! After Franz., we made or way over to get a glimpse of Los Lonely Boys. We stayed for a portion of thier set, but it was just not interesting enough to keep us from calling it a day. Beside's, Satan's Pizza was waiting for us!

Day 2: We decided to slow the pace a little and not run from stage to stage like a couple of kids. We got a little bit of a late start and headed directly for the SBC stage to see Big Head Todd. We got right up front and waited about half an hour for them to hit the stage. When they did, it was freakin great as usual. The Highlight was a stunning rendition of "Forever Man".

Once Todd finished up we made our way to a different stage to see Modest Mouse, luckily, as we passed the large schedule posted by the park entrance, I noticed that they had changed the time for The Wailers. We were planning on seeing them after Modest Mouse, but now had to choose between the two. This really sucked! we wanted to see both but in the end chose The Wailers. It turned out to be a great show. They started there set with a couple reggae instrumentals and then it was nothing but Marley classics.

Next we wandered over to see Dashboard Confessional. After a few songs, we determined that they were just too generic, so we pointed our ears in the oppisite direction and followed the sweet sounds of Trey Anastasio. We parked ourselves close to the beer stand, and enjoyed a few while we just laid in the grass and relaxed to the soothing sounds of Trey. It was an enjoyable finish to a very long day.

Day 3: We had a new plan for today. We were going to park ourselves at the front of one stage and stay there all day! This would guarantee us front row for Ben Harper. The day would start off with a little Hip Hop from The Roots, which turned out to be fantastic. It was Rap without samples and turntables, just some great musicians and an energetic front man. When The Roots finished up I decided to stock up on water for the next show, while wandering around I managed to catch a little of the North Mississippi Allstars set and then had to fight my way back through the crowd that had built up for Jack Johnson. I made it back to Lisa in one piece and told here was no way in hell I was going to fight through that mess again. So we stayed in the same spot (Front Row) for the next three bands. Jack was introduced by Perry Ferrell (Janes Addiction) which was kind of weird. It was cool to see Perry, just weird that he was there in the first place and then him introducing Jack Johnson? Jack was accompanied by G. Love and Donavan Frankenreiter on a couple tunes in the middle of his set, they just jammed like no ones business. it was pretty F'in cool.

Next up was Wilco, I really hadn’t hear much, if any of Wilco’s stuff before the show, but was impressed with there unique and powerful sound. Man, they just tore it up!

It was now time for the last act of the festival, Ben Harper! This was by far the best performance of the weekend. It started out with him being introduced by Lance Armstrong, who told the crowd funny little story about He and Ben jumping off of a cliff into a lake on Lance’s Austin Ranch the Day before. Ben came on shortly after and just blew us all away. He played a good selection of tunes off of his early albums, he played a few new ones off of he upcoming gospel album with The Blind Boys of Alabama and then played “With My Own Two Hands” with a killer version of “War” (Bob Marley) mixed in the middle, which he dedicated to Lance Armstrong. It was one of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen in a long time.

Also, inbetween songs, Ben was switching guitars and was amused to see Lance playing “roadie”. It was pretty funny, Ben just shook his head and gave a chuckle.

All total, we managed to see or hear a total 18 of the 130 acts that played this years event. It was an experience I will not soon forget and will definatly do it again next year. a BIG THANKS to Lisa for putting up with my moody nicotine free ass!…… and for losing my sunglasses.... :)

....and if you’ve read this entire post, you have already spent way too much time on this blog, might as well leave a comment below.....

-blanca

cujo

2004-09-14T04:21:00.000-05:00

This week has been a lot easier than I thought. For those who don't know (Like anyone is reading this F'ing thing), the date in the previous post is the date and time of my last cigarette. It's been 7 days now and still counting. I really haven't had any significant withdrawals. A small one hear and there but nothing major. The most difficult part is going to a convenience store. The few that I go to around town know me pretty well. They will either ask me if I'm buying a pack today or they have them waiting for me when I get to the counter...... So, I'll try to stay out of those stores, at least until I know that I've got things under control.

As for riding, I only rode twice this week. A 20 mile ride, at Trinity Park, with Lisa and a 22 mile ride around Saginaw the following day. The latter of the two, was definitely the most adventurous. The ride with Lisa was great but it did not compare to almost getting eaten alive by Cujo!

I was about 15 miles into my ride when, from out of nowhere, came this huge rottweiler. I was traveling down a rather large hill when he took charge, but he stayed on the other side of the highway and just ran parallel with me for a few hundred feet. I continued about another half mile and realized I had no choice but to go back the way I had come. So I decided not to cross over to the other side of the highway until I was past the beasts place of residence. As I started back, I got my speed up to about 25mph and spotted him rolling around on his back playing in the yard. I thought I might just make it past the house without him noticing and then all of the sudden, he rolled over and just took off! He didn't even hesitate when he got to the highway this time. He just dashed across and came within about 4 feet of my back tire. He kept pace with me for about 20 yards and then backed off. I lucked out. If he would have kept going for another 20 yards he would had me for lunch, as I was quickly approaching the large hill the I had sped down earlier. when I got to the top of the hill I stopped and rested for a bit.

The dog scared the shit out me. It was definitely the most strenuous mile I have ever ridden on a bike. Needless to say, I wont be traveling down that particular road again. Though, I will be contacting animal control. I hate to think of what might happen if a kid decides to ride down that same stretch of road. It just has not been a good couple weeks for riding. its unfortunate too, the weather has been just amazing.

One other note before I sign off. Lisa and I will be going to Austin for the ACL Festival the weekend and I cant wait to see Ben, Jack and Todd. I'm sure I'll be worrying my ass though waiting to see where Ivan decides go. As of now it could hit anywhere between Pensacola and New Orleans. My Parents have already decided there going to stay in Pensacola and I'm still waiting to hear what Steve and Wendy are going to do if it hits New Orleans.

We'll just have too wait and see I guess......

-blanca

about time

2004-09-07T23:12:00.000-05:00

09/07/04 07:35

Any guesses? Anybody?

-blanca

coke bottle

2004-09-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I've ridden each of the last three days. Distances of 12, 14 and 16 miles. All three were good rides in strong winds, but one incident in particular still has me steaming!

I was riding around the neighborhood and was having an enjoyable ride when, out of nowhere comes a full bottle of coke buzzing by my head. It came from a car full of teenagers that were traveling about 40 to 45 miles per hour. I managed to avoid the bottle as it flew by my head and landed about 4 feet in front of my front tire. I gave them the one finger solute and requested that they come back to discuss their stupidity but they just continued to drive. Chicken Shit Bastards!!!

As I rode the last three miles to the house, I was thinking just how completely stupid and dangerous it was of them to hurl the bottle. The town I live in a quite small, they were driving a very distinctive car and were coming from the general vicinity of the high school. Its not going to be that hard for me to find them! .......and when I do, you can guarantee that there will be some major payback! But I, unlike them, will not miss!

I am considering carrying a small canister of pepper spray, the kind that sprays a 15 to 20 foot stream. It would work great on aggressive dogs and ignorant teenagers. With the nifty little mirror I have on my bike, I'll be able to see them coming, giving me plenty of time to give them a taste of there own medicine....

Am I crazy for wanting to get back at these little bastards so bad? Would it be worth it? I vote yes!!

If you get a collect call from Scott in the near future, go ahead and except it. I might just be me calling you from jail.....

-blanca

short one

2004-08-26T06:47:00.000-05:00

my lazy ways are no more..... I got back on the bike yesterday and did a nice little 8+ mile ride. It felt freakin great!

....and the 16mph winds didnt seem to bother a bit.

Thats a good sign!

-blanca

i'm still alive

2004-08-25T04:44:00.000-05:00

Man, am I a lazy ass...... After almost two and a half months of riding, I have taken an extended break. It's been 18 days since I last mounted up, and I feel like shit. I would love to blame it on the DMB trip, my new schedule or my folks for taking over my house the past few weeks, but there is just no excuse. I'm a lazy ass! Time to get back in the saddle!

Hopefully I'll get back into my riding routine fairly quickly. I plan on riding today, probably just a short one. 8 to 15 miles would be nice. The HHH is now out of the question. With the unseasonably cool temperatures we've been having, this would be a great year for that ride, but my lazy ways have gotten the best of me lately and its just not a possibility. Next year I'll be ready for that bitch and I'll ride like it should be ridden..... in 95+ temps!

Last week Shayne, Coryne, Lisa and I took a trip to San Antonio to see the greatness that is The Dave Matthews Band. Man, what an incredible show! It was the 11th time I've seen them live and it seems to get better each time. We had great seats and a killer T-storm just prior to the show. The storm knocked out the power for about twenty minutes and kept us entertained. When we returned the next day, my folks were waiting for us at my house, they had just returned from El Paso. We unpacked, cleaned up a bit, then headed off to a little BBQ at Phils house. The next evening Lisa was kind enough to fix us a awesome enchilada dinner..... I can still taste the chili sauce. It was a great week, very filling but great!

Here in a couple weeks we'll be heading to Austin for the ACL Festival. Jeanna and Tamara will be joining us on this one and I cant wait! 130+ bands in three days..... and then we'll be off to Big Bend for some much needed hiking and climbing with the Newly Weds.

My action packed summers not over with yet.....

-blanca

tour de pants

2004-08-08T23:55:00.000-05:00

Well Saturday we (Lisa and I) rode the Tour de Pants! Man what a ride! We had a blast and the route kicked our ass, well mine anyway. Nathan and Burt from the "Bull and Bush" joined us as well. They rode the 75 mile route, I rode the 41 and Lisa did the 12. It was a challenging ride for all.

Lisa did about 18 miles, if you count all the extra pedaling she did while waiting on us. Her route had some very challenging hills as well, it was no cake walk! My route followed Lisa's for the first 4 to 5 miles than made a loop from the Lake to Grayford and back. My computer at the end of the day showed over 45 miles, again 4 miles of that was from riding around "The Cliffs" Resort, but it still counts in my book. Nathan and Burt's route Circled around Possum Kingdom Lake and ended along the same roads as the 40 and 12. The two of them, being very experienced roadies, said that this was one of the most challenging rides in North Texas, and they've done them all! One hill in particular was very rough for us all. The ride (41 and 12) starts with us going down this hill and finishes with us coming back up it. My mph, while going down, was just over 32mph and that was with heavy braking! Coming back up it was no picnic! I passed a lot of people walking there bikes. Over 650 riders participated in the ride, but only one, won the His and Hers Beach Cruisers....... and that was me!

The weather was good, we did get a little rain on the ride and short downpour while hanging out afterwards, but nothing serious. The temp was about 72-78 with cloudy skies and a nice cool breeze for most of the ride.

After the ride, I met up with Lisa at the pavilion and chow'ed down on some BBQ and free beer! We hung around for awhile and shot the shit with Nathan and Burt then headed back to Saginaw.

Were thinking of doing the Hot Rocks ride this weekend and have not counted out the HHH on the 28th!

I'll keep you posted!

-blanca

sorry, i got lost

2004-08-06T06:02:00.000-05:00

Man, I didn't realize it had been so long since I've updated this damn thing. Since my last post not a whole lot has gone on. I did decide not to try the HHH but I will be doing my first organized ride on Saturday. The Tour de Pants!

It a 75 mile ride around Possum Kingdom Lake and is supposed to have quite a few big hills. The distances include a 12, 41 and 75 mile routes, I'll be doing the 41. I have managed to talk Lisa into doing this with me it'll be a first for her as well. She's not sure whether she'll be doing the 12 or 41, she'll make that decision Saturday morning I suppose. Should be good weather and a fun but challenging ride.

This past week I have ridden three times, beating my previous bests in Ave. MPH (15.6), Distance (22.26) and Top Speed (25.7). Its been a good week! The three rides included 19, 20 and 22 mile rides. I decided, when I ride longer distances (15 miles and up), that I will take off the day after the give my muscles a rest. I seemed to working fine until yesterday....... I over slept and did not get a chance to ride. So I will be riding this afternoon and again tomorrow in the Tour de Pants.

Today's ride will be a shorter one, just need to get the blood moving in my legs before the big ride tomorrow............

Be good in the world!

-blanca

i'm back

2004-07-29T03:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is going to be a long one...... I went on vacation last week, hence the absences of posts.

It started with a road trip to Pensacola on the Sunday the 18th. On Monday, we (Lisa, My mom, Jayci and I) hung out at the beach, soaked up the sun and played in surf! I did do a nice little 8 mile ride along Johnson Beach before hitting the water. Man, it felt great to just jump off the bike and just throw myself in the gulf! The next few days we were either on the beach, in the pool or on the front lawn of my Moms house watching the Blue Angels Practice. Just a nice relaxing couple of Days...... then came Thursday!

Steve and Cody came into town on Wednesday evening for what was supposed to be a Kayak trip down the Coosa river, but Steve informed me earlier in the week that the Coosa was down and they weren't sure if they would be releasing water from the damn on Thursday, so we decided to make other plans. We figured we would give Windsurfing another chance, last April we had signed up for lessons but had to cancel due to timing issues. We called up the folks at Rouge Wave and set it all up.

We arrive at Pensacola beach at about 1pm and while setting up the boards the wind just died! I instantly thought about all the times that Steve and I had gone Climbing/Camping/Hiking in the past and were chased off the peaks and trails by heavy rains and thunder storms. Windsurfing with no wind, just our luck! Even our instructor was getting a little worried but we pushed on with the lesson. After a 45 minute beach session, learning proper stance on the board and how to handle the sail, we moved the boards into the bay. At that time a slight wind was starting to blow and we were in business! We sailed around for about 45 minutes then took a short break. When we headed back out, the wind had grown a little stronger and the three of us seemed to be a lot more comfortable on the boards. I had a few good runs and a few hard crashes. We came in for one more short break and at about 3pm, upon returning to the water, mother nature kicked things up a notch, the wind was really kickin now! We jumped on our boards and could tack and jibe with the best of them...... or at least the best of the worst. We had a freaking blast!

Friday morning Lisa and I hit the road to New Orleans. We arrived at Steve and Wendy's at around 3pm, got cleaned up and made our way to the French Quarter. We had an incredible meal at the Crescent City Brew house, then walk over to Bourbon St................. you guessed it, we got sloshed! I also showed my man boobs and got rewarded with beads!

We spent most of Saturday recovering from the night before. We just sat around and watched Lance kick some ass in the Tour de France and veg'ed out. Later in the day, after Wendy fixed us a really nice meal, we all went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Steve and I put in about ten miles, while the Ladies headed in early to watch Big Brother. The rest of the evening was spent watching movies, Drinking Beer and Dackeries.

It was a fantastic trip!

Thanks to all who made it possible!

-blanca

wind tunnel

2004-07-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

I went for a shorter ride today before I went to work and the wind just flat out sucked!! The wind was around 10 mph, it seemed much stronger, but it changed direction with every turn I made. At first I though I was just imagining it but when I took notice of the flags along the route, my suspicions were confirmed!

Yesterday was a much better and longer ride. The only problem I had today, besides the wind, was a little soreness in my right knee. I got in about six and a half miles today and twelve and a half yesterday. That's a little less than I had hoped to do, but I just dont have the time to get in a good long ride (15+) on the days that I work.

on the road again

2004-07-14T04:14:00.000-05:00

This has been a good week for riding, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable on the bike and have been getting in some longer rides. I took a day off Friday and in the next three days put in 44.33 miles, including a 20 mile ride on Sunday with Lisa, Tony and Monica. My average speed is on the rise and even with taking the day off today (Tuesday), I've already put in more miles this week than any previous...... and I still have one day left in my riding week.

Ok, so your asking yourself why does blanca's ride week start on a Thursday? Why not! My work week normally starts on a Thursday and that’s when I decided to get off my ass. So it works for me!

In the next few weeks I hope to ride with Nathan's Crew on a longer organized ride. We'll have too see how things go!

Also, In a little more than a week, Steve and I will be taking a couple kayaks down the Coosa River..... Can't wait to get in the water!!

bitch of a wind

2004-07-10T05:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided not to ride yesterday (Friday) afternoon.... I just had no desire to fight the wind. It was at 15mph with 23mph gusts. So I decided to take a rest day. Friday the wind was about the same and I was almost blown off the bike by one hellish gust. Hopefully the wind wont be as strong today and I can get in a good ride.

Also, I was looking at the HHH site this evening and am contemplating doing it. I know I'm not ready for the full hundred but feel that I could, realistically, do the 25 or 50 by then. I've never been part of an organized ride nor have I ridden with a large group, but it would be a good introduction.

Well, its something to think about anyway........

best ride yet!

2004-07-08T05:05:00.000-05:00

After taking a couple days off, I came back with one of my best rides yet! I started a little late, decided I would get some yard work done first. Mowed the lawn worked up a good sweat and decided to take a quick ride around Saginaw before it got dark.

I ended up with a few personal bests (since I stopped riding last year due to the heart issues), Max MPH (24), Distance (14.1) and Ave. MPH (15.3). I know It may not seem like much, but considering I've only on the bike for a few weeks and was completely out of shape prior, I think its pretty damn good! If nothing else, Its a start.

I was riding against an 11 mph cross wind almost the entire ride and had to climb three long and steady hills. The temp was 90 and the humidity hell! One good sign was the fact that my legs out lasted my lungs. They felt as if they could have gone another 15 miles with no problem and the bike was smooth as glass after the tune up.

One great ride......

nothin but blood

2004-07-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

I took the day off from riding today, the bike was sent to the shop for a quick tune up...... pretty much a lazy day. That's a good thing though. It'll give my mussels a little rest.

I think I figured out my new obsession with the bike. I realized that all of this started when Shayne and I canceled the Climbing trip for this year. It will be the first time in 8 years that I wont be doing a summer climb. Although I will be kayaking with Steve in about two weeks, I believe this recent infatuation is just my mind saying "F' you if you think your just going to lay around all summer and get fat(ter)".

Also, Lisa has been extremely supportive of my riding, and has been a great riding partner. Man, we have a blast when we go to Trinity Park.

A few other things worth mentioning, today is the first day in about 10 months that I have dropped below 200 lbs (Blanca gives himself a pat on the back)....... and did I mention that I cut the shit out of my finger yesterday. I was washing the car before the ride and sliced it on the license plate. It Hurt like hell and bled like a mother, but it did not keep me from riding!!!!!!!

Out!

tour de saginaw

2004-07-04T06:10:00.000-05:00

Wow.... I completely forgot I had an account on this thing. Lets see if I can post on a regular basis. Anyway, Today has become a personal "Independence Day" for me.

Although I been riding my bike on a regular basis for the past few weeks (14 out of the past 17 days), today is the day that it officially became a addiction! Sure, I've been riding the bike off and on for about a year and a half now, but before I'd get bored after a couple days, look for excuses not to ride, then hang it up in the garage until I found the urge to ride again.

Its all I could think about this evening. Looking at maps on mapquest trying to determine which road(s) will I ride this week, how am I going to fit the bike in Lisa's car for the FL/No Trip, and what routes will I take when I get there.

So what's changed you ask...... I have no freaking idea, but a strong wind is now a challenge, hills look inviting, not menacing and my legs scream for speed. The only other time I get this feeling is when I climb.

Its all I think about!!

Happy 4th..... Be good out there!

Guadalupe Peak, Tx. 8749 ft.

2003-06-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

On our or way to Cortez, Shayne and I decided to attempt Guadalupe peak. The year before, also on our way to Colorado, we saw the peak off in the distance and said “we need to climb that one”. So here we were a year later on our way back to Colorado and making a detour through West Texas to climb the Highest Peak in the state! We thought it would be a good warm up for what was waiting for us in Colorado. It turned out to be an incredible climb.

We spent the previous night in Carlsbad, NM, got up early, and headed for the Guadalupe Peak Trailhead. We arrived at about 7:30am and started the climb at about 8:00. When we arrived there were several people at the trailhead, but most were doing the shorter scenic hikes. The trail begins switch-backing its way up East side of the Point 8113, then turns to the North as you begin to traverse some small cliffs. There is not much vegetation on the lower part of the climb, mostly Cactus and Mesquite Trees, but once you make it past the lower cliffs and Crest the North-East Ridge of Point 8113, the scenery quickly changes. A gorgeous mix of pines, mesquite, stone and various vegetation…… but no view to the Summit. The trail levels out for a bit as it slowly climbs the North side of Peak. Here we saw our first signs of human life on the GP Trail. We caught up some folks who were ahead of us. We chatted for a bit then left them in our dust. Not long after, we passed some primitive camp sites and crested another ridge on the North Side of the peak. We took a small break and then pushed on.

The last part of the climb was just too much fun. It seemed to have a surprise around every corner. First is a small wooden bridge that crosses a deep gorge as you walk along the some impressive cliffs. Next the trail crests the East Ridge and we received stunning views to the South looking out over El Capitan. The skies were clear and you could see for what seemed like forever. Next we circled under the summit and climbed the steep South face of Guadalupe Peak to the summit. We must have stayed on the summit for 30 minutes or so. The views were just incredible. Definitely one of my favorites. Interesting summit marker as well.

The hike down was uneventful and very hot at the lower elevations. Great climb, great weather and spectacular views. What else could you ask for……. Besides an ice cold beer!

This one is a must!

-blanca

tejas

2002-07-28T23:57:00.000-05:00

Headed back to Texas ............... Ok, so we didn't climb as much as we wanted to and we had too many rest day's but it was a great trip regardless. The storms really played a large roll in our climbing efforts. We didn't get the usual late afternoon storms that are so common to the region. Instead we received downright nasty Thunderstroms pretty much the entire trip.

From a personal standpoint the rain was defeating, but when you look at the bigger picture it was a huge relief. It may have just saved a few hundred thousand acers for us to enjoy in years to come.

-blanca

Todd

2002-07-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

Left Dillon and headed towards Denver. On our way we took a small detour through Central City/Blackhawk. At the Casino, Shyane was drooling over a Sheryl Crow look alike while I was winning beer money for the Todd show. I walked away with an extra $320. We only stayed in Blackhawk for about 1 1/2 hours. We then hopped over to our hotel in Lakewood to prepare for a big night with Todd.

At about 4PM we Headed to Red Rocks for the Big Head Todd show. We meet some really cool folks before the show, drank few Lone Stars then enjoyed the greatness that is Big Head Todd. While backstage we got the opportunity to hang out with the great Hazel Miller (who I gave a little kiss too). When returning to our seats toward the end of the show, I almost got my ass kicked by a 5 drunk punks while Shayne was off getting my beer. When he returned and I informed him of the situation, he turned, looked at the 5 guys that had completely surrounded me, gave an evil laugh and loudly said "ahhh...we can take em". They quickly dispersed! After the show we hung out in the parking lot, drank a few more beer and enjoyed the company of some more really cool locals.

not today

2002-07-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

We woke up early with the intentions of trying Quandry again. A quick peak out the window gave us our answer...... not today!

Another Thunderstorm sitting right on top of the peak. We waited a couple of hours to see if the storm would clear, but nothing doing. The weather looked clear off to the east, so we decided to we would have some breakfast and give Evans-Bierstadt a try. By the time we arrived at the zoo that is Mount Evans, the storms appeared to be following us. We did have a couple of hour of good weather and managed to get in some good hiking and bouldering.

Back to Dillon.

wet again

2002-07-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Left Salida for DIllon. We attempted to climb Quandry Peak but once again the weather got the best of us. We broke the ridge then noticed the massive storms that's seemed to coming at us form every direction. When we got back to the car, the peak was getting slammed. Another good decision.

Time for some pizza and beer!

Detriot Louie

2002-07-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

Spent the night in Salida, hung out out the Triple M and listened while "Detriot Louie" told us his life story.

Handies Peak, Co. 14,048 ft.

2002-07-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

Shayne and I arrived at the American Basin trailhead at approx. 4pm. We were contemplating whether or not we should wait until the morning or go for it. The late start would mean that part of the decent would be in the dark, but given our luck with 14ers earlier in the week and the brevity of the climb, we decided give it a shot.

We started at Approx 4:45pm, following the Jeep trail just below Handies summit. The trail is a class 1 until you reach 12,600ft. It than turns to the east on a fairly, well defined class 2 route to the summit. The Roach book again is a little off. We started up the "old" trail and about 3/4ers of the way up, saw a sign stating that the trail was closed due to erosion. Don't know if someone had moved the sign on purpose just to confuse the hell out of everyone or if it was just bad placement by the CFI. Either way, by that time we were to far into the climb and decided to carry on to the ridge.

Once we reached the Handies South ridge we could clearly see the new trail behind us. It seemed to be slightly longer but not quite as steep (Still a class2). At this point the sky began to make some noise and a little sleet began to fall. 25 minutes later were on the summit. As we wandered over to Point 13,577, the clouds cleared just enough for us notice that we had walked right over Handies summit and were headed toward Whitecross Mountain. The clearing of the clouds was brief and as we where heading back to the summit, the sky's closed up. On the summit rested for about five minutes and looked for the summit log, but couldn't find it and with the storms getting worse we decided head back down. We received rain, hail and sleet during the entire decent. The New trail was in great shape and was easy enough to navigate with a flashlight. We arrived back to the truck, soaking wet, at about 8:45pm.

Even with the weather it was an enjoyable climb, short but enjoyable.

-blanca

big tree

2002-07-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

Attempted Hermosa Peak. Three hours into the Drive, to the Trail Head, the rain started and a huge tree fell across the road, Blocking our path and sending us back to Dolores.

boring

2002-07-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

07/21/02 - 09:00
Rest Day! Its what we do best!

sandstone

2002-07-20T23:00:00.000-05:00

With the luck we've had on 14ers, we decided to take a little trip to Arches State Park in Utah. We hiked around on a bit an just enjoyed the views

rich

2002-07-19T20:30:00.000-05:00

Rest day!!! Spent so more time at the Ute Mountain Casino....

I won my ass back + $500.

Crab Legs Good!

Weterhorn Peak, Co. 14,015 ft.

2002-07-18T21:04:00.000-05:00

After a beautiful ride over Engineer Pass we arrived at Matterhorn Creek trailhead at 8:30pm on 7-17. The road was unusually quiet. We parked at the 4WD parking just below the access gate and set up camp. The next morning we got a little bit of a late start, we hit the trail at approx. 6:45am and started on the class 1 trail leading to the Wetterhorn cutoff.

The trail to the cutoff is very gentle and well defined. Unfortunatly, Mr. Roach's maps and book are a little outdated. We arrived at a faint trail, marked by a small a cairn, took a look at the map and decided that the trail to Wetterhorn must be further up the main trail. The trail to our left was 500ft lower than the map showed and headed east-northeast. Roach's map shows the trail heading north toward Matterhorn and than slowly turning west-southwest below the Wetterhorn - Matterhorn ridge.

After following the main trail for about 45 minutes (and 900 feet of elevation), we took a break and tried to figure out where we were heading. From this vantagepoint we could now see the trail at 11,500 more clearly. I decided to scout a little more of the main trail to see if I could find the cutoff shown on the map. After reaching 12,400 feet and seeing no signs of the cutoff, I went back down to were Shayne had been resting and we decided to give the trail at 11,500 a shot. We couldn't see the whole trail but we figured we would just scramble up to the ridge if need be.

We went back down then headed along the faint trail for half a mile, passing a few primitive campsites and crossing Matterhorn creek. The trail hugs the upper West side of the basin to the left of Matterhorn creek, it then becomes much more defined, quickly steepen's and heads directly toward point 13,117. We reached the point at 11:45 and took about a 15-minute break. From the cutoff to point 13,117 the trail is a class 2.

After our break, while slowly making our way up the ridge, we meet up with a couple of guys on there way down from the summit. They informed us that we were about 45 minutes to an hour from the summit. Shayne and I talked with them for a few minutes and decided to make the final push. Ten minutes later Ingred passed us. We saw him coming about 20 minutes earlier and were amazed by his pace. We exchanged hello's as he started up the final portion of the ridge to the summit wall. As soon as Ingred passed us, we noticed that the clouds above were becoming more threatening by the minute. After a short discussion we decided that if we hauled ass we might make the summit before the storm developed but our pace was becoming slower and slower and neither one of us had any desire to climb down the 150 foot summit wall in the rain. The wet rock would have turned our climb into a suicide mission.

Shortly after turning around I was surprised to see Ingred peaking over the ridge, he apparently had been listening to our conversation and after pondering his own fate for a few minutes he decided to go for the summit. Neither Shayne or I were worried, we knew he was traveling at about twice the pace we were and knew that he would have no problem getting down from the summit before the storm materialized.

Mildly defeated, I followed Shayne down the trail, the altitude was really messing with my head and I found myself running and jumping over exposed sections of trail that I would normally think twice about. It didn't occur to me, what I was doing, until we were 1/3 rd of the way down. Shortly after my self diagnosis of altitude stupidity, Shayne informed me that he wasn't feeling so hot. His head was pounding and he was feeling nauseous. We took a 10 minute break, slammed some water and continued on down to the truck. By the time we reached the truck the storm had finally pulled itself together over Wetterhorn. Shayne was still feeling nauseous and I was just flat out beat! We decided to head towards Lake City and find a place to eat and crash.

It took us about an hour to change and rearrange the gear in the truck, just as we started, Ingred passed through the access gate and started down toward the parking area. 45 minutes later we passed a hitchhiking Ingred along Henson Creek road. Shayne and I stopped an offered him a ride to his car and as the rain started, he accepted. It turns out he started his day at the Nellie Creek 4WD parking, climbed Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn then came down the Matterhorn Creek trail. This put him a little over 15 miles from his vehicle, while a heavy thunderstorm chased him down the road. Ingred was in the states on Holiday from Italy. The previous day he had asked the local forest service worker, the most direct route up Wetterhorn and the above instructions are what they gave him. He wasn't too happy when we showed him a map of the area and pointed out the 15 mile trek he almost had to make between trailheads. He also stated that he was listening quite attentively to our conversation on the ridge and pondered the idea of following us down.

When we dropped him off we were shocked to find that he had driven a 2WD ford aerostar, with zero ground clearance, up this rough 4WD road. He laughed and explained how he would drive about 20 feet get out of the car move the big rocks out of his way than drive another 20 feet or so and do it again, until he reached the 4WD parking area. He also gave us a couple beers, as "thanks" for the ride to his car. We never did get his name, Ingred was the first name that came to mind and It just stuck.

Shayne and I made it to Lake City, at approx. 8pm, only to find everything closed. So we decided to push on to Gunnison and prepare for round 2.

-blanca

first run

2002-07-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

Bye-bye Dolores...........

We are heading out to Wetterhorn Peak trail head. For the next four days we will be in the wilderness as we attempt Wetterhorn Peak, Uncompahgre Peak, Handies Peak, Red Cloud Peak and Sunshine Peak.

broke

2002-07-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

Another day in Dolores, we pretty much just hung around watched the rain extinguish the fire on Sleeping Ute.

I lost my ass in the Ute Mountain Casino. Shayne lost $10 bucks in change.

rain

2002-07-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

A casual day in Dolores...... We did attempt to climb Sharks Tooth but the weather didn't hold up. It was raining, sleeting, hailing and lightning on us most of the way up. So we headed back to Dolores and went to Cindy's softball game at Ft. Lewis College in Durango. The other team didn't show up, so we played a guys vs. girls. We beat a bunch of chicks!!

Shayne wussed out, because he's afraid to hurt his hockey body.

fire

2002-07-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Rankin the last night slammed a few beers with my Redneck Cousin, Kristy and Kelli...... off to New Mexico!

New Mexico is one F***ed up state. We drove from Rankin to Durango, via Roswell (no alien sightings). As we were making our way from Durango to Dolores we notice a faint red glow off in the distance. It turned out to be a fire on Sleeping Ute Mountain.

Approx. 25 fires were started in the area by lightning.

here we go

2002-07-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

Colorado via Rankin?

We have a place to be, but no specific time to be there......... Basically, Shayne overslept! We've decided to leave a little later in day and maybe alter our route to Colorado through Rankin..... or maybe not...

The Lincoln group

2001-07-29T00:53:00.000-05:00

The Lincoln Group consists of the following peaks:

Mount Lincoln 14,286
Mount Cameron 14,238
Mount Bross 14172
Mount Democrat 14148

Trail Report by: Shayne Seymour and Scott Parry

Scott and I reached Kite Lake Trailhead about 3pm on Saturday, July 28, 2001. Kite Lake sits above timberline at 12,200 ft. It is a beautiful camp area, and we lucked out and grabbed the last available site. As we were setting camp, a couple from Denver stopped by and asked if we were setting up or tearing down. We said we were setting up, but the site was big enough for us to share.

After setting up camp, we hiked up the trail along the southwest ridge of Democrat to look for the route we would take the next morning. Lake Emma sits at 12,600 ft below Democrat's summit and between it's southwest and southeast ridges. It is an absolutely stunning site. We realized that if we had brought water and food, we easily could have reached the Democrat summit then. Considering that we weren't familiar with the rest of the route, we decided to wait until morning.

I woke up and decided to visit the nearby outhouse around 2:00am. The sky was perfectly clear, and the moon had set. I have never seen so many stars. It was breathtaking.

We got up around 4:30 and at 5:00, we saw a group of 5 hikers heading up the trail we planned to take. We hit the trail at 5:40am. At a split in the trail, we went right where the evening before we had gone left. The right fork took us to another set of lakes and gave us a view of potential routes. Here we caught up with two members of the group ahead of us. We pointed out our planned route to them and they headed off, while Scott and I stopped for a short break. The sun was just beginning to peak over Bross, so I decided it was safe to lose the thermals, talk about extreme exposure!

The trial is faint and at times hard to find, but we picked it up just on the north side of the lake. Just below the lower part of the extremely steep southeast ridge, we caught up with the other group. This part was a minimum Class 3, with the occasional class 4 pitch. We rested about 45 minutes and let other group finish to avoid any falling rocks. Scott was climbing a narrow 12 ft chimney, using footholds on its sides. It was narrow enough to catch his backpack. He was able to find good holds and climb a more stable route towards the outside edges of the chimney. When we reached the upper part of the ridge, the other group was still there. One of them was pretty shaken up about the climb. She was crying and saying she could not go any higher. Her friends tried to comfort her, as did Scott and I, by saying she had already gone through the worst part, but she was too shaken. Two of them decided to traverse to the southeast class 2 trail to return with her to Kite Lake. The other two hiked with Scott and I.

We scrambled up the ridge and then crossed a large talus field, passing some old mines, to Democrat's summit. We reached the summit around 8:30 and spent about 30 minutes shooting video and taking pictures. We talked to a group of three guys that were smoking weed at the summit, (They were using a magnifying glass to light their pipe) they were kind enough to offer us some, but we respectfully declined. I had a faint headache all morning. By the time we reached the summit, it was a full grown headache. It was also on Democrat's summit that Scott realized he forgot his food, all I had was two granola bars and a Cliff bar.

We started off for Cameron. The Class 2 trail to Cameron is fairly steep and not well defined at first, after about fifty yards of scrabbling the trail appears. Approaching Cameron's summit, I decided that I might head on down from there. I told Scott that because of my headache and our lack of food, that perhaps we should head back down after Cameron. He agreed. When we got to the top of Cameron and saw Lincoln's distinct peak, Scott changed his mind. He said we had come that close and we might as well grab Lincoln while we were there. We decided to summit Lincoln and save Bross for another time.

The trail to Lincoln was pretty easy and the last fifty feet is somewhat exposed. We spent about 15 minutes taking pictures on Lincoln's summit before starting back down. Since we thought we were done for the day we stopped, so that Scott could light up a cigarette . This allowed two lovely young ladies, that left Lincoln a few minutes after, to catch up with us. Their names were Susan and Karen. (Please forgive me if I misspelled your names.) We were talking with them while hiking down Lincoln, forgetting that we had decided to skip Bross....... At Bross's summit we sat rested with two guys who were nice enough to offer us food. They had also just completed the cirque and were going to descend Bross and head over to summit Quandary.

Susan, Karen, Scott and I began our descent down Bross. The scree field down Bross is pretty loose and deep. I finally got the hang of scree and had a blast "skating" down Bross. Susan and I had great conversation along the trail descending Bross. Karen on the other hand was flying down the scree feild, leaving Scott and Us in the dust. We reached camp right about 2pm, so it took us around 8 hours to complete the cirque. While Scott gave Susan and Karen a ride to their car, I sat down and realized that my head was really pounding and I was starving.

We tore down camp and drove to Salida where we had a huge meal at our favorite restaurant, The Country Bounty, they are one of the few restraunts in town that take in dirty, smelly hikers. We then decided to head to the hotel and take a 12 hour nap.

-SS & SP

Mt. Sneffels, Co. 14,150 ft.

2001-07-24T22:28:00.000-05:00

Trail Report by: Shayne Seymour and Scott Parry

We left Dolores, Co. for Ouray at about 2:00pm on July 23, 2001, stopping for some awesome pictures of Engineer and the Twilight peaks. Since we arrived in town a little late, we decided to forego a visit to the amphitheater and head straight up Camp Bird road. We passed the place where I was dropped off on my Labor Day 2000 attempt of Sneffels. It was a good 2 miles from the trail head.
After passing numerous campsites, we settled at the Atlas camp ground. We were right next to Atlas Creek and the outhouse! A few minutes after we got out of Scott's truck our neighbor camping across the road from us came over to say hello. His name was Carl and Sneffels was going to be his 35th Fourteener. Carl invited us to climb with him in the morning. We figured with Carl's experience this would be a pretty good idea. By the time we set up camp, the sky was perfectly clear. We experienced few showers during the night, but nothing too heavy.

We woke up at 4:30am, got the packs ready, and jumped in Carl's truck around 5:00am to ride up to the trail head. The sky was pretty cloudy, but it looked like the clouds would burn off. Yankee Boy Basin is a beautiful hike. Other than being a resident of 300 ft. above sea level, the hike was fairly easy. At least it was up to the Lavender Couloir. The Lavender Couloir is moderately steep scree field, mostly loose dirt laced with Talas.

The three of us reached the saddle between Sneffels and Kismit about 8:30, which was pretty much right on our schedule. The view from here is incredible. Much better than Wetterhorn or Shavano. The pitch up from the saddle was a lot of fun. We were treated to a light sprinkles as we climbed up some large Talas to the "exit crack". When I passed through the exit crack, it started sleeting. The wind was blowing pretty hard, the sleet stung my face and legs as it hit me. It was really cool! Once through the exit crack, its about a two hundred yard hike on some exposed broken ledges to the summit. We reached the summit around 9:15. At 9:30, someone counted 17 people and one dog on the summit. This one was a blast!!

From the summit you get some incredible views of Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn and the Blue Lakes are stunning. We stayed on the summit, shooting pictures and video for about 30 minutes before starting down. There was a group of four ladies on their way up as were descending. I stopped and chatted with one for a few minutes. The rain began to pick up as we started down the scree field. The clouds looked pretty scary at this point. The ladies decided that the it wasn't worth the risk and head down shortly after we passed them. It turned out to be a great decision, the weather just got worse. When we were about one-third of way down, a huge bolt of lightning hit a small peak just to our right, and everyone hit the deck. It was kind of a whip going down the scree or thick mud as it was by this point, we were sliding down the scree without much control. By the time I got to the bottom of the couloir, we were wet and muddy. It was pretty much a steady rain all the down.

Carl passed me towards the bottom of the col, and I lost sight of him shortly after. Luckily for Scott and I, he waited for us at the trailhead and gave us a ride down to the camp site. After we broke down camp and changed the flat tire on Scott's truck, we treated Carl to lunch in Ouray.

It was a true pleasure climbing with Carl, he keep a great pace and had us laughing the entire climb.

-SS & SP

Mt. Shavano, Co. 14,229 ft.

2000-08-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

This trip was thrown together by Darren and I. We originally have about 10 people planning to go on this one, but about one month prior, we cut the list down to 6. Shayne, Jade, Ron, Troy, Darren and Myself were the only ones who took the invitation seriously. So we headed out to Salida for what would be a great climb!

We set up camp the night prior to the climb at the Angel of Shavano Camp ground. While the others dodged Jade's flaming wrath, Shayne and I went to scout out the trailhead. We had originally planned to start at Jennings Creek, but on the way up we noticed a sign saying that the trail had been closed due to recent deaths on Tabeguache Peak, we never did find out the details but I imagine the trail closure was either due to lightning strikes or a decent down McCoy Gulch, this left us with the Blank Gulch Trail. It was a longer trail and not as accessible as Jennings Creek, but we didn't have any other options.

The next morning we broke camp and headed up to the Blank Gulch trailhead. The road is passable for most vehicles, but the last mile gets a little tricky. Its not to bad if you take it slow. When we arrived, we unloaded the gear and started the hike. The trail can be done in one day, but we decided to camp about halfway up the trail.

The first half of the trial is a beautiful hike as it winds its way through a thick forest, we passed a few primitive camp sites then crossed a small creek. The trail follows the creek until you reach 11,200ft. At this point the trail make a sharp right and the scenery quickly changes. Camp was set up here. We found a nice clearing about 50ft west of the trail. After setting up camp, a few of us bush whacked to the creek to fill our water bottles for the climb in the morning. We ran into a nice couple who had found a premo spot to camp, they were probably a quarter mile from the trail at the base of the angel. We chatted with them for a few minutes then left them to themselves.

The next morning we got a bit of a late start. I want to say we hit the trail at 8:30 but it might have been closer to 9. From 11,200 the trial steep'ens slightly for about 3 quarters of a mile until you break tree line. Once you break tree line, you get a nice view of the trail (Class 2) that leads to the saddle. By this time our once large pack had split into three pairs. Shayne and Troy in front, Ron and Myself about 50 yards behind them and Darren and Jade bringing up the rear about 50 yards behind us. As we pushed to the summit, everyone started to split up. Troy was blazing his way through the switchbacks to the saddle, Ron had pulled away from me and caught up with Shayne, while Jade and Darren fell a little farther behind. When I reached the saddle I received a radio message from Darren stating that he was done. The altitude had gotten the best of him. Jade on the other hand was still on his way up. I took a little nap on the, fifty yard wide, saddle and when I awoke Ron and Shayne were halfway up Shavano's south ridge, Troy was not in sight and Jade was still trying to work his way up through the switchbacks.

I figured that I would pass Shayne and Ron on there way down, but was quite surprised when I stumbled upon Ron, wandering aimlessly just below the summit. I asked him what he was doing and he replied "I lost the trail!". I asked "have you been to the summit yet? and were's Troy?". Ron said that he hadn't seen or heard from Troy and that he hadn't reached the summit because he couldn't find the trial. My reply was "trail?..... your on a Talus field above 14.000ft, who needs a f' ing trail? The summit is right there!", as I pointed to the 60 ft pile of rocks behind him. He replied "ok... I'll just follow you!". About 10 minutes later we found a well rested Troy and a light headed Shayne on the summit. Shayne was just ahead of Ron and I but Troy had to have been up there for at least 45 minutes and I could have sworn I heard him snoring as we approached.

As we reached the summit of Shavano, Jade was approaching the summit of Esprit Point. He decided that he was too far behind us and with the storm clouds building above, the 13er might be his only shot at a summit. It was a good decision on his part. The four of us spent another 30 minutes on the summit, then noticed the storm seemed to be heading our way. We made a quick decent down the angels snow-less left wing. I figure it saved us about 30 minutes. but it turned out to be and unnecessary move. The storm that looked like it was heading right for us stayed to the east and we just received some light sprinkles. We passed a few Big Horned Sheep on the way down as Shayne and I were discussing how we wished that we had gone and done Tabeguache while we were up there, but while on Shavano's summit the weather didn't look as if it would hold and the connecting ridge was the last place we would want to be during the storm...... Oh well, It gives us a reason to go back!

We made it back to camp in about an hour and a half. Then celebrated a successful summit the following evening at the Triple M in Salida......... no ones heard from Ron since!

-SP

Mt. Democrat, Co. 14,148 ft.

1999-07-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

This one was billed as the Democrat Convention. This year the group consisted of Steve, Wendy, Cody, Darren, Colby, Kristen, Doreen, Harry and myself. It was to be the reunion climb. We meet up with the group at the Super8 in Raton, NM. The next day we headed towards Fairplay, to set up camp. After setting up, we all sat around the fire to get caught up on each others lives and exchange gifts. Darren and I had made t-shirts for everyone in the group and Wendy made us all "survival kits", each equipped with a candle, a journal, whistle and various other nik-naks in a creatively, hand decorated sealable pouch. The week started out wonderfully and for some of us it would be a bittersweet summit.

Following the previous nights festivities, the next morning we started out on a nice little warm up hike. We hiked a nice little trail that wound its way through the foothills of the Ten Mile – Mosquito range. The weather was great and everyone was feeling well as we hiked about one and a half miles to tree line. We then turned back and decided to have some dinner and turn in a little early so to be well rested for the Democrat accent. At about 7:00pm, just as everyone was preparing for sleep. The youngest member of our little clan was complaining of a severe headache and nausea. The Altitude had claimed yet another.

Steve and Wendy decided it they needed to get Cody to a lower altitude so they left camp with Doreen and Harry and spent the night in Buena Vista. Our climbing crew had been reduced to 4 in a matter of minutes. We had a long discussion that night about weather we should climb in the morning or wait till the following day. We wanted to summit with Steve and Wendy but without knowing Cody’s condition and whether or not they would even attempt a climb the following day, we decided to give it a go in the morning!

We arrived at the Kite Lake Trail Head at Approx. 8:00am. The Air was crisp and there was not a cloud in the sky. We took the standard route up Democrat. The class 2 trail winds its way from Kite Lake to the Democrat – Cameron Saddle passing and old mining building and crossing a small stream. The trail from the stream crossing steppens slightly, but nothing to terribly difficult. Once we reached the saddle, we were immediately greeted a strong, bone chilling wind. From the Saddle you have two options, follow the ridgeline to the summit, which is not yet visible or ver off to the left and follow the well worn climbers trail to the false summit. Wanting to avoid as much of the wind as possible we decided to head towards the false summit. This route is a little longer but the wind and exposure are minimal.

From this point it took about 30 minutes to reach the false summit. As I was waiting for Darren, Colby and Kristen, I spoke with a man and his son as they were on their way down. From where I stood, the summit looked as if it was about an hour hike. The man told me “It’s about a 10 minutes…… not nearly as far as it looks”. After Darren and Colby came into view I headed for the summit. From the false Summit you head through a easy, level trail across a large snow field and than its just a short accent to the summit. 10 minutes on the nose! I waited on the summit for the rest of the crew. Once they arrived we shot some video, snapped a few pictures and celebrated a successful summit. Unfortunalty we didn’t have much time to rest. Storm clouds were building rapidly. About 15 minutes into our decent we heard the clash of thunder. We stopped and reviewed our options. We were looking forward to a nice slow decent, but with the speed of the oncoming storm we decided to jump trail and head straight down the Talas field. Which wound up saving us about 45 minutes and possibly a lightning strike. Kysten had a close call, about 100 yards from the car she told Colby that she felt a little funny, Colby turned around to answer her and noticed that her hair was standing on end. We made it back to the car about 5 minutes after the storm caught up with us. Luckly for us we got off the mountain just in time. The was the first summit for Darren, Krysten and Myself. It was Colby's second.

Once, in the car we drove to Fairplay and had lunch at the Brown Buro, then meet up with the rest of the group in Buena Vista. The following day Steve and Wendy drove up to Kite Lake, but were unable to make an attempt due to early morning storms.

Side Note:

A very strange thing happened shortly after reaching the false summit. I was waiting on the others to come into sight, when a beautiful woman came around the corner. She sat down and talked with me briefly, then ten minutes later I saw here on the summit. About 5 minutes after that Darren and Colby came into sight and I headed for the summit. While crossing the snowfield I noticed that the woman was gone. She had come from the main trail, the same trail Darren and Colby were on. From the vantage point I had their was only one way down that I could not see and that would have been a Class 4 decent with about a 30 mile hike. Once I reached the summit I looked around all possible exit points and trails but saw no sign of her, nor did she sign the summit log.

Later that afternoon I asked Darren if she had passed them on the way up, and he said he didn’t know what I was talking about. To this day Darren still say’s I’m crazy and calls it a "altitude mirage"…….

-SP