Pleading with Mother...

I still haven't managed to skip out on an entire northern Midwest winter in my life, and another one is beginning. I woke up to this thing we call "fall flurries". This means snow is falling, but nowhere close to enough of it to make the leap from summer and winter outdoor fun. Mother Nature- if you're going to kill off another year of cycling and climbing for those of us residing in this part of the world, do it quick and nasty. Yank the band-aid. Seriously, give us five feet of powder to play in! Give me a honest reason to own snowshoes after leaving the Wasatch. Do not let us suffer the boredom of another year of brown, frigid, windy, barely-any-snow conditions! I'm warning you, I'll leave every weekend for more impressive venues if you don't start to rock out on MN like we all know you can. Do your thing well if you insist on the cold dark months...

SLC Weekend

One nice thing about working for an airline is that you can travel several states away for a Saturday. Alison and I went back to Salt Lake last weekend, and it was the best couple days I've had this year. (Pretty much since I lived there.) It was great to be where I want to be again, spending my free time in places like Little Cottonwood Canyon. Kelly got me to pull down on some great boulder problems (like a rock climbing route, but close to the ground utilizing a crash pad instead of ropes), and I was happy to find out my fingers and toes have not forgotten how to play on high quality northern UT granite. I have a feeling climbing will always be something addicting for me until the day I'm too old and busted up to do it anymore. And I'll probably still try it then. Sitting in front of a TV all the time is not for me. Canyons and mountains and fresh air! Until next time...

Us in front of 1,000 feet of granite and waterfall greatness...




















The UT gang- the Paasch's, Patrick's, and Jensen's...(I'm missing cuz I took the shot).














Who wouldn't dig the Quarry Trail?



















Kelly laying out the crash pad for many sudden landings...

I am still alive...

Catching up. Been way to long. Lots of things have occurred. Some good, some bad. The bad seem to have affected my motivation with blogging. Luckily I’ve been hit with a few good moments in the last couple months when I’ve been temporarily able to see that there is more to a person’s life than trying to figure out what to do with it. I’ll have to give the short account of each, because the time period I’ve failed to record here can’t be described in full without needing a editor and publisher.

I mentioned a trip back west in last months entry. Alison and I spent a week in the Black Hills of SD in between my job at the shop and my current new job. I may not get to share pictures, because our hard drive crashed before I had a chance to back them up. (Another reason the blog’s been dry.) They may still be on the camera itself but it’s coming back from the shop as well because we broke it on the trip. Not a good month for our gadgets. I’m waiting for my cell phone to fritz out.
It was a wonderful, recharging trip back out West. Some may not consider the Black Hills to be much on the mountain scene, but that’s what make them great. They are in fact very impressive to those that come to see them, them being a much smaller number of tourist masses than the Rockies see every day. This means more wilderness for each visitor. We hiked, climbed, paddled, and pedaled. It rained much of the week, but it was surprisingly very relaxing to lay in a tent reading a good Edward Abbey novel listening to the rain and smelling the fresh air at 6500 feet. Definitely moments of peace. I think I could camp for a year and not miss my bed. Maybe. I have a nice bed. But I would not miss the city or work.

Next adventure was this year’s edition of the Headwaters 100, which I missed last year on account of our first attempt and permanent western living. Park Rapids is a much different part of MN than the Twin Cities, and I can solidly say it is better for me. Slower, cleaner living. People seem way more at ease. Passing through the Northwoods fall colors for 109 miles on a trusted bicycle next to friends one doesn’t see enough is a great way to spend a Saturday.

Somehow I found my way back to Rocky Mountain National Park for three non-consecutive days. Work sent me on a rather confusing three week long training trip to Denver, and due to the lack of organization of my schedule, I ended up with some days to get out of the hotel. I’ve been to the Park before, but due to my solo status and lack of any agenda on this round I spent more time hiking and simply sitting out in some of the world’s best scenery. I’d have to say the most memorable moment was hiking up to Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge, underneath Longs Peak. Glaciers are one of God’s best paintbrushes. I sat and stared at what was in front of me for a very long time before reluctantly heading back down the trail which would take me to my rental car and hotel back in the city. When I got back to my room, I opened up a Backpacker magazine, and to my surprised, flipped to a picture of the exact place I had just been. The editors there have apparently put Mills Lake on one of their “Life List” hikes that everyone loving to hike should see. I will have to agree with their pick. I’m going back when I can take Alison and share the experience. I’d also like to return in the summer to hike some of the alpine tundra above 11,500 feet. It’s a completely different world up there. Something to see at the right time.
Also of note in the Park is that the elk were rutting. It’s quite a thing to witness when two bulls within 200 feet of you decide to lock antlers over who gets to do the year’s honors. I’m glad Alison agreed to marry me without my having to ram my head into anybody.

Last night I went “Into the Wild”, directed by Sean Penn. It’s the theatrical version of Jon Krakauer’s book about Chris McCandless. I blogged about the book a couple years ago, as it’s a favorite of mine, based on a true story of a young man that left a life of wealth for a series of outdoor experiences, ending up in Alaska. I recommend the book and the movie, even if you’re not a outdoor enthusiast. It’s interesting as a story on human nature too. You won’t experience the account without it getting your mind moving.

And to get closer to wrapping up, I went rock climbing in Taylor’s Falls, MN today with a friend that just moved to the area. We had a sunny, 70 degree, windless day after a whole week of rain, and it was fabulous to be out on the basalt guarding the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. I miss climbing regularly, but MN doesn’t house many climbers. I’ll have to soak in the most I can of the rare days like today.

I’ll try not to be such a stranger as I pass further into fleece and wool season. I’m hoping to find ways to enjoy the long Northern Winter that I know is probably close at hand.

My apologies for the dry blog this month. Roller coasters aren't the best place to do your writing. I recently returned back West for a week long vacation, and still have to report on that. However, after the rest in the mountains I've found myself among the ranks of the bleary eyed metro commuters, and it's taken it's toll on me. I do intend on writing regularly again soon...

In the Patagonia parking lot...

This is from the Patagonia blog recently...
Climbers will understand, non-climbers will not. Very funny...

Calculate your carbon footprint...

at Native Energy's website.

Birthday # 26

My 26^th birthday went pretty darn well. I spent most of the day riding- no surprises there. I hadn’t ridden a century yet in ’07, and I skipped riding one at all in ’06, so I decided to celebrate another year with some big miles on the Lemond. 109.4 big hot miles. The temperature along my route (the Hovde house in Coon Rapids, MN to Taylor’s Falls, MN) was around 95 degrees most of the day. Sweaty. Not sure how many bottles of water I went through. It was definitely one of those outdoor adventures where you push right up to the line between what you can and can’t handle. So far in my adventurous pursuits, I’ve been cautious enough not to cross the line many times, and yesterday went well. I took a lot of breaks in air conditioned gas stations where the teenage clerks wondered what kind of freak I must be in my lycra attire and funny shoes, as well as an organic grocery store in Chisago City, MN, where the owner would have joined me for the rest of my ride if he didn’t have to finish the work day. I also spent a lot of time in shady ditches pouring water over myself to cool off. I kept looking for a lake to jump in, as we apparently have 10,000 of them here in MN, but all of the ones I passed were surrounded by a 1/8 mile of cat tail populated marsh that would be miserable to pass through to get to the actual dipping water. Shady ditches and a/c’d building worked fine. I’m also going to give a quick saddle and short review. I just bought a Specialized Toupe Team saddle for my road bike, which is a very minimalist racing saddle, and I was hesitant as to whether or not it would be appropriate for big miles, but I’m going to give it my approval after yesterday. The saddle was pretty comfy, supportive on the sit bones, and stays out of areas where it is not invited, preserving future young cyclists’ chances of being born, if you understand. My shorts, Pearl Izumi Attack’s, however, are clearly a horrible item to own. The chamois is tolerable, but not impressive. The stitching is where they enter the classification of a miserable cycling product. It is way to raised and overdone, and leaves an impression on your bum that none will enjoy. 109 miles of pedal strokes will guarantee that you wear the markings of such bad design for several days afterwards. Do not buy these shorts. Save up the money for something nice. But the ride was still a success, despite the heat and terrible shorts. The next century I see myself taking part in is the Headwaters 100 in September, which I missed last year while living in beautiful UT. I didn’t mind that much. J But it will be nice to ride it again.

In other birthday news, I need to thank all of you that contributed to my gift, which is very much appreciated. Alison got several relatives together to pick up the tab of what I was missing to pro-form a new mountain bike from the shop after the sales of a couple of my older bikes (the 8000 and the fixie have moved on). So the result was a ’07 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp showing up mid last week, and I’ve already enjoyed a couple great rides on it. Thanks all!! I posted a picture of it for all to drool over. I also posted a picture of the above mentioned Toupe saddle. Enjoy, and thanks again!

Tubby children and chromies...

I had two little chubby kids on BMX bike come into the shop tonight looking for inner tube valve caps. I showed them the usual “chromies” (stupid chromed skull, eight-balls, and other ridiculous shapes of caps that kids dig), but of course they did not have enough allowance money from the chores I’m sure they ignore. So, being a softy manager like I am, I dug around in the back and found some used plastic caps we had laying around and hooked them up for free. They left excited. Half and hour later they show up asking for another set. I realized my mistake in creating a new set of local mooches that will now bother me on a regular basis. I told them the freebies were a one time favor, and that they’d be charged for any more. My sales guy on staff tonight joked with them that he didn’t know why they were coming in to see us when there was a parking lot full of cars that had the same kind of valve caps. Kids of course do not recognize sarcasm, and my sales guy does not know how to relate to kids. Ten minutes later I spotted our chubby little friends taking the valve caps off my own pickup (today was one of the very few days I actually drove in to work, rather than ride a bike.) Not knowing that I watched their little heist, they marched in later to show me how smart they were- that they had come up with some caps on their own. I asked where, and they said they “found” them. So I asked if they had happened to “find” them on the pickup outside, and how the owner might feel about their “find”. They actually determined on their own that the truck must be mine and handed over the caps. I gave them a little lesson, and they appeared genuinely sorry. After they left, I went out to put the caps they gave me back on my pickup, only to discover that they gave me back the free plastic caps I had given them, as I had chrome caps originally on the truck. Little bastards…

Short trip through a long time...

This past weekend, Alison and I took a very short trip through quite a few places. Adam and Jamie (my brother and his wife) drove from their home in Texas up to Minot, ND, where my parents live, so we decided to swing up ourselves to see everyone. The trip was only a couple days, but took me through quite a few memories of places I’ve spent a great deal of time. Friday night, we drove to Grand Forks, where we spent our first night at our friend David’s. I started getting the feeling that I’d never left last August, and that we were still Grand Forks residents. There were so many cues everywhere that were so familiar that it felt I’d never moved on. Green and tan Pipers overhead, UND campus, all my old apartments, the highways I’ve spent literally thousands of miles road biking on, Happy Harry’s (the dirty IV in the arm of Grand Forks), the list goes on. Even filling our car with gas at a pump I’d visited regularly on the way out of town (towards the airport) gave me serious de ja vue. Edward told me once on a visit back to GF after he had been gone a while that it was really weird to be back, and I sure felt it this trip. Everything was exactly the same, except that almost no one I know still lives there. Anyhow. Next up was Minot, where I grew up. That was a little less familiar, cuz it’s been so long since I lived there. The thing I noticed there was how “Minot-y” everybody is. I can’t quite explain it, but every location in the world builds a sort of conformity of feel to it’s residents. Everyone fits a sort of mold after enough time, and you don’t find it anywhere else. And when your town is located far away from nearly everything out on the prairie, it sure becomes it’s own world. Glenburn was next, which is the farm community my mom was raise near, and the family farm just outside of “town”. The people there are nothing like the suburban families I’m surrounded by here in the Cities. They live a life in the open, doing work completely foreign to those in the urban/suburban hustle. It seems to be a shrinking world with nonetheless deep roots. Interesting to see. We traveled through Bismarck on the way back to the Cities to attend a birthday party for my uncle Randy and my aunt Lynn. Once again, Bismarck has it’s own “feel”, completely different from any of the other places mentioned. I’d describe it as a the product of open prairie roots with Midwestern and Native values, combined with the modern suburban need to expand. Once again interesting. Basically, in even a short time, a traveler can pick up on drastically different “feels” of the place traveled, even if they are only a couple hours apart. The other places I’ve lived and traveled- SLC, St. Louis, Moab, Kenora, San Fransico, CO, WV, the Pacific NW, etc., etc., have such diverse living experiences. There are no two places exactly alike, and that makes traveling one of my favorite ways to spend my time. Too many experiences in life to sit in front of the TV.

On another note, I was also able to hear Adam play his trombone again during this trip. My aunt Avis in Minot, plays with a jazz combo call Java Jive Jazz, and they invited Adam to be a featured guest artist at their Saturday night show. Adam can manage to not play for months, and then get up in front of a venue and play a whole nights set of pieces he may or may not have ever seen. Impressive. And beyond that being entertaining, it was good just to focus on some music. Even though I don’t do much playing myself anymore, music has always been important to me. I’ve always thought of it as a sort of audible form of feeling. But I’ll save that for another day, this entry is getting entirely too long. As you were…

Return to rock?

Alison and I went out to visit Interstate State Park NE of the Twin Cities this past Sunday in search of rock climbing options here in SE MN. I'm pleased to say that the park does contain some decent rock for the midwest. I will be able to keep slightly interested in rock climbing during my continued time in the mostly flat lands. We are receiving a new rope from a good friend of mine (thanks again David!) in exchange for some bicycle overhauling, so we'll be able to dust of our other gear and get back on the real stuff. I'm out of climbing shape, but bike wrenching has kept my forearms and fingers in decent condition (beat up and calloused), so I should transition back ok.
In other news, I received the best tip I've ever gotten at a job yesterday. I sold a pair of Speedplay Zero Series pedals (friggin' sweet) to a local roadie, and he gave me his pair of Speedplay X Series pedals that he was upgrading from as a tip! Nice. I had to pick up a set of cleats for them, but thats a small price to pay for a $150 set of pedals. Not so bad. Al and I rode out in the Stillwater, MN area yesterday for the 4th, and they performs quite nicely. They're much freer than the Looks I've been riding in regards to the float, but that's the point (sorry to bore those non-cyclists reading). Anyhow, it was an impressive tip.
Alison and I are heading to ND for the weekend. Adam and Jamie are coming up from TX to visit home, so we decided to meet them there so everyone would be together for once. Doesn't happen much. We're pumped to see them, and Mullet too! We haven't seen our fat pet since we moved back from UT in January, and we miss him! Mullet, you better not die before we move to a place that allows pets again. I think he's got several years left if we control his fattening. The little guy's not fond of exercise. Anyhow, we'll be staying in Grand Forks tomorrow night (that will be weird), and continuing on Saturday morning for Minot, where I did my growing up. Well, part of my growing up. That seems to be a continuing project.
Well, I've got to rest up for another big shop day (today was 12 hours; more tomorrow). Don't waste the summer, get outside!