CA and UT

As always, I'm travelin'. Since the last entry I've been out to CA with Alison to visit Edward and play in Yosemite, and just recently did a quick trip to SLC to climb some spring granite and ride the Bobsled mountain bike trail. The granite was very wet, and a bit dicey to climb on, but that's what protection's for. I don't know about Kelly, who was leading, but I felt like I expanded my horizons a bit in the wetness. Pulled a few moves I didn't know I had in me cuz I had no choice. Good stuff. What's a UT trip without a little edgy outdoor adventure?? As for the Bobsled- wow, I forgot how much fun that trail is. I don't have any pix for you, but picture how an actual bobsled course throws the sled back and forth essentially up the sides of walls via momentum, and then picture the dirt/rock mountain bike version. Cool. I don't know any place in MN where I can look straight to my side at 25mph and see the ground cuz I'm sideways rollin' a wall. :)
As for Yosemite- Yes! It's one of the most famous National Parks in the world for a reason. It's incredible!! If you haven't gone, tell your boss you're going! Make the time and come up with the money. It's so stellar to stand in Yosemite Valley amongst 3,000 foot granite walls and the waterfalls that cascade down them. Waking up in a down jacket and cookin' up breakfast while the you watch the warmth of the sun creep slowly closer and closer down the valley walls is something special. Gets you ready for an epic hike, which there are plenty of in the Park. We did the Mist Trail following the famed Merced River past Vernal and Nevada Falls- supposedly the best day hike in all of Yosemite. We didn't have much time so we figured we better do something with a high concentration of "awesome". That one worked. There's really too much to write about it, so I'll let the pictures speak for me, which of course don't speak to actually standing there yourself, so you should go! :) Enjoy:

Liberty Cap and Edward: (brink of Nevada falls is just below him, not pictured (Yosemite's too big for one camera lens. :) )



















Edward in the busy Upper Pines Campground. Bear boxed required:



















Vernal Falls along the Mist Trail:














A crisp Yosemite Valley morning scene with two happy campers (me and Alison):



















Everyone's happier on vacation!














The John Muir Trail!!! Note that it's only 215 miles to Mt. Whitney; let's go!














Gotta kick back for lunch along the Merced River...



















Yosemite isn't just about going big, it's also about relaxing; Al's waking up warm in her winter bag...














3 pretty crusty hikers on the way down (Edward, Alison, me)...














The Mist Trail being misty...



















Part of the John Muir trail we tried to descend on was closed due to impassable snow/cliff combos...Edward and I were sad, but quickly got happy again in about 10 seconds once we realized we were still hiking in Yosemite, just an alternate trail...



















Alison descending the granite fields along the Merced...














Edward at Vernal Falls...



















Go to Yosemite!

Quick weekend...

Had a good last couple days. Alison and I flew first class up to Minot to visit my parents for about 24 hours. It was a quick trip, but long overdue. It was good to get home again and do some catching up. We didn't quite know if we'd make it or not because the DC-9's we were flying on kept getting held up for maintainence and the flights kept getting delayed, but we made it. Northwest Airlines, it's time to move on to Mesaba's CRJ's and retire the DC-9's. I think DC must stand for Dirty and Crusty. :)
Before flying out on Saturday I did a quick road spin with my buddy Nate, and it hit 60 degrees here in St. Paul. Everyone was out. I even met a local bicycle framebuilder, Bob Brown while riding. Cool.
Also of note, the new Counting Crows CD, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings, rocks. Of course it does. It was time for another album after waiting six years. I'm going to go ahead and mark them down as one of my favorite bands. Good stuff.
Well, off to bed to rise early and pedal to work. The Long Haul Trucker has been truckin' effectively and with obviously Surly-ness. :)

OR again...

We traveled out to OR to visit our buddy Mark again this past weekend. Flight benefits are good. We spent Saturday hiking Multnohma Falls, trying to see Mt. Saint Helens (to get us jazzed up for a planned climb of said mountain this summer), and eating oysters and other various delicious snotty looking sea creatures. All good. It was however very cloudy, rainy, and in some places snowy. That's why I said we tried to see MSH. Too obscured that day. Volcanoes tend to get shy in the weather and don't show their faces. Anyhow, another good trip free of air travel charges. Nice.

Mulnohma Falls (the bottom part)




















Alison and I at the top of the main falls...(you can't see the edge in this shot)
















Al is small enough to be seen in this cave...




















Due to my ridiculous height, I am not. :)




















Mountains were a bit cloud-obscured...

LHT

Man, a month goes so fast and then I realize I haven't blogged again. My apologies. It's mostly because working one's butt off in busy airline flight training department doesn't leave much time or energy at the end of the day. My blog tends to revolve around my outdoor adventures, which because of all the working have not been tending to happen as much in the past month. Thus, not much to write about. However, I do need to catch everyone up on the latest bike in the family. I replaced my too short Trek touring frame (I know, I was so excited to get it a year and a half ago, but after many miles it did not prove to be long enough for my freakish Scandinavian arms), with a Surly Long Haul Trucker. Good stuff. Glad to own/ride a Surly again. I totally miss my old 1x1, and wish I'd never sold it, but what's done is done. It's coasting through the streets of NY now under the direction of someone who got a freakin' sweet deal. Anyhow, back to the happy news. The LHT will no doubt be the subject of future blog entries, as I plan on taking it on more than a few bike camping trips this summer. I had the chance to throw down 50 miles on it last weekend to test it out, and it sure is comfy. Slow, but comfy. Like a touring bike is, by definition. I'll have to write more on the new steed soon, but as for now, I wanted to give a quick update before turning in for the night. Happy Easter!

Outside!

I rode 22.5 miles OUTSIDE today in MN! Definitely a day for fenders however. Glad to finally see some weather that allows some fun outside...

delayed update

I wrote this last weekend, but didn't have a connection to post it. Here it is:

It’s been a fun past week and a half. MN’s winter has been getting to me like it’s so good at doing to people who like to play outside (and on terrain), so I left a couple times. I used my benefits to fly out to the Portland, OR area last weekend, and to bay area in CA for the past few days to visit college friends- Mark Rodgers and Edward Doerr. It was in the 50’s in both locations, and I was able to play outside quite a bit. OR was so green and fresh smelling. It was much like being in a greenhouse the whole time. I was able to do some hiking at a state park (already forgot the name) which boasted 10 scenic waterfalls. Later, we headed out to the coast and listened to sea lions while eating fresh seafood and enjoying a local brew master’s pale ale. Good times. I really need to find a way to get a road bike out to OR at some point, because the state is home to endless country roads that lead not only through scenic vineyards and coastline, but up into mountains as well. Nice.

CA was equally as cool, but different. Definitely more populated and polluted, but scenic nonetheless. I hadn’t been out there since Alison and I honeymooned in the area, and it was good to spend some more time in the region. I visited Rivendell Bicycle Works in Walnut Creek, which is an expensive custom frame builder of steel bikes. They have a really different philosophy of riding than about 99 percent of the industry, and it was cool to spend a couple hours talking with the founder of the company. He was extremely nice, and even offered to let me take a $2,500 bike out to see the area for the day (free of charge), but I had too much on the schedule. I’ll have to go back for that offer. What I ended up doing was my first flight in a Pitts Special with Edward. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s an extremely twitchy aerobatic aircraft that is very powerful. Edward gave me the chance to get the control feel down, and then had me do a very basic aileron rolls (going upside down then right side up again in one rolling movement). Fun. I was pretty slow to jump into them, cause they’re a huge no-no in most everything I’ve flown so far. It actually felt really good to let loose. It was like being in a video game, only real. J Later that night I flew a Grumman Yankee to do a few night landings. Not the greatest idea learning a squirrelly little airplane at night in a semi-mountainous area, but everything went really smoothly. I miss flying regularly.

We also got the chance to do some climbing on Mt. Diablo sandstone. I got beat by the route I tried leading, since I’m carrying my frozen Midwest winter softness, but it was fun. I also had my first piece of trad gear pop out on me- scary. I lace up my routes pretty well though, so no big deal. Just exciting.

Overall, it’s great to be able to travel west on a whim. It’s keeping me sane until I get to move that direction again. I’m hoping not to be inside wondering what to do to keep myself busy when it’s minus 20 and dark out for too much more winters. We’ll see though.

Gulls at Newport Beach, OR.

South Falls at a State Park in OR of which I can't remember the name already...

My long trusted pair of Vasque Sundowner hiking boots in the Pacific...

Another waterfall; can't recall the name of it, but I'm standing behind it in an orange rain jacket...















On top of Mt. Diablo in CA...

Me, Edward, and the Pitts. Yeah.

Me doing a wussy turn in the Pitts...

Climb that beat me down. You can see my last placements just above the section where the crack goes to a negative grade. Doesn't even look hard. Couldn't pull it this time. I'll be back.

Also, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOhgbhbFlw

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0luzB6y4zyQ

We've worn rings for two years now...

Happy Anniversary Alison! I love you...

slow weekend

So the weather has not been able to settle on what to do to us here in MN. Last weekend, 40 degrees, followed by rain. Then below zero weather for awhile. Now upper 20’s. The result is really bad snow conditions. Unacceptable for snowshoeing or skiing. Too icy to do much hiking in, and grey to the point I feel I’m in a black and white picture. Yuk. I tried to fly to UT this weekend where the real snow is, but flights were packed and I don’t pay to fly. (I know, complain about a real problem.) So I’m killing some time inside going through pictures of old adventures. I do it often, and find new things to find amusing each time. Today it’s the progression of my own cycling fashion. I’ve discovered that one can tell what period of life I was in during a ride picture by looking at my clothing. I’ve picked out two pictures that show it well.

The first shows me on one of my famous college trips to Moab, UT. I clearly have no money in this picture. My jersey is from ebay. My shorts are from a clearance rack online. I’m wearing non-cycling thermal underwear that were employee-purchased while working for Scheels in Grand Forks (the lowers are sold as hunting wear), That helmet never sat any other way than the crooked position displayed. My gloves were a gift from college girlfriend (Kelly says they were the only good thing that came out of that relationship :) ). The shoes I bought on sale in high school, and I do actually still use them 11 years later, but are dying. Sunglasses, also an employee discount. All in all, probably no more than $200, despite being performance outdoor gear.

The second photo is me at the 2007 Headwaters 100 decked out in my current matching road garb. Shoes- Specialized Body Geometry road. Socks, cycling specific with “Dopers Suck” moto- reaction to the latest Tour de France scandals. Castelli Italian Pro road bibs. Clif Bar Team Jersey. Specialized Arm warmers. Giro Eclipse road helmet New pair of Smith Toaster sunglasses. Specialize Body Geometry gloves. Tucked into jersey pockets, shed with warming weather during the day- Pearl Izumi leg warmers, Cannondale waterproof cycling jacket (convertible to vest to serve picky choosers), and windfleece overgloves, cycling specific. All in all, retail value (not my paid price, I still shop deals and built this arsenal over much time) around $815. Wow, I’m suddenly feeling guilty. Not really, some of you have TV’s that cost
many times that and provide no health benefits. I’ll wear my bike bling proudly….

I bought nordic skis. Now it’s raining. I will have them for the next snow….

Our St Paul Apartment (part 1)

Some pictures of our new place. Not yet included are the pictures of the bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen, as I have not cleaned them to picture sharing levels at this time. You'll have to wait to see those rooms. :)

Living room:














Mullet lives with us again!














And he's already taken to biting my arm...














Yes, you all know of my riding problem...














The dining room area looking into the living room...














Another view of the dining room...