mtb ride this Sunday

Meet at Ristretto, 42nd North of Fremont by 9:30am for a 10am departure.

The Return of Shiprek!

Reentering the Atmosphere

Walking out

An interesting walk out today. I went for a little road ride in the late afternoon, just to stretch my legs, I told myself. Of course as soon as the road turned up and that LCD Sounsystem song I like came on the headphones I started riding like I was Pantani on the Col de Galibier. By the time I hit the top I was deep in oxygen debt and my judgement must have been impaired. I thought "I'll just head down this little gravel road for a ways, I'm pretty sure it connects up with a paved road in less than a mile", of course it got steep and soon I was going fast, having fun, bunny hopping storm debris, mooing at cows, etc. About 2 miles later I hit pavement, thinking "I made it", only to feel both tires get softer as I coasted along. Two flats. No problem, I thought, I always carry at least two tubes in my tool bag plus a patch kit. I pulled over to a conveniently placed boulder and unloaded, pump, tire levers, uh-oh where are the tubes...oh yeah, I gave them away last weekend and neglected to replace them. Open the patch kit...no glue. I must have swiped it for the other patch kit in my other backpack. Idiot.
I was a little pissed at my lack of preparedness but quickly got over it and had a mostly enjoyable 5 mile walk home. The only bad part was the shoes. If I had been rocking New Balance or Saucony, no problem, but tight fitting Sidis with metals bits bolted to the bottom proved to be less than ideal. Once I got into the walking though I started to really enjoy it. I saw all kinds of things I had missed when driving or biking. Several new views, though I still haven't found a good view of my house, there's always a hill or tree in the way. Wildlife : A deer, various hawks, various rodents, one barking dog, four cows. Dead : a large beetle, two frogs, scrub jay, squirrel (yes!)
I got passed by quite a few cars but no one stopped to ask if I needed help. Maybe I was striding confidently or something. Maybe people are just dicks. If a slow moving farm truck had been going my way I might have stuck a thumb out and offered 5 bucks for a ride but it was all sedans and luxury SUVs. One guy did stop when I was almost home, he was headed East over the Eola hills and wondering if he was going the right direction for Willamina. I was tempted to give him the old "keep going, you can't miss it" but gave him the straight dope instead. As I cut a diagonal through the Farmer family filbert orchard my watch said 94 minutes, not too bad. Natty was installed in her favorite corner of the green leather couch, I'm not sure she knew I was gone.

Rickreall Open 2009 pt.2

The Kid demonstrating his footlock technique.

Much speed scrabble was played. I may have won one game early but once Sarah, Tiah and Misia heated up I was out of my league.

Disco knows a thing or two about starting fires.


Tiahdactyl's description of the weekend, from facebook :

ride ride ride, corndog, tacos, ride ride ride, arrival!,people, dogs, beer beer beer, pump track races, hot dogs, russian salad, biscuits and gravy, hot dogs,beer beer beer, speed scrabble!, bonfire, dance party,sleep, speed scrabble, coffee, chit chat, tree climbing!, little bike ride, sweeping, lunch, departure in a vehicle...

Tiah took a lot more photos than I did, you can see them on her flickr page.

Those young hipsters, touring on track bikes...


Climbing the old oak.

Hodges, Rusty and Bean have a dog party. I made a half hearted attempt to get Natty to pose with them but she wasn't into it. Apparently the queen does not lay down with her subjects.
Bean in the orchard.


Chas and Fox depart for Eugene and San Francisco by Friday.

Check out those sweet Black Star panniers.


Lucky and Sweet T prepare for takeoff.

MTB ride

This Friday, June 19.
Meet at Ristretto Roasters, NE 42nd just N. of Fremont by 9am for a 9:15 departure.
Maybe 3 Corner Rock or a Wilson River trail. Suggestions are welcome.

CMWC Guatemala 2010

I am going to this. Book it.
CMWC Guatemala, September 1-13, 2010
featuring :
La Ocho
A reincarnation of the original “human powered rollercoaster”, a figure-8 bike racing track featuring an “over-under”. The Guatemalan version will be made of clay with a wooden bridge. It will be a featured attraction at CMWC 2010 and serve as the primary pre-event.

Rickreall Open 2009 pt.1

Another great Open in the books. A thunderstorm hit Friday night and made most of the trails unrideable but we managed a few time trials Saturday afternoon. It was super slick but still fun. Timmy did the most laps in 2.4 minutes with 9. A bunch of others got 8 including me, Drew, Mace, Matt, Chas and Milkshake, who was wearing a protective boot on his ankle. The road race was canceled due to lack of interest, except from Drew. So maybe Timmy wins. Maybe Drew wins because everyone else forfeit the road race. I'm going to call it a draw, put the small amount of cash raised in the TW Slush Fund and have another Open in the late summer. Let's say August 21-23. It may also be a birthday party for Justine, Tiah, Jefe and any other late August birthdays, we'll see.Canceled in favor of a yoga seminar. Details of the next Open to come.

Rickreall Open

The Open starts tomorrow!

The weather may not be ideal, I know some were hoping for 95 and sunny so we could have a pool....but I actually prefer 72 and partly cloudy.

The Berms trail is fast and flowy. Thanks to Dabby for all the digging and shaping. Just for the record Dabby will not be attending this Open in the interest of fostering Team unity and camaraderie, but look for a newish and gradually improving Dabby in the future!

The Annex is primed for big air. Bring pads and helmets. I had a vision for nighttime hijinks that is best described as "twin fire descent"...hard to explain but you'll understand when you see it.

Remember to bring a flashlight, headlamp or lantern, sleeping bag, food to BBQ, beer and ice, mosquito repellent, hay fever meds if you get it (it's pollen city out here), Ipods or records and a BMX or mountain bike.

Also I wasn't joking about the $10 per car parking fee, so be ready for that.

And... Sweet-T and Boston have both inquired as to rides down Saturday night, anyone have extra room?

Plus! Remember to support our sponsor, The Rickreall Mini-Mart located in downtown Rickreall. Or just bring your beer money to the farm and we'll mount a massive expedition with Bob trailer or truck.

Rickreall Open 2009

It is on. You are welcome from Friday morning to Monday evening. Bring cash, beer, food, and a positive, winning attitude.

scenes from a mini work party

We built up the new Fat Chance for Jaden to ride around. it turned out pretty light as a single speed. It's not for sale but if someone I really like wants to buy it and pledges to go riding with me a bunch I could be convinced to let it go for a good price.


I'm a 24 inch convert. 26ers feel floppy now.

The upshot of my decision to cancel the satellite TV service. I moved most of the crap out of the TV room and made it a guest room. I ended up with two of these Ikea tables that I had no use for and decided to integrate them into the Berms of Endearment trail. This stunt will henceforth be known as "the tabletop".


Jaden and his crab stabbing stick.

Best of luck to Sweet T, Eric and Brian as they represent Team WRECK in Milwaukee.

pre-open work party this weekend

Here's your chance to sculpt the time trial course to your liking and maybe pre-ride the road course. Bring gloves and a willingness to move some dirt and logs.

real estate update

If anyone wants to be my neighbor the property two fields south of me just went on the market. It's a little spendy but I bet they'd come way down, in this tough economy, as they say. It's on a little hill and includes a bunch of outbuildings and a large grove of mature oaks. A zip line to the pump track could be possible with a really, really tall tower.