Beans whats cooking! (Soon to be renamed "The Beans Blog")

[gjbean]

Scoring some domestic bonus points this morning I took GF out on the Military Ridge trail for a ride.  The gravel surface was a little rough for me because I prefer pavement, but I suffered through it OK.  We did about 19 miles in 80.5 minutes, and I'm not sure my heart rate ever got more than 10-20% above resting.  That's cool, even a hammerhead like me needs a rest day sometimes

I may be able to make up for it on Monday if the weather cooperates, I hear that Bear has the day off, and so do I.  My spidey sense is tingling, I feel like there may be a road ride in my near future involving the L'Alp d'Barnaveld.  Time to dig the maillot à pois rouges out of the closet.

[gjbean]

OK, this is going to be my last post for quite a while.  Time to see if all those boring CCT loop rides paid off.  I'll be heading out early Saturday morning for MTB paradise, otherwise known as Park City UT and Sun Valley ID, with some Idaho Falls ID and Jackson WY thrown in for good measure if I don't get enough of the trails in first 2 places.  I hope the past half-decade of no maintenance on the Epic doesn't come back to bite me on the ass.  And I hope my feeble lungs are able to adjust quickly to the altitude.  Anyone know where I can get a quick transfusion of cow's blood on I-80 somewhere between here and Salt Lake City?  Never fear, I will make note of my adventures and regale you with unbelievable tales of hot MTB action when I return.  I may even post up some pics if someone would be kind enough to show me how to do it.  Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

P.S. If I don't make it back I donate my 1981 Schwinn Sports Tourer to CORP, you can use it as a prize in the raffle drawing at 12 hours of BMSP

[gjbean]

Update from the road.  First day riding in Salt Lake City UT today, on the Mill Creek Trails just minutes from the city (about as close as QR is to Madison).  Started at 7K feet and climbed the Pipeline trail (singletrack), 4.5 miles gaining 900 feet in 45 minutes.  Then 3 miles of climbing on the road, gaining another 840 feet in 30 minutes.  Then onto Big Creek Trail, more singletrck, gaining another 1200 feet in 45 minutes over 3 miles.  We ended at Dog Lake at about 10K.  After eating and resting and cooling off in the water, we bombed back down the way we came in about 50 minutes.  After the ride we had snacks and beer by the waterfall at the trailhead, then off to a bar for big cheeseburgers and a pitcher.  Then we got cleaned up and checked out the new Predators movie because it is friggin hot here and they have the AC on high at the cineplex.  Now I need to try to rest up so I can check out another set of trails tomorrow.  If day 1 of this trip (I'm not counting the 2 massive suck days of driving to gt here) is any indication, this trip is gonna rule.  All the CCT loops did help.  I felt like puking after the first 25 minutes today, but then I rested in the shade for 10 minutes and was fine after that.  Just remember to put on sunscreen, drink tons of water, and eat before you get hungry.  And take rest breaks every once in a while.  Now I just gotta hope I have some legs left for tomorrow.  SLC rules.  Later.

[scotch]

sounds like fun, Greg. Some pics from Bonneville Shoreline trail.....(just say you took them!)

ya been to Squatter or Wasatch micropubs yet?

[gjbean]

Yes in fact, I did have a couple Polygamy Porters while I was in SLC, I thought their sense of humor about their place was funny.  I'd bet the local Mormons disagree.  I also drank some Moose Drool last night, it was pretty good.

Day 2 from the road update: Tuesday we drove up to the Solitude Ski Resort about 20 minutes outside of Salt Lake City (at 8000 feet) and rode from the lodge.  Starting at Moonbeam lodge, we went up the Serenity trail, then up Raptor Road to Kruzer, then stayed on that back down to end on Serenity and get back to the lodge.  Only 5 miles in 68 minutes with 900 feet of climbing.  The trails on the ski hill were super steep and pretty rocky too.  There was about an inch of dirt powder over everything (the locals call it "moon dust"), so the traction was sketchy at times.  It was a good short ride with great views, just what the doctor ordered after the monster ride the day before.  I'm starting to adjust to the altitude, my lungs don't hurt as much now.  Just my legs, and my butt from so much saddle time.  By the way this trip is going, I think this ride counts as a rest day.  After the ride I drove up to Idaho Falls for--you guessed it--more riding.

[gjbean]

Day 3 from the road update: I had to clean the bike and do some major adjustments, as the braking and shifting and suspension weren't working very well.  You'd think I never do any bike maintenance from the way the thing is creaking.  I don't actually, so all the adjustments were done by John, who actually knows what he is dooing with a tool kit.  Rear derailer adjusted, brake pads realigned, and add air to the shock and fork (both had only 50psi--I don't know how much they should have, but I know they need more than that).  I cleaned the entire bike, including drivetrain, and then it worked fairly well.  We went on an afternoon ride at Kelly Canyon rec area outside of Idaho Falls.  3.7 mile slog up a steep gravel road, then more relentless climbing on singletrack to Morgan Pass.  Then a lot of up and down on multi use trails--we ran into people on horses, ATV's, dirt bikes, and a lot of skittish cows.  Then we went through the haunted forest to Hawley Gulch, then another climb to the treat of the day--Wolverine.  Imagine the bobsled run at the farm, but it is about 2 or 3 miles long and descends something like 1500 feet.  Big bermed turns shooting downward the whole way.  Total freakin' blast.  Then more mellower downhill for a few miles, then back to the gravel road to climb 2 miles back to the car.  The last section is right alongside the raging Snake River, the road between the river and some huge bluffs--extremely scenic.  Stats for the ride were 17.3 miles, 2 hours 18 minutes, 2200 feet of climbing, altitudes in the range of 4500-6500 feet.  Not bad for a days work.

[gjbean]

Bonus coverage for day 3.  Every Wednesday from 5-8pm during the summer, Idaho Falls has a big street party called Live After Five.  They close a couple city streets, have live music and a bunch of tents that sell beer and food.  I had 2 big spicy hot dogs with saurkraut, not quite as good as a Sconnie brat, but pretty good none the less.  The tent I went to is where I got the Moose Drool beer, as well as a honey wheat beer from the same company, both were good.  The band was playing Dire Straits covers form Brothers in Arms, took me back to my childhood

After 8pm the tents close and the streets empty, with most people going to the local establishments.  We went to a liquor store called Mar Cellars.  They sell beer and wine, no liquor, but they have a bar and tables to sit and drink.  We ordered really good food from the Snakebite and they delivered it to our table ar Mar Cellars.  I had a beer from Hawaii called Pipeline Porter there.

This vacation so far is ride, drink beer, sleep late, repeat--pretty cool.  Next up is a ride this afternoon, a barbecue, then on Friday off to Sun Valley ID for a weekend of serious epic MTB riding.  I'll post again when I am able, later, Bean out.

[gjbean]

Day 4 from the road update: We went out to Fall Creek recreation area about 45 minutes East of Idaho Falls and rode the trails in Rash Canyon.  Started out on a gravel road that became a dried mud doubletrack trail as it started to ascend.  It was fairly technical, with lots of rocks and stram crossings ridden right through the water.  The climb was gradual until the end, when it gets up to 15-20% grade for a while, maybe a half mile or so of that sufferfest.  The climb up was 5.3 miles, climbed 1432 feet from 6400-7800 feet or so, and took 1 hour.  Then it was time for a ripping descent on seriously fun, swoopy singletrack.  Near the bottom of the trail we ran into a large heard of sheep on the trail, along with 2 big, angry great Pyranese dogs.  They chased us and barked at us while we parted the sea of sheep trying to make our way through.  Then we continued down the hill to our vehicle.  Total stats for the ride were 11.5 miles, 1 hour 31 minutes, and 1432 feet of climbing.  Very fun.  After the ride we went to a party for John's ski club at the Ririe Reservoir park.  We had some brews and some brats (yes they have them here, and they know how to cook them too!).  After the party we went over to one of John's friend's house and drank Bitch Creek beer out of his kegerator until after midnight.  Quite a day, if I do say so myself.  As you can imagine, I slept well after that.

[gjbean]

Day 5 from the road update: We drove up to Sun Valley ID, making a stop at the EBR-1, the world's first nuclear power plant.  It was really cool, they have it preserved just how it was so you can check out the reactor and the control room and everything.  Outside are 2 huge engines that were going to power a nuclear powered jet bomber until the program was canceled in '61.  We got up to Sun Valley and set up shop at a house owned by the mother of one of our riding friends.  Then we rode the Chocolate Gulch & Fox Creek loop, then took the North Fork connector along the river back to the vehicle.  The trails were really steep and technical at the end, with a lot of exposure overlooking the river.  I had my first serious get-off on a really nasty loose climb here.  I fell down a really steep hill, but somehow managed to not sustain any damage--very lucky on my part, that one could have ended badly.  John's German Short Haired Pointer Asha came along for the ride on this one, she's really fast and doesn't seem to get tired at all.  I got dropped by a dog   The ride ended up being 1 hour 26 minutes, climbed 1434 feet of vertical, and was 11.5 miles long, all of it singletrack.  Elevations were between 6000-6800 feet.  After the ride we went into Ketchum and got some really good pizza from Wiseguy Pizzeria.  Then it was back to the ranch for some deep sleep.

[gjbean]

Day 6 from the road update: This was the day for the big famous epic ride.  We got up early and drove north out of Sun Valley, over Galena pass to the trails at Fisher Creek.  We rode the Fisher Creek/Williams loop, starting with a 2 mile road ride from the parking lot.  Then we turned onto a forest road for 6.8 miles of ascent through rock gardens.  The climb was very gradual at first, but got steeper near the top, finally getting really nasty, steep, and technical with lots of loose rocks.  I will admit to having to walk about 50 yards of this part, it was freakin' brutal!  Up to that point we had 8.8 miles, 61 minutes, and 1463 feet of climbing.  Then it was on to the sweet singletrack for a really fast descent, followed by another climb, and a descent, and another climb, and then a final descent.  This trail is an absolute must ride--flowing singletrack, hard climbs, and postcard views the whole way.  The totals for the ride were 17.3 miles, 2000 feet of climbing, and 1 hour 53 minutes.  Altitudes for the ride were between 6600-8000 feet.  After the ride we went back to the house to get cleaned up, then we went into Ketchum for lunch at Johnny G's sub shop.  We proceeded to tour all the bike shops in town, they have some blingy bikes for sale here.  I picked up a trail guide book for all the MTB trails in and around Sun Valley, it's really well done and should come with in the Camelbak on these back country rides.  Then we checked out the local watering holes, making stops at the Cellar Pub, the Pioneer, and Lefty's.  With sufficient BAC to wash out all the lactate from the aching leg muscles, we went back to the house and crashed.  This was a really great day.

[gjbean]

Day 7 from the road update: we woke up late and had a slow morning, eating breakfast and watching the Tour on TV.  Watching those leg shavers in the Pyrenese made me think of my recent rides as maybe a little less hardcore.  I'm having more fun than they are though, I bet.  We went out to ride the Mahoney/Lodgepole loop just south of Ketchum.  Start out on Greenhorn, then up Mahoney Creek and up Lodgepole, then down the other side on Lodgepole and Mahoney Creek and back to Greenhorn.  A nice loop with great views and riding right next to streams a lot of the time.  There were a lot of mountain wildflowers too.  Beware the last mile or so of the climb on Lodgepole, it is long and steep.  The whole ride was on buffed singletrack, except one section of the descent that was really sketchy.  The whole trail was fairly dry and dusty, except where is was on the side of scree slopes where you were riding on really sharp rocks.  I was totally blasted by the end of the climb, 7 days in a row of riding is taking its toll on my legs.  Stats for the ride were 1 hour 47 minutes, 1950 feet of climbing, and 11.9 miles.  Elevations between 5800-7850 feet.  Asha came along for this ride too, and we finally managed to tire here out.  She was about as cooked as I was by the end of it.  After that we packed up all our stuff and drove back to Idaho Falls, making a pit stop at the visitor's center for Craters of the Moon National Monument.  They have some seriously weird looking rocks out here.  We got back and John's girlfriend had gumbo with rice and salad cooked for supper, that was super cool and very tasty.  Tomorrow I'm finally taking a day off, no riding.  Just recovering, working on the bike, cleaning gear and maybe doing some laundry.  I'd say I've earned a day off.  Not bad for a week's worth of work, though.  Later!

[CollinHagen]

The riding in Idaho is very awesome.  We just did most of those trails based out of Ketchum last fall.  I agree that Fisher Creek is one of my all-time favorites and the Chocolate Gulch, Fox Creek area is fun as well.  We also did some rides on Adam's Gulch.

We also hit up Wiseguy pizzeria and Johny's G subs, next time your in town stop at Perry's for breakfast, real good  breakfast burrito.  The Pioneer also has really good steaks if you got the coin.  Whiskey Jacks and Dirty Little Roundy's are great places to get the BAC up as well.  You forgot to mention the great old beer can collection at Lefty's, it's pretty impressive to see what's been coming out of Milwaukee for the past 100 years.

Sounds like a great trip, never ridden down in Idaho Falls.

[gjbean]

I took the day off today, and used the opportunity to work on the bike.  I had to bleed the front and rear brakes, They have been giving me trouble for days (trust me, you want your brakes in good working order out here).  The rear brakes were really low on fluid, and there was a lot of air in the lines--not cool.  I also cleaned all the accumulated moon dust off the bike, and cleaned and lubed the drivetrain, and lubed the cables too.  The Epic should be in tip top shape for tomorrow, we're planning to ride down near Pocatello.  We checked out the local brew pub in Idaho Falls this evening, the Brownstone.  Sort of like the Great Dane in Madison.  The food was pretty good, and the beer was OK.  I compiled the stats from the first 7 days in a row of riding--95.5 miles and 2.43 miles of climbing.  I will be adding to that over the next 3 days, then I have to start heading for home early Friday morning.  I will be absolutely killing the CCT loop after all this training!   Until next time.......

[scotch]

your climbing miles look low...only 2.5 out of 95??? unless you're getting shuttled to the top?

ok, what's BAC? (I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this)

[CollinHagen]

Blood Alcohol Content

[themayor1]

You are right Mark. You should be a shamed of yourself as an upstanding citizen of the state of Wisconsin

BAC stands for Blood Alcohol Content  

[gjbean]

P.S. Collin--you need major coin to get anything in Ketchum, it is a pretty ritzy place.  I guess my first clue was driving up through Hailey towards Ketchum, you see the little airport there and it is full of private jets.  Yikes!  I paid 5 bucks for a 16oz bottle of fresh squeezed OJ at the grocery store--that absolutely kills a cheapskate like me.  I didn't have the coin to get a steak at the Pioneer, our friends were going to eat there, that's when we went to Lefty's.  I had to settle for a basket of Monkey Fries at Lefty's, but that wasn't so bad.  Imagine thick cut ruffles potato chips, cooked like french fries and seasoned just right.  Yum!  I didn't even notice the historical collection at Lefty's, but by then my BAC was creeping up as it was the last stop of the evening.

You guys are not satisfied with 2.43 miles of climbing, eh?  Know that the distance up is in less than half of the 95.5 mile total, we usually ride up the steep short way, then ride down the fun way.  It works out to like a 6% grade for 35-40 miles, not too shabby.  If that's still not good enough, I have 3 more big rides planned to increase the stats.  I'll update you with the final totals when I get back.

Scotch, you should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing what BAC is.  Of anyone, you should know that.  Next thing you'll ask what I'm talking about when I say that I was having a PBR night cap while typing my post last night before bed!  Gotta close this now, time to gear up and go riding again!

[gjbean]

Day 9 from the road update: Since we took yesterday off, we decided to go hammer today.  We went to the Mink Creek Recreation Area just south of Pocatello ID.  We rode up the Gibson Jack trail, it was steep, rocky, and technical.  Imagine a 4 mile long uphill rock garden like at BMSP and you get the picture.  From there we found some ATV trail going up a steep mountain that we decided to try--bad idea.  It was like a 20%+ grade boulder field, with 2 sections that were difficult to hike-a-bike, impossible to ride.  We cursed the thing the whole way up.  By the time we were at the top, we were 1 hour 13 minutes, 4.75 miles, and 1880 feet of climbing.  We tiptoed back down the ATV trail to some nice flat double track that took us to the West Fork of Mink Creek Trail.  Time for some fun, it was a buttery smooth, flowing, fun downhill singletrack trail for something close to 5 miles.  This one was a total blast.  From there we had an 8 mile, mostly downhill road ride, followed by a leg-killing 2 mile uphill road ride back to the car.  Total stats for the ride were 2 hours 20 minutes, 20.1 miles, 2435 feet of climbing, in an elevation range of 4600-7000 feet.  John did a 4 mile run for lunch, and he still beat me up the final hill to the car.  For future reference, I would recommend skipping the Gibson Jack trail and riding the West Fork of Mink Creek trail as an out and back, unless you are one of those deviant masochists that like BMSP (Walt, I'm thinking of you here--you would love this trail )
We may not be able to ride today, there is a storm coming in now.  It's the first day of my trip that has been anything but totally sunny and beautiful.  If we can't ride that may be OK, as it's Wednesday today and Alive after 5 is going on in Idaho Falls.  Might be time for beer and food instead of pedalling, but we'll see.  Maybe we'll ride our bikes to town for the party

[scotch]

You are right Mark. You should be a shamed of yourself as an upstanding citizen of the state of Wisconsin

BAC stands for Blood Alcohol Content  

guess I have to change my avatar now....

[gjbean]

Day 10 from the road update: No riding, just being lazy.  I took a 2 hour nap that would have been longer, but the dog woke me up because she wanted to play.  We went down to Alive after 5 for some beers, and then went out to the Vino shop for a nightcap.  More EtOH washing the lactate out of the overused leg muscles, or carbo loading for the next day's ride, depending on your perspective.

[gjbean]

Day 11 from the road update: Last ride of the trip, and it was a good one.  We drove east out of Idaho Falls and went over to Driggs ID, right on the Wyoming border near the Tetons.  They were a magnificent sight as we drove in, with the Grand Teton topping out somewhere above 13,700 feet.  We drove to the trailhead, from there we had a 5 mile flat road ride over to Darby Canyon in Wyoming.  From there we picked up the Aspen Trail, 4.4 miles of fairly technical, rocky singletrack with some hike-a-bike stream crossings.  The trail was challenging and fun, and the views were really good, nice way to end a great trip.  Total stats for the ride were 1 hour 21 minutes, 9.4 miles, and 1087 feet of climbing.  Asha the trail dog came along for the ride and showed us how to clean all the hard lines through the rocky sections.  After the ride we went out to Lucie's Italian Pizzeria in Idaho Falls for some really good pizza.  Now it's time to pack everything up and go to bed early, I want to hit the road before dawn to start the 2 day drive back home tomorrow morning.  I'll be back in town Saturday night.  I'm not sure whether I will not want to look at my bike for a week, or challenge some Madisonians to a hammer ride before my mountain legs and lungs go away.  See you later, Bean out!

[gjbean]

OK, I'm back to reality now, back at home and I even made it to work today.  Oh Joy.  the trip is over, and it was so cool it almost feels like I must have dreamt it.  Here's some stats:

4 days of driving, 2 each way.  About 23 hours each way, 3102 miles total.  That doesn't include the 100's of miles we spent driving to trails while I was there, we did all those miles in my John's truck.

11 days total out there, 9 days riding and 2 days resting.  125 miles of riding, 3.102 vertical miles of climbing (and descending, since all the rides were loops--no shuttle runs for us!).  I had only 1 bad get-off, and somehow managed to avoid injury completely.  Vacationer's luck I guess!  Most of the elevation was between 6000-800 feet, although we did go as low as 5000 and as high as 9000.

I'm already planning my trip out there for next year!  Hillskedalen, I need some details on the cabin-to-cabin trip you guys did, that's what I'm planning for July or August 2011.

My next post will most likely be a CCT loop trip report, I'm sure you all can't hardly wait to see that

[gjbean]

81.5 minutes for the CCT loop today.  I was really slow in the beginning, but poured it on at the end.  Seems like all the big mountain riding evaporated some of my sprinting skills and replaced them with endurance.  There was a lot of evidence indicating massive flooding along parts of the trail.  You guys must have gotten a lot of rain while I was gone.  Good thing the CCT dries out fast 

[gjbean]

Rode an abbreviated version of the CCT loop this morning with the GF.  I'd estimate the ride to be about 17 miles, took us 68.25 minutes.  We passed 2 old guys on really nice looking road bikes, but some guy running passed her going up the hill just before the outlet onto Seminole Highway.  Ouch.

I should be getting digital versions of the pics from my trip out west within the next few days.  I'll need a tutorial from someone on how to post them here.

[gjbean]

I did the CCT loop in 83.25 minutes today, but to be honest with you I regret doing it.  It was the nastiest, hottest, stickiest ride I've done all year by far, and it propbably rates at or near the top of my all time disgusting scale.  I don't know the exact weather stats, but I was riding from like 4:40 to 6pm, and right now at 9pm the heat index is 91 degrees, with a dew point of 76 degrees.  I didn't even know that the dew point scale went that high.  The heat and humidity were absolutely stifling, and I was sweating just wheeling my bike out of the building.  I had to break into the emergency potato chips when I got home to replace all the salt I lost.  And my GF wouldn't come within 10 feet of me after the ride until after I took a shower.  I just hope that the biking gear I wore doesn't get up and walk away during the night, it's pretty ripe and needs to be washed like we need a cold front to blow through.  Public service announcement: Be smart and stay inside with the AC on days like this, I will from now on 

[gjbean]

I broke out of the CCT rut last night and actually went mountain biking for a change.  I joined the big group ride out at 25.5 and got reeducated in the black art of riding technical singletrack.  Nothing highlights the magnitude of the technical skills drain brought upon the unsuspecting head of a former MTB rider who now rides almost exclusively road like a couple laps out at the Farm.  I showed up early and found Hillskedalen waitng there already, so we did a lap in 62 minutes.  Just as we were finishing up we saw the big main group just starting to head down the bobsled run.  No rest for the wicked, we had to catch up pronto, so we dove right into our second lap.  We caught up and finished it out, second lap took 60 minutes.  The trails out there are in great shape, but they need to see more riders to keep the weeds beaten back.  Plan to keep moving too, the mosquitos are thick enough that you'll be down half a pint if you stop for more than a few seconds.  It was great to see Greg H back on his home trail, he probably hasn't ridden it in a couple years and he was still smokin' all of us, and on tires with hardly any tread on them to boot.  I need to ride more on dirt to refresh the off-road skills, that's the lesson I learned.  Later!

[farmguy]

Yeah, I haven't been out on 25.5 since before my accident. It felt great being out there again. Doubly fun with the good group turn out and seeing several familiar faces. But Beans is full of BS, I was not smokin' (oh wait, did I tell you the story about the pot plants I found out there last month?) everyone. I used to biff a climb or two, but last night it was more like 5 or 6. I've also forgotten how much it makes you suck air out there, or am I just that out of shape.   

[gjbean]

Well, I am full of BS, but everyone knows that already.  I think that's why you all let me hang around, for the entertainment value.  Greg may not have been smokin everyone, but I was having difficulty keeping up with him at least.  I was seriously sore after the ride too, the short, steep, technical climbs out there are murder on the quads.  I did have one nasty get off; I thought I had a get out of jail free card, but one guy saw it happen so I was busted.  He came up just as I was trying to pick myself up out of the ditch along the side of the trail.  It was good to see so many people out for a weeknight ride.  We should keep doing these.  Feel free to shoot me an e-mail if plans for one come up, or maybe give me a call.  I'm not a reliable reader of the message board (except for this thread), and I've been known to go days at a time without turning on my computer.  Or, if anyone is interested, you all are welcome to join me on a CCT loop sometime

[gjbean]

I rode the CCT loop today in 82.25 minutes.  It was nasty hot and humid again, but not as bad as last time.  Today was my first time on the bike since the ride out at 25.5 last Thursday, I guess it took me longer to recover from that one than I expected.  The next thing I'll be riding is a chair at the timing table at the BMSP race on Saturday.  If you haven't volunteered yet, you should sign up.  It should be a good time, lots of fun and Bear says that there will be a lot of good beer there.  If there were a responsible, well organized person with good record keeping skills somewhere out there, your help would be greatly appreciated at the timing table at any or all times during the race.  Sean and I are signed up to do the timing, and we'd probably feel better if we had some adult supervision to make sure things go smoothly

Hope to see lots of you on Saturday at the race.  Later.

http://bluemound12.blogspot.com/

[gjbean]

I rode the Hwy 12 bike path this morning with the GF.  I think it was 14 miles, but that is basically just a guess.  It took 62 minutes, 37 on the way out and 25 on the way back.  It was really nice to have cool and dry conditions, first comfortable ride in quite a while.  There was a massive headwind on the way out, but an equally fierce tailwind on the way back.  The hardest part was convincing her to keep pedalling when the wind blew in the aroma of the area farms, she has a hypersensitivity to Wisconsin's official scent it seems   I'm sure it smells like money to the farmers, and we can't enjoy delicasies like fried cheese curds and frozen custard without cows!  Moo baby, oh yeah.  (I wanted to insert an image of a holstein here, but I don't know how.  Damn my lack of web skills.  Somebody help me out.)

[scotch]

no prob, Beans.
hey, shoulda left this for farmguy, he probably has tons of pics....what's this got to do with biking, anyway?

[themayor1]

no prob, Beans.
hey, shoulda left this for farmguy, he probably has tons of pics....what's this got to do with biking, anyway?

Again prolly best for Farmguy, but what is with this old hag of a cow? CORP can do better than that, we a re a quality organization! She doesn't have much bloom to the udder, the fore and aft attachments are OK, but the teats are very long, her top line is not straight, and I don't want to talk about her whithers

[scotch]

Way TMI, IMO.

[farmguy]

Here's a whole barn full for you 

[themayor1]

Here's a whole barn full for you 

Now them thar are some nice lookin' ladies!

[scotch]

Here's a whole barn full for you 

Now them thar are some nice lookin' ladies!

I'm not sure what to think about you....seeing as to what end you're commenting on.

[gjbean]

Thanks for the help guys.  I'll refrain from comenting on any teats, I catch enough crap as it is without going there.

I rode the CCT loop in 81.5 minutes yesterday.  I felt like I was getting my butt kicked the whole time, and I wasn't really feeling into it at all, but the time came out pretty good anyway.  No eau du methane, either!

[gjbean]

I rode the CCT loop in 83.5 minutes today, just out for a nice Sunday cruise I guess.  Actually I was on record time I think, but something came up and I had to make a pit stop.  When I rode through the arboretum there was a turtle in the road that crossed my path, perhaps an omen.  I like riding better on days where I didn't just get done slaving at work for 9 hours before getting on the bike--I'm in a way better frame of mind.  Looks like the PBST race is in 2 weeks, sounds like the CORP regular professional timing crew will be on duty.  Should be a lot of fun, come on out and lend a hand or just watch if you can.  Also will be looking for assistance at the BMSP race timing table on Sept 18.  Hopefully someone responsible, as Sean and I will be there and will need all the adult supervision we can get.

[gjbean]

It sure was a nice day for a ride.  I hope you got out.  I did, CCT loop in 84.75 minutes.  The weather was nice, really dry and cool too.  Pretty windy, but you know me--never one to complain about something like that

I started good today, but ran out of gas at the end.  I'm blaming it on the fact that I started a half hour later than normal, so I was ready for supper at the point where I was only 2/3 of the way through the ride.  Note to self, bring a power bar next time, or at least some Gu.  Actually, I had both in my CamelBak, but I guess the thought to stop and eat never really occured to me.  I had leftover pizza waiting for me in the fridge, so I just wanted to get home ASAP.

If the weather stays this nice, I may have to actually go MTB riding this weekend.  Anyone up for a trip to the Kettles?

[gjbean]

Sorry, no MTB riding to report.  GF and I went on the Military Ridge trail this morning for ~18.5 miles in 79 minutes.  It was hot, humid, and windy.  There was an enthusiatsic DNR employee checking for trail passes at the parking lot, probably excited about the triple time he was earning by working on a Sunday morning.  It looks like it may rain a bunch this week, so I'll have to be watching the skies to see if I will be able to go riding.  At least the CCT loop handles moisture pretty well and tends to dry out fast after a rain.  If it's not raining I'll hit it on Wednesday, then on Saturday I may try to put in a few laps at the Cam-Rock race course before manning the timing table.  Unless something else better comes up, like me sitting on the deck at Heather's all day eating fried cheese curds and drinking PBR.....