Hey folks, get the lead out on Monday. Send a letter to save some of this countries best trails. It's worth a minute and a stamp. Looks like the Bureau of Land Management in Utah thinks there's better ways to use Moab. Get the fact here. Now copy, paste, print and send it!
Thanks for keeping us East Coasters in the loop Alison!
I've lived in DC for over 10 years now. I've been kayaking a small section of the Potomac near my house for most of those years. It's a simple run with a few features and a half dozen rapids. Unless there's a big rain event or snowmelt, it's a fairly tame run. I've run it at barely a dribble and had fun. I've run it at flood stage in the dark and was terrified. I would not be surprised if the number of times I've run it tops 100. It had been months since I had done any kayaking and today seemed like a good day to get back to the river. I did a trail run to scout out a new unknown feature but the level was too low for it so I fell back to what I knew - Little Falls.
Not having any plans this evening there was no rush to my movements. In fact I moved rather slowly - a serious rarity for me. I took my time and my camera and made my way to the river. I knew the run wouldn't be overly challenging, even alone. I knew I could do it even if the light turned to dark. So I barely paddled and let the boat just float down the feeder creek into the main river. I began to be more aware of the details like I had never been before. The grip of the paddle. The sound of the water.
A rock I've paddled past all these years but never paid any attention to caught my eye. It totally stands out but I could not remember having ever seen it before tonight. I think it's quartz.
I would look at something and see it differently. Like this little slot. Then I'd look at it closer and find art. And for some reason, I sat looking at this little standing wave like a mental patient. I risked flipping over to shoot a few seconds of video - one handed paddling through this wavetrain. It started to get dark and the shots wouldn't come out without the flash. The pics aren't quite as moody but still with some splash on the camera, the results got interesting. Water beading off my new drytop. I figured I'd better put the cam away and run the final rapid - the hardest part of the run. Even at lower levels you can never take the Virginia slot of Little Falls for granted. I turned back upstream for a glimpse of the sunset-lit clouds before spinning the boat downstream towards the guts of the run. The pool below fluxuates with the tide and if the tide is low, the drop and the hole waiting to flip you are bigger. Tonight the tide was out and as I ferried across the upper rapids to get lined up I couldn't see the landing and knew I'd probably get thumped. Funny how fast I went from artsy-fartsy to ready-for-battle! The boat crested the drop and the ugly hole revealed its self - diagonal and thick. I dropped in, reached for the back and pulled on the paddle. The stern got pulled under and the boat went vertical. I fought to keep from cartwheeling backwards planting another stroke on my left into the pile like a driving a spear into a beast attacking my little kayak. The paddle disappeared into it's belly and the boat leaned forward, leveling out as it shot towards to far side of the rapid and into a slab rock. Before I took out I noticed an unlikely place for a tree to be growing. The lights of Chain Bridge turned on and I figured it was time to get home. Tho if my fingers weren't frozen I'd have done a second run.
It was cold this morning so I started the day thankful for coffee and my winter riding boots. I drove to the huge group ride in my toyota pickup that just turned 200,000 miles. I was thankful it's been such a great vehicle. With me on the drive was Pablo from Nat Geo. I was thankful for new friends and company. Pablo had some experience with riding - he rode his mountain bike across China, self supported. This is Pablo wondering how fast this 'fun' ride will be... Once we started riding and went thru a few creeks I was thankful that my boots have GoreTex. Pablo stopped mid stream and dunked his foot to keep from tipping over. I don't think Pablo's shoes had GoreTex. There were over 80 people on the ride. I was thankful to know a few, like the always creative with his facial hair P.O.Z. Kevin & Stacy who rocked the BC race with Poz & I Soon to be in GFK kit, Rob Bukszar Tony V in the house The trails were fun, the sky was blue and the sun warmed everything up. We might see it every day but I'm really thankful the sun was shining today. Now I'm getting ready to head out and make a few stops to see friends - yup, I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful for the family that I keep in touch with too. For the ability to ride my bike every day and somedays have excellent adventures on it. And for adventures not on the bike. Hell I'm just thankful to be alive. Hope this day finds you feeling the same.
To round out the day I stopped to have a drink with Pablo and his girlfriend Natalie. Then it was off to dinner held at the Olsen's pad downtown. David leads the toast. The gang Caz leads the drinking next to Joy & Mike. Very good wine, excellent food, delicious desserts and great friends. Emily baked a seriously good pumpkin pie. There was also chocolate peanut butter pie, cheesecake and bread pudding. I tried them all and was thankful I own a bike... Now it's time to go ride off them calories!
most of these are poached from Joel's blog and various photogs who were there to catch the action. Great race, looking forward to the Capital Cross Classic in 2 weeks. Joel charging Face plant Suffering up in the dog
Had a super-fun day at the races yesterday. Even tho it was below freezing in the morning, a good cup of coffee, trainer and team support got me fired up. I started way back about mid-pack of 63 racers but avoided many crashes and fought up to 8th. My fat tires gave me a huge advantage but there were plenty of long, flat sections where the cross bike had it's own advantage. All-in-all it was a great day to be outside. Big thanks to all who cheered and Emily for the photos & spiked hot chocolate.
Hanging on through the trees. I heard Joel in there yelling for me. The course was full of sketchy turns that claimed a lot of riders. Perfect day tho. Andy McKeegan, who was heckling me during my race... "Hey Jason, you look fat and tired!" did not finish his race. Guess I'll have to wait till Reston in 2 weeks to return the cheering as he didn't even finish ONE LAP. No one saw the crash that claimed his drailleur but he claims is wasn't his frustration at a bad start that ruined his race.
Just like they have for years, Chris on Poz rode the trails of Patapsco State Park yesterday with reckless abandon, acurate speed and distinct style. Both Chris and Poz are masters at riding logs, trying new lines and climbing like billygoats. I looked forward to riding with them but found myself in a bit of a sad state as I strained to keep up. You make one wrong move and they're 100 yards ahead, make 2 wrong moves and they're out of sight. I made more than 2 wrong moves. At one point, just past the tire park, bombing down the rock strewn decent Chris pulls up onto a log that's flanked on both sides by big rocks - he slows only slightly as the bike rolls the worn bark like it's on a track, he then hops off to stay in front of me and continues bombing south. I've seen Poz take the same line and someday I'll give it a shot but for now I'm content to just be in awe. It was a ride like this that got the wheels turning for "24 Solo" and on yesterday's ride the wheels began to creek again. Ken had provided the oil a few days ago and now I'm thinking more and more seriously about a sequel to '24' - but on a much more grand scale. I won't devulge any more at this point - it's all just a thought. But perhaps 2009 will see another mountain bike film from Gripped. Let the games begin Until then I'll continue to be in awe of these two riders whom I am proud to call friends.
Proud but damn jealous of their skillz. This is Poz making a left exit off a long log ride. This is Chris making an exit straight into the cameraman...
Lastly a shot of Chris's secret training program - pull ups with bike attached...
Sometimes a photo or video can get the feeling across better than words. And sometimes words help set the stage... Day 3 we set off for a big ride. Squirrel Gap followed by a finishing loop that Wayne hadn't done before. The routes looked something like this... From the ground it looked more like this The ladies had found their own loop and got some amazing photos on it. Emily, Grace and Cannonball Kate. Any ride that has suspended bridges in the middle of nowhere gets a higher ranking. Throw in fall leaves in the peak of their color flanking the sides of a gorgeous brook and the score is getting up there. Having the camera poised as a friend washes out on said leaves and eats dirt puts the ride near 10/10. This is Paul making sure Olsen knows he saw the carnage. Paul gets extra points for pointing. It's easy to get distracted but the skewer in the lower frame serves to remind one not to gawk too much. Caz pauses to take it all in. No group ride is complete without some questioning "Where are we?" Riding one handed on off-camber trails with hidden obstacles is dangerous but the shot was worth it. Caz rode past and while you can't see it a large trout shot out from under it's cover. Makes me want to return with a flyrod. Chris and David were holding hands seconds before I got this shot. Notice the 'we got caught' grins... The climb out was said to be only 2 miles - seemed a lot longer but we marched on. Dietrich shows the signs of a memento on his elbow. I found some extra energy and went off the front to enjoy some extra downtime before the troops reached the top. Tho I had to keep stopping to get shots like this. This was just one of those days you wish wouldn't end. Tho I was glad that climb out did. The final loop followed this creek up and up and up the mountain. It finished with an amazing downhill that landed us right at our cars. Perfect. Day 4 was more stunning riding - this time at Bent Creek. A gentle climb up was followed by some of the most intense and ripping singletrack on the way down. This is Emily on the super scenic climb (before her super scenic face-drag death-slide wipeout : )
Jen Winn was taking it slow (she's normally faster than most of the guys) due to the bread she's baking. We were joined by East Coast legend (who is also pregnant) Trish Stevenson. Trish was rocking the Shenandoah 100 back when I first met her. She's been an icon in the sport since, even bouncing back from a broken back. She brought her 2 dogs along. I want a dog someday. One I can bring biking. So after the long climb came the oh-so-worth-it payoff. Something like 4 miles of mostly buff, banked, bitchin downhill. There were more tabletops and waterbars than I could imagine. I didn't do them all justice but I gave it my best shot. This is me after the downhill - just plain stoked. For dinner we scored excellent pizza and large beers at the Magic Mushroom. Paul looking pretty happy. Next day we left, reluctantly. But I will be back.
