Monthly Archive for November, 2007

Wasatch Crest Redux

Published on 11/24/2007. 2 Comments Tags: .

My first BIG ride of the season was the Wasatch Crest trail up Big Cottonwood canyon. During that first ride, I huffed, puffed, and walked up the first hill (aka. Puke Hill), had two flats and two good wrecks. I was not comfortable on my bike at that point and paid dearly.

Fast forward six months. Riding the crest in early November is unusual. Riding the crest in late is unheard of. As a matter of fact, I was met with some skepticism when I told the guy at the bike shop about our ride today. Anyway, this time was great. I climbed everything. I stopped for a few breathers, but didn’t walk a bit of it. My conditioning has come a looooooong way. I’m happy because I feel this is quite an accomplishment for me. It was my goal for the trip and I made it. It was a HUGE difference from my first ride on the crest.

The first part of the ride was snowed over, but we rode anyway. The latter part of the climb was WIDE open. We ran into a few snowy patches along the upper part of the trail, but didn’t have to walk any of it. As a matter of fact, the only part we walked was the bowl just below Dog Lake. We only walked it because the snow was a foot deep. After our brief hike-a-bike, it was smooth sailing.

The drop down the Mill D trail was INSANE. Last time, we had to keep stopping for people. This time, twice. We bombed it without interruption. It was strange being the only ones up there on bikes, literally. I did get a pinch flat, but other than that, we had no problems. I hauled butt today and descended with confidence. As a matter of fact, I was on Ryan’s butt the whole time. This was helped by two things. First, he was running fully rigid due to yet another fork problem (which the shop FINALLY replaced the internals tonight at no cost to him). Second, I felt REALLY confident on my bike today. I don’t know why, but I did. Maybe it’s the better pedals, better bars, the stiffer stem, seatpost adjustment, tire pressure…I don’t know, but something was different. Ryan was right when he said the trip to Moab really helped my technical skills. No wrecks at all, not even close.

So, I’m totally stoked about the ride. As I was shuttling Ryan back up the canyon, I couldn’t believe the endorphin rush I was having. It was SUCH an amazing feeling. MUCH better than a caffeine buzz. I honestly have to say that at this point, the crest is my favorite ride yet.

Much More Than Bystander Apathy

Published on 11/16/2007. 2 Comments

Let’s boo the person helping another dying human. GRAAAAAYYYT.

Airline Staff Booed as They Help a Dying Woman

Via:
Digg.com

!=Stimulated

Published on 11/15/2007. 1 Comment Tags: , .

So, over the weekend, I took the opportunity to get off of caffeine. Not a good choice when you’re putting in 15+ miles per day on ROUGH terrain, but at least the headaches were minimal. The problem I’ve had since is simple: I HATE not being stimulated.

For those of you who don’t know, I began smoking at a very young age (younger than I like to admit). As I matured, having my brain constantly stimulated by nicotine (and caffeine to a lesser extent then) was par for the course. I smoked a lot. When I got older, and decided to quit, I increased my caffeine intake with energy drinks and coffee. When I quite drinking coffee, it was just energy drinks and that’s the way it’s been for the last seven years or so.

So, what’s the problem? Well, it’s a few things. First, I feel like I’m in a cloud. I feel hazy. It’s bad. My recall isn’t what it usually is (I had a hard time recalling the name of the tamarisk plant this weekend) and I just feel murky. Of course, I suffered through the headaches and am now free of them, but the craving for caffeine is intense. Getting a kick in the morning is as much a habit as it was an addiction.

So, why did I quit? I guess it was one part opportunity and one part education. It was opportunity as I don’t like to drink carbonated beverages before I ride, so drinks were out for my weekend in Moab. Second, I read about caffeine and nicotine last week in my substance abuse class and learned some interesting things. First, ringing in the ears. My ears are constantly ringing. I have attributed it to playing drums for years or the fact that I listen to my iPod constantly (albeit at low volumes). But, since I have quit caffeine, no more ringing. Second, general agitation. In addition to the positive things (like increased memory recall), caffeine – even in small amounts – can cause agitation. Perhaps that’s why I’m so pissed of when I drive? Perhaps that’s why the little things my kids to get to be so badly? Of course, I could be wrong, but I seem to feel a little less anxious.

So, whether or not I was suffering from caffeinism (increased agitation, mood swings, and occasional insomnia) is difficult to determine, but according to my reading I may continue in my fogged state for the next few weeks until my body can correct itself. Regardless, I miss its effects and even the dopamine dump I get indirectly by anticipating the effect of drinking caffeine.

Does this mean I’ll never use it again? No. Caffeine still has an amazing effect on my headaches as it helps constrict the blood vessels in the head, effectively reducing pressure (contrary to popular belief, it is not a vasodilator in the brain, but is in other parts of the body). I also like to use it before tests to give me that extra edge. Those exceptions noted though, the daily consumption is done.

The Trip

Published on 11/14/2007. 0 Comments Tags: , .

So, we’ve been back for a few days and I finally thought I would write about our trip.

Friday, we rolled into town quite early and were on the trail by about 11:30. The first ride we hit was Bartlett Wash, which is about 18 miles out of town. It’s a quick two mile climb up to the top of a mesa that just has a lot fun stuff to play around on. Unfortunately, MOAB EATS BIKES! A few minutes in, I had deraileur problems. No more than 20 minutes in, Ryan broke his rear hub. A few minutes later, his fork locked out. Major problem. We made a few rounds up top, hit a few jumps (where I got the best pic of the trip) and headed back down. Unfortunately, Ryan’s rear hub problem meant that he had to descend the back down fixed geared (read: no freewheel). Additionally, he was rigid. Not good. We headed into town, he rented a full-squish 26er and we were back at it.

Our next ride was Amasa Back Trail (aka: Amasa Back…inside joke). After lunch, there was lots of sand, big step-ups, and some slickrock. Man, it was a challenging ride. We figured it was about 14 miles round trip. Good stuff. Unfortunately for me, I was lagging a bit behind and went right when everyone went left. I ended up getting lost and waiting for Ryan and Randy back at the fork. Not bad though, I needed a breather. The descent was a TON of fun, though riding moab has made me question riding a hard tail.

We were off the trail by about 4:30 pm and headed back to check into the hotel. We showered up and went to dinner at Pasta Jays. Good stuff, really poor service. Carbo load for the next day. We went back to the hotel and passed out early.

We arose at about 6:30ish Saturday, hit the continental breakfast, and were out the door by 7:15 or so. The days schedule? A trail called Sovereign and then another mesa-top playground. Sovereign was a HELLUVA ride. 16+ miles. Lots of climbs up and down. Some hike-a-bikes and the largest slab of sandstone we’ve ever laid eyes on. Mountains green from copper deposits and limestone were the highlight of the ride. We were out there all alone, but on the way back, there were lots of riders headed in. I like getting out early. Avoid the crowds, ride when it’s cool. Randy and I had rear ends that were grinding from all the sand and our chains were both completely draught ridden.

We left the Sovereign trail head to search for another mesa-top playground up Tusher Canyon. Before anything though, bike lubes were in order. After an hour of searching, we had no luck and headed back to Bartlett for some unfinished business. The climb in was short and sweet and we had a great time playing around up top. Winding in between the top-most boulders (aka New York as they resemble the city’s skyline) was the highlight for me. We played and dropped and jumped until we were bushed. Down to the bottom and back to the hotel.

After a relaxing shower, it was time for mexican food. Fiesta Mexicana met the call. We were seated quickly and the service was MUCH better than Pasta Jays. I think we polished off 5 bowls of chips. We returned to the hotel and hit the hot tub. Good stuff.

Another early morning and breakfast had us getting ready for what I thought was the best ride: Slickrock. After being accosted by one of the locals before hitting the trail, I took off without my helmet and Ryan without his gloves. It was kind of funny because we were really just trying to get away from this guy (who was, in very kind words, eccentric). I won’t say I hit the terrain with nerves of steel, but looking back, I had a blast. I was on the edge of my comfort level for a while, but got accustomed to the grippy traction of sandstone very quickly. We climbed inclines I didn’t think could be climbed. It was amazing! Unfortuantely, after two prior days of riding, we were spent. My quads began cramping and Ryan was gassed too. Randy though, trooper that he is, kept pluggin’ away. Getting back to the car was GREAT.

All in all, we put in 49+ miles. It was a fantastic weekend. I’m pretty sure my rear hub is going out and my rear deraileur is going to need some serious work. I have about 1/2 the tread left on a new rear tire, but it was ALL worth it. As miserable as I was a few times there, I can’t wait to go back, perhaps next time on a full-squish 29er.

Once again, thanks go to Brenda for putting this all together. I don’t think any of us could have asked for a better trip (bike problems aside). What’s next? Fruita?

Kaidence, Utah’s First Berlin Heart

Published on 11/8/2007. 0 Comments Tags: , .

BTW, my cousin Shautelle’s daughter has successfully become Utah’s first Berlin Heart patient. You can get some more information on her blog at http://4mykaidence.blogspot.com. There’s more information on the link below, but the blog has some info too. VERY interesting.

Links:
What is a Berlin Heart?