Bridge to no where...for now

First, you need to move a ton of dirt by hand to make a 55 degree slope ridable to the gully.

Pick a suitable location for the bridge, in this case a large albeit dead tree (the top is missing since the last storm) but perfectly lined up to the "trail"

Fabricate some HUGE trusses for support (yes I used a level to install them)

Frame it up BABY

Tree Hugger or wood Gnome???

Screw in the decking

35 plus feet of hillbilly superstructure, this new bypass will skirt the mess down by the creek, four wheelers won't fit on it, and it will flow like honey WOO HOO!

Random Kayak photo, I hear Banjo's playing somewhere???

I'm NOT the Lone Ranger afterall...

I've been thinking about this summer alot in terms of racing my bikes, obviously more thinking than riding or racing at this point, and I guess there are more than a few of us out in BLOGLAND that have decided to cut back on racing time this year. Everybody knows the $$$'s are tight, buying gas sucks anyway, and more than a twinge of family time guilt comes into play in regard to where a person spends their time and money. I'm already thinking of summer projects I HAVE TO COMPLETE, like repainting all the trim on my windows, fixing a million little things around the house, hell I think nothing of raking 5 miles of trails in Dehn's but I need to rake my yard once in awhile as well. I'll still get to a couple of races this year but nothing compared to the last 4 or 5 years. I am going to concentrate on the trails too, I'm even entertaining the idea of organizing some Mountain Bike rides for the YMCA, they have access to some of the best trails right behind their back door and don't even realize the potential. Now that school for the Kiddos is winding down I may even get to ride on Tuesdays again, which is going to be tuff cause I've had a secret affair with with CAKE this winter (well PIE too) but I LIKE CAKE, and cake likes me cause I'm still carrying most of what I've eaten. Its like that commercial where the guy lost his expense report so the accountant just looks at the guys butt and exclaims "HO CHEE MOMMA" yeah... Kayaking is fun, NEED WHITEWATER.

Something new...

Flint Creek during a flash flood WOO HOO!

Ok I'll admit I had a Downhill bike, I got it CHEAP but it was absolutely worthless around these parts with very little chance of encountering an actual Downhill run/ride. GOD BLESS e-bay cause its now in the hands of someone who really wanted it. The proceeds from this sale were used to purchase two Kayaks, yeah I said KAYAKS. Always wanted em just never pulled the trigger on one till now. I see a shift in my outdoor pursuits as of late, yes I'm still riding but this year may be a little different as the Family and I spread our activities a little more across the board. Variety IS the spice of life...

Dryin the Dirt

*NEWS FLASH* Dateline 3/26/08, Burlington Iowa...Dehn's is firming up pretty good right now, the trail report from last nights ride confirms that you no longer have to pedal on the downhill sections. I think (sometimes) that barring any sort of freeze and thaw cycle from here on out, a rider could get a good base workout in for the upcoming "SYLVAN ISLAND STAMPEDE" scheduled 4/13/08. In other news I must announce its OFFICIAL, "I do not like MAXXIS tires", however, I WILL run them down to the cords anyway unless of course I wash out one too many times and destroy more equipment than I normally do. Back on subject there are a number of fallen trees that I'll get to this weekend (if I can borrow a chainsaw) who knew there could be so many dead and dying trees in the woods, and with the soil off-trail so loose, those rootless rotten ones are falling at a record pace...

Chaos theory part 1

Since I am a creature of habit or incredibly lazy, I tend to stick with what I know. Case in point is tires, specifically mountain bike tires. For the last three years at least, I purchase a new set of Conti explorer pro supersonics each spring and run them down to slicks by december. Hardpack, softpack, mud, snow, gravel, pavement, slickrock, makes no difference to me at all. Besides the lazy part, I hate changing tires cause I've run STANS conversion goo for the same amount of time, that, and prolly the most important reason is cause I know these tires actually work with STANS goo. Back when I gave a rats ass about the weight of my XC bike I was running Conti Twister supersonics and at 340 grams per tire and 1.95 wide, a light and quick combo, HOWEVER, I had a really BAD experience with this set up not once but twice. I coated myself with white latex on the trails, and coated the inside of my truck after a tire completely blew off the rim. Explorer supersonics are a little beefier at 440 grams but the tread is larger, but riding em non-stop gives you a perfect tread depth about july. This year I'm trying something old yet new to me, MAXXIS igniters + STANS goo + 1.95 (again). If you've been to Guitar Teds blog you've read about his experience with Stans stuff, I'm kinda having the same issue with leak down but its getting better with each ride, I can already report that front wheel traction is NOT as good as I had hoped, but we'll see as the trails firm up...Speaking of which, Dehn's will have a new route around the sewer repairs of last summer, cause right now and every time it rains this section turns into an unrideable SWAMP...Stay tuned!

Come again..?

I heard Scott Murphy is in YELLOW at the TOUR DE TAIWAN, or maybe its John Murphy. Regardless I bet they're both from IOWA...

Bridges of Des Moines County

Not really a romantic DRAMA, but more like the condition of such...You can get across this bridge on HWY 99, however, if one attempts it wearing bike shoes and booties it becomes a gymnastic balance beam on banana peals...ask me how I know!