2013 Almanzo 100

Sadly I was not able to participate in the Almanzo 100 this year except for the first three miles. I had other obligations that morning in the area about an hour after the start. I decided to kit-up and ride the first few on the Krampus and take some pics.

This is the sign I made for the Royal. Almanzo memorabilia is everywhere in my basement shop dating back to 08' 

Biggest start ever, just shy of 1000

The Man

Grassroots American cycling at it's best

 I was glad I did show up for the start, It was an amazing sight to see the massive group lined up and rolling out of town. I also enjoyed seeing all of my friends just before they headed out on a ride that was going to pulverize them, and know I would have, what I thought would be, an easy day :). (More on my easy day at a later time, CAVING)

Props for my team, Penn Cycle

The calm before the storm when that tandem the Eppen's are on will keep pace like a  1000cc motorcycle. 

Fancy Ray

Fat-Bike category ?

 Another reason for my visit was to say hello and drop off a little token for Mr Skogen. A couple months ago while riding, I came across an abandoned numbered sign. It displayed the number 162, immediately I thought of Chris and the Royal 162. I felt compelled to get it to him, and make it into some sort of a sign relating to the race that I have not yet mustered the courage to face. I found some thick steel letters laying around my workplace and fashioned them and the number plate to a piece of angle iron which could be driven into the ground as a marker of sorts. Chris is such a great guy, I'm humbled by his generosity and dedication to the point that I was a little nervous giving it to him. I wasn't sure if he would like it, I received a (manly) hug from Chris, I believe that meant he liked it.       Having done this race numerous times, I would like to thank Chris and all the volunteers for their hard work.  I would also like to thank Chris's immediate family for their hard work, direct and indirect. Thank you to my own family for allowing me to get out and do what I do.                          P.S.   Happy Birthday Jack

The leaders were long gone by several minutes and the pack kept coming, stretched as far as one can see

This was right after I presented my gift to Mr Skogen.

Lee's Ferry and Beyond

After a good night's sleep in the middle of Horseshoe Bend the group woke early and got busy making breakfast and packing up. By 8:30 am we were on the water headed for the take-out at Lee's Ferry. It was a little cloudy so the walls of the canyon weren't as spectacular as the day before but amazing none the less. The clouds ended up being a great benefit in keeping the temps relatively cool (75-80 deg f). It was roughly nine miles to Lee's Ferry but it went quick as the current pulled us along.

Oh yeah

On the way up Water Holes

    

Midway to the big rap

This is O'Neil and Young Tim's first taste for what they might encounter in the slots were going to in a couple days. AF can't help but down climb high-traction red rock 

 Approximately four miles from Lee's Ferry is the mouth of Water Holes Canyon. This canyon has been gnawing at me for a while as a canyoneering route and I wanted to go see it from the bottom to get a better idea of what to expect. From what I have been told/deciphered,  the canyon is dangerous and many people have been rescued form it. The crux consists of a 440' rap that is done in two parts and involves a hanging belay station. This doesn't sound so bad but "the rope eating crack" has been known to do just that, and strands the rappelling victim several hundred feet above the ground. I talked to a group that has done it before and said it was "no problem". The National Park Ranger we talked to later that day said he has rescued quite a few people including a ranger performing a rescue. Despite the "unknown" of this route I still want to do it, but just need more info so I can descend it safely some time in the future. On the other hand the walk up canyon was rewarding and beautiful.

The big rap and the rope eating crack lie within the V-notch in the sky before us. We cant actually get up close due to a short 30-40 ' drop that blocks our way 

Desert Flora

  

Leaving Lee's Ferry.

Old relic of the ferry, for more info on the area go here

Spencer Trail

Top of Spencer Trail

 After reaching our take-out we stopped for a lunch break, and to reshuffle our gear for the long hike up the Spencer Trail and into the desert beyond. The Spencer Trail doesn't mess around, it gains roughly 1700 feet in a matter of two miles, mostly up a scree slope. A.F. described it as "Pleasant". Once on top we took out the GPS to get a rough idea of where we left our bikes. I really don't like GPS, but this time I was happy to have it. Onward into the desert we marched through sand and rocks, around small stone outcroppings and all manner of cacti and pointy vegetation. We picked up a road that eventually led us right to the hidden bikes. Navigation was really quite simple, having left the bikes near the only power line in the area, the logical choice was to find it and follow it. The hike was a little over seven miles,with the cloud cover and cooler than normal desert temps it only felt like six and a half.  :)

The canyon in the background is what we just paddled through

3-4 miles of this

Getting ready for the ride back to the van

Spirits were way up when we could actually ride our bikes instead of pushing them

This was the end of the line, the van was a couple miles away on a fast downhill. This gate across the old highway was  the thorn in our side that had us walking and driving all over hell the previous day for the bike drop

 Getting to the bikes was a good feeling, we were going to make the loop! Having made-up this route 1500 miles away, via the internet, incomplete maps, and hearsay, and not previewing any of it other than a out the window of a truck passing through Page AZ, was a damn good feeling. I didn't want to let my friends down, and as we cruised the last ten or so miles back to Page, I knew I didn't. We arrived back at the van around dark, completely satisfied with our trek. We took time to reassemble and put away gear in the fading light before heading into town for some dinner. The last two days were so action packed they seemed to last a week, but we were just getting started. After dinner I drove on into the night until 3am to get us set up for the next round.

Using the last bits of precious light to reorganize for the next day

The Law of Attraction

Some say adventure only happens when things don't go as planned. The two days A.F., Young Tim, O'Neil and myself, spent in Arizona were definitely an adventure. My initial plan was simple, packraft the Colorado River just below Glen Canyon Dam in Page Arizona, to Lee's Ferry and ride pre-placed bikes back to the start point. Things got interesting about a week before we left for the Super Utah Trip. I was doing some final checking of the maps on Google to get road mileage for the bike shuttle I had planned. Instead of the forty + miles I had laid out, Google maps kept coming back with 151 miles. WTF?

No trees to get in the way of navigation. 

Bunny rabbit,    I will love him and pet him and I will call him George

  After a little digging I found out the road we needed to ride on experienced a landslide, tectonic plate in nature, and would not be opened for several years. Frustrated and angry at the 151 mile detour, I was bound to make this trip happen and began pouring over my maps, and Google Earth, I also made several phone calls. All but one of the phone calls was useful, a very friendly and knowledgeable guy from the BLM had some encouraging words and was able to get me the map that I needed. Things were looking up, all I had to do now was convince myself we could find a little, to not at all used, Dominguez Pass Trail and do a 4-6 mile cross country hike through the desert to find our bikes or van somewhere in the outskirts of Page AZ.

Sand as far as the eye can see

Yeah that's just fine right there. Our hiding spot.

 Getting the bikes set-up in a spot in which they would be useful (less walking ,more riding) the next day ended up taking a good portion of the first day. The roads were super sandy, unmarked, and confusing as to which direction they might actually go. With much luck, map reading skills, and intuition, we placed them behind some rocks along a road we were hoping to intersect the next day. The roads were so sandy we walked approximately 7 miles round trip. O'Neil's Fat-Bike was no match for the soft, loose sand, the rest of us didn't even bother with our skinny 29+ and standard 29 tires and just put our heads down and shuffled along. On the other hand it was nice walking back to the van from the drop point without pushing a bike, it was also warm and sunny and beats the hell out of a good day at work.

On our way to the Ropes

We have to get to the bottom, where the water is, Huh ?

 Another big part of the route was the use of the Ropes Trail to access the river below the dam. I had stumbled upon this little gem in a guide book. I wasn't sure if the route still existed based on the copyright date, and the proximity to power-plant/ dam/ post 9-11, but confirmation via the internet of a guy who had done it about 3-4 years ago was promising. The guide book also had the name of it wrong, somehow it all worked out. As an alternate way to raft/float/paddle the river, a guide service will take you up river from Lee's Ferry and drop you and your boat off near the dam so you can float down. I wasn't having any of that. If I was going to marvel at the 1000' + walls of Glen Canyon for the first time it would not be from a power boat. For me to connect with something really awesome it needs to be under my own power and on my terms.

This pipe with a tee fitting on the top was the main thing I was  looking for based on what I saw on the intenet

 The Ropes Trail was a little tricky to find, but as soon as we found the first pipe sticking out of the ground we were confident. The trail gets it's name from the cables used between the cemented pipes, making the down climb a little safer. I won't bore you with the history of the trail but only two cables still exist on the final  175-200' drop to the water. They are definitely the most essential since it's not much more than a big slab that gradually gets steeper towards the bottom. A good pair of gloves is also handy as much of the cable is frayed and sharp.

AF, that last step is a doosie

 .

Water yeah !

 With the bikes set-up, and the Ropes Trail out of the way we were finally on the river with about 2-3 hours of daylight to spare. We were all giddy like a bunch of schools girls when we pushed off. The river was cold, swift, and very clear. The shear red rock walls were all around us and being lit by the setting sun, my vision was now reality. Between short bursts of paddle strokes, I let the will of current take the raft as sat in silent amazement, spinning in slow circles.     

This kind of makes us feel small

Camp

 About 8 miles down stream we set up camp. I didn't know it then but we were right in the middle of Horse Shoe Bend, an iconic oxbow in the river from which many a photographer has snapped pictures of,  from the rim above us.   Horse Shoe Bend was also the inspiration for this entire endeavor in Glen Canyon..........     .......explanation .........The Law of Attraction.      We made dinner before dark and had some time to relax. It was warm that night and I slept well.

Dinner

   

Warm Up , Cool Down

Last week was the second annual Utah Super Trip. On board for the wild ride this year was Arc Flash, Young Tim, and O'Neil. Like last year, the plan was to do some riding and canyoneering. To up the ante for the 2013 trip, we brought packrafts and planned to do a couple over night side trips away from the van and the typical makeshift roadside campsites.

AF, Zippity Do Dah on a Krampus

O' Neil, rockin' a  Salsa Mukluk.  He got a lot of strange looks riding alongside primarily full-sus freeride, and trail bikes.   

 Our route westward had us passing directly through Fruita Co. On Friday we stopped for a mid-afternoon ride at the trails just north of town. This was the first real ride I had on my new Krampus. It performed very well and does an amazing job hooking up in the corners. The smooth trail was just right for the rigid, 29+, green Christmas demon.  

I think it was snowing at home :)

Krampus was at home among the sandy surfaces and rocky ledges of Horsethief Bench. This bike is a lot of fun, and in the right hands, can definitely hold it's own alongside guys on full suspension bikes. 

 On our way back home, one week later, battered and exhausted,  we couldn't help but stop for one last hurrah. All we could muster on the trails near the Loma exit were Rustler's loop and Horsethief Bench. Not knowing when I might be back to ride again, I was glad to get in one last spin even if my body wasn't up to it.      

It's OK to hike-a-bike when you have scenery like this

Rotten Ice

Saturday I reluctantly agreed to meet Arc Flash at Lake Minnetonka for a fat-bike ride and swim. He had been pressuring me for an adventure on the lake for the last two weeks, assuring me of the fun and safe experience I would have. The fact that I was jonesing for an adventure and I wanted to try out my new dry suit is what led to me caving in and participating to this crazy endeavor. Did I mention the lake is huge and  covered in rotten ice, and in order to ride that rotten ice one must swim to reach it.

Hmmmmm    fat-bikes and a dry suit

A.F. is out swimming in the pool in the background

it looks warm, right?

 The plan was simple, make it out to Big Island and back. We started out at a little parking lot on the south east corner of Wayzata Bay. We didn't have to swim here just yet but the ice was super thin and rotten. We were punching trough the slush until the water was about knee deep, at which time we gingerly stepped up on top of it and scurried further out onto the thicker ice. From there we cut across the bay about a mile and a half to a little island. On our way out A.F. had me stop and go for a swim in an open pool surrounded by bad ice just to get the feel for it. A.F. is a regular ice diver and this is nothing to him, I on the other hand, was pretty freaked out. As a native of the Land of 10,00 Lakes, it's ingrained at a very young age to stay off of thin ice. Overcoming this instinct was difficult and had me uneasy the entire trip. 

A.F. testing out his Search and Rescue over-the -shoe fins

The water is super clear this time of year

 After our second swim near the small island I was starting to relax a little. This didn't last long, about a half mile out into the main body of the lake my bike kept breaking through the crust and my fears were starting to get the best of me. For whatever reason the layers of the lake went like this.... on top was hard snowy crust, next was 6-8 inches of slushy water, and then a who-knows-how-thick, layer of black ice. Each time my front wheel would take a dive through the crust and into the slush I thought I was going in. It was becoming  more than I was comfortable with and I thought about turning around. A.F. was way ahead of me by now. I stood and called out to let him know I was turning back. I don't think he got the message, he stopped for a few seconds to look back and motored on. At this point I decided to man up and keep moving. My rational thoughts were..... #1 A.F. has already safely ridden the section I am standing on. #2 I am wearing a dry suit and currently over heating, a swim would be nice. #3 If I turn tail and run I will be labeled a pansy.  

This just doesn't seem right. It is however a lot of fun and something were used to

New fat-bike accessory, swim fins

 I continued on towards Big Island punching trough the crust about half of the time, sometimes walking, and tried not to think about it. Walking is worse, when your foot goes through the crust, all you see when you pull it out is water and blackness. The blackness  combined with the erratic depth of crust/slush in relation to the ice can give the feeling of falling through. It's kind of like walking down stairs with your eyes closed and anticipating the next step.  When I finally got to the island I wasn't really in the mood for pics or exploring, I just wanted to get back. We did however take time to cool off and go for a swim. It was nice to cool off but now it was time to ride back before the conditions of the lake worsened. It was a warm, intensely sunny day, and I didn't want to wait around for the crust to get any weaker. We had about three and a half miles to ride and I really didn't want to walk. With very low tire pressure, I got on my bike, put my head down and pedaled like hell back towards the small island and the open water. I was relived when I got there, ghosting my bike into the water, I was not far behind. The final mile and a half across Wayzata Bay was enjoyable. The crust was firm and we were effortlessly cruising back to our vehicles. All in all it was a great time, I even got a sunburn. Big thanks to Arc Flash for the kick in the ass I needed to pull this off.          A.F's version coming soon, hopefully with video.

Gray's Bay