tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210951902024-01-05T18:04:04.434-05:00Like it's Your LastBattling time by living every minute as if it were the last, accompanied by my wife, kittens and our fleet of bikes.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-43878379027098694992020-09-30T09:24:00.003-04:002020-09-30T11:59:10.839-04:00Times Change<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdsjubbxJHOjhagVSnSIqpPBGIVlomMkXnUiciBoskqLmc-qTSHk3D2ao7jYDfC7on2RNKDwBmn5_9qQA3yHj1citHuUACVzfbhPawo5tX96GZZf6UbIOYpD6dSu0yU9ncTdI/s1024/IMG_20200906_162323_1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdsjubbxJHOjhagVSnSIqpPBGIVlomMkXnUiciBoskqLmc-qTSHk3D2ao7jYDfC7on2RNKDwBmn5_9qQA3yHj1citHuUACVzfbhPawo5tX96GZZf6UbIOYpD6dSu0yU9ncTdI/s320/IMG_20200906_162323_1.jpg" /></a></div>Times change as do attitudes and more, perspectives. Everything I said in that previous post, yeah, forget it. The simple life lesson, the take away learned by 2020 is that isolation is paramount. Being away from people is where it's at and having the space to do so is crucial.<p></p><p>We spent most of the summer confined in virtual isolation within 15 miles of our house. We drove almost nowhere in fact for the first few months the vehicles barely moved. Our cycling habits and routines changed and we drew our area, our heat-map for those in the know, way back in, We couldn't ride the bikeway because of all of the insanity and overcrowding and the local trails were also just too crowded with anxious individuals to make their use enjoyable. If you are paranoid about contracting a virus maybe you should consider staying home? </p><p>So our riding changed to outbound only seeking out lesser used remote routes. I've got to say that we put together some fantastic routes and covered a huge amount of fantastic trails. We also expanded outward into some of the conservation lands in outlying towns and found a literally endless supply of trails. This is one thing that MA does right. I have found no better place for public preserved conservation lands than Eastern MA. It is truly incredible that in a area where land is so precious and valuable that the state and towns set aside so much land for public use. The depth of trail on those lands is also incredible. People flock to rural areas like ME, VT and NH to areas like Kingdom Trails thinking that these are the Holy Grail for trail riding when the reality is very different. That which you seek is literally right out your back door. Of course this year many of those better known trail systems in MA have looked like KT at NEMBAFest with the overcrowding and carnage.</p><p>For a long time, months, we did big fantastic rides every weekend with the same small group of responsible friends that we'd been riding with all year exploring the lesser used trails. We hooked together systems and connectors and rode stuff I'd not been on in decades. We found new places and shared good times, keeping each other going as best we could. This was incredibly helpful but the isolation of the long weekdays got to me. </p><p>In late July I made an effort to retrieve my truck from our place in VT, which had sat empty since February. It took three trips but we finally got it repaired and got it back to MA where we promptly traded it in. In the trips to VT and in talking with my family we discovered that the overall paranoid insanity we'd grown to despise in MA was not present in VT. Sure, the same guidance was there but people used common sense as well. We also had room to breath, to stay away from crowds, to be responsible without being absurd. </p><p>So in late July after months of self basic quarantine we go tests and then moved to VT. I started back up on my tiny house project and finished it and have been working on numerous other things. I see my folks almost daily and get together with my brothers for dinner weekly. We are still riding bikes daily and have once again settled into a much narrower heat-map. We go to the store as necessary but by and large, that is it the same as it was in MA. We don't go out to eat, though we did once, but it felt just way too weird for me so I've not been back. I also don't ride Kingdom Trails by and large because it feels like the wrong thing to do; seek out a place with crowds of others. </p><p>For some reason, I've lost my will to ride MTB for the most part. Not sure why, possibly due to crowds on trails. Instead we have been exploring here as we did in MA, and riding gravel which we'd not been able to do to date this year. It is cyclocross season though and I miss it intensely. I can't look at the memories of years past as it is just too painful to be reminded of the better times with no definitive hope for their return. My fear is that I'll never be able to do it again as I'll have fallen too far by the time whatever is going to emerge as the new competitive cycling does emerge. Hopefully too much momentum has not been lost. However, given the recent struggles that promoters had before this, I'd be willing to bet what we see in terms of amateur competitive cycling in the US will be very different moving forward. Or not. Maybe it will all return to the best of times. I've know for some time that we can't take the promise of a future for granted and can only live for the day. Never has that been more evident to our generation here, than now.</p><p>Anyhow, here we are. In December I would have said we were 75% certain to sell our place in VT and just settle on our place in MA. In May that was more like 90% though we were thinking that MA may not be for us. Now, with the reality of the struggles that an urban state like MA with the overall population density plus the city of Boston and what I contest will be a complete infrastructure collapse just starting to come into focus, I'd say the odds have flipped. </p><p>I fear that MA is headed for some very challenging times in the years and decades to follow. The commercial real estate hit is going to be unreal, what with companies focusing on remote working and no longer needing large scale office real estate. A collapse of the commercial real estate market means a large hit on property tax revenue for cities and towns. Then there is the hotel and restaurant business that has been completely tilled, many permanently shuttered never to return. And then there is the urban migration trend happening among the Millennial generation; those affluent urban dwellers that relied heavily on the public and social infrastructure of the upscale urban center. Now that these attractions are mainly gone and more, being around scores of other people is no longer in vogue, they are moving out. Couple this with the massive disparity of the current education system for the have vs. the have not, in which countless students from challenged demographics are left behind and what do we think is being set up for the future of the urban areas? This doesn't even count the civil unrest and the violent division we are seeing because of it. Detroit or maybe a return to Boston of the '70's with rampant crime? </p><p>Regardless, I think it is going to impact the whole state and not in a positive way. So once again, here we are. Right now, I'd say the odds are 75% flipped the other way and with every day that passes without change that percentage increases. Plus if I keep working the projects up here, eventually I'll finish them off and we will have enough space to move all of our stuff and we won't need a second house anyway. Besides, all of those Millennials need a trendy place within walking distance of WholeFoods, a Cafe and numerous restaurants as well as a world class bike path and metro T bus line on a half acre lot with room for chickens :) </p>mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-60442363628703193292020-05-27T13:29:00.004-04:002020-09-16T08:49:36.804-04:00Charity Starts at Home<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Xk5SU6jIlrlOwIcfW3BdpNPBAoThp1DLkWJwUKuCZObvfuxkxqk_-94gFteSv4K08zda_7GZCQsHXQumzYx6kVjMwANnfcXuJvrwZMzSP5AZUt2dnJFHa7PWGCQconkHjGzm/s1024/IMG_20200527_095358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Xk5SU6jIlrlOwIcfW3BdpNPBAoThp1DLkWJwUKuCZObvfuxkxqk_-94gFteSv4K08zda_7GZCQsHXQumzYx6kVjMwANnfcXuJvrwZMzSP5AZUt2dnJFHa7PWGCQconkHjGzm/w244-h320/IMG_20200527_095358.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>I don't know that we have seen the divisiveness being caused on a myriad of fronts by this virus reaction. Separation and segregation and division on front after front after front. In the face of the "we are all in this together" claims, reality is that we are all being forced to our own little island. <div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>One takeaway from this is just how crucial it is to live in a place where you are comfortable being. This has taught us that in choosing a home location, we may well be bound by that choice and not as free to roam as we once were. There isn't necessarily an escape alternative even if you own somewhere else. We have become bound by the state line and by and large the states have adopted one size fits all plans, regardless of where you are in a state or how appropriate that response may be to your local situation.<div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>One thing that has struck me though is how vehemently the vacation states like VT and ME have alienated out of state home owners in addition to the tourists they up until now cajole into spending money in their state to bolster their economy. Some of this precaution I can obviously understand as they are simply protecting themselves, shutting their borders to immigrants trying to escape whatever situation, atrocity or horror they find themselves in. </div><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>Our house in NEK VT has sat empty all year and likely will continue to do so until we decide just what to do with it. At first we didn't want to run the risk of taxing the infrastructure at the cost of my family, who all live there. Now though, as the lock downs ease and states including MA start to reopen, we don't feel welcome in our second home, my once native home of VT. The problem is not only what we are seeing on the news and social media but that I know what people there are like, and how they feel about outsiders.How I was taught to feel. How I once felt. </div><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>As we start to rebuild though and memory fades, I hope that people remember this lesson, that you can only rely on your home and that your home state and further, town is a really important choice. So many have flocked to the woods and trails and for those who live in towns with little public land and green space, that meant heading out to the towns that do. We've all returned to walking, hiking, running and cycling in record numbers, taxing the woefully inadequate infrastructure while at the same time exposing it's inate value. Remember this moving forward, how import this issue is, when allocating resources at the local and state level. </div><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>True as well is that charity starts at home and when we open back up and look to broaden and expand our now contracted comfort zones back out, look to do so in this state, in MA, to bolster the economy and rebuild for ourselves and our neighbors. Resist the urge to flock back to the states that now shun us, that used us and will continue to do so when convenient, as long as we let them. </div><div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>We have the ocean, the Cape and the mountains to the West. We have a multitude of public trail systems right out our door. We have cable TV, high speed internet and cell service as well as overall good hygiene. The RedSox, the Bruins, the Celtics and the Patriots, for what it's worth. To a large degree, we also have the power to choose just how well things go moving forward, if we look and act inward and work to fix the problems this has created right here in our home first, before turning our sights outward.<br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote>When the holidays roll around and you are looking for that hand made gift for the person that has everything or for your employees, look to MA craftspeople and artisans for their fine wares. When you go the packie, which for many of us has become the staple outing, go to the MA brewed aisle because we have an abundance of fantastic local choices in a vast variety of styles, not just the over-hopped palate and mind numbing doubles. Of course, we have plenty of those also.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Charity starts at home and for better or worse, MA is our home.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div></div></div>mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-11242791422181424612019-09-04T13:53:00.000-04:002019-09-06T11:53:01.484-04:002019 Summer ProjectsWell, that's it. We are back in MA after a long summer spent primarily in the NEK of VT once again. In many ways it was long, despite a someone historically late start heading back up North due to the prolonged foul spring weather. Still, as always sitting in this seat typing I realize how incredibly quickly the time flew by. The blink of an eye, one moment thinking when will it end and the next recognizing that it and the time that tracked with it has once again escaped.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aI8m6UD2llzFSynq4U4SA4_4KsHAFyJQCnGWPTHMDjBvBIXiNphnWY-6J_hEwxfIXMquD4TgsP74mqOl1Tj4RVe6SZV3P7WBDIezBN66UGGO-MR34pcseJxkkr_oyjbdisSq/s1600/IMG_20190522_212939_031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aI8m6UD2llzFSynq4U4SA4_4KsHAFyJQCnGWPTHMDjBvBIXiNphnWY-6J_hEwxfIXMquD4TgsP74mqOl1Tj4RVe6SZV3P7WBDIezBN66UGGO-MR34pcseJxkkr_oyjbdisSq/s320/IMG_20190522_212939_031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Fresh grade from the top corner of the drive.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If last summer was built on <a href="http://couchingtiger.blogspot.com/2018/09/summer-projects.html"><i>metamorphic transformations for the camp</i></a>, and it was, then this year was more about subtle changes and additions as well as the start of a fun project that is new and different. That may not have been the plan going in of course. I'd planned another big project, an addition of the front that would make use of a slightly pared down version of the existing deck. That idea posed many challenges of course and frankly, I was intimidated by it, scared by it. As such I waffled back and forth on just what the scope would be day after day and kept putting off starting it. Starting never happened.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDmGgRSoi1Rfx5T9n-8z_S4OahuAr2tabLymdgP3ZgxEcOOzd8MX7Q1JqVjIZpVQMPyUMr23oipQrrjB5CY75VyQSJS_sbFC6xggscZNGBe7P6Si1dZsq4jsrKwPJ0h4nOelT/s1600/IMG_20190522_213358_722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDmGgRSoi1Rfx5T9n-8z_S4OahuAr2tabLymdgP3ZgxEcOOzd8MX7Q1JqVjIZpVQMPyUMr23oipQrrjB5CY75VyQSJS_sbFC6xggscZNGBe7P6Si1dZsq4jsrKwPJ0h4nOelT/s200/IMG_20190522_213358_722.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>From the mid point down.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead, the summer started out with some more landscaping as it often seems to. Landscaping is an easy re-entry as I just have to go out and start cutting. It takes little or no prep or deep forethought. Visceral in ways. This included a bunch of pruning and thinning out of the massively overgrown soft and hardwood we have abounding at our small place. Many, many hours running the chainsaws and hauling slash and brush into large piles. From there I moved onto some driveway work trying to grade it out a little bit better with a small York rake and a bunch of manual labor.<br />
<br />
At that point it was time to get started on some real tasks. The first was to plumb in and build an outdoor shower attached off the back side of the main house. I wanted to make it fit in with the structure and look as I'd spent so much time last year trying to get it just right. I wanted an outdoor shower to take some of the burden off from our septic system and to make it easier to deal with the many, many guests we have throughout the course of the summer. I also wanted to make it easy to drain and inexpensive, similar to the one I'd built previously at our old place in Maine.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pgyPfsRQ3TyXZfUqyOVlSOUUqM_wlseRG1giYQ_e1PlPde-xDH-gxIsJCCRC9LiIK68TciCFTtU9stZ6ije1Z3iMxKQRlsRBdyQ-ifw-jGrCGcnngrm5cN4LzVfueIAubMw8/s1600/20190815_100803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pgyPfsRQ3TyXZfUqyOVlSOUUqM_wlseRG1giYQ_e1PlPde-xDH-gxIsJCCRC9LiIK68TciCFTtU9stZ6ije1Z3iMxKQRlsRBdyQ-ifw-jGrCGcnngrm5cN4LzVfueIAubMw8/s200/20190815_100803.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shower plumbing.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To start, I plumbed an addition hot water line and frost free outdoor faucet next to the cold water faucet I already had for a garden hose. This was pretty easy as it came directly from the basement behind the wall through the sill. The water source was also already plumbed in Pex tubing, making it easier to deal with. Then I used stainless washing machine hoses to connect from the faucet to a home made copper to Pex to copper male to male nipple adapter to connect to hose to the inexpensive industrial outdoor shower head unit I purchased. This was the same unit I'd purchased in the past. All that I have to do in order to drain the connected unit is shut off the frost free faucets and disconnect the washing machine hoses from them. If I open the valves on the shower head faucet unit then the water gravity drains down onto the ground. Simple, clean and effecting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBUsgFinL8ZeybqxMpfJmd5qKs0UMta4-mEUsOdxxP18l8L5Wwi8Bz9cNApA5Q5ucWZcWhvvso5GSICKQoMBqOkyZIBHiMa8IXHxhxRIAQdOVrmlwSAGcIE5jk6LIjZsizDaC/s1600/IMG_20190612_145649_664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBUsgFinL8ZeybqxMpfJmd5qKs0UMta4-mEUsOdxxP18l8L5Wwi8Bz9cNApA5Q5ucWZcWhvvso5GSICKQoMBqOkyZIBHiMa8IXHxhxRIAQdOVrmlwSAGcIE5jk6LIjZsizDaC/s320/IMG_20190612_145649_664.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The outdoor shower.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the structure I built the frame from PT 2x4" attached to 4x4" uprights and notched cross arch that I simply sunk in the ground. I thought about putting in cement footings but realistically, that is a bit overkill. Yes, the structure will float but it should be fine. For the sheathing I used pine shiplap with the rough side out and pine trim boards, same as I used on the camp. I then stained it all to match as well and the finish product fits well with the rest of the structure.<br />
<br />
In terms of the base I went with 12" square patio pavers contained by a 36x48" PT 4x4" border that I leveled with a slight slope outwards away from the camp. I have crushed rock all along the outside of the foundation down to the frostwall and have have drainage to evacuate any water away from the foundation. I used a bed of tiny pebbles under the pavers to help move the water away as quickly as possible and yet still effectively level and bed the pavers. It has worked very well and has gotten a fair amount of use over the course of the summer. It also quickly drained out when I disconnected it before leaving a few days ago.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNun9BhtTQhV-RhcF9qWsBUfdLoJlXVxZ0PNW4Bru7H2HDS4HNm5AGYb5wcptnNWfUySz3QANJ0KlufWP2uVb7o1BdFyvr0aHkMXzQ-yrEDa157WDNBDZ5ZvqXSkdl95EpZwJk/s1600/20190815_100816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNun9BhtTQhV-RhcF9qWsBUfdLoJlXVxZ0PNW4Bru7H2HDS4HNm5AGYb5wcptnNWfUySz3QANJ0KlufWP2uVb7o1BdFyvr0aHkMXzQ-yrEDa157WDNBDZ5ZvqXSkdl95EpZwJk/s200/20190815_100816.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Porto enclosure and bunkhouse.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up was a simple project that I'd considered. In the past, Cathy and I have had a portable outhouse on site at camp for special occasions or when we have extended guests. This just makes it easier using the bunkhouse or camping on the lawn as folks don't have to come inside. More and once again, it also removes burden from the septic, a common theme of camp life. The down side is that a porto is not the most attractive thing to have in your yard, especially if you have spent lots and lots of time working on the aesthetics of your place, which I have. My idea was to make an enclosure that I could put the porto in that would fit in with the surroundings and hide the big blue plastic beast such that I didn't have to look at it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTQmbQjLavT8dlQI_pHnOt6a5Fv54WdLtWuL4MvLdJ7wvn9ARuGMamuj_ZUrtoGs_RcxdCy2K14suUSHHok1cXU7w57hfkqI9QtP61xgeytyGVDqnRyNDa0-T_tS3AAKwQ9KW/s1600/20190619_132231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="732" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTQmbQjLavT8dlQI_pHnOt6a5Fv54WdLtWuL4MvLdJ7wvn9ARuGMamuj_ZUrtoGs_RcxdCy2K14suUSHHok1cXU7w57hfkqI9QtP61xgeytyGVDqnRyNDa0-T_tS3AAKwQ9KW/s200/20190619_132231.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Porto enclosure.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For this I went rustic making a 2x6" PT deck with rough cut 1x6" hemlock. On that I framed 2x4" PT walls on three sides and sheathed them vertically with the same 1x6" rough cut hemlock. The nice thing about hemlock is that it is rot resistant and is cheap. When wet, it is also heavy as sin. Fortunately when it dries out it is much easier to manage. Nothing fancy but it hid the blue beast that sat at our place all summer long. I think that next year we may just buy one and pay to have it pumped occasionally, which doesn't need to happen very often for us as it gets very limited usage.<br />
<br />
Then I had the idea that I really needed a screen porch on the bunkhouse. I'm not sure why as we don't even stay in it but I couldn't seem to let the idea go. Nothing huge, just a 4' extension off the front which continued the existing roof line. I'd then frame it up with 4x4" PT and use 2x4" PT connectors. First I had to build the deck on which I went minimal structurally since it was so small. For footings I dug post holed until I hit ledge, which was 12" on one end and almost 3' on the other with the middle footing somewhere in between. I then simply ran 4x4" PT up and lagged the deck into it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimltzHRTtAzmZjuzcHgcEy0YJPV-Ba66PLHK7o4wFBuOoL8MFqHOr7hGTj18ajtVui9bMlyhatoumxphyv8uC3Ihgo9Lo-9QB3ybStVl_pQdi_z8k3XwVrlKOKAtIFJFllCiFk/s1600/IMG_20190628_202804_351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="857" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimltzHRTtAzmZjuzcHgcEy0YJPV-Ba66PLHK7o4wFBuOoL8MFqHOr7hGTj18ajtVui9bMlyhatoumxphyv8uC3Ihgo9Lo-9QB3ybStVl_pQdi_z8k3XwVrlKOKAtIFJFllCiFk/s320/IMG_20190628_202804_351.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Framing porch deck and rafters.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyAbR-iWBQIGf-CULzMnWTqsMEBbrmognHynkIVDrZLyieJO4lFk3MnXLrbG9on9Ad3amrO5nbN3rtOBv7RS329fKb8qmhuN-g3JwEs8mpbf-6565QuaNPYRMF_eMuTcGIyOm/s1600/IMG_20190710_141209_536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="848" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyAbR-iWBQIGf-CULzMnWTqsMEBbrmognHynkIVDrZLyieJO4lFk3MnXLrbG9on9Ad3amrO5nbN3rtOBv7RS329fKb8qmhuN-g3JwEs8mpbf-6565QuaNPYRMF_eMuTcGIyOm/s320/IMG_20190710_141209_536.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Completed screen porch.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This project took about a week to complete and when it was done and you could sit inside, away from the bugs, proved very rewarding. I need to circle back around next year and put in railings to keep people from going through the screen, which a guest did just as we were getting ready to head home this past Sunday. Luckily I used screws everywhere and was able to get it fixed in short order, otherwise it would have still be bugging me. I can't leave projects like that incomplete.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGzpX4SPN1vN1MdfAf7feB3_2Nl4syBldrunXbtE_xap3_4OYAxtE62vLwJNxhOE_gdo3js_7G-7GY1qGw44Up33LRK8UbjUlAkNnn9VrD7XtIbfGq3thI_FRGVE-Y9ZHM-Vt/s1600/20190725_120456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGzpX4SPN1vN1MdfAf7feB3_2Nl4syBldrunXbtE_xap3_4OYAxtE62vLwJNxhOE_gdo3js_7G-7GY1qGw44Up33LRK8UbjUlAkNnn9VrD7XtIbfGq3thI_FRGVE-Y9ZHM-Vt/s200/20190725_120456.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fairly large stump.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up on the agenda was some excavation and more extensive driveway and parking area work. This required some heavier equipment, namely my brother's tractor and backhoe. The plan was to widen and level the main parking area up top so that we would have room for three vehicles across the front. Also, I planned to add another spot out beside the end of the camp. The latter involved removal of the existing turf and top soil and replacement with gravel. The former required a new front retaining wall, which I toyed with the idea of building a nice, PT 6x6" low height retaining wall for but instead decided to go cheap and use material on hand. That mean big logs, which at 24' long and about 14" in diameter at the stump proved a challenge. Luckily we were able to skid it out of the woods and up the driveway with the winch on my other brother's truck. The tractor wouldn't pull it uphill.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigee4uCyR5z198f2DCmMaDeFMlgxqPyhyOPpFixw_j2dYftnkjEpchjZLBtjAQbTLmERG5p1i0mrRQrSJ3eGV3KNeEIWD4iUuc5g926bxKmKdkFnndvNRl7fcxM3ml_0qUqtY/s1600/20190725_112920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1024" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigee4uCyR5z198f2DCmMaDeFMlgxqPyhyOPpFixw_j2dYftnkjEpchjZLBtjAQbTLmERG5p1i0mrRQrSJ3eGV3KNeEIWD4iUuc5g926bxKmKdkFnndvNRl7fcxM3ml_0qUqtY/s320/20190725_112920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Driveway parking area and extension.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With that I leveled and built a retaining wall for the left and front of the driveway parking area so that I could level it a bit better. This wall was about 8" higher than the old log retaining wall I had, allowing for a much more level area. The main side log was also longer and I dug it in and trigged it against trees on the other side of the drive so it couldn't move out. Over time it will rot and I will have to replace it but it should work fine for quite a few years, given the size. Cheap and effective. To level it out I ordered yet another 20 ton of gravel. The resulting product came out pretty good with much less slope than before and a much smoother and significantly larger area to park in.<br />
<br />
While I had the tractor I also built a road and a flat spot up into the back meadow. The idea was to give me a permanent place to put the large tiny house trailer and platform I'd acquired from my brother last year. Over the course of a couple of days I got that flattened and then seeded and mulched it to try and get some grass growing. I then had to try and get the 8x17' dual axle trailer up there. The smart person would have done this before building the outhouse enclosure and the porch on the bunkhouse. Yes, but that isn't how things worked out. Luckily I had 8" to spare between the two and the width of the trailer. Given the angle, the lawn and the 90 degree turn needed to get the trailer into the spot I had little hope for success. A couple of attempts later and some direction from Cathy and the trailer was resting in it's new home. I honestly never though that would work, but it did.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41fpHnkCPc9Ad2hlEnJNc1bcjMP-nGnBer51Ln0K0IJOmTqjB4-k1MvUhf4otPf3hT0W8FMReZpD9aYiZAIHufDNDnA3MVTpd-zaJjVdUxqCev_UBsNwS-93szGDAb9AUaQqM/s1600/IMG_20190718_201326_424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41fpHnkCPc9Ad2hlEnJNc1bcjMP-nGnBer51Ln0K0IJOmTqjB4-k1MvUhf4otPf3hT0W8FMReZpD9aYiZAIHufDNDnA3MVTpd-zaJjVdUxqCev_UBsNwS-93szGDAb9AUaQqM/s320/IMG_20190718_201326_424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Trailer in place on leveled, seeded and mulched plot.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now that the trailer was in place and I'd had to strip off the temporary roof I'd put on last year to store it over the winter in order to move the thing, I had to do something. Was I going to just button it back up for storage or pull the trigger and start construction? I really wanted to start on it even though it was now the beginning of August.<br />
<br />
With less than one month of the summer left I decided to get rolling on the tiny house build. My plans were vague at best, mostly simple line drawings to try and figure base materials and window sizing based on availability. I kept changing my mind in terms of what I wanted to do for the roof. Ideally I was thinking multiple pitches as it would look better but would also be more work. Same with dormers. Honestly, I didn't need to make that decision yet as the wall framing would be the first step anyhow and I had all the information I needed for that. I'd go a full 8' from the base of the trailer platform to the top of the sill such that an 8' sheet of material would fit. This would give a 7'7". wall height inside before the finish flooring went down.<br />
<br />
For tiny houses on trailers that you have any intent of moving on the roadways, the dimensions you need to adhere to in order to avoid an over sized load are 101" wide and roughly 13' high overall. That height depends of course on the particular roadway but 13' is the accepted low norm. I don't necessarily plan to move it on the road but I want to be able to. Who knows, maybe we will buy another chunk of land and plop this on it or maybe I'll decide to sell it. Of course, getting it down from where it now sits will be a challenge and will require me to build a road out of the meadow. I plan to do that next year anyhow.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1UC3DHuxsEyU9ILgBVPXkEGXT8Lil8osH7MXVn1T-8g279-Okrs1RNqRasB-O51-eSsTgrZJZQuq_30gT-6E9yEHVTUQil1wuTHFu-TfejEsw6o3T0cH_4mOcYYXgj46rpW3/s1600/20190809_144913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1UC3DHuxsEyU9ILgBVPXkEGXT8Lil8osH7MXVn1T-8g279-Okrs1RNqRasB-O51-eSsTgrZJZQuq_30gT-6E9yEHVTUQil1wuTHFu-TfejEsw6o3T0cH_4mOcYYXgj46rpW3/s320/20190809_144913.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lower framing complete.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Framing, for which I chose to use 2x4" pine studs, went quickly, even though I had to tear some of it back out and re-space the studs due to human error. No question that a professional I am not. Learning as I go, mostly the hard way. Luckily I built it all with screws so it was easy to take apart and put back together. Every aspect of tiny house design requires concessions toward size. I even considered using 2x3" studs to gain the extra 2" interior space and save weight, another major concern, but scrapped the idea. Same with the siding, trying to minimize weight and cost. A friend who is a professional reminded me to build square, not plump even though I did my best to level the trailer beforehand, putting it up on jacks. Sound words that reminded me of my days working in a box shop making industrial crates, pallets and skids. You always checked everything for square with diagonal measurement and comparison side to side. This tells if the rectangle you are building is racked or not. I made sure to check as I tied one side to another.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJJY626fFmZ4IMtKOmOXbczMpV215mSa76qnZjFHsdAUW6sWLbyEnOi9Ske73tYyjukZbquHQPCf4qUTev_Ipe5a5M5O2B4kX4DJxQKCG3EI0jZqxz2jwVoehYbW6JwQX0uOG/s1600/20190813_104400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJJY626fFmZ4IMtKOmOXbczMpV215mSa76qnZjFHsdAUW6sWLbyEnOi9Ske73tYyjukZbquHQPCf4qUTev_Ipe5a5M5O2B4kX4DJxQKCG3EI0jZqxz2jwVoehYbW6JwQX0uOG/s320/20190813_104400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">External finish sheathing installed.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As usual, I used a just in time material purchased plan where I was never more than a few days out on material I had on hand. This meant lots of trip to the supply center but allowed flexibility and didn't force me to plan very far in advance. I struggle with large scale projects and estimations when the planning goes too far out. I need to be able to visualize an individual task and plan accordingly. One day at a time, if you will.<br />
<br />
Within a week the lower framing was done and the sheathing, which was 4x8' sheets of a 7/16" exterior grade, molded v-groove wood look pre-primed hard board with overlapping edges. I've used this material before and it works well, is stable and an inexpensive way to combine sheathing and siding in one. I simply screwed in to the framing studs. The sheets were heavy as sin but I managed to get them up in place using either jigs or with the help of Cathy. By the end of the first week I had a completed box with holes frames for four windows and a door, minus the top.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEGDBY8YpazbO2y3DYRgWBVHZQkXra5L0uOnjDzRu1CIIB3eqsAdfKVmfcl6vqZKCtUGPXaLcroq2JfoK4LPludL35OKHiXwpJSSAxEDJkKoNyv3cl7ZOcOR5AEEpeG0U6CHW/s1600/20190814_154348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEGDBY8YpazbO2y3DYRgWBVHZQkXra5L0uOnjDzRu1CIIB3eqsAdfKVmfcl6vqZKCtUGPXaLcroq2JfoK4LPludL35OKHiXwpJSSAxEDJkKoNyv3cl7ZOcOR5AEEpeG0U6CHW/s320/20190814_154348.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cripple and gable ends framed.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now came the time where I had to decide on the roof plan. I went with the easiest way out and did the same pitch roof throughout, a shallow pitch roof that would maximize space. This meant I'd need to also frame a cripple wall on top of the existing wall sides to build the wall up another 16" overall. This would give me a super shallow 12/48 pitch but because I had tin and because the roof was so small, I wasn't really worried. I had the same pitch on a lean to I built off the side of my shed in Maine only it had an 8' run. Never had a problem with that even in crazy abnormal snow years.<br />
<br />
I framed the ends with a small window in the center of each and then framed the short cripples. For sheathing on the cripple and gable ends I chose cheap and light 7/16" OSB. Poor mans plywood it was going for $7.85 a sheet this summer in Littleton NH at Home Depot. I planned to side over it anyhow with cedar shakes and would also put a layer of house rap on it as well. Then I built the two piece center beam from two 2x6" sandwiching a piece of 7/16" OSB that I glued and screwed.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZZ83LYTYGc0mPBiudt8epNRYg1-5yIHM3d_APJ2Mbkb1lOy-wninyjJ5VCEh8PKO6V5sOybO2JCK1akpfPOm3v2whdeKF4M1Pv9MCbZIMeWLYG0FCCQBHT9NKRvIQya4Qcid/s1600/20190815_151728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZZ83LYTYGc0mPBiudt8epNRYg1-5yIHM3d_APJ2Mbkb1lOy-wninyjJ5VCEh8PKO6V5sOybO2JCK1akpfPOm3v2whdeKF4M1Pv9MCbZIMeWLYG0FCCQBHT9NKRvIQya4Qcid/s320/20190815_151728.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ridge beam and central main carrier detail.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The main cross carrier beam in the center(ish of the trailer because the wheel well occupied the actual center space) was made from two pieces of 2x10" fir that I also sandwiched OSB between, glued and screwed. That was, heavy, even though it was only 8' long and was all that I could do to get up into place atop the cripple wall. To attach the beam to the wall I used angle iron pieces and lag screws on both sides of both ends. I also dropped carrier studs in below the beam to carry the load back down to the deck through the exterior wall. Then I set the main beams one at a time and got them in place. I left an overlapping tongue of OSB on one beam and left the sandwiched OSB short on the other such that i could splice the two together to help keep the beamed lined up and joined in place while I affixed it more securely.<br />
<br />
It all went in well and gave me my center point from which to start dropping in the short, roughly 4' rafters. Part of the reason they are so short if because of the low pitch angle but also because there is almost no overhang and eaves. Though not idea, a mobile tiny house has to conform to the width standards at it's widest point. You either have nice wide water pitching eaves or you have, living space. More concessions.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZTz2RtPzsGlgD0tQaTR5NysYEN3mHN-O1tm0spSenOlPT0Ppjmo-p7MThYqdrZwviY7Npqr7Iu-iparVLmpkiAYuxKvg0Oqf9R32Dd_27lZMVu3gMZhJ13YhitBxllBLLiNH/s1600/20190816_151812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZTz2RtPzsGlgD0tQaTR5NysYEN3mHN-O1tm0spSenOlPT0Ppjmo-p7MThYqdrZwviY7Npqr7Iu-iparVLmpkiAYuxKvg0Oqf9R32Dd_27lZMVu3gMZhJ13YhitBxllBLLiNH/s320/20190816_151812.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rafters in place.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The rafters went up fairly quickly, tying them into the top at the ridge beam and then at the bottom on the cripple wall sill. On the gable ends, to meet the desired length dictated by sheets of 36" coverage tin plus 2" extra coverage for the final sheet which doesn't overlap meant that my wing rafters on each gable end were simply a pair of 2x4" sistered together with no blocking between them and a piece of 1x5" pine for the fascia. Nice and easy. Then came the roof sheathing for which I used OSB once again for it's lightweight and inexpensive nature. Luckily the roof proved pretty darn true and square and the sheets fit and matched pretty well. If you have ever worked with sheathing a roof you know that it is often challenging, especially old stuff that is rarely square and whose rafters are not always on center so they don't match up for spacing. In all honesty I had to sister one rafter to hit on center though I really should have just popped the rafter out and re-positioned it. Cathy helped and we got the whole thing complete in an afternoon except for the final partial piece because a massive rain shower moved in. I had to scramble off the roof in the pouring rain, which I could hear coming through the trees across the valley toward me.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6V85TYFay5sL9P4qqwK6U1KJI9tarCT_YFVjES9cos4vQi93rjJCEasI-Y6tPWsYifqnmZnw1nX94_2RqZa12K4h2xt_CZUSq8w3RgQZnH_DqSm6E1kYACyEgIi2oE6Dsu8i/s1600/20190818_143357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc6V85TYFay5sL9P4qqwK6U1KJI9tarCT_YFVjES9cos4vQi93rjJCEasI-Y6tPWsYifqnmZnw1nX94_2RqZa12K4h2xt_CZUSq8w3RgQZnH_DqSm6E1kYACyEgIi2oE6Dsu8i/s200/20190818_143357.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Roof decking installed.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The roof then got a coat of weather shield underlayment on the entire sheathing surface before I put the tin on it. I did this just in case I had water backup under the ridge cap given the shallow angle of pitch for the roof. Once that was done I put the fascia boards and drip edge around the entire perimeter of the tiny house roof edge. Then I ran the tin, which was used and leftover from when I replaced the roof on the main cabin last summer, long such that the ends nearly butted each other. The ridge cap then sealed it all in.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSRb04VyGATaKb3k3jSoSFsgbuK9K9SPzBVJzaMAlS4Z3AfYtUthmRDF-vBMINfRFiKFkvsBVNjEl6r6H9V1SvUp4KtTJu6krYerhgKWwHDfalrRiSn4ZjAhVwhCSlBxsLh_1/s1600/20190826_122933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJSRb04VyGATaKb3k3jSoSFsgbuK9K9SPzBVJzaMAlS4Z3AfYtUthmRDF-vBMINfRFiKFkvsBVNjEl6r6H9V1SvUp4KtTJu6krYerhgKWwHDfalrRiSn4ZjAhVwhCSlBxsLh_1/s320/20190826_122933.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Finished roof using recycled tin.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By the way, the tin I had was in 10' lengths. I needed 52" pieces of tin which meant that I had a hot date with a pair of tin shears. This made for a fun morning and an excellent right hand workout. That said, I've cut many, many sheets of tin by hand. With a good set of shears it is no big deal. I've used a tin nibbler as well which works great but isn't that much faster plus I didn't want to go borrow it from my brother.<br />
<br />
Next up was building the framing structure to encase the wheel wells. This was a mass of small blocks of of 2x4" screwed to longer lengths of 2x4" with two sides and two ends. Not complicated but lots and lots of pieces and then exterior grade sheathing covering the inside sealing it up to the elements and the wildlife. The whole unit then got attached to the platform and the walls. Having the wheel wells is not ideal as it eats into the living space. The alternative would be to have the deck platform above the tops of the wheels and tires, which would mean significantly less overall height. Some things you just deal with. Concessions.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5NqIalT1z2IUdG69NFg7HRJpEsNmZhhIBH5yd5HfudYJ1LniNvOUMua_gi2zX9I_5zpR_pFJa5sX0WC_2pne8wdw1cO07gVbWqC0FpK1T88NSFoSN8Rud-6DTLMCwjfklUzb/s1600/20190830_121011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5NqIalT1z2IUdG69NFg7HRJpEsNmZhhIBH5yd5HfudYJ1LniNvOUMua_gi2zX9I_5zpR_pFJa5sX0WC_2pne8wdw1cO07gVbWqC0FpK1T88NSFoSN8Rud-6DTLMCwjfklUzb/s400/20190830_121011.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>As it currently sits with one end completed.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By this point the summer for us in VT was getting a bit long in the tooth and our time was getting thin. We lost a couple of days with a side venture to Quebec to participate in the Master's Mountain Bike World Championships. Once back we almost immediately had company for almost the entire next, and final week of the summer proper. Before the company arrived though I helped my brother put in a new front door at his house. He let me have his old front door which I immediately installed on the tiny house. A quick cleaning and the thing is more than functional plus the price was right and it kept the door out of the landfill. I consider that a win all the way around. I plan to paint it a wildly vibrant color once I get a chance to get back on site to do some more work later this month. I know, I said it was put away for the winter but I really want to keep moving if I can.<br />
<br />
The most was made of the situation and we did get some work completed with the help of additional friends. We got two coats of the finish paint color on most of the lower portion of the tiny house. Then we got the windows in, centered and installed with weatherproofing. From there we were able to get the rest of the trim boards, which covered up the seam between the bottom level and the top level around the gable ends and along the cripple wall. Over the top I installed metal flashing and then ice and water shield strips to seal it all up tight, hopefully. Those trim pieces also received two coats of outdoor stain sealer before we installed them.<br />
<br />
With a morning left to spare I took the opportunity to finish side one gable end with cedar shakes. If you have ever worked with cedar shakes or shingles you know just how time consuming it is, especially when it is a gable end with angled cuts and a window. It took hours to finish up. I used 16" long mid grade shingle material that I had left over from, something, and gave a 5" reveal. Ideally it should have been 4" but I figure the 5" is going to be fine for this application and will overlap all the gaps without issue. As I'd been hoping, the cedar gave just the look that I was hoping it would, giving a contrast and compliment to both the trim and the bright orange tone of the lower portion of the structure. I was very happy with the end product.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG_kHcY4Ytt38IaJw2N_ZBgE1IqFiU4v76C13y_lL2y8WGmLQLxzCP172d3tOpzu9v22Z1XfTE9IjFHbXob7y5bieDnqKsyUZmySMNNkRcRD9iP8aaKQE0dnYCTFrjzlOiuyP/s1600/20190830_121055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG_kHcY4Ytt38IaJw2N_ZBgE1IqFiU4v76C13y_lL2y8WGmLQLxzCP172d3tOpzu9v22Z1XfTE9IjFHbXob7y5bieDnqKsyUZmySMNNkRcRD9iP8aaKQE0dnYCTFrjzlOiuyP/s320/20190830_121055.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Current state of the project.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I still have so much left to do on the <b><i>#GravelCampTinyHouseProject</i></b> but it is happening and it is well on it's way to realization. The first thing that I did when I got back home was to order some windows for it, for the top. Nothing fancy, just 12" square fixed windows that I will put in the top sides. One each side in the back end, which will be where I have a high storage loft area and two each side in the front end, which is where I will have a low hanging loft over the bed, which will be the living area. I want that to be bright and light as I plan to put a low sitting futon up there. At least, that is the plan. Who knows where it will all end up though.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Note;</b> at present the running total cost is just over $1900, which is a bit more than I thought. Given that I have some bigger expenses coming up such as the insulation and interior sheathing, I'll need to monitor the costs closely moving forward.</span></i><br />
<br />
And that's it. That is what I did on my summer vacation in VT. Making steady progress toward having a usable compound for showing off the best that the area has to offer. Or something.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-91252519990141683302019-04-22T15:50:00.001-04:002019-04-22T15:50:37.707-04:00This Space Intentionally Left BlankIf you have come here looking for an in depth report on NEK gravel conditions as in the past five years, I'm sorry but I don't have that for you. We have spent the spring in MA, where the weather has been spectacular. It has been fairly warm, the trails and pavement are dry, the trees and flowers are blooming and the grass is green.<br />
<br />
Throughout life one is often seeing the greener grass elsewhere only to find that it really isn't any greener at all. I've spent years doing this very thing, only to come full circle again.<br />
<br />
Based on perspective though, some times the grass really is greener on the other side of that fence.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBPhbtVD9D9CCO4XoBPBGdVfgXTUml0jdBBpZfQ0LOumFYZuvStdQ9GV1uj9-JBHCp4EeQ5qbEyRPo296KBJGKR4zqs7dHepYR_99weuzzOp1XaU0bz7izjYmkmi2ummaPUca/s1600/IMG_20190422_135728_166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="877" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBPhbtVD9D9CCO4XoBPBGdVfgXTUml0jdBBpZfQ0LOumFYZuvStdQ9GV1uj9-JBHCp4EeQ5qbEyRPo296KBJGKR4zqs7dHepYR_99weuzzOp1XaU0bz7izjYmkmi2ummaPUca/s320/IMG_20190422_135728_166.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-9565309529236476522019-03-27T16:07:00.002-04:002019-03-27T16:07:59.402-04:002645It has been quite a while since I looked at this. It has simply become second nature, something that I do as instinctively as getting dressed in the morning or going to bed in the evening. No, it has not always been easy. Quite to the contrary in fact like last spring when we were on vacation in the Bahamas. I thought that I would be fine just stopping. <i>"I can stop whenever I want to, I just don't want to". "I'll stop, tomorrow".</i> I was wrong. Incredible how powerful the investment was, if only to myself. I've begun to use it as a celebration of the day, each day, as well as a task that I need to fulfill before I can call the day complete.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Tgjt_u6cWjto-tTBei1vwpN03-muEzH8TcvUUHOR6R5PnbhMOuRNQAXUz9-VmaG0Vt1mjNMPW4uJgXCUg1vvDtSaAyKvcXfN-crRGKL3mrgH3BlQglMj14L00M-NxPRwSca/s1600/20190327_075426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4Tgjt_u6cWjto-tTBei1vwpN03-muEzH8TcvUUHOR6R5PnbhMOuRNQAXUz9-VmaG0Vt1mjNMPW4uJgXCUg1vvDtSaAyKvcXfN-crRGKL3mrgH3BlQglMj14L00M-NxPRwSca/s320/20190327_075426.jpg" width="228" /></a>It's crazy that something as simple as pedaling a bicycle has taken on a whole new meaning, entwined itself within my very existence and daily life. The though of eventually breaking the streak literally brings anxiety. I fear for the eventual day when I'm unable to complete this daily, welcome, task.<br />
<br />
I ended up breaking the streak of consecutive days riding outdoors during vacation last year. For two days the best I could muster was to ride a stationary bike in the gym at the resort. That was a tough one as I'd invested so much in those consecutive years of riding outdoors. I'm not certain how long that streak went but I know that it was over 1500 days consecutively. Since returning from vacation I've ridden every day outdoors though usually doing at least ten miles so that the Strava.com training log day bubble displays the days distance <i>(ten miles is the minimum and I don't like empty bubbles)</i>. I'm like that, as you can tell. There are times when I don't make it though, like when doing winter rides in crazy poor conditions that are not safe, or feasible.<br />
<br />
So here I am, still pedaling away now 2,645 days from whence I started. It has become a metaphor for my life actually, much like the duck; calm on the surface but paddling furiously below. So much change. So many friends come and gone. Some fortunately come again, a goal I hope to work more on. So many life changes, during that time. Lives focused in different geographic area, everything seeming to be cyclical and coming back around. That's good, it keeps things fresh, new and exciting.<br />
<br />
We are coming to the close of yet another day, starting to think about the evening ride. Today it will be a local group training road ride, the TVR. We organized this ride for years and are now resurrecting it once again. I'm a bit under the weather currently, on the mend from bronchitis developed this past weekend. I'll do what I can do on the ride and just enjoy the company and the day.<br />
<br />
Another day that I am fortunate enough to celebrate by riding my bicycle.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-528357862674572402019-03-14T15:21:00.000-04:002019-03-14T15:57:40.445-04:00Cycles<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdzmZ1YHHJqv_gguYfGC9RiwOKveaUfC4NyCjh3lkF0-F-pxfoN5g5_ljp1O5KP4hPolSyhjbkDLAp2v859buiOJX-5wRmfgpVKvw8h1cmfcVQx5TguFXTWbbWGztlzrjDUQ-/s1600/P3020088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="1024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdzmZ1YHHJqv_gguYfGC9RiwOKveaUfC4NyCjh3lkF0-F-pxfoN5g5_ljp1O5KP4hPolSyhjbkDLAp2v859buiOJX-5wRmfgpVKvw8h1cmfcVQx5TguFXTWbbWGztlzrjDUQ-/s320/P3020088.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2019 Winterbike Epic Ride</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Everyone who knows me knows that my life revolves around cycling. I was bitten young when riding bikes in the rural Northeast Vermont was one of the few escapes and few ways to get around. Like most typical rural country kids, there came a point where my fancy switched from pedal bikes to motorized but I came back to the purity of the sport in earnest soon after college and relocating to Boston. Since then my affliction and passion has only grown.<br />
<br />
And with it, spending so many years and so very many miles doing essentially the same thing, pedaling a bicycle, I go through stages, cycles if you will. Changing things up to keep it all fresh. When I started out my adult cycling life it was all about offroad and mountain biking. This went on for some time and then I started racing. Soon I realized that a road bike is a necessity for training and also affords new adventure. I started to explore the area more and more and began to become truly familiar with my surroundings, with the good roads to ride, the cut through roads and streets to make good loops of lesser traveled road. Keep in mind that all of this was before the internet and Google Maps or RideWithGPS. Heck, we didn't even have Yahoo Maps yet or GPS. Lots of hard maps and trial and error. Or you could go to club group rides and learn that way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfA74c2JLK1cy1VnNMPvoDT7_wjVzhXYf1r7LKQW1uKZmwjK0HVf7tnoydo4NGOAGNlm5RTjcTNBwUM3cedq3b6Z9Q7_JqZ91z3pSJfUTOY1LIbT7zmlnUNvE5q7wy0uh5O7Q/s1600/cx01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1566" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkfA74c2JLK1cy1VnNMPvoDT7_wjVzhXYf1r7LKQW1uKZmwjK0HVf7tnoydo4NGOAGNlm5RTjcTNBwUM3cedq3b6Z9Q7_JqZ91z3pSJfUTOY1LIbT7zmlnUNvE5q7wy0uh5O7Q/s200/cx01.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Road turned to CX</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon I was introduced to the concept of cyclocross with a cobbled and converted road bike. This allowed exploration of some of those trails and conservation lands that I would pass while doing road rides that were a little farther than you wanted to go on the MTB and not suited for a road bike with very narrow slicks. Yes, back then narrow slicks could be a 19c (though typically 23c) on a 18mm external width rim making for a crazy small tire that would not work well offroad. I also tried a couple of races but at that point, the hook was not set and I got away.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIzzs7WkCGiajiXcm7x8sqAYu3jc_Tq71ZAyKxAOKeVDrosupPcZ4n7I_NuAEZC_oSwGsyQ5QZFyCn80mb6M29aTxtl9vivGdrZWtfETAN4OpdMv6cx_Ecx_5rxdMHxyRkd5H/s1600/oshit3_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIzzs7WkCGiajiXcm7x8sqAYu3jc_Tq71ZAyKxAOKeVDrosupPcZ4n7I_NuAEZC_oSwGsyQ5QZFyCn80mb6M29aTxtl9vivGdrZWtfETAN4OpdMv6cx_Ecx_5rxdMHxyRkd5H/s200/oshit3_01.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2003 BAD-ASS</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Around that time, in the late 90's we also branched out into MTB tandem. The MTB tandem was novel and we rode it a lot getting into group rides with a core group of like minded folks a few years later. We constantly broke stuff though, as in almost every ride. It was awful. We tried one race, in Freetown, which was insane but we still ended up getting married so it couldn't have been that bad I guess. A few years later we would get into road tandem and had many excellent adventures and incredible rides. We still have some local Strava segments from doing the TVR training road rides we organize on that tandem. And then there was the stint with the time trial tandem. Alas, a few years back we finally gave up the last of our tandems in order to save our sanity. Competition, which had been the fuel for the fire for so many years was stoked out of control and could not be contained.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH07RzGH9uBwE3jSqAjRidmE3tYlHWMJOlgnEfwARFhpCnStad_LYVwIZLrpbDj7P-ESNaZrfV33-a_rJ-3wcK7d8j2y8hGDYIloeiRxXgtqs9rn_ZAPp8yVRKs_L4TnzQRT6/s1600/DSCN1601A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="852" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH07RzGH9uBwE3jSqAjRidmE3tYlHWMJOlgnEfwARFhpCnStad_LYVwIZLrpbDj7P-ESNaZrfV33-a_rJ-3wcK7d8j2y8hGDYIloeiRxXgtqs9rn_ZAPp8yVRKs_L4TnzQRT6/s200/DSCN1601A.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cathy sprinting me to get her final lap</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Step back again to the end of the 90's and single speed MTB caught my attention. A group was getting into it hard and riding weekly. The notion of cobbling together a bike that you basically could not buy off the shelf at that point was captivating; always had been. And so it began and has not stopped since. Sure the passion has waned some at points but it has been a true constant for two decades now. Recently I've been feeling the draw again, back to the simplicity of it all, and even built up a new all terrain drop bar single speed. Can't wait for conditions to improve here in the Northeast so I can get some time on it as well as the SSMTB, which I did some work on earlier this year as well.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8EzIqkW8E3rsXim17mI59USftHZ_wF8Exm4BbYu70K4_PVeUOklV1-vwoWUYF-WWo11eTfDYP1O6-KN1w-U-M9vOADjnul5JzmxKXcWZiR21qon_ZRRotIl3-07qbRDqz-2-/s1600/mdrop5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8EzIqkW8E3rsXim17mI59USftHZ_wF8Exm4BbYu70K4_PVeUOklV1-vwoWUYF-WWo11eTfDYP1O6-KN1w-U-M9vOADjnul5JzmxKXcWZiR21qon_ZRRotIl3-07qbRDqz-2-/s200/mdrop5.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hucks to flat</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And then there was freeride. Right around the turn of the century aggressive, technical, obstacle based mountain biking was becoming popular. Many of us in the area had always done this type of riding, the technical skills based trails popular on the North Shore, Cape Ann and at places like the not official trails in the Fells. Rock face ups, rock drops, rock face descents. The orange, the yellow, the Ridge, Nam. We would go out and spend three hours riding six miles sessioning every drop or get up. Freeriding was a perfect fit and soon the big hit bike arms race was on. Crazy forks bolted to crazy suspension designs on any bike you can imagine. We settles on the Santa Cruz Bullit which I had a couple different iterations of with many different forks. I still have parts from the old Stratos FR4 monster I had on the bike as well as a custom Risse Racing coil-over that bumped the rear to 8" of travel from the stock 6" as well as a box of the countless parts I destroyed hucking off drops to flat.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0smN_YQHYXKJiNtj4t_LBEsxewjO7HQ_dgFbDy8xXsRD7sg0GZRLe5lPP3L0pgjPPBZqdLL9IHfSORja8P5-i1WyaPAZfVsWo4MlA3x-jCrOLojzgak630mYH67JUN-1Pbhf/s1600/sr_090603_11A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1327" data-original-width="995" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0smN_YQHYXKJiNtj4t_LBEsxewjO7HQ_dgFbDy8xXsRD7sg0GZRLe5lPP3L0pgjPPBZqdLL9IHfSORja8P5-i1WyaPAZfVsWo4MlA3x-jCrOLojzgak630mYH67JUN-1Pbhf/s200/sr_090603_11A.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>DH at SR</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then we tried downhill at Sunday River in ME and loved it but quickly realized the Bullit was a horrible gravity bike with single pivot rear inducing brake jack lockout and crazy steep head angle even with a 6" travel Jr T fork. So we bought full on downhill rigs. I went all out with a dream bike, an Intense M1 with bottomless Avalanche Racing rear shock and Boxxer World Cup fork. The bike was incredible. We spent the summer riding DH every weekend at Sunday River as we had bought a house in Bethel ME that spring. I also was doing a lot of moto trail riding, which had crept back into my life and between the DH and moto, I got really fat, again. I'd always been fat but racing MTB and doing road had allowed me to shed some weight and gain some level of fitness. So then there was this weekly road ride that a friend told me about which started right in Bethel at the Sunday River Brewery. It was mostly a core group of cyclists from the paper mill in Rumford. I started going and that got me hooked back into road in a much bigger way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDikmQC2_6y9MDZ-XxvhgO3aahjYgA05yvptyLyuf3IOUSTb37zBipX07hofU_DxYDpTrd1u35aAGmnbmqzgJqlYt4ujp2YX8_XORsIV-E1Qi4eZJ8e9hzia3SwTXMiG8nx-OJ/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="320" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDikmQC2_6y9MDZ-XxvhgO3aahjYgA05yvptyLyuf3IOUSTb37zBipX07hofU_DxYDpTrd1u35aAGmnbmqzgJqlYt4ujp2YX8_XORsIV-E1Qi4eZJ8e9hzia3SwTXMiG8nx-OJ/s200/IMG_2753.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cathy at the CBTT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All of this paved the way for our entry back into racing, and I mean really racing bicycles at the amateur level in the middle part of the 2000's. From racing some time trails and road in 2005 to time trails weekly, road and cyclocross in 2006 and 2007 to weekly time trails, full road season, full MTB season and full CX season in 2009. By 2009 we were doing over 60 races a year in addition to more than 15 mid week time trails. This lasted for a couple of years before the volume simply wasn't sustainable any longer and we started to pare things down some. The first to go was road, and then MTB. Ironically, we were still increasing the number of CX races we did. I think I had nearly 40 CX races one year back when I was racing SSCX and Elite at smaller races and masters at the bigger events. I still love CX and race as much as I can, though the days of doubling up seem to have passed me by with age.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09-DLN1LqlAo24Xdj5jZeLaIoUeS52hWp-5EcqlovckhkYOixwMAOBKbFffr3_VKBsJ_Vz62epyrvyvLahtqxJBt3I3WInjSxPZgR53-KXyFVCvLp2nQtxZF5BklSUtiJcqtv/s1600/IMG_9498A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09-DLN1LqlAo24Xdj5jZeLaIoUeS52hWp-5EcqlovckhkYOixwMAOBKbFffr3_VKBsJ_Vz62epyrvyvLahtqxJBt3I3WInjSxPZgR53-KXyFVCvLp2nQtxZF5BklSUtiJcqtv/s200/IMG_9498A.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My final Battenkill race.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we were moving away from road racing we started to get into gravel. It wasn't new by any means as I'd ridden dirt roads for years and had even dragged friends on NEK gravel, ironically the same gravel we ride frequently today, more than a decade and a half back when we did a tandem weekend based out of my folks place. We had been into the original Northeast gravel event, Battenkill, for a number of years but as the event bloated unchecked from popularity the entry fee soared along with the race to the race for registration which opened up an unheard of at that point five months before the event, we lost interest. Many of us who had come back to gravel were also looking for something with more than the 10% gravel that the race offered. It was at the point exactly, well later that year anyhow, that we saw the first primarily gravel event in New England, a no cost, no frills ride in Northern VT. Before the event actually happened it was redubbed a race and cost minimal money but to the initial registrants getting in before the change, it was free. The event was awesome, so awesome that while the Battenkill registration time was approaching a few of us started a discussion that a real spring classic in the NEK of VT during mud season would be an awesome idea. And then five months later, it happened, and it was awesome. No pressure registration, low cost and oh, by the way an incredible party afterwards. And we loved gravel and wanted more of it.<br />
<br />
And then the floodgates opened and the arms race began. Before any of us knew what was happening registration for an event was up 364 days before the actual event, with complex price increase models to incent entry and $25 events became hundred dollar events which became $200 events and events sold out within minutes of opening. People started using these events as bucket list items, willing to pay whatever for the experience, the finish line photo, the T-shirt. I get it, not everyone is competitive but many want to be part of the event. That's why the Gran Fondo is so popular in Europe. It's hard to begrudge the promoters because hey, it's a market driven world and there are plenty of folks willing to pay. If I don't register someone else will, literally. And that's exactly how I feel about it and how it feels from the outside looking in. It has simply outgrown me, sights set on a broad new market segment. And it's OK.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJBrWGPkCrOTZNjjd6IIxJZvKDogc9bIeq69B_wAS-Y1GQ6gwwA0AT0m_BpHpKwA0FuV8GadlfAW8M5jRP1Rp4Cp41m_Imafx79txEs9HdiFyVcPziiHbh6buXknCZVBF_-1f/s1600/P8190178A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJBrWGPkCrOTZNjjd6IIxJZvKDogc9bIeq69B_wAS-Y1GQ6gwwA0AT0m_BpHpKwA0FuV8GadlfAW8M5jRP1Rp4Cp41m_Imafx79txEs9HdiFyVcPziiHbh6buXknCZVBF_-1f/s200/P8190178A.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Adventure and friends</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, interest has been waning in gravel racing and expensive gravel group events. There are a number of reasons why though. The soul has changed, it has become exactly that which we were first rebelling against. Spending more time in VT riding gravel and buffed out singletrack trails mostly alone or with my wife only has left me, weak. It isn't that she can't ride it is simply that we are at different levels and hilly gravel and MTB tend to reveal that. The result, I can't race a bike to save my life any longer and my fitness is awful. I need to get back to my roots, to doing the TVR and other weekly gut wrenching 50 mile left for dead road rides and weekly hammer SSMTB rides on fast but techy trails strewn with roots and rocks and all the stuff you will see on a MTB course. In the fall, which we spend in MA, we have a core weekly practice that we've developed over the past decade with some incredibly strong and talented participants so for CX we are in good shape.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrp0x1F1TCUmrZn-nzgfZd3NZD5QxKPJBdUZ6GrKC4udzPQFzJc0oIWwC6_9DviMKtS0xCDw83KDqu1BXWpUykPM0QgaJUm9qnRGZPi9kpSDrLqG8FH04Gd1YeBm6OVNF8eGld/s1600/P6230061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrp0x1F1TCUmrZn-nzgfZd3NZD5QxKPJBdUZ6GrKC4udzPQFzJc0oIWwC6_9DviMKtS0xCDw83KDqu1BXWpUykPM0QgaJUm9qnRGZPi9kpSDrLqG8FH04Gd1YeBm6OVNF8eGld/s200/P6230061.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>KG2.0</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bottom line, I still love riding gravel. Big adventure rides in remote places where route design and then navigation are part of the challenge. Scenery and sense of accomplishment. That is the heart of gravel, IMHO. The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KingdomGraveleur/">Kingdom Graveleur</a> will be the main focus, providing the most adventure per dollar of any event out there (it's free). Getting back into shape is another primary focus. In looking back at ride stats and results I can see the trends, exactly what happened and when. My overall decline started when I stopped riding road, especially the long nasty, gritty, cold days spent with a small group of friends riding in the winter. I got a couple of those this winter in the NEK with the one person I know up there other than my wife who is always willing to ride. I've also done a ton of good solid road rides in MA over the winter with friends. I have a plan and am working on it. As soon as the conditions improve I'll start the local weekly group MTB rides back up as well and see if I can get back some of that which I lost. It was pretty humiliating going from excelling at technical courses to getting decimated by them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0vjmmrngxROkXYeINwf-bh1qwfDynXAk0WQh2cQ544WMD98tl6iKmkl7feC_s6c7ZpSuDTeRBe-Xo1ZqY9l5NdO5EqvpH07jiGs5cESqelEm7wiKAakTR3ZPq4QIxP-BCJfs/s1600/IMG_2916A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0vjmmrngxROkXYeINwf-bh1qwfDynXAk0WQh2cQ544WMD98tl6iKmkl7feC_s6c7ZpSuDTeRBe-Xo1ZqY9l5NdO5EqvpH07jiGs5cESqelEm7wiKAakTR3ZPq4QIxP-BCJfs/s200/IMG_2916A.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2019 D&T 100</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Oh, I almost forgot. The other cycling discipline of note is winter fat biking. We dragged our feet for ages on that one so as not to conflict with winter endurance road rides and Nordic skiing. Then, six years back we jumped in full tilt. At first we had inexpensive, heavy bikes that we rode a ton. That year we spent the winter in Bethel, ME and rode sled trails. We loved it, the same way we love gravel. Exploration and adventure with a very similar feel to gravel riding. The next year a new, lightweight bike and even more miles of sled trail. On average we would do over a thousand miles and 100 hours on these bikes in the winter. Then we started wintering in NEK VT where sled trails are off limits but Kingdom Trails was groomed and open. That was good but not the same and with the limited trails groomed in the winter, meant that we rode the same stuff pretty much every day. This worked for a few years but this winter, got old. Luckily our friends at Coos Cycling Club in Gorham, NH stepped up their grooming and had fantastic conditions most of the year but that wasn't a regular option given the distance. So we spent more time this winter in MA than in the past five years or so. I did get in on a fledgling event for New England, the D&T 100 day one of two, a long distance point to point fat bike ride on sled trails. This was always my favorite fat bike format and one I'd done in the past many times, one I greatly miss; exploration and adventure with the potential for freezing to death.<br />
<br />
So there you have it. Things come in, things go out. Old is new. That is what keeps it fresh, keeps the cycle moving forward. I've never been one to strive to be part of the in crowd or doing what is hip or trendy. I ride bikes from the heart, doing what feels right, that which feel right. It's a personal journey, one which I've had many counterparts in along the way but one partner.<br />
<br />
<i>NOTE: I filled in the images for this post after writing the post copy. The last three images, which are from the past couple of years, represent three of the fondest cycling memories that I have to date. In order, an exploration adventure ride with Cathy and Sheldon in August 2017 in the literal middle of nowhere on a route we were not sure would connect, through a swamp on the back side of a remote mountain. The next, from the June 2018 Kingdom Graveleur 2.0 ride where there were so many happy people that I just didn't want the day to end. The last was from the February 2019 D&T 100 day one fat bike ride. I also have an image of a fat bike adventure ride Cathy and I did in 2015 over Dixville Peak from Errol and around the Balsams to Coleman and back which is another favorite. The 2013 Minuteman SSCX race finish where Cathy sprints by me to get her final lap. We both had very good days and I still smile hard thinking of this moment which Cathy's dad captured in the photo. Also one from the final BAD-ASS group tandem event we did back in 2003 I think which was a great day. The first shot is from the 2019 Winterbike Epic ride, the best Winterbike I've ever been to and one of the best groups I've ridden with in ages. Great folks who worked crazy hard and all had smiles at the end. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So many wonderful memories so very dear to me.</i><br />
<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-24869931339881455842018-09-07T13:30:00.001-04:002018-09-07T13:30:36.450-04:00Summer ProjectsI can't believe that another summer has come and gone. It was fast and furious, and hot and humid. It wasn't exactly a fantastic summer for riding bikes, at least as far as I was concerned, but I did get quite a bit done on the ongoing camp remake.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVamr4CLdqFUXSg7mwvSR_BUObrye43NHwL0E6CrhJliuwXK4oLjgayaArBYxqHs2ILTa1NwAzwHbUH0ooE7XzrTBh0M9DGw1Tjrs__eJerdqqiFs04x8mexq5KDu-qFEPXmgK/s1600/36306544_10214562600932888_5668148183973232640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVamr4CLdqFUXSg7mwvSR_BUObrye43NHwL0E6CrhJliuwXK4oLjgayaArBYxqHs2ILTa1NwAzwHbUH0ooE7XzrTBh0M9DGw1Tjrs__eJerdqqiFs04x8mexq5KDu-qFEPXmgK/s320/36306544_10214562600932888_5668148183973232640_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The summer started slow with me struggling a bit to get back into the swing of things and get going on the projects. I always find that I struggle with not so much motivation but fear. Fear of breaking ground, moving into some new and uncharted territory and figuring out just how to do these many things that by and large, I've never done before. Luckily, it is getting to the point that I have experienced and encountered most of the challenges I face in terms of remodeling, at least now I have.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
We started off easy with some landscaping and road reworking. I got a load of fill and dropped it into a spot low on the hill of our property in order to level off a nice flat spot for a later project or for an emergency turn around. I then seeded and mulched it and left it for the summer to grow. I also did a bunch of pruning and thinning of smaller trees. Hundreds of them to open things up, promote healthy growth and get more light, particular up behind the camp. I even made a quick stab at a small stretch of MTB trail that I never actually got the chance to finish before things got going in earnest.<br />
<br />
From there I moved inside and did a couple small plumbing projects which included adding a new kitchen faucet with a sprayer hose, which we'd not had in the past. Very minor but a nice touch compared to what was originally there. Next I moved on to the fridge and plumbed in the through door dispensed water and ice maker. Another small project that yielded huge practical benefits as I adore ice with water.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRpNAKLRNpbT0JgGb-FGYjfmVT79_bRY3DwI6NYPUBcPOG0eV6eT5SAViUYYoi61Apd2qOyIbgK_km1Re5PRJwcR8tYMibUw0ZwVK0PmW-_1gSE_9vinCDxVU5k-ZUUIcCOapp/s1600/33245656_10214303714060878_4297481037279133696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRpNAKLRNpbT0JgGb-FGYjfmVT79_bRY3DwI6NYPUBcPOG0eV6eT5SAViUYYoi61Apd2qOyIbgK_km1Re5PRJwcR8tYMibUw0ZwVK0PmW-_1gSE_9vinCDxVU5k-ZUUIcCOapp/s200/33245656_10214303714060878_4297481037279133696_n.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Making holes.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlKnY9abkxpk2umXEXZLPy_pmJNyQko6Eln6orSLaB2eFhDsF6Gbx0IX6a0KACIy4h7TOyjGzsnrt_WaUwZ6UT6Ri3-MBJnDG3L7P3L-HiCwrIpEBWnEAANFWD90GoDLUSdnH/s1600/33234797_10214305772752344_5003411873618460672_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlKnY9abkxpk2umXEXZLPy_pmJNyQko6Eln6orSLaB2eFhDsF6Gbx0IX6a0KACIy4h7TOyjGzsnrt_WaUwZ6UT6Ri3-MBJnDG3L7P3L-HiCwrIpEBWnEAANFWD90GoDLUSdnH/s200/33234797_10214305772752344_5003411873618460672_n.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Filling them in.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From there things got pretty legit. I'd planned for a while to reside the camp. We'd done virtually nothing to the outside since we got it and it didn't look very spiffy. Certainly not as nice out as it did in and that made it a pretty ugly duckling in terms of first impressions. That project was pretty big but also had a couple of prerequisites. The first was to deal with power and telephone coming into the camp which was hung to the front gable peak. The last thing that I wanted to do was try and work around the live feed so instead, we decided to run the input underground. This included excavation to did a ditch for the power and phone lines. I used my brother's tractor and backhoe and dug the ditch so that the electrician and power company could switch the feed. Pretty simple and only took a day or so to dig the 100' of ditch from the pole up. Of course, the pole end was sitting right on ledge which I hit literally 16" down. Later I was able to get the full 4' of depth suggested. A day later the electrician came and ran the conduit and lines and we back filled it over and in a couple of days the power company came and made the switch at the pole and we were set. Some grass seed and mulch hay and one project was down, paving the way for the next project.<br />
<br />
The next project in line, the second prerequisite to the siding was the roof. When they built the camp they went cheap and easy and the roof had no end eaves on the gable ends. This means no overhang to help pitch water and the elements off the building itself. It also looks like ass IMHO, so I planned to add wing rafters to get a full foot of overhang on both ends. To match, I needed to extend the roof rafters about 4" to get the common 12" of eaves all the way around and give a good straight surface for the fascia and square returns with soffit that I had planned to finish it off.<br />
<br />
So as the weather started to get warm, I got started pulling the old fascia off. What I discovered behind it was decades of rodent leftovers, literally filling the space between the rafter overhang in the eaves. I figure I pulled close to a hundred pounds of material out. It was a mess and not an awesome job to have. Then came the gable ends and the trim boards and various layers of metal drip edge and flashing that had been used to try and seal things up. Deconstruction and prep took days and days to complete but finally I got it all done, pulled all of the old nails from the removed material and sorted and piled it out of the way.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_mUfE_-cqqqop7MLhsogRlhu9XTfJI-wVZ8Elk7oh14RTwosZ7XKXcdFMIMSvWnDa6ot2e_UWcje5tBDuKa7JUsaEhA2A8zfcSbybGHjns2X6xIxWfjS2I0jV9Tq1iDwxVY1/s1600/20180627_133458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_mUfE_-cqqqop7MLhsogRlhu9XTfJI-wVZ8Elk7oh14RTwosZ7XKXcdFMIMSvWnDa6ot2e_UWcje5tBDuKa7JUsaEhA2A8zfcSbybGHjns2X6xIxWfjS2I0jV9Tq1iDwxVY1/s200/20180627_133458.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Extension rafters.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then I finally started cutting and hanging the rafter extension blocks, sistering them directly to the existing rafters with a whole lot of screws. 2.5 and 3" deck screws would be a common theme for the summer and my impact driver was in constant use. Just an inexpensive Ryobi rechargeable, the thing has paid for itself many times over and has built countless projects much like my trusted Makita skilsaw which was given to me by a good friend.<br />
<br />
With the extensions on the back side of the roof I moved on to the wing rafters, deciding that the extensions would have been easier to align and level with the end rafters already in place. Regardless, I did the first end backwards but got the wings built in two pieces, one for each slope of the roof. They were 11' long and a foot wide and were blocked out every two feet. The result was a pretty heavy wooden structure that I needed to hang pretty high up by myself. That required making some braces to screw to the side of the camp and hold the wing in place while I aligned and sistered it to the existing rafter with lags and screws. Next I moved the braces and repeated the other side of the same end, typing the rafters together at the peak through the butted adjoining blocks to hold them as securely as possible and tie it all together.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJXWVFR0N9ewGH0ci7FFX6y98WcF9P8_tRE5HOdQSze1a-pMFb31-gOR5mBPe3xFLWNpo_BdasLhtlDuqfmZbqvkFqVr_qHL_tWe8hfHijzhhf-iM6XiDRWTPwrQHwUaD26ta/s1600/20180627_133447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1024" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJXWVFR0N9ewGH0ci7FFX6y98WcF9P8_tRE5HOdQSze1a-pMFb31-gOR5mBPe3xFLWNpo_BdasLhtlDuqfmZbqvkFqVr_qHL_tWe8hfHijzhhf-iM6XiDRWTPwrQHwUaD26ta/s320/20180627_133447.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Adding a helping hand</i></b>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then it was on to the other end, which was easier in that I was working on the deck which was a nice flat and level surface compared to the ground around the camp, which by and large was not. I also had to pull the chimney down to get at the peak, which was no problem and was a project that needed rework later on as well. As I was working on that side I found the remnants of the tree that I remember the neighbor had said hit the camp roof years before we bought it. Seems the previous owners just threw some tin over the hole and never actually repaired it. That made for a nice little side diversion cutting the old busted sheathing out, putting some reinforcement along the mangled rafter and then patching it all back up so as to be rodent proof. Seems I found at least one place where all of the mice had been coming in and out. Fortunately, that last wing rafter pair went up easier than the first and soon I was on to the final side, the long front side, which was also high up with the ground continually sloping down along it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRIBSkkqRjshemJyvavVOsbAx9AQrz8IRiTQCho6IxuakvIChWUlloJN4QYcRQsPatP453eU9vXYUmAuDoLrsJQlMUmbi4Go2JWHGTkTxouj6EL07D6YVjYTGr_lOubJaujqW/s1600/IMG_2501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRIBSkkqRjshemJyvavVOsbAx9AQrz8IRiTQCho6IxuakvIChWUlloJN4QYcRQsPatP453eU9vXYUmAuDoLrsJQlMUmbi4Go2JWHGTkTxouj6EL07D6YVjYTGr_lOubJaujqW/s320/IMG_2501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Raw wings going up.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This meant blocking the ladder up every time it moved, which slowed progress. It also meant working 16' off the ground at one point, further slowing and complicating the work. But with time and sweat as that was also the Southern exposure, I got the extensions in. Then I sheathed the wing rafters and it was time to start the trim, the fascia and barge. I was able to get the end fascia or barge boards up on the wings but my brother came over on his day off from the barbershop and helped me with the end fascia, which was a bit of a nightmare. Finally we got it done though and then I put the drip edge on and could move on to the roof itself.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqVCL9QlQzSlFNZyYkDatJQNBegbT2IpmLx3IUNj-BUZHjBrzkJMjYxb8iUDhryq19C5X9QJM9k-U-KzIt4_UF94UEj7J6d9f4xBd0GwnyrTYAzRX_y54Ky3Ygep47OZ-iyaX/s1600/20180702_111240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqVCL9QlQzSlFNZyYkDatJQNBegbT2IpmLx3IUNj-BUZHjBrzkJMjYxb8iUDhryq19C5X9QJM9k-U-KzIt4_UF94UEj7J6d9f4xBd0GwnyrTYAzRX_y54Ky3Ygep47OZ-iyaX/s320/20180702_111240.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Old roof and new wings and extensions.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The roofing in place was green tin. Because the roof was now longer and wider I needed to add new tin. I chose to go basic and run galvanized which is what I'd gotten for all of the other projects at camp. Consistency I determined was the best choice not to mention the tin was in stock, readily available and inexpensive at $2/linear foot for 3' wide coverage. The only drawback was that it came in stock lengths on 8/10/12/16' and I needed 11.5" which meant a hot date with the tin shears. I actually borrowed my brother's electric nibbler shear which worked awesome and was way easier than by hand. I'd tuck the cut end up at the peak anyhow, under the ridgecap where it was sheltered from the elements and wouldn't show rust. And with that the stripping of thew old tin began. Pulling screws and lowering the old sheets, saving them for later projects. I pulled 14 sheets down and put 16 sheets up, adding one to each side.<br />
<br />
For the roofing project, putting the tin on, I had my brother helping me again, luckily. We did one side at a time on two of the hottest days of the summer. It was pretty miserable work. The roof had a layer of asphalt shingles under the old tin and then strapping over it to affix the tin to. This is common if not ideal. The right way to do it would have been to strip the shingles to bare underlayment. The problem is what to do with the old material. The rural VT thing would be dig a big hole and bury them, but that isn't legal any longer and a dumpster would be expensive. It would also take a couple days of pretty miserable work to strip the shingles off so I caved in and followed suit, leaving the mess there hidden under the new roofing. We did go through and double the strapping to give more support and to anchor the roof deck to the rafters more solidly with, you guessed it, lots of 3" deck screws.<br />
<br />
The first sheet is always the hardest, trying to get a square piece to fit into a not usually square area. The second sheet then start to reveal the true scope of the problems as you start to see just how much it is walking or receding. So then you stretch and bend that which is rigid and inflexible in order to make up the 1/8" which in three sheets will have you back on track just as the roof starts to walk the other direction. It's a fun game, one that I've had the chance to play half a dozen times over the past couple decades. On day one, a Sunday in July, we got one side complete. On Monday we finished the next side. It was equally hot but we got it done and it looked really, really nice.<br />
<br />
Then began the prep for the actual main project of the summer, the one that all of the prior work was leading up to, the residing of the entire camp. First though there was the small business of removing the existing siding, old dried out weather beaten cedar shakes. If roofing was fun, this was a party. I quickly remembered why I went to college, only to retire and work as a laborer for fun. Yes, I'm simple.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf1a0R-UIG3qnR_WwGj36-Vz5QOIcn9Sp7Kk-e8QBxjUV3BSTo4k8OqU1JY0TBuqFL1munEOxaNNjlbk4ZXWUigObgYq7XgqB82LzR250-4GzCRHSbfXFkwGXkPb7wqL5PV6o/s1600/20180724_142923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf1a0R-UIG3qnR_WwGj36-Vz5QOIcn9Sp7Kk-e8QBxjUV3BSTo4k8OqU1JY0TBuqFL1munEOxaNNjlbk4ZXWUigObgYq7XgqB82LzR250-4GzCRHSbfXFkwGXkPb7wqL5PV6o/s320/20180724_142923.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>It's going.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It took a full day to strip the one side of cedar. My folks came over and helped for a few hours. Well, my mom helped while my dad mostly sat there and supervised. He's not so good with standing up for long periods these days. It then took another full day to strap the side horizontally with 2x3" pine and then add 1.5" x 24" wide foam insulation to the side. I decided that since I had the space and needed to strap it anyhow in order to accept the 11" coverage x 7/8" thick rough outer surface pine shiplap board siding I was using that I may as well add insulation. I'd chosen to side all the way to just above ground level, which meant going over the concrete foundation as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCeZyhVxc1UDFQMmZnGhTssdei8OhFHCrtGWH3d-QxBaLKEnk9Cl6AVoZRiKCZZw-usvkBxEOyoM_hv2x4lD4I_bCm18RdzF0V9ko5au0vUaulL0a53i8voOUL4vQDyjhEXZ9/s1600/20180801_134412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCeZyhVxc1UDFQMmZnGhTssdei8OhFHCrtGWH3d-QxBaLKEnk9Cl6AVoZRiKCZZw-usvkBxEOyoM_hv2x4lD4I_bCm18RdzF0V9ko5au0vUaulL0a53i8voOUL4vQDyjhEXZ9/s200/20180801_134412.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Burn it!</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As the shakes came off something had to be done with them, to dispose of them. Decades old, dried out cedar was simple to get rig of, just add fire. It was a constant job to pull the nails and then stack and bundle the shingles coming off the sides of the camp. Once bundled I'd stuff the fire full of them. The day was hot but the fire was an inferno with an endless supply of tinder. I burned all day, every day while pulling the cedar off. I filled four quart yogurt tubs with old nails, nails which I still have to straighten and reuse like back in my youth when nails came not from boxes at a store but in assorted conditions, lengths and shapes from an old rusty coffee can and oft required straightening first.Post apocalypse when we are on the rusty used nail barter system, I shall be a king among commoners.<br />
<br />
Last summer I'd strapped and then insulated along the outside of the foundation with foam and put an exterior grade sheathing over it. The new siding would cover and level all of this making it look seamless. Problem was that it wasn't level or seamless. The foundation which we had added was square or darn close to it. the camp, well, not so much. That meant irregular and variable overhangs which needed to be compensated for. Much head scratching and shim shingles were required.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEdhSneLrbYekJUkvxNfRuKaHlFSkffp760MDWgEJEjwthMuoREDMrG3o4Hpz3izoM0UD5jiGtnGn1YmaD1ElBzISC8oI0IkXVPQbt9xDNdCYMLbLmcPoMQF8pytsNWcA3Fq4/s1600/20180731_163528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlEdhSneLrbYekJUkvxNfRuKaHlFSkffp760MDWgEJEjwthMuoREDMrG3o4Hpz3izoM0UD5jiGtnGn1YmaD1ElBzISC8oI0IkXVPQbt9xDNdCYMLbLmcPoMQF8pytsNWcA3Fq4/s200/20180731_163528.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Almost there.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also added a house wrap vapor barrier first to help tighten things up. The first side, the back side, had no doors or windows to trim around which made things easier, which is why I started there. On the third day I did the actual plank siding. Putting up pine, especially in long lengths, is never fast but I managed to get it done in one long day of work. It looked nice and for the first time, the camp was starting to look like something more.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghx0gAt-AMZP3Ox-JJJzcHEj-F7RKGNf93Q2XzMcqqUfnpHJo-7X0Z811BG6sUWNKoF63UxTjpBqzPmrljSSRKS_2LqzJnfZPSSRarK92F6lLOna0HrQns4x8fVslkYZRmE0c6/s1600/20180801_134456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghx0gAt-AMZP3Ox-JJJzcHEj-F7RKGNf93Q2XzMcqqUfnpHJo-7X0Z811BG6sUWNKoF63UxTjpBqzPmrljSSRKS_2LqzJnfZPSSRarK92F6lLOna0HrQns4x8fVslkYZRmE0c6/s320/20180801_134456.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Two down.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up was the back end. It had four windows to deal with. I also had to deal with a slightly different overhang which meant using one inch strapping and insulation board versus the 1.5" of the other side. Easy enough. Shimming and trimming the windows out proved a challenge in coming up with the best technique, which I didn't until the next side anyhow. regardless, I got it done in the same time frame, one full day for each step, three days for the complete side. Then onto the front side, with it sloping ground challenges, three windows a sillcock and a fan vent and massively weather beaten brittle shingles. A constant symphony of pulling nails out of dry sheathing was to be heard for days intermixed with the bang of an impact driver, the crackle of the fire that was consuming old dry cedar shakes almost as fast as I could feel them in. The weather was hot but that fire was an inferno, scorching skin as you tried to cram more fuel in. three more days and that side too was complete. Again, one inch strapping and foam was the proper width to mate with the foundation level.<br />
<br />
One side left, the front gable end. Working on the level surface of the deck and only one window, one door and a chimney flue to contend with. This went faster because I decided not to strap and insulate. My reasoning was simple, I plan to tear it off again as soon as next summer for a future addition where the deck is. That said, I wanted to finish the whole project off rather than leave one odd, ugly side. Two days later all of the ancient cedar shakes were long burnt and the siding was complete. I was very very happy to start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4JsJQkjI2K_khpDMuJzTg31Sl53y_lJaP7XDa4oQXntVhNOt22_uzHMJrkH00bK1G6dh2y91AHjz-7Q2UEw9UXihEfkboikPAtb7oaLYHCryQe1PkG2JTHdk2PMXt2rhB2xP/s1600/20180821_193046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4JsJQkjI2K_khpDMuJzTg31Sl53y_lJaP7XDa4oQXntVhNOt22_uzHMJrkH00bK1G6dh2y91AHjz-7Q2UEw9UXihEfkboikPAtb7oaLYHCryQe1PkG2JTHdk2PMXt2rhB2xP/s320/20180821_193046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Functional corner lighting.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now came the returns which I redid the first of three different times trying to get the best technique. Easy finish work though and then the soffit but first, I wanted to add some flair. I'd planned to add recessed corner perimeter lighting in the returns of the soffit. That meant a little electrical work, fishing wire, tapping into the existing line for the front entry light. It also meant running about 75' of new line up under the soffit in the eaves and wire in the boxes and light receptacles. Simple enough. Then I could start dropping in the assorted vinyl J channel and F channel to accept the vinyl soffit I was using. I'd used the stuff extensively in the past. It is clean, easy to work with, maintenance free and gives a nice tight finished look. Once I cut and fit roughly a million ~10" pieces of soffit and cut 6" holes into the end pieces for the recessed light to fit through, with the trim ring covering from the outside I was done. It looked pretty good and the corner soffit lights gave both practical lighting as well as nice accent. Things were starting to come together and it looked like a whole new place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW67ZSrYe9cV3NIBF_kA5lKorpln1Pu5jzis-z75sIzViX422zGjUcEUV00JNd17CSGhuULFOlSi3H2du6mAFM9RtybJm79VS3QJjK98HVp5SEm0nKI-pCCX55NFZtdhZ4CCH/s1600/20180822_153607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihW67ZSrYe9cV3NIBF_kA5lKorpln1Pu5jzis-z75sIzViX422zGjUcEUV00JNd17CSGhuULFOlSi3H2du6mAFM9RtybJm79VS3QJjK98HVp5SEm0nKI-pCCX55NFZtdhZ4CCH/s320/20180822_153607.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Chimney and stand.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It took some searching but I managed to find stainless double wall insulated locking chimney from the same manufacturer as what we had. I needed a few additional pieces to set the chimney out beyond the new 12" eaves and to extend it up above the roof line. In the past they had a short piece of regular galvanized stove pipe doing that. I extended it another foot higher and added an integrated cap. We also needed to extend the support bracket to compensate for the additional 12" of horizontal length from the camp side. Rather than retrofit the existing tin bracket I cut and welded a new one out of steel angle iron with rebar A brace supports painted flat black. When lagged in place to the side of the camp I could hang off the end of it so it should handle the 75# of chimney just fine. I also made a support hanger from aluminum banding that ties the upper stack back into the top of the gable fascia so it can't move.<br />
<br />
The only thing left was to choose the stain color and then liberally apply it. On our vacation week, the final week of the summer, during one of the hottest stretches all year, Cathy and I stained the camp, semi-translucent natural cedar tone for the main color and a cream color for the trim. It took us a couple of full days which we spread out over a few days, saving some time for bike rides. And just like that, the summer was over and our projects were complete, whether we were actually finished or not.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lBQprB8yuquucBuQwpVR9tMrcEq2xZWU7WndyAqOmr2E4yzTUbboADKmbhkYU-poVqhx8X2eEX4lJHXa9Yi6Fiuyp9zNRIi1aak_Ukz2zQ0mFA5XEZCHxwijpn2QYnMvEVxj/s1600/IMG_4931Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lBQprB8yuquucBuQwpVR9tMrcEq2xZWU7WndyAqOmr2E4yzTUbboADKmbhkYU-poVqhx8X2eEX4lJHXa9Yi6Fiuyp9zNRIi1aak_Ukz2zQ0mFA5XEZCHxwijpn2QYnMvEVxj/s320/IMG_4931Z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>From the day we first looked at the property.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97bhD5Itpy6alu4E5UQpD7SbHBFsqSU9aAyfJ1tT9RSzZQZikO4RfgT9_6nmQ1glZl9j_Ui2ztl3B-NRHQsAXzo_JWYuS2UneZA_koR8QFmZVJ_GKe1r0gfWSZfaCtJqC8Gqv/s1600/IMG_4936Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97bhD5Itpy6alu4E5UQpD7SbHBFsqSU9aAyfJ1tT9RSzZQZikO4RfgT9_6nmQ1glZl9j_Ui2ztl3B-NRHQsAXzo_JWYuS2UneZA_koR8QFmZVJ_GKe1r0gfWSZfaCtJqC8Gqv/s320/IMG_4936Z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>From the day we first looked at the property.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycT_D1EJtSwhcsCiAgud0hIg4EOwT4TdGKcYuOR_JnbL2yHMDOOV0Fvpe-ma4sNuGYQwk51yI0-1ae3utlWIL-yb_to8SF_VK6VsH5jIU0IWKYDKjUbF3z9gQ6lyj8nxmC5m7/s1600/20180830_151249A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1024" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycT_D1EJtSwhcsCiAgud0hIg4EOwT4TdGKcYuOR_JnbL2yHMDOOV0Fvpe-ma4sNuGYQwk51yI0-1ae3utlWIL-yb_to8SF_VK6VsH5jIU0IWKYDKjUbF3z9gQ6lyj8nxmC5m7/s320/20180830_151249A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Now, minus a corner board that is now installed.<br /></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66EArxvmgKd3XnCNE4KgxWZ0KyXh-IV8U5c0RkkyTYTPzy1ZzFOCqF_uhomLDugp4VCRGOchY_GgkC3QSjNVnB0SMJeDJRgczSmkr7hPXA9l8IFg7wUChYZ-t1flGuEr_dah1/s1600/20180902_161424A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66EArxvmgKd3XnCNE4KgxWZ0KyXh-IV8U5c0RkkyTYTPzy1ZzFOCqF_uhomLDugp4VCRGOchY_GgkC3QSjNVnB0SMJeDJRgczSmkr7hPXA9l8IFg7wUChYZ-t1flGuEr_dah1/s320/20180902_161424A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Finished product as it sits now.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I came up short on time for being able to start on the slick new dual axle 8x17' trailer frame and deck for the tiny house project. I'm kind of bummed as I'm really excited to do that. The trailer and deck was the start of a tiny project that my brother was planning but lost interest in. I built a 2x4 frame and roof over it with some of my used tin to keep it sheltered until I can get after it. Also threw a tongue jack on it to make it easier to deal with than sitting on blocks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvUdbPvF6931gMEyW8jRrpoWsjyKHvgCm5YGBt75is4SB-RXnRM3FsQg1pbacoBYLdLaok7GOC6qMWJ4Ast6-ecbHiG-6nnBcDClanfdBMbSSjWDiupbOnpXM_EWz_QeVBVP9/s1600/20180822_172832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrvUdbPvF6931gMEyW8jRrpoWsjyKHvgCm5YGBt75is4SB-RXnRM3FsQg1pbacoBYLdLaok7GOC6qMWJ4Ast6-ecbHiG-6nnBcDClanfdBMbSSjWDiupbOnpXM_EWz_QeVBVP9/s320/20180822_172832.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Future project.</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So that is where things are. It was a great and super productive summer. It was also hard and long and isolating. I didn't ride my bikes nearly as much as in the past. I was also exhausted by the end, running frantically in crunch mode for well over two months. It was the first summer we both were glad to have end and to move on to fall and back to MA.<br />
<br />
I'm very happy with the projects and love the way they turned it. I can now look at the outside with the same pride that I take in looking at the inside.<br />
<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-44773679939386385812018-05-08T14:36:00.001-04:002018-05-08T14:36:17.946-04:00Feline Feral Warming Hut DesignAs some may know, I volunteer with the <a href="http://thecatconnection.org/"><i>The Cat Connection</i></a> in Waltham building and repairing warm huts and feeding stations. I've been scheming for some time on how to make a better warm hut which we use as cold weather shelters for feral cats in foul weather.<br />
<br />
They have a bunch of logical requirements such as a roof that affords entry access to clean and maintain the hut as well as a single defendable access point, and a channeled entry to limit size and entry manner. They are usually multi level and have insulation. Reflectix is the norm in the wooden structures. Unfortunately, cats love to shred it or if you get bio issues, it ruins it and often can ruin the whole hut.<br />
<br />
Lately I've been making the huts lighter and more portable such that the volunteers, often not as young or spry as they once were, can move them easier. This includes using lighter materials such as thinner plywood sheathing and plastic corrugated roofing vs asphalt shingles. I also put lawnmower wheels on them and feet such that fewer if any cement blocks are needed to get them up off the ground.<br />
<br />
I've been thinking though that having an inner, sealed plastic tub liner and then insulation between that and the outer structure would be a better idea. This would keep the insulation away from the cats and intact and would also make cleanup easier inside, given that it is plastic. Worst case, you replace the liner tub/bin all together.<br />
<br />
Recently, I built it. It was far more complicated than I first imagined and far more intricate in construction. However, I think that it is pretty sound and should work well. I used a simple Rubbermaid storage bin which is cheap, effective and easily replaceable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM1OyUb2f42FhgLO-tRpQTOxlczUP9yZKo6DDNtftAOkW6j7WZdEbdAVNCKq-T94quNGKSBNzyYkRYgepJoiQPlMBeYXgl7nXczNxSjQsYQBVNpk7CLyEIR_Lh4_qCrZo193J/s1600/20180505_180039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="731" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM1OyUb2f42FhgLO-tRpQTOxlczUP9yZKo6DDNtftAOkW6j7WZdEbdAVNCKq-T94quNGKSBNzyYkRYgepJoiQPlMBeYXgl7nXczNxSjQsYQBVNpk7CLyEIR_Lh4_qCrZo193J/s320/20180505_180039.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin with divider shelf and lower entry tunnel in center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06Eaq7-dezbiif1GekyD4hv0RlGTbmgj9dcf7x1El2fOzxaOaHyazF0XfhWHOdTEuFiq_fUJWyHv3TXxqG5uiN9wlRQWecYQv0A1WwK-1XWMDmNxWbLBQsRcdnvwdw1YV8Jay/s1600/20180505_180114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="613" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06Eaq7-dezbiif1GekyD4hv0RlGTbmgj9dcf7x1El2fOzxaOaHyazF0XfhWHOdTEuFiq_fUJWyHv3TXxqG5uiN9wlRQWecYQv0A1WwK-1XWMDmNxWbLBQsRcdnvwdw1YV8Jay/s320/20180505_180114.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two layer foam and Reflectix insulation separated from cats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DlE00I_HWpdtLWkzkTYnlWD37oY5HckvrmtkaF3YVu37TKZyph136HIGlaOQbxvuw5gAaWFboaYvsBeid2RmiHFpb0fLdCWqy_3_mq4vIcw5415Fg1WZiuVHADNpRbmvR2OI/s1600/20180505_180138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DlE00I_HWpdtLWkzkTYnlWD37oY5HckvrmtkaF3YVu37TKZyph136HIGlaOQbxvuw5gAaWFboaYvsBeid2RmiHFpb0fLdCWqy_3_mq4vIcw5415Fg1WZiuVHADNpRbmvR2OI/s320/20180505_180138.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bin fitted inside mating to entry chase</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_8wLVLbho9zsY3GtNBPBKuujZ7O-WPfUv5BHab04qjddFZmFngOG_gkKHGjfibB1I7Lj18byhPYw7ityQJRhj9vghFMzaRnTs_JOBcxFcZcb8cdcO9gS7TBXgzcv-XZg66Oj/s1600/20180505_180154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="671" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_8wLVLbho9zsY3GtNBPBKuujZ7O-WPfUv5BHab04qjddFZmFngOG_gkKHGjfibB1I7Lj18byhPYw7ityQJRhj9vghFMzaRnTs_JOBcxFcZcb8cdcO9gS7TBXgzcv-XZg66Oj/s320/20180505_180154.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foam insulation over the top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnw3XStwEvc38zK7nt4dRd7Xjfua7VL4NBemyZ9gsYqSD-BC7WrbJBizNmxnPXCesqeymQIR2t3yZ1LJ0FyO65v6P7vq1QyLGHcVsdEmJK0veALqW2-t6xYXJNePa_GWLU1uy/s1600/20180505_180217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1024" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnw3XStwEvc38zK7nt4dRd7Xjfua7VL4NBemyZ9gsYqSD-BC7WrbJBizNmxnPXCesqeymQIR2t3yZ1LJ0FyO65v6P7vq1QyLGHcVsdEmJK0veALqW2-t6xYXJNePa_GWLU1uy/s320/20180505_180217.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product ready to go onsite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-7865237222984848412018-04-30T11:59:00.000-04:002018-05-01T08:13:20.000-04:002018 Rasputitsa Post Race PostWell, it's all over for another year. What an event. Crazy ups and downs. A completely new course with a last minute change rolled out under the covers. Yea, that was a good idea, I know. Blame me. Why the heck would anyone do something like that? What were you thinking? Let me explain my actions for the why. This is in no way an attempt to dodge the blame for the missing course marker that caused no end to my lack of sleep last week. More, it is simply the detail of the of the thought process behind the why.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4a6FVp-YghmZVM_AG4xYG9bRm_tAMbFAoTC0RHap27dcpBqw4_S1OkKW0XgTAs5RZYCA8WxtAKntljyluMk9XK7F-l8NWbwBeivFeKHOG_MM7M3RWt_wIRy-vTXw1qeuu-sh/s1600/P4200015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4a6FVp-YghmZVM_AG4xYG9bRm_tAMbFAoTC0RHap27dcpBqw4_S1OkKW0XgTAs5RZYCA8WxtAKntljyluMk9XK7F-l8NWbwBeivFeKHOG_MM7M3RWt_wIRy-vTXw1qeuu-sh/s320/P4200015.JPG" width="240" /></a>From my perspective, as a course designer, my primary concern is safety. In the past we have had sections of the course that were above the ability of a number of the participants to successfully negotiate under certain conditions. One of those conditions is foul weather causing poor course conditions, another is fatigue and another still is the often poor bike conditions caused by the poor course conditions that compound late in the race. On a muddy, wet course many will completely chew through a set of brake pads during the course of the race and have little or no braking left at the end.<br />
<br />
With that, the old course finish down High Meadow Rd which is a narrow, twisty and very steep gravel descent, concerned me. Experienced racers often take crazy risks at the finish of a race but when the inexperienced do the same thing, it is a recipe for disaster. So, for the past couple of months I've been working with the mountain and the land managers of the <i><a href="https://skiburke.com/">Burke Mountain</a> </i><a href="https://skiburke.com/skiing-and-riding/more/dashney-nordic-center/"><i>Dashney Nordic Cente</i>r</a> to negotiate the usage of the Trillium ski and MTB trail to cut through to Dashney Rd which allows us to finish lower on the mountain. Permission to use the route was tentative and would come literally at the last minute, based completely on conditions. If it was dry or if it was snow covered, we could use it but if it was mud we could not. I was granted permission on Thursday evening and made the course change at 9PM Friday evening.<br />
<br />
Why did I keep it a secret you may ask? Well, here was my rationale. In the past we have had issues with people trying to drive the course, the entire course, including the sections of course that might not really be road. I couldn't afford to have that happen and have damage caused to the trails by someone driving down them. It was as simple as that. So I published a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6S9skeqicw"><i>video of the section</i></a> which I called <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event">Tunguska</a></i>, a moniker that unfortunately proved all too completely accurate, mid day Friday. The video is from me riding the segment on my gravel bike Wednesday evening in just under six minutes. So that's it, that is why. It's simple, it is really hard for tired folks to get hurt riding or pushing their bikes through snow at three miles an hour for .7 miles where as it is much easier on a screaming technical descent. It doesn't explain the missing sign that impacted many of the first ~150 or so people through that section. It was my fault and I accept the blame for that. There is nothing that I can do at this point except off my sincere apologies, learn from this lesson and strive to do better in the future.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7yi1oaD95AhrJeiGI1UDAV9IBItzITeaRA3r8fZjCElLGNj2c-8O2rz6lmIOc3JakgvZF0u92JYZRK1z9E0oiuxnqrBjLyQfk0IwDYYS3f5lI8c_1dbmorXNJ_Vk63hEZtjI/s1600/raspclimb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1183" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7yi1oaD95AhrJeiGI1UDAV9IBItzITeaRA3r8fZjCElLGNj2c-8O2rz6lmIOc3JakgvZF0u92JYZRK1z9E0oiuxnqrBjLyQfk0IwDYYS3f5lI8c_1dbmorXNJ_Vk63hEZtjI/s320/raspclimb2.jpg" width="320" /></a>With that, I also spent about twelve hours culling data from the finish results and Strava to create a theoretical finish order based on times not including the extra credit section that was not meant to be part of the course. By the way, two folks liked that section so much that they did it twice. Anyhow, the data was incomplete as not everyone had GPS or uploaded publicly to Strava so really it is simply an estimate but would give people a more accurate idea of where they finished up. If by chance you want to know how you would have theoretically finished based on time were the extra section not included and everything else was equal, I have a spreadsheet with that info.<br />
<br />
Beyond this mishap, I think that the event was pretty awesome. I really liked the flow of the new course compared to the bookend brutality of the old. From the feedback that I have gotten about the course from racers they tend to agree with me. They liked the flow of this course, save maybe for the Tunguska section and of course, the extra credit section for those who were unfortunate enough to do that.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmPObS6eiyWhQDkxxiZHBZAzQ78LFwyXQEKVG68YFz2tAre_ug7Mjc9X9J78B0a1JvvEFn32WooB3H0H_e1m7sF6W4rcv9V0e0zoc18pkdKl5aJrDk5f5lePGjjRYfbGA0-jE/s1600/raspstart1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1461" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmPObS6eiyWhQDkxxiZHBZAzQ78LFwyXQEKVG68YFz2tAre_ug7Mjc9X9J78B0a1JvvEFn32WooB3H0H_e1m7sF6W4rcv9V0e0zoc18pkdKl5aJrDk5f5lePGjjRYfbGA0-jE/s320/raspstart1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Enough about that though, lets talk a bit about the actual race itself, at least from my perspective from within it. This year I chose to join Cathy and ride my fat bike. Not because it was a better choice for the conditions. Not at all although I would say that this year's conditions and course mitigated some of the poor choice of the fat bike for a gravel race. I chose the bike to take the pressure off from the race and make it more about fun, which was part of the reason I used to race a lot of single speed back before it got really popular. I knew that there was a good solid field of racers signed up to do the race on fat bikes and I knew that I stood a much better chance of being competitive on that bike and in that category versus the open category, where I've seen a consistent back slide in my performance over the years. It was also a chance to race an absurd bike choice against everyone to see how it compared while still having the safety net of my own category to hide out in. I like that.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH56CaDdwCkG_DixbXa0hCOElKBN5Q6xcdypaabwVH184VD6xMQtT9U_P5XV1Djmjrm0b0BMIjEPVnJK5pb4-_NxykJjzLqulDrwRdkEE5GGOJ7FxTFQktzvuwlKAn76_e4HtU/s1600/raspcorner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1403" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH56CaDdwCkG_DixbXa0hCOElKBN5Q6xcdypaabwVH184VD6xMQtT9U_P5XV1Djmjrm0b0BMIjEPVnJK5pb4-_NxykJjzLqulDrwRdkEE5GGOJ7FxTFQktzvuwlKAn76_e4HtU/s320/raspcorner1.jpg" width="320" /></a>That said, the logistics of the mass start of 1300 racers of varying experience and ability all starting on a fast paved downhill was terrifying in and of itself but compounded on the fat bike with modern, full width riser MTB bars. There is a whole lot of leverage out near the end of those bars and if someone were to hook them at +30mph it would be lights out for me and many, many people behind me. Elbows out for sure. Here is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=allhwFnfzY4&t=70s"><i>video of the start</i></a> from Cathy's bike. This start really concerns me but even more when I thought about it after the event. Should we have a crash mid pack going that fast the sheer mass of the field behind could literally see people crushed to death like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_concert_disaster"><i>Who concert</i></a>. I hope that a way can be found to eliminate that start in the future before something happens.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoSJNyzy_LaducYQZdYH9nECdwXNRSdAVdAjw7AXOIfLeRy15GFYYxReQhaP0W3Fcbpnq51tOSXusKuDVnidTLnYPbeKpTLpBS-gnaKh9JD35xvdHzjNa4TkdnOcosP09vRcv/s1600/raspclimb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1243" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoSJNyzy_LaducYQZdYH9nECdwXNRSdAVdAjw7AXOIfLeRy15GFYYxReQhaP0W3Fcbpnq51tOSXusKuDVnidTLnYPbeKpTLpBS-gnaKh9JD35xvdHzjNa4TkdnOcosP09vRcv/s320/raspclimb1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As best I can tell we all made it through town taking up the entire roadway and sidewalks in the process as people jockeyed for position. This brought us into the Burke Hollow Rd hill where the race really got started in earnest. You can see that in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXiRgZGKVLI"><i>this video</i></a> from Cathy's perspective. My goal was to simply go as hard as I could for as long as I could to gain as much daylight between myself and anyone else on a fat bike as possible. I started near the front and kept an eye out for others and saw none ahead of me. Over the first climb I'd long since lost the lead group but was in a solid group in chase including JPow, who was heckling my bike choice, Chandler and Swifty. I lost some ground on the three gravel rollers but then made up some ground on the West Darling Hill Rd descent. I managed to keep my bottle and not crash on the array of potholes at the bottom of the road, a road already littered in water bottles when I got to that point. At least one person was not so lucky though and crashed pretty hard. This is another section that we need to avoid but have very, very few alternatives.<br />
<br />
The Bugbee Crossing Rd to Burke Hollow rollers were tough at that point but I hung in and then slowly plodded up Sugarhouse Rd on the paved climb. Paved climbs in the middle of nowhere in VT mean only one thing, the road is steep and justifies paving it in order to keep it passable in the winter. They are not your friend nor a welcome sight as a cyclist. Onto the long false flat climb up Sugarhouse Rd I had the opportunity to ride with Swifty and we were able to make up some ground. Crossing Newark St we almost got tagged by a car who had no idea what was going on as we started out into the intersection. Need a marshal at that intersection for sure as it is also potential high speed traffic we are crossing. At that point it is the approach to Cyberia as Sugarhouse Rd degrades to Camp Rd and eventually becomes ClassIV and un-maintained in winter. The road surface went to wet gravel to slush and then to snow and ice. It was soft and heavy pedaling and started to take it's toll on many individuals and their equipment. I tried to press forward as hard as I could to make ground before Cyberia and the impending death march.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzV7iZMMELqAEjv5QTzkop34eCYgtzjn7ppCGGLoWjZdT1hZB0H7-NZre6GriQ6QASJ-zY5BaXza2RIynaUzvBEznsgDmCFnN2ZFRbkoqMPwuTayd1ef284s0eCng9zO43zsnd/s1600/raspcyb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1307" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzV7iZMMELqAEjv5QTzkop34eCYgtzjn7ppCGGLoWjZdT1hZB0H7-NZre6GriQ6QASJ-zY5BaXza2RIynaUzvBEznsgDmCFnN2ZFRbkoqMPwuTayd1ef284s0eCng9zO43zsnd/s320/raspcyb1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I hit Cyberia and was able to ride if I had the space but the double track trail, one packed by foot and the other by bike, were a Conga line of humanity. Eventually I became impatient and ran around the group ahead, through the snow to the side and then remounted in the space between groups. As I rode people cheered and then they yelled up the trail to others that a ride was up and the sea literally parted and they selflessly moved their bikes and allowed me to pass and as I passed people cheered and gave kind words of encouragement. I was floored by the wonderful, touching gestures and can't express my sincere gratitude to all of those folks. Cathy later said that the same thing happened to her. She shot video of the section which is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-GWiRo24TE"><i>posted here</i></a>. We thank you all so very, very much.<br />
<br />
Out of Cyberia we rolled up into the climb along Baird Rd as the conditions went from gravel to wet gravel to slush, snow and ice. Winter again and the road was slick for which the fat bike was not really a detriment once again. This was become a recurring theme where the down sides to the fat bike were far fewer than I expected. Our bikes are pretty light though and roll really well. I was running arguably the fastest and lightest tires on the market, Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 4.0 aired up to near max psi. Those rolled on crazy light HED carbon rims with full carbon bikes. With pedals we are right around 25# for the bikes complete so it is hard to consider that much of a detriment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj580g_U30Jlhs3uzzOUWJq8WkbuNkBvuyvB2NYpCyw1P-U7c-UsuwaEfyjgFBee7R5ogRFqF6qbZUWqvEtkqXmI53xw5_5UXO1SDbfhsxJ3FpgO1Ig-0DApjm2s5FgBtPnQX_Y/s1600/20180417_142913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj580g_U30Jlhs3uzzOUWJq8WkbuNkBvuyvB2NYpCyw1P-U7c-UsuwaEfyjgFBee7R5ogRFqF6qbZUWqvEtkqXmI53xw5_5UXO1SDbfhsxJ3FpgO1Ig-0DApjm2s5FgBtPnQX_Y/s320/20180417_142913.jpg" width="320" /></a>We rolled down to Newark St onto the paved segment of the course and as we started to climb I passed my folks setup with the family team banner and cheering like mad. My heart swelled with pride and thanks at the sight of my parents there for me and I settled in with a good group on that section including my friend Mike, Chandler, JPow and the two of the top women, Alison and Laura <i>(Lyne and Magdeleine were up the road ahead)</i>. I hung with them until we went by the fish hatchery and the climbing once again started in earnest. I dropped back but only a bit and as the conditions worsened near the top I started to pull the group back again. All along the top section of the course we were at elevation and the road was snow covered. We even passed a plow coming down toward us just before the top of the course. By the time we made the far corner and started heading back South I'd caught and was back with the group.<br />
<br />
By Center Pond we made good progress chasing hard to bring back groups and make forward progress all the while me trying to manage speed using the old spin-coast-spin single speed technique as I was a bit spun out. In hindsight I wish I'd have switched over to the 36t ring I'd planned to but forgot at home. That said, being spun out isn't always a bad thing I learned from years of racing single speeds. It helps keep your legs from loading up when you naturally shift to and try and push a gear that is too big. On Burke Green Rd we made the left jog onto Duford Rd and then back up East Hill Rd to rejoin Burke Green Rd for it's last little climb. I must say that I was simply amazed by the number of folks out cheering for us in places I would not necessarily have expected. It was simply amazing to witness and was greatly appreciated by all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_I9ngc7UbsyWDmY2g43VrlyXOSPypHjZ-fPKf-vJ8M-3VGXZJnqiMZexT1wl71IlTmuKXjgMyBc8a8FP-o3LKu40hu3c0HNAAnBTZxDClsMa0U5wnmIy4wnnqZ6ipTvM3BAs/s1600/20180417_144353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_I9ngc7UbsyWDmY2g43VrlyXOSPypHjZ-fPKf-vJ8M-3VGXZJnqiMZexT1wl71IlTmuKXjgMyBc8a8FP-o3LKu40hu3c0HNAAnBTZxDClsMa0U5wnmIy4wnnqZ6ipTvM3BAs/s320/20180417_144353.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I fought hard to re-attach on that final rise up over Burke Green Rd as we started down past Schoolhouse Rd to Cole Rd for what was a long stretch of descent back toward Burke Hollow. This was a hard section to keep up on because we were going so fast for such a long period of time. I did manage to get to Carter Rd and the hard left with the group. I sagged that soft, spongy climb a bit knowing that I'd be able to make up ground on the rough, rocky back side of Carter Rd. The town has been filling the soft sections of road with inch and a half crushed rock, tons and tons of it. There were easily a half dozen good sized stretched of it on that road. I flew down over it but also got passed by Chandler who was just skimming the tops of the rocks he later claimed. Reality is, that stuff would literally eat you alive if you crashed in it but as far as I know, nobody got hurt there. The ground I gained I knew would be short lived though as the climb up Marshall Newland Rd would see me back slide and it did but not nearly catastrophically.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9z1i-0TOqRauRVihXIKl8V8OwmRH5reBrS6Ke8mM7MFiEWWuCIu5zCOrLZSqoW3blkZZU0S3GRGarQgEjHAHhmbbfv13h9SaALgwvDsOex7AKhj-o9a9NgYpkHr9e3I53hsb/s1600/raspclimb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1159" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9z1i-0TOqRauRVihXIKl8V8OwmRH5reBrS6Ke8mM7MFiEWWuCIu5zCOrLZSqoW3blkZZU0S3GRGarQgEjHAHhmbbfv13h9SaALgwvDsOex7AKhj-o9a9NgYpkHr9e3I53hsb/s320/raspclimb3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
At this point I had the descent of White School Rd and the climb up Pinkham Rd. The later was significant and formidable. I was pretty certain that I was in the lead in my division and fairly confident that nobody was close behind as I'd not seen another fat bike all day. My plan as it always is when I find myself at this point in the race is keep it steady, take no chances and maintain. As I hit the Pinkham Rd climb and started the long grind up to day's toll on the faces of the field started to take shape. I saw racers beside the road trying to stretch out cramping legs, or hunched over their bikes trying to regain composure or pushing their bikes up the hill just trying to get to the finish. Nearing the top I passed the insane celebration of bicycles and the coming of Spring in the NEK hosted by friends Steve, June, Carrie and Stephanie. They were doing food and beer and shots and basically having an incredibly awesome time supporting the racers with their love of the sport. So many thanks for all of the cheers.<br />
<br />
Cresting the top and heading toward the end I soon found myself at the right hand turn onto the Burke Mountain Dashney Nordic Center Trillium trail. The trail that I was able to ride on my gravel bike on Wednesday was now mostly deep corn snow over an icy base. It was rideable in places, not in others. The fat bike was actually a detriment in those conditions over a bike with narrow tires that cut in and sliced through versus plowing. Still I road and ran my way through picking up spots in general.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWLJhE6LzejIt7PUNfMSi9_zLq4MUHi7k2R4yKMGf-5Uj2lY_N6ZRVsCMrEFxGbxaDf-FT6mbt7pQG1IuoQZu4ycpZFLS4UB_7h06n6xPWRrrmEsRUXUjg0PmgSyn6uJmG9sP/s1600/raspfin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1369" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWLJhE6LzejIt7PUNfMSi9_zLq4MUHi7k2R4yKMGf-5Uj2lY_N6ZRVsCMrEFxGbxaDf-FT6mbt7pQG1IuoQZu4ycpZFLS4UB_7h06n6xPWRrrmEsRUXUjg0PmgSyn6uJmG9sP/s320/raspfin1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
At the end of the trail we dump into Dashney Rd, which takes us left down to the Mountain rd and the finish. My heart sank as reality came into scope and I could see racers crossing the road and proceeding off out through the field beyond. I frantically yelled to everyone around that the course went left not across and proceeded into who knows what. Those near me heard and followed. Two of the top four women were with me <i>(Alison and Laura)</i> while the first and second women <i>(Lyne and Magdeleine)</i> were ahead of us but presumed to have taken the wrong turn. Panic and fear set in and my only though was to get this fixed and get a course arrow at the junction as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
We rode down Dashney to Mountain Rd and into the Sherburne Base Lodge entrance then up High Meadow Rd to the lower Roly Grail trail entrance onto the slope for the finish. Cathy got some video of the final section into the finish <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNGTw83knRg"><i>here</i></a>. I crossed the line to see the overall men's leaders finished. Fortunately they looped back around and found their way out. I dropped my bike and grabbed Peter from <a href="https://www.vermontoverland.com/"><i>Vermont Overlan</i>d</a> to get me back out to the junction with a sign. Still with my helmet and muddy gear on we made it out in less than ten minutes and planted the course arrow as about the 150th racer to that point arrived. Many had made it through but the vast majority would never know that anything had happened at all.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSpn5gt6g1k-nIqqTjd7dlaLgNKoO9VMMuvWo3u-J8mV9S53oIym4GUbjyK9fGVcnZx6zA2Z1H9kBoBMPKhiCcoiXd7Jh7xhhQoqEdGIbkQTt8qp3f-sUbDHm3sPsIhH7oToN/s1600/raspfin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1387" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSpn5gt6g1k-nIqqTjd7dlaLgNKoO9VMMuvWo3u-J8mV9S53oIym4GUbjyK9fGVcnZx6zA2Z1H9kBoBMPKhiCcoiXd7Jh7xhhQoqEdGIbkQTt8qp3f-sUbDHm3sPsIhH7oToN/s320/raspfin2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Still, I was devastated, ashamed and embarrassed knowing that my mistake had negatively impacted others. I hung my head in shame and slunk off with the intent of riding my bike home by myself, wallowing in self loathing. To make things worse Cathy, who had a fantastic race once again defending her title on the fat bike, bore the brunt of the promoter's angst misdirected at me when she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time as she finished. I felt even worse as she told me this. I'd let her down as well. As I started to talk to people though, they were not as furious at me as I expected. In talking with friends like Kyle and Matt and Lindsey and Jason and Elissa, I started to ease a bit and feel better.<br />
<br />
This event came with many lessons learned. As wonderful and incredible as it is, there is room to improve. There are also areas where we have to improve such as outreach to the surrounding community particularly those towns directly impacted. This needs to be done well in advance. They have to know what to expect and we have to show them what this can mean to and for them. that is often a tough sell as most folks see no direct benefit. We also need to work to try and remove risky areas like the steep downhill neutral mass start and the West Darling Hill Rd bottom <i>(though it is like this every year)</i>. Then we as racers need to be better about the yellow line rule and respecting the laws and oncoming traffic. If this were a USAC event, they would have DQ's the entire field. I've been in that position twice in the past and as harsh as it is, it is fair and usually justified if not impartial.<br />
<br />
Still, another excellent adventure. See you again next year.<br />
<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-20356691427201690862018-04-18T09:27:00.002-04:002018-04-18T09:28:32.306-04:002018 Rasputitsa Recon - 4 Days OutTuesday afternoon I went out and drove most of the <a href="https://www.rasputitsagravel.com/">2018 Rasputitsa</a> <a href="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25063129">race course. </a>Given what the roads looked like Sunday when we were out marking the course coupled with what our road at elevation in Kirby looked like, I was anxious to see the state of affairs. To my partial surprise, once I got down off of the mountain that we live on it was significantly drier and the snow that we'd had off and on since Saturday stopped.<br />
<br />
By the time I dropped onto the course on the back side of Cyberia, the roads were pretty darn good. Not quite as dry as Saturday but the temperature was above freezing where as it was below on Saturday. The roads were damp but not muddy.<br />
<br />
As I climbed I started to transition into some snow on the roads but no where near as much as last Sunday, when we had picked up a few inches overnight. Back down to Newark St on Schoolhouse Rd the snow again disappeared yielding damp gravel but no mud. In fact, there was no mud really anywhere out on course. There was more snow for a few miles at elevation in the most Northern end of the course but that was to be expected and no ruts or ice.<br />
<br />
All in all, the course was looking pretty good yesterday and should only improve in the next couple of days as the continual light precipitation we've had all week begins to taper off and the temperature stabilizes some. Saturday we should even see some sun, which will be a very welcome treat.<br />
<br />
In terms of equipment, there is no right answer. Certain selections will be better in certain places than others. Yes, you could get around the course with a road bike an 25c tires if you were very careful on Carter Rd through the crushed rock. It would be a challenge and unless you are a world class cyclist, you likely wouldn't be fastest. As always, the bike that hits right in the middle of the scale and does the most the best is probably going to be a gravel or CX bike with 33-40c file or micro tread tires and gravel gearing vs. stock CX gearing. However, the right person on a fast MTB setup could also be right there as we have seen more and more often in the past. The MTB gearing may even favor the longer, sloggy climbs.<br />
<br />
Here is the photo dump from the trip around the course yesterday in order starting from the back side of Cyberia and ending on White School Rd.<br />
<br />
Enjoy and we will see you on Saturday AM if not at the School of Rock pre-ride or at registration!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSzReVnDQarK5TME8uTIWux0TrD2HGQ19IvqOSZzI00Wdp8kEVwf8zEFBjAchK9-zhcPNQb3NEbBQj2X5xNCSeNmtvdldIdoOS4wq_wLTTW8kO0DpQzwvVQ7jJgYRX7W6Mkvd/s1600/20180417_140111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSzReVnDQarK5TME8uTIWux0TrD2HGQ19IvqOSZzI00Wdp8kEVwf8zEFBjAchK9-zhcPNQb3NEbBQj2X5xNCSeNmtvdldIdoOS4wq_wLTTW8kO0DpQzwvVQ7jJgYRX7W6Mkvd/s320/20180417_140111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCdE7vi3WznzgiyNe7r_OuwDuaXCVjZ2CzdNfyqkKLGDqxzupHJX4C9aUUCCBFI9wDCd0pWx6o-pdorqgBbrKSGrvv3Q8JVWL4BNe4M6SbJIQIy7Kf897VH2XlyhXQRwNSsX7/s1600/20180417_140136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCdE7vi3WznzgiyNe7r_OuwDuaXCVjZ2CzdNfyqkKLGDqxzupHJX4C9aUUCCBFI9wDCd0pWx6o-pdorqgBbrKSGrvv3Q8JVWL4BNe4M6SbJIQIy7Kf897VH2XlyhXQRwNSsX7/s320/20180417_140136.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn8SsXQl6IdxNsDl7UJY0wWcsLWKCmuUYuHxb5DGOfpMix_flD7quXH6S3H5JCSbtaIi2LCg0E_2RYYQKGEmrFcdF7rN0asORBLl96hHYK6PL4jAp6ZGDIH-dP4Bd2Hyp9Q6E/s1600/20180417_140232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn8SsXQl6IdxNsDl7UJY0wWcsLWKCmuUYuHxb5DGOfpMix_flD7quXH6S3H5JCSbtaIi2LCg0E_2RYYQKGEmrFcdF7rN0asORBLl96hHYK6PL4jAp6ZGDIH-dP4Bd2Hyp9Q6E/s320/20180417_140232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH8WhcA9RAsdlb711fgBX6OFWgGNFjz-iOauhtbdWAhokcLkn35Egs7SwDnytydMMspeCfE2evom6N3z4cT2XUMfjoLXr-5N90zmvZhfILxp7PftRtoS_-5S5WzWCLQvsgVmy/s1600/20180417_140312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH8WhcA9RAsdlb711fgBX6OFWgGNFjz-iOauhtbdWAhokcLkn35Egs7SwDnytydMMspeCfE2evom6N3z4cT2XUMfjoLXr-5N90zmvZhfILxp7PftRtoS_-5S5WzWCLQvsgVmy/s320/20180417_140312.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRampgi0WZR7TBjan1SGt6U-F_EjMLvciHnmxl5xpcCPH9DM8M-dcGdRtaUWoYtry9uenkutFNJptY_2q2vO5hoa15EFQ8scfqO_oH785iipAf_dfi9pp-Qz9wofKmMk3cbki/s1600/20180417_140358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRampgi0WZR7TBjan1SGt6U-F_EjMLvciHnmxl5xpcCPH9DM8M-dcGdRtaUWoYtry9uenkutFNJptY_2q2vO5hoa15EFQ8scfqO_oH785iipAf_dfi9pp-Qz9wofKmMk3cbki/s320/20180417_140358.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTYTt8kEue6qUZ-el1J8Y8nfSQszCbBrkknoTsRJ7iOGTwWDrnw2MZ2RMZ1XPp2IPdmrCrSzXGuH9qG4LuDq88aQrl2FSu_0HhmWdxf2RGbwcCyMjBr2L0tlN230bzaq1Lk7_/s1600/20180417_140417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTYTt8kEue6qUZ-el1J8Y8nfSQszCbBrkknoTsRJ7iOGTwWDrnw2MZ2RMZ1XPp2IPdmrCrSzXGuH9qG4LuDq88aQrl2FSu_0HhmWdxf2RGbwcCyMjBr2L0tlN230bzaq1Lk7_/s320/20180417_140417.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyqut8eoPjE_YATtpELi2w78Y5mR01HhiaqSqHShuqytdC-XSoEfbKnmbvGLuauK0kIZp8tWdDg_fHEZF-YP_9pXkeAHajw-7DyX9AC_ryZIsGygUV8H9I9gDYrC3RfDeHInE/s1600/20180417_140459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyqut8eoPjE_YATtpELi2w78Y5mR01HhiaqSqHShuqytdC-XSoEfbKnmbvGLuauK0kIZp8tWdDg_fHEZF-YP_9pXkeAHajw-7DyX9AC_ryZIsGygUV8H9I9gDYrC3RfDeHInE/s320/20180417_140459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GSlARD0rcuETSyCGkpmSt-fNbQwooyxKGA4oMTMxp8k-H5zV0BO0-cLp38I3tmqV6_TwKdpT9GRMmJlXrL97xsr-t6edgp-vOy_94ZbLbdMaYouCK_5PkSKNIj9dkgc-fPZP/s1600/20180417_140542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GSlARD0rcuETSyCGkpmSt-fNbQwooyxKGA4oMTMxp8k-H5zV0BO0-cLp38I3tmqV6_TwKdpT9GRMmJlXrL97xsr-t6edgp-vOy_94ZbLbdMaYouCK_5PkSKNIj9dkgc-fPZP/s320/20180417_140542.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3AQx5Iw4Cf8j6eZtOQQWWSn6-zNIOMxDsDVBRYs-iNQtm9wbAIm6p-MwTX_Lya621_jUkMNpt4ERZPl24d-lTDOO7U9HZGWySbvRCWmsgTe5dEy1GHoT_hKdQnSok_XaDh9W/s1600/20180417_140709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3AQx5Iw4Cf8j6eZtOQQWWSn6-zNIOMxDsDVBRYs-iNQtm9wbAIm6p-MwTX_Lya621_jUkMNpt4ERZPl24d-lTDOO7U9HZGWySbvRCWmsgTe5dEy1GHoT_hKdQnSok_XaDh9W/s320/20180417_140709.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZyAYznf0yoDhyphenhyphenlAcArmjO0A3X0Q7ouWMwsPqTlxOcXbhqdaMLqRyhTUaaIfPM1ixMArb6AiHdvFZrypIT6e2Us74dj3mPc7gNs0IpupFI018WCD4CTmoe_2sD6nVSlGNHEDY/s1600/20180417_141131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZyAYznf0yoDhyphenhyphenlAcArmjO0A3X0Q7ouWMwsPqTlxOcXbhqdaMLqRyhTUaaIfPM1ixMArb6AiHdvFZrypIT6e2Us74dj3mPc7gNs0IpupFI018WCD4CTmoe_2sD6nVSlGNHEDY/s320/20180417_141131.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBJ4PQlzcL6jhUx_jiX47KCjBOBGhRsXadCB22ShSdpCK2SEq0DzBWSx1EOritfxJDQswdaaI3QpiqUn5xjpvqZesamv7olHlF0b3hQruUY5FaXvMFzTo49yX_uRkWjTG76PE/s1600/20180417_141313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBJ4PQlzcL6jhUx_jiX47KCjBOBGhRsXadCB22ShSdpCK2SEq0DzBWSx1EOritfxJDQswdaaI3QpiqUn5xjpvqZesamv7olHlF0b3hQruUY5FaXvMFzTo49yX_uRkWjTG76PE/s320/20180417_141313.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fANLie6H8c6q-B-Nfinebp2sc49zicIR2TBW8_-MvpsrZI4kvt-IqVUNKIuZE-Uoino3qGpuAIBQ8bLBFTCJEv4ixtN4aZhdUdLR-tOpXIrBo1Q7TThJuWUwrnBt3t6B9Wp-/s1600/20180417_141429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fANLie6H8c6q-B-Nfinebp2sc49zicIR2TBW8_-MvpsrZI4kvt-IqVUNKIuZE-Uoino3qGpuAIBQ8bLBFTCJEv4ixtN4aZhdUdLR-tOpXIrBo1Q7TThJuWUwrnBt3t6B9Wp-/s320/20180417_141429.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6Gt-Rap_aYyQbOEpDdfA4MH5gP_1a7tQFOeZGHETVA6CJeIvO6usRtqmpNZtkfOCXo4sz2w3nKqRlVgG64s1sfzE8-1lP0UVv0jVznHGUs0CfLkRybtJxY7_0vnNxXDVhV4h/s1600/20180417_141507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6Gt-Rap_aYyQbOEpDdfA4MH5gP_1a7tQFOeZGHETVA6CJeIvO6usRtqmpNZtkfOCXo4sz2w3nKqRlVgG64s1sfzE8-1lP0UVv0jVznHGUs0CfLkRybtJxY7_0vnNxXDVhV4h/s320/20180417_141507.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIiqBlrD0TIe9WWwgEPkXWRiXd1XY_Cf6rELJcl1aFgK6g5BNxdxIFwX9GWG3nrQG6NftElSMAW3ESNztKH4HheAVz5x6HFHP9CFjnrfS4uSUxrA_puCvNat6MNHgBxrO060P/s1600/20180417_141649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUIiqBlrD0TIe9WWwgEPkXWRiXd1XY_Cf6rELJcl1aFgK6g5BNxdxIFwX9GWG3nrQG6NftElSMAW3ESNztKH4HheAVz5x6HFHP9CFjnrfS4uSUxrA_puCvNat6MNHgBxrO060P/s320/20180417_141649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ne4eJfT9PbHui6GY3NbNwHR5EXw-Mg-DXpMuHPOkZpAySTPigCp2r9KyY3RsbHYl3xlZNwa_A8xBCeK400qe_nW2BMKhbyx5LudapxtfmFT0sQ9O9YEAS3cJtN86jLvk-Iy3/s1600/20180417_141822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ne4eJfT9PbHui6GY3NbNwHR5EXw-Mg-DXpMuHPOkZpAySTPigCp2r9KyY3RsbHYl3xlZNwa_A8xBCeK400qe_nW2BMKhbyx5LudapxtfmFT0sQ9O9YEAS3cJtN86jLvk-Iy3/s320/20180417_141822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeiXYDlA5tWhQFItVdfxOAusFQKDUfp9Uo8WxWUrrVmOiKRYyFVhEow7pKOeyHr6ykqKqvyOhQzw0414D2Tv6_7S_u7nQfTLZ-NP9imL2BvfxJVxGc3XZZmtWK2AV4pN8qaQ2/s1600/20180417_141842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeiXYDlA5tWhQFItVdfxOAusFQKDUfp9Uo8WxWUrrVmOiKRYyFVhEow7pKOeyHr6ykqKqvyOhQzw0414D2Tv6_7S_u7nQfTLZ-NP9imL2BvfxJVxGc3XZZmtWK2AV4pN8qaQ2/s320/20180417_141842.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAfd6K8y27X6518Lz6tLkDYi7oHu9y13-zamoV4P6-_RktOR8R0OaW6Id88JKlLdwOznN38dx8S4ujXVmehGLUTlTCWzpoE-73_b2a6wBc5zVx5IjZPFBZmMswYwRJ3cU8-BE/s1600/20180417_141925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAfd6K8y27X6518Lz6tLkDYi7oHu9y13-zamoV4P6-_RktOR8R0OaW6Id88JKlLdwOznN38dx8S4ujXVmehGLUTlTCWzpoE-73_b2a6wBc5zVx5IjZPFBZmMswYwRJ3cU8-BE/s320/20180417_141925.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmI7UWZnTQZ6tlIq2oIsvtiyvxiHdfVS2ZkWZ6GuuE_6Y_nTLg5YyGAqUSmmgk1_0okmRqibvD1x7LQLmR-0Gi0WLmgCG-wlSn0Rd7O15HHekeIB-olZhiF_6CF7jJnbm6Vc6/s1600/20180417_142152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmI7UWZnTQZ6tlIq2oIsvtiyvxiHdfVS2ZkWZ6GuuE_6Y_nTLg5YyGAqUSmmgk1_0okmRqibvD1x7LQLmR-0Gi0WLmgCG-wlSn0Rd7O15HHekeIB-olZhiF_6CF7jJnbm6Vc6/s320/20180417_142152.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDD4uxNid02_flytXAVxN_evOIBtfb-qWqV0YR5b-0CzFxJBb-5oEGG28677-emwYgg6ls4pwyU8Y_k4LJoMWf7cJ-b3Oey5iAmv3-tkU3Gon3Bal6-HbnOgXLFD9_maRUext/s1600/20180417_142612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDD4uxNid02_flytXAVxN_evOIBtfb-qWqV0YR5b-0CzFxJBb-5oEGG28677-emwYgg6ls4pwyU8Y_k4LJoMWf7cJ-b3Oey5iAmv3-tkU3Gon3Bal6-HbnOgXLFD9_maRUext/s320/20180417_142612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7DUbEm8x13jSiXH2VddqaJpitQDaMEsuAX_qZowN72ME4khPFlrpgSqjdKgTOiS_XyD3lWxfPnb9t-vuMZgDvc3DYT7zxxby88zvyBBNH_yg6Ybx8YFDC3QFoXfv8RqDbCtP/s1600/20180417_142713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7DUbEm8x13jSiXH2VddqaJpitQDaMEsuAX_qZowN72ME4khPFlrpgSqjdKgTOiS_XyD3lWxfPnb9t-vuMZgDvc3DYT7zxxby88zvyBBNH_yg6Ybx8YFDC3QFoXfv8RqDbCtP/s320/20180417_142713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7WIoXvNUoNtUxi_-_oEWWI2GSPgc6-1qwTRg0rG02_kR5V2e6fq9c5pFPII2B35M5ptwfrfPuSzyP438GcwKRHmirzXhafBk7l7O_bTF37PnF9jaFScJFgFsNVE9kmvRzfmP/s1600/20180417_142833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7WIoXvNUoNtUxi_-_oEWWI2GSPgc6-1qwTRg0rG02_kR5V2e6fq9c5pFPII2B35M5ptwfrfPuSzyP438GcwKRHmirzXhafBk7l7O_bTF37PnF9jaFScJFgFsNVE9kmvRzfmP/s320/20180417_142833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpZj99slg_BIxVdLiGwash0TrP2OpN8n1QRILhxi1P6m_qTts5GfRczdZNAbtkHRE_UL3DXdAL9Gtq2Hrq9xSpkQMuOn6ZoAZF81yCUyeey5KIKCwVKHU2-iG7TlSUjY0Ohmo/s1600/20180417_142913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpZj99slg_BIxVdLiGwash0TrP2OpN8n1QRILhxi1P6m_qTts5GfRczdZNAbtkHRE_UL3DXdAL9Gtq2Hrq9xSpkQMuOn6ZoAZF81yCUyeey5KIKCwVKHU2-iG7TlSUjY0Ohmo/s320/20180417_142913.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioORELYpJykjjcE_Tj55CXTpBwYBx4Y51T5hX4Ks5DfNdn46ocDBWky37JmuUL0i6ktJWHD27ZUeuPLKXxIHU3dmQ2V_ERNTN1EUb-cyiTLl3CCsTsf-Z-yL75SsEtOYk4ovqn/s1600/20180417_143356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioORELYpJykjjcE_Tj55CXTpBwYBx4Y51T5hX4Ks5DfNdn46ocDBWky37JmuUL0i6ktJWHD27ZUeuPLKXxIHU3dmQ2V_ERNTN1EUb-cyiTLl3CCsTsf-Z-yL75SsEtOYk4ovqn/s320/20180417_143356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM75pTxR-H1cOXL1RyCGByNLFL4JRyey6dFZXS1besaLumYAoA9Aq4i3LwZzblkN-Qa2tGWJ5Iwcfv6mRSqJ9bAUIwgTuZLHGkU536rAVMpoEAQ1ujuTEF63VvMVSFt0KCkgF2/s1600/20180417_143400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM75pTxR-H1cOXL1RyCGByNLFL4JRyey6dFZXS1besaLumYAoA9Aq4i3LwZzblkN-Qa2tGWJ5Iwcfv6mRSqJ9bAUIwgTuZLHGkU536rAVMpoEAQ1ujuTEF63VvMVSFt0KCkgF2/s320/20180417_143400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEbNgTCznCB4ZPM170cCJRMIm03hO-nPtnNIJnM4WgI7FSwtIGR9NtIa2q9BXyokyr1-Py2Idis-v43U38rbKGS-RObPhl9Sbe1x4kA1mlliMGqqMvlKzbV4RhBNjG-yYNOFO/s1600/20180417_143616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEbNgTCznCB4ZPM170cCJRMIm03hO-nPtnNIJnM4WgI7FSwtIGR9NtIa2q9BXyokyr1-Py2Idis-v43U38rbKGS-RObPhl9Sbe1x4kA1mlliMGqqMvlKzbV4RhBNjG-yYNOFO/s320/20180417_143616.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMxff-JrHaIbnZWD4bmm-_Kw6yOrp_aOQg15HaN3YrsyrEK8larokm2LlYD-blkDiAkAuB47FWhgKoHP_q5qWzLxkd9Rx16xcgs90bH2ffE9KIYoq33vXeLwk6EB7zIxWgq2W/s1600/20180417_144136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMxff-JrHaIbnZWD4bmm-_Kw6yOrp_aOQg15HaN3YrsyrEK8larokm2LlYD-blkDiAkAuB47FWhgKoHP_q5qWzLxkd9Rx16xcgs90bH2ffE9KIYoq33vXeLwk6EB7zIxWgq2W/s320/20180417_144136.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh599idkJJYwJfpGlVjnkwPVVYWSA35bT2E_fEf_gP0PiCII7CVpiyykTcWSqKVXfHKf4CgdCWQILtUQOCrmndblTz9EhLQXVByofkG5Ki9A135cXWmZWZIERZAhF8a5yO0HkIv/s1600/20180417_144158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh599idkJJYwJfpGlVjnkwPVVYWSA35bT2E_fEf_gP0PiCII7CVpiyykTcWSqKVXfHKf4CgdCWQILtUQOCrmndblTz9EhLQXVByofkG5Ki9A135cXWmZWZIERZAhF8a5yO0HkIv/s320/20180417_144158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xnoDQdtFMP1lcx0fizQ6lVdyM8lqAjdyUHXRHcVgmRIOqZdxkShyphenhyphenIWg4n8HXiyJpQOZjq6xpTcRXJsh9QLEtOpZIZcRKC80MoI87x_1-Er9QUXXyHGSny_UQkQpEBLlm-eHW/s1600/20180417_144216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xnoDQdtFMP1lcx0fizQ6lVdyM8lqAjdyUHXRHcVgmRIOqZdxkShyphenhyphenIWg4n8HXiyJpQOZjq6xpTcRXJsh9QLEtOpZIZcRKC80MoI87x_1-Er9QUXXyHGSny_UQkQpEBLlm-eHW/s320/20180417_144216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69cUIctdMmC5Re7TzK56OBEGbJMSVoImTozuGtJkLKYe_eIw0oG9pmmPh6bAQ8b5Q_SGorShp9n9XOVVIgBAFrrxa4T33yZtp4cZwbKUoZqrzrWLb4Ygf5GcvQGh4IPILZ_zD/s1600/20180417_144339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69cUIctdMmC5Re7TzK56OBEGbJMSVoImTozuGtJkLKYe_eIw0oG9pmmPh6bAQ8b5Q_SGorShp9n9XOVVIgBAFrrxa4T33yZtp4cZwbKUoZqrzrWLb4Ygf5GcvQGh4IPILZ_zD/s320/20180417_144339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5KrQJSPinCdxCU4SGCqw07kL199XTFYkFBPuAKyeBGsogpPyWCaBM8U0unPFHyVGhENsFYHi1inbqgcsEzD9ABEvIMT1LTc_Ga3fdmQ8KfAIq5VM50_IIj4ebsoxOTx1FoOY/s1600/20180417_144353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5KrQJSPinCdxCU4SGCqw07kL199XTFYkFBPuAKyeBGsogpPyWCaBM8U0unPFHyVGhENsFYHi1inbqgcsEzD9ABEvIMT1LTc_Ga3fdmQ8KfAIq5VM50_IIj4ebsoxOTx1FoOY/s320/20180417_144353.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2F-hNMXXNZulsr7OiKSQrFWZGSQUqa1NAB3Q6vSAGqlSLZfZ1SZF3_C2cR9QaeVgZ7jsfBZFP_0zrxD5WnJJRkOacyCfQjkSgJdJSPqluzGt2kqX_sEtzetqpScT3Fkeq5L2/s1600/20180417_144840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2F-hNMXXNZulsr7OiKSQrFWZGSQUqa1NAB3Q6vSAGqlSLZfZ1SZF3_C2cR9QaeVgZ7jsfBZFP_0zrxD5WnJJRkOacyCfQjkSgJdJSPqluzGt2kqX_sEtzetqpScT3Fkeq5L2/s320/20180417_144840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj2BBTJu7Bz5QGtVgat5P7RDAiW8COGZiafnuMZEgtqGRgi4RK4f8CBayyZFq0PMDgRITg7c0KlwONJAwc2nbySckTkuYDBa2A_kSrG3nzuxsxe8d0o8oB0OhPDZe-XHvJEJN/s1600/20180417_144919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRj2BBTJu7Bz5QGtVgat5P7RDAiW8COGZiafnuMZEgtqGRgi4RK4f8CBayyZFq0PMDgRITg7c0KlwONJAwc2nbySckTkuYDBa2A_kSrG3nzuxsxe8d0o8oB0OhPDZe-XHvJEJN/s320/20180417_144919.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjXmmZ4Vn8btRtKacuXJMZB-Dq3i5pq5rBc685a9AosIQ9kBL2D55NMlV_WyauLSGbKYu8yw4-iYivRDBvYmPhPBijuQXACNHkL_An6DhFFHcPtJxY-rjDY8JuB2aF37meodT/s1600/20180417_145002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjXmmZ4Vn8btRtKacuXJMZB-Dq3i5pq5rBc685a9AosIQ9kBL2D55NMlV_WyauLSGbKYu8yw4-iYivRDBvYmPhPBijuQXACNHkL_An6DhFFHcPtJxY-rjDY8JuB2aF37meodT/s320/20180417_145002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-27530185986130186972018-04-17T09:09:00.000-04:002018-04-18T08:28:45.464-04:002018 Rasputitsa Recon - One Week Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz826Bs6RTBxdRxnNX49v07pf0EV_GGQ8rFEAY5nyOfB0TQFOnAFDSuz2ykzwirdsrJIwvQj_D4hi11Kw5MeVhtT6nh9O2WX58BMzb8XNAEmF3nLlnN92tiNvB4NynUjgtUcV-nA/s1600/GOPR0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz826Bs6RTBxdRxnNX49v07pf0EV_GGQ8rFEAY5nyOfB0TQFOnAFDSuz2ykzwirdsrJIwvQj_D4hi11Kw5MeVhtT6nh9O2WX58BMzb8XNAEmF3nLlnN92tiNvB4NynUjgtUcV-nA/s200/GOPR0130.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
It has become an annual tradition for us, a tradition that one week before the actual <a href="https://www.rasputitsagravel.com/">Rasputitsa Gravel Road Race</a> we get together with our good friends from the <a href="https://cooscyclingclub.org/">Coos Cycling Club</a> and pre-ride this course. Honestly, as much as I love the race itself, I usually look forward to and enjoy the pre-ride even more. There is no pressure, no stress, just a group of friends having fun venturing out of doors, riding bikes, enjoying the sights, scenes and one another's company. And of course there is the post race feast.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4159ku9qtYtC7y1SST0mEDpmkAqA1-fzMjHO7SjTcNI4o6yrztpXv2aSDFTKOTNWmJmvOlS59go3dcavnVlpSECJ0g5C791YwSsS64KG3jQj-bOECZa6XH0J6beLm4wTwzEEDTQ/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4159ku9qtYtC7y1SST0mEDpmkAqA1-fzMjHO7SjTcNI4o6yrztpXv2aSDFTKOTNWmJmvOlS59go3dcavnVlpSECJ0g5C791YwSsS64KG3jQj-bOECZa6XH0J6beLm4wTwzEEDTQ/s200/IMG_2132.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
This year we have a <a href="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/25063129">new course</a>, one which travels into a completely new area for the race, a course that I was asked to lay out the route for. The funny thing about laying out a race course for a large scale event is that you have restrictions. What you dream would be a blank slate is really a very precise, regimented set of bounds in which you must remain. Obviously you need the route to be of a certain length and have a certain, reasonable amount of elevation gain. And then of course you need to take traffic flow into account, minimizing the use of or all together avoiding primary road usage or even crossings. Safety concerns such as turns and descents are of critical importance for consideration and then the fact that we are doing this in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, in the early spring caps it all. Many great ClassIV roads which we use as fabulous connectors in the summer are now, impassable either under water, mud, or as the case is this year, feet of snow. Lastly, we have a pre-determined start and finish point, further scoping our options.<br />
<br />
What we are then left with is a puzzle to which there are far fewer pieces than it would seem are required to make up the breathtaking image on the box, the image that gives the true sense of splendor that you know well is right there in front of you. The final course ends up being somewhat of an abstract, impressionistic interpretation of the subject. <i>"If only I could have looped us over here, or taken us up there."</i>. Never perfect but hopefully a best attempt within the bounds provided. If you want the full, untamed experience of the NEK by bike look us up for a weekend tour or come to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KingdomGraveleur/">Kingdom Graveleur</a> KG2.0 ride this summer. It's the type of ride that we just couldn't do as a race.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSha2JltOI8lmGnuzIzOa91c8rWv-_r2XqSZLnC5iz6ZCbCMUbtsMPsSmCOKCyh20rYwOwdzaaoIfSoJ7xeiHXsPtpEgs6QDulHEzgcUeQblHfZEWfbUzU2gY4AYer53j-S7dJA/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSha2JltOI8lmGnuzIzOa91c8rWv-_r2XqSZLnC5iz6ZCbCMUbtsMPsSmCOKCyh20rYwOwdzaaoIfSoJ7xeiHXsPtpEgs6QDulHEzgcUeQblHfZEWfbUzU2gY4AYer53j-S7dJA/s200/IMG_2127.JPG" width="150" /></a>Back to the story, this past Saturday we did our group pre-ride of this year's course. We started out at the Burke Mountain Sherburne base lodge at 10AM with snow flurries and a temperature of 30F. That would come to be the warmest point in the day as the front that was rolling in and bringing some mixed precipitation was also bringing in colder weather. Needless to say, the descent down Mountain Rd to East Burke was chilly. Keep in mind that this will be the case this coming Saturday and we will be following a Sheriff Department escort down the mountain, through East Burke and up Burke Hollow Rd. The Sheriff will pull off at the junction with Darling Hill where we will go left onto gravel and it will be race on.<br />
<br />
That section is one of the hardest of the day as the pace will be brutal and the race will splinter almost immediately after it gets started in earnest. Darling Hill Rd is a succession of three rollers each followed by fast downs, culminating with the largest of the three. This is where the lead group will ride away. After the third you hit a fast but somewhat difficult steep descent which turns to pavement and is your cue to start braking for a very sharp right turn followed by a long, fast twisty, crowned and bumpy dirt road descent that has a large amount of washboard at the bottom and itself culminates in a hard right turn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nDW78gu79No9g0IDBVhbsUD1f0uww37x6D9Y90FNnRyHCQCzxJQw_npr5QZ05LSYRopGxHv8P48fJ7tUS1l0dYAwpOvuppeyg5YaYF5m4fUqvcbQ0sfwCbuQlZTRSIl3QbVlYg/s1600/IMG_2130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nDW78gu79No9g0IDBVhbsUD1f0uww37x6D9Y90FNnRyHCQCzxJQw_npr5QZ05LSYRopGxHv8P48fJ7tUS1l0dYAwpOvuppeyg5YaYF5m4fUqvcbQ0sfwCbuQlZTRSIl3QbVlYg/s200/IMG_2130.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNRP32eJk6xwppabo5U3Rdp2HiUWniOYCYpdXCeiBDkNzJO1OkapC8rLSHoh5mFZ3Wcn7nwyxK89LIEVsDlwqt7-gMKX6hQezK_vbRQJVZJPDCDNUesfJezcfHlck7_axbTJazQ/s1600/GOPR0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNRP32eJk6xwppabo5U3Rdp2HiUWniOYCYpdXCeiBDkNzJO1OkapC8rLSHoh5mFZ3Wcn7nwyxK89LIEVsDlwqt7-gMKX6hQezK_vbRQJVZJPDCDNUesfJezcfHlck7_axbTJazQ/s200/GOPR0138.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Last Saturday this part of the course had a fair amount of washboard, pothole, water and a little mud but by and large, was in good shape. Today, it is not so great. Tomorrow, who knows and by next Saturday it could be anything. Basically things are changing day to day up here but my take is that the conditions we had last weekend were probably better than what we will see this coming weekend. The good thing is that the conditions were pretty darn good last week, as you will see from the images. The bad is that it will be highly likely that they will be less good this coming weekend, but who knows. Anything can happen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0NUOlz_ssfse7goAdP8Mto-kVhj_cICapvfXdPKjhs936QH-tmEjN7kMmIa4BFwDuJrq7xbEz40PDg2HYrpjWxPcVJ9F7u32G2D8GtispBDZ5drHCp73Iip2HOHdkLkRxf9tKw/s1600/GOPR0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0NUOlz_ssfse7goAdP8Mto-kVhj_cICapvfXdPKjhs936QH-tmEjN7kMmIa4BFwDuJrq7xbEz40PDg2HYrpjWxPcVJ9F7u32G2D8GtispBDZ5drHCp73Iip2HOHdkLkRxf9tKw/s320/GOPR0139.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Back on course, after the descent from Darling Hill Rd to West Darling Hill Rd you drop to a hard right onto Bugbee crossing Rd. The bottom of that is really bumpy so be very careful, but I've said that before. From this point you will be trending up for a significant time, pretty much all of the way to Cyberia. No, it isn't all super steep but it is mostly up.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><i><b>Note:</b> whenever you are riding gravel road and it suddenly, out of nowhere and for no logical reason becomes paved, you may be in for a steeper climb. </i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
This is the case in Burke Hollow where you turn onto the 2nd left up the paved Sugarhouse Rd climb. For those on the 2016 Rasputitsa pre-ride event in February, the ride included that road and near the end of Sugarhouse Rd, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mccaffrey13">Patrick McCaffery</a> produced one of the most compelling ride photos I've seen. The paved climb, the steeper part, is about a third or a mile and then things transition back to gravel and it flattens off to a mild uphill as it becomes open and exposed. Great views of Burke Mountain lie just back over your right shoulder but you will probably be head down fighting a headwind coming straight at you at of the North. God forbid it is soft as this false flat stretch can be somewhat soul sucking.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiYyvsRAz0rqeMk1T-gNfbdbx-d-jRGgGmaOlz7uM_B4BIp4Z91NfUsnBGsPn2wW81DGCR02anSc62Pb23BVOwbCFqN6qGwuS7rfl9pdRDkCHuwoFML9qmMmXE0Hqu86Eu-hafw/s1600/GOPR0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiYyvsRAz0rqeMk1T-gNfbdbx-d-jRGgGmaOlz7uM_B4BIp4Z91NfUsnBGsPn2wW81DGCR02anSc62Pb23BVOwbCFqN6qGwuS7rfl9pdRDkCHuwoFML9qmMmXE0Hqu86Eu-hafw/s200/GOPR0175.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvRme4EFmzDPgeDw9VLvRvgqGjba4g5gVcDryE4ox1EZPY0Wc_EfgN_VoXojvJQpVl-KQ-e9rxMzh_rXoTQkATm5vFv0HJ7bV56qTciRjeJ9ZDbh4s-2E8-eIsPIbsTHsffoQHA/s1600/GOPR0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvRme4EFmzDPgeDw9VLvRvgqGjba4g5gVcDryE4ox1EZPY0Wc_EfgN_VoXojvJQpVl-KQ-e9rxMzh_rXoTQkATm5vFv0HJ7bV56qTciRjeJ9ZDbh4s-2E8-eIsPIbsTHsffoQHA/s200/GOPR0179.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Toward the end you dip back into a sugar woods and finish the road at a picturesque sugar shack with sap buckets hanging from trees and a stunning view of the mountain once again back over your right shoulder as the backdrop. Don't spend too much time sightseeing or taking selfies though as once you cross the paved Newark Street you are on the approach to the fabled Cyberia, the unmaintained, untracked ClassIV road section.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r_qIaxVUdUA_mMlMUkHTn3kAY5jTRD_n8R7pBqNM9B201Tidv5e4ManztJiFyQImYx2GBh5UgtOg8On0xWw3DJxd6ZafDXQnYzAPiFaDDY7AcSw1-HyglJN5grW0N0p5to-nxw/s1600/GOPR0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9r_qIaxVUdUA_mMlMUkHTn3kAY5jTRD_n8R7pBqNM9B201Tidv5e4ManztJiFyQImYx2GBh5UgtOg8On0xWw3DJxd6ZafDXQnYzAPiFaDDY7AcSw1-HyglJN5grW0N0p5to-nxw/s200/GOPR0182.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RzgHBuDbuRxXdqtpZKHwxOPZMjU9XUa8SKTuNMdSn5rJneK5RZbLRHPGbPYHfnvy1FHI3gQX2FWR_Wt52XiKVFTd8oAErH2KB7qjzB7IlUlJ4zdUtsa1lZBGlxsVsC5QhyaYrA/s1600/cyb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1042" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4RzgHBuDbuRxXdqtpZKHwxOPZMjU9XUa8SKTuNMdSn5rJneK5RZbLRHPGbPYHfnvy1FHI3gQX2FWR_Wt52XiKVFTd8oAErH2KB7qjzB7IlUlJ4zdUtsa1lZBGlxsVsC5QhyaYrA/s200/cyb1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
The approach to the Cyberia segment from when you cross over Newark Street is about a mile long and the road conditions continually degrade the further you progress up the road. The upper end of this road was soft and loose last weekend despite the cool conditions so will likely be significantly more demanding in warmer weather. When you see a snowbank and snow ahead, you will know that you have reached Cyberia. If you have not seen it yet, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHCgYA6mOR8&t=4s">here is a video</a> I shot of the section back in February, when there wasn't quite as much snow.<br />
<br />
Last week with temps above freezing the snow was soft and completely unrideable. Last Saturday with temps in the mid to high 20's, Cathy and I were able to ride the entire .6 miles, on our fat bikes. Nobody else was able to ride it though, even with 29er MTB 2.1" tires. They could ride a bit but would sink eventually. If you move quickly through the section on foot it should take less than 10 minutes even in poor/soft conditions which we will likely have. Unless it is below freezing nobody will be able to ride the section and even if it is below, you would need to be in the top group and on a fat bike to have any chance. Of course, that may change but the 3" of snow we got Sunday likely didn't help that chance. Regardless, don't plan your race bike around the Cyberia section. It is short and will not define the race.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXvktsVSyG2uiRnO3K60Ck12wSyofu_4La8Oct5c5tKCDXcCL6sy2oqbekfWiXWmh1OPJGVMYwvDXmBakAgpEpcb-zHkFBd2pO9V73E11PQy_KuJUM4J4c9wSebN_e7eo3hlgnA/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXvktsVSyG2uiRnO3K60Ck12wSyofu_4La8Oct5c5tKCDXcCL6sy2oqbekfWiXWmh1OPJGVMYwvDXmBakAgpEpcb-zHkFBd2pO9V73E11PQy_KuJUM4J4c9wSebN_e7eo3hlgnA/s200/IMG_2144.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Go straight out of the top of Cyberia and do not follow the snowmobile trail out into the field. Descend back down to East Ridge Rd staying right and then take a sharp right which will bring you between a rambling house full of Yankee treasure complete with cats, dogs, chickens and a goat on the porch on one side of the road and a farm on the other. If you hear banjos, put your head down and get moving. But don't go too hard because right after that farm the road will start to pitch up a bit and you are going to climb a to an area that opens up onto the left to a sloping field and a spectacular view of the Lake Willoughby Gap with the sheer vertical face of Mount Pisgah on the right and Mount Hor to the left. This area is part of the <a href="http://fpr.vermont.gov/state_lands/management_planning/documents/district_pages/district_5/willoughby">Willoughby State Forest</a> and has groomed XC ski trails and backcountry glades in the winter as well as ClassIV and access roads and of course hiking trails in the summer. Lake Willoughby, a glacial lake, and it's flanking mountains were formed by a glacier trapped in the gap wearing it's way deeper and deeper, creating the sheer faces of the mountain and the remarkably deep lake itself. It is a favorite summer swimming destination of ours, once the ice goes out, in July.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZUjPSPYC7_fYXcjquoEdNq6EAhxy5hRz9rV0mUDG1QWJKUOgmxkAcowPTXyF3uwBT_5im2kC2CR2b_Dcyna72OjWqSV814NRS_xu4LmUzg1XWbB-kyGAxlGBo3z0FUw8vAlb6Q/s1600/GOPR0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZUjPSPYC7_fYXcjquoEdNq6EAhxy5hRz9rV0mUDG1QWJKUOgmxkAcowPTXyF3uwBT_5im2kC2CR2b_Dcyna72OjWqSV814NRS_xu4LmUzg1XWbB-kyGAxlGBo3z0FUw8vAlb6Q/s200/GOPR0192.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFUYB7aIrOTQ5jnIo8VXlxBKQlYR3w2fpaKEEJK7XNVbR5D3VXCh4PeXnal-SBHe0omX1KHvbINYfansTKkzXa4Cy_0-ZmTZtnjAGlZI7yMagLAN0GtLd2TchNlxuAumAeG7J7Q/s1600/GOPR0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFUYB7aIrOTQ5jnIo8VXlxBKQlYR3w2fpaKEEJK7XNVbR5D3VXCh4PeXnal-SBHe0omX1KHvbINYfansTKkzXa4Cy_0-ZmTZtnjAGlZI7yMagLAN0GtLd2TchNlxuAumAeG7J7Q/s200/GOPR0188.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
This will signify the start of a solid block of uphill through which you will enter what will feel like another climate zone. The snowbanks will grow, it will get colder and it will look like the dead of winter. It may also get muddy as there is still solid frost in the ground up there. This lasts for a couple miles but can and will seem like more. Right turn from there onto Schoolhouse Rd and a quick little up before a wonderful descent that will bring you back down to metro Newark Center and the paved, Newark St which you will turn left onto. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KingdomGraveleur/videos/1979059952335325/">Here is a link to a video from that section</a> back in February, the same day I rode the Cyberia section.<br />
<br />
That arrival of Newark Street and the pavement should be a welcome friend, giving a chance to regroup, drink, eat and recover a bit all while hammering like the wind, likely into a headwind. The pavement culminates in dramatic fashion with a screaming descent that will bring you to the Newark Fish Hatchery, a frequent family trip for us growing up as $.75 bought each of us three boys a handful of grain we could feed the fish with. We'd then have a picnic lunch featuring ham and cheese grinders from the White Market Deli; the exploits of growing up rural.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3Fb4fWKLNEFpWKI3br5-CaSa8db90jrFEK-1G8w5gXxbqOZwnoboaZ6NIKuHesAP7Uu68neRpHE4CI43GASWvz5MN4vDxP6LaqEfS1ZmKTDqJd6FqD3kmHaQqpoPL5d9PRr3QQ/s1600/GOPR0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3Fb4fWKLNEFpWKI3br5-CaSa8db90jrFEK-1G8w5gXxbqOZwnoboaZ6NIKuHesAP7Uu68neRpHE4CI43GASWvz5MN4vDxP6LaqEfS1ZmKTDqJd6FqD3kmHaQqpoPL5d9PRr3QQ/s200/GOPR0199.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGD8ntad7NxwYJfyBlblynxzBP9rzXob6PgxFSTLYdefxKjhDKRhUtUk0WxKKnT8_gog4iDprnLRr75J-xd9VCiqmdknGqwwSOrAMEXlgNeGh4s6fnHkiume9im55EzkVF2tA4Pg/s1600/GOPR0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGD8ntad7NxwYJfyBlblynxzBP9rzXob6PgxFSTLYdefxKjhDKRhUtUk0WxKKnT8_gog4iDprnLRr75J-xd9VCiqmdknGqwwSOrAMEXlgNeGh4s6fnHkiume9im55EzkVF2tA4Pg/s200/GOPR0198.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
But wait, there is more and after that respite, now we start to trend up again as we say goodbye to the Fish Hatchery and the pavement. I wouldn't really call this section of climb brutal, more just, mean. It seems angry, spiteful. I've hit it in the past when it was mostly ice. I've hit it when it was freshly graded. Last Saturday it was in good shape though the upper section was icy, glazed over and slick. Treat this section with respect as it will take you to the highest point in the course and past the mid point in the race but also keep in mind that after it, you will be trending down for a long ways. There are more climbs to come, there is no question, however the bulk are behind you. Save maybe for the hardest.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdwEbkjErNDXcwdgZ0Hfgmg4Lo1S9IAsEQnhkplheQYDMURpTGJR1PnY3so1sZvHlZUvb9QLer1Rn7Z6rAT5zRR7l8i9C4Ieq4JmDg8W8eD40kVnu1LtCwfOTFsR3vg5g-0-BjQ/s1600/GOPR0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdwEbkjErNDXcwdgZ0Hfgmg4Lo1S9IAsEQnhkplheQYDMURpTGJR1PnY3so1sZvHlZUvb9QLer1Rn7Z6rAT5zRR7l8i9C4Ieq4JmDg8W8eD40kVnu1LtCwfOTFsR3vg5g-0-BjQ/s200/GOPR0203.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzmqjgZIoocZa9wbfnon3T-Q_vBZD2v_B3e9AfP7O1_2P773IizI0op8xeS7TSBn8YYuc56CLhyeYFR_axFy8JLA4V1vijnmUoa1-Q2I6jNgygjzcGLKW4fE3dt4nGPZBKtgjnA/s1600/GOPR0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWzmqjgZIoocZa9wbfnon3T-Q_vBZD2v_B3e9AfP7O1_2P773IizI0op8xeS7TSBn8YYuc56CLhyeYFR_axFy8JLA4V1vijnmUoa1-Q2I6jNgygjzcGLKW4fE3dt4nGPZBKtgjnA/s200/GOPR0204.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
As you wrap around the North end of the course in Westmore past <a href="http://fpr.vermont.gov/state_lands/management_planning/documents/district_pages/district_5/bald_hill">Bald Hill WMA</a> with it's rock face cliffs, expect the weather to be even more severe. It was here on last Saturday that we all froze up. This is the point in the race where if you don't have a jacket or wind vest, you will probably wish that you did. The temp was in the low 20's and we were no longer producing much of any body heat because we were starting to descend. Our hands were damp from sweat as were feet. I had pulled my jacket off much earlier to expose breathable layers but put it back on quickly. The road also became slick with ice glazing the surface. Descending down some of the steeper sections off the top was slow and methodical, picking a line that afforded the best traction. Often, when the road surface is icy, that line is at the side of the road, near the ditch. Typically there will be snow and often rocky rubble which is textured and will afford some traction. If nothing else, the snow at the side of the road is a berm that will hold lateral traction and help keep you upright. I generally seek those out when it gets tough. By and large though, conditions were pretty good last week and the course route is mostly a straight shot back once you turn onto Center Pond Rd and start heading South. As you make your way to Center Pond you will pass camps, cabins and some very eclectic, rustic looking structures, wave at the nice folks and as always watch for animals in the road.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n7bHbxg_Qdf2HIwzjIHjz1Adkd4N6A5q1DATOshFhyphenhyphenJvq_aYK6PVE9r9IyjnjHm2oiup4vR6TQkdsEa-qjRW79TP20KKd9pIXjOH0o71qpx4cT_yt3uEA-sxel0U84uWBhUb1Q/s1600/GOPR0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6n7bHbxg_Qdf2HIwzjIHjz1Adkd4N6A5q1DATOshFhyphenhyphenJvq_aYK6PVE9r9IyjnjHm2oiup4vR6TQkdsEa-qjRW79TP20KKd9pIXjOH0o71qpx4cT_yt3uEA-sxel0U84uWBhUb1Q/s200/GOPR0213.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx14sjE38fgVaT5eF7I-IjIFu56PNycOMdHcT6Wug8wGkyWuM2MgprB72Ex5HrumT5pptCUiWTANA9mtgE4agMKd-4x-zLnPLLtSDSLQqWz7vX5no8uAx3Dszmtr2OAhbI7xIDjg/s1600/GOPR0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx14sjE38fgVaT5eF7I-IjIFu56PNycOMdHcT6Wug8wGkyWuM2MgprB72Ex5HrumT5pptCUiWTANA9mtgE4agMKd-4x-zLnPLLtSDSLQqWz7vX5no8uAx3Dszmtr2OAhbI7xIDjg/s200/GOPR0221.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
You will pass Center Pond on your left and soon after you will come to an intersection where you will proceed left on Maple Ridge. This climbs briefly but will soon bring you to the intersection with Dufour Rd where you will go left and descend only to turn right onto East Hill Rd and regain all of that which you lost, and then some, back to Maple Ridge. Crest that climb and you descend past a quaint fence lined cemetery on your right at Schoolhouse Rd toward your destination of Cole Rd, which is on the right. This is a nice gently descending, rippingly fast gravel road that would take you back to Burke Hollow though you will be going hard left onto Carter Rd before left. Jer and Leigh who dropped me and my wildly spun out fat bike on that stretch made it just past this 120 degree turn onto Carter Rd before I called out the turn to them. This has long been a favorite ploy of mine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhgt_Wb-6gIETpcgWThmL3cux4iOFVkJxn1doAEcC512MrtA145JplQmLaQ4TupgbEO9-HmVpaxM8L_d1_GaglwF1uK3Up9nxRhcaVKgNXHsrLGLgnjoGRsVdsLMgMu9MCEsjxw/s1600/IMG_2154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhgt_Wb-6gIETpcgWThmL3cux4iOFVkJxn1doAEcC512MrtA145JplQmLaQ4TupgbEO9-HmVpaxM8L_d1_GaglwF1uK3Up9nxRhcaVKgNXHsrLGLgnjoGRsVdsLMgMu9MCEsjxw/s200/IMG_2154.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrUuO9985OlsKUqy6Q6N6KxIXuYEC4P9pJOxZvNb1yhjA9SB9eyp2cr3IvRpHME62gcGUUAvckticGG2l10umm2PlsiiHwPS8l8r7SqxTYq1dDlKRU7dtfTVrOvYFmINY53sNpA/s1600/G0040256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrUuO9985OlsKUqy6Q6N6KxIXuYEC4P9pJOxZvNb1yhjA9SB9eyp2cr3IvRpHME62gcGUUAvckticGG2l10umm2PlsiiHwPS8l8r7SqxTYq1dDlKRU7dtfTVrOvYFmINY53sNpA/s200/G0040256.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Those who did the 2015 or 2016 editions of Rasputitsa will recall Carter Rd. For many, it was where contact was lost, the final straw. Maybe that was just me though as I got dropped going over the top of the gentle up in 2016. The descent down from Carter Rd after you cross Burke Green Rd is no joke. It is steep, twisty and the conditions are poor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM9u6wXw0VfazQn7eamwlXYN7o4ktTwcxAGZWJaQ_Nzg9yt7D3onvi0LMs5uPjNDcBTcZDttOze1kD8T2rwyZYiNCAyBSC7UtP3v5PAqMriQGoYQHTYycMJLuiOZIhhW5a0iTXA/s1600/G0020170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM9u6wXw0VfazQn7eamwlXYN7o4ktTwcxAGZWJaQ_Nzg9yt7D3onvi0LMs5uPjNDcBTcZDttOze1kD8T2rwyZYiNCAyBSC7UtP3v5PAqMriQGoYQHTYycMJLuiOZIhhW5a0iTXA/s320/G0020170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The road surface has been so soft that they have been dumping truckloads of inch and a half crusher run (up to 1.5" pieces of crushed granite ledge) in to fill the soft spots. This will eventually pack in and mix with the gravel but as of Saturday past it meant the road surface was made up of angular 1.5" stone. Bicycles don't handle very well in that, tires don't much care for it and worst of all, it is very proficient at completely removing large sums of flesh from bone if you should find yourself sliding through it. By all means be aware and when you see it, slow down, be careful and treat it with due respect.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBc_PPPYsDTTibpWMcMT9bskCsGTOC1pbR90I4b3R0I1iN1qTA7aqAH-EjwrYOIeWux8G9P3na0msiN6Y17wsV9rmWesqaBwlDwZy_S2S9i_d_ZFid_Tdr3-mIAZCXC3vxLxR/s1600/20180417_144353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBc_PPPYsDTTibpWMcMT9bskCsGTOC1pbR90I4b3R0I1iN1qTA7aqAH-EjwrYOIeWux8G9P3na0msiN6Y17wsV9rmWesqaBwlDwZy_S2S9i_d_ZFid_Tdr3-mIAZCXC3vxLxR/s200/20180417_144353.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pU0XCw5rMF68OwVHVwIFU-p0_mucqwuKFVF3q0UeFVH4upAgDKWLJzDi6sOzT4zv7GexjkSX5IuBrGYHXpRYR1VpLiQRimln8ww_0ab-6-kFKSDBVLyk6xUH7zdmK_xW5-yx/s1600/20180417_144136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pU0XCw5rMF68OwVHVwIFU-p0_mucqwuKFVF3q0UeFVH4upAgDKWLJzDi6sOzT4zv7GexjkSX5IuBrGYHXpRYR1VpLiQRimln8ww_0ab-6-kFKSDBVLyk6xUH7zdmK_xW5-yx/s200/20180417_144136.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
After Carter Rd you hit Marshall Newland Rd, which is a bit more rolling. In fact there are some punchy climbs on it. The road surface last weekend was pretty good though there were some significant potholes to be had. Quickly you find yourself turning left down White School Rd, the road where the Kingdom Trails White School trails terminates and also the road where the Good and You trail crosses over. This is a fast descent with a great view of the mountain and some bumps and chatter that would pull your hands right off the bars if you are not paying attention. It was rough Saturday and there was some slop that easily sprayed your glasses making visibility a challenge. Carry as much speed as possible up the paved end and turn right onto RT114. Take a drink, catch you breath and get ready for what is coming because almost immediately it is there on your left.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuo4744qgSOMBWNcZaiTyWdLEm8lJ98ix2e8fI8OlP3gNETuyrABp80hd06wC3FTVXzCBCafcdXq37-BKGVzSHYOx05VKqKyFg0n5agIxONDuUXaLT0ZzpxWwgDbAwWXjbNhlcA/s1600/IMG_2156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuo4744qgSOMBWNcZaiTyWdLEm8lJ98ix2e8fI8OlP3gNETuyrABp80hd06wC3FTVXzCBCafcdXq37-BKGVzSHYOx05VKqKyFg0n5agIxONDuUXaLT0ZzpxWwgDbAwWXjbNhlcA/s200/IMG_2156.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4puDfCT2xUf0PywJRvZH-eWg21s25x4pUEguyDE2LRwBzhpKxGkyShuyvFgVGDDA9phR4rWKoBr8ED1NfZrlC4lUXwzpK1ZhrInD_HP9D4aIqmZgVRxARcGV3XaUaOwgjRFXNXw/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4puDfCT2xUf0PywJRvZH-eWg21s25x4pUEguyDE2LRwBzhpKxGkyShuyvFgVGDDA9phR4rWKoBr8ED1NfZrlC4lUXwzpK1ZhrInD_HP9D4aIqmZgVRxARcGV3XaUaOwgjRFXNXw/s200/IMG_2158.JPG" width="200" /></a>Pinkham Rd. In general I avoid it like the plague. I've done intervals on it in the past but it pretty much just sucks. This time of year it tends to be soft as well. Last Saturday it was pretty good actually but it is still a long sustained steep climb that is going to challenge everyone in some way or another. It is also multi part so don't burn everything in the tank on the first part or you will be sad on the upper part. Speaking of the upper part, once you get over it you drop down to the Mountain Rd and then go left up Alpine Lane past Burke Mountain Academy and up to High Meadow Rd. This descends to the finish and is what I consider to be the most dangerous part of the course. It is steep, narrow and twisty. Last year many people blew various corners ending up on lawns. Be careful and keep it in control. It's hard to win races with a broken neck.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrKkaQmMCyUQnmOg83gdyzTliQs23qCV8lyuyKD9aneDUzo6g_jCfujXoPki80MtuX-YoV4o7FBrxdcdgFok4qlJF0yROiVJkvUVRp4owRtDEBPIPC-QAXNNWnzH-lTrYRGWoZQ/s1600/IMG_2160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrKkaQmMCyUQnmOg83gdyzTliQs23qCV8lyuyKD9aneDUzo6g_jCfujXoPki80MtuX-YoV4o7FBrxdcdgFok4qlJF0yROiVJkvUVRp4owRtDEBPIPC-QAXNNWnzH-lTrYRGWoZQ/s200/IMG_2160.JPG" width="150" /></a>It will be interesting to see what people think of the course. In all honesty, I tend not to ride in Newark all that much for the reason I cited earlier; the hills seem to be mean. The course was a pretty good fit though and gave us a chance to see some new terrain. It will also have a very different feel that past races. Rather than being punctuated by bookmarked climbs, we spend the early half of the race doing most of our climbing saving only one big effort for the end. It will be interesting to see how folks deal with that and how the race plays out. In theory, the race could come back together on the run back down to East Burke and the finish. A solo or small break working hard to be pulled back by a larger, better rested group on the final climb. Or it could just be a tough individual who just goes out and crushes everyone on their own, departing never to be seen again as everyone is left to wallow in their own mire and misery.<br />
<br />
One thing is for sure, it will be whatever you make of it. Be realistic with your expectations but don't set limits. Anything could happen though charging to the front of the fieldf on your fat bike on that first climb probably isn't the best idea.<br />
<br />
Doesn't mean I won't do it though.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-49938867840871804832017-03-27T13:41:00.001-04:002017-03-27T13:41:44.128-04:00So where is spring anyhow?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNnCnIKxSufxLXBb6wCxOvUPiF9LVxUZhSJIGHJFtaNehxlr8FCpVZWAIZeKyW-4kQ55lbWq5i6I45imYKKkvnt1vinciNa7_Jnq3enpxW7ijHVr7AZnFoQl1QwztNrZZuoN_/s1600/IMG_9229A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNnCnIKxSufxLXBb6wCxOvUPiF9LVxUZhSJIGHJFtaNehxlr8FCpVZWAIZeKyW-4kQ55lbWq5i6I45imYKKkvnt1vinciNa7_Jnq3enpxW7ijHVr7AZnFoQl1QwztNrZZuoN_/s320/IMG_9229A.jpg" width="320" /></a>It has been a fabulous winter for the most part. Cathy and I have spend the majority of the season up at our camp in the NEK. We had a good close to the cyclocross season with the USA Cycling National Championships right here in New England and welcomed the snow, which almost on cue hit up north night before Christmas. We've had solid snowpack ever since, despite a pair of thaws in mid and late January and then a finicky February, which saw above average temps.<br />
<br />
We started off the winter season with an excellent fat bike race in Northfield, VT, the Fat Santa. The conditions were pretty insane with about a foot of fresh snow and six inches of powder falling the night before the event. It was crazy but a perfect holiday event and a really good way to kick off the season and great to support our friends at Bicycle Express. From there we got in lots and lots of fat biking at Kingdom Trails with some very, very good conditions for a long stretch. Wedged in between we also did a little bike of riding on the cyclocross bikes and also competed in the National Championships in Hartford, CT in some, challenging conditions.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5Gc-OLiHLPsKbtQJCu3SfvjMs3nOl_m0nrb88nQ9L-SeUplwliTEs5ab58OSXh0_s3cbDfIX9B-vAi7-8vd8wkENMKVcuLjxCXx63JWRiecKqvQbceCbeCCccK91vKVp1HAF/s1600/P1150041A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5Gc-OLiHLPsKbtQJCu3SfvjMs3nOl_m0nrb88nQ9L-SeUplwliTEs5ab58OSXh0_s3cbDfIX9B-vAi7-8vd8wkENMKVcuLjxCXx63JWRiecKqvQbceCbeCCccK91vKVp1HAF/s320/P1150041A.jpg" width="240" /></a>From there it was back to VT and back on the fat bikes. Lots of riding at KT as well as some packing and riding the trails at Victory Hill Sector as well made for some great fun. Before we knew it the Moose Brook Fat Bike Race was upon us. This race was the first fat bike race that Cathy and I ever did, way back in 2014 when we were first getting into fat biking. Through this race we met some of our dearest friends. The Friday before the race we worked to pack and groom the trails with the Coos Cycling Club and then had a party afterwards. This year the race itself hit right in the midst of the second thaw that we had in January, with a bunch of snow hitting us in between. January weather was manic with some crazy cold and some above normal warm. This played havoc with conditions late in the month and made the race, a challenge for the racers. One lap of mostly riding followed by lots of running and riding the rut. Still, great fun, excellent people and a wonderful event. That pretty much rounded out January for us up here in the north.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6q8QPUCDVHhTvI-N23F_kIk4BeASszqb-RayGYeMqUFE7oEb3fvYyx04hEAumhYsB4Z76Lhb-XEVWhMdL6KZH4Pso0Bnc_0mn6bTNOauV14J3EfnWQ63urnhGVwfBzUevMl2/s1600/P2160014A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6q8QPUCDVHhTvI-N23F_kIk4BeASszqb-RayGYeMqUFE7oEb3fvYyx04hEAumhYsB4Z76Lhb-XEVWhMdL6KZH4Pso0Bnc_0mn6bTNOauV14J3EfnWQ63urnhGVwfBzUevMl2/s320/P2160014A.jpg" width="320" /></a>If January was manic then February was just insane. Harsh cold followed by early summer warm periods, made for a jumbled month. The first few weeks of the month were traditional mid winter and we got hammered with snow. Way above average amount in fact. There was cold mixed in as well with all of that snow, to the north at least. Lots of snow and big snow storms that lasted for days on end. There was a stretch of like five days in a row where I had to snow-blow the driveway every day. Riding was a challenge because we had so much snow and were getting the storms so close together. Kingdom Trails couldn't get it packed in before the next storm hit so they were unable to open. Cathy and I did a lot of really fun snow covered gravel road riding.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQj2-ZtAlonfmF1ZQCgY9CNxuwLFeWKIJpfa6E299wJfBuB9yulaYi2-wH5nC8ccJQi0jXOUzExL_gzUCPdfrT_ItF0h45fLcsvwrVgZOhx3m6mMwBFNE8gE9CeQLiyhwDLi4/s1600/P2240002A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQj2-ZtAlonfmF1ZQCgY9CNxuwLFeWKIJpfa6E299wJfBuB9yulaYi2-wH5nC8ccJQi0jXOUzExL_gzUCPdfrT_ItF0h45fLcsvwrVgZOhx3m6mMwBFNE8gE9CeQLiyhwDLi4/s320/P2240002A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We also spent some time south later in the month, back in MA because the weather was just so nice down there, We literally had days that broke 70 degrees in southern New England late in the month, setting records across the region. The month was a blur of riding in near whiteout conditions or on chilly, bluebird days coupled with riding roads in MA dressed in short sleeves and shorts. That was tough for a number of reasons, some of which we would soon come to realize as the weather took a dramatic turn back to winter. It was nice to be able to get in some miles on the pavement though, something we hadn't done in nearly a year. It was also refreshing to have some variety. As much as we love the fat biking, we'd been on the bikes literally every day for a couple of months straight at that point. A change did us good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZVnqNMjFQhzW9SnHMnYtHHOkiTZtFvqtdS15TL6CfSum2kYkqm9goLADXLr8KlPtHff1eNv9gtM-dcbTFNubVCKioRaKQeGgH_EraasG2Ufdxzn4nU2xLetOkIC-P-nLq0c4/s1600/P3040026A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZVnqNMjFQhzW9SnHMnYtHHOkiTZtFvqtdS15TL6CfSum2kYkqm9goLADXLr8KlPtHff1eNv9gtM-dcbTFNubVCKioRaKQeGgH_EraasG2Ufdxzn4nU2xLetOkIC-P-nLq0c4/s320/P3040026A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Then March hit and literally within a week we went from 70 to below zero. For Winterbike at Kingdom Trails the first weekend of the month we hit a high of 5 degrees above with winds that set the chill at 25 below. The following weekend we had the rescheduled LOCO Cycling FattyFest race at Waterville Valley. If we thought the previous week was cold, this would put that in perspective. The temp at the start of the race was -5 Fahrenheit with a wind chill at 35 below. It was insanely cold, so cold it deep seared your lungs and literally hurt to breathe deep. It was a great event though and we had a really good time.<br />
<br />
The latter part of the month has remained cooler than average, feeling more like a traditional February than March. We've also picked up quite a bit of snow as well, with the NEK getting about 5" last Friday which made for an excellent gravel <i>(snow)</i> ride on our Cannondale Slate gravel bikes. The snow made the conditions incredibly challenging but also made them a lot of fun. Last weekend we also got in a good mixed terrain ride with a little gravel up and over Stannard Mountain followed by pavement back and around to Lyndonville. All of the snow, this late in the season, has made for not so great gravel riding. Really, we have done almost none to speak of so far. A couple of rides here and there but when the sun hits the roads, the gravel gets muddy and messy, regardless of the temps. We've opted instead for the fat bikes. They have been the staple that has kept us going this season and we have got many, many hours on them.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQfWDfwej7hRrZqdxg_tLrnqMv85iSbTPrOaR94oa9fMA0AmnCTGig-9PaRSPbbs80IPlIU-_xr3uPsoNHrmD_ObFszUhM33hDqVhfjdPsGPEw3eGkd4bDsdWDsS5nRWSsaPl/s1600/P3240004A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQfWDfwej7hRrZqdxg_tLrnqMv85iSbTPrOaR94oa9fMA0AmnCTGig-9PaRSPbbs80IPlIU-_xr3uPsoNHrmD_ObFszUhM33hDqVhfjdPsGPEw3eGkd4bDsdWDsS5nRWSsaPl/s320/P3240004A.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Yesterday was the Vermont Overland Maple Adventure Ride down in Woodstock, VT. This is a fun event that we have done each year since it started, also back in 2014. Conditions were much more traditional March VT than last year, with snow, ice and mud covered roads and a good snowpack for the offroad sectors. A great event and an opportunity for me to get out and really put the Slate through the paces for the first time. It handled the terrain and conditions superbly. I'm coming to find that there are many subtle aspects of this bikes design that really work well. The 650b wheels spin up quickly and keep the center of gravity lower than comparable 700c wheels. This combined with the compact frame translates to a very stable riding bike which is also quick, nimble and lively when you want it to be. With the Lefty short travel suspension fork damping the chatter and the higher volume 40c tires, the bike floated much better over the rough terrain. The SRAM CX1 wide ratio drivetrain also worked perfectly in the adverse conditions and had a good gear range for the steep ups and downs. Overall the bike is rock solid and with the Schwalbe G-One tires that we are running, it hooks up well in the snow, slush, ice and mud while also rolling very smooth on the pavement.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0UdnA-ShLN9XsUKbf7SgeRah7qInZHs3qbalarTcTR5qElk5NUJGHL2oWHFmjFYNgVxGLes6TbWX-WjNJMzqq8L6TR4MVFhZzkjg2j260jwWg55JXEbiGZ3JaOvtKZw7anah/s1600/17523343_10210935146928805_8834861417204214523_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0UdnA-ShLN9XsUKbf7SgeRah7qInZHs3qbalarTcTR5qElk5NUJGHL2oWHFmjFYNgVxGLes6TbWX-WjNJMzqq8L6TR4MVFhZzkjg2j260jwWg55JXEbiGZ3JaOvtKZw7anah/s320/17523343_10210935146928805_8834861417204214523_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So here we are. A dreary Monday morning. It is 33 degrees and we have freezing rain. Everything is coated in ice and the riding looks questionable at best. Heck, just walking is a challenge. The week looks like it is going to be more spring like with above freezing temps every day. It will be interesting to see how quickly the snow melts. More, how quickly the roads dry out. With the sunny and dry days we had early last week, the gravel was drying quickly. Maybe it will be an easy mud season after all. There really isn't much frost in the ground to speak of as we have had snow cover insulating the ground since before if got really cold.<br />
<br />
Next up will be the Rasputitsa in a few weeks. We plan to do course pre-rides two weeks and then one week before, reporting back. For now though, I think we are heading south to catch up on some chores, get some things done and miss out on the coming week of, mud.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-46263443606158637422016-12-15T10:19:00.002-05:002016-12-15T10:19:17.250-05:00The Year's Camp Projects<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3z91PweQx0vVe880tL7vqlyBPAhgR50iR9OWTz6q3s6imACiUQ-9g4xmOl_yJ2Eh007Xt_elhiuh_Rda54g5lCcDvSPTJA4CLsEmITqa1dGMYoGSADnjP0uIOYfC2SFnTZU6/s1600/20161214_175049A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3z91PweQx0vVe880tL7vqlyBPAhgR50iR9OWTz6q3s6imACiUQ-9g4xmOl_yJ2Eh007Xt_elhiuh_Rda54g5lCcDvSPTJA4CLsEmITqa1dGMYoGSADnjP0uIOYfC2SFnTZU6/s320/20161214_175049A.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Completed basement bedroom</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's hard to believe just how quickly the summer flew by this year. I know that I say that every year, but this one really got away from me. Just looking back at the last time I sat down and took the time to write something is a good indicator of that. Hard to believe that it was a half a year ago.<br />
<br />
This morning Cathy left early on a business trip to NY for a couple of days. The airport limo service picked her up at 4:45AM. I'd planned to get up and see her off then head back to bed. Of course, as is often the case, my mind started wandering and I started fixating on all the things that I needed to get done. Wrapping Christmas gifts, preparing others, grocery shopping. And writing a post that I'd started months ago, this post. Alas, I thought that I'd made more progress than just the first sentence.<br />
<br />
This was meant to be a recap of all of the things that Cathy and I got accomplished at our vacation home, our cottage, cabin or camp as it is more commonly referred to in Vermont. Lots of things happened and for the most part, we had a pretty dramatic transformation with this iteration of work activity.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnT5_Usa3_cisL0twbNoUA0yVphaY2GLkXhNKtL2IJqgZMHxsUUAx6_0s63qQjbJdzWnBR5_vASR6tUjHT5LVkf-2OGfvnUT7rvFpfxQknzgI7R_8Rai6rwZ54QafXyZ4pAWY/s1600/20160630_171429A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnT5_Usa3_cisL0twbNoUA0yVphaY2GLkXhNKtL2IJqgZMHxsUUAx6_0s63qQjbJdzWnBR5_vASR6tUjHT5LVkf-2OGfvnUT7rvFpfxQknzgI7R_8Rai6rwZ54QafXyZ4pAWY/s320/20160630_171429A.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stairs are actually a ladder</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As of the close of last year, we had the new foundation all buttoned up with full drainage and landscaping completed and numerous improvements to the deck and deck stairs. I'd also begun doing some of the framing of the basement partitions but had not gotten very far at all. Nor had I started any of the wiring for lights or outlets, so as you can imagine, the first bit of framing included lots of working off from extension cords to steal power from the sole outlet we'd wired to date in the basement. There were also nearly no lights down there, so portable light sources were made use of.<br />
<br />
This year's focus was to be on the interior of the basement, finishing it off into usable living space.<br />
The plan was to make a master bedroom so we could move away from the open, one room camp layout we previously had. Getting the bed out of the open, main floor space would free us up to make a small living room area. Also in the new basement we planned to have a combination entry room/office with some racks and hangers for outer wear but also a full desk space setup for Cathy to work at. In addition to those rooms we would also do another 3/4 bath in the area that housed the plumbing, hot water heater and expansion tank.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5Mucwd-QKbeJ71PV2d8Rn2NFgK1A_9cCbVxk6__B6uTjyK8QLUMyNTnN4K9LfhwYIGMFY4cl1A-pVDf-XbiBZqfBBK1jcLKVEKySD5cdAg8-v5_ko2XUy9lbQydPY6CVX4EE/s1600/20160609_142216A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5Mucwd-QKbeJ71PV2d8Rn2NFgK1A_9cCbVxk6__B6uTjyK8QLUMyNTnN4K9LfhwYIGMFY4cl1A-pVDf-XbiBZqfBBK1jcLKVEKySD5cdAg8-v5_ko2XUy9lbQydPY6CVX4EE/s320/20160609_142216A.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">New loft ladder </span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final addition to the basement space would be cutting a passage between the floors to make a stairway. Really, the stairway was just a glorified ladder as we were still severely challenged for space. The intent was to re-use the ladder that I'd built for the upstairs, to get up to the loft. Never throw anything away, especially anything that works well and took a fair amount of time and thought, if not money, to produce. It turned out that although this ladder made it relatively easy to get to the loft, it took up more space than we really wanted to part with. So, I made a new, slightly narrower and slightly steeper ladder to replace the old ladder.<br />
<br />
Late last winter I got much of the framing for the partitions completed. You can read about that <a href="http://couchingtiger.blogspot.com/2016/03/cabin-progress.html">here</a> in a previous post. I went with simple 2x4 construction with pressure treated everywhere it was touching concrete. This was anchored to the concrete with lots of Tapcon concrete screws. For the wall covering I used lots of V-groove pine in the office, bedroom and bathroom. Then I used versatile and resilient, paintable exterior grade molded press-board siding panels on the outer side of the main divider wall. These were then painted a nice warm, neutral color. Wiring was done through the walls on new lines to the new breaker sub-panel that we had put in the basement. The trim was all done with simple and rustic 3/4" pine which I stained with a whitewash combination stain and sealer. The hope was to keep it as light as possible as it aged.<br />
<br />
One side project I did along the way was to put together a small, sliding barn door. I'd had some antique barn door hardware with cast trolleys and a steel track stashed away for years, waiting for a project. I figured that this would be a good way to use it, to make a door that closed off the entryway and Cathy's office from the rest of the basement. Plus, it would be a fun excuse to build a door and use the hardware. The construction of the door was done with simple fir 2x6", a piece of vinyl lattice and some 1x6" pine bead board.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Otb3oIbqMZV0Hq0aZkYPVY8bGU2Opy89iVU7ADmphZf0Vynd2yUg5XKfZn3lr5CcRejj6XWOhmAZvgyDDNkVtkcewfR4wXHZFaH74Txf9dI4RE2d-ahxkm9WotevaKgGQniT/s1600/20160510_100416A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Otb3oIbqMZV0Hq0aZkYPVY8bGU2Opy89iVU7ADmphZf0Vynd2yUg5XKfZn3lr5CcRejj6XWOhmAZvgyDDNkVtkcewfR4wXHZFaH74Txf9dI4RE2d-ahxkm9WotevaKgGQniT/s320/20160510_100416A.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Barn door</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I made simple 3/4" wide x 1" deep dado grove cuts lengthwise into the stiles of the door frame. I then cut matching 3/4" wide x 1" deep tenons into the ends of the rails of the four door rails. I also cut the same lengthwise dado grooves into the inner edges of the two outer stiles and on both edges of the inner stiles. Deeper mortise and tenon work would have been stronger but is a massive pain in the butt. It also starts to become counter productive when done my hand given the tolerance and the overlap of remaining material on each side of the mortise, namely 1/4", which isn't that much material to be structurally effective when running a 2" deep mortise cut to receive the tenon.<br />
<br />
The bead board then was cut to fit into the main panels of door and the 1/4" thick lattice, with simple 1/4" thick shims on either side of it to take up the gap space, made up the top portion of the door. I wanted this open to promote light and air flow while still being able to keep the animals confined to the other portion of the house. It was assembled with wood glue, clamped together to dry and also screwed through the stiles into the tenon of the rails. I then stained and sealed it with the whitewash stain/sealer combo and installed the trolley hardware, which I'd painted the same burgundy color that I'd used on other hardware in the camp. It came out OK and reminds me of a horse stable for some reason. A perfect rustic feel.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-I3MfLIY1EmkaYhmC6DGnmDo_BUzlXg2G5I-C4o7SbalgDN4wLhhU0KZBVIe8Zj05KEKRow4-bZsS5YPGLuD4uuZHTV52NMN_OM5zCzbtjNN-gKa6Mt7kOYOQnT5GrjmI8rk/s1600/20160520_112921A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-I3MfLIY1EmkaYhmC6DGnmDo_BUzlXg2G5I-C4o7SbalgDN4wLhhU0KZBVIe8Zj05KEKRow4-bZsS5YPGLuD4uuZHTV52NMN_OM5zCzbtjNN-gKa6Mt7kOYOQnT5GrjmI8rk/s320/20160520_112921A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">LED lights and ceiling soffit</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the ceiling I wanted to use some that was lightweight, light colored, impervious to moisture and easily removable. This was the basement ceiling after all and wires would be run in there. Access to that wiring or future expansion of wiring, or possibly heating duct would be necessary. That got me thinking about exterior grade options for the ceiling. The easy choice, because it was relatively inexpensive, easy to obtain and easy to work with, was vinyl soffit. This material simply locks together with a simply joint, and can be easily cut to size with tin shears. It is lightweight and flexible as well and can be easily removed, at least the way that I installed it which was suspended by the edges with overhanging pine.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9Rhoiyd50NFqGDL_mm75HKQMdvX_J3j9b7iBeSRVYhxtJEokqBZJQ_R_SaWQElybEION2d4lafCL3GXiuRrLQOgE4_2S0h_2mebyGPPJqkZZPYWRzcj6U8x6mU2WkydG4DJd/s1600/20160426_153111A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9Rhoiyd50NFqGDL_mm75HKQMdvX_J3j9b7iBeSRVYhxtJEokqBZJQ_R_SaWQElybEION2d4lafCL3GXiuRrLQOgE4_2S0h_2mebyGPPJqkZZPYWRzcj6U8x6mU2WkydG4DJd/s320/20160426_153111A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Office LED lights and doorway</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This method worked really really well for short runs up to a couple of feet. My hope was that it would be rigid enough for a four foot span, which it is though it sags a bit in the middle. This is annoying but benign, at least at the moment. By that I mean, it hasn't fallen down. The sag gives the feeling of a fabric canopy in the bedroom, which has the longest span at almost four feet, somewhat resembling a canopy bed or a large circus tent. If the free floating soffit fails I will simply affix it with screws through the nail fin in the recessed lip, the way it was meant to be installed. For now, it works pretty much as I'd hoped it would.<br />
<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">For lighting I used a host of different things. In the bedroom I put a pair of switched wall mount lights above the corners of the headboard. The bathroom got a wall mount triple bulb light fixture. In the hall and office, where we wanted good work light, I used near self contained LED lights that screw into a standard E26 light socket, covering the socket with it's own simple shell. They provide excellent light, are relatively cheap and very easy to replace if necessary. The porcelain E26 socket is also very very inexpensive and easy to wire. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLGzhNEGFjLvS8ILgvuGVokAyq_Oif3EAz_leDpKS5rFwtwpET0DZcVa1dRbo9GCTAKRvEfK6KUT9587lXTPCFtGd_h7ZZJJDAop7ALtxf0LUAoOVpIXA0VtI5aWf2bcl7ocQ/s1600/20160702_080711A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLGzhNEGFjLvS8ILgvuGVokAyq_Oif3EAz_leDpKS5rFwtwpET0DZcVa1dRbo9GCTAKRvEfK6KUT9587lXTPCFtGd_h7ZZJJDAop7ALtxf0LUAoOVpIXA0VtI5aWf2bcl7ocQ/s320/20160702_080711A.jpg" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Completed basement bedroom</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">The bedroom was the first thing to be completed, though just about the final thing to be implemented. That was for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we wanted to have a bathroom easily accessible from the bedroom so as not to have to go up and down a ladder in the middle of the night. The bedroom was also standalone and was fairly simple to complete. Frame it, wire it, put the pine up, install the ceiling, paint the concrete wall, which I did with a nice warm burnt orange, install the floor and then trim it out. I know, that sounds easy and a pro could hammer it out in no time. For me though, that little sentence represented a couple of weeks of effort, anyhow. Still, the project moved forward pretty quickly. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">For the flooring, I banked on the space being relatively dry and went with locking composite floating flooring over tongue and groove interlocking, floating basement subfloor panels. This allowed for air space between the concrete and the subfloor via plastic egg crate material. A layer of foam went between the subfloor and the floating floor creating a moisture barrier which I hoped would keep the composite flooring from absorbing too much moisture. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Worst case, I figured that at $.79/square foot my investment was low. So far, so good and man, did we get some humidity this past summer. The work that I did last year on the basement, to seal it and properly drain it did wonders. We ran a dehumidifier through the summer which was constantly pulling moisture out and we kept the large windows in the front and side of the walkout basement closed when it was hot or humid, but by and large it wasn't too bad.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">In hindsight, I found a flooring option that I much prefer. I used that flooring solution in other parts of the basement including the hallway and the bathroom. It is simple interlocking, puzzle style closed cell foam flooring. We found some online that is printed to look like wood grain or cork. We went with the cork and it is awesome. It provides cushion as well as insulation and is waterproof and easy to work with. It's also fairly inexpensive.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdWJlZMKTYcFtHHhRgcDMNUgrOPRzfbOjav1Bc2VbE82gPAGkFG69ua6fn4xcTQKkkjOTLQeCv6C23pLN-_XMtGFtvXNI-fMurxiVd0HpSqQ5BOmoF3jZWqq1M_6N0T_yzo_X/s1600/20160702_080757A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdWJlZMKTYcFtHHhRgcDMNUgrOPRzfbOjav1Bc2VbE82gPAGkFG69ua6fn4xcTQKkkjOTLQeCv6C23pLN-_XMtGFtvXNI-fMurxiVd0HpSqQ5BOmoF3jZWqq1M_6N0T_yzo_X/s320/20160702_080757A.jpg" width="198" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrF9pdoMlvIhFW0Q1XtyCh3UyNg5ckq8Qcxqx1gfTprku6hu_Ryk2iFkyjMm0aRH-KBEQKieg8hsGhk7wTNDI7cgBVyGFgMNTKWB5nCzyNe-A0A4w8JFLfHGCzoWEEK1pGBQ2/s1600/20160702_080742A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrF9pdoMlvIhFW0Q1XtyCh3UyNg5ckq8Qcxqx1gfTprku6hu_Ryk2iFkyjMm0aRH-KBEQKieg8hsGhk7wTNDI7cgBVyGFgMNTKWB5nCzyNe-A0A4w8JFLfHGCzoWEEK1pGBQ2/s320/20160702_080742A.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Next completion was the entryway and office. I wanted to get that area done as quickly as possible so that Cathy had a legitimate place to work, instead of having to work at the kitchen table or on the futon. This area required painting, which I did in a pale Earth tone yellow and some simple wiring to bring power across the wall from the panel. I did it with PVC conduit and hardware flat mounted to the concrete wall. It also got the LED lighting I spoke of, wired on a switch and the vinyl soffit for the ceiling. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfva3Rkb4WIEcrZftxiLZkWo4T7QhRrZvwQXAPyDNOtBF7wcII-z3RYxdE5dIsYz7Oyl3TissahtRzqJ44VHpirgVAwSslZS4MmO4Kl0Dz6AFRQ2Zrth6kUYaMsU4zAK3MchBL/s1600/20161214_175029A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfva3Rkb4WIEcrZftxiLZkWo4T7QhRrZvwQXAPyDNOtBF7wcII-z3RYxdE5dIsYz7Oyl3TissahtRzqJ44VHpirgVAwSslZS4MmO4Kl0Dz6AFRQ2Zrth6kUYaMsU4zAK3MchBL/s320/20161214_175029A.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rack near the furnace</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">The entryway area, which in reality is the same space, got a custom built coat rack and shelf as well as a six foot long Closet Maid vinyl coated wire shoe rack, which is missing from the image. This freed up some much needed storage space. One thing that is sorely missing from the camp is storage space. There was literally none when we bought it. I've been working to add more and more where possible and we now have an actual albeit small closet in the upstairs bathroom where the original hot water heater, water pump and expansion tank were located. I'll talk more about that later though when I discuss the partial re-do of the upstairs bathroom that I also completed over the course of the summer.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">The bathroom came out awesome. I can't express enough just how wonderful it is to have a full, working bathroom right next to the bedroom.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">Don't get me wrong, there were challenges. The shower needed to be raised up onto a platform in order to get the drain set. We had a p-trap installed in the floor when the concrete went in but still needed to raise it. Space was tight, which is 100% consistent with every part of this small home build. We are trying too make the most with the least, which is really challenging and actually really fun as well. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">The plumbing all runs through a small chase area behind the shower then feeds and drains the sink along the wall. We used PEX everywhere possible. I didn't do it, we had a professional do it, the same person who did the water heater and expansion tank. Our friend Tom who does incredibly good work at very, very reasonable prices and is unbelievably nice. Both he and his wife Sylvie and just genuinely great folks. While they were here I also had them plumb in the drops for a combo washer/dryer unit which we will be getting shortly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIa1rjjSsNaWbElGZnQ_j7N4rDlUQ0D-n8H9Fucmi5MXhTOIku0Ycndc9sCyF0gZSmFcZFbc0UTSZkLs1QBYHgCpS46XO3cyPZ95SVl0AnbzutQku7Agv_g7w7qqDi03pI0CG/s1600/20161214_175012A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIa1rjjSsNaWbElGZnQ_j7N4rDlUQ0D-n8H9Fucmi5MXhTOIku0Ycndc9sCyF0gZSmFcZFbc0UTSZkLs1QBYHgCpS46XO3cyPZ95SVl0AnbzutQku7Agv_g7w7qqDi03pI0CG/s320/20161214_175012A.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR23dHfT7LarqvG1eA08RT9nLCTEYn7gYsysSNckP59HCfhQ00mhxVi774x6Ly24k2FtIqewepSa5-d9x3qjkaC0RD145cU193DV8Rb_rASqJO6HmbXjlJbwynukU3aBQNUfTI/s1600/20161214_174948A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR23dHfT7LarqvG1eA08RT9nLCTEYn7gYsysSNckP59HCfhQ00mhxVi774x6Ly24k2FtIqewepSa5-d9x3qjkaC0RD145cU193DV8Rb_rASqJO6HmbXjlJbwynukU3aBQNUfTI/s320/20161214_174948A.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
We certainly had budget it mind when we were doing the build, same as always. We also looked at size given the constraints that we had. This place isn't big and we are trying to pack a literal ton of stuff into it. The footprint of the camp is 18x22 or 396 square feet. The initial camp would qualify as a tiny house, commonly referred to as <400 square feet. We doubled that and are now firmly in the small house framework. In all honesty, I think that we could scale that back. There is no way we needed two bathrooms but that is just the way the plan played out. In order to have lower level living we had to have a bath on each level. When we build the next one, possibly our permanent residence, we will do sleeping on the main level with one common bathroom. Who knows though, I keep flip flopping on ideas. I really like building small stuff though. Speaking of which, I took a few weeks off at the end of the summer and built a tiny post and beam bunkhouse. It was a ton of fun. I'll put a post together about that one soon.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-OXMRUTw9taY-I08uKyl5-G5Im89h_rZkrULuTwPJxeT2zKhl0coScESiIGyI3Ma1vemCEuRRpZ3FJAsZ6snwu4acSMVjmfX6Q7HTKRYmoL-ADndxkzc0BafJsM-YT_rK195/s1600/IMG_20160810_135430A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-OXMRUTw9taY-I08uKyl5-G5Im89h_rZkrULuTwPJxeT2zKhl0coScESiIGyI3Ma1vemCEuRRpZ3FJAsZ6snwu4acSMVjmfX6Q7HTKRYmoL-ADndxkzc0BafJsM-YT_rK195/s320/IMG_20160810_135430A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Also redid the driveway with a few loads of gravel</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">The project has been incredible. Countless little projects that all, eventually, combine to form a bigger project, which itself is part of a yet bigger project. I struggle with the macro and really, need to focus on the micro. One day at a time, so to speak. I have an idea of what's on tap tomorrow or next week but am firmly planted in today; the here and now. The reality is simple though, we love this place and we love the spaces that we carve out. This is us, for good or bad. We designed it, we made it. And it is pretty awesome. Having an actual bedroom and a bathroom right next to it is a treat in and of itself. The colors, the textures, the materials. We chose them and their implementation. When we look up, or down, or around, we did that. I know, little things and one can certainly do with much less but the transformation from when we initially bought the camp, a one room place with no foundation. We basically bought it for the land, power, water and septic. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">In retrospect, we probably should have just built new from scratch but where is the fun in that? It's been a ton of work and a long, long process that still isn't complete, but I've learned so much. The next one is going to be ton's easier.</span><br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-15359164610356966812016-05-18T09:37:00.001-04:002016-05-18T09:37:30.486-04:00One Thousand 13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mTTefnR453SE0_aPcPRwc8ZEjG9mFsbXLBmaQPr86ylMkMWEiSv4pBoM8HFREQuL8Y8WGG-K_nR6UH92lmvfU40SW_-nyFcMKr2UfOzS0F2Ig_HCMGJmiUMsFCYmoQlT9U_P/s1600/20160510_205536A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mTTefnR453SE0_aPcPRwc8ZEjG9mFsbXLBmaQPr86ylMkMWEiSv4pBoM8HFREQuL8Y8WGG-K_nR6UH92lmvfU40SW_-nyFcMKr2UfOzS0F2Ig_HCMGJmiUMsFCYmoQlT9U_P/s320/20160510_205536A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As of today, I'm now at 1013 days in a row, riding a bicycle, outside.<br />
<br />
Rain, snow, ice, wind, cold, warm, hot. These are just words and not the enemy. The only enemy to the task is apathy. It is so easy to postpone, delay, or avoid all together. It is hard to make the commitment, get ready, and get outside.<br />
<br />
Once you are outside though, and on the bike, the rest is easy. I'm finding more and more often that some of my most rewarding rides are in some of the worst conditions. Just this past week in fact, a late day, heavy rain ride on muddy roads up over a mountain was just what I needed, literally putting a smile on my face.<br />
<br />
Live your life every day, ride bikes, enjoy what you are given and take none of it for granted.<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-74285847891226255972016-05-18T09:20:00.004-04:002016-05-19T07:35:01.562-04:002016 Rasputitsa Recap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxShOUEcBbJhT2ArtjF2F1KpQQj6HsU4NiazQU9-z9hGLwk6D6CwWw_hct3ke-_nHH1t-343asamNeDBouq1j6bjWihDJWQV4T6T3ObzT7qVoLSLtbJjByTehCpcn1918aaXbS/s1600/13241239_10208266629297532_58752321487863702_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxShOUEcBbJhT2ArtjF2F1KpQQj6HsU4NiazQU9-z9hGLwk6D6CwWw_hct3ke-_nHH1t-343asamNeDBouq1j6bjWihDJWQV4T6T3ObzT7qVoLSLtbJjByTehCpcn1918aaXbS/s320/13241239_10208266629297532_58752321487863702_n.jpg" width="274" /></a>I know that this is a little late, and I'd said I was done with race reports, but I wanted to at least have some recount of this year's iteration of the Rasputitsa spring gravel road race, which took place in the Northeast Kingdom of VT a month or so back. Really, this isn't going to be as much a race report as it is going to be a synopsis of the event itself. At least that is the plan.<br />
<br />
As everyone in the Northeast knows, the recent weather conditions have been abnormal to say the least. When the Rasputitsa was first conceived, the though was that the conditions would be as much a part of the race as the course and race itself. The race would become an individual battle as much or more between man, machine and the elements as man vs. man. The past first and second iteration of the race were more on par with that notion, making it a true tough but smart guys race. Tough in battling the elements but smart in equipment choice and preservation.<br />
<br />
This year things were looking to be completely epic, with legendary mud and conditions to make note of. Exactly one week before we rode the course and the conditions were deplorable. It was below freezing and there was snow and mud, both of which froze to the bikes and rendered them useless in a short period of time. Equipment choice and close management and preservation of that equipment would have been crucial had the race been that day not to mention clothing choices for a long, sloppy, well below freezing race. I projected that had the race been one week earlier, the winning finish time would have been nearly an hour longer and the a solid half of the field would have run into mechanical issues caused by the frozen slop accumulation. Of those, many would not be equipped to deal with them and would have been walking. Of those, many would not be prepared for the weather once they were no longer generating heat from riding. They would have suffered and some would have been in trouble. In short, this was the race that I was hoping for, for selfish reasons of course the primary of which being that I excel in conditions like that. The pre ride that we did a week earlier was pretty taxing on my <a href="http://www.bikewaysource.com/">Bikeway Source</a> provided <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/">Cannondale</a> Synapse disc, which isn't designed to be a mud bike and as such has low mud clearance. When the mud, slush and grit accumulate and freeze, you only have a certain amount of time before you have to clear it out, otherwise things stop turning.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMsVaV3dvpPPa7GXbdP-JP8C-_zCZI9Ter4HqMF1-__48cDFTHjGGLw-1olIiIWBE9fjRvwiI0QmcKJu7YqYb6G0jd6fIzBLGVQ1GpCOM5ABPT2c-XbSwxGHPwAekcz4WaGZb/s1600/IMG_4776A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMsVaV3dvpPPa7GXbdP-JP8C-_zCZI9Ter4HqMF1-__48cDFTHjGGLw-1olIiIWBE9fjRvwiI0QmcKJu7YqYb6G0jd6fIzBLGVQ1GpCOM5ABPT2c-XbSwxGHPwAekcz4WaGZb/s320/IMG_4776A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Seven days before</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But that was not to be. The rain and snow ended, the sun came out, the wind blew and the temperatures rose quickly to well above normal. The unbelievable muddy roads dried. The mud ruts were smoothed by the graders and the one bastion of hope left, the Cyberia section of Kirby Mountain even dried out in literally a few days flat. That was good in that it meant I had a bike, my Synapse, which was perfectly designed for the conditions. That said, the race went from a race that plays to my strengths to a race that played to my weakness, big long hard fast climbs. As much as I like to climb, I'm not a true climber. One look at me is all that is needed to see that fact. Sure, I can fake it on the short punchy stuff but when it is a long steady grind and I am forced above threshold, time is ticking.<br />
<br />
And so it was. I played it safe early and made it over the first series of climbs then went to the front and drove hard on the first descent to try and stay safe. That worked well but I used too much gas. Through the next sets of rollers I tried to conserve within the large, maybe 25 person front group. That in and of itself is telling as the race was only a few miles in and the nearly 700 starters had been whittled away to a small lead group of a couple dozen racers. By the next long, gradual climb I was starting to feel the strain but seemed comfortable enough, with the discomfort. At the top of Carter Road, the pace bumped and I spaced out, losing contact. I figured I could bridge the small gap on the descent but I couldn't, in fact, I was getting dropped. The pace down the somewhat sketchy rutted and steep race was insane and I was working way too hard, not recovering but digging deeper into the red such that when we started back up again the writing was on the wall.<br />
<br />
I was done, fading, losing the lead group. Worse, there was no secret stash of really nasty stuff up ahead that would re-shuffle the deck like Cyberia did last year. I watched the group pull away ahead as we climbed Victory Rd. I was now with a small group including James from the Tekne team. The climbs were putting the hurt on for sure but despite the earlier mishap on Carter Rd, I was descending well. Knowing the course is always a help. Just before the KoM I was caught by the group behind, which had a half dozen folks including all around great guy, John Funk. I really like racing with Funky as he is such a cycling icon. I have the utmost respect for him and I consider any day that I can ride with him, a good day.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwztuaH6gmPNO8FSAmeQ2bSGMMvYAoYslfOxEwc8uDOnFYoj9GGlV5YJjid1QJa1BS_thOIFkvRmvXlYOURO6dH8zKDOKXgaZLLwPbypd0ndLpmKCFuKt_q6qDkK_ACTU5_3qQ/s1600/IMG_4852A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwztuaH6gmPNO8FSAmeQ2bSGMMvYAoYslfOxEwc8uDOnFYoj9GGlV5YJjid1QJa1BS_thOIFkvRmvXlYOURO6dH8zKDOKXgaZLLwPbypd0ndLpmKCFuKt_q6qDkK_ACTU5_3qQ/s320/IMG_4852A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Love this area</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I sagged the rest of that section and kept at the front of the group on the descents. River Rd was sloppier than it had been a few days before as Victory had apparently graded the road. I tried my best to conserve energy on that stretch as did most everyone in the group, knowing all too well what was looming just ahead. We caught a few people who'd been spit out of the group ahead of us, which was now the chase group on the road chasing after the four leaders.<br />
<br />
And then we made the corner off River Rd onto Victory Hill Rd and the final real climb started. this was the big one, a solid 3.5 miles with some good double digit percentage grades. The climb was hard but pretty steady. Things spread a bit on the steep sections but came back on the lesser grades until we hit the run in to the last section of the climb, a solid half mile with looser terrain and some steeps. Over the top I was back a bit but within sight. I was again shocked how fast people were descending what I knew was a nasty, rutted road. Folks were taking huge risks I just wasn't prepared to take. Not on that stuff and certainly not when I saw Jake Wells walking back up the hill toward me holding his likely broken collarbone. I chose to be safe and take my risks on the road descent, one that I know well and knew would be fast. It was fast in fact. Luckily I was, with a huge amount of luck, able to catch back up on. The group came back together after the Kirby town hall and stayed pretty much together along Ridge Rd.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_jRs7ovEQ0clMKhAQnTZgSclp4_fcFY5Q9GZh2ySCXeB1ktY7-YBkU85HmeGUOr29kcJIDboy7IMjPxDYGX1Bqm1Sfol1yGjCyRs2GhTdkx_LJB2DAId6q3cme-NpH_24Q8Y/s1600/IMG_4859A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_jRs7ovEQ0clMKhAQnTZgSclp4_fcFY5Q9GZh2ySCXeB1ktY7-YBkU85HmeGUOr29kcJIDboy7IMjPxDYGX1Bqm1Sfol1yGjCyRs2GhTdkx_LJB2DAId6q3cme-NpH_24Q8Y/s320/IMG_4859A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Coming down out of Cyberia</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Near the top of the last rise on Ridge Rd I pulled to the front, wanting to get into position for the descent on Ridge Rd that dropped you down to the hard left turn onto Brook Rd. Brook Rd is one of the last roads to get sunlight and tends to remain in pretty rough shape. There are a few blind corners and some rough road on the fast, fairly steep technical descent. I wanted to be at the front as I knew the road well and feared there may be casualties on the road. Turns out that we all made it through OK but there were indeed casualties on that road later in the day when a friend nailed a pothole, went over the bars near 30 mph and broke her nose, toe and neck. Luckily she was mostly OK and is recovering well with a full recovery expected shortly.<br />
<br />
We all came back together for the final run in toward the finish. The last descent dropping back down into East Burke caused me the masters race last year when I let myself get pushed off line and crashed at the top. This year I wanted to be clearly first in so I attacked the group about 100 yards out, coming in hot. Unfortunately, I'm just not confident enough to risk dying down that rough chute at warp speed on a road bike. Though I was first in I got passed by three people in the group literally in the chute. I was awe struck that the bikes didn't explode given how much abuse they took. Still, I made it through toward the front of our small group, fourteenth place overall, the third logical group to finish and well out of any contention for a podium spot even in the master's race.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDUFTEpWvzXNEYsXQ5gp3unktfe09Yhc05b70jJQBHPmXDISG5mIGsP2W1CT2aSW4uadvufHXQCUqRnb4FIGWSPONYcXAjrQ0MCDNvB9wCdafKawwx3HRuRPNS4oHL-r8hgD6/s1600/12983380_10208064986416586_7225791977209991441_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDUFTEpWvzXNEYsXQ5gp3unktfe09Yhc05b70jJQBHPmXDISG5mIGsP2W1CT2aSW4uadvufHXQCUqRnb4FIGWSPONYcXAjrQ0MCDNvB9wCdafKawwx3HRuRPNS4oHL-r8hgD6/s320/12983380_10208064986416586_7225791977209991441_o.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Cathy got the job done in the women's fat bike again</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This wasn't the finish that I'd hoped for but I took it with a grain of optimism, that being the fact that the race was essentially a very hilly and dry road race. I'm not a particularly strong road racer and I'm not a particularly proficient climber when it comes to real climbing. I've also had some incidents recently including a couple of bad crashed last fall that have changed my perspective as to just what kinds of risks I am willing to take. Maybe that means I'm not cut out for racing bikes anymore, a possibility for sure. And I'm OK with that.<br />
<br />
Did I mention that Cathy killed it, again this year in the women's fat bike category? She did and took about an hour off of her finish time from the previous year. She certainly seems to be carrying this team of recent. She also spent the day before with my mom making homemade donuts for the event. They were incredible and in fact, we just finished the last of them, which we'd had in the freezer. Many thanks for the efforts of both her and my mother, which were above and beyond. Both of my parents spent race day volunteering, perched at the base of the Cyberia section.<br />
<br />
Darn, I said this wasn't going to be yet another, boring race report and guess what happened? Oh well. It was a great event and the good conditions, phenomenal and unheard of conditions, were indeed a treat for all. No hypothermia, frostbite. Still, wasn't that or the threat of that why we all signed up for the race in the first place? Nothing the promoters could have done on that front. This was all Mother Nature if not the bizarre, fickle weather patterns caused by the climate change we seem to be experiencing beyond the historic norm. Had the race literally been seven days earlier, everything would have been different, everything.<br />
<br />
I'd also like to say how happy I am that the the event is being used to benefit the <a href="http://littlebellas.com/">Little Bellas</a> program, which is run by top professional athletes Lea and Sabra Davison, both VT natives. The program gets young girls into mountain biking through support, outreach and mentoring. Both Lea and Sabra beyond being incredible athletes, are true, genuine people who want to make a difference. In meeting them both I was abundantly impressed. They epitomize what it means to be a professional cyclist. I'd love to see more money go to programs like this, with local impact on every day young people, truly making a difference in their lives.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjgwQ-NHOKxh22qPJXJvdyFZQpZd8lxFVUHWes9sEOwuQPtkaozHsyjEVqt-n0eT22xmfJ5CqV88rjrJU2T3ud6mm7cc924wUuNcB7OsJSxT7ZHRXp-RmPl-nxe0cMKlB2_ZJ/s1600/IMG_1524C.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjgwQ-NHOKxh22qPJXJvdyFZQpZd8lxFVUHWes9sEOwuQPtkaozHsyjEVqt-n0eT22xmfJ5CqV88rjrJU2T3ud6mm7cc924wUuNcB7OsJSxT7ZHRXp-RmPl-nxe0cMKlB2_ZJ/s320/IMG_1524C.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>The old NEBC junior team</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have the ability, through the love and promotion of cycling, to give back by spreading that love to those who may otherwise overlook or abandon cycling. This is especially true in rural areas, like the NEK of VT, where that cycling related support, encouragement and mentoring is all but non-existent. Cycling is a tough sell in rural areas, especially among the poor. It's expensive, exclusionary and lets face it, not exactly mainstream. When rural kids hit high-school the bikes tend to be dropped in favor of motorized alternatives. I believe that this doesn't have to happen, by instilling a love of bikes through enablement, encouragement and mentoring, kids can embrace cycling as a life long sport. And from my perspective, that is the real goal here. Racing is nice and all but we have plenty of groups that promote bike racing among the over privileged. Cathy and I were fortunate to have started and run a junior team that enabled young kids to try a host of different cycling disciplines through crowd sourced parts and gear donations, which I built into a literal fleet of bikes. We got more than a half dozen kids to try MTB and cyclocross and more, helped instill cycling as a life long passion for all of them. These kids are now starting to graduate college and go out into the real world. I follow them and their cycling exploits with both honor and pride. I view this as one of the most important a relevant contributions I've made to cycling, far outweighing any race related accolade or achievement. I hope in the very near future to get something like this started in the NEK, and get rural kids like my younger self, or my nephew engaged in cycling, forever, and off the couch.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURT5DECjGZZ-YYbpLs-maTaYlsi-FiVdYdRymSdpCKt9tbrV7xZVAoqhy6nWfI_R6H7U8YCXTrCpB6shGYnmJV6SmrYyCL2ivrAi8K8HgQd29X0ijlcrZTqdgi2Ab4T84Ea-8/s1600/IMG_4895A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURT5DECjGZZ-YYbpLs-maTaYlsi-FiVdYdRymSdpCKt9tbrV7xZVAoqhy6nWfI_R6H7U8YCXTrCpB6shGYnmJV6SmrYyCL2ivrAi8K8HgQd29X0ijlcrZTqdgi2Ab4T84Ea-8/s320/IMG_4895A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Stellar Sunday recovery ride</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In terms of the event, I'd say things went pretty well. The organization, timing and results were flawless. The outdoor setup at the finish was spot on, especially given the gorgeous weather. The only thing that seemed to be lacking from events past was the food and drink situation. A single line to food handled one person at a time did not scale to over 700 people. Likewise with the only drinks available inside, at the bar, having to fight through the same narrow, choked entryway that those waiting up to 45 minutes for light food fare were standing in. Last year the drink sponsors wares, Woodchuck and Switchback, were dispensed outside making it easy to get to. This year with warm weather, I'd think the same would have been perfect. I'm guessing that some of the issues came simply from scale, the magnitude of the event. Dealing with nearly 700 people is a challenge.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, another great event. what will next year bring? Who knows given the weather that we've seen. Hopefully we are back to more of a seasonal norm but we will have no choice but to take that which we are given.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-12064233912135866732016-04-11T12:03:00.003-04:002016-04-12T11:56:14.784-04:00Rasputitsa 2016 Course Recon - One Week Out<span style="text-align: center;">What a crazy spring it has been so far. The lack of winter was odd enough, in and of itself, but now we are getting a prolonged, nearly normal if not a bit on the cold side, spring. Strange new world in which we live and it's getting stranger by the day.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnkeV-kNuox4tubsZnwxvRzGYcqqF9G-HZwxQsKpiwHewkwPyQGuxG7JAL-Oc05NK2dt1me2XbvHyTLJHe7dhBSNVUkjbTSL8dXLnPIinz7KCkVFez35_6Gfr7mv35gEMo3Wt/s1600/IMG_4681A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnkeV-kNuox4tubsZnwxvRzGYcqqF9G-HZwxQsKpiwHewkwPyQGuxG7JAL-Oc05NK2dt1me2XbvHyTLJHe7dhBSNVUkjbTSL8dXLnPIinz7KCkVFez35_6Gfr7mv35gEMo3Wt/s320/IMG_4681A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Starting out in fresh snow up top</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past Saturday, as in two days ago, Cathy and I were joined by our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Coos-cycling-club-126928240716231/?fref=ts">Coos Cycling Club</a> friend Jeremiah for a recon ride of the complete Rasputitsa race loop. We decided to ride our <a href="http://bikewaysource.com/">Bikeway Source</a> provided <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductFamily?Id=b96c94d6-6537-46ec-8189-d0d717b8725a">Cannondale Synapse carbon disc</a> road bikes fitted with Clement X'Plor MSO 32c gravel tires, the bikes we'd been planning to race. As usual, we started the loop from our place, just a little more than a mile off the course at the bottom of the #Cyberia section, which is the ClassIV Victory Road over Kirby Mountain. We'd ridden that section just the previous day, so knew what to expect; mud and snow and really tough going.<br />
<br />
We started out at a casual 10:15AM and at that point, the sun was up but the air temperature was still in the low 20's. Winter doesn't seem to be through with us just yet, though at this point in the year, the sun is certainly warm. Too warm in fact and quickly turns gravel road surfaces frozen tight from the cool night time temperatures into, well, slop.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGN7dcnQWMb1AuXTCCjS4kbGkImFdGYQDUC3QDb0XkIxpiRjWB1CVqJuBiW8XMs7BrXhmsChZ7g9hklgN2GciUkwkYSQxFG761OcEvibTR2vCP0bRfSbJyXCI3rEuWiEYT2ip/s1600/IMG_4689A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGN7dcnQWMb1AuXTCCjS4kbGkImFdGYQDUC3QDb0XkIxpiRjWB1CVqJuBiW8XMs7BrXhmsChZ7g9hklgN2GciUkwkYSQxFG761OcEvibTR2vCP0bRfSbJyXCI3rEuWiEYT2ip/s320/IMG_4689A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ridge Rd Kirby was in good shape thanks to the cold</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaZOHW4oAtKv-1vMKgsT0n7Fy65rsIo0hQVg3weyCzoKgMSal3kBBmZ_K8qEMyq2aEtr4aNsdH8Ka5yqO6VNzt_8VX-W2kLZWAWI1CRDvwVZPZ87N3ruZ6Ml7Wm1ykrlJVGLm/s1600/IMG_4693A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
The descent from the bottom of the #Cyberia section down to the Kirby Town Hall, a mile long double digit percent grade drop, was a bit sketchy as it was frozen and snow covered but not terrible. Luckily up at elevation things were still firm and it was still early enough that even Ridge Rd in Kirby was good and firm and we made out way toward East Burke on what is the end of the route, but for us was just the beginning. The descent down Brook Rd off from Ridge Rd was punctuated by frozen mud ruts and some snow cover in spots. That road is in a small river valley with dense tree growth on either side. It also faces west and this time of year, doesn't get much sunlight so is always in poor shape. It is also twisty with numerous blind corners so isn't the place to be a hero.<br />
<br />
At this point we were still playing with good conditions and road surfaces that had yet to soften up much. The conditions down low, like on Mt Hunger Rd which is the final stretch before the drop down to the finish line was pretty dry in general and in good shape overall. This was mostly because it was still in the low twenties despite the forecast saying that we should get well above freezing on the day. there was virtually no snow on Belden Hill Rd, the drop down to the finish, but the road is washed in a number of spots and there was a little ice. Lose it here by riding over your ability and you will get a fun trip to the hospital I bet.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaZOHW4oAtKv-1vMKgsT0n7Fy65rsIo0hQVg3weyCzoKgMSal3kBBmZ_K8qEMyq2aEtr4aNsdH8Ka5yqO6VNzt_8VX-W2kLZWAWI1CRDvwVZPZ87N3ruZ6Ml7Wm1ykrlJVGLm/s1600/IMG_4693A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCaZOHW4oAtKv-1vMKgsT0n7Fy65rsIo0hQVg3weyCzoKgMSal3kBBmZ_K8qEMyq2aEtr4aNsdH8Ka5yqO6VNzt_8VX-W2kLZWAWI1CRDvwVZPZ87N3ruZ6Ml7Wm1ykrlJVGLm/s320/IMG_4693A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Starting to soften up a bit but nice views</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And then we were through town and on the paved climb up Burke Hollow Rd, the start. That climb is way harder that it looks and people, myself included, have the tendency to go a little too hard on it. That decimates you for the upcoming rolling section of Darling Hill Rd which has three different punchy climbs on it, the third being the worst. Overdo on the paved start and miss the move and you could easily find yourself chasing for the next, oh lets say 30 miles. This section was still pretty good conditions wise though is bumpy and washboard.<br />
<br />
The descent down West Darling Hill was fast but there were frozen ruts and chatter near the bottom. The road is one that can very easily get away from you. I have great respect for that descent. Bugbee Crossing Rd was much the same, firm still and in good shape at that point and with those conditions. In fact, even Brook Rd was pretty darn good though as we neared Carter Rd there started to be snow covering the road from the snow that fell the night before. This wasn't a problem at all as it meant that the road surface was still frozen. From Carter to Marshall Newland Rd conditions were firm and the descent, another tricky one, had frozen mud ruts, snow and generally aspects that required your attentiveness to navigate. The same with the descent down White School Rd. Firm and fast but rutted.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirB65os5JFYUb_DMJIFYAdce_u7VwjR8OmLMrqxzscYmIvQDXQgWzXat4uv2gb8FeHAu86Pmit1XQ-XjaInuZ8wxgriB72m5qTJlhRllvk8wSvRnq_FftDyU_sBhJwVQWvPOLG/s1600/IMG_4710A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirB65os5JFYUb_DMJIFYAdce_u7VwjR8OmLMrqxzscYmIvQDXQgWzXat4uv2gb8FeHAu86Pmit1XQ-XjaInuZ8wxgriB72m5qTJlhRllvk8wSvRnq_FftDyU_sBhJwVQWvPOLG/s320/IMG_4710A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Back into the snow on Carter Rd</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then crossed RT114 and started what I assumed would be the section of the course with some very different conditions, the back side. Cathy wasn't feeling it at this point so decided to turn back rather than continue on past the point of no return. Jer and I continued and ventured up Victory Rd for the long multi mile climb that crested the course KoM and beyond to the height of the land. Conditions were still firm overall but the sun was starting to soften the bare gravel. Fortunately, much of the road was covered in snow, reflecting the sun and delaying the thaw. I absolutely adore riding snow covered gravel and both Jer and I were having a good time despite the steady upward trend. Truth be told, neither of us were out there killing it, that was not the goal. We knew there would be plenty of suffering to come, soon enough, so we chose to simply enjoy the weather and conditions that we were give.<br />
<br />
Speaking of conditions, I mentioned that we were starting to see some slop and also that we were still below freezing. Well yea, what that translated to was frozen crud, on the bikes, and the drive trains. Stuff was starting to pile up and tolerances were starting to get tight. We topped out on Victory Rd finally and savored the long, snow covered, rutted but incredibly fun descent down toward Granby. By the time we hit the town center and crossed the Moose River, turning onto River Rd, we'd lost the snow and started to pick up some melting and sloppy, soft surface. We also picked up two sets of other bike tracks, tracks that were very evident in the soft gravel. Immediately I started wondering who it could be and quickly wondered out loud if it could have been a mutual friend we'd invited on this ride but whom couldn't commit to the timing. Jeremiah wasn't convinced but I still suspected it was our friend Jamie who'd started his ride over in Lancaster.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq5T6VTB_1twpPAc5tTq-dYIg2wk51QrrWO-xC32h8sDQGVsoN-d1QXUlOKaETltYjesKMlnezxPYj-pvCmijAURvBZlP3o_po12nWjUboH22ta38dpHJ2tplW0_aQHZg8e-G/s1600/IMG_4745A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDq5T6VTB_1twpPAc5tTq-dYIg2wk51QrrWO-xC32h8sDQGVsoN-d1QXUlOKaETltYjesKMlnezxPYj-pvCmijAURvBZlP3o_po12nWjUboH22ta38dpHJ2tplW0_aQHZg8e-G/s320/IMG_4745A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>River Rd was typical</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And speaking of the Moose River, I'm reading a book about the timber harvest from the 1800's in Victory and Granby. It was large scale and there were numerous mills along the banks of the Moose. The Moose was used for log drives, to get timber from the Granby and Victory down to Concord and StJ and to market. There was even a railroad that made it's way up into the basin and beyond. There are many remnants of this era still present along the river in the form of footings and other concrete structures, though the true extent of the once thriving population are long gone, only a fading memory to very few in an area which is now, nearly devoid of human presence.<br />
<br />
River Rd never ceases to deliver early season. It trends downhill all the way and should be a fast, easy ride but inevitably it is always muddy, washboard and soft and or there is a headwind. That day we had the former. Six miles of seemingly endless slogging through the squishy energy sucking mud, mud that also froze to the stays, the seat tube and the drivetrain, a drivetrain that quickly stopped working.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsktB4GiJtEiYE2et91Ar71QU2l3idlQnW6Ekf3M-5pZ_AxJ6l1tv6BYkgp9hDAkqP4CUGEAIgdGgCqLCMEgc3UTzfqDBn7HFTactpN7A9zKA6qaN6hx8kGfYS2ToMTnclG2nH/s1600/IMG_4747A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsktB4GiJtEiYE2et91Ar71QU2l3idlQnW6Ekf3M-5pZ_AxJ6l1tv6BYkgp9hDAkqP4CUGEAIgdGgCqLCMEgc3UTzfqDBn7HFTactpN7A9zKA6qaN6hx8kGfYS2ToMTnclG2nH/s320/IMG_4747A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That was a problem</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tires and rims were rubbing on the gravel encrusted ice that literally polished moving parts clean and devoid of lubrication. Luckily I have internal cable routing and disc brakes on my Cannondale Synapse road bike, which meant no cables to freeze up rendering the shifting useless. However, the rear derailleur cage was literally, packed in and frozen solid. We spent some time chipping the frozen crud from the bikes before moving on toward Victory Hill Rd and the start of the real climbing. At the bottom of the climb we stopped again and extricated another batch of frozen crud from the bikes. We also lost the sets of tracks we'd been following as they continued South on River Rd. At that point I knew that it had to have been Jamie doing a route he and I had discussed a couple of weeks back.<br />
<br />
And then we climbed, what seemed an endless climb up the soft grade of Victory Hill Rd, about a mile and a half steady climb up to Masten Rd, where the grade pitches up significantly leading up to the ClassIV seasonal Kirby Mountain Rd and #Cyberia. The approach is daunting. River Rd is always way harder than it should be, on paper. Then the first grade on Victory Hill Rd softens you up, the second pitch on Masten Rd puts a real sting in the legs and then when the real fun starts you are pretty well worked over having gone more than a few rounds already.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5yRJxVYYk2jcqRP3WC5RdmVPPXE1BZQqkI4AQn5bgXKxmzT4d9M8z-Mewj3b8zQBdZT0uJJt6hlbh7vCa6MLsK4rtXJXUQnwvMKdxZ2rfdJ9qh35VHTWUsKjbr1GJUhefsdb/s1600/IMG_4772A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5yRJxVYYk2jcqRP3WC5RdmVPPXE1BZQqkI4AQn5bgXKxmzT4d9M8z-Mewj3b8zQBdZT0uJJt6hlbh7vCa6MLsK4rtXJXUQnwvMKdxZ2rfdJ9qh35VHTWUsKjbr1GJUhefsdb/s320/IMG_4772A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Slow and meticulous going in #Cyberia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Having ridden this section the night before, I knew what were in for. It wasn't going to be pretty. Snow covered with deep mud ruts with flowing slurry runoff. Because of the easy winter, the road over Kirby Mountain has been getting lots of traffic from both local residents and four wheel enthusiasts. The bottom half mile of the road was also used all winter for active logging. The net is that it is in pretty bad shape at present. In many places the frozen mud ruts are over a foot deep and a truck tire width wide <i>(roughly a foot)</i>. You get in them and you can not get out. The center of the road is highly crowned and off camber and when covered in snow, is nearly impossibly to hold traction on. You just slide out. The section that was logged has some sticks and other debris embedded in the surface as well, just for added fun. To put it bluntly, this section is going to be challenging. Last weekend it was mostly frozen. We rode almost all of the way up but it was slow and methodical going in order to maintain traction and not slip out. If this stretch gets soft, it could be a mess.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXja-yW297kIT2RzMPjgtV8r-3ccHBl3DzvWtnSXK1uvBahKm7Epb3IyOKcyLyGlHkLFUgQTByrynO2efeUZDYWtRnvQ5aCFMK2P5zUBWIxAgJ91ly15p2zwB8a2G6VU2_kDU-/s1600/IMG_4779A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXja-yW297kIT2RzMPjgtV8r-3ccHBl3DzvWtnSXK1uvBahKm7Epb3IyOKcyLyGlHkLFUgQTByrynO2efeUZDYWtRnvQ5aCFMK2P5zUBWIxAgJ91ly15p2zwB8a2G6VU2_kDU-/s320/IMG_4779A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Snow and mud ruts #Cyberia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I mentioned, we made it up over though we had to pull over for a vehicle coming up behind us. Local traffic is going to be a problem as they need to keep moving so as not to get stuck. The road isn't wide enough to pass. More, there are literally two wheel tracks that they WILL_BE_IN. We will have to yield to traffic, there is no way around it. What that means is we will have to get off the bike and get in the ditch while they pass. They will not and can not get off the road for you so do not expect they will and if you push them into conflict, there will be conflict. The people going over that road are either going to be the really nice couple whose front yard you rode through on the way up, folks whom live there, off grid year round and use that road all year. It is their road really and we are guests so treat it as such. the other people you may run into driving over are the other locals and trust me, you do not want to push them as they would be happy to push back none of us need that. This challenge will be part of the race this year. If you see a vehicle coming, get off the bike and run up the ditch to get around it then continue on your way. It won't be any slower.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD94U6F2bSwtSElUn-53XKx1jQC2cMXAZkoTtNBo40Zke4l05pwUpDal7k1zXqBnhkNXJnz1Kakzvp8GQJkSNiNBpbc0Spqrg2pWyhUysoo3gnBR1kMnGRgNo3lj5teLPRINTu/s1600/IMG_4776A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD94U6F2bSwtSElUn-53XKx1jQC2cMXAZkoTtNBo40Zke4l05pwUpDal7k1zXqBnhkNXJnz1Kakzvp8GQJkSNiNBpbc0Spqrg2pWyhUysoo3gnBR1kMnGRgNo3lj5teLPRINTu/s320/IMG_4776A.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Couldn't get going again #Cyberia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you let the bike get away from you on the descent, with the mud ruts we currently have, it will hurt you. Remember though that is there are people coming up behind you on that descent, don't block them. If you are in the rut, that's fine, you own it, but if you are walking three abreast, single up so others can get by. There is nothing worse than the self absorbed who are oblivious to others.<br />
<br />
The descent down for us last Saturday was slow but incident free. As we got further down the snow tapered but the mud increased. We reached the bottom, pretty happy to be finished.<br />
<br />
The Rasputitsa course is a stout route in any season but especially in the spring and winter. I knew that when I first suggested that particular route to Heidi and Anthony. One of the most appealing aspects of the back side of the course is literally, just how remote you are. For those who didn't look at the map, that is the only road. There are no short cuts, no cut through sections. Once you commit you are either going forward to the end or turning around and going back the way you came. There are no stores and phone service is spotty. It's as close to a wilderness area as we have in that general area, in fact, River Rd takes us right through <a href="http://fpr.vermont.gov/state_lands/management_planning/documents/district_pages/district_5/victory_bog">Victory Basin WMA</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WhT6p3MNoh7IJVfq5MkiZ3dpbUQwYd9s0z2JKDydKnno72_K8Y6EZuvB-tYx8jkPz_3Gwla6G5-VsqzaTkjEv-BCcVpat_TmxhqNEs7zPS-k9ekklPBLX1E54NCKolPu8lnI/s1600/IMG_4788A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WhT6p3MNoh7IJVfq5MkiZ3dpbUQwYd9s0z2JKDydKnno72_K8Y6EZuvB-tYx8jkPz_3Gwla6G5-VsqzaTkjEv-BCcVpat_TmxhqNEs7zPS-k9ekklPBLX1E54NCKolPu8lnI/s320/IMG_4788A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And for that reason, I love it.<br />
<br />
My best word of advice is to be ready for everything as I believe, that is what we are going to get. There will certainly be some terrific gravel roads but I suspect there will also be some of the most horrendous conditions you can imagine. It may well be a race of equipment preservation, one where you must meter just how hard you push your bike as much as how hard you push yourself. We'll see, maybe it will all dry up. Maybe.<br />
<br />
But I wouldn't count on it.<br />
<br />
#RideOutside365mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-26998544463956656162016-04-08T11:45:00.002-04:002016-04-08T11:45:39.615-04:00Race ReportsIt's kind of funny that what started out as having primarily race report content, has moved completely away from that topic. I've though about and even starting drafting some race reports but then, for some reason or another, I loose interest.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIvP2d7EzEqpv9OdKnPYjLz3zp_Rcf8zt82OuJsJh0EFvfFvVR3IoZz5FCL1WDRnjcwLuXyH9MHsTGuACq-Wfb5ELdfYHA3s7bFl57YLiNKrDoULmZpjHzAMHTAzawU5sB1o3/s1600/10003942_10207636820952717_6695681924494345291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIvP2d7EzEqpv9OdKnPYjLz3zp_Rcf8zt82OuJsJh0EFvfFvVR3IoZz5FCL1WDRnjcwLuXyH9MHsTGuACq-Wfb5ELdfYHA3s7bFl57YLiNKrDoULmZpjHzAMHTAzawU5sB1o3/s320/10003942_10207636820952717_6695681924494345291_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>I think that fact in and of itself, is telling. The overall fact that honestly, I'm losing interest in racing bikes. I still love riding bikes, as much if not more than ever, but it's changing. Cathy and I have now raced steadily at a fairly high and competitive level for over a decade straight. This will actually be the 11th season. We've had some great times, met and become friends with some incredible folks and ridden and raced in many areas of New England and the country that we otherwise would not have.<br />
<br />
However, the desire is quickly fleeting. Maybe I've lost the killer instinct that I once had, the desire to compete as much for self validation as anything. I got a small taste of success and victory and wanted more and more. It fueled the fire for years leaving me looking for bigger challenges that brought the hope of bigger successes.<br />
<br />
But some where along the line it became hollow. When put into perspective, the relevance of said victories in the obscure sport of cycling is little more than the medal you receive. Are you better for those victories?<br />
<br />
And then one day it all changes, and you stop winning. That's when the thrashing starts, to regain something which you have grown accustom to having, something which you are, at that point anyhow, unable to regain. This continues for some time but without looking at the real why, the root cause, no amount of struggle will help fix it.<br />
<br />
At some point once you have figured out the root cause, you come to the cross road. Are you willing or able to make the changes to get yourself back to where you once were? Are those changes realistic and can they be made? Will it even work regardless of the changes?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC-tE0KnZUKBghXWj-9hUmWd8VvOBcWVHMXstGXvbpJXcbI9V2Ni9Uc0hiEFmlubJuB3GF8VgQRIG_ICsjeLfRCZYkhe0hAAxLVip1DU3srKpFexTkCBiFUb7Lp1GXZigRy6l/s1600/18086_10207958492794312_3291668411077147821_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC-tE0KnZUKBghXWj-9hUmWd8VvOBcWVHMXstGXvbpJXcbI9V2Ni9Uc0hiEFmlubJuB3GF8VgQRIG_ICsjeLfRCZYkhe0hAAxLVip1DU3srKpFexTkCBiFUb7Lp1GXZigRy6l/s320/18086_10207958492794312_3291668411077147821_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>For me, as much as anything, it comes down to will. Sure, I need to work harder but I also need the mindset, the edge that makes me want to suffer, that makes me want to make others suffer. The gritty truth about success in physical competition is that you not only need to be a masochist and derive joy from pain, you also need to be a sadist and enjoy inflicting pain on others.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, I'm not sure where I am right now. We've been doing hard weekly road rides and there have been some glimpses of hope. The VOMAR ride last week, which isn't a race though it is, didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Still, given some of the challenges such as a cold that has settled hard in my lungs and won't seem to dissipate and completely frozen hands early on and course conditions that didn't suit my strengths, it wasn't all bad.<br />
<br />
We'll see. Maybe I'll get super psyched for racing soon. Or maybe there will just be lots of epic ride reports in my future. One way or the other, I'll still be riding bikes.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-64964220973809554902016-04-07T10:19:00.002-04:002016-04-08T10:49:10.247-04:00Nine Hundred 71 Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAwN5Swv4om7lrHzGJI7TRLXoruy2B98vXCTaxj17NMzRhyphenhyphenxVzptsgfKJNwMppKjGP25J3leX6sc-o3saXrwFP5LYGFKvgXNziGJXkotsKwapGhm6P3opvO3r5pUoI4SC3tGi/s1600/IMG_3388A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAwN5Swv4om7lrHzGJI7TRLXoruy2B98vXCTaxj17NMzRhyphenhyphenxVzptsgfKJNwMppKjGP25J3leX6sc-o3saXrwFP5LYGFKvgXNziGJXkotsKwapGhm6P3opvO3r5pUoI4SC3tGi/s320/IMG_3388A.jpg" width="240" /></a>I keep saying that I'm going to stop, that I can stop any time that I want, maybe tomorrow, but not today. Compulsion, addiction.<br />
<br />
Late last year I said at the end of the year. Early this year I said after 1500 days of pedaling a bicycle straight <i>(which included riding on the indoor trainer at times for the first year and a half)</i>. lately I've been saying the goal is 1000 days in a row of riding a bicycle outdoors in New England, which it would seem is 29 days from today. During the winters, most of that time has been in Northern New England be it Western Maine or the Northeast kingdom of VT.<br />
<br />
Riding outside every day, in every type of weather condition imaginable has taught me one simple lesson, the hardest part is always just getting out the door. Once you are on the bike and riding, it's all the same, all so very simple; just you and the bike. And of course whatever conditions you are dealing with be that snow, ice, rain or all of the above.<br />
<br />
Some times you have to work at it a bit, in order to be safe, and choose your ride time and location wisely. For me though, I usually ride at the same time every day, logical after work around 5:30PM. In the winter that means it's cold and dark but that consistency gives me some semblance of familiarity, and peace.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6Yv8jlRlX0yB0EU5tt6FGr60VFU1zeLd4q6ZYap6T9B4ApKQ-52ioq0ZNuKFg5l74my2aKOV9ljbV4kQp1m6epHdBf4FOB6G5_94MMnT2tM3QCAQaOW4PbhV9TRC1P9IUOmh/s1600/IMG_5434A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6Yv8jlRlX0yB0EU5tt6FGr60VFU1zeLd4q6ZYap6T9B4ApKQ-52ioq0ZNuKFg5l74my2aKOV9ljbV4kQp1m6epHdBf4FOB6G5_94MMnT2tM3QCAQaOW4PbhV9TRC1P9IUOmh/s320/IMG_5434A.jpg" width="320" /></a>The ride has become a daily ritual, almost a spiritual event at times, sure to happen as sure as waking on the day or going to sleep at the end. I won't lie, there are many days when the ride feels like drudgery, like a chore that simply has to be taken care of for the day, like cleaning out the kitten's litter box. I'm an excellent litter scooper and attack it like a science. It is, after all, my job. Everyone has to have a job and as I find myself lacking in gainful employ, I've adopted that as one of my few regular vocations, along with grocery shopping. It's just what I do.<br />
<br />
And so I ride. In the back of my mind, as much because I can as I want to. My health is good so why waste perfectly good days without a physical celebration of that fact, a fact that we can not, must not, take for granted. One day that will change, whether we are present to recognize it or not.<br />
<br />
So, as the brief sunshine is blotted by the clouds and impending rain, I look out knowing that I should get out and ride now all the while knowing that I'll probably just wait until the evening, and the pouring rain. Maybe I've become oblivious to the conditions, numbed to them, a slave to the inevitable ride that will happen, regardless. Maybe the conditions reinforce the memory of the ride which could all too easily slip away in the annals of the log, not even a memory.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrbM9lBihtIE8moYjJX0QR3UANMkffJMIlGBY2UppnGK4ZiND86RyqKjLJvn66pzLpg70w9RzE89lXMlFhfrdLz66Vcx-8Sm0-UXVx4tr5BQtjISuz9tKoVbBhEDsQoiZ7GWN/s1600/IMG_5575A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrbM9lBihtIE8moYjJX0QR3UANMkffJMIlGBY2UppnGK4ZiND86RyqKjLJvn66pzLpg70w9RzE89lXMlFhfrdLz66Vcx-8Sm0-UXVx4tr5BQtjISuz9tKoVbBhEDsQoiZ7GWN/s320/IMG_5575A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Some times the most memorable rides, the ones you look most fondly and vividly back upon are the most grim and grizzly. The late December 2015 NEK 50 mile 34 degree pouring rain ride is one of those that I will recall forever. The February 2015 nine hour 60 mile fat bike loop through remote wilderness which degraded into a slog through loose powder is another. The same fat bike loop the year before in reverse which two of us pushed each other hard to complete in only seven hours is another. The 80 mile ride from Twin Mountain over Crawford up Bear Notch <i>(in the snow and ice)</i>, over the Kanc and up through the bike path in Franconia Notch <i>(also in snow and ice)</i> and all on road bikes, with road shoes, is another. Too many to list but so many fond memories to cherish. Memories of actions through which we are self defined, or at least, I am.<br />
<br />
In fact, a quick mental list of my all time most memorable rides includes epic rides that all had epic tales of suffering and misery. What does that tell us? I suspect we as humans are wired that way, to remember the bad as life lessons. Now what does that tell you, when those like me look fondly back at those events and worse, seek to emulate them moving forward. Gluttons? Masochists?<br />
<br />
I choose to think of people like this as life adventurers. The road less chosen is where it's at. Life is about loops and not out and backs. Never take the same old path you've chosen before if you are presented with a new one to explore. You never know what may be down that path and you may be missing something, incredible, revealed by simply making the choice.<br />
<br />
Ride on. Live life. #RideOutside365<br />
<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-50969205585360587552016-03-24T09:26:00.000-04:002016-03-24T09:26:14.477-04:00Cabin ProgressOver the course of the winter I've been trying to plug along on the build out of the basement at our cabin. Work has been somewhat slow and I haven't really gotten a good block of time pieced together to continuously work on the rooms, but I'm starting to see some progress.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIUXf15GtG9sO5yIGG7yRQCwW1gcEL9e6IaWRBaFG9m_lRAJhGRVliqnfeGUxREOv7pTGDLvj28kQLuME25_k3Xob2P8yqrlsB9BuJRyZALUr002K2ubh5W_u8IygA2uW_m4V/s1600/20160322_131201A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghIUXf15GtG9sO5yIGG7yRQCwW1gcEL9e6IaWRBaFG9m_lRAJhGRVliqnfeGUxREOv7pTGDLvj28kQLuME25_k3Xob2P8yqrlsB9BuJRyZALUr002K2ubh5W_u8IygA2uW_m4V/s320/20160322_131201A.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
The first stage was to frame it in. Not a big project but it took a bit of time. My brother helped out with the main center divider wall and we got that in pretty quickly. I then decided I wanted to change the sizes of the doors I was going to use so I ended up reframing the rough openings. Again, not a big deal. Then it was on to the framing of the divider wall between the bath and the bedroom. This was had some turns to it so was a bit more complicated and also needed some heading in the floor joist to tie the stud wall in. All of the walls were anchored to the concrete basement floor with concrete screws through the pressure treated bottom sole plate. The rest of the studs were all pine but anything touching concrete was PT. I ended up using torx deck screws rather than nails as well simply because, it was easier and made it simply to make adjustments after the fact, just in case.<br />
<br />
From there it was on to the fairly limited electrical outlets and lighting and I ran a new breaker to the sub-panel we had installed in the basement last summer. I went cheap and easy single switched wall mounted sconce lamps, two of them, centered on the wall above what would be the bed's headboard location. The one outlet I had which was on a concrete wall, I face mounted and ran through PVC conduit with a PVC outlet box.<br />
<br />
For the small section of exposed concrete block wall, I simply painted the wall with color tinted masonry paint and left it bare rather than framing, insulating and sheathing. If it is too cold, I can always do something in the future but I spent 3 years living in an uninsulated cinderblock dorm at UVM and it was just fine. Sure, I'm losing heat but insulating a basement in a climate with deep penetrating ground frost is a recipe for busted walls.<br />
<br />
On the walls of the bedroom I used my old friend, 10" rougher back V groove tongue and groove pine planking. I sealed it with Thompson's water seal on both sides and then nailed it up horizontally. I source this wood from Maine, where the lumber yard has it custom milled for them. At $.73 a board foot it is hard to beat price wise and gives the feel and character I'm looking for, that of a rustic cabin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIS0HkwBWZYoMJzjJ8WWa88atN66iM4WNoGOKbuf_6TODXOlMyu1jnTURZrvcQuQ01F_lTdbKlscOnWUtKgV8QkUBdmLt9TLepbs1LnTz6sxypc-DDE-AqZvQz6SgxQA1GN1X/s1600/20160322_131104A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIS0HkwBWZYoMJzjJ8WWa88atN66iM4WNoGOKbuf_6TODXOlMyu1jnTURZrvcQuQ01F_lTdbKlscOnWUtKgV8QkUBdmLt9TLepbs1LnTz6sxypc-DDE-AqZvQz6SgxQA1GN1X/s320/20160322_131104A.jpg" width="320" /></a>On the outside of the main divider wall I used an inexpensive, exterior grade siding made of press board. It comes in 7/16" thick 4x8' sheets that have shiplap overlapping edges. It is molded to resemble textured V grove planks and comes pre-primed. It is stable, moisture resistant, tough and cheap. When you paint it, it even looks pretty good.<br />
<br />
I also got the floor down in the bedroom. We went back and forth as to what to use on this, nothing, concrete dye, porcelain tile. We decided to go with 2x2' raised basement underlayment panels, which use corrugated plastic base under a 3/4" weatherguard OSB interlocking panel to add some moisture protection. On that I used inexpensive interlocking laminate flooring with a styrofoam pad underneath. I've had good luck with the overall stability of the laminate flooring in a mudroom area that saw a fair amount of moisture from tracked snow in the past. This basement is dry as was proven last summer and over this past winter, a season of many freeze thaw cycles and good amounts of rain. I'm also planning to run a dehumidifier as well and the basement is a walkout, so is only partially below grade.<br />
<br />
The last bit of project that I got done this week was to put in the initial section of ceiling between the main carrier timber and the bedroom wall. This section only had a 9" gap so rather than raise the ceiling to the bottom of the floor joist, I went from the bottom of the carrier beam over to the bedroom wall.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJT7-DHidQsnbkFjf8Ehgr8Fzf_D4_k4Y1Ncvx-rEXUrf0B9iYP8dbX5TB43VCB52nxXL2JemY0sOHhP8WUOnVMSL_viB8wBv46e6KQqXu5SfC_4oiwJcWRmksFxTwrDQE1yCI/s1600/20160322_131131A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJT7-DHidQsnbkFjf8Ehgr8Fzf_D4_k4Y1Ncvx-rEXUrf0B9iYP8dbX5TB43VCB52nxXL2JemY0sOHhP8WUOnVMSL_viB8wBv46e6KQqXu5SfC_4oiwJcWRmksFxTwrDQE1yCI/s320/20160322_131131A.jpg" width="320" /></a>For the ceiling I wanted something that was light, bright, clean and easy to remove in case I needed access to anything above; wiring or such. After some though, I decided to go with vinyl soffit, which I've worked with a number of times before. I love the stuff. You just need ledges from which to span it and for than, I used simple pine planking that I routered a 45 bevel into to dress it up a bit. On the base of the beam, which is an old hemlock 4x6" that I sistered with pine 2x8" on either side and then a 2x4" on the underside channel. I put a pine 1x8" on the bottom side that overhung to the side of the wall, which gave me my ledge from which to hang the soffit up over. The end result is clean, looks good, was easy to install and is functionally great.<br />
<br />
I'm trying to get creative when choosing building materials and build this area with an eye toward function. I'm using things that can maybe handle a little humidity or possibly moisture while keeping cost reined in. We'll see how it all works out but so far, so good. I really enjoy re-purposing things for uses other than that which they were intended. Bottom line is that it's fun and I finally am getting back into the swing of accomplishing something tangible.<br />
<br />
Lots more to do. The bathroom is going to be interesting for sure. I've got some neat plans for materials for that one. Can't wait to get started.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-90246325027744512702016-03-14T09:39:00.003-04:002016-03-14T09:46:14.056-04:00Weekend Riding<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7DZ5KOobStPqbNjYuefAz8i3_gxBn1JWHjduw1BENYT3gJxManhY1Um8L4g7ZP4Wvvx8BKvyETsjf7HOgG_X0ZDqUd3291wtXIgEBlwz_LI9wHaX4zBkCE4ORh-Gy9Y2t-g_/s1600/IMG_5581A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7DZ5KOobStPqbNjYuefAz8i3_gxBn1JWHjduw1BENYT3gJxManhY1Um8L4g7ZP4Wvvx8BKvyETsjf7HOgG_X0ZDqUd3291wtXIgEBlwz_LI9wHaX4zBkCE4ORh-Gy9Y2t-g_/s320/IMG_5581A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Cathy and I had the opportunity to take advantage of the wonderful spring weather this past weekend and get in some good solid riding. A nice, quick, 40 mile road ride Friday and then a fantastic, longer group road ride on Saturday out to Sterling MA. We got some good rolling terrain and some nice views through the orchards of Harvard and the hills west.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was nice to be out on these roads, ones that we frequented in the past but have not ridden much if at all in the past couple of years, Amazing how much I've forgotten about what a truly spectacular area we have to road ride in the northwestern suburbs and beyond. Winding, narrow, tree lined back country roads abound and on the weekends there is little motor vehicle traffic. Certainly one thing that I miss when in VT is the variety of paved road. Don't get me wrong, I love gravel, but when conditions are poor, it's nice to have options.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsAHp838TCP_HtRD2SEfW6HwP6JCKi_4Ws86b3pAPTaBbPjdPMZbSTlrP7FUQVsc7Q3UH_m97tCX_ZJK50-0YEophhFwtvJM6jFU9qE8u-47qhD8tYyKhEgcdTU4vKPvQuPj9/s1600/IMG_5588A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsAHp838TCP_HtRD2SEfW6HwP6JCKi_4Ws86b3pAPTaBbPjdPMZbSTlrP7FUQVsc7Q3UH_m97tCX_ZJK50-0YEophhFwtvJM6jFU9qE8u-47qhD8tYyKhEgcdTU4vKPvQuPj9/s320/IMG_5588A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Anyhow, it was a nice ride for sure and felt great to be back into the swing of the road ride thing. We are getting some good miles in on the <a href="http://bikewaysource.com/">The Bikeway Source</a> <a href="http://cannondale.com/">Cannondale Bicycles</a> Synapse disc bikes. Currently they have 28c Vittoria Zaffiro Pro semi-slick tires on them, which are great for spring pavement if at the cost of a little weight and rolling resistance, but can also handle gravel without much complaint.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yesterday, Cathy and I decided to do separate rides, so she headed off with a friend for some MTB in the Burlington's Landlocked Forest on her new Cannondale Bicycles Habit 27.5 120mm travel bike. I'd swapped the stock 60mm stem out for a 90mm to make the bike handle a bit more traditionally and also cut the bars down a couple of inches, bringing them within an inch (still longer) of what the bars on her fat bike are, which are wider still than the bars on her Scalpel. It made a huge difference and she really enjoyed the bike, getting a chance to get a real feel for it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4HDQ1ehXE4gEO64qDoMeJhjIZNjf9ks-q3Q6T7GpABXagnlWK9Oqixknco_P41pMq29p1TU5OViiii0ItjtbjOHIYOaUaVRgALn-1yFldqmv5oEa9myPEBYE0E3nuZIXqjvB/s1600/IMG_5596A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4HDQ1ehXE4gEO64qDoMeJhjIZNjf9ks-q3Q6T7GpABXagnlWK9Oqixknco_P41pMq29p1TU5OViiii0ItjtbjOHIYOaUaVRgALn-1yFldqmv5oEa9myPEBYE0E3nuZIXqjvB/s320/IMG_5596A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I opted to go for a big MTB XC loop, heading through multiple areas to try and find some new trail areas near Russell Mill in Billerica. I was fatigued from the start but moved along out to Estabrook Woods, through Carlisle Conservation and into Great Brook State Park. From there I made my way to Russell Mill Pond Forest, and area I've not spent much time riding. After looping around looking for signs of the new trails to no avail, I hopped out to Rangeway Rd and searched from that end. I found the ones in the town forest and traced the way back to Russell Mill, through a neighborhood. The other trail network is in the state forest, which I need to explore from the south end I think. Eventually I made my way back to Great Brook and Estabrook and home, a broken man.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyhow, a great weekend of riding and some good hours in the training bank. Another big week for the team, which is hopefully going a long way toward getting us into shape for the upcoming spring classic gravel season.</div>
mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-79137374791505325622016-02-29T15:24:00.000-05:002016-02-29T15:24:25.585-05:00Back in ActionLast year for me was a down year, in terms of bicycle racing and training. I consciously knew that I was in for a bad year, statistically speaking, as I'd had a string of great season the previous few. I'd also been pretty much on since 2007 straight, without any breaks. This meant that I was physically and mentally tired of the constant preparation that goes into goal oriented cycling, or anything in life for that matter. <div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONzzW7OIV9nhZRq-qO5xryVeqz5kL7JXy8P_qR3gSuYaKEOYsRKnCYseYgm2BC3Mm6EdNrbRgCKrQrG-FaRImzhwVJu_prU0QZwCDhfCRY2JOjsczjgEmMbWZrlQDna0l0lLA/s1600/IMG_4976A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONzzW7OIV9nhZRq-qO5xryVeqz5kL7JXy8P_qR3gSuYaKEOYsRKnCYseYgm2BC3Mm6EdNrbRgCKrQrG-FaRImzhwVJu_prU0QZwCDhfCRY2JOjsczjgEmMbWZrlQDna0l0lLA/s320/IMG_4976A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
As such, I decided to take it easy and only ride as much as I wanted to, within reason. Reason meaning that I did continue and complete my target of riding outdoors every day of the year. Spending so much time at our place in Kirby Vermont, which is situated near the top of a mountain on a gravel road, made for some creative rides when the weather went south, but still I managed to get through it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Racing last season saw very few goals. I targeted a fat bike race, the <a href="http://www.rasputitsagravel.com/">Rasputitsa gravel race</a>, the Kenda Cup East MTB series and had the only overall cyclocross goal of trying to upgrade my race category to Category 1 through racing the Elite races at smaller New England based events. That may seem like a lot when it's written down in front of you, in fact I'm looking at it and saying the same thing to myself, but relatively speaking it was less than a normal year. All in all, things went pretty well and I attained most of my goals on the year. I had a good CX season going until a couple of crashes coupled with failing fitness convinced me to pull the plug.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOorfQn-WliHyEulKAi_4ZHr_i0Y22oiTQebu9HkGQ6xg93DiJNJ4tI5uMFBRAozozsyIqWOyxaFRqlNgPZBTmlQFRgF8st7RHGSbXgNQV9pflDfTwoL63501Uj0orIDn8Ze0/s1600/IMG_3384A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOorfQn-WliHyEulKAi_4ZHr_i0Y22oiTQebu9HkGQ6xg93DiJNJ4tI5uMFBRAozozsyIqWOyxaFRqlNgPZBTmlQFRgF8st7RHGSbXgNQV9pflDfTwoL63501Uj0orIDn8Ze0/s320/IMG_3384A.jpg" width="240" /></a>So here we are a couple of months into 2016. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I feel like I'm way behind already. Sure, we've been riding but the quality has been challenged. As with the previous couple of years, Cathy and I have spent the bulk of the winter up north. This has meant lots of fat biking miles and some great adventures. This season is a completely different story. The fat biking, beyond a few limited outings, has been almost non existent. It's hard to ride snow when you don't have any. Worse, the temperatures and weather have been such that the gravel roads which we'd otherwise be ripping around on a snowless year, are often mud or ice. There was a point in January where we had to resort to night time road riding, in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Still, there have been some good rides but not of the caliber or duration that I've grown accustom to getting throughout the winter months. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0ILe1YkOXE6y5ibNYOQggLgUUcQnC7TFnnd1WL5U7HvdMxyKjY6llazB3xYbNMuS1cKSkjA9bqU0To0YIjm-vfZi3i-glY4BnAl8RHeCwamQ545mda5MNX9GRwvEe7IB30V1/s1600/IMG_5210A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0ILe1YkOXE6y5ibNYOQggLgUUcQnC7TFnnd1WL5U7HvdMxyKjY6llazB3xYbNMuS1cKSkjA9bqU0To0YIjm-vfZi3i-glY4BnAl8RHeCwamQ545mda5MNX9GRwvEe7IB30V1/s320/IMG_5210A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
The past couple of weeks have seen us spending more time south, back in MA. A couple weeks ago, when we had a record cold snap, the trail conditions for fat biking were spectacular in and around us in MA. That block of riding alone accounted for the bulk of the real quality miles we've managed to bank for the season thus far. It was great and helped turn things around for me in terms of motivation and determination. Nothing like 12 hours of fabulous riding snow in the course of four days to get you excited about riding again. Three good weeks in a row of increased time and distance and I was tired and ready for a rest week. Naturally, that week of rest didn't work out as I'd planned as we had conditions that were conducive to riding bikes. Additionally, active recovery when you are living on a mountain is a very relative thing, meaning I still got over 10,000' of gain in that week and rode every day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That brings me to last week, when we got sick of seeing photos and post about our friends back in MA riding in sunny, 60 degree temps while we were up north battling ice, mud and runoff at 35 degrees. We packed up and headed south hoping for some better weather. It did not disappoint and although it was windy, the roads were dry and the temperatures were much nicer. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFr0QWnw_GQfXnF8d9LZMMpDUQbY8KIXyZEWNaAorhjuMfsxXp7jOxgN_8I5YLDTrbCo1Xq1GlJRl_hygM9bfM19ZcriNFL8vLgg4aS4W72IXE0_fjxb6KJlSdCvltnJnBCNR7/s1600/12742502_10207606233668054_7873007333439033328_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFr0QWnw_GQfXnF8d9LZMMpDUQbY8KIXyZEWNaAorhjuMfsxXp7jOxgN_8I5YLDTrbCo1Xq1GlJRl_hygM9bfM19ZcriNFL8vLgg4aS4W72IXE0_fjxb6KJlSdCvltnJnBCNR7/s320/12742502_10207606233668054_7873007333439033328_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Thursday and Friday were in the 40's which seemed almost tropical to us coming from the NEK. Sean from Cannondale had dropped his personal <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/USA/Bike/ProductFamily?Id=8b0fb060-8aa2-49c4-aad0-4db80683c349">Cannondale Slate</a> new road bike off at <a href="http://bikewaysource.com/">the Bikeway Source</a> for us to try, The Slate is a road frame designed around smaller 650b <i>(27.5")</i> wheels running bigger 42c semi-slick tires. The resultant wheel/tire diameter is the same as that of a 700c wheel with a 23c tire; a normal road bike. The Slate is also equipped with a short 30mm travel Cannondale Lefty Oliver suspension fork. I'd been interested to see and give one a try for some time so when I got the bike on Thursday, I went out for a quick road spin to see what it could, or couldn't do. I was blown away by how quick and nimble it was. It looks more like a mountain bike with drop bars but on the road felt natural and comfortable. I hammered through a short, 25 mile loop on pavement and when I was done, was shocked to see how fast I'd gone. The Slate was no slouch when it came to the road, despite the fork being fully open the whole time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Saturday I had a long ride planned with a small group and the temps slipped back into the 30's. Cool but dry and fine for a long road ride. We did just over four hours and about 74 miles and it darn near killed me. I felt tired going in but did that ever wipe me out. I made the mistake of rolling on the 32c Clement XPlor knobby tires mounted on the <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=c044662a-6c6e-4d93-acc2-fb3a95349c5c&parentid=b96c94d6-6537-46ec-8189-d0d717b8725a">Cannondale Synapse carbon disc</a> for riding gravel, which roll OK but compared to the road slicks the other two guys had, were a bit sluggish, pulling watts that I didn't have to spare. I quite literally limped back home the last five or so miles, in agony, barely able to pedal the bike.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZF9wl_bbC-OK6ug3ISiYuJJj5JEmu7a_tx12CzXjuny09-At9nN7R3WM6RN7j2Sa1j_iHHsIKHa2jypjfdaID-HBoFWM8B6-egqB-_6RnPjFmk6j18wKA_8QREncVHhtY92Q6/s1600/IMG_5541A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZF9wl_bbC-OK6ug3ISiYuJJj5JEmu7a_tx12CzXjuny09-At9nN7R3WM6RN7j2Sa1j_iHHsIKHa2jypjfdaID-HBoFWM8B6-egqB-_6RnPjFmk6j18wKA_8QREncVHhtY92Q6/s320/IMG_5541A.jpg" width="240" /></a>Yesterday I'd decided to first of all, swap out tires on both of our Synapse to 28c semi slicks, something that should roll a whole lot easier. Next, we waited around until the sun came out and it warmed up. I was still chilled from the ride the day before and had little interest in starting before we were in the best weather of the day. This worked perfect and we were treated to some glorious sunny, spring like conditions. There was still a breeze but nothing quite as bad as the day before. We had a great ride along roads once frequently ridden by us, but ones we'd not really been on in a couple of years. It felt great to be outside riding without what seems every piece of clothing bundled on us. We moved along at a good steady clip and despite both being tired, got in a solid 50 miles. Another good day in the saddle marking a great weekend and a good block of quality rides.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So there we have it. I'm behind but hoping to come back up to speed quickly. I know what was missing last season in terms of the training rides that count the most. Those are back on the schedule in earnest this year, starting tomorrow in fact. I can tell right now that it is going to hurt. De-tuning and being out of shape, basically sucks because it hurts so much to come back from. The fat bike and legitimate winters ease that transition as you never really fall as far between seasons and also, ease back into things a bit more gradually. Not having that this year has made the gap much more pronounced. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is work still left to be done but at least I can finally say, that work has commenced.</div>
mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-71372085295615941462016-01-22T12:03:00.005-05:002016-01-22T12:03:40.664-05:00New Tires Normally, new bicycle tires really aren't that big a deal. They are simply another wear item, disposable, temporary. Much like a new chain and cassette. However, when you start talking about new tires for a fat bike, things change.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQkp1VQPY8-3Opz5l1N36-LghzbGZ9cw97cqsGvRjgK8nOYAMGq1ad7SO1jPyNhubPuZyG30bMLQw_cgE8tfIZ5b8ZjjXAlXUkyCXOVl4OG2dWmXaf-ZDPvg4sfCfN1zdORaS/s1600/IMG_2412A.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQkp1VQPY8-3Opz5l1N36-LghzbGZ9cw97cqsGvRjgK8nOYAMGq1ad7SO1jPyNhubPuZyG30bMLQw_cgE8tfIZ5b8ZjjXAlXUkyCXOVl4OG2dWmXaf-ZDPvg4sfCfN1zdORaS/s320/IMG_2412A.jpg" width="320" /></a>For one, the tires cost nearly a fortune at about $150/each for a good quality folding bead 120tpi model. Therefore, the idea of having lots of use specific tires hanging around which you switch between isn't really a practical option for most. More practically speaking, the benefit or conversely, the detriment of a specific tire style for specific riding purposes can be huge. Fat bikes are, after all, meant to be ridden in the snow. In order to most effectively ride in the snow or any soft conditions, tire choice is crucial.<br />
<br />
Key concerns are float which is a component of the tire volume and pressure making for the biggest footprint possible and of course, traction as provided by the tread pattern. In the few years that I have been fat biking a lot, roughly a thousand miles a year on snow, I've used four different tire/wheel combinations on there different bikes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YkyEvQysBX_sOSRh8DG2U0nub30rghDaV5j8m_A-0vgexXfbiM3sxZ_tZM8nrIi6-eTxiLQw0D9e36BR22X3SUCql4Be4AteVNKHtEe-2gCXmm-tl-k3UOCwlrulgpDr2cuR/s1600/IMG_2408A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YkyEvQysBX_sOSRh8DG2U0nub30rghDaV5j8m_A-0vgexXfbiM3sxZ_tZM8nrIi6-eTxiLQw0D9e36BR22X3SUCql4Be4AteVNKHtEe-2gCXmm-tl-k3UOCwlrulgpDr2cuR/s320/IMG_2408A.jpg" width="320" /></a>I started out on a Charge Bikes Cooker Maxi 135mm front and rear hub spacing with 80mm rims and 4" Vee Rubber Mission 120tpi tires. The 135mm rear spacing meant an offset rear end which was limited to a 4" tire due to clearance. The offdet is used to push the wheel away from the center of the bike, gaining clearance for the chain as it passes the tire coming from the crankset. Being new to the fat bike, coming from riding normal MTB in the snow for a couple decades, the difference was amazing. By closely controlling the tire pressure to adjust the footprint the bike went really, really well. That was the setup that got us hooked on the fat bike discipline and we rode them a lot.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6nH4X-htTk40lbugRG4zMkHYdMYjrMhD8E1zNsHiDzaJRzFMY3rPZPKEStI5gKbDk3QljuXVM3lzDFawlMGbPUnrIjGEVusy-MPdpgkxvIZ1PKeLeYzEOQ0BU-onR63g8H4r/s1600/IMG_2409A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6nH4X-htTk40lbugRG4zMkHYdMYjrMhD8E1zNsHiDzaJRzFMY3rPZPKEStI5gKbDk3QljuXVM3lzDFawlMGbPUnrIjGEVusy-MPdpgkxvIZ1PKeLeYzEOQ0BU-onR63g8H4r/s320/IMG_2409A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last year we got new Borealis Yampa with 197/135mm hubs and 80mm wheels with <a href="http://www.45nrth.com/">45NRTH</a> Dillinger 4 120tpi tires. The rear end was symmetrical as with a traditional bike frame rather than being offset. This setup worked significantly better than the Charge setup. Of course, the bike weighed 10# less and the tires had significantly more tread. The wider rear end also meant that the bike could take up to a 5" tire. The Dillinger is a great all around tread pattern, fast and light but a little on the conservative side. The sidewalls are thin because the tire is so light, which means that if you ride them in dirt and rocks, they get threadbare. That said, I put about 1000 miles on mine, primarily on snow with some snowy gravel, and they still look near new with no issues at all.<br />
<br />
I also put together a Salsa Mukluk last year which had 170/135mm hub spacing and a symmetrical rear. Unfortunately, it can't handle oversized fat tires. I built it with 100mm rims though and ran aggressive, Surly Nate 3.8" 120tpi tires on it. The wider rims gave a significantly larger footprint and with the more aggressive tread of the Nates, did very well in looser snow conditions. I found myself leaning toward that bike over the Borealis when the conditions were loose, despite the bike weighing significantly more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ3vWPSAS9xPJcFNGPLrOF5oE0j6GNiLVrUCi_jDphkTEc2SaHBMB2B-7HENOSjwHxYRDMRvceTwqZBIGdnjgVwwDit6W1NVyPqcf6k4bs-Id2WWZzyCRqS2Y-OQZA7oX-y2K/s1600/IMG_2410A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ3vWPSAS9xPJcFNGPLrOF5oE0j6GNiLVrUCi_jDphkTEc2SaHBMB2B-7HENOSjwHxYRDMRvceTwqZBIGdnjgVwwDit6W1NVyPqcf6k4bs-Id2WWZzyCRqS2Y-OQZA7oX-y2K/s320/IMG_2410A.jpg" width="213" /></a>We started this season out with the Dillinger 4 on the Borealis but also pulled out all of the stops and added HED Big Deal 82mm carbon wheels to the bikes. This dropped a fair amount of weight from bikes that were already lightweight. It really made a noticeable difference as well, in terms of rolling weight and spin up for the wheels. The conditions this season have been fickle, to say the least. We have not gotten that much snow yet to start with. The initial snowpack we had going, which had transformed into some very good rising, was greeted with a bout of warm and rain that turned everything packed down to ice.<br />
<br />
In the past week or so we have started to get some small snow storms, which drop an inch or so at a time as well as some gusty wind, that blows and drifts the snow. Conditions tend to be good in places but loose in others. With that, I was ready to try something new, a little more aggressive and a little bigger.<br />
<br />
Given the luck we've had with 45NRTH coupled with reviews from friends at <a href="http://www.villagesportshop.com/about-us/darling-hill/">the Village Sport Shop</a> at Kingdom Trails in Lyndonville, VT, we decided to order some of the new, front and rear specific 45NRTH Flowbeist front and Dunderbeist rear. from Chris at <a href="http://www.bikewaysource.com/">the Bikeway Source</a> They are beefy and the lugs are deeper and wider spaced than the Dillinger. The casing is a claimed 4.6", which is the largest volume tire that 45NRTH offers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaRqX36yGpRbjlJM8cRJ0ChFb-IfA0iKHHQSu4oSdUI8CCfH7AV9CnIVT6SSgh2KD2MyTKpWvg9hyHn_mUz6CrJ1DvvnKd25oMl3JWzW89K4iCsrmci4_tV6HGkzmpsJt8aqb/s1600/IMG_2411A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRaRqX36yGpRbjlJM8cRJ0ChFb-IfA0iKHHQSu4oSdUI8CCfH7AV9CnIVT6SSgh2KD2MyTKpWvg9hyHn_mUz6CrJ1DvvnKd25oMl3JWzW89K4iCsrmci4_tV6HGkzmpsJt8aqb/s320/IMG_2411A.jpg" width="213" /></a>Out of the box, the tires look aggressive. Very moto like. An unscientific weight comparison by hand with the Dillinger 4 yielded exactly what you'd expect, they are heavier. The sidewalls also appear to be slightly heavier and more robust, which should help increase longevity at lower pressures. Mounted up, they are indeed wider. Not huge like the Bud and Lou on 100mm rims but bigger. On the trail, they roll well and hood up very well. I'd dubbed them the Garden Weasel, a throwback to an old reference my buddy Wick made to the WTB Velociraptor when they first appeared, in the 90's. These things grab and with a more pronounced edge know, they corner better as well. I got into some loose, super technical snowshoe trail with about 6" of semi compacted snow the other day and was blown away by how well they hooked up at lower pressure. <br />
<br />
Though I was concerned about the weight at first, I simply didn't notice it. Now of course, if you were doing a long, hard packed snowy gravel ride these tires would be less desirable than the Dillinger 4. But for riding snow, they are very good so far. At present I've only got limited time on them but so far, so good. Will see how the race goes this weekend.<br />
<br />
I'll check back in once I have some more hours on them but at this point I like them, a lot, which is a good thing given how expensive they are.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-59128344747793139032016-01-07T13:32:00.001-05:002016-01-07T13:32:14.334-05:00Why do I Ride Bikes?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdRXGn6h3O2RsIhSnvUt4BSoq6pA8Wtn8o8fYfFJE2PcC6e9tkxm_gXcztH4p9fXZFKhYoqL_rsnz4PJjiWkQUjBrOGQiU6grz9G6BLOzsbd9WoyoXk1_wW_7fAOfEZdo08F6/s1600/IMG_2997A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdRXGn6h3O2RsIhSnvUt4BSoq6pA8Wtn8o8fYfFJE2PcC6e9tkxm_gXcztH4p9fXZFKhYoqL_rsnz4PJjiWkQUjBrOGQiU6grz9G6BLOzsbd9WoyoXk1_wW_7fAOfEZdo08F6/s320/IMG_2997A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Have you ever stepped back and contemplated exactly why it is that you ride bicycles? Recently, I've been thinking more and more about that very question. In the past it was very simple, I rode my bike because I loved the sense of freedom, exploration, fitness and just plain fun. I've always identified myself as a cyclist and not a bike racer, regardless of the amount of racing I've done.<br />
<br />
In recent years, that seems to have switched to a degree. Part of this has been the level of bike racing, which demanded more dedication. Part of this has been the fact that I've been forcing myself to ride the bike each and every day, which I won't lie, has often made the day's ride more of a chore than an adventure.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogeK_MGDCqSmhUz3XidSywOrHjayN2Lu9HcmlqL9Z-7uEOEab79vj9ew11eAH9-CCzKCs-pDU0ao0C4hICHZ9wbBFQQYqc_SYQb1mXPLxrbD9bYAtScfSmuzYIvRwjAVlnjUU/s1600/IMG_3029A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogeK_MGDCqSmhUz3XidSywOrHjayN2Lu9HcmlqL9Z-7uEOEab79vj9ew11eAH9-CCzKCs-pDU0ao0C4hICHZ9wbBFQQYqc_SYQb1mXPLxrbD9bYAtScfSmuzYIvRwjAVlnjUU/s320/IMG_3029A.jpg" width="320" /></a>It always seems to be this time of year, when racing is done and I can ride whatever I want for as long as I want that I start to get excited again. Funny, as in New England this tends to be some of the harshest and most discouraging weather of the year. Just a couple weeks back Cathy, our friend George and I had one of the most miserable rides I've ever experienced. We started out on a road ride in Lyndon, Vermont as the temperature hovered at 37 degrees.<br />
<br />
Twenty minutes into the ride, it started raining. An hour in, at the top of a four mile climb over Sheffield Heights, one of the higher areas around, it was pouring. The five mile descent to the mid point of the ride was frigid. The ride back from Barton through West Burke in the near freezing, pouring rain was intolerable. Feet, hands and even forearms were frozen numb and I couldn't generate any body heat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFiyu0EDZ-u_Q8pygj6NKOrhSUblU_HzdPB3OnVFHEY7mnMJBMox5u-FlsPgjzLzupuINNE2aXQ0Mjli_jKFNac0_CmkVE8U0WARMYbThoWPYARl5oB377ATnD0v8wFBk4xRo/s1600/IMG_3282A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFiyu0EDZ-u_Q8pygj6NKOrhSUblU_HzdPB3OnVFHEY7mnMJBMox5u-FlsPgjzLzupuINNE2aXQ0Mjli_jKFNac0_CmkVE8U0WARMYbThoWPYARl5oB377ATnD0v8wFBk4xRo/s320/IMG_3282A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Starting to feel myself slip into the early stages of hypothermia as I shivered uncontrollably, I bolted on a sprint to try and warm up and finish the final ten miles, reluctantly leaving my companions to fend for themselves. Shifting and braking were clumsy and awkward but I managed. About the same time, George, a man who thrives in conditions like this, was bonking and needed to stop for food. Cathy of course, was her normal stoic self and although uncomfortable, was still doing just fine.<br />
<br />
I finished and as quickly as possible with frozen numb fingers started the vehicle and stripped my gritty outer layers off. I couldn't get the buckle on my helmet undone so that remained atop my head. I then headed out to try a rescue my cohorts, only to meet them at the end of the driveway.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSBD98-x_OYez3SRZBRIdEGZuJjI9JdK5E7LHI0trpJjejkY19lXPQKDvf7jlQNafmv9NgXhRyODCyTpT7WoFRytbEyviYSXYpQGK-NeX1i6XFtqBVa-rKIW30PfpBVWKNL8V/s1600/IMG_3293A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSBD98-x_OYez3SRZBRIdEGZuJjI9JdK5E7LHI0trpJjejkY19lXPQKDvf7jlQNafmv9NgXhRyODCyTpT7WoFRytbEyviYSXYpQGK-NeX1i6XFtqBVa-rKIW30PfpBVWKNL8V/s320/IMG_3293A.jpg" width="240" /></a>That was a good one. I really thought that I wasn't going to make it back that time and had been running disaster plans over in my head for some time. Luckily, we all made it back, living to tell and having that distinct ride adventure memory to add to our collection. Often, rides like that, the ones that really leave a mental mark and memory, are the best ones. Similar to a ride the Kyle and I did last winter. This was a fat bike loop in Western Maine that went into some remote areas of NH. It started great but turned into a complete debacle. Seven hours in we were barely moving, trying to make it through loose, unpacked snow up over a major mountain pass, Evan's Notch. The sun was getting low and the temperature was starting to drop. It would be two more hours before we made it back home, after dark, punctuating a brutal day on the bike, but one that will always stand out in reflection and conversation.<br />
<br />
Over the recent holiday break we had some stellar rides, as have we this week. Conditions have not been great and it has been cold, or snowing, or icy, or all of the above. Still, we were out of doors enjoying nature. Some consider many of these rides, like the cold weather rides on icy terrain where you are just meandering about exploring and trying not to fall down, as junk miles. From a pure physical fitness and training standpoint, they are probably right. You are not really working all that hard, aerobically speaking, and beyond practicing some limited technical skills, it isn't necessarily a super hard workout.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTZuW3NGFdr883jArFu8jTgXsQIjseW-vEWXDbrGnd2P9QkptOkOFZieXw98I7FBFxSPEQ8cpfp_fc492f9wt1sHpdwifwYH6scnlKjh3vQX1FpbeSYEiWXC67UoQIDisjlV_/s1600/IMG_3382A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTZuW3NGFdr883jArFu8jTgXsQIjseW-vEWXDbrGnd2P9QkptOkOFZieXw98I7FBFxSPEQ8cpfp_fc492f9wt1sHpdwifwYH6scnlKjh3vQX1FpbeSYEiWXC67UoQIDisjlV_/s320/IMG_3382A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Recently, the rage with many competitive cyclists is online virtual racing. The way it works is you either have a smart trainer that can measure and adjust resistance to match a simulated course provided virtually, over the internet or you have a normal trainer and power meter which uploads to the internet based application, which in turn simulates and stages your position based on your power to weight output. Years ago I had one of the earlier generation smart trainers, a Cycleops model. It cost a bunch and worked really, really poorly in a closed virtual environment but was novel and I could see the benefits. I, however, decided a few years back to do all of my riding out of doors <i>(are you really actually riding a bike if it is mounted to a fixed trainer indoors?)</i> and have not looked back. Years before that, I'd stopped using a trainer anyhow and was only using rollers as I felt that they at least taught balance skills and also provided an excellent means of a recovery spin, recovery from a workout performed out of doors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies-F7PQBWWaT8I7vbKjW_IO2i_KPP-mNaCXcYShyl-_p3dzQC-8WtWKlqfS832CZS6vHFYjEQxfnwo_vQz4kaj0RjgTeIdqaHaZ6khvp0m36Jy8Ibeo7FucR7y35KdELdJIqM/s1600/IMG_3419A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEies-F7PQBWWaT8I7vbKjW_IO2i_KPP-mNaCXcYShyl-_p3dzQC-8WtWKlqfS832CZS6vHFYjEQxfnwo_vQz4kaj0RjgTeIdqaHaZ6khvp0m36Jy8Ibeo7FucR7y35KdELdJIqM/s320/IMG_3419A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Reasons and values can and do change. Recently, I've cared more about the workout and somewhat less about the fun of the ride. This is mainly the case in the fall only, however, as CX is usually the only discipline of racing for which I show much of any training discipline. Even that is coming into question though as what I did this year, didn't seem to work all that well in the long run. I think that it is because I've gotten lazy, especially this past season. I'd told myself I was taking the year off and going easier, having no real goals at all. That was always in the back of mind so riding in many cases became academic and I was just going through the motions, not really getting value from it. Checking the box if you will and telling myself that it was OK. By and large, it was, except when it wasn't, like when I fell apart toward the backend of the season.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDt2BrwsVjXvtZlm_4hdyWfBE3lOv1lvZ6SWmw8uK80p7APeRPN04KLkLJTGxiHBJglx_Y2iq6oeWiH9_UTIm-0uTxNfuyhLIQnQtrl4u0C4tXQsSFDvZL6-9qW0r9wuBv1ph/s1600/IMG_3429A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDt2BrwsVjXvtZlm_4hdyWfBE3lOv1lvZ6SWmw8uK80p7APeRPN04KLkLJTGxiHBJglx_Y2iq6oeWiH9_UTIm-0uTxNfuyhLIQnQtrl4u0C4tXQsSFDvZL6-9qW0r9wuBv1ph/s320/IMG_3429A.jpg" width="320" /></a>You see, I'm not wired in such a way that I can race bikes and not have it matter. If I'm going to pay money and line up, it matters. So, the takeaway is that if I'm going to take time off, I really need to take time off, from racing, and not race. Who would have guessed? And if I'm going to take time off from riding, I need not continue to ride every day, especially when I don't really want to. I need to want to ride, to be hungry for it, not to look at it as a chore that needs to be completed for the day before I can go to bed in the evening. In many cases, that is what it has become. Getting back home after a long day of working only to feel compelled to go out in the cold, dark rain so that I can check the box. That is the problem with a streak, it's like a habit. Sure, it may be a good habit, but it really comes down to the fact that it is a compulsion. <i>"I can stop anytime", "I'll stop next year", "What if I don't start again?"</i>.<br />
<br />
The truth is that you invest so much, and have invested so much up to that point that you don't want to give that up. I can't believe how scary the thought of breaking the streak is, really. As I sit here thinking about it I am getting seriously agitated. This, I'd guess, is what addiction is like.<br />
<br />
We are heading into a good time of the year, for riding, and for other outdoor activity. If only winter would set in for good, I'd feel better about not riding. For now though, I will keep at it but when we really get some winter, who knows. I look forward to long, fun rides. The host of great rides in the past few weeks keep me motivated, wanting for more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14DU6Z_yDxF1TdgpVcqyjPzetDewXHfXxbOh7pgOqnXXnlgIGSHVurDSDnadcDl_KnNxHEXO_zKLKuEqC5Cvvuwl5z3zkdTdxx62lx42juDwx-mT2_gP-RH8IC8vy7QNZKxPY/s1600/IMG_2866A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14DU6Z_yDxF1TdgpVcqyjPzetDewXHfXxbOh7pgOqnXXnlgIGSHVurDSDnadcDl_KnNxHEXO_zKLKuEqC5Cvvuwl5z3zkdTdxx62lx42juDwx-mT2_gP-RH8IC8vy7QNZKxPY/s320/IMG_2866A.jpg" width="320" /></a>So, why do I ride bikes? The real answer is that I love riding bikes. I crave the excitement and adventure of exploration. It truly is what defines me, as a person. Exploration is the core reason for my aversion to out and back routes. I've already seen that stuff, show me something different. Mapping new routes and new places to ride is always on my mind. It is what got me hooked on cycling to begin with, exploring the trails and looping them together in a cohesive fashion, building a war chest of personal, local trails. Unfortunately, though you can get a heck of a workout on a trainer, that lack of exploration and adventure has kept me out of doors. I'm interested though and who knows, maybe I will get into it on some really nasty day, when the outdoors are closed, or broken. Maybe. <br />
<br />
That may be shallow but it is what I have to work with. I love riding and sharing the passion for riding with others. In the near future, I hope to expand more upon that aspect and promote the sport in areas that I feel, really need it. I come from a very rural and arguably poor background. There is nearly no cycling outreach to those areas. I'd love to help change that, to get bikes into the hands of rural kids that can't afford them, get them involved in group cycling activities and plant the seed of cycling. I've done it before for suburban kids and it worked pretty well. I don't see why it wouldn't work for less affluent kids, who really need the help.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-26971850899542401912016-01-05T15:20:00.001-05:002016-01-05T15:29:22.782-05:00Cannondale Synapse Disc Impressions<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDBMd7E5yBgrh6qaRw9j0-jZfTR8ilcwBhyphenhyphenNzOQ1OFB8hHfVH3Pst1WWHkjiW7OWewJPbQ4lfq20RJ5_f93wgLxfN4Cv0aT55mpyr3jOXqs4x79jApyDSGtk50rAZc4Rkmqc1/s1600/IMG_4403A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDBMd7E5yBgrh6qaRw9j0-jZfTR8ilcwBhyphenhyphenNzOQ1OFB8hHfVH3Pst1WWHkjiW7OWewJPbQ4lfq20RJ5_f93wgLxfN4Cv0aT55mpyr3jOXqs4x79jApyDSGtk50rAZc4Rkmqc1/s320/IMG_4403A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's be honest, I'm really really fortunate in that I get the opportunity to ride some really nice bicycles. It isn't by chance. I am very critical of what I ride and what I buy with my hard earned money. You won't see me buying a bike that I feel is not a front runner in the market for which it was designed. That said, I don't have unlimited financial resources and although I'm fortunate to have more leeway than many when it comes to bicycle purchases, cost is always a factor.<br />
<br />
For the past few years, Cathy and I have been doing more and more dirt and gravel road riding and less and less traditional paved road riding. Part of the issue is the traffic, especially in the urban area where we have historically done most of our riding. Part of the reason is that we are spending more and more time in rural areas that have a far greater quantity of unpaved roads. Another part of this equation is that there are more and more really good gravel based race events taking place, which have a vastly different flavor and feel than traditional road races, one that we have become enamored with.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDRYXnsS9hezFV8jrAgFU3QbbeuwVKDFSKrkm1SL9FDunsh7X_EmSEokam-vPfdIKDIjlvkiumQaWdzw1TslzUBzjy8o_0E0XRLetNRgYHlTKSlK9B9gXhuPQE6GWUFAQxk3R/s1600/IMG_4371A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDRYXnsS9hezFV8jrAgFU3QbbeuwVKDFSKrkm1SL9FDunsh7X_EmSEokam-vPfdIKDIjlvkiumQaWdzw1TslzUBzjy8o_0E0XRLetNRgYHlTKSlK9B9gXhuPQE6GWUFAQxk3R/s320/IMG_4371A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Up until now, Cathy and I have been riding and racing our slightly modified cyclocross racing bikes for riding and racing gravel. This bikes are the <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/">Cannondale </a>SuperX disc, a bike that is perfectly adept at riding road and gives little or nothing up to the emerging, purpose built gravel or endurance road bicycle segment. With the shift from strict paved road to more open, endurance road and gravel, coupled with a pair of really nice road bikes that spent most of their time hanging in the corner virtually unused, I started thinking that a more versatile solution may be a better idea. I'd looked at, and built up a few of the <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductFamily?Id=b96c94d6-6537-46ec-8189-d0d717b8725a">Cannondale Synapse</a> bikes at <a href="http://www.bikewaysource.com/">the Bikeway Source</a> over the past couple of years and thought that they looked interesting. I'd also raced against a few of them on gravel, getting to see their performance first hand. That said, I wasn't certain that the subtle changes over a normal road bike and vs. the SuperX would warrant the switch.<br />
<br />
Finally this late fall I decided to move forward, first with a new 2016 model <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=3fd178e5-94be-42bd-918c-ddda7a9ba724&parentid=b96c94d6-6537-46ec-8189-d0d717b8725a">Cannondale Synapse Carbon Disc Ultegra Di2</a> <i>(2x11 speed)</i> bike. We got the bike in the heart of cyclocross season so it didn't get much use. Cathy did get out on it a few times and although very different what with the Di2 vs. SRAM that she was used to, she liked it. The shifting was exactly as hoped, spot on and bombproof once setup. The brakes were awesome as well with great feel, modulation and stopping power from the fully hydraulic discs with 4" IceTech rotors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbKmvHjLXkl_nDGamprqEWXHTQZm3tw1znj7O5N8fVHyRJ8Dza3j-81OPcFhgEvLOXOL_D3417UsFDyr4Cbc977rM5Wo0nXZoBuYj3y0ZSXjKIBxhdZx93PVKc9_FsKmcFkFP/s1600/IMG_4382A.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbKmvHjLXkl_nDGamprqEWXHTQZm3tw1znj7O5N8fVHyRJ8Dza3j-81OPcFhgEvLOXOL_D3417UsFDyr4Cbc977rM5Wo0nXZoBuYj3y0ZSXjKIBxhdZx93PVKc9_FsKmcFkFP/s320/IMG_4382A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Shimano setup works very, very well, albeit at a bit of a weight penalty over SRAM. I did upgrade the wheelset from the stock Mavic One disc which although a stout and very reliable wheelset, was also a bit chunky. We went to a HED Ardennes Plus SL disc wheelset, which was a little wider and a little lighter. For tires, we swapped from the stock 28c slicks to a <a href="http://clementcycling.com/xplor-mso">Clement X'Plor MSO 32c 120tpi tire</a>. These tires have more tread which affords better traction in the loose terrain as well as puncture resistance on rocky terrain, both of which we experience often riding dirt roads in Vermont. They fit the frame and fork fine with enough clearance for safety but are just about the biggest tires that will work. I also used the Vittoria XN Pro 32c file tread, which fits well. The Kenda Happy Medium 32c did not fit as it had too much side know though. That's it and with that, the bike is awesome, according to Cathy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcOzFwadrKZqCLc31oIxV6NvRpjgN3rfeTckA15ADAP8hhmYcqu7WbBAunF8Xc11gfGVsOWn-EzzavXVoLLzd3YGRX67TdWNm0HzWBTSh8uKXCCkoUfKgoov8wmgKdQ4ho2-l/s1600/IMG_3042A.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcOzFwadrKZqCLc31oIxV6NvRpjgN3rfeTckA15ADAP8hhmYcqu7WbBAunF8Xc11gfGVsOWn-EzzavXVoLLzd3YGRX67TdWNm0HzWBTSh8uKXCCkoUfKgoov8wmgKdQ4ho2-l/s320/IMG_3042A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Back in November, as the CX season was winding down and I was starting to think ahead to what comes after, I started looking at a Synapse for me as well. Based on availability, I decided to go with a 2015 model Synapse HiMod SRAM Red disc bike. This bike has the full high-modulus carbon fiber frame, and slight upgrade over the normal modulus carbon fiber of Cathy's bike, and used SRAM Red 22 <i>(2x11 speed)</i> with full hydraulic disc brakes. Setup on the bike is stock save what is actually a downgrade on the wheelset, from the stock, superlight Czero carbon clincher wheelset, to a pair of HED Ardennes Plus SL disc wheels. My thought was that a slightly beefier build may be better for my weight and riding style for the type of riding I will do with the bike.<br />
<br />
The bikes come stock with long cage rear derailleurs and the new wide ratio drivetrains. Can I be the first to say that I love this! In back we have 11 speed cassettes with an 11-32 range and up front we have 50/34 chainrings. This makes for an excellent range for virtually everything we do, save the longest, steepest climbs such as the access roads to Burke or Radar Mountains. Plenty of range for strict paved road riding as well save for all but the biggest downhill descents, most of which in New England are too sketchy to push much bigger of a gear on anyhow. I'm flabbergasted by the trend toward 1x systems for gravel riding. For CX racing I get it but for gravel? That seems a really limiting choice for a discipline that likely sees super steep, extended and often loose climbs as well as extended downhills. If ever there is a place where more is indeed more, the gravel segment is it, IMHO.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlNHX-radxr7NXLO64VIdVia0KrfKSQihtwyBQ76cg8s23MDsQaEoocdbhyphenhyphenguUqmIY1RECdAMqVKPwNx0Kmay97RHy-QMQ28maGUZUGhX0PhdAPCv5NCWg2sLMkJVBAUrdgPU/s1600/IMG_4400A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlNHX-radxr7NXLO64VIdVia0KrfKSQihtwyBQ76cg8s23MDsQaEoocdbhyphenhyphenguUqmIY1RECdAMqVKPwNx0Kmay97RHy-QMQ28maGUZUGhX0PhdAPCv5NCWg2sLMkJVBAUrdgPU/s320/IMG_4400A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Over the past few weeks I've had a chance to get in some good solid rides on the bike. In general I've got to say that I'm amazed. The subtle changes in frame design over the SuperX like the curved and shaped stays are huge. I never felt that the SuperX was harsh on the gravel but the Synapse is so smooth. Staying seated through the chatter it is amazing how much of the impact and vibration is absorbed by the frame. the tiny little 25.4mm carbon seatpost diameter helps this as well as it absorbs some of the shock also. Add to that the highly shaped fork blades and the front end is also dead stable.<br />
<br />
A relatively long headtube and setup that is more aggressive <i>(handlebar height lower)</i> than the CX setup on the SuperX but not quite as aggressive as on my SuperSix road bike and the bike feels comfortable and familiar yet fast and stable. Short chainstays compared to the SuperX get handling back inline with a traditional road bike, adding to that predictable stable feel both up and down. Make no mistake, when you stand on the pedals and sprint there is no hint of flex. As with the SuperX and the SuperSix, the bike is efficient with very little power loss due to flex. Point the bike up and it likes to climb, retaining traction even in the loose stuff, even better than the SuperX with comparable tires again, thanks to the stays.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IfTHgaIywwyjk86RYETCLS6SXcsxI4dHewIccnDann5Fn-8nS0zYkrQIH-UWMJr-N3PWPwJsDSjJzbDrMjxhd0kdwBEqQPjRR5UTfOF8q4GM9lMNzsmQKK3FZMhVHM9Z9wT3/s1600/IMG_4420B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IfTHgaIywwyjk86RYETCLS6SXcsxI4dHewIccnDann5Fn-8nS0zYkrQIH-UWMJr-N3PWPwJsDSjJzbDrMjxhd0kdwBEqQPjRR5UTfOF8q4GM9lMNzsmQKK3FZMhVHM9Z9wT3/s320/IMG_4420B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On a group ride in VT a couple of weeks ago a few of us had some spirited climbs throughout the ride. These climbs were on roads that I'd done before, ones that I'd had other spirited efforts up as had some others. When we finished the ride and I downloaded my GPS data, I was shocked to see that I'd gotten a couple of <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/456787698/segments/10981131915">Strava KoM's</a> on some of the tougher segments. These were solid climbs and aboard the new Synapse on a 35 degree day in late December, which I was dressed appropriately for <i>(lots of extra clothing)</i> I was able to beat my best effort set in the middle of this past summer atop my SuperX, when conditions were just about perfect. I'm not saying that it was all the bike but I can say for certain that the bike did not hurt one bit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf7T-kmIcwig4xgFTPzVv3VIlmt586lzWLzL1twmm0KhYokK8Xn7C9C0NfIftglolYFrZKgMXqp-NJoSvlGM2ryL9WB7dTid26l1mexP1hpUs7TJZ3hGTDMmowPHBSy6QI2sq/s1600/IMG_4388A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf7T-kmIcwig4xgFTPzVv3VIlmt586lzWLzL1twmm0KhYokK8Xn7C9C0NfIftglolYFrZKgMXqp-NJoSvlGM2ryL9WB7dTid26l1mexP1hpUs7TJZ3hGTDMmowPHBSy6QI2sq/s320/IMG_4388A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In general, the bike is the best of both worlds. It is more than competent on paved roads and is fast, light and smooth when paired with narrower slicks. I actually look forward to testing the bike more on choppy springtime pavement to see how the bike rides. As for the gravel roads that we spend most of our time on, the bike is perfect. Sure, if your thing is to do more rugged ClassIV roads or trail riding which would require bigger tires than the SuperX or better yet, the <a href="http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductFamily?Id=157b0994-f2c2-4b68-9bc5-b8ec44bf56f1">Cannondale Slate</a>, which I'm hoping I can test out at some point, might be a better idea. For us though, we can now leave the CX bikes in CX mode and pare down the unused road bikes.<br />
<br />
One in, one out. It's the unfortunate law around these parts, at this point. Whoever said you can't have too many bikes needs to visit my basement.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21095190.post-27231523430474319872015-12-18T10:04:00.001-05:002015-12-18T10:04:12.922-05:00DarwinismFor most cyclists of my generation, the bicycle helmet is a simple, often overlooked piece of ones everyday ride equipment. With each ride, it finds it's way into your staple of attire, atop your head. We always wear helmets. It has become second nature really. As a child, bicycle helmets didn't really exist and none of us at all had or wore one. Sure, we worse them on dirt-bikes and motorized sport but not for cycling. We got by just fine, but times were different. Kids of that generation and certainly growing up in rural areas as I did were hearty and robust. I suspect all kids were.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOsS9cFtEYWvehyphenhyphenAHDCWsM4V1Wd0LqcstAQgyE8aL1IkT-86Ws8cwnfYxY0o8kMs3k9Y8alUMH2I3HVTlu8NL7IL2Ua3SPgxR2rpHXFY-QuBJtQzcTGm_L1QnFV-a6uYCP5XM/s1600/helmet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOsS9cFtEYWvehyphenhyphenAHDCWsM4V1Wd0LqcstAQgyE8aL1IkT-86Ws8cwnfYxY0o8kMs3k9Y8alUMH2I3HVTlu8NL7IL2Ua3SPgxR2rpHXFY-QuBJtQzcTGm_L1QnFV-a6uYCP5XM/s320/helmet1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><b>Helmet took a beating</b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today though, with awareness and safety concerns, helmets and safety are common place. You can't race a bicycle without having a helmet and the USA Cycling officials doing a great job of guilting you into wearing a helmet whenever you are on a bicycle. Really, it is just common sense.<br />
<br />
With all of the riding that I've done though over the years, I really didn't have any good helmet saved me stories. For the most part, I'd had few major crashes in my life. Most were minor and involved bumps, bruises or skin loss. Never a broken bone, save the broken collar bone as a kid from when I popped the chain in a sprint and went over the bars. No helmet then.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQo-VBc5niF8uJQFvlHY3dJ969FRTK6f9at8VC1N9vWuTvld7j2sjqjdj9WVZYO34CIjEaXvUxWfLiG1hopgGD8CYajH5hHxcl4k666sgl7n1EofxLeJINWpEUcnYDSqAnAp0/s1600/IMG_1985A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQo-VBc5niF8uJQFvlHY3dJ969FRTK6f9at8VC1N9vWuTvld7j2sjqjdj9WVZYO34CIjEaXvUxWfLiG1hopgGD8CYajH5hHxcl4k666sgl7n1EofxLeJINWpEUcnYDSqAnAp0/s320/IMG_1985A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Worse than it looks</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Four weeks ago today I was out for a quick, solo road ride before Cathy and I headed to VT for the weekend. Just a normal, local loop which on my road bike, a bike that had sat unloved for the fall and much of the summer. The weather was mild for that time of year but I wore knickers and a long sleeve thermal jersey as well as long finger gloves, glasses and of course, my helmet, an older Bell Volt that no longer matched the team colors. I'd been doing a few intervals to try and get the most out of the short ride as we were still in the midst of cyclocross race season.<br />
<br />
The season started well and had some solid high points. It also had some pretty low, low points. Less than a week before I'd crashed fairly hard at a race in a start sprint mishap and sprained my ankle. It was feeling better but the incident shook me. I was really embarrassed and disappointed at myself and was looking for some long lost redemption, remaining hopeful that I could come back for the end of the season. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XoUTfgnzG25mbJY4FhK91f-KL_oHnr4c3kV8aWHZv_-9L_xH4WKJdM23b14DfyiIbJlCnlC9Q-WjACSsB8kqqby5G1RObN5w37VsHE8KXaYd4rz8HJHrS4XlqhlmQkvPCjnI/s1600/IMG_1987A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XoUTfgnzG25mbJY4FhK91f-KL_oHnr4c3kV8aWHZv_-9L_xH4WKJdM23b14DfyiIbJlCnlC9Q-WjACSsB8kqqby5G1RObN5w37VsHE8KXaYd4rz8HJHrS4XlqhlmQkvPCjnI/s320/IMG_1987A.jpg" width="320" /></a>Back to the ride, I was just about finished, riding back on RT225 toward the Bedford town line. I decided to go for one more interval, the town line sprint, just to see what kind of power I could generate. I came in moderately fast and stood to sprint the final 50m before the Bedford town sign. A car had been coming up behind me so I stayed as far to the right as possible, slightly in the shoulder. The car never passed as I was going over 30mph but I could sense it was still just over my left shoulder, behind me.<br />
<br />
Almost before I knew it, I saw a fallen tree limb cantilevered off the guardrail hanging out across the shoulder and into the lane, just about handlebar height. I moved left as much as I could without moving into the car's path, ducked and braced. That was the last thing I recall until I was sitting on the guardrail with the Carlisle PD and EMT squad tending to me. I don't remember hitting the limb, or the pavement or anything else. I do have vague, almost 3rd person recollection of the limb snagging the bike and ripping it out from in under me. Nothing after that though.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CfDcrCWR093NTeIVhDyCPxaXfY5iOhMRuCaBJNrPanxvtlZWsz4OxxXPA2EbaOmTBZlUkwFbeuuhP0xR7V6bEyb25bXxm3QymuVplvnagG1zBnbgQhGNLJqvGWORbp7bRsa6/s1600/crash1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CfDcrCWR093NTeIVhDyCPxaXfY5iOhMRuCaBJNrPanxvtlZWsz4OxxXPA2EbaOmTBZlUkwFbeuuhP0xR7V6bEyb25bXxm3QymuVplvnagG1zBnbgQhGNLJqvGWORbp7bRsa6/s320/crash1.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The face wasn't much to start with</span></b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I can only assume that the driver of the car behind me is the one that called for help. I'm thankful for that and for the fact that they did not run over me. I'm very lucky on that count. The Carlisle EMT's, one of whom I later recognized as Matt, a former bike racer himself, got me squared away and offered me a ride to the hospital for some stitched and evaluation. I kindly declined, shrugging it off as just a scratch. We were heading out soon and I didn't want us to get caught in Friday traffic heading north. I also wanted no part of an expensive ambulance ride or an emergency room and it's associated drama and costs. My face had taken a pretty good beating from the branch, the pavement and I suspect, my helmet itself but that heals. I've never had stitches and didn't want to start then. I could stand, and walk and managed to call Cathy to come get me.<br />
<br />
Yes, getting back to my helmet, the whole topic here. Inspection of the helmet revealed that it suffered a pretty dramatic series of hits and completely crushed, limiting the impact it transferred to my head. Looks like the initial hit, the knockout blow if you will, was to the very back left. That region of the helmet was fully crushed and the helmet's internal <i>"roll-cage"</i> supports were exposed. The sides had also cracked, the head strap which provides fit and support had ripped it's molded anchors from within the foam and the back and sides had scars from pavement scraping. Basically, it looked like someone laid it on the ground and jumped up and down on it. Physically intact for the most part but structurally totaled, which was what it was designed to do. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPf3jr66LhICO4oAW8XD1pLEwy0KL99zWU06ZSiXmI6i4HrnR4YNTfINEWG1bOENGTlIEsO9JFtqBMRFP7fMBqQZbPnQ4L0Di6PkyU4UuCRNuFKrumFniwdcHjwY9b8qoUbuL/s1600/crash3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPf3jr66LhICO4oAW8XD1pLEwy0KL99zWU06ZSiXmI6i4HrnR4YNTfINEWG1bOENGTlIEsO9JFtqBMRFP7fMBqQZbPnQ4L0Di6PkyU4UuCRNuFKrumFniwdcHjwY9b8qoUbuL/s320/crash3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking like a side of beef</span></i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the most part though, the helmet did it's job, sacrificing itself for the good of, me and my head. Can I say that it saved my life? I have no idea. My guess is that it actually may have, given that I hit the ground with the back of my head at 29mph <i>(according to my Garmin GPS)</i>. Sure, it was a glancing blow but dang. Clearly, I'd have lost significant skin from my head and face as I was dead weight skidding down the pavement.<br />
<br />
So, there you have it. What was supposed to be a nice easy lunch ride on locals roads I've ridden hundreds of times turned into a relatively severe and at the very least, race season ending incident. My left hip was a mess and apparently, took a pretty good hit judging from the hematoma that developed. It is almost gone now, four weeks later, and the excessive bruising in most of the leg is virtually all gone. The cuts on my face have mostly healed as have to other peripheral spots of road rash and my head is fine, sort of.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa8cNndhu1qCQGwh4V2nFTPYa14Lljw61nZZcY2WHG8HKe_i1_yFKJMt6X8weEzlG_xodKBdL3f327ioWm2IqDJ0I7gS2JTwcof89BGOsYrHfwMpGF-QyQUuGpK__uD0QIStX/s1600/IMG_4403A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKa8cNndhu1qCQGwh4V2nFTPYa14Lljw61nZZcY2WHG8HKe_i1_yFKJMt6X8weEzlG_xodKBdL3f327ioWm2IqDJ0I7gS2JTwcof89BGOsYrHfwMpGF-QyQUuGpK__uD0QIStX/s320/IMG_4403A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><i>Active recovery</i></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Physically I'm fine but I've lost the edge for sure. My confidence is gone, both on and off the bike. The decision making process is still questionable. I've always struggled with self confidence though on all fronts and it had been faltering lately anyhow. I don't know if this is due to what I assume was a concussion, but I'm guessing it is at least in part due to that. I wouldn't say that I see new issues, more that existing issues are more pronounced. Again, I'm attributing a bunch of that to an increased lack in self confidence and self assurance.<br />
<br />
To close this, I won't say that everyone should wear a helmet. It's your choice, it's your body. I believe in that sentiment across the boards and that the government has no business infringing on your personal freedom to be stupid, be it with helmets, seat belts, or anything else. You make the choices and you have to live with the consequences. I'm a big believer in Darwinism and that society shouldn't tamper with that. That said, I'm going to continue to wear a helmet, and glasses <i>(which likely saved my right eye)</i>. Also, having a RoadID and actually wearing it is always a good idea. I didn't have mine on and was lucky to come to and remember who I was.<br />
<br />
Be safe and have a great Christmas. I'm already planning my return for next year, once the holidays are done that is. There is much frustration and angst to be taken out on the pedals. Much angst.mkrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15780870344676828580noreply@blogger.com4