Last week was tough ride for me, especially my face (though I had several comments that it actually improved my appearance!), and I was looking forward to getting past the twitching that would happen every time I thought about the rock obstacle that threw me. Today was the day I would attempt to put that experience behind me and get past the twitching, once and for all...
Ty decided to forgo the showing off for the previous week and brought a brand-new bike to the trail for breaking in. He certainly made a big splash with the judges on the stream jumps he attempted and especially the ones he made. Good for Ty on not letting the shiny paint on his new ride keep him from giving his all! Mike had the best water spill of the day when he was attempting to get up the far bank of a crossing. The water was very deep and really slowed progress and forced lots of downstream pressure. I was just coming around the corner and heard the splash so I missed the actual event, but the current was strong enough that Mike's bike headed downstream before he could grab for it!! So a mad surge downstream and a risky grab at the right moment retrieved the trusty steed and saved Mike from a long walk back to the car!!
It was fun watching Steve crawl through under and over brush trying to find ways to jump across the stream at various locations to avoid getting wet. He very happily pointed out his dry feet often, and rebuffed comments about the scratches on his arms and legs as being petty accusations from wet-footed losers. Or something like that. He did finally ride through one crossing on the way back down the trail. He pointed to his soaked feet and gloated, "See? Still dry!" It was then I realized there were about 3 muffins missing from the muffin pan.
Mosquitoes were out in full force this time up the canyon. I think there was something about a slow, white-legged rider that they liked and during the week, word spread like wild-fire on "ProboscisBook", the mosquitoes online social network. Oh well, it was nice to have company while the other riders blazed ahead.
As we rode around a curve in the trail, there stood the demon rock obstacle that outmaneuvered me the week before. Most of the scabs were healed and the plastic surgeon had told me he couldn't have done a better job and I was ready to chill the rock pile. Mike graciously showed me the right way to ride it (I already was well-versed on the wrong way) and I was ready. Long story short, it took me at least 8 or 10 attempts to feel right about riding it. The guys were great. They were patient and kept the betting ticker going very quietly. Finally, I got lined up right and headed up the obstacle and down the other side. And I was still up and the rubber part of my bike was still down! I honestly don't remember a lot of the moment as I was pretty panicked, but it was a good, controlled panic! Next time I plan to open my eyes.
The weather was perfect and the company was terrific. And no more twitching! It was a great day on the trail...
Huffyman
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Huffyman Falls Down, But He Gets Back Up Again...
The mind thinks through scenarios very fast sometimes. "Fun. I don't think I did that right. Look at the ground. Coming fast!!" Ahhh, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
What a pretty day for a ride up Green Canyon in the valley of Cache. Steve, Mike and I brought along the regular rides but one rider decided to go upscale. Tyler rode up on his steed that promised performance not before seen on this trail. We were in awe. For starters, he had about 20 less gears than the rest of us, giving him a clear weight advantage. His tires were skinny, further saving precious weight. The ground tread was an obvious attempt at limiting the amount of rubber and increasing speed in the flat sections. The coup de grace was the permanently locked front shocks (disguised as old-fashioned fixed forks) which alleviate the loss of energy on uphills and increase the ability to jump across streams without fear of the dreaded recoil attack. After admiring for a few minutes, we were off, left to our own thoughts of inferiority. Luckily, Tyler is a generously superior kind of guy.
The first adventure came quick as I saw the lead rider, Steve, swerve violently away from the side of the dirt road. As I got closer, I heard him repeating over and over, "Rattlesnake, it almost got me, rattlesnake,..." Sure enough, there was the rattler shaking a warning at us from the dirt berm. Steve seemed greatly affected by this and told us to go on while he "took care of some unfinished business". Soon after heading down the trail, we looked back to see Steve swinging something over his head and yelling, "This is for little Fluffy Pup, you sidewinding devil!!!..."
Due to the heavy snowfall, the canyon stream was the highest we had ever seen it. The water crossings were deeper than before and required pedalling through rather than just coasting like we were able to do last week. After kicking himself for missing my dunking last week, Mike had his video camera going at every crossing. He was very helpful too. "No, further to the left... Of course it *looks* like it's steeper, but trust me, huffyman..." I gave in and pretended to struggle through some of the crossings, but mostly because I hope the video goes viral and I become as rich as that Star Wars Kid on YouTube.
The most interesting thing we saw was two men running through the woods in their blue and red striped underwear. We think they were running up the canyon looking for the person who stole their clothes, but also wondered if they stole each other's clothes and were taking turns chasing each other. Anyway, I'm glad my kids were not along to witness the strangely interesting travesty.
On the way back, Tyler and I tried different methods of earning style point from the trail judges. Tyler chose a water crossing where the entry point was very steep and decided to take advantage of his bikes lack of shocks and did a flying wheelie into the stream!! It was a real crowd pleaser and he certainly made his fans happy with that bold move. I tried to think of a way to top that as we rode down the most fun section of trail - smooth and curvy and fast. Then I saw it. The sweet rock pile that Steve went over first, then Mike and Tyler close behind. I decided that I had to do it as well and this takes us back to the beginning of today's trail report... (It's that sentence about the ground coming up real fast, in case you'd forgotten)
Going up was great. easy. euphoria. hmmm... I don't remember that sheer drop off... That's when the thoughts (emotional screaming) came very very fast. Once I saw the ground racing toward me, I took a quick inventory of important body parts to protect. As if in unison the other body parts screamed, "The face! Take the face! Can't make it any worse!!!" So I carried out their wishes and my face cushioned the blow as the rest of my body followed deftly and softly to the ground. I had to replace my glasses anyway, so no problem there. After I sat up, it took a minute for the guys to figure out where I was hurt - "Hasn't his face ALWAYS looked like that?" After slipping on the now single-lensed crooked glasses and telling ol' Hoo Koo E Koo to giddy-ap, we cruised back down the road to the parking lot while the other guys raced down on the trail the rest of the way. I tried racing them, but the lack of depth perception on a rocky road creates some tricky maneuvering!
Ahhh, another beautiful day and a great ride. And in case there is a question, there is only one place that
will be guaranteed to be found this next Friday afternoon. At a certain rock pile on a certain trail. I will ride that pile of rocks and like Steve and his rattler, I will have my retribution.
If you ain't fallin', you ain't trying nothin' new! See ya on the trail!
huffyman
What a pretty day for a ride up Green Canyon in the valley of Cache. Steve, Mike and I brought along the regular rides but one rider decided to go upscale. Tyler rode up on his steed that promised performance not before seen on this trail. We were in awe. For starters, he had about 20 less gears than the rest of us, giving him a clear weight advantage. His tires were skinny, further saving precious weight. The ground tread was an obvious attempt at limiting the amount of rubber and increasing speed in the flat sections. The coup de grace was the permanently locked front shocks (disguised as old-fashioned fixed forks) which alleviate the loss of energy on uphills and increase the ability to jump across streams without fear of the dreaded recoil attack. After admiring for a few minutes, we were off, left to our own thoughts of inferiority. Luckily, Tyler is a generously superior kind of guy.
The first adventure came quick as I saw the lead rider, Steve, swerve violently away from the side of the dirt road. As I got closer, I heard him repeating over and over, "Rattlesnake, it almost got me, rattlesnake,..." Sure enough, there was the rattler shaking a warning at us from the dirt berm. Steve seemed greatly affected by this and told us to go on while he "took care of some unfinished business". Soon after heading down the trail, we looked back to see Steve swinging something over his head and yelling, "This is for little Fluffy Pup, you sidewinding devil!!!..."
Due to the heavy snowfall, the canyon stream was the highest we had ever seen it. The water crossings were deeper than before and required pedalling through rather than just coasting like we were able to do last week. After kicking himself for missing my dunking last week, Mike had his video camera going at every crossing. He was very helpful too. "No, further to the left... Of course it *looks* like it's steeper, but trust me, huffyman..." I gave in and pretended to struggle through some of the crossings, but mostly because I hope the video goes viral and I become as rich as that Star Wars Kid on YouTube.
The most interesting thing we saw was two men running through the woods in their blue and red striped underwear. We think they were running up the canyon looking for the person who stole their clothes, but also wondered if they stole each other's clothes and were taking turns chasing each other. Anyway, I'm glad my kids were not along to witness the strangely interesting travesty.
On the way back, Tyler and I tried different methods of earning style point from the trail judges. Tyler chose a water crossing where the entry point was very steep and decided to take advantage of his bikes lack of shocks and did a flying wheelie into the stream!! It was a real crowd pleaser and he certainly made his fans happy with that bold move. I tried to think of a way to top that as we rode down the most fun section of trail - smooth and curvy and fast. Then I saw it. The sweet rock pile that Steve went over first, then Mike and Tyler close behind. I decided that I had to do it as well and this takes us back to the beginning of today's trail report... (It's that sentence about the ground coming up real fast, in case you'd forgotten)
Going up was great. easy. euphoria. hmmm... I don't remember that sheer drop off... That's when the thoughts (emotional screaming) came very very fast. Once I saw the ground racing toward me, I took a quick inventory of important body parts to protect. As if in unison the other body parts screamed, "The face! Take the face! Can't make it any worse!!!" So I carried out their wishes and my face cushioned the blow as the rest of my body followed deftly and softly to the ground. I had to replace my glasses anyway, so no problem there. After I sat up, it took a minute for the guys to figure out where I was hurt - "Hasn't his face ALWAYS looked like that?" After slipping on the now single-lensed crooked glasses and telling ol' Hoo Koo E Koo to giddy-ap, we cruised back down the road to the parking lot while the other guys raced down on the trail the rest of the way. I tried racing them, but the lack of depth perception on a rocky road creates some tricky maneuvering!
Ahhh, another beautiful day and a great ride. And in case there is a question, there is only one place that
will be guaranteed to be found this next Friday afternoon. At a certain rock pile on a certain trail. I will ride that pile of rocks and like Steve and his rattler, I will have my retribution.
If you ain't fallin', you ain't trying nothin' new! See ya on the trail!
huffyman
Friday, June 10, 2011
First Ride of Spring...
Steve, Kurt, Mike and I headed up the Green Canyon trail in the warmth of the afternoon. It was steep and it was hard and I was worn out but feeling pretty happy at my effort.
“C’mon, that was just the first hill, Huffyman!”
I knew I was in trouble.
It was a beautiful day and a wonderful trail. We enjoyed the sunny sweeping meadows and the curvy turns beneath the shade of towering Oaks. It’s great to be on the trail, most ANY trail, because everyone you meet is happy and the canyon air practically sings the song of enlightenment and joy! (was that a little much?)
At a particularly treacherous stream crossing, we stood debating the intelligence of other riders who hopped across the water a little ways up stream to avoid riding through the deep water channel before us. I decided that intelligence isn’t all it’s cracked up to and headed into the stream with my trusty steed, Hoo Koo E Koo, leading the way. I hit the gravel at the base of the stream just right, at the perfect speed, and was exultant at the skill I was displaying to my surely amazed fellow riders. But at that moment, the temperature rose to over 150 degrees and I felt a strong desire to cool down, so, afraid I would ride out of the stream too quickly, I threw myself into the water. It felt wonderful!! Properly hydrated, I got up and out of the way quickly so the next rider could enjoy the sweet water as well. Only Mike decided to partake, but he inexplicitly completely blew it and rode through without enjoying the fluid joy which lay so close below… With a little practice, maybe he will do better the next time…
The trail was fun and fast but Steve and Mike had trouble staying on it sometimes… Twice, they crashed into and over piles of rocks at the side of the trail. Lucky they weren’t killed! At one of the piles, they kept trying over and over to stay on the trail but kept missing and climbing up and over those rocks. I was embarrassed for them, but told them they did a good job anyway.
The only mishap of the ride was a snakebit tire on Mike’s bike about 250 yards from the end of the trail. I know there are rattlers in the canyon, but this one was fast!! In a blur of flying tools and tubes and trail mix, the tire was fixed and the bike was back on the trail in no time. Kurt and Steve had not even noticed anything in their dust but we were done so fast with the repair that as soon as their dust settled, there we were! Ok, the dust was in the air for a long time…
It was an awesome afternoon and thanks to Kurt, Mike and Steve for the fun! Til the next ride…
Huffyman
“C’mon, that was just the first hill, Huffyman!”
I knew I was in trouble.
It was a beautiful day and a wonderful trail. We enjoyed the sunny sweeping meadows and the curvy turns beneath the shade of towering Oaks. It’s great to be on the trail, most ANY trail, because everyone you meet is happy and the canyon air practically sings the song of enlightenment and joy! (was that a little much?)
At a particularly treacherous stream crossing, we stood debating the intelligence of other riders who hopped across the water a little ways up stream to avoid riding through the deep water channel before us. I decided that intelligence isn’t all it’s cracked up to and headed into the stream with my trusty steed, Hoo Koo E Koo, leading the way. I hit the gravel at the base of the stream just right, at the perfect speed, and was exultant at the skill I was displaying to my surely amazed fellow riders. But at that moment, the temperature rose to over 150 degrees and I felt a strong desire to cool down, so, afraid I would ride out of the stream too quickly, I threw myself into the water. It felt wonderful!! Properly hydrated, I got up and out of the way quickly so the next rider could enjoy the sweet water as well. Only Mike decided to partake, but he inexplicitly completely blew it and rode through without enjoying the fluid joy which lay so close below… With a little practice, maybe he will do better the next time…
The trail was fun and fast but Steve and Mike had trouble staying on it sometimes… Twice, they crashed into and over piles of rocks at the side of the trail. Lucky they weren’t killed! At one of the piles, they kept trying over and over to stay on the trail but kept missing and climbing up and over those rocks. I was embarrassed for them, but told them they did a good job anyway.
The only mishap of the ride was a snakebit tire on Mike’s bike about 250 yards from the end of the trail. I know there are rattlers in the canyon, but this one was fast!! In a blur of flying tools and tubes and trail mix, the tire was fixed and the bike was back on the trail in no time. Kurt and Steve had not even noticed anything in their dust but we were done so fast with the repair that as soon as their dust settled, there we were! Ok, the dust was in the air for a long time…
It was an awesome afternoon and thanks to Kurt, Mike and Steve for the fun! Til the next ride…
Huffyman
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