Clean at last, clean at last. The p.m. 2.5 levels in Logan, UT have dropped from 100 ug/m3 to around 10 ug/m3 in less than 24 hours. What does this mean? Well, the national standard is 35 ug/m3. This means there is not a lot of particulate matter in the air today; there's a lot of precipitation, but not a lot of particulate matter. My lungs are safe. I am going for a ride in the rain and snow today. Really.
I read Matt Chester's blog today and started thinking about how much I would love to tackle rides like the GDR, the Tour Divide, and Trans Iowa. Matt wrote that it is silly to burn fuel to show up at these events unprepared. I agree. I pulled out the Utah Gazetteer (I love the word gazetteer) and looked at the countless possibilities for my own grand tortures. Jeez, I live in Utah. I could ride from my door, spend the next five years on my bike, and not see all the trails and unpaved roads in this state. If I did, there is always Wyoming. Then Montana. Then New Mexico. Matt is right. Why do an event just because it is an event? I can make up my own. Just ride my bike.
So here is my plan. I do as many 8 to 12 hour rides as I can this summer, right from my door. The first one will be Deer Fence to Avon to Eden (with a stop at Eden Coffee) up 39 to FR 54 to Hardware Ranch to Nibley and back to home. There. My own one day of hell. I better rethink the timetable. Perhaps I could do it in 14 hours.
The next day I could do a different loop. Logan to Mantua to Willard Peak to Skyline Trail to Eden (and the coffee) and back over the pass to home. It would be like doing the Tour Divide without the bivy sack, sleeping in my own bed every night.
There are so many possibilities. How about an off road tour all the way down to Moab or Escalante? As I said, I could ride for a long time and not see all of my back yard.
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Very good point. It's as if we feel like we have to drive the distance, spend the gas money and entrance fees, just for the glory of saying we did "X" event, and to be able to wear the poorly made t-shirt.
ReplyDeleteSo, let me know when you want to do a long ride. Your blog, by the way, looks great. Someone did a lot of work. How's the GF running?
ReplyDeleteThanks. All the credit for my blog goes to the wife. She is very creative with it and loves to spend lots of time making it pretty. I love the bike and have been riding it to school. I need to get out and hit the mountains when the snow melts.
ReplyDeleteRobert!
ReplyDeleteRight on - and on many many levels!
I could write a complete post on your post. I'll just have to verbally express myself on the next backyard ride.
Yet, I think of the very small collection of poorly made t-shirts that hang in my closet. More so than anything else [t-shirts, event "x" pictures, etcetera..] I remeber a name... "d'Artagnan".
Because we couldn't remeber the others names of the Three Musketeers, we call each other (everyone in the group) d'Artagnan. "All for one and one for all!" The years of bicycling experience that group of riders imparted upon me really opened up possibilities on the bike but more importantly we had a blast. Anyway, Robert you never have to ride alone. Let us know!
Alley Cat on Sat? Followed buy another Sunday ride??? Idaho??
Rubber side down and full steam ahead!
fixed my bad link:
ReplyDeleteamen on the big northeast UT rides. my sis lives in hiram and i've done GWT in 3 days from big cottonwood to hiram. holy cow that's sweet stuff. it would be great to see a tour divide style race from alpine to paradise. it even has a nice ring to it. and then there's the uintahs. lost for days one can be...
cool blog. i'll have to check you guys out for a borrowed klunker next time i visit logan.
don't rule out a cross-country dirt grand tour just yet, tho. its life changing.
Wow!! Matthew Lee reads my blog! Seriously, Matthew, that is an honor. I know who you are. I know how fast you are. Thanks for reading. When you get to the Cache Valley again, come see me. If we go ride together you will be waiting for me the whole ride. When I do the GDR I'm thinking 25-30 days. I wouldn't even make the cut off. Good luck this summer. I will be tuned in for sure. From the looks of the roster, it looks like another first place for you.
ReplyDeletehey, thanks bro. i put my pants on one leg at a time like just like you.
ReplyDeletei won't be doing the gdr anymore as it refuses to grow into the full route race it should. we've started our own now and it doesn't impose superfluous, post-hoc cut-offs or mobile phone bans. perhaps you ought consider the full enchilada TD offers instead.
would love to ride. may be thru there in august sometime. i'm searching for a trail or lost fireroad from mantua into hiram. perhaps you know one?
yours in big rides,
ml
Rocky Dugway Road. See you in August.
ReplyDelete