RICH'S BLOG

Customizing the iPhone 4...

2011-12-02T12:14:00.001-05:00

New application test...

2011-07-11T11:25:00.001-04:00

After the severe failure of Bloggerdroid, I decided to give this new application a test drive. Bloggerdroid succumbed to advertisers, and their app became one big spam tool, thanks to Airpush. So here is the first post utilizing Blogger, which isn't as pretty, but looks like it will get the job done.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

2010-12-26T00:35:00.002-05:00

Another Christmas in the books, and it was a wonderful one for sure. I got to spend Christmas Eve with my girlfriend, and eat the traditional Chinese food washed down with Framboise Lambic Raspberry beer. Christmas day I spent with my girls and my parents, eating St. Louis pork ribs and relaxing.
I got sick with a particularly nasty stomach bug a couple days before Christmas, and it wasn't too much fun. I also somehow developed a hemorrhoid (or that's what I think it is at least)...I have to see the doc about it next week. It really blows. So aside from being in a bit of pain and being ill, I managed to feel better and enjoyed the holiday regardless.

2010 is rapidly coming to a close. I will be posting a retrospect on 2010 next weekend, so stay tuned. Hope all you guys had a fantastic holiday weekend, and I will see all of you next year...or earlier if I have any really cool news..hahaha.

Quick walkthru of Mac

2010-12-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

Bootup of Mac Mini

2010-12-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

CARTER RIDE

2010-12-20T10:27:00.000-05:00

So here is my first attempt as using Imovie to edit high-def video. I have to say this process is MUCH better and dependable than the PC and ProShow Gold.
First off, the load times were greatly reduced when compared to PC. In order to load the Carter Road clips I had, it took the Mac about 15 minutes to set them up and create thumbnails, which would have taken the PC close to an hour. The editing process is a slight learning curve, but I have started to get the hang of it. It is a relatively simple click and drag method to select segments and put them into the project. There are screen transitions, nowhere near the amount on the ProShow program, but that's just fine- I usually never used most of them anyhow.
Once I had the video set up, the rendering process and upload process to Youtube, was just the easiest thing in the world. Whereas ProShow would throw out errors to me for trying to upload to Youtube, this program works flawlessly. That entire process took close to an hour as well, for a 7 minute long video. Amazing. Additionally, the video is flawless, with no frozen frames that was notorious on ProShow.
I am going to be looking into Final Cut and also a good photo slideshow maker soon. But all in all, I am quite happy with IMovie for the simple things I am doing right now.

MINI MAC!

2010-12-19T16:57:00.001-05:00

So I never thought that I would venture to the world of Mac...but here I am...and I am loving it!
I picked up a Mac Mini with the Intel 1.66 and 2 gigs of RAM. The reason I wanted the computer was to edit video, and I honestly had no idea I'd be using it for anything other than that. But once I hooked it up and started messing with it, I was amazed at how fast it boots up, and how fast all the tasks were...not just video editing. So after messing with it for an hour or so, I transferred all my data from my PC to the mini, and now I am using it as my desktop computer.
As you can see by the picture, this computer takes up no room. Everything I need is right next to my computer monitor...and although there's only 120gb on the hard drive, my 500gb backup is perfect for additional data storage. I will eventually go with a terabyte drive with networking capability to upgrade. This thing is awesome.
Over the next few months I will mess with some sideshow and video stuff and post it on up. The only thing I am missing so far is photoshop..but I am working on that...

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SANTOS VORTEX RED TRAILS

2010-12-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

This is the video that caused all the irritation. Finally done after 4 hours.

THAT DOES IT!!!!

2010-12-13T22:47:00.002-05:00

So the other day I started putting together a video of my last ride to Santos. I have been using ProShow Gold, which is one of the less expensive editing programs available for the PC. It has been working out pretty good, but their customer support SUCKS. I had an issue with the direct upload to Facebook and Youtube failing-just locking up and losing all my changes. After emailing customer support numerous times and receiving worthless automated replies, I simply gave up altogether and started rendering the files to a high def file, then just uploading the video to the sites from there. Takes twice the time, but at least it was working.
So after working with the program for close to TWO HOURS yesterday, I leave the computer on all night while the file is uploading to Youtube.
This morning, it all seems OK, until I go to play the video, and the last 2 minutes of it is FROZEN. Completely screwed up. Now I am ready to bash the computer to pieces.
So instead, I ordered a Mac Mini G4 off Ebay with ILife installed. I am hoping that this isn't going to be a bunch of wasted money. I think this was more of an impulse buy than anything- I assumed that all Macs are superior at video editing, especially since all my GoPro video is shot in Quicktime MOV format. I have been reading a lot online that tells me it isn't any better than a PC. Well, I hope the online comments are wrong. IMovie looks a million times better than ProShow, and I am sure that Mac's support for the program is better than ProShow. We shall see!
Hopefully I can post a review up on here in the next few days and let you all know how it works out. Stay tuned...

COLD DAY RIDE IN SANTOS

2010-12-10T15:50:00.001-05:00

Santos Cold Ride at EveryTrail
EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Florida
Well, so much for weather forecasters saying it would be sunny and in the 70's today. It was in the 50's and overcast with a light sprinkle. Sucks!! Either way, Gary and I logged a bit over 10 miles today, and had a good ride. We hit some of the more difficult/technical trails today, specifically: Magic Mountain, John Brown, and the Vortex red all the way around the whole area. Video being edited right now!

Grand Canyon National Park - Backcountry Permit Change (U.S. National Park Service)

2010-12-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

Grand Canyon National Park - Backcountry Permit Change (U.S. National Park Service)
Plotting out the basics of my 2011 road trip. First things first...making sure I can get backcountry permits for the dates of travel I need....October. According to the NPS, I have to apply by June 2011 for the permits if I plan on hiking in October. I printed out and filled out the form already, so it's good to go and I don't forget it.
As of now, I am planning on two nights at the Phantom ranch Campground, and planning on traveling the Bright Angel Trail to the bottom of the canyon.
I plan on paying for the meals as well in Phantom Ranch, which should keep me from bringing too much food down in the packs. I figured on one good meal the day of arrival (dinner), and a good breakfast on the day of departure. I may throw another dinner in there for good measure and good energy replenishment.
Planning on keeping the costs WAAAAY down on this trip. The drive route will be the same as Road Trip 2010, as will the hotels in Lafayette and Amarillo. I plan on staying in Williams or Flagstaff instead of my original plan of near the south Rim, because the hotels are WAAAAY to pricey.
I am guessing on about $500 for gas again, and about 2 weeks off. Driving will be 6 days altogether, and then 3 days for the hike. Another 5 days is going to be for kicking it in Page or Sedona or both. I am leaning toward Sedona because of all the hikes and things to do there.
I have to start purchasing gear for the trip also. Needing nice backpacks for both of us, small sleeping bags and sleeping mats, a small tent, and a small camp stove. Items like dehydrated food and a magnesium flint stick will be purchased little by little. I am a bit hesitant on spending too much, just in case the backcountry permit is denied.

Charmaine at Gator Pit

2010-12-05T13:02:00.001-05:00

I forgot to post up the video of Charmaine's OWNAGE of Gator Pit...here it is...unedited and RAW...lol
What a tough chick.....

Christmas Mode

2010-12-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

So I put up my tree today in hopes of getting more motivated for the holiday. So far, I am not really feeling any more motivated. I mean, I am still sitting here blogging! I have a few more gifts to grab and very little money to do it with, but I should emerge relatively debt free after the holidays...which is a good thing.

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RELAXING DAY AT BOYETTE

2010-11-28T22:09:00.004-05:00

Went out and rode a 12 miler at Boyette with my woman today- what an awesome ride. We hit a pretty decent amount of trails: Upper and Lower Loch Ness, Spider Berm, Gator Pit, Golf Cart, Canyon, Sidewinder, Swamp Thing, and then East Meadow and the Woods Trail.
Charmaine had been attempting to make it up a hill at Gator Pit for almost two years. She had ridden it before with a hardtail, and could barely make it halfway up the hill. Today, she tackled it not once, not twice, but THREE times. GOOD JOB!!

Boyette

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Tampa, Florida

ARMADILLO-DEAD AHEAD!!

2010-11-27T11:03:00.000-05:00

A new video out at Hole-In-The-Fence (Morris Bridge/Flatwoods in Tampa, FL). This section is on the main trail heading back into the parking lot area. At about 1:11 in the video, I encountered an armadillo right in the middle of the trail, and he wouldn't move for NOTHIN'. Enjoy. I did the reverse angle cam for a change of pace.

SAN FELASCO: REVISITED

2010-11-22T22:45:00.005-05:00

So a bunch of us hit the trails of San Felasco again on Sunday, and had an awesome time. I figure I would review some of the trails so those of you deciding to head out to this awesome spot have an idea of what to do and what to skip.
We started of at the trailhead and took Cellon Creek trail (see the map link I posted in the previous San Felasco post, or just Google "San Felasco Map"), out to the junction of Tung Nutt loop. This is a four-way doubletrack intersection, with Tung Nutt heading to the right, and a long, graded hill heading off to the left. Take the graded hill towards Hammock Hub. The reason it's good to do it this way, is you can hit the further-out trails and work your way back.
We took the portions of the loops shown in the map-now don't think that each loop is a perfect circle like the map depicts!!! These trails are all over the place- they definitely aren't ovals by any stretch! We ended up at Hidden Rise, which is a very tight and twisty singletrack with some pretty decent climbs- a bit overgrown in sections, but still a fun ride. Ravine is a very nice trail, with the options to build up nice speed along some of the areas, unlike some of these other trails. The only downfall with these outer trails, is they were TOO twisting. You can never get enough speed on the trails to have some serious fun; you are always braking and turning before you can really get going. This isn't the case with Tung Nutt and Conquistador; those trails offer some nice lengthy downhills and some fun speeds!

So overall, the outer loops are a great workout, and you can easily push 20-25 miles out of all the trails at Felasco...or more. But for a fun ride, stick to the closer trails like Conquistador, Tung Nutt, Cellon Creek, Hammock Hub, Ravine, and Sweet Gum. We skipped Live Oak and Canebrake on this one...will have to check them out next time!

2ND RIDE AT SAN FELASCO

2010-11-21T19:20:00.002-05:00

San Felasco

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Jacksonville, Florida

Today we hit the distant trails at San Felasco, which were quite enjoyable.We made it all the way to the last loop, then worked our way back. The scenery is awesome (for Florida), and with the leaves changing, it made us feel like we were in North Carolina or North Georgia. Awesome place.

EVERYTRAIL APP FOR DROID

2010-11-18T14:20:00.002-05:00

Nayls Trail And Shangri La Santos

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Florida

I wanted to post up this flash embedding of the trail I recently did to see how it works with the blog...pretty cool app. Check out my page on Everytrail for other maps/trails I have been on!

TRAIL REVIEW: SANTOS 49th STREET TRAILS

2010-11-15T15:07:00.003-05:00

After wanting to do this trail for a while now, we headed out this past Sunday to the 49th Street trailhead in Ocala, Florida. The area consists of several trails, which are all part of the Marjorie Carr Greenway Trail. The terminus of the mountain biking trail at the east is the Santos trailhead, and the west terminus is Ross Prairie.

This area is a dirt parking area with no water or bike wash facilities. There is a picnic area, and two port-o-lets. Pretty primitive. From here, you can head west to Ross Prairie via the Nayls Trail, then return via the Shangri-La section of trail. If you head east to the Land Bridge section, you can ride Canal Diggings trail and return via the multi-use trail at the Christmas Section.

The Nayls trail is tight, twisty singletrack, with some nice little climbs and sweet little drops. The Shangri-La section is faster, offers more downhill section with some more wide-open spaces. Both are excellent trails for roughly a 10 mile loop.

The Christmas Section to the east is pretty lousy. Although Canal Diggings has some nice technical sections, it is way too short. It hooks up with the main yellow trail, which is terribly overgrown. As of this latest date, most of the end of the trail was closed due to logging in the area. We had to take the doubletrack limerock roads out to Land Bridge, and that was a bit boring. It still had some nice little climbs though.

If you make the trip, I'd recommend sticking with Shangri-La and Nayls, and maybe repeating it. Otherwise, pack up and head over to Vortex and ride over there the other half of the day. The Christmas section sucks, and is not worth the time. OMBA isn't maintaining the trail too well. We ran into a downed tree, massive overgrown foliage, and poor signage in the Christmas section.

Check out the maps here.

And the Christmas Section here.

Santos...Nayls and Shangri La section

2010-11-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

I have been wanting to ride some of the other Santos sections along the Florida Greenway Trail, and i finally made it out the the 49th street trailhead the other day. We logged a total of about 18 miles, including a ride out to Land Bridge.
I will be posting a review of this trail system later today..but until then, enjoy this video.

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ALAFIA-NORTH CREEK

2010-11-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

MOVIE REVIEW: RACE ACROSS THE SKY

2010-11-10T01:36:00.002-05:00

This movie covers the 2010 Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race held annually in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville sits at right around 10,000 foot elevation, which in and of itself is quite thin when it comes to oxygen. The 100 mile out-and-back hits elevations in excess of 12,000 feet, well above the treeline. There are also two INSANE climbs: one on a powerline road, and another heading up to Columbine Mountain. Both require the riders to dig deep, and really see what they are made out of. The movie starts off with interviews of some of the riders who are competing in the 2010 race. This is somewhat dry, since I don't follow MTB XC racing at all. I had no idea who the big names on the stage were.

The movie starts by introducing more riders, providing background on some of them, and then focusing on the "Average Joe" riders out of the 1300 participants who won the lottery/entered the Leadman race earlier. I liked how they told some stories of some people who were riding in memory of some of the people that provided them motivation; cancer survivors and cancer fighters, ALS and MS sufferers, among others.

The footage of the rides was somewhat dry. There weren't a lot of wrecks, there were some tough climbs, but you can't seem to get a good perspective of the percentage of the grades the way the movie was filmed. Not enough GoPro footage-a lot of helicopter footage and motorcycle footage. They had some good computer graphics that showed the trail, and that was what provided most of the impact on how tough this ride really is.

There were some good moments in this movie, but it wasn't remarkable. If it comes out on DVD, I'd say grab it up. But as far as forking out $13 for the tickets, I'd say hold off. I wish they'd come out with some really cool downhill movie-there are some killer ones made by ROAM on Youtube, and I think those would make for a more interesting movie experience for the weekend warrior mountain biker.

I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars. If you are an XC racer, you may enjoy it more. But if you aren't a major road racer/competitive racer, you won't find the footage too interesting. The stories are inspirational though, and it gave me the urge to climb on my bike and ride 50 miles.

Race Across the Sky!

2010-11-09T11:04:00.001-05:00

Im heading out tonight to check out the mountain bike race movie "Race Across the Sky". I will post a complete review from a non-competitive rider perspective later on...stay tuned!

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ROAD BIKE EXPERIMENT

2010-10-30T22:23:00.003-04:00

Well, today was my first time on a road bike after many, many decades. I'd have to say the last time I rode a skinny-tire bike were in the days of 10-speeds and Nishikis! That was a looong time ago. So today, my bud Jeff loaned me his $20 Cannondale special and we headed off on a 20 mile ride (which I had done in the past on my old hardtail).

The wind was pretty strong, so we knew we were in for a tough ride. On the way up the paved trail, I stuck my MP3 player on play, put the earphones in my ear, and drafted off Jeff about 80% of the way. We took a break at the 10 mile and turnaround point. On the way back, I opened it up. We were averaging 14-15 mph on the way up, and on the way back I averaged about 17-18 mph. Nothing major, but it was a pretty good leg pump I got.

Opinions? Road biking is easy. Despite the fact that I didn't manage a good time, my cardio was not even being pushed...at least not anything like some of the hills I had to deal with out west and even out at Felasco the other weekend. I found myself breathing easy pretty much the whole time. The only thing I can see being remotely interesting about it is the challenge of besting your time each time you go out, but eventually there is a plateau. I can see doing this once every month or less, just to keep the extended cardio endurance going. But to do it every weekend or multiple times over the week? No way...too boring. So, the verdict is, I won't be buying a road bike any time soon, and I won't be investing in that stupid lycra and spandex wear that those assclowns wear. Who cares if it's streamlined? You look gay in it.

SAN FELASCO MTB TRAILS

2010-10-25T08:31:00.002-04:00

I hit the San Felasco trail system in Gainesville over the weekend, and I figured since I stayed home sick today from work, it was a good a time as any to write a review. It took us about 3 hours to make the drive from Tampa to the trailhead. This area is used by hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers, but all the trails are kept separate. We accessed the mountain bike trailhead off Progress Dr., which winds through an industrial park, hits a dirt road, then out to a large, grassy parking area. There is a bike wash area here too; a nice addition.

There are two main loops that begin the trail system: Cellon Creek and Tung Nut. These two loops alone had some nice ups and downs, nothing too technical at all. I found you could get a good amount of speed at some of the areas.

You can find a map here.
We headed out on a small trail called Cottontail Trail, which is essentially just an out-and-back. This trail was unremarkable, short, and not worth the time. Skip it.

We then headed out to Tung Nut via Cellon Creek. Cellon is a nice trail, speedy and quick. I almost ran over a water moccasin, and it struck out at me as I rode past....I missed having my day turn to shit by only a foot or so. Not good...watch for critters on these trails!!

Tung Nut trail is a mix of everything. Quick singletrack, some grassy doubletrack, and some nice and quick downhills. There are also some mildly challenging uphill sections, but nothing too brutal.

Once you hit a open rest area (with a picnic table), there is a branch-off to Hammock Hub trail, which leads to the rest of the trail system. Hammock has an offshoot trail that is called Conquistador. This trail will challenge you, for sure. It has some pretty brutal uphills and some really nice DH sections, where you can really haul ass. By the time we finished this trail, we opted to head back to the parking lot via Tung and Tortise Tumble.

The whole ride was about 14 miles, but I felt I could have done more. The only complaint I have is the poor trail markings. Although they are somewhat easy to find, you have to really pay attention when you hit the doubletrack junctions...they sure don't make it easy for you to figure out the right way to go. Print out a map and USE IT! Also, watch your traction this time of year. There are a ton of leaves on the trail, which makes traction in the turns sketchy. I slowed way down after almost washing out on piles of leaves a couple times.
All in all, this trail system is amazing. Don't be scared off by the triple diamond rating on Conquistador...it isn't a technical triple diamond, more like a cardio triple..lol. I would say that this is some North Carolina riding right here in Florida!

San Felasco Ride

2010-10-24T23:14:00.000-04:00

BOYETTE RIDE

2010-10-16T11:01:00.002-04:00

As soon as I got back from the cruise...that same day, in fact...I hit Boyette for a nice ride. Rode Loch Ness, Upper Loch Ness, Spider Berm, North Abyss, Sidewinder, Swamp Thing, and Ridgeline. Tough ride, thanks to Ridgeline!

DAY 4 and 5...AT SEA DAY and BACK HOME

2010-10-16T10:44:00.004-04:00

After a relaxing day in the partly cloudy very windy weather, we whooped it up one last time. In the above picture, Michelle shows us how to properly smuggle liquor on board using nursing tools.

I took some time exposure short of/from the boat at the back deck.

It was an awesome time. We had a great vacation and were very rested after only five days. Time to head back to the grind yet again in a few days.

DAY 3-COZUMEL...SCOOTER INSANITY!!!!

2010-10-15T21:21:00.005-04:00

The weather in Cozumel was a little better (at least it was at the time we walked off the ship), so we all stood around and decided we would explore the island a bit, and what better way than to rent some POS scooters! For $35 apiece, we loaded up with some pretty sorry looking machines, and embarked on a what we thought would be short trip to Playa Bonita for some grub.
We had a great time on the way, stopping off at some of the beaches on the way, relaxing and taking pictures. The water was bright blue, and the traffic was somewhat light- it gets little hairy riding scooters along the roadways of Mexico. They don't exactly follow a lot of traffic laws.

About 2 miles out from the restaurant, something went haywire with my scooter...it's apparent that the drive belt broke, and I had no more transmission...everything came to a grinding halt. As the rest of the crew drove on to the restaurant, my bud Jason hung out with me as they summoned help. Within a few minutes, some dudes showed up and loaded the defunct scooter in the back of their pickup...

Now, what is unnerving about this? Well, we're in Mexico, for starters. These dudes looked official enough, and claimed to work for the government. They advised they help tourists in need on the island, and they would be taking the scooter back to the rental company. After I signed my life away to them, they loaded it up and were gone. Shit, I was thinking the scooter would never make it back, and I would have a hold on my credit card for the amount of $2000 for a new friggin' scooter. Yeah, I was a bit bothered by the whole situation.

Once this was done, I loaded up into one of our buddies rented dune buggy, and we forged on to the restaurant.

No sooner did we start out, then Jason's scooter took a shit as well....SAME ISSUE! What are the chances of that????

So, like a good friend, I stayed back with him, while YET AGAIN, the crew headed off to go get help 1.5 miles up the road. Jason and I decided to just start pushing the damn thing- and hopefully someone would come back. Because at this point it seemed like everyone was at the restaurant and feeding their faces without us. Fortunately, Marshall came back with the jeep to rescue us, and hooked up a tow rope to the scooter so Jason could get towed in...

So we finally made it. We left Jason's broke down scooter at the restaurant, ate an authentic Mexican lunch complete with Dos Equis and Margaritas, and loaded up for the ride back to town. Except now, one of the hurricane feeder bands hit us...as Charmaine and I, Matt and Sierra, Billy and Jason were motoring back to town at 35 mph....we got SOAKED. Being pelted with raindrops at that speed sucks too....but all in all, it was a fun memory that none of us will forget. We missed Carlos and Charlie's, but we had a blast regardless!

2010 CRUISE/ GRAND CAYMAN and COZUMEL

2010-10-15T20:59:00.008-04:00

I just got back the other day from an awesome 5 day Carnival Cruise out of Tampa on the Inspiration. My gal and I went to Grand Cayman and Cozumel and had a wonderful and relaxing time.

We got to the port early, where we boarded the ship and got in a good first meal and hung out on the deck enjoying the sunshine in Tampa.

The first day was an at-sea day, and the weather was amazing. None of us had a clue that there was actually a category 2 hurricane brewing in the area. The seas were calm and the sun was out. The whole day we pretty much hung out on the top deck and soaked up the sunshine, taking some quick dips in the pool and heading out to go eat some more good food!

The second day we were in Grand Cayman. We had both been here before many times, so we felt no need to take in any shore excursions. We have done the Stingray excursion, Charmaine had done helicopter tours, so we decided to take a taxi and head off to Seven Mile Beach for the day. As soon as we stepped out on deck, we noticed....CLOUDS AND RAIN...extreme disappointment. Undaunted, we got off the ship and were tendered to the port.

We had a nice walk along the beach, and found a hammock on some private property that presented a nice photo op. despite the cloudy skies, the weather was warm and the water felt perfect. We hung out and relaxed for a while until the thunder started rumbling and the lightning started hitting nearby.

Everyone else ran for the taxi, Charmaine and I opted for the 3 mile walk back to the port. It was very relaxing, even though a light rain fell during most of our walk!

WILDERNESS PARK LEG-STRETCHER

2010-10-05T22:27:00.001-04:00

Had a fast ride at Wilderness Park tonight. Managed some pretty good times. I am loving this Runkeeper application! Split times even!!!

BIRTHDAY RIDE!!

2010-10-04T18:10:00.003-04:00

Another year older, and another year closer to retirement. Hahaha! I went on a nice relaxing ride for my 43rd birthday with my girlfriend. The pace is a tad slower than I would have managed, but she did the whole loop without stopping, and she handled it very well. She was using my KHS bike, so she is still trying to get used to it.
I am also using a new app on my Android, "RunKeeper". I think it works much better than Cardio Trainer for maps and ride stats. It's nice because it shares the map on Facebook after I complete the ride, not just the stats like CardioTrainer did. I still think Mytracks is the best app for elevation profile/Google Earth synch, but for Facebook and visual stimulation, Runkeeper wrecks it.

This is a screen cap of the web-based portion after it is logged.

2010-10-04T18:07:00.001-04:00

Took some better pics of the new ride today. Had to do my requisite "outdoor shoot" as I have done with all my past bikes.

SWAGMAN BIKE RACK REVIEW

2010-09-30T10:25:00.001-04:00

After using the Swagman on a couple outings, I can say it is a very good rack for the money. There are a few minor issues with it that would be expected when you buy an inexpensive non-brand name rack.
1) the bike does not work with a standard 2 inch receiver hitch lock pin. You have to use the bolt/cotter pin setup provided with the Swag. I am either taking the rack off and putting it in my truck, or I use a cable lock threaded through the wheel rings and my chain connection points on the hitch. A little inconvenient, but not too bad.
2) when loading up two bikes, you have to make sure you use the proper sized clamp on the proper side. One clamp sits lower than the other to accomodate similar sized bikes on one rack. It takes a few minutes to get right, but again its not a big deal.
Overall, I give the rack a thumbs up. It is sturdy, does the job, and it is compact enough to store anywhere when not in use. We will see how it fairs long term.

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SANTOS RIDE 09/26/10

2010-09-29T18:30:00.004-04:00

Headed out to Santos with a bunch of friends for a true test of the bike's comfort and handling capabilities. We rode in two different segments: The first half consisted of a quick blast down Pine Tree to Marshmallow, then along Speedway, over to Rattlesnake Ridge. That emptied out to Cowbone, which we took to Blue Highway, Bunny, then Vortex. We headed back to the trailhead parking lot via Dogbone. As you can see by the graph, we hit 10.47 miles at a good clip of 7.67 mph.

We got some free hot dogs at the local Santos Bike Shop, and headed back to the trails with a full belly of junk and Gatorade. After a brief rest, we hit the Pine Tree trail again, this time heading over to Sink Hole and Dr. Ruth. We took a quick ride on Canopy and then took off on Bunny. We were hauling ass on Bunny, when we approached a tight turn with a root running across the trail...not a problem for me earlier on this trail, but this time I was pretty tanked...we were FLYING through this section. As I was eying the root in front of me, I didn't pay too much attention to the tree on my left. My handlebar hit the tree, instantly flipping my handlebars backward, stopping the bike dead in its tracks as I kept sailing at about 5 mph. I landed square on my head (thank God for helmets, folks), and rolled over onto my left shoulder. As I sat there, dazed, the guy behind me ran up to me extremely concerned. He said I took a bad fall. I remembered it all, despite the heavy thud to my head. My neck was sore, but I was good to go. After collecting myself, I suggested we call it a day. When you take a good spill like that, it means you are slightly fatigued...and it's best to know when to call it quits.

We averaged 7.9 mph on that segment, showing we definitely had the pace upped from the last section. The ironic part of the whole incident was that I had bought a new Bell Influx helmet at the shop....needless to say, the helmet did its job, and maybe it was a good thing I wasn't running the helmet cam either...that could have been ugly.

Here we are trying to fit Gary's bike on my new rack..it took a little messing around to get the right fit, but it worked out just fine.

At the trailhead parking lot with all the equipment.

Just by way of comparison, I checked out my last ride I did at Santos on the KHS. I logged 16.43 miles at 7.56 average MPH. So even though we rode just a tad under that, I still averaged a faster MPH on the Specialized, and I was far less exhausted at the end of the day. The last time I rode the KHS that far, I thought I was going to die. I felt pretty strong even at the end of this last ride, and if it weren't for my mishap, I would have easily logged another 5 miles without any complaints.

2010-09-25T15:03:00.001-04:00

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TEST RIDE

2010-09-25T14:37:00.002-04:00

Well, this bike is officially SOLD. I took it out to Flatwoods (aka Hole in the Fence) and put it through its paces, also to see if there were any issues with it. It performed amazingly. Compared to the KHS (which is actually a darn good bike, BTW...especially with all the upgrades I have done to it) it is a totally different animal. The bike pedals effortlessly, and handles excellent through the turns. The pedaling efficiency is beyond compare. Just one good stroke on this bike is equal to three on the KHS. The KHS feels like a TANK compared to this bike. Roots, rocks and bumps? Can't even feel them with this bike, and the bike powers THROUGH them. The KHS would hit a root, and require you to push the pedals through the root and then deal with the bump afterwards...which was pretty brutal on my lower back. The Specialized hits the root, absorbs the impact with the front shock, pushes right over and then absorbs the rear impact just as nicely...without hardly any loss of forward momentum.

The brakes take some getting used to, and I may have to adjust the pad contact. The front brakes bite hard, and are not as linear as standard brakes...but they WORK.

There was a rubbing noise coming from the front derailleur...nothing a little adjustment won't fix. The chain hits it when you go into granny gear.

The wheels are WAAAY out of true. I put the bike up on the stand and plucked the spokes last night, and they were all out of whack. With a spoke wrench I got both wheels pretty straight, and they no longer rub on the brake pads. Good deal.

I ran out and got some ODI Ruffian grips, and swapped out the Specialized seat with my WTB...but to be honest, the Specialized seat was pretty comfortable. I also like how the Specialized seat looks better than the WTB, so I may switch it back.

I felt 100 times more comfortable on this bike, being that it is a large frame (KHS was a medium), it fits me a lot better.

Taking it to Santos tomorrow...we shall see if all my adjustments work out OK.

STUMPJUMPER FSR EXPERT

2010-09-21T21:28:00.003-04:00

So a friend of mine is selling this Specialized Stumy FSR Expert. It's a 2008 test model (hence the odd blue color). I have to admit, the blue is the only thing that kinda gave me some hesitation. But I was willing to overlook it once I got on it and rode it. This bike is AMAZING.
The Fox front shock is just as cushiony as my Rock Shox SID shock. It has a lot more adjustment right at your fingertips compared to the SID, and it's very lightweight.
The brakes are Avid Juicy 7 hydraulics. This is the first bike I have ridden with hydraulic discs, and let me say this: they are incredible. Minimal effort required, stops on a dime, and feels a lot firmer than the cable brakes. Absolutely amazing for sure...

The Specialized Brain is also going to be a nice little addition. I already have messed with it a bit, and I have a feeling it is going to make the ride that much more plush and controllable.
I need to put some ODI grips on it (the Specialized lock ons are too small in circumference for my hands, and feel kind of wimpy), and I am going to try it out with the Specialized seat for now. I think I may eventually swap out my WTB seat, since I absolutely love the WTB comfort factor. I plan on heading out to Flatwoods to give the bike a test ride on Friday, so that will be the deciding factor.

WORKING ON A NEW PURCHASE!

2010-09-20T09:41:00.001-04:00

Well, a friend of mine has a bike for sale, and I am currently trying to acquire it. Its a 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert demo model:

It's a pretty amazing deal, and since my credit and finances suck so bad, I feel that buying a new bike is out of the question right now. I am not really a fan of the color, but bikes can be painted relatively easy. I figure I will work on that once I thrash the existing paint off it...hahaha!

hydraulic brakes, Specialized's Brain, and DT Swiss wheels make me think this is going to be a nice bike. Test riding it this upcoming weekend, so we shall see how it compares to my trusty KHS...keep ya posted!

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BEACH DAY

2010-09-18T14:05:00.001-04:00

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HUB OVERHAUL

2010-09-13T23:32:00.001-04:00

After my ride at Boyette the other day, I decided to overhaul the front hub on my bike. The thing was making some nasty noises...so much so I was afraid it would seize up or my wheel would fall off!
Furthermore, my tire was flat when I checked it out today..something was definitely amiss.
So I pulled the hub apart, and carefully removed the bearings. There was a lot of brown gunk inside, and a lot of water. All those bike washings were not helping!

I inspected the bearings, which seemed to be in ok shape.

I cleaned all the parts with brake cleaner, and made sure the races on the hubs were good. There was a little wear, mainly because of the lack of lubrication.

I regreased the whole thing, slapped the original bearings back in (I am getting ceramics next time), and tightened it up. A new tube later, and I am proud to say it rides and sounds like new. The rear wheel is next...I hear some grinding back there, so I know it needs some greasing up. I love being able to fix something myself without shelling out money all the time to someone else!

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NEW SWAGMAN 2 BIKE RACK

2010-09-13T13:28:00.001-04:00

So for the longest time I have been needing a bike rack that was hitch mounted. I borrowed one from my buddy for my latest vacation, but borrowing shit gets bothersome after a while, and you need to be self-sufficient. I needed to free up bed space when I hauled my bikes, especially now with the new tonneau. Problem is, I hate the standard hitch bike carriers where the bikes float free, and the wheels spin. Other problem? The wheel based carriers are expensive as hell, averaging 300 bucks! After a month of searching, I found the Swagman on Amazon for a stellar 135 bucks, shipped! What a deal...but how would it hold up??
After assembling it today, I can say I am truly impressed. Although not as versatile as the 300 dollar racks, this thing is tough, sturdy, and holds the bikes like a champ!

It took only about 5 minutes to put together, and holds the bikes securely and has added potential for locks and cables to add further security.

I am not going to be able to test it until later this week; I will post up a full review then. The only thing that makes me nervous is the 2 inch receiver section isnt set up for a locking hitch pin...you have to use Swagmans threaded bolt and cotter pin setup..the hole is threaded, so you cannot fit a standard lock pin in there. Hmmm... well, I can always cable lock it to my hitch, so that is an option.

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WEEKI WACHEE RIVER

2010-09-06T00:49:00.000-04:00

New android application

2010-09-03T00:43:00.001-04:00

After all this time, I finally found an Android app that works well with Blogger! This app uploads pictures as well as text, something I once had to do using MMS. So far, it seems to be easy to use and will definitely make it a lot more convenient to blog while I am out and about.

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Test post using android blogger app

2010-09-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

trying photo uploads

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2010-09-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

MUDDY FLATWOODS RIDE

2010-09-02T09:43:00.001-04:00

Despite the fact that it hadn't rained in a few days, the conditons out at Flatwoods were pretty wet and muddy. I would say about 40 percent of the trail was mud or saturated ground, which made pedaling difficult. I finished up 12 miles, because I cut the ride short. It was a decent workout regardless.

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Kayaking Lake Powell/ Antelope Canyon

2010-08-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

2011 VACATION PLANNER

2010-08-24T19:04:00.004-04:00

Well, I know I just got back from a trip, but it's time to start deciding what I want to undertake next year. My gal and I have been kicking around a trip to Canada. Looking into it tentatively, it appears as if we can do it rather inexpensively. I am thinking of going through Maine and into Quebec, then heading west to Ottawa, then to Toronto, and then home through Niagra Falls. I don't know if this will be a mountain bike type vacation, because there are a few pretty decent riding spots out in that area. The biggest issue costwise is going to be the passport situation. My girlfriend is a resident alien in the US, being Canadian born. She needs to secure a passport (as do I), and it can cost her upwards around $500. That's a pretty hefty amount to plop down before the trip even starts. I will have to do more research to see if that is really the right cost. I know it will cost me around $200 to get mine. So, just for travel documents, we are looking at $700. YIKES. That was half of our cross-country trip this year.

I am also kicking around a kayaking trip on Lake Powell.

I am doing some basic research on this trip, and I have discovered that in order to see the best scenery and be able to do this trip on minimal resources, departure from Halls' Crossing marina would be best. I would need to have both kayaks upgraded or rent prior to the trip, since the small recreational kayaks we have are not suited to multiple overnighter trips/long distances. Waste disposal is another concern, but portable toilets can also be rented from kayak locations near Lake Powell. Equipment is also a concern, since the large tents and sleeping bags we have are not suited for tight packing. I would need to make sure we had a 1) small, two person tent (which I do have), and 2) two small, light sleeping bags and inflatable pads for sleeping. A small camp stove and fuel is a must, small firestarting equipment, and special food and a way to pack it all in the kayak is also a necessity.

This would be a truly amazing and adventurous experience. I am going to try to pick some people's brains to see if anyone has a packing list or equipment recommendations. I think overall, this trip would be cheaper than the Canada trip, but could be pretty trying. The cost might far surpass Canada if I decide to invest in touring kayaks. I know I can find some on Craigslist for about $500, and I can easily sell mine for a couple hundred. So that might not be too bad...

NEW TONNEAU FOR THE TRUCK

2010-08-21T00:06:00.002-04:00

Well, something's messed up with Blogger, because after uploading the pics from my Droid to my blog, I tried to edit the post to add text and a title, and it won't let me. Hmmm. Anyhow, I received a Tonno Pro tonneau for my truck today. I purchased it from the proceeds of the sale of my Trek 4300 Mountain bike, which was bittersweet. I was not using the bike much, and I figured I could use the money to get something I have been wanting for a while.

Let me say, this is an incredible tonneau for the price. I got it off EBay for $250 shipped, which is exactly what I got for the bike. It's a tri-fold, so it doesn't have those lame snaps like the tonneau I had on my old F150. All in all, I was impressed with the construction of it, it's solid and seemingly excellent quality.

I installed it in less than 5 minutes, with no tools. The cover fits tight, and includes a rubber gasket for the tailgate to help keep out water and dust. When the tailgate is shut and locked, the only way to get into the bed of the truck is with a knife or a large pry bar...lol. So it's pretty secure.

The cover is taut, so there is no flapping or rattling while driving, which is awesome.

Needless to say, I am pretty happy with the purchase, and I definitely can vouch for the company and its quality.

2010-08-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

DAD'S RECOVERY!

2010-08-17T23:03:00.002-04:00

Well, after quite a scare, I am happy to report my dad has made it through this ordeal. His colon was so damaged, and the blood supply was cut off so much, that it started to become gangrenous. Fortunately, he came in and they removed his colon before any infection could set in.

After some touch and go times in ICU, he got steadily better over the past couple days, and today he had his breathing tube removed, and was up and walking around.

They had to give him an ileostomy, which basically leaves him with a stoma (his small intestine protrudes from a hole in his abdominal cavity), and he will have to use a bag to go #2 for the rest of his life.

But he is doing better and I am very relieved. He's a tough guy, and I am very happy he will be around for a lot longer!

IT'S BEEN A ROUGH PAST FEW DAYS

2010-08-15T10:26:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, my dad wasn't feeling too well, and he ended up getting admitted into the hospital Friday evening. His abdomen was severely distended, and he was in pain. Long story short, he had a twist in his bowels that caused fecal matter and other waste products to back up in his system so bad, they were emptying into his stomach. He got worse that evening, and into Saturday. It was definitely scary; it's hard seeing your father (who is a pretty tough dude for 75) suffering that way. It was rough.

He went in for surgery last night, about 28 hours after he was brought into the ER. The surgery went well, and he is in the ICU unit currently. I am heading off to check on him shortly.

Weeki Wachee River

2010-08-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

WEEKI WACHEE RIVER TRIP

2010-08-10T22:29:00.004-04:00

Me and my gal headed out to Weeki Wachee River to take a nice leisurely 7 mile float trip from the headsprings down to Roger's Park in Weeki Wachee.
If you've ever been to the mermaid show at the corner of US19 and SR50 in Weeki Wachee, then you were essentially at the beginning of this trip. You drive around the back of the parking lot where you park for the shows and Buccaneer Bay, and there is a gate you go through to get to the path and kayak launch.
The water is crystal clear, and there is a nice 5mph current rolling from the start of the springs to the end of the trip. It is highly recommended to have a shuttle waiting or pay one of the businesses to drive you back to your car at Weeki Wachee. It takes about 3.5 hours from start to finish, and if you plan on fighting the current back, I'd say give it an additional 5 hours!

We saw a total of about 7 manatees on the trip, a mom and her baby (below), and other ones just cruising along. I wish I had brought my underwater camera on this trip; it would have been amazing.
The water was clear all the way downriver, but becomes darker and brackish once you get into the populated area where all the homes are. But then it's only a short distance to Roger's Park, where the trip terminates.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/ ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

2010-08-02T14:32:00.006-04:00

I headed to Universal Studios/ Islands of Adventure on 07/30/10 with my daughters for an overnight trip. I had never been to Islands of Adventure before, so this was going to be a cool little trip. We had an awesome time. It was so blazingly hot and humid, I must have sweated off 5 pounds that day...you can see by my shirt in one of the pictures exactly how bad it was...

Nasty. All that white stuff is salt from my sweat. Either way, the parks were both awesome, and it was even more awesome I got to spend time with my girls. The first night, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. The food is just so-so, but the atmosphere is really cool. There are huge aquariums and lots of animitronic elephants, monkeys, etc.

We crashed at the hotel early, then the next day we hit both parks, rode a bunch of roller coasters (you have to check out the Rip Ride Rockit at Universal...amazing). We also saw the new Harry Potter section at Islands of Adventure, which was really amazing. We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at City Walk, and then headed home as soon as the parks closed.

Above: Hogwarts Castle

Above: Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Orlando

TARPON RIDE 7/25/10

2010-07-26T19:22:00.000-04:00

2010-07-11T13:22:00.000-04:00

We had a really nice, short kayak trip the other day out on Crystal River. I was curious to see a place called "Three Sisters Spring", which is located off the main river and on a residential stretch of intracoastal. It took us about an hour to get to the launch site (Hunter Springs Park). Hunter Springs Park seems like it is a bathing place for every scumbag, parolee and white trash loser in Citrus County, but it's free and it is the closest launch site to Three Sisters you will find (aside from using someone's private property).
We paddled out into the bay, then under a bridge. We knew we were close when we saw a LOAD of boats hanging out in the canal. The entrance to Three Sisters is very small, and crowded with a load of mangroves. The area is not open to motorized boat traffic, since there are metal pylons obstructing anything larger than a kayak from going through. Once you get in, though you are treated to water as clear as a swimming pool, and 72 degree spring-fed refreshing swimming enjoyment.

Make sure you take a life jacket or some swimming noodles, since there aren't many places to hang out that allow you to touch the bottom. The average depth seems to be 6-8 feet, and most of the usable shoreline there is either private property or bound to be taken up by other visitors. It was crowded today, mainly because it was scalloping season, and all the scallopers came in for a look. Otherwise, it's a beautiful spring and it was a short and easy paddle.

CRYSTAL RIVER KAYAK

2010-07-11T13:12:00.000-04:00

BACK TO THE GRIND, KAYAK...TAKE TWO!

2010-07-08T14:24:00.000-04:00

Well, after my last kayak fiasco, I decided to bite the bullet and give it another shot. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods where I grabbed a Pelican Potomac sit in kayak. The weather has been lousy out here lately, with all the tropical moisture in the Gulf, so I finally managed a day this past weekend in between downpours to try it out.

We took the 'yaks out to Dunedin Causeway, and paddled out to Caladesi Island. I was a bit tippy in it at first, but after getting down the paddling motion and finding my center of gravity, I managed okay. The kayak tracked somewhat poorly at first, but I think this was mainly due to the current and my paddling inexperience.
We are planning a run to Rainbow River or Crystal River this weekend, so I shall get some more "seat time". I plan on bringing the GoPro, so I should also have some cool video as well.
Cheers!

DAY 14...AMARILLO TX TO LAFAYETTE, LA....DAY 15 BACK TO THE ARMPIT.

2010-07-08T12:31:00.000-04:00

We slept a bit late, caught a free breakfast at the Travelodge, then loaded up quickly and hit the interstate for the BORING ride through Texas and Louisiana. Almost as if there is some massive dividing line between the south and the west, we wandered into mutant country. The drivers slowly got more stupid, and the people looked even more mutated. I pulled into a gas station outside Shreveport, and saw some low life with a ponytail, shaved sides of his head with tattoos in his scalp, and a bunch of other Louisiana inbreds. I sadly acknowledged our return to the south, and we made it to the Days Inn in Lafayette just as the sun went down.
The hotel was very nice, clean, and the rooms were large. I stayed there last year, and knew I wanted to stay again due to the cleanliness and inexpensiveness of the hotel.
The next day, we were back on US 19 in Florida, driving back into reality. The humidity was back, and Florida's flat, green and boring landscape made us realize that we needed to take another vacation.....soon!

DAY 13....THE ROAD HOME

2010-07-08T12:23:00.000-04:00

Parting is such sweet sorrow. We bailed out of Moab very early, knowing we had quite a full day of driving ahead of us. I plotted out a route that took us through Monument Valley and cut through nothing but Navajo Indian land to get us into Amarillo. The scenery was actually pretty nice until we passed Monument Valley...then the roads and the vistas gave way to what you would expect traveling through the hind end of Arizona and New Mexico.

As we entered Monument Valley, I stopped in the middle of the road to snap this shot...just at a random pull-off area. Charmaine told me about a sign on the side of the road I would have never noticed.

We were in the same spot that the film ended Gump's cross country run...no wonder it looked familiar to me! I must have seen that movie about 20 times.

The rest of the ride to Amarillo was uneventful, aside from some nice skies and some shenanigans, it was all good.

We hit Amarillo at a reasonable hour, grabbed some Subway for dinner, Charmaine forced me to take the corny pic above (my beer goggles), and we settled in for the night. Back into the south tomorrow and the next day, back home.

DAY 12...MOAB/HORSES AND RELAXATION

2010-07-07T19:11:00.001-04:00

We broke down our camp late, around 11am. Drove by "penis rock" (above)....lol. From any other angle, it looks like any other rock, but from this angle, well, it clearly looks like a phallus. This was in Arches, NP.

Headed into town and did some laundry and kicked back for a while. I had made a hotel reservation at the Days Inn, and we slipped over there early to relax in/by their pool as we waited for check-in time.
It was nice to take a warm shower and charge up all the batteries to all the electronics. The room was hot, smelled funny, but it would do just fine. We headed out to Red Cliffs Lodge for our horseback adventure.

We saddled up, Charmaine with her horse "White Clay" and mine, "Rojo". We went on an awesome ride amongst the red cliffs seen in western movies. It had been many years since I sat on a horse, so it was a bit intimidating at first. The horse was very sure-footed though. We had a few creek crossings with slippery rocks, and the horse even slipped at one point, but stayed upright and kept me steady. The scenery was beautiful, and it made me feel like a real cowboy...haha!!

Double Arch, Arches National Park

2010-07-07T18:50:00.001-04:00

You can kind of see Sportsfan in the video..just look for the guy with the white shorts...

DAY 11...CONTINUED

2010-07-07T18:44:00.000-04:00

As the sun started to dip down, we headed off to the "Windows" section of Arches NP. This area consists of some amazing arches- Double Arch (pictured above), The North and South Windows, and Turret Arch. All within close walking distance. We started off by heading toward Double Arch. The thing was absolutely massive....

As we were walking up to the arch, we were passed by a chap with white shorts and glasses. He seemed friendly enough, and I watched as he climbed up to the spot where Charmaine and I took the shots above. There was, however, a higher ledge to the left of the photo, and there was another guy on the ledge already. Well, sportsfan (as I shall now refer to him) decided he wanted to join this other guy on the ledge, which he was able to accomplish. He took several cheesy pix of himself, posing as if he were He-Man with his arms folded.
We came down and started to walk back over to Turret Arch for the sunset. Sportsfan had managed to drop down from where he was, and he headed for a precarious rock outcropping...one that I looked at and immediately said "no way". Well, sportfan made it up there, and stood on the rock, posing as his dad (who now managed to catch up to him on the trail) snapped away. The ledge to this outcropping was about 9-10 feet off the ground, which fell away from the "landing spot" (If you were to jump down) at almost a 35 degree angle...quite steep.
Sportsfan started to edge his way down...on his ass. Rocks fell around him, and his dad said, "you okay?" Sportsfan replied he was good, and I turned away briefly. I heard him take the jump, and turned as he landed on the rock slope...unfortunately, Sportsfan now had two options: fall flat on his ass and break his coccyx, or hit the ground literally running, and hope he could "run out" his speed and emerge unscathed. He chose option two, and started running like a madman, with a look of terror and panic on his face. Only one problem with him plan....a large boulder stood in his way. At a full sprint, sportsfan plowed into the boulder, twisting his ankle, smashing his knee into the rock, and absorbing the impact with both his arms and torso...with a resounding THUD. After checking on him (and he was in obvious pain) and watching a spot of blood spread rapidly across his knee, he advised he was "good", and aside from hurting a lot, he was able to walk.
*Sigh*. Nice job, Sportsfan. Next time, you have to learn a little about climbing slickrock: It's easier to climb up than it is to get down. Don't do stupid shit.

The sun was setting when we made it to the window arch, and we climbed up the short footpath and took a few shots as the moon came up and the sun went down.

After hanging out for a few, we started back down the path, and Charmaine heard a sound that she first thought was coming from my camera case. As we stopped dead in our tracks and listened, we could tell it was the rattle of a rattlesnake. With goosebumps on my arm, I scanned the area and spotted this fella hiding by a rock...only inches from where Charmaine had just been walking!

He's hard to see, but if you look toward the center and a bit left of the picture's center, you'll see the snake right near the brush. Close call!!!
With enough excitement under our belts for the night, we headed back to camp and settled down for our last night in Arches.

DAY 11...MOAB/CANYONLANDS

2010-07-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

We headed out to Canyonlands NP to take in the sights in the early afternoon, before it got crazy hot. Headed out to Green River Overlook, Island in the Sky, and the Grand Viewpoint. We took the short rim trail at Grand Viewpoint. Canyonlands is amazingly vast and massive. Standing at the viewpoint, I had a desire to explore it one day, hopefully on my next trip, with a 4 wheel drive.

Above is the dizzying view from top of the Schafer Trail, which winds all the way down to the White rim, then heads out to the Potash Road and out to Moab proper.

There were a few hikes, but we didn't take too many, since we were wanting to drive around a bit and check out other areas of Moab. We also wanted to do an evening hike in Arches for some pictures as well.
We drove back into town, and I took Charmaine over to the Amasa Back/Cliffhanger trailhead, so I could show her where I rode when I was out in the area last year. Moab is a tough mountain biking location. It is very technical, has a lot of rocks and is more geared to the 4 wheeler/ ATV crowd, which would be a blast to drive around on. At the Amasa Back trailhead, we watched a couple Jeeps rock crawling.

After explaining to my gal how difficult this trail was, we opted to ride back into town and take an evening hike in Arches instead. I had to take a nap before we did this though...lol

DAY 10...RED CANYON TO MOAB, UTAH

2010-07-07T14:54:00.000-04:00

After taking our time packing up camp, we hit the road en route to Moab via Scenic Byway UT12. If you opt to take the interstate to get to Moab, you'll shave off some time, but you will miss out on some of the amazing scenery along this road. The highway takes you through Escalante, Boulder UT, and some other smaller town before dumping you out onto I70. It passes through Capital Reef National Park, and across some amazingly diverse landscaping.

The highway cuts through the east end of Bryce Canyon, and quickly gives way to a nicely forested roadway, taking you up to an elevation in excess of 8900 feet.

You get some nice stops along the way to see some amazing canyons and roads carved into the rock.

Some of the roadways are a bit scary, hanging alongside of cliffs and with sheer dropoffs without guardrails. You definitely need to pay attention and not drive like a maniac. The highway cuts through scenic Capital Reef NP, which is a good way to get introduced to what you may be seeing when you arrive in Moab.

We arrived in Moab about 5 hours later, and set up our camp in Arches National Park, Devil's Garden Campground. I had reserved a site months prior, and I would have to say it was the best site in the entire CG. We had plenty of shade (some of the other sites were miserably exposed and had no trees). The campground was quiet and clean, had flush toilets and water, but didn't have any shower facilities. I had brought along my cheap-o solar shower for such an eventuality, and it worked out awesome.
The site backed right up to a huge slickrock boulder, and we had no rear neighbors. We also were isolated from the adjacent campsites, so it was a pretty amazing setup. If you reserve it, make sure you grab site 50.
The drive through Arches NP is amazing. Huge monolithic rock slabs, and some arches you can see easily from the road.

The Delicate Arch can only be reached via a hike over slickrock and up to a plateau. We hiked up to it late in the day to catch the sunset's effects of color on the rock. Despite it being overcrowded, we were able to sit back, relax, enjoy the serenity of the view, and even snap some shots without any people milling about.

You have no idea how large it actually is until you get right up to it...distances and heights are very deceiving in Moab.

The hike back down was just as nice, and was a bit more relaxing. We decided to head into town, grab some supplies, and then turn in for the night. The plan was Canyonlands during the day tomorrow, and MAYBE do some biking in the area.

DAY 9...CONTINUED

2010-06-30T19:14:00.000-04:00

After dinner at Ruby's we took a quick spin through Bryce and checked out the wildlife and sights. We saw turkey, prairie dogs, and some...deer? I am thinking they were not deer or elk, but some form of antelope.

We turned in early, ready for our departure to Moab tomorrow.....

THUNDER MOUNTAIN 2010

2010-06-30T19:00:00.000-04:00

DAY NINE: THUNDER MOUNTAIN RIDE!

2010-06-30T18:59:00.000-04:00

It had been over a year since I had ridden Thunder, but each day I was away made me want to go back MORE! This was an epic ride- the scenery, the challenge, and the fun- make this ride one of the most well-rounded out of all the rides I have been on. Some rides have the technical, but offer very little in the way of downhill. Some offer downhill, but offer a sick climb or boring fire road opposed to singletrack. Thunder delivers the total experience.
We started off from the campground early, and began the grueling 4+ mile climb along the paved portion of the Red Canyon trail. Although paved, this portion of the ride will kick your ass if you are not in good cardio shape. We took it slow, since Charmaine was still getting acclimated to the altitude, and she was having some issues with getting her breath.
We finally made it to the dirt path that heads over to the Coyote Hollow trailhead. We took a break for lunch, needing to refuel after burning some decent calories on the ascent.
About a mile and a half later, we arrived at the Thunder Mountain trailhead.

We started off the ride already somewhat beat. Charmaine especially had a difficult time, and was getting frustrated on some of the climbs. We were fully committed; no turning back now. As we hit a series of climbs with alternating descents, we took our time and took a lot of photos to distract us. We topped out at about 8200 feet elevation after reaching the summit.
After hitting the summit, we traveled through some more forest until finally the scenery changed, and we began the descent into Red Canyon. The sand turned deep red, the hoodoos appeared, and Charmaine's (as well as my) spirits and second wind picked up.

We handled the rocky, sketchy and technical descent with renewed vigor, and the ride seemed new at this point. We finally hit the much deserved 1.5 mile singletrack BOMB back down to the Red Canyon trailhead, and the gateway to our camp. Words can't describe this, you have to watch the video in the next post.
We got back into camp utterly and thoroughly exhausted but smiling.

16 miles with a total elevation gain of 2194 feet...
After a shower and a change of clothes, we headed out and ate the ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet at Ruby's Inn...which is chock full of mashed potatoes, ribs, chicken, corn, desserts, you name it. I went back 3 times. And then I ate desert. I needed to refuel after that ride.

DAY EIGHT: PAGE AZ TO RED CANYON/BRYCE CANYON UTAH

2010-06-30T18:43:00.000-04:00

I wish we had more time to spend in Page, because I very much wanted to do some kayaking, but money and time constraints had us leaving this day.
We left relatively early, and headed out across the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, out past Greenhaven, and into Utah. The drive through this section of Utah was a mix of boring desert towns, beautiful green meadows with flowing streams, and then eventually the red cliffs of Red Canyon.

We set up our camp in Red Canyon Campground, which is off the main roadway and about 15-20 minutes away from Bryce Canyon.

This is a very nice campground. The restrooms are clean, there are shower facilities, and the sites are spread well enough apart to afford privacy and a "true camping" experience. In fact, everything appeared clean- right down to the fire pit and the concrete pad where the picnic table was. The whole place appeared brand new! Very impressed...good job to all the workers who keep this place up. Very pleasant stay.
After setting up camp and enjoying the view for a bit, we headed out to Bryce Canyon to take in the canyon and hike Navajo Loop. It was important we got plenty of rest today, since the ride tomorrow on Thunder Mountain would be quite brutal!

Although this is a short trail, it's rough on the knees. There is a pretty significant change in elevation in a short time, so it is definitely a good aerobic workout. There are a pretty decent series of switchbacks that get you down to the floor of the canyon.

You can see how steep it is down to the bottom of the canyon....

But once you're down there, it is an amazing view. One thing I noticed out here, was HOW BLUE the sky was! The pictures you see are totally untouched-the sky was really that brilliant blue. I think it has a lot to do with the altitude combined with the lack of smog or air pollution.
We headed back up out of the canyon, sucking some wind because of the steep climb, but all in all it was a pleasant hike.
After shopping for a blanket for my girlfriend at Ruby's General Store, we headed back to our camp, and cooked up a good pre-bike ride dinner:

Steak, grilled corn on the cob, and potato salad. Gotta fuel up for the big ride!!

DAY SEVEN CONTINUED...ANTELOPE SLOT CANYON

2010-06-28T18:38:00.001-04:00

Needed a post all on its own for this one. This is just a fun tour. Unfortunately, it was very hot and dry, and the 4x4 ride out to the Navajo nation was hot and dusty....but still fun as heck! Once at the canyon, I was a bit disappointed that we could not catch the sunbeams, but the photo opportunities were different and the canyon was still very peaceful and beautiful.

Absolutely amazing in there. We hung out for an hour, and decided to head on back early to rest and relax for the drive the next day. Had a hearty (and cheap) dinner at Taco Bell, and called it a day. What an awesome place.

DAY SEVEN: PAGE AND ANTELOPE CANYON/THE CHAINS

2010-06-28T18:26:00.000-04:00

We woke up semi-early and well rested. We went to the Antelope Canyon slot tours office right by the hotel, hoping to get on an early tour, but the morning ones were all booked. Probably because everyone knows it is the best time to catch the sunbeams in the canyon.

We signed up for the 1:30 afternoon tour, and decided we had time to kill. I had read about an area along Lake Powell called "The Chains". This area is located just before the Glen Canyon Dam on US89 off a dirt access road. Although there is no sandy beach like Lone Rock, the Chains looked like a really cool place to hang and relax, and it seemed a lot more quiet than Lone Rock did.
Well, we were not disappointed:

This was a beautiful beach. We explored and hiked about a mile along the rocks, saw a cool fat lizard, and just relaxed in the cool lake water. This was definitely a good spot. Only a few people, and it was very relaxing.

DAY SIX: SEDONA AZ TO PAGE, AZ. via GRAND CANYON

2010-06-28T18:01:00.001-04:00

After breaking down camp, we loaded up and struck out west towards the town of Williams and then north to the Grand Canyon National Park.

We spotted an elk grazing just as soon as we entered the park. This was a large female, ans she was right by the road, which seemed very odd especially in broad daylight. I guess the elk feel very safe out here.
We got to the south rim visitor's center and headed out to the viewpoint. The whole area was under construction, so there were detours, construction equipment all over, and of course tons of people. The south rim is very commercialized; I wished I had gone to the north rim instead.

You still can't argue that the view is amazing. No one really has any clue how massive the canyon is until they stand right up on the edge of it...it truly is an amazing sight. Charmaine was in awe, she had never been to the Grand Canyon before.

We proceeded up the road to the Desert Watchtower which, you guessed it, was also under repair. An unsightly crane took away from the photo, as did the fact the view platform area was closed too. We climbed to the top of the tower, took in the sights, then scrambled back down.
As crowded as ever, we waited for two groups to take pictures overlooking the canyon, then figured it was time to head toward Page.
I had not yet made any arrangements in Page, but I was planning on camping at the Lees Ferry campground.
As we drove, the weather became increasingly hot and dry...a far cry from Flag and Sedona. Once we hit the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado, we realized that camping at Lees Ferry would not only be brutally hot, but it was also very far away from the town of Page, making our exploring there more of a task.

Navajo Bridge is really cool, and it's really neat to just walk along the old bridge and check out the view.

Not as high as the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, but still pretty stomach churning. After checking out the bridge, we drove into Page in order to grab a couple nights at the Page Boy motel. Wahweap campground was filled, so we were fresh out of camping locations. Besides, we both could use a nice comfy bed and air conditioning for a few.
We drove along the lake and snapped some pictures, then headed out to Lone Rock beach where we walked along the beach (TONS of ATV'ers and campers out there...looked like a major holiday weekend!). We saw a coyote run across the road, but I didn't have my good camera handy and missed the photo opportunity.

We also checked out some model homes in Lake Powell view estates... seems the realtors left the doors unlocked after having an open house today...hahaha...

That evening, we decided to head out to Horseshoe Bend and take some sunset pictures. Well, I waited til the last minute and realized the sun was on its way down...and FAST. We drove up to the trailhead parking lot, and we literally sprinted the whole way...and I mean at some spots I was in a dead RUN...and this is not an easy hike...soft sand and slippery rock make it tough going on the way to the viewpoint, and the initial hill climb is a cardio challenge. We made it, and I tried my hand at some pictures, which (and I can be honest) came out like crap. Either way, it was a nice view, and we did get some nice pictures.

The sun was pretty much down when we headed back into town. Here is the city of Page from the trail:

SEDONA TRAIL VIDEO

2010-06-28T17:36:00.000-04:00

DAY FIVE: SEDONA, CATHEDRAL ROCK LOOP

2010-06-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

We headed out early, and took on the Cathedral Rock loop trail, as recommended by Cosmic Ray. This ride took us from the Bell Rock Pathway out to the Templeton Trail, down some major switchbacks after circling Cathedral Rock, and down into Oak Creek. It then goes out to the Baldwin Trail and empties out onto Verde Valley School Road before winding back into town.

The Templeton Trail was amazing. Technical ups and downs, nothing too difficult, and some amazing scenery. There were two tunnels that went under the highway to get you to the opposite side of Bell Rock where Cathedral Rock is. Once on this trail, you a re treated to some nice views, and some awesome slickrock riding.

Once we rounded Cathedral Rock, we hit a series of STEEEEP switchbacks. There was some serious exposure on a couple of them, so we opted to walk the bikes down instead of riding and risking a bad tumble. You can see where the dropoff occurs in the above chart.

The respite on Oak Creek offers and amazing and relaxing time after the tough ride. The cool water is nice to ease your feet. If you go further down the trail and don't stop right at the first access point, you will reach Buddha Beach, where there is a "swimming hole". The water looks inviting, but the water doesn't seem to flow too well and appears a bit stagnant. This always makes me nervous, due to the presence of bacteria, so we avoided it and hit the Baldwin Loop.

Let me forewarn you: Baldwin loop should be ridden COUNTER CLOCKWISE if you are looking for some more fun. There is a fence marking the Baldwin Loop, and offering a left or right option. We chose the option to the left through the fence. Not a good idea. It was pretty much all uphill, no real downhills to speak of. We hike-a-biked through most of this area, and the afternoon sun was beginning to bake us. We made it out to Verde Valley School Rd. after cursing a good portion of this trail. If you ride it the opposite way, you're in for a treat, because it sure looked fun.

Being our last night in Sedona, we headed back to our camp after the ride, got cleaned up and ventured out into town for some exploring. The shops are pretty much all tourist traps, and offer a few cool items, but nothing you can't get in any gift shop at any other desert town.

We also took a short hike along the roadway and hung out and enjoyed the views.

Tomorrow, we head out to the Grand Canyon via Williams and then end in Page.

DAY FOUR: SEDONA, AZ., RIDE AT BELL ROCK

2010-06-28T11:29:00.000-04:00

After a fairly restless sleep the first night in the tent, we ventured out to the Bell Rock Pathway in order to get a feel for some of the trails. My girlfriend has never ridden in a higher altitude location (Sedona sits around 5000 feet), and some of the climbs might prove to be challenging for her. I figured the Bell Rock Pathway was a good starter trail, and the scenery is just straight-up Sedona.
We parked over at the Absolute Bikes parking lot, and did a short pedal uphill to the trailhead.

We did about 5 miles, and then headed back to the truck. Charmaine was surprised that she didn't have too many issues with breathing, partly thanks to the lack of humidity. The weather was hovering in the mid to upper 80's, and it didn't feel too bad at all.
We checked out Back O' Beyond Road, and made it to a trailhead that supposedly hooked up with the Templeton Trail near Cathedral Rock. We took one look at this technical uphill trail, and decided against it after going barely 1/3 of a mile up the trail. We would have to find a better route; this was definitely beyond our biking ability.

We headed back to camp, then went out for a nice walk along Oak Creek Canyon. It was still very early, and I noticed the sun doesn't set around here until around 8:45pm.

We took another sunset drive into the city, and took more pictures, and explored a bit. Sedona truly is a really beautiful place.

DAY THREE: AMARILLO TO SEDONA AZ.

2010-06-28T11:17:00.000-04:00

A shorter drive was in order for us today, so we slept in a bit late and headed toward Sedona mid-morning. The drive was uneventful, and the scenery didn't get interesting until we got into Flagstaff. We took Oak Creek Canyon down into Sedona, which is a much more scenic drive.

We pulled in to Cave Springs campground, which lies right on Oak Creek, and is about a 15 minute drive into Sedona proper. The campsite was set amongst pines and aspens, and the creek was right within a short walk of our campsite.

We went out to explore the area after setting up camp. We drove over to Bell Rock and Courthouse Towers and snapped some evening pictures. Tomorrow we will get acclimated by riding the Bell Rock Pathway.

DAY TWO: LAFAYETTE TO AMARILLO, TX

2010-06-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, my favorite portion of the drive...NOT. It was quite a relief to get out of Louisiana, but Texas isn't much better. The top picture is of the Dallas skyline as we came in to the city, and the above picture is at the Texas Visitor's center just over the border.
We stopped in Amarillo, and although we had a long drive, we hit the BIG TEXAN steakhouse.

The food was amazing as always. Well, off to bed for another long drive.

2010-06-12T21:49:00.001-04:00

I love the little bear from Travelodge...reminds me of when I was a kid...Travelodge Lafayette.

Day one...Lafayette, Louisiana

2010-06-12T21:03:00.003-04:00

Well, after a bit over 12 hours of driving, we are in Lafayette, Louisiana. The hotel isn't too shabby for as cheap as it is, but Louisiana in general is kind of nasty. The roads are terrible, the people are odd, and the scenery is typical southern bayou scenery...cypress and water. Boring.

Above: going through the tunnel into Mobile, Alabama

Above: at the hotel in Lafayette, LA.
We are heading to Amarillo tomorrow, another 12 hour drive ahead. The positive note is we are eating at the Big Texan Steakhouse, which is awesome.

ROAD TRIP 2010...COUNTDOWN!

2010-06-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

8 more hours to go....stay tuned for pictures from the road! Everything is all packed up and in boxes, and all I need to do in the morning is throw everything in the truck bed and put the bikes on the rack, then OFF TO LOUISIANA!! Tomorrow's drive is about 12 hours, and is actually a pretty decent drive. There's a lot of nice scenery, and the best part about everything is I am getting the HELL out of Florida!

2010-06-07T10:38:00.001-04:00

Got a new bike workstand...this thing is awesome, and makes it so much easier to do adjustments on the bike. I used it last night to adjust the brakes for my upcoming trip, and it worked amazing. Wonder how I ever made it without it!

DAY 13- MOAB TO AMARILLO VIA MONUMENT VALLEY

2010-05-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

We must be up early to be on the road by no later than 8 am. The 2.5 hour drive out to Monument Valley should be very scenic and enjoyable, and maybe a couple side drives off to the viewpoints for some pictures. Can't spend too much time out here- we have a 9 hour drive from this area to Amarillo, TX.

We should hopefully be in Amarillo around 8 or 9. I am thinking we will be eating at the Big Texan on the outbound trip, mainly because I think it will be too rushed if we do this on this day. I want to spend the extra time in Monument Valley.

DAY 12-MOAB

2010-05-16T20:56:00.000-04:00

This is a day that will be spent enjoying whatever tour we decide to take. Since the tour might not take all day, we can do some more hiking or even take in some biking depending on how we feel. Packing up camp this evening after dinner, to stay in a hotel for our last night in Moab. Since there are no showers in our campground, I am sure we will be quite funky, unless we take a little jaunt down to the river and rinse off!

DAY 11 SIGHTS!

2010-05-16T20:54:00.000-04:00

DAY 11

2010-05-16T20:52:00.000-04:00

We should be settled into our campsite as of the previous day, Devil's Garden CG in Arches National Park!

This campsite is at the far end of Arches, NP, and it should be a quiet and beautiful camping area. On this day, we are going to be exploring Arches, with a hike up to Delicate Arch in the morning, and then another hike out to the Windows section and maybe some of the other arches in the area. After a quick lunch, we head out to Canyonlands National Park, out to the overview for some incredible pictures.
We will then head into town in order to make our decision on what to do the next day: either horseback riding or take on Slickrock/ Amasa Back bike trail. My gal wants to take a horseback ride, which should actually be pretty cool, so I think we will focus on that for the next day's activities.

DAY 10

2010-05-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

Prior to packing up camp, I am planning taking a quick run up to Bryce Canyon NP, and doing a quick hike on Navajo Loop down to the canyon floor. This needs to be done before packing up camp, because I don't want to have all the camping gear exposed in the bed of the truck. Once the hike is done, a quick jaunt back down to the campsite and load the gear, then heading out to MOAB!

Above: Navajo Loop switchbacks on the way back up the canyon.

Day 9

2010-05-05T19:20:00.000-04:00

If I followed the previous post's directions, we will be in Red Canyon this day...home of Thunder Mountain and close to Bryce Canyon. Thunder Mountain trail is a pretty rough ride, with amazing scenery and some lung sucking climbs. At one point, the trail tops out at just over 8000 feet, making it slow going for us sea-level based creatures.

The hardest part will probably be the initial ride from the Red Canyon campsite, up the paved trail to Coyote Hollow, and then to the TM trailhead itself. Although paved, the climb is slow, gradual, and definitely going to zap a lot out of you. My hope is we can find some other bikers with whom to share a shuttle with- in other words, have someone drive up to the CH trailhead, and then once the ride is done, drive that person back to their car. We shall see. Otherwise, it will be a rough ride. It's only a total of 14.7 miles, so if the girlfriend is in shape, we shall be able to do it without any major issues! The unpaved portion of the trail is only about 8 miles, so it isn't all that crazy.
After riding Thunder, we may not have much gas to do anything else, so I figure this would be a nice quiet evening by the campfire.

ROAD TRIP 2010- Day 8

2010-05-05T19:11:00.000-04:00

This is a "tossup" day. This is either going to be a day to rent some kayaks, head out to either the Chains or to Lone Rock, and paddle out onto the lake. If we don't manage to squeeze in a hike to horseshoe bend, then this would be a good time to do it. It all depends on the money situation at this time in the trip. I figure a kayak rental will run us both around $80 for the whole day. Not too shabby.
Otherwise, we may be looking at skipping out a bit early and heading to Red Canyon. I kind of time pressured Red Canyon, since I wanted extra time in Page to look around at real estate and kick it in Lees Ferry...kind of what I did in Sedona. If we departed this day to Red Canyon, then we could have one full day there to ride Thunder Mountain, so this would be the most likely scenario. Running it the other way I had planned, there isn't a full day at Red Canyon...only a partial arrival day (not enough time to set up camp and then go ride), and then a departure day (squeeze in the ride real quick, then zip out to Moab). Problem is, Thunder is a rough ride, and resting after a ride like that is definitely a plus.
So, let us say that I would like to break down camp, squeeze in a hike out to Horseshoe Bend, then bail out to Red Canyon on this day. Probably would be the best idea.

ROAD TRIP 2010- Day 7

2010-05-05T19:02:00.000-04:00

Planning on taking a tour of Antelope Canyon. In the afternoon, heading off to the Chains for some time by the water relaxing.

The slot canyon tours are best taken in the morning going into lunchtime, as the sun is overhead and casts the sunbeams down the canyon like the above picture shows. An absolutely amazing place for sure.

"The Chains" is located just off 89 once you cross over the bridge going into Page. It's one of the few places you can actually access Lake Powell without a boat (aside from Lone Rock and of course the marinas). There isn't a sandy beach here, and it requires a bit of effort to get to. But I have heard some good reviews about this spot, and I'd like to check it out.

ROAD TRIP 2010- Day 6

2010-05-02T17:49:00.000-04:00

Today, we leave Sedona and head north to Lees Ferry, which is an area near Marble Canyon along the Colorado River near Page and Lake Powell. This is one of the few areas along the Colorado where you can have access right down to the river itself, just downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. I am planning on camping right in the area, and there are campgrounds right along the river.

This is a nice area, and we plan on doing some tours in Page during our stay here. On our way to this area, I am planning a side drive to the Grand Canyon South Rim. My girlfriend has never seen teh Grand Canyon before, and I figure a stop along the rim and Desert View watchtower would be a nice addition for her. I want to leave early in the morning from Sedona in order to make this drive and arrive in Lees Ferry before the campsites fill up. If we cannot find a campsite here, then I will be heading over to Wahweap marina CG (where I stayed last year), and we will set up shop there. It's not as rustic and quiet, but it will have to do if that is the case.

ROAD TRIP 2010- Day 4 and 5

2010-05-02T17:43:00.000-04:00

Day FOUR:
We plan on hitting the Sedona Bike and Bean to fuel up with some java before the day's ride. Today should be a very moderate ride along the Bell Rock Pathway. Planning on hitting Courthouse Loop and some of the other trails close by. Depending on stamina, we may head out and try some of the other rides like Submarine Rock and Llama.

above: Sedona Bike and Bean. Trailheads right across the street, Courthouse Towers in background.

Day FIVE:

We should be feeling good after not busting our butts the previous day, so the choice here is to try out more rides locally or head out to some more technical riding in Flagstaff. I am leaning toward staying in Sedona and taking on some more challenging routes with some nice views, like near Chicken Point. I have Cosmic Ray's Arizona Bike Trails book, and I plan on bringing that as a reference. After riding today, we will go out and check out some of the scenic spots in Sedona around sunset. Should make for some nice pictures.

ROAD TRIP 2010- Day 1-3

2010-05-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

Day ONE:
Depart from Tampa area en route to Lafayette, LA. This should be about a 12 hour drive. Last year, I stayed at a lousy KOA right next to a freeway and slept HORRIBLY. This year, I am staying at a Travelodge.

Day TWO:
Lafayette, LA. to Amarillo, TX. This is a fairly long and boring leg, but should also be right around 12 hours to 13 hours of drive time. Staying in the 'ol Travelodge in Amarillo, where I spent last year's stay. Convenient, comfortable, and free breakfast!

Day THREE:
Amarillo, TX to Sedona, AZ. Not too bad of a drive, should be right around 10 hours. I plan on taking the scenic Oak Creek Canyon road into Sedona, and staying at Cave Springs Campground. I chose this campground because it has shower facilities, and is right next to Oak Creek. Looks like a very nice setting. I also chose to hit Sedona first, because I want to get my girlfriend (who is accompanying me this year) acclimated to riding at a higher altitude. Some of Sedona's trails are easier, so this is a good warmup ride. Also very scenic.

above: Cave Springs Capground scenery

ROAD TRIP 2010 ITINERARY

2010-05-02T09:53:00.000-04:00

I have been planning this year's road trip for a while, and its finally ready to go. Hotel reservations are made, some campground reservations are as well, and the travel money is all saved up. I am doing this year's trip in reverse from what I did last year...and eliminating Colorado from the loop. I'll be posting up the itinerary later today, so stay tuned!

Fast ride at Flatwoods

2010-04-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

Hadn't posted this one yet, but in preparation for my upcoming trip I went on a training ride with my girlfriend. She has been struggling with her cardio and endurance, which are two things she is going to desperately need out west. So we took to the loop trail this day and SMOKED it. Granted, the time still isn't super impressive, but the average speed was outstanding thanks to us only taking a 5 minute rest overall...and that was ME, not HER. She did the whole loop without stopping; the 5 minutes was the total time I spent waiting for her on some sections to catch up. Very good!

2010-04-10T15:06:00.001-04:00

Went out to Fort DeSoto park today...just trying out the Android. Weather is beautiful!

BOYETTE-SWAMP THING TRAIL

2010-04-04T22:59:00.002-04:00

2010-04-04T21:59:00.000-04:00

Had a very nice Easter Sunday ride at Boyette today...a great way to end a fantastic 3 day weekend. I rode Upper and Lower Loch Ness, Golf Cart, Spider Berm, Abyss, Gary's Loop, Swamp Thing, Meadow and the Forest trails. I was really happy I was able to not dab on Abyss and Lower/Upper Loch Ness. I had never ridden Swamp Thing or Gary's Loop before; those were pretty nice trails. When I have someone with me, I want to hit Ridgeline. I avoided it today, since riding alone it could be a bit risky. Don't want to break something and be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

FLICKR issue resolved

2010-04-04T21:53:00.000-04:00

So the other day I discovered a program for the Android that uploads my pictures to my Flickr account. It's called "Bucket Uploader", and it's free in the Marketplace. So I have officially found a way to load the pics directly to Flickr while on the road. It also sends all the GPS data for the pictures as well, so when I get home I can place all of the pics on the map.
Picasa is pretty much useless; I wish that Google would fix that program so it can be more user friendly.