GONNA GET ME SOME..

Looking forward to getting me some of what you see in the above photograph. Plans are to get out both days this weekend and ride away. To escape into that pleasant feeling of a slowly developed state of exhaustion. Endorphin saturated. Cold, tired, and darkness is the condition I want to arrive home with. If you can make sense of that then you totally understand where I am coming from. If you can't make sense of this then it is as Louis Armstong said, "if you don't know, I can't explain it to you."

Hope you can go out and get you some too...

Cheers,

Dave.

Cole

Hanging with the Cole man, my bud, my grandson.

 

 

 

FROZEN CORN FIELDS IN IOWA

Snow Zombies gather, waiting their marching orders from their leader “The Orb” to start the snow apocalypse

riding snow mobile trails are fatastic fun....

WINTER WONDER LAND...

I was slow getting started, getting out the door, but once I did get going, the scenery was breathtaking. It was beautiful out there. We had 14 inches of snow yesterdayand the snow was very ridable with Fat Tires. Snow mobilers make that possible by packing down the snow. It was sill soft in places and I dropped down to 5 psi to keep moving forward and to keep the wheels facing down.

 

I found this field full of Snow Zombies popping up. Waiting for the Snow Apocalypse and the Mayan end of time.

 

Here is a picture of me in my Gym. Open 365 days out of the year, 24 hours day. No waiting. Fees are only pennies a day for usage fees. I know this will disappoint some but there are no Richard Simmons led Zumba classes. Sorry

I think my zip and zap doesn't last as long as it used to. I started out like the energizer bunny and in the end I just wanted to get home, it was dark, 12 degrees out, and my gas tank was running low.

Triple D competitors. My ride today was on Heritage Trail. Which will see a lot of action at DDD. Trail is in great condition, for skiing, cycling and running. Let's hope it stays that way.

Cheers,
Dave

Decisions.....

Decisions, decisions. We received manna today. 14 inches of snow. Tonight temps are going down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. So with tomorrow off from work, my plans are to ride snow mobile trails all day. My only dilemma is will the trails be icy, or snow packed. I need to know so I can pick the appropriate tire for the occasion. The Dillinger Studded set or my Fat Larry and Nate combo. I mean I spent my entire savings and cashed in my pension to buy these tires, I want to make the right choice.

 

 

 

I think I am going with the Big, the Fat, and the Larry. It will be fun and a challenge to stay warm. But for now, I think I'll have me a Margarita and if I have another I'll probably find myself winning the Tour De France on a Fat Bike.

 

 

 

Hope you have some fun planned too,

Thanks for stopping in

Dave

TRIPLE D RECON

Lance Andre is putting together his 6th Triple D winter bicycle, ski, and run race to happen this Jan 20th in Dubuque County. I am entered in for my 4th year for the 100K bicycle race. This year the route and starting point is changing from previous years. I headed over to Lance's house to do some race route recon. Before leaving I first got to exam the rig Lance is building for his 2nd run at Iditarod. Read about his first Iditarod here. http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/iowa-tough-guy-ends-hospital-after-iditarod-invitational

So together we went out on our Fat Bikes to explore the route and see how much work is needed to make ready.

Through trees...

THROUGH CREEKS

ACROSS RAIL ROAD TRACKS. OH AFTER THE TRAIN WENT PAST OF COURSE.

 

 

 

 

AND THROUGH THE WOODS TO GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE

 

 

 

You can't see the hills, the up and down killer hills on this overview. Lance would shout back to me "brake check" and I knew we were headed down a steep treacherous tires sliding hill. Only to be followed by a hill climb just as steep. I found myself spinning out and pushing my bike up some of these, even Lance found himself in that condition at times. My up and down heart rates shown below pretty much indicate the 'ups and downs"  of the terrain.

 

 

This is going to be a beautiful route. After leaving the hotel, and through snow mobile trails, the race route will drop down B Humke road to Heritage trail and onward to Dyersville. Then we turn around and head all the way back to Dubuque to the Driving Range bar, and head back up the snow mobile trails that have been traditionally the start of Triple D race for the cyclist. We looked at Snow Mobile trails to follow all the way to highway 20 and back into the trails that started the race and to the hotel for the finish. Some may finish before darkness falls, I won't and will finish with lights.

 

We have as snow storm coming this way. Just what us Fat Bike riders have been waiting for. I will be posting pictures of the route with trail conditions and produce a more accurate GPS route soon.

Going to spend the day on a FatBike tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from previous rides.

 

FAT RIDING

 

 

WELL FATBIKES ARE EXPENSIVE.....

 

 

LOTZ OF CORN IN IOWA

 

A FEW MONTHS AGO...

...THOUGHTS...

I developed some bad ways quite early in life.....

 

 

 

...and sometimes I'd drink so much I'd see double...

 

But I learned my lessons and changed my way.

 

 

WATCH YOU THOUGHTS; THEY BECOME WORDS:

WATCH YOUR WORDS; THEY BECOME ACTIONS

WATCH YOUR ACTIONS; THEY BECOME HABITS:

WATCH YOUR HABITS; THEY BECOME CHARACTER

WATCH YOUR CHARACTER; IT BECOMES YOUR DESTINY:

 

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

Being I didn't ride a bicycle today, I have nothing to talk about. That is how narrow my life is.  So I thought I would post pictures and commentary of various encounters I've had with creatures that are out there on previous rides.

Sometimes, when you've been riding all day, and cold and fatigue sets in, deep, to every cell in your being. You just want to get home. Then you hear something following you, and you know this is not going to finish good.

I still have trouble with this next one. It was late, dark and I was riding trails, I started hearing voices.  I pedaled faster.  I have never believed in ghost. What I saw that night changed what I believed in, forever.

I ran into this little snake out riding one day. I was teasing him for no good reason. Then his dad showed up and I got the heck outta of there.

There have been times when riding that I will come across a bull, who has escaped from the pasture. He typically looks at me as competition. He is the Alpha Male, he thinks I want his ladies. Nothing could be farther from the truth, but he doesn't think that. So I go around him. This day I ran into the entire herd.

 

Sometimes when you ride, and you feel yourself running out of energy. You need carbs and you didn't pack any. I've learned to take advantage of natural resources. Sorta like gummy worms, but squirming.

That's enough nonsense, I have tomorrow off, temps starting out in the teens, I will ride the day away.

Thanks for visiting,
Dave

HOW I LOVE THIS RIDE

Woke up to the sound of snow plows + a body feeling good + a day off + and this........

So the sum of that equation can only mean this.....

 

I checked the weather forecast before heading out and saw it was going to hang around 29 degrees all day. I pick my clothing combination pretty specific for the weather conditions. What I failed to take into consideration was the wet snow. I was soaked by mile 20. Feet, hands, upper torso. That made me cold. That made me pedal harder to stay warm. Following snow mobile tracks I could see two other bicycle tracks. I wanted to see who this was but never did find them. I turn off the "main trail" and follow a path with no tracks in the snow. Something special about laying "virgin tracks." The serenity of riding on fresh snow, the quietness, brings an inner peace to me. I love this ride. Life now seems perfect, and time doesn't matter.

 

 

But as the sun was starting to drop over  the hill it was now time to turn around and head home. Thoughts are now going back to things I need to do, work plans, this weeks schedule, and so on. Seems they just surfaced with my change of direction. I will be back this way again, and again. 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers to you, hope you found time to play this weekend too.

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

I JUST WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE...

It sure seems to me that by spending time on a bicycle is how it makes it the best way to travel through life, . That is where I find my happy place. Distance and time is needed over speed. It is where my mind and thoughts are most free to roam. Heat, humidity, rain, snow, wind, ice, are only what clothing to wear challenges and not even close to reasons to not get out and pedal. It looks like again, I didn't get the home projects completed that I were on my mental list of things needed to get done  this year. But that ok, the grass did cut, the garbage taken out, and my oil changed. Things ya gotta do. I spent my spare time cycling it seems.

Today's ride was hampered and hindered by an achy knee. The one I injured weeks ago. I couldn't get out of the saddle and do any hill climbing. So the plan was to ride 50 on level gravel. With 4 miles  to go to my turn around point I heard a series of gun shots, followed by a few more. This is the 2nd week end for shot gun deer hunting in Iowa. So I turned around early so I wouldn't end up as beef jerky in a case of mistaken identity.

 

Chance of snow tomorrow. I hope so, I am so bike ready for snow. Cycling in the snow is my favorite way to pedal. So knee you need to behave yourself. I have lotz of miles to travel yet.

 

Cheers, and thanks for stopping.

Dave

 

TREES

 

I often wonder how old this tree is, or the things that it has seen. Or what it would say to me if I would just learn to hear.

FATURDAY

Today, December 1st was the first global Fat Bike ride. I çan't say I am amazed at how the "Fat" ride has caught on because when a cyclist rides a Fat Tire bike it becomes a whole new world of fun for cycling. This will be my 3rd winter of riding the Fat Tires, and still loving it. I ride the big tires all year, but when then snow falls and snow mobile trails pop up all over the country side Fat Bike riding enters a world all its own.  

The weather people said drizzle and rain would be coming around 5:00 p.m. today so I figured I could ride 50 miles and be home before this was going to happen and didn't pack for getting wet. They lied to me. Rolled out at 11:30 and by 1:00 I was soaked, cold, and riding in temps in the 40 degrees department and dropping. I thought to myself to plan better the next time. Seems riding year round day or night requires a continuing development of skills. 

I hear a series of shut gun blasts. Deer hunting season opened today in Iowa for shut guns. I try to tell myself they know this is a bike trail and won't shoot this way. I don't believe that and pedal faster to get out of the area.

You reach a point when riding in a drizzling rain where you can't get any wetter. You just slowly get colder. My hands were starting to freeze. I do pack chemical warmers this time of year for emergencies. I thought about sticking one in each glove, and I was wondering if the soaked gloves would smother the chemical heating process. I decided to push on with out them. Music from my IPOD distracted me from the cold that was starting to penetrate my bones. I was watching the tempss continue to drop on my Garmin and I knew turning around now would bother me more than this chill was. So I rode on, on this gravel trail, keeping the pace up in an attempt to stay warm and completed my ride. Tomorrow brings more of the same minus the rain if the weather folks are telling the truth.  

 

Everybody is drying out now, including me.

 

Thanks for visiting, enjoy your week end.
Dave

TRIPLE D IS COMING

On Dec 1^st 2007 Lance Andre said this.

Winter Race Anybody?   I'm contemplating hosting a ~60 mile winter race (from Dubuque Iowa to Dyersville and back) on January 12th or 19^th

If you’re interested in participating in this crazy winter bike race please send me an email with the first line being something like “ABSOLUTLY”, or “MAYBE”. Please don’t email “ARE YOU CRAZY” and “NO #&@*’N WAY”.

And Triple D was born. Now in it’s 6^th run Triple D has become one of the funnest, bestest, well run races  in the Midwest. 

 

TRIPLE D IS NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

 

This will be my 4th round at Triple D. I don't like the lack of shape I find myself in. Injuries  this year kept me off the bike way more then I would have liked. I have had a bit of a weight gain as you can see by the picture below along with the 3 previous Triple D pictures of me. But I got 8 weeks and it is time to hit it. I did get out on the Fat Tire Bike 6 of the last 8 days. Not high mileage 30-50 miles each time, but good enough, with hills included.

 

 

 

 

So I shall see you there. More training info on my lard removal to follow.

Dave

 

THANKSGIVING AND THE DAY AFTER

THANKSGIVING

 

 

 

 

 

He is 89 years old. After living through the depression, he then spent his 21st birthday as a Marine in the hell hole of WWII on the island of Guam, preparing for the worst. Watched his business that his grandfather started, falter, and fizzle and became jobless in his 50s. Found employment again from selling tombstones to painting church steeples not wanting to rely on handouts. Lost his woman, his sweetheart, my mother, who he raised 5 kids with, awhile back. Has dealt with and is dealing with Cancer, boldly, without fear, without backing down. Today he is grateful, today he is thankful, like he was yesterday, and will be tomorrow. He says life has been good to him, he has no complaints. He is my father.

 

 

THE DAY AFTER

 

 

Some days in life we find ourselves in situations where we have extremely difficult decisions to make. Today was not one of those days. It was a no brainer. I choose door #2.