BBQ and Backpacking

Last year this same weekend, April and I took our first overnight backpacking trip together to Dunraven Glades in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness Area west of Loveland, CO. To commemorate our great year of adventures, we headed back to the same area for a mellow 3mi hike into some National Forest campsites along the North Fork of the Big Thompson River.

But first, we stopped in Loveland to check out their annual BBQ Festival... we are as much suckers for real Q as we are for camping. Although it lacked a bit of the magic and quality that we found at the Frisco BBQ Fest, it was a fun afternoon all the same.

And Loveland's a pretty neat town with some history and "personal" heritage

After lingering/waiting for some afternoon t-storms to clear out of the mountains, we drove west to the trailhead to begin the quick and 'easy' 3mi hike to the campsite. The evening was perfectly quiet and pleasant and still, except for the steady rushing of the river nearby. Flows all around the state are extra high this year with all the snowmelt runoff and frequent rainstorms the past couple of weeks. No better background noise to fall asleep to!

We spent Sunday day-hiking further west into Rocky Mountain National Park territory before packing up and heading back out to the car in the evening. We only got a few minutes of light rain and not-too-threatening lightning, although there was weather swirling further east on the plains. Luckily, we dodged the storms perfectly this weekend.

Friday elbow update: 23 days post-op

The last few days have shown good progress with the arm. I was feeling a little stagnant earlier in the week, but I suppose this process is going to be like that- periods of distinct improvement along with a few days of less noticeable changes. Overall, my range of motion is coming along, my strength and dexterity is improving, and biking is starting to become a tiny bit more like normal biking. I'm still working full time on my mountain bike for safety and convenience sake, but am hankering to get back on my track bike (with a brake installed) soon. This week I skipped the sling as well, just keeping the elbow wrapped in ACE bandages, and working on using both hands to steer & brake.

Still keeping up with running a few times a week, back to my usual 5.5mi route. A big first this week was brushing my teeth left handed for the first time! Packing up this evening for our first backpacking trip this weekend-- I cannot wait to get into the woods for a night.

Here's an update of my range of motion limits (see my previous photos here)

Friday elbow update: 16 days post-op

The week has gone pretty well- seeing a tiny bit of improvement in range of motion and strength each day, and able to do little things with slightly more ease. Surpassing the doctor's expectations, I found I could do unassisted bending and twisting motions with my arm within a day of having the splint removed. Still far from normal but happy to see early progress.

I worked full days on the bike for the remainder of the week with no issues... kept it in the splint for protection but abandoned the sling after a couple of days. The added mobility without it helped and I found I didn't need the extra support. Back to doing our long distance loops to Cherry Creek as of Friday; a little uncomfortable riding for longer stretches without stopping, but made it out and back twice in a row to cover for an ill coworker. (I owe my coworkers a big thanks for covering for me during this ordeal and always letting me take the easier work when I needed to.)

I went to the gym for the first time (post injury) on Tuesday and did some weightlifting with legs, abs, lower back and core muscles. It was nice to be back there again and seeing the familiar, positive faces I've come to know since I started going last fall. Thursday I did another run, this time 6 miles without the sling. Lost my edge (did I ever have one??) on running and cardio, but again it felt great to get a nice workout. Running doesn't hurt my arm at all, although it makes for an awkward stride since I can't swing both arms uniformly.

Looking forward to the long holiday weekend... no big plans, but I always appreciate an excuse to get together with friends and make some tasty food!

12 Days Post-Op: Doctor follow up and my first jog

12 days after surgery it's time for my first follow up at the doctor. The splint finally came off and boy did it feel great to get some fresh air on my arm! It also felt great to frantically itch the skin for the first 5 minutes. Turns out that the sutures are all internal and dissolve-able, so there weren't any stitches to remove.

I was able to do a bit of motion, albeit very stiff and sore and essentially assisted by my right hand. But at least it's a start. The motions of concern are of course flexion and extension; also twisting the wrist from palm-up to palm-down, and grip strength. It's extremely bizarre to struggle to do such simple things. I didn't get to see my actual surgeon, rather a orthopedic Physician Assistant (PA) whose instructions seemed rather conservative in my opinion. He suggested doing assisted motions for 5 minutes, 3 to 5 times per day. (In contrast, April's doctors had her begin rigorous physical therapy a.s.a.p.) So, I expect to push myself more than he recommended if I don't encounter any problems. He says I can't undo anything they've fixed (unless I crash my bike again, or fall on it in general) although it's possible to aggravate it if I overdo therapy.

Here's the range of motion I have as of Monday night:

Once I'd been released from the doctor, I got on the bike and worked a half day in the afternoon. I spent an hour in the garden and then jogged 4.5miles for the first time since the accident. It felt wonderful to get my heart rate up again. I'd gone from rigorous workouts 5-6 days per week to no noteable exercise for the last 3+ weeks, aside from easy spins on the bike for commuting and work. So it's a very positive step to get some decent cardio again and although I couldn't swing my arms like a normal runner, I didn't have any other problems and hope to keep running 2-4 days a week until I can start swimming and/or road biking.

Garden Work Day

Time to gather all our community gardeners for a work day effort. Invasive weeds in the gravel pathways are getting out of control and there's a few other chores to tend to. It's also a good way to keep everyone social and build a better sense of community amongst the gardeners, since we often don't see each other much at the garden. The garden as a whole is coming along great this year- we have so much more space for growing after the new layout was built over the winter. Our returning gardeners are gaining experience and expertise and the new folks are bringing fresh energy and expertise of their own. We've even been informed that Denver Urban Gardens chose ours to highlight when the local news station expressed interest in doing a story on community gardens!

In elbow news, it's still feeling alright and the hand swelling is improving. Only a couple more days until I go back to the doctor on Monday to get my splint removed and I can't wait! It's getting itchy and trying to shower without getting it wet is quite a pain (and showers are therefore unfortunately rare.) Hand function and grip strength is improving as well. I have an admittedly ridiculous fantasy that they'll remove the splint and it'll be instantly back to normal. Good luck on the one!

I've kept commuting via mountain bike ever since Bike To Work Day earlier this week. I belong on a bike, it's basically that simple. I feel so much better even getting a couple short rides between the home and the bus and work and back, even if it's one-handed and extra cautious. I'm planning to be back working light duty on the bike starting next week. My co-workers who I was subbing for last week are back now, and there's not work for me to do in the office unless someone is taking time off. But mostly I can't wait to be out moving around in the city, getting a bit of exercise, seeing fresh scenery and being outside.

1 Week Post-Op: Bike To Work Day

I'm covering dispatch duties in the Boulder office at work this week. It works out well to keep me restful and safe. Things are going pretty well... pain is at bay and I quit taking painkillers after just 48 hours; no alarming issues besides swelling in my hand. Aside from my garden ride last week, I hadn't been back on the bike until today. Each year a day in June is designated Colorado Bike To Work Day, where local businesses all over the Front Range (especially in Boulder) set up free breakfast stations for cyclists commuting to work. Designed to encourage car-free transit, it's a fun day to take advantage of free food and coffee all over town for those of us who ride every day regardless. This is my 8th annual Bike To Work Day here, and I wasn't about to let elbow surgery leave me on the sidelines. So I hopped on the mountain bike and caught the bus up to Boulder and kept my streak alive. While there are a ton of dedicated cyclists and commuters in Boulder, this day really brings 'em out of the woodwork. And I found that making my rounds to breakfast stations with an arm in a splint and sling earns mad props (and extra generous food offerings!)

Frisco BBQ Fest

We'd been looking forward to making a return to the Frisco BBQ Fest since we made an impromptu trek last year. Luckily I was still feeling pretty alright after surgery, so we got into the car and headed west. Unlike the perfect mountain weather we encountered the first time, we drove through pouring rain all the way up to the tunnel. And unlike the forecast of 71' and mostly sunny, we arrived in Frisco to a blustery squall and cold rain that began within 5 minutes of parking the car. After sipping hot coffee inside a coffeeshop and April picking up a pair of warm pants at a consignment shop, the rain broke and we turned loose onto the tasty offerings. Despite the shivers, we still had a really fun evening of great BBQ and mouthwatering smells in the chilly air!

Post-op Day 1- biking to the garden

Feeling good today, moving around fine and pretty minor pain without overloading on the prescription painkillers. Not too shabby!

Last week I bemoaned the slow start at our garden this season, but yesterday we received notice that Denver Urban Gardens had a bunch of surplus tomato and pepper starter plants up for grabs. They'd been donated from a local plant nursery who hadn't sold their spring supply. April hurried over and grabbed a wonderful variety of hearty plants, including some fun peppers like "Hot Carrot," "Hot Tomato," "Hot Cherry" and "Hot Banana." This is great news-- and we basically are now fast-forwarding our plot by about 4-6 weeks!

No time to waste now that it's mid June, we carted them to the garden this afternoon to get them in the ground right away. Energized and motivated, I rigged up the trailer to haul the flat of plants the 12 blocks to our plot. I owed it to myself to defy orders and ride the day after surgery, right??

Surgery day.... finally!

Feeling good and a little faded after surgery today. Everything went smoothly from what I could tell; on time and no hassles, which was a relief. In the pre-op room, I finally got to meet with Dr. Gladu, my surgeon, for the first time. He's an avid skier and mountain biker so we had a lot to talk about and he understood my eagerness to get back on the bike. (To which he said, "If you fall again soon, you'll pull out all the hardware I'm about to put in." Well, I suppose I'll just have to use extra caution in the near future.) He expects the fracture to heal fully in 6-8 weeks and a while longer to recover my full range-of-motion and strength. That's a little sooner than I expected and very exciting to hear his confident prognosis.

in the pre-op bed

Exactly an hour after I walked into the operating room and laid down on the table, I was waking up in the post-op area dazed from the anesthesia but feeling alright. Amazing how quickly they can get this done! They turned me loose a couple hours later, but I learned that hospital policy will not allow you be discharged unless you climb into an automobile. We'd walked from home and our friend wouldn't be able to get there for another hour in his car. So we hailed a taxicab, got in and drove two blocks away from the hospital, then got and walked the rest of the way home!

I go back on Monday, June 27th (12 days) for my first follow up and to get the splint unwrapped. Til then, can't get it wet in the shower or bend my elbow at all.

Revised summer plans

Earlier this spring I was pondering what kind of solo bicycle adventure to undertake this year. For the most part I've satisfied my curiosities of southern Utah road touring in 2009 and 2010. I mulled some ideas... Denver to the West Coast? Vancouver to San Diego? Tour the northern Rockies? But I'm sick of riding on roads, around cars... I do that every day at work.

Then it hit me solidly: mountain bike the entire Colorado Trail, solo and self supported- 475miles from Denver to Durango, almost all off-pavement and a vast majority on singletrack in the remote Rockies. 63,000ft of elevation gain (more climbing than going from sealevel to Mt Everest's summit twice) with a highpoint at 13,334ft. A very tough ride, I arranged for 3 weeks off work in August and tailored my training to this goal. I'd already been lifting weights and swimming since last autumn, then expanded to also include running, strength circuit training, and long road and mountain bike rides. At the time of my elbow mishap I was training 6 days per week, in addition to riding for work. And still I was nervous I wouldn't be in good enough shape come August to complete the CT without major suffering.

Clearly I won't be attempting the CT this summer. Instead of pushing myself to new personal levels of physical endurance and strength, my world is now going to focus on pushing myself back to what I once took for granted. The CT will be there for me next summer and I intend to tackle it then, in better fitness than I could have achieved this summer and with my bike and equipment situations better thought out. Maybe it's an ok delay. It's a different approach to my summer for sure, but an interesting one all the same.

This week I came up with a rather arbitrary, somewhat haphazard timeline of goals for my elbow rehab. Weekly goals of what I hope to accomplish, more or less. Some are probably overly ambitious, others maybe sandbagging a bit. I basically listed all the things I like to do, ordered with some respect to how difficult they might be given my injury recovery. (goals are cumulative)

Surgery is Wednesday, June 15th. I hope I'll be getting the sutures removed and starting physical therapy about a week later.

6/15     Wk #0     surgery
6/22     Wk #1     "Colorado Bike to Work Day" and sutures removed
6/25                     hit the gym- strength work on legs, abs, lower back, core muscles
6/27                     return to light bike duty at work
7/2       Wk #2     hiking in the mountains and running 3+ miles in the city
7/9       Wk #3     switch from riding mountain bike at work to my Bianchi cyclocross bike (faster, more efficient)
7/16      Wk #4    swimming at the gym, freestyle if possible
7/23      Wk #5    road bike ride on flat terrain, 20+ miles
7/30      Wk #6    ride my track bike for work
8/2        Wk #7    lift weights for chest and shoulders
8/9        Wk #8    start practicing my upright bass
8/16      Wk #9    road bike ride with climbs - ride Lookout Mountain
8/23      Wk #10  do pull-ups
8/30      Wk #11  do push-ups, triceps lifts
9/3        Wk #12  re-join my chamber orchestra for fall session on upright bass
9/10      Wk #13  easy mountain bike ride
9/17      Wk #14  strength circuit training
9/24      Wk #15  moderate mountain bike ride
10/1      Wk #16  road ride up to the Peak-to-Peak Highway
10/8      Wk #17  vigorous mountain bike ride
10/15    Wk #18  ride the Kokopelli Trail (142mi) and/or White Rim Trail (100mi) on my mountain bike
10/22    Wk #19  full free-weight lifting regimen
10/29    Wk #20  back to 'normal' !?

8/4/2012              ride the Colorado Trail !

I'll keep this list updated with my accomplishments and setbacks!

Evening in the garden

Our garden got off to a wobbly start this year, but it's coming along. We got inspired and ambitious back in early April when we were having an unseasonably warm stretch of spring. So we took our chances and sewed a bunch of seeds a few weeks earlier than we normally do. Soon after, of course, it dropped to near freezing for several nights, followed by a bunch of cold cold rain & hail while we were in Utah, and kind of stunted things. The Utah trip put us a couple weeks behind an ideal schedule for transplanting starter plants. Plus the free starters that we graciously get from Denver Urban Gardens were smaller than we'd expected.

It shouldn't sound like I'm complaining, cuz I'm not. I'm just eager to see growth spurts and be teased with the first blooms of our tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, etc. It'll happen eventually but this growing season is going to take a bit of patience. Summer has finally arrived with consistent temps in the 80's so things should be taking off now.

Plenty of lettuce, arugula, radishes, sugarsnap peas and cilantro already so we are enjoying hearty fresh salads every day. What a healthy, tasty pleasure of the early summer!

Friday elbow update

I actually went back to work on Wednesday and Thursday for 'light duty' deliveries and some time consuming court filing jobs. I really have little to no pain, still not taking any painkillers. It's just hard to deal with one arm and a poorly functioning left hand. I'm trying to get in as many hours as I can before being laid up after surgery, but more so, I'd rather be outside moving around whenever possible. As much as I typically wish I could take time off work to get stuff done, I can't really get much done with one arm... and it gets boring fast.

At the Fracture Clinic, they say the cuts are healing just fine and scheduled me to go under the knife on Wednesday morning. I'm excited to get this over with and start healing! My surgeon will be Dr. Gladu, the head of the Kaiser orthopedic department and an elbow specialist. Hopefully I'll be in good hands.

In my 32 years, this is the first broken bone I've ever suffered, my first surgery, first anesthesia. I guess I'm overdue, statistically speaking. I've experienced a lot of this vicariously through April's ordeals from her humerous compound fracture and severely shattered elbow (suffered in an unlucky bike accident in San Francisco in October 2008.) Her injury is a far more complex and severe break than mine, and she's had 3 operations trying to regain her elbow function. She's still working at it today.

My fracture is a simpler fix, typically done with either a plate screwed over the broken pieces or, more commonly, a "tension band wire" repair. The complication of an olecranon fracture is that the triceps muscle tendons attach to the part of bone that's broken off. So that piece of bone has to be held in place to heal, and it also has to resist the forces of the triceps trying to pull it back apart. But it's also critical to regain the elbow's range of motion as quickly as possible while the bone heals. Therefore there is no cast, just the surgically installed hardware holding things together. As soon as the incision heals enough to remove the stitches, physical therapy begins asap to work on motion. Typically it takes 3-4 months to regain (almost) full motion, and 6-12 months to regain full strength.

So, Wednesday the pros cut me open and screw me back together. I can't wait to get on with the healing!

Elbow update

Had my initial evaluation with the Fracture Clinic this morning. Turns out there are some small cuts and scrapes on my elbow from landing on the concrete, and the doctor says that has to heal over before they can do the surgery. Apparently they won't make an incision through a wound because of a high risk of infection, specifically a bone infection in this case... and bone infection is a bad, bad thing.

So they cleaned up the wound, dressed it and put me in another splint. The doctor assures me that there is a 2 week window within which they can surgically repair the bone and not run into problems from the delay. Sounds a little suspect, but I'm not the doctor nor do I want an infection.

Got a prescription for some oral anti-biotics and a follow up appointment for Friday.

Bliss, followed by Disaster

Made my first trek of the season up to my beloved Nederland mountain bike trails on Saturday. 7am bus from Denver to Boulder, then the 8am bus up to Ned. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spied my old friend, former co-worker, bike racer extraordinaire, current Crested Butte resident and all around amazing girl Eszter also waiting for the Ned bus. She and (equally great) Chris were back on the Front Range for the weekend, and she was heading up to handily dominate the Single Speed USA event. She went off to race, I went off to ride, but we crossed paths a few times throughout the day and I eventually made my way to the race finish to say congrats and interlope with the lovely, wacky world of single-speed mt. bikers. Good times, great riding, wonderful folks. I was finally getting my mountain skills back, riding well both up and down and having a blast. 4hrs, 4000 vert ft climbing.

Then the disaster- back down in Boulder, riding back to catch the bus home via the bikepath. Distractedly looking over my shoulder, a momentary bit of carelessness, and  WHAM!!  I was picking myself up off the ground before I'd even realized that my handlebar had clipped a handrail and made my intimate acquaintance with the concrete path. What I quickly realized next was that my left elbow was not what it had been a few seconds earlier. Immediate swelling, a really funky feeling when bending it, and no strength to support myself with it. Not good.

Pedaled myself to the Boulder Emergency Room for evaluation and x-rays. My heart sunk when the nurse eventually walked back in with a right-to-the-point, "You need surgery." I'd broken the end of the olecranon, which is the "cup" part of the ball-and-socket joint.

broken and displaced 2cm:  fracture is visible directly above "20.0mm (P)"  (click photo to enlarge)

They put me in a splint and released me to follow up with my Kaiser Permanente insurance provider. I rode back to catch the bus to Denver, rode from the bus home. Pain was never bad, just felt like a bad bruise even without painkillers. Maybe that's a good sign?

Dad taught me to ride without training wheels when I was only 3 years old... I've spent the following 29 years riding year round, my primary hobby and my passion. For the past 11 years I've earned a meager but comfortable living as a bike messenger, making deliveries day in, day out, in any and every weather condition imaginable. 29 years, countless crashes- some pretty scary and severe, most mild and dumb. Today was only the third time I've ever needed medical attention from a bike wreck (the first, coincidentally, was for stitches on my right elbow when I was about 13.)

So now it's time to wait for an appointment at my Orthopedic Fracture Clinic in Denver.....

Memorial Day weekend rides

Long 3 day weekend and perfect weather made for a couple of good rides this weekend. I forgot my camera both times though.

Saturday I checked out White Ranch Open Space just outside of Golden. I'd been out there once before- about 7 years ago, not long after moving to Boulder. I was then just getting into actual mountains on my mountain bike, and we amateurs were discouraged by the loose, rocky initial climb up the the trail network. So I was determined (and confident) to get the best of it this time around. The climb was fine, although the trails are overused and poorly laid out amongst the terrain. Not bad for being so close to the city, but that's just the problem. Still, 3hrs on the mountain bike is no reason to complain.

Sunday was a road bike day, and it turned epic. Denver > Golden Gate Canyon > Peak to Peak Highway > Coal Creek Canyon > Denver. Perfect weather, long 17mi climb up to 9200ft on the P-to-P, great views, clear air, some more climbing on Coal Creek, and back home in time for dinner. Totals: 88mi, 7000 vertical ft of climbing in under 7hrs. Nice!

The extremely gusty winds came in Monday morning- couldn't have planned a better rest day!

Utah Canyonlands backpacking trip-- Pt. 3 (days 8-9)

After a relaxing night in the hotel (we didn't have to scramble to take care of much since the trip is winding down now) we did a daytrip into Arches National Park, a quick 5mi drive north of Moab: It's Saturday, it's a prime travel/tourist weekend (just prior to Memorial Day) and it's right next to a town without a vacant hotel room under $200 tonight. It is packed!! No surprise, but it's a bit jarring to the senses after our week of seeing just a handful, if any, other people each day of hiking. Arches is a fairly small, condensed park- at least that which is easily accessed by car. Traffic and parking was terrible, so we elected to venture northwest on an 8mi gravel road to the less frequented Klondike Bluffs area of the park. Good call, sanity somewhat restored.

From the trailhead we took a pleasant 2.5mi hike back to Tower Arch for our token arch experience. Lunch beneath it was nice, and saw some very interesting geologic features along the way.

Marching Men formation; LaSalle Mountains beyond

beneath Tower Arch

Arches is a really interesting place that I'd love to come back and explore when it's less crowded; or rather, when I had enough time to venture into its undeveloped backcountry regions. A daytrip, however, is no way to do it justice.

For our last night, we drove back to where we started- our secret stash campsite northwest of Moab. We had the place to ourselves, stoked a nice fire of fragrant juniper deadfall and cooked up a tasty dinner of steak, baked potatoes and smores over the fire. A gorgeous desert sunset bode us farewell.

Utah Canyonlands backpacking trip-- Pt. 2 (days 5-7)

After a free continental breakfast we drove 65mi southwest from Moab for the next two nights in "The Needles" district.  The Needles has the classic slickrock sandstone and spires typically associated with the Moab desert region. Weather forecast called for mid 60's and a good chance of rain, so we're hoping to stay as dry as possible. First leg was a relatively mellow and stunning 4.1mi hike back to a campsite in Lost Canyon.

This huge boulder offered the perfect awning over our tent. The backside had a perfect protected kitchen nook for cooking and sipping coffee. Clouds and drizzle moved in overnight, but the tent stayed nice and dry with our rock shelter.

Lost Canyon campsite

The second day of hiking was a long one, about 7mi, and it rained a good portion of the day. Never poured hard though, so we stayed mostly dry with rain gear and dried out a bit during the breaks. It was actually a real rare treat to witness the desert amidst a steady rain. The water makes evident how many of the surreal rock features and plant groupings have come to be. I couldn't have asked for a more fascinating day to spend hiking around the desert!

ladders to climb over the wall into the adjacent drainage

We got to our campsite in Elephant Canyon just as the rain let up for the night.

Elephant Canyon campsite

It was a relatively short 4.1mi hike out to the car on Friday, with some beautiful slickrock canyons and only a brief rainstorm.

We got back to the car just as more storms were swirling nearby and drove through some heavy downpour on the way back to Moab. We sprung for another room at the same hotel, treating ourselves to pizza, beer and a nice soak in the outdoor hottub after a few days on the trail.

Utah Canyonlands backpacking trip-- Pt. 1 (days 1-5)

April and I reserved some backcountry (hike-in-only, self supported) campsites in Canyonlands National Park (near Moab, UT) for the following week and are stoked to spend some time in the desert. I've traveled around the Utah deserts a fair amount, although have yet to get very far into the backcountry and haven't been to Canyonlands NP. This will be April's first visit to Utah ever, so it's going to be a real fun trip for both of us. Canyonlands is a large park, divided into four geologically distinct regions that are somewhat difficult to travel between.

We're starting the trip with two nights camping in the northern "Island in the Sky" district near the Green River, hiking out for a night in Moab, then driving south for two more nights camping in "The Needles" district.

After a day of driving from Denver, we car-camped the first night at a beautiful area on BLM land that we found on a whim while driving on a sandy 4x4 road north of Moab.

looking northwest into the "Island in the Sky" as the sun sets

The next morning we packed up and set off for the first leg of our hiking trek into the backcountry. We'll be camping at the western outlet of Upheaval Dome for two nights, but first have to hike 4.9mi around the northern ridge of Upheaval Dome. This sign cast us on our way, and we figured, "heh, it's a national park... how hard can it really be?!"

It was smooth sailing for the first several miles, meandering through a pleasant canyon valley that follows a seasonal streambed. Then we hit a section referred to as 'The Breach' where the canyon narrows into extremely steep walls of large broken boulders and loose scree. The streambed cascades over a precipitous dropoff, so the trail switchbacks up the north wall and then back down as a way to get around the seasonal waterfall. It got pretty sticky, some 4-5ft ledges to navigate and essentially no trail, just following rock cairns indicating the route. Doing all this with fully loaded hiking packs proved strenuous and sometimes stressful, but we pushed through and made it back down to the streambed... and soon saw a small rattlesnake crossing the trail ahead of us without incident.

looking west from "The Breach"

Got camp set up in the late afternoon and fixed a restful dinner. Today's 4.9mi wasn't a long hike, but wore us out. Camping two nights at the mouth of Upheaval Dome was worth just about any effort! (Note that the tent is the small, light green spot in the photos.)

Syncline camp looking east

Syncline camp looking west

We had the whole second day free and hiked 3.5mi down Upheaval Canyon drywash to the Green River. Flow was high from the spring runoff and it was actually backing up into the wash and flooding out parts of the White Rim Trail. Lots of lizards scurrying around and many interesting flowers, grasses and myriad of colors and textures of rocks.

"Hardscrabble Bottom" section of the Green River near Upheaval Canyon

We got some gentle rain on the second morning and packed up a wet tent, but the drizzle let up just about the time we began the 3.4mi hike out via the southern section of the Syncline Loop Trail. This leg regained all the 1100ft of elevation we lost on the way in and spent a good portion navigating through broad boulder fields. Luckily no real technical sections, just a lot of rocky switchbacks.

our trail ascends this rock field, then up the one above it on the right

April looking back into the canyon we hiked out of

We wheeled into Moab and got the cheapest hotel room we could find. Time to get a hot shower, buy some supplies, wash a load of laundry, dry the tent in the hotel bathroom, and enjoy a cold beer at the local brewpub. View from the room wasn't too shabby either!

Boulder working/biking 'vacation'

My dispatcher is on vacation this week, so that means I ride to bus up to Boulder to fill in for him in the office. It can be a nice change of pace and a welcome rest on the legs. (That our bike crews are really stellar makes my job of dispatching relatively low stress too!) The downside is wheeling out of the house at 7am to catch the bus in time to get a coffee before settling in. The upside is that everyday I get to take advantage of the foothills being only a mile from the office, whereas from Denver it's an hour of pedaling to get to the mountains. I rode four out of five days after work.

Batasso Loop never really gets old, a super fun mountain bike trail about a 15min pedal up the canyon. A steep climb up the connector trail brings you to a quick, twisty rolling (mostly) singletrack loop in the near foothills. A perfect evening after the office:

I made it up here twice this week. Next weekend Boulder County Open Space is unveiling their new addition to this trail, a second 3.5mi loop that hooks into it. Sounds like it'll be fun too, although the threat of getting a $60 ticket for riding it early kept me from poaching it.

I also got in two quickie road rides on the 'new' Cannondale after office days-- first was Lee Hill -> Left Hand -> Old Stage, then later in the week a big climb to the top of Super Flagstaff. This bike really scoots around... super stiff but equally efficient, especially uphill. I never owned a road bike (or anything similar) when I lived in Boulder so it was fun to tackle some of these favorite routes for the first time.

New steed in the stable

I happened to stop into Saint Marks coffeeshop for an americano and spied a few old bikes for sale on the sidewalk rack out front. One in particular caught my eye- a sweet old Cannondale Criterium road bike in nice shape. After a couple days of phone tag and some inner debate on whether or not I really need another bike, I finally caught up with the seller and took it off his hands for a cool $150. (Turns out he's the owner of said coffeeshop, a mellow guy who likes to tinker with whatever he gets his hands on.)

So, I've finally graduated from cyclocross to full on roadie. Turns out it's a 1987 bike, almost all original parts:

frame originally built on 8-28-1987, my 'new' Cannondale Criterium

I dug up a bunch of spare parts from my boxes of bikejunk, and was able to upgrade to Ultegra derailures, built up some wheels with combos of Ultegra/Campy and Dura Ace/Mavic and Maxxis tires, threw on a Thomson seatpost, SLR saddle, ATAC pedals, shorty Nitto stem and some low-end STI levers. My only cost was $12 for cable stops to replace the downtube shifters:

the upgraded setup: $12 and many hours of work later

Along the way I deconstructed an OLD front wheel that I used to ride on snowdays and never really serviced, in order to reuse the Dura Ace hub with a better rim. Unscrewed all the nipples to find the spokes held their cross-pattern from gunk and corrosion alone!

 

A bearing rebuild was clearly in order but it rolls smooth now. This bike is really fun, extremely stiff, and fairly light for it's age and components. I'm looking forward to some good exploring in the hills this spring and summer!

While in the mode of bike overhauls, it's time to lace up a new front rim on my mountain bike as well... a couple seasons overdue....