All packed up!

Well...mostly anyway. It was a busy day of packing and spending one last day with friends and neighbors. We'll be off for Las Vegas tomorrow, with a night stop in UT, just to minimize over travelling and being too tired to function once we get there...

:)

Recent weather pics

Recently...Hiking!

A trip from the Poudre Canyon

Birthdays!

Last month we celebrated our birthdays. Crystal got some flowers from my Mom. I got some sweet bike shorts by Oakley...and we went out and partied.

July Updates

So, in June, we were going to announce our moving to Las Vegas, but I'm behind (as usual) and we really just told everyone in April at my sister's wedding in Ohio. So, the cat was out of the bag a long time ago (sorry, Jen, I know you were hoping for some "other" news!).

So we're well on our way and with only a week left before we move, the house is full of boxes and there's hardly any food left to eat or clothes to wear! The best news is that I passed my National Certified Massage exam, so now I'm ready to work in Vegas as a therapist. Jobs there are plentiful (maybe because it's 111 degrees! Who can say?).

Next update will be from Sin City where we'll be frantically trying to find an apartment. Don't forget to make plans to visit!

On the agenda:

March 11th - Daylight Savings Time begins! We're getting about a month extra in 2007 which bodes well for "after work" riding.

In April, we're heading home for Lynde's wedding (hopin' to get a ride in!). Crystal has not been back since we went for Thanksgiving, the year we moved to CO (five years ago).

Also, in April, Me and Ivan and some of his friends are going to Fruita for some riding - maybe this will happen in May, nothing is set in stone yet. Ivan, if you read this, we need to nail down some details! :)

Something big is coming in June, but I'll leave it as a suprise for now...

Wings over Denver

We did catch a Wings game in Denver in January. More photos linked in the title:

They've changed the Blogs now so that you can click on a photo for a larger version. Very cool...the photos always were a bit disappointing.

It was a good game...scoring was back and forth, we had excellent seats, right on the glass near the penalty box. The Wings won in a shootout. It's amazing how many Detroit fans live in and around Denver. You'd think Detroit and Dever were in the same state! I lament for my hockey days and miss it a bunch.

Back from the Wilderness

Man, winter is the pits, huh? We all that snow in the beginning and now it's just been cold. I have not been able to ride in at least two months (I think it's more like three). The good news is that a new Gold's Gym went in in town and Crystal and I have been working out there 5-6 days a week since late Dec. It keeps me sane...luckily, too, I've been able to attend Spinning (though that's proprietary, so it's just "cycling") class to keep up the bike muscles!

Some recent pix for your perusal...

About Bo Schembechler and Michigan Football

I suppose I should mention something about all the goings on, now that it's been two weeks and I'm over it. The holiday in between was a good distraction.

I was very sad about Bo's death having watched him and Michigan football for years growing up. It's really an ingrained part of my life.

So we watched the game with anticipation and it was a classic battle. Michigan really held their own and I think could have won it (they only lost by 3 points). I'm kinda bummed that football season has almost come to a close. In our home, there are two teams, the Wolverines and the Razorbacks, so we still have hopes for Arkansas winning the SEC against Florida. After that, we'll just be waiting for the bowl games like everyone else. Either way, It was a good season for both teams and the first year I've watched so much football in a long time.

Sacred Numbers

If you want to know what they mean, ask. It is important, though that they be here.

The numbers and identification symbols are as follows:

447689001: six silver bands of light surrounding a golden egg

380905224: a blue lotus flower suspended in the starry vault of Orion

105802291: a white rose as seen from directly above the center point of its full blossom, containing 72 petals with a diamond at the point of each petal

778540211: the Emerald Tablet of Thoth radiating fire letters of gold from the polished surface of the emerald stone

America: Freedom to Fascism

Watch this video befoe they yank it off the web! Very thought provoking, very well done.

Ever wonder why the defecit matters? Every dollar collected in taxes pays for the intrest on the National Debt. The payments are collected by the Federal Reserve - A private group of banks! Every tax dollar goes into the pocket of private bankers! The bigger the debt, the bigger the interest payment, the more the bankers make!!! Man, I need to open a bank...

Voting, the election and the 14th Amendment

Well, I'm glad that the Democrats won so many seats in the Congress. This country has become a scary place of late, so maybe this will help. We'll see.

Did you vote? I didn't. I've come across some info about voting and the 14th Amendment (which was never ratified by the States, which makes it invalid to the Constitution) which I find interesting. I recommend this site:

http://www.deprogram.us/

There is also a link in the title.

World Series disaster

Did y'all see that Series? Man it was disappointing...the errors killed us, the Tigers weren't even competative. I was all stoked about it, but man it was less than satisfying. Maybe next year...geez.

Two months off

So it's been a while since I posted last. I was intent on using that new Mac to create new pages with cool pictures and graphics. I even bought the expensive software to do it: ".mac". Alas, it's so hard to figure out, that I gave up on it.

With the weather of August and Sept. being so fabulously warm, I spent a lot of time riding, as usual. I finally got a photo of the elusive Zebra at Devil's Backbone...he might as well have been a dragon or unicorn. No one believed me that he lived there...



Now it's October and fall is in full swing. It's football and hockey, Halloween and our 1st Anniversary! October 15th will be a full year since we got married. It's gone by quickly and it's been a good year.

Tigers, Red Wings and Wolverines, oh my!

So it's been since 1984 since the Tigers won the World Series. In fact, I can't remember a time since then when they were even in the playoffs. Not since Sparky Anderson, Alan Trammell, "Sweet" Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Tom Brookins, Chester Lemon, Kirk Gibson and the gang were playing at the old Tiger Stadium has there been a World Series hopeful team...we went to a lot of ball games that year.



Meet the new Captain! Game On!



And whooooaaa nellly, how about those Meechigan Wolverines! They're on a roll, just like butta.

The Captain Retires!

Man, that face says it all...

Link is in the title.



"Steve Yzerman was a tremendous hockey player who epitomized everything good about our game. He loved the game and played with passion every night. He was a winner who led Detroit to three Stanley Cups and was always there for his country to represent Canada on the international stage. He was the face of the Detroit Red Wings for the past 20 years and will be remembered as one of the best players and leaders that ever played the game of hockey. It was a pleasure to have worked with him.
-Wayne Gretzky

"Steve was a great ambassador for the game of hockey and will be sorely missed by everyone associated with the Nation Hockey League. Steve was a great leader, a great teammate and most importantly is a great person. I was fortunate to play at the 2002 Olympics with Steve and we won a gold medal together. It was a memorable experience and something I'll always cherish. I wish Steve the best of luck."
-Mario Lemieux

My New Toy

What's the best accessory for the iPods? iMac (or Mac Book as they're now called)!

I like Apple's style...simple, yet powerful. Sleek and refined, yet capable. If it's good enough for Forrest Gump, it's good enough for me!

The link is in the title.

Cool pic of Crystal riding at Lory State Park

Riding the Epiphany

We went up to Steamboat Springs last weekend (6/17) to go to the Ellsworth Demo they were having at Orange Peel bike shop. It was also Mustang Rally weekend - lots of very nice cars driving around. I wish we'd have gotten there earlier, we would have gotten some good photos (at first we thought it was Mustang horses, y'know, Colorado and all...).

Anyway, I didn't get to ride the bike long. It took about 30 min or so to get set up and what not and I had to talk about bikes - it was like a trip to Poto with Ivan and Diann, basically!

The bike is a beautiful piece of art in it's own right. And the price reflects that ($2395 frame only). The one I rode was a med frame with Fox Talas and RP3 suspension bits. It was built light - carbon cranks, SDG saddle/post combo, 2.1" Kenda Cortez tires on Crossmax wheels, similar to what is shown in the above pic from Ellsworth's website. The bike was vastly lighter than my Moment.

So, on the trail, it climbs well and feels very stable. Going down it was solid and fast. All in all, a bike I would be happy to ride frequently!

I spoke to the Ellsworth rep at length about the frame and the way I might build it up if I had one (Rock Shox Pike 140mm, 2.35 tires). She stated that the bikes geometric sweet spot was actually 110mm-120mm of front travel and that successive drops over two feet or so would seriously damage the frame with a tall fork on it (an issue not covered under warranty!). So instead of a hard charging 5" travel bike, I think what you get with the Epiphany is a long legged Truth, designed more for endurance racing and smooth trail riding (of which there is a lot in the US, even Colorado, but not really where I ride). I was a bit disappointed with that.

Overall, I liked the bike, but I wouldn't trade my Moment for it. The Moment is more versitile and makes a better "all mountain" bike as it can be built as a 5" travel trail bike or 6" travel light free ride/all mountain monster. The Moment frame uses a thicker tubing than the Epiphany which allows one to run a bigger variety of rear shocks and front forks. The draw of the Epiphany is it's light frame with magnesium rockers and shaped and swagged tubeset. A lot of work has gone into designing and building that frame, no doubt. In the future, the Moment will get much of the same treatment, though it's not really going to lose much weight overall.

It was cool seeing all the bikes that they're making, including new Truths, Rogues, Moments and Epiphanies. We also got to see a Witness, the full suspension tandem bike - HUGE! Maybe one day Crystal and I will get one...I bet they are fun to ride!

Colorado National Monument

A really cool area preserved between Grand Junction and Fruita, Colorado: