paxton peleton

Fendered Fargo!

2012-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

in anticipation of winter muck I installed Planet Bike Cascadia fenders on the Fargo but much to my dismay the winter riding here has been balmy most days, I'm sure that will change though!

Sweet coverage & easy installation with plenty of space for add-on graphics!

Another stellar weekend in Paxton!

2011-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

it all started out with the Lucas Cates Band on Saturday night at the Windy Gap Saloon with some fine music & too many beers & the meeting of new friend Bob "Captain Cowbell" Wiek driving out from 3 hrs west of here to join in on the festivities. What better way to recuperate from a wild night at the Gap than some pancakes, eggs & 30 miles of Vitamin G roads to set the mind right!

clear blue skies & balmy temps for December

not sure I was worthy riding with these two legends today, I did my very best to keep their pace & kind of bonked on the last hill to home

part of the legend of Capt Cowbell is of course, THE COWBELL!

this is one sleek, classic, beautiful bike here folks!

just a GREAT weekend spent with family, friends, great musicians & memories! Thanks for traveling to Paxton to join in on the fun Bob, was great getting to know you & hope we have many more rides together in the future!

Hobo Camp pizzaria

2011-11-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

the temps here have been balmy for November so what's a bike rider to do? Leave work early & RIDE OF COURSE! That's what I did last Friday, leaving home at 2:30 pm & returning home under a full moon well after dark thirty

another sentinel of the plains

the cyclocross barrier across the dam has an addition that will make it a bit easier to cross from now on, HOWEVER...it's not Woodchipper handle bar friendly, just a bit to narrow!

the South Platte river has got good flow for this time of year

this herd of mule deer checked me out on my way through a cow pasture

the descent was great til the end where it turned to sand & I had to walk it a ways then get off in the grass to ride into the canyon to...

...HOBO CAMP! First visit to the hobo camp on the Fargo so it was necessary to celebrate the monumental event with...

...PIZZA & PBR!

mmm, mmm, GOOD! Beats the hell out of Cliff bars & Powerade!

so here's the deal, camp stove pizzas, you need a cheap, little skillet from Wallyworld, camp stove, the spatula is a luxury (I've gotten by with a pocket knife), a piece of tin foil to keep some heat in like a lid & the key to success is that canning jar ring in the skillet to raise the pizza up a bit so it doesn't burn the middle of the crust, especially with the MSR pocket rocket where the heat is mainly right in the middle of the burner.

I use Momma Mary's pre-made pizza crusts (7") & also Momma Mary's pepperoni & tomato sauce in 2-3 oz. packets, smear a little olive oil on both sides of the crust, spread the sauce, pepperonis, grated mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes & I carry a small spice container with a mix of garlic powder, italian seasoning & crushed red pepper flakes. Move the skillet around from time to time to even the heat out but generally in about 7-10 min you have a dang fine mid-bike ride snack, I know a little more to pack & prepare but I'm into this type of fun!

with the pizza & beer devoured it was time to pack up & head out of hobo camp in time to see the full moon rise & have one of the better night rides I've ever had 15 miles back to home!

this is what's it's about for me, getting out on a backroad route, no cars, no i-pod, no hurry & no real agenda, just getting out on the bike & experimenting & having fun, stopping for pizza just made this ride more enjoyable & riding home in total darkness & solitude listening to the coyotes may not be for everyone but it sure was an enjoyable time for me, get out there & try something out of the ordinary & see what you'll find, if it's on a bike chances are it will be GREAT!

Farmers Valley 5-0 "Mayors Cup" ride

2011-10-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

back on Sept 10 my good buddy Paul "the Furnaceman" Siebert hit a milestone by turning 50 & since he just got into cycling again a couple years ago his goal was to ride a 50 miler on the road on this day, well, long story short his cycling has taken off a little more than most so we decided a 50 miler on gravel back in our home country where we both grew up would be a good time & it sure was!

this was our first stop after leaving Paul's cabin at 6 am after a late night of PBR's & Buffalo Trace bourbon, this is the Lushton cemetery, exactly a mile east of this cemetery is where I grew up, my folks still live there on the home place & they both just turned 80 years young!

the riders of the day were the honored birthday boy Paul "Mayor of Farmers Valley" on the left, Chad Q from G-Burg, myself from Paxton & Harry from Aurora, NE

All roads lead to Grafton, NE for a mid morning break of jerky, donuts & Bud heavy, Paul & Chad were rocking single speeds for the ride

the historic Farmers Valley cemetery located along the Blue River, Civil War veterans as well as settlers killed by Indians & a state senator are resting here forever, well worth a field trip but even more fun when arriving on bikes with good friends

the mayors cabin was an excellent base station for staging this ride & there have been many memories made in this cabin over the years & many more to come!

my Salsa Fargo was once again a very good platform for this ride, it glides down the gravel & eats up the dirt roads & I even found myself veering off the road a time or two to to hit the ditch for the heck of it!

the historic name bridge in Fillmore Co. the memories of this place run deep for me in so many ways, it was a must stop & see!

at the end of the day we shared some Ranger beer with the cabin gator & packed up & headed to Giltner, NE for the birthday bash wrap up at the Sit n Bull Saloon were we enjoyed more cool beverages, HUGE, homemade pizzas, cupcakes & live music, a perfect way to wrap up a 50th birthday bash!

I want to thank Paul for dreaming up his own birthday ride/party & for Chad & Harry for riding along & sharing in on a most enjoyable day spent on the bike, so many memories for Paul & I as every road we rode there was a story to tell, I can't think of a better way to spend the big 5-0 birthday!

Gravel Worlds 2011

2011-09-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

August 20, 6 am found Lane & I lined up for the Gravel Worlds race in Lincoln, NE, 153 miles of gravelly goodness put on by the Pirate Cycling League

116 riders towed the line at the start, 60 some ended up finishing, an impressive sight seeing riders strung out at the start & listening to the gravel crunching under many tires while watching the sun come up on the eastern horizon

an impressive barn & house at 98th & Branched Oak Rd, I think a barn dance in that big thing would be a good time!

eventually we hit some minimum maintenance roads & the previous nights rain showers wreaked some havoc, yes I screwed up by riding into it further than I should have, that is one DAMN HEAVY bike there with that extra gumbo on it!

checkpoint #2 was the general store in Malcolm, NE, a great old place to re-fuel

this horse earned his oats at mile 80 for me as I was DONE mentally, my longest ever gravel ride & I was cool with that, physically I'm sure I could have proceeded another 20 or more but since this ride is self-supported I was at a good stopping point at the 80 miles I did, NEXT YEAR!

Lane on the other hand appeared to want to finish the beast so I headed southeast of Lincoln to root him on as he passed by & he appeared sound enough to stick a fork in it, even though a little after this pic he hit some major mud & ended up carrying his bike a couple miles for the second time of the day

besides a few miles of mud the theme for the day was ROLLERS!

Lane kept his head on straight & bagged his first attempt at a Gravel Worlds finish, one wrong turn cost him extra miles so in the end he rode 156 miles in 14 hrs 30 min, not to mention the miles he carried his bike, yes, I'm DAMN PROUD of his accomplishment!

TO THE VICTOR ...goes a SWEET Gravel Worlds custom jersey as he was the only junior rider AND HE FINISHED, thank you PCL!!!

this was the result of the road conditions, not to mention the build up on the bikes! This was a GREAT event with some super roads, riding & folks, THANK YOU Pirate Cycling League for holding this challenging event, I know where I'll be riding this time next year, hopefully ALL OF IT if I can get some training tips & secrets from my son!

Ridin' the Storm Out!

2011-06-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

this was my Memorial Day ride, after riding through our local cemetery to pay homage I pointed it west into a 10-12 mph head wind

rode some new gravel roads & there was a whole lot of this in front & behind me

finally made it to Lake McConaughy & gave myself & the Fargo a bit of a break

the lake is as full as I've ever seen it since I've moved here in 1990, still a lot of water to come yet by the way it sounds

not near as much of the morning glory showing as just one year ago

riding along the base of Kingsley dam I could see the ominous clouds quickly moving in from the northwest & knew I may be in for an interesting trip home

and man was I right, that grass blowing there meant some super strong wind & I was cruising with it at my back sometimes reaching speeds of 25 mph or more

I had a good 20 miles of gravel left so re-fueled with a Honey Stinger waffle, these things are awesome!

the canal is out of it's banks at a few places & actually had whitecaps for most of the trip home, my legs were getting sandblasted with the gravel/dust while at the same time I was getting a cool, wet mist from the water getting blown around

pushed on hard & fast through a 3-4 mile dustbowl were the visibility was like a thick fog & made it home from the lake in record time, never got any rain just huge winds & rolled into home base in time to share a few cold beers with some friends who were over visiting, with 50 miles of extremes in it was a very good character building session!

Against the Wind!

2011-06-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

a cloudy, windy day a few weeks back found Lane & I back on the canal road riding straight into a 30 mph headwind for 15 miles RATHER than putting the wind at our backs like some roadies do! I was hearing Bob Seger in the back of my head singing "Against the Wind"

the secret is out & we are now having to share our pristine backroads with RUNNERS! What the $@#*!! Oh well, may need to make exceptions now & then, this gal had to be training for something as she was a long way from her destination & had a blistering pace.

got to the end of the canal & threw in the towel on the dang wind & headed up this paved road that has a HUGE climb to get back on some more G-roads to point it back east to home

with the wind now at our backs for 15 miles we made some awesome time back home sometimes reaching gravel speeds upwards of 25 mph, another GREAT gravel ride with my son on the backroads & it's funny I just noticed that in all these pics for 30 miles he was AHEAD of me...GO FIGURE!!!

The Great White Buffalo

2011-05-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

just an evening cruise down some familiar gravel for some more windmill shots

some dirt road goodness

followed by yet another windmill with some local occupants

I turned off to get the Fargo in it's element

and low & behold...what's that up the hill in the middle of nowhere?

HMMM...an elusive cave in the middle of a hill!

this has me thinking about Uncle Tupelo's song, "I am a...moonshiner" wether it was ever used for this or not, it's a cool notion

looking east from the cave is another squeaky sentinel of the plains

a most excellent platform for these little forays into the hills!

a few gnarly trees around here seem to be clinging to a harsh life here in the buffalo trace

they don't seem to be holding up as well as the windmills

it's been a rough life for them between the wind, elements & many cows rubbing on them over the years

this buffalo trace "blowout" has become a mystical somewhat spiritual place for me to visit, really makes my mind wander

"I said above the canyon wall, strong eyes did see, it was the leader of them all baby, THE GREAT WHITE BUFFALO"

full moon a rising over the plains...I'll be back!

"Into the great wide open"

2011-04-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

on the venue for Saturday was more backroad base miles & the weather was perfect though overcast all day, I quit using an I-pod quite awhile back as I like to hear what's going on around me & today it was meadowlark's welcoming in the balmy temps. but it seems I always get a song stuck in my head for the whole ride, today it was Tom Petty's "Into the great wide open...under a sky of blue...a rebel without a clue" however it goes, anyways that seemed like an appropriate song for the ride

this is a grove of Cottonwood trees & what's odd is they are in the middle of nowhere out in the hills & there used to be a whole bunch of platform nests in them during the summer that were used for Blue Herons nesting, I always thought this was odd until reading up on Herons & learning that this is pretty common for them to raise their young away from the water that they spend most of their lives wading in.

the first of several cattle guard crossings

these guys came up to the road to check me out on the way by

these backroads have this effect on me!

a sign of things to come?

YEP! these kids were in a playful mood & wanted to race to!

the Fargo launches across these!

I've always had a problem staying hydrated with just plain old water & am trying this MIO stuff & in the peach tea flavor it is great, just a few drops in a bottle & you're good to go

CAUTION, WHIP POPPING, ROPE SWINGING COWBOYS AHEAD!

I love these signs & the roads that are ahead of them!

the new Jandd Mt. handlebar pack holds the right amount for a day trip like this

lunch with a view on the North Platte river bridge

back on the north canal to head it home from Keystone just as the wind really came up into my face! the canal is running full bore right now to so it's wise to pay attention. another great day on the bike, ended up with 40 miles & can't wait to ride this route again.

Fine tuning, a history lesson & one CRAZY DOG!

2011-04-05T20:08:00.001-07:00

Been riding the heck out of the new fargo & tweakin' it some, including the new bar end caps compliments of 5 Trails Winery in downtown Paxton, their Zorx brand caps they use to bottle wine are the ticket for drop, wrapped bars & are FREE after buying, opening & drinking 2 bottles of wine!

Sunday Lane & I went 12 miles west for a Keith Co. history lesson of this old building which is called the Cider Mill, used to set on old Highway 30 or the Lincoln Highway about 5 miles west of Paxton where it was the office for a gas station & they sold cherry & apple flavored cider buy the glass or jug to weary travelers stopping for gas, a friend of ours salvaged it from demolition & turned it into a garden shed years ago, funny part is my folks remembered it from when they drove through here in 1952 on their honeymoon to Yellowstone! the spindle holding the windmill blade is from an old Model A, great to see this old stuff being preserved & actually knowing the story behind it.

And our crazy dog Tate wants to take up spelunking I believe as he's been practicing getting into some really tight spots for napping lately, what entertainment he brings us!

Local legend re-visited

2011-03-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

with beautiful balmy temps on a Sunday afternoon what's a bike rider to do? GET OUT!

my new Salsa Fargo is shaping up to be the PERFECT platform for some of my off the wall rides that tend to wonder "off the beatin' path"

today my neighbor Kendell & I decided on some canal miles with a side trip to our local famous blowout which after a little more research appears to have been formed by hundreds of thousands of buffalo cutting through here many years ago to head to water in the South Platte river about a mile to the north, making this Paxton's very own "buffalo trace" which also happens to be the name of a DAMN FINE bourbon from Kentucky, making it kind of ironic that the local legend is there used to be some moonshining going on back here in some caves

I imagine horses would look a little more appropriate here but the Fargo & Kendell's GIANT TCX seemed to do the trick just as well!

DROPPING IN...YEEHAW!

back on canal gravel in the North Platte river valley

canal bridge safety break, what a GREAT loop, south valley to north valley with an off-road detour AND a history lesson, with the new bike I'm pretty sure there will be many more of these local adventures as well as some in other far flung places in the future. Get out & ride a bike & make some good times happen!

New bike!

2011-03-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Not much goin' on lately other than the single speed may be gathering a little more dust these days as I finally got my new dream bike, the Salsa Fargo. Been riding & dialing it in for a week now, 115 miles later I LOVE IT!

"Deadhead Tribute Tour"

2011-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

After saying farewell to my buddy Dennis "Deadhead" a few weeks ago I left on my 2 wheeled singlespeed wonder on the ride that I had hoped he would be along for, unfortunately it didn't work out that way for his schedule & I fully understand that with the stress of moving & starting a new job.

Anyways, what was to be a mixture of dirt/gravel roads quickly turned into this road above, what's an adventure cyclist to do? EXIT, STAGE LEFT!

find some pristine cow trail & start bushwacking through the hills...UNTIL

...I was forced to drop back into the dreaded dirt road/mudslide, this is where it got interesting for the rest of the decent

I finally hit the level valley floor again & decided a safety break was in order with a pull of Maker's Mark from the Surly "safety" flask, yes Dennis, right back there in those trees to the right of that flask is the elusive hobo camp we were to hang out at one last time, it will be another time when & if you ever visit these desolate wastelands again. That pull of Kentucky's finest was in honor of YOU my friend, with a tear in my eye!

with the safety break tribute drink out of the way I got on some more sketchy gravel road along the canal as the sun was setting to point it home 12 miles away

a time to reflect on a great friendship with some great cycling miles over the last few years

looking north as darkness was falling I couldn't help but remember our ride through those very hills up there a couple of summers ago which ended up at the Windy Gap for burgers & beers & wonder if our next ride may end up at the Hot Tomato Cafe in downtown Fruita for pizza & beer, here's hoping on my part!

Thanks for the miles & memories Dennis, at least the local ones here that I can re-live with many of my future rides & here's to our future rides together when I come west or you come back east, CHEERS BUDDY!

GO AWAY WINTER!

2011-02-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

Farewell for now my friend!

2011-01-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

Some people judge their life's wealth on material things, others judge it by their family & friends, that's the category I fall into. Now if you judge my wealth by the number of friends I have, I'm very poor because I don't claim to have many close friends BUT the quality of those friends is VERY HIGH, making me a very wealthy man!

My friends are usually like-minded individuals with whom I share common interests with & the first time I met Dennis, we seemed to just click! I believe we met out at Potter's Pasture maybe in '04-'05 & this guy was rockin' a singlespeed bike, COOL, as I myself had my eye on one & ended up getting it in the spring of '06, all the while still meeting up with Dennis on occasions to grind out a few miles at Potter's, or perhaps some skinny-tired road miles up to Lake McConaughy & back or north to McPherson Co.

or perhaps it was a last minute whim to go race the Dakota 5-o with NO training on my part, but hey...hell yes I'll go as it was time spent with a GOOD BUDDY riding bikes, drinking a few beers & having fun! The real reward for that race was having Dennis waiting at the finish line with a cold PBR for a LOOONG time as, well, I think I hold the record for the longest finish time in the history of that race, BUT I FINISHED!

The gravel road rides, the last minute poaching of a day of RAGBRAI, didn't matter WHAT type of bike riding we did together as it's all good between friends.

Well, Dennis has pulled the plug on western Nebraska & was loaded up headed west yesterday & called me to meet up & say good-bye, ironically I was 10 miles west of home starting another one of my off the wall adventure rides so I waited for him to come by to say our farewells, was glad we could hook up one last time for sure, even if we didn't get one last ride in together.

I say farewell for now as Dennis says he'll be back to visit & ride more miles with me, but more than likely it will be ME that wants to go & visit him in his new digs, you see, Dennis has moved to Grand Junction, CO, NEED I SAY MORE! So, farewell for now my friend, but I can assure you we will spin tires together again & I wish you & your family ALL THE BEST!

Today's gravel ride...

2011-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

...not quite pudding, more like angel food cake!

this fencepost snowman was in his element as it was plenty cool

a new little windmill that I've probably rode by 100 times & never bothered stopping to take a pic, that dark line behind it is a UP railroad track so my next goal is to get a pic of a train going by the windmill

as usual youth kept the pace a little on the high side

I didn't do to bad to hold my own...for an old guy!

weapon of choice, the faithful Karate Monkey, tried & true

and now...our national bird!

had to stop for a fuel stop by the river bank & that little thermos full of hot chocolate really hit the spot, thanks to my folks for getting that for my birthday last month, VERY HANDY!

the perfect spot for a re-fuel stop, beats a Quick Stop!

a little less than favorable conditions for gravel riding again but worth trying again & bumped the miles up from yesterday & with Lane along for company it was another good day of memory making

Gravel "pudding" road tour

2011-01-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

this is basically the type of track I left today for the whole ride!

the backroads were LESS than favorable for riding today but I had to try it anyways

fenders would be good for this stuff

still working on that windmill/sunset shot, same windmill, different sunset!

the shadow shot turned out fair

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Let the miles & smiles begin!

When the Furnace Man comes to town...

2010-12-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

"A man must carry on"

Bikes, beer & bourbon on a canal cruise!

Lincoln Cyclocross-day 2

2010-11-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

day 2 brought out ALL the hooligans on Hooligan Hill, including this 3 piece band!

every time the riders came buy these guys cranked it out loud & proud adding sooo much to the entire race, this was a really sweet addition!

the PCL undies were out to help the riders out

the crowds were lining the hill cheering the riders on

jet pack guy on a bike showed up, uhhh, not really but it looked cool as he rode away, just another way to transport home brew!

Cornbread getting a boost from the band & the boy briefs

YEEEHAWWW!

Lane kept his cool & ran a good race...

...AGAIN!

he used his cool & form to go on & win day 2 making him the Nebraska State Jr Cyclocross Champion! I think he's stoked on this sport, I know I am stoked going to these races & watching him & others race & I think we'll keep this up for awhile, in fact I think Lane will be on the lookout for a nicer bike in the 2011 season, anyone got a sweet, lightly used carbon cross bike for sale?

Lincoln Wheelmasters Cyclocross

2010-11-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

the venue

give this guy some stylin' points!

Lane lining up with the Cat 4's sizing up the competition, perhaps wondering what he just got into.

this is wrong in soooo many ways but DAMN FUNNY just the same!

a sweet bike with a controversial past

Nate Woodman getting it done!

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, a legendary Lincoln pirate

the legendary Steve Tilford

Nate again using his skillz to pay the billz, watching his maneuvers on Hooligan Hill on Saturday was worth the trip to Lincoln all in itself, he's the only one that tries this AND pulls it off!

Corey on his sweet new ti Indy Fab cross bike showing how a pirate rides

HUP HUP HUP LANE!

Get back on & ride hard...

...to a strong finish!

Grandpa & Grandma even showed up to brave the cold to see Grandson race & ...

...pull off another WIN!

what a day of GREAT cyclocross action & just hanging around a lot of folks who LOVE bikes, Lincoln has a GREAT cycling scene with some great shops, trails & riding & we had an awesome time, stay tuned for day 2 & the State Championship race day recap

MORE COWBELL!

2010-11-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

I love cyclocross races!

The perfect windmill shot?

2010-11-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

I don't claim to be a a professional photographer but it's something that I enjoy & if time & money were no issue I would dive into it a little deeper, but until then I'll keep clicking with my Olympus Stylus 850 SW & one of my favorite subjects have always been windmills.

with modern technology these days it seems even windmills in this part of the country are getting scarcer, people are replacing them with submersible wells & solar panels & such

kind of reminds me of 35 mm cameras getting replaced with digital, when my wife & I got married we bought a Canon Photura 35 mm camera & I eventually figured it out & took some bitchin' pictures with it over the years, now along comes new technology & this ol' coyote has to try & learn new tricks!

so maybe someday I'll learn this new camera & actually take some decent pics with it, then I suppose they'll come out with something else & I'll have to start over again!

until then I'll keep on exploring the backroads with my bike, looking west into the sunsets & trying to track down one last windmill for the "perfect windmill shot"

I'd like to dedicate this post to my daughter Dakota who is in Sweden for a year, living, learning & hopefully laughing plenty. Before she left we took some GREAT father/daughter bike rides & watched the sunsets over our prairie home, some days while riding all I can think about are those rides & how much I miss her but so glad she's having this opportunity & hoping she's enjoying the sunsets over in Sweden.

We will have more sunset rides when you return Dakota, I PROMISE! I love you & miss you!

Another memorable Potter's trip!

2010-11-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

with the weather not being very typical for this time of year & a few folks wanting to pull another overnighter at Potter's pasture the only logical thing to do was to gather the camping gear & load the bike & "head east"!

what was to follow was an abbreviated tour of Ireland with a little Germany thrown in along with a seasonal tour through a pumpkin patch then back to Ireland for "Irish Car Bombs", thanks again to Gordon the "tour guide extraordinaire"!

no need for a tent this trip as my friend Paul "the Furnaceman" Siebert had plenty of room in his pyramid tent complete with wood stove for a cozy night when we finally did turn in around 2 am AFTER a little Canjo jamming (a banjo made from a tin can!) & some saltine crackers with kippered herring snacks, a long standing tradition in this tent!

besides providing lodging for the night Paul provided evening & morning entertainment as this is what he does for a living when not camping & cycling, here he is on Sat morn with his hammer dulcimer treating the breakfast club to some music

Paul has a HUGE library of songs floating around in his head along with a bunch of original tunes, chances are you can name a song & he can play it, especially some of the good ol' country tunes & hippy music, he also plays some classical music, Irish ballads & such on that hammer dulcimer that goes over well at some of the weddings he plays

special guest rider this time was my oldest son Delley who came out for night from college after work & he joined in on the Sat morning ride on my old TREK I brought out for him. He used to tear it up out here on a bike but it's been about 4 years since he's rode so I was glad to see him back on 2 wheels, notice the smile on his face, bicycle induced again!

another great night of camping & a morning ride followed by some corned beef hash & fresh elk steaks for lunch & it was back to "the real world"!

Day 2-Lincoln Cyclocross

2010-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

day two of our cyclocross weekend found us in Lincoln for the Flatwater Classic Cyclocross race at Van Dorn park, a very well run race I thought

MG's backup steed the sweet Salsa Vaya

a shortcut through the woods left me looking like I had a run in with a porcupine, not sure what these were but they were everywhere on my socks, shoes & pants

I also had to be careful for the Yeti lurking in the woods, as did the racers

a bell ringing Yeti at that, obviously a HUGE cyclocross fan!

Cornbread was back at it for day two

for another Cat 1,2,3 men's 4th place finish

these ladies kind of reminded me of the Interbike hotties in their full kits, except these gals knew how to ride & race a bike!

just some casual observers watching the awards

Lane dashing through the woods, good thing he gets some practice time in at Potter's Pasture, minus the Yeti of course

more hurdle jumping

crankin' it out at the finish line...

for another 1st place finish in the jr. division, WAY TO GO LANE! Next up is another 2 day roadtrip back to Lincoln on Nov. 20-21, Pioneer Park for MORE COWBELL!

Weekend cyclocross action-Norfolk, NE

2010-10-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

with state cross country over with last friday in Kearney, the bikes were all loaded, ready to go & we were off to Norfolk after the xc run to race some more for Lane in his first cyclocross race of the season

he raced the junior division which was run with the category 4 men's so it was stacked about 28 racers at the start

one of the first major obstacles was this giant pinwheel of death

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey of the legendary "D Street Hotel" in Lincoln handled the dreaded pinwheel with ease in the Cat 1,2,3 class

he played it cool to go on for a 4th place finish

a sweet ride to haul bikes around with!

Lane negotiating the downhill chute through the trees

HUP, HUP, HUP...over the hurdles

through the dreaded pinwheel of death

powering through the sandtrap, earning him a first place, now load the bikes & head back southeast to Lincoln for day two of cyclocross racing...stay tuned!

Fall gathering-Potter's pasture

2010-10-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

with Lane's Jeep loaded, the bikes racked & Tate riding guard it was time to get away & decompress for the weekend at...

...Potter's Pasture

fresh water at this campsite was NOT a problem!

accommodations for the night was my folks early 90's Eureka tent & my retro early 80's Camp Trails sleeping bag & with an all night drizzle I was warm & dry

thanks to Gordon we had a delightful Octoberfest tasting before we went...

...AROUND THE WORLD!

once a pot of beer simmered brats was consumed it was time to gear up & head out...

...to watch the sun set & the moon crest over the communications tower to the west

then turn on the lights & hit the trail for an AWESOME night ride

what a great time & to see eight sets of lights bouncing down the trail like fireflies dancing through the canyon at night is a sight to behold

the landmark windmill on the hill at Potter's is always a welcome sight after a long week of the "real world" what a great way to spend a weekend!

Campout omelets 101

2010-10-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't of seen it myself but my new friend Gordon showed me how to do this over a weekend campout & I was amazed!

first you start by washing your hands like any good chef & it helps to have a camp sink with a foot pump & copper faucet, but if you don't have that just use any water/soap source.

it also helps to have an elaborate "omelet bar" like this but I think you could get by with a rock by the river or a log in the woods for a table

start by breaking/beating 2 eggs up then add your favorite ingredients, in this case we used green & red peppers, two kinds of onions, diced ham, cheese, salt/pepper & onion salt & mix thoroughly in a pint sized ziploc bag, squeeze all the air out, seal up tightly & if you have a bunch in camp with different tastes make sure to write your name on the bag with a sharpie so they don't get mixed up.

drop your omelet bag into a boiling pot of water, put the lid on & forget about it for 12-15 minutes, then pull it out, open the bag &...

...the PERFECT campsite omelet! These were a little salsa or hot sauce away from the perfect omelet but how simple & delicious & think of the options for toppings & what you like, how about bacon & mushrooms. I think you could wrap these up in a tortilla to eat if you were on the go, such a simple & neat idea, thanks for this treat today Gordon, was great sharing a camp with you & learning something new.

Pedal to end Polio

2010-10-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the inagural "Pedal to end Polio ride" put on by the North Platte Sunrise Rotary Club which Jessie is now a member of & she did the ground work for this, her first fundraising event for the club.

Was a beautiful fall day for a ride around Lake Maloney & there was a shorter distance ride for kids & those who didn't want to go the long route. I hadn't rode this route in maybe 2-3 years & kind of enjoyed being out on the skinny- tired bike riding hills & playing in traffic with others. The cost was $15/person & they had 25 show up & that got them a t-shirt, lunch & a door prize (everyone got something) so was a nice event going to a good cause, helping eradicate polio around the world.

Look for this to go down again next year if you missed it, hopefully it will grow in size & become an annual event.

Wellfleet mt bike race

2010-09-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the resurection of the Wellfleet Fall Festival mt bike race, I guess this was a big deal for a number of years back in the 80's-90's then it died out & 2010 they decided to bring it back, Jessie & Lane decided to try it & Olivia & I were the designated domestique's

Not a huge showing but 11 adventurous souls lined up for the start on main street for a 1.75 mile gravel (half of that up a big hill) to hit singletrack cow trails in the canyons

this was the terrain of the race with a lot of switchbacks, ups & downs with some bike portages much like Potter's Pasture & basically the same canyons, just a little further to the west

Lane ripping it up on one gear & rigid getting ready to hit the off-road section, he finished 2nd overall

Dennis "Deadhead" Phillips also on one gear & don't let him fool you, he's also mt bikin' maniac, taking 3rd place overall

Paul Brasby hitting the trail, Paul helps out a lot to get new folks into cycling regardless of what type, he can be found out on the road on skinny tires or out at Potter's on any given weekend trimming, mowing or doing trail maintenance before he rides & he helps organize some "for fun" races out at Potter's that people always have a blast at.

Tate taking in the race from a vantage point on top, he was born in these parts just to the southeast of here, wonder if he remembers "the old country"

this is Kara Sandman & she's fairly new to mt bikin', notice the smile on her face, funny how a bike will do that to a person, Kara did well until her chain broke, better luck next time!

the course went down this canyon then back up towards that windmill in the center
for a total of 10 miles round trip

Jessie getting ready to bomb back downhill to town for the overall women's win, GREAT JOB!

even the Wellfleet post office was in the cycling spirit

after race war stories, l-r, Lane Bergen, Paxton, Dennis Phillips, NP, Todd Tvrdik, Kearney (overall winner) & Paul Brasby, NP.

I think this race has some potential to grow again with some input from some mt bikers & maybe some help with the course & the length/layout, it would be cool to have a mt bike race every year here again this close to home & actually get some more riders to show up to support it, we'll see how it goes!

In a perfect world...

2010-09-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

...this would be every cycler's dream commute, however it's only in Helsingborg Sweden where my daughter is living this year & commuting to school & around town by bike, YES... I'm proud of her for that! Way to go Dakota, keep riding & exploring so you know where to take your old dad someday when we go back to ride our bikes across the WHOLE country.

I think a Salsa Vaya will be the bike of choice for me!

Budget bikepacking set-up

2010-08-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

since getting a write-up published in Dirt Rag mag issue 150 on western Nebraska bikepacking I've been getting a few requests for my budget set-up ideas so here's what I'm rocking thus far on my singlespeed Surly Karate Monkey.

2 sets each of these for a grand total of $8.00

cut the straps in half (I used a woodburner) & attach the quick release buckles on each end, you should now have a total of 4 straps around 3' long

next you'll need 2 Sea to Summit bags, a 13 L Big River dry bag for around $25.00 & a Sea to Summit e-Vent compression bag for around $27.00

on my back is an old Gary Fisher pack with a 100 oz. Camelback bladder & a Cabela's self-inflating camp mattress, inside goes some munchies, couple of cold beverages, small bottle of chain lube, headlamp, first-aid kit, etc.

teamed up with a Jandd frame bag for tools, patch kit, extra tubes & camera & you have my budget bikepacking kit

on the bars goes my $30 Slumberjack sleeping bag in the e-Vent compression bag secured with 2 of the straps

and on the back goes the big River dry bag with a $30 Wenzel 1 man tent & some Smartwool base layers & extra shorts, this is secured using the roll-top part around the seatpost then secured good with the other 2 straps to suck it down & prevent sway, blinky light hooks into strap around the back, only disadvantage is I can't unload the bag without undoing it all but hey, I've saved around $100 compared to the custom seat packs & I'm not racing so not in a big hurry to pack up, just keep stuff in here that doesn't need used until stopping for the night.

the Dry River bag has an oval profile so it's pretty sleek back there & I don't have a problem with it hitting my legs while peddling.

all 3 bags plus straps on the bike for around $90! Compare that to the custom bags on the market, not saying they're not sweet & worth the $$$, I personally hope to own a set of Revelate Design bags someday but just want to let the new folks know this can be done on the cheap & still be fun.

So don't get discouraged when shopping for bikepacking bags, find something that works for you at your price, use what you got laying around & put it on any bike you ride & go out there & spend a night under the stars, if it's done on a bike it's GREAT!

Made in Sweden

2010-08-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

here it is Dakota, your homework assignment for dad while your in Sweden! My neighbor had this laying around & we got to talking about it & he gave it to me.

it's a Primus No. 71 brass camping/backpacking stove in a self-contained container that acts as a pot holder

has an adjustment key attached to a small brass chain

I'd like to know what type of gas it burns, how it lights & if it's safe to use. It appears to be from the 1950's or so, a really neat stove, just wonder if it's got any life left in it.

Where's there's smoke...

2010-08-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

...there's fire! In this case mulberry wood in the business end of...

...my smoker pit! Yeah, when you see or smell smoke in my backyard you know I'm studying & trying to perfect the fine art of pit-smoking 101, DO NOT confuse pit-smoking with BBQ'ing 'cause it's NOT the same, ask any Texan!

and if you happen to stop by to learn some pit-smoking 101 be sure & bring something cold to drink as it's a HOT class, in the case of smoked pig ribs, some Shiner 101 really compliments those, AHHH...another summertime treat!

Summertime staples!

2010-08-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Fresh salsa from the garden, unfortunately it arrived the weekend after Dakota left for Sweden, she was waiting for this stuff, don't worry Dakota, we'll get a salsa garden in for you next year, hopefully earlier so we can bring you some salsa along when we come pick you up from the airport!

Grillin' & chillin' with shrimp/beef kabobs & veggies along with my very own jalepeno poppers filled with cream cheese/montery jack cheese, cumin & garlic, bacon wrapped & grilled, watch out for the HOT ones!

this one is part of our Mennonite heritage, watermelon & roll kuchen with peanut butter frosting, think Indian fry bread with frosting, GREAT STUFF!

and finally, the first BLT of the summer with fresh tomatoes out of the garden along with "roastin' y'ars", potatoe salad & sweet tea, MMM! MMM! the joys of summer!

My new hero!

2010-08-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here's my daughter Dakota & she's my new hero! For a long time now she's wanted to experience life in another country, but a simple couple week trip would not suffice for her, no siree, she wanted to learn the life, food, culture, history & eventually the language. Well with the help of a local rotary club about a year ago she started her journey!

I think the real journey started though on this day, July 28 when we drove her to Lincoln to put her on a jet, her first time flying by the way, to begin her journey for a year to Helsingborg, Sweden, where she will dive head first into learning their culture, I'm so proud of her & what she's doing I know this will be a life changing experience for ALL of us!

Mom had no worries at this point but that soon changed, & yes, even dad shed his share of tears!

luckily this wasn't the plane she had her first flight in!

This was the first one she flew in, Lincoln to Chicago, short layover before heading to Frankfurt, Germany then another layover before the final leg to Copenhagen, Denmark, then a ferry ride to Helsingborg, Sweden to her new home. Good luck Dakota, we all love you & miss you but can't wait to see where this takes you someday, & yes this blog may start getting some crazy posts on it besides cycling related issues because this will be a way for my daughter to see what her crazy dad & family is up to as well as some of the things she may miss, it will all be here next year when you get back Dakota, enjoy your experience!

Full moon fever!

2010-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

with the heat wave we've been having night time is the right time to ride, a full moon makes it even better

Kendell & I

Lane choosing to cross it up on the canal, Kendell & I chose the fat tires of the singlespeed variety

riding steel, packing iron!

shadow riders

Project America Run

2010-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is some of the local Paxton runners putting in some miles with Mike Ehredt (in the yellow shirt) who is running from Astoria, OR to Rockland, ME to honor fallen soldiers in Iraq & Afganistan. He's planted a flag every mile he's covered & read off a name, rank & town of a soldier who's made the ultimate sacrifice. Check him out at www.projectamericarun.com & show him some support if you see him out there, truly one of the "good guys"

Sunsets & no camera!

2010-07-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm a sunset kind of person rather than sunrise. Just can't get up in the am after 6 years on the graveyard shift, perhaps someday I'll adjust. Anyways, I've seen some of the most incredible sunsets this summer & have yet to have my camera along when I'm out there pedaling into those sunsets. We've got a great background with the hills in the distance & we've had some AWESOME looking distant storms that brew up some GREAT thunderheads in the evenings, this is when I like to be out there turning over the pedals taking in all the marvelous sights.

Also seeing plenty of wildlife & have had TWO rattlesnake encounters thus far this summer, more than I've had in the last 5 years! I guess I'll start carrying the camera more as it's all right out there to enjoy & record for some lasting memories.

Ride in peace Dave Blumenthal

2010-06-26T21:44:00.000-07:00

I've been a Tour Divide fan now for around 4 years or more & it's crazy how one becomes a huge fan of a person I've never met in my life through their personal blog & other sites like bikepacking.net Well that's what happened when I started following Dave Blumenthal from Vermont, he's the type of guy I would of loved to met face to face & maybe pedal a few miles with, unfortunately Dave's life was cut short last Thurs following a tragic accident while racing the Tour Divide.

This type of news really hits hard for all the fans & especially the racers I'm sure, Dave leaves behind a wife & young daughter who need all your prayers right now to get through this. Puts that race in perspective & what the riders face out there on their journey to try to complete this thing, be careful out there folks & ride in peace Dave.

Long-haul truckers!

2010-06-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Meet Marcus & Dirk from Orlando, FL who my wife met at our local grocery store Fri. pm & invited them to hang out with us for the evening as the temps for cycling were nearly unbearable. They took us up on it & checked out the local swimming pool then we showed them some good ol' Nebraska hospitality by grilling them some steaks & bar-hopping with them in our bustling little town (we hit all 3 bars in an hour!)

Anyways, did I mention they were cycling? Yeah they sure are, from Florida to Alaska! They started mid May & are well over 2000 miles, follow their journey at www.iloveadventuring.com we kept them out a little late but they were early risers as they were gone this morning when we got up to start breakfast, sorry we missed you guys, best of luck in your journey & if you're ever back through stop & see us. Hope you made Bridgeport today like you planned, truly inspiring!

Game time!

2010-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

High noon today, June 11, Banff Alberta, Canada was the start of my Super Bowl, the only "sporting event" I care to follow every year the 2010 Tour Divide. Totally self-supported bicycle race from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells, N.M.

I totally admire anyone who even lines up for this event yet alone finishes it, this is no Tour de France with team cars, feed bags, domestiques & masseuses, this is the real deal, the heart & soul of extreme endurance bicycle racing, what these folks will have will be snowy passes, grizzly bears, mud, sleeping in a bivvy bag alone at night, convenience store food & thunderstorms in the middle of nowhere for 2745 miles if they complete the entire route.

Forty-eight brave souls signed up this year & the adventure will be worth following on the blog at www.tourdivide.org including call-in podcasts, spot leader board & pics. Now go ride your bike this weekend & keep these folks in your thoughts & prayers!

Safety in numbers!

2010-06-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

sunday some friends of ours were coming through on a self-contained 4 day bike tour up to follow the BRAN(Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska) ride for one day so after lunch at the Windy Gap with them we joined them for a nice ride to Lake McConaughy where they were going to camp for night before heading north on monday to Hyannis where BRAN was stopping for the night

re-group

this was the reward once we arrived at the lake, REAL malts, MMM!

this was the establishment that had those malts & may be a new bike riding destination on the east side of Martin Bay

this shot would have been mostly sand this time of year last year but Martin Bay is filled back up, highest water levels in 10 years

this is when it got crazy, Lane & I decided we were up for an adventure again & I think those crazy Lincolnites inspired this. Road bikes on gravel, yes folks, very skinny, smooth, high-pressure tires on loose gravel for 14 miles & an approaching storm behind us!

focus Lane, focus!

ride & smile!

this was the cyclocross, sandtrap hazard & Lane handled it well. That is the canal flowing overhead back there across that canyon, yep, a bridge FOR water!

Ridin' the storm out!

eight miles to go & we just started getting wet the last couple miles, the gravel on skinny tires was crazy & we could feel the workout of keeping it upright in our arms & shoulders, good time though with 50 miles in round trip. Come join us sometime for a cycling adventure, you never know what we've got up our sleeve!

Base miles!

2010-05-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

That's what I've been up too lately, sorry, no pics as it's been on skinny tires down the blacktop, not many interesting things to see so I don't usually take the camera. Tonight was good though as Jessie & I left home at 6:00pm to try to make it to Lewellen, 52 miles west before dark, had to pull the plug 10 miles short though due to DARKNESS! Oldest son came & picked us up but before he arrived we watched a spectacular thunderstorm brew in the southeast.

Another 100 miles & I've got more miles in than I rode the entire year of '09, not sure why I'm pushing it more this year, I have nothing in mind (ok, I've got a couple of twisted ideas in mind for later on!) but no races planned, no BRAN or RAGBRAI. It just feels good to be out again riding more miles after a rather stressful year last year of learning a new job & getting in the swing of things.

The Fargo build is advancing at a snail's pace but that's alright as I think once it's done my other bikes will be collecting dust, but still looking forward to getting it decked out & pointed towards ADVENTURE! Meanwhile, "ride & smile"!

Potter's Pasture Spring 2010 gathering

2010-04-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend to set up camp at Potter's Pasture to get in some riding, socializing, cooking over a fire & having a few cold brews.

It got a little chilly so it was nice having a furry tent mate!

Tate the pint-sized pointer & an old grey coyote greeting the morning

A Potter's Pasture virgin on the left, Paul "the Furnaceman" Siebert was doing

GREAT for his first time out singletracking on a singlespeed no less. Besides being able to rip it on a mt bike Paul can keep the tunes flowing for an entire night around a campfire, check him out www.paulsiebert.net & as usual, Lane on the right was ripping up the trails, "cross style" this time out!

Looking back down in the valley this is Horse Shoe trail

And how appropriate is this...there is now a church pew on top of Church Grove trail

A pew with a view!

the legendary Mr. Potter (second from left) is the current caretaker of this GREAT place to camp, ride & hang out with friends & I think all who attend are grateful for his contributions as I don't think mountain biking in western Nebraska would be the same without Potter's Pasture, come & check it out sometime & I'm sure you to will have a big old smile on your face like everyone else does after spending a day out there.

Potter's Pasture Spring Campout

2010-04-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend, April 16.17 & 18 bring a bike to ride trails with like-minded individuals, bring some favorite beverages for around the fire, potluck cookout on Saturday night, I've even heard rumors of a musician being there for part of it. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, camper or whatever you roll & show up & HAVE FUN! Check out more details on how to get there at www.potterspasturemtb.blogspot.com or the Cycle Sport facebook page.

Where did March go?

2010-03-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

WOW! Been a long time since an update, let's see, work, work & work. Bike riding miles, I've broke down & got the skinny tires out to actually get some real base miles in & it's working, been awhile since I rode on the pavement, not my favorite form of riding but certain aspects are fun.

We got through Prom 2010, up for 23 hours as sponsors again & I'm getting WAY to old for THAT! Also got through the first track meet of the season last Saturday, howling wind from the north, typical track weather for this time of year.

Another long night was last Tuesday down at the Windy Gap when the Lucas Cates Band rolled into town to play a gig, if you've never heard of this band, trust me, YOU WILL! They're playing a western US tour & will be back through here to play on a Sunday night, April 18, that will be another long night I'm sure, it's great that these guys take the time to stop & play in our one-horse town, they've become almost like family to us.

Also 5 Trails Winery will have an act on April 6 I believe from Ireland, don't know how we get all this culture to show up here anyways but it's COOL! Also have the spring Potter's Pasture blowout coming up the weekend of 17-18th of April, man, could anything else be going on? OH YEAH, my oldest son's back to chasing turkies AND his graduation from high school is in May, ok, THAT'S ENOUGH!

Dreams do come true!

2010-03-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

Soon, I'll be able to "go far"!

Thanks to my good buddy MG for hooking me up

Daily dose of Vitamin G...gravel goodness!

2010-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

with temps hitting 50 what's a person to do? go for a bike ride of course!

I almost feel guilty posting a pic of pristine gravel like this knowing that just a few hours east of here the folks are still riding in crap.

apparently we even have palm trees growing around here now it's so balmy!

very little ice left in the North Platte river

these old buildings always remind me of the Kansas song "Dust in the Wind"

the coolest sighting today besides racing & losing to a few mule deer running alongside me in the road ditch were these Trumpeter Swans, they took me by surprise in a little spring running along the road ditch & by the time I got the camera out they took flight, luckily they made a pass back by me & I snapped this while riding, these are really cool birds to watch & listen too & they're usually found a little further north on the Sandhills lakes so they really surprised me at first, their wingspan can spread to 6'-7' & the sound they make is almost eery, very cool to see this close to home. I'm also spotting my fair share of Bald Eagles which is always neat to see, get out for a bike ride & see what's out there waiting for YOU!

Big damn ADVENTURE!

2010-01-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

It started out innocent enough riding some canal gravel with my son Lane, but I got to reflecting on last years two-wheeled miles or a lack of miles for me & part of my thinking on that was I get tired of the same old routes so about 5 miles into this humdrum gravel grind I asked Lane if he was up for an adventure, well, what 16 year old wouldn't be up for an adventure on a bike, I just hope this old goat could hold up my end of the deal for this EPIC day! (can I even say the word epic anymore or will I get sued by a certain bike company?)

we eventually reached the south platte river which is flowing fast this time of year, a little ice

this is where the cyclocross back in November paid off getting over this "barrier"!

singletrack sidewalk across the river

father & son karate monkey's, one gear & rigid!

I never heard the horn OR saw the gates move, DANGIT!

climbing, climbing, climbing, this is where the adventure started on a private drive just off highway 30

it was a lot of wide open once we got to our halfway point, it was all uphill to this point, & this hill is the highest point in Keith county marked by this geological survey marker, I know of this place from visiting it many times in the past by horseback, this was probably a first for this lookout to have mtb's up there.

it's STRAIGHT down right in front of Lane, about 100' & right smack dab behind his head is where we were headed, north platte river valley

man, I needed this break!

looking back east, now that light colored square in the center of the pic on the horizon is the Gerald Gentleman power plant south of Sutherland, probably 25 miles away from us

over Lane's shoulder to the west & barely visible today was Kingsley Dam at Lake McConaughy

BREAK TIME! The wind was really whipping up here & we cooled off in a hurry

AHHH!

descending...

...& more descending, it was mostly downhill from up on top & some sweet cowtrail singletrack

Lane's good to the old man & waits in the trail with a trackstand when I get to far behind

we found some slick, somewhat muddy spots where the sun had been shining & kicked up a herd of twenty mule deer, SWEEET! They were to quick for me with the camera though

a few obstacles where we had to dab our feet

there's some of that mud we found clinging to the Exiwolf's

Ahhh, "the Old Country" as my kids call it, my wife & I lived here for several years when we moved out here, was a great location, unfortunately it was a typical old house, cold in the winter, hot in the summer & the worst part of it was, we weren't even into biking when we lived here, prime location. The ditch there is a small canal that they use to drain the large canal every few years & we used to hit paydirt gathering crawdads when they did, made us a little nervous raising small children here though with the canal this close!

this is the check on canal where they can drain it to the north platte river via that ditch in the previous pic

my old legs felt like this old building by this point!

some cool finds today on top of that big hill, appears to be some pottery or old china pieces & a small piece of chipped flint, doesn't surprise me that folks in the past spent some time sitting on this hill watching both river valleys as you can see a looong way both ways, I love sitting on that hill trying to imagine what it looked like over 100 years ago myself.

I believe rides like these will help me up my miles in 2010, just have to get creative close to home. I know for sure that a damn fine memory was made today for Lane & I & anyone's welcome to come out some weekend & join us, who knows what kind of adventure we'll find!

Here's to 2010!

2010-01-10T19:52:00.001-08:00

May your beer be cold, your bourbon smooth, your flats few, your dirt, gravel & pavement be sweet & your two-wheeled miles be filled with smiles!

Tate's Christmas

2010-01-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

Oh man...I hope it's a wabbit, I LOOOVE wabbits!

HOT DAMN! It's a WAAABBIT!

I LOOOVE WAAABBITS...I even dream about them when I sleep!

Local legend

2009-12-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

I've heard stories of this giant old blowout near where I live for years & finally paid it a visit. A blowout is formed in the Sandhills of Nebraska from years of wind blowing unstable, sandy soil & perhaps a few too many cows grazing & tromping the grass,think of a giant cereal bowl of sand getting an air compressor hose blown in it, this one has been taken care of over the years & the grass is now flourishing in it again

this former blowout is large enough it's easily visible on google earth, if you know where to look

this is on the south end looking back north from on top of the big dirt pillar in the next photo

this dirt pillar kind of reminded me of a miniature Chimney Rock, near Scottsbluff, NE

still rockin' the bikepacking set-up & it's working GREAT!

Dirt iceberg?

how do you like your singletrack? "I'll take mine poached, thank you very much"

now part of the local legend is that there was an old cave dug into a dirt bank in this area back in the days of prohibition hiding a working still, I don't think this would be unheard of from the stories I've heard about some of the more colorful characters in this area in those days (heck, could even happen around here today) after all, this IS the WILD WEST!

evidence perhaps?

prairie moonrise, not gonna lie folks, that line of car headlights is westbound I-80 traffic Sunday night after Thanksgiving, this place is THAT close, hard to believe that because once you're down inside the middle of it, it's peaceful & quiet, another trivial fact is that this thing is smack dab on the edge of the original Pony Express Trail according to more local legend, DANG, just when I thought I was running out of new places to explore, what's next?

Bikepackin' day trip

2009-11-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

I've been anxious to try out a new system I'm working on for carrying my sleeping bag for some overnighters I'm planning in the future & this rough, rutty road was the perfect test!

it seems to be the ticket for not a lot of $$$, less than $30 for the compression bag & 2 straps & it rides quite stable & is out of the way of my light, amazingly my wireless computer still works despite being blocked by the bag.

this was Lake McConaughy, north of Ogallala & that is looking east back towards Kingsley Dam & the "Morning Glory" where the water goes through the dam

looking back into a bay that is filling up after several years of very low levels

looking west, thats a boat heading into the dock there on the left side

my set up thus far, Sea to Summit e Vent compression bag on the front, Jandd frame bag & Jandd seat pouch, not pictured, on my back, a Gary Fisher pack with 100 oz water bladder & plenty of room for other items

canyons, cedars & lots of water

lookout point, hard to see the horizon with the water being as smooth as glass, kind of blends in with the sky

looking west over the lake as the sun's getting ready to set, this lake is over 20 miles long & 5 miles wide when full, Nebraska's largest lake

looking down to the northwest from the top of the dam, that is Lake Ogallala

looking down to the east, the thing at the bottom is a hydropower plant

I got lucky & found a short stretch of sweet, rocky singletrack

lifestyles of the rich & famous! this is called Million Dollar Bay, I wonder why?

looking down at the rocks

another secluded bay

cruise ship of the "redneck riviera"

Cowbell continues! day two

2009-11-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

the crowd gathering for day 2 cross action on Hooligan Hill

besides some really sweet, pimped out cross bikes

there was this SWEET rat ride cruiser

Cornbread on his way to sweet success

traffic jam in "the chute"

there's that dog again checking out what's cookin'

a little football between laps

background music compliments of CC Rider

"get it on, bang a gong, get it on"

what goes up must come down

this kind of puts the cowbells to shame!

top female Lincoln rider Sydney Brown chillin' on the hill after her race

cvo feeding the fire for more hot dog & bacon handouts

Lane back at it for his second day of racing

sportin' the bumble bee socks

get over & up it

and then down it

through the chute

he should have got extra points for stylin'

his efforts landed him in second place for day two, more loot!

MG showing more grace than a deer over that hurdle

and the only guy attempting to jump them was Nate, not quite spaced right for him to clear them both but he tried twice & it was an awesome sight to see his efforts put forth

it was all business for the elite's on this day as this was for the state championship

MG through the chute

cyclocross kicks ass & is a blast even as a spectator sport, I sure hope to be back on Hooligan Hill again next year at this time

MORE COWBELL! day one

2009-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

while there was a whole bunch of folks wearing red & congregating in downtown Lincoln for some reason, the COOL KIDS were watching cyclocross action on Hooligan Hill!

besides the cowbells there was this hanging bmx frame gong

the masters lining up...

...and their off!

HUP, HUP, HUP!

come on man...you know you want that hot dog!

the legendary Darkside

the Darkside's bob trailer cleverly converted to do double duty

that's my boy Lane taking off the line of his first ever cyclocross race, 3rd from the right

use your skillz to pay the billz!

lookin' purdy good!

by mid race he's the third one out overall & leading the junior division by a landslide

sprinting for the finish...

...for some 1st place loot!

the man, the myth, the legend, cvo

a honey with some money!

come on boys, don't be afraid to grab ya some of THAT!

UHHH...ok...if the first one's not your style then you can get ya some of this, & if you have your doubts about it, that was an Andrew Jackson to make it a little easier!

come on MG, you know you want to! LOL!

Cornbread getting some handouts

it's an excellent combo for cross racing, beats the hell out of those powerbars!

DUUUDE! Fire it UP!

doggone hot dog thievin' dog!

$$$ TREE

Cornbread rockin' the ss class

with a little help he's OFF!

Nate Woodman flying his own Monkey Wrench Cycles kit

yooou caaan dooo iiit!

MORE COWBELL!

need a break before finishing that last lap? Hooligan Hill is the place to do it! this was day one & Lane & I had so much fun we decided we better stay & do it again on Sunday, so stay tuned folks, we have more good stuff to come this week, don't want to drop the whole load in one sitting

GAME TIME!

2009-11-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

With football season a past memory oldest son Delley is back to playing his favorite game, to the victor go the spoils!

Delley, "Bubba" & Spencer limiting out by 9:00 am in the middle of a cornfield lagoon

Spencer, Delley & Justin sporting a a few ducks including a couple of woodies, Delley & Justin's first!

Delley, Justin & Spencer again, this is what they do when school get's called off the night before because of 12" of snow, get up at 4:30 am & drive to the duck blind in a raging blizzard, AHHH YOUTH!

Delley, Jordan, Spencer & Tim, DANG, they ran out of shells on this one so didn't limit out! Can't wait to start cooking duck jambalaya to fuel some hunting trips & bike rides, if you don't ride a bike then go shoot some ducks, IT'S ALL GOOD!

Elusive hobo camp...FOUND!

2009-11-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

An overcast, blustery day found me pedaling the canal, again, heading west.

the canal is barely knee deep this time of year for maintenance

this "Old Crow" apparently bit the "Bulleit"!

this is called the flume & it's where the canal crosses a large canyon, like a bridge for water, how ironic

this is a shot of the flume from the top side, years ago we had a couple of 2000# herd bulls get into a tangle about 1 mile upstream from this & one of them ended up in the canal & was unable to get out due to the steep, cement sides. The canal was running brim full & he went shooting through here like he was running the rapids, shortly after this the sides go back to rock sides & not as steep & he was able to climb out on his own, he immediately laid down in the middle of the road for the rest of the day, totally spent!

no room for error here as it's a long way down there!

got tired of fighting the wind & needed to head up a canyon to get out of it for awhile & "SCORE"...a great little hobo camp complete with picnic table, chairs, firewood, shovel, even a can of gas to start a girl scout fire!

this is looking straight up from where the firepit was & there's somebody taking up residence in that hole. We used to always see these holes in these canyons while horseback & one day I was curious as to what was doing all the white washing so I rode up to one on my horse & stood up on the saddle to peak inside, heard some hissing & once my eyes adjusted to the darkness in the hole saw a group of baby barn owls with mom & she was not happy, what was cool though is the entire hole was lined in fur from rabbits & whatever else mom brought home for the kids to eat, I remember my horse not being real impressed with the smell & the hissing of the owls but he tolerated it long enough for me to enjoy the moment.

these hobos apparently have good taste!

with fighting the wind I needed to re-fuel before my trip home

AHHH! the life of a hobo...good times indeed!

Practicing for some cowbell!

2009-11-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Lane's opted to skip b-ball this winter to spend more time on the bike, cyclocross bike to be exact. He'll make his debut in Lincoln in a little over a week for his first ever cyclocross race, meanwhile it's practice time.

hup, hup, hup!

Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball!

2009-11-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yep! If you weren't in downtown Paxton for Halloween you missed a GRAND time!

Halloween party at 5 Trails Winery after after about 100 kids paraded through the downtown business's for ticks & treats.

music by Paul "the Furnaceman" Siebert dressed as a wild mountain man playing some great classic hippy music

Jill the Genie & Disco Dale were there

Raphael the Teenage Mutant Turtle showed up to fight some crime

besides the great wine there was some ghoulish treats, yeah, that's a caramel covered purple onion hand delivered by a sneaky witch

there was even cheerleaders gone wild

yes folks, it's hard to beat a Saturday night in small town America with good friends, good music & good times, come on down & join us any weekend, we'll show you what fun's all about!

Guest rider

2009-10-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Guest gravel grinder Paul "the Furnace Man" Siebert passing through this weekend to play a double header, last night at the Windy Gap Saloon

tonight at 5 Trials Winery for a spooktacular Halloween party, should be a hoot, Paul's been enjoying cranking out some gravel miles on his brand new KONA 29 Unit

Prescription for happiness!

2009-10-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

A large dose of Vitamin G...

...washed down with one of these makes for GOOD TIMES!

Perfect day at Potter's Pasture

2009-10-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lane on the left, CQ on the right rolling along the ridge, Lane tore it up as usual despite having a 2" needle in his kneecap yesterday for a Cortisone shot to get him through State XC at Kearney this coming Friday.

Water break for Tate the trail-hound!

"Oh master...I LOVE Potter's Pasture!"

A young dog & old coyote at rest!

The man, the myth, the legend, Steve Potter

Haulin' ass west back to home, what a day, perfect weather, perfect trails, great way to spend the afternoon, get out & get ya some while the gettins' good!

Big Wheeled Ballyhoo Blues!

2009-10-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

It was good while it lasted & then mother nature decided it needed to end! I went out on Friday for about 6 hrs. got a little ride in with my buddy Paul "the Furnaceman" (thanks for entertaining the troops with your guitar) & had to return for the kids' homecoming & that's when the weather turned. Woke up Sat am to 12-14" of snow so didn't make it back, I guess a few stuck it out & one of the best reports is at www.bikingfools.blogspot.com I'm glad those that showed up had fun & had the window of time that they did to enjoy it.

You can see more pics at www.potterspasturemtb.blogspot.com too. Thanks to all who helped to make it happen, Chad, Kyle & Paul for the endless hours of trail work, G-Ted for originating the concept & contributing to all things 29" in the bike world, MG for coming down & taking care of lining up donations, Buck for mowing, all the donors, sponsors, George & Patty for your years of mentoring the new cyclists in the area & the kick ass rides & events you help organize & last but not least, Mr. Steve Potter for letting many a motley crew show up & play in his pasture on any given day, thank you all!

Countdown to Ballyhoo!

2009-09-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

a scenic drive down this road south of Brady, NE will eventually take you...

...into this gate to a nice roomy venue area in an actual cow pasture with plenty of room for camping & if you cross the road to the west you'll have plenty of...

...this type of stuff to roll over on your bicycle for an entire weekend with folks who have the same type of fun on their minds & when you've had enough...

...roll back to your campsite where there should be plenty of firewood, a winery serving up wine & pizzas baked on a wood fired oven, a band on Saturday night, pancakes on Sunday, bike vendors, some demo bikes to try out & for you who RSVP, a drawing at high noon on Sunday with some COOL prizes including TWO bike frames & some retro frogskin Oakley sunglasses, please don't miss out, go to www.bigwheeledballyhoo.com to check out the schedule & RSVP & come out & have a BLAST with us.

Ballyhoo preparation tools

2009-09-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

Chainsaw, check, weed eater, check, extra gas, check, hydration pack, check, biking clothes, check, 29er bike, check. This is tomorrows agenda at Potter's Pasture, work weekend to prepare for the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, which is going down SOOOON! Come join us on a bike & have fun.

A Surly, PBR and Tate

2009-09-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

The perfect ingredients for a doggone good bike ride!

It's coming...

2009-08-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

...October 9,10, 11 Potter's Pasture near Brady, NE, Demo 29" wheeled bicycles on some of Nebraska's most challenging MTB trails, enjoy wine, pizza, beer, music & cookouts around the campfire with like-minded people as well as some music. Don't have a 29" wheeled mt bike? Don't worry about it, just run what ya brung & ride a bike & put a smile on your face, believe me, IT WORKS! Check out more details at www.bigwheeledballyhoo.com

Sunday gravel tour

2009-08-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Crossing I-80, cars r coffins!

a little cyclocross barrier here with the depths of the South Platte acting as a water hazard if you mess up!

climbing north out of the South Platte river valley

approaching thunderstorm from the west, hope I can beat it home!

North Platte river valley right down that hill

A steep descent and a hard right will take me...

...right back on the canal road to head east for home

Squeeky old windmill

local cow crossing

This is a neat, old, HUGE cottonwood tree along the route and back there on the left is an old schoolhouse, every time I ride by here I can't help but wonder how many school kids may have tried to sneak off to try and climb this tree during recess and hide from a teacher.

Lightning struck it a few years back and took the big limb down to the right of the main trunk, but luckily it survived, I'd love to know how old this tree is. Hit both river vallies, 92 o/o gravel and 23 miles total, nice little ride indeed.

Nice evening gravel grind

2009-07-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

Been riding at dusk lately to get out of the heat of the day, Jessie ahead dropping into the North Platte river valley down the big hill.

Heading west into the sunset trying to keep up with the geared, pink bike.

Some old-school retro bar ends made their way off my old Trek onto the Salsa bars on my Karate Monkey, I've missed these things & regardless of how dorky they may look I think they will stay on here awhile as I love the options it gives me, not only on the climbs but just for riding along. They're a GREAT combo with the Ergon grips I use, I believe my bike can now be called "Bullwinkle" as it looks like a big, brown moose!

Vino & Pizza!

2009-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

We have PIZZA in Paxton at the 5 Trails Winery in a wood fired outdoor oven baked on stones

Thin crusts & gourmet ingredients, this is GOOD STUFF!

What better way to spend a Friday night in small-town USA than pizza & wine

Long Haul Truckers!

2009-06-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

I've met a few in the last week in the form of folks touring the USA by bikes, horses, foot & wagons. Now the long haul truckers come into play as 3 of the bike tourers were riding the Long Haul Trucker tour bikes from www.surlybikes.com Smart choice in a touring bike I'd say after owning a Surly bike for the last 3 years & these 3 spoke nothing but positive of their Surly's. One was Jack from www.jackandthecitylights.org who was traveling from Seattle to NY, then on to France, Spain, the Middle East & possibly Australia.

Then came 2 ladies traveling from Boston to California as well as a guy traveling on bare feet with a donkey & his dog trying to get Bill Gates attention, then a minister traveling extremely light on horseback from South Carolina to ?, 2 days ago it was some Mormons retracing the footsteps of ancestors on the Mormon Trail, then 4 old guys biking from Pine Bluffs to Council Bluffs and finally today Carlos & Joe from www.realgeeksride.com heading to Portland from Mass. I think.

This has just been the last week or two & the only ones I've talked too, I've seen quite a few others passing through that I didn't get a chance to speak to, I've got to hand it to them, they're all BALLSY! We've had some pretty extreme weather the last few weeks in the form of extreme heat AND thunderstorms, hail & tornadoes, in a lot of ways I envy all of them though as this is something I want to try someday & I'm taking notes from ALL of them about strategy, equip, miles, rest days, food & everything else that goes with long distance touring. Perhaps I'll get my chance someday.

We have a lot of historic trails through here & I've heard of other groups coming through in the future including an all women motorcycle group re-tracing a famous ride made by some ladies many years ago on Indian motorcycles & some antique car group doing a cross country journey. Routes we have close to us are the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, Pony Express Trail, California Trail, the Old Lincoln Highway & let's not forget the countless fur trappers who passed through here & faded away forever long before Paxton was on the map. Speaking of Paxton, we're celebrating 100 years this year, so if your passing through by bike, motorcycle, classic car, motorhome, horse, wagon, etc. etc. etc. stop & say "HI" & wash down that trail dust at one of our 3 watering holes or stop in the new winery, appropriately named 5 Trails ( www.5trailswinery.com ) for a nice refreshing break for a weary traveler.

VIVA LE TOUR!

2009-06-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Tour Divide that is, www.tourdivide.org the toughesst bike race EVER! Started last Friday in Banff, Canada & ends whenever in Antelope Wells, NM for those lucky enough to finish, this event is MY Super Bowl of the year, got to admit, I could care less for football unless my son is playing it & this stuff is just to damn good NOT to follow along, I especially like listening to the podcasts & following the spots.

I've always rooted for Dave Nice who is a fixie ridin' freak & is doing it on his own this year south to north, so for the north to south race I'm cheering for Joe Meiser, Jill Homer & Jay & Tracey Petervary (pictured with the tandem above) it's hard to believe how grueling this race must be on the mind, body & spirit, I'm definitely an armchair Tour Divide fan because I'm pretty sure the odds of me ever trying something of this magnitude are slim to none, best of luck to all the divide racers wherever you may be tonight!

Different spokes for different folks!

2009-06-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

There's so many forms of cycling, mtb, road, joy-riding around town with the kids, competitive racing, fitness, touring, etc. but last Thursday night I run into some folks who were on the road, on bikes, living for Christ with no real destination in mind. There were 3 men & 3 women & I'm not up on all the different religions but by the way they were dressed I'm guessing Quakers, long skirts, smocks down to the knees, long pants, bonnets, wool caps, beards on the men, waist length hair on the women, all wearing sandals & everything they owned was packed on their bikes as that was home for them.

I escorted them south of town to some ponds at 10:00 at night to find a secluded campsite & you would have thought I'd given them a suite at a Holiday Inn for night, very grateful. The next morning at 6:30 they were gone & this note was scratched in the road "Thank You & God Bless" I did however catch up to them in one of our parks cooking breakfast & waiting on some more of their own to catch up from the east, it was there that I gave them some homeade cookies that Jessie had made the night before & again, very grateful.

It's really had me thinking since running into them the level of commitment it must take to live this style of life, one guy said this has been his life since 1983. What a challenge it must be living that way every day, not knowing what the weather will be, who or what you'll meet up with, where your next meal will come from, WOW, I thought finishing the Dakota 5-o was a challenge, I wonder how long I could last at this lifestyle!

New backyard pastime

2009-06-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

In the form of a slackline I rigged up for Lane, he had it nailed in a half hour, now we need to go longer & higher but those things aren't cheap, may just buy the webbing, caribiners & whatever it takes to rig up our own 75 footer. Any advice?

She's a poser...

2009-06-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

...just like her son! This is Cheyenne the pint-sized pointer AND, Tate's mother. Got to see her the other day on a day trip to Curtis, she's a chip off the old block just like Tate.

The good 'ol days!

2009-05-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

They don't build them like this anymore. I saved these 2 old sweet rides from the scrap iron wrath this week, I don't think the blue one will live to roll again as it's got a cracked frame, instead it will live it's life out in one of Jessie's flower beds as a yard ornament, we just want to find an old basket to put on it to put a pot of flowers in.

This classic may get a full restoration though as it fits Jessie well & I think it will make a sweet grocery-getter for her. I'd like to find out about sandblasting it, re-painting or even powder coating it, re-chrome the chrome, maybe some wooden fenders & wicker baskets hanging off the rear rack & a Brooks leather saddle & grips, HMMMM...wonder if it will have to be pink?

Shock therapy...

2009-05-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

...and it didn't work! I believe it's off to the Shockspital for this REBA.

meanwhile it's back to being 29, single & rigid!

A day well spent!

2009-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend a day than hammering some trails at Potter's pasture with like-minded friends, not a large group for the annual spring gathering but the trails were in great shape & just a little sprinkle towards the end of the ride. The guys who spend every weekend there have got the place in fine shape for riding & camping as well as new signage going up, a fellow from Aspen, CO was even riding there this am, what the...!

My son Lane on the left & Dennis "Deadhead" in the middle proved they're a couple of singlespeed, billy goat climbin' freaks. New guy Jesse on the right may become a "regular" after today, good to have another new face at the pasture!

Turkey time!

2009-04-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Delley got his first turkey of the season Sunday afternoon, just a jake but will be good eating, he's now working on getting another one.

The Easter Bunny found us...

2009-04-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

In Lincoln!

He hid eggs in Grandma's yard so the kids found them under the watchful eye of Tate,

then I chased him back out of town through the enchanted forest,

and down some SWEET singletrack,

wore me out so I had to stop & take a break on the bridge, Wilderness Park is a BLAST, wish I got down there more to ride it, I'll be back to chase the rabbit again, meanwhile get out & ride a bike folks, it's GOOD STUFF!

This project is rounding home base!

2009-04-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Sink, vanity, mirror & light

The throne & shower highlighting tile work by Jessie, she did all this in 3 nights after working all day, yes, she needs a Wonder Woman outfit!

A shot of the family room & the flat screen mounted. I've got some trimwork & baseboard to do & it's officially DONE, YEEHAW!