Holiday photo blog ...

Photo blog from the holidays.

Hiking with my guys.

Merry Christmas to me.

Brr. Who says it's too cold to ride?

The birthday girl is 3!

Inaugural ride.

First mountain ride on the beast.

Matthew and Sante sleddin'.

Christmas dinner!

Christmas dinner! BBQ turkey and such ...

Wheels rolling again ...

A warmer weekend meant some wheels got rolling. I was actually resigned to rolling them on the trainer in the basement Saturday as I had some work to do and didn't have ton of time to go play on the skis. I figured the city was a mess of soft snow. A Norwegian voice in my head (really text on a screen) suggested I go hit the pathway for an hour or two. Yeah. I should. And I did. I put the studded tires on the bike for the first time this year and headed out on the crazy snow and ice packed streets to hit the pathway. Ah, that felt good. The pathways were well ploughed and a soft grippy snowy surface was great to ride.

I only got to Crowchild on the pathway as the heavy equipment guys were working on manipulating the river after the flood damage. This is pretty much ongoing everywhere in Calgary these days. They haven't stopped fixing what Mother Nature destroyed, since the first day after the waters receded. As a frequent user of the river paths I'm happy about that. It will take a long time to repair and adjust the infrastructure but they're busy with it, steadily making progress.

It wasn't til I had to turn back at the closure that I realized my cruisy peaceful ride was partially due to the fairly strong wind (previously unnoticed) being at my back! A little more work heading west. I went back and headed up Home Road to the park overlooking the river. I found some great packed single track leading towards the drop into Bowmont. Pretty rough on the CX so I figured I'd go home and get a mountain bike and a Labrador and see what fun we could find in Bowmont together.

I wrongly assumed that the restricted park access right now would mean there'd be plenty of packed down foot trails through the park at that end. Ha! I had a great cruise down the double track and then hit powder. I figured I just had to get past some of the fenced areas and things would be more traveled. Hike a bike -- sometimes actually carrying the bike -- ensued. I did manage to get across to the open section of the paved pathway. I kept trying more single track but it wasn't great. Still fun with the pup though. We had a little adventure and I had a good sweat on!

Sunday was another day that included a little work that needed doing. I couldn't be gone all day despite the tempting invitations to go ski -- I really have to get out on the planks soon. Maybe. I went to Cadence and had coffee with the weekend warriors. Much debate went on about who who was going to go where and do what. The skiers were thinkin' the overnight low of +3C was going to make for shitty conditions. Everyone eventually divided and bugged out in different directions. I had no takers for a hike with Sante and I, so we went solo.

I pulled into the West Bragg parking lot and smiled. It was forecasted to go to +10C and it was already +5C and the place was crawling with people gearing up with skis. I was in hiking boots and a light jacket. As I crossed the ski track to hit the Ranger Summit trailhead it was clear people were going to be pretty miserable on skis. The winds have been so high with the warm temps that the snow was brown with pine needles and green with full boughs that had snapped off the trees. I often see people "over-geared" at West Bragg. You'll even see people gearing up with snowshoes on days when there's barely any snow on the ground but plenty of ice, mud and dirt.

The "trail."

I had my poles and nothing more. Not even gaiters. I did the southern flow loop we normally ride. It was definitely not rideable. Sections at the bottom were chewed up by foot traffic in soft snow, then as I got to the first view point, it was all drifted out and up to my knees. It was like that off and on the rest of the way pretty much. And there were easily 10 downed trees blocking the trail the whole way around. I did see some snowshoers near the top but otherwise didn't see anyone til I got to the bottom of Boundary. Who'd I see? Fat bikers! The bottom section on that side was rideable and I think they were making use of the double wide ski track otherwise. Which is a great idea and I'll have to get out and do that, especially while conditions are so shitty for the skiers. Somebody ought to be using those trails!

It took Sante and I 2.5 hours non-stop through the soft snow to do the loop. It felt awesome. Then it was home for a little work and a little rest before the hockey team dinner and a late night game. From the time we got into the rink at about 10pm til we left at midnight, about 3" of snow had fallen. Crazy! Not even forecasted. This is going to be some winter once it actually starts next week!

Um...?

Stealthy midnight shoveling.

Old man winter ...

How to summarize? Work, work, snow, melt, deep freeze, snow, deep freeze, snow, blizzard, work, work. Some riding (when it wasn't a deep freeze), hockey, hiking, and some skating at the Olympic Oval. Photos would be more interesting so here's a catch-up in photos. I'm really looking forward to taking a break over the holidays and getting outside as much as possible away from the laptop.

Before the freeze!

Yep, it's cold.

Blizzard outside. Lambchop inside.

In-city hike.

Too cold to ride.

Bike plans foiled by a sheared bolt.

Ski plans foiled by work.

Plan B. Day before the blizzard.

Remembrance Day Ride

I started today with a morning walk under a gorgeous rising sun with Sante. Toby joined us too. It was easy to be reflective and grateful as the dogs and I crunched through the frozen soft snow. The sun tipped up over the horizon and over the hoar-frosted grasses popping out of the snow; Calgary's downtown silhouetted beside the sun. Behind me, in the distance, the Rockies were coming to life in the sunlight too.

I live in a spectacular country and it was a good morning to remember the sacrifices that have been made for me -- for all of us -- to be free and enjoying it.

Later in the day I had more to be grateful for ... some time in the mountains on bikes! Fat bikes actually. This is something I've been wanting to try since last winter. With Cindy and Ramona game and some rental arrangements with Cal Cycle's Bragg shop, we were set to go take advantage of a spectacular day and give it a go! We loaded the big bikes onto Cindy's truck and were about to head to the trailhead when we had a slight delay. No juice in the truck. A boost from the Red Rocket and we were off, convoy style because the Rocket would be needed again to get her going after our ride.

Fresh snow on Friday was well packed down for us by today and we got to enjoy a not so technical experience and put our energy into getting used to the different feel of the bike and having no cleats on our feet. I didn't have much trouble at all getting used to the bike. The bounce is fun. At first I had some trouble keeping the front tire down when I was climbing but I just dropped my chest down lower and was good to go.

Ranger Summit has a few tight turns on the ascent and the bike and I handled them with no issue. It was steady on up the grunt of a climb. Nothing technical, just a steady long climb. Surprisingly I really didn't feel that the 30lb (ish) bike and big fat tires were slowing me down a ton. Strava shows it was my 3rd best time on the entire loop, and just the climb, so that's either saying something about the iron supplements, my fitness, or fat bikes are just missing an "s" for FAST BIKES! Or that in the summer we stop more within the segments and chit chat. Ha ha ... that's probably more like it ... not a lot of stopping when it's chilly out.

At the Strange Chairs, just before the descent, we ran into a couple mountain bikers taking in the warm sun and blue skies. Cindy and Ramona let them take their steeds for a little tour across the summit and they were all smiles. I think we inspired a couple new fat bikers! After the fella snapped a couple group photos for us, we were off to see how descending would feel on the bouncy beasts.

Biker Chicks on Fatties

Other than the front brake seizing up on me four times, I really enjoyed the descent. Good thing it wasn't too cold cause my teeth would have frozen from smiling the whole way down. Here's where 30+lbs is a good thing. Those wheels ain't made for rolling fast, but gravity does all the work! Zoom zoom!

Craig M came up behind us before the final section. He had intel on what time we were riding and wisely planned to also ride, but half an hour behind us and on his mountain bike. He thanked us for packing down the trail for him with the fatties. Ha ha ... we chatted a little then sent him on his merry way to finish his ride. We weren't far behind him!

One more boost for Cindy's truck and we drove back into town and returned the bikes before heading back to the city.

A perfect day outside.

Nov 12: Heather and Sante

November 12: Hit the same tracks the next day, but on the Titus and its 2.35" Nobbie Nicks. 10ish additional degrees on the thermometer meant a whole lotta slop and soft treading. Still a great time with lots of smiles but I couldn't help but think I had the wrong bike! Oddly, the bottom half of the mountain stayed cool and thus the track was hard-packed and good for rippin' down into the parking lot. Super fun day with Heather and a couple of very happy doggies. 

Nov 12: A little slushy.

Different Bikes

SpinGoatMeisters

And then, it was winter.

Things changed quickly here. There was dirt, and then there was snow. It was only a couple weeks ago I went on a week night mountain bike ride in the dark with some Goat Meisters on my Anthem. It was a little crisp but Ranger Summit and Strange Brew were in great shape other than a few muddy spots.

That weekend I also got out for a ride with Kate M on Highline ... there was a no-fun adventure component to that day when Sante disappeared. I'm not sure who was more relieved when we were reunited, her or me, but it was a long half an hour that ultimately involved a phone call cycle from two gals who she'd found (evidently she kept trying to get them to come into the woods with her ... they gave her a lot of credit by assuming someone was hurt and she'd gone for help - Timmy was not in a well though. Ha ha!), the Humane Society, Kelly (who has my old cell number) and me. The system works.

If only Sante's nose worked as well and she'd just found her way back to her mama after a little romp chasing after a creature of some variety. I'm contemplating a Marco Polo tracker for her but still doing some research. The little turkey was so beat by the time we were finished the ride she couldn't keep up. We dropped her at Kate's place to hang out with Farley while we did another hour at the Nordic Centre. Then it was back to the city to play hockey.

After that the snow arrived ... in blizzard fashion. There's been some Norco CX spinning on the pathways since then but this week I got the Titus out for a winter play up at Nosehill. I knew it would be a blast but it sure is hard to leave the warm house after a long work day and venture into the cold darkness at 7pm. Suck it up! Right? Yep ...

I had already prepped the bike. I thought of putting some spikers on the bike that Sean had given me when he cleansed his garage of all things 26er, but when I put them up against my Nobbie Nicks and noticed the spikes didn't have much lift left to them, I opted to stay with the fatties, which was perfect for the conditions that night. I also put some pogies on the bike to keep my paws warm, and some downhill pedals since I suspected there'd be some walking in the snow and I know that can jam up the cleats.

Photo by Gerry

What a great time!

There was a beautiful orange crescent moon low on the horizon as 6 of us converged exactly on time at our meeting spot at the John Laurie foot path. So cool to see the lights on the bikes all coming together. Then we headed off behind Gerry to do a tour of Nosehill. Lots of hard-packed skinny track, some dirt, a little ice, and lots of powder too. I smiled the whole time ... mostly warm and working hard and loving any earned descents. Can't wait to do it again!

Today I gave the Norco's new Bar Mitts a try. After a nasty short ride last Sunday where I froze my hands so badly I was nauseous and in severe pain when I got home (Anemia + Raynaud's in a perfect storm I'm thinking), I picked up some Bar Mitts at Bow. Yeah, they rock. The insulation has a huge impact on the exposure your hands get. No question about it ... they catch the wind a little, but that only surprises you the first time. Ha ha ...

Get outside! Remember what they say, "There's no bad weather. Just bad gear." Although ... really, I'd better go retrieve the Crux from Bow this afternoon ... a day will come when I'll have to use the trainer in the basement.

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Sante with her Piggy

In case it's not obvious what I'm thankful for ... it's all wrapped up in my health, the people (and a smile-making Labrador) in my world who share time and adventures with me, and Mother Nature with everything that she provides my heart, mind, and body whenever I get to play outside!

I took an extended long weekend for Thanksgiving since I left myself some vacation days to play with over the fall season. It's been a great one with friends, biking, and hockey! 

Carl on the Peace Bridge

Friday I took my old high school buddy out for his first real mountain bike ride. We used to bomb around on our 10 speeds on Old Finch Road growing up in Scarborough together. Carl moved his family here last month and Friday was a good time to take him out and show him around on bikes ... we headed for West Bragg, where I thought I'd show him the Northern Flow Loop, but found a layer of crusty half-melted snow on the trails. We gave it a go but Carl's bike kept dropping him (I'm sure it was all the bike) so, after a couple minutes we aborted and headed back to the city to give the COP trails a try. They were snow-free but wet and slick .... we did a loop but since his bike still didn't want to let him stay on it for very long, we kept it to a short loop and decided to swap out the mountain bikes for cross bikes and do a river path ride on the asphalt. Carl's CX bike was in a better mood and no further bruises were incurred. Then that evening I had a few friends over for some pizza and bevvies.

Ranger Summit in the Snow

Muddy finish

Saturday was a great ride in West Bragg with Michele. The snow hadn't melted but we headed up Ranger Summit. It was grippy enough. The goal was to try out the newly-completed Bobcat trail, which was almost completely dry and snow-free. And a whole bunch of fun! The trail fairies have done an awesome job on that trail! Super high fun factor and lots of smiles all the way to Ridgeback. We then climbed Ridgeback which was also mostly dry. We had the trails almost completely to ourselves. Ran into one group on Ranger, and two folks on Ridgeback. We left Ridgeback for Moose Mountain Road to make our way back to the parking lot. Michele had intel on a super-sneaky-ninja trail connecting to Bragging Rights but ... we never found it. What we did find was a whole lot of soupy, deep, spongy mud and swill all the way down to the parking lot. So, I don't recommend that route at this time. I've ridden that route out from Ridgeback before in the pouring rain and it wasn't bad at all ... so melty snow must not bode well for MMR. Then it was back to the city to wash a mud-caked bike and head out to play hockey. 

Sully and Sante

Sunday was a Sante day. Lauren and Michele and I went out to West Bragg and we did the Northern Loop with the pup. We contemplated doing it counter clockwise to get the climbing over with faster and enjoy a longer descent but in the end stuck with the normal direction. We were glad for it too as a lot of the climbing was really greasy, muddy, and snowy. It wouldn't have been fun to come down that way. Instead we got to enjoy completely dry trails all the way down from Reconnect. Wee! The Sante-meister was loving the cool temps and had some speed in her long legs! I was testing her out on the descent to see if she was ok with a little more speed that I usually allow for when I have her and she wasn't even breathing heavy. Such an athlete! After that Sante and I went to hang out with Lauren, Steve, and Sully the Irish Wolfhound, for a yummy ham dinner.

Frozen Thunder!

That brings me to the holiday Monday. Lauren and I found dry dry dry beautiful trails out there today. At the 0 degree Celcius Canmore Nordic Centre. It was awesome! Feels like we're riding on borrowed time so this was a treat to find the trails in such awesome shape. The folks at the CNC are getting ready for winter though ... they're hauling the stored-snow out and laying it down to make the "Frozen Thunder" ski track to help the winter athletes get started with a jump on the season.

I've got one last day off tomorrow. I'll be running some over-due errands, then out to Canmore to ride with Martha for a couple hours before coming back to the city for hockey. Then my mini vacation will hurl me back into reality Wednesday morning with work. Le sigh. 

Hope everyone played outside this long weekend! Peace out!

Dirty Anthem!