Nebraska & Goatheads

/ / / No Comments

Excuse the visible coding.

<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:””; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

Peaceful sleep on side street in Alliance, Ne. Breakfast at the curb.

Drive towards Chadron, becomes hillier, P-pine snags from fire 2 years ago.

Stop @ Chadron SP. Remember 1 reviewer saying that this was a technical ride. Receptionist disagreed, trails in park were mowed and there were a few that left Sp but nothing really acceptable. She steered me to Herb Peterson in Chadron at Ship Shape on Main. I found his shop. He was cutting a man’s hair and started talking rides w/ me. He had a tanning bed in a side room and towards the back was a bike shop, the only 1 in town, and a barber shoppe street side.

No trails are marked, he gave me some complicated instructions about a fence and canyons and auto gates. I was confused. I followed instructions to arrive @ the “trailhead”. Single tight lane road climbed out of a canyon on to plateau. Exposed to the wind. Checked w/ instrument & it was gusting to 15. With the Brunton I am able to, per instrument, state how hard the wind is blowing.

Bike feels like it has a flat rear tire like PUSH said it would but it was just the correctly configured shock working as it should. Rode off believing I was following his instructions. He also said that because the trails don’t get ridden down they just follow their front wheel. The topography is confusing and my directions changed frequently leaving me confused & counting on the compass in the EDGE computer.

I dead ended against a fence w/ no sign of single track and I turned around. I noticed that the rear did feel like a flat. Yep, goatheads and the rear was leaking fast. I was a short distance from van so I pushed back to van.

I pulled multiple heads from the outside and 2 that deeply penetrated the casing. I replaced the tube w/ the spare from my pack & put a new tube in my pack.

Understanding the land: US Dept Of Agriculture: Nat Grasslands like Nat Forests but w/ fewer trees. Land of many abuses, this land was grazed. The land is divided into pastures and the cows are moved around based on some criteria. The soil is sandy or maybe hard clay. Herb told me about these steep drops into canyons to pay attention to, and he was right. The canyons are like narrow steep rifts. Some open up for a trail. Land is not flat, short ups & downs at 4000’ elevation, nice to be low.

So I rode back down the road to where the Pine Ridge trail, maintained by the USFS, crossed the road. I rode S climbing out of gulley, trail lacked even a cow tread, riding over stubs of a stiff plant the cows grazed on. There was even poison ivy in the mix. I followed some reflective diamond markers that I thought marked the trail; they sometimes did but maybe not the official trail. Way easy to get lost.

Booted some cows out of the way in 1 canyon. Noticed the front tire going soft. That was my turn around signal. I pumped it up several times on return hoping to be able to ride. And then the rear tire went flat. Then I walked down thru poison ivy and then back up the road. 2 flat tires. Short ride.

I asked Herb during our discussion and he said I would not need slime tubes. He was wrong.

Terrain is interesting. Navigating needs a local. Apparently the canyons and trails that Herb described are quite a hand full as they ride w/ dropped seats.

Back down road. I bought a shower for $5. @ RV camp & filled water jugs. Bought groceries @ Safeway, & stopped @ Herb’s to buy new tubes. He did not have a light weight tube. I said no and left.

Plan now is to drive to Black Hills. I am now in South Dakota, a state I have never been in

Mtn Goat called to say they found my requested Patagonia pants. I called them back & arranged UPS shipment to Dad.

Drove W thru Hot Spring hoping to find public land for camping. Driving W I ran into a powerful T-storm w/ lightening down on the deck, high winds, & pelting high speed wiper rain. No public land on rt 18 although map appeared to indicate it. It is getting dark & I’m hungry. I turn N on rt 89 and still no public land. Finally the Dept of Agric Nat Grassland sign. I park at it & prepare a quick dinner.

Red sunset after storm. Drove a little further & found spur road leaving pavement. Drove onto it & remained parked on it a short distance off pavement.

I am concerned that the soil can become that gumbo sticky stuff after it gets wet. I am on rocky soil so I am counting on being able to drive out of here.

Rousted and more

/ / / 1 Comment

Drove up to Buffalo Bill’s grave on Lookout Mtn above Golden. Looked to the west and there were mountains, Looked to the North and there were mountains, looked to the South and there were mountains. Looked to the east and there was a big pool table. And that is where I will be going.

Called cousin Susan in Denver and rearrange our visit schedule to Monday.

I wanted 1 more night of sleeping at elevation to benefit from the altitude. I read a sign in the county park near the grave that said not camping. I found an abandoned building just down the raod that seemed like a good dirtbag site. I pulled in a ways off the road & went to sleep. Around 4:00 I am awakened by a banging on the van with a voice saying something like Sherrif. I crawled out of bed and looked into a bright flashlight and opened the sliding door to greet a Sheriff’s officer telling me I was on private property and I had to move. He ran my license, returned, and said for me to camp in the park even though it was closed. So I finished my sleep there.

For Curtis: The officer was white and had a shaved head. I resisted the opportunity to cop a feel to see how he compared to you.

Later that morning I followed Susan’s directions to their house. Don showed me his found art that he does with among otherthings animal bones and converts them into the neatest stuff. And their house is the recipient of many of his pieces. Wonderful creativity.

Denver was having their Labor Day event similar to Spokane’s Pig Out in the Park which we took in so I got to experience downtown Denver right after the DNC.

Visited with Susan & Don until late in the night and comfortably slept in their driveway.

9/2 Tuesday.

Got a hold of PUSH in Loveland and he said bring it on. And I did.

Arrived in Loveland, found their new building, and pleaded my case. No problem. Darren turned to. I queried about the shock tuning rebuild to learn of it’s value. I was sold. I spent $159 to custom tune the shock to my riding. What a difference it made. Darren told me I had the stiffest parts possible in the shock designed for big momma’s boys. He replaced stock parts with their custom made and rider specific parts. What a difference in performance. Someday I will part with the fork for a similar tuning.  I am so looking forward to the new ride. Except Nebraska probably holds no suspension challenges. Riding a 5.5″ travel bike in the cornfields is way overkill. But I should hold my comments until I actually ride.

More later.

Product Failure

/ / / 1 Comment

Quiet night, at least motorheads did not ride under lights.

1st motorhead in @ 7:15.

Drove N to Bergan Peak, Taylor’s 2nd ride.

Going over Spot, checked shock pressure w/ pump that has gauge on it. Disconnected the pump and all the air ran out of the shock. I repumped but same result. I fiddled with the what appears to be a regular Schraeder valve. Valve fails: all air escapes rendering the shock and bike unrideable.

I remember that Bicycle Outfitters in Bergan Park are open today. Pull in out back, stick my nose inside, and pester a mechanic trying to set shop up before opening. Shock is unserviceable by them. Suggest PUSH on front range.

Find laundromat in Evergreen, park in shade, do wash & google PUSH. Find them in Loveland,  N of Denver. Going to be there first thing Tues morn pleading my case for day turn around.

Toured downtown Evergreen.

Plan now is to drink beer at Golden City brew pub & dirtbag camp on the street somewhere.

Leaving Evergreen by back way before museum, a small herd of elk gathered to graze both sides of the street in peoples’ yards. Deer are minimal compared to these chewers.

elk in town pigging out
elk in town pigging out

Note the bull has no velvet. He has brush in his eye tines. There are several spike bulls still in velvet.

2 bulls right out your bedroom window and no tag!!!
2 bulls right out your bedroom window and no tag!!!

But first a shower @ Jefferson CTY health club. Wonderful facility. $3.00 shower. Head wound is not infected but it is an owie.

Driving I-70: heavy traffic. Not much enjoyment. Drive into Golden & find Golden City. Time for 1 pint before it starts raining. Seating is mostly outside. Medium rain seems to be here for awhile. Forgot to cover bikes until shower almost played out.

Left knee a bit of pain, day off will help. I hardly walked, mostly inactivity.

Weather is clearing. Back for another pint.

IAM & Boeing contract up for vote this week. IAM says reject, Boeing says it is their last and final offer. Usual rhetoric.

787 is still delayed. SPEEA is weighing in saying that the outsourcing was not the right thing to do sending work around the world to unskilled workers. Bring it home where it can be down right by the proffesionals.