One Year in Colorado

Happy New Year! A year ago from today, I arrived at my new home in Fort Collins. Five months later I moved to Telluride. Six months after that I moved to Norwood, thirty miles away. That’s a lot of moving for one year, but it’s been a good one. I set out from Mississippi with specific goals in mind. Some I met; others, not so much. I can’t say I’ve had any big revelations, but there have been some small ones.

Two of my goals were a decent job and financial independence. For the most part, I’m there. My job in property maintenance can be mind-numbingly boring at times but is great in every other way. I like that I get an upper body workout from shoveling snow. I’m also glad that I’m not in customer service; though, it is annoying when people think their dog’s poop is recyclable. I find it ironic that I went to college so that I wouldn’t be a ditch digger, and yet, I dug three last summer. We don’t have to work THAT hard though; it is government after all.

Through my jobs here I’ve learned that while I do like some interaction with people, I don’t want to deal with their problems. I’ve also learned that I’m project oriented. I like starting and finish things rather than doing routine tasks. Another thing I’ve realized is that “doing what you love” is crap. Do what you’re good at, so long as you don’t hate it.

Another goal was to make friends. I was just starting to make friends in Fort Collins when I moved to Telluride. Here, I was instantly friends with my roommates, but then they moved. I’m friends with some coworkers now, but recently I had to switch to the opposite schedule. So, kind of a bummer there. I definitely don’t fit in with the typical snowboarder crowd; though, I do find them amusing.

I also had a goal of dating more. Moving to a ski town certainly didn’t help with that. I had one date in Fort Collins that was awful, and two dates (with the same girl) in Telluride. But, that didn’t go anywhere either. Kind of failed to meet that goal. An adequate female population will be a priority when deciding where I go next which, by the way, will be sooner rather than later.

While Telluride is an awesome place geographically, I’ve developed a strong dislike for rich people while living here. You pretty much have to be a millionaire to own a home here; however, a lot of those are merely vacation homes. Meanwhile, there’s a housing shortage for average folks, forcing me, and many others, to commute an hour or more each way. Also, it’s too cold here. I’m ready for summer already!

I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m even less certain about what I want in life now. I love travelling to new places, but I also miss home. I see no way to have a good balance of both. The paradox here is that one must travel know what home is. Another paradox I’ve discovered is that nobody really wants to mountain bike in the mountains. There’s not enough oxygen, and the climbs are brutal. Rolling hills and low elevation are much more conducive to biking.

Slick Rock and the Enchanted Forest

Snowboarding in Telluride one day and mountain biking in Moab the next. That’s how all my weekends should be. While snowboarding is fun, it doesn’t give me the same feeling that biking does. With snowboarding, I’m confined to the ski runs and dependent on lifts. If I had to buy a season lift ticket, I probably wouldn’t. On my bike, however, I can go anywhere and as far as my legs will take me.

But, I have discovered that technical skiing through the trees is a lot more fun than groomed runs. The Enchanted Forest is my favorite run on the mountain for just that reason. Most of the run is pretty mild, but my supervisor and I took a wrong turn and wound up on a short double black diamond. It was steep but manageable, just had to dodge a few exposed rocks. I think snowboarding will become more fun as my skills progress, so I’ll keep at it.

Saturday was my first trip out to Moab, just two hours from my new house! I stopped in an outdoor tour shop for some trail advice and a map, and came out with a week’s worth of trails. I ended up riding Slick Rock just because I recognized the name. The landscape was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A massive expanse of sandstone. The “trail” was a series of strips of white paint, and would otherwise be nonexistent. It was a great ride with the biggest challenge being the steep grades. Traction was better than pavement. Lucy had a blast too, even though she ran through a cactus while chasing a coyote. Hopefully, that was enough to discourage her from harassing other wildlife. I can’t wait to spend a whole weekend there. The Moab Brewery was pretty nice too.

In other news, I got moved into my new house. I like it so far, even though it’s a ways out from Telluride, and I’m still living with the same roommates. My posts will be a little sporadic until we get Internet set up. In the meantime, Merry Christmas!

Life

Three funerals, in just over a year, are way too many. It's terrible every time, whether they're young or old.  But there's a lesson here. Life is short. You can't wait for it to come to you; you have to seek it out. I'm glad to be in Colorado, thoroughly enjoying the mountains and snow, but it's too far from the important people in my life to stay here forever.

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”  
- J.R.R. Tolkien

Snow Boots, Mittens, and Four Wheel Drive!

I'm officially ready for winter! No more cold, wet feet or hands for me. And, I can now drive safely in pretty much any conditions. Before the snow hit last week, I thought that my old two wheel drive Tacoma might do ok in winter, not great but ok. Usually the safety of a vehicle is determined in its ability to stop. But, I soon realized that two wheel drive is actually dangerous when you're in the delicate balance between maintaining momentum and maintaining control.

Last Friday, we got several inches of snow in a just a few hours. There was an 18 wheeler jack-knifed on the highway going into town, and there was a small truck flipped over in my neighborhood. My truck couldn't make it up the first hill at the entrance to my neighborhood, so I ended up parking by the highway and hiking about a mile to my house. It wasn't a big deal, but next time I might've gotten stuck much further from home. So, today I traded it in for another Tacoma. Oversized snow tires and four wheel drive should handle just about any situation, but there's also a rear differential lock and four-low if I ever need to plow through the deep stuff.

It's an older truck with quite a few miles, but it drives nicely and should have plenty of life left in it. Also, it might be my favorite configuration of the Tacoma. It's a V6 with a manual transmission and a manual transfer case. It feels a good bit smaller than my last truck, and there are no rear doors. Not that anyone wants to sit in the back seat anyways. The bed is actually slightly longer and wider. So my sleeping platform doesn't have that snug fit anymore, but it works. I'll miss my old truck, but there's plenty of adventures to come in this one.

Maps vs. GPS

Keeping with the travel theme, I thought I'd write about why I prefer maps over GPS. When GPS devices first became popular for use in cars, I thought they were ridiculous (and still do). They're useful on boats to find fishing wrecks, distances, etc., but roadways have plenty of signs to tell you where you are. The only time GPS is useful in cars is when one is in a big, unfamiliar city with multiple destinations. The vast majority of the time I use written directions and/or a map.

So, why use maps? State maps are free at all welcome stations. Looking for certain road signs keeps my attention. I've learned to recognize primary roads from secondary roads from tertiary roads. I can quickly glance at a map to find surrounding roads and features. The best part is that these skills are transferable when on biking and hiking trails. Recognizing a primary trails is crucial when you don't have a map and sometimes when you do. Using maps also builds a good sense of direction.

Boy Scouts are taught that a GPS is not a primary source of information due to it's vulnerability to water and dead batteries. I keep one in my truck as a back-up but haven't used it in over a year. I have a small collection of state maps organized alphabetically in the pocket of my back door, so that I can reach back and pick out the one I need. Also, it's helpful to fold the map in such a way that you only see the part in which you are travelling. I guess maps just fit in with my personality, like manual transmissions and single speeds.

Road Trip Recap

Overall, I'd say I had a pretty successful trip. I got to see more friends and family than I had intended. I rode the Womble Trail in Arkansas, Bear Creek and Pinhoti in North Georgia, Oak Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama, and Whirlpool in Oxford, Mississippi. I drove 4076 miles, spent $566 in gas, and averaged 21.1 mpg. I discovered that when facing a strong headwind, I can run in 4th gear at 70 mph and 3200 rpm and still get 19-20 mpg. That rekindled my faith in the ole 4 cylinder. However, after all that it took me about 10 tries, 2 sandbags, and a roommate in the back to get out of my driveway this morning; it was pretty iced over.

I'm glad to be done travelling for a while, but I can't say I was really excited to come back to Telluride. I've got to do some maintenance on my truck and get it registered just to trade it in for a 4x4. Also, the house I've been renting finally sold, so I've got to find a new place to live in the next month. These problems are made worse by the facts that I live in the middle of nowhere, and there's a severe housing shortage in Telluride. But, since I'm a town employee I get bumped to the top of the waiting list for the apartment complex, so hopefully that'll work out. On the upside, I'm looking forward to getting away from my roommates (one in particular). There's also smaller problems like buying various winter gear items and replacing worn out bike parts - things that can't be done in town without sacrificing a limb.

Coming back wasn't all bad though. My Rogue Hoe finally arrived after being back-ordered for a couple months; though it's kind of too late to do trail maintenance now. And, my boss found some snowboard boots in my size in the Free Box. For those that are wondering, it's exactly what it sounds like - a box of free stuff. Lucy sure was excited to get back though! Hopefully, next month, things will slow down.

Back at the Gap

I first heard of Mulberry Gap from my dad who heard about it from a Gulf Coast Bike Club friend. My dad sent me a link to it suggesting it as a cool vacation, but my first thoughts were "awesome summer job opportunity". And that's exactly what happened that summer. Now two years later it's one of four stops on my off-season road trip to The South. It's one of my favorite places of all time (Lucy probably thinks so too!) with a combination of epic trails, great food, and a friendly atmosphere.

The trails are fantastic. Challenging but rideable climbs. Long fast descents, some flowy, some technical. There's even some nice views thrown in here and there. My first time riding the gravel road to the top of Bear Creek Trail I thought I might die. I stopped fifty yards from the top and sat down. Riding it today wasn't nearly as bad but still not easy. Not only are there more miles of trail right out the gate than you want to ride in one day, but within an hour or so drive, there's several hundred miles of trails including a seven mile rock garden, machine-built groomed flow, and everything in between. A fellow rider once said, "[he] could learn more about mountain biking in a week at Mulberry Gap than a year of riding [his] home trails". Almost all the trails were built with drainage and sustainability in mind and can be ridden just a few hours after a rain shower. They're also rideable year-round; though it might get a little cold in winter.

I managed to break my pedal coming off a jump. As you can see, they've been thoroughly abused. I knew they were on their last leg, but that's not how I imagined they would go. Luckily, I was still able to clip into the other side to finish my ride.

The facilities are as equally great as the trails. "Down Home" food, cozy cabins and campsites, and the cleanest bathhouse you'll find in a campground. If I didn't like mountain biking, I'd still come for the food. Two waffles, eggs, sausage, sliced bananas and strawberries will last me at least 40 miles, and there's great recovery food for dinner. The camaraderie among guests is unmatched. Cyclists come from far and wide (including other countries), all for a common goal. There's always interesting conversation around the dinner table. It's also been called dog heaven by several guests. Lucy has woods to roam, trails to run, other dogs to play with, and people to give her scraps and attention.

It's hard to adequately describe this place, but one can see why Lucy and I and hundreds of other mountain bikers like it so much. The surrounding area is pretty cool too; maybe in the future I'll get to visit more often.