Survived Turkey Day & Last Cyclocross Race of the Season

This photo recoiled my neck and rattled my noodle. I just happened to have recorded my 500th activity and that lead me into investigation mode. For ALL of the calendar year 2017 - 295 Hours - 3,067.2 Miles - 39 Personal Records - 439 Activities

Thanksgiving turned out to be a much bigger surprised than I expected, or at least thought that the day might flow. I definitely rode a roller coaster!! But it was the way it was. I was lucky enough to start the morning off completely alone. I was originally nervous about being alone but I worked on tasks at hand and made the best of it.

And Yes, Edible Flowers In That Salad 

I wasn't expecting The Dude to walk in before the 3pm hour. Again, another surprise that holiday gatherings offer, The Dude walked in just after the noon hour. SCORE!! He was thinking about cracking a brew and I had been pounding H2o all morning. So Game On. Cranked up a VERY random CD selection while we prepared a variety of dishes.

About that time is when I was FINALLY able to shed my old skin and allow old engrams to release into that space. Some might refer to that space as the Universe. I'm Cool With That

Now imagine if you will, think back to when you were about 8 years old, sleepover with friends, now I can continue. My Uncles morphed the word booger into a Movie game that became infectious. Hope you catch it!! We started replacing ONE word in movie titles and our bellies hurt for days because of the laughter. Have You Thought of ONE???? Comment Below, Don't Be Shy!!

Fist Full Of Boogers, A Booger Named Desire, Bridget Jone's Booger, My Cousin Booger, Attack of the 50 Foot Booger, Black Booger Down, Gone With The Booger, And MY PERSONALLY added and favorite, Willy Wonka And The Booger Factory. This went on randomly like those CD's playing all night. Stupid humor BUT outrageously funny. Seriously, go ahead a comment below with your rendition. Play it forwards OR backwards. Example - Booger Night Fever or Saturday Night Booger

I am telling you, I had no idea how depressed, sad, and worried I was about this day. Also, my feelings had just been totally crushed and pissed out the window on me. But having Uncles to celebrate our youth with?!?!?!? WoW, Laughing Is Amazing!! Giggling like school kids again was righteous.

My spirits were lifted and my heart felt a happy little beat again. Of course the booger game didn't stop there. It rolled into book tiles and eventually made its way into song titles. Come On Now, Comment With A Movie, Book, Or Song. Example - Dan Millman's A Peaceful Booger or The Beatles, I Want To Hold Your Booger. I'm still cracking up!!! Being Dumb Is So Damn Fun At Times

And Now, another cyclocross season is in the books. How ya like THAT turkey there in the soccer field?? Definitely my favorite venue.

Plenty of options, places to dismount, and super fast straight aways for burning up that cardiovascular system. The Grand Valley saw rain, snow, & wind. It was a true cyclocross weekend!!

RADIO SHOW: Here is a big update. I hosted my first show without The Boy Dog coaching me through a good nap or with a revolving door of volunteers handing out butt rubs. He absolutely love walking to the station.

I had previously been in the station and thought that I would be able to keep it together. I rode the bike on down to the station by about 5am and I am glad I went early. Within about 5 minutes of being in the broad casting booth, I cried like a baby. Not having The Boy Dog felt so awful and empty. I miss that guy so much. But it was way too late to call in sick so I pushed some Wide Spread Panic over the airwaves until The Motet felt alright.

I then "started" the show at 6am and stayed focus. https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/show/morning-muse-kafm-community-radioThis is the link that will be good for the next two weeks ONLY. Its a free link!!!

I featured the late 1970's TV show Mork & Mindy. It was mostly a B-Side Classic Rock show with Mork soundbites mixed in. A well received show. Sh*t ton of phone call ins. A number of texts that stated the obvious, Welcome Back. I passed on talking about The Boy Dog over air and simply focused on remaining present and upbeat. But damn I was pleased hearing from listeners. Considering Mork & Mindy "took place" in Boulder Colorado, all the calls were folks reminiscing and story telling of Robin Williams. Way Cool

I have listened to the show and you can clear hear my voice start to crack a few times but I held it together. I drank a lot of water and took deep breaths when those emotions started creeping on into my mind. And for some weird reason, as I put on my helmet, about to leave the building, my guts knotted up with emotions that I was suppressing all morning.

A majority of my ride was rough and watering eyes makes a ride just a wheeeee bit treacherous.
So Overall, I enjoyed the show but not looking to pick up another show anytime soon.

Hope you leave a booger comment, hope you stream the radio show, & stay hydrated,
Cheers

I am so fortunate to be able to call Colorado home, having an iPhone in my pocket for opportune times, & knowing that I have my health, functioning body parts, & the ability to ride my bike when and where I want. So Fortunate

Seriously??? That Brook Trout is Eating AND Pooping a garden snake. Unreal 

The Western Slope Anglers held a meeting at KAFM and I volunteered to bartend. So glad that I did because the guest speaker was brilliant. He has been guiding for over 30 years and his stories were backed up with amazing photos. I am not a fisherman but he painted moments with his words that had me believing that I too could land rainbows effortlessly. Very Talented & Seasoned Gentleman

This could arguably be argued!!! After approximately 4,000 miles on this commuter in the calendar year of 2018, an overhaul took place. Couldn't be happier about it. Fast Eddie went over the top during this "basic" tune up. He replaced the bearings in both hubs before packing them in new grease, hooked me up with a new pair of pedals, took all the cables out of their housing for new spray lubricant, tightened the headset, adjusted the brake pads, and made it clear to me that I need to bring the bike back in after Turkey Day for a once over as a precautionary check. Will Be Sending Fast Eddie Business 

I happened to be gabbing on the phone and a flock of blue birds infested my juniper tree. Their wings were so beautiful and the "jumped" around this tree like little children engaged in London Bridge Falling play school antics. I Found Myself Smiling

This Needs NO Explanation!! Right??? My only two Uncles on my mothers side of the "family" rode out on Amtrak and are here for Thanksgiving. The Dude & I took them out to Palisade for some Disc Golf and then hit Carlson Vineyard for a quick stop. This particular vineyard does an excellent job of decorating their showroom for the holidays. Top Shelf Day All Around

 *This Section Is Just For Me * Carry On With Your Day * Nothing To See Here*


I am not sure how I am going to make it through these damn Holidays without this guy and our routines. Over his 13 years, Shadow Boy walked into my life the week of Thanksgiving at 3 months old, from then on, we played in various locations while a bird was on the smoker. He truly enjoyed the gathering every year!! I know this because he was such a rambunctious puppy but would lay quietly under the dinner table while we all ate and took turns "dropping" scraps in his general vicinity.

Him & I would round up all the oldies and we would walk the neighborhood after dinner and check out all the new Christmas decorations. He was so proud to pack up with humans and found that extra pep in his step. Its just about the only time that he wouldn't pull on his leash, just trotted along beside us while everyone would drop comments like " such a good boy" or " he is so handsome" or " so well behaved unlike my mutt"

Thanksgiving 2016 

There is an outside chance that Mother Nature might drop some snow flakes Thursday. I couldn't believe my eyes or wanted to believe my eyes when I saw the forecast. The Boy Dog obviously loved the snow because I love snow storms. Its a real pisser to think that he won't be here Thursday AND its going to snow. Maybe I will find my Big Boy Pants & Persevere. Well, I guess I wasn't really given a choice because family members are in town and are counting on me to deliver.

These photos are from my old iPhone4 and I never thought that I would cherish them they way that I do. In this photo, I was wrapping The Dudes X-Mas Gift last year, The Boy Dog clearly protested this behavior and expected more attention. Its just one of his many ways of showing me who was The Boss Apple Sauce. I Miss Him So Fucking Much

September Came And Went, October Hurt, & Turkey Day Is Closing In

Capped of the month of September with a sweet ride on some gorgeous single track outside of the postcard perfect Moab Utah.

The more popular area in Moab for mountain biking is Slick Rock. I had no idea about the Klondike Trail System north of the airport. Talk about radicle and super fast. The Dino-Flow is a MUST!! And its an excellent play on words. Dino = Dinosurs and Flow = Flowing Along With A Big Ol Smile.

Klishy mentioned that we should ride these trails and we knew we only had about an two hours of good light. We checked out the map and came up with a plan. Klishy is a gifted athlete so even though I say we rode the trials together, we never rode together. He always has to wait for me at different intersections or when he knows that I am way behind. Its why I appreciate riding "with" him.

The signage is absolutely brilliant and we could clearly see that a lot of time and effort has been spent on this network of trails. No way could you ever become lost, milage for every section, and tons of options for the locals who ride these trails everyday. And it was the little things that made the difference. Such As, they defined the single track with rocks going into turns and/or straightway through drainage areas.

Moab even painted a BoB Ross Sunset for us. There is something to be said about sunsets in the desert. 

Now for the dismal numbers from September. I am trying to keep in mind that I took 5 full days off during the month. I let Shadow Boy go on the first day of Fall. August also produced some excellent destracting numbers and I knew that I mentally would not be able to complete with those numbers this month.

So after 50 hours for August, looks like 30's are the constant or consistency of Septmeber. No running miles recorded and I am totally OK with that. The Boy Dog was sleeping about 18 hours a day I didn't want him to smell me after a trail run when he wasn't up for it. Thats So Not Fair.

Totals for the month are as follows

30 Days in the Month

37 Hours on the bike

31 Activities 

30 Personal Records

451 Miles

Its occured to me that I will need to investigate Strava a weeeeee bit more. I say this because I will be uploading commuter miles, road bike miles, and mountain bike miles in 2019. Or if any of you have some insight that you would be willing to share with me, comment below. Thanx in Advance!!

Thanx For Checking In And I Was Extremely Touched By All Of The Comments And Condolences From You Fine Folks.  You Can Stop Reading At This Point Because Everything Below Is Just For Me.

When Sadie Girl passed away, I was sad for awhile but I had The Boy Dog to comfort me and keep me moving forward. When I put Ol Gramps down, it was totally his time, I had The Boy Dog to comfort me and keep me moving forward.

I Planted This Memorial Tree In Honor Of Shadow Boy

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and The Boy Dog always scored an outfit. He loved dressing up and roaming through neighborhoods with me. He loved the little kids and was always so damn gentle with kids in costumes. Remember, he was just shy of 100 pounds those last few years.

Night Time Cyclocross Race Outfit 

But this Halloween was one of the emptiest nights of my life. I was nearly holding myself together earlier at the gym and a segment of the news popped up with 'keeping your pets safe' and that was the final straw. I just couldn't keep from crying all day long. It Phuc-N Sucked

L to R - The Dude, Baby Daddy, H Bird, & Me 

My Niece wanted to host a Robot Halloween and then we would Trick-or-Treat from there. I knew I had to rally but I was not enthusiastic what so ever. Not saying that I was a party pooper but I just didn't have the extra gear of motivation.

Baby Daddy looked GREAT and Iris was dressed as a power pack. CLASSIC !! H Bird hand panted they three outfits and The Dude made his glow-n-the-Dark. We definitely scored on the neighborhood as it was a series of cud-de-sacs. Tons of kids and the ENTIRE neighborhood participated and decked out their homes. VERY IMPRESSIVE

Amazing Decorations These Days

Overall, it WAS nice being around family. But not having Shadow Boy by my side makes me even tear up right now. I miss him like you wouldn't believe. The other day while I was making dinner, I am a sloppy cook, a carrot flipped off the cutting board and I called out for him without even thinking about it. He loved ground scores. Once Again, I Cried Myself To Sleep That Night

Starva sent me a lovely October update. That whole colorful updated e-mail pointed out that I was 542 miles lower than September, 114,00 less vertical gain, 191 miles less running, and only recorded 2 PR's in October. So I Got That Going For Me

Cyclocross Race in New Castle Colorado

I still ride to the office, still lifting weights between 3 and 6 days a week, & still struggling with daily routines without The Boy Dog. Then, just when I didn't think that it could get any worse, my old 2011 MacBook Pro died and I lost all videos and photos of Shadow. Lost ALL My Data, I can deal with losing my music, but losing all of those Boy Dog memories was the icing on the Phuc-N cake. For the month of October, I asked myself this a lot, " What's The Point"
I am not suicidal but I haven't been this unhappy in all of my life. I completely dropped off CrackBook, I haven't created any Youtube content, & this is my first blog update. The craziest part of that is the fact that nobody really even noticed. Nobody, I Mean NoBODY has reached out and asked where I have been.
Thats not a poor me or a dig on anyone. Its just an observation of mine and justifies why its pretty damn easy to pass on social media. If you are not traveling, setting records, or posting cute puppy shots, again, who cares??
Regardless, I am going to use this particular platform as my personal journal. I have races coming up in 2019, I also have travel plans in 2019, & I am finally looking forward to spending New years Eve with The String Cheese Incident.
I have a lot to be thankful for.
I know that I am loved.
I know that this is all part of the process.
I know things happen for a reason.
I am suppose to be getting stronger but its the fact that plans aren't as exciting without The Boy Dog

I thank all of you for stopping by and I really appreciate all of you other bloggers. You have continued to inspire me even though you have no idea that you are doing so.
http://lacemine29.blogspot.com
http://georgezack.blogspot.com
https://bethrunsinri.blogspot.com
https://mumbai-eyed.blogspot.com
http://perthdailyphoto.blogspot.com
http://trailmomma.com
http://patricktillett.blogspot.com
https://highriser.blogspot.com
http://pittbrownie.blogspot.com

Cheers

First Weekend Of The Fall

I was working up in Rifle this past weekend and I received a call on Friday that Shadow Boy wouldn't come in. He was laying comfortably in his own backyard. I wasn't too concerned because he would often project this behavior.

He passed on eating for 8 full days back at the beginning of September. Again, I wasn't really worried that he didn't want any food on that Friday afternoon. I checked back in as I laying in my hotel room and he was still out back. It was easy for me to chalk this up as simply being lazy.

I obviously didn't sleep worth a SH*T and was up and waiting for the call of duty. Our crew departed the hotel by 5:30am and my mind was focused on the task at hand. Somewhere around sunrise my phone rang again with an update.

I was informed that my Vet wanted to see The Boy Dog and my mind raced out of control. The Dude came over to the house and he said that The Boy Dog was standing in the breeze way and he gave one quick wag of his trail when he recognized him.

The Dude called me from the Vet's and I asked him if Shadow was limp when he carried him to the car or was he kind of alert. The Dude told me that Shadow was comfortable but weak in the car. He explained that the Vet could see that The Boy Dog was dehydrated so an IV was set and Shadow received an O2 mask.

My co-work Doc and I raced back to GJ as fast as we could and to the Vet's we went. I walked into the office and the gal's face behind the deck said it all. I went to the back room where Shadow was on the table covered in a blanket. We locked eyes!! Shadow was waiting for me. That Boy Dog held on and waited for his human. Unbelievably Loyal At All Times!! Under Any Phuc-N Condition.

I immediately put my hands below his ears and my forehead to his and asked," What do you want me to do Boy?" Slowly everyone left the room and the Vet gave me my options. The Vet offered me an IV bag with antibiotics and a syringe in case he became uncomfortable. The Vet said that he would follow me and we could lay him to rest in the backyard. The Vet also said he would come over on Sunday as well if needed.

Shadow Boy & I originally thought that this would be a good idea but then The Boy Dog dropped a paw off the side table and eventually hung the full weight of his head off the table in my hands. Thats when I knew that we wouldn't be leaving together.

I made the choice and TheVet unhooked his IV from his port. I began talking to Shadow through his skull between his ears and the fluid of orange death was administered. The Boy Dog began his new journey so quickly and peacefully.

So Cheers To The Chinese Year Of The Dog!!
Old Gramps Passed Away Earlier This Year And I Let Shadow Boy Go On The First Day Of Fall.

2005 - 2018 Best Boy Ever 

Pressure Gradients In Motion In The Wrong Direction

Where has September gone?? I mean, its been great. BUT DAMN IT

When I am complaining, explaining, or retelling my headwind BOTH directions to someone, I can immediately read them as a cyclist or not. Not that I am looking for validation or anything. Its more of a conversational piece at the gym or office or something. Like JJJ so eloquently said," We all need validation every now and again."

The wind was clearly out of the south all morning. I talked myself into a road ride with the "treat" of sailing back. So I hammered all the way out to Palisade, via farm lands, payed dearly on my return trip along the river.

I cracked 300 miles for the month and that accomplishment keeps me on the 300+ every month for 2018 goal. So I got that going for me. I'm also at 25 hours and 25 personal records??? Must be from exploring new trails options. These numbers are based on 20 activities. Obviously the activities are way down without the No Excuse Loop with the Boy Dog added to the equation. We walk too slow for the Garmin to track us these days.

Then, for a real attitude ajuster, I left the office and went for a "quick" spin. No more than 5 miles into it, BAM!! Damn Near Launched Off My Bike. Mother Nature Is Pissed. Two Hours of 40+ MPH Blasts!!



Stay Strong, Keep Yourself Hydrated, & Look Sharp
Cheers

Miles & Miles Of River Trail

The Harp Twins Came To Town!! This was their first show in Colorado. Unfortunately, they played at the Mesa Theater and that place still so blows. The employees are just complete jack A$$ even with the new owners. The 12oz plastic cup of brew is $6. I just walked away from the bar in disgust. If they sold beer at $5 then I would have happily spent Ten Dollars.

Now, The Harp Twins are flipping talented and they have fantastic stage awareness. They finish each others sentences and play multiple harps. They stayed ALL night after the show to sign, take photos, and interact with their fans. They travel with their mother and all three of them smiled and giggled throughout the night. Very personable group of ladies

Here is their Youtube video of them covering METALLICA's ONE with 10 million views!!!

The 575 is treating me well. Been enjoying the single track again!! Somewhere I have a cardiovascular system but it never quite shows up while I am climbing.

My road ride the other day brought me to this moment in time. I do love trains. Big mile long coal trains, Amtrak, or working train crews, Dig Trains For Sure. And the sounds from the switch yard at night are rather comforting.

Just as a storm was a brewing, trails were prime, I skirted behind this front and rode with the wind. The temperature was ideal as Mr Sun hind behind those clouds. The wind kept the black flys at bay and the 575 rolled fast and controlled.

Dead center of this photo, a female MTB flew on down the ridge. She made that stretch look effortless as she gracefully descended towards the parking lot. Very impressive and humbling as well.

I am so stoked to see this creation finally completed!! We now have a river "trail" from THE WORLD CLASS/FAMOUS Kokopelli Trail Head to Copper Mountain and beyond. You can ride from Vail Colorado to Moab Utah if you wanted. You have the option to ride from Fruita to Palisade. You have the option to ride from Rifle to Leadville. Free Your Mind And Your Bike Will Follow

There were moms pushing strollers, a guy on a high end wheel chair was cranking out the miles, older folks causally riding along, road bikes seeking a Strava best, and kids learning the ways of trail etiquette. So Yes, its already well used and the new west end just opened on Friday of Labor Day Weekend.

You can see the concrete path in white there on the left. This road drops down to the Loma Boat Ramp. Behind me is the Kokopelli Trail System. Again, I am so damn stoked!!!

The Grand Valley is incredibly beautiful. This entire River Trail offers righteous locations for photos, wildlife viewing, and easy flat pedaling. CHOICE

The three hours is a little off because of my photo ops and listening to the canals merge with the not so Mighty Colorado River. But from downtown to Loma and back is an easy 40.5 miles or 65.178km. Added the Kilometers just for Perth and Andrew.

Boy Dog Update:
He is still slow but full of determination. He loves sleeping in the closet during the day and then at night he has been crashing out in the breeze way. I wake up every night and go outside to find him. Some nights he is curled up in a content little ball. He sleeps so soundly that I kinda freak out when it looks like he is no longer breathing.

I leave him be and I stumble back to my room. I am bringing this up because our roles have reversed. As a puppy, he used to hear me coming in and would be at the garage door pouring out enthusiasm. Then, he would greet me at the kitchen door with pure joy. Now, I find him in the closet sound asleep when I arrive. Breaks my Phuc-N heart but he always brings a smile to my face when he opens those droopy sleepy eyes when he smells me laying on the floor in front of him.

The Power of Chicken Noodle Soup

August 2018:

Bike Miles - 709.4

Run Miles  - 27.8

I Hit 50 Hours for the Month of August ( 54 hours in MAY )

77 Activities in August

16 Personal Records

And After A Summer of Heavy Drinking - 183.7 pounds of gut - oops

Year To Date:

100 Personal Records

3,957.1 Total Miles

439 Activities 

I almost instantly regretted my last post. I only wanted to document the "progression" of the Boy Dogs health. Last Saturday, we actually had rain, the Boy Dog did his best to shuffle off this mortal coil. But by the powers of Chicken Noodle Soup, He is alive today.

For the past 6 or so years I have been hiking and/or trail running with him. So my cycling was put on the back shelf. I am totally ok with that choice. I still ride the commuter bike everywhere and have NEVER driven to the office. But I haven't road cycled in ages, very limited of the 575, and my cardiovascular system wasn't up for cyclocross racing ether. Plus, I have so many excuses.

But now that Shadow sleeps about 18 hours a day, I mean crashes out, my cycling legs are coming around. Its a double edge sword because I have been throughly enjoying the 575 but I miss having the Boy Dog next to me on the single track. However, I am beyond stoked that Shadow made it through his Birthday Month!!!





GOALS:
1) Take It Day By Day
2) Pull Off The Xterra Triathlon next weekend.
3) Add Another New Client in the Ortho World
4) The 22nd is the Roan Cliff Adventure Race
5) The 29th is the Moab Gran Fondo Road Race
6) Put In A Few Hours At The OM House


Enjoy Your Labor Day Weekend, Soak Up The Sunshine, Ski Those Slopes, And Keep Yourself Hydrated

Cheers