Me and Scout in the snow

Lucky you: a rare non self-portrait, courtesy of Julie and her iPhone.

After a mostly dry winter, we've had three minor snowstorms in the past week. Not a lot of total accumulation, but better than nothing.

The Pugsley remains as fun to ride as ever, though after spending a slight majority of riding time in recent months on my Monocog with its 750mm Salsa Rustler bar, the Pug's 660mm Salsa Moto Ace bar feels far too narrow. I think I'm finished with flat bars any narrower than the Rustler.

Whatever they call it, around here it's Bike Friday

As is our tradition, we refrained from spending any money today, and instead took the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful late November day. We are very fortunate to get quite a few terrific days with 60 degree F weather sprinkled throughout the winter. When fine weather coincides with a day off, there is no better way to soak up some precious sunlight.

We had a nice Thanksgiving meal yesterday and the girls really enjoyed the food. Perhaps the pinnacle of their enjoyment was getting to lick the beaters from the whipped cream.

Unbridled joy.

A sampling of two types of pumpkin pie, and a slice of pumpkin cheesecake.

Today marks the second anniversary of Scout coming home to live with us. She has been a good dog and continues to learn how to live in the world of people. Here's to many more rides.

Scout is my shadow, much more often than not.

183 days and counting: Bike to Work Day

A little ride with Scout following the Bike to Work Day ride home.

Those of you who live outside the Denver area know that national Bike to Work Day occurred last month. However, for some reason the City of Denver traditionally conducts its Bike to Work Day in June, ostensibly because the weather is better in June than in May. Whatever the reason, today was Bike to Work Day in Denver. As is usually the case on this special day, there were a lot more people on bikes on the streets and trails around here. Curiously, bike to work day is one of the few days that many of the bike-y people I know are somewhat less likely to ride to work, mostly because many are working at bike-related events and may be required to drive vans or other motorized vehicles to haul tables and supplies. I, on the other hand, did no such thing. I rode my bike and talked with lots of bike-y people as they worked.

Activity at Civic Center Park just after Mayor Hancock spoke.  

Many snacks, stickers and other free goodies were to be had.

Coincidentally, today marked 183 consecutive days of me riding a bike. That means that I've officially hit half a year in my current streak that began late last year with the TSBC challenge. Today, like every day during the past six months, I rode in part for transportation, in part for convenience, and in part for fun. Early in the morning I was out the door with my single-speed Bean Green Surly Cross-Check, that I recently equipped with a new-to-me 16-tooth Surly cog to replace a 20-tooth antecedent. The new 16 seems to be well matched to work with the CC's 34-tooth Surly chainring. This gear combo returns a nice gain ratio to facilitate regular around-the-town riding.

Later, I went out with two of my girls; the babbling one and the fuzzy one. Along the trail we made a couple of discoveries. First, we found that people who use chainsaws can exhibit a sense of humor:

Happy stump.

Second, we made a trailside find of the canned liquid beverage variety:

These three survivors were rescued.

While making our way along a well-traveled trail, I spotted a tall Stella Artois can in the weeds along the side of the trail. I thought that the can looked like a good candidate for a new stove design featured on Vik's blog, which, as it turns out, was retired today. I picked it up, and to my surprise it was full and apparently untampered. A little farther along, I discovered another can, then another, and another. The cans looked as if they may have been either accidentally dropped or hastily ditched, as they had a few impact dents and scratches and one had been punctured. Considering the volume of traffic on the trail, it's unlikely they could have been there for too long. In any case, I'm chalking the three survivors up as a decent trailside find and will be enjoying them at some point in the future, once they have been properly chilled. Intact trailside found beer is free beer, and free beer is a cornerstone of our culture, after all. Not a bad conclusion to the day.

Dirt bike dog

This past weekend I was traveling, and was fortunate enough to fit in a couple of rides in Wyoming. Trails abound in the least populated state, and as might be expected, are often empty. Scout and I did our best to cover as much ground as we could. Just like when I was a kid on a ranch, the best compadre to have in such a setting is a dog who loves the dirt.

Our summit photo.

Cool shirt courtesy of Monkey Wrench Cycles.

Following a dip in the water near the end of the ride.

100 days and counting

In my past 100 days on a bike, I've ridden all of these and more.

Today marks the 100th consecutive day during which I've ridden a bike. It's really just an arbitrary number with arbitrary significance, but it does feel like some sort of accomplishment. This streak started with my participation in the Tarik Saleh Bicycle Club challenge at the end of last year, which I initially documented and sporadically provide updates.

Though I've ridden a number of different bikes for different purposes over the course of the past 100 days, my nearly constant companions in this endeavor have been my faithful riding partners: Scout and Pugsley. Without Scout, I may not have had the motivation to get outside and ride some days, and without Pugsley I may not have had as much fun.

I don't know how many more consecutive days of riding I'll be able to rack up, but I will of course write about it here. Happy trails.

My riding partners early in the current riding streak. 

Scout always wants a tummy rub after the ride... 

... followed by a nap in the sun.

Winter threw Spring a welcome party

Dressed like a rancher on my two-wheeled tractor.

Yesterday evening started with sprinkling rain, then progressed to sleet. By morning there were a few inches of snow on the ground. When Scout and I took our mid-morning ride, we were greeted with 6-8 inches of fresh snow and swirling blizzard conditions. Perfect bike riding weather.

I let air out of the tires until they were mushy and perfect for surface conditions.

The bottle cage on my new King Cage Top Cap Cage Mount makes a perfect glove holder when taking a photo. 

Falling, blowing snow over the lake.

It was business as usual for the geese and ducks.

I still can't get over how great fat tires roll in 6+ inches of new snow.

Unrelated bonus photo: Avery County Cycles sticker on a urinal at Wahoo's on 20th, seen a few days ago.

The riding of the green... and the red

Rolling on my green Surly Cross-Check.

Scout and I started off the day with a ride, per usual. It was only a bit more than coincidence that today, St. Patrick's Day, I was on a green bike. My Bean Green Cross-Check happened to be the closest bike to the door of the bike barn, so it was most convenient to be pressed into service.

A bit later, I was off for the fourth annual distribution ride to shuttle Denver B-cycle bikes into the system. About 300 people signed up to deliver bikes from the Denver Bike Sharing office North of downtown to the 56 stations currently operating in the city. While waiting for the official signal to go, I hung out with a lot of local bike people, took in some fine entertainment, and had some excellent food and drink, including the best kind of breakfast burrito: hot, tasty, serendipitous, and free.

Phil, Denver B-cycle's head mechanic, is always hard at work wrangling bikes

Proud B-cycle riders lined up for a photo.

Jared is an intrepid Denver B-cycle mechanic, elite bike polo player, and prodigious facial follicle cultivator.

This Worksman brand three-wheeled hauler is equipment for a new pedal-powered entrepreneurial enterprise, and owned by Jeff, another fine Denver B-cycle mechanic. 

This lucky lady was the winner of three hefty packs of high quality bacon as a door prize. 

After a while, everyone had been assigned a bike and a station to which it should be delivered. Following a bit of fanfare and some posing for the official photographers, we were off in a sea of dinging bells. The system opens for business tomorrow at 5:00 am. I, for one, am extremely happy to have the red bikes out and about once again.

If you live in the Denver area, get a membership here for a reduced rate until April 22nd. If you're going to visit Denver, a 24-hour subscription is simple to buy, and there is no better way to see the city. I hope to see you out there!

A crowd of people in red shirts on red bikes.

Yep. That's me.

Nearly under way.

Eric from Fort Collins, my riding buddy for the day, and I were the first ever check-ins at the brand-new Auraria Campus station. Along with many others, I've been working for nearly seven years to help Auraria become more bike friendly, so this station is a big achievement. 

Docked and ready for the next rider.

Lucky Number 234 was my steed for the ride. 

Unrelated extra photo: On the way home I saw this social media inspired sticker graffito.