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Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
The most bitchin ride ever ridden in colorado!
Well OK, That mightbe a bit of a stretch to some, but to me its completely fact. This sneaky guy tried to pull the fast one .not me..
I have hacked out a couple shorter ride reports, in the Day Tripping forum, but this prose is about a fourteen day sojourn so I figure it belongs here in the Ride Report section. So I will toss this in here with the other literary giants that roam these pages. I hope you enjoy this attempt to chronicle the outrageous motorcycle trip that we were lucky enough to be able to commence and complete in two weeks time, with no bad luck, mechanical issues, or any ill consequences to speak of. We had some really nice consequences:
This trip is referred to as the COLORADO trip. The idea for this excursion was conceived in the fall of 2009, and that notion became manifest in history upon our departure from CdA, ID on Saturday the 14th of August 2010. So this is historical too. After months of map study and wrangling over the best travel date opportunities, it was finally time to load the gear on the bikes, air the tires, and thumb the starter buttons.
But first, a little history on how this came to be. My travelling partner Ben ( noted liar above) and I are long time buddies. We go back to the early 90s when we first met in Lewiston Idaho. I had recently moved to Lewiston from Michigan with a new job as field engineer on a paper mill expansion. Ben had recently moved there from N California. We were, and still are, into bicycle racing, and we became acquainted by attacking each other during hard and spirited group training rides with other local riders, then laughing later about how badly we flogged the shit out of each other. Whether out on road or mountain bikes, these ventures ranged anywhere from 2 to 6 hour rides. So lots of saddle time is nothing new, and compared to my bicycle, even the crappiest motorcycle saddle seems to me like a luxurious recliner. We have since fairly agreed that two-wheeled travel of any kind, is the best there is. Here is our group on a recent flogging:
Fast-forward almost 20 years . Over the past few years, together, we have done numerous 3, 4, and 5 day moto trips. We like to camp when we can, and will resort to a flea-bag motel when its appropriate or the weather has just turned totally crappy, Hey, we are both over 50 years old. I dont mind tent camping, I actually like it, but I am not interested in an extreme cold or wet test of will. Any way, traveling in this manner requires being efficient with your gear in order to not be over burdened with weighty junk, yet one still must possess the amenities necessary to be comfortable and civilized in the campground. We both utilize soft-bag pannier type luggage, and tank, and tail bags. On top of my rear rack goes the tent, pad, and bag. We both carry the usual stuff that campers use on a daily basis, and some dirty clothes, and other essential vice quenching elixirs. We both enjoy the Spartan luxuries, but can be easily tempted by lousy hash-house fare.
Our machinery is not high-zoot. Ben rides a 99 Honda Superhawk 996, and mine is an 08 V-Strom 996. Almost identical engines, but the similarities pretty much stop there. Both bikes have been proven to be decent traveling rigs. We are not racers. We ride in a spirited, but sane manner, and these steeds always get us where we are going. On this route we rode collectively over 10,000 miles. We added no oil to our engines along the way, though both were due for a change at the end. Note thats 20,000 tire-miles, with no flats either. We keep our tools clean, oiled, and sharp. Thats the key to reliable serviceability, I think. No matter which bike Im on, I have no patience for standing on the side of the road listening to somebody say: Oh shit! I guess I should have had that taken care of before I got on the road. Well Duh!!, But we all know, it takes a little good luck too, I guess. I rooted around for a while to find a good picture of the bikes all kitted up for adventure travel. The one below isnt from the COLORADO trip, its from an earlier OREGON trip, but it gets the idea across.
Day 1: Our much anticipated day of departure dawned as a perfectly clear North Idaho summer day. After the ritual morning coffee drinking, the usual drama of final packing selections, and a warm goodbye kiss from my G/F,
we made our way out of Coeur dAlene and headed East over Sherman and 4th of July passes, these would be some of the smallest bumps on our trip, but passes nonetheless. There is nothing extraordinary about riding East out of CdA on I-90 when youve been down that road numerous times, but the excitement of starting this trip had me giddy and grinning inside my helmet. We were riding into the first sunny day of the trip. Sorry I was too busy smiling and having fun to take many pictures for part of the day..
After about 32 miles of Interstate slab, our loosely planned route took us 23 miles up the North Fork of the CdA river, which is a nicely paved serpentine NFS highway along a gorgeous stretch of river. The N-fork is as popular with the river floaters as it is with the trout stream rodmen, and there were plenty of both. I prefer the stripped down female floaters myself. On a warm sunny summer day such as this, you get to see plenty. But you have to pay attention to this road too or you will get a Dodge Ram tattoo. At Prichard (tavern) we turn to burn the 18 miles up the hill toward the Thompson Pass summit, which demarks the Idaho Montana state line. Our third pass today, and first state-line. Its only 9am. From the top, its a fun 18 mile ride down to Thompson Falls, MT, which is on the Clark Fork River. Its about 100 miles from CdA to T-Falls, so we are needing to feed that thirsty Superhawk. It sure has a mismatched tank size given its appetite for fuel. Ben carries a spare gallon, and its a good thing too, because it comes in handy later.
Out of T-Falls we head East along the Clark Fork river on hwy 200. This is a gorgeous river canyon drive, complete with signage warning motorists of the bighorn sheep often seen in the roadway. See what I mean!
Through Plains and Paradise and Ravalli to Missoula, its another quick 100 miles. Its now getting warm, and its almost noon by Mountain Time. Time to stop at the Big Sky Brewery, we need fuel. After perusing the t-shirt displays in the brewery gift shop, we head across the street to one of the regions largest Harley Davidson dealerships. It appears they are having a weekend event and there are a lot of pirates attending the convention. Interestingly though, right there on the floor next to the oil puddles, are about 8 or 9 of the most spanky Ducatis.. Nice!! Monsters, 1198s tricked out with Ohlins and titanium, race replicas, lots of cool stuff! I have to really wonder just how many bikes like that can be sold in Missoula..? I feel somewhat ordinary as I putt putt away on my big ugly Strom with stained camping gear lashed on in nomad fashion.
Time to turn it South down hwy 93 toward Lost Trail Pass. But first ya gotta navigate the Saturday afternoon traffic right up the gut of the regions shopping district. Its Saturday, its hot out, and so are all of the regions shoppers. Is lane-splitting legal in Montana?? I dunno, but Ive seen it done. Apparently though from the local look, head-splitting is legal here, because no helmet is required, we thread our way, and the road is once again ours as we head out of Lolo topped up with petrol. The 60 or so miles from Missoula to Darby on Hwy 93 is hum-drum at best, but you can go pretty fast so it doesnt take too long. Beyond Darby, the road becomes narrow, winding its way into the Bitterroot National Forest, flanked by ever steeper canyon walls. We find that following the East Fork of the Bitterroot River is a fine moto route. Somewhere near Sula, MT, we stop at a NFS campground / day use area to have a snack, quench our thirst, and listen to the rushing river water.
It is a fine day! The Lost Trail summit is next. At the summit we will cross back into Idaho. This hwy gives us an awesome ride out of the Bitterroot valley over the summit and then bombs down the Idaho side. Once off the steep upper switch-back turns, the road takes on the rhythm of the N Fork of the Salmon River. We blitzkrieg into the town of North Fork. This is where the Salmon River proper turns west into the canyons of the river of no return wilderness, but we get to follow the Salmon upstream southward on down to Salmon, Idaho. This is what motorcycle travel is all about!
After a fuel stop in Salmon, we are headed up the Lemhi Valley, along its namesake river. This is a long stretch of distant views, and agricultural flavor. You can make some time on roads like these if you are so inclined. We traversed 10 mile stretches at a whack without seeing so much as a tractor. Though we did yield to an oncoming ambulance type vehicle about 30 miles out of Salmon, about 20 or so miles later we came upon the crash site. It didnt look good, and it was a long ride, once they scraped you up, to the nearest medical care out in these parts. The fences and ridgelines seem to go on forever along here. I sometimes feel the need to just slap myself, as being lucky enough to live in North Idaho, we sometimes take this stuff for granted.
We powered on to Mud Lake, the first civilized burg since Salmon. Still another 34 clicks to get to Rexburg, ID. Time to grocery up, and motor on down to the Swan Valley where we will camp tonight.. We roll in at dusk, over 500 miles into the program. We meandered two miles up a gravel forest service road in belief of the campground directional signs we saw in the fading light. The sky was perfectly clear and we were paralleling a nice rocky mountain stream, and it just got better all the way to the campground. Quick work was made of setting up tents and unrolling the bags. Simple camp chow and some celebratory spirits in the glow of our headlamps made the perfect nitecap. Night fell, stars blazed in the sky. Amazing at over a mile of elevation. I believe it was Big Elk Creek Camp. I also believe I watched the silhouette of a coyote tiptoe by my tent wall. Wiley is, no doubt, a regular customer in the campground diner.
Lawn Nazi
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Evansville, Wisconsin
Oddometer: 1,689
Love that road on both sides of Thompson Pass. I'm in for the duration.
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
OK!! thanks for the looks and the comments... had to take the dog for a walk..
All of the two lane riding between Idaho and Colorado is fantastic.....
On with the trip......i changed the font. old eyes, you see..
Day 2: A perfect dawn filtered through the tall pines that inhabit this canyon. Ho Hum, another perfect day in paradise. We perform the ritual morning duties, after copious amounts of hot caffinated beverage, load the trusted steeds and putt-putt back down the 2 miles of crunchy gravel to the Hwy 26. We leave the trees for crisp clear sunshine. We turn toward the sun, and Alpine Junction WY. A more patient man might have taken a few more photo opps along this morning ride, but with the weather being what it is, and the roads as perfect as they are, we were just having waaay too much fun to be standing around fumbling with cameras! Our location is just south of Jackson Hole WY, and we are winding along the edge of Palisades Reservoir on the Snake River, where the waters edge meets the canyon wall along a twisty path made for motorcycles. The earthen dam that restrains the mighty Snake here, failed catastrophically not too long ago sweeping up hundreds of homes in its wake. I hope she holds for today.
We cross into Wyoming near Alpine, and turn South toward Freedom. Freedom pretty much straddles the ID WY line, and is the home of the Freedom Firearm Mfg Company. If I ever need a new hogleg, Im coming back here for it. Back into Idaho to follow the scenic ID 34 loop around to Soda Springs. This is a pretty out of the way place. You wont find it by passing through, you need to be aiming for it. It would be worth it to take some pics here, but the riding is just too much fun for that kind of time wasting. We power on! From Soda Springs, we burn Hwy 30 through Montpellier, into Wyoming again and down to Cokeville. We are on a mission to make it to Dinosaur CO this afternoon, but first we are going to Green River, WY. We pretty much made a blur of the landscape between Soda Springs and Green river. We are not scofflaws, but Number one, these roadways beg you to pick up the pace a bit, and the bigness of the wide-open spaces seem to just suck you through. Number two, its Sunday morning and theres nobody out here competing for our space. The only LEO type we have seen in 700 miles was tending to the car wreck way back up by Ledore. I enjoy the depth of the distraction-free mental zone that I ride in. I promise myself I will take more pictures next time.
The wake-up alarm goes off as the traffic thickens, Wyoming Style, as we approach Green River, WY via Granger, on a short stretch of Interstate 80. We take on fuel in Green River and are pleased to learn that it will be no problem to buy liquor here on Sunday. We plan to camp tonight, and are not taking any chances, so we make a stop for provisions. Utah is the next state, and that place makes us nervous! We find what we need and follow the signs to Hwy 530 and motor South toward the Flaming Gorge. This is OUTRAGEOUS!! The roadway into, through, and out of the gorge is a terrific byway for any motorcyclist. For us the weekend traffic presented its Sunday drivers, but even so, it was great. Its the kind of road where you might just decide to backtrack and do it all over again.
Shortly after ascending out of the south end of the gorge, we had Vernal UT, and then Dinosaur CO in our crosshairs. The mileage to get there didnt last long, other than the constant feeding of that Superhawk. The big ugly Strom just gallops along, easily gobbling up 220 miles on a tankfull of regular unleaded. Thats about ten miles per liter for you communist metrics. Not bad for a big heavy pig with a payload of camping gear and booze lashed on. Thats how we roll to Dino-town. On the way here today we rode twice in Idaho, twice in WY, and once each in UT and CO. Whew thats a lot of state-lineses!
Ben is either happy to be here, or he has his thumb out cux gashawk is dry...
From here its a short stretch to the land of fossil mania. Dinosaur CO. is a just a wide spot in the road at a Tee-intersection with a single flashing signal light dangling from a cable.
We were pretty tired by now and we had no intelligence on what amenities may or may not be had in any neighboring town, so we asked the local mini mart clerk where might be the nearest campground. Well as luck would have it, this conversation was overheard by the assistant greens-keeper of the local township park. Carl said: Hey! I take care of that park right across the street, and you guys can just camp right there. For free. And that little building has toilets and showers too!! Once again the gods had smiled! We had a green lawn, a picnic shelter with electrical outlets, picnic tables, flush toilets,, and hot showers .for free!
Always remember, though, that when a deal seems too good to be true ??? We didnt care. We had booze, stogies, sandwiches, and perfect weather. Well, a little later on it turned out the small parking area was the favorite hang out for the local high school kids to conduct their social affairs. They didnt seem to need any sleep. Also the local cop used the wide spot to monitor the traffic. He got several customers per hour either running the red light or speeding. So take your pick, squealing tires or squealing girls, which is more annoying?? Oh what the hell, its free!
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
day 3
Day 3: We headed straight south out of town on the road you see there from the top of the hill in the previous post. Today would be our first day to blast over some BIG passes, COLORADO passes. That was the point of coming here, right? We ditched Dino and headed down CO Rd 139 to Rangely. On the way, I was awestruck with the level of industry that is going on here. A lot of gas and oil development is happening, and tons of heavy equipment at work everywhere. It was only 19 miles from Dinosaur to Rangely, and it would be a gross understatement to say I wish I had driven those miles last night. Near Rangely there are a lot of touristy petroglyph sites to go see, if you are into that sort of thing. But also, this is where the touristy amenities are. Its all cool though, we are on the Spartan Tour. There are major mountain ranges that lie just South of Rangely. Those are going to wait however, as we turn East on Hwy 64 to chase the White River 55 miles to Meeker,.then another 50 or so on up to the town of Craig.
The quality of these secondary roads is simply amazing. Smooth and sinuous, no traffic, we are gobbling up the miles. Again, the Superhawk needs to be fed. Eastbound on Hwy 40 out of Craig we roll out on this main highway, but only for 20 or so miles, we are watching closely for the County Rd that leads to Oak Creek. We find our turn and we find ourselves riding the Elysian Motorcycle Road! I cant describe it, it is fantastic. Miles later we blasted over the first BIG one, Gore pass at 9527 feet. The road swooped through glittering stands of Aspens, meadows, and abrupt outcroppings of rock. Did I mention that the road was perfect? Outrageous! The sweet descent brought us back down again to Hwy 40. We turn North for Muddy Pass, and then Rabbit Ears. While Rabbit Ears Pass is over 9400 feet, it is on a major thoroughfare, and there is a lot of traffic, and multiple lanes of it. Hmph, nothing to see here folks. From the West slope of the pass there is a neat view of the valley where Steamboat Springs sits, except when a major thunderstorm is crossing the valley and bearing down on the mountain. While watching the ever nearing lighting strikes, we decide that discretion is the better part of valor and turn tail. Our destination is the Poudre Canyon.
Highway 14 to Walden, intersects Hwy 40 on the Continental Divide near Muddy Pass at about 8500 and takes a NNE tack across an expansive valley. Im sure its a pretty valley too. The storm was gaining momentum and the wind at its front was creating a wicked crosswind from the west. In a few more minutes we were being pelted by horizontal rain and hail. It became pretty difficult to safely maneuver even in a straight line. There appeared on our right an oil / gas pumping and separation station with a modular trailer type shed. What luck! We were able to wrestle tarps over our bikes, which we parked nose to the wind, or they would have blown over for sure. Even more luck! The trailer was unlocked and warm. We put on our rain gear and waited for this thing to blow itself out a bit. It raged on. We waited over an hour. It finally let up to just a light rain in the breeze, and we fled to Walden. This looked like a nice enough place, but by now the rain had pretty much stopped, the Gashawk had been fueled, and we were ready to press on despite the ominous black clouds ahead of us. We just werent wet enough, yet.
Its only 22 miles from Walden down Hwy 14 to Gould. We were relatively dry for about 7 of those. The rest of the way it was pouring down in a way that made you admire the graceful arc of the water contrail being left by the tires. It was starting to get dark now with the heavy cloud cover blacking out the sky. The fun was starting to fade. We were driving a writhing narrow forested gouge of a road. My mind was thinking about this.. It would be a blast in the sun. Then I saw the Moose Warning sign.
Great! I can visualize the whole gnarly scene of motorcycle vs moose in the woods, in the dark, in the pouring rain.
Fortunately, right after crossing the Michigan River, the next sign I saw was this:
The sign in front of the Drifters Cookhouse said: Cabins for rent. That sounds a hell of a lot better than a soggy campsite in the dark. We probably created an ADA violation by parking our bikes under the extension of the porch canopy, but I didnt see any cops nearby. As it turned out this place has an adequately stocked bar. Ben had Jim Beam, and Jim had Jack Daniels while our gear dripped on the plank floor. When I inquired of the possibility of securing a cabin for the night, the hostess eyed our soaked gear and unflinchingly told me they cost a hundred bucks. I instantly replied: That sounds just fine, and ordered another drink. We found the cabin amenities to exceed our expectations by a long shot. We cleaned up, dried out, and went back for a meal in the dining room which was as good as any place in the big city, and way better than most. We tried pretty hard to rescue the economy of Gould that evening, and it was great. Hopefully they appreciated it as much as we did.
Even the humming birds get their fill in Gould. There were about 8 feeders like this on the porch. Opps lost the humming bird pic.. oh well you have probably seen a humming bird feeder before,, there was a bunch of them hanging from the front prch.. and the birds were like little pirahnas..
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
Day 4
Day 4: Gould is actually an East Slope town as the Continental Divide takes a lot of crazy twists and turns. The Michigan River leaves here and flows NW to join the Illinois River and eventually confluences into the North Platte. I think we have now touched or crossed The Divide 3 or 4 times. While this is a great tour of the Big Hills, it is also a very cool inspection of many waterways. This morning the sun is about to rise above the canyons crest and warm the day into our first true-blue-sky Colorado day. And we are headed for Trail Ridge this afternoon! First though we are nosing our cycles up the incline of Cameron Pass, 10276. Our first tenner, and it doesnt take long. The descent lands us along the Poudre River, which is a glorious ride down, into, and through the Poudre Canyon. I believe the Poudre River makes its way into the South Platte. Its a long way to the Gulf of Mexico from here.
The Poudre on it's way to the Gulf under a bluebird sky.
This is some nice and unspoiled looking countryside. We motor further on down Hwy 14 through this river corridor and keep a sharp eye out for County Road 27 Stove Prairie Rd. or something like that. Once again we strike it rich in these hills as we rise to the challenge of another Colorado secondary route that it as nice as any we have ridden anywhere, ever. This route will take us thru the little tiny town of Masonville, on the way to the big city of Loveland. Masonville has a neat little outdoor museum which is worth a look. We also took a nice little detour over by Horsetooth Reservoir (we are in john elway country) which was definitely worth the trip. We rolled into Loveland to meet Bens cousin, Laurus, who is in the air force, but grew up in Genesee, Idaho. Loveland is a busy place with a big 5 lane road leading in from the west. I think everybody in Loveland is on this road today. We found fuel easily enough, but now we need to find Laurus. He lives a ways east of town, and I am not convinced we will find each another just by chance in this congested place. We pick a diner that looks good and call Laurus, it will be up to him to find us. It is a beautiful day and we are going to have a late breakfast on a picnic table in the shade of an old drive-in canopy. Sweet! Laurus rolls in in a timely fashion with his young daughter in tow, and we have a fine time, and the food was great too. Its about noon, the temperature is around 80, and we are going to head on up into Estes Park to join in a rock and roll band ha ha! I am shocked at how heavy the hanyak traffic is on Hwy 34, all are headed for the park on a Tuesday afternoon. But here we go, up the Big Thompson River. The RMNP is fantastic, and the Trail Ridge Roadway is very scenic, and the weather is perfect, so I shouldnt whine. BUT the traffic and the construction does dampen the fun just a little. We didnt stop til Grand Lake
Fatso, in Loveland, rolled an old A&W into a nice stopping place.
Nice views in RMNP.
Grand Lake is pretty grand, lots of folks think so.
I dont remember anything extra super special about the run through the RMNP, but i guess it must have been pretty cool. Milner Pass in the park was our highest point yet at 10758. So far the motos have performed flawlessly at higher elevations. Though, at motorhome velocity, Milner wasnt much of a test. Leaving Grand Lake, we picked up the pace, hustling down through Granby and merging on to that dog-gone Hwy 40 again to zip down to Winter Park. MaryJane is the nickname here, its a Colorado rocky mountain high, I guess. W/P does look like a fun ski hill though, and we will see a lot of those a little further along in the trip. From here the road begins to tilt seriously upward to the summit of Berthoud Pass. This is the biggest climb yet, with a succession of switchbacks that would make a snake jealous. We topped out at 11,315 and bombed down the highway til we met I-70. I-70 in this proximity to Denver is a busy place. Fortunately we are only going to run about 8 miles east to Idaho Springs, and turn south, up the county road to the Mt Evans park entrance. This is a brilliant route up a small and narrow canyon. We motored on up to the Echo Lake Campground which must sit at about 10,000. Even though it is 6pm on a Tuesday, I think we got lucky to score a camp-site within an hours drive of Denver in August. We got cozy with the neighbors, two other couples, and had a great time appreciating the quality of life at the moment. Our evenings in camp are not elaborate, we are too lazy for that, but we get by.
Horsdouvers might be made up of seasoned sliced avocado and oysters served over crackers. Happy hour includes complementing cocktails of whiskey or rum drinks. The entrée might consist of chicken and rice with veggies, or spicy chili served on hot grilled tortillas with sour cream, cheese, and onions. And there is always desert.
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
Day 5
Day 5: The top of Mount Evans is first on the list, and we are on the summit before 9am.
Figure 15 A nice day to be an old goat on Mt Evans.
If you have never been there, GO THERE! If you have been there, then you can be jealous of the weather we had. Outrageous!, Glorious!, Unbelievable! take your pick, or pick them all because thats what it was. Cameras and verbal prose do not do the job. Sorry. Visibility was unlimited, except by old eyeballs, there was no traffic to speak of. Amazingly enough, I think the number of bicyclists we saw neared the car count. I am a pretty hard-core cyclist, but this is best done by motorized means. It can be brutally cold, wet, and windy here, and it happens on short notice. Look at the ground! Nothing grows here!!. There is a good reason that nothing lives here except piss-licking billy goats.
It is 14,100 feet above sea level. The roadway is narrow and rough, and often the edge of pavement, including the fog line and then some, is raveling off into thin air. Its not a problem on the ascent, but you look differently at it on the way down..
Once back down the Mt Evans road at campground junction, we turned toward Denver again on the County Rd 103. Even though we were getting a lot closer to Denver than good sense dictated, #103 is nice drive over a couple substantial hills that are nicely covered with aspens. I think we popped out near El-Rancho?? Im not sure. We flailed around a bit in making our way back to the freeway in order to be on our way toward Loveland Pass. If the traffic isnt too heavy, even the freeway is a fun ride here! We blasted the slab to up exit #216! Its a good sign when the chairlift goes right over the road you are riding. Things are looking up.
Since anything considered to be hazardous material cannot be transported by truck thru the Eisenhower Tunnel (probably a good idea), and Hwy 6 over Loveland Pass is the only alternative, it makes for a well maintained route. We wasted no time getting to the front of the line to enjoy the route to the 11,990 pass. The downward spiral is just as fun, and we find ourselves admiring Arapahoe Basin, and Keystone ski hills on the way into Dillon. My how Dillon has grown since I was here last, in about 1979. A lot of people must really like it here. If this is the off season, then it must be nuts when the skiers are here in force. We fuel the bikes, fill the grocery sacks with lunch, and blow out of town.
Twelve miles of I-70 separate Dillon from the exit to Hwy 91, which leads to Leadville and some serious high country. As soon as we turn off the freeway, we are going to Climax! Climax CO is perched just south of the Fremont Pass summit of 11,318 on the Continental Divide. Its a wreck of an old mining town with a few hulking rusty artifacts lying about the side of the road. Sort of like a weird war memorial, except only mountainsides were killed in these battles. We power on to Leadville where we find a pleasant city park to enjoy our sandwiches in. The townsfolk of Leadville have done a better than average job of creating a really attractive, colorful, and historic looking core business district. The place is packed cheek by jowl with tourists that may be looking to fill the same. We are full, theres no place to park, and we are not really wearing walking shoes so we head south, and the tach needles swing north. Just a ways down the pike we find our selves in the headwater region of the Arkansas River, which we follow for a bit. I guess things have to start somewhere, and its logical that rivers start near the Continental Divide. Duh!
Some pretty cool motorcycling routes start near the divide too. For example: the next right turn will take us up to 12,093 Independence Pass on Hwy 82 toward Aspen. Blinker on!
Leadville, and the road to Independence
The Outrageous view!
The road to the top started out skirting an alpine lake and climbing through a broad meadowed canyon, then jutted upward via well-spaced switchbacks to the visitor center. We decided to drop most of the way down the Aspen side just so we could pull a u-turn and do it all over again. It was not boring! A few of the passing cars screamed with Aspen style by flashing their Italian badges, and hissing snarly exhaust notes. We didnt invade their neighborhood, we climbed back to the visitors center to snap a few pictures. Do you still snap pictures with a digital Kodak? Regardless of how fun the ride is, this one is worth the stop, and the short walk to the viewpoint. We remount the cycles and relive the journey back down to Hwy 24. The next stop, after 23 more miles of the Arkansas River origins, will be Buena Vista. With ranges of mountains on either side of the river valley that have numerous 14000 foot peaks, the name makes a lot of sense, the views are stunning. We are so fortunate to have the clear and warm weather.
It is so nice and warm when we roll into Buena Vista that we decide the best place to refuel is the local downtown tavern. Unfortunately I cant recall the name proper, but it is old school. Its mid afternoon so the patrons are few, but they are friendly and eager to offer advice. Our next town on the map is Crested Butte, but that is pretty much straight over the mountains from here, as the crow flies. The beers are icy cold so we are not really in a big hurry. We had eyed a route on the map over Cottonwood Pass, but the indication was the road turns to gravel at the summit, and might stay that way for a bit. Gravel road cruising at 12,100 might be just fine on a loaded down sport touring motorcycle, or not. So we felt that caution may be advised here. We got some mixed reviews, however it seemed this is a well traveled and maintained route. How bad could it be?
The road up the creek past Cottonwood Lake is guarded on the North by 14,196 Mt Yale, and on the South by Mt Princeton at 14,197. It was stunning in the afternoon sun as we motored through hill sides gladed with aspens and cottonwoods. I think BV lies at about 8000 so we elevated over 4000 on the way to the pass, and I think we passed maybe three cars on the way. This was one of the 4 best roads that we rode in Colorado, and I would hate to try to pick the top one, because so many were so good. The promised aggregate surface awaited us soon after crossing the county line at the summit. I have no idea what we were so worried about. The big fat Strom gobbled up the dirty miles with aplomb. I didnt ask to test ride the Superhawk on this stretch, but the chore was done with no real complaints. We found pavement again at Taylor Park Reservoir. That too is a fine road. We drifted down the Taylor River to the Lottis Creek Campground, which is a nice USFS facility that offered up clean water and vault toilets. I could write another whole story just to tell about the camp hosts we met and enjoyed along the way on this wayfare. We performed all of the requisite camp activities as might be expected, and had another glorious night under the starry alpine sky. This is the fifth night out, and I am starting to really unwind. It is amazing how well you sleep without the daily-grind induced monkey-brain insomnia.
The Taylor River near Lottis Creek.
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
Day 6
Day 6: Morning came with the pitter pat of heavy dew, or some might call it light rain. It rained off and on over night, but nothing to make a guy start building a boat. We had our morning coffee, and the drizzle subsided enough that we pretty much got packed up in the dry. Cool and gray here at about 9000 or so. We are warm and dry as we begin the first leg of the day into Crested Butte. On the way there the sky got pretty dark, and the humidity got pretty high. We got pretty wet and by the time we got there, needed a good hideout.
Safe at last!
We found a great breakfast diner and got caught up on cell phone communications for an hour or so. Theres not much to see here when the clouds are on the rooftops, and Crested Butte is what I would call a tee-shirt-town.
We were soon on our way to Gunnison. Gunnison appears to be an economic center, probably where everybody in the region goes to shop, or get something fixed. We shop for gas, and haul ass East on hwy 50. We are keeping a wary watch on the sky as the thunderheads are gathering and rolling through, causing some violent air currents. Monarch Pass is our intended route, but we also have a contingency plan to go South, over North Pass pending the storms heading. We pick the southerly line, up the Cochetopa River, and down the less traveled Hwy 114. This is a bitchin moto road! We fly up and over North Pass, again crossing The Divide, and then zoom down the East slope to pick up the Saguache River and drive on down to its namesake city. Along the route we not only dodged most all the rain drops, but we watched the storm envelope the Monarch Pass Mtns to the north. We thought about the four dudes we saw on Harleys soldiering on on Hwy 50 when we turned south. Bummer. We later heard the hail was pretty harsh. We steered south to Del Norte, and then west to South Fork. It is pretty cool to see signs such as Headwaters of the Rio Grande. You just dont think about it until you are here, and thinking about it.
From South Fork, I was itching to ride Wolf Creek Pass, but the lightning up there was flashing a warning that even I could heed. We turned for Lake City. As it turns out, Alice lives there.
We didnt go in, but this place was cool! And it was really cool getting here on Hwy 149 from South Fork. We rode up the Rio Grande River til it was no more, just a swampy headwaters in the shadow of 13,176 Pole Creek Mtn. From there we blasted over Spring Creek (the Divide again) and Shumgullion passes to get here. It was another 70miles of moto bliss. With 55 more miles in front of us to get back to Gunnison it was necessary to feed that Gashawk again. I expected to see Goober in the Lake City filling station,
but he had the day off. The Lake Fork canyon north of Lake City is worth the trip to see. It is a tightly twisting vertical walled river duct. The water writhes and boils though here. Spring run-off must be spectacular. At the end of the canyon the road and river part ways, and you get to climb a short and sharp twisty hill then drop down again to the crossing of the Cebolla River. Amazing! You get to see East and West flowing waterways just miles apart. After a long sweeping climb up to a high plateau, we see we are in a race to Gunnison with a very dark looking storm front off to the West. The Strom and the Superhawk make for pretty decent touring bikes, and they are not too slouchy either. But if you had one, on this stretch of 149 you could use all the legs of a Concourse, we tried our best! I think we passed three cars in about 25 miles, and that includes both directions. We started to pick up a pretty heavy crosswind as we slanted across the high open prairie and the lightning was flashing that warning light again. The waves on the reservoir had turned to dark gray chop with a white froth on the caps, and debris was skittering every which way. We had a fast tailwind back into Gunnison and we parked the bikes with nose into the wind and tarped them down.
.Let er rip! Timing is everything, and now is a great time for a cold-one in warm honky-tonk! After the storm blows itself out we venture out to find a great dinner and a cheap motel room. As luck would have it, our motel neighbors were a group of H-D riders from Kansas City. We all enjoyed a boisterous evening with lawn chairs circled in the parking lot.
Studly Adventurer
Joined: May 2009
Location: where elephants roam
Oddometer: 684
Day 7
Day 7: We awoke to a slight headache for some reason. After some coffee and bidding farewell to our friends from Kansas, we were off to find a laundromatt and a hearty breakfast. More of this, only different.
With the chores done we were ready to make a vapor trail, and set a course for the North side of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. If you take this path on a day such as this you are going to say: WOW! A lot We spent a bit of time hiking around to some of the better view points taking some pictures and trying to appreciate the grandeur. It would be easy to spend a couple days just poking around this canyon and maybe taking the guided riverboat tour to see the view from the bottom up. Some of the better pics:
We continued our tour through Mahre and Crawford, to Hotchkiss. We saw this along the way..
So far we havent traveled a road where we werent grinning inside our helmets, and the trend continues. From Hotchkiss we turn NE toward Carbondale onto Hwy 133.
We have no intention of going further than the McClure Pass summit on this spur, but changed that notion and ambled into the hippy town of Marble. Marble is at the base of the Maroon Belles range of mountains and Aspen sits just on the other side. I have skied in them thar hills.
Ho hum, a bunch more Fourteeners in the beautiful Colorado sunshine. Awesome doesnt cut it. We backtrack to Hotchkiss and continue on over to Delta. I have done some reading on the Grand Mesa area and it is on the must-do list. Hwy 65 out of Delta is the path we take from here.
The map does not indicate there would be any unique geographical features along 65. What a sweet surprise we get as the road begins to climb through the Aspen forest. Its Friday afternoon and there is nobody here! We ascend through the forests into the big sky that envelops the Grand Mesa plateau. The road to Grand Mesa can be seen threading through the Aspens for miles.
The Grand Mesa Campsite
Grand Mesa in da moonlight!
Another perfect campsite at well over 10,000 elevation. With no development or clouds for miles around the sky was crazy with stars. What a perfect place to take a break from the road. This was at the Island Lake Campground. I would highly recommend this one since it is a short ride from the highway on a well graded road, and the campsite amenities are excellent. We were very lucky as we had no prior knowledge of any of the camps we stopped at along our way. We just stumbled upon whatever we found. So far we have not wanted for much. It has pretty much been a perfect week. OUTRAGEOUS!!
Week Two to be continued .
Beastly Adventurer
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Anaheim Hills, CA
Oddometer: 1,746
Good pics
Too many words for me to read, but good pics. Is that one bike an Ape?
RZ Rob
Joined: Nov 2008
Location: Camano Island, WA
Oddometer: 47
Looks like a fine time was had by all!
looks like a great adventure. I've got a trip to Colorado on the agenda for this summer and Mt Evans is one of the
places on my list. Will be looking at your route and see what other locations I can include in my plans.
Gnarly Adventurer
Joined: Dec 2011
Location: Tampa fl
Oddometer: 206
same here, plan to get to CO and possibly that sturgis area this summer, sans the sturgis event itself. Awesome pictures love the report guys. My planning has started and hope to pull this off solo this year. Some GREAT info here for my travels. Being in Fl, my travels have been limited to NC. Thanks a bunch. keep up the good work.
Most likely none of those spanky Ducati's will ever see the mileage the VeeStrom does.
Future ten screwed with this post 03-22-2012 at 07:33 AM
Gnarly Adventurer
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: Mullica Hill, NJ
Oddometer: 214
Great Ride and Report.
Studly Adventurer
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Oddometer: 908
Great RR so far
What's the pistol for.....?
Ged Schwartz
Kamloops , BC
Baja '05 , Baja 06/07 , Baja 08/09 , BC Alpine Single Track
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Last time the untold billions of alien-looking cicadas comprising the Brood II periodical swarm came crawling up from the Earth below, OJ Simpson was on trial, Bill Clinton was president, and Alanis Morisette won the Grammy for the Album of the Year. Now the bugs are back, and loud as ever.
Their din can reach 90 decibels--that's equivalent to some power motors. That's loud. But having lived through two Brood X invasions, I can say that at a certain point it all becomes white noise. Let us tour the drone, then.
But first thing's first. Here's Attenborough with the dormant saga of the 17-year cicada:
And now, some noise:
Only males make the call:
Finally, here are some folks in Illinois in 1990 munching down cicadas? I don't even know.
Reach Brian at email@example.com. @thebanderson
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text: Atapy - Deep House Amsterdam Mixtape #037 by Deep House Amsterdam published on 2012/12/06 16:52:01 +0000 http://soundcloud.com/atapy who recently was in our Radioshow during ADE in Studio 80 played a massive set there and of course we asked him to do one specially for our weekly podcast. Atapy is doing some great stuff at the moment but we believe that he has a lot more coming for us! For now you check out this great mixtape from the one and only Atapy! For more info on Atapy check our website www.deephouseamsterdam.com Also follow us on FB to stay up2date http://www.facebook.com/deephouseadam


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Mangos, especially here in North Carolina, are very expensive (about $1.50 each) and are not usually good. So I decided to grow one. I looked up how t...
All you need to grow a mango is: â¢A mango â¢Paper towels â¢A plastic bag â¢A pot with soil You will not need the pot or soil for a co...
Eat the mango any way you like but save the pit. Once you have gotten the pit out of the mango, clean it off first by eating the rest of the "meat" an...
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Pronunciation: Plougonveur
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Originally written on Cardinals Diaspora | Last updated 11/26/12
For some reason, they haven't kicked Cards Diaspora out of the UCB (United Cardinals Bloggers) yet. So we're going to go ahead and take a stab at the post season awards ballot. You can also vote: LINK HERE Let's get to work. Player of the Year: Yadier Molina. Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Lohse. You know, there was a point in time where Kyle's 4 year/ 44M contract was the worst contract in the history of the Cardinals. He was 10-18 from 2009 through 2010 with a 5.65 ERA and body language that made Sad Keanu look like a Glee extra. 2 years later and the Cardinals can't afford him. Go figure. Game of the Year: 7/16 vs Brewers. Down 2-0 on the road in the top of the 9th, the Cardinals were in one of their patented dry streaks. The Brewers were playing with fire, loading the bases and getting 2 outs before Matt Holliday stepped in and hit a bases loaded single to tie the game. Allen Craig completed the comeback with a single. A beautiful, unexpected win t...
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Salvation Army works to help clients thrive
Feeding and sheltering those in need remains the organization's top priority
By Everett Evans | March 20, 2014
Photo By Karen Warren/StaffEach year, the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command serves Christmas Day meals to hundreds of men, women and children.
Photo By J. Patric Schneider/FreelanceSalvation Army facilities offer a variety of programs for seniors.
Photo By Thomas B. Shea12/22/13: Triston Bell, age 3 plays with his police car that was given to him by Dwight Howard. Triston was shot 12 months ago. Houston Rockets Dwight Howard's D12 Foundation spread some holiday cheer by serving breakfast and giving presents to 30 families at the Salvation Army Family Residence in Houston, Texas.
Photo By Karen Warren/StaffLauren Abbott, 22, carries turkey and dressing to a table at The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command which served a Christmas day meal to hundreds of local men, women and children, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, in Houston. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )
Salvation Army 125th Anniversary
Salvation Army 125th Anniversary
The Salvation Army is celebrating 125 years of helping people in the greater Houston area.
The Salvation Army is celebrating 125 years of helping people in the greater Houston area.
Salvation Army 125th Anniversary
Salvation Army 125th Anniversary
More Information
how to help
The Salvation Army
Support: Help the group by volunteering or making a financial donation.
Donate: Go to salvationarmyhouston.org, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or send donations to 1500 Austin, Houston, TX 77002.
Volunteer: Call 713-752-0677
Time flies when you're helping people.
The Salvation Army this year celebrates its 125th year in Houston.
In the minds of many, the organization's name may summon images chiefly of the annual Red Kettle campaign to help the needy during the Christmas season, with volunteers collecting donations on sidewalks and street corners.
Yet that signature program is just the tip of the iceberg.
"What we do at Christmastime, we do every day of the year," said Maj. Chris Flanagan, area commander for the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area command. "We operate 17 facilities across Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties, spanning the greater Houston area. People think a lot about a seasonal event like the annual Thanksgiving dinner. But on that day, we've already served breakfast - just as we serve meals where they're needed every day of the year."
To take the Salvation Army back to its beginning, Methodist minister William Booth founded it in London in 1865 to help the poor of London's East End. Just 24 years later, Adam Janelli, an Italian naval captain who settled in Dallas, brought the Salvation Army to Texas. In that same year, 1889, a young female officer named Capt. French launched its work in Houston.
Today, the Salvation Army's Houston ministry helps the public through two social-services offices, two senior affordable-housing apartment complexes, three homeless shelters, four rehabilitation centers, four emergency disaster mobile feeding units, five Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubs, six community centers, six family stores and seven Corps (Sunday worship and Bible study programs).
Last year, the Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command served more than 5 million residents of southeast Texas - a sizable share of some 30 million Americans assisted by the Army each year. About 88.8 cents of every dollar raised locally is used to support those services in Houston and 5,000 communities nationwide.
Feeding and sheltering those in need remains the Salvation Army's top priority.
"But we also move beyond those basic services, the needs of the moment, to address the needs of the entire individual," Flanagan said. "That includes programs to help the homeless make a permanent transition back into the community, programs to help people get their GED or to deal with mental health issues and drug and alcohol addiction. We provide children with reading programs and after-school programs, and scholarship programs through our Boys and Girls Clubs that give kids a chance to continue their education beyond high school. In all these cases, it's about placing resources in their hands, to help them become a stable part of the community and give back to it."
The central office coordinates all the Houston-area operation's resources, activities, fundraising and media relations, while the director and staff at individual facilities oversee the goals and objectives of that particular program.
"If there's any need to trim expenses, we take that from administration," Flanagan said. "I think contributors appreciate that 88 cents of every dollar given go to services."
A United Way organization, the Salvation Army relies on individual donors, corporate and foundation support, and grants from federal, state, county and city government. Through HUD, for instance, the Houston command has obtained two social-services grants of $1 million each - one to help homeless veterans obtain permanent housing, the other addressing the growing problem of homelessness among adults ages 19-24.
Flanagan describes the current state of donations as steady, if slightly down from the previous year.
"We try to raise one-third of our annual $22 million budget during the peak period from October through January," Flanagan said. "That includes the Red Kettle campaign, which lasts from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This year, that was about $1.2 million, down from $1.4 million last Christmas. The overall contributions in the October-January period were about $5.5 million this year, down from about $6 million for Christmas 2012."
While the personal holiday donations and traditional methods such as newsletters are still part of the mix, rapid changes in technology have brought a host of new fundraising opportunities.
"There were days when a lot of this was done door to door," Flanagan said. "Now we're online and making use of digital and social media."
Even the seasonal Red Kettle donation can be made to the Army's "virtual kettle" online.
"Today's Salvation Army has adapted to serve a vastly different society from the days of Adam Janelli, Captain French and William Booth," Flanagan said. "But our mission remains the same - to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name. We serve people from all walks of life to the best of our ability, without discrimination. It's all about helping our community, where the need is greatest."


text:
"Some of these things I'm having to say 'I don't know' to, hopefully I will know," Roach said.
For now, doctors say the most important thing is to stop the damage to people's vision before it becomes permanent. In IIH, the extra cerebral fluid in the brain can push on the optic nerve, slowly diminishing a person's peripheral vision.
Doctors can tell something is wrong with a visit to the ophthalmologist and often can see the swollen optical nerve, but many people don't know to come in until it's too late.
"That can be such a gradual thing that the individual doesn't appreciate it until it's really bad," Roach said. "Often times you don't get that vision back -- sometimes they don't know it until they've run into a door."
Specialists might perform an operation called optic nerve fenestration, which leaves a small window in the sheath of the optic nerve to release pressure and can sometimes slow vision loss.
"It's often possible to control this with weight loss and medication. We mostly see this in females that are obese in the adult age group," Remler said. "Because childhood obesity is on the rise, we see it more and more in adolescents."
"I saw a 16-year-old girl who was not treated in time and lost her eyesight," said Remler.
Ashley has luckily stemmed any major vision loss from her IIH. But she has had 30 operations -- including holes drilled into her skull, a shunt into her spine and a shunt into her brain to relieve the pressure.
Her headaches and pain are so severe that she only goes to school for two hours a day before coming home to rest and work with a tutor for the rest of the day. She sometimes has to go to the emergency room for pain medication strong enough to stop it, but on normal days she tries yoga and some relaxation time with her pet chihuahua Zoe.
"It's hard for her for to keep up with friends and she can't be involved in too many sports or activities because she can't keep up with it," said Diane Ashley, Lauren's mother.
Diane Ashley has joined together with other families who travel to Columbus from across the United States to get care. She has since developed the activism group for her daughter's condition, IH Gray Matters.
Diane Ashley said she was ecstatic to hear about a single center where children with IIH could get all their care.
"I've not been able to work full time since she was diagnosed," said Diane Ashley, who works part time as a nurse. "There isn't a week that goes by that we don't have a doctor's appointment."
Her daughter thought it might be a way to buy more time in her life.
"I thought it would be a great idea," she said. "I go to maybe two or three doctors appointments every week and if you could get it in at all appointments it would be wonderful, so you don't live at the hospital."


text:
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SeaEnergy has been appointed to manage vessels in UK, European and adjacent waters for Otto's Go Offshore subsidiary. It will take over management of an anchor-handling vessel this summer.
SeaEnergy and Go Offshore have established a joint venture that will market vessels designed by the Aberdeen firm for use in servicing wind farms and the like.


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
Limited-time feature
37 year old man | Sherman Oaks, CA, USA | Seeking women 23-30 within 25 miles of North Hollywood, CA
I am on a journey called life ..who wants to join me? Excitement, love and laughter is just the start..Oh, P.S. I'm one of the good guys!!
Fun, exciting, successful and ambitious are the words that best describe me. Yet there is a romantic man inside who likes great food and a bottle of wine. I like to go out, meet new people, host parties at my house and go to new restaurants. I work to live, but not live to work. I'm real, I am funny and I live life to the fullest. I love to cook as well as dine out. I also enjoy travelling. I backpacked Southeast Asia by myself for three weeks just because I got bored at work. I have also been to Central America and the United Kingdom. I'm looking for someone that matches me, someone that likes to laugh, go out and takes risks. I have two degrees and I have a great career in the restaurant business. At the end of the day it's all about enjoying life with someone special and sharing everyday's experiences with them. I am excited to find the right partner to join me in life's adventures.
Business networking , Dining out , Movies/Videos , Music and concerts , Nightclubs/Dancing , Playing cards , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing , Wine tasting
Baseball, Billiards / Pool, Bowling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis / Racquet sports, VolleyBall
I exercise 1-2 times per week.
I like Dogs
Some other viewpoint
Restaurants and golf courses.
Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI
Golf, football, wine, great food and traveling are what keeps my life exciting. .
I like new and different restaurants. I have no problem working hard but I enjoy my day's off.
I hate reading.
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What he is looking for
|5'6" (167cms)
|5'0" (152cms) to 5'7" (170cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, About average, Athletic and toned
|Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Green, Hazel
|Black, Light brown, Dark brown, Blonde, Salt and pepper, Silver, Dark blonde
|No Way
|No Way, Occasionally
|Social Drinker
|Social Drinker, Regularly, Moderately
|Retail / Food services
|No preference
Restaurant management...manage top 3 steakhouses in the world. Voted #1 Steakhouse in Southern CA
|$100,001 to $150,000
|No preference
|Never Married
|Never Married, Currently Separated
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|White / Caucasian
|Asian, Pacific Islander, White / Caucasian
|Christian / Catholic
|Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist / Taoist, Christian / Catholic, Christian / LDS, Christian / Protestant, Spiritual but not religious, Christian / Other
|Bachelors degree
|High school, Some college, Associates degree, Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral


text:
I just saw this. Does anyone get the ESPN magazine? If so, is it worth buying it for the article?
Wrestling Team Featured in Latest ESPN The Magazine Courtesy: Harvard Athletic Communications
Release: 01/18/2008
Photo Gallery
<A HREF="http://www.gocrimson.com//share/ViewPhoto.dbml?&ATCLPID=&ATCLID=1369541&DB_MENU_ID =&SPSID=45234&SPID=4040&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=&DB_ OEM_ID=9000&LOAD_IMAGE_ID=946814&LOAD_IMAGE_SIZE=4 00"> link = ''; document.write(link); Courtesy: Matt Teuten for ESPN The Magazine
The Harvard wrestling team is featured in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine. The magazine, which hit newsstands Jan. 17, features the Crimson in its ?Sweat Spot.?
Last October, ESPN came to one of Harvard?s offseason practices at Harvard Stadium to see what unique training techniques the wrestling team uses. Jay Weiss?s team was photographed running and jumping up the stadium steps, doing wheel barrel races up the stadium steps and also performing fireman carries with their workout partners.
?This fall the wrestling room was housed on the other side of the river due to the renovations of the MAC [Malkin Athletic Center], which allowed us to take full advantage off the stadium,? Weiss said. ?We did two or three workouts a week in the stadium which definitely built our guys? stamina and power to helpprepare for the start of the season.?
Click here to see just a sample of Harvard?s workout. For more, pick up the latest ESPN The Magazine.
The Crimson returns to action Jan. 26 at the newly-renovated Malkin Athletic Center for dual meets against Lehigh and Army. Harvard takes on the Mountain Hawks at 11 a.m. and the Black Knights at 5 p.m.
Special thanks to Matt Teuten for providing GoCrimson.com with photos.
From http://www.gocrimson.com/ViewArticle...ATCLID=1369541


text:
The National Rifle Association is America's longest-standing civil rights organization. We're proud defenders of history's patriots and diligent protectors of the Second Amendment.
There are many factors to consider when choosing where to store a firearm in your home for protection.
The Institute for Legislative Action is the lobbying arm of the NRA.
Carol Bowne was murdered while she awaited her gun permit application to be granted.
The Woods's family's commitment to the future of our Second Amendment freedom spans decades.
Several of these seemingly forgotten cartridges, like the ones listed here, have garnered a following which keeps them alive in the marketplace.


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Rella Update - WV - April 2013
A few weeks ago, I tried to call Rella's Diner in Hacker Valley WV and was surprised to get the "sorry this number has been disconnected or no longer in service" recording. :eek1 I waited for word from fellow riders but no one was in the area to check on her. Today, Stedlo and I rode down to see what was going on. We were relieved when we rode up and saw her car out front.
Stedlo anxious to get some good food.
Her springtime ramp dinner is coming up soon.
Group photo with Rella, Stedlo and me (pnoman)
Time to eat. Rella had just made a pot of chili and baked cornbread, so what other choice was there on a cool day? It was GREAT!
Mmmmmm......... Riding down there with temps in the 40s made warm chili taste even better.
Some of the groups have left their "signatures" on her pie fridge.
OK, the rest of the story. Rella hurt her hip a few months ago and could not work. She had the phone disconnected because she wouldn't be using it and because they just raised her monthly rate $20 more. She is open for business now, but said it has been a very slow winter for business. Let's show our support and stop by for some good vittles!
Rella is good people and good eats.
And, there's great riding near Hacker Valley...
Awesome thread!
One of the inmates, VAcommuter, made a run down from the Romney Cycle get-together yesterday for a cuppa Joe and a slice of pie at her place. She was just getting ready for her ramp dinner. From the tone of his message everything seemed to be okay.... which is good news.
I would have loved to head over for her dinner, but my daughter was undecided on how she wanted to spend her birthday w/e. Ultimately, she wound up going camping with several of her friends. Had I had known Friday that it was a given, I would have made the run.
I'm off next week.....just saying.
Wife and I were in Elkins and I tried to wamder that way in the truck the other day.
Found some cool roads, but none of them led to Rt 20.
I was at the campout/ride hosted by Romney Cycles. There was a dirt group and a spirited road group on Saturday. As I'm a slow poke I opted to do my road ride. 305 miles down to Rella's and back. I got there at 1300 and there were only 2 people eating but all the tables were set for the ramp dinner and the place was fully staffed as if they were expecting a crowd. Rella was disappointed that only one "biker" showed up but she perked up when I mentioned Guy Young. So I had a cup-o-joe and a slice of coconut cream pie. Then hit the road for the trip back. Traffic was very light all day and enabled me to meander and sight see at my own pace. Road crew was busy clearing brush on the road right across from Rella's. I noticed lots of deadfall from the winter that was cleared from the road. I recommend the Romney Cycle event. They had secure camping for us in the back, a charging station for phones, a coffee station, porta-johns and even set up a propane heated shower. They fed us Saturday dinner of fried chicken and all the fixings. They even had a fire pit and provided wood.
Rella is the shorter one... Not sure why I look drunk, honest.
Bad picture of good pie.
They had these on eat table. Pickled eggs'n red beets.
The staff fighting over the tip.
Mike, many thanks for the update and pix.
Again, wish I could have made her dinner. I loves ramps and pickled eggs & beets. Fix them (eggs and beets) frequently. :lol3
We stopped in last weekend, Rella was there by herself.
Her daughter is too sick to help her now.
There were 4 of us, and just before we left about 10 more came in.
Several locals, and two of the ladies went right into the kitchen to help Rella :D
She said she can't find any help, none of the young folks there want to work.
The ones that do leave to find work elsewhere.
Without help I really doubt that she will be open next season. :cry
Really sorry to hear about Jeaneace. That poor lady has been through hell and back with her medical issues..... not to mention the strain it also puts on Rella herself.
WV folks are a strong breed. Somehow, I think she will manage to perservere and get through these difficult times - again - like she has many times before. All we, the collective, can do is patronize her place as often as we can.... not only to enjoy her fare and fine company, but to also offer words of encouragement to help keep her spirits up.
I stopped by Rella's this past w/e when I was in Helvetia for their Follow Your Bliss music festival.
She seems to be doing fine, as is Jeaneace who was off to a picnic somewhere.
I'd eaten breakfast at the Hutte, so the best I had room for was a slice of her pie.... which is always a treat.
Any way, she's in good spirits but can always use the business. She'd mentioned that a lot of the bikers, for whatever reason, are now going to the restaurant in Holly River State Park, which is a shame. I know she'll get my continued support whenever I'm in the area.
Blasphemy! Rella's all the way :clap
Not sure if her friend was blowing smoke to make Rella jealous, or if that is really the case.
Personally, I've never been to the restaurant at Holly River, but Rella said it was a little on the pricey side. I may run by there the next time I'm in the area just to see what it's like and try and get a gauge on the bike traffic.
I do know that I passed her place many times in the past and never gave it a second look. Could be that this new generation of bikers don't have a clue she's there, and don't know what they are missing.
Regardless, we'll keep up the fight to try and spread the word as best we can.
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Sins Of The FatherSins Of The Father (1997) Season 1 Episode 102- The New Batman Adventures Cartoon Episode Guide by Dave Koch
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- The New Batman Adventures Cartoon Episode Guide
- Warner Bros. Television Animation
- Distributed by: Warner Bros. Television Animation
- Cartoon Characters: Batman/Bruce Wayne, Robin/Tim Drake, Batgirl, Alfred Pennyworth, Two-Face, Nightwing.
- Originally Released in 1997.
- Season: 1
- Color
- Running Time: 30 minutes.
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This story tells the origin of the new Robin, Tim Drake and how getting in Two Face's way leads him to a partnership with the Dark Knight.
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Press release from Marketwire
Champion Minerals Increases Intersection Length in Drill Hole FL10-21 to 336.9m Grading 36.2% Total Iron on Fire Lake North
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Champion Minerals Increases Intersection Length in Drill Hole FL10-21 to 336.9m Grading 36.2% Total Iron on Fire Lake North08:39 EST Tuesday, November 16, 2010TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 16, 2010) - CHAMPION MINERALS INC. (TSX:CHM)(FRANKFURT:P02) ("Champion" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new assay results from the extension of diamond drill hole FL10-21 on the Fire Lake North Claim Block from the Company's Fermont Iron Property in northeastern Quebec. Champion announced on October 18, 2010, that drill hole FL10-21 increased the core length of Iron mineralization to 361.5m from the original 171.0m of 36.3% Total Iron that was drilled during Champion's winter 2010 drill program as reported May 18, 2010. The expanded interval assay results equates to 336.9m of 35.4% Total Iron, including 292.5m grading 37.0% Total Iron and 178.1m of 40.5% Total Iron (refer to the table below). DRILL HOLE FL10-21 INTERVAL ASSAY RESULTSFROM (m)TO (m)CORE LENGTH (m)% TOTAL IRON56.00392.90336.9035.4including87.00379.50292.5037.0including87.00265.10178.1040.5Note - Core length may not represent true width due to complex folding; additional drilling is required to determine true width.The Fire Lake North Project and Claim BlockChampion announced on November 3, 2010, positive results from a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") study on the Fire Lake North Project performed by BBA Inc. (of Montreal, Quebec). The PEA study shows a Net Present Value (NPV) of US$ 1.637 billion at a cash flow discount rate of 5% based on an Iron concentrate production rate of 7 million tonnes per year at a grade of 65% Iron over a 14 year mine life. The internal rate of return ("IRR") for the project is 24.8%.Based on these positive results a Feasibility Study is being planned for 2011. Fire Lake North is considered to be a viable project with the current Mineral Resource estimate of 388 million tonnes grading 29% Total Iron with drilling underway. The ongoing 15,000m Fire Lake North drilling program has the potential to enhance the project's economics if it increases the NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resources and production profile that could result in higher Net Present Value and extend the mine life. This extension in drill hole FL10-21 could potentially help in this regard. The drilling is progressing on schedule with 3 drill rigs on site with a fourth drill to be added shortly to accelerate the program. The objective of this drill program is to increase tonnage in the two outlined open pit areas and increase the inferred resources on several exploration targets in the area. Work is also being planned on several additional claim blocks surrounding Fire Lake North and will include diamond drilling at: (1) Bellechasse; (2) O'Keefe-Purdy where several kilometric-sized folded iron formations are known to occur; and (3) Harvey-Tuttle where Champion has just completed the second tranche of 47 holes for 10,140m from the Phase 1 drill program. Champion's Fire Lake North Claim Block is located 8km to the north of the operating Fire Lake Mine owned by ArcelorMittal and is 60km to the south of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Ltd.'s Bloom Lake Mine. Fire Lake North is situated within the Labrador Trough of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador, widely recognized as a world class Iron ore mining camp, the Fermont-Wabush-Labrador City Iron Ore District (the "District"). The four producers in the vicinity comprise Canada's Iron ore production estimated at more than 40 million tonnes of Iron ore concentrate per year including the recently commissioned Consolidated Thompson Bloom Lake mine. Indications are that the District will be producing more than 60 million tonnes of concentrate per year in the future based on disclosed expansion plans. Fire Lake North, Bellechasse and fourteen other claim blocks are 82.5% owned by Champion, with its joint venture partner Fancamp Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V: FNC) owning the remaining 17.5% interest.Quality Assurance and Quality ControlAll drill core logging and sample preparation was conducted by qualified Company personnel under National Instrument ("NI") NI 43-101 standards at the Company's core logging facilities at the Bellchasse Camp (Quebec). The NQ-sized drill core was split in half. One-half of the drill core was kept in the core tray for reference purposes and the other half core was individually bagged, tagged, sealed and packed in large nylon bags which were then securely closed and sent by commercial ground transportation for analysis to COREM laboratories in Quebec City (Quebec). Quality Assurance samples including standards of certified reference material, field duplicates, pulp duplicates and blank samples were inserted every 5 samples. COREM also inserted blank samples, standards and duplicates for Quality Control purposes. About Champion Minerals Inc. Champion is an exploration Company focused on discovering and developing significant metal resources in eastern Canada, particularly in the provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador. The Company's projects include the Attikamagen Iron Property in northeastern Quebec and western Labrador, the Fermont Iron Property in northeastern Quebec, and the Powderhorn/Gullbridge Base Metal Projects in central Newfoundland. Champion has an 82.5% direct interest, with Fancamp Exploration Ltd. holding 17.5%, in the 642 km2 Fermont Iron Property consisting of 16 strategic claim blocks grouped into three clusters, termed Clusters 1, 2 and 3. The Fire Lake North Claim Block is located in Cluster 2. The Fermont Iron Property hosts more than 200km of iron formation with large untested potential to host additional Mineral Resources.Please visit Champion's website at www.championminerals.com. The quoted Mineral Resources estimates were calculated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council December 11, 2005. The technical information in this news release was prepared, revised and approved by Jeff Hussey P. Geo., VP Exploration of the Company and Jean Lafleur, P. Geo., Director and Technical Advisor to the President and CEO of Champion. Both individuals are Qualified Persons under NI 43-101 standards. Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" and readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or results, may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking" statements.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Thomas G. LarsenChampion Minerals Inc.President and CEO(416) 866-2200ORJorge EstepaChampion Minerals Inc.Vice-President(416) 866-2200