STORMIN' / Wyoming & Colorado / Leaving on Sunday, Riding on Mon., Tues., Wed. / Exploring New Areas

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In the Saddle

Got out on the mountain bike today. Just wanted to put some time in the saddle, see where my fitness is at. It was about 32 degrees when I started at about 3:15 PM, got home at 9:30, the temp was about 25 degrees. The last 4 hours were in the dark, I use a helmet light and a handle bar mounted light up front with 2 flashing red tail lights in the rear. Had a little bike maintenance about 2.5 hours into the ride, my crank arm started to work it's way off, that was easily fixed. The ride was a combo of pavement and off-road trails with single track mixed with some good hill climbs and hard pack gravel.

The whole idea was to be out and moving for a lengthy period of time. It gives the body a chance to shut down and have to start back up. It simulates a day in the mountains boarding or sledding, or a shift at the Ski Patrol. It's not about a race, it's about endurance. I got the hills in for the power and heart rate, but the mental and physical aspect of having to get the body warmed up after stopping is important. The hurry up, slow down, git it going again is good. During the ride I stopped and ate a quick supper and stopped to visit my parents. The last leg of the ride was about 9 miles. On the last leg I came upon 3 deer right off a gravel trail through the woods in the dark (you know how deer are attracted to me, check out the "DEAD DEER" on the labels)...

The layer system worked great, I was a little cool after the stops but warmed up without sweating too bad during the riding. I put on 1 more layer the last couple of hours as it cooled down. Brought 2 bottles of mix, I use a combination of protein and carbohydrate powder to keep my energy level up and 2 Power Bar gels. About half way through I ate a quick supper, I felt very good the last few miles. Try and get on the snowboard in the next day or two and then get out to Wyoming and Colorado and find some powder.

Sled Mods & Thanksgiving

These are the 4 modifications that I made to the M8 Arctic Cat to prepare for the mountains. The first trip to Wyoming and Colorado is coming up quickly so I was glad to finish the project. I took the pictures in the dark trailer, I'll get some better pics on the snow.

Click on picture to enlarge.

3 " Riser block to raise the handle bars.

Ice scratchers (the black coiled spring on the rail) to kick up the snow to keep everything running cool on the track and the engine cooler under the tunnel. They release off the rail and drag in the snow

The new seat, it is shorter, taller, narrower and 4 pounds lighter.

The all important snowboard rack. It went on with only drilling 2 holes. I am able to remove the rack with 2 twist knobs and releasing 2 straps that attach to the rear bumper. There is still plenty of room for a plastic gas container on the tunnel.

SUV Powder CAT.

Thanksgiving Day

Three of my 5 grandkids at their house for Thanksgiving.

Snowing in the Mountains

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Will be out West in December. Preparing the sleds now.

The 08' M8 Cat just got a new 2010 seat. It's 4 pounds lighter, taller, more narrow and about half the length of the original seat. Better side to side and stand up transition. More like the set-up on the Polaris Dragon. Also a 3" riser block for the handle bars, for better standing position (I ride standing up about 90% of the time). Putting ice scratchers on for cooling in low or hard snow conditions, you need them with the long tracks.

Trying to decide on a snowboard mount for the Cat. The Dragon is ready to go right now.

A Good Week For Mountain Bike Rides

Click on Picture to Enlarge.

We did some nice singletrack riding close to home this week. Get out on the bikes in the morning, the temps about 38 - 40 degrees. It's always great to get out in the woods in the late fall, with the leaves on the trail and surface a little damp from the frost in the morning, it can be a little slick. I always like twisty singletrack to work the reflexes and the short climbs to stretch the legs and work the upper body. I like to end the ride on the pavement to finish with a steady power pedal and spin the legs.

It's great to get out in the middle of the week, without the week-end crowd. Three bike rides in the last 4 days, I like it.

Mountain Cat in the Den

Click on pictures to enlarge.

The new sled in the trailer, a 2008 M8 162" Arctic Cat. It's a long story, but I'll keep it short.

I sold the 2008 700 RMK 155", it had about 400 miles. I kept the 2008 700 RMK Dragon 155". Ended the day with a 2008 800 Mountain Cat 162" track, the sled is in excellent condition with about 500 miles.

The Cat is going to be an awesome sled for sledboarding. With a 162" track it's going to hook up and climb anything I dare. The Cat is supposed to be the top deep powder boondocking sled in the mountains. The Polaris Dragon kicks out 140 horsepower, the Cat is putting out about 146 horsepower. For sure the 800 will have more grunt up the steep mountains pulling a snowboarder. This is going to be an excellent opportunity to ride two of the top ranked mountain sleds. The Polaris Dragon 700 and the M8 Arctic Cat. I didn't plan this scenario it just fell into place.

I have the Dragon set up completely for us. I raised the handle bars up to 5.25", put a left hand throttle, snowboard rack, ice scratchers, gas can rack, removed the windshield and mounted a set of hand guards. This sled rocks. The Cat will be my project over the next 4 weeks. To set up for my riding style, I'll need to put a riser block for the bars (90% of the riding in the mountains is standing up), hand guards, ice scratchers, and a new taller, shorter seat. Then mount a snowboard rack.

I rode the Dragon on two of the 4 trips last year. The second trip with the wild bunch, we rode in epic conditions, 4 feet of fresh powder over 3 days. The first day in the backcountry it was about -12 degrees, with 35-40 MPH winds, it was super light powder. it was great on the ridge tops with the snow blowing across. The Dragon performed great in theses conditions. I will be looking for these conditions to run the Cat in and add more snowboarding to the adventures.

Two different sleds, it will be great to ride both different set-ups, first hand comparing. Two trips in December, coming up fast. The planning and gearing up for the adventures is a huge part of the whole experience. Both the gear and the body have to be in shape for the, GOOD TIMES!!

Many paddles to move the powder and climb the mountain.

THE TRUTH IS, IF YOU RIDE A MOUNTAIN BIKE OR SNOWMOBILE WE COULD ALL LOSE GROUND

When one group loses, we all lose. The skiers will probably be the next group on the list if it keeps going this direction.

The following is from an article in Bikemagazine in the Spring of 2009. the Forest Service is deciding what to do with OUR LAND. This article pertains to Montana.

The rules are clear when it comes to Congressionally designated Wilderness: no roads, no buildings, no mining or logging, no motorized travel, no mechanized transport, and no bikes. They were written into the Wilderness Act of 1964. But the policies on how to manage Recommended Wilderness are less clear, especially concerning mountain bikers. The question for the Forest Service boils down to this: If a piece of land is recommended for Wilderness, and the Forest Service is required to preserve the wilderness character of that land, since mountain biking is banned from Wilderness, should the Forest Service ban mountain bikers from Recommended Wilderness, even if people have been riding on the trails for decades?

Foresters in the Region 1 offices of the Forest Service debated this question. But while they debated, demands on these lands grew greater every year. More hikers were hitting the trails. Mountain bikers, too. And snowmobilers were riding higher and further into the mountains than ever before. The Forest Service felt compelled to do something. So instead of a policy, it created a philosophy. And the philosophy is this: These lands should be managed as if they were Wilderness.

In doing so, the Forest Service sidestepped Congress and created de facto Wilderness— land managers in Montana found a way to create what is essentially Wilderness without any oversight, legislation, public comment or approval of any kind.

The effects of this philosophy first rippled through Montana three years ago, when the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest released its travel-management plan, a document that dictates how the forest manages recreational uses. The Beaverhead Deerlodge includes 16 Recommended Wilderness Areas, and the new plan offered a similar recommendation for them all: ban mountain bikes, a move that closed 350 miles of singletrack in the forest to riders.

Tis the Snow Season / Snow & Cold in the Mountains

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