S7s: March 27: Break

1) Spring Break has begun. I have no plans really, I am going to the be at the track a few days. Suelee and her kids are in town for the week. She's transitioning between jobs. I'd like to camp, backpack or get out of town for a few days, but who knows. There's lots of stuff that needs to get done around here too: yardwork, fix washing machine, sort clothes and other things to give away. My big hope is that I and my students mentally recharge and my athletes heal up from their injuries and afflictions.

2) Today is Easter. This day means everything. It gives purpose to my life. There is a purpose. There's a seat for us as the table and we are not chained by our sins.

3) One of my favorite paintings is Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus as told in Luke 24:13-35. The painting has so many gorgeous aspects, but perhaps my favorite is that it is an invitation. There's a open spot for us. We are welcomed at the table.

4) NC Passed House Bill 2 this past week. Basically, it's the state's response to Charlotte's city ordinance that allowed transgendered people to use the restroom of the gender that they associate with, not necessarily the gender they are born with. The framers of HB2 say it is about protecting women and children but the bill does seem overreaching and has implications that go beyond just bathrooms and who gets to use them. It overrides all local ordinances that protect certain individuals. I do have some issues with the bill, mainly:

• It will get challenged in court and cost the state lots of money.
• They called special session that costs about $42,000 just for this bill. It was that urgent?
• I don't think it's just about bathrooms.
• It runs the risk of affecting many people adversely, not just gay, lesbian and transgendered people.
• Written into the bill was also a stipulation that local communities could not set a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage. 
• For a party of small government and local control the GOP in NC sure is legislating a lot and taking away the ability of local municipalities to craft local ordinances that are good for their communities. 

5) Terrorists attacks in Belgium on Tuesday and Pakistan yesterday. Tragic and heartbreaking, as it always is. I don't want to write much because I don't know what to write. What else do you say. I'll share this link from NPR because the photos tell a much better story than I do.

6) NCAA Basketball tournament is down to four: UNC, Villanova, Oklahoma and Syracuse. I have no preference. I still don't know if the upsets are a result of parity or poor seeding.

7) Went on an epic bike ride with Stephen Willis, Robert Duggan and Robert's friend David yesterday. We started at Andrews Geyser and rode up to Ridgecrest. Then we went up Rattlesnake Trail and hit the Toll Rd. Rattlesnake was super steep and hard. I pushed. The Toll Rd was not too bad, just long. At the top, the rocks became loose and larger, so it was hard pedaling sometimes.

After almost 16 miles of climbing, we reach Heartbreak Ridge. What a fun downhill! Long and mostly rideable. It was a great time! We were so tired though from the slog. We thought that we'd shuttle Kitsuma, but I was hungry and everyone agreed, so we went up to Black Mountain and had food and drinks at Fresh Wood Fired Pizza. It was pretty good. Great route, I can't wait to ride Heartbreak again.

Spring break means brutal climbs, fast descents and geysers. #giantbikes #geyser #mtbike

A photo posted by @heanguy on Mar 26, 2016 at 11:29am PDT

#uyridesdivide

This blog has not gotten much love. The last update was 2 years ago. There was a time where I was writing multiple times a week. I guess getting busy and the rise of social media has taken me away from writing. And that's too bad. Writing is a nice creative outlet. It is a form of expression.

Part of the revival of the blog is to document this summer's trip. The Great Divide has been on my bucket list for well over a decade. I remember walking into the Bicycle Company years ago and Hampton Hudson had just finished setting a Bob trailer and bike for a customer who was riding the trail and thinking that I want to do that!

Of course, the opportunity never arose until the fall. A friend mentioned to me that he'd like to do the Divide and wondered if I would be interested. It was a no brainer and I was excited. When I committed to the ride, I became somewhat obsessed, doing lots of research on bikes, route, packing and equipment. Unfortunately, because of some family issues, my friend had to back out. Having already put in lots of planning time and purchased a bike (and being very stubborn), I went ahead and decided that I am fine going solo.

Having a partner is good in case of emergencies and to help in cost (expenses) and carry (sharing the weight). But there are advantages to me riding alone. I only have to worry about my own pace. I can linger and not feel bad and can sleep and wake on my own schedule. And, I really like and I am looking forward to the alone time. I need the mental rest from a season in the classroom.

Most of you know that four years ago, I rode from coast to coast. This tour will be totally different. It will be mostly off-road. The Great Divide bills itself as the longest off pavement bicycle route in the world. On the cross country ride, I was basically in a town every night. There were some remote places, but I was never too far from a road and help if I ever needed it. This year, I'll be in some remote backcountry. The Canadian portion is renowned for it's scenery and wildlife. And it is rugged and remote. The Great Divide Basin in Wyoming is lonely, hot and dry. New Mexico is rough with long stretches between water. This ride will be physically and mentally challenging.

I even scored a deal on a great bike for this ride. I was deciding between the Salsa El Mariachi and a Surly ECR or Ogre. A random person sent me a link to a lady in California that was selling an ECR in my size. We talked a little, I found out she's ridden the Divide before (not on this bike though) and she gave me a great deal on the bike and some accessories. This bike is a 29+, meaning it has 29 inch rims but fatter tires (3 inch). That will allow me to float over a lot of obstacles. It's not a road touring bike like my Long Haul Trucker that I took cross country. It's got Jones Loop handle bars for comfort and handling and I've decked it out with Surly rear rack, Salsa Anything Cages up front and Revelate handlebar and feedbags. Rockgeist made me a custom top tube bag for my camera and phone. I'm using the same Ortlieb panniers that I used four years ago, those things have been great.

Below is a photo comparison of my two touring rigs. Bella (top) is a Surly Long Haul Trucker that took me from Oregon to South Carolina. Hulk is the Surly ECR that will carry me over the Continental Divide numerous times and help me navigate the off road terrain between Canada and Mexico. This trip will not feature the Bob, but Baron will come along again.

So, I leave in a week (June 23) for Calgary. I will take a shuttle to Banff (Below) and assembly bike and get ready for depart. The first 3-4 days are in Canada, full of wildlife, rugged terrain and a postcard shot around every bend. Here we go...

You can, of course, follow the journey here on the blog.
I will update through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so find me.
My Flickr page will contain most of my photo albums.