Salida for real this time

I posted a few weeks ago about my unintended visit to Salida, spooked by rotors and gusty winds at Buena Vista.  On the first trip, it was clear to me #Salida looked really good, but I hadn't planned on riding there.  Instead I enjoyed a coffee and looked around and talked to people.

Sunday morning the weather finally cooperated and made a window for me, this is what I saw at 530am:

An added bonus, my father in law John was joining me on my wing, well for maybe 10 seconds.  We planned to touch base at 630am and try to takeoff at 7am.  #Flying in #Colorado in the early morning is so special, it's too perfect to put into words and this morning especially.  We fought a headwind on the way to Salida but it was a smooth ride at 11500.  The spinning must have helped with my oxygen saturation with the oximeter never dipping below 88% without the gas on (@12500).

John's T-18 and Mt Evans in back

After passing Southeast of BV we tuned in to Salida's unicom and discovered we were second and third in line for landing behind a Bonanza and an incoming Citation.  Our spacing worked out like it was planned and we made our landings on 24, the Citation went around when a Zenith lined up on the threshold of 6 for departure. Nobody was sure why the Zenith felt a need to line up and wait for the Citation to land on 24. At Salida it's perfectly normal to arrive on 24 and depart on 6 just not line up on 6 waiting for a Citation to land on the opposite end.  It made for good ramp chat when we met up with the Netjet pilot later.

It was fun to have John and his beautiful T-18 along, he already had an admirer scouting his plane before I was parked.  The Citation pilot joined in the inspection a short while later.

While the gallery checked out the T-18, I fetched the courtesy car and off loaded my bike and gear and packed up the trunk.  John wanted to head back to Denver to hit his to do list and I was off to check out Salida's trails.

We didn't depart KBJC off until nearly 730 then with the headwind and ramp talk, it was pushing 930 when I left the parking lot at the base of Tenderfoot hill.  (Arkansas hills trail system) The ride starts with a healthy climb up Frontside to the parking lot then Lil Rattler to North Backbone.  About half way down North Backbone I turned around and back tracked to join Backbone, riding it all the way to Cottonwood. It was there I realized I blew past Sand Dune and double backed to find it.  It was after 1130 and my legs were wasted.

 Million Dollar views

 North Backbone - on a water break

Backbone overlooking Sand Dune 

On the way back to find Sand Dune, I caught a pedal at slow speed and took a spill. The damage was right side forearm, knee, elbow...and a whole lot of pride.  The trails were true single track with respectable penalties for failure and the trail had that perfect cadence of up and downs.  I'll be adjusting some sag out of the center shock before going back, I dragged my pedal too much.  Part of the problem was me being rusty but I'm convinced the pedals were not clearing well enough due to the sag, I recall muttering "really! how did I catch that?"

My favorite trail was Backbone and North backbone, I'll go back there again and regain my pride.  With my second trip to Salida done, I'm a fan.  Everyone I encountered on the trail, town, and airport were first rate friendly. The park and downtown are right at the base, so you can easily eat when you are done.

It was just afternoon when I got back to the car and the winds were picking up.  I skipped lunch and drove the 10 minutes back to the plane and got out of there; riding a 20 knot tailwind back to KBJC.  I chowed down on some PB infused pretzels; sucked down a nalgene of water; and cranked up the O2, on the way back.

John stopped by the hangar after I landed and we had a beer and talked about the flight. I made it home 10 minutes before Liam woke from his nap. We played outside and grilled burgers...perfect day!

View from North Backbone - Salida Airport out there

Lessons learned trip:

• Tissues - not in my pack, recovering from a cold (yep cowboy style)
• Basic First Aid Kit - in the plane, that might have been handy
• Hydration system - the tube had some funk in it...so I didn't drink as much as I should have, dehydration is a precursor for hypoxia.  I sucked down a nalgene in flight and cranked on the oxygen

#MTB Things to do:

• Adjust center shock to give another 1/2 inch pedal clearance (@120 PSI on this trip)
• Front headset/fork developed a rattle need to check it out
• clip-in pedals developed a squeak and felt dry - clean and lube
• rear derailleur developed a hitch - clean and lube

Airplane:

• High humidity leaving jeffco climbed fine but didn't generate good airspeed, John said I should try building up more airspeed before pitching up.  I'll work on that.
• Pick up some plexiglass cleaner - all out

Ready for tomorrow

I spent over an hour outfitting the Grumman with a set of long takedown straps.  The stock Grumman straps a great for most small things, but the bike, wheels, helmet, hydration pack, bike stand and the pump take up a bit more space.  I bought 2 straps and strung them through the existing anchors and cut them to an ideal length.  I feel more comfortable knowing these items are lashed down, in the case of turbulence.  

Since I was already in the back installing long straps, it made sense to load up everything  and strap it down. All that's left to prepare is sleep and eat. If the forecast holds we'll have a nice day tomorrow.

My father in law (John) may fly on my wing tomorrow, it'll be fun to have company.

545am wake up with plans to meet up around 630am...7 am take off.

Good night, keep your  fingers crossed for good weather and fair wind.

Still indoors unfortunately

Found a great spin playlist on Spotify:

Spin Class Mix - Spotify

*thanks for sharing Stephanie!

I've fallen for the play list feature of Spotify, sorry Pandora, it's about the mission.  The playlist creation and sharing feature is the cat's pajamas.  Still hitting the spin bike hard and plan to take some time off work whenever the weather in Denver improves, shaping out to look like the monsoon pattern of last year.

I was planning to attend the Grumman Convention in Rockport TX next week, but overlooked the registration deadline, whoops.  With a week off work, it presents a possibility of a few missions and the benefit of sleeping in my own bed at night.  If the weather continues like it's been, I just go to work.

weekend plans when you can't do it all

Give me a break!

Maybe this is a break, the last 2 week's weekend outlooks indicated clear and calm, only after Friday afternoon did the bad winds appear. It doesn't seem to work that way, the high country is going to be a no go again:(

My bike is dialed in, I've been sticking to my spinning routine and my stamina is building up.  In years past, the benchmark of leg strength is the existence of balanced spin, specifically an even rotation with noticeable upstroke power.  This is my indicator, the legs will consider climbing the beautiful, beautiful Colorado verticals.  For me, when this stroke is not established fun will not be had...oh, I'll summit, suck down lots of water and crash.

I'll not throw in on a return to Salida until Friday afternoons detailed forecasts...if they're like this, not going to fly the high country.

Obviously with Mother's Day there will be plenty of activities to fill up the days.  I have to get an outdoor ride in, of some sort...maybe Lookout Mountain on my Road Bike?

The cool thing about spinning is it makes you jones for the real thing...writing this dripping in sweat:)

Moderate turbulence and high winds...pay it forward

This weekend fits the old pilot's proverb "I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was on the ground".  In true 2014 fashion, the nice flying days in Colorado seem restricted to mid-week. Awoke today to AWOS reports from Berthoud Pass indicating wind 270 @ 45 kt gusting to 54kt, clearly a no go day.

Last post, I still had some action items to prepare my MTB for another trip, one of the actions remaining, the fabrication of a protection for the  rear derailleur.  The other major issue was tuning the bike and we're all set now, my front derailleur woes should be resolved based on my test ride yesterday.  Two key issues discovered with the front derailleur:

MTB shifting issues resolved:

1. Most significant issue was the front derailleur attached too high, the derailleur cage was riding too high above the chain rings.  When downshifting the chain struck just under the 'pop in' on the cage's outer plate.  It took a few tries to find the ideal cage alignment with the downshift issue presenting itself only off the bike stand.
2. Cable tension, this was easy to resolve only after the derailleur clearance and alignment issue is ideal. 

Lesson Learned:  

• re enforce previous conclusions:
• be militant about maintenance before heading to the high country, identifying and correcting the derailleur issue took 90 minutes
• with the bike is dialed in, we need a creative solution to ensure the derailleurs don't get whacked out of alignment in transit. I'll take take measurements with the rear tire off, and think some more.

• it's easy to forget the order of operation for adjusting the derailleurs, so I don't try:
• re-watch videos on YouTube 
• adjust the bike's derailleurs when you have plenty of time
• use an ideal sized screw driver
• suck it up and use a fine tip sharpie to mark the frame where the front derailleur should ride up/down and side to side...when it gets out of whack again, this will help identify the issue and save time re-aligning
• the brake caliper shim issue - (don't remember the exact source) internet, someone recommended plastic toilet shims. I picked these up from Lowe's today and they work perfectly, $3.99 for an 8 pack...very good tip if you need to transport a bike with hydraulic brakes..

Paying it forward when grounded

1. spend quality time with family
2. give Kathleen a break from 23 month old son
3. knock out some honey dos
4. work on action items to be more prepared when weather improves
5. review material from CPA Mountain Flying - High Elevation Airport Operations Ground School

Took Liam to the O-HO (his word for the airport) yesterday afternoon:

• visited Pom-Pom's (grandpa) hangar, he was busy fitting new shoes on the T-18, he'd flown toward Wilkerson Pass earlier in the morning and it was turbulent
• chatted with a CAP pilot who'd just returned from Corona Pass (bumpy)
• taxied the Cheetah to self-serve to add some fuel (@41 gal), ideally we carry 37 (tanks are 52 gal capacity)
• improved my weight and balance process with use of digital baggage scale

Dial in my weight and balance

I've been using weight calculations formulated from a bathroom scale(with a very liberal rounding methodology). Though I was certain the weights were over actual; bottom-line I'm not certain.  Right now, it's just me in the Cheetah and I'm well inside the envelope, but before taking someone else and their gear on-board this needs some sharpening.

I've sorted out my gear in the hangar by station and will use a digital baggage scale to record exact weights for everything riding in the cabin with me.  Then build a weight and balance menu for my personal items and gear.

Weighing my iPad, cameras, maps and assorted sundry items, put all the small items in a garbage bag and weigh them together Item/s	Actual Weight	Rounded Weight	Station
Bicycle Tool box	10.11	11	Cargo
Yellow bicycle gear backpack	8.9	10	Cargo
tow bar and wheel chocks	4.43	5	Cargo
Survival Backpack	7.36	8	Rear seat
MTB Hydration pack(empty water) + helmet and gloves	4.82	5	Cargo
Bicycle tire pump	2.4	3	Cargo
Bicycle stand	12.05	13	Cargo
Cargo tie down straps (blue x 2)	0.59	1	Cargo
Electronics and trail maps	6.01	7	Rear seat
Booster seat	6.65	7	front or rear seat
Purple Stroller	12.32	13	Cargo
2 QT of Oil and tie down kit	8.02	9	Cargo
Travel tool kit (small)	5.82	6	Cargo
Rear Seat back rests	10.38	11	Rear seat

MTB & Bag                                                                     39.54                    40Cargo

Prior, proper, planning - training, bike and weather stuff

To get my body ready for the trail, I need to get my butt saddle ready, legs strengthened, and lungs efficient.  My recently dusted off spin bike may help here.  Liam, nearing 2 years old, requires most of Kathleen's and my time.  We both work and we have our personal interests to manage...this has left us sacrificing our exercise routines; not uncommon.  At the moment, I'm carrying about 15 pounds I don't really want (even if it were muscle).  We gave up the HIT boot camp we enjoyed when we were DINKs.  Currently, I'm working on a spinning routine in the mornings, before Liam wakes.  While spinning won't improve balance or technical skills, it should get the legs, lungs and butt saddle ready.  

The most important element of a spirited hour of spin is an excellent playlist...if you have one share it with me, download and try this one if you dare...btw Little Lion Man and Nugget have explicit language, if this offends you please don't listen to them.  Truthfully, by the time I'm to this part of the ride, my mouth needs washing;)

http://open.spotify.com/user/billhoxy/playlist/0EoCxijW1DWoncoFTuM1aF

The spin bike is nothing fancy, an impulse buy from Costco, it squeak and rattles at certain resistance settings, but nothing a quarter turn either direction can't eliminate.It sits in the exercise quadrant of the basement; opposite Kathleen's Voice Over Studio (aka the Wings & Spokes blog station).

As reported in the Saturday trip report, I had a couple of bike maintenance action items:

• Front tire - find the goat head, repair the tube, and verify it'll hold air
• Pesky goat head thorns - stay on trail or fix flats all day
• picked up my front wheel from the airport
• picked up tubes from performance bike
• I'll fix the tire before going to bed tonight
• Front derailleur  - properly adjust
• usually forget the exact order of operation 
• use this video to refresh my memory:  A decent video on front derailleur adjustment
• adjust it tomorrow at lunch time
• take it for a spin on the trails behind the airport
• Fabricate brake caliper shims - so the brake pistons don't operate in transport
• Friends from Performance Bicycle - helped with advice
• Managed to find a proper shim for the front
• Still need something for the rear caliper
• Identify better protection for the front derailleur and rear hanger
• still thinking on this

Weather Outlook for the weekend:

• Reading weather forecasts is a daily routine 
• Low Level Prog Charts
• Winds aloft SLC region
• Turbulence
• Satellite images
• ADDS Ceiling and Visibility Plot
• Colorado Mountain AWOS Stations
• Badger Mountain - deceptive wind readings - IMO
• Berthoud Pass AWOS - good wind reading when it works
• Monarch Pass - compare winds & ceilings to 4BM
• Watch the weather in the mountains constantly - my notes
• On windy days look for waves and rotors recognize these
• Be familiar with how they build and break up - bad news clouds
• Virga in Colorado = strong downdraft virga
• dust devils on the ground = a clue
• 30 knot westerly wind over the mountain can be a rough ride at 14,000 feet
• Moderate turbulence reported west of Denver = scrub

Today the weather for the weekend looks promising, we'll keep watching.  I hope to get a ride in this weekend.

On the bottle now

One thing about the hangar community is you meet other pilots; my goal is to learn at least one thing from each one I meet.  Jumping in a cockpit with another pilot and you'll recognize the procedures and checklists, yet to meet two pilots who do everything exactly the same.  My neighbor Bob invited me for a ride along in his Bonanza and showed me a blind-spot I had regarding the use of oxygen.  Thanks to Bob my situational awareness improved.

After living in Colorado for 14 years and climbing too many peaks to list here, then flight training and memorizing FARs pertaining to oxygen use, I've heard of hypoxia; watched dad certify in the altitude chamber at Plattsburgh AFB; and listened to ATC recordings of a hypoxic pilot over western Colorado.  I can recite hypoxia's symptoms, contributing factors, and treatment, and led kids in discussions about high elevation activities at Boy Scout meetings. I've had a few experiences with mild hypoxia while hiking and biking in the high-country, usually aggravated by dehydration. Even with all this awareness, training, and experience, I had a gap.

Bob, my personal oxygen ambassador, invited me to take a ride in his beautiful Bonanza.  He said we'd take it high; he loaded a bottle in the backseat and outfitted me with a cannula.  I love my Cheetah, but she's no straight tail Bonanza, we climbed through 10,000 feet in 4 minutes.  Bob reaches in back and turns up the O2 bottle, then leans over to the glove box grabs a pulse ox sensor and starts checking his levels.  Meanwhile, I'm flying the plane with the cannula coiled up in my lap...thinking to myself, what's up with Bob?

                                      Used SkyOx 4-port system bought from a retiring pilot

Bob was about to teach me something about FAR 91.211 that I will not forget.  5 minutes into the flight, on a standard day, still less than 11,000 feet (cabin pressure altitude), he hands me his oximeter.  My oxygen saturation read 84% and continued to drop steadily, I put on the cannula and watched recovery in under a minute.

$39 pulse Oximeter bought from Amazon

I've flown plenty higher and longer while solo over the mountains without oxygen, and felt fine.  I believed the regulation to be a good guideline, while incorrectly crediting myself for the mile high life and ignorantly congratulating myself for above tree-line stamina.  This attitude is wrong headed, a broken link in my chain.  It's corrected now; let the O2 flow...thank you Bob!

Lesson Learned:

Based on the oxygen saturation readings at 10,000 feet, 91.211 is a regulation, rather than a best practice; using it in place of good judgment is poor judgment.

Part 91.211

(1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (MSL) up to and including 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes duration.

Action:

Oxygen goes on me and my passengers above 10,000 (density altitude).  This means every trip west I'm on the bottle now.

Benefits:

- Better cognitive reasoning - might come in handy

- Stay awake - fair enough

- Avoid altitude sickness symptoms like headaches - good

- Huffing O2 in-flight result in any stamina boost on the trail? - Seems like it wouldn't hurt

It might have been interesting to fly the edge of the regulation with one pilot on gas and the other not; taking oximeter measures, though I need no more convincing.

BV no go...Salida good alternate

Mission 1 - planned Buena Vista but changed in-flight to Salida

The pre-flight weather observations and forecasts were iffy with moderate winds in the high-country.  I had an external factor, Kathleen wanted me home to watch Liam by 12:30.  This meant the first outing would be short, which worked well, since the weather was foretasted to deteriorate in the afternoon.  Buena Vista (KAEJ) is a 50 minute flight from Metro, with an early start you can land by 7:30 and make the trail head by 8 for a 2.5 hour ride.  

According to web sites, BV has some respectable trails starting from the downtown park.  Having never been there, I found the website vague and rider reports inconsistent.  To know is to go and find out.  My plan was to wake up at 5, check weather and eat, make the airport by 6 and take off by 6:30.  I would make BV by 730, borrow the courtesy car, drive to the park, and ride.

I left my favorite MTB shoes at the office, so I picked them up on the way to the airport, not a big deal but it cost me 10 minutes.  So, I was wheels up by 6:40, still in good shape.  As I mentioned, the winds were active (not ridiculous) but in the mountains a little can go a long way.  Leaving this morning, I knew to be respectful and be ready to turn around.  There were periods of chop, but mostly smooth air with a steady 20kt headwind the whole way.  After I crossed Wilkerson Pass, the radio picked up automated weather from BV, it looked like we were in business wind 140 at 15 knots, that's a go for me.

As I neared the west side of South Park the report updated to 110 at 25 gusting to 28 and I could see some small rotor clouds forming over BV just above my altitude of 12,500.  It's best to be respectful of these signs, I can certainly handle a 15 knot crosswind, but add in the changing wind on the field, deteriorating forecast, and small suspicious looking clouds above...best to leave BV for another day.

Salida is 30 miles south, has a nice airport and also on my list to checkout.  I tuned into the AWOS and winds reported 200 at 7 and the sky looked clear, so Salida is our date, only there was no plan for what to do after landing.  The field was easy to find and the landing smooth.  The approach end of runway 24 sits on the edge of a Mesa...wish I'd thought to take a picture.  Plenty of parking and the ramp was in good shape, the FBO was open, I checked out a curtesy car.  Now after 815, I was 30 miles further south of BV, so riding was getting unrealistic. I left the bike in the Cheetah and headed out to check out Salida, driving into town and get information...I knew with the time constraint a ride today was iffy.

Notes:

-wind aloft @ 12000' was 220 @ 20-25kt (a good upper limit for SW wind)...lower your limit if the wind is from west to north

-tie down fee $3, but I just used chocks (free)

-Curtesy cars are two retired police cars, big enough

-Drive time from Airport to base of Tenderfoot Hill 10 minutes by car (downhill)

-the bike ride back to airport is a slow incline until the last 1/2 mile (steep climb to the Mesa top)

-downtown is sleepy in April, but plays hosts to many events in summer

-F street seems to have everything: the park, shops, restaurants, bars 

-pleasantly warm for 830 in the morning in April

-the town is welcoming to dogs, bikes, anglers and paddlers

-many riding options south of the airport and away from town,but all require a car

-must return and ride here 

Lessons learned flying:

-have ride plan for alternate airports ready, BV experienced an isolated weather event a common thing, I'll gain agility with experience and do more research

-Recognizing the weather and rotors forming was good, but I should have taken a picture of them for the blog. These clouds don't look like much, but can be bad news.  If you see these near the airfield and winds are changing, you could find some wicked turbulence with them.  If you land safely, will the weather be fun on the ground?  Put your macho in check:)

-Leaving Salida at 1030 was good, I hit a few small pockets of moderate turbulence on the way back, the weather deteriorated shortly after noon.

Lessons learned bicycle:

After I landed at home, I took the bike out and put it together, things to improve:

- forgot to shim the brake pads, if you have disk brakes don't forget this (rookie mistake)

- my front tire still has a slow leak, new tube installed before leaving this morning - action: need to find the goat head in the front tire and verify it holds air in advance

- after I reassembled the front derailleur was not able to pop to the big chain ring from the top three granny gears. Action: fabricate better protection for the derailleurs, readjust and test shifting before next weekend 

-bike repairs away from the comfort of the hangar - must minimize

*In general be militant about bike maintenance and prior proper testing, or the ride may not happen

* these faults would have cost 20 minutes for each bike, must do better

In the posts ahead, I'll write a bit about oxygen and discuss considerations around weight and balance.  It also appear a few people read my intro post, I hope you liked it.

Salida KANK

old school mountain town - it's obvious the place is nuts for the river and biking scene.  Bike racks everywhere and it sports a large parking lot at the base of Tenderfoot Hill on F Street across the river, look up you'll find bike trails.

 There are several coffee shops on F Street, this was the first one I walked past, owner was very friendly and coffee and cinnamon roll good.  This is a block from the river and head for Salida's MTB trails. You start out from the nice park on the edge of downtown.

The first bike shop to open on Saturday (9AM), it's April so the towns still sleepy, Subculture Cyclery, met Jason and he gave me the lay of land and a trail map.

 

Tenderfoot Hill (the one with the big "S" on it)

Jason handed me the free Cycling Guide and said it had maps of several popular trails, for a day trip this is all you need. He said the topo map showed more trails and the camping area.  It covers all of Missouri Park, Sand Park, Maxwell Park, and more so I bought one, because I'm a map geek. http://www.subculturecyclery.com/ this shop has a good vibe, they rent, sell and repair bikes; free of tourist t-shirts and plastic trinkets.

Nice tailwind on the way back the ASI reported 100 knots while the GPS ground speed registered 150 knots. Just Northeast of this picture I experienced a short patch of  moderate turbulence, enough to make me cinch my seat belt tight to keep my head from bouncing off the canopy.

Pulling through the doldrums

In 2008 I began working on my pilots license, it was something I always dreamed of.  Additionally, I was newly divorced and achieving this was purely a 'me' thing.  In my mind, flying would be the catalyst into a new life...and it is, I certainly have seen my confidence grow and feel a sense of peace after I take to the skies.

Not to be overshadowed, I fell in love and married an amazing woman during this journey, she encouraged me through my training plateau, stating to me "you should fly more".

Upon getting my ticket, there was initial glee from the accomplishment and  I found enjoyment from taking someone out for the proverbial hamburger.  Still, it felt like something was missing, the experience was anti-climatic. I continued flying with the club where I started and became too comfortable in the pattern at KAPA and performing steep turns in the SE practice area.  I wanted more from flying than I was getting.  I religiously combed the typical magazines and frequented the used aircraft sale ads...and dreamed of what it would be to own.


In July 2010, while reviewing the hangar link from the http://jeffco.us/airport, I stumbled on a wait list for the city owned hangars at Metro (KBJC).  It was free to put your name on the list, in aviation there are very few FREE opportunities, so I signed up and followed my name down the list every month until March 2013.  You'd thought I won the lottery when I was notified an empty hangar was available...I just needed to reply, place a deposit and start paying rent; committing to a lease with in 5 business days. To be fair to others on wait list behind me, the airport lease specifies I must maintain an airplane registered to me in the hangar within 90 days.  I signed the lease and got serious about shopping.

It took me just under 5 weeks to find and buy my Cheetah (again Kathleen (wife) encouraged me by stating "if this is something you want to do, you should make it happen".  The Cheetah certainly invigorated my flying.  Now only starting my second year of ownership, I realize there has to be more...seriously, what's wrong with me...still something missing?

Last week, it struck me, my satisfaction comes from the mission, though the act of flying is wonderful; absolutely fascinating in fact, it is only a vehicle.  I didn't have these doldrums while training, I jumped out of bed on Saturday at 5AM and prayed for good weather. When I bought the Cheetah, the mission became transition training...again it's the mission not the airplane or the pilots license which brings me satisfaction.

As cool as my Cheetah is, without a mission, I'm going to lose motivation without finding satisfaction from it.  I joined a few groups and attended meetings, but nothing really strums me. I need a personal  mission. It is to mash up aviation, mountain biking, the Colorado mountains and write about it.

I'm not a writer and have never blogged.  Currently I have 0 subscribers to Wings & Spokes...This is the first post, actually it's the second draft written, the first one required editing and pics to be added, I became bored with it and started over.

This will serve as my introduction, if one person reads it, my expectations will be exceeded. This blog brings aviation, cycling and back-country together.  I'm a  passionate husband, father, pilot and outdoorsman. I'll share my successes and lessons while mashing my passions.



my Cheetah

 mountain bike goes in a bag

bag goes in the back

we'll fly it high and go west

Hopefully we see some neat stuff,  ride some respectable trails and write the experiences down...if nobody ever sees it, we'll call it a journal; fulfilling my 10th grade English teacher's wish.  Wings & Spokes