silence kills the revolution [by Rick Reed]

Country Roads

2012-02-02T22:42:00.000-05:00

Snowshoe Sunset

Even though it borders my home state of Pennsylvania, I have little experience with West Virginia. But one place in West Virginia that I've always wanted to visit is Snowshoe Mountain. While I've wanted to visit Snowshoe for a very long time, I have always been under the impression its driving distance was over the threshold when weighing what it had to offer. It's the most popular mountain in the "south" for both snow sports and its bike park which is one of the original bike parks in North America. So when I recently took some time out to examine the mountain stats a little closer, I realized it wasn't that far of a drive and I decided it was time to finally get there and see it for myself.

Snowshoe is a unique destination for several reasons. Nestled into the forest lands of Pocahontas County, Snowshoe rises to just under 5000 feet at the summit. Contrary to most ski resorts, the main resort, village and lodges are at the top of the mountain. Secondly, not only is there no cellular service at Snowshoe, it doesn't exist in a two hour radius around the mountain. Snowshoe is probably the most remote place I've been in years. It's strange that free internet access has now surpassed cell service coverage in remote areas.

As for the terrain, Snowshoe is separated into three different mountain faces; the main Basin, Western Territory and Silver Creek. They are accessible to each other by a short shuttle bus ride or by foot (Western Territory to Basin).

While taking the shuttle from the village to Silver Creek, the driver reminisced about the good old days of two years ago when record snowfalls occurred and "there was so much snow we were trucking it off the mountain." He explained the mountain has 100% snowmaking capacity and without that the mountain would be in poor condition this season due to the overly warm temps and lack of frozen precip.

Seneca Rocks

So the snow conditions fell short of amazing (and coming off of fresh powder at Mammoth didn't help either) but it wasn't a wasted trip. Actually, the drive back to PA may have been the best part of the weekend. Every mile is a postcard. And I was seeing it at the grayest time of year- the end of January with not a trace of snow let alone leaves on the trees. I was hating myself for traveling without my camera but I must admit I'm impressed with the quality of images on the iPhone 4S. Everyone is a professional photographer with an iPhone these days.

Big Sky Country isn't just for Montana

2012-02-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

An interesting sky over Big Bear

A Welcome Sight

2012-01-23T15:11:00.002-05:00

30 inches of fresh at Mammoth.

Snow!

2012-01-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since I've played in the snow. I finally got my first days of snowboarding in last week at Bear Mountain. Today was the best day so far, with light crowds, great weather and good snow. There isn't a lot of snow, but what's here is good. Better than spring conditions, which was what I was expecting with the warmer temps of late. We'll be heading to Mammoth Thursday and coinciding with our arrival will be the return of winter! Much needed snow is in the forecast for the entire weekend. Hopefully the winds stay calm.

2011-12-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

It's been a little slow here in blog land. I think the constant rain and unwinterlike weather has me in hibernation. Keep on denying climate change, America...Thankfully I'll be off to CA in a couple weeks. Even there winter has been slow to get started, but I expect it will be in full effect shortly. After a number of consecutive heavy snowfall years, Mammoth Mountain is lagging behind for 2011/2012. But unlike much of the northeast, at least snow can be made for the time being while we await old man winter's arrival. Happy New Year and I'll talk to you in 2012!

Autumn Portraits

2011-11-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

I spent a few days shooting portraits for friends this fall. Here's a sample of some of my favorites.

2011-11-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

Eventually, I sickened of people, myself included, who didn't think enough of themselves to make something of themselves- people who did only what they had to and never what they could have done. I learned from them the infected loneliness that comes at the end of every misspent day. I knew I could do better.

- Mark Twight, "I Hurt, Therefore I am"

2011-11-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Allegrippis Trails at Lake Raystown cater so heavily to mountain biking, that several benches have been modified to give bikes a place to rest during a long day on the trails.

Time

2011-11-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

As time passes, I've noticed it becomes harder and harder to get any of the old crew together for a mountain bike ride, especially one that dedicates most of the day. On Sunday though, the first day of the return to Standard Time, we did just that (four of us did, at least).

Now that somehow we're well into November, trail conditions on the east coast are vastly different as a forest of leaves covers the canvass of singletrack and rock providing entirely different ride characteristics. More energy than normal is required to crank on the pedals as the thick bed of fallen leaves settling on top of damp soil creates resistance under your tires while you push along to the raspy tune of yet more leaves stuck in your wheels and crevices of the frame.

The leaves are deceiving, giving cover to rocks beneath waiting to steal you from your line and punt you off the trail. I would typically say water flows more freely in the streams and creeks this time of year, but with a very wet summer it never slowed all season. Dry feet aren't an option.

Often times the trail disappears, as if becoming a dead end into uncharted territory.

But no matter how hard it tries to hide in a slumber of the fast approaching winter, it gives itself away.

Finesse is the key to enjoying the most out of these conditions. Exerting too much energy fighting the trail will only put an earlier end to the fun on your day. But a simple post-ride cold pancake can soften the blow of four hours in the saddle.

OverMountain Enduro at Highland Mountain Bike Park

2011-10-30T00:25:00.001-04:00

Highland Mountain Bike Park- it's been a long time coming for me. Time and time again, especially this year, other riders have said to me "you've got to go to Highland!" So when the park in coordination with Cannondale announced the OverMountain Challenge Enduro race, I knew it was time to head to New England.

Before I describe the race I must first outline the bike park itself.

If I was asked to sum up Highland, I'd put it this way: Berms, Berms, Berms. In my opinion, Highland's greatest feature is its abundance of perfectly sculpted berms. I've never railed so many berms with consistent precision. Maintaining or even building momentum on Highland's trails is almost effortless (though after 3 straight days of riding maybe not so much) due to the perfection in location and sculpting of those piles of dirt that are so necessary in executing flow.

At 600 feet vertical, one lift and only about ten top to bottom full trails Highland's size isn't anything to brag about. But it's what the park staff has done with that size that makes it remarkable and significant. Each trail is built to utilize the maximum amount of terrain possible while still being a "gravity" fed trail. Some runs like Hellion, Highland's flagship jump trail, are lengthy enough to make you forget you're riding on the east coast.

The downside to the lengthy and flowy trails is the lengthy and slow moving lift. On Sunday especially, lift lines were so long that we were only getting one run every 50 minutes or so. It took us 20 minutes of waiting just to get a lift ticket. It is evident that Highland's popularity is quickly overloading its capacity at least on weekends.

On to the racing. The format, borrowed from enduro races in Europe, consisted of three timed "specials" or stages. Specials 1 and 3 shared the same start at the top of the mountain while Special 2 occurred on XC-style singletrack near the base area of the mountain. A long climb up a beginner's downhill trail was necessary after Special 2 to reach the start of Special 3 but this did not count towards the overall time.

Special 1 was mostly taped on existing downhill trails and had the most technically demanding terrain with several difficult segments including a series of steep, muddy chutes and a steep off camber rock wall. The course then worked its way through the base and parking lot and onto Highland's new cross country trails for the finish. I suffered a crash on one of the muddy chutes as I drifted slightly wide on my line and struck a tree with my handlebars. I lost a lot of momentum that was required to make a short climb after that section so the crash cost me a good chunk of time. Had I not crashed, Special 1 would have been my best stage of the 3.

A 15 minute break was allotted between 1 and 2. The singletrack on Special 2 was flowy and fun while gradually making its way up the mountain. I actually had my best time of the three in this Special. The long climb up Easy Rider that followed Special 2 wasn't as easy or fun. The temps were in the low 50s and as I was sweating through my base layer I kept thinking how exhausting it would have been if the race had been held in the heat of summer.

The final Special was the most unique for two reasons; riders were not permitted to practice on it before the race and much of it was taped through glades where trails did not exist. Racers were required to find their own line and hope that it would pay off in the end. One section was filled with sapling trees so tight I had to nearly come to a stop to fit my bars through. Most of this special was downhill with the exception of one very short and steep climb that I disembarked and ran up. I also recall catching up to a racer and just as I was going to yell to alert him he went over the bars and landed on the trail forcing me to stop momentarily.

Overall, the race was physically challenging but a lot of fun. I hope that this format is picked up by other mountains across the country as I think this type of racing could be very successful in North America. The "all mountain" bicycle is already the top selling mountain bike category and that is the type of bike these races are built around.

Highland was a great facility to finish off the 2011 bike park and racing season. Even though it's not a large mountain, I feel there's still so much I didn't get to do. I can't wait to get back there again in the future and hopefully it will involve another enduro race!

Drilling Boom Increases Crime

2011-10-26T23:42:00.001-04:00

Drilling Boom Brings Surge in Crime to Small Towns

The title of this article caught my attention and the rhetoric had no problem keeping it, focusing on some consequences of the drilling boom that aren't prevalently talked about in the media. "Renee Daly, 27, of Montrose, Pa., said she knows of at least three marriages that ended when local women abandoned their husbands for gas-field workers."

One must wonder if the issues discussed in this article would be less common if more local workers were hired rather than a large percentage of employees being from out of state.

2011-10-20T22:15:00.000-04:00

A lot of disappointing stories were in the news today, two of which concern the killing of wildlife. First, a tragedy occurred in Zanesville, OH where a "Noah's Ark" of 56 exotic animals were released from a private resident's land and took to the streets, highways and community resulting in a mass slaying by the local sheriff department. The details can be found all over the media so I won't bother to repeat them. The two major immediate questions this incident brings to mind are;why was this obviously mentally ill man allowed to keep these animals and secondly why were over 40 of them killed by authorities? Only six animals avoided being killed and it appears that was only because they did not venture from the cut fences. Several were reportedly killed in vehicle collisions on the nearby I-70. The rest were all shot with assault rifles by authorities under the direction of the sheriff.

Most tragic of all, 18 endangered species Bengal tigers were taken down. There is believed to be less than 1400 in existence.

It appears only little effort was given to use tranquilizers to control the animals. While I believe it is expected that some of these animals would have to be put down in this situation as they could clearly be deadly, what ensued was a mass hunt to kill. Even monkeys were shot and in one case an assumption of the animal carrying herpes was given as the reason.

All of this could have been prevented if Ohio had laws to govern ownership of exotic animals. I am guessing action will now be taken to do so following this extremely unfortunate incident.

The second animal related story to garner attention today involved the potential legalization of Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania. A bipartisan legislative study concluded that legalizing hunting on Sundays could generate up to $804 million in economic activity. The study also stated that hunting is worth $3 billion to the state's economy. How they figure conclude that one additional day per week during hunting seasons can raise that figure over 25% is beyond me (especially when bars and beer distributors are closed in PA on Sundays).

While I understand many other states allow hunting on Sundays, I do not know their laws and regulations of hunting (which can make the biggest difference in any hunting situation). As a non-hunter and an avid outdoor enthusiast, it is comforting to know that on Sundays one must not need to be concerned about safety as a result of hunting activities. Certain hunting laws for specific situations in PA require very little caution or knowledge by the user behind the scope before pulling the trigger. This can result in a failure to clearly identify the subject before firing. I tend to refrain from mountain biking in areas I know could be adorned with hunters and I look forward to Sundays where I do not have to worry about someone's judgement of using a firearm. There are too many hunting laws that fail to err on the side of safety for me to list here. Allowing 10 year olds to fire a gun at an animal is just one prime example.

Why do hunters feel the need to be able to hunt seven days a week? We live in a time where most people do not need to hunt and kill for their daily meals.

So often Pennsylvania looks to hunting as the seemingly sole source of economic stimulation from recreation and fails to recognize other outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking, etc that attract plenty of enthusiasts.

If we are concerned about raising money, why not institute a tax on Marcellus shale drilling, that has impacted our roads, environment and communities and turns huge profits?

Watch.Read.Listen

2011-10-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

Watching:
50/50

Reading:
127 Hours (Between a Rock and a Hard Place)

Listening:
Thrice- Major/Minor

Cake for Breakfast Claims Podium and Top 10 in Points

2011-10-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

The Gravity East Series wrapped up at Blue Mountain in Palmerton, PA over an unseasonably cold and wet October weekend. The highlights of the weekend included Cake for Breakfast breaking onto the podium in the Cat 2/3 40 plus class with Darryl Reed taking a third. I finished out the series top 10 in points in Cat 2 19-29.

photo by Darryl Reed

Approaching the weekend, every weather forecast called for heavy rains Saturday and gradual clearing on Sunday. On Friday I made the call to likely skip Saturday practice and just head out Sunday morning. As I expected, I awoke Saturday morning to rain. But after I checked the weather forecast, I found it was not raining in eastern PA and the forecasts had suddenly changed to no precipitation until late afternoon. I don't know why I even bother to follow forecasts anymore. But a good day of dry practice couldn't be forfeited, so the scramble was on to load up the truck, hit I-80 and hopefully get some riding in.

The rain did hold off for the rest of the afternoon and the focus was to dial in the track as much as possible.The challenging, steep course was designed by World Cup pro and PA native Neko Mulally. The track started with a flat sprint and an assortment of jumps, some being quite large that only the top pros were hitting. The rest of the course was fast and didn't require much pedaling given the steepness of most of the sections. It wasn't overly rocky but it was tricky because the dirt and rock is loose and traction can be deceiving. It's hard to distinguish from rocks will stay in place and those that can give way. The bottom part of the track utilized the grassy ski slopes and one section is quite steep and slick with an immediate step down gap at the bottom.

Later that evening the rain became more widespread and heavy at times as we ventured into the town of Jim Thorpe for dinner. Sunday on the mountain would surely be an entirely different situation than Saturday had been.

Morning brought on the all too familiar feeling that's been the norm this season; lack of motivation to ride in the rain and mud. By the time we arrived at the mountain and saw the fresh mud and running water across the finish line I was close to making the decision to keep the bike in the truck. Only several riders were visible on the lift and coming down the track. Seeing how sloppy everyone was at the bottom of the track while I stood layered in a hoodie and jacket drinking a cup of hot chocolate further instilled the thought of a DNS for the day. It felt good to be clean and somewhat warm.

Speaking with several riders, they claimed the track actually had more traction now than the prior day especially in the woods sections. That was hard to comprehend by the sights of things. Were they serious?

After a little encouragement and basically feeling helpless, I reluctantly unloaded my bike and began to sort through my gear bag for an assortment of the most functional attire I could find. I slowly geared up. We joined the ranks of other riders who were taking to the track. I was surprised to find that those guys weren't kidding. Traction, at least in the woods was probably better than it was yesterday. It's strange how heavy rains can result in totally different scenarios of conditions on different types of terrain. The sections that crossed the ski slopes however were a mess. I did one run then went straight for the bike wash line.

I knew that all I had to do was cross the finish line in my race to secure my points position in the series. Considering my current standing in the points and only racing 4 of the 8 races (the minimum required) I wouldn't be able to gain any additional positions regardless of how I finished this race. Between the conditions, and chatting with the racer lined up in front of me who was in a wrist brace and claimed he had broken his arm earlier, my head just wasn't in it. I rode conservatively and didn't push hard enough. That caused me to miss some key lines. Near the bottom sections of the track I caught up to the injured racer in front of me. I yelled "coming through!" and "behind you" several times but he didn't yield. With the conditions being poor I decided it wasn't worth trying to pass him off the main line and I settled for crossing the finish line behind him. It cost me a lot of time, but in reality it made little difference.

Now I'm left with a week's worth of cleanup and maintenance to do on the bike. I've seen too much wet and mud for one season and while it was fun I'm happy to wrap up the Gravity East Series.

2011-09-25T21:46:00.000-04:00

Who's ready for the new season of Dexter?

New Trails at Old Places

2011-09-24T12:44:00.004-04:00

Big Bear

Although we didn't make it to Mammoth as I had hoped, Bear serves as a satisfactory consolation. For a mere $25 you can ride the lift all day and take advantage of their modestly sized trail system. While the mountain doesn't market itself as a "bike park" and has a set of rules stating full-on DH rigs are prohibited on the lift, there are some true DH trails to be found as well as a good assortment of Super D style trails. A lengthy new piece of flowy singletrack had been added since I was last here two years ago so that served as a welcome surprise.

With natural terrain and soil very similar to Mammoth, dry and loose, Bear is essentially a mini Mammoth. $25 for lift access is a bargain considering how good some of the trails are in both quality and length. There isn't a large number or even a lot of variation in the trails but it's plenty to keep you engaged for a full day. And if you enjoy good scenery along with your riding, Bear is hard to beat.

This past weekend I also rode two new trail systems I had never been to; Hulda Crooks park in Loma Linda and Sycamore Canyon in Riverside.

Hulda Crooks was simply unexpected. I hadn't heard of the park prior and it is easily accessible being located only a few miles off the freeway. It was a great find, especially with the downhill trails that can be easily pedaled to the top of and then providing a selection of jumps and features to enjoy on the way down. Several features are quite large, specifically a step up with at least a 6-8 foot lip and and the same distance in vert to the landing. Hulda reminded me of a combination of Bootleg Canyon in NV and St. George, UT. Trails go off in many directions and are ridden in either loops or out and backs. The far end of the park is the highest elevation at 2000 feet and overlooks San Bernardino and Riverside counties with some awesome views. I'll be returning to Hulda in the future to explore the rest of the terrain.

Sycamore, located immediately next to the Jenson USA warehouse, is much more exposed to the elements of the desert. At 9 am, the heat was already bothersome. Sycamore offers a combination of flowy singletrack and doubletrack/small fire roads with a lot of small ups and downs. In some senses it could be easy to get confused because there's so many trails that cross each other. Lucky for us, an acquaintance of Nicole led us around and showed up some of the loops.

And with that, I wrapped up my So Cal riding, but only for the moment. I'm now looking forward to making my plans for winter, which is looming ever so closely now and if all goes well will hold plenty of good times in the California mountains and hills.

Smog: Good for Business

2011-09-22T15:03:00.004-04:00

According to the American Lung Association, nearly half of all Americans are subject to unhealthy levels of smog pollution every day.

But U.S. House Republicans think the Clean Air Act stifles economic progress and will vote tomorrow to roll back pollution regulations and force the EPA to consider economic impact in addition to health when configuring acceptable levels of pollution.

A new report issued by Environment America, Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011 ranks ten metropolitan areas – Houston, TX, the Washington, DC area, Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA- NJ, Riverside-San Bernardino, CA, Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA, Fresno, CA, , and Atlanta, GA – as the worst in the nation for smog pollution based on the number of unhealthy air days experienced.

But because the national health standard for smog pollution set in 2008 was set at a level that scientists argue is too low to be protective of public health, many people across the country have been exposed to days of poor air quality each summer without even knowing it.

The Obama administration had planned to update the 2008 standard but recently decided to postpone it until 2013.

Republicans are now attempting to enact a bill that would eliminate two air pollution rules for power plants that are scheduled to go into effect next year after years of delays. The Interstate pollution rule that would limit pollution that crosses state lines is estimated by the EPA to save up to 34,000 lives per year. The mercury and air toxics rule which would regulate mercury from power plants for the first time is expected to save 17,000 lives per year.

Furthermore, an amendment to The TRAIN Act - for Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation would require the EPA to consider feasibility and cost when determining the amount of acceptable pollution, disregarding a unanimous 2001 Supreme Court decision that the Clean Air Act has no room for the EPA to take costs into account when setting air standards.

Evidently, Republicans have a keen sense of smell for cash and believe the aroma of a fresh pile of bills will always outweigh the stink of toxic air. The Republican-polluted House is expected to pass the bill, but the Democratic majority in the Senate will hopefully be enough to kill the cancer.

Fun fact of the day

2011-09-20T13:18:00.000-04:00

China has 800 high speed trains. America has 20.

Santa Barbara/Ojai

2011-09-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

My good friend Natalie just arrived back to the States after traveling around the globe for a year. She calls Santa Barbara home, and with SB being one of my favorite places in the country it was an easy decision to head north for a visit.

This was also the prime time for my first experience on California mass transit by rail. By taking Metrolink to LA's Union Station, i hopped aboard an Amtrak to SB. Not including the layover, total train time is about 3.5 to 4 hours, which isn't too bad as it would take about 3 to travel by car and that's not counting any traffic problems that would surely occur. Also the ticket prices are affordable and overall it beats driving, especially when you don't have access to a car.

Rail in America still has a long way to go to truly be competitive though and our infrastructure here is very outdated. My return train from SB even broke down and we sat idle for an hour. I made my connection in LA just in time so it was no big ordeal for me but I'm sure many others weren't so lucky. The passengers that were continuing on the train all the way to San Diego had to endure another delay while a change of locomotives was made at Union Station.

Upon arrival in SB and meeting up with Natalie, we headed into the hills above the city to the town of Ojai to meet up with another friend from our Penn State days, Katie, who just moved to the area with her boyfriend.

The ride to Ojai is beautiful, and I'm always surprised at how easily you can leave behind the city, its freeways and traffic and end up somewhere completely different and much more rural. Ojai is a very liberal community with many hippies and nature lovers calling it home.

After a dip in a natural hot springs. we practically stumbled across Matilija Dam, which has garnered widespread media attention in recent years for increased movements to remove it. In its current state, the dam built in 1948 serves little purpose and has caused environmental impacts including destruction of fish populations. Reportedly about a day before we visited the dam, a group of graffiti artists sketched the scissors and dashed lines onto the dam to represent its removal.

After a scenic drive through the mountains and some long overdue longboarding, we headed back to SB for the night.

Escaping the soggy east

2011-09-12T16:14:00.000-04:00

I'm out in Southern California now, mixing in some mountain biking while visiting friends and of course hitting up my favorite eateries. For this trip I lucked into some good timing all around, with wet weather continuing "back east" (as the west coasters call it) and So Cal just coming off of a heat wave where temps were well into the 100s. Low 60s at night and 70s and 80s in the day make for some comfortable days.

It's been too long since I've been able to mountain bike in So Cal not counting Mammoth last fall. Saturday Nicole and I took to Fullerton Loop, one of my favorite old OC stomping ground rides. Easy, but flowy and fun with lots of options if you know where to look.

Sunday we headed to Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park. I used to ride here when I worked at the bike shop in Costa Mesa. I know my way around the park enough to get around but I couldn't recall how to actually get to the park itself. There's so many freeways running every direction in So Cal and so many places look the same that its easy to get confused. With the help of Nicole's handy Planet of So Cal atlas book we figured it out and some of the landmarks started coming back to me. Once we got to the parking area I felt right at home again. It felt great to ride Aliso again and I almost forgot how fun it is.

Rock It trail at Aliso

One of the first things I always notice about riding in So Cal is the amount of nice bikes I see under riders. Not only are they quality rides, but they're real mountain bikes; full squish and often at least 6 inches of travel. It's always a relief to share trails with other big bike riders wearing armor and not be overtaken with 29er rigids and spandex like Central PA. We got our share of wildlife at Aliso too. I saw my first wild tarantula crossing the singletrack in front of me. We stopped to take a few photos and observe for a few minutes. Back on the bikes, it wasn't five minutes later that we were startled by a bobcat launching across the trail from left to right just feet in front of us. I guess it's called Aliso Wood Canyons Wilderness park for a reason. As many times as I had ridden there in the past I don't recall seeing much wildlife though so this was definitely a special day. Topped off with perfect weather and a full moon rising, it was great to be back on the So Cal trails.

I didn't bring my camera with me as I was already bogged down with a 66 lb. gear bag so we'll have to settle for Ipod Touch photos and video. Thanks again to Southwest for ignoring my overweight bag and letting me pass. Just one of many reasons it pays to fly Southwest.

Nicole on Rock it

Tomorrow I'm taking a train to my favorite city Santa Barbara to visit my friend Natalie who just came off a year-long world trip.

Danny Hart's 2011 World Champs run

2011-09-05T01:03:00.000-04:00

Hart's World Champs winning run is either sick or sickening but probably both. Watch for yourself and decide. Without a doubt, Hart's run will go down as one of the best race runs in DH UCI history. I can't stop replaying.

Mountain Bikers for Windham

2011-09-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

I was hoping a donation fund would get set up for the town of Windham, NY for disaster relief and it has. Mountain Bikers for Windham has set up a PayPal donation account in coordination with the Windham Area Recreation Foundation and the people who brought us the World Cup.

Windham, NY flooded

2011-08-30T23:13:00.002-04:00

After being there in July for the World Cup, it's hard to comprehend the major flooding that the small town of Windham, NY experienced a few days ago due to Hurricane Irene.

It makes me feel slightly like an asshole to review my "Thanks Hurricane Irene" post even though it was meant in jest.

Irene was in no form "over-hyped" as some have stated.

Thank you Hurricane Irene!

2011-08-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

While Hurricane Irene's menace is causing widespread evacuations on the east coast and threatening unprecedented hurricane damage to the northeast shores she has brought me some good news.

Irene caused a postponement of Round 7 of the Gravity East Series at Highland Mountain Bike Park. A postponement might not seem like great news but in this case it was for me. I was unable to attend this race due to a wedding and when I discovered both events were on the same weekend I was quite disappointed. I've been wanting to get to Highland for a while now as everyone says "You gotta get to Highland." I've heard it before and I've heard it numerous times from fellow racers this season. So that only made it hurt worse that I'd be missing it. So it came as a surprise yesterday when I logged onto facebook and found the race postponed until October due to the incoming Irene. I was ecstatic.

Now, I could go to Highland at a time when there was no race, but having GES there makes the whole experience that much better and you actually get more for your money by racing.

Furthermore, the rescheduled Highland race will not count for series points as the series finale will be held at the beginning of October at Blue Mountain in PA. But by deducting a race from the series schedule, the minimum amount of races required has been dropped from 5 to 4 which will also benefit me. I'll be missing the other PA round at Launch Bike Park as I will be in CA at that time. Again, lucky me.

Hurricanes: Giving you more for your $$$.

Rick Scary

2011-08-16T15:44:00.003-04:00

Texas scares me. No, it's not the size of the state, the cowboy hats or the slabs of beef and pork; it's the people, specifically their political and religious views which are apparently one in the same for many, culminating with Governor Rick Perry.

Gov. Perry announced his bid for the Republican Presidential nomination. Before announcing his bid, I believed Perry would likely make a run but not be able to compete long term with the popular names of other contenders such as Mitt Romney, Michele Bachman and Ron Paul in a contest where there are very few discerning arguments amongst the contestants.

But once Gov. Perry announced his run and the media began to focus on him, I realized my initial thoughts were premature and I had failed to consider several factors.

While the Texas governor may seem to be an unknown name from a far away place for many Americans, he has a few things going for him that will attract conservatives. First of all, Perry is no stranger to mixing Christianity with politics. He's hosted several prayer events for Texans to ask for God's help in ending the drought, stimulating the economy and pull the country out of debt. Perry prayed for the President to instruct the EPA to relieve pressure on industrial pollution control because he claims valuable jobs are being lost with such tight regulation.

Secondly, more jobs have been created in Texas than any other state the past few years. In a time where jobs are a priority for American voters, many conservatives will attach this fact directly to Perry and believe he will work his magic in lifting middle class Americans into the under-taxed brackets of the upper class. They will fail to overlook the fact that Perry had little to do with creating these jobs as they were primarily oil industry and defense related. But if religion has taught you anything and you're willing to buy into Perry's prayers, I'm sure you're willing to overlook those small details.

And while Mitt Romney was once considered the frontrunner for the nomination, I think he is too moderate for the Republican base who is now willing to do just about anything to oust the black, socialist, money-wasting, job-killing President Obama and take back their country. Romney, not a Christian but a follower of Mormonism who once championed a health care plan somewhat similar to "Obamacare," simply isn't cut out to do that job. And that's where Republican voters, especially those who associate with the Tea Party, will distinguish a leader between the assortment of candidates that isn't assorted at all on any issue. One recent example occurred in the Iowa GOP debate. When candidates were asked if they would refuse a plan that cut spending ten fold over a revenue increase, every one raised their hand. "That's just not common sense," remarked Obama while making an appearance in Minnesota on Tuesday.

The brash-talking Perry is openly willing to let the hand of God direct America in the areas that he claims the President has failed. And that may just be all it takes for a fancy pants, gun-toting, cowboy-booted Governor from Texas- who once claimed secession could be worth looking into- to receive the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Who said anything about using common sense?

Gravity East at Seven Springs

2011-07-25T22:46:00.005-04:00

Seven Springs Bike Park in Champion, PA hosted stop number 4 of the Gravity East Series under threatening skies (the only way Gravity East would have it) that turned out to correlate into perfect weather and conditions for a lot of great racing.

The Cake for Breakfast team nailed down its first podium of the year with dad taking 4th in the old guy's class. Congrats! Check out the recap in the video above.

Photos courtesy of Jon Pratt:

Practice:

Race run:

Watching: The Last Mountain

2011-07-25T22:15:00.001-04:00

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I was exposed to the coal industry at a young age. It probably sounds strange, but I can recall some of my earliest memories being related to coal mining as I found myself in awe of the heavy equipment and the work these machines were capable of in surface strip mines around the local area. I owned plenty of Tonka trucks as a kid, and did my own "mining" in the backyard of my grandparents home. At that young age, I understood the reasons for the towering draglines and enormous front end loaders digging seemingly endless trenches into the earth but not entirely the consequences of those actions.

Not only were operating strip mines common around central Pennsylvania, but abandoned mines with open cuts and high walls were even more prevalent. Years ago, when the land had been utilized to its potential for energy sources, the crews would pack up and move elsewhere leaving the land to waste. Over time, this land became popular for dumping garbage and isolated spots for underage teen drinking parties. And so more garbage was dumped, and even worse, several kids were killed in accidents. The land was ugly and a death trap, to say the least.

As I grew a little older, those former "strippings" as we called them became play areas to ride my motorcycles and quads. I appreciated the state in which these companies left the land as I was able to take advantage of fun places to ride near my home. My passion for motocross developed on these exact lands.

But now as an adult, I recognize the harm to our environment that coal mining has wreaked upon us. The burning of coal as an energy source may even be worse to our environment and our health.

A new documentary film by Bill Haney titled The Last Mountain takes a close look at a specific type of mining called mountain top removal, prevalent in the Appalachian mountains, specifically in this case the Coal River Valley of West Virginia.

I strongly suggest this film especially if you have interest in clean energy, protecting our environment, or grassroots movements to stand up against corporate agendas and takeover of your rights and property.

Rather than recap the film, I want to stress a few main points that I took from it.

1. The communities nearest to these mountains experiencing the mountain top removal are economically poor. It is evident that the profit incurred by the mining companies maintains mostly at the highest levels of the corporate hierarchy and does not filter down to the employees and the local economy. Furthermore, the industry itself has cut a large amount of jobs in order to increase profits. Unions have been stifled resulting in longer work hours, higher demands made of employees and unsafe conditions.

2. According to the film, the wind industry in the United States already employees as many people as the coal industry. We have only just begun to harness the capabilities of wind power, so imagine the potential for energy and the economy when we take it more seriously.

3. The mentality of people associated with the coal industry (from company CEOs to lobbyists and many of the laborers) is self-centered and oftentimes uneducated. The attitude is that coal is Americana, and to regulate it, change anything about the process of mining it, or use anything but coal as an energy source would not be American. It's all about the money and holding the job. But again as in point number one, who is holding the money at the end of the day?

4. I couldn't help but compare so many of the items discussed in the film to the current onslaught of the Marcellus shale drilling that the area is now experiencing. Out of state (and country) companies are moving into the area, setting up shop and constructing drilling pads dozens at a time. I feel that as a whole we do not learn well from our past mistakes, and I fear the drilling has the potential to cause many of the same problems that coal mining has- watershed and well pollution, destruction of natural beauty, intense truck traffic, friction between drilling companies and communities, etc. With government regulation lagging in many areas, it is hard to have a positive feeling about it.

The film is a powerful voice for the common citizen to not settle with the agendas of major corporations and pursue better living conditions and protect the environment. It instills within the viewer a sense of urgency to become informed and take action. I left the film fired up, and understand why activists from areas far away from the Coal River Valley come to protest and assist the locals in saving the land for the people who deserve it.

Windham World Cup Recap

2011-07-17T20:49:00.005-04:00

Smith, Peat, Gwin, Neethling, Macdonald

I'm still playing catch up in my mind, going through the history-making events that took place at this year's Windham World Cup of MTB. I haven't yet comprehended the facts; not only is the sole U.S. stop of the 2011 World Cup series already now behind us, an American rider (Aaron Gwin) was victorious for the first time on U.S. soil since 1999 (Shaun Palmer at Big Bear).

I think it's safe to say professional downhill mountain biking, that experienced its pinnacle in popularity right around that same time Palmer wore the crown, has made a big return not just in visiting America again but in popularity and prestige.

Gwin seems to have the rest of the championship contenders in the field not only physically beat right now, but perhaps even more dangerous- mentally beat. While the usual names of Atherton and Minaar were nowhere to be found on the podium, 37-year old World Cup veteran Steve Peat finished second, redeeming himself from last year's late race crash. With over 50 career podiums, Peaty is a living legend. It topped off the weekend to see him put in such an amazing result. Had Gwin not been America's Golden Boy, we would have had a 37 year old Brit on the top step of the podium.

Fabien Barel

Cedric Gracia always makes a good photo

Even though I'm just an amateur riding on a separate track from the pros, competing at the same venue in front of the same crowds who witnessed Gwin's dominance over the elite competition of riders like Peaty, Atherton, Minaar, Stevie Smith, etc. (and I can't forget the awesome women's class won by Rachel Atherton) is a good feeling.

It wouldn't be a World Cup without dark clouds and fog

Cake for Breakfast competed in the Gravity East/ Citizens DH race on Saturday

I still didn't find the result I was looking for, but I did have a blast riding the track all weekend. Thursday and Friday practices were slick and muddy from hard rains earlier in the week, but the sun was out early Saturday and dried up the course quickly making it super fast. It wasn't the type of course I'm used to and I simply didn't get enough practice time to get it all dialed in. I was happy with my race run, at least for the first half to three quarters of the track.

A big thank you goes out to Roy for manfriending the weekend for Cake for Breakfast, Haley for providing cupcakes, Anne from the Moto Tees days and her sister for stopping by and cheering me on (even if they have no idea who Ryan Dungey is) and lastly the driver of the Subaru who roosted me on the highway and indirectly debited $200 from my checking account for a new windshield.

Hopefully World Cup will return next year to Windham. It was disappointing that 4X wasn't held at this year's event so it would be nice to see some type of alternate event worked in (cough*dual slalom*cough) if the UCI and Windham do indeed reach an agreement. I think most everyone enjoys the race courses and the Block Party Friday night has a good vibe as well as brings in steady business to the local shops and restaurants.

This weekend, Gravity East Series continues to stop 4 at Seven Springs Bike Park in Somerset, PA. Cake for Breakfast will be looking for a breakthrough ride at the home bike park.

GWINDHAM!!!

2011-07-11T21:21:00.001-04:00

America is back on top of the downhill mountain bike racing world for the first time since the late 90s. World Cup report coming soon. I have much cleaning and unpacking to do yet.

World Cup Bound!

2011-07-05T20:38:00.003-04:00

My iPod Touch is fresh with new tunes and preparations are well underway for my journey to the World Cup of Mountain Biking Round 5 at Windham Resort in Windham, NY, also host of stop number three of the Gravity East Series.

Cake for Breakfast will race the Gravity East Series on Saturday and then stick around Sunday to watch Aaron Gwin try to give America a win on her own turf.

Ray and I are heading there early Thursday morning as my GES practice begins. So far the weather is looking fantastic but I know how many times I've said the same thing with far lesser results. I'm pretty excited, as the World Cup is a huge event for mountain biking and Windham is the only US stop on the tour.

In mandatory Cake for Breakfast fashion, my good friend Haley has baked up some delicious cupcakes that I will take delivery of tomorrow. They'll surely provide the energy and nutrition I'll need to lay down a good time on Saturday.

Could Wind Farms Cause the Earth to Spin Out of Control?

2011-06-28T15:20:00.004-04:00

In The Know: Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit

2011-06-23T19:48:00.001-04:00

Scoped out some scenes this week for an upcoming shoot of the Claymore

CAKEd in Mud

2011-06-20T18:11:00.014-04:00

Sprint to the finish. Photo by Darryl Reed

Cake for Breakfast Racing made its 2011 racing debut at Wisp Resort on Father's Day Weekend for Round Two of the Gravity East Series. While early weather reports called for just a slight chance of rain, the closer the racing came, the wetter the forecasts turned.

We arrived to the Deep Creek, Maryland area Friday afternoon to dry conditions and a fairly promising outlook for the weekend. So much so that I went to bed Friday night very excited to catch the first lift in the morning, imagining the flowy jumps and fast track that awaited. Those dreams came to a halt around 1:00 am when I awoke to heavy rain battering against my hotel window. My excitement to ride quickly turned to disappointment seeing as I'm not particularly a fan of racing in the mud. I don't even like to trail ride when it's wet! But hey, IMBA frowns upon that anyway...

Morning came and I was hesitant to gear up. "Should have ridden yesterday" was what kept cycling through my mind. Once we got on the mountain, the track was a bit sticky and some of the rock gardens were slick but overall it wasn't that bad. Not until more riders took to practice and began beating in lines that certain spots became greasy and the rock gardens harder to navigate.

Long lift lines and a notoriously slow lift resulted in only a handful of runs on the day but I was starting to settle in by the time the 5:00 cutoff came. And dinner at Mountain State Brewing, the best restaurant in McHenry offering up tasty wood-fired flatbreads, was a great end to the day and once again I was amped for the showdown on Sunday.

Unfortunately as luck would have it, conditions only went downhill (no pun intended) from there on out. Overnight Saturday, a bigger weather system rolled into the Deep Creek area and unleashed heavy rains that eventually took a toll not only on the mountain, but on the main road that winds from the base of the resort to the top. Drainage ditches overflowed and crumbled away and dirt and rock piled up on the pavement resulting in local highway department heavy equipment operators to put in some overtime to move the washed out sediment and regrade the drainage.

So my spirits were even worse when I awoke Sunday morning, looked out the window and saw the sand traps on the golf course overflowing with muddy water and rain still coming down from the grey sky above. I simply had no desire to ride a bike.

Over at the mountain, riders slowly shuffled and tramped their way to the pits and began boarding the lift and shuttle trucks, many dressed in rain gear. The track was in rough shape in several places, especially the main rock garden and the jumps at the top of the course where it was now necessary to ford a small pond before nailing the slick and rutted lips.

As expected, the course kept changing throughout the morning as riders sloshed through the mud. I had yet to ride the Claymore in any wet condition, let alone any mountain bike in a situation that resembled a muddy motocross track in certain sections so I wasn't feeling confident. I rode too conservatively in my race run, coming in at a dismal eighteenth place.

In all, I didn't fare as well I had hoped but it was a good experience. I'll chalk up this result as a throw-away and keep aiming for more points as the series progresses. Cake for Breakfast will now move on to Round 3 of Gravity East at UCI World Cup weekend in Windham, NY July 7-10 for what surely will be an awesome weekend.

Cake for Breakfast is supported by Universal Bicycle and Outdoor of Clarion, PA, Urge Bike Products, Royal Racing and Magura.

More photos coming soon.

I make an appearance at about the 0:35 mark in this video (third rider, green gloves)

Respect Bike Lanes (that goes for Police too)

2011-06-10T12:48:00.003-04:00

The beginning of this hilarious but credible video reminds me of getting "pulled over" by city police in Costa Mesa, CA for riding my bike on a sidewalk to work after my truck had been towed. Fortunately I played the "oh, I'm out of town and just visiting" card and it worked. This "law breaker" gets no sympathy from the cop and decides to fight the city in a creative way.

Presenting...Cake for Breakfast MTB Racing 2011

2011-06-08T00:01:00.006-04:00

Cannondale's new 180mm Claymore, choice weapon of Cake for Breakfast

Rick Reed announces the formation of Cake for Breakfast MTB Racing for the 2011 season. Piloting the all new Cannondale Claymore, Cake for Breakfast will be contending for podiums on the Gravity East Series and select other events.

Preparations began over winter and with the arrival of the brand new steed, the final pieces have now come together. Cake for Breakfast will debut at Gravity East Round #2 at Wisp Resort in McHenry, Md on June 18th.

Cake for Breakfast is supported by University Bicycle and Outdoor of Clarion, PA, Royal Racing, Urge Bike Products, Magura, SixSixOne and fueled by cake.

Sarah Palin thinks Paul Revere warned the British

2011-06-03T22:37:00.003-04:00

Sarah Palin might be the most overplayed figure in the media, but it's no wonder when she makes clueless statements like this one on a regular basis.

U.S. Open at Diablo

2011-06-01T18:16:00.003-04:00

Gee Atheron

Bike park season has finally arrived and with that, there's no better place to start it off than at Diablo Freeride Park's U.S. Open of Mountain Biking.

Even though plenty of World Cup talent was in attendance, Americans swept the top step of the podium for the first time in the event's history as Jill Kintner won Pro Women and Aaron Gwin claimed victory for the Pro Men.

Jill Kintner on her way to victory

Ray, Levi and I rode the park Saturday and Sunday and were surprised how short the lift lines were. In turn, the trails were not crowded at all and Saturday afternoon it was like we had the place to ourselves. Most people either came to race or spectate.

Spectating is always a party at the US Open especially at the infamously technical and unforgiving "Rock Garden" near the upper part of the course. Here you can witness pros slam through boulders at ridiculous speed while rocking out to the Red Bull DJs and join in on the cheers.

Aaron Gwin was too fast for my shutter button

Check out more photos here.

End of May already!?

2011-05-30T22:18:00.003-04:00

Lots of catching up to do, but that's a good thing. Photos and content will be forthcoming from Dirt Rag Dirt Fest and the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking at Diablo Freeride Park.

Also, some big new additions to my 2011 race season coming this week!

Happy Fourth of July! Err, Memorial Day. It's 95 degrees and very Julyish.

MTB Season is Ramping Up

2011-05-13T15:37:00.007-04:00

After weeks of rain, we finally got a stretch of four super nice, warm, sunny and dry days. This allowed me to begin my "MTB Training Camp" accompanied by various other fellow riders including Ray, my dad, and some new faces. I was able to take advantage of the dry spell and ride six consecutive days.

A lot of trails have taken a beating with the heavy rains so I've been performing some maintenance when I can. The break really helped in drying, but water still continues to lay or run on less maintained trails causing some pretty big problems.

Unfortunately, as quickly as the dry weather rolled in, the wet has returned and the forecast isn't looking good for the next five days. Dirt Rag Dirt Fest is coming to the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown next weekend and it sure would be a bummer if the rain doesn't subside.

But bike parks are now beginning to open up on the east coast, and I'm getting pumped to start riding lift-assisted trails and doing some races. Diablo will once again host the US Open of Mountain Biking over Memorial Day weekend. With a gap in World Cup action, plenty of WC riders are slated to attend.

Gravity East Series is also about to get underway, and I'll be getting in on the action starting at Round 2 at Wisp in McHenry, MD. Round 3, a late addition into the schedule, could be the most exciting as it will go down at the site of the World Cup at Windham in Windham, NY.

Stay tuned as I unveil some exciting additions to my 2011 racing plans very soon.

Waiting for Spring

2011-04-26T19:14:00.005-04:00

The month of April has been quite miserable in Pennsylvania, even more so than usual. Rainfall, well over the average amount, seems never-ending. I think I've managed to get out only three times on the mountain bike this month. This predicament has led to an increased amount of trips to Cleveland to Ray's. Thanks again for another spectacular season, Ray.

So the continuing weather pattern right now basically is you never know what you're going to get each day, but it will very likely involve rain. Today it seems we've skipped spring altogether and gone directly to very warm afternoons with severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail.

One month ago we were hanging onto the edge of winter. Treetops sported a beautiful ice covering for several clear sky days, like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Come to think of it, I think that was the last time we had clear skies for more than one day.
And in the evening it looked a little like this
After the ice melted away from the trees, I thought Spring had arrived and all would be well. But it is a possibility that Spring decided PA isn't really worth the visit this year. Is it the slow economy, the high fuel prices, or the greenhouse gases?

Spring, it's the Northeast. And we miss you. Why don't you come and stay for a while?

And that damned groundhog claimed he didn't see his shadow...

Gwin Claims World Cup Victory for USA!

2011-04-24T21:42:00.006-04:00

Photo by Fraser Britton/Pinkbike.com

For the first time since 1999, an American has stood atop the podium at a World Cup Downhill race. Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing) claimed his first World Cup victory earlier today in South Africa. A huge step for American cycling, it's been over ten years since action sports superstar Shaun Palmer was victorious on the World Cup circuit.

Until Gwin, a former motocross racer, no other mountain biker from the states has been in the running for a World Cup Championship since Palmer.

World Cup events disappeared from the United States entirely after 2005 until last year when Windham Mountain in New York successfully brought the series back. Windham will host again this year, fittingly right after the Independence Day holiday.

Congratulations to Aaron for bringing downhill back to America. We'll see you in July!

Ashley Fiolek Red Bull commercial

2011-04-19T14:43:00.006-04:00

I caught this spot on daytime TV yesterday. Sure, it's Red Bull so it's no big deal for them necessarily but seeing a moto-related commercial- especially one that is superbly filmed and edited- during mainstream daytime programming is a big step for the sport. Ashley has been an awesome representative for motocross, not to mention female athletes or athletes with disabilities.

But mostly, the second time I watched the commercial I found myself focused on how epic that track is! The track is Zaca Station located in Central CA. I MUST ride there someday.

How Will a Government Shutdown Effect You?

2011-04-07T22:43:00.005-04:00

It's unlikely that a federal government shutdown would cause the dead to rise from the grave and take over a major city, but it's sure fun to think about. The bickering between the Dems and Repubs reminds me of the pivotal scene from Ghostbusters where all hell breaks loose, literally.

So which one is John Boehner?

Listen.Watch.

2011-03-31T09:19:00.007-04:00

Listening:

Rise Against- Endgame

Now a mainstream act, Rise Against's latest release debuted on the Billboard charts at number two for those keeping score. Apparently people are still buying cds. Does Billboard consider iTunes purchases? I would think they'd have to these days, but I'm not counting.

And while I might even agree to a certain extent with those that claim the band's increased popularity and radio play has probably influenced some change in style, Rise Against returns to their roots in a big way on this effort. Frontman Tim McIlrath's lyrics have struck a similar political tone to earlier releases, focusing on topics such as corporate greed, wars waged for interest, corrupt governments and bringing attention to the poor.

Though McIlrath is straining his voice less these days by singing more melodically, his lyrics speak as strongly as ever. Rise Against deserves the success and attention they are garnishing and so do the important issues that influence the band's music. I dont think Rise Against's game is about to end anytime soon.

Also new to the iPod:

In This Moment- Beautiful Tragedy

The Sounds- Something to Die For

Hey Rosetta!- Seeds

Watching:

Waiting for Superman

I didn't pay much attention to the hype when this film first hit theaters, but I was very impressed when I did sit down to give it a chance. Concerned about education cuts due to budget balancing? That's only one of many reasons you need to watch this film.

McCain Mocks Obama's Views on Nuclear Power

2011-03-24T21:11:00.003-04:00

Don't you love it when politicians words come back to haunt them? I do, especially when they are as ignorant and shallow as these.

Catholics Come Home

2011-03-19T22:43:00.003-04:00

Credit: Real Time With Bill Maher

Waste Energy Plant Design Features Ski Slope Roof

2011-03-15T15:47:00.003-04:00

This is the ultimate efficiency idea.

Another snow season is history

2011-03-13T20:30:00.005-04:00

Rain is falling steadily this afternoon in the Bay area as I awake from an In-N-Out coma. I should be on my way back from Tahoe as I write this, but our plans went awry as the weather refused to cooperate. And so goes my 2010/11 season...

We awoke to daylight savings, thick clouds, and mountain snow reports of impending precip and high winds. Heavenly was the ideal plan, but some lifts were already on wind hold, and the forecast was for those winds to only increase along with a mix of snow and rain. Furthermore, the drive to Heavenly would put us over an hour out of the way, so we decided to ride Northstar again since it's nearby and the forecast and conditions there appeared to be better.

There's still plenty of snow at Tahoe

Just minutes into the commute we hit rain, then snow, then rain again. The mountain was engulfed with clouds and the temperature only continued to rise the closer we came to Northstar. We had to make a call and decided the conditions wouldn't justify me buying a lift ticket.

Disappointed, we hit the 80 and headed west back to the Bay. Across Donner Pass, one of the highest points on I-80, a steady rain and snow made visibility a chore, coupled with a high amount of traffic escaping the Tahoe weekend. But it was probably better to have done the drive then rather than later as the snow was supposed to accumulate in the evening.

So while my snow season has come to a close a day early, I'm really excited to break the bikes out. I'll be on my way back to the east on Tuesday.

Tahoe

2011-03-12T20:23:00.017-05:00

My tourist pose at Northstar

I've been looking forward to riding at Tahoe since I arrived in CA last week. We finally made it up to higher ground yesterday morning, just as the effects of the tsunami were knocking waves onto the CA shores. We came into South Lake from the Bay area, and rode Sierra, Tahoe's most southern mountain. Sierra is also one of Tahoe's smaller mountains, but definitely not one you want to pass up.

However, I did get a negative vibe from some of the other skiers and riders. I don't know if it's always like that, but I know I encountered enough unfriendly and annoying people for one day.

At one point in the afternoon as I was about to get on the lift, a rider in line next to me who I guessed to be 16 years of age said that if we were taking the same chair, I should push off first at the top because he was drunk and would surely be falling. He then asked me if I "burned" (weed) and appeared to be taken aback by my answer of no.

Today we headed north of the lake to Northstar. Conveniently located just off I-80, Northstar is a popular destination especially on weekends. While the plethora of parking lots were overflowing with cars, the mountain wasn't terribly over-crowded. In Tahoe, it seems many skiers come to just hang out slopeside and have a few drinks rather than spend the entire day on the snow. That's fine with me. The less people in line the better. Despite no fresh snow, we did find a few stashes of the good stuff and as Northstar's slogan states "it's a good day at Northstar!"

2011-03-07T15:12:00.004-05:00

Checking in briefly from Big Bear Lake. This morning we made attempts at riding one final day at Bear, but the weather didn't treat us nicely. Visibility was about as poor as I've ever ridden in, with wind and drizzle making me wish snow goggle roll-offs existed and I had them today. Two runs were more than enough and we called it a day (and also a season in my case for Bear).

Sitting here near the town and lake underneath sunshine and patchy clouds, you wouldn't really know the conditions were bad until you look to the mountain, and find it completely hidden by a thick white and grey shroud.

So now it's back to NorCal, and Tahoe in a few days.

Chris Akrigg

2011-03-03T14:50:00.003-05:00

I can't begin to comprehend some of the moves Akrigg pulls off in his latest trials/freeride video. Most impressive is his constant smoothness, making it all look so easy. Prepare to be amazed.

Driving a Suburban does not make you frugal

2011-03-01T20:34:00.006-05:00

For drivers such as Robert Wagner, 51, a high school teacher from Thornton, Colo., the higher fuel costs mean cutting back on movies and dinners out for him, his wife and their two children. "We're very, very frugal right now," he said as he trickled enough $3.09-per-gallon gasoline into his Chevrolet Suburban to get him to his next pay day.

I have no sympathy for people in these situations. You cannot claim to be "very, very frugal" while driving a Chevy Suburban. It's an oxymoron. Before denying your family dinner, Mr. Wagner, try trading in your gas guzzler on a vehicle that gets twice the mpg!

High Prices rattle drivers, businesses. Jonathan Fahey and Sandy Shore. Feb. 28, 2011. http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/28/high-gas-prices-rattle-drivers-and-businesses/

The best part of winter has yet to come...

2011-02-27T19:49:00.003-05:00

See ya, PA. I won't miss your March madness weather of back and forth warm and cold temps, ice and rain. I'm off to California for some late winter/early spring riding at Tahoe and Bear. I'll check in from the west coast. Until then, keep revolting.

2011-02-23T00:15:00.001-05:00

Tara Llanes from Aaron Larocque on Vimeo.

The Green Mountain State

2011-02-16T10:05:00.014-05:00

I have decided to spend most of the remaining weeks of winter in snowy mountains and I kicked it all off this week with a 3 day trip to Vermont.

Ray and I left early Saturday morning to hit up some of the biggest mountains on the east coast. We arrived that evening to the small city of Burlington, just a 30 minute drive from Sunday's destination of Stowe. Burlington reminded me a lot of Boulder, CO, though on a smaller scale. Both are unique mountain college towns with downtown areas focused on shopping, arts, entertainment and recreation. Downtown was packed and parking spots were hard to come by. We joined the ranks of thousands of others looking for something to eat, then took a little bit of time to explore the town before settling into our hotel for the night.

As seen in VT
Sunday morning was an early one, as we were on the road to Stowe by 7:30 in order to maximize the day. Stowe is on the same mountain range at Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's tallest peak.

I typically avoid riding on weekends, especially Sundays, but sometimes you can't afford to be that picky. The crowds were a bit heavy early on, but faded quickly throughout the afternoon.

As is with going to any mountain for the first time, we spent a couple hours in the morning scouting out the best terrain to suit our riding styles. I found a couple glades sections that were really nice and sometimes seemed almost endless. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a fresh snow the night before but the conditions were nothing to complain about by any means. Vermont snow never lets you down.

Vermont lives up to its Green Mountain State slogan by being visibly environmentally conscious. Large arrays of solar panels line the roadways. Eating utensils at hotels are compostable. And sending electronic devices to a landfill is prohibited by law (not that I brought along a VHS player to dispose of there).
It's refreshing to see a state so focused on green efforts. Others need to take note of how to do it.

We had some down time after Stowe and what could be better than to spend it touring the Ben & Jerry's factory and sampling ice cream?! I've long been a fan of the homemade brand and always thought it would be fun to see where all the crazy flavors are concocted. Walking inside was like stepping foot into the Wonka factory. You know how unique the company and its products are, but what really goes on behind those doors in order to produce the world's best ice cream?

Surprisingly, the entire ice cream process happens in just one room that is about the size of a standard gymnasium. Unfortunately, photos aren't allowed in here due to Slugworth- er, competitors always trying to learn the secret B&J processes (pronounced with a long "o" if you're Canadian). But this one room, operating 24 hours a day and five days a week, will churn out up to 300,000 pints of delicious premium ice cream in one day! And the last 8 hour shift is dedicated solely to cleaning! The company actually operates a larger facility north of the original Waterbury plant.
It was interesting to not only get a look at how their ice cream is made, but to get further inside the story of how the two Vermonters grew their business from an old gas station to a giant empire, and a socially responsible one at that! Much of the information in the main lobby area of the building is dedicated to promoting the charitable work that Ben and Jerry's has performed in the community and around the world. Taking up political and social causes may be subjects that most companies try to steer away from, but not B&Js. From using only natural ingredients (many of them Fair Trade certified) to standing up for farmers and dairy producers nationwide, Ben & Jerry's is committed to being a socially responsible company. And that's something we can all raise our spoons to.

Oh, here's a good cow joke: What do you call a cow that has just given birth? ANSWER: Decaffeinated!

Monday morning we awoke to much warmer temps, which was a bit of a surprise. We headed south to the Mad River town of Warren, home to Sugarbush, where we met up with my buddy Broc who is now living in Boston.
Photo by Leroy Skiroy
I hadn't seen Broc in quite some time so it was good to ride with him again. He served as our guide, being a Sugarbush local last season. The warmer temps had also enveloped the mountain, and we quickly realized we were overdressed. Who would expect the middle of February to be 45 degrees? Still, we found some great woods where we spent the majority of the day, away from crowds, straining our legs until we could do no more.

Before long, it was time to say goodbye to Broc and a few new friends. I'll be certain to return to this beautiful place soon. There's simply too much fun to be had in the Green (and white covered) Mountains.

If Jerry hadn't already coined that, I surely would have

President Obama Visits Penn State to promote Clean Energy Innovation

2011-02-03T23:08:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, President Obama visited University Park to discuss new initiatives to promote clean energy research. In front of a crowd of 1,000 students plus faculty, local lawmakers and other invited guests, the President announced new funding for not only the University but businesses to conduct clean energy research and lead the way into the future of decreasing America's dependency on foreign oil and promoting increased utilization of renewable resources.

Ray was able to use his political prowess to score us a couple of last minute VIP seats. I saw Obama at the University in 2008 when he was campaigning, but it was even more exciting to see him now as President.

The President spoke for about 20 minutes, focusing on tax incentives to make commercial buildings more energy efficient, creating green jobs, and the innovation investment required to make the United States more competitive globally.

And of course Obama didn't fail to mention football coach (also present) Joe Paterno, commenting on his hundreds of victories and a legacy of winning. Before the speech, Paterno's unannounced entrance into to Rec Hall via the security line quickly provoked a roar from the students in attendance.

Mammoth Bike Park Edit

2011-01-11T20:56:00.005-05:00

I finally got around to putting together a quick and low quality edit from the Mammoth Bike Park this fall featuring trails such as Twilight Zone and Flow. Nothing special here, just some mediocre riding and footage.

Global Warming Extends 2010 MTB Season

2011-01-04T15:58:00.006-05:00

Winter seems to arrive later and later each year on the east coast and a headline such as this provides with me at least some comfort as to why I am going crazy idle with no snow to play in.

Mountain biking isn't typically an activity I'm preparing to do on New Years Eve. By the time December rolls around, my mentality is focused on snowboarding. But this December in the east didn't bring us any measurable snowfall, and the closer the end of the year approached, the warmer the temperatures became.

The final day of 2010 brought 50 degree temps providing Spring-like conditions on the trails of the Rothrock forest. Only small traces of snow were to be found, and the same for mud and wet spots. From the crest of the Ridge trail (or Tussey Mountain trail officially) the white glazed top and backside of the ski slope became visible, and presided over our pedal strokes as we traversed the mountain.

Ray and I took our buddy John on his first real MTB ride, breaking in his brand new baby blue Jamis XAM. There's no better time than Dec. 31st to start something new. It was definitely a different experience to be riding dry trails this time of year where snowboarding and mountain biking could be done in the same day (albeit less than desirable snow conditions).

Fast forward 10 days and I am happy to say that winter has now arrived in the New Year. It still can snow in Pennsylvania! The bike gear is put away again and snowboarding is back on.

I Salute You, Mr. Grayson

2011-01-04T15:54:00.001-05:00

He Entered Congress Swinging, and Exits That Way
By MICHAEL BARBARO for The New York Times
Published: January 2, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. — He has zero faith in the incoming speaker of the House, John A. Boehner, whom he calls a “tool of special interest.”

He derides the Tea Party’s successes as “bought and paid for by the enormously rich and the selfish.”

And he can barely contain distaste for his Republican successor, whose views he sums up as “bizarre fundamentalist.”

Representative Alan Grayson, a Democrat from Florida’s Eighth Congressional District, is leaving office on Wednesday much as he entered it two years ago — as the pugnaciously partisan, verbal-bomb-tossing, liberal folk hero of the 111th Congress.

But in a wide-ranging interview as his term drew to a close, he repeatedly aimed his artillery in an unexpected direction: toward his own party.

Not for overreaching, in this age of hand-wringing over big government and creeping “socialism,” or for ideological purism. Instead, while surveying the wreckage of the November elections that cost him his seat and looking to the Congressional term ahead, Mr. Grayson posits that many Democrats have not been acting Democratic enough.

Judging by the results of the midterm elections, it does not exactly seem to be a widespread sentiment.

But at a moment when centrism seems to be the party’s antidote to a redrawn political landscape, Mr. Grayson is setting forth a radically different playbook of sharp elbows and unapologetic liberalism.

During the long conversation, Mr. Grayson, a 52-year-old father of five, faulted Democrats for failing to deliver for some of their most potent constituencies, among them labor unions and antiwar voters.

“What did the environmentalists see over the last two years?” he asked. “A proposed monumental increase in subsidies for nuclear power industry and offshore drilling.”

As for gay voters, he said: “What they got to see was a judge order that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ no longer be enforced and a Democratic president appeal that decision. That is what that constituency saw before Nov. 2.” (The law was repealed in the final hours of the 111th Congress.)

By Election Day, Democratic voters in many districts felt that they had no real choice, Mr. Grayson said.

“If you want people to support you, then you have to support them,” he said. “You have to think long about what you did for people who voted for you, made phone calls for you, who went door to door for you.”

Mr. Grayson, of course, finds much to like within the Democratic Party. He offered a glowing assessment of the departing speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi of California, giving her an A “without reservation.”

And he considers the political right to be intolerable. He called the Republicans “a hopeless sellout party that will never do anything constructive for ordinary people in this country.”

“I don’t have to speculate about it anymore,” he said. “I worked with them for two years.”

But hanging over the interview was a lingering frustration with the Democratic Party.

He is annoyed with Democratic senators for waiting until now to challenge the procedural rules that, he said, allowed a determined group of Republicans to use filibusters to stymie much of the president’s agenda.

And he bemoaned what he said was President Obama’s reversal on a campaign pledge to let the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy expire.

“I try to keep my promises,” he said, adding that Mr. Obama’s evolving views on the matter “will not help his credibility.”

The remarks carry special weight because Mr. Grayson has become a darling of many on the left.

A Bronx native with a fondness for steel-toed cowboy boots (the better to kick Republicans with, he jokes), Mr. Grayson rose to prominence as a lawyer by successfully suing wayward military contractors who profited from the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.

After losing his first bid for the House, he jolted Florida’s political establishment in 2008 by capturing a seat that had been held by Republicans for three decades.

In office, he quickly earned renown for colorful floor speeches and elaborate props. During the health care debate, he declared that the Republican plan was for Americans to “die quickly.”

To fight the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, he produced cardboard posters detailing how the richest 1 percent of Americans could spend their tax savings. “Buy 20,000 jars of their favorite mustard, Grey Poupon,” was one suggestion.

He even gave his legislation provocative names, like the “The War Is Making You Poor Act,” which sought to reduce taxes by requiring the Defense Department to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan within its relatively small annual budget. (It did not pass.)

Outside of politics, much about the congressman is also unorthodox. He bought a used white limousine to shuttle his young children around. “You can’t change a diaper in a van,” he explained at his home.

Republicans called him incendiary and over the top, or worse. When Mr. Grayson set up a Web site for himself called Congressman With Guts, a local Republican operative countered with a site called My Congressman Is Nuts.

Mr. Grayson said he had simply tried to put complex issues into accessible — and, yes, memorable — terms. “People say the same thing to me over and over again: ‘You say what I am thinking but nobody else will say,’ ” he said. He likes to boast that his YouTube channel is the most popular of any House member’s.

He would not rule out running for Congress again “if that’s what people want.”

For now, though, Mr. Grayson is committed to making up for lost family time — and maybe catching up on a bit of television. It was switched off during his bruising re-election campaign to avoid having his children glimpse advertisements that portrayed him as a bumbling clown.

“At least,” he recalled dryly, “we had Netflix.”

2010 in Review

2010-12-20T21:38:00.003-05:00

Record December at Mammoth

2010-12-20T11:17:00.003-05:00

I've been falling into a bit of winter hibernation lately. Cold weather has descended upon the east coast, with only a teasing of snow in most locations. The official start of winter is tomorrow, and hopefully measurable snow will soon arrive. In the meantime, I can only dream of riding out at Mammoth, where the mountain is on par to break their total snowfall record for the month of December with a whopping storm that pushed through this weekend dumping 8-12 feet. But powder days await me, as I should be heading west at some point next month. Until then, icy and hard pack granular will be the conditions to deal with, alongside a little Ray's Indoor MTB mixed in to stay warm.

Happy Holidays.

Listening:
Wolf Parade- Expo 86

Better Trails for All

2010-11-26T18:16:00.006-05:00

I believe last weekend marked my official end of the MTB season in PA, as colder temps are ushering in alongside deer hunting season (Pennsylvania's unofficial state outdoor activity). I don't ride outdoors when it's less than 40 degrees or when beer-chugging, gun-slinging rednecks decked out in camo and blaze orange takeover the state. Wait, actually the latter isn't limited to deer season; it occurs year-round.

But we finished off the trail riding season in good form by putting in a morning of hard work rebuilding a berm at the popular Allegrippis Trails.

The RMBA crew

Shouldering buckets of rocks for the berm

Of course the best part of trail work is reaping the benefits immediately afterward and testing the final product. We must say we did a mighty fine job on this berm. Better trails for all!

Photos by Rob Sharer

Sestak and Moore talk High Speed Rail on Maher

2010-11-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

During last Friday's 2010 season finale of Real Time With Bill Maher, guests Michael Moore and PA Rep. Joe Sestak discussed the need for high speed rail in America, dependence on foreign oil and ending the wars.

Ep. 197: November 12, 2010 - Overtime

The Parker Project

2010-11-14T11:21:00.004-05:00

Last week I put the finishing touches on my Jamis Parker build, with a 2011 Rock Shox Sektor fork replacing the stout but heavy Domain that was spec'd from the factory.

Frame: Jamis Parker
Shock: Fox Float R (100mm travel)
Fork: Rock Shox Sektor RL 115-150 U Turn
Brakes: Magura Louise BAT
Handlebars: Sunline V-One
Grips: Sunline
Drivetrain: SRAM X-9
Tires: Maxxis HighRoller/Larsen

The weight savings on the new Sektor fork was immediately noticeable, shaving at least a pound off the Domain. Additionally, Rock Shox's Motion Control provides compression adjustment and even a lockout. Travel is tunable from 115mm-150mm. The new Sektor is much more small-bump compliant than the Domain, providing a more plush and active ride. While less stout and burly than the Domian, it still seems to take the bigger hits well, though I haven't had a lot of ride time on the fork yet for a thorough testing. I'm anxious to see how it performs at Ray's Indoor Park this winter.

Pennsylvania, Meet Your New Governor! (updated)

2010-11-03T11:18:00.008-04:00

I hope you all get everything you wished for.

Ok, now that I have a had a few days to "calm down" over the results of last Tuesday's elections, let's take a look at some facts concerning Tom Corbett's financial plans for Pennsylvania.

Corbett pledged no new taxes while he is in office. This includes not expanding the state sales tax to any item that in excluded. The most major items not taxed in PA are clothing and many grocery items, including sodas and junk food. He is also opposed to taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco, where PA is one of only two states that do not tax those items.

With a multibillion-dollar state budget shortfall likely, Corbett will need to find the funds through making large cuts in state spending.

Perhaps the important piece of the financial debacle concerns the idea of a severance tax on natural gas extraction via Marcellus Shale drilling. Again, PA breaks with the norm here as the only state not taxing the extraction of natural gas. Taxes would not only bring in much needed revenue for the state, but go towards protecting environments and water supplies from the controversial drilling processes. Drilling in the state has exploded (pardon the pun) and is only going to continue to boom (I can't help myself).

But Corbett opposes a tax, stating the industry needs time to settle in and continue creating jobs before it should be taxed. It's important to note that Corbett accepted over $835,000 from the Marcellus Shale industry, more than any other state politician.

By not imposing a tax, we are essentially giving away the farm. Even with a tax, oil company profits from the gas extraction greatly outweigh the costs of paying a severance. The last thing it will do is chase any of these companies away. Even the fines charged when laws are broken- whether it be a spill, leak, or permit problems- are low enough to warrant companies paying the fine rather than taking extra efforts to be more careful to protect the environment or follow proper procedure.

This year’s state budget counts on $70 million from enacting a severance tax to be in balance. Without a tax, Corbett will face an even bigger budget shortfall when he takes office.

Pledging no new taxes for four years is not only an incredible commitment, but I believe it majorly lacks foresight. Unless the pledge is broken, it leaves little options for whatever the future might hold. Sure, maybe with a poor economy people don't want to hear that taxes are being raised.

But I also don't want a government that does not have the ability to plan for the future. Most of all, at this point in time, Corbett's plan simply doesn't add up. Corbett has not been clear as to exactly what cuts he plans to make and how they will balance the budget and benefit the state and economy. Then again, maybe once he takes office he'll fail to recollect what his campaign promises were anyway.

Diabloween 2010

2010-10-31T11:42:00.004-04:00

I rocked my fall festive dark red and yellow MSR kit

The 2010 Bike Parks of America Tour wrapped up yesterday at Diablo Freeride Park's annual Diabloween festival. I met up with my Mountaineer State friends Hilty and Karla. Despite chilly temps and winds, the trails were in top-notch shape, making for a really fun day. I think the count was over 300 riders for the first day of the 2-day Diabloween festivities. Riding Diablo was the best way to go out for the season, though the mountain is so fun I wish it wasn't over yet.

2010-10-28T18:57:00.004-04:00

Reading:
The Driver by Alexander Roy

Watching:
Family Guy on Netflix Instant Watch

Listening:
Bad Religion- The Dissent of Man

Eating:
Whole wheat pita pizzas
Halloween fun size candy

CO/UT Video Blogs

2010-10-19T21:42:00.003-04:00

Just in case you missed them, I've put all of the video blogs from the CO/UT trip in one convenient place. Right here. Take a few minutes if you haven't already. They're worth it. Or if you already have, watch them again.

Video Blog Episode I- Fruita, CO from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

High Fives With the Guys as we take to the Western Slope desert trails.

Video Blog Episode II- Grand Junction, CO from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

Shredding the lunch loop trails at GJ.

Video Blog III- Grand Junction, CO from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

More good times and free lunches at GJ.

Video Blog Episode IV- La Sal Mountains, Moab, UT from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

Moab's The Whole Enchilada

Rent is 2 Damn High!

2010-10-19T13:32:00.003-04:00

..in New York says the party of the same name's candidate for NY Governor Jimmy McMillan.

Life is a Highway

2010-10-12T14:07:00.004-04:00

Here's my final mileage and logistic tally from the past month.
8326 miles logged in 30 days, much of it solo.

Destinations marked on the map include:
Vallejo, CA
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Sacramento, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
Grand Junction, CO
Denver, CO
Fruita, CO
Moab, UT
Springdale, UT
Las Vegas, NV
Flagstaff, AZ

I'm not driving anywhere for a while.

2010-10-12T12:24:00.006-04:00

As I crossed into western PA on Sunday, I was astonished at the vibrant tones of the autumn leaves lining I-80. After spending several weeks in the desert as well as the colorful mountains of Colorado, I almost forgot how beautiful autumn can be here.

I left Flagstaff, AZ around 4pm Friday and arrived in PA at 12:30 pm Sunday, stopping on the way only to eat, refuel, and take a couple short naps at rest areas. I've slept better the past few nights than I have in a really long time, but I'm not even close to being caught up on sleep. The best thing about getting back home is sleeping in my own bed.

Oh, and you know you've been traveling a long time when you come back and forget how to use your shower head.

Hope Never Dies

2010-10-10T19:41:00.004-04:00

As much as I complain about my favorite things becoming history (i.e. bands, food, restaurants, tv shows) once in a while one hears my cries and rises from its ashes. One of my favorite bands, Boysetsfire, just announced they're playing shows again. I always knew the "Farewell Show" wasn't a real farewell. It was only a matter of time.

From their website:

We were never a normal band. We never did the right things. We never looked cool. We did everything exactly the way we wanted. Trends weren’t important. Being hip wasn’t important. There were only two things that were important and sancrosanct; the friendship between the five members of this band, and people who we touched with our music.

We were a band for over a decade. We decided that we wanted to try different things with our lives. So we stopped playing music together. It wasn’t Noel/Liam Gallagher ugly; we parted as friends and we generally see or talk to each other all the time.

I think we underestimated how much we would miss it. The communion, the intensity, the genuine outpouring of emotion- it just doesn’t exist for us without BoySetsFire.

So we are going to start playing together again.

All we know now is that BoySetsFire is playing in Berlin on December 5, 2010.

Flagstaff. The final stop.

2010-10-08T11:58:00.008-04:00

Mount Humphrey, towering over us at 12,000 feet, prepares for winter with a fresh coating of snow.

After several days of rain and strong storms, the clouds finally subsided yesterday morning giving us a windy but sunny and dry day to hit the mountain. I was slightly concerned about the trail conditions with the amount of rain that had fallen, but we quickly learned the rain worked in a positive way. The trails were perfect and tacky, with relatively no lasting signs of the rain.

We shredded one of my favorite trails ever, Wasabi. Wasabi is a double-black diamond freeride trail, but flows like no other. Drop to berm to jump to berm to rock face, winding its way further and further down. Why can't every trail system have a trail half this good? It's so good we pedal up the road several times to redo several sections.

After a lunch break, it was back to Mt. Elden for some new trails I had only heard about. Several miles of sustained climbing at 8500 feet isn't an easy task, but the reward on the other side is usually is worth it, and this was no exception. As the sun began to set and the cold air returned, we finished what we came here for.

I now dream of my next visit to this beautiful mountain town.

Ride the Divide

2010-10-07T01:14:00.004-04:00

Tonight at The Orpheum in Flagstaff I caught a screening of Ride the Divide, a documentary covering the 2008 Tour Divide which is a 2700 mile mountain bike race along the Continental Divide. The film's website describes the film as

An award-winning feature film about the world's toughest mountain bike race, which traverses over 2700 miles along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The film weaves the story of three characters' experiences with immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border.

The theater was packed with several hundred viewers on a rainy evening after a day of hail storms and tornado warnings. It was amazing to see so much support for the biking community here.

As for the film itself, it was extremely well done and seemed to make the 2700 mile torturous adventure almost worth trying. I highly recommend giving this watch, whether at a screening or on dvd. I think nearly anyone-riders and non-riders- can appreciate the trials and conquers each racer faces in the world's toughest underground bike race.

Ride The Divide Movie Trailer from Ride The Divide on Vimeo.

High Fives Video Blog- Episode IV

2010-10-06T18:22:00.007-04:00

The final installment of the High Fives With the Guys Video Blog takes us to "The Whole Enchilada" in the La Sal Mountains of Utah.

The riding was simply too epic to stop and shoot, so you'll find more scenery, commentary and hotel antics in this one.

Episode IV- La Sal Mountains, Moab, UT from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

If you missed the previous episodes, they can all be found here.

Travel Synopsis

2010-10-06T14:02:00.003-04:00

I worked up a quick visual on Google of where I've been over the past 26 days, logging over 6,000 miles.

Hail in Flagstaff

2010-10-06T12:54:00.007-04:00

I haven't been able to leave the hotel yet today with tornado warnings and hail storms. The Weather Channel reported several tornadoes landed just west of here causing substantial damage. Apparently it is quite rare to have tornadoes in this area.

Photos of the Week- From the Desert

2010-10-05T13:19:00.006-04:00

This little guy was a lone bloomer in the hot Fruita desert

My favorite pizza shop

Tony gets hip

Tony and Ray couldn't resist rallying Mariner Two through the OHV Park

Hoover Dam just after sunset

Zion National Park

No Luck in Vegas

2010-10-05T03:13:00.007-04:00

Monday started out like a usual Bike Parks of America/High Fives Tour day as of late with an early rise, hot temps and riding. But it didn't stay that way for long.

The day's agenda was to be dedicated to Bootleg Canyon, a bike park located just outside of Las Vegas right up the road from the Hoover Dam. I rode Bootleg for the first time several years ago and it has some of the best all-mountain and downhill trails I've ridden. As much as I despise the Las Vegas area, it was good to be back at Bootleg, but this time we lacked the Vegas luck.

After only two runs, a storm rolled in bringing fierce winds and lightning, quickly forcing a change of plans. The day was called and with a similar forecast for tomorrow we decided to minimize our downtime in Vegas by scrapping any further riding at Bootleg and head directly to Flagstaff, AZ.
Hoover Dam

The storm followed us-or we followed it- providing an interesting backdrop to the 3 hour evening drive, lighting the sky up with flashes and strikes in all directions. The picturesque travel turned cumbersome with sudden heavy downpours that caused some hydroplaning as well as high winds that severely cut gas mileage. The bikes and my car badly needed a washing from the desert dirt though so that helped me out.

The previous two times I was in Flagstaff the weather did not cooperate and we went directly to Bootleg. So it's kind of ironic it's the other way around this time. At least I hope so, as the rain is still sticking around today but tomorrow looks better.

Flagstaff is one of my favorite places, so even if I can't ride I don't mind just hanging out. I think that's just what I will do today.

Headed For the Hills

2010-10-05T02:28:00.010-04:00

It's a four mile bike or hike from the parking lot to the event site. This is the real deal.

My eyes are still burning and I'm still pulling dirt out of my nose after two days in the Virgin, UT desert for mountain biking's most burly contest, Red Bull Rampage.

There is absolutely no way to put the action from this premiere freeride contest into words other than insane, crazy, or ridiculous, so I'm going to leave it mostly up to my photos and the official event video.

Second place Gee Atherton

Tyler McCaul

Alex Pro

Cedric Gracia

Graham Agassiz

Chris VanDine

Andreu Lacondeguy on the massive Oakley Icon Sender

Spectators in search of the best views

Check out the official Red Bull finals recap video:
http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Video/Red-Bull-Rampage-Finals-021242911842873

Red Bull Rampage

2010-10-03T00:39:00.005-04:00

After visiting Zion this morning, I made the 10 minute drive down to Virgin for Red Bull Rampage The Evolution. By the time I arrived only a few riders were still laying down practice runs, namely Cedric Gracia and Utah local Logan Binggeli (also the event's top qualifier).

The Rampage site is basically a huge playground for freeriders. The jumps and drops are huge and so are the consequences. It's hard to put things into perspective.

Binggeli made a few attempts at a backflip before sticking it clean several times.

Shortly before practice was to wrap up at 5:00, a storm blew in from the west and suddenly wreaked havoc on the mountain with high wind gusts. Spectators sprinted down to low ground as dirt filled the air (as well as my eyes) and practice was inevitably over.

I'm not sure if it ended up raining there or not, but hopefully it did. I jumped on my bike and raced back to my car. On the dusty dirt road to the parking lot I closed in on and barely kept up to a guy hauling on a road bike! I told him he was hardcore and he said he was a former downhill racer. He was even catching a little air on the bumps! A road biker could never do that.

Tomorrow looks to be a few degrees cooler for the finals. I'm pumped to watch the insanity!

Zion

2010-10-02T20:28:00.011-04:00

Angel's Landing at Zion National Park

I woke up this morning in a Folger's commercial. But only it was orange juice in my glass as I stepped outside to peer at the skyline of Zion National Park's sandstone cliffs, the tallest of their kind on Earth.

After a breakfast of apple french toast and bacon, we entered the park and headed to Angel's Landing, a trail that winds its way up a towering monolith of 5700 feet elevation, with an elevation gain in its 2.5 mile length of nearly 1500 feet straight above the Virgin River. The hike is very technical, with sheer cliff exposure for the final .5 mile that is taken step by step with the assistance of anchored support chains along the most difficult and exposed sections.

As far as hiking goes, I haven't experienced anything that comes close to the fear-inducing climbing on the very edge- at times on hands and knees- of the cliff at Angel's Landing. But by the time we were working our way back down, it seemed to become slightly less intense. I think the more you do it, the more confident and calm you become with the situation. It helped to not took down or even far ahead when working my way up the last few sections. A number of people have fallen to their deaths on this hike, so being sure about your footing is key.

The final climb is the steepest and most intimidating

View from the top of Angel's Landing

In all, we spent about three hours to do the five mile roundtrip, so you can see how slow moving portions of it are. The heat wave in the west continued today with temperatures in the afternoon reaching the upper 90s, so it was essential to start early.

Angel's Landing on the left

Video Blog III

2010-10-02T00:45:00.002-04:00

Ride bikes, eat pizza, crash bikes.

Video Blog III- Grand Junction, CO from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

Moab

2010-10-01T11:54:00.007-04:00

It's our final day in Moab, and Ray and Tony are packing up to head back to PA. This past week has been a blur. It's incredible how quickly our four days of riding together has passed.

We rode The Whole Enchilada in Moab yesterday. It's 30-some miles of mostly descending, starting at 11,000 feet in the beautiful La Sal Mountains and ending at 4,000 feet in town. Burro Pass and Hazard County were two of the most epic trails I've ever ridden. It's big mountain riding at its finest. I felt like I was in Europe, or Canada at least.

Some more video blogs are on their way soon, as well as photos. Editing time has been slim and internet access in Moab has been spotty. I'm leaving Moab this afternoon and heading to Virgin, UT for the Red Bull Rampage finals.

Grand Junction Lunch Loop Trails
It's been an amazing week, boys! Thanks for the good times.

Video blog II- Grand Junction, CO

2010-09-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

Video Blog 2- Grand Junction, CO from Rick Reed on Vimeo.

2010-09-28T19:50:00.007-04:00

It's been non-stop action here in Colorado, so doing the video blog is definitely the way to go- both for portraying the action and second for not having to spend the time to describe it with words. Today we shredded Grand Junction, and despite the heat, we loved it. Stay tuned for the next edition of High Fives With the Guys Video blog.

Tony and Ray's rental ended up being a Mariner. So we deemed our vehicles Mariner One and Mariner Two. Here you can see them grazing in their natural environment.

Now I'm going to go back a few days to my travels that brought me to Colorado from California. Last Wednesday night in Sacramento I met up with my friend James from the 05/06 Mammoth days. He and his wife Monica were gracious to let me spend the night and even took me out for some delicious local pizza in downtown Sac.

Thanks again guys for your exceptional hospitality!

Skip ahead a few days to Sunday evening after MXoN where we headed west in the Mariners on I-70 to Grand Junction. I-70 takes you directly through the Rockies, where you pass by resorts such as Copper Mountain and Vail at elevations of over 11,000 feet. Vail is absolutely gorgeous right now, spattered with the yellow leaves of autumn...

And a little east of Vail is Frisco, with this early evening lakeside view.

Video Blog- Fruita, CO

2010-09-28T09:58:00.005-04:00

High fives with the guys, great rides, and Roy TV.

MXoN

2010-09-28T00:56:00.007-04:00

Hot, expensive, crowded...but we won! Here's a few shots:

2010-09-26T00:03:00.003-04:00

The first day ofMotocross of nations has come and gone. Dungey could only manage a 5th in his qualifier but Short and Canard won theirs. With no Internet at our shitty motel 6, I'm checking in from a bar in downtown Arvada. Tomorrow is mxon's main events and then we head west to grand junction. I'll check in with a full update of the last few days when I have a good connection. Go USA!!

SLC

2010-09-24T01:30:00.005-04:00

Tonight I'm in Salt Lake City, on my way to Lakewood, CO for the Motocross of Nations.

It's been a busy couple days and I'm much too tired to write up a real update, so maybe tomorrow night. I'll leave you with a couple grainy shots of tonight's full moonrise on I-80. Eight hours of driving left for tomorrow.

5000 Vertical Feet With Matt Hunter

2010-09-22T00:22:00.002-04:00

Something a little different from Specialized:

Riding 5,000 Vertical Feet with Matt Hunter from Bike Magazine on Vimeo.

Preparing for the next stage

2010-09-21T13:47:00.005-04:00

Last night Nicole and I had dinner at Souplantation, a favorite for the both of us. I could almost eat there on a regular basis- until the thought of unsanitary salad bars presents itself. This time the thought was provoked by real evidence as we witnessed two different men bypass the tongs in the cracker bowl and go for the bare hand contact. What is wrong with people!?

I'm in Vallejo for another day, then to Sacramento to catch up with my buddy James before making the two day trek to Colorado. Ray and Tony are back in PA prepping their bikes and gear and I'll meet them in Denver Friday.

I've been catching up on season 4 of Dexter lately. I can't get enough.

Look at those pretty Cannondales

Bike Parks of America: Mammoth- Day Two

2010-09-20T15:43:00.011-04:00

That's 11,053 feet at the top

Sunday was the final day of bike park operations at Mammoth for the 2010 season. It seems a little early to be closing, even for Mammoth, but I suppose they need to focus on preparing for the snow season's opening date of November 11.

We got lucky in the parking lot while gearing up. A rider whose friends bailed on him for the day to go fishing had some tickets he needed to sell, so we helped him out and got ourselves a nice discount.

Despite the high wind gusts that Mammoth is known for and an early morning chill, the weather was perfect. We were on the gondola shortly after 9am and whisked quickly to the top of the mountain. We dealt with the strong winds on the backside of the mountain and warmed up with a scenic cruise on the switchbacks of Off the Top to prepare to link up with some more technical trails for the remainder of the way down.

Mammoth's terrain and soil is very unique and a little difficult to get used to. The soil, commonly referred to as pumice, has a sand-like texture that has no hesitations about sucking your front tire in and putting you down. The soft stuff ranges from several inches deep to well over a half-foot in some places, making it nearly impossible to find traction.

Though the dirt may be soft and loose, traction is easy to find on Mammoth's wide assortment of wallrides. (Photo by Nicole Kato)

After riding combinations of black diamonds and pedally all-mountain trails, I spent the afternoon on the double blacks. New for this year is a revision of a trail called The Twilight Zone, which contains Mammoth's first dedicated jump line. I'll have some helmet cam footage in a very brief video edit I'm putting together that I'll post soon. But check out this awesome edit from some locals to get what this trail is about! I finished off the day and Mammoth's season with three back to back runs on this. It was a perfect ending to an awesome weekend of CA bike parks, but now I only want more.

In all, Mammoth's terrain is less technical than Northstar but it does have some sections on the double black diamonds where I found myself off the bike. But the mountain has plenty of trails to satisfy all types of mountain bikers including a good selection of wooden and rock drops that Northstar lacked. The mountain is a lot of fun, and it's so large you need several days just to explore. That goes for snowboarding and mountain biking both.

Possibly the most interesting sight of the day came when I was taking a break alongside the famous Kamikazee run. Around a blind corner, dirt and dust in the air came blazing two riders on a tandem downhill bike.

Complete with a Fox 40 on the front, Sunline bars, and X0 drivetrain, this thing was the real deal.

You always have assistance when fixing flats on a tandem

What do you think Levi? Wanna check one out?

Mammoth!

2010-09-19T01:24:00.005-04:00

Gas is too expensive, so walk.
Mammoth and its nearby towns take their "Play Big" tagline seriously

Three hours after departing the NV/CA line of Kings Beach at Lake Tahoe this morning we arrived at Mammoth via the scenic routes of NV-28 and CA-395. Fortunately I knew to fill up on gas earlier in the day. The further away from the bigger towns you get, the higher the gas prices go. Much, much higher. I'm sure this is one of the highest prices in the country right now.

But playing big on the mountain is what counts. Mammoth is where I "discovered" mountain biking about five years ago. Or it found me. My first trip to Mammoth was also the first time I rode a big travel bike. I've been hooked ever since.

We didn't arrive until about 12:30, so paying full price for a lift ticket was questionable. Fortunately, Mammoth offers a $10 pedal pass that allows access to everything but the lifts and shuttles. We were able to ride several pedally all-mountain trails and even catch Shotgun, a black diamond DH trail.

Photo by Nicole Kato

Sunday will be a full day of lift accessed riding.

Northstar at Tahoe

2010-09-18T23:20:00.007-04:00

It's been an action packed couple of days; Northstar, Tahoe, and Mammoth. Yesterday morning began early, leaving Vallejo and making the 3 hour drive to the Tahoe area to ride Northstar's bike park.

The crew at Northstar has put an immense amount of work into the park, building it up over the past few years. There's over 40 trails in all, and while I only was able to sample a small amount, I tried to hit the most recommended ones. Northstar trails are typical California dry and dusty, but a bit more rocky and technical than what is found elsewhere such as Mammoth. I've never a seen a park with so many jumps and berms and nearly every trail contains them!

Northstar is laid out a little differently than most resorts. A gondola brings you up the initial part of the mountain from the main resort and parking area to another base lodge area where two lifts serve the bike park.

Livewire is Northstar's "premier" trail, and probably somewhat similar to Whistler's famous A-Line for you mountain bikers that are familiar with it. It's basically thousands of feet of groomed trail loaded with jumps and berms. They even water some sections throughout the day to keep it tacky.

Other black diamonds such as Flameout and Sinius also contain plenty of jumps and berms, but add more technical sections and other features as well. Double blacks like Karpiel and Dog Bone maintain that style but have several super technical sections throughout.

One thing about the Northstar trails I'm not really used to is the length. There's no quick way down like east coast parks. It's common to take one, two, or even more breaks on some of the runs, especially when linking several trails together. So despite losing about an hour of my day to a broken valve stem on my tube which resulted in a lengthy push out of the woods, I was exhausted at the end of the day.

We decided to stay in Tahoe for the night rather than make the entire drive to Mammoth. A $26 budget motel and views like this in King's Beach made that decision an easy one.

More proof that Republicans do not stand for small business

2010-09-16T16:12:00.002-04:00

Via the NYT:

Senate Passes Bill to Aid Small Businesses

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: September 16, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved a multi-billion dollar package of tax breaks and government-backed loans for small businesses, as Democrats surmounted months of opposition by Republican leaders. Backers say the bill could spur business growth and new hiring.

“Small businesses are the major job creators in our economy, and this legislation will ensure that our small businesses have the tax incentives and credit they need to expand and hire,” said Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California.

The vote on the small-business measure was 61 to 38, with just two Republicans, George V. Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida, joining Democrats in voting in favor. The legislation now goes to the House, where leaders hope to quickly win approval and send it to President Obama, who is eager to sign it.

In addition to providing tax breaks and enhancing a number of existing aid programs run by the Small Business Administration, the legislation would create a $30 billion lending program administered by the Treasury to channel government-back loans through community banks.

Asked if he was disappointed that more Republicans had not supported the measure, Mr. LeMieux said, “I’m just glad we were able to pass it.” He noted that Florida has more than 2 million small businesses that stand to benefit from the legislation.

Other Republicans said that while the measure had some worthwhile elements, it did not go far enough to reduce the anxiety of business operators.

“Any good in this bill is greatly outweighed by what’s missing,” said Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah.

The small-business bill is likely to be the last major piece of legislation on economic and jobs issues that Democrats can accomplish before lawmakers leave Washington in early October to turn their full attention to campaigning.

Marin County

2010-09-15T19:45:00.007-04:00

I'm proud to say I rode in Marin County last evening. Marin is regarded as the birthplace of mountain biking in the 1970s with credit to figures such as Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Tom Ritchey and Charlie Kelly.

Unfortunately there are few legal trail systems present day in Marin. China Camp state park, where I rode, consists of multi-purpose trails that wind up and down a hillside, offering some very cool views of the Bay Area and San Francisco. It starts with a steady but moderately-paced climb that eventually leads to the best view point of the bay, for which I had regrettably had no camera for. From there, it's smooth and fast descending with plenty of no-pedal/no-brake sections.

This weekend we head to California's two premier bike parks- Northstar at Tahoe tomorrow and Mammoth Saturday and Sunday.

Stage One complete

2010-09-14T12:58:00.010-04:00

Many young lives were sacrificed in this journey across America

At 12:45 am Pacific time this morning, I arrived to the calm and quiet streets of Vallejo, CA. With leaving Rawlins, WY around 9 am on Monday, I logged nearly 17 hours of continuous traveling. That brings the grand tally for stage one to 2648 miles across three days.

I'm not sure if that's a feat to be proud of, or if it's just stupid.

I've been spending a good portion of today catching up on sleep, food and internet.

Yesterday morning began after a short but much needed restful sleep at the budget motel in Rawlins. The 400 mile stretch of I-80 through Wyoming is a wasteland. While I hear good things about Wyoming places such as Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, there are reasons why it is the least populated state in the country at 500,000 people. Even spreading that portion of the drive across two days is nearly intolerable.

A lot of this goes on in Wyoming and Nevada

It's ironic that immediately upon crossing the state line into Utah, one of my favorite states, the scenery begins to drastically improve. A reservoir and dam are on the side of a short climb that then brings you down into the middle the picturesque valley of Coalville, with green grasses and trees lining the small but beautiful Weber River. You can almost imagine what the thoughts were of the first settlers who arrived to the area. It's almost a shame that I-80 runs directly through it.

Winding my way through the mountains into Salt Lake City, I passed by the Park City resort. The transition from summer to fall is noticeably prevalent here in the lush vibrant colors coming from the trees and grasses on the mountainsides. The greens, oranges, yellows, and reds were astonishing, as well as a welcoming change from the barrenness of Wyoming.

Salt Lake City is one city that I have basically only passed through but would love to spend some time in. With access to amazing mountains and a seemingly good sense of environmental consciousness with recycling kiosks like this one at local shopping centers, it's got it going on for sure.

While I was treading my way through Wyoming, I was thinking of how I needed to be in Denver at the end of next week. Much to my displeasure, crossing through Wyoming again would be the quickest route according to Google. But I also figured it couldn't take much longer to instead take 15 south from SLC, and then east on 70 through CO. I will already be taking 70 after Denver to head to Grand Junction and Fruita, but it's a scenic drive through the Rockies so I would much rather do it twice and forget Wyoming. So I googled it, and the mileage and time is only slightly greater so that is what I'll be doing.

And now some numbers:
Total mileage: 2648
Number of gas transactions: 14
States crossed: 10
Number of mom's cookies eaten: 8
In-N-Out stops: 1
Police stops: 1
Police tickets: 0

Wyoming

2010-09-13T00:19:00.005-04:00

I'm checking in tonight from Rawlins, Wyoming after driving 950 miles in about 14 hours. The season finale of Entourage on HBO, wireless internet, and a shower for $46 tonight isn't a bad deal. There isn't much to say about today's drive. Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes took up most of it. A good amount of windmills have sprung up since my last drive through the heartland, so that's good to see.

Last night I made a makeshift bed in the car just on the west side of the Mississippi River in Iowa. It took me a while to get comfortable and settle in, but I slept fairly well.

I'm exhausted now, so getting to sleep tonight shouldn't be an issue.

Tomorrow I am hoping to complete the drive and make it to Vallejo.

Some numbers so far:

Miles driven: 1650
Fuel expenses: Approx. $175
Highest fuel price paid: $2.99
Total Ohio toll fare: $13.50 (At that price I don't understand why I-80 in Ohio is now in worse condition than PA)
Food expenses: $8.00 (I brought my own)
Fazolis stops: 1

Music:
Dan Mangan
Frightened Rabbit
The Rustlanders
Minus the Bear
Broken Social Scene
Black Mountain
Wintersleep
Magneta Lane
Boysetsfire

Stabbing Westward

2010-09-08T22:03:00.005-04:00

Remember that band from the 90s? Probably not.

This Saturday, I depart on yet another cross-country trip. I'm going to make it to CA as quickly (but safely) as possible to minimize the monotony between PA and CO and maximize the fun when I arrive.

Somewhere along the way I might get me one of those new fourth generation Ipod Touches.

As I normally do, I'll be posting updates here. But now you can also follow me on Twitter (or if you're not into the latest social media trends you can simply read along via the Twitter app on the right side of the page here).

So I welcome you to join me on another adventure.