Howdy, friends! The blog for our trip around the world is up, and you can find it here:
http://RidingOutTheRecession.blogspot.com/
Come pay us a visit!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Another place to ride
Day 7, over Independence Pass
Wow, were we given the royal treatment in Vail! Wined, dined and offered a comfy spare bedroom by our new friends Dan and Sheika, it felt like we were arriving dignitaries. Great conversation, and what a great story! Sheika's dad, Pepi Gramshammer, was an Olympic skier and one of the founding members of the Vail business community. He opened a restaurant and hotel, the Hotel Gasthof Gramshammer, just a short saunter from the ski face named after him. It features his photos, massive trophy collection and food and decor from his homeland.
Dan and Sheika, pictured here in front of a photo of Sheika's mom and pop on skis, treated us to a visit to the restaurant, a nice stroll around Vail and lots of great conversation.
They also suggested some jaw-dropping rides, including the Glenwood Canyon (who knew that an Interstate could be such an amazing ride?!) and Independence Pass.
So yesterday, we headed west on I-70, visited Dan's shop, Holthammer Cycles, in Eagle, Colorado, adjusted Julie's windscreen, replaced a couple of bulbs on R2, and got a tour of the joint, which has been getting some press lately. [The online version of this article in the Vail Daily seems to come and go for some reason.]
After saying our farewells to Dan, we headed off through Glenwood Canyon for the Pass.
Ha! Google Maps won't take us over Independence Pass, but Julie and I did, and so I'll have to share our route in two parts:
Day 7: Sheika & Dan's in Vail, CO to Buena Vista over Independence Pass (~175 miles)
Part 1:
View Larger Map
Part 2:
View Larger Map
We arrived in Buena Vista, set our our tent overlooking the Collegiate Peaks (many over 14,000 feet) and headed into town for dinner. All told, a spectacular day of riding, scenery and time with friends. More to come!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Our route, day 6, partly with Dan and Sheika
Day 6: Denver to Vail, with friends and some extra mountain roads for fun (137 miles)
We left our old friends Jon and Jennifer in Denver, and met up with new friends Dan and Sheika in Silverthorne, for a spectacular ride through winding moutain roads, ending up in Vail. More on that to come!
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Jon, the Ski Builder
on the ski slopes around the Twin Cities on Friday nights, when the
lift tickets were cheap, the hills often empty and the temperatures
were, at times, extreme.
Jon's love for the sport is evident following him (when I'm lucky
enough to keep up) down a piste or even more so, off the piste,
slaloming through trees, kicking up powder with each turn, and popping
into the air off of rocks or drop-offs. He's an artist with skis.
When he lived in Minneapolis, Jon would make regular trips to the
mountains, including one trip to Alta we took together. But being an
art teacher meant that getting away for an extended ski holiday during
ski (and school) season wasn't possible very often. So it was little
surprise to folks that know him when Jon decided to move to the
mountains, and make sure that he could get in his 30+ ski days each
season.
Jon's latest ski adventure is one of a different sort, however:
building his own skis! He has constructed an elaborate ski press in
the basement, which uses an air compressor, a fire hose and lots of
high-sheering-strength metal cross members and supports to sandwich
epoxy-coated layers of material together -- the base material and
metal edges, fiberglass, carbon fibers, a wooden core, metal screen
and a wooden veneer -- to form a ski. Fifteen hours of high pressure
later, viola, you have a ski.
Last night, we "laid up" (the term of art for the laminating process)
the skis he's planning to use next season. He's already sold a set on
commission, and I suspect his increasing grasp on the dynamics of the
fabrication process, and how it relates to the character of the
resulting skis, mean that more and more people will be riding planks
with Jon's characteristic simple, elegant design on them. I hope to
try them myself during my next visit in the winter.
In the meantime, creating a ski from raw materials was an
unforgettable experience to share with a friend. (Even if it meant the
air compressor was running every fifteen minutes all night long!) I
look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor, and Jon's design, today.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A special birthday party
Yesterday, Ruthie's swimming buddy Tanner turned three, and his family threw him quite a fête, ranch-style.
There were goats...
...and horseback rides...
...and haybale rides...
...and games...
...and some very creative farm-themed cupcakes.
Happy birthday, Tanner!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
R2 gets some new kicks in Denver
Julie and I decided to hit I-80 and I-76 to bee-line from Grand
Island, NE. At 400 miles, it was our biggest mileage day in a while,
and a perfect one at that: blue skies, ample sun and cooler temps for
more comfortable riding.
We arrived last night to our gracious hosts Jon and Jen, their two
little ones Ruthie and Gabe, and the family dogs Hirschel and Gertie,
with dinner on the garden table for weary travelers. Lucky us!
We plan to spend the weekend camped out in their living room, before
turning further west and south.
Routine checks also revealed that the 90+ degree temps in Nebraska did
a number on my rear tire (which was, let's face it, carrying a bit of
extra weight, and already had 4,000 miles on it at the start of the
trip). It's still got some tread, but is due for replacement.
Thankfully, there's a shop just a few blocks away from Jon and Jen's
that has the tire I need, at a reasonable price, and can install it
today, so R2 is getting some new kicks!
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