I got some much needed sleep last night, and was up bright and early to get my ride on. It was drizzling when I walked out of the hotel, so I headed downtown to get some coffee at Aspen.
I was welcomed by ‘Tater, at least I think that’s his name. He seems to be the town greeter, and is always smiling. I always see him when I’m out there and he always seems happy and cheerful.
I picked up some gifts at Over the Edge. They recommended heading for 18 road before more rain came in. The rain held off for a while, and I managed to hit Joe’s, Chutes and Ladders. I stopped back at the car and was heading for the Edge when it uncorked. I short cutted back to Joe’s and cut back up Kessel. I was completely soaked, and luckily hadn’t picked up too much mud.
The forecast called for more rain, so I decided to head home. It rained all the way to Vail, and was snowing pretty good on the Pass. It was snowing like crazy at the Divide, I’m betting Loveland will be open for skiing next weekend (if it’s not already). So, now, safe at home, some images are posted in the album.
Our annual operations conference let out a little early today. The timing was a blessing, as last night I’ll remember for a while as the “Night of the Dirty Martinis”. Top that with my insomniac behavior, and it makes for a very very long day. Once out, I boogied and headed for Moab. Well, I forgot this weekend is the 24 Hours of Moab. There isn’t a room available at any price in town. Even the Lazy Lizard had no room. Normally that’s not a problem, but I removed all of my camping gear to make room gadgets for the conference.
I thought I was gonna die on the highway, I was so tired I actually took a couple of naps while driving, you know, the ones where all of a sudden you’re awake again and have no idea how many seconds you were gone. I did make it back to Fruita, and grabbed what appears to be one of the few rooms available. So, tomorrow will be Kokopelli and Joe’s Ridge, maybe throw in a bit more singletrack on the Bookcliffs side. That was my plan for here Sunday, so it just gets bumped up a day, and I get to go back home a day early.
A friend of mine has a copy of the Killers’ Hot Fuss. I heard a couple of tunes off of it and caught them on Saturday Night Live. The SNL set had to be one of the worst live performances since Ashley Simpson. Young Colonel Sanders (aka Brandon Flowers), couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.
Despite some reservations, I picked up Sam’s Town. The album is better, but not by much. I suppose my judgement is colored by hearing a comment that it would be “one of the most significant albums of the last twenty years.” I don’t know who said it, but they were just plain wrong. As an album, it’s really not worth a sit through. There are some bright spots, namely a couple of catchy singles, but all in all it sounds like The Cars got mugged by Hall and Oates.
Whenever I related a story about the squirrels at my old place, people would look at me like I had three eyes. My old place had two apple trees. This time of year, the squirrels would get into them and get absolutely blitzed. I’d walk out the front door after hearing noises, and would see drunk squirrels running into trees, my car, in circles, and into walls.
Well, now I feel there is some supporting documentation that backs my story. Up in Boulder, a bear got into a batch of fermented apples and staggered around blind drunk before being apprehended.
I hit Apex yesterday with Roger the Dodger, and it didn’t disappoint. The Apex trail itself is still rocky and a rough ride (saw a guy carrying a broken frame out), and the climb on Pick n Sledge still hurts (especially in the sun). The bad news now, the king of all switchbacks has been sanitized from it’s former glory. My palms used to sweat as I approached a broken run in that threatened to send me bouncing on my head down the hill. Now, the lead in is a little tricky (I dropped my chain on it), and the turn is tight, but it’s infinitely more do-able than it used to be. I also managed to keep my string of pinch flats alive.
