Local legend re-visited

with beautiful balmy temps on a Sunday afternoon what's a bike rider to do? GET OUT!

my new Salsa Fargo is shaping up to be the PERFECT platform for some of my off the wall rides that tend to wonder "off the beatin' path"

today my neighbor Kendell & I decided on some canal miles with a side trip to our local famous blowout which after a little more research appears to have been formed by hundreds of thousands of buffalo cutting through here many years ago to head to water in the South Platte river about a mile to the north, making this Paxton's very own "buffalo trace" which also happens to be the name of a DAMN FINE bourbon from Kentucky, making it kind of ironic that the local legend is there used to be some moonshining going on back here in some caves

I imagine horses would look a little more appropriate here but the Fargo & Kendell's GIANT TCX seemed to do the trick just as well!

DROPPING IN...YEEHAW!

back on canal gravel in the North Platte river valley

canal bridge safety break, what a GREAT loop, south valley to north valley with an off-road detour AND a history lesson, with the new bike I'm pretty sure there will be many more of these local adventures as well as some in other far flung places in the future. Get out & ride a bike & make some good times happen!

New bike!

Not much goin' on lately other than the single speed may be gathering a little more dust these days as I finally got my new dream bike, the Salsa Fargo. Been riding & dialing it in for a week now, 115 miles later I LOVE IT!

"Deadhead Tribute Tour"

After saying farewell to my buddy Dennis "Deadhead" a few weeks ago I left on my 2 wheeled singlespeed wonder on the ride that I had hoped he would be along for, unfortunately it didn't work out that way for his schedule & I fully understand that with the stress of moving & starting a new job.

Anyways, what was to be a mixture of dirt/gravel roads quickly turned into this road above, what's an adventure cyclist to do? EXIT, STAGE LEFT!

find some pristine cow trail & start bushwacking through the hills...UNTIL

...I was forced to drop back into the dreaded dirt road/mudslide, this is where it got interesting for the rest of the decent

I finally hit the level valley floor again & decided a safety break was in order with a pull of Maker's Mark from the Surly "safety" flask, yes Dennis, right back there in those trees to the right of that flask is the elusive hobo camp we were to hang out at one last time, it will be another time when & if you ever visit these desolate wastelands again. That pull of Kentucky's finest was in honor of YOU my friend, with a tear in my eye!

with the safety break tribute drink out of the way I got on some more sketchy gravel road along the canal as the sun was setting to point it home 12 miles away

a time to reflect on a great friendship with some great cycling miles over the last few years

looking north as darkness was falling I couldn't help but remember our ride through those very hills up there a couple of summers ago which ended up at the Windy Gap for burgers & beers & wonder if our next ride may end up at the Hot Tomato Cafe in downtown Fruita for pizza & beer, here's hoping on my part!

Thanks for the miles & memories Dennis, at least the local ones here that I can re-live with many of my future rides & here's to our future rides together when I come west or you come back east, CHEERS BUDDY!