Thunder and Lightning

Photo I took back in May 2006. I'm
posting it in honor of last night's storm!

Since Last Post: 2,112 ft
Total Elevation: 19,702 ft.

Follow My Ride:
06/22/2011: Crestline - Hulls
06/23/2011: Kestrel - Central

We had quite a show last night with all the thunder and lightning. I thought I might get lucky enough to capture another photo like the one I got in 2006. No such luck. So, for your viewing pleasure I thought I'd post the old one.

NEW FEATURE ALERT!
 I wanted to point out a new feature I'm adding to my posts. You may have noticed a 'Follow My Ride' section at the top--not to be confused with the popular MTV series "Pimp My Ride." If you click on the link next to the date, it will take you to the Garmin Connect Player so you can see the route I took and the elevation and speed at each point along the way.

Garmin Forerunner 301

I use the Garmin Forerunner 301 to track my rides. I purchased a Garmin bike mount that fits nicely on the handlebars where I can see it. After each ride I upload the data to the Garmin Connect site and track my progress that way. This is what I use to get the stats at the top of each blog.

In addition to the Garmin I use the iPhone app Cyclemeter. It's a great app that tracks a lot of the same things. I've been comparing the two, and it looks like the Garmin isn't quite as accurate as Cyclemeter. In fact, I'd say there's usually about a 5-7% difference in elevation between them. I use the Garmin distance, which is the lesser every time. If I can get some good reports from Cyclemeter, I may switch to that.

Hello Summer!

View from Table Rock

Since Last Post: 996 ft.
Total Elevation: 17,589 ft.

Updated Page(s): About Jeff Good

Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling.  ~James E. Starrs

I just love that quote! It's true 99% of the time. The remaining 1% is when you wreck.

Jeremy on Table Rock

I rode up Table Rock today. I had my co-worker with me, a really nice change. Jeremy is more of a road biker but he picked up a mountain bike when he started working in Boise. As he can attest to, mountain biking is a different beast.

Last year I had a chance to ride a road bike a couple of times to see if I liked it. I'm not sure what it was but I just didn't enjoy it as much. Admittedly, that may have had something to do with the way the saddle fit. I couldn't ride, or walk, for a couple of days after that. I decided that even if I was going to ride on the road I'd just as well stick with the mountain bike.

Onward and Upward

Flowers on Ridge Crest

Since Last Post: 895 ft.
Total Elevation: 16,593 ft.

Updated Pages: About Me, About Jeff Good, and About ALS.

The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine. ~John Howard

Another day on the foothills and what a beauty it was! I felt great after 3 days off and was ready to get back at it. Today I thought I'd test my custom iPhone mount so I could video the ride up Ridge Crest, across Central Ridge, around Shane's Loop, and down Bucktail Trail. The mount kinda worked, but it kept slipping on the handlebars. I'll have to come up with a better solution. The video wasn't all that great either. It looked a bit like I was underwater.

I improved my official time over last week by about a minute. That includes having to stop a few times to mess with the video. In all I think I shaved more like 3 minutes off. I still have a ways to go to get to the shape I was in last year, but I'm making progress!

Jumpin' Jeepers

Since Last Post: 897 ft.
Total Elevation: 15,698 ft.

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.
~H.G. Wells

Well, today didn't go as planned. I had every intention of having lunch with my wife at Big Jud's and throwing down one of those incredible burgers. However, I learned a long time ago that when you have 4 kids, anything can change at a moment's notice. We'll see what tomorrow brings. 

My right calf felt pretty good this morning so I thought I'd go ahead and go for a ride at lunch. Before hitting the trail, I took a gander at my copy of Mountain Biking in Boise to see if there was a cool route I could do in an hour or less. Pausing story while I put in a plug for Steve's Book....

I bought this little beauty of a book when I first started riding last year, because I was honestly a bit intimidated by all the trails and thought if I didn't plan ahead I may get lost. I shelled out about $15 for it at a bike shop in downtown Boise. It came in handy all last year when planning solo rides. I like to explore as many different trails as I can, and this book helped me do just that without worrying about getting lost or going on trails that were more technical than I was able to ride. Thanks, Stueby!

...and we're back!  I found a pretty cool intermediate ride called Jumpin' Jeepers Figure 8 Loop that looked like it would fit the bill. It isn't a lot different from the ride I did the other day on Shane's Loop. The main difference is instead of breaking off of Shane's Loop and heading south to Rocky Canyon, you stay on Shayne's, which loops back around and connects with Bucktail Trail. What a great slalom ride that was! I remember I rode that trail a couple of times last year with Lahcen, but I don't remember it being that fun. I give this trail a big HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Photo for Ravi

Photo from Shane's Loop

Since Last Post: 2,348 ft.
Total Elevation: 14,801 ft.

I received an e-mail the other day from my buddy Ravi who used to ride quite a bit here in Boise.  He's since moved on to greener pastures, but I know he misses the foothills. So, Ravi, at your request I stopped on Shane's Loop to take a picture for you. Enjoy!
The past couple of days I've been able to get some pretty good rides in. I logged over 1100 feet elevation per ride, which I'm pretty pleased with. I'm hoping over the next couple of weeks I can shave some time off. I'm taking a break tomorrow to let my right calf heal. I hurt it Monday night on a ride to the school with the kids. My bike was at work, so I grabbed my wife's 17.5-inch Gary Fisher, which seemed like riding my kid's BMX bike. Long story short, one too many wheelie attempts on the playground led to a stressed right calf, a bruised right heel, and a few scratches on my ego. Hopefully a day off and a trip to Big Jud's with the wife is just what the doctor ordered. In the meantime, enjoy a few pics from Tuesday's ride.

Tiger Swallowtails

Find the 4 Lizards

Bull Snakes

Bull Snakes on Hulls

Since Last Post: 2,065 ft.
Total Elevation: 12,452 ft.

The trails have been pretty active these past couple of days, and I'm not talking about all the other hikers and bikers! This week, instead of a deer, a couple of bull snakes were tangled up on the trail. Each was about 3 feet long and neither one paid much attention to me. They must have been preoccupied.

Last Friday I did a ride up Central Ridge and over to Shane's before heading down into Rocky Canyon. Today I went up Hulls again since I didn't make it to the top last week. At the top of Hulls I decided to make the half-mile climb up to 8th street. That's the first time I've taken that route this year. Once at the top I decided to head down 8th just to get back more quickly.  I prefer going down Bob's Trail more than anything but time didn't permit it.

Daily or Every Other Day?
The legs still feel pretty sore each time I start my rides. I wonder if riding every day is a good thing. Last year Lahcen and I rode about every other day and I usually felt good. I've done a little research and it seems beginners or casual riders prefer every other day, while more experienced riders have done fine riding every day. Hopefully I'll get used to the daily routine sooner than later. Anyone have any experience with this?

If I go every other day I'll need to go a little farther each time to keep the goal within reach. I'm not sure I have the time to do 1500 ft. elevation per day but if that's what it takes, I'll have to find shorter routes with more climbing. 

It's Bambi!

Gain Since Last Post: 692 ft.
Total Elevation Gain: 10,388 ft

Check out this groovy photo I snapped today of a deer crossing the trail ahead of me!  That's part of the reason I love getting out on my lunch hour.  One minute I'm sitting at my desk staring at a computer screen and the next minute I'm out playing chicken with Bambi.

Had a nice ride today up Hulls Gulch but man were my legs sore!  It's funny how one day you can feel great and the next day feel so tired.  I think my lack of sleep over the past few days is finally getting to me.  I was a little rushed on time and with the serious case of leg burn I had going on I didn't make my goal of getting all the way to the top of Hulls.

Hulls Gulch

Hulls Gulch Rock Pile

If you have an hour or so and want to go for a nice ride, Hulls Gulch is a solid choice.  It's about 3.4 miles from Camel's Back park to the top of Hulls with a gradual elevation gain of 800 feet (2750 to 3550).  I'd give Hulls a difficulty rating of moderate.  There's a rock pile on the way up where you'll more than likely have to walk your bike.  I guess there may be some out there who can do it but I'm not one of them.

This time of year the creek is running strong and the vegetation is green and thick.  The trail has plenty of rise and fall with a few blind spots so keep an eye out for those coming back down.  Once you're at the top you have three options.

1. You can turn back around and head back the way you came.
2. If you want more climbing, you can keep going and climb up the steep winding trail up to the 8th street upper parking lot.  This is a half mile grunt climbing an additional 250 feet up.   That's a slope of about 9.5%.  From there you can head down 8th or better yet, cross the road and head down Bob's Trail.
3. Your third option is to take the trail to the right and head down Crestline.  This is a fun trail if you want a good balance of speed and variety.  If I take this route I usually end up connecting with Kestral to get back to Camel's Back.

No matter what route you take you can't go wrong.  Have fun, be safe, and keep on ridin'!

Table Rock

Gain Since Last Post: 937 ft.
Total Elevation Gain: 9,696 ft

I've often said,  "I'm not made of sugar" so what does it matter if it's raining outside and I get a little wet?  Well, it's not me I'm worried about, it's the dirt (or mud) I'm riding on.  Yesterday's roller-coaster ride was great and I hoped to do another trail ride today.  I decided to take the safe route instead and ride the pavement.

When relegated to roadways, one of my favorite lunch routes is Table Rock.  As it turned out, the pavement was only slightly damp and the the cloud cover made it perfect out!  At the 28 minute mark I hit the very moist dirt road leading up to the cross sitting atop Table Rock.  I took a few minutes to snag a panorama of the view using Photosynth on my iPhone.  I think it turned out pretty cool.  CLICK ON IT to load a 360-degree view you can control with your mouse!

First Post

I figure I better get typing before I get too far down the trail.  I hope to post the progress I make towards my goal of gaining 100,000 feet elevation on my mountain bike this year.  I'll be posting to the blog some additional information about how I arrived at this goal and what inspired me to do it.

So far in 2011 I'm up to 8,759 ft.  With the somewhat inclement weather we've been experiencing across much of Idaho this year I'm off to a slow start.  In fact, to date I've only logged 10 rides averaging roughly 900 feet elevation gain per ride.  I know, I should be ashamed!  Having said that, I'm about a month ahead of my start last year.

It was May 14th, 2010 when I took my first test ride around the winding streets of my old subdivision.  The bike was an old Gary Fisher Montare mountain bike that had been sitting in the basement of my work for some time.  When I inquired about it I learned that it belonged to Mike Ferry, a co-worker of mine.  Mike was kind enough to allow me to throw some air in the tires and take it for a spin to see if it was something I'd be interested in buying.  A few days later I took it for a second spin before finally making the decision to buy it despite the literal wear and tear.  I remember thinking, "Well, I guess I won't have to worry about getting a scratch on it."

On June 23rd I hit the dirt trails for the first time, my good friend Lahcen leading the way.  After a mile or so I remember him pulling to the side and motioning for me to take the lead.  I nervously obliged and got my first glimpse of the wide-open trail.  After 3 miles we took a brief pause near a small wooden bridge to catch our breath and take a much needed drink. Thinking back on it now it seems like only yesterday.

In the weeks and months that followed I spent hours in the saddle.  Most of the time I was accompanied by Lahcen, though others would occasionally join us.  It was through casual conversations on the trail and at work that I came to know the history of the bike I rode.  I was told it had once belonged to a man by the name of Jeff Good who had passed away in April of 2009 after a battle with ALS.  As I learned more about Jeff an interesting thing happened.  I found myself becoming less and less critical of the lowly basement-dweller of a bike I'd purchased.  In fact, you might say I became quite proud to be the owner of it due to the connection I began to feel with a man I'd never met.

I finished 2010 with 65,500 ft. elevation gain and a severe case of mountain bike fever!  That fever burns still as I begin the 2011 bike season.  I've decided to dedicate this year's rides in large part to the memory of Jeff Good.  May each of us in our own passing be as highly revered.  I'll soon be posting additional information off of the home page about Jeff and his love of mountain biking and life.

I would be remiss if I didn't include in my dedication a few others who have been an inspiration to me in my first year or riding:

Lahcen Airir
First, my dear friend Lahcen Airir for introducing me to the joy of mountain biking and showing me how to catch some sweet air!  Yes, there's an inside joke in there.  Lahcen, I won't soon forget our morning ride up Sidewinder where we stopped to share a mango and talk about life.  Best of luck in Denver my friend.  You were missed the moment you left.

Mike Ferry
For selling me the $100 basement-dweller of a bike I've come to love.  Mike, your work ethic and humility is unmatched. I get tired just watching you!  Oh, and you weren't lying when you said, "The tear in the saddle makes it more aerodynamic!"

Rick Gerrard
For his love of the climb that inspire my elevation-based goal.  Rick, I hope to someday have the same passion, dedication, and drive you have.  I hope you keep on climbing, but please, try not to make it look so effortless!

Keith Latimer
For being the ultimate fountain of bike knowledge.  Keith keeps me in the loop on all the latest goings on in the bike world and helps with any questions I have regarding my own bike.  Keith, thanks for being willing to sacrifice your own time, talent, and effort to help a newbie like me get moving in the right direction.