Up a Creek: Johnson Creek

Goodbye Johnson Creek Loop. . . . . 

There's not much state managed land around Absarokee.  This winter I've been enjoying a section by Johnson Creek.  When I checked on it Sunday,  the State signs were gone, & No Trespassing signs were there.  I checked my GPS against the map, and it's State land, but what are you going to do?  I can still get at it from the other side, as an out and back, but no more epic local loop.

Don't Worry, Be Happy. . . .

"From my perspective, I can't wear glasses, so I think we should go to the normal version."

This morning during homeschool Rose had me worried for a second.  She was supposed to use four certain words to make a complete sentence, and she totally botched it.  For a moment, it seemed I had failed her and she forgot what complete sentences were.
Then, a bit later, we were deciding which version of Rio 2 to watch: 3D or 2D (normal as Rose calls it).  She got out her favorite stuffed animal of late: Mittens the kitten.  They whispered to each other for a moment.  Then Mittens thought or a second, and answered to Rose:
"From my perspective, I can't wear glasses, so I think we should go to the normal version."
So, no worries on that one. . . .

Getting to Know You. . . .

My favorite Billings area ride: Indian Cliffs.  It's a great area for Moab & Sedona style riding right here in Montana.

There's one little cove  I call The Playground with mini buttes and little slickrock knobs and mesas.  

Getting to Know the New Bike

He's a boy.  This bike rides like a man.  I wanted the bike to be a girl, because I haven't had a girl bike in a while, and because this bike has a sexy combo of green and black.  Alas, it's not in the cards; the bike drives in a good way like a Mack Truck. On the Indian Cliffs trails, I was able to clear everything I cleared in my last bike and more, especially the Pipeline uphill.  That's a section of Indian Cliffs where the levels join up in this one very short but very brutal uphill.  It's only about 50 meters or so, but it is as straight up as you can go.  It's tough to walk.  I hadn't cleaned it in years with Randy, my old bike.  Cleaned it my first try with the new guy.  The bike just keeps on keepin' on.  

My overall AVG Spd was 12 mph, which is as good as or better than my speeds with Randy.  And my heart rate was way down from Randy, though that may be because I'm in much better shape. 

Regardless, the end result: on the exact terrain that would seem to be the worst for fatbikes - fast, well-developed hardpack singletrack - the new fatbike is as good as my last bike: a purpose built XC machine.

BFFs

Kip: The Boss Trail Dog

2014 Trek Farley First Impressions

Lookout Hill

My first two rides with the new bike were on Lookout Mountain, in Spearfish SD.  This network has a bit of everything: overland through high desert steppe, dark scrub oak forests that made it seem like the Appalachia, super technical steep ups & downs, speedy swooping curves, roads, it was a great testing area for a new bike.
Riding a fatbike is fun.  That's the first thing you notice.  Those big stupid tires, the sound they make, the way people grin and point at you like you're on a clown bike, you feel like a kid with a new motorcycle.
Then I noticed the pleasant surprise of  feeling a rigid bike again; I've been riding full suspension bikes since 1996.  To be back on a hardtail, a super nice aluminum one at that, it's really fun to feel the responsiveness when pedaling, when tinkering around like with bunny hops and trials hops, track stands, long hard pedaling, paved roads, there are so many situations where a rigid bike is a huge step up over suspension.  I was worried with the tires, I'd be isolated from that, but the bike is actually really peppy and connected to the ground.
Next surprise: handling the steeps.  Whether going up or down, the steeper it gets, the more this bike feels in its element.  On my very first ride, I was going up steeps I'd have washed out on with any other bike, and down stuff so crazy I'd never even thought of it before.  On a related note: low speed handling.  It never occurred to me, which is silly, but the low speed handling is off the charts.  Picking your way through crazy lines, changing lines at the last moment, these sort of maneuvers are really stable, predictable, and easy.
Like 29ers, the bike excels at building and keeping momentum.  Long gradual downs, downhills in general,  flats, this bike likes to roll once you get it rolling.  On the flipside, this makes it harder to spin up to speed in the first place, but I've found that to be somewhat mitigated by the springiness and pedaling platform of the stiff frame.

Back Home

My first ride back home was a long slog up county roads.  This bike rocks!!  On the downhills, it's like a Mack truck barreling down a Colorado pass.  Awesome.

Deer are like pigeons out here.

Kip approves of this access point to state land.

It's been a stormy spring on the Beartooth Front.

New Trek Rocks!!!

Rushmore MT Sports

First: big thanks to Rushmore Mountain Sports in Spearfish for my new 2014 Trek Farley.   They are the nicest shop I've dealt with in years.  They were great helping me choose the bike, and in getting it set up just the way I wanted it.  

Jesse from the shop also pointed me to some great local trails, and even met me at 5:45 in the morning for a ride the next day.  What kind of a shop owner does that!?!  Really stoked about the level of service and knowledge there.

Rose chewing out the fishery workers for their slow pace.  Damn gov't workers.

Feeding frenzy at Spearfish trout hatchery.

First look at the new bike after full assembly.

I took the bike up Lookout Hill right away.  What an amazing ride!!!

Indian Springs in Spearfish.

Rose at the hatchery in Spearfish SD.

South Dakota Bound - Going to get my new bike!

Leaving tomorrow morning for Spearfish SD, to pick up my new Trek Farley from Rushmore Mountain Sports.  They have been great so far, big thanks to them!
Randy also required a road trip to pick him up:

Rapid City Surprises

Ever gone on vacation expecting a tourist trap, but ending up totally blown away?
We had a blast in Rapid City.  What a really cool way to start off a week of family time!!!

Also had the best bison steak of my life (that I didn't cook myself).  Go Dakotas!!!