tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16624549080827696222024-03-13T05:51:14.010-06:005 Mates, 5 Bikes, One VisionJoin us on our epic adventure as we ride out mountain bikes along the Great Divide Trail from Canada to the Mexico border. 4600 km of riding; which includes 29 Continental divide crossings, a cumulative 55 kilometers of ascending, and a peak elevation of nearly 12,000 ft. It all starts in Banff, Alberta, on June 22 2009. Yeehaw.Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-74276247064943497442009-11-01T12:25:00.004-07:002009-11-03T00:56:59.489-07:00Our Group Video...At long last!At long last, we are ready to release the trip video. The 'footage' was taken with my SLR camera...caution, may contain words that rhyme with "truck" and have freak nudity.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvXrQ1DgzU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvXrQ1DgzU</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvXrQ1DgzU"></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-79969892685489389002009-09-13T13:51:00.003-06:002009-09-13T13:55:02.277-06:00DoneYup we're done. We are all now enjoying our celebrity status, getting recognized by fans wherever we go. Some of us have decided to pursue television opportunities while Grant here has decided to pursue his rap music career. Check him out in his debut hit.<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vn29DvMITu4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vn29DvMITu4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03323615929586132036noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-47760935591768705922009-08-23T13:10:00.003-06:002009-08-23T13:25:25.268-06:00Toronto, Canada - Some final farewell shotsSo here we go. All great things must come to an end, and it has been a wonderfully challenging, epic adventure. And we did it! But not without the generosity, kindness and help from dozens of people at home and on the trail. Thanks for joining us on our adventure, it's been a grand one. <br /><br />I'm sure with a bit of time to digest the trip each of us will post some closing thoughts and advice for future riders.<br /><br />I'll have a video on YouTube in about a months time, and we'll put together a slideshow in Taupo for the end of October if you're in town.<br /><br />Adios! <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx46FOW6hXiK3Jm8FLH8-xXIzKcuig52l6CQcTOWpWOHCwxbA6IIS5ock-C89VR05VeOuwRDPWUFfCPAEjfy5hL7TjcGjpGrWcts3SGeFn6ZZfy5mHpboyFDVk8apbFQKb_eQjELHpaM4/s1600-h/DSC_3392.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx46FOW6hXiK3Jm8FLH8-xXIzKcuig52l6CQcTOWpWOHCwxbA6IIS5ock-C89VR05VeOuwRDPWUFfCPAEjfy5hL7TjcGjpGrWcts3SGeFn6ZZfy5mHpboyFDVk8apbFQKb_eQjELHpaM4/s320/DSC_3392.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373240398065962818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCR-4VP7Zuxni1AP_zguzoiCnu1ylMGX-We6sCQzFxj7npPrrOHFlYCM4kgni_94FneO-J5rbzdzijIsI75hJ7mEQsizs1ESF78VEiRL4x6WLxKZktW58HbVf4CsxNvA5NRa-C5sx7Gc/s1600-h/DSC_3387.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCR-4VP7Zuxni1AP_zguzoiCnu1ylMGX-We6sCQzFxj7npPrrOHFlYCM4kgni_94FneO-J5rbzdzijIsI75hJ7mEQsizs1ESF78VEiRL4x6WLxKZktW58HbVf4CsxNvA5NRa-C5sx7Gc/s320/DSC_3387.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373240390840463570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIMtgyx3mj9h6C7702EkgAqRydomuUF1sLlwAXlUCiX3LOtJAF0S-7UgNhDHDijMqFHU9oq0OdYmMlbGKFFi7v7F4qcVrIgUyy3t2BpiN3MMnB22xNZKjqFpuVfz6HfV4EhOHky5BaN0/s1600-h/DSC_3295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIMtgyx3mj9h6C7702EkgAqRydomuUF1sLlwAXlUCiX3LOtJAF0S-7UgNhDHDijMqFHU9oq0OdYmMlbGKFFi7v7F4qcVrIgUyy3t2BpiN3MMnB22xNZKjqFpuVfz6HfV4EhOHky5BaN0/s320/DSC_3295.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373240379976871394" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-88702089756882799712009-08-22T08:13:00.002-06:002009-08-22T08:56:03.454-06:00Phoenix, Arizona. Antelope Wells: Been there, done that.Just a quick update because we are all off to the airport in a couple of hours or so.<br /><br />We made it to Antelope Wells on the dot of 10 am yesterday, after leaving Silver City about 14 hours earlier. Riding through the night did indeed eventuate to being the inspired and memorable way to end the journey that we had hoped for.<br /><br />It was not a walk in the park by any means. With the five of us riding with camping quality headlamps, and with Ryan's and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Trystan's</span> failing early, lighting was in short supply over the 40 mile sand road section. This section was for the most part fast and fun, but invisible sand traps every now and again were cause for many a close call.<br /><br />Riding through the night, when the body is tuned to resting, was not surprisingly tough. At times I found myself playing games to see how much of the time I could ride with my eyes closed (thankfully I never lost). Arriving in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Hachita</span>, 46 miles short of our destination, at 4am, we allowed ourselves a "sleep" on the concrete basketball court until 5.30am, at which time we made our final assault. Counting down the mile markers - the 30's, 20's, 10's, and single digits (!!), there was no doubt we were looking forward to the finish. Only some goat head punctures, interesting wildlife (including a couple of dead rattlers, a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">tortoise</span>, tarantula (maybe?), and about a billion grasshoppers), and Ben and Ryan kissing the pavement just 8 miles short, delayed our arrival.<br /><br />124 miles later, five tired, relieved, and satisfied cyclists rolled into Antelope Wells, which indeed lived up to the expectation of being not much at all. Just a small border crossing, a few trees, and an endless border fence.<br /><br />A shuttle ride and a sleep later, and right now we are in an uncomfortably hot Phoenix, glad to be spending an minimal amount of time here. Phoenix is the means to an end - somehow the most convenient way to get out of this country.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Trystan</span> is going to put up some photos when he gets the chance and no doubt there will be a few more closing entries to come. By tonight, Ben and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Trystan</span> will be in Toronto, and Simon, Ryan and I will be back in Vancouver. If just for a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">brief</span> while.<br /><br />Great Divide, check.Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08497572715721883142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-88432835470529819462009-08-20T13:00:00.006-06:002009-08-20T16:34:54.431-06:00Silver City - we are drawing this one out!Alright all you Spot Stalkers out there. Yes, we are still in Silver City. But in just 17 or so hours time we will be 124 miles away from here, five sweaty and smelly bodies rolling into a sweet All-American Cadillac sedan (I would almost call it a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">limousine</span>) "with cold air conditioning" and being shuttled (chauffeured) to Phoenix AZ some 300 or so miles away.<br /><br />But before then, we will have rode our bikes through the night - all 124 miles of it - from Silver City to the big smoke that is Antelope Wells. If this seems like a silly idea I can assure you we have conjured up some worthy justifications: We miss the oppressive day time heat, we get to knock out 124 miles in one go which is pretty cool, and even better we get to ditch our "beloved" Bobs for this final stint by not breaking the ride into two days - ah freedom at last! But perhaps most important of all, Matthew Lee rode 29 hours straight in his final stint to win the Tour Divide 2009 (the race along the same route), and in our efforts to be more like him the least we can do have the experience riding through the night to Antelope Wells.<br /><br />So come 7 pm tonight, some cheap but satisfying mexican burrittos in our stomach, maybe a coffee and a coke or two, we will be on our way, headlamps at the ready, for what should be one hell of a way to finish this epic adventure.<br /><br />But first we will have said goodbye to yet more local heros. This time is is Jamie, who's flat we have been staying at for the last two days, after finding him at the local bike shop on our arrival to Silver City. Jamie raced the Tour Divide this year on a whim and is quite the local legend. His flat is also nearing legendary status as a shrine to all things bicycles, with all five flatmates having an un-natural attachment to bicycles. Within moments of meeting us, Jamie had offered up his front yard for us (which quickly turned into unrestricted use of his flat) and being right near the down-town of Silver City the location is perfect. Jamie's flat has been a base for us as we have made and re-made our final plans. We also have his buddy and fellow local-legend, Jeff, to thank for our new ride to Phoenix, not to mention helping us out in many other ways to ensure a smooth departure. Legends! (And Simon, I don't use that term loosely!)Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08497572715721883142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-81358551806181129222009-08-19T14:14:00.005-06:002009-08-20T13:23:44.144-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 12<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrg9pzWQL17gLfUZvrDsqmSx6V-iOlG-8f26kBiy0LS24Qcgi4k6OMKAv4wDXa2AdYtnAXgQmC_Iz85O0fWWXi0Ap4ijG-lGgwh4jQL0vDCD-JQrWy6cK8Hk4Oe6yP3XzUXuGYFBKxxE/s1600-h/DSC_3265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrg9pzWQL17gLfUZvrDsqmSx6V-iOlG-8f26kBiy0LS24Qcgi4k6OMKAv4wDXa2AdYtnAXgQmC_Iz85O0fWWXi0Ap4ijG-lGgwh4jQL0vDCD-JQrWy6cK8Hk4Oe6yP3XzUXuGYFBKxxE/s320/DSC_3265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371771447332687970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqR95WsupF6mDVi-sOhKu9e4Nft3s0KF3AzlM3sqFu1QNmPsCeIPH0ba0bXXgMdgA2SFd08k2YZI9whnJOkNnXdKVk116t0zzz6wZ4GHh1VRlFdqvRD2auuYZxTTwp38NhS00-aULwDA/s1600-h/DSC_3250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqR95WsupF6mDVi-sOhKu9e4Nft3s0KF3AzlM3sqFu1QNmPsCeIPH0ba0bXXgMdgA2SFd08k2YZI9whnJOkNnXdKVk116t0zzz6wZ4GHh1VRlFdqvRD2auuYZxTTwp38NhS00-aULwDA/s320/DSC_3250.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371771438854039122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5npAgx1jJRiMktQNKqdeBAwJ2nRLTrJFOWw3EISPQVchZbU9AKwD8_dG6R_Cfv9VDlA7_oDc054auYjMkcUi4CxWNh31FcsWW7rd1I6TQC8kwtQTP5DPgvRZCrDBrJdYrCjfGUc2ROJk/s1600-h/DSC_3230.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5npAgx1jJRiMktQNKqdeBAwJ2nRLTrJFOWw3EISPQVchZbU9AKwD8_dG6R_Cfv9VDlA7_oDc054auYjMkcUi4CxWNh31FcsWW7rd1I6TQC8kwtQTP5DPgvRZCrDBrJdYrCjfGUc2ROJk/s320/DSC_3230.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371771431276858818" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_XyaP34EGd-owa_AVBfdtzao5XGBqZhgmMZ18NdKCcozUW6zPWI-h4-JF7F0efH5RxrWbdwMycZ0sB_I31ZY2Btt5yCfIHxcsMFpYYl6drV2ueUBw0ZHdGPZm4VF616Nd_zVHpZjjsA/s1600-h/DSC_3213.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_XyaP34EGd-owa_AVBfdtzao5XGBqZhgmMZ18NdKCcozUW6zPWI-h4-JF7F0efH5RxrWbdwMycZ0sB_I31ZY2Btt5yCfIHxcsMFpYYl6drV2ueUBw0ZHdGPZm4VF616Nd_zVHpZjjsA/s320/DSC_3213.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371771421481842562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4bhPn0yeFK5alp8fcPx6RBzLzCtLJVJJrmb7wWL40KpXw4sBSvlEuquDN6UnfM1mUg8AeAwhxvnMIqbIajGSsbHBbuqecPQstfihkm3I9A2AjCakF7Bh_Ah9Q58E30G3Fl2T2Qk_IpA/s1600-h/DSC_3208.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4bhPn0yeFK5alp8fcPx6RBzLzCtLJVJJrmb7wWL40KpXw4sBSvlEuquDN6UnfM1mUg8AeAwhxvnMIqbIajGSsbHBbuqecPQstfihkm3I9A2AjCakF7Bh_Ah9Q58E30G3Fl2T2Qk_IpA/s320/DSC_3208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371771412600385522" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-37567041600148469282009-08-19T14:11:00.003-06:002009-08-20T13:23:26.659-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 11<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQWYirOGHVycF3x2-wSHIxELn3yUuWf6ECXzkXf6KxiRrbFpmdyQHclRWPH35dhoHqVQS3dHg-MC48FUv2GTR8V8DDDrRb63LI0P482-6meqUozhU_eZbylPywZslBfzs5FMTnZqNpFs/s1600-h/DSC_3203.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0WZkRLrW_M2Zq7DWJFeq0-Uc30k-GM08kzJgiMi8iqeRwMyUgocZLPP9cGXghG8h1U6NLMbcfsJ0dK9JpZbQokG-EIXjyHp6sfAeVOZgUe_whEwh_oxjjSPSrSM7mS-yXOQZstAI_lY/s320/DSC_3074.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371770685332782530" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-5091699796531864192009-08-19T14:08:00.003-06:002009-08-20T13:22:55.297-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBdXeGBJmjZ5UAkjCRCUxu5YVeiyjP1tP7l4575I3EU7XM0emyYlONQJrbvjwvoLK46d0oZDD5V-k6YDYjs6pyqCMbRORZ1pnlNiLH_7elbtIm0dyZUyb9-CCOAaM4kEV4j-l8O7HgKo/s1600-h/DSC_3056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2O2pSHN4Ja6qL2Wqhy7BVMCQWyfdcnUS5O3ksxKUiyI2mR5d5xdq-Pyyha1316PTXvnUzWchVopRmgz-dBCV2iWc2eSxms2qd-D-rjzoX8g98ekg-x8ocYG-MdTOMi0fbW2K2tO3zlEo/s320/DSC_2994.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371769807789739698" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-13714756918843000622009-08-19T14:05:00.003-06:002009-08-20T13:22:39.524-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5YgEw3x-XmtHQfbUdAZrovkx-PjirnDk6tgg6WUBPZ117OnzHJGy0jP8M-S8x0wVV-6nFQBews9DDEBafA28K4YRR6kTOW2dJ1lHVizGbkL-aR1XPXwiAcYd2fZTU2v0R_VUnOsQuH4/s1600-h/DSC_2952.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; 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cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjr6n9ZwGu293EG4zBq0PLTQSgER_C28GhCFqq5qhU4J1g7htHqlvnHe4eAolScjRpx_-Owp7uPawA-ng91kSYIuzbO0NGRW13FZUp080-CkczfbuKJxO0VFQKgum_YbQOzmf2H8ZroE/s320/DSC_2517.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371763608901304930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FZOOjbNsGUwlJIh0FVYKw8YI7AmD4-t3Bog56ar0qUMcY5vreWtjLTq9TiWy-yvKBTyrUOvEnuTx1szVrHpsdD18Pb0sOwZC7alKl6TDsrpW7CSjWYlhSKR2i-AWXESKnIwmQDc6X0U/s1600-h/DSC_2496.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FZOOjbNsGUwlJIh0FVYKw8YI7AmD4-t3Bog56ar0qUMcY5vreWtjLTq9TiWy-yvKBTyrUOvEnuTx1szVrHpsdD18Pb0sOwZC7alKl6TDsrpW7CSjWYlhSKR2i-AWXESKnIwmQDc6X0U/s320/DSC_2496.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371763600529519890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-2uoed5NXuoRwbCbNAlfasKYd8QrzA5zc8Ylkk025rHrEybd41zFOca-U3eaoSlzb75oWDGoa6r-Dp-36rBmhApXdk7-5VkHILeLvaqW1wkuTaF3XZuuibpMlkxTzv8o5YFVVs25RKY/s1600-h/DSC_2493.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAfHMIOu2x9SXg2kvnBuDcKqJwZKew9s1bCasJzJ-TTEZpOqmm0j0ZkI2TCPeXL7I_2Uujt2lgn6U9szT1xQR7HWTfKCh73lajU1I1NwPkHlkZOvn6M5kf1w-104fHc3jDU5nnhPassY/s320/DSC_2472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371763572413616354" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-26140339624897014262009-08-19T13:42:00.002-06:002009-08-20T13:18:24.280-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFlTG4uIy4BXLctgsFVYSlNRLfDoI90l-lB3nqByi_WGMJVq0VWziUntlDJ117rysagKPxSztmWEz0C-B0j8ypw0jB-JEulKJUuZxBjpAeX5d5jk0OKXEh1pvdN73wK6omL-ioeLudRM/s1600-h/DSC_2461.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIFlTG4uIy4BXLctgsFVYSlNRLfDoI90l-lB3nqByi_WGMJVq0VWziUntlDJ117rysagKPxSztmWEz0C-B0j8ypw0jB-JEulKJUuZxBjpAeX5d5jk0OKXEh1pvdN73wK6omL-ioeLudRM/s320/DSC_2461.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371763007330780978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrrbpXdLLcM-e14n1aQ2-QVmySEjnmGVYXL19c6B9DpEjeIYm9dra6UnnGow1lLDAwhUpyGaZah7942QTOj3XxZRZZX9VCvHwVdywHn3-KlHisQFovTYi6vIX7YosVsngRnEEBZ-sbbI/s1600-h/DSC_2455.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrrbpXdLLcM-e14n1aQ2-QVmySEjnmGVYXL19c6B9DpEjeIYm9dra6UnnGow1lLDAwhUpyGaZah7942QTOj3XxZRZZX9VCvHwVdywHn3-KlHisQFovTYi6vIX7YosVsngRnEEBZ-sbbI/s320/DSC_2455.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762996447818290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lLH9nNMPp4QrIMggZjaUzobq6H3a5ToufuAlRq44wgqe7ypMSxmivjScEv4hds4owNmEG3qAzeRkpGg05zJ4rbvelFpWslnwG5FVMKZLr8dtrwfsi12QtaZMS2vxVJ0xhIUozBQ8sMg/s1600-h/DSC_2440.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lLH9nNMPp4QrIMggZjaUzobq6H3a5ToufuAlRq44wgqe7ypMSxmivjScEv4hds4owNmEG3qAzeRkpGg05zJ4rbvelFpWslnwG5FVMKZLr8dtrwfsi12QtaZMS2vxVJ0xhIUozBQ8sMg/s320/DSC_2440.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762992028321458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW_ghmg8BSnSQeaKCJUDnf-EuE55tTYG5d0BAVoij0uc6pTCOehCZtOeB4fxwWjl3-lLBuq68W3Yt3gBKNZt61xCkovwd8_4vqrSIoy7q0T9HjCrk9sh9x3qoDKQFyl3n5WpqITR4LAk/s1600-h/DSC_2429.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW_ghmg8BSnSQeaKCJUDnf-EuE55tTYG5d0BAVoij0uc6pTCOehCZtOeB4fxwWjl3-lLBuq68W3Yt3gBKNZt61xCkovwd8_4vqrSIoy7q0T9HjCrk9sh9x3qoDKQFyl3n5WpqITR4LAk/s320/DSC_2429.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762981798811842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhGAAgpjNSQhF3Cm2He735ulYg4-lPLgBHj70HcakubvFbDMkBCqIDgTLyHPhjXqYQkviMXLdr0gS_KogxqY5LMRx8cSfXAzoMpub6SvUeFgG7EzC-M0Fa0J9NMyiXPC_rjGqkqvNZEQ/s1600-h/DSC_2421.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhGAAgpjNSQhF3Cm2He735ulYg4-lPLgBHj70HcakubvFbDMkBCqIDgTLyHPhjXqYQkviMXLdr0gS_KogxqY5LMRx8cSfXAzoMpub6SvUeFgG7EzC-M0Fa0J9NMyiXPC_rjGqkqvNZEQ/s320/DSC_2421.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762974367361522" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-50217153438625368642009-08-19T13:36:00.003-06:002009-08-20T13:17:58.883-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-jkJhtSoYE8Gj0LFxuSddJr9KDs8ZesaefslUgteClTKvfBngzirrV6DH4LbAvJg3senGRMfpvhyphenhyphenKbzJzHqCP6kewI7CJaxYo85GdzYQK00TMa0vfbdq0dFW1lUZEToCR1fPj3ujvu0/s1600-h/DSC_2386.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-jkJhtSoYE8Gj0LFxuSddJr9KDs8ZesaefslUgteClTKvfBngzirrV6DH4LbAvJg3senGRMfpvhyphenhyphenKbzJzHqCP6kewI7CJaxYo85GdzYQK00TMa0vfbdq0dFW1lUZEToCR1fPj3ujvu0/s320/DSC_2386.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762020098430274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5VnfyhQXEPnRfk63MkWMFPhHutl0KWE-Wl-tWrzxTi-IZaBWGBC8RXMGD9Z5X2kbVvnCW_xDnGNQHYAXkIYpZxqmHu0r1eZkQSihRxG9eqWydfel045BtgUnw2bFU70IygE4JfMS224/s1600-h/DSC_2377.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5VnfyhQXEPnRfk63MkWMFPhHutl0KWE-Wl-tWrzxTi-IZaBWGBC8RXMGD9Z5X2kbVvnCW_xDnGNQHYAXkIYpZxqmHu0r1eZkQSihRxG9eqWydfel045BtgUnw2bFU70IygE4JfMS224/s320/DSC_2377.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371762011527396754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4wD-TF7TXmTNuke8P-Ywl4E6xWECioHj-4aMHtTzm1YsYSUDgZKzENQ6Ff71aBtBr14H_pFmU4KSt_EU3abz3iRUpCFJnuxnvCqNe7SyA42a8vdye2nzAEkBT3-CJ4eskpsWQkQelsc/s1600-h/DSC_2362.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4wD-TF7TXmTNuke8P-Ywl4E6xWECioHj-4aMHtTzm1YsYSUDgZKzENQ6Ff71aBtBr14H_pFmU4KSt_EU3abz3iRUpCFJnuxnvCqNe7SyA42a8vdye2nzAEkBT3-CJ4eskpsWQkQelsc/s320/DSC_2362.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371761966179039234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoxWGVSlri_wcSIeAgojygGI8B48g-liIQRjinrIXLFEPNEZWRSXH1Z0krqMuG6sr83lCVIE683r2AxdrmVWCgMCmLXSRXXJpMu_5AYSnLl2eCt3ZeV4g_ifHbBniwq5mFzxcVbrmDDc/s1600-h/DSC_2360.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoxWGVSlri_wcSIeAgojygGI8B48g-liIQRjinrIXLFEPNEZWRSXH1Z0krqMuG6sr83lCVIE683r2AxdrmVWCgMCmLXSRXXJpMu_5AYSnLl2eCt3ZeV4g_ifHbBniwq5mFzxcVbrmDDc/s320/DSC_2360.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371761916924091970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcBKjEqj63MHdPjO_vWJSsfbnkvTeHa-8pN-VySPAWwZHlMJRFxnyyBIx33b95vl7AR0Agwh0zKalfDF-buGSsgMyOqdN6XcRzhmVoubJ7N9U3jLANGPlCNR_5xcE9nrCafwKlL9dPcM/s1600-h/DSC_2349.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcBKjEqj63MHdPjO_vWJSsfbnkvTeHa-8pN-VySPAWwZHlMJRFxnyyBIx33b95vl7AR0Agwh0zKalfDF-buGSsgMyOqdN6XcRzhmVoubJ7N9U3jLANGPlCNR_5xcE9nrCafwKlL9dPcM/s320/DSC_2349.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371761856523519426" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-37401836136488447032009-08-19T13:30:00.006-06:002009-08-20T13:16:33.909-06:00Silver City, NM - Photo's 1So we'll finish off the blog with a good load of pictures. Remember that these are worth 1000 words each. Enjoy! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTusmQOs8xWPaKKwOwfUVLfhhRglPz37wSIpAaAkInMJ1A9_LbHpGGd_CA8GVlxK-LTzH636riB3pok7K_OEw44L-2D-ycB8aE0W38HxHQIEBTXhUCAspeufLDtr7cZ6jKWjUu8HPO1s/s1600-h/DSC_2343.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTusmQOs8xWPaKKwOwfUVLfhhRglPz37wSIpAaAkInMJ1A9_LbHpGGd_CA8GVlxK-LTzH636riB3pok7K_OEw44L-2D-ycB8aE0W38HxHQIEBTXhUCAspeufLDtr7cZ6jKWjUu8HPO1s/s320/DSC_2343.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760207920607810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-Mhmuq2Mvca9e32qJhl9ImeZbIDN6P0-C67QL4WubRtA7ZuabT2JNFH-BONXkZ7v_OBM4Qk8hrRjfTWA3ywm17GAGS1vsWAoqbQy-yfrV1J4UMhdyyBU_JU67lfHCI8dNDkELXhy68c/s1600-h/DSC_2329.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-Mhmuq2Mvca9e32qJhl9ImeZbIDN6P0-C67QL4WubRtA7ZuabT2JNFH-BONXkZ7v_OBM4Qk8hrRjfTWA3ywm17GAGS1vsWAoqbQy-yfrV1J4UMhdyyBU_JU67lfHCI8dNDkELXhy68c/s320/DSC_2329.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760199281510050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvRKMP29AwhYDUUUinhWqyPUDIZHXiCRiW1VZhTOk-oYQo1NRS28QC2hbO4NEJoUBx4InTc9MNe7HaPiUUKcO9ZoL6y4VM-daj8CbYAVivJAtfa2ee2IXu81GzPGIm9NNRtpsZ568HFY/s1600-h/DSC_2306.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvRKMP29AwhYDUUUinhWqyPUDIZHXiCRiW1VZhTOk-oYQo1NRS28QC2hbO4NEJoUBx4InTc9MNe7HaPiUUKcO9ZoL6y4VM-daj8CbYAVivJAtfa2ee2IXu81GzPGIm9NNRtpsZ568HFY/s320/DSC_2306.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760186260467986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJWdLfgCCF2xhg-W3g02SlfbeKpF-iT5TmNF9aTKtscpnCeoQPjw6UMwe9RBjtNqa5n1ppTqKkWqNAUa6j8OF-zgPdc6gG_3fPZqClEaHg33y-RYqm5Eqc205Fc-QbcYcqqLEwUl2D48/s1600-h/DSC_2300.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJWdLfgCCF2xhg-W3g02SlfbeKpF-iT5TmNF9aTKtscpnCeoQPjw6UMwe9RBjtNqa5n1ppTqKkWqNAUa6j8OF-zgPdc6gG_3fPZqClEaHg33y-RYqm5Eqc205Fc-QbcYcqqLEwUl2D48/s320/DSC_2300.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760178020490482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqu76ciIqEHrbIMl3GAZvIKO_FwhovfIBx3NQjgW4YbSAjE73tQgBsoOacHk0No7yzJ6AaJSIWBsdUUCUGExx2AYA8y7VIJoPRrbhSij6TbOVjGEbejSynfal-mNO7wF8HpadPwGU59E/s1600-h/DSC_2290.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqu76ciIqEHrbIMl3GAZvIKO_FwhovfIBx3NQjgW4YbSAjE73tQgBsoOacHk0No7yzJ6AaJSIWBsdUUCUGExx2AYA8y7VIJoPRrbhSij6TbOVjGEbejSynfal-mNO7wF8HpadPwGU59E/s320/DSC_2290.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371760166146957874" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-90706381152769349352009-08-19T13:20:00.000-06:002009-08-20T16:45:32.303-06:00Falling for the chicken sandwich trap[Warning - content will offend the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">offendable</span>]<br /><br />Following on from a couple of days in Pie Town where eating too much pie was the least of our indiscretions, the timing of our next cultural experience could not have been better. And in hindsight, given we were in the Southern US, this experience should have come as no surprise.<br /><br />An hour or so away from our planned campsite for the night, we found ourselves in need of a top up of water to see us through the night and to the next water certainty, some fifty miles away. And after passing several windmills, all broken down, it was time to stop in at a ranch house. Passing by one uninviting residence, the next one looked just the ticket. Dropping in, I got the now familiar smiling welcome - and "yes you are most welcome to fill up your water, it tastes a little like gypsum or maybe sulphur but otherwise it it fine."<br /><br />Within moments a young lady is at the door offering us cantaloupe, and yes that rock melon is delicious. With the five of us now swarming, the too-good-to-refuse offer to come in for a chicken sandwich is made - "there is plenty to go around" - how could we refuse such a generous offer? So while the dinner is being prepared, we sit outside talking to the helpful Granddad about our route, getting his local tips on what we can expect to find. A few grand children pop there head out the door every now and again, and all seems well in the world. Little do we know but the trap has been set, and the bait has proved to be more than palatable.<br /><br />With the call for dinner made, we head in, to be greeted by three generations - with some of the family visiting it was quite the lively little residence. With the five of us getting a seat at the table along with the granddad and one of his son-in-laws, while the grandmother, mothers, and children sat away by themselves in the corner, it was quickly becoming clear we had made quite the far step to the right. The Granddad said Grace, and we tucked into our quite delicious chicken sandwiches over very brief small-talk about the ranching and such.<br /><br />"So, are you church-going folk?" Bang, straight out with it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Trystan</span> danced around the question while the rest of us muttered and mumbled nothing much.<br /><br />And what follows is a very rough transcript which gives the gist of our two hour conversation with the Pastor of the local church:<br /><br />"Well, then do you know you are going to heaven?"<br />"Um, well, no-one can know that"<br />"But I know I am going to heaven"<br />"How can you be so sure?"<br />"Because it is in the Bible, which is God's word, and if you accept Jesus into your hearts all your sins will be forgiven and you will know that you will go to heaven too. Let me quote from John, Chapter..." Or something to that effect.<br />"But I do good things in my life, I try to be good to people, is that not enough?"<br />"No, we are all sinners, and not letting Jesus into your heart is the greatest sin of all. If you will not let Jesus into your hearts you will go straight to hell".<br />"What if I murder someone and then let Jesus into my heart?"<br />"Jesus will forgive you and you will got to Heaven"<br />"Great, but if I don't let Jesus into my heart, what will Hell be like?"<br />"It is in the centre of the earth - you would have read about how hot it is down there in your science books - it is not a very nice place"<br />"So how do we avoid going to hell?"<br />"By letting the Lord into your heart and asking for forgiveness of your sins. You don't want to go to hell do you?"<br />Ryan: "I am not afraid."<br /><br />And so the conversation with this, the most fundamentalist of fundamentalist Christians, continued. We poked and prodded this gentleman for what we saw as holes in his argument but it was no good. His logic was too sound.<br />"How do you know the Bible is God's word, how do you know it is the truth?"<br />"Because the Bible says it is Gods word and therefore it is the truth" This guy was bread and butter for both the Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Dawkins</span> and John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Cornwell</span> types.<br />"But what about all the other religions, why can they not be the truth?"<br />"Because only the Bible professes to be God's word."<br />"What if you were born in the middle of Africa or Asia, or any other non-Christian part of the world - would you go to Hell without even knowing about the possibility of being allowed into Heaven?"<br />"I truly believe that if want to let Jesus into your heart then Jesus will find you"<br />"But where is the evidence that the bible is the sole truth? We are all educated, we have studied science and such, and there is a quite rigorous process to follow when it comes to proving something as fact. And that is simply not possible to do with the Bible"<br />"Have you actually read the bible?"<br />"Well, no"<br />"Then how can you say it is not God's word"<br />"Well, fair point, I guess we should at least read the bible before we can dismiss it as not being an entirely factual account. "<br /><br />Perhaps he had us there, but after discussions about what heaven is like "You know about the Hubble telescope, Heaven is beyond where it can see", the importance of being baptized "Nowhere in the bible does it say you need to be baptized", and many, many references to verse from the bible (with the daughter by his side to facilitate with appropriate passages) it was time for the big question before he would let us go:<br /><br />"So, will let Jesus into your hearts, will you let Him save you?"<br />"Yes, yes of course, now can we have a second helping of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">icecream</span> cake?" No, I made that up, but that is perhaps what we should have said. We said no, we could not make such a decision on the spot, we would need time to mull this one over. But could he just be satisfied that he will have prompted much discussion amongst the group? Apparently not, but somehow we declined to be saved, and graciously declined the offer of a camp on the front lawn and breakfast in the morning.<br /><br />Back on our bikes, and in the now dark, we made it maybe two miles down the road, just far enough to be out of sight before making camp for the night. He sure did prompt no shortage of discussion, but sadly for our Pastor he had no converts on this occasion. However, with Ben in charge of the Bible we were kindly given, who knows. I have already seen Ben reading the good book in many a spare moment and I sense a turning point is coming...<br /><br />Yes, we fell right into his trap, which he openly admitted. If I send just one addenda to the Adventure Cycling Association for the Great Divide Route, it will be this one: "Mile 48.2 [or wherever it was]: Ranch house on left. Chicken sandwiches for all. No strings attached. Enjoy."<br /><br />Or maybe not.Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08497572715721883142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-81171620565822318262009-08-19T11:36:00.002-06:002009-08-19T11:43:18.430-06:00Silver City, NM - Houdini the Desert Tiger, as promissedGibby, I can only imagine what Scotty would have done...but this isn't Survivor Man, and you'd have to get through way too much soft white fluff before getting any nutritious meat out of the little guy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIUSZ2rOJGTINW99q4a2odXaQpXMD8dX2DVTmUYjUnJyYVf_gqXJkg0jscMbHQajmzwryKubRLx7_0DAaMLTP7ubXuYI9HrcTHImIamYoir9C7A5SDHH7jy1pyontLoimdlPkX-gj4qQ/s1600-h/DSC_2792.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIUSZ2rOJGTINW99q4a2odXaQpXMD8dX2DVTmUYjUnJyYVf_gqXJkg0jscMbHQajmzwryKubRLx7_0DAaMLTP7ubXuYI9HrcTHImIamYoir9C7A5SDHH7jy1pyontLoimdlPkX-gj4qQ/s320/DSC_2792.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371730860931243778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVsYPp1OJHdNOkHSHxwo7ZCtbmNg-L6jMdp7acyCYkUVtOrhj97ipnlHqqRH8qCnOWtLWv-IIipdtBfjt3_TF6139eIhBAqIMMKsEMqkq6LqZnnlWKVztLKzY7cyznJqkvURQf9OPsAg/s1600-h/DSC_2781.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVsYPp1OJHdNOkHSHxwo7ZCtbmNg-L6jMdp7acyCYkUVtOrhj97ipnlHqqRH8qCnOWtLWv-IIipdtBfjt3_TF6139eIhBAqIMMKsEMqkq6LqZnnlWKVztLKzY7cyznJqkvURQf9OPsAg/s320/DSC_2781.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371730846353334274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Iny5_u6LJ5ynfriVAjZjaGPQrgJrBytIA-uXsy0J4AGPo-sN7mnRLMJC3bZI2m635uQHt0KFSl9c0mrxqT9BNQK9y1DXBVrdptA9H-CKt-A1sYjWGOoNKsqw4fg_9u5hGoyqKLotwEY/s1600-h/DSC_2774.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Iny5_u6LJ5ynfriVAjZjaGPQrgJrBytIA-uXsy0J4AGPo-sN7mnRLMJC3bZI2m635uQHt0KFSl9c0mrxqT9BNQK9y1DXBVrdptA9H-CKt-A1sYjWGOoNKsqw4fg_9u5hGoyqKLotwEY/s320/DSC_2774.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371730838740431762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wlcmS-l8Vt-jTK8BsEgeBhylVmCGiZlXrk5zmVlz6DQPU11vQxkqGitQAqm9Ac4TubUN-6CXbDZe21u33p5dNmqYwVdr739aI-W6-lMBEnkLtCHjOKXdABKIyUXoPoKYi6Poh3TIGJ4/s1600-h/DSC_2736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wlcmS-l8Vt-jTK8BsEgeBhylVmCGiZlXrk5zmVlz6DQPU11vQxkqGitQAqm9Ac4TubUN-6CXbDZe21u33p5dNmqYwVdr739aI-W6-lMBEnkLtCHjOKXdABKIyUXoPoKYi6Poh3TIGJ4/s320/DSC_2736.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371730830251901826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Up4pDiCKecqwyLrWkaXc-BucPMwaNGeV4zyKsc_qT03RUgUm-9FoHG4I3pDAm7_KVoakemQc2AOKSIq7H4yby8uG9l0bz49yfWqkaARdi3Q_cBZhU8M_DBOxcC13kBxFF0ZjAWX2Ygs/s1600-h/DSC_2730.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Up4pDiCKecqwyLrWkaXc-BucPMwaNGeV4zyKsc_qT03RUgUm-9FoHG4I3pDAm7_KVoakemQc2AOKSIq7H4yby8uG9l0bz49yfWqkaARdi3Q_cBZhU8M_DBOxcC13kBxFF0ZjAWX2Ygs/s320/DSC_2730.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371730817286790434" /></a>Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-71854672583549052612009-08-19T11:27:00.005-06:002009-08-19T13:29:13.308-06:00Pie Town, NM - Gettin Pied in Pie TownGreetings from Pie Town New Mexico. The theme for blog my entries seem to follow directly as a result of a team mate pulling a red card. This red card came right out of left field as Grant the least likely of all of us, threw down his down with conviction. Unfortunately he does not remember his bold act as a result of over serving himself with Libations. Here is where I must end my description of the events as Grant views the story as defamation of character where as I only see it as the inflammation of character. OH-well another example of this eclectic group of individuals.<br /> All that aside, what was only going to be a lunch stop in the middle of New Mexico turned into two days of good times spent with good people. The characters in this small mountainous hamlet include an old cowboy named Jim, a mother to all named Nita, a wondering soul named Meagan, a cook named Tye and the multitasking multi talented Pie maker named Cathy. Once again small town America, shows us its vibrancy in soul and character. <br /> Originally a supply stop on the railway, one famed Pie Maker was responsible for the naming of this town by simply being really good at what he did, Pies. We were flooded with quotes like "Pie will set you free" and "in Pie we trust" and my favourite "Pie Town, a little slice of heaven". Nita who has an overwhelming motherly presence has taken it upon herself to provide housing and friendship for any and all travelers who are looking. So we stayed at her guest house which is known as the toaster house for its collection of derelict toasters. Many travelers have graced this house as testament to the guest log book. Interestingly many travelers do not sign there real names to the book, instead they use an alternate name or "trail name" usually bestowed upon an individual while they are on there journey or "tangent" from real life. Here is where I would like to re introduce our group of five.<br /> Ben Lennon, so named for his amazing musical talents and candid sunglasses that just scream Yoko. While in Pie town I personally witnessed him communicating thru music a language I cannot understand, but have great respect for. Ben Lennon is constantly looking for peace, fighting the battle within.<br /> Terminator or T1K. Formed from molten mercury, formerly known as Grant. Deadlines and schedules being of the utmost importance this gentleman is largely credited with getting the group this far down the trail. Mechanical in his movements and attitudes this man does make eye contact or change his cadence for anything. A hard nut to crack, the terminator has made great advances in making human contact.<br /> Kroger or T-pain, who some of you may remember as Trystan. Logistics coordinator extraordinaire this man is on the ball. Often the lynch pin in holding down the group as one. Constantly oiling the machine this man keeps us rolling smoothly. From Bleeding dark places to aching knees this man knows the pain, and is OK with it. The Kroger name has come from his affinity for this name brand found throughout the U.S. From wound spray to cough drops and don't forget phone cards this guy is a company man(who knew).<br /> Simon has desperately tried to attain the name of Money and I have asked to be called the Ice-Man. Unfortunately these handles have not stuck yet but we will continue our efforts in pushing our alter ego's. <br /> Thanks Pie town for all the trail magic. "We came for the Pie and stayed for the Goat cheese" (sorry if that doesn't make sense, had to be there.)<br /> Anyway thanks again for tuning in. I only write these entries because of the overwhelming response we have had from everybody. 100 hits a day according to the T1K, so keep on comin back as we wind down this little journey down to Mexico. Later<br /><br />Ice-Man (or maybe just call me Bocephus, or perhaps Shithead or maybe just by my more common place surname. I don't care, just don't call me late for diner)ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03323615929586132036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-82190963854618649732009-08-19T11:10:00.011-06:002009-08-19T12:18:27.565-06:00Silver City - New Mexico. Some picsThe first pic aside, here are a few from our time in New Mexico:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaH9kAV_i5wP57vgx5bAh8at23ZfyZjklXToABbcx-W63HsmU7RjFUjdOGf_wZMW9SERBhHp2izT2hCxE4dai2S0-5E7CU9-Pszz8a3lR6C5FW9CuvU02TRIyqlNF2BAluZAbeKjxbPgE/s1600-h/IMG_2888%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaH9kAV_i5wP57vgx5bAh8at23ZfyZjklXToABbcx-W63HsmU7RjFUjdOGf_wZMW9SERBhHp2izT2hCxE4dai2S0-5E7CU9-Pszz8a3lR6C5FW9CuvU02TRIyqlNF2BAluZAbeKjxbPgE/s400/IMG_2888%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371727421174753666" border="0" /></a> Found on the side of the road a few miles south of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Doyleville</span> Colorado, which is about 40 miles out of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Salida</span>. Tim and Wendy, aka Wings and Roots: awesome!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUvDohLKEzuIspkYkLbcdT3Q5OWwH55SHzItS6cKQSHCzq5A0FA1ySrqrmmLasluEFYjPlVQRDUGaxy_sailg8MBJvVkrQRvb78NEMAQ3bvlQCbjISdKOlUkX7F4PLExNW1BB49PJMqo/s1600-h/IMG_2967%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUvDohLKEzuIspkYkLbcdT3Q5OWwH55SHzItS6cKQSHCzq5A0FA1ySrqrmmLasluEFYjPlVQRDUGaxy_sailg8MBJvVkrQRvb78NEMAQ3bvlQCbjISdKOlUkX7F4PLExNW1BB49PJMqo/s400/IMG_2967%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371727453304385682" border="0" /></a>Yeah, I'm not sure either.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZeOHggYNQPDS7JnM3FiwkNYm5Lx8hyN2SnPeoLXfgA05itF_DVfZMwCM2EH9UfTaoyXnhSOe75lD01lbIlu352NiBOHX60QOUCSl_cuzOWr0Dk6aMh7EHwKVI1Ic_Vf9MpbaXHqiiD0/s1600-h/IMG_2974%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZeOHggYNQPDS7JnM3FiwkNYm5Lx8hyN2SnPeoLXfgA05itF_DVfZMwCM2EH9UfTaoyXnhSOe75lD01lbIlu352NiBOHX60QOUCSl_cuzOWr0Dk6aMh7EHwKVI1Ic_Vf9MpbaXHqiiD0/s400/IMG_2974%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371740062444549922" border="0" /></a>Ben Lennon<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvwWAfcGr8PDXE1enxl5ZSd3vHG14l3zoggpZ9WCALhPxWxz4CsKBE-VsU8IARliO-gfULr5P8oD3JNVndxwh_MI_qaJ5SfXCgJgijmxjS3Fda4TzIvvkhKdLswPMzQ-AgS-_gbOp-Ao/s1600-h/IMG_3006%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvwWAfcGr8PDXE1enxl5ZSd3vHG14l3zoggpZ9WCALhPxWxz4CsKBE-VsU8IARliO-gfULr5P8oD3JNVndxwh_MI_qaJ5SfXCgJgijmxjS3Fda4TzIvvkhKdLswPMzQ-AgS-_gbOp-Ao/s400/IMG_3006%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371737174673257874" border="0" /></a>Sport camping at the front entrance of the El <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Malpais</span> Ranger Station<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu-vZPl7Q7CCichbiTln3_aZ3Js6e_57MY6kC0KrFrpyhK_B6ZSIylv_eFJPxehZts_4nfC8sfo0sveJWadDR4BvZo1iqIr-wo01vsFA7rJ22p2LjUziuSAdKTAappP7WuRAJWixNP2I/s1600-h/IMG_3052%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBu-vZPl7Q7CCichbiTln3_aZ3Js6e_57MY6kC0KrFrpyhK_B6ZSIylv_eFJPxehZts_4nfC8sfo0sveJWadDR4BvZo1iqIr-wo01vsFA7rJ22p2LjUziuSAdKTAappP7WuRAJWixNP2I/s400/IMG_3052%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371727441955609058" border="0" /></a>Pie town: Simon displaying a lack of confidence in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Trystan's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">barbecuing</span> skills.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJdmrFGh4LxBehNKTfFkHZ1cM5t2xPMaHVzybh3_8K3Te7UNE4d0mCK6TiltfXpIUZ1X2ngePlB5MFTfTdU4-9JSfRDA4onzw_x5zGxXGH-t7CoVsdJfMInGFDVFsEIVguzVZOk2f_R4/s1600-h/IMG_3043%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJdmrFGh4LxBehNKTfFkHZ1cM5t2xPMaHVzybh3_8K3Te7UNE4d0mCK6TiltfXpIUZ1X2ngePlB5MFTfTdU4-9JSfRDA4onzw_x5zGxXGH-t7CoVsdJfMInGFDVFsEIVguzVZOk2f_R4/s400/IMG_3043%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371727431851318002" border="0" /></a>Pie town: Jim, cowboy - the real deal, and musician - the real deal too.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwclq7yNyzFSjdqgOc1k1n0OIl_cMDzbMXM-UxA8fQ5B6g8mRifqhgJa5VuDEOMbDA7DQyceMlaOTKsf5QIcYkRCEmOKpLZQJXS29WgJ5TFVAsByrkJBfuuNVKsmxHkSqc61ZvNA6x8E/s1600-h/IMG_3097%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwclq7yNyzFSjdqgOc1k1n0OIl_cMDzbMXM-UxA8fQ5B6g8mRifqhgJa5VuDEOMbDA7DQyceMlaOTKsf5QIcYkRCEmOKpLZQJXS29WgJ5TFVAsByrkJBfuuNVKsmxHkSqc61ZvNA6x8E/s400/IMG_3097%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371727463949221234" border="0" /></a>You come across a forest fire - what do you do? Go play in it of course.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9TQz-cLVZTuQODQuozyTF8RlgvjjmwJXsPit9kALXna8J0edkuNA3v6GRXqt3ilI_erccZYFmR8SbxYU_cydCsQNvqiwXTb1WQhcuNfbXme7YlHv0Kz5EoqqrNPrz86cI2hLlE1chk8/s1600-h/IMG_2976%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9TQz-cLVZTuQODQuozyTF8RlgvjjmwJXsPit9kALXna8J0edkuNA3v6GRXqt3ilI_erccZYFmR8SbxYU_cydCsQNvqiwXTb1WQhcuNfbXme7YlHv0Kz5EoqqrNPrz86cI2hLlE1chk8/s400/IMG_2976%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371737181482708882" border="0" /></a>New Mexico: Green<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuCiypFFE4_Kdcsrs14rEZ8WDqmouZDukvSZADmpUOCE6hz3fZxv1ADLifiKJc8mO3ZDZKL8wDz_FJjCXiloeZUx33jVGtI8G28mW9ouUfMjKjsRSauoGq1ZExRy-O7Iht5TRAjFW6_g/s1600-h/IMG_2992%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuCiypFFE4_Kdcsrs14rEZ8WDqmouZDukvSZADmpUOCE6hz3fZxv1ADLifiKJc8mO3ZDZKL8wDz_FJjCXiloeZUx33jVGtI8G28mW9ouUfMjKjsRSauoGq1ZExRy-O7Iht5TRAjFW6_g/s400/IMG_2992%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371737196729531410" border="0" /></a>New Mexico: Hot and desolate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN35Dd-h0c14upfg7YbChnaZgsPFNQUqeJH02LOJCODGJjVxotTvfFu5dTxuS3214QleucbmDPO-TtBk8Qfv6JVsn5kNtraCIMC9i-YZN8QsQwt5NcauUjUtf2cZob8D0lF2e35RIbVI/s1600-h/IMG_3016%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPN35Dd-h0c14upfg7YbChnaZgsPFNQUqeJH02LOJCODGJjVxotTvfFu5dTxuS3214QleucbmDPO-TtBk8Qfv6JVsn5kNtraCIMC9i-YZN8QsQwt5NcauUjUtf2cZob8D0lF2e35RIbVI/s400/IMG_3016%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371737212654324402" border="0" /></a>New Mexico: Wet and cool<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5co9mfD8TZZ3Ssf-bguAw9BCReFcyS_flsmEWZ0XV5HrdbeKaRwnpOUxj3KvVkcJEdYlzeZ-BAAVPKkUSDETFWBzoDjYTIZZ5I0X8-FzXxYoMu4UTKFtkrIg99voqYvCIhFZ1NrXzjJE/s1600-h/IMG_3100%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5co9mfD8TZZ3Ssf-bguAw9BCReFcyS_flsmEWZ0XV5HrdbeKaRwnpOUxj3KvVkcJEdYlzeZ-BAAVPKkUSDETFWBzoDjYTIZZ5I0X8-FzXxYoMu4UTKFtkrIg99voqYvCIhFZ1NrXzjJE/s400/IMG_3100%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371740086819015474" border="0" /></a>New Mexico: Mines<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJKWsVwZgzAkUxSH2y-S4sQXczhmgUriLB7tXayuqYXybzDpBHQNnLDKH-GHwm-CMuD9-3tf9_55JX3SjsPFp0TqQMdcjHwhdYUmwQI7cGh1eViD85O1DfQQ31WR61UybMeHpNYCx4VY/s1600-h/IMG_3068%5B1%5D"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJKWsVwZgzAkUxSH2y-S4sQXczhmgUriLB7tXayuqYXybzDpBHQNnLDKH-GHwm-CMuD9-3tf9_55JX3SjsPFp0TqQMdcjHwhdYUmwQI7cGh1eViD85O1DfQQ31WR61UybMeHpNYCx4VY/s400/IMG_3068%5B1%5D" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371737218550732482" border="0" /></a>New Mexico: Diverse.<br /><br /></div>Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08497572715721883142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-28870591293296727752009-08-13T15:32:00.003-06:002009-08-13T16:07:29.399-06:00Grants, NM - Houdini the Desert TigerTo my great dismay, I am not able to upload photos from this library, and in this case...a picture (or video is worth 1000 words)...but I may as well the story regardless, and then, I'll upload the images of Houdini-the-Desert-Tiger from Silver City in four days, I promise.<br /><br />So after Grant's email with all the statistics including average heart rate, water consumption per degree per hour and spoke thermal expansion rates.... it is likely that female readership approval ratings have plummeted to levels reminiscent of G. W. Bush in 2007. <br /><br />However, with my powers of prose, I hope to keep the final stragglers that have somehow held on and defied all odds. <br /><br />So in Cuba, Grant decided to steal ahead and get a head start. And after some tall bottles of cold beer at the School Gazebo and some stories with a Texan, the rest of us headed off into the desert. But even at 5 pm, it was very hot for our Canadian blood, and riding was still a struggle. So we picked a good hill on the horizon, and committed to having a good break at the top. <br /><br />Once we pulled over some 15 miles into the desert and wiped the sweat from our brows, we hear a "meow" and out runs the most threadbare, fluffy, dirty and scrawny little kitten that we've ever seen. Houdini, as he would soon be Christened, crossed the hot pavement and started trotting towards us as fast as his little legs could carry him....and in a paternal moment that hard-lining feminist sociologist may deny exists, Simon runs across the road, arms stretch completely enamoured yelling "kitty, kitty, kitty"....it was a breathtaking scene.<br /><br />But little Houdini was terribly thirsty and even raced over to Ryan and he was relieving himself of the cold beer he had recently enjoyed, and so we fed this little guy as much water as his body could take and decided, and decided that he'd be coming with us. <br /><br />And so he did. This little kitten travelled some 70 miles with us and was carried in Simon's handlebar bag, Bougie's vest and finally, into Bougie's rear pannier where his little head was sticking out like a golden retriever our a car window. On our first night with Houdini, he curled up into Simon's silk liner and spent most of the time pushing and pulling on it, happier that a pig in shit. It was a beautiful sight.<br /><br />But, despite ideas of getting him cleaned up, and shots, and smuggling our little survivor over the border, we decided that we better see if we could find him a good home if possible. And as fate would have it, after our second day with Houdini happily riding in the pannier, we stopped at the bar for a much needed cold beer, and as it turns out, the bar had several desert cats that they fed daily....and so, with a parting "meow" and a couple a false escapes, we reluctantly parted with this little guy...it was a sad night after, and as we hammered into the truck stop buffet, few words were exchanged but the air was full of man-mourning.<br /><br />Hang in there till you see this guy in action, I'll even try uploading a video...if you're lucky.Trystanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14637415887843313822noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-38464937790271250122009-08-13T09:52:00.012-06:002009-08-13T11:55:51.612-06:00Grants - and welcome to New MexicoHello from Grants, New Mexico. This is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">in fact</span> the third Grants we have passed through or by on this entire trip and I note we have not been through or near a single <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span>, Ben, Simon, or Ryan. Is this something to boast about? Probably not. The first in Montana was a dot in the map that we skirted around the side, and the second in Yellowstone was the biggest campground I have ever seen. This, the third Grants, population 11 thousand or so, is a boom/ bust mining and now services town, its survival appearing to be due to its location on the infamous Route 66. Aside from hotels, workshops, and food joints, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sprawled</span> along and around the highways which dominate, there does not seem to be a whole lot going on here.<br /><br />Since our vacation from our vacation, one of the themes has been the high passes. Finally getting Marshall Pass out of the way (no pass has ever been so needlessly revered for so long), all the while the biggest of them all, Indiana, lurked in the background. As it turned out, Indiana was typical of the Colorado climbs, being of a steady gradient on good gravel roads, only a bit longer and loftier than the rest. However, it is the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">un-</span>named passes that can often prove to be the nastiest of surprises - in this case the climb up to "Junction of FR27 and FR144" was the biggest, baddest, and yet coolest climb of the trip. Taking us from the Old-Mexico town of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Abiquiu</span>, set in red rock country, all the way up into the sub-alpine forests, some of the greenest of the entire journey, along roads which varied from gravel, to loose rock, to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">slickrock</span>. This climb had it all, except for an abundance of water.<br /><br />Shortly before entering New Mexico we were lucky enough (according to the guide book) to watch the black smoke belching tourist steam train of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad come right past, complete with eardrum piercing whistle, as made its way back and forth between the states of Colorado and New Mexico. The penny-on-the-track trick was a necessity, though Trystan, in a display of wealth, put up an entire quarter.<br /><br />The two-stage welcome to New Mexico: Entering New Mexico in the same way as we have entered most of the other states, i.e. on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, just looking at the scenery you would have thought you were still in Colorado. That is, except for the roads. Where washboarded gravel roads was the worst it generally got in Colorado, we were almost immediately met with ruts big enough to almost swallow bikes whole. We could only be thankfull we met these roads in the dry. The so absolutely poor condition of these roads actually made them a lot of fun to ride - except for the 1/2 mile pusher up a super steep loose rock section that was cruelly noted on the route discription as being a mile before it actually was.<br /><br />Welcome to New Mexico stage-two came the next day, as we made a sweet decent down into the small village of El Rito. All of a sudden we were presented with barren red-rock country which to my geologically lay-mans eyes looked quite reminiscent of what we had seen on our Utah vacation from the vacation. Arriving in El Rito left no doubt. This quant little old-Mexico village was the real deal, complete with a tiny Mexican shack-like restaurant which ensured we were more than adequately fueled push on into the sunset.<br /><br />This evening was also to be the first team sport-sleeping event. This came two nights after Ben, Simon, and Bougie had successfully sport-slept beside a park bench just metres away from the Platoro restaurant (about 40 paces in total required between the interval of dinner and breakfast for those three). On this evening, with the small town of Abiquiu still nearly 20 miles ahead, we took aim for the El Rito River which we would cross just a few miles shy of Abiquiu. Sadly the El Rito river turned out to be an unattractive silty torrent, though the lone beaver did not appear to mind. Our hopes for a good wash-up dashed, we set on into the fading light, finding an inviting lush paddock located just off the highway and conveniently behind a half open gate. Unfortunately this perfect spot was also perfect for the mosquitos, so back on the road we went, headed for the unknown of Abiquiu. In the now darkness, we blazed by Abiquiu (what sort of town does not have a main-drag?) and soon spotted a well-lit facility just off the highway. A quick recon by Bougie - we had found an elementary school - this third spot was to be just right! Lifting our bikes over the locked gates, we headed straight for the well-equiped playground. Simon was king of the castle (or maybe the night-watchman?), Bougie took the role of the park bench bum, and the rest of us spread ourselves around in similar fashion. Were the kids back in school yet? Thankfully no, so an uneventful exit was made (aside from our first encounters with the tyre loving, to be the bane of our existance in New Mexico, goat-heads, causing two punctures before we had even had breakfast).<br /><br />Other features on New Mexico include a constant lack of water. Though perhaps I shouldn't complain about the dry too much - so far we have avoided the monsoon season - but looking at the forecast that looks about to change. The best and most reliable water sources appear to be well stocked caravan and RV types who we inevitably meet along the way.<br /><br />Water was the reason for meeting Shaun, yet another fine person we have met along the way and vying for the number 1 spot of greatest and most helpful person we have met. The timing was perfect, it was getting late in the day and we still had ten or so miles to get to our intended camp site and water source - the Rio San Antonio River (which as it turned out was a filter-killing silty and uninviting stream, typical of what we are finding in NM). Ben and Simon up ahead, they stopped to talk to Shaun, who was sitting outside his caravan cooking dinner. Shaun was well supplied with water, so a restock was made. However this was only the start of this mans generocity. He then said "boys, I've got dinner for you too", or something to that effect, and brings back from his caravan a stack of military ration MRE meals. As we had planned yet another tuna/ pasta combo, this was more than well received. If that wasn't enough, as we waited for the MRE meals to cook, he hands us a gourmet sausage and tortilla off his bbq grill each. Then a gatorade followed by a couple of bags of popcorn. He must have known we were coming! After profuse thanks for his never-ending generocity, we were off on our way, and with no need to make it to a water source we were free to camp wherever we pleased - and a fine choice it was too - which also began an unbroken run of tentless nights.<br /><br />The dominant wildlife of New Mexico is the snappy dog. Brown, white, big or small, these things sport of choice is snapping at the heels of the passer-by cyclist. While Ben and Simon have ditched their bear-spray as a means of weight reduction, mine remains intact and strapped to my bike frame, but for how much longer? The temptation is there...<br /><br />Right now we really are into the business end of the trip, with just under 400 miles left to ride. As all of us have flights out of Phoenix Arizona (a 300 or so mile bus or shuttle ride away) on the 22nd, we have until the 20th to make it to Antelope Wells. Not a whole lot of time, but but not overly tight yet either. Our next stretch takes us to Silver City, over 200 miles away from Grants, with only the aptly-named Pie Town in between. Pie Town has a cafe which sells, you guessed it - pies (which will be breakfast on Saturday morning), but apart from that there is little else along this section. Plenty of planning is required for a stretch like this... it is a long way to go hungry!Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08497572715721883142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-36839748234284868882009-08-06T17:34:00.008-06:002009-08-06T21:46:53.203-06:00Salida, CO - Babes blow kneesThis entry comes from the town of Del <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Norte</span> Colorado beside the famous Rio <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Grande</span> river. I can say I am only writing this because of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span> as I will explain. You see we have been forced to take a rest day because <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span> has over <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">exerted</span> himself trying to keep up with our new friends Loni and Annie. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Machismo</span> at it's purest, not to be out done by a girl even if they both are stronger and more competent at riding(sorry buddy). It all goes back to the bar last week in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salida</span> when Simon gets talking to two strangers. Amazed that two attractive girls would even talk to him clad in spandex, he must of been even more amazed that they invited him back to there place to hang out. I assure you as amazed as he was by this gesture I was ten times more amazed that he mentioned this new plan to us, his friends as I surely would of said Peace to my amigos and gone off into the sunset with my new more attractive friends. As it were we all went over and had a fun filled night of ridiculous story telling and laughing. After going out <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">with</span> them for breakfast the next morning, we made our rendezvous with Tim and Wendy and our magical week in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moab</span>(Mountain and Outdoor Adventure Base). One magical week later we were back in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Salida</span>, hoping to hang out a little longer. Thunder showers that never materialized were good enough of an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">excuse</span> not to push on up to M<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">arshall</span> pass, giving us one more night. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tequilla</span>, Whiskey and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">PBR's</span>(<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">america's</span> finest beer) sent us into a ridiculous night of costumes, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">fires's</span> and endless <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">smores</span>. Basically keeping the neighbors up into the wee early morn. Next day a little fuzzy eyed we had Marshall in our sights. Giving us a proper farewell from this fun little town the girls rode up with us which would take us a solid 3 hours to do. Little did we know it this would do more harm than good. Which brings me back to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span>. For you see <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span> thought he could keep up with this new pace set by these incredible girls on there steel, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">stiffy</span> single speed steeds. Being group photographer and also being the heaviest in gear also contributed in taking it's toll on the poor lad and by mid day he was complaining of soreness in the knees. Saying goodbye to our girls at the pass we cruised on out of a country I could easily call home. One day later and we are forced to rest as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">Trystan</span> has used his red card issued to every team member <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">in-case</span> of the need to take a break from the game. I personally don't mind as the people here are friendly and the summit just behind the town allowed a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">successful</span> ascent giving views of the mighty <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">rockies</span> that protrude right out of the plains. Tomorrow comes <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">Indianna</span> pass the largest of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">entire</span> route so wish us luck, hopefully we don't meet any cute girls on bikes in this town<br />Power to the Pedalryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03323615929586132036noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1662454908082769622.post-90773841883806885142009-08-03T17:25:00.010-06:002009-08-06T21:47:44.735-06:00Moab, UT - A vacation within a vactaionHi i'm Simon<br />...So some of you probably think we're having fun...<br />That we're just downright loving criss-crossing the backbone of North America on pedal bikes!<br />up and down allll day long.<br />Yesterday, a local ignoramus even had the nerve to suggest that this may be "the trip of a lifetime." <br />Sort yourself out bro!<br />We're going on vacation.<br /><br />So we hit Salida with a half-inch of callus on the backsides and as the diehard groupies will have noticed (those of you clicking 'refresh' on our spot tracker with greater frequency than 5clicks/hour) we headed west, sans bicyclettes, for greener (or rather redder) pastures. Moab, Utah. "The mountain biking capital of the solar system and you left your bikes behind?" you ask. I don't really have a good response for that other than that my ass is actually developing a semi-permanent bike saddle tattoo which is way not cool. <br /><br />We have had the great fortune of spending almost a week in the small oasis of south central Utah, nestled among the La Sal mountains, that is Pack Creek Ranch (or Dude Ranch as is was to be affectionately renamed upon our testosterone-soaked arrival.) For six days we truly vacationed from a vacation, which despite my earlier complaints, is saying quite a lot. Thank you so much Mom, Dad, Tim, Wendy, Wings, Roots.<br /><br />The photos below are by no means representative of our stay. You'll just have to use your imaginations to fill in the blanks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ox7eR9ijxrE/SndyeAgKMiI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/8h42aeBGJao/s1600-h/DSC_1846.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ox7eR9ijxrE/SndyeAgKMiI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/8h42aeBGJao/s320/DSC_1846.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365883340891763234" /></a><br /><br />Arches are the geological wonders that characterize the south west of Utah - they are the products of wind and time. They are made of sandstone. They are inanimate. This one attacked Bougie (Yes, a piece fell on his head - real-time geology folks.) Great trigger finger Trystan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ox7eR9ijxrE/Sndyd0jhmfI/AAAAAAAAA1I/mq-DENVZx6U/s1600-h/IMGP5593.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ox7eR9ijxrE/Sndyd0jhmfI/AAAAAAAAA1I/mq-DENVZx6U/s320/IMGP5593.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365883337684654578" /></a><br /><br />Dirty cyclists stoked on tan lines and the commencement of the vacation within the vacation (that ones gettin' old hey?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1