And on the fifth day, we were bone tired. Blank stare bone tired. Thanks to a couple late nights – Super Happy Fun Day at Neptune and then Father's Day at Elaine's home – combined with five days of ten hour work shifts, we emerged on this morning's ride sleepy. Not quite enough sleep. Still, it was good to get out. 42° at the start of the ride, and it was the Ibex woolly and knee warmers all the way to the secret passage. The woods were excellent this morning and I savor the time I get to spend in it. It's pretty cool to ride through the different climates, from conifer forest to pinyon forest to the Great Plains. We commute between two significant geographic locales in North America – the transition between two major regions, the Rockies and the Plains. It's fun to witness and experience it on a bicycle.
Lots of buzz for biking these days at the place of work. It's funny, because we are a mountaineering store, but there is some serious passion for mountain biking in the place. Our ski buyer is looking at maybe getting a Walt Works. Our Operations Manager just got this crazy full sus Pivot 29er that looks like a lot of fun. One of managers has an awesome S-Works commuter and our GM and our shipper are in France right now riding the Alpe d'Huez. Elaine is rocking the Stumpy, and I'm having a blast on the Moots single. It seems like we talk more about bikes in the shop than we do climbing, and that's fine by me. One of my favorite things about working in the outdoor industry is the constant banter about activities and the stoke that this banter provides. I loved it at IMBA, missed it teaching and am glad to have it back.
Fixie Dave Nice stopped by the shop today. Always good to see him, and I'm so psyched he completed his Tour Divide on a fixed gear effort. An eclectic dude with a great heart and an awesome love for the sport of cycling. I'm hoping to have him present his story at Neptune sometime this summer. It'd be different and very cool. Bikes, mountaineering, hiking, skiing – who cares. It's all adventure and different ways to move through the mountains. To me, bikes are very utilitarian – an alternative, superior choice for transportation, but there is adventure too.
Three days off. Time to ski, ride, relax and take care of business. Four days till the Summer Solstice!
Alta Backcountry 