Living The Dream

24 Hour of Utah... The Run

2010-04-04T10:07:00.003-06:00

What is this? This a race where a team or solo run/walk/hike for 24 hours. Only one team member is on the course at a time. The course in this race is a 5.37 mile lap through some very scenic sites surrounding Moab,Utah.

2010 Race Schedule

2010-04-03T09:27:00.004-06:00

View 2010 Race Schedule in a larger map

Here is the projected race schedule for the season! Each pin has the race details.

Let's see how it goes.

Snowshoeing in the Gulch

2010-01-24T19:16:00.002-07:00

Today, we decided to take it easy but wanted to be outside! So, we got our snowshoes and headed to a local gulch system! We took lunch and the hiking stove!

Enjoy the video.

Powder day at Purgatory

2010-01-22T18:47:00.004-07:00

With totally coolness; my company allows Paid Time Off to ski on days that are remarkable. After receiving 2 to 3 feet of new snow in South West Durango Friday seemed to be the perfect day to take off!

Tyler decided to venture in the deep powder; Brianna, she decided to pass up the opportunity for a later date.

The skiing was unbelievable and presented new challenges!

Sunday in the Back Country

2010-01-10T18:37:00.004-07:00

Today, a buddy took me under his wing to show me the basics of back country skiing.

Thanks again Walker!!

Let me provide a summary for those of you not familiar with back country skiing. At least this has been my organic definition as I am new to the sport!!

Back Country Skiing: Skiing without paying any money to ski, skiing without seeing another human except for your buddies, being outdoors in the blissful and peaceful wilderness, and finally, skiing the "white gold" deep powder. Oh did I also mention getting sun burned, so you also can work on your tan!

Enjoy the Video.

Andrews Lake Snowshoeing

2010-01-03T18:29:00.004-07:00

We decided to snowshoe around Andrews Lake. Andrews is north of Durango about 4 miles south of Molas Pass. It was a typical beautiful CO day, sunny, lots of good snow, and actually warm while snowshoeing.

We started from parking just off of 550, traveled past the Lake and climbed to 11,200 feet to rest at a nice vista.

View Larger Map

Enjoy the video.

Purgatory Ski Resort

2010-01-03T18:13:00.003-07:00

Dad, Tyler, Brianna and I visited Purgatory Ski Resort on 30December09.

Have fun with the video!

Mercury Christmas Party

2009-12-12T18:20:00.003-07:00

My employer, Mercury Payment System, provides a Christmas party each year.

Oh, the joys of these parties. Who did what, with who, where, and wow. All of the fun things people due under the influence of some bubblies.

Here we are before the party.

See how lucky I am!!

A taste of Night Riding...

2009-11-30T19:53:00.005-07:00

I went out to fight the "skin-walkers" solo around 7pm. It was a bit chilly, 35 degrees and it seemed darker than usual. I jammed to the tunes from my iPod to drown out my fears of blood-thirsty coyotes or other sharp-toothed mammals looming in the dark. All was good until Michael Jackson's thriller song kicked in...(I had a buddy tell me the "skin-walkers" come out after 7! eep.)

I had borrowed different night riding lights from a buddy to compare the difference to what I already own. The differences: First, I had two lights this time, one mounted to my helmet with a second on the handlebars. My original setup only had a helmet light. I think I like this dual light setup and will have two lights for next years 24 hours of Moab.

I just took a few minutes of the video from the entire ride( I don't want to you to die of boredom so don't expect anything thrilling). When your watching the video, the camera is mounted behind my helmet light (you will notice the off/on green light). Take note of the two lights moving around and some of the few snow spots on the ground!!

Winter swimming: Form drills.

2009-11-28T19:30:00.004-07:00

We re-started our swim training; however, we are focusing initially on swimming drills. The below video focuses on 5 basic form drills. Over the next month we will focus on more advanced drills. (stand by for those videos!)

I plan on working on form once a week while slowly increasing our distance. Early spring we will work in our speed training.

I took the drills from the Total Immersion philosophy. Feel free to check out the site: www.totalimmersion.net

Drill 1
Float on your back, head back, water-line along the side of the goggles, chest and hips up, and a smooth yet quiet kick.

Drill 2 (also called the "Sweet Spot")
Here it is important to turn the body as one unit keeping the knuckles on the hip and at waterline,one goggle partially submerged with a smooth kick, and continuous breathing.

Drill 3 ("Sweet Spot" with extending arm)
Same as drill 2 except for extending your arm keeping the arm below water at approximately 3-4:30 and midline.

Drill 4 (also called the "Fish")
Start on your back, move to Sweet Spot, but this time turn your head underwater while kicking smoothly. When breath is required roll back to the sweet spot. This underwater head position is also the same position when doing the crawl.

Drill 5 ("Sweet Spot/Extended Arm" then underwater switch)
Basically, the same as drill 3 but performing a underwater switch of arms then back to the "Sweet Spot".

Enjoy the video of Tyler learning the drills.

Cruising November 7th

2009-11-07T14:08:00.002-07:00

Today, we woke up and Brianna, Rebecca and I did a 5k near the hospital. It was Brianna's first race and did outstanding. We took no pictures!

After we got home, Rebecca and I took the cruisers out and headed downtown to a ski swap meet. I needed a new pair of AT Boots, Tyler needed a helmet and goggles.

Chica got to sit in the front basket!

Beautiful day in Durango.

24 Hours of Moab

2009-10-26T18:35:00.010-06:00

Nothing is a total failure; and all education has a cost are my life's mantra. Learning about the various aspects of the race I believe require a couple iterations to really learn the basics. Furthermore, I believe you will learn new things each year.

What did we learn? First, I am thankful for the friends and family that decided to help support the race. We learned that the race is not only about the racers but very much the support staff. There are a variety of roles that are required outside the racers to make this successful. Rather than go into the details, I will summarize that the race support of a team needs to have some management and defined roles. Second, the various training, equipment, food, and patterns of behavior for the racers are more clearly defined.

The bottom line, I cannot wait until next year! Check out some of the pictures below!

Below the entire crew; my cool company Mercury Payment System sponsored our team and we in return broadcast our name. We also considered how Mercury Payment System could involve the merchants at the event to help land strategic accounts elsewhere. We even made the company blog!

Here is the link to the company's blog. http://mindset.mercurypay.com/?p=306

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Notice how my head is hanging a little lower. This was after the majority of the climbing and i was resting my lower back.

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Tyler, looking like a pro whipping around the corner.

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This is after the same climb, Tyler looking strong.

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If you click to get the larger image, look closely at the loose sand. This can be brutal while on the bike. The route was a combination of hard pack and suddenly you hit deep soft sand. Maintaining balance in the sand while pedaling was something new for Tyler and I. Yes, this was some pro chick in front of me, I had to pass her! and I did :)

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The race was a La Mans start. This is where everyone starts at a start line and runs to the bikes!

In conclusion of the year...

I want to thank everyone for their good attitudes and team spirit!

Tyler, honestly, you totally made me proud this year. Starting from the early years Xterras to finishing up the season with your first endurance race. Your dedication of learning all aspects of training from open water swimming to mental endurance when the things become cold, dark, and tiring brought many hidden tears to my eyes. All season long you you held a dedication not common amongst teenagers: waking up early to trail run, swim during my lunches and bike ride during the workdays and weekends. Finally, the endurance training rides started when you were in High School; maintaining all A's, taking college classes as a Junior, having girlfriends, yet you still trained. You are totally awesome and you are just planting the seeds to your opportunities of the future! The world is your oyster.

Moab - warmup.

2009-10-04T12:18:00.006-06:00

This weekend we drove to Moab, UT to complete a practice run before the big race this coming weekend, 10 and 11th of October.

It was a bit of an adventure; I missed a turn and ended up adding 2 hours to my overall drive. :) But, we got to see the beautiful country on the way to Telluride!

We ended up camping in the Sand Flats east of Moab. It was a bit crowded for my personal taste, but the accessibility and cost was worth it!

Part of the goals this weekend were as follows:

1) Sucessfully pull a pop-top camper to Moab via our Jeep.

2) Setup the camper.

3) Spend the night in the camper.

4) Pre-Ride the 24 hours Moab route before the race!

Well, all was accomplished except for #4. We did however ride on the Slick Rock trail near our camp site.

We will just have to adapt for the race; I am sure we will be fine.

Below, my three children. Aren't their faces beautiful!?

Edward Abbey would roll over in his grave seeing the cars out here! Beautiful sunset with the clouds.

Inside our new home!

Didn't Rebecca tell you we sold our townhome and downgraded?

Our camp spot. Ryan from work is in the background; it is also his red Jeep. We took both cars. The Jeep pulled the pop-up camper and the Element carried the bikes.

We were chased out of Moab early due to some approaching storms! Here we are getting out of dodge!

Next week, here we come!

More Durango bouldering

2009-09-20T15:44:00.005-06:00

Tyler and I went out today while the girls stayed home. We found a new problem to work on that presented an acceptable challenge!

Action shot as Tyler reaches for an opposing force hand hold.

The initial aspect requires the use of a reverse ledge to create an opposing force while positioning your left foot on a decent hold. This then leads into two more holds for the hands which are again opposing forces to keep your Center of Gravity (CG) close to the boulder face.

Blah, blah blah, I could continue on about bouldering buzz words; however, it was a good project. I would rate the crux (the most difficult move of a route on a boulder) of this route a 5.9.

Short video.

Tyler will get this next time we go out. It is one of those things you try, try, and try again, then the next time you attempt it, it will be easy!

Rebecca the Boulder

2009-09-13T19:55:00.003-06:00

Rebecca wanted to enjoy on the fun; purchased some shoes and a chalk bag!

She has nice balance and finesse to her movement!

Now, I had to purchase a crash pad!

Sailing Hawks - Bouldering

2009-09-07T21:12:00.004-06:00

I have been itching to get the opportunity to boulder again. After the 24 Hours of Moab, I am going to occupy the rest of the fall with climbing. Hopefully, we can even schedule a trip to Moab.

Bouldering is the act of climbing large rocks(boulders) without ropes or harnesses. There are rating systems used to rate the various routes of a climb. We are focused on the V0.

We went this weekend and purchased climbing shoes and chalk bags! We visited two climbing areas near Durango: Turtle Lake and Sailing Hawks. I was very impressed with the kid's initial ability to climb and focus while under some fearful situations. The kids were exposed to the "Oh Shit" feeling. This is the feeling when you get high enough you cannot come down, but instead have to continue climbing up and conquer the boulder. This typically requires extreme focus. Forgetting the fear of falling and instead focusing all brain energy on the basics of the climb.

Some videos I created.

Another video:

Below Tyler climbs on a warm-up boulder. It is a fairly simple traverse.

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Brianna doing the same. Take note of my height. I am standing 6ft tall. The boulder was approximately 20 ft.(click for larger image)

Brianna keeping her hips near the boulder and her legs and arm as straight as possible.

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Tyler poses while resting his forearms.

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Brianna preparing to conquer a climb.

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R.S.S.N.R

2009-08-31T21:17:00.007-06:00

Rigid Single Speed Night Riding in the gulch!

I was eager to try out my new Lights in Motion 200L head lamp for some mountain bike night riding; stupidly, I also decided to ride the rigid single speed.

The experience was a blend of emotions...

Remember as a kid, your first time in Disney World and riding Space Mountain? You start off in a dark chamber, lots of blinky lights, as you prepared yourself to be launched into a dark abyss of gravity defying thrills?

Remember, your first time parking the car with the high school girlfriend in a dark area. It was dark, not sure what your getting into...

Both of these emotions can be mixed into one sweet elixir" "Mountain bike night riding."

I started off unsure what to expect, I climbed Horse Gulch road focusing on a circle of light 15 feet in front of my 29inch wheel. Everything outside the light's diameter was dark. I contemplated on the light; would this be similar to the light I will see at the moment of death? I can hear voices saying "Don't follow the light", fortunately this time, this light will keep me safe!

I continued riding, the air was cool and it felt good. I approached the meadow and scanned the helmet light across the dark abyss. To my surprise, and off in an unknown distance, I saw eyes. A couple little eyes, but one set in particular caught my attention. They were much larger than the rest. Possibly a bear or mountain lion. From this point forward every 30 seconds I would grunt loudly to hopefully scare off anything considering me a tasty evening snack.

After awhile, I calmed down, and rode on silently. I let go of any concerns of being torn apart by a nasty saber tooth tiger and become one with the night. I heard the bugs, felt the cool breeze, saw the stars, and barely heard my wheels quietly rolling on the single track. I felt as if I was supposed to be there. I stopped at one point to turn off my head light and just listened. It was very calming....

Enough of the philosophical discussion! The bottom line, it as great fun and training for the 24 hour Moab race coming up in October!

Helmet light, Battery pack, and Camel Back. The light runs 10 hours at low setting and 5 hours at high setting.

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The Rigid Single Speed, Kona 2-9 Unit

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The happy mountain biker (me) after the ride and displaying the gear!

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Rigid Single Speed Night Riding in the gulch!

24 Moab Training

2009-08-30T08:17:00.004-06:00

Tyler and I are entering the 24 Hour Moab with two other riders from Mercury. I am thinking we will be "Team Mercury". The basics of the race; your team completes as many 15 mile laps as possible within a 24 hour period. This means night riding!

Below is our schedule of training to handle the event.

Tuesday - Faster anaerobic pace for 15 miles on our geared racing bikes.
Wednesday - Slower strength single speed riding 15 miles.
Thursday - 15-20 miles easy ride on geared racing bikes.

The above is fairly static from week to week leading to the race. Saturdays however, slowly increment to increase our endurance (time in the saddle, and overall miles)

Saturday - Every Saturday we do 15 mile laps in our local trail system called Horse Gulch. This last Saturday we completed 3 laps of 15 miles for 4 hours and 45 minutes in the saddle and a total of 45 miles. Next Saturday we are doing 4 laps. I pyramid this until we do 5 laps, then drop back down to 2 laps for a recover and continue to build back up until the race day.

The Saturday route consists- Sonic TH, Horse Gulch rd, Meadow, Telegraph, Sidewinder, Cowboy, SouthRim, Carbon, River Trail, Sonic TH.

The highlight of the trip is climbing over telegraph (which is always a nice challenge to conquer on any ride) The first 1.6 miles is the steepest aspect of the route (1000 ft of elevation in the first 1.6 miles) and the last 100 yards is a ball breaking climb to a nice overlook.

This last Saturday I felt weak from the beginning; however, Tyler, was a hammer, he cleared Telegraph on laps 2 and 3! I was thrilled with his performance!

One day very soon, I will eating the dust from his rear tire.

Engineer Mountain - dos - Mercury hike!

2009-08-23T15:23:00.007-06:00

Today some brave souls from Mercury Payment Systems decided to summit Engineer mountain.

The Mercury staff: Fred Hutt, Jim Mackay, Rebecca and and "one co-worker extraordinaire, Jerry Bevington who was about a mile behind waving furiously from below". The image below we begin the ascent. The hike from the parking lot to the base took 52 minutes.

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Jim showing Mercury agility as he powers up the mountain. Notice the clouds swirling!

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After another 54 minutes from the base, we arrive at the cloud surrounded summit. Even though the 360 degree view was not there it felt good to be on top of Engineer. Notice, our marketing guru, ready to climb another 3000 ft while styling a Mercury hat! In reality, Fred would be the only one able to continue another 3k.

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We decided to descend a bit and find a nice overlook on Engineer to eat lunch and yes, we fed some of the local begging mammals living on the mountain.

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Overall, a great trip. The trip was approximately 4 hours including our lunch on Engineer.
The clouds were looming with rain; however, only a few drops were felt and it was a very pleasant hike and climb. We did have a guest star pass by us on our descent to the cars. Matt Taylor was powering up the trail on his mountain bike! It was a true Mercury moment.

Thank you Fred for showing my wife some basic climbing up and down the crux! And Rebecca kicked arse climbing over some sketchy and exposed areas while the wind was harsh.

Go Mercury.

Lime Mesa - dos in 2009

2009-08-17T07:15:00.005-06:00

Since Lime Mesa is a fun, easy, high-country hike we took the parents to the route on Sunday. Here we stand right before entering the Weminuche Wilderness. Be sure to click on any image for the larger pic.

On the way to the look out is a very clear glacier lake. Tyler caught me on camera.

Dave, trekking up the route. If there were mountain lions nearby he may have been our bait.

But thankfully, there was a herd of free range sheep moving through the high-country. I am sure the mountain lions were focused on those meals.

Two more glacier lakes, Ruby and Emerald from the look out. I really want to camp out at Emerald (the lake to the right)

And of course the short video of the event. The wind was amazing. You will notice us talking but all you hear is whooosh. I am really considering buying a HD video camera.

Next weekend, Tyler and I need to get back into a serious routine preparing for a mountain bike endurance race. The 2009 24 hours at Moab. We have roughly 2 months before the race. Stand by for pics and our training schedule.

Engineer Mountain

2009-08-15T20:21:00.005-06:00

Mom and Dad came out to Durango for a visit this summer. Today we visited Engineer mountain, a prominent mountain well known for it's unique characteristic profile! Engineer is a 12,968 foot peak surrounded by beautiful valleys and mountains. Green red, blue, and white colors filled our views! We parked at Coal Bank pass and took a route to the base of Engineer Mountain.

Here, Dad and Mom working their way to the base of the mountain.

I took a snap shot of the family appreciating the view.

Dad moving across the field in front of a great vista.

Dad, felt like contemplating "self", while Mom, Rebecca, Tyler, Brianna and I continued higher!

After a fun climb to the top Tyler and Brianna stand proud! Rebecca stayed lower with Mom to watch us climb the rest of the way.

Self portrait of the three of us on top.

Video of the event!

Handies Mountain hike

2009-08-08T19:36:00.010-06:00

Today, we escaped Society and planned to summit our first 14er, Handies Peak. It's peak is at 14,053 ft. We drove north to Silverton to an offroad route over Cinnamon pass then to the American Basin trail head. This trail leads to the summit of Handies.

Here we are at the start of the hike.

Brianna and Rebecca moving along.

Posing for some self-photos.

Sloan lake, a glacier lake in the middle. There was a guy fly fishing there! We were just below the summit.

Up on the peak! A very commanding 360 degree view! It was a bit windy and felt like 35 degrees, not a cloud in the sky!

On the way down, we stopped off at Sloan Lake to rest.

High country flowers with the family..

Below is a short video of the entire trip!!

What to do next weekend...???

Lime Mesa hike

2009-08-02T18:58:00.007-06:00

Rebecca and I went on a hike; trying to squeeze in every minute of outdoor activity before heading back to another work week.

We went to Lime Mesa, 25 miles of jeep traveling to the trail head, 3 of which require a 4WD vehicle. Then a 8 mile round trip hike to heaven and back. We took Cede who had fun chasing chipmunks.

The hike started off actually with a light snow; this is August 2, but we are in the high country, anything is possible! There were looming dark clouds about, but they seemed harmless...

After it snowed, Rebecca had to reapply her lipstick.

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Of course we did not pick this flower it was already laying on the ground, but I placed it in Rebecca's hat!

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We had 10 seconds to pull this photo off. Notice the looming clouds in the background. But still it was a beautiful view. We were approximately at 12,600 ft and the temperature was in the high 50s.

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Video of Rebecca arriving at the "Summit" She does not respond to my initial questions because she was so touched by the view. She was almost in tears due to the breathtaking view. We had lunch and enjoyed the vista but moved out fairly quickly due to the approaching weather.

Indian Peaks - Xterra

2009-08-02T07:24:00.013-06:00

The family all traveled to Denver Thursday. Tyler and I have been preparing for an Xterra (off road Triathlon) near Boulder, CO on Saturday Aug. 1, 2009. We left Durango on Thursday afternoon.

This was Tyler's second Xterra but this time was a full distance Xterra. 1000m swim, 18km bike, 10 km run Once again, he did outstanding. This sport is a mature sport, there are very few participants under the age of 19.(click for larger image)

The swim route was a one lap rectangle course. These I appreciate due to the longer legs and less turning. Below are pictures of Tyler and I exiting the swim and had a small dash to Transition 1 where we prepared for the biking.

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Below, Tyler just got done swimming and looking tough. He is getting ready to dash to Transition 1 for the bike. The cold impacted him a bit, he felt frigid and had trouble lacing his shoes.

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Below, Tyler already out of his wetsuit and ready to begin the mountain bike portion of the race. Take note of his new mountain bike, it is a Titus Racer X TI. Not to brag or gloat, but this bike is more expensive than any car he will own while living with us! ;) His prior mountain bike was 33 lbs and meant for other uses of mountain biking. It was way too heavy for racing and cross country riding. His new bike is 26 lbs!

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The bike route was fairly muddy and fraught with small boulders and wet tree roots. For an Xterra I don't mind the challenge, but for the use as fun Mountain bike trail, I would not ride it again. Below, I completed the Bike and transitioning to the run.

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Video below of Tyler crossing the finish line! Overall, another great Xterra trip.

Rebecca and Brianna watching the transitions!

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Results: I am fairly happy with my performance overall I beat over 55% of the field. I finished 18th of my age group. If I finished 15th I get points towards the national events. My goal next year is to be competitive enough to consistently finish in the top 15th.

Tyler did outstanding, for only 5 weeks of training he is performing like a champ, we have not started training for speed or strength only volume (Frequency * Duration)

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Saturday's training ride

2009-07-27T19:41:00.004-06:00

Tyler and I stayed in the Gulch this weekend since Rebecca had her first Saturday off in 6 or so months. Her new schedule is M-F, 8-5. Hooray.

Since she had Saturdays off, I was allotted 2 hours for a ride! We rode up from home, up Telegraph, Cowboy, South Rim, Carbon, Crites, Anasazi, Meadow, home. It was approximately 18 miles and 2000ft climbing with no stopping! We were trying to simulate race conditions for this weekend's upcoming Xterra race in Boulder.

Profile of the route.

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Topo of the training route.Telegraph is approximately where the 7550,7600,7500 ft labels are.

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Local hike in the Gulch

2009-07-26T13:33:00.006-06:00

We casually hiked up telegraph to keep the blood pumping getting ready for this week's training routine. Rebecca, Brianna, Tyler, and Cede all hiked. It was 40% chance of rain or we would have went on a higher country hike. The Gulch system is a few blocks from the house.

We hiked up Telegraph and back down... roughly 3 miles.

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It was fairly humid but it did not stop Cede from chasing after every lizard she sniffed out. I was more worried about her stumbling on a rattler.

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Notice the looming clouds on the horizon.

Rebecca ripping through the Gulch

2009-07-26T09:35:00.002-06:00

Still having fun with the video camera, here is some footage of Rebecca finishing up the Meadow loop.

Beaver Creek Xterra Results

2009-07-24T15:03:00.004-06:00

Congrats Tyler, your first race ever! And it was an Xterra.

Nothing but improvement is on the horizon.

Video of Tyler and I swimming.

2009-07-22T21:06:00.008-06:00

I purchased a video camera for recording some of our adventures: Mountain biking, Skiing, underwater adventures, etc. The camera is called GoPro

http://www.goprocamera.com/

I used the camera initially to record footage of Tyler and I while swimming. Visually watching your form underwater has been very helpful to identify where to concentrate on form improvement.

I plan on recording some mountain biking soon!

Beaver Creek - Xterra

2009-07-18T19:50:00.004-06:00

Today, Tyler and I entered an Xterra at Beaver Creek, near Vail. - It consisted of an open water swim, mountain bike, and trail run. Tyler completed the short course and due to his outstanding performance I see him doing the full Xterra's very soon. The full course was 1 mile swim a 15.5 mile mountain bike with 3600 ft of elevation gain (it was a ball buster) and then a 5 mile run with another 1200 ft elevation gain. I was exhausted starting the run: dehydrated, hurting from the mountain bike ride, and had horrible stomach cramps from either dehydration or from the Gu shots. I ended up fast walking at least 2 of the 5 miles. Otherwise, we finished the race and we both have a future of nothing but faster improvement. Tyler stated "It was a blast, I cannot wait for the next one"

Below, Tyler chilling out at the deck of our hotel.

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I did not get any action shots of Tyler, his event was before mine. Tyler taking a snap shot of me in Transition 2 from bike to run. I am "quickly" getting on my trail shoes.

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After the race, father-son shot.

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Self notes: Swim I completed fairly well, faster than the pack, the mountain bike, I could not catch my breath and need to work on my climbing (yes, it was 3600 ft, but I felt weak), and finally the run/jog/hike, can improve dramitcally.

Stand by for other pictures and actual data results.

Tyler's first open water swim

2009-07-13T20:10:00.010-06:00

After work, I planned an open water swim in lake Haviland, a nice isolated lake at 8100ft to expose Tyler to the open water. It was a great experience for Tyler and we will be back at the lake in a few days for one more training session before the race this weekend near Vail, CO.

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Yes, I am wearing a swim cap while throwing up a gang sign. (Yes, I am totally k3wl) The water was relatively very clear, 20 foot visibility and the temperature felt approximately 62 degrees.

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After avoiding any fishing hooks and slimy rocks we made it to deeper water. Once there, I gave Tyler some basic open-water navigation instruction and some techniques for remaining calm. The wet suits make you positive buoyant allowing an improved swimming form and is less resistance. click for larger image

Rebecca, Brianna and the dogs accompanied us with a dinner picnic. Overall, a great lake, I will definately be putting miles in here and incorporating this into our training program.

Floating down the Animas

2009-07-12T14:04:00.007-06:00

Today was a lazy day. We decided to brave the rapids and float down the Animas. Below, Tyler and Brianna are approaching near the shore. Some of these shots were from Rebecca on an overlooking bridge. You can see me taking pictures from the shore.

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Brianna missed the landing zone!

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I asked "Did you have a good time?" I got the typical respone "eh, it was ok". You can never please a teenager!

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Rebecca and Brianna coming in to their finish. Rebecca said she crashed into a bridge and was spilled into the river, she remained a trooper, got back on and smiled.

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Jones - Pinkerton - Dutch - Hermosa

2009-07-11T19:38:00.008-06:00

Tyler and I mountain biked with Jim, Baird, and Walker today on a killer 20 mile trail(See subject title for the trail names). We peaked out at roughly 10300ft. I actually really enjoyed the climb up Jones; Pinkerton climb on the other hand was a gut check! Eventually, we were able to get some downhill and I apologize to the cows that we disturbed as we buzzed down the mountain.

The first 8 miles was approximately 3500 feet of climbing and it was not technical; instead, it was relentless and never ending! I loved every minute of it. The Garmin reported 3713 of total ascent for the entire 20 miles. I used an application known as SportTracks to gather the data.

Tyler and I we were a bit exhausted before even beginning today's ride due to the heavier week of training for next week's Xterra. But, it was character building. We eventually ended up with smiles upon completion!

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It's official - Rebecca is a Mountain Biker

2009-07-09T20:40:00.008-06:00

Rebecca successfully climbed Horse Gulch Road and completed the inner meadow loop like a pro! This was her 2nd trip and a quote from her was "I want to do that again". Unfortunately, it was 8:30pm and the sun was setting.

Here are some pictures of her single track experience showing off her Kona 4 Dawg Deluxe. The 4 means 4 inches of front and rear travel regarding her suspension.

Look at the concentration on her face!

Before we began some of the fun downhill in the meadow loop, she hyper-hydrates and reflects on the new skills she learned.

She did absolutely great! With pony tails, smiles, and a great attitude. (What more can I ask for) She was a real trooper and I foresee her accomplishing more than she ever thought possible! What happened to the Ohio Rebecca I once knew who would never think of mountain biking! ;)

I told her in a recent email..."You're an official mountain biker, now prepare for white-knuckled hang-on-for-your-life rides where the laughter is fueled by lunacy"..

Training Snapshot - MTB Ride

2009-07-07T11:58:00.004-06:00

A snapstop of our mountain biking. Tyler and I decided to ride this morning at 5:45 and hit a local trail that starts blocks from our house. It actually felt great to get out in the morning before work. Once again, missing the heat and noon rains.

The average pace seems relatively consistent regardless of the climbing.. hrmmm

Here is the topo.I ended up riding back on the road for a mile or two due to getting to the office at a reasonable time. The trail is in the Gulch system:

Training Snapshot - Trail Running

2009-07-06T21:31:00.008-06:00

My training is nothing to gloat about; however, this is only my base training. Meaning, I am not focused upon speed-intervals or strength training as of yet. While this blog posting is focused upon only the trail jogging data, my overall training schedule is as follows: jogging and swimming M,W,F. Mountain Biking T,TH,S.

Below, I display the jogging data I collected today from my Garmin205 of a local trail system within the Gulch.

The Totals once again are nothing impressive. It is just volume training. Notice the slow first 2 miles and the last two miles. Which were uphill!? You can figure that out by looking at the total Ascent for each lap. A 9:43 Average Pace which I feel is relatively very slow. But, I have to keep reminding myself this year is only base/volume training!

Click on the images for the larger version. The total elevation gain was 700ft (error factor of +- 18ft) "We ain't in Kansas(Ohio) any more Toto"

Below is a topo of the map with the trail I jog. The streets on the west side of the map is Durango. It is a fairly nice trail for an early morning jog. Avoiding the heat and the typical noon monsoon rains of CO's July month encourages me to get up in the morning. Also, the rattle snakes are too cold to be out; however, the mountain lions who are used to humans maybe lurking about for an earlier morning snack.

I am subscribing to the training techniques defined by Joe Friel. He recommends a copious amount of volume training before engaging with more advanced training such as intervals and strength. I would love to have had a Garmin with the HR monitor to overlay the data. Also, observing the HR average decrease overtime is a sure sign of gauging aerobic/anaerobic improvement. Maybe next year I will upgrade to the 305.

Jeep camping, July 3rd, 09

2009-07-03T21:07:00.008-06:00

We decided to head 14 miles up Junction Creek Road and find a cherry spot, enjoy the day, and test out some new jeep camping gear. New tent, stove, tables, air-mattresses, etc.

Here are the pics of the event. We took lunch and dinner and even had s'mores. The dogs ran around like idiots. I was secretly hoping something would eat them when I turned a blind-eye. Unfortunately, this did not occur. Click any image for full size.

Base Camp, The tent is a 6 man; plenty of room for all of our air mattresses!

We have two hammocks that I setup above base camp for an outstanding view!

A view from the campsite. Facing northerly relative to Durango.

Notice the clouds; the day was fraught with thunderstorms, but, we avoided them!

An artsy-fartsy shot here.

Overall, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. I needed to test drive the gear before we used it to spend the night anywhere.

Hermosa Trail 15June09

2009-07-03T20:46:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago Tyler and I did an out and back starting a lower Hermosa TH. I had fun with the editing and forgot to upload the video.

We are stars!!

2009-07-01T20:09:00.005-06:00

Screw Colorado, Hollywood here we come!

We were asked to be apart of a commercial for a local mountain bike tour guide company, Hermosa Tours. Enjoy the video. You may have to watch it a number of times to see everyone!

Xterra Buffalo Creek 09

2009-07-01T19:50:00.006-06:00

My buddy from work Dan O, motivated me to train for an Xterra. What is an Xterra? Basically, it is a triathlon but with a twist. Traditional triathlons consist of a swim(typically, open water), a road bike ride, and a road run. However, Xterras are a swim (typically, open water), a mountain bike ride, and a trail run. I completed a number of traditional triathlons while in the military, and Xterras actually sounded more enjoyable.

So for the last month I built up a basic base for swimming, trail jogging and mountain bike riding. My goal, was simple, I did not want to finish last!

Dan and I travelled to Bailey, Co (30 minutes south of Denver) to compete in the Buffalo Creek Xterra on 20June09. We drove up the night before and camped out before the event.

Here is a picture of the transition area from the lake swim to the bike. It was also the same transition are from the bike finish to begin the trail run. Dan and I setup in the back left corner.

Below a picture of Dan sleeping before the event. Oddly, he looks like a corpse in that tent. I slept in the back of the Element (bear safe!)

Below is a listing of the results. I am happy to say, Dan finished first in our age group (the most competive) and I did not finish last!!! I was happy. Notice who finished first in the 35-39 age group. If you look closely at my times, you will notice I barely beat a few 55-98 age group! Never say your too old to have fun entering events like this.

(Click on the image for the larger version)

The next event is July 18th in Buffalo Creek, near Vale. Dan, Tyler and I will enter. Tyler will make his first appearance on the Xterra circuit. He has been training hard, especially with his swimming to prepare. I will post more pictures from the Buffalo Creek event when I receive them from the event's photography group.

Mother's Day hike

2009-05-10T15:20:00.003-06:00

I have not posted in awhile; been too busy living life I guess. We have been very busy with activities: jeep touring, tons of hiking, lots of swimming, running, and Mountain biking. Regarding the mountain biking I did get a new bike, a Trek Top Fuel 69'er (the front wheel is a 29" and rear a 26") I absolutely LOVE the bike. Anyway, I am too lazy to post all the past pictures; however, here is one picture of Rebecca and Cede during our hike today. We did a 10 mile out and back in the San Juan. The kids were busy studying for final exams, this next week is their last week of school.

We felt fairly confident identifying a fresh mountain lion track. I wish I would have taken a picture of it. We were in a fairly remote area around 9500 feet of Grassy Mountain. We unfortunately did not see any bears, but are hearing stories from our neighbors they are wandering close by the house.

Ciao.

Green Table - Mesa Verde

2009-04-05T18:17:00.004-06:00

Today we visited Mesa Verde (translated - Green Table) National Park learning about the Ancestral Puebloan's and their habitats from 1400 years ago. It was actually pretty nifty!! We participated in a tour guided by a knowledgeable park ranger explaining the various facts regarding the Cliff Palace. The most intriguing fact was learning the Puebloans disappeared without much trace around AD - 1300 taking with them any cultural artifacts defining their culture. It is speculated the culture dispersed and integrated into other Native American tribes. (or it was the Aliens!)

Enjoy some pics.

An overlook of the Cliff Palace.

Rebecca says she looks like a bug!

A small hike to the Palace.

Everyone is smiling while standing in front of a structure within the Cliff Palace. Cliff Palace has approximately 150 rooms. Archeologist began studying this dwelling around the 1800s.

Overall it was a pleasant day, 50 degrees and sunny with some winds. MVNP is located approximately 36 miles west of Durango. To view all the pics taken on the event visit the link to my Picasa web site.

Trails 2000 Phil's World

2009-03-21T15:56:00.007-06:00

Today, Tyler, Brianna, and I attended our first Trails 2000 event. Trails 2000 is a volunteer organization dedicated to creating and maintaining existing trails surrounding the Durango area. These trails are for hiking, biking, horse etc.

After hearing about this organization through friends, I felt the importance to regularly be involved with the activities for a number of reasons: one, the family's exposure to a culture new to us coming from the East, and two our kids can learn the importance of volunteer work and the impact it has upon a community.

The picture below shows the group getting ready to work and setting up the after-work BBQ! Notice all the dogs! Gwen would love it!

We worked near an enjoyable biking route called "Phil's World." It is located near Cortez, CO approximately 40 minutes west of Durango. The route we worked on is a new trail for beginner mountain bikers! Brianna and Rebecca will really appreciate this trail. (As soon as we purchase their bikes, which they both expressed interest in owning their own mountain bikes; needless to say, was thankfully influenced by the McFees.)

There are many tools utilized when creating a trail, the three of us had an effective process where Tyler initially dug any roots and rocks, I then raked his remnants and any loose soil while Brianna followed up stamping the trail.

After the trail, work everyone enjoyed a BBQ. The group then enjoyed a mountain bike ride over the trail. Unbeknown to McFee, I caught two gang kids (Notice the gang signs Brianna is throwing up) trying to steal his new single-speed. Thank goodness I caught them in time!

Rebecca unfortunately worked today but is looking forward to the next gathering.

Click on any of the images for the full size version.

Andrews Lake - Snowdon Peak

2009-03-08T18:45:00.006-06:00

Today we decided to snowshoe the area south of Andrews Lake and enjoyed the Snowdon Peak vista. The kids were feeling lazy and decided to not attend; this allowed Rebecca and I to enjoy the day as temporary empty-nesters. Our upcoming future!

Rebecca and I posed for the 10 second timer. We are standing in front of a few named mountains: the Grand Turk, Sultan Mountain, and Bear Mountain (ranging from 12700 ft to 13300 ft)

Warm enough to wear a short sleeve shirt when the wind was not blowing. In front of me is Snowdon Peak.

Wheh, made it to the top! We ascended from 10600 ft to approximately 12300 ft. The hike was 3 miles.

Rebecca displays her acting skills on the camera. 3-2-1, ACTION

On the way back down, Rebecca stands in front of Engineer Mountain. We are going to summit Engineer during this summer.

It was a great day! Click on any of the pictures for the full version.

Arches National Park

2009-03-01T20:19:00.007-07:00

Today, we decided to ride up to Arches National Park, it is two miles north of Moab, Utah. The trip is approximately 3 hours from Durango. We visited a few other sites but focused on the Delicate Arch.

Video from a window looking at the Delicate Arch

Notice the Ute petroglyphs in the background.

Here I was telling Brianna to get pumped up before we started the 1.5 mile hike to the Delicate Arch.

Finally, we made it to the arch...

There were lots of other folks there initially. It was a beautiful day, 65 degrees and minimal wind.

Tyler, Brianna and Rebecca walking away from the Arch, I appreciated this picture as it displays the relative size of the arch.

This shot was from a 10 second timer! Not bad!

I appreciated the sun here over the arch.

Click on any of the pictures for the bigger version. Overall the trip was great, it was not too bad of a drive. Now I have to re-read Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey!

Avalanche Course: Field day 2

2009-02-22T18:15:00.011-07:00

Today was field day 2 of the Avalanche field course! We went to Red Mountain Pass approximately at 11k and skinned up to Red Mountain 3 at 12k. We learned macro and micro route selection while considering what we learned from the past two days.

View Larger Map

Here are some of the pictures.

I am modeling my new backpack! Black Diamond Anarchist I absolutely love it! Notice how the picture is washed out by the snow. The day was cloudy, so no blue skies, but the day was still beautiful.

Tyler, near the top(12k) of Red Mountain 3. Notice the lack of blue sky and the wind blowing at his feet. He used his snowshoes while carrying his snowboard. This was his 3rd day ever snowboarding and in avalanche ridden backcountry; wait, someone is knocking on the door right now, oh, it is just a representative from the child-protective services.

However, the gang was impressed with his athleticism! (I was very impressed, and watching Tyler snowboard almost brought a proud tear to my eye.)

The gang up on the top.

Summary: the course was worth every penny. Invaluable course, I was thoroughly impressed with the instructors and their presentation of avalanche information. I would highly recommend anyone considering stepping their pinky-toe in the backcountry to attend this course.

Avalanche Course: Field day 1

2009-02-21T18:20:00.013-07:00

Tyler, Jim, Dan O (co-worker) and I registered for an Avalanche course through the company Southwest Adventures.

The purpose of taking the course is to become familiar and risk-assess the variety of dangers while snowshoeing and skiing in the back country. I feel exposing Tyler to these courses at his age is exciting! I hope I am not living vicariously through him; however, he is excited about learning more avalanche details and states he wants a splitboard!

The course is three days long and utilizes the curriculum from the AIARE organization. The first day of didactic instruction consists of: avalanche anatomy, causes, effects, rescues, and risk-assessment. The second day was held at Molas Pass learning how to conduct rescues using tools such as beacons, probes and shovels. The last day will focus on route selection in the back country toward potential ski areas.

Josh, one of two outstanding instructors! (Don't tempt him with beef jerky, he will immediately morph into Sasquatch)

The class heading out. Engineer Mountain in the background. A beautiful day!

Above, Tyler and Jim simulate a search for me buried in the snow. I buried my backpack with my transmitting beacon. They are using their beacons as receivers to find the location.

Tyler narrows the search while Jim uses the beacon to possibly hit the "body". Aaron, on the far right, is another of our outstanding instructors.

After beacon finding we learned about digging snow-pits. These pits provide indictators regarding the various snow layers. The characteristics of these layers are merely one factor in assessing avalanche danger. Pits are 2 meters in length by 1.5 meters wide and the depth can be to the ground; we dug approximately 1.75 meters deep.

Jim and Tyler now identify and examine the layers!

A snap show of the various classmates digging their pits!

Thus far, the class has been priceless! I thoroughly enjoy the education and look forward to taking the Avalanche 2 course! Tomorrow I will post day 3 of the course! Click here to view more pictures from the course located to My Picasa site

Avalanche Course

2009-02-11T06:17:00.004-07:00

I am attending an winter course during the weekend of Feb21. It is a 3 day A.I.A.R.E. Qualified Level 1 Avalanche Course. I am really looking forward to learning the basics of this topic and I do have plans to continue with the Level 2 course next year; apparently, the San Juan Mountains display unpredictable avalanche occurances. That being said, the San Juans are a center of attention regarding study by avalanche experts.

Learning about avalanches includes identification, avoidance, and rescue. All of which results in relative safety while exploring the backcountry! I feel this education will enable safer further exploration with friends and family deeper into the backcountry while skiing, snowshoeing etc! This class is the tip of the iceberg regarding future opportunities for whatever the future may hold!

And, I am told by a reliable source, the ability to Zen-out when exploring the backcountry is spectacular!

Here is a link to the company and course I am taking. South West Adventures . Here is a common website used as another indicator before travelling in the backcountry. Avalanche Site click on the regions to read reports of that area.

JV Wrestling finals

2009-02-07T14:26:00.005-07:00

Tyler was apart of the Junior Varsity Bayfield wrestling team during the 08-09 season. This is his first ever wrestling; I felt he did extremely well considering being pitted against kids who wrestled since elementary school. I felt has some balls to participate in this sporting event without any past experience. I promised him he could get a tatoo of a bulls' balls on his forearms to signify his experience...

The lesson of being beat is humbling and I feel more imporant than winning; however, I have nothing but confidence he will only improve over the next few years. I reminded him of one of my favorite quotes "That which does not kill you only makes you stronger" Friedrich Nietzsche.

Enjoy the video below of a few of his last matches. Tyler is wearing all purple.

Here was his last match, finishing off the year! Very minimal video editing. I did speed up the video.

To view more pictures of Tyler warming up click here: MORE PICTURES

Until next year.

Video Editing

2009-02-02T21:39:00.004-07:00

First attempt with audio and video editing from my FUJIFILM FinePix F20.

Tyler Snowboarding!

Be sure your speakers are on!

2nd day

2009-02-01T21:05:00.005-07:00

Day 2 at Wolf Creek, we had two full days this weekend downhill skiing at the resort. Yes, Tyler's helmet is in the mail.

Getting ready to shred the "white gold"

I felt Tyler displayed exceptional skill by performing controlled S-turns on day 2!

Check out the below video.

We will be hitting Wolf Creek next weekend for day 3!

Brianna focused upon her toe-slipslide today (The next step after heel slidding), and expect her to begin her basic S-turns next weekend! Rebecca also attended the event and performed well on the bunny-hill. She will be on the bigger slopes as well next weekend.

It begins!

2009-01-31T17:46:00.007-07:00

Today, the kids and I drove to Wolf Creek ski resort east of Bayfield to build upon our downhill experience. I cannot expect to be in the back country tomorrow if we cannot apply simple downhill skills at a resort today.

Stage one: get them comfortable skiing downhill and learning the basics of snowboarding.

The pictures below are of a simple slope within Wolf Creek that the Nova chair lift accesses. The newbie slope is perfect for learning novice snowboarding skills and is ideal for Tyler and Brianna. Skiing only this lift costs $20 dollars and I felt a fairly reasonable price. Lessons are also available; however, the expense is now $60 dollars for lessons including the Nova lift, this seemed a bit more expensive and we decided not to attend the lessons.

Tyler and Brianna researched the web for the basics of snowboarding and felt comfortable applying their book knowledge. After I felt confident they were on a path of progression I decided to go explore the resort's more difficult slopes and it went better than I thought. What can I say, I am a stud.

I returned from the various slopes to check upon Tyler and Brianna. I noticed many snowboarding lessons were ongoing and I thought to myself "those suckers are paying so much for lessons, pfft. who needs them!". Tyler and Brianna smiled as I approached and excitedly informed me of their learning. "Dad, we have been sitting out of noticeable view from these classes instructors and picked up tips for free!" Oh boy, my brain spun and I had mixed emotions when I heard of their frugal action: one, I felt like a cheap bastard and two, I was quite impressed with their perseverance. Life goes on...

Here is Brianna: her first EVER day of snowboarding. Click any of the pics to view the full size image.

She already looks like a PRO!

Tyler and Brianna decided to do a synchronized downhill.

It was a BEA-utiful day, not a cloud in the sky!

Tomorrow we will be heading back for locals day; a cheaper price is a result of this special day! Rebecca will be with us displaying her downhill skills!

Anniversary Hike

2009-01-25T16:45:00.003-07:00

We decided to go on a hike/snowshoeing celebrating 17 years of marriage. We were really looking for any excuse to go explore and the anniversary excuse seemed fitting. We revisited the hike I completed yesterday with Matt. Thanks again Matt for sharing this route.

Here is the crew on snowshoes and Tyler looking too serious. The temperature was in the upper 30s with a storm heading our way; we could feel the wind velocity increasing while the sun was playing hide and seek. Thankfully for the first part of the hike you climb from 7900 to 8350 allowing the heart rate to increase and keeping us warmer!

We found a decent overlook at the 8350'ish look. The trail would continue on into the Weminuche Wilderness. We have plans to definitely explore this much further! As I mentioned in the picasa editorial. There is something about visiting the mountains, sitting, relaxing, and eating food. Everything tastes, smells, and feels better. Maybe I am an becoming an addict, but I will wear that badge with pride.

Color coordinated, smiling and happy. Once again, what more can you ask for?

To view all pictures taken during this event please visit My Picasa site with editorial comments included.

To view all pictures during the Ozvat Experience, feel free to visit it's parent directory located here.

Mental break.

2009-01-25T09:05:00.007-07:00

I felt like exploring some new areas. Matt suggested exploring a drainage near Vallecito Reservoir. The trail head begins North of Vallecito within the San Juan and enters the Weminuche Wilderness. The dryer month of January has made for some beautiful sunny days hovering around 40 degrees. These sunny days alter the snows behavior; hiking with the snowshoes feels like walking on Creme Brulee. One moment you are walking on top of the snow, next moment you broke through the harder top layer and sink into the underlying layers.

Here we have Matt and Samson striking a pose overlooking what I think is Vallecito creek around 8000 feet.

Same overlook as above, to my right is the drainage (Vallecito Creek) it was a decent drop. The picture does not do it justice. Notice the ice formations on the bottom left of the picture.

Looking up the Gorge in the general direction off Irvine Peak (13051ft)

All in all, it was a great relaxing mellow hike, (much needed, thanks Matt) Today, I just purchased a decent set Backcountry skiing. Karhu BC 100s, beacon, skins etc. I am itching to get skiing again, especially in the backcountry further away from folks. (Am I turning into hermit or was always one by nature?)

Tyler and Brianna now both have snowboards; I am hoping they get into the lifestyle and want split boards in their near future. Rebecca expressed interest and wants to start skiing as well. One day, maybe we will be a complete backcountry family!

2009 Parental visit

2009-01-11T19:01:00.003-07:00

My parents decided to visit the wild wild west; they visited Durango, CO our new home during the first few days of new year of 2009.

With concerns of exposing my parents to relatively higher altitudes while enduring physical exertion we decided to take my parents cross-country skiing, snowshoeing roughly (at 8000 feet) and end the trip with a bang by spending the night in a Yurt (at a mere 10500 feet.)

Day 1, cross-country skiing Vallecito Reservoir.

The area is beautiful for cross-country skiing (classic or skate skiing) My assumptions were to climitize the "sea-dwellers" with some easy skiiing.

At one point we saw an Eagle flying over the reservoir, a common site seen by regulars.

The reservoir is actually behind the models covered by snow.

Snowshoeing adventure

2008-12-28T19:32:00.002-07:00

In the past I kept friends and family updated with the adventures occuring in our lives through the use google's picasa; however, I felt it was not as friendly as the EBlogger you are currently viewing. Each blog will not contain all the pictures of the adventure; At the conclusion of each blog entry I will also include a link to picasa for viewing all pictures.

After being postively influenced by my new buddy Matt(also living in "Forest'Tucky"), we decided to snowshoe out our backdoor instead of cross country skiing at Vallecito. Today it was 23 degrees but the sun was most excellent and it felt much warmer! We attempted to climb to one of the Grassy Mountain peaks, which according to USGS has peaks ranging from 9k to 10.2k.

The crew is getting ready for the event

Brianna listening to the tunes with a smile! I see many more back-country adventures in her future.

We were breaking new trail, it was fun yet good hard work! Notice the deer trail crossing our path.

Working our way up the mountain.

We did not make it to our destination due to leaving too late in the day. I have planned a bit better for attempt two: plotting a course and exporting it to the GPS and will plan to leave soon after a good breakfast. Stand by for the blog of the success!

Full photos of the event available: HERE