My precious has cometh part 2

you may think i messed with this picture.......try drinking enough of these and you CAN read the label correctly just ask the Founders team!

thanks to Chris C in Grand Rapids.

kevin i know you got your own special flavor...cheers!

God Bless the Brits

Ok. so we stopped to watch the sunset in monument valley. we ran the batteries down in the digital camera and decided to use the Mac goodness that is photo booth to get some shots. me, being super genius and all, goes to the passenger door and locks ( trying to unlock) the doors to VW.  i was attempting to get the laptop. instead, i locked the keys in the car...along with everything else.

 just a few moments before, a car pulled up right next to us. so much for a nice romantic sunset in the desert. well i was glad as hell they stopped there. i was just about to bust out a window when the midget finds an old metal frame for a sign. the little coat hanger style frame that is often used for voting signs. i decide to go through the sunroof to fetch the keys through the tiny opening. 

ENTER THE BRITISH>the family that parked next to use was from jolly old england.

 Dad breaks out some duct tape and a leatherman and presto a long metal hook to aide in key fishing.....i really wanted to break that window...

we took these picts on the way out to arches national park. where we took no pics due to lack of proper batteries...read forgotten charger. oh well guess you should go yourself.

battle at the midget corral

                           We went to Tucson to see some stupid sun thing

                                              The Sedona area is highly overrated.

                 This corner rocks going down, not so much going up.( 8,000ft up)

             Gates Pass area in Tucson, where Midget was always looking for Javelina. I tried to distract her by showing her how close you could get to the Cholla.....hehe

                                                     Some rocks are really big

                                          Everyone we know wonders what she sees in me.

This is for Cipo And Farmer

i am pretty sure you two get what i am saying.

heres to fast guys on bikes

who like the cold beer

happy paddy's day

when things go crunch in the night

put my flop on in the dark. sucks for this little guy but at least i did not get stung.

yup, these freak me out. 

Cool People

this is just a little shout out to my cool people. the people i miss hanging out with, riding with, and drinking good FOUNDERS beer with in the farmers garage....hell i miss that garage...mucho good times in that thing. 

Midget--always

Neeley

Steve and Suebaru

cipo

baconandeggs

lil jef

farmer 

Shari--seriously fast mama

Big Ralph

Rickthebigmf'er,Cathy breaksalot

Hendershot--got beer?

Mhall

dudenate 

KevinH--a class act all around.

kate,abbey,jake, and pea pod (cause she was always under wraps)

the whole dark side founders crew--you know.

DANJANTHEMAN

JoeP

Shawn'o the dead(buy my house)

joe i can't pick a pace fro

the two other joe's, or is it three

steveB

musto

others not named are not forgotten...

 Poor a cool one for me and i will ride in the sun for you. Peace.

Let me show you my cubicle...

as you can see it is tough to be stuck in one spot all day. at least they let me listen to music. i get enough sunlight; but they simply must do something about the bathroom! i use a different one all the time and each one is just as disgusting as the next. the cleaning crew should be let go. i never really realized how much us guys are similar to pigs. i know i am not that bad, and i assume my friends are just as neat---being properly trained (married). but some of us out there could use a swift kick in the balls...you know to adjust the aim. wtf is wrong with at least TRYING to hit the inside of the bowl? i really could not miss that bad if i tried. 

sorry got off an a rage there.

anyway i am safely back in "tookie" as i guess the cool kids call it. drove in to town and caught the beginning of rush hour. now i drive a big a$$ pickup truck and pull a 33 ft trailer. i have like 24,000 pounds rolling down the road. and there are just a few of those semi's out there as well. why on earth would some j-hole in a two door honda, shoving a phone in their ear, think it was cool to cut two semi's off then me, and get all the way in the lane the were DYING to get to, just to sit still- think that was ok. i literally knew two of those semi drivers we thinking about getting out to "talk". man what a stupid group some of us are. (yea i cannot commute to work--being i work in the whole U>S. --- so there i sit--- at the circus ) .

still......not a bad cubicle. 

 

really. 

This is for Danielle

 now don't get me wrong i like danielle. in a kid sister kinda way. we have travelled a lot together and i have seen her accomplish some pretty amazing feats. she routinely beats me at most races.  i did beat her once in a 12 hour...............of course she had quit about three hours early. but i'll take it. 

 so this is my last day in Moab. I am putting a few people on bikes and getting to spread the word a lot more. we have a super buzz about us and a lot of people are ready to see the bikes first hand. apparently our marketing is working as a lot of people want an in depth look. tough gig i have.

 i got in a super cool road ride with a group from Poison Spider and several locals. These guys throw down. there was a former pro tour/tour de france rider with us, a very fit and fast shop owner and several other locals who just plain push pedals hard. I also had my first recumbanent (sp?) in a group ride. and let me tell you it was great.

 we spun around 24mph and then went up from there. my time in Moab has whipped my end into shape. i hung in the back for a bit to learn group dynamics and as soon as i felt comfy i went up and took my turns. well these locals musta smelled a bit of fresh meat and the pace just kept going. not in a bad way but in a hey let's rock way. other than the famed Founder's Tuesday mash fests this ride was up in the best ever category.  

 

 for those of you who know....riding with this group was like riding with 15 FARMERS. the FARMER has an infectious positive attitude and can drop the pedals with the best. this group was the same. only negative was the beer, or flavored utah water. oh well i tried to make up for it in quantity. lets just say some of my michigan training paid off...:)

 So FIRST PERSON TO SEND ME REAL FOUNDERS BEER WILL GET SOME SCHWAG.

and shawn....i hope we can battle at LUMBERJACK. i would really like to see some peeps. i can't even register as of yet as my schedule is not final. but if not why don't you try and join rick at the FOOLS GOLD. this event may be on my calender. 

 

what i learned today

today rob, kevin, rolph, and myself rode the sovereign (?) trail in moab. now, to me this is some of  the best moab has to offer. it was nice and singletracky with great flow. several challenging climbs and a few really fun techy downhill areas. as always a spectacular view.

rolph is an older gentleman, and i use the older part loosely. he is 57 and absolutely rages on a bike. never more than a minute behind. mostly behind due to his appreciation of the new bike he was demoing and not because of skill or ability. matter of fact he could probably kick most of my michigan friends butts as well as mine. He also has one of the most infectious attitudes i have ever come across. he is so stoked on life and just adores every minute he has. let alone most of his time is spent on or around bikes. i certainly hope to be half as fast and stoked on life when i reach his young age.

time to get out yer notebooks cause here is what i learned from rob.

barking drunk.

 this is when you come home so drunk your dog does not recognize you and barks at you. laughed my ass off when he told me that, shakes can attest to my having been there and he having done that. love it.

fruit a

(the above picture is from slickrock in moab)

rob and i had a tough day at the office. 

rob is my roommate in tempe. we work together as well.

today the plan was to drive to Fruita, Co and ride bikes with some shop folks. Well, we were well on our way and we hit a port of entry. now i drive a big ol rig and it needs to be checked at these stops now and again. today was the day. let's just say it did not go well. we got nicked for some safety violations and some this and that. it could have been worse. 

we got to the ride and it was great. fruita has it going on in a great way. i really like the trail construction and flow was present for sure. had a very enjoyable day at work. yup that is my job. i really really like it. its a tough way to pay the bills.

 talked to the big boss today, CC, and i am able to take some time off work to hang with the midget when she gets in. i can hardly wait. it will be so fun to have my wife around. even more fun to show her some very cool sights and maybe even camp. mostly i am looking forward to her strapping on the womans shoes and cooking. not that its her place but she is a great cook and i really miss home food. if i have a complaint about my job its eating out. that's all i do. some times its good sometimes not.

walking on the moon

yup, walking. after the double i pulled yesterday my legs were toast. kevin our design guru showed up and took me out to the famed slick rock trail. we faced a wicked head wind most of the ride. the kind that throws you hard off your line. it ruined all flow the trail had. but as i say it was the worst fun i ever had.

the trail had super steep ups that were short and toasted my legs. i cannot climb anyway.  it was fun and i was reminded of just how lucky i am. i have a super cool wife who will be joining me in two weeks. i have a great job. i meet really really cool people. it is all centered around my favorite thing...the bike. 

 hope all is well where you are at.

A few pictures of the first days in Moab

As you can tell there is really nothing at all to see in Moab. It truly is a pathetic place and all should avoid this ugly sore on the earth. Carry on.....

its official.....

Well after many poached entries on far more successful bloggers sites i finally gave in and got my own.

this is my attempt to let people who want to keep up with my travels. I am on the road a lot and lucky enough to be able to ride my bike and call it work.

so today is day two of moab. i got all knackerd up on our mtb. ride yesterday so i am catching up on my paperwork as you can tell. no big injury just ran out of gas on a climb and fell over....into a huge hole and got the bike on top of me, while i was upside down. yea that's right i fell in moab going uphill. pretty cool skills i have huh?

the descent was great. full tilt and as they say no bad lines. got a pincher flat on the way down which gave me just enough time to catch my breath and enjoy the view.

life in the trailer is great so far. i have met pretty cool people and plan on enjoying my time on the road as much as i can.