Kessa's Uni

I got Kessa a 12" unicycle for Christmas.  It will be cool if she can learn.  She's certainly interested, but there aren't many 3 year old unicyclists.

I might try to build her some kind of railings like I did for Sydney.  Indoors would be best this time of year, though the floor and walls will probably take a beating.  A white tire would probably be better for our floors too.

Snowshoe Running

We've had a good amount of snowfall in the past few days and temperatures continue to be below freezing.  The roads have been packed snow for days and although I've enjoyed riding them in past winters, I haven't gotten to it yet.  Every time I consider riding I've been busy with family or home, or it's been actively snowing out.

I continue to do P90X workouts, though not sticking to the workout order that P90X defines.  My other cross training winter activity is snowshoeing.  Tonight I decided to get out and do some.  Last year I got a pair of running snowshoes from the famous Jamie Lissow.  He learned to unicycle and got into muni after seeing me on the trails.  Unfortunately for me, his comedy career took him away to Texas, but I'm grateful that before he moved he gave me his running snowshoes.  I guess he doesn't think he'll use them in Texas!

So I went out in the dark just after 8pm and ran the perimeter of my yard.  Running in the snow is hard work, though running always seems hard for me anyway.  I did 12 laps, walking 1/4 to 1/3 of each lap.  The muscles on the side of my shins were getting worked pretty hard.  I don't usually feel that in my other workouts.

After running I decided to do a loop around the neighborhood on my 29er.  I took my hat off so I could wear my helmet and about halfway around the cold air on my sweaty head started feeling uncomfortable and I got a cold headache.  I should have worn my balaclava.  The ride was ok, a bit sketchy at times but with no dismounts.

Once I was back inside I found my breathing was very tight.  My wife suggested it was asthma and the cold air can make it worse.  For about an hour or so it felt like I had a cold, but I've since recovered.  I had asthma as a child and always wonder if I'm still affected in some way, cold air or otherwise.

Anyway, I could see myself doing some snowshoe running again.  It's a good workout to add to the mix.

Muni at Bay Park West - 2013-12-05 at EveryTrail

Muddy Muni

My muni friend Robi came to town from Albany today.  He was here to buy a 29er from Mj and wanted to go for a ride after.  Fortunately I had vacation time to use and Dustin was able to use some of his.  Unfortunately Mj wasn't able to, but maybe next time.

It's been frozen around here for some time, but we've experienced a thaw for the past few days.  It was just over 50°F today and I knew the trails would at least be soft, but feared they might be muddy and slick.  Robi had visited in the past and we rode at Whiting and Webster Park.  Given that, I thought Bay Park West would be an ok choice.  With it's hills and sustainable trail design maybe the trails wouldn't be too muddy, despite the melting snow water and overnight rain.

Wrong. The trails were messy.  Normally I avoid riding in these conditions, but when another muni rider comes to town, we gotta ride.  There were occasional sections of trail that were just moist dirt and rode well, but most of it was wetter than we like and we left tire marks or varying degree.  Wheels spun on steeper climbs and slid on steeper descents and off the side of off-camber trails.  At times the best we could do was tread lightly and prepare for the inevitable slip.  Occasionally we actually found riding off the trail was easier and safer.  The ground leaves and lack of anything green made that possible.  Robi and I both fell on our asses on some slippery downhills, and Dustin got a nice ding on his shin, but thankfully no one got any serious injuries.  Mostly we just rode what we could and laughed about the rest.

more Red Trail rock features

Bay Park West is a lot of work when it's dry.  But today with all the dismounting, walking, and waiting for each other, I think it was actually a bit easier than normal.  We were able to cover most of the park, only missing a few of the middle trails.  Dustin had some impressive log-over moments and continues to improve.  Robi demonstrated his hopping skills nicely, and had a few record breaking mud slides.  I tried to demonstrate my hill climbing abilities when conditions allowed.

yet more Red Trail rock features

Hopefully Robi and his muni-riding wife, Liz, will be able to visit in the summer and see what Bay Park West is supposed to be like.  Maybe Dryer Rd Park too.

Aside from the good time of riding with friends, I was also glad to get out and ride muni this time of year.  I've been exercising almost daily with P90X and similar workouts in an attempt to stay fit through these cold months.  My quads were moderately sore when I started today's ride and on fire at times during it.  I hope that means I'm building more strength.

Update 2013-12-07:
Robi sent me the images below.

Robi was the only one to make it over this particular log pile. Nice!

Muni at Bay Park West - 2013-12-05 at EveryTrail

Early Snow Muni

I can't remember the last November when we had snow that stayed for more than a day.  We got a few inches several days ago and it seems to be sticking.  Today looked like ideal snow muni conditions.  It was 27°F out, sunny, and no wind.  So I rode at Webster Park.

pitted trail

It didn't take long for me to remember the pains of riding muni in the snow.  If the snow isn't smooth then it's a battle.  I saw trails that were fairly smooth and rode well, and some that were pitted with footprints and could barely be ridden.  There were enough difficult sections to leave me fairly unsatisfied.  We need another few days of high traffic on the trails to smooth them out.  Maybe it wasn't the best ride, but I know conditions will be better some time, so I'll be back.  It was good exercise too.


My GPS receiver must have gotten confused and didn't start logging until I was into the Midnight Trail.
Muni at Webster Park - 2013-11-29 at EveryTrail

2013 Leaf Blowing

Two years ago I did some leaf blowing at Whiting and Webster Park.  Last year I was only able to do Whiting. This spring I wished I hadn't skipped Webster Park because it was muddier than it needed to be.

The good news for this year is that a few of the board members of the Friends of Webster Trails took care of leaf blowing Whiting and the Midnight Trail.  So I could give my full attention to Webster Park.

I borrowed the backpack leaf blower from my friend Frank, who uses it to help clear the Tryon and Bay Park West trails.  His trail work and his allowing me to use his expensive machine are both great donations to our trail system.  Thank you very much Frank!!

Today I spent 4 hours out there and my GPS says I hiked over 6.5 miles. Due to backtracking, I probably cleared about 5.5 miles of trails.  Some areas required multiple passes, and some hills took about 6 passes.  It's hard to imagine how these areas of super thick leaves would be anything but a spongy wet mess in the spring.  I'm glad I took care of it.

Princess Leia approved of my work

I was able to clear a lot of the less popular trails that I like.  I'm hopeful that this will invite hikers to explore these and they'll get more traffic.  I think the concept works because a couple of hikers followed me onto such a trail before I was able to backtrack the more popular one.

Unfortunately it was starting to get dark and I was running out of gasoline, so I wasn't able to clear all the trails I like to ride.  There's a chance I'll return, but I'm pretty spent and expect to be sore.  I think most of the remaining trails have a significant number of pine trees.  The needles don't seem to create the same spongy mess as leaves, so it's probably going to be ok.  I wish there were a few more volunteers to help so it could all get done.

As always I was a bit nervous that other trail users might not approve of leaf blowing the trails.  I talked to a few runners and got very positive responses.  They love that they can see the roots.  Unfortunately I uncovered some wet areas that will take a few days to dry out, so the short term looks bad, but the long term will be good.

It was somewhat frustrating to see some downed trees and mud pits that really need to be taken care of.  The park rangers take care of some of these problems, but it will probably take a volunteer to get them done anytime soon.  I wish I had more time for these.

Leaf Blowing at Webster Park - 2013-11-16 at EveryTrail

Another Night Ride on the Hojack

Tonight I rode the Hojack again.  It was a few degrees warmer than my last ride.  Still I was chilly for my first few miles.

I didn't see much aside from a cat and a walker on a cross road.

It's good to keep the muscles working, though I hope to do some real muni soon.

Night Muni on Hojack - 2013-11-14 at EveryTrail

Night Ride on the Hojack

I missed out on the 60°F+ weather yesterday and didn't get out to ride.  Tonight I settled for the low 40's.  I also wanted to experience another night ride.  My last one was in February.

I rode the Hojack, starting from my house.  It started out cold and the wind was chilly.  I had a head wind as I rode west, but I still warmed up as I rode.  I had a few dismounts due to some small mud pits, and when I stopped at roads for cars.

I saw a few bunnies and a fox, and only one person walking on the road.

My lower back felt sore, probably because I've been working out more, but also because I was a bit more tense when I rode.  It was harder to relax because much of the trail was leaf covered and parts were soft, and of course it was dark.

It rained lightly during parts of my ride, and hailed for about a minute.

Night Muni on Hojack - 2013-11-08 at EveryTrail