I'm In

All I had to do was say I was in.

We stopped for lunch at the lake.

Mrs. got home from work late Tuesday evening and mentioned that she and the Guv'nor were talking about riding up Powerline Pass the next day.  If I wanted I could join them and ride up and over the top with the Guv'nor and she would ride back down with the Little wRider.

Little and his lei rocking in the tundra

I was unable to line up some of the equipment I needed for field work so it seemed like a good excuse to blow off doing anything responsible and just go ride bikes.
 

Mrs. eyeballing the pass

Turns out cRaven was on board for the ride too, and he had a shuttle driver all lined up to pick us up on the other end.  A shuttled ride, with 3000ft of descending and all I had to do was load my bike onto the car, all the other details were taken care of.

Where we came from. Nowhere to go but down.

The only snow we had to deal with after a record snowfall this winter.

To say the trail was grown in in spots would be an understatement.

cRaven smoking rotors on the backside.

The ride tops out a little over 3,000 feet and ends just a stone's throw away from Cook Inlet (aka sea level).

Hard to find a better spot to meet your shuttle driver.  A huge pan of nachos hit the spot.

Nate Was Here

This is the only evidence that remains of Cousin Rye N's visit earlier this week.

He swapped his Fargo for a nicely decked out fatbike.  Shod with Surly Nate tires the bike has more traction than you can shake a stick at.

I think Cousin Rye N is going to be pleased with his new ride.

Summer

Biermag is staying in our guest room these days. We've refused to let him pay rent, so he insisted on staying home with Little wRider so we could get out of the house. Mrs. wRider suggested we go ride the insect themed trails on the Hillside.
I've had the chance to ride these trails before, but with life, baby, winter, etc. . . she had yet to get out and explore them.
The singletrack was all built by a local mountain bike crew, specifically for bikes, and it shows.
Mrs. was not disappointed.

I can't tell you how much fun it was to get out and ride with her. We still had sunlight at 11pm, we had the trails to ourselves aside from bumping into moose twice and we kept up an impressive falsetto BECK medley to let the bears know we were out there.

Happy Summertime.

Baker I Hardly Knew You.

I met Baker and his posse while camping in Rossland B.C. Soon after that I had the privilege of a hot shower and and a good nights sleep at his place in Washington. Baker lived a rich life, riding mile after mile of spectacular trails. He hung around with with EBextreme and his wife, joining them for epic rides and trailbuilding days in the northwest. Like all good dogs, the end of Baker's life came too soon. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness this past year and last week he passed away. I know he has left a huge hole in the hearts of his humans and that he is sorely missed. So, here's to a good dog, gone too soon.

Photo Credit: C. Nash

Anyone that has had a four legged riding partner understands just how deep a loss this can be.

I just got home from a ride around the block with a long time canine riding partner. At 14 years old even this has become a long ride for him. It seems like it wasn't too long ago that we were doing 40mile rides over mountain passes in Alaska, now he needs encouragement to make it around the block. Not because his heart isn't in it, he still loves to go out on a ride. When I pull my bike out he looks at me and lets me know he is ready to go. His world has grown smaller, but his heart is as big as ever. I don't know how many more rides we will get in together, and I don't look forward to the day we lose him. I am grateful for all the miles we have been able to travel together and all the memories he has blessed me with . And I know when that day comes I'll get a note of condolence from EBextreme, and I'll know that he understands.

For now, Baker R.I.P. and my love and prayers go out to your fam.