Portable Sound System

Last year at the Tour De Fat I saw quite a few awesome sound systems on trailers.  Shortly thereafter I was on a mission to figure out how they were done.  I found myself at a great Instructable on how to do it. I got pretty pumped about it and poured over the detailed information for quite a while.  After a few weeks I cam to the conclusion that I would probably use something like this once a year and just have to store it most of the time...So I decided to scrap the project.

Almost a year later...Tour de Fat rolls around again (see what I did there?) and there they were...All of the awesome sound systems making the parade awesome for everyone around.  I was bummed I didn't have one.  Later that day I was digging up old links and making plans for a system of my own.

Here we are three and a half weeks after the Tour de Fat...and here's what I've got!

I also have a couple of build pics.  What you can't see in the first picture is that I took the amp apart, drilled two holes in the bottom half of the case and screwed that to the inside of the speaker box.

The crossover mounted nicely to the existing panel of the speaker.  I was even able to reuse one of the jack holes in the back. The panel was a bit brittle so I had to be careful when drilling through.

 Here's the crossover and power jack screwed into the back panel.

 And here's what it looks like from the inside.  Because I attached the case for the amp to the inside of the speaker box first, I had to slide the amp circuit board down in to the assembled case.  Then I screwed the front place of the amp to the case.  I wasn't able to screw the bottom plate on the case so I just left it open. I also connected the speakers to the back of the amp before putting the woofer back in the box.

Talib Kweli's Top 100

Talib Kweli published what he considers to be the top 100 Hip Hop songs ever.  I don't agree 100% with this list but there are some real bangers in this list.

Here's the original post:

And the actual list
Follow The Leader- Eric B and Rakim
Planet Rock- Afrika Bambatta
Top Billin- Audio Two
Peter Piper- Run DMC
T.R.O.Y- Pete Rock and CL Smooth
Simon Says- Pharoahe Monch
Ante Up- M.O.P
Fight The Power- Public Enemy
The Message- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Hypnotize- Biggie
In Da Club- 50 Cent
Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With- Wu Tang Clan
Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See- Busta Rhymes
La Di Da Di- Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick
Straight Outta Compton- NWA
B.O.B- Outkast
Mona Lisa- Slick Rick
PSA- Jay Z
Ain’t No Half Steppin- Big Daddy Kane
My Philosophy- Boogie Down Productions
Award Tour- A Tribe Called Quest
Ebonics- Big L
Grindin- Clipse
Buddy- De La Soul
Hip Hop- Dead Prez
Cream- Wu Tang Clan
99 Problems- Jay Z
Lost Ones- Lauryn Hill
One More Chance- Biggie
I Get Around- 2Pac
Get Low- Lil Jon
Juicy- Biggie
It Takes Two- Rob Base
Intergalactic- Beastie Boys
Flavor In Your Ear rmx- Craig Mack
Check the Rime- A Tribe Called Quest
Dear Mama- 2pac
How I Could Just Kill A Man- Cypress Hill
Get By- Talib Kweli
I Used to Love Her- Common
So Watcha Sayin- EPMD
Rock the Bells- LL Cool J
Mind Playing Tricks On Me- Geto Boys
Black Steel In the Hour Of Chaos- Public Enemy
Ice Cream- Raekwon
Money Power Respect- the Lox
Method Man- Wu Tang Clan
O.P.P- Naughty By Nature
Represent- Nas
Hail Mary- 2pac
Intl Player’s Anthem- UGK
Who Got The Props- Black Moon
Full Clip- Gangstarr
Runnin- Pharcyde
Next Episode- Dr. Dre
Stan- Eminem
Summertime- Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Scenario- A Tribe Called Quest
Can’t Tell Me Nothing- Kanye West
Nutmeg- Ghostface Killah
The Choice Is Yours- Black Sheep
Love of My Life- The Roots
Shook Ones- Mobb Deep
Sound of The Police- KRS One
Made You Look- Nas
Paid In Full- Eric B and Rakim
Hey Mama- Kanye West
Brooklyn Zoo- Ol Dirty Bastard
U.N.I.T.Y- Queen Latifah
Ether- Nas
Get Money- Junior Mafia
Children’s Story- Slick Rick
Time 4 Sum Aksion- Redman
93 Til infinity- Souls of Mischief
Move Bitch- Ludacris
It’s So Hard- Big Pun
Whoa- Black Rob
Lean Back- Terror Squad
All For One- Brand Nubian
Da Rockwilder- Meth and Red
Ruff Ryders Anthem- DMX
The Light- Common
They Want EFX- Das Efx
Lose Yourself- Eminem
The Symphony- Marley Marl
Fuck The Police- NWA
NY State of Mind- Nas
Bring The Pain- Method Man
Niggas In Paris- Kanye West and Jay Z
Bring Em Out- T.I
Hot In Here- Nelly
Definition- Black Star
Exhibit C- Jay Electronica
Shake Ya Ass- Mystikal
What We Do- Freeway
Drop It Like Its Hot- Snoop Dogg
Ready Or Not- Fugees
Live At The BBQ- Main Source
Jump Around- House of Pain
I Got It Made- Special Ed
Power- Kanye West
I Got 5 On It- the Luniez
Elevators- Outkast
Ms Fat Booty- Mos Def

Great weekend of riding in Breck.

Johanna and I just spent the weekend hanging out with friends and riding in Breckenridge.  We shot out of town a little early on Friday to beat the traffic and did a couple of great rides on Saturday and Sunday.  Before this we had only been to Breckenridge twice so we were still on our first handfull of rides in the area. My favorite thing about the trails is how much it reminds me of Virginia riding.  Don't get me wrong, the chunky, dusty front range riding is awesome but we came up riding the loamy, rooty, swoopy trails of central Virginia.  Breckenridge is much like VA but about 7,000ft higher.

The first day Johanna really wanted to try and get up to the Continental Divide.  Her first (ridiculous) ride plan involved climbing up to 14,000ft...which just wasn't going to happen.  Our friend Rebecca wisely suggested an alternative that would get us just under 12,000ft at Georgia Pass.  We started on Tiger Run Road in Breckenridge and did a 16 mile out and back.  8 miles up, 8 miles down... Sort of. The first half of the climb was really just some nice rolling terrain to soften you up for the real gut kicker.  The next two miles were brutal basically making up the bulk of the 2,000ft of climbing. The last 2 miles of climbing we fairly chill gradually bringing us up to Georgia Pass.

Day 2 was a dog-friendly loop that topped out at about 11,000ft with much less climbing all around. I was feeling surprisingly good until the last road climb but after that it was all perma-grin downhill.

If you care about the details you can see the Strava info for the Georgia Pass and Burro/Spruce Rides.

MTB Week 2012:Sedona

Last year 8 Virginia mountain bikers descended on Fruita like a swarm of fat tire locusts.  We had a great time camping in some amazing places, packing more people and bikes in a pickup truck than is likely legal and bombing down Porcupine Rim.

This year we opted to go a little more posh and "base camp" out of a VRBO in Sedona, AZ.  You may be wondering..."Why Sedona? Moab, sure, Fruita, Yup! But what's in Sedona?"  Oh, only about 300 miles of trails and mind blowing scenery right from your doorstep.

It was pretty nice to be based out of a house where we could roll out of the garage and ride to most of the trail heads.  We did drive one day when we wanted to check out some trails on the North side of town.

We basically all landed in Arizona on Saturday and made it to the house Saturday evening.  Team Vegan did have a slight delay and rolled in a day later.  Sunday's ride was HOT!  We got a bit of a late start and were out in the desert cooking during the heat of the day.  By 2 or 3 in the afternoon we were pretty much all in survival mode just looking to get back to the comfort of our little resort on the golf course.

We did meet a couple of characters on day 1.  A local who kind of had something to prove with a buddy who rides in denim. I think we also suffered from a flat or two on that first day.

Day two was pretty similar.  We got out a little earlier to try and beat the heat but we were still out there when it was close to 100 degrees.

On Tuesday we decided to head for higher ground and meet up with a Charlottesville buddy that recently moved to Flagstaff.  Unfortunately, Chris had befriended some local riders who had been pent up all winter and hadn't just spent the last two days trying to cook their brains in the desert sun.  All things considered it was a great ride and a good day in Flag.

Wednesday was a rest day for some of us.  Johanna, Fenton, Kyle and Richard opted for a little pre Grand Canyon ride.  I think they were out the door by 6:00 and a few hours later we were all headed up to the Grand Canyon for a little day trip.

By the end of the week temps had cooled down into the 70's and it was pretty ideal for riding.  I think we had some rain in the early part of Thursday so we waited it out and the group split up for two different afternoon rides.  J and Richard explored the Airport trails and the rest of us (minus Fenton who was beginning his own personal journey into hell) rode some of the stuff closer to town.

The last ride of the week was just a bit North of town and was pretty much perfect.  Being the last ride of the week I decided to throw the gauntlet down as we approached a short rise before a decent descent.  As I expected, Kyle and Richard answered the call and the three of us were tearing through baby heads like nobody's business.  I did manage to bonk myself about 300 yards from the car...which I would say is just about ideal.

Roots Retrospective (Part IV): Phrenology

It's hard for me to believe that this album has existed for 10 years!  Every time I see the CD jacket in the holder I feel like it's the most recent release.  There are some timeless hard hitters on this album.  The energy starts with Phrentrow and doesn't settle down until well after Pussy Galore.

While the two releases Break You Off and The Seed (2.0) are pretty accessible they are by no means the best songs on the album (IMHO).

So...standout tracks...let's see.  Rock You (Track 2) sets the tone for most of the album. Even soulless zombies have to bob their head when the beat for Quills drops, Thought @ Work is a nice illustration of Tariq's skills and to round out this album I've got to go with Pussy Galore.  The title is a bit misleading but give it a minute and be sure not to miss the message.  Also, while Rhymes and Ammo may not be the highest quality Roots track it's a fun anthem that makes a great fight song.  Not to mention pretty much anything Talib Kweli touches is pretty much gold.

Track Listing
Phrentrow
Rock You
!!!!!!!!
Sacrifice (featuring Nelly Furtado)
Rolling with Heat (featuring Talib Kweli)
WAOK (Ay) Rollcall
Thought @ Work
The Seed (2.0)
Break You Off
Water
Quills
Pussy Galore
Complexity (featuring Jill Scott)
Something in the Way of Things (In Town)

Bonus Track

Rhymes and Ammo/ Thirsty!

Next....The Tipping Point

Roots Retrospective (Part III): Things Fall Apart

You would be doing yourself a disservice to not listen to Things Fall Apart from beginning to end. Sure, there's some highs and lows but there are really no bad tracks on this album.  Things start off quite strong with the first three tracks...settle down for a little bit and then pick up with one of my favorite Roots tracks of all time.  Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New.  If I were forced to pick my 3 favorite...The Next Movement, Adrenaline and the elusive Hidden Track!


Track Listing
"Act Won (Things Fall Apart)"
"Table of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)"
"The Next Movement"
"Step Into the Realm"
"The Spark"
"Dynamite!"
"Without a Doubt"
"Saturday Night"
"Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New"
"Double Trouble"
"Act Too (The Love of My Life)"
"100% Dundee"
"Diedre vs. Dice"
"Adrenaline!"
"3rd Acts: ? vs. Scratch 2... Electric Boogaloo"
"You Got Me"
"Don't See Us"
"The Return to Innocence Lost"
"Act Fore (The End?)" (Hidden track)

Next Up: Phrenology

Roots Retrospective (Part II): Illadelph Halflife

Wow! It looks like I need to do a little more homework.  My awakening must not have happened until 1999 with Things Fall Apart.

Here's the track list:

"Intro"
"Respond/React"
"Section" "Panic!!!!!!!"
"It Just Don't Stop"
"Episodes" (featuring Dice Raw)
"Push Up Ya Lighter" (featuring Bahamadia)
"What They Do" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)
"? vs. Scratch (The Token DJ Cut)"
"Concerto of the Desperado"
"Clones" (featuring Dice Raw & M.A.R.S.)
"UNIverse at War" (featuring Common)
"No Alibi"
"Dave vs. Us"
"No Great Pretender"
"The Hypnotic" (featuring D'Angelo)
"Ital (The Universal Side)" (featuring Q-Tip)
"One Shine" (featuring Cassandra Wilson & Joshua Redman)
"The Adventures in Wonderland (performed by Ursula Rucker)" "Outro"

I have heard a few of these tracks but not enough to say that I can really recommend the premier tracks off of this one.  The (unedited) video for What They Do is pretty clever and from what I know of the tracks I have heard...I think I've been missing out.  Damn!

Next Up...Things Fall Apart

Roots Retrospective (Part I): Do You Want More?!!!??!

Release Date: January 17, 1995










Track Listing
Intro/There's Something Goin' On
Proceed
Distortion to Static
Mellow My Man
I Remain Calm
Datskat
Lazy Afternoon
? vs. Rahzel
Do You Want More?!!!??!"
What Goes On Pt. 7
Essaywhuman?!!!??!
Swept Away
You Ain't Fly
Silent Treatment
The Lesson Part 1
The Unlocking

Strangely I can't find this album in my iTunes library.  I have to wonder if there's a stray disk somewhere in my collection that has not been assimilated. Anyway, I can't say that there are any particular standout tracks on this album. Overall, it does sound just a little bit dated but there are some marquee tracks on this one that really characterize the essence of  The Roots. Proceed, Do You Want More and Silent Treatment have to be some of most classic songs on this album.

Next Up: The 1996 Release Illadelph Halflife

Do you want more of that illadelph game theory before things fall apart?

Hands down one of my favorite groups of all time.  There are only two groups who's albums I would buy without having heard a single track or review.  The Roots are one of those groups.

Well, to be fair, I haven't heard or purchased Wake Up! a collaboration with John Legend. I am not a huge fan of Organix but everything from Do You Want More?!!!??!  to How I Got Over will forever have a place on my iPod.

I had a buddy ask me to put together some new (to him) music and I immediately asked him if he had heard any Roots tracks.  He had heard a few, liked some, but not all.  I agreed to put together a recommended playlist for him but with so much music (8 albums in my collection anyway) I didn't really know how to pull my favorite tracks for him.  Well...I thought I would just go through each album, list the tracks and just highlight the ones I liked and why.  I figured if I was going to go through that much effort, I might as well document it.

This is clearly too much for one post...so I'll just start with Do You Want More?

Products of Our Environment

I don't think that anyone would argue that many of their traits came directly from their parents.  No breakthroughs there.  I am sure you notice it in your everyday life.  Perhaps it's how you talk, your sense of humor, how you cook, your music preferences...the list goes on and on.

What's interesting to me though are the inverse tendencies that are just as powerful as the direct tendencies we inherent from our parents.   One example, growing up we were always late going places.  Not just a little late every once in a while...always late, and sometimes hours late.  I think as a results I have this inherent animosity towards being late.  Not to the point that I am neurotic about it, and sure, I still get caught up from time to time and don't leave the house when I really should, but most of the time...I would much rather be ready early and get where I am going with time to spare.  That being said, I still drive way too fast (like my dad) and I will delay folding laundry for as long as I can (like my mom).

What about you...do you have any reverse tendencies as a result of your childhood?

Scoreboard Update

I may not be using my EE degree on a daily basis, but it does come in handy when it's time to put together a serious project.  My polo scoreboard is coming together quite nicely.  Here's a couple of pictures.  

Here's the backside of the scoreboard.  No, it's not Coke powered.  It's there for scale.

Here's the business end of the scoreboard.  4 digits for time and a game can be set from 3:00 to 30:00 minutes.  1 digit for each of the scores. 

A little shot in the dark.

Another behind the scenes view.

Denver Veloswap...

...is only the world's largest consumer bicycling and sports expo.

But that didn't really give me an idea of what to expect.  All I knew is that back in March a local cyclist told me to keep an eye out for it.  So I did.  I found the date and set it on my calendar.  All I could gather was that it was going to be an epic gear swap of old, new and in-between cycling gear.  Individuals, shops, retailers would all be there to peddle their wares.

We wanted to get there when the doors opened so at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning we rolled out of Choice City to The Mile High to start our morning at a great little diner. We got to the doors about 45 minutes before they opened and we had a pretty good spot in line.  It wasn't quite backed up to the freeway yet (but it didn't take long to get there).

So...it seems like there are two strategies, but before I talk strategy...I've gotta talk layout.  As you walk in, you first go through all of the major manufacturers and sponsors...we are talking about folks like Rudy Project, Subaru...then you get to the big retailers (Mavic, Panda Bike, Full Cycle, Big Shot Bikes) then it starts to get to the guys with piles and piles of used shit, well it's not all used.  Clearly some of the gear might be unused stuff from a sponsor, or maybe some equipment that has one season of use, or stuff that was ridden within an inch of its life.  There's also a LOT of really vintage stuff out there.  I was looking for some odds and ends and was definitely ready to pounce on a good deal if one popped up.

Right, so strategy...it's really not that complex.  Either you can start at the front and work your way back or bolt to the back and work your way forward. I opted to head for the used stuff since I was looking for a deal on some mechanical brakes.

This shot gives you an idea of what the inside looked like.

I actually only spent $25 at the expo but I did score two Avid BB7's with levers, a nice ear warmer and two blinky lights.  Not a bad take for 25 bucks.  J managed to raid the Pearl Izumi women's medium bin to find several pairs of shorts (including two baggies) and three pairs of socks for one Mr. Benjamin.  She also scored 4 handlebars for 5 dollars.

I'll definitely be back next year, ready to deal.  It may actually be worth getting a vendor pass to get in the doors a little early so I don't have to battle the masses next year.  It was amazing how many people piled into the building in just 20 minutes.  I think also for next year, I may actually print out the map.  I got disoriented more than once and J had to navigate me to the guy with the $5 disk rotors...I would have been in the far corner with the 65 year old couple trying to sell their trek tandem for $650.

Oh, this was pretty awesome too.

Simplify

from Wikipedia...

In mathematics and algebra, "simplify" means to "make more simple" by means of reducing, combining, completing operations, or solving.

But in this case I am talking about simplifying life...specifically, my life.  Starting a new job leaves one with limited resources (i.e. time and energy) with which to do other things.  And if it's one thing I like to do...it's "other things".

So I've been thinking a lot lately about ways to simplify my life.  So far I've come up with a few ideas...Not in any particular order of importance.

Purge Redundant and Unused Items

This one is pretty simple.  I just need to look around and  There's a dyson vacuum to my left that just won't get used. It only works okay and we recently picked up a Kenmore that works great and fits our need better anyway.  About 2 feet from that Dyson is a GoPro camera.  It's a great little device but I so rarely do all of the prep to use it and post processing to actually view the videos that it's really just a drain on my time and space.

Batch Processing

I kind of like to let stuff pile up anyway.  Laundry, dishes, whatever.  Maybe those aren't great examples, but there are plenty of things that take some amount of setup or breakdown time so it's not worth just doing it once.  Ironing clothes and cooking are the first things to come to mind.

Prioritize

This kind of connects back to the Purging stuff.  I like projects, and I also love to start a project as soon as I think of it.  Unfortunately this often leaves me with two things 1) unfinished projects that I am not excited about and 2) more projects at once than I really have time for.  So, I am really trying to get through project A before I start into project B.  On that note, the Polo Scoreboard has been making some good progress lately.

Day Twelve - Getting Down to the Wire

My last Friday as a free man was fairly uneventful.  I made a quick run to the bank for some direct deposit paperwork, drove J's mom up to the reservoir to hike around a bit and check out the view of town from ~500ft above and wrapped up with some delicious Japanese food at Jeju's.  With the huge lack of excellent restaurants in town, it was quite refreshing to find one that pleased all three of the diners.  Watch out for the Spicy Tuna Roll though...it's not just a Tuna Roll with kick, they kind of make the tuna into a paste.  Not really ideal.  However, the Samurai Roll is well worth the $14 or whatever it happens to be...that was quite delicious...and elaborate.  I wish I had taken a picture.  Maybe next time.

Note: Not actual Samurai Roll that I consumed but a pretty good recommendation (foreground)

I am starting to wonder which of my many bags is acceptable in a business-casual environment.  I may just have to go with the classic Timbuk2 messenger...at least until I get the scratch for a RE Load waxed canvas bag!

Day Eleven - Cleaning & Driving

We've got family coming in to town which means two things.  1) Get the place ready for presentation and 2) acquire said family.  I did get a good amount of cleaning done...although the Dyson suddenly died as I was vacuuming the sunroom.  I guess I'll have to look at that at some point.  I also whipped up some delicious BBQ and some mediocre mac & cheese.  It's my first attempt at M&C and I was a little rushed, so it's kind of mushy and lacking flavor.  I'll nail it next time.  The pulled pork was delicious...as always.

Day Ten - Lots of Packages Today

I ordered a few things last week (this of course has nothing to do with the fact that I am expecting a steady inflow of cash soon) and everything arrived today.

First was a small collection of Chris King Bling.  I got the replacement bearing for the one I destroyed last week and a few finely machined tools to work on my creaking bottom bracket.  Since I was stranded most of the day yesterday with the Honda in the shop, I took the opportunity to run some errands.  Two bike shops, two hardware stores, one grocery store, two department stores and Jimmy Johns somewhere in the middle.

The second item to arrive was a tiny camera I got off of Ebay.  I've actually wanted an inexpensive really small camera for a while.  I already have a digital camera but it's too big and clunky to stick in a pocket or carry on rides in a useful way.

Last but not least was a none-too-soon supply of tea.  I was getting dangerously low and needed to replenish.  I can't wait to sample some of these bad boys!

Eight & Nine - Dark Hours

The last two days are a perfect example of not being able to recall what I "did".  I mean, it's not like I sat on the couch all day.  It's just that I didn't really do anything of consequence, hence it doesn't stick in my brain, hence, I can't recall what I did.  So when I try to recount, it feels like I completely lost two days of my life.

Fortunately, that's not the case.  Monday was pretty chill.  I think I just did some cleaning around the house in the anticipation of some possible poker (which did not end up panning out).  I also confirmed that my Honda was in fact leaking a little bit of fluid onto the driveway.  The funny thing is that I thought it was from the plumber's visit last week.  I never saw his car, but I assumed a plumber would have an old truck and assumed that old truck would be leaking oil in my driveway.  (I don't even know if he parked in the driveway).  I only noticed because sometime in the last couple of weeks I cleaned up the driveway a bit and now I can park in a different spot.  Who knows how long I've been leaking fluid(s) and how long it would have taken me to notice if I just parked in the same spot all the time.

Anyway, that takes me to Tuesday.  First thing I did was drop the car off at the mechanic down the street (which is quite convenient). It turns out I was leaking fluid from the clutch slave cylinder and I also needed a radiator hose replaced.  That actually grounded me for most of the day so I cleaned a bit more, worked a little more on the polo scoreboard project (making some good progress there) and after picking up the car I went for a short MTB ride.  So, nothing monumental, and nothing really worth mentioning when someone asks "So, what did you do today?"

Even this post isn't worth tagging with a label...

Day Seven - Recovery

There's a lot to do after any camping trip that includes a big ride.  Clothes, sleeping bags, tents to deal with, dishes to wash, car to unpack, bike to put away, more clothes.  A nice perk to being unemployed is that one can tackle these tasks at leisure.

I thought about playing some paintball today, but I really don't feel quite right after the ride yesterday.  I think the elevation combined with the distance really wears me out.  So, I did some stuff around the house, watched a little TV and sometime after washing some dishes and before unpacking the car I did manage to make one of these.

My buddy Fenton sent me a link the other day and suggested I try making one of these with the remainder of my free days...so a couple of days ago I picked up an old fork and this afternoon, I went to town.

There's not much else to report for today.  Even an unemployed bum needs quiet weekends every once in a while.  I did wrap up the evening with a stop by a Blockbuster kiosk and for the low price of $2.99 I was able to pick up this piece of garbage.

I really thought it would be better than is was.  The ending was anti-climactic and he didn't even get the girl.  Kind of a waste.

Day Six - Honkytonk Badonkadonk

Today was the Monarch Crest Trail.  35 miles of riding, 3,500 ft of climbing with most of the climbing above 11,000ft and almost 7,000ft of descending!  It's a really gorgeous ride with some phenominal views and even a little East-Coast style riding.  One of these days I'll tally my observations between Colorado and Virginia riding but for now I'll just say it was nice to ride in the trees a little bit and railing corners.  I was quite surprised that a good bit of the ride was actually shaded. It didn't feel like hot, exposed CO riding until the very end.

If you are thinking about doing this ride I have a few thoughts.

• It's awesome, do it. 
• It's quite fun with a group.
• Even though there's 3,500ft of climbing it's all very mellow.  Nothing too steep until you reach the last 10 miles where there's some short gut busters.
• Get on the trail early to beat the heat and afternoon thunderstorms.
• A shuttle is necessary, plan accordingly.
• A map is a good idea.  Absolute Bikes in Salida has an excellent map.

My recap from a non-trail perspective

1. The King hub performed flawlessly, even missing a ball in one of the bearings
2. I overpacked.
3. I do not like Ergon grips at all.  My hands were both numb and in pain at the bottom of a 5 mile descent.  

Oh, if you've gotten this far and you are wondering what the hell the title is about.  This song was playing when I went into the restroom before the ride.

Day Five - Driving Driving Driving

First things first...

Last night I went over to a friends house to service my Chris King hub.  As I mentioned yesterday, I have a not-so-great experience with servicing this particular hub.  (Here's the recap).

Unfortunately, the last time I tried to do that, I destroyed several of the bearings, marred the axle and gouged the inside of the freehub body.  

This time the King hub did not quite make it out as good as new.  The hub service instructions are very complete and very specific and as a result you really have to pay attention to every word in every instruction.  It's not like assembling some piece of cheap furniture where you can just look at the pictures and get the idea and run with it. no no.  So, in one of the many multi-step processes I didn't quite assemble the tool correctly and I blew out the inner race on one of the bearings.  There were little steel balls everywhere.  I had pretty much figured that was it and I was already trying to figure out which rear wheel I could use since my FSA wheel was at the shop getting one proprietary spoke replaced.  Well my buddy was not so fatalistic. Using his magnet on a stick, we (mostly he) actually managed to get 17 of the 18 tiny balls off of the garage floor and into the bearing.  We got it all back together and it rolled as smooth as butter.  That being said, I still brought a spare rear wheel to Salida for the big ride.  We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, today I had until about noon before I had to hit the road to Boulder, then Leadville then Poncha Springs.

I completely cleaned out the inside of the Honda.  Here's a protip for you shop-vac owners, Keep those filters clear and your vac will suck like it's new.  Before the cleaning and packing of the car I called Chris King and told them what I did and tried to buy a new bearing from them.  Get this, they will sell you the $160 tool to completely disassemble and destroy your $400+ hub but when you do destroy it, they will not sell you the parts to reassemble it.  They are very gracious about working on the hub if you ship it to them, but they will not ship you hub parts.  So I ended up buying the $37 bearing online...and while I was at it I bought the bottom bracket tool as well.  So, I suspect I'll have the opportunity to destroy a $100+ bottom bracket sometime next week.  Good times.