Bike Commuting
Sat Nov 29, 08:04 PM
I have been getting my winter commuting bike ready by adding fenders and a rear rack. I love that I am able to ride my bike to work everyday. I really enjoy riding bikes in town and feel like I am making the world a better place. Maybe this view is a bit idealistic, but is another perk in addition to the joy of riding my bike every morning.
My commute to work is pretty easy, but I enjoy running errands on my bike. Grocery shopping is another way to get a few miles in Bigfork.
I recently found a really cool website with gas saving calculators and CO2 reduction calculations. Here is the link if you care:
http://www.thebikegeek.com/tools/
Misery Loves Company
Sat Nov 29, 07:30 PM
Ben Ruffatto is back in town this weekend and we decided to find some snow and make a few early season turns. Since we haven’t had much snow in the Flathead this fall, we had go further than the Big Mountain to find snow.
We met at the Buffalo Café for breakfast to discuss our mission. Stanton Glacier was the ultimate goal. As we started hiking we soon realized that Stanton Glacier is too far away for the day. We would need an extra few hours to get to the glacier. After hiking two hours on the trail, we decided to hike up a ridge that looked like the closest skiing.
The bushwhacking soon became unreasonable. Ever hopeful, (or desperate) we kept hiking up looking for snow. We hiked up to the ridge for an hour and there was still no snow that was skiable. We hiked down through thick alder brush and back to the trail. This is the first time we have ever been skunked when looking for early season turns. We hiked six hours with our skis and boots on our backs and didn’t ski at all!
Here are some pictures documenting the day. At least we know where the snow isn’t right now!
This is Ben bushwhacking up the ridge.
This is Stanton Glacier, and the north face of Great Northern Mountain.
Auto Industry Bailout
Thu Nov 20, 07:02 PM
If any of you were wondering what I think about the government bail out of the auto industry, wonder no more. I don’t normally get too political on this blog, but this topic is one of interest to me.
I don’t think the government needs to bail out the “big three” as they are a business just like many others. If I make poor business decisions and have a product that doesn’t sell, the government isn’t going to pass legislation to save me. On the other hand, I don’t have a business that employs millions of Americans, directly and indirectly.
As a believer in the theory of “survival of the fittest,” I think that the American automakers need to suffer a bit. They need to regroup and bring products to market that are competitive and will sell. Currently, the product lines offered by the Americans do not have the characteristics that buyers are looking for in a new vehicle; primarily fuel efficiency.
Other automakers, specifically the Japanese, are offering product lines that have better fuel efficiency, better perceived value, and perceived quality. Japanese companies such as Toyota, Honda, and Subaru build many of their vehicles in the US, with US labor. The Japanese are competing, and beating us in our market.
One of the main disadvantages that the US automakers face is paying legacy costs to retired workers. Legacy costs are the retirement benefits paid to former employees and are negotiated through the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Currently, the legacy costs associated with each American vehicle sold are approximately $1500. This is a cost that foreign car manufacturers don’t incur. The wages negotiated by the UAW also put the Americans at a severe disadvantage. A recent article in the New York Times reported average wages of $70-75/hour while the average Japanese wages are $40-45/hour. This is an average taken from many comparable positions throughout each organization. This statistic alone is justification to not give the American automakers any bail out money. The Americans need to fail, regroup, and then reemerge with sound business practices and products. This is the spirit of capitalism.
A bailout of the American auto industry is one further move towards a socialist government. We are already in for $700 billion, where does the bleeding stop? I know that we are in a recession and there are many that are feeling the pinch. I think that with the boom times, we must have the bust too. We have enjoyed a solid economy for the last several years and the market needs to correct.
After today’s events, the bailout doesn’t look like it will go through. I guess I will have to find something else to bitch about!
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Weekend update
Thu Nov 13, 09:23 AM
After a busy and slightly stressful week in the office, I needed a break. Luckily, the reunion of the Giro Discovery was in Missoula this weekend and there was a large group ride planned for Saturday. I cruised down on Friday night with Halpin and Phil to stir up some trouble. The group ride on Saturday consisted of ten riders, all solid and ready for a big one. Doug led the crew to the Rattlesnake for a variation on a classic. We started with the Snow Bowl Overlook Trail, which is always a bear. We then rallied the great decent to the base of the Wallman’s climb. We rode up the backside of Wallman’s and once at the top, readied for another downhill. New for us, this decent is an undiscovered gem of the Rattlesnake. All ten of us finished the ride tired, but with grins that shone through the mud caked on our bikes and bodies.
After a hot shower, and dinner, we went to Missoula Bicycle Works for a few beers and to prepare for the Giro Discovery movie. The movie documents the 2000-mile bike ride/endurance study that most of the crew rode last summer.
Sunday I came back to Whitefish and spent the afternoon hiking the Big Mountain with Addy. I carried my skis, as the dusting of snow visible from town was too tempting to miss out on. After catching some grief from other hikers on the mountain, we made to the Summit House and found several inches of slop. Preseason conditions have never really bothered me and Sunday was no exception. I clicked into my skis and slid on a mixture of snow, mud, and rocks. I let Addy put my skis on to make a few turns. She made several graceful turns on the top of Toni Matt before falling, and sliding through the mud!
Ski season is coming up quick and I am getting ready for the season. Lunges and wall sits are starting to make it into the workout plan and my bank account shudders as I look at all the cool new ski gear this season. The Warren Miller ski movie is coming to town this weekend and is always a great show. As they say, “It’s not ski season until Warren Miller comes to town.” I hope that the weather starts to get colder as we are getting the precipitation that we need.
Addy wipes out on Toni Matt-She claims that she hit a “huge” rock.
Addy on the Big Mountain
Brendan and Phil dressed up as a camel for Halloween. Addy and I we the Arabs!
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Fall in MT
Mon Oct 27, 09:28 AM
The last few weeks have been busy, but have been fun. The Rolling Thunder cross race in Missoula has become quite the spectacle. I had a great race and finished in the top ten.
This past weekend, the races came to Kalispell. It is nice to finally have a home race with a home crowd. It makes it more fun to race in front of friends and family.
I am constantly being asked about the economy and what the housing market is doing. The Flathead Valley is currently slow and getting worse. I talk many subcontractors that don’t have anything for work right now. Montana Build is currently not experiencing any slowdown. We have several good projects that we started this fall and still have three more that will start this year. One of the reasons for our success is our merger with General One Construction this summer. General One built custom homes in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula. Together, we have extended our range and now are building in several new developments in Western Montana and Idaho. Developments in Belt, Deer Lodge, and Sandpoint are keeping us busy in addition to the work that we have going in the Flathead. It is exciting to be a part of a company that continues to grow even when the economy is headed south. It is nice to have a bit of job security until I decide to quit real life and start travelling again.
There are a few trips in the pipeline, but nothing concrete. Halpin and I have talked about a bike tour of South America. We have also talked about gathering the crew for a bike tour of Ireland. Again, this is all just hot air right now, but these trips need a few wild ideas to get off the ground. If anybody has more wild ideas let me know.
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Bozeman CX Weekend
Fri Oct 17, 05:02 PM
There was a pretty good turnout for the Big Sky CX race on Saturday afternoon, even though we all knew it was going to snow and be miserable. For last Saturday’s race, the temperature was 25f and we had blowing snow on the course. It made for some tough race and spectator conditions.
Here is a picture Addy took while trying to stay warm in the car.
Halpin and Ruffatto battling, or probably chatting.
In Bozeman, they had enough snow at Lindley Park that the city wouldn’t let us race on Sunday morning. Apparently bikers would tear up the park. It is a good thing that the Bozeman race was cancelled because we would’ve missed it. Doug locked the keys in the car while it was running and it took AAA two hours to come and unlock the car.
Another highlight of the trip was stopping at the go-cart track. This is a pretty competitive crew, so the racing was pretty heated. There was no major damage done to the go-carts or to our bodies, so I would call this venture a success!
Over the course of the weekend I also got to hang out with Allie and the Steez. Both kids seem to be doing pretty well. They bitch about homework and tests, but don’t seem to have too many problems.
A weekend in Bozeman never disappoints This coming weekend also has a big reputation to uphold. Tomorrow is the fabled Rolling Thunder cross race in Missoula put on by Shawn Radley and Doug Shryock. This is the third year of the race, and it always lives up to the hype. (There is always plenty of hype from Doug) Sunday morning is the Hellgate Duathalon, which is painful, but a classic Missoula race. It should be another great weekend of hanging out with the crew and racing bikes. Does it get any better than that?
Cyclocross season is upon us!
Tue Oct 7, 12:00 PM
I had a pretty fun weekend chasing the fast guys in Helena in the cross race at Cox Lake. The crew made it down for a technical race that had tough running sections and lots of single track. The course was ideally matched to my strengths, but I had some mechanical and bio-mechanical issues to overcome during the race and finished towards the back in the A race. Check out the full race report on Shawn Radley’s website: montanacyclocross.com. There is a link on the left of my page to get you there.
A highlight of this weekend is Halpin’s new rig. He bought a 1978 Mercedes Benz 300 Diesel on Saturday morning. $600 bucks is all that this beauty went for and the maiden voyage was a trip to Helena. This car will soon be loaded up six bike racks and ready for road trips. With any luck it will be parked in your driveway when we crash on the couch for the weekend!
The cyclocross season continues next weekend in Bozeman. A crew from the Flathead, along with the Missoula crowd will invade Ruffatto, the Steez, and Allie. The courses in Bozeman and Big Sky are always tough, but always excellent racing. I will keep you posted.
Halpin with the “Blue Bastard”
More Glacier Pictures
Tue Sep 23, 07:22 AM
Hanging out at Ptarmigan Tunnel
Rob and Beth on Swift Current Pass-just after our double griz sighting
Waterton Lake at Goat Haunt
Chris on the trail
John before a minor detour along the Highline Trail
Glacier '08
Tue Sep 23, 07:08 AM
Words don’t do this trip justice. None. I can tell you that we had a great time, had great weather, and saw bears, moose, sheep, etc. I can try to describe the highlights: Ptarmigan Tunnel, Dinner at the lodge in Many Glacier, hiking over Swift Current Pass, the deer stealing my shirt at Fifty Mountain, the fire at Goat Haunt, or maybe the Huckleberries on Brown Pass. I struggle in finding an adequate description for the trip we just completed and can only show a few pictures that highlight the experience.
In March, when my dad said a seven-day, six-night Glacier trip was in the works, I immediately told him to count me in. I didn’t know the specifics; I just knew it was going to be great.
Tom, my dad’s best friend from growing up came from Tulsa, OK with his two brothers Don and John. Tom’s daughter, Beth, and boyfriend Rob, along with my dad and me, rounded out the crew of seven. Fitness levels were highly variable, with my dad and me at the two extremes.
After two flat tires and car troubles running shuttle up to Bowman Lake, the trip started out a bit ominous, but when we were dropped off on Monday morning, spirits were high and packs were heavy!
The first night was an early one, even with a full moon, as we all felt the day’s hike in our backs and legs. As the trip went on, we developed a solid rhythm; we all hiked at different paces, but met up every few hours to devour a handful of gorp and gulp out of our Nalgenes. The dynamics of the group are as good as any I have come across. Smiles and high-fives permeated the trail the whole time.
Every day was worthy of a head dunk in the creek, with a few days worthy of a dip in the lake. We had perfect weather all week as we saw our first clouds late on our last evening. Sunday morning was a wet one, but who cares, I stuffed the wet tent and sleeping bag in my pack for the hike to the car.
Our trip consisted of about 83 miles over the course of seven days. We hit many of the highlights of the park, but realized that there are more than we could cover in a week. There is always next year!
Since this short description barely describes the trip, here are a few pictures out of the 347 I took on the trip. (John took approximately 1500!)
Elizabeth Lake and Belly River Drainage
Enjoying the Sue Lake Overlook
Tom and my dad-The trail compaction crew!
The whole group near Fifty Mountain Campground
Me, Rob, and Beth at Bowman Lake-Ready to take the boots off!