Cycling and Outdoor Gear

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Free Entrance to National Parks

April 15th, 2010

National Park Week starts this Saturday and during it entrance to all 392 national parks will be free. It’s from April 17th to the 25th. Since it includes two weekends, it’s actually more than a week.

In addition to no entrance fees, there are other special events. They include National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday April 24th. Children can take part in kid-friendly activities and earn their very own junior ranger patch.

For more information, see the National Park Week page on the NPS site.

– UltraRob

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Tags: hiking, outdoors
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Colorado College Criterium Photos

April 12th, 2010

I watched bits of the Colorado College Criterium races on Saturday between shuttling the kids to activities. As always it was a fun race to watch with some good tactics and sprint finishes. I heard there were also some crashes but I didn’t see any. I took several photos and you can see more Colorado College Criterium photos here.

I also got down to the WMBA of COS fundraiser for a little while but didn’t stay for the Women of Dirt movie because my daughter had had enough excitment for the day. It was well attended and people were having a fun time.

– UltraRob

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Busy Local Cycling Weekend

April 9th, 2010

This week has been crazy and exhausting for me and I haven’t posted about the busy cycling weekend here in Colorado Springs.

Tomorrow is the criterium at Colorado College. There are collegiate races plus USA Cycling classes. First race is at 8:30 AM and the last race is the Pro Men at 5 PM. More info on the race flyer. Here are some Colorado College Crit photos from a couple years ago.

Also tomorrow the Women’s Mountain Biking Association of Colorado Springs is showing the movie Women of Dirt at McCabe’s tavern. There’s also a silent auction and price drawings. Event is from 4-8 PM with the movie starting at 5 PM. More info here.

Sunday is the hillclimb up Cheyenne Canyon. There’s a leg burning 1,250 feet of climbing in 3.1 miles. Tom Danielson holds the record in 13:34. There’s a $250 prize for breaking the record. First group starts at 9 AM with the Pro Men the last to start at 2 PM. More info is on the race flyer below the CC crit info.

– UltraRob

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Trail Use When Muddy

March 30th, 2010

Spring on the Colorado Front Range often means snow or rain. In fact in the last week and a half we’ve had 3 snow storms. With the snow and rain comes muddy trails. On Sunday I waited until afternoon to go mountain biking but still hit a few muddy sections.

Hiking, running or mountain biking on muddy trails can tear them up. The best thing is to avoid muddy trails and wait until they dry out. We’re fortunate to have some locals trails that are gravel and don’t get very muddy. If you aren’t sure in your area, contact a local bike or outdoor shop to find out which trails get muddy.

If you’re on a trail and encounter a short, muddy section, the best thing to do is go right through the middle of it. As you can see in the photo above, going around the edge widens the trail and creates an even bigger mud section. Most of our lower snow has melted but on trails that are snowy, it’s best to go early in the morning before it warms up and they become muddy.

Colorado Springs trails that get muddy

Palmer Park
Red Rocks Park
Section 16 – the east side by the hogbacks
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
Garden of the Gods
Parts of Ute Valley Park
Parts of Stratton Open Space

Most of the trails in the Cheyenne Canon area are gravel and don’t get too muddy. These trail include Captain Jacks, Buckhorn and Columbine. Palmer Trail from High Drive is also good but dropping down Section 16 isn’t advised when it’s muddy. Other than a couple short sections, Barr Trail also is good when wet.

– UltraRob

Tags: hiking, mountain biking, running
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Check Your Gear after Storage

March 24th, 2010

You took good good care of your gear at the end of last season. Now whether it’s the start of camping, climbing or skiing season, you can just grab your gear and go, right? Actually it’s not the best idea.

I’ve found this out the hard way a few times over the years. Obviously I haven’t learned my lesson since the latest was this last week. We went to Big Bend National Park and camped for the first time this year.

We were busy before going and just grabbed the camping gear that we last used last fall out of the garage. We got to the campground late at night. When I pulled the tent out of the bag, the poles fell out in individual sections instead of corded together.

Just touching the cords in places was enough for them to fall apart. We found out quickly that without the cords to hold the poles together it was impossible to slide the poles through the sleeves. They just kept falling apart.

Fortunately the cords are just needed to hold the poles together to put the tent up. Once the poles are under tension they aren’t needed. By taping the joints together, we were able to set up the tent.

We were fortunate that not checking our gear ended up not being too bad. It was a reminder though that gear should be checked after storage.

– UltraRob

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Snowy Manitou Incline Photos

March 19th, 2010

Spring is almost here and that means big weather extremes here in Colorado. Yesterday I got a nice lunch time ride in 60 degree weather. This morning the snow is coming down.

Going hiking or cross-country skiing in a snow storm can be beautiful. Just be prepared and know how to navigate. It can be easy to get disoriented even in familiar areas.

Here are some photos from a hike I did on the Manitou Incline about a month ago. If the snow keeps up, it should look about the same in a few hours. It is still trespassing to hike the Manitou Incline and they’re spending $100k to study how to make it safe. As with hiking in any weather, you need to pay attention and be safe.

– UltraRob

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REI Nodder +25 Kids Sleeping Bag in for Review

March 17th, 2010

One thing we learned pretty quickly about camping with kids is they get cold easily at night. Even in the summer here in Colorado, we’ve had it drop close to 30 degrees when we’ve been camping close to 11,000 feet. Once the kids are cold, no one gets much sleep. The last couple years, my wife and youngest have slept together in cheap, bulky sleeping bags that zip together. D, our nearly 7 year old, has been sleeping in one of my old -10 degree winter sleeping bags that has become more of a 30 degree bag.

There have been some drawbacks to D using my old sleeping bag. Because it’s too big for her depending on how she lays, a lot of cold air can come in around her. It is a mummy bag so pulling the drawstring tight helps. The problem is she has trouble adjusting the drawstring herself and can end up tangled up in the extra when it is pulled tight. We’ve also had problems with her unzipping the bag all the way and having trouble getting the zipper started.

With camping season almost here, we’ve gotten her the kids 25 degree Nodder sleeping bag from REI. It’s kid sized so it’ll fit her better. Also the hood uses elastic rather than a drawstring to keep it snug around the head. There’s also Velcro for adjusting the opening.

It has a zipper down each side and they only run about half way down the bag. The stuff sack is attached to the sleeping bag so there are no worries about it getting lost. The stuff sack also can be used as a space adjuster allowing you to shorten or lengthen the bag as child grows.

She hasn’t used it yet but it seems that it will work well and solve the problems we’ve had. I plan to do a follow up post once she’s slept in it some.

Currently the REI Nodder sleeping bag retails for $69.50. REI dividends for members become available next week and along with that will be a 20% off one item coupon. The coupon will be good from March 22nd to April 18. If you buy from REI much, the one time $20 cost for membership is well worth it. I believe buying the membership now also gives you the 20% off coupon.

REI Nodder +25 Sleeping Bag – Kids Specs (from REI)

Specification	Description
Temperature rating (F)	25 degrees Fahrenheit
Temperature rating (C)	-4 degrees Celsius
Average weight	2 lbs. 8 oz.
Average weight – metric	1.13 kilograms
Shell	Ripstop nylon
Fill	Polyester fibers
Lining	Nylon taffeta
Fits up to	5 feet
Shoulder girth	52 inches
Hip girth	48 inches
Stuff sack size	10 x 16 inches
Stuff sack volume	20.6 liters
Sleeping bag shape	Mummy
Gender	Kids
Insulation type	Synthetic

– UltraRob

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Tags: camping, gear review, outdoor gear
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Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show Report 2010

March 15th, 2010

It’s been over a week since the Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show and I’m just now posting about it. It was a fun weekend between the show and the parties before and after.

There were more booths than last year and I didn’t see everything. Of course that was partly because I saw so many people that I know. Attendance was up from last year although not as much as Peak Region Cyclist had hoped for. The weather may have been partly to blame since it was such a nice day to be riding.

Of course there was plenty of high end bike eye candy. AngleTech was there with their recumbents and other bikes like the Zigo Leader. Matthew Hoke was there with a bike made out of recycled bike chains. It will be going on the awning at CS West Bikes.

Colorado Springs Bike Month was there with the 2010 City of Colorado Springs Bicycle Transportation Survey. Locals can also fill it out online to let the city know what you think the city needs for biking. If you complete it today, you’ll be entered to win bike gear from Pro Cycling.

WMBA of COS also had a booth. They are a great group for women that are just getting into mountain biking or are experienced. Their group rides start in May and their group ride schedule is online.

The bike show kick-off party at Carmichael Training Systems was good although people didn’t stay long. The SRM post show party on the other hand was still rocking when I left an hour after it was scheduled to end. They cooked brats on the patio and had lots of other yummy food. It was cool to see SRM’s service area. Another cool thing at the SRM party was Eric Barr lit up the night with his flame thrower bike.

To see more of the show check out my Peak Region Cyclist Bike Show photos.

– UltraRob

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Rampart Range Mangement Meeting Tomorrow (Wednesday)

March 9th, 2010

The 3rd public meeting for the is tomorrow evening (Wednesday, March 10). There’s a summary online of the October meetings. It takes some reading and I still didn’t have a very clear picture of what changes might occur. An article in the Gazette has a summary of possible changes.

There are some new trails proposed for mountain bikers and hikers which would be nice. They would include some good connectors to popular hiking areas. Some roads used by dirt bikes and ATVs would be closed but there would also be some new trails and areas for OHV users.

Overall it sounds pretty good for mountain bikers and hikers but things can change. In other planning meetings in the area, vocal groups have been able to get changes late in the planning at the expense of less vocal groups.

Meeting Details:

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Workshop from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM (presentation at 5:30)
Leon Young Service Center (Colorado Springs Utilities)
Pikes Peak Room (2nd floor)
1521 Hancock Expressway
Colorado Springs, Colorado

I would like to be at the meeting but doubt I’ll make it. To keep peace in the household, a home improvement project is currently higher on the priority list.

– UltraRob

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