Three Things

Thing Number One: Turkey Burn Report: Saturday was the annual Turkey Burn ride at Camp Ingawanis. You just never know what you are going to get for weather on this ride being that it is so late in the season. A few times it has marked the last ride on dirt for the year. So, it is the kind of a ride I don't like to miss out on.

Well, my wife was on call for the weekend, but our close family friend saved the day and came to hang out with my kids for the morning allowing me to get to the Camp. While I was a bit late, at least I got there. The word was that the group would head out for a short lap and then rendezvous with me back at the lot when I arrived. Well, when I got there the place was deserted. Oh sure, the cars were there, but no sign of riders.

So I took my time setting up and when I was ready to ride, there was still no sign of them. I decided to head out on my own. I got a short lap in, came back and still no one. I headed out for another trail, and halfway up the climb, I ran into them finally. So, they were headed back to the cars for a break and I went with them.

Now the frost was super heavy and the ground was frozen hard. So much so that my tires were sliding across frost covered leaves. Bare ground was crunchy. It's always kind of neat to ride on bare frozen ground. However; I knew that once the sun got up, that would change in a hurry.

I found that out on the beginning of the second lap, (well, third time for me), and I went down in a greasy switchback. I got up to walk my bike a few feet to more level ground and my feet slipped out from underneath me and I went down hard again! The rest of that lap was spent riding alone and very gingerly! The grease, now turning to a layer of mud, was treacherous, but if you take it slow and steady, it can be accomplished without further drama. I figured I'd be the first back to the lot, (Not due to speed, but due to getting lost and truncating the loop), and as it turned out, I was last!

We had chili, hung out, talked, Redgie gave us free Cranksgiving t-shirts, (Thanks Redg!) and we had a great time. Thanks to Captain Bob and MTBidwell for the efforts. Oh yeah, and MoJoe even put on a sweet unicycle show by hopping and dropping off a picnic table while we cheered him on.

Thing Number Two: I am a subscriber to Dirt Rag. I've liked that magazine and have been a fairly regular reader since the mid 90's. Obviously The Rag has changed with the times, but recently I noticed something. Something less. I was missing something but couldn't put my finger on it. Well, I have a stash of Dirt Rags going back quite a ways, so I reached down into the stack and yanked out an issue from 2006, as it turned out. Well, I was immediately aware of why I was feeling that empty feeling with the newer version of The Rag. Yup! 30 less pages will do that, I suppose. Kinda funny, but I suppose they have been hit by the hard times just like the rest of us have. Let's hope that changes and Dirt Rag girths up again. (Well, if you are a fan of actually holding something you read in your hands. If not, I suppose Dirt Rag online will do for you.)

Thing Number Three: Trans Iowa V6 registration ends today. It has been pretty amazing. Over 45 people didn't get their cards in on time. Some of them past T.I. participants too. Well, as much as I'd like to let all of them in, I can't. That said, the e-mails will start going out over the next few days with all the names and their places in the line for getting in on T.I.V6 if anyone drops out that is on the roster before 1/31/10. If you are on the Waiting List, your number that I e-mail you will indicate what place in line you are. I will go through the list when needed to find replacements for drop outs by numerical order. If someone passes on an offer to get in on the roster, they are off the Waiting List. Again, this madness will only go on until 1/31/10. After that, no more transfers or replacements will be considered.

Thanks to all who considered T.I.V6 as something worth giving a shot. I am humbled by all the attention that the event gets. While it would be great to get all of you folks here to ride the event, it just isn't logistically possible for our host city, nor am I set up for that sort of riding horde. To be honest, if all 75 folks showed up that are on the roster, it would test the limits of the infrastructure I have in place. (Highly doubtful that all the roster will show up.) But again.......thank you for your efforts to get in on T.I.V6.