Tour Divide 2016 - Scratch

Tour Divide 2016 - racing down the Continental Divide.  Or at least into Montana.  Again.

Rain was due by 10:00 and Crazy Larry's....well, I was ready to go.

OK, lets go.  Ok, lets go....(Photo Bikepacker Mag)

Class of 2016, Tour Divide 2016 Grand Depart, SOBO

And the rain came right on time.  I was not complaining though.  It was so much warmer than 2014 when the first day was snow and sleet.  But it was cold and the rain was no fun.  Elk pass would have been ok the day before - now was rid-able but a slog.

I had timelines so there are few pictures.  Stopping meant getting colder and though the daylight was long, the time was ticking by.  

Stick to the plan.  I arrived at the Bouldin Creek trading post thoroughly cold and wet so my stop there was longer than I would have liked.  First, hot coffee and hot soup.  Supplies at the trading post are so much better than 2011 when I ate a cold can of Wolf Brand chili.  

I added hot water to the camp meal I'd carried and put it in my backpack to eat later.   

I bought dish gloves for my cold hands and large baggies that I put over my soaked wool socks.  Just these 2 additions made a huge difference.  

Hal Russell was already at the trading post and asked if I wanted to share a room in Elkford.  He was calling them now.  I said yes, that I'd be a few hours behind him since I'm slower.  Several racers opted to camp there near the trading post but that was just too few miles to stop even in such bad weather.  

I carried on making Elk Pass and reached the snowmobile cabin 5 miles beyond.  I stopped there long enough to eat the hot meal I'd been carrying.  SheilaT and I had been forced to stay at this cabin in 2011 and 2014.  I vowed I would not and I wondered if she saw my SPOT stopping there.  

As the sun set, it stopped raining.  I was alone as it got dark and for the next 3 1/2 hours badly sang out loud songs from my iPod in hopes of scaring off any bears.  I suppose it might have worked as I saw plenty of scat but no bears. 

At 1:30am I rolled up to the hotel in Elkford.  Another racer told me that the management had given away Hal's room.  I won't type the things I said.  Hal got floor space in someone else's room and I was invited to join but in my tired state forgot what room the guy said.  So I camped on the ladies room floor in the basement and it was fine.  Dry and quiet.   

Day 1, Elkford 109.6 miles

Of course I wanted to get an early start but with such a late roll-in, I could not take care of the bike or re-supply.  The hotel had a hose so I made quick work of washing off the mud, re-lubing the drive train and re-packing.  I don't recall what I did about re-supply but the cafe next door to the hotel was still closed which I suppose was a good thing.

The 30 miles to Sparwood seemed to drag on forever.  There was a stiff head wind and I was whipped from the hours on the bike and little sleep the day before.  The body will adapt somewhat but not by day 2.  After a nasty What-a-burger and grocery shopping, I was off again.  

I was still struggling for some giddy up all the way up the long boring grind of paved Corbin road.  I stopped to eat and coffee up (I eat Starbucks Via) before tackling Flathead Pass when I was joined by a couple from Oregon.  I think they did the Grand Depart though they were not racing.  Super nice and strong riders.  I was very glad for the company.  

Coal mine on Corbin Rd. 

Since I'd weened myself off of coffee for some time before the race, the jolt of caffeine was awesome.  And a good thing too.  In the Flathead, the road has been overtaken by the river and it is a couple of miles of pushing the bike in and out of the riverbed/road.  While in this section, we met up with Will Meyer and his friend Domingo from England.  Very fun guys and now there were 5 in our merry band.  

Flathead

So SheilaT is one of those people who just remember every road, rock and tree.   There is a section of the trail where you have to haul your bike up a wet vertical seepage a 1/4 mile.  I would have sworn we were going to have to do it as the exit from the Flathead.  I kept looking for it and it just never happened.  Well, that's awesome I thought.  They have re-routed the track and taken out the stupidest thing any cyclist has ever seen.  Good job! (I'll come back to this)

While in the Flathead, we caught up with Hal and we were 6.  At some point, Hal was in the back, the other 4 further up front so I was riding alone.  I saw 2 black spots against the bar ditch up ahead.  I blew my whistle and shouted but they didn't move.  I back tracked on the road knowing Hal was behind me and waited.  Once he caught up, we rode together.  He was excited to possibly get a picture of a couple of black bears, not common in the area. 

Or a set of culverts.   So embarrassed.  

It was maybe 9pm when Hal and I arrived at Butts Cabin.  A forest cabin available or anyone to stay in, it was surrounded by TD racer tents.  Because I carry only a bivy, I will always look for shelter to sleep and opted for inside the cabin with 2 other (snoring) racers.  It rained all night and though the day was only 86 miles, I was glad of the roof over my head.  

Fuzzy, but Hal Russell

Butts Cabin, Day 2, 86.2 miles

Butts Cabin sits at 4200'.  Day 3 would start with a climb to Cabin Pass (1500' in 10 miles).  My right knee that had been painful under the knee cap was really angry this morning.  I stopped at the base of the climb, raised my seat that had slipped just a bit, moved the right cleat back as far as it would go and started a 3 Advil, 2x day regiment.  

I made Cabin Pass, stopping to take a picture where SheilaT and I were hammered by a storm in 2014.  I'm riding along reading ahead in the cues and what...what does that say? "Before crossing river a 2nd time, at a carin, go right on single track following blazes on trees steeply uphill for next 1/4 mile".   I re-read another 2 times as it sunk in that no, the mud wall was not an exit from the Flathead, it was just prior to climbing Galton Pass.  Well S&#T!  Only one way to get there...

There really is no way to describe this section adequately and only video would do it justice.  It is a vertical seepage/creek used as a trail and it is slick as snot.  I'd made a plan based on the experience with SheilaT in 2014.  At the base, I dumped any excess water.  I kept 1 bottle and put that in my silnylon backpack.  I took the front and rear bags off the bike, left the bike at the base and hiked up with the bags.  It is so steep.  I'd get myself up hill of a tree, brace myself, toss the bags ahead and hand-over-hand it to the next rock, stump, tree or whatever I could leverage against.  I pretty much took them to the top then headed back for the bike.  California Joe had caught up to me and was muscling his loaded rig up as I came down.  Just not possible for me to do that - impressive.  Hauling up the bike was hard but so much easier unloaded.  Got everything re-attached and moved on.

Next up was the 2200' gain in 8 miles of Galton Pass; a walk some, ride some endeavor.  In 2014, SheilaT and I descended this pass at 3am in snow and sleet.  Our hands so cold we had to go slow and often stop.  I put on more clothes at the top and started down and was cooking in the heat by the bottom.  Such a different year. 

Cabin Pass

Water stop

I soon crossed the border from Canada into Montana.  Though Eureka was not far, I was really hungry and got food to go from the red neck bar at the border.  

To rest the knee, I got a room in Eureka; careful to not stay in the same hotel that had been so mean in 2014.  I made it to the cafe next door before they closed and had one mighty fine dinner.  

Top of Galton.  Ran into Will and Domingo

Joe from California also caught up at top of Galton

Descending Galton Pass

Obligatory border selfie with me and Sharetha
Day 3, Eureka ~71 miles

Day 4 was a push to Whitefish.  I'd had no rear brakes on night 1 after the cabin and though I adjusted them in Elkford, I knew the mud had taken their toll.  I felt lucky having brakes at all for the long descent of Galton Pass - I needed to get to a bike shop.

It was mostly a rain free day with beautiful views.  In 2011, huge snow detours took us into Whitefish via Stryker Pass (a 14 hour 40 mile day as I recall).  In 2014, I only made it to the border.  This was all new.  Unfortunately I was in a hurry.  

First view of Tetons 

Red Meadow Lake

Had to capture "snow"

Where the gravel turns to pavement.  Seems like a stupid picture to take
but you just had to be there in 2011 to understand

Whitefish Lake

Found Tim in Whitefish
Day 4, 101 miles

The very very kind mechanics at Glacier Cyclery were staying late and got my bike fixed up.  I got dinner, a room and was out cold.  

Day 5 was rough.  My knee was a mess.  I'd tweeked my back on the mud wall and though not a show stopper was just 1 more thing.  I headed out of Whitefish in a slow rain.  It was still raining when I rolled into Columbia Falls just 10 miles later.    I knew I was not riding any farther that day.  My knee hurt so much I could not get out of the saddle.  That and pissing rain wiped every motivational saying I'd jotted down right out of my head (don't fight the route, prepare for your tired self...).  

I stopped at the Montana Coffee traders.  When I got up the front of the line, the sever asked if I was Sheila.  Yes I replied.  She said my friends John and Marcy figured I'd stop for coffee and paid for it in advance.  That was it.  I cried.  That made the woman behind me cry and she insisted on paying for my breakfast.   That my friends is magic.

Day 5  Columbia Falls, 10 miles

I found a hotel room with a kitchen.  I spent the day with ice on my knee and a wet towel heated in the microwave on my back - slept and listened to the rain.  

I left in the morning grateful for the paved early part of the days route.  I stopped for breakfast 30 miles later at the Echo Lake Cafe where an older gentleman joined me and I answered his questions about the race.  I saw William Lamb from Waco Texas just as I was leaving.  I wish I'd stayed and waited for him and his friend to finish.  I'd ridden alone for ever and company would have been nice.

It was another 70ish miles to the Holland Lake Lodge.  I don't remember much about it except how hard it was.  I walked a lot.  Even on the gentle rolling gravel to the lodge I had to get off and walk. I'd made bike adjustments.  I was taking as much Advil as I could.  I'd taken a rest day.  I had to stop. I had no plan but this was at least a good place to stop for the day even if I had to ride the 30 miles to Seeley the next day (with the monster Richmond Peak in between).   

There are some spectacular refuges on the TD.  Holland Lake Lodge is one of those.  It is a mile or so off route and worth every foot.  Met by a warm fire, staff immediately set about getting me a room and my dinner order to the kitchen though their official dinner time had passed.  

Day 6, Holland Lake Lodge, 101 miles

From a back corner near the fire, a familiar voice says "Wow.  You are like a bad penny."  I turned to find California Joe in running clothes with an ice pack on his leg.  He'd had a crash early on and was struggling to make mileage - the only reason I kept coming across him.  He was none to pleased to learn that I'd caught him there even after taking an off day.  No matter.  He too decided to end his race there.   

After what I think was the best meal of my life, I turned my attention to extraction.  Enter lodge owner and extraordinary human, Christian Wohlfeil.   It had been 5 years but he remembered me.

Without hesitation, he offered up one of his vehicles for me and Joe to use.  He has a house in Missoula and we could leave it there.  So amazingly kind!  The next morning after a breakfast that rivaled dinner the night before, Joe and I loaded our bikes and headed out the 80 miles to Missoula where we both had flights home booked.  I'd made arrangements at Missoula Bicycle Works to pack and ship the bike home (it arrived just yesterday).  

And that's that.  Jeff picked me up in Houston and we had lunch with my mom and returned to Austin where all my peeps were in full Texas Water Safari mode which turned out to be a great distraction.  

2 Weeks Later

I have an angry tendon in my left ankle that presents as a small knot and the foot swells if I sit or stand too long.  Back pain is totally gone.  After 2 weeks rest and ibuprofen, the knee will not tolerate going down stairs or cycling.  I've been swimming and even pulled a boat out and paddled.  I saw someone for the knee yesterday and will give that treatment plan 2-4 weeks before escalating it to the ortho.  I've been referred to a bike fit guru in College Station and will do that too as soon as I can arrange it.  

I keep getting asked what's next and it's too soon.  I'd wanted to do the Texas Water Safari next year but now unfinished business lingers.  

For now, hanging with my peeps, some house projects, get stronger.  

#tourdivide2016

Tour Divide 2016 - To Banff and The Rig

I seriously wanted to make a blog entry before leaving for Calgary/Banff.  Time.  Just not enough of it in those final days.

Compared to 2011 and 2014, gear-wise I was not as prepared as I would have preferred.  I decided on my old shoes since I never found anything that really fit well.  I put the best of the bad in my box to Steamboat in case I was hating life.  I'm also not fond of the changes Specialized has made to their helmets.  They now have a fixed piece under the ear that on me, hangs to my chin.  But it's what I have.
At the end of this entry, I'll do a final gear list.

This time I booked a direct flight from Houston.  In 2014, I think it was changing flights from Austin to Houston where my bike was so terribly damaged.  I also thought that making the baggage handlers smile might go in my favor.

Really is such a scary thing handing over the bike

A blissfully uneventful flight, the bike box arrived safely and we both made our connection on the last shuttle to Banff.  

I made a reservation at the Banff YMCA, the hub of Tour Divide activity and where the majority of the riders stay.  To save money, I stayed in the women's dorm for 2 nights and was super surprised that I had it to myself both nights.  I moved into a solo room the night before the race so I could panic in private.  

Morning 1 in Banff is bike build day.  But first, breakfast at Melissa's Missteak; a fave.  I'd made friends on the shuttle with Tim from Michigan, Terry from England, and Nelson from New Hampshire.  We all had breakfast together.  During breakfast, Hal Russel from Missouri came in with his wife.  I'd wanted to meet him - he's like a 3 time vet and a super nice guy.  

On to the build.  I am not a mechanic.  But I paid attention to what I'd need to put the bike back together after having been very well packed by Bicycle Sport Shop in Austin.  I put real tools in the box and was grateful for the forethought.  Only having my small multi-tool would have worked but would have been a pain. 

Once done, Terry, Tim and I took our bikes out for a spin.  The race starts from Banff along the Bow river and we were just going a few miles out to the 1st bridge.  Good thing as Tim discovered a mechanical problem with his bike and would need to make an appointment with the shop in town. Oh, and now there is really just 1 shop and they were slammed with 100+ riders in town.

Test Ride #1

Thursday was another test ride (22 miles) but with the full rig, food and water I'd start with.  Bike weighs about 49lbs with this load for those interested.  No issues with the bike or rigging.  The GPS was another matter.  And not just me.  Several people using the Etrex (20, 30, 30x) were having the same problem of the unit freezing when trying to navigate the track.  This is not something that could have been tested at home.  I looked at the track and verified it was all there while in Texas and just assumed things would work as usual.

It is a super long story with a complicated backup plan being executed from home - Jeff got my .gpx off my laptop and put it in the cloud.  SheilaT grabbed it and divided it up into smaller tracks thinking the unit was overwhelmed. (note: the Etrex can accept a 10k point file and that is what was loaded).  Sheila then put those back up to the cloud.  I was going to go the library, attach my gps to the internet and reload.    I ran into Josh Kato who had the same unit and said he'd not even turned his on yet so walked through it then.  He began navigation differently than I did.  So on my unit, I imitated the steps he had done and it turns out, the unit thought I was already navigating the track and asking it to do so again was too much.  Fair enough.  Lesson learned.  So the 1st time it is told to navigate, it does take quite some time to load up.  But after that it was fine.  I never told it to navigate again.  I just turned it off each night and in the morning it started up where I left off. 

Jared from Como?

Me and Terry not attending the race meeting in the next room.  There will be bears......

The Rig

Naked in Banff

My bike is new for 2016; a 2015 Salsa Fargo Ti (the last of their inventory) size sm.

Firestarter carbon fork

Woodchipper bars

SRAM 2x10  28-42drivetrain, shifters came stock but I replace the cranks/rings with a RaceFace Next 24-38.  

Wheels: Stans NoTubes Arch, DTSwiss rear hub, SON Dynamo front 

Tires: Specalized Fast Tracks

Pedals : Time Attach carbon/Ti 

Syntace Aero bars

Stem Captain compass

Salsa Ti seatpost and Fizik saddle 

Bags: 2011 Revelate seat bag, 2011 Revelate harness refurbished by them this year, 2011 Revelate Feed bag, 2016 Boulder Bags gas tank with electronics port, 2014 Revelate Jerry Can, 2016 Revelate production frame bag for Fargo, 2016 Front pocket (though my 2011 pocket bag is in good condition, the new design adds side mesh pockets that the bear spray fit well in), 2016 Bedrock bag fold down stem bag.  

Sleep kit: Western Mountaineering Summerlite bag, Inertia X-Lite pad, REI Minimalist bivy, REI inflatable pillow, Sea to Summit 2L drybag, underwear, yoga bra, fleece hat, light wool socks.  Daily med kit also traveled in the sleep kit. 

Repair kit: don't want to list it all, but is as you would expect.  I did carry some items in the frame bag such as cleaning, gorilla tape and my multi-tool handy in the frame bag.  The rest along with a spare tube and C02 was seat bag.  

Water: 34oz Platy bladder in the frame bag and 20oz bottle in the Feed bag.  A 24oz bottle on the fork that was used for treating water using tablets. I had the basic capacity of 5 liters + carried an empty Platy bottle in the seat back for longer dry sections like the Basin and NM. 

Electronics: KLite with Standlight powered by the SON hub.  A switch to toggle to a Sinewave USB attached to a LimeFuel cache battery.  Either my iPod or iPhone was charged from the cache.   Etrex 30x using AAs (and I traveled with a full cue set edited for my purposes).  

My kit:

Jersey, shorts x2, arm and leg warmers, sun sleeves

GoLite rain jacket, Patagonia rain pants

Smartwool short and long sleeve shirts

Patagonia Nanopuff vest

Headsweats beanie

Buff

3 pairs of gloves including wool liners + pair of dish gloves

Tyvek mailer to slide under my jersey that acts as a quick vest

Shoes - X-Alp Enduro III no longer made :(

Specalized helmet

EOS headlamp (AAA's)

Oakley glasses - progressive trifocal with transitions.  Cuz I'm old.  

Classic iPod

iPhone

Notes to me - forgot that seat bag is not waterproof.  An actual drybag is needed for clothing.  Shoes have to be replaced.  Use knickers until after Montana - pulling up knee warmers PIA.

#TourDivide2016

Wrapping Up. Taking Stock

A week from tomorrow I fly to Banff.  I've only had a few pangs of nervousness but I'm sure the worst will be getting on that plane without the other Sheila.  I'm trying not to have expectations, but instead to be open to the flow of the divide.
Yeah, whatever.  This is just weird.  We've become like an old married couple always knowing what to expect from the other and providing each other encouragement all along the way.  SheilaT tackled the divide alone in 2014 when I came home.  She did great.  I'm going to channel that.

Down to business.  Training has really sucked the past month.  Weather in Texas has been terrible and quite frankly, I'm sick of training.  I'd love to take my Willits to the desert and shred some dry trail.  I've entertained myself by tackling some local hills on the loaded bike just to see if I could and by cruising around downtown Austin.  In 2011 and 2014 we were still in drought so there were plenty of opportunities to take the loaded bike on trails to see how it handled.  I've done some gravel but everything is so wet this year.  I'll just work it out as I go.

I'm still waiting on a couple of items to come in.  Wool socks and glove liners mainly.  The coolest addition to the kit is a pair of custom poogies SheilaT made to protect my hands on the hoods.  Descending Galton Pass in the wee hours was so horrible for both of us in 2014.  Thank goodness for the plastic bags we had and were able to use as wind breaks.

So just over a week to go and I'm still in a shoe quandary.  Manufactures mostly make shoes for men or women with larger feet.  My heels are narrow and I just can't find anything that fits properly that will work for this application.  My backup plan is to use my 2013 Pearl Izume Enduro III - no longer made.  I have 4 pairs of shoes that I have tried that did not work.  My latest test in the morning will be to add heel pads to the best fitting of the lot (held in by moleskin) and see if they are comfortable enough.  Contact points - hands, butt, feet.  Have to be perfect.

I have managed to work in some rides and have tried to have some fun while I get this all together.  Finishing and printing my cues and putting the .gpx onto my Etrex are my last really big things.

Sultry climb up Scenic Dr. over Lake Austin @ race weight

Lovely time with paddling friends getting ready for Texas Water Safari

The Sheilas.  And yes.  We. Are. Awesome!

And lastly.  The Fargo used to be in that spot.  Work your magic Bicycle Sport Shop.

To The Nitty Gritty

Now the middle of May and some things could be farther along - like my weekly mileage.  If it's not one thing it's another.
And my cues.  My cues could be way farther along.  I have a full set of edited cues from 2011, edited to use again in 2014.  I "assumed" I could start with those and just add all map addenda since that time.  Never assume.  The first thing I noticed was addenda dates that were June 2014.  Definitely added after SheilaT and I had put the finishing touches on ours.  Good think there was nothing major as SheilaT completed the route fine.  I've decided a start from scratch method is best.  2015 Addenda have been downloaded.  Such a long process but helps for route review.

And gear.  I am actually surprised that my entire rig is not totally dialed in at this point.  Last month's GG showed me the cockpit needed adjustment so I put on a higher stem with much improvement.  I've been using a loner Fizik Vesta successfully so one is on order.  I'm not loving my Salsa Ti seatpost.  It seems to ratchet back too easily and I'm not strong enough to adjust it with the mini muli-tool I'll be carrying.  Well a shout out to #Erickson who did a fine job of refurbishing my 2011 Sweetpost.  She is lovely and ready to go.  Still working on shoes.  Sure wish manufacturers would make narrow shoes for women and not just smaller mens designs.  



 What would a blog post be without photos.

Sun up on pedestrian bridge over Town Lake

 

Professor Al and Teach Sheila To Not Be Stranded - Part 1

Sleeping out for an early roll to see my friends finish the Texas Water Safari Prelim.  Ride - Martindale, Texas to Victoria, Texas

Below Mansfield Dam on a "Dam Loop"

Fly to Banff in 23 days.  #TourDivide2016

Gran Gravel 500

One does not typically plan to quit a race (DNF) - do they?

The Gran Gravel 500 is a new 500 mile unsupported gravel event cooked up by Billy Rice to help raise cancer treatment funds for the St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan Texas.  The ultra started at 5am 04/22 and if racers finished in time, they could then join in a multi-distance ride on 04/24.

A 500 mile unsupported event in April was perfect timing to shake down my Tour Divide rig and expose (the many) gaps in my preparation.  SheilaT and I had somewhat opposing goals.  For SheilaT, strictly a race.  For me an epic training ride.  For both of us, to do the best we could, complete the entire 500 mile distance, and if possible, finish by 5:00 pm on Sunday 04/24.

I just want to summary the highlights and takeaways - not do an extended race report.

Day 1 - College Station to somewhere in the Davy Crockett NF
Chilly start with temp in the high 50s.   No jacket - too much trouble to have to stow early after warming up.  Tyvek and arm warmers were fine.
Double paceline with escort first 20 miles then let the pack off to set our own pace.
The sunrise was a "this is why I ride moment".  Fog close to the ground adding a beautiful contrast to the surrounding purple sun-kissed hills and trees.  I took one shot of the moon setting.  I hope SheilaT got some of the sunrise/fog.

Super pleased with 181 miles the 1st day.  Goal was 200 but by midnight knew we needed sleep.   Riding conditions were amazingly good given the epic flooding earlier in the week in nearby Houston.  Sand roads that would have been deep and troublesome if dry, were fast rolling hard pack. One road still had standing water "lakes" but were rideable.  Climbs were mostly long and rolling.  I'm guessing 25% pavement (1 mandatory pavement re-route to avoid unridable mud road).

Sleep location was just off the road in the woods.  We passed up an actual NF campsite just outside Groveton but deemed it way too early to stop.   I used an SOL bivy with assorted clothes as my sleep kit.  Was warm enough.  Bivy is open at the head.  A mesh would have been good  - keep mosquitoes out.
--Dog barking in the distance the whole time were were down.  A bird.  A really loud, repetitive bird.  I would have shot said bird.  Pack of coyotes - crazy close by.   Maybe managed an hour of good sleep.  Should have gotten up and left.  Ever hopeful?

Day 2
Rolled out in the dark.  After a bit I remarked that the road surfaces had really changed.   I don't think I would have made that 200 mark without it having been a 24hr push.  The roads turned softer and very rutted from runoff really slowing progress especially in the dark.
Sun-up brought dryer roads but very different terrain.  Gone were yesterday's fast rollers.  Today was steep climb repetition.  Tired from no sleep and maybe affected by the humid heat, it took us 10 hours to do 77 miles to Palestine - a very different pace than the day before.

Once in Palestine, I decided to stop.  My saddle was trying to kill me.  I'd been having trouble with it; know I need to change it; super tired of buying one to try and it not working.  I've got a pile of saddles that suck.

Billy Rice came out and got me - a logistical saver.  SheilaT carried on and is making her way in drizzle to Trinity as of this writing.  She will finish.  She's like that.

By the numbers:
I rode 258 miles in about 36 hours.
The route has 18k feet of total climbing.  In the 1st 1/2 is 11k.  Elevation stacked on the front end.
Chased by dogs - at least a dozen
Rabbit chases - 2
Frog -1

I have a couple of special powers.  A car will always come by if I pee.  Case in point - a spectacular pee fail early on Friday on a dirt road that I'll bet sees 1 car a week.
I find toys on the road.  Most famous is Sharetha Barton.  I should blog how I got her.  Saturday we were riding the shoulder of a paved road and I saw a dirty, face down I don't even know what.  I u-turned and grabbed him.  He is Flat Stanley.  I like the port/starboard wristband thing he's got.
Not an hour later on some back forest road, an orange pterodactyl.  I gave him to SheilaT cuz he matches her new Niner.

 




Gear wrap-up:
Could not be happier with Klite.  Need cache battery to buffer phone charging at low speed.
Saddle history: Terry Butterfly for 2011 TD.  Paddled 2012, 2013.  Got new Butterfly for 2014 TD.  Mfg had changed something and at moderate distance, the center sags.  Thought it was defective and got another, same thing.  Tried Selle Italia Lady with same style - had same problem.  Terry Liberator Race - don't remember the issue but did not work.  Got a Bontrager lady something off ebay.  Nice shape but hard as a rock.  Specialized Lithia - comp model and super heavy so did not consider it a contender.  May go back to it.  Have been loaned a fizik Vesta to try.
Alpkit gas tank came in.  It looks great.  Can't wait to rig the charging wires in a more practical way.

Now, a nap.