Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: September 28, 2019, 11:15:39 pm »

I wonder the same thing-especially since I haven't paid off my Trek Stache 8 yet!!!  but on mild terrain, I doubt unassisted bikes will ever go away.  I can't think but they will forever handle better, be lighter, and more nimble because of that.  But for climbing especially, and I don't enjoy the twisty, "flowy" single tracks out there, I really appreciate the extra power, especially for sustained climbs.  We live in a part of the Cascades of Washington that doesn't have a lot of flat spots.  Riding here requires a lot of work.  I live on a mile long 6% grade, and it's a slog with my stache, even with the dinner plate rear gear.  I'm maxxed out on heart rate climbing it, and only managing 3 or 4 mph.  In the lowest boost setting (eco) on my Turbo Levo, and I can manage 8-10 mph while maintaining a heart rate of around 120 bpm, and not top out the ciimb feeling like I need an hour in the recliner to recover.  When you think about it, this means i could slide back downhill and do it all over again, so it has the potential to double or triple my riding.  In the long run, i'm actually getting more of a sustained, lower level workout than I normally would, so it's a good benefit physically!   I probably will wind up changing my 32 tooth gear in the front to a 30 or 28, to prolong the battery life.  Gotta say though, it's really a gas to power up stuff I'd normally be walking!!!  And when DMV finally yanks my drivers license, I'll have to get myself a powered 3-wheeler, and become the terror of the retirement home!!

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General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: September 28, 2019, 12:43:44 pm »

I've heard the "cheating" comment before on some of the videos I've watched.  but can't understand this: on our Class I bikes, if I don't pedal, i don't go, period.  It provides a boost for riding uphill, which this 71 year-old really appreciates!  I find that at my age, i no longer have the power for sustained hard climbs.  Like you say, in 10 years, it might be something you'll seriously check out!  Hopefully by then, the industry will have decided that the bells, whistles and foghorns aren't really necessary, and produce light, powerful motors and long-lasting batteries, rather than building bikes with computer-sensed automatically adjusted suspension systems (Fox), and anti lock brake systems....after all, it's just a frikkin` BICYCLE for Pete's sake, not the space shuttle!!!

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General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: September 27, 2019, 02:46:47 pm »

absolutely!! 

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General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: September 26, 2019, 10:15:58 pm »

We'll give this another go this next summer, and having just bought a pair of e-MTB's, the ride up should be especially nice!!

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Food Talk / Re: Thailand food

« on: September 26, 2019, 10:13:34 pm »

another incredibly good recipe!  It's off my diet right now, but this reminder turned on the salivation faucet!!

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Food Talk / Re: Recipes

« on: September 26, 2019, 10:10:53 pm »

On a tour, my motto in perverted Latin is "we eatamus anythingus"!   You're burning so many calories, especially when it's cold, that you're on a "seafood" diet.....you see it, you EAT it!!!

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Food Talk / Re: Eating well on tour.

« on: September 26, 2019, 10:07:20 pm »

I chuckle...I've spent lots of time in Thailand on R&R, and both cook Thai food, and love it!  And with some of the stuff from Packit Gourmet's items from their general grocery section, I've been able to put together stuff like my favorite-pad prew wan-sweet & sour stir fry.  The problem is, I can't find this in our local restaurants that's truly "Thai hot"...The waiter asks, and I tell him "thai hot" and it always comes back just a little, well....less than I remember!  When I was in Naval Special Warfare, we needed a Vietnamese lady to come cook for us for about a week prior to a long range patrol into "indian country".  Otherwise, believe it or not, the other side could actually smell us!  It was a "good thing" to blend into the landscape.  She had this fish sauce called nuc mom, a fish sauce, that if you spilled it on the floor, it would just continue to burn through to China!!!!

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Rocky Mountain / the Old Guys adventure

« on: May 31, 2018, 12:12:46 pm »

I'm putting together a ride from Whitefish to GNP, then on to Columbia Falls and return to Whitefish beginning 16 August,finishing around the 22nd, and we're looking for some gravel riding partners.  We're not flat-out racers here, but a group of guys pushing 70 (It's my 70th birthday celebratory ride!).  First night is Red Meadow Lake, then through Polebridge (of COURSE we'll stop!!), then over the river into GNP and maybe to Bowman Lake,then down to Logging Creek, Fish Creek or Apgar, Columbia Falls and return to Whitefish.  Anybody interested in riding with us??

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Rocky Mountain / shuttles from Ashton Id to West Yellowstone

« on: May 31, 2018, 12:04:09 pm »

we're contemplating doing the Yellowstone branch line on our fatbikes later this Summer, and I wonder if anyone knows of the possibility of a return shuttle from Ashton.  I expect we'll camp on the way down and do some fishing.  I'd rather not have to drive two vehicles from Central Washington all the way to West Yellowstone if I can avoid it though!

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Rocky Mountain / Re: Yellowstone backroads

« on: May 31, 2018, 12:01:38 pm »

my wife and I rode the Yellowstone Tour of Old Faithful a few years ago, on our Roubaix.  they're not known to be "slow touring bikes".  Flying down into Madison Junction at about 35mph, passing a line of stopped cars, I should have figured out the reason (speaking of animal jams) and OHCRAPBUFFALO!!!  Got the Roubaix sideways before I got her stopped!!  It was an exciting ride!

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General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:50:13 am »

we'll stop at the Merc for the baked goods orgy, but haven't yet decided on hitting Bowman (most likely we will) or go down to Quartz or Logging Creek for that night.  Then it's on to the closed section to Fish Creek campground.

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Connecting ACA Routes / Re: Linking the Sierra Cascade and Pacific Coast Routes

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:44:30 am »

heading north on the pacific coast route, the prevailing wind is from the northwest, just an fyi.  lots of fresh seafood though!  Another route you could take is to continue north and join with highway 97 into The Dalles, Oregon, then turn west into Portland.  Of course that would mean you'd skip the entirety of Oregon's coast, which is pretty nice, admittedly. 

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Food Talk / Re: Eating well on tour.

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:38:33 am »

I've been playing around with foods for quite a while now, both for gravel biking, and pavement touring.  so depending on where I'm riding, I'll take different stoves.  If we're out in the boonies, with the Jetboil, it's stuff from Packit Gourmet, which is hands down, the absolute BEST food I've ever eaten i the dehydrated/freeze-dried variety.  On the other hand, if I'm on pavement, doing stuff like a SanJuan Islands tour (we live in central Washington state), I'll pack the Trangia cookset, which is much more heavy and bulky, BUT.....I can cook anything I want on it.  The slow cooking and simmering qualities are superb!  so, with the opportunity to buy smaller quantities of stuff along the way, and the right equipment, cooking shoyu chicken and veggies, stews, crepes, and scampi; even a paella isn't out of reach!  the stumbling block is the usually larger quantities of stuff pre packaged in the smaller stores though.  And it really requires some serious thought.  I keep coming back to Packit Gourmet though.  Y'll really ought to at least hit their website, and wander through the "general grocery" section.  Pretty much anything you'd want to make is in that section! 

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General Discussion / Re: Going to the Sun Unlikely to Open Before July 4th

« on: May 31, 2018, 11:16:24 am »

That's interesting!  We're planning a mid-August gravel ride from Whitefish out to the Merc, then across the river and down to Apgar or Fish Creek on Inside North Fork, then back onto the pavement with a stop at Glacier distillery in Coram (of course!), then on to C-Falls and Mudman Burgers, then back to Whitefish. Anyone interested, PM me; we could use the company, but we're a couple of seriously out-of-shape OLD GUYS!!!!

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Food Talk / Re: to cook or not-thoughts on stoves and "stuff"

« on: October 29, 2017, 10:37:03 am »

Sounds like it would be a great trip!  Hitting the little seaport towns for seafood would make an incredible trip!  It makes me think I should plan a "seafood" tour, hitting all the little working ports below Seattle and Eureka, Ca.  Our kids live in Eureka, and I'm very familiar with the coastline of CA, having lived there for most of my life.  So if you need any info, just let me know, and have a super trip!
Jerry