King on Caley

Rainbow loom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:05:00 +0000

Rainbow loom

Ila Wilson
The product rainbow loom is sweeping the nation. Just a little bit more than one million have been sold.
I got one for Christmas this year. I have made all sorts of things from bracelets to mini-figures. This is a great thing to have you can make a lot of things with it the one problem is that the hook that come with it breaks in like a month or after you get the loom other than that this is a great craft for 11-13 year old. I'll put pictures below, well thanks for reading my article be shore to check back to great more revises bye,

My Goals for this year.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 00:10:00 +0000

My goals for 2014

Ila Wilson

My two goals for this year are.

1. To be nicer and less pushy with my siblings.

2.To read the hole series of The Gallagher Girl Academe.

These are my two goals for this year

2012 MTB Rides

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 17:06:00 +0000

Cathy Johnson Trail (Ken Caryl Valley)

April 1st, 2012-

I have been looking forward this spring since the beginning of the new year. I wanted to get in as much riding as my schedule would allow. I like riding the most in the spring and fall months. Summer is too hot unless you get an early start before the hottest part of the day. Spring is perfect. The weather is not too hot or cold and the trails aren't dusty or too muddy.

I decided to get a start on my riding earlier this year by weight lifting. I recently had to visit a Physical Therapist for some knee pain. I have had pain ever since last year when I went paintballing. You can read about it here. I felt better since lifting than I have in awhile. I really wanted to see what my body could do this season. On April Fool's Day, I drove out to the Cathy Johnson trail in the Ken Caryl Valley. I have a friend who lives in the community who had invited me to try out the trails.

My ride started out with a steady uphill dirt track. I was trying to keep my bike in the middle ring and the third cassette gear. I had read that it's better to pick a little bit more difficult gear to go uphill because it gets you farther up the hill faster. I knew this the hard part was whether my body could keep up with this gearing. I started out behind two other bikers, but soon was passing them. They were not in any hurry but it felt good to pass someone instead being passed. The rest of the uphill trek was very rewarding. I crossed South Valley road and continued on a few more miles north up the valley. I came to a burn area where a controlled burn had been conducted. I rested at a picnic area and took pictures of this structure below.

The return journey was blur. I flew down the hill bouncing over several dips in the trail. I was having some serious fun as I got both bike tires off the ground. I focused on pumping through some of the dips to keep from losing control. It was not a hard trip but a good open to my season.

Bear Creek Lake Park
April 12, 2012-

My favorite local trail in the Denver Metro area is Bear Creek Lake Park. It is a Lakewood city park near Morrison. They have a great lake with a beach called Big Soda Lake. I have often taken the kids there. I also have taken my kids to the park to mountain bike with them. I decided to ride through the park on after work. It's on my drive home from Golden, Co. I stopped off in a neighborhood near the park. I parked and rode out from there. I know that I should have paid the $5 to get into to park but I didn't.

I rode over Highway 285 on the pedestrian bridge down into the park. I knew the park only a little. I tried to download a map but couldn't really find one I liked. When I got into the park I rode east toward the damn. The trail was damp not muddy but in places. I rode fast. I bounced along the rocks and ruts. I was going fast as my gears would let me. The reason that I love this park is because of speed of the trails. They are just the right mix of rolling hills and flat. You can ride fast and climb only a little bit.

I rode around the damn to the north side of park. I flowed my memory of the park more than any maps. I barely stopped for anything. I took the picture above just to prove I was in the park. I could have stopped every minute though. The most tempting places were in the tree lined areas of the trail. I felt like I was biking through vaulted halls of green leaves.

I biked around till I reached the main entrance. I was trying to find a way over the river running through the park. I had to cross at paved bridge at the entrance but then got back onto the trail. I rode south toward my car. I hit another stream running half full. I passed several crossings that looked deep and muddy. I finally had to cross at a horse crossing. Lucky, it was had lots of big round rocks and little mud. I carried my bike across and only got one foot wet. I then headed to my car. I set a stead pace out of the park, and I was proud to pass several other bikers on the concrete trail over Highway 285. I am definitely looking forward to riding the park again this month.

Lair o' the Bear May 6th, 2012-
I don't know how it happened that I have not been on my bike for almost a month. I told myself that I would be riding every week but as usual life just never works out. I wanted to get back to Lair o' the Bear since last year when I biked it. I remember it being a really fun ride. I got myself together in the afternoon. There was a chance of showers but I wanted to risk it anyways. I arrived at the trail head at about 3:30. It was busy as I expected for a Sunday afternoon.

I was not happy about that but there is not much you can do when everyone in Colorado hikes or bikes on the weekends. I like having the trails to myself because I'm slow and I don't want people trying to get around me. The ride was nice but I was huffing and puffing right away. I rode about and a half miles up the trail when I meet with a rock wall that has stopped me before.

I decided to turn around because I didn't want to hike a bike over the rock. I turned around but on the way down I hit a sandy patch and took digger. My bike was fine but my knee got a nice big scrap. I thought it wasn't bleeding so I kept riding but a minute down the trail I felt something dibbling into my shoe. Looking down I found out it was my own blood. I stopped and tied my bandanna around my knee. It stopped the blood running down my leg. I rode down the trail with everyone asking me if I was all right. Nice to know people on the trail are looking out for one another. I got back to the car as the rain started. My knee was starting to hurt but I was okay. I really didn't like the trail all that much this time. I think I am going to have to visit during the week to avoid the crowd next time.

Green Mountain May 8th, 2012-

I like to get in a ride during the week if I can. I love to ride green mountain when it is not to hot out. It's close to work and is a good workout. This Tuesday I decided I would try to ride the whole mountain in an hour. I have ridden the mountain before and reached the top several times see the post Conquering the Mountain. I started around 3:50. I left the parking lot and turned to the right on the Green Mountain trail. I followed that trail around the south then to the east side of the mountain. It's a standard route for main bikers. It's a great rolling trail. A little uphill but nothing serious. I made good time around to the east side. I stayed with Green Mountain trail until I met up with Hayden Trail. I rode up that trail to the top of the mountain. It's not a steep trail but is a steady climb up winding around a bit until it meets up with a wide access road at the top. I took the access road northwest to Rooney Valley Trail. The ride down is a blast there are loose rocks near the top and switch back midway down. I was rocking and rolling down the mountain. My eyes were watering as I sped downhill. I made the seven mile journey in a little over an hour and I am counting this as one of my best rides this year.

Indian Creek Trail #800 May 20th, 2012-

Find out what happened to me by reading the post Lost in the Woods.

Family

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:58:00 +0000

I am hoping over the this summer to get this blog back up and running with some new content from my family. I am looking forward to the coming sections. Thanks.

Lost in the woods

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

I hope that some of you have been reading my Mountain Biking page to hear about how my year of biking is going if not please click on the link or the one above this post. I have a great tale to share with you about my last trip. I had been looking forward to this trip for a couple of days. My wife and kids were heading out of town so that meant I would have the whole day to myself. I thought what better than a long ride and then home alone. If no one knew this before I am a solitary person to a point. I like to be alone for a time but then get lonely pretty quick. I don’t often go on long rides when my wife has to stay home alone with the all the kids. I don’t really think that’s entirely far. That’s her day job and she shouldn’t have to have to put up with them all weekend as well. That meaning getting the chance to get out for a day without worrying about her is great. I had planned on going to Centennial Cone for my ride. I had planned it out because at this time Highway 6 up the parking lot is closed during the week and on the weekends mountain biking is only allowed on even dates.

I was ready to go but for one little problem. I checked the county open space website one more time before leaving. I had missed an important notice. The Elk Range Trail would be closed until mid-June. That meant half of the loop would not be accessible. I didn’t really want to do half the trail the turn around and come back. So I needed to pick another trail. I have had it my mind to try out a new area to me called Indian Creek Campground. The trail I wanted to ride was called Indian Creek trail #800. I had read various descriptions of the trail. Some said it was moderate to advance and some sites called it easy to moderate. I had hiked the trail last year with my family. I didn’t think based on that experience it wouldn’t be to hard a trail. I packed my pack with water, food, go goo's, and some survival and first aid supplies. I am not one to be under prepared but I did forget one important detail. I didn’t have a good map of the area that will come up later.

I got to the trail head about 11:30. I unloaded and meet a fellow biker who was getting ready for a “thirty mile” day. He and I talked about 29er bikes and the best route. He recommended going up the trail to a fire road then riding it till it ended turning into a single track back to the trail head. I thought this sounded like a good ride for me. He left before me and was gone even before I could clip into my pedals. The start of the trail was fine. I had to go down to the granny gear but I have learned not to sweat it since I am not Lance Armstrong. I am all about getting up the trail in my own time not someone else’s. I would describe this part of the trail as moderate. I would huff and puff up a rise this coast down to another rise. I rode about half an hour before stopping for a lunch break. There is nothing like peanut butter and honey on the trail side.

I rode about another half hour until I reached the fire road I had been told about. I meet a nice couple on the road who had hiked in from Roxborough State Park. We talked about bikes and animals. They told me they had seen a bear closer to the state park. I thanked them for that info. I then headed down the fire road. It was a nice ride. I was on the fire road for about an hour when I got the feeling I was not going in the right direction. I was going north when I knew I needed to go south to get back to the trailhead. I finally decided to turn around. I stopped and pulled out my iPhone. I used one of my apps to get a fix on my position. Now remember I had no map. I looked at the app map and thought I saw a way back the trail head behind me on the fire road. I put away the phone and headed back. I reached the junction with a trail whose name I forgot. I thought it was Saw Gulch or Sawmill Gulch. The direction of the trail was going right way or so I thought. I headed down the trail and was immediately stopped by a tree down in the trail. This seemed odd to me as I had seen several downed trees on the Indian Creek trail #800 but they had all been cut up to clear the trail. I thought maybe this tree was a recent fall. It’s too bad I didn’t pack my hatchet or saw I could have clear a least the trail. Instead I carried my bike over it and continued.

As the trail continued down into a valley I began to notice troubling signs. I had observed on the main trail many fresh tire marks from the last day or two. I also observed footprints and hoof prints from horses. On this new trail I didn’t see any fresh tire marks and no foot prints. I saw an occasional hoof print and horse dun. But they appeared old maybe a month or more. I also noticed the trail seemed over grown the further down I traveled. This worried me the most. I have been hiking and camping since I was little. I know what a trail that is well traveled looks like. I even know what game trails look like when they are well traveled. A well traveled trail means it goes somewhere. People and animals use the trail regularly. When a trail gets over grown that’s a sure sign not many have traveled this way recently. That means it probably is not going to take you where you want to go. I thought it would take be back south but the valley seemed to curve northwest instead of south.

I soon hit another fallen tree then another. I think there was more than four fallen trees on the trail. I should have turned around. I should have known that more than one downed tree was a bad sign. But I thought the trail would eventually meet up with trailhead so I continued on. I tried to get my position with my IPhone again but in the valley I had no signal not even basic cell service. I rode on. Farther down the trail the creek that the trail was following became part of the trail. I was riding and sometimes walking my bike through thick mud. I continued on. I eventually met up with some hikers who told me that I needed to take my next left to get back to the trailhead. I found to junctions but they seemed to go the wrong direction so I continued down the valley. I was turned around at this point and didn’t know it. what I thought was west was really north. I had a compass but didn’t pull it out. I should have. I eventually realized my mistake and turned around. I got back to the junction I should have taken. I had no energy at this point. I walked then hiked then walked my bike up the slope. I had to stop several times to rest.

I hiked out of the valley slowly. I was more than an hour late at this point. I didn’t know if I was going the right way as the trail kept winding this way and that. Again, I didn’t have a map of the area and I didn’t look at my compass. Stupid moves on my part but I was sure the trailhead was just over the next rise. I eventually meet more bikers which was encouraging. They told me which way to get to the Colorado trail or back to Roxborough State Park. Not places I wanted to go but I was reasonable sure I could find my way if I got to one of those places. I had to stop more than twice with painful muscle cramps in my thighs. Riding was out of the question at this time. I wasn’t even able to hike my bike I was just pushing it up the hill with me. I finally made it back to the trail and walked the last mile to the trailhead. I was two and half hours late but I was alive and still had my bike. I learned a lot about the little voice inside me that knew I was getting myself lost. I also learned that I am not as prepared as I thought in this area. Still it was fun to be out in nature even if I was lost.

Please leave comments about times you've been lost and please Subscribe. I hope to share more of my adventures with you.

Trip to the Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:13:00 +0000

As my kids get older we starting having firsts and lasts. Firsts are the obvious things such as my oldest son being first to finish elementary school and then first to go to middle school. On the other end my youngest, Scotlynn, is having lasts. She will be the last to finish elementary school and this year she is the last of my children to get to go the first grade Zoo trip. I am not usually that cognizant of last moments. So, it was my wife who had to point out this would be the last time I could go with one my children to the Zoo. It sounded more like, “I am signing you up Zoo trip with Scotlynn, okay!” I then asked why and she pointed out what was obvious to her that this was the last moment I would have to take any of my children to the Zoo with their class.

I was happy to be signed up after being told the importance of the moment. I got the day off and bought the prepacked lunches my daughter requested. The only hiccup was that there would be no room for me on the bus. I would have to drive myself and pay for myself. I was fine with both as the idea of riding the bus full of first graders was an experience I would rather avoid. So on the appointed day, I dropped the kids off at school and drove myself downtown to the Denver Zoo. I left right away because my wife told me I would need to be there at the Zoo ready to help when the bus dropped off. I was told the schedule was tight. I arrived in good time, paid for my entrance, and headed toward the school entrance. I was a bit shocked at the bustle of the school entrance. It reminded me more of a busy downtown bus terminal more than a public zoo or maybe that was the other way round. Buses from all over the local area and even from other parts of the state were arriving. The Zoo staff being experienced in the mess had a line of buses disembarking students. While other staff greeted new busses and prepared them to unload in their turn. A staff member manned a white board with the names of the various schools listed. As each bus would arrive he would mark down the time, bus number, and meeting location. I noticed my daughters bus had not arrived as the schools name was present but no arrival time had been marked. I walked over the flag where the school was supposed to meet after getting off the bus.

I watched as bus after bus arrived and dropped off students from preschool to high school. The arranged time for Scotlynn’s bus came and went. I saw several buses from her school district come and go but none seemed to contain her class. I walked over to the white board. I noticed my daughters school had been marked down as arriving but how could that be I never saw anyone from Scotlynn’s school walk by me. I made a frustrated call to my wife. I was quite testy with her. She was gracious enough to call my daughter’s teacher who informed my wife who then informed me the the bus had arrived they were waiting to get off. My wife even supplied me a description what all the kids would be wearing as they were dressed similarly in order to be easier to keep track of. I waited a little longer then finally the bus arrived and students matching my wife description got off and walked right past me into the Zoo. No one acknowledged me and I didn’t see my daughter so I had no idea if that had been her class or not. I then got a phone call from my wife stating they’d just walked by me. I had to hurry to catch up with the group I’d been assigned. Even despite the miserable start the day I had a lot of fun taking the kids around the Zoo. I was amazed that we got from one end to the other seeing almost all the animals. The six kids including my daughter listened really well and only at the end needed to be prodded into moving. They walked and talked the whole time. I have no idea what they learned but they saw a lot. I took as many pictures as I could.

It’s fun to get to do these things with Scotlynn. I would love to hear any of you who have had a last that really meant something to you. Please leave a comment, subscribe, and I look forward to posting more of my adventure for you.

Ranch Experience 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Here is the video of the ranch weekend.

Ranch Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 02:32:00 +0000

One of the greatest things about parenthood is letting your kids experience something that you know is a once and lifetime event. We got this recently when we visited a cattle ranch owned by my grandfather. We were visiting to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the foreman’s service running the ranch. They were branding the spring calves so my kids got to see a rare glimpse of the American West. I was surprised that all of them enjoyed the experience. My youngest daughter did say, “Those evil men kept hurting those cows,” but she still watched it with interest. I cannot say much more than that because I think the pictures from the weekend tell more of the story. So enjoy them, leave any comments, and subscribe.

Frat House Parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:29:00 +0000

This weekend my lovely wife went out of town for a women's weekend retreat. I was left to care for my four beautiful children. I didn't know how to really prepare for this kind of weekend. I knew that it would be better not to get up tight over a change in the schedule. It would be better to not expect to much. I really didn't want to spend the whole weekend yelling or disciplining the kids. I have in the past put some thought into weekends like this. I planned out the weekend with a list of events to go to or projects to do. I really like doing that because I feel like I have fun with the kids.

This weekend the best I could do was to come up with the plan not to do to much. We have had a rough week recently. I had little to no energy going into this weekend. I didn't want to do anything at all but the kids are not old enough to look out for themselves. Case in point is my youngest daughter who is standing below on her side of her bedroom. My wife and I have tried to get her to clean up this side of the room many times this month. I even tried to bribe her this weekend. So far she still considers this clean.

After a few half hearted attempts to get the kids motivated to do anything other than sit around watching television all weekend, I decided I was parenting a fraternity. I was the housekeeper to some wild crazy frat. Everywhere I turned I found pills of clothes, wrappers, and various other collections strewn about the house. I cleaned up what absolutely had to get cleaned up, but left the rest to wait till the party was over. I am not recommending this style for every parent. I know that my wife may not be happy with somethings when she gets home. I will end up cleaning it up in the end. It just helped to put the whole weekend into perspective. A fantasy to help me deal with the totality of the weekend.

I don't really have a good way to wrap this weekend up. I don't know that there is a theme other than the fact that sometimes we need to allow ourselves to just deal with what life gives us. I made lemonade with the lemons life was giving me. My wife finally returned home, and I am so glad that I don't have to go through life without her. I am so appreciative of the role she plays in my life and in the family. I hope to show her how much.

Please comment on the ways you deal with difficult weekends and subscribe. Also, I will be sharing my mountain bike experiences again on a separate page on this blog in the header bar above.

It aint easy being a kid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:40:00 +0000

The last few weeks since spring break have finished have been tough for my oldest son. He is starting his transition into his home room more often than before. This is preparation for middle school which is coming up next year. He came home last night with a bad entry in his back and forth folder (daily teacher log). Nothing of what the teacher wrote was bad. I can understand why she was upset. It's nearly the end of the year and she has a new student, essentially, who keeps blurting out random statements in order to get his classmates to start laughing. Stuff that you would expect during the beginning of the year when you have time to let the student know what your expectations are.

My wife and I spoke to my son about his behavior. We tried to emphasize the idea that if he cannot make this transition into his home room he may not be ready for the middle school. I hate telling him that but it's do or die time. He will not have summer school this year cause the district cannot afford to send every special needs child. I feel like such a shumk. I don't feel like I am being a great dad to my son. I feel like this overbearing boss man. I don't want that way but my son really losses focus and needs to be brought back to task at hand. I wish I could figure out a way to get through to him. But that seems to be the real issue with being the parent of an autistic child. Your always wishing your could get through the autism to your child who's just under the surface. I am prayer that my wife and I can find ways to have fun with my oldest not just be his boss.

My wife is calling me to her side so that is all I have to say for now. Please comment, subscribe, and let me know if you also struggle getting through to your kids. What works for you?

Long Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:28:00 +0000

It's been a while since my last post. I have been living life. I had a great winter season learning a lot about myself and my life. I had time to work on making my marriage even better. My family has made its home in a really great church, and I have been growing closer to God. All that meant that I had to balance out my life. I let my blogging go by the wayside.

I made some other online life changes. I dropped Facebook. I am not going to go through all the reasons now, but I was reminded that before Facebook I had a really life. I cannot multitask. Maybe some of you reading this can multitask but I'm not one. Only focus on a few things you can do really well that's what I am trying to do. I am still working on the few things I chose. I hope that I can now fit this blog into that list. I don't know how I will handle posting or how often, but I want to get back into the practice. Hopefully, I can hear from those of you who read this blog. I would love to hear your thoughts on this or any of the previous posts.

Well my wife is calling me to her side. Please subscribe, and leave a comment about how you may have had to let something go or how your able to multitask your life.

Getting Older

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:47:00 +0000

This last weekend started out with an early morning ride on Green Mountain. When my alarm went off I was already waking up ready to jump out of bed. I load up my Ranchero and headed out.

When I arrived at the parking lot there were only a few other cars in the lot. I preformed my pre-ride check and rode out. My ride was great. I hammered the trail with more energy than I normally muster for my afternoon rides. On a ridge looking down on to C-470, I enjoyed my breakfast bagel, a peach, and gel pack. I tried to memorize a memory verse but kept getting distracted by the view. I finished strong and headed home. That would normally be a great weekend for me, but this weekend I worked on the shed in the backyard. I also got a last minute invitation to play paintball. I spent at least four hours on Sunday running and gunning on the local paintball field.

Normally I would have no trouble on Monday getting up for work after a great weekend like this. But this Monday, I was really sore. My right knee was swollen and tender. I spent most of the day sitting in my office trying to stay off it. My mom has very bad knees. I have an aunt on my father's side who has suffered from early onset arthritis. With that history in mind, I was not to happy to be suffering from joint pain. My wife was great letting me rest with my knee up and iced all Monday night. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling much better. I still have a little stiffness in my knee.

I told my wife that I was getting old. She told me that I wasn't getting old I was just getting older. It's not a great feeling to have your body start to wear down. I thought I was in pretty good shape but I could always do better. My knees are a testament to that.

Well my wife is calling me to her side, so that's about all I have to say about that. Please comment and subscribe. Let me know what was the first sign your body gave you that you were getting older.

Glancing Back but Moving on

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:09:00 +0000

Most of us took a moment to think about where we were ten years ago today. I was at a men's breakfast bible study. I remember very little about the rest of the day other than trying to get ahold of my friend who was due to get of the Army that day. I remember talking to him on the phone about whether or not he'd be coming home or staying another couple years. That day will be forever with me but even now time has faded it just a little.

I was talking to my wife this morning about remembering. I told her that I would remember today but I didn't want to dwell on the tragedy. I wanted to get out with my kids and enjoy what is still my life in my country. I am not at all saying that we shouldn't morn. I have morned in my own way many times during this last week leading up to today. I just don't want to let anyone change who I am by making me fear or fail to move on.

The thought was repeated in my brain several times that we shouldn't leave the house for fear of something happening somewhere. But I didn't want to give into that thought. I wanted to stand up and say, "I am here still and I will live my life as an American without fear or shame."

My wife is calling me to her side so that's about all I have to say about that. It's good to be back. I took a longer break from the blog than I intended. Please comment and subscribe as always.

RE:

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:30:00 +0000

Here's one more model picture.
E.L. Wilson

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:28:00 +0000

I came across this bike at a local warehouse store. I noticed several things wrong with the bike configuration. Can you see them, too?
E.L. Wilson

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Conquering the Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:55:00 +0000

One of the reasons that I love mountain biking is constantly pushing myself toward new challenges. I get to challenge a trail over and over again in order to conquer it. I have been trying since early April to get to the top of Green Mountain. Green Mountain is a treeless hill west of Lakewood that is an easy ride for my office. This May I finally got to the top.

It's a challenge even to get to the mountain because of the climb over the I-70. The flyover bridge I take is steady climb leading then to a gentle slope down. I discovered that I didn't need to ride to the main western parking to catch a trail on to the mountain. There is a concrete path that goes under C-470. It leads straight to Box O' Rox trail. The name Box O' Rox is a very accurate name for the trail. It is a smooth trail at the base but becomes rocky near the top.

Climbing a mountain on a bike is not always fun. I didn't start out riding Green Mountain for the fun of the climb. I didn't think the climb was the best part of the ride. I thought it was the down hill. I watched videos all winter of the downhill mountain bike races. I got hooked on the idea that downhill was mountain biking. But the ride can changed my thinking as I got further up the mountain. Someday, I would make it halfway up the hill. Other days I would barely make a quarter of the climb. It was frustrating at the worst times and at best times would make me feel alive.

I was able to find a place where the ache of my muscles and the shortness of breath met my sense of victory. I have heard it called a "Zen" moment. I was in communion with all the universe just my own body. To feel that way is enough for me to find peace. God made my body to move and to be in tune with that feeling makes me feel in tune with God.

Since I rode to the top I have moved on to other trails (which you will hear about soon). I cannot always find my peace with every ride. I know that like everything in life I will be disappointed at times. I also know that there will be those times when I get closer God. I look forward to those times to come.

A view from the top of Green Mountain

Cottonwood Pass Mountain Biking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Over Memorial day weekend my wife and I went up to Eagle County to celebrate our anniversary. After going for a walk, I grabbed my bike for a short ride. Near where we were staying is Cottonwood Pass Road. I have ridden this road several times before but not with my own bike. It is a short ride by road to get up to the hills. After passing two cattle guards there is a road that heads up hill near where we were staying. Apparently, it's a seven mile loop to from the road and back. I thought this seemed good enough.

Understand that when I say road I mean a 4x4 road. I had seen dirt bikes going up this trail earlier in the day. It was not a well maintained road. From the spot where I took the above picture, the road is washed out and rutted all the way up. It's wide enough to allow for a truck to pass but the going is rough. I rode the first few miles without much trouble. The altitude was definitely a factor. I stopped several times to catch my breath. I found that each time I stopped the best thing for me was to control my breathing. I would hold my breath several seconds between breaths. This would slow down my breathing and help my heart to slow down as well. Once I got going again I would try to breath about every second or third revolution of my pedals. That pace kept me moving without losing my breath.

As I said the road was rough. I had to stay on the peaks between the ruts in the road most of the time. When the ruts disappeared then I found myself on loose sandstone. Unlike other rocks I have ridden over sandstone acts differently. It doesn't form rounded shaped on the roadway most of the time. That meant when I rode over it I was afraid of a popped tire. The edges looked plenty sharp. Sandstone would also break suddenly making the going slow at times. I rode for almost an hour before I got near the top of the ridge. My timing was prefect because I didn't meet any motor traffic or dirt bikers going up or down. My fear with them is that they would be going to fast to avoid me.

I don't know if I was still on the same loop that the sign had marked when I turned around. I passed several junctions with roads going different directions. I just decided I had ridden far enough. I turned around and coasted down most of the way. I have noticed that a trail is never the same up as down. Areas difficult to climb over were now drops and loose areas now had to be negotiated at high speed with my wheels twisting out from underneath me. I burned up some brake pads going down but I made it. I enjoyed my trip. I am looking forward to coming back in August when I can take more time and explore the area more carefully.

Happy Trails, see you next time!!

Ride of the Week - Father/son ride on Coyote Song Trail 04/17/11

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:01:00 +0000

One of greatest things I get to do as a father is share my hobbies with my kids. I take each of my on a Daddy Date each week. This time it was my youngest son’s turn. He wanted to go to the skate park, but I convinced him to go on a bike ride. I didn’t want to discourage his interest in skateboarding but I don’t really like just watching my kids have fun. I want to be with them having fun as well.

My youngest son is a good rider. I had taken him on a long ride earlier in March. I thought a good introduction would be a local trail called Coyote Song. It is a easy trail so I expected he wouldn’t have much trouble with it.

When we arrived we gave the bikes a final check then it was off to the trail. We hit a long climb right at the beginning. It was not a really steep climb but my son’s bike is basically a single speed. That’s great when he’s riding to school but on the climb he had to really work. He tried to climb the trail but we ended up walking up to the top. We then coasted down the other side. And that was pattern that we repeated over each hill along the trail.

The climbs weren’t terrible at any time. My son really liked the down hill coasting though. We stopped off at some of the placards along the trail that explained the geological history of the area. I took some pictures of the surrounding rock formations.

We got about three quarters of the way to the end of the trail when we decided to turn back. The way back was not as steep as it was coming. My son began to pick up some speed right away. We reached the final down hill toward my car. My son was flying down the hill. I was yelling at him to slow down. He tried his coaster brake, but as soon as he braked a little his rear tire fish tailed out from underneath him and he fell. I got to him quickly and lucky he wasn’t that scrapped up. We rode back to the car. We then finished the day with some ice cream cones from Mcdonalds which made up for my son’s scrapped knee.

Happy Trail!!

Promises, Promises

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:01:00 +0000

I know that I had promised to get on to a series recently, but things changed. I am really busy this summer with my summer work time schedule. I am going to post about my mountain bike ride throughout the summer. The summer is not a time I want to be stuck in front of my computer all night typing. I suggest that we all take summer vacation from our technology for a little while. A day or a week, it really doesn't matter we need sometime off to enjoy our life. See more of you this fall. Sincerely, The King.

Derby Hat Racing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:24:00 +0000

So here we are again the end of the weekend and still I cannot come up with a great topic for my blog series. I know that I promised the next few posts would be a series but it isn't coming together in my head. I will get to it, promise.

In the meantime, school officially end for my kids on Friday. They were so ready to be done with school. I am not sure I am ready, though. When your a parent you come to rely on school as a daily diversion for your kids. We build our lives around school for nine months of the year. Then three of those months school districts throw a monkey wrench at you or in my case four monkey wrenches. In the end, kids look forward to it parents mostly dread the summer vacation.

Try and imagine how my oldest son feels about this change. Remember, my oldest boy is highly functioning autistic. He has had a great year at school. He listened to his teachers, learned a lot of new skills, and gets a lot of support from the school staff. For the vast majority of children, the idea of not having to listen to teachers or do homework is great. My son doesn't share this feeling with his peers. I don't think I could explain to anyone who has not had some kind of experience with an autistic child. Don't misunderstand me. I know many other people have there own problems during the summer. The best way to describe it to anyone is to say that my son's been furloughed from his job without warning. Imagine how you would feel if your boss told you tomorrow that your going to have to leave for three months without pay. Your not being fired. You get to come back to your job. But for the next three months your on your own. Three months is barely enough time to get used to not having a job let alone find something else to do.

People might ask me. Doesn't your son know schools ending. Yes, he's known about the end of school coming up. My oldest boy doesn't fully comprehend it till it happens. The very last day of school he was a train wreck. Yelling and screaming were just the start of his bad day.

I see all this and experienced with it before. I still struggle having to remind myself that my son has a legitimate reason for freaking out. It takes a lot to keep my cool and give my son the slack he needs to make as smooth a transition as possible. Lucky, the school district does give us support. They started enrolling my son in summer school not as a punishment for poor performance but to help keep him from losing all the skills he's gained.

I am looking forward to the next three months hoping like always that this will be a great summer. It's all about perspective. My son once asked me, "What's a Derby?" I told him it was a race. He then replied, "Isn't it also a hat?" I instantly pictured jockeys riding their horses in the funny little black hats. Yes, I told my son it's a hat as well. Perspective, it's all about how you see it. I just need to see it as a great summer.

My wife is calling me to her side so that's about all I have to say about that. Please comment and subscribe. If you think you have an idea for my blog series please also leave a comment about it. Thanks.

Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 May 2011 01:00:00 +0000

I am going to try something new with the next couple posts. I want to do a series of post on one topic. I will be working on this for the next few weeks. If I am lucky I will get it down this week, but if your reading this I am still working on this series. You'll hear from my soon. Please subscribe and comment.

Ride of the Week - Green Moutain 04/04/11

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:58:00 +0000

This was it. The first official ride of the season. I mark the beginning of the season here in Colorado when Daylight Savings hits. Only then do I have enough daylight to get in an afternoon ride. Today, I had taken the day off work because of the long night schedule that I had to work over spring break. I spent most of the day relaxing at the house. The kids were back in school so it was just me and my wife. She went to meet a friend in the morning, but during lunch we rested in front of a movie.

Around 2:00 PM, I got ever thing packed up in the "Ranch Hero" and drove out to Green Mountain. I thought this would be a great place to start my season. I'd lost a lot of my muscle over this winter which became painfully clear to me during the prior week when I attended Patrol bicycle training. I was sucking wind all day and had to be pushed up the hill during our lunch ride (one of the older guys literally rode up behind me and grabbed my belt to give me a boost up the hill).

Green Mountain is a trail that I know well but have never finished the whole loop. It's a great trail for working on endurance. It's got great climbs but little to no technical spots (that I have found). I knew that I needed to work out my body so this was the way to start.

I rode up the trail to a junction that I usually take to the south around the mountain, but this time I took it north. I thought that I was going to make it that far, and if I found a way to loop back to parking lot in a short amount of time that would be great. I was already sucking wind. I was also a little cold. When I left my house the sun was warming everything up. Green Mountain was sunny but the wind was coming out of the northwest pretty hard making it feel a lot colder. I made it up to a small rock out crop where I took this picture of me. I also found the remains of something tucked in between three rocks. Coyotes got something rather large. It wasn't a cat maybe a medium sized dog or another similar sized animal.

I kept going till I looped back toward the parking lot. I was glad I took the shorter loop. I didn't think I had much more energy in me. I decide though at the last minute to ride up the fire road to see how far it went. I thought I would not have any problems but I was wrong. I was still not in good shape so after climbing around a few turns I decided I was cold and tired enough to call it a day. I coasted down to the car. I was not really breaking a sweat and my arms looked sun burnt due to the cold wind. I loaded up and headed for home. I was rather pleased that I'd been able to ride that much with out walking the bike. I hope to hit Green Mountain again this week but I also want to try out the Golden Bike Park. I will given you a report on either trip later.

Happy Trails!!

Winding Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:37:00 +0000

This is my one hundredth post. It’s a small accomplishment but I want to savor it since it is a pretty great personal mile stone. I had a one point thought myself a writer, but then lost track of that dream for a time. I got back to writing again in this blog as a way to “air out some things that are brewing in my brain.” Since the time that I wrote my first post life has been a series of winding roads. I have seen my dreams realized and sometimes discarded. God provided in amazing ways. What surprised me over and over again was the way that God gave me the desires of my heart. Things that I never even prayed for, but every time I got what I desired I wasn’t really satisfied by those things.

The desires of my heart were never really for the really important things in my life such as my wife and kids. I love them so much. They drive me crazy sometimes. Seasons of my life with them have been tough (like right now). I have had to eat crow many times, and I will never get used to having to admit that I was wrong. God knows all these things about me.

If there is one thing that I wish could be said about me from the first post of this blog till now it is, “He followed God’s plan for his life.” I am often trying to run my life on my own terms. Men tend to do that. We don’t even have to think about it. I get so caught up in the day to day running of my life that I often miss the callings of God. The little voice during times of trouble or times of ease telling me to let God take command. I can think of a thousand times when I nearly drove myself into a panic trying to run my life. I tried to solve my own problems and get out of my own troubles.

Right now, God is got me in season of life to teach me to let him run my life. I don’t know if I have a choice this time. God seems very serious about closing off my life from me. With car wrecks, mental health issues, and other challenges, God is going to get through to me. I need to learn what HE’s teaching me.

My wife is calling me to her side so that’s about all I have to say about that. I hope to have another one hundred posts to celebrate sooner rather than later. Please comment and then subscribe.

Something Big to Come

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 02:18:00 +0000

This weekend was fun but completely draining. I was not able to get the energy up to work out a post. My wife and I are still recovering. But there seems to be more to this slump than just simply having a long weekend. I have been feeling not so myself as of late. I am trying figure out why. I really don't want to leave this short post, but I need to figure out somethings. Something Big is yet to Come.

King of Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:58:00 +0000

I feel like I’m not the King on Caley sometimes. I feel like the King of Crazy. Life in my house moves in seasons similar to the ebb and flow of the tide. This is not my own concept I got this from our pastor this Sunday. (Thank you, Hugh.) I never thought of my life this way before, but I totally understand the concept. Here’s the season we are in right now.

I am tired and my mind doesn’t seem to work at normal speed. My kids have become hyperactive during this season, or maybe that’s how I perceive them. I can’t seem to get the kids to do anything I ask of them. It’s hard to describe how uncontrollable life feels during this season. I don’t get much done during this season. I cannot come up with the energy to read, write, or cook. We eat our meals in front of the television instead of the dining room table. My wife seems really disconnected at times. I get angry with her because I feel like she’s dumping the kids on me when I get home. It’s not fair I know to expect her to be on twenty-four, seven. She is just as tired if not more than I am. Life just isn’t fair. I used to think that I needed to bring my life back into order/balance during this season of life.

I don’t think that way anymore. I realize now that trying to bring order to life all the time is not possible. Imagine if you will a beach. I don’t want the tide to come in and ruin my picnic so I begin build walls of sand to try and keep out the tide. The tide begins washing away these sand walls. Instead of seeing how fruitless the effect is, I begin blaming my family for the tide. The more the tide washes away the walls hold my family responsible for the problem. Then when the picnic is ruined it’s not my fault it’s my families.

I know this is how I work internally. I cannot stop myself sometimes even though I know I’m adding to the craziness. My wife asked me the other day if I need to speak to someone about my outbursts. I don’t know. I know that in time the tide will flow the other way. Life will be fun and exciting. But what happens when the tide comes back in? How will I deal with the return of this season of crazy? My wife loves to say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” The tide is come in now do I find a way to float the picnic or do I let it sink?

My wife is calling me to her side so that’s about all I have to say for now. Please leave me a comment and subscribe. How do you handle the crazy seasons in your life?