BSF09

This past year for Christmas we got Abby’s parents a night’s stay at a primitive cabin in Big South Fork at Charit Creek. You hike in with minimal gear and they supply you with dinner, beds and shelter, and breakfast the following day. Two weeks ago we took this gem of a trip. The weather had been iffy and a bit wet before the weekend trip took off so I was a bit worried about how the hiking might be but it turned out great. Best of all Charit Creek is dog friendly so Boogy got to join our little adventure. Enough talk here are the pics…

2.5 Gallon hefty zips keep everything dry, they're also tough and reusable.

No Massive packs here, just enough for a long day hike and a cool night.

The women fumble with these things called boots.

Boogy was visibly perturbed at his new panniers.

Mtn. Laurel in bloom.

The stairs were very steep so Boogs got to do the first few sets without the weight of his big red doggy panniers.

By the end of the day he was descending like a champ with weight.

Lots of neat rocks along the spines of the ridges.

The first of many Fungi sightings.

North Arch of the twin arches (smaller of two but no less grand).

The South arch is about twice as tall as this one. Despite the fact it's illegal I found myself wanting my rock climbing equipment all weekend for all these neat rock formations.

Some kind of Skink I think.

As temps ramped up these stairs were hard four the four leggers of the group.

I think this is some kind of eastern fence lizard. I used to catch these as a kid around our boat dock area. It was nice to see that my hands are still quick and gentle enough to catch without a squish.

This guy must get all the chicks, he had a beautiful belly to show.

The weekend getaway crew on top of the arches.

Up here you can see for quite a way and see some very nice looking rock.

Worm snake.

Nice ferns.

More fungi.

Are we there yet?

Our Taj accommodations.

The main cabin has tow large bunk houses. If you have 6 or more in your group you can get a private cabin, of which there are two others.

Got into camp just in time for dinner and to relax to an afternoon thunder shower.

Boots drying and a hungry puppy.

All lighting was by lantern. It took a bit to get used to but when you get them adjusted right they work very well.

Our room with the light on.

Boogy's bed.

Hank, and weird camp dog played with Boogy the whole time we were in camp adding to his extensive exercise regimen for the weekend.

Suspension bridge. (Boogy looking at animals by the water)

In low lying ares there was lots of mud from all the rain which made hiking our second day's loop challenging. Not as bad but reminded me a bit of the previous weekend at DSG.

Waterproof Boots are a must down in the lowlands.

Yet another Fungus.

Slave falls, it was a 3 mile side hike for a sliver of water, but the trail getting there was nice.

Boogs n' Bun. (Boogs on the right)

Fro was getting on the edge of control with the humidity.

Eventually he didn't even notice the panniers.

FUNGI!

By far the largest and most colorful, which I hear means tasty. This one was about 3 times the size of my boot.

Neat hole in the roof of one of the many overhangs.

When sprinkles came we could easily take cover under the natural rock roofs.

Some were really massive.

This unfortunate tree chose to grow under one and has to grow all it's leave on one side to get some light.

Lady Slipper.

More trail along the rocks.

Little pools teeming with life were all around the drip zones of the ledges.

Up and out the last staircase to the parking lot, this trip was a lot of fun and a good break from business on the home front.

DSG09 and miscl stuff

This year at DSG I was a little bummed at the start. My back was not yet up to the task of long mtb endurance events and even though it was raining at the start, I had flashes of heinous mud last year which gradually transitioned to pristine tacky race conditions. The difference between this year and last however is that prior to the race it's been raining in the south for about 3 weeks straight. I'll let the photos and a few captions tell the rest.

Phil is especially good at attracting married ladies to his friends' tailgates and all he needs is a little spandex and a banana.

This was the radar coverage for the start of the race. I took the liberty of putting a red dot over this guys cross hairs to show how screwed we were for rain from the start.

E started strong and was quite clean in this first mile of trail.

Damn that helmet looks good.

Pburg ripping it on his first and last lap.


Even the 29er crew poster children were no match for what was in store for them shortly.

As the weather cleared I soon realized that no amount of sunshine short of being on the Sun was going to dry the course to anything rideable. This was painfully clear when people stopped riding by in the water and started looking like this.....

Tally wacked. Pushing was now the primary mode of transit around the course.


MWeb pushing team meth lab into first place.

Interesting enough when everyone has to walk it's actually the pro who start dropping out first. As rec riders who poured their hearts souls and wallets into coming unsupported started to drop with these pros as well I knew this was coming for most of the riders....

A prime example of the carnage the course had to offer.
More here.

Before.



After...Props to my lover on 2 wheels for coming off the course to get her composure then going back out where she left and finishing one lap. Not an easy feat for the day, especially with a 50-60 lb bike carry.


Riders began to drown their sorrows on the course as they passed the pits and some faded from the course from this point never to return. The gods must have been feeling bad for all the rain because the halls of Valhalla back in the DSG tent city were filled to the brim with free beer for the masses. Thanks to all the breweries out there who helped people forget their pain within hours of pushing.

Some people felt they needed to express their displeasure about the course and this pretty much sums it up in one word.

Water bottle quickly were exchanged for urban hydration vessels.

Guess which one of these 3 men never got a chance to go on the course because of heinous conditions, watched his teammates suffer from the comfort of a bale of hay, drank beer as they passed pushing with all their might, and to boot won a beer naming competition allowing him a chance to stand on the podium without ever getting his bike dirty?

In all it was a bad day to ride, but a great day to enjoy the friendship and often not seen in other racing circles. While everyone may not be back next year as a result, I will be present once again whether riding or not enjoying libations and conversation among those who truly enjoy fat tire lifestyle.

In no particular order some other things that have been going on....

"Watering" the dogs at home on a hike in the woods.

Finally finished that damn shelving in the kitchen.

Added new storage area next to shed and roofing over chicken coop as well.

All the water from the new additions plus other water from the shed roof run into a new rain catchment system. Three barrels for now, I plan on expanding to 5 or 6 by summer's end.

Pretty decent flow rate for very little drop means the 10 foot drop to the front yard should create some good pressure.

Chris and Dad installing a purple martin imperial insect death cruiser at my parent's house.

Finally got around to stripping down the old cross/commuter and treating her with some weigels frame saver, which stinks by the way so make sure you do it on a nice day outside.

Very little rust on the inside of the tubes a little in bottom bracket area, but not unexpected after a wet end to cross season.

Abby went to Ireland and saw lots of neat stuff. Here are my two selections from her album.
Sheep

And a Castle.
Maybe she'll start her own blog and tell people about her stuff.

Boogy enjoyed Easter egg hunts.

Especially when the twins were happy to show him what was inside their egg baskets.

Neighborhood dogwoods in white...

And Pink.

Boogy is expanding his skill set to include official Chandler exterminator dog.
(bumble bee specialist)

Allan stopped by and visited en route with a pilot he was training in this plane.


This is a "basic" trainer but it doesn't look that "basic" to me at first glance.