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OK. Is it Just Me?????
Or are Paintings of a nude Obama and Unicorns just weird?



Whew. This Messiah Thing just gets weirder everyday.

Darn good likeness of his wife here, but damn, that looks gay as hell.

I'm not sure what Hugh Laurie is doing in this one.
But, Stalin? That makes perfect sense.





I'm also not so sure WTF is happening inside the head of Dan Lacey, but YerUnk has to wonder if there's not a big ball of snakes in there maybe?


Another Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Evening-

Here's, Gentleman Jim Corbett. A stud who went 21 rounds with John L. Sullivan. Knocking his ass out to win the World Boxing Championship in 1892.

21 rounds. Think about that.

After all that Gay Ass Obama and Unicorn shit I figured we needed some testosterone to regain the balance here.

Reunion Tomorrow ......

At Surly's House
Surly is My Crazy Nephew who is solely responsible for my starting this blog and naming it.
So blame him.

He's also the Son of my brother, Shop Teacher Bob ,AKA Chief. The guy who can build anything.

Looks like all but 1 of the brothers will be there. Should be various and sundry Cousins, Aunts and Uncles also. The weather looks good and hopefully a good time will be had by all.

I'll be hopping on TheBigBluePlasticMotorcycle early in the morning for the 200+ mile ride up there.
I'll take my rain gear just in case. It's always good to have a raincoat with you.




The Wife is not gonna be going as was planned. The Dog, Cat, Bird, Chicken and Guinea Hen sitter we had lined up to take care of things crapped out at the last minute today and unless someone else comes through at the last minute she's gonna be home keeping things in line.
Bummer.

All 3 of the GrumpyUnk Kids will be going and that's nice.

So I'll be back Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Evening-

It's Not What You Think ......

No, it's not necessary to call, Child Protective Services. The Wife had this carrier out after transporting the Cat to the Vets office yesterday.



The Little One here (Child of family friend) crawled in there with her stuffed toy and book and was playing all Happy Kid like when the Wife took this picture. Kids are hilarious.

Of course, being a kid, 30 minutes later she was whining about something and I couldn't help but tell her - "Quiet down and go get in your cage".

The wife hit me. Imagine that.

Eat Your Heart Out, Nadia Komenichi......

Or any of the Olympic Gymnasts of the last 40 years.

Check out The Ross Sisters. They not only bend like a Gumby doll, they sing and dance in 3 part harmony. Incredible. -


H/T - Roger

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Morning-
A PSA for the younger ones.

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Thursday, President Barack Obama held a "Beer Summit", as some have called it, with Harvard Professor Henry Lewis Gates, Jr., Cambridge Police Sergeant Officer James Crowley, and Vice President Joe Biden, bring an end to an unfortunate but necessary event in American Cultural history, and starting a new chapter in American race relations.

It was the first time in American and world history a sitting president met publicly with a white police officer and the person the officer arrested, a black man. And to add to the moment, the president is African American. I think the teachable moment President Obama referred to was that two gentlemen of seemingly different stripes but of one culture can not only meet, but (as they agreed to do) meet again and again.

President Obama issued this statement:

"Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them," the president's statement said. "I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode."

And I think everyone did, even if Sapporo, my personal favorite beer, wasn't on the menu, (Obama had a Bud Light, Crowley chose Blue Moon, and Gates had Samuel Adams) it was still gratifying to see the four men sit together and talk. It provides a great example for a country that seems ready to split over differences of opinion. We have to get to the point of communicating openly and often and without fear. While it's hard to know exactly what was said between the men, we can read between the lined in Crowley's press conference - in the video - when he said "We agreed to disagree." It's not hard to determine what they disagreed about.

In the arrest of Gates, basically because Crowley judged him to be disobedient after what turned out to be a case of a mistaken 911 call in since Gates was entering his own home, Crowley said he was "going by the book" or word to that effect. But the whole point of critics of racial profiling is that the "book" argument is used all the time. The "book" is tossed out when an officer uses his or her own personal emphathy, and please don't tell me this isn't done. Water Goldstein over at the Huff Post has a great blog on why white guys like him come away from such encounters gaining the help of an officer, and not handcuffs.

Gates and Crowley say: "time to move forward"

In the website "The Root", Professor Gates, its editor and chief, wrote:

Sergeant Crowley and I, through an accident of time and place, have been cast together, inextricably, as characters – as metaphors, really – in a thousand narratives about race over which he and I have absolutely no control. Narratives about race are as old as the founding of this great Republic itself, but these new ones have unfolded precisely when Americans signaled to the world our country’s great progress by overcoming centuries of habit and fear, and electing an African American as President. It is incumbent upon Sergeant Crowley and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us to foster greater sympathy among the American public for the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand.

In his press conference held after the "summit", Crowley said that both he and Gates would talk again as soon as next week.

That the two plan to meet and seize the moment to create a lesson for America is really exciting. I really believe God made this happen. It's too good to be true that a professor of Black Studies and a police officer who's also an expert in racial profiling are working together and have this exchange to build from. That's a miracle.

Toward American Culture

I hope people realize from this that we really are one people and there's much that binds us together below the surface. I don't know if it's from reduced education spending, longer work hours, or what, but we seem to be less patient with the idea of study and more willing to just go with our prejudices, but that's countered by the ever-more-well-mixed society we live in. We have extremes like the thoughtless Glen Beck (who said the President was racist in a horrible misuse of the term) and the thoughtful Gates and Crowley right before us. With a little communication we'll have more people like Gates and Crowley and far fewer people like Glen Beck.

Something to Think About .......
As the Health Care System is being Shanghaied by the Gangsters from ChiTown.

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "someone may steal from it at night.." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job..

Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without
instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two
people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time
studies.

Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing
The tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and
hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So
They created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer,
Then hired two people.

Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these
people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one
Year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall cost."

So they laid off the night watchman.

NOW slowly.

Let it sink in.

Quietly, we go like sheep to slaughter.

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY .... During the Carter Administration?

Anybody?

Anything?

No?

Didn't think so!

Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of An agency ... the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember!

Ready?? It was very simple ... and, at the time, everybody thought it
Very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977. TO LESSEN OUR
DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND, NOW, IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS
"NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR.
THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT
EMPLOYEES; AND, LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE!
THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy.

And, NOW, we are going to turn the banking system, HEALTH CARE and the auto
industry over to the same Government?

Shamelessly stolen from Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Evening-
An Audio for you instead.

This will give you an idea of the type of people EMS and ER workers deal with on a regular basis.
Listen to this 911 call and ask yourself if you think this guys attitude got any better when EMS arrived.

Not Safe For Work. Language Alert!

Once Again .....
Roseanne Barr pulls The Crazy out of her ass

"Her most-recent tailspin into the gutter involved a photo shoot with Heeb magazine wherein she is seen wearing an Adolf Hitler mustache and swastika as she takes burnt gingerbread "Jew Cookies" out of an oven"




As My Old Man used to say, "Crazy as a Shithouse Rat."

Gotta hand it to her. She doesn't seem to give a shit what folks think of her.

Never heard of Heeb magazine before, but it's pretty obvious that they don't give a shit either.

I wonder which one the President is gonna call stupid first, her or, Heeb magazine?

Hell, maybe he'll invite her to the White House for a beer?
Oh wait. Scratch that. Judging from some of his foreign policy initiatives, He doesn't seem to concerned about getting along with Israeli Jews anyway.

Damn. He could have shared an "Obama Brand Beer" with her.

Ted Kennedy to Receive ......
the Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Lovely and Talented, QueenBuffness saw this on the news a bit ago and Commented, "They're only giving it to him because he's dying".

To which I responded, "If that's all it took, He should've received it 30 friggin' years ago".

It'll be wall to wall news and coverage when that old bastard finally kicks off.

But some things are worth it.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-

Got a few pics at the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k/50m/100m this year...

Monday, Monday .......
Starting a new week this morning on our long march to the grave.

Sorry for not much posting this last week, but I had a ton of shit to get caught up on. Just ran out of time and energy.

Still looking at the grass from the green side and that's a big plus. With all the rain we had I've got a date with the lawn mower later today, too. I've given up on some of that crap for this year and now have a friggen' jungle out back of the barn. There's still standing water in a few places and the grass/weeds are knee high or greater.

I'm definitely gonna have to get a tractor with a bush hog or some good fence and some livestock to keep that shit down. Either option takes cash and that's in short supply right now so neither looks like it's real likely to happen unless the Cash Fairy shows up and shits a pile of money out on the front steps.

That's ok. Things could be worse. Things have been worse. I still have a job and that's better than a lot of folks these days.

Hell, I could be forced to listen to this everyday-


Jeebus H. on a crutch! That broad votes, too.

We. Are. Doomed.
But I do want a "Vegetable Tree".

The weekend in the ER was pretty uneventful which is always nice. I don't think one patient even swore at me.

I need to go do some work.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday-
Retro Health Care. Coming your way with, Obamacare.

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On YouTube.com

This Sunday, August 2nd (yikes, two days before my birthday!) The Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation features the 15th annual presentation of "Help Is On The Way: No Business Like Show Business." I've attended this gala over the last four years and I've got to tell ya it’s a load of fun; a mix of a little serious, a lot of energy, and a ton of talent. (The video above is from last year's event, where San Francisco luminaries like Harry Denton were holding court in the pre-show auction lounge, joined by "Austin Powers", "Dean Martin", and others.) Before I explain why you should attend, let me give you some background.

The San Francisco-based Richmond / Ermet AIDS Foundation was founded by Barbara Richmond and the late Peggy Ermet in memory of their sons, John Richmond and Doug Ermet, who both lost their lives to AIDS. In 1995, the two women launched a musical AIDS benefit to honor their sons by raising funds for AIDS service organizations. Ken Henderson is the organization's executive director, and together with his partner Joe Seiler have produced the event with the founder Barbara Richmond. I started going to the annual event after some prodding from a good friend of mine who's on the foundation's board of directors and now it's an event drug I can't do without.

What "Help Is On The Way" is known for are appearances by name entertainers who, while they give their time for free, put in knock-you-outta-your-seat performances. Cast performers from the musical "The Jersey Boys" have graced the stage in the past and this year, show star John Lloyd Young comes in. The show has also been the focal point for "American Idol" stars and this year is no exception. Melinda Dolittle, who wowed Idol audiences in season six, and now has a new album called “Coming Back to You", will be joining him as well as the amazing Joely Fisher. Fisher's currently in a new Fox TV show called "Til Death" and is on “Desperate Housewives” as well, in addition to a wealth of credits on TV shows like "Normal, Ohio" and movies like "Inspector Gadget". I had the pleasure of meeting Fisher at last year's event; what an incredibly nice person she was to go with her many accomplishments.

With Fisher, Dolittle, and Lloyd Young comes the legendary actress Tyne Daly from the "Cagney and Lacy" TV series, and "Judging Amy". Carole Cook, who created the role of Maggie Jones in "42nd Street" and was the first to star after Carol Channing in "Hello Dolly" will come back for her 13th show. David Gaines, who played "The Phantom" in "The Phantom of The Opera" 2,000 times (not kidding), is on board, too. He will be joined by Bay Area-performer Maureen McVerry, Shawn Ryan of "America's Got Talent" (who comes back for the third time), the incredible dancers Cate Caplin and Gary Franco, who are coming for their seventh and third time respectively, and singer Welsla Westerfield, who's making her 10th show. Singer Jeanie Tracy comes for her first show as well as comic musicians BaulPointPen. Jon Maher's back and he's performed in 14 of the 15 annual performances of "Help is On The Way". But the one singer you've got to hear is Susan Anton.

This is Anton's fifth show and if you can sit through her performance and not come away breathless, something's wrong with you. I'm serious. Her career spans 30 years (she doesn't look at day over 30) from the play "Hurleyburly" to “The Ben Stiller Show” and includes most recently Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues”.

The show starts with a pre-event Gala Reception with choice offerings from some of San Francisco's best restaurants and Northern California's best wineries and distillers. Steak? It's there. Noodles? Yep. Merlot? Certainly. But the impersonators are a kick, as the video shows, with "Marilyn Monroe" and other stars. Plus, there's a silent auction for those who want to win, say, a vintage guitar used by a certain rocker. The reception starts at 5 PM, with the show itself at 7:30 PM this Sunday, August 2nd at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave.

"Help Is On The Way" benefits four Bay Area AIDS service agencies including Aguilas, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), and Shanti. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, State Senator Mark Leno, and SF Treasurer Jose Cisneros are the event's honorary co-chairs. Come down, and have a great time, and I've got to be frank, for those single straight bachelors holding out because you think it's not for you, get over it! There are a lot of great looking women there, everyone's nice, and its for a real good cause.

For ticket information visit www.reaf.org or call 415-273-1620

Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa

Wisata Seo Sadau

Montrail has posted their new race schedule, rules and scoring system for the 2009-10 race year. Some of the highlights:

1. The race schedule has been expanded to include 11 different events, adding new races such as the Banderas 100k, Cheaha 50k, and the Where's Waldo 100k.
2. Western States slots will only go to the top 2 men/women at race, and only at races of 50 miles or longer.
   
3. Scoring will now be based on finishing time vs place.
4. You only need to run two races to be in the running, and your best 4 count towards your score. Western States is no longer a required race to compete for the grand prizes.
   
5. Still has mega-cash prizes for the top winners.

See their Web site for more details. You do need to register before any races to get points, so be sure to do it if you are interested. It starts with the Where's Waldo 100k in just a few weeks. Wanna get stoked? Check out their promo video.

2009/2010 Montrail UltraCup Proposed Schedule

Date	Race	Location
08-22-09	Where's Waldo 100k	Willamette Pass, OR
09-27-09	Vermont 50 Mile/50k	Ascutney Mtn Resort, VT
11-07-09	Mountain Masochist 50 Mile	Lynchburg, VA
11-21-09	JFK 50	Washington County, MD
01-09-10	Bandera 100k/50k	Bandera, TX
02-27-10	Cheaha 50k	Cheaha State Park, AL
03-13-10	Way Too Cool 50k	Cool, CA
04-10-10	American River 50	Sacramento, CA
05-01-10	Miwok 100k	Marin Headlands, CA
05-08-10	Ice Age Trail 50	LaGrange, WI
06-26-10	Western States 100	Squaw Valley, CA

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The latest news in the Chevron / Richmond oil refinery issue is that California Attorney General Jerry Brown wants to step in and mediate the negotiations between the oil giant and the City of Richmond. In working to do this, Brown's scored a point on San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in the California Governor's race.

According to the San Jose Mercury news and Contra Costa Times (yeah, I know they're merged), Brown appeared before the Richmond City Council and a "standing-room-only" crowd of 350 people, most reportedly laid off union workers from the Chevron facility, who's reconstruction effort was halted by court order in the wake of a lawsuit by environmentalists challenging the environmental impact report for the venue, costing them their jobs (I wonder if Dennis Roos was there?). The Richmond electeds passed a resolution supporting the involvement of the man who would be California's next governor (if Gavin didn't have something to say about it.)

Now, man I wish there was video of this, and I'm sure the AG does too. There's not one anywhere online and embedable as of this writing. AG Brown's running for Governor of California against San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. There's no question that a successful resolution at of the problem with Brown's involvement would be a feather in his already well-stocked political cap. Mayor Newsom's natural problem is he's the manager of one city, not a representative of the state. AG Brown can just "do his job" and score political points in the race for governor, and don't think that the crafty Brown (who would certainly chafe at my accurate description) doesn't know it.

However Chevron doesn't want the AG involved right now. I can only speculate why this is the case: they don't want to be seen as supporting AG Brown for Governor by approving his involvement and perhaps feel that his entry will be a polarizing element. But given that the Richmond City Council already gave Brown its endorsement that political train's out of the station. Additionally, Chevron wants the current negotiations to continue as they are progressing and reportedly that's going well.

For Governor Brown, he's already scored some base hits with this issue. First, he got some face time with the Richmond City Council. Second, he got a resolution of support from them. Third, he's got the backing of the unions involved in trying to get their jobs back. Fourth, he's got a lot of media coverage from it. Fifth, he's able to tweet his efforts for his 547,000-plus followers to see on his Twitter page.

Not bad for a week's work; Gavin, ball's in your court.

Some reading for you...

George Schroeder at The Eugene Register-Guard wrote a great article about Dan Olmstead, and how he ended up dropping at Hwy 49 (mile 93.5) at States to take an ambulance to the hospital. Dan is a great guy and an awesome runner - just goes to show you how States can whip the best of us. Kudos to him for having the sense to call it off when he did.

Another great article from the Telluride Daily about Diana Finkel's win at the Hardrock 100.

Leigh Corbin's successful run of The Badwater Ultramarathon is featured in the OC Register.

Lastly, the Tahoe Rim Trail USATF/RRCA championship results have been posted. Congrats to 100-mile winners Eric Skaden (repeat USATF 100-mile champ, just weeks after his top 10 finish at States), Bree Lambert (in her first attempt at 100 miles, winning 1st female and Women's masters honors), Rob Evans (Masters winner and 2nd overall), Mark Gilligan (smoked the field by over an hour to win the 50-mile), Wendi Parker-Dial (Womens 50-mile winner, cheered on by husband Jamie after he dropped from the 100 in 3rd place), Peter Fain (repeat 50k winner, nearly posting his 4th CR this year), Julie Young (50k Womens and masters winner), and Tim Twietmeyer (50k masters winner). The 100-mile had a 50% drop out rate - it was a hot one!

- SD

So, Unk, Where Did You Ride to Last Week????

Glad you asked. With the web connection taking a shit on me the day after I got back I didn't get a chance to give ya any kind of ride report.

I was headed to a little town NE of Pittsburgh, Pa so I started out following the Ohio river on hwy 52. Nice road. Very scenic and relaxing. One surprise I got is when I came across this-





Nice little park and grounds.

Here's the house-









Interesting note on the house. After Grant died, they put the house on a train and did a traveling exhibit out of it. They finally moved it back to the original foundation sometime around 1954 or so. I forget the exact date.
What caught my eye was the bridge on the hwy. Cannons and statues. Pretty cool.
Did I take a picture? Oh hell no. Friggin' Moron that I am.

Crossed over into, West By God Virginia, Friday morning and rode South East. Realized I was close to the New River Gorge so I took a little side trip South.


This is a must go back to place. The Bridge alone is worth seeing-


876 feet up from the river.
As you can tell, I didn't take this picture, It's from the Wikipedia page.

Beautiful country around and I really want to go spend a few days there riding the bike and maybe riding some rapids.

I spent an hour or so checking things out and headed back North and took a 2 lane road Northeast across WV and through the Western end of Maryland into Pennsylvania.

What a great ride. Made for a long day as my average speed had to be about 35-40 is all with all the ups, downs, twists and turns.

I ended up stopping about 80 miles short of where I wanted to go after 400+ miles and 14+ hours. My ass was killing me. If I'd have realized just how close I was, I probably would have just pushed on and saved the Motel cost.

Maybe. Did I mention my ass was killing me?

I'm really not in riding shape and it showed.

Went to the Wife's Family Get Together Saturday the 11th and headed out to my brother's place in Northwest Ohio Sunday. Maybe 150 miles. Took the Turnpike and made short work of the ride.

Spent Mon-Wed there.
Great visit there.

I don't see my Brothers to often and it was nice to spend a few days shooting the shit with him.
We also shot a bunch of his weapons. He belongs to the nicest shooting club I've ever seen. I was there a couple of years ago and it surprised me all over again this time.
We burned a lot of ammo and spent about 8 hours blowing holes in paper targets.

He took me to the Warther Museum last Wednesday.

I can't even begin to describe what this guy was able to do with a carving knife, some wood and some ivory.

Here's a couple of pics, but they don't do it justice.













It's impossible to capture the detail on these carvings in a picture.

All the wheels and drive linkage works. No glue. It's all press fit and even the valves on the air hoses turn.

That 2nd train there is about 4-5 feet long. It only took him 9 1/2 months to make it. Start to finish.

That's friggin' impossible. Not human. The guy had to be a space alien.
This is maybe the coolest museum I've ever seen.

Thursday, I headed out and took the scenic route across central Ohio through Amish country. Great ride. Bought some overpriced Amish cheese and whatnot to lunch on on the way.

Great ride and a great week.

So that's the short version of the ride.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-
New River Gorge.

Back Online .....
The Interwebs connection took a shit last Friday afternoon. Satellite stuff is kinda touchy it seems.

The repair kid got it dialed back in this morning. Took him about 2 minutes is all.

So all is well and commo is back up with the outside world. I'm a week behind on news and whatnot from the trip still, but I've got a zillion chores I'm behind on too. So no getting lost wasting time on the webz right now.

Off to the lumber yard.

See ya later.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday-
YerUnk throwing some lead downrange last week. We shot the shit out of my brothers weapons and had a big time.
First time I've shot an AK since my Army days. Fun weapon.

Last Saturday, I geared up with five friends to tackle The Death Ride, a 130-mile cycling adventure through the Sierra Mountains near Markleeville, CA. We got a bit of everything on this ride – sun, wind, rainstorms, 15,000’ of climbing over five peaks, and the exciting adventure of nearly missing a cut off and having to put down the hammer at mile 100. But at the end we were all smiles and already thinking about next year.

I had a great team for the ride, including Brian and Dan (who crewed for me at States), my brother Mike Dunlap (out from Maryland where there aren’t many hills), and our good friends Chris Devine and Mark Dabell. They were all tackling this hilly monster for the first time (I had done it in 2007), and eager to finish all five peaks to get that coveted pin and jersey. I was playing “domestique” for the day to return the favor to Brian and Dan for their awesome job of crewing at States. At 5:40am, I filled my backpack for any emergency I could think of, and we coasted through Markleeville and headed into the first climb.

We took it easy at first, noting that despite our early start we were probably in the back 1/3 of the 3000 riders already. After asking around, it was clear that most people had shown up in the dark and took off once there was enough light, whereas we had targeted 5:30am and left 20-30 minutes after the pack. The hills were dotted with colorful jerseys that snaked their way to the summit, and the only sounds were of the chatter riders and local wildlife. No cars sure is great!



Brian and Dan were the most dedicated cyclists in our group, and both had already logged five centuries this year. Chris, Mike, and Mark were leaning more on their natural athletic ability (running, hockey, and mountain climbing respectively), only recently clocking some time on the bike. I was mostly recovered from States – just a few missing toenails and a body that still wants to sleep 12 hours a night. We all had kids between the age of 8 months and 11 years too, and that definitely counts as cross-training. We made some rough plans to work as a team in the longer sections and stop at some aid stations, but for the most part, the course would dictate how we would ride.



The first climb up Monitor Pass was steep and sobering, and we had a few moments of quiet as everyone humped through the more difficult sections. Chris, Mike, and Mark were unconcerned with the climbs, but shared some worries about the fast descents. Their hesitation quickly subsided once we reached the peak and plummeted down the smooth back side. Each of them found their groove on these long, flawless roads, and surprised themselves with 45+ mph descents. We arrived at the bottom of the hill with our hair streaked back, full of adrenaline and ready for the climb. All three of them had clocked PR fastest speeds and hadn’t even known it!


As we filled our water bottles (and I forced S! Caps on everyone) I chatted with Mark Gilligan, whom I had ridden with last year. He was out having some fun and acclimating for the Tahoe Rim Trail 50m the following weekend, a plan that worked well for him in 2007 (he got 2nd at the TRT100). He grabbed a Vespa from me, hoping it would alleviate his lack of sleep (he was the only guy yawning at the bottom). I handed the sunscreen around, and we charged up the next climb.


The sun warmed the canyons, and soon sweat was dripping from our noses. Sparse sections of shade were quickly claimed by groups of cyclists stopping to catch their breath. That long descent had some payback comin’! Brian and Chris went ahead, while Mike and I paced together, and Mark and Dan were just a few minutes behind. We climbed slowly, passing riders here and there, taking in the scenery and catching up on life. Century rides are a good way to get men talking and sharing…anything but focusing on the climb. ;-)


We took a longer break at the top to hit the restrooms and get some food. Brian noted that riding in a pack was going to add some time, so once most of the group was together, they took off down the hill.

Just when I thought I had lost Mike, I pulled up alongside of him (he had been ahead of me…oops). We worked together to catch up to the others, and refueled before tackling Ebbetts Pass, the longest and hardest of the day. I offered some domestique advice and pulled out five bandanas for us to soak and put on the back of our necks. Brian added a step of filling it with ice, which was nice. The S! Caps were going down quickly, so I handed out little baggies of supplies and got everyone to apply sunscreen again. Then we were off!

Ebbetts had us out of the saddle immediately, charging short sections of 20 degree grades. Back and forth we switched up the mountain, and the views grew more epic the more we climbed. It seemed to take forever to see the “4 miles to go” signs chalked into the road, but then again, we were only going about 5 mph. I reached the top first, and as agreed, we all skipped this aid station and charged down the 5 mile descent.



My first request at the aid station proved that we were definitely in the back of the race – no Coke left! They also ran out of bread for sandwiches, but the inventive volunteers made a special banana/peanut butter/oatmeal cookie treat to replace it. It took about 10 minutes for the gang to all rally together, and everyone was hoping for a rest. The provided chairs did just that, but noting the time, we cut our break short and headed back up Ebbetts for climb #4.
I warned the gang that climb #4 was the most underrated. It didn’t have the long or steep of previous passes, but it had no flat spots and very little shade. We soaked our bandanas, handed out some snacks, and stuck close as we made our way up. We saw the sweep coming down the other side…it was much closer than we expected!



We reached the peak, and charged down the other side. Brian quickly broke out on his own, with me in pursuit. The speedometer crept into the 50’s as we bunny-hopped the cowguards and made our way through the steep sections. When I came off the steepest section at full speed, I let a group slingshot me around and hit 65 mph! Well, that’s what the speedometer said anyway. My guess is I was around 60 mph. Still, very exciting!

We stopped for lunch, chowing down on ham and turkey wraps before hitting the road again. I’m not sure if it was our pace, the waiting, or what, but suddenly we were dangerously within one hour of the cutoff. We worked with “Team Beer” (awesome jerseys) to make quick time to Markleeville and climb back up to our cars. Brian flatted, so we stopped to fix it. Mike and I dropped our gear at the car, and caught up with the group to see them fixing ANOTHER flat for Brian (this time the whole tire). Mike and I looked at our watches, and we were barely going to make it. Mike kept charging and I turned around to make sure they had all the right gear. They did, but there was no time to wait. Everyone took off as fast as they could.

Mike made the cut off, and I got there second, just as they were setting up the cones to turn people away from the aid station. They said “you’re done”, but waived me in to the aid station to refill. I saw others skipping the aid station and heading up the last pass, and one of the volunteers told me why it was important to stop – if you couldn’t make the next aid station by 5:15pm, it was very likely you wouldn’t get off the hill by nightfall. I asked “how far?” and they said six miles. I said I could easily make that cutoff, and they just shrugged their shoulders and one said “then you better get going…they won’t be lenient at the next one”. I clicked down a few gears and started climbing up Carson Pass.

Mark had snuck in right behind me, and I explained the math. We had about an hour to go six miles, so best to put the hammer down. I got out of the saddle and charged like a madman, catching Mike a few minutes later. He knew the math too – better average at least 6 mph. But he was clocking about 8 mph, so he was right on track. We wondered about the others, and whether they got turned around. Knowing Brian and Dan, I doubt they would stop, and would reach that fifth peak officially or unofficially. For the next hour, it was every rider for themselves.

I pegged my heart rate just under my anaerobic threshold and started passing as many people as I could. The traffic was heavy, so I had to wait for the breaks and then surge out into the lane. Each time I would focus on the next group of riders and how to get around them. I passed 50, 90, 140 riders before seeing the final cutoff aid station and I charged in…4:30pm, still 45 minutes ahead! That was good for a couple of reasons. First, I was in the clear. Second, there was plenty of time for the others if they kept the pace. Lastly, a faster pace like this would get us up to the peak by 6:15pm or so, with plenty of light for the descent.

I got off my bike and watched for the others. At first, I saw nothing. I paced. I fretted. What kind of domestique surges first to the cutoff? I looked again. Then they came! Brian and Chris first, both looking strong. The official cutoff was still 300 yards up the road, so I refilled some bottles for them and they took off. Mark and Mike weren’t too far behind, so we did the same. I got a glimpse of Dan, who had 10 minutes to spare, so I jumped on the bike and took off with Mark and Mike. We were all going to make it!

Not so fast, said Mother Nature, and the rain and wind began. What started as a light drizzle quickly became a sideways wind that blew riders all over the road. Chris and Mike tucked in behind me, and we caught ourselves laughing out loud at how instantly the weather became so crazy. The rain was pouring off my visor, and I leaned 20 degrees to the right to stay upright. This made it tough for drafting, since Chris and Mike would have to ride in traffic to take full advantage. A few miles later the rain broke, but the wind kept howling. Chris latched onto a faster rider to go catch Brian and Mark, while Mike and I kept our pace.


Mike said “sorry I’m yo-yoing”, saying his energy was borderline bonk. But honestly, I was pretty impressed that his pace was still enough to be consistently passing people. We made a few new friends as we went into the last climb (brothers in arms, for sure), as I assured people over and over that this was truly the last climb. Every time I got out of the saddle, I looked back and saw Mike do the same, his face the epitome of focus. He only broke a smile when we coasted into the last aid station and got our stickers for the fifth pass. Fudgesicles never tasted so good!


Brian, Chris, and Mark were on their way out, noting that it was going to be a cold and wet descent. Mike and I slammed down our ice cream, grabbed a couple of plastic bags for makeshift vests, and headed out. Just as we started the descent, Dan came in. Sure enough, all five made all five!

Mike cruised the descent tucked in behind a tandem bike, while I used a BMW to pull me through the flat spots and keep my speed in the 40-50 mph range. I pulled up to our cars, where the boys were already changed and into their first beer. As Mike and Dan came in, there were high fives all around. We piled into the truck and headed to Turtle Rock for some food and “3 for $10” Sierra Nevada Pale Ales. I looked in my backpack, and we had gone through all the bandanas, all the sunscreen, over 40 S! Caps, and a ton of snacks. But what I saw was five happy five-pass finishers, all hydrated, and no sunburns. A domestique couldn’t ask for much more!


Although stressful at the time, we all shared how fun it was to have to go hard at mile 100. The five pass jersey felt a bit more “earned”, you know? Certainly nothing like the Tour de France, where you would race this stage hard, then add 20-odd more just like it over the next three weeks. But still, it was good to be forced to find something in ourselves to push hard. Brian had missed the cut off and was told he wouldn’t get a fifth sticker even if he did summit; that turned out to be enough rage for him to make one of the fastest splits all day (and yes, he did get the sticker).


Now off for a few days backpacking on the John Muir Trail to get “off the grid”. Hope you all are having a great July!

- SD