Seriously, what the F just happened? Five years have flown by and I am just now realizing that my job is slowly killing me. Really it is, I have gained weight, increased my stress level and gained another title. Along the way I have let my bike riding slow down and my job take over my life. I forgot that we work to live, not live to work. A title is just a title until it kills you. They may have to put that title on my gravestone if I don’t get this shit figured out. I may have a plan……..

So I resigned, not to worry my wife or children, I resigned one of my three part time job duties that requires full time attention. If that doesn’t help, I will resign again next year and go back to teaching full time. Don’t get this wrong, I am not lazy, I grew up splitting wood and working really hard for minimum wage. My family instilled in me a really strong work ethic and a “die trying” attitude. So where did that get me today? I have a lot of accolades at work and they keep trying to get me to take another promotion with a larger title, it will be less money, more hours, and more stress. WTF. What changed this year? A very close peer/friend is going through some serious shit, his wife is in serious medical peril. What is the point of killing yourself for a fucking job? I do love some of what I do, but in the end we have to take care of each other, our family, and friends. Life is supposed to be a grand adventure, not a slugfest through the quagmire of shit. One of my many favorite movies is the Shawshank Redemption. There is a quote in the movie that says “get busy living or get busy dying”. I think the time has come to change the course of this life and start living.

So that’s my favorite line from the movie Bad Boys II. I made it into the Dirty Kanza half pint. That is no small feat, it sold out in like 19 minutes. Luckily my quick reaction time and duel computer system worked, got an entry into the half pint. I love that title since it implies something less than, small ect. The 100 miles of gravel in Kansas will not be easy. The DK200 is obviously the pinnacle of gravel road races. I’m not quite there yet. Probably next year. This year I will shoot for my first ever 100 mile gravel race and it will be the DK200 (half pint) 

Let the training begin, I mean continue………

Go to Colorado they said, it will be fun they said……those thoughts were going through my mind around 10,900 feet pushing my bike up to our first hut while trying to suck down what little oxygen we had at that high altitude.

Way back in March, I saw a Facebook post from Kathy Schut about riding bikes through the mountains of Colorado. They booked a self-guided trip through San Juan Huts and we would only need to carry the minimum essentials between stops. Somehow my wife said yes and the rest was history. Little did I realize this was no ordinary vacation. It was hard! The climbs were both long and steep. It pushed us mentally and physically at times.Some of us bled in Colorado. It would also be the best time I ever had, and a vacation that totally changed my life. 

I have always loved bikes and most of our vacations revolve around taking the bikes and finding places to ride. This vacation was a bit different; we had limited phone connections, mostly none. We were in the middle of nowhere and had to carry our food, and most importantly water, from one hut to the next. We carried our gear in frame bags, seat bags, handlebar bags, and backpacks. My wife and I used Revelate Frame, seat post, and top tub bags. For the seat post bag, we put dry bags inside as none of the bags are waterproof. I will probably setup a separate page just on gear in the near future.

We had tons of help and advice from the amazing team of people working at Grand Rapids Bicycle Company. Thank you to everyone who helped us get our spare parts and gear together beforehand.

It was the most amazing bike trip I have been on with a great group of people. We had the most beautiful views and best adventure ever!

Thanks autocorrect and multi-tasking for this one.

We made good time, looking back at the GPS data, Cadillac to Grand Rapids is mostly downhill. We stopped in most small towns to stretch out legs and snack.

Hello Tustin!!!

Reed City Bridge

We had lunch with the Mayor of Reed City, yeah we are kind of a big deal. Don’t you know who I am????

Saturday morning we left the minivan in Cadillac to start our trip. There is something real about leaving your only mode of transportation behind. No more safety net, no more backing out once you drop it off. The morning was gloomy but not to bad so off we went!!!!

Here are our fully loaded bikes with everything we need, everything except the remote control…..

All cupcakes and unicorns

She is smiling but I am sure she is wondering what the heck I got her into. 

Hey look a tunnel.