=jerryhazard

The non smoking battle continues, approaching 3 months....


The Car Loops Car...




Well, this evening I ventured out to see the Dark Night.  Not a lot will draw me out of the house other than my bike or camera, but this is an exception.  Like most other red blooded American and non-American boys, The guy in the bat suit is a subliminal part of who I am.  So I have a sort of vested interest in seeing the movie do well  

I was not disappointed.  Are there things about it I'd change?  Of course - but the same can be said for 99% of all the movies I see (with the exception of No Country For Old Men, and a couple others).  However, that's more my issue than probably the movie's. 

I was quite surprised at how just how dark they got with the film, in the time given anyhow.  And this is no Ceasar Romero Joker either.  Ledger's Joker is about as good as it gets for that character.  I wish we could have a little bit more of him though.  Whether its an Academy Award performance - I dunno - it was good, it was on that level, but I don't think there was enough performance to warrant it.. but what do I know?  But then again, he's a villain, evil, a monster - and the best horror flicks, you don't see the monster all that much.  He was damn good though, for sure.

I liked that the dialogue between he and the Batman got to that juxtaposition with good/evil, where the line is drawn, and all that...  the social commentary in the movie, though maybe a bit...  trite? was cool, as it does run through the comic quite a lot.

The action was cool, not too heavy on special effects, I guess expected a little more?  Really, I could have done with less action and more character development/interaction though. 

=allenjmiller made a remark about Clive Owen as possible candidate for the Bat guy, and I would have to agree..  but now I'm used to Bale guy. 

Overall, it rocks pretty much.  As far as sequels go, it's sort of like the "Empire Strikes Back" of Batman.  I give it a

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Also rebuilt the Barracude bike today, complete with squishy suspension forks, and took it for a test drive.  I don't know where I came up with it, but I found a 9 speed chain, and for whatever reason, it fits my gearing perfect, with no singulator/tensioner needed.  To most people reading, this will make no sense at all... but some of you will understand.  I am pretty happy about that.



The "new" old forks - Manitou Mars C, circa 2000. Just over 3 lbs., aluminum steer tube, and lockout. sweeeet. Check out the gold braided blinging cables


It was very nice to ride with suspension again.  Quite amazing really, how even just 100mm of squish up front can make such a difference - wow.  The fork is not quite as old as the frame - I think the fork is a year 2000 model, but in mint condition - no, more like brand-new.  The frame is a 1995 or earlier model - something I just recently learned.  Anyhow, for 7 or 8 year old suspension technology, this fork does a surprisingly good job.  It even has a lockout switch that actually works.  It could use a little air though.  While sitting, I'm taking up about 2/3 of actual travel of the fork.  Still, better than nothing.  It will be few rides until I totally trust it, but damn it was nice.


 

So what's up with (TGI) Friday's new ad about the perfect portion of food?  Something like "Right portion, right amount of food..."

Just what are they saying?  That we normally order portions that are too large?  That we enjoy consuming mass quantities?  Are they implying the previously we've all been duped by them in to ordering their entrees, when really we only wanted half as much?  Or, do we just have insatiable appetites - and now its up to them put us in our place?

I'm not sure I like their tone...  but hey, at least after all these years, they've nailed down the perfect portion size.  Too bad, that with rising cost of everything, they won't have the perfect price...

Well, that's about it... have a project in the works.. possibly a large one, more info when its more solidified... Thanks for stopping by

The non smoking battle continues, over 2 months now....


High Country Flowers, with some mountain or something in the background




Well, after work yesterday - Ben and myself headed up to Missionary Ridge.  Its a small-ish mountain on the near-skirts to town that has a couple keen trail hook ups.  One being of course - the Missionary Ridge Trail.  Another being Haflin Creek - a very steep, very technical downhill crazy person trail.  Since high country is opening late this year due to the crazy winter we had, most of these trails are not being ridden a whole lot just yet, so they are hard to find, and equally difficult to follow.  Many need some pruning and other trail attention.  Really, we'd just be happy to find it right now.

Rain had threatened all day at work but never showed up.  Until the ride home.  It was a steady light rain when I got home, and I emailed Ben to inform him I was going to bail and just stay in.  15 minutes later, I emailed him back, and said hey - lets go anyhow... 

I had a three mile ride across town to his place, and we loaded the bikes on top of the Jeep and headed out in serch of the road to the top.  Or near the top anyhow.  Like every-freakin-where else around here, once you hit the trail head, you climb.  The only difference between trails in this regards is just how much climbing one will do where.  In our case, we had a two mile, nearly 2000 foot Jeep road to follow in our quest for the actual trail.

Damn.  Just another ride that reinforces the fact that I need gears.  I could just put a 20 tooth cog on the back, but that just seemse even more silly than gears.  Ben had a great idea of just building a "High Country Bike"...  suspension forks, 6 or 8 gears on the back.. keep everything else light.  Not a bad idea, and probably where how this ride will end up.  The climb sucked.  Not my idea of a keen after work ride...

 


A vew across Durango...

But, my complaining is soon silenced by yet another incredible view of the La Plata area wilderness.  jeezuz.  I'm seeing in some directions and distances that are totally new to me.. and there's a storm brewing on the western horizon, so the light is just going bananas.  Surreal colors, slightly chilly temps.  and.. oh, yeah, we were looking for a trail...



One of several radio towers that pocks various peaks in the area.  Can you hear me now?  I do see a return trip just to climb one of these and do some 360 shots...

Well, we headed off in what seemd like an obvious place for the trail to pick up, but were greeted only with deadfall, fallen trees, lots of scrub oak and crazy-busy vegetation all over the place.  We followed what we thought was a trail for a short period, but ended up going nowhere. 




Top of the peak... Aspens and furs I think.  Barren but recovering from a wild blaze that tried to take them out a few years back.






Ben, following what we believed to be the trail - I think we thougth it was the Missionary Ridge trail.  It turned out to be... nothing.  But, it was very pretty.

After a few failed attempts at picking up or even seeing someting that resembled a path anywhere, we headed back up to the towers and I tried to catch some shots of the area.  I had a time with the camera - for whatever reason, I was shooting jpg to start with, but at one point I had adjusted my white balance to something crazy like 6500K ...  and all my shots were overexposing and lookin very blue.  Light was waning and were in the midst of magic hour, and I didnt get this sorted out quickly, I would not have my camera shooting until the midst of what Benl likes to describe as "really crappy light hour".  I just flipped it to raw and started shooting and wandering about.

I am not used to shooting in magic hour light.  crazy.  I am so used to mid day light, road trip available whenever you stop light, or riding the bike light...  so this was a treat.  I really should do this more... 



The blue in the background is the storm that was hangin out all day.  Monsoon season is a little early this year.  Good and bad.  I just hope fall and winter are not early this year...


Once really crappy light hour began, we headed back down the jeep road and back home.  The ride down the jeep road almost worth the price of riding up.  Wide open balls out downhill.  White knuckled almost the entire way down... and another reminder I need suspension at least up front (this week!)...




This tower has platforms equally spaced all the way up...  we shall return to this one for sure.







I believe this is overlooking the Weimenuche (SP?) Wilderness, but not sure.  A lot that area has trails, but most of that area is off limits to bikes.  If you look closely, you can see the end of a rainbow in there...

So.. can't wait to go back, but then, I can wait a little bit until I the gears show up.

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And once more the American political and Media system has gotten under my skin.  Surprise. 

You know...  Our government thinks were dumb.  Seriously.  In fact, they KNOW were dumb as a box of rocks.  They bet on it, and count on it.  There's no other logical way that we could end up in the situation we're in now.  Nobody is accountable for anything, anywhere.  We can elect a total imbecile to lead the free world.  We're on our way to elect someone to ensure that the current course stays it path.  A solid member of the good ol' boys club, totally lacking in charisma and character. 

Its just crazy, how they'll make statements, totally back track and say something nearly opposite, and act like we didn't notice.  Hey - if they act like they believe it, then we have to as well, right?  And just in case you don't believe them, the airwaves are peppered with shows that will tell you just what to think, and will give you "facts" to back up any political history you want - if you dont' like what you seen on CBS - switch to Fox - or to NBC.. or ... 

And so many of us really don't know exactly what go is to making things work, or how the political system works anyhow.  You'd think, with the abundance of reality shows, someone, somewhere would build a political education network.  Something that is sort of remedial "American Government" class so that people could get a handle on whats going on, and how to effect change.  Instead, we the McGlauphlin Group, America's Best Dance Crew, and the Family Guy to numb us in to submission (and yes, I am guilty too!).  If just a slight majority of the populace here knew how stuff was supposed to work, our current political system could change.  But as long as the sheep stay pacified in the dark, we can expect things will stay the same... 


Amazing though - the price of gas, and living in general is going haywire... but Apple still sells a gagillion of their new IPhones....  maybe things are not really that bad after all?    (no, I dont' have an IPhone.  in fact, I don't even have A phone.  At all.)

anyhow.. yeah.  I think I'll just watch the Colbert Report and call it neat.   That, and go climb some radio towers at 10000 feet.

Thanks for stopping in, and have a great week!