Bison Bicycle Classic 2012

This is always a big deal here in Shawnee and not only does the local university get involved, but also our club and the Bicycle Shoppe. This year promised to be the biggest and the best as almost 400 participants were registered. I had registered for the 50 mile ride, and when I got up and checked the radar, I started having second thoughts. There was a huge amount of rain just to the south of us. After watching the radar for a while though, I felt that it would never make it this far north. Still, there was this nagging doubt..... I went back and forth.... should I take the road bike and no rain gear, should I take the touring bike, and rain gear....... the touring bike won out.

Starting out in the morning, a pretty good crowd was already at hand when I arrived.

My friends and companions for the ride.....

The weather stayed nice until the ride started, then pretty smiles like Holly's were hard to find. Still, everyone I talked to had a great time, even with the weather. Once we got started, the rest of the ride looked just like this......... Rained the entire ride

Still, the rest stops were manned by smiling happy people, and the goodies were simply the best! This is one ride, I could gain weight riding. All home-made treats, some in fact fresh made from The Groove Bakery and Pizza, a local bakery.

After this, there isn't many more ride pictures because I was reluctant to drag my camera out in the wet. It had already gotten a bit wet even in it's little baggie, so I waited until the end.  Barbara Smith, in the yellow rain coat, Ciria, Connie (I always seem to catch her with her mouth full), and Jim Vernon, one of the people who brought this wonderful ride to fruition.

And.....your's truly, after the ride, and still smiling!!!!

Smiling maybe, because I knew there was a ton of fresh baked pizza from The Groove waiting for us.

This ride, put on as a joint effort by Oklahoma Baptist University, and our Pedalers Cycling Club is rapidly becoming one of the premier rides in the State. Kudos to all that worked so hard putting this ride on, and weather not withstanding, it was a success. A lot of work and effort goes into putting on a ride like this, and the average rider doesn't have the foggiest idea of what it takes to make one of these work. This one is one of the great ones. Every year it gets a little bigger and a little better. Just can't wait until next year.

Gold Belt Tour

A Mountain Bikin' Experience!!

Fresh snow on the high peaks in the distance as I leave Canon City behind.

Something a little different this time, a mountain bike tour up in the Rockies. Starting in Canon City, Colorado, and heading up the (my phrase) infamous Shelf Road to the gold mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor, and then back down the old rail route of the Cripple Creek and Florence Railroad, and back to Canon City. Leaving the motel in Canon City, I immediately started climbing as soon as I turned left out of the driveway. Originally, I was planning to stay at the only haunted hotel in Victor, but changed my mind and figured I could loop it instead as my time was somewhat limited. Shelf road starts out paved, and easy grades through some ranching country starting up the canyon.

I was already about 5 miles into the ride when I came upon this sign ...... it didn't seem too bad... But then, I didn't really know what was in store for me yet.

After about nine miles up the canyon, the road turned into a righteous mountain bikin' road...

Yours Truly heading up the Shelf Road.

As you can see, there are no guard rails anywhere, and the drop-off is immediate, and a long ways down. It's still gentle here yet.

Looking back the way I came.

Ah, yes ..... I think things are going to be getting interesting from here on.

Like this, maybe ....... This little hill was typical of the rest of the ten miles up the canyon. When I arrived at this part, I was already in my lowest mountain bike gear (22/34) and was unable to climb any further..... it was hike-a- bike time. I thought these forays into walking my bike were tough. I almost couldn't stand, and my walking pace was slow. Believe me when I say that pictures just don't do it justice. Of course, altitude came into play here as well, and the fact that I couldn't just slow down any past the 1 1/2 mph I was already travelling to lighten the load on my lungs a bit .... at least without falling over.

This is a view of Window rock, up above the road, a natural arch about three quarters of the way up.

Window Rock from the other side.

After 30 miles of climbing, hardly a down anywhere, I was getting crampy, the legs were sore .......and.... it was 12:30pm by then, and I was starving. So, down into town I went, looking for a place to eat.

Victor is an old Gold mining town from the 1800's that hasn't gotten modern like Cripple Creek. For one thing, they don't allow gambling. Cripple Creek has as many casinos as residents, and for me anyway, it has ruined the town, Victor is still a quaint little old-fashioned historical town, virtually unchanged from it's heyday. As I'm rolling through town I spy a town constable ....... if anyone knows where a good place to eat is....it'd be the town cop! "Hey officer" .... he turns around..... "Is there a decent cafe in town".  "Sure, just go down to the next block and turn right, you'll see it, it's a bakery, but they serve sandwichs"....... "OK, thanks" And so....that's how I found this.....

And inside ...... I found THIS!

I did all I could do to finish it, but there was a half pound of roast beef, plus all the veggies, and I had to leave a couple of bites. This being a bakery, the bread was still fresh from the oven. A half loaf of fresh baked bread, split, and filled with what ever he had. It was yummy. He was from Germany, and was a bicyclist. He rides round trip to Cripple Creek every so often (12 miles, paved) on his heavy touring type bike. He thought I must be Superman for coming up Shelf Road. Made me feel good anyway. It was tough, probably one of the toughest, longest climbs I've ever done. Anyway, after a full belly, and some nice conversation, I departed. "Be careful about going down Phantom Canyon, been a lot of bear sightings on that road lately".... "Oh, OK, thanks".... And, Off I went.

This is the town of Victor after leaving and starting up the Phantom Canyon Road. One of the mines is evident up above. Victor still has a couple of operating mines. I read in a booklet in the bakery that one of the mines has taken out 930 million ounces of gold.

 Stopped to take a picture of the Aspen turning color ....

And while I was putting my camera away, a jeep came down from the road I was turning up. "Is this Phantom Canyon Road?" I asked.....    "Yes, it is, just go up here about two miles and turn right, and you'll be on it". "Thanks", I replied.  "It's mostly downhill all the way to US 50" he said ..."Should be an easy trip if you live through it"..... Ah....wait a minute here.... "Live through it?" "Yeah, saw a sow with two cubs, yearlings from the look of them about five miles back, right on the road, and another lone bear about halfway down ...... well ......have a nice trip now"  ..... "Yeah, thanks, I'm sure I will"......Apparently, there have been a lot of bear sightings there lately because of the dry summer according to the local newspaper. It seems the bears really haven't been able to find enough to forage on to build enough fat for the long winter's sleep. Aw, Hell..... they wouldn't want to chew on an old fat bicyclist anyway.....  Anyway....still had a few miles of gentle climbs (about 3%) until I topped out and started down, and it was just soooo pretty.....

It was about here, I'd just had about all the up-hill I ..... and my legs could take. Bad leg cramps. Sit down on the road, stretch, hurt, stand and stretch....stretch too far....ahhh...there.... finally, relief. Stayed there a couple more minutes ..... it was just soooo pretty anyway, and when I got back on the bike, I could pedal without any more problems. The top was only a mile and one half anyway. Topped out around 10,000 feet before starting that long, long downhill.

Phantom Canyon road was very washboardy on the upper part, and hard on the bike, even with the mountain bike suspension, but as I got down in the narrower part with the tight blind corners, and the single track road (one car- one way), the washboard went away..... the cars couldn't go fast enought to knock it out. Still.... this is the route to take uphill for any sane rider, gentle grades for 25 miles or so, nothing past about 5%, and that only the last couple miles in the  tight switchbacks near the top, most of it around 3-4%, steady grade, all the way. It IS dangerous .... there are blind corners, and the road is narrow with steep dropoffs.

But, there are also cool tunnels ......

A rugged interior. A good example of hardrock tunneling.

As well as several bridges, a couple looked original.

Heavy wooden planking on this one, well worn!

There was always a danger of falling rocks from above in the narrow canyon, DEFINITELY....wear your helmet!

There were a couple of rest stops along the way that were located in the area of old coaling and water stops for the trains. A welcome relief, indeed.

And so.....finish dropping down the canyon, another tunnel, a couple more bridges, and finally back to civilization.

The Abbey... a Catholic Monestery and winery. This is right in Canon City.

They grew their own grapes, and had their own winery. A very impressive place. They offer tours, but I was too late that day, and wasn't staying, but leaving early in the morning. Maybe another time. I understand they have wine tasting at the winery........

Just a few more miles, and I was back. 62 miles total, it was a tough, but rewarding ride. Certainly a different type of ride for me, but I'm so glad I decided to do it. Long drive up there, and sore muscles the day after yet. The legs hurt from the trip up, and the shoulders, arms, back and hands from the trip down, so I had a well rounded ache all over. Didn't miss much of me. Would I do it again. Well.....the answer is kind of like this. Going up Shelf, by the time I had gotten to Victor, the road almost defeated me ...... but stubborness won out......barely! It was a close thing, but there'll be no re-match. A smart rider knows when it's time to rest on his laurels. The reward was a mexican dinner at a local restaurant. The dinner was so-so.....BUT....I got a chance to drink a couple of Fat Tire Ales. Been wanting to try them for as long as they've been advertizing, but they don't sell in Oklahoma. Got my chance..... good beer, stout, with a lot of hops and flavor, and a pretty good kick.
Oh yeah......did I get ate by a bear?....... didn't even see one, but that was alright by me.



DamJam Bike Ride

Another Dam Jam ride down the pipes! This makes number seven for me, you might say this is my favorite of all the organized rides here in Oklahoma. The scenery, the support, the rest stop goodies. This is one ride that I can carry only one water bottle and do so in complete confidence. This year, they changed the route due to road construction and added four miles to it making the route I signed up for 77 miles, almost exactly...... it was 77.1 on my speedometer. The advertized distance was 76.38, maybe the little discrepancy was due to a few backtracks for pictures. Close enough. It was chilly at the start that morning at 51 degrees, but was totally clear and due to warm into the low 80's by 5pm. I got done at 1:30pm, so I didn't see the 80's, but it was a most pleasant day for a bike ride anyway. Rained hard the evening before and into the night, but the morning of the ride was clear and chilly, and VERY muggy. There were about 400 riders participating this year, I think one of the largest turnouts.

Police support for this ride is outstanding! Not only in Pryor, but at every intersection, and every hazardous place on the road. Plus, you can't ride 5 miles without seeing a SAG vehicle. Homemade cookies, and watermelon made the rest stops unmissable. There was only one themed rest stop this year, on top of the "BIG" hill..... put on by a nurses auxilliary in Tulsa, they do it every year as the 4077th MASH unit. A fun, fun, stop.

I am getting ahead of myself now however, as this rest stop was at mile 51 into the ride, there was so much nice riding before this. By the way.....the young lady getting a drink from the cooler and her companion rode the entire ride with me, just at different times and places. Let me explain .... it wasn't really meant to be that way, but we left around the same time, were jostled around at the beginning by the crowd of riders, and enjoyed exchanging a few quips about close quarters drill, then I quickly rode away from them.....only to have them catch and pass me while I was taking a photo, then I caught and passed again...... this went on the whole ride, each time with a holler and a wave, and a funny bit of dialogue as we passed. They were such a fun couple, and I enjoyed their company very much. They were both from Tulsa, and this was their first big organized ride, but I'll bet I see them again. Here they both are;

In case you might be wondering about a few discrepancies in the photos, I have done this ride for 7 years now, but did not have a single blog post here on it, so I've combined several years photos into one blog.

Now to get back to the start again. The first ten miles or so is almost all VERY flat. They do this so you'll be suckered in far enough you won't turn back when all the climbing starts. Those who have done this ride before know it's very hilly. In addition, the wind was supposed to be up today also, 15-20mph from the north. Fun, the last ten or twelve will be headwind all the way in. This is a very rural, agricultural area, and thing like this nifty old tractor and the cattle in the following picture are common......

From here, a ride along the lake shore produces some really pretty scenes,

The old Iron bridge, just before the town of Strang, Oklahoma. A pity we can't clean this up and use it as part of a bike path instead of the generic bidge of no character that is standing next to it as a replacement.

Just on the other side of the bridge were a large flock of pelicans. Now, I've never really thought of pelicans as being anyting but a shore bird, but here they were many miles away from any ocean. I understand now, that these are common around this area, but just never noticed before I guess.

In addition to pelicans, you might be lucky enough to spot some wild turkey as we did on a ride a couple years ago.

The first rest stop I stop at is in the town of Strang, they have it inside the community building which includes a meeting hall, town library, and city hall, and senior center. Might as well get all the use you can out of a public building.

On the Mickey Mantle Highway. Mickey Mantle being an Oklahoma native

After Strang, about another 7 miles brings us to the tiny mountain town of Spavinaw. At one time a coal mining town, now attempting to survive by preying on tourists, and sportsmen, as there is a small lake nearby with good fishing. Still....not much town left.
 A beautiful long fast downhill with super smooth pavement lead a 40 mph dash into town.........  Here's Spavinaw....

Across Spavinaw creek.......

Then, up a long gentle uphill that will eventually lead us to the next rest stop.

Hills like these just made me think I was in the mountains the entire last half of this ride. Just absolutely beautiful.

A couple of other fast downhills, and some rolling terrain finally brought us up the "big" hill. It's still steep, but seems to have shrunk in length over the years. The first time I did this one, it was endless, this time, it was over too quickly. Here is tthe bottom, for lack of a better picture, this is one from 2008 and it had been rainy and foggy all morning ......

The babbly little stream near the bottom of the hill, just to the left on the picture above. It's unusual to find such nice clear streams in Oklahoma, most of ours are red, and too thick to drink, too thin to plow type streams. This one is pretty......

From here on it was just put-'er-in-low-gear, and slowly grind your way to the top. managed to not fall below 6 mph this year however. Here is the top, looking down toward the last curve, also from a previous year.

This is a sucker hill........ starts out gentle, and gets steeper, and steeper, and steeper, the higher up you go. The first time, I zipped up from the bottom and had to get off about halfway, the second time, I zipped up and slowed early, and made it, but it was tough...... this year, when I left the babbly brook, I put it in my lowest gear, and left it there, spun easy all the way up, and still had some left for the last 1/4 mile. Strategy is more important than strength when you get older. After this, it was flat and level most of the way back. The construction detour took away the wonderful long smooth downhill on the other side of Chimney Rock Lake. Too bad! Loved that downhill. Got to touch the outskirts of Locust Grove this year, but didn't go into town. If they keep this route next year, I may make a detour as it is a rather historical town, and I'll add a few pictures. The rest of the ride was just a push against a growing headwind to the finish. So much beauty, riding a bike through this country makes me feel like sticking my head through the fence to see what's arond the next curve........

77 miles this year, started at 7:45am, ended at 1:30pm, average speed 15.0 ....musta been the downhills........ You just don't want to hurry through this ride, there is just too much to see, and too many friends to make, and too much fun to be had. Can't wait 'til next year, makin' plans already.