First Deadgoat Hammer ride of the year (for us)

Cindy and I did our first deadgoat hammer ride of the year.  Good times!

I was worried Cindy wouldn't like the pace, but afterwards she said it was great - that you'd really get fit working out like that.  A group of 4 went back from the traffic circle to keep pace together, and 5 of us went out to Bragg and back.  Beauty night too, first night of only jersey and bibs!

Rain dodging

For a supposedly socked in weekend, we got in Friday at COP 100% dry, Millarville dry Saturday, Lochend mostly dry Sunday (we had hoped to get to Bottrel but the rainclouds didn't make that attractive), and an Airport Road outing Monday.

Millarville near-ish Jon's place (this is Plummers road).

Bit later, and hard to see here, but this is "engagement hill" by Cindy's naming, and a herd of 40 elk jumped the fences in front of us. A few didn't and just plowed into it and jumped later. You can see them down in the field. Also logs of bluebirds out. 

Lochend with Cindy outrunning the rain home. 

Downtown and COP wetter than we were all day. 

Beautiful!

Although a few layers were needed, Craig and I got out for what amounted to 150k for me when said and done. Nice dry roads. Not too cool to stop. Just a beautiful day that didn't feel sufferous. We cruised along at a leisurely pace and welcomed what actually feels like spring!

Great winter conditions!

Skiing condition are awesome right now. Fresh tracks!

Calgary spring

Marvin says it's time to have the weather warm up.

The place at which we are dining is featuring the "old man winter" cocktail, so I went with that.

Whiskey 50 on ice

Beauty pre ride yesterday had us hoping the weather forecast wasn't true. 

When we woke up it was cold and down pouring. I didn't really bring warm enough clothes. TV in breakfast area was going on about anomalous super-cells driving today's weather.  Jeez. Rounded up all I had plus started making garbage bag poncho, shower cap, garbage bag shoe covers, double shorts, wool t shirt, gore wind proof arm warmers, surgical gloves over my gloves. 

Start was rainy. I was at front of non-prestige start block. Chambers and I were few minutes apart last year and he made the cut when I was dinking around pumping my tire every couple minutes to try to make it back into town. Anyway, this year I had made up my mind to ride  steady but conservatively and see how that sorted me on the long climb out of town. Turned out it worked well as I could see Shawn up front and I was 20th into the single track and I felt like I saved all my matches for later when guys around me were at max ventilation. 

Singletrack was awesome till the sideways snow and sleet really started puking down. It coated my glasses so I couldn't see. It was blustery and cold. Cold enough that my hands started to freeze on the climb. I knew that would be bad for the descent, and suicidal on the long gravel descent. I plugged away and started seeing guys in the trees unable to fix flats as their hands were frozen to clubs. Other guys were doing arm swings. Some were wiping glasses. Hail and sleet were sandpapering my knees. I was all of a sudden really cold and knew this wasn't going to happen. Then I thought with Yak Attack, Water Valley under my belt, and I'm toast, this is going to decimate the field.  I knew there was no way with my gear that I could do the 12 miles of skull valley descent going fast down a gravel road. I'd have no body heat left. 

I stopped where cars and supporters were. Few guys were going through. Someone let us in an Explorer to warm up. I was shiver convulsing and worked fingers through that pain zone, then caught first ride back so I could drive the 15 passenger van back out and help extract people. 

Feet were frozen in my casual shoes even after a hot shower, and I think I set new passenger van speed record up the twisty road. Helped a few people out, but they also had busses and the fire dept emergency response unit out. 

Big let down overall. I had hoped to ride well. And had I brought Canadian winter riding gear I could have done it... but that's out of expectation coming to Arizona. Shoot. 

Tim had a tougher day with a rib and fingers injury wipeout. Shawn finished 3rd and froze his hands. Cindy pulled and was hypothermic. Ashley didn't start the 25. 

Saloon

The wedding festivities kicked off tonight.  The bride's in-laws set up and paid for dinner at a… local saloon with live rodeo.  Given the bride's context I've always known her in was pure Vancouver hipster, it was an amazing night.  We took a shuttle to some saloon out of town.  It had live rodeo, brisket and sausage dinner (the pre-paid ticket guaranteed you one pound + bbq sauce), and the people watching was unbelievable.

The parking lot looked like mad max.  BBQ flat black painted trucks with giant tires and lift kits were the norm, peel outs, arguments, yelling.

Motorcycles revving.  The guy working the entrance didn't look like a bouncer at a place in Calgary.  He looked like he'd spent a lifetime dealing with rough 200lb cowboys and bikers, not kids.  I'm certain his tax filings didn't show reward commensurate with the challenge of his job.

After I got my meal ticket, I talked to the lady at the fish fry, which seemed lighter than the pound of brisket.  She said "cat or cod" - hopefully meaning catfish.  I said mix it up.  I asked where the washrooms were and if I'd have time to do a trip before the fry was up.  She said "in that door, past the arm wrestling machine, and turn right by the pool table".  You can't make this stuff up. First time I walked by, it was in use by people I didn't think I should pull out my phone to snap a picture without consent.  Later I caught it empty. 

After food, there were marshmallows circulated for making smores over the fire pit.

The interior was pure saloon.  I thought I'd see Jake and Elwood Blues singing the Rawhide Theme behind chicken wire.  Packed.  The beer mugs were tall - must be 500ml. 

Ray Ray won the bull riding with a ride of 80 points on Bruiser, which was a giant and mean looking animal.  My photography equipment doesn't do the speed of bull riding from stands 30 yards back justice.  Some of the other cowboys got seriously bruised up, working your way up through the ranks in this sport isn't easy on the body.  There were a set of brothers riding, and to be clear, in rural Arizona, brothers are two white guys related by common parents.  One won, the other got an ankle landed on by a spinning bull and limped off but I'm sure won't be walking right for a while.   One guy couldn't get his hand out of his tie for what seemed like forever and got dragged around while the clowns tried to help; one guy had a mean bull who charged and flipped him in the air with his horns twice after he was down.  I've also seen mutton busting with kids on sheep before, but it was young sheep and kids with hockey helmets with full face guards.  Here it was adult sheep (they're fast) and kids with bike helmets.  The second kid, when we were right up against the fence spectating, held on across the whole infield until the sheep scrubbed him off  when he was on its side on the fence at full speed.  I've never seen a 70lb body hit steel fence that hard before.  I'm guessing the waiver the parents signed was pretty thorough.  Couple of the Vancouver girls who'd never seen Stampede or any rodeo before were just beside themselves.

Gun t-shirts were de riguer.  "2nd amendment" with a long rifle underneath and an American flag, "5.6mm diplomacy" and a string of bullets, and my favourite "well within my rights" and an M16 pictured.  Ladies outfits were… less.  There weren't a lot of clothes mammas would be proud of here.  And they spanned 18-50 year old bodies.  Here's one of my favourites that was less controversial.

There were a few fights, and not all were male.

Welcome to rural Arizona.