1: AZT 300 drama begins to close. Poor Chad, lucky Chris and Jefe. Hopefully Max has success and lets us live a little bit vicariously. Sounds like Mike’s training in the meat locker did some good, too.

Chad, I told you so. You deserve a nice mountain bike as much as or more than anyone I know. Now, times a waistin…

2: M and I sat down after I got back a while ago and talked numbers for the upcoming move. We’re fine, not financial all-stars by any means, but fine. Marni’s comment about savings accounts and unforeseen circumstances did hit home. Our savings isn’t Chad’s saddle, but it isn’t a well loved B-17, either.

Most humbling part of that whole side of my life, realizing how hard it would be to change my habits if we had to cut back and live on substantially less. Byby craft beer, Ben and Jerry’s, nice food, and endless weekend fun hogging on the road. Theoretically I could do any or all of these things. It’s much harder to envision how I would while still remaining sane and nice to be around. In some significant respects we’ve (and I’m waaaay more guilty of this than M, thanks in no small part to this whole biking thing) been no better than the average American, who has something like 9k of credit card debt.

3: My legs are not 100% recovered from last weekend. Both rides of consequence, today and Thursday, have shown this to be the case. Such is life. Nonetheless, I rode 305 to it’s end at a nice pace, actually seeing people for once! Sitting under my favorite pine, I decided I might as well see new stuff, and headed east up Bannie Mine to investigate the connection with the Salida Gulch singletrack. FS road 31 to FS atv trail 93, essentially. The atv trail had plenty of unrideable loose fall line sections, both up and down. Looking at the map, taking 42 from Quail Tank north would’ve cut out a lot of that. Combine that route with the Leviathan I you’d have a decent chance of riding most of the trail, provided things haven’t been too dusty.

The views from the top, near the 31-93 junction especially, were tremendous, and make the ride worthwhile in themselves. The section of 93 after it rejoined with 42 was surprisingly nice, not too steep and nicely “switchbacked” in the curving atv fashion. Makes you wonder what kind of outstanding singletrack could be built through the same area, given how fun Salida Gulch proper is. Just have to keep the motos off somehow.

Not a bad afternoon.