A few of my favorite things....

This nearly year on active duty, away from my civilian job, has provided some really cool experiences like flying around in really cool military helicopters, wearing night vision goggles, shooting really BA guns and stuff, it has kept me super busy. Busy enough to have made more than I spend, way more..... I have been able to purchase a few things that needed replacing like a new laptop, Mac this time but more importantly a new mountain bike!

It could be said I like to ride the bicycle just a little..... and after riding my old mountain bike for more than 12 years I decided to buy a new one. My old mtb frame had actually broken while on a training ride with Chrissy B. in Big Bear (Chrissy, Greg C. and I did an adventure race together) for an adventure race like 8 years ago. Luck would have it that the mechanics at the bike shop at Big Bear Mountain were able to fix the frame (rear derailleur cable braze-on) with 2 zip ties and I was able to not only finish training for and compete in the adventure race, but went on to race the same event the following year and continued to ride the bike with the fix for nearly 4-5 more years! 2 zip ties is all it took, if only those guys knew that their emergency fix would hold for nearly 5 years, hey, it worked why would I replace it. Thanks guys!

I was able to retire the old Balance MTB with the help of a good buddy of mine Guy J. who was upgrading his ride and gave me his old bike (a GT), which was an upgrade for me since it was a full-suspension bike. It was a bit of boat anchor compared to the Balance but it was free.... so it ROCKED as far as I was concerned!

So fast-forward, I am in ABQ at Performance Bike Shop looking for a pair of bike shorts when I started talking the manager (Mike H. who is good Pennsylvania boy like yours truly) about really wanting (not needing, wanting) a new MTB bike. I told him that I have been dreaming about the Specialized Enduro, which is a bike that is a kind of hybrid MTB, both good at cross-country riding and non-technical downhill and freeride riding. Lots of suspension travel but still pretty light weight. Mike say that his store has a bike that is spec'd pretty much the same way as the Specialized but about a 1/2 to 2/3 the price! Well this baby was a beaut! And after calling a couple of west coast Performance Shops we were able to find my size (large) and got it shipped to ABQ and I picked it up. It is a DREAM to ride! When you ride it, it keeps saying very quietly but firmly - "Go FASTER, Go FASTER!"

I have been able to ride it a few times since getting it, on my fav trail in Tucson, Fantasy Island. Fantasy Island is essentially 18 miles of one way, single track, some flat and fast, some twisty and very technical with lots of ups and downs. One this is consistant on the whole 18 miles, cactus all around the trails and mistakes, ie going off the trail can be a bit painful! It is located to the eastern most boundary of Davis-Monthan AFB here in Tucson where my unit is located. Check out a few pics of the bike and the entrance to Fantasy Island trail network.