*This is a follow up post to My New Wardrobe Accessory…
Puppy’s chew. It is just a fact.
So when I let my latest fashion accessory help with the laundry she decided to add a bit of tailoring to the mud flaps of my favorite pair of Mountain Khakis.
Not that you would notice her addition to these well worn and beloved trousers but it is the thought that counts…
For most of my life my favorite jacket/coat was the old Army M65 Field Jacket. I wore the one my father gave me until it was thread bare. Not too long ago I contacted Mountain Khakis and suggested they make a jacket similar in design to the M65. Come to find out, they already had something in the works that they call the Americano Jacket. So I ordered one. Read the rest of this entry »
The endless winter adventure continues as my 11th winter season in a row draws to a close. Only four days remain in the regular ski season of southwest Montana. It is already time for me to be looking ahead to winter down under again. I remember a few years ago deciding to only spend two winters in New Zealand, and then get back to “normal” living again. Now I have spent five winters in New Zealand, and I will be on my way south for number six this June. Read the rest of this entry »
The pressure was on in California as Luke, Neil, Clay and Ben lined-up in a stacked field for the NCC Dana Point Grand Prix. With the race just down the road from SmartStop headquarters the guys were very hungry to show the team’s appreciation of such an awesome sponsor by delivering a good show. The race was blistering fast, but the miles in the legs from Speedweek seemed to be doing the guys a great service. They seemed game from the start. With just four riders, it was going to be a tall order to not miss any key breakaways and to be able to bring Luke to the front in the likely event of a field sprint which would be lead-out by a very strong 6 man United Healthcare squad hungry to protect the NCC lead of Hilton Clarke.
Just past half way 20 riders split off the front of the group. Neil, who had bridged to an earlier dangerous move made the decision to head to the front at what seemed just the right time to keep things from getting out of hand and helped to pull the large group back. His effort kept the guys in the running to take on the sprint with good numbers. With 5 laps to go the race kicked into another gear and it was time to get to the front. With one lap to go Neil buried himself yet again to bring Luke up to the front and left him on the back of the UnitedHealthcare train before pulling off, something that he has become very proficient at over the last few weeks and has contributed largely to the increase in top results for the team’s other sprinters. The last lap was fast. At 1:12 seconds it was nearly 8 full seconds faster than any other lap of the race. It was nearly a 35 miles per hour average the whole lap topping out over 45mph in the downhill drag race to the line. Luke came home a very respectable 6th surrounded by some of the country’s very best including the current NCC leader Hilton Clarke of United Healthcare and Ken Hanson of Jelly Belly.
I have compiled a quick video edit from the scouting expedition in the Yukon. It is a sample of a single day of earning turns in Klondike country and of our daily life at our base camp — a tiny off the grid cabin way out in the Yukon wilderness surrounded by beautiful peaks, grizzly, moose….you name it. Looking forward to spending valuable time here next winter with friends and guiding clients. Again this is an edit from one single day on one of our longer approaches.