One website assures me "my chances of being murdered are 60,000 times greater" than being killed by a bear. I'm not sure if the author is taking into account that I live in Pueblo. Regardless, those statistics are reassuring, but they do not take into account that we'll be the only ones from Pueblo on … Continue reading To Bear or Not to Bear, Spray
As we motored across beautiful Waterton Lake, the boat captain droned on about safety for our upcoming adventure. Suddenly, his droning voice caught my attention: "bears think food when they hear bells". What? I had been very careful in my preparations for the Crypt Lake hike by purchasing bear bells. They were supposed to alert the … Continue reading Sometimes, Not So Lonely Trail
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself. (Groucho Marx) When your dad starts yelling for help while you are in the desert, kind of lost, it can be very disconcerting. If you are the dad that is yelling, it is even worse. We weren't really lost, … Continue reading Lost and Found: Part II
"I was never lost in the woods in my whole life, though once I was confused for three days." Daniel Boone They say that when riding the Great Divide it isn't a matter of if, but when you will get lost. The GD route passes through two provinces in Canada and five states in the … Continue reading Lost and Found – Part I
“Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.” Mark Twain If you have ever looked at the legs on "real" (meaning, not me) cyclist, you would likely notice that many have quads the size of my waist. Other than size, there aren't any other similarities as their quads are hard muscles, … Continue reading Which Muscles Matter?
“Camping is nature's way of promoting the motel business. ” ― Dave Barry More than 45 years ago I had my first experience with a sleeping pad. That's the thing you put under your sleeping bag so that you can theoretically sleep comfortably while backpacking. I was barely a teenager. My middle-aged father had either decided it … Continue reading How to Sleep in the Woods
Today – tent decision day – was a sad day. We found holes in our old tent. We’ll have to take the new tent on the GDA. The old tent is a North Face VE 24 obtained a lifetime ago in 1981 when Gloria and I were married. We were married in February, but we … Continue reading Old Tent – New Tent
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton But the longer the journey the harder it is to be good company. -- Shaun Gogarty I’ve been dreaming about doing the Great Divide mountain bike ride from Banff Alberta Canada to the border of Mexico for several years. In fact, when … Continue reading The Journey (sort of) Begins
Grumpy Grandpa's Great Bicycling Adventures 