Purchased first aid kits are generally laughable. If you could take care of the problem with what little the kit provides, you likely wouldn't really need to care of it at all. As an ER doctor, it is difficult for me to think about first aid kits. After 23 years of seeing every possible way … Continue reading Trail or Trial Medicine →

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is! (Ellen DeGeneres) Our grandchildren are all under thirteen years old. Their young minds likely don't fully grasp the concept of grandma and grumpy riding the GDMBR. Similarly, our aging minds don't … Continue reading Grandma, Grumpy AND Gumby →

"Was that a hill"? my wife remarks in response to my comment, between gasps, about the steep grade we just climbed. Her ebike continues to emasculate me as she glides ahead and up hills almost effortlessly, even without a throttle. In fact, she is in the lowest pedal assist mode! Perhaps she is far more … Continue reading Watts, Volts and Manliness →

"No matter what anyone says, it's much worse to be unloved than it is to be lost in the woods." Charles M. Schulz My friends and family have been grateful over the years, that most of my adventures have been solo. My wife, on the other hand, has been stuck, not on my adventures, but … Continue reading True Love →

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 →

"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 →