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This is what scares me-suburbia. I find no comfort in the dull beige and the manicured lawns, no trust in the children sitting for hours in front of TV, no faith in the fathers throwing back beers watching life pass them by and think this is the life. Suburbia is where white capitalists run to hide from their daily fucking of America.

Climb

The verb is climb. A simple word, with a simple meaning-in short it means to go up. Sir Edmond Hillary laid the foundation for those who must obtain the top; gathering all his strength, will and determination to crest the highest point on earth-Mount Everest. Those who followed his footsteps would speak his name at their final moments of their journey, scaling the near vertical surface to the peak called the Hillary Step.

Upon his return from Everest, Hillary was doubted by many of his successful climb. The pictures taken of him at the peak didn’t match up with others who also succeeded in tackling Everest after him. For years he defended his name, leaving many still in doubt.

There’s a saying the people of the Himalayas say, “It’s not about the reaching the top, it’s about the journey.” It is about the journey but it’s also about reaching the top. Those who climb know that’s all there is. And if you stop half way up and decide to turn around you’ve been defeated; if you walk away forever you’ve lost completely. There’s a lot to learn on your climbs and even more after you’ve reached the top and come back down to tell the story.

The Smell of Cedar

"I like the way he smells after he's been asleep in his bed, he smells like cedar," she said. She turned her head toward him and began to speak in a voice only he gets. Her jaw tightened and eyes squinted, as she looked up at me, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, my hands clutching the top of the jam as I looked at her while she dug her fingernails deep behind his ears.

"The smell reminds me of pet gerbils I had as a kid," I said, "I never separated the father from the babies and he ate them." She looked up at me and knew the story was true. Her eyes stayed on me while her fingers dug behind his ears, waiting for more, but there was nothing.

Brown Cloud

They call it the brown cloud and it hovers over head like the gods pissed dark over the land we call Denver. What a hole, literally, what a hole. Denver dips down into a natural hole, if there ever were a flood the homeless hippies that beg me for change every morning would be floating. The hole of Denver seems to trap low air and doesn’t allow it to move, hence the Brown Cloud. Can’t say I’m enjoying the Brown Cloud, but its there. I went for a couple hour bike ride and upon my return was stricken by a violent cough and burning lungs.
I grew up in Detroit, where there’s no shortage of automobiles and the love of wasting fuel. After living there for 25 years I did a short stint in NYC. Again, a place surrounded my millions of people making waste in a small area. Even spent some time in southern California and battled smog. My point is Detroit and NYC had pollution, and we all know southern California has pollution. But I’ve never experienced any this troubling so quickly to the body. What a hole Denver is, what a hole.

One Leg Messenger

I rode next to this guy once and couldn't keep up.

Fixie Tricks

This video is from 1899 and the man behind the camera is Thomas Edison.

Loveland

I took the day and headed into the mountains for a quick ski/snowboard. With temps hovering in the high 50's in Denver, I didn't think the conditions would be great 51 miles west. Little did I know the Divide was getting hit with a nice little storm. The powder was 6 to 8 inches and the wind blowing at a mellow 50 mph. A couple hours into my fun my goggles fogged up, when I went to clean them I rubbed off the Starsky and Hutch mirrored tint. This pissed me off so back to Denver I went for a nice afternoon cyclocross ride.

Chief Mountain, CO

It’s cold today. When I woke the temp was –6 and with the wind chill dipping the air to a balmy –25 to –40. There are currently feet of snow on the ground and the projected time it will melt is weeks to months. Colorado needs the moisture but its not helping the winter mountain biking I look forward to. The trails are covered and the only thing to do is snowshoe.

NYC Cycling

The dance of inner-city cycling.