Another White Ranch Weekend

My daughter got bronchitis last week and was coughing so much that she had these horrible looking bloodshot eyes. I stayed home from work Thursday and Friday taking care of her. We watched some of her favorite movies (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings) and I introduced her to a new one (the original Indiana Jones). At least she was still smiling most of the day (the middle of the night coughing fits were a different story).

Marshal had invited me out to the Kokopelli Trail but between Aspen being sick and a poster I had to make for an upcoming conference, I really couldn't leave the front range...Bummer...After reading his blog and others that rode it, I wish the circumstances had been different...Maybe next year...

Instead, I rode White Ranch on both Saturday and Sunday (GPX Saturday, GPX Sunday). I hadn't ridden all the trails yet this year and decided to not use my smallest chainring at all. I wanted to break-in my 'new-to-me' 7" discs and experiment with different shock pressures. I lowered the shock pressure before heading out and boy what a difference it made coming down Longhorn. Much more cushion and it made it easier to launch off the waterbars instead of rolling them. The brake pads took a while to seat with the rotors. I had to really work them on/off/on/off, front/back/front/back for the first few downhills so that they wouldn't overheat and squeal. By the bottom of Mustang they were feeling better but I could tell they still weren't up to full braking power.

Back to commuting to Boulder (GPX)...I'm starting to get more comfortable on the roads but the semis still bother me. Last night my nephews asked me to come and talk to their Boy Scout troop about biking...Funny, some of the questions they ask were hilarious. I told them about Marshal and I's experience last year of running across a black bear cub and their question was: "What do you think the mama bear would do to you if you ran right into her cub?"

I think this weekend I'll head over to Segment 1 of the CT and maybe add in Indian Creek Loop on Saturday, rest with the extended family on Sunday, and on Monday have my wife and daughter drop me off at Wellington Lake and meet me at Waterton Canyon. I really can't get myself to drive I-70 this weekend.