Month: March 2007

Utah… Gimmie Two!!

Time is moving at warp speed right now, and given that I don’t have the spare resources needed to do a proper write up on the Honky Mofo Snow Possee’s 2007 winter trip to Utah, I leave you with a bulleted outline and some choice photos.

Sunday (SFO –> SLC)
* Pedro D grabed cab to Oaktown for a flight back to LA before anyone else woke up.
* Me, James & Fiona called up a van for us and our gear, swung by Cho’nuff‘s, headed to SFO and were off to SLC.
* Landed in SLC, found Travis, picked up the Ford Exped.
* Did a big round of grocery shopping at Dan’s.
* State liquor stores are closed on Sunday, so all we could get our hands on was 3.2% “regular” beer, or a whopping 4.0% “microbrewed” beer. We did get a kick out of Polygamy Porter though. At least someone in the state’s got a sense of humor.
* Ate fajitas, prepared by Todd & Kim Gack.
* Watched Snatch (on our sweet 50″ plasma tv!).

Monday
* Rode at Snowbird, spring like conditions.
* Hit the state run liqor store up for some proper booze. I even found Pusser’s Rum, which I haven’t seen since our BVI trip 5 years ago. Yah, mon!
* Ate Pasta and Salad, prepared by Shawn & Me.
* Watched Borat.

Tuesday
* Rode at Solitude, spring like conditions.
* The local news crew was at the base lodge, and the reporter stopped Cho’nuff to ask him what he thought about global warming and how it’s affecting the Utah ski slopes. In usual Cho fashion, his reply was worded in such a way that only those who know him realize that he’s being a sarcastic asshat. They were still able to pull around 5 seconds of airable footage that went live that same nite. Woo hoo!
* Ate Burgers & Sausages, prepared by Prikkel the Pickle.
* Watched Office Space.

Wednesday
* Rode at Brighton, spring like conditions.
* 2nd round of grocery shopping at Albertson’s.
* Ate Jalapeno Flank Steak Salad, prepared by Brenda & Shawn.
* Watched Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny.

Thursday
* Rode at Snowbird, not as spring like, and mighty icy.
* BK and Master D and the rest of the NYC possee showed up in full effect, although BK’s ear’s killing him.
* Ate Marinated Pork Loin Goodness, prepared by Kim Gack.
* Watched… did we watch anything?

Friday
* Rode at Brighton, spring like conditions again.
* Picked up a pair of Day Glo Green Ronin 3L Vent pants at 40% off. Talk about DOPE (and super ugly-cool)!
* Ate Geezer Bloke Wanker Seared Tuna, prepared by James & Fiona.
* Watched Jackass Number Two.

Saturday
* Rode at Solitude, flat out hot.
* BK didn’t make it to the slopes, but he did to the hospital. Deep inner ear infection… PAINFUL!
* Actually went out to eat. Market Street Oyster Bar. Damn tasty for SLC being so land locked.
* Grabbed a St. Patty’s Day beer with Cho & the Blokes.
* Arrived home, everyone else was asleep, so we drank the last of the Silver Bullets (well, I did anyways).

Sunday (SLC –> SFO)
* Me, Cho, James & Fi dropped Travis off at the airport… and then he missed his plane.
* We made it back to SFO without incident.
* Dropped off Cho.
* Dumped our stuff off at the pad.
* Said “wassup!” to So! and Jackie.
* Hopped on the N-Judah to Cole Valley.
* Lunched at Citrus Club followed by Upper to Lower Haight Street crawl.
* Picked up some Mexican grub.
* Crashed out. Hard.

Xen and the Art of Cycling Shoe Maintenance

A few weeks ago I made a couple of much needed upgrades to my person that have amazingly enhanced my day to day cycling experience.

First off, So! got me a new helmet for my birthday. My old helmet was a 2000 Giro E2, and it served me well, but it was on its last legs and was completely unsafe — the velcro side straps were no longer sticking, the left hand visor tab was broken and it would would only stay put on my head when I, and everything around me, was completely still. My new one is super tizight though. It’s a large(‘cuz my melon’s so big), Matte Sepia 2007 Giro Xen, and is light years better than my old brain bucket. When I opened the box and slid it on, I could immediately tell that Giro has learned a few things over the past five years. The side straps that used to be held on by velcro are now fed internally, and the updated RocLoc system, coupled with the deepness of the helmet, makes for a secure and snug fit, even before the chin straps have been engaged. My head feels safe again, for the first time in a long time.

Secondly, I dropped some Green Superfeet insoles into my Sidi Dominator Mountain Bike shoes, and holy crap, what a difference. I had been riding with the stock insoles, which are really nothing more than a piece of thick felt cut in the shape of a footbed, since I got these shoes over three years ago. And after the first year of daily use, they had curled up and folded in on themselves, making them more useless than they were to begin with. I don’t know why I was being such a cheap ass and letting the $35 price tag keep me from doing this sooner. I did the same thing to my snowboarding boots last season, and have had nothing but good times ever since. It’s amazing what some good arch support and shock absorption can do for even the shortest of bike rides.