Medio-Core Chicago

Team Ride

2012-02-06T12:34:00.001-06:00

View Half Acre Team Ride in a larger map
Sunday I pedaled out with the Bicycle Team I joined in January. It was the first time I rolled out with the other members. There were about 12 of us riding two by two for most of the ride up to Highland Park. All of the riders met at the Damen Brown Line stop around 9:15am. After we decided that we had everyone that was coming we hit the road cruising north up Damen towards Evanston where we met up to Sherridan Rd and hit that up to Green Bay Rd where a group of us including me got on it for a sprint into Highland Park. The route ended at Perfect Blend Coffee where another crew of cyclists were already hanging out. It must be a popular route because there were plenty of cyclists riding through town. We didn't stay long before we were back on the pedal monsters heading back to Chicago. I was on my "Go Fast" bike which is what I call my Specialized Allez Pro from the late 90's. Mine was certainly the oldest bike there and I knew it would be so I dolled it up the night before with some fresh grip tape, tires and a new saddle I'd been meaning to swap for some time now. There was a brand spanking new Giant in the mix and the rear wheel got up close and personal to a pothole on the way back. The pothole won. Not only did the rider get a flat but she broke a spoke too. By the end of the ride the rear wheel had a nice little wobble. The plan was to head right back to the shop she purchased it at to warranty it out. I hope it all goes smoothly for her. What a bummer. On a positive note the weather was great, around 45°, and the crew was topps. The ride was pretty social. There was talk about racing but it wasn't too technical. It was more on the theme of what races and in what towns everyone was interested in. Shop talk was minimal. Don't get me wrong I like talking "bikes" but if that is all we have in common it could get old quick and that was really not the case. The route wrapped up around 1:15pm with about 40 miles behind us and I felt great by the end. Oh and I think there was a football game on later that night.

The Versatile Blogger

2012-01-27T11:22:00.000-06:00

So there is a little award thing going around that has found it way to me. Its called The Versatile Blogger and as far back as I have traced it I don't see too many other dudes who have received it so consider me flattered two times. I have made two friends that started with brief in-person interaction and carried on ten fold by way of writing. A pen pal you could say. My Kiwi friend Susie whose emails brought me to England and New Zealand to visit. I was also able to show her Chicago a few times. The other keeps the blog Existimatio which I link to off to the side of this site. Her comments are always welcome surprises and they encourage me to write more often. She has tossed the nomination to Medio-Core Chicago. Apparently there are rules involved such as 7 things about me and nomination to other blogs. Its a little like those "forward this to a million people" things but Ill bite.

Thanks Theresa.

These are the rules:

Nominate 15 bloggers for the award.
In the same post, add the award.
Thank the blogger that nominated you, and give the link back to their blog.
Share 7 random things about yourself.
Include the rules in the post.
Inform every blogger that you nominated of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. At nine years old I flew over my bicycle handle bars and chipped my two front teeth.
2. I still want to be an Astronaut.
3. Airport bars are my favorite.
4. I pinned a microphone on George Lucas.
5. In the summer of 2004 I was in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, by way of land, within 7 days.
6. I love a good junk yard.
7. I used to drive a John Deere Tractor for a living.

The whole 15 blogs thing aint gonna happen. My variation: These are the newest blogs I'm paying attention to.

Biking in Tandem
Schwartzography
Semi-Rad.com

Snow Shoe Action at LaBagh Froest Preserve.

2012-01-23T13:11:00.000-06:00

The snow started falling Friday morning and there was about a 8-10 inches by the time it was all done with about 6 of that on the streets by the time I got out of work. My bike ride to the happy hour at the Empty Bottle was quite the journey. Milwaukee Ave which is one of main routes to the north western neighborhoods was jam packed with cars and my bike was fishtailing like crazy. Once I got to the intersection of Ogden and Milwaukee the cars were gridlocked. I maneuvered my bike through and it was a beautiful sight. For a mile and a half to Augusta st. not one car came up behind me I had the road all to myself. Quite the experience. The night ended at the California Clipper which was a nice respite from the Alberta Clipper which gave us the snow and biting cold.

With a bit of a late start and a gift certificate to REI burning a hole in my pocket I headed out to purchase some snow shoes to have some fun in the powder that had fallen. I had rented the MSR EVOs a year or two back to hike the Indiana Dunes and had a blast. However I ended up going with the Atlas Snowfall. The EVOs have some really heavy duty crampons and serrated edges which make them more suited for glacier summits. Well I don't know if you noticed but the glaciers left the Midwest at the end of the Ice Age. I'm a big fan of buying gear for what you do not what you want to do. These Atlas shoes are light and ridiculously simple. There is no hinge just a piece of thick vinyl that flexes with your foot. K2 is the parent company and not over engineering the shoe let them drop money on a great binding system. Any how they are cheap and light and perfect for what you can get into on the occasional snow dump in the flat-lands.

View Larger Map
I tried them out at LaBagh Forest Preserve. I took my mountain bike out there this summer and it lends itself to snowshoeing and cross country skiing perfectly. By the time I got there the sun was setting and the snow was still fluffy. It made for some great pictures of the Chicago River. I rode the bike there with the shoes hanging out of my panniers. I love the fact that I was able to do the whole day on two wheels. Enjoy the pics.

This whole family was CC Skiing. I got to get in on that next time.

Of Beer and Bikes

2012-01-11T11:43:00.000-06:00

A few years back when my brother was getting hitched I phoned up a local brewery, Half Acre Beer Co., to give us and his buddies a tour. They had just opened up in the neighborhood of North Center and didn't even have an official tour but they were happy to pour us some brews and give us a spiel. Having been on a number of brew tours this one stands out as one of the best. One of the owners led the tour and it was mostly about how they run a small business. It was a nice break from the old standby of ingredients and process talk. The beer was great and the dudes working there were super cool. Immediately I knew that I wanted to live within walking distance and that this was going to be my new neighborhood. When my lease was up later that year that's exactly what happened. Breweries and churches used to be town anchors in fact North Center was originally called St. Ben's due to the huge church in town. Prohibition put a stop to the brewery and it seems that only now the local brewery is coming back to communities. I mean it when I say communities too. When I fill up my growler I ride my bike though the bay door and rest it against a wall of the inside of the brewery and I might hang out for a while before pedaling off. Much to my excitement I found out they sponsor a bicycle team. With my bicycle crew no longer in Chicago I was in dyer need for people to ride with, so when my friend Laurie from work said she joined Half Acre Cycling, I asked her to put in a good word for me. Much to my surprise she sponsored me to join. Within a month I became a member. I have raced in exactly one criterium and that is the extent of my competitive cycling. I have now committed myself to 7 races this year. I figured a few road, mountain, and possibly cyclo-cross too should make for a fun year. Hitching my wagon to this brewery has been coming up aces for sure.

Cascade Mountain Dec 31-Jan 1

2012-01-05T16:29:00.000-06:00

Jenny, Me, Colleen, Rachelle, Steve. Taking some turns at Cascade.

Seven of the last ten years I have brought in the new year by skiing. It started as my first introduction to my career as a ski bum when I rang in the new century. Since resort life meant work would be mandatory on the 1st, getting blotto drunk was out of the question. This has led to a sober start to the upcoming 365 as a byproduct. Now I can't imagine a better way to start the year. I get the holiday off now and I commit myself to something physical as a celebration of the new year, to start things off right so to say. I figure I'd rather look forward to the new year instead of hating life nursing a hangover all day. The years that I couldn't get out to the mountains I dragged out the mountain bike and got in some single track. Some years, just as this year, I drove up to Wisconsin to enjoy the Midwest's down hill skiing. The crew this time around were my friends Steve and Rachelle. Rachelle was learning to ski for their upcoming Colorado ski trip (which makes me infinitely jealous). Along with two other gals, Colleen and Jenny. We chose Cascade Mountain which is in Portage, WI. within 3hrs of driving its the best skiing option in my opinion. They had plenty of man made snow. Talking to some of the folks on the chairlift they said it is the best snow of all the Wisconsin resorts. Cascade had fireworks at 8pm on New Years Eve so we stuck around to see them, then headed into town for dinner and drinks. The bar we chose to countdown to midnight was a local hang out for sure, it was clear that none of us graduated from the local high school. The night was spent at a Super 8 off the highway and they had a gangbusters continental breakfast for getting us ready to ski a second day. My buddy's wife really picked up the two sticks on her feet by the end of the second day and we hit the road early enough to get back to Chicago by 7pm.

Rachelle, Steve and Me

I took the opportunity to see how the helmet cam works in the snow. Enjoy!

Timothy H. O'Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs

2012-01-04T14:01:00.000-06:00

Currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago is the exhibit of Timothy H. O'Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs. O'Sullivan cut his teeth in photography by documenting the civil war for Mathew Brady. After the war his field photography skills led him to succeed outside the studio and naturally he became a Survey Photographer. Never again will the intersection of adventure, science, art, and naturalist meet so symbiotically. Such is the life of of the westward expansion era survey photographer. These photographs were taken at the same time as John Muir's first visit to the Sierra Nevada. Some even predate Muir's exit from the Midwest. O'Sullivan was brought to the Fortieth Parallel by Clarence King to survey the area for industrial development. Gritty views of Mono Lake, Donner Pass, Pyramid Lake, and the Wasatch Mountains hang on the gallery walls alongside images of the mining and railroad industry and geothermal formations. These photographs captivate the eye as much as the imagination.

The exhibit is on view until Jan, 15 2012.

Highlights of 2011

2011-12-19T12:33:00.000-06:00

The year is just about in the books and it was so full of change it made my head spin. Lousy PHD programs took another one of my closest friends across the country. So there was one less number to call for last minute trips which led to a lot of solo mountain bike rides and tamer outings. I hit up the Honky Tonk Happy Hour after work on Fridays like it was my job and found a whole new family of Honky Tonkers. When I needed a break from it all there was always the baseball diamond. I went to more baseball games than I ever have in a single season in 2011, and had a winning streak that lasted until the final game I went to. My record of attended games White Sox games ended at 6-1.

Opportunity came knocking more than once, I climbed Camel Back Mountain at dawn outside of Phoenix, AZ. There was more climbing with the Chicago Mountaineering Club, I went to Devils lake 3 times, my cousin invited me on a 4 day fishing trip to Lake Clinton (I still have never caught a fish) and took a trip out to Yosemite that really got my head right. I saw the sun rise and set all over the country. My GoPro Hero Helmet Camera became my favorite piece of gear. I documented my morning commute, cross country mountain biking, rock climbing and anything else that caught my eye. I saw some amazing art and some great rock shows.

By the numbers I spent a total of 11 days sleeping with my head in the dirt, climbed 30 pitches with 5 days on the rock, 3 days of skiing, 0 powder days. I was on a bike around 300 days this year with an estimated 5500 miles of pavement behind me. 7 White Sox games and 2 Cubs games.

The year started off with a blizzard that shut down the whole city.

Lake Michigan right after the blizzard.

This sunset photo took me so far from my back porch where it was taken.

A happy day with Dr. Vincent Pham who was bound for sunny California.

One of many Chicago White Sox winners including my first Opening Day.

A fog on the lakefront path.

Go Go White Sox.

My Go Pro helmet camera mounted on my touring bike.

May Arizona trip to visit with Chris and his wife Kassie.

Top of Camel Back Mt. AZ.

The "L" ride home on the Orange Line. The end of my AZ. trip.

Go Pro Rig on my MTB.

4th of July with Melissa.
I took this picture after every White Sox winner it was my good luck charm.
Ozzie would leave the team come the season's end.

The Beer and Crew for Tour de Fat.
I love it when the mountain culture comes to me.

The Bikes.

The Ballyhoo.

Devils lake. One of many trips.

Brendan leading my first multi-pitch climb in Yosemite National Park.

Atop Tenaya Peak in Tuolomne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.

California Sunset.

Brendan and me atop Cathedral Peak. It was bad ass.

The Honky Tonkers got out of the bar and went on the road to the Homer days Harvest Festival.

At summers end this sunset appeared over the Yorkville Days festival grounds.

A day a of hiking at Devils Lake Wisconsin.

I never quite saw the park like this before.

Magic Hour atop the East Bluff Trail.

Wisconsin Dells.

Best Halloween costume ever. Aron Ralston anyone?


The best Thanksgiving turkey fry in all of Chicago had me keeping the beat into the night with Steve and Jonathan.

I did a lot of living this year. Here's to next year's adventures.

Chicago Winter Survival Guide

2011-12-07T15:14:00.001-06:00

Satellite view after last years blizzard.

Home sweet H.O.M.E.S.

Nowhere else in the world have I heard the weather described in finite terms. In the middle west it is rampant. The second that September comes around it is echoed through out the land, "Summer is gone" It is said with the absolute certainty that it will never be back. Ever. I get it people are getting their minds set for a cold and brutal couple of months. The winters here are survivable though and we make it to Summer every year. I personally love Old Man Winter. The year before I started biking in the winter though I had it tough. Now I have my own set of helpful tips.

Number one: Hibernation is not an option. I know too many Chicagoans that bury themselves under blankets and wait for their late February/early March trip to Arizona. Get out in it. Stay just as active as in the summer months and you will change with the seasons. I ride my bike all winter and besides the clothes I wear I don't notice much of a difference. However clothing does matter. The majority of my winter layers started out as inexpensive GI gear bought at an Army Navy surplus or handed down from servicemen friends and relatives. Season by season I upgraded one piece to a sport specific article. Now this is what gets me though most of what mother nature tosses at me. Remember there's no bad weather only bad clothing. Chicago's average wind chill is 24∘

A fleece lined wind breaker and jersey for temps down to 40∘.

Below 40∘ I add a base layer.

At 30∘and lower I add a fleece vest.

With shorts that convert to pants for the teens and below.

A full length bib is under it all.

Number Two: Keep a rosy view. What really gets to me is not the biting cold its the lack of sunshine. Chicago gets and estimated 43% sunshine in the winter and it will get you down. I've gone to extreme lengths to see the hope of sunshine. Even woke up to see it at the horizon before it went into a cloud covered sky. However even this is not the answer because sleep deprivation won't help you any either. In comes eye wear. I advocate protecting your peepers all the time. Invest in some interchangeable sunglasses. Mine not only have an amber lens but a rose colored one also. Switching them in for the doom and gloom outside might just trick your brain enough to where you don't notice the gray so much. And when it is too windy I bust out my ski goggles. Go with a low tint and you will be able to wear them at night with the aid of street lights.

For my head I have a GI Issue insulated helmet liner.


The chin strap goes in the holes and under the chin.

The peripheral vision is unobstructed. This thing is perfect.

Number Three: Fire and Friends. Find your self a bar with a fireplace and invite your friends. Support is crucial and there is something about a fire that makes things special. One of my warming memories is going to a friends house for a dead of winter BBQ every Monday and eating in front of their wood burning stove. It is something I've been meaning to recreate at my current locale. Give yourself something to look forward to every week and you won't be counting down the days till Spring Training in Glendale. So keep the grill out and for a list of pubs with fire places click here.

Finally keep a weathered eye here are some of my favorite weather sights with lakefront cams. NOAA and Midwest HazeCam.

Palos Single Track

2011-11-29T14:16:00.001-06:00

I've been logging hours out in the Palos Forest Preserve Mountain Bike trail network lately. I try to get to the Bullfrog Lake trail head by noon on Saturdays but the traffic getting out there is brutal. I've even tried to go north take the tri-state toll way south to get there. Any way I try it takes me 1.5 hours to get there. I made a quick little video of the last time out there. Now that I know what trails film better I'll try to spice the vids up with some jumps and technical moves. Any how here it is I hope you dig it.

In the Midwest we Call that 'Building Charater'

2011-11-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

I am a hopeless addict to The Dirtbag Diaries. It is a podcast devoted to telling campfire stories of climbing, hiking, biking, fishing and the like. I stumbled upon it looking for audio documentaries about working for a former employer, Disney. Much to my surprise writer and creator of the 'Diaries' Fitz Cahall, had a story about mountain climbing for the Mouse. A climber myself I was immediately hooked. My fondness for the mountains and traveling bonded me to the site even more. A while back the story 'A Successful Life' aired, about a young woman who leaves the North West for an opportunity of a lifetime to work for National Geographic in our nation's capitol. The problem at hand: Washington D.C. does not have mountains. This theme should sound familiar to anyone who accidentally gazed upon a post of mine. It is a subject I struggle with often. I was born and raised on a suburban prairie just south of Chicago but every summer my parents would pack up the kids into their DIY camper van and take us to the mountains. For two weeks out of the year I was from Colorado. It was a most adventurous life, looking for snakes prior to hand placement while scrambling on rocks, hiking to mountain waterfalls and walking in ice cold snow melt streams. Colorado would later become my home if only a season at a time and I took in as much mountain life as I could. When post college life became all too frustrating I went back to the prairie I knew so well and found solace reconnecting with family and friends. When I was making the decision to drop roots in the flatlands I wondered if I had grown apart from the dream or if I was giving up on the life that I had wanted for so long. In 'A Successful Life' the woman realizes her love for home outweighs her career aspirations. I empathize with her plight in many ways. One could look at my own affinity for the Midwest just as her's for the Northwest. I'm with her all the way until she starts dissing the opportunities DC has to offer. Hey, what ever happened to "This Land is Your Land". I was raised on the song by folk legend Woody Guthrie.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

The song is about so much more than the unity of people. Its about a relationship with the land too. Be it East or West there is appreciation to be had, and wonder and excitement to be at awe with.

The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

She could have had an entirely different and just as rewarding experience in a new locale. Admittedly I get why she went back and it sounds like her heart was always back home. I just wish she could have gone back to Oregon with a soft spot for the East instead of being "stoked for 5 days" and comparing her remaining time in D.C. to the fun she wasn't having elsewhere.

The adventures had out west taught me how to love the land regardless of topography. When I started viewing my surroundings this way mountains became metaphors. My mountains are the headwinds pedaling into work in the morning, the winding single track along Thorn Creek, the sand dunes at the edge of Lake Michigan, the sandstone canyons of Shawnee National Forest and yes the zero elevation prairie in the back of my parents house.

Do It Right

2011-11-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

"You're receiving this e-mail because you're at least kind of a badass." Read the first line of an email I received almost 4 years ago. It was quite possibly the greatest compliment I had ever been paid. It came from a guy whose Monday morning trip reports read like they should grace the pages of some glossy magazine. My friend Brendan was amassing a team to climb Mt. Shasta for charity. I sat on the steps of the north garden at work while on my lunch break and mulled over it. I'd be on the hook for a pretty steep fund-raising goal and I was still paying off my trip to New Zealand. It'll mean no ski trip this year. Plus a Glacial Summit was never a consideration of mine. I rattled off a handful of excuses to decline. My reply: "All of my summits have been with a snowboard on my back ya know. Needless to say I'm on the fence." I wasn't going. It was the first time I said "No" to an adventure. My inner Indiana Jones was screaming at me. Sometimes in life you get lucky and it comes back around again. I got in touch with Brendan this past July looking for an adventure. I had RAGBRAI in mind. It turns out Brendan was on a major road trip and was in need of a climbing partner. He pitched a trip to Banff National Park in BC, Canada. It was my first opportunity for some multi-pitch mountaineering. You see when climbing in the midwest rarely does a rock climbing team have the opportunity to out climb the length of their rope and therefore my longest climb has only been close to 90 feet of vertical elevation. Brendan was talking 800 feet at the least, 'Would I run out of gas halfway up? I only know like 2 knots, I've never climbed with a pack on before, hell I've never climbed with anyone besides my brother'. The excuses came right back. This was certainly outside my comfort zone and I needed to blow through that so much more than I knew.

What intended to be a Canadian Rockies trip resulted in us turning around at the boarder and driving some 18 hours to Yosemite's Serra Nevada. I had been to Yosemite the first time 7 years ago I was with my very pregnant sister and brother-in-law. We got the last campsite on the valley floor which was reserved for the mobility impaired. I guess my sister qualified. I had no idea what to expect the park was majestic. Every turn revealed a sight so amazing that confining its majesty to a frame of film in my camera almost felt wrong. We hiked to Yosemite and Bridalveil Fall. All the while I felt there was something wild away from the view of a paved road and the visitor center that was I missing. Had a longer stay been in the cards I may have seen it then although never as I would this past August. Climbing then was nowhere near an aspiration of mine, and there were plenty of climbers walking around like badasses. If you told me then that I would one day be part of the wildlife like they were I'd think you were the crazy one.

We roll up to a National Forest camp site outside of Yosemite around 11:00pm and bivy sacked under the stars. My thoughts immediately turned to John Muir. I was looking at the stars just as he did. A better bedtime story has never been told. I fell asleep to to the sound of rushing water off in the distance. After a trip to town for some gear and a guide book we headed for Tuloumne Meadows Campground. With all campsites full, our names went on the waiting list. This is August in the country's most popular national park. I figured an alternate plan was in our future. The trip had already taken a number of unexpected turns so of course it all worked out that we would stay for an entire week in Yosemite at the last minute. After setting up camp Brendan got to the business of explaining what to expect when multi-pitch climbing. Things like placing gear protection in the natural openings of the rock and how to remove stubborn nuts, chocks, and cams. We went over a 3 point anchor and nonverbal communication for when we got out of earshot. It was a lot to take in on top of the fact that time was of the essence, getting off the rock quickly was a priority. With the tutorial finished we dined on some camp style chili mac and laid our heads in the dirt awaiting the alpine start in the morning.

Midway up Tenaya Peak

Nervous but confident for the climb I forgot my lunch at camp and Brendan graciously shared his chow and we bushwhacked to the base of the peak and began to climb. Brendan lead the climb and I followed cleaning up all the gear pitch by pitch. Around the halfway point I relaxed and realized that I was on the side of a mountain, in Yosemite, exposed to the entire blue sky, looking down on Tenaya Lake. I couldn't help but think of the people who gave the ambition to be there. It was a moment I won't soon forget.

Brendan and me on my first multi-pitch summit.

Me on the summit.

We were up there.

After an eight hour car to car excursion we jumped into the alpine lake and looked back at the peak that we had stood on hours earlier. On the way back to camp we stopped at the general store and enjoyed ice cream on a stick while sitting on a curb, a genuine shared experience between friends to say the least. The next day we climbed Pywiack Dome which is in eye shot of the road and we quickly amassed a crowd of spectators. We finished at sunset and were lucky enough for the sky to put on a show for our cameras. A rest day next had us wandering around a mountain town and the most amazing gas station I have ever been to. For reals the Lee Vining Mobil with the Whoa Nelly Deli. They had a bluegrass band playing while I ate Jambalaya.

Pywiack Dome mid climb.

Rappel off Pywiack with Cathedral Peak backdrop.

Our final climb would be Cathedral Peak just shy of 11,000 feet. The first ascent was achieved by none other than John Muir himself. As Brendan said "and he climbed it in his Levis and a loaf of bread" This climb got technical with a chimney that I knew the entire time was going to be tricky with a pack on my back. With a bit of grunting and adrenaline I made it through without a major hiccup. The summit had barely enough room for two people and Brendan said it was the funnest climb he had ever been on. Then there was a dicey down climb and hike out on the John Muir Trail. After it was all said and done we had another 8 hour car to car day with the big pay off of ice cream on the curb another genuine experience and great people watching.

Cathedral Peak

View from the summit. Looking at Eichorn Pinnacle.

All my climbing gear would then go into my pack, camp would be broke and I would fly out of San Francisco and back to Chicago. Public transportation took me back to my apartment around 11:00pm. My pack was dumped to the floor relieving my body of an extra 50 pounds and I grabbed my Nalgene water bottle out of the netting on the side to fill it up with some Lake Michigan from the faucet. The change in atmosphere hissed out of cap as I unscrewed it. It was like a tiny bit of physical proof of the heights I came from. I left a week earlier feeling nervous, excited, and a bit overwhelmed with life and came back with a wave of confidence that I was not expecting. I grabbed my Devil's Lake climbing guidebook and began earmarking all the climbs that suddenly looked more appealing.

Brendan is currently at 10,000 miles of nomadic road trip action. He recently contributed a podcast to the Dirtbag Diaries about his summit of Mt. Shasta with his longtime friend and one of the most inspiring gentlemen that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Do yourself a favor and listen to it here.

New SIngle Track

2011-07-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

A while back I got a comment about the trails behind the Jewel Grocery store at Pulaski and Foster. I had yet to explore the area so on a hunch that I could get some mud on the 'ol mountain bike I geared up to check it out. LaBagh Woods is the name of the Forest Preserve and the best part is that I can easily ride my bike there. I love it more carbon neutral sport. I gather my knobby tires will get worn down faster but I think I can live with that. The trails follow the North Branch of the Chicago River and feels like nothing else within the city limits. I got my first flat on a trail ran into a Cubs fan (mind you the two teams had just played each other)and found a lemonade stand. The trails are a great fix when you want to get out of the city without leaving it.

Enjoy!

Hegewisch Marsh on NPR

2011-06-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

A little know gem in South Chicago was just highlighted on NPR on June 14th. Its known as Hegewisch Marsh. Chicago and the region of Calumet was traditionally a wetland and a trip to Hegwiisch Marsh is a view of what Chicago looked like in the days of Fort Dearborn. A while back in National Geographic Magazine they did a retrospective of what Manhattan Island looked like before it was settled. The piece was called Before New York and was full of computer generated images of before and after. While it was eye opening and thought provoking its nice to know that you can still see what parts of Chicago looked like before the industrial revolution.
You can listen to the story here

View Larger Map

Lake Front Ride In.

2011-06-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

As the tough Chicago winter is turning into spring the Lakefront path is clear and trees are budding, even the bike path has a construction season. The Lakefront path is certainly a bicycle expressway and one of the greatest assets of the city. Enjoy!

45's

2011-04-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

Colds are not the only thing that spreads around the office. Last month a guy I work with decided to dust off his record player and see if it still worked. This led to him finding a needle and then a new head shell. Finally a preamp to get the audio into his stereo, of which the manufacturer never intended to play such archaic equipment. Well I caught the bug not so long after his adventures. I dug though my folks basement in search of an old turntable that I had seen down there before. In a dusty pile sat an old Garrard Type A II. It was mostly complete missing only the auto 45 spindle. From my wanderings around the web it is from the late 1960's. The motor worked and everything needed fresh oil but all together it only needed a new needle. The day the needle arrived I was like a kid in a candy shop. I pulled out all my old punk rock LP's and listened to everything from The Fighters, to 88 Fingers Louie, to my Bollweevils' Heavyweights album. It was an evening full of teen angst, I burned though all my albums in one night. So back to the folks house to dig though their basement again. It was made clear I could have none of their albums but I went digging around certain I could get a loaner or two. I landed on their collection of 45's in nice neat cases with handles with metal clasps and corners guarded with armor from being dropped too hard. There was a lot of Doo Wop and Beatles, and the like, nothing that was too far removed from the local oldies radio station. Then I came across a box that was pistol packed with 45's. Right away I found a Hank Williams, then a Merle Haggard and a ton of jug band stuff I had never heard of then some blues and big band. Eureka! I inquired as to whose music it was, clearly it didn't belong to either of my parents, they said it must have been my Grandfather's. If I was going to listen to all of this music I was going to have to find that 45 spindle. A quick trip to Beverly Records and I would have a complete auto changing turntable not to mention even more music.
I quickly began digging though the box of 45's separating everything produced by Chet Atkins knowing well it would be country. My grandpa was clearly a Jim Reeves fan and has posthumously introduced me to him and a handful of other artists. I have been stacking 45's by the 6 and flipping them over to hear the b-sides for weeks now and am realizing that this is a box of records in many ways. I came upon "Sink the Bismark" a Johnny Horton ballad that could only be popular in the post war era. The song never charted in the top 100 when it debuted. A World War II Navy Veteran, its not a stretch to figure my grandfather purchased it after seeing the movie that inspired the song. This has been amazing going though my grandparents' Ipod, as I'm sure they both contributed to the collection. I must say their tastes certainly varied over the 30 some years of music. Everything from Ella Fitzgerald to the Everly Brothers.

Sox Pride

2011-02-23T11:22:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned that I love baseball. I do. With so much of my being I love baseball. I have never played on a team besides T-ball as a tike and yet my first job was a little league umpire for the Country Club Hills park district at age 15. My dad raised us all to be Chicago White Sox fans and yet my very first game was at Wrigley Field to see the Cubs. At the time my parents didn't have two nickels to rub together, my dad worked at the Chicago Tribune and was tossed free tickets, it must have broke his heart. I still have the most vivid recollection of walking through the turnstiles. I also remember being excited to wear my baseball hat to a real baseball game, that is until Dad told me to leave it in the van so we didn't get beat up, you see it was a White Sox hat. Thinking back I guess he was teaching me a healthy respect for the game. Later we would get tickets through the school's "Book It" program and began to frequent Old Comiskey and its wooden green seats. We said goodbye when they tore it down and brought in the new park the next year. Then the strike hit in 1994 when the White Sox were white hot. Like so many fans the following years just didn't feel the same. It wasn't until the turn of the century when the Yankees and the Mets played the subway series in the Fall Classic that I really came to understand the game. I was 21 and living in Florida at the time with people from all over the country, lots of New Yorkers. The passion and tension surrounded me to the point of no escape. After that baseball in adulthood had a new meaning. I used to live less than 5 miles from Sox Park (or Comiskey, or US Cellular, or Church for that matter). This year will be the first full season I live closer to the "Friendly Confines" but I try not to pass up a ticket when it comes my way no matter where I live. Games are on rarely on antenna television so I find myself listening to most games but I love baseball and this town does it right. When explaining Chicago ball to my friend Nick he replied "Its like religion there". I couldn't have said it better myself. He got a little taste a few years ago when the Rockies made it to the World Series. Not long ago I sent an essay to Mellisa Isaacson's blog: Hey Missy at the Chicago Tribune about my experience when the White Sox won the World Series. She wrote me back with such enthusiasm that I decided to make an audio short of the essay. I posted a link below I hope you enjoy it.

Listen Here

Ridin to Work

2011-02-09T12:48:00.001-06:00

As a long time listener to the Dirtbag Diaries I was super stoked when my good friend Brendan asked me to be a part of a story he was working on. He said the topic would be "Hardcore" I was happy to lend my insight. After the interview without fail a million things came to mind that I would have liked to say. He did such a great job with the episode that I'm glad I didn't over think it. If you haven't listened to it yet check it out here

I just got a helmet cam not to long ago and made a quick vid of my pedal through Chicago's Loop and into work. Enjoy.

The Medio-Core Guide to Chicago

2010-12-29T11:35:00.000-06:00

The "Year of Big Ideas" was a common topic this past Thanksgiving. I again went out to the Canyonlands National Park in Utah with my outdoor enthusiast Denverites. These couple of days out in the desert are really a time for me to hit the reset button. Since the West is where I started thinking like an adult its nice to go back and take stock of the cascade of decisions that bring my life to date. As with looking back one should not forget to look forward.

Cycling
In this spirit of looking forward, a few ideas that were mentioned are finally taking a long bicycle tour. I purchased the proper bicycle for such a trip at the end of last summer. I have Lake Michigan coursing through my veins and would like to pedal along its perimeter completely. Although If I am going to ride RAGBRAI this year too I might have to shorten that trip. Yes. RAGBRAI the week-long bike ride across pie filled Iowa.

Ride an organized criterium. I've been on a training ride so a few more of those and then the real thing. I'd really like to see if I really like it.

Climbing
I think I book-ended my summer with climbing and that was all the climbing I did. I feel I was climbing really well while having a blast too, and to not do something you have fun with is tragic. Expand beyond Wisconsin and So. Ill. to the Red River Gorge in Ky. There is also no good reason to not part of the Chicago Mountaineering Club either. I'm out with them at least once a year its time to reintroduce myself and be a regular.

Mountain Biking
The Midwest Mountain Bike Fest as always shall be attended. I believe it will be in Peoria, Ill this year. Farmdale Reservoir has some of the best trails I've ever ridden and really need to go back there. My single track crew has dispersed this past year and I no longer live near my old trail network. I need to find what the northside trails have to offer.

Watersports
I used to canoe at least once a year when I was in college. I would like to get back to that even if it is just a quick trip up the Kankakee River and back down.

Writing
On this parting note a goal of mine I have had for years is to create the Medio-Core guide to Chicagoland. A simple guide to stepping out of your second story walk-up and into nature. Just the little things that I enjoy most about the forest preserves in Cook and the Collar Counties. Hopefully I update this site a tad more frequently.

My video resume.

2010-05-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

I realized that since high school everywhere I've worked has been in the movies.

Most recent The Art Institute of Chicago

They say its Aspen but its main st in Breckenridge.

I could only find the trailer but look for the United Airplane and thats the Museum of Science and industry. Plus great Chicago scenery.

And good ol Adventure Land with Pirates of the Caribbean.

Why we live in the city.

2010-02-02T10:25:00.000-06:00

I live in the city of Chicago within 5 miles of the Loop (city center). My younger brother and sister live in the city as did my older sister until recently. We all have friends also living in the city within the same radius. However none of us were raised with the bustle of "L" trains. This is how I define "The City", any neighborhood with elevated trains with 2 and 3 flat houses. We all did a lot of growing up on the South Side and you would be correct in pointing out that is Chicago and is serviced by the Red Line "L", but honestly we were all told it was not a safe place for kids so it was avoided. We hailed from areas defined by tree lined streets and single family houses, suburbia or not. You would be hard pressed to find a single family home within 5 miles of the Loop or a tree lined street for that matter. The home my parents raised us in is relatively close to the south suburban towns they themselves grew up in. Never did they feel the need to call the city home. Go as far back as my maternal grandfather and you see even he grew up in a Chicago neighborhood that did not possess the traditional city hustle. A recent audit of all my friends' locale yielded a city setting weather it be in Washington D.C., Denver, Minneapolis, and they had an upbringing much like my own. So why this generational shift to metropolis? It is said "move to the city to meet other young people" "the city is where the action is so you should be close to it " and so on. Well the action has always been in the city, that never stopped suburbanites before. The grandparents of my generation came from all over to see the big bands play at the Aragon Ballroom. As a teen living in south suburban Hazel Crest I frequently made the trip to the Fireside Bowl on the north side for all ages punk rock shows. So just as the Greatest Generation, my Generation Xers found the city just as accessible. Eventually the allure of city life encompasses us. I think Sesame Street has a lot to do with it. Sesame Street is wildly popular as my generation is getting an early education. On the show we are taken to a city street that is eerily accurate to city life right down to the homeless guy living in the garbage can. My brother has a man living in his alley in real life. The alley dweller tells my brother not to work to hard as he heads off to work. It makes sense that as a child if you see grown-ups out on city stoops that when you are of age one moves to the nearest metropolis to stake claim on a life as an adult. After all isn't that what childhood development is all about, giving you a solid foundation for making future decisions. It works out well though even if it is an unintended consequence. City life guides me to make environmentally sound decisions, such as riding my bike using the farmers market and public transportation. Of course this is strictly me thinking aloud and some economist could probably debunk all of this with a few great pie charts. I digress it would just be nice to know that a few cookie loving, compulsively counting, wishy washy, gigantic monsters helped us all get to a place called 18th, Damen, Western, Fullerton, Fulton, Pearl, or whatever your Sesame St. is these days.

Looking for an Adventure

2009-12-10T18:32:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving last month I pulled out a story that had moved to the back of my repertoire. I don't know how that happened as it is one of my favorites. I've told a ton of stories about my livin' out west and how it inspires me in the middle west. Well my first adventure in the Midwest came long before my western days and has more ties to Florida than anywhere else. I remember it being spring however it could have been fall and a few years after the turn of the century. I was at home in the south suburbs of Chicago after my Thursday night class at the local community college. Months earlier I was living in Florida, where it was spring break every night and I was feeling pretty lame about to turn in at 9pm. Out of the blue I received call that took my night on a most memorable tangent. My Hoosier friend Jeremy, a buddy from my Florida days had driven up with another guy to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. I met them at I-65 and I-80 where we hung out at a Denny's for a few hours and decided to "make a night of it". After driving back to the burbs to get my sleeping bag we drove back to the dunes and parked on a 2 lane highway just outside of Gary. Parking near the visitor's center would have been a dead give away as to our presence and getting caught would have meant a night in the clink for sure. We grabbed our gear and flashlights and headed in to the forest. Jeremy was wearing a headlamp and I had never seen one before. Every time his head would move it looked like a spotlight piercing thorough the darkness. As we hiked we spooked deer and other nocturnal creatures. To this day I've never seen a deer leap as high or move as fast. The elevation began to increase, the terrain transformed from dirt to sand. The forest canopy disappeared as we came to the crest of the dune. The wind off of the lake howled as the waves crashed down below at the beach. By now the time was around 3am so we prepared for the cold in the coming hours before sunrise. The three of us retreated into our bags that would slowly slide down the dune at different rates throughout the night. We appeared out of our bags to the majestic site of the sun creeping above a cooling tower for a local power plant to the east and a golden hue on the Inland Steel smoke stack to the west.

OK imagine the scars of industry aren't there....now its majestic. With our bed rolls up we headed back to Route 12 to see if our vehicles had been towed in the night. They were not and just like that our adventure was over. Jeremy and his friend headed south to catch a class at noon at IU in Bloomington. I headed home with no classes on Friday to reflect on what three guys starved for adventure could accomplish.

Turkey in the Desert

2009-12-04T12:04:00.000-06:00

The view from the campsite

My friends out west invited me to come along for a bit of a Thanksgiving tradition they've had going for the past 4 years or so. Hiking in the high desert of Utah. This also comes along with some cold weather camping. I forgot how much I enjoy off season camping. The fire is a necessity not just entertainment. Sleep is work and the predawn coffee can never be too hot. I've had cold summer nights out in the open but not since my teenage years have I intentionally crawled into a seeping bag for a night of below freezing temps. It makes you earn the experience. Of course if I hadn't borrowed a 15 degree bag my musings might have been a different story. There's a saying "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing" and I'll put a whole bunch of stock in that. The earned experience was one that I won't soon forget. Mostly due to the people it was shared with, even though the setting was second to none. I have yet to meet an Iowan I didn't like. This trip was no different. 4 top notch boys from Iowa, a gentleman born in Japan but seems to have grown up all over the States, and one of the coolest girls I've met who is super sweet and from Colorful Colorado. The seven of us set out on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to Canyonlands National Park just south of Moab, Utah. We pulled in to the best campsite the Needles District had to offer. After listening to Alice's Restaurant on Thanksgiving day we set out on a mild hike to Confluence Overlook. We got back early enough to start on our own Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, complete with a 12 pound turkey cooked in a cast iron Dutch Oven pot with all the fixins'.
On Friday 4 of us set out to climb a desert tower called South Sixshooter however time was not on our side so after some bouldering and backseat driving on for the climbers ahead of us we bailed as not to hike out in the cold darkness. The second night in a row I ate better in the great outdoors than I do in my apartment. Our final hike was Saturday and about 15 miles out to Chesler Park. Our last night at camp was spent burning all the wood and exchanging stories of our misadventures, with great hilarity I'll add.

The crew

Cryptobiotic Soil. Don't bust the crust, Don't hurt the dirt.

I believe this is Confluence Overlook

Sunset over the Needles

Magic Hour

Mushroom Tops

Balancing Rocks

Sunrise the morning we hit the road for home.

It was a damn fine vacation with some excellent travel mates. I'm glad I didn't miss it this year. Being Thanksgiving and all I'd like to say thanks for the invite and picking an Illinoian up and dropping off him off at the airport over the busiest travel weekend of the year. Thanks guys.

National Parks

2009-10-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Thomas Cole: A Distant View of Niagara Falls

The latest Ken Burns documentary is airing on PBS this week (all the past episodes are viewable at pbs.org). The 5th episode is on tonight and I have been glued to my TV set all week. I am amazed and impressed that the unifying argument for creating such areas of the country was "we don't want another Niagara Falls". This was code for anti commercialism and private companies preying on tourists. This is made evident in Thomas Cole's Distant View of Niagara Falls from 1830 (on view at the Art Institute of Chicago: American galleries). He created this painting because as early as 1830 the view was already ruined and wanted to view it as the natives did. The Midwest is really a blessing and a curse as far as the parks are concerned. While located at the center of the country we are relatively close to all of them however none are in our backyard. There are really only 2 National Parks in the Midwest, Isle Royal and Mammoth Cave. Mammoth Cave being the closest at 6hrs from Chicago and Isle Royal is closer to Canada in the middle of Lake Superior. I consider myself to be well traveled I have been to every region of the lower 48 and Alaska along with 4 of the 7 continents. In my adult life I have only been to 2 of our national parks Y0smite and Denali. However watching this series I feel as though I know all of these parks I've never been to. Last nights episode explained why. There was a chapter called Going Home that stated that these places are where we are from, we live in cities but we came from the wilderness so visiting the parks is like going home. A philosophy that maybe a stretch for some. I refer to Shawnee National Forest as my happy place and while climbing is great, the forest speaks to me on a higher level. Last nights episode also talked about collecting parks. A subject of conflict for me. There is an urge to see these places and see them while young. My first National Park was Denali in Alaska. Candidly speaking to a Ranger I was enthusiastically welcomed and told to enjoy this place "while your young". A closer look around revealed a sea of retirees. At the age of 23 I had a good head start that came to a screeching halt when I returned to the Midwest. The day I left Denver for Chicago, 4 years ago this month, my friends invited me on a trip to Moab I was literally at a crossroads. Had west been the choice versus east many more National Parks would likely have been in my future. This makes the hidden gems of the Midwest all the more pertinent. As an Illinois resident I can't help but feel the National Park Service failed my state. As we were busy saving so many majestic places from logging and private investors we let the namesake of my state disappear. Why did the prairie not have an advocate from the plow? Well at least we saved the remaining Indiana Dunes from the steel mills. I hope to see more of my National Parks but for right now the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will have to do.

Jackson Falls

2009-09-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

My happy place was featured in Climbing Magazine this month. Check it out.

Summer Update

2009-09-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

Lets talk about summer. All over the country students are boring their teachers with stories of their summer vacation, why should it stop at grammar school. As I wrote in May I had big plans for summer time. I think I did pretty good. The Midwest Mountain Bike Fest was a success the night ride got rained out and has yet to be rescheduled. I traded the unsupported bike trip of the dunes for human interaction and mountain biking in Central Il. Along with that trip came the Century Ride. Toss in some surprises like white water rafting on the Menomiee River on the Upper Peninsula/Wisconsin border, tons of baseball, Lollapolooza and climbing and I'll say I did summer right.

Vincent is part of the bicycle Co-Op in Urbana and he gave me a tour while I was pretending to be a grad student in July. The shop is in the old mail room of a mall in town you can see what used to be the mail shoot.

Vince wrenchin'

We hit up the MTB trails in Kickapoo State Park on the day of Mark Buehrle's perfect game. These trails are awesome and I highly recommend them. To think the state almost closed this park, tsk tsk on our former Gov.

The bike pic.

It rained for Lollapolooza so we fabed up a fender. The bicycle is the only way to navigate the city especially during major events in Grant Park.

This is St.Joseph in Michigan. A much needed day off after the arduous concert going of Lolla.

The Denver B-Cycle made its way to Chicago. I guess Denver had some issues financing the bikes so we got them for a song. Apparently we have a pilot program going on.
Kenny and I went with the Chicago Mountaineering Club to Devils Lake for some climbing. We got rained out after one climb. We met some great people though and got a great history lesson from all the old timers about the club.

Kenny

The Club

As with every year we make the six hour trek to mecca for some sandstone sport climbing. This year was no different. However the rain forecast scared everyone away and it was empty. It normally feels like summer camp on Labor Day weekend. We got rained on but the tent held up great in some nasty t-storms and still got some amazing climbing in. It is safe to say we own this place now.

End

A Country Mile; How about one hundred.

2009-08-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

Last year a few friends set out to use our bicycles to their full potential. The plan was made to ride what is known in the bicycle world as a century. One hundred miles atop a bicycle saddle. It was a feat we trained for with marathon like tenacity (see: A Century of Progress). Little did we realize what a thrill it would be, so much in fact that we organized another. A few weeks back as RAGBRAI was finishing up the crew assembled yet once again in Champaign-Urbana, Il for our second century ride. This time with a different flare. The riders were made up of the regular players including, Chris, Vincent, and myself along with the addition of a handful of the best pedal people from the Bike Project, Urbana's own bicycle co-op. Our destination would be a loop out to the Bloomington, Il wind farms and back into town for celebratory suds. Country roads the whole way with the only official route being north west.The night prior was rocked with down pours and thunderstorms, the kind you only get in the country. I got very little sleep. The ride time was pushed back a few hours and we rode out the the meeting point to see who would show up for the late morning departure. Once assembled our bicycle cranks began to turn as we headed west out of town. Seven deep, we began to meet each other while we rode. The state of Iowa was well represented on this tour by Joel and Phil. The regular players plus Frank hail the south suburbs of Chicago, and another character, Anthony, was from the North East. Obviously all bicycle people we had at least one thing in common.
It didn't take long before we were on a bike path in The Lake of Woods park and last nights rain left a slimy coating on the trail that crashed three riders. Some bandaids and gauze cleaned all involved up and we rode on. We got back to the country roads and back to corn and soybean territory now with no set route. As farm land breaks up the roads they come to a T we just turned North or West. The natural heading took us through towns with not even a stop sign much less a convenience store to refuel. Our water bottles were refilled out of water spigots on the sides of churches. Then came the lemonaid stand that we cleaned out. Perfect for our ride little girl lemonaid made with more sugar than lemon. Anthony rolled over something that punctured both tires twice. Four patches and 30min later we rode on. Finally 50 miles out we got to the wind turbines. After relaxing we took a new heading; south and east as we rolled into town about 10 hours of actual time and 7hrs of pedal time. Some of us felt better than others and most of us got back on different bikes to meet and toast to our success.

The Huffy

2009-07-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

You have all seen it. That Huffy mountain bike with full suspension. I would gather that if you look out your front door every kid is out riding one on a nice day. Well I once had one too. Back in the summer of 2004 I was back in the Midwest after working in the mountains for the winter. I was looking for an activity to keep my lifestyle active. My friend Vincent's older brother had given him a nice mountain bike. Any sport with the word mountain in it was gonna do it for me. I had picked up a seasonal job taking tourist photography while also working freelance for production companies. The thing with freelance gigs is that you don't get paid right away. So picture working on a summer job wage and you have an idea as to what my disposable income was like. I had already borrowed my brother's mountain bike that could only be classified as mountain due to its knobby tires. To my brother's disappointment I immediately sheared off a pedal. The next week rolled around and Vincent along with his brother's crew were going back to the forest preserve for the best single track that Cook County had to offer, which mind you is not very arduous. Like a kid whose mom won't let him go out to play, I watched as everyone loaded up their bikes to the racks on their SUV's. Feeling pretty down I pulled out my childhood bike and took a pedal around the subdivision and passed the creek. Growing up you if you needed building supplies for your fort you went to the creek, you could find anything in the creek and after years of living away from home not much had changed, it was still a dumping ground. Cruising by I saw a knobby tire poking out of the silt. As I walked down I saw a pedal too and began digging. To my surprise out came an entire bicycle. The Huffy Vormax appeared like a rusty Lazarus from the dead. I spent the afternoon oiling and scrubbing and pumping up the tires like an A-Team montage, the next week I would ride out with everyone else. Saturday came and it was a perfect day for riding. We met at the trail head and the brands of bikes listed like that of an A-list party. Any one of these bikes would take me months to afford. Dubbed "The Creek Bike" I pulled the Huffy off the bike rack and the car's suspension visibly rose. We shared a good chuckle and hit the trail. I spent the rest of that summer exploring every tucked away single track trail that rumored to be. I raced out of work so I could get in a ten mile loop before the sun went down. I rode that bike until the rear hub exploded. I still ride with the same enthusiasm however my bike is a bit of an upgrade these days I owe a lot to that little bike.

Mass it up.

2009-07-01T13:32:00.000-05:00

The Critical Mass bike ride is one of my favorite things to do in the city. For those who aren't savvy to Critical Mass, in just about every major city in the world on the last Friday of the month the bicycle community meets in the town square (in my case Daley Plaza) at 5:30pm and by 6:30pm we all begin to ride around the city for about 3 hours. I began attending this ride when I was new to the city and it was a perfect way to learn the city and meet other bicycle people. The ride has been pretty crappy since Chicago's 10th anniversary of the ride about 2 years ago. However last Friday's ride was stellar. We had well over a thousand people on the ride, great weather, and the police were more agreeable than they have been in recent months. Check it out in your city.

The One Tank Trip: MIdwest Mountain Bike Fest

2009-06-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

I'm coming to understand the Midwest really loves bicycles. It makes sense, the terrain is mostly flat which is conducive to human power. After all this is the home of Schwinn and SRAM. Mountain biking though? Well you have to be dedicated and that dedication can really pay off as it did this weekend. My buddy Chris and I went to the Midwest MTB Fest held in Grand Rapids Michigan. 160 miles away in the trails behind Cannonsburg ski area winding trails with great elevation oh yeah and pollen. The trails are unique in that they are sandy. When the glaciers melted and gave us the Great Lakes they left lots of sand and Michigan is already known for the sand dunes. Well even as far inland as Grand Rapids the soil content is mostly sand. I thought initially all that sand was kicking up into my eyes until I realized it was pollen making my eyes dry and itchy. I also learned that with sand comes erosion The Michigan Mountain Bike Association really has a nonstop job keeping up with both mother nature and a thriving MTB community. We rode the group ride on Sat. and got to know the trails and some other riders. We were told that we had to ride Yankee Springs before we left so we hit that trail the next day. The pollen wasn't nearly as bad and the trails were top notch. The flow was stellar and the elevation was tough complete with hair pin turns and steep drop offs. The single track took us though a pine forest that might as well have been out west somewhere. It was really impressive. Chris got to be Johnny on the spot with an air pump for some fellow riders and with a mile left in the 14 mile loop I broke a chain and had to hike out the remainder. But look on the bright side the last time I hiked out of a trail with my bike I had a mangled arm. It was a great weekend trip that took exactly one tank of gas and figured 22.3 mpg isn't horrible for a 17 year old truck.

I love loading up the bikes and gear.

Our bikes.

This is Chris pointing to where his head smacked the trail.

Yankee Springs Trail

Pines

Now I'm cookin with gas

2009-05-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

I've been busy workin lately. The fun must come back soon. With a possibility of rain this weekend my climbing plans might get squashed. I have been making due with bicycle action though. I threw a rack on my touring bike and it has been a real mule for me lately.
After a the inaugural ride to the grocery store.

I am really enjoying the rack. I hope I freaked out some drivers.

The summer plans are coming up soon. I have found a route for a dinner/night ride. Super stoked to bring this ride to my Chicagoans from Denver.

View Night Ride in a larger map
I bought some panniers for my bike ride to Indiana Dunes and then off to Warren Dunes in Michigan. I'm still looking for takers on any of these rides. The one Im most psyked for is the Midwest Mountain Bike Fest in Grand Rapids Michigan on the 30th and 31st. And baseball lots of baseball. Let the action start.

More Concert Action

2009-05-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

I caught The Boss on Tuesday. Yes Bruce Springsteen along with his E-street band. I've never been an arena concert goer. So seeing Springsteen was never super high on my list, although my parents' stories of his concerts really made the idea appealing. I can honestly say that there was not a ounce of disappointment for the entire show. Bruce came out on stage and I thought out loud "thats him" The man the Boss I had no idea I'd be so impressed. He started right in to "Badlands" and for the next three hours I could not stop moving. He played a lot of recent cuts and a pretty sweet cover of "Mony Mony" that seemed unrehearsed along with a completely rockin' "Ghost of Tom Joad". Half way through the show Max Weinberg, the best drummer in rock, (my opinion) leaves the stage so his son could take over. By the end of the tour his son will take over full time so Max can go to The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brian in LA. Let me say the apple did not fall far from the tree 'cause that kid killed it, he was awesome. The band played "Born to Run" as a final song, before the encores, and the United Center went ape shit. It was the Coolest show I have ever been to. Kudos to Janine for knowing how sweet the Boss is in person.

Rock N Roll weekend

2009-04-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

Neko Case

The weekend passed with much fan fare. Friday my insatiable appetite for Neko Case was fed at the Chicago Theater. Truly an elegant setting for for a woman of such punk rock roots. Gone are the days of the intimate settings of Shubas (seating around 500?) and possibly the mid sized venue too as she sold out the cavernous auditorium. She played through her new album Middle Cyclone and mixed in some previous singles too. Kelly Hogan kept the banter coming while Neko kept uncharacteristically quiet for the majority of the show. However along with Jon Rauhous on steel pedal and the rest of the band Neko sounded the best I've ever heard. The only issue I had was my confinement to my seat but I know Ill be dancing when I see her in Grant Park this summer.

M Ward

On to show number two on Sunday. M Ward a singer Nick turned me on to last year when he made me a CD for my 18 hour drive across the heartland. Since then yet another Nick that I work with has been playing the man nonstop here at work so we all caught him at the Vic. The show had some high energy mixed with slow deep rhythms. In the middle he donned a harmonica sans band and did his best Bob Dylan. He ended his set with a rockabilly feel and had the story ended there it would have been fine. However the Rock N Roller that she is Janine took us all to the only decent dive bar in the area for PBR's and in walks the opening band, The Watson Twins. Upon realizing this we notice that we were sitting nixt to M Ward at the bar the entire time. Janine splits to talk to the Watson Twins and leaves me to buy M Ward a beer and have a good long conversation with the man. To top it off when I tell him I work at the Art Insitiute he introduces me to his friends as such "this is Tommy he works at the Art Museum" I had to reply "hey man you make great music, your job is way cooler". If that is not a Rock N Roll weekend I don't know what is.

March right into April

2009-04-10T15:36:00.000-05:00

Denver Art Museum

March turned out to be a fantastic month. I took a few days off and got out to the city I cheat on Chicago with. Denver. Make no bones about it its a great city. I get the local treatment every time I'm there thanks to Nick and his crew. I got to drop in on former ski bum Amy and talk about the old times. Then who would have thought that snow would put a damper on a Colorado vacation. It dumped like 17" in the front range and kept us from climbing and some mountain biking. Oh well we'll hit it next time. I did get to socialize at St.Marks Coffee House and have a drink at the Thin Man. Two primo spots for good culture. We hit up some thrift stores for wacky 70's garb to sport at some clubs. The Denver Art Museum was also visited. Finally it was all toped off with a night ride out to Morrison. This was truly the tops of the trip. We took the Platte River bike trail out 20 miles at about 7pm and leisurely rolled into the Morrison Inn for chow at 10:30 pm. We were 6 deep with tunes commin from Josh's ghetto blaster and blinky lights all around. We got back into Denver about 1am and it couldnt have been more fun.

The Crew at Cheeseman Park.

Josh's ghetto blaster ipod rig.

Chowin' down at Morrison Inn.

The Crew half way home.

Parade Day, March 15th

2009-03-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

The time is upon us to celebrate Ol' St Patrick. Chicago does this the best of any town I have ever lived in. This is truly my favorite thing to do in this city. I grew up in the south burbs and was extremely surprised when I went to High School in the heart of the South Side Irish and realized what an Irish last name got you. Truth be told I held reservation to a lot of it but I did take a healthy understanding of what it meant to be Irish in Chicago. I had classmates that were first generation and two that were off the boat. Heritage was held in high regard. All month long my friends would come to school and share the mother's soda bread, one cafeteria lady made enough to pass out for here entire shift. The culmination of all this pride was the South Side Irish Parade. Know affectionately as "Parade day", as if there are no other parades all year long not to mention the "official" St. Patrick's day parade donwtown.
As a young adult I ended up on the south side to finish up college and reintroduced my self to the culture that some of the Irish exchange students found amusing. I drank on Western Ave. and still do. I can't order a Guinness with out wanting "Irish Steve" to be siting across from me. I've had an honest to goodness "tru a lou a lou" night with an Irishman named Marty after the pub closed and the barkeep just didn't want to go home.

Into adulthood Irish Chicago has put its mark on me I attended the Young Irish Fellowship Ball this year, I'm a regular at Old St. Pat's Parish, and I now run into my kid sister at my old watering holes and tell her stories about the pubs that have closed down. I had know idea how deep in this culture I had become until the local PBS station did a story on Irish Chicago this month. I recognized or talked to just about everyone of the people they had interviewed. Every year the parade means something different to me. Last year was the first year I was able to go in a long time so there was nostalgic feel to it and this year I think it will be a nice celebration. So make your plans and come on out for all the good fun next year I haven't shown off the parade to an out of towner in a long time.

Dragons, Eggrolls, and The Ox

2009-02-12T13:33:00.000-06:00

China Town

Chinese New year was at the beginning of the month so we celebrate the year of the Ox. It has been a while since I've celebrated the event however it has always been a blast. This year I also got to help my friend Dan with an inaugural web series about Chicago todos. This todo was the Chinese New year parade. I have never been to it before and we had a blast. We started the day with cameras and mics while getting an early jump on the local media crews. It seemed like after every spot we set up to shoot other camera crews followed I think we got the best footage. Check out how the episode turned out at my buddy's site In Your Face Chicago
Here are some pics from Chinatown.

Its not a Chicago parade without the Emerald Society

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2009-01-21T14:44:00.000-06:00

There are more that one lift but a detachable quad is hard to come by out here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was Monday so I took the advantage of my day off by hitting the slopes. This is probably the busiest ski weekend in the midwest. I do feel guilty that I participated in something so culturally white on a day that celebrates diversity and unity. I suppose a bit of deep reflection will relieve that. I took off at 9am for Cascade Mt. I consider this to be the best skiing within a two hundred mile radius of Chicago. At about 3hours of speed limit driving I arrived at noon which gives me plenty of time to enjoy what 500 ft of elevation has to offer. Plus lifts don't close till 9pm so I can enjoy some ill advised night skiing too. The lift lines were crowded but speedy for the high speed detachable quad (it's a Doppelmeier) but the slower chairs were no wait. I don't mind lift lines now it breaks up the day so I don't get the "go up, go down" feeling. This resort stands out above the rest in two ways the runs are wide broken up by pines but the number one sell are honest to goodness tree runs. I've been coming here for a few seasons now and there must never have been enough natural snow to fill the trees cause it was a first for me. Tree runs are going to be challenging any where you go and these were top notch. Even the pitch of the slope was good. Other snow conditions were pretty run out with ice patches here and there and then we got some fresh and conditions got better. Considering everything is relative it was a challenging afternoon. The drive home was slower than usual but not crawling.

Base of Cascade Mt. elevation is 820 feet.
Peak elevation is 1,280 feet.
Vertical drop is 460 feet.
There are 160 skiable acres.

The view looking down at the middle of the run.

The view looking up.

Ahh Wisconsin.

Temps plunge and push me forward

2009-01-15T12:38:00.000-06:00

Yeah the needle has dropped into the danger zone and the daily rags are lovin' it. The Trib has a clock timing how long we have been below zero and all the other news outlets are covering the same story. The artic blast has made for some great pictures though my favorite this one with the cyclist:Yes I was one of these hooligans on two wheels that walked into work holding my goggles and ski helmet under my arm through a chorus of people saying "you didn't?!", "did you ride today?", and smiles and shaking heads while ice drips off my mustache. I tell you not much can make you feel more alive than battling mother nature. Granted she takes it easy on me but it is fun none the less.

Year end wrap up.

2008-12-19T10:54:00.000-06:00

Who knew a digital camera would make such a difference in how and what I take pictures of. I'm rarely without my camera these days, much to thank to this outlet of expression. Not since my college radio show have I had so much fun being creative. In many ways this blog is a kin to my radio show. What I write here is the same banter that would go out on the airwaves, instead of music I have pictures to accompany my meaningless rambles and comments substitute for call in requests.

I did some pretty cool stuff this year and Chicago never ceases to amaze me. In February I committed myself to bicycle commuting every day and stopped making excuses for using public transit. By my first snow filled commute I was hooked.

I then realized a dream of mine since I began traveling in life post college. I freakin went to Australia and New Zealand and what a ride it was. The best mountain biking I've ever done was out there and I hit the local trails all the more this season because of it.

The Homer-Hopper exhibit came to town and I think the entire Midwest came with it. By far the most crowded exhibit I've been to and the best in regards to artworks.

Summer was filled with weddings and baseball and Tour de Fat. The pinnacle had to be the century ride that I shared with the best friends around.It was a slow Autumn for climbing but still managed to progress my skills. I hit the single track hard though and finally learned the Palos trail network.

Some gazebo action and a ton of commuting bring us all up to date.The Podcast was great so look for more to come I'm working on one more now and how 'bout some Midwest ski hills too. Stay tuned its all out here you just have to look a little harder.

Snowy Commute

2008-12-17T10:48:00.000-06:00

Chicago got hit with our biggest snow of the season and it came just in time for the evening rush hour. The streets were horrible and four wheel traffic took hours to get anywhere. As I crossed Lake Shore Drive on Monroe st some one in a car that hadn't moved for two lights gave me the thumbs up and a fist pump. Its nice to have a cheering section. The lake front path wasn't plowed but the skinny tires cut like a knife through powder drifts anyway so it rode pretty nice. I followed one other track for most of the ride and it belonged to a guy I work with that lives in my neighborhood. I finally caught up to him and we cruised as a pair for a while but I had to keep a faster pace in order to stay upright so we split once we got on the city streets. All in all I think it took me an extra 20 to 30min to get home and my cruiser was a snow covered badge of honor. Enjoy the pics.

Frightful, Frigid,Freakin Freezin.

2008-12-15T13:48:00.000-06:00

Holy crap its cold out there. I pedaled in today and to my amazement three other people biked in too. Im so proud of my work bike rack. I wish I could say the same for the city streets. For those who don't know in an order to save money this year public works (or should I say public "works") is not salting any side streets in Chicago and my block looked like the Blackhawks could have played the winter classic in Pilsen instead of Wrigleyville this morning. The attire for riding in consisted of fleece lined cycling bibs, two layers of socks, and my Dickies over it all from the waist down. My torso was covered by a cycling jerzy a long sleeved t-shirt and a fleece jacket while my ski coat covered it all. Neck gator, beanie and gloves keeping their respective parts warm. I cant wait to pedal home.

Winter Biking

2008-12-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

We have snow today. Not much can make you feel more alive that sliding on the snow and avoiding city traffic. Today marks the first day of cycling on city streets in the snow. In previous seasons I was situated on the Lakefront path which surprisingly is plowed regularly. This year I live a few miles inland and the snowy commute is very different. Most notable being the wetness factor. The whole point of plowing and salting is to achieve the slurry mix that keeps snow-melt from turning to ice. This makes for a wet ride. On the path there was no slurry so my feet kept dry. Not the case while in the presence of cars and buses. I knew I had it good on the path.

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Old Route vs New Route
map is interactive

A Collective of Inspiration

2008-11-18T14:42:00.000-06:00

Its no secret that the most influential time in my life was spent bumming around a town in Summit County, Colorado. Breckenridge is still a place that I retreat to, at least in my mind I haven't step foot in the town in since I made a few recordings of some fellow ski bums. That was in 2005. When I'm in need of some inspiration or motivation I revisit these recordings. I know them inside and out. There are 3 different versions that have been edited each reflecting my state of being at the time. The friends that I were able to document for this piece share a collective experience and their stories are powerful enough to stand alone. The fact of the matter is I've listened to them a lot and Nick's story is so good that I found myself repeating his contagious laugh on occasion. I'd like to give a special thank you to Nick Bohnenkamp, Richard Walford, and Amy Geers for yapping in front of a mic for me. Thanks and enjoy. (Approx 14min)

Download Tommy Riley - Breck Documentary

Keep It Going

2008-11-18T09:41:00.000-06:00

The temp is dropping out in the mid-west. North west Indiana got hit with snow today and the mercury in Chicago feels like December. Surprisingly the bike rack at work is still being used. Last winter there were four bikes that rocked the house all winter I'm hoping to see two more out there this season. There was a great article in the Tribune about cycling in the winter yesterday. It was a good how-to and talked about what to wear. The main bullet was that the key to cycling is momentum so keep going and stay motivated. I found motivation in a sweet upright bike storage rack. A few months ago I cruised past a garage sale and saw a few bikes littering the lawn so naturally I stopped to check for some suburban gems. The bikes were decent but lying on the grass was an aluminum pole that the guy thought was a coat rack. It had a $3.00 sticker on it. Not wanting to drop $90 clams on a new one I was gonna build one out of 2X4's. Well it just so happened I had 3 bucks and in the back of the truck it went.

Hanging like that they just beg to be ridden.

The City in Photos

2008-10-31T13:06:00.000-05:00

The view from 18th St. Bridge on the way home. This bridge is in one of the shots in the latest Batman movie.

One look at the photos in this site and clearly my favorite subject is the city skyline. Come to think of it my entire portfolio is skyline heavy. When I moved from Hyde Park to Pilsen my bicycle commute changed from lakefront views to riverfront views. Along with the river comes bridges and Chicago has the most movable bridges in the world. On my commute alone I can see 5 and use 2, Roosevelt on the way in and 18th on the way home. The movable bridges are mostly cheese greater style but the new ones have a paved bike lane on the side (below).

Roosevelt (12th St) looking north on my way in.

I was thinking the other day that I pass some pretty cool stuff in my city so I took some time to document my daily ride. Enjoy.Looking south from 18th St.

Commuter rail yard.

Soldier Field. Bear Down Chicago Bears.

My cruiser.

On The Road in the City of Big Shoulders

2008-10-30T15:05:00.000-05:00

Jack Kerouac's famous novel which has influenced and inspired so many since it was written has graced Chicago with its presence. Kerouac wrote the "On the Road" on a single scroll 50 years ago. I was enlightened to the tour when the manuscript came to the Denver Public Library in 2007. I read about it on my friend's blog: Denver Dirtbagger his personal account of the book is a far better tale than mine ever could be. The novel also gets a nod in his latest article for the Mountain Gazette The Lost Art of Road Tripping. After reading The Lost Art of Road Tripping I was reminded that Columbia College was bringing the scroll to the Chicago Center for Book & Paper Arts. On my lunch hour that day I took a nice long walk to find the building and have a see for myself. Admittedly, the spur of the moment escapade made a powerful experience for myself. I have never read "On The Road", meaning to in college I purchased Bill Bryson's The Lost Continent instead. Still I was blown away by the exhibit. It also came to my attention that there was a unique opportunity in front of me, the ability to read his first non-edited lines. I was able to read until Alan Ginsberg appears before I had to go back to work. The rest of the day was filled with awe. The quintessential road trip book is a few blocks away from where the Mother Road begins. Check it out its at Columbia College until November 30.

The scroll on display is about 50 feet long and under glass. Sorry no photography is allowed.

Gaper Bike

2008-10-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

Back in my ski resort days we had a term for tourists with out of date gear, and folks that wore bluejeans on the slopes. That term was "Gaper" and traditionally April fools day was gaper day. This is a day for "locals" to beat their chests in superiority by dressing up as a tourist. The coveted neon one-si made any local king of gaper day. If there were a gaper day for the MTB world this would be priceless of course this yahoo seems to think a couple grand is reasonable.

Beware of the windowless work van

2008-10-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

I encountered a first on my bicycle commute to work a few days ago. I got something thrown at me. As of late I've been feeling a tad confrontational on the road. When I got honked at I'd give a stink eye or when a car would purposely gun past me without sharing the lane my tall finger would appear in all its glory. More times than not shouting match ensued and I was swerved at a few times. I decided that all I was achieving was an adrenaline rush and a sky high heart rate so I chilled out and went to my happy place and had a few weeks of zen commuting. The other day in a construction zone in the Loop I got zipped past by a work van. It scared the shit out of me and I gave in to a shouting match and was swerved at then while 2 lanes away a cardboard box was tossed out the passenger window and fell to the street. Really..? I'm going to get crap thrown at me. Ridiculous. Maybe a new route is in order to limit my Loop time travel.

Build a Gazebo?....Yeah I can do that.

2008-10-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

I was once told a story by a friend's dad that started out "So I was a professional truck driver for 20 years one summer." It has gotten out that I know my way around power tools and therefore I became a professional carpenter for 20 years one year in August. This project was requested by my Grandmother who lives in a small town off I-80 named Marseilles (pronounced phonetically). The town is an hours drive from Chicago and has only one hardware store, closed on Sunday. The nearest big box, Menards, is 30min away clearly this is going to complicate things. A two weekend gig is now a month long job. However despite all the challenges a month worth of quality time with grandma was well worth it. This was the largest project I have completed and I am pretty darn proud of how it turned out.

Of course it had to be placed on the least level spot on the property. Nine holes to be dug and the same number of concrete bags to mix.

With no help on framing day I quickly realized I needed a third hand and with a quick look in the garage eureka! better than human hands to hold it level.

2x6's are heavy when they are 12' long and treated. The 16 year old Explorer was loaded down to the max and then some. Definitely the most I have ever hauled.
Put 'yer dancin' shoes on cause thats one fine platform. I should have taken a picture of the bubble level.
Gazebo time. This is the whole reason for the deck. Luckily it was kit and I just had to put the jigsaw puzzle together. Still it took some 12 hours.
I got some needed help from my Dad when it came time for the roof. I had help with the concrete stage at the beginning too from Dad and my Uncle Eddie.
I was told that the whole project was for a tea party, well any thing worth dooin' is worth dooin' right.It looks pretty good from the street too.
A special thanks to my sister for the pictures.

Jackson Falls

2008-09-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

The Labor Day weekend has come and gone. My brother and I got out to Shawnee National Forest for some sport climbing at Jackson Falls. To get to Jackson Falls get ready for a 6 hour drive from Chicago and on a holiday weekend give yourself 2 hours just to get out of the city. With no camping permits or check-in times needed its not a big deal to arrive at midnight so your rested for a full day of climbing on Sat. We weren't the only ones that had that idea either. As we pulled up another car from Chicago was too. I really have to give it up to the climbing community every body down there was really nice and quick to offer their guide book in exchange for good conversation. We met some great people and even picked up a third person for a few routes that allowed us to take some wicked pictures.

Jackson Falls is certainly unique. The only place I know of that you have to climb down in order to scale up. It also caters to horse riders and ATVs in some areas. The camping is open and primitive, which makes for great setting when you need to leave the city behind. The forest canopy is so thick that you can't see stars which is a bummer but if you do like all of us you can turn on the head lamps and hike to the railroad tracks and look up .

Kenny on the Rappel

The climbing is mostly Sport and Trad however we did see some Top Rope. I have yet to venture into Trad climbing I am progressing though. I led my first 5.10a (below) on Spleef Peak. We hit this climb on Sunday and I have to thank my brother Kenny for some awesome pictures.

Kenny hit the shot perfect on this.

Trail Riding Frenzy, Aug 10

2008-08-11T10:58:00.000-05:00

Nice Flowy Singletrack.

The trail runners were pulled off the storage hooks yet once again on Sunday. Its funny, my reintroduction to the bicycle as an adult came in the form of mountain biking yet I participate in this of the two wheeled activities the least these days. There is a lot of work that goes into trail riding. Getting to a trail for one requires getting out of the concrete jungle and into the 'burbs. Cook and Will County have a fairly large network of forest preserves that cater to nature hikes and horse trails. There are also some rider maintained single track in the south suburbs with an official network in the Palos Hills Forest area. It is also a social activity (at least it is with the crew I ride with) so getting everyone to the trail can really be the toughest part. Now that wedding season has died down and the major city fests are out of the way, time is ripe to enjoy what lies outside of the city limits. Within a 45min drive lies Sweetwoods trail network in Glenwood, Il and the Pulaski Woods network in Palos Hills, Il. These pics are from Sweetwoods and I consider this trail to be my local XC trail.

Sweet Woods Climb.

Climbing in early July

2008-08-05T10:32:00.000-05:00

Devils Lake framed by the pines.

Right after Independence Day my brother and I got out for some top rope climbing in Devils Lake state park in Wisconsin. We drove about half way the day before and decided to stare at a campfire for a few hours before we made it to the park. This wasn't well planned on our part because the entire midwest had the same idea. Our regular spots at the park were already being climbed so we set up at a section called "The Pantry". Not a bad bit of climbing for our first time out however we were both glad we hadn't brought any newcomers out. We surly would have made them nervous. It took us a while to get the pre-climb protection perfect. We got three or four routes in apiece. The drive home was the pits. It was like ski traffic on I-70 all the way to Chicago.

Kenny getting prepped.

Kenny climbing.

Here I am getting ready for some quartzite awesomeness.

My climb photo by Kenny.

A Century of Progress

2008-07-01T15:26:00.000-05:00

My two cycling buddies and I accomplished a major bicycling milestone on Sunday. The same crew that went to the Midwest Mountain Biking Festival took to the road for our first Century Ride. 100 miles of human power on two wheels in one day. It all began with a train ride on Amtrak from Homewood, Il to Champlain. Il. We picked up our third rider, carbed up and hit the road Sunday morning from Paxton, Il. The time was 6:30 am, just after a brief sunrise that immediately rose into a dark overcast sky. The scene was very quiet with nothing but the sound of rubber grabbing at the asphalt of Rt 9 while the three of us fully woke up on our bicycles. There was a nice tailwind that kindly pushed us to Hoopeston. We turned North at Hoopeston onto Rt 1, Dixie Hwy. Now with a constant crosswind a misty rain began to fall, 'look on the bright side its not hot'. The mist would come and go for the most of the morning, early risers would wave from their porches as we rode by. It all made for a nice start. We stopped every 20 miles or so to fill water bottles chow down some energy bars and of course field questions like "How far you goin'?" and "Where did ya start?" Conversations began to pop in and out, a lot of shop talk about our bikes and poking fun at rural Illinois. Corn on the right, soy on the left. Then a new theme began to appear. Full size trucks, SUV's and muscle cars along the side of the road all of them with "For Sale" written on them. A little surreal watching someone's way of life changing along a hundred mile stretch. The sun came out the wind never let up and little by little roads got closer together and traffic increased potholes became more frequent then one by one our bicycle computers turned 99-100, "I'm there, how far you got?", "Quarter mile", "7 tenths, 8-9, one hundred miles" We all hit the century mark 10 miles from the end point. At just under 7 hours we finished our trek and celebrated with gyros from our favorite fast food joint along with the women that humored us and said we were crazy. The three of us all read the same magazine article about century rides and the author's parting remarks said that it was a nice way to spend a day he was right.

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Shawnee National Forest Photos from May

2008-07-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

At the end of May I went camping down in Southern Illinois. Its pretty amazing that after a six hour drive the country can change so dramatically. Southern Illinois is home to the only national forest in the state, Shawnee National Forest. Besides trees the forest is full of giant sandstone cliffs with water features and moss. Some of the best hiking and climbing is found in Shawnee. Most of our time was spent around Giant City State park which has a fantastic exhibit on the Civilian Conservation Corp that was part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. Giant City, with all of its sandstone cliffs and caverns was key during the Civil War as it was on the border of the North and South. The walls literally show their history. Generations have been carving their initials and dates into the sandstone since mid 1800's (earliest I saw). I have some mixed feelings on this. I like seeing the earliest accounts but the later and most recent etchings I could do without. Also the first etchings were certainly left for posterity, made with nice typography the graffiti I saw from this year was 5 min chicken scratch. Lets leave no trace out there and remember to tread lightly. Leave it to our imaginations as to who might have been here before.

This was the beginning of an extremely wet June.

Shawnee from a high point.

A damp foggy passage with my kid sister for scale.

Cave art or graffiti.

Andy in the cavern.

A dripping waterfall for serenity's sake.

Bikes Beer and Ballyhoo

2008-06-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Tour De Fat came to Chicago this past weekend and it was the kickoff for the tour. My history with Colorado gave me a strong affinity for New Belgium Brewing. So when they started distributing beer on this side of the Mississippi I was pretty psyked. The brand has taken off in the 2 years it has been in Chicago and it couldn't have been more evident than at Tour De Fat. I must say that I was a tad worried when I found out that the bicycle fest would come though my home town. I'm savvy as to the mentality they attract and it is opposite that of the PBR drinking hipsters the Critical Mass caterers to and I feared the overlap. I wanted my city to make a good impression on an old friend. Chicago did not let me down. It was slow going for a while though. No one in Chicago was willing trade their car for a bike. Finally with only 4 days left the tour got a taker. The parade was a blast the bands, Paperbird, from Denver and Chicago's very own Mucca Pazza were high energy and everyone was in an awesome mood. I'm glad that Colorado came to me this time.

Mucca Pazza Super Fan.

Mucca Pazza leading the Dirge.

Joe on the rode to bicycle enlightenment.

Rickshaw Guy is a staple at Chicago Critical Mass.

I read about the Bicycle SUV in Popular Science but this is the first time I've seen one. Check out the trailer hitch on the back of it, heavy duty.

Mad Max on a bicycle.

I dub this the 360 bike. Also a staple at CCM. It is pretty ingenious. It is a BMX style bike with gears and disk brakes, he straps himself to the saddle gets up to speed and mashes down on the front brake, momentum and a rubber coated pipe does the rest.

I was able to chat up Reverend Ballyhoo, the master of ceremonies for a spell. He just might have the best job ever, yes he is an ordained Reverend and a down right nice guy to boot.

Go Go White Sox

2008-05-22T11:56:00.000-05:00

Never has it been said better than when a friend of mine explained baseball in the Windy City as "Man baseball in Chicago, its like religion there." Nick, you were right on and this year that sentiment rings so true. The White Sox are coming off a dreadful season last. The north side's Cubs are on the verge of 100 years without a World Series victory therefore every sports media outlet is reading into this year way too much. Top it all off with the fact that both teams are in 1st in their respective divisions. If this keeps up there will be no living here come the end of June when the Crosstown Classic is in full swing.

Needless to say I caught the Sox and Indians last night along with some 38thousand other people for and unprecedented near sellout crowd on a Wednesday night at US Cellular Field. It was a great game with lots of fireworks which happens when the Sox go yard with a homerun. It was a perfect night for baseball in a truly awesome ballpark. There is no possible way 6 people could buy as many tickets at the gate, day of game over at Wrigley and sit together it would never happen.

Known as The Cell to some, others still call it Comiskey, and more simply call it Sox Park.

Grounds Crew hard at work.

Sweet Sweet Single Track

2008-05-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hardly ever do you hear Illinois and think quality single track. Well for the second year in a row the Midwest Mountain Bike festival was held right here in Peoria, Ill. The Peoria Area Mountain bike Association brought the fest to Farmdale Reservoir, an Army Corp of Engineers' site with a hefty network of single track that winds, dips, and climbs for miles. I put my crew together and took off Friday for a weekend of camping and biking. We rolled up to Farmdale about 6:00pm. Just enough time to register, set up the tent, sit back and unwind with a Fat Tire before everyone began to assemble for a night ride. Nobody in our group had ever been out after sunset much less in the dark of the night. It was a wild ride. Mountain bikers tend to talk about needing new parts and lighter, better frames, that night it was "Man I need a better light". In the city, bike lights are for cars to see not for bikes to navigate behind. The goal was to get in front of someone with an expensive spotlight so you could see where you were going. At the end of the ride there was an ice cold keg from Leinenkugels waiting for us. The next day was cold and rainy which got us free coffee from one of the vendors. The ride on Saturday introduced us to a mountain unicyclist who was only 14, and a few more south suburbanites from Chicago. Even with all the rain we've been havin' the trails were in tiptop shape. I hope to attend every year.

Two bikes, a Specalized Hardrock and a Gary Fisher 29'er, along with tents all my camping gear, a cooler, and water for the primitive campsite all in the old school Explorer.

The camping was right at the trailhead couldn't have asked for a better spot

Tandem Mountain Bikes. I don't know how you would take a switchback but still pretty cool.

Night Rides and New Neighborhoods

2008-04-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

I rode a good 30 miles yesterday. First I took my regular 8 mile commute to work on the Lakefront Path, then after work I took a ride into Pilsen. Pilsen is about 3 mi south west of the Loop. This neighborhood is traditionally Czech and in the most recent decades populated by Mexican immigrants. With each renting season more and more hipsters seem to be calling this place home due to it's cheap rent and proximity to Skylark and Irv's bike shop. Then I got a call from my sisters that we were having some dinner at my brother's place in Logan Square. Logan Square is about 12 mi north west of Pilsen. I took Ashland north to Milwaukee which led me right to my destination. Along the way I really broadened my bicycle tour of the city. This route travels through Little Italy, past the United Center, and Union Park where the Pitchfork Music Fest is held, through Wicker Park and finally into Logan Square and its European style round about. If you find this traffic phenomenon confusing in an auto it will blow your mind on a bicycle. I navigated without issue or horns and when it was all over I had no idea how I got where I wanted to be. After dinner I took a leisurely cruise down the Lakefront path, a stop in Millennium Park for some stunning night views and all the way down to Hyde Park. This city is tops when the weather turns.

The Not So Seneic Route

2008-04-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

It will come as some surprise to any one who hasn't been riding the Lakefront Path that construction season is here. The path however is not undergoing any facelifts. The Shedd Aquarium is enlarging their office space and access to the path that goes near the site is detoured around the front of the Field Museum. This seems to be only a weekday scenario as every Friday afternoon the barricades are removed for the path cruisers on the weekends. The reroute isn't marked well and has the potential for some high speed collisions.

Then there is this random construction that has been going on for almost a year now. It is at Oakwood Blvd. and it seems to be part of a larger beach front project. Throughout the day heavy duty trucks cross at this point to bring materials to and from the site. The trucks wait for cyclists and I've never had a problem with it, however they have left two ruts the width of a truck axle in the path. Beware of the quick 1 2 bob as you pedal over and the nasty S curve right after.

Cycling Excitement

2008-04-14T09:59:00.000-05:00

The past few days have been good ridin. I caught a flat comin to work on Friday. I was on the lakefront path heading north and just before McCormick place when that all too familiar hiss appeared at every revolution of my wheel. I was able to get to the Museum Campus where I threw the bike on the bus rack and got a ride in. It was nice to have a support vehicle just a mile or so down the road. During lunch I went into the Millennium Park Bicycle station and introduced myself to the resident bike mechanic, Dan and picked up a tube. Dan it turns out used to work at Breckenridge Ski School the same time I was working lifts at Breck and we knew some of the same people including the only Macedonian I've ever met, Marion. It was a nice blast from the past. Today I gave my Raleigh the day off and took my fancy Specialized in. Wow what a difference lightweight aluminum makes in constant headwinds, plus everything works on it. The Raleigh is in dyer need of new calipers.

Nerds at Indy Film in Madison

2008-04-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

I have a few friends that I made while in college and we used to work on each other's video projects. It was fun for myself but for real when it came to Dan Lamoureux. He made his first full length in 2002 called "My Very First Meth Lab" which yours truly had a role in. Dan's latest project is "NerdCore for Life" a documentary about nerd rap. Yes nerds who rap about nerd culture, Hobbits and computer code along with lots of video game references. As a way of life, not for me, when it comes to entertainment I'm all in. The world premier was this past weekend in Madison, WI. at the Wisconsin Film Fest. They put on a NerdCore preshow before the movie where it was rumored that the film was picked up for yet annother film fest. My buddy Dan was interviewed a number of times and had write ups in all the daily publications in town. It was a wild weekend.

MC Router Performs at the preshow at The Cardinal

NerdCore for Life

Art in the City

2008-03-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

So I caught the latest exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago this week. Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper. They are actually two separate shows billed on one $20 ticket. The price is usually too rich for my blood but considering that the Homer gallery is truly one of a kind and all together some 200 images are on display it is only sticker shock. The museum already features a number of Winslow Homer artworks and Edward Hopper's most iconic painting "Nighthawks" is normally on display in their American Galleries. What sets this exhibit apart is the fact that never before have so many of Homer's watercolors been on view together. Winslow Homer apparently was a good businessman. He knew that the medium of water color was fast and inexpensive so he could sell lots of them cheap and quick. Many institutions bought them and put them on display so time took its toll on the paintings. Since the watercolors are prized possessions and extremely fragile most images rarely see gallery time much less travel.

The rarity of the images along with, arguably, two of the most important and familiar names in American art turned out to be merely the hook that pulled me in. The show really appealed to my sensibilities as a city dweller and my affinity for an active life outdoors. While both artists feature scenes of the wilderness Homer clearly stands out in this respect. He portrays picturesque scenes of the Adirondacks as only an avid outdoors-man could convey. Dramatic glimpses into the life of a Gloucester fisherman are not far behind.

Edward Hopper views a metropolis like no other. Upwards of 60 years a have passed since his brush touched the canvas yet his images are no less powerful. In a recent interview on NPR's All Songs Considered singer songwriter Josh Ritter mentions a painting titled Automat that he likens to an isolated individual in a crowded rock show. Such is Hopper's view of city life. This is most noted in Nighthawks which was made shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Another unique view of the city comes from riding an elevated train traveling past top floor apartments. Hopper takes a two second glimpse into someones life and immortalizes it, giving no particular narration therefore allowing the viewer to take out of it what they will.

Three Cheers for Spring

2008-03-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

Blame it on the groundhog. Winter isn't going anywhere. My ride in today was geared up with goggles and a winter coat. The path was plowed at least once prior to my ride this morning but the snow is wet and slippery. It had me taking the turns extra wide.

The one thing thats great about pedaling in the snow is that you get the progression of riders who have been on the path before you. I live as farther south than most commuters and the evidence is in the snow tracks. I get on the path at 51st and there is only one other track until 35th st. Maybe one or two more by Soldier Field. Once I'm at the museum campus there's a good cache of tracks for the home stretch to the Loop. Not today. There were two other tracks besides mine and I'm pretty sure one of those bikes goes to my building.

Orion is Upside Down

2008-03-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

So I've been on the other side of the world since the 22nd of Feb. About a year ago A girl that I had met while living in Florida and working for Disney shot me an e-mail telling me she was getting married. Our friendship is rooted in my passion for Chicago and hers for her home of New Zealand. She came to visit me in Chicago and by the time I had the cash to visit her in NZ she had moved to London. I traveled to London instead and thus began my travels abroad. So when I heard she was getting hitched in Auckland I took some time off work. I also found out that a cousin of mine was stationed near Sydney. The perfect storm for a down under vacation. My flight took me to Sydney first to enjoy the sites of the Australian metropolis and then to the sleepy surf town that my cousin and her family resides. I then flew to Auckland, NZ for the wedding which included a night boat cruise in the Auckland harbor. Once the wedding was over the suit went in the mail and I donned a backpack and went to the picturesque Bay of Islands. The town was called Paihia and I got out on the water again and took a few day-hikes through some mangrove forest. The next tier was back in Auckland for some museum action waiting for the weather to turn in Rotorua. Rotorua is in an area that is called the Bay of Plenty because you can plant anything and it will grow like its on speed. Here you will find a California Redwood forest that had the best mountainbiking I've ever seen. It is also an active volcanic region with natural hot spring pools and boiling mud pits. Rotorua was the highlight of the trip. Good people, great bicycle culture with an excellent visitor's center.

Sydney at Night

Newcastle, Australia
Major coal export industry. There were always ships like these waiting to get loaded.

The surfing side of Newcastle

I thought this was perfect. Everyone has to purchase a window sticker to register their car so the city printed a friendly reminder so the driver could see.

Auckland, New Zealand at night. Pic was taken from a boat so its not perfect.

Hole in the Rock, this is an icon of the Bay of Islands

Hiking though the mangrove forest

Another iconic image of New Zealand, a blooming fern.

Rotorua from the MTB trail. The best single track I've ever been on.

This town has their priorities straight. Notice the void of parking meter on the rack side.

Gearing up for my 22 hour 3 plane journey home.

Well That was Fun

2008-03-07T10:49:00.000-06:00

The 'ol blog has been on hiatus for the past two weeks because I've been out getting some awesome material. I've been down under and hanging out with kiwis since my last post. I'm currently at Auckland International Airport and will begin the long journey back to the states. The journey will beover before it begins though. Litterally get this I leave this hemisphere at 9:00 am on the 8th and I arrive in the states 8:30 am on the 8th. I won't even tryto wrap my brain around this for fear of a breakdown. Happy trails.

Erin go braugh

2008-02-21T15:06:00.000-06:00

I am so sick of February that I will now look to the wonderful things to come. That being said March is just days away and is arguably the best month to be a Chicagoan. We celebrate St. Patrick's day all month. Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's day so we're all Irish all month. The southside does it best. We have the largest community parade for the celebration in the country, the old country might have us beat though. Just a mention of "Parade Day" to a Southsider and the Irish Eyes begin to smile for the first time since the first snowflake fell in November. Where I went to high school the prize for meeting your class pledge amount for the walk-a-thon was no school the day after the southside parade. This is a much needed recuperation day for teachers and not to mention the student population. The route follows Western Ave from 103rd st to 111th and into the pub of your choosing. There are somewhere around 20 neighborhood Irish pubs along this street my favorite is Keegan's, and finally ends at a house party of some sort. For my Colorado friends, think Ullr Fest, but all day. It is always the Sunday before St. Patrick's day so this year will be the 9th of March. All joking aside it is a major cultural event not to be missed. Chicago's open container law being over looked.

Half of these people will pee in someones yard on the way home.

Climbing Gyms

2008-02-20T10:21:00.001-06:00

Yesterday after work I met up with my brother, and climbing partner, Kenny for some indoor boldering at Hidden Peak. The indoor climbing culture thrives around Chicago and the sport definitely has a learning curve. The rating system is different than outdoor and it is all about routes. Some holds are part of a route and others belong to a different route. Finding your next hold can be difficult, but don't think too much as I was told yesterday "paralysis by analysis" will certainly set in.Kenny (bottom right)

Me shaking the spiders out of my chalk bag.

Not a Puddle

2008-02-17T12:21:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning pretty jazzed to pedal into work even though its a Sunday. It was the first day I rode with out the winter coat and just my fleece. What started out as dogging puddles on the lakefront path turned into slowly riding through them. I made up my mind to turn off the path and hit up the road instead. Now if you're not familiar with Chicago's lakefront path this is no easy task due to the fact that one has to cross at a bridge over Lake Shore Drive in order to ride on a side street. On my way to the 32nd street bridge there is a low spot which has now turned into mini Lake Michigan. So as I lost all speed in the middle of this lake I had to pedal below the water line in order to stay upright and dry from my ankle up while keeping my pants dry. I think Ill stay off the path till the snow melt is complete.

If you read all of this you deserve to see a picture. Behold the city in fog.

Essentionally Spring

2008-02-13T16:17:00.000-06:00

Well it might as well be spring in my fair city, not because it is unseasonably warm but because the sun was out. I took the opportunity to snap a few pics of sunshine and snow in Millennium Park.The Great Lawn

The Bean (Cloud Gate) with the Trump Tower looming in the background.

Finally the Ice Sculpture

Whats in the Pack

2008-02-12T09:57:00.001-06:00

I was inspired by my friends at A Year of Bike Commuting to log the contents of my messenger bag. The only things that are intentionally in the bag are the copy of the Chicago Bicycle Code and the "I parked in a bike lane" sticker. Go here for yours. The rest of the gear just made it in there by chance.
Light
Tool
Phone (hard to see)
Bottle Opener
Pocket Knife
Sun Glasses + Case
Various sharpie and pens
Thermos
National Geographic
MP3 Player + USB Cable
Copy of Chicago Bicycle Code
Electrical Tape
Zip Strip
Sewing Kit
I Parked in a Bike Lane sticker ( I can't wait to use it )

Medio-Core

2008-02-11T15:06:00.000-06:00

A relic of my punk rock days medio-core is a term that has carried over to my adventure seeking, active lifestyle. After years of trying I've come to the realization that I will never be "Hardcore" and I'm content with simply being Medio-core. I'll be chirping in about how I have fun here in the flatlands. So check back and see how I bike to work, mountain bike in the forest preserves, rock climb where ever I find a cliff and camp when I need to get out of the city.