tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74706988947453615262024-03-12T23:18:38.762-06:00Exploring The Open RoadRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-23607637446614369152013-07-23T16:57:00.004-06:002013-07-23T16:57:58.525-06:00Riverfront Park
Riverfront Park
7.5 miles
I finally found a moment to dust of the bike and get out and ride and boy was Oreo excited to come! We took off after work last night around 7pm and tooled around Riverfront Park until it was dark enough that I couldn't see anymore. We had a rough start with Oreo trying to lead and constantly getting in my way and stopping. Once she Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-56715404243696223322013-07-23T13:15:00.000-06:002013-07-23T13:15:01.263-06:00Lake ElmoLast week I was finally able to upgrade my car to something more reliable, and yes, it has a roof rack. With most of the house repairs done, I decided to take the girls canoeing at Lake Elmo for the afternoon.
I spent most of the day on the bank while the girls played in the water. We didn't get much canoe time but that's ok. The girls had a blast! As you can Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-83666121674302822772013-05-22T13:03:00.000-06:002013-05-22T17:33:11.120-06:00Big Changes
I think it's time I revive this blog. It's been awhile since I've posted and obviously lots has been going on since my last post, too much even. Because my life has been up in the air, I've been avoiding documenting it on the web. I think I'm going to abandon the Tree Squirrels blog and either revive it here or create an new blog describing my new conquests as a single dad Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-44231849659100117062012-11-11T20:10:00.000-07:002012-11-11T20:18:16.317-07:00Look at me!
I'm not one that typically screams for attention but when it comes to riding at night, I like to be seen (as opposed to the alternative of not being seen and getting run over). Several months ago Sarah brought home some reflective spray paint and with the end of Daylight Savings pushing my evening commute into darkness, I finally got around to coating my bike with the reflective paint.&Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-8152631305473416532012-07-31T00:47:00.001-06:002012-11-11T20:13:29.048-07:00Oh deer!
26.5 Miles
This afternoon Sarah and I got a rare chance to sneak off and do a bike ride together. We decided that since we didn't have a lot of time we'd do a shorter ride to Pictograph Caves State Park. We finally got out the door around 7:30pm and were soon on our way up the long hill. As we climbed I noticed several deer and knowing how many deer are in this area I said Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-46244364310178866932012-07-13T23:37:00.001-06:002012-11-11T18:39:12.469-07:00Lost in the woods
11 Miles
It was a dark and stormy night and instead of hiding in the house, I geared up, hopped on the mountain bike and sloshed my way over to Riverfront Park. It was 7:30pm and already dark with the cloud cover. I entered the park and turned onto the first trail. I was soon trekking through the trees, came to an unfamiliar fork in the trail and made a snap desicion. I Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-55777349724006839102012-06-17T16:55:00.000-06:002012-06-17T16:55:31.893-06:00From the dash
Yesterday I drove to West Yellowstone to rendezvous with Mom and Grandma and to pick up Sydney and Tara after a week at summer camp. On the way, I was surprise to see how many bikes you can really haul with one vehicle. At first, I was in awe seeing this minivan hauling what looked like seven bicycles...
Until I saw this van. Your guess is as good as mine as to how many Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-36865394137283288032012-06-17T16:44:00.001-06:002012-06-17T20:44:54.576-06:00Evie and Me
With Sarah working night shifts and Sydney and Tara off at summer camp with Grandma, it was just Evie and me for part of the week. Evie wanted to go for a bike ride Friday night so I loaded her up in the trailer and we took off. Nothing like pulling a 50 pound parachute in the 20 mile and hour winds. At first I thought about going to Pictograph Caves but the thought of Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-4433858375584321572012-05-18T22:58:00.001-06:002012-05-18T22:58:30.624-06:00Bike to Work Day
26 Miles
Today is bike to work day and after having a beautiful week of warmth
and sunshine, I awoke to a wet, cold and dreary mess. I am no 'fair
weather rider' so the rain was no deterrent, especially on National Bike
to Work Day. However, dragging exhausted and no responsive butt out of
bed from a restless night's sleep and try to pry my eyes open was
another story. ItRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-13727853447655043592012-05-13T20:53:00.001-06:002012-05-13T22:24:41.499-06:00Hill Climbing
33 Miles
I went for a road ride yesterday to Pictograph Caves State Park. It's a nice ride with about 400 feet of climb in about 3 miles going one direction and 1.5 miles in the other. It would be kind of boring to watch me huffing and puffing as I muscle myself up the hills so I wasn't going to bring my helmet camera but then I thought it would be cool to record theRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-2248076786812679832012-05-08T23:34:00.001-06:002012-05-09T09:22:06.648-06:00In the brush
8 Miles
Sarah let me go for a bike ride this evening after work so I decided to bust out the mountain bike and make the best of the limited remaining light at Riverfront Park. I donned my new mountain bike shorts that I picked up at the bike swap for a screaming deal. I made it over to Riverfront with just an hour of daylight left. My ride was fun but rather uneventful with Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-21135832863791696682012-05-01T22:57:00.001-06:002012-05-03T13:25:38.640-06:00Rain, rain go away
24 Miles
I decided to go for a ride after work today. I really needed it since I haven't really been in the saddle for weeks so I headed out despite the wind and rain. I almost turned around after the first three miserable miles but I pushed through and eventually the rain and wind let up. I decided to do the Hillcrest ride. It was late evening by the time I got Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-13005259698806218182012-04-26T18:56:00.001-06:002012-04-26T19:07:14.157-06:00In a pinchI was in a hurry to get home tonight and it seemed like I had to stop at every intersection for a car. When I got to 27th Street, I had to wait several minutes before finally finding a tight window to cross between cars.  I mashed hard on the pedals as cars in the southbound lane quickly approached.  I cleared the street only to find a huge pothole in front of me.  "Oh man, that's Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-38451926972876545012012-03-29T08:33:00.001-06:002012-03-29T11:43:29.453-06:00Racing Home
Yesterday I had to race home to pick up the girls and take Sydney to Activity Days. I waited behind several slow cars and even passed one on 1st Ave. When I finally hit the bike lane on S 28th I took off like a rocket and passed the remaining cars and actually left them in the dust. I love being able to move faster than traffic. I felt kind of like the guy in the comic Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-43533266824006595462012-03-15T21:49:00.001-06:002012-03-15T21:53:47.939-06:00Bike Ride with the KidsThis Saturday I was feeling like garbage, Sarah was sleeping (working night shifts) and the kids were driving me nuts so I decided to wear them out instead of them wearing me down. They decided they wanted to go for a bike ride to McDonald's to get some ice cream and play in the play-land. Sounded good to me. I needed to get moving anyway if I stood any chance of feeling better Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-51737877745193877562012-02-04T21:46:00.000-07:002012-02-04T21:46:48.073-07:00Mud Slingling14.5 Miles35 Degrees
Today was a lazy Saturday and I needed it to not be. After finally getting myself moving, I decided to go for a ride. The weather this week was great, for January in Montana anyway, so I thought a mountain bike ride to Two Moon Park would be appropriate. After gearing up for cold weather, I was finally on the road. On the way there I rode through Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-41327439975946137952012-01-18T23:56:00.001-07:002012-01-19T09:09:14.809-07:00Winter RidingIn preparation for the snow last night, I swapped out my knobbies for my studded snow tires. I used to hate riding on the snow and ice, mostly because it hurts when you fall, and you fall a lot. I smacked my elbow so hard once that not only did it ache for months but I also developed some kind of growth that eventually erupted in a pungent mess of green silly string like pus and smallRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-17692625187580200802012-01-08T16:10:00.001-07:002012-01-08T16:24:00.651-07:00Russ vs. the RockOn the Rims trail there is a drop off of a rock that has taunted me since the first time I tried it. I landed the drop just fine and 120 bucks later, my bike was fine too. The rock has freaked me out ever since. But with my new mountain bike, I should be able to tackle it. I did once, kind of skirting around it, but I've been itching to go back and try dropping off the Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0Billings, Mt LDS Temple, 3100 Rim Point Dr, Billings, Mt 59106-1386, USA45.800368 -108.6388130000000345.6806925 -108.87227250000002 45.9200435 -108.40535350000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-13619890345242858702012-01-08T00:08:00.000-07:002012-01-08T00:08:58.884-07:00Riding the Rims11 MilesRims Trail
I took my helmet cam out for another ride today. I wasn't really feeling it and made many, many mistakes but I had fun. This is one of the more challenging rides that I do and since I haven't been on this bike for months (except last Monday), I'm not very comfortable on it yet. It definitely wasn't one of my best rides. I'm still getting used to the new Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-10084459193460739472012-01-02T22:37:00.001-07:002012-01-02T22:41:39.451-07:00Helmet CameraMy parents gave me an early birthday present while I was home for Christmas, a helmet video camera. Since I didn't have to work today I decided to try it out at Riverfront Park. It was almost 50 degrees and the snow has all melted so I thought it'd be a good time to go. I found out that it's still cold at Riverfront Park, cold enough anyway to keep everything frozen but with theRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-71789285549549156762011-11-24T18:21:00.003-07:002011-11-24T19:03:08.499-07:00Happy CranksgivingI threw out my back yesterday playing dodgeball with the youth. Nothing too serious since I continued to play for another hour. But when I got back to work and sat down, WOW, fire went up my spine. I struggled to find a comfortable position and couldn't get comfortable even in bed last night. I woke up stiff as a board this morning and after some prodding, Sarah convinced Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-90615792595930281372011-11-07T08:00:00.002-07:002011-11-07T08:00:04.894-07:00Road rageThe other day I was driving (yeah, I know, driving) back to the office after running an errand. I was approaching a stop sign at a intersection with a one way street and out of nowhere comes a cyclist riding on the sidewalk and through the crosswalk against the direction of traffic. Now, I wasn't even close to hitting him but he did startle me so I hit the brakes harder than I would Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-23263650152879669092011-11-05T16:59:00.000-06:002011-11-05T16:59:52.930-06:00TrainerWell, winter is officially here with about 4 inches of that dreaded white stuff falling this morning. In preparation, last weekend I cleaned out the garage and built shelving to house all of the miscellaneous stuff that was scattered all over and taking up valuable floor space. I now have room to set up my trainer. As much as I didn't want to use it, it wasn't all that bad. Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-16612029574454125612011-10-02T16:06:00.004-06:002011-10-02T16:09:37.649-06:00New (to me) commuter bikeAs you may recall, my commuter/mountain bike was stolen in June. Since then I've been searching for a replacement for the bike. Now that wasn't an easy task since I loved that bike so much. I finally decided to get a nice mountain bike and a beater commuter bike. A typical commuter bike is set up with 700c x 38 tires (skinny but not as skinny as a road bike) which isn't Russhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470698894745361526.post-32652556632582179942011-09-03T09:18:00.000-06:002011-09-03T09:18:36.990-06:00Bike to the BeartoothsDay 2
Sunday morning we all reluctantly got our gear together, loaded the vehicles, and coasted down to breakfast. It was chilly, which was a welcome change from the day before, and it appeared that it had rained a little over night. The sky was overcast but calm. It was turning out to be a perfect day for riding.
We ate breakfast and talked until it was time to head downRusshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05748871829475119290noreply@blogger.com0