Nate's pop lives in Helena so he and his bride Rowena came up to Helena to tie said proverbial knot! We were fortunate enough to be invited to dinner on Saturday night and then to the official event and lunch. Both meals were a test of will in trying to control the appetite...or the classic case of the eyes are bigger than the stomach! Nate and Row had a wonderful and intimate ceremony on his dad's property and it was followed up with a decadent meal that included a Lechon!!! mmm mmm good. For those not able to partake in the meal...just visualize a 12 hr full pig roast...where are the pictures??? We remembered to take our camera but forgot to load the SD card so when I was ready to start snapping I got a little error message reminding me the memory was full - and there continues our legacy of poor form regarding pictures...
One of the great peripheral bennies of weddings is seeing familiar faces that you don't get to see every day. We got to catch up with the H&H Atlanta gang and in tribute to Harley and Holly I say 'What Would Roger Do?' All in all it was a great couple of days and we feel fortunate to have been part of this special day.
In prep for the over-indulgences of Saturday evening and Sunday, I decided it would behoove me to get my ride ON! The singlespeed fatty came out of the garage and I went out to 9 mile, parked and started the journey...it ended up being a 32 mile ride, with 4,700 ft of vert gain...the 4 hours of therapy did wonders in getting the head screwed back on properly! Along the way, I stopped and took a pic of the Highlands that still has a sliver or two of snow on it! Soon enough it will not be last winter's snow but will probably be the upcoming winter's snow...I am not ready for that possibility quite yet but we do live in Montana and that could really happen...in August!
Along the way, I ran into a group of ladies on their mules cruising along the CDT. I made sure to announce myself so as not to alarm them or the mules...did not need a runaway mule to contend with. I also paid particular attention to the rock and had to stop and look and what looked like a great bouldering line. The only minor obstacle is that the only way to access it is via bike or hike and it is a roughly 5 mile journey from either direction...I did briefly think of trying to ride with a bouldering pad on the back and quickly remembered that riding that trail is hard enough let alone with a square shaped parachute strapped on your back,,,maybe just take the shoes...who needs pads? OK DAN, DON'T ANSWER THAT!!!
As usual, I spotted a ton of rock but access, or rather, the long approach is probably not conducive to easy reconning action...Everything was uber green and it almost looked like spring in some areas. We continue to have a wet summer (which is great for the lawn and mushrooms growing in it - but not so good if you are not a fan of pesky little bugs). The net of the ride is the fatty tire and I went up Thompson Park to Herman Gulch to Burton Park down to Basin Creek via CDT, back over to Herman Gulch and down Thompson Park again. If you are not local then all this all jibberish but given the reader base (totalling Erin and I), there seems to be little risk in boring none other than ourselves!
Sick boulder. That thing is good for a couple of lines at least.
ReplyDeletedon't need pads unless you fall.