Oh man I sooooo wanna see the rest of the crap in this post… »

Man where to begin. CVO over at FFL had written up an awesome guide complete with pictures. Unfortunatly it got lost when he switched accounts. i will just cover the basics and give a little advice.

Wilderness consists of 3 types of trails, hiker, biker, and bridal (horse). At certian points trails merge to get around narrow or dangerous parts. All trails are marked at splits with marking poles designating the type of trail.

It is pretty simple though. Hiker is usually on the east side of the salt creek, biker on the west side, and bridal mixed on both sides. Respecting the type of trail is pretty important. I do not want to hit a hiker on the biker side and hikers do not want to get hit by a biker on their side.

Most of the trail is pretty flat. There are a few elevation changes but there is no big hill that is hard to climb. it is very twisty, only a few areas have long straight sections. Some areas have some roots that make it a bit bumpy, but it is not too bad. Very often you will be in the vicinity of a cliff that leads down into the salt creek. In a few areas you are pretty close and a wreck could be pretty bad. Most of those are on the hiker side where bikes should not be anyway. Also many of those areas have paths that avoid the edges, use them. The trail switches from deep into the trees to open fields. There are only a few places where you might hit a tree if you get off the trail, but most is pretty clear. The trail is very hard packed dirt and varied from 8 inches to a couple yards wide and then the trail is grass / weeds on the sides of the trail. In average it is about 18 inches wide. In the open fields the trail gets small and is like a rut, this can make you get squirrly and might cause you to fall since your wheel is caught in the rut. I have gotten out of the groove and fell a few times myself.

All trails are two way on a single track. When biking you must be very aware. Keep the ipod out of your ears and listen, be vocal, announce when coming around the hundred or so blind corners. you never know when another biker hauling ass is headed right for ya around the blind corner on the 8 inch wide dirt path. Using a bell is your best defense. Saves your voice and can be heard from far away. There have been some bad collisions out there, Syd gives some advice. Also some folks will have their kids / dogs out there, you get yahoos who tear through without a care, just keep your eyes open.

The only place you have to cross a street is 14th if you decide to go that far. Past 14th is some darn cool trail that is multi use. When you get to the “EP” bridge on the south side it is pretty much done. The trail south of there is more of a road and is pretty lame and short.

If you are interested in mileage go here. And I have bunches of videos (most youtubes are dead, but there is the full quality video off my web server) and other wilderness news in my wilderness category.

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Oh man I sooooo wanna see the rest of the crap in this post… »

this is pretty awesome

big ol pic

« Enough crap for me, close it up please

Oh man I sooooo wanna see the rest of the crap in this post… »

Fill a shallow bowl with cold water.
In another shallow bowl combine flour, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. **You can also just put these dry ingredients in a plastic bag and coat the meat that way.**
Dip each piece of steak in water, then dredge in the flour mixture.
Repeat this process.
When all the steaks have been coated, place them on wax paper and place them in the freezer until solid (a couple of hours) to ensure the coating wont come off when frying.

About 15 minutes before you’re going to cook the steaks, make the gravy. **I was lazy and just used a couple of packets of country gravy rather than make it from scratch.**
Put oil in a hot skillet; add mushrooms and cook until tender (3-5 minutes), stirring

frequently. Stir in flour; allow to cook about 1 minute. Add broth, wine, Worcestershire and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Allow to simmer until thickened.

As the gravy is cooking, heat oil in a deep frying pan or to 350 degrees in a deep fryer.

Oil should be deep enough to cover steaks while frying. Drop steaks into oil and cook about 2 minutes on each side, if you need to turn them, or until golden brown on both sides. The

less you handle/turn/mess with the steaks, the less chance you have of knocking off the delicious coating. Drain on paper towels then place steaks on platter. Douse with the gravy and serve.

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I like my morning commutes to work as well. I start off rather slow and hit a hill right away. Come to the busy streets and see all those people in their air conditioned coffins, waiting in line, rushing, smoking, just looking unhappy. I can reflect on how lucky I am to have a good job, live close enough to ride, not have to find a parking space, and get the blood flowing. It is only 10 blocks, but it is one of the best parts of waking up.

The freedom of a bike is quite a neat thing. I can go anywhere under my own power, I can fit places other modes of transport can’t. I get to see things that many have not. The state parks and trails around here are great. A new trail is like an adventure, and I am up for it. I take bunches of pictures.

My life is really good, I have almost no stress, healthy and loving relationships with my wife and family. My work is exciting to me, it is not a burdon. i get to communicate with different folks via the internet often, I have made many friends that way. Still riding my bike makes the little things that might bum me out simply disapear. Nothing feels as good as a finishing a long ride, it is an amazing feeling.

As many on the folks from lincoln site often refer to, it truely is a lifestyle, not just a hobby. Most I have met through cycling are severely decent peeps. Hardly any negativity flows from a bunch of folk who are activly getting out and doing some riding. I feel trapped when just sitting around in a house watching TV when I know there is some twisty singletrack dirt right outside my door.

I am sure I am going to continue to keep this lifestyle up, it makes me stronger in more ways than just physical.

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