Compass and Camera

A few days have passed since my last update. Time to suck it up and write up Saturday's Fat Tire Festival . I woke at 5:50 AM with the alarm, nervous, but excited. I had readied my gear so that I wouldn't have to think ahead of our 7AM departure for Hayward. I ate a small breakfast, some Golden Grahams, a bit of coffee, some Cytomax, and a Clif Bar. I paced around, double checked my gear, my Camelback – my water supply and backpack that would hold my tube, tools, patches, and my nutrition: 5 Hammer Gels, a Clif Bar, some Gu Chomps for electrolytes and a packet of Gu drink powder in case things really went awry. My Jamis Dakota hard-tail was already tweaked and ready. Lee, John and I headed over to the cabin that Steve, Bob, Jim and Chris Hammer were sharing. They were readying their bikes and I snuck a piece of bacon off the pan, hoping nobody noticed. Bob loaded up with us as the others were grabbing road bikes for their warm-up. I'd planned on doing a road r...

I can't even begin to describe this. John and Kim got the tandem fixed and we saw bob and Kristina and the half acre gang. Wow.

I never liked bananas but will eat them racing for the potassium. Just sat on it. Wondered what was wet in my cargo shorts pocket. Oops. It is good. I am ready to get this baby rolling. +++ Kevin Butler

Had a nervous breakfast and now we are loading bikes. I know I will settle on once we get going but right now I feel the stomach flopping on some bacon. +++ Kevin Butler

Rode 20 miles. The last 10 miles of the course. It is going to be hard. Very very hard.

Hi Gang, What a perfectly lazy morning in Lake Owen. I woke about 8 AM after a wonderful 8.5 hours of sleep, comforted by the fresh air of the North Woods. Breakfast was yogurt, Golden Grahams and cinnamon donuts! Lee was up and so we just hung out enjoying a very lazy Friday morning, with no ability to receive calls and so "work". Not having cell coverage is a pretty wonderful thing. Today's plan is a 10:30ish ride, hopefully taking in the last 8 miles of the race course. It will be nice to preview the suffering that tomorrow will bring me. At least I'll know how bad it is going to hurt on a fresh legs! The sun is out here at Lake Owen. I'd say temps in the low 70's with a pleasant breeze. The air smells of wood and water and the thing is, save the breeze and the birds, there is no sound of modern urban life. It is fabulous. Last night outside is was utterly dark save a million stars I can't see at home. After 3 days hopefully C...

> We made it to Lake Owen. Now we're hanging out tearing bikes apart > with beers and Chris' electronica. There's an air compressor running > of all things. Pretty good night. We have no cell coverage but some > wifi so life is pretty good. Saw Mahr's tandem. Never seen the > front wheel tabs ground off a fork before. 70 mph off a roof rack > just isn't good. He's hoping for a new fork tomorrow and Chris is > going to try and true up the wheel. Hopefully this will come > together. Otherwise dinner was some pizza and Leinenkugels in > Hayward. >

Chris and I are underway and now in Wisconsin. Amazing how much gear two guys can take for a four day weekend. Leaves are starting to turn so we will see what the north woods bring. John M had his roof rack come off his truck last night. What a crummy way to kick off the weekend. Hoping he can get things fixed in time.

The March 1986 issue of Bicycling Magazine featured an article by Stuart Stevens titled "Don't it make you want to shout 'Mama!" That was my first taste of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival in Telemark Wisconsin. 23 years ago I was a small town kid bombing around gravel farm roads with my brother Stephen, dreaming of being anywhere but there. Each climb brought us dreams of Alpe d'Huez, each rutted muddy Spring road took us to Flanders or the cobbles of Northern France. Our bikes were our dreams, our freedom, and all these later, we still ride and race together, the gravel dust our bond. I still have that issue of Bicycling. I still have all of those old issues from my youth and a Bike Nashbar catalog from when it was mostly newsprint with sketches of the parts. I received my postcard in the mail letting me know I was in for the 2009 edition of the Fat Tire Festival. As I began packing my gear, I pulled out that issue of Bicycling and fondly re-read it. ...