We Lost a Valuable Member of Our Family on Feb 24, 2012

She came into my life one week before Father's Day in 2003, two days before our daughter's 25th birthday. Her name, Princess Buttercup of Exxon. A beautiful, energetic, deaf, female English Bulldog.

On Buttercups' 8th Birthday April 12, 2010

On my birthday, Feb. 22, 2012

It was at a critical time in my life as my mother, who was living with us, was confronting the final stages of terminal cancer. Our two grown children surprised me with the most wonderful gift for Father's Day that year. They even named her after one of their favorite characters in the movie, The Princess Bride. Buttercup gave me the opportunity to live through my mother's death by giving me endless hours of companionship, joy, laughs, and unfailing love and loyalty. She continued to bring such a richness to all of our lives through her death two days after my birthday on February 22, 2012.

Her decline in health was very sudden, although the cause was years in the making.
On Valentine's Day she became very weak, her tongue turned blue, she had labored breathing, and she wouldn't eat. An emergency trip to our Vet revealed she had severe pulmonary edema. In diagnosing the cause it was learned she was in a state of acute congestive heart failure brought on by dilated cardiomyopathy. Our Vet said it was most likely congenital in nature. We knew her time was limited and sudden death was a very real possibility. We wanted a detailed prognosis, so we agreed to spend the money to have a canine cardiologist do a more complete exam. After two echocardiograms, chest x-rays, and blood testing the conclusion was verified. Seems her AV node was malfunctioning causing her heart to go into constant atrial fibrillation. Since I have had a heart attack myself, I knew all too well she was not going to improve no matter what medications she took. Our only concern was her comfort, that she could breath without undue stress, and we could begin coming to grips with her impending death. Little did we realize that the whole event would be so short lived.

She seemed in good spirits on my birthday, but that very night she couldn't sleep, was fighting for breath, and wouldn't eat. The first thing the next morning I took her back to our Vet at 7:00 am and left her for the day. I wanted our Vet to do what she could to make Buttercup comfortable. She gave her a strong diuretic and drained off 250mL of fluid from her abdomen. The fluid was constricting her diaphragm and pressing on her stomach.

When I picked Buttercup up that evening she was more alert, happy to see me, and we went home to be together one last night. She was still very weak, but not in any discomfort whatsoever. Because she was exhausted, she slept throughout the night. Me, on the other hand, I stayed awake all night watching her  intermittently crying tears of sadness that our time together was ending soon.

By early morning her abdomen had swollen even more. It was obvious that the medication just wasn't helping keep ahead of all the edema in her lungs and abdomen. It was time. We had to wait until the clinic opened to take her in for her final moments. She passed away cradled in my arms as I cried like I did years earlier when my mother died. She meant so much to us and for me she was my lifeline and guiding light to normalcy in during that dark time when my mother was ill.

 I will miss her terribly. My heart will always feel a void. Time will pass, as it does, and I'll recovery. It just reinforces how very fragile life is for all of us, that we should never take anything for granted, and that living a rich full life requires risk and acceptance to deal with such risks.

Lesson learned...again. Love you forever Princess Buttercup of Exxon. Until we meet again.

Five For Alaska Training is Progressing. Now is the time to Ramp It!

I was just looking over my Five for Alaska training ride log. I've done 63 training rides, completed 2005.86 miles with 149:58:43 h:m:s of saddle time, and have done 106,926 feet of climbing. And, my high avg HR of 133 indicates excellent conditioning is going on. Yet, still there are doubts being raised by the committee in my head that I can meet the challenge of 60 back-to-back 80 to 100+ mile days. 

You'll never know unless you try. Right? 


At least I'm having fun riding my bike, revelling in the ever present change of color in my beloved Red Rock Canyon, and I'm NOT on a trainer. Love winters in Las Vegas.

The Search Continues in Red Rock Canyon

These are some photos I took while we were searching a hot target area just north of Turtlehead Peak in the upper portion of Brownstone Canyon from the 3800 to 6000 foot level at the base of La Madre Peak. The Red Rock Search and Rescue team consisted of 30 members this past Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012.

Red Rock Search and Rescue
Target Search Area behind Turtlehead Peak
Feb 11, 2012

Dana, our RRSAR Team Leader
at the Command Post in the early morning.

Gearing up. Three mile hike into the search
area.

Dana planning our search grid and watching the group fan out. 

Break time in a Brownstone Canyon wash. Regrouping before another change
in the grid search pattern.

One of our team found this camo covered tent in a wash on the 

east side of Brownstone Canyon. I just happened to be down slope 50 yards

when he called out that he found it. This is Federal BLM land within the RRCA. 

 One of the two law enforcement officers with us helped me and another team member 

check out the tent after a cautious approach. The tent was empty except for a stash of food.

100 yards down slope on the opposite side of the wash we found another stash which

contained a stove, lantern, and other gear hidden under some brush. No sign of people.

The Tallest peak is the north facing flank of
Turtlehead Mountain. Our next target
search area this coming week.

Doing a little rock scrambling checking
tanks, pools, and caves.

 We all had binoculars and were constantly scanning for wildlife activity or scavengers. Scared a few
jack rabbits in the process.

 At the upper most search boundary at the base of La Madre Peak a group of us stopped to have
lunch and a little well deserved minutes of rest. Getting to this point took about 4 hours and climbing ridges and washes on a constant 5.8% grade. JD, blue t-shirt in right photo even made coffee for us.
Temp started out in the 40s at sunrise and warmed to mid 60s by day's end. The 10-15 mph breeze was a welcomed by all. I had a 4 liter CamelBak that was dry when we got back to the command post.

Here we are making our 3-4 mile trek back to the command post where four 4WD vehicles were waiting to take us out of the area. 

Every where you turned you saw wonderful views. We found several cliff overhangs
with ancient Indian pictographs.

The RRSAR commander has suspended large scale ground searches in the canyons now that all of the canyons have all have been thoroughly searched. The search area now is targeted on the north facing flanks of Turtlehead Mountain where the last cell tower ping from Ron's phone was received. There about dozens of rock faces, splits, boulder fields, and ledges to cover by the C3-C4 climbers. To do it justice they need a crew of about 50 expert climbers to cover this nearly vertical terrain. There is one section of terrain about 1 mile from the Turtlehead Mountain summit at 315 degrees NNW that I want to search. It hasn't been targeted. I really think Ron will be eventually found within a 1 mile radius of Turtlehead Mountain.

A Family's Pain and Still No Answers

Sad Day Searching in the Mojave

Today was day 19 after a local trail runner disappeared from Calico Basin in Red Rock Canyon. I was riding out in the canyon on the 17th of January, the day after Ron Kirk failed to show up after leaving his Jeep at the Calico Basin Trail Head. I saw his car on the 17th and again on the 18th. I knew something was wrong because cars are not permitted to be left overnight and the gate to the TH parking area is locked at dusk.

Well today was the first chance I have had to volunteer to search for him. At this point in time it is a recovery operation, and the family knows this. But, they are out there everyday searching. I was part of a 20 member group that included Ron's brother, Darrell, who had flown in from Seattle, Washington for the second weekend. We set out to search the washes east of Calico Basin. In all we covered about 6-8 square miles. The terrain is all loose alluvial strata with deep erosion channels and washes at the foothills of the mountains. I guess the plan was to cover the search grid east of Ron's last known position. We found nothing but jack rabbits, rusting tin cans, plastic bags blown by the wind, and places where nobody would run.

Search and Rescue Command Post

Ron's Jeep at the Trail Head. First noticed it
on January 17th during my morning bike ride
into Calico Basin.

Along my search route

Ron's brother Darrell 3rd from left. Ron's Hash Harrier friend Pigeon 4th from left.

Looking through binoculars for signs of anything.

Came across a desert tortoise shell.

Searching Red Rock Wash

Red Rock Wash east of Ron's Jeep in Calico Basin

After talking briefly with Darrell, I could see the sadness in his face, but sensed his appreciation for what everyone doing searches has done for his family's grieving.  I only hope Ron is located soon. It's an extremely rugged, steep mountain area, and the likelihood of finding him any time soon is remote. Hundreds of folks have scoured almost every possible place without finding anything. The search efforts continued.

According to Red Rock Search and Rescue coordinator, Dave Cummings, since Janauary 34th 839 searchers have hiked 3700 boot miles in Red Rock Canyon looking for Ron.

Hope the family gets closure.

And The Band Played On...And Kept On Riding North to Alaska

I recently got back my full medical report following all those lab tests, x-rays, EKGs, lower extremities venous Doppler, and nuclear cardiac stress testing done by my doctors in Montana and Nevada. The picture drawn in broad brush strokes reveals me to be in exceptional physical shape for a guy 63 years of age who almost dropped dead from a massive heart attack 836 days ago caused by blood clots. 

I'm elated, uplifted, and encouraged by the great news without a doubt. I've worked hard over the last year to get to this point. But, without the love and support of my wife and family none of what I have accomplished would have been possible. They have sacrificed, and continue to, so that I might succeed to live a life post-heart attack rich with a joyful sense of fulfillment. I am humbled. I try to make each day count for them. 

The other side of the my coin of success is my love for time across the top tube. Long live cycling for cardiovascular fitness. And, it helps that I have had a non-smoking life style coupled with the adoption of a vegan diet regime one year ago. Love it when a plan comes together. 

But what seems to please me the most is the assessment that my pulmonary functioning tests show me to have a lung age of a 20 year old.  Breathing is NOT overrated. I don't take it anymore for granted than I do the sunrise or sunset. Cycling has insured my survivability. It's what drives me to live each day with appreciation for the time I have been given. But time on the bike is time away from family. For a long time I had the extremely arrogant notion that my family never 'got' what I saw in cycling. I couldn't have been more wrong. They get it! I'm so blessed that they do.

I know all too well that there are no guarantees in life. I'll keep their faith by continuing the privileged ride across to top tube. 

To that end, I have chosen a path in 2012 that will help me realize a life-long dream. With the realization that dreams can come true with a sound workable plan, my family (with the endorsement of my doctors) are backing my ambitious goal to attempt a long distance cycling odyssey. Training is already underway. Route planning and trip preparations are in progress. Unfortunately, the undertaking means a departure from working as a wrench at The Outdoorsman in Butte, Montana where I have worked for the past three summers. A special thank you to my dear friend, Rob Leipheimer, owner of the Outdoorsman in Butte, Montana for his understanding why I have to terminate my summer wrenching duties to pursue this compelling journey.

I'll be 64 years old on February 22 of 2012, so I must fore go working at a place that I love to reach for the brass ring. I can't let this opportunity pass me by as it may never come my way again. Destiny is knocking at the door, and I am going to answer the call.

The journey, an approximate 3,755 mile trek by bike from Butte, Montana to Anchorage, Alaska (and back) along the Rocky Mountains traversing Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon in Canada. The route through Montana to Banff roughly follows the Tour Divide. The journey starts in mid-June 2012. So, I'll be available to help out at the shop during the first week of the Tour Divide GDMBR. Our plan is to ride to Anchorage, on to Denali NP, and then most of the way back by another route to Prince George, BC. From Prince George we'll motor back to Montana by the end of August. I'll be accompanied by four other intrepid ultra distance riders.  It's a compelling call across the top tube. Gotta try it.....

Just got delivery of my custom made Fuel Cell for the 29er. It was made by 2011 Tour Divide racer, 

Rob Roberts from California. Road Trip Ready! 

"What's on Your Mind"?

"What's on your mind?" It's what I see every time I open FaceBook on my iPhone to post something that I feel is important for me to share.


I have a dear friend who is struggling with the emotional fallout after being struck and nearly killed by a hit and run driver while out riding one early morning. It struck me as I was replying to this friend's message that we all are faced, at some point in time, with life changing events that leave us scrambling to make sense of it all. Here's what I wrote back to my friend to help calm the despair I sensed in the message I received this morning.

"You have so much to be thankful for. Look into the light and embrace its warmth because the sunrise means you have the joy of another day. That's what gives me drive and determination each day since my heart attack. My focus on the beginning of each new day gives me peace and allows me to get past what could have been. Of course, the best medicine is that time across the top tube that allows the committee in my head to take on the challenges and issues of the day. That simple set of triangles connected to two wheels is my gateway to the internal peace and calmness on the road of life."

Whether you run, swim, hike, ski, or rock climb,  cycling IS my chosen metaphor for life and living. It, along with the continued love and support of family and friends, smooths any rough spots in the roads I choose to ride.