The desert of the Colorado Plateau has, and always will hold a special place in my heart. Mountains come first, and I cant see that ever changing, but the southwest is a close second. Up here in Montana, there are plenty of wide open spaces, but for much of the foreseeable future, the means of passing through such places are not friendly to two wheeled transportation. I am finding myself missing the single track more and more.
It must have been four summers ago that a ratty old toyota 4runner rolled into the parking lot at the SMBA headquarters in Boulder, CO, and some dude rolled out a johnny rotten with a bell and a sticker reading 'huck that fish'. Turns out that dude rode Montezuma's, and did a bunch of other cool stuff. Probably the best summer I have ever had. We rolled 5+ days a week, exploring and cruising the magik of nimby and other secret trails. That summer I hobbled together my first, bright green, single speed for the grand total of about $25. It broke just about every other ride, but damnit that was a fucking awesome bike. At the end of the summer, I got a piece of tree trunk with the words Meriweather and OFSYFP branded into it. That summer pissed off some people, and some relationships were ended, but in my mind, the most important one was made: Me and my bike. It might sound cliche, but if it wasn't for that dude with the johnny rotten and his impeccable sense of fun and adventure, I would certainly not be where I am today, and honestly, I'd hate to think about where I might have ended up. And I've still got that bit of pine tree, and to it's creator, I owe a hearty thanks, he knows whats up.
I took a big break from the bike this summer, basically stopped riding right before the NOLS course, rode a couple of times in the fall, but I really haven't ridden since June. And i'll be damned, but I miss it. I am thinking that a spring break trip to the fruita region will definitely be in order. I'll also be damned, but I wouldn't mind a single speed to rip around on. The bass is a beautiful machine, but it is straight up too small for my frame these days, so a new whip might be under the gun. Not sure what I want right now, but I am leaning towards a clean and simple 29er. OFSYFP.