Did you say "Moab?"

Arriving at the airport, very early. 10-6-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney

“ Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small

Can we ever get away from the sprawl.” - Arcade Fire

After cancelling plans for an early summer flyfishing and hiking trip to Boulder, Colorado, I thought I'd not have an opportunity to do any travelling this year.

I had been fortunate enough to rent a car and find some quiet spaces in Wisconsin, but getting an opportunity to see something new seemed untenable and very unlikely. With the 2020 Presidential election going in full gear, and work slowing down a bit, it seemed like there was a window of opportunity for some time off, and early October became a potential time frame.

NCAR; Boulder, Colorado, 10-6-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney

Blue Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado. 10-7-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney

I tied some new flies, borrowed some camping gear, found a local Colorado fly tier on Etsy, purchased some of his flies for insurance, readied myself for a third Covid-19 examination and crossed my fingers.

A couple of days later, there I was, settling into a one person tent in my cousin's backyard, reveling in the first of nine days of camping, fishing and cycling. Having rented a car from Denver I had enough time to stop at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and appreciate its amazing gemology exhibit before forging on into Boulder. 

After a day trip to the Brainard Lakes Recreation Area and a hike into the Indian Peaks Wilderness to see Blue Lake, we made the long drive through SouthWest Colorado to Moab, Utah.

Campsite, Boulder, Colorado, 10-8-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Leaving Summit County, Colorado; 10-8-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Sunrise, Willow Springs Road, Moab, Utah. 10-9-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Thanks Chuck! Moab, Utah. 10-9-2020. Photo by Peter McKinney.

Arches National Park, 10-10-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

If you have ever mountain biked there, you already know what I am going to say about riding over the massive rocks, through the deep sand, next to the steep vertical faces, admiring the expansive vistas, noticing the lizard tracks in the sand, learning to pay attention to the painted trail markers on the slick rock trails and the sand.

It's great. 

Arches National Park, 10-10-2020.

Arches National Park, 10-10-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

The Three of us, Arches National Park. 10-10-2020. Photo by Peter McKinney.

Petroglyphs at Arches National Park, 10-10-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Dead Horse State Park selfie, 10-11-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

I stopped on the return drive to stay at an Airbnb, (something else I have never tried), and spent three days and two nights in Carbondale, Colorado, fishing on the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan Rivers. I did not capture that massive late summer brown trout I was hoping, (hyping?) for but I did have an exceptional stay and revisited some favorite fishing spots. I felt fortunate catching a few fish and enjoyed a leisurely drive back to Boulder with some fishing on Crystal Creek.

If you ever visit the Roaring Fork Valley and Carbondale, I suggest visiting The White House Pizzeria. I tried the Pad Thai pizza and it was very good. 

Roaring Fork River Access, 10-12-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Roaring Fork Rainbow Trout, 10-12-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Frying Pan River, 10-13-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Frying Pan River Valley, 10-13-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

So where does that leave me - back in Boulder and ready for a 6,000 foot ascent on a borrowed bicycle, back to the Mitchell Lake Trailhead, through Ward, Colorado. A favorite ride for local cyclists through Left-Hand Canyon. I saw a number of cyclists the next day, either grinning enthusiastically on their descent or wordlessly nodding as they ascended.

Thanks Pete! Mitchell Lake Trailhead, 10-14-2020. Photo by anon.

The total ride distance was just over fifty miles, the elevation gain was more than 6,000 feet, the total time was about 3 hours and forty minutes, with a solid hour of descent. 

Huge appreciation post here to my cousin who took me out that night to meet some of his mountain biking friends, and his wife whose hospitality and culinary skills were graciously shared during my visit.

So that’s it I guess, I didn’t have insurance on my rental car, I fell over quite a few times while mountain biking and lost a few good fish.

I did hike into the Indian Peaks Wilderness, set a PR for ascent and descent, caught one nice 20” brown, fished 6 different bodies of water, visited Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and got a breather from the daily grind.

Unfortunately multiple wildfires were present during my visit and engulfed the canyon I rode through mere days after I left.

It wasn’t an easy fix but if you can swing it, I’d highly recommend taking that time off.

Minneapolis, 10-15-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

July 30th update

"And you wanted to be my latex salesman."

What can I say, it's been a minute.

Five months? Six months? 

It's not like a bunch of stuff could have happened in that time, right?

Ha ... anyway I am alive and well, getting through the pandemic, the civil unrest, the usual accoutrements of not owning a car, riding a bicycle into disrepair, keeping my head on straight and finding employment.

I was furloughed, like a lot of Americans, and re-hired a week before George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis; eventually the National Guard arrived and this year of unprecedented surprises rolled on as if it was all scripted.

In April I rode a hair over 1,000 miles - I broke another derailleur hanger on a cold and snowy afternoon ride on Easter Sunday, and spent a week getting my 2012 Felt F75x back into ridable condition, only to mistakenly replace a Campagnolo chain without using the master pin ... for those who are not familiar, that led to some problems and I would not recommend it.

After the temperature warmed up a bit and it stopped snowing, there was some good fishing; during Minnesota's lock-down, I tied over a gross of flies, ranging from big wooly buggers and deceivers to itty bitty bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs. So far they have all been productive, except the deceiver patterns, which I improved slightly with a secondary size 12 hook tied to the bend of the size 6 hook carrying the body of the fly.

The hottest days of summer have come and gone, and hopefully there won't be a lot more 90 degree days with 70 percent relative humidity. On my bicycle commutes I see more and more tents in the city parks and green spaces of Minneapolis, and I try to be grateful for the living situation I have, such as it is. 

While getting tested for the Corona Virus today, (I have no symptoms but after working for the past six weeks I thought it might be prudent), I listened to the memorial service of John Lewis. Between all of the people talking about his origins and influence on people, I was constantly struck by the courage he had to continue his march to Montgomery.

"You have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate to do what you can to help make our own country, to help make the world, a better place."

RIP John Lewis

Cycling through Minnetonka, 4-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge, Minneapolis, 4-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney

Uptown Minneapolis Mural, 5-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Washington Avenue Pedestrian bridge, Minneapolis, 7-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

On the Saint Croix, 7-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Minnesota River Bottoms, 4-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Michael McKinney and a very large Tiger Musky, Minnehaha Creek 5-2020. Photo by anon.

Quarantine lock-down fly tying bench, 4-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Sourdough loaves, 4-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

Smallmouths on the Mississippi, 5-2020. Photo by Michael McKinney.

More winter cycling, Version 2o2o

Back in 2008, when I had a job as an overnight baker, a guy I worked with used to watch me biking home at 6:00 AM, sometimes through the snow, and he'd say, "I have to see this shit!!"

I think about that sometimes. More than ten years later, I get the same response from people.

I can't say I've ridden every day of the year, or what number of days ridden during the winter qualifies as having earned enough credit to call myself "a year-round cyclist", but I don't think it matters. When I sold my car it wasn't to save the environment or to influence people into advocacy. I wasn't trying to address the infrastructure of city planning or earn a merit badge in any glorified scout group.

I simply couldn't afford a car.

So now, when people try to encourage me by telling me how I'm somehow ethically better than the truck driver who cut me off, or the distracted woman who veered into the bike path, or the bystander who gapes in slack-jawed bemusement at my conundrum because I don't need a car, because I make ends meet without relying on fossil fuels, because I somehow cheated the system out of a stressful car ride into a daily workout that benefits my mental health and the environment, I remind myself I live in a city populated with more cyclists, more boutique cycling studios, more nationally recognized cycling wholesale distributors and more Tour De France champions than any other city in America.

It's not a responsibility as much as a privilege, and dealing with the expectations of that is as much a learning process as learning how to change a flat tire at 8:50 in the morning when you have a scheduled 9:00 AM breakfast meeting two miles away.

Anyway, this is my February 2020 winter cycling update.

Minneapolis Skyline from the North Cedar Trail, photo by Michael McKinney

Selfie on the Martin Sabo bridge, Minneapolis Greenway, Photo by Michael McKinney

Bde Maka Ska chairs, Photo by Michael McKinney

Winter sunset, Minneapolis, Photo by Michael McKinney

North Cedar Trail, Minneapolis, Photo by Michael McKinney

Lyndale Avenue bike bridge, Minneapolis, Photo by Michael McKinney