Carver Fat bike with carbon fork

Image and info taken from davelees1 on the mtbr fatbike forum

Carver Ti Frame + carbon fork = 4 lbs. 10oz. for a size 19".

Carver Ti - Complete Build on BFL's = 30 lbs. 10oz.

Complete write-up and spec's can be found here: snowbikes.wordpress.com

The Iditarod Tail Invitational started on Sunday 2-26-12 at about 5:30pm MPLS time.  These are the early leaders and one of them will likely be the winner.


It is snowing a bunch meaning anything can happen.  None of the following will likely happen but a minor variation of all likely will.  A leader may get in  front of the snow storms and cruise on good trial to the finish.  The leaders may get caught in the deep new snow and then get caught by the others.  Everyone may push their bike 350 miles or camp out until spring.  Fat bikes are not snow shoes and you need a surface about as firm as it would take to walk without punching through.  The majority of the trail is much more thin than these early pics show.  If you happen to steer off of the narrow poorly defined path that has been packed by snow machines and bikes you will plummet waist deep in snow and have to crawl back out and up onto the trail to start again.  This is easy when minds and bodies are fresh and it is daytime.  They call it auguring in when you fall off the trail and find yourself laying on your side half buried in the soft edge snow.  Surprisingly hard to get out of this position.

Iditatrod Trail Invitational

Starts this weekend Feb 26 2pm Alaska time.  Some good links here to see the roster of racers, see better maps and photos of the course and learn about the rules.  I am pretty sure this will be the link when it starts to follow the race.  Basically you can just follow when people reach each checkpoint.


People I will follow in addition to whoever is in the lead include Jeff Oatey, Peter Basinger, Jeff and Peter are two of the best ever.  Louise Kobin is the female record holder to McGrath (the 350 mile race), Tim Hewitt broke the record walking to Nome (1100 miles) last year in 20 days.  Just 3 days short of the bikes, Geoff Roes foot racer (Jill Homers old boyfriend), Beat Jegerlehner foot racer (Jill Homers current boyfriend)  ooooo! imagine the tension.  Ok they are likely friends but still its an angle on the race.   





Some people walk or ski the 350/1100 miles

Lot's of snow this year is the report.  

Best coffee I have roasted in about a year.

Honduras Cup of Excellence -Finca Ovidio
With only 15 hours of rest this is already proving to be a fantastic roast.  Sadly I was keeping it for a special event since it is a cup of excellence winner and a little pricey.  Now I know I love it and it is all gone.  A special event in this case turned out to be no more other coffee to roast. 
The first crack was so quiet I was into a rolling second crack before I  figured out what was going on.  I couldn't figure out why first crack was so late and sounded just like second crack.  Looking back I actually had a pretty good roast and hit most time/temp marks as I would have wanted.  Ideally I would have pulled this roast just before second.  The beans are just a tiny bit darker on the front end of the taste in the cup than I would like.  Otherwise this roast turned out great.  I love this coffee.  
  

Tom's cupping wheel tells the tale with high numbers in all areas.  Balanced but not boring.  



For Tom's write up go here

Hike on Bluff Creek

My favorite grocery getter

Silver and Blue

Last weekend Ella, me, a bunch of locals and our Sponge Bob fishing rod competed in the Chanhassen Feb Fest fishing contest.  We didn't catch any fish but did set some deserving minnows free, ate good food, went on a sleigh ride, found out that I can throw Ella about 30 feet over the ice and enjoyed a bonfire out on the ice.  That last one weirds me out every year.

Ella using my two legged chair like a boss.

Ice seemed about 8 inches thick.  

Ella preparing to be ice tossed for a new record.

I sure love my little Ella.  

Bear?

Mazy and I followed Bluff creek into an area rarely visited by people and found lots of animal tracks.

 Deer, turkey, coyotes and raccoons were pretty easy to identify but not these.   

   

I think the big ones may be a black bear.