Take me to your Liter

Final Teaser

2010-06-09T11:17:00.001-06:00

Taco Review #20 - Taco Taco Taqueria - Best Taco in Costa Rica Under my Nose

2010-03-16T20:59:00.003-06:00

So ya, right there in my back yard (Monteverde, Costa Rica) is a taco stand that I've been avoiding for three reasons: 1) it's in (our) tourist town of Monteverde, so it's bound to be a rip-off, 2) the name: "Taco-Taco Taqueria" is about the stupidest name ever for a taco stand, and 3) it's right next door to Pension Santa Elena, which has a front porch that is usually oozing with chain smoking fake hippies.

So, there we are in town for some reason (probably buying beer) and we're jones'n for some food. Let's see, what are our choices......hmmm, overpriced beans and rice or overpriced and shitty pizza or "hey, what about the taco stand?"

So there we are ordering up tacos at Taco-Taco Taqueria - (veggie burrito for Jen) from a tica woman that is super grumpy from selling tacos in a cloud of patchouli gas wafting from next door and the fact that she's serving up "Mexican" food (Costa Ricans don't seem to like Mexicans - or any other Latinos for some reason). It's a true "stand" - like, it's on the street with no chairs or anything, just the curb. Jen orders it up - massive veggie burrito unlike anything ever witnessed south of California. I'm impressed already. I'm up and get it on with one pork and one beef, the frikin' Taco-Taco Taqueria taco sampler platter. Not cheap, two micro tacos ran me 1,600 Colones, which is about 3 bucks. All of it served up "to-go" style, wrapped in foil.

So we take to goods over and sit on the back of our truck....and....."crunch", hey - they are actually not too bad. Now, bare with me, this is Costa Rica. Crazy thing is, most people from the "north country" think tacos are like a staple food in all of Latin America - no, senior unfortunately, that is not the case. Finding a taco in Costa Rica is like trying to find haggus in Japan - it ain't easy. Anyway, back to the tacos: they were wrapped up in flour torts which were just ok, store bought, gummy and cold - however the taco guts were actually ok. Good slow-cooked, stewed meat, good greens (lettuce, no cilantro....boooo), pico, queso Monterico (the local "jack" cheese) and a splash of habenero salsa. Not great but decent........about as good as one can make at home.

The review:

The Meats: 4.0/5.0 (both pork and beef were pretty good)
The Torts: 2.0/5.0 (cold and sticks to your teeth, you know the kind)
The Place: 2.0/5.0 (lame name and not worth the price)
The People: 2.0/5.0 (grumpy and hatin' life serving Mexican food to gringos - the shame!)
The Insides: 4.0/5.0 (crunchy, cheesy and a little spicy)

Overall: 2.8/5.0 (too bad for the price or I'd be back)

March Random 10

2010-03-16T20:50:00.003-06:00

This Heat - Deceit

Nirvana - Breed

Dan Bern - Suicide Room

Titus Andronicus - Fear and Loathing

Asobi Seksu - Red Sea

Camera Obscura - Modern Girl

BlueBirdSky - Lovely Loop

Neko Case - Honky Tonk Hiccups

Sarah Dougher - Hold the Bar

Blockhead - You've got Maelstrom

Photo: Me "hangin" wit my pony

Da House is in Da House

2010-03-11T19:02:00.002-07:00

So ya, we just bought this house in Portland (actually a bit south) - an old 1910 farmhouse totally remodeled in the town of Hubbard. Yes, that's right ya'll....this is THE "Hubbard" .....home to the Hubbard Hop Festival and yes, there will be a beer or two drunken.

Our last day here in Costa Rica will be April 26th, when we close up on the deal on the monkey house.....assuming all goes as planned and the torch-wielding Junta don't drive us out before then. So, there you have it. Come visit!

Electric Coyol Acid Test

2010-02-27T18:32:00.006-07:00

Crackin' the seal on 2 liters of "Vino de Coyol".....Bring on your witchcraft bitches!

From Wikipedia: "Coyol wine is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from the sap of Coyol Palms. It is primarily made and consumed in many countries in Central America. In order to produce the wine, the trees are cut down and the sap is left to ferment in the sun. The result is a cloudy, milky white alcoholic beverage. Coyol wine is most commonly produced and sold by private vendors at roadside stalls in used plastic bottles.

The wine is unique in that it causes inebriation not primarily by it's alcohol content, but through its enzymatic action triggered when one drinks it and then receives significant sun exposure. It is well known that one can become inebriated in the evening, regain sobriety by the next day and then undergo inebriation again in the moring without even consuming more, mearly by being exposed to the sun again."

So, in the part of Costa Rica where we live, you can see people along the roadside selling this stuff in all sorts of crazy (certainly unsanitized) bottles. Finally one day we bought some to see what it's all about. So, for about $1.50 we bought 2 liters of this stuff. First thing we noticed is how damn fizzy it was.........I mean it was like out-of-control fizzy. If you didn't vent the bottle at least every 10 hours, you're looking at a SERIOUS explosion of Coyol jizz. At first drink, it's actually not too bad - like carbonated apple juice mixed with skim milk and about 50 Alka-Seltzer tablets.

In an effort to REALLY get the full effect without ending up in the hospital, I drank about 1 liter of this stuff and then sat out in the direct sun for about an hour. The drinking part gave me a buzz right away....maybe as strong as beer or a little less. Sitting in the sun, I fully expected complete inialation with halucinations, violent vomiting and head-body detachment/spinning. Unfortunately (and thankfully) none of this happened. In fact, the sun exposure did not seem to enhance the effect at all - this is factoring in that, by this point, I had moved on to beer and was feeling that on top of the Coyol. The next day I went for a long ride in the sun to test the residual inebriation claims....and.......damn! nothing still! Maybe I need to shoot this shit up or rub it on my nipples - whatever it is, I'm not doing it right.

I think maybe another (more controlled/much higher volume) test is in order.....so stay tuned for that.

Costa Rican Beer Review Dos - Pilsen 6.0

2010-02-22T19:21:00.004-07:00

OK, well it seems like sort of a joke to review the various Costa Rican beers that one would typically find in the markets and restaraunts here.....and the reason for that is because they are ALL brewed by the same monopoly brewery (Cerveza Florida S.A) so, they almost all taste the same. The main labels (again, I won't call them "brands" since it's all the same company) are Imperial, Pilsen, Bavaria, and Heiniken (yes they brew their own sad sad version of "Heineys").

Most places in Costa Rica only sell Pilsen or Imperial (the more popular of the two). Just so you know - these two beers taste EXACTLY the same and it's damn pretty funny to listen to locals discuss (and argue) which one is better. Cracks me the-fuck-up!

So anyway, seeing a new beer on the shelves here in Costa Rica is pretty damn exciting - like it's Christmas something.

Recently I had been eye-ballin' the "new" Pilsen 6.0 on the supermarket shelves - a higher alcohol version of the original Pilsen at 5.2 percent. The boasting of a higher alcohol content and new bad-ass black and red label had me hooked from the start. (side note: The only reason I drink "regular" Pilsen [with a white and red label] over Imperial is solely based on the design of the label itself)............ In fact, the new lablel Pilsen 6.0 label is SO much more bad-ass than all the other beer labels here, I wasn't so sure they were going sell it to me unless I was wearing a crazy eye-patch, a worn out leather jacket and had a half-healed machete scar across my temple. (I pulled it off with my current appearance)

The strangest thing I noticed about this "edicion especial" Pilsen was that it was actually like 25 cents a bottle LESS than the normal Pilsen........Que-up? I don't know what's up with that, but think I can guess. You know, we used to brew in college and it's not real hard to make a beer stronger than it should be - either you fuck up a recipie (like we did often) or you do it on purpose (like we did often). I'm betting that it was a little of both for Cerveza Florida S.A. ........somebody botched the recipie one time, the jefe tasted it and thought "man, this has a bit too much flavor - I'll bet we can sell this shit to gringos!"....and then Pilsen 6.0 was born.

So what the hell does it tate like? Well, (no surprise here) just like the rest of the beers in Costa Rica. Virtually NO hops are used in the brewing process but yes, it DOES have a BIT stronger flavor than the 5.2 version. Then again, than cool black label might pulling some subliminal shit on my gringo ass. Still, it's not that great of a beer.......better than Bud or Coors Light? - yes, but not by much. Better than PBR in the bottle?........well now, that's just crazy talk.

To be fair - all of these beers are great to slam on a hot summer day, which we have a lot of those here!

Recent Riding Shots

2010-02-08T07:09:00.005-07:00

These first three shots were taken on a ride Jen and I did a few weeks ago from Liberia to, at least near, the Santa Maria Sector Ranger Station at Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Ya, it's all road, but it was actually fairly interesting - most of the ride was on a welded volcanic tuff, so it was really like riding slickrock (but not nearly as fun). Unfortunatly this ride passes the county landfill part way up so you really need to hold your breath for at least 5 km - just frikin' nasty.

These next two shots are from a ride we did starting in Libano and going DOWN into the monster heat of the valley before turning around in Canas. It was hotter than hell that day and the few river crossing were nice! Jen did good on this hard ride.

The next three are taken on a ride a few days ago. These fine young lads showed me a new ride that, even though it lasted like 9 hours, should only be a 4-5 hour ride at most. Ticos like to take their time when they ride - stopping to chat, eat, gaze, whatever. A good view of Arenal Volcano that day and there was even a huge eruption while were were on this ride - unfortunately we were out of view of the mountain at that point - but it was louder than shit!

February Random 10

2010-02-08T06:51:00.003-07:00

Quasi - Empty Words

MIA - Come Around

Mirah - Nobody has to Stay

Talking Heads - The Great Curve

Versus - Sunburned

The Faint - Ballad of a Paralyzed Citizen

The Clientele - My Own Face Inside the Trees

The Sea and Cake - Left on

Coldcut - More Beats and Pieces

Firehose - Toolin'

Public Service Announcement

2010-01-19T07:46:00.002-07:00

Taco Review #18 and #19 - Two Terrible Tico Tacos

2010-01-12T12:07:00.007-07:00

It's false advertising or something to put a sign out in front of your restaurant advertising all sorts of great tacos while in reality not coming through with the goods. Case in point: Taqueria la Rosina in Las Juntas, Costa Rica - I mean it's one thing to have a lame taco or two on your menu at a restaurant - but a place claiming to be a "taqueria" better not be jackin' me around......and they better have beer dammit. You can't just throw that "taqueria" name around like it's nothin' - I mean, what if there was a "strip club" and you paid to go in and there were no titties? Wouldn't you be upset?....now of course you would.

OK - so it's like 145 degrees out and we just got done doing a long ride - for the last hour of that ride I am seeing mirages of cold beers and tacos in the shimmering heat ahead of me. When we see Taqueria La Rosina it was like finding an oasis in the desert.

So we sit down on the front patio (nice) and the lady comes out (nice) and asks what we wanted to drink.........well, "dos cervezas por favor" (I'm thinking "oh man, that's gonna be good")........she replies "sorry senior, no cervezas aqui". OK, so right there is sufficient grounds for standing up, flipping over the table and walking out - but I stay calm. I mean, after all we are at our very first "taqueria" ever in Costa Rica. Half in tears, I order a horchata to drink.

We order off of the menu, that sure 'nuf has tacos on it - bunches of em. Jen orders the cheese tacos (only veggie option) and I get it on with an order of Tacos La Rosina Cerdo (pork). So there we are, waiting for our tacos while drinking something that is not a beer and out pops our order. Jens cheese tacos are a familiar sight: rolled and deep fried, taquito style with a 1000 island dressing for dipping. Mine come out as pile a (actually decent) meat with three corn torts, pico, tomatillo salsa and a bowl of tico beans.

So first the cheese tacos. Immediately, as anybody can see, this does not qualify as a taco as defined by International Taco Association (ITA) standard definition. It's rolled, so plain and simple - it aint' a taco. Also, 1000 island dressing is also not an ITA approved condiment. I'm thinking "what are these people thinking?" However, even though they were not "true" tacos they were a pretty tasty mostly because they were deep fried.....and as anybody can attest to, you could deep fry a turd and it would probably be pretty good. I did not try the dressing - it just looked stupid.

So, the pork tacos. The meat was pretty good, lean, ok spices and of sufficient quantity to fill three torts.........which brings me to the torts. Corn tortillas really need to be cooked by either steaming or frying....I guess unless they are made right then and served to you hot. The reason for this is that the tortilla molecules tend to lose their bonding strength if they are cool (unless fried). When this happens, the second you fold a tortilla it just rips in half, which really sucks when you fill a tortilla and need to fold it to make a taco. Anyway, so that's exactly what happened: taco filled with meat, and salsa....fold....and....RIP! I'll tell you, nothing pisses me off more.

The tacos came with a side of refried (tico style) beans, which means they are made with Salsa Linzano and are very sweet. I don't really care for the sweet beans, but in small quantities they are ok. The tacos also came with a side of chopped tomatoes (or maybe a very weak attempt at pico de gallo) and a side of tomatillo salsa, which was actually pretty tasty. Nothing on the plate had even a hint of spiciness and there was not a green veggie to be seen for miles. No cilantro, lettuce, jalepeno...nada.

The reviews:

Cheese Tacos with 1000 Island Dressing:

Do not really qualify as tacos, therefore not considered. If I ever start doing taquito reviews I'll consider them. I have to admit though, they were tasty.

Pork Tacos:

Meatiness: 4.0/5.0 (good meat, decent spices)

Torts 1.0/5.0 (torts that disintegrate on contact - not good)

Sides 2.5/5.0 (the beans and pico should thank the tomatillo salsa for this high score)

Beer 0.0/5.0 (a "taqueria" without beer is not a taqueria)

Atmosphere 3.0/5.0 (ok patio out front to watch the bums)

Overall Score 2.1/5.0 (pretty low score, but just to give em a fair shake, we'll go back to try some of the other tacos and next time we'll bring our own sack of beer)

2010-01-12T12:00:00.001-07:00

Brian Eno - Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch

Loretta Lynn - Miss Being Mrs

Billy Bragg - Keep the Faith

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr

Telepopmisik - Love's Almighty

Grisby and Young - John Henry

David Bowie - All the Mad Men

Team Dresch - Take on Me

Beat Happening - Nancy Sin

TV on The Radio - Dreams

....and then there's this guy

2010-01-10T11:33:00.001-07:00

Even the Chinese are getting into the whole RV thing

Jen, Bringin' the Heat

2009-12-30T11:12:00.003-07:00

A few pics from Jen's first bike event. She kicked some serious Tico ass!!....and in true Sanders form, slammed a few beers afterwards.

It was a really hot day

some sort of creepy tin foil nativity scene
Jen hammered the river section leaving the others in her spray

....and yet another one of the Posse preparing for the Anticarmageddon

2009-12-30T10:51:00.002-07:00

The Way We Roll Here in Costa Rica

2009-12-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Chirripo-a-Go-Go

2009-12-23T19:38:00.019-07:00

One of the unforeseen consequences of being part of an unemployed couple sharing a tiny house in the mountains of Costa Rica......some days you just wake up, drink a cup of (awesome) coffee and then just stare at one another. Well last week, Jen had enough of that crap and was like "get outta my face midget" and I was like "uh, ok". A five day trip down to the southern part of CR to climb Cerro Chirripo would be the ticket. I loaded up to Tay-oter (all 300,000 miles of her) with my pack, sleeping bag, 8 tortillas and a hunk of salty cheese and was off. The trip was no problem for the truck and after 7 hours rolled into San Isidro sketch-ville (apparently, they steal your shoes there), still about two hours from the base of the mountain. Went and bought some food for the hike and knew this was not a place to be hanging around after dark as they had an armed guard in the Musmanni Bakery guarding that fucking precious day-old pan dulce.

The next day I headed up to tiny town of San Gerardo at the base of Chirripo. Checked into the dorm at Casa Mariposa and then headed out for an "acclimatization" hike at the nearby Cloudbridge Forest Preserve. My kind of place because 1) there's nobody there, 2) tons of birds, water and other cool shit and 3) entry by donation (or don't pay as you leave if you think it was lame). Very cool place and likewise for the town of San Geradro where you can only buy beers at the "Cafe Dura Roca" - Hard Rock Cafe, that is thankfully not part of the chain.

The next day I head out on the long, long, long slog up the mountain starting out at 4,500' to the mountain refuge at about 11,000 feet. Starts out in mid-elevation rainforest, transects cloud forest and ends up in the very dry "paramo", above tree line. On the way, again tons of birds, a pack of very big pecaries and a troop of Chapuchin monkeys. It's a hot climb almost all the way with a maddening buzzing of bugs around my face. Did not see a single snake even though everybody I talked to coming down said "watch out for the snakes".

Made it to the refuge in 7 hours or so - which, I must say, was a very miserable place to stay. They do not allow camping on the mountain, so I had no choice. The place is like a prison block with echo-y voices, clanking chains, slamming metal doors and it's COLD and damp. Ya, it's like how I imagine a prison.....a bad prison. Sharing my dorm room in the refuge sucked as well. I was there with an annoying German couple who were obsessed with speed climbing or some shit - bragging about how fast they climbed, blah blah blah......who gives a shit.....(had I known it was a race I probably would smoked both of your stupid asses).

The German chick had the nastiest smelling feet ever and the guy snored like a fucking freight train so I laid there all night in a stinky foot haze (I swear it glowed in the dark) while Freight Train probably dreamt of naked chicks covered in sergunschnitzel. Thankfully they were so gung-ho to get to the summit at sunrise, they left at 2:00 am - allowing me a couple of hours of peace.

I set out at 4:00 am, still pitch black I immediately ended up on the wrong trail "Sendero de los Leones" (the Lion Trail) - not a place I wanted to be at night and in an area known for lots of Pumas. When the sun came I saw, what I assumed to be, puma shit all over the place. great.

I finally met the German Freight Train and his chick on their way down just below the summit and was glad to hear they miscalculated the summit climb and had waited almost 2 hours in the freezing cold and dark for the sun to come up.

From the refuge to the summit is by far the coolest part of the hike, just because you are way above the clouds and (usually) there great views to both the Pacific Ocean and the Carri bean. The day I was up there, the only ocean I saw was an ocean of clouds about 3,000 feet below me - still, very cool though. It's "coldish" up at this elevation, but not as bad as some idiots made it seem. I mean, there was frost on some of the plants and I'm guessing it was in the low 40's. You should have seen some of the people though - full North Face down mountain suits, gloves, stupid hats......totally out of control. I'm thinking "dude, are you for real!" Really, a fleece jacket is plenty!

At 12,500 feet this is not a big mountain - even though it's the tallest in Costa Rica and the tallest between Guatemala and Colombia. The difficulty (just because of the 8'000 elevation gain) is maybe equivalent to doing back-to-back fourteeners in Colorado

Critcal Mash

2009-12-01T17:38:00.002-07:00

December Random 10

2009-12-01T17:30:00.002-07:00

Brian Eno - Err
Mogwai - Auto Rock
The Prids - Let it Go
Richard Hawley - Serious
Los Panchos - Algo Contigo
Pixies - Dig for Fire
Josef K - Fun n' Frenzy
The Avett Brothers - Hand me down Tune
The Go! Team - The Ice Storm
Lora Logic - Rather than Repeat

Training Day

2009-11-30T18:56:00.009-07:00

Yesterday I decided to go out on one of Jen's training rides to see what the the hype was all about. My new shades prevented any bugs from going in my eyes - or hitting pretty much my entire body.

Since not many people own cars here in Costa Rica, you tend to pass a lot of them walking to town or wherever they are going. They always have some sort of words of encouragement for bikers, usually "duro" (strong) of just "buenas" (good day). Since you know that these people probably do not speak English you can add a little fun to your ride by messing with them. For instance, when I'm climbing a big hill and pass somebody walking and they say "duro! duro!" I like to say stuff like " thanks douche bag" or "how's it going butt wipe" or something like that. They will just smile.

You can't say stuff like "Hi asshole" or "how's it going fuck face" because most people know all the cuss words.....just like I know all the cuss words in Spanish.

Taco Review #17 - The Hillbilly Taco, Knoxville

2009-11-30T17:50:00.011-07:00

On a recent trip to Hillbilly Country (Eastern Tennessee) Jen and I scoured the deep, sweaty, nasty,underbelly of the southeast in search of the ultimate Hillbilly Taco. Like the ones Mexicans eat at NASCAR tailgate parties. Well, I'm not sure what we were expecting to find like maybe a chitlin taco with Cheese Whiz sprinkled with some Copenhagen served up in a Dolly Parton boob-shaped platter? (Hmmmmm....boobies.....). Well, what we didn't expect to find was a couple of the most bad-ass tacos ever.

After stumbling around in Knoxville on a Sunday night we came across a place called "Soccer Taco". We almost passed the place just because of the incredibly dumb name........glad we didn't. We walk in and it's like a sports bar/taco stand place with all kinds of soccer shit hanging from the walls, big TV's, beer and TACOS. There is a football game on (REAL football) so we sit at the bar and I order it up........one carne asada and one al pastor. Bring it on Senior Billy Bob and none of that special "chaw" sauce!

This is one of those deals where you order some food even though you are not really hungry. We had just drank a bunch of beer and and ate a bunch of fried pickles (ya, no shit) down the road - so, really, the last thing I needed was tacos. Like when you're camping in the backcoutry or something - EVERYTHING tastes good. Hamburger Helper that was made without the hamburger and butter and then burned to the bottom of the pan......that shit is GOOD in the backcountry. Just the opposite for me that night, when you are already full and then a taco is staring you in the face.....chances are it's not going to be as good as if you came in just starving. Soccer Taco is doomed for a bad taco review.

Well Jethro, I gots one thing to say.....yee-fuckin'-haw!! Dems was da bes tacos I done had in many a long spell, prawlee da bes in Tennessee!

Homemade corn torts doubled and off-set up topped with the most kick ass tenderest meat ever. The veggie stuff was left in a little bowl on the side for casual application as needed - cilantro, onion, lime and salsa. The meats, both carne asasda and the pastor, were simply amazing. The torts were fresh and also amazing. There were no jalepenos to be seen - I could have asked but to make this dish perfect there would already be one there on the plate. After fried pickles, numerous beers and now two awesome tacos I was totally stuffed.....but still could have eaten more of those tacos.

The Review:

Carne: 4.8/5.0 (amazing)

Torts: 4.8/5.0 (amazing tambien)

Sides: 4.3/5.0 (could have used a jalepeno)

Total Sabor: 4.6/5.0

Atmospherico: 3.5/5.0 (really dumb name scares people away)

Total Score: 4.4/5.0 Gooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!

November Random 10

2009-11-30T17:37:00.003-07:00

Nick Drake - Voices

Tanya Donelly - Acrobat

Elvis Costello - King Horse

Mazzy Star - Ride it On

The Dandy Warhols - Champ

Nortec Collective - Tengo la Voz

New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky

Los Tres Diamantes - Carta Fatal

Tom Waits - Old Shoes

Wild Sweet Orange - House of Regret

Living in a Land of Shitty Beer - Cerveza Imperial

2009-11-15T10:42:00.006-07:00

The Beer Advocate review of our national beer here in Costa Rica. The score of a "C" really is pretty generous. This is a fine beer after a long hot ride (the first one actually goes down pretty good), but after 3 of them a film starts to develop in your mouth and it's usually necessary to dissolve it with a shot of Guaro........then you're good to go for another 2 or 3. Unfortunately, not a single hop molecule is used when making this beer. The sad thing is, Costa Ricans are proud of it!

Cerveza Imperial

Beer Advocate OVERALL SCORE......"C" (mediocre)

Brewed by: Cerveceria Costa Rica Costa Rica

Style ABV Light Lager

4.60% ABV

Drinkability - "If one can overlook the lack of taste, smell, and texture, this is the beer to drink. The absence of carbonation allows for easy drinking".

"I won't be seeking this beer".

"This is almost budwiser without the beachwood aging, this is just nasty, thank god it was 1.50 i would have felt cheated if i payed more. This beer poured a week golden color and no head, it's smell was corn and not much else, it was weak all around, i would avoid this one at all cost"

Are you Ridin'?.....or are you Hidin'?

2009-11-15T10:15:00.003-07:00

It's been raining for two days straight now but I'm not sweatin' it because it's Sunday and it will give me a great excuse to stay inside, drink beer and watch football all day. Jen is having none of that and continues her quest to ride and get in shape for her first century ride. I try to convince her to wait until later, when it's not raining but she's like "dude, if you wanna run with the big dogs, you gotta get a little muddy"......I'm like, "whatever"......crack (sound of beer being opened).

Biking Old School

2009-11-15T09:05:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite old bikes is this Bowden Spacelander. I saw one for sale on line recently for only $17,000, a tad higher than the original price of $89.50. Anyway, here's the lo-down:

Benjamin J. Bowden (American, born England, 1907–1998) designed the Spacelander in 1946, which was eventually manufactured in 1960. The entire frame is fiberglass (no steel skeleton), which made it a pretty lightweight rig for the time....only 50 lbs!

The aluminum prototype of this futuristic bicycle was handmade by the MG Auto Company in England in 1946 and incorporated an ingenious dynamo that stored the downhill energy and released it on uphill runs. It was prohibitively expensive for consumer production, but in 1960 Bowden contracted with Bomard Industries in Michigan, to produce a more mechanically conventional, one-speed version of the dynamic, organic design in fiberglass, a new design material. Ultimately the endeavor was too costly for Bomard Industries, as well, and the firm went out of business having manufactured only 522 examples.

If you have one of these collecting dust in your garage, I'll be glad to take it off your hands.

Photo stolen from the Brooklyn Museum

The Dangers of Biking in Costa Rica

2009-10-16T10:39:00.004-06:00

This is some REALLY scary shit that actually happened to me a few weeks ago.

October Random 10

2009-10-14T13:12:00.007-06:00

Exorcisto - Girls Against Boys

Burning Skulls - Lydia Lunch

Wonderful Witches - Thurston Moore

Nights of the Earth - Chrome

Zombie Limbo Time - Beat Happening

Lottie the Human Log - The Residents

Devil Town - Daniel Johnston

Bloody Twins - Cocorosie

Black Cat - Broadcast

Bloodflow - Calexico

Now if that playlist don't scare the hell out of you - go out and rent the single best halloween movie EVER made, The House of 10,000 Corpses www.cinema.com/film/4010/house-of-1000-corpses/gallery/index.phtml .....you can thank me later

The Roads of San Antone'

2009-10-14T12:10:00.005-06:00

The really cool thing about living in a new place is that you can just look a map, pick a place and go check it out - without knowing anything about it. I've been doing that a lot lately. Here are a few shots of a ride to San Antonio de Abangares - looked a lot bigger on the map. Exactly 3 houses, one school (can't bee too many students) and an old cemetry, that somehow contains more bodies than have probably ever lived in this place, and absolutely zero bars (read: not worth going there).

The ride from our place takes you through The Turns, past the funny farm and finally through Tall Onion before dropping you in past the Hippie House (hippies were outside admiring a tapestry that day) and the mud chutes. Fun going down - sucks climbing back out. Did not see a single person on this three hour ride although when I stopped to take a leak somebody from across the valley was yelling "Heeeeeey!......Heeeey!..........Hola!" Hmmmmm.

Downtown San An-tone

The Wide-open Spaces, Abajo de Alta Cebadilla

2009-10-01T18:20:00.005-06:00

From our place it's about a 20 minute ride to a place called Alta Cebadilla - (not sure what the hell that is in English - maybe "tall onion" or something crazy like that) and a 1.5-hour pretty fun loop ride. Alta Cebadilla is really just a cluster of cattle ranches that sits on the edge of a giant area of deforestation that stretches from Monteverde on the east to the Pacific Ocean. From Monteverde, the ride is actually below Alta Cebadilla so it's another one of those "descend first and climb later" deals. It's a sad place to ride through because you can still see pockets of what the area used to look like before the American fast food industry threw down fat subsidies and paid these land owners to clear cut the area so it could instead be used for growing Big Macs and Whoppers. However, one nice thing about this area, and the fact that there are no more trees - there are now great views of the Pacific and with all the erosion taking place, it's makes for a much more fun and technical ride - something I'm diggin' - but I'd still rather see it the way it was. There's also the added "fun" of dodging all the cow shit..........nothin' like reaching for your water bottle and seeing the mouth piece covered in shit!

Lots of steep climbs, stream crossings, technical descents and riding through top-tube-high grass (hoping not to come across a Fer-de-Lance [a seriously deadly snake in these parts]), still makes this a decent mountain bike ride.........you just gotta pretend that you are riding in coastal California and not through a "tropical rainforest".

Afterwards, back in Santa Elena, you can hit Amigos Bar in Santa Elena for a beer and a burger.....or maybe make that a veggie burger. Salut!

Bring It, Ma Man!

2009-10-01T17:46:00.002-06:00

Defying all kinds of crazy laws-of-physics

September Random 10

2009-09-18T19:35:00.005-06:00

Merle Haggard - Somewhere Between

White Shoes and the Couples Company - Brother John

Cocorosie - Sunshine

The Fiery Furnaces - Slavin' Away

Bill Callahan - Day

Loretta Lynn - Family Tree

Sonic Youth - White Cross

Stereolab - Klang Tone

Spoon - The Delicate Place

The Systematics - International Voltage

Monteverde Dirt - Guaciamal Down n' Out

2009-09-02T16:39:00.005-06:00

A pretty strait forward ride. From our place the nearest paved road is over an hour by car - thought I'd ride my bike there to look at it.

Costa Rica Dirt - Libano to Quebrada Grande and back

2009-09-01T18:41:00.007-06:00

Libano is a weird little town which is pretty close to our place. It's difficult to get to, as it's not really on the way to "anything" and there really isn't anything there but a pulperia (a tiny store), some cows and a river. A really cool place nonetheless. I'm guessing maybe 200 people live there. They are in process of paving the road into town, so when you show up wearing a bunch of white skin people start talking. They start talking about the new river-side condos going in or the new air conditioned casino with $5 minimum blackjack tables or the Wal-Mart Super Store and how it's gonna drive the pulperia out of business. However, when you unload $4,000 worth of mountain bikes out of the back of your piece of shit truck that is only worth $500, they start to scratch their heads and realize your up to something totally different - like something WAY off their radar screen.

The ride follows the Rio Canas and Quebrada (creek) Grande to the town of Quebrada Grande. It's an out and back, which is this case, might be good as there some brutal climbs and miles of mud and very naughty baby heads to deal with - so if you get sick of it and need to head back to the Pulp for a beer, you've got that in your back pocket. The lower portion of the ride, along the rio is very rolly and do-able by anybody- however, at the sharp left at the remote cabin (right before a second river crossing) the brutalness begins and it's a steep-ass bitch-of-a-climb to civilization and the turn around point. Speaking of civilization, there is not much of out there, so be careful because it may be a while before somebody finds your sorry ass.

Cross-valley views of two huge waterfalls make you forget about the climbs and the sections of hike-a-bike and the mud and your non-functioning clip-in pedals and the circling vultures - at least for a few seconds. Once you pull into Quebrada Grande you'll be greeted with "duro! duro!" (duro=strong) by folks walking along the road because they KNOW that it's one killer climb you've just come up. On the way back to Libano, there are some really great swimming holes to explore along the river but you might be wise to pick up a few cervezas in town and jump in the river there - Hey, ya gots to have priorities now!

The first river crossing - you will think "I can cross this bad-boy but I'm not really sure about carrying a bike across it and I'm not really sure about these slippery bike shoes". Really, it's pretty sketchy and it you fall into the water it would not be that bad for you - but retrieving your bike from 20 feet below the water surface in that tiny gorge just might suck - better to go back a few hundred yards and cross.......

Here! -It's still waist deep, but not bad

This is what to expect on the climb - long stretches of clay and grass and technical madness

Taco Review #16 - The Clown Taco - Hotel Mary Restaraunt, Tilaran Costa Rica

2009-08-29T19:42:00.006-06:00

OK, I admit that I was going out on a limb by ordering a "taco" in a restaurant that does not even advertise or even give a hint at having "Mexican" food. But it was there - begging me to order it. Maybe I get taco goggles and get a bit too excited when I see taco on a menu - especially when I'm not expecting it.

So there we are in Tilaran, the next biggest town to the north of our place. On the plaza, there is Hotel Mary which has a sort of sports bar thing right on the street - we needed a beer and some food after a long day of getting caught is a major rain storm while biking (me) and shooting butterflies (Jen - she loves to hunt those little bastards!)

So Jen orders the Super Nachos without meat. The waitress quickly informed us that the reason the nachos were "super" was BECAUSE they had meat on them. She just wanted regular nachos and thought the waitress understood this apparently simple request. Turns out Jen got the Super anyway - loaded with shredded beef and dead animal nastiness. I had to eat it since, as you may know, she will not have anything to do with meat - even if it IS Super.

So when I'm lookng at the menu, I see three taco options: 1) the regular Super Taco, 2) "Tana's" Super Taco and 3) the Taco "Alambre" (I didn't know that word "Alambre" at the time, but later looked it up and it means barbed wire - shit, good thing I didn't get THAT one!). On the menu there was really no description of what distinguished the three taco choices and when I asked the waitress well, she didn't know either (bad sign right there!). So in order to not look like some sort of taco snob, I just ordered the medium-priced taco, Tana's (I figured that Tana was maybe the cook and was proud of her taco - I mean, what woman ISN'T proud of her taco? C'mon!).

So there we are with our delicious beers (with ice - beer is often served with a glass of ice here, which I have really grown to like) - ok, ya and then here comes the taco.......or uh "tacos"? I'm thinking tacos (plural) because it's a big pile of food! At first glance it looked like a plate of tacos, but really it was just a pile of lettuce, cabbage, sour cream and Chilero (this REALLY lame [not]hot sauce they eat here) covering one taco (Tana's Taco). Very colorful - I mean, I don't see shit for tacos but what I DO see is a plate of veggies and stringers of sauce squirted about. First thing I did was laugh but then thought I'd better try it up first before I judge.

You pretty much needed a machete to cut through all that vegetation covering that damn taco but finally after eating the equivalent of a head each of cabbage and lettuce I encountered something hard and crunchy. There it was.....Tana's Taco......................hey baby.

So this is not your typical hand held taco deal - it's a "smothered" taco. I guess you could pick it up but it would be a total mess with all that crap covering it.

So, the corn tort is rolled, kinda taquito style but fatter. So I do a crunchy cut with my fork and the inevitable tort shrapnel starts flying everywhere and then.........what the fuck?.........There's ham and cheese in this damn taco! It's a frikin' ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in tort and deep fried and covered with a rain forest. Dude, Tana..... this ain't no taco! - it's a frikin' joke - it's a frikin' clown taco. Oh god.

Taco Review: No review, does not qualify as a taco, sorry Tana

Las Juntas Costa Rica Dirt - La Sierra Volume One

2009-08-28T08:27:00.011-06:00

Recently, we had some visitors from Colorado, Amber and Aaron who stayed with us for a few days of riding before heading down to the playa. We got the extra bikes geared up and then decided to try and push through the infamous (in my world, anyway) La Sierra route. It's a pretty technical double-track and single-track route that starts near Las Juntas (La Sierra actually) and ends someplace else to the east (nobody really knows). I looked on the topo map and it appeared to intersect a road near some town called Gorgonzola, or something like that. It's been on my exploration radar screen for a while so they agreed to trust me (big mistake) and give it a go.

The ride starts in the small town of La Sierra (nothing there but a bar, so it's really got everything you could possibly need). The route heads east from there, upstream along the jungly and steamy Rio Aguas Claras, which it crosses about a million times. On this day there seemed to be a hatch of big gnarly biting flies that we were hoping were not "Bot Flies".........since I have not seen any fly larvae living under my skin yet - they were probably not Bot - just annoying.

Amber and Aaron tearing it up

I now say this is Volume One since we ended up only making it a few km's up this trail before we turned back and obviously never found the end. I really did not want to force our guests to endure of this the slop-fest hike-a-bike "adventure" just to satisfy my curiosity since they may have taken back the bottle of Tequila they brought for us a gift. I think Volume 2 will show the remainder of this route and how ridiculous it is to even consider this a "mountain bike ride". I'll probably have to push it on my own - and I'm there there WILL be lots of pushing. Those kinds of "rides" are not fun if you're not used to the heat and the mud and shit conditions.

Lots of hike-a-bike

August Random 10

2009-08-21T21:27:00.004-06:00

Pepe Deluxe - Beatitude

Junior Boys - The Equilizer

Art Brut - Emily Kane

Dan Bern - Pluto

Black Flag - Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie

Brian Eno - Backwater

Cliford Gilberto - The 10th Victim

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Melt Your Heart

Jad Fair and Yo la Tengo - Principle Punishes Students with Bad Impressions and Tired Jokes

Rogue Wave - Are You on my Side?

Taco Review #15 – Tequila Vallarta – Bringin’ the Taco Goods to Nicaragua (almost)

2009-07-31T14:46:00.005-06:00

After the nightmare tacos that I suffered through two nights prior, we decided to try Tequila Vallarta just down the street from El Quijote. The Lonely Planet guide says the guy that owns this place is actually from PV, Mexico – so it must be pretty good…..right?

So we go in, sit down in the hacienda courtyard and are instantly attacked by mosquitoes, we thought ok, let’s sit inside…..holy crap, there are even more mosquitoes there – so we opted to sit at one of the tables outside (in front) where we knew we would be continually harassed by beggars and street kids selling gum, cigarettes, cashews and whistles – but it was breezy there and no skeeters – so it was ok. We bought some cashews from a little muchacho we knew from previous cashew shopping (harassment), who was a very smooth operator at 6 years old.

Even though we did not sit inside I can comment on the atmosphere of the place……well, there isn’t one. Tequila Vallarta is located in a very cool historic building, however absolutely zero thought was put into making this place inviting so you would want to stay for just “one more margarita” - it was actually pretty depressing. Maybe they are still recovering from the last earthquake….or volcanic eruption…..or political uprising, I don’t know but the place made me think there were no decent tacos comin’ my way.

I gotta give credit to these guys for at least trying (unlike the TR#14). I had three choices of tacos: 1) pollo, 2) carne asada and 3) chorizo…….or THE COMBO! Word – I’m only here once in my life “gimmie the COMBO”. Well, I later found out that when they say “combo” that means they combine all the meats into each taco – not really what I had in mind, but whatever.

The torts were of the “gordita” type and although not typical were still good and resisted tort-bustage until at least two-thirds completion. The “meats” were pretty good but having them all mixed together was a little weird. The side of beans were actually very good (not completely blended to a paste - even though it was only 2 tablespoons’ worth) and the rice was incredibly weak a served up in a stupid conical shape (trying too hard) – not even a pinch of chile and then there some so-so guacamole.

Toppings: cilantro and onions (which I could have done without).

Overall, these were the best tacos I’ve had south of the border, which is not saying much - but at least some thought was put into everything and unfortunately the price reflected it – the entire plate was 100 Cordovas or like 5 bucks US. This is REALLY expensive for Nicaragua but hey, I guess it was worth it. When it comes to Mexican food, Costa Rica is a complete joke – as you will probably see in future reviews.

The Review:

Torts: 3.5/5.0 Not real ones but still good
Carnes: 3.5/5.0 Appeared to be good but all the flavors were mixed up
Sides: 3.0/5.0 Shitty rice but good beans but poor quantities
Atmosphere: 2.0/5.0 Made me want to kill myself or be killed by malaria (which we almost were!)
Price: 3.0/5.0 Expensive for what it was

Total 3.0/5.0 Nice try, but try a little harder

Taco Review #14 - El Quijote, Granada Nicaragua – The Taco Sandino, 30th Anniversary of Shitty Tacos

2009-07-31T14:25:00.005-06:00

OK, so Nicaragua is not really known as a hot-bed for amazing tacos but c’mon “El Quijote” (if that’s your real name) if you put it on the menu amigo, you need to at least TRY. I mean, these tacos sucked so bad that if Mexico ever found out about this, there would be some serious declarations of war or something crazy – the frickin’ Taco Lords would make it a point to roll a few heads across the floor of the Granada Municipal Building, that’s fer sure. Calderon would be like “Hey Ortega, I was reading that sweet “Take Me To Your Liter Blog” and dude, what’s up with the bogus tacos? – I mean, that shit ain’t cool – stick to tostones or Flor de Cana or cigars…..you guys don’t know jack about tacos, so just leave it!” and Ortega would just be like “Whatever Mexi-Cal” (that’s what Ortega calls Calderon as a joke - but Calderon doesn’t know it’s a joke – he figures it’s a like some gangsta name and thinks it’s cool). Anyway, Ortega will have none of that sort of taco (national) embarrassment and would naturally have the taco cook “disappear” into the jungle as part some sort of bogus Bobby Flay Taco Throw-Down. Ortega knows that nobody will miss a crappy taco cook right now, as everybody is too busy celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution.

To be fair, I never expected to find any decent tacos in Nicaragua – but they had all kinds of Mexican “specialties” on the menu at El Quijote so I figured they must be on to something. Ya, I’m sure they had no clue that a serious taco review was about to go down. Oh ya, and I was drunk. Now that’s even worse because, as you all know, if you’re drunk (or high), EVERTHING tastes good….even Taco Bell…….so to get a bad review by a drunk……well now, that’s just REALLY bad.

The place: a mix of about 10 loud expats and Nicas bitching about all kinds of stupid crap – it was pretty empty except them and us. The service sucked, as expected.

The tacos consisted of the thickest tortillas ever constructed or even imagined in your wildest of taco dreams. Those puppies were like a half inch thick and as dry and as crumbly as that crappy corn bread your mom used to make. The carne was carne of the chewy and fried variety and then there were the limp veggies stupidly laid on top of it all “fajita style” covered in a layer of melted queso, which was actually the best part. No sides except some unbelievably weak pico a spoonful of shit-beans (basically, bean paste).

The review:

Tortillas: 1.5/5.0 Better than air – um, maybe not
Carne: 2.0/5.0 I think they salted it a bit
Atmosphere: 2.0/5.0 Maybe we just hit a bad night
Veggies: 1.0/5.0 Soggy and Suckee
Beer: 3.0/5.0 They had beer – so give to poor bastards some points!!!

Overall 1.9/5.0 Wooo Hooo - Viva Sandinos but these tacos must die!!

Monteverde Dirt - Dos Doses of Dos

2009-07-08T16:04:00.006-06:00

OK, so near our place there are two towns about 5 km apart that are both called “Dos”. First of all, that’s a really um, kinda weird name for a town……I mean there are no other towns called “Cinco” or “Ocho” or any other number. One of the towns is actually called “Dos de Tilaran” (Tilaran is the county) and the other is called “Dos de Abangares” (again, Abangares is the county). Anyway, I’d like to know the story behind that whole deal - like one town said “Hey, we’re gonna name our town ‘Dos’ and the other said ‘uh, that’s a really sweet name, maybe we’ll name our town Dos as well’ and then the first town was like……”dude, whatever – you guys suck”. So anyway, doing a loop ride through the Dos-es is pretty cool except for one thing – the ride starts with a lot of descending and ends with a ton of climbing. I really hate rides like that and have even been tempted to drive to the low point of the ride and start form there.

From Tornos head northwest to Cabaceras but right at the main store there, hang a left – this will take you to Dos #1 (de Abangares) via a REALLY steep decent. You will know when you are getting close because about ½ km before you get there you can smell coffee being roasted at the “benificio” – could be your brakes though. The benificio is located in the valley next to the Rio Canas in a really awesome setting. You can do a tour of the place, which I’ll bet is pretty cool. This is the low point of the ride – from here you climb though coffee farms and forest for about 5 km to Dos #2 (de Tilaran). Dos #2 is not as cool as Dos #1, but they have a store that seems to really be catering to boozing tourists - I guess because it’s written in English. After getting your 12 pack to “take away” you will climb some more through coffee farms, the small town of Las Brisas and then back to Cabaceras and a steep climb back to Tornos. Not sure of the mileage of this one but probably around 12 to 14 with about 2,000 ft of climbing. Bonus points if you really DID pick up a 12 pack in Dos 2.

So, as you can see I'm finally starting to learn this damn GPS - here is the track and elevation profile.

July Random 10

2009-07-08T16:00:00.001-06:00

Huon – Uplifting
Tito Puente – Oye me Guaguanco
Mary Lou Lord – Eternal Circle
Nino Bravo – Libre
Hasil Adkins – Up on Mars
This Mortal Coil – Sound of the Siren
The Jesus Lizard – Panic in Cicero
Archie Sturgill – Queen Sally
Mearle Haggard – I Wonder if They Ever Think of
Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies

Taco Review #13 - Taqueria del Palmar - Almost Like Smokin' Crack

2009-07-08T15:48:00.015-06:00

Taqueria del Palmar – El Cerrito, California

Oh Man, this one almost slipped through the cracks of my computer.

So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos” or "Tacos wit Meet"

So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas standing there thinking, “who’s THIS douche bag” but of course they are thinking in Spanish so it was probably something like "Quien es ESTA bolsa de douches?"....so I'm like "hola, como estas?" and they were like "uh...bien"

Bonus: They have one of those menus on the wall behind the counter that actually shows a picture of the food. I like that – I know what the hell I’m getting - and if it don’t look like the picture, there’s gonna be hell to pay - ya chicas, you heard me there's gonna be HELL TO PAY. Those of you who know me, know how VIOLENT I CAN GET.......JUST LOOK AT ALL OF THESE CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!

So, in my soft little gringo voice: “Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”......(longish pause)…. and then - cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in - order confirmed. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.

Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas on my table. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the carne - spices and slight crispiness around the edges - aye chinga. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..double check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions - oh well.

So Ya, those little bastards (the tacos) were GOOD…….and what the hell was I thinking by only ordering 2 tacos…..was I high? Well, if I WAS high I probably would have ordered like 20 tacos…..and a Nachos Bell Grande®. I only ordered two, so that proves I WASN'T high.

Since it’s actually been a few months since those little delicious tacos were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m not going into the full-blown review, but am gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Hmmmm, wait a MINUTE! - I'm eating tacos in Oakland California (crack capital of the west coast) and these tacos are givin' me the shakes......shit, I'm hooked!

Viva Tacos Palmar!

Taco Review #13 - You're on Crack if you don't like these tacos

2009-07-08T15:48:00.006-06:00

Taqueria del Palmar – El Cerrito California

So driving through the East Bay there are like a kajillion taco stands. In Berkley, you get the more yuppie versions like “TNT Taco” and “The California Taco Factory” – or some gay shit like that. But as you head north towards Oakland and you get into more sketch-ville you get the real deal. Driving down the main drag I was giving myself whip-lash looking at all the possibilities “there’s one….shit, there’s another, oh wow, that one has piñatas, sweet….that one has a Bohemia sign (thinking of parched throat)…Al Pastor…….. screeeeeetch!” So I settled on Taqueria del Palmar mostly because it looked as if they spent more than an hour decorating the front of their place. There were no spray-painted signs with typos telling passers-by they have “Seefood Tacos”.

So there I am, 3:00 in the afternoon, hardly dinner time or lunch time but I was certainly jonesn’ for a couple of tacos and a beer or two. I walk in and there are two fat Mexican Chicas ……thinking “who’s THIS douche bag” ………..They have one of those menus on the wall behind the counter that actually shows a picture of the food. I like that – I know what the hell I’m getting - and if it don’t look like the picture, there’s gonna be hell to pay.

“Tacos Al Pastor por favor y uno Modelo Especial”….cha-ching! ya baby, I’m in. Now, if I would have ordered in English and ordered a Corona, I’m certain there would have been some loogee sauce on my tacos.

Within 30 seconds there was a Modelo, lime, chips (real ones) and two salsas. The Tacos were the real deal. No messin’ around with the spices and slight crispiness around the edges. Double steamed tort……check. Jalepeno on the plate without asking for one…..check. Chopped onions……..oh, shit, I forgot to tell them to hold the onions. Those little bastards were GOOD…….and what the hell was I thinking by only ordering 2 tacos…..was I high? Well if I WAS high I probably would have ordered like 20 tacos…..and a Nachos Bell Grande®.

Since it’s actually been a couple of months since those little delicious taco were in my belly and my memory is pretty weak – I’m gonna go by my gut and say these tacos were about a 4.65/5.0……probably one of the highest scores I’ve given. Tacos like that are like crack - you always get the shakes when you think about eatin' em. Bonus points too for Palmar's proximity to Oakland......if you need to score some REAL crack. Viva Tacos Palmar!

Monteverde Dirt – The Two “Miradors” Where You Usually Can’t See Jack

2009-06-12T10:57:00.005-06:00

Leaves as big as bikes

Just above our place there is a place called El Mirador (the lookout point). It is located on top of the continental divide and when you’re up there you can look down onto the Carribean Slope and there is (sometimes) a great view of Arenal Volcano. Arenal is currently very active and, when it’s clear, you can usually see it erupting and spewing all kinds of crazy pyroclastics (ya, I’m a geologist so I can use words like that!). In the day time it’s usually just a big plume of ash that is visible, but at night you can actually see house-sized glowing hunks of magma being shot into the air and then smashing into a million pieces as it it’s the flanks – pretty damn cool. Anyway, a ride to El Mirador is a pretty good one if you like the steep stuff. A lot of this ride is along tracks that follow the crest of the “divide” so sometimes the wind is howling and other times you are getting slammed by clouds rolling up the slope. It’s about 30 minutes from the house to the divide through coffee and banana farms on a few double track sized roads - unfortunately there is never a whole lot of time to soak in the scenery since there is usually this very loud distracting sound of your heavy breathing and the pounding of squishy sound blood pumping in your ear drums. The other day I decided to check out El Mirador to see what was spewing. I do the long climb and get there…….dammit! clouds!.....can’t see shit. OK, well good thing there is another “Mirador” just a few KM’s down the road near the Santa Elena Reserve (National Park) so I head there and again, frickin clouds! Bastards! – turn of the damn cloud machines already this ain’t no frickin’ Great White concert. After waiting 15 minutes or so and getting a few glimpses of the flanks of the volcano, I bail back home – fast-as-hell downhill all the way. The route for this one was Los Tornos-Las Nubes-Los Olivios (Mirador #1) - Santa Elena Reserve (Mirador #2) – Santa Elena – Los Tornos. Probably a 15 mile loop that is pretty much an ass-kicker. Bring a few Colones if you want to stop in SE or Las Pavas Bar for a beer and a boca.

While cranking up this hill I look to my right and notice somebody has displayed a page out of "La Teja" (the Costa Rican version of the National Enquirer). Hmmmm, interesting.

June Random 10

2009-06-12T10:47:00.004-06:00

Fiddlin’ John Carson – Goin’ Down to Cripple Creek
Built to Spill – Shit Brown Eyes
Mirah – We’re Both So Sorry
Scarce - Obviously Midnight
The Jazz Butcher – The Bath of Bacon
Pela – Anytown Graffiti
The Chrome Cranks – No. 1 Girl
The Chemistry Set – Underground
Yo La Tengo – Moon Rock Mambo
Stereo Total – La Diabla

Taco Review #12 – Alejandros Taqueria – The Capital City Taco Ma-Sheen

2009-06-12T10:24:00.002-06:00

In February I made it out to Cali to visit Dad and the Davis Bike Borrachos (Starbacks and Cocks) and also took in a couple days of the miserably soggy Tour of California. Dad and I went to Sac to check out the prologue and after watching a few of the lower seeded racers we started to get the taco jitters and decided we had enough time for a couple of tacos before the big boys (the juicers) were up. Just a couple of blocks north of the Capital Plaza Place (whatever they call it) and were the race was being held, was Alejandro’s Taqueria……chinga score! I ordered up the gold standard carne asada taco plate which included the typical rice and beans and condiment bar. Man, I just love those taqueria condiment bars….jalepenos, your choice of salsa, cilantro, frickin limes and onions (if you’re into that). Alejandro’s is your one-step-above the typical taqueria because 1) they have a lot more than just tacos and 2) the tables and floors were not sticky with half-dried menudo juice and 3) I’m sure Arnold eats here. “Solid” is a good way to describe Alejandro’s – not super kick ass but really good solid and authentic Mexican food. The tacos were double-torted, and steamed as they should be. The meat was well done and a bit crispy….check. The beans were authentically runny and the rice was cooked with only a few molecules of chile powder giving it a faint pinkish color – again, the way it should be. (hey man, I didn’t make up these criteria – those are just the facts bro)

The Review:

Authenticityness (food) 4.5/5.0
Atmosphere (sterile) 2.5/5.0
Condiment Bar (bad ass) 4.5/5.0
Carne (crispy goodness) 3.8/5.0
Location (close to the race) 4.0/5.0

Total: 3.86/5.0

As we left Alejandro’s, guts bustin’ with tacos, back to the bike race we realized we had missed the end which we had waited all day to see….shit! Oh well, we weren’t too bummed because Alejandro had treated us good……had missed the race after eating at some shit hole like Chili’s® there would have been blood in the streets.

New Web Site Blog Thingy – Que Pasa Monteverde

2009-05-29T14:12:00.002-06:00

This is a site where Jen and I a putting random stuff about living in Costa Rica. It’s rated PG-13 as to no offend too many people. Just like PG-13 movies, it can be a little boring and cheesy at times and you’ll be waiting a long time before you see any decent titties, but if you are interested at all in what we’re up to, you might check it out. Here’s the link: http://que-pasa-monteverde.blogspot.com/

Monteverde Dirt – Big, Hot and Sticky San Luis Lollipop

2009-05-29T14:06:00.004-06:00

Los Tornos – Santa Elena – San Luis – Santa Elena – Los Tornos. Note to self: never do this ride when it’s really sunny – wait for clouds, even rain – or stay home and booze.

So, this is a great ride - again for a dirt road ride (not much single track here in Costa Rica) but it does have some monster climbs and descents and if you plan it poorly like I did last week, you will be taking on the monster-est of climbs in the blazing sun……oh, don’t forget it’s like 400 percent humidity too – so if you are not used to it after living in like zero humidity the past 15 years, think twice about this ride Holmes.

Not sure of the mileage of this one but I’m guessing it’s around 25-ish.

The ride from Los Tornos to Santa Elena is pretty strait forward, lots of ups, a few downs, loose rocky shitty roads that this area is known for. From Santa Elena you basically head out of town towards the Monteverde Preserve, but about half way there you will see a small road on your right to San Luis. Take it. It immediately drops into an abyss and is actually paved in a few sections otherwise vehicles would not be able to make this grade if it was loose rock. It’s a great screamin’ downhill that is really easy to loose control – one of those deals where you a cruising along just fine and then you’re like “oh wow, that’s a cool bird” and then you snap out of it and realize you’re going WAY to damn fast and you’re like “sheeeeeeeIEEEEETTTTT!!! – and then you barely pull out of it.

Anyway, at the bottom of this canyon is the small town of San Luis (beer?) where there are a couple of small pulperias (tiny stores usually in somebody’s living room) to get some fuel. Once you cross the river at the center of town you are now in for a treat: about 1.5 hours of non-stop climbing back to Santa Elena. For me last week, it was brutally hot and my legs were actually dripping sweat – so plan accordingly. The halfway (ish) point of this climb is the intersection with the main road from the Pan Amercicana to Santa Elena – hang a right to get back. From this point it’s less steep but less shade as well. As you are climbing, just remember – there is BEER in Santa Elena, and LOTS of it!

Monteverde Dirt – Reservas, Preservas and Cervezas (I know, that don’t rhyme worth shit)

2009-05-29T14:03:00.001-06:00

From the town of Santa Elena to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve is a short trip, great for a beginner or half-drunk intermediates and experts. Lot’s of beer drinking opportunities along the way – bars, restaurants and stores – or pack it with you, it’s an easy ride and a six pack of Imperial isn’t really isn’t all that heavy when you consider the energy and sheer enjoyment it’s gonna bring you.

It’s probably only 3 or 4 miles each way and the hardest part is the short grunt out of Santa Elena – at least wait until you top this hill before you start drinking. After about ½ mile the pavement ends and you’re on dirt, or more likely mud – hey, man it’s the frickin’ rainforest, what do you expect. It’s pretty much dirt road all the way, however there are a few trail opportunities that parallel the road but nothing very exciting. The turn around point is the parking lot at the Monteverde Preserve, where you can get a tourist-priced beer in the cafeteria thing or sit out front with your own stash and wait for the Quetzals to show up (I’ve seen em here, twice). The Hummingbird Gallery (100 yards back towards town) is worth checking out too because it’s free and you can check out some pretty cool birds at very close range. The return trip to town is mostly downhill, but it’s worth taking your time and checking shit out. We saw an “agouti” on this road last week. Great warm up ride for the area and one of the few without tons of monster climbs.

Taco Review #1 - Bertha Mirandas, Reno NV - Biggest Little Taco in the World

2009-05-29T13:58:00.003-06:00

So when eating on my food per diem for work (well, this is when I used to have a job) I always felt like I should maybe treat myself to a good meal – like at a place I would normally not go because it was a little out of my price range. Fortunately for my previous employer, I realized that the best food to be had is a little shit-hole places located in the worst part of town where you can get a hooker AND a carne asada plate and STILL be under the per diem! - now that’s smart shoppin’! Take for instance Bertha Mirandas in Reno NV – located right off the strip in a crazy neighborhood full of pawn shops and bail bonds places, there are plenty of dives, but Berthas is actually a pretty nice place – looks like an old Victorian house that was probably around servin’ up tacos to hungry 49’ers on their way to Virginia City.

Not really a taco stand and not really taco stand caliber tacos, but still damn good for a sit down place. I ordered the shredded beef taco plate (typical rice and beans on the side). The tacos were solid – beef: yes it was shredded and tender and moist and de-lish, topped with a little jack and lettuce and some tasty, but not spicy at all, salsa. Single-layer tort configuration which worked well with no tort bustage which is typical of single tort chinsey-ness. Rice: good rice, much better than the slop they serve up in New Mexico – loose and dry
Beans: Decent but nothing special. Beer: Three Bohemias. Any place that serves Bohemia automatically gets an extra ½ point in any on my reviews.

Berthas Taco Plate:

Carne: Bueno 4.0/5.0
Toppings: Lacking a bit 3.2/5.0
Salsa: Tasty but not spicy 3.6/5.0
Torts: White corn, good 4.2/5.0
Location: Easy to pawn a watch if you need $$ for tacos 4.2/5.0

Overall Score 3.84/5.0

Taco Review #10 - Taco no Mas

2009-05-29T13:47:00.002-06:00

BEST TACO EVER!!! No, unfortunately this is not the eatin’ type – this is my cat “Taco” who we just had to have put to sleep. This was not the way I wanted to spend my first week living in Costa Rica. Taco had developed some stones in his urinary tract and bladder but by the time we got him to the vet it was too late. It was a bummer of a few days for us - and his buddy Pickle was pretty bummed as well. I couldn’t eat tacos for a whole week. Poor little guy.

May Random 10

2009-05-29T13:44:00.001-06:00

Metronomy – Peter’s Pan
Beck – Que Onda Guero
The Residents – Lord, it’s Lonely
Benny Goodman – I Ain’t Got Nobody
Amy Winehouse – Rehab (Hot Chip Remix)
MGMT – Kids
Jack O’ Fire – Moanin’ at Midnight
Elba Remalho – Odile Odile
Tortoise – TNT
Alaska in Winter – Close Your Eyes, We are Blind

Shit That Bugs The Hell Out Of Me #1

2009-04-23T20:23:00.004-06:00

Inspired from my ranting post from the other day - I decided to burden everybody that reads this blog (all 4 of you!) with a grand new installment called "Shit That Bugs The Hell Out Of Me". From these insights, you will be able to figure out how to either piss me off or how to be my friend - this will also give us something to argue over next time I see you.........but your ass better not show up in one of these things (see photo) or I won't even acknowledge that you exist:

Possibly the gayest car ever built (Chrysler PT Cruiser) with, without a question, the biggest waste-of-money paint job ever conceived. Photo taken in Taos NM.

Taco Review #9 - Mezcal Concert Taco

2009-04-22T20:18:00.006-06:00

Outside of the Zocolo in Mexico D.F., you couldn't pick a better place for a taco stand.....Denver Colorado, Colfax Ave, across from the Bluebird Theater and just down the street from the Gothic Theater. Ya, we're talking serious tidal surges of young hippies, geeky yuppies, stupid jocks, mega dorks and trying-to-hard hipsters all night long coming and going from one show to the next. Pre-show, post-show, stumbling down to the corner to catch the last RTD bus, Mezcal has come to the rescue. Not exactly a "true" taco stand, but one that puts out a mean pastor and backs it up with a kick-ass bar.........all this while providing an atmosphere for watching a few pink tacos as well. Great tacos, great beer and tequila selection in a great location - I would say it's "genius", but really, it's just common sense.

The tacos. Well I ordered the "Al Pastor" and "cha-ching", I hit the jackpot. Slow-simmered bad-assness with some crazy sweet sauce, cabbage and lime. Topped off with a Bohemia "Clasica".........I know, I know, what the hell is that? Well, it's my favorita cerveza Mexicana - but I've never even HEARD of the "Clasica" version. Hmmmmm, like Negra Modelo but mas mejor. Saw it that time and have never seen it again......but oh, the tacos.....

The review:

Flavor-ito: 4.6/5.0 (crazy sweet - good puerco)

Atmophere-ito 3.8/5.0 (loud, too many yuppies)

Precio 3.2/5.0 (a little pricey - but they need to pay the rent in this high $$$ area)

Tort Factor 4.5/5.0 (perfect steamed double tort - the way god meant it)

Booze Factor 5.0/5.0 (perfect score bitches - others -learn by example, I was impressed!)

Overall 4.1/5.0 (pretty good score considering not a single hispanic eating there)

Vaya Con Dios

2009-04-21T21:50:00.011-06:00

As Jen and I are heading out of the country for bigger and better things down south (jury's out, we'll see what happens) - I'm thinking of the many things I will miss (and not) about living in the US. Here's just a few:

One thing I WON'T miss are loud Harleys. Taos is a great place to live in the summer, mountains right there to the east and south, desert to the west, beer at Eske's just a few blocks away, but what ruins it all, more than ANYTHING is the constant roar of Harleys through the streets all summer long. The sad part is that the posers that are riding these things, think they are some sort of bad asses. Maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking riding a Harley these days (as opposed to like the 70's) is pretty much a joke. No I won't miss you - all you fat ass old fuckers hauling your nasty "bitches" around on your hogs. Dudes, get a life and let people have some peace and quiet - nobody thinks you're cool, they just think you're an annoying idiot.

I WILL miss the food in New Mexico. Probably the best food I've had anywhere. Goodbye my little posole, adovada and sopapillas - I will be thinking of you when I'm eating gristle on the beach at Curu.

I WON'T miss the snow - I absolutely hate that shit

I WILL miss singletrack. Riding in Costa Rica is pretty cool but it's not like it is in the US. There is virtually zero singletrack in Costa Rica - I'm guessing that's because it's gets overgrown with vegetation so fast, I don't know. However, wide trails in the tropics might be a good thing as you don't really want pit vipers hanging out on branches, snapping at your jugular as you're trying to clean some crazy rock garden. Not cool. Guess I got spoiled living the past several years in Colorado and New Mexico.

I WON'T miss people who are obsessed with money and "things". It's almost like a competition in the US and I'm especially talking to YOU - douche bag that lives north of Espanola in that nasty ghetto singlewide trailer that drives a $70,000 Hummer. You're a dumb ass and contrary to what you may think, those who finish with the most toys does NOT win. fag

I WILL miss the wide open spaces in the southwest. Man, there really is some cool stuff to see and miles upon miles of open space to explore - it really IS amazing.....that is until you run into a bunch of discarded matresses and bullet-riddled washing machines way out in the middle of nowhere - that part sucks..

I WON'T miss the obsession people in the US have with hunting and guns. Grow up guys, we're not living in frikin' caves anymore .......you can actually go the supermarket and purchase better meat for less money that you can by hunting it. Think about it, if you add up all the money you spend on guns, ammo, permits, gas, ATVs, Cabelas dork-wear, booze and kiddie porn, you'll find that supermarket meat is far cheaper, better, easier and you don't have to dress up like a complete moron to obtain it......and better yet you don't have to obliterate the countryside.

I won't miss shitty art (actually, I consider most of the stuff around here "crafts", but whatever)- Not dissing all of it but here in New Mexico there is just WAY too many Indians on rearing up horses with spears and all kinds of crazy eagle feathers. Stoooopid! .......and coyotes with bandanas around their necks howling at the moon and Kokopelli's.....that shit bugs me too.

I WON'T miss assholes on ATVs that think they can ride anywhere they please. There's WAY too much of that crap going on - but when you run into these fuck-heads, of course you can't say anything to them because they are usually drunk and packin' a "nine"......you just have to be cool and say "what's up man?"

I WON'T miss graffiti - in the US punk kids have so much extra money that they don't think twice about heading down to Ace for a few cans of spray so they can tag the entire hood. OK, so now there is bad graffiti and good graffiti - c'mon kid if you're gonna do it, shit man, do it right. That "tagging" crap is just plain stupid - oh big whoop, you sprayed your gang initials on a stop sign as being part of your territory, ya, well I tagged a frikin' taco - how you like me now beeatch? Dude, take your time and put some thought into it. (flip side - next time you see a freight train roll by, watch the graffiti - some of it is actually pretty bad-ass. Now that's a great place to spray graffiti, on an ugly ass noisy train that's a big-time eye-sore anyway- it's like a rolling art expo [bam - stamp of approval!]). In poor countries, where kids are worried more about buying food than spray paint, you just don't see much graffiti at all..

Last, but not least, I'll miss good super hoppy beer and really stinky cheese - not to be had in Costa Rica. sniff sniff. Hey, yo when you come to visit - now you know what to bring!!

Vaya con dios

April Random 10

2009-04-21T21:39:00.002-06:00

Sleater Kinney - Funeral Song

Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan

Savage Republic - Sucker Punch

Snakefinger - Eva's Warning

Art Brut - Post Soothing Out

Vince Guaraldi - Chora tu Tristiza

Nortec Collective - Funky Tamazula

Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash - Night Life

Martin Riley - The Pill

Lunchbox - My disaster

Truely Bad Ass

2009-04-21T21:11:00.001-06:00

.....wish I could do just ONE of these tricks

March Random 10

2009-03-27T14:08:00.003-06:00

The Strokes - Take it or Leave it
Nickodemus - Cleopatra in New York
Akira Rabelais - Gorgeous Curves
The Black Keys - Hurt Like Mine
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Y Control
Iron and Wine - Horse by the Sea
DJ Logic - Shea's Groove
Badly Drawn Boy - Four Leaf Clover
Jupiter One - Countdown
Junior Kimbrough - Leave her Alone

Taco Review #8 - Randy's White Boy Taco

2009-02-13T11:30:00.004-07:00

Whoever the hell Randy is - He makes a hellava giant crispy chicken taco. At Randy's Mexican Restaurant in Benicia California they serve it up "Cali Style" with lots of shredded chicken, lettuce, cilantro and Parmesan cheese. uh......Say what esse? Parm on a taco? Dude, consider this, you're in Cali where if somebody were to put moldy Velveeta and broken glass on a taco it would probably STILL be bad-ass. These ain't no sissy sized tacos either - just two of them will put you at the limit and while you're waiting to see how that sits, you need to contemplate how you're gonna manage that mountain of pinto beans and Spanish rice that is staring up at you. A LOT of food. Back to the taco......awesome chicken in a corn tort which is then folded and fried forming the tort in an unbendable taco shape. Convenient and neatly packaged, yes, but the rigidity of the tort will likely cause massive tort failure upon biting as the inward stress vector created by biting teeth completely compromises the structural integrity of the entire taco. Don't be surprised if you find yourself abandoning the hand-held option and eating it with a fork, taco salad style, after just two bites.

Randy's is a white boy place, as is the town of Benicia. This is not the place to come if you are in need of a big bowl of menudo or nopales....in other words, you won't find "La Raza" holding Caesar Chavez inspired civil disobedience strategy meetings here. - but it's not a yuppie place either as it looks as if Randy has spent no more than about 12 bucks decorating the place.

The value is there too. $10.95 for two tacos and really good rice and beans isn't too bad when you consider 1) you're in California, 2) The tacos are easily twice (or three times) bigger than typical taco stand sized tacos, and 3) you have lots of leftovers for lunch the next day.

The Review:

Taste: 4.5/5.0 (moist chicken - I'd say "juicy" but hate when people say that because meat does not have juice in it)

Veggies: 3.5/5.0 (lots of lettuce and tomato - needed less of that and more cilantro. Jalapenos are available - BONUS POINTS)

Tort: 3.5/5.0 (tasty fried tort - but too rigid for the untrained taco eater - probable massive tort failure)

Restaurant Decorations: 4.0/5.0 (Randy knows the food is "mas importante" decorations are for Chevy's)

Value: 4.0/5.0 (big portions great prices)

Total: 3.4/5.0

Things are gettin' crazy in Taos

2009-02-10T20:20:00.003-07:00

Seems the hippies in Taos are just tad upset at the closing of the Vibrations Rastafarian Store. Here is a picture of Jen making her way through the mayhem and toxic patchouli gas. Everything is not "ire".

Taco Review #6 - The "tryin' too hard taco"

2009-02-10T16:34:00.009-07:00

Orlando's New Mexican Restaurant in Taos NM has great food - no question about that. The enchiladas...awesome. Tamales....crazy good. Tacos?......hmmm, never had em - so how bout a taco review? When Jen and I have guests that visit us from out of town that are jones'n for some real NM comida - we always end up at Orlando's. Very cool, friendly, funky place that, most importantly, has good beer.

Lesson #1: when you go to a Mexican restaurant, always order tacos (never burritos, fajitas or enchiridos) Lesson #2: when you go to a NEW Mexican restaurant, NEVER order tacos (always enchiladas, tamales and posole). So with those words of wisdom always in the back of my mind, I broke the rules and went for the tacos the last time we went to Orlando's. Was I high? Maybe. But that don't matter, because even if you ARE high, you NEED to follow those rules.

Shredded beef tacos (or machaca) are a good substitute for the traditional asada, al pastor or carnitas. At Orlando's they offer up the shredded beef taco plate on trendy blue corn torts. So dude, blue corn? Everybody knows that, for some reason, blue corn torts are usually drier and denser than the regular torts, but hey, this is Taos and if you don't have blue corn "this" or blue corn "that" on the menu, you might as well close yer doors, because there ain't a single Texan that's gonna eat there - and that's usually half the town's population. (yes, unfortunately New Mexico drew the short straw when they were handing out statehood - and we got stuck next to Texas). Also, the place would have NEVER appeared on one of Bobby Flay's cooking shows - don't remember which one since that Food Network whore has about 40 different shows.

So blah, blah, blah - what about the freakin' tacos? They showed up on the table and they looked pretty bad-ass. Three fatties - much larger than your typical Mexican taco - I guess that's to hold all of that filler material (i.e. lettuce and tomato). The shredded beef was really, really good - and that's important - but you gotta consider all the various taco parts - you don't get an automatic taco "5 tort" rating just because your meat kicks ass. The veggie parts were a little much but doable. Jack cheese, check. But the two taco components that are really important were really bad: 1) shitty blue corn torts that tasted like warped particle board (which completely disintegrated after two bites), and; 2) the salsa. Although it was pretty tasty and perfectly fine for chips, it was not spicy at all and when I asked for a side of jalapenos the waitress said "we don't have jalapenos".........what the? .....you DON'T have jalapenos? Naturally, I thought she was joking and I was waiting for her to crack a smile and say "ha ha - just messin' with you white boy, of course we have jalapenos, I'll bring some right out". So I'm like totally blown away and about ready to cry so I say "OK, well how about some hot sauce"? She said "we have Cholula and Tabasco" Again, I'm thinking "where the fuck am I?" - I mean, Cholula? That shit is for little grannies that have bleeding ulcers and chronic ARD.....and Tabasco? Don't get me wrong, I like Tabasco, but c'mon I don't want no damn Cajun juice on my tacos (as a side note here: a fellow taco eater/expert that I work with, Armando, loves Tabasco on his tacos - I know, that's really retarded but listen to this - he's the cousin of Orlando, who owns this place - I understand now, since I know retardedness is genetic)

The funky, small and jalapeno-free zone at Orlando's

Total tortilla destruction - not cool

The review:

Authenticity: 2.5/5.0

Atmosphere: 4.0/5.0

Picante-ness: 1.0/5.0

Meat factor: 4.2/5.0

Beer Selection: 4.0/5.0

Total: 3.1/5.0

February Random 10

2009-02-10T16:08:00.003-07:00

The Chrome Cranks - Dark Room
Takako Minekawa - Phonoballoon Song
Blonde Redhead - Loved Despite of her Great Faults
Sonic Youth - Trilogy
Beastie Boys - Just a Test
Stereolab - Our Trintone Beat
The Upsetters - Spinning Wheel
Elliot Smith - Waltz #2
Carlos Nunez - Catigueiras
Neko Case - Blacklisted

Taco Review #5 - The Souper Taco!

2009-01-06T19:33:00.007-07:00

Adelita's Mexican Restaurant - Santa Fe, NM - So you sit down at Adelita's and the first thing you see on the cover of the menu is a picture of some Mexican hottie.....who, I'm assuming is Adelita in her younger days when she helped Pancho Villa invade the US during the, now infamous, 1916 "Taco Revolution". There would have been a significant loss of life had it not been for a young US soldier who was posted to "outlook" duty that night. Staring across the dark sky into Mexican Territory, the young soldier smelled the unmistakable scent of stewed carnitas and knew an invasion was about to occur. The soldier mounted his horse and galloped through town screaming "the tacos are coming - the tacos are coming". As we all know now, the tacos came, kicked ass and haven't left.

Maybe the other reason the restaurant chose this picture of Adelita for the menu cover - toting her humongous-ass gun with TWO full belts of ammo - is just a reminder to those doubters, that she will not hesitate to blow your ass into Michoacan if you even THINK about asking for cheese on your taco.

So I've been to Adelita's a bunch of times because: 1) it's probably the best Mexican food I've had in New Mexico 2) it's cheap 3) the people that work there are super friendly and 4) most important, they have beer. It's a pretty small place, so plan on a long wait on the weekends, especially Sunday after about 11:00 am when the place will be packed with, uh Mexicans (mostly guys in large white cabellero cowboy hats) slurping down giant bowls of menudo, shrimp cocktails and buckets of Coronas.

So, what about the tacos?

So I sit down and order the Tacos de Carne Asada and am waiting there munching on chips and sampling the three different salsas of the day and here comes this big plate with 4 tacos, some pico, limes and......sheeite! What the hell.....soup? Hmmmm, don't remember getting soup with an order of tacos here - but whatever, bring it on amigo - I'm down with a little "Sopa de Dia". The second it lands on the table and I can smell it - it's got an awesome smoky smell - and turns out to be some sort of jalapeno/bean/ham/chorizo craziness and I'll tell you what, it was awesome. I'm serious, that was the best soup I've ever had. I'm not joking - in fact I'm jones'n for a bowl of it right now. Wow, what an awesome side for a taco plate. So ya, the tacos were amazing as they always are - carne perfectly grilled with some pieces actually a bit crunchy, perfect seasoning, no gristly nasty morsels. The torts were just pretty ordinary - and I'd prefer if they double-torted the tacos, for a little secondary containment of the inevitable asada break-through. A little cilantro would have been nice too - but I had the soup, I wasn't about to start bitchin' about anything.

Taco Break Down:

Authenticity 4.5/5.0

Carne Goodness 4.5/5.0

Extra stuff 4.8/5.0

Nice People 4.3/5.0

Historical Relevance: 4.2/5.0

Price/value: 4.6/5.0

Overall Score: 4.48 delicious points

Giant Beers for ALL My People!

2009-01-06T19:27:00.003-07:00

Based on the flag in the window, I'm assuming this is Cuba. Now if this is what Communism is all about - sign me up!

January Random 10

2009-01-06T19:02:00.002-07:00

Augie Colon - Babalu
Hank Williams - Half as Much
Cybophonia - Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Asobi Seksu - Lions and Tigers
Belle and Sebastian - My Wandering Days are Over
Esquivel - Take the A Train
The White Stripes - The Truth Doesn't Make a Noise
Delta 5 - Singing the Praises
The Velvet Underground - I'll be your Mirror
Calexico - Alone Again

Taco Review #4 - Taco Bell's Volcano Taco

2008-12-21T17:16:00.009-07:00

OK, I know - even Taco Bells BEST taco does not even qualify as a REAL taco, but hear me out. I was driving to Silver City in southern New Mexico, for work. Down I-25 to Las Cruces to I-10 then to Silver City. From this route you can actually SEE Mexico - yes, the taco Mothership. All of those mountains you see to the south of I-10 - that's Mexico baby. So I'm thinking, "I'm so close to frickin' Mexico time for another taco review - there's GOTTA be a decent taco around here". Driving south out of Soccorro, it's a long an lonely stretch of desert, especially when you're Jonesn' for tacos. My mouth was watering and the next town of any decent size is Truth or Consequences - so I set my sights on doing some serious taco eating there. Good thing, because I was frickin' starving!

I roll into T or C and the first "Mexican" place I see is called "Hot Stuff" - for one thing that's a REALLY stupid name for a restaurant but the worst part was the words "Hot Stuff" on their big-ass sign are spelled out in some sort of gay chili pepper font. There is NO way I'm eating there - I don't care if they have the best tacos in the world (which, I KNOW they would not) - it just ain't gonna happen. So I drive through town.....twice... and I don't see a single taco place, not one. OK, so now I'm pretty pissed, and still starving and right as I'm getting ready to get back on the freeway - there's Taco Bell. What the hell, it's my only option, so I pull in. In the window there is a big sign pushing their new "Volcano Taco". Being a geologist I thought anything that has to do with molten lava and spewing pyroclastic material can't be THAT bad. I go drive through the window and order two tacos smothered in volcanic goodness. I park and open the paper wrapper and there they are just sitting there, viscous bright orange volcanic "lava" dripping from the ends, a molten core of pureed Taco Bell taco meat and a red taco shell of solidified earthen crust.

So they were OK. About as good as I expected from Taco Bell ......however I was expecting at least a little spiciness from something called a "Volcano Taco" but there was nothing. There was none of that "fire coming out of your mouth" business like you see on the TV commercials. A couple of packets of the "Fire" sauce helped matters a bit, but not much. The Review:
Taco authenticity: 2.0/5.0
Volcanic Simulation 3.5/5.0 (orange cheese lava and wilted vegetation - a nice try)
Taco value: 3.0/5.0 (at $1.49 each it's still a little high for a taco)
Taste: 2.0/5.0 (does not even come close to the taste of a REAL taco, but hey it's Taco Bell!)

Overall Rating: 2.625/5.0

Taco Alert: DO NOT stop in Truth or Consequences for a taco - That town is some sort of taco-free vortex, there ain't shit there. If you're heading south, suck it up and wait another 50 miles or so until the Dona Ana exit. There is a really crazy looking taco stand right there off the freeway, yet to be reviewed.

Taco Review #3 - The "Alpo" Taco

2008-12-21T16:22:00.007-07:00

A taco stand inside of a Mexican Supermarket? Si Senior - estoy bajo! A supermarket that has a taco stand AND a carneceria? Palabra! This is the El Paisano Supermarket in Espanola, NM - English not spoken.

OK - so I've had tacos here before and they were actually pretty decent. But dude, what happened? - the tacos they are serving up now, totally suck. I mean that shit is like dog food. The lack of cars in the parking lot should have been a clue.

OK, so I show up thinking: "this is gonna be the Taco Review to end all Taco Reviews", I mean I gotta order in Spanish, and the nice ladies even walk back to the beat market and hand-select the meat for my carne asada. No Holmes, it don't get better than that!

The first sign of scariness is they are frying my hand-selected peice of meat in lard oil. OK, thats cool, but I usually like my "asada" grilled and not fried, so whatever. Second bad sign, the place is empty except for two trolls that stumbled in after I ordered - both ordered menudo (they KNEW something). Third bad sign, it took FOREVER to get my food - I mean what the hell are they doing to it - I'm the only one there that ordered real food that does not have to be ladelled into a bowl?

So I FINALLY get the goods and lather it up with whatever salsa concoction that is sitting there on the sticky, un-bussed table from the previous troll. I add some cilanto and chomp.......what the....? Ya, it's frickin' dog food. It was truely nasty. Chewy meat that was fried and ground and pulverized to a point of unrecognition. After chewing on just one taco, my jaw muscles were already bonking - I'm serious, they were BEAT and I had to rest. Choking down the first taco I looked at the remaining horror that remained on my plate and noticed that they had cooled to a point that the grease had started to solidfy into a nice orangish-brown color, coating every frightening morsel. I ate one more and that was it - 2 down and 2 more for the trash.

The Review:

Meat: 1.0/5.0

Veggies: 3.0/5.0 (cilantro only - I was scared to ask for anything else)

Value: 2.0/5.0 (4 bucks for 4 tacos would be a good deal - if they were real tacos)

Condenments: NA

Overall 1.3/5.0 (and that's pretty generous)

Taco Alert: Don't eat there - even if it's 2:30 am, and you're really high and have the munchies - don't do it.

December Random 10

2008-12-21T15:59:00.002-07:00

John Spencer Blues Explosion - Get Over here

Nirvana - Come As You Are

Sufjan Stevens - They Also Mourn Who Do Not Wear Black

Marcal E Caetano - Peco A Dues

Mosquito - The Legend of Seven Skulls

These New Puritans - 4

Augustus Pablo - Natural Way

Hank Williams - Dear John

The National - Patterns of Fairytales

Minutemen - Nothing Indeed

Sweet Rides

2008-12-01T14:02:00.009-07:00

Not sure what this bike has been dipped in - fleece? fur? pubes?

Party Bike - room for all of your drunken friends. I don't see anyway to steer the damn thing

Party bike in action

....another party bike - different kind of party

Bike fer Beer

2008-11-30T09:24:00.004-07:00

For Trade - Old, black Phillips bike. 3-Speed Sturmey Archer, Brooks Saddle, 12-pack basket, kickstand and weighs about 300 pounds. Will trade for case of beer. You pick up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nrRlXlbWCU

The Beaner

2008-11-30T08:15:00.005-07:00

In the hopes we can teach him to make us tacos - we've adopted a Beaner

Project Bean

The cats new punching bag

A Message from Nature

2008-11-30T07:01:00.002-07:00

Click to view special message

The Leavenworth Oktoberfest/Marathon Sacrifice

2008-11-19T13:47:00.019-07:00

Leavenworth Washington is one of those fake Bavarian villages that most old people think are something really "special" with all the gingerbread houses with flowers overflowing window boxes and cute knick knacks and people dressed up in stupid lederhosen. Little do they know - that behind all that gay crap is the real fake Bavarian village that consists of beers and drunk people and giant schnitzels and big boobies and more beers. Jen MADE me go to Leavenworth because she wanted to run some marathon there. There just HAPPENED to be an Oktoberfest celebration going on the same weekend. To top it all off, we met up with Earl and Doreen, who live in Seattle, and Jen MADE them go too. It was horrible, but I MUST make my wife happy and make a sacrifice. Jen had been training for this marathon for something like 8 months, sticking to her training schedule to-the-letter.
It was raining the morning of the race, and everybody at the start line was all bummed out, bitching about the weather and probable missed opportunities at a "PR" and blisters and hypothermia and cold fingers. Boo Hoo Hoo ya poor bastards - that's what Jen was thinking because she knew she had the upper hand psychologically because she was wearing her new Gore-Tex running shoes. That's right bitches - GORE tex. Ha! There will be no wet feet for Jen today. And guess what? - She's also gonna get a PR TOO! - because it's her first marathon ever!

After taking a considerable amount of time sizing up the competition at the start, Jen was ready, she was ready to kick some serious ass! BAM! the race was on! MILE after MILE after boring-as-hell-to-watch MILE she persisted. She was in the zone. She had a support crew that is absolutely the best in the business as their strategy was to get into the heads of Jen's competition by first getting drunk and then making smart ass comments to every runner that passed. This REALLY demoralizes people - especially when you say stuff like "good job" or "you're looking good" in a really smart ass sarcastic way. The best line used by Jen's crew was "you're almost there!" because they really weren't "almost there" - they still had miles to go and they had no idea! Ha Ha ha.

At mile 21 Jen thought "I'm done fuckin' around, time to reel these bitches in" referring to the several hundred runners ahead of her. She started to kick it in but all of the sudden BOOM she cramped. Oh shit, now what. She had to dig DEEP - I'm talking SUPER deep - but now her competition had the edge and unfortunately Jen's planned smack-down would have to wait until next year. Even though a couple of people finished ahead of her, she still managed a blistering 5:05, which is pretty bad-ass.

Most people run a marathon and then are such pansy asses that they need to rest or take a nap or get a rub down........but not Jen - she was like: "let's drink!!" and we were like: "OK if you insist". So we all walked over to the beer tents and proceeded to drink too many beers and eat giant schnitzels and almost get into fights. At the end of the night we walked back to the condo where Doreen provided a great finale to the night by falling down some stairs, getting up and hitting her head and then farting - pretty much all in one motion.
Jen - sizing up the competition and getting in your head

We have such pleasent friends

November Random 10

2008-11-19T13:39:00.003-07:00

Sea and Cake - Midtown

Daniel Johnston - Living Life

Coho - Until We Get There

Giant Sand - Is That All There Is?

The National - Available

The Minutemen - Below the Belt

Sparklehorse - Little Bastard Choo Choo

Elliot Smith - Coming Up Roses

Lilliput - Terrified

Iron and Wine - Fever Dream

Taco Review #2

2008-11-19T12:45:00.005-07:00

Guadalajara Grill (Norte) - Taos, NM

A curious fact: insert the letter "c" in Taos and you get "Tacos". Man, that would be pretty cool to live in a town called "Tacos" - hell of a lot better than "Taos" - I mean what kind of messed up word is that? Well anyway, Taos is lucky to have, not one but TWO Guadalajara Grill locations - north side and south side. So here it is: the GG serves up a pretty wide variety of authentic mexican stuff - even seafood. This is the sort of place where you order at the counter and have a seat to wait for the goods. Last week Jen and I went to check it out. When you do a "taco review", you naturally have to order the carne asada tacos - which really has to be the "gold standard" of tacos - so, that's what I got. Just shy of a "full bad-ass" rating they were pretty damn good. Good meat, a tiny bit of cheese (which is perfectly acceptable), cilantro and onions. Ya, I forgot to hold the onions - oh well, I was still able to taste through that onion nastiness to the real taco ingredients. The only thing that was just "asi-asi" was the tort. It was fried corn - which is good, but I like two torts - steamed a lot better than just one fried. The sides were good - runny refried beans (the way they serve em up in Mexico) and Spanish rice that was also waaaay better than the way most people in NM cook Spanish rice, which is just plain disgusting. There are two great things about the GG - first they have a good beer selection, and second they have a condenment bar with seriously some of the hottest pan-seared jalepenos ever. Awesome.

Meat: 4.3/5
Veggies: 4.5/5 (jalepenos)
Tort: 3.0/5
Salsa: 4.0/5
Size: 4.0/5
Price: 3.5/5 ($7.95 for the "plato")
Beers Drank: 1 Bohemia
Overall Score: 3.88

Taos Dirt - Horsethief and Cuervo Trails

2008-11-19T11:10:00.005-07:00

If you need to ride in the winter around these parts (Taos) - you only have a few options:

1) the front side of Divisidero (ass kicker)

2) Talpa Traverse (potential run-ins with belligerent rednecks) or

3) Horsethief and Cuervo

OK, Horsethief and Cuervo are not technically in Taos - they are in Arroyo Hondo - but close enough that if you were Jones-n' to ride you'd make the 15 minute drive to Hondo. To start the ride, hang a left on County Road B-001, about a quarter mile north of Herb's Bar in Arroyo Hondo. Drive this road for another quarter mile, past a few houses, pull off and park. Now ride west continuing on the same road towards the Rio Grande - mostly all down hill or flat. When you get to the gorge look to your right - ya see that faint trail heading north? - that's it - that's Horsethief. No, it's not marked in any way, not even a carin. From there you will follow the east edge of the gorge a few miles north where the trail will transition into the Cuevro and bring you back south - spitting you out right near the start of Horsethief. Check out this map - or, well a photo of a map.

Total time: about 1.5 hours (lollipop/loop)

Trail surface: smooth and swoopy with several areas of loose babyheads and smaller kittenheads - all ridable

Pokey Stuff: Yes, there's lots of cactus-don't stray from the trail even one inch or you're screwed

Possibility of Death: Yes - there is some major exposure in a few spots where, one wrong turn and you'll drop about 1,000 feet into the Rio. There's rattlers out there too....and sometimes rednecks shooting stuff

Proximity to Beer: Herb's Lounge - there's a scary liquor store there too

The Taco Guru is in the House

2008-10-26T07:08:00.006-06:00

I guess I'm as big of a Taco Expert as you could ever hope for. I know, I know - you're asking yourself "what the hell does a pasty-white midget Guero know about tacos?" Well chingasos you'd better back off because I've definitely eaten a taco or two in my day and have even lived in a few taco hot spots over the years, California, Denver and now, New Mexico. I must say, the taco situation in New Mexico is surprisingly pretty weak as most New Mexicans would rather have their "Spanish", or even "Mexican" food drowning in a few gallons of red or green chili. I have no problems with that because that shit is good too - but nothing, I mean NOTHING beats a good taco - the food of the gods. If there is a heaven, I'm pretty sure God and Allah and Vishnu and Krishna and the rest of those crazy characters are sitting around eating warm carnitas wrapped in couple of maize tortillas with a little bit of cilantro and lots of jalapenos. No doubt they are washing that all down with a shot of Don Julio and cold Modelo chaser. Shit, guess I'd better start praying.

More qualifications: I've travelled all over Mexico and eaten all kinds of tacos at all kinds of messed up taco stands - many after stumbling out of a cantina at 2:00 in the morning - those are the best tacos ever because even the shitty tacos are good (yes, it IS possible to get shitty Mexican food in Mexico).

Here I will scientifically analyze various tacos (and maybe a few wanna-be tacos) whenever a taco dares me to eat it. Bring it, tacos!

Taco Review #1 - the Hippie Taco, Eske's Brewpub, Taos New Mexico

Ok, so this is probably not the best place to get a REAL taco, but that's where Jen and I ended up last night and luckily they had shrimp tacos on the menu. Eske's ALWAYS has great food so I figured I wasn't gonna get screwed.

I put my order in with the hippie waitress and watched the hippie cooks slap it all together. When it finally landed on my table, first thing I thought was "Damn you hippies! too many veggies!" it looked like a cabbage taco with no visible sign of any shrimp (in the photo I had to brush away some of the cabbage just so you could see it wasn't ALL veggies). OK, so it came with a side of beans (pinto+black) and some sort of weird Asian(?) rice and a small container of Pico de Gallo. Personally, I think Pico is for pussies, I'd rather have a REAL taco salsa made of roasted tomatoes, red chilis, etc - but it will do. A few jalapenos or chipoltles would have been nice too.

The tacos were actually pretty decent, as I knew they would be. Lots of crispy tiny shrimp, cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes, jack cheese and probably some patchouli. They were pretty big tacos and I was fully expecting total tortilla bustage before I was done, but it never happened. At $10 for the whole meal it was a little steep ($10-30% [$3] for the beans and rice=about $3.50 per taco). Sorry to boggle your minds with all this hard-core math, but I told you this was going to be a scientific analysis.

Here's the breakdown:

Meat: 2.5/5

Veggies: 3.0/5

Tort: 3.75/5

Salsa: 1.5/5

Size: 4.0/5

Price: 2.5/5

Beers Drank: 1 Hoppy Harvest Ale, 1 Artist Ale

Overall Score: 2.875

Not a bad score for a place that also has sushi and a club sandwich on the menu.

TACO ALERT: Eske's shrimp tacos are not on their regular menu - it was the "special of the day". In a pinch, order the Fatty - a smothered burrito also done hippie style

Fudge Factor

2008-10-25T12:54:00.004-06:00

Jay and Armando at last nights' soccer match in Taos. So I don't embarrass the poor guys, I won't say who is who

Current Riding Conditions - Monteverde Costa Rica

2008-10-25T12:51:00.002-06:00

It's a little sloppy right now - might want to mount some fenders

GITA 2008 - South Boundary

2008-10-18T21:09:00.011-06:00

Ok, I'm not really one for organized rides, or even slightly organized rides (except for the odd race here and there) - but my friend Carrie and her boyfriend Anthony were in town for the annual GITA git-together and I caved. (GITA=gaspin' in the aspens [cute]). There were 10 of us that did the SBT via Valle Escondido, FR 50A, Elliot Barker and finally to the SBT. A pretty fun and long day - mostly due to the size of the group which is always hard to keep a good pace when you get big. Multiple flats, a wayward biker and a paparazzi amount of cameras also didn't help the pace. All was good though, a perfect day with some really cool folks

Taos Dirt - Talpa Traverse (aka dump-to-dump)

2008-10-18T20:20:00.009-06:00

A few views of the the Talpa traverse. A quick fun ride on the north side of town. Start by either going backwards on SBT (take the right at the big post that looks like it used to have a sign attached to it) or backwards on Ojitos and counting 11 woop-de-doos.....look for the white spray painted "anarchy" sign on a rock on the left and then look right - there's the sweetnees - hidden from the licking chops of the ATV dorks that scream past it all the time. Here's the goods:

Coming up from the El Nogal on the SBT you'll hit this switch back. If you make this one, I'll buy you a beer. Dave Kraig says he's made it, but I want to see the evidence!

Bike for Sale

2008-09-02T19:54:00.002-06:00

I always like to help a brutha out - especially when he's trying to sell a bike. This belongs to a friend of my buddy Phil - which he'd also posted on Craigs List. I figure I'd post it here since my web site probably gets a lot more hits than CL. Check it out:

Manly Bike for Sale ________________________________ Date: 2008-07-22, 10:18AM PDT Bike for sale. What kind of bike? I don't know, I'm not a bike scientist. What I am though is a manly guy looking to sell his bike. This bike is made outof metal and kick ass spokes. The back reflector was taken off, but if you think that deters me from riding at night, you're way wrong. I practiced ninja training in Japan's mount Fuji for 5 years and the first rule they teach about ninja biking is that back reflectors let the enemy know where you are. Not having a rear reflector is like saying "FUCK YOU CAR, JUST TRY AND FIND ME". The bike says Giant on the side because it's referring to my junk, but rest assured even if you have tiny junk that Giant advertisement is going to remain right where it is. I bought this bike for 300 dollars from a retired mercenary that fought in both World War 1 and World War 2 and had his right arm bitten off by a shark in the Phillipines while stationed there as a shark handler. When he sold it to me I had to arm wrestle him for the honor to buy it. I broke his arm in 7 places when I did. He was so impressed with me he offered me to be his son but Ithought that was sissy shit so I said no way. The bike has some rusted screws, but that just shows how much of a badass you are. Everyone knows rusted screws on a bike means that you probably drove it underwater and that's bad ass in itself. Those screws can be replaced with shiny new ones, but if you're going to goto that trouble why not just punch yourself in the balls since you're probably a dickless lizard who doesn't like to look intimidating. The bike is for men because the seat is flat or some shit and not shaped like a dildo. If you like flat seated bikes you're going to love this thing because it doesn't try to penetrate your ass or anything. I've topped out at 75 miles per hour on this uphill but if you're just a regular man you'll probably top it out at 10 miles per hour. This thing is listed as a street bike which is man-code for bike tank. The bike has 7 speeds in total: , Gear 1 - Sissy Gear, Gear 2 - Less Sissy Gear, Gear 3 - Least Sissy Gear, Gear 4 - Boy Gear, Gear 5 - Pre-teen Boy Gear, Gear 6 - Manly Gear, Gear 7 - Big Muscles Gear. I only like gear 6 and 7 to be honest. Additionally, this tool of all immense men comes with a gigantic lock to keep it secure. The lock is the size of a bull's testicles andtells people you don't fuck around with locking up your bike tank. It tells would-be-thieves "Hey asshole, touch this bike and I'll appear from the bushes ready to club you with a two-by-four". Bike is for 150 OBO (and don't give me no panzy prices)it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercialinterestsPostingID: 765370039

August Random 10

2008-08-24T19:16:00.011-06:00

The Arcade Fire - Ocean of Noise

Mosquito - Joey Davison

Beirut - A Call to Arms

Gorillaz - Kids with Guns

Sage Francis - Product Placement

Death Cab for Cutie - Company Calls

Black Tamborine - Drown

Daniel Johnston - Grievences

Lou Reed - Hangin' Round

Jad Fair and Yo La Tengo - Fiesty Millionare Fills Potholes with $100 Bills

Leadville 2008 - miles of puke before I sleep

2008-08-19T20:33:00.017-06:00

6:00 am and we're getting ready for the start of another Leadville 100, typically an all day suck-fest for me and I'm assuming this year will be no different. Coming off a crazy bronchial infection thing that laid me up for close to a month this summer, I'm only here to finish in under the 12-hour cutoff - and if I hadn't already paid $250 bones for this thing, I probably would not be here at all....but here I am, so we'll see what 4 weeks of training gets you in a 100 mile race. This year there is a little more hoopla at the LT100 than the previous three times I've done this - that's because Lance Armstrong has decided to give it a go, his first race since winning his 7th Tour de France. We have to see how he can handle some of the fasties that usually show up, including 6-time Leadville winner - bad-ass Dave Weins from Gunnison.

We get to the start about 20 minutes early, it was still dark and was already wall-to-wall bikes snaking back from the start line and most have already claimed a spot at the line. Luckily John Harrington (my bosses husband at the mine - who is here trying to complete the "Lead Man" competition ) has invited me to squeeze in with him about 60 feet back from the line. Standing around at the start, I realize I gotta pee bad - I look up the street to where the porta-johns are.....no way, that line is like 100 people long. I figure I'll hold it and go once the race is underway.

The shotgun blast start is pretty typical at Leadville with 850 mountain bikers trying to ride in a large peleton. The first 4 miles out of town are all downhill on a paved road. Here's a recipe for disaster: high speed + downhill + pavement + testosterone + mountain bikes + everybody trying to ride Lance's wheel = SERIOUSLY BAD NEWS. Luckily the race organizers had the sense to regulate the start with a "pace car". - even so, I saw two crashes (very minor) and I'm sure there were more.

Bruce Murray, Me, Dan Fillipi, Chris Sherry and Todd Murray - Getting ready to RUMBLE!!!

The first 4 miles of the race a regulated by a pace car - 850 mountain bikers trying to ride in a big pack is not a pretty sight

So we're off and I still gotta pee - so about a mile after we hit the dirt I pull off. I immediately realize my mistake. Since everybody is still bunched up, I'm guessing at least 100 people pass me. Not that I care about the placing so much, but the first climb can turn into a clusterfuck at the back since a lot of the not-so-strong riders choose to push instead of ride their bikes. Luckily it wasn't too bad and by the time I get to the top of the climb I caught back up with John. He soon passed me back when messing with my GU flask on the downhill paved section around Turquoise Lake (he would have caught me anyway - that dude can fly on the descents).

The climb up Sugarloaf was pretty straight forward - even though I passed 3 dudes who were blowing chunks on the side of the trail. Seemed a little early in the race to be pushing that hard from mid-pack. Whatever.

The ride down Powerline was loose and rutted as always but I was able to pass a good 30 people there (probably the same ones who blew doors on me on the previous climb). I saw John up ahead again but was not able to catch him before I had to stop and pee - again. Then we hit the long flat section to the Pipeline check point, which I didn't stop at. I was feeling ok all the way to Twin Lakes, where Jen and Tammy were waiting to crew. Swapped bottles, GU flask took some Sport Legs and started the climb up to Columbine Mine at 12,400'. I already know that this is a 2 hour climb so I just accept this horrible fact and take my time. Getting close tree line, Lance and Dave Wiens are on the return leg to Leadville and come flying past going the opposite direction. I'm looking for Todd, Casey, Dan and a few other guys that I know should be close to the front. Getting close to the top, above tree line, the trail gets pretty tough and it's more hiking than biking - fine with me because I'm getting pretty tired. Just near the turn around John is 10 minutes ahead of me - he's doing really well for only his second mountain bike race and he's on a pretty crappy bike too.........AND he's doing to 100 mile running race the following weekend! Also at the turn-around I see that Bruce is only about 5 minutes behind me - yes, that's 71 year old Bruce Murray - that guy is awesome. Also right behind me at the turn-around was Dan Fillipi and a little further back was Chris cruising along thinking "I'll bet there's wild beers in those woods.......and dammit, I'm thirsty."

At the top there is a short flat section and I'm riding some dude's wheel and all of the sudden he cocks his head to the side and pukes - almost like it's no big deal and he does it all the time. It was a serious "vomit launch" and I almost ride right into the line of fire. The guy does not even slow down and just keeps riding. Wow.

The ride down Columbine back to Twin Lakes is fast - even faster than I remember - maybe due to the recent rains. No problem for the wimpy tires I'm riding (Hutchison Python NG) and I pass probably another 30 or so people (again, probably the same ones who passed me on the climb). Back at Twin Lakes it's time for my secret weapon - I planned on stopping here for at least 5 minutes to wolf down some pepperoni and Jalapeno pizza. That was a good choice....lots of salt and fat and now my stomach will not bitch at me for eating space food (GU, Blocks, Bars) all day. I also downed another 5 Sport Legs.

From that point to the base of the Powerline climb I'm only feeling so-so and I'm just waiting for the pizza to kick in. Bruce finally passed me during this section - he is having a really good day after DNFing the past 2 or 3 Leadville's. We get to the base of Powerline and I'm starting to feel good.....I mean REALLY good. Once the hike-a-bike lower section of that climb is over I'm on riding and passing lots of carnage - people are bonking big-time. I pass another puker.....and then it starts raining. The sky is BLACK and it does not look good. I stopped, put on my rain jacket and luckily only 5 minutes later it's all over.....but now everything is mud and hail. That's ok, I still feel good hauling ass up sugarloaf and down and up St. Keven's and down and finally the long gentle climb back into town. I turn the corner and there's John.... jeez-us, I finally caught him and he looks "done". I felt bad as I cruised pass him. 15 minutes later I'm crossing the finish in 11:20 for the day. About as good as I thought I'd do... considering.

I never did catch up to these dudes: Lance Armstrong and Dave Weins way out front. Dave took the win, beating Lance (2nd place) by about 2 minutes.

Dan Knight kicks some serious ass coming in at 8:25, 55th overall

Todd finished in about 8:35 (65th overall) lovin' that sweet race number he drew.

Our old (young) bud, Casey Puntenney knew he had some beers to drink that night so saved his energy and finished at around 9:30 (167th overall). Casey was nice enough to have us over for a few PBRs and deviled eggs after the race

Here's me looking WAY too serious. Unfortunately, I forgot to suck in my gut for this shot

John looking strong and looking forward to his 100 run the following weekend. Not.

Unfortunately Jen couldn't get a picture of Bruce, Dan F. Chris and also our old friend Bryan Anderson. Bruce finished about 10 minutes ahead of me and now holds the record as the oldest finisher of this race. Yes I got my ass kicked by a 71 year old dude.....ya, and so did about 400 other people. Fortunately Bruce is one of the coolest guys I know, so I have no problems losing to him. Dan F. had a great race but DNF'd with shifting issues at about mile 80 and Chris was found hallucinating about giant beers and didn't make the cut-off at the Pipeline station (about mile 70). Still an awesome ride by those guys. Bryan finished in about 10:15, which is seriously bad ass. Last time I saw Bryan he was riding the most old school mountain bike ever. I'm talking like 70 lbs of 70's era sweetness. Luckily he upgraded for the race........he just needs to upgrade that stupid 70's era helmet that he still wears ......on THE SIDE of his head.

The following day Jen, Barb, John and Tammy ran in the Leadville 10K....in the rain. Tammy ran the 100 mile run the following weekend to finish in 29:59:30....only 30 seconds before the 30 hour cut-off time. Amazing.

Jen burning up the course - coming in with a smile

Barb comes in smiling too.......shit, running must be EASY

Tammy is thinking about the following weekend and the 100 mile run and wondering WTF she got herself into

2008 Taos Marathon

2008-06-22T14:09:00.007-06:00

The world famous Taos Marathon took place in early June so Jen decided to give it a go and put the screws to the local competition. They offered up a full marathon, a half and some shorter distances for pussies - Jen opted for the half to showcase her superiority. Jen said, "The half marathon ends around 10:00 am just when people are getting out of church and heading for the park to roast weenies - and since the race ends at the park there will be maximum exposure for people to witness the severe ass-kicking I'm gonna dish out".

The scene at the starting line was intense. Racers were eye-ballin' one another and there was mucho calf muscle-flexin' and IT band stretching in an all out effort to psych out the competition even before the gun went off.

There was a mad dash from the start - it was a sea of flapping arms and legs. Jen decided to play it conservative and let the elbow jabbing and heel juking unfold in front of her. "Those bitches always play that game, but this time I'm just going to let them destroy each other and then, when they least expect it, I'll kick in the after burners and leave em in my dust".

At the half-way turn around Jen pulled her move. Just as "green shirt" slowed a bit to grab a cup of water, Jen turned on the nitro and started flying. "I saw green shirt go for the water and thought - only sissies drink water - so I blasted by leaving her choking on my fumes - It was sick!"

The last two miles coming into town, some fat white dude was slowly gaining - obvioulsy embarrased by getting his ass served up to him by a chick. There was severe pain and anguish on his face as his lower chin was dripping massive amounts of sweat. At the last turn, with only 100 yards left to go, white fat dude dug deep and passed Jen and crossed the finish line exhausted but pumped up by barely beating a girl. "I heard fat white dude on my heels for the last two miles and I could tell by his breathing that he was hurting - I finally let him pass a the end just to save him the humilation".

Overall Jen dished out a serious ass-whoopin' with a time of 2:14 and finished to the roars of the crowd that had gathered to witness this amazing feat.

June Random 10

2008-06-22T13:39:00.007-06:00

the spin

Clap your Hands Say Yeah - Love Song No. 7

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Hunter S. Thompsons Brother

Negativland - The Piddle Diddle Report

Pere Ubu - All the Dogs are Barking

The Feelings - Gone

White Shoes and the Couples Company - Tentang Cita

Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly

Land of the Loops - Sound System

The Sea and Cake - I Took the Opportunity to Antique my End Table

The National - Looking for Astronauts

Taos Dirt - Mondragon

2008-05-18T18:49:00.003-06:00

This one hurt a bit

Taos Dirt - Capulin (North Boundary)

2008-05-14T14:53:00.004-06:00

So everybody who rides in New Mexico has heard of the South Boundary Trail - and rightly so - it's one of those great epic rides that will make your nipples hard - possibly even requiring medical attention.

So then - what the hell is the North Boundary? Is this some wanna-be trail that's trying to ride the coat-tails of the famed SBT? Well, ya kinda. The NBT is basically a ride that follows the ridge between Taos Canyon and Taos Pueblo and is directly across the canyon from the SBT. Both rides essentially connect at El Nogal. The NBT starts on the back side of the Divisidaro Loop - and there is actually a sign (sign says "Capulin Trail" - the real name). From the sign you'll need to look south east-ish and you will see a faint trail following the contour of the hill. The trail is usually pretty obvious but there are long stretches where it's pretty much not there. Not many people ride (or even hike this trail). The NBT tops out on Capulin Peak and continuing east you'll end up at Palo Flechado and the Elliot Barker Trail. When linking this with Divisidaro, be prepared for a very long climb. The twistiness and prickly pear make this a slow climb. The is also tons of gnarly dead fall and continually reaching branches try to pull you off the bike. There are a few places that will leave you standing about head scratchin' wondering where the hell the trail goes. Just stay off the north facing slope of the ridge line and you'll do fine (Taos Pueblo Indian land - possible scalping). Get a good topo and check it out.

Dawn til Dusk 2008

2008-05-14T12:54:00.008-06:00

Who the hell goes to Gallup, New Mexico - on purpose? Ya - I think Mickey and Mallory killed a couple of cops there in Natural Born Killers and apparently some old movie stars stayed at the beat-down El Rancho Hotel back in the 50's while they were making a series of westerns that nobody has ever heard of.......but to actually GO to Gallup and and actually STAY there for two nights? Hmmm.

Well, lucky for Gallup there are some folks out there that like to ride bikes and build trails and put on races - because NOW there is a reason to go. Aviad, Todd, Jen and I checked out the 12-hour Dawn til Dusk race and it was well worth the long drive. Really cool race course (tight-twisty-smooth-rolly) - low-key grass rootsy and still pretty small and cheap. A bonus on this course are the various metal sculptures perched on ledges along the trail: cats, lizards, coyotes, mountain lions, etc. very cool.

Aviad and I rode as a Duo team and Todd did it solo. Jen focused on crewing for Todd since Aviad and I would be alternating and could fend for ourselves. Being so early in the season, we all treated this as sort of a training ride - which was a good strategy for me since I hadn't been riding a whole lot.

Race day morning: 7:00 am - clear and 17 degrees - Aviad lost the coin toss and had the first 2 lap stint on our duo team. 0:58 and 1:16 lap times - Bad ass. I'm on for the next two and am, at first, surprised that I'm passing so many people and only got passed once. Then I realize this is because the leaders have not made it back around to catch up yet - oh well, it was still nice to not have people on my ass for once. My first lap was a 1:13, which I'm happy with - especially riding the course sight-unseen. My second felt way faster but was actually slower (1:19). Aviad is back up for the next two and now the temps are in the low 50s probably - he peels off a 1:20 and a 1:28 and might be feeling the effects of not being able to drink a whole lot (the course is so twisty that it is REALLY hard to drink from a water bottle - a camelback is the way to go). Time is ticking but I have enough for two more and manage to pull a 1:17 out of my ass. The start of my fourth lap, Aviad is sounding like another lap is not in the cards for him - so I REALLY take my time on this last one and even help some dude fix his broken chain - thinking we'd rather have a slow time than a DNF. By this point I'm getting really dehydrated from choosing to use only sports drink instead of water. I was gagging on that sweet crap after drinking it all day was dying for some plain water. I could not have done another lap without drinking some water and resting for a minute. So, after 1:38 I come strolling in thinking Aviad and I would sitting out the last hour drinking PBRs. As I pull up to the transition area he's out with his bike a ready to roll! "What's up man?" - "I'm going out for one more" "uh dude, you have 1:25 left and if you don't finish in under that, the lap don't count".....and he's off. The whole time I'm thinking: "hmmm, his previous lap was 1:28 and now he has to bust out a 1:25 or better and he's a lot more tired now - he's got some serious matzo balls to even give it a go". Then I think: "well shit, I might as well start boozin' - because there ain't no way I'm goin' out again" (crack, fizz, gulp-gulp). Meanwhile: tick-tick-tick the race is ending soon and 5 minutes before the 12-hour cut off here he comes bustin' out a 1:19 lap time. Sweet - that last effort moved us up a couple of spots (not that we were really concerned about our placing) - but was good for 9 total laps and 15th out of 50-something. http://www.dawntilduskrace.net/

What happened to Todd? Well, he caught us on the third lap and he was on the same pace as our "team" for pretty much the entire race. He ended up 6th out of about 30 and finished his 9 laps slightly faster than our 9 combined laps. Amazing

Santa Fe Dirt - La Tierra....from la tierra

2008-04-07T12:05:00.006-06:00

A few clips from the new and improved La Tierra Trails - now part of the Santa Fe Open Space Parks. The area has recently been fenced off to keep out the ATV and 4X4s and almost all of the the old matresses, washing machines and other crap has been cleaned out. Off the Santa Fe Bypass, north of town take Camino de los Montoyas north about a half mile and park at one of the several accces points on the left. Lots of sweetness and you'll probably have the whole place to yourself.

24 Hours of Sunlight

2008-03-15T14:32:00.004-06:00

"I kept wishing a mountain lion would jump out of the woods and kill me" - Eric, after returning from a lap at around 3:00 am.

There a perfectly good chair lift - right frikin' THERE. But no - we had to ski up ski down ski up ski down ski.........all day and all night. 24 Hours. Bad thing is....we paid real money to do this.

In preparation for my hopefully-slightly-better-than-mediocre bike race season, I decided to sign up for the 24 Hours of Sunlight ski race with one of my old Bailey hommies, Eric. We were a duo team, but there were also solos, 4-person and 5-person and more-than-5 person teams as well. Like some people in the race, I decided to hike-snowboard instead of the traditional skin-up ski-down method. Most skied, some boarded, a few snow-shoed and at least a few did it on nordic equipment (totally insane).

I knew I was in for some big-time hurtin' since I hadn't been doing much all winter except for tracking my woeful fantasy football team and drinking lots beers. My three week "taper" during a drinking vacation to Costa Rica probably didn't help my endurance a whole lot either. - but I thought even though it's gonna hurt like hell, it would be good training for the bike - and it probably was.

Besides the fact that we had to ski (hike) up an insanely steep run to the top of Sunlight Mountain and then decend an even more insane black/blue run - and the fact that we were up the entire night - and the fact that it was cold - it was actually pretty fun. Well, actually the "fun" part came after we were done. Eric managed 11 laps to my pussy-assed 7. I think that total would have been good enough for second in the "duo" category (even though we were a duo - we signed up under the "just for fun" class since it was cheaper - had we signed up for the duo, we proabably would have won some swag).

The Bad: 1)it sucked carrying that snowboard on my camelback up that damn mountain - seems it was either bonking me in the back of the head or smacking the back of my feet. 2) I'm not as good of a snow boarder as I once was - or thought I was. The run down was literally a frikin' ice chute, which I could have managed on skis but not a board 3) Since the lodge screwed up our reservation for a room, we had to "camp out" in the cafeteria with a bunch of other people where the most horrible cover band you could possibly imagine was playing until 12:30 am with their amps turned up to "hearing damage" level. Actually, the band probably was not all that bad, but the volume was too much and we were not drinking beer and just wanted to chill out while the other was out on the course. 4) I pulled something in my knee while I was walking up and had a hard time even walking back down on my last lap. That sort of freaked me out since I did not want it to be a problem for biking, and luckily it hasn't so far 5) I was so tired (sleepy) afterwards that I could barely choke down 3 beers (now that's just pitiful).

Costa Rica (Page 3) - The Volcanoes Never Seen

2008-03-09T09:39:00.013-06:00

Bust ass from the coast to make it to Arenal Volcano before dark. It's gonna be a great show with all that glowing lava flowing down the side of the mountain. Awesome. Well, it was raining and Arenal was obscured from view. NOW what are we gonna do? "First let's get some more chicharones!" The night consisted of, and ended with, more beer drinking - what else do you come to Costa Rica for. Pura Vida.....right?

We ran into this mad Coati during pee break on the road to Arenal - he smelled Chicharon juice on the Harpers and I was expecting him to attack at any moment.

Shrunken heads - you will see them hanging on random trees as you approach certain villages in the rainforest. No big deal.

From Arenal we headed west toward where we could see blue sky - down in Guanacaste. We decided a detour to Tenorio Volcano National Park and Rio Celeste would be a good day trip before heading to Monteverde. We finally get to the park and it's pouring and the girl working the front desk says: "Well normally the Rio Celeste Waterfall is soooo awesome - an amazing turquoise green and just gorgeous - but today, since it's pouring like hell and you're with the Harpers, the waterfall is a dull greyish-green.....so that will be 15 dollars please......have fun!" Also since it was pouring rain, that meant we would not be seeing any sort of wildlife at all. Luckily they had a few critters pickled in jars for us to look at.

Below is the Rio Celeste water fall as we saw it when visiting with the Harpers:

......but HERE is photo my Mom and Jay took of the same place just a week later.

Costa Rica (Page 2) Hold onto your Wallets Bitches

2008-03-08T14:58:00.014-07:00

.....I'm telling you, the Harpers are cursed and I KNOW all them chicharones they were eating had something to do with it.

Question: Which of these events could ruin your vacation?
a) your car breaks down

b) you get mugged

c) you have shitty weather

d) you run out of beer

e) all of the above

I guess the answer to this would be "all of the above" - so thankfully only three of the four shitty things happened to us. We never did run out of beer - THAT would have ruined the vacation.

After hiking all day in the blazing-assed sun from Rara Avis - we got back to the car in Horquetas ready to get on the road to the Carribean coast. We showed up and the car had a flat tire - no big deal if you got time to burn, which we didn't. We change the tire and de-funk the car of some rotten food that was left for 3 days in the heat and finally hit the road. Getting dark so we end up staying at a road-side hotel (Las Palmas). Clean up, eat at the on-site restaraunt, drink some beers, Jen and Doreen go to bed and Earl and I drink another beer. It's 9:00 and the bar closes. We're finishing our drinks and hear some music coming from down the road. "Hey, sounds like a bar, lets go get another beer!" - What an awesome idea - it was only 100 yards down the road. Nevermind that we are dressed in tourist surf trunks and are totally out of place with the locals. The beer was good and there was even a bar fight between two young punk kids. Pretty cool. OK, midnight, let's head back to the hotel. (walking-walking -walking) - half way back in the pitch black, some fucked up dude shows up out of nowhere, right next to us and mubbling something. Next thing you know, two other dudes grab me from behind and I'm on the ground in the middle of the (normally busy) highway. After a long scuffle (it seemed long, but was probably only 30 seconds or so) one of the guys says "the money! - the money!" I pull out my wallet (which, dumb-ass me forgot to leave back in the room) and a third dude swoops in and takes it and takes off running down the highway. The other two guys jump down the embankment into to woods. Meanwhile Earl is trying to chase the guy with my wallet down - but he's gone (the fucker's on speed or some shit). We collect ourselves, Earls leg is bleeding (he got tackled but fought em off), we're both pissed. We head back to the hotel and there are the wives waiting for us - all upset and even MORE pissed. I lost my wallet with about $100/credit cards/drivers license/free drink with purchase of Burger and fries at Wendys coupon....and a headlamp (which I was geekily wearing when the shit went down) and my wedding ring which I didn't even notice was missing until 2 days later. I also had some road rash and two black-ish eyes. Earl kept everything but a bit of blood - he got sliced a few times by a broken bottle one of those punk asses had. Thankfully we were both OK and there were no knives or guns involved.

Finally made it to Puerto Viejo for a little beach time - you know lay around in the sun drinking lots of booze and pretending to know how to surf. First off, we spent several hours driving up and down the coast trying to find a place to stay - everyplace was booked. We happened upon El Pizote (or something like that) on the north end of town. The place was reasonable and frikin' awesome - the Colombian family that runs the place is great. Stay there if you're in the neighborhood.

OK - now, beach time. Wait a minute, it's raining. OK, lets drive down the coast and "sight see" until it stops. Oh wait, we've got a problem -the car won't start. Son-of-BITCH. Nobody in town owns jumper cables so we have to swap batteries with a cabbie dude to get it going. Sweet - we're in business - it's running. Let it charge baby, don't shut er down. After an hour of "charging" we shut it off to test it before we head out of town. Shit, it won't start again. We find a guy that does not have jumper cables, but he's got some "wire" - I'm talking LITTLE wire. His buddy says "don't worry, he's an electrician". He holds the wire on his battery and I hold it on ours and HOLY SHIT the dammed insulation is melting off the wire along with my palm prints. Battery swap number two.

Last resort: keep the car running all day long. Bad thing is: we need to stay close to the car AND there is no gas station in town so we can't run it too long. We make the best of it. The next day we waste bumming rides off of people to get a new battery for the rental car.

In the land of the "rent-a-rasta" (male prostitute) - you might want to stay away from the "Chocolate Salami".

Costa Rica - Page 1 (Rara Avis)

2008-03-08T11:27:00.023-07:00

It takes 5 hours by dirt track to Rara Avis (rare birds) Preserve. It's a remote jungly, muddy, rainy, poisionous-snakey piece of land located on the east side of Braulio Carrillo National Park.

First - a few hours on the back of a muffler-less Unimog. There will be no wildlife within a 5-mile radius when this beast is barreling down the road.

.......and the remaining couple of hours on the back of a tractor that has wheels that tend to fall off from time-to-time

We finally got there and thought "what the hell - where are all the birds?" (uhhh - maybe THAT'S why the place is called "rare birds" - because there ain't any) . But after hanging out for a few days we realized they mostly came in the morning in flocks that pass though in 10 minute blocks. In those ten minutes you could easily see 5-6 species - and I'm talking 5-6 NEW species each time. Pretty cool. We didn't see a LOT of birds, but we saw a huge variety. Check out the list at the bottom (about 1/2 of those are from Rara Avis).

.....The place may now have been renamed "Rara Cervezas" after we pretty much cleaned out their stock of beer and wine. The bar bill was more than the room.

We stayed in the more rustic accomadations - modeled after your typical 1930's Southern Mississippi architecture, complete with poisionous snakes.

....a waterfall bath was preferred over the creepy shower

We decided to hike the 12 miles out instead of taking the tractor - just as fast as the bumpy-ass tractor and we got at least another 10 birds.

...and in Horquetas we had chicharon and cevivche bocas and a few cold beers. And that's where our troubles began..........

.....I'm blaming the goddamn chicharones

February 2008 Costa Rica Bird List (check it suckas)
Grey Necked Wood Rail
Wattled Jacana
Northern Jacana
Grey-Headed Chachalaca
Black Guan
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Plumbeous Kite
American Swallow-Tailed Kite
Semiplumbeous Hawk
Roadside Hawk
White Hawk
Short Billed Pigeon
Chiriqui Quail-Dove
Red-Lored Parrot
White Fronted Parrot
Common Barn-Owl
Squirrel Cuckoo
Groove Billed Ani
Common Pauraque
Long-Tailed Hermit Hummingbird
Green Hermit Hummingbird
Green Violet-eared Hummingbird
Violet Saberwing Hummingbird
Purple-Crowned Fairy Hummingbird
Green-Crowed Brilliant Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Crowned Woodnymph
Purple-throated Mountain Gem Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Green Thorntail Hummingbird
Violet Headed Hummingbird
Crowned Woodnymph
Belted Kingfisher
Keel-Billed Motmot
Collared Aracari
Emerald Toucanet
Keel-Billed Toucan
Chestnut Mandibled Toucan
White Fronted Nunbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Chestnut-backed Antbird
White Collared Manakin
Masked Tityra
Great Kiskadee
Grey-capped Flycatcher
White-ringed Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Long-Tailed Tyrant
Tufted Flycatcher
Scale-Crested Pygmy Tyrant
Wood Thrush
Sooty Robin
Clay-colored Robin
Brown Jay
Bananaquit
Black and White Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Collared Redstart
Slate-Throated Redstart
Grey-crowned Yellowthroat
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-Crowned Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Montezuma Oropendola
Chestnut Headed Oropendola
Great-tailed Grackle
Olive-Backed Euphonia
Yellow-Throated Euphonia
Blue and Gold Tanager
Tawny capped Euphonia
Common Bush Tanager
Shining Honeycreeper
Scarlet Thighed Dacnis
Emerald Tanager
Golden-hooded Tanager
Black and Yellow Tanager
Blue-Grey Tanager
Tawny Crested Tanager
White-Throated Shrike Tanager
Scarlet-Rumped Tanager
Red-Crowned Ant Tanager
Buff-Throated Saltator
Greyish Saltator
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Orange-Billed Sparrow
Yellow-Faced Grassquit
Thick-Billed Seed Finch
Blue Seedeater
Rufous-Collared Sparrow
Black-Striped Sparrow
Olive Sparrow

January Random 10

2008-01-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Merle Haggard - You don't have very far to go
Sea and Cake - Interiors
Fugazi - Target
Broken Social Scene - Fire eyed Boy
Pepe Deluxe - Little Miss Cypher
M Ward - Who may be Lazy
Bootsy's Rubber Band - I'd Rather be with you
Yo La Tengo - From a Motel 6
Hacienda Brothers - Mental Revenge
Clap your Hands Say Yeah - Sunshine and Clouds

I smell tuna

When Life Was Good - Taos Dirt - Divisidaro Trail

2008-01-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

For the past month here in Taos it's been below zero in the morning and not even reaching freezing during the day.....not good biking weather. It is, however, good weather for beer drinkin', football watchin', food makin' and butt scratchin' . I've been doing lots of all that stuff. So here from the dusty depths of the "F" drive, and with nothing else to do - is a write up on the Divisidaro Trail.

Divisidaro, which I think means "steeper than shit" in Spanish, is the best short-technical trail near town - and since it is kind of a burley climb, it does not see too much bike traffic. Hikers on the trail are generally not a problem since, on the climb, you won't exactly be blowin' doors - and on the steep twisty technical decent, they will gladly step aside in the hopes they will witness the "stupid biker" endo: skull on rock style. It's a tough trail, not fer greenhorns.

Here's what you do: From the plaza head south on highway 64, pass El Monte Segrado, Angeladas and that crazy place with all the blue glass chunks. Right after the Carson National Forest sign you'll see the trail head on your left (if you know this area, you'll see the end of the South Boundary Trail is right across the street). Anyway, hope you've been nice to granny lately because you're gonna need her "gear" for the next hour or so. Climb, climb, climb....rocky ledges, switchbacks, loose shit.....you got it all and you've gone anerobic on top of it all. It's tough right from the start and unfortunately it's like this all the way to the top. After 10-15 minutes you'll come to a split in the trail - both of them go to the top of Divisidaro Peak - left is longer and less steep right is shorter and more steep - but almost too steep. Going right you will be off the bike more. Left is more fun (in my opinion) - and cooler, if it's a hot day. Either way, continue on and you will know when you've conquered the bastard when you see two chairs made of rock - that's the top. It usually takes a little less than an hour to make the top (from town) and another 30 minutes to get back. Don't be surprised as you head back to the plaza, you're bike mysteriously starts to veer off track to the left, eventually leading you to a table under a cottonwood surrounded by hippies.......you must be at Eskes Brewpub.....don't fight it you'll just hurt yourself.

December Random 10

2007-12-24T12:04:00.000-07:00

New Pornographers - Falling Through Your Clothes

Allen Brothers - Allen Brothers Rag

Kleenex - Heidi's Head

Interpol - C'mere

Pixies - Broken Face

Arcade Fire - Black Mirror

Mazzy Star - Unreflected

Tom Waits - Ain't Goin' Down to the Well

Tad - Stumblin' Man

Tortoise - I Set My Face to the Hillside

Random Yucatan

2007-11-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Downtown Merida and the rush to happy hour where they serve up some MONSTER margaritas

The flower market

The veggie market

"yo quiero Taco Bell"

Cooking up some lunch under the beach palapa

Cathedral in Valladolid

Many of the homes along the coast we in bad shape from the two hurricanes that came through this summer

Awesome water and totally empty beach

Sea kayaking through some of the backwater mangroves

The beer truck en route to Punta Allen. We didn't let him out of our sight

Early morning in Campeche

Cathederal in Campeche

I'm heard Bimbo Corp is thinking of Atlanta as a test market for the new "Negrito" snack cakes. People are gonna love the fro and that delicious black frosting.

came across these people getting ready to throw this poor kid off the building. We didn't stop em - he probably deserved it.

random burley muscle church

You heard it here first......George Bush is going into early retirement and is now running a liquor store in Campeche Mexico. Click to enlarge - ya, it's him all right.

Old Town Yucatan

2007-11-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

In "Apocolypto" Mel Gibson sent a bloody heathen Mayan head down these stairs. The main temple at Chitzen Itza where you used to be able to climb inside to view the Jaguar Throne until some fuck head tourist stole the eyes and teeth of the jaguar

Coba - the lamest of all the mayan sites we saw. Hundreds of tourists acting like complete idiots. If it was not in a really cool area with lots of birds and butterflies we would have turned around and got the hell out of there.

Kabah - probably the coolest site we visited. You could climb all over anything you wanted and there were only about 5 other people in the whole place.

Mas Kabah

Uxmal - pretty interesting, well preserved - but lots of tourists

Uxmal

Jesus and Tequila - Dia de los Muertos in the Yucatan

2007-11-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

What a cool tradition - Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) where, if you're the unfortunate one who is being celebrated, you'll be offered up all kinds of good stuff. Anything from packs of smokes and bottles of tequila to piles fruit and tortillas....all of which are certainly useful in the after-life.

Banana leaf-wrapped tamales are just one of the items included in a "pibi pollo" - a kind of traditional dinner that is searved in all the restaraunts during Dia de los Muertos.

Music is part of the festivities. I'm guessing the dead must really like off-key music played on 100 year old antique insturments that are totally out of tune. I liked it - but I'm half dead myself

It must be really hard to peel an orange if you're dead - all the ones I saw as offerings were convieniently pre-peeled

Lots of smoke from insence and candles and little camp fires along with creepy music and animal sacrafices.

Tortilla insanity

Valle Escondido-70A-Elliot Barker-South Boundary Loop-a-Doop

2007-10-15T20:25:00.000-06:00

"why does it just lay there?"

After a flat and a head start, Hugh and Mark motored on by

SoCo Dirt - Monarch Crest

2007-10-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

30-something miles of this......well, they could charge admission for this ride. Monarch Crest. You just can't beat riding above tree line along the continental divide. The best ride in the US? - a lot of people think so.

Dave - ready to launch

"Look ma - No Tubes" - we had to listen to Dave boast how awesome his Stans tubeless system was.........
....... after 3 pinch flats, dealing with dried up patch glue and ancient petrified patches, Kevin and I were convinced

Stans would not have helped a broken rear derailleur cable still five miles fom the end......note the innovative cable routing Drink a few beers and tilt your head to the left to view this really crappy video of the the sweetness. Mostly just video of my flapping camera strap as the camera slides down the side of my bike helmet - hence the "artistic" camera angle

Kevin with his hands all over Daves titties