Pool Cam
June 12, 2012 in Trail News by Dark
Gave the GoPro to the kids this week and turned them loose in the pool, what do you think happens?
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by Dark
Broken My Bike Now What!
May 28, 2012 in Trail News by Wesley Miller
I want a new BIKE!! LOL, sure we all say that. Then we go get on old reliable. Ya’ no, that semi well-kept, O’ please give me some maintenance, 7-year-old bike. The one fell in love with, the very first time you laid eyes on her. A 2005 Specialized StumpJumper. This bicycle, was the coolest thing I had seen in a long time. Back some 5 years ago I meet this interesting(at the time of meeting him, I had no idea, just how interesting). Turns out this guy is my wife’s cousin by marriage. Cool,Cool. So we started hanging out and the first time I was at his house, he showed me an amazing hobby of his. He took me into his bedroom and, there it was, this shiny cool looking chrome colored, full suspension, hydraulic disc brakes and large knobby tires. “This is a mountain bike”, I said to him. “I mean, this is a mountain bike”. I was completely blown away. All I wanted to do was ride that magnificent machine. We stood there and I listen to story after story about his rides. I’m thinking, “wow this guy had better take me for a ride”. Evidently, I wasn’t listen to well to the stories. Well, after a few rides then a few more. I had, realized, that there was a lot more to this MTB riding, than meet the eye.
So back to this bike, like I said, ” we had taken a few rides”. Then he decides to buy a new bike. My mouth was watering on what he was going to do with his, “bad ass chrome colored shiny full suspension hydraulic disc brakes and big knobbied tired bike”. Well Bill sold it to me on the friendship deal. That was just icing on the cake. So fast forward a few seasons. Putting tires, new shifter, chain and brake pads is all I have ever done. Had it serviced once. “REALLY”, I say to myself. You have this awesome bike, you ride the thing all time. It costs lots of money to buy a new one. So why the hell are you not taking better care of your bike. Wait a minute! Are you really giving me a hard time about this. You knew about it too! I mean, we are the same person. I of course, am the better looking one but that’s not important. “OH!, that’s not important”. No, it’s not, now hush. Let’s get back to the topic. “Ok, my bad. Back to the topic”. So 2 weeks ago I had it. Squeaky brakes, very poor shifting, cracked suspension. I took my bike to the shop.
Well after a week in the shop I called to see if it was ready. No, the shop said. They sent the wrong suspension part and had to reorder. So they told me to come pick up a loaner test bike. See manufacturer’s send these shops some demo bikes to let potential customers ride them in real world places to see if that bike is a fit. It’s a really cool deal. I mean you gonna pay upwards of $500 to $8000 for a bicycle then you are going to want to make sure it is a good fit. They let me have a 2012 Specialized Camber Comp to ride for a few days. This was a very nice bike. Mid-range at about $2200 for this model. I just loved this bike. The 29 inch wheels just seemed to walk over all obstacles. It peddled very easy and the handling was superb. It is a hard choice between this and a Stumpjumper. I will have to test the stumpy out to see if it is a better fit. So when I sell my car I will buy a new bike. I would say go test out a 29′er and let me know how you like it.
by Dark
Happy Mothers Day 2012
May 13, 2012 in Trail News by Dark
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, this is a very special video for my mother. Take a walk with me as I talk to my mom on a very cool trail in Boiling Springs Oklahoma.
by Dark
Gloss Mountain State Park Oklahoma
May 11, 2012 in Hiking, Trail News by Dark
The Gloss Mountains, sometimes called the Glass Mountains, have a high Selenite content that mimics a shiny glass exterior. Though there are no lodging or campsites located in Gloss Mountains State Park, there are plenty of hiking trails and picnic areas to enjoy from sunrise to sunset. The spectacular scenery makes this a truly unique Oklahoma state park.
Park facilities include a restroom, pavilions, picnic areas, grills, public water supply and a handicap-accessible trail. Another of the mountain’s popular trails runs from the parking lot to the top of Cathedral Mountain and across the mesa, offering a spectacular view of the valley floor and Lone Peak Mountain.
Miles of prairie floor stretch out as far as the eye can see, broken up only by the native red dirt and sparse green shrubbery. Buzzards and eagles loom overhead, while lizards and insects will become familiar friends along the rocky terrain. Bring a camera to capture the unique land geography, geological formations, Selenite gypsum, scenery and wildlife.
More Photos of Gloss Mountain State Park
by Dark
Finding Trails In Oklahoma
May 1, 2012 in Trail News by Dark
Let’s get this out-of-the-way and upfront, I’m a Utah boy raised in the pristine mountains of the Wasatch front, I grew up playing in the great outdoors from Moab, St George to Salt Lake City. So the recent move to Woodward Oklahoma has not been an easy one for me, now don’t get me wrong Oklahoma is a beautiful state with some of the best people you will ever meet and I love it here but it has limited outdoor access compared to Utah!
The problem seems to be in the lack of public lands and access, most the land in Oklahoma is privately owned not like Utah where most the land is BLM or public lands and access is kept open for all to use. In Utah I could take a different trail every day and never do the same trail twice and never run out of new places to go!
So you can see how the move to Oklahoma has put a wrench in my gears, finding places to ride has been a challenge and im constantly looking for the next dirt road or trail to explore. The other problem I have encountered is the soft ground and sand in north western Oklahoma makes for a tough ride and is hard to build trails through, I have named more trails The Sand-trap than I want to ride again!
A Crony in Ruin
May 1, 2012 in Trail News by Wesley Miller
So yesterday, Tony and I went for a quick ride up at Lambert park again. It was a little chilly but we were out there anyway. We took of in our usual spot, at the Bowery. The Bowery is a picnicking spot you can reserve. It has a volley ball court and close to the spring.
It is just a short walk from there to get on a trail. Tony and I went up spring as usual, like I said, and made our way past middle spring. We stopped at the top for a moment to catch a look at the spring, which is running good. The winter melt of is starting slowly but it will pick up. We went down the full spring trail and ended up at Ruin.
This place is an old summer house built of rocks and cement. It was built by George Cannon Lambert. He had purchased this 129 acres in Alpine in 1909. Here he planted a large orchard and raised some cattle. He had also built a red barn, that is no longer there. It is said to have had a bell tower. The city of Alpine purchased this property in 1957 quite a few decades after the death of George Lambert. This intern created the largest city owned park in the area. It has gone through some changes since then.
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