Duwango Tango Mancation '16: Days 1 and 2

So the Duwango Tango Mancation '16... bear with me.  The memories are clouded a bit.

It was probably not the best decision, but since our flight was leaving so damn early on Friday, I went ahead and crashed on Bill Nye's couch the night before we left.  Many beers were consumed, and the 4:00 AM alarm was none to welcomed.  It was a long couple of flights to Durango.  Let's just say that and move on.

Matt McFee scooped us right up, drove us to this place, and the bike building commenced, headaches not withstanding.

Matt offered to take us on a short local ride.  Probably the most we could handle, given our poor judgment shown in the last twelve or so hours.

A short jaunt over to Animas Mountain and the climbing commenced.  Heart beating like a deep bass drum.

Pardon me while I take awhile to binge-listen to some Whitesnake.

Okay, I'm back.

Although the ride was pretty short, it was slightly damaging.

Looking down on what I think Matt said was Hidden Valley... or McFee Gulch.  Don't remember.

Matt showed us the goods of a recently built trail, and on the way down, we ran into Travis Brown... on his way up... I have no idea why.

Anyways, a mostly uneventful ride, aside from discovering the hard way that mebbe I shoulda checked my tire sealant some time between now and when I first set up these tires/wheels back in... April.  Doh.

Back at Matt's, add sealant, tire holds air, drink beer, bed time... I think.  Maybe we ate/drank something/somewhere that night.  Steamworks Brewery?  Mebbe.

Up early the next morning to hop on a Hermosa Tours van headed for Kennebec Pass.

I'd been down most of this trail back in 2009 at Single Speed Worlds, but we didn't start as high up on the mountain.

Up where the trees have no interest in really being there.

Ask anyone.  I'm not terribly comfortable above tree line, especially on the side of a mountain.  Irrational fear of heights and all.

We spent a decent amount of time putzing about and taking pictures way high up there.

Then the rain came... gentle like.  At first.

BTW:  Hotel bacon.  It's such a thing.

Best Western "hooked me up" with enough trail food that aside from two bottles of Carbo Rocket Half Evil everyday, I ate nothing else on every ride.

Probably the thing I'll miss the most from the trip.

Back to the narrative, we got wet from rain stuff that came our way.

Followed by hail and the soft murmur of distant lightning.  We hunkered down under a tree and played charades.  Movie.  Two words.  Sounds like "thumb and thumber."

Eventually, the rain slowed and we ventured on down the trail which was now a river... all the way through the cow patty-riddled double track at the top.  The sun showed its face again, and the trails dried up as we got lower.  We were still shivering and bitching about our frozen feet when we started encountering riders coming up from the bottom... wearing tank tops.

Good news, I guess.

Pop out at the bottom and one more stop before heading back to the hotel.

I had sorta made arrangements to stop by King Cage HQ to pick up a set of titanium cages for the By:Stickel Meatplow V.6.   I've not lost one bottle out of my King Cages on the Vertigo Meatplow V.7 since I got them... two years ago?  Anyways, we pull into the driveway, knock on the door, and his wife greets us.  Ron had gone into town, but that didn't stop things from happening.

We got a quick tour, more information about how things work at HQ than I woulda guessed, and I rode away with another set of the best bottle cages on the planet.

Put them on as soon as I got back to the Bacon Western.

All cleaned up, I'm pretty sure we headed to Ska Brewing next, and then... a bar I might recall at some point.  Dunno.  We didn't have to be up as early the next day, so we mighta went a little too hard in the paint that night for the remembering of things.