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Saturday, July 6, 2019

Dumb and Dumber


The only way to prepare for a high altitude race is to train at high altitude.


With Silverton's Alpine Marathon coming up next weekend, Pal Leon wanted the next round of our Summer Racing Series to be a repeat up to Camp Bird Mine followed by a push on up to Yankee Boy Basin, you know, before going into "taper" mode, which is another way of saying giving sore muscles a rest.      


A lovely 4th of July day in Lovely Ouray
We thought about doing it on the 4th, a wild and crazy day here in Ouray with lots of drinking and partying. Not wanting to run in a dust cloud from all the tourist traffic heading up to Yankee Boy Basin, we decided to go early on Friday the 5th...thinking everyone would be hungover and sleeping in.

Leon's not exactly an early riser. I invited him to come up from Montrose on the 4th and stay the night so we could get a jump on all the Jeeps and ATVs racing up Camp Bird Road. After some obligatory "trash-talking," we were set to go by 7:10 AM!

Eat my dust, Leon!

From our driveway...

Bobbie yells "GO!" then drives up to near Yankee Boy in order to get a walk-with-weights at "altitude." And, since we are pushing all the way up to Yankee Boy, Bobbie could save Leon the ten punishing miles of downhill on a, by then, very dusty trip back home.

Race results to Camp Bird:
Leon, 1 hour 13 minutes and 15 seconds.
Mark, 1 hour 15 minutes and 30 seconds.

While we both knocked a couple minutes off our last race time, Leon claims bragging rights once again.

Now, on up to Yankee Boy Basin... 



Shots by Leon, above and below...



A few shots by Bobbie below...



The last couple miles of Yankee Boy Road is too wet, rocky, and steep to ride, for me, anyway. So, it becomes "hike-a-bike" at well over 12,500 feet...while Leon drops back into "power-hike" gear. 


Ahhh, I can see the "outhouse." The end is in sight!!!
Of course there's a line...

Sneffles neighbor, Gilpen Peak...a 13er.
After a quick bite to eat, Crazy Leon decides to soak his sore legs in ice water!!!




Sneffles and Gilpen



A quick selfie with Sneffles in the background...then time to head down.







Afterward, Leon treats us to beer and pizza at the Colorado Boy Brewery!  Looks like I got a little too much sun on my nose :)

Peace out!
From Dumb and Dumber in Lovely Ouray...and the lovely sane gal on the left :).  
mark, bobbie, leon.


9 comments:

  1. You Crazy Colorado Guys.....way too cool.......but that sure looks like the Good Life
    Stay thirsty
    A&D

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  2. "like hell", crazy like wise beyond belief, as in blazing your own trail, not following the "crowd", Im just concerned about all the pizza & beer though :)

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  3. Your sequence of photos with a few well-chosen words always tells a great story about "you crazy Colorado guys"!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for checking in, Terri. Per Steve Martin, "We're just a couple Wild and Crazy Colorado guys!" :)

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  4. And the folks in line saw Leon coming and in unison started yelling, "NO CUTS! No Cuts!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leon knows better than to cut a line of Mennonite women Jeeper tourists. :)

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    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    3. MFH I did not remove your comment...not sure what happened???
      mark

      Delete

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