Awaiting the green

Tom and Liz riding among blackened trees and ashes

Almost one month passed since the great fire in "La Primavera" Forest (April 22nd to 25th), the mobilization of civil society was awesome and very motivating, so much, that even the government wanted to join. Up came the president and promised to replant millions of trees ... well, I want to stay with it was simply because they are well meaning and not be ignorant of the processes actually needed to care for and restore a forest. It was a first impulse and as always, just looking flashy and get it right in the photo of the newspapers. But the reality is different. Gentlemen, before planting and pretend to cover the facts is necessary to return to the causes, both to punish the perpetrators (those who really lit the fire without being there), not the lady who wanted to present as environmental kills, but those who want win by destroying the earth. And is that before sending planting trees, you have to plant surveillance that prevents greedy real estate want, built new houses because there is not tree now. We must motivate to irregular houses and move people to areas where if they have services and can access the education they can live with better quality and productivity. Why not sell two or three houses of the mrs. Elba Esther?(Mexico female gangster, leader of teacher union) With that money you can easily set up a little town to re-locate a number of irregular ignorance and abuse of other gangsters (like her), make them settle in where they should not.

A few weeks ago the forest suffered, but the city came to his aid, I think the collective unconscious just discovered that without the forest, the city will die. I'll put other pictures I took last weekend, not to be sad or angry by powerlessness we all feel to see rising columns of smoke those days. They are photos that make us not forget that although we watered, we can also compose, it is necessary not only to stop being tuned, not to allow this, the gangsters want to take advantage and build houses where there had been trees. It is time to return to the forest their land, not the suburbs, not to individuals just waiting for us let's turn down the forest and put a tar road.

On Sunday we rode Tom, Liz and I through "La Mosca" trail and the "Garrison", the traditional route is there for about 20 years, I think the first real mountain path in the woods of "La Primavera" forest, and is impressive as the fire swept. Now it looks blackened, and the first impression is of sadness ... but we must not stop there, because in another few weeks I hope that even with the blow to the attractiveness of clouds, rain forest receives a well deserved rain and we will see the gratitude of the forest to the thousands who went to his aid, green back, reborn leaves, the ashes will be the bed for trees were saved not yet be the fertile soil of a new generation of trees and even stronger resistant, as this new generation of citizens in Guadalajara starting to emerge from the slumber of apathy and are now seeking ways to better support the creation of a new society, more human, closer to itself and the nature of which depend if we want to endure.

The traces of fire in the signs

Garrison downhill, today a sad trail that we must to see with hope of a new green

Arriving to the "Glorieta" one of the most affected zones, for sure one of the areas that will flourish at all in a few weeks.

Endless riding

The sun continues to rise, but this morning we have allies. Hundreds of trees are our escort while we shot the rise among the industrious little town of Los Reyes (state of Michoacan, map below) and the little villages of 18 de Marzo, La Palma and Zacán. Over 15 years, others like us have been crossing these forests, that voluntarily or not, share the land with avocado orchards and some pasture. 
The asphalt has taken its toll line and took a few meters, but at the nerve center is still the land itself which serves as a carpet, cover and sunscreen. Here we all shot each in its way, at times we push and other times, someone pull to us. The pack of cyclists is compacted or stretched like the tide. Come and enjoy shooting pain that strikes in our thighs, wrists and fingers, when we got the saddle to climb the step ... stretch the neck, and half-closing our eyes when a sunshine finds its way among the high branches of the pines that line the route. 


Our muscles squeeze the maximum torque to continue supporting the weight of effort to climband climb, inch by inch, mile by mile ... until we left the forest and continue up a bit more, seeing from far away the majestic Tancítaro mountain (pictured here below covered with clouds ...), master of the southern mountains, and his young lieutenant ... Paricutin volcano.

Here the map from far up over earth... to let you know approximately where is this epic trail....

Here is a link to google map... Point A is the Paricutin, you'll see Angahuan bit close to north and Los Reyes a little far to West...
Paricutin placemark

Transvolcano 2012... once more time

Again in the streets of Los Reyes, Michoacán, the colorful stained jerseys of riders coming from other states and the very heart of the Purepecha culture. The friendliness and camaraderie flow to the rhythm of pedaling dozens riders on their bikes, we undertake the challenge to ride the 40 miles between this city and Angahuan village, near the "baby" volcano, Paricutin. 

Many of us have rode 40 kilometers in a single trail, is not easy, especially when within that range, there is a unique climb that brings us from 1.300 mts over sea level to 2.200 mts over sea level in no more than 10 kms of the journey. It is up and up, is to think without thinking, is to concentrate without exhaustion. Energy is found in every corner of each of our muscles and keep going, we encourage each other that passes to us, is to echo these spirits and encourage us to ourselves, as in life itself. 

After 3 hours, we find the first trophy of this adventure, the arrival at the ruins of San Juan Parangaricutiro, buried in the birth of Paricutin volcano. Now at the side of tenacious temple that resisted the lava up the posts of some of the finest "quesadillas" that I had been tasted. Here we stopped to count the first details of this epicroute, we get to see other cyclists as we stopped to refuel and take the final leg to Angahuan, where more trophies we collected during the weekend,companionship, friendship, reunion with old friends, meet new, enjoy a cold beer that tastes heavenly after these 40 kilometers of enthusiasm, tenacity, endurance and self-conquest. We all left without medals achieved without economic bag claim, simply the fact of achieve improving ourselves, so Transvolcano always be the route that is made to enjoy!

Today I rode. (was last Sunday)

I’m a bit tired; it hurts a little my neck and feels my legs hardened.  I think I’m still dehydrated, but hey! I can fix me with some fluid and a good night’s rest. The best is the bundle of memories and experience that I brought after a morning shot up to the Tower 1 (Planillas mountain), and then, descending through pines, ocher touching the leaves of the oaks that dilated start shedding their skin a few days before initiation of spring in this northern hemisphere

They were a couple of hours in which my perspective of my life gave me serenity. I shine my hope up in a word that really is changing, in the spirit of the earth, in its sprints, its clouds, in those stars that silent and patients are waiting that we realize that the accumulation does not give satisfaction but sharing and finding a balance with our mother earth what really gives us the satisfaction of being human, enjoy this piece of land you have given us for a few years as just to leave it in a better condition that we received it.

Rogelio

To ride is not attached to a language...

Hey, this time I'll share

February 17, 2012-Life Can Be a Breeze...

The end of daylight savings time occurs the first weekend of November.  This is also the same time I typically hang my bicycle up on hooks in the garage.  My legs welcome the "off-season" as a time to heal and rest.  No riding for me until daylight savings time starts again in mid-March. Well...that was the plan at least... In the days just before Christmas, I was having lunch with my friend Robin.  We were discussing our plans for 2012 when the subject of bike riding and centuries arose (a "century" is to bike riding what a marathon is to running).  I told her that I wasn't planning on going on any long tours this year (I had ridden down the coast of California the previous two years) but that I had the goal of doing a few sanctioned century rides over the upcoming year.  These weren't races but just endurance rides to use as a training benchmark. Robin shot back at me. "Well then you'll have to do the Tour de Palm Springs with me in February!!...the weather there is perfect that time of year and unlike most century rides...this is almost all flat...plus it's Valentine's Day weekend...you can bring Susan out to Palm Springs for a fun and relaxing weekend!" I told her that I would think about it but she was unrelenting in the days to follow. I finally signed up for the ride a few days before the beginning of the year.  With only six weeks before the ride, I needed to work myself into riding shape again.   Two long rides each weekend and two more evenings spinning indoors on a trainer would probably suffice.  It was a flat course after all and the weather in February wouldn't be a real factor. Last Friday I drove to the desert with my girlfriend Susan, who thought a weekend in the warm desert was indeed a good way to relax.  The weather on Friday was perfect...83 degrees and sunny.  We checked into the hotel and lounged around the poolside until Robin and her date arrived. Robin and her date arrived shortly thereafter and we all went off for an early dinner.  Upon our return to the hotel, Robin and I decided that we would meet downstairs at 6:30 am and ride over to the starting line, just a few blocks away. The next morning I got up early to dress and eat a hearty breakfast.  I poked my head outside of the room to discover that the overnight temperatures had dropped to the low 40's and that there was a brisk wind blowing. I met Robin downstairs a few minutes later.  As we rode to the starting line it was apparent that the wind was now really blowing hard...really hard from the west. We arrived at the starting point just as the first century riders were leaving.  The ride was expecting over 6,000 riders for the 100-mile portion and some 10,000 additional riders for the lesser distances. As we rode north out of downtown Palm Springs, the taller buildings no longer provided any screening from the wind.  The winds were now blowing desert sands across the road and into the first group of riders.  The sand stung the sides of our faces, arms, and legs as we rode through the cloud of dust. This wasn't the fun easy ride that I had signed up for.  This was miserable.  I continued riding as watched several people turn back for the starting line or walk their bikes along the side of the road.  Five miles into the ride and cyclists were already calling it quits. At the seven mile point the route turned west taking us directly into the teeth of the biting winds.  I estimated that the winds were gusting at speeds of well over 40 miles an hours.  Typically I travel on flat roads at a speed of 16-20 MPH but today I was limited to less than 8 MPH as I needed to use my "hill gears" to fight the strong head winds. It took us nearly 2 hours to reach the 15-mile point and I felt as though I had spent more energy than I normally might have spent after riding 50 miles.  Based on the present conditions, there would have been no shame in heading back early.  However a commitment had been made to myself and I wasn't about to let the course conditions get the better of me. As I rode, I wondered about other times that had ventured into something unknown, thinking that it would be very doable only to find out it was turning out to be much harder than I first had anticipated.  I thought about the different businesses that I incubated over the years.  I began these ventures with the thought that it would be fun and easy.  Later I would discover that it was really the unexpected that created the most difficult challenges for me. I also thought about relationships, marriage and raising a family.  How often do we start things with the best intentions thinking that we know more than we really do...only to later discover the difficulties that stand in our way? As we hit the 21 mile point, we suddenly veered easterly.  The wind was now at our backs as we sailed down the road, traveling nearly 40 MPH!!  The downwind section lasted for some additional 37 miles which we covered in slightly less than a single hour.  Sometimes this also happens in our lives.  After struggling for what seems like eternity, the road suddenly gets much easily to transverse.  The wind is at our backs.  What was hard is now simpler. I knew with all the downwind travel that harder peddling lie ahead of me soon.  I my expectations did not disappoint me as we neared the 60-mile point where we once again turned north and west to battle more winds. One of the more interesting things that struck me was how the riders began to group in packs.  This allowed the weaker riders to ride in the wake of the stronger riders in front.  Each of the riders took turns riding hard in the front, battling the winds for the others behind them.  Working together enabled us to reach our goal of crossing the finish line. We did complete the ride...in a time much  longer than I had originally anticipated.   I am quite certain that we would not have finished if it weren't for the help of other riders we met along the way.  My experiences last weekend helped to demonstrate that no one really finds success on their own.  We all need some help from time to time. No matter how much one prepares there will always the risk of unexpected head winds ahead.  Life can sometimes be a breeze...or sometimes a hurricane. Every day we need to find a way to continue to push ahead...keeping moving...and finding our way to the finish line. Thank you very much for your support of OptiFuse where we hope the wind is always at your back and if not we'll be there to help.     Jim Kalb President OptiFuse jimk@optifuse.com www.optifuse.blogspot.com www.optifuse.com

Nearby Tapalpa

Spanish version

Tapalpa is a Magic town, but its magic is not limited by the "adobe" walls or the stoned streets that force to us the people from the city to going slow and enjoy the fresh air of the mountain. For us that live here, we have the opportunity to relish not only in Tapalpa but in several little towns and corners so far as 20 miles around. In the right picture we can see the last part of a downhill to the Juanacatlan town, an exhilarating ride going down from 9440 ft to 8270 ft in bit more 2 miles. Is an adrenaline doses only to take a breath before to return to the origin point, Atemajac de Brizuela.If take a detailed sight you can see two riders going forward my camera…

In the next picture we can see to Fer ahead, followed by Rober (who is hidden behind a tree) and Tom taking velocity just to the beginning of the “Juanacatlan downhill”… They are lift the dust up for all the other that will start the downhill just behind them, and for all those that will close the platoon, we’ll collect the dust in our jerseys, our skin, the glasses and  the helmet… but wow! To enjoy for these majestic riding between trees, discovering a valley just for few seconds, was a delightonly interrupted when we need to grab the handlebars to avoid going out of the way…  fall down.


Following picture, all us here grouped again (but no Pepe, Victor and Alex, each one with his own story), taking a stretch of freeway (300 meters), saying goodbye to Juanacatlan to line up toward Ferreria de Tula, another beautiful and hidden little town in this mountain, to where we’d arrive after crossing several miles over fields and woodland pastures dotted with dust and dry ground.

Almost, almos there, within 3 miles of our goal. Riding this magical combination of hot sun and cool winter polar air coming up to this corner of our land, making cold sweat, cold and out of our skin with only one looking out of the sun, and we felt we were close to the ride end today, after 25 miles riding, climbing, descending, enjoying and of course…hard breathing to achieve make that each pedal bring to us a bit beyond where we had never gone, so we finished this shot, this personal test, this reunion with us and with whose that morning were encouraged to ride!

2012 to ride

Spanish version

Hello,
Welcome to all to this New Year. The party wasn’t so hard than you could think in case you’re guessing about my delay to appear here. It was a lot to review, to analyze, to rest and to prepare to be ready to come here again, so this post is short but it doesn’t without meaning.

Here I show to you a composition of what it could be both, an evidence of that we rode and also a promise of that is waiting out there to be riding.
Beyond the plans, the calls to ride, the arrangements… beyond our desks, in the traffic, between the trees, the cars, the fog… in the street, the sidewalks, the roads, the tracks… in all those places the opinion of the “vets”, the coaches, the skeptics have few importance, is in that moment where are only you and your bicycle the reason to wake up, put yourself in the seat and start to pedal…


The year is starting, we’re still in the first month, is still time that you can run for your bike ans start to ride!!!
I hope you have good luck, a lot of achievements and we’ll see in the rides!

Rogelio