[special-K]

Looks like a nice trip. Love the pictures. Hate that they are on my computer and not in front of me. I love higher altitudes. I'm jealous of both you guys!

No more Crusted Butt, ey? Damn! It was '03 when I was there last and it was so cool I loved it. It is the place where mountain bikes basically developed out of, there and Marin Co, CA. They started adapting old balloon tire bikes with gears for trail riding. I was in the forefront of all that myself. This was late-70s or 1980. They have the National mountain Bike Museum (or had) in the back of this shop, just one room. I considered donating my bike but never did. Back then you searched and scoured to find parts to work. Beach cruisers were just coming on in CA, so anodized aluminum rims and things like handlebars were available. Then it was antique parts mixed with adapting BMX pieces. I started with a rusty frame and fork I found in a mountain farm dump. I had that bike when I lived in Flagstaff and people loved it (wheelie machine). That was about the time Ross bicycles got into manufacturing lightweight ATBs, which is what they called then at first. Schwinn had come out with what could be considered the first mt bike, a cruiser with 5spds and a drum rear brake from a tandem. That's how my antique Columbia was built. I still love riding bikes, but my interest faded when the yuppies got a hold of Mt Bikes. Life is simple, live and let live. Why can't so many people get that?

Crested Butte was a big snowmobile area back when I was in the west. I wonder how the snotasses feel about those now.

Here she is, unrestored in 'as built' form. And one shot of my Schwinn Cruiser5