Michael Henry

Rain, and Change

The rains have come and gone, and now all that’s left is the aftermath. What have we lost? In many ways, after this summer of 2013, we will never be the same. From wildfires to floods, nothing gold can stay, as Frost said so well. When my wife and I first moved to Denver, inContinue reading “Rain, and Change”

Friends and Fourteeners

These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me, If they are not yours as much as mine they are nothing, or next to nothing, If they are not the riddle and the untying of the riddle they are nothing, If they are not justContinue reading “Friends and Fourteeners”

There Have Been Years

Every year I get to spend a week up in Grand Lake, Colorado, on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. And every year I sojourn back to two trails I like very much: the Grand Lake Metropolitan trail network, and the Gilsonite to Wolverine Trail, which courses through the remote Arapaho National forest. OneContinue reading “There Have Been Years”

Busy Busy Busy

Life is sometimes a bully. It grabs you by the ear and yanks you into a miasma of days that float by with a thousand things to do. When that happens, the bike sits, sad, in the garage. June’s been like that. How’s it been for y’all? I did sneak away for a quick rideContinue reading “Busy Busy Busy”

Riding White Ranch—With Commentary by William Shakespeare

Last Sunday I embarked on a great ride at White Ranch with my riding buddy Ed. Our first ride of the new year together, it was great to have a pal there, to shoot the bull, to discuss the proper line, to draft behind on the long slog up Belcher Hill and then onto ShorthornContinue reading “Riding White Ranch—With Commentary by William Shakespeare”

The Far (April) Field

Spring has come! Time to reawaken! Time to get back on the trail! I have to admit: it’s been too long. During these last cold months I’ve pretty much forgotten about trail riding. If I’ve been on a bike at all, it’s been on the road, commuting from the bus station to work. Or inContinue reading “The Far (April) Field”

March, Spring, and Risking Your Heart

I’m getting excited about spring. I’m getting excited about daylight savings time. I’m getting excited about riding again. But there’s that nagging, curmudgeonly voice in my head, that lazy and insecure blabbermouth, that not-interested shade of me that is tired of fiddling with all the gear, with driving to the trailhead, with the pain andContinue reading “March, Spring, and Risking Your Heart”

Rambling Existential Questions, Inspired by a Bike Show and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

I really want to go to the North American Handmade Bike Show here in Denver this weekend, but then again, I’m not in the market for a new, handmade bike made of bamboo, ash, titanium, vibranium, or compressed coffee grounds. Plus, it’s $20 bucks just to get in! (That bothers me. I wish it didn’t.Continue reading “Rambling Existential Questions, Inspired by a Bike Show and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”