Michael Henry

January is Warm–and Arty

I rode Green Mountain yesterday around sunset–it was 68 degrees in Denver, which is absolutely nuts–and found myself viewing every panorama as contemporary art. Seems like I saw some Pollock on the trail, some Warhol in the parking lot, some Dali in the sky. Maybe I’m art-obsessed because I’ll be giving a talk entitled “DeconstructedContinue reading “January is Warm–and Arty”

Garaging. Not Good.

This, from the department of self-disclosing dumb things I have done. For a while I had the habit of placing my bikes on top of the car in the Thule/Rocky Mounts/Yakima rack, and then forgetting that there was, in fact, a bike up there. You can guess what happened next. A few years ago, atContinue reading “Garaging. Not Good.”

Is This Going to Live Forever?

No riding today: blah gray sky, melting snow. The trails are probably total muck. (I am going to overhaul my Mavic rear hub and go for a road ride, though. Wish me luck.) In the meantime I’ve been lying around reading the New York Times Magazine from last Sunday–specifically the article “Things To Do inContinue reading “Is This Going to Live Forever?”

After Biking Up the Mountain

A cold snow is flurrying down this morning and it seems like a dream that I rode yesterday for over two hours, up the long trail of Mount Falcon, in the sun, along mostly dry trails, occasionally over long stretches of crunchy dry snow. It seems almost surreal to have done that in January, asContinue reading “After Biking Up the Mountain”

01.01.11

Welcome to the new year, all cold and white, finally. Riding on this day isn’t possible. Being outdoors is possible only in small tokens of time (it’s 7 degrees here in Denver as I write), and so for a while, each day of the new year will now be spent under a roof, breathing artificiallyContinue reading “01.01.11”

Acquisition = Good Citizen?

At our house, now that Christmas is over and we are finished cleaning up the detritus of plastic packaging, shiny bows, torn wrapping paper, and the like, we can play with our stuff. And, like most, there is a lot of new stuff. Yesterday, my two daughters opened around 12 packages each; we tossed outContinue reading “Acquisition = Good Citizen?”

Felt, But Not the Super Soft Kind

Now that my old Rocky Mountain bike frame is RIP, there is both sadness and glee in my riding heart. I will miss that old frame. And yet, now I am free to purchase a new one. We can’t really afford it. However, I have impressed upon my wife that I am a riding shark:Continue reading “Felt, But Not the Super Soft Kind”

Memory, Emerson, and the Speed of Time

Yesterday, I rode my single speed up onto North Table Mountain, just outside of Golden, on a new trail, one I hadn’t ridden before. The steep grade made turning the pedals over almost impossible. Slow I went, stopping a few times to regather myself and suck wind. I am well familiar with the pain ofContinue reading “Memory, Emerson, and the Speed of Time”