What have I gotten myself into? Next Friday, on August 21, my friend and Ripper-In-Training, Josh, along with fellow blogger and bona fide Senior Ripper Bob, aka Old Man Gravel, will attempt to ride to the summit of Mt. Evans in Clear Creek County, Colorado. Mt. Evans is the highest paved road in North America, topping out at just over 14,200 feet. On July 9 of this year, Old Man Gravel published a post called “Hacking Mt. Evans“, where he outlined his plan to ride to the summit. This summer, because of Covid, no cars are allowed above the Welcome Station, around 15 miles from the peak. To have the…

Our little section of Maine has become a hot bed for oyster beds. I’m sure there is a scientific reason for that, but that’s above my pay grade. All I know is that everywhere you look, there’s another oyster farm and retail outlet. As such, oyster prices are very reasonable. That seems to be the case most places, because the oyster industry’s main outlet for sales, restaurants, has, understandably, seriously shrunk. While I feel bad for the oysterers, we, the consumers, benefit from lower prices. Sam Sifton in The New York Times wrote about that phenomenon this week in his article, Know Your Food. Among other things, Sam encourages you…

Rippers have to learn to be flexible when weather conditions interfere with plans.  So when monsoon rains prevented me from teeing off one morning with my friends, I headed for the pond, rod in hand. One of my goals has been to catch a fish with a fly.  Ever since I saw the film, A River Runs Through It, I have longed to recreate the river scenes with me as the leading actor. Luckily, I have access to prime trout streams both in Utah and the Pocono Mountains.  A while back, pre-Covid, I took advantage of a three-day clinic for women given by the High Country Fly Fishers, a chapter of Trout Unlimited. Patient…