Since moving to Utah, Zion has become one of my favorite weekend destinations. There is a silly amount of wonder packed into that place, and being just a quick 4 1/2 hour trip down the interstate, it’s a shame I don’t get down there more than I do. The Virgin River Narrows hike has been on my Utah bucket list for some time now, and earlier in the year I decided it was time to make it happen.
Look for more photos and full adventure report coming soon.
More photos of the All-City Macho Man below.
I’ll preface this write-up with the disclaimer that I am not a roadie. In fact, I’ve been known to poke fun at the subculture. Skin suits are dumb, and I am sure as shit not about to shave my arms or legs. I’ll stand by my hypothesis that if there were less spandex in cycling, there’d by more butts on bikes. Look at the cycling capitals of the world – Copenhagen, Amsterdam, etc… and one thing becomes apparent, you don’t need to be kitted out to have fun on a bike. Which leads me to my next point. The All-City Macho Man is one helluva fun bike be you a corer-than-thou CX racer, or an average-Joe around-towner.
With the days getting shorter, it’s harder to get out pedaling as often as I’d like, however, one way to keep the legs and ass saddle-ready is by commuting by bike. My cycling preferences lean heavily toward the suspension assisted side of the spectrum, and if you’ve ever ridden flat stretches of road on a full-suspension mountain bike, you know that it’s far from the right tool for the job. So I decided to pick up something a bit more commuter-friendly. While I didn’t set out with my eyes on All-City’s Macho Man, I did know I wanted something with a steel frame, gears, and beefy tires. I turned to KSL, Salt Lake’s local classifieds, and what do you know, there’s a stunner in the form of a lightly used All-City Macho Man in my size for a screaming price. Which of course I took as a sign from the bike gods that it was the one true bike for me.
While technically classified as a gravel grinder or cyclocross bike, the Macho Man was exactly what I was looking for in a commuter. The 612 ChroMoly steel frame is by no means light for a bike in this category, however it provides the ride quality and fun factor that you only get from a steel bike. Also, I don’t plan on racing it anytime soon, so weight wasn’t really an issue for me, and the thin clean steel tubes take the form-factor up a notch. The 35c tires provide a stable footprint and offer more forgiveness for the rougher roads and dirt trails common around Park City. Additionally, the Macho Man is a knockout with it’s candy orange and white paint scheme paired with the classic double triangle geometry. It’s obvious that All-City puts much thought into their bikes from the finishing touches to the solid build spec making the Macho Man a next level value, even when buying new. I can say already that with only a handful of rides under my belt, there is no doubt this bike will be a permanent fixture in the bike-stable for many years to come.
Shop All-City on Jenson.
Begin with a proper sketch book. Draw in ink. Finish each drawing you begin, and keep every drawing you finish. No erasing, no ripping out a page, no covering a page with angry scribbles. What you draw is an invaluable and unique representation of how you saw at that moment in that place according to your abilities. That’s all we want. We already know what a dog really looks like.
Annette Goodheart’s advice on drawing to the late Roger Ebert
Via Austin Kleon.
Photo Courtesy Foodie Crush
What makes for a top-notch dining experience? A six-course harvest dinner with Epic Brewing beer pairings combined with an outdoor mountain-side festival table is a good place to start. This past Labor Day weekend we treated ourselves to such with the Wasatch Mountain Table at Solitude Resort. While everything was excellent, aside from perhaps the portions, the highlight of the evening by far was the Epic Utah Sage Saison, Belgian-Style Ale, which if you ever get a chance, buy as much of as you can carry.
Labor Day has traditionally marked the beginning of the end of summer. With the leaves changing, don’t let this fading summer pass you by. Song credit: Magpie in the Morning by Neko Case
Cat Black, she is my honey
All she wants to do is spend my money
She’s a real gone chick and I love her so
Knocks me out when she does the rock ‘n’ roll
What I’m listening to on Rdio.
Town Lift – Park City, Utah. See more photos.
Originally recorded with Adams’ band, Whiskeytown and released on Strangers Almanac. I can always count on this song along with DBT’s Outfit to pop-up on my Rdio station. Really looking forward to Adams’ upcoming release.
Last night I had the opportunity to check out Park City’s hot new restaurant, Handle. Handle, named after head chef & partner Briar Handley formerly of Talisker On Main, is seeking to fill a void in Park City by providing quality food at a reasonable price point. The menu is comprised of several small plates a few larger dishes, as well as an array of craft cocktails.
The highlight of the evening by far for me was the fried chicken. I’m a sucker for fried chicken, good or bad, and I can say definitively that Handle’s fried chicken is the best in town. The cauliflower and artichoke dip plates stood out as well, and the Rattlesnake, Handle’s take on the bourbon sour, was excellent.
I could go on about Handle’s approach to local and seasonal ingredients, hand-crafted menu, or more empty cliché’s that all restaurants use, but I won’t. What I will say, is that after my first experience with Handle, it’s obvious the proprietor’s are passionate about the food & atmosphere they are creating and are committed to providing a much needed quality alternative to Park City’s tiresome restaurant options. They have a winning formula, that with a few adjustments, should bring them much success and hopefully inspire more good food on Main Street.
Handle Park City is open for dinner Wednesday – Sunday and is located on the corner of Heber Ave & Swede Alley in the Gateway Center (the old Jean Louis / Al Dente space).
You’re feeling things, that’s good… You’ve got to hang on to that. When you get old, your skin get’s tough.
Mason Sr to Mason Jr in the film Boyhood
We treated ourselves to a Monday night movie last night with Richard Linklater’s latest, Boyhood. Go see it if you get a chance, it’s well worth 10 bucks and three hours of your time. As always, Linklater nails the soundtrack, and one such gem from the movie is the Beatles Black Album; a mixtape Mason Sr’s character makes for Mason Jr that Linklater adopted for the movie from an occurrence in Ethan Hawke’s life.