Gears & Tears: New bike, new perspectives, new adventures.

Well, today I picked up my new bike: a 2009 Gary Fisher Paragon. The bike is a (somewhat early) graduation/Christmas present from my parents. Unfortunately, I had to work all day and I won't have the time to take it on the trails until Sunday. It's absolutely killing me to wait. Right now the bike count stands at 4, but that won't last for long: now that I have a proper offroad bike the hybrid will be kicked to the curb. After an extremely lengthy fitting (over 75 minutes; are all bike fittings this lengthy, or just the ones that involve girls?) I feel prepared to take on the world on this bike. Or at least the lower peninsula of Michigan. Ok, maybe a little bit of the upper part too.

While I was at work daydreaming about riding my new bike, I met a pretty cool customer. Turns out he owns (or at least manages) a switchgrass ethanol plant. Switchgrass is a better source of ethanol than corn because it takes far less energy to reach the end product. I learned a lot about switchgrass today—I had no idea it was being used as an alternative source for ethanol. We talked for a while about the earth, sustainable systems, politics, and the nature of the American auto industry. It was refreshing.

By now most of you know I've applied to take part in an expedition to Isle Royale with a research team to study the predator/prey relationship between wolves and moose on the island. The island is about nine miles wide and forty-five miles long, located in the northwest area of Lake Superior up near Canada. It's incredibly remote and home to the longest continuous study on predators and prey in the world. If I get accepted, it will be a week in August full of hard backpacking in serious backcountry, observing nature and collecting moose bones to bring back to Michigan Tech to study. I'm crazy excited. Wish me luck!