Wooooo Live Music

Hi everyone. If you're in the neighborhood (and why wouldn't you be?), you should drop in on the Bytown Tavern Saturday night at 9pm to see everyone's "favorite" singer/songwriter/player of guitar solos perform a 45-minute solo acoustic set as the opening act for Ottawa's incomparable originals/covers band Rocket Lounge (www.rocketlounge.net). You'll hear all your favorite Ryan standards along with a few select covers from the icy depths of the back of my brain.

http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21787123549

See you there (right?).

The Downieville Classic is my favorite holiday.

It's better than Christmas. It's better than the Fourth of July. And I know it's not technically a "real" holiday, but it feels like one. ;)

I had SO MUCH FUN as a volunteer at this year's race weekend. I got free food, free beer, free camping, a bear came right up to my tent and sniffed it -- while I was in it! -- in the middle of the night, I got to see all my friends cross the finish line (as I was tearing finish tags), I met so many nice people, saw The Saddle Tramps (since I didn't have to go to bed early cuz I wasn't racing), watched the River Jump competition (judged by celebrity bike people like Wade Simmons)...

AND... I won this in a raffle:


a $450 RockShox RVLATN -- a sweet fork that has over an inch more travel than my current Fox Float 100.

Downieville rocks! If I don't race it next year, I'm definitely going to volunteer again. Either way, I'm hooked on this race for life.

downievilleclassic.com • yubaexpeditions.com • sierratrails.org