Mike Colpo riding peavine at Sunrise

I knew something was wrong when I saw a short, mysterious post about him on Facebook Friday. But J.R. called with the news. Mike Colpo passed away last week, quite unexpectedly, on a run along the Truckee River on December 7th 2011.

I regret that I new Mike far less well than I would have liked. We went on a few rides, had a few beers, he made us pancakes up on the mountain once or twice. We talked about writing, and used each other for sources in articles once or twice. He was genuine, thoughtful, caring, tough, smart, funny, happy and adventurous.

Mike had the idea one year for Bike To Work Day to ride up peavine with a stove and cookware and make everyone pancakes. It was a wako idea, but also an awesome one. We road way up to the shoulder below the radio towers and he had cakes and syrup hot and waiting for us. It was awesome. And impressive. Mike hauled the stove, pans and food up on his Xtracycle bike. Which is a big load and a big ride!

Mike and TBS crew eating Peavine Pancakes.

Many close to The Bacon Strip are close to either the Nevada Wilderness Project, which Mike was quite envolved in, or Patagonia Reno, where he worked, so he had a big impact on the TBS Family and we are sad to see him go. Chances are that those who weren’t as close to him have some good memory of him. Like the pancakes. He seems to have had a way to leave a bold impression, with out much time.

Guys like Mike never just disappear though. He’ll pull away and maintain a pace you can’t quite match. You see him cresting the hill way ahead and dig deep to catch him. He’ll drop in on the pow stash and you’ll just see him, a speck on the horizon until you’re not sure he’s still there at all. But like all adventure hounds, he’s there somewhere, among the trees and tall grass, his nose to the ground, thinking and looking for something fun.

Please tell us your favorite Mike Colpo story in the comments below.

-M

Obituary: Michael Vincent Colpo

(Reno Gazette-Journal, Dec 11, 2011) Mike Colpo, 36, passed unexpectedly on December 7, 2011. Mike was born on February 1, 1975 in Wilmington, Delaware to John and Sheila Colpo. He graduated from the University of Delaware and then headed West to earn a Master’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Nevada, Reno. Mike embraced mountain living immediately, and made Nevada his home.

Mike worked for Patagonia for 11 years. He was a beautiful writer and editor. Mike also taught for the National Outdoor Leadership School and treasured his time teaching others to appreciate the mountains he loved so passionately. He learned to cook on a camp stove in the wilderness and is known for, among so many other things, his amazing culinary talent.

Mike married Elizabeth Mosco on August 20, 2011. He was a more patient and loving husband than anyone could ask for. He is also survived by his parents, John and Sheila Colpo of Maryland; sisters MaryEllen Hearn (Bob) and Patricia Anderson (Dave) of Delaware; and brother John (Kara) of Delaware. He also leaves behind 10 nieces and nephews and countless other family and friends who love and miss him dearly.

Services will be held at Mountain View Mortuary at 425 Stoker Avenue, Reno, on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 2pm. Mike’s kindness and love touched everyone he met. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Nevada Wilderness Project (www.wildnevada.org) or The Nevada Land Conservancy (www.nvlc.org).

John and Mary get another article about their house, this time in The Christian Science Monitor. Good Job!

“People see this,” Mr. Sagebiel says of the desert-hued exposed-timber-frame “Big Thunder,” “and say that must have cost you a fortune.”

“Are you kidding me?” he laughs. “This is making me a fortune! It’s expensive only if you look at the day you install it. It’s just a matter of how you do the math.” -Read More

UPDATE:

Read more about Bog Thunder specs and see photos here.
-M

[NOTICE: They changed the Survey link, If you already voted, please vote again!]

The official Team Bacon Strip video for Tour De Cul De Sac has been selected for the top 20 in the Reno River Festival’s Humans in Motion video contest!

Show your support for The Team, The Tour and Jerz falling off a bike by voting for the TDC video here.

Vote at work, the vote at home, then vote from every computer you have, then tell all your friends. If–WHEN–we win, I’ll use the money to bankroll the TBS t-Shirts and Sock Guy Socks!

ALSO be sure to click the “resommend” button below and share this will your Facebook friends!

-M

Just a reminder that the auction for Barrett’s Banner Sunrise print is less than 3 days away from ending. It’s in a really nice black wood frame on a white matte. It’ll make a great motivator for you to get geared up for the coming Sierra Nevada backpacking season.

About the Print:

Barrett is a really good landscape photographer. This last year he switched over to digital, but this is one from his old Pentax 645n on Fuji Velvia 50 film. It’s a pretty stunning image from really a stunning morning @ Thousand Island Lake near Mammoth CA. The wind was HOWLING over the sierra crest and the clouds looked about as ominous as I’ve ever seen.

Bacon Socks

On another note, I came up with a potential idea for some socks:

Thinking the graphic on the sock cuff and Team Bacon Strip on the foot. That way it will have mass appeal…

SO… BID ON THE PRINT! (and check out Barrett’s other photos), and let me know what you think of the sock idea…

-M

Conventional wisdom would make this easy. Fortunately you will rarely find conventional wisdom here on The Bacon Strip.

From Google Sightseeing:

Let’s look at Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. The summit of Chimborazo is 6,267 m (20,561 ft) above sea level, which is quite large but not quite the highest mountain in the Andes. If you take into account the Earth’s equatorial bulge, a straight line from the summit down to the estimated centre of our planet would be 6,384.4 km (3,967.1 mi).

Read More

Pretty cool! It’s also the closest you can get to the surface of the moon without leaving the ground! I wonder how much closer The Sphincter Team got to the moon on their trip up Volcan Orsorno…

Stay tuned for updates from LowCO2, Huck Tater and myself this week as we head down to ride bikes @ 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. And try to imagine this awesome print of Mt. Banner @ Thousand Island Lake by The Restless Ape in your living room, Bedtoom, or bathroom. You’ll get a chance to bid on it this week!

-M

Squawliwood legend Shane McConkey died today in a BASE Jumping accident in Italy. Reminds me of what happened after my Sky Dive last year to SkyDive Tahoe’s Wes Harberts.

I met Shane briefly once when I took the photo above. Seemed like a very cool yet intense dude. It sucks knowing that the guy shreding the sick line you can see from the lift at Tahoe won’t be him again.

More info on Shane on Twitter and in the News.

-M

Smella just forwarded this on to me:

NGO Workshop Feburary 20-21, 2008
John Ascuaga’s Nugget, Sparks Nevada

“Research suggests that the Great Basin is one of the most environmentally frail and at-risk regions in the nation.
To address this concern, a major two-day workshop for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on the
natural resources and environment in the Great Basin will be held in Reno and tentatively is scheduled for
Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 20-21, 2008 at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Attendees will be helping to identify issues
that ultimately will lead to preserving and sustaining this natural ecosystem —
making it perform better for its native population and visitors.
Through the energy and commitment of NGOs, this goal can become a reality.”

Below is the website link to the Great Basin Environmental Program NGO Workshop to be held February 20-21, 2007 in Sparks. Please distribute widely.

https://naes.agnt.unr.edu/ngo_workshop/

I believe I read that he has no recollection of telling a reporter that he climbed Everest, “because it’s there,” but there it was, and there it still is. Never-the-less Sir. Ed is gone:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called “Ed” and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.
“Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only ’knocked off’ Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity,” Clark said in a statement.

“The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived,” she said.

Hillary’s life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — and by his personal humility. Humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Norgay.

news.bbc.co.uk

-M

I might not be able to get that Interstate Font…

Sizzling hot bacon for October 16th through October 18th:

• Facility Bike Club: Falling Down-Its under rated – So, Todd wiped out on Jack Rabbit the other day. I saw the whole thing. A couple months ago, I saw Jeff M. full on “Oaf” on the Jackrabbit jump. Micky from the Bike Smith was launching himself off the rock drop off on the creek trail several times…
• Church Sign Generator – Make Your Sign – This link came from Reno Rambler;. There goes the rest of my day…
• An Evening With Scalleycat (Oct 26th…the full moon!) – These guys are having a get together. I’ll probably show up just to show how much cooler Team Bacon Strip is. Maybe I’ll find someone to stoke for me on the B2B (below) Anyone with me?
• PINCH FLAT NEWS : Ambiguously Gay Tandem: The B2B Bicycle – You’ve heard of the scintillating, sexy 69 position? This is the somewhat less common 88 position.
• Facility Bike Club: More Bears and a Lion Too – According to this Reno Gazette Journal article, The Nevada Department of Wildlife has so far this year trapped 80 bears in an area stretching from Reno to south Douglas County and west to Lake Tahoe.