Dogs, Blogs, and Bike Cogs

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Drum roll, please! 

 

Introducing the new and improved Pedaling4Pups! 

It's been a while since I shared my exploits trekking down the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. We climbed mountains together, fought off bears together, and even shared our deepest darkest secrets, well, I did at least -- but you get the point.

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We made it!

And I don’t just mean me and Apollo. I mean everyone. You, me, even Spunk.

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Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (well that escalated quickly).

This is a commonly used expression in the Fontanella household accredited mostly to the matriarch of the family — not a big surprise if you’re familiar with her brand of humor.

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Call it a quirk — or a downright weird thing that I do — but I like to jokingly refer to my "future self" to help me procrastinate important things. If you’re looking for ways to improve your procrastination skills, this is a great place to start.

"I don’t have to do that now. Future Clint does." See. See how easy it is to kick the can down the road with that.

As a through-and-through New Englander, I can’t say I know much about New Mexico.

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If you’re bravely and boldly following along, last time I left us with a precarious, cliff-hanger as my water filter broke while I was camping in southern Colorado. (TV Audience: *gasp*)

Good news: I found a new filter and my dysentery joke didn’t become a reality. (TV Audience: applause)

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Hot take: Penultimate is a top five vocab word in the English language.

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On the Great Divide, towns are a safe haven. There’s shelter, people, and most importantly, food.

When there are fewer towns, there’s no rush to get to camp. Once the tent is up and I’ve finished stuffing my face with ramen, there isn’t much to do besides write these blog posts.

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A smart person once told me, “it’s not an adventure until something goes wrong.”

Think about it. What if Indiana Jones never set off any booby traps? Or, if Fred’s first plan in Scooby Doo always caught the bad guy? Or, if Gerry Bertier didn’t get hit by a car before the state finals? (actually that would be a much better movie)

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The Great Basin.

No, not great as in spectacular to look at. Great as in big — really, really big.

This section of the Great Divide has a bit of an infamous reputation. It’s over 150 miles long and is the second-longest stretch of the route without a natural water source. This means you have to pick and choose your campsites wisely, or carry enough water to get you through the long haul.