Google Maps has added “bicycle” as an option for map routing, theoretically helping you avoid hills, traffic, etc. It also has trail options as well. That’s a nice surprise to get spring jumpstarted a bit. Now we just need to see if it will work.

I recently got back from a trip up to northern Michigan and on the way we drove through a few small towns built on the shores of lakes. It drifted me back across the frozen landscapes of my childhood, staring out at tiny little houses dotting a barren white expanse, hard water as they call it. In South Dakota and Minnesota, where I grew up, this time of year ushered in a whole new season of sports, not of the exciting alpine variety but more of the head shaking, why the hell would anyone do that variety. There was snowmobiling, which is fun and makes sense if your not drunk and its light out, guidelines when not followed result all too often in decapitation by barb wire fence. I’m not kidding, nearly happened to two kids in my high school but luckily they both lived to tell the story of the rakish scars across their neck.

Here’s a pretty rad video of a guy carving like crazy on a snowmobile:

There were other stranger sports like trapping, which could be quite frightening.

The traps are generally set in places that are hard to both see and reach and are often occupied by understandably upset woodland creatures. If their not, than your not a good trapper. The all to common result is that you end up lying on your belly in three feet of snow, reaching under a fallen tree on a frozen creek and running into a pissed off and dying skunk. Believe me it’s a bad scene and hard to understand what makes it worth it.

There was also ice racing. Something I never did but a lot of the burnouts who used to beat me up in high school swore by it.

Basically it’s just racing with real long spikes on your tires. I think it comes in all sorts of classes, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile etc. I suppose it’s fun but it strikes me as absolutely nuts to be racing at top speeds on ice with what essentially amounts to little spears on your wheels.

Really the only sport I ever got into much was ice fishing, more on tht later.

From TransWorld Snowboarding:

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (January 13, 2010) Snowboarder Kevin Pearce (Norwich, VT) is continuing to recover at the University of Utah Hospital. He consistently encourages his doctors and family with the strides he is making.

Elaine Skalabrin, MD, Medical Director, Neuro Critical Care, and one of Kevin’s doctors, states, “Kevin continues to improve and is actively participating in his therapies. He is making progress on a daily basis.”

Pia and Simon Pearce, Kevin’s parents, have been by Kevin’s side at the hospital since his arrival. They would like to share: “ We cannot say enough good things about the doctors, nurses, and support staff here at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. They have shown Kevin and our family the best of what modern medicine can offer and have been completely caring and supportive throughout this entire process. We extend our heartfelt appreciation and admiration to everyone involved Kevin’s recovery.”

Kevin’s Facebook Fan page, Well Wishes to our Frend Kevin Pearce, is still the preferred site for people posting their get-well wishes and for getting the most current and reliable information.

Don’t lose hope dear internetting ones, we still have every intention of launching the full Outsider’s Almanac website in the near future, it just won’t be quite as soon as we had hoped. We’re pretty insanely busy these days, between writing projects, client needs, body/mind/spirit rehabbing and the pursuit of winter in it’s many splendered and distracting forms, but you should expect to see the site live by around April 1st, 2010.

We’ve got our sites on making Outsider’s Almanac the most exhaustive and user friendly site for all Outsider activities by combining tutorials with expert articles, videos, web based and mobile communication apps, up-to-the-minute live and critical information on sites and conditions, gear reviews, site reviews, events, and so much more.

Like you, we love the Outside, it’s beautiful out here, and boy is it easy to get distracted. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

Chicago’s temperature index is staying comfortably below freezing now, in fact, most days this week we were below zero with windchill. I haven’t yet committed to the adjustment for riding my bike to work in the mornings, but I think I’ll start with that again next week. My plan for that is to basically dress like I’m going snowboarding – pants, first layers, gloves, coat, helmet and goggles – but tape up my pants. I’ll be sure to include my gator as well as that early morning air can sting to hell when we get down in the single and double digits.

But biking winter is a peripheral joy for me, one that I take and leave based on need more than pleasure. I much prefer to stick with seasonal activities requiring gear that is elegantly prepped for the conditions, not simply coerced into function. And, to my mind, there’s no low buy-in winter activity in the midwest quite as enjoyable as cross country skiing.

I fought XC skiing for years, assuming it was as dull as the people I knew who did it. I could never figure out where the enjoyment came from and was always trying to figure out where they were hiding the hill. But something switched in my aging brain last year and I decided to try it again as I wrestled to discover more ways I could interact with winter and snow beyond snowboarding. Much to my surprise I fell in love with cross country skiing. There’s a low learning curve, it’s totally accessible and it gives me a new reason to find desolate paths in and outside the Chicago area. It offers me the kind of satisfied solitude I have found myself longing for more and more as I get older.

Fortunately, my XC skis don’t require waxing. They’ve got fish scales on them and require almost zero maintenance. Matt, on the other hand, picked up a real nice pair of XC Skis on the cheap from Craigs list last year, nice enough that they require a steady waxing. We’re getting together tomorrow to prep his skis for the weekend, so here’s a video to help get my brain running around this process properly again.

I’m aware that Danny Macaskill isn’t exactly a underground legend anymore but man this kid is ridiculous, if anyone has yet to see him work this should be a treat.  Also this second video while not as impressive all around has a couple of sick tricks in it that I hadn’t seen before.

I promised this recipe in my post about New Holland’s Ichabod the other day. This here pumpkin chili recipe comes to us by way of Dr. Pants Laroo. Send all complaints and questions to her. Thanks Pants!

Ingredients
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup yellow pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 1/2 cups cooked pork shoulder

1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin {Add more if you really want a pumpkin flavor or use a fresh steamed}.

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth

Directions
1saute onions, pepper and garlic in oil until soft.
2stir in oregano, cumin, chili powder cook 1 minute and transfer to slow cooker.
3add remaining ingredients.
4cook on low for 7-8 hours.

I haven’t tried this yet, but will most likely make it for next weekend. I’ve also changed Pants’ recipe from a Turkey chili to a Pork chili because, well, pork is way better. I may also add some bacon to this as well. I’ll probably also add cilantro and maybe something for heat, too. Ah yes, and top it off with some manchengo.

I’ll post my updated recipe after I make it.

I scrubbed this off the Backpacker.com blog. It’s a delicious soup that is easy to haul with you on hikes or multi-day bike rides.

Quinoa-Mushroom Soup
Serves 2-4,

1/2 cup dry shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 cups baby chard
2 cloves garlic, sliced
12 snow peas or green beans, cut in thirds
1 cup quinoa
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

At home: if you buy quinoa in bulk, you should wash it before cooking to remove the bitter-tasting coating. Wash with five changes of cold water in a strainer and let dry. (If you buy it in-box, pre-washing isn’t necessary.) Cut up the mushrooms, garlic and carrots and place in a bag. Store the spinach and snow peas separately.

In camp: Place the quinoa, bouillon cube, mushrooms, and garlic in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, until the quinoa has begun to soften and the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in the baby chard and snow peas and cook a few more minutes over low heat until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

EDIT: I just made a variation of this for lunch and it’s great. I added 2-3 cups of a Belgian Ale, some leeks, carrots, and green onions. Awesome.

“When it comes to studded tires for winter biking there are two options: buy or make. Buying is the easy, yet expensive, way out. There are a variety of manufacturers that make studded tires. Some tires are made for commuting while others are ready for full-on winter trail adventures. All tires usually require a break-in period on pavement to set the studs. Don’t avoid this step; you don’t want to lose any of those precious points. If you’re riding on a regular basis through the snowy months, consider a tire with carbide rather than steel studs as they’re more wear-resistant.

Making your own studded tires obviously requires more time and energy than just clicking the ‘buy’ button online. However, it’s a great way to recycle used tires while catching up on the season premiere of your favorite TV show. If you make the commitment to DIY studded tires, you’ll be pleased to know that it doesn’t require much more than a handful of supplies and a few hours of your time.”

Read the whole article here.

David Byrne has a new book out that I’m excited to pick up. The “Bicycle Diaries” is a collection of reflections curated from years behind the handlebars. Spanning many cities across the planet, the only thread binding the passages of the “Bicycle Diaries” is Byrne and his bike.

Byrne has been using his bicycle as main transportation throughout New York for over 30 years. He even tours with his bike the reason, he believes, he’s still able to maintain the grueling schedule of a touring musician well into his 50’s. On his most recent tour supporting “Everything That Happens Happens Today”, in addition to packing his own folding bike he apparently brought 7 more bikes for anyone else in his band to use. He’s also recently designed a series of bike racks for the city of New York.

“I believe that the exhilaration, freedom, and convenience I experience as I ride around will be discovered by more and more people. The secret will be out, and the streets of New York will be even more the place for social interaction and interplay than they are already famous for. As others have mentioned, the economic collapse of 2008 might be a godsend. A window has opened, and people might be willing to rethink the balance of quality of life.”

In addition to the “Bicycle Diaries”, Byrne writes extensively about his bike and his bike activism on his blog, the David Byrne Journal.