Thanks again.  I will detail what works and what doesn't as well as cost when I get this done.  I have an e-mail out to Middleburn right now on what is needed to run their 20-30-40 rings.  A ti Fargo is featured on the charlie the bikemonger web site but there are no comments on how it actually works.

Right now my bike has Apex shifters and a 12-36 cassette with an X9 rear derailleur.  It has never shifted smoothly on the rear.  I have had it back to the LBS where I purchased it 4 times and they do the best they can.  This last weekend I stopped by another shop and they couldn't get it right either.  My very limited experience with SRAM has not been good whereas my almost 30 years running higher end Shimano has been very good.  The ti Middleburn/Fargo is using an xtr front derailleur and I can't remember what they used for shifters.  I am going to use whatever will work, most likely bar end shifters but I would really like to do the old style top mount shifters using Paul Thumbies.  I am a bit hesitant in regards to the Thumbies because throwing another variable into the mix when there are already compatibility concerns might not be a good idea.

Thanks.  I am particularly interested in the 20-30-40 gearing.  Has anyone used it?  How does it shift?  What front derailleur are you using?  My goal here is to make the Fargo climb like my Willys in 4 wheel low.

Anyone here have experience with Middleburn cranks and chainrings?  I am thinking about trying their 20-30-40 set up on my Fargo for some fully loaded touring.

Last spring I came upon a mt lion kitten while riding.  I came around a corner and got a glimpse of something scurrying off to the side.  I was climbing and going real slow so I went to the side and looked down.  There was a scared little creature.  At first I was confused thinking it was a bob cat and then I saw the long tail.  What I felt next was something I had not felt since my misguided youth involving substances.  My speed picked up remarkably and my only thought was where is mama kitty.

That was the sixth lion I have seen in the wild and knowing I was likely between mother and kitten rated 10 on the fear scale.  The other 5 were of minimal fear and mostly awe.

Pack rats can cause lots of problems like biting holes in water jugs.  I would go with strong containers and go back to recover them.  No point in worrying about whether the rats got your stash the whole time you are riding.

I have a place near Magdalena and I agree Magdalena Mt probably has snow now.  West of town before you get to the Plains of San Augustine is and interesting area called Bear Trap, it is left off of 60.  Another area is Bear Mt. which is north of town.  You drive toward the Alamo Reservation.  There are a few forest service roads that take off and at the 10 mile mark is forest rd 123 which will take you out toward Riley and even Grants.  One nice thing is there are water sources.  There are several springs, Rio Salido and a bunch of cattle tanks some with windmills.  My place is off of 123.

To give you an idea as to drive time it took me 3.5 hr to get to my place from Los Alamos.  From Santa Fe Socorro is double the time it takes you to get to ABQ.  Magdalena is 26 miles west of Socorro.  DO NOT SPEED in Socorro or Magdalena both have really bad speed traps.

March is usually when the snakes start moving again near Magdalena.  You will see many in the mornings warming up on the forest roads.  Not a big deal but when it heats up and you want to take a break behind a juniper or pinion look carefully before you sit down, something may have beaten you to the spot.

There is lots of nice areas in the Gila.  A loop starting from Reserve would be cool.  Mostly Forest Service roads. 

White Sands and the whole area east of 25 is nice if you like desert (I do) but water and supplies are an issue out their. 

You could start in Limitar crossing the Rio Grande and then head south staying close enough to the River to get water.  When you get to San Antonio, actually just past it, you hit a refuge.  I am not sure how they feel about bikes so I would check first.  Stop at the Buck Horn for the best Green Chili Cheeseburger in the state.  At San Antonio you can cross 25 and head west on BLM land all the way to Magdalena on Hwy 60  From there you could head back to Limitar going on BLM roads or on pavement.  There is also a little known network of roads that are part of a flood control project that is on the west side of the Rio Grande between Limitar and San Antonio.  There is a BLM office in Santa Fe and one in Socorro too.  Also there is that cafe/map store in Santa Fe that would have maps for planning.

Normally I would also suggest the Jemez but with the fire I just don't know what it is like now and it is probably a little early too.

Another idea would be to exit 25 at exit 175 and you could park at the RV park for security and then head SW on the BLM roads toward Rio Salido and Riley etc.  Re supply at Magdalena and head back.  Not as pretty as the Gila but lots of open spaces.

A little later in the season consider going north and ride along the Conejos.  It is absolutely beautiful and good fishing too.

Dave

The rule of thumb for high elevation is to allow one day for each thousand feet to adjust.  I go back and forth from sea level to 8,000 often.  The first few days are rough if I try to run or ride.  Some people get physically ill.  Drink lots of water while you are getting used to it.  Also get some hand cream and use it often, skin dies out quick at higher elevation and the last thing you want is dry cracked painful hands.

Best of luck with the new business, your in for a wild ride.  I will make it a point to come by next time I am going through Durango.

dave

I have never felt comfortable with the 24/7 shut up and buy culture.  I hope this gets traction.

Please keep us posted on this.  I live in Livermore and ride up Mines Rd and camp illegally (more fun that way).  If you are able to get through from San Antonio Rd that would open the possibility of multi-day fun for me from my door step.

Dave

Schlitz Malt anyone?  In a 40?  The list has everything else.   

I have been using the Garmin 410 for about a month now and I am very impressed.  It covers both my needs for running and cycling.  I still have to do some fiddling around with it but I am very pleased.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Dave

I like to stick to foods that I can pronounce what is in it.  I make an exception for Hammer products but I have to gag them down.  Some things are just worth their weight if you are not a racer like me.  Like a frozen rib eye and a few brews.   

I hope the silence equals matrimonial bliss.

I noticed you said you are currently in Sacramento.  I am less than an hour away and you are welcome to take my Fargo for an afternoon or whatever.  There is single track, fire roads and pavement ready to be ridden here.

I am another happy Fargo owner.  You would be surprised at how comfortable the ride is.  I haven't met a Fargo owner who has been dissatisfied.  In fact everyone just wants to talk about how much fun they are having with their Fargo.  The only negative I have found is it is a bit heavy.  I too lust after a Pugsly for no rational reason.

Yikes in regards to the sleeping bag snake.  I always wondered if it wasn't just a story like the American tourists in Mexico who found the unfortunate photos involving their tooth brushes after they returned home.  You know what I mean?

In regards to walking slowly I am serious.  A few years ago three of us were dove hunting in NM.  We had to cross an area with chest high brush.  Just the kind of stuff that sets a snake lover like me on edge.  Sure enough one of the guys heard one.  He froze and started scanning and there was a big boy two feet from his feet and not very happy about the intrusion.  He had no choice but to shoot it given the circumstances.  It had 14 rattles.

On thing I didn't mention was troughs and tanks.  Rattlers seem to like hanging out near them.  I imagine it is because they attract rodents.  We had a dog bitten at a trough once and none of us noticed until we saw the dog limping several minutes after we left.  I was considering putting a tank in for the wildlife at my place in NM until I was advised of the snake attracting aspects.

Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits.

I have a thing about snakes perhaps even a phobia.  That said I have never had a problem with them in camp and that is after literally years spent in tents and camping (I am older than most here).  I have had skunks and other critters in tents but no snakes.  Many of the tents I have used, wall tents and pyramids have not been completely snake or critter proof.  I have spent many nights in a sleeping bag on just a trap and the only problems were in my mind.

That said I have heard stories about snakes finding there way into unoccupied sleeping bags.  I don't know if any of them are true.

The way I see it is snakes would rather not be around us to start with.  Given a choice they will avoid us.  Picking a clear spot to camp helps.  Sometimes this is easier said than done if you are trying to avoid detection.  Move slowly and listen in snakey spots.  You are much more likely to have an encounter looking for a camping spot than occupying one.  They like hanging out in the shade under bushes in the heat of the day.  They like rocks and trails when they are trying to warm up.  As it cools off after a hot day they get more active.  Be careful around piles of dead wood.  Care should be taken stepping over logs and gathering firewood.  I kick wood before I pick it up.  Look before you sit or grab. 

This stuff becomes second nature and you don't even think about it after a while.  A couple of months ago I found some petroglyphs I wanted to check out.  The spot was really snakey and I was really careful.  I must admit it wasn't  spot I would wander through without a reason.  It had everything snakes like and I was creeped out.  I took my time tip toes through the brush, dead wood and rocks often not being able to see my feet.  No snakes except in my mind.