Tour Divide Wyoming and Idaho

The mandatory Aspen Alley shot. This picture, however, is from my first ride there in 2006 and going the other direction. This year, Aspen Alley didn't look quite as nice, rather raggedy, maybe suffered from a storm

Crossing the Basin. Usually this looks like the desert it normally is, but this year was so wet, it looks like prairie. Very different from the last time I biked through here.

 This and the next three pictures are for comparison from my previous ride in 2006 - a LOT more desert like. No surface water then, several creeks still flowing this year

 Also check out the difference in equipment compared to my Niner this year- this is my fully loaded touring bike in 2006 on the left, might have been 20 pounds heavier than this year's setup.

 Back to 2011: A lonely post office in Wyoming.

 I like the gentle scenery in Idaho a lot, just can't stop because of the mosquito swarms. If it hadn't been for the mosquitoes, this might have ranked among my favorite parts. Yes, even with the rail trail. Lots of people complain about it, but I thought it was just fine. 

 The Teton range from the Idaho side (so it looks opposite to most pictures, which are from the Wyoming side)

 The rail trail.

 From a distance, it looked like snow, but it was all flowers.

Tour Divide Colorado

I was glad to be out of New Mexico and really had to recover from the first week. Sitting on the saddle really hurt, probably from wearing the backpack with too much weight (water) on washboarded roads the first week. Because of the scarceness of water, that was unavoidable in New Mexico, but from now on, I rarely used the backpack. But my bottom still had to heal and that took a few days. I even used my helmet as a seat at times!

Colorado, going up Indiana Pass, 10 more miles to the top. The climbs are long, very high altitude, but it is easier than NM. Lots of snow, but a plow went through recently. Oddly enough, nobody in this area knows what Indiana pass is, I think the locals call it Greyback Mountain. Seems like Indiana pass is a name that the mapmakers at ACA invented. In any event, it is the highest elevation of the route.

Southern Colorado at times didn't look that different from New Mexico, but it was much easier to find water. This is heading out of Del Norte (a day when I was sitting on my helmet at times). 

Marshall Pass is just south of Salida and by then I felt much better and the New Mexico bruises have diminished. A lot of car traffic in Colorado on those dirt roads and constantly being in the dust diminishes the experience a lot. 

My campsite just north of Salida. There was a big festival going on that day, so I had a beer and quickly headed out of town after getting my bike tuned up again.

Boreas Pass is another of the major passes in Colorado and (my direction) goes down to Breckenridge. There was a major snow storm rolling in, so I hurried up and made it to Silverthorne in light snow flurries.

I met Kurt Refsnider, who was going the opposite direction. We both made it to the other side before the storm, but the riders just behind us had a hard time.

I woke up down in Silverthorne with a fair amount of snow on the road and plenty of slush. Decided to stay in town for another day right then. In retrospect, not the best decision as the afternoon was ok, but then so what, my exact time didn't matter.

Denis Chazelle (on the right) was maybe 2 hours behind me on Boreas and was hypothermic by the time he reached town. He bought $150 or so of additional clothing after that experience, but headed out in the afternoon. I didn't see him again and he finished second.

The view the next day after the storm had passed was spectacular.

The very gentle Colorado river near Kremmling.

Colorado River, you need to go down all the way to Radium and then up on the other side. Now that I've done the climb both directions, I'm done with it. This year, the mosquitoes were vicious.

I camped at the reservoir before Steamboat Spring and rode into town in the morning. A very bike friendly town and there must have been a bike event that I just caught the end of. But a lot of food leftover, so I just arrived at the right time for coffee, bagels, and juice. Then on to the bikeshop for another tune up and lunch.

After Steamboat Springs, I hit a lot of snow. Because I left Steamboat somewhat late, afternoon sun meant very soft condition and a slow, long hike.

I lost my Spot tracker on the snow hike and called it an early day at Brush Mountain Lodge, hoping that somebody behind me would find it and bring it to the Lodge. Nice mosaic table.

Tour Divide: Start in New Mexico

Tour Divide was my big adventure for 2011. I started June 10, 2011 in Antelope Wells and went all the way to Banff, Canada over 25 days. I had previously ridden some sections with Kathy's brother Bob, but this was the first (and probably only) time I was going to go the full distance in one go.

Here is my bike fully loaded at home. The full set of pics is here: https://picasaweb.google.com/103806633563601589251/TourDivideJune102011July52011#

I got a ride with Niki Yoblonski and her friend Jason. We left from Santa Monica on June 8, stopped for night somewhere along the rode.  

The next morning in Lordsburg, NM. We picked up more people. From left: Franck Gimard (France) and Craig Dolwin (UK), Niki on the roof. We drove to Silver City, had a fancy dinner, and stayed there for the night. We got an early start the next morning and drove to the border.

 My bike at the border on June 10.

Squinting into the morning sun, a bit before 8 am

Ready to start. Unfortunately fewer than half made it to the finish. New Mexico is a tough place to start, some of the hardest days come right at the beginning. Another group started simultaneously in Banff, Canada, going the other way. Together, it was more than 80 riders starting.

It was a long and incredible hard first day. I drank more than 2 gallons and yet was extremely dehydrated. The distance to Silver City isn't that far, 125 miles, and much of it is paved. Yet it is brutal desert heat (over 100 degrees), climbing, and headwind. I tried to get out of the sun a bit, but there isn't any way to hide.

Quite a few people dropped out after the first day. I had the worst cramps I ever had in my life and was glad to make it to Silver City before night and have a long night. This was tough.

The next morning got us on some single track on the Continental Divide Trail and I enjoyed this stretch very much - after a full night, two breakfasts, and before it got hot. In contrast, Kurt Refsnider, who is a much stronger cyclist than me had an absolutely miserable time around here with little food and water. So much depends on food, water, time of day, and weather!

This was already much later, filtering water up on Brazos Ridge, just the last day before crossing into Colorado. Over 8000 feet, New Mexico isn't that bad.

Overall, however, I didn't like New Mexico. Far too much desert for me, too hot, so I'm glad I got it out of the way early and had the more enjoyable parts of the trip ahead of me instead having it looming at the end. I did like a few small sections, such as the single track CDT north of Silver City, the forest north of grants, and camping up on Brazos Ridge. 

More Southwest Fiddle Tunes

It is still early in the year, but now is a good time to learn tunes for those jams in May (you’ll be able to put them to good use at the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest and Festival). Check out my column from last May (2010) about the background of this style of music and two classic tunes from the repertoire.

Every spring, I teach an afterschool fiddle class at a local school so that students can perform at various Cinco de Mayo festivals and school fund raisers. For our neighborhood schools, these May festivals are the most important fundraisers of the year, so it is a big deal if students can provide the entertainment.

In this column, I cover two tunes that students will learn this year, one from the playing of the Gu-Achi Fiddlers of Arizona and the other from Cleofes Ortiz of New Mexico. This is not Mariachi, which is a more recent commercial style.

Ali Oidak Polka is the first track on the  Gu-Achi Fiddlers CD, entitled “Old Time O'odham Fiddle Music”. It also has been reissued on the Smithsonian Folkways compilation “Borderlands: From Conjunto to Chicken Scratch”, which focuses on traditional music from Arizona to the Rio Grande valley of Texas. Very typical for the Gu-Achi Fiddlers, it is a somewhat crooked little melody that is easier learned by ear than from sheet music.

Our second tune for the column is called “Mi Suegra Aprieta Mis Botas”. I base the transcription on footage from the PBS documentary about Cleofes Ortiz “Violinista de Nuevo Mexico”. Cleofes Ortiz was born in 1910 on Pajarito Plateau near Rowe, New Mexico, and began playing for dances in his teens. He stopped playing in the 1920s until  he was rediscovered 50 years later. Who knows under what under names you may encounter this straightforward melody, I’m sure it has traveled around, but this is the title Ortiz used. Nothing crooked here and very suitable for a dance. Indeed, the band in the PBS documentary played it for a social dance in New Mexico.

The Southwest Fiddlers will play more tunes of that style in the Eucalyptus Grove at the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Festival on May 15 and there should be plenty of jamming.

Cinco de Mayo Special: Fiddle Tunes from the American Southwest

Published in Folkworks 2010

Nothing celtic in my May column, but as it is getting hot and Cinco de Mayo is coming up, here are some tunes from the American Southwest that are a lot of fun to play in jams/sessions. I have played them in sessions from a bit north of the Mexican border to a bit south of the Canadian border and many places in between. Two favorite tunes in this genre are El Churrumbé from New Mexico and Purple Lilies from Arizona, which I cover in this column.

Traditional Southwest Fiddle styles (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico) sound a lot more Mexican (or Central European) than the better known Old-Time Southeast style (e.g. Virginia, Carolinas, Kentucky). Clearly, the influences and original sources were different: Maybe Habsburg Empire rather than Highland Clearances? But in both cases, the original European sources were filtered through time and local sensibilities, resulting in a new unique style of music.

El Churrumbé  is a dance tune from New Mexico  and I found it on several field recordings. It is an extremely easy tune to teach and yet fun to play. The only more recent commercially available would be by Jenny Vincent, entitled Spanish American Dance Tunes of New Mexico, although she plays it a little different and very slow. However, you can listen to it as it is being played in some jam sessions on youtube (so check them out before looking at the sheet music). Another important source of tunes from New Mexico was Cleofes Ortiz, who was born in 1910 on Pajarito Plateau near Rowe, New Mexico, and began playing for dances in his teens. He stopped playing in the 1920s until  he was rediscovered 50 years later. PBS did a documentary on him entitled “Violinista de Nuevo Mexico”, which includes some of the tunes that are often played, and which is available as I’m writing this on youtube. The only source to buy a CD of his playing would be Bayou Seco.

Purple Lilies is one of the best known tunes from Arizona, thanks to the efforts of Bayou Seco (Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie) of Silver City, New Mexico, who have kept that style alive and brought it to new players. You can find lots of versions of Purple Lilies on youtube. The main source is the fiddle band music of the Tohona O’odham people of Southern Arizona. Utilizing instruments originally introduced by Spanish missionaries, the fiddle band sound is an unusual mix of polkas, two-steps, and mazurkas utilizing violins, guitar, and drums. One great CD is by the Gu-Achi Fiddlers, entitled “Old Time O'odham Fiddle Music”. It is not virtuostic and the fiddles are on the scratchy side, but the exuberance and more than compensate. This distinctive twin fiddle style eventually changed into a newer Native American style known as chicken scratch or waila (which replaced the fiddles with a saxophone and electric guitars).

Every spring, I teach these tunes in an afterschool class at a local school. I practice with students for a few weeks and teach them about 8-10 tunes by ear and then they perform at the Cinco de Mayo festivals and the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Festival. Aside from El Churrumbe and Purple Lilies, the other tunes are usually from the playing of the Gu-Achi Fiddlers and Cleofes Ortiz and they sound authentic enough for a Cinco the Mayo fiesta, especially when supplemented by a classic like Cielito Lindo. So, yes, maybe it is cheating a bit, but that way students learn an authentic traditional fiddle style. 

Martin Hayes: Clare Reel and The Night Poor Larry Was Stretched

I've started moving my columns for Folkworks to here as it has been difficult for people to find the columns and Folkworks also doesn't make the sheet music downloadable. That, however, is the main reason why people contact me! 

So here was the first one, originally from 2009, but published in Folkworks in May 2010. 

Many people like the idea of playing in a session and have decent skills and know some tunes, but do not quite have the repertoire or skills to hang in with a typical pub session (i.e. reels at blistering speed). Our session is aimed at the more common intermediate player, but I also want to keep it interesting enough for stronger players. Learning new material is important and I have a strong preference myself for learning tunes that are likely to be played in sessions elsewhere.   

Here is a pair of tunes that fit the description, one a lovely slip jig with the grim title The Night (Before) Poor Larry Was Stretched, the other the Clare Reel. While neither one was entirely obscure, they have become much more popular recently. The reason is undoubtedly that Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill recorded them on their last CD Welcome Here Again. Martin Hayes is a very popular and influential fiddler and this was their first recording in almost 10 years (the last one was a 1999 live CD), so it got a lot of attention. In a departure from typical Irish recordings, Martin and Dennis did not put tunes into sets, but recorded them standing alone. The Clare Reel is track 1 The Night Poor Larry Was Stretched track 5. Poor Larry also exists as a ballad with several different lyrics and changes in the melody, but it takes a minimum of 8 verses before he is dead, regardless of the version.

Martin Hayes epitomizes the fiddle music of County Clare for many people, but he certainly has his own idiosyncratic and very recognizable style. Personal styles dominate regional styles, although there are some recognizable regional characteristics. The Clare style could be characterized by a slower pace and a more wistful or even eerie feel. A contributing factor may be the use of flat keys, F, Gm, Bb, or even Eb. You will get that idea immediately if you listen to the short version of the Clare Reel (also the first track on their CD) available on Martin’s website at http://www.martinhayes.com/the_clare_reel.mp3

I just found a great video of one of the key players of the Clare Style, Paddy Canny, who then was well into his 80s in the video. Paddy Canny could be considered the musical grandfather of Martin Hayes because he taught Martin’s father, PJ Hayes, in the 1930s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBONRwNY77c

Paddy Canny plays two standard jigs, but note his fingering: Cliffs of Moher is played in sessions everywhere, but in the key of Am, whereas Paddy Canny plays it in Gm.

Now, if Paddy Canny plays in Gm, there is a good reason to learn some Irish tunes in Gm, which happens to be the key for The Night Poor Larry Was Stretched. I took a video of a great set of Martin and Dennis last year, and Poor Larry starts at 1.12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bKIE37gwQ

I learned both of those tunes from Martin shortly after he had recorded them (he also helped me glue my upright bass back together, but that is another story) and

I transcribed both tunes in the attached pdf to get you started. But remember that you can never really learn a tune from sheet music alone. It gives you the notes, but that is only part of playing music and often the easier one. Sheet music is very helpful while learning a tune, but you need to get away from the printed material quickly and get the feel from a recording, video, or experienced teacher. I wrote out chords as well, but the chords here are more standard than what Dennis would play, and written so they are easy when capoed at 3rd fret (again, the idea is that you can use that for a session): Clare Reel becomes then: D-Em-D-G-D-Em-D for the A part and Bm-G-F-Em-D in the B part Poor Larry becomes: Em-D-Em-D  and G-D-G-C-D. However, that does not sound at all like Dennis Cahill. To sound more like him, try an Fsus throughout the A part of the Clare Reel and play the top 4 strings (finger them as F/Bb/C/F). Or for Poor Larry B-part, keep an F in the bass and chords change each bar: Bb/F - Eb/F - Bb/F - Eb/F. But when there are several chord instruments at a session, you need to agree on chords in advance or only one of you can play at a time.