It is with sadness we announce the passing of a fellow mountain-biker. Jeff Holm, state GIS Coordinator (1994 to 2007), friend, co-worker, and husband passed away last night October 22, 2009 surrounded by his family and friends.
Shortly after retiring from state government in 2007, Jeff was diagnosed with methothelioma cancer. He had aimed to do more mountain bike riding, to work on putting his Porsche sports car back together, to travel with his wife Susan and do many other things that retirement affords.
I (Mtn-Biker Man) will remember forever the 6-day mountain bike trip that Jeff’s wife Susan, and my wife Naomi gave us both for Christmas a few short years ago where we were able to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out to 13 days of hard riding in areas from Fruita Colorado to Moab Utah.
Background: Jeff was born and raised in Minnesota. He served in the Navy for two years, based out of Bremerton, was stationed for some time in Viet Nam and worked special operations in other unnamed places. (His family laughs over the letters from Jeff that were screened and mostly blackened out.) After the Navy he attended college here and decided to stay in the Northwest because of the mountains, hiking and climbing. Jeff worked in various IT capacities for the state, the vast majority with the Department of Information Systems. Jeff had a profound passion for GIS work and stewardship that overflowed to his outside activities and passions with mountain biking, cross-country skiing, board-sailing, sailing, and good coffee. And yes, his wife Susan was involved in these as well! Jeff is survived by his wife (Susan), mother (87), three adoring sisters, two compassionate sister-in-laws, and a wonderful mouser cat “Sneakers.”
Let there be thanks we had the opportunity to know, work, and bike with him.
It started out at nearly 50° in summer biking shoes (thin socks), and one long-sleeved shirt near Summit Lake. And, it ended with riding on snow to the top of Rock Candy Mountain, below freezing temps, a second winter long-sleeved shirt added, a jacket added, numb feet, a total of 20.96 miles and 2,180 feet in elevation gain.
monitored for keeping the heart rate within the “fat burning” range. (Ha! There was no frigging way that was going to be consistent!) Some of the headwall hills (steep 1.2 to 2.7 mile lengths) spiked the heart rate to 175 BPMs. Mtn-Biking Man “hit the wall” and felt flat-lined near the 10 mile mark to Rock Candy Mt. It had been all uphill to that point and he had to seek resurrection with some HammerGel. The head started to experience some lightness and sort of “stairway to heaven” delusions climbing the last 500-800’. Then . . . it was all downhill.
next hill or past the upcoming mud-bog before they shut down in protest. Somehow within them they need that memory…that reserve strength of having survived something monumental in their experiences…to dip into and get them past themselves. I was mountain biking with the boys (15 and 11) on a trail wrought with ups and downs, mud and stinging nettles that required not only some physical toughness to endure the ride, but a mental toughness to continue on with out knowing when we’ll stop or where we were. (You have to appreciate the trust they [kids] put in us to make the right decisions and somehow pull us through it!!)"
Notice anything missing from the bike in this picture?
20. Boldness pays.
One of the highest hills in the Fort Lewis area between Yelm Highway and Rainier Road was completely stripped clean of every piece of vegetation late in this last summer. The hill (about 900-1,000 climb) has phenomenal views of Mount Rainier, and the surrounding hills when its not fogged in or clouded over. You may recall pictures taken late in the summer of a Chinook helicopter flying overhead? That was taken right on the very top of that hill. Well today . . . we found out what was going on with the clearing of the one particular hill. By the way, it's about 9 miles in from Yelm Highway. Have a look . . .
This morning we parked right out from of the Nisqually Police station's jail on Yelm Highway. (Parking out in some parts of Fort Lewis can be an invitation for vandalism.) Officers that Mtn-Biking Man had previously met up with while they were patrolling the nearby Yelm Highway and Fort Lewis area had said the location is THE safest place to park because police cars are always in and out. And, the inmates tend to look out the window and drool . . . for what they don't have, wheels and freedom and no lies to live. 
Chores done. Lights were up on the house after one's repeated delays yet wife's friendly and increasing number of reminder notes. It was time for a cool ride. And, some pics as a reminder of why I didn't want to put lights up in the first place. Funny, there was so much procrastination in taking the lights down last year that at first the Rubbermaid container with lights couldn't be located. Darn! Turns out they never made it off the garage floor to the attic. It was holding up a bike in one of the garage bays!
Lake Chelan’s Echo Valley Trail system (9 miles out of town) serves up a real treat and is a blast for riding. A map of the area is located here at this link http://www.uncletimstoys.com/echo_trails.htm.
