After a fun filled evening of Cassidy's team whalloping the ball (4,5,6 yr old coach pitch) Friday, they headed off to grandma's house Saturday. Ryan had studying to do and I got a last minute call in to latch onto a shuttle.
And, oooooh what a shuttle it was. I've gotten to ride so many trails since I started back in '93. To be shown a new shuttle in a place I should have tried out years ago is a shame in one way and a total thrill in another. Complacency breeds boredom and new trails are more exciting than any other kind of riding there is.
We rode all morning (early start was awesome) and I rode my trail bike with XC tires. That was a little bit of a mistake since I flatted twice, but both came at the bottom of the trail, so it was all good. I should have put DH tires on, but see above note about the early start as to why I forgot. All in all, I rode with 4 guys I've never met before, saw one MASSIVE pile of bear poo, fell on my head on flat ground once and got 3-4 pounds of mother earth in my gear in a steady, jungle type drizzle on great trails.
Topped it off by showering up, taking Ryane to dinner at Stir Fry Cafe www.stirfrycafe.com and some awesome green curry Thai chicken and possible the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time Personal Effects (dramatic staring movie). Hah hah!!
Just an awesome day! God Bless!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Easy pedal up...LAME ride down!
Got to Bent Creek around 6pm last night, parked at Hardtimes and headed straight for 5 Points. I took my time, planning on really mashing and sprinting on the way back down either Greens Lick or SideHill to Wolf Branch. I debated hitting Greens Lick, but I missed dinner with my little girls the other night, so I took the short route down Side Hill.
Straight out the gate from 5 Points, I got some really good hang time in the air and kept my speed checked. It's REALLY grown up and narrow up top. At the last piece of the steep, I pulled up and cleared the last little hump to backside and transitioned all the way down the bank clean. I was so excited and stood up to sprint out of the first dip and around the curve.
PLINK!!! My pedal just snapped the spindle like it was made by Willy Wonka in the candy cane kingdom....bummer. I had to coast straight back down to the car. Had some dangerous one footed drifts on the gravel was all.
I was kinda bummed and said hello to Van Rogers of SORBA, got to hear a guy's little girl snoring like a chainsaw in her bike cart and helped re-direct a guy who's not ridden in 4 years directions up to his "favorite" ride....5 Points. Plus, the guy with the little girl pointed out that at least I didn't get hurt when it broke.
So, all in all, I lost out on my ride, but I helped a guy and got reminded of the positives of my pedal breaking at an opportune time, rather than if I'd decided to make my girls wait and hit the dozens of high speed jumps on that same pedal.
Straight out the gate from 5 Points, I got some really good hang time in the air and kept my speed checked. It's REALLY grown up and narrow up top. At the last piece of the steep, I pulled up and cleared the last little hump to backside and transitioned all the way down the bank clean. I was so excited and stood up to sprint out of the first dip and around the curve.
PLINK!!! My pedal just snapped the spindle like it was made by Willy Wonka in the candy cane kingdom....bummer. I had to coast straight back down to the car. Had some dangerous one footed drifts on the gravel was all.
I was kinda bummed and said hello to Van Rogers of SORBA, got to hear a guy's little girl snoring like a chainsaw in her bike cart and helped re-direct a guy who's not ridden in 4 years directions up to his "favorite" ride....5 Points. Plus, the guy with the little girl pointed out that at least I didn't get hurt when it broke.
So, all in all, I lost out on my ride, but I helped a guy and got reminded of the positives of my pedal breaking at an opportune time, rather than if I'd decided to make my girls wait and hit the dozens of high speed jumps on that same pedal.
Friday, April 17, 2009
24 Hours of Bliss
It's been seven days of restraint from "activities" and the waiting period is OVER!
I'm proud to say that I resumed all activities, both social and physical. Man, that was easier than I thought. The bike ride at 7:30am this morning wasn't bad at all either!!!
I'm proud to say that I resumed all activities, both social and physical. Man, that was easier than I thought. The bike ride at 7:30am this morning wasn't bad at all either!!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time off the bike! Native Trout Beware!
I've announced it to anyone who would listen in the days leading up to and after that I was getting neutered. I had a vasectomy Friday April 10th, a very meaningful day in history, Good Friday, the day Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice.
April 10th was also my dog's 10th birthday (who's neutered too) and to celebrate, he's molting. Lucky for me, the procedure still leaves me with twig and berries intact. They took his juevos, but left mine intact.
Anyway, since I'm not able to copulate for 7 days or do strenuous things like riding, it's off to Fontana and the Great Smoky Mountains with my dad and a big group from church. Dad and I are branching off and hitting the cool, shaded streams of Hazel Creek, deep inside the forest where no cars may go. It's particularly sentimental because my grandmother was borned and spent her childhood at the mouth of this blessed river!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Creek_%28Great_Smoky_Mountains%29
Unfortunately, thanks to the war effort, the TVA booted my family from their birth right and built the lake. But that is another story. Look up the mountain town of Proctor sometime to learn what a real hard life was like! Here's one man's account of his "MAMAW", just like mine:
http://www.westernncattractions.com/hazelcr.htm
The fishing is second to none because these fish are wild, not stocked...and not stupid. I could care less about the fish. I just want to go back to my roots.
April 10th was also my dog's 10th birthday (who's neutered too) and to celebrate, he's molting. Lucky for me, the procedure still leaves me with twig and berries intact. They took his juevos, but left mine intact.
Anyway, since I'm not able to copulate for 7 days or do strenuous things like riding, it's off to Fontana and the Great Smoky Mountains with my dad and a big group from church. Dad and I are branching off and hitting the cool, shaded streams of Hazel Creek, deep inside the forest where no cars may go. It's particularly sentimental because my grandmother was borned and spent her childhood at the mouth of this blessed river!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Creek_%28Great_Smoky_Mountains%29
Unfortunately, thanks to the war effort, the TVA booted my family from their birth right and built the lake. But that is another story. Look up the mountain town of Proctor sometime to learn what a real hard life was like! Here's one man's account of his "MAMAW", just like mine:
http://www.westernncattractions.com/hazelcr.htm
The fishing is second to none because these fish are wild, not stocked...and not stupid. I could care less about the fish. I just want to go back to my roots.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Good times at the Clemson DH race
Well, the old man has lost a step but on a tiny course like this it seems almost insignificant. Herndon with a time just under 1:25 with a cluster of buddies seperated by 10ths of seconds on a manual stopwatch between 1:30 and 1:34. With the hesitation of a thumb, you could be 5th or 15th. Fun, fun time!
The course was just a luge run for a bicycle with tons of high speed, packed berms with some being over waist high! It's put on by a group of college students at the university with such a passion for speed and fun. Once oyu got into the turns, you didn't want to stop or touch the brakes for right, left, right, left action like no other.
There were several photographers who snapped fantastic pictures that give great perspective. Check 'em out:
Brado's Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/brado1/sets/72157616309567619/
Zach Suggs Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/zsuggs/sets/72157616436467596/
Friday, April 3, 2009
Picking up my helmet tonight
Just in time for Clemson. Got sent a teaser pic of it with just base coat, no clear yet. Looking clean and simple, just like I like it!!!
paint courtesy of Shayne Jordan! More pics to come tonight with my cheapo camera!!
paint courtesy of Shayne Jordan! More pics to come tonight with my cheapo camera!!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
A ride in the morning muck...and wild horses attack!!
It was nice and warm thsi morning and I was jonesing to ride, so I hit a trail nearby and as I climbed a section of pavement, 4 horses came FLYING out of the woods at full sprint up onto the road 10 feet in front of me in the pouring rain. A red truck locked up brakes and nearly mangled one.
After several minutes of pretending to be a cowboy, I had the gate of the field they had stopped at the edge of open, but they wanted no part of it. I don't know if they were at the right pasture, but I knew the road was death. They ran from me up a hill and I started to close the gate.
Next thing I know, all 4 come bearing back down the hill at me and I whip the gate back open and wave them toward it (have no idea what I'm doing). They dash away from me toward the open gate....and there sits my bike!!!! SNOT! They all hurdle it like it's nothing and the day is saved and on with my ride. Yayyy!
Top that!!!
After several minutes of pretending to be a cowboy, I had the gate of the field they had stopped at the edge of open, but they wanted no part of it. I don't know if they were at the right pasture, but I knew the road was death. They ran from me up a hill and I started to close the gate.
Next thing I know, all 4 come bearing back down the hill at me and I whip the gate back open and wave them toward it (have no idea what I'm doing). They dash away from me toward the open gate....and there sits my bike!!!! SNOT! They all hurdle it like it's nothing and the day is saved and on with my ride. Yayyy!
Top that!!!
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