Empathy Test

Hero

2009-07-15T12:53:00.001-05:00

I think Sgt. Jennifer Watson passes the test.

Read about it here.

United Breaks Guitars

2009-07-09T10:24:00.002-05:00

The story behind the song.

Not that I ever fly much anymore, but if they are so cruel to guitars, what do you think they'd do to banjos?

Summertime

2009-07-07T07:05:00.004-05:00

With the wife and kids out of school, you'd think the pace of things would slow down. But most of the summer is as busy as the rest of the year, with camps and trips out of town. We went to Ohio last week. It felt strange, because for the first time in a long while I didn't bring a bike. That was probably a mistake, but it did open up the opportunity to drag others out on some adventures.

While out there we visited Ohio Caverns, and took a couple of nice hikes.

One in Clifton Gorge,

and another in Massie's Creek Gorge.

In between we ate Mom's good cooking and caught up with family. Not so bad I guess.

Oldest Musical Instrument?

2009-06-25T13:12:00.001-05:00

Very cool. 35,000 yo flute.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/24/1976108.aspx

The site has an mp3 so you can hear what the flute sounds like.

Done.

2009-06-19T09:57:00.002-05:00

Every public, bike legal road in Frederick County, Maryland. 4000+

Ridden.

What will I do with myself now......

2 2 Go

2009-06-08T12:30:00.003-05:00

Just two roads left, and I will have ridden all of the roads in Frederick County. Woot!

The abundant rainfall has kept the grass lush and verdant, but isn't letting me push the time between mowing that I usually do. On the other hand, I don't think our yard has ever looked so good. So Saturday was filled with yard tasks, but I got out Sunday for two short rides. The first took me to Walkersville, where I had a great ride in the Monocacy valley. Then home for a bit, followed by a family trip for ice cream. Coincidentally, the last road to get in Mt Airy was near Jimmy Cone, so while the family waited in line, I jumped on the bike for a exhausting 1.5 mile ride to collect it. Of course I had to reward myself with a an ice cream. Wouldn't you?

A Couple of Weddings and a Bike Ride

2009-05-26T20:47:00.004-05:00

The second half of the month has been pretty busy. First, my nephew Andrew got married down in VA, so we had guests staying with us as family came in from all over. Next, my sister-in-law Amy got married as well. That brought in the other side of the tribe. Both celebrations were good fun, with time to catch up with everyone. It's just a good thing there was no overlap of house guests.

I got out for a ride on Memorial Day. I finished the last big batch of un-ridden roads in Fixing Frederick! It was a beautiful day for a ride. As I pedaled the neighborhood streets of Lake Linganore, I saw a KLR 650 parked in a driveway. Since someone was out in the driveway I stopped to ask about the cool panniers he had mounted on his bike. Nice aluminum boxes, but not cheap. After talking bikes for a while, he offered me a set of soft saddlebags for my KLR. Wow! How generous! I think the two wheeled community (motored or not) is the best community. Anyway, thanks Todd, we'll have to get together for a ride. Soon after that I passed another cyclist and called out when I noticed he was a single speeder. I met Ben, and we talked a different type of bike for a while. He was just wrapping up some trail exploration in the Linganore area. Soon we parted company, and i finished my ride back at the school where I started.

Look for some info on the LAST! Fixing Frederick ride to be held sometime in June. We're talking a group ride with a party at the end, so keep that in mind.

Bike to Work Day

2009-05-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Better fog than rain. This year was much more dry than the past two, and had a correspondingly higher turnout. Fun was had by all, etc., etc.

Can't believe I haven't posted in weeks. Nothing going on except rain and yardwork. Both pedal- and motor- bikes are ready for some free time.

Shedding

2009-04-28T07:25:00.003-05:00

v. the act of exploring the Frederick Watershed.

If you are up there, be advised that the annual(?) road maintenance is underway, and all the normally well packed roads are graveled and graded, with lots of stones and new sharp edges. Hawbottom Rd. is one big series of puddles.

Wonderful!

Leesburg Bakers Dozen - 2009 Impressions

2009-04-20T13:13:00.006-05:00

Just a couple of things, most of them obvious:

Failing to train does not do much for performance.

My bike is finally set up the way I like it.

You can say what you want about clipless efficiency, blah, blah, blah. I'm sold on Vans and BMX pinned platforms for anything but fixed gear riding. My feet felt great all weekend.

My friends who were there all rock, but 'All SSOFT' teammates Kevin and Jojo were great! We all had a similar set of goals and a clear idea of placing fun above competitiveness, and we met or exceeded our plans. Let's do it again next year!

Check your lockring. Duh.

99% of riders on the course were really polite when passing me. I really wouldn't know about me passing anyone.

It helps to remember your water when you go out for a lap. Especially if your pump is the the pack with your water..... Fortunately I got through without mishap.

If you gotta crash, the way to do it is so you come down on about 6 inches of soft and dreamy pine needle fluff like I did, not on rocks and boulders like Jason did.

Doubling up the cycling shorts for the last three laps was a good idea. No discomfort at all after that.

Ergon grips and a lighter grip on the bars made the stutter bumps of the farm lane more manageable this year. Only one forearm was jelly this year, compared to both fore and upper arms last year. About the only time I envy riders with suspension.

Rob and Plum Grove Cyclery sure put on a nice event.

*Photo Credit: Mic Dunn

Spellchecker Wanted

2009-04-06T09:26:00.001-05:00

Dear Maryland State Highway Administration, Please check your work.

New Ride

2009-04-01T12:36:00.002-05:00

Not quite the kind of bike I usually post about, but after a 13 year break without a motorcycle, I finally got a new one. Kawasaki KLR650. Quite happy so far. They call these bikes dual sport, as they are supposed to handle on both pavement and dirt. That's the kind of riding I did years ago on the BMW, and it's my favorite kind of bicycling terrain as well, so this should be a good choice. It will mainly be used to supplement the bicycle for commuting and the odd weekend camping. It will be easier to get the Mrs. or one of the kids to tag along if they know there is less pedaling involved. :^)

Spring

2009-03-23T09:32:00.004-05:00

Finally. I actually got out for a couple of hours on the bike. I have all these single streets to ride, so I went to the nearest school, road the street to mark it off my list, and straight back. Jefferson and Green Valley were super short and nothing to speak of, but Spring Ridge and New Market were a little longer and quite pleasant. I may even get out this week on that rarest of things, a weekday ride. But I don't want to get ahead of myself yet. LBD is in a month, and I wouldn't want to actually be prepared for it.

My Little Brother Made the News

2009-03-17T09:53:00.003-05:00

Pay no attention to the guy on the left with the birth control glasses, the kid on the right is doing well as a chef in Pittsburgh.
Here's an article on the restaurant.

All right Joe!

The nightnmare is over.

2009-03-09T08:22:00.001-05:00

Nothing major, just the longest youth basketball season in the history of man.

Maybe I can ride my bike some now...

SSPBE 09

2009-02-17T09:13:00.003-05:00

And a good time was had by all....

Warmer Weather

2009-02-09T11:48:00.003-05:00

Some warmer weather this weekend meant I had to find SOME time to ride. Sunday was out, with two basketball games to take the kids to, but I found some time Saturday afternoon. For a while, I was even in shirtsleeves climbing up to Sabilisville, but most of the time I was comfortable with a light wool sweater over my jersey. I actually did two rides. One short one in the mountains and one slightly longer one in the valley. Down to 52 roads left to do in Fixing Frederick....

Riding Bikes in the Basement

2009-01-29T12:06:00.003-05:00

Item - I want to ride more.
Item - It ain't happening during the day, or much on weekends.

That leaves me most evenings after shuttling the kids around to various events and wrangling them through homework and bed.

Least problematic method of riding a bike at these times: The (dreaded) trainer.
Not the best or most interesting solution, but life is compromise.

One thing I have found to make it less tedious has been to watch some of the many hours of helmet cam video I've pulled off of the internet. Through MTBr.com I've found videos by Pete Fagerlin, Mountain Bike Bill, Steve Wolf, and many others.

I've burned some of my favorites to DVD and dream of far away trails spinning away the time. I figure about an hour for each DVD, which is about as much as I can stand on the trainer anyway, so it's a win-win.

Thank you to all those folks posting their vids, you're making my life a little easier.

New York City Walk

2009-01-27T14:20:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while I come across a website similar to mine where someone explores a geographic area in greater than the usual detail. I was on the shovelglove site, which took me to the Urban Ranger site, which led me to the New York City Walk, where Caleb Smith walked every street on Manhattan Island. Cool.

Leesburg Bakers Dozen - 2009

2009-01-26T14:56:00.002-05:00

I meant to put up a post last Friday about the upcoming Leesburg Baker's Dozen. Kevin, Jojo and I are going to do a 3 person co-ed team. I see that the 340 spots are already filled for it. Wow, that was quick. I hope it is as much fun as last year.

Annoyance

2009-01-20T09:29:00.001-05:00

Don't you just hate it when you wash your cell phone?

Doh!

Goodies Attached.

2009-01-13T08:36:00.003-05:00

Got the new toys onto the Monocog. I haven't had much chance to test it out, just a few times around the pump track and a couple laps of the yard, but it looks like all the items were good choices. The hands are comfortable and the feet secure.

Goodies

2009-01-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

I've started spending the gift certificates I got for Christmas, and have picked up some goodies for the Monocog.

First a set of Ergon Grips, which have gotten many good reviews in the biking world.

Next, some Wellgo Mag Pedals. Nice large flats with real retention pins.

An Avid 185 cable disc brake for the rear to go with the front I got last year.

Finally, a new helmet, with a decent retention system, so I can quit borrowing my son's for mountain bike rides.

I have some left and have to make some decisions. A new saddle for the Monocog? Maybe a stem to move the bars up a bit more? How about some new brakes for the Fuji, whose 80's vintage sidepulls aren't inspiring the confidence I'd like. Gloves? Bib's? Knickers? The list goes on and on, but the money gets tighter. It is a sweet burden I'll try to bear.

A New Year

2009-01-06T12:16:00.004-05:00

Happy happy and all that. The new year started out slow here. Work commitments meant we didn't travel to Ohio like we usually do (although we shipped out one child), so there was a nice lull.
Riding wise, the year has started off well. Although I didn't quite manage my 2008 goal of finishing Fixing Frederick, I'm getting so close I can smell it. On New Year's Day I went out to Adamstown for a brisk and windy ride there.

If I had a bit more will power the next morning, I could have joined the Outlaws for a morning ride in Patapsco. But the little (really lazy) voice wouldn't let me get out of bed in time. So I got up later and went up around Rocky Ridge. I'm at the point in my goal where I'm stringing together miles of riding to cross short sections of road off my list. This was 20 miles of riding for less than 1 mile of unridden road. It was worth it though. Cold, with an unplanned detour, but any day riding...

On Saturday it was Emmitsburg's turn. And something rare. Much of 'Fixing' Frederick lately has not been done on a fixed gear bike. Hey, my rules, right? Still, once in a while one should try to keep the spirit of the thing. So out came the Quickbeam. It felt great. And it felt horrible. I have succumbed to the temptation of variable gears, and must pay the price on the hills. Feel the burn. The cold wind was no help at all, but I kept the mileage down and crossed off a couple more roads.

Ricky has invited me to join a Flickr group called Bike 180, with the premise being to try to ride your bike at least 180 days of 2009. I'm on 3, which is 50%. Hope I can keep it up.

Do I have any other riding goals for 2009? Finish Fixing Frederick, and I really mean it this time :^) I'm down to 65 roads left. 15 or so scattered out and around the county and about 50 in one last development. I hope I can do that in a year... Should I have a party to celebrate the end when I finish?

What else? I'd like to do more mountain biking this year, especially with my kids. I missed my minimum goal of commuting an average of at least once a week by 2 rides. 50 instead of 52. Lame, so I'll try it again this year.

What are your goals?

Merry Christmas

2008-12-29T10:31:00.004-05:00

I hope the Holidays were as nice in your home as they have been in ours. Santa was good to everybody.

Friday I got out for a ride in Point of Rocks. The weather was warmer than expected, but still plenty cool. I wrapped up the city streets and decided to make the effort to go over the ridge a couple of times to get some county roads cleaned off the list. Two times up the ridge turned into three as it turned out that Timbery Drive climbs all the way to the top instead of part way as I thought. This was partially balanced out by the fact that Mar-Lu Ridge Rd. turns into a private road so I didn't feel compelled to ride the whole length. Still, I was feeling done in by the time I got back to the truck. Winter and the lack of riding time are taking their toll.

Saturday was a great lazy day, with none of the usual activities tying up our time. In the evening I went down to Bethesda for a party with a bunch of old friends, a conglomeration of the Jomsvikings and veterans of the University of Maryland Monarchist Party, from the heady days when the monarchists actually won the student government presidency with its promise of a beer filled moat around the campus, and other such clever stratagems. Pringle won the "farthest to the party" award by coming from the left coast, with Radagast in second from somewhere in flyover country... I had a great time catching up with many old friends, including the gleeful one, the grumpy one, and bunches of others with more sense than to have a web presence.

Sunday I skipped a ride and took the youngest to see the Tale of Despereaux. Good one for the kids. We considered Marley and me, but I already have a pita dog at home, so why would I go see a movie about one?