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Come Back Home

2009-07-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Since returning from Tahoe, life is finally getting back to normal. Sort of. The first few days were long at work catching up on e-mails, project issues and all the things I blew off prior to leaving. And it rained. A lot for the first couple days. So, no riding until Thursday.
I was able to get out for a very windy, slightly cool road ride that night and it was a work out. About 30 miles in against the wind. But it would be my only chance for a couple days, so I made it work.

Along the way, I came across a flock of turkey vultures sitting on a fence and was able to take a picture of one of these ugly guys before he flew off.

On Friday, our friends from Chicago came to town to stay with us for the 4th holiday weekend. We had a blast hosting Amy, Jason, their two daughters and their dog Spike. He and our dogs played well together all weekend which was a relief for all of us.

Saturday afternoon was a Party Barge cruise of the river with our neighbors and our friends. We had a great time and spent quite a bit of time out on the water. We all came back to our house in the evening before sunset to continue the party until dark. That is when the next door neighbors low-budget fireworks show started. The kids enjoyed the display, but the dogs did not.

Sunday afternoon, our friends packed up and hit the road for home. Rene and I did a little light clean up, took the boyz for a walk, had some dinner and crashed. The weekend was over!

Needless to say, I was jonsin for a ride so Monday, I dragged out the single-speed and hit the gravel. Some of the roads are starting to get dusty due to a lack of rain, but it was a great night for a ride.

I stopped to visit with some furry creatures along the way!

Wednesday night's ride was my first at Luton Park since last fall. They have added a new loop (the red line) and it is fun and twisty. I love this trail and need to get out there more. The trail was busy that night but you would never have known it.

On Friday afternoon, Kristy, Jeff and Charlie Moser came to visit us at the end of their visit to West Michigan. They have been in the area all week visiting with family and enjoying the lakeshore. We had a short half a day to spend with them, but it was action packed. All of us hiked over to the park where their son Charlie proceeded to play in the creek with our dog Dewey. Pretty funny to watch and yet no pictures. I forgot the camera! After hiking back to the house and cleaning up, we headed to downtown Grand Rapids for dinner and a tour. All enjoyed a pasta dinner at Bistro Bella Vita (and a couple Founder's Dirty Bastards!) and then it was time to see the sights. Highlights of the tour included Founder's Brewery, The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, the YMCA (one of my projects), the 6th Street Bridge, the DeVos Convention Center, Rosa Park Circle and the Art Museum, the Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer May House, Wealthy Street Theater and finally, Gas Light Village and Reeds Lake. And once again, not a single photo! I don't know what I was thinking. Hopefully, Jeff managed to record some of our visit, so check out his site at http://www.bikecarson.com/ .

Saturday morning I took the Mosers to Gerald Ford International Airport and we said goodbye. I cried like a baby of course, but thank god Jeff didn't have his camera out at the time! So, it never happened.

The rest of the weekend was beautiful and time to relax. We have been on the go for awhile and it felt good to just chill, have a nice dinner on the deck and enjoy the day.

Of course, one last ride too. On Sunday afternoon, I was able to sneak out and get in my first 40+ miler of the summer. It was warm and very windy (again), but a good time in the saddle.

No big plans for the rest of the summer. Time to settle in and just enjoy it. Hope everyone else is having a good one too!

Have a great week!

Man on the Silver Mountain

2009-07-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Brent, Sandie and Morgan discussing good whiskey.

Lauren and Morgan at the top of the Rock.

Jeff showboating for Morgan's video camera.

Sandie, Lauren and Jeff at the top of the climb.

Rocks along the Flume, looking down on Lake Tahoe.

Virginia City hills, just before the bar fights start!

Jeff driving like a maniac down the mountain toward Carson City.

I’m a wheel, I’m a wheel
I can roll, I can feel
And you can’t stop me turning
cause I’m the sun, I’m the sun
I can move, I can run
But you’ll never stop me burning

This man has left the mountain. And the mountain has won again. To say the ride kicked my ass
is to disparage all good ass kicking. It handed me my hat, showed me the door and told me to go home and cry to my momma. And yet, it was one of the best days I have ever had in the saddle.
The back story to my back-side trouncing started last fall during our first Official Bloggers ride in the hills around Oakland. Jeff, Lauren, Smudgemo and I hatched the original ride when it was discovered that my wife Rene would be traveling for work to San Fran. We met up in Berkley and after a great breakfast, rode most of the day in Joaquin Miller Park. Afterwards, it was agreed we must meet again the following summer, this time, in Tahoe. Though sadly, Smudgemo could not make it to this years event, we did manage to find a big crew of riders. The group consisted of a number of Jeff’s friends from the local area as well as Lauren’s husband Morgan and two friends of Morgan’s from Oakland. 11 folks originally and as Sandie said, if we finish with 9.5, it was a successful ride!

Rene and I flew out on Thursday morning and arrived in Sacramento CA around noon. We decided to take a day there and see the city before heading up to Tahoe. It was a beautiful day and we visited the home of Goven-ator Arnold while taking a walking tour of town. That night we found a nice restaurant near the hotel with outside seating and enjoyed a great meal. We stayed up as late as we could that day to try to assimilate to West Coast time, eventually crashing after a long 22 hour day.

In the morning we grabbed a Starbuck’s and then headed for the hills. Jeff had mentioned the elevation around Tahoe but I actually thought he was kidding. Along the way out (about a 2 hour drive from Sacramento), I started to see elevation signs along the way which quickly shot up to 5,000 feet plus! It eventually topped out just over 7,000 feet in the town of Incline Village on the North western edge of Lake Tahoe. It is hard to describe how amazing the lake and the surrounding mountains are but it was impressive. We found the condo and quickly unpacked before heading out to meet up with Jeff and Kristy and Charlie for lunch. We stopped by the Flume Trail bike shop located in Spooner Lake Park, right at the foot of the trail system to check on my rental bike for the next day. And then it was off for a whirlwind tour of South Lake Tahoe with the Moser’s.

Jeff took us to a number of great places including the Emerald Bay State Park where we viewed the Vikingsholm and Tea House and the nature trails. Of course, we both just spent time taking pictures of each other!

And then it was off to the Kingsbury Grade and down into Nevada to visit Carson City.
After a quick spin through town, we headed over to the Moser Estate where Jeff showed off his sprawling gardens and even more impressive bike storage facility! To see the Yute in person is really not to be missed!

Jeff and Kristy and Charlie took us out to see the Bunny Ranch (they insisted we see it!) and then on to what appeared to be a Hollywood western movie set but was actually a town called Virginia City. There we had a great dinner at Del Rios (along with my first Black Butte Porter!) before heading back to Casa Moser. Along the way we were ambushed by some armed desperado's who took all of our silver and gold (and lupines!) before riding off into the surrounding black hills. Actually, we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for the local authorities to clean up after a biker crash.

We headed back to Incline Village and a good night’s sleep before the big ride on Saturday. Lauren and Morgan arrived around noon that day and after dropping their bags at the Condo, we headed out to meet the others at the trail head. Rene spent the day slaving over a hot stove preparing our post-ride Mexican feast! Just kidding; sort of. After a round of introductions and the securing of my rental bike, we were off to the trail. Trails here in Michigan do not feature much in the way of elevation change. Typically, it is a series of rollers, with a climb immediately followed by a decent. Not here. From the first wheel off the pavement, the trail started climbing. And climbing. And then, it continued up. For 4 miles. There, we took a break and at that point, I actually thought I could cut it. And then Morgan mentioned that the next section was a bit steeper. More climbing? Oh, yeah. Two more miles. Needless to say, I had to bail about half way and walk the last section. So, here we are at 6 miles in and I am walking already.

From that point, the trail ran back down for a mile until turning sharply into the reservoir and into the first section of the Flume Trail. This is section I loved the most. Flat or mostly flat it runs along the perimeter of the mountainside, directly above the west shoreline of Lake Tahoe. To say the views are awesome is an understatement! Needless to say, we stopped a number of times to take pictures and jaw a bit, but eventually, this section came to an end. There we re-grouped and then headed into the next section, the Tahoe Rim Trail. Again with the climbing. Another mile of up. And then, it went up again. Now on single track, the trail runs back and forth along the edge of the mountain, virtually always uphill. This is where my fun in the saddle came to an end. Not only was I starting to feel the effects of elevation, but I was also not keeping up on nutrition and water. Both conspired against me and I lost energy fast. That combined with a very tricky trail (sharp rocks!), I had to bail numerous times and walk. This section seemed to go on forever and it was frustrating to only ride a small portion.

The rim trail eventually leads out of the woods near the summit to an open field where the views are unbelievable. It feels like your on top of world and at 8,400+ feet, you are close to it. There we hung out for awhile enjoying the beauty, taking more pictures and even enjoying a shot of whiskey, courtesy of Morgan. After a final group picture (see Jeff’s photos on flickr) we started our decent. And stupid me, I had my front shock locked out! The trail was so steep, rocky and fast there was no taking your hands off the bar for a second. I found a small level section, switched it out and then proceeded with the bomber run. This downhill went on forever, eventually leading back to the location where we had crossed the reservoir before heading back up one more climb.

At this point, there was nothing left in the tank and after riding a small portion of the climb, I wussed out and walked the rest of the way. Others there offered me gels and gummy bears and bars but I was so surly from the lack of water and food, I just yelled at them to leave me alone and started sobbing! Okay, I’m kidding about yelling.

The last section was the same first 6 mile section we had climbed at the end of the day. Thank God! Almost all downhill back to the cars. Never loved gravity more than that moment. We eventually rolled into the parking lot and I hustled over to the bike shop to drop my rig before rejoining the group. They were all talking and laughing and sharing a beer but I was weaving around like Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking! Slurring words and staring off into space, the days 22+ miles were hitting me hard. We finally said our goodbyes and then jumped in the truck for the ride back to the Condo.

After some much needed water, a little scrubbing and couple taco chips, I was starting to return to semi-normal. Rene had just finished up an amazing pile of burritos and guacamole and we all dived in. That combined with a couple New Belgiums and I was finally back in my happy place! Jeff, Kristy, Lauren, Morgan, Rene and I had a great evening of conversation and food and drink and I did not want it to end. But the Moser’s had little ones to attend to back home (dogs), so Rene made them a goodie bag and sent them on their way. Lauren and Morgan were staying with us that night and we all tried desperately to stay up and continue our discussions. Needless to say, it was a losing battle!

The next morning, Morgan was slated to head out and meet up with some friends for more riding, but thanks to my sobbing and wailing, he was convinced to stay and hang out with us for the day! We finished off a pizza, a pie, a roast-beast sandwich (with horseradish) and numerous bottles of water while chatting the day away. It was finally time for them to head home and we were shortly behind them, heading back to Sacramento for the final night. We checked in about 6 in the afternoon and the heatwave in the valley had reached 114 degrees! Do not let anyone sell you on that b.s. about it being “a dry heat”. It was a freaking oven outside! I do not think I have ever been in hotter weather. To survive it, Rene and I ducked into the same restaurant we had visited the first night but this time, stayed inside for dinner. And a couple gin and tonics (they had Hendricks!).

The next day we left CA around noon and went from 108 degrees to 63 upon landing in GR! And the cool air actually felt good. I have to say, this was one of the best trips we have ever taken. Not only was Tahoe an amazing place and the trail riding unbelievable, but the best part was the people who shared the experience with us. Thank you for everything. I cannot wait to get out there again and enjoy another ride.
Or just a beer and good conversation.

In fact, if anyone wants to skip the ride next time and just enjoy the beer, I am good with that too. Have a great 4th of July!!

Heat of the Moment

2009-06-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I get it. Summer is here. I can officially stop complaining about Spring now. 80’s+ and humid as heck here this weekend. And rain? Ummm, I think we’re good thanks! Check out this video taken at a local fairgrounds where they were holding a large annual Country Music Bash. This was also on the National news Sunday night!

My niece’s car is out in that field somewhere! My oldest son went on Saturday and said it was a mud-fest but they managed to get their van out before the flood. Organizers are going to be “underwater” after this fee-ass-co!

It was a busy one (again). More grad parties, yard work, Rene packing for MN today and both of us preparing for our Tahoe trip on Thursday. I wasn’t able to paddle the Flat this weekend but it would have been a great one for it. Hot weather combined with high, fast water! Instead, I went out for a road ride late in the afternoon on Saturday. And it was hot and windy. The trails here are saturated right now, so I have made the choice to stay off until they have time to dry out. The ride on Saturday was so painful I didn’t even feel like stopping to take pictures. 35 miles later, I was cooked.

Last night was my last night to ride before Tahoe. Rene was in Minn-e-soda until today, so right after work I took the single-speed out for a long gravel grind (trails are still wet here). Along the way, I stopped at the White’s Bridge launch and found a small dog wandering around, obviously lost. I called him over and sat with him for 5 or 10 minutes until a car pulled up and two distraught teenage girls ran out calling his name. Turns out, he wandered away and after looking for him for awhile, they gave up and left to go get gas in their car! DOOH! Why they did not think to leave one of them there while the other went for gas (nearest station is 10-12 miles away) is beyond me. The dog could easily have been killed by the regular traffic of 4x4’s and cars that run up and down the dirt road near the bridge! I so wanted to get on their case about leaving, but they said thanks about a thousand times and high-tailed it before I could get all preachy on them.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Well, except for the oppressive heat and humidity. It is full-on summertime here all of a sudden! Prediction is we hit 90F+ today. Felt like it at the construction site this morning. Not a big fan of extreme heat, but after all my bitching about cool and rain, I guess I have to shut up and enjoy it!

We are off to Tahoe on Thursday morning. I am looking forward to the get away and seeing old friends. Jeff has our trail ride mapped out for Saturday and we are planning to have the gang back to the condo for a Mexican food feast that night. Wish it was a longer stay, but I have a daughter and son in college now!

Hope your all staying cool!

Sound of no one clapping

2009-06-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Since no one reads my blog anymore (except blue), i thought i would take the easy way out and just post pictures of last nights ride. enjoy!

Into the Heat

2009-06-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is here, finally. The grass is growing anyway!

And the Queen’s Coronation is complete. Friday was my daughter’s G-Day party and it was a hectic week leading up to the event. Rene has heard from others that this celebration festival called a Graduation Party is more of a mid-western tradition. Not sure when that started.

When I was in high school (they had them back then?), we did not have parties. The town I lived in was near the lake shore (Lake Michigan) and we typically spent one to two weeks camping at the beach, leaving for the there 5 minutes after post-graduation pictures. My parents did not have to rent a tent or tables or a slushy machine and invite their 3rd cousin to pay a visit and bring a check. I think they got me a radio, which I took to the beach with me, if I remember it correctly. That was it. Some cake with Grandma and Grandpa who came for the ceremony and then I was out of there. Times have changed I guess. Maybe they need to change again.

Anyway. The rest of the weekend was clean-up duty and attendance at other graduation parties. And a little riding.

I was able to get out on Sunday morning and it was a beautiful day. Maybe the best day of the summer so far. About time. It was a nice lazy, 2-1/2 hour loop.

Past a vandalized old schoolhouse.

Over the Townsend Park trail bridge.

Past a few barns and silos.

And back home.

The rest of the day was spent at another graduation party. We were there until almost 10, helping them to take down the tent and put away the chairs. I thought carnivals had roadies to do that? Too many slushies, a few too many bbq sandwiches and probably too many beers. Needless to say, I slept like a rock that night!

Yesterday evening was another beautiful night and we decided to take the boyz out to the park. We had not been there in a week or more due to all the prep for the party. The trail is about a three mile round trip and for a portion of it we can let the guys run free.

The flowers were still in bloom and the field grass as high as I have ever seen it.

The trail runs over the river at the bridge and crossing it is always interesting with the dogs.

Back home and our wildflowers are really starting to pop. Daisy’s have gone crazy!

I am back on the bike tonight, hoping to get some much needed dirt time on the single-speed. It has been neglected for awhile, so we will be enjoying the State Game area trail after work. Final prep is in the works for Tahoe and it looks like everyone is in. Jeff has been wetting my appetite for riding by flashing pictures of him and his buddies enjoying the rare air of the Flume Trail. I know I am going to get bit hard by the mountain riding bug. Probably just call the kids that Monday and have them start packing to move!

Hope everyone is getting out there and enjoying summer!

City Escape

2009-06-08T14:17:00.001-07:00

Back to reality today after our partial weekend trip to the City of the Big Shoulders (Chicago). We had a great time on Friday night with our friends from the area, but my ride in suburbia was a bit of a bust. Besides breaking a rear wheel spoke, my biggest disappointment was with the trails. A co-worker of Rene’s who knew the area suggested that I ride the Busse Woods Trail, which is located near the Woodfield Mall and close by the hotel we were staying at in Itasca. The problem was, it was a paved trail and I had hoped to ride off-road on this trip. Looking back on it now, I should have brought the road bike and taken his suggestion. On our way to dinner on Thursday night we went by the park and it was very busy with bikes, skaters and dog-walkers.

I had researched trails last week and found a Chicago mountain bike site where the trails in the area were listed. Nice maps of the trails were posted courtesy of the Cook County Forest Park Preserve as well as photos and commentary about the different loops. I settled on the Palos Park Preserve, located near Willow Springs in the Western suburbs. The setting is beautiful with a series of park access points, picnic areas, boating/paddling areas and as I was to discover later, horse riding stables. The word on the site was to start at a location called Wolf Creek.

Following some minor wrong turns, I eventually found the area. There were other cars with bike racks and the trail head signs, so it must be the place. After unloading the bike, I checked the map and then headed out. The first trail section I found was the main yellow loop, which turned out to be the longest trail in the park. It however, was not single track but rather a wide hard gravel trail. It rode very fast, with ups and downs and a few twisty turns but it felt more like a gravel road than a trail. In numerous spots there were serious wash outs that appeared to be were caused by poor trail planning. No diversions were put in place to run the water off to the edge and in most places, the trail was lower than the surrounding forested area so the it served as a gully for water instead of shedding it. As I went along, I found this was a consistent problem everywhere.

Within the first 2 miles, I came to a section of legitimate single-track, the black loop and dove in. It appeared to be very similar to trails in our area, but within a short distance, it started to get greasy and wet. I came across a hiker who told me “there is a little water but most of it was in good shape”. As I continued down the trail was clear, but it continued to be wet and muddy. As a result there were numerous areas where riders were obviously re-routing the trail wider and wider to avoid the mud. I know they had received some recent rains (as we did in MI the week before), but the soil was more clay-like than ours and it did not appear to shed water well. But the more disturbing issue was the complete lack of trail maintenance and diverters that could have helped to route water away from the trail. The other issue was, rather than follow the contours of the ground, the trail often dove straight down a swale and then right straight up the other side. Both sides then became a funnel for ground water creating more wet and muddy spots. This section of trail was pretty clear and easy to ride and actually had some fun twisty sections. It eventually came back to the main gravel trail (yellow loop) after 4 or 5 miles of single-track.

From there I headed up the gravel trail which eventually led to an open field area and the next section of single track. As I was turning in, I noticed a deer heading towards me, so I stopped and got out the camera. It did not run away and walked around me, stopping to eat as he went. I decided to bail before he did and head in to the green loop trail. At first, in the open areas, it was appeared to be another fun section with some twists and turns, but it soon deteriorated as it ran back into the woods. This time, the trail was not only muddy and wet but now it was over grown. In sections you had to spread the branches out in front of you to avoid being hit in the face. In sections it improved, but then came the horses. Two riders appeared out of nowhere around a corner and I immediately stopped. I stood off to the side and let them pass with little comment, but have to admit to being surprised they were riding that trail. One, because horses and bikes typically do not share trails back home and second, this trail was not well suited to horseback riding. That coupled with the wet trail, they were doing obvious damage. I stayed with it until the trail came out to a main road, somewhere in the central part of the park. I did not immediately see another extension to the trail and rode up the road a bit to look for it. I eventually found it across the road and it was in worse shape than the first section. From the overgrowth and wash outs, it looked like it had not been ridden in some time. As I went along, I found out why.

The rest of this single-track was worthless. It constantly crossed muddy, wet areas, especially lowlands and yet showed numerous re-routes along the edges where riders had tried to avoid the mess. By the time I got out of this section and back to the park main gravel trail, I was coated in mud, my shorts were wet and I was not having fun. More than a few expletives later, I decided to stick to the gravel trail for the near future, if for no other reason than to clean the mud from my tires! There were other, non-marked single tracks that broke off of the main trail, but within a hundred yards, most deteriorated pretty quickly. I would be forced to back track and that became tiresome very quickly. So, I stayed on the main trail and at an intersection took off to follow the brown loop which headed south and west away from where I had started. I rode this trail for some time and saw numerous washouts especially on hills where no provisions had been made for water diversion.

After about 4 miles, the trail came to an elevated main road and there was a tunnel underneath. I noticed a sign stating that it was a horse crossing, but the trail markings did not indicate that it was for horses only. On the other side, I began to see more and more horsesh_t on the trail and found myself constantly avoiding it. After a couple miles, I came to a main turn in the trail and there I found the first stable. There were a couple horse riders on the trail and they made muttering comments as they walked by about bikes on trails (I was standing off to the side while they passed). I continued on for 5 or 6 miles until the trail dead ended at another stable. All along the way, it was covered in droppings and I suspect that is why there were no other bikers on the trail. It was open to bikes but given the mess and the potential confrontations probably not worth riding.

At that point, I started heading back to the car, hoping to find other single track sections along the way. I followed the yellow loop until it intersected the orange and cruised that for 3 or 4 miles until it came to the red. There I turned down a short section of trail that I thought was a loop, but it dead ended at another road. That is where I broke a rear wheel spoke, trying to hop up off the trail onto the road to turn around. I torqued a little too hard and bang. Luckily, the wheel was still rideable, so I looped the broken spoke around an adjacent one and started riding again. I still had about 6 miles to go but avoided the rest of the single track, cruising the gravel trail back to the car.

In the end, I did get quite a few miles in and it was a beautiful day to ride. But the lack of single-track was disappointing. I am not sure why it was in such poor shape but maintenance did not appear to be high on the park systems priority list. But allowing horses to ride MTB trails? That is just stupid. The park is so large it seemed to me that they easily could have segregated the groups into specific regions to avoid conflicts as well as trail damage. I enjoyed the chance to ride the trails but I think next time, I’ll bring my road bike!

We moved downtown on Friday night after Rene finished her training class and stayed at the W on Lakeshore Drive. We were lucky enough to have a room on the lake side, so I was able to take pictures of the Navy Pier and beachfront from the room. After checking in, we headed into town for some coffee and shopping along Michigan Avenue. We only had a couple hours and then it was back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We were meeting some good old friends who live in the area at one of our favorite restaurants, Coco Pazzo. We have gone there numerous times and it never fails to please, but we especially love sitting out along the sidewalk where you can really people-watch!

After dinner we headed to a local piano bar where we actually sat at the piano and enjoyed a night of good music. I will post some of those pictures later!
The evening ended back at the W. The lobby bar was closed but they have a Club on the 33rd floor, so we stopped up for last call. All of us had a great time watching the "crowd". From the looks of things, desperate times call for desperate measures I guess!

Rene and I had breakfast in town before heading out. The traffic wasn't bad and with only a few construction zones along the way, we made it home in record time. Just in time to head back out to a number of my daughter's friends graduation parties! Fun stuff; not. It felt great to just sit on the couch and vegetate that night!

Sunday was all work and no play which made me a very dull boy. But it had to be done. Weed pulling, garage cleaning and basement cleaning, all in preparation for our girl's party. Friday is only 4 days away now and everything must be perfect or else. Not sure what else is, but believe me, it is not an option!

Hope you got some riding in!

Random Analysis

2009-06-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple weeks. My daughter’s graduation, Rene’s travel and my work schedule have conspired against me riding as much as I would like. Our yard/garden/wildflower work is slowly coming together. Given the amount of rain we have had of late, all is growing like crazy. Some of the local farms have made their first cutting of hay this week! The great lake levels are up so dramatically this spring (we were in a deficit for years) folks along the shore are whining about losing beach!

We had some unusual visitors to the office last week: Sandhill Cranes! They were tapping on the door trying to get in at one point and spent most of the day hanging around in the yard.

My car has been a royal pain in the ass of late. With mileage in the 130k range, it has been very reliable for a long time. But of late, the car randomly will not start. There is a glitch in the electrical system that Volvo can’t find so I am taking it there on a regular basis every time it fails. I would ditch the car and ride if I could but with construction site meetings, client meetings, Rene’s trips out of town and no bus or rail service to fall back on, I need the car to work. A 21 mile commute one way and outside office trips, I can only plan to ride 1 or 2 days a week right now. I also can’t afford to buy a new or even newer car, so getting it fixed is a necessity. Anyway.

Rides of late have been typically on the road. It is saves time and trips to the trails, especially without a car! Last night was a long gravel grinder. It was good to get out and put some miles in while enjoying the wildflowers, random animals and few assorted “good folks” along the way! Photos are in the phone so nothing to show here at this time. I was able to combine single-track, double-track, gravel and pavement all in one ride. And all on the single-speed.

We are off to Chicago on Thursday afternoon (Rene flies out tonight) for a bit of a get away. She has a class on Thursday and Friday, so I am planning to do some off-road riding just outside the City. There is a cool trail system in Willow Springs (Palos Park Preserve).

http://cambr.org/TrailGuides/guideElements/maps/Palos2008Map.pdf

It appears to have quite a few miles of riding and I am planning to spend the day exploring all of them on Friday. Taking the Sinister out for the first time in awhile.

We will move that night to the ‘W’ in downtown Chicago (free room!) and then meet some friends from the area for dinner. Saturday might be a quick one in the City as we have to be back for graduation parties that night. Fun!

After that, it is all about Lauren (my daughter) next week. Her graduation party is on Friday (and if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by!). I personally will be glad when the hoopla is over!

Then we start prepping for the Tahoe trip!! I need to step up my riding to hopefully avoid embarrassing myself too bad while we’re out there. I have been suffering from congestion that has lingered on for weeks now due to allergies, so I hope to be rid of that by then as well. Gonna be fun!

Not much else to say. Work is slowing and that makes me nervous. GM is in bankruptcy and that will trickle down to all of us here in the Mitten State. Just fun, fun, fun to live in Michigan these day. Still no final word on moves, but we are leaning that direction. Biggest issue is whether to sell the house or sit on it until we have a more firm grasp on the future. And who knows when that will be!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Brighter Days

2009-05-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

The sun came out today after what seemed like a week hiatus. Bright and warm but windy, it was a beautiful day. One that requires you to appreciate how nice a day can be and not waste it. Though I did not ride today, I did take a hike. Not figuratively, but literally. Down to the park with Rene and the Boyz, along the river, finally settling into its normal summer shallow-ness, watching the kayaks from the bridge under the bridge and stealing lilacs from an abandon home's yard. Better we enjoy them than no one!

All in all, a good day. A little salad with salmon for dinner, a good beer and bread with a movie and it is 11 p.m. before we knew it. Tired now, but good tired. Even the boyz were. They didn't fight me too hard when I said it was time to hit the kennel. Usually, they grumble or ask to go out one more time and then run around the yard for 30 more minutes. But not tonight. Tonight, they were satisfied they had accomplish all they needed to. Any more would be greedy!

So, we head to bed. Tomorrow, my youngest baby walks up to the podium and receives her well earned diploma. And I will be proud. Happy in her accomplishments, glad to see that she is becoming an adult, but a little sad that she can fly now.

But they all do someday. It seemed so far away just yesterday and now, it is here. I love her as much as all of them, but she is the last.

And now she too is taking flight.

Less is More

2009-05-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am finally riding more but writing less these days. More or less.

Bike to Work Week was a bust again in 2009, mainly due to Rene being out of town (rides to the airport) and my work schedule (numerous meetings out of the office). Finally wrangled a ride on Friday, with a nice 21 mile commute each way (added a few miles to avoid the bigger hills; wuss!). Met up with my Bike to Work com-padres at Starbuck’s in Ada at midpoint for a chilly latte stop (it was 44 degrees at ride time!) and then on to the office. Our resident marketing person asked that we pose for a group pick so she could brag on our website how “green” the employees are by riding to work. One day. Wow. Impressive.

Saturday was busy with preparations for my daughter’s upcoming graduation. Pictures, cards, etc. Shopping basically. The rest of the day was house and yardwork, but I was back on the bike on Sunday. Windy as heck, I headed out on the road and was able to get some hills and mileage in. I even ran into (not literally) Danielle Musto, racer/coffee drinker extraordinaire out on the road and we chit chatted about her Poison Ivy at Dirt, Sweat and Gears race. I had to let her go so as not to affect her training numbers and get her in hot water with the Coach! Finished up with another 30 miles in.

Monday was Danielle’s No-Drop Ride Night, this week at SGA. Super Bon Bonnie and Barry showed up too and it was great to ride and catch up. I took some shots from mid-ride and what you can’t see in the photos are the swarms of mosquitos that stopped by to feast on us. It was intense. All the rain has hatched a bumper crop this year. Might have to get a case of Off!

Not much else to tell. Still aiming to do the final time trial event in the Milk Jug series, as I am 0 for 2 so far. After that, it is a bit before I race again. Just enjoying the finally warming weather and sunshine and hoping to get many miles in before I have to go visit the Carson and Oakland-ites!

Have a great Holiday weekend and try to get some riding in!

Get on You're Bad Motor(less) Scooter and Ride

2009-05-13T14:14:00.001-07:00

I had to get back on the horse sometime. In the past week-ish I have been able to get out 3 times; twice on the road and one gravel grind. The pain of my crash a few weeks back is still lingering, specifically, the torn muscle in my chest/arm area. It does not like it when I ride, but like a junkie looking for a fix, out I go anyway.

Friday last week, Rene went off to the bar with a neighbor/friend so I snuck out and did a gravel grind on the single-speed. It was a beautiful night and with time on my hands, it seemed like a good plan. I did manage to get in 20 miles, but it paid me back in pain the rest of the weekend. Probably wasn't the best choice so soon, but I was itching for saddle time.

Yesterday night, the weather was a little windy but the sun was out. Great night for a road ride. I could not ride into the office that day thanks to two construction meetings which required a car, so I brought the bike along and rode a loop from the office after work. The wind made it a workout for a good portion of the ride, but I was able to get 30+ miles in, so it was worth the struggle. However, today, my arm is not happy again. I probably should lay off the bike and just let things heal, but I have never been good at that. I take a break tonight; have to pick up Rene from the airport (she was in MN again this week). Tomorrow night is another Milk Jug race but we will have to see how the arm is fairing before I commit. The first race was rained out.

Weather and work have prevented me from participating in Bike to Work Week so far, but fellas from the office have assured me we are on for Friday! I am hoping we can make it work (no pun intended, really!) including a stop at Starbuck's in Ada for a little caffeine fuel up.

Things are all a-bloom here thanks to all of the rain and sunshine.

River is still high and running fast. I need to get some paddling in one of these days!

We are planting a vegetable garden outside the office and it is in the ground and on its way. Hoping to see some cucs, carrots, tomatoes and jalapenos soon!

Season Finale for LOST is on tonight. Be there or be squared!

Man Down!

2009-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend’s race was a bruising lesson on knowing the course. The race is the Fort Custer Stampede which is located in a State Recreation area and has been run virtually the same for many years. This year they decided to throw a twist in and reverse a section of the course. This part of the trail features very twisty single-track in the woods and a constant series of log crossings. I am not much of a fan of log “stunts” and this section has more than its fair share of them. If a tree falls across the trail, you typically make the required corrections (by hatchet, axe and saw), but for some reason, the designers of this trail actually, purposely added fallen logs as obstacles. Not sure if they are functioning as speed bumps, but the nature of the trail doesn’t really make that necessary. And they appear to provide no erosion resistance, so I am baffled as to the need. This isn’t a free-ride course and it probably is ridden by a fair number of inexperienced bikers who could be “tripped-up” trying to cross them. Case in point.

The point I’m getting to is, when you put in logs, you create the need to cross them. And the nature of a trail is that they are typically designed to be ridden in one direction as well. I was actually surprised by the lack of a designated direction for the trails we rode in Oakland last fall. Most, if not all, trails in this area are specifically marked to be ridden in one direction only. As a result, they often “flow” or ride better in the direction of travel. This is the case in this area of the Fort Custer trail. Not only were there some sketchy climbs as a result of the reversal, but one log crossing proved to be downright dangerous (in my opinion). It was a stacked pile, maybe 4 logs high at the center and in the normal direction, had a relatively flat, downhill approach that allowed you to maintain your momentum over the obstacle. Reversed, you were required to ride up to it on the taller side and if you did not crank hard, you easily could lose the momentum needed to clear it. And that is what did me in.
I started the race with as much effort as I could afford, trying to stay in the lead group, maybe 6 back. For the first mile or so, I pedaled as hard as I could, but at the first uphill, lost some momentum and fell back in the pack. With that, I was now on my own and had to push myself to catch up again. Enter, the reversed trail section. Maybe 4 miles into a 9-1/2 mile trail, I came to the infamous log pile with some speed but obviously, not enough. As I cleared the top with my front wheel, I discovered on the back side, a gap between two logs exactly the width of my tire! Needless to say, my wheel went right in. Given my lack of speed, the bike stopped on a dime and I kept going. For a moment, it appeared I could actually fly! And then, the rude awakening as I tumbled to the ground, that I could not. I landed hard on my shoulder, right arm and hand and for a second, thought that I would be joining Lance in the cycling wing of the broken shoulder clinic. It hurt damn bad. I was lucky enough to not have someone directly behind me. One, I would have probably been run over, adding injury to injury. But also I would have had an audience to my screw up. That would have been more painful!
Once I realized I had not broken anything (including the bike, surprisingly), I decide I could continue. After the first race frustration of a broken chainring and walking to the finish, I was determined to ride this one out. I caught up with a couple riders who had passed by during my stunt and tried to hang on and make up some ground. That seemed to help me focus on riding and not on my arm which was hurting. We eventually made it around to the water crossing, which was deep but not as much as I expected. I did not plan it out and ended up drenched on the other side. In the process, I made up some ground on a few of the riders who lingered on the hill coming out of the stream and finished the first lap with a decent time.
The next lap was a blur and I just rode as fast as I could, gaining a bit of ground on a couple guys in my class and bettering my time by about a minute. Not an awesome display of power, but glad to see I sped up the second time around rather than falling back. I actually dismounted and ran over the log pile the second time around (using my cyclocross skills!). I had no desires to “be a man” and try my luck again. Best to learn from your mistakes!

I got into a group of about 5 guys near the end and we rode in a pack right up to the last half mile. There I was able to get around most of them and though it was mostly symbolical (they were not in my class), it felt good to have something at the end. Finished up 12th of 16 in the end, not my finest hour, but better than I thought I would finish while I was laying on the ground at the log pile.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and I even ended up with my first tan lines of the year afterwards. My buddy Matt, who rode down to the race with me, finished first in the Clydesdale class, so we hung around after cleaning up to give him the chance to stand on the podium and collect his booty (nice pint glass with the 15th anniversary logo of the race). They were giving away free beer as well (one to a customer) from Anchor Brewing and the ale I had was very tasty.
Danielle’s husband Scott finished first in Expert for the second race in a row, so the boy is back! He had a chain incident during the race but was able to fix it and still beat the competition to the line. Must be the cool Twin Six Metal outfit he wears that is making him so fast!
I had a ball racing but still suffering some pain in my hand and arm today, so I have stayed off the bike so far this week. Looks like we will be seeing rain again for the next couple days, so I may not ride again until the weekend. Racing is over for awhile (except for the Milk Jug events, the first of which was cancelled last week due to rain). Next possible race is early June but I may skip that and just focus on commuting and riding to train for the rare air in Tahoe.
Next week is bike to work week, so I hope to get a chance to participate. Check out Jeff Moser’s site “www.bikecarson.com” for all of cool stuff happening this month in Carson City. The boy goes all out and has even snagged some sweet sponsors like New Belgium Brewing for this years festivities. Excellent work, my friend!
Mid-June is the Great Harvest Cycling Classic in Minnesota (Minneapolis and surrounding areas) and I hope to get over there to see some racing. The event is June 10-15th and it should have some big names in attendance. We are again looking at moving to the area as things are changing on the job front for Rene but it is still too soon to call. We are thinking of doing some job and apartment reconnaissance during our visit if we can get out there that week. We will see.
Hope everyone is getting some riding in.

And remember: Just say No to Log Piles!

Return of the Swamp Thing

2009-04-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Swamp-like. That is the best way to describe West Michigan lately. As I write this, it is raining again. The rivers here are pretty darn high, trails are muddy and it is just damn gloomy; again. We have had the weirdest spring this year. One day of 80 degree temps and then 3 days of 50’s and rain. No consistency and that has really played havoc on my riding. I had planned to race tonight in the first Milk Jug series event but given today’s rain, I am not sure I will bother. I had already planned to race this Sunday at Fort Custer, site of my first SS race and my first DFL last year. So, given the weather forecast, I decided last night to take advantage of the lack of moisture to get out and put some mileage in. The best bet was to either road ride (it was windy and cool) or hit the gravel. I chose the later but this time on the newly restored Inbred. Sporting a shiny new Surly chainring (round and flat as can be!), I headed to the park right after work. The creek is running as high as I have ever seen it.

Given the depth and current, it is best I don’t let my dog in there right now! The poor boy would be paddling his ass off!

The grassy areas are still very mushy, so I stuck to the pavement all the way to the first gravel road. From there it was 20 miles of sandy, rocky roads with some good climbs to test my new crank bolts. They held up like champs. First stop was at the rail crossing along a line that is supposed to become a very nice, long rails-to-trails route. However, given the State’s budget shortfalls and a host of other, more immediate concerns, this will not happen for some time to come. It is a frustrating but understandable situation.

Onward. After about 15 miles in, I came across this very unique grain silo. I have never seen one with a clerestory (the wrap around windows at the top) before. Not even sure why that is there, but I have a feeling there is a ladder or stair inside leading up to that crow’s nest. The silo sits at the top of a plateau that looks out over the river valley a good hundred feet below, so I’ll bet the view is amazing. But the bonus of the night was the bald eagle sitting on a branch right next to the silo. If you go to my Flickr page, and blow up the photo to the larger size, you will see him. We have a number of them in the area and they have even been known to make a stop by my house from time to time, but it is still rare to see them. Very cool!

Around mid-ride, I hit a stretch of paved road between sections of gravel. At one of the turns, I ran into a couple older guys out pedaling and said hi as we rode up. Both of them gave me the cold shoulder! What the? I couldn’t believe it! One was wearing a full Bissell Team kit and he was hacking and wheezing like he had just lost a lung up the last climb. So, to spite them for snubbing me, I cranked up the SS and hung right on their wheels for a mile or so. They finally tired of me (or the sound of my knobbies on the pavement) and rode away. Thanks guys. Appreciate the friendliness and camaraderie. Putz.

Back to the gravel. After a series of hills, I passed by a local farm where I found a swan making the moves on a couple ganders right in the road. They high-tailed it when I came by but I have a feeling the ladies probably hooked back up with him after I was out of sight!

Heading back, I decided to hit the park trail. It was in good shape despite the rain, but near the river, things got a little more damp. The water is running high and fast right now, which is amazing. In the summer, the Flat is typically a very shallow and lazy river. This is a small stream where you usually can ride across without getting wet. The rain has really created some “beautiful plumage” this Spring.

After ride beer selection: Breckenridge Brewery – Vanilla Porter. Good beer. Go get yourself some!

The weather looks gloomy for the next couple of days, but Sunday is predicted to be sunny and in the 60’s for the race. We will see. This was the course water crossing from last year.

I might want to look into a wetsuit for this year’s event! Keep your fingers-crossed that I can keep a chain on and ride all the way to the finish this weekend!

Plans are finalized for our trip to Tahoe. I could use the vacation now, but like a kid at Christmas, we will just have to wait. But that also gives me more time to get in shape for the high altitude riding!

Last and least, my dorm project for a local university is finally taking shape after a lot of frustration and difficulty. The brick-ies are just about done installing the facade and it looks pretty good. And in about three months, the first kid moves in with his mini-fridge and blacklight posters.

Nothing else to see here. Have a great day!

Sit Down, Stand Up

2009-04-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

Another weird week here of ups and downs. The cold rainy weather on Sunday stuck around for the first half of the week and that combined with a serious project deadline meant no bike time. Speaking of Sunday, here are two pictures from the TT race.

Start.

Finished.

Pretty much says it all.

So, last night was my first chance to get out and ride, but first I had to stop by Ada Bike to pick up my replacement chain ring. Surly wouldn’t spring for it, so I had to bite to bullet and pull out the credit card. Consider this my “economic stimulus” contribution! We are now at 12.6% unemployment here on the West side of the state, so hopefully this will help keep the Shop lights on for a little while longer.

I headed out to the Ski Hill trail for the first time this year and on the way over it started to rain. I was bumming a bit but determined to get a ride in. That eventually cleared and it ended up being a great night out on the trail. Well, except for my lack of conditioning. The hills were kicking my butt last night and I was barely able to get 3 laps in before hanging it up. There was a few lingering piles of snow on the hill, the last remnants of winter clinging to the slope.

On my first pass, I rode through a section of the trail that cuts across the hillside and just about bashed my brain on this.

For some reason (I am sure it wasn’t intentional), the lift had been stopped so a t-bar was directly in the path of the trail. If you were standing on the pedals while riding through there, it would have smacked you right in the face! I saw it at the last minute and was able to duck under, but it caught me by complete surprise. I have ridden that trail a hundred times and there has never been a t-bar hanging in that spot!

The trail was in great shape and fast (if you weren’t a slacker like me) thanks to the moisture we had this week, which helps to compact the sand. It appeared that a couple re-routes are in the works as I saw what appeared to be new sections being marked out along one hill. The area is one of the worse for trail erosion and sand, so from the looks of it, they are planning to make a fix. I need to check in with the MMBA group and see when their doing the trail work.
We originally were planning to head to Chicago today and visit some friends, but decided to put it off for awhile later. Life is really up in the air right now and it is probably the best to stay close to home for the near future. Minneapolis may be back on now with some changes that are happening at Sun (can’t say anything yet, but the word starts with O and ends with Racle), so we are considering all our options.

We have made a commitment to the June Blogger’s Ride in Tahoe this summer and in the process of finalizing our accommodations there. Right now it looks like we will be renting a condo for 3 days at Incline Village, so anyone who can make it up there from June 26th through the 28th are welcome to hang with us. Really looking forward to the trip and riding the trails, but excited to see the folks from Oakland and Carson City again.

Of course, that is if Jeff promises to buy the beer this time!

Have a great weekend and get some riding in!

Flat Broke

2009-04-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Saturday was our first really warm day of the year (70+ degrees!) and we took full advantage of it. After running to my office to deposit some old electronic at our sponsored recycling drive, Rene and I headed downtown to visit my favorite record store Vertigo for National Record Store Day. The place was packed which was nice to see. I joked with the owner that it felt like the good ol’ days when you would be elbow to elbow with folks going through the bins, looking for music. Those days are sadly behind us now I think.

I did pick up the new Appleseed Cast release “Sagarmatha” on vinyl and a sweet package it is. If you have not heard this record yet, by all means, give it a listen. Very good; maybe their best ever. My other purchase was the new Silversun Pickups release “Swoon” on CD. Very tasty as well. Rene went digging in the used bins and found her music: Elton John’s greatest hits, Billy Joel’s greatest hits and the Chili Peppers greatest hits. I am sensing a theme to her purchases!
After that outing, it was all yard work, all the time. We raked and cleaned and trimmed until I thought my arms were going to fall off. A good start, but plenty more to do. We walked the Boyz and then had a nice pasta dinner on the deck, all the time watching a gaggle of goldfinches devour our birdseed.

It was a beautiful day. So nice, I actually wore shorts for the first time this year!

But that all came to an end on Sunday morning. I woke up to rain and gloom and much cooler temps. And it was race day. First event of the season for me, the annual Deep Lake Trail Benefit Time Trial. Almost every year this race is a scorcher with temps easily into the 70’s and plenty of sunshine. This year was the exception. It rained pretty much from the onset, though the first couple groups got off before it started. My buddy ex-XTERRA Matt was there and racing in the expert category, which was bumped up to a 2-lap race for the first time this year. Here he is show-boating for the crowd at the starting tent!

He finished strong and about mid-pack but out of the medals.

Danielle was there with her husband Scott and I was able to get the first official photos of her non-production, super-secret full suspension Tomac race bike! Very nice. A virtual carbon bonanza with even a carbon wrapped suspension fork.

She finished well with a strong second place in the Elite class and Scott finished first in Expert.

Then came my turn to race. I decided to race single-speed this year and having ridden the course a couple times on the Inbred, I felt comfortable doing that. It was raining at the start, but the rain actually seemed to help solidify the sandy course, which will eventually dry out and get slippery as summer comes. It was fast and I was able to maintain a good pace consistently throughout most of the first half. The climbs here are difficult and it did take some cranking to get up a few. As I got further into the back section of the course, I noticed a consistent clank coming from the bike. It sounded like the creaks I hear sometimes when the rear loosens up and sure enough, the chain looked slack when I checked it. So, I stopped, twisted the Surly’s a bit and started up again. Went for another mile or so and the clanking was back, so this time, I thought the quick release may have been loose. Checked it and it didn’t seem loose, so I kept on going. At this point, I still hadn’t spent much time off the bike and felt like I was maintaining my speed. And then disaster struck. Coming out of the hilly section of the trail, there was more loosy-goosy going on, so I was forced to stop again to tweak the stays and the two guys I had passed, got back by me. I was determined to make up the time and catch them, so I set off cranking. Just as I started up again, we rounded a turn and rolled into a short but steep climb. That is when the bike broke. Bang and two bolts on the crank sheared off, which immediately left two to carry on and they in turn, torqued the chainring from a circle into an oval. The bike came to a screeching halt as the chain fell off mid-climb. I was so pissed! I put the chain back on and tried to pedal, but the crank would only turn a half-rotation and then jamb or throw the chain off. My race was done. At that point, I was still 4 miles from the finish of a twelve mile race, so I started hoofing it home. I would roll on the bike on the longer downhills and run the rest of the way, but needless to say, it took some time to get back. Determined to not DNF, I actually walked my bike over the finish line sensor for DFL instead. A few of the folks at the finish were looking at me funny wondering why I was walking. And then they looked down and saw this!

Morgan mentioned that it looked like a Rotor Elliptical chainring! But alas, no; just a Surly steel 34T, no longer in service. I wonder if they have a replacement warranty? Not sure yet if the chain is damaged but we will see tonight when I get a chance to look everything over. I just didn’t have the heart or the ambition to spend any time with it when I got home.

And so, the racing season begins with a bang! Hopefully, we can get back on track here and finish a race on the bike. The plan is to enter the Milk Jug Race Series, which starts next Thursday. I plan to race single-speed again, but we will see. The next XC race is May 6th at Fort Custer, which was my first SS race last year (and my first DFL too!).

Maybe I’ll bring the Sinister, just to be safe!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Pictures of Bliss

2009-04-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

Last nights ride in pictures (sort of). They equal a thousand words, so that should save me a lot of time!

Trying to decide if I should go short or long. I wussed out. But I did make it home before sunset.

I love remnants I find along my rides. This used to be a barn. From the looks, it hasn't been one for some time.

Break time. Bike needed a rest. Trek was slacking a bit, so I took pity on him. But he really needs to step it up.

Mutt and Jeff stopped by to say hi. They kept their distance, but let me know they were watching. Good guys.

Spinning along. This was a long stretch of flat gravel that goes on for miles. Not sure if my cell works out there. Hmmm . . . .

There are a couple places along this stretch where (I think) the view is so cool. I love these trees both now and in the summer when the leaves make this section feel like a tunnel.

Last stretch just before home. The roads are extremely dry right now and every car crop-dusted me as they passed. This is a cloud still hanging in the air a good 5 minutes after the car went by.

I finished up with about 22 miles in and it was a slog-fest. Some of the ride was smooth and packed but much of the route has become loose stones and gravel. I love riding out here, but it is a workout. It was still windy and cool, but I will take what I can get right now. Thanks again to the two teenagers on quads for the gravel shower on White's Bridge road. Your parents must be so proud!

I need to check out my left shoe cleat when I get home tonight. Woke up with significant pain behind my left knee. That has never happened before and I am suspecting it will be a crooked or loose cleat. Stay tuned. Hopefully, it doesn't linger too long.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Don't forget to watch Paris-Roubaix this Sunday; Hindcapie's last chance to win!

Been a Long Time Cousin

2009-04-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile, I know. Call it a lack of motivation or whatever you want, but basically, I haven’t felt compelled to post. Maybe it’s writer’s block. That sounds better than “I got nuttin’ to say”!

The past couple weeks have featured some riding, but it has been sporadic and rarely features any sunshine. I have yet to roll without knee and arm warmers in place. Some rides, have been downright chilly. But you have to get out there regardless.

I skipped out on Barry-Roubiax this year. The week before the race, I was only able to get out one time to ride. I did 3 nice loops at the State Game area on the Sinister but that was it. I would have liked to have raced but the fitness just isn’t there yet.

So, not feeling up to the challenge of a 31 mile race (ride) this early in the season I instead rode a shorter 23 mile gravel-grind of my own that same Sunday. It was windy, cold and grey by the time I got out. It took a lot of effort to stay out and finish the loop.

The gravel roads here have really dried out and were very loose, which made riding the CX bike hard work. My buddy ex-XTERRA Matt finished 8th in B-R right behind Danielle’s husband Scott in the single-speed category and after my ride, I think the SS would have been the right bike choice for the race. The bigger wheels roll over the gravel instead of bogging down into it like the skinny tires. Later in my ride I had a run in with a large, German Shepard, but luckily for me he turned out to be a “good boy” and just came by to say hello!

After that Sunday, I was not able to ride the rest of the week thanks to the weather, work and a car that has been acting up. As we speak, it is at the Volvo dealership for the third time in 2 weeks. Thankfully, Rene has been home the past couple weeks so I have “roadside-assistance” but this is getting ridiculous. I know, I should be riding my bike to work which would allow me to never again worry about inconvenient breakdowns. The difficulty is my job. I have to be able to randomly leave the office for construction meetings, client meetings, etc and most are not right around the corner. When I can plan it out in advance, there are days where commuting by bike will work. But for the days that I can’t, having a reliable car is a necessity. And mine has not been lately.

Car issues aside, the weather finally cleared up on Saturday and I went back out to the State Game area to ride the single-speed. It was still in the 40’s and breezy that morning, but the sun finally came out for the day. I did one lap and near the end came across a couple guys from the MMBA doing repair work on the trail.

I stopped to chat and from the tone of our conversation it appeared they were not too happy that so many folks were riding that day. We had some rain earlier in the week and that coupled with the saturated ground, left some muddy areas along the trail. And folks like me were plowing right through it, causing further damage. I typically avoid the trails when they are in that shape, but honestly did not expect it when I set out that morning to ride. And I had no clothes with me to change into to lend a hand, so I was feeling a little guilty.

I decided to finish up the loop, do the first section of the next lap (which had one small area of mud) and then head out on the roads to do a gravel-grind. It actually worked out well and I finished up with about 25 miles in for the whole ride but in the process, found another “secret” loop in the State Game area that did not appear to get any riding. It is only a little over a mile of trail, but featured some fun up and downhill singletrack sections.

The hunters in the area (and horseback riders) have left their mark on the trail, so maybe that is why the bike riders don’t frequent this section!

The area was littered, literally with old tires, bedsprings, even part of a roof overhang with shingles still attached! It amazes me that we riders get such a bad rap for our tire damage to the trail (which we are guilty of from time to time) and yet much more serious offenses such as this do not illicit calls for a ban on access. And horses are not even allowed on these trails. They cause significant damage to the SGA trail earlier in the Spring that has only recently been “cleaned up” by an increase in riding.

Regardless, it was a great day out on the bike. There have not been too many of those yet this year and with the weather we have here now, it may not happen again until late this week. We here in West Michigan lucked out on the Sunday/Monday snowstorm, but it has turned cold again. We could see temps back into the 50’s by next weekend, so keep your fingers crossed.

My first official “race” will be the Deep Lake Time Trial (MTB’s) on the 19th. I hope to continue to get some riding in before then. It is a fun event which raises money to help in the maintenance of the trail system, so it’s a good cause too. Besides the Iceman and Ore-to-Shore, it typically has the largest number of entrants for any race all season. If I can get into shape, I may even race single-speed this year. Maybe.

Hope things are warm where you are!

A Great Leap Forward

2009-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was good, but this week was better. Not sure if its great yet but definitely heading in the right direction now. I was even able to get a road ride in on Monday with temperatures in the 50's. Wasn't able to shed the warmers yet, but pretty darn nice time in the saddle regardless. The roads are a mess and you really need to be on the lookout for potholes, but the ride went off without one finger raised in anger.

The Grand River is very high in Lowell, but we have avoided flooding so far.

The rest of the week was a blur. The weather turned very cold and windy. And work was infringing on my evening hours, so no additional cycling was allowed. The weekend weather looked promising.
Until I woke up on Saturday morning to this.

After the initial shock and immediate depression wore off, things improved. We had a party planned for that night and spent most of the day trying to clean. By the time we ran out to the store in the early afternoon, the sun was shining, the temps were in the 50’s and all traces of snow were gone. We had a small group of friends and co-workers over that night and it was a blast. One of the guys has been tracking the Space Station and dragged us all outside around 10 p.m. to see it whiz by in the Northwestern sky. Pretty cool.

After a small clean up Sunday morning, it was time to ride. The weather had turned again, with wind and 40 degree temps but I had to get out. The Barry-Roubaix race is this Saturday, so any miles are good miles right now. I headed out on the singlespeed with the intent of re-tracing my CX ride last weekend. But then I saw the big red gate off of Montcalm Road and couldn't resist a ride on the jeep road.

This two-track cuts directly through the middle section of the Lowell State Game Area and is supposed to be off limits to ORV’s. Of course, they find their way on regardless and have made a mess of the trail. Witness the water-logged section below I had to walk around.

Most of the trail was actually in good shape and except for sticks and leaves, a good ride.
I did a combination of two-track, gravel, pavement and eventually, some single track to put in a good 15 miles. Legs were tired so I decided to head home. Along the way I stopped to enjoy the views of the river from the State Game Area and down by the park.

There were even a few brave soles paddling the river. The water is high and fast and very cold right now.

A good ride, but I need to get out at least a couple more times before B-R this weekend. It won’t be pretty, but I am confident I can make it back to the finish line now!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Now get some riding in!

Goodness Gracious

2009-03-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Good.

All you really need to say about this weekend.

Anymore would be piling on.

Good food. And good beer (goes without saying, really!).

Good walks in the park.

And, a good bike ride (Felt great, but it's early so I don't want to over sell it).

The weather is not great yet, but good is way better than it has been.

So, we're good.

With Good.

For now.

Hope it was good for you too!

The Magic Rollercoaster

2009-03-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Life has been a bit of a roller-coaster of late. Up and down. Good and bad. Thrilling and sad. And I would like to get off, please (the roller-coaster, not life).

Last week we started seeing improvement in the weather and with it came some sun and warmth. But I also had an accelerated project deadline that had me working late every night.

Ups and downs.

Last Monday, my Mom called to inform me that one of my old neighborhood buddies had passed away. This was a guy I had known since moving to our town at age 3. We were in the same class at school and in the early days, spent quite a bit of time together, playing a multitude of sports, building tree forts, riding to the 5 & 10 for baseball cards and hanging out at each others house. In high school, he was the first guy on the block to have a car and he drove me to school in the morning so I didn’t have to ride the bus with the rest of the bus riding losers! We took auto shop together, played on the baseball team together, drank MGD beer together (underage of course) and finally, barely graduated together. And then we went our separate ways. I went to college and he joined the Marines. As soon as he got out, he moved away with a couple other ex-friends from high school to Kansas City, MO, where he suddenly developed a talent for stand-up comedy. I never thought he was all that funny when we were kids, but he always enjoyed putting on a show. Musicals, plays and student council were his typical venues back then. But despite the lack of humor, he developed one on the circuit, eventually moving up the Bigs; performing as an opening act at casinos in Vegas. Seriously. He opened for Willy Tyler and Lester as well as bigger up and coming stars like Chris Rock. For 15 years, he was on the road as well as playing in Vegas. He came to town once and awhile and when he did, my wife and I would try to get out to see him. He often told stories that were taken from our childhood, including one notable memory of my Dad shooting the head off of a puff adder that he and I thought was a rattlesnake. The bit was about snakes being more scared of you than you are of them, but I was the only person in the room that knew where that joke actually came from. But over the years, I think the comedy gig faded. He never achieved any significant attention from the comedy powers that be and eventually, hung up the shtick for good. He settled in a small town outside Chicago, where his brother and his wife had relocated. He took a job at a local butcher shop and spent time with his brother’s family when he could. He lived alone, having never married or had any kids of his own. He actually lived above the butcher shop his brother told me. In the past year, he had found a new calling that built on his days as a comedian; working as a reporter for a small, independent Public Access station. He would interview local veterans for the Library of Congress archives, do man on the street bits at the town parades and fairs and interview coaches and players from many of the local high school sports teams in the area. He seemed to be enjoying himself, from the video archives I have seen (posted on the stations website) and happy to have a chance to be on camera; something he was never shy about! Unfortunately, the newfound “career” was cut short by his untimely death last weekend from a brain aneurysm. Needless to say, we here were shocked to hear the news. Most of my family and friends had not heard from or seen him in 15 years or more. But as the word got out, many people contacted me and eventually made an appearance at his visitation and funeral. Some of these folks, I had not seen since graduation! We all had great stories to tell of our friend’s life and it gave us a chance to smile a little through the tears. He was 49 years old. Way too young to be leaving this world. But while he was here, he made a mark and he lived his life on his own terms. I am sure given the choice, he would have gladly taken more time. But he touched lives and left people with some good memories of time spent with him. I guess that is all any of us can really ask for.

On a brighter note, I finally got on my bike (outdoors) on Friday and suffered through a nice, 2 hour gravel grind on the CX bike.

It was cool but pretty comfortable and I was able to get a couple miles in before the sunset.

The park that was underwater last weekend is still showing signs of abuse from the trees and debris left behind. It is a mess including part of the paved bike path and it will take some time to clean up come Spring.

The rest of the weekend was rainy and cold. We did not see any snow, but it was miserable regardless and I did not get in one more mile on the bike(s). Spent some time finishing the painting work I had started the week before and did a thorough house cleaning in preparation for Rene coming home on Sunday. I did see a couple good films this weekend, one of which was “Gonzo” a documentary on the reporter/author/crazy man Hunter S. Thompson. Good film with narration by Johnny Depp, who played Hunter in the film “Fear and Loathing go to Las Vegas”. The other film may well be one of my all time favorites after seeing it for the first time last night. It is “The Fall”, directed by Tarsem Singh, who’s only other notable film was “The Cell” (he might want to work on the movie titles a bit in the future!). Visually, this was a stunning film but as a story, as enjoyable a couple hours as I have ever spent watching a movie. Touching and funny and dramatic, all rolled up in one great story. Trailer below.

Well, the weather is not improving rapidly enough for me. It appears we have some sun now, but the temps and rain are going to fall the next couple days. We might be in the 40’s next weekend and if it dries out, I might be back on the bike again. One can only hope!

The Ice Melts into Water

2009-03-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Winter is receding slowly here. Too slowly for me. I cannot believe how long it has dragged on this year. Ground is still frozen with patches of snow hanging on for dear life. Mr. Sun has done his best, but the cold winds have kept the air bitterly cold. So cold, I can store my beer in the garage! This weekend was painful. Beautiful and sunny most of the days, but a step outside told the real story. Windchill in the teens and single digits. I tried my best to ride on Sunday but was turned back by the threat of frostbite. It hurt and that is no fun. So, I wussed out and came home.

The rest of the weekend involved cleaning, painting, beer bottle returning and camera shopping. I am trying to get back into a hobby (photography) that I gave up on a few years back when I sold all my equipment on eBay. So, now I have to buy new. Digital this time. And starting out slow, just a camera and a lens. Don’t want to rush things. See where it goes.

The river ice has finally started clearing. The majority of it was floating downstream this weekend.

And with it, went my dock. Yep; it’s gone! Every year, the ice pushes it around and I usually have to spend some time making adjustments. This year, no adjustments are required. It is officially toast. Down river a bit and underwater! So, I guess I will be building a new dock come spring. And some warmer water temperatures! Thank god I tied the canoe to the railing of the stair or I would be the market for a new one of those as well.

That is about it. Watched an interesting film Sunday night on the band Joy Division called "Control". Very good if you enjoy that sort of thing. Rene leaves on Wednesday for Tampa Bay to visit our oldest daughter. I am not going. I have work. She will be attending the Billy Joel-Elton John concert with my daughter and enjoying a few days of warmth and sunshine.

I will be painting.

But hopefully, I will be doing a little riding too.

Keep your fingers crossed!

The Ice is Getting Thinner

2009-02-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Okay. That was quick. Was that actually two full days off? Not sure that it was. I am actually considering asking for a recount. Felt a little light to me.

So, is everyone still reeling from their post-Oscar party buzz? I’m sure more than a few of you are sleeping off that last round of shots from the Best Picture awards! Wow. Was that exciting or what? Came right down to the wire with an amazing hail-Mary surprise ending! Who could have seen that coming, am I right?

Speaking of finishes, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of effort by Highroad and Garmin in the final stage of the T of CA yesterday. Given that both had a rider within less than a minute of the leader, why they didn’t stage a coup and go for it is a little surprising to me. I know Dave Zabriskie is not the strongest rider in the peleton, especially going up hill but I would have thought Highroad could have challenged Astana had they worked like a team. Instead, Hincapie went up the road and was trying to contest for a stage victory and all but conceded the Tour by not helping Rogers. That was one of the hardest, last stages in a Tour I have seen in awhile and one where the outcome could have been changed with a great performance. I can understand in the TdF when all the teams make a pact to not contest for the win after 3 weeks of hard racing but I am not sure that a group-hug was warranted here. It almost seemed like the outcome was pre-destined and no one really wanted it bad enough to challenge the script. I know it is early in the season and teams are still sorting out who is going to be the leader and how hard do we push now vs. later. But come on. Other than winning the Solvag time-trial by 3 seconds, Levi was never dominating. Hell, yesterday, he looked like a little kid riding on the back of one of those clamp on half bikes pedaling like crazy to just keep up with his dad! I like Levi and am not trying to bash on him specifically, but it would have been nice to see the race finish with a bit more of a bang and not a whimper. Nuff said. Regardless, it still was nice to watch cycling every night last week!

Saturday was our final (though we didn’t know it beforehand) cheerleading competition. The District semi-finals which included 12 teams from the local area. Well, 11 local and one from the U.P.! Escanaba which is at the midpoint of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and a good 8 hour bus ride from Grand Rapids. You have to ask; how are they in our district? I am not complaining, just questioning the logistics of a district that includes 11 teams within 30 miles of each other and one that is 366 miles away (checked Google maps)! They are closer to Green Bay (113 miles!) then Grand Rapids! The Eskimos (seriously, that is their team moniker!) came in last place and regardless of the journey, seemed to have a great time down south. I just thought it was odd that they would make such a long trip to compete. If they had finished in the top 4, they would have had to come back the next weekend and do it all over again!

We were hit with an amazing snowstorm during the afternoon that eventually dumped about 5 inches of new snow. My daughter had left her car at school and when she got back to pick it up, the battery was dead. So, Dad had to drive up there Sunday morning, jump it and drive it home as the Ladies where head out Prom dress shopping! Silver lining in a dead battery after all, I guess!

On the way back to the house, I took a longer route to give the battery time to charge and ended up hitting the gravel roads down to the park near our house. The river has crested and then some, with huge ice dams forming and breaking and the lower portion of the park (bike trail) is underwater. Pretty dramatic stuff and destined to get worse before it gets better. The forecast for Thursday is near 40 degree temperatures and rain. Makes me glad I built my house on the high ground!

My son came home that afternoon for the first time in two days, I think because he needed oil for his sled. He and his buddy have been hitting the snow hard, riding their sleds constantly all weekend to get as many miles in before the rain comes and spoils their party.

Must be nice to be unemployed and spending your time snowmobiling and ice fishing. The kid ran for the hills when I told him I was planning to paint the basement later that day too!
Yes, Sunday was painting day. I have needed to “touch it up” for some time. It takes lots of abuse from the kids, the dogs and my bikes. So, Sunday was a good day to get that done. But before conceding to a work day, I quick ran out with the cross country skis and schussed down to the park to take some pictures.

Great day with some sunshine for a change and the snow was great for skiing. If only I didn’t have that pesky painting project waiting for me back at the house! Well, that was the weekend in a nut shell. Busy but productive. And the T of CA is over now, so I have no more excuses to not get the rest of the projects down around here! Maybe I should check the Versus schedule one more time . . . .

Is it Always this Dark?

2009-02-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

Once again, winter has returned to our sleepy land among the lakes. We woke up to 2+ inches of snow on Saturday morning after a week that almost seemed like Spring.

So, its back to beer and crying again, I guess. Extra Special Beer. And whimpering.

It turns out, the God’s were just taunting us. But, the Tour of “Col-e-forn-e-ah” has started so it feels a little warmer. And tradition has it, if Dave Zabriske see’s his shadow during the prologue, there are only 6 more weeks of winter. He didn’t! Damn.

Regardless, this was our second to last “cheer” competition weekend. One more to go and the season will be over. It has been fun to watch our daughter be a part of this team and compete. She is not the competitive type, but she takes it very seriously. I have to say, these things are a day-killer though. I thought my son’s soccer tournaments were long! Wow.

My sister-in-law's daughter (my neice) scored her 1,000 college career point this past week. This isn't it, but a fair representation of her skill shooting the pill. Congratulations Sara!

Saturday night we went out for dinner for the first time since our trip to Asheville (New Years), so it was a special evening. Special, meaning a nice looooong wait in the bar. Because we forgot to get a reservation. Oops. Is today something special or what? Why are all these people here? Regardless, we had a great dinner and enjoyed playing who is the bigger bullsh_tter with the Owner (sort of a friend of ours). He won hands down. According to him, he lived most of his 4 years at State (MSU) outside a frat house on a couch (“No kidding; I sh_t you not!”). And had to mow his parent’s 25 acre lawn with a push mower when he was a kid (“I never got any handouts!”). And was an executive chef on a company CEO’s yacht, parked next to other company CEO’s yachts like Larry Ellison (“Not like those guys who just cater events; I lived on board!”). Chatting with him is worth the 10 dollar Cosmopolitan’s!

More house projects; starting a little repair and painting in the basement. Walking the dogs on a chilly, sort of sunny Sunday. Watching the First stage of the Tour. Sort of. Rain delay for most of it. But, an excellent finish by Mancebo. Nice to see someone make a break and hold it all the way for the win. Lance seems to be playing Domestique this ToCA; can’t wait to see photos of him back at the team car taking on bottles for Levi! Should be a great week to watch bike racing.

Not much else. Life is in a state of non-flux these days. One pretty much runs into the next. Boring might be another word to describe it. But, we’re still pretty happy here in our little corner of the world.

So, there’s that!
Have a great week!

People of the Sun

2009-02-09T13:43:00.001-08:00

To say it has been a difficult winter so far, is an understatement. A visual clue to the level of our confinement, I present my beer remnants out in the garage.

So, to fill the many hours of no sunshine and indoor tedium, I spent some time making changes to the CX bike. Paul Component brakes, some old purple anodized straddle hangers and new bar tape to name a few. I also installed an old cycle-computer that was collecting dust in the basement.

And then, it happened. On Saturday, the sun came out. And our tiny corner of the world didn't seem quite so barren and bleak. The ice on the river started to melt and with it go the deer trails.

Further up river, the ice was melting quickly and open water starting to appear. I was finally able to dislodge the canoe from it's icy grip and after clearing out the snow, returned it safely to the dock.

Sunday was even sunny-er, so we decided to hit the road and walk the dogs. The future looked so bright, Rene had to wear shades. Sorry!

The clear pavement meant I didn't need to give them both a bath afterwards. Sweet!

And to top it all off, after the walk, I even broke out the CX bike and took a short spin. Only 5 miles, out to the park and back. I stay on road; the trails are still too deep with snow. And I didn't feel like spending a hour afterwards cleaning the bike!

This was a bonus weekend. It is amazing what a little brightness can do to a guys disposition. I think I could get used to it! Tuesday is supposed to be in the 50's! If that holds, I will be skipping out of work and getting out on the road again.

Winter isn't over yet. But for 2 days, it sure felt like it!

Doctor, doctor please!

2009-02-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

"oh, the mess I'm in."

Life has been a bit of a pain of late. Sickness has found its way into my body and is raising havoc right now. I started feeling it on Monday and today, I am really feeling it. And the worse part; I have a free ticket to a Red Wings game tonight. Box seats, food, beer and the Phoenix Coyotes in town. Someone up there hates me.

I haven't been sick in some time and this just comes at a bad time. Work has been difficult of late, with project issues and even layoffs. One was my buddy ex-XTERRA Matt. It was a bit of a shock given that we have been busy. But, he has always been an outspoken and independent employee in an office that requires group compliance, so I am sure this decision wasn't completely "economically" driven. He has been dealing with it well, but there are few opportunities out there for him locally. We have the highest unemployment numbers in the nation. Higher than the numbers the experts are predicting for the nation at the END of the year! So, he has put his house up for sale and is making plans to leave town. And the state. I support him, but I will miss him. And I wish him the best.

Regardless of the turmoil, the world keeps spinning and we all have to spin with it. Once and awhile, we can coast. Guess that is where I am now. Coasting. But realizing that some tough pedaling is ahead. I am not much of a sprinter, so I had better make an effort to catch the break. Cause' the broom wagon is looming.

So, I am sitting here on the couch watching new "Flight of the Conchords" episodes and trying to figure out how to get my canoe out of the river.

And working on my taxes. Hope your out there and enjoying the ride. Keep pedaling!

Re-Covered Now

2009-01-30T07:53:00.001-08:00

With all this indoor time on my hands, I have been spending more time reading and watching TV than I would like to be. Last night I watched an episode of a newer show called "Life on Mars" that has caught my attention, partly for the great cast (Harvey Kietel, Michael Imperioli, Jason O'mara) but mainly that it is set (sort of) in 1973. As a result, they have a great 70’s soundtrack and last night they played a favorite song of mine that took me back; “Whiskey in the Jar” by Thin Lizzy. Which leads to my intended topic on music. It is an issue that I have wanted to expound upon but never found the time until now. Covers. P.S. The show is actually a cover (if you will) of a BBC show from 2006.

So many artists over the years have “reinterpreted” other bands work, often with mixed results. One of the most prolific at this was Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, most famous for their hit “Blinded by the Light”. Many know the song and could easily sing along, but few might be aware that it was originally penned by none other than Bruce Springsteen. And if you gave a listen to the Boss’s version, you might be surprised and even have difficulty recognizing the song. There are many other well known examples, but this leads into my original point about covers and the song “Whiskey in the Jar”. Here is Thin Lizzy’s version.

Many of you might be saying now, I think I know that song. But some are also saying, who the hell is Thin Lizzy? Well, they are best known for the rock anthem “The Boys are Back in Town” and “Jailbreak”. But this was one of their best, lesser known hits. Most wouldn’t recognize the title or their version of the song but this interpretation might “jar” your memory.

Metallica made this a hit in 1998 and actually won a Grammy award that year for the song. But once again, it is actually not just a cover of the 1972 Thin Lizzy recording, but another reinterpretation of this song.

That was the Dubliners performing the Irish ballad in the 1960’s. The song is actually a traditional Irish ballad by an unknown author sometime back in the 17th century. It has been covered since then by a slew of Irish folk artists, Peter, Paul and Mary, Roger Whittaker, Jerry Garcia, 80’s bands like Pulp and even U2. The most recent cover was by the band Belle and Sebastian. This song obviously has a very long and varied history. But despite that fact, the public’s awareness of it is the metal rock version made famous by Metallica.

My intent with this is not to bash Metallica (I actually love their version). I just was trying to point out through this example that we are so often not aware of the origins of popular tunes. Many famous bands over the years have found great success reinterpreting “covers”. The Beatle’s, the Stones and even Nirvana (“The Man Who Sold the World” was originally a David Bowie tune but made famous by Nirvana in their 1993 during their MTV Unplugged set) made old songs their own. Manfred Mann in their day covered Springsteen more than once, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, the Police and even, the Rolling Stones. There is hardly a song on their albums that wasn’t penned by someone else! And yet, their versions are sometimes, my favorites. Though I love Bob Marley, who was a genius in his own right, I really dig Manfred Mann’s cover of “Redemption Song” (heard in the closing credits of the movie “I am Legend”) on their album “Somewhere in Afrika”. The Beatle’s were fond of covers and had big hits with “Roll Over Beethoven” (a Chuck Berry tune, later to be a hit again with ELO), “Hippy, Hippy, Shake” (Chan Romero) and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” (Larry Williams) just to name a few. And in turn, their music has been covered by more artist than I could ever possibly think of listing.

So, in conclusion, I guess my point is, don’t believe everything you hear (is new).

It could be a cover!