Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So, even with all the yummy, mouthwatering tidbits we'll inhale later, what am I thankful for today?

FRIENDS!!!

THAT was a Good Game.

Saturday dawned bright and cold, and found us on our way to the Cracker Barrel to meet Shane and Diana for breakfast before trail building at Thomson. Momma's Pancake Breakfast with heaps of hot maple syrup is by far the best trail-building fuel in cold weather. It's a known fact. So, after gratefully imbibing several thousand calories of homestyle goodness, we rolled out to meet Dean and the OMBA tool trailer at the trailhead. Dean, hardcore hero that he is, had already pulled a lap or two before we got there at nine. Did I mention it was barely above freezing at that point? Dude...
As the day warmed up, we had a LOT of people show up. I think it was the most people I've ever seen working on Thomson at one time. It was great. We started by following Shane (our trail boss and the man with the plan) for a refreshing hike through a solid quarter mile of tangled underbrush which we were planning to clear. Two and a half hours later, we had cleared, cut and cussed up about a quarter mile of rideable trail. Poor Shane damn near had an apoplectic fit trying to rein in all the energy and joyful misdirection at the front of the work party, while also keeping Bruce from cutting down every freakin' tree at Thomson. Thank God he had loppers and not a chainsaw. I'm pretty sure he's the third largest source of world deforestation, right after hurricanes and harvesting of the rainforest for IKEA furniture. We went back through and touched up and back cut for about another hour and retired to the picnic tables for pizza and beer.

I'll refer you to Kat's Flickr account for photo coverage of the event

After the work party, a bunch of us mounted the steel steeds (or aluminum, or carbon, whatever) and tried out the new run. I think it's great. Or will be as soon as it rides in and has some consistency other than that of a memory foam mattress. I've heard some comments through the grapevine that it dumbed down the trail, but I think people may be missing the point. We have to build trails that don't cause permanent damage to the woods, or if that's not possible, we have to reroute the bad ones eventually. Nobody wants to ride through three foot deep wash basins. Anybody ride the Thomson trail around '99, when it was only a little under 3 miles and not maintained? Ever see those washed out trails? I don't think anybody remembers how bad it was. The point is, given the soil type through much of Thomson, some trails won't have a long lifespan. You can build straight-down, aggressive stuff, but don't be surprised when it has to be taken out in a couple years. Wait about six months and these new, flowy trails will develop some scary spots, trust me. If it's not challenging enough, ride faster. Technical skills don't only mean those you have to use at trackstand speed.
Okay, nuff soap box.

Today, Diana went and rode Arrowhead. Kat was planning on going, but caught a bug and wasn't feeling up to riding. Hell, she barely looked like she was up to standing, so Diana and I let her stay home. It was my first time riding Arrowhead, and I must say it's a great trail. The trees are at peak color, and it was stunningly beautiful. The air was just warm enough to ride in shorts, and the trail was blanketed in so many colors it was like riding on a tapestry. I really understand now why the OMBA crowd is so obsessed with the trail. There's nothing else like it around here. It really is a huge asset to biking in the area, even if i do get tired of hearing about it. You can certainly tell it was built by strong riders who enjoy climbing. There's a LOT of climbing. It seems a little choppy and hard to build a rhythm, but the first ride on a trail is always a little rough. I've heard people say it's easier than Thomson, and I can see that. If you are a rider who's strength and fitness is better than your bike handling and balance, I would imagine you'd prefer this trail. Thomson caters to riders with above average bike handling, and will let you slide a little if your fitness is down.
All in all, it's a great trail. Worth the ride, and worth the drive to get there. The last climb out may be the steepest thing I've ever climbed on a bike. I'll rank Arrowhead a close second to Thomson as my favorites locally. Kudos to those that built and designed it.
The only mishap was when leaving, I left my front wheel laying beside the truck and promptly backed over it. You gotta love Sun Rims RhynoLITEs. I totaled the skewer and bent the bejeesus out of the disc rotor, but the rim was still damn near true. It was out so little that I would almost bet it was that way from riding, not being run over. The XT hubs spin as pretty as punch. Let's hear it for tough parts.

Kountry Kastle, Revisited

Okay, I just figured out how to email myself pics from my phone. Ya know, for a Ga Tech grad, sometimes I'm a real caveman. These are shots of the bar at the Kountry Kastle, taken like any undercover PI would, with a phone. You really don't want to spook the customers. If you still haven't eaten there, start driving now. They're open late.



And this is a shot of the "Mix N Match your own six-pack" rack at the World Wine Store in Paducah. This seems to be pretty popular out that way. I guess the do the same thing locally, but they know everybody only wants yellow fizzy beer, so they go ahead and package them that way.

Just a quick internet find

No real news other than Ididaride participation looks less hopeful after talking to the registration lady, but while bookmarking all the FL mtb forums I could find (hoping to find a couple slots for the ride) I found my new family crest:



Kat, you may want to right click and choose "Save As" or the Steve Jobs equivalent.

I also found the indoor trainer that will be number one on my Christmas List: SmartCycle

I'm the most talented biker I know -- or -- I think I need a new helmet

So, after much waiting, I finally got to go out on the urban ride in Macon. It was cold and turnout for the ride was a little low, only 5 riders. And they got to witness a fine sight. One that you should all be sorry you missed. I hit a tree. Hard. IN DOWNTOWN.

Okay, we were riding through a park near Mercer (I think) at a pretty good clip. I'd been hopping curbs, riding a few stairs, and generally having a whopping amount of fun. As we cut across the grass I see two Crepe Myrtle trees ahead of me, planted about six feet apart at a forty-five degree angle to my direction of travel. The branches were not quite touching, and were just tall enough to walk under. I figured it would be cool to switch back between them, so I accelerate a couple strokes and chicane through. The limbs were a little lower than I thought, so I ducked down pretty far and cleared them easily.

Now, Before we go any further, I want to take a minute to discuss proper decorative planting. Ask any gardener worth their potting soil how one should plant to maintain a natural look, and they'll tell you never to plant in even numbers. Always plant an odd number.

Can you see where this is going?

I charge out from between the TWO Myrtles, look up with a big smile and have time to think, "Well, shit, there's another tree." I remember my headlight clearly lighting up the twin trunks, so I was probably a bike length away, going maybe 10 or 12 mph. My only reaction is to throw my weight back, grab a BIG handful of disk brake and duck. Which worked out, kind of. I almost stop before my front tire hits the tree, but I think I probably would have gone over anyway as hard as I locked the brakes. Ass end rising, I slam the front of my helmet into the tree and drop the bike, but manage to remain on my feet, somewhat dazed. I take off my helmet (somewhat disheveled) to find Mike and Jeff staring at me mouths agape and eyes alight. Once they knew I was okay, boy, did they have a good laugh. Which is exactly what I would have done. To quote Jeff, if you do an endo correctly, they can see both your asshole and your bottom bracket. He said I was doing fine.

The bike was fine, the helmet's a little dented, and my neck's a little sore. But I rode the rest of the tour with no problem.

Well, I needed a new helmet anyway......off to surf the Performance Bike site......

Go West, Young Men

Last weekend we went west. A good friend needed help retrieving a lonely corvette from the frozen north. Well, it'll be frozen in a couple months, anyway. Being the good chums we are, we borrowed a trailer, bought some beef jerky and left at the ass-crack of dawn. Wait, scratch that. We were no where near the crack, it was more like the ankle. Dark thirty. Damn early. So we ate breakfast in Atlanta, lunch in Paducah, Kentucky, and dinner in Edmundsville, Illinois. We picked up a Vette, slept in a motel, had brunch in Paducah, and dinner in Warner Robins. And we had a good time.


Yeah, like there aren't stories to tell.......



First, if you're ever in Paducah, KY, find the Kountry Kastle for lunch. I don't know where exactly it is, besides the bottom of an off ramp, but if you ask anybody driving a pick-up with a ladder or gun rack, they'll point you right. I'd recommend getting the $3, half-pound Angus burger, but you might also want to consider the fried balogna sandwich and fried dill pickles. Or the herd of buffalo (32 wings for $11) or the tamale special. Top it off with onion rings and a 32oz beer for $3.20. The part you can't put a price on is the atmosphere. Dark wood paneling and old neon cast middle-America glow on well-worn vinyl booths and vintage bar stools. I could retire there. Try to ignore the stumbling drunk next door at the strip club, especially if he's bouncing off cars at 1pm like he was when we saw him.



Second, Jesse is a man of his word. If he tells you he has boxes of rocks he needs to move, by God, the man has rocks. And plenty of them. Doesn't matter why, or where he got them, or even if Shane helped him get the rocks off (ahem.), it only matters that the rocks are in Illinois and need to be in Georgia.



Third, the St Louis arch is one of the coolest man-made things you'll ever see. Especially at night. We almost opted not to go see it since it was late and 25 miles away, but we suddenly had a spark of reason and braved the chilly night to hunt down the big sucker. It was.....beyond words. And so I'll use pictures:



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Fourth, six cases of beer is all you can fit in the back seat of a 2004 F150 and still have room for a Jesse. In the same way that wine connoisseurs will seek out local vineyards while traveling, we seek out new and different beers. Some of these we know and love, but can't buy locally due to the vagaries of distribution and antiquated import laws. Some of them are just stuff we've never tried before. Good thing nobody else went, they'd have been very uncomfortable under all that, and the Vette was already full of rocks.

Fifth, Shane can drive 70 mph towing 6000lbs and still shoot a full manual SLR camera. Pretty well. On a bridge over the Ohio River. No kidding. It's a good thing I brought a change of undies.


And Lastly, Corvettes look better in Georgia.


Yep, 1300 miles in 36 hours, so we averaged 30 mph, even while sleeping. And two very good friends. Makes for a Damn Good Weekend.