Fun Friday (Vacation Edition)

Since I took a ton of photos during our trip, I figured I’d have a few that I could use for a lazy day Fun Friday post.  I took a lot of the standard D.C. shots, but I found a few things that make me chuckle.

Like Dicky’s side business:

It's spelled wrong.  Whatever.

You never know what kind of weird shit you’ll see up there in Washington.  Some things I just couldn’t figure out:

Or this fella that I didn’t even want to know about:

Some drunk dude staring at the street.  We came back by there about an hour later, and he was still there:

I dunno.

Or this van that looked awful suspicious parked near the White House:

Notice the American flag used to hide the contents of the van. There was also an odd security system in place.

Maybe that’s why these guys were repairing the barriers on Pennsylvania Avenue:

Funny? Maybe.  Fun to see?  I guess.  We did ride some bikes in D.C., which was really fun (and I’ll get into it more next week.)  I’ll tease by saying that I got all Enduro™ in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Our 16^th President would be proud.

I’m out.  Not fun enough for a Friday post?  Go out and have your own fun.  That’s what I’m gonna do.

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop

Continuing on from yesterday...

I might have gotten a little Enduro™ up there in the hills.

Anyway, we had a choice.  We stopped at the bottom of the climb on Mill Creek Road and had a little rest to figure out what to do.

Mike had worked really hard so far.  Lots of climbing, some tricky descents, and asking his body to do something it hadn't yet done.  I offered a choice:  take the road back to town or keep climbing to finish the course.

I wasn’t sure what he would choose quite honestly.  The ride back to town wouldn’t have been bad, since it was mostly downhill and all on the road (and something like a little over five miles.)  If we continued though, it would be over three miles of gravel/paved road climbing, followed by steep switchbacks up to the top of Kitsuma (and then down of course.)  He decided to keep going.

I was surprised, but happy that he was willing to keep grinding it out.

So we climbed.  Right up Mill Creek Road.  It was steady climbing, and even though he was hurting he wasn’t about to give up.  It took quite a while, but eventually we got to where the Point Lookout trail intersects the road.

One of Eastwood’s friends was there.

Mike was tired, but I told him we were almost there.  Once we finished the road up to where we turn off for Kitsuma, we were rewarded with a nice view.

We turned down the road towards Kitsuma.  It turned into singletrack, then turned into ugly.  Steep switchbacks were there to greet us, and Mike gave it everything he had to get through.  The reward would be lots of fun downhill, so I’m sure that’s what kept him going (it gets me through that section.)  We stopped on a lookout before the top to take a break, and we had a good view of the interstate below.

I’ll contrast that photo with one taken a short while earlier, when the trail started at the same elevation as the interstate.

We climbed a lot.

“Just a little more climbing”, I told Mike as we left there.  All we had to do was hang on just a bit longer and we’d be rewarded with fun downhill all the way back to the parking lot.  Once we started down, it was fun.  The trail was a little tricky in spots since it was wet here and there, but it kept things interesting.  Sideways wet roots almost caused certain death at times, but the pucker up feeling is what makes that descent so fun.  We screamed down the mountain, and after what seemed like mere minutes we arrived at the bottom.

The only thing left was the ride back to town, and since it was just about all downhill it went by quickly.  We were done, and most importantly, Mike completed his longest mountain bike ride (in the hills, which should count extra.)  We hung out for a while, cleaned up, and headed down the road for some grub.

We sat down and it was time to EAT ALL THE THINGS!

What a great day.  Mountains, mud, wild berries, and introducing someone to Pisgah.  TomTom and I had fun out there giving the Pisgah Lite Tour.  I’m pretty proud of my man Mike for pushing through what was probably the toughest ride he’s ever done.  With the race coming up in a few days, he gets to do it all over again soon.

I’ll be there too.  Maybe we’ll stop and eat berries again.

Now I Wait

Since I tasted my “sample” home brew da udda day, I was itching to try one of the “real” bottles.

This was supposed to be the good stuff. Cream of the crop and all that. I'll admit that I was nervous, especially since I've been telling everyone how good the sample was. I poured it into a glass,and it looked just like the other glass I poured.

I smelled it, took a sip, then took a bigger taste. Holy shit. Hoppy, perfectly carbonated, and actually beer-like.

This just in: I still know how to make beer.

I had another bottle the next day, and the results were the same. Now I just gotta keep out of it so it will last. Tuesday night, I gave a bottle to Eastwood and one to Good Guy Greg. I wanted an outside opinion, so now I have to wait until they drink it so I can hear all about it. I have few more to give out (including one for Dicky if he wants one), so hopefully it's good. I mean, I liked it. If they don't then more for me. For now though, I'll ration it so it doesn't all disappear.

Since I don't want to drink all my own brew, I'm making a point to try some different stuff. Tuesday night after our social ride I had a “Wake Up Bitter” IPA from Olde Hickory Brewery. It was a coffee IPA, and I was pleasantly surprised.

At first, it was like drinking coffee with hops in it. After a while though, it turned into a strong IPA with a little coffee mixed in. The only downside was the caffeine. It doesn't usually affect me, but I was up half the night from it. I tossed and turned for hours, no doubt from drinking “coffee” so late in the evening. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Anyway, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. It's probably available here locally wherever fine beverages are sold. If you're not a local, you might me shit out of luck. If you try to mix coffee and beer as a substitute, it may not work as well.

If it does, let me know. You may just win a prize or some shit like that.

In other news, you may not be into beer. That's okay. We can still be friends. If you want to read about bike stuff, check out this story over on Bikerumor:

The Rise of Enduro™ in NC

It's all about riding here in North Carolina, some local companies that do rad shit, and of course, Enduro™.

Don't say I never gave you anything (or linked to anything cool on The Internets, whatever.)

Planning The "Season"

It's the beginning of February, which means that my "race season" is fast approaching.  Instead of just floating along aimlessly, I've decided that a little planning is in order to maximize my fun.  I don't foresee any regular cross country races that I'd consider doing, so it looks like from here on out it's endurance racing (not Enduro™, although I'm looking into that stuff too.)

First on the list of course is the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek.  I'm already registered, so it's a given that I'll be there.  No planning necessary.  Just show up, race, drink beer, have a good time.  Probably not in that order.

Next, is a race that I did last year for the first time:

The Jerdon Mountain Challenge was really fun, and it would mark the first time that I'd ever raced in Pisgah.  It's not "Pisgah Proper", I know (be quiet, D-Wayne.)  Anyway, it's definitely on the calendar for this year, and as a matter of fact I've already signed up (registration opened yesterday.)

Even though I;m already in for it, something on the website made me all giddy like a schoolgirl:

New for 2014 – Timed Enduro Section!!! We'll be timing your descent on Heartbreak Ridge! This will allow for a safety accountability of riders mid course and showcase the true descenders in the endurance world.  The timer at the start at the top of Jarrett Creek Road will have a hand held chip reading device and the bottom timer about 1/4 mile before the parking area will have a small structure in place with a chip reading device attached to a laptop computer.  Riders will not need to slow as they enter or exit either timing area but can continue to ride normally along the route.  The “enduro” section will be included with registration fees and applicable for all participants in the event. We'll be handing out Enduro awards too!

Enduro™.  Rad. Looks like I'll be riding the Executor instead of my "race" bike.

With a long season ahead, I have plenty of time to plan the rest of it.  However, there's one race coming up next weekend that I'm still on the fence about.

Yep, I still can't bring myself to commit to the 12 Hours of Santos.  I think I want to, but for some reason I'm having a hard time deciding.  I already have next Friday off from work to drive down there, and with that fancy camper top on my truck, lodging is already taken care of.  I know the trails pretty well (I grew up down there, remember?), and entering a twelve hour race this early in the season could be just what I need to jump start my "training."

There are drawbacks though.

Like, I'm nowhere near ready to stay in the saddle for twelve hours, even if it is in flat Florida.  I've barely been riding this year, and mentally I'm probably not prepared for it.  Plus, it's almost an eight hour drive down there (and the same back, duh), so I'm looking at spending a whole weekend driving, suffering, and camping in my own filth in the back of my truck.

Wait, that kinda sounds fun.

Anyway, this is the part where y'all make up my mind for me.  Do I sign up?  Do I stay here and ride something local-ish?  Do I sit on my couch all weekend and drink beer because the weather suddenly turned shitty?

Should I stay or should I go?

I'm ready to sign up, I'm just waiting for someone to push me.

Y'all know what's best for me. We're like family, you know.

I'm waiting. Hurry up and make my decision for me.

After After After

Three days about one day’s worth of shit?

Well, sorta.

I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but my Enduro™ bike actually has a name.

Being a Star Wars fan (nerd), of course I came up with something related to the greatest movie series of all time.  I’ve decided to name my bike after Lord Vader’s Star Destroyer, The Executor.  And just like his ship, it’s presence alone is enough to frighten an entire star system into submission.  Or a trail, whatever.

Riding that thing in the “real” mountains was a treat, and totally validates my reason for building such a fine machine.  Sure, Vader’s ship met it’s end at the hands of the Rebel fleet (and subsequently crashed into the Death Star before it too was destroyed), but no worries there.  Mine was just built a few months ago, and like it’s namesake, it will be around to cause terror for quite sometime.

Big, cushy suspension, drooper post, and one fucking gear makes for a great ride pretty much anywhere I take it.  It ate up the bumps, rocks, and partially frozen trail with ease, and going downhill made me feel like I could beat Han Solo’s Kessel Run record by at least three or four parsecs.  The drooper post was a bonus (I probably didn’t need it as much as I thought), but I did have one small issue.

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I put the control for the drooper post too far away to reach.  On some of the descents where I wanted to lower my seat, I had to remove my hand from the grip just to activate it.  I didn’t notice it before because I had been riding locally (where I didn’t need it so I didn’t think it was a problem.)  However, riding fast down the mountain you kinda want to keep your hands on the grips at all times.

Luckily it was an easy fix.

Now I can reach it with no issues, and I’m almost ready to go back.  Almost?  Well, the Executor (Enduro™ version) was mighty dirty from my trip to the frozen hills, but luckily I had plenty of stuff from ProGold to get everything ship shape again.

  

Together with this bike, I’m ready to rule the galaxy, er hills.

May the Enduro™ be with you.

Enduro™ Isn’t Dead Yet

Since I have an Enduro™ approved bike though, it soon will be.

The new ROS9 is done.  Wednesday night after work I went over to Casa de Dicky to drink beer, I mean convert my wheels to thru axle.  I got home and attempted to finish the build, but had an issue with the rear brake hose routing.  My never-cut hose wasn’t long enough, and after a couple more beers I just couldn’t get creative enough to find a solution (other than waiting for a new, longer hose to magically show up.)  So, I waited and picked up where I left off the next morning.

After Lunchbox headed off to school, I got back to work.  I came up with a sorta good idea to route the hose in a most unconventional way, until which time I can obtain a new, longer hose.  That particular part of the bike doesn’t look pretty, but it will work for now.

And it’s good enough to be Enduro™.

You might notice some extra (previously unmentioned) shit on there.  That’s because Dicky was kind enough to let me test out a drooper post to be even more Enduro™.  It’s the fancy Thompson one, which is probably way too fancy for me. 

Originally I wasn’t gonna build this bike with one, but after getting a chance to try one out for a while, it looks like a drooper post will remain a permanent part of this bike from now on.  I’ll get my own eventually.

Instead of taking my new bike up to the hills for a test ride, I decided to stay local.  I pissed away too much of the day to go out of town, and I needed to go by The Cycle Path anyway to order a new brake hose.  While I was there, all I heard was how big of a bike it is.  I always ride an extra large frame anyway, but this thing is huge.  The big 140mm fork and 780mm wide Niner bars probably have a lot to do with it I guess.  I’m not complaining at all, because it actually fits me quite well.

Just for poops and hahas we decided to throw it on the scale to see what it weighed.

Not bad for a big ass bike I suppose, but it’s almost ten pounds heavier than my rigid single speed.  Hopefully that means it can take some abuse.

Since I was on the north side of town, my first ride took place at Fisher Farm.  It’s not super tech and doesn’t have a lot of mileage, but I’m familiar enough with it to get in a proper test ride.  Plus, I rode the last demo ROS9 there and it was good enough. 

There are lots of fun things to play with out there, and it was enough to tell me that I just built a really fun bike.  Sure, it’s made for riding up in the hills, but I won’t hesitate to take it local and shred the gnar.  I know it’s way too much bike for around here, but I don’t really care about that.  I'm all about the fun these days.  

In other news, The Backyard Experience is this Sunday.

Are you registered?  Why the hell not?  Are you afraid to “race” out there?  You shouldn’t be.  But if you are, come out and join us while we politely toss waffles in the general direction of those that are racing.  It’s gonna be a hoot, and you won’t want to miss it.