Snow Day

Well, the weather folks predicted a shit storm of snow over the weekend.  It didn't happen for most people in Charlotte, but it hit us pretty good.  Starting Friday night, the snow fell and started accumulating.  It was schedule to go on all night, so I knew the next day would be fun.  I grew up in Florida, you know.  Even though I've been here for ten years I still get pretty excited.

Something funny happens when it snows.  It's like the rules of society go out the window.  Once the fluffy white goodness started covering the ground, roving bands of teens (and adults) starting gathering outside.  In the middle of the night in a snow storm, the rules don't apply.  People walk down the middle of the road, through yards, and even ride four wheelers on the median of major highways.  I dig it.

Anyway, I didn't stay up all night to watch the storm.  I went to bed just as the shit started sticking to the ground.  When I woke up though, it was different.  I had a nice view from the bathroom during my morning uh, ritual.

Please excuse the screen.  I wasn't about to remove it for a photo.

It was still snowing when I woke up.  It was awesome.  While some of my Facefriends complained about the lack of snow, we had plenty and continued to get more.  I was happy, but not as happy as Carl was.

Carl loves snow.  Despite the freezing temps, we played outside with him for hours.  He like to have "snowball fights."

And he also likes to eat the snow for some reason.

At about mid-day, I thought about going for a bike ride of some sort.  Then, I changed my mind and started doing something more fun.

I saw lots of Faceposts from my friends that were out riding.  I wanted ot get in on that too, but I ended up spending most of the day watching the snow fall and playing with my dog.  I thought that would be my entire day until Lunchbox wanted to go "exploring" with me.

I couldn't turn down an opportunity to hang out with my son, so off we went.

We have a little more land now, but by no means do we live out in the "country."  Still, there are some woods behind the house and, according the The Google, a creek.  We sloshed through the snow, down the hill, and found it.

We've been in the new house for over three months, but this is the first time any of us have been back there.  It was beautiful.

Lunchbox definitely enjoyed it too.

The snow finally stopped falling sometime in the afternoon.  Even though we didn't get what was predicted, we had plenty.  In fact, three days later it's still there.  I didn't end up riding my bike at all, but hanging out with my family in the woods playing in the snow was still just as fun.

I even took an opportunity to get my Star Wars on with the temporary scenery too.

So yeah, I'm blogging again.  And it doesn't always have to be about bikes.  I got outside to enjoy "outside", and I had a good time.  I'm enjoying life.  

Because that's what you're supposed to do.

Fun Friday

I made it.  Back to blogging and I did it every day this week (Monday was a holiday.)  Since I'm back to normal, it's time for Fun Fridays again.

You made it too (through a short week.)

This weekend, I'm not sure what's gonna happen.  The all-knowing weather people around here are saying that we are getting a winter storm, which will include several inches of snow.  While they are all guaranteeing at least a few inches, some reports are saying that we'll get nearly a foot.

That might be interesting.

Since we're in the South, I'm all stocked up on bread and milk.  And since I'm a not-so-srs cyclist, I'm also stocked up on several types of alcohol.  I'm ready for whatever, and I damn sure don't plan on being out on the roads this weekend (especially if there are AT-ATs walking down the highway.)

I'll most likely take one of my bikes out for a snow ride, but I'm pretty sure that I'll be spending most of my time indoors...

Drinking beer and working in my new shop.

Yes, the new house has a huge garage, which gives me a "proper" place to work on bikes.

I am excite.  Not for the snow,  Well, maybe.  I am from Florida, you know.

See y'all next week some time if I ever dig myself out of Snowmageddon.

Fun Friday

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Fun Friday post.  I’ve either been gone, or dragging out other stuff.  So I guess I need to ease back into it.  I feel like I’m still trying to catch up from everything though. 

First thing I’d forgotten to mention is that our bikes have made it back from Arizona.

Yup, D-Wayne sent them back to us, and the return trip didn’t seem to bother them much.  I got both of them put together in a jiffy.

Now my bike corral seems whole again.

In other news, we’ve been having some shitty weather conditions.  While we didn’t get a huge amount of snow like the weather people predicted (they’re never right anyway), we did get enough. 

Carl really liked to play in it.

I don’t care to drive in it, since no one around here seems to know how.  I’m also a little bit tired of being cold.  I know, I’m the dumbass that moved out of warm, sunny Florida.  It seems like winter has been a little worse this year, and I’ve had about enough.  So much that the little lady and I are getting away for the weekend.  We’re going someplace warm.

Yup, I’m heading back to The Sunshine State.

Now I do realize that today’s Fun Friday is all about the fun I’m having, and it may or may not be that fun for you.  I told you I need to ease back into it.  Friday posts are pretty much supposed to be funny pictures and junk like that.

Well, have this one:

See y’all Monday, most likely with tales of me being warmer.

Snow Well

It's winter here again. Real winter this time. The snow started yesterday, and it looks like it will keep coming down for a while. As much as I'd like to go for a ride, it's probably not gonna happen. A snow ride would be fun and all that, but honestly I'm sick of being cold. Plus, I really don't feel like cleaning my bike. I know, the Executor would be pretty damn awesome in the snow.


Maybe I'll get my ass out in it.


While I figure it all out, I'm gonna sit inside and keep working on my guitar skills. My lessons have been going well, and I look forward to coming home each day and playing. And to keep me motivated, I got some new shit.

Although I'm probably way ahead of myself, I thought maybe I could use a new guitar. After shopping for weeks and comparing different ones, I ended up with a shiny new Stratocaster.

It's so much fun. I'm not really ready for such a fancy guitar yet, but who gives a shit. The amp goes all the way to eleven too, much to Little Miss Sunshine's chagrin. Luckily (for her) I got some headphones to plug into it so I'll only screw up my own ears. The family has been really encouraging so far with my guitar adventures, and I appreciate it. It's a great stress relief on the days I can't ride, and it also keeps the stray cats away from the house.


Unless they like shitty guitar playing. Then I'm screwed.


I'm gonna go rock out now, while everyone else sits inside and bitches about all the snow. I have plenty of beer, so this shit can last for days as far as I'm concerned. I'm leaving for the Sunshine State soon anyway.



More on that tomorrow.

This Kind Of Work Is Fun

I’ll try to stop complaining about my day job, because well, it won’t do any good.  Change is coming I think, and from now on I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t affect what’s going on in my bike world.  And right now, what’s going on is more work…

Trail work of course.

We had a “scheduled” work day at “The Trail”, and when I headed out of the house we were getting hit with another bout of winter weather.  Unlike the last time though, the snow wasn’t really sticking to the ground.  It still kept coming down though.

It wasn’t like we were having a blizzard or anything like that, so the work day was still a go.  TomTom suggested that everyone bring a bike this time, because we should actually try to enjoy what we have built so far.  I dusted off my little-wheeled squishy bike that hasn’t been out of the house in over two years.

With five inches of travel, little wheels, and flat pedals, I thought that it would be fun out there.  It wasn’t going to be a serious ride anyway, so I brought the least serious bike I own.

TomTom and I were the first ones there, and we discussed our plan for the day.  Even Steven showed up and we eventually got to work.  After cutting in some new trail that we flagged a few weeks ago, we felt like we were once again making progress.  When we stopped to admire our handy work, out of nowhere we heard a scream…

Followed by some crazy European flying down the trail.

Yes folks, Irish Luke made his grand entrance, and he was having a blast.  When he finally reached where we were working, he said that he was worn out.  We knew we were building a tough trail, but to hear it from someone that rode it all at once made us feel pretty damn proud.

I rode a couple of sections here and there, and aside form the fact that I’m not used to tiny little wheels and flat pedals I had a great time.  This trail is turning out to be way better than any of us thought it would be.

We still have a ton of work to do though, but it’s the kind of work that doesn’t suck so bad.

Like a real job.

Cold And Sloppy

My first race this past Sunday in the Winter Series was shaping up to be a slopfest.  We had a little snowstorm blow in the day before, and that mean that everything would be all pretty and junk.

Well, until I got out on the race course to check the conditions.

The first couple of groups that went out were getting covered in mud and the trail was getting sloppier by the minute.  I was sorta looking forward to getting out of there, especially after watching Eastwood and TomTom out there.

When it was my turn, I heard that they were making a modification to the course.  The grassy field we’ve been using was being removed, since it was getting really nasty (and they were tearing up the grass.)  After getting a look at it, I was glad.

The turnout in the big boy class was a little smaller than usual, but I didn’t care.  I shot up towards the front as best I could, because I knew I could handle my bike in the shitty conditions.  I was sitting somewhere in third place when we went in the woods, and I was hell bent on giving it all I had.  During the first lap, I was feeling pretty good.

On the fire road, I turned it up a bit.  However, one guy went flying by me.  I stayed on him, and we went back in the woods together.  He rode his brakes through the descents (surprise!) and it was wearing me out having to needlessly accelerate up the short climbs.  When we got to the fire road again, I made sure to pass him and gun it.  I took off and put a pretty good gap on him.

I was feeling good.

I started to catch some guys in the other class, and I went around them whenever I could.  I was somehow able to handle my bike pretty well on the sloppy course, but I couldn’t safely get around everyone.

That led to more frustration.

Up the fire road again, one guy in my class came flying by like I was standing still.  He didn’t start the race with us, so I wondered how he was able to catch us like that.  Later on he told everyone he started late, which made absolutely no sense to me.  I called bullshit (on the spot and later on) and kept on pushing.  I figured that he had to be a lap down and I didn’t need to worry.

Next lap, I was feeling great.  Covered in mud, I was slowly picking off riders in the other class as I built a gap on the guys in my class.  I made passes when I could, but the frustration of being behind the brake riders was starting to get to me.

I was working extra hard because people couldn’t ride in the mud, but I tried not to let it bother me too much.  With the race coming to a close, I was still in third place, with no one behind me.

When I crossed the finish line, I felt great.  The results were posted, and I was somehow listed as 6th.  I spoke with the promoter and he found a mistake, which bumped me up to 4th.  I knew for sure I came in before the guys listed in 4^th and 5^th, so swapping me from 6^th to 4^th seemed accurate.  However, the guy that started late somehow ended up in 2^nd.  Since they took his word that he started when he said he did, they added an extra lap which knocked me out of third.

I was a little pissed, but I couldn’t really do anything about it.  Maybe it was right, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

I handled my bike well in the mud, rode my ass off, and had my best race of the series.  That was good enough for me, because most of those people had a lot of trouble out there.  It is a mountain bike race, after all, and that made me feel pretty good about my effort.

I wasn’t bitter at all.  Well, at least not until my second race.

More about that tomorrow.

Better Than Nothing

As you can see, this morning we were greeted by a little bit of snow. Not much, but probably enough to affect my riding again. I did finally get a chance to ride during the week though. This time of year, the weather is usually so bad that the trails remain closed. By the time I find out that one has opened, it’s always too late. Just yesterday, Lake Norman State Park opened up, along with the U.S. National Whitewater Center. I neglected to bring a bike to work with me, and there’s not enough time to go home and grab one for a ride. So, what the hell am I supposed to do?





Cue the new singlespeed creation. Other than riding it up and down my street a few times, it really hasn’t seen any action. My one ride a week is reserved for The Big O, because I won’t dare race anything other than a 29er. Since I have limited time and limited trail riding opportunities, I decided to take my new one-gear bike out for a night on the town. A little urban mountain biking, if you will.


I headed out to the Mallard Creek Greenway, which is only a short ride from my house. Sure, it’s paved (with a short gravel section), but there are some fun things to ride along the way. Plus, I can get around 15-20 miles of riding without having to drive anyway first. It sure beats not riding at all, or worse…the road bike.


It’s always a peaceful ride out there, especially when it’s cold outside. The masses tend to stay indoors, which gives me plenty of solitude while I pedal through the mostly wooded uh, trail. There are a few underpasses, which get me across Interstate 85 and U.S. Highway 29. Like I said, it’s better than nothing. Here’s the first underpass, which takes you under the Interstate:





It’s really cool to ride under all that traffic. It the busiest area on the whole greenway, but I don’t mind it. Most of it is natural, so having a slight bit of traffic noise that I don’t have to fight to get across suits me just fine. The next crossing goes under U.S. Highway 29:





Almost immediately after going under the highway, the greenway splits. The normal path takes you to a soccer field, which has a cool little boardwalk at the end. I usually ride out there and sit for a few minutes, catching a glimpse of the many deer frolicking through the marsh. It’s a nice turn around point. If you take the split, you have to cross a bridge:




This is the “new” section, which opened up not too long ago. This takes you across a creek, which is conveniently named Mallard Creek:




This path takes you through the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It’s also a nice ride, and there are plenty of fun mountain bike type things to ride along the way. There is also another underpass, this time bypassing one of the roads on campus:





I didn’t really have a destination, so I decided to ride until the end. After that last underpass, I looked to my left and saw a small herd of dear. With my attention far from the path in front of me, I nearly got trampled by their leader, a big ass buck with nice pointy antlers. I almost hit him, and I think I might have peed a little. While they all crowded around to laugh at me, I got some photos:





You’ll have to look carefully, since I took these with my shitty camera phone.


Anyway, I finally reached the end. The trail comes out at a local shopping plaza, which is the home of one of our local shops, Bike Line. I didn’t really need anything from a bike shop, but I decided to walk in and look around anyway. I walked out with some bike wash stuff, which I threw in my backpack for the ride home. This time though, I was on the lookout for renegade herds of deer (or a band of coyotes, murder of crows, a troop on monkeys, etc.)


Of course, I’ll be back tomorrow. This time with info on a side hobby of mine, which doesn’t involve bikes, beer, or Star Wars. Well, maybe I’ll mention that stuff too.

Snowed In

Okay, maybe not. When I woke up Saturday morning, I just had to get out on the bike. The local weather channel had predicted some precipitation for the afternoon/evening, so I knew that the morning would be my only chance. There was a problem though. It was cold, and I mean really cold. Also, Little Miss Sunshine informed me tat it was snowing outside. What? I ran outside and noticed that there were small snowflakes falling down, but you could hardly see them. I had to get on the trail, and fast. I awoke Lunchbox from his teenage slumber and we got ready to go.



We decided to hit up a short local trail, since I didn’t want to be stuck on some epic ride when the real snow started falling. Lunchbox and I arrived at the trail, and bundled up as best we could. My boy even got a chance to try out his new DeFeet arm warmers:





After taking a few minutes to get ready, we hit the trail. The faster we went, the colder it got. We’ve ridden our bikes in the cold before, but I guess we weren’t used to it yet. Our hands and feet were the coldest, but everything else was pretty chilly too. The ride wasn’t too bad though, and I was happy to be out on my bike for the first time in a while. Lunchbox said, “Hey, at least we got to ride a little.” And with that, we finished our single lap and packed up. We were happy to get back into my nice warm truck.


Our next stop would be Cornelius, NC, so we could watch the local Christmas parade. My pal Mark from The Cycle Path was gracious enough to let us watch the parade from his shop, since it’s right along the route:





Just as the parade started, the winter weather came down from the skies. It started out as a little ice/sleet:




We stood out in the frigid wintry mix, and I got a few photos from the parade. A local unicycle team was at the beginning of the parade, which was very interesting to me since I do ride one of those one-wheeled things sometimes:





There were other cycling-related things in the parade too:





At this point, the sleet started turning to snow. It wasn’t sticking, but it still made for a nice Christmas parade (especially for a former Florida boy):









We saw some strange stuff as well, including this uniquely Southern float:



A local fitness promoter/business had their minions marching along with some of their accessories. These were odd:


Why do those balls have nipples? Can you milk them? Cats have nipples, so does that mean you can milk them too?



The local chapter of Girl Scouts came rolling by, and they looked like they were making cookies.



Suddenly, I realized why they call them “Girl Scout Cookies.”


This just in: Girl Scout Cookies are made from real Girl Scouts. Yuck.

Remember, we are in the South, so it’s all about the “true” spirit of Christmas:


I wonder if Jesus has ever done anything for Santa Claus on his birthday. Hmmm.


Horses are a part of most parades, and this one was no exception. Check out the Christmas Desperado:



Of course, there were some Clydesdales (not big boy racers like me, but those big horses.) It made me want a beer, but certainly not a Crapweiser:



You can’t have a Christmas parade without Santa, so he showed up with his sleigh and reindeer:



Now we were in the Christmas spirit. The parade was over, the snow had cleared, and we headed home. My next step was to get all the lights on the house and decorate the yard. I didn’t take any photos, since I was busy trying not to fall off of the ladder. Everything came out nice, and I didn’t even have one of those Clark Griswold moments. I even got a chance to check in on The Chili Man to see how his decorations were coming along. I didn’t get any photos, but I did manage to ride my 29er down to his house and deliver some beer. That’s just my way of spreading the Christmas cheer.



It was a good weekend, even though I didn’t get to ride as much as I wanted to. It’s gonna be even colder around here this week, so I’ll have to bundle up even more if I plan to go out for a ride somewhere. Anything to keep me off that damn trainer I guess.