A Little Post Kids Ride Riding

We cleaned up after the kids ride, and our faithful volunteers Doug and Dawn wanted to do a little more riding. Lunchbox and I were down for it, so we headed back out to the trail for a little leisurely-paced singletrack goodness. It was nice to enjoy the weather and the trail, and not have to worry about trying to break some speed record. The trail was in really great shape considering all the rain we received over the past few days. The four of us took to the trail, and I took a few photos here and there.


Lunchbox jumpy real nice.


Dawn is riding with a lot more confidence these days.


Doug is fearless, even though he crashed shortly before this was taken. He only seems to crash when I’m around. Hmmmm.


Group ride.

There is a new trail feature at Sherman Branch, made from a fallen tree. I attempted it several times throughout the day, so I wanted some photographic evidence of my accomplishment. Lunchbox and Dawn were both happy to oblige. I sure hope I don’t get camera shy and fall to my death.


Here goes nothing.


Too late to turn back now, and too high up to bail.


Okay, this one’s blurry, but it gives you an idea of the end of the feature.


This is the front view of the end of it.

That thing was crazy fun. I think I did it a total of five times, and it became more fun each time. Maybe next time I’ll try it on the unicycle. No, no. That would be too crazy, and crazy is not my speed. Well, sometimes it is. I’d seen enough crazy that day anyway, especially with this odd sight on the way home.


Yay! We found a giant marshmallow farm!

Passing the Torch

Yesterday was the regularly scheduled Tarheel Trailblazers bi-weekly kids ride. This was my first official kids ride as the new coordinator, since our beloved Gramps left our fine state for sunshine and fishing in Florida. My actual first official kids ride was supposed to be two weeks ago, but that was cancelled due to rain. I had a feeling that it was a bad omen or something, especially since we were in another bad stretch of weather here lately. Luckily for the kids (and me), the rain ended on Friday, and we were scheduled to have nice weather for the weekend. The trails were starting to open on Saturday, so I was hoping that they would be in fine shape for our kids ride at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Lunchbox and I loaded up my vehicle with the bikes, and headed out to Sherman Branch.


I’m sure glad we didn’t schedule our ride for 1:00 a.m.

We arrived on the scene at around 12:30 p.m. or so, and there were quite a few mountain bikers in the parking lot. I saw a few people that were present for our kids ride, so I was relieved for a moment. My biggest fear was that no one would show up for the rides after Gramps left for Florida. That would turn out to be not even close to reality.


Everyone met at the trail kiosk for a quick rundown (by me) of the kids ride. I had some of the adults positioned throughout the group for support and assistance. We waited for the last few kids to arrive, and we headed out to the trail. I assigned Lunchbox the task of “ride leader”, a job which he has performed countless times before. He kept a nice pace for the little ones, and made sure that we stopped for all of the trail features, and also at various points on the trail to regroup.



When we stopped at the trail features, we set up on both sides of each obstacle as spotters. The little kids really appreciated this, as they could try each one without fear of getting hurt. This was a good way to build confidence in the little riders, and to hopefully get them addicted to such a great sport and lifestyle.








And to think, these kids could be home in front of the TV right now instead of enjoying this beautiful fall day.

We rode along at a good pace between the trail features, continuing to regroup when we came to intersections and such. The kids were having a blast, which helped ease my nerves. I was so concerned that the kids were not having fun, when all I had to do was let them ride their bikes. In fact, the further along the trail we went, the more fun they seemed to be having. I am a little bit of a worry wort sometimes I guess. I just wanted everyone to enjoy themselves.




This little guy rocked the trail like a pro on his itty bitty bike.


Even though the kids enjoyed the trail ride, they couldn’t wait to get back to the trail head to enjoy some cookies and Gatorade. I bought everything the night before, and had it ready for the kids when they finished the ride. Down the line, I hope to get a sponsor to help with the small cost of providing refreshments for future rides. Not a big deal though, because it’s worth every penny I spent. The kids were still happy. Good.






Lunchbox and Doug are contemplating life as mountain bikers I guess.

The kids eventually dispersed, and everyone thanked us for a job well done. I was very relieved, and I thanked each kid and parent for joining us on our ride. I had fun, and it really wasn’t much different than the other rides I’ve done. The only changes were that I had to talk a little more, and provide some treats for the end of the ride. I was very happy that the kids had a great time, because that’s why I wanted to do these rides. It looks like we’ll be doing the kids rides for a long time. By the way, the next one is in two weeks, at Colonel Francis Beatty Park in Matthews, North Carolina. If you’re nearby, come on out.

P.S. Special thanks to Dawn and Lunchbox for taking photos. I ususally take photos, but I was busy being the "ride coordinator." Peace out.

Weather Problem

Raining cats and dogs? You betcha!


The past few days it has been raining a lot here in Charlotte and all over the Southeast too apparently. That sure does put a damper on any kind of training I might want to do. Yes, I said training. I’ve been trying to get back into some kind of groove lately, even though my “season” is over. I may run a 5K next month, but I am done until January as far as the mountain bike is concerned. A 5K is such a short distance that I don’t even need to really train for it. It’s just a fun little event that I can say I did. My mountain bike season starts in January though, so I’m trying to get a little bit of a head start.


I’ve been back in the gym again during the week, mostly working on strength training exercises. I also have been riding the stationary bike while I’m there, but that bores me to tears. I’d rather be out on the road or on the trail. That is out of the question this time of year, due to the limited hours of daylight. I don’t get home from work until 6:00 p.m., and it is way too dark to ride my road bike then. Yeah, I could get some lights on it, but that would be like taking my life into my own hands. It’s hard enough to survive on the road in broad daylight. Forget that. As far as the trail goes, I would like to add a weekly night ride to my regimen, but lately the weather has not been cooperating. Maybe next week, I suppose.


So for now, all of my bicycling will have to be done on the weekends (other than the boring-ass stationary bike at the gym.) I think the family and I might do some non-bicycling activities tomorrow, which will be fun. We need to get away for some family time. Sunday looks a bit more promising for the bike though. It is our regularly scheduled day for the Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride. The weather looks promising for our ride, so I am looking forward to it. The last ride two weeks ago had to be cancelled due to rain, so we probably have some kids that are itching to ride with us. This time we will be at Sherman Branch, which is my favorite for the kids rides. Maybe I’ll get there early to get a lap in, or we can ride one or two afterwards. I need to get back on the bike more, and this may be my only chance for now. Hopefully the weather will be on my side. If not, I guess I will have to find a way to ride in the rain.


This just might work.

Bicycle Blogging

This is for real-time internet-bicycling discussions.

Yep, that’s what I do (mostly.) I likes to blog, and while my subject matter is mostly bicycling, I will talk about other things on occasion. Especially when it gets slow around here (like now.) I haven’t resorted to blogging about things that are too off-topic yet, but I’m sure it’s coming if I don’t start racing again soon. Fortunately for you, I have some more of my Internet Art Collection to share. I will, from time to time, whip out a few items from my glorious collection, even when it’s hopping around here.

Up first, Granny’s grocery getter has been converted to the Designated Driver for Bingo Night Machine. That’s right, Granny’s pal Bessie can get all liquored up at the Bingo hall, and she can get back to the nursing home without calling a cab. Maybe Granny doesn’t quite remember where she lives, but she’ll get somewhere safely.



Granny is so kind. She’ll bake you cookies when your drunken ass wakes up.

Did I mention a taxi? Why, yes I did. Check out this next item from some unnamed third-world country. Do you need a ride to get some water for your village? Drunk at the Bingo Hall? Well, if you can yell loud enough (I doubt they have phones), then you can contact this guy for a ride.


“Drop me off on the other side of this grassy field please.”

Did you take Shop class and fail? Not this next guy. At first glance he appears to have passed with flying colors (and all of his fingers, which is good for extra credit I guess.) Unfortunately, the glue he used to put it together was still on his hands, which means no test ride for you. The shop teacher is on his way with the saw to free our smiling friend. I can’t wait for that picture.


“I am a human kickstand.”

Our next subject is way too cool, but apparently he is not cool enough to get a real motorcycle. He obviously worked hard on his creation, but I bet the big boys still won’t let him play with them. Yes my friends, he rides alone. Outlaw, on a weirdo chopper-bicycle thingy. This would be funny, but it looks like he spent a lot of money on this contraption. So sad. Maybe he’s shopping for a lawnmower engine so he can join a real motorcycle club.


B-b-b-b-b bad. Bad idea.

Is your car on fire? Did you try to prepare some chicken flambé and all you ended up with was flambé? Do you need someone to help with your hot flashes? Well, I hope you’re not in a hurry. With the recent budget cuts, firefighters have to come up with new ways to save the taxpayers money. This ingenious device will get them to the scene of the fire, albeit a lot slower. This next photo could be called the firebike, but you can come up with your own name (so I can steal it.)


You had better hope that Lance Armstrong is riding this thing to the scene, or else it’s gonna take a while.

Do you need a discount handyman? Cat stuck in a tree? Are you tired of being one of those dumbasses that leaves your Christmas lights up year-round? You can call this guy for sure. He’ll ride right over and whip out his trailer/ladder thing. He can get to those hard to reach places that you and your step stool cannot. As a bonus, he can volunteer part time with the dude on the firefighter bike. Bonus.


I bet that’s a bitch to make turns in heavy traffic.

Well, you asked for it. Not directly, per se, but by clicking on my blog today you did indeed get what was coming to you. It’s right up there in the title: I am prone to bouts with crap and nonsense. While I hope you enjoyed today’s exhibits, don’t count on seeing it too often. We have to talk about me on this blog, you know. If you didn’t like what you saw today, then you should have known better. After all, it the internets we’re talking about here, so anything is possible. You never know what you might find.

To All Who Served

Unless you live under a rock without access to TV or the internets (um, how are you reading this again?), you must be aware that today is Veterans Day. Some of you may have the day off work, and that’s all you think it is. To others, it’s a day that you realize that the mail won’t get delivered or the bank isn’t open. While all of these things apply, they are certainly not the main focus. As a veteran of the United States Army, I feel I should take a few minutes on my blog to honor my fellow veterans. The bike stuff can wait.


Veterans Day is a day to honor all military veterans here in the United States. There are about 24 million veterans here in the U.S. Other countries also celebrate a form of this called Remembrance Day. So, to our previous members of the Allied Forces, I wish a Happy Remembrance Day to you all. Sometimes it can also be referred to as Armistice Day, but they seem to be all the same (although not all of these countries celebrate the same day as we do here in the U.S.) Please show your respect for veterans in your home country, and thank them for what they did for you. I could throw in several clever catch phrases here, but I won’t. There are plenty of bumper stickers out there to do that for me.


The message is simple: Give thanks to veterans today who served their country honorably during war or peactime.





Thank you.

Cleaning out my closet

I smacked my shin by slipping of the pedal recently. Thought I'd share the experience and while I'm at it show some other photos of the extremes we experience here in FL. The shin kack resulted in a swollen ankle believe it or not. I guess blood doesn't flow well when pedals decide to go medieval on one's shin. It has also put a bit of a damper on my training for the Space Coast Marathon, Florida's oldest marathon.

When one is in the area s/he should check out Kona. The nation's oldest skatepark located in Jacksonville, Fl.

During the late spring early summer lakes and rivers are at they're low point in the Orlando area. Pictured here is the Little Big Econlockhatchee River. Mtn. bikers can access this point via the Jones head trail.

A few months after this photo, Central Florida experienced about 10 days of steady rain. The railing on the bridge in the background was barely visible. Washed out trail anyone?

Saddle Up! We’re Goin’ to the Big Stampede!

I do believe I told y’all that the The Big Stampede Southeast Bike Expo & Swap was coming to town this past weekend. Unfortunately we weren’t headed to the O.K. Corral for some horse wranglin’ and whisky drinkin’. The plan was to drive on over (no covered wagons either) to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, just a few miles from my house in Northeast Charlotte. I woke up Sunday morning, and got ready to head out the door. Not before eating a quick breakfast though.


Mmmmmm. Now that’s what a super-awesome mountain bike racer has for breakfast.

Yep, I had some leftovers from Saturday’s Dirt Divas and Tarheel Trailblazers year-end party. Lunchbox hooked us up by bringing home a ton of sandwiches to enjoy later. It’s like having a party that lasts all week! If only I could have brought home some of that beer though. Well, Actually I did bring some home, but I peed it out. There, are you happy? As I got ready to head out the door, Little Miss Sunshine was preparing her own (probably much better) breakfast. I stood there for a moment and contemplated staying home to enjoy some good ol’ home cookin’.


Hopefully she’s grabbing the milk instead of the wine.

While the temptation of Pumpkin Pancakes almost kept me home, I decided it should get out for some bike part shopping. I am the designated parts acquisition technician for the B-43 household, so Little Miss Sunshine had no intention of attending this fine event. That meant that she had no say in what I bought for her, but it also meant that I had no restrictions on what I could buy for me. I grabbed a huge wad of cash, Mr. Lunchbox, and headed out to the speedway.



We drove to the infield of the speedway, which I imagine is the Holy Land for NASCAR types. We were ill equipped for race spectating, since I forgot my cooler full of crappy beer, lawn chairs, and oh yeah, I didn’t drive the RV. I guess we would just have to settle for the bicycle-part flea market. We arrived at the gate, and there was a guy charging admission to the event. Admission? I have to pay five bucks for the pleasure of shopping for used bike parts? Sweet. And, in addition to money, we had to sign a form in case we wanted to sue them. I guess it’s very dangerous on a NASCAR track when it’s full of cyclists peddling their wares. Wait, cyclists pedaling where?


Lunchbox signs his life away.

We headed over to the garage area, which was full of tables set up buffet-style for my parts buying pleasure. We initially gazed over the selection one booth at a time, but we didn’t really look in detail. We would take a closer look later. I just had to take it all in.



After our first pass through, I got a call from the Dirty Party Cycle. He was on site and ready to tear this place up looking for deals. Now we had a three man team, and we could find the best deals more effectively. There were so many unique things to buy; I didn’t know where to start. Maybe I needed a new bike.


Ummm, I didn’t ask about New Zealand. I was very afraid.

There were trinkets galore, but nothing really stood out. That’s not entirely true I guess, since the crazy bikes they had on display were standing out quite well. I was amazed at the selection of not-so-normal bicycles.


You’ll have to keep away from the Pandas when you’re on this one.


This is the Technicolor vomit bike. I was sick just looking at it.


I managed to find a few deals here and there. I found a water bottle cage for Tigger, Little Miss Sunshine’s trusty KHS. The guy gave it to us since he didn’t have change for a twenty. Sweet! I also found some riding glasses with interchangeable lenses for Lunchbox, along with some socks for his gigantic feet. My best find was a set of Crank Brothers Candy pedals for the low low price of $30. I didn’t really need them, but I figured, “What the hell?” The DPC got a few deals as well, including some really nice gloves for a steal of a deal. We were all satisfied with our treasure. We took one last look around to see if we had missed anything.



Nope, we’re good. I think we had all the wheeling and dealing that we could stand. That’s a good thing, since we had a surprise waiting for us outside. We heard the roar of engines, and saw that there was some track driving action happening. I don’t think it was full on redneck NASCAR action, but the cars looked the same to me.



They were taking practice laps or something. I have to admit, it was kinda neat to watch them drive around for a few laps. Secretly though, I was hoping for a crash. Maybe that’s why we had to sign a waiver. Hmmm. No crashes, but I got a few more photos.





What a nice day for shopping. I didn’t really need anything, but where’s the fun in shopping when you need stuff? I found a few deals, as did my associates. There was something for everyone. We saw mountain bikers, roadies, tandem lovers, comfort bike people, and a wild assortment of others. Hell, even the girl-jean wearing bike messenger crowd was represented.


Please shoot me if I ever look like that.

I guess I will have to wait until next year for this kind of fun. That’s a bummer, because I could do this every weekend. I guess I’ll stick to perusing the old parts bins at my local shops for some bargains. The good thing about the Stampede is that I don’t feel so icky when I’m digging through stuff. Maybe the “flea market” thing felt so natural because I was at a NASCAR track. All I needed was some Busch beer. Yuck.