Greetings from OH/KY

Ed and Jukari live in Kentucky, but we rode in Ohio yesterday afternoon. Today is looking to be pretty wet, so we took advantage of the warm temps. and lack of rain yesterday. My first time on the singletrack this year, and it felt really good. The trail was nice and flowy with very little climbing. It was perfect for my first ride back on the dirt. Info. below for those who want to know:



Ed and Jukari are once again playing the part of perfect hosts. Dinner last night was wonderful, and there was coffee and a loaf of fresh coffee and nut bread waiting for me when I got up this morning. Tonight I think we're going out to some bar with a an a** ton of different beers on tap. That could turn out to be a very good, or a very bad thing. Only time will tell the tale. Over and out.

Adieos

I'm hitting the road first thing friday morning; and since I anticipate very little going on other than packing and working before then, this will probably be my last post until I'm in warmer climes. I've been forced into using the ITD due to inclement weather, but the fact that I knew I'd be riding in shorts soon made it a lot easier than normal. I've gotten in two one hour sessions, two one point five hour sessions, and one whopping two hour session over the last six days. I'm ready to get the tires onto some dirt (or at the very least some pavement). A few parting shots to close out the wednesday post.


Open water at last.



The Cloudline got a new squishy fork thanks to a killer deal from Ed at Touring Gear.




Did you see this fu**ing doper broke his collar bone a couple of days ago? What goes around, comes around.


Next post will be from somewhere south of the 45th. Take care.

Spring?

This is not what comes to mind when I think of the second day of spring. But that's okay; because one week from monday, I'll be here. That will be leg two of my spring training trip that starts on friday. I'll be spending the first couple of days hanging out and riding with EdO and Jukari in Kentucky. I don't have much planned beyond those two legs. The basic idea will be to ride a ton in nice warm weather for 7 to 10 days. To cap off the trip, I'll spend 2 or 3 days visiting/recovering with friends in NYC. On the way home I'll meet up with Sarah, Benson, and Amber in Detroit for my first Red Wings game ever on April 11th. Hopefully by then the snow will have melted so we can start riding in the woods. Have a nice weekend.

On the Road Again

I've been out three days in a row now riding the old Scalpel on 119. Sunday I got in an hour and a half for 19 miles before heading over to Nub's Nob for Matt and Jess's wedding (which was lovely by the way). Monday I rode north to the Village and then took State Rd. to Island View to home. That ended up being just a hair over two hours and 28.6 miles. My legs are feeling really good, but I can feel the complete lack of saddle time this winter in my shoulders, hands, and a**. It's nothing a few more hours won't cure. Yesterday I took it easy and just rode into town to hitch a ride to yoga with Sarah. It was good to get back to yoga for the first time since the crash (even if it was a backbend practice). So that's about all I have to report. I'll be spending the next week and a half getting bikes ready for vacation and logging time in the saddle. Happy wednesday.

SBYC Pre-Spring Ski Party

Last minute invite to an SBYC ski party this afternoon. Meet at the warming hut at the bottom of the race course around five with something to throw on the grill and your favorite beverage. Ski before, during, after, or not at all (it's a short walk uphill from the parking lot).

Check out a short clip from the John Stewart Show that I found this morning.

Rider Down

Check out the story here. Perhaps this particular victim will actually draw some attention to the problem.

U.P. Getaway

The rocky shore in front of the cabin with just a thin layer of ice.




Sunrise from the front deck on saturday morning.




An old restored church in the town next to Calumet.




Lake Superior just north of Eagle Harbor.




Our one day of backcountry skiing up near Lake Gratiot on the Keewenaw.




In regards to the Great Bear Chase: This is what I wrote sunday morning while sipping on coffee while I was supposed to be racing:

DNS: Square peg in a round hole. That was my most common thought last night while I lay tossing and turning thinking about the race. I had a whole list of reasons not to do the race. My ribs are still really sore. I haven’t been on the skinnies in almost three weeks. I’ve been in serious vacation mode for the last two and a half days; and with the daylight savings going into effect last night, I would have had to get up for the race at around the equivalent of five a.m. The only reason I could think of to do it was the fact that they had twenty five of my hard earned dollars. In the end, that just wasn’t enough to get me out of bed that early this morning. I guess that means I’m really ready to start biking. I could have pounded the square peg into the round fu**ing hole, but what would have been the point.

And that's all I have to say about that. If you're from around these parts, enjoy the 40 mph winds and snow today. I don't think I will. Over and out.

ITD

Since sunday will mark the official end of ski season, I've begun assembly of the Indoor Torture Device. I haven't had the displeasure of sitting on the ITD in almost a year, but starting next week we're going to get reacquainted. I still have to get a cassette on the rear wheel and throw some pedals on her; but other than that, she should be raring to go (nowhere). I still plan on getting out to ski a few times a week as long as the weather allows, but it's time to start transitioning into bike mode. Happy wednesday.

Sunday with the MVSC

Sarah and I met up with JT and Matt for a great three hours of backcountry skiing yesterday afternoon. We ended up with just over 2,500 ft. of climbing. No wonder my legs are sore today. The ribs are still sore as s**t, so I'll be sticking with the vitamin I regiment (600 mg 2-3 times a day) for the foreseeable future. Other than that, I have very little to report. Over and out.