Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
It's all icing on the cake from here.
Today, I hit 1,000 for the season. Now, I know some riders do this in a couple of days, but for a weekend warrior who spends as much time on dirt as he possibly can, I am pretty stoked about hitting this mark in a season. I also passed my previous 1,000 mile mark total so anything from here on out is a new all-time high. I am interested to see how many commuting/around town miles I have versus those logged on dirt.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
I could... but I will
I could say how disappointed I was about all that went wrong with yesterday's ride:
- How I only had enough in me for 25 of the 44 miles I started out to do
- How I constantly had to get on and off the bike in order to go in and out of the stream crossings
- How I forgot my headphone and had to buy a new pair
- How I thought the trail would provide more scenic views
- How I frequently had to stop to pick sticks out of the drivetrain
- How the bike was ghost shifting
- How my camera batteries died
I instead will say all that went right with yesterday's ride:
- How it was a picture perfect day for a mountain bike ride, 75, sunny, not too humid
- How I was able to practice weight distribution on the bike to be able to descend and ascend some of the trail crossings
- How I really enjoy the setup of the new bike and that it has worked well without any tuneup all season
- How the spokes didn't snap and I didn't endo when a stick got caught in the front wheel
- How my rear derailleur stayed intact
- How the sun filtering through the trees toward the end of the ride reminded me of the perfect fall day for hitting the trails
- How I still got a few photographs of a huge oak tree and the gorge
- How I enjoyed picking out the old fence rows and property lines marked by larger trees
- How I enjoyed listening to two DMB concerts and multiple KEXP podcasts
It was a great ride and I am glad to have had the time (5+ hours) to spend out there. I think that it might have been the last great day for the season as I doubt there will be many more 75+ degree days that fall on a weekend and are preceded by 5 or so days of no rain.
Yes, not everything went as planned but all was good.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Perspective
It's been a long week at work and I am feeling the effects of not shredding the stress on some single track. It's nice to commute by bike as this helps some but getting out and hammering on the trails is what really helps. So I hurried out to the local place to ride and got in a quick loop before the sun set. I almost cleared the unclimbable hill except for a loss of momentum right at the top of the steepest part. I think I hadn't been hammering so much in the earlier sections, I would have had the momentum to clear it. Oh well, next time. It's now raining so I think I got out just in time. I was thinking of playing hooky today (part of me says it would have been a good idea on many fronts) but I didn't. The weather lately has been some of the best of the summer and it is likely to be very numbered.
A digression - you were expecting it right? Tonight I watched a movie about a soldier's struggle with the decision to follow orders to go back to Iraq despite having served his contractual duty. While I am sure there is some Hollywood and there is always a second side to the story, I can't help but think about the sacrifice these young men and women make to serve. If I have a bad day/week at work, no one dies or becomes an amputee. The decisions I make effect people's lives but in the long term, not instantaneously. Stress is dealing with an incompetent boss, not someone who's sole mission is to me and my friends. See this puts perspective on what I gripe about and how, at times, I need to step back from the micro view and look at the macro view. Control what I can, leave the rest to whatever else is out there. I think about the friends and other people I know who have family and friends serving and wish to say thank you so that I can have the freedom to do my job and live my life the way I have the privilege of having the choice to do so. While I may disagree about the causes and reasons for some of the conflicts this country finds itself in, we are there none the less and people are sacrificing. I am going to try and think about this more and be thankful that at the end of a bad day, I can still get on my bike and ride. There are those who can't in all parts of the world on both sides of whatever someone sees as right.
A digression - you were expecting it right? Tonight I watched a movie about a soldier's struggle with the decision to follow orders to go back to Iraq despite having served his contractual duty. While I am sure there is some Hollywood and there is always a second side to the story, I can't help but think about the sacrifice these young men and women make to serve. If I have a bad day/week at work, no one dies or becomes an amputee. The decisions I make effect people's lives but in the long term, not instantaneously. Stress is dealing with an incompetent boss, not someone who's sole mission is to me and my friends. See this puts perspective on what I gripe about and how, at times, I need to step back from the micro view and look at the macro view. Control what I can, leave the rest to whatever else is out there. I think about the friends and other people I know who have family and friends serving and wish to say thank you so that I can have the freedom to do my job and live my life the way I have the privilege of having the choice to do so. While I may disagree about the causes and reasons for some of the conflicts this country finds itself in, we are there none the less and people are sacrificing. I am going to try and think about this more and be thankful that at the end of a bad day, I can still get on my bike and ride. There are those who can't in all parts of the world on both sides of whatever someone sees as right.
Monday, September 01, 2008
New Month, New Beginnings
September brings some new changes - I moved from my old apartment to a new short-term place in another neighborhood. I think I am going to miss the diversity of the old neighborhood but it looks like this place will have its own perks. It was a long two days of moving and sorting through my stuff in anticipation of the next move.
I did something today I haven't done in a long time. I rode without a computer or camera. It was a liberating-ish experience because I wasn't glued to how fast I was going or what my average speed was. However, I didn't like not knowing how far I'd ridden at the end but I am guestimating abut 15 miles because of what my general average speed is for 2 hours of riding. I explored a good deal of the sanctioned riding areas at the Finger Lakes National Forest. Nothing very challenging but it was fun to see a new place. Had to navigate through some ranching areas where a warning sign had been installed about a bull. I hope they wouldn't put an aggressive bull in a pasture regularly receiving bike/horse/hiker traffic... but you never know. I also rode Dad's 4500. It was unusual to be without the clipless pedals and I definite realized how much I rely on them.
I had a friendly conversation with some horseback riding folks about the issue of mud and horses. I noticed in many places the horses were going around muddy areas - a curious event for an animal that would likely not care if it was muddy. Apparently, the mud can suck the shoes off a horse so this is why they are directed by the rider to go around the muddy areas. Knowing this, I feel somewhat better that they aren't just widening the trails because they don't want to get dirty hooves...
No pictures, although there were some really great views. A place to take Carrie, Maggie, and Dad in the future for some mellow riding.
I did something today I haven't done in a long time. I rode without a computer or camera. It was a liberating-ish experience because I wasn't glued to how fast I was going or what my average speed was. However, I didn't like not knowing how far I'd ridden at the end but I am guestimating abut 15 miles because of what my general average speed is for 2 hours of riding. I explored a good deal of the sanctioned riding areas at the Finger Lakes National Forest. Nothing very challenging but it was fun to see a new place. Had to navigate through some ranching areas where a warning sign had been installed about a bull. I hope they wouldn't put an aggressive bull in a pasture regularly receiving bike/horse/hiker traffic... but you never know. I also rode Dad's 4500. It was unusual to be without the clipless pedals and I definite realized how much I rely on them.
I had a friendly conversation with some horseback riding folks about the issue of mud and horses. I noticed in many places the horses were going around muddy areas - a curious event for an animal that would likely not care if it was muddy. Apparently, the mud can suck the shoes off a horse so this is why they are directed by the rider to go around the muddy areas. Knowing this, I feel somewhat better that they aren't just widening the trails because they don't want to get dirty hooves...
No pictures, although there were some really great views. A place to take Carrie, Maggie, and Dad in the future for some mellow riding.
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