The woes of management

I am very saddened by the fact that my last post was MONTHS ago! I recently, possibly fool heatedly, took a promotion at work that has severely cut into my riding time. It has given me pause and had me contemplating living out of my car as a bike bum. I then realized that I like having money and shelter and a marriage, so I decided against this option. I am now slowly regaining ground on my riding life and, thusly, my sanity.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get out to Platte River in the early morning where I relearned some important lessons.

1) When riding first thing in the morning, let someone else go first. As much as I like a snack on the trail, spider webs, their prey and their owners are not it. Which leads me to lesson 2.

2) Do not ride with your mouth open if at all possible.

3) Do not brake uphill. I know, "what the hell?" is right.

4) Do not try to put your foot down on the downhill side of the trail. Why this is always my impulse, I can't even begin to tell you.

5) Trees are hard, try to avoid them.

6) Wet rocks are slick... and hard, try to avoid them.

That was all the learning my body could tolerate in one day, but I am ecstatic that I had the time to do it! I still plan on getting back to Lewis and Clark again AND remember to bring my camera and GPS. Until then, happy riding, get some dirt!

Bike Maintanence and marriage

While cleaing the muck and crap off my bike, I seem to have stained the brand new concrete of my brand new house.  I degreased the chain and sprockets, scrubbed them clean then re-greased them.  Where things went terribly wrong was when I regreased everyting, I did it before it was dry.  This resulted in a dripping, black, slime that instantly defiled my driveway unless immediately rinsed off. 

I am planning on telling the wife (because the truth is out of the question) that an unknown scoundrel drove up the drive in a '72 Pinto, leaked 40 year old oil, and then took off down the street at full speed, approximately 25mph.  It then promptly exploded as they are prone to do.  I'm in the clear!!  ...maybe she won't notice for a while.

Happy New Year!! ...a bit belated

2012 has been here a while and I am now making this post??  Allow me to clarify.  I've been movin into a new home, selling the old one, and everyting in between.  The wife and I are settled now and I finally have time to de-neglect (real word? sure) some things. 

The house is in various stages of unpacking.  Whatever has not been unpacked as of now has been jammed into closets, thrown in the basement, or covered with a sheet and made to look like a table.  The most important detail is that I now have a third car garage space that from henceforth shall be called the bike shop!  NEVERMORE shall I haul my bikes over the top of vehicles to ride them or flip them onto their handlebars to work on them like I have done since was in kindergarden!  Plus, I am within a halfmile of the city trail network for my roadie interests!  I also do not need to worry myself about tedious yardwork as I currently do not have any grass!  What I do have is a large dirt pile in the backyard.  If they don't grade the ground soon, I 'll have half a mind to carve a trail through it and say keep the grass!

Anyway, it is March and it is 70 deg on a daily basis (what???), so I'll be back out mapping soon!  I rode through Tranquility last Sunday and they have made more awesome changes to the track.  The meandering southeast portion of the trail near the creek has been diverted up onto a long standing dirt mound, that I've always thought needed to be incorporated.  I think I scared a badger back into the mound on the east side.  I sure he said, "GET THE HELL OFF MY HOUSE PUNK!!" as I speak badger also.  I also plan to map Lewis and Clark in the near future, as long as the rain holds off.  I will return soon!