Honest Tea and Magic Hat

"Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -- 'The Lorax' - Dr. Seuss

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." -- Gandhi

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Gandhi

"If you think you are too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." -- Bette Reese

"Minds awaken on roads less taken."

delinquent blogging

one post a month? man have i been slow to blog of late.

i've been slow on the bike as well. still riding regularly until the sudden frigid temps hit. (what the heck happened to fall?!) its like i just stalled out in rock garden and am standing there in a daze.

now, seemingly all of a sudden, its just shy of december.

maybe december is coming just in time. post cyclocross season means relaxed riding. time to sift through the cold weather gear and keep that fresh air coming in and sunshine in my eyes.

my new bell!

nope... not me.

I am not a pilgrim... perhaps you should have taken some water.

Last Sunday, I staffed a water spot near the top of the Poor Mountain Hill Climb.



A racer commented on the way back down... after rest... "what's with the outfit?"
"I'm the Forest Leprechaun."

"I thought you were a pilgrim. Didn't you have a pilgrim hat?"

clearly... he needed the water when he passed my oasis on the way up the hill.

stale weeks...

Blahhhhh. like hard bread found in your pantry.

life should be more delicious... like a crumpet w/ honey or maple syrup or nutella.

alas... life is what we make it.

just in case

Just in case the Goonies post isn't good enough for you.

Here are some clips I found while making the Goonies blog post:

Office Warfare... it's a good one.. I'd like to think of myself as the guy on the couch sipping his coffee amidst all the chaos.




Crickets Chirping... 2 minutes worth.. really - i'm warning you... don't do it:

sometimes... i'm just different

A bit ago, we were talking about something in the shop when 'Capt'n Slappy and the Crawfish Daddies - Born from the eye of the Hurricane' came up as a good band name (by me).

"That's better than this band I saw named 'Sloth loves Chunk.' Who ever heard of a name like that?!" said someone else.

Pause ... silence...

Pause... silence.... some more.

(crickets chirp)

"Uh, the Goonies?" I replied.

Everyone just looked at me with blank eyes.... very blank eyes.

"The Goonies? The movie from the 80's. Chunk and Sloth were key characters? Theme song by Cyndi Lauper? Bunch of kid's get together before their low rent side of town becomes a golf course, and they stumble through an adventure that leads to hidden pirate treasure!?

Still the blank eyes.

Um. yeah. Goonies.... They're Good Enough for Me.

Cindy Lauper - Goonies (Uncut) -
by Sunskynet

Check out the trailer..



pause...

silence...

Thank you, Mr. Steven Spielberg. Another cult classic... Good Enough for me and for midnight showings at a local theatre near you.

Last day of Summer and First day of Autumn

How quickly the time goes by.

Sunday was the last day of Summer. I spent it in true lazy summer day fashion... doing much of nothing, but different than the day before. no really, i did much of nothing including sleeping in and later taking a nap.

Monday (a day off for me) just happened to coincide w/ the first day of Fall. I started welcoming the new season by 'falling' back to sleep after the alarm clock went off. Aside from the usual Monday errands, i squeezed in a welcome mountain bike ride.

It's been a long while since riding at the 'cove.' Initial plan was a lazy ride on the lowers, maybe an hour or so. Must have been feeling good with the first day of autumn. two and a half hours after starting, I had covered just shy of 25 miles and finally got to see the carvins cove bears.

yup. after more than a year of hearing about others seeing bears at the cove, I finally got to see them myself. it's funny, i have a long history of spending time in the woods and up until now, have only seen one bear in the wild. Today, I got a double sighting. Just after the four way intersection and heading down lower comet, i saw something moving off to my right and then something smaller to my left. Then the the object to the right stood up. No mistaking that blackish brown fur with a chocolate snout staring me in the eyes from a short distance. Meanwhile, the smaller object on my left had hidden behind a tree and was lowering itself towards the ground while spying me as best it could. Calmly, drifting between the two as i soft pedaled along the trail, i checked the surrounding area to make sure there weren't any others I needed to give berth. With one last look over my shoulder, I bid them a silent goodbye and wished them well.

flat tires and full moons

hmph. now that i've typed it, that title could go just about anywhere.

so, here it goes.

why i waited so late (18:15) to start my ride on my day off, i'll never know. none the less, there I was just past greenhill park and into the slow uphill on habourwood going for the long route towards wildwood. hmmm. the front seems a little sluggish. cause it's Flat!

a young lady pulls over to ask if i'm okay. sure, just changing a flat tire. Duh! why didn't i introduce myself and ask for a ride home! maybe next time.

now, i'm no Bo and Luke Duke but i'm no slow poke changing a flat either. none the less there i was committed to a longer route and burning daylight. hmm. looks like the training ride is gonna get amped.

so off i went like Rosco P. Coletrain was on my tail and my musette bag was full of moonshine. head down and givin' it all got. (sometimes, that's just a little bit more than the law will allow... but no running red lights. i did push an orange light, though near the Kroger distribution center.) back on river road, i lift my eyes a bit a catch a glimpse.. of a full moon (the astronomical type) in a soft reddish orange colour. Well, if it hadn't been for the flat, I might not have seen such a pretty collage of colour in the dusk sky!

so what was i doing out on my road bike pushing my heart rate in the first place you ask!? well, let's just say that my cyclocross bike is no longer in the back of my pile of bicycles.

(who is that coming out of the trees and over hill?)

on the inside

Does anybody know where I can get some packing tape?

Oh. Here's some.


But this packing tape might be better.


It's amazing what can be found on google... or at a High School art show in our own C'ville, Virginia... circa 2006

notes of interest this week

Hmm. where to begin.

So much of it happened on the same day.

Monday: I tried to pay a traffic ticket at the courthouse; one week after getting the ticket. They asked me to come back and pay later as my ticket had not be processed yet and were unable to accept my payment at that time... despite at least 3 places on my copy of the ticket urging me,the recipient, to address the matter promptly. sigh.
- also saw an old 'Elvis' at Roanoke Electric Zupply.

(This is one of the results from Google Image Searching for 'Promptly.' Get to the search engine... yah!)

Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday : it rained and i worked.

Friday: The sun came out to play. Again at Roanoke Electric Zupply, I saw a 3 legged cat and the same old Elvis. (no, he doesn't work there. he was a customer.) Elvis sighting twice in the same week? Well, it was also Michael Jackson's 50th birthday. ( I am old enough to have seen the MTV world premier of 'Thriller' video.)

Not the same cat, but you get the idea. it's kind of like.. something's not quite right. where's the fourth leg? -- if only I could have found an image of Michael Jackson holding a 3 legged cat standing next to Elvis.

Saturday: i worked and replaced my first ballast in an overhead light fixture... without shocking myself or falling of the ladder ;-)

My own overdue poetry

I wrote this poem in May 2007, shortly after I purchased my Gary Fisher Triton Fix-gear bike. At the time, the Triton became my 5th bike.


N + 1
can you really have too many

N + 1
whose fault is it really

N + 1
when does it become an obsession

N + 1
or is it just your pursuit of passion

N + 1
road, mountain, townie, just to name a few

N + 1
each one fufilling dreams unto me or you

- dave

I'm currently up to 6 different types of bikes with 2 duplicates for a total of 8. (this doesn't count the 2 projects waiting to be finished some day.)

Poetry from Ted

Very overdue posting.. from May / June 2007

sometimes during a hard work-day, I sit out back to take a break. when it rains and I've driven my truck to work, I'll sit inside and rest my eyes. coming back in from such a break one day in summer of 2007, Ted handed me a scratch piece of paper with the following hyku, composed by Ted.

The quiet rain drops
On the red roof of my truck
Calm my tortured soul

- Ted

quick check in

Still a Forest Leprechaun but using more of my El Gato skills of late.

been moving pretty quick of late with lots of August fun to keep me busy.
must be in other room now! in the most cat like way :-)

Even squeezed in a trip up to Madison and Waterloo Wisconsin to see Trek's latest and greatest.

Aside from carbon mountain bike wheels and the redesigned 7.6FX..
I'd say right up there was the Trek Adult Trike being jumped over the BMX table ramp!

RMBC 2008 results

More than a week later... details and results.

Saturday Day 01: Up hill time trial on Mill Mountain; 3 miles and 900 feet.

Starting at the Star Mart at the bottom of the hill, heading up the alley just off Walnut (past the man trimming his hedges w/ a 2 cycle gas powered trimmer), right on Sylvan, onto Monument Trail just below Terra Alta House, cross the road at the Monument, continue up hill on Ridge Line Trail (over the switch back I helped to build), past the zoo and Discovery Center for the final push up the grassy knoll to the upper picnic shelter. This was no picnic, though.



With a late start from the shop (East Coasters) and pulling a Ron Glowczynski by arriving at the start gate with elevated heart rate and 20-25 seconds to 'go' I managed a pretty good time, so I thought, of 20 minutes 11 seconds for 4th in 35-44 men expert and 6th overall. I was hoping for top 3 and sub 20. (maybe next year without sapping myself just trying to get to the race.) Then back to work at the shop where I spent another hour helping customers before being able to change out of my kit and shoes. (Thanks to Wes, Ted, and Bob for hanging in there while I left to go race!)

Sunday Day 02: Carvins Cove Cross Country Mtn Bike Race.

Expert Course 20 miles: rolling start down pavement to full throttle at the gate, left onto Songbird, right onto fire road, left onto Enchanted Forest, cross the creek, right onto Lower Comet, left up 1000' climb, left onto Hemlock Tunnel, left onto fire road, right onto Upper Comet across to Lower Comet, left up 1000' climb, right onto Four Gordge, left up Hi-Dee-Ho (of pain), right along fire road, right down Bucks Rut, right onto Hotel and finish at the parking lot... finally.

Man it was hot. mid 90's hot. Praise God for the cool breezes out of nowhere when we needed it the most along slow exposed steep climbs, and thanks to Dick Howard for dumping cold water and Warren S. handing out cool bottles of water. Did I mention it was hot? That was Wes with a look of surprise from the refreshing cool water. Man, it took my breath away when I got my refresher on trip two up the 1000' climb. Made me crave a 7-Up or Sierra Mist the rest of the race.

What a way to start a race, though. Nothing but having a Sunday ride in the woods on my mind and no pressure. Sure. There were guys who are usually faster than me, but most of them had not raced in the Time Trial. Not to mention, one of those faster than me at the time trial (Warren Carswell) was not racing today and the only racer behind me (Warren S on the Singlespeed) opted out of the XC race. By default and just finishing, I was guaranteed 3rd in the Overall... so I thought. I had forgotten about the experts being combined for overall and there was one more in the 19+ age group that could have displaced me. But I was just heading for a conservative but steady fast paced 20 mile Sunday Ride in the woods... with a smile on my face. Did I mention it was hot?! Check out the sweat stains on my jersey!

It was a scramble for the entrance to Songbird with Gary Roach taking the risky move of the allowed shortcut. Ed Dickenson was next with entry onto the official trailhead. Someone bobbled and the rest of us bottlenecked and ended up tire to tire on single track. Not really caring much, I hung back last in line. Finally, some passing started, and I fell into a group with Davy Hazelgrove of Blackwater Bikes Lynchburg, VA and some fella I didn't recognize. As Davy and the other battled a bit, I hung back and conserved while taking the new log bridge crossing on Songbird. Wait a minute... playing around during a race?! It was a good day ;-p I shouted encouragement to Davy as he and the other battled around a bit. This was Davy's first Expert Race after winning Kyle Inman's series in the sport class. Davy was no stranger to the distance and terrain, but I think the high speed start and battle royal for hole shot caught him a bit by surprise.

Later on Lower Comet, I took a stump jump short cut (still playing around) and passed Davy and the other. Shouting encouragement back to Davy and feeling well warmed and ready for the 1000' climb, I lit my afterburners. When who do I see fixing a flat... Chris P. Suddenly by the fates, I've moved from 3rd to 2nd overall. I just had to maintain the lead.

Once on the dusty 1000' climb, I started picking off the riders. Little did I know, most of them were non racers. None the less, I kept climbing like the El Gato I am. Latching onto a Cardinal Jersey, I caught Charles of Cardinal Bicycles at the entrance to Hemlock Tunnel... where he left me like I was sitting still in a rocking chair. That is until suddenly I was on his rear wheel as the trail leveled out and started heading upwards again. Passing with a steady pace and purpose, I proceeded to shake Charles off my back and out of sight before the next downhill onto Upper Comet. (Sometimes, all you have to do is get out of sight to end the pursuit.) I was having a great day, and my decision to gloveless had paid off with easier feeding access into my pockets. Did I mention it was hot and dusty! Check out the line just about my socks. That's no tan line. And yes, those are Roanoke Valley Mountain Bike Patrol Socks...

Well. keeping the pace and rolling like a Forest Leprechaun, I passed some spectators at the 4 Way Intersection saying I was only 2 minutes back.. from whom? I had no idea who was still in front of me at that point. Little did I know.. it was precious few.

Rolling onto the 1000' Climb for round 2, I passed Andrew Issem, junior racer and son of Mythical Legendary Rob Issem. Riding Support was his mother, Christina. Way to go you two. Well, I got my breathtaking cold water douse as I hit the Four Gordges Trail. What a crazy feeling to race on trails I helped build over almost 3 years ago. Keeping the pace and wondering if I'll catch anyone else. I cruised along the connector trail.

Bamm. With a left turn, Hi-Dee-Hoe hit me like Hulk Hogan body slamming Andre the Giant in Wrestle Mania. Well, I made it to the first sharp left turn anyway before dismounting like usual on this steep, hot, crazy climb. Did I mention Praise God for the cool breezes?! I don't think I got any real consistent remounts the rest of climb. I also started battling cramps at this point. I knew I was only losing time by walking, but I was staying in the race. Funny, where's Chris P.? He should have caught me by now.

Hitting the top of the ridge with a solid remount, I fending off cramps and starting picking up the pace... from walking speed.. and heading with a purpose towards Bucks Rut. Picking up courage, I started the descent and slid off the trail. Bobbling at a creek crossing as Buck's Rut melds into Hotel, I knew I was tired.. especially as Gretchen Wilson's 'Red Neck Girl' came to mind. I hung in there, like Christmas lights on your front porch all year long, and maintained a smart steady ride, hoping to prevent anyone from catching me. Still a Sunday Ride in the Woods... Well a long steady Sunday ride in the woods anyway.

Finally. At 2:09:44, I rolled into the finish. Less than 10 minutes back on Ed Dickenson and not more than 15 minutes back from Gary Roach. Wait a minute. Is that all?!! I had just placed 3rd in Men's expert 35-44!! Sweet! With only Ed in front of me (remember that Gary did not race the time trial) and the 19+ expert guy dnf'ing... I had placed 2nd overall in Omnium!! Ultimate Bonus. What a great weekend. Not to mention, Chris P. after flatting a 2nd time was talked into finishing by Wes Best, racing on a Trek 69er, and just for finishing, Chris placed 3rd in the omnium... still in the money. WAY to Go, Chris. See you at Rowdy Dawg 12 oct 2008.. I'm sure you'll put the hurt on.

See the Forest Leprechaun's Gold?! 3rd in men's Expert 35-44 xc race and 2nd overall in the Roanoke Mountain Bike Omnium. Check out the check.. made out to Dave 'the Forest Leprechaun' Tompkins. It's not often El Gato the Forest Leprechaun places on the podium let alone with prize money! Check out the koozies and tire levers too. Thanks Maxxis.



A final shout out:

Props to Wes Best, my boss and co-owner of East Coasters Bicycles - I didn't think you would show. Good to see you out there... warming up for cross season.

Props to Maggie Crawford and Susan Heck of the Diva Dirt Girls. Excited to see ya racing and placing... you two are better than you think.

Props to Ron G and crew for another fun event with Roanoke Cycling.

God Bless you Dick Howard and Warren S. for the cool water on the 1000' climb.

Keep the rubber side down and the smiles rolling along.

local racing...

Will you be there?!
Bring your mountain bike.
You too, Wes, Kristin, and Frank.
(Gordon will be crankin' it up at SS Nationals)

Click Here to get more details.

changing gears

So, my Fisher Big Sur is back from loan to a friend and some things have settled. What better time to try something i've been pondering for a long time.

Pretend there is still a standard triple mountain bike crank on the bike ;-)

Hmmm. 3 chain rings to the left and one on the right...

Behold. The 1x8. See the pretty tan line from the dérailleur clamp?

Yes. I said 1x8. Droppin' some old school 8spd XT from the upgrade in 1997 to my first mountain bike (may it rest in peace). In fact, with exception for the AC/DC frame, this 1x8 oozes old school. XT dual pivot parallax v-brakes, 110 parallax front hub, Marzocchi Bomber Flyweight 100. okay. so it's not super old school rigid cantilever, but considering technology today...

Probably, just a matter of time until the single rear cog gets fitted (with some sort of chain tensioner) and brings me the joy of singlespeed.

This one's for Papa Wes

We're going to have to hire some more folks, though. Wait minute. Wes (1) Ted (2) Dave (3) Frank (4) Bob (5) Kristin (6) Gordon (7)... hmmm. and Rob, the mythical shop legend (8). Eight IS enough!

dancin' yo

I hope some folks at Primal Quest got to see a live version of the dance.

(you know who you are.)

heart full of cheetos

"I've got more heart than a bag full of Cheetos."




(insert pause and thought track jump here.)


art comes in the strangest settings sometimes but I kind of like the bathtub pic; so i included it out of interest while the first pic best fits the quote.

Hor'dourves anyone?

How about some Girl Scout Coconut Chocolate Stripe cookies (courtesy of Trek Bicycles) and some left over Chicken Parmigiana Sauce (courtesy of Frank Deal's lunch)?

Really... it was tasty.

Washing your bike

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

"Washing and cleaning your bicycle is something magical."

I spent a large porting of today washing and bike-lusting my HiFi XC Procaliber. Just ask the other guys at the shop, but "Pong" sure looks good.

Also re juiced my rear tubeless tire after picking up some glass and an inner tube almost a week ago. it was a small enough cut in the tread to patch it from the inside. Just for the experiment, I tried Stan's NoTubes Solution this time over Bontrager's Super Juice. I'm hoping the Stan's will work just a bit better in the more resilient arena. Not that the Super Juice didn't work; just maybe the Stan's solution will work better. Still running Bontrager's rimstrip and valve stem, though.

Now quick.. go wash your bicycle. It will love you back!

Dirty Dawg Report

Hmmm. Tails from the Dirty Dawg.

A good day, not a lot of folks :-( Enough to keep it fun, though!

Pro / Expert add on loop was tough. way tough. at times, i thought about easier trail on rough sections of the Appalachian Trail. God bless Ben Brown for trying to keep it fun and challenging, but let's keep it ridable for folks other than the top pro / experts. Rumor has it, Ben is already planning on a different route for next year.

Well at least the main loop of the race was much more reasonable and ridable. This is the section most used by intermediate and beginners. So, still a reasonable mountain bike course for most.

Being unfamiliar with the course was my disadvantage. somewhere in there, i never picked up on the multi loop idea once the pro / experts completed their add on loop. I never quite knew where I was other than looking at my odometer and time. oh well. as Thomas Jenkins said when I commented about what I was doing at the start line with all these fast people, "It's just another Sunday ride in the woods." Well, Thomas rides quite a bit faster on his Sunday rides than I can, but hey, I was there and did not finish last. Yup. Some poor soul dnf'ed, and I finished 6 of 7.

Outside of the first two pro / expert finishers (Thomas Jenkins and Chris Pohowski, the other four of us finished fairly within reason of each other. In fact, in my efforts to not start too fast and finish within reason, I apparently put the fear of challenge in Ashwin's mind. Apparently, having left me behind in the technical walking section, Ashwin slowed down... until I came up behind him at the most in-opportune time... when a stick jammed in his rear disc rotor. I didn't even look at his face as I rode by and said "Sorry about the stick, good catch on not breaking the bike." Later, when I dismounting to ease my weary legs, Ashwin slow motion attacked from behind and took the lead. Good job Ashwin! (read Ashwin's report here.) I never got back on the lead, but I at least put the fear of mountain biking in someone's mind!

I finished 20+ miles at Mountain Lake's Dirty Dawy mountain bike race at 2:29:27 just 2 minutes and 12 seconds behind 5th place and less than 1/2 an hour behind first and second. oddly enough, those are about the speed and time I expected. Hmmmm. maybe my days as an pro / export are not over yet.

Good to see everyone from the Blacksburg shop, especially with so many of them participating!

Props to Wake Fulp of Roanoke kicking some XXC results!

btw. this race was much better for me in the realm of pace and lack of cramping wise :-) I started more reasonable for 20+ miles and made sure to drink while including e-cap powder in my drink mix and hydration pack. only started to cramp while trying to give it extra umphf out of the saddle on the last section of pavement and gravel road. I was happy with my results.

Pre Dirty Dawg 2008

it's 20 to 12am. i should be sleeping. funny how that always works. oh well. i've just been getting some stuff together and ready for the second annual Dirty Dawg mountain bike race.

last year, on 01 april 2007, for what was supposed to be the first of the Series 5 races, i volunteered and cheered folks on. it was good to see a lot of peeps i knew and used to know smiling and happily grimacing on their bikes.

this year, after my ill fated race at douthat, part of Kyle Inman's series, Middle Mountain Momma, i have mixed emotions regarding the possibility of being tackled by another grueling mtn bike race. hmph. bring on the pain train baby, 'cause i've got mind games on my side. ;-p yes, mind tricks of the jedi i have... hehehee.

oh yeah, also have the power of atari. Gordon pointed out the font on my Fisher HiFi XC Procaliber strongly resembles that of the fabled Atari. now if i just could get my hands on that Atari belt buckle....

Winning the Lottery

Sometimes you win the lottery... but you just didn't know you were playing or what the prize was. Well, it's a pretty cool prize, but there goes my chances for the powerball.

So, a friend of mine really likes vintage travel mugs. You know. The first ones before they were all fancy and fit in cup holders? Yes sir'ee. These travel mugs were ceramic with a narrow top and wide bottom with something of a gripper on the bottom to keep it from zooming across your dash board. Well, these champions of travel were replaced by fancy steel and plastic lined 'thermal' cups that fit in car cup holders. Now a-day's, champions of the far superior vintage travel mugs are relegated to finding replacements in thrift shops and the like.

So, I keep these vintage mugs on my mental shopping list whenever I find myself in such a cornucopia of left behind and hidden treasure.

Here comes the lottery winning.

On such a recent occasion, not only did I find a vintage travel mug in good condition (see above pic), but I also found this rare gem. Yes. Neither my friend nor I knew such a travel mug existed in all it's glory. Not just a vintage travel mug, but a vintage travel mug fired from classic Japanese chinaware complete with beautiful representation of the strength and beauty of the American Eagle.

This makes Bob Ross look like a stick figure artist! Perhaps the only thing that comes close is a certain 'pocket' knife emortalized with a winged 'buckskin bambie.' Now that was truly a knife that almost brought a grown man to tears. But this mug... this vintage travel mug... this vintage travel mug of Japanese chinaware embellished with the enormous power of the classic American Eagle?!

Well.. I won't be winning the lottery any time soon, and a certain top tier adventure woman will now be amping it up with the power of a rare beauty!

General Tso

"Why is it General Tso's Chicken? 'Cause it's Tso frickin' awesome!"


Thanks for the insight Gordon. How true it is. It's nice to have you back in the shop this summer.

btw.. who is General Tso? Check the Wikipedia article HERE.

Rock - Paper - Scissors & Chuck Norris

If paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper, what beats all 3 at the same time? Answer: Chuck Norris!

ps:
Chuck Norris' roundhouse kick is so powerful, it can be seen from outer space by the naked eye.

and oh yeah:
Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.

Unconfirmed Speed Record

In a phone interview last week, a new speed record was claimed on descending Catawaba Mountain. The bike was a coaster brake, and quite possibly a JC Higgins. The rider's own speedometer was topped out at 40 - 45 mph. However, while passing a Dodge Dart, the rider was able to look inside to the Dart's dashboard and read that speedometer, which read 65 mph. Since the rider was passing the Dart, with his bicycle, the rider claims a speed of 70 mph during the descent.

It was not clear which side of Catawaba Mountain this majestic feat was accomplished. However, I feel the greater feat in this story is a Dodge Dart traveling 65 mph.

JBC's and Sour Cream

Is is so wrong. I mean, people, put sour cream on their baked potatoes with bacon bits don't they? Why not sour cream on a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's. I like it, anyway.

2008 National Bike Summit - Climbing Capitol Hill

05-07 March 2008, I took a break from my daily role of assisting folks with their cycling needs to travel to Washington, DC. There, I attended my second National Bike Summit (sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists) to learn, network, and lobby for bicycle rights and recognition.

In contrast to last year's specific issue requests (Bicycle Commuter Tax Relief Act, Virginia's Ridge and Valley Act, and Bicycle as Transportation Study Program), the goal of this year's summit was to broaden America's view of bicycling to include being a viable solution towards today's health, energy, pollution, and transportation issues. Bicycling is not just a recreational hobby; bicycling poses viable solutions to today's needs.


New friends and familiar faces gathered to meet with our governmental representatives to ask for their support with recognizing bicycling as an important issue in the public interest. The first 'ask' was to support a Congressional Resolution creating a case for developing a national strategy to increase bicycle use and safety and to substansively include bicycling in efforts to solve today's challenges of pollution, health, oil dependence, traffic congestion, and more. The Second 'ask' was to take federal action in adopting Complete Streets Polices for the recognition of all road users, not just automobiles, in future transportation and infrastructure projects. The third 'ask' was to fund and support the National Park Service Centennial Initiative, a commitment to restore and repair our national parks in time for the 100th anniversary in 2016. A main goal of supporting this initiative is to improve and expand foot and bicycle access of the parks to increase exercise and better connect visitors with the natural world.

Sometimes, meeting with our goverment representatives can be a fast paced, hectic affair. Meetings are often done, on-the-fly in hallways, and even more often with 'office staffers', the folks that really run our nation. Note: the smallest person in the pic is actually the staffer, and the blur was someone trying to squeeze by in the 'rush' of politics.

All in all, the Summit was successful. There is an increasing reception of bicycling as more than just folks in spandex on childhood toys. Bicycling is being recognized as a viable alternative presenting solutions to today's challenges... along with a way to have fun.

(Socializing and Networking over an IMBA hosted dinner)


(Thomas of Shenandoah Bicycle Company takes a break between meetings)


(quite a mix of folks... all connecting through bicycling)

Fires on Mill Mountain :-(

Here's the video from Roanoke Times

Here's the link to the online article.

Trials of being sick...

So. Somehow on the way back back home from the National Bike Summit, I got hit with the Crud / Flu... hard. The worst part wasn't the high temps and feeling awful or even the coughing. The worst part was getting the hiccups from how hard / deep I would cough. Sure, the old adage of drinking water from the opposite side of the cup while upside down usually works for me while just bending over. Not this time. Extreme measures had to be taken. Due to general weakness, standing on my head could only be achieved twice. After that, Kristin suggested, and I acted to hang from the ladder to the loft. It worked! On my way back right side up, though, I smacked my head on our hook sticks, popped a lense out of my glasses frames, and got a small cut over my right eye. My hiccups were gone, though.... for about another 30 minutes anyway.

more of Frank's doodles

Two of the 'Three B's'...

Thanks for the snacks, Gary! We're always happy to help out.

No worries on the third B, but two out of three isn't bad.

I'll be in my office..

You thought your cubicle was small.

full moons

Somedays, I can just guess its a full moon. Sure enough, today is not only a full moon, but there was also a lunar eclipse last nite. (Photo courtesy of the Roanoke Times)

Oddities Museum Expands

Patient waiting has paid off. Finally, a display case for main attractions of my growing Museum of Oddities. Currently featured, a double feature of the Rubberband Octopus (formerly Rob's Rubberband Ball) and the Petrified Lime.

HiFi Keeps Moving Forward...

Hmmm. The HiFi in a cross country platform versus an all mountain platform. Nice. I love my HiFi Pro, but I think the cross country 3-4 inches of travel with racier geometry might suit my tastes a bit better than the all mountain 4-5 inches and more upright/comfortable position. I like the new ProCaliber. (available also in the more modestly priced SuperCaliber and Caliber.) Click the link to read more about the HiFi XC Series.

Brush Fires at Carvins Cove

High winds and wildfires report by the Roanoke Times

video courtesy of the Roanoke Times

continued video on the wildfires courtesy of the Roanoke Times

Cold weather still here.

So as the weather returns to regular February weather, let us not dwell on the fabulous warm weather of late. Instead, lets think back to late January on a Sunday when the high was in the low to mid 20's. Brrr... for Virginia. Somehow, though, Frank and I still headed out for a road ride. Just shy of 2.25 hours.

I had just got a pair of half lobster claw gloves, Borealis, from Planet Bike. Toasty.


Sure wish I'd had my Castelli Wrap Due booties then, but with a steady pace my body somehow managed to stay mostly warm.

One of Frank's water bottle froze during the ride and had to be thawed inside his jacket. My cytomax slushed up but frequent sips kept the top from freezing. My plain water bottle had an ice chunk in it that was still there 45 minutes after getting home.

(I think Bob still owes us lunch. He didn't believe we would actually ride.) Still, it was a good day to ride.

Trail Reviews

For Steve from West Michigan-

Thanks for asking about the trails. They are great.
Here's some info to get you started until I can get a better review.
Also, East Coasters Bicycles has been updated our ride info pages for Roanoke mtn bike riding. They are quite improved with lots of great info.

Carvins Cove: Great variety, lots of options, newly signed, local favourite

Explore Park: Great design, fewer trails, possibly closing :-(

Dragon's Back: Wicked tough, intermediate to expert riding only, poorly signed

Mill Mountain: in town single track fun

Check www.blueridgebicycleclub.com for their ride calendar as well as www.roanokecycling.org for their rides.

Check back later for more in depth reviews.

from the cookie...

Fortunes from the cookie on New Year's Day. Courtesy of Red Palace Chinese Buffet - Valley View.

"Idleness is the holiday of fools."

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Funny. I had just finished a 25 mile mountain bike ride with friends to celebrate the New Year.

time for the epic rides...

Last Sunday 30 december 2007 - last ride of the year and a very much needed ride for my sanity. I thought I would try to beat the rain. Read the following quote to find out what happened.

"you know you're wet from riding in the rain when you stand out of the saddle and feel all the water move in your tights. that's waaaay past a wet chamois. 1.5 hours and half way with no where else to go but keep riding; so i did."

I was in the middle of Bradshaw Road and the temp was in the mid to lower 40's.
I started shivering the moment I made it back inside my flat... because I stopped moving and generating heat from the inside.
Props to my clothing choice. At least 1.5 hours in soaking rain and my core was still dry. Arms, legs, hands, feet, and face were soaked, but my core was dry. Amazing what a wind vest can do.

Honest Tea and the Lorax

another Green Dragon Honest Tea, another tea lid... and another saying.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." The Lorax - Dr. Seuss


(it's a good book. i own a copy. i'm a forestry / resource management major remember?)