HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

well, i'm back after a 2 week absence. is there any reason for this? well, in a way no. i just haven't had much to say. this is primarily a bike blog, and my absence reflects that, for some strange reason, i haven't been on the bike. in the last two weeks, i have two commutes to my name and a big, fat nothing otherwise. last week was a quite hectic one at work, but the ultimate excuse is that it turned cold and i turned lazy, not wanting to get the extra layers on and really wanting to steal that .45 of sleep plus an easier way to work. lame and lazy.

so today i had to turn the tide, but what a morning it was. in some semblance of order, i experienced the following: i woke up at 2.30 for some pathetic reason and stayed up until 4.15 or so. if i had made plans to skip work, i wouldv'e b/c the day can't improve on that. i get ready for the commute but ran a little late, so i was in hustle mode, which... well, i end up packed but unable to find my housekeyes. no biggie except...i found myself out in the driveway with no helmet, b/c it was in the garage, but no housekeys to get the garage key which had the helmet. i'm seriously not of the persuasion of riding to work with no helmet, but i wasn't going to wake the whole family so i rode. well, i then noticed that both rear flashers seem weak. i don't know if it's the temp or what, but they got fresh batteries not terribly long ago, so don't know what the deal is. and FINALLY for some ridiculous reason my generator light isn't working either. i checked the connections, but no juice, so the only assumption is that i busted a bulb somehow. i DID ride to work, no headlight, no helmet, but did get the mileage in.

afternoon contained a sidetrip to Central Pk and then straight home for pressing family stuff. i could tell the roughly two weeks off, and i've promised myself somehow i'm going to get my 5 days in this week..

i did do abbreviated yoga a couple mornings last week, and you know, that seems to be 1o minutes well spent. i think i'm going to modify my mornings some more to integrate that.

14m total/6 a.m./8 p.m./72 and glorious in the p.m.

i was ready for fall, but that low 70s and sun thing is hard to beat

muffins and Sunergos

i didn't post yesterday, but it was a LHT day, since the Rans is acting up. i left sort of late, so my a.m. trip was quite short. then, the afternoon was also non-descript. maybe 13 or 14 for the day. fact is, after the newness of the work year has worn off, my mileage has come down. fact of my life, not being able to carry through with steady workouts.

today rain was forecasted and i had stayed up late last night, so i drove, stopping in at Sunergos for the best coffee in town, plus a yummy, if dense, banana nut muffin. not workout, but a good breakfast. just now i had Fat Jimmy's and then Graeter's helado. so no exercise, but i took on all my usual alimentary enemies, and am pretty goood for it.

we'll see about tomorrow, as more rain, but finally colder temps are forecasted.

ciao

the 'bent went bonk

i tried for a clever title, but this one bites ass. sin embargo, this afternoon i noticed something screwy about the Rans. it wasn't doing well and seemed to be having front derailyer (don't care 'bout the spelling) probls. reallly my ride home stank. system noise, wouldn't shift in the big ring, sluggish performance. i chalked it up to my poor state of being or whatnot. o noticed that the side 'pulley' which assists the very long chain looked bent, something that had taken place another time. i later hit ledge pretty hard and assumed i was going to get a pinch flat, as i felt the rim hit. an all-round bad day, exacerbated by the bike mystery. i got home and did a little inspection to find that the chain line, along with the 'chain wheel' or 'pulley' was switched up, effectively shortening the chain length my a good measure. it looks like the bike fell right at some point, thereby switching the chain, bending the tab, and breaking off a little release mechanism on the Niterider safety light. sucks ass! i slightly bent back the tab, but now the nut is going to be hard to engage as it is hidden behind the affixed cables. frustrating!

concerning Cumberland Falls, the Sunday hike to Eagle Falls was great. the trail follows the river, sometimes provided great views of the while meandering in and out of rock houses. the first half of this part i was nervous, as steep, open areas kick in my phobia of, well, open steep areas. the trail passes through pine and coniferous forests and ends at Eagle Falls, a sacred place for Native Americans. it provided great opporutnities for bouldering, beaching and looking in clear pools which reminded me of some of those Kentucky river exhibits at the zoo. in route we also found some nice walking sticks to make everyone's trip easier. i think this was the best part of the weekend.

more later abt the weekend, and more about the damn 'bent later. i'll be back on the LHT tomorrow. i haven't mentioned yet, but i think my different position on the LHT is tweaking my back. more weight is back through my ass and it goes up my spine. i've never had any spinal bike pain before, lower back muscle ache yes, but spinal no. i also could've slept wrong and created it as well, but it's an on-going 'we'll see'. i know i CAN'T give up on the LHT though. i change saddles, stems, seatposts, etc. long before i ever change the bike.

THE MOONBOW!

well, aside from not seeing any action on the bike all weekend, the time as a whole was quite a success. saturday morning the fam and i loaded up for a couple days at Cumberland Falls, found in sunny, blue McCreary Co., Ky. Known as the 'Niagra of the South', it also contains the only 'moonbow' found in the western hemisphere and one of only two in the world, although for some reason i think the African one at Victoria Falls dissappeared for some reason.

After arriving at the picturesque, albeit 'longinthetooth', lodge Saturday, my wife was surprised with the site of a wedding in progress taking up a significant portion of the lobby and outside porch. the view off the patio is nothing short of spectacular, the Cumberland river winding off into the distance surrounded by verdant hills, many containing changing fall colors.

more later, as i'm too bored to write this right now, but i'd like to list things to remember, none of which are exactly in chronological order

but
neon lichen
the rock creek
eagle falls
bouldering
the beach
walking sticks
rednecks smoking
harleys + chaps
fried food
more fried food
rock shelters abounding
the roar of the falls
fear of cliffs
the "monkey"
sun, blue sky, clear water, PERFECT weather
the root stairs

still can't spell

i was re-reading a post from a couple days a go when i realized that i had called a young female a "philly" instead of a "filly". man, i AM stupid. maybe i should just write all of these in Spanish, since i seems to be able to spell that quite nicely.

today's the CumberlandFalls trip. we'll go after soccer. i'm still considering sneaking in a ride this a.m., but it's awfully early to go ride around in circles. the commute gets me somewhere, a destination, a goal, you know? otherwise i have to wake up.

furthermore, i'm spending too much time on this pinche computer. last night instead of doing anything remotely productive, i was on for 1.5 hours. later, though, i did read a bit of Hawking's "A History of the Universe" (is that the title? am i going daft?). interesting, but unfortunately at some point i'm too dumb to understand the physics. i hate being smart enough to realize that i'm NOT smart enough to really pull off being smart. Ah low expectations. shouldv'e stayed a redneck like i was when i was 12. i could then revel in Nascar and generally low-brow entertainment that would take full advantage of my, well, stupidity.

"Gold Day"

today was the first "Gold Day" of the work year. as some have guessed, i work in a seasonal job, such that occassionally we have days where our responsibilities change. in this case, it's day full of (almost entirely) extraneous meetings and counterproductive drivel. i'm sure almost all jobs have them, but Hack, Yack, Ack. well, i did get a free lunch out of it at the Tumbleweed down on the river. it's a great location, but it's too bad every Tumbleweed i've been to in the last 10 years has gotten progressively worse. this consisted of some large leathery 'burrito' with cheese goup, but more importantly a veggie one with green beans of all things. I was expecting peppers and onions, of which there were a few, but green beans?? i also had a couple beers on someone else's dime. should have stuck with water.

i was blatantly lazy yesterday, so this a.m. i dragged out the Rans to give my back a little change in scenery. i did put the cross tires on the CrossCheck yesterday FINALLY, so i'll be crossing soon enough. with no students today i left pretty late, but put the 'bent in the big ring some and made good time. the p.m. proved uneventful, and i waffled in between getting time in on the big ring and going pretty damn slow.

this weekend we go to Cumberland Falls for an overnight. it should be lots of fun, getting out of town and exploring a new place. plus, with a full moon today tomorrow might be good chance at a moon bow. the mid-70s and sunny weather are just perfect, so potentially a great weekend coming up. Ojala.

13m/7m a.m./6m p.m./77 and sunny p.m.

thought so; it's incidence

just another routine day in the bike office. pretty normal straightshot 6m to work. in the p.m. went with 'sheryl' where we bitched about all the painintheass parents out there. out of control!! the i/me/mine generation going even worse and i have to put up with their spoiled-rotton jerks for kids.

well, went along spring, through Seneca Gds with side stop to the mailbox, and home, giving me a grand total of 17m, which is pretty good. i'm not sure where the extra mile or so came from, but it did show up on the computer, and i'll take it.

back still tweaked, and still have slow legs, but well, well. c'est la vie.

17m/6.5 a.m./10.5 p.m./slow as ever/75 p.m. temp

p.s. this has been edited, in that i noticed the mention of "there spoiled.." and COULDN'T believe i would be so grammatically lame. it's one thing to no use capital letters, but quite another to express some kind of stupidity not differentiating there/their.

idiot incedence

first of all, i seem to have lost the ability to spell. like "incedence". is that correct? is it English, espanyol? no se.

well, it was a very straightforward commute today with nothing striking me of any consequence except the last .6m very close to my home. on my left, at the cross street, a little philly with her lazy pimp boyfriend. she definitely saw me, but decided to turn left into my street anyway. she ends up going down the left side of the road with me on right running parallel to me. i was never in danger, but what an idiotic move. she ended up moving in behind me b/c cars were coming towards up on the left. it was just stupid, unless she was making a point. i'm not really sure, but i slowed down some so she, and he thuggie boyfriend could savor my big, black (spandex) ass.

concerning the commute, i did go north up to Kentucky, then across Highland and eventually down Willow. actually, i would call that the highlight of the day. what a great street and a great set of houses! into the park with a solid peppy hillclimb up golfcourse hill, around the loop to typically waste my fat ass up Hogans, and then up to chaufer's rest. somewhere in there i got sort of a nasty headache, so i actually stopped for a sec. on through Seneca Gds and home to find the left-turning bimbo.

14.5m/6 a.m./8.5 p.m./13.8avg/i don't get it really but i'm slow and it bugs me/58 a.m./75 p.m.

that @#$@ Bachetti

Mondays suck. allow me to repeat. Mondays suck. i know. i'm supposed to hit the week with a smile and unbridled enthusiasm to attack the work week and fulfill my working destiny. BUT, Mondays suck and i was entirely unenthusiastic this a.m. that said, i did get on the 'ole LHT for a coolish commute. the morning proved pretty uneventful 7.5m it was a smidge chilly at 55. for this temp i wore shorts and lightweight tights, a longsleeve T, a windbreaker, longfingered gloves, and lightweight Smartwool socks.

i spoke to 'lance' about going some distance this afternoon, to which he agreed heartily. it was the my first 'real' ride with him on the Bachetta and me on the LHT, so we could compare relative purchases. we did a healthy clip at 15-16, with some stretches above that along Algonquin Pkwy towards the Riverwalk. once on that we slowed a little, as the fall leaves were already coverning part of the walk. there were some nice views of the river now that the foliage has died down a bit. fact is 'lance' seems MUCH faster on the Bachetta than on the Rans. previously i was the one dictating pace, but now he seems to be a leg up on me even though my mileage is still pretty good. i DID have a caffeine headache from too much coffee and yerba mate, but his stomach was bothering him, so i'd call that even. fact is at 16+ i felt more labored than he seemed, so who knows. makes me think the extra bike poundage, plus my fat ass poundage is making a difference, monster-muscle thighs be damned. this is a predicament that we'll have to keep a watch on.

came home up Lex (from Spring) and through park, avoided the golf course hill b/c i was (and still am bushed) and came home via the other Spring and through Seneca Gds. it's nice to finally get another decent mileage ride in, but damn i'm tired.

must be that @#$# Monday thing.

28.5m/7.5 a.m./21 p.m./13.8 avg total including a.m. mileage./55 a.m./62 p.m.

**seems like we rode harder than that in the afternoon, but the stop signs and slow spots add up

de copas II

well, it's payday friday, so another day well spent after work downing a few. the morning proved a tad exciting, as the weather has finally changed. with the temps and the drizzle, i broke out the lightweight neoprene gloves, the toe warmers and the newish REI waterresistent jacket. it's one of those bright, "lookatme" yellow ones, but great for commuting visability. it didn't rain on me too much, but i was dampish by the time i got to work.

the afternoon began at the venerable Granville and i did partake of some Guiness and cheesefries. the way home was sort of fun, as 'sheryl' and i headed towards the highlands. we both felt like going pretty damn slow, which we certainly did. i came down bardstown a new way today, along the alley on the east side from Highland all the way to TylerPk or so. after that i took the right lane of Bardstown to the loop and home. the alley proved to be a lowkey, relaxed way to pass the few miles there. i ran by my mom around the looop and had a good chat and then home. slow but steady wins the race. i got some mileage in when the rain and cold certainly scared of 'lance' and i'm sure some others so uninclined.

we'll see what the weekend brings.

13.5 m/6 a.m./7.5 p.m./12 avg (Guiness has that effect)

Birds of Prey

i was back on the LHT this morning, as that setup is my ride of choice. it's nice having that generator light on there. no refuel hassles. i'm going to get a standard wheel built at some point as an extra to save weight if need be. in fact, last night i was looking at some large saddlebags from Rivendell to think abt even further lighten the load. there is something intruiguing abt jettisoning the rack and going saddlebag only. the a.m. ride was the 6m direct. the only "fun" was hitting yet another hole and waiting for the inevitable pinch flat. didn't happen, but sure worried me. I think the LHT has more weight on the back vs. a road back, which is more distibuted, so when i hit hole with my big ass, it's like "WHAM!".

i rode home in the p.m with 'Sheryl' for part of it (3m). She's sporting a nice, new Nashbar safety headlight, on of those AA LED jobs. fact is Sheryl doesn't aspire to ride megemorning mileage (how's that for alliteration), so it's good enough for her. after dropping her off, i picked it up on Lexington heading towards the park, putting in a steady 18mph with a few at 20. frankly, it made me breath a little hard. I maintained the pace up golf course hill in Seneca, overtaking a female roadie who was taking it easy. actually i felt like a kind of schlep, busting ass and sucking wind like i'm some kind of wanna' be overtaking the chick on the hill. oh well, i was just doing it for some speedwork. around the loop and up hard on Hogan's Fnt. i cut over to Spring when i felt the back tire go a little soft. i was worried that the pinch flat was catching up to me. instead of going through Seneca Gd, i headed straight across to Kroger/whatever street behind whatev old school. the highlight of the day, by far, was the interesting sight of nature taking its glorious course on Lakeside. I was cutting up the "path" from the swim club when something practically knocked me in the nose. it then flew up in front of me in the form of a raptor of some sort with an unfortunate squirrel in his beak. i noticed that they landed in a tree not too far from me, so i slowed/stopped to get a glance. the bird was primarily grey, with some white and brown accents, and it wasn't much bigger than its prey. the initial experience told me that it was a red-tailed hawk, many of which are found in urban areas. upon observation, i'm more inclined to think that it was a peregrine falcon, as i know that they're small. i'm going to do a little research, but certainly it was a formidable site for a city boy like me, nature taking its course. excellent!

15 miles/6 a.m./9 p.m./13avg p.m., but squishy tire and 3m with 'Sheryl' certainly pulled it down.

NO LIGHTS!!

well, my morning commute is usually pretty boring, but this a.m. proved a little more interesting. i'm on the Rans again (going back to the LHT tomorrow). i may or may not have mentioned that i don't have a real front light on it, only a flashing safety light, which works well in the neighborhoods and city streets which i frequent. this a.m. had a little light fog, no biggie, but i went a slightly different route. i had left earlier, abt 6.05, so i rode to add some distance. crossing Seneca Garden and Douglass i ended up on Casselberry. from there i dived into the park. that's where the 'fun' began. the route downhill on the loop had somehow lost its lights, so i was going downhill in the dark. the flashing light was distracting me, becoming a pulsating beacon flashing into the trees and distracting me from the road. unfortunately i couldn't quite turn it off from my 'bent position. so that became the first order of fear. dark park road, trees, no street lights, couldn't see joggers. finally i rounded the bend and continued on the Loop and saw one of the lights, which continued by the rugby field. i then headed up the golf hill and hit upon my second interesting image of the a.m. this time, as i rounded the trees, i found myself staring up in the sky with Orion and Sirius looking squarely at me. remember that on the 'bent you have a somewhat natural face-up view, so that was really nice, fog laying low around the grass and upper tree tops and a good morning sky of stars above. i would give it a A commuting experience, and one of those that you wait for when commuting by bike, instead of in the box o' metal. the final a.m. experience was a repeat of the 'loop' adventure. this time i was descending the golfcourse hill towards Cherokee Triangle when, lo and behold, no light, and i think this time darker than the loop. really i couldn't see the damn side of the road. then some joggers, who i barely saw in silouhette, came by. fortunately i didn't run anyone over, but certainly it would've been my big, bad fault. the rest of the way was of no consequence, except for the cabron who cut me off at Barrett and Oak who felt the need to cut the corner on a left turn while i was at the light. Cabron!

the p.m. was considerably less adventurous. i did try to push the pace a couple times on the 'bent, and was pretty taxed upon arrival, so time well spent.

hearing about those home heating prices makes me even more motivated to hit the bike, even though i could've fallen asleep this afternoon.

'Bent time

well, i blew the weekend off, as i mentioned, so today i jumped at the commuter chance, this time on the Rans 'bent. the prob with the Rans is that i still have no computer, so all times/distances are pure guesswork. i still prefer a 'wedgie', but i decided to give my back a little different look. the a.m. was the usual 7+. after a p.m. responsibility, i took the St. Catherine (?, or Kentucky, or ??) to Highland/Cherokee/Spring/Seneca Garden route. no hills involved!! i would give myself about a 15 mile roundtrip, there abouts. and the speed, who the hell knows? 'lance showed me some new schwag this a.m. on the new Bachetta- new computer, light, rack. seriously spruced-up ride.

15m/7.5 a.m./7.5 p.m./11-16 avg (meaning who knows?/85 p.m. temp/still too hot for Oct

Sunday noise

cray, i think i made my post disappear. the original was a rant about Sunday morning noise from the neighbor's gas weed trimmer. well, the ire is gone. nonetheless, if he has a 'Right' to use his trimmer, then it seems reasonable that i have a 'Right' to have quiet, right? whose right is greater? how do Quiet Sundays sound? can you tell me that the quality of life would lessen with a Quiet Sunday rule?

haven't ridden the last couple days due to several things, much of which relate to crazy schedules and a spate of laziness on my part. this p.m. will just have to be different. i've yet to actually mount the Brooks b-17N that i recieved a week ago, given that really i haven't ridden the Litespeed much. that will have to change today.

i'm going to attach a pic of my Casey co. ride from a month ago, as i finally downloaded the pics. this one is of a nice creek found at the base of what became a tough little .35 climb with what i think was a 10%+ section at the top. it's the first pic i've played with on Blogger, so I'll have to se how it goes, teknoligy you know. well, the pic ended up Left aligned instead of Center. we'll have to play with that. great pic though, right. reminds me of one of those English countryside movies with the fields and the girls in long dresses and the moors and the wildflowers. i've heard from English folks that, in fact, nobody really lives much out in the country. we in the US have a tradition of living on the 5 acre 'farm' and commuting into the city. well, in England all the countryside is owned by gentry landholders and so everybody lives in town on in city.

don't know, but this pic does proper justice for a nice day in Casey Co. certainly different from all the city commuting i've been doing this fall.