A Spin Through The Valley
New to me, then I heard singing
Turns out I was on Girl Scout camp property and a troop was hiking and singing and having a good ol’ time. I apologized for trespassing and left immediately, but like Camp Christopher, it seems…a shame?…that such a cool place is on private property.
A good day to test out the new Shimano PD-EH500 pedals. They rule. I noticed that they have screw holes for pegs. Hmmm….
I’m being hypocritical, but I’ll call this thoughtful poaching. It’s actually a horse trail, but you’d have to be nuts to ride a horse here.
Plenty of people have taken pics of this spot, but I couldn’t resist
It goes without saying that we are fortunate to have the CVNP
Finished up in a near snow storm. But then the sun came out as I got back to the truck
COGitations and Perseverations:
Turns out that Shimano included posts with the pedals!! Didn’t notice them in my hasty unpackaging. I’m kinda fired up about the possibilities.
Caught Myself Judging the Cover This guy popped up on my Youtube feed. He actually has some really interesting (and funny) things to say about bike touring. Every time I was gonna click away, he reeled me back in (mandatory fishing reference).
A Little Bummed I reached out to a few of my acquaintances recently about profiling them on this blog, but no takers, which is unfortunate because they have really interesting “biking careers.” I get it, I guess. I do, however, want to give kudos to Brandon Le and Egg for allowing me to tell part of their story. It’s not easy to put yourself out there.
No Chamois, No Beer, No Problems I am currently on my third month of a) not drinking by myself, and b) not wearing chamois when I ride. The beer thing has been greatly facilitated by Athletic Brewing. I’ve found the most apparent effect has been my increased mental clarity. The chamois thing was inspired by a pair of cyclists who are riding from Alaska to Patagonia. They said that it took about two weeks to “break in” the butt cheeks, which I have found to be true. I miss the chamois less than I do the beer – which honestly, isn’t all that much.
Serotonin Shots These songs helped me ride out a cold, dreary day :
- Anthrax, Gang of Four
- Never Again, The Sadies
- Ol’ Nick, The Hackensaw Boys
- The Sadies, 1,000,002 songs
- Minimalaction, Stefano Barone
- No Island Lost, Robin Trower
- Can’t Catch Me, Hackensaw Boys
- Desert Raven, Jonathan Wilson
- Better Way, Watchhouse
- Deadweight on Velveteen, José González
- The Giver, The Dead Tongues
- Mother of Earth, the Sadies
- Hard Drugs and Long Relationships, Ryan Gustafsson
- City of Stone, Del McCoury
- Down In Flames, Dead Boys
- California, Tangleweed
- Riverview Fog, The Sadies
- Haste Make, Watchhouse
- Bombast, The Fall
- Nashville Cats, Del McCoury
Fever to the Form Nick Mulvey
Wheels of Confusion, Black Sabbath
Batman, Stefano, Barone
Auctioneer, R.E.M.
River Lea, Nick Mulvey
Night Flight, Led Zeppelin
To the Grain, Junip
Oak Ridge, The Sadies
Idle Tomorrows, The Sadies
Jars At Home, Trampled By Turtles
Here’s Where You’re Wrong, Jon and Roy
Like a Force of Nature, Todd Snider
Ain’t Like You, Mac Saturn
Thoughtful music and exercise does wonders for the attitude
Travels with Pops 