ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

As 2011 comes to a close, it is tempting to look back and compile a list of accomplishments and a list of failures. This year, I choose not to do so and will simply say, “Hey some really good stuff happened and, yeah, I didn’t pull everything off I intended.” Unlike Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, I’m choosing to focus on the space between yesterday and tomorrow.

(Janus – Roman god of beginnings and ending, openings and closings)

Beginnings and endings have been on my mind quite a bit recently. I’m finding the bleed over from…

EMERGING FROM A FOG…

I’m finally emerging from a multi-day fog of chemical induced surrealistic life experiences. The past few days have been a great roller coaster ride in which shadows and shapes shifted in and out of my Robitussin, Alka Seltzer, cough drop, infused existence.

When last I felt this way, I was soothed/tortured with a cycling reality involving some interesting characters…

HOLIDAY GREETINGS!

 

From myself and the Navigator, please accept our best wishes for a Joyous and Merry Christmas and a  Happy Hanukkah. We hope that your lives are blessed in many, many ways in 2012!

My fellow rider, Paul Casper, has been busy as shown by this photo of his hand built wooden bike!

(Beautiful wooden bike contains multiple types of wood)

I knew that Paul was a talented photographer but I didn’t know that he was a talented wood-worker. Click on the image above to be taken to his photo gallery for close up images of this beauty of a bike…

PHIL–PLEASE “SAY IT AIN’T SO!”

In recent days, stories have been circulating in and around counties abutting the Blue Ridge Parkway indicating that the Parkway is going to CLOSE TO CYCLISTS.

The story has enough “legs” under it to garner comments from the Adventure Cycling Association and Blue Ridge Outdoors. So, my plea is to Superintendent Phil Francis that he issue a clarification of the Parkway’s intent regarding cyclists under the current draft plan…

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…. IS AMERICAN MADE!

 

Recently, I was having lunch with my friend Il Plummer at the local “bicycle friendly” business Smoky Mountain Café when our conversation turned to ABC network’s ongoing reporting on “Made In America.” I haven’t seen those spots but Il Plummer is the inquisitive type and now that he is retired from his English teaching position, he has lots of time to ponder the situations of the world. He was educating me on the “Buy American” series and recalled that, in one of the earlier shows, ABC reported that if everyone would simply purchase $64.00 per person of products Made in America, we would create 300,000 new jobs….

‘TIS THE SEASON–FOR BIKE PLANS!

I’ve just had the pleasure of participating in the latest Bike Plan Kick-Off for the Western North Carolina region this past week. The Land of the Sky regional planning board in conjunction with the Southwestern (NC) Commission is preparing a region wide bike plan that will encompass 7 counties in western North Carolina.

(The BRBP logo is shown to my right during my brief chat with participants)

The $250,000.00 plan is being funded through the French Broad Metropolitan Planning Organization and will carry through to 2013. Representatives from the 7 involved counties met at….

BEST WISHES TO YOU FOR A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

 

 

This is the week where we pause to consider those things in our lives for which we are thankful. In recent years, it would be easy to overlook some of the positives in our community and in our homes given the nature of the economy fed by ever increasing petroleum prices, corporate greed, grid-locked Congress, and things that we’ve all heard about ad nausem. So, it is particularly important to shine the light of thankfulness on some of those positives from the past year…

Le Tour de France Spinner Bike – An Initial Review

It is 18 degrees outside this morning as I begin to put finger to keyboard. I’ve been off of my normal writing schedule this week due to numerous commitments in different areas of my life. I did, however, get to spend some time on my recently received Le Tour de France spinner bike from ProForm.

(Shown here in its 99% unpacked and ready to go state!)

I’ve written about the delayed receipt of this product elsewhere so I’ll move on beyond that stage now, i.e., ordering and delivering….

BIKE PLAN ADOPTION REALIZED!

Monday, November 7, 2011, saw the Haywood County Comprehensive Bike Plan unanimously adopted by the Haywood County Board of Commissioners following the plan presentation and submission at the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting…

BRO DAVE RIDES AGAIN!

Some readers will recall that my brother, Dave, had an unfortunate crash a few weeks ago after putting on his new Schwalbe Big Apple tires. The combination of new rubber and moist pavement didn’t work well when he went into a banked, off camber turn. He reported that before he knew it there was no bike under him and his face was bouncing off the pavement, cracking his helmet in the process and lacerating his face by either the helmet attached mirror or his glasses.

(Bro Dave took one on the chin and other places!)

Normally, quite a handsome dude, if I do say so myself, Bro Dave has been treated for his lacerations and fractured wrist and was back on his steed on Sunday..

LITTLE EAST FORK RIDE CLEARS THE COBWEBS

Thursday past looked to be the last pleasant day for local riding before the cold front accompanied by rain invaded Western North Carolina so it seemed prudent to get out and enjoy it. A late afternoon ride up NC 215 helped work out the cobwebs and stiff muscles associated with little sleep and uncomfortable time spent in chairs in the family waiting room at our local hospital ICU where the Navigator and I spent the early morning hours attending to a family medical emergency. The ride proved to be a perfect antidote to that “stove up” feeling in my bones…

(Enjoying my colorful new Road Fish jersey from our recent trip…)

The ride started amidst a crowded parking lot of Bethel Middle School footballers…

INCREASING EXERCISE TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST CANCER

I received a request to share exercise information for cancer patients through this blog. I’m pleased to do so and hope that the information provided by the author is helpful and motivating to all those fighting cancer. Having lost both of my parents to differing forms of cancer, I know the day-to-day struggles that can be barriers to using exercise as a tool to beat the disease. Now, here is the article….

FADING COLORS HINT AT THINGS TO COME

October has been an interesting riding month this year. It started with a week of riding in the Low Country of S.C. where the temps were still quite warm and late summer seemed to this Mountaineer to still be in the air. As we wind down October here in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the fading colors of fall are more the norm with quite cool seasonal temps near freezing occurring.

(Last week’s bright colors have darkened quickly…)

I finally managed to get myself back on two wheels yesterday for a brief spin around the Pigeon Valley Loop. Having ridden my Salsa Fargo each and every ride since purchasing it, I opted for a return to…

TWO BIRDS AND A BIG ‘OL MESS

O.K., I know what you are thinking and I’m pretty sure that the image you have this moment of birds and a mess isn’t where this story is going. But, then you never know until the story is finished…

THE RETURN TO THE HIGH(ER) COUNTRY

The Navigator, Sherry Shazam, the Wood-Man and I have completed our time in the Low Country of South Carolina and are safely back home in the High(er) Country of Western North Carolina. I indicate High(er) for the benefit of those fine folk living out west whose low places are higher than my high places. Still, High or High(er), it is good to be home. We were welcomed home to a gorgeous view as the mountains have put on their fall colors and are resplendent in yellows, reds, and shades in between. Also, the temperatures are cooler.

(My snazzy new Fat Cyclist jersey got a nice workout in Palmetto Bluff)

We had a great time on our week long getaway. My overall summary goes something like this…

WHAT IS OR IS NOT ON UNION CEMETERY ROAD?

Yesterday’s (October 4, 2011) ventures out and about on Hilton Head Island took the Wood-Man and I to the Hilton Head Diner located off of William Hilton Parkway. We’ve had fine breakfasts and better service at this location while on our trip to the Low Country despite numerous negative reviews on Trip Advisor.  Our riding for the day was by plan limited. The most ambitious we felt was…

FROM A ROAD FISH TO A BLUFF

In our effort to discover new areas of riding in the Hilton Head Island zip code, we stopped by an excellent LBS, Road Fish Bike shop, and asked for some direction on riding that wasn’t characterized by constant stop and go. As I’ve noted before, HHI has really made cycling from place to place for transportation, commuting, and shopping quite easy. The separated bike paths along major roads like William Hilton Parkway keep cyclists relatively safe from the speeding traffic, which is often quite heavy. From a fitness point of view, the downside of the paths however is…

DOWN LOW, WAY LOW…

The Navigator and I, along with Wood-Man and Sherry Shazam, are into our 2nd full day of vacation in the Low Country of S.C. We’ve made our 3rd annual trek to Hilton Head Island for a little fall getaway and Low Country cycling, sun, and, of course, cuisine. But first…

ZEKE AND THE NAVIGATOR GO INTO HIDING!

The Navigator and I have been away. We’ve been enjoying some quite secluded time in the woods on a mountain top far, far away. Our favorite campground was running at less than 50% capacity over the end of the work week and through the weekend. It was, in the fullest meaning of the word, glorious…

(Saturday brought clear blue skies highlighting the beginning of fall colors)

The trip started on Thursday amidst…

FINALLY, THE FARGO IN ITS ELEMENT!

Sunday was my first opportunity to take the Salsa Fargo out and enjoy it in its real element – off-road, loose gravel, steep climbs. The Wood-Man and I headed out to the Sunburst Picnic Area above Lake Logan on NC 215. A Forest Service Road just off the picnic/campground area was our destination. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what I got…

A LITTLE JOY SPREAD TODAY…

Today was one of those days and events that really lightens the load and makes the heart joyful. BicycleHaywoodNC members were able to fulfill a grant born in the spring of 2011. Healthy Haywood made the grant to the advocacy council last spring in order to add to and replace part of an aging fleet of bicycles for the local school system.

(Clyde Elementary phys ed students run to 15 new bikes!)

On this bright and sunny day, the 15 bikes and 15 helmets were delivered…

MY FIRST FARGO RIDE!

Well, the first ride on the new Salsa Fargo is in the books and has found its proper place in history. That is probably somewhere between what I ate for lunch yesterday and the current status of my bank account. None of it is earth shaking…

TRIPOD’S VERSION OF THINGS

“Man, I mean it was Saturday morning - EARLY Saturday morning – well early for me anyway. There I was curled up on top of this cute boxed Surly Long Haul Trucker when these two dudes walk in. JJ was still trying to get the rental bikes out when ‘Ol Baldy and his “French” buddy Il Plummer come traipsing in the door – all in good spirits and such, waking me up. I hadn’t even lapped my milk yet.

(Tripod – Shop Cat Supreme!)

Then they commenced to talk. Buuuurrrrruuuutherrrr! I could tell it was gonna be a long day…”

PROVEN AGAIN! I’M NO LEVI LEIPHEIMER!

On the day in which Levi Leipheimer was in the process of proving that he was the best rider in the USA Cycling Pro Challenge, I was once again, if to no one other than myself, proving that I am no Levi Leipheimer. For that matter…

THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE BLUE RIDGE BREAKAWAY!

(Safety and Route Director Larry East monitors ride action)

This year’s Blue Ridge Breakaway “behind the scenes” action was bolstered by increased use of technologies for GPS tracking. We had a great partnership with…

WHEW! WHAT A DAY–WHAT A RIDE!

Well, the Second Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway is now history and the reviews are starting to roll in. (Note: see links later in post.) My day started early, much earlier than I expected as I awakened at 3:00 a.m. I finally gave up any effort to get back to sleep at 4:00 a.m. and pushed myself out of bed so as to keep from disturbing the Navigator’s last 2 hours of sleep. Through bleary eyes, I managed to get a pot of coffee brewing and prepared myself to enter the darkness of pre-dawn. With a cup of freshly brewed Organic Guatemalan in hand, I headed out the door at 4:45 a.m. to begin placing my portion of the road signage on the various courses of the ride…

Boy! Was I Ever Steamed!

Steamed? You’re dad gum right! Darn tootin’! I was like a cartoon character – steam was billowing out of both ears, which were probably extended out like bull horns. There I was all uptight and in a hurry to get to work and I was running late. As I started up the backside of Ratcliffe Mountain at 8:00 a.m. (well, 8:10 a.m. actually), there it was – in all of its bright orange glory. Cars and trucks, you know - honest hard working people, just trying to get to work – all in a line moving slowly because that self-centered jerk wrapped in his once upon a time neon colored…

THE WANDERING COLUMN

Last Wednesday brought the normal time for printing of my cycling column in the local newspaper, The Waynesville Mountaineer. I had submitted it on time and knew that it had been received. The on-line edition came out and no cycling column was to be found. I braced myself for the onslaught of questions…

HOW SLOW IS SLOW?

The past week has brought me into contact with two stories of “slow”. One of my own making and one simply shared by a co-rider as we “worked” the BicycleHaywoodNC booth at the Canton, NC “Mater Fest” this past Saturday.

Last Monday, “Cross Country Stan”, Don Kostelec, our Haywood County Comprehensive Bike Plan project manager, Claudia Nix, consultant and co-owner of Liberty Bicycles in nearby Asheville, NC, and myself enjoyed a ride…

IN SEARCH OF BALANCE

Let me be upfront. I’m not sure where this is going today. Like an unmapped ribbon of road laid out in front of me or, perhaps, like a fine single track previously undiscovered or travelled lightly, I’m pretty much just forging ahead  looking for direction or clarity or maybe just release. I’ve had this “bug in my head” for some time now and sometimes I think I have it nailed down and then, just as I start to put finger to keyboard, it flies away like a beautiful Maple leaf with its fall colors as a breeze just keeps easing it out of my reach.

I know it has to do with balance. Some of my professional training recently would lean me toward Mindfulness. There is also an element of personal accountability mixed into this stew of thoughts making electrical connections in my brain. An image that continues to come to the forefront in times of quiet respite is a see-saw.

(The cycle as a see-saw)

I know this particular period of contemplation coincided with or just prior to…

SUMMER IS HEATING UP!

The latest summer heat wave has made its presence known here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I was bemoaning the heat and humidity at lunch at Smoky Mountain Café on Main St. today and a tourist nearby remarked that he was from Atlanta, GA and this was a breath of fresh air for him. Last week’s cooler temps were certainly more attractive to this old mountain man!

(Members of BicycleHaywoodNC avoiding late day heat!)

Yesterday’s monthly meeting of BicycleHaywoodNC did provide the opportunity to escape the late day heat…

SMART PHONES MAKE ME NERVOUS

Given the headline I’ve chosen, you may have jumped to a conclusion that this post is going to be a rant about drivers and cell phone use. I can understand why you would think that and, a minor element of today’s post just might go somewhere along those lines of thought. But, I think I’m mostly going in a different direction…

DOES ABSENCE REALLY MAKE THE HEART GROW FONDER?

I’ve been absent. I haven’t written in a week due to various and sundry circumstances. I haven’t, in the words of Phil Liggett, “turned a pedal in anger” in about the same time – maybe slightly longer. But, I haven’t been away from cycling…

(Waiting for the crowd of curious patrons at the Red, White, and Boom festival)

I’M A “GREASER” AND OTHER ASSORTED STUFF…

Recently, I became aware of a sale through Twin Six whereby they were donating a certain amount of money of their gross daily sales to the LiveStong Foundation. I thought this was a fine way to be partially responsible for donating to the fight against cancer so…

(When I ride, I declare my “greaser” status!)

STORY OF REHAB TO GET YOU THROUGH THE WEEKEND!

Time and space, or bits and bytes, have recently intersected in my Inbox about two stories of injury and rehabilitation. One story combines a downhill descent of an experienced rider crashing out due to what is still some 10 months later explained at best by a hypothesis of what might have happened. The second story is about a bicycle crash that occurred in a mundane setting doing something that had been done thousands of times before. This time, however, it resulted in serious injury and long recovery…

CAMPING AND CYCLING IN THE HGH COUNTRY

During our recent “Hide but Do Not Seek” sojourn to the mountains, the Navigator and I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of being camped at a little over 5,000’ elevation in our favorite National Park Service campground. We were blessed with beautiful mornings, followed by lazy afternoons, which were punctuated by late afternoon storms full of rain, thunder, and lightening. The storms provided great reading a napping time. The storms also passed nicely away allowing for us to enjoy cooking and eating outside around our campfire.

Cycling is never far from my consciousness and, even thought I didn’t cart any bikes with us this trip, I had some opportunity to chat with cyclists we met during our all too brief stay on the mountain…

HIDE AND DO NOT SEEK!

It has been quiet here at Zeke’s Great Smokies Two Wheeled Adventures. No posting, no comments, no replies since last week. There’s a reason for that. The Navigator and I went into hiding Thursday evening last and didn’t emerge until Sunday afternoon. We went into the woods where there was no data connection and no cell phones. There were no landlines and no other means of incoming communications. I imagine we could’ve read some smoke signals if times really required it. In a word, it was pretty much heaven..

(5280’ feet in elevation brought colors in abundance!)

Still the world didn’t stop and when I plugged in and logged on last night I had word from…

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

Our friend and riding companion John Bryan is currently participating in the 2011 version of Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG). John does most of his training in his home state of Florida, which has helped him more than acclimate to the warm temperatures of Georgia. In fact, he may be getting to cool down somewhat as he ventures across Georgia. John has been kind enough to send along some images of the ride thus far.

THOSE STORIES THAT HAPPEN TO OTHERS

You’ve read them, you’ve seen them, you’ve maybe even experienced them. The stories that deal with the dominoes affect when problems occur. Sometimes folks will say bad things happen in 3’s. Well, Sunday was my day in the fun barrel…

CROSS COUNTRY STAN REPORTS IN FROM CANADA!

The following report on Cross Country Stan’s cross country trip of Canada was just received. Please click on the “Where In the World is Cross Country Stan?” link at the top of this page.

- Zeke

MAY 2011–THE MONTH IN REVIEW…

As I sit here this evening, the first day of June 2011 is beginning to wind down. Summer simply jumped up and skipped all that nice preparatory stuff normal for May and seemingly went straight to the hot sunny dry days of late July and August. I hope this isn’t the harbinger of things to come this summer.

(Stamey Cove gets “its green on!”)

After doing my final stats for the month last night, I was not feeling good about my riding during May…

CROSS COUNTRY STAN IS ON THE ROAD!

Check out the new page added to Great Smokies Zeke’s 2-Wheeled Adventures! We’ve definitely gone beyond the Great Smoky Mountains for this coverage. Our friend Stan Rathbone, nicknamed by me as Cross Country Stan  due to his proclivity to ride across countries, is now headed east from Banff National Park. he is following up last year’s successful ride across the southern route from San Diego to St. Augustine. Cross Country will be dropping some images on me from time to time for reposting for his friends to follow his adventure this year! You can find the link at the top of this page!

Happy Memorial Day to all!

- Zeke

ON BECOMING A SELF-PROCLAIMED “FASHIONISTA”

The recent couple of week’s worth of Bike to Work readings and writings got me to thinking about my own “fashion” choices when riding. I certainly have gravitated to the spandex/brightly colored arena over the past 3 years. Based upon the type of riding I do, that made sense. Now, however…

FIRST BIKE TO WORK DAY RIDE ROLLS TO SUCCESS!

The first ever, to my knowledge, Bike to Work Day Ride came off without a hitch this morning in my hometown of Waynesville, NC. I managed to pull myself from bed earlier than my typical 7:00 a.m. in order to be at the starting point to greet participants…

(Waynesville Alderman LeRoy Roberson meets some powerful women!)

 

AHHHH! I’M BLEEDING–CYCLING THAT IS…

Whew, the past few days have me feeling that if you cut me right now, nothing but cycling “stuff” would flow out of my veins! Our activities surrounding Bike To Work Week and just our usual weekly activities have kept me on the run.

(A cute tandem of smiling sisters!)

The Navigator and I were pleased to be able to participate in the Viet Nam Veteran’s 2011 Bike Rodeo this past Saturday. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. First there was…

BIKE WEEK PLANNING AND NEW COLUMN IN PRINT

The preparation for Bike Week is continuing on my end. Running down the loose ends and “nuts and bolts” stuff for the Ride to Work Day ride has been fairly time consuming. I’m pleased that we have secured sponsorship for the ride…

RAMPS, BROKEN CHAINS, AND OTHER NICETIES OF LIFE!

Aarrggh! It seems like forever since I’ve posted anything here. The days have been jammed full of other activities and, to be quite frank, I’ve not felt like writing when I finally made it home. I’ve managed to keep up somewhat with my reading on a daily basis and have enjoyed Kent “Mountain Turtle” Peterson’s month long “30 days of Biking.” I’ve also enjoyed watching my colleague and friend Jack, the VeloHobo, begin his partial commute to work each day. Jack and I work for the same company although the geographic area that separates us is a couple of hours away. I still recall the day that I discovered that this guy I worked with turned out to be the VeloHobo…

WHO? ME? A COLUMNIST?

Ah, the smell of ink, the roar of the presses, the fever of the deadline – my return to the printed media reached fruition today. I grew up in the newspaper business. I mean I REALLY grew up around newspapers being published. I have pictures going back to age 6 or so when I would go to work with my dad, who was a long time employee of the Mountaineer. I was a fixture around the place running in and out of the press room and ad composition areas…

GETTING HIGH ON EASTER!

Easter Sunday was gorgeous here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The day dawned clear and warm with promises of almost summer like temps in the valley. I was pleased to be able to join up with Cross Country Stan for an afternoon climb…

WOW! IS IT FRIDAY ALREADY?

Friday got here quickly this week, which is probably a measure of how busy the Navigator and I have been since returning from South Carolina last weekend.  Catching up at work, weekly meetings and activities got us to the end of the work week – except I haven’t managed to get the Navigator to quit working yet…

SUN SETS ON ANOTHER LOW COUNTRY TRIP

The sun has again set on another trip to the Low Country of S.C.  The Navigator and I are back home and back to work digging out from the pile of duties that built up during our absence from work. The week long excursion to Folly was a fine gastronomical event with a smattering of cycling included.

(Pretty memories of this year’s Folly Beach excursion are all that remain…)

DONE IN BY “THE DUDE” AND OTHER SHORT STORIES FROM THE LOW COUNTRY…

The Navigator and I continue our week long sojourn to the Low Country of South Carolina with our close friends. The weather early in the week was less than hoped for being mostly cool and blustery. Sunshine was intermittent. However, we’ve been blessed with two extremely nice days in a row now.

(Looking west across the marshlands of Folly Beach)

Tuesday’s intermittent sun gave way to a solo ride around the island enjoying the “back side” of Folly. Away from the beach side, some beautiful homes have outstanding views of the teeming life of the marshland…

GREETINGS FROM THE LOW COUNTRY OF S.C.

The Navigator and I have arrived and settled into the daily grind of being on vacation. I know – it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it… An uneventful ride down I-26 on Saturday brought us to The Edge of America as Folly Beach is known. The trip down was notable for me for two reasons…

CYCLING BLOOMING LIKE IT IS SPRING!

All around me, cycling “stuff” seems to be popping out of the ground just like the spring flowers now making their presence known. Seems as if everywhere I turn, some item related to cycling is making itself known. And, well, that is a …

A “SANDWICH” OF A RIDE!

Yesterday, March 29th,was tapped to be an excellent day wrapped between spring rains. It was to be the ham and cheese between the bread slices – the best and tastiest part of the week long sandwich of weather. It turned out to be exactly that as I departed my starting point at Bethel Middle School…

HAYWOOD FITNESS CHALLENGE A SUCCESS!

The 2011 version of the Haywood County Fitness Challenge got off to a wonderful start yesterday (March 22nd) with the 5:30 p.m. orientation held at the Waynesville Recreation Center Fitness Center. The orientation session introduced citizens to the many groups and agencies participating in this year’s 8 week event.

BicycleHaywoodNC, our local advocacy group, was there with bells and whistles on as we participated for the first time in this annual event…

(Jennifer Jacobson, BicycleHaywoodNC member, talks cycling with consumer!)

THOUGHTS FROM THE “CUBBY HOLE”

I’ve been in a “rideless” state recently. No, not as in no rides in North Carolina – just a “rideless” state of mind. I’ve let other things/priorities get in the way of riding. Only part of it was bad weather. It happens this time of year and usually has something to do with…

KICKING OFF THE WEEK!

It has been an interesting start to the week following an interesting weekend of weather swings. On Friday, the submission period closed at 5:00 p.m. for our first ever Haywood County NC Bike Plan Request for Proposals. Somewhat surprisingly on 4 packages were submitted. Given the economic condition of the country, we had expected several more. Nevertheless, I look forward to reading the four packages we did receive and then picking a “winner” to develop our plan…

LIONS’ BREATH ROARS INTO THE MOUNTAINS

 

(Winds were keeping this flag in full display!)

Spring-like weather has continued to be our norm this week as we negotiate from February into March. With unseasonably warm temps, the riding has been quite nice. I’ve been able to get out and about on my Fuji CCR3 and continue trying to work off some of the winter insulating layer of fat that somehow accumulated since late November. On Thursday, I had a unique and startling experience…

MAKE CAPITALISM WORK FOR YOU!

Well, here’s a cheery little subject that has been running around in my brain for a few days. It seems to be something that is festering in my overly stimulated, cell phone radio wave attacked neurotransmission system of biological messaging. To make matters worse, I’ve just finished reading Bobke II, the second epistle penned by Bob Roll. So, capitalism mashed up with Bob Roll philosophies, what can possibly come of that…

NC BIKE/PED SUMMIT HELD IN ASHEVILLE, NC

Today, February 23, 2011, I was pleased to attend one of the 5 sessions of the N.C. Bike/Ped Summit meetings held around our State. The Summit brought together advocates, business leaders, DOT officials, law enforcement personnel, and various planners to discuss and set goals and strategies for the Department of Transportation for the next 10 years in the State of North Carolina

(Getting to know you… before the start of the day’s session)

The event was held at the Buncombe County Commissioners’ offices in downtown Asheville. Getting there was interesting…

SIGNS OF THE PENDING SPRING SEASON

The unseasonably warm weather that has graciously been visiting the mountains of Western North Carolina has continued into the early part of the work week. I’ve been lucky enough to get in some road riding with both a small group and solo the last couple of days. While out and about, I’ve noted the early signs of the emerging spring season.

Of course, there are those that we all recognize such as the earliest bloomers making themselves known and the return of certain birds. Its about this time of year that the blue bird does his scouting for nests.

(This hearty fellow will soon be looking for a house…)

It is often hard to tell which birds are the harbingers of spring anymore as we seem to have more birds wintering over than happened in my youth. So, we must look to the tried and true signs of spring to know that the season is nearly upon us. One such sign is this…

SMACK DAB INTO A TRAINING RIDE!

We have been blessed, spoiled, ruined by a surge of warm spring –like weather here in the mountain of Western North Carolina. This period has been going on almost a week now. Sunny skies and mid 50’s to lower 60’s weather for daytime temperatures. Most of my cycling buds have been taking full advantage of it by getting out and about on the local roads. My plans yesterday (Wednesday, February 16th) were to carpool to work with the Navigator and then get a good ride home post work. While at lunch, I ran into Wolfpen Andy, who was itching to ride and indicated he would join me…

RIDING IN TWO SEASONS

Today, Sunday February 13th, was the good weather day that yesterday was supposed to have been. A spring-like weekend had been forecast for our area and everyone was all abuzz talking about it on Friday while we waited for the last of the cold air to move on out. A low pressure system moving in from the southwest was supposed to be bringing in temps in the upper 50’s yesterday under blue skies. Well, the blue skies were abundant but my thermometer seemed to hover in the low 40’s. Still, there was hope for today and that hope was well rewarded with today’s great weather. It was riding time…

(Beautiful skies behind Zeke’s Fuji CCR3)

A WINTER PROJECT BECOMES A REALITY

The Haywood Bicycle plan received a nice write up in a local paper on Wednesday, February 9th. The Smoky Mountain News highlighted the effort to bring a formal bicycle plan to our local community. Link to the article by CLICKING HERE!

 

We are very blessed to live in Haywood County, which contains 14 mountain peaks exceeding 6,000 feet in elevation. This one county has more tall peaks within in our considerable border than anywhere else east of the Mississippi. It makes for some outstanding riding with some great climbs. I’ve written about many of them over the past 3 years and most of my climbs are fairly well documents on MapMyRide. The lack of winter riding has left me with plenty of time for thinking and one of those thoughts has now evolved into a project…

NEWS OF HOPE ON MULTIPLE FRONTS!

Zeke the Lab update: Thanks to those folks, who have been kind enough to send words of support and comfort based on yesterday’s post. It is very much appreciated. More hopeful news occurred last evening when our Vet called and said that she could see that the Barium was moving through his system and that had given her reason to be more optimistic. She called back again this morning and reported that she had run more X-Rays late last night and the Barium had reached his colon indicating to her there was not a physical blockage and certainly lends the situation to a more positive outcome. She further reports this morning that his lethargy was gone and he was rehydrated. Looks like the “Old Man” will get to come home tomorrow barring some unforeseen circumstance arising… Again thanks to those who voiced their support and concern!

 

Now to some cycling notes: Today dawned ugly and cold with a light frost on

WAITING FOR THE PHONE TO RING…

 

(Zeke – enjoying the sun at his favorite campsite.)

If you knew me personally or even spent some time near me, you would know that I am generally not regarded as a man of few words. Suffice it to say that my reputation is that I’m rarely at a loss for words. Sometimes, they are on target and others, regrettably, go far astray of their intended points. My siblings and I have lost both of our parents to cancer and, even at those times, I found that words had not abandoned me. The last time I recall begin truly unable to speak was at my wedding 28 years ago. Today is not such a day as I find myself…

HOW COULD I NOT? RIDE THAT IS!

January 2011 is sure going out on a lot milder note than when the calendar turned another page on another year 30 days ago. Today’s (January 30th) blue skies and mid-60’s temperatures were not meant to be enjoyed from inside a house or other abode. No excuses, no reasoning could justify not riding today…

(Fields along NC 110 are still enjoying  a winter’s slumber)

Of course, my first ride of the year had a small “burp” that could have led to chucking the whole idea of riding….

No, Not That Kind of Bark!

I made the mistake of reading this entry and linking over to the recipes at Backpacking Chef and now I'm very hungry because the all sound so darned delicious. Bring on that Sweet Potato/Apple Crunch Bark - Oak, Pine, Poplar not included...

in reference to: Eat Bark on Your Next Bike Tour! « The Velo Hobo (view on Google Sidewiki)

NEXT LEVEL OF READERSHIP ACCOMPLISHED!

A new level of readership for Great Smokies Zeke’s 2 Wheeled Adventures was reached on Sunday, January 23, 2011 when the 20,000th page view occurred.

A POTPOURRI OF MID-WINTER CYCLING THOUGHTS

The past week cycling activities resulted in some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that my mileage count for 2011 continues to hover at the ZERO mark. Yes, that is ZERO as in a Big Goose Egg as in the number indicating nothing, as in Nada. But, hey, there is good news and it is….

WAITING OUT THE WHITE STUFF…

This past week has been mostly characterized by putting on and taking off winter boots, shoveling snow for exercise, and wearing sunglasses inside to reduce glare! While the main roads to and from town and the interstates have been cleared nicely, the Navigator and I continue to rely upon 4 wheel drive to get up to and down from our home…

(Lingering snow from last week’s storm…)

LATEST WINTER STORM COMES CALLING!

Just as predicted, the latest winter storm rolled into Western North Carolina sometime after midnight on 01/10/2011 and provided us with yet another white scene to enjoy with our morning coffee. The forecasters had been warning us of this storm and were really hyping the pending action on last night’s news shows. I must say, they hit the “nail on the head” this time…

(The Navigator’s Holiday flag stands out against the white backdrop!)

MOTHER NATURE LAYS ON ANOTHER WHITE BLANKET!

Our latest round of wintry weather started on Friday morning with light flurries, which escalated into a fairly heavy snow by mid-day. Sitting in our Rotary meeting and looking out across the surrounding mountains made for a very pretty winter scene. The temperatures were holding right around 34 degrees so there was no accumulation occurring on the roads and walkways.

(On the way to pick up Sherry Shazam for supper…)

Having accepted the likelihood that I wouldn’t be riding for the next 7 or so days, I loaded up my bike and took it to my LBS, Rolls Rite Bicycle, in Waynesville. It seemed like a good time to get a good tune-up and review done…

WINTER MALAISE SETTING IN…

I need to ride. I can feel it in my bones. My mood has headed south and I don’t mean toward sunny Florida. One of my summer riding buddies wrote me from Florida the other day and said the Navigator should bring me down to the warm beaches and let me get in some sunshine filled rides. I would but…

GorillaPod Latches On to Most Anything

I hvaen't tried attaching my GorillaPod to a slow moving farm animal but I have tried lots of other sites and extensions in order to get that just right image. The VeloHobo does a nice review of this interesting little tripod...

in reference to:

"With the GorillaPod, any fence post, tree limb or slow moving farm animal can become a platform for shooting photos."
- GorillaPod Review « The Velo Hobo (view on Google Sidewiki)