My Final Excuse for 2013

Today I offer up my final excuse, err, accounting of the year as to why I’m not riding my bicycle as much as I’d like. I could blame it on the weather, you know, days and days of unending rain followed by cold, cold temperatures. How cold was it, you say?

A MAN OF A CERTAIN AGE…

 

(A teaser of things to come…)

I must admit that I’ve been challenged this year to find the motivation to ride and to write. It seems I have let life’s distractions get in the way despite my early season promises to self to be more attentive to my riding schedule. With the exception of the month of April, I just haven’t been faithful to myself or my mini-stable of bikes.. The lack of riding has led to a lack of writing as well and it has been a struggle at times to come up with something new or something …

A Sharrow Here, A Sharrow There!

My hometown of Waynesville, NC continues on the move toward increased bicycle friendliness as the first Sharrow was placed along Commerce Street today in the Frog Level section of town. (Yes, I said Frog Level!)

(The first Sharrow in Waynesville!)

Commerce Street and Richland Streets are the first to get the lane markings…

UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF THE BUZZARD

Monday, September 23rd, was a beautiful fall day here in downtown Buzzard’s Roost. The temperature at 2:30 p.m. was hovering around 71 degrees and there was low humidity. The sky was blue and the clouds could have starred in any TV commercial for clothes detergent.

(A brilliant fall day on top of Newfound Road)

After having dealt with the death of our dear Labrador Retriever, Orla, …

LOW COUNTRY TRIP ENDS ON SAD NOTE

The Navigator and I are back home in the glory of our mountains as fall begins to make itself known here in beautiful Buzzard’s Roost, just outside of Canton, NC. The leaves are showing the first signs of color as some yellows and a few reds are emerging.

Our trip to the Low Country was, on the balance, another successful adventure. I managed to ride more miles last week than I’ve ridden since the 30 in 30 attempt in April. It felt good to be able to get out each day and power myself around on my Salsa Fargo.

Unfortunately, our trip ended on a sad and now final note for us…

THE GOOD TIMES STILL ROLLING ALONG!

As day five of our 2013 annual retreat to Hilton Head Island continues, the Wood-Man and I continue to enjoy the riding opportunities in this League of American Bicyclists Silver level town.

(The bike path along William Hilton Parkway)

On Wednesday, the four of us took the opportunity to ride…

GREETINGS FROM THE LOW COUNTRY!

The Navigator, Wood-Man, Sherry Shazam , and I are making what has become our annual Rest, Ride, and Recharge (RR&R) trip to Hilton Head Island in the Low Country of South Carolina. A League of American Bicyclists 2011 Silver award winner, HHI provides lots of opportunities to get out and about on two wheels.

(Approaching Spencer Beach, a private community on HHI)

The Wood-Man and I had a nice 16 mile cruise yesterday to shake out the legs and make room for some grilled steaks purchased at the Fresh Market here on the island. I suppose I should have made that Rest, Ride, Recharge, and Eat (RRR&E).

Whew… It Is Done!

A year’s worth of planning and implementation came to an end Saturday evening around 6:30 p.m. The last rider on the Century route of the 4th Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway made it home after some 10 hours and 20 minutes in the saddle. With that finish, the books began closing on another successful…

RAIN OR SHINE!

Rain or shine or both… that is the question for this Saturday’s (August 17th) 4th Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway. As most everyone in America knows, the southeast has been pummeled with rain this summer resulting in record setting amounts of rainfall. These rainfalls have quite frequently been heavy with resultant flash floods such as the one that hit the Martin’s Creek area of Fines Creek earlier this week. All of this has resulted in damage to roads and deposits of debris on the travel surfaces. Thanks to Division 14 DOT employees, we are…

(Ray’s Weather Center forecast for downtown Waynesville this weekend)

HERE WE GO!

It is 10 days and counting until the 4th Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway on August 17th at beautiful Lake Junaluska in Western North Carolina. Our planning processes are ramping up for the final few days leading into another exciting event.

Planning for this event began at the end of the day of last year’s event, so it isn’t a stretch to say…

A Meeting Here, A Meeting There

…every where a meeting. My cycling time has been consumed with cycling related meetings since last Friday. I think I’ve attended 3 such meetings in almost as many days. When I wasn’t meeting, I was emailing and/or talking about meetings.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY…

Aaarrrgh! How do the people in the northwest stand it? I seem to have skin, often referred to as “web”,  growing between my toes. I watch”The Killing” on TV and get depressed because of the all the rain depicted in that show. Having the wettest summer on record here is just wearing me down.

(Ever had one of these summers?)

To make matters worse, the best of the few days of riding have been…

HE’S ALIVE!

Yes, to paraphrase the movie line “He’s Alive!” It surprises me how time moves so swiftly as I get older. It doesn’t seem like 60+ days since my last post. There have been times that I wanted to sit down and write but found myself waking up from a nap wondering where the time went.

(Prepping for water transport to the garden)

What surely must be the longest move in history has dominated…

So Far, So Good!

My 30 Days of Biking in April continues to progress with my commitment to riding something some distance every day still intact. We’ve been blessed with some great spring weather this week and that has made it easy to get out and about on 2 wheels!

(A Beaverdam silo against the green grass of spring backdrop)

One of my new routes takes me by some pretty agricultural land including…

COULD IT BE? IT IS REAL?

I’m currently enjoying the view off the deck of my “new to me” home and wondering if spring really did arrive in the mountains of Western North Carolina on April 6th. We had yet another mild winter thanks to global warming (Yes, Virginia, it really does exist!) but then March definitely roared in like…

(Approach to the last short ascent to my new home)

 

WHAT A BUNCH OF TURKEYS…

In our “new to me” old home, the Navigator and I are still acquainting ourselves with the road habits and mores of the neighborhood. In the last couple of days, we’ve been getting some early morning visits from our new neighbors. Fortunately, they are quiet when they go on their early morning walk…

Cycling Advocates: Have You Seen It?

 

That’s right, You! the cycling advocate. Have you seen the new on-line tool to assist you in being a more effective advocate for building cycling infrastructure and developing cyclo-tourism? No, not yet, well, check it out…

My Muse Moves On To Greener Pastures…

 

Yount’s Great Smoky Mountains Zeke

July 31, 1999 – February 14, 2013

The Navigator and I lost Zeke today. It seems like yesterday when he was 8 weeks old and we were bringing him home for the first time. Riding up I-40 sitting in Kathy’s lap – a little bundle of brown fur and puppy breath. His lifespan would see him grow into a handsome representative of his breed and he would teach me lessons about instinct, unbridled energies, and patience that I would not have learned had he not been in my life. He was the consummate camper – never barking but always greeting fellow campers with a wagging tail. He met the world with mouth wide open and ready for whatever was to come his way next. His life cycle would also see the inevitable physical deterioration that reduced our wild abandoned runs to walks of short duration that ended with moisture escaping from my eyes as I remembered what was and knew only to well what was to come.  Despite the failings of his rear legs that would no longer carry him in a straight line, Zeke was alert to the end as he lay his head in our laps for some final strokes of love as our Veterinarian gently ushered him on to his next journey.

RIP MY FRIEND…

Time Flies

It is true. Time really does fly by without realizing how much has passed you by. I was surprised to see that the date of my last post was in November. I’ve gone the entire 2012 holiday season without writing. I do have my excuses reasons. I could blame it on the weather…

(The storm that wasn’t…)

…or I could blame it on…