So the National Weather Service is forecasting the coldest temperatures in decades for the mountains of Western North Carolina. So the temperatures have been on a downward trajectory since before we got up this morning. It’s my birthday and I really, really wanted to be able to say I rode on my birthday…
(Note new GoPro Hero 3+ camera – gift from the Navigator)
Well, let me tell you…
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?
| The Low Country 2012 – Days 1 and 2 |
The 2012 Low Country Rest and Relaxation tour has come to an end. So apparently did my writing time… We’ve been back five days now and this is the first break I’ve had to sit down and post the wrap up…
| The Low Country 2012 – Days 1 and 2 |
Day four of our Low Country 2012 Rest and Recharge week entailed the Woodman and I heading off island for some riding and exploring in nearby…
The Navigator and I , along with the Woodman and Sherry Shazam, are well into Day two of our 2012 rest and recharge week on beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC. HHI is a 2012 recipient of the League of American Bicyclists Silver Award winning community…
Our 2012 journey was pleasantly devoid of…
The 2012 Blue Ridge Breakaway has rolled to a close. The signs are collected and, in the case of Russ Roca and Laura Crawford of The Path Less Pedaled, the wheels are up! As I type Russ and Laura should be winging their way home to Portland.
(Laura Crawford and Russ Roca entertain the Blue Ridge Breakaway participants!)
We said our goodbyes at the Greenville/Spartanburg, SC jetport after a brief stop…
| April 14, 1944 From the daily diary kept by S.Sgt. G.C. Watts, while stationed in Italy during WWII… “Lecture on Mosquito control. We are starting taking medicine tomorrow. Dark nites now good for invasion. Beautiful days too.” |
Our first intermediate level ride of the year was held this morning. The Navigator and I enjoyed our first cups of morning coffee as the sun made its way over Mount Pisgah displaying clear skies. The morning temperatures reflected our current warming trend as they hovered in the upper 40’s. It looked to be a great morning for a ride!
(What is missing from this photo? Answer below…)
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
(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…
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…
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…
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….
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http://www.give.appstate.edu/.
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