Has Anyone Seen Spring?

It’s been a while since I posted. Several squeaky wheels have had my attention and, unfortunately, cycling wasn’t one of the louder ones. We’ve finally experienced winter again here in Western North Carolina after several years of only hearing about snow.

(The storm beginning as I was enjoying an echo stress test at WNC Cardiology)

This year we had a return to the snow of old. You know, the ones where we walked to school every day in knee deep snow just like our forefathers did. Of course, we’ve had nothing like the mid-west and north east have endured and I don’t count Atlanta’s little ice skating party as anything other than poor planning. I’m ready for spring to finally get sprung or whatever spring does. Yesterday’s 60 degree weather was a cruel joke leading up to today’s return to freezing temps with possible snow flurries.

COLD? WHO ME? NAH!

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…

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)

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…

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…

THE FAMILY THAT CYCLES TOGETHER…

April 29, 1944 From the daily diary kept by S.Sgt. G.C. Watts, while stationed in Italy during WWII… “Work on 2 props – Most of  day. Plane on landing gets n prop wash and crashes into another P38. Go up in flames. I photo it..”

Blackberry Winter has apparently now come and gone and we’re back to summer like temperatures here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It has been quite a weather roller coaster the last week with severe storms interrupting our most recent Thursday night ride.

(l – r Tom, Ashley, Yvette Hart make riding a family matter!)

Our Thursday night “new and newly returning” cyclists group rides have gone well thus far…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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….

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…

DID YOU HEAR THE BIG “KERPLUNK”?

No, that big KERPLUNK you heard wasn’t The 9” plus of white stuff that fell at our home over Christmas Day and the next couple of days. That particular falling frozen precipitation was actually nicely quiet and served to soften most of the normal outdoor sounds. No, the KERPLUNK wasn’t the sound of crashing systems and power lines. Even though it was a bigger snow for our area than we’ve received in the last few “global warming” years, we didn’t lose power at all and stayed nice and toasty while we sat on the couch and watched the horses playing in the field across from us as we had our morning coffee. And no, the KERPLUNK you heard was neither the Navigator nor myself falling and busting our butts as we slipped and slid on our icy deck…

(Photo of growing icicle by Nick “Il Plummer” Nicholson)

In fact, that BIG KERPLUNK you heard was…

THE MONTH IS SLIPPING BY…

Wasn’t it just yesterday that November was ending? It seems like it to me. I appear to have looked up and discovered that we are only 4 shopping days away from Christmas and less than 36 hours from the days beginning to get longer! While my various email inboxes have been filled with offers from every known retailer in the world, I’ve been very pleased to hear from old friends of recent and remote vintage via snail mail and their cards of seasonal cheer …