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 …

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).

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…

Hilton Head Island 2012–Recharge Days 1 and 2

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…

I GOT DEM HOUSE BUILDING BLUES!

I’ve been a little crazy lately characterized by bad eating, bad sleeping, and no riding. I can pretty much talk with you coherently about 24” base cabinets, 3 1/2” crown molding, and the proper length of a tail line for a septic system. I’m no longer as up-to-date in the world of cycling as I was and want to be. In fact, I had a dream…

BACK AT IT AGAIN…

When last I heard from myself, the Navigator and I were headed out with the Wood-man and Sherry Shazam for a little battery recharging at nearby Lake Chatuge, which straddles the southwestern North Carolina border with Georgia. Our abode was in Hiawassee on the Georgia side of the lake one street off what passes for the main drag and shopping zone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Twin Mountains on opposite shore)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Red sky at night was a relaxing way to end the day)

The brief two day trip served its purpose of giving us a break in our efforts to get one house ready for sale and the Navigator’s family home…

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…

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT COMING!

Yep, a very exciting announcement is on the horizon. I can say that it is connected to the third Annual Blue Ridge Breakaway. I can say that it relates to cycling advocacy and cycling tourism. I can say that it involves speakers of national and now international renown.

What I can’t say – just yet – is………

EMERGING FROM THE FUNK…

February 29, 1944 From the daily diary kept by S.Sgt. G.C. Watts, while stationed in Italy during WWII… “Yes, there was an entry for Feb 29th, 1944, which must have also been a leap year! Work with 94 squadron (Harkin-Ring) until noon. A mission so I come back to our squadron area. White wash all walls of barn and everyone is painting their rooms up “American” .”

 

It seems like forever since I’ve posted and, in fact, this may well be the longest time I’ve gone without a post since starting this blog some 3 years ago. I’ve found myself in a funk recently – a funk that I can relate to “too many irons in the fire”, a dying pet, housing decisions to make, wet weather, etc., etc., etc. All of which are just excuses for not getting out and riding and finding…

HIGHER GAS PRICES LEADING TO NEW CYCLISTS?

February 17, 1944 From the daily diary kept by S.Sgt. G.C. Watts, while stationed in Italy during WWII… “Beautiful day – Red line instruments in P-38 # 13 that had been replaced after being shot out. Plane ready to fly again. 5 planes are almost finished by 94th Squadron..”

We look to have a nice day headed our way this Friday, February 17th but expecting deteriorating conditions by Saturday evening. I’m hoping to get in a ride tomorrow morning to further document part of our Haywood Hub for cue sheet production.

In the meantime, I’m beginning (I think) to see the impact of higher gas prices…

A WEEK IN REVIEW…

January 22, 1944 From the daily diary kept by S.Sgt. G.C. Watts, while stationed in Naples, Italy during WWII… “Dug fox holes for shelter from strafing planes. Went to Foggi for belley tanks for P38 – P-38 leave with 2-1000 lb. bombs each…”

Our unseasonably warm, wet winter continues. As other parts of the country are getting hammered by heavy snows, winds, and frozen temperatures, we’re experiencing almost spring like temps with lots of rain. According to my weather station, we’ve already received 2.10” of rain this month.

I’ve noted a few cyclists out and about but, by and large, most cyclists seem to have retreated indoors or are riding at times when I’m not out and about to see them...

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…

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…

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…

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…