It sure has been a little while since I have written anything.
I am not biking as much due to the weather starting to get colder (today is an exception - 45 degrees at 5:30AM) and the sun is not around as much. I am trying to bike to work as many days as possible. During the month of October I finished with 92 miles. That number is down 13 from last year but half my mileage in 2008 was from riding an exercise bike.
Everyday I bike saves a little bit of gas and time getting to work in the morning. I am able to ride right to the front door of the library with out having to locate a parking spot.
Biking in and around Moscow, plus other things that randomly seem to make sense to me.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Pullman, Football, and Back
Rode to Philip's football game in Martin Stadium in Pullman yesterday. I do not know how hard the wind was blowing but it was pretty blustery. I expected Piglet and Pooh to go bouncing by at any moment.
The trail to Pullman is pretty nice but the scenery leaves a lot to be desired. I really enjoy the ride to Troy over the one to Pullman.
The games where running about 30-40 minutes late so we ended up watching the end of one game and another full game. The game is comprised of two 26-28 minutes halves with a 2-3 minute half time.
I got to watch Philip's game from the sidelines while working the down marker. It was a very interesting vantage point. They lost the game 20-0 but I think Philip still had fun.
The ride home was a quick one. The wind was at my back and it sure made going home a lot easier.
The trail to Pullman is pretty nice but the scenery leaves a lot to be desired. I really enjoy the ride to Troy over the one to Pullman.
The games where running about 30-40 minutes late so we ended up watching the end of one game and another full game. The game is comprised of two 26-28 minutes halves with a 2-3 minute half time.
I got to watch Philip's game from the sidelines while working the down marker. It was a very interesting vantage point. They lost the game 20-0 but I think Philip still had fun.
The ride home was a quick one. The wind was at my back and it sure made going home a lot easier.
Monday, September 7, 2009
MS150 Ride – Day 2: Bridge Trolls
There had been a light rain during the night. Clouds hung in the sky with a hint of rain still in them. Steve and I were undeterred in our quest to ride that day. We got dressed and headed off to Camp Pinewood for breakfast and the start of the second day of the ride. We went in to get our breakfast only to find a couple of bowls of oatmeal awaiting some attention. We pondered the bowls for a moment and somebody else grabbed them. I guess breakfast was not to be for us that morning. Being the resourceful people we are we would just have to forage for food along the route. I of course realized that I had forgotten my Leatherman, so skinning something would be difficult. Then I remembered that there would be rest stops along the way that had snack stuff and water.
We got on our bikes and headed to the starting area for the ride. We listened to some last minute instructions about some dangers along the route. We then got into the main pack for the start and headed off down the road past the cemetery. We headed on out to Highway 55 to get to Elo Road (used to be called Farm to Market Road). Steve had already gone out ahead of me. We approached the first hill that wanted to make us regret doing this ride. It failed in the attempt to persuade us to give up and go home. I got caught in a slow moving group but finally made it to the top. The other side of the hill was a chance to get going a little fast. The next hill came up and tried to do the same thing to me. At no time did I think of being back at the house in bed. The hill fell at my wheels and I conquered it with a vengeance.
After making it to the top I knew that it was pretty much level ground the rest of the way to Tamarack. I made my way towards the first rest stop at Jug Mountain. I saw Steve coming down the road out of the rest area and he told me that it was not setup yet. I turned around and hit some gravel and laid my bike down. I got the bike back up and noticed that I did not scratch my knee up even though it did hit the pavement. I caught up with Steve. We rode together the rest of the way to Tamarack. Several places during the ride added some interesting points to the conversation. There was the road construction in Donnelly that made the road a little impassable for road bikes with all the gravel that was laid down. We stopped at the rest stop in Donnelly to get our “breakfast” to eat along the way.
There is a metal grated bridge over a part of the reservoir that they put somebody at to tell you for the riders to go down the left side. I can tell you that with the wide tires I have it really doesn’t make a difference. This time however it was locking of brakes time as the guy practically wandered out in front of us to tell us to go down the left side. I was thinking about just running him over but the brakes on the bike worked the way they should. We went around him and continued on our way.
We finally made it out to the turnaround point of the ride. We grabbed a few more things to snack on and started on the way back. Steve and I rode together all the way to Donnelly and a few miles beyond before I fell back and just let him go. It is nice to ride alone for me since it gives me time to think about different things. I do enjoy riding with people but there are times when it is nice to just have free moments.
As I approached the old Finnish Church I felt a bug on the back of my knee and shook it off. After it flew away I felt a little sting in the area where it had been. I stopped for a moment to look at it and noticed a spot where it stung me at. I went ahead and got back on the bike. It hurt but I was not going to let it stop me from getting to the Jug Mountain rest area. I was going to have somebody there look at it just to make sure that it was all right. I made it to the rest area just fine and one of the volunteers checked it out and saw that there was no stinger in it.
The rest of the ride into McCall and to the area where the lunch was being held was pretty nice. Steve was at the lunch waiting for me. He had already eaten but waited around for me to devour the pulled pork sandwich (without the bun), coleslaw, beans, brownie, and Fat Tire beer. Oh, boy did that taste good. This was a well earned lunch after the 50 mile plus ride.
I will be doing this again next year for sure.
Thanks go out to everyone that supported me on this ride. Your generosity really helps to further the assistance and research that goes on.
We got on our bikes and headed to the starting area for the ride. We listened to some last minute instructions about some dangers along the route. We then got into the main pack for the start and headed off down the road past the cemetery. We headed on out to Highway 55 to get to Elo Road (used to be called Farm to Market Road). Steve had already gone out ahead of me. We approached the first hill that wanted to make us regret doing this ride. It failed in the attempt to persuade us to give up and go home. I got caught in a slow moving group but finally made it to the top. The other side of the hill was a chance to get going a little fast. The next hill came up and tried to do the same thing to me. At no time did I think of being back at the house in bed. The hill fell at my wheels and I conquered it with a vengeance.
After making it to the top I knew that it was pretty much level ground the rest of the way to Tamarack. I made my way towards the first rest stop at Jug Mountain. I saw Steve coming down the road out of the rest area and he told me that it was not setup yet. I turned around and hit some gravel and laid my bike down. I got the bike back up and noticed that I did not scratch my knee up even though it did hit the pavement. I caught up with Steve. We rode together the rest of the way to Tamarack. Several places during the ride added some interesting points to the conversation. There was the road construction in Donnelly that made the road a little impassable for road bikes with all the gravel that was laid down. We stopped at the rest stop in Donnelly to get our “breakfast” to eat along the way.
There is a metal grated bridge over a part of the reservoir that they put somebody at to tell you for the riders to go down the left side. I can tell you that with the wide tires I have it really doesn’t make a difference. This time however it was locking of brakes time as the guy practically wandered out in front of us to tell us to go down the left side. I was thinking about just running him over but the brakes on the bike worked the way they should. We went around him and continued on our way.
We finally made it out to the turnaround point of the ride. We grabbed a few more things to snack on and started on the way back. Steve and I rode together all the way to Donnelly and a few miles beyond before I fell back and just let him go. It is nice to ride alone for me since it gives me time to think about different things. I do enjoy riding with people but there are times when it is nice to just have free moments.
As I approached the old Finnish Church I felt a bug on the back of my knee and shook it off. After it flew away I felt a little sting in the area where it had been. I stopped for a moment to look at it and noticed a spot where it stung me at. I went ahead and got back on the bike. It hurt but I was not going to let it stop me from getting to the Jug Mountain rest area. I was going to have somebody there look at it just to make sure that it was all right. I made it to the rest area just fine and one of the volunteers checked it out and saw that there was no stinger in it.
The rest of the ride into McCall and to the area where the lunch was being held was pretty nice. Steve was at the lunch waiting for me. He had already eaten but waited around for me to devour the pulled pork sandwich (without the bun), coleslaw, beans, brownie, and Fat Tire beer. Oh, boy did that taste good. This was a well earned lunch after the 50 mile plus ride.
I will be doing this again next year for sure.
Thanks go out to everyone that supported me on this ride. Your generosity really helps to further the assistance and research that goes on.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Accident on the corner
Car vs. bike, not the thing you want to see when you go see what all the flashing lights are about. Run a stop sign on a bike without looking and it is accident time. One that I hope to never see again. The young biker was talking so everything seemed okay. The driver was visibly shaken and there looked to be two young kids in the back seat.
There is a law in Idaho that allows bikers to yield at stop signs. This makes it easier for them to go through an intersection if it is clear. The problem is some don't even make an effort to slow down, they just keep up their speed even if a car is coming. Naturally assuming that the car will stop for them. However, it is the biker who should be stopping.
There is a law in Idaho that allows bikers to yield at stop signs. This makes it easier for them to go through an intersection if it is clear. The problem is some don't even make an effort to slow down, they just keep up their speed even if a car is coming. Naturally assuming that the car will stop for them. However, it is the biker who should be stopping.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
MS150 Ride - Day 1: No Deer Left Behind
Prelude to a ride:
Friday was spent waiting for Philip's football practice to get done so that we could leave for McCall. We had everything ready to go. All that we needed to do was get the bike on the carrier (thanks Geoffrey) and head out to my mom and dad's house. It was going to be a late night and an early morning.
Day of the ride:
Got up the next morning after a mildly peaceful nights rest ready to go. I quickly got the Idaho Vandal jersey on with my tight biking shorts. Since the weather was warmer this year I did not put on the socks that I cup up last year to wear on my elbows and knees. Only thing left to do was fill up water bottles and head out. Steve (my brother-in-law) and I rode the short distance from my mom and dad's to the start of the ride at Camp Pinewood. I got signed in and we had a nice little breakfast. After breakfast we waited around for my sister Deb to come over with Philip and Victoria. We got our bikes as it started getting closer to 9:00. The team that Steve rode with was the second group to go so I was able to tag along with him and start out earlier. We headed out from the start past the high school and down to the main highway. We road towards and turned onto Warren Wagon Road. I have ridden on this road many times when riding around the lake in the past. I would not be able to do that this day since there was an ascent that needed to be done. As we progressed along the route I realized that I was traveling a lot faster than I had the year before. I felt great and and the bike felt great (thanks to Paradise Creek Bicycles for the wonderful fix up job). The pack started to thin out as some sprinted forward (Steve was one of these) and others fell back. I kind of stayed in the middle and followed two guys with Primal Wear skeleton jerseys on. We went past the 10 mile rest stop. They moved out ahead of me as we wondered along the road. I finally caught up to Steve when I got to the 20 mile rest stop. Got something to munch on here and then headed out with Steve towards the summit. Steve again decided that he wanted to race somebody so he took of up the hill. I remembered last year when I just accepted this and tried diligently to see if I could keep up. I failed at keeping up but that was quite alright with me, however I was reminded of something Rachel always says to me, "Dad you fail at failing". She is a funny duck sometimes. I finally made it to the summit and started the speedy trek (34mph) down the other side. Finally made it to the Burgdorf "Y" and got somemore somethings to eat. This year they did not have a packed lunch up here so it was get something and get back on the bike type of stop. Steve and I started out again to head back to McCall. 30 miles had tried to defeat me but it failed miserably.
Steve again wanted to catch somebody that passed us so he rode out ahead as we headed back towards the summit. I again did not mind as I wanted to see all the people that came towards me. There was one that really made me think about things. I thought, was that his IQ he was showing me as he passed by (yes, he did flip me off and yes, it was a 2C license plate). I thought, oh, well.
It felt great to get to the summit because I knew that it was a downhill trip from here. This is where I began thinking of deer. Deer that jump in the way of unknowing and unsuspecting bikers. I was lucky this time as no deer decided they wanted to have me smack into their side. The deer that I nearly hit last year must have warned all the others about the crazy person on a bike. I ended up making it to the 40 mile (20 mile) rest stop unscathed after reaching speeds over 38 MPH. I never really thought about what would happen if I had a blowout but I am glad I didn't because I probably wouldn't have dared trying it. I caught up with Steve again at the rest stop. I grabbed something quickly here and we were off again down towards McCall. Steve stuck around for awhile and then started cruising again. I marveled at how neat the area looked as I went by the Upper Payette Lake.
The ride from the lake to McCall was very relaxing. I kind of set into a grove and kept a pretty good pace. The after race lunch was being served at the McCall Brewery so I decided to ride to my mom and dad's house to grab some money for a beer. The meal was free but the beer wasn't. Oh, well. When I arrived at the brewery I wandered in to find Steve. We drank and ate and then headed to the house.
That evening we went to Camp Pinewood for dinner and presentations. We ended up getting dinner and a massage. The dinner was lasagna and the massage was wonderful. I really can't stress how wonderful the massage felt. We ended up heading back to the house after the massage and relaxed that evening.
While waiting for the massage I met a lady with MS that had volunteered to help out with the ride. We talked for a while as she shared about living with this disease. It is really hard to put into words how I felt after talking to her other then that I was renewed in my effort to help out.
After the massage that was so wonderful we went back to the house and rested for the next day.
Friday was spent waiting for Philip's football practice to get done so that we could leave for McCall. We had everything ready to go. All that we needed to do was get the bike on the carrier (thanks Geoffrey) and head out to my mom and dad's house. It was going to be a late night and an early morning.
Day of the ride:
Got up the next morning after a mildly peaceful nights rest ready to go. I quickly got the Idaho Vandal jersey on with my tight biking shorts. Since the weather was warmer this year I did not put on the socks that I cup up last year to wear on my elbows and knees. Only thing left to do was fill up water bottles and head out. Steve (my brother-in-law) and I rode the short distance from my mom and dad's to the start of the ride at Camp Pinewood. I got signed in and we had a nice little breakfast. After breakfast we waited around for my sister Deb to come over with Philip and Victoria. We got our bikes as it started getting closer to 9:00. The team that Steve rode with was the second group to go so I was able to tag along with him and start out earlier. We headed out from the start past the high school and down to the main highway. We road towards and turned onto Warren Wagon Road. I have ridden on this road many times when riding around the lake in the past. I would not be able to do that this day since there was an ascent that needed to be done. As we progressed along the route I realized that I was traveling a lot faster than I had the year before. I felt great and and the bike felt great (thanks to Paradise Creek Bicycles for the wonderful fix up job). The pack started to thin out as some sprinted forward (Steve was one of these) and others fell back. I kind of stayed in the middle and followed two guys with Primal Wear skeleton jerseys on. We went past the 10 mile rest stop. They moved out ahead of me as we wondered along the road. I finally caught up to Steve when I got to the 20 mile rest stop. Got something to munch on here and then headed out with Steve towards the summit. Steve again decided that he wanted to race somebody so he took of up the hill. I remembered last year when I just accepted this and tried diligently to see if I could keep up. I failed at keeping up but that was quite alright with me, however I was reminded of something Rachel always says to me, "Dad you fail at failing". She is a funny duck sometimes. I finally made it to the summit and started the speedy trek (34mph) down the other side. Finally made it to the Burgdorf "Y" and got somemore somethings to eat. This year they did not have a packed lunch up here so it was get something and get back on the bike type of stop. Steve and I started out again to head back to McCall. 30 miles had tried to defeat me but it failed miserably.
Steve again wanted to catch somebody that passed us so he rode out ahead as we headed back towards the summit. I again did not mind as I wanted to see all the people that came towards me. There was one that really made me think about things. I thought, was that his IQ he was showing me as he passed by (yes, he did flip me off and yes, it was a 2C license plate). I thought, oh, well.
It felt great to get to the summit because I knew that it was a downhill trip from here. This is where I began thinking of deer. Deer that jump in the way of unknowing and unsuspecting bikers. I was lucky this time as no deer decided they wanted to have me smack into their side. The deer that I nearly hit last year must have warned all the others about the crazy person on a bike. I ended up making it to the 40 mile (20 mile) rest stop unscathed after reaching speeds over 38 MPH. I never really thought about what would happen if I had a blowout but I am glad I didn't because I probably wouldn't have dared trying it. I caught up with Steve again at the rest stop. I grabbed something quickly here and we were off again down towards McCall. Steve stuck around for awhile and then started cruising again. I marveled at how neat the area looked as I went by the Upper Payette Lake.
The ride from the lake to McCall was very relaxing. I kind of set into a grove and kept a pretty good pace. The after race lunch was being served at the McCall Brewery so I decided to ride to my mom and dad's house to grab some money for a beer. The meal was free but the beer wasn't. Oh, well. When I arrived at the brewery I wandered in to find Steve. We drank and ate and then headed to the house.
That evening we went to Camp Pinewood for dinner and presentations. We ended up getting dinner and a massage. The dinner was lasagna and the massage was wonderful. I really can't stress how wonderful the massage felt. We ended up heading back to the house after the massage and relaxed that evening.
While waiting for the massage I met a lady with MS that had volunteered to help out with the ride. We talked for a while as she shared about living with this disease. It is really hard to put into words how I felt after talking to her other then that I was renewed in my effort to help out.
After the massage that was so wonderful we went back to the house and rested for the next day.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday Evening Ride
Thank you so much Paradise Creek Bicycles for getting my bike running like a champ. It made the ride to Troy so much more enjoyable. I left the house at about 4:50 and headed to the trail. Saw a few other bikers along the way.
As I came upon the intersection with the transfer station road I noticed a young couple having some interesting difficulties on the trail. I decided to let them keep going with their difficulties as I don't think I could have helped very well.
There were quite a few grasshoppers on the trail. Some of them decided that they did not want my tires to hit them so they hopped out of the way. Others, however, decided that the tires looked really cool and wanted to get a closer look. Some of them even wanted to see what the spokes where all about and bounced off of them.
The chipmunks along the way kept their distance from the rotating grasshopper killers.
I arrived in Troy at about 5:30 and noticed that the reader board by the ball field said that the temperature was 96 degrees. I thought it was warm but did not realize that it was that warm. Thank goodness for two bottles of water.
The ride back to Moscow was filled with lots of little bugs flying right directly at me. Annoying is the word that I can think of only because it sums up the whole situation. I covered 26 miles an hour and a half. Not bad for eating 6 pieces of pizza earlier in the day. All in all it was a very good ride.
As I came upon the intersection with the transfer station road I noticed a young couple having some interesting difficulties on the trail. I decided to let them keep going with their difficulties as I don't think I could have helped very well.
There were quite a few grasshoppers on the trail. Some of them decided that they did not want my tires to hit them so they hopped out of the way. Others, however, decided that the tires looked really cool and wanted to get a closer look. Some of them even wanted to see what the spokes where all about and bounced off of them.
The chipmunks along the way kept their distance from the rotating grasshopper killers.
I arrived in Troy at about 5:30 and noticed that the reader board by the ball field said that the temperature was 96 degrees. I thought it was warm but did not realize that it was that warm. Thank goodness for two bottles of water.
The ride back to Moscow was filled with lots of little bugs flying right directly at me. Annoying is the word that I can think of only because it sums up the whole situation. I covered 26 miles an hour and a half. Not bad for eating 6 pieces of pizza earlier in the day. All in all it was a very good ride.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tuesday and Thursday Mornings
On Tuesday and Thursday mornings I have been going out with a few of my neighbors to ride at 5:30 in the morning. They are training for the Palouse Sprint Triathlon. We usually try to do 9 or more miles. The rides have been pretty good and it is nice to have someone to ride with. This morning started out no different then the rest. However, my back tire started rubbing the frame and I realized that I had not tightened down the quick release skewer. I stopped and turned it over to straighten it out. This was not the last of the bike problems. At the turn around point I realized that I could not shift my rear derailleur out of high gear. Come to find out that the cable had broken in the shifter. Now to get it in to get it fixed before next Friday so that I will be ready for the MS150 ride on Saturday and Sunday.
Thanks to Lauren, Ben and Eric for riding with me over these past few weeks.
Thanks to Lauren, Ben and Eric for riding with me over these past few weeks.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Harrison to Plummer and Back
Wow! What a great ride. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is sweet.
Six of us left Moscow at about 6:00AM to head to Harrison, Idaho to get on this neat trail. Some slept on the way up. Must have been that early morning wake up call.
We started the ride at the boat docks at about 8:30. Very cool morning. Didn't know if the rain was going to come back or not. Wouldn't have mattered to us. We were so ready for this ride that it could have snowed and we would have done it.
It took us over 2 hours to complete the 32.2 mile round trip ride. We did a six hundred foot ascent on the way to Plummer. It was about 5 miles going up at a 3% grade. The ride down was fast and fun.
Fr. Vogel took some very good pictures of the ride.
Six of us left Moscow at about 6:00AM to head to Harrison, Idaho to get on this neat trail. Some slept on the way up. Must have been that early morning wake up call.
We started the ride at the boat docks at about 8:30. Very cool morning. Didn't know if the rain was going to come back or not. Wouldn't have mattered to us. We were so ready for this ride that it could have snowed and we would have done it.
It took us over 2 hours to complete the 32.2 mile round trip ride. We did a six hundred foot ascent on the way to Plummer. It was about 5 miles going up at a 3% grade. The ride down was fast and fun.
Fr. Vogel took some very good pictures of the ride.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Troy Day on the Bike
Got up early this morning and biked to Troy and back. Temperature was not to bad at 7 this morning. Did start getting warm at 9. I like this ride more then the ride to Pullman since there are more trees along the way and more things to see. About three miles outside of Troy there is a spot where it gets about 5-8 degrees cooler. It never gets cooler when you ride to Pullman.
On the way back home I felt that I could do another 4 or 5 miles so I rode over to campus and rode up past the Kibbie Dome back down to the trail I usually come to work on. Total mileage was 31.4 miles with a total time of about 2 hours.
Am really looking forward to the coming weekend since I will be riding with a bunch of others on part of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes (Harrison to Plummer back to Harrison).
On the way back home I felt that I could do another 4 or 5 miles so I rode over to campus and rode up past the Kibbie Dome back down to the trail I usually come to work on. Total mileage was 31.4 miles with a total time of about 2 hours.
Am really looking forward to the coming weekend since I will be riding with a bunch of others on part of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes (Harrison to Plummer back to Harrison).
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July and Bike Description
July is almost done and I have done just a little over 200 miles for the month. 21 days of biking for about 9.5 miles each of those days. Not bad for mostly going to and from work. There are a couple of days in there where I rode over 20 miles in one trip. I know that August will have a higher total mileage then July. The main ride will be the MS150 ride plus a few other 20+ rides.
I have a 1992 Giant Rincon mountain bike. It is pretty much the same as when I bought it. The only change that has been made is a Scott curved handle bar. I mostly ride with a Burley hard shell bike trailer on the back. This past week has been spent hauling an extra 40 pounds of weight in the trailer. I have a laptop case with several free weight plates inside.
I have a 1992 Giant Rincon mountain bike. It is pretty much the same as when I bought it. The only change that has been made is a Scott curved handle bar. I mostly ride with a Burley hard shell bike trailer on the back. This past week has been spent hauling an extra 40 pounds of weight in the trailer. I have a laptop case with several free weight plates inside.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Glasses
Nice day to ride the bike to go pickup new glasses in Pullman. Started out at 7:40 after dropping all of my work stuff off at the library. The Chipman trail between Moscow and Pullman is pretty smooth and has a gradual slope. Had a slight wind at my back as I headed down the trail. Made it to Pullman by the optometrist in 48 minutes from home (12 miles). The ride back to Moscow felt like it was slower since I was going into the wind. The bike trailer acts like a little parachute. I did make it back to work after another 48 minutes (9 miles). Just a little slower then the first leg of the trip.
The heat was really starting to come down when I was about 3 miles away from getting to Moscow. I was kind of glad that I had to stop at WalMart to pick up a tube for Philip's bike. It will be good to get his bike fixed so that we can ride to campus tomorrow.
The MS-150 ride is exactly a month away and I am getting so ready to do it. I just hope the deer are ready for me this year because I am ready for them. :)
The heat was really starting to come down when I was about 3 miles away from getting to Moscow. I was kind of glad that I had to stop at WalMart to pick up a tube for Philip's bike. It will be good to get his bike fixed so that we can ride to campus tomorrow.
The MS-150 ride is exactly a month away and I am getting so ready to do it. I just hope the deer are ready for me this year because I am ready for them. :)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Weekend
What a great weekend. It all started on Friday morning. Fr. Vogel and I biked to Troy starting a little after 7:00 in the morning. We did a total of 26 miles. We arrived back at my house at about 9:00.
Victoria, Philip and I went on a geocaching excursion in the afternoon. We went with some of our neighbors that are really into geocaching. We found 5 out of 7 that we looked for. Would like to go back out and find the 2 that we were unable to find.
That evening we had everyone over for dinner and played some card games while the kids played Rock Band. It was fun listening to the kids as they sang to the music. We did have to go in every so often to add to the voices.
Saturday morning was made up of playing several games of tennis at the annual 4th of July tennis extravaganza. It was a pretty warm morning and the tennis was very good. Worked up quite an appetite that was filled with plenty of food at the neighborhood picnic. Table tennis and more card games rounded out the evening.
Sunday was pretty relaxing other then going to the in-laws for dinner.
Victoria, Philip and I went on a geocaching excursion in the afternoon. We went with some of our neighbors that are really into geocaching. We found 5 out of 7 that we looked for. Would like to go back out and find the 2 that we were unable to find.
That evening we had everyone over for dinner and played some card games while the kids played Rock Band. It was fun listening to the kids as they sang to the music. We did have to go in every so often to add to the voices.
Saturday morning was made up of playing several games of tennis at the annual 4th of July tennis extravaganza. It was a pretty warm morning and the tennis was very good. Worked up quite an appetite that was filled with plenty of food at the neighborhood picnic. Table tennis and more card games rounded out the evening.
Sunday was pretty relaxing other then going to the in-laws for dinner.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Mileage
Over the past year (July 2008 to the end of June 2009) I have ridden almost 1080 miles on my bike. The most I rode in one month was in August and that was 260 miles. 110 miles of that was during the MS150 in McCall.
All the biking has been a good thing for me. I must say that just getting outside and doing some activity is going to be good.
This Friday morning I will be biking to Troy. I will have a special guest on this trip by the name of Fr. Caleb Vogel. Fr. Vogel is the new priest at St. Auggies in Moscow. This is an introductory tour to show him one of the trails. The next time it will be the ride to Pullman.
All the biking has been a good thing for me. I must say that just getting outside and doing some activity is going to be good.
This Friday morning I will be biking to Troy. I will have a special guest on this trip by the name of Fr. Caleb Vogel. Fr. Vogel is the new priest at St. Auggies in Moscow. This is an introductory tour to show him one of the trails. The next time it will be the ride to Pullman.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Getting Prepared
Another summer is here and along with it comes more biking. I am currently getting prepared for the Bike MS 150 in McCall. Last years ride was very nice and inspirational for me.
So far this month I have made a 26 mile ride from my house to Troy and back. That trail is truly amazing now that they finished the bridge and paved the rest of the trail.
This years MS 150 ride follows the same routes as last years ride. Day one makes a nice ascent to a place called the Burgdorf "Y" about 30 miles north of McCall. This was the most scenic part of the ride last year.
The second day will follow a route south of McCall that leads to the main entrance to the Tamarack Resort.
I have a page on the National MS site for donating to this worthwhile cause. If you would like to donate please go here.
So far this month I have made a 26 mile ride from my house to Troy and back. That trail is truly amazing now that they finished the bridge and paved the rest of the trail.
This years MS 150 ride follows the same routes as last years ride. Day one makes a nice ascent to a place called the Burgdorf "Y" about 30 miles north of McCall. This was the most scenic part of the ride last year.
The second day will follow a route south of McCall that leads to the main entrance to the Tamarack Resort.
I have a page on the National MS site for donating to this worthwhile cause. If you would like to donate please go here.
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