Reveling the Path

Morning frost.

There is a quote from "Reveal the Path" that has been rambling around my head a lot lately about why time seems to pass so quickly when out riding. It roughly goes something like:

"Time is something we use to measure the passing of life. This bit here, this is living life."

 

When I woke up this morning, that quote was stuck on repeat in my head, motivating me to get outside. After cooking some fresh farm eggs and coffee, I grabbed my bike and headed out to start my day. I use my bike to get around the farm because it's the best vehicle and, being my land, I don't have to follow any rules other than those laid down by physics. Allowing me to ride where ever I feel like riding. Every where except where physics likes to play hardball.

First off was the farm chores.  Releasing the hens, putting the horses out, cleaning the stalls, and hay and water duties. JD always accompanies me for the barn chores, but today we had a special guest.

This little bundle of terrier showed up at the farm last night. H. checked with all of our neighbors but none of them are missing any dogs. We're trying to find her owner, but rather than taking her to the pound, we're letting her hang out at the farm. She's definitely an inside dog and loves to follow along. Hopefully she'll find her way back to her people soon.

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 I wonder what JD and Nugget are talking about.

After the chores, I had a few errands to run in town. I try to not drive on my days off, especially when I don't have to, so I rode. The last few rides I've done have been without the use of performance enhancing clothing and I must say it's been rejuvenating. I don't know why, but it's been fun not dressing up in Lycra for a ride. The colder weather has enabled the ability to ride further without special needs clothing and it's been an unexpected treat. Everything from singletrack to pumptrack to urban riding to commuting.

I discovered new places to ride on my trek into town.

Just riding, no planning. It's been refreshing. It's not that I'm burned out, I'm not. I'm just not able to find the motivation to go out and just ride a 30-40 mile loop as "training" right now. I'll go out and ride 30-40 miles but it's just to enjoy the ride and explore. Kinda like when we were kids. I'm really enjoying just enjoying being out riding for nothing other than for the ride.

Then it was time to cut loose with the hounds. We raced around the trails until the sun began to set, and then we gathered up some cedar to test out the new fire pit. As the sun went down, the temperature did as well, but the cedar burned hot and bright while the hot tea warmed us from the inside. All without performance enhancing clothing or the use of a clock.

The Lost Sideshow Featuring The Mad One

This weekend was the USGP Derby Cup race in Louisville as well as the Swank 65 over in Brevard. Two races I would love to have been able to participate in. Swank was out but the boss did offer Saturday off for the Derby Cup, but I declined due to needing to save money for all our recent water repairs and having just gotten back from a long trip, I wasn't keen on spending another 9 hours in a car this weekend.

Despite missing out on racing, we managed to make the best of it around town. Some sticker fun at work, an idea germinating for some Brepic Brah time 2013 racing adventures, some more footage taken, inspiration watched, and some random hooliganism thrown in for good measure. I'd say it was a good week.

Saturday morning really started the weekend off right. Patrico and I got in an abbreviated adventure breakfast ride in with Rob and new to adventuring Jeff before heading off to work.  I wish we'd had another hour to have ridden. I also wish I'd worn a helmet. Not so much because I got hurt (I didn't) the propensity was just there and I didn't get to complete the rocky downhill / stairs challenge. Next time.

Post work we headed off for our 5pm lunch and then hopped on our bikes to explore the city. What started off as just a fun jaunt around downtown turned into an 18 mile night time Civil War History adventure ride. Creepy.

We decided to hit up Kimbros Pickin' Parlor for a beverage before heading home. That is until we discovered a friend in the audience and the word that the main band for the night was pretty damn good. It was a Doors cover band and they really lived up to the hype. Several beverages and many hours later it was back on the bike and heading for the homestead.

Sunday started nice and lazily. Chores were done first, then a short ride with the pups, followed up with several new sections of singletrack cleared for the December short track series. Finished off with some raking. Lots and lots of damn raking. Stupid leaves.

We managed to squeeze in another 8 miles of riding before the sun sat for the night, leaving Sunday to finish off like it started, lazily. Here's to a night on the couch with beer and pizza, my friends. Cheers.

Bring Out Your Dead ( I'm not dead yet)

Beach ride. Photo Cred: H.

Dicky has proselytized the death of the cycling blog.  Reasons given included "turning to Twitter and Facebook looking for quick tidbits of information as opposed to grandiose story telling." That got me to thinking. Life's current situation has me limited on the amount and timing of days off, so big grandiose races and events are highly rare for me.

JD the water dog playing in the surf. Photo Cred: H.

I was able to make 'great adventure' for a week in the Spring with a trip to Colorado and Kansas that included 2 races and lots of riding. Then I got 3 days when my cousin passed away. And just finished 4 days off for H.'s beach ride. Not a lot of interesting cycling adventures there.

One of my lucky numbers adorns my thru axle.

Tringlespeed. Run whichever you brung.

I did have to completely overhaul the bearings in my rear hub after the beach adventure. So that feels like I did something bike adventure-like.  I've also set up the MX RSL as a tringlespeed (15t for commuting, 16t for cross, and 19t for trail) to better accommodate my weekly needs without having to carry extra tools around. Just a 5mm to adjust the sliders. Again, not very notable or newsworthy. Maybe he's right.

Happy to be home and back to our morning adventures.

But then I realized it's not that I don't have stories to tell nor do I lack the desire to write them, I lack the time (and the lack of drive to find time) to write. Tuesdays and Sundays are my days off and are typically filled with chores, local races, or shop events. The rest are filled by work and topped off with early morning rides with the pups, commuting, evening rides of either mileage or just stress releasing urban adventuring, and barn/farm chores. I may not travel a lot, race new and exotic races, but it's never boring.

Why did the chicken cross the ditch?

Like today for example. The 25+ year old poly hose that is our current water line has busted/failed several expensive times on us this year. Typically the day or so before we are to leave town. $7000 to replace the entire line from road to barn. Ouch.

Monster McConnell and JD during hot laps at the Simms'.

Luckily I have great friends. While out enjoying bikes and friends one Saturday night at the Simms' household, I mentioned it to Jim. That led to a few phone calls from them and a visit from Leslie's (Jim's better half) Dad. He could do the job for a 1/3 of what we were quoted and shortly thereafter we had running water at the house again after a week of having limited usage.

So Charles was out finishing running the line from the house to the barn. I was hauling off the large flat stones unearthed from the digging to use in the back. And H. was working horses. The dogs of course, were gallivanting  around and playing in the water.

I had just finished laying the stones when I got the bright idea to use some of our remaining gravel pile to fill in the cobbles to make it safe for horses as well as bikes. That's when I did it. I sank the tractor into the swamp without realizing it. Damn you tunnel vision.

Thankfully Charles was still around with his backhoe and was able to get the tractor out. I'm pretty sure I'll be grounded for a while for this one. At least I'll have a solid line through the swamp come wet season. Even if I can't drive the tractor for a month.

H. putting the finishing touches on the cobble bridge.

There are grandiose-esque things in the works though such as several planned local bikepacking and S24O bike camping adventures coming up. The next installment of the Godfather Gravel Ride as well as a long term film project Patrico and I are working on. Getting back to video has been fun. That's where I got my start back in and after college and it's been refreshing falling back into more creative outlets. So, in the interim, updates will probably be sparse, but the adventures won't be. But for poor lil' Dicky's sake, I'll try harder to update more frequently.

Contour Roaming

In an effort for beach entertainment, I've been attempting to get creative with the locations of mounts possible for my ContourROAM v1. So far my favorite is underneath Ian attached to his girth. Watching the video at normal speed is nauseating, but at half-speed it's pretty cool. Especially the part below where he jumps a wave as it comes crashing into the beach.

JD and I found a quiet, horse-free spot during one of our rides. 

On point.

On fetch.

Wishing for fatter tires.

Beach Bummed

At the beach for the wife's annual beach ride. The hoof kind. This is the first year that I have been able to come along. It's not my favorite, the beach, but I've come prepared to attempt to make the most of it. No promises.

Hundreds of horses rule the beach during the daylight hours. But late at night, when the tide is low, the Moots come out to play.  We'll see how well the 29'er handles the beach tonight on my overnight journey.

The water dogs are making the most of the beach too. However, they aren't too keen on the water being able to hit back. So far they prefer rivers, lakes, and creeks to the wave crashing ocean, but there is still time.