Doors Close, Doors Open

Break out the hammer and WD-40. Time to chip away the rust on this frozen blog and portion of my brain that allegedly enjoys writing. Listen closely and you can hear the cracking and groaning across the Internet, last post nearly a year ago. Life is busy, morphs and moves on.

After a series of misadventures, I find myself unemployed after 15 years with same company. Considering I wasn't exactly digging the last year or so, probably a good thing in the long run. Interviews and poking at possible jobs in progress, looking forward to something new. Having a few weeks off to clear the brain also not a bad result of this opportunity, though loss of income certainly a concern. Hopefully, something cool on the horizon.

On the bike front, been getting out sporadically on the 29er. At times solo, other times with my 16 year old son, the former semi-serious racer. Me on the now 5 year old bargain Sette hardtail that still works for old school me. With 80mm of fork travel and 72 degree head angle, outdated compared to modern trail oriented bikes currently on the market. Feel free to snicker at the 120mm stem and bar ends while you're at it. Son Ian piloting the Santa Cruz Bronson we picked up last summer, great bike and worth considering if you're so inclined.

To finish off this post on a cool note, pictured is a friend of my son with the vintage '97 Specialized FSR he purchased off us a few months ago. I picked it up from coworker pal quite awhile ago, thinking someone on my former junior high mountain bike team would be interested. That never happened and the bike collected dust in the garage.

After loaning the bike a few times to my son's pal to share rides, his dad came over and bought it for him. It's since been used almost daily, with occasional visits to the Stevens Pass mountain bike park. The kid is digging riding and that's all that really matters.

It doesn't matter what you ride, just ride.

Back in Action - We Ride Again

Even though the ol' blog has been under radio silence for the last few months, there's been a bit of good ol' bicycle activity percolating in the background.  My favorite riding pal - that be my 15 year old son Ian - mentioned some interest in riding again.  This after a year or so of barely riding at all, following many years of riding and racing.  Cool, no pressure - let's get you set up equipment wise once again.

I should mention he's had a crazy growth spurt over the last two years and now stands around 6' 2" tall.  That meant new everything - bike, shoes, shorts - the whole enchilada.  My previous trick of moving parts over to ever larger frames ain't gonna cut it.  Time for something new. To give you some perspective on the recent growth curve, he was racing a 52 cm 'cross bike in 2012.  Welcome to Crazy Town, I'll be your Tour Guide.

On top of the garage full of old Bikes 'N' Parts being too small, he wanted to try full suspension after only experiencing hardtails and 'cross bikes.  Fair enough. The search began with much bike shop cruising and test riding.  Kudos to many Seattle area shops we visited and talked with over the phone, all of 'em super friendly and customer service oriented.  I wanted to buy a bike from a few different shops, just because they treated us right.  Bike shop folks are cool folks, but you already knew that.

Mixed in with this was the 27.5 verses 29er debate.  After numerous test rides, Ian not fully digging the 29er wheels.  No problem, 27.5 it will be. 26" wheeled higher end mountain bikes now on the endangered species list.  And of course, the Trump family we're not, so budget constraints eliminating carbon frames and XTR dreams.

Long story short, Element Cycles scored us a killer deal on a Santa Cruz Bronson.  XL frame to now match his XL frame.  Aluminum model, mix of Shimano Deore and SLX to keep the cost down.  Nice Fox suspension still included.  Six inches of travel front and rear, VPP design for pedaling efficiency.  Cool bike and it rides fantastic.  Ian is psyched and digging it.  He's not the materialistic kid at all, so fun to watch him enjoying this.

Since we picked up the bike a few weeks ago, been hitting our local riding spots.  Saint Edward/Big Finn Hill and Paradise Valley a few times. Besides the occasional noodling around on my 'cross bike, also been a good excuse for me to ride more often.

Video above from recent after work ride, Ian demonstrating some new trail features in our local woods.  Photo below from the same ride.  Some quality Father 'N' Son time via two wheels.

I think we're now officially back in action, will hopefully crank up the blog reports along with it.  Thanks for reading...

Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen - Climbs O Plenty

I noticed the report on the 30th running of the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen via the Bicycle Times website today.  Posted video of the 2010 version, appears to be a local Pittsburg show reporting on it, cool viewing.  Pittsburgh has some mighty steep hills, some complete with cobblestones.  All around painful fun for all.

Interesting concept with this event, only the hills are timed/scored, so a few folks going for the win - while the general mob just attempting to survive.  Everyone riding for their own reason/satisfaction.  Fantastic.

Since I grew up in the New Jersey, I also enjoyed the look of the neighborhoods, trees, etc.  Brings me back to my east coast roots.  Would be cool to ride this event one day.

Meet The Team Ride - A Call to Roll

Saturday morning, we rolled out our "Meet The Team Ride", looking to round up local 7th - 12th graders for a trail ride and yapping session. Yapping involving spreading the word of our Northshore Composite team and the Evergreen Washington Student League.

We didn't do all that much advertising, usual Facebook announcement, along with a blurb in the Northshore school district emailed news gig.  A few folks emailed for additional info, but overall, not much buzz about it.  We didn't know if five folks or fifty would show on Saturday morning. Event scheduled for 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at our home stomping grounds, Saint Edward State Park.  Fellow league coaches Troy and Marne also signed on to assist.

I slept and left late, riding over to the park and arriving about 9:55 AM.  Few folks waiting at the parking lot.  By 10:15 or so, more folks gathering.  We wound up with 26 people for the ride.  Current student/teammates, new kids, some parents also along for the ride.  Fantastic!

After me blabbing for 15 minutes or so about the team and league, with some additional comments from Troy and Marne - a few questions answered - and off we all rode.  Quite the string of riders.  A cool sight indeed.

Social cruise along the trails of St Ed and Big Finn Hill parks, occasional stopping to regroup.  I rode sweep and chatted a bit with Oliver, 7th grader new to the area.  He's riding the downhill oriented bike, single chainring, large backpack full of who knows what.  He had to push up a few hills, but still seemed to have a good time.

Also towards the back, a father/son combo, in the parking lot by sheer coincidence while we signed folks on - now officially on our ride.  Son from the local high school.  Beginner mountain bikers, complete with toe straps 'n' clips hanging upside down, waiting to grab every trail obstacle.  Even so, they appeared to have a great time and mixed in with the crowd.

Towards the end of the ride, two high school seniors, dirt jumper types - pulled off a bit early - after a great conversation.  They're interested in trying cross country oriented riding/racing and promoting mountain biking at their school.  Very cool.

After about an hour of trail cruising, we're back at our starting spot, ending the ride with a slow race across one of the St Ed's green lawns.  Last one across the line wins, no dabs.  Foot down and you're out.  Matt, current teammate taking the win.  A bit of closing yapping, answering questions, handing out league pamphlets 'n' stickers, and we call it a day.  Photo above as proof, courtesy of coach Troy.

Overall, I'd call the ride a success and expect to see some of these kids on our team come spring...

Washington Student League - Cool Video

Short video on the mountain bike program I was involved with last spring, coaching and running a middle school team.  A great program to get 7th - 12th graders riding and racing bikes.

Take a peek and get some kids out there...

Washington Student League - Final Chapter for 2013

We now officially conclude our Washington Student League team - Northshore Middle School Composite - for the season.  Well, as of a few weeks ago, call me late to the blogging party.  The "Northshore Knobbies" now shelved until 2014.

We Rode 'N' Raced from March into June, it all went pretty well.  Good group of kids, parents, and adult volunteers.  

Before we pulled the plug, squeezed in a few more outings...

Trail work party on our home trails of Saint Edward - Big Finn Hill.  We had a great turnout, pic missing a few folks who also pitched in.  Pic and work party organization courtesy of Tom Fitzpatrick, who's very involved with keeping mountain bikers welcome on our local trails.  Tom also assisted us on team rides and his grandson was on the team.

Then another team outing to Duthie Hill mountain bike park.  This place always a hit with the kids, young and old...

Ian, that be my son, launches off a practice jump - while Jack watches from below.

Ian, Zane, and Steve hit the berms on Bootcamp - that even makes old school me feel like the flowmaster.  Steve is dad to Jack, and happens to own Recycled Cycles in Seattle.

Andy going with the flow.

Jack shows off his levitation skills.

Ian with a little pre-load jump action.

Dylan brought his DH bike to festivities and showed off his jumping skills.

Only place to go is up.  Old school XC me - no thanks...

Pacific Northwest trees and sunny skies.

Dylan hits the wall ride.

Finally, to cap off the season, team ride at Tiger Mountain.  Tiger is a local classic, 3+ mile steep dirt road climb - then miles of twisty, rooty, rocky, singletrack.  About 14 miles total, the real deal - including the new section at the very top - new school berms and rollers, mixing with existing rough XC trail.  All good fun and fun for all.  Followed by a team meal in Issaquah, nice way to end the season.

Crappy iPhone video of Andy and Ian hitting a section at Tiger.  Better then nothing...

And with that - we're done!  Quickly worded conclusion to it all.  I've never run anything like this before, so learned a lot.  I was extremely lucky and had some cool folks assist with team, couldn't have done this alone.  The kids seemed to enjoy it, they certainly got faster as the weeks progressed.  Parent comments were positive, so all around, think it went okay.

Adios 2013 season, see you in 2014...

Team Weekly Ride - Photo Proof

Yowza, the blog machine has slowed to a crawl due to other life distractions.  The usual stuff - like working for living, raising a family, and goofing around on Facebook instead of blogging.

My junior high mountain bike team activities are winding down, cool program to be involved with.  I'll spew out a few blog posts to get caught up, since my army of regular readers (ha!) are probably starved for entertainment by now...

As part of the program, we ran two practice rides per week, one on Wednesday and the second on Sunday - last one partnered with the high school team.  We usually had a good turn out for all the rides, anywhere from 3 to 10 kids showing up.

We'd keep these rides pretty informal, no real "race training", besides the occasional practice race start - which the kids usually got a kick out of - along with slow races, last one across the line without dabbing wins.  On some rides, we'd also session a log crossing or other feature for technical skills.

For the most part, we'd just ride for two hours and as the weeks progressed, would let various kids take turns being ride leader.  Super cool to see a string of ten or so young mountain bikers in front of you during a ride.  Most of the rides on our local Saint Edward - Big Finn Hill trails, long with a few road trips out to Duthie or Paradise to mix things up a bit.

A few pics I grabbed during one Wednesday ride on our local trails...

Dylan, downhill racer and bike handler whiz, playing XC rider.

Andy - who joined the program a few weeks in after hearing about it - gives the Gravity Pit a go.  He's probably the most enthusiastic kid of the bunch.  Since joining has attended every ride and race. At the races, did all the pre-rides, raced, and the rec ride afterwards.  His dad says he rides everyday after school.  Oh yeah, his dad also picked a up a new 29er and started riding a bit.  Spill over effect in action - awesome.

Andy, Jack, Matt, and Gabe living large.

My own son, Ian, enjoying the singletrack.  Ian's gung ho bike interest has tapered way off in the last year or so.  Considering he's been riding and racing since age 8, maybe a break needed.  I don't push any of this, is supposed to be fun.  If not fun, give it a rest.  As long as we continue to hit the occasional father/son fun ride, all good.  Racing is just icing on the cake.

Scotty rounds a corner.  New to mountain biking, picked it up quick, and even raced a few times.

Shawn, one of our adult volunteers, riding one of his own 650B frames.  Makes 'em in the garage - very cool.

Caleb over the roots.  Caleb's grandfather, Tom, also assists the team with rides and skill instruction.  A family affair on two wheels.

Sean in action.  Shy nice kid, his dad also rides.  Seemed hesitant to race at first, then tried it and did well.  Fantastic to see him cross the finish line and have a good time.

Zane on the go.  One of the smaller, quieter kids on the team.  Hides that fact he goes all out at races, gives it a real go with a sprint at the end.  Fantastic.

Marne, local woman racer and assistant coach to the team.  Also married to Shawn, total bike crazy couple.  I couldn't have run the team without 'em.  Thanks!

Zac, one of the high school team members, sharing a ride with the junior high kids.

Troy, the high school team coach and dad to Zane and Zac, hitting the singletrack.  Troy also helped plenty with junior high team.  Thanks!




So there you have it, a glimpse into a team practice ride.  Not all teammates pictured, but you  get the idea.  Part of what I dig about this program is that most of these kids have no prior racing experience, though most have mountain biked before.  Main intent was to just get 'em out there riding.

We've been riding and racing since March and all of 'em have gotten fitter and faster.  Very cool to witness.  They also forced me at times to squeeze riding into my stupid busy schedule - and for that I thank 'em.  

Coach 'R' Me - Team in Progress

Things a bit slow on the ol' blog front, been swamped at work and home.  So, life itself not exactly slow.  Actually a bit of overload, this earning a paycheck shtick a bit overrated.  I'll be your tour guide - please keep running on the treadmill - you'll eventually catch the carrot.

On a more enjoyable front...

My student league mountain bike team has ramped into full on operational mode.  Practice rides twice a week, with a few now in the books, all with good attendance. Quite the gaggle of junior high boys, as only teenage old boys can be.  Fun stuff.  Team continues to grow, now up to 14 kids - amazing.  Most of this via emails I've sent and word of mouth.  If we actually approached local schools and advertised a bit, think we'd be swamped and short on adults in no time.  There's definitely a demand for this type of program and/or people have no idea, then think it's a cool idea when discovered.

No way I could do this myself.  Local woman racer Marne acting as assistant coach, along with her husband Shawn.  I've also recruited some old school riding pals to the mix, including Tom - with his grandson now joining the team - fantastic.  We also partner with the high school team, and share adult resources.  One day a week, we have combo practice with the high school gang.  Big group ride for the first half, then let the fast high school kids loose for the second half.  Great seeing all these kids ride together.

Dragged out the little point 'n' shoot camera for one practice, complete with blurry photos as proof.  I'll eventually figure out how to carry the Nikon D7000, take pictures, coach, and ride all at once. Or maybe not...

I've discovered most 13-14 year boys attention span for pre-ride yapping by adults, to be about 30 seconds.  I've since included riding instruction mid-ride, which seems to work better.  Here we session some log roll overs, Tom providing guidance, while Zane gives it a go. 

My son Ian, who's ridden these trails a zillion times over the years, naps while hitting familiar logs.  With all his previous riding and racing experience, I let him lead some of the rides - a good experience for him.  And to not play favorites, also have other students lead.  Some of the kids seem timid to do so, others jump right in front.  Different personalities and riding experience at play.

All the kids ride really well and we put in a solid two hour ride, with stops for instruction and to regroup.  Now that I'm familiar with their individual riding skill and abilities, we let the faster kids jump ahead a bit and wait at the next trail intersection.  We'll also instruct and spot some of the less experience riders on technical sections.

One student walked the log section pictured above for a few practices, not quite ready for it.  No problem.  On the last practice ride, he didn't stop and rolled right over it.  I was leading and could hear him yell, "That's the first time I did that!"  Awesome.  Mixed in with this, some of the kids can preload and jump the logs already.  Need to keep both sides balanced and entertained.  A learning experience for me as well.

Tom giving some body positioning on the bike advice; Jack giving it a go, while teammates look on.  Tom also leads beginner mountain bike rides for the Evergreen Alliance.  Pretty cool to have him involved with the team, and a good lesson on how to spend your "retirement" years. 



So far, a few weeks into the program - seems to be going okay.  The kids appear to enjoy it, I'm learning plenty, and super appreciate the other adults involved - I'm super lucky to have 'em assist.  On the agenda, team pizza night at local bike shop, and first league race of the season. Yowza.

Much more hastily written posts and blurry photos to follow.  Stay tuned...

Sandy Ridge Trail System - Sandy, Oregon

I've been on vacation for a bit, so decided to hit the Mount Hood area for a few days with the family.  We've never visited that area of Oregon, so when the wife scored some killer online deal for a resort in the area, we packed up the race ready Toyota wagon for the four hour drive south. Of course, bikes loaded on roof rack, ready for new trails.  Away we roll.

Resort turned out to be on a golf course, nothing wrong with that, even if golf ain't my bag (Ha, get it?).  And yes, I've golfed a few times via work related shindigs, so I have tried it.  Different strokes for different folks (Ha, get it?).  We did score a few nice meals outside overlooking the golf course and mountains, so not too shabby, even if golf does nothing but remind me of Caddyshack.

Okay, enough talk about golf, this is supposed to be a bike blog, enjoyed by millions of viewers (Ha, get it?).  With shared family vacation festivities and short amount of time available, Ian and I had to pick a location for one afternoon of mountain bike adventure.  After some online cruising and visit to the local ranger station, decided on the Sandy Ridge Trail System, just a short drive from our very golf oriented hotel. Sandy Ridge being a "mountain bike park", we figured on some easy trails to buzz around on for a few hours.  The word 'Foofy" even came up thinking perhaps even a bit boring.  Oh, how wrong we were, in a really good way...

After parking at the very new looking trailhead, complete with paved lot and rest rooms, studied the trail map and headed out.  Even with this being a weekday afternoon, a few other riders in the lot as well.  Appears to be a popular place.  Discovered most of the trails are downhill oriented and require about a 4 mile pavement climb to the top.  Homestead Road is gated and closed to general traffic, so almost like a bike path, though we spotted a few government type trucks.  Not a bad climb though and a good warm up, as Ian demonstrates above.

Finally at the top, the entrance to the fun.  Info board, bike rack, and bench as proof.  Nice.  I should also mention it was sunny, clear, and about 63 degrees.  Perfect day.  We roll into our first trail labeled Three Thirty Eight Loop.  Fun, technical, rocky singletrack greets us.  Cool. Mostly downhill, then loops back with a slight climb.

Loads of sweeping berms in the park, along with technical trails.

Trails are well marked, basically impossible to get lost.

We linked the Three Thirty Eight Loop to Quid Pro Flow.  The top section sports some technical rocky sections, at least technical for XC types like Ian and I.  Then after that, Holy Crap Batman, what a fun trail.  Downhill, big roller jumps, linked banked turns and more singletrack frolicking.  Without even knowing what was ahead, Ian and I ended this trail laughing and smiling.  Fast 'N' Fun for sure.

We then rode Three Thirty Eight Loop again to link to Hide and Seek Trail, the longest trail in the park.  Man, another fun trail, 3.5 downhill miles of technical rocky singletrack, more sweeping berms, and smaller roller jumps.  Mega fun, even though I clipped my shoe against something solid at speed - probably a rock - bashing my pinkie toe big time.  I didn't even stop, just glanced down to see if my Sidi was ripped open - nope. Even a throbbing toe couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  Awesome trail.

Another section of the Hide and Seek Trail.  "Foofy" trails these are not.  We did hit the easy Laura's Loop before heading back to the parking lot. Easy cruise to end the ride.

Map of the trail system, you can trace the route we pulled off.  If I did it again, would have sampled Communication Breakdown into the mix.  If I had more time, would like to check all the trails eventually.  I think our total mileage for the day was around 15 miles, which doesn't sound like a lot, but with the climb and very technical terrain, not a bad gig at all.  Fantastic day of riding.

Huge kudos to the folks who put this park together, lots of work involved.  If you're from the Seattle area, think of a giant Duthie mixed with Tiger Mountain, to get an idea of what Sandy Ridge is like.  All the jumps can be rolled, so even old school XC types like me on a hardtail 29er with a whopping 80mm of fork travel can have a good time - though this kind of place even gets me thinking of long travel suspension, full face helmet and pads.

Ian (13 years old) is also a XC rider/racer on a 26" wheel hardtail, though he can now completely kick my ass on technical downhills.  I couldn't even keep him sight on this ride.  He rode really well, while I occasionally floundered like the 51 year old XC wannabe race geek that I am.  After the ride, two folks in the parking lot seemed surprised we hit the more difficult trails on our XC steeds.  Not a big deal and shows this park can be enjoyed by most mountain bikers.

Overall, this place gets two thumbs up.  I'd be sure to hit it again when in the area.  Big fun.  I didn't take many pics during the ride - didn't wanna stop!  Google search will get you plenty of pics and videos from other folks to give you a better idea.

On the way back to Golf Land, stopped at a local Mexican place for wild boar tacos, perfect ending for the day.  Chalk up another fantastic father/son mountain bike adventure for the memory banks.  Until next time...

Happy Birthday to Me

As of today, I'm now over half a century old - scary, eh?  51 years young and counting.  Pretty quiet birthday, especially compared to last year. This year celebrated by sleeping until 11:30 AM, followed by a breakfast/lunch at the local pancake house with the family.  Big pile of potato pancakes and side of bacon, thank you very much.  A round of miniature golf - daughter Amy digs that - to help the digestion (burp).

As the sun sets, a shared ride with son Ian, who requested a road ride - being Mr. Dirt - quite the rare event.  I think watching the Tour over the last few days has taken effect.  I dusted off his 'cross bike, not touched since 'cross season ended last December.  Being the rapidly growing (almost) 13 year old, the little Redline now too small for him.  I cranked the seatpost up as far as possible and slammed the saddle back on the rails.  Still about two inches too low, close enough for a quick cruise.  I also stole the old school Ritchey 28c tires from my RB-1 and swapped out the 'cross tires for something smoother.

We hit the Sammamish River Trail and headed towards Woodinville, Ian riding 17 - 21 mph with no problem, looking like a mini-pro.  Cool.  At one point, ran into Bill, one of the Old Guy Ride regulars, getting in some road miles.  Wished me a happy birthday and his age came up, being 61 years old.  Bikes are the fountain of youth, no doubt about that.  Bill mentioned recently doing a ride with a well riding 71 year old.  Awesome.

Ride done, about 20 miles total, head home to late dinner.  Wife Lori had the spread on the table ready, including chocolate cake for dessert.

Not a bad way to turn 51 - here's to many more years and rides...

Memorized Zen

Hit the local woods for a quick spin after work, official iPhone shot as photographic proof.  I'm a damn lucky boy to have fun singletrack ridable from the house.  Sure, I've been riding the same trails for 23 years now - though they've morphed and changed over time - but I'm still not sick of 'em.  Different seasons, fitness levels, direction traveled, various bikes, riding pals, solo cruising, and moods - make 'em new at times - over and over.

Some rides I hit completely stupid lines on purpose, or try to wheelie between corners.  Other rides I'm on auto-pilot, cruising memorized singletrack at speed while daydreaming, creating sort of a Zen experience.  Sometimes while falling asleep, I mentally cruise through my usual loop, as if riding.  Strange, eh?

Thousands of rides on these trails imprinted in my defective brain.  I'm a damn lucky boy.

Night Ride-O-Rama

Fun night ride tonight with Racer Boy Ian - only second nocturnal ride for him ever - and the first was quite awhile ago.  

Hour plus cruise through the woods, he did great.  Riding by headlight puts a whole new spin on the local trails.  Beautiful night to be outside and we didn't roll back into the garage until 11:15 PM.  Loopy or good parent am I?  You be the judge.

Blogger action has been a little lean lately, been swamped at work and home.  I've slowly ramped up my commuting to a whopping two days a week, partly due to a lingering cold and lower back issues.  My bike to work team however, still rules over all our company teams, thanks to a few other folks pulling my (lame) weight.  I'm crawling out of my winter slump daily.  Is it May already?

Night ride was also practice for something in the near future, that should provide some interesting blog fodder.  Stay tuned...

Welcome to Paradise

Racer Boy Ian and I took the short drive over to Paradise Valley for a little mountain bike action.  We hit this place last year and had a blast, with a vow to return.  Today was the day.  

Loaded up the race ready '94 Camry Wagon (envy of the neighborhood...) with bikes and gear and off we went:

The map to it all.  Place isn't all that big, but enough twisty fun singletrack to satisfy.  Met some nice guy in the parking lot, riding a sweet Ritchey 29er in single speed mode, and we all cruised together for awhile.  Why is it that so many cool nice folks, ride mountain bikes?  Must be a DNA thing.  I'll contact the institute for a little grant dough and we'll get to the bottom of this theory.

My trusty 29er rests against sign pole.  Too bad it can't read.  It can ride though and does that pretty damn well.  I've been using this rig for two years now, no complaints.  Felt great on the rooted out, muddy singletrack; which this place has in spades.  There's even a few wooden stunts to attempt, most of 'em pretty tame.  This park is really about XC fun and frolicking.

Ian balances small rocks on the giant, moss covered trail side boulder.  A fun diversion, complete with some Clif Bar chomping.  Another fantastic father/son day out, bicycles being the secret key to it all.

Ian in action, he kicked my ass today.  Was riding smoother and stronger then old bike geek dad, since I was dragging a bit.  Eventually all rides will revolve around keeping him in sight.  He gets older and stronger, while I get older and slower.  That's okay.  At 50+ years old, I ain't doing too bad.  I would guess in the general population of semi-old dudes, only a small percentage of 50 year olds are splashing through puddles on a mountain bike for 2 hours.  I'll take it.  I like not being normal.  Normal is highly overrated.  Trust me.

Fun ride with 2+ hours of cruising around.  We don't know these trails well, so some backtracking and doing a few sections twice (or more).  Wet and muddy, all singletrack, Roots-O-Plenty, tight turns and plenty of smiles.  Ian enjoyed hitting somewhere new for a change.  Me too.

Great place, we'll be back...

Spring has Sprung - Mountain Biking 'R' Us

Squeezed a few mountain bike rides in this week, including yesterday with pal Brian christening his spiffy new 29er.  Son Ian also joined in on the festivities.  Perfect day with sunny temps in the 60s, trails in great shape - with just a touch of mud to make things interesting - leaving actual proof of dirt fun on leg and bikes.

Cruised our local trails, St Edward State Park/Big Finn Hill Park, for the uh, zillionth time.  Doesn't matter, any trails ridable from the house are perfect in my book.  We're lucky to have this playground virtually in our backyard, a few hundred acres laced with singletrack.

Bikes lined up, after a quick post ride hose off, for official photo session.  We appear to be Team Sette, with all of our steeds sporting the same downtube sticker.  Brian was impressed with his ceremonial 29er dirt action.  I've been digging my 29er for two years now.  Ian's Sette frame that I recently built up is working great.  If you're looking for a great ride at a great price, Sette is pretty hard to beat.

This now concludes my Sette commercial, which wasn't my intent.  Intent is to just ride, whatever you're riding.  See you out there.