Mad Monday

 

Man what a great weekend, rode Saturday in beautiful weather, very windy though.  Sonny and I hit the road about 11am and had a great tail wind pushing us up the rode, the only problem with a tail wind is sooner or later you have to turn around.  You guessed it, now you are riding into a headwind, a very strong one at that.  But what the hell at least it was in the high 50's.

So while I was out, I had left Cody a job to do.  He is big enough now.  I knew he could handle it.  Did a good job too!  The swing-set is down, not out of the yard yet, but down.  That will be a trip to the dump this Saturday.  Glad I have kids that are good workers.

So that evening Cody decides it is time to fix the dirt bike.  The muffler needed rebuilt.  So I had the enjoyment that my dad must have loved.  He used to sit there and tell me how to do stuff, while he gave me directions.  Yep, I did the same thing.  I was teaching him how, by letting him do it himself.

Man what a dirty job, glad he got so dirty, not me. LOL. Yes he had to clean the carbon out of every one of those little holes.  Took him a long time but now he knows how to rebuild a muffler for a motorcycle.

So anyway that brings us to Sunday.  Cody decided he wanted to ride, so we loaded up and went to Beatty park, rode a few laps and had a good ride.  Cody has been hung up on his BMX bike lately so it has been a while since we have ridden together, so it was rather enjoyable.  Chase was home playing with neighbors and having fun so all was well.  Although Karen was starting to feel a little ill, it was a good weekend.

So now to MAD MONDAY.  A while back I was riding my road bike and had a car load of crappy kids decide it would be funny to throw a cup full of coke and ice at the cyclist who had his back to them.  While being rather mentally challenged they never though about the outcome of such actions.  After a little investigative work of my own, I found out who they were.  My first thought was to beat the crap out of them, Karen wasn't to happy with that idea, so I called the cops.  No honor among thieves, so they ratted out each other and I ended up in court this morning.

Mad Monday:  They only charged the kid who threw the cup.  The other two are witnesses for the state.  Now here I am, had to take a day off work and sit there for 5 hours and then they decided to continue it.  Why did they have to summon me for that crap!!  Now, I will get another wonderful little letter in the mail and we will do it all over again.  I could rant about this all day!!! But I won't.

By the way, a cup full of ice and coke does not feel too good when it is traveling at 55 mph, and you are moving at 20.  Matter of fact, it hurts pretty bad!

Oh well, hope your day was better than mine.  The legs are kinda tired from two days of riding, so today is a rest day.  Looks like it is gonna be halfway warm this week, so I hope to ride some.  If the rain will stay away.

I leave ya with this shot.  Jumped out of the truck the other evening and tried to get a good sunset.  Maybe I was a little late?  Next time.................

Friday

Yep we made it again , time for the reward..The weekend , you only have 48 hours so don't waste it..The weather is going to be nice from what I have seen and not to cold..Actually it's gonna be like normal for the next 10 days..Yes we have rain coming next week but the temp is gonna be back in the 50's..With sat. and sun. in the low 60's..Already have a road ride planned for sat. , not sure yet on sun...

The kid wants to work on his jumps we are building in the yard..I know everybody has these built in their back yard so if you have any tips let me know..The yard is on a small angle so it is perfect for downhill jumps we plan to have them all the way around to the backside of the pool..

I have a friend with a dump truck we are going to barrow..So I can get a few loads of dirt and my next door neighbor has a bobcat so we can move it around..Cody seems to think we will need at least 4-5 truck loads..Good thing we are in the country..I can dump the dirt behind the out buildings and go from there..Why not we are never gonna move anyway..The kids would have a stroke if we left Unionville..

So anyhow it's a good thing we have friends with equipment capable of moving mass quantities of dirt..That shovel just won't fit my hands and I can't even see the wheel barrow in the picture..I do see the swing set , it is coming down this weekend..Kids out grew it a few years back..Now don't think I am one of those neighbors that bums stuff all the time , if they need a combine they know who to call..We can provide them with the tractor and driver no problem..Like the pics!!!!!

We were at the Lego store awhile back (around my birthday) and I saw this..Being from the west and loving the big tractors and trucks I couldn't resist..Can't claim you love Kansas without having a combine of your own..Don't ya like the driver complete with a cup of coffee..Yes I still like Lego's if you are a guy and say you don't you are lying , or you don't have access to them..Luckily my kids have a ton of them and are part of the Lego club..At least Chase is..I was kinda mad when Chase wanted to put it together but what do you say..LOL..Yea I wanted to build it..He did a great job though!!!!I got over my whining pretty quick , seeing how proud he was when he was finished..

early 90's Fuji

As you can see from the pics above I now have another classic road bike to restore..One of my customers at work has had this one hanging in his barn for 15 years..It hasn't seen the light of day in that amount of time..He knows I ride and heard me talk about restoring an old mountain bike I have , so he brought me this one..So now I have 4 classic bicycles to work on..Although I won't start on this one for a few months at least I have the next project lined up..Is It worth anything? Nope..Is it fun to bring these old bikes back to life? You bet....As I do this one I will document it from start to finish so you can see the outcome..

Also you can see didn't really have a topic this morning so I just kinda went with what I had pics of..The kids and I staged the shots of the tractor on the kitchen counter and I stood around and watched Cody dig dirt..It was tough taking the pics,,made me kinda of tired watching him work...Had the bike to unload so shot a pic of it..So nothing fancy today..

So I leave you with these big sky pics and hope you have a nice weekend......Later......

Cycling......

I think you might have figured out by now if you are a regular reader of this blog that my sport is cycling..I grew up racing BMX and then moved on to mountain bikes but I have always been an avid cyclist..I even had a paper route for a year before we moved here..Delivered 65 papers every day , from my bicycle..Right now we have about 19 bikes in the garage give or take..

I was even a fan of the Tour de France when Greg Lemond won it..Lance was still a nobody..Most people never even watched it until the last few years..I was a little kid when I started watching it..In my mind I thought that would be like a dream to ride around the french country side and get paid to do it..

So here is where I am going with this post........I am disappointed with the pro cyclist today..Just a few years ago they busted a few teams at the race for god's sake with drugs on the tour buses..Now I ain't talking about weed either , steroids are the drug of choice for cycling..Just like football and baseball and every other sport that I don't care about..But cycling is what I care about so damn..Why can't they clean it up..

alberto contador

This year they acted like it was going to be a good year and nobody was going to be busted and all was well..Guess what Today the 27th of January they are going to announce the 1 year suspension of Alberto Contador..He won last years race (2010) and the year before that..Now they are going to strip him of the title for 2010 because he was doping..Yep failed a drug test..So here we go again another doping scandal that effects the out come of an event 6 months after the fact..Kinda like stripping a college school of all their wins a year later after they were found to have violated NCAA policy..So I feel cheated again..I watched the race just about everyday and was actually pulling for this guy..So was my son..Now what do I tell him..

Guess what son we were wrong he is a liar and cheat find another hero to pull for..But is that possible in cycling or any other sport..If you sit down and think about it you can think of a violation in about any sport there is..That sucks.......

floyd

Ok maybe you heard of Floyd Landis he was the last American to win the Tour after Lance retired the first time..If you have heard of him you are aware he was stripped of his title also..He won in 06' I think..So now we have 2 winners who lost the title in the last 5 years..That don't look to good on the sport..Could you imagine if they changed the winner of the super bowl!!!!! Floyd has recently announced his retirement from cycling all together , he came back for a few years after he was suspended but never was a factor again..Floyd knows a lot of things about pro cycling and he has made a lot of claims about the sport..Everybody wants to say he is just bitter from what happened to him , and is just trying to get even or something..



lance and floyd



He was a team mate of America's hero Lance on the US Postal Team for a few years..He was what you would call a do'mes'tic'...I can't speak French so I sure can't spell it ether..On a pro team a do'mes'tic' is a work horse or second string rider.. How ever you want to look at it..His job is to protect the team leader , pull him along so he can save his energy for the end so he is stronger at the end..

When Lance retired Floyd moved up to team leader and the rest is history..He won he got in trouble he lost..

History ,  Lance won 7 tours and dominated like no one who came before him..Present Floyd has made some statements and admitted he cheated..Says they will never be able to catch the dopers , they stay to far ahead of the drug testing..Lance claims he has nothing to hid and Floyd is lying..

Right now they are investigating Lance here in the states and in Europe..Every article you read now about him the tone is changing..Where he could do no wrong , he is now on the defense..For all the good he has done for the world of cancer research and the people who believe in him..I sure hope this turns out well..The world of professional sports needs this to end well..I have my fingers crossed...

Anyway time to wrap this up so I am going to change the subject a tad..You know why I put the Kansas pics on here ?/ Because I want to.....................If ya lived in New York you could probably frame this pic and call it art..Then talk about the contrast and stark features or any other stuff you could make up..........See ya...................

Coffee.............As a Kid...........

You can buy coffee everywhere from every store and gas station.. Then there are about ten different specialty shops with coffee and muffins and coolers and cups with their logo..You know you are a dedicated coffee drinker when you walk around with a 35.00 coffee cup..Then pay extra everyday for the coffee..But then that would be another post all together if you are that vain..Don't even get me started about the people who have their name on those high dollar thermos cups..See the Blue Java that is the organic type..Of all things they even have organic coffee..All that means is they didn't put bug spray on it , and they charge even more for it..Only someone vain enough to buy the stupid coffee mug would be willing to pay for the organic junk..

Now here is the reason I have this for a topic today..For 1 the weather is still to crappy to ride , it is raining again..2 our coffee at work has got to be the worst stuff available to man..We have a coffee service that comes by and makes sure we have an unlimited supply of the crap..

So yesterday I was drinking a cup and it brought back some fond memories for me..Made me and the people who where present at the time laugh to hear my story..

So here is my story , growing up in Lexington KY my best friends dad was a minister at a church and I always went to church with them..Every morning after Sunday school before preaching started all the adults would stand around in the fellowship hall and drink coffee before they went up stairs..No you are to young for coffee is all they would ever say , believe me we would always ask..It smelled so good we just knew it had magical powers..So anyhow his parents would always make us sit in the front pew , so we would keep quiet..Well every once in awhile when we had been real good we would be allowed to sit in the balcony where all the older high school kids would sit..Now remember we where only about 10 years old then..

So one Sunday the stars and the moon where lined up just right and we had permission to sit up top..We had a plan..The bottom of the stairs for the balcony where right beside the door to go down stairs to the fellowship hall , we waited till the time was right and we made our way down to the first landing and when his dad was on a roll (remember he was the preacher) we darted around the corner and down stairs..Score we had our first cup of coffee.......And.......IT SUCKED......

What a let down we were so disappointed we could not believe everybody had been keeping that crap away from us..Why didn't they just tell us it was terrible..I am now in my 40's and only within the last few years have I really been able to drink the stuff..The only way I really like it now is from Mcdonalds , iced frappe with whipped cream..Of all things , and most people would say that ain't coffee..At least the real coffee drinkers would turn up their nose ..So anyhow the bottom line to my story is what a let down..Still to this day I think about that morning every time I have a cup..Its funny how your young memory will hold things like that......

I had a great childhood and have so many memories of Lexington I wouldn't trade them for anything ..Coffee being one of them..Makes you wonder what your kids are going to take out of life..You try so hard to be a good parent and give them a great shot at a normal life and little stuff like that is what they will remember..Makes it all worth while..Don't it..LOL..

Well anyhow you grow up and then ya pay bills..Wish I was still a kid..Hope my kids have just as fond of memories as I do about that period..My mom didn't work until I was older , I say that but she always kept kids..So she had a job.. Looking back and now being old enough to pay my own bills I know money was tight..But as far as we kids knew we were rich..

Here is the grain tower shot for the day nice little Kansas Co-op.......Until tomorrow........

Age?????

Age , is it just a number or is it more..Personally I want to say it is a validation of you experiences..The younger you are the smarter you think you are ..The older you are the more you have experienced and you actually are smarter..Now they say 60 is the new 40 well I am 40 ( give or take ) so that must mean I am in my 20's..This is my blog so I can tell the story like I want to..

Anyhow we are going to get rain today , matter of fact it is sprinkling now..Lunch time..Kinda slow today at work but not bad..Riding isn't working out very well this week but I whine about that all the time if you haven't noticed..cold in the am and cold in the evening..The up side is we are gaining 1min. a day of daylight so now it stays day light almost till 6pm..In another two or three weeks it will be time to hit the road..

That's right springtime is coming!! Can't wait to ride I won't be carrying this much stuff , be will be loaded..This guy is on a 20000km tour around the US..I am going to ride a 100 mile weekend and start with that..

So now we are back to the grain towers..Another Kansas high rise..In the middle of the Kansas ocean..Also known as a giant wheat field..

Took this picture the other day at a stoplight..Might not mean much to most people but that is a 1990 ford ranger and I drove it!!!! I bought that truck new and drove it for like 15 years..It had like 230 thousand miles on it when I sold it for 600..I still see it around town , last time I saw it it was broken down sitting on the side of the road..Cody and I where out riding the road bikes and came up on it..I see they got it fixed...Never know what you will see....Mom will laugh at that picture..That truck has been everywhere......Later...

Monday

Hello hope you had a nice weekend , it was fun and cold..

Rode Saturday , waited till the afternoon so it could warm up and my feet still about froze..You know the trails around this area are nice..We have a lot of options for trails in this area that are maintained by a group of mtn bike riders .. They have been in this area for several years and do a lot of great work..

But when it comes to rain they seem to be a little confused..They maintain several trails in this area and have one in particular that they seem to really love..It has a gate and if we get a sprinkle they lock it up..Now I understand but they go overboard..If ya go on their website they have trail status on the front page..Nobody bothers to update it..So whats the point..

Anyhow after driving over there Saturday I get there and the gate is locked..Beautiful day hasn't rained all week and the gate is locked..

That really gets on my nerves..Went to another park and rode , no mud and had a good ride..So anyhow how about keeping up with the web site if you are not going to open the trail..

Now it might seem like I am just fussing for no reason but if you are familiar with this club you would understand why it gets under my skin..One of the main people on the board is a promoter of mtn bike races..If he is having a race and has 100 people there and it rains what happens we race..Nothing is ever said about that , but let it rain and they close everything..

Ok I am done fussing now..Mom didn't like my motorcycle pics so I removed them from the site..if you notice they are gone , and mom is happy.. 

Now if ya look at this pic that is main street in Williamsburg VA ..I once had my tractor trailer parked right there on main with a load of handmade bricks for a restoration they were doing..It was cool and I just wanted to share that with you..

Well anyhow been busy here at work today haven't had a chance to write much so tomorrow I will try to do better....See ya

Yea Ha............

Everybody loves Friday , that's right its Friday..The time of the week that you actually don't mind going to work..Just for showing up you get 2 days off what a reward , and just to make you feel good they give you a check ..What a deal..Today you forget how crappy every other day has been this week and how annoying customers are..Yep don't even mind answering the phone today , although that is my job..It is just easier to do today..Everybody goes out for lunch today and they don't fuss about how much it costs..Because its Friday!!!!!!!

I am ready for my reward for another hard week of work..I work to live I don't live to work..But that's alright I have the winning lottery ticket so this was probably my last week working with all the common folk..But I always have a plan B , show up again on Monday..Got to have that backup plan..

So anyway I booked our ferry ride for the Outer Banks today , we aren't going until May but believe it or not you better be on list early..The wife and I are going over to the core banks for 3 days on our anniversary..Now for those of you who have not been to the Outer Banks it is a wonderful place truly is the best beach that I have ever been to..We have always stayed in Ocrakoke but this year we are really going native , that's the reason for the shorter trip this time..The Core Banks are totally empty the park service has cabins over there that you can rent , no power but a roof..They have running water but that's it..We are going to camp on the beach for 3 days..That's right I said right on the beach with the ocean at our door step..Now how many people have always wanted to do that..We take a private ferry over to the island and they drop you off and you are all alone..

The island is about 20 miles long and only has like 10 cabins  , they are all in the same area at one end..So it's not that hard to get out by yourself..We have a four wheel drive truck and a shovel (if ya get stuck) hope I don't need the shovel..

These pics are what we will see from the front door of our tent for 3 days..Yes if you might need it you better take it with you , there ain't no corner store to run to..When I say it is an empty island I mean it..Just checkout the pics..Sun sand and a hammock , that's right I am taking 2 hammocks and a big ass cooler full of dry ice it lasts a lot longer..Dig a hole on the beach for a fire and your hooked up..Anyhow I am looking forward to it , so is the wife..


So back to the bike gonna be a cold weekend lows in the 20's and only in the 30's for the highs not exactly want I was hoping for but I will make do..Got to get the training miles in ,  March is gonna be here before I know it..Don't know what the kids have on their mind but I got a feeling they are gonna let me know..

Found this pic today , I want one everybody needs a neon bicycle in their window..That is the logo for New Belgium Brewery the makers of my favorite beer..Fat Tire amber ale..The only reason I even tried it was because of the bicycle on the bottle..Yea I can be shallow sometimes..

Well I guess I have talked enough today so the only thing left would be the shot of the grain tower , and I added  a field of wheat today..What do you think is in those towers..What do you see in the back of that field,,yep another grain tower.....

Beep Beep Beep ,,,,,,I was about to hit the publish button and one of out employees came in talking about what he has heard on the radio..They say we could possibly get 10in of snow Monday night..Ha i am going to get my wish..That's funny..But that gives me hope on my lottery tickets....You can always dream.......

Snow

Ok now that all the snow is gone I want more snow..Yep that's right I changed my mind..now it's just wet and muddy , I would rather have the snow than mud..And still cold so why not have cold and snow..

I finally figured out how to get pics over here from my bloggie , still working on the video end of it..These pics are from the other day at our favorite sled hill..That's the church on the road behind our house..These are from the bloggie..I have to re size the pics to get them to load..One thing about starting this blog I have learned more about how to use a computer in the last month than I ever knew before..Believe it or not where I work it takes along time before technology creeps in the door..I work with people who only started using e-mail  in the last year..They fought it as long as possible..So because of that I have never had to really learn how to use it..That used to drive my dad crazy..Every time I would lockup the home computer and call him , after about ten minutes of him trying to tell me how to fix it over the phone he would get frustrated and just tell me to pull the plug out of the wall..LOL..That usually worked too..Wished I could still bug him though..He would have been impressed with my blog..Just the fact that I can type..

Didn't do much yesterday kinda had a lazy day..I guess it was just hump day blues , came home hung out with the wife and kids all of us in the same room for an extended period of time is unusual..The oldest is 15 all he has on his mind are the girls , and talking to them , so for him to hang out with us is something to take note of..The 10 yr old loves the x-box and he was even there without fighting with his brother..Weird..

Also (in reference to the motorcycle pics) I found out that my buddy found the pics on a web site about bike week and just copied them..So if you have seen them before you know why..I thought I had something original..Wrong , still made you laugh though..

Well anyhow i am tired of trucks now so I decided we are going to switch to grain towers for awhile ..And yes most all of my pics are from Kansas..

Also this pic is from the area around Ashland KS , typical of the land scape in the area......Later...

Oh So close........

Well I got close to getting out the door and riding , had big plans got ready to get ready..Then she spoke ,,,,,did you read the directions on that seat (my answer of course) no..Nobody reads the directions , well maybe you should it says you shouldn't get that seat wet until it is broken in..Ain't that the shits new seat no ride in rain yet..Yes it was raining again.......

By the way I haven't mentioned it yet but I LOVE MY SEAT..No kidding they tell me it takes about a month to break in and I have only 3 rides on it..If it gets better then I can't wait..No wonder it comes in such a fancy pantsy box..It's the bomb..But don't get it wet ......yet..Per the wife...I hate it when she's right..



old tape




halfway




new tape

 So anyhow with a fridge full of beer and new parts laying around it was bike maintenance time..had new handle bar tape and just haven't taken the time to put in on so guess what we got it done..Turned out good too , not bad for the first time I have ever installed tape..don't ya like the progress pics..

Then it was supper time..She asked what I would like then she fixes what she wants made me think of this pic..It ain't Burger King , but the food is good..Tonight I am going to cook , Tombstone pizza baby , my favorite..Takes 20 min. and you are in business..I ain't much of a cook..

Ok on to the next subject..I hate Wednesday seems like the longest day of the week , at least on Thursday you know Friday is around the corner..Today all you know is Thursday is around the corner..At least we are going to get up to 55 today..Then right back in the 30's for the weekend..Great , can't wait for that..The ground is never going to dry up at this rate..No we are not racing in the mud this week , saving my bike for the Southern Classic Series..Got my new tires mounted and ready to try out the new tread pattern..I don't like change but sometimes you got to switch up when your looking for more speed....

Ok a friend of mine was in Myrtle Beach at the end of summer and just happened to be there at the end of black bike week..Yes that is what it is called..Could you imagine if we had a bike week and called it white bike week , that would cause all kind of problems..

He snapped these pics on 17 between Myrtle and North Myrtle..Now that's a funny pic..Mini skirts and sport bikes don't mix..Oh well at least it made you laugh , admit it you laughed..

So to wrap this post up I got a cab over pic , these trucks sell cheap..At least that's what i keep telling the wife..Long lean and mean..Later...................

This Is Kansas

I always liked the grain elevators in Ashland..You can always see the next town from like 10 miles before you get to them , because of the towers..

So I got some pics of them..I used to pull a dump trailer when I was trucking I got to see a lot of feed mills..Believe it or not I was in Louisiana one time and a rice mill that was a 100 years old fell..Yea and I was in the sleeper I didn't get to see it..My buddy Trey went with me on this trip and he was in the front seat and got to see it..Don't that beat all..

See what I mean you see them from way off , this is only a mile or so..The second one is real close..But you get the point..

Back to Ashland KS , this pic could be main street in Ashland..But it ain't , this is Tribune KS..Never been to it but I know the town..I miss it now..Growing up I went out to Ashland every summer for 2-weeks..Always got to see all my family , and it seemed like I was always there for the county fair..That was cool , the fair ground entrance was across the street from grandmas driveway..I had all my grand parents in Ashland and rode my bicycle all over town..Oh to be young again..



offshore drilling in Kansas

 You only see pics like this in the Midwest , although I don't remember a lot of oil wells around Ashland they are every where..I have family in that business also..

Anyhow I have all my lights charged and ready to roll..Soon as the sun goes down , oh wait it would have to come up first..Haven't seen it all day..Cloudy and rainy here , I am going riding tonight..And from the pic above I think I made the right choice about Sunday...It was real muddy...............

This pic is from Minnesota , I found it this morning..I went on a trip through work and we went drinking..That is the wife and I in the front very..Made me laugh that's for sure it was fun..see ya...............