Oops'''

I meant to explain the title,,,,, The U-Haul truck we rented hauled ass!!! It was brand new and would scat! Even with the Jeep on a trailer behind me, no problem...

U-Haul, Would Haul !!!!!!!!!!

So we loaded the truck Thursday evening and headed down Friday morning. It was kinda funny, we had a 26ft truck and a car hauling trailer. He's a 19 year old kid, how much stuff does he really have! With that thought in mind at one point we wondered if we had a big enough truck. When you add it up he had a bedroom suit a couch and a kitchen table and chairs. Plus his clothes and kitchen "stuff"!


We could have done a little better job loading also. It worked out though, we got loaded and had the car on the trailer by 8pm. Up at 4am and on the road by 5am. We had a walk through with the realtor at 11:30 and a 5 hour drive. No time to waste.


Walk through over and unloading started about 2. That's when we realized how little a 19 year old actually owns! Moving him in a 1800 square foot house and including the unloading of the Jeep, we where done in less than an hour! As we stood in the living room looking at how empty it was we both started laughing.


We then headed to his place of employment and picked up his new uniforms to wash, we ended up leaving there right at 5'oclock. Not by planning but it just worked out. Even with 5'oclock traffic we still made it back to his house in about 35 minutes. Not a bad commute for Atlanta and a Friday afternoon. Plus it was raining....


From there it was an early dinner and then we checked out town a little bit. It all caught up to us about 8:30 and we both hit the bed early. Saturday we headed home around lunch and now he starts work this Monday....


Time fly's.......

The Start !!!!!!!!!!

So we got the kid home Saturday and we've been getting stuff ready ever since. He now has a couch and kitchen table with chairs to go with his bedroom suit but that's it. From school he has all his kitchen stuff so overall he has a good start. He gets to take his bikes and several shop items for his garage.


Yesterday I had his power and gas turned on. Today I have to do the water and the trash. We pick up the U-Haul Thursday morning and we have it till Sunday. Plus we get a car trailer to take the Jeep. He wants to go ahead and take it down this Friday and leave it in the garage, He is coming back with me Saturday after we turn in the U-Haul. He starts his new job on Monday October 5th so he doesn't really want to stay down there with nothing to do for a week.


He and the wife and grandma are going back down next weekend. I have inventory that weekend so I won't make it. Plus I still need to get up to the mountains and reserve our spot for the camper for next year. While there down south I will probably head north. Plus I can slip in a mountain bike ride while I am there.


For a re-cap of the last few weeks. I have done 2 trips to Atlanta and 2 trips to Pennsylvania. This week it's back to Atlanta! The light at the end of the tunnel? The light I see anyway, Singletracks.com shows Atlanta has all kinds of mountain bike trails! They are calling my name!!!

"Word"

           "We do not stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing"




                                                                        "Word"

The New Norm????

I am beginning to wonder! Not much changed around here lately. Still riding the 26in full suspension, and liking it! I haven't even taken the Cannondale to the shop yet. We have had so much going on I just haven't really cared enough about getting it to the shop.


I have been to Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Atlanta twice in the last two weeks! This weekend we head back to Pennsylvania to get the boy. He graduates Friday and we move him home. Then the next weekend we head to Atlanta to move him in.


Chase is doing fine, he's wide open and in the 10th grade. Life is clicking right along. Fast, way to fast.........

Shameless Plug,,,,,,,,

So I am back, we spent the weekend house hunting in Atlanta and that was a waste of time. Living her and trying to look there just ain't working! By the time we find something we want to see and then make a trip down there it's the weekend. We have to wait till Monday to fill out the paperwork and by then someone else, who viewed the property on Friday! When it was first listed, has already made an offer.


Plus the good old "rule", "nobody can legally tell you if the house is in a good area or not!" You have to do all your own homework before you go down and look. It's a pain in the ass! we went down with about 8 properties to look at and literally drove in some neighborhoods and drove right back out! Didn't even stop to look!


The one we really liked, as I said. By Monday am it was already gone. Yesterday I finally broke down and made contact with a realtor and hopefully that will speed the process. we go back again this weekend and meet her Saturday morning. Hopefully it will help.


Now that we have that out of the way let's talk bike trails! Lake Norman State Park to be exact! Monday I made the trip up there from my house. Now that we have 485 open all the way around Charlotte I wanted to see how much time it would save me. Big difference! I can now leave my house and it's 15 miles shorter and a half hour quicker. Now it's a one hour drive and 65 miles instead of 80.


Once I get on 485, 10 miles from the house I never slow down. Awesome, I will be going more often now. Because that place is the cat's meow! Over the last 10 years I have ridden there 3 times. It was just to far. Monday I was there for 3 hours and rode all 30 plus miles of trails, everyone of them are great! The flow is perfect, the climbs are not to brutal and it just rolls.


This was the first time I have been there since they opened the new Wildlife loop. Now you leave the parking lot and if you head to the Laurel loop side you can ride it plus the Wildlife trail and it's 2 extra loops and get 18 miles just on that side of the park! That's a good ride if you do it only. I also noticed most people stay away from that side and do the other loops. I rode that section and only saw 2 other people.


The Hawk loop side I must have seen a hundred people. That's where everybody went. It's shorter and easier. So it's more popular, but still just as good. If you get a chance Lake Norman State Park is worth the trip. If you haven't been lately make a point to go..

Still Thinking ,,,,,,,,,

Last night I met Charles after work and we road Rocky River Trail. Probably the hardest trail in the Charlotte area. I was a little apprehensive about meeting him there for two reasons. Reason one: it's the hardest trail around here! Reason 2: it has a lot of climbing and I am still riding the 26in bike.


Yep my "can't seem to last 6 months at a time before I break again Cannondale" is still broke and sitting in the garage. I need to break down and take it to the shop, but right now I am kinda aggravated with the whole deal. I can't keep the Cannondale on the trail and then I have the Specialized that has never given me the first problem after 5 years!


Point is I have gotten used to the 29inch wheels and like the way the roll. I swear I can climb better with the 29in wheels. The 26in just seem a little harder to keep rolling. BUT, my 26in has full suspension! I like that! Yesterday with all the climbing and knowing that's where Charles is a lot stronger than I am I didn't really want to meet him there. At a place like Sherman I know I can roll the 26 as fast as the 29 it's just a little harder.


So all this has me thinking about my next bike and want I want. Full suspension is looking like a must and now I want to test ride a 27.5 and go from there.....


By the way, I held my own! I can go downhill a lot faster than most people! If I fell behind on a climb I could make up on the next decent...