Long Week,,,,,,,,,,

Really long week! It started last Saturday when the kid and I worked in the yard all day. I could tell then I was sick and it just got worse all week. Just ask the wife I kept her up every night! Last night was probably the first night all week I actually slept.


I walked last night for the first time all week and the bike hasn't moved in over a week. Fever aches pains, all of the above. Right now I am finally feeling better. I hope to ride this weekend but it will be a slow easy pace. I damn sure don't want to over do it!


Have a good weekend,,,,,

The Brakes..........

The kid came home Friday night and of course we were glad to see him. It's still weird knowing our 19 year old kid is out riding the interstates like he does. He got off work Friday at 5 and headed to Charlotte. With the Atlanta traffic he didn't get to our house until a little after 11, of course we don't sleep when he is on the road like that. But he made it safe and sound.


He's now driven back and forth to Pittsburgh and Atlanta a few times all ready. The kid travels more than a truck driver! That's not really true but he rides more than your average person. He's pretty good at it, he hasn't ran out of gas yet. Plus he's pretty good at watching his surroundings. I drove a truck for 5 years so I have a little bit of advice to give him.


Believe it or not most people are really nice and really do like to help others. That might be hard to believe but it's true. We have already had friends who can't believe we let him travel by himself like that, they give us looks like we are bad parents or something. I work with a guy who won't go to the grocery store without a hand gun. He's convinced somebody is out to get him at all times.


Other people have asked if I even purchased him a gun to carry. That one makes me laugh! The world isn't that bad! Lighten up and trust your surroundings. The kid is mature enough to handle travel and life 300 miles away. It's all in how you treat them, if you don't expect them to be adults they probably won't act like adults.


How I managed to get it right still baffles me! The only thing I did with my kids that might have been the ticket would be the fact that I always made them my friends. I have always been here and always listened. I passed on jobs and other opportunities that would have helped my wallet but not my home time. I guess what I did right was made the boys priority number one.


When I put "The Brakes" on about the year 2001, and took my old job back. That was the turning point, the exact moment when I made the right decision. I made that decision with my family in mind. Not money, I took one hell of a pay cut to do it and never regretted it.

It's Friday ,,,,,,,,,

I had to think long and hard for that title. It's been one of those weeks, the only good news. The Blazer is gone! I finally found a new home for it. I hope the new owner gets good service out of it. I liked it and it served it's purpose but now it's gone.






I hate selling something like that, everybody wants something for nothing. As I said in the last post people just get on my nerves. Plus I had planned to ride about every afternoon this week and I had to come home and show it to someone about everyday. It got old really fast!






Now On to the next project. Tonight I build the kid a new desk for his computer and then tomorrow I ride. Cody comes home tonight, he's here for the weekend. This will be his first trip home since he got his new job in Atlanta. His girlfriend is missing him! Like I told the wife, he might be staying at our house but we won't be seeing him much...

You Got To Be Kidding Me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am selling my 1997 GMC Jimmy 4x4. It has a 148000 miles on it. I want 2 grand for it and I'll take a lot less! Now with that in mind you wouldn't believe the questions people have asked me! Plus they keep looking it over like they are buying a brand new car for 20 grand instead of 2 grand!


                           Your buying a 20 year old freaking car with a 150 thousand miles on it!


News flash!!! It's gonna break down and it's gonna need something,,, probably sooner than later. I have driven it for 3 years and spent about 3 grand on it over that time. Including a new transmission. That was the big repair. So with that in mind I am baffled by the way people keep looking at it and the questions they keep asking......


                                                        People are crazy,,, no doubt..........

I Must Be Changing ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It's no secret that I probably enjoyed Pennsylvania more than Cody did. To me it was like being back in Kentucky and enjoying the weather! It reminded me so much of my youth it was great. He went up there on January 1st and it didn't seem so bad. I went back and forth about ten times and really liked it.


BUT.... Last time I went up in the middle of September you could really feel the cool air starting to kick up. Yes it was warm in the daytime but at night it was starting to drop. That last trip we took to the drag strip on our last night there I almost froze! Everybody else was running around in shorts and t-shirts and seemed fine.


I even told Cody my blood was to thin for that. Well now that weather has started to creep in our neck of the woods! I can't take it! I am about to freeze, winter is no where near and I am cold. I used to think I could handle it I was tough! Now I am ready to move and head further south..


I even skipped a ride Saturday morning because it was still to cold. Then Sunday I waited till the sun was high and things were warm. It seems like every year I balk a little more to the cold. One of these days I am gonna stop going out. Then it will be official, I am a total wuss............

I Guess I'll Starve !!!!!!!!!!

Right now I am running, riding and walking! Plus trying to watch what I eat and I am still stuck at 200 pounds! On my "slow" "rest days" that's when I walk. so far this week I have ridden twice and ran once. My off day was yesterday and I walked 2 miles. I have even been trying to watch what I eat down to the point I even bonked Sunday when we got home from Georgia.


Instead of looking at food as food I am trying to change my mind set to the "food is fuel" deal. I try to think, "well I don't have any thing to do after I eat so I better eat less". You would think it would start showing on the scales! I will see 190!!! If I have to starve....


I figure if I don't do it know I never will. Plus I still keep kicking around the ideal of running the Southern Classic Series next year. Why I don't really know. I have no reason to race next year, the kids have both grown out of the bikes at the moment. Cody took his to Atlanta and keeps playing around the neighborhood. But Chase has no use for the bicycle.


Actually I am working on the big wheel 85 dirt bike at the moment. I asked Chase what he wanted to do the other day. Something, anything! Sometimes I seem to struggle with having the same interest as he does. With Cody it seemed to come easy but with him it's more of a challenge.


So he said he would like to get back to riding dirt bikes so that's what we are gonna do. I still have mine in the corner of the shop and I can have it running in about a hundred dollars and his in about 200. Time is not the issue, money is. I can fix both of them in about 2 hours. That equals 2 weeks of getting right with the wallet!


                              The way I see it we will be in the woods in about 3 weeks.


I love kids, without them what would I do......

Recap ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yep, went down south and hung out with the kid. Stayed up late Friday night listening to him talk about his new job. He seems to enjoy it and that's a good thing! Listening to him talk about it just makes me smile. He's growing up and it's fun to watch. My boy is becoming a man!


Saturday we got up and went out for lunch, we were a little late for breakfast. From there it was to Autozone and then back to the house. While he put his mower back together I washed my car. Chase took a nap and then he mowed the yard.


We also hit Best Buy after the auto parts store and picked up a digital TV antenna. The kid about flipped out last week when he found out cable and Internet was gonna cost him another hundred bucks a month. I ended up canceling the install and we are gonna set him up with the freest option there is. Right now he has the digital converter box hooked to a digital antenna and he is getting 53 channels for free!


They are coming this Saturday to hook up his Internet and then we are gonna do Net flicks. He will end up paying 50 bucks a month for Internet and 9 for Net flicks. He will be able to pretty much watch everything you and I can for a 3rd of the price! Of course he will miss some channels but Cody is a lot like me. He will have a TV on in the back ground for noise but a TV and a TV show do not determine what he plans to do for the day.


Yes cable is nice and you can watch everything under the sun but it ain't worth what people pay for it. We are brain washed into think cable is a necessary bill. It ain't! As soon as we get him set up on this we are gonna do the same at my house.


The funniest thing from all this, I came to work this morning and was telling a few co-workers about him getting 53 free channels. They had a hard time understanding that you can still get "free" TV. I literally had explain to them that it still exists. You can watch TV and not pay for it!!!


                        The cable companies have everybody convinced you need them!


Enough of that! Yesterday when I got home it was only five and still beautiful outside. I loaded the dog up and headed to the golf course. I hadn't had any food since breakfast and a few snacks on the way home. I hadn't thought about it to be honest! I was so happy to be home and outside I had walked out and headed straight for the golf course. Of course I decided to jog instead of walk and about 3/4 of the way around I hit the wall! I bonked!! Ran slam out of energy!!!


I haven't done that in a long time! I was still a good mile from the car and I swear it about killed me to get there. I went straight to the store and got something to eat and then went home to recuperate! The funny thing is I drank a beer shortly after getting home and man it hit me hard. I decided that wasn't a good ideal and hit the couch for a nap. Woke up fine.... Now to play today......

Rolling""""""

Since the sun came out I've been "Rolling". I brought out the motorcycle and rode it to work all week and I have been in the woods everyday too! Life is good! Even though I played in the rain all last weekend the sun just makes life feel better!


We got the VTX running last week and it's been fun to be back on it. I still think it's gonna end up in Atlanta with the kid. The wife isn't to found of the idea but it's gonna happen. I would rather he started riding on a slow cruiser than a fast sport bike.


Like I told her, he's about 2-3 months of saving and he could get his own bike. He may not have any credit built yet but with a few thousand down on a ten thousand bike he would get financed! No doubt about it. If I get him on the cruiser he will stay on it for awhile and not be wanting for a fast sport bike.


Again I am heading down right after work. the wife is working all weekend so I am gonna take Chase my youngest one with me and spend the weekend with the boys in Atlanta. We will come home Sunday, and back on two-wheels!


I also "had" a test ride scheduled for last night on a brand new Indian! I had to cancel it at the last minute yesterday, with leaving town today I just didn't have time. That will be on for next week. Nope, I don't have the money at the present but that will change. Plus they are running a few specials,,, Ya never know......

Everybody Is In A Better Mood !!!!!!!!!!

It's amazing what a little sunshine will do for the human spirit! I swear everybody here at work is in a good mood and smiling. Yesterday I was even arguing with a co-worker and today we are best buds again. It helps when both our desks face the windows.


Yes I did ride all weekend, while all of Charlotte sat at home I loaded up and hit Cheraw SC. Both days! I got in 2 laps, 14 miles down in the sandhills. Did a lap each direction both days. It's not a close trail but it's all sand and the more rain they get the better the rail is! It's a shame it's so far away.


From my house it's 50 miles one way and I live just north of Monroe. I can be on 601 south just past the hospital in 5 minutes. If I had to come from Charlotte I doubt I would ever ride there either. But I don't so I do. Plus it beat sitting around the house and doing nothing.

I Might Get Bored ..............

But I know I will get wet. I know that because I plan to get wet! I got wet last night and I am still alive. If I spent the whole weekend in the house and never went out to play in the rain I would probably die of boredom. Plus I like to play in the rain. People look at you funny!


To me the best part of playing in the rain is the fact I end up with the trails all to myself! Everybody else stays home and I get the woods all to myself. That's one of the reasons I used to like Cane Creek so much. Up until a few years ago you could still ride the trails in the rain.


Then they learned about the 24 hour trail rule and my personal rainy woods time was over! I still ride Uhwarrie and Cheraw in the rain. But that's about it, last night I ran and walked the golf course in the rain. Nobody there! The wife and kid are heading to Georgia this weekend so I can do something.


That's right the kid starts work bright and early Monday AM. My oldest will officially be a productive citizen! I feel all proud! That also brings me one week closer to riding the Olympic mountain bike trails in Atlanta. Conyers Horse Park, site of the 1996 Olympic Mountain Bike Course is about an hour from him. I hear it's like really hard so it ought to be fun.

It's Still Raining,,,,,,,,,,,

And has been, and will be.. All weekend long, it's never gonna stop! I did get the yard mowed and camper covered and gutters cleaned last night. That would be my version of "preparing", according to the all "wise & knowing" weathermen we could get 8inches of rain.


If we get that much I might as well sell my mountain bike. The trails will never dry out. I still haven't ridden my road bike since I got back from Pennsylvania and really don't want too. Right now I am still stuck on the mountain bike. The funny thing is I spent all winter last year riding the road bike and wishing it was warmer.


Then it got warm and I haven't ridden it all summer. That was kinda dumb! Maybe I need a boat, or a stand up paddle board..