Monday, December 25, 2006

Back in the saddle...

I have finally been able to get back on a mountain bike and ride some true singletrack!! Riding around the neighborhood just was not cutting the mustard.

I took the Black Sheep out to a place in Fayetteville called Smith Lake and rode the mountain bike trails there. There were green beginner's trails as well as many blue and black trails. I rode every trail I could find even rolling over an elevated skinny bridge and stopping to take action pictures (kinda hard to do solo). The terrain was very sandy (duh it's not called "The Sandhills" for nothing) and full of fallen pine needles.
The trails were mostly flat and fast. The pine trees were very close together so the big challenge came in trying not to hit my handlebars on any of the trees in the narrow gaps on the trail. I was instantly impressed at the 29er wheels, they rolled over everything roots, rocks, dips, and bumps. The other thing that caught my attention was how well the front tire, a Panaracer Rampage, hooked up in the loose sand!! It had rained the day before so the sand was pretty hard and crusty but sand none the less! After taking some handlebar mounted video on trail I rolled back to the truck. I then proceeded to realize I had locked the keys in my mother-in-law's truck (I had keep the ignition key but forgot there was a seperate door lock key). I had to have the keys brought out to me and I called it a day. My leg felt solid and strong throughout the entire ride and was only slightly sore that evening. I do believe I will go back to Smith Lake on Tues or Wed depending on the rain....

On Sunday I got up at 5am and was on the road by 5:45am on the way to Charlotte, NC. I had arranged to meet up with Rich Dillen (Team Dicky) in Charlotte and ride some local trails. It too had rained on Friday complicating the decision as to where to ride. As luck would have it the rain disappeared and Sat was a nice balmy 70 deg and sunny helping to dry out the one local place that is more sand than NC red clay, Colonel Francis Beatty Park. I met Rich at his house and we readied to go ride. I actually got a chance to meet "The Pie", Rich's wife, and his son "The Boy". We took Rich's "dirty little box" to the park and started to ride with plans to meet one of Rich's friend, The Big Worm (Bill), on the trail. I fell in behind Rich and we hit the trail, FAST! The trail was very simular to the trails at Smith Lake but with less sand and more rocks, roots and ups-n-downs. We went relativly slow so Rich could show me the trail and we could chit chat along the way. We stoped every once in a while so I could catch my breath. There were a few sections that we could really rip it up and all-in-all the trail conditions were perfect. A few wet spots but nothing that was crazy muddy. Near the end of the first lap (each lap was about 6 miles long) we ran into Rich's friend, The Big Worm, who had started in the reverse direction and met us on the trail. We finished out the loop and took a short break. Back into the woods and the three of us really started ripping up the trails!! As the day went on we started to see more and more pedestrians and dog walkers out on the MOUNTIAN BIKE trails so we had to slow down or stopp when we passed them. We even witnessed to young kids riding the trails on MOTORCYCLES of all things. They not going crazy tearing up the trails just scootin through the woods, but obviously not suposed to be there. I could tell Rich was clearly aggrevated by their precense as his eye started to twitch and I could see the gears turning! We rode a full second lap stopping to talk and rest. When we rode we rode hard and fast. I was again amazed at how the 29er just rolled over the obsticals in it's path. I let out some of the air in the front tire (not really sure what the starting psi was probably around 30psi) to the point I could mash it between my fingers. That made a world of difference in how it not only rolled over thing but more hit the clawed it's way over roots and rocks. I only hit it hard once and that was coming off of a small deep dip into a rooty climb out, but the Ti fork/big volume tire/at speed 29 inch wheel combination took it like a man and kept me rollin' along! After the second lap I was pressed for time to go see other friends in N. Charlotte and the Big Worm had only done one lap so we started the full lap again completeing the black diamond loop and finishing it off early by coming back in the reverse direction on the green starting loop. After the ride I asked Bill to take a picture of Rich and I (so I had proof I went on a ride with the 24 hour SOLO Singlespeed World Champion) the picture came out great except that it makes me look like a giant and Rich look like a Christmas elf... Thanks Rich I had a blast and I hope to ride with you again soon!

I drove up to north Charlotte to visit with some old college friends Trey and Tara Adams. We talked and caught up and watched the Panthers just bearly hang on to win their first game in weeks. I got to meet Trey's folks again I had not seen them since Appalachian graduation in 2000. I then drove back to the in-laws and was home by 6:30pm and totally exhausted!

Two days of mountain biking and I am itching to get out and do more!! I have the bug again!! I may not travel very often but knowing that where ever I go I can now take a bike for free will help to push into traveling more often (I hope!)...

Friday, December 22, 2006

Sheep are awesome!!

I recieved my new Black Sheep 29er mountain bike this week and I posted a bunch of pics here on my Track Daddy Everything Bike blog along with a parts write up. I intend to go for a trail ride this coming weekend with Team Dicky in NC and I will also post a ride write up. I do believe this is the most awesome bike I have ever owned!! WOW!!

Monday, December 18, 2006

AWESOME news!!!

We are pregnant!!! We are due in August!! We are SOOOooo excited!! Christie is feeling great and I can't wait!! We are going to do the same thing we did with Abigael and opt to not find out the sex of the baby until he or she is born!
(This news was confirmed by our doctor with a blood test!!)


Oh yeah school is over yeah!!! I think I did ok, but we'll see...

(I checked my grades and it looks good!!!
COURSE ID ---------- TITLE ---------------- GRADE---CREDITS

ANP 213-------------ANATOMY & PHYSIO I-------3.4------- 5.0

MAT 085-------------ALGEBRA II------------------4.0--------5.0

NTR 150--------------HUMAN NUTRITION--------2.3--------5.0

Qtrly: Gpa Cr 15.0 Cr Earn 15.0 Grpts 48.5 GPA>>> 3.23 !!!)

My Black Sheep frame came on Sat and It is sweeter than I could have ever imagined!! I will post pics in the other blog here soon!!

Oh a more somber note, I found out from my mom that my 92 year old Grandmother fell last night possibly due to a stroke and broke her hip. They didn't find her until this morning at the home and she is critical at the hospital in Chico, CA. I wish I could go see her but it is never that simple. God bless her soul, I love you Grandma.
(Late edit: My mom went up and is with her mom. It looks like possibly a hip replacement surgery.)

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Finals in a week!!!

Well it's that time of the quarter!! We have one more week of instruction before finals start!! Actually my Anatomy & Phisiology 213 Lab final starts Thur the 7th from 5:30 till 7:30!! Then my Math final is Tuesday the 12th from 10:30 till 12:30, Nutrition final is Wednesday the 13th from 10:30 till 12:30, and the Lecture portion of my A&P final is also Tuesday the 12th from 5:30 till 7:30. I have talked with my algebra instructor and I may be able to take the final early so I can concentrate on my A&P exam on the 12th which would mean I would take it on Monday during one of her other classes final exams.... We'll see? And then freedom for a few weeks before School resumes on the 2nd of January! Next quarter Chem 101 from 10-10:50 am M-F with arranged lab on Mondays, Math 98 Intermediate Algebra from 11-11:50 M-F, and Anatomy & Phisology 214 from 1-1:50 TWF and 1-2:50 MTh!!!! Whew Mondays are gonna be busy!! Good news is that Abigael will be in "school" while I am in school and I can (if I don't have any studying to do, yeah right!) go have lunch or help out from 12 till 1! Good news, no night classes at SCCC! I will be going back to Skyway KCFD 20 fire dept which intails going back through their fire academy which is held every Thurs night from 7-10 and Saturdays from 8-5! I am hoping that since I have already graduated ONCE from this academy they will be forgiving if I have to study of put my real school first. I do want to come back to the Dept real bad!! I want to take and pass my Firefighter 1 certification ans become a sworn King county firefighter! I also hope that the physical demands put on me with start slowly as I will be healed by Jan but still not a full 100% (hopefully I will be 100% by mid year?)...