New Bike

Woohoo Amy got a new bike.

Saturday Bubba made it all the way around the Dwelling Loop. He walked most of the up-hills, but he rocked all the down hills. I was pretty impressed. He seemed like he had fun which is the most important part.

Today Amy and I went to Dauset. Amy took this wonderful picture of me.



I always make these terrible faces when I am riding my bike so Amy came up with a brilliant solution. That nice tree is much easier to look at.

I also saw these big ass birds. No idea what they were.

Bike Demo

Amy and I went to the Bike Demo at Blankets Creek on Saturday. She test rode the Specialized Safire again. She rode this bike in January and really liked it. Since then she has test ridden several other bikes. I think Saturday confirmed for her that the Safire is the bike she likes the best. After the test ride she talked to Kevin the owner of Outspokin bikes. I think she plans on buying her a bike this week. I am not sure who is more excited.

Sunday I did a quick ride at Big Creek. I played this game in my head where I was a fox and the guys that started after me where the hounds. I rode like crazy to try to keep ahead of them. After I thought I lost them this guy comes out of nowhere and rides past me in the freeride area. It scared the crap out of me.

Later I ran into Mike Young and his wife. Mike is super nice guy. I met him at a night ride earlier this year. He likes the rohloff on my bike and is thinking about getting one. When I ran into him on Sunday, Mike showed his wife my rohloff and she seemed to think it was pretty cool. Like Mike she also seemed really nice, and I enjoyed meeting her.

Bad weather

Amy and I tried to cheat the weather this morning and sneak in an early ride. We didn't quite make it though. About 4 miles from the car the rain, thunder, and lightning overtook us. I am scared of lightning and had to resist my natural instincts of bolting towards the car and leaving poor Amy behind. Seriously though I was freakin and Amy was as cool as a cucumber. Every time I looked at her she was smiling and looked like she was having fun. I was impressed. Luckily the storm moved over pretty quick and we made it back to the car completely soaked but otherwise just fine.

Ride with Bubba at Blankets

[Riding Buddies]

Took Bubba over to Blankets to check out the new Mosquito Bite and Van Michael Trails. We had a really good time. It was fun watching Bubba fly down hills with little fear and still keep his bike under control. Also ran into my friends Roger and Laurie. I always enjoy seeing them. They are some of the happiest, friendliest, and fun loving people I have ever met. Check out Laurie's blog to read about some of their adventures.


[Bubba has a good eye with the camera. I like this angle.]


[Full speed ahead]


[One more time]


[Bubba's first time cleaning the teeter]


[Piece of cake]


[Hardest obstacle for me]


[Fun stuff]

Fun in Virginia

Amy and I went to her dad's farm in Virginia for an extended weekend. We did our normal routine of ride lightly and eat heavily.

On Sunday, Amy's dad showed us some dirt roads on his farm that the local fox hunt club built recently. The trails wound through the forests that surround his fields. There were some really steep hills and a couple of fun creek crossings. There were also these cool gates that horses could jump to go from the road into a cow pasture. I was a little too chicken to try jumping the gate on my bike though.

We ended riding about 6 miles. Even though we did not ride all of the trails, I felt like I saw more of the farm than I ever had seen before. I never knew the farm had so many trees or hills. Some parts of the trail were very beautiful. I especially liked the part that ran along the creek. We even got to see a fox that must have gotten away.

For the eating portion of our trip the highlight was our visit to the Bavarian Chef. When I walked in and saw they served beer in giant boots I knew I had come to the right place. I ordered the Barbarian Sausage plate with homemade kraut. Amy and her dad got the the Wiener Schnitzel. With your entrees they bring out bowls of vegetables family style. We picked mashed potatoes, red cabbage, zucchini, green beans, and carrots & apples. The potatoes were to die for. I think there must have been some kind of meat in there. Amy's dad had fun scooping a huge dollop of potato on his fork and turning it upside down to show how thick the potatoes were.

Amy has been telling me how good this place was since we first met. I am so happy she finally took me there. We are definitely going back to the Bavarian Chef the next time we go to Virginia. My treat!

An adventure and a demo

My nephew turned one year old on Saturday. Amy had to go to a baby shower at lunch so if I was going to get there on time we would have to drive separately. My cheapness reared it's ugly head and decided that paying for the gas to drive two cars all the way up there would be way too expensive. So I pulled up google maps and figured out is was only like 50 miles to my sister's house. I decided I would ride my bicycle there and catch a ride with Amy on the way back.

I woke up early on Saturday and the weather didn't look great but mentally I had already committed. So I headed out under a light sprinkle. I decided my family would not be pleased for me to stand around in lycra and bike shoes for the birthday party so I carried some spare clothes and flip flops in my backpack I use for commuting. I even threw a third water bottle in there just in case I got extra thirsty.

The ride up to Dahlonega was very beautiful. I saw some cool farms and rolled through a couple of town squares. The cars were all really considerate to me. A couple of super close passes and one honker but really much better than I anticipated. It helped that for the most part there was a pretty good shoulder all along Highway 9 where I could ride and cars could still pass with very little effort.

It has been awhile since I have had a good adventure and it felt good to do something that scared me a little. I have a ridden a lot of short distance rides lately but nothing of this length so I wasn't 100% sure I could make it. Even thought it took me almost 3.5 hours to get there, I felt great the whole time. I bet I could have even turned around rode right back home if I wanted to.

Once I got there my sister put on a big show and told everyone how far I rode. I have hard time feeling comfortable in these types of situations. I don't really feel like what I did was all that impressive and having someone hype me up like that makes me feel weird. Plus it leads to whole bunch of conversations where people tell me why they can't ride their bicycle. I don't know how to handle those situations either. I do my best to listen and try to understand their point of view though.

I think humans are pretty amazing and accomplish some incredible feats when they set their minds to it. I also think they can do an amazing job of coming up with reasons why something is not possible if they decide they don't want to do it. I don't think this is what these people want to hear though.

Maybe I should have just told them the truth that I was scared to do it. I had no idea if I could make it. I did it anyway though because I knew I would feel really good about myself if I did make it. Plus I carried my cell phone and figured someone would take pity on me and come get me if I bonked, got lost, or if the weather got too bad. It was not like I was going to Mars or something.

Sunday Amy and I went to a bike demo at Chicopee since Amy's bike is a little too small for her. We knew that about her bike when we bought it three years ago, but we wanted a bike with the lowest standover possible so Amy would be able to get off the bike quick if needed. Amy's skills have been rapidly improving lately, and we have been going on much longer rides together. Her poor fitting bike is causing some neck and shoulder pain so it is time to upgrade.

We got to ride three bikes at the demo. One small Gary Fisher HiFi, one medium Trek Fuel Ex, and one Gary Fisher HiFi 29er. The lady helping Amy pick out her bike was pretty funny. She was ordering around everyone telling them what bikes they should ride and what size they should ride for each one of those bikes. Finally this one guy yelled at her and said enough with the sizes. I think he was half joking but it was funny that I wasn't the only she was driving nuts. She made a crack to me about how "tame" I was for riding my bike since it has a rigid fork so I might have been just a little put off.

We were very happy to be able to ride the bikes though. The Fisher 26er was fun. It's suspension was very plush and going downhill was a blast. It wasn't much of a pedaler though. I owned two Fisher's and neither on of them every shifted of felt normal when pedaling. I think it is there trademark.

The Trek was fast fast fast. I was blowing through turns at very un-James like speeds. If I had to try and keep up with chocolate girl for the day this is the bike I would want. I did notice that the front end did not seem to soak up bumps as well as the fisher. I could feel every bump on the Fuel even though the wheel never seemed like it was out of control. It tracked really well it just let my hands know about every bump.

The Fisher 29er was disappointing. The parts on it where no where near as nice as the parts on the other bikes we rode. The Fox fork on the 29er felt like one of those crappy elastomer forks they put on K-mart bikes compared to the 5" forks we rode on the other two bikes. I ride a 29er so I was very disappointed that I couldn't like this bike the best.

Gainesville Sorba was nice enough to cook some food up on the grill. I cleared us a spot in the woods and pulled out a nice log to sit on while Amy procured our lunch (I am still waiting on my change). We had a relaxing picnic in the shade and watched that crazy lady tell people what to do. All in all pretty good day.

Cooper Gap to Rock Creek Rd

Amy and I are not quite up for the full Winding Stair Loop so we have been riding the loop section by section. Today we rode from Cooper Gap over to Hightower Gap with a little side trip down Rock Creek Rd to the lake.

I don't know the name of the lake but it is very beautiful. When we pulled up to it today there were a couple of kids paddling a bright red canoe on a deep blue lake surrounded by tall bright green grass with a backdrop of a ridge filled with dark green trees bordered by a light blue sky. I wish I had a camera so I could show you what I am talking about.

We hiked down to the lake shore and sat there awhile just taking it all in. It was a nice way to have lunch. We noticed that these people had parked on the road, gotten there canoe out, and ferried there camping gear across the lake. Then they setup their camp on the far side of the lake. What a great idea. They had total privacy.

The ride back to the car started out with a nice 3 mile climb. Amy handled it like a champ though. We only stopped once and that was completely my suggestion. I never heard a peep out of her today about needing a break. I think we ended up with 12 miles total.

After our ride we stopped at the Crimson Moon on the square. They had live mountain music. I really enjoyed listening to them, and I can't wait to go there again.

Had a funny experience there though. I was waiting in line for the bathroom, and this lady was taking a really long time. When she finally finished, I went in the bathroom and had to hold my breath it smelled so bad. When I got back to the table I start telling Amy the whole story and really exaggerate the story to make Amy laugh. A few minutes later I look over my shoulder and guess who is sitting right behind me. The stinky lady gives me a nice big smile. Whoops.

When I got home I called my dad. He seemed in good spirits. I don't think he reads this but just in case HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! You are the best.

Ellijay Weekend

Amy and I spent last weekend in Ellijay. Ellijay is my favorite place to ride bikes in Georgia. Unfortunately the drive to Ellijay takes about an hour and a half.

Dreading having to turn around and drive right back home after riding, Amy and I decided to camp out Saturday night and spend the weekend. Amy found a cool place to camp right next to the Pinhoti 3 trail. The place she found Mulberry Gap has both bunkhouses and campsites. If you call ahead, they will even cook your meals for you.



We got up early on Saturday loaded up my car and headed to Ellijay. We parked on Gates Chapel road at the bottom of Bear creek. Then we headed up FS90 to start of the Pinhoti 2. Amy and I rode with our x2cycle tandem all the way to where the downhill starts on the Pinhoti. Then we separated our bikes and rode down to Conasauga Rd at our pace. After the super fun downhill, we connected our bikes again and headed back to the car via Shakerag.



After our fun ride we went to Corks and Crumbs on the square. Amy claims she likes to go there for the chicken salad sandwiches, but I really think it is because of the huge selection of homemade desserts. We loaded up on both and then went over to Cartecay bike's new location right off the square.

I spent a fair amount of time oogling over the bikes and bike toys. I also chatted a little with Kevin and Mike. There are both really cool guys. I met Kevin at the women's clinic earlier this year. His wife was helping chocolate girl teach the class, and Amy was attending the class. Kevin took us on a hard ride up Owltown Rd and over to the River and Boyscout Loop. Mike fit me a long time ago on my bike and spent a long time with me giving me tips and how to pedal and how to do well in a race. After indulging myself with only a small purchase of socks we headed over to Mulberry Gap.

We met Diane there and she gave us a tour of the facilities. They have these tiny wooden cabins called bunkhouses that contain you guessed it bunk beds. They also have fans and a heater. The have a large eating and gathering areas full of books, maps, and board games. There is a huge bath house with showers and toilets. There are a pair of koi ponds and pair of hot tubs. There are two large campsites with picnic tables and electric hookups. There is also a large grass field for primitive camping.



After the tour Diane showed us to our campsite. We relaxed awhile in our chairs then got busy setting up camp. I spent way too much time trying to find the most level spot and rid my spot of any sharp rocks. By the time I got the tent up dinner was ready. Ginni made us homemade organic chicken with new potatoes and green peas. We also had a really good salad and warm bread and even an oreo pie for dessert. It was delicious.



After dinner Amy and I played scrabble. I impressed Amy with my knowledge of two and three letter words. Since I took about 10 minutes to come up with each of my words it was almost time to go to bed by the time we finished our game. I read a little bit, washed up, and then went to bed.

The next morning we woke up early and started breaking down camp. Ginni and Diane had breakfast ready for us before we could finish. We feasted on blueberry pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, coffee, and orange juice. I felt like a king.

After breakfast we hung out a little and talked to Ginni and Diane. There are warm, funny, and a joy to be around. Eventually they had to get ready to go help out at the Carter's Lake race so we said our goodbyes and headed back to our camp. We finished packing up and then headed over to Bear Creek.



We rode up the Bear Creek trail to the Pinhoti connector and then over to the Bear Creek Loop Road. For the first time we were able to stay connected on our x2cycle the whole way up even on the singletrack. Once we got to the start of the singletrack downhill we disconnected and rode back down to the car.

We both had a great time even though we were both really sore and tired when we woke up this morning. I can't wait to do it again.

Fun ride with my nephew

Amy and I rode my nephew this weekend at Red Top Mountain State Park. Bubba and I have ridden there together before. We had a good time showing Amy the beautiful trails there.

We also had a lot of fun climbing on trees,





hanging out in forts,



and heading down to the lake





to skip rocks.

At the end of the ride I asked Bubba if he wanted to go again next month. He replied how about in a couple of weeks. We negotiated to three weeks if the weather is good.

Jazz Fest

Amy and I went to the New Orleans Jazz Fest last weekend. We had a great time. My cousin Holly and her husband live there, and they were nice enough to let us stay with them.

On Friday we saw Alison Krauss and Robert Plant perform on Friday. I wasn't sure how that combination would work together but they pulled it off really well. They sang some popular songs from both of their pasts and also sang some songs I had never heard before. On Saturday we saw a really good tribute to George Lewis. It was so good it made we want to buy a clarinet and learn to play.

Sunday Holly and John took us on tour of the 9th Ward and St Benard Parish to show the devastation of Katrina. It was unbelievable. Miles of neighborhoods completely abandoned. Everything was destroyed.

We drove back yesterday and going back to work today was really hard. Hanging out, drinking, eating good food, and listening to music is a lot more than working.

Cooper Gap Conquest

Amy and I conquered Cooper Gap on our x2cycle today. We parked at Camp Wahsega so our return ride would be all downhill. We planned to leave everything on the climb. :)

The ride started off with a bad omen. Two ambulances and a cop cruiser came flying by us heading towards Turner Creek. We shook it off quickly though and had nothing but good vibes the rest of the day. I hope whoever they were coming for is okay.

Amy climbed like a rock star. She was breathing easy enough to hold a conversation all the way until the very end where we hit the real steep stuff. When we got to the top she even asked if we could keep going to see the dry waterfall on 42.

The weather was amazing. I wore shorts with arm warmers and was super comfortable. The dogwoods were blooming and half the trees were this beautiful yellow green color. We stopped for awhile by the cabin and took in the beautiful views.

The downhill made up for all the climbing. My arms were flapping around like crazy over some of the brake bumps. It was hilarious.

Next time I think we might park at the top of Cooper Gap and ride over to Hightower Gap to see the lake. Maybe Amy will drive the car back down from Cooper Gap and let me enjoy the downhill again.

Mixing it up at Big Creek

Couldn't work up the motivation for driving up to North Georgia this weekend. Instead Amy and I rode from the house over to Big Creek. We went the back way through the subdivision north of the park and hopped on the Greenway.

We came to the entrance of the Freeride area, and I talked Amy into climbing up to the top of the hill. I got up to the top thinking I would be waiting for a little while for Amy to catch up but she was right there. I was impressed.

We rode back down to the bottom of the hill, and I talked Amy into doing a loop around the advanced and intermediate trails. It was nice change of pace from our normal loops on the beginner trails.

When we got back from our loop I had the bright idea for Amy to time me to see how long it would take to climb up to the top of the hill and come back down again. I have been doing a lot of super slow commuting but not really any high intensity stuff. Going full out up the hill was a shock to the system. I broke 4 minutes but just barely. I think I gave the freerider dudes some good laughs while they watched me run the gully at full speed. It was not pretty. :)

The second time I tried it I felt like my throat and lungs were literally burning. I have heard the expression before, but I think that was the first time I really understood what people were talking about. It sucked. I was less than 10 seconds slower the second time but it felt like minutes. I gotta do that again some time.

Bull Forest Road Ride

Trails were too wet this weekend for the fun stuff. Headed up to Bull to ride some forest roads.



Stepping out of the car I could feel my feet sinking into the clay. Apparently even the locals were having this problem.



I have always wondered what is on the other side of this sign.



One time I road past it for a couple hundred yards. The trail dumped into a large field. The grass was short so I could have kept riding, but I decided I had left Amy alone long enough and turned back. One day I will figure it out.

I also have always wanted to find the waterfall on 77A. We headed over that way but turned back when a school bus pulling a trailer full of horses passed us. Since we would have to turn around at the dead end I decided it wasn't worth spooking the horses. The waterfall will have to wait till another day.

This is my favorite picture of the day.



I love the creek and dark trees.

My sister called us on the way home. We met them for some BBQ and live music at the Swallow in the Hollow. Cool place.

RIP Palpal

My grandpa died last week. He was a great man.



Two purple hearts in WWII. Firefighter. Got caught in multiple fires. One time burned the majority of his body. Another time had to leap out the window of multi-story building breaking his hip. He walked with a limp, but he still lived to the ripe old age of 83.

I will miss him, but I know he lived more than most.

Multi modal adventure

I went to the Banff Film Festival last night at the Roxy hosted by REI. They showed a mix of climbing, paddling, and mountain biking films. I really enjoyed it.

I hate driving downtown so I wanted to see if I could make it to the Roxy without using my car. I busted out of meeting early and got out of the office about a quarter to five. I pedaled my ugliest bike in the world as fast as it's little gear would take me. I chose this bike since I figured no one would steal it if I locked it up in a public location. At about twenty minutes after five I was about eight miles further south sitting in the parking lot of the Mansell park and ride. Soon after the bus showed up.

I boarded the packed bus and tried to jam too many quarter into the little slot. The bus driver barked at me to slow down and insert them one at a time. I obliged and found a place to stand halfway down the aisle. Riding down four hundred standing up was a treat. I thought about what would happen if we wrecked for awhile, but eventually just decided there was nothing I could do about it now.

We made it to the North Springs Station unharmed. I got off the bus and found out I couldn't get in the gate to the train station. Seems like if you pay for a bus fare you should be able to get right on the train where the bus stops right? Maybe I did something wrong, but after a short conversation with the marta breeze pass checker dude, I was told I had to buy another ticket. Oh well.

I got my ticket, and the train showed up soon enough. Being the northern most stop, I was treated to an empty train and a vacant seat. I quickly realized I picked the wrong car though. The couple next me decided this was a great place to make out even though they were traveling with the friends which included a three and four year old. It was a quite a scene. The couple taking their clothes off. The friends yelling at them to stop. The children crying. A group of five or six people getting up and moving to another section of the train. The naked lady saying "I ain't harmin no body. Shit.". The old man and woman who boarded later and set directly across from them pretending not to notice the DD bare breasts.

I was happy when we arrived at the Buckhead Station. I climbed up the stairs out the station and realized I didn't know which to go. I knew I needed to go south on Peachtree, but I wasn't sure which direction was south. I guessed based on the direction of the high rises and after a walking a short distance quickly determined I guessed right. The Roxy is probably only a mile from the station, but luckily Amy was driving down Peachtree and stopped to give me a ride.

We found a good place to park. I ate a sandwich Amy bought for me, and we still made it with a plenty of time to spare for the seven pm start time.

The movies were definitely worth the adventure. I can't decide whether it was easier than driving. If the train went all the way to Mansell it would be a no brainer. The bus muddies the waters a bit though. More buses would help.

Bicycles and Commercials

Cool New Belgium Commercials


Still My Favorite

Chicopee Redux

Amy and I rode Chicopee again today. Our last trip was about 9 months ago. It was really hot that day, and it was Amy's longest ride to date. She did amazing that day and finished like a champ, but I could tell she was giving maximum effort.

Today's ride was much more relaxed. The cooler weather made it easier. Plus I think the long rides we have been doing together on our x2cyle has improved the endurance of both of us. Amy was smiling all day long and seemed full of energy. I think we both really enjoyed ourselves.

Gainesville SORBA has been working hard on the trails. There were several new re-routes since our last ride. I will miss a couple of those sections, but the new stuff was fun and looks like it was very well built. I have heard rumors of some new trail being built were the inner loop used to be. I can't wait to see what they do.

Montgomery Creek

Amy and I did the Montgomery Creek ride together this Saturday. The trail is an old forest road about 8.5 miles long with a couple of pedal deep creek crossings. Apparently there is a pretty cool waterfall there named Black Branch Falls. Here is a pic from Waterfalls of North Georgia.



Unfortunately we were not able to find the right trail to get there. One of the rangers showed us approximately where it was on his topo map so maybe next time we will be able to find it.

On the drive up Amy and I had a really good talk and settled some stuff that had been bothering us for awhile. Afterwards Amy put on the "Not Played" list on my iPod for the rest of the drive. The music turned out to be some weird super chill stuff my friend Cory gave me. For some reason, I was totally relaxed and ready to hear that type of music. Maybe it was because I didn't sleep much on Friday night or maybe I was just feeling good after our talk. Normally I would be too antsy to sit still and listen to something really slow and new.

I got to trail in really good mood, and I felt great the rest of the day. Amy and I ended up having the best time together. I slept like a baby on Saturday night. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

I understand her apprehension

Jill posted an excellent blog post about her apprehension of an upcoming epic adventure in Alaska. While I have never done anything near as adventurous as her, I could relate to what she felt before the start of a race. These feelings of dread and fear are one of the things that made me quit doing endurance races. I just felt like if I wasn't going to enjoy it then why bother. She didn't talk about why she races in spite of the fear before the race. I can only guess she either enjoys herself during the race or maybe even after the race. I definitely got something out of it, but I can't put it in words.

On a completely unrelated note here is a commuter tip. When it is really freaking cold and you are scared to open your garage door and head out, put on all your cold weather clothes then inflate your bicycle tires. The more days you wait between re-inflating your tires the better this technique works. It had been weeks since my last inflation, and I was toasty as I headed out on my ride this morning. As a bonus, I felt like a speed racer with an extra 50 psi in my tires. It is amazing how much better your tires roll when they are inflated.

Happy Valentine's Day

my present