Short ride....

Dark outside....

It was a short ride tonight. A trip over to Cedar Falls via the South Riverside bike trail to Pfeiffer then past the Utilities complex to downtown. The sewage treatment plant is ripe tonight. I can't believe that someone wants to build housing and a green area there next to it. DUH!!! Rode back through Gateway Park and George Wyth Park to the Cedar River bridge and home. 16 freakin' degrees F!!!! 11 COLD miles. It was enough for tonight. That's it.

Peace out, yo!

Sweet, huh....?

Cannondale Optimo 2 Disc

Sweet Gravel Grinder, er, I mean Cyclocross bike....

All it needs is pink bar tape....

The CRD has to go....

I like this bike.

Order one at the Shop or talk to Buchanandale or Kerkove.... Available December 23rd.

Peace out, yo!

I got wet....

Ummmmmm.....
You have to pedal this thing....?
Just riding along....
Spinning....
Look ma, no hands....
Traffic on Hwy 20....
Welcome to Cedar Falls....

So, there I was....... Riding along minding my own business when it started to rain. I'm about 2 miles from home when I see and feel a few rain drops. No big deal. I get down by Ron's house and it starts coming down pretty hard. I'm now 3/4 mile from home and getting wet! It's 52 degrees outside and I instantly feel like an ice cube. I start scooting down the middle of the lane on Rainbow and see Jackal out in his garage so I yelled at him to say "hey". No response. Probably wondered who that silly fool was out riding a bicycle in the rain. Oh well. It's all good. I got a little over 25 miles in, survived The Intersections of Death, and didn't puncture. My headlight worked fine. My taillight worked fine. I didn't crash. What more could one ask for?

That's it for now. Back to work tomorrow.....

Ride safe...

Peace out, yo!

As luck would have it....

I had another puncture tonight. (Is that 3, Paddy, or 4 this year?) Geez! I rode south to Hudson on the Colnago and punctured about a mile or so north of town while I was on my way back to Waterloo. Front tire. Psssshhhhhh...... The front felt funny and when I looked down it was nearly flat. Crap! It was dark outside and I changed it by the light of my Cateye Doubleshot. The new tube that I had with me had a short stem and my wheels are Shimano Aeros.... CRAP!!! CRAP!!! The valve stuck out about 1/4" and my Blackburn pump wouldn't go over it far enough to get any pressure in it. Thankfully I had a CO2 inflator in my seat bag and it fit onto the stem just fine. I squeezed the trigger and voila'..... The tire was hard as a rock! That's the first time I'd ever used one of those things! Woohoo! All the air went into the tube!!!!

The remainder of the ride home was totally uneventful, for which I'm glad, because my cell phone battery was nearly dead and I didn't have another tube with me. I would not have enjoyed an 8 mile walk in cycling shoes!

So, now I'll charge up my cell phone and put yet another new tube in my front tire so that I'll be able to get a pump head on it. All will be right again with the world. :)

Ride safe!

Peace out, yo!

Of babies and bikes and things....

Baby Rhea and G'pa napping....
Rhea saying "hi"....
Heading into Hudson from the west....
Jackal's Saeco Cannondale....
Another view....

The Six-13 and Blue....

The weather was most excellent for a quick trip to Hudson and back. I hadn't ridden the Colnago since late August or early September. I've been spinning the singlespeed or riding The Yellow Bike all through the fall. The road ride was good and spinning the Surly for the last couple of months seems to have helped! Thanks for not dropping me, Jackal!!! That Six-13 of Jackal's is one sweet looking ride and seems ultra smooth!

G'pa and baby Rhea are spending the afternoon together. She's so sweet! We napped and then she ate and slept some more. I guess that's what babies do!

Have a great weekend! Ride safe....

Peace out, yo!

Turkey Day....

Jackal was going riding this morning, but after a 60 hour work week, I didn't want to get up at the ungodly hour that he was planning to head out so I slept til 8 or so and then headed out on the Surly for a 25 mile ride. The weather couldn't be better for this time of year! It was 50 degrees when I passed the thermometer in Cedar Falls at 11:22!!! Met Super Saul under the bridge as I was approaching Pfeiffer on my way back home.... Hope you have a good ride, Ron!

Judy has been up most of the night getting Thanksgiving dinner ready. It smells great! We'll be eating about an hour and a half from now and the aromas coming from our kitchen are making me hungry! Turkey, roast beef, corn, and sweet 'taters along with a couple of pies are waiting up in the kitchen. Anyone who thinks that preparing Thanksgiving dinner is quick and easy is full of poop! THANKS JUDY! You're AWESOME!!! I need to take a shower and then help get the car loaded to head out to Orvin's. I hope that everyone has a GREAT THANKSGIVING!

Ride safe!

Peace out, yo!

Happy Thanksgiving....

Who is this guy?

A: The man from U.N.C.L.E.

B: The man in the moon

C: The man from LaMancha

D: The man with a plan

E: Jackal's baby brother

F: All of the above

G: None of the above


Peace out, yo!

Totally random....

Breakfast on the 4th of July....
Uh Huh....
The Green Bike....
The Yellow Bike....
The Blue Bike....
Jackal....
Guess who? The Mud Stud....
Eric, brother of Jackal....
Haulin' grass....
Quarry Park in September....

I think I'll start posting my favorite pics of 2006.... They'll be totally random and without rhyme or reason, I'm sure.

Peace out, yo!

Another Sunday....

Cool, huh....?
Dam, Beaver....
The sign says it all....
Cruising through Black Hawk Park....
Hartman North singletrack....
You'll notice that the small lake is frozen....

Jackal showed up at the house at the end of his ride this morning as I was getting ready to start mine. He was riding the Six-13 out through the parks for a 25 miler in the low to mid 20's temps. I rode the Surly through the parks on the bike paths and also through the Hartman North singletrack. Started out in the upper 20s and ended up at about 32 F. Not bad temps! The singletrack is clean and looks like it's been getting some use.

Does anyone know the condition of the Greenbelt trails?

Plenty of time for riding during the daylight hours next week considering Thanksgiving and the 4 day weekend....

That's it for now.

Keep riding!

Peace out, yo!

Bright Lights....

Went out and rode 21 miles on the Surly after dark last night. The Cateye Doubleshot is UNFREAKINBELIEVABLE!!!!!!! Turns the night into day! I have to say it's a 10. A+++

Sitting here at the plant this morning updating this blog...... I could be riding my bike! It's nice outside this morning! Ahhhhh well. A little later.

I hope that those of you going up to camp today have a good time. Jackal is planning on a road ride sometime today. The Shell Rock loop, I think.

That's it for now. Don't waste the good weather.

Does anyone know what the liquid volume of a 320 ml flask is?

Peace out, yo!

So, get this....

Everyone knows that I want a new headlight for riding in the dark, right? My Opticube EL500 is ok, but, well, you know.... So, I contact Kerkove at the shop to order one for me and he tells me that there are two coming in and that they aren't spoken for. With me so far? Cool. He emails me today and lets me know that they are in and that he set one aside for me if I want it. Super cool, right? Oh yeah. It gets better.... Jackal shows up at my house about 20 minutes after I get home from work and hands me a brand new Cateye Doubleshot. Still in the box!!!! Woohoo!!! So, I get out my checkbook to pay him for it and he tells me that it is a late birthday present and an early Christmas present. Whoaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!! Whatcha think about that? Personally, I think it's pretty cool! Thanks, Jackal!!! :) It should light up the night!

You'll notice that Mr. Bidwell correctly answered the question of the week this morning. A cup of coffee for that man for answering the question! The guy in the picture that the question referred to is Roger Doty from Clarksville, Iowa. I've known Roger for about 23 years and worked with him for over 20. Mr. Bidwell isn't kidding about Roger being a good cook.... Mmmmmm...... The man CAN COOK!

I suppose that everyone has heard by now about the plane crash in Indiana on Monday that killed 5 Iowans. Tom Dunphy was one of those killed in that crash and was a friend of mine. He was with our ad agency and had led strategic planning sessions for us at POS. He was in our plant quite often and always had a smile on his face and time to talk. He could have been an endurance racer or something with his seemingly boundless energy and enthusiam for all that he did. Say a little prayer for him and his family and for the other victims and their families, please. Thanks.

That's it for now. I just wanted to share those things.

Peace out, yo!

Work....

Jackal's World....
Bon Bon putting Jackal to work....
Question of the week:

Who is this guy and where is he from?

(Jackal can't respond to this question)

Busy, busy, busy day at work today but I still found the time to take a couple of pics. Seriously, these were taken prior to the "official" start of the day. We have some dedicated employees at POS!!!!

I've known Jackal since the day he was born.

I have known the "young" man who is the subject of the "question of the week" since he was in high school, which was a LONG time ago.

Bon Bon..... Well, she's a piece of work. I interviewed her for a job several years ago then went on vacation, planning to make a decision later. I decided that I wanted to offer her a job so I emailed our Human Resources department and told them what I wanted to do and left it at that. Imagine my surprise when I went back to work the following week and saw her there working in another department! It seems that one of the supervisors in that other department interviewed her after I did and he decided to hire her, knowing I planned to offer her a job. I was pissed at him for a year! (He had been my employee for several years and had been recently transferred to the other department. I hired him and promoted him and took care of him.... How's that for gratitude?) A few months later I had an opening on a press so I talked to her (without notifying her supervisor) and offered her the job, which she accepted. I told her supervisor that I was taking her and then let him stew over it! It all worked out and I still got the employee I had originally wanted, though she has given me PLENTY of grief over the years. (we all do dumb things sometimes) She's a pain in the butt and her political views suck but she's still around. Poor Ron!!! (her husband)

Jackal and Kerkove are taking care of my "lighting dilema" for me. It doesn't hurt to know people at the shop!

It's all good! Thanks guys!

That's it for now. Dress warm and ride your bikes!

Peace out, yo!

WTF....

Is someone hi-jacking blogs?

We seem to have lost Diana, Paddy, and Shona. Redirected to some BS advertising in the first two cases and Shona's blog seems to have just disappeared. What's up with that? I hope it's not some Dork with too much time on his/her hands just screwing around out there. That would be pretty lame. If that is the case..... I'd like to meet him/her somewhere for a cup of coffee.... hee hee...

Peace out, yo!

First snow....

Trolley Car Trail....
Yup, it snowed....
What came first, the beaver or the saw?
Snow kitty....
Baby Rhea and G'ma....
Jackal and Moo....
My Sweetie....
ewwwwwww...... what is that?

I got up this morning and checked the weather on the net.... 21F with winds out of the SE at 15 to 25. I thought to myself..... "This would be a beautiful day for a bike ride", so I pulled on all the layers and set out on the Surly for a 25 miler. It was good! The Gators and the Salsa Lobsters maintained the temps in the extremities and it was actually pretty comfortable. I went east down the Trolley Car Trail and then up in front of the Cattle Congress grounds, crossed the river, then rode the dike to the East Lake trail and up through George Wyth Park. Cruised through Gateway Park and the Big Woods Lake trail before heading out to Black Hawk Park. I rode out by the rifle ranges and then turned around into the wind and rode the Black Hawk Park trails over to the Cottage Row trail and headed back into Cedar Falls. The wind on the return trip was wicked but the temps were rising quickly so it was bearable. After I got back to Pfeiffer Park I pedaled over to the South Riverside Trail and climbed Look Out Park hill then headed home down Grand. It was a nice ride.

Judy said that Jackal had called while I was out riding so I called him back after showering and throwing the bike clothes in the washer. We met at Toad's and had lunch. I was looking out the window at the intersection of 2nd and Main and saw Super Saul and Kerkove cruise by then saw John Adamson go by in his car. Looks like everyone was out and about today. I didn't see a single cyclist while I was out for my ride but by lunch time there were quite a few riders cruising around.

That's it for now. Have a great week!

Peace out, yo!

The serpent was subtle....

and it moved amongst the people....

and they became used to it....

and they accepted it....

and they slept....

and when they awoke....

all was changed....

yet, they didn't notice....

and what once was, wasnt....

and what could never be, was....

and they knew not....

The serpent was subtle....



peace out, yo!

It's over!

The elections are over and in a couple of days they will be forgotten. Won't be mentioned on television, no more wasted ads in the mailbox, nothing in the papers, just the perpetual wish by the people for something better. (how ironic is that? we elect them, then wish we hadn't) The politicians will do what they do best.....take our money and spend it with an uncontrollable and insatiable appetite on unnecessary items and functions. Continual bashing of one another trying to gain favor with this group or that. They'll keep the fingers pointing and the next scandal brewing. They won't do much else. They never do. It matters not who is in office or what their election season ideals were, it will be business as usual. If you can keep someone else on the defensive, you'll never have to own up to your own shortcomings or lack of ability. They'll be spending money and making more and more laws. They'll say something that will piss someone off then they will spend the following days trying to explain how they were misunderstood. It's sorta sad. Whatever happened to honesty and personal integrity? Where did that go? Why can't we say what we mean the first time, then stand by what we believe? That's not politically popular. In fact, many times it would be political suicide. The United States was the greatest nation on earth until we were overcome with massive amounts of self interest and greed, both on a national level and on a personal level. Ah well, someday we will reap what we have sown. It has to be. It is written. It can be no other way. You see, it makes sense. That's something else that we've forgotten about. Common sense. It has gone the way of the Dodo.

Have a great day! Ride your bike!

Peace out, yo!

New Orleans....

No drugs or Nukes in the Hard Rock....
Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company....
Singing....
Police on BIG-ASSED horses....
Balcony for rent.... Rue Bourbon....
Supper....
Acme Oyster House.... Yummm....
The approach to Lakeside Airport....

It was good! Good food and LOTS of beer!!!! I wanna go back for Mardi Gras.

Peace out, yo!