the blue colnago: December 2006

Last day of the year.......

999.9 miles. almost there....

Rollin' thru Black Hawk Park....

Another wet day....

1000 miles....!!!!

Napping in her TWIN SIX outfit....

Baby Rhea and Daddy Jackal.... (yes, he's bad...)

Peek-a-boo....

(Clic the pics to enlarge)

It's been a wet weekend so far. I definitely overdressed for the ride today but it was fine when I started unzipping......

Made the 1000 mile goal on the Surly with 12 hours to spare!

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Ride safe!

Peace out, yo!

Damp, drizzly Saturday....

Kathleen Porter and crew....

The Surly 1x1....

Canoeing on the Cedar on the 30th of December....

Almost home....

Wet....

It could be worse..... :)

My middle son, Eric, was born on this day in 1977 in Bad Caanstadt, Germany. Happy Birthday, Eric!!!!

Left for my ride before 9 this morning knowing that it was going to be a damp, gray day with zero chance of getting better. The temp was 41 F and the wind was out of the east at 10 mph. Not bad conditions for a ride at the end of December in Iowa. I rode the dikes on both sides of the river and met Russ and Cindy on their tandem riding with Tom as I was getting ready to enter George Wyth Park on the East Lake Trail. Rode through the park and headed out to Black Hawk where I was passed by Kathleen and a couple of her friends on road bikes. They were all smiling and pedaling! I made the trip through the park then headed back to Cedar Falls on the Cottage Row Trail. Back through GW to the Hwy 218 bridge and home. A bit under 27 1/2 miles in 2:08. That leaves me with about 17 miles to go to reach my goal of 1000 miles on the Surly by the end of the year! Woohoo!

Judy went shopping with Amy this morning and just got home. Ready for lunch!

Ride safe!

Peace out, yo!

25.5 miles on the Surly last night in 1:58:00. 12.9 mph average speed. I was pretty happy about that!

My goal is to hit 1000 miles on that bike before the end of the year. (it went into service on 19 Sep) I have 46 miles to go. Sooooo close, with rain in the forecast. I might be getting wet!

I see that Paddy has formally announced his June Epic! Holy Balls! Look at the climbing!

Ari from Chicago had asked about the Ergon grips. I love them! Once they are adjusted properly for the rider they are great! I also added FSA carbon riser bars to the Surly a couple of weeks ago hoping they might suck up some vibration on the gravel. They work great also. Super combination!

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

Ride safe!

Peace out, yo!

It's all good....

Eric, younger brother of Jackal....

Adam and Owen, Jackal, Moo and Baby Rhea....

Baby Rhea and her new Twin-Six onesie....

Visions of sugar plums danced in her head....

Adam and baby Owen....

Sleeping in her new hat....

Smiling....

Moo and Baby Rhea....

Judy and Baby Jake....

Christmas at the Buchanan house was most excellent! We had 8 adults and six young 'ens running around at one time. Judy and Amy made breakfast for the family while Jackal and I finished wrapping presents. I think that everyone left happy....

Judy and I, Jackal and Moo, Adam and Krystal, Guitar Ted, A.Lo, and B. Bottke met later in the evening at Toad's for some good conversation and a little imbibing. That, also, was excellent. I haven't talked to Adam today but I suspect he had a headache this morning. Light weight.

I rode 20 miles through the parks after dark tonight. It's somewhat chilly but at 28 F, not at all uncomfortable. I love it when the Doubleshot lights up all the critter's eyes at night. You'd never believe that there are so many of them running around out there in the woods!

That's it for now.

Ride safe!

Peace out yo!

Christmas.....

Blue, G-Ted, Jackal....

Travis Mead, Jackal....

Guitar Ted, Buchanandale, A.Lo, B. Bottke....

Buchanandale, A.Lo, Bottke......

Ummmmmm, yeah........

It was a great evening. Copius amounts of alcohol were consumed. It seems that everyone behaved except myself and Hansmeister. Well, I kinda behaved..... Hansmeister will have a headache tomorrow for sure. I will definitely be sleeping in tomorrow morning.

Thanks to all that showed up....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Christmas Eve....

Jackal at the mall....

Vickie's Little Secret....

"Look at the doggie...."

Baby Jake with crayons and paper....

Baby Rhea napping through lunch....

Sans Souci at night....

Christmas Eve day is for men to shop for Christmas. That's an unwritten rule. It's just the way it is. If women want to shop on our day they should learn not to be rude. They shouldn't get pushy in the video aisles of the electronics store. They shouldn't get to the checkout register and then go back to get "that one last item" after the cashier has rung them up. They shouldn't argue with the cashier when told that they can't use the "after Christmas coupon" on Christmas Eve. What part of "after Christmas" don't you understand? Don't wait until you get to the register to ask if they have "another airplane desk clock". If you wanted two of them, you should have asked a floor clerk for it before you got in the checkout line. Duh! Anyway, like I said before, Christmas Eve is men's shopping day. That isn't too much to ask, is it? If you MUST go out that day, follow the rules. Be polite. Take your time. Make sure you're ready to check out when you go to check out. It's simple!

Jackal and I went shopping this morning and had a fairly good time. The malls weren't busy and there seemed to be plenty of product available to pick and choose from. I love Christmas Eve shopping! I got everything I needed and didn't have to wait in line very long. It was good!

After we got done shopping we went to Toad's for lunch with Jackal and Moo and Eric and Nikki. I had HOT wings. Mmmmmmmmm..... Yummy! The only problem with that was that I went riding the Surly after lunch and felt like I wanted to hurl the entire time. 25 miles in 34 X 17.... I've been at it long enough to know better! Oh well.....

Baby brother of Jackal is here now. I'm going to take a shower and tip a couple Guinness' with him.

I hope that each and every one of you and your families have a wonderful Christmas. Take a moment to remember what it's really all about........

Think of our servicemen and women and perhaps say prayer for them and their loved ones.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Christmas Eve morning.....

I rode the Surly 25 miles yesterday. It was damp so it felt cold but the temps weren't all that bad. The little bit of gravel tha I rode was gooey and thick. Made a mess of the Surly....

Judy talked me in to going to Kohl's last night to do a little shopping. Surprisingly, that wasn't bad either. I have to get out this morning to get my serious shopping done! Saw Mr. Bidwell at Kohl's last night. It seems that he was involved in an "endurance" shopping session wth the missus. He told me that he was planning to get a ride in this morning "no matter what". Hope you got everything taken care of Jeremy! I stopped by Bike Tech to wish Brent a Merry Christmas. He looked good in his blue Santa hat!

That's it for now. I need to go get my shopping done so I can get a ride in today. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Solstice....

Yesterday was the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. If we lived in the southern hemisphere it would be the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. Plan accordingly :)

The Buchanan Clan will have a small gathering on Christmas night at Toad's. It will happen sometime after 6. We'll probably drink (small amounts) of beer and such so c'mon down!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!