the blue colnago: November 2009

Happy Thanksgiving....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Getting ready for Jingle....

Mr. Gurd reminded me that I should probably take my bike, too.... Thanks, Buddy!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

I haven't given up....

I'm sure there are some people out there in the Blogosphere who might think I've given up blogging. There may be a couple who wish I would.

Well, I haven't. These past couple of months have been very busy for me. Lot's of things going on at work that have taken a lot of time and energy, and CX racing every weekend but one for the past 2 months. I'm fried.

One more weekend of racing. Jingle Cross. This coming weekend. Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. It's going to be good. :) Everyone who races CX should attend it at least once. Huge party atmosphere. Awesome course. The very best hecklers. It's just plain fun.

Last weekend was Cedar Falls Cranksgiving on Saturday. It was a good time. Not bad for the first year. 29 participants, all of whom seemed to be having a great time. Kudos to Redg and The Thin Man and everyone else involved in organizing and sponsoring this great event. The beer at The Landmark was pretty good, too!

Sunday was the last race of the Quad Cities series. Middle Park Madness. As usual, the folks from DICE put on a great event. Special thanks to Bruce Grell and Donnie Miller and all of the folks from Dice. Also a big Thank You To Scott Swanson and his wonderful wife Kat for the officiating and registration duties. You do a great job!

That's about it for now. I'll do a photo dump one day soon. Judy has taken a ton of good pictures this year. She's gotten pretty good with the camera!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Cranksgiving....

This Saturday, boys and girls.... My good friend Redgie Blanco says "Be there or be square"....

This is a wonderful cause to help provide a Thanksgiving dinner for some of those in our community who are less fortunate. This is an annual event in many communities around the country and this year Redg has made the effort to bring it to our community. Please get out there and help make this a success and have some fun while doing it! Thanks in advance for your support!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Happy Veterans Day....

Approximately 10% of all living American citizens are veterans of the U.S. Military.

Approximately 1% of all American citizens are serving at any given time.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

71F on the 8th of November....

Geese on the pond....

The Yellow Bike....

Hartman North....

At Black Hawk Park....

"Specialized...."

A beaver dam....

Resting....

I couldn't pass up a ride today since it was 71 degrees and sunny outside. It was about the same yesterday but I didn't get out to ride then. Other things going on....

I went north on Hackett to the point that you can go into the woods on the short section of singletrack on the north side of the paved trail. When I came out on Shirey Way there was a guy standing next to the river beating a drum. I thought that was kinda weird but, hey, whatever trips your trigger.... :)

Shirey Way is different now. The last time I was in there it had just been graded. Now it is covered in new gravel. Not the smoothest surface around. Some of it is pretty big. It looks like most of the singletrack on the north side is still under water. :(

Anyway, I got to the west end of Hartman North and got back on the paved trail then headed toward Pfeiffer and into Cedar Falls. It was then out around Big Woods Lake and out to Black Hawk Park. Black Hawk is still closed to vehicle traffic and there are still logs and other debris on the roads in some places. I saw a few people out walking there and even one guy at the rifle range. That's a long walk from the main gate!

It's kinda nice being out there when no one else is around.

I rode through the park and then took the trails into Island Park and downtown Cedar Falls. It was a good ride on a beautiful day. How long do you think this weather will last?

State CX at Altoona on Saturday then Devil's Cross in Bettendorf. The season is starting to wind down. Middle Park Madness on the 22nd then Jingle Cross and it will all be over. It's been fun this year.

That's about it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!