Thoughts on life and cycling.

Thoughts on cycling and life.

Another semester in the books and another semester closer to the dream of spoiling the minds of the youth of the country with my rhetoric. It was a great semester but I was looking forward to taking some time off before the summer semester begins. I will have three days off, but it will be a positively enjoyable three days of not knowing what the hell to do with the time. The last month has been a busy one, with extra hours wrenching on other peoples bicycles and what with preparing for final exams and end of semester projects. I did find lots of time to ride the 32 miles to and from work as my truck was in the shop for a week... I got over 100 miles in in just over a week. It taught me that I love riding to work no matter how far it is. I have since ridden to work several times with a perfectly good truck parked in the driveway. I was always the bike commuter before, but now I am learning to enjoy it. Both for the monetary advantage and the physical workout I am getting, but also an even more important sense of saving the environment and being a visible presence for cycling advocacy. I am attempting to get the entire shop to ride to work on May 21st which is national bike day, I will probably ride to work that whole week, bit if the lot were empty of cars I think it will make a great statement. Anywho... its great to be able to share some thoughts on the old blog again, even though I know no one is reading it anymore, its still good to talk about it with whomever may accidentally stuble upon this post. Cheers.

Florida Trail Croom Hike

Caleb, Jack, and I went on a backpacking trip on the Florida Trail in Croom this past weekend to try out my new Tarp Tent RainCloud 2. It was also Caleb's first backpacking trip with his Deuter Fox 30 backpack. We parked at Silver Lake Camp Ground near Brooksville and hiked around 8 miles. We stayed just south of Crooked River Camp Ground. The recent rain had provided us with nearly impassible trails that required some nerves to negotiate. Caleb was the one who decided we should just push right on through and wade through the water. The picture of Caleb here walking through the water doesnt do justice to the sections that I was careful not to stop to take a picture. There was one section that was up to my knees and the nearest "shore" area was a complete tangle of completely impassible brush. In all it was a fun hike and a great way for an 8 year old to spend part of his spring break. Jack did a great job on his first hike, im honestly surprised he didnt chew his way out of the tent that night. Oh and we also got a chance to try out Jack's Kelty K9 pack... the rear D ring ripped up from its stitches... I assume from Jack being such an avid mushing dog but i hope he doesnt break it all the way off. Ill have to contact Kelty.
Being Caleb' first real backpacking trip he did extremely well and proved to be a real adventurer. All the bike touring trips we have done together have prepared him for the kind of walking we did. Im hoping to take Caleb out for our next trip on the AT. I also hope that this is the first of many section hikes of the Florida Trail as well... perhaps he will become the youngest person to ever section hike the entire FT? ...we'll see about that ;)

New to Touring

Ellen and I went on an over-night trip up to JB Starkey Park to test out her newly built Fuji touring bike. It was a great trip despite pouring rain the next morning and having to hide under an overpass. Rain gear REALLY helps with the not getting cold part but there is something about rain that just crushes the soul. The trip overall was a great experience, and being Ellen's first over night bicycle trip, was a trip we wont soon forget.

Starting out our section hike of the AT

Ellen and I spent a few days on the Appalachian Trail a couple weeks ago. I have been a bit busy so the post comes a little late, but, we hiked from Amicalola Falls to the official starting place of the AT at Springer Mountain in Georgia. We plan to return in May to do a few more days and hopefully in the years to come we will continue the routine until we have completed the whole trail. Im looking forward to Blood Moutain which is the next major scenic view on our trip since Springer. Take a look at some of our pictures.

Crocs are keen...

I love Crocs... I used to buy up the 8 dollar croc like shoes at walmart and target but it seems they have stopped producing those... today I got myself a pair of Croc brand shoes for the first time and im going to try them out as comfort shoes on the trail. A lot of people are Croc haters... but i think for all those fasionistas out there that they couldnt possibly understand trail fashion... meaning, comfort and weight before fashion... so eat it! anyhow... Crocs are almost a way of life for hikers and I will not apologize for my lack of fashion sense on the trail... though my latest Crocs are not quite the ugly rubber things that most people think of... they are called the Santa Cruz and are the lightest shoes i could imagine bringing on a hiking trail... i love them and you should too.

AT - Commitment

In two days I'll be standing next to Ellen at the base of Amicalola Falls looking toward the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia. Adorned with backpacks and cold weather gear we will begin a 7 day hike covering some 40 miles along the Appalachian Trail, and ultimately we commit ourselves to a journey that may last much longer. For those who don't know(those of you living under a rock), Springer Mountain marks the official starting point for the Appalachian Trail, or AT for short, that meanders up the East coast of the United States for some 2175 miles before ending, just short of our 51st state, in Maine. Though we will be committing ourselves to 40 miles for this hike, we ultimately have opened up the can of worms that many AT section hikers start and spend years trying to finish. We will have committed ourselves to a lifetime pursuit that is the AT.
What does all this mean? It means blood, sweat, and tears... it means love, commitment, and facing fears... its means a journey that may take years...
I'm looking forward to the journey ahead.

...i'll take the bears.

Its funny how when I tell people Im about to take a backpacking trip on the AT the first thing they do is worry for me about my safety. "what about bears?" "are you gonna bring a gun?" "people get killed out there!" Then I take a look around at the city... at least someone gets killed every day in the city I live in... car accidents abound, and there are unsolved murders with murderers wandering around the city, perhaps preying on their next victim... Where I am going there will be no cars. When I ride my bike to school or work I risk getting killed by every car that passes me... thats 50+ chances for DEATH everyday! When I drive its the same thing... I get cut off in traffic, people around here cant seem to figure out what to do when it starts raining... I risk death everyday of my life living in the city. Now to take a vacation into the woods... where there are no cars, very few people, and maybe, if im lucky, ill see a bear... I think I'll risk that possibility of seeing a bear that will more than likely run from me. Will I bring a gun? no. Maybe a knife to cut up my summer sausage... do people get killed out there? yes... but the chances of me getting killed on the AT are far less than that of me getting killed on my daily commute... im sorry guys... Ill take the bears.

Trail Travelers

So im starting a new club and I'm hoping to build some interest. I love to tour by bike and the local area has not seen a dedicated touring club as far as I can tell... enter Trail Travelers. I have a trip planned for club members (really anyone who signs the waiver so far) that will be held in conjunction with the SPC Bike Club Tour that I also planned. The trip will be from April 9th through the 11th and will take my standard 3 Rail Trail route, starting in Clearwater and making a loop out to the Withlacoochee Forest and back by means of Suncoast, Withlacoochee and Pinellas Trails... this time I will be going through Tampa using the Upper Tampa Bay Trail as well. To anyone who is interested in the club or the trip please get in touch with me.
I am excited about the future of both the Trail Travelers and the SPC bike club considering both are new and are requiring a lot of planning and some dedication. I will have a more proper flier for the trip by this weekend (fingers crossed).

Life begins again... in the Blog world at least

It has been way too long my old friend... its good to see you... I almost forgot the password to even post anything here. I will admit it has been quite some time... with my fall from cycling, and the invention of facebook... people have stopped reading my blog and I have stopped posting... busy? maybe, lazy? probobly more likely... has the adventure stopped? likely not. my life has always been lived by the idea that to make a living is to get out and enjoy life, regardless of your income status. well... my friends, and perhaps, lost, faithful readers, Here I am, returning, for who knows how long, but to post another post. youd think with a new DSLR that I'd be busy as hell posting all kinds of pictures... right? but i guess I've just been too caught up in the life I've been living to post anything on me ol' blog. well... like an old friend I will come crawling back and ask for the chance to tell the stories of the life I have lived in my absence.

So... I have been elected as the president of the St. Pete College bicycle club... what does that mean? Im not sure but it may look good on my resume. ALSO... I have decided to start my own bicycle club... still very much in its infancy, the Trail Travelers is my new baby... check out www.trailtravelers.com ...though there isnt much to be seen yet hopefully there will be more soon.... also I recently purchased a new road bike to replace the Klein I had to sell over the summer to support living expenses... the new ride is a Peugeot Success... and yes... i do see it that way... 7 speeds of pure enjoyment! and by the way i rode a nice 20 miles today on her and rather enjoyed her... uhm... semi-maiden voyage... as she is... well... used... but really? the guy must have bought this thing back in 95 and BARELY riden her... as she is practically in new condition... check it out.
Honestly though.... I like her more than the Klein because the Klein was aluminum and the Success is steel... the way I like it :D and the ride is much more smooth.
Ellen and I are going to be taking a trip to Springer Mountain in a few days to do some hiking on the AT... thats right... Ellen and I have been together again for some months now... and we are making a commitment to hike the WHOLE AT together... whether she realizes that or not I dont know... but shes doing it... if I have to hand cuff her to my pack. Any how... Im glad to be back into the Blog biz and hopefully I will stick to it this time... and not be a pussy about it and just forget that it exists again. well.. until next time... Shalom.