...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.

Ok so I hate the idea of leaving this blog behind after 3 faithful years dedicated to it... im bringing the pages from the other blog back to here and keeping this one alive. stay tuned for new blogs. It feels good to be back.

change...

Im changing to a new blog... in the interest of stating reasons once, go to my new blog here http://thelifeofbrian.blog.com/ to check out the new blog and add me to your feed.

The turning of the leaves changes my blues

ok... so... long summer.... finally over. This must be the feeling people up north get after a long snowy winter. Well the temps are finally down and the humidity isnt attacking with quite the same intensity. I have started a new job working with the Y, I am a youth specialist with my own class of 4th graders. They are perhaps the whiniest group of kids I have ever had to work with, but they are good kids. I have a full set of classes this semester, which will be my last semester pursueing my AA degree before I get into my Bachelors program. I have been riding my bike more in the past week then I had all summer due to the fact that I have no gas in the truck, and I have been needing to get to work... I put in over 50 miles last week, it feels liberating.
I have planned a hiking trip to return to my beloved Pisgah National Forest; a friend and I are hiking the Art Loeb trail starting in the Shining Rock Wilderness and ending at Davidson River Campground, where I stayed when I did the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race last year. This time the plans are set and the plane tickets are already purchased, so backing out would mean losing money, and a very sad bRiaN. I am really looking forward to spending sometime with mother Earth and just being out in the wild.
I am hoping that this very depressing summer will meet a very happy end in this hiking trip.

grr

Another summer gone and classes are starting again... I had many plans this summer that got pushed off due to heat and depression. This state can be ridiculously hot this time of year and it wore on me more this summer than i can ever remember. I haven't spent a whole lot of time outdoors this summer and I have been longing for adventure. Im hoping that with the turn of the seasons I will spend some more time getting out and doing things rather than being stuck in this house.