Picture of the Day!

Could not pass this up, I don't know what he did but when my wife and I came through the parking lot, this is what we saw.... Way to go Leland PD!

ramblings

To much rain, not enough peddling! However, I'm going to hit the trails this morning and put in a few miles before heading over to see my dad. I haven't seen him in several weeks, so I'm very excited to be going over to visit him.

I've been working a lot on the CANbike stuff, it's coming along slowly, and the event will be here before you know it. In case you don't know, it's a mountain bike event that I am helping organize to raise money for breast cancer awareness, I hope we have a great turn out and raise tons of money.

Here's the logo on a Tshirt I saw online, I will add it to the collection just as soon as payday rolls around....
Have fun, be safe, and I'll see you in the trails!

Mid August ride at Blue Clay

I finally have most of the prizes and raffle items lined up for CANbike, so I have a little spare time again. This morning, I slept in, which is so unusual for me. It felt good to sleep in, but I missed my early Sunday a.m. ride downtown. It's just cool to be down on the river so early, and watch the people and be able to ride without fear of the lunatic drivers that crowd the streets around mid-day. I've been giving Erol's idea of Ciclovia much thought, and I think this would have a dramatic impact on our region. The downtown area is the perfect place!

Since I missed my morning ride, I met up with Brannon and we hit Blue Clay! First of all, the new parking lot is great! No more parking in mud, or fear of getting your vehicle stuck in ruts. The Blue Clay Bike Park project has come a very long way, and it's great to have had a role in it.

Today was the first time I have rode BC in a while, let's face it, it's the middle of summer and snakes are out. I wouldn't classify myself as having a fear of them, more like a huge respect for them. I've seen my fair share at BC, and I try to avoid them and let them go about their way. Today, Brannon spotted the only one, a black racer about two feet in length.

I didn't break out the camera, I just enjoyed my "SLOW" ride around the trails, and talking to friends that I haven't seen in a while. While talking with Peter, he commented on how mountain biking seems to pull people together outside of biking, and I couldn't agree more. Normally, and there are exceptions, mountain bikers are a friendly laid back group of riders, that love to share a story, catch up on old times, or lend a helping hand when needed.

Hopefully work will allow me some spare time this week to hit the trails, because I sure need all the spinning I can get in.

See you in the trails!

Downtown Wilmington on Sunday am

This past week was a bit more hectic at work than normal, lots of big shows going on that kept me at work when I was hoping to be peddling. This morning I woke up early as I always do and decided to put in another downtown Wilmington ride like I did a few weeks back. This ride is a ride of solitude for me, I like to get downtown before 7am, when the sun has only been up for a little while. You get to see tons of cool stuff, this morning was no exception, as soon as I parked my truck, a tug boat pushing this huge barge came down the river. (See photo below) I took this next picture from the same location and you can still see the fog in on the opposite side of the bank that has not burned off from the morning sun yet. (picture below) While I had my camera out, I figured I'd get a couple of the USS North Carolina, which is also on the opposite side of the river from downtown.(pictures below)


Downtown Wilmington early on Sunday mornings is so peaceful, however not as dead as you may think. There were lots of road cyclists out enjoying the morning air, several joggers and as always the people out for an early morning stroll or walking their dogs.

I was in a club meeting recently, and Erol was explaining his ideas about having a Cyclovia here in Wilmington. As I rode this morning, I gave this a lot of thought, downtown would be a perfect place. I rode through several sections of the historic downtown, up and down the old cobblestone roads, and there is so much to take in.

I had a road bike for a while, and I sold it because it only hung in my garage and never saw much use. Now, I find myself pondering another road bike, or maybe set my hardtail up as a commuter with some fat city tires, that would be nice...

See you in the trials...or the streets downtown.

2009 Cannondale Bad Boy

I've always like the Bad Boy line by Cannondale, but when I saw these two pictures, I think I like it even more. From what I've seen on the forums, this is the euro model. Hey Cannondale, let's get these in the shops here, because I want one!!!!