WABA....
laws for the bike
living in the third world

so I just got off the phone with Eric from WABA
it was a nice little chat
I, as usual, spoke more than I listened
it is a problem that I have been battling with for some times
more of a disorder for me rather than me actually being self centered or impolite
tough for me to contain the beast which is my talking brain, perhaps that is why the BLOG is so good for me
lets me get it out so that I do not need to unload it all on some poor unsuspecting coworkers, strangers, or friends (okay.... friend, as I am not so popular)

so Eric of WABA and I were talking...
I needed some bicycle related legal advice
more specificially.... I wanted to know what the laws for cyclist are in this city
as this morning I had a discussion with a DC police officer that nearly became a conflict which may well have then become a situation.....
well, actually, at the time things had occurred I had thought the exchange had gone quite pleasantly, but that was before I got an email from my friend Tom who had been stopped by the same police officer after I had had my encounter

let me back up for a second.....

this morning I was making my way to work
oddly I took a route that I do not usually take
on this day I went down Mount Pleasant Street; "el boulevard" as I like to call it
rather than dipping down towards the rear enterance of the ZOO on into Adams Morgan
when turning off Lamont street onto Mt. Pleasant street I slowed and yeilded rather than running the stop sign right in front of a DC Metropolitain Police cruiser
after making my slow turn I moved to the center of the lane to go around the police car that was stopped by a double parked car
seeing that the police car was about to move out and around the double parked car I moved further towards the center lane avoiding any possibility of collission

then seconds later I felt that I was in this officer's "radar"
so I slowed and pedaled along side of the police car with its open window
as I rode along side of the police car I tried to take it all in
at first I could not understand what the police officer was saying.... his "SPANGLISH" was a tad confusing to me
then he moved to a heavily accented English removing most of the Spanish all together
he told me that I had to ride to the right
I politely informed him that I could not ride to the right as it is not safe
to the right there are double parked cars
to the right there is right turning traffic
to the there are cars entering the roadway
to the right there is the "door zone" , okay I did not say that
but I did say that
to the right is unsafe for me to ride as cars are pulling out of parking spaces and pulling into parking spaces

the officer then said that it is the law that the bicyclist rides to the right
I agreed with minor correction.... the law is that the bicyclist ride as far to the right as they feel is safe
and in this case..... the center of the road is as far right as I feel safe

all the while this converstation is going on with me on my bicycle pedalling along while looking down at him in his cruiser as we move down the city street
me looking forward for oncoming cars and future obstacles
several times I had to slow and wait for the officer, even turning around for him once, as he was obstructed several times by double parked vehicles
I gestured dramatically at all of the double parked cars and trucks
his Central American eyes did not see a problem with the cars and trucks that obstructed traffic
he said I had to stay to the right and wait till it cleared
ABSURD
to that I let out a dramatic exhale and "yea, right" as it made no sense to me

then at last speaking the officer started in on my riding and how I flew by him
I guess my threshhold for his ignorance to the position of the bicycle ran short
because when he said that I had "flown by him"
I corrected him literally and said I had not "flown" I had "pedaled by him on a bicycle at slow speed" and then continued that had he been more alert he would have anticipated my approach

after that last exchange I moved forward through the green light
passed the next set of traffic on the right
ran the red
cut through a park
back onto the road
laughed at the two block long bike path to now where
the bike path that was fully obstructed by double parked vehciles
stayed in the center of the two lanes
and did not figure he was any where near me

upon arrival to work I had thought that we had a good exchange
I BLOGGED about how I was so pleased that we were able to discuss the various points
in that previous BLOG attempt that got lost in CYBER SPACE I made mention of my desire to approach the officer and thank him for hearing me out, thank him for his concern for my saftey, and thanks for his efforts to make the streets more safe in general
then I got an email from a friend
Tom a fellow cyclist and fellow Mount Pleasant home owning resident described nearly the same situation
except he was not able to speak back to the officer
and
he got a ticket (I think he got a ticket... as his email was not entirely clear)
my impression of the whole encounter was then altered

will try to get back to this post
time to leave work
hope I can get these thoughts on paper
earlier tried to SAVE A DRAFT
and lost a recount of this event prior to knowing of the ticketed cyclist as well as a tale of DWA (Driving While Asian.... please excuse my Archie Bunkerism)

back...

okay
talked with my friend Tom... he did not get a ticket
he said he was able to hold his tongue and get out of there before it came to the ticket stage of things

I rode home and did a little shy of an hour on the bike in a snowy rainy state
being tailgated then passed too fast and too close by each and every car that I encountered on Rock Creek Parkway
it was a teeth grinding experience that had me saying things that I am ashamed to repeat and would never like to have my sons ever hear
but
my life is valuable to me
and
it seems that the car drivers on the road failed to respect that idea

in respect to the police officer
in his mind he feels he is instructing the cyclist to do what is best for everyone
and
maybe even what he thinks is most safe for the cyclists
well.... as the cyclist.... I will tell you as I told him
I KNOW WHERE IS MOST SAFE FOR ME!
and
it is not over to the right of the road on Mount Pleasant Street

that is not to say that I ride in the center of the road all over town....
that is most definitely not the case
but Mount Pleasant is a special place..... it has a very Central America feel to it
and that is not entirely a good thing
the day to day activity has a gray market which adds to the flavor of the strip
most of the cars that are blocking the LOAD/UNLOAD Zones are gypsy cabs
illegal cabs there to take the latinas home with their groceries
then there are other cars dropping off friends and family to go to the bank, grab a coffee at the 7-11, or dropped off at a spot where day laborers wait for work
but
can't these things be done with causing chaos and congestion
yes
they can be done and should be done
I have no problem with the Gypsy Cabs per se... but they cause more trouble with there blocking the loading zones and their erratic and obnoxious driving styles
looking for a space
taking a U-turn whenever where ever they choose
what are they? bicyclists?

it is a tough situation
the chaos has gotten so out of control that there just does not seem like a place to begin
is complete avoidance of the main strip the cyclist only resolve?
maybe until officer friendly chills... sure
but what about later

I will have to gather my thoughts and contact some of the area representatives
let my voice be heard

Henry's film corner....

Henry

Just trying to hang on.....

yesterday..... last night after work to be more specific I left from work
it was cold
cold and wet
misty... not raining per se... but wet just the same
I was one of those fools on his bike in shorts
had a rain jacket on
but shorts and 3/4 finger gloves
those warm days prior fooled me yesterday morning
with my lights charged and no plans for the evening I could not help but go for a ride
the ride was short, but not as short as my straight shot commute home
my knees were chilly and my hands were starting to go knumb
but I know that I am not much for the trainer and it is vital that I get at least three post work rides each week.... at this point no one is counting... best I start paying closer attention to my work outs and my waistline

I have no issues with being a CLYDESDALE
but I do not want to be FAT AND SLOW..... one or the other..... not both

as much as I did not want to ride in the cold and the wet
it is too easy to give into the excuses
sure I could have easily justified my going straight home
by thinking that going straight home would keep me from catching a cold
or saying to myself, "days off are as important as days on!"
but
there is an excuse everyday not to ride
there are happy hours with friends
got to rush home to be with the family
it is too cold
it is too hot
it is too nice
the excuses to not ride is never ending
the reasons to ride...... well, my reasons are my own

at this point I think that I RIDE BECAUSE I RIDE

and if I do not ride
then I am not me

Those wacky bracelets.....

it seems that this whole bracelet thing has become a monster of its own....
for many it is more about the bracelet than the cause

I admit that I do sport both the Yellow LIVESTRONG and the Black LIVEWRONG bracelets
together making me appear as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan
but
this is not so much as a fashion statement as it is a little bit of a self motivator
both the LIVESTRONG and the LIVEWRONG bracelets have meaning that is close to my heart
LIVEWRONG being more of a clever spin on the LIVESTRONG, having a motto that is close to my heart just the same

now with the tragedy of the Tsunami....
every bit of assistance is vital
and
such a thing as one of these bracelets will offer a chance for people to make donations who would not normally make a donation as well as offering attention and exposure to a situation that should be kept in our thoughts and our prayers (at least in our thoughts... as not all of us prayers)

but.... how many causes can reach for this same 'gimick?'
I guess as long as people are buying these ornate rubber bands the various causes will continue trying to sell them

chances are if I were a kid in grade school I would be wearing as many of these bracelets as possible.... such a thing could be a great gimick, but could also offer chance to educate
most certainly most kids with these bracelets have to have some sort of idea what the different color bands represent

so... the TSUNAMI RELIEF BRACELET has hit the market



I am torn
my children are young
there have been times where I have considered discussing the Tsunami with my older son Dean who is only three and a half
but withdrew from the converstation after some thought

I do my best to keep the front page of the paper and the graphic images of the news away from my son's young and impressionable mind
with the images come the questions
questions that I may not have the answers for
if it stresses me out... it would more than likely give him nightmares and perhaps give birth to irrational fears

so in an effort to avoid the topic I will avoid temptation on the Relief Bracelet as we have already made donation elsewhere

LIVEWRONG




my LIVEWRONG bracelets are in
and
they LIVEWRONG bracelets are in stock with some additional gear
the original source is a blogger from the old school The Drunk Cyclist
be careful.... the drunk cyclist has all sorts of adult material on his site to bring in money/sponsors
some of it is pretty and nice
but... maybe not pretty or nice to your boss or the women in the next cubicle

much to blog about
starting to think I really need to start jotting down some of these ideas down
as all blog concepts are gone before I get in front of the keyboard

It is like that movie Groundhog Day....
and other various ramblings

it seems that the trash continues to collect on the edges of the wooded park across the street from my Mount Pleasant home
to me it is unclear if it is the same set of people littering or if people who eat at these places are more prone to littering than the people who shop and dine elsewhere...

McDonalds, Budweiser, and wrappings from 7-11 style microwave goods are always popular pieces of trash
while it is more seldom that I find Whole Foods packaging or Dom Perignon bottles

trash and intentional littering are definitely pet peeves of mine
as well as speeding cars driven by ignorant and incosiderate people

sure we all may go for some change in our lint filled pockets and lose a small candy wrapper to the wind
or open our car window for a breath of fresh air only to find the wind come swirling through the diver's compartment only to wisk away an empty plastic bag

but what about the people who intentionally toss trash about without any care?
don't they realize that this all adds up?
you would not believe how many times I have seen some home boy or some home girl stopped at a light waiting for the light to turn green... their door pops open and out drops the container from whatever fast food joint they have just chosen to feel their immediate hunger needs
I have said things... but... these folks do not want to hear it and I do not what to hear their rebutal so I try to keep it to myself

the most obvious of these 'litter bugs' would have to be THE SMOKERS
I have seen that these smokers get great pleasure from flicking their cigarette butts into the wind or less artfully onto the sidewalk, into the street, and down the gutter

sure there are janitors and cleaning personal hired to pick up around the office buildings
and
in DC there are even these people in yellow jackets called the GOLDEN TRIANGLE that wander the streets offerering directions to tourists and picking up trash on the sidewalks
but.... just because someone is paid to pick up trash does not mean that anyone has a right to create more trash

it is neither clever or cute to claim that tossing about various trash is creating such jobs

somewhere along the line someone's mom did not manage to get the point across
okay
I have seen kids with their parents throw trash on the ground
where the parents do not say anything
guess that is why the ghetto looks like the ghetto and the third world looks like the third world

now with Christmas behind us there will be the dumping of various holiday related decorations
now days the trees are being sold with tree stands
so I will expect to see more and more trees dumped in Rock Creek Park with lights and tree stands attached
I would try to give people the benefit of the doubt for not knowing any better
but
if they did not think that such behavior is wrong then why do they do this illegal dumping after midnight?

asdf

Kindered Spirits....

this morning as I went to do some work in some of the offices that we have stationed in the building next door, while waiting for the elevator I took a look at the front entry way as a cyclist made his way with his bicyle through the front door

being a cyclist I tend to eyeball any and all cyclists within view

within seconds I recognized the rider in all of his gortex garb.... it is a fellow commuter John Shovelan

John and I had met some time ago on a cold dark winter night last year
over the year we encountered each other several times
each time more and more information of the other being shared
ontop of that information John also shared a patch and some glue to help me fix my bike after I ran over a "boobie trap" on some rogue trails on the Maryland/DC border just off the C&O Canal

what is interesting about john is that we often skip over the common ground of bicycling and move to the topic of fatherhood

here is a link to an online journal that John kept when he rode his bicycle cross country earlier this year
it sounded like an epic adventure
so inspirational that he was able to step away from work and family to take on such a journey

the cross country bicycle journey is on my life list
seeing how John was able to approach it and his families understanding makes it more of a consideration

*This is a little "reprint" from last week
thought it deserved to be put front and center
initially I tried to cover it up with all sorts of extra junk
but after giving it a tad more thought....
feel with the New Year and all
we could all use something to reflect upon
and maybe even a book recommendation

12.25.2004

An Unexpected Christmas Visit
I was an uninvited Christmas vistitor

During my Christmas Day adventure at my father's there was a point in the afternoon where I felt that ten month old son Grant would do well to be removed from the action where he could relax and take a nap
with mention to no one but my wife Lisa I snuck out the front door and into the car
Grant was strapped into his car seat, started to squirm, then with a turn of the key, the start of the engine, and a gentle push on the gas pedal I was rolling forward and Grant was asleep
rather than risking "the transfer" I opted to take a restful holiday drive
restful for Grant
restful for myself
and perhaps restful for all of those that had not realized my departure
unsure where I wanted to go I just drove
after only a few blocks from my father's Bethesda home and I headed my little old Honda Element down the path of an old holiday tradition...

Christmas at the Wilborns

somewhere in my adolescent history I became part of the Wilborn family

I have many memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas visits to the Wilborn house where I would join in on the holiday fun
(and of course there are many memories of visits with much non-holiday fun as well)

on this Christmas Day I arrived to a quiet house
(as I had expected having had email correspondence with both Mrs. Wilborn and her son Peter earlier that week)
not the open house of years past.....well not yet at least
the house was not completely dark
Mrs. Wilborn aka Belinda was busy in the kitchen....just starting to prepare for a grand multifamily production in that classic Wilborn Holiday Style
as she hustled around the kitchen I joked about the short time till the guests arrived
Belinda played along and fained panic, but she is an old pro at this sort of production... she motored about as we chatted
we talked of her eldest son Peter and the call from his family on their cross country ski vacation in Minnesota
then there was mention of the yongest brother Burke and how he was out looking at various properties for refurbishing investments
rather than mention of the now deceased middle son Jim we spoke of the wife that survived him, Sarah, and how she is spending her Christmas this year
the discussions were light
as Belinda was busy getting ready for her guests and could not offer her full attention
I was trying to stay out of the way as well as someone can do who has just stopped in uninvited on Christmas Day
as Belinda multitasked her way about with lighting candles, folding napkins, and setting places I tried to be helpful with an occassional stir of boiling cranbrerries
but more than anything I tried to stay out of the way
Mrs. Wilborn worked while I walked about the sparsely decorated kitchen and let memories pass through my head: there were scrabble games, undercooked brownies, underage drinking, and lots of parties....mostly family and neighborhood parties
the refrigerator was deocrated with images of the three Wilborn boys at various stages of life
some images with the three boys together and many of them apart
I stared into the eyes of the now deceased Jim Wilborn in various photographs and wondered who and what he would be now if he were still alive today
then looked at a picture of his now remarried wife Sarah and wondered if the man in a group photo was her new husband
after glancing about the fridge I then took a look at the shelves above the counter top... there tucked on a shelf with various cook books I found a photo of their small black and white family dog, Maggie, and made a comment
Belinda chimmed in that it was a card from Jim that he sent after Maggie had died
I asked if I could read it
Belinda said I could

I read the letter slowly and clearly in my head
paused
then asked without thinking, "did Jim write this letter about the death of this dog or about the death of himself?"

I wish I had a copy of the note to post it twice
once with Maggie's name and another with Jim's

I stayed for only a few minutes longer
as it got tiresome running out to the car every five minutes to see that Grant was still sleeping
I gave Belinda a hug and a kiss then drove home, Grant sleeping all the way
so I could get back to my family festivities and she could get back to preparing for hers
there seemed to be no awkwardness of my mention of Jim's letter, Mrs. Wilborn's response was so matter of fact that I imagined that she kept the letter for the reason that I had just interpeted it for

I replayed that message about the passing of the family dog Maggie one more time in my head
without control I cried
the Wilborn family was like a second family to me
those three brothers were like another set of brothers to me
each one as individuals having a significant impact in my life
all impacted me dynamicly
all impacted me individually

Jim died on his bicycle
although he was at times seemingly wreckless or out of control
he had an amazing natural talent as an athlete to get in and out of danger with finesse
in the case of his death he was killed standing still at a stop light waiting for the light to change
a car ran a light colliding into another car sending that car flying through the air and ending Jim's life in an instance...all a mater of chance....might as well of been lightning or a meteor
at this point in life much of his wildness was behind him
(well, other than his experessiveness on the bike, skiing, or any of his other physical persuits)
it seemed he had figured it all out
somehow in his early 20's he had learned to live without the distractions of various bullshit
the specifics of Jim's death are not important to this story
what is important is that a family with so much love lost a significant player
a mother and a father lost one of their treasured sons
two brothers lost their middle brother; a special brother at that
a women lost her husband and soul mate
and many people lost a good friend

Jim was buried the same day my brother got married
it crushed me to experience my life moving forward
while Jim's life was literally stopped dead
so many things which I was going to experience
Jim was certainly going to miss
the pleasures of family and fatherhood
the excitement of growing forward and getting to look back and laugh

that drive from Washington DC to northern New Jersey for my brother's wedding was a tough one
I bawled uncontrolably at times as I sped dangerously through Interstate 95 traffic, while lisa slept calmly at my side
it was hard to plot a positive speech as a best man
when such somber thoughts were active in my brain

as I watched my brother's life flurish
on the other side of the country Peter and Burke watched their brother Jim's life spend its final moments above ground

I did cry when I toasted my brother
that painful mixture of happy and sad was more than I could contain
on that day I celebrated the marriage of my brother
and the death of another who was as a brother to me
rather that toast my brother with mention of my old friend Jim I made a metaphor about the relationship of brother with imagry of the relationship of my two dogs; Roscoe and Brutus, who are brothers

that was many years ago.....

life does go on
everyone has moved forward
we all miss Jim in our own ways and for different reasons
he is gone....we have all independently learned to accept his death whether we like it or not
but most certainly Jim Wilborn not forgotten

I will not try to sum up life and death
not for jim
not for anyone
but I most certainly will try to read that letter again
because I think that Jim tried to explain his loss before it even happened

merry christmas jim
and
merry christmas to the whole wilborn family


here is a memory of Jim....

when I lived in Breckenridge Colorado the youngest Wilborn boy, Burke, was one of my housemates, we lived in the garage of a group house an ice cold unfinished garage with our futons on the floor and a freestanding bookcase separating them Jim was in school in Boulder at the time and would make occassional visits to ski Burke and I would snowboard while Jim would Ski
Burke and I were carving down the mountain tearing up the powder when we both wondered what had happened to Jim
we paused at a ski run crossroads unsure which direction the group of us wanted to head
we looked about and waited for Jim just then we see a blurrrrr!
Jim was screaming down the mountain right past us instead of stopping at the top of a very steep bumped out run Jim flew off the cat track lip and went flying all the while his head was turned to the side making complete eye contact with Burke and then myself
Burke and I pointed our boards down the steep bumped out ski run, taking each bump one at a time, and then finally joining Jim at the bottom
Jim was elated! a wide grin all teeth perhaps a little salava coming out his mouth as he uttered...."that was the best run of the day! lets hit that one again!"
to this I questioned, "best run of the day? you launched it with such speed that you missed the whole run nearly landing on the flat at the bottom!"
that is just one instance of how Jim lived his life so much energy so much talent a seemingly out of control manauver that would have put most anyone else into the hospital was not an out of control adventure but just another run on the ski slope

will have to read over these posts when I have more time the boys are done with their dinosaur pancakes and would need help being entertained

I have taken a second to reread this post
no desire to edit or proof to any great level
as I would rather add to the idea or start another tangent

but I will add one more idea
the time that lead up to Jim's death was an emotional one
Jim had grown through high school and then college with a close group of friends, with one who may have stood our as his best friend, Rob Williams
Rob was similar to Jim in that he was a handsome, well liked, charismatic, and quite the athlete
Jim and Rob had moved from state to state together and both had grown and changed together
after college in Colorado they moved further out west to Oregon and then Washington state
I remember one Christmas at the Wilborn house where Jim announced his engagement to Sarah
it was a somber celebration
as Rob Williams had died in a car accident just a few days prior
Rob was in a car with his fiance and his future mother-in-law when the car hit a patch of ice and spun out of control...only to be crushed by an 18 wheeler
As a gift to Jim and Sarah I gave a book, "The Alchemist"
the book was given in an effort to help Jim and Sarah understand or perhaps deal with their loss
there was no knowing that the path of death and negativity was going to continue further
life does go on
even if we never grow to understand its meaning

The Alchemist is a book I would recommend to most any and all




the specifics of the death of Rob and Jim may be less than accurate
these actions occurred many years ago
the memories are faded and the stories themselves may have reached me second hand
I aplologize for any innaccuracy
to those who were truely close to Rob and Jim I hope that my post is not offensive to you, just as I hope that my mention of Jim and the Maggie card did not offend Mrs. Wilborn
my intentions are pure
my feelings are true

I think that I will have to re-read THE ALCHEMIST myself
it may help me to figure out a few more things
as life is a riddle that I am always trying to solve

Zero Points for Good Intentions!

Still time for me to redeem this morning, yes I know, it will not be done here by BLOGGING
with a glance at my watch.... no chance to redeem the morning... but can still redeem the day
today I am scheduled to get into work late.... 2PM late.... AWESOME
a tad bit of a reward for my having to go into work on my day off for a bit on Friday
much appreciation... my boss is cool... no comp day earned.... but rewarded just the same
with the warm weather and the late entry time I sent out the feelers to see if there was anyone else with the freedom to ride in the AM on Monday (today)
came up empty
it would have been work to get to the trails, ride, and back on time... but it did not happen
no one had the flexibility other than me
then, went to the schedule of the Ashtanga Yoga Center to see it there was a class that met my needs and schedule
sure enough there was an OPEN Class at 10am... perfect
when the morning came I balance the scales as I dressed Dean and Grant
the pillow won over the yoga mat
opted to not drink any coffee
just hung with the boys in a haze until Soledad came over to take control
passed off the boys and then passed out
seems that my body needed more than a 15 minute cat nap
thought that I could sleep for a few minutes and still go to that Open class
each time I woke and checked the clock I decided to go back to sleep rather than get up

how often do I get to guiltlessly sleep late..... never
sure lisa lets me sleep late
she is a saint that way....
Lisa is always up early with the boys letting me get a few extra winks of beauty sleep
beauty sleep that always falls short letting me wake as ugly as I went to sleep the night prior
this morning was different
no sound of Lisa hanging and playing with the boys
no sound of dished being unloaded from the dishwasher
no sound of laundry being folded (can I really hear that.... no..... but my guilty conscience can feel it)
just sleep
deep dark dreamless sleep
me and the dogs back in the bed for a lazy morning

with a look at the clock and a measure of what I would like to do
no time for a lengthy prework ride
just enough time to take the dogs for a longer than normal hike in the woods
with the warmth I can ride tonight with lights on my way home from work
the short road workouts do not need to be in the day
for that matter neither do the hikes with the dogs

Dean and I took Roscoe and Brutus out on New Year's Eve with Hutch and Tom
Me with my maglight and Dean with his maglight mini
Dean breaking to rest on fallen trees and large rocks as we did a tracked out look behind Bancroft School and Ingleside Terrace
most people would not risk going into that trail after dark
but
I feel that the dogs have slowly cleared out the sketchiness

enough ranting
want to get out with the dogs
need to get to work
best I get into work on time

quizzes
was never one much for school
but I sure love quizzes

here is some quiz....

How Punk are you?

and my results

I AM 73% PUNK ROCK! The intelligent punk. Tuff and Smart. I may be able to maintain a train of thought long enough... What the fuck was I talking about? Take the PUNK ROCK test at Fuali.com

snagged this from gundog99's blog
*als0...
I think this test is a tad off
as I know I am more than 73% punk
PUNK is not a green mohawk or playing three cords on a guitar
I know what punk is and I am 100% PUNK!

and of course that classic...

What DC Hardcore Band are you?

what ever happened to Vesper Pistol
was his "are you punk?" poster his 15 minutes

End of a old year start of a new....

no time to blog
children scampering at my feet
dogs tap dancing about with full bladders
lisa got up early to start taking down the tree
seems she needed extra fuel for this task as there is no coffee left in the pot
guess that is what I deserve for sleeping late

best I take the dogs out
not for a walk as much for a pee (and yes a poo)
as lisa and I have scheduled a babysitter for the afternoon so we can chew our food over lunch
then hike together rather than one hiking while the other watches the boys

went to Gambril yesterday
things do not always go as planned
but if you stay the course they often work out just the same
rode with my brother and a friend named dave
my focus just was not there
lacking that "eye of the tiger" approach to the rock gardens
took it for granted that I had the miles of technical behind me
kept crashing into the rocks in front of me
perhaps I am more in tune with a the rigid monkey than the front suspension geared monkey
or at least that is the best excuse I can formulate at this time
went over the handlebars at least three times
slow speed ejector seat style
well
not so slow speed that I did not have to run it out
as I did
always happy to finish the crash without injury to me or my bike
also glad that I was able to go over the handlebars and land on my feet
shocked that my clumsy old body can get over the tall bars of that big old bike

ran into fellow dirt fiend Jason
he was out at Gambril with his dad
not a bad way to start the year
out with his dad... introducing his dad to some amazing terrain... getting his dad stoked on the year of riding in front of him
already dreaming of the next Shenandoah Mountain 100.. them... not me

well

time to be responsible

so much to blog about
so little time
I may start jotting down epic blog notes
so that I can expand upon them when I have time

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS.... none

just the same list of hopes and desires as the days before
if I can keep my life headed the direction it is going
perhaps smooth out the edges a bit
then 2005 will be as awesome as 2004
my life is on a roll
best I just enjoy it and ride it