want to put some words downyet I lack the energy
sleep will win over this blog entry
yet while flight of the conchords plays I will continue to type
today I left out of work early
wanted to run an errand with dean
wanted to talk with dean and hear about his first day in first grade
so I took dean with me to go out and talk to a friend about a bike
the modern equivalent of talking to a man about a horse... I guess
early in the trip I could see that my line of questioning was not getting any real substance
so I let the topic drift
I grabbed a diminutive pokemon charm made of metal that came with a newly purchased pokemon dvd
passed it back to dean
he marveled at it silence for a bit
he questioned where i got it then we debated about its name
I gave dean some space as he focused on his little treasure
then he started in on some anecdotes of the day
just what I was looking for
I could see that the drive to leesburg was longer what dean was looking for
dean remarked about being on the highway
he questioned why we needed to take the highway to get to this friend's house
then dean told me he changed his mind
I told him it was too late to turn around
dean turned around and looked at the four lanes of highway behind us
he did not want to go with me to go get this bike
I told him it was too late to turn around then I pulled the nintendo ds from my bag and passed it back to him
mario versus donkey kong was the game of choice
driving sucks
we just drove back from the shenandoahs the day prior
there was plenty of driving on that long holiday weekend that acted as a mini family vacation
I can understand why dean was not so interested in the view outside the window
the nintendo ds did the trick
there was intermittent conversation about the game and the actions day as he played
along with a lot of him talking to the game
and a lot of me asking him what he just said
finally we arrived at my friend forrest's house
the garage was open and the bike was in the driveway
a six year old stumpjumper fsr
less wear and tear than corrosion from laying dormant
forrest stopped riding mountain bikes a few years ago
a back injury keeps him running and road biking
while offering hesitation to head out on dirt
two back surgeries are part of his measure
the bike was not our entire focus
we discussed the history... a hundred dollars passed hands and then I put my new six year old bike on the roof of the element
forrest asked if it was a good deal
I said it was a good deal for me
forrest figured it was a good deal for him because the bike was just hanging in his dad's barn
dean went straight for the remote control hummer
dean was a good guest to a much younger boy named brad
we stayed for a while and chatted
I got a tour of the house
dean got a rice crispy treat
then left for the drive home
the way back we headed towards white's ferry
which was really the fastest way home in addition to being the most interesting
white's ferry
the last ferry on the potomac
dean was pretty excited about the ferry
even if we stayed in the car
we met lisa and grant at my dad's for pizza and a quick dip
I returned home and got to work on the Specialized FSR
cleaned, lubed, and greased
with some minor adjustments
swapped out the old tires/tiubes for some new tires and tubes... random 26ers that were floating around
new stuff... swag from some local races
put on an alternate seat
snagged some riser bars off another bike
then the requisite new chain and new cassette
then grabbed some TIME pedals
that was about all that it needed
the bike was ready to ride
not sure if I will race it
but I am considering it
will ride it a tomorrow and see if I can get a feel for this
white's ferry on the wiki page
historic white's ferry
white's ferry is cool!
now i need to weigh the scales...
3 year old heavy Surly hardtail
or
6 year old unfamiliar Specialized FSR double banger!
cast your votes!