Happy Anniversary!

• Married--5 years.
• Co-habitating--11 years.
• Best Friends--23 years!

Weeping Willow Race Report

You think you're getting a full race report here, but a-ha, you're NOT. Instead, you're getting a photo that I borrowed from Seaside Cycle's FB photo page and a link to the coolest bike clothing company out there, Twin Six. Trust me, I'm sort of like a doctor's helper, and I promise, the click won't hurt a bit. Click here, and do it now!

KingdomTrails_part1

The Green Mountain State.

I love Vermont. It's been a few months since I had been up to the Northeast Kingdom, but the addiction is rekindled, and I can't wait to go back.

Jean and I headed up on Saturday, but we went up late… the weather was actually better here in MA, so we took care of stuff around the house and did a great road ride first. Ultimately, it was time to pack our stuff in the car and hit 93 north. The drive up was uneventful, and we made our way to our friend Jo's house.

It was great to catch up with our old friend and get re-acclimated to our home away from home. She's got a great B&B in the perfect location, and Jean and I have been staying with her so often, she's like family.

After getting reacquainted, getting a good night's sleep, and having a great breakfast, it was all about getting rubber down and hitting the trails!

Ah, and speaking of old friends, there was Harp, Coronary Bypass, Pastore Point Loop, Coronary, Tap & Die, Webs, West Branch, Hogback, Sidewinder, Border, Heaven's Bench, Ridge, Leatherwood, Riverwood, Nose, Worth It, Beat Bog, Widow Maker, Pines, Bill MacGill… Good friends indeed. If you know what I mean, you know how good it was. If you don't know, well, next time I mention that I'm going to Kingdom Trails, get your bike ready and come along to be enlightened.

In addition to riding, we did some more riding. In addition to that, we did one of our favorite hikes in the area, to the overlooks on Mt. Pisgah, looking over Lake Willoughby.

All in all, it was a killer get away to the Green Mountain State. Now, I have to review my calendar to see when we'll be back.


See some other pics here.

Avid BB7!

Avid's BB7. It's a simple component, yet the source of MUCH anger and frustration this morning...

It started out when I was doing a pre-race inspection on my Singular Swift. The rear rotor was a little wobbly, and there was a small nick in the finish that was causing some accelerated wear on the pads... oh, and the pads were probably at the point where they could have been replaced. So, I figured I'd just get a whole new kit. Easy enough, right?

I started by calling Western Cycle... no BB7 in stock. No problem. I checked Seaside Cycles, which is only about 3 miles from my house... the shop's Web site had an online catalog which showed the BB7... I arrived at the shop only to learn that the online catalog was NOT actual store inventory, but a list of things that could be ordered. D'oh!

Next. I tried calling REI. I had a feeling that they would have the caliper in stock, and I could get a new seat for Jean, as I knew that the also carried WTB. When I called REI, I was on hold for about 5 minutes. I hung up, and instead tried Pinnacle Bikes in Beverly. No luck. I called REI back, was on hold too long again, and hung up to call Beverly Cycles. No BB7. Repeat the same process with REI, being on hold, and then calling another shop two more times (Centraal Cycles and Brown's, both in Beverly), no BB7.

I finally got someone at REI, and I was in luck, they had the BB7! I asked to have it held for me at the front desk and then I hopped on 128 south (from Manchester By The Sea no less). I drove "quickly," pushing my Element to the limits. I had to get down to Reading and get back home so that I could get to work. I got down 128 south just fine, but when I hit Danvers, I looked across the median, and to my horror, the traffic was backed up as far as I could see. I could NOT spend my time in that. I hopped off 128 on 114 and hit more traffic. ARGH!

On a lark, I tried Salem Cycles, and viola, they had " a frig load of BB7's." I was there as fast as I could, navigating Salem traffic and parking (which suck). I got the caliper, and then battled Salem and Beverly traffic some more.

Sigh... so much for a quick errand and installing the caliper before work!

Kingdom Trails

Lake Willoughby

From the top of Mt Pisgah, thanks to Photoshop stitching about 5 photos together...(click on the photo).