an update.... and TSE

Wow. Almost a month and no blog updates. What the hell have I been doing?

Well... My month started off well. Well in that I was getting a bit of rides in when it wasn't raining. Weekly wednesday rides were consistent and I was out on the weekends getting some long rides in (like my last post). Ginger had her knee surgery which will ultimately allow her to ride her bike more without any pain or discomfort.

Hmm. Let me think about this... Oh yeah, I did get a solid week of riding in with two days being 2.5-3hr mtb rides. Trails were super dry and I got to ride some new stuff.

Like this trail out somewhere east of the CT river.

That's Dave '4th Place' Cormier with Glenn directly infront of him and Andy off the front. Somehow I rode up that with one hand, seated, on my 34x19. It wasn't easy but this trail was a hoot to ride UP. I can't want to ride the other direction (downhill).

The rest of that week I was commuting to and from work on the fixie. Those were some fun, sunny days. The highlight of my morning commute is saying hello to the crossing guard at one of the intersections I ride through. No matter what the weather is, he's out there helping students and all pedestrians alike crossing the busy West Hartford thoroughfares.

Got a few other rides in here and there on the Superfly getting used to my squishy fjork and also riding the steel rigid Vicious singlespeed. Rode another set of new trails waaay east of the CT river. That place is pretty technical but solid handlebar width singletrack which is hard to find around here now-a-days (thanks to the dirtbikes and ATVs). Nothing quite up to 3-4hrs which is what I really wanted. My weeks have been blurring together as I can't seem to get out of the office at a reasonable hour. My new job seems to be taking a lot out of me.

Then the rain came and my drive to do stuff disappeared. I did run into one problem with my primary computer ('04 iBook G4)... Looks like the logic board is failing. It wouldn't boot up and the screen wouldn't light up.

I got it to work, on its side and in pieces. I also found one method to keep it going.. I have a bunch of cardboard wedged between the circuit boards and the bottom plastic cover.  Before all that I was able to back it up in the event that is officially dies. This post is being typed on it and things seem to be marginal. Its the longest I've used the computer in one sitting and it is extremely slow. Something's wrong. Guess this is why I haven't been blogging or even using my computer much the past few weeks. Someday I'll decide to spend the money on a new computer.

Ginger has been recovering very well. We've done a few rides on rail trails and roads. Low impact for her (compared to off-road trails). Mainly to work range of motion. So far, no dislocated knee cap (what the Doc was fixing) which is a great thing. Next month we'll get on some trails (gotta show her that new trails I've ridden as well as Stewart NY and northern VT).

This past weekend the rain let up a little bit. I had a ton of stuff to do between procrastinating, repairing a friend's VW and Audi and taking photos of a friend's house that just sold (for future house project ideas). We had dinner out in Willimantic at a friend's house Saturday night so I snuck in a ride. Took the Cannondale for a ride down the rail trail from Manchester to Willimantic.

Armed with some Maxxis Crossmarks and a 36x17 I high tailed it across part of the state for an hour and forty five minutes and got out there just as the sun set. Drank one water bottle and a can of PBR. Munched on a Clif Bar for I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.

Shortly after this picture it was about that time of the day.. The time where all the bugs come out. Got some extra protein for the last 30minutes of the ride.

Just outside of Willimantic the rail trail officially ends. The remainder into town is present but has not been updated. Especially where the trail cris-crosses the Willimantic River. I opted to press on as far as I could before it got dark.

This bridge was pretty sketchy. Railroad ties all rotted out but the steel frame was in tact. I walked across it and once I got out there I realize how quick the river was flowing and how far above the water I was. Kind of reminded me of Costa Rica.

Got to our friend's house just as things got dark. Had a long, steep climb up the road two blocks from the house. A nice way to finish off the ride.



Saturday I'm leaving to head out to PA for the Trans-Sylvania Epic.... and the BearsCat 50. Eight consecutive days of racing. Right after the TSE awards I have to high tail it back to NJ for a 2-lap 50mile race in Waywayanda State Park the following morning. Basically, Stage 8 of the TSE as the terrain will be equally as rocky and difficult.

Got a lot to prepare for this week.

Tires to swap around between wheels. Gear to pack up. Also need to decide if both bikes are coming with me or just one. I'll figure something out.

(You can see the new main breaker panel I installed in the background. That was an Easter weekend project.)