Bear Attack

During 24 Hour race in Alaska. Wow.

Ouch

The last couple of days were nuts but they are done. Now for some R&R on the shores of the Big Lake.

A Thought

"Easy things suck. Nobody should gravitate towards anything "easy". Difficult sucks also, but unlike "easy" has something to offer whether you succeed or fail. That's my 2 cents for the day." Tim Parr, Swobo

Looking down the barrel of two containers to unload today, and another tomorrow, easy isn't a word I'm even thinking about....But the UP beckons this weekend, so at least there is something to look forward to.

Nau They're Back?

At least according to their blog they are. Good to hear, we'll see what happens.

New

The Velvet Foghorn is my new favorite cycling web resource. Check it out!
I stumbled upon it today while checking out Eco Velo, also another nice site.

Gone

But not forgotten. Jolly Rodgers' mustache that is.

Drinking a New Belgium Black Ale right now. Wow. Get your mitts on one of these when you get a chance, folks. They are tastey.

Summer is upon us. The mosquitos are full tilt, but last night I dipped myself in DEET and grilled out. It was worth it. Also, got caught in another rain storm whilst riding the pit bike to the grocery store this weekend.

Its Friday

You know what to do. I'll never learn.

Soul

I had the very great pleasure to see the Black Diamond Heavies last night at Revolution Cycles in Madison. Great show. If you are in Minnieapolis this Friday, try to catch their show at the 7th Street Entry.
What kind of music do they play? Hmmm, dirrrrrrrrrrty rhythm and blues. Two guys, two organs and a drum kit. Low down, grinding blues, man.
Thank guys for stopping by Rev! Also, thanks to the guys at Furthtermore beer for keeping the libations flowing during the set!
Didn't get home to after 3, was up around 6, feeding the weeds out back by 9 am. Its been a brutal, lash yourself to the mast and forge ahead type of day for me, thank god it is almost bed time. And by bed time I mean 6....

The Solution...

Bush says we need to stop wasting time and start drilling for oil now. How about this, lets figure out a way to stop using so much oil? Seems like a great plan, sadly the oil industry lobby is running our country and that will never happen.

I Like Today

Found Sonadei via Cranked. Check out these t-shirts. I bet you find one you like!

Thanks

To Jeff at Bitter Gravity for the IC Light sixer. If you like it, I'm sure I'll like it!
Wow, this flooding thing is crazy. It hasn't rained in days, but the water contiues to rise. Parts of the midwest are cut off, and cities are flooding. The pundits had already been talking about the shortage of corn before 6% of this seasons crop was washed away. Get ready to pay at the store...Finally we have our first CSA pick up this Thursday, and just in time!

Its Monday

Get to work!

Seriously

Is it ever going to stop raining?

Adult Playground

The Wednesday night ride delivered the usual mix of ridin', underpass dwellin', drinkin', lyin', and country western music listenin' last night. One enduring image is me, sitting in a corn field listening to the highway, eating a taco, wondering what time it was. It was about 2 am. Just pulled a tick out of my hair, must be summer.

Hey

Oh man, this tastes like Aaron Turner's basement!

Limited ZR Cycles Print

Ask Zack for one. Artwork by Earl Serafica.

Wouldn't It Be Cool

If the local butcher, baker or grocer still delivered it's wares by cargo bike? Oh wait, here in the states they probably never did. Well we should try that out and see if it works. I mean really, how bad could it be? It has to be cheaper than driving your car to Whole Foods at $4 a gallon to by provisions.

Just a thought.

McQueen

This weekend we were back in Kalamazoo for a wedding and it turned out to be a pretty good trip. On Saturday, the Kalamazoo Public Library had a book sale, and whilst bumming around, I scored a copy of "Steve McQueen: Star on Wheels" for 20 cents.
I read it in about 24 hours, and it was pretty sweet. It follows his life until about 1970 or so, before his first divorce, right up through the making of Lemans which is my favorite McQueen pic, and has one of my favorite quotes: "Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is waiting." Timeless.
Anyways, the book is good, McQueen was the shit, watch "Bullit" if you don't believe me.
Did get to ride Fort Custer, it was hot, but some new trail there is really sweet, sorry JB, but I gotta tell it like it is. My buddy Alex and I headed to Bells afterward for some drinks in the beer garden. Tastey.

Consider this....

"Bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls."
-- Bob Weir, Grateful Dead guitarist

True story, bicycles are one of the main ways my wife and I got to know each other...Fyxomatosis can provide the proof, as if you needed more.

So Sweet!

I was kind of bumming about the Smoltz news yesterday. Sometimes I guess I take my sports interests a bit too seriously. But by the time I went to bed, I was on the opposite end of the mood spectrum as the Detroit Red Wings bested the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals to win the series, and be crowned champions of the NHL. As great as the game was, by far the best part was enjoying the moment when Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom skated back to the team with the Cup, and handed it first to Dallas Drake.
"After the 3-2 victory in Game 6, Lidstrom took the Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, the first European captain ever to do so. He held it high, then passed it along to third-line veteran Dallas Drake.
“I started thinking about it in the first round, if we should go all the way, who should get the Cup first. I didn’t tell anyone though,” Lidstrom said. “Dallas has been in the league 16 years, a good long career, and has never been in the final before. All the effort and hours — everything he’s put into the game and not had a chance to hoist the Cup yet." From the AP.
Most folks have never heard of Drake, an aging veteran who probably would have retired by now if he listened to the H8rs. But for the former Northern Michigan University standout, all of the bumps along the way were certainly worth it to enjoy the ride to the cup. Gotta love it!
Headed back to Michigan this weekend to enjoy some Bells Oberon from the source, see some family and freinds and hopefully (fingers crossed) ride Fort Custer. Sounds like the weather is gonna get real hot the next few days...head over to Escape tomorrow night for the Art Pedaler show

This News Is A Drag

It is being reported this morning that Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz will undergo season ending shoulder surgery. We grew up watching Smoltz make a name for himself. He went to school where we went to school, and was impressing pro scouts on the baseball field that was literally a baseballs throw away from the house I grew up in. His career numbers are impressive (only pitcher in history w/ 300 wins and 150 saves, more than 3000 strikeouts, voted to 8 All Star teams, couple of World Series rings), and the guy is a total class act. Furthermore, he grows a hell of a mustache.
Get well soon Smoltzie!

If Only

My feet were larger...I'd be snapping these up fo' sho!

Get Some!

Cog Magazine issue #3 is out and it is a good one! You can order from the site, or find a list of places that have it. Peter and the boys are doing a pretty stellar job, and work is already progressing on #4.
Not sure if any of you caught game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals last night/this morning between the Pens and Wings. WOW. I've seen many, many hockey games in my life, and that was the all time best. Every shift was full tilt, Pens playing for their lives, Wings trying to finish them off. Series shifts back to Pittsburgh, where it will most likely be even more hotly contested.
I've got a wager with my buddy Jeff on the series, and I gotta tell you, I've got a real thirst for Iron City my man.

This

Is coming up this Friday night at Escape Java Joint on Willy Street this Friday night. You should stop by if you are in the 'hood.
Got a chance to ride the new trails that the CORP has been working on all spring at Cam-Rock. Wow. They've more than doubled the trail it seems like to me. Alot of the new stuff is in the open, so it'll be hot around mid day, but some of it is real fast with some big ol' bermed turns. The old stuff is just about perfect right now, I may add.

Happy Monday to you.