Just A Thought

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.
-John Muir

Turn O' The Century

The Wright Brothers.

Fuck The Yankees

Pudge Rodriguez for Kyle Farnsworth? You have to be kidding me...

Whoa!

Stumbled across this today.

9 Mile

It's getting to be that time of the summer when we all point ourselves towards the North for the 24 Hours of 9 Mile in Wausau, Wisconsin. I'll be half of the "Bastard Sons of Diamond Dave" with Lord Hayden. Several other two man 12 Hour teams will be encamped with us again this year. It sounds like its going to be really hot, and I'm certain the mosquitos will be relentless.
I'm tossing around the idea of taking the Folsom out for a test lap, just for giggles...

Bittersweet

Dallas Drake has retired from the Detroit Red Wings. There is nothing quite like going out on top, but I'm still gonna miss that guy!

McQueen, Bitches.

Hump Day

Great Tour stage today. If you get a chance to watch it tonight, do it. Just got my mitts on a new Dynamo light for the whip. I'll let you know more when it is set up. After work tonight, headed to the Ale Asylum to wish and old friend well before he moves to China for good...

This Guy

Planet Hayden. Funny Shit frequently.

Get Some

Happy Birthday Jen!

She is a lot of fun, folks! And she's turning 23 this weekend! For the seventh time.

Like Black Mashed Potatoes

Thats what the clouds looked like this morning on the flight back from Seattle. Got on the flight at about 12:30 am PST, and landed in Milwaukee at 8 am. No solid sleep and I'm kind of stumbling like a zombie through the rest of the day for sure.
Had the best sushi I've ever eaten, along with way too much Sapporo last night. Still seems like a dream. The Northwest is rad, and it beckons to me....Sorry to the folks I missed on this trip; Petar, Pete and Ira. I'll be back soon and we can tip some brews then.

Seattle tonight

Red Hook for many beers today...good food at Wild Ginger. sleep now. try to update a bit more tomorrow.

PDX: 3 Times a Lady

Velo Shop, River City Cycle, Bike Gallery, fixedgearalleycatmessenger watching, carnitas burrito from a lunch cart on Adler, Sessions, Widmer Brewery, Rainier beer, all in a days "work". Biking everywhere is where its at here. Oh, and the coffee is good.

PDX II

Spent damn near the whole day outside. Walking and riding around. Stumptown Coffee, Clever Cycles, Powell's Books, all rad. The Travelers Check is so nice to have with me.
Rouge Brewery not that impressive, but the burritos at Santa Fe on 23rd, very tastey. Tomorrow more of the same, hopefully Veloshop.
EO and I capped the night with a long, long climb and a great view, wish I had a camera with me. Mountains, rivers, city lights.
Still at the White Eagle. Our room is RIGHT above the band stage. Last night was pretty epic. Tonight is pretty quiet around these parts, which is what I need. PBR is like the ghetto beer here, half the price of anything else, fine with us.

Good night...

PDX

Staying at the White Eagle. Bar downstairs, hotel upstairs.
Never seen so many people on bikes before today. Seriously, there are bike lanes everywhere, and more people on bikes than you can shake a stick at....

WNR

fixedgearmessengeralleycatdrunkbirthdayride.

Photo by Colin

Headed to Portland, OR for the next five days or so. I'll try to update, but I make no promises. Later.

Oh Yeah

Got caught in the rain again yesterday. Now my phone isn't working. Sweet.

I'm Just Saying

That Flashdance is one of my favorite movies. That is all.

Pittsburgh+Welding+Dancing+Jennifer Beals=Quality '80s entertainment.

A Damn Shame

Demolition of Tiger Stadium has begun. There will always be a special place in my heart for that old place. So many childhood/young adult memories. I was at a Boston-Detroit game on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 99. We were sitting way out in the bleachers. They stopped selling beer in the seventh. I thought the bleacher creatures were going to pull the cage in front of the beer counters right off the walls. Classic.

Things

Well, not good beer I guess, but Mountain Creek is certainly less than gas these days. Thats neither good or bad, just a statement of fact.
Swung on a swing in the park yesterday. It was fun. I'll add that to the list of simple relaxing things I've done this week along with:

wild berry picking
listening to the rain
riding around the lake with a couple of friends
throwing a frisbee
watching friends use sparklers

oh man

I just barfed in my mouth a little....

Residual 4th

Some good shots today in the Urban Velo Flickr pool.

Holidaze

Thats what I'm feeling like right now...in the post holiday weekend daze...
Did end up getting out to the H8R to pick berries. The mosquitos were savage, so we had to go get some bug dope before heading back for more. Another week and you'll be able to really stock up, but got a fat bag of them yesterday and had them in a smoothie this morning. And damn were they tastey!
Also yeah that free range chicken I mentioned, yes it make VERY good!

Staycation

A bunch of riding on these days off. Up around 50 miles yesterday, a lake loop in the afternoon, and then a freedom ride last night. Nils, Lyle, Djonn, EO and I ended up at a previously unknown water reservoir on the near west side to watch fireworks, throw a frisbee and drink a few beers. A bunch more off road miles today at Blue Mounds w/ Eo and Djonn. Rode most of trails, Holy Schist to start, finished w/ Overload. Totally blown by the end of the ride. Had a brew at the Grumpy Troll afterwards. It had been a while.
Still another day off tomorrow, and the plan is to ride out the H8R trail to pick and eat my weight in berries. We cooked our first chicken from our CSA share. Awesome, so tender!
Enjoy the weekend!

July 4th

Happy Birthday, 'Merica!

Those Clever Bastards

Great problems out in Portland for the folks at Clever Cycles. They've just about sold through their inventory and will have to be closed in August for a couple of weeks. That is great news! I hope to check this place out when I'm out there in a couple of weeks.
This is a spreading issue. Yuba is running out of their long tail bikes. Good luck getting a Surly Big Dummy, those are selling like hotcakes too.
It is pretty silly that it took people so long to realize the utility of bikes, but whatever, they feel it now.

Ideas Bloom

A good idea/article on Seed Bombing from Make Zine.

Boys of Summer

Gas Prices!

These days those words are enough to not only draw someone's attention, but also a great way to usually rile someone up. 'Mericans are pissed off that gas prices are soaring. Spoke to a buddy of mine JB in Arcata, up in NorCal last night and he told me that gas is $4.80 there right now. F that.
Hey folks, stop driving!
I know it isn't that easy for everyone. But our society has been built on the promise of cheap gas forever. Guess what? We fucked up and gas isn't going to stay cheap. All thouse houses out in the middle of nowhere? Yeah, they might be cheaper than a house in the city, but the gas you put in your car to get to and from will slowly choke your pocket book.
Here is a good story on the dichotomy of the bike. Maybe I linked it before.

Achtung Hobbits

What a rad house, eh? Info here.

OMG

Get Your Read On

The New Issue of Urban Velo

The First Issue of Fixed Magazine

Do It!

A UP Weekend

Holy crap it's July already.

Had the great pleasure to attend the wedding of some old friends this past weekend on the shores of Lake Superior, just outside Porcupine Mountains Wilderness area. Both the wife and I went to school in the UP, so it is always a treat to head up north for a visit. The wedding and the weather were beautiful. We were able to pick up a couple of sixers of the Keweenaw Brewing Co. beer we've come to love, and we were able to take a 6 mile hike on the Pinkerton Trail on Saturday.
If you've never been to the Porkies, I highly recommend it. Very remote, very quiet and very pretty. That is if you don't like cell phones and the trappings of our modern lives. After dancing up a storm at the reception, I wandered outside to sit by the Lake. I thought to myself, "I wish there was a fire to sit by" and low and behold, there was a raging driftwood fire totally unattended just waiting for us. Sweet!
On the way there, we took Highway 45 through some of my favorite little towns like Watersmeet (aka Nimrod Nation), Paulding (home of the Paulding Light) and Bruce Crossing. The last of which is merely a cross roads with a bar called the Alaskan Connection. I was through there once in 2000. It was 18 or so below zero, and every gas pump at the town's one petrol station was filled with snow mobiles...
Monday morning, found a replacement for the Pit Bike abandoned in the yard next door. It is a Hawethorn frame, same vintage, just not bent to hell and nothing is rusted in place. I stripped it down last night, and I'm going to sand blast it at the Mainframe tomorrow before repainting it. Felt good to be tinkering with an old bike again, it had been a while.