Doi

I almost forgot, I came back from Ohio with one more bike than I went with. My cousin was looking for a home for a bike he got when stationed in Japan in the 80's. Looks like I have a geared bike again! More pics later, yada, yada.

Been Busy

Mostly with non-biking activities, but I managed to sneak in a bit of biking and related stuff. I rode a lot while the wife and kids were at Deep Creek Lake, but for once didn't take a bike when I joined them. We came home for a quick few days, then on to Ohio to celebrate my father's 75th birthday. The party was a suprise and I drew the job of keeping him occupied for an afternoon while preparations were made. What better reason to take a trip to the Bicycle Museum of America. It was great.

I got out Saturday for a ride on the Little Miami Trail. Last year I went south, this year I went north, stopping on the outskirts of Springfield.

Now we are home and back to the grindstone. More photos and ride reports when I get caught up.

Smokin'

As far as I can remember, this is the hottest temperature in which I have ever ridden the bike. I've worked out in temps like this before, but that was because I had to (or at least I was being paid). It is possible that I'm not remembering some stuff from the late 80's when I lived in Texas, or 1990 in California. Monday it was 96 degrees, and yesterday it was 102. I did 25 miles, and as I was heading back downtown the front with last nights thunderstorms came through and this same sign was down to 93. I would never have though 93 could feel like relief! I got back to the truck and almost home before the rains came. Its been a pretty good week for riding. I'm closing in on 50% of the county roads complete for Fixing Frederick.

Hot, Hot, Heat

Like most of the rest of the US, we're getting hit by a heat wave. Temps Saturday and Sunday were in the mid-90s, and today it is expected to go to over 100. Whew!

I got out late Saturday for a ride, after errands and yet another visit to the vet for Duncan (More tummy trouble, but not a recurrence of the virus. That dog is going to end up eating better than the rest of us). I went over to start the ride in Kemptown, and the ride reinforced my memory of that area being REALLY hilly. I had hoped to drop by my friends at Mt. Airy Bikes, but between the hills and the heat, I was moving slow enough to miss their closing time. I did meet a really nice guy picking berries, of which he gave me a huge double handful. Yum!

I was planning to get out and ride on Sunday, but ended up hanging around the house catching up with a bunch stuff, but mostly doing nothing except watching the Tour.

Tonight I'm facing the heat again and doing another "take it easy" ride here in Frederick, where it's flat.

Turnaround

It is amazing how little it takes to change direction. Getting a few bike rides in this week has made all the difference in my mood. I ended up skipping the Wed. night ride, but managed to putter about in town a bit at lunch. The Carroll Creek Linear Park is really starting to look nice. I'll get some pics of it sometime.

Yesterday I rode all the way in again, and even managed a bit of exploring on the way home, crossing 16 new roads off my list. The heat and humidity made a few of the climbs pretty tough and I walked a bit on Old Annapolis Road, but I'm pretty happy none-the-less, with a 42 mile day.

Somebody on the Rivendell List pointed to this cool three speed tour. Now that is touring at my kind of pace.

Finally, this short film from a bike blogger in Knoxville, Tennessee, put a smile on my face.

Malaise

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's been a rough three weeks, starting with my bike wreck and a sick puppy, and compounded by the week of solid rain, summer temps finally getting here, repair issues, and of course this time of year being my busiest time at work.

Well, I'm finally getting my feet back under me. Duncan the Dog still gets tired very easily, but is showing a bit more puppy-like behavior and obviously feeling better. I'll eventually do some more dog blogging with pictures.

I've decided there is no way to afford going to Stockholm for the SSWC06, but that will free up some leave time to spend on the yearly trip to Deep Creek with the wife's family. The revised plan will have me taking a shorter number of days off and doing something local and cheap. I'm thinking more touring at home, or possibly a trip to the eastern shore. Maybe I'll catch a lift to Pittsburgh and ride home on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. Whatever it is, at least I'll be getting in some bike time.

Speaking of bike time, I haven't had too much lately, but I rode to work today on the Fuji, my first ride of any consequence since I wiped out. It is pretty much back to normal, although the right brake lever may be a hair bent, it works fine. There is also a new click I need to find and fix. It just felt good to be back on the bike. I think I'll hit the club road ride tomorrow.

I also finished my new wheel for the Quickbeam. This is a Level hub and Salsa rim I got last winter. I had it laced up for a while, but every time I went to tenson it, it ended up out of true. Finally my friend Todd helped me get it done. Next, I went to move my freewheel from the old wheel and, even though I was being very careful (I thought), I managed to chip the slots that the freewheel removal tool fits in. Now I'm going to have to pound the thing off, I hope without ruining a $90 freewheel. Once it goes on the new wheel, it's there forever. Finishing that will give me a set of road wheels and a set of off road wheels.

Just keep slogging and blogging. H

I thought I was kidding...

...when I called the new dog trouble. We took him for a checkup last Monday. He was acting listless and vomiting. Turns out he had parvo virus, a pretty serious disease for puppies. He's spent the last week in isolation at the vet's, where we could visit him. He turned the corner last night and should be coming home tonight tomorrow Wednesday (we need to be certain he can keep down oral meds and food first). Ha. We thought we got a good deal and did something good for a $25 shelter rescue. We could have bought a $800 purebred and gotten off cheaper, but then I guess some things aren't about the dollar signs. This little episode runs somewhere near an equivilent of airfare and lodging in Sweden for a week. Looks like I'm back to square one, where I'll be selling some toys to support the trip.