Up Hill

I like Memorial day weekend and I look forward to the hokey little parade and ceremonies that come along with living in a small town. One thing that I started to notice over the past few is that the VFW float has changed. There is only one WWII guy left and the Korean vets are really fading as well. Of course the Vietnam guys must be around but, as was the case with that conflict, they don’t really seem to get (or maybe want) any acknowledgement, as far as appearing in the parade. I served post-Vietnam (Carter administration) and spent my years of service in a haze of partying. I do think it is important to remember all the young people who gave their service and I think some of my feelings apparently rubbed off on the Princess who always accompanied me to the annual ceremonies. She has always been a strong public speaker, Girl Scout and Student of History, so it was not surprising when she was asked to deliver the key note address during the Memorial Day service in the Veterans cemete

Today I sold my 79 Fuji and bought a new wheel set for the Surly. Seems weird that one complete bike equals one new set of wheels, it just doesn’t add up. From the amount of calls I had on the ad, I think that old 12 speeds must be the next “hot” thing. It is possible that these kids are realizing that a bike with no brakes, one speed, that doesn’t coast is not the best choice to get around in the real world. The temperature is approaching 90 this afternoon and I think I’ll wait until later in the evening to ride.

I came back in from a 20 miler yesterday with the rear wheel bumping the brake pad and discovered a broken spoke, These poor old wheels are getting to be a real “drag". I think I got to sell another 12 speed and buy a new set. These county roads are rough on wheels and I am going to look for a heavy duty touring set, I will add a little weight as a trade off for durability. We went to the city and brought the Princess home for the summer on Friday. I like to see all the different bikes down there, from the strange little folders to the nasty, greasy take out delivery bikes. The delivery guys seem fearless or brainless as they fly along in the traffic taking no notice of one ways, red lights or pedestrians while they balance 12 large pizzas on the handlebars. So anyways I’ll be riding the old GT till I get my wheel situation “straightened” out.

I don’t really care if Lance did dope or if Floyd is lying now or he was lying before, they are all a bunch of idiots who are lucky enough to have the ability to ride professionally and just that should be enough, not to mention that Lance was with “soak up the sun” Sheryl Crow…ya know, you would think that would be enough. But no…they gotta have more and I don’t care, fell and busted up your elbow Lance? It serves ya right.

Ah yes, the Frenzy is in full swing here at Up Hill. Wow, this weekend was a bee hive of activity. The Princess has started her summer job and still has one more week of school. We have to go down to the city and pack her up on Friday, always a thrill to try and park the truck close enough to load it. Saturday was town yard sale day and between getting the boat un-winterized and getting the Honda 90 inspected, I did make a sweep of the town and scored 2 free 10 speed bikes. Both too big for me but they are in pretty good condition and with a little cleaning will fetch a few bucks. The Up Hill estate has been plagued by giant wood boring bees over the last few years, they like to drill little holes into the trim and buzz annoyingly around your head when sitting out on the porch. I picked up a very nice badminton racket at the one of the yard sales and the bees make a very satisfying “poink” when met with a clean backhand…..great fun for the whole family! In between Mowing, boat work, an

Not too much to report, except the wind is kicking my butt. This morning I went out and did 20 miles, dodging the twiggs and branches along the river road. Tivoli appeared to have suffered the worst of it with a couple big old trees down in the road. As soon as I turned to the east and headed inland, I was flying along at 20 without much effort. Then, on the northern leg…forget about it…It was like the brakes were dragging, I was cranking on the small chainwheel like I was going up hill. In dodging the sticks and crap in the road I must have hit something as I now have a very annoying shimmy that I feel right up through the bars. I see that I have a pronounced wobble in the rear wheel. I wish I had a spare 700c wheel set. Maybe this is just the excuse I need.

Well, My odo just rolled over 700 miles since January 1st. I feel pretty good about that with an average speed of 14.62 mph. I am hoping to stay injury free and roll over 2,000 for the year. Feeling good, back is a bit sore, and there is always something that hurts but I think I just need to work through the little annoying annoyances and keep moving. Like Neil said...better to burn out than it is to rust.

WOW, I feel like crap..between the grass, pollen, and this thick weather, my head is pounding. I did get some nice early morning rides in this weekend and there is all sorts of activity down at the boat launches. The strippers are running and all manner of small craft are out on the river. Except for the morning rides, I spent the entire weekend working on the Up Hill estate. I need to go to work tomorrow and rest.