Up Hill

I am not much of a gardener, we put in flowers in the beds at Uphill and that is about it. I do like to get a couple tomato plants and set them out in pots on the back steps as the giant rats don’t seem to be bold enough to come up on the porch. This year we have an abundance of tomatoes but they will not turn red…at least not fast enough for us. It always seems this way, all green, then overnight, and so many ripe tomatoes that you are overwhelmed. It’s like everyone you know is running around with bags of tomatoes, trying to give them away. If you could somehow save them in that just picked state till February, man oh man. The Queen and the Princess went down to Red Hook and picked Blueberries the other day, a great big bucket of them. They are great with the mini wheat in the morning. I have been riding steady most every day, my knees are starting their mid-season, dull, pain, but I will work through it. I think I might try moving the saddle a bit.

We don’t subscribe to many printed publications here at Uphill but the Hudson Valley Magazine is one that we always look forward to its arrival via the mailman from hell. This publication is a great resource to find things to do in the area as it contains a calendar of upcoming events and related reviews. This months issue also contains a list of the top 25 things , in their opinion, that you “must do” . Topping the list is the Walkway over the Hudson. Also the Bike trail in Putnam County made the list as well as Olana. I did notice that Biking Route 9W was somehow overlooked. Anyway, I think Fredrick Church was correct when he wrote that this river valley is the center of the universe. http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/ I have been sorting out a vintage set of Dia-Compe center pull brakes that I plan on using on a lugged Raleigh I am building up in a Rivendell style. I m trying to find one of those old quick release seat post, pinch bolt mounted rear brake cable hangers. I g

If there is nothing else to talk about, you can always complain about the weather. I have continued to ride early and "lay low" during the heat of the day. There was a pretty steady stream of bikes past Up Hill on Sunday. The rest area was just up the road and seemed very well organised. I felt bad for those that came through later in the day, it must have been a long hot grind back to Poughkeepsie.

I see they are painting orange markers on the road.... right past the Up Hill estate. Maybe I'll sell Beer. http://www.biketherivervalley.com/Home_Page.html Well,, Whoever they are...they must have cornered the market on Orange paint.

In my attempt to beat the heat, I have been heading out on the Surly at dawn and getting in some miles. I love the early morning silence and the absence of any traffic. One thing that has become a potential hazard is the fact that I am not totally awake for the first 15 minutes. That fact that I am not quite "with it" is compounded by the presence of the white tail deer (Giant Rats) that stand on the road side. The idiot deer spend their evenings treating everyone's gardens like free "all you can eat" salad bars. Once they have had their fill of cultivated plants they decide to stand along the road side to enjoy the sunrise. They wait very patiently until some fool comes cycling along, then at the last possible second, they stroll right out into the road. I am thinking of taking a paint ball gun along with me, load it up with fluorescent orange paint balls, and mark the repeat offenders.

The heat has set in here in the valley, I think it has crept up the east coast over the past few days. I have been doing my best to get out on the road early and crank out 20 or so before the rest of the household is up and about. It is also very, very dry, so my routine has been, ride, water, try to stay cool in the pool. Early morning rides are great...well that is once you wake up, for me, that is about 3 or 4 miles out. I have been taking a couple bucks with me and stopping for coffee at a quicky mart. Other than that, I have finished restoring a 1961 Goodyear "Bridge crusier " that is a lot of fun, I wouldn't want to ride it too far but the Queen and the Princess think it is neat. I got to find a new set of streamers.