Up Hill

Last weekend was the D2R2 Gravel Grinder event up in Deerfield Ma. I have been wanting to return to do this event for years but it is almost 3 hours drive...several years ago, I drove up and back in the same day, was exhausted and missed all the parties etc. So this year I made plans to camp at the event, I thought it would also be a good opportunity to do a first time in 35 years since I have camped. In preparation, I bought a 2 man back pack tent, a summer weight sleeping bag and a folding pad. Everything I got was on close out and the whole kit was under $100.00. I packed a small blue tarp to use as a ground cover, my coffee making kit, some food, a “brick” to recharge my phone, some cord, flashlights, borrowed a 3 gallon water jug from work and a medium size cooler to keep beverages cold. The camping was in a hay field and you were right along side your car....easy enough as I did not have to pack anything on the bike. It has been raining for days here and I was worried abou...

What a difference a year makes. I was out on Scout, my trusty old GT Passage last weekend and took a photo in just about the same location as a year earlier. I thought we had a lot of snow last year..well a picture is worth a thousand poorly spelled words. At this rate, the ground will still be white in April. 2010 above and 2011 below So that got me thinking about how the time has passed and how my outlook has changed over the past year. It occurred to me yesterday as I rode this very same route that I am changed, I notice the increased speed gain from not dragging those extra 20 pounds of weight around with me. That is a huge difference on a bike, forget about carbon fiber, I just needed to stop shoving bad food into my mouth! Big change there since last year.

I have to say that I can not remember the last winter we have had so much snow here in the Hudson Valley. The snow here at Uphill is now “Taller than the Terrier” and I have been reduced to snow blowing paths for the dog. Is this what I have become? One of those odd old men who make trails for their doggie so he can squat in peace? So the weather man says that today is the better of the two storms…enough already. The snow and cold is bad enough here that I found myself taking pity on the shed mice and have not reset the traps. I only wish that they would take to wearing Penguin costumes as another blogger has suggested. This weeks storms have also reeked havoc with my work schedule and the effects of canceled and rescheduled meetings will have an impact into March at this point. One thing about Hudson Valley residents, they are a resilient lot, the teenagers are taking the day off from school and snow covered roads here as an opportunity to race snowmobiles up and down the roads while...

“Chipping away the moments that make up a dull day”….no that’s not how the song goes but, it works today. I have been out pecking at the glacier that has advanced, during this recent Ice Age, over the driveway here at Uphill. Today there has been a little sun and a few hours where the mercury rose above freezing. It was a brief opportunity to chop away and slowly reveal the stone surface. This is necessary due the Uphill nature of the drive and the fact that the Queens van has made its way, all on it’s own, down the drive, coming to rest on the front bumper of my truck on 2 occasions this past week. I have also been chipping away at the extra pounds I managed to put on since quitting smoking two years ago, and it feels good, clothes getting a little loose, I even had to punch another notch in my belt last week. Like the Ice in the driveway, that’s all it takes, you just gotta get started, stick with it and keep chipping away. Tomorrow, we return the Princess back to school, always a...

Today was not a day to be sticking your tongue to the handlebars, no sir, Tomorrow am is going to be the record cold for this winter,or so the weatherman informs me. I have to admit that I chickened out and spun on the trainer in the shop/basement/studio. I was daydreaming of warmer places and St. Bart's came to mind. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing many bicycles down there in the Caribbean chain, too many crazy drivers on death defying switchback, narrow roads. Well, maybe forget the bike, I wonder how many calories you burn just laying in the warm sand?

Whew, I am exhausted. My world is spinning so friggin fast that here it is January 17th and it seems like yesterday was Christmas. It was not, however, as evidenced by the fact that all assorted HoHo has been packed away in the attic till next year. Just turned 52 and recent events have me looking back into the past as I sprint to the future. Its all good though, scary and exciting at the same time. Life is a roller coaster most of the time anyways and if you don't climb on,well, you won't puke or loose your money in the seat, but you will miss out on the ride. Better to risk it, climb in, take a seat, and scream! I got out on the road Sunday am and did 16 miles, not much but better than spinning on the trainer.

Cake! What do you mean, I can’t have my cake and eat it too? It’s MY birthday and I should be allowed to have whatever I want!! I wish it was that easy… I did find a new band, the Carbon Tigers, as of yet unsigned, laying down an eclectic, psychedelic groove. Check them out http://www.myspace.com/carbontigers