Later that day...

Yale, Becca, and Wayne returning to Cook's Landing

after the 3rd trip up Ft Roots.

Robb talking about the ride we are planning on Saturday.

Or was he teaching us the song,

Pop goes the weasle?

Wayne wondering how he gets himself into this stuff.

Hey, this is the Wayne that did the perfect pull on our last ride.

Jo, Chris and Rebecca.

Part of the crew that championed the 3rd go up Ft Roots.

Robb warns the poppa-razzi to back off. HA!

The next 3 photos were ones I had to stop and take.

The sunset to the end of a great day riding with great friends.

The in-laws are here from FL and this is what I had waiting for me when I got home. Fresh gulf shrimp right off the boat from behind Habour Docks in Destin.

I got off from work and drove over to Burns Park to unload the bike and get ready for the Thursday night Fast Girls and Slow Boys club ride. The plan was to try a new electro replacement but the little tube was for a whole gallon. I asked a couple friends if they had tried it and Ian had and gave it a semi thumbs up. Said he put Gator in it to add some taste.

Starting riding toward Ft Roots and got to about the police union building and saw JBar and one of his friends and then a few seconds later saw Kyle McNeese. I was about 5:25 and I needed to be at the other end by 6. No problem. I passed John and told him i was just trying to catch up witht the juvenile that just passed them (referring to Kyle). Caught up with him and had a nice chat. Noticed his arm had the tattle tale signs of road rash. Yep, he was trying to get around a couple last week and ended up going off the trail. Just another badge of honor.

I had looked in my bag for gels or something but nada. So I rode with water which was fine but I think I would have riden better if I could have replaced some electros and food.

I think I heard Chris Irons count off 18 riders tonight! Big group.

We all head off knowing we'll stay on the NLR side of the river but climbing Ft Roots multiple times. You'd sort of think that the pace would have been a tad slower (I hear you all laughing!) but no way baby. We were rolling at 24mph at times and we are just out of the gate. I can see JBar pulling. Crazy man...strong rider. Everyone was riding strong and we hit Ft Roots the first time. I had stayed back a bit after one of our riders couldn't get around a couple walking and didn't want him to get dropped off the bat. So I had it in me to move on the hill. I felt great and kept in in the big ring and about 10mph. There's something about when you first start up the hill and you round the first switchback it seems to be tough but then from there on, I enjoy the climb. I keep meaning to get ahead of the group and shoot this hill so you can have a visual. It's, to me, one of the prettiest places in NLR.

We all regroup at the top and start to head back down and the first curve greeted us with on of the city buses. In most town the city buses are ruthless but I'll have to tell you everything I've been in NLR the buses are courtious to bikes. Thanks CAT! So everyone zips down the hill dreaming of going 60 while we'll going 30. Bottom of the hill everyone sort of regroups again. Some fat boys like me can enjoy the pull of gravity down the hill better than others.

We're back out on whatever the name of that river road is and riding along. I know that once we get passed the couple of houses someone will break into a sprint. It's an unwritten rule. I'm sitting pretty far back and I see Robb start getting antsy, then Chris Shaw stands, and it hits...Sprint time! WooHoo! I looked over to my left and there are no riders and the sprint has already taken off. Do it, don't do it. Do it, don't do it. DO IT!!!! I stood and pushed hard getting to 32 before shutting it down. I caught 'em but I'm very sure they weren't pushing their limits.

We swing around through a vacant lot for the return since the actual park is closed/blocked for Riverfest. On the way back, I got the honor of pulling so I kept it 19-20 mph.

More later...

New chemicals to digest

Weather cam view of Little Rock's Riverfront park where Riverfest will take place. I'll add more photos as the weekend progresses and you'll see all the folks!

The weather is doing a great imitation of summertime. Honest, that's fine with me. The heat brings it's own set of rules when riding. Ya gotta hydrate to the hilt! I'll be riding with the bud's later this afternoon and I have to make sure I have 2 water bottles (full!).

I'm going to try a new electrolyte replacement today. It was in the packet from the Tour de Hills in Harrison. Here's the web if you're interested: www.eletewater.com I've used several different ones and so far I like GU2O over Gatoraid and Poweraid. The little packet I got says to mix with 1 gallon of water. Now that's concentrated because I'm looking at a little packet here.

I'll try to start early for the ride due to the shrimp boli that my in-laws are doing at the house. I'm afraid I won't get any if I stay out to late. And besides, part of the NLR river trail is blocked due to the Riverfest this weekend.

Hey, and how about that Taylor guy on American Idol? I was hoping for him to win from the beginning. I didn't get glued to it like the kids but I did usually watch when he was on there. He is different from the same winners. I know what you're thinking... yep, all the salt and pepper headed citizens voted for him. Now I didn't call in a vote but 63 million other folks did.

Check back later and I'll fill you in on the ride and the shrimp!

Mid week madness!

I just thought this art was a hoot! It's actually from the Chainwheel (www.chainwheel.com) bike shop home page. Where does Pat and Bruce find this stuff?

Last nights group ride was a blast and a half! I parked at Burn's Park so I could ride a few miles to the start and feel warmed up. We had a nice sized group and I thought with the absence of Patrick and Robb the ride would be a tad slower. HA! Yeah right! We rode along at about 20 then 21 then over the bridge into Little Rock and then 22. Oh man, I had to pull at 22. I did ok for a bit and then noticed I dropped to 21 then to 20 and knew I needed to move over. The paceline passed along and for some weird reason I suddenly blew. I could not catch up. They got smaller and smaller. I kept thinking the next group would be here shortly but no one. I could still see my guys and as they got close to the new bridge there was a split. Some headed up Overlook. I turned and headed that way myself only to look up a few minutes later (yes, I did start to catch up) but it wasn't my group. It happened to be a few Carve riders training on the hill. I push my fat tail on up and up the hill and told myself "yeah baby" at the top. I let 'er rip on the way down. As I got to the bottom and hung a left I felt great! I finally met up with the guys and I was a little too proud to tell them I had just climbed Overlook. Several of the ones that started one the LR side were going to climb it now. I thought about doing it again but instead choose to stay with the group. We rode along at a nice pace and Wayne got to the front and began to pull and it was a perfect 20 miles per hour. We never went up or down. Great pull Wayne! As we came back over the Broadway Bridge we split up a little and I somehow ended up a couple hundred yards ahead (trust me, it wasn't because I was riding that fast!) and as I rode by the road to Ft Roots I turned and lo and behold I climbed it. I was really enjoying the ride! I solo'ed back to Cook's mainly to let everyone know I was fine. Our group is close knit and if someone drops, we check on them. So I said my goodby's and rode back to Burn's Park.

You know, some days you just get lucky to really have it in you and you have a great ride. Today was that day for me.

Other news:
Emily got her hard copy of her drivers license and the restriction was lifted. She is a real auto driver now. So that means I will be using my bike to get to work more now! I'm not complaining one bit!

Terri's folks arrived yesterday from Navarre, Florida for the long weekend and brought me a killer birthday present!! 8 lbs of fresh shrimp! Shrimp boil for the family at the house tomorrow night! Woo Hoooo!

I'm starting to miss it

Back in the winter when I was planning to repeat my state circle tour or the even bigger plan to ride from the Canadian border back to Little Rock, it would have been about to happen next week. There just seems to be a void right now. I thought I could fill that void by riding the NW Arkansas Challange but that has gotten put aside as well. I'm sort of in the "exactly what are your goals for biking this summer" mode. I'm hoping to get to ride the Arky 100 preview ride this Sunday. Also I'll do something on Monday since it's a vacation day. I know, I'm just whinning today.

Sean, Emily's boyfriend is looking at getting a crotch rocket. Suzuki, I think. Red and black. Fast. (I can't wait to borrow it!)

Sunday stuff

Just a quick hit...

Spent the afternoon yesterday in Benton. Everyone doing well. Dad in good spirits.

Terri thought her flight from St Paul was from 9:30 this morning and when she called the shuttle to reserve a spot she realized it was for 9:30 pm. She caught an earlier flight and has been picked up by Sean and Emmy for an 8:30 arrival. Bet she's going to be tired.

Went to church. It was good.

Went to Friday's with Emmy for lunch. It was good. Had Pecan crusted chicken salad.

Went to train solo thi afternoon. Saw lots of bud's but needed to do my own thing. Repeats of Ft Roots and the goal was to stay in the big ring. Mission accomplished.

One of my departments I recruit for, Transport, just moved out of their old stand alone building to their new offices across the street. The old building caught fire yesterday and burned down. No one hurt.

Where did that come from?

With Terri out of town and the kids bored we went over to Cold Stone and had ice cream for Friday night out. I got a peanut butter and fudge shake that was out of this world! We were going to see the Da Vinci Code but it was sold out until the 10:30 show. No thanks. then this morning the early news has all these folks slamming it. I think I'll wait for the video.

This morning I woke and knew I was going to ride. Flipped on the tube and Weather Channel is showing 72 degrees at 6:30 a.m.. Perfect riding weather. I left the house a tad after 7 and rode North Hills to the river and dodged a couple of road blocks for a charity 5K. Enjoyed a fast pace down the river and stopped for a moment at Cook's Landing. Lots of folks out enjoying the beautiful morning. Left Cook's to head back to the house and there had been a group coming toward me as I was coming towards Cook's, now it looks like they are getting back on the road after a flat or mechanical. I asked if all was ok. Got the OK and somehow ended up in the middle of the group since there was a break. I noticed that several guys had the Chainwheel jersey's on so I figured it was Bruce's Coffee Ride extended version. We started for the hill just before the Burn's Park golf course and several stood up to climb the hill. I did to and suddenly I danced the pedals and eat the hill. A beautifully excuted attack! I keep it going and turned on Championship Lane and keep the pace up until I was out of sight. The guys didn't turn on the lane but I suspect they were watching. I started thinking it was a dumb thing to do because of the energy used and the distance from home. I don't know what it came from but I keep it going all the way home. This never happens to me. I was wishing Robb, Patrick and Chris had been there becuase it was just one of those moments! I'm not bragging, it was just fun!

It's Bike to Work day!!!

ACH riders in the Bike to Work ride.

Riders coming over the Broadway Bridge from North Little Rock into Little Rock. This is a very heavy traffic road during rush and police blocked a lane for us.

My pal Ron Rizzardi riding with the trailer.

Ready to start the Bike to Work ride from Burn's Park

Listening to route directions

Keith (L) and I at the River Market when the ride ended.

Team ACH Riders

Today was National Bike to Work Day. This was the event a couple of years ago that prompt me to start bicycle commuting to work. I admit I haven't done well with it at all this year but then I usually started getting serious about it after this event. Terri is out of town on business so I didn't feel good about not having a car so I drove over to the hospital and rode back over the bridge to the NLR start point then after it was over rode with the gang back to the hospital. It's nice to have a big company owned fitness center and have locker room facilities for times like this.

Before every event ride I don't sleep well. I'm always afraid I'm going to over sleep. Last night even though Emmy said she'd set her alarm and wake me up, I still tossed and turned. I woke at 1:22 then at 4:26 and then off and on till 5.

It was a fun ride and I hope I start commuting again. Those morning rides just do something for me.

Thursday stuff

Yale and Brandon Funk getting ready to ride in the Ride of Silence last night.

Didn't ride tonight since Terri is in St Paul on business and will be till Sunday. I mowed the yard and cut tree limbs.

Ride of Silence

Monty Cole, President of BACA (Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas) speaks to the crowd before the ride begins.Tonight we will have the Ride of Silence. It's a national ride honoring those who have been hurt or killed in a crash involving bicycles. Last year Jason Pratt was killed by a possible drunk driver as he rode along the streets of Little Rock. It was a hit and run and they caught the man that did it. I didn't know Jason but from what his family and friends have said, he was a young man that really enjoyed adventure and life.

If you are reading this and notice bikes out around 7pm tonight please be respectful.

People keep saying, "I saw you out at such and such riding and you were hauling it." Gee, what a head rush! I don't haul it at all compared to my buds. Now they can haul it to the exteme.

Last nights ride was a washout. As I left the office I went through a downpour on the river bridge and afterwards for a few moments. Then again almost at the turn off to Cook's Landing. As everyone arrived we all were looking out of the courner of our eye at the black clouds. "Whadda y'all wanna do?" Yale says. "Over and back!" Patrick says. "Crap!" George thinks. I went and was riding and feeling good at 24mph. This will be a good ride after all. SWASH!!!! Downpour! The paceline breaks up and everyone wobbles back to the start point. Bummer!

Ready to ride!

I've not gotten to ride since last week so it's like a bad case of cabin fever during an Arkansas ice storm. Ya just wanna scream, "Get me outta here!"

I'll meet up with the club here in about an hour for our Tuesday night ride. It's been a fast group this year and pretty darn fun if you ask me. I need to do some hill training so I'm hoping for north side of the river with a Ft Roots climb session but I'll go with the club wherever they ride.

I'm still reliving the past weekend and the fun I had at the races.

Joe Martin and Fayetteville weekend

************Various Photos*********


(Right) Jose A and his cool SRAM Volvo. I worked for Jose this past weekend and for a guy that handles all the pro's bikes for mechanical problems when needed he is the most laid back guy I've ever met. Super nice and I learned a lot! Thanks Jose!
(Left) Riding behind the Toyota-United Team car. We were laughing that it looked like they were having a business meeting.


The left over after the massive pile up when the peleton hit the train tracks. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting guys to the feed zone to hook up with their teams again. I spoke Sunday morning with one of the guys we helped and he finally went to the hospital on Saturday night. No broken bones but he was really sore. At one time I reached down in my cargo shots pocket and had a fork of one of the Abercombie and Fitch team. I found the rider after the race and returned the piece. We both had a good laugh.










A shot of the mountains at Artist point on Mt Graynor.




**Toyota-United Photos**
Here are some of the bikes Toyota-United ride. They were great bunch of guys and I would have had a lot more photos of them but I messed up my camera. Actually still learning a lot of the features.


















Sean Sullivan of Australia. Yep, he has that cool Aussie accent. Fun to listen to him talk.


Ivan Stevic pedals away after watching the women's race for a moment. Stevic is from Serbia.

The Friday afternoon race and the Toyota-United Team car.












**CARVE PHOTOS***
Hunter East (?)on the time trial. Carve was tearing up the hill.












Got to cheer on the home team!


Friday Report:
Got to Fayetteville via Hwy 71 after leaving a few chalk messages for the guys. Grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds and headed over to the Wal Mart parking lot where the men's pro race would start. I met up with Vince, busy as ever. Jose got there a few minutes later and I walked up and introduced myself. I half expected him to tell me to go get him some water but that was the opposite from his character. He was one of the nicest, most laid back guys I've ever met. Professional to a tee but in a great way. I was excited to know I would learn from this guy over the course of the weekend! We loaded the trucks with extra wheels, secured the bikes on the roof of the car, then I got busy helping all the pro's get their tires aired up. All were friendly and apprecitive. I just I was thinking they'd all have the Lance Armstrong complex but nope, they were just normal guys that enjoyed riding. The race starts!
Watching Jose change a wheel and get a man back on the road was a experience in itself. In seconds everything is done and the rider is back in the race and Jose is driving Euro style, honking and swerving and back to the front behind the peleton.
Evansville, the train track that took down a peleton... Just as we rounded the corner it looked like a tornado hit the group. Guys laying everywhere. They had to cross some train tracks and down they went. Several got up and took off only to be picked up hurting later. We picked up and shuttled guys the rest of the afternoon. We had 3 in the truck and I really felt bad for them because they were all hurt and bleeding and disappointment not to get to finish the race. A couple of them I never saw again this weekend. Got finished around 7 and went to Peguin Ed's BBQ with Ryan and Melissa to eat.

Saturday road race....
Met up with Jose, aired tires, tightened a cage then shifted over to the trucks. With over 200 riders we had a lot more trucks and wheels. With the Cat 3-5's they bring their own replacement wheels and the guy that was driving the truck I was going to work with hadn't done this before and wasn't into bikes. He just was talked into driving. There was a pile of wheels in the back and I had to get back there and get them set up and tagged. Jermey would drive the truck and I would jump out and change the wheels and get them back on the road...just as Jose had taught me the day before.

Saturday Time Trails...
Bascially just watched from the mid way point and encouraged riders. The course was just 2.5 mile time trail but it was all up hill. It was great to watch their endurance and then fun to see them ride back down the hill to their team cars. They would rocket down the hill.

Sunday: Met up with Jose and since I wasn't really scheduled for anything I just told him thanks for letting me work with him this weekend and how I had learned a lot from him. He LOADED me up with goodies as I was leaving. A true pro! He wanted me to come back and work with him next year... that comment was worth more then all the goodies. I walked around and spoke with Vince and others I knew and went to the Toyota-United tent. Cool stuff. I saw the guys come in as the women were racing and got to speak with Sean and Ivan for a moment. Then walked around to where the bus was and they had all the bikes out and I saw Frankie Andreau, the team director, and asked if I got get close up to the bikes and shot some photos. Got a couple of cool ones! Andreau was like Jose. Not what I expected! A nice guy and very fan friendly.

I watched Carve take the winnings on the Cat 3 race. They were great. The first few laps was a breakaway by Carve and he held on for several solo leads.

All in all, it was a good time had by all.

The picture everyone in my family wants to see!!!

Melissa and Ryan

and the twins!!!

Here's the first pregnant family portrait made this morning just before church.

CONGRATS Y'ALL!!!

I really should be packing!

Happy Birthday Lil Sista Barbie!!!

It's the night before the Joe Martin races in Fayetteville and I should be packing. After a crazy day at the office and some software not working I was bushed by the time I got home. I had a project for the VP that had to be done today for the printer and I thought it was never going to get finished. But it did.

I missed my group ride tonight but had dinner with the family and that was fun. Tyler was here and we messed around a little after dinner.

Well, I really do have to go pack! Oh by the way, I get to see Melissa pregnant with her twins tomorrow!

I plan to take a lot of photos so keep watching!

Got a little stormy!

Last night storms came through and I didn't realize it was that bad until driving to work. I got up at 6 and had just come into the kitchen and the garage light came on then went off. Then it did it again. I had not turned on the kitchen lights and knew the dogs were in the garagr since it was raining. What on earth were those dogs doing out there I wondered! Then I realized the stove clock was off. The electricity had just gone off. Terri said it came back on about 7:30. Once again, we were lucky.

As I drove down the road there were a couple of trees down and no lights anywhere except across the valley I could see street lights. JFK was all backed up and the brave NLR police were in the middle of the intersection directing traffic. Lightening was still going across the sky. There were also a couple of stalled cars in the road.

As of 11:43 this morning, it's still going on and my building has very limited power.

On a different subject, last nights ride was 34 miles of speed! I looked down and we were moving along at 24mph. I'm not sure we ever got under 18 last night. Myself and a few others stopped at the stop lights along the way and broke off from the group. They didn't run the lights but we just got caught as it changed to red. On the way back Keith, Chris, JBar sort of stuck together and made it back. Keith, if you're reading this, thanks for the long pull!

Triple Bypass

Just a cool photo I acidentally took.

The ABC Bike Club ride that we merged with. I was getting ready to take a photo and I heard folks talking behind me and felt bad that I wasn't watching. Sorry guys!

Chris Shaw and Mark Rogers talk about Chris' trip to Tour de Georgia

Will, a very strong rider.

The Fast Girls and Slow Guys club discussing the game plan for the day.

We all met over under the I-430 bridge. Actually just passed it. 1pm came and everyone was ready to roll out. The weather was hot and humid as the sun broke through the clouds and cool when the clouds would roll by can cover up the sun.

Our pace was good and steady and at first I thought we were going to be in an all out leg burning session but things calmed down as folks began to warm up. Most of the time we were in the 19-21 mph range and the paceline was set up nice.

We crossed over the bridge and I was behind one of the new guys and he rode with a removable cast on his arm. He went over the bridge with one hand in order to keep the shock of the bumps from bothering him. He's an excellent rider without the cast and a pretty amazing rider even with the cast! Stayed with the group the whole time.

As we got over the bridge we had to slow several times for familes along the trail but the speed picked back up as we got out on the road. We were moving along at about 18 or so and I thought it was a good time to grab my camera and get some action shots but the ABC ride had caught us and merged. I didn't realize someone was drafting me. Felt bad not watching and listening for them.

We turned and headed up Ft Roots and I felt good climbing. Still had a couple more gears to go at the top and had kept my speed around 10mph up the hill. Everyone made it to the top and we stopped for a second to gab about who rode what ride yesterday. Weather threw a monkey wrench into the day yesterday

Next was a nice pace out and around Burn's Park and on the road by the tennis courts we cranked it up! Rawked through there and as I looked down I saw the number 32. Paceline moving at 32 mph!! WoHooo! We got over to Cook's Landing and regrouped and started back to the Little Rock side. Robb's chain decided to play boa constrictor and wrap up and squeeze. He had to remove the back wheel to get it back on thread. Bummer!

As we got to the end of the road by the dam Chris Irons pointed to Overlook. I got excited! We were going to climb all three hills!! I'm not the best climber but I enjoy it. My goal again was to make the climbs without using the granny gears and I did it! Overlook is a beast but it's not really because of the length and the grade but because the road is slanted to the side and for some reason that messes with me. We got to the top and regrouped. Everyone did great! As we were about to head down there were other cyclist training on the hill. My bud, Charlie Haight was one of those. He's a lot of fun to ride with.

Next hill which is not much further is River Mountain Road. Again, up we went. I felt good going up although I was slow. Mark passed me on the way up and I studied his cadance and tried to find a gear that would put me in the same time as him but I was at my low gear on the mid ring so it wasn't going to happen. Mark is my mentor as far as riding. I try and copy him as often as possible. He and Chris Shaw are both very strong riders and worth trying to copy. I kid with Chris about whenever he rocks his neck back and forth that is a sign that he is about to attack. HA! We all made it to the top with no problem and headed back down to the cars.

So we did it! The local version of the Triple Bypass. Good weather and good friends. It was a dandy way to spend the afternoon!

Early Sunday morning

Up early and taking an easy glide into the morning. It's one of those cloudy Sunday mornings where you don't feel like moving much.

After church I'm planning to meet friends and ride what we call our local "Triple Bypass". We'll ride the club ride starting over in Little Rock on the river and ride along the river and over the bridge to North Little Rock then up Ft Roots then on out to Cook's Landing, regroup, then head back to the LR side and finish with 2 other nice climbs (Overlook Drive and River Mountain Road). Yes, I'll take my camera and get some photos.

There will be another ride about 6:30 this afternoon...maybe. It's Senior night at church so most will be there for the dinner afterwards. So come to think of it, there might not be a ride. Not sure if I would go if I do Triple Bypass.

I watched Seabiscuit last night. I didn't read the book and missed it on the big screen and wished I hadn't. Great movie!

I'm really starting to get excited about next weekend! Joe Martin Stage Races in Fayetteville! I will volunteer again this year and Vince gave me a NICE responsibility. I get to work with the pro's mechanics as their assistant. I've been getting more and more into the mechanics of cycling after getting to be support during the Carve camp back in the spring. So getting to work with pro mechanics is going to be a great learning experience. I love being a part of the races and as much as I'd like to race, I'm not up to their caliber so support is the next best thing. You are right there in the middle of it all. I'll be up close with the likes of HealthNet, Toyota-United, Kodak S-N, Tulsa Wheelmen, Tyson, Carve and many more. One thing that's really nice about bike racing events is that you can generally walk up and have a photo op or just shake hands and tell 'em good luck. There are the Lance Armstrong's you can't get within miles of but even those are far and few in between. The sponsors want their guys out there being in photos displaying their branding names. More on this later.

Now with even more photos!!

Photo's from today's ride to Wye Mountian.

Top left: I actually have a photo on my old blog for the first annual Flood Gate Fish Fry. Notice "Anual"? Last year's sign said by "invatation" only. Maybe someday I'll go to this party since I misspell as many words as they do! HA!

Top center: I rode passed this sign and it was one of those moments where you think, "Did I just read that right?" I even saw the jackass and he saw me. He was grazing and looked up, sighed and thought, "Another cyclist, big whoop! Not worth attacking!" Then went back to chewing on the grass.

Bottom photo: It's a cow gate but I guess the cows kept going through until the owner put these giant worms on gate.

As you see I got a new digital camera from Tyler, my son, for my birthday and was really excitied! I had been wanting one of my own that I could slip in my jersey pocket to take photos of rides. I used it today on a ride for the first time and forgot how much I enjoyed the "touring" style of rides rather than the fast and furious.

The photo I really wanted was the chickens on the tampoline! Serious! There was a trailer and a trampoline out in the yard and the chickens were all just sitting on it watching the bikes ride by. When I came back by I was solo and there were little boys playing in the yard and the chickens were still there but didn't feel right taking the photo then.

I rode from the bottom of Pinnacle Mountain over Wye Mountain. The Carve elite team was out training and blew by me but not without giving me the be howdy. I rode on to Hwy 10 then it began to rain on top of the mountain and I knew I could get back faster if I backtracked so I did. I rode in the rain for about 5-10 minutes then just a sprinkle here and there. I never dropped to my low gears climbing the mountain which was my goal for the day.

Taking my time and enjoying the surroundings is what make the ride a true adventure!

Happy Birthday Emmy!

My little girl turned 16 and of course did it in drama style! HA! She went to take her drivers test (the driving part) and passed with no problems but then found out she had to have to permit for 6 months before she could exchange it for a solo drivers license. She was heartbroken but lived. It's just a couple more months. She will be driving well by the time school starts back for the fall and she won't be nervous.

We had several of her friends over to hang out and have cake. Most are athletic and passed on the cake but took all the bottled water. We could all learn from kids... right?!

Starbucks in the Mist

I woke this morning at 6, showered and was in my car heading to Starbucks by 6:30. The rain stopped and the sun was shining. Beautiful morning. Yes, I did think about riding but the roads are still wet. As I was on my way to Starbucks it kept looking as if it was getting really cloudy again. It was a fog bank coming over the hill. I actually parked and went in for my order since there was only one other person there. When I came out the fog was just down the road and by the time I started my car it was like a cloud landed on the place. I could see the fog rolling by. I kept waiting for whatever monster Scooby Doo was going to be chasing to be in it. I drove in and out of the fog several times on my way back to the house.

Got home, read the paper and the latte has officially kicked in! Oh by the way, I let the dogs out into the backyard so they could do their business and the first thing they did was find the low spot in the yard and splash in! Again and again... sooooo guess who will be staying out all day! I mean they are nasty mud puppys! If it wasn't a church morning I'd wash 'em and keep 'em in til the ground dries a little more.

Not sure how much rain we got but the flooding made the Weather Channel top story and I know that a car dealership was under water at the tune of a million dollars.

Several of us are riding this afternoon so it will be interesting to see how high the river is and how much wash out is in the middle of the bike roads. The plan today is to ride the 34 miles of the river roads and then climb 3 different hills. We call it the Triple Bypass ride. The crew I'll be riding with is a lot of fun so I'm looking forward to it. I thought about going to ride the "since you didn't ride in the rain" Tour de Toad today but just not in the mood to drive to Conway mainly because gas is so high I'm really trying to cut back. Yes, I am considering biking to work now that it's warm but I've got to have the car for a couple of things this week.

Well, got to go get really for church. I'll log in tonight and update about where and how I rode this afternoon.

Photos from the Tour de Hills in Harrison

Since Max chewed up the power chord to my laptop I've gotten behind on posting photos too.

Here's some photos from a recent ride in Harrison, AR. Enjoy!

Saturday morning blues

I woke this morning and stumbled into the shower around 6:15. I walk into the den and look out the window at a DRY deck!! WHA?! It was supposed to be raining and I've now over slept and I need to be at the caravan start point at 7 and I didn't eat dinner last night for a bike ride today and I haven't eaten breakfast or gotten my gear together or put my bike in the car or anything. Oh man!!! I'm completely bummed out!

So I flipped on the TV to see the weather and sure enough the rain is here but not in Sherwood yet. There is a yellow blob where the ride is supposed to start so my fingers are crossed that it's postponed until tomorrow at 1:30. It's now 8:15 and there it's rained a couple of times here already and the wind is gusting around 20 mph. Not a perfect day to ride. I checked the website for The Ride (bike shop) and it's posted that the event is still on. I suspect the crew is out on the course debating it. It was supposed to start at 8.

I had to let Saydee and Max in just as the rain started and they stink! Out to play in he garage for you!

No it ain't!

Ok, I was wrong. Toad Suck Daze is next weekend and boy am I glad because we have 100% chance of rain tomorrow. But the Toad Suck bike ride is tomorrow. Erik says the ride will go on unless it's really bad and then it will be rescheduled for Sunday at 1:30. I'm hoping for the Sunday at 1:30 version!

Can you believe it's a Friday night and I'm blogging. Oh man, I've got to get a life! I got home and Terri and Emmy had gone to see the high school Sr prom presenting. I cleaned the house and knocked out my chores so I wouldn't have to do them tomorrow. Now if it's raining all day then I'll go nuts because I've already done them.

Terri was coming home from a business trip to MO last night and a truck threw a rock and bashed the windshield of the Explorer. And of course Emmy is supposed to go take her drivers test next week. Terri is getting the side mirror fixed that she broke when she hit the garage door last summer while I was out on my bike tour. It'll cost $140.

Toad Suck Daze is this weekend!

Toad Suck Daze http://www.toadsuck.org/index.asp is this weekend! Yes, it's really the name of one of the best Arkansas festives around! The legend has that the sailors would get off the bardges and drink at I local tavern to the point that they would swell up like toads! Everything at the festive is frogs! This year marks their 25th year! Congrats Conway!

That have a ride called the Tour de Toad and a lot of folks from the Little Rock area are heading up to ride.

I'm heading to Conway tomorrow morning to a great bike shop called The Ride and get my bike fitted. Something has changed and I am having some pain behind my left knee about about 30 miles. I've had the bike and this set up for 2 years but I'm thinking maybe the seat has moved back a tad. Anyway, Erik is going to put me on the trainer and get my set up corrected. Then I'll be able to ride this weekend with the big Toads!

Big rain came through early this morning and caused all sorts of traffic jams. As I look out my window it appears to be turning blue skies! Means I can ride tonight with the group. Sad thing is that the gas prices have split the group. Several live on the Little Rock side of the river and they are going to ride over there and some, like myself, live on the north side so we'll continue our rides. Last week there was a wreck and many were in traffic a while and it just made them realize they are driving quite a bit rather than getting to ride. It will look like the movie Braveheart if we are going over the Broadway bridge to LR and they are coming over to NLR.

One other thing... they have finalized the Arky 100 ride for this fall. October 1st they will have the official grand opening of the bike bridge. This will be a big event!