Final ride of the year... flats!

Ryan and I originally planned to do a night ride last night but he left work earlier than expected and we headed out in the afternoon.  We both left from our houses and rode towards each other on Messner Rd.  Just east of Fredericksburg Rd. I came upon Ryan stopped alongside the road, he was checking in with another cyclist who appeared to be changing a flat tire.  As I rolled up to the scene I realized it was Jeremy Grimm.

Back on the bike Jeremy joined us as we rode over to Honeytown and south to Fredericksburg.  It was good to chat with Jeremy and hear how he and his family have been.  We rode into Fredericksburg and climbed Harrison to the west.  Jeremy headed north on Nonpariel as we continued across 83 and onto County Line Road.

Aaron heading downhill on Force Road.

The day was overcast but warm for the season, the thermometer in the back yard showed 41 when I left the house.  Road conditions were wet from melted snow and the roads were covered with cinders.  It felt great to be outside on the bike.

We rode down Force Rd. to connect up with Cemetery Rd. and here began our problems.  Apparently the pre-ride adjustments I made to my front derailleur were not so good.  In a 500 yard section of road I managed to drop my chain to the outside and then inside.  Wow, that's a new one.  Stopped in the road and with Ryan holding my bike up I managed to get the chain back on and start rolling again.

About five minutes later we were on Cemetary Rd. and Ryan announced his rear tire was going flat.  No big deal, we stopped along side the road and got to work on a tube swap out.  Ryan searched for a foreign object in the tire and found none.  With a new tube, this one full of air, on the rear wheel we started rolling again... again.

Flat tire change #1 for the day.

"I've got some bad news..." Ryan stated a few minutes later.  His rear tire was flat again.  We pulled into a gravel parking area along side the road near the Killbuck marsh.  Ryan flipped his bike over and we both looked down to see bubbles puttering out of a hole in his wet tire.  I reached down and picked a pointy cinder out of the hole.  Wheel off, tube changed, tube inflated, wheel back on.  We started rolling again... again... again.

The culprit!

With our spare tubes exhausted another flat tire would result in a call for vehicular pickup alongside the road.  We rode up the old 226 bypass and turned west on Willow.  Just before reaching the Kister Mill Ryan called out, "my front tire is flat!"  I reached for my cell phone.

KT was glad to hear we were only a few miles from home and she picked us up in the truck.  Ryan announced we had set a new record, it was the first time the two of us had ever required a pick up on the road to get back home.  Oh well, it had some comic relief to it. 

Ryan is now shopping for new tires.

It was not the cleanest day on the road.

Christmas!

 Daniel was up bright and early on Christmas morning.

 I made a little guitar for Daniel.  He was excited to find out

what I had been working on in the basement that denied him from coming down.

 Daniel and KT taking a gift to the neighbor on Christmas morning.

I also made a guitar for my nephew Sam.  He was

even more excited than Daniel to play his own guitar.

Playin' Dead

Not much "real" cycling to post about but I haven't been playing dead.  This month I signed up to use our corporate fitness room and have been riding the stationary bike, rowing, and doing core work at lunch.  It's made for a nice break in the middle of the day and helps me sleep better at night.  Hopefully it also translates into some fitness advances come spring.

One less road kill to swerve around in the spring.

Speaking of playing dead... this strategy did not work so will for the possum Rock found in the back yard last night.  After playing with the possum for a while Rocky went in for the kill as Katie, Daniel and I watched from the porch window.  Katie made me brush his teeth after letting him back in the house.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We hiked out into the Christmas tree field and found

the perfect tree for our house.

I helped Daddy cut it down with a saw.

Mommy and I stood it up in the house

and decorated it!

Staying Warm on a Mountain Bike

The temperature was 30 and there was skim coat of snow on the ground as Ryan and I pulled our bikes from the truck and geared up.  Two other vehicles were parked in the Mohican MTB parking lot.  The bike rack on the back told us one vehicle belonged to a mountain biker but the second vehicle, a truck, may have been a hunter. 

Getting ready to roll out.

In the previous two weekend rides I had done at Mohican I never saw a hunter, but we donned neon colors just to be sure we were not mistaken for venison on the bone.  The extra layer couldn't hurt either, given the temperature.

Self timer pic from the truck's tailgate.

A good thing about riding at Mohican when it's cold is the first uphill mile activates your body heat right away.  Despite the snow dusting throughout the woods, the trail itself was clear other than leaves.  Snow must not stick as easily to the compressed trail, maybe the ground temp of the trail is higher?

 The trail was obvious amongst the snow.

As we rode out to mile 8 we passed about 4 to 5 hunters.  Some were sitting close enough to the trail that I could have thrown and hit them with a water bottle.  They were obviously in violation of the law prohibiting hunters from being within 500 yards of the trail.  At least these guys were facing away from the trail.  I wondered what they thought of us as we came crashing through the woods.

At the 8 mile mark, where bi-directional riding ends, we turned around.  It's a different trail in the opposite direction, culminating in a mostly downhill final mile.  There were some cold moments along the way but I think we stayed comfortable most of the ride.  Ryan made two evaluations of the ride: "Hey, we didn't get shot" and "it was invigorating."  I agree.

Back at the parking lot a few more vehicles had showed up and we had passed four riders on our way back to the start.  One of the vehicles caught our attention as it looked like a sweet setup for bike road trips.  Check out the extra locks on rear and side door.  I'd never seen these type of locks before but quickly found them on the web, it's a guarded hasp with a hockey puck lock:  http://www.lockitt.com/TrailerDoorLocks.htm

This vehicle says "ready for adventure".

Bike Work Stand for Ryan

Some time ago I began work on making a bike stand for Ryan.  I had some ideas for improvement over the bike stand I made for myself several years back and was eager to see if they would prove out.  Of course a work stand can be purchased, but what fun would that be?  Plus, there's certainly a cost advantage to making your own stand if you can scrounge up some pipe.  Total out of pocket cost for this project was about $20.

The project was delayed for quite a few weeks as I searched for a steel plate for the base.  After having no luck, and after seeing that Ryan had been working on his bike on his basement floor, I compromised and built a wooden base.

As it turns out the stand and base seem to work pretty well.  I hope it performs as expected and elevates Ryan's bike work to a new level.  Ha!

Ryan's new work stand holding my bike and

my stand on the left.

The stand adjusts up and down for height with

telescoping pipes and a locking bolt with handle.

The bike is clamped into the stand via a

pipe clamp and padded wooden jaws.

The bike can be rotated and locked in place

with another bolt and handle.

Overdue Update in Pictures

Wow, I guess it's been awhile since I last updated the blog.  Rather than attempting to recap in text, here are some pictures...

 Chris' tie at the wedding in New Hampshire.

 A clock I made as a wedding gift

for Jessica and Chris.

 Daniel dressed up for the wedding,

with matching blue tongue.

 Nice fall day for a ride.

Daniel's pumpkin hauling service.

 Soupcan cyclocross.

 The result of chain suck at Soupcan cyclocross.

 Post ride cleanup.  Ryan and I rode at the Knob.

White Mountain NF Loop

This morning I set off for a White Mountain National Forest mountain bike ride.

Welcome to the National Forest.

Jim dropped me off on a forest service road just west of Bartlett, NH and I set out with map in pocket.  The first 4.0 miles on Sawyer River road, a forest service road, were a constant uphill that got my blood flowing quickly despite a temperature in the 30's. 

Steady uphill on a gravel forest service road.

At the end of the forest service road was a gate, blocking vehicular traffic, and a sign board.  From here on the riding would be on double track.

 End of the forest service road.

Still going up, there were some steep and continuous grades.

Along the way I was greeted by some nice views of surrounding mountains.  By this time I had been riding about 45 minutes, all of it uphill.

A view to the west.

About an hour into the ride I reached a "high point", just short of the infamous Kancamangus highway.  I was making frequent map checks to ensure I was on track.  With no cell phone service and a lack of familiarity with the land, it was important to keep up with my progress on the map.

 Map: $7 well spent.

After turning and riding east I joined up with another forest service road for a short distance and then had a decision to make.  Continue on with a good chance of being back by the time I had planned or do the "Owl's Head Climb" trail.  I figured I wouldn't be back here soon, so I headed up the climb.

 Coming down from the Owl's Head climb.

The climb was all good, with no shortage of steepness and some rocks thrown in for fun.  Coming down was equally exciting with rocks spotting the way.  I came to a small bridge and decided it was a good place for the PB&J I had packed for lunch.

Sitting on the edge of the bridge and eating my sandwich I had the idea to set the camera for a self timer shot.  I placed the camera on the opposite edge of the bridge, pressed the button to start the 10 second timer and attempted to walk back to my lunch perch.  Unfortunately my foot slipped in between slats in the bridge and one of the slats broke.  I fell knee deep through the bridge and violently wrenched my left knee.  My right foot also dropped into a space between slats and I ended up with both feet in the stream below.  As I groaned over the pain in my left knee I heard the camera take a picture.  Nice.

Fallen through a bridge.

 This was supposed to be the picture.

With a bum knee I had to modify the rest of the route.  I made my way to the nearest forest service road and road out to Bear Notch Road.  My leg was scraped up from busting through the bridge but I was thankful to be moving under my own power, praying for healing all the way.

An overlook on Bear Notch Rd, snow

covered Mt. Washington in the background.

When I reached Bear Notch Rd. it was a left hand turn, north, and a steady grade up to the notch.  I was pedaling along okay on the smooth road.  Over the notch it was all down hill to get back to Bartlett.  Passing by a scenic pull off I caught a glimpse of Mt. Washington, so I pulled off at the next one for a picture.  Further down I stopped at a pull off and asked another gawker to take my picture.

Sporting the OCC wool.

Despite the unfortunate bridge crash incident, it was good ~4 hour ride and the weather was perfect.  This will be a loop to repeat on future visits.

First MTB Ride in New Hampshire

Here's a post submitted from up north.  We are here in the northeast visiting with KT's parents, staying in their nearly finished new home.  The house is very nice with a great view and there is plenty of mountain biking nearby.  Yesterday Chris, who will officially become my brother-in-law this weekend, took me for an off road ride near North Conway.

The leaves have turned and the trails were covered.

We headed out for several hours of riding west of North Conway, NH.  The trails we started out on are called Sticks & Stones and for good reason.  There were plenty of rocks and roots to roll around and over.  Everywhere you look up here there are rocks and more rocks.

 

We stopped at an abandoned quarry for a look around.

A lathe was used to turn large, granite columns.

After connecting up with some other trails we went up and over a shoulder of a mountain before heading back to the start.  There were some fun, twisty sections and some good climbing on the way up.  At one point we popped out onto a rocky bald before turning back into the woods.  Once over the ridge, we rode some pretty steep downhills that were testing my counter-gravity bike handling skills.  It was a good ride.

 The final uphill to get over the ridge was a
hike-a-bike as it was unrideably steep.  
(Of course the picture does not do it justice.)

I hope to get out a couple more times during this trip, and I will try to get some "big view" pictures to show off the mountain terrain.  Tomorrow morning will hopefully result in a ride.  My map is ready to go.

 It was the perfect fall day for a ride!

Camping with Daniel!

On the way home from work I called KT to confirm the plan... Daniel and I were going on our first camping trip tonight!  Daniel was excited when I walked in the door and we began gathering up our gear.  It was going to be a truck camping trip as I figured this would be easier should it be necessary to come home in the middle of the night, but there was no early bail out on this trip.

 Campin' in a truck bed.

We drove down to Grandma and Grandpa's woods and found a spot to park the truck.  Daniel always likes to play in the back of the truck and he really liked the idea of "sleep all night in truck!" (his description for our adventure).The first order of business was to "setup camp".  We inflated our camp mats and laid our sleeping bags.  I issued Daniel his very own flashlight.

 Ready for bed, the first time.

After peein' on a tree in the woods, with the aid of his flashlight, Daniel and I read some books.  I turned off the lantern and told Daniel it was time for bed.  As he waived his flashlight across the inside of the truck cap I fell asleep.  Apparently Daniel did not...

I woke up to the realization that a flashlight was pointed at the right side of my head.  Without stirring too much I squinted to my side and saw Daniel down on all fours, flashlight in hand, staring at my head.  He slowly whispered to himself with great enthusiasm, "Daniel looking in Daddy's ear!"

After some laughing I told Daniel it was really time for bed and I confiscated his flash light.  We zipped him in his little sleeping bag and Daniel slept all the way through the night.

In the morning we awoke with the sunrise to a 40 degree temperature.  After a walk and pee in the woods we drove home.  Daniel was excited to tell mommy about his big campin' trip.  We'll have to do it again soon but I'm not sure how many more nights will be warm enough this year.

Checking out the woods first thing in the morning.

Dillon State Park w/ the Falks

Last year KT, Daniel and I stayed in a cabin at Dillon State Park and thought it was a fun getaway not too far from home, so we made plans to do it again this year with Ryan and Helena.  From our house it’s only an hour and twenty minutes of driving to get to the park which is located near Zanesville, OH.  In addition to a large lake (actually it’s a reservoir), a well kept beach, and numerous hiking trails, 12 to 15 miles of mountain bike trails wind through the woods.

 Lake views from the trail.

Friday night we moved into the cabin and made ourselves comfortable.  Saturday morning we had a good breakfast before Helena, KT and Daniel set off on a hike while Ryan and I jumped on the mountain bike trail just up the way from our cabin.

Aaron skirting a ravine.

The trail was immediately twisty as we followed it towards the lake.  There were plenty of tight corners and ditches/ravines to make things interesting.  I found a couple good spots to fall, once catching myself on a 2x4 guard rail to save falling into a ravine.  The trail took us along the edge of the lake for a good distance, making it an interesting choice between gawking at the lake or riding off the trail that was cut into the hill side.

Ryan dodging rocks on one of the advanced trails.

Most of the trail is ranked “intermediate” but there are a couple section of “advanced” trail.  The advanced trails contain some fun rock gardens, much rockier than the Mohican rock gardens.  Ryan put on a good demonstration through this section, he could have made a sweet 29er commercial as he rolled it over some boulders!

 Aaron crossing some rocky obstacles.

On the trail back to the cabin there were some surprises in store: plank crossings, ramps, a steep uphill and more rocks and roots.  I’d have to say the trails were more entertaining and challenging than I expected, which is a good thing.  Prior to our trip I found the following trail reviews:

http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/dillon-state-park.html

http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/trails-ohio/trail/PRD_169624_4569crx.aspx

http://www.spokejunkies.com/reviews/ohio/index.php?get_page=dillon

And here’s a link to the trail map:

http://www.joinomba.org/aoa/trails/dillonmap.pdf

After returning from our ride Katie and Helena headed out for some pedal time as well.  There is a beginner section they rode, including a road transit to and from this area.  After their ride, Katie and I rode a loop around our cabin that had some good flow.  Maybe we would have ridden more if it were not for the crying sounds of Daniel we heard through the woods as he woke up from his nap.

KT and Helena back from some pedaling.

The rest of the evening was Daniel’s time to ride.  Before and after dinner he was out on his Strider bike riding on the park road and grass around our cabin.  We were amazed at how well he did on his little bike.  We’ve never seen him get so into the striding motion on it.  He was right on the brink of picking his feet up to coast on down hills, especially as he chased after Ryan laughing the whole way.  Daniel was doing good for a two year old!

Daniel and his Strider bike tearing it up.

 We had to head back out after dinner as the sun was

setting, so out came the improvised flashlight headlight.

Sunday morning we had another good breakfast before packing up.  Ryan and I hit the trail again while Daniel and the girls set off for the beach and playground.  This time we rode the final section of yesterday’s ride in the opposite direction.  Once again, very entertaining trails.  Early in the ride we were crossing planks over ravines and wooden bridges that had me feeling twitchy, but I was able to keep the bike going where I wanted.

Check out the old school MTB picture

on the Dew machine!

At the playground area we had lunch and played on the slides and swings.  Then, we headed for home thankful for such nice weather and a fun weekend with friends.

Helena, on the Brontosaurus, chasing

Daniel, on the Triceratops.