The trip to Tennessee...

This past weekend I rode up to Jackson, Tennessee to ride bikes with Mike and cheer him up a bit. We rode at Mousetail Landing. The park was so named because a tannery burned there in the 1800's and the mice, fleeing the fire, were so numerous the place was named after them. We rode on two good mountain bike trails a total of 22 miles. Mountain bike riding is a lot different from road bike riding. 22 miles on the mountain trails is probably equal to more than double the same miles on a road bike. Mike was tired after that day of riding. I stayed thru Sunday and returned to Cullman to pick up Bev and David.

This morning I took a short ride of 15 miles. It was windy! I don't know how to factor in the extra work of wind but it certainly makes the ride harder. Much the same way the wind will work in Florida next month. I have increased my fitness level quite a bit since last year. I should have no problem with Bike Safari this year.

Tomorrow will be colder. Sara has to have a tooth cut out in the morning so Bev will be up early and gone. Nikki is out of school. She will probably come over in time to relieve me for a possible bike run. I need to keep my fitness level going so I can burn those extra calories.

Catching up

After my recovery period for Covid, I went to Cullman on Monday the 8th and started catching up on the mowing and farm stuff. Pretty much everything needed mowing. The big tractor made short work on the main north fields and David helped me with the field across from the pond. The grass had grown quite long and with the two week absence, I simply started and mowed all of them. There is always some mowing to do. At least no trees had fallen. There were some indoor projects pending. A couple of shower fixtures had to be replaced. The screen door latch didn't hold and had to be improved. The old JD mower needed a bit of tuning so it would climb better and the mowing deck replaced. And the garden needed to be disked and more corn and okra planted. David should have had a shot on the groundhog at the old house but forgot to check his ammo. The hammer fell on an empty chamber. I got the conibear traps out and caught one of the groundhogs that lived by the spring. David had ...

Spock

Spock is my favorite character in all fiction. A character who bridged the gap between two worlds and faced disdain from each. Who strove for excellence and exemplified strength, character, intelligence, and control. His nearly emotionless demeanor was a perfect foil for those who would attempt to intimidate or insult him. It was a style I would endeavor to imitate to thwart those attempting to insult, demean, or scare me in my own young life. I bought this little figure to remind me to guard against letting my defenses down and allowing emotional hurt to strike me.

Counting down to Florida Bike Safari...

Darn cold weather! I got up this morning to some cool north breezes. It made me decide to hike rather than bike. Next week I will do the pm rides for the bike club. In the mornings, if there is time, I will get in some climbing out toward Bull Gap. I need to do the climbs more than the long rides. I seem to be stronger on the hills than last year. Maybe it is the 35 lbs I have dropped. That is almost equal to 2 bikes. I also dropped about 7 or 8 from the new bike. Combined that puts me 42 pounds of weight saved which would be a substantial load to pull up the hill. Now I just need to train those leg muscles to pound out the climbs. The only way I see to do that is to just do hills! I need to remember some small but important things when I pack for the trip. I will need to be sure I have a wrench to change the tire with. I need to check the spare to make sure it holds air. I will need to pack the charger just in case. A long extension cord might be nice. Sunscreen and bug repel will be ...

diddlee

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