Laying It Down

Tonight on the ride home I unexpectedly laid my bike down going around a corner. I wasn't going too fast, I was actually in the saddle about to crest a hill when my front wheel washed out from under me. Before I knew it I was sliding on my side as my bike slid out from under me. The streets were wet, but I wasn't expecting it to be so slick. I guess the time has come to start riding with a little more caution; be warned winter in near.

Garage Mahal?

Not quite, but I am still excited to remodel our one car garage.
The concrete work started about an hour ago. The old concrete is out and they are laying the re-bar now. The new concrete should be finished tomorrow.

I ordered the new doors this weekend, they should arrive in two weeks. In this time I need to design the new work bench and layout for the bikes and storage shelves.

I am excited to design my "man cave"

Let's think about this a little more

The new bike lanes in downtown Minneapolis don't look that safe to me?

Gravel Ride

Today I decided the leaves could wait another weekend to be raked and went for a ride instead. Jason Boucher and I drove down to Northfield and did an awesome 50 mile gravel road ride with the locals. The ride was put on by Northfield locals Ben and Sean, two great guys who know how to keep cycling real and host a good event; thanks guys, you threw down an impressive ride.

This was the longest ride I have done in awhile and I felt really good. The pace generally pretty tame, with some hard efforts on the climbs. I rode my La Cruz with the new Salsa Woodchipper

Now playing: Tom Waits - Don't Go Into The Barn
via FoxyTunes

Does anyone check this site anymore?

Well I hope so, I apologize it has been a really long time since I last posted any updates. I will attempt to post more frequently so I can stay in touch with all of you who I don't talk with that often. If you do check in on me every so often, please continue doing so and I will try to keep this site updated at least once a month.
So what is new with me, here is a short list to keep it simple...
- Celebrated my grandpas 89 birthday in Aug. "Keep on doing what ever it is you do Grandpa that keeps you so sharp."
- Spent 10 days in Seattle for my brothers wedding. "Congratulations Josh and Hollie."
- Spent 4 days at home working and doing laundry before leaving to LV
- Spent 9 days in Las Vegas working the Interbike trade show
- Sold a bike, but didn't replace it with a new one. "Oh wait, I did get a new bike, my bad."
Went to the doctor for an annual physical. "I like to do this annual trip every 5 years. Maybe I will change that habit. Don't worry, Doctor says I am healthy."
-Rode to work in the rain, A lot. "I rode to work everyday this October, 21 day equaling 650 miles"
-Celebrated my 5 year anniversary with Katie.
-Gretta turned 2 today.

Have safe and happy Halloween everyone.


Now playing: The Shins - One By One All Day

Punk is where my heart is

"Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced" was the closing song Dropkick Murphys played at their free concert in St. Paul Friday night . Joe, James and I rolled into Harriet Island to brave the potential thunder storms, mobs of adolescent punk rockers and drunken Irish fair attendees.

We were a ways back from the stage which was cool with me, but at times I wanted to go into the crowd and mix it up in "the pit". It's probably a good idea I didn't though, it's been a long time since I have held my own in the crowd and I don't know how my body would have handled it the next morning. This was the first time I have seen Dropkick and the first punk show I have been to in over a couple years. I have to say I really enjoyed myself. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the last folk-rock shows I went to, but punk is where my heart is.


After the show we cruised to the Happy Gnome for a drink. While finishing our first round the skies opened up and the rain came down hard. The three of us are are all experience and weathered bikers, but the rain looked too heavy to go out in, so we decided to order up another round and wait out the storm.

When our second round was empty we decided to ignore the rain and head home. It only took 2 blocks for me to get completely soaked by the rain; luckily it was warm out and our ride was short.

Time Off

Lately I have taken a lot of time off from writing, but recently I also took some time off to travel. This past weekend Katie and I went to Puerto Rico for our friends Hann-Yu and Edwardo's

wedding.

Our trip was kinda short, only 5 days, but we had an excellent time. This was my first time in the tropics and we got to do some really cool stuff. Of course the beach was nice, but we also did some hiking in the El Yunque National Forest. We went kayaking in a bioluminescent bay, where the algae lit up and glowed when it was disrupted by our paddles or hands, and finally the wedding. The wedding was out side of Fort San Felipe del Morro, an old fortress built in the 1500's to defend the city from enemies. It is needless to say the wedding was beautiful but I have attached some pictures for everyone to see for yourself.

Finally, a few more things to mention...
Congrats to Al and Luby on their wedding. I love you guys and am sorry I couldn't make it to your reception.

Congrats to Schroden, on a 2nd place finish at 9-mile. I have to say something about the race, because he probably wont write about it in his own blog.

okay that's it, I will try to do this more often.