Thursday, June 7, 2012

We Have A Teardrop

Well after three days of hard work, the long memorial weekend, we have built ourselves a teardrop camper. This thing is the shit. For years myself and my family camped in tents, when you are young its OK, but when you get older and the back starts to act up it can totally suck and turn you off camping real fast. I love the solitude you can find in camping, the melding with nature, the release of stress. You know stress, the crap that causes heart attacks. We used the Tear Drop camper on our vacation trip to Lake Cleburne State Park Texas. The park was really nice, clean facilities, friendly staff, and very secure. The atmosphere was quite and relaxingly peaceful. The trails are fantastic for walking and bike riding I will be posting a short video of one stretch of the combination, running, walking and biking trail as soon as I get it fully edited. We also did some geocaching and it was blast. The temps were a little high but we drank plenty of water and staid towards the shade most of the time. Here is a link to the park and the map of the park area,

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4503_013a.pdf

I want to thank the rangers on staff they did a great job. I will also be posting build photos and some helpful hints on the Teardrop build soon. Have a great day and may God bless you and yours.


Thursday, April 26, 2012

My Exile Is Over!!!!!

Well the two week layoff (exile) from riding my bike ended today. I decided that for the return to the bike I should take it easy. Ride a nice slow ride in a fairly safe area. So i decided to treat my wife to a short ride around Sory park here in town. I have no idea what the real name of it is, I just know it is across the street from Sory elementary school. It is a mile long wide concrete path. Wide enough for two riders to ride side by side. Very similar to the concrete paths at Isle Dubois state park on lake Ray Roberts. So I decided to spend a leisurely 45 minutes just slowly pedaling around the trail area. I ended up going just at four miles. I have to admit I was a little leery. I wouldn't have thought the crash would have had any effect on me but it did, trepidation was in the house. I don't know if I was just nervous about it happening again, the crash I still don't remember any of, or the fact I might have lost my ability to balance the bike for awhile yet. But no problems popped up, I calmed down and had a really enjoyable ride. The trail is actually a cool place to ride, the top is semi up and down with a little hill that is semi challenging to climb, and a good speed rush to go down. The trail at the bottom by the athletic center is flat and circular. I think it would be  great place to take young bike riders to hone up on their skills.

Monday, April 23, 2012

So It Begins.

Know that saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? I have heard it from the time I was a young kid in the sixties, I still hear it from time to time. I used to think how stupid it was, kind of a no crap statement. Heck I wanted to find the guy that came up with it and slap him for being so obviously stupid. I carried that attitude for many long years. But then I was shook into realizing something the night I had my heart attack. We have only a finite number of days on this big blue marble that spins around our sun. I realized I had pissed to many of those days away. It was time to try my best to make the ones I had left as much fun and pain free as possible. I realized that what has passed into the past must remain there, you can't get it back. I have had acquired a couple of bikes in the past three years. All with great intention of doing more riding, riding on a regular basis. It didn't happen, well a few short rides from time to time, but that was it. Then mister cardiac event came knocking on my life's door. It scared the crap out of me. Let me state something right from the get go. "I am not afraid of dying, I am afraid of not living." I know what death holds for me, I believe in Jesus Christ as my savior and know He has reserved a room for me in His house. It is a very empowering realization. It allows a person to shake the shackles of death free from oneself. At the writing of this first entry I have been gradually working my way up in mileage on a daily basis. I can now ride twenty miles in an hour and a half with out much trouble. I am by no means breaking any speed records, but I am enjoying doing it and that counts for more than any one can really appreciate. I did how ever hit a little bump, well a pretty good bump on my head on the 12th of April when I was timing how long it takes me to commute from my home to work one way. Something I still plan to do at least three days a week, 17 1/2 miles one way, cool. I hit some sandy gravel in a stupid attempt to rush a stop sign. It led to another trip to WNJ, this time with a busted head and bloody head and a concussion. Below is a video link for it. And yes I was wearing a helmet, I never ride without one. I have been grounded to the indoor trainer until sometime this week. I have been riding a modified 1993 Cannondale M700, big ole heavy 21" frame. Stripped as light as I could get it, it still weighs 34lbs+. Well today I picked up a sweet deal on a Trek Pilot 1.2 fully rigged for commute, 26lbs. I tweaked and serviced it most of the afternoon then put 8 miles in on it with the indoor trainer, it's gonna need some more tweaking and adjusting but so for it feels very comfortable. It is my first road bike since 1993, the vintage 1979 Motabacane I road the frame out from under me. I will be posting up my luck with it later. So check back in from time to time and see what kind of crap I have gotten myself into.