I'm leaving, let the celebration begin......

On Saturday we had a couple of get togethers. The first was a 7am ride through the finest roads that the hill country has to offer. Sixteen of us gathered out on a country road and discussed the merits of warm clothing on a chilly morning. In the end, goose bumps won the start but the day soon warmed to a fine and beautiful spring day green from the recent rain. Bluebonnets were in abundance.

The group that assembled were all strong riders and of even pace and temperament which provided a great level of comfort and ease on a spirited ride of almost 80 miles with 4,600 feet of climbing depending on who's Garmin you believe. The ride ranged from casual conversation riding 5 across on deserted roads to hard hill climbs to fast perfectly beautiful pacelines to hauling ass downhill with the wind at 40+ miles per hour. Several things wanted to escape from the fine bikes in attendance so there was a bit of circling back to pick up ejected items.

There was one planned stop for water and home made brownies at the Kendalia General Store. Here is evidence of the fine group of cyclists. These folks are the best.

We finished the ride just after noon and discovered some nice greeting cards on our vehicles kindly asking us to find another location to park and mentioning the local law enforcement. Seems like I'm leaving town none too soon. They're starting to destroy our nesting sites.

I rushed home and cooked a huge pot of veggie tofu red curry and rice and Kimberly had been working all morning with Maria, cleaning cooking and organizing a great shindig. Then the fun started as the nicest people in the world started stopping by and spending a few hours and eating great vegan food. They filtered in all afternoon and into the evening and we got to visit with everyone. The weather was nice, the kids were well behaved and delightful, the women were beautiful and witty and the men were brave and strong. Check check and check. It was great to have Henry Gifford fly in from NYC for the rides and the party. He added a special touch to the weekend and I look forward to seeing him up there when I pass through in June.

The food was a hit and the huge pot of Curry was all but gone by the end. Gay Lynn's chocolate cake was just the right sugary goodness for some hungry riders. Maria's black bean tamales and guacamole were popular and I have to get the recipe for Linda's carrot cupcakes. I'm sure I'm forgetting lots but bed is calling.

Oh yeah, Sunday morning saw a few of the survivors reassemble for a 40 mile ride through another piece of heaven to the edge of Marble Falls. Speaking of falling, another KOM fell along the way just to add a little spice to an otherwise quite laid back little recovery ride through the spring flowers.

Good Night and Pedal Hard

The Prius that made it all possible

Nine years ago I bought a Toyota Prius. Since then it has saved me over $27,000 in fuel. I saved that money to buy a new car. Instead I'm planning to take a bike ride.

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Where it all began

It all started with a walk up a mountain. At 49 years old (and I mean old) I hiked up Mt. Crested Butte with my family. It was a pathetic experience complete with wheezing and shortness of breath. My lifestyle had caught up to me and it was time to change some things. I counted calories and started eating better and over an eight month period I dropped 60 pounds.

At the end I started working out and for my 50th birthday I bought myself a bicycle. Love of two wheels blossomed and in September of 2011 I bought a custom titanium road bike from Seven Cycles. Her name is Lucky. We've ridden over 15,000 miles together since then and never been hurt. That's Lucky.

A few months back an idea formed to ride a bike around the country. I considered a touring bike and panniers and carrying everything on the bike but it seemed a drag to leave Lucky at home and Lucky wants to go fast. My nine year old Prius is due to be upgraded to a new plug-in Prius but before I do that, I decided that the old car could do a damn good job of hauling Lucky and me around the country so we could do a little exploring. That way I can haul all the gear I need, avoid the roads that are stupid to ride on and Lucky and I can go fast with just the things we need for that ride whether its a 3 hour ride or a 3 day ride.
I'll carry a 10x10 popup screened enclosure, a three man tent and a small one man bivy tent for when Lucky and I break free of the Prius for a few days. All the flexibility I need for a trip that will be almost 7 months long.
My wife and my boss were both very supportive. In fact, a lot of people have supported the idea of me leaving. Hey wait a minute...... never mind.
I'll try to blog about the trip here and I am hoping that this is the longest blog post but if I ramble "shrug" sorry.