Stratomatica

Marin Bikes - Sold

2012-02-07T09:58:00.000-06:00

Well I like Marin bikes so I guess you could say I'm sold. But the fact is they just got sold. I was reading BikeRumor and noticed this article posted about a European based investment firm called Minestone Limited that bought Marin. I've always been interested in Marin because of there location in the heart of "where it all started". I thought it was interesting that their headquarters was once the recording studio of the the band "Greatful Dead". I also like how their bikes are named after trails on "Mount Tam" in Marin County north of San Francisco. Here is the Marin video...

Fat Bikes and Showshoes

2012-02-04T19:29:00.000-06:00

The snow hadn't stopped falling when we got out to play over at Tranquility this afternoon. The wet heavy snow packed nicely but there was quite a bit of it to pack.

The long awaited arrival of Chris P's Pugsley is over. It's a beautiful thing and has a custom - one of a kind paint job. The green fading to black is really nice.

I started the afternoon out on my snowshoes. Jena and I helped pack down a loop north of the creek while Chris and Mike rode their fat bikes.

Mike and Jena were searching for sporting goods that will probably get found in the spring.

Mike's hands stay warm with mits that attach to his bars.After a while I couldn't wait any more and had to try riding my SS. It was challenging but fun. Great to get outside.

Chris is making it look easy.

Big Mike has to duck for the log arch.

Mr. Wong has a passenger of the abominable sort.

Chris and Mike packin it down.

Old Guy Yoga - Class Five

2012-02-02T05:36:00.001-06:00

With temps close to 60 I decided to ride to Old Guy Yoga yesterday. I took the long way around and rode some Tranquility dirt before riding through Standing Bear Lake to get to the Saddlebrook Community Center.In addition to going through the Sun Salutation a few times, we talked about some ways that yoga can be done at your desk chair.Our homework this week is to practice the "x" poses, and movements for spine articulation: flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation (and drink lots of water).

In the video below Mark Wolgin, MD shows some Lumbar Spine Exercises. Even though he doesn't mention yoga, some of the exercises in the later part of the video are the same as what we are learning in the Wednesday night class.

THOR Annual Members Meeting

2012-01-24T03:26:00.000-06:00

Date:
Saturday, February 11, 2012

Time:
9:00am until 12:00pm

Place:
National Parks Service Office
601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE

Agenda:
- successes/challenges of 2011
- plan for 2012.

Other Good Stuff:
Coffee and donuts will be available. If weather permits, a gravel ride will follow.

Save Upper Hixon Forest - La Crosse, WI.

2012-01-10T16:45:00.001-06:00

UPDATE - After hearing the public speak on this issue, the La Crosse City Council voted unanimously to recommend park status (no development for housing). The final decision will be made in a session closed to the public on today(1/12). At this time it looks like we will be able to ride and hike up there for the foreseeable future.

Hats off to the people of La Crosse and those that traveled from out of town to respectfully defend this open space.

Swooping Owl Trail Ride

2012-01-06T14:04:00.000-06:00

Greg and I got together after work yesterday to go ride Tranquility trails in the upper 50 degree temps. We heard reports that the trail was 98% dry on Wednesday. But last night it sure wasn't. Since riding frozen trails early last Monday, the North Creek section heading north to kiosk was far from dry. It's severely rutted in places. So when we saw the damage we turned around and rode the trail to the kiosk backward. But even that was a bit soft. There were very ride worthy sections out there. New Trails north of Fort St. were fine. The south hill and creek was real good. We saw Cole S. and rode with him. He said the trees – nursery – fort st loop – and north creek had many areas that were muddy and loaded up his tires. So we avoided that too.

We rode up the meadows and stopped for a bit. Even though we hadn't seen owls last night we were talking about seeing owls on the trail in the past. This conversation must have been a premonition. Once we took off into the pine trees on the North Hill Descent a huge owl swooped down right in front of me. I've never been that close to a flying owl and it's quite a rush. About the time I regained my nerve another owl did exactly the same thing, The second owl was not as big but shocking just the same. We did also see the deer back on this ride. Good to witness the ecosystem working in full force at Tranquility. Great ride Greg and Cole.

Old Guys Yoga - Class One

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-06:00

Breathing - Yep, we learned how to breath again. There were five of us. Dale, Brian, myself and two others. I think this is also what we are learning to do. It's harder than it looks:
My daughter, also a yoga instructor, asked if we talked about our feelings afterward. I said no, we talked about how much our arms were shaking under the strain during parts of the class.

New Years Eve Ride

2012-01-01T07:48:00.000-06:00

The forecast said to expect a warm New Years Eve day this Saturday. There was some talk at work last week about having a bike adventure on New Years Eve Day. We decided to meet in Mineola, IA @ noon and ride south to Malvern. IA and back. This would be about 12 miles each way.

Brian, Dale, Chris N and I met at Dave N's and we were able to save some gas and pile into his Honda Ridgeline with all five bikes.

Stop at Austin's in Silver City, IA.

Once the wheels were rolling, we found out that this trail takes longer than we thought to dry this time of year. It's not often that coasting a downhill grade on the Wabash feels so sluggish that you have to pedal. It was like a damp beach. The trail was not really muddy but just soft enough to steal your energy. We only rode half as far as we planned and that was more than enough in these conditions. We just couldn't make enough power. It was still a good adventure and bikes are powerful machines. They have the power to improve our lives, build friendships, and create good memories. This appears to be a shared understanding that bikes do this in a way that is kind to the earth and our bodies. I'm looking forward to new bike adventures this year. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:32:00.000-06:00

We get nice cards and photos in the mail this time of year. Somehow putting that together to send just doesn't happen at our house. Maybe next year. Anyway, Emma calls this our first annual "awkward family Christmas photo".

Save Human Powered Trails - La Crosse, WI

2011-12-22T07:10:00.000-06:00

The trails in La Crosse on the bluffs over looking the city should not be lost to a housing development. There are plenty of potentially nice places in town to live. Riding from town, there is a trail providing easy access to the Human Powered Trails. I have a picture that hangs in the garage that shows the view from these bluffs. This place should be for everyone that lives in or visits La Crosse. The La Crosse City Council is considering whether to designate a city owned tract of land on the bluffs above the city, Upper Hixon Forest, as a park or to use the land for housing developments. This petition is to encourage them to designate as a city park. This will protect the land and the shared use trails that have been built there by HPT volunteers. I have worked on these trails with the HPT volunteers. They do a fantastic job of building and maintaining this area for everyone, not just bikers. Please send a message to them in support of the park designation before January 10, 2012. This petition will be delivered to the mayor and every city councilor.The La Crosse trails need your help. Please go to the link below to find out more information and sign a petition to stop a housing development on the LaCrosse trails.
Click here:
http://signon.org/sign/park-not-development

Visit the HPT site:
http://www.humanpoweredtrails.com/

Thanks!

This is "Freeze/Thaw Season"

2011-12-21T15:11:00.001-06:00

Getting up early is hard. But that is when the trails can be ridden this time of year. And a frozen trail is actually nice to ride. This Saturday morning is Christmas Eve. I'm planning to do a frozen trail tranquility ride starting at a little after sunrise 8AM. Just let me know if you want to join me.

Mid-December Trail Work

2011-12-19T10:06:00.001-06:00

Greg and I got the day started off right with some Mid-December Trail Work at Tranquility. Last week the wind took down a large dead tree. It landed perfectly perpendicular to the trail north of Fort closest to the creek. So this big tree should make a nice Technical Trail Feature (TTF) when conditions are right to work on it. For now Greg used his monster saw to notch an easy access route. We cleared the debris and it's ready to ride. Maybe the MNR riders will get a chance to use this route tonight if the trail doesn't get too soft today.

This saw is a beast!

Greg doing the initial burn in.

Human Powered Snow Trail Groomer

2011-12-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

Well, the snow is gone now. It will be back. So I'm thinking ahead. This doesn't look like a bad way to groom some snow trails. Maybe a narrower version would make more of a single track feel. A wood pallet cut in half might work well.

Kayak For Sale Sold

2011-12-14T03:35:00.001-06:00

Update - The Kayak sold quickly. The UNO Outdoor Venture Center rents Kayaks!

Get ready for spring! Are you thinking about Kayaking next season? Here is an entry level deal on a kayak that is much better than entry level. Doug L. listed the kayak he was using last season on Craigslist. I've seen this kayak in action and you would not be disappointed. It's stable and easy to use. It's light and very easy to carry. And it's nice looking too. Check the listing out and get in touch with Doug if you are interested.

This ad is for a Current Design Vision 120 composite kayak 12 ft. long weighing an actual 34lbs. Price $600 - nice deal considering it's a $2000 kayak.

Here is the link to Doug's Craigslist listing...
http://omaha.craigslist.org/boa/2750352265.html

Day 2 Day Snow

2011-12-11T14:32:00.001-06:00

The snow riding was tricky yesterday. The powdery snow just didn't want to pack under the tires. Today the snow was perfect. Strange what the change in a day does to the snow. Great to see the trail getting used in every season. Way to go Brian, Chris and Mike!

Home Improvment Snowshoes

2011-12-11T06:09:00.001-06:00

One thing I've learned about snowshoes is they are not really easy to get in and out of. The other thing is it's nice to go with someone else. Mike informed me that Menards had a sale on snowshoes that started Friday and ends today. I wouldn't normally think of getting sporting goods from a home improvement store. Turns out they were really great for the sale price. So I got some for Emma as an early gift. Now we can help each other get in and out of our snowshoes and enjoy winter together a little. Thanks for the heads up on the deal Mike!

Join The Movement

2011-12-10T21:53:00.001-06:00

Swedish single speeder ya

2011-12-08T17:44:00.000-06:00

Short 30 second video from Stockholm, Sweden.

First Snow of the Season

2011-12-04T15:46:00.001-06:00

Today was our first snow ride of this winter season. I fell quite a bit but snow is a soft landing. Mike's Salsa Mukluk fat bike is amazing in the snow. Floats effortlessly, well the first laps felt like we were climbing a steep hill. But we packed down a 3/4 mile loop north of Fort St. by Kelley Field. Unlike the heat of summer, every lap got more fun. Chris P. showed for the last few laps. There was almost no wind and temps stayed in the upper 20s. The snow did not get slushy, just nice and packed down. Great day to be outside! Don't let old man winter keep you inside.

Snowy gullys, no problem for Mike on his Muk!Just to be fair, Mike flawlessly rode this tight spot on the previous lap.Here are the photos...

Snow Ride - Dec. 4th, 2011

The Correct Freewheel Tool

2011-12-03T10:00:00.001-06:00

When the time came to change the freewheel on my single speed I thought I was prepared. I obtained a spare ACS freewheel. Before the one I had failed I was anticipating that I would switch from 22 to 20 teeth. I researched the "how to" sites. Got a tool cheap online. It may not have been designed for the ACS Claw Freewheel I have. But when the time came to use it I learned, once again, that cheap is often the wrong choice. The cheap tool would not grab the freewheel correctly and metal shavings were appearing under the force. So I'm thinking, what do I use when the edges start getting rounded? I just use the trusty backup method - big vise-grips. The freewheel was trashed anyway. But that didn't work to get the freewheel off. I just created more metal shavings. I took the cheap tool up to Bike Masters to seek some advice. Said advice ended up being "don't use cheap tools". Thankfully they had 1 PARK FR-6 in stock. This worked right away in spite of the edge rounding I did to the freewheel with the cheap tool.

It's good to have the correct tool for the job.

Here is video on how to use the tool...

Joyful SS Video

2011-12-01T21:15:00.001-06:00

I found a Single Speed video to share. It was shot in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. The dog appears to be as joyful as the rider.

Boogaloo - Whitehorse singletrack from Anthony DeLorenzo on Vimeo.

I hope to get a ride in after work tomorrow but Pete is staying home. He is more of a walks with a leash kind of dog.

Tranquility Sunrise

2011-11-24T08:46:00.001-06:00

I was up with the sun this morning. There was a thick layer of frost and I could see my breath while climbing the south hill. It was a good choice to get in a quiet ride before all the festivities. I'm hoping everyone has a nice Thanksgiving.

Click on the album photo below for more views of the trail...

Tranquility Sunrise - Thanksgiving 2011

Creative Shift

2011-11-22T10:02:00.001-06:00

I'm not into cyclocross but I am interested in cycling innovation. This video caught my attention. These are old school frame shifters mounted to brake levers. This kind of creativity just seemed worth sharing...

quick shift demo from Retroshift on Vimeo.

This is a demo from RetroShift

Cranksgiving Report 2011

2011-11-12T19:29:00.001-06:00

Today was my forth time participating in the annual Cranksgiving event. The first three all took place with temps around freezing or below. Today was a welcome change with temps in the fifties.

Our traditional route takes us south on the Big Papio trail to around 90th and Center. The stiff south wind made the ride back toward Bike Masters really enjoyable.

I used my cargo trailer for this year's event. Sure makes hauling a load easy. I'll do that again.

So we didn't really follow the rules of the event exactly. But we contributed to the over 1000 lbs. of food and large sums of cash collected for Food Bank of the Heartland. Back at Bike Masters for the finish there was awards, food and prizes. It's a fun event.

We now have a ceremonial garment tied to this annual event. Chris N. wore it this year so we'll just have to past on this honor next year. I would say that honor should go to the person that won the most in prizes. Dave "shoulda picked the bike" would fit that description. I'll keep the Cranksgiving Safety Vest in a safe place until 2012. Way to go Dave. A nice trail ride at sunset was a great way to finish off the day.

Moving Ponca Dirt

2011-10-31T11:40:00.001-05:00

This past weekend Brain H. and I took a little road trip up to Ponca State Park. The THOR invitation went out and we were able to get away and meet Dale and others for some new trail work and riding.

This is Matt, Evie, and Brian benching some new trail with Rouge Hoes.
Ponca was great. The company, the cabin, and great weather made it really enjoyable. We did several hours of work on Saturday and made it back to the cabin to eat sandwiches and watch the Huskers take down Michigan State. Then came the biking. Some of the climbs were just not doable for me and I walked. The others with their suspension forks were faster on the descents so I hung back. The climbs that were good for me were the best part but I had to make sure there wasn't a geared bike ahead of me. I would be out of the saddle and moving pretty well on my single speed. I was wishing I put the 33 tooth chain ring back on but ya live and learn. Since it was my first time there not knowing where those good climbing spots were at was a hinder. There was a healthy cover of leaves on the trail hiding the roots and stealing my traction.

Me, Dale, and Brian after the day ride on Saturday.
It was fun and great to be there. After the ride Matt and Evie made a big pot of chili we sat down to eat. I don't think I've ever seen 5 people eat that much Chili. Brian, Brandon, Dale, Evie, and Matt did a night ride. Matt and Brandon are from Sioux City and Matt's girlfriend Evie lives north of Des Moines.

I declined on the night ride. The trail work and day riding were enough for me. I built a small fire in the cabin's fireplace and watched Wisconsin barely lose to Ohio State. Sunday we hit the trail work early and got a ton of trail flagged and built. When 1PM rolled around we where hungry. The local ranger Jennifer gave us a great tip on a place for lunch. We drove a few miles to Bob's Bar in Martinsburg, NE. It was worth the drive. They had mountains of family style fries and onion rings and burgers as big around as a 38 tooth chain ring - Big! We could not finish the mountain of fries. None of us had a heart attack so that was good. Saturday we built a climb section of trail (sorry Dave) and Sunday we built an nice descent. Ponca is a great destination. I want to go back and explore and get better at riding there. I felt a cold coming on the ride home and I feel kind of crappy today. I guess the MNR is not in the cards for me this evening. To bad it's bound to be a fun one.
Click below for more photos...

Moving Ponca Dirt

Fresh Fat

2011-10-23T18:34:00.000-05:00

Mike and I were out riding on this awesome late October day. We were breaking in his new Mukluk 2 Fatbike at Tranquility. We have been lucky with great fall weather and today was no exception. When I saw Mike rolling his fatties on the new trail that was just built this spring I had to stop to capture this historic ride on video. Mike had me take a ride on this monster at the trailhead parking lot. I was surprised by the momentum these large tires seem to generate. It's a fun ride. Today was the perfect day to get tire pressures dialed in and enjoy the trail on our new bikes. I'm happy with a gear change I made on my Surly SS. Just 2 extra teeth on the chain ring felt just right today. We are looking forward to doing it all over again after work tomorrow for the Bike Masters - Monday Night Ride. Don't forget to charge your lights. See you there.

Cranksgiving Omaha is less than a month away!

2011-10-18T11:39:00.001-05:00

Cranksgiving 2011 is on Saturday November 12th. Let's make it a good one!

Stay tuned for more details...Cranksgiving Omaha Blog

Big Red Chili

2011-10-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

Chili simmering all day. The house smells like football. It will be perfect by pre-game.

GO BIG RED(NOT BLACK)!

Omaha Transportation Master Plan Meeting - September 15th

2011-09-16T10:48:00.001-05:00

Last night we were able to hear and see what the city has planned to make Omaha a more “bike and pedestrian friendly” city. To help with the citizens show of support, there were special buses and bike rides scheduled prior to the Public TMP Meeting.

It was awesome to see and be a part of the multitude of bikes that pulled up to the Scott Conference Center last night. Dave, Dale and I rode from Bike Masters at about 5:30 so we could get there in time for the 6:30 start. I was interested in how they showed studies and measurements to weight which transportation projects would give the most return on the 750 million dollars budgeted. Now they want input from the public on what they think the priorities should be. I’m still trying to find out how to do that online but they might not have that portal ready yet.

There was a great turnout for this meeting. It looked like close to 300 people to me. I know I’m concerned about how I’m going to get around when gas is just too expensive.

The whole 2 hours of the meeting is embedded here if you'd like to hear and see for yourself:
Video streaming by UstreamScott Conference Center, 6450 Pine Street, on UNO’s South Campus

Attitude Adjusted

2011-09-06T19:12:00.002-05:00

This post is not about adjusting my attitude at Clancey's Pub. I work at 116th and Miracle Hills Drive in Omaha, Nebraska. I try to use my bike as transportation a couple times a week. The perfect weather is making that real easy right now. Today I took some extra time on my ride home to take a few photos of my route from work to home. I'll also mention a few strategies to get home safely and easily.

Once I leave for home I don't look for the shortest route. I'm riding behind the strip mall starting here at Clancy's and there is no traffic.

An extra 1/2 mile is not too far for a flat and low traffic route. But there are a few short climbs. Here is were I climb the 'grassy knoll' to cross the papio creek by Huber Chevrolet.

Normally I would ride the Big Papio Trail from Dodge to Blondo but that has been torn up all summer. Looks like the work to get this trail back has made some recent progress.

Riding west on Blondo Sidewalk to 117th Street.

Using Google Maps or something like it is a great way to plan your route.

Here I cross 120th at the lights on Stonegate Drive. Once across, this street has speed bumps to keep the traffic slower.

When the trail is dry I take a single track shortcut. Here is where I cross Maple and ride up a small hill to the Ice Rink parking lot.

This where the fun level is kicked up a notch - Single Track Dirt. Some would recognize this to be the 'Ice Loop Climb'.

But there is always an end to the dirt. This is the entrance to my neighborhood riding west.

Calories Burned: 200 X 2
Miles ridden: 9.8
Auto Cost Saved: $4
Time Spent Outside: 30 Min. X 2
Attitude Improvement: Priceless

All Day Revival

2011-09-05T07:17:00.000-05:00

We were fortunate to have Cali home taking care of Pete so we could get out of town on a beautiful day. Jodi and I had a destination but we took our time getting there. With a couple of stops along the way we were headed toward the Sugar Clay Winery in Thurman, Iowa. This was the site for the 'Missouri River High Water Revival'.

This was a music festival benefit for the local victims of the 2011 Flood sponsored by the Bartless Community Church. This started yesterday at noon. Some of the local musicain's included Chasing Daylight, Matt Cox, Jr & Gunner of Acoustic Groove, Brich & Killion, Casey Freemyer, Midwest Dilemma, In the Gruv, Adam Lee, & Swamp Boy Blues Band.

Jodi found a Geocache by accident. Dan P's kids found it first but they didn't know what it was. They had some fun once they caught on to it.

There was a Crawfish Boil and everyone brought lawn chairs and blankets. It was a nice destination for a Labor Day Weekend Road Trip.

Missouri River High Water Revival 2011

No Peek Game Day Roast

2011-09-03T04:55:00.000-05:00

I add some Ginger Ale to mine but here is the recipe from Mommy's Kitchen...

This roast is going to be done at noon today!

GO BIG RED!

Corporate Cycling Perfection

2011-08-21T20:31:00.006-05:00

We saw evidence of the bad weather that took place around the airport this week. However the weather for today's Corporate Cycling Challenge was perfect. A group was assembled that included some of our Monday Night Riders and other friends.

Corporate Cycling Challenge 2011

Dave P. was riding a vintage road bike from the late 60s. Dave N. rode the same Mountain Bike he races with the tires pumped up like rolling rocks. Brian H. met up with us after blasting his road bike through the hills on the 42 mile ride. There were some interesting contraptions on our 25 mile ride. Several were actually climbing hills with these sway trikes. I'm not sure what they are really called but they look kinda like this...

Barleys was the planned destination following the ride. Since it appears that they are closed we choose Old Chicago as our backup plan. Good times and more to come.

Swanson Mayhem 2011

2011-08-13T16:57:00.004-05:00

I showed up at the MTB race at Swanson as a spectator with a cowbell and a camera. I quickly found out that I can't take pictures and hit the cowbell at the same time. I found a willing spectator to run the cowbell so I could get these pictures. With the rain that fell early Friday morning the trail had just the right amount of moisture and grip. The weather today made it a perfect day to be a racer and a spectator.

Swanson Mayhem 2011

DMars in motion...

Brian in motion...

Linda in motion...

Dave in motion...

A day off

2011-08-05T20:04:00.002-05:00

Now that it's cooling off, I decided not to let more summer get away from me without being outside. So I took a day off. The initial plan was to ride Calvin Crest with Dmars. The weather radar didn't look good this morning. So instead I got out early and rode Tranquility until it started to rain. Once the trail debris got damp it was sticking to my tires and my bike.
This afternoon Dmars and I went kayaking at Lake Cunningham. Overcast skies and just a slight breeze made the paddling fun. There were lots of fish jumping and cranes standing at the waters edge. Kayaking is a great way to get on the water and spend some time with friends.

Kayak at Glenn Cunningham Lake

Longest 16 mile ride ever

2011-07-18T10:33:00.002-05:00

Omaha With Lights - this is the theme for an annual bike ride in Omaha called the Owl Ride. Greg and I helped Dale with Bike Masters support for this ride. We got there early and got setup with a good parking spot for the Bike Masters van. We had some time to take a short ride over the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge to get a look at the flooded river. Seeing 1800 bikes in one place with blinking lights is quite an experience. Prior to the start people were bringing their bikes up to the van to have minor adjustments and tires pumped up. Greg and I noticed the bike pumps were getting quite hot. We waited for most of the riders to get rolling. Then we rode in the back of this huge pack of riders to watch for those needing help. Dale pulled his BOB trailer loaded with tubes and tools for support. This was a well-run event and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The ride home in the Bike Masters van was quiet. We were tired from what we decided to call the longest 16 mile ride ever.

Click below to see a few photos...

Bike Masters at 2011 Owl Ride

Can they get any fatter?

2011-07-11T16:18:00.004-05:00

Link from Surly Blog...
Fat Just Got Fatter
Surly just announced a new model on their blog, the Moonlander. It's a fat tire bike like the Pugsley.

River water level graph

2011-07-11T14:18:00.004-05:00

USGS Water Resources of the United States

Beware the three young skunks

2011-07-08T22:14:00.004-05:00

I was riding the nicely manicured trails at Tranquility this evening. The crowds of riders were mostly leaving as I was getting started around 7:45PM. North of Fort close to the neighborhood homes I had to break hard for a real large raccoon that scurried across my path. He was afraid of me. Then as I headed toward the start finish on the south creek trail I scared up a deer that must have just started to bed down for the evening. It was also afraid of me. Then as I returned on the trail closest to the creek I saw these three young skunks. They were not afraid of me at all. I yelled, banged on my bike. Eventually they got in line, single file, and slowly trotted down the trail away from me. All the while I'm off my bike swatting mosquitoes waiting for these skunks to get off the trail. They finally did and I got by without any skunk on me.

It's race weekend at Lewis and Clark/Tranquility so I am wishing everyone safe, fun, and skunk smell free racing!

Home from the 2011 WI Road Trip

2011-06-21T18:30:00.023-05:00

By the middle of last week everything worked out well for me to hit the road to visit some new places and some old friends. I spent the day last Thursday in Decorah, IA. My plan was to ride the trails in the bluffs north of the Upper Iowa River. It had rained Wednesday night. I did some paved road/trails riding early that Thursday. I found some interesting sites like the Ice Cave and ...

...Dunning's Spring.

Decorah has great paved trails that I used to visit the local fish hatchery. There are several canoe/kayak services in the area so I spent a couple hours exploring the Upper Iowa River on a 10’ Kayak. I found a huge eagle nest.

I'm "shooting the rapids" here...

By midafternoon the dirt trails were "tacky fast". I found some trails that were just too challenging and some that were well groomed and fun. Pictured here is a creek crossing where the water flows right into the river. Bottom line is that it was good to get familiar with Decorah, IA. I'm sure I'll be back.

DECORAH HUMAN POWERED TRAILS does the building and trail maintenance.

Thursday evening and the next few days were spent fishing, biking and hanging out with Chris and Denny north of Lacrosse WI. We had lots of laughs and new adventures in Wisconsin. Thanks for having me up for another great weekend!

Emma's bike got stolen today.

2011-06-09T19:11:00.003-05:00

Emma's bike got stolen today. Let me know if you see it. It's a Dark Blue - Raleigh C30 with a black rear rack. S/N: 7C9504264
I will add more details as I get them. Thanks for being on the lookout.

Kayaking Dodge Street...

2011-05-28T16:12:00.009-05:00

...well, not really but close. I've kayaked a few local lakes with Doug. Today was my first time on the water at Lawrence Youngman Lake. It's located just north of Dodge on 192nd Street. This lake has only been open for a few weeks. There were several fisherman. We are 99.8% sure that one of them was local weatherman Jim Flowers. The backwater at this lake is nice and full of trees to paddle around. One of the advantages of being low and maneuverable on the water is picking up snagged lures.

Dodge St - scraped our paddles on the bottom of a 6 lane freeway while kayaking north.

Then we came to a hard stop and had to turn around.

Here you can see the cars behind on Dodge St. attempting to pass me.

Nice afternoon paddle and I can feel the strength slowly coming back from last fall. Won't be long and we'll be heading upstream on the Elkhorn!

Cruising Sandbars

2011-05-26T05:00:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I saw a video on The Biking Fools blog that reminded me of something we would do back when mountain bikes were just getting popular in the late 80's. This photo is from Two Rivers State Park in late August of 89. When the river got low we would ride from sandbar to sandbar.

My buddy Chris and I had way fewer cares and gray hairs back then.

I found this post that has some good photos of what my Bianchi Super Grizzly looked like back in the day.

Dodging worms

2011-05-25T09:23:00.003-05:00

I love the smell of worms in the morning. It's the aroma of fishing at the edge of a good pond. The ground is saturated and we got more rain last night. I rode my bike to work on wet pavement this morning dodging worms on the sides of the streets. Fortunately it's not home and business debris that I'm dodging. Our cities and towns close by are not so lucky. Thanks Red Cross for the shelter and aid during this very severe weather season.

Busy Sunday

2011-05-23T03:56:00.005-05:00

If you are going to ride your bike 50 miles, a morning like yesterday's was perfect for it. The temp was cool but we didn't really need jackets. The wind out of the West-Southwest was a challenge. But the tailwind heading back to Springfield was fantastic. We started the ride in Springfield and rode though, South Bend, and Murdock. At Elmwood, NE. we turned around. It was great to ride with friends to urge each other on. The last 30 miles of the ride were nice. I felt like my body and my bike were working great. However, the first 20 were making me wonder why I do this stuff. Heading into the wind into South Bend made me feel like this ride was going to take all day. Somehow after leaving Murdock everything felt just right. The ride ended up taking about 4 and a half hours.

I had a couple last minute donors and you guys are great! Thanks to my family and friends that supported this ride and for the help for those with diabetes.

In the afternoon we celebrated my youngest daughter Emma's High School Graduation with a family party. Nice day for a cookout, visiting with the family and seeing the kids playing in the backyard.

Wind at our backs!

2011-05-21T07:34:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow at this time I'll be getting ready to ride with some friends on at 25 mile ride from Springfield to Elmwood, Nebraska. Oh yeah, then we have to ride back but that's only another 25 miles. Looks like we'll have the wind to our backs so that will be nice.

There is still time to donate and I'm a little short on my commitment. Just click the link if you want to pitch in. Paul's Tour de Cure Link

TNR at Tranq - May 19, 2011

2011-05-19T20:17:00.005-05:00

There was a threat of rain all day this Thursday so the TNR was lucky to happen. The clouds and wind didn't scare these riders off. My level of participation was merely to ride around and take a couple pictures and a video. It's always fun to see the reaction from riders on the Ridgeline for the first time.

Great to see some familiar faces out riding on a blustery Thursday.

I hear Dale and some others have plans for trail work tomorrow. I hope the conditions are good for that and your weekend ahead will be good!

THOR Prez on IMBA Blog

2011-05-13T12:38:00.004-05:00

Our THOR leader, Roxzanne Feagan, on the IBMA Blog...

This is a fantastic post on Roxy's outlook on trails and advocacy. I like this.

Also in local trail news…

Last night after work I did some trail recon to make sure the north side of Tranquility was not too soft to ride. I've been looking for conditions where riding would help smooth the trail a bit. But the new trail seems to dry really fast. Last night it was nice and soft like clay but not greasy. The pipe work we did in the gully bottoms was still looking great but that dirt was too soft to ride. After the "GO" text Mike and I met up on the north side of Tranquility at 6PM. With both of us riding it we got in a good ten or so laps of tread wear on the new section. I would say it's going to be a little smoother anyway. Thanks Mike. We found "maintenance by bike riding" can be fun.

Small Disturbance

2011-05-10T09:02:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe something so small and insignifigant looking could create such a disturbance.
This is the failed starter relay from my truck. After looking online this morning, I see it's also know as the Starter Solenoid Switch. Last Sunday I took a trip to Lincoln to visit family. Since I was a little early I stopped at Wilderness Park since I always wanted to check it out. When I got back the truck would not start. After lunch my brother Steve and I checked everything we could including taking the starter out to get tested at Oreilly Auto Parts. It passed. Then we arranged a tow to Tuffy Auto South in Lincoln. By the next afternoon they had it running. I want to thank Tuffy's for getting my truck right in on Monday AM and taking good care of it. But even more I'm fortunate and grateful to have a family that cares.

Tick Check

2011-04-13T05:31:00.004-05:00

After our walk last night, Pete and I discovered that tick season has returned. If hiking or biking in grassy areas, check for ticks. The best way to remove a tick is to take a tweezers and at a 90 degree angle, slowly and carefully pull it out.

Hit the dirt!

2011-03-31T13:20:00.003-05:00

Best of luck and safe wishes for those MTB racing this weekend. There is a partly sunny, windy and warmer Friday ahead. I hope the trails dry out adequately for you by race time.

Mo' Dirt!

Annual Omaha Neighborhood Clean-Up...

2011-03-31T10:59:00.001-05:00

... Set to Begin April 9th

Omaha citizens can now find out when and where this year’s Neighborhood Clean-Up will be available for their neighborhood by calling (402) 444-4636. The highly successful Spring Clean-Up Program will begin April 9th and will be conducted at events on six Saturdays during the months of April and May. Spring Clean-Up dates are scheduled for the following Saturdays: April 9th, April 16th, April 30th, May 7th, May 14th and May 21st. There will be no Clean-Up dates after Memorial Day this year.

For more information see this City Of Omaha link .

Why just have a plain old stem cap?

2011-03-24T05:38:00.007-05:00

Bike Shops out in Colorado have these little stem cap replacements. I'm going to have to find one of these little thermometer gagets. I would like a gps that fits in my stem cap.

Stem Captain Link

Tranquility North MNR - 03/21/2011

2011-03-21T21:47:00.017-05:00

It was a different kind of Monday Night Ride this week. For me, with a slight thigh injury I decided to leave early and ride the new North Tranquility Trails. Knowing I was not up for much, I took it easy tonight.
After doing some riding I got the camera out to document this historic night of riding. It was great to see so many riders out on the new section even though it's not quite finished.
Here's Brian ducking some limbs...
Tonight I was just riding the new north section and Mike met me there. I wanted to get prepared for some video when the group came by. Mike doesn't disappoint... Click here for a view from Mike's helmut cam.
He got it right the second time around...
Dave is rocking the pine needles...
This is a really great GPS view of this MNR from jarhunter.

The 50 mile ride

2011-03-08T21:51:00.002-06:00

If I followed the directions correctly, this map shows the 2011 Nebraska Tour de Cure Route. Hope there is a light breeze from the SSW on May 22nd.

View Tour de Cure Nebraska 50 Mile Route in a larger map

Free Tour de Cure Registration

2011-03-04T04:53:00.005-06:00

Have you been wanting to join the Nebraska Brewing Company Tour de Cure team, but just haven't done it yet? Well, next ~~Tuesday~~ Wednesday is your lucky day. The Tour de Cure and Crave will be hosting the first ever Free Registration Night.

~~Tuesday March 8th at Crave from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.~~

*** UPDATE ***: Just found out the free Registration event is Wednesday night, March 9th. I apologize for the confusion. Go there Wednesday night from 5:30 – 7pm for food, prizes and free registration.

Go to Crave and anyone that registers for Tour that night will receive a free registration! Sounds like they will have additional raffle prizes.

Crave address at Midtown Crossing:
200 South 31st Avenue

Sunday Snow Trail Ride and other stuff...

2011-02-27T13:45:00.010-06:00

The conditions for my somewhat fat tire bike with studs were great today. Aaron rode from his place on his cross bike to meet up for a Sunday snow trail ride at Tranquility. We got half a lap in and we found Todd W., also on his new cross bike, out enjoying the nice end of February weather too. We all headed up the north side of Tranquility.

The conditions were not quite as perfect for the cross bikes. Great to get together for a short ride anyway.

Yesterday the Bike Masters team made a nice showing at the Trek Up The Tower race. Thanks for getting us together on that Dave!

My slow eleven minute time was about the same as last year. But I did not feel quite as devastated at the finish as I did last year.

After hanging out with the crew downtown we attended the Annual THOR Membership Meeting held at the National Park Service building. Great to see everyone there. Congratulations to Roxy for getting voted in to the President seat. It's going to be another great year to be a THOR member.

My whole entourage hops out the minivan

2011-02-22T18:52:00.005-06:00

Tonsil Free

2011-02-12T04:19:00.006-06:00

So far Emma's Tonsillectomy has gone well. The morphine in the recovery room was a hit. She is not that cheerful now. Hopefully she'll be feeling much better after the recovery. Getting sick with a fever every few weeks was rough. The surgeon said her tonsils were large and it took some doing to get them out. While in recovery Emma whispered that she could breathe through her nose really good now. Now Emma has a little bell and a note pad to let us know when she needs something.

2011-02-09T06:43:00.001-06:00

THOR Annual Membership Meeting

Time: Saturday, February 26 · 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: National Park Service

601 River Front Drive

Omaha, NE

From Facebook Event...
The annual meeting agenda will include an overview of the 2010 goals and what was achieved as a club and at each trail system. New goals for 2011 will be discussed. Voting for chair positions will take place. More info as well as meeting agenda outline to follow via email and the THOR website.

Frozen Tundra of Tranquility

2011-02-06T09:47:00.007-06:00

We were not the first to snow shoe the Tranquility Trails yesterday. Dave N. and I saw tracks of a few different snow shoes on the trail. We started at the west entrance and trekked the whole north side taking the backward direction. We saw evidence that the birds of prey were trying to keep the rabbit population under control.

We were attempting to take some photos but the camera was on movie mode. Kinda dorky but oh well. It's a fun way to get outside.

This is me by the spring south of the kiosk. It keeps running though the winter.

This is a frozen waterfall taken from the north side of the creek and then there is a Dave sighting.

Winter gear for rent at UNO

2011-02-04T10:37:00.003-06:00

The UNO Outdoor Venture Center rents Snow Shoes and XC Skis. Click here for link. The Denali EVO Ascent snow shoes look nice. Everyone is eligible to rent from. UNO prices are for anyone with a current UNO Student ID card or a HPER Activity Card. General Public (GP) prices are for all other renters. Equipment may be reserved up to one month in advance. After we get some Tranquility Trail groomed with snow shoes I'm going to go try to rent some XC Skis.

UPDATE: Join us tomorrow @ 10AM for a Snow Shoe Hike on the Northern Slopes of Tranquility!

Update from Nebraska Tour De Cure

2011-01-26T16:52:00.003-06:00

Get ready to ride! Each rider that registers between now and February 4th will be entered to win one of two $25 Visa Gift Cards! Winners will be drawn at random on Feb 7th. So if you are thinking about doing this don't delay, register today!! Link to TourdeCure

My favorite car at the 2011 Midlands International Car Show

2011-01-24T07:35:00.004-06:00

From Car Show 2011

1958 Belvedere Hardtop. Killer fins!

From Car Show 2011

This was my second favorite. New 4 door all wheel drive. Too bad it burns gas...

From Car Show 2011

Easy Bake

2011-01-22T08:33:00.003-06:00

Mmmm...This popped out of the oven last weekend. Hope something equally good pops out this weekend. This was mostly eggs, a little Bisquick, onions, garlic, bell pepper, and good mushrooms (not from a can). All but the egg mix was sauteed in the pan. Poured in the egg mix, seasoned it up and baked for 20 minutes. Just in time to eat up and get outside and shovel!

Going to Hitchcock Nature Center to snowshoe with friends later this morning.

Public Meeting for Road Project for 120th St. - City of Omaha

2011-01-19T04:27:00.009-06:00

Last night there was a public meeting at Sunny Slope Elementary School to present plans for widening 120th Street from Roanoake Blvd. south to Stonegate Dr. I met Dave N. there and we listened to presentations from the city planners and the engineering firm hired by the city. It was an open forum meeting with about 40 people in attendance. Dennis Bryers of the city planning parks division fielded questions about the bike path work in conjunction with the street expansion project. There were questions from the audience about access to little league and soccer. The intent was to keep that access open. There were also questions regarding the time frame of the project. Here is a quick summary of information from this 120th Street Expansion Meeting.

Scheduled
to start in 2015 at the earliest (if budgeting allows).

Project
should take less than 2 years.

They
are 30% complete with project planning and in the environmental study
phase.

The
road will be closed to attempt to complete the project as fast as possible.

The trail in this project currently does not connect to Big Papio Trail (D. Bryers mentioned this would happen after the completion of this project).

The engineering firm working for the city on this is Schemmer. They had large drawings of the current project design on the walls of the gym. There was a Public Comment Form that attendees were encouraged to fill out to express there comments and concerns in writing. This form would be sent to:
City of Omaha
Public Works Department
Jon T. Meyer
Design Division
1819 Farnam Street, Suite 600
Omaha NE 68183
Jmeyer@ci.omaha.ne.us
Ph. 444-4191
After the meeting was over, Dave and I took a minute to go find Dennis Bryers and thank him for approval of the Tranquility singletrack trail expansion north of Fort Street. Dennis mentioned that with the snow outlining the trail, it was easy for him to see what had been accomplished. He seemed impressed with the work that was done this past fall. For more info on the singletrack trail north of Fort St. click here.On this presentation they talk about Section 6f and 4f properties in the area. We were happy to see Tranquility Park and Mountain Biking mentioned.

First Gravel of 2011

2011-01-08T19:38:00.016-06:00

I arrived in Bennington, NE to find that I was the only one riding the "North from Newport Ride" today. Oh well, I felt like exploring and I found some nice rolling hills. Turns out it was cold but there was no wind. The warming climbs were much more fun than the cooling descents. There were farm dogs. They would only chase as far as their farm yards. But they kept barking till I was out of sight.

I ran across some other riders just north of Washington, NE. Their rides eat hay and poop.

As I came over the hill at mile 6 I saw the little town of Kennard, NE. The whole town pretty much fits in my lens here.
I finally found the 'Dew Drop Inn'. It's in Kennard.

Nice ride but it was getting cold as the sun was setting.

North from Newport Ride

2011-01-07T05:13:00.008-06:00

This Saturday is the day for getting some spinning in and see some countryside. It appears that whatever wind there will be will come from the north. Sunday looks a bit colder with some new snow on the way. I'm planning to drive to the public parking spot north of Bennington Lake accessible from HW36 and ride north from there. A loop around Prarie View could always be added to this ride to make it an even 15 miles. Interested? I was thinking of meeting Saturday 1/8/2011 at 2PM and rolling by 2:10.

View North from Newport in a larger map

Outstanding photo credit goes to http://www.gnatlikes.com/.

New Years Day 2011

2011-01-01T19:37:00.002-06:00

I was hoping to get out for a ride to start the new year right. The single digit wind chills had me thinking just stay in and forget about it. Then the wind died down and Dmars and I hit the trail. Our tires rolling over the crunchy granular ice pellet trails were so loud we could hardly hear each other talk. But the grip was surprisingly good. Thanks for the frosty New Years Day ride Dave!

Omaha Craigslist Deal of the Day

2010-12-30T07:19:00.003-06:00

Front loading cargo bike for sale. Buy it and haul your stuff...

Or throw some coals under it and have a cook out. You decide.

I signed up for the Tour de Cure

2010-12-29T11:32:00.004-06:00

I will be participating in the 2011 20th Anniversary Tour de Cure. As the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes increases, the mission of this ride is to raise money and awareness to prevent, cure and improve the lives of those affected by diabetes.

This event is scheduled for Sunday, May 22, 2011. If you want to help me meet the sponsorship goal please visit my Tour de Cure Web Page. I will be on the 50 mile ride.

Also, check out these guys up in MN on their Mukluk and Pugsley bikes. Looks fun!.

Cheatin Winter

2010-12-28T13:29:00.005-06:00

Sunny, no wind, and packed snowy trails, this would be enough to make for a great ride this morning. Then out on the horizon I see two more riders. So I rode the south creek backwards and met up with Dave and Linda. Wow this ride is getting better. They must have sensed it would be good today to get out. Not 2 minutes after taking these pictures we heard Greg whoop it up coming down the south hill. Great winter ride today. Last year Old Man Winter kept us off the single track. We like cheatin him so far this winter.

Monday Night Urban Ride

2010-12-21T09:57:00.003-06:00

Photo borrowed from The Biking Fools (great shot Mike).

We were not out late enough to see the lunar eclipse last night. But an unexpectedly large group of riders stayed off the sloppy singletrack and rode paved trails. Ryan and Roxy showed with skinny tires. Adam from Colorado joined the ride on his single speed. He brought his bike back for the holidays. He had ridden Tranquility last summer and showed up for the MNR. We found some slick conditions on the West Papio on the way to Lake Zorinski. Eric came through with a great plan to ride back on the 144th trail. Super nice holiday ride.

Sometimes I just need to take pictures of the food I'm about to eat.

2010-12-19T16:43:00.003-06:00

I took Pete for a walk, scraped ice off the driveway and worked up an appetite. There was left over chili, crescent rolls and hotdogs in the refrigerator.

Manawinter

2010-12-18T16:01:00.014-06:00

Martin called a 10AM Manawa snow ride. I wasn't sure I could make it over that early but things worked out. Turns out I was Dale's 9AM wake up call. He was coherent enough to say yes to the ride so I went over to pick him up. We loaded up and headed over to Iowa. We met Bryan, Dan and Martin to get things going right at 10AM.

At first I was concerned the snow was a bit deeper over there but once we were riding where others had been it was great.

Martin fine tuned the pressure in my tires and then it was even better. By the second lap the trail was getting good and packed. We came upon a big buck that was downed and frozen right next to the trail.

It was fantastic to see the THOR artisans left their mark on this downed tree.

It was getting close to 1PM so we decided on a Mexican carb reload at La Mesa.

The winter riding conditions were outstanding. Some wind would have made it too cold. Warmer temps would have been sloppy. On the way home, Dale and I discussed how glad we were not to let this opportunity get by.

Snowy Trail Ride

2010-12-17T12:46:00.005-06:00

Last year the snow got deep fast. This left plowed gravel and urban trails the only winter riding experiences. Last Wednesday we got some ice pellets followed by a little snow. Most of the trail at Tranquility has just the right amount of snow to get packed down by MTB tires. With temps just right for winter gear I headed out to pack the trail. There were already tire tracks. I expect those were made Wednesday night. I did not use my snow tires today. Just rode some aggressive knobbies with just over 20lbs of air. It was perfect! There were just a few spots a bit tough to ride because the snow was a little deeper. It was a fun ride and I'm planning to do it again tomorrow.

Everything is good and frozen right now. Get out there and ride some snowy trails!

Winter Tranquility Kiosk Update

2010-12-04T14:24:00.003-06:00

Looks like the temps won't get much above freezing for a while. Pass the word along. When the ground freezes at night and thaws during the day the trail becomes a greasy mess. In this state they are not fun to ride and get damaged if ridden.

Ride it when it's frozen, early in the day, or wait till the temp stays way below freezing throughout the day.

Signed up for more stair climbing torture...

2010-11-27T09:40:00.007-06:00

Call me crazy but I'm doing it again. The Trek Up The Tower race is on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. So far there are three registrants on the Bike Masters team:

1. David Neef
2. Jason Alter
3. Paul Neuberger

Join us!
Link to Registration

Last year we went for a snowy ride after the race.

View Post Trek up the Tower Ride in a larger map

Trail Thankfulness

2010-11-26T07:52:00.003-06:00

"Trails don't just happen", and it's not magic that makes them fun to ride. Thank you to the dedicated volunteers and their countless hours of building and maintaining trails. Thanks to IMBA and USFS for the training...

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 1 of 9 "Trailbuilding How-To Video"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 2 of 9 "Chapter 1: Permission & Planning"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 3 of 9 "Chapter 2: Trail Design Mistakes"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 4 of 9 "Chapter 3: Designing Sustainable Trails"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 5 of 9 "Chapter 4: Let's Get Dirty"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 6 of 9 "Chapter 5: Armoring"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 7 of 9 "Chapter 6: Creating Challenge"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 8 of 9 "Chapter 7: Maintaining Trails"

IMBA - USFS - Building Mountain Bike Trails - 9 of 9 "Chapter 8: Reclaiming Trails"

Happy Tryptophan

2010-11-25T06:44:00.002-06:00

Experts say it's not the Tryptophan in Turkey that makes us sleepy.
I'm thankful for the experts.

Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends. Have a great one.
-Paul

Magic"not-so"Shiney

2010-11-17T09:09:00.002-06:00

I just found out that our supplier, Geomangear, temporarily has stopped selling Magicshine lightsets due to concerns regarding the safety, quality, and performance of Magicshine's lithium-ion battery packs sold by Geomangear between July 2009 and November 2010. Not sure what this means yet but I'll be watching out for more information. I used mine with no problems last night to ride some gravel.
Bikerumor says stop using...

Looks like most of the comments I see there refer to failure rather than a safety issue.

Cranksgiving, the ride - 2010

2010-11-14T06:03:00.002-06:00

Some raced, we rode for the goods on Cranksgiving 2010. There was a group of seven of us today that rode a route gathering a list of food for the food bank. Many of us ride together on Monday nights and we rode today to bring back the goods to Bike Masters. Dave and Chris N., Mike, Aaron, Brian, Dennis and I fought a stiff north wind to head back from stores around 84th and Center. Back at our starting point, Bike Masters, there was chili, soup, door prizes, race awards and giveaways. This is the third time for me participating in this event. It's a great time for a good cause.

Click the photo to see the album

Cranksgiving - 2010

Happy 50th Birthday Steve!

2010-11-08T15:15:00.007-06:00

My brother Steve hit 50 so his girlfriend Angie put together a little surprise shindig for him. We got together at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. We let the birthday boy win of course. Thanks for having us all over for dinner after bowling Mom and Dad!

Race Across the Sky 2010

2010-11-04T05:21:00.005-05:00

Release Date: Nov 4, 2010
Running Time: 2:00

Village Pointe Cinema
Thu (11/4)
7:30

Last year we were denied due to technical difficulties. It couldn't happen twice!

Old School Cross Video

2010-10-29T10:02:00.001-05:00

After a great night ride at Tranq last night (thanks again for the e-mail Greg), Brian, Dale, Dave M. and I went out for pizza. I was mentioning this insane race video from Ireland. The title of this video claims that it is from 1950. But at two points during the film the narrator says taken in the 60's which makes more sense. I have to wonder if Geoffrey 'The Bloke' Patterson was part of events like this. The water crossings are insane.

Ever hear of a full-service bike transit center?

2010-10-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

I was looking at Bikerumor today and learned about a service that is already helping to make clean transportation a reality in parts of the US. Bikestation plans, designs, and operates bike-transit centers. These facilities offer a range of amenities including electronically secure indoor bike parking, showers, restrooms, lockers, a bicycle self-repair stand with tools, and transit information. Bikestation is designed to address the needs of current cyclists and people who’d like to bicycle but shy away due to concerns about theft and convenience. The transit center operates on a low-cost membership model and members can use any Bikestation located across the country.

Wonder if something like this would ever work in Omaha?

Cranksgiving 2010 not far away

2010-10-12T15:32:00.001-05:00

Mark your calendars for Cranksgiving 2010 on November 13, 2010 at Bike Masters, 129th and Fort. Cranksgiving is a charity bike race and scavenger hunt to benefit the Omaha Food Bank. There is no entry fee, just pay 15 or 20 bucks for the items on the list, which will go toward helping those who need it most. For more info, check out cransgiving-omaha.blogspot.com.

Start training now with that 25 pound frozen turkey in your backpack.

Local Craigslist Deal Of The Day

2010-10-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

John Deer Bike Mower - $85

An East Peak from the past

2010-10-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

I got a nice email today from Donnie in Texas. He's the guy that bought my Marin East Peak frame back in January of this year. I used most of the stuff from this bike to build my 1X9. Then I sold the frame to Donnie on ebay. Oddly, this bike came from Texas on an ebay deal to me. He didn't say how long he has had this built up. Just said that he "really likes it a lot". So I'm glad it went to a good home. Nice to see this frame getting the attention it deserved. I sold it because I wasn't able to feel the trail under me in a comfortable way. I went back to riding a hardtail this spring and it suits me fine. I try to keep my rear (tubeless) tire pressure at about 22lbs. and that is just enough suspension for me.

I was always too scared to put a bottle cage on that top tube like that.

BTW: I was lucky enough to pay an extra dime for my chicken at the Bag & Save Deli today. I guess you have to cook all your food at home not to pay the 2.5% Omaha Resturant Tax.

Kayak at Standing Bear - Oct. 2nd 2010

2010-10-04T07:22:00.002-05:00

There was a north wind and the temp was in the 60's on Saturday. Real good weather for kayaking. Doug and I met at Standing Bear Saturday afternoon for some paddling. As usual I took it easy and Doug kicked ass.

Click for more pictures...

Kayak at Standing Bear - Oct. 2nd 2010

BYOKMTB DAY - Saturday Oct. 9th Starting at 2:00PM

2010-09-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

T.H.O.R. has setup this event to honor IMBA's national holiday, we're celebrating Bring Your Own Kid Mountain Biking Day (BYOKMTB).

This is a chance to bring the whole family out for a fun, guided ride, followed by some awesome food and drinks. It's the best way to introduce your kids to the most fun they'll have on two wheels!

Manawa has been off limits all year because of flooding but we are finally able to ride the short loop, and we want to celebrate. The short loop is perfect for the kiddos and first time riders. It's flat and fun! After the ride, head across the street for some grub and good times on the Dream Land playground, which was designed by children! It's huge!

We hope to see you and your family. Bring 'em all. The more the merrier.

If the trails are too wet to ride, we'll ride the paved trail instead.

Four Lake Ride

2010-09-26T19:02:00.000-05:00

Some dirt and racing our bikes would have been nice but Mother Nature had different plans for us this weekend. Rain Friday and Saturday put us out on the road today. Last nights Husker game against S.D. State was a let down even though they won. Things got better today. Getting together with Aaron, Dave, and Greg for a road ride to Bennington was great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We did the Four Lake Ride: Standing Bear, Waterford, Prairie View and Bennington Lake. It was sunny, almost no wind and temps in the 60s. Doesn't get much better. Thanks for the ride gents. See you in the dirt tomorrow.

First Trail Walk

2010-09-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

Walking Pete without Mickey last night was awkward to say the least. Maybe it was even more so for Pete but he couldn't tell me about it. He seemed happy enough to be out where he loves to be. It was our first trail walk since we had to put Mickey down on Monday. Mickey had some rapidly developing pain due to what we found out to be cancer. Our family was very lucky to have a great dog like Mickey. His adventurous and super playful personality got me through some tough times. He was a close friend to me and that makes him very hard for me to lose.

He was excellent at finding erosion on the trail.

He and his brother Pete were fantastic at showing girls a good time.

Mickey was the best tour guide to newcomers to the trail.

His face was joyous...

...even more when he was doing what he loved.

Two Less Taco Ride Virgins in the World

2010-09-16T23:51:00.001-05:00

Dave and Chris were finally free on a Thursday night to experience first hand the joy of a taco ride. We headed down the Wabash about 15 minutes ahead of the West crew (Jim, Danielle, Amber, Andy). Aaron and Amanda, even with a late start made up time like they do.

I always wanted to stop at the big wooden lounge bench on past rides but there were always people there already. Tonight it was empty so Dave, Chris and I took a break there. We all arrived at the normal halfway meeting spot at about the same time. It was a cool quiet night with fewer than normal riders. Seems like the virgins liked it well enough to be back again.

Mineola Browns AND Tacos, crazy!

The 46th Annual Camp-a-ree

2010-09-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

Our family from my Dad's side got together Sunday from as far away as Arkansas and South Dakota to celebrate Labor Day at the 46th Annual Camp-a-ree. Our family reunions involved camping for the first 35 or so years. This year we met at my parents house in Lincoln, Nebraska. There was a great lunch that my Mom spread out for us. Then we moved to a nearby park that had horseshoe pits. My brother Jim and cousin Jason went undefeated and were declared the champions for the day. Back in the garage we continued with other games like water balloon toss, bubble gum blowing contest and many others that we call the Dakota Relays. Great to see everyone and share a real nice Sunday.

My cousin Jill introduced a new game. The goal was be the fastest one to get the 8 golf balls out of the tissue box that is tied to your backside...

My nephew Zac was fastest.

My daughter Cali's awesome attempt.

More photos when you click here...

Camparee2010

Championship Game...

Curb Appeal Enhancement

2010-09-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

The outside front window trim is finally done. Next I will tackle the inside trim/staining/sealing. Ted S. and I got these windows replaced on a weekend when it was not raining. Then it seemed to rain or was blazing hot every time I planned to work on the trim. At least I can scratch something off my list today. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

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Replacing Windows

Defenders of Freedom - Offutt Air Show 2010

2010-08-28T19:49:00.000-05:00

Everything came together today for an adventure riding our bikes down to Offutt Air Force Base. I picked up Scott and we met Chris N. and Steve at 72nd and Q. From there we rode south to the Defenders of Freedom Air Show. It was just starting as we rolled up to the levee at the NW end of the runway at about 1:30PM. With the heavy south wind the aircraft were taking off on the opposite end on the runway from us. We got to see the aircraft land from where we stood. We saw bombers and fighters but the Thunderbirds were the stars of the show. It was a great time just like last year and I'm planning to do it again next year.

Cali Goes To College

2010-08-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

The long awaited day arrived for Cali today when she strikes out on her own. We couldn't ask for a nicer day to get her moved in to Doane College. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you last night and the great breakfast this morning. It really helped to have a short drive to Crete, NE from Lincoln. The facility shooed out all the parents at about 3PM today. Sounds like the freshmen will be super busy with orientation this weekend. We are proud of you Cali. You’ll do great!

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Cali Goes To College

TNR action at Tranquility tonight

2010-08-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

Made it back from Crete, NE in time to catch some TNR action at Tranquility tonight.

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TNR0826

Back Online

2010-08-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

Our local cable provider had upgraded their network to the point where we no longer had the equipment to stay online. Years ago I setup a Toshiba PCX5000 because it had cable modem/wired lan/wireless lan support all in one unit.

It worked great until recently when our local cable provider stopped supporting the DOCSIS 1.0 cable modem standard. We have been having intermittent lost of high speed service for most of the summer. This morning it was completely gone. Luckly I had done some research ahead of time and found the Motorola SBG6580
supported the services that our Toshiba supported and then some.

The main thing is that it is compatible with DOCSIS 2.0 and 3.0. which means we are back online (a little faster too). I did have to contact our local cable provider and have them activate the new equipment. That went smooth enough. After putting up with all the geek talk today I'll leave you with some Backstreet Boys...