A nice ride

Howdy, I had a nice ride today and started in Orgonia and rode some old roads and some new ones. I had found this one road the other day that was really pretty, but it didn't start until riding forty some miles from home, which is the reason I drove to the start. I'll have to admit that I got lost, or should I say I was just misplaced as I knew where I was in relation to the bike trail. I ended up riding the route I had planned on riding only rode it in reverse. What I thought was New Burlington Road was not really New Burlington Road. Now I know and it was a nice ride through rolling and flat farm land.

I've been getting some good miles and good climbing in and getting about 160 miles a week with significant climbing so I should be ready for Laguna Beach. The foam was working the other day, but not today that I noticed. It takes more than 54 miles to get foaming though. Today was a really nice day and I fought headwinds the first 20 or so miles, but hey, that builds character! It would have been a little easier on the bent so maybe next ride. Later. Paul

Feeling good, but still need to lose some weight

Howdy, I've been hitting the hills and feel pretty good. I'm heading out tomorrow for at least an 80 miler, but am hoping for a century. I'll be on the Merlin since that is what I'll be riding in California. Not the Merlin, but a regular bike. I still need to lose some more weight, but the best way to lose that weight is a XC bike trip! However, I think that long of a trip is done and gone. That was a long time to be gone from home according to Ann and I have a tendency to agree with her. The California trip is fast approaching and I have to admit that I'm looking forward to it. More just to ride with my friends, but also just to test myself since it will be long and hard miles every day for five days. The Peckerheads ride again! It would be nice if all the Peckerheads were there, but a couple of them just aren't riding like they used to.

I took Ann to the bike shop today and I think I'll end up buying her a comfort bike as I think she'll be more comfortable on that than converting her Salsa to a comfort bike. I've found a really nice bike shop close to here, Cycle Sport, since they changed ownership and are now customer friendly. Plus they have top notch mechanics who are also bike geeks. So that's it for now as it's time to hit the sack as I'm planning on being up and on the road by 6:30. Later. Peace to all. Paul

Sore butt and tired

Hi, I just got back from a 78 miler with some decent climbs and I'm tired. Yesterday I rode the recumbent climbing one hill in Indian Hill and then on to Walmart to get something. On the way back I decided to ride to the end of the bike trail. After getting to the end of the trail I thought about the ice cream stand and rode there and got a cone. Possum happy! Then on home getting 32 miles in.

Today was a beautiful day and was supposed to get in the low 80's which I think it did. I took off around ten o'clock and rode the trail to Stubbs Mill and then hit the roads and hills I went to Caesar Creek, but the wind was so bad up there that I returned shortly to the trail to try and escape the wind. The wind was brutal! As hard as any I saw on my XC trip......I think.

I wanted to check out the trillium as I knew it would be blooming as Athens was last week and I wasn't disappointed as the hill side was covered and then I rode up Hall's Creek and those were out too. Trillium ride in Southwest Ohio and loving it. There was also these yellow flowers that had a drooping flower and was very pretty.

The ride went well except for the fact that I was really tired and my butt is tired and a little sore. I bought new shorts and they have a thicker chamois and were very comfortable the first time I wore them. I guess I just have to toughen it up a little. So that's all from here and hope for more riding in the next couple days, but I also have a lot to do around here. Later.

Peace Paul

TTT April 19, 2009

Hello,I just got back from Athens to a greeting of rain. Yesterday was a beautiful day just about everywhere around this state so our ride was a lot of fun. Tom and I rode 72 miles and climbed 4400 feet so it was a fairly hard ride, but when you ride in Athens you ride hills because there are a lot of them all around. It is Little Appalachia in a lot of aspects and is pretty country. A lot of poverty and a lot of dogs.

The ride was the Athens Spring Ride (aka Tom's Trillium Tour) and there are a lot of wildflowers and the hills along a portion of the bike trail are blanketed in trillium. And then the bluebells took over for a scenic ride. They had fifty one riders and everyone seemed to really like the route.

We were riding along and this pit bull came charging out and I yelled, but seemed to have little affect so I got off the bike and the dog ran in to the yard, where the owner was yelling for the dog. I started to go and he came back out so I stopped and just waited until the woman came out and got it. By now the trailer emptied it's bowels of the other dogs! So now I have 'jaws' in the yard being watched by the angry woman and two more on the road, but the one was friendly and was cute, but it was time to move on. That was the first time I dismounted because I thought I would be bitten and wanted the bike between me and the biter. I've dismounted to chase dogs, but I was the winner in those.

So after 70 miles we decided that we had enough miles to feed the body and mind and we called it a day. The main reason I went to ride was that I wanted to test myself to see where I was on the hill climbing fitness level and what I had to work on and I found out, so life is good. I think all I really need is just more miles in the hills as my climbing is pretty good. I now know I can do the ride in California as I have over a month more to train and I feel good. It's raining today so I'll go work inside. Peace Paul

Another ride on the Merlin

Hi, well I rode the Merlin again today and covered 55 miles with 1000 feet of climbing and felt fine and the arm was not sore. I had to ride on the top of the bars though. Was tired but felt fine. Paul

Peckerheads in California

April 3, 2009 Howdy, I'm back with news from the wet Ohio River area. It seems as I'm headed to California in May to ride with several other Peckerheads in the canyons around Laguna Beach. Why do I go out there you ask? I have to admit I wasn't all that excited about the trip last year when Scott and I discussed it, but since he has been riding out there so much and building it up I have to go out and see for myself. Mark, Kent, Jay, and I are going out to be led around the area by Scott. I have to admit that I'm getting pretty psyched up the more I think about it.

Scott says he's doing this in appreciation for the times we tried to kill him on some our Glenmont death rides, but I think it's revenge and he's going to get us out there and drill us seriously in to the ground. I don't think that will happen, but I'm ramping up my training to make sure that doesn't happen, so wish me luck.

So the Merlin comes out of intermittent retirement to reintroduce my butt to the saddle. And the bent sits frowning in the garage from less time on the road.

Heading home Sept 16

Woke up this morning to a rough day weather wise, both here and at home. Hurricane Ike swung around and hit Cincinnati with high winds that did a lot of damage and our neighborhood got hit hard. Ann is without electric and has been for several days so I decided to call it quits and head for home to rescue the love of my life. Kent and Sloan dropped me off in Asheville and on the way back to Little Switzerland I stopped at Lowe's and bought a generator as there were none in Cincinnati to buy.

Kent had pretty much gotten over his cold, but Bruce was not getting better so with the rain and all I thought it better that he didn't need to ride in more rain. So I picked him up and loaded the bikes and headed home.

It seems like every time I leave on a trip something happens at home. On my cross country trip we were going through a drought that caused Ann to work her butt off trying to keep things alive and I owed her big time on that one, which I thought I was caught up on, and now this so I'm back to square one. Not really, as I was a hero who brought electricity with me! The neighbors also appreciated it as I ran the generator around so everyone could get a hot shower once in a while as we were without electricity for exactly a week.

So that was the end of yet another great trip and am looking forward to the next one. So the totals were 415.52 miles with 34,652 feet of climbing! Woohoo!