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almost done :o)
Jul. 1st, 2008 10:01 pmSo after two nights of cleaning and putting pieces back together, my bike is almost finished. Aside from a few inconspicuous spots it really looks like a new bike! I have to say I was beginning to worry that the pink frame would be a little over the top.. but it looks great, much better than I imagined.
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trip piccies
May. 15th, 2008 10:57 pmPineville is a coal mining town.. I'd never seen one until this week. It's a very depressed, poor and uneducated area. A flood destroyed the town in the early part of the century, and of course textile mills were shut down and offshored (funny there was a wal-mart in town doing lots of business - walmart buys all of thier clothing from china now.. if only everyone realized how powerful their dollar is). Coal mining is all there is to do here. I saw ambulances all over the place. That was kinda creepy in itself.
During my guided tour we got to ride through one of the coal mining operations.. there were big trucks and equipment everywhere.. conveyor belts spat out piles of black coal, and the roads were covered in black mud. It was interesting, but nothing I'd want to be around very often.
( pictures & more below the cut )
So - now that's out of my system, I am already looking forward to a weekend whitewater rafting trip in June, somewhere in Tennessee.
During my guided tour we got to ride through one of the coal mining operations.. there were big trucks and equipment everywhere.. conveyor belts spat out piles of black coal, and the roads were covered in black mud. It was interesting, but nothing I'd want to be around very often.
( pictures & more below the cut )
So - now that's out of my system, I am already looking forward to a weekend whitewater rafting trip in June, somewhere in Tennessee.
So, I took my dirt scooter out for a ride today. I hadn't ridden it in over a month and have been jonesing... I am addicted! Anyway. I went to a place north of Gainesville, the track is new and was built behind an old auto junkyard. I had to drive down a long dirt road in between stacks of old rusty Chevy's and god knows what else. There were cows too, lots of them.
It was very windy today but the 60 degree weather made the wind bearable. It also helped by blowing away any dust that poofed up under the tires. I rode for about an hour and a half with one short break in between. The track was fun since there weren't many big jumps to worry about - just curves and straights and up & downhills. So, a bunch of riders were jumping what looked like a small step-up. I decided to try it too and almost crashed in 4th gear. I sat too far back on the seat when I went over the jump, so my front wheel came up in the air. I landed almost verticle and coasted the front tire back down. Didn't try that one again! ha.
Anyway, I had a great time and my thumb didn't bother me a bit. It feels fine now, too (last time I rode it hurt like heck afterwards).
Okay, that is all.
It was very windy today but the 60 degree weather made the wind bearable. It also helped by blowing away any dust that poofed up under the tires. I rode for about an hour and a half with one short break in between. The track was fun since there weren't many big jumps to worry about - just curves and straights and up & downhills. So, a bunch of riders were jumping what looked like a small step-up. I decided to try it too and almost crashed in 4th gear. I sat too far back on the seat when I went over the jump, so my front wheel came up in the air. I landed almost verticle and coasted the front tire back down. Didn't try that one again! ha.
Anyway, I had a great time and my thumb didn't bother me a bit. It feels fine now, too (last time I rode it hurt like heck afterwards).
Okay, that is all.
The moon was pretty as it rose earlier tonight.
I drove to Bremen after work today and rode about 2 hours... I spent a -lot- of time on the bike.. even ran my bike out of gas at one point. I'm still uncomfortable in the air, so I had fun going around the corners & down the straights. I feel like I'm almost beginning to get the idea of cornering the right way.. like putting my wheels in a narrow berm and railing the bike around like on a slot. It's really hard.. so often I'd stand the bike up halfway through the corner which causes the front end to try and wash out. Standing the bike up in a corner is soooo lame.. ha.
Lots of fast people there tonight.. I had the most fun right after dusk when they turned the lights on. That's when the lighting is absolutely perfect (not too shadowy like later at night), and the moisture in the earth rises and makes a really good surface to ride over.
I'm glad to be home.. thinking about what to wear tomorrow.. I need shoes sooo bad.
I drove to Bremen after work today and rode about 2 hours... I spent a -lot- of time on the bike.. even ran my bike out of gas at one point. I'm still uncomfortable in the air, so I had fun going around the corners & down the straights. I feel like I'm almost beginning to get the idea of cornering the right way.. like putting my wheels in a narrow berm and railing the bike around like on a slot. It's really hard.. so often I'd stand the bike up halfway through the corner which causes the front end to try and wash out. Standing the bike up in a corner is soooo lame.. ha.
Lots of fast people there tonight.. I had the most fun right after dusk when they turned the lights on. That's when the lighting is absolutely perfect (not too shadowy like later at night), and the moisture in the earth rises and makes a really good surface to ride over.
I'm glad to be home.. thinking about what to wear tomorrow.. I need shoes sooo bad.
It was a beautiful afternoon
Sep. 22nd, 2007 06:21 pmI'm happy I was able to spend a few hours riding.. I found an awesome scrambles course today -- it's like a supercross track without the jumps. just turns and elevation changes. I had so much fun on that track!
And now I'm off to play guitar with Frank, then back home to clean up muddy bikes & gear. Tomorrow the Motocross des Nations is on, so I'm planning to watch that all day.
And now I'm off to play guitar with Frank, then back home to clean up muddy bikes & gear. Tomorrow the Motocross des Nations is on, so I'm planning to watch that all day.
After-work ride at Bremen
Apr. 12th, 2007 11:47 pmOne of my favorite tracks is starting Thursday night practices this Spring. Since the weather was beautiful, and rain is likely for this weekend - I left work a little early and drove west on I-20. The track was perfect, as usual. When my class wasn't on the track (practices are broken down between fast riders, minibikes, and slow riders(me)), I found an oval track to practice cornering. I fell down several times when my front wheel pushed through the dirt berm and washed out.. but nothing high-speed or serious. I packed up to come home a little after 9:30.. so I rode for well over two hours not counting time spent sitting at my truck. I'm pooped, but I feel great. :o)
( +14 more )
( +14 more )
So I decided against driving 4 hours by myself to race four 5-minute motos. Went to ICR which was a long drive away as well, but worth the trouble.
I wore my new leatt-brace today, which you can kind of make out in the photos (the black thing around my neck). I didn't have to test it out today (thank goodness!!). I was one of three people there this afternoon.. the place is usually packed but everyone was at the races. Anyway, there was a little boy riding on the track with us, I came down a straight and saw him standing with his helmet in one hand, waving frantically with the other. So I stopped and leaned my bike against a haybale. He said, "Sorry to stop you ma'am, but I fell down and didn't want you to run over me." He was soo cute. I helped him pick his bike up and get it started and he was on his way. Such a sweet child.
I didn't ride as much as I might have otherwise because I mistakenly had subway an hour before riding.. I had to pull over and lay down for 20 minutes because of the cramps.
Anway - here are a few pictures Dara took. She's developing an eye for this (see the second photo!).
Well I need to clean up and crawl into bed.
( others )
I wore my new leatt-brace today, which you can kind of make out in the photos (the black thing around my neck). I didn't have to test it out today (thank goodness!!). I was one of three people there this afternoon.. the place is usually packed but everyone was at the races. Anyway, there was a little boy riding on the track with us, I came down a straight and saw him standing with his helmet in one hand, waving frantically with the other. So I stopped and leaned my bike against a haybale. He said, "Sorry to stop you ma'am, but I fell down and didn't want you to run over me." He was soo cute. I helped him pick his bike up and get it started and he was on his way. Such a sweet child.
I didn't ride as much as I might have otherwise because I mistakenly had subway an hour before riding.. I had to pull over and lay down for 20 minutes because of the cramps.
Anway - here are a few pictures Dara took. She's developing an eye for this (see the second photo!).
Well I need to clean up and crawl into bed.
( others )
Le weekend
Mar. 4th, 2007 06:17 pmI'm home from a nice bicycle ride with John on the Silver Comet trail. This was my first time riding there.. we rode a little over six miles out, then came back. My bicycle (a Trek mountain bike) needs a little work before I go out on the trail again (like new road tires, and a tune up).
Yesterday evening I raced at Bremen in the ff-f-f-freeezing cold. Actually it was nice yesterday if not for the wind. I finished 5th overall out of 7 riders, but I felt good in both motos. I think the corners are finally starting to come to me. I could have made it 4th overall but didn't want to risk running into the guy I was tailing the last two laps of the final moto. Fun times.. I have a few pictures which I will post later.
That's all for now.
Yesterday evening I raced at Bremen in the ff-f-f-freeezing cold. Actually it was nice yesterday if not for the wind. I finished 5th overall out of 7 riders, but I felt good in both motos. I think the corners are finally starting to come to me. I could have made it 4th overall but didn't want to risk running into the guy I was tailing the last two laps of the final moto. Fun times.. I have a few pictures which I will post later.
That's all for now.
