Learn to Cycle No-Handed

Pretty cool video.  I was very good at the "no hands" thing when I was a teenager.  As a matter of fact, I can recall several rides where I was oblivious to approaching bumps and small objects in the road.  I was that comfy without hands.  Not so much anymore.  Take a look.

Cold Weather Ride... Brrrr!

Its Thanksgiving weekend, and i have been exposed to the temptation of eating way to often, and I have repeatedly failed in maintaining any sense of self-discipline; I see food and I eat it.  It can be anything.  Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, potatoes of all kinds, and dessert.  I find it all good.   What makes matters worse is the traveling.

We drove to Long Island and ate road food:  burgers, fries, and snacks from gas stations.  then we drove home a few days later and ate from the same crappy menu all the way home, but we substituted an everything bagel with cream cheese from the Bagel Oasis in Fresh Meadows, Queens on place of the burger.  Damn it was good with a Yoo-hoo and a cup of light and sweet coffee.

So, what happened to make me ride the trainer for an hour last night and a couple hours in the cold weather and wind today?  Well, it is the scale.  It pushed up from my usual 165 to 169.8.  Ugh!  I cant accept that I will be sucking in my belly when I zip my suit pants tomorrow morning for work.  I hate that feeling.  This morning was the dawn of a new day.

I rolled out of bed later than usual, 10ish?  I showered and looked out the window as my neighbors all around were decorating their homes in Christmas lights and wreaths.  Everyone seemed so happy, smiling, laughing, admiring the straight string of lights dawning the front gutter.  Not me.  I am not a fan of the fanfare of Christmas since it diminishes the real reason for the season.  It makes me think how many children actually know what Christmas is other than the biggest gift grab of the year; as if today's kids aren't spoiled enough throughout the year.  But I digress...

I said to my beautiful bride, "I think we should buy new lights and decorations this year."  I continued my enthusiastic delay of game, "Starting fresh would be so nice. No tangled lights, fresh looking garland, beautiful and well shaped wreaths dawning the windows, maybe even some candles smartly placed could add some flare."  While I spoke, I knew I was gonna jump on my bike and ride long and far as I hope for the storm of the century that would make it impossible to join the throngs of Christmas lovers who toil about the outside of their homes only toil some more 4 months later to take it all down after the snow melts.

Ok, I rode from my house in Baldwinsville down route 370 into Onondaga Lake Park and through the park to the skate park and back through to Longbranch Rd up to route 57 and stopped at Starbucks for a much needed Soy Chai Latte.  Damn that was good.  It felt good to feel warm for a few moments.  I drank the warm chai and rode back up 370.  This time the wind was in my face.  The temp surely dropped.  Riding up hill and with a cold wind blowing in my face was torture.  But I knew I would be happy burning the calories and earning my evening dinner.

I love riding my bicycle. Since the weather is turning, my road bike is on the trainer and its time to ride the Surly LHT in the rougher environments.  The steel frame can handle anything and the wide, aggressive tires make it good for the road, grass, and snowy rad conditions I will ride her in.  Today was a first day.  I need better gloves and warmer toe covers to keep my tootsies warm.

One more small note before I sign off.  Every ride or every run, I am inspired by someone.  Today was no different.  There was an elderly gentleman at the park stopped midway along the paved path chatting with the park ranger.  I noticed the old man had a walker, but thought nothing of his "walk".  I rode on toward the skate park and made my way around the play ground and the bocci courts to start my "back track" through the park.  The elderly gentleman was walking with his walker.  As I approached him, you could hear the walker being slid across the pavement, one step at a time.  He was over a mile out from the main parking lot.  He just kept taking a step.  He kept on sliding the walking forward then taking another step.  H looked in good shape.  I remember how engaged he had been with the ranger; now all the energy he demonstrated to make it through Onondaga Lake Park. He was my inspiration to finish the "cold" ride.  Thank you sir for pushing me forward.  I hope to see you again.

I can't wait for the next ride outside. Maybe I can get a reprieve from stringing lights and decorations around the house.  Time will tell.

See you on the road.

We Were Once All Commuters: Chapter 7

The boys woke up early the next morning after falling asleep, exhausted on the the beach.  Their parents sat home wondering where they could be.  Laddy's mom sat up all night looking out the bay window in the front of the house while Jake's mom and dad exchanged epithets about who was at fault for teaching Jake how to disrespect the rules.

As the hours passed by, the boys' parents agreed to call the police and ask for help in locating the two boys.  The police didn't seem too worried.  "Boys will be boys," the officer said, "sometimes teenagers feel free and just go rogue."

Laddy's mom didn't like what the officer said.  She yelled at the officer, "How can you be so flippant!  Laddy and Jake are our boys.  We want them home safe, where they belong."

"Ma'am," the officer stammered, "you're right.  I apologize, but you need to know that these boys do not fit the runaway profile and its highly unlikely that they were abducted.  They prob...."

Laddy's mom emotionally interrupted the officer, "Unlikely!  Unlikely, you say?  Don't be so dismissive.  You have no idea what could be wrong..  Please do not treat my child as any less important than other children who may have grown up in lesser neighborhood or were left unattended while in a crowded area.  Just go!  Please go and find them," she said in exasperation.

"Yes, ma'am.  We will get right on it."  The officer turned and left the residence for his cruiser.

The two boys had never been in any serious trouble and had always minded themselves when out and about playing or riding their bikes around town.  The officer who arrived at the home of Laddy took the report and requested an APB, all points bulletin, for all officers on the street to keep an eye out for Laddy and Jake.  A description of the boys and their bicycles were sent out over the wire.
A buzz of despair hit the neighborhood.

Missing children sends chills down every one's spine. Its an eerie feeling to grab a carton of milk in the morning and to be spied upon from its side by a child who may be suffering although, more often than not, the child is fine; possibly with a separated or estranged parent or at a friends home due to poor communication.

Looking for children can be like looking for a lost set of keys before church on Sunday morning.  Time is flying.  Mass begins in 20 minutes and it may take 10 minutes to get to the church.  Panic sets in as you start yelling at the kids and your spouse to look harder or to be quiet.  All the while you know being calm is the only solution to solving the problem.  Finally, you throw in the towel and grab the spare set and just make it to Mass only to uncomfortably stand in the back of the church. A few hours later, BOOM, the keys are discovered under the recliner.  Its then that you realize that the keys had fallen out of your pocket when you sat down to watch your favorite television show.

 But this was Laddy and Jake.  These boys are always linked at the hip, never to be apart.  Where you find one, you discover the other.

That's kind of what happened with Laddy and Jake.  The two boys woke up on the beach, sand in their hair, in their damp shirts and shorts.  Like their parents who panicked late last night by calling the police, the boys panicked too.

Jake was the first to jump up from his slumber and realize the sun was bright; it must have been about 7am.  He shouted, "Laddy! We gotta get home." Jake kicked Laddy's shoulder.  Laddy stirred and realized at that moment, "Shit, we need to get outta here."

Laddy and Jake scrambled to their bikes and headed for the bridges then their homes on the other side of the bay.  The boys pedaled as if they raced the Tour De France.  Unlike the ride over the bridges to the lighthouse and the beach, this ride was quick and uneventful.  There were no cars or trucks speeding passed them and the air was still which meant no head wind.

Jake turned onto his street and Laddy continued on to his house.  Neither boy said a word.  They knew their parents would be angry.  Even Jake, who's parents seem to take a l'aissez fair approach to parenting, seemed a bit on edge as he rolled into his driveway.  He hoped his absence had gone unnoticed, and he may be able to slip back into his room, wake up, and stumble into the kitchen for a slice of toast like any other morning.  But today was unlike most mornings.  The driveway bustled with parents, siblings, and a few police officers.  All had that Mona Lisa look as Jake rolled up.

The first person to speak was Jake's mom.  She said in a gleeful yet stern voice, "Thank God you are home."  Jake looked at his mother and and a tear dropped from the corner of his eye.  He saw his mother, and he thought of the beautiful woman in blue on the beach who brought him back from the brink.  He loved her, and now realized how much he loved his mother.  He jumped off his bike, which crashed to the ground, and threw his arms around his mom.  He just held her tight; hoping never to be away from her again.

She pulled Jake close and kissed the top of his head, assuring Jake, "Everything will be ok."

All was well for Jake, not perfect, but better.  His mom and dad were home more often and started to ride bikes too.  The three of them would ride around the neighborhood; sometimes Laddy would bike along with them.  The two boys grew closer together after the beach incident; however, Jake and Laddy never shared the story about the beautiful lady and the wave that threatened Jake's life that summer's night.

See you on the road.

BikePacking.US Schuylkill River Trail and Perkiomen Trail RomantiPacking...

We Were Once All Commuters: Chapter 6

Intuition can be a funny thing.  Most often we joke about a woman's intuition or a mom's intuition.  However, sometimes an intuition can be more than a feeling or a passing thought to avert disaster; it can be a part of a bigger plan as we learned about Jake's demise and communication with a beautiful woman in blue.

The sky was still dark when when Jake was pulled on to the beach.  His eyes were closed, and he was not breathing.  He lay lifeless on the sand.  Quickly his rescuer compressed his chest and turned Jake's head to the side.  Jake awoke.  Water exploded from his lungs.  His head once again hit the packed, water soaked sand as his eyes opened.  He saw Laddie and smiled.  Jake could not speak..  He still struggled to breathe comfortably.  Jake was alive.  His best friend had pulled him from the water and saved his life as the beautiful woman told him.

Laddie, as he rode his bike over the bridge he had a horrible feeling as he approached the draw bridge, the site of their mishap with the radio and the semi.  He thought about Jake being alone at the beach and worried that Jake may not be safe.  He spun his bicycle around and pedaled hard to return to his friend as quickly as possible.  As he rode back toward the beach, Laddie knew something was wrong.  He didn't see Jake.  The sky was too dark, but a glimmer of moon light reflected off the rear reflector of Jake's bike, and Laddie ran to it.

Jake was not there.

Laddie yelled, "Jake!"

There was no response.

Again he yelled, "Jake, where are you?"

No reply.  Only a loud silence.

So, without thinking, Laddie ran into the water.  He didn't think about the waves or the tide.  He knew his friend was drowning, and he had to find him quickly.  Laddie dove under the waves and splashed the surface of the water with his hands hoping to grab hold of Jake, the pal he had left behind.  He found nothing. He dove down into the waves one more time.  He held his breathe and with his eyes closed he reached out to touch the sand floor of the ocean and felt something.  He opened his eyes to see as he grabbed what he could not see, Jake's hand.  He pulled him up close to his body and stood up to walk ashore while dragging Jake to the beach.  He plopped him down and compressed Jake's chest three time before rolling his dearest friend over to spit out the water and to welcome him back to earth.

Jake smiled.

Laddie smiled back and said, "I am sorry I left you."

Jake struggled to breath, but nodded his head in forgiveness, and in a low, scratchy voice he replied, "Me too."

The boys were exhausted and fell asleep in the dry sand close to the dunes, happy that they were finally safe and together.  Although wet and cold, the boys did not worry about getting home just then, but would deal with that tomorrow.

Til then, I will see you on the road.

Runners Qualities...

http://runhaven.com/2015/04/29/8-reasons-you-should-never-date-a-runner/

The New North West YMCA in Baldwinsville

Its has finally opened.  The new NW YMCA is open for business, and it is a phenomenal place to workout.  I didn't want to leave.  It truly is a beautiful activity center for the entire family.

My first visit to the new Baldwinsville YMCA was just a weight work out visit.  I walked in and headed right to the gym.  Upon entering the gym, all you see are tread mills, ellipticals, stair climbers, and stationary bikes.  Behind them there are Precor machines for circuit training and so much more.  This is a place where every part of your body can be worked out and strengthened however you desire.  There is a large room of free weights and free weight machines, too.  It truly is a gym for all styles of workouts.

Oh, but there is so much more.  On my second visit, I rode my bicycle in the rain to the new YMCA.  I locked it up to a street sign in the parking lot because there aren't any bike racks yet.  The racks are on order, and I was assured that the racks will be ready next week.  After checking in I headed to the locker room which is wide open, has plenty of locker space, and has several amenities similar to the Liverpool YMCA on Wetzel Road such as showers, sauna, scales, mirrors and sinks, and the swim suit dryer which I always appreciate.

After finding a locker, I changed into my swim trunks and entered the pool area from the men's locker room, a nice convenience.  Upon entering the pool area a whole world opens before your as if stepping into Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory for the first time.  There is a six lane lap pool, a children's pool, and a lazy river.  Its quite amazing.  I slipped int the pool and swam for thirty minutes before meeting up with a buddy to hit the weight room.

The weight room, as I mentioned earlier, has amble equipment for any level of athlete or health conscience individual.  I added dead lifts and squats to my exercise routine, to increase my cycling strength.  Today, my legs ache.  I guess adding these exercises was a good idea.  After we worked out some I discovered several new things in the Baldwinsville YMCA:  an indoor track circling the gym on the second level, which from above, while running, I realized the gym has another several sections, basketball courts, a twenty yard turf multi purpose field lined for football, soccer, and lacrosse.  Wow.  This facility is splendid.  I look forward to adding thirty minute runs each time I visit the Y on lifting days and as an alternative to running on treadmills during the cold, snowy winter months.

I failed to mention the aerobics room which I saw through the mirrors from the free weight room  and spinning room located to the left of the locker rooms.  The spinning room has at least 30 or 40 spin bikes.  I haven't much to say about them since I have yet to participate, but I will join a spin class.  Who doesn't love spin class after all?

I rode my bicycle home in the rain following my workout, and I cannot wait to return.  The Baldwinsville YMCA is a workout paradise for all the aforementioned reasons, but the best thing of all, its a workout facility where your children can have as much fun as you while being distracted by the pool, lazy river, and basketball courts.  Unlike being at the Wetzel Road YMCA, your kids will never interrupt you due to boredom.

Til next time, I will see you on the road.