The big challenge right now is the weather.  We’ve had periods of rain and/or some snow, with night time temperatures dipping down below freezing.  The result is that I end up a little concerned about encountering black ice on the roads.  I’m also still being a bit of a slug – the whole “body at rest” thing.  I need to get this body in motion and keep it there, whether its on the bike, treadmill, ergo, or whatever.

I’m still toying with backpacking plans in addition to bike camping.  In looking around the net at different reviews and blogs, I’m not sure whether to look for a solo tent or go with a hooped bivy.  Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on the conditions (rain, temperature, etc…).  But the determining factor on any purchase will be price.  I’ll still use the Kelty tent alot, but something a few pounds lighter will be nice for hiking.

Finally, the other day one of the higher ups in my office received notice that his background check had cleared and he could now go from “acting” to permanent.  That requires that he be sworn in, and he wanted to know what to do.

Being the old sage that I am, I told him that I could swear him in.  He looked a little confused, but went along.  Using the Tarik Bike Club as my template, his “oath of office” was pretty simple:  “I swear to do a good job, work hard, and not be an ass.”

Reading the blogesphere lately and listening to the news concerning the death of JoePa, I acknowledge that we live in a free country where everyone is entitled to voice their opinion.  But you know, you don’t have to be an ass about it.

There is still some coughing, but my head is clear and I’m weened of any meds.  Even with riding at a talking pace, my legs are just a tad stiff to remind me that I have a lot of work to do.

Yesterday the package from REI showed up with my gift card purchases:

• a Big Agnes Sand Mountain insulated pad that should be good for late spring through early fall.  It packs in about half the space of the Dual Core.  My only reservation is that the valve is all hard plastic, rather than the standard brass/plastic.
• a collapsible cat hole shovel.  Nothing fancy, but it did come with a belt mounted scabbard in case I want to impress everyone who typically wear buck knives.
• a little flint stick fire starter.  I had one episode where my stove wouldn’t light off on a drizzly morning, and the butane lighter I carry took a while to spark also.  There’s no scarier image than cold oatmeal on a chilly morning.
• and an REI inflatable seat pad.  During my trip to Michaux, I ended up using a very unstable rock to sit on while I cooked dinner, and rolled off of it more than once.  I figure I can also use it for watching sports events.

Speaking of which, we’re leaving this afternoon to go to Rochester for a volleyball tournament.  Predictions are for 10 inches of snow today and tomorrow.  Oh boy!

Distance: 4.5 miles  2012: 4.5

The tent poles for my Kelty Gunnison fold into 24-30 inch bundles.  This is no problem for biking and fitting them into the rear pocket of the panniers, but I can see them being too bulky for backpacking.

Does anyone make shorter poles that would collapse into a 15-18 inch bundle?  I’ve seen one site, but they also use super lite materials so the price ends up being more than the tent.  I’m more interested in “packability” than weight.

So I’m being a slug on the couch, watching old movies and taking naps.  Took my first sick day in a couple of years yesterday.

I did manage to go out in the garage and reset the mileage on my bike puters for the new year.  Then I took another nap…

Overall, I’m going to say 2011 was a so-so year for biking.  I rode a lot…more than I have in quite a few years, but not a whole lot of memorable miles, and not as much as I would have liked.  My schedule dictated shorter rides in the evenings, and not as many all day treks on the weekends.  I missed that.

And then there was the rain. 

I’d have to say the highlight was the one S24O to Michaux.  Riding back along Pines Road, it hit me that I really didn’t know yet where I was going to bed down for the night and I was winging it.  That feeling made me smile.

With the actual bikes, I’m pretty happy.  The X bike started getting some significant mileage after futzing around with different configurations for three years; and the Trucker just keeps reminding me what a comfortable bike should feel like.  After 6000 some miles, I think I’ve got it pretty well dialed in with the Albatross bars and Grip King pedals, and I really like how the racks and Swift panniers worked out.  I hope to tear down the front end this winter and install the Tout Terrain Plug that I picked up last year.  I really don’t see any major changes to either bike.

I do hope to upgrade my camping kit a little and try my hand at backpacking, but I’m not planning anything exotic – just some lighter gear that will be right at home in a pannier as well.  It’s just that I’ve discovered that there are some unbeaten paths that even a bike can’t manage.

So where do we go?

• Definitely more day rides.  I think my schedule will be a bit more open this year so that I can take a day or so off here and there during the week.
• Gotta get in more S24O type trips.  It’s been fun each time, and I pretty much have it figured out, both gear wise; and how I want to experience it.
• At least one multi-day trip, even if its riding from one state park to another.  Pine Creek and the Great Alleghenny are still looming large, and I think Red will be understanding so long as I don’t fall too far back on the honey-do list.

Finally, I need to join with everyone else and commit to losing weight.  Last spring I did the Atkins/Primal thing and lost 18 pounds easily.  Unfortunately, summer came around and I got lazy, and gained half of it back.  I’m ready to go for it again, and keep going. 

So there ya go.  Nothing major, nothing too far out there.  Just some reasonable expectations for the new year to make life a little more enjoyable.

This was the first cold I’ve had in a while – I’ll credit that to the zinc.  The coughing usually lasts about three days or so, worse at night.  I was using some Nyquil and it finally caught up to me on Saturday – I completely zonked out for an afternoon.

But…I feel I’m on the mend and took the Trucker out for a short ride last night – just cruising about after dark.  It was pretty cold, around freezing; so I bundled up with heavy wool and a balaclava.  Christmas day would have been perfect for a ride, but I just wasn’t up for it yet.

The holiday was nice.  The in-laws were here three of the four days, but they headed out yesterday and we finally relaxed.  I also went out on a limb and told people very specfically what I wanted.  It felt a little self-centered, and I’m not an easy person to buy for, but I was tired of getting the same bazaar ill-fitting “what were you thinking” gifts that end up in a box on my closet shelf.

I actually got some shirts that fit ( I take a long, not a large), and as my daughter said, “with those three shirts I’ve now doubled my wardrobe.”  Plus, I have a stack of REI gift cards burning a hole in my pocket.  Finally, I was given one of those digital camcorders where the memory card costs more than the camera to try for biking.

It seems I hit some homeruns on the gift giving side as well, which I’ll credit to my daughter, who acted as a consultant on my mall shopping adventure.

The schedule is filling up fast for the next week, so I doubt I’ll get in my annual New Years Day Ride, but there is still some hope – perhaps Monday.

‘hope everyone had a great time.

Distance: 6.9 miles  2011: 1471.7

By Saturday afternoon, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. 

Last Thursday I went out to the truck and noticed a puddle of fluid underneath the bed.  Thinking that it was melted frost, I went in to the office.  Halfway I noticed that the brakes were feeling spongy.  By the time I got to my parking space, warning lights are coming on and I realize we have a problem.  That problem turned out to be a broken brake line.

Bought a container of fluid at lunch time and was able to nurse it to the garage, where two days, a right handed caliper installed on the left side, and $360 later, the “Moneybucket” is back.  All I could think about was that it is a nice truck, but boy did they see me coming! Rats.

Then Saturday morning I’m cleaning up around the house, vacuuming the dining room, when I hear some water dripping.  I look up, and the light fixture looks like a fish bowl!  I run upstairs where my daughter is taking a shower, but there are no obvious puddles on the floor.  When she turns off the water, the dripping stops.  But a little while later I discover that a shower valve has worked its way loose and is leaking into the wall, and then down through the ceiling.

What’s really freaking me out is that I had just done some repairs to the shower plumbing, but had not touched this valve.  wtf?

So, got to turn off the water, right?  Well, the 20ish year old valves in the access panel have probably never been touched, and once I get them unfrozen, they don’t hold a seal.  Have to replace those valves in the wall, plus the ones in the shower. 

That finally happens, but not without realizing that the manifold has a stripped thread and will need replacement in the near future = big job.

In the meantime, our dining room ceiling has an interesting water stain.  I’m half OK with that, because it needs a major drywall fix from where we had a leak a few years ago.  We hid it well, and this job has been creeping up on my to do list; but now it has managed to jump to the top as soon as I get a free weekend.  BTW, I HATE DOING DRYWALL!!!

And did I mention that I have two, not one, tuition payments due this month?

Now that that’s off my chest…we’ll manage.  We’re alot better off than most, and far better off than many.  I fantasize about living in a smaller house with less stuff to go wrong and living car free, but this is our lives for now, and we’ll survive.

Nothing a long bike ride won’t cure…

Campsaver had a one day blow out on a few Montbell items, so Backcountry.com matched the price, plus included free 2 day shipping.

There really is nothing wrong with the Big Agnes bag that I have, and in some respects, it seems to be a bit more robust in it’s construction.  Where the Montbell caught my attention was the whole “super stretch” thing, and the compressibility of the 800 power down.  With only using the supplied stuff sack and no compression straps, it goes down to the size of a football.  Plus it’s silly light.

Everyone seems to feel that Montbell’s temperature ratings are more acurate.  It wasn’t a deal breaker, but I find that my 15F Lost Ranger is probably more like a 25-30F bag.

I’m really looking forward to trying this bag out.  I’ve been tempted to pitch the tent in the back yard.  Even if it’s a little cold, the polartech liner I have should get me an extra 5-10 degrees. 

I figure if I can score some other lighter weight gear, I might try some hiking trips as well as biking.  Bivy anyone?

It was cold.  This time, the heavy Merino shirt came out, which worked perfectly.  The only chill I felt was on the backs of my legs where the insulation on the tights is thinner, and around my temples where the balaclava does not cover. 

I’m really curious about how well my cheap rag/wool gloves work, even without any wind protection.  If I can manage to tuck the sleeves inside the wristlets of the gloves, I’m warm to the point of sweating where the skin is in direct contact; and this is in the 20′s!  I should check to see if anyone makes a jacket/shirt of similar material.  It would be great for riding/camping.

Distance: 7.4 miles  2011: 1464.8

I wanted to get out last night, but was up from 4:45am to travel to a volleyball tourney.  Since I was running on coffee all day, I drank some water when we got home.  Felt better, but just couldn’t rally enough to drag myself off the couch.  I’ll get out tonight…hopefully.

Distance: 5.5 miles  2011: 1457.4