About Me and This Blog

Hi, and welcome.  This is a biking blog, where I like to write about my thoughts, adventures, and quite often, just journal my rides.  But Ialso will wax philosophic about such things as the meaning of life, politics, religion, and family.  But mostly, you’ll see that I write about bicycles and biking.

Now I need to clarify.  I kind of follow the Tour de France, but that’s pretty much the extent of my interest in racing.  I’m a recreational cyclist with interest in country biking, and bike camping.

Country biking is mainly a state of mind, but it can be explained:  You see, I don’t ride to go fast.  I ride because it’s fun.  My main bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker, has a heavy leather saddle because it helps keep my bum from getting sore; and it has big puffy tires because they soak up the potholes, stones, and other discomforts when I go exploring on the local roads and trails.  It also has fenders so I don’t get mud splattered up my back; and it has lights so I can enjoy the cool evening air on an otherwise hot summer day.  Finally, it has a big canvas bag on the back where I carry a few tools, some spare change, a camera, and

Playing with the tripod and timer – it clicked before the smile…

anything else that I might need for a day in the country.  I rarely wear lycra and have never worn cleated shoes.  In fact, my favorite biking shirt is an old cotton dress shirt with green armpits.  It’s comfortable, keeps me from getting sunburned; and  I’m an old fart who doesn’t care what other bikers think of my appearance.  It’s not that I have anything against technology, but rather, there are a lot of “tried and true” products made of leather, wool, and steel that technology just hasn’t improved much over the past century.

4 different cooking systems at work here: canister, white gas, alcohol, and Esbit.

Bike camping is a hoot.  Pick up some basic gear that you can strap on a bike, call up some friends, and then head out on a slow paced ride to a camp site not too far away.  You don’t need the lightest or most high tech gear, because you can fit more on a bike than you can in a backpack.  It’s not hard nor expensive to find the right balance between weight, price, and comfort.  Just make sure you’ll be warm enough, have enough food, and won’t get lost. Throughout this blog you’ll find some write-ups of camping trips.  I encourage you to make it an adventure!

Traveling lite.

So back to me and the blog…

Your comments are welcome, provided you’re the civilized type, not selling anything that I don’t want, and generally feel that I’m not a threat to your way of life.  I’m particularly opinionated; but that shouldn’t stop you from joining the fray.  On rare occasions, I have been known to change my mind.  Other topics that might get a rise out of me (and a peek into the window of my life): cutting firewood, rowing as in crew, soccer, home repair, firefighting, Winston Churchill, American History, Military History, European History, education, taxation, 1970’s-80’s music, playing the drums, talk radio, and popular culture.

Other than that, you should know that I live in Lewisberry, PA; and work in Harrisburg.  My political leanings are conservative libetarian, but I’d just as soon throw all of the bums out.  I am very active in an evangelical Christian church, and I will respect your views as long as you respect mine.

Beyond that, be warned that I have a sarcastic wit that easily offends people if I don’t watch myself.  It’s nothing personal.