Clicking

Bike Boy #1 has a loud click noise when his Rock Shox Tora 302 Solo Air fork is heavily compressed. I have searched, I can't find anything on it. I wonder if it is a blow off valve or a real problem?

Lookin' GOOOD!

Bike Shop all shelled in! Bikes will go along the back walls, lots of windows in the front. Now the interior work begins!

Quote of the Day

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.”

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

 

Go Joe! 

Joe Bender

I went to Anchorage yesterday, to kill some time. I figured I would check out REI and some other stores for a mid-weight coat, maybe the North Face Denali coat. So I looked and looked, decided the Denali wasn't really what I was looking for as it doesn't seem to be as wind resistance as I am looking for.

So after wasting gas and fighting crazy Anchorage traffic, This is what I came home with:

Mountain Biking Joe Bender and cinnamon bread from the Great Harvest Bread Co. REALLY GOOD! That's all I've eat today...i'm so naughty!


So now I don't feel like riding, just gorging on the bread and lattes. I should include some real food and water in there somewhere.

Bike shop has a roof, most walls and windows! Post another pic soon.

Here's my bike shop! Getting the metal roofing/siding tonight! WooHoo! 

Always Remember

As I was riding my bike home from work today, the weather was just spectacular, just like 5 years ago.

And I remembered.

9/11, a clear sunny day, just like today.

Here is a memorial quilt I made, I keep it up all year-round.

The 4 "propellers" represent the 4 jets
The 2 rows of triangles represent the 2 towers
The overall Flag design represents the Pentagon
The white fabric has tiny stars on them, representing the number of lives lost.

It's hurts to remember,
but I will never forget

Another one goes down.  

Cycling Road Rage

I flipped a guy off the other day on my ride to work. I don't normally do that sort of thing and I feel bad about it.

I find I'm getting angry during my commute.

I have to cross an intersection where I wait alongside vehicles going the same direction as me, waiting at the red light to turn right. I am waiting for the green to go straight across. I have almost been hit a few times by these right turning drivers.

It's not because they don't see me. I look like a frickin' irradiated carrot, lit up for Christmas.

I have my blinky lights blinking, my dayglo orange reflective vest reflecting, my headlight shining and I also stand a bit further UP than the vehicle I'm next to.

The light turns green, I go, the vehicle goes into the turn also.

The brakes squeal as they hit them so they don't hit me.

I point to the green light, I point to the "walk" crosswalk indicator, I point to myself and then point straight ahead of me. Hopefully the driver understands this simple sign language and is aware that next time the light is green, I am going to GO as I have the RIGHT OF WAY, just like a pedestrian.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I looked it up in the state laws. It's not legal to ride IN the roads here, either have to be on the bike path, on the shoulder of the road or as far to the right as possible if there is no shoulder.

I am riding on a bike path that leads up to the intersection and is then shared with pedestrians as it joins up with the sidewalk.

Also, bratty teens who block the bike path and will not move over also pisses me off. At this point I am supposed to yield to the pedestrians but those little shits deserve to be run over.

Good thing cycling burns off the negative energy. The rage is usually neutralized by the end of my ride. Besides, guns are too heavy to carry on my bike.

View of the tundra from the plane 

Our ride home this morning, glassy water 

More of the sunrise 

Sunrise this morning, waiting for the plane to pick up up 

Me grayling fishing. I was the only one to catch any, 2 nice big ones. Released them 

Adult eagle checking us out 

K.C. the rock dog 

Back from the hunt - successful! 

Funny duck, would come to me when I called it. The sky refecting on the water is pretty cool.  

Got that tooth right outta there 

Captain Balance, taking care of that tooth that has been troublin' him. 

Beer can guitar and hat, modeled by the WOGSTER 

Blueberries - YUM! 

Caribou tracks 

Young eagle welcoming us to Crosswind Lake 

Swans 

The Beaver, our ride 

Back to Civilization

It's overrated, just so you know.

Strong winds did not let the float plane pick us up yesterday so we stuck it out another night, it was just the worst - NOT!

Flew out early this morning, I'm tired. Got a caribou, meat for the winter. It's fall up there, frosty ground this morning. Stars galore...

I started making a bike from beer cans, cutting the cans into flat sheets and then rolling them into tubes. It is my 1st effort at beer can art, the guys have made all kinds of stuff - guitars, cowboy hats, snowmachines or snowmobiles to you lower 48'ers, etc. I didn't finish, will do that on a future trip. Captain Balance is an artist, yes really, check out the walls in the photos. He started beer can art to get the creative juices of the art handicapped going. It's amazing what guy can make after drinking a bunch of beer :)