The demise of the"Altamont Farm"

So at the trail head for an un-named private trail is a empty house. In it's yard are two peach trees, right by the curb, and a fig tree (turkey fig I think) that produces huge, racquetball sized fruit. I should say was as they are no more. I rode past said house yesterday on the way to my first mtb ride in weeks and they were all gone. The house has a new roof on it, there was a pile of debris by the road and a trailer full of lumber out front. I assume someone bought it or the family decided to try to do something with it. This is good since I'd rather not have vacant houses in the neighborhood but did they have to take the fruit trees? I have a feeling no one identified the peach trees before removal since there aren't many of them in the city and they would have been bare (it is fall) but the fig trees are pretty hard to miss. Figs are pretty easy to grow and produce quickly so that's not as upsetting as the peaches but to get a mature one that puts out hundreds of really big figs will take a few years and the peaches are gone forever. I know it's not my house and, to get the figs, I had to trespass practically to the front porch but damn! It sure was a treat to finish a ride and stop for a snack or fill up pockets with peaches before the ride home.

Fig was under those two windows on the right

and the peach trees were right up front on the curb.

ALL GONE!

Molly Day

So today we had Molly Day. I went to the office for a little, got some plan copies made then went to the house to get Molly and supplies. First stop was a customer to drop off the aforementioned copies. Then Molly and I ate BBQ and big honkin' slices of pie. Mad props to the Jim 'n' Nicks on 280 in "Greystone", today's pig was extra good. 

Then we picked up a raspberry colored CamelBak Skeeter (she is a girl!)  then it was off to one more foray into the world of work.

 I dropped the original plans back at the office. Now off to the park. We hiked to the top of Peavine Falls... played around the creek and had a generally great time. 

Then we went back to the truck & drove down a little to the big wide red trail trailhead. We rode a half mile or so on the paved road to get our balance set then we hit the dirt. Molly was great! I am so happy she had fun since these things can go either way. 

After a mile or so of the wide trail it was back in the truck for a drive to the single track. 

This was even better! She rocked it! Her confidence was soaring and I couldn't be prouder. I hope this leads to many years of good  times ... but I'll take whatever I can get and today's memories are a very nice start.

ps. to that joker on the MOTORCYCLE on the FAMILY TRAIL... you kiss your momma with that mouth?

cheap beer

Keystone has been my friend for a while. Keystone Light in particular. Don't misunderstand me, I love some boutiquey fancy beer with pretty labels and responsible management but mostly I'm looking for alcohol delivery and at less than $7.oo a 12 pack that blue can is my friend.

I'm going to have a couple... eat  some dinner... drink another for desert then go for a ride. Then I'm really gonna start drinking.   Feliz seis de Mayo.

Viva!

Because I should post SOMETHING

Hmm.,.. what to say?

I rode possibly my fastest lap at Oak Mountain in the past two years Saturday, 1:17. I think I left money on the table / gas in the tank too. I'll try to spend it all next time and give an update. Spent most of the weekend at the Magic City Art Connection in downtown B'ham. Good times. Lots of great art to buy (errrr... look at) an plenty of art activities for the kiddies. We have cardboard box basses, clay pieces, beer cap shakers and tissue paper/wire butterflies. There's also local music, all kinds of dancing and street food (my favorite part).

 We saw B-rent and family, David Darden, James, Allie (Molly's bud whose dad, Jeff, also rides). All in all it was a great weekend. Better experienced than read about I assure you.

Ouch-ita

5:00am was dark , cool and misty but I figured hey we’re in the Mts. and it is cool and 5am so no biggie. 6:30 when the door opened again it was raining. Crap. The car ride was like a load of condemned men. I tried to text Jim n Nick (DNS) to haze them but it wouldn’t send from the valley around Oden. Mercifully the rain stops just before the start so I pack away my jacket but opt to keep the arm & leg warmers on. The start is a big rolling pile. I am luckily surrounded by obviously experienced road riders who shout out what’s going on .. “braking, slowing turning, etc.” and we manage to get off the main road on to 379 safely. The herd stretches out and I settle into a pace. I pass, I get passed but it was a net gain by the time we get to the last pitch of gravel before the old double track that will take us into the woods. The good line is covered in folks obviously content to move at the herd’s pace and a few of us drop to the plan “b” line and pass a bunch of them. Pedal pedal pedal... soon we get to the Womble, the crowd is thinned and I begin to enjoy myself which probably indicates I'm going too slow but I'm catching and passing folks and my goal is to finish so I remain content with my pace. At the first steep downhill switchback I slow up for the guy in front of me (like how I transfer blame for this, as if HE was piloting my bike?) ... too slow, front wheel stops, I go over, air burps out. I replace the air in my tire and get back on the trail having lost 10 or so places. We are descending too slowly for my taste but there is no room to pass. As the trail flattens out I get around a few and open up a little. I'm having a ball and throw a little style off some bumps that come up. On the second or third one I'm super-stylie and come down a little crooked. I didn't replace all the air that burped earlier so really belch it this time. Crikey. The pump doesn't want to replace it, I get out the Co2. It helps but it doesn't last. I've got a gurgler. I pick my way through the remaining trail offering for the two guys behind me to come around as I was a little tentative in the corners but they said no (wha????). I popped out at Stop 1, got the floor pump from Katherine and found the leak. I put it at the "bottom of the pool" and the Stan's sealant did it's job. Water in the bag and food to the pockets and I was back on the trail. Now we're having fun! Holy cow this is some of the best trail I've ever ridden. barely there bench cut on steeep hillside! Smooth flowy downhills on ridge top with 100' exposure to the lake on one side. At station #2 I was all smiles. I couldn't help it. Sgt. Pepper marshalling me in, a walking banana, a gorilla lubing my chain (twice), AND James Brown pumping? Come on! I caught up with Phillip here ( he flatted) but it wouldn't last long. The good times were over for the most part though. The rest of the ride, while spent with equally beat down comrades, was difficult at best ('cept passing Josh from Kansas, sorry buddy). I caught Philip about 40 minutes later despite him leaving the rest stop about 3 minutes ahead of me but that wouldn't last all day. The downhill off Round Mt. was a blast, I didn't understand the "dangerous downhill" sign but oh well.  The rest of the downhills were great though, fast, rocky and challenging. You know, dangerous but curiously devoid of warning signs. I can't say I enjoyed the climbing. Chalybeate was hard as was Blowout and Brushy, I was in death march mode on the last two. I don't really recall checkpoint 3 but I do remember #4. Katherine was there with my jacket (yay K!) and I ordered but didn't get my margarita rocks no-salt. The guy kept telling me I only had 8 minutes to get 1/4 mile up the ROAD. Did I look that bad? Like I couldn't manage 1/4 mile of dirt road in under 8 minutes? Sheesh, I guess so. Finally on the last stretch and onto pavement, head down and turning a pretty decent cadence I hear a funny buzzing sound, it was Laureen Coffelt on her very Pink Specialized whipping past me turning about 150 rpms. For the previous hour or two we had traded back and forth , she grannying past me on the climbs as I walked, me passing her on the downhills. I jumped on her wheel for a minute then let go, who am I fooling? A mile of pavement to go and NOW I start racing?  I finished out at 9:37:59. I was muddy.

I ate pizza, I drank beer, I went to sleep. Upon arrival at home, while washing my bike I discovered a broken spoke on the rear wheel. I wonder how long I rode it like that?