Stupidity Rears it's Ugly Head

Many of you know what I do for a living: Investigate part failures of race cars. It's an interesting profession to say the least. I sometimes scratch my head an say to myself, "What were they thinking?". Maybe I should heed some of that advice...

As you know, I love to mountain bike. It's the full body workout and the thrills that it gives helps to keep me young.

18 months or so ago, I gave a Santa Cruz Superlight frame to a friend of mine. Cathie was a great little rider and she was starting to participate in more and more mountain bike races. The thing that was holding her back was marginal equipment. I wasn't riding my Superlight (due to my Cathy presenting me with a Turner Flux), so I figured, "What the heck" and gave the Superlight frame to Cathie to race. And race she did.

I don't know all of the particulars, but one day her car was rear ended and unfortunately the meat in the sandwich was the Superlight that was hanging off her rear car rack. The car and bike were both toast, and she was fortunate enough that her insurance company purchase her a Specialized Epic (and a new car). She returned the frame to me, it was sent back to Santa Cruz and in no time, I had a crash replacement frame.

So what to do? I had plenty of parts and pieces laying around, so I set about the task of piecing it back together. Begging, borrowing and scraping, I was able to reassemble the new bike. A good friend of mine in the race industry was good enough to sell me a really clean Fox Float RL fork for the front end. The caveat was the fact that the the steerer tube was going to be really short. Carl is a talented fabricator and he sleeved the steerer tube, welded it together and I was on my way, much to the chagrin of Mark, my local wrench.

The maiden voyage was Friday evening at LNSP. The bike currently has a 5th Element rear shock, so I did a quick Google search and came up with the recommended pressures. With a shock pump in my pack, I set off to "dial 'er in". I made it 0.12 miles when I heard/felt a snap and some immediate loss of control. I quickly unclipped from the left side as the front wheel turned lazily full left and I was left standing over three pieces of what was once my new steed.

It seems that the torsional, tensile and compressive stresses were too great and the aforementioned weld had let go. I was fortunate to have escaped with a only scrape on my right shin. Laying in bed this morning, I thought of how bad it could have been, especially if it had let go on one of the high speed sections of the Monbo. What was I thinking?

Excitement, a Scare, and More of the Same…

Church bells will be ringing in the not too distant future as Jonathan, my daughter Lyndsay’s boyfriend of 3 years has asked for her hand in marriage! Jonathan popped the question while the couple was taking a long deserved, end of summer trip to the beach. Lyndsay, an English major graduate of UNCC and Jonathan currently live in Greensboro. Jonathan is finishing his graduate degree in biology at UNCG and Lyndsay is employed by SunTrust Bank. Jonathan has applied to several medical schools and the future looks bright for acceptance and the long road toward his dream of becoming a doctor. Wherever he lands, Lyndsay is talking of continuing her education in a graduate program.

As parents, Alison and I couldn’t be more proud of the kids and our support is firmly behind them. They are intelligent, firmly planted and complement each other very nicely. Initial indications place the wedding in May or June, fitting into Jonathan’s school schedule.

We received quite a scare from ASU, when I was contacted by Travis suitemate, Kyle on Tuesday afternoon. For the second time since last January, Travis was in the infirmary with a highly elevated heart rate. I took off for Boone in the late afternoon and we moved him from the campus medical facility to the emergency room at Watauga Medical Center. There, he was given intravenous fluids and nausea medication. They pumped the 100 mL bag of fluids into him in less than an hour and the medication did wonders to bring his resting heart rate down from 110 – 120 bpm to 55 – 60 bpm. We were able to finally leave the hospital and get to our hotel room (thanks Alison and Mark) around 12:30 am. He was feeling much better, but as of this morning he was still a bit woozy, probably more from a lack food than anything. I got him up around 8:00 this morning and talked him into going to his 3 morning classes. (edit: At least I thought he was going to class…He made it as far as his dorm room and hit the bed for several hours). We visited a cardiologist this afternoon where he had an echo cardiogram (the same basic system to view unborn children). He will wear a heart monitor for the next 24 hours.

Travis’ weekend began with a 13 hour drive to Baton Rouge, LA for the ASU/LSU football game. With little sleep, they were on their way to the stadium at 8:00 Saturday morning. With Gustav threatening the Gulf coast, the 7:30 PM game was moved to a 10:00 AM start. The weather conditions were brutal (80’s with high humidity) and he soon ran out of cash. Not able to purchase water with his ATM card, he was forced to do without until they left the 41 – 10 trashing by LSU. Following a BBQ lunch, they set off for Boone, to return at 6:30 am Sunday morning.

My boy isn’t the best traveler and he experienced motion sickness for much of the trip. Being run down, dizzy and dehydrated, his heart rate skyrocketed and he became listless and nauseated around noon on Monday. I have to keep on him to pound the fluids, listen to his body and chill out just a little bit. His intention of straight A’s for the semester hangs in the balance and I am hopeful that this little episode will slow him down, even a little bit. The home opener for ASU is this coming Saturday and I’m certain that he doesn’t want/need a repeat performance.

Speaking of repeat performances, I was back at the dermatologist this past Friday to have a basil cell cancer removed from my left collarbone. I have immense confidence in Dr. Wolf, who enjoys his art as much as he enjoys hacking on me. He removed a rather large (2-in. diameter) patch of skin and stitched me back together as Cathy was on hand for moral support. The surgery went well and I was pressure washing the driveway in a matter of hours. While I have a difficult time wearing a seatbelt or my Camelback while riding, I seem to be healing well. I will know the results of the biopsy soon and if additional measures are required, I will be waiting until I return from my trip to the southwest, later this month.

Falling Behind

I never dreamed that when I started this blog that it would be so difficult to actually sit and write. But the reality of it is that I write so much on my job, and that the job has been so consuming, it’s difficult to find time or desire to sit at the keyboard and update my many readers (well, OK, so I probably don’t have any readers, but can’t a guy dream?).

This past Saturday my mother celebrated her 79^th birthday. It was a fun evening as my sister Barb, her son Danny (and a buddy, Collin) drove in from Philadelphia (OK, New Jersey, but don’t hold that against them) to join in the festivities. My brother Jim, his wife Cindy, daughters Caitlyn and Carissa, joined my daughter Lyndsay, her boyfriend Jonathan, and Cathy and I for dinner on the south side at Trios.

My mom was born to John and Minnie Leister on August 23, 1929 in Pittsburgh, PA, merely two months prior to Black Tuesday, the great stock market crash that signaled the start of the Great Depression. Like any other kid raised by depression era parents, I was taught to be cognizant of turning off the light when I left the room (“When not in use, turn off the juice!”), getting in and out of the refrigerator in minimal time (“Don’t let the cold air out!”) and just learning to care for your possessions, as once they were broken, there was little chance of repair or replacement. We currently live in a disposable society. There are no more Emmett’s Fix-it Shops. When the toaster goes kaput, you just throw it away and purchase a new one. So I guess that this answers some of the questions as to why I am like I am.

Mom is in great health. She had a tune up a few years back (Oct 2001 - bypass surgery and replacement of a leaky valve) and until recently, she has been very active. A bad ankle has slowed her mobility but hasn’t seemed to have daunted her spirit. Surgery has been discussed as a possibility, but for now she’s going to try and continue to work through it, have an occasional cortisone cocktail and move on.

Travis is back at school, starting his sophomore year at Appalachian State University. His dorm room is a palatial suite compared to last years cramped conditions. He’s the perfect ASU student and he’s very excited about his classes which started Tuesday (Aug 26). The three time National Champions have their work cut out for them as they play LSU in their season opener this weekend. I wouldn’t be looking for miracles like last year at Michigan, but who knows?

Lyndsay continues to excel at her job at Suntrust Bank and she’s developing a good friend base in Greensboro. Jonathan is still pursuing his dream of medical school and from all indications he is receiving positive feedback from several medical schools. Jonathan’s sister Elisha married her boyfriend Jason on August 9^th and they spent their honeymoon together in Hawaii (reportedly with the Obama family). Their dad Steve continues to make progress from his stroke and he was a proud father as he gave the bride away.

Cathy’s oldest son, Brian, moved in with me at the end of July. He is a rising senior at NC State (chemical engineering) and he has taken a position as an intern with National Gypsum. He has been the perfect room mate, he cleans up after himself, enjoys a good beer and we share the Daily Show together. Unfortunately for his mom, we seems to share the same warped sense of humor.

Speaking of warped, Cathy’s middle son, Brad is back at NC State, where he is studying the “Philosophy of Law”. Now that’s what everyone needs when the law tightens it’s grip on you – a philosopher. He’ll make something out of it, as he’s clever and creative. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Brent, Cathy’s 16 year old has started his junior year at TC Roberts in Asheville. Brent is a good kid that just has a few problems making the right choices. Maybe he’s a little bit like me at that age. You're just too young to fit into the adult scene, but too old to hang with the kid crowd. It has to be difficult for him but time will help him get over this hump and make something of himself. College looms in the not too distant future, we’re all hoping that a positive experience there will pay dividends down the road.

Cathy and I visited Athens, GA and the Reynolds Plantation (outside of Augusta) a few weeks back when her employer (Michelle) took her office to a seminar at a Ritz Carlton. Let me tell you, this has got to be the hottest place on the face of the earth! Hell has nothing on this place! I felt like as if I was melting the entire weekend. As a matter of fact, a young lady (an exchange student from Germany) that accompanied one of Cathy’s fellow employees passed out while we were waiting to be seated at dinner. I made a new friend that weekend, as Michelle’s significant other (Robin) and I hung out while the gals were in the seminar. We jumped on the mountain bikes and got in two face paced rides in the sweltering heat of Georgia. I was bummed to find that Robin broke her ankle a week or so after our return (motorcycle) and is currently on the mend.

I just finished reading Big Russ & Me by the late Tim Russert. It was an exceptional read discussing the relationship between father and son. Big Russ was also a depression era kid and his influence on his son was played put continuously in the story. One of my favorite parts of the book concerned Father John Sturm, a Catholic Priest that was the Prefect of Discipline in young Tim’s high school. His motto was “Mercy is for God. I deliver justice”. Somewhere along the line I think that we as a country have lost sight of teaching our children respect for their elders and for the world around them. “Spare the rod, spoil the child” seemed to be my dad’s motto when I was growing up. And to a certain point, my kids were raised the same way. Maybe I was a little hard on my kids, but they have both grown to be exceptional young adults and I feel that they are well on their way to a successful life. Maybe kids need a little more of Father Sturm and a little less coddling from their parents.

Finally, Finishing the Vacation

(Well, it took some time, but I've FINALLY added photos to this post)...
“The man that needs a vacation is the man that is just getting off a vacation”. A truer statement has never been muttered. Here it is, the 22nd of July and I’m finally getting around to updating the end of what proved to be one really fun visit to the Philly area.

On Saturday morning, Cathy and I stumbl out of bed and wolf down a quick breakfast, then join Barb and Les on our journey to Wicahession Park. A few weeks before our departure, I started investigating mountain bike trails in the Philly area. It just so happens that the latest IMBA Singletrack News had a brief article on the formation of the Philadelphia Mountain Bike Club and I visited their website and was met with a warm greeting.

Our ride started with an agonizing 1/3 mile climb up a fall line trail to a ridge above the park. I remembered making this climb with Travis and Matt a few years back and once on the top, we found some nice rolling singletrack. There were plenty of TTF’s (technical trail features) to roll over and test our skills. We were fortunate to meet many helpful locals as we got turned around a few times. All in all, a fun 12 mile ride, hopefully proving to Cathy that she does indeed have the skills to ride just about anywhere.

We returned to the park area, met Les and Barb, retuned to the house, wolfed down some lunch then hit the road to Citizens Bank Part to catch a Phillies game. We were lucky enough to pick the steamiest day of the year, which also just happened to be Italian Heritage Day at the park.

As a formerly HUGE baseball fan, it was really fun to slip back into the game and to see Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the mound in search of his 291st career victory. The Phils ultimately made it easy on him as they gave up a club record (Arizona) 8 runs in the top of the 4th inning, highlighted by Johnson’s two run double and a monsterous 3 run shot by another Diamondback. His homer is still circling the earth looking for re-entry.

Having enough of the blow-out (and the heat and the cost of beverages) we packed it in and headed back to the Xponential Music Festival, arriving just in time for one of our favorite bands, Railroad Earth. A mix of bluegrass, folk, rock and jamband, RRE didn’t disappoint, the highlight was seeing their multi-instrumentalist play two saxophones at the same time.

Amos Lee was next up and Cathy and I took a break and cruised the festival grounds in anticipation of Michael Franti and Spearhead, the evening’s headliner. We had seen Franti and his band a year ago in Asheville and the man can really put on a show, his enormous height (well over six feet) is an imposing figure on the stage. His talent as a songwriter, especially his passionate pleas for a much need peace, Franti commands your attention. His dancing and twirling from such a tall man is fun to see.

After what was a really long day, we left a few songs early and headed to the house to prepare for our return voyage home on Sunday morning. A great, albeit packed vacation had come to an end and Monday morning was looming for all three of us.

More Jam!

Friday started off a little slow, I’ve been having a few issues with my right hip, not certain if it’s related to my back (nerves) or I’ve overdone it riding the big ring on my bike. Regardless, I sipped some coffee, too a shower, read a little, then we packed up and headed into trendy Collingswood for lunch at a Cuban restaurant. The food was good, although we need to stop ordering appetizers, as we get so loaded up we can’t see to stuff in the entrée.

Friday night was a return to the waterfront for what I thought would be my most enjoyable evening. And I wasn’t disappointed. Reminding me a lot of Jonatha Brooke, Dar Williams opened the show with some nice acoustic folk. A gifted storyteller, she held the crowd (mostly female) in her grasp.

We ventured over to the side stage for Jim Bianco and his unique brand of Brooklyn Americana. His set was a unexpected treat. I’d like to see him again.

The showstopper for me, was Chuck Profit . Chuck is a gruff, in your face kind of singer songwriter, and his work is always just a little left of politically correct. His groveled voice reminds me a little of Leonard Cohen. The crowd went wild for Profit and his tight band and David Dye nominated them for the set of the festival ranking. Catch his show, you won’t be disappointed.

Next up was Alejandro Escovedo. His six piece band included violin and cello. His latest album Real Animal was co-written with Chuck Profit who joined his band onstage for a tune or two. Alejandro has made quite a comeback from hepatitis C that he contracted some time back. And the world is better for his return to health. His band really rocked the place and for all intents and purposes, the show should have come to an end there. But headlining was Beth Orton. I love her work, but whoever put Beth on following these two hot rods should have had their head examined.

XPonNential!

Ahhh, some vacation time. Les and I ventured over to Crows Woods/Mountwell Park in Haddonfield today, on the hopes of finding some singletrack. What we found was a poorly designed and built trail that at times petered out into overgrowth. Still, it was good to get a few miles in, just get the legs spinning, especially after the drive in on Wednesday. Les and I had dropped Cathy and Lyndsay off in Haddonfield while we hit the trail. When we returned to pick them up, we were greeted by Haddonfield’s own dinosaur, aptly named Hadrosaurus foulkii. Les being the brave soul showed us there was no reason to fear the duck billed beast and they took a moment to pose for a photo.

It’s so good to hang around with a dog, I really miss having a pet. Max is a svelte 88 pound chocolate Labrador and he rules the roost at the Bowen abode. Just look at those eyes. “Yep, I’m a dog” …

I love to drift through the neighborhoods in the area around Barb and Les’ house. The architecture is incredible. In Charlotte, any building older than 50 years gets torn to the ground, making way for the next concrete structure to the gods of banking. Some of the homes have to date back into the 1800’s.

We dinned Thursday at the Tortilla Press where we enjoyed an eclectic “Mexican Influenced” meal. Despite spilling a glass of water while unloading our BYOBeer, we managed a delightful time. My nephews Matt and Dan are great young men and it’s fun to listen to their stories. Their futures are bright.

From dinner, Les took Cathy and I to the XPonNential Music Festival where we saw the Salvador Santana Band. Salvador is the son of music legend Carlos Santana. A mix of hip hop and rap with some of the soulful underpinnings of his father, it was a fun, albeit short show (we arrived a little late). The setting for the festival, Camden’s Wiggins Park overlooks downtown Philadelphia and is the same basic area where we enjoyed a Fourth of July fireworks display a few years back.

The headlining act for the first night of the festival were the Blind Boys of Alabama. Lead by the soulful Jimmy Lee Carter we were treated to a wonderful night of gospel music. Backed by a tremendous group of musicians, they sang all four of their Grammy winning songs. The highlights were “Spirit in the Sky” and “Amazing Grace” sung to the melody of “House of the Rising Sun”. If that didn’t send a chill through you, nothing will!

Playing a Little Catch-Up

Over the past two weekends, we got in killer rides at DuPont State Forest. On June 28^th, we had a group of 12 riders - Doug and Terry joining Edward and Robin, Doug and Jodee, Diana and Gordon, Frank, Andy, Ashley and Rich joining Cathy and I. We rode the usual out loop to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, then turned and retraced our path up Airstrip, before caught Corn Mill Shoals back toward the trail head, 17 miles or so. Several of us continued up Burnt Mountain adding several climbing miles to our ride. I made the mistake of riding the Heckler, which wasn’t an issue at first, but I paid a severe weight penalty on the Burnt Mountain climb. Still haven’t cleaned the armored decent, 5-in of Santa Cruz travel or not. Note to self – don’t make the same mistake in the desert this fall.

I got in several rides during the week at N. Meck, LNSP and a couple of road rides with Bob at work. I'm attempting to up the ante on my mileage in preparation for my fall trip to the southwest (see Three Amigos). Gotta get stronger to hold up my end of the bargain.

We were invited to spend July 4^th at Tom and Amira’s house in Arden. They have a beautiful home in a natural setting on the mountain. Jerry and Carol joined us. I hadn’t seen them since the late winter and we celebrated Jerry’ 59^th birthday with a sparkler laden chocolate cheese cake from Earthfare. Later in the evening, we took a newly opened road over the mountain to the Cliff’s to a vacant lot to view fireworks. Tom and Amira had recently sold the Cliff’s a parcel of land and they now have driveway access through the gated community. We could see the pyrotechniques over Lake Jullian and downtown Asheville, with some tremendous private displays throw in for good measure.

We returned to DuPont on July 5^th and were joined by Robin and Larry, and locals Lois and Ken. Even though the weather was threatening (and I took a swim at the Corn Mills Shols river crossing) we had a tremendous ride, even adding the Turkey Knob trail off of Reasonover, just for good measure. Lois and Ken are strong riders and I enjoyed trying to maintain their pace. As always, cool Galec’s were waiting for us at the car, then on to Dugan’s for lunch in Brevard.

Finally, I am enjoying a much needed break from the office. Off since July 4^th, we are now in Haddonfield, NJ, follow yesterday’s 9 hour odyssey along I-95 through Washington and Baltimore. We arrived at Barb and Les’s home a little before 6:00 and just before the start of a nice thunderstorm. We cooked out some brats, drank a few beers, took Max for a walk, then turned in for the evening. I needed it bad.