Cammy need Bikey

It's been too long for me. I'm getting the shakes. I need trails...pronto. Between work, house, and other extracurriculars, I haven't spent proper time on the bike. Scratch that. Proper time on the bike trails. I've spent a couple sessions on the trainer...the masochistic contraption. Oh, I smile when I'm on it, but I don't mean it!

I'm waiting for the Rig to get here. At least it's winter, so I don't have to pain for my bike during the best riding days. Speaking of pining for a bike...Volk is ready to rock-n-roll. He heas already taken the maiden voyage on his Blur and received his first flat. Just 'cause they're new, don't mean they're bomb-proof. He also equipped himself with another light, helmet and winter booties. I guess that means we'll be doing plenty of winter/snow rides...I'm down!

Me llamo Bradley called me out this weekend stating that the bike content has gone to the toilet and the beer content has gone way up. Merely a reflection of current times my friend. However, the point is well taken and I will put my best foot forward...Always at least a 50/50 split. Oh by the way Brad, when is the last time you hopped on a bike?? Oh SNAP! (ed note: Brad would probably still school me on the road.)

So what happened this weekend.

Friday: Relaxed with the women. Watched a couple of movies. WARNING BRAD, BEER CONTENT. Had two new beers. Rogue Chocolate Stout...yum-dog. Made with real chocolate. Would be a great dessert beer. Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Stout. YESPLEASE! I also quaffed Magic Hat's Saint Goetz. It's a Dark Wheat Ale. Not my favorite, although I've never had a dark wheat ale before, so I can not base a true comparison. It smelled awful and tasted worse. I wouldn't pawn it off on my worse enemy. Although I wouldn't pawn most beers off to anyone.

Saturday: Had a nice little Saturday again. Did some housework, rolled on the trainer, then headed out on the town to celebrate some bdays with my boys. Brad and Shick turned older so we had a reason to celebrate. Cast of characters: Brad, Schick, Bum, Bucky and me. We headed to Fells Point and ended up in Canton trying to relive our glory years. From the sounds of Schick's voice mail the next day - Bars 1, Guys 0. There was apparently a lot of praying going on the next day. Porcelain God 1, Guys 0. Luckily I got out unscathed. Good times fellas.

Sunday: Are you ready for some football! I went to the Ravens/Steelers game. G-damn there are a ton of fanatics. Lots of fights over overpaid football players due to an enormous amount of alcohol. The game was relatively boring until it got to OT. Then the teams started to play like they were actually enjoying competition. Thanks to Volk for securing the tickets for Hoppe. Thanks to Hoppe for inviting me. We had great seats! Oh, and I think I am going to sue the Ravens for price gouging. I paid $16 for two beers...Miller Lites! That's retarded! I ended the evening by coming home to a nice cheesesteak which my wife secured for me...She's the best.

That's all folks!

Not much

Thought I'd share a few odds-n-ends.

Volk is [cross fingers] getting his long awaited Blur LT this week with conformation from Santa Cruz. He has been getting the run around from Fleet Street Cycles since he ordered his bike through them in June. SIX MONTHS!!! I believe a Wednesday ride is tapped if the weather holds.

I'm in the running to win the Mega-Millions...woo-hoo! Again cross-fingers...I have a 1 in 175 million chance [actual number].

I was lured to the Mega Millions after my hunt for this bad boy. I haven't quaffed yet.

Bliss.

Again with the LONG weekends already!

Here's the punchlist:

FRIDAY - Happy Hour with Hop at Brewer's Art. Volk comes later. We (Hop, Volk, myself) head to a Bachelor Party Eve celebration at Hooters for a college mate, Steve Hallowell. Enter Schrott. Exit stage left to Looney's in Canton. Theme for the evening became AHHWOOO! (think Rick Flair).

THE FLAIR

The Bachelor (aka Steve Hallowell and Bo...Cheers indeed!)

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN
The Bachelor (aka Drunk and Hoppe)

The discussion stages of an apparel line were borne from the cup. Hop and I are thinking of the next big thing....stay tuned.

SATURDAY - I had a nice little Saturday planned. Reupholster my dining chiars, hit Joann's Fabric Store...you know all that macho, beer-drinkin', gun-shootin' manly stuff. Actually, it's a guilty pleasure. Pop, the chairs turned out fantastic. Mom, the wall hangings rock! I thought the projects would take 4 hours or 12 hours...whatever's longer.

SUNDAY - CLEAN, HAVE DINNER PARTY, CLEAN, SET UP MY WINTER TORTURE DEVICE**, WRITE BLOG, GO TO BED, DREAM OF NEW BIKE.

In the words of the little German kid in the Sound of Music...GOOOOOD NIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!

**bike trainer and cyclo-core. my winter's morning cup o' butt-kickin'...HOOHAH!

Whistle while you work?

I don't know about you, but I've had notime to whistle - let alone write this blog. Work has been a lil' bit hectic. It's all good though. I've found some time to hit evening mass at the dirt church with my boy Hop.

Last night we rolled with a little "motivation" to get to the mid-point. The trails were slick and I found myself on the ground more than I was in my saddle. Night+Leaves+Slick Mud+Bike That Needs Attention = Cam on Butt. Don't let my words fool you, I love riding at night.

Oh yeah, what was the motivation?

Hit the spot...Probably would pair well with spicier foods and may be the new secret weapon in my famous "in my own head" chili!!

After we divulged in the malty goodness bestowed on us by the hops gods, we christened the trail the Chipotle Trail and we made haste back to the church parking lot.

Riding in the dark is weird. You are so focused on the trail. 100% of your attention is focused on where the trail is and where it is going. You get a better feel of balance and how to deal with wheel slips and other various obstacles. What you don't factor in is your riding buddy ducking into the brush only to scare the living hell out of you. I think a little poop came out when Hop quite artfully scared the living hell hell out of me. For this, he wins RideCam's First Annual Ass of the Week Award (I know annual and week don't mesh, but I probably won't be handing the award out often - so deal).

ASS OF THE WEEK

Congrats Matt!

Until next time..HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Long Weekend

I'm glad to be back at work so I can wind down from the weekend. It was a long one.

Friday evening started off with me heading to Bill Bateman's to get some wings for din-din. As I waited for the wings I had a couple Brewer's Art Ressurections...yum-dog! The wings came and I darted home to see my beautiful wife with wings in tow. I came home to a voice mail that she was going to happy hour and asked me to come down. Well, I had two nice belgian beers in my belly, a peck of little spicy chickens and a sixer of Clipper City's Loose Cannon Hop 3 Ale to be dealt with. So I told her to have fun and I was on my way to lounging with my co-pilot, Cobi.


Loose Cannon, a part of the Rough Seas brews, was a tasty number packed with a powerful hoppy taste. You have to be a fan of hops to enjoy. If not, I do not recommend it. Here's what Clipper City had to say about it:


ABV: 7.5%
Malts: Crisp English Pale, Carapils, and Munich
Hops: Magnum, Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo and Palisade
Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale is a triple hopped IPA containing over 3 pounds of hops per barrel. Not for the faint of palate, it has an intensely floral, spicy, and citrusy hop aroma and flavor. Available year round in October 2005


Saturday, my family came up to help Kris and I paint our family room and hang waincoting in our downstairs bathroom. My pop did a bang up job hanging the waincoting. It's nice having an expert teach this young jedi. I believe my mom found her calling as a ceiling painter. She definitely amazed herself and I was tickled pink to see her knock out the entire ceiling. The basement looks amazing now!

Till next time...See ya!

Evening Mass at the Dirt Church

Where does one go to find a little peace during a Thursday evening...to the Dirt Church (aka, Loch Raven's Seminary Trail). From this point on, all weekday rides will take place under a veil of darkness. Hop and I hit up our first real night ride (other than Big Bear) this year. It definitely switches up the ride a little. Dark + Leaf Covered Trails = Where is the Trail. It was definitely a blast. I took the Sugar out and left her in one gear. I'm still having ghost shift issues, which I plan to take care of this winter with a new drivetrain.

Funniest moment: On the way back to the parking lot Hop and I were discussing how scary it is to see deer in the woods at night. In mid-sentence I must have hit a tree branch and in literally a split second I was face to face with terra firma. And I quote:

Cam: Yeah, seeing deer eyes at night is scary sh....(fall, and without hesitation)...much like this dirt floor.

I guess it was more physical comedy than literal, so I apologize if you do not find this funny. Hop knows the humor!

So, after the fall, I grabbed my bike from out of the tree and we headed back. The End.

Rock and Roll

ROCK

Made a couple iTunes purchases recently. I have been listening to bootleg versions of the John Butler Trio mostly garnered through Kazaa, so finally I decided to pay the man! I picked up his latest album, Sunrise Over Sea, which is everything I have come to expect...very organic and soulful. I'm a huge acoustic anything fan and for most of the album that's what you get. There's a lot of flavor wrapped in his style - a little rock, a little jam band, a little blues, a little bluegrass. I definitely recommend giving it a spin if you get the chance.


I also picked up Jamie Cullum's TwentySomething. This was more of a surprise for the wife, but I ended up taking a liking to it. He's a hard one to pin a label on, but a safe answer would be a Harry Connick-ish type musician with tons and tons of energy. Apparently his live show is a whirlwind and he's not afraid of doing covers, which I guess means that he's not overly in to himself. He did a decent rendition of Hendrix' Wind Cries Mary on the TwentySomething album. Although it hasn't been in heavy rotation, it's been a nice edition to mix up the musical selection.

ROLL

Hop and I are hitting up the season's first real night ride at Loch. Should be a blast. More to come! I am jonesin' for the JohnnyRide to come in! Man, if this is a fraction of what it's like expecting a new born, I may explode!

To commute or not to commute...

The clocks fell backwards and so has the number of days I commute to work. It looks like hunting season is sparking up and commuting season is winding down. There's just not enough time to get back to my truck before the lights go out. I know there are hardcore commuters out there that ride year round and I applaud them, but the backroads of B-more just don't allow for the convenience and safety factors that play a huge role in my morning vehicular decision. So, until the days become longer once again, My road bike will be relegated to the trainer and weekend jaunts...Sorry faithful readers.

However, the Rig will be working overtime, my mechanical skills will be ramped up during my quest to make my Sugar the race weapon it was intended to be, and I'll have other wild antics to discuss in the blog.

I say goodbye!

The Year Halloween Didn't Happen

Bah, work...schmerk! I was in the confines of Fort PHH until 8:00 last night so I missed the little trick-or-treaters. Oh well. When I got home I did get a treat in the form of a voice mail message, relaying the fact that my bike should be ready by mid-November.

In addition to it typical specs, he will adorn a CK headset and Time Pedals. Sweet boobaka! Hopefully in time to get in a Gambrill Turkey Day ride. Of course these rides usually get thwarted by the Macy's T-day Parade, football, Mom's Chex Mix, Turkey Feast, Sleepy time and Turkey Sandwich. I betcha the Rig will motivate this holiday junkie!

Oh, so you noticed I said "he" when I referred to the bike. He's dressed in all black, so with a nod to my Granpap's favorite country singer...The steed will be addressed as the "JohnnyRide".

An avid cyclist and Innocent Criminal (as in Ben Harper's band) wrote the following children's book detailing the freedom a bike brings.














http://www.benharper.biz/mikeandbike.html

We need more books like these for children, which may be the impetous needed to get them off the couch and on the bike....Obesity problem solved! Some people may know the gent who wrote the forward. Avid roadies may know the narrator. I wonder if there is any mention of "dancing on the pedals."

On a weird note, on my drive home last night through the backroads of Northern B-more County I saw a huge green flash. Between staring intently for deer in the fields and it being Halloween...I think a little pee came out. Because I am on the eternal quest for all things useless information I had to track down the possible source of this phenomenon. I present to you the Richmond Times Dispatch...not sure how I ended up with that.

No more, so make like a tree and get the hell out of herre!