Kodiak

Single Star

My big fish

Just chillin'

Scenic

Baldy

Fluke up dive

Hope you enjoy these choice pics from our fantastic Labor Day weekend in Kodiak that I finally got around to posting.

"Rex's With Leaves"

Can you say...

Acute Allergic Reaction? I knew that you could. Today I went on a field trip with my son's 2nd grade class to the Botanical Gardens. The kids learned about glacial erratic's and the differences between evergreen and diciduous trees as well as many other things. Then we went into the herb garden. There were mints of all tastes and smells as well as sage and different types of parsley. And there was sorrel. It's a large leaf herb that has a sour taste to me but all the kids were eating it. I tried a piece about the size of a quarter and spit it out right away. It tasted nasty to me.

About 10 minutes later my lower lip started to itch and developed a little bump. After another 10 minutes I knew I had a problem because the whole lower lip was getting puffy and I was now having trouble talking and was getting short of breath.

I arranged for the kids I brought to get a ride back to the school with another parent and headed to the ER. I got there and the lady's like, "Looks like you got some swelling there" and I say in my best Bubba Gump voice, "I think I'm having an allergic reaction" with my lip seemingly flapping up above my nose. Well, no shit. A bird could have built a nest on the son of a bitch.

Doc gave me a shot of some steroids that made me sleep like a dead person when I got home and gave me a script for some Prednisone. I feel better now but it was quite a trip seeing my lip grow and grow.

As I told my wife about it, with a little of my humor thrown in for good measure, she was laughing so hysterically that she got a stitch in her side. We can laugh about it now and the pictures are post ER - so if you can imagine - it was even bigger. I'm just glad it didn't pop.

O.K. - you can laugh now.

Time Has Come

This Friday is my last day at work (woohoo!) before I start a new job on Monday. Nothing like not missing a beat, eh.

Speaking of missing beats, I've been missing a few on the bike recently but remedied my jones for muddy riding on Saturday. It was the first crystal clear fall day in a while and the sky was a beautiful blue set against the bright yellow birch leaves. As I gained elevation and neared the Glen Alps parking area, Flat Top was set against the clear sky after being hit with Termination Dust. I rode from my house near sea level up to Flat Top via the Powerline trail from Prospect Heights and made note afterward that my ride had 2,800 feet of climbing. To say is was muddy would not do the conditions justice. There were parts of the trail that had running water and others where the mud was so deep and thick it would nearly stop you in your tracks while climbing.

I didn't get too muddy on the way up - it was the descent that did it. By the time I got home I was literally caked with mud. Mud was everywhere: the back of my neck, splattered on my face, caked to my lips, in my ears, up my nose and although I was wearing eye protection, I even had a couple of mud nuggets stuck to my eyelashes. And Fango was a mess. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning the machine and looked forward to the next chance to be like a kid again and get as dirty as possible.

Autumn has been nice and I'm looking forward to the big changes that will be coming soon. Enjoy the weather where you are and if you can, get out in the dirt and mud before (depending on where you live) everything is covered in snow.

Cherub

Kevin and Lisa have been two of my very best friends for the better part of my life. We've spent countless days together laughing and having fun but, as is with all close friends, we've spent some time together when tears were flowing. They're more like family than friends. This could be another post where I blather on about how thankful I am to have loved ones in my life, etc., etc., etc. I'll spare you the sentimental reminiscing and focus on the future. The future is our children and in a short while, they will be celebrating the first birthday of their magnificent son, Blaez. He's still getting used to seeing me because our lives are quite compressed and busy, but I look forward to playing catch with him someday and telling silly jokes. Here's to the times yet to come.

What Now?

It's mid-evening on a Saturday and I'm drinking a Guinness. That's good. Ariel, Alex and I are just back from dinner at our local pizza joint - Uncle Joe's - and I'm listening to a sweet mix I made my daughter Alex. That's good. Michael is staying the night at his buddy Andrew's house and Michelle is at her big annual auction.

There are a few other good things going on. My amazing wife threw me a pre-party for my birthday last Sunday (my big 35th birthday was on Wednesday the 20th) and invited a dozen or so of my closest friends and in-laws. They all brought their children and/or dogs and it was quite a party. The weather cooperated with clear skies and temperatures in the upper 50's. A perfect fall day here in Anchor-town. That was great but there was one better - on my actual birthday I was offered a new job (word up). I took it and look forward to the new challenge and the opportunities for growth that it will provide. My days will be free to ride my bike, ski, snowboard, or whatever I choose to do. Perhaps I'll nap. The real bonus is that I'll be able to spend more time with my family and I'll no longer have to travel to bush Alaska. Don't get me wrong - I am very thankful for being able to travel to small, rural villages in Alaska that I can honestly say I never would have been able to visit. But after five years of it, I'm done.

So there's that. Now I can reinvent myself and wake up each day with a fresh, new purpose. The past few days have been a bit emotionally draining but I'm a tough kid. I thank my wife and children for supporting me and my siblings - particularly my infinitely wise older sister Jennifer - for giving my strength from the root to the fruit. That's the way everything starts. Hope all is well where you are. Goodnight.

Oh, Bother...

Today was one of those days... here's to hoping the near future will be looking up.

We're off

Tomorrow we're taking the family to Kodiak to spend 5 days at sea aboard my father-in-law's monster size boat. Can't wait. Michelle's younger sister Sam is coming as well as her other younger sister Jennifer with her husband Brian... We'll eat, drink, and be merry. Games will be played, fish will be caught, and I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be gratuitous amounts of laughter. See you when we get back. Have a great holiday. bosskat.

Weekender

This past weekend we had a great time. One of our friends put together a bicycle scavenger hunt in dowtown Anchorage. We went in teams and my wife was my partner. We met at the west end of the Park Strip and each of the five teams were given an envelope which contained a list of about 70 items/things. The rules were few: we had 2 hours to find as many of the things on the list as possible and were to document the finding of the items with a digital picture with one of the team members in the shot. Items included the old Anchorage Times building, the Oscar Anderson House, Captain Cook, a cat on a leash, Irish Coffee, a red door, Fire Engine 1, and a block of cheese among many others. We shot 42 items before the "camera" we were using (our kids cell phone) ran out of memory.

The most interesting thing on the list for us was a picture of one of the team members inside the F.B.I. building. We arrived and I couldn't see through the tinted glass and I thought I heard the door buzz like someone was buzzing me in. I opened the door with list in hand and stepped inside. The agent standing in front of half a dozen monitors looked at me like I was Osama and when I asked if I could get my picture inside for a scavenger hunt he angrily said, "No!" and took a step toward me as I spun on my heels and jumped on my bike and shouted, "Thanks... now we're gonna lose!". Michelle tried to get the shot off but she was a bit shaken and all that came out was a picture of her pedal.

The event culminated with a "slow" race. The object was to see who could go the slowest over a distance of about 50 yards. You had to keep forward momentum and were not allowed to put your foot down and could not zig-zag. I ended up winning (hooray for me) and after having a few PBR's to celebrate to completion of the scavenger hunt I was a bit pickled and hooted with glee that I had won. I popped a wheelie - promptly flipping my bicycle and landing on my back with my feet still clipped into the pedals and my bike in the air. A patented rookie move that I wish was caught on video tape. I could have added to my 15 minutes of fame and entered it in America's Funniest Home Videos... maybe even won some money. Anyhow, a good laugh was had by all at my expense and it was the proverbial icing on the cake that was another fun day on the bike.

You and your friends should do one in your town.

Windfall

Had the pleasure of seeing Son Volt http://www.sonvolt.net last night with the gentleman that introduced me the music in the summer of '97, I believe it was. The show was in the Discovery Theater at the Performing Arts Center here in Los Anchorage and it was a nice little venue to see such an organic, shredding rock band. They opened with about 5 songs I had never heard before and the fact that the sound man hadn't dialed the front of house sound yet made the vocals a bit muddy and overpowered slightly by the guitar.

As the show went on, the sound got better and they began to play some of their earlier songs that I'm more familiar with and they really started grooving. Their bass player played a traditional finger style and was whaling on his pearl Fender Jazz bass. The sound became more rich and when they would change gears and play a slower acoustic-ish tune, Jay's rich, soulful vocals really stood out. I need to get their new album because the songs they played from it were great.

I enjoyed the show and was thankful that they came all the way up here to treat us to some live music. Alaska surely isn't known for an amazing music scene. During the show I noticed, from our lofty perch in the balcony, that in the third row there was one of those Girdwood-hippy-scooter chick dancers totally ruining the show for the folks in the rows directly behind her. It would have been incredibly difficult for me to not ask her to kindly stop her earth-mama beaver hippy scooter dance if I was sitting behind her. Fortunately, I picked seats that fully complimented The Guru and my persona's: front row aisle of the balcony... low profile with an easy exit.

Kudos to Son Volt for making our Thursday night.

"May the wind take your troubles away,

May the wind take your troubles away -

Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel,

May the wind take your troubles away"

To Ponder...

Here I sit in the dining area of the Copper Center Lodge (thanks for rural wireless) enjoying a bowl of beef barley soup and half a chef salad. Today I rented a 2006 Chevy Silverado with my company credit card and headed north to bring the long awaited pool table slate to the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah and to interview some potential employees. As I left Anchorage, it was raining incredibly hard and although I was driving a big, heavy truck, I could feel the powerful wind gusts pushing against the vehicle. During the four hour drive I was once again marveling at the amazing vistas as I climbed above the Matanuska River and somewhere around the third hour I spotted something dark in the bushes along the side of the left side of the road and as I looked in my rearview mirror, a black bear ran across the road. It was a nice surprise and it yanked me out of my introspective daydream.

My thoughts as of late have been jumbled up more than the Beastie Boys remix of Intergalactic. The primary reason is not the fact that my hair is heading south faster than October geese that will never return... It has three letters, starts with a "J", ends with a "B" and has a vowel shaped like a circle in the middle. Anyhow, I had a great summer and with the support of my family I kept myself busy (distracted) riding and racing my bicycle, though the times in between have been a challenge for me. My family is as good as it gets but too many times lately I have a furrowed brow, act like a jackass-jerk and take them for granted - which is the highest crime because they are my life and will always be there for me. I've been having trouble keeping my apparent inability to effectively deal with my personal issues away from how I treat the ones I love. This has to change. I have to change.

This brief time away from my daily routine affords me some perspective and in this public (global) forum, I will say to myself and whoever is reading that I will make an honest effort to learn from mistakes I have made and grow stronger as a husband, father, sibling, and friend. I feel fortunate that I have been the one to call myself on my own bullshit (this time) but I know that the loved ones in my life won't hesitate to provide the proverbial looking glass for me to see the man in the mirror and keep me from steppin' out of line. Now you're in: You catch me assin' out and I'm counting on you to set me straight because sometimes I really need help getting back in line.

TOA

I completed my first Tour of Anchorage on Sunday and it was a fantastic experience. Last Thursday was the first stage up Potter Valley road - it was really windy and after a mediocre performance, I was sitting in 32nd place. Friday evening was the Fort Rich road race and I stayed near the front for the majority of the race and ended up somewhere toward the back of the top 10. Saturday morning was another crit around the last block of the Park Strip. It was a cold, wet August morning but the race kept a fairly high speed throughout. The only really slippery part you had to watch out for was turn 3 with big "turn only" arrows painted on the street. I was able to stay up at the front for that finish as well and was somewhere between 5th and 7th... the Arctic Bicycle Club doesn't have a sweet OLN instant replay of the finish.

Saturday night brought me the most satisfaction. The Moose Run time trial is a race ABC holds roughly each month during the summer up here and it's a 10 mile (5 out and back) course with a few hundred feet of climbing on the way back. In mid June I alerted my vast readership (grin) of a PR that I had set at Moose Run of 25:02. Tony was a great motivator during this tt as he started 30 seconds behind me and caught and passed me within about 8 minutes. But that was really of no consequence to me because I was really focused on racing my own race and in so doing, I was able to knock over a minute off of my previous best and roll in at 23:57.

I did my best to carry that personal excitement over to the final stage which was the Kincaid Loop road race. Each lap was 3.7 miles with a moderate 3/4 mile climb. We were set to do 16 laps (which in the end equaled 3500 feet of climbing over 60 miles) and I was a bit nervous because the last time I raced this course, I stopped racing and limped home after the 8th lap. Thankfully, this day was different for me. I was there at the front for the finish and was narrowly beat by Tony B. and Tony T. to come in 7th at the line.

Overall, I finished in 14th of the 26 that completed all 5 stages and had a great time - it felt good to be back in the mix. Now there's a 6 race cyclocross series coming up and I'm looking forward to some epic autumn mountain bike rides on the Kenai Peninsula. Thanks for reading (Bobby) and perhaps the next post won't be about cycling (right).

Hello Again

It's obviously been a while since I've posted and this thing was really neat when I started it... I suppose I'll still use it and try to do it a bit more frequently.

I just returned from a phenomenal vacation in Colorado. My kids spent some time with their Grandparents and I got to spend some time with number-one-uplift-mofo-master (otherwise known as Bobby) shredding CO. singletrack, rollin' on the Denver Cruiser Wednesday night ride, nocturnal lurking in the greenbelt, building a bond with his kids, eating great food prepared by his wife, playing catch with a baseball in the park, and drinking ice cold beer from a cooler immediately following more shredding of singletrack. And I rented a mini-van to facilitate transporting bikes and goodies to the trailhead. It was an amazing trip and I was very happy to see my kids again. They're awesome kids and very fun to travel with - you don't hear that every day, do ya? Anyhow, I don't have any photos and I know that they can make an entry more complete but, oh well... there's always next time.

Fireweed

Last Saturday I caught a ride out to Sheep Mountain Lodge for the start of the Fireweed 100 road race with my old friend Tony Brugliera and his teammate Matt Novakovich. The race started fast for me and straight out of the gates we were climbing. After 10 minutes I was spit out the back of the first group and seemed to be working in vain to catch back up. Luckily for me, a few riders caught up with me and we worked together and caught back up with the lead group at the 50 mile turnaround.

On the way back we rode into a slight headwind and, along with the fact that we were tiring a bit, we had quite a bit of climbing to do. They were the kind of climb that you can see for a few miles before you get there and you have to try to not let that get you down. On the last big hill a few of the riders in our group kept a pace that split the rest of us up. There was a flat section and then it was downhill to the finish. Big Ed Sniffen was up ahead and I stood up to sprint downhill and try to close the gap but the finish line came too soon.

I ended up finishing 10th of 62 starters in the men's field with a time of 4:40:39. I was satisfied and had a good time keeping up with fellow racers. I'm only a little bummed that I was too focused to take in any of the amazing scenery.

Sisters

I have two of the best. I know, everybody says that... but I'm right.

I received a call from my older sister Jennifer - The Seester - after work today. It was a welcome surprise because she lives in L.A. and with me in Alaska, we don't get to spend too much time together - but when we do get to, or even talk on the phone, it's a the beat was never missed. She can hear the rhythm for the drums, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, she shared some good life changing news that is in the near future for her and her husband and I could hear true excitement in her voice. When you talk to someone that is happy and energized by whatever may be on the horizon, it gives you perspective on your own life. I'm thankful for her sharing her happiness with me and hopefully I can reciprocate the next time around.

The younger sister, now widely know simply as Maigh, is phenomenal as well. There were times in our distant past when to say that we didn't get along would be a monumental understatement. With the years since those tough times, we've grown closer and have developed a great respect for each other. We also don't get to see each other as much as we like with her living in Atlanta, but when we get to see each other again, there is a laughter induced spark and time stands still. Then it's time for one of us to head back in the direction of our home and it's unspoken that next time we'll pick up right where we left off.

I can only hope that you're as fortunate as me.

Kincaid

This past Saturday at noon we (Team Allez) began the two person 12 hour mountain bike race at Kincaid park. A new friend I made through road racing, John Cole, was the other half and the weather was perfect for us - approaching 70 degrees and sunny. The course was 10.5 miles of fast doubletrack and technical singletrack with 1,100 ft. of climbing per lap. On my first lap, I missed a turn that wasn't marked very well and added about a mile to my lap by backtracking to the point I flew past. That lap was 57:26 and the next five laps were 51:40, 52:53, 54:41, 53:36, and 52:56. The slightly faster last lap was, I believe, due to the fact the my wife Michelle came out at around 10:00 p.m. and brought me some Mirror Pond Pale Ale. It was supposed to be a post-race treat but a cold beer was too good to pass up. I downed the bottle and headed out for my last lap with Ben Harper in the earphones and the sun just beginning to sink toward the horizon. It was a nice way to finish off a day of racing Fango 63 miles up and down hills through the woods. And John was no slouch - he knocked out 5 laps at right around an hour each... and he stayed cool when, on his first lap, he broke his chain. I started freaking out when I missed a turn - I would have gone berserker if I broke my chain. His persistence to head out on to his next lap strong and finish strong with a few positive words in our brief exchange as I rode away for another lap made the event quite enjoyable. Thanks John... see you next time.

The Good and The Bad

This weekend was eventful, to say the least. On Saturday, there was another downtown crit. I won $40.00 for the first lap prime and Alaska Waste had brought out quite a group. We ended up getting third on the day (Evan Hyde) and you can please check out a more detailed breakdown of the race on his site evhyde.blogspot.com Also, please feel free to check out race photos from a link on akbike.org to Andy Romang's site... They're pretty cool.

After the race, my wife went to check out dogs without the kids knowing. She came back and had me go with her to Petco where they have a dog adoption program. I saw Rex and immediately liked him. He's a cool mix of Shar-Pei and miniature Pinscher. I know - it's hard to imagine so I'll post a picture of him soon. After we brought him home and introduced him to the kids, Michelle took them to see Cars and Rex and I took a nap and I found out that he snores... but it's a cute snore. He's very mellow, loves attention, and is not a barker.

Then came the Sunday race. The Kincaid Loop road race is a 3.75 mile lap with a few hills on the back side that proved to be crushers for me. They had us set up to do 14 laps and the hills are really not that bad but on the 7th lap, I got dropped like a bomb from the Enola Gay and had to work my ass off to get back on... only for it to happen again on lap 8 with a strong acceleration from Matt Jordan. My legs filled with shit and I couldn't get my heart rate up. Patented bonk. There is a picture of me on Andy's site dying the death of the Ming-Wang-Dang-Doodle Dynasty and the only thing that looks good is my calf which, shortly after the photo was taken, staged a revolt of it's own in concert with it's cohort - the other calf. I chose to stop racing and limp back home rather than get lapped, which would indeed be worse than getting dropped. It was a bummer but everyone has a bad day and today was one of mine for sure. The good news is that although we didn't get a win (Matt Jordan had a one minute lead by the time I left) we got second. Evan again. Way to go, Evan... I hope I can help more next time.

The evening finished with having Michelle's folks and her sister and brother-in-law over for Father's Day dinner. Michelle made a delicious feast and she and the kids bonused me out with one of my very favorite movies: Uncle Buck.

PR, Bitches... PR

Last night there was another Moose Run time trial. My previous best time was 25:16 over the 10 mile course in 2002 - the summer before the "accident". During my warm up, my right hip was feeling really tight and it felt as if my right leg was running at about 60% power. It started messing with my head and I was getting really nervous because I had already paid for the race and they were just about to post the start list. Luckily, after getting off the bike and stretching, it started to feel a little looser. I had a GREAT mountain bike ride two nights earlier and I felt like I was getting fast again. I told my buddy Clay when we were parting ways at the end of the ride that all I wanted to do was break 25 minutes in the Moose Run and I'd be happy... 24:59 and I'd be happy.

So I rolled up to the line feeling better mentally than I had in my warm up and I was off. I hit the turn around in 11:30 but I knew the way back would be tough. The slight hills would take a little more out of me and there was a gentle head wind. As I approached the line I was giving it all I had as I watched the seconds tick by on my computer. My heart rate hit 185 and I rolled across the line in... 24:59. The race organizer recorded my time as 25:02 and that's o.k. because I know better. I didn't beat the shredders that blazed the course in under 23 minutes but I was very happy with my performance. It was one little personal victory and a Personal Record to let me know that I'm back, baby... I'm back.

Three Years

On June 5, 2003 I was nearly taken out of this life by a pick-up truck while riding my road bike. Much has happened in the three years since and I'm happy to say that, save for some nagging aches that flare up on occasion and make my hips feel like I'm an old German Shepherd, I can still run, jump, & kick and I'm having a blast riding and racing my bicycles. The following is a letter most likely written while under the influence of pain numbing narcotics - perhaps the reason it didn't find its way to the ones that were there for me until now.

7.15.03

Hello all! So it has been about six weeks since a motorist (whose egregious negligence was beyond comprehension) seriously injured me while I was riding my bicycle. After being struck, run over by a 3/4 ton Chevy truck, and suffering a seizure, I was taken to the hospital by ambulance (don't remember that part) where it was discovered that I had a fractured skull producing bruising and swelling of my brain, a fractured scapula, separated left & right shoulders, a fractured pelvis, and multiple cuts and scrapes from my ankle to my head - not to mention deep contusions in the muscles of my legs that continue to be problematic. Considering the extent of my physical damage, I am very thankful that it wasn't worse. I'm healing well due to the care I received at the hospital and - equally as important - all of the love, prayers, and support I got from my family and friends. It has really helped keep my spirits up. I know that it will take quite some time to fully recover but, with the support that I'm getting, I believe that I will be able to return to - and surpass - the level of fitness I had attained at the time of the inconceivably heartless crime.
I want to sincerely thank everyone who came and visited me, said prayers for me, gave me encouraging phone calls during the difficult ten days in the hospital, and for everyone who wished me well along the way. I would also like to extend gracious thanks to the witness who chased down the ruthless perpetrator as he fled and to the witness who stayed with me until the ambulance arrived. This genuine outpouring of compassion, love, and concern does not go unnoticed by any means - in fact, it has had a profound effect on me. I have had the proverbial paradigm shift and it has reassured me that, contrary to some opinions, there really are good people out there. With that, I must say that I believe all of the attention I have received has been of immeasurable assistance on my road to recovery. Happy Trails! (& thanks again).

Love, KRH

Hope Road

Today was the Hope Rd. 40K TT and I got up at 6:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, shower, and drive out to the staging area. It took me an hour and I arrived at 8:00 a.m. with time to sign in but usually takes longer. I was lucky I didn't get a speeding ticket between Anchorage and Girdwood because it has recently been classified as a "safety corridor" and the fines are doubled. Just as it was put in place, they did a story on the news about some sorry jackass that got a $680.00 ticket along Potter Marsh... I digress.

So I got up to a beautiful morning, ate some oatmeal, and headed to the coffee stand on my way south. I threw in the new TOOL (10,000 Days) to get me in the mindset for the self inflicted pain that was in my near future. It was sunny but a bit chilly as I pulled out the rollers and began to warm up. I was the only guy from Team Alaska Waste that was there and I wasn't in the mood to chat with the Kaladi guys that were warming up near me (although they're a great group of guys) so I plugged into my ipod and jammed for about 40 minutes. The start list was posted and I arrived at the starting line just prior to my start time... And then I was off.

The road is now a perfectly smooth ribbon of asphalt and as you head toward Hope there is a swift flowing river on your right and snow capped peaks on either side. There's a whole lotta photosynthesis goin' on with all the vegetation - especially the Birch trees - and the air smells clean and summery. The race was 12.5 miles out, 12.5 miles back, and turned out to have 920 ft. of climbing. Out of the start it was a bit downhill and I was excited to be going so fast but I knew I would have to meter my efforts because the road had many rolling hills. I felt good for about 2/3 of the race but began to fade toward the end. I made it to the turnaround in 29:08 but the time of my return trip was proof of my waning performance - 34:53. Although I really wanted to break an hour, it just wasn't in the cards and overall, I had a good time. Afterward, when most folks had left for home, I tagged along with the Kaladi guys for a mellow ride back to Hope - we just couldn't pass up some more time on that new asphalt coupled with virtually no traffic.

That was the morning. The afternoon consisted of taking out any left over frustrations by physically destroying a "clubhouse" in our backyard that was there when we moved in. It felt good to get rid of it and even better to be bonused out by my wife with a dinner of grilled halibut, bbq chicken breast, baked potato, bbq corn on the cob, a wicked salad, and some Deschutes Brewery Inversion IPA. Big day. Good day. I hope you enjoyed yours.

Rain

After a week of record high temps in the 70's & 80's and a fire that burned 700+ acres at Point McKenzie leaving Los Anchorage smelling like a camp fire, we got a much needed bit of rain. The air is cooler and the skies are grey with a Seattle-like mist of precipitation. The weekend was busy again with bike racing (woke up tired and flat and got 8th of 17 in a crit - at least the weather was nice... if you so desire, you can check out a cool pic of me on bikeak.org in the race photos section under Andy Romang... I haven't taken the time to figure out how to post links yet), yard work, soccer camp & games twice a day and a fun BBQ up at Michelle's folks for BK's birthday. As far as work goes, I've taken a few days off for me.... "I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob". With that, I bid you farewell for now and in the spirit of Casey Kasem, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars (DUUUUUHHH!!).

Nostalgia

For some reason, I'm very nostalgic. Certain songs tug strongly on my heartsrings reminding me of sad or joyous times gone by, I'm deeply effected by almost any kind of anniversary, and when I think of missed opportunities that will never again get a chance to be realized, I can physically feel a pang of sadness in my heart. I think I got it from myMother and my Auntie Moie... and it's not a bad thing. They were/are forever remembering to reach out to family and friends to let them know they were/are thinking about them on important days. I still always remember to call friends on their birthday. Even old friends like Jeff Jarvi, my best friend from kindergarten to 6th grade - though I haven't spent time with him since the mid 80's.

I have dear friends that are like family and we've all been close for roughly 20 years. We've been through it all together - the best and the worst. My brother Brian and my Anam Caras (soul friends) Max, Bobby, Kev, Todd, Tony, and Rick... It's not very common for people that formed friendships in their youth to be as close as family this "late" in life. It's our tight bond that I believe gives us each strength even when we're not together - the knowing that a brother is there just in case.

I was the last of the group to get married and I was in all of their weddings in one form or other: Officiant, Best Man, Groomsmen, Usher. I made sure that they were all in mine. Although it was a day I was blessed to marry the woman of my dreams, it wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without them.

Here's to good friends, family, and the magical times we share on this ride.

Another Sunny One

My recipe for happiness on a hot day: Iced Raspberry Latte... Might not sound good at first but try one and you be glad you did. Enjoy

Global what?

Coming to you live from the sweet new laptop I got from work... Summer has arrived here in Los Anchorage and yesterday we set a new record high temperature of 76 degrees. That might not mean much to folks in the lower 48, but up here it's great news for late May weather. Last night I had a great ride and was so happy not to have to wear arm wamers or shoe covers. Hopefully the weather is treating you well in your town.

What a Weekend

Following the recent theme of my blog, which Bobby pointed out stands for "Bike-LOG", I'll do my best to bore you with a recap of last Saturday's road race around Bodenburg Butte (although these pics are from a downtown crit a few weeks ago). It was a big success for me and an even bigger success for my old friend Tony. The 12 lap, 82 mile race began innocently enough with the group rolling out nice and easy on the chilly morning north of Anchorage. Tony and I increased the pace only slightly and we got a small gap on the group. We decided to see what we could do with it and before we knew it, the group was out of site. After three laps, I was unable to keep the pace Tony was pushing because on Saturday he was 2/3 animal. As Tony raced on, I tried to recover a bit and thought I was going to have to join the group when I noticed that two riders had broken away and had a good gap on the main field. I joined them and we worked together for the rest of the race and ended up having about a 4 minute lead on the field by the end of the race. Tony was on fire and he beat the three of us by 8 minutes! I tried a sprint for second place but started a bit early and got third place by one second. That put Tony's team - Team Alaska - in first, Team Kaladi in second, and I got my team - Team Alaska Waste - a "podium spot".
Later that night at 9:00 we had a soccer game and needless to say, my legs were a bit tired. By the second half I was o.k. and we won 5-4.
Sunday I cut down 10 trees in our backyard and raked leaves unitl my shoulder was about to pop. Another soccer game at 3:00 on Sunday and I was DONE. So, there's that. Check back in about a week or so to see what's up... That's about as often as I can do this thing. Until later, keep the rubber side down.

Spring Omnium

The new spring stage race was held this weekend. Friday night was the Highland Rd. hillclimb and for me it was, in a word, ruthless. I've yet to become a really good climber and this race was incredibly hard for me. It was 2,230 ft. of climbing in just over 8 miles with some pitches of up to 17% grade. To top it off, it started raining/hailing very hard about halfway up. We rode right into it and I was able to hang on to a couple of riders that blocked to cold wind and allowed me to recover a bit. I pulled in front of one of the guys I was drafting and just at the last second he came around me and finished just in front of me. I've been thinking of filing a suit agianst Highland Rd. to seek damages for pain and suffering and for pounding me down lower than I've ever been - crushing my hopes and shattering my confidence. There were times on that dreaded hill that I wanted to quit, crawl into the ditch on the side of the road, curl up in the fetal position, and die... but when it was over, I was happy to have finished.

Next was a crit out at Fort Richardson and it was a blast. The skies were sunny and the temperatures were approaching the 60's. Captain E went off the front with a rider from another team early in the race and held the lead until the finish, only to come in second in the drag race to the line. I finished in 8th place just after a horrible sounding crash in the second to the last corner just behind me to the left. The rider was o.k. but probably has some bruised ribs.

The third and final stage was a time trail, also at Fort Richardson. It was two laps of a 4.7 mile loop with only about 100 ft. climbing per lap. I finished in 22:35 to take 9th place and gain 22 more points. Based on the top three finishers for each of the three teams, our team - Team Alaska Waste - took second... and I was able to hang on for 10th place of 24 riders. Big props to Captain E, Heavy D, and The Seaman for their efforts. Go AK. Waste!

Today the Mrs. had a great Mother's Day and we won our soccer game 5-3 (I put one in the goal after my daughter took a shot and it bounced off of the keeper's hands). Another player and I knocked heads. I hit the turf hard and now have a silver dollar sized knot on my forehead that will turn a beautiful shade of baby shit green in a day or two. At 6:00 pm I have to board a plane to Naknek and then on Wednesday I'll be in Dillingham and arrive home Thursday night. Next Saturday is the first big road race out at Bodenburg Butte for our team. Sunday I'll be spending the day cutting trees down in the backyard with my new chainsaw. Have a good week.

Mars Drive

Here's one for the siblings... I was obviously enjoying teasing my younger sister with my Shake-n-Bake pork chop. Dig the red shag carpet. Ahh, the 70's in Alaska - those were the days... kids ripping around the neighborhood on dirt bikes and three wheelers, a moose eating our hippy neighbors pot garden and getting so stoned it spent the day in our front yard and might as well have been in a wheelchair, all the neighborhood kids getting together to do our version of The Gong Show in our driveway with parents as judges and a big iron skillet as the gong, broken bones, riding bikes, building forts, playing Kick the Can until midnight, getting stung by bees more times than I care to remember, and exploring hillside trails that are now neighborhoods. Those memories are but a drop in the sea of great times I took with me from my youth. After getting my brains scrambled in an accident a few years ago, I'm more thankful than I can say to still have those timeless moments locked in the vault.

Trip North

These are a few shots from my trip to Kotzebue last week. The first shot is of Kotzebue from the hill just out of town. Shot two is the hotel (grin). I had a blast riding Fango above the Arctic Circle on Kotzebue Sound and out onto wide, smooth snowmachine trails that rolled through the hills for miles and miles over frozen tundra. I also rode up to the United States Air Force Long Range Radar Site above town and just beyond that to the Kotzebue Electric Association windmill farm. It was still a bit chilly and on one ride, an icy wind kicked up on my way back to the hotel and I was glad to get there when I did. The trip could have been a real drag but I was able to bring my bike... and that made all the difference.

Got the Junk

I'm back from Kotzebue and that trip was alright... pictures and post to follow. Had a downtown crit on Saturday and finished in the group after giving my a buddy on my team a lead out. We placed 3rd on the day. Stayed home from work today with a head/stomach ache. More travel to the bush soon and family coming to visit.

Hooray

Oh, joy. Work is sending me to Kotzebue for an emergency trip to put out the proverbial fire - or at least keep it from spreading. I told them I'd go... on one condition: They would pay for me to bring my bike with me. (Actually it was my wife's idea... and a good one, at that).

TT bike? Maybe next year.

Well, the weather cooperated and the morning was sunny and calm (but cold @ 37 degrees). There was a gentle breeze in the form of a tailwind for the start of the race and I pushed myself very hard, managing to average 24 mph over 21 miles, giving me a time of 52:37. That felt good for me and I recorded the tenth best time (of 64 entrants - one of the nine that beat me was a woman and she set a new women's record of 50:53) but there were some speedster's out there and a new course record was set at 46:00 flat. That's just a tick over 27 mph! My friend Tony has me thinking a lot about how much time I could save with an actual time trial bike with a disc rear wheel and a deep dish front wheel, but it's all about the money and those exotic rigs cost a pretty penny. Maybe I'll get a paper route and save money to get one next year. Until then, I'll just have to try to pedal harder and faster.

Roll the Bones

It's been a few days and the time since has been filled with activities, appointments and spring rides. This time of year always gets me excited for the long daylight hours and the increasing amount of fun that we fit into each day. Tomorrow morning is the Seward Highway TT from Bird Point to the base of Turnagain Pass. It's 21 miles of mainly flat road but in the end, whether the effort proves to result in a fast time depends on how hard and in which direction Mother Nature chooses to blow her wind. The road is notoriously windy but the wind usually picks up later in the day so, with the race starting at 9:00 (ish), hopefully she will not have woken up yet to let out a blast of cold wind from the east. I've been feeling pretty good on the bike recently and have set my mind to push myself as hard as possible while at the same time working to pace myself so that I have virtually nothing left to give when I hit the line... but trying not to run out of gas before I get there. Right now the sun is still high in the sky and the winds of the day are getting ready for bed. I hope they sleep in until, say, noon or so. Either way, I'll be out there to roll the bones and see what I come up with.

Busy Saturday

My nerves didn't keep me up too late last night and I managed to get some sleep. I woke to cloudy skies and cool tempuratures in the mid-30's. Any left over nerves were obliterated by my favorite security blanket - RUSH. I cranked the medley that opens the R30 show (best opener... ever) as I pulled away from the house and, as always, got lost in their intelligent arrangements, rocking power, and intricate transitions. PCF, baby. Pure Canadian Fury. But I digress... I got out to Moose Run and there were loads of people and with this being the first race of the year, the registration took longer than anticipated. I ended up going out onto the 10 mile, slightly hilly course a bit after 11:00 am with a few snowflakes falling from the sky and melting on the road. I hit the turn around at 12:13 and that made me happy - but I could feel the lead beginning to fill my legs and I knew that I still had a bit of climbing to do on the way back. I was only able to muster a 14:43 for my return trip for a grand total of 26:56... 59 seconds slower than I was last June. I'm looking to break into the 24's by June so I've got my work cut out for me... But I'm looking forward to it.

Following this event, I went directly to meet my family at another event at the Kincaid Chalet where the Alaskan Winter Olympic athletes were honored again and the Mayor presented the permit to begin work on a new biathalon course, improved ski trails, and new soccer fields among other improvements to be made with some big bucks coming from the state and private contributions.

In addition to this busy morning, my wife, my oldest daughter and I had an indoor soccer game at 4:00. Our team won 5-4 with one of the goals being a sweet shot lobbed over the keeper's head by my wife and another being sweet cross shot to the corner of the goal by my daughter. NIce moves = proud husband/daddy. We have another game tomorrow at noon and then I'll go for a ride.

Tonight is "Game Night" for my wife and her girlfriends which means I'm bailing out faster than October geese headin' south. Peace... I'm outta here. 5000, G... 5000.

Nerves of Canned Asparagus

Yes, the opposite of steel. For one reason or another the first bike race of the season (either a tt or a hill climb) makes me nervous, even if I already have an idea of the outcome based on how much time I put in over the winter and how many unnecessary lbs. I have yet to rid myself of from the dark months. It makes me nervous because the truth is about to be told and although I have an idea, I still don't know for certain... The good thing I have been telling myself is that even if I'm off of my desired pace, it's only April and by June I'll be feeling much stronger and hopefully faster. Of course, this is something I try to get myself to start thinking in December or January but somehow the time seems to drift with sporadic focus. This year I'm trying to focus on the long view and aim for my fitness (and confidence) to consistently increase throughout the summer, fall, and into the winter, unlike in years past where I've had a good June and then let all the miles and hard work fall away by August. So, nerves or not, I'm still going to go out and have some fun... 'cause that's really what it's all about and even though I've got the uncertain-night-before-nerves, once I'm on the road and the clock is tickin', the fun has begun.

Flying

Tonight I was able to go rip around on my road bike for an hour or so before picking up my daughter from soccer practice. I spun out the Old Seward past the relic sign that still stands in the parking lot that was The Rabbit Hutch restaurant and as I was approaching the base of Potter Valley road, I saw an old friend playing with his bike computer on his Cervelo tt bike. We caught up on old times for about 30 seconds and then hopped out on the Seward highway back toward town. We had a brisk tail wind and as I drafted the man on the tt bike, we went 33... 34... 35... 36... 37 mph! That rush lasted for about six minutes until we wrapped around the marsh and started climbing the off ramp for another lap. As we chatted, we were again simply amazed at how fast the pro's are and that they time trial that fast WITHOUT a tail wind. Animals.

One Little Victory

Last Friday night my son and I pulled into the parking lot of the neighborhood pizza place. I went in to pick up our order but it wasn't quite done yet so I went back to the car to kill the three to five minutes. I was shuffling through too many mix CD's trying to find something for us to listen to and he says, "Dad... does that sign with the blue arrow on it say 'Please Use Other Door'?". I said, "You know it" and he says, "Yes!" and I got to thinking about how cool it is from my perspective being able to watch him learn how to read and get excited about it... for him beginning to make sense of all the seemingly jumbled letters that are everywhere. Last year in kindergarten he knew all the letters/numbers/colors/shapes/sounds, etc,. This year he doesn't have to say, "... but I can't read". He just needs a bit more assistance and before you know it, he'll be a readin' menace.

Turnagain

Last night I went for a ride on my road bike and part of it was on the lovely Turnagain Arm out to Rainbow. I rode up Rabbit Creek and down DeArmoun with the sun in my face and although the average temperature of my ride was only 44 degrees, the sun warmed me inside with the promise that very soon I would be able to ride without arm and knee warmers and big shoe covers to keep me toe-sies warm. Get out and go for a ride.

The Creeper

"You're in for surprise... you're in for a SHOOAAACCKKK!!!" Right now the days are getting longer by almost six minutes... The sun is now setting close to 9:30 p.m. It's this time of year when, although there is increasingly more daylight, the season seems to drag. There's more light but no leaves, green grass, or other signs of the new season to come. It's creepin' and all of a sudden - bam... everything is green and growing out of control. It's coming soon and I'll do my best to keep my sanity while I observe... and never turn my back(ack, ack, ack) - on The Creeper... The Creepaaaaah!!

p.s. 25 Rocker Points if you can name the band/song I vaguely referenced

Getting back in the time zone

I landed in Anchorage last night after 10+ hours of travel and had some fantastic sleep in my own bed. Today, though, I've been struggling a bit to get my clock back together after 10 days in the EST zone. But it's like what the monkey said when they cut off his tail: "It won't be long now"... Tomorrow I'll be back on the bike and it won't get dark until about 9:30 so I'll be sure to get in a good ride after work... and speaking of riding, tonight when I was unpacking my bike and putting it back together, I felt a pang of emotion when I saw a spattering of red, Georgia clay on my downtube and thought of the timeless vacation I spent with my younger sister... eating, drinking, riding, walking, laughing, napping, and laughing some more... everything was perfect for me and I can't thank her enough for the time we spent.

Learning

I'm starting to get the hang of this and with some help, I turned on the comment option... hooray for me. Comment if you wish, please. Good day.

Silver Comet

Good day today... Maigh dropped me off at the start of the Silver Comet trail (a defunct train rail that is now a nice, paved path) around 4:00 and off I went. Out 21.5 miles and back the same to make 43 miles in 2:15 @ 19 mph... 78 degrees felt great when I read in the paper today that it was 28 back home... Then it was up to The Mc's for a delicious dinner of salmon, crab, steamed broccoli, bbq'd corn on the cob, baked potato, and wine with a bonus of freshly baked brownies for dessert... Ahhh... great way to finish the day.

APB

A big "thank you" to the guys from the APB team for the rides around Atlanta... You've helped make my time off much more enjoyable... Good luck this weekend in Gainesville!

Greetings...

Hello all... please give me a bit of time to get this thing together. Hopefully after it's somewhat dialed it will be worthy of your attention. More soon...