Blood Mountain Loop, II

Did the Blood Mountain loop again, this time with a GPS on the stem: ~35mph downhill, a depressing 5mph crawling up. Lake Winfield Scott was drained three feet. Also, Maker's Mark turns out to be smooth stuff, and it nicely complemented my popcorn.

Packing for BAAM

My Osprey Atmos 35 arrived and it really is small, which is exactly what I want. I started stomping gear into it to see how close I'm cutting it for the bike-across-America trip. Once the maintenance kit, flip-flops, food and gadgets go in, it'll be tight.

MMGWH

Music, mimosas, good weather and hammocks. And plenty of iPads and iPhone 4's for good measure. No good evening should be without.

See Boy Run

It's amazing what running in the low-80s does over the mid-90s; the shadows don't start chasing me. Reminds me of the Olympic swimmer who talked to the lines at the bottom of the pool, and only got worried when they started talking back.

iPod Nano Greatness

The new touch-screen iPod Nano, with its pedometer, FM radio, voice recorder, 16GB and 24-hour battery, is quite possibly the greatest invention since Kamen and his insulin pump. It'll be providing the tunes for the bike-across-America ride.

As long as I'm buying this RAM...

As long as I'm buying this RAM, yeah, why not, I'll pick up a Mac Pro and a hard drive too. Serious impulse shopping. Note to Amazon: not all combinations work in any order.

Unexpected Rough Air

Delta now warns of "unexpected rough air" instead of turbulence. A word change like that doesn't happen without internal memos, meetings and re-training, so it must have some purpose. But what?

2nd Training Session ... 1st Day of Hill Training

After my Silver Comet partner dumped me, I activated Plan B: thirty-six miles of huffing up Blood Mountain and soaring back down, roughly 3,100 feet of ascent. Based on the riders who passed me, I still have a lot of work to do.

2nd Training Session ... 1st Day of Hill Training

My Silver Comet partner dumped me, so I activated Plan B: the Blood Mountain ride. Thirty-six miles of huffing up hills and soaring back down, with a final descent of banked turns, flying trees, and deafening wind. Next time, the helmet cam comes along.

First Bike Repair

Six miles from the car, my left cleat snapped in half and I powered back on one leg, grateful I wasn't twenty miles out on the Silver Comet. I replaced it myself at Alpha Bikes. I can't wait until I have to deal with spokes and chains.