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I want to ride my bicycle!

posing for the paparazzi April 2010

I love riding a bicycle.  It’s not about riding around looking at scenery.  It is certainly not about the fun of checking out the neighborhood while riding around upright and relaxed.  It IS about testing my engine and trying to do more than I did yesterday.  I’m not an awesome rider, but I try.  If I am not able to make you whimper in pain, I will make you wonder how long this effort will go.  If you choose to ride with me, I promise to give you a work out.

The photo here was taken inside our bike lock-up during the Spring of 2010.  My workplace was doing a “Getting Healthy” article inside the company magazine on the many ways to get/stay healthy, even if you have a sit-down job.  My story was about bicycle-commuting and how it kept me active and always thinking about staying active.  Oh, and they not only published my little story but they put me on the cover too!

Of note, I have been off the bike since October 2010 because of a kidney stone/prostate cancer.  Currently, I am dedicated to the proposition that I must get my fitness back.  I’ll do that when I get back on the bike.  Wish me luck!

That thing got a Hemi?

My Blue Truck

In December of 2010, I got a new truck.  How exciting!  Right?  We found out my trusty steed of 11 years (1997 Chevy Tahoe) was not as capable of pulling a tree stump out of the ground as previously thought.  So I got one that could.  Now really, it’s not like I’m actually going to pull a tree stump out of the ground, but now I can!  So there’s that.  There’s another thing though; we have upgraded our camping experience to include an actual trailer.  It’s 25′ length tips the scales at 8800 lbs.  Yes, it is big and heavy.  Previously, we had been using a Coleman tent trailer for our “enhanced camping experience”, and we did that for 10 years.  And it was EASY to pull.  Since the acquisition of the trailer, we required a vehicle with some additional brute force.  Now we have that, and can go about anywhere we want to go.

A couple of updates to report.  The truck has some new parts either installed or about to be:

• front/back mud flaps (no, not the one with the naked girl silhouette)
• hood bug/air deflector
• color-matched shell
• bumper guard

Thanks to cousin Bob over in Michigan I went with the Dodge truck instead of the Chevy.  My mind was kinda leaning toward the Chevy but I wanted to give Dodge a try too.  Bob has worked for Dodge in some way shape or form for 30 years and naturally had some good things to say about their capabilities.  When I went for a look-see, it turned out that everything he said was true!

And by the way….Yes, it does have a Hemi.

Jessie

On point....watching a bird and waiting for a chance to have the lunch special.

I am the happy owner of a cat.

Or, better said, I am owned by a cat and happy about it.

The cat’s name is Jessie and she is 5 years old.   She is a nut-case in a fur coat.  She will fetch a rolled-up piece of paper, until she loses interest.  She will chase a red laser (we named “dot”) on the floor until she is panting and out of energy.  She hides under things, on top of things, or on the other side of things when you are looking for her.  She will not respond for any reason other than “treats” or if she is interested in what you are doing.

Her mantra seems to be: I am cat.  You are not.  Give me a treat and leave me alone.

In other words, she is a cat.

Our trailer

Trailer Life

our first camping trip of the season is “in the books” and we made it back home with smiles all ’round! The truck did its job getting up the hill, the trailer kept us warm and comfortable, and the cat seemed to actually ENJOY the trip.

About our excursion. When planning for this our goals were:

• get out of town for a long weekend
• go somewhere UPHILL so the truck could show its strength (or lack thereof)
• do something impossible: ie, take the cat
• get a feel for towing a large (for us) trailer

And I am pleased to report: the trip was a complete success!

Our destination took us to the Auburn California RV Park and Family Campground Resort. Their site is here: Auburn RV Park. The park is a short distance away from the Auburn Airport and we were able to watch many single engine airplanes taking off and landing during our visit. That was cool! Having left town on Friday, after picking up the trailer, we had full days on both Saturday and Sunday with Monday morning bringing get-away day.

With an elevation of 1500′ the drive was neither long nor steep…..but it was a workout just the same. This trailer is a significant step up from our previous rig; a Coleman Tent Trailer. It’s larger length, height, and width presented a new set of challenges to overcome during the drive, but I am happy to report it was just new, not difficult. Keeping the truck inside the lane was nothing new, so that wasn’t tough. Maintaining a steady speed was also routine. I guess the only situation to overcome was the added 13′ of length (compared to the tent trailer) and 8′ of additional height to become accustomed to…..and that wasn’t hard either. Or, it could be the added 6000 pounds of weight. Perhaps. Maybe the toughest adjustment was between my ears….yeah, I think that was it. Anyway, the trailer is a 25′ Jayco, Jay Flight. It is brand new and exactly what we have been looking for since our search began. To say we are happy with the trailer would be a vast understatement, as we are both ecstatic!

To Dream….the impossible dream…..(there’s a song in here somewhere)…..we took the cat camping with us. First thing; cats don’t travel well. I have never heard of anyone taking their cat somewhere; anywhere. Easily. Cars freak them out, and Jessie (our cat) took great offense after the car began moving down the road. Her well intentioned and extremely helpful driving tips did not translate well and only sounded like her tail was caught in the axle. AFter a short time she was speaking much more casually and only seemed to be caught in a Vita-Mix on high speed. It was loud inside the car and no amount of coaxing would calm her down. Fortunately, the drive was merely 35 minutes and the trauma was quickly over. Once inside the trailer, her tail went up, her eyes were bright and alert, and she mellowed into the cat we THOUGHT we brought with us. As she curled up into a ball on the end of the sofa, her relaxation was complete. And so was ours!

And now, our first trip is complete. We love the trailer, the truck did its job very well, and Jessie will be joining in our camping fun as often as her schedule allows. We learned some things about what we need and don’t need, and look forward to our next excursion!

Photography

I love taking pictures!  Nature, people, pets, things…..whatever.  My favorite shots are of people doing things and capturing people doing that thing.  Natural expression is a great thing and if you can get that inside a camera…..well, good for you!  Or me.

My latest camera is a Canon 7D.  It has plenty of pixels and is a serious rapid-fire shooter at 9 fps.