Route 66 and other to dos........

This looks way cool, and something to put on the to do list.

Route 66


I'm adding a couple of other centuries:

Lake Tahoe

New York Century

And, of course, the old standbys....

STP

RSVP

and even,

Rapsody

There. I've set some goals for 2011.

Good.

Anger

Found this on Marcos' FB page, and it's worth remembering.....

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

Summer in November

My oh my, what a ride, and did I need that ever. 73 degrees in November in Seattle is unheard of. TLF craziness, amorphous and ever-expanding project lacking in direction, resources, leadership, distracted and lazy students, classroom frustration, election defeat and country going right-wing nuts again, ignorance winning, feeling sick for about three weeks, and all made me want to GTFO and into the sunshine.

Time for two-wheeled therapy.

31 miles, and now I feel a whole lot better.

Back on the Bike

Thirty miles yesterday a.m. on a warm fall afternoon. Nothing special about the Golden Gardens>Locks>Magnolia loop, as I've done it many times, but it seems like years since I've been on the bike. Given the crazy schedule and travel this year, the miles have not come as easily as before.

The ride felt great, the Bleriot rode well, and I turned off the head phones for the return to listen to the world and to join the Commuting Peloton.

Nice to be back.

ALS Double Day

Former TLF colleague Gary Guinn sent me a notice a few months ago about participation in the ALS Doubleday Ride and Fundraiser, and I took the bait. Like the Livestrong ride last year, this was an inspiring and emotional event. Unlike Livestrong, and pleasantly so, there was a refreshing absence of the macho Lance factor (Challenge those hills! Game on, Cancer!) among the participants and more of an emphasis on community and recreation, while supporting those who needed it.

About 400 riders moved out from Mt. Vernon High School at 10:15 and headed through downtown Mt. Vernon, along and across the Skagit River, and into the delta area and farmland, toward La Conner. Along the way we passed crops (wheat, spuds, carrots, beet seed, fallow tulip and daffodil fields, corn, pumpkins, even Christmas tree farms), farm animals (cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys), and even some wild life (bald eagles, falcons, herons, hawks and a bunny!).

Rest stops were stocked with regular rider food, well-managed and plentiful, with lots of support and good cheer along the way. The route circled part of the Swinomish Reservation on Fidalgo Island, then headed back up through La Conner toward Padilla Bay. Most of the ride was over flat terrain, so the 54 miles seemed relatively easy, even though I haven't really been training and had no rides of that distance this year. The Bleriot performed well, though the chipseal roads seemed to loosen a few screws and bolts along the way.

Gary was a great teacher, loved by his students, and always one with a good story, frequently about roller coasters, which he visited whenever he traveled to conferences. I was grateful for the opportunity to ride in his honor.

More pictures here.

Garmin Out; Cateye Strada In

My time spent messing with the Garmin Edge 305 may be over. The thing ("Is that a mediated bike, Andy?") wouldn't turn on this a.m., a day before the ALS ride in Mt. Vernon.

Do I replace it? Or, do I go backwards in technology, deciding that I didn't really need all the extra functionality, the angst spent wondering if my bike computer needed charging, upgraded software, measuring elevation, acquiring satellites, GPSing, and generally getting more data than I really needed?

Recycled Cycles installed a new Cateye Strada. Back to basics. Keep it simple.

I've got other ways to GPS.

Perugia and the Denouement

What can I say about the band's performances at the Umbria Jazz Festival? Two amazing sets at the Piazza IV Novembre. By the end of the second night's gig, we are reduced to tears of joy for how they have played, what they have accomplished, how much they have grown, and the sad and beautiful poignancy of this all ending.

First day, we are late leaving Hotel Il Grifone, but bus driver extraordinaire Marco Pranger maneuvers the massive tour bus right to the stage. Set-up, sound check, and they are off.

Basie tunes get the people in the square moving. Ballads are sweet. Dusk turns into night. Feetbone gets the people in the square shuffling. The last tune played on the 2nd Night is Brown Knows Rose. After the encore, the musicians sign autographs and pose for pictures.

We accomplish what we set out to do, and swing all the way.
Pictures here.

Denouement in Rome:

Nolan read from notes, thanking all, talking about jazz family, thanking Brown for all, for putting up with poor choices. This young man has grown up, as have we all. Not a dry eye in the house.

Following was Max, impromptu, once again thanking Brown, but also admitting that he couldn't imagine high school without jazz band, recognizing he would have been lost without that experience.

Colin and Anna lauded the musicians, the parents and Brown. Noted that they see a lot of bands, but Roosevelt is the best, easy to travel with.

Brown gave an emotional and inspiring talk, Teddy Roosevelt's "Daring Greatly." Thanked musicians for overcoming difficulty and peaking at Umbria. Remember the values of the band, excellence; support forthwith group., OK to work hard, to demand high standards of self and others, and to swing! He hugged every band member, told them to thank their parents, tell them about the trip, and to realize that their parents wanted them to have an experience they would remember the rest of their lives.

What a ride.

What's next?