tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156377112011-07-31T14:54:51.217-04:00The Viciouscircle BlogMr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.comBlogger2411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-78262982061629135872011-07-31T14:54:00.000-04:002011-07-31T14:54:51.321-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 7 Coralville to Davenport by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsThe last day was longer than last days usually are, with a lot of hills in the beginning, including a 12% climb on the Iowa State campus. There were no clouds, so it got hot very early. This was a very tough RAGBRAI, with hills, heat, humidity, and a wind from the east for the last three days.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-42700772737670341662011-07-31T14:49:00.000-04:002011-07-31T14:49:10.318-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 6 Grinnell to Coralville by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsLong day, with a wind from the east, and some surprising rollers at the end.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-13248378440025677742011-07-29T21:43:00.000-04:002011-07-29T21:43:51.854-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 5 Altoona to Grinnell by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsDay 5 had tough rollers right up to the end.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-90707431364468227582011-07-29T21:41:00.000-04:002011-07-29T21:41:19.443-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 4 Boone to Altoona by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsDay 4 was short and flat. I had nothing after hammering Century Day yesterday.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-45105497780018420012011-07-29T21:38:00.000-04:002011-07-29T21:38:34.706-04:00

RAGRAI 2011 Day 3 Carroll to Boone by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsDay 3 was Century Day. I knocked it off in exactly 6 hours.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-33420710624379202011-07-25T18:16:00.000-04:002011-07-25T18:16:51.249-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 2 Atlantic to Carroll by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsDay 2's track. This time our campground is next to a motel with a nice public computer and air conditioning. It was a grueling day, nonstop hills, and the heat index is 100.I'll start making proper blog postings with pictures if and when my MacBook starts remembering it has an airport card.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-33747845366183510112011-07-25T18:13:00.000-04:002011-07-25T18:13:52.890-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 1 - Glenwood to Atlantic by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsHere is the track for the first day of RAGBRAI. The first half was pretty hilly, but the second half was mellow. The heat index was around 100. Luckily our camp site was next to the swimming pool.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-48624910449814531752011-07-25T18:11:00.000-04:002011-07-25T18:11:42.679-04:00

RAGBRAI 2011 Day 0 - Omaha to Glenwood by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - DetailsHere is the track riding to the start town from downtown Omaha.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-26745858096290684822011-07-22T23:57:00.000-04:002011-07-22T23:57:53.778-04:00

RAGBRAI Day -1 Eppley Airport to Downtown Omaha by drewinbalto at Garmin Connect - Details

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-75415094552737832562011-07-22T23:36:00.003-04:002011-07-22T23:58:16.614-04:00

Debra, Jim and I are at the Embassy Suites in Omaha.Our room is so huge, you can barely see the T-Bone back there in the other room.Travel out was good for me and Max. He's staying with his cousins in Chicago while we are riding. He was very excited by flying, he is a veteran air traveler. We had an awesome thunderstorm come in right as we were landing at Midway. Lighning and a wall of rain right

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-72885283550271421412010-09-04T21:34:00.003-04:002010-09-04T21:45:34.003-04:00

So I know a guy new to cycling who I think would enjoy randonneuring, and I am working on developing him as a recruit to endurance riding.Today, he was game for a bike ride, and we decided to try an out-and-back route he's never ridden, farther than he has ever gone before.We set out, and we made our first break stop with no problem. We decided to go for the whole route. I told him to be sure to

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-23366135922646375252010-08-29T19:47:00.003-04:002010-08-31T01:01:53.678-04:00

Yesterday, I made my second attempt at a Crista ride this year. I finished, eventually. Here I am, after 10 hours and 102 miles, in 90 degree heat.Most of the reason it took so long was because I got hit by a car. This one here.Driven by her.As it turns out, if I hadn't got hit by the car, it probably would have taken a lot longer. Here's the story.So I started out fine, but after 10 miles I got

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-75454406725882759202010-08-29T19:42:00.003-04:002010-08-30T23:29:01.078-04:00

This was written a week after the fact. I decided to write a late update on this because I am annoyed that I can tour days on end with no difficulties, and then the first two DC Randonneur training rides I try when I get back turn into fiascoes.So here I am after the first one, sitting in a park and ride outside Upper Marlboro waiting for Debra to come rescue me.These rides are organized by

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-3226058818586754492010-08-11T22:09:00.004-04:002010-08-11T22:16:30.668-04:00

I'm home.There is not much to report for the last day. The ride home from Frederick is one I've done plenty of times. It was hot, humid, and hilly, with temps in the 90s, a heat index near 100, and Code Orange air pollution. Welcome home.I stopped off at Mt. Airy to take a break and look at the bikes. I got home around 2:30.I ended up doing over 1000 miles in 10 days. Mission complete.Here is the

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-82370214538007679742010-08-08T22:14:00.003-04:002010-08-08T22:44:56.517-04:00

It was only 100 miles even, but it was a hard 100 miles.For starters, yesterday was a very long day, which ended in a primitive camp site with no shower. Then there was 40 miles of very bumpy towpath. Somewhere in that, I lost my camera, which devastated my outlook on life, because it was full of cool pictures from yesterday. Last, I went on regular old roads from Big Pool to Frederick, which

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-64816383026523168362010-08-08T21:54:00.005-04:002010-08-08T22:13:47.850-04:00

This is where I spent the night.I don't see any wifi. I'm posting this the next day.This was an absolutely awesome day of riding. I did most of the Great Allegheny Passage trail. It was 116 miles of unpaved, but very smooth trail to Cumberland, MD, where there were no motel rooms to be had. So I ate dinner, and rode 8 miles down the towpath, and stayed at a primitive hiker/biker site.I can't say

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-58198205613968240532010-08-06T19:39:00.006-04:002010-08-06T20:14:09.398-04:00

Howdy from West Newton, Pennsylvania!I'm 20 miles down the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail, where my "Bed and Breakfast" is 500 yards away, and the wifi is conveniently located at the Trailside Pub.Where it's Hurricane Night. I AM SO HAPPY.This B&B thing could be weird. It's $85. That would be a lot, except the alternatives are primitive camping (the "shower" is called the Youghiogheny River.)

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-18765427314399207542010-08-05T22:25:00.003-04:002010-08-05T22:47:05.237-04:00

Tough day today. There are now hills. I did 107 miles anyway, but I didn't get in until 7:30.Part of it was I got off to a late start. I fixed a slow leak in the front tire before I left (and destroyed one spare inner tube in the process). Also I had to stop at Maw's Place for breakfast.It seems the Cuyahoga River is in the bottom of a deep gorge. All I knew was it used to catch fire. Not only is

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-30260693373472201872010-08-04T21:02:00.003-04:002010-08-04T21:26:16.354-04:00

Here I am at the 6 in Milan (pronounced MY-ln) Ohio. It's brutally humid, and 90 degrees out.I rode 116 miles today. It was actually a pretty nice day, because around noon there was a massive thunderstorm, which was very refreshing. That blast of wind right before the rain hits was at my back, and I kept it that way for about 10 miles.It was flat flat flat all day, lots of corn and soybeans. Then

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-80879803245997584632010-08-03T21:13:00.003-04:002010-08-03T22:12:17.832-04:00

Here I am after my fourth straight 100+ mile day in Holiday City, Ohio!Holiday City (pop. 49) is probably the last place you would ever want to spend a holiday. It is an exit off the Ohio Turnpike, with a car auction, a tow garage, two gas stations, a diner and three motels. I'm in the Econo Lodge, which appears to be the middle in quality.Today started bad, but turned out well. When I woke up

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-29114535127575035492010-08-02T21:42:00.006-04:002010-08-02T22:31:43.478-04:00

Today was a day of obstacles.The obstacles were:* My digestive system is better, but still a mess.* I discovered it wasn't my legs getting shorter, but my seat has been sliding back.* The fabulous route.* My rear tire exploded.* The pavement on the road went away with no warning.* There are no motels in Buchanan Michigan.All obstacles were overcome, resulting in a very long 113 mile day.The

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-43459671067139051562010-08-01T22:21:00.004-04:002010-08-01T22:28:28.420-04:00

It was so brutal today that I forgot to take a picture.I am in Lisle, IL, at Murray's house, our friend from RAGBRAI. Today was 103 miles of mostly flat corn fields, mid 80's, mostly sunny, no wind.Not a problem, except I ate something bad recently, had stomach cramps all day, and had to stop for the bathroom every hour. I still did over 100 miles. :-)Here is where I tried to eat lunch, in the

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-85667881436598837342010-08-01T06:55:00.000-04:002010-08-01T07:39:06.241-04:00

Here I am in the Super 8, after 116 miles, with hills. 65 of the miles were in loaded touring mode. It was one tough day.I look a lot better at the end of RAGBRAI, after only 51 miles.This was a very hard last day. The RAGBRAI planners thought it would be cool to put in a hill 15 miles from the end that had a 19% grade for a half mile. Almost everyone was walking their bikes up it. I rode it, and

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-27005538205010343212010-07-31T22:28:00.003-04:002010-07-31T22:54:46.729-04:00

If I look soggy it's because I am. It was 65 miles, and it started raining 3 miles after I left Waterloo. It stopped the moment I arrived at camp. From then on, it was beautiful. During the ride it was all downpour, thunder, and lightning. I should have slept in.I didn't take any pictures during the ride because my camera was packed away safe and dry.Look what I found in the microbrew cooler:It's

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-84405146100108518862010-07-29T20:08:00.003-04:002010-07-29T20:17:19.237-04:00

Another beautiful day, 85 miles, and I felt great. I hammered it, and was in before noon.Since I was on a mission, I only took one picture, while I was eating a pizza slice at the halfway point.So I'm happily sitting here in the student center cafeteria at Hawkeye community college, across the street from my tent, with high speed wifi, in air conditioned comfort. I can't read about The Girl Who

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-64609704196115624972010-07-29T19:30:00.005-04:002010-07-29T20:08:14.148-04:00

(Stieg Larsson has made me write this the day after it happened.)The thunderstorms the night before lowered the temperature to the mid 80s and took away the humidity. The result was an absolutely gorgeous day.Here is a picture of a town on the RAGBRAI route in the morning before the crowd hits. I don't remember why I took it.The town of Swaledale had this magnificent contraption running. The Des

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-88083784192269671112010-07-29T19:07:00.003-04:002010-07-29T19:29:45.817-04:00

(This is the report from Tuesday, but I'm writing it on Thursday because I've been obsessively reading the Swedish trilogy about the Girl who Did Various Things.)It was only 60 miles. It was also only in the 90s with a head index around 104. In other words, a brutal day, even though I started early.I think the next two pictures are in Garner, but Garner isn't so far from Eagle Grove (the best

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-63646366983673135612010-07-26T22:49:00.004-04:002010-07-27T07:04:52.066-04:00

Today was Century Day. It was flat, with a strong tailwind for about half the route.I did it with jut under 6 hours of pedal time. I feel great.Here are Suzanne and Laura back at Storm Lake, first thing in the morning. Laura insisted on taking a bunch of pictures.I stopped for a pulled pork sandwich in Pocahontas. I'm way ahead of the pack here. It's about 8:30 at this point.The Century Loop is

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-48783323657145227332010-07-26T22:28:00.002-04:002010-07-26T22:48:50.546-04:00

Here is the end of a pretty hard day 1, in beautiful Storm Lake.It was 71 miles of nonstop rolling hills, not what you would expect from what has been billed as the third flattest RAGBRAI ever. The rest of this must be on a salt lake bed.Here is a picture I took, but now I don't remember where. It doesn't matter, almost every town in Iowa looks like this. You have your grain elevator, your

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-19344617039561727862010-07-26T21:36:00.005-04:002010-07-26T22:28:33.933-04:00

(This is actually being written two days after the fact due to lack of Internet access)RAGBRAI has begun!It was 84 miles of flat riding right into a stiff headwind. I rode with Jim, Suzanne, and Laura, which means it took forever. We left at 9:30 am and got in at 8:30 pm.Here is the T-Bone, loaded and ready to go at the Super 8 in Blair. I have everything I need on there for self-contained

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-75683148510531371042010-07-23T23:54:00.004-04:002010-07-24T08:48:36.179-04:00

It's so nice to be riding the bike. Even if it's 90 degrees out and humid.I am ensconced in the Super 8 in Blair, Nebraska, which is a favorite stopover on the way to RAGBRAI.The first trauma of the trip was when I was packing last night, Debra couldn't find her camera, which she was going to let me bring. This was at 10:00, after the stores were closed. So I was shopping for cameras online, and

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-59140596815302799152009-05-17T11:14:00.003-04:002009-05-17T11:37:01.612-04:00

I love spring. My flowers are blooming.And I have the garden in.But here is the challenge of the day. Debra bought in a very nice new couch for the living room.It clearly needs a picture above it. I have spent the morning scouring the internet for an appropriate picture. I have a notion that a Hudson River School landscape might be good, and I'd like something that has a local connection, and

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-74786998814985326682009-03-27T20:05:00.004-04:002009-03-29T22:35:58.573-04:00

OK, here are all the crocuses, and what I believe are their varieties:Snow Buntingtommasinianus "Tommies"tommasinianus Albustommsinianus PictusPeter PanVanguard"African-American Lad" and King of the Striped

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-91140383215938897822009-03-27T19:52:00.002-04:002009-03-27T20:03:42.164-04:00

Day 0 - Airport to Hotel in Little Rock, ARDay 1 - Little Rock to Stuttgart, ARDay 2 - Stuttgart to West Helena, ARDay 3 - West Helena, AR to Clarksdale, MSDay 4 - Clarksdale to Greenville, MSDay 5 - Greenville to Vicksburg, MSDay 6 - Vicksburg to Natchez, MSDay 7 - Natchez, MS to Baton Rouge, LADay 8 - Baton Rouge to Kenner, LADay 9 - Kenner to New Orleans, LA

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-5332971988979412552009-03-22T15:00:00.001-04:002009-03-22T15:00:58.610-04:00

It's great to be in New Orleans, bet very sad to be done with the bike ride.While Jim rode to the airport to get the rental car, I had a very leisurely ride through Kenner, Metarie, and northwest New Orleans to get to the hostel. It was a beautiful sunny spring morning. I got stuck behind a train in Metarie. I came into New Orleans on Canal Street. I rode around the French Quarter, then went

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-82184790670593221012009-03-21T13:04:00.000-04:002009-03-21T16:27:04.058-04:00

Are we in New Orleans? No. We are at the Motel 6 next to the airport so Jim can conveniently pick up a rental car tomorrow. Jim is done. I say you didn't ride your bike to New Orleans until you've ridden your bike to New Orleans. And we had quite a gruesome ride today to get almost to New Orleans where there is lots of fun stuff to do, but not quite. We rode 70 miles, about 60 of them on the "

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-37569256802126602452009-03-19T23:37:00.001-04:002009-03-19T23:37:27.025-04:00

Today was all about racking up the miles. 106. That's a lot. We conquored hills in southern Mississippi, and horrible roads and traffic in Louisiana.The weather was perfect, temperature around 80, and a light tailwind. I'm really beat but I feel good. No good food today. Breakfast was a Shoney's, where a local cyclist saw our bikes and tipped off to the terrific oscure back road that kept us off

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-16378610271649287512009-03-19T22:58:00.001-04:002009-03-19T22:58:10.143-04:00

It was 75 miles of easy hills today, with perfect sunny weather; temperatures were in the 70s. The first 25 miles were on the horrifying Highway 61. Look at that spacious shoulder! Look at the speed limit. This is basically riding on the interstate, in traffic. At Port Gibson, we had lunch at Sonic, the only option. Woe. We had hopes for this restaurant/laundromat/car was, but the restaurant part

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-446738312207591672009-03-18T08:56:00.000-04:002009-03-18T09:19:33.411-04:00

It was a very long day. 92 miles and nearly 9 hours of pedaling. We only got in before dark because of fortuitous tailwinds in the afternoon. Vicksburg has a very nice historic downtown, with lots of places to eat. Unfortunately, all the motels are outise of town next to a mall. So we wound up at "Garfield's" in the mall. They had Electrolyte Replenishment Therapy, which is alwayys a good thing.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-17815659448227808952009-03-16T23:18:00.001-04:002009-03-16T23:18:59.826-04:00

Clarksdale was a blast, but getting there was an adventure. This is because Helena, Arkansas is a desolate, abandoned wasteland. It was foggy in the morning, and I found a restaurant in downtown Helena, the "Roadkill Grill", that opened at 10 on Sundays. So we loafer around the 6 until the fog lifted and rode the 7 miles to downtown. We sure were hungry when we got there. Here's the Roadkill

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-28317877618634451142009-03-16T22:49:00.001-04:002009-03-16T22:49:20.993-04:00

78 miles in just under 7 hours. The forecast said high near 70 and partly cloudy, but it never got over 60 and the sun never came out. It's because I bought sun block. They were right about the modest tailwind. We had breakfast at the Rat recommended Haven's Rest, a regular diner run by Lebanese folks. I hammered out 40 miles to Rosedale, and then spent an hour waiting for Jim here at Williams'

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-14439364641633465522009-03-16T10:03:00.001-04:002009-03-16T22:56:19.898-04:00

This afternoon when we are riding in, about two blocks before our hotel, there is a giant cloud of smoke coming from a giant barbequeue cooker in front of what appears to be an abandoned building. As we rode by, we saw a big black guy cooking a mountain of pork products. We were chatting with Rat about where to eat, and he says he heard Red was going to open up tonight. "Is that the big cloud of

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-8342567474799698092009-03-16T09:59:00.001-04:002009-03-16T22:59:10.125-04:00

This is the coolest town in the universe. "You women have heard of jalopies,You heard the noise they make.Let me introduce my new Rocket 88. Yes it's straight, just one way. Everybody likes my new Rocket 88."This might not sound like much but lots of people claim it's the first rock and roll song. Ike Turner wrote it in 1947 or thereabouts. In the basement of our hotel. We spent the afternoon

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-2829332810986569542009-03-14T21:58:00.001-04:002009-03-14T21:58:55.900-04:00

I am at the Mexican restaurant drinking a Dos Equis, the beer of two gringo horses. The don't have a liquor license, so there will me no electrolyte replenisment therapy (Margaritas). I find it hard to believe they turn down anyone for liquor licenses in Helena, which is not exactly a shining beacon of prosperity. I'd have to say, now that we've nearly ridden all the way across Arkansas, that

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-85165663667161787732009-03-13T21:24:00.000-04:002009-03-13T21:29:01.219-04:00

About five miles outside England, this stupid little dog ran out and chased me. I thought it would be great if that dog got hit by a car. Jim was a ways behind me. When the dog ran out and chased Jim, it was run over by a truck. -- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-88678716833137304932009-03-13T21:00:00.001-04:002009-03-13T21:00:00.387-04:00

This is the last time it wasn't raining today. We did 55 miles in 5 hours, temperature as 40, wit a headwind for the last half. It was a tough day. We have no desire whatsoever to go put in the rain to find food. We are staying right here in our toasty warm room. The gal working the desk gave us the pizza delivery number, and the gas station across the street has bad beer. Jim decided it would

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-73933362542155461192009-03-13T13:55:00.003-04:002009-03-23T20:20:44.395-04:00

We are halfway done for today, in England.The happy pig cooker made it easy to decide where to eat.It's about 40 degrees out, and you get cold fast when you stop pedaling. No rain yet, we are feeling lucky.Here's a better picture of the state Capitol.It's completely flat, and the scenery is dilapidated agricultural. This region is no boomtown. We're making about 12 mph, with a moderate crosswind.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-66102406567880302472009-03-13T09:06:00.001-04:002009-03-13T09:06:17.479-04:00

It's 35 degrees out. The rain isn't going to really start until 3:00.-- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-19734544077938886402009-03-12T18:53:00.001-04:002009-03-12T18:53:27.570-04:00

We rode 7 miles to the Legacy Hotel, which is a real hotel. Our bikes are stashed in the back of the ballroom.We can see the state Capitol right down the street.Some rent-a-cop came out and demanded to inspect my picture, and to make sure my iPhone was not a measuring device that could determine the distance between a hypothetical truck bomb and the federal building where he was working. We are

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-32624886137379823312009-03-12T10:40:00.001-04:002009-03-12T10:40:46.647-04:00

Drew: They changed the forecast from rain.Jim: Do you think we can get some miles in today?Drew: They changed it to sleet. -- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-30741652596538389912009-03-12T10:27:00.001-04:002009-03-12T10:27:33.470-04:00

We always get to wait in the long line at the airport. -- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-39719514786017724982009-03-12T09:34:00.001-04:002009-03-12T09:34:27.961-04:00

The spring bike ride is Little Rock to New Orleans this year.The forecast for Little Rock tonight and tomorrow is sleet. -- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-46435515258347892092009-03-11T18:37:00.000-04:002009-03-11T18:38:01.931-04:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-57389134526011029442009-03-08T23:09:00.002-04:002009-03-08T23:12:26.733-04:00

Here is the list of varieties for this year:White tomesolGreen MoldovanAunt Ruby'sGreen zebraOrange flesh purple smudgeAnana's noirDjena Lee's goldenYellow brandywineBig rainbowHillbillyKellog's breakfastAmana orangeHankOxheartMortgage lifterGranny Cantrell's German red/pinkBrandywine (Suddith's)Cherokee purplePurple CalabashBlack KrimCarbonBlack seamanAmish PasteI realize 23 kinds is totally

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-77888956458359357172009-03-05T07:58:00.000-05:002009-03-05T08:01:53.243-05:00

Spring is coming.It was 6 degrees night before last.-- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-14467602906810969622009-02-26T20:05:00.001-05:002009-02-26T20:05:57.490-05:00

Max and his mama are playing Candy Land. Mama asks Max if he remembers the rules.Max, annoyed, replies"NO HITTING, NO PULLING HAIR, and NO BITING!"-- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-20077535224084367832009-02-25T22:38:00.001-05:002009-02-25T22:38:44.836-05:00

The girls were giving away mardi gras beads and free samples of some vile drink involving Red Bull.Max has been asking "Where's 'em goirls?" all day long. -- Post From My iPhone

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-79315138743891319472009-01-25T22:06:00.005-05:002009-01-25T22:35:57.616-05:00

So today I took the Z-Bone out for the first time. I've got it all set up how I want. I did my standard 20 mile ride around BWI. It was 32 degrees out and calm. The roads were all dry, there was no ice to be seen.I need to get in shape for a mini-tour I'm doing in a month, so Friday, I did the same loop on the Trice (1:55), and on Saturday on the T-Bone (1:30, with a 20 mph wind). Today the

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-76602955888204478852009-01-15T18:57:00.000-05:002009-01-15T18:57:56.612-05:00

Check it out - I am famous:Google Maps Mania: The Short Flight of 1549 on Google Maps

Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10153907246559949063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-544545697487376832009-01-04T20:34:00.003-05:002009-01-04T21:08:19.553-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've been riding bikes. Max takes a big bite out of the day.But last week, I saw a Reynolds Weld Lab Dual 700 Z-Bone on E-Bay, and I decided a new bike would be just the thing to get me back on the road. Especially a bike from the Reynolds Weld Lab, which is basically the garage of George Reynolds, mad genius of Derry, NH.. George is no longer making bikes. Recumbent

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-3499702359163937622008-07-17T19:39:00.007-04:002008-07-17T20:31:40.133-04:00

Today's adventure was to go to Minnesota to inspect the 3/4 acre of land my Aunt Peggy gave me. But first I had to get past my niece and nephew to leave. They were opposed to the idea.On the way I stopped off in LaCrosse, Wisconsin to visit the World's Largest Six Pack.This is at an old Heileman plant, which is now making microbrews. The World's Largest Six Pack used to be Old Style. I'm glad

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-24803856844894338162008-07-16T22:50:00.004-04:002008-07-16T23:17:53.875-04:00

I am on my way to RAGBRAI.Tuesday, I said goodbye to Debra and Max, and my garden, which I spent the weekend getting in to shape.I picked about 5 lbs of green beans, which Debra is going to freeze, and some Okra, which I have brought here to Winnetka for my sister Kate. We had it for dinner.I also said goodbye to my tomatoes, which are a couple weeks away from the first ripe ones.(More garden

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-9915372250154829322008-04-20T21:10:00.005-04:002008-04-20T21:55:10.105-04:00

For years, one of my favorite ways to torment my wife (a native of New York City) was to talk about how great it would be when the day finally comes and we retire and move to West Virginia.I haven't had to do this lately, since living on Race Road might as well be West Virginia, even though the goat up the street (see here and here) is gone. I hear he was killed by the neighbors' pit bulls.Anyway

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-70396799001198201902008-04-20T21:01:00.003-04:002008-04-20T21:09:10.521-04:00

Sometimes it's fun to wear an octopus hat.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-77507899940905305522008-04-19T11:15:00.005-04:002008-04-19T11:53:42.597-04:00

My bulbs just came in the mail. I can't plant them for a couple weeks, though. So all I can do is figure out where to put them.Here's what I have:GladiolusAtom red smallFriendship pink White Goddess whiteFidelio purpleDahliasJersey Beauty 6-7 Pink Old Gold 5-6 Gold Kaiser Wilhelm 4-5 Yellow-Burgundy smallArab Queen

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-79482253000382123452008-03-30T21:22:00.005-04:002008-03-30T22:30:32.313-04:00

I rode the Lost River 200k yesterday. I finished 26 hours ago, and I have now sufficiently recovered to make a blog entry.It was quite a challenging ride. 127 miles and 9650 feet of climb according to the Garmin Edge 305. We had to go over Wolf Gap both directions and Mill Gap (near Lost River, WV) both directions. Westbound up Wolf Gap has 2 solid miles at 12%. The rest of the climb is not quite

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-46737612580283646962008-03-24T22:08:00.003-04:002008-03-24T22:39:22.575-04:00

Since I only rode half a fleche, I could do stuff the next day besides lying on the coach sleeping.So I planted my potatoes. This meant finding straw, which is not something you realize is hard to find until you need some. After driving all over creation, I got lucky at Watson's in Towson. It was $11/bale though, which seems outrageous to me.The potato varieties I planted are (left to right)Yukon

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-18675199846922372752008-03-24T00:10:00.000-04:002008-03-24T22:03:57.917-04:00

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-49050049464010752152008-03-23T22:37:00.006-04:002008-03-24T22:08:19.147-04:00

This weekend was Team Torque's third attempt at the Fleche, where we ride from Dewey Beach, Delaware to Arlington VA, a distance of 240 miles, in 24 hours. We Did Not Finish this year, making me 1 for 4 on fleches, and 1 for 3 on the Eastern Shore route.This year, Team Torque was me and Scott and Kristin, a Bachetta-riding couple from just up the road in Linthicum. We are all recumbent this

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-91445629049747707302008-03-16T11:47:00.005-04:002008-03-16T12:18:52.990-04:00

Yesterday was our cushion day, so we set out to see how much fun we could have in Little Rock.Here is the big city skyline from the freeway overpass at the airport. We're in a cheap motel way out here.So many enticements.The big event of the day was the St. Patrick's day parade, everyone was there! This is the Arkansas Search and Rescue Dog Society.Here are some guys playing Irish music in the

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-45294922428637203382008-03-15T10:59:00.004-04:002008-03-15T11:14:55.017-04:00

We're done! It's all over. Another bike tour has come to an end.Sometimes when you ride your bike into a state, you can't help but be impressed by the natural beauty of the state and the rugged character and pride of the people. Montana was like that for me.We are in Arkansas.There was a tiny bit of Hot Springs that was scenic and interesting. There is a row of historic spas and an approach with

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-58222987976513242142008-03-13T22:01:00.005-04:002008-03-13T22:41:53.266-04:00

Hello from the bar at the historic Park Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas!I forgot to take a picture when we arrived because I was busy being soaking wet and trying to dry off. That's because of this hailstorm: See? Hail.We were only 6 miles out. The sky had been very ominous for the last 15 miles. There was lightning and thunder, but I rode on. When the clouds opened, I was right next to an

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-10378740373262173922008-03-12T22:28:00.010-04:002008-03-13T00:19:39.137-04:00

I'm happy because we had a GREAT day of bike touring today. 87 miles, sunny, temperature in the 70s, a tailwind, dozens of miles of scenic back roads with no traffic, what more could you want.If you are Jim, you'd want that cow running loose on Farm Road 195 to go away. He's been calling everyone he knows to talk about his confrontation with the cow. "It had a dangerous look, like an desperate

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-50797326377526764872008-03-12T00:21:00.002-04:002008-03-12T00:38:20.480-04:00

Paris, Texas is no award-winning Wim Wenders movie starring Natassia Kinski. In reality, it is one sorry, pitiful beat-down town. If you want the Dollar Store or if you need car parts or the payday loan, this is your place.On the other hand, if you want beer, you can ride all over town in the dark looking and not finding and give up. Jim is in a very, very bad mood now. We are beerless and

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-46325857109827662132008-03-11T23:06:00.004-04:002008-03-12T00:42:36.364-04:00

80 miles of headwinds on a 50 degree, drizzly, overcast day. We only made 10 miles an hour.And for thirty miles, I had a giant gob of mud inside the rear mud flap acting like a brake.It looked like this all day.See, there was this short cut the Delorme TopoUSA software found. We rode five miles out of town to discover our short cut was not actually paved. Jim: "Do we have to do this?" Drew: "Yes,

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-25843643717241135282008-03-09T23:14:00.015-04:002008-03-10T00:36:14.146-04:00

Hello from the Motel 6 in Hillsboro, Texas! It was 83 fun-filled miles today with temperatures in the 60s, a tailwind, a tiny bit of rain, and amazing sights seen.We started the day at the only available breakfast option, Denny's. Which is across the parking lot. Which is where we had dinner yesterday. This lack of options does not reflect well on Temple, Texas.But bike touring is not all fun and

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-61428691462616670072008-03-08T22:53:00.006-05:002008-03-08T23:49:59.298-05:00

Oh yeah. 83 miles. Beautiful day. The trike is fixed.Life is good.Here is the sunny happy morning in the hostel.With crew races going on in the river outside.We were on the road about 8:30. First stop was the eminently competent Breed and Co. hardware store, where the nice old Texas gentleman in his suspenders immediately located a stainless steel 1/4" 28 tpi nut so I could fix my brakes. (The

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-91752733296428242992008-03-08T22:12:00.003-05:002008-03-08T22:51:23.378-05:00

The VC Blog is back! I'm on vacation!Jim and I are riding our bikes from Austin, TX to Hot Springs AR this week. Here is the plan as a Googlyspreadsheet.We're going to do 80 mile days, minimum. I haven't ridden 200 miles this year. I haven't ridden 200 miles in the last six months, in fact. This will be an adventure.Furthermore, to start things off on the wrong foot, while I was packing my bike

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-76960400300144696642007-08-11T11:11:00.000-04:002007-08-11T11:15:00.590-04:00

MotionBased is a site where you can upload and analyze your GPS tracks. They have a blog highlighting interesting things people have done with their GPS. Today, they made an entry on RAGBRAI, featuring me! Check it out!

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-26288915172770409762007-07-29T22:40:00.001-04:002007-07-29T23:04:02.301-04:00

Here's the sad end of another RAGBRAI. In the background are all the people dipping there wheels in the Mississippi.I did not attempt to get my trike down through the throng.The last day was hilly hilly hilly, with a big plunge at the end down to the Mississippi valley. I hit 42 mph on the big hill.My plan was to continue on to my sister Kate's in Winnetka, IL. Winnetka is a suburb of Chicago

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-44354281751899574022007-07-29T22:11:00.001-04:002007-07-29T22:38:59.343-04:00

Day 6 was short and sweet. It was only 60 miles, on an cool and drizzly day.However, there was very bad news. It has been rumored, but today is was confirmed! Mr. Pork Chop is retiring! Front page news on the Des Moines Register! He's 78 years old. As a tribute, I filmed my pork chop and put it on YouTube: The lines at Mr. Pork Chop were twice as long as usual today. All the signs along the

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-22408051256640725102007-07-26T17:33:00.000-04:002007-07-26T18:54:32.380-04:00

Hello from Independence, Iowa, where it is very hot.It was a really nice ride today, only 65 miles, through a bunch of Amish farms. We are camped in a city park.It's supposed to storm tonight, and then be cooler tomorrow. So I'm not under any trees where branches might fall off and squash me like the poor guy in Sheldon two years ago.I did Pastafari for lunch today, it was delicious.I pretty much

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-2822452947543314522007-07-26T17:24:00.000-04:002007-07-26T17:33:05.735-04:00

I just finished the final book. I more or less had it figured out after the last one:http://thevcblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/spoiler-unified-theory-of-harry-potter.html

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-61788100638689612062007-07-25T20:17:00.000-04:002007-07-29T22:10:53.909-04:00

Day four was only 68 miles, but it got hot and humid about 10:00, and it was rolling hills instead of flat. Combined with being up all night last night reading Harry Potter, I was dragging.About 1/4 of the tents in camp have a copy of Harry Potter in them. Nobody will talk about the book because they don't want anybody to give anything away.After I got in today, I was sitting with my fellow

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-10050904254808265472007-07-25T19:30:00.001-04:002007-07-25T20:17:45.506-04:00

Here I am after RAGBRAI day 3. It was 70 miles, and overcast pretty much all day, which made it somewhat less hot.Our camp site in Hampton was in a very serene park next to the river. There were lots of trees and birds in the trees. I wish I had my binoculars.All the necessities of RAGBRAI were right by the park (shower, food, clothes-washing water) except for Internet access. So I decided to eat

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-49178565460951704762007-07-23T19:49:00.001-04:002007-07-24T06:59:35.131-04:00

Today was century day. Here is the "after" picture.Here is the "before" picture.We got Suzanne to take our picture, while she was busy packing up her and Jim's stuff.It was almost a full century this year. It was 98.8 miles from camp site to camp site. I rode around town for a while to get the needed 1.2 miles. It took me from 7:00 to 3:30, with a rolling average of 13.4 mph. The trike is slow,

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-90550726401715606712007-07-22T19:27:00.000-04:002007-07-23T23:01:00.577-04:00

Hello from Spencer, Iowa!It was a tough day today. I'm no longer carrying my gear, it was flat, most of the time, the wind was across, and I was dragging. It was probably due to riding 90 miles loaded yesterday and skipping dinner. Today was only 80 miles, but I feel far more beat then yesterday.Tomorrow is Century Day.Back in Rock Rapids, we were camped across the street from Central Lyon High

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-20968144175125641122007-07-22T19:00:00.000-04:002007-07-22T19:27:52.178-04:00

Here's the story of our last day of riding to the start of RAGBRAI. I'm writing this the next day in Spencer, Iowa, under the Quest tent using the free wi-fi. That's because we faced many challenges yesterday which made it impossible to make a blog entry before the Iowa Telecom trailer packed up at 11:00.We started out by heading north on the beautiful and scenic Iowa Route 12, which was also

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-34890601571851044442007-07-21T08:16:00.000-04:002007-07-21T09:04:57.239-04:00

Hello from North Sioux Falls, South DakotaIt was a 90 mile ride today, on a beautiful sunny day with a moderate tailwind and no hills. But 90 miles is still a long way if you are carrying all your clothes and camping gear (me) or your clothes in panniers (Laura) or one change of clothes in a trunk rack (Jim).Our camp site for tonight is the Super 8.It's a very posh Super 8. It has a hair dryer,

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-13239152294913259342007-07-20T09:44:00.000-04:002007-07-20T23:08:06.122-04:00

Good morning from Blair, Nebraska!We're sitting here in our room in the Econo Lodge, where Jim is reading us articles about cow chip throwing contests from the Omaha paper. I'm sitting here thinking Warren Buffett is probably reading the same article right now.I wore my new crocs to the airport, and they still made me take off my shoes to go through security. So once again I decided I wouldn't

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-87147522691935054852007-07-15T19:50:00.001-04:002007-07-15T20:03:00.226-04:00

I have Max all to myself, from last Friday night until Wednesday. Debra had to go to New York to take care of her father, who is not well.We've been having a great time. In the manner of he daily day care reports:* Rode in Bike Trailer* Played in Water Tub* Ate Watermelon on Patio* Had a Great WeekendThe real point of this entry is I have to crow about my brilliant mealtime innovation. It seems

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-45710244452462555592007-05-28T15:40:00.001-04:002007-05-28T16:10:32.739-04:00

My Memorial Day project was to plant some ferns under the tree with the old pump. The soil is very rocky and dry under the tree, and there was very little grass there. When we moved in there was a big pile of rocks under the tree, which I gather were leftovers from when the previous owners made the flower bed in the background in the picture above. I decided to pile the rocks into a little

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-12554598887519431182007-05-24T22:16:00.000-04:002007-05-24T22:19:34.186-04:00

My sister Mandy send out a bunch of pictures from my nephew Ethan's first communion. She's done a lot of work on the gardens at her house (which is where we all grew up). I called her and said I've been busy at my place too. She said I should send out some pictures.Well, OK then.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-60126232271780739402007-04-30T22:42:00.000-04:002007-04-30T23:48:14.626-04:00

Now that the pain has subsided, it's time to write a report on the DC Randonneurs' Lost River 300k, commonly referred to as "The Mother of All 300ks", or as I like to think of it, just "The Mother."It's so bad. It's so hard. It has so many hills. And they are so steep. 192 miles. 14000 feet of climb. Several 20% grades.It's so bad I forgot to take a picture of myself at the end of it.It started

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-58594465257175046722007-04-08T18:30:00.000-04:002007-04-08T20:53:45.576-04:00

Here I am home at last after our failed attempt at the fleche.I did 120 miles yesterday, and 70 today, almost all into strong headwinds. The high temperature for all of this was 42. It took me 20:30 to do this, which is not quite good enough a pace to complete a fleche.It was a bad year for Team Torque (Jim, Drew, Scott, l to r)Here we are about to set off from Dewey Beach at 8:00 am. Note that

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-82820919538178172742007-04-01T22:16:00.000-04:002007-04-01T22:51:22.872-04:00

I rode the DC Randonneurs Urbana 200k yesterday. It was a really nice ride.It was a cool early spring day. The route spent a lot of time climbing up and down ridges, where the very first signs of spring were just appearing. There was 9000 feet of climb. There were a lot of short steep climbs. My Garmin Training Center chart shows 16 climbs over 10%, and 1 over 15%.I rode the T-Bone.You will note

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-33262361846652713932007-03-28T22:16:00.000-04:002007-03-28T22:25:27.923-04:00

We've got daffodils. These came with the place.Hyacinths.More crocuses.The first tulips.And the amazing magnolia.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-17520975349339735912007-03-28T17:49:00.000-04:002007-03-28T17:51:50.416-04:00

I stayed home with Max all day. He has an ear infection. He's not taking any guff from anybody.

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-33018661934829438002007-03-28T16:46:00.000-04:002007-03-28T21:51:40.649-04:00

This weekend my friend Jim and I rode to the beach and back. Jim has a beach house. (For folks not in the Baltimore-Washington area, a beach house is where a group of a dozen or so people chip in and rent a house on the Delaware beaches or Ocean City for the summer, and then drive out there every weekend and party. Beach houses typically have a frat/dormitory air.)So to get ready for the fleche

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15637711.post-44143368058585722852007-03-22T20:59:00.000-04:002007-03-22T21:11:21.859-04:00

Since I have the trike for touring, I've set the T-Bone up as a go-fast bike. It's not geared particularly low, the idea is I'll ride the Cobrabike in hilly terrain (brevets) and ride the T-Bone in the flats and commuting when I want to get where I'm going fast.Here is the new gizmo on the T-Bone. Rotor Q-Rings.The idea of the non-round chainring is you are pushing a higher gear when your leg

Mr. Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01635951432688326992noreply@blogger.com2