Second last ride of the year

Done with work at noon, temperature at 45 degrees, sunny, what else could I do? Back up the the state park and a ride with Jake and Buddy almost to Cougar Lake. Beautiful and not cold, 35 minutes of climbing. Eight miles round trip but enough to feel like I'd been out and sweating. Buddy had a good time and Jake had a pedal fall off. Time for a new bike.... 

Sullivan Pond Ride

Today we rode from the state park entrance to Sullivan Pond and beyond. I told Bob if it was sunny and 40 degrees we should ride. When we left my house the temp was 39, but it felt warm once we started uphill for about an hour of climbing. Not on my bike because my wife ran over it with the car this afternoon. Only the front wheel was hopelessly bent. I borrowed a ride from Doug Curtis of Curtlo Cycles. Doug always comes through when you need a bike. The scenery was beautiful and I feel like we'll be riding until January if the snow doesn't fly soon.

Bear Creek Rd-Campbell Lake ride

Here is a map of the previous ride. Another option would be to include the loop to Cougar Lake for a little more mileage and a change of scenery. 

Last last ride?

Well it's the middle of November and this afternoon bbBob and myself had an awesome ride on Bear Creek Road, starting at the Pearrygin State Park entrance, to Campbell Lake. One of my favorite places to fish by the way. We logged in about 15 miles but the uphill part was the majority of it. Figure that one out. We were dressed warm  and expected cold but it never happened. This AM it was 28 degrees. On our ride at 1:30 it had to be in the 40's and riding uphill for over an hour kept us comfortable. Riding down also was OK and much faster. With the spectacular scenery and captivating riding partner it made for a pleasant afternoon. I wish I had my camera but I didn't.

Thought I would include a picture of my new (old) ride just converted to a great ride. This bike is so much fun and perfect for most of the off road riding I like to do. There is so much available here and what we did today was great. It had great views, sun, low traffic, and a non-technical dirt road track. 

Winter Is Here

Last year at this date we were skiing groomed trails at the Klipchuck Campground. This year no snow is in sight. It has been raining hard and snow is just a temperature drop away. It always seems like winter when the clocks fall back and we leave work to go home in the dark, at five PM.

My thoughts are still on riding my converted mountain bike. I bought bbBob's internal hub and wheel from his Milano Cafe Racer and put it on my old Specialized Hard Rock. It has a 38T chainring and initial test rides are favorable. I can't wait to put some miles on it. Maybe the temperature will allow it this weekend. Picture to come soon.

My Ride

This is my main ride. It is the best ride I have known. Steel frame with perfect welds, vibration dampening carbon front forks. I have ridden other bikes with various frames but thin tube steel is light, strong, and smooth. Curtlo bicycles are the best. My ride has a compact chainring and a mountain bike derailleur to handle the large sprockets on the rear. This really helps for climbing.