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Flue medicine

2012-03-02T08:56:00.010-05:00

As I mentioned before, one of the best parts of the house I am renting is the wood stove in the basement. My roommate (who is also the owner of the house) and I use it daily though its usage should be tapering off as warmer weather approaches. To keep the stove safe and useable it's important to clean the flue and chimney to keep them free from creosote build-up. Creosote is extremely combustible and is the main danger in operating a wood stove. Nobody want's a chimney fire.

So, yesterday I took the flue apart and it was completely loaded with creosote. Each vertical pipe section and elbow had about a 1/4” to 3/8” of creosote caked on the inside. I used a wide flat-blade screwdriver and wire brush to scrape it out into the fire pit. I then pulled the horizontal run of the flue out of the wall and it was even worse, so I took that outside and gave it what-for. Lastly, I took a flash light and peaked inside where the horizontal run meets the actual chimney and found the mother load. Large chunks the size of small cereal boxes were just hanging out in there. I knocked them loose with my hand and pulled them out of the base of the chimney through an access door on the outside of the house. I lined the stove pipes up, screwed them back in place and attached them to the stove. While I was at it, I shoveled the ash out of the belly of the stove. So she's tip-top now.

Cleaning the stove made a huge difference. We started it up last night and instead of the usual billow of smoke that would pour out when loading wood and lighting the fire; the smoke was drawn straight up the flue and out the chimney. That creosote build-up was really blocking the intended draft flow of the stove.

I say, I say, I say boy

2012-03-02T07:48:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was another full and productive day out here in the suburbs. I was out in the yard by 8:30 trimming the trees of dead and stray limbs. It's amazing what a little trimming can do, though it's easy to go overboard and hack off a big chunk of tree branches. I managed to constrain myself, though using this tree trimmer was kind of fun. I lopped off a few low hanging bows from the two big pine trees out front and then trimmed the cherry tree and the apple tree of a bunch of dead limbs. Lastly, I set the fallen limbs ablaze; I don't think I'll ever get tired of burning stuff out here in the country. It's cathartic. Though I do have a red-neck side of me that is showing; instead of using matches and paper, I used a lighter and a can of Rustoleum to get the fire going. Yeeha!

Before I knew it, it was 11:30 and I was hungry so I MICROWAVED some leftover spaghetti for lunch. I haven't owned a microwave in the last five years and it's kinda' nice, I must say. Still I prefer to boil my water for coffee as opposed to radiating it.

I digress.

Above left: The PITA tree house. Above right: The PITA tree house ready to burn!

The next task on my list of home-improvement/yard-rejuvenation was to yank the ugly half-built tree house out of the maple tree in the back yard. This was a major pain in the ass. It took me about two hours to pry all the boards free and drop them to the ground without putting big gouges in the lawn. Aside from balancing on tree branches and prying all of the 2 X 4 floor boards up with my framing hammer, the floor joists were THE WORST. The braniac who installed these, used torx-drive 10 X 4” screws which were nearly impossible to pry apart. I persuaded them loose with a 10lb sledge I found in the car port. After the tree house was removed from the tree, I then carried, wheelbarrowed & dragged piece after piece over to the fire pit. I have a ton of nails to pull before I can burn these up. I don't want to worry about stepping on a nail this summer – I'm planning to use all the ash from the fire pit as fertilizer for the garden.

I then put the old Dodge Dakota that's been sitting at the side of the house for the past year, up for sail on Craigslist. It's a 1990, manual transmission, 3.9 liter that runs great; but has no brakes! They need to be bled, and I'm not up for it. I put it on Craigslist around 4:00 and I got a call ten minutes later by a guy who sounded so much like Foghorn Leghorn that I thought it was a prank call. Anyway, this guy's coming over to bleed the brakes and drive it away this morning. Should be interesting.

After putting the truck online for sale I took apart the flue of the fantastic wood stove in the basement. That was a job, fit for it's own blog post; I think I'll do just that. I didn't get to ride yesterday because I was too caught up in fixing and cleaning but maybe I'll get out on the road bike today. We'll see. Weather is looking like rain this afternoon. More later...

Dover & Dover & Dover

2012-02-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a pretty great day. I finished raking the side yard which was tedious because the leaves were few and far between. Still, I couldn't let them sit there with the rest of the yard looking as impeccable as the 17th hole at Sawgrass. And so I continued raking; raking to perfection. Standing with my hands layered on top of the rake handle; chin perched upon my hands; proud grin stretched across my face. I was done. Piling the leaves on top of the coals from the previous day's leaf-roast, they smoldered, caught fire and were nothing but ash a half hour later. I am loving this fire pit.

(above: iPhone photo of my road bike against the fence of a sheep farm on St.Paul Road)

With the yard work done (for now, more clean-up to come) I aired my tires, lubed my chain and set off for an 18-mile ride on my road bike. I can't believe I can just walk out the front door, roll down the driveway and be surrounded by great expanses of farm land. Sheep farms, dairy farms and even tree farms cover the rolling countryside that I now call home. I rolled down many familiar roads that I haven't set rubber to since 2007. Roads like Dover, Mantua Mill, Geist, Falls, Tufton and Butler to name a few. I know these names mean nothing to you guys reading this blog (both of you), but to any road racers and/or cyclists in Baltimore, they're well known and loved. They roll and wind and are beautifully paved. Memories came back to me of rides gone-by. Places where I've taken breaks to eat bananas, places where I've fixed flats, places where I've peed! Mostly memories of riding with my friend Mark who used to take me on long rides out to the middle of nowhere while I followed behind him with weary legs hoping he'd turn around and head back towards home! Marks even got about 15 years on me mind you; the animal!

I don't start my new job until the end of March. In the mean time I am going to love riding and exploring my new home. I miss city life. I really do. But I am getting used to this lifestyle out here. The only thing I can't get used to is the utter silence at all times. Without music playing, this place is dead quiet. Sleeping at night is terribly difficult. The silence is deafening. Hello darkness my old friend...

I'm a closet-suburbanite

2012-02-28T08:32:00.005-05:00

So I'm all moved in to my new residence in the suburbs of Baltimore. The drive down went well and it was terrifyingly fun driving a big 16' moving truck down 95. The day of my drive was particularly windy making the 10 & 2 hand positions mandatory. One moment I'm driving along, stuffing my face with whoppers (I love those things) and the next I'm crapping my pants trying to keep the truck in my lane. But as I always enjoy saying, weather regarding a long hike, an apple pie, a leap of faith or a sprint to the shitter; "I made it".

Yesterday was my first full day at the new place. A nice little house in the country. I think I am a closet-suburbanite. I love yard work. It's one thing I enjoy AND do well. I think the reason why I like it so much, is because it shows visual progress. You see the results immediately. My father, who's birthday is today (Happy birthday Dad) instilled upon me a strong "no leaf left behind" policy. So, needless to say, I'm very thorough when I rake. The property where I live is about an acre and a half and home to two big Pines out front, Apple, Cherry and Peach trees, as well as three huge Maples. The leaves hadn't been raked this past fall so I got busy with a rake and wheelbarrow. The yard is looking sweet now. I took care of the front, back and half the side. Then, and this is something I'm truly going to love about living here: I got to burn all the leaves! Buh bye! Poof! I can start a fire for any reason, at anytime out here.

I spent all day outside raking yesterday only breaking for lunch and one more mandatory break because my back was KILLING me from all the twisting and pulling. I wanted to get the road bike out and put in an easy 25 miles or so, but I couldn't tear myself from the yard. Today I'll finish the yard and then get to pedaling on these roads I've missed so much. Although there is one additional task that I want to take care of. The previous tenant built a hideous tree house in one of the Maple trees. It was never finished and looks like a giant faded plywood box. It's an eyesore and I can't wait to burn it! Yes, I'll remove it from the tree first. Stay tuned for demolition photos...

Relocating

2012-02-22T14:30:00.003-05:00

I’m relocating to Westminster, MD, the suburbs (pronounced: [suhb-urbs]) just outside of Baltimore (my old stomping grounds and where I cut my teeth on all things messenger, urban decay and city life). This Saturday I will be driving a 17’ U-Haul truck down to the land of pleasant living. I’ll miss NYC. I only got to live here for four years, but a career opportunity that’s just too good to pass has been extended and I have to accept. I’ll miss so many things about the city; all of the local goodies and things that make living here so easy. I’ll miss the diversity of people, the good friends I’ve made, and my family. But I am approaching this new stage of my life with a positive outlook and in the spirit of adventure and personal progress. Although I won’t be able to step out my door and pick up a fantastic coffee at the bodega, (I’ll have to drive/ride miles into town) or order sushi, pizza, or Chinese (I’ll have to drive/ride miles into town), I do look forward to life in the ‘burbs. Bonfires, dirt bike riding, shooting my airguns from the picnic table in the back yard, raking leaves, working on bikes in a dedicated bike room and perhaps the most missed luxury taken for granted by suburbanites the world over: owning a grill. I can already smell the bbq burgers and feel the spattering fat stinging my forearms. “Beer me!”.

With the move comes a reconnection with some of the best riding I’ve ever experienced. Schaefer Farms for example. Schaefer is a Mecca of hard-packed singletrack that dips dives and lofts you into the air over and over. I can already hear the hum of my WTB’s as I zip through the piney sections and around the perimeter of those corn fields like a jaguar on roller skates. I’ll also be reunited with the Water Shed of Frederick. My All Mountain bike has no idea what it’s in for. It’ll be perfectly at home taking drop after drop, stunt after stunt, over and over as I shuttle the ‘shed with my old riding buddies I’ve missed so much. I’ll be stoked to be hanging on for dear life with the saddle in my throat and the back tire shredding fibers off my shorts as I get back as far as I can on those drops and mega-steep rollers! I’m not even mentioning the fun I’ve missed at Patapsco (Pronounced “Pa-tap-dat-ass-co” by the locals) and the luscious loops around Lock Raven Reservoir.

Need I even mention the use my road bike is going to get? Yes.

Where I’ll be living, 28 miles from down town Baltimore, is smack-dab in the center of where my old racing team used to train. Which bring to mind thoughts of getting back in shape and establishing some base mileage. I haven’t trained seriously in the last 4 years. I’d love to be racing at the level where I left off (Cat 4 road and Cat 3 CX). We’ll have to see about that, but rest assured, my skinny-tired friend will be rolling down some familiar roads once again; something I’ve missed while living in the big apple.

Picture of the day

2012-02-18T16:46:00.003-05:00

I took this photo on the morning of my last day in Kobe, Japan. Love the long morning shadows laying on the weathered storefront.

Back in the USA

2012-02-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

I'm back. I left Japan and flew back to NY on Saturday evening (Japan time) and arrived at JFK airport in NY on Saturday evening (NY time). A very big part of me wanted to stay there indefinitely, though part of me also wanted to return home with a broader perspective on life and humanity. While in Kobe, I tried my best to immerse myself in the local culture by exploring the unfamiliar and interacting with strangers. I'm thankful that I was able to share food, ideas and laughs with the people I have met there. I don't have any regrets about how I spent my time there. I got to experience so much. Perhaps the most memorable part of the trip will be sitting comfortably atop Mount Maya overlooking the city of Kobe while a gentle wind shook the trees and snow flakes landed and melted on my skin. Or maybe the haircut I got at Mottomachi station, where communication was limited strictly to hand gestures and myself making the sound of a pair of buzzers. It might be the beer and conversation I shared with an software engineer at a local bar during the week. But I think the most memorable experience for me will be that of my last night in Kobe:

On my last night in Kobe, I headed back to the little restaurant I had grown so fond of. I purposely left my camera at home because I wanted to enjoy myself just as the others were - without documenting every last detail of every situation. And so when I slid the door to the restaurant open, and the host saw my familiar face, he smiled and said "Only two days ago!". Yes, I was here two days ago and now I'm back! I sat down and ordered a couple pieces of tuna, salmon, and octopus as well as a plate of skewered meats. The sushi was excellent as always. The meat skewers blew my mind... I had two skewers of the following: beef, liver, fatty chicken skin, and chicken & scallion. All of which were drizzled with a sweet teriyaki sauce. By far, the fatty chicken skin skewers were the best. As I ate them I thought: man, this tastes like chicken skin but who would cook just the skin?

After my sushi and tasty little meat skewers, I used my phone to learn how to say "Can you recommend anything?". The host looked at me and said "beef?" I nodded and he went right over to the grill and pulled a kabob off for me. This was a kabob of the tastiest tender meat I've ever had and it was drizzled with a sweet peanut sauce. I gave him the thumbs up. After that I pulled the menu out and looked at what else I could try on my last night in Japan. As I browsed a stranger came up to me and said "Would you like some?" and pointed to his plate. I had no idea what it was. It looked like an omelet though the top of it seemed to be moving. I was surprised to hear this man speaking English, but I was even more surprised when the man sitting next to me said "Japanese pizza" with a smile. I tried a good sized portion and it was delicious! It did not taste anything like American pizza. It was tangy, mostly egg, with mozzarella and the top layer, which seemed to be moving were finely shaved truffles which were shaved so thin that the heat from the pizza made them flutter. I thanked him and we talked for a few minutes. I tried to buy him a beer but he said he was full and had to go.

I then struck up a conversation with the man next to me. Turns out; he teaches English at a local school and he spoke it very well. I explained to him all that I had done in Kobe and my trip to the temples in Kyoto. I told him of my hike to the top of the nearby mountain and my experiences mingling with people on the street. We then talked about places we've been and things we've seen and what we thought of people in general. I told him that I thought that there were more good people in the world than bad, and I think he understood me though I don't think he told me what he thought. Either way, he was a nice guy and we shared a bottle of Sake.

When I was about to leave, I asked him to thank the host at the door and tell him how much I appreciated eating at the restaurant the 5 or so times during the last two weeks. I asked him to thank him for his patience and hospitality and that this restaurant was one of my fondest experiences while in Japan. As it turns out, this host was actually the owner of the restaurant and he was delighted to hear this. He bowed and thanked me with a big smile and while I sat back rubbing my belly and talking with the school teacher, he brought out another bottle of Sake and two glasses saying "presento". I felt so genuinely good. It was a great way to end my time in Japan.

A night in Kobe

2012-02-07T03:23:00.000-05:00

Last night I went out for dinner at the same little restaurant I ate at the night before. And again, I ordered almost the same thing. The sushi here is just THAT good. It was a dark and rainy night and I had a great time with my street photography. The paper lanterns are so photogenic... I also popped into an arcade (there are many of them and they're all over the place) and snapped a few shots of the games people were playing. On a wall above some of the games were the words: You forget your daily life with the powerful charm of a game. Before heading back to my room I popped into a bar and had an Asahi beer. The funny thing about being here is that the locals treat you like a rock star: "Ohhhh... American?? Ahhh!!!" they are even more excited when you tell them you're from New York. One guy I talked to for quite a while was very proud of his wrist band that read: I heart boobies! and he posed for a picture. Time to head back out with my two coworkers who just arrived from New York themselves... They want sushi. I think I know a place where I can take them...

Disposable Heroes

2012-02-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

Wow, I know this is wishful thinking but I will be gunning for this print tonight around 3:00am. This is Shepard Fairey's latest work. There are 450 of these signed and numbered prints going up for sale at his website tomorrow around 1:00pm (US Eastern Time). I haven't been able to score the last few released prints but perhaps my luck will change tonight. Twittle-fingers, don't fail me now! This print has especially specific meaning to me, as my little brother just joined the US Marines. I'm supportive and proud of him, though I tried to dissuade him for the past several years. See Metallica's Disposable Heroes lyrics here.

Sushi-o tabemasu

2012-02-05T23:08:00.001-05:00

Last night, when I arrived at the Mottomachi station from my trip to Kyoto, I did a little shopping and then grabbed a bite before heading back to the hotel. I had a hankering for sushi so I found a little alley and explored. There are so many places to find sushi in Kobe that I was having a difficult time deciding. While looking over a menu (read: looking at pictures of food) outside of one restaurant, a cook inside was waving me in. So I popped in and sat down. I know how to say “Tonight I’ll eat sushi” and so I let him know. But the problem is: that’s my limit. He then pulled a card full of kongi and asked me which type I would like. I was screwed! After a couple of minutes of me trying to explain what type I’d like, he brought me a plate with different types of fish on it! I pointed to the ones that I wanted (tuna, salmon, shrimp, and some other type of white fish). He then pointed to each of them saying: “one, one, one, one?” to which I replied: “No no; three, three, three, three Kudasai!” Good lord, it was delicious! I am not getting tired of eating sushi over here. It’s 100X better than Sushi back home. The rice is always perfect; not too soft. And the fish just tastes so much fresher!

Half way through my meal, a man walked in and sat down next to me. He ordered a bunch of sashimi. Good idea! I called the waiter over and asked for the same. So then came my fresh slabs of tuna, salmon and octopus. Oh, how I love eating here in Japan!

Tō-ji Temple - Kyoto Japan

2012-02-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took a train from Kobe to Kyoto (54 minutes taking the local JR train) to visit some of the ancient temples. I was able to see a bunch of the countryside while I traveled mostly north and read a dharma book on the way. At the Tō-ji Temple there were a few beautiful buildings and a large five-tier pagoda which is the tallest wooden structure in Japan. Standing inside this prominent pagoda was amazing… you should have seen the size of the wooden pillars running up through the center. You’re not allowed to take any photographs inside any of the structures so I can’t show you, but I’m very glad that I got to experience it. That goes for all of Japan really. I’m just so glad to be here. Inside one of the main halls stood twenty-one Buddhist statues, five of which are of Buddha and gilded. The other statues are kings. You can read more about this here. The statues are huge and very impressive! I enjoyed myself.

Above Left: Nice looking track bike. Above Right: It's Howdy Doody time!

Above Left: Kobe street corner at early morning. Above Right: Hankyu Rail Car.

Above Left: Kyoto Station. Above Right: Wanted! (most dishonorable!)

Above Left: Hot tea from a vending machine. Above Right: Tō-ji Temple.

Above Left: Taxis wait outside Kyoto Station. Above Right: A Taxi at Tō-ji Temple.

Above Left: Tō-ji Pagoda. Above Middle: McDonalds in Kyoto. Above Right: Stairs at Tō-ji.

Above Left & Right: Halls at Tō-ji Temple.

Above Left & Right: Halls at Tō-ji Temple.

Picture of the day

2012-02-05T07:28:00.000-05:00

Ancient building at the Tō-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

Land of the rising sun

2012-02-04T17:19:00.001-05:00

I snapped this photo while brushing my teeth this morning. I'm just about to head out for a day in Kyoto. Really looking forward to seeing some of the old wooden temples and giant Buddha statues. I am told it will be cold and snowy; which is great. I'd love to take some snow pictures while I'm here.

Cartoons everywhere

2012-02-04T08:22:00.001-05:00

One peculiar thing about signage in Japan is the constant presence of cartoons. The signs below were hung in the Sannomiya train station. They are basically instructing you to behave and be polite when you're on the train.

Hiking in Japan

2012-02-04T06:15:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to a business dinner at a really nice Japanese-style German restaurant. I enjoyed some sushi, beef, schnitzel, and a ridiculous amount of Saki! Dinner was just so much fun! This was the first time I’ve had Saki and I enjoyed it. I’m constantly learning customs on this trip. When it comes to Saki, you never pour your own cup (cups are shot glass size) and when your carafe is finished, you lay it on its side. By the end of the night, there were carafes on their sides all over our table and many red-faced laughing people. Everyone had a great time!

Afterwards a few of us went out on the town and I didn’t make it back to my hotel until 4:00am! I woke up at 11:00am with a pounding headache and a smile on my face. I had a really great time last night. I enjoyed trying to communicate with people everywhere we went. I bought one fellow a beer and he then showed us to a few great bars. We laughed all night and well into the early morning hours.

Not wanting to waste the day sleeping in, I took a hot shower and hit the streets with my camera. There are some beautiful mountains to the north of Kobe. They stand out against the cityscape and have been calling to me since I arrived here. I bought a hot café au lait from a vending machine (you can buy hot cans of tea and coffee as well as cold cans of beer at vending machines on the street!) and then headed for the hills!

About a mile from downtown Kobe, I found a trail head and was soon in the woods. The trail was steep and well groomed. Steps lead the way to the summit where an observation tower stood. You’re not supposed to climb the tower and there’s a fence to keep you from doing so. I contemplated climbing it anyway, but then decided that it would be disrespectful to do so. The view from the mountain top was nothing short of amazing. Wispy snow fluttered down through the trees and I took some time to meditate in comfortable solitude. I only saw two other hikers while I was in the woods and we exchanged konichiwa’s and smiles as we passed.

After hiking down the mountain, I was pretty tired and very thirsty so I popped into a convenience store and bought a bottle of orange juice. I did a little shopping on the way back to my hotel and had lunch at a crepe stand owned and operated by a friendly married couple. After looking at the menu I picked what I thought was a pastrami and lettuce crepe. I was a bit surprised when the man handed me what I ordered. The bread had the texture of a waffle ice cream cone. The top layer was melted mozzarella with wasabi mayonnaise. The next was pastrami and iceberg lettuce, then came the shocker: noodles and spaghetti sauce! It was a little difficult to eat. It was almost as if they packed an entire days set of meals into one crepe. But it was good and only cost 450 Yen. I asked if I could take their picture and they were very happy to let me.

Picture of the day

2012-02-03T00:53:00.000-05:00

A train arrives while a woman waits in the Minato Motomachi Subway Station.

Chilly here in Kobe

2012-02-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

It's been very cold here in Japan. Last night I went shopping for some affordable wool socks to keep my feet warm while I am in Kyoto on Saturday. I'm looking forward to exploring this area which I'm told is rich in history and has an abundance of beautiful wooden temples. On my way back to the hotel, I took this photo of a small sculpture lit by streetlight which helped capture the wispy snow.

Panasonic Lumix GF2, ISO 400, f/stop 2.0, @ 1/100 sec

You can put me down now.

2012-02-01T01:03:00.000-05:00

I met Yamamoto-San a couple of years ago when he was visiting Kawasaki Rail Car (KRC) in Yonkers NY, where I work. Everybody back home loves this guy. He's great; very smart, very knowledgeable and he has a great sense of humor. This morning we took a few goofy pictures and I sent them back to my office. I'm sure I'll have a few laughs waiting in my inbox when I check my mail tonight.

Raw raw shish cum bah!

2012-01-31T07:23:00.000-05:00

I must have jet lag. Last night I went to bed at 10:30 and woke up at 4:40, wide eyed and bushy tailed. I laid in bed for 45 minutes trying as hard as I could to sleep. I finally gave up and started answering work emails. At 7:00 I left the 19th floor and went down for breakfast. This morning I was a bit more adventurous. I ate a thick chunk of smoked salmon (with the skin on!) and also had a small helping of grated sardines! I'll have to snap a picture of them tomorrow... they look like shaved white radish with tiny little fish on top. Guppy-sized fish. The flavor was bland with a fishy after taste. I think I'll pass on these tomorrow. Bacon and OJ was a mandatory chaser after those little guys.

I worked from 9:00 to 5:00 today at KHI and was busy the whole time. I thought maybe I'd have an easy day this week but it's ok; I'm happy to be here. When we got back to the hotel we broke from the Customer and my coworkers and I had dinner alone for a change. We went to a fantastic sushi restaurant and ate an incredible amount of the best sushi I've ever had. I am already planning on heading back again this week. I even ate a large raw shrimp; and it was good! Really good! On the way home I split from my coworkers and tried to shop at a department store, but it was so large apparently full of only women's clothing! So, I bounced and spent an hour or so exploring on my way home.

Above Left: Dinner... delicous dinner. Above Right: A shopping alley near Chinatown.

Above Left: Shrine? Above Right: Tea vending machine!

Above Left: Chinatown entrance. Above Right: main thoroughfare which runs along the shoreline of the island.

Above Left: Another street scene in Chinatown. Above Right: A 7 Eleven... there are no hotdogs in this 7 Eleven!

Above Left: Empty intersection. Above Right: Superman's changing room.

huh?

2012-01-31T07:16:00.000-05:00

Shower Cap

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE

ing to the plea "Make us granparen bring a child into the wor
one of the poorest reasons I know second generation to cool

I heart chicken

2012-01-30T06:45:00.000-05:00

Today was fantastic. Though I woke up quite early, I was well rested and had a lot of energy today. I was excited to see Kobe in the daylight. The bathroom in my hotel room has a nice deep bath tub, so I took a really relaxing hot bath this morning. Baths are a new favorite luxury I've been taking advantage of on business trips (See my Haven't had a bath in 22 years post). Today's bath was great because there's this fabulous mid-70's James Bond style golden radio console between the two twin beds in my room and it plays music in the room as well as through a speaker in the bathroom. Might I add that this console also has a really suave rheostat for dimming the lights as well as a drapery control switch! With the push of a button I can open my drapes wide to see the view pictured below. Oh, it's going to be a rough to weeks here... ahem.

I sauntered downstairs at 7:30 and enjoyed a killer breakfast. I tried a few strange looking things but didn't go too wild trying any of the sea weed and/or sea creature breakfast 'goodies'. I did try a "local specialty" which looked like a macaroon cookie, had the consistency of a wet sponge, and tasted like french toast yet had a surprising chunk of pork in the center. It may sound a bit odd, but it was pretty awesome. I ate two. An attempt at a third spurred mild feelings of nausea/queasiness. I tried! I did enjoy what they called french toast but tasted more like flan, as well as bacon and a few glasses of some mighty fine orenji jussu and a stellar cup of strong and flavorful coffee.

A bus picked us up from the hotel at 9:00 and we arrived at Kawasaki Heavy Industries by 9:20. I spent the day with my Japanese counterparts which was really interesting. I got to see the production areas and status of the very first rail car being built and it was really interesting to see the construction and the enormous weld fixtures used. I love my job. It was also really great to put a face to some of the names I've been corresponding with for the last four years.

I finished up at 5:30 and headed back to the hotel with everyone in our group. At 6:00 we met in the hotel lobby and went out to dinner at a Brazilian Steak House. Holy cow (pun intended)! If you've never been to one of these places and you love eating animals, like me, I suggest you go. There's a little wooden peg on your table. One end is colored green; the other is red. You keep the green side up if you want them to keep bringing you various cuts of beef. When you're stuffed, "groundhogging", or "touching cloth", you flip it so the red side is up. They just keep bringing you giant skewers of beef and slice pieces onto your plate. They even brought a skewer of chicken hearts... and let me tell you: I heart chickens. I heart them big time! Specifically, their delicious little organs!

After dinner we walked back to the hotel and I took some long exposures with my mini-tripod. I love the big "Kobe Port" tower which stands tall and glowing orange just a couple hundred yards from my hotel.

Today was a good day.

Above Left: Kobe at 8:30am. Above Right: Kobe at 8:30am.

Above Left: The wheels on the bus go round and round. Above Right: Scale model display at KHI.

Above Left: Scale model of the Kawasaki M8 Car. Above right: Old scale model.

Above Left: We're in the army now. Above Right: I love that KHI uses bicycles to get around their enormous facility.

Above Left: Dinner at the Brazilian Steak House. Above Right: Just look at all that meat!

Above Left: The peg of glory. Above Middle: Me. Above Right: The Kobe Port Tower (the tall building to the left is my hotel).

Kobe dawn

2012-01-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

Kobe this morning at 6:12am. This is the view from my hotel room at the Okura. There's a balcony outside my window, and there's even big tease of an emergency exit window that would let me outside but an alarm would sound. Bummer. I shot these through the glass and they came out OK.

Time to iron a shirt and pair of pants, hit breakfast and head out to Kawasaki Heavy Industries!

Hello from Kobe

2012-01-29T08:06:00.000-05:00

It's been a long day(s)(?). I'm tired, but energized by the completely different environment Japan has offered me. I flew from NY to Seattle and then on to Osaka over the last day and a half. The 12 hour leg from Seattle to Osaka was actually awesome! Flying business class is such a luxury. I am NOT looking forward to flying coach on the way back to the states. The seats in business class lay flat so you can get completely comfortable!

It's 10:00pm as I write this and I'm pretty exhausted but I wanted to throw up a few photos from my journey. I have to say that the food I ate on the way to Osaka was some of the best food I've had in a long time. Maybe that doesn't say much about my current diet... But, here's what I mean: For an appetizer I was served rosemary duck breast and couscous salad with fruit and nuts, as well as a bowl of pumpkin bisque! Following that was the main course; seared beef tenderloin with demi-glace sauce, wasabi mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas. Dessert was a cheese plate, Belgian chocolate cheese cake and a vanilla ice cream sundae! After eating all of that, I took a melatonin pill and slept for about 9 hours. I woke just in time for breakfast and had a bowl of granola with fruit, toast, OJ and a decent cup of coffee.

De-boarding the plane at Kansai Airport in Osaka was interesting. I just followed everyone to the tram and into a ridiculously long line to go through customs. I stood in line for an hour and a half just waiting to have my passport stamped. That was worse than the actual flight... Where's my Belgian chocolate cheese cake?

My coworkers and the Customer arrived on a different plane a few minutes after I landed and we waved to each other (and made the gun to the head signal) as we made our way through the long line like a herd of turtles. Once we all made it through customs, we regrouped and caught a bus to our hotel. The bus ride took about an hour. It was about 6:00pm and the sun had set so I didn't get to see much of the landscape, but I am looking forward to seeing a lot tomorrow. We all went out to dinner and found a Japanese-style Chinese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. One of my Japanese coworkers ordered a variety of items for us and I chowed down on shrimp, beef, pork, noodles and spring rolls. Delicious! I'm really anxious to get some authentic sushi in my stomach though.

Into the wild blue yonder

2012-01-28T06:42:00.001-05:00

6:36am - JFK Airport , New York City:
This will be my last post made in the US until I get back from Japan on February 11th. I'm off to Seattle and then to Osaka. I'll be in the air for the next 18 hours. Joy.

I'm not sure how much free time I'll have for blogging about my eastern experiences, while I'm there, but I'm sure I'll manage to at least blog some photos.

Sayounara!

Peace & justice

2012-01-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

These are Shepard Fairey’s latest two prints. I like them, though don’t find them as cool as his Lotus Diamond prints! I think they look a little flat without any shading. They are scheduled to drop for sale this Tuesday (1/31) at an undisclosed time at the Obey Giant website. I’ll be in Japan but will definitely be gunning for at least one of these prints. I had no luck trying to score the Occupy Protester print that he released a couple of weeks ago. Although my awesome sister, Mary, did snag me a copy of Time Magazine which featured Fairey’s print of Sarah Mason (occupy protestor) as person of the year. Thanks Mare!

Some pulp

2012-01-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was in a dollar store and snagged a bag of little green army men. I used to play with these all the time when I was a kid and I thought I'd use them in some sort of photo project. It's been done a million times before but I had fun doing it myself. I used my 4/3 camera and used the iPad for my processing. I'm going to love using this combo in Japan.

Merckxissimo

2012-01-25T19:07:00.001-05:00

I got home from work this evening around 5:30 and was surprised to find a large first-class mail envelope in my box. When I sat down on the couch and opened it up I was totally jazzed to find this small painting inside! I had forgotten that Georges asked me for my snail mail address a couple of weeks ago. I was really happy to receive this "card" from Georges and Rebecca. Georges is a great guy. I know him from his blog, where he posts cycling-based inspiration on a daily basis, and from racing in his ridiculously fun Bottle Ride (Race) he has organized and held for the past two years at en epic riding park just north of the city. He's an allstar-biker-artist-coolcat. I'll be framing this great Eddy Merckx painting and it'll be hung somewhere special here at phattire headquarters. Thanks for the card Georges!

Nippon. Right on!

2012-01-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kawasaki is sending me out of the country for two weeks. This Saturday morning I'll fly for six hours, from NYC to Seattle, Washington. Forty minutes after I land in Seattle, I switch to a Boeing 767 and fly twelve more hours to Osaka, Japan. I'll touch down at Kansai Airport 4:30pm on Sunday evening. I'm sure my ass is going to feel SPECTACULAR after sitting for 18 hours. At least I get to fly business class on the way over there. On the way back, I'm stuck in coach. (How bad can THAT be? ... I don't want to think about it)

I usually don't get excited about big trips until the day before, but this time, I've been stoked and a bit anxious since I was first assigned to go a couple of weeks ago. I'll be staying 37km from the Kansai Airport at the Okura Hotel in Kobe. I checked it out via Google Maps' satellite view and I see that it's right on the Kobe waterfront! I hope to get some interesting pictures on the docks and maybe I'll find a fish market nearby to photograph. I'm already excited about figuring out how to get from the airport to my hotel. I have to buy a train ticket and I'm wondering just how much English I'll see when buying a ticket from the machine. Google Maps tells me it's a two hour train ride from the airport to the hotel. (Take a look) I have to transfer at Osaka Station to the Sannomiya line. By the way; I think its kind of neat that Kansai Airport is its own little island.

I'm looking forward to figuring things out and making my way through Hyogo. I will be working at Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) during the day, but the commute to and from KHI should provide some interesting morning and evening photos. I've set up my iPhone and iPad with international data plans so that I can use Google maps while I'm over there and also research as needed. Also, if any family or friends want to reach me, feel free.

Food. I love food. I think Japan is going to nail it as far as keeping my taste buds happy. Some of my favorite foods are sushi, various sea critters and steak. I'm sure I'll get my fill of sushi. And I'm positive I can find various types of tempura. And do I even need to mention that a fatty, well-marbled cut of that infamous Kobe beef is at the top of my list? Although I'm sure I'll be eating in a few restaurants with the customer and my Japanese counterparts, I plan to eat as much street food as I can. I eat a lot of it in my city; why not do the same in Osaka? If you have no idea about Japanese food here are some examples of typical Japanese dishes.
I'll have a free weekend while I'm there. Back home the Superbowl will be going on, but I'll be missing it. (GO GIANTS!) I plan on taking a train up to Tokyo for the day (See route above). This may be a bit optimistic as the train ride is nearly four hours long. But we'll see. I want to experience as much as possible during my fourteen days spent on the other side of the earth!

Pictures of the day

2012-01-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

Just a few images taken on my commute home from work this evening. I am loving the GF2! Also I can't say enough about the Photogene app for the iPad2. I used the app to make the collage below.

Four thirds mobile set-up

2012-01-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

An upcoming international business trip has me stoked about what I'm calling my new 4/3 mobile set-up. I'll be spending two weeks in Japan starting this Saturday the 28th, extending to Saturday the 11th. A bunch of research has enabled me to set up my iPad as my principle photo processing machine and shed light on an all new and ultra-practical work flow. Here's how it works: Using Apple's camera connection kit, I'm able to import RAW files from my 4/3 camera. From there I do my post processing via an excellent app called Photogene. Photogene lets me work with my RAW files and adjust a multitude of aspects to include levels & curves, white balance, noise reduction, viewing of EXIF data and modification of meta data and much more. On top of this, it enables me to re-size my files and export them to various places like my blog, Facebook, my Flickr account and even FTP them to my website's server! All of this while keeping my original files untouched for archival purposes.

While I'm in the Land of The Rising Sun, I'll be able to sort and process my photos each evening instead of waiting till I get back to the states!

New camera

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

With the recent demise (sand caught in lens retraction gearing) of my Sony S90 a few months ago, I've finally saved enough cheddar to hit B&H for my new Four Thirds camera. Stepping into the four thirds realm is both familiar and exciting at the same time. Familiar in the sense that I am used to having full-manual control when exposing scenes and exciting because this new camera is so excellent. I'm talking about my new Panasonic Lumix GF2 shown at left. It has nearly all the control of a DSLR, yet is sized similarly to most of today's point & shoot cameras. The image sensor, though not as large as my full frame Nikon D700, is much larger than most point & shoot cameras allowing it to surpass them in both file size and image quality. Rather than go on and on about the specs for this camera I'm only going to tell you about what I think are the neatest features and let you get the full low-down over at dpreview.com. The biggest reasons why I bought this camera over a traditional point & shoot are: RAW file captures, interchangeable lenses, sensor size, full exposure control (f/stop & shutter speed, & manual focus), 1080i 60fps full HD video, SD memory, touch screen menu, all metal body, iPhone-like image browsing in play-back mode & lastly; size.

Below are a couple of images I took this morning while transferring from bus to train in Marble Hill.

Above left: f/2.5 @ 1/25 sec. Above right:f/2.5 @ 1/40 sec.

Picture of the day

2012-01-23T21:23:00.001-05:00

Soaked

Snowy morning

2012-01-21T08:33:00.001-05:00

I was woken by the sound of a plow rumbling up 190th street. That's a sound I don't mind waking to; it means we've got snow here in the city. Here are just a few snaps from my window this morning at 7:30. (Shot with my D700 using my 19-35mm) Looks like we'll be getting about 5" today. It's about time! I'll be out and about with my camera; most likely post some pore shots later today. In related news, I think it's pretty cool that NYC will soon have a real-time snow plow tracking system. Funny note: The person in the upper left photo looked up when I released the shutter; I wonder if they think I was spying on them.

Moldy rolls

2012-01-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

I was going to just toss this bag of moldy rolls when I got home from work last night, but then I thought I'd play around with them. I don't think any of these images are winners, but it was fun/gross to play with lighting. I didn't put any effort into making a backdrop, or perfecting studio lighting, though it was good inspiration for an upcoming military themed macro project. Stay tuned.

Houston by iPhone

2012-01-14T13:56:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post; I spent a couple of days in Houston last week on business. I didn't take my DSLR, but I did use my iPhone to capture some of the buildings near the cross streets of Louisiana and Dallas. I wish I had a real camera with me, but these images give you an idea of some of the architecture in the area.

Haven't had a bath in 22 years

2012-01-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

I have to say: baths are amazing. When I think of simple pleasures and the finer things in life, baths now come to mind. Last night, in Houston, when I got to my hotel room I was stressed from a rough day spent working with my boss. I was eager to shower, change out of my monkey suit, and hit the streets for some exploration. While playing with the mixing valve for a steaming hot shower, the notion of a bath entered my brain. Why not? I was at a 4 star hotel, and the tub was spotless after all (I'd never take a bath in my tub!). So I dedicated the next 30 minutes to some much needed me-time. I propped my iPad up and played some Explosions In The Sky, grabbed a few extra towels and filled the tub. The next half hour was spent soaking, contemplating and reminiscing of the times when my 8 other brothers and sisters would take turns bathing in that old brick house outside of Pittsburgh. It was then that I realized it had been over 22 years since I last turned all pruney in a giant porcelain trough. Vivid memories came flooding back to me of evening sunsets and the sound of my siblings still running around outside. I could hear them through the open upstairs bathroom window . I remembered a time, I must have been 7 or so, when my older sister Molly shampooed my hair making me giggle as she lathered my noggin comically. And the water; oh the water! Grey with a day's worth of playing in the woods, catching grasshoppers in the garden and baseball with my friend Cody, down the street.

Many times since then, I've wished for a bath; after every race or long road or mountain bike ride, I think of how nice a hot bath would feel on my tired legs. Why haven't I bathed? For one, I'm 6' tall and the bath tubs in the places I've rented in Boston, Baltimore and New York were tiny! For two, those same bath tubs were never a place where I would want to submerge myself, no matter how clean I thought I could get them.

Anyway, baths are fantastic. I'll add a bath to my business travel routine from now on. As glorious as they are, 30 minutes is a long time and I simply couldn't take the heat after that. My body temp was definitely elevated. I looked like a lobster when I hopped out! ....mmmmm lobsters.

Saturday morning in pictures

2012-01-09T04:51:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I was up and at em' for an early morning walk with the camera around Columbus Circle and the south end of Central Park. I checked out an interesting sculpture "Tornado" at the southeast entrance to the park, swung by Rat Rock and hit up the Apple store. I can't explain exactly why I feel a compulsion to visit the Apple store every several months. I don't need anything from them. Yet I'm attracted to their laptops and desktop machines; drawn to them much like Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Anyway, I stared in amazement at the 27" iMacs for a few moments until the idea of a pretzel croissant at City Bakery entered my mind and I was able to snap out of it and head down to 18th Street. Ahh, the power of food. I have to thank Chris Kreuter for turning me on to these insanely delicious little morsels. Thank you Chris. Seriously. Before heading further downtown, I noticed an awesome little hot dog stand. The owner's nice orange road bike sandwiched between the stand and the boundary wall of Central Park is what first caught my eye. But then, I noticed pictures of Eddy Merckx on the outside; sweet! Though I didn't buy one of NY's classic dirty-water street dogs I did delight in the thought of Eddy Merckx pushing for his five Tour de France wins in the 70's, fueled by Belgian hot dogs.

Single Speeding in Allentown, PA.

2012-01-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

One aspect of my job that I really enjoy is the traveling. Last week I had to travel to the middle of Pennsylvania. Since I had a rental car for last week's trip and a full day open for traveling/exploring, I packed a mountainbike and set off down the road. I got to Bear Creak Resort in Allentown, PA at around 1:30 and rode a single loop around the ski hills and lodge before calling it quits. I stopped often to shoot bits and pieces of footage with my iPhone to create the short video below. I was impressed with the trails, though I stuck to the main loop which traces the perimeter of the resort and measures only 5 miles. I was hard-pressed to make the climbs and keep my hands on the bars through the rock gardens on my rigid single speed machine but had a blast all the same. Snow flakes fluttered down through the leafless trees and snot froze in my mustache. It was 27°F and QUITE nippy! Overall I'm impressed with the video quality of the iPhone. Staying true to phattire low-budget production fashion, I used Windows Movie Maker to create this one.

Amtraking

2011-12-29T08:35:00.001-05:00

Another Amtrak ride down to DC. I'm getting quite used to this trip now. I always wish I could stop and explore some of the places I speed past; the old factories just outside of Jersey for example. Instead I sit listening to Peter Bjorne & John's Writer's Block album. I plan on mountain biking in Germantown, MD tomorrow morning. I haven't ridden at Schaefer Farm in at least six years and it is one of my favorite spots to ride so I'm dying to get the single speed out there ASAP!

Edit: I never actually got to ride at Schaefer Farm! Bummer!

This morning in pictures

2011-12-28T11:04:00.001-05:00

Washington Heights this morning at 7:30am.

A few xmas photos

2011-12-28T07:30:00.000-05:00

I actually spent a decent amount of time playing around with my Lionel O-gauge trains this year. I don't always get the train out though this year, setting it up and really examining each box car was really enjoyable.

Goal #1

2011-12-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

Looks like I have one bike related goal in my sights for March of 2012. The Red Hook Crit goes down on March 24th (incase you couldn't decipher that information from the adjacent image). More info here in the near future.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T11:23:00.001-05:00

It's nearly Xmas eve and I've been one busy guy this month. Work has taken me to Milwaukee (awesome town!), Charlotte (also awesome) and continues to send me to other interesting spots in the new year like Allentown, PA (not so awesome). But, still, I enjoy the experience of traveling and all of the interactions, foods and situations that come along with that. Milwaukee was a blast; I spent some time in the 3rd Ward which was full of hip & happening joints and gorged myself at a sea food market where I chowed down on a tasty lobster for only $14. You can't beat that price. I reassured myself that I simply couldn't afford NOT to eat my steamy little friend. The best part of it was that the lobster had a great fresh flavor. Now, I've been known to breakdown and shlep my water bug-craving ass into Red Lobster from time to time - and let me clarify this is only when I had hit rock bottom in my lobster addiction. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not exactly ashamed either. Red Lobster is like shwag lobster I pick up when I'm really fiending. Most of the time, if you want the good stuff, you gotta pay top dollar. So, to eat an awesome lobster for $14 was so right-on. The half-dozen Blue Point oysters I slurped down weren't bad either.

Look for a lot more noise coming out of this blog in 2012. This year has been a rough one on me; my lack of blogging these past couple of months speak to that. Here's to a happy holiday for everyone and a fruitful new year!

Noel

2011-12-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Long time no post. I'm here though, as is the Xmas holiday. Though I haven't posted since November 11th, I can assure you my tree is up and the Lionel train has chugged around it more than a few times - Two traditional measures taken in hopes of generating at least a scoach of holiday cheer. This in spite of a years worth of crumby life continually derailing my usual festive noel-nature this time of year. I could use some tidings of comfort and joy (COMFORT AND JOY) or what have you. Still; I've been active. I've squeezed in a few mountain bike rides up at Sprain Ridge Park, a two night backpacking trip at Harriman State Park, a hike up Slide Mountain in the Catskills with an overnight at the Colonial Inn and a trip down to Baltimore to visit a friend this past weekend. On the other side of that coin (the inactive/sloth side) I've been tearing through episodes of AMC's Breaking Bad. A buddy turned me on to the show and I've since watched all three available seasons on Netflix and have only 2 episodes left of the latest seaon; four. If you've never seen the show, allow me to point you in the right direction. Warning; you will be hooked after one episode.

Dirt Rag #160

2011-11-11T13:10:00.000-05:00

I hear it all the time: "Enjoy the simple pleasures in life". Well, here's one of the simple pleasures I enjoy in life: Dirt Rag # 160. I'll never get tired of reading Dirt Rag.

Tear jerker

2011-11-04T08:31:00.000-04:00

I found this video over at Prolly's site. I think it's a fantastic short film and does capture the feeling you get when your bike is stolen. I can't imagine having my fixed gear stolen. Yowza. Enjoy.

Maiden voyage of the Mission 1

2011-10-29T18:35:00.000-04:00

This morning I met a friend at Sprain Ridge Park in Yonkers, NY to get a quick and early ride in before the forecast snow began to fly. At 7:30 this morning JP and I were dropping into some gnarly-fun singletrack. It was my first ride on my new full suspension bike. I must say, this bike is incredible. I need to add a few more PSI to the rear shock but other than that the bike rode beautifully. I was throwing it into some really sketchy rock gardens and it seamed to just eat it right up. I also hucked it off a few 3 and 4 footers with no problems. Love it! The only bummer about the ride was that I managed to twist my left knee pretty badly. I have never felt a sensation like it before - like strands of rope snapping. Ouch! I'm hobbling around (again), but I think another trip to the doctor is in order... Below is a quick video made from footage snapped with my iPhone.

New wheels

2011-10-18T14:57:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, I ordered a new All Mountain (AM) bike from Diamondback. I haven't paid much attention to Diamondback since around 1997 when I was enamored with their OCLV technology during their Rocketboy Campaign. You know, the good old days of '95 & '96 when Travis Brown (and his famous side burns) was ripping it up on the XC pro circuit. At any rate, I was looking for a good AM bike to ride at Blue Mountain Reservation and the Mission 1 seems to fit the bill. The Mission 1 has 6" of front and rear travel, both adjustable and both have lock-outs. The components are roughly, mid level and nothing fancy but the bike is 100% ready to rock as is. I won't be upgrading any of the parts until they break or prove insufficient for my riding. I'm so eager to take big hits with this bike. I've been so careful on the Cannondale when riding at Blue Mountain; now I'll have a bike that can take a real beating! It should arrive this Friday. Below is a photo of the bike and an exploded view of the 4-bar linkage system Diamondback calls their "knucklebox" technology.

Excellent AM skills video

2011-10-18T07:36:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon this video the other day and really enjoyed it. In my 17 years of mountain biking I believe I've watched one or possibly two actual skills videos. Well, my eyes are wide open to them now. I actually learned a lot and found myself outside practicing my newly learned cornering technique. In this video Fabien Barel from the Mondraker Factory Team explains some really basic and helpful All Mountain (AM) skills in a way that is very easy to understand. The video editing is top notch providing many very clear visual demonstrations of each skill. I particularly liked the layering of videos showing Barel using proper vs improper cornering techniques at the same time. Techniques are slowed down and replayed for clarity and graphics point out where your center of gravity should be during each move. It's a lengthy yet excellent AM skills video showing how a little bit of correctly applied body movement can increase your ride's stoke factor. Enjoy.

The Bottle Ride - 2nd Annual Race

2011-10-10T13:24:00.001-04:00

It's Monday morning and I find myself in the office feeling both sore and good, not unlike other Monday mornings. Recounting Saturday's race, I wash down a couple of Aleve with a sip of mediocre coffee from the kitchen here at work. In my cube, I shuffle my legs a bit to keep my slacks from sticking to the giant raspberry on my right leg. I loosen my tie in hopes of reliving a little tension from my shoulders. What an awesome race.

Above left: my left leg in 2010 after The Bottle Ride. Above right: my right leg in 2011 after The Bottle Ride.

Saturday morning I raced in the 2nd Annual Bottle Ride at Blue Mountain in Peekskill, NY (See last year's race report here). This time, I raced on my rigid single speed. Why? Because I love they way it rides: the flex of the steel, the direct connection to every impact that travels from the wheels up through the frame. Again this year, Georges's efforts in the race preparation, organization, and enthusiasm really paid off! Where else can you find a free race, comprised of a bunch of random cool cats, strong riders, prizes and on trails as brutally epic as the ones at Blue Mountain? Nowhere, mon frere. And so again, this year I raced.

So how did I do? Racers were sent off at 30 second intervals; the race followed the time trial format just as it did last year. Just, like last year, I started off aggressively, over excited and clumsily. I crashed hard, 50' into the race in almost the exact same spot as last year. The start of the course skirts off-camber, along the side of a steep hill and runs through a large rock garden. This is where I stalled, balanced for a moment, then slowly started to fall to the right, down hill. Looking downhill at my landing zone I saw nothing but boulders! And over I went, unable to disengage my cleat from my right pedal. I fell in an almost sitting position, still clipped in on the downhill side. Without a smidgeon of grace and with my arms flailing wildly, I plummeted downhill reaching out at the last second, bracing for impact. Luckily my upper body landed in a wonderful little soft patch of leaves while my hips and legs landed hard on the rocks. Adding insult to injury, my bike came to a stop on top of me.

Calm down.

While I scrambled back up the hill to the trail, I noticed my legs were scraped up but other that, they felt fine so I was eager to get pedaling as soon as possible. A race is no place for standing still you know. It's also not the place for hyped up, adrenaline fueled, clumsy riding. I had to calm myself down and ride smarter. A few minutes further down the trail and I had settled into a rhythm and started to feel very "on". My lines through the technical sections were precise and smooth as I lofted the bike over small rock patches, logs and slippery roots. I passed about 6 people in the first half of the race, and was able to stay ahead of the people behind me which was a really good feeling. My legs were loosened up and I was feeling great. So I began to push it. When I reached the long climb up Ned's Left Lung I just put my head down and chugged up the hill with a steady but ambitious cadence. I puked up a little coffee from earlier that morning, without loosing my focus and continued to turn the cranks.

Half way up Ned's Left Lung, I lost the ability to clip into my left pedal. The 2-year old wings in my Crank Brothers Candy pedals seemed to be stuck in the "open" position and would not close around the cleat in my shoe. I stopped half way up Ned's Left Lung, a grueling climb over loose baby-head sized rocks, grabbed a rock the size of a baseball and gave the pedal a few hard blows (TWSS). the wings snapped back in place and I was able to clip in for a few more feet before the pedal failed again. This time I just kept riding. Riding with only one foot clipped in is very aggravating. Every rock and log I hopped, had my left foot flying off the pedal, so I had to take them much slower than I usually would.

In the end, I think I did pretty well. The winner won with a time of 45:15. I suspect my time was probably somewhere around 60:00, but I won't know until Georges posts the times. Regardless of my time, I had a great time and even made a couple of friends who I plan on riding with. You can never have too many riding buds. Lastly, I want to thank Georges for all of the work he put into the second, Bottle Ride. Thanks G!

2 new prints

2011-10-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

So, I've recently scored these two awesome Shepard Fairey prints below. What's extra cool about them is that they're both prints are signed and numbered. The one on the left is the poster that ATP asked Fairey to make for the I'll Be Your Mirror music festival. I went to that festival (Though not to thrash & mosh, but rather to see Fairey's Revolutions show) and it rocked. So, I'm glad to have this print because I was actually at the festival and saw the Paramount Theater he incorporated into the print; pretty sweet. The print on the right was released for sale yesterday and I was lucky enough to score it before it sold out. Though I don't find it as visually striking as some of his other prints, I do really like the message. And as my sister pointed out, those bright red arrows at the bottom of the print force your eyes to see the "large transgressions"I think I'll be getting both of these prints framed so they can be hung proudly at phattire headquarters.

Oh hell yeah

2011-10-03T18:06:00.000-04:00

Another excellent video by Marco Toniolo. Check out his videos on Vimeo, they're all excellent! This one in particular really makes me want to ride. This guy's got some sick skills!

Marco Milivinti's training track from Marco Toniolo on Vimeo.

Revolutions

2011-10-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I met my sister Mary at her frame shop in Summit, NJ so we could drive down to Asbury Park and see Shepard Fairey's album cover art show: Revolutions. Asbury Park itself is an odd, sleepy little town. Ocean Ave is the main drag along the shore with a boardwalk on the ocean side and all sorts of odd sights along the inland side. It reminded me of Cherynoble: old funky hotels, half built structures with concrete pillars sprouting rebar high into the air and several empty parking lots. Still, the boardwalk seemed to have a some energy to it and when you glanced around the entire scene, giant Shepard Fairy murals popped out at you in the distance. We walked around the area taking pictures of the art Fairey had posted here and there and then popped into the gallery to see his Revolutions show. I have to say, seeing his work full size and up close was really amazing. The detail he puts into the pieces and his seemingly endless creativity continue to impress me. Mary and I both bought the latest edition of his book Supply & Demand and even got it for about $15 cheaper than it sells for at the Obey Giant website; sweet! Below are a few images from the day and here is a gallery of all the images.

I'll be your mirror

2011-09-30T10:59:00.000-04:00

I scored this sweet new Shepard Fairey print while riding the crosstown bus through Central Park last night. Fairey was asked by ATP, to create this poster to help publicize this weekend's music festival: I'll Be Your Mirror. This print was released for sale yesterday but it had sold out immediately. However, there must have been a glitch in the Obey Giant website because when I checked back yesterday evening I was delighted to find it was still available! *Snag!* I think its pretty cool that Fairey incorporated the old Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, into the print. Side note: I love the fact that I was able to buy this print using my iPhone; so convenient. Every second counts when trying to buy new Fairey pieces; they usually sell out in a matter of minutes!

Rather than describe the print myself, I'm going to cut & paste Mr.Fairey's own words here:

All Tomorrow’s Parties is a great independent music festival that does events around the world. I attended one in LA a few years ago to catch great shows by Iggy and the Stooges and Mission of Burma. ATP has a great concept of asking people or bands to curate the festival. They have asked people like Jim Jarmusch, Matt Groening, Thurston Moore, The Melvins, and for this year’s festival, Portishead. I love Portishead, so I was happy to be asked to create the poster this year. The festival is happening in an amazing building on the boardwalk in Asbury Park NJ, so I incorporated the building into the design of the poster. I’ll be doing murals, an art show, and DJ’ing as part of the ATP festival, so I’m getting to indulge all my passions in a concentrated way this week. Oh, Public Enemy is performing their classic sonic thunderstorm of an album “Fear of a Black Planet”… shake your rump and pump your fist!!!! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, improve your life immediately and get that record. Or, get to Asbury Park and check it out.

-Shepard Fairey

My sister Mary and I are heading over to Asbury Park, NJ this Sunday to check out Fairey's album art show titled Revolutions during this ATP event. He's created a lot of excellent album covers over the years, for some really great bands, to include the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, and 311. I don't think we'll take in any of the shows but I'm sure we'll be able to hear them jamming out. We're more interested in seeing the Revolutions show; it's going to be fantastic and I'm pretty stoked to check it out!

I also found this little gem where you can download a mix tape of tracks from the bands playing at the I'll Be Your Mirror Show this weekend. Enjoy! [click here to listen/download]

Death on wheels

2011-09-29T10:19:00.001-04:00

Mixed in with my office mail this morning, was this screen printed patch I had bought on Ebay last week. It's a Shepard Fairey screen print from who knows when. He's not currently selling patches on his website and I'm glad to have scored this one. Looks like the future holds another trip to the Ecuadorian Shoe Repair Shop in my neighborhood. The guys at the shop have a sewing machine with a stout needle that can handle stitching through the thick rubber and Cordura material of my old messenger bag. It's always fun to pop in there and explain that I want them to stitch a patch on my bag. They're always happy to make a quick and easy $5.00.

Rock on

2011-09-29T08:23:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I ripped around Sprain Ridge Park for a few hours on my singlespeed. Trail conditions were a little moist from the rain we received earlier in the week giving them a tacky/grippy feel. As usual it felt fantastic to turn the cranks and dip & dive through the woods. Riding a singlespeed through a damp forest can be quite surreal in that it is a very quiet experience. Twigs didn't snap beneath my tires and wet leaves helped to muffle my roll. I played around on this boulder for a few minutes before moving on. I wish I had the skills I used to have; I was once so smooth!

Picture of the day

2011-09-21T10:16:00.001-04:00

A combination of two images I took this past weekend while backpacking.

Backpacking at Harriman

2011-09-19T09:17:00.000-04:00

I spent Friday through Sunday morning backpacking in Harriman State Park in New Jersey. Friday night I took a 6:00 bus from downtown, across the Hudson River and into NJ where I met my friend Jay who drove us to Harriman. Our hike in to the Dutch Doctor Shelter was dark and the cool air was really comfortable for hiking. We hiked 2.5 miles by the light of our head lamps over gentle grades of boulder strewn trails. We arrived at Dutch Doctor Shelter around 9:00 where we met up with Mike, who would join us for the weekend. I made a lazy dinner of pepper jack cheese and pepperoni and we all sat around talking and listening to Thievery Corporation. The temperature was down around the mid 50's and made for extremely comfortable sleeping.

Saturday morning I woke up around 7:00, well rested, and brewed a cup of joe. I sipped my coffee while sitting on the edge of the shelter watching the sun rise slowly above the horizon. Rays of sunlight warmed my legs and pelted the eastern sides of trees in the woods before me. It was a beautiful morning. We packed up and set off west along the Tuxedo Mountain Ivy Trail to Claudius Smith Den. This trail took us over Tuxedo Mountain (1040') to the den which is actually a pretty large cave. I crawled up and through the cave stopping inside to enjoy the cool darkness and sound echoing around inside. I down-climbed a simple route on the the backside of the cave and was pretty stoked about the whole thing. I think caves are really neat.

Pushing on past Claudius Smith Den, we turned south down the Blue Disk Trail. This trail was pretty awesome as well because it splits and gives you two options: the "elbow brusher" or the "easy route". We all took the elbow brusher and enjoyed squeezing through narrow crevices and along harry ledges. This trail was mostly down hill. At one point we stopped for a break and I noticed a big hornets nest hanging high in the branches above. It was the size of a basketball. Sitting on some rocks we all snacked, drank water and talked about the beautiful weather and excellent trail conditions. We all enjoyed the sight of a giant tree growing from a ledge on the side of an equally large boulder.

A mile or so later we were hiking along the Kakiat Trail which routed us across Spring Brook. Hurricane Irene had caused so much flooding that the bridge across Spring Brook was destroyed. Remnants of the bridge were interesting... concrete pillars with re-bar and broken strands of cable sprouting up out of them. Across the brook, a log the size of a telephone pole held anchored to the pillar. The other end of the log was swept downstream by the current. We followed the brook until we found a spot to rock hop across about a quarter mile downstream.

After another mile and a half or so, we came across Stony Brook which is a boulder strewn river with several small waterfalls (10') and deep refreshing pools. We all filtered water from this brook and I climbed around taking pictures. The roar of the water filled the air and a canopy of very tall trees let light filter down through gaps in the leave cover high above. It was beautiful.

We hiked a couple more miles to the top of Diamond Mountain where we set up camp. The tents went up quickly and we all went about collecting firewood for the evening. It was about 4:00 at this time and cloud cover had me wondering if it was going to rain or not. The weather forecast had called for good weather but I had a feeling I was going to get wet. As luck would have it, the clouds blew by and the stars came out. Dinner was a freeze dried meal of spaghetti (Again, I have to say Mountain House meals are great). We all made meals around the fire and talked while Bob Dylan played from an iPhone. The three of us shared food and stories and kept the fire blazing for a few hours before calling it a day.

Sunday morning I woke up around 6:45. The sun was just creeping over the rocks in front of my tent highlighting the green moss on the ground just outside of my tent. I stared through the screen at my boots and water bottle I left outside overnight. Moments later I was outside stretching, rubbing my eyes and picking up sticks for the fire. The coals from last night's fire were still hot and the fire came back to life with a few hand fulls of kindling. I wasn't too hungry but I ate a breakfast bar with my coffee and then cooked up some bacon for the three of us. We broke camp by 9:00 and hiked the last 4 miles out to the cars. Great trip!

Experiencing zero gravity

2011-09-16T07:42:00.000-04:00

Stumbled upon this over at John Nack's Adobe blog. Totally love it. Really want to base jump now...

SS cyclocross bike 4 sale

2011-09-13T13:04:00.000-04:00

Of all of the not-so-bright things I've done in my life, ordering the wrong sized bike could be one of the worst. I say this because I am well aware of the fact that I ride a 59cm frame. But, last week I ordered & received a 58cm Motobecane singlespeed cross bike. I have no idea how I picked "58" from the drop down menu when I ordered it but oh well. Its a beautiful bike and I took my time setting up right. But, after one quick burn around the neighborhood I knew that this frame was too small. Rather than return the bike and rather than try to make the bike fit me I threw it up for sale on Craiglist. I'm asking $700 and I think she'll go pretty fast. This bike can be ridden as a fixed gear or with the freewheel. 16T cogs live on both side of the flip-flop hub.

Rocky Mountain Altitude RSL

2011-09-13T07:46:00.000-04:00

I've always wanted a nice All-Mountain (AM) bike. Something fully suspended that will climb without bobbing and sucking my energy but will also suck up the big hits and be able to take the big drops on the downhill sections. The Rocky Mountain Altitude RSL looks pretty awesome. 5.5" of front and rear adjustable travel and a solid frame design; nice. I can just imagine riding this thing up at Blue Mountain in Peekskill, NY.

Coney Island

2011-09-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

I spent Saturday afternoon at Coney Island walking along the beach, the boardwalk and around the roller coasters and other rides. As usual, there was no shortage of strange sites and sounds. I believe Coney Island may have the highest percentage of Carnies in the entire New York City area. All sorts of folks roam this place, ensuring that you will always see something interesting at Coney Island. People danced to music on the boardwalk, children were running in and out of the water and flying kites. I was avoiding shards of glass, feminine hygiene products and other nasty bits of garbage that make up the beach at Coney Island. Although the beach is filthy and chances are high of emerging from the water with a used band aid stuck to my face, I usually jump in and float around for a bit. The cooler temps and my self-preservation mindset kept me out of the water this time. Below are a few snapshots from the days stroll.

Saturday's road ride

2011-09-12T10:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning I took the road bike out for a wet 26 mile ride. I rode across the George Washington Bridge, into NJ and then turned south down to Hoboken. My friend Dave just got a new road bike and he was eager to get out on a real road ride but the weather foiled our plans. After meeting Dave and heading north out of Hoboken, the rain let loose. Twice we took cover under overpasses and debated between continuing the ride and finding a bistro or cafe in which to eat brunch. We had just agreed to head back to Hoboken to find some breakfast when Dave's rear tire went flat. We were so close to his place that we just bagged the ride. All in all I had a great ride. I stayed dry all the way back to Manhattan. The rain held until I reached my place and I was surprised at how good I felt on the road bike. All that time spent on the fixie lately has really given me some power down in my legs. I can't wait to get out in the woods on the mountain bike!

Getting cooler

2011-09-09T15:09:00.000-04:00

I'm not getting any cooler. I am what I am. The weather sure is though, and it's been great. Albeit rainy, this week has been pretty comfortable with temperatures dropping down into the 60's at night and maxing out in the mid 80's during the day. Not a lot planned for this weekend though I do hope to get out and put some miles on the road bike. Wouldn't mind riding a little dirt as well, but we shall see.

Not so fixed gear

2011-09-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

Friday at last and I feel great after another week or riding to work. I have an ideal seven mile commute. Not too short, not too long: juuuust riiiight. (that's what she said?)

With the onset of cooler temperatures I am really excited for fall to come. I enjoy commuting during the fall and winter much more than during the summer. I like the warrior aspect of it. I'm out there in the elements, completely comfortable, pedaling around the city.

I did have a mechanical issue this week. The lockring came loose on my fixed gear causing the gear (16T cog) to become not so fixed. It was a quick five minute fix to remove the wheel and honk down on the lockring, but it definitely scared the sh!t out of me. Aside from that I haven't had a mechanical issue in almost a year. Sweet. I must say, this is the first time I have used the Pedro's multi-tool for anything other than removing my wheels to fix flats. Worked great.

Fabric Horse U-Lock Holster

2011-08-31T11:43:00.001-04:00

I've been carrying my current U-lock for nine years now, and in those nine years it's home, while in transit, has been my back pocket. That's where it lives. Location is everything: From my back right pocket its easy to pull out when I need to shake it in a threatening manner or retrieve it to lock up my ride. My lock is my friend; my protector. I've depended on it for many years now and it's never let me down. When I stumble out of the bodega with my Red Bull, hoagie, Bike magazine and canned ham, I'm always relieved to see my bike safe and secure. Thank you my little steel friend.

While my lock does fit nicely in the back pocket of my shorts, pants and shants, last month I discovered a new product from Fabric Horse which piqued my interest: The U-lock Holster. My initial reaction to the holster was one of disinterest and snobbery. With a head-shake, a single "tsssssssss" escaped my lips. What's wrong with the back pocket? I grumbled.

Flash forward a month. It's August 29th and I'm standing at the counter at Mod Squad Cycles in Harlem. I'm wrestling a new mustache bar into my messenger bag and joking with one of the shop workers about shanking unsuspecting pedestrians on the way home with this oddly shaped piece of aluminum protruding from my bag. I'm about to leave when I spot a pile of these holsters on the counter marked: $9.99. So I buy one. What the hell I say. Living in a city of hipsters ensures a respectable resale value if I don't end up using this thing. Thank you Craigslist.

Now flash backward one day. It's August 30th, 6:15am. I'm rubbing a crusty eye-booger from my face while slipping my belt through the loops in my shorts. It is then that I spot the holster draped over the back of a chair. Oh yeah, time to use that ten dollar piece of seat-belt. Positioning the holster in the back, just right of center, I drop my lock in. As my elevator takes me to the ground floor I'm going over things I wasn't supposed to forget: dress shoes, dress shirt, khakis, a couple of slices of pizza from the fridge... then the door opens and I roll down the hall and out on to the street.

As soon as I throw a leg over my bike I realized, perhaps the single most important benefit of the holster, which is: ass pressure reduction. When you shove a U-lock in your back pocket it really presses against your ass. That pressure is now gone because the lock, no longer fights the curvature of your badonkadonk. It simply hangs straight down "off the back" (a position I am quite used to from my road racing daze). So, to the two Phillies at Fabric Horse; thank you, I dig it, nicely done!

Super Commuter Man

2011-08-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

This morning's ride in to work was fantastic. I left phattire headquarters at 6:25am and stepped out in to a cool 60° morning. Not a cloud in the sky; a bit of dew on the grass. I zipped off on the fixed gear taking Broadway north out of Manhattan, through the Bronx and into Yonkers. I'm really loving the new mustache bars. I was totally flying up Broadway this morning. I stopped for a quick moment to snap a couple of photos of the morning fog rising off of Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx (pictured above & below). 7 miles later I rolled through the gate at Kawasaki. At work, while I was passing my U-lock through my frame, a production worker approached my bike and I asking "Fixed gear?" which led to a quick conversation about messaging. Turns out, this guy used to be a messenger here in NYC. We talked for a quick moment before I went inside to find a conference room to change in. Now changed out of my commuting clothes, I am no longer Super Commuter Man but instead; a mild mannered QA Engineer.

Today's Yehuda Moon

2011-08-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

I rode to work this morning. I can relate to this Yehuda Moon comic. Though I don't usually fight traffic on the ride in to work; the ride home is a different story.

Mustache bars

2011-08-29T15:43:00.000-04:00

I picked up a no-name aluminum mustache bar from Mod Squad Cycles in Harlem today. I was actually looking for a Jeff Jones style Hbar or a set of Mary bars for my singlespeed mountainbike but ended up throwing these bars on a few blocks from the bike shop and really like the way they feel on the fixed gear.

They're much wider than my old sawed-off riser and they also position my hands a good two or three inches farther forward; changing my riding position a bit, but it feels really comfortable. I have the bars flipped upwards which puts me in a slightly more upright position and yet still feels aggressive and comfortable for applying a lot of torque in a sprint. I was able to chug right up Broadway coming north under the bridge at 125th.

Video: Rolling Clouds

2011-08-29T09:10:00.001-04:00

Though Hurricane Irene wasn't quite as exciting as I had hoped, she did send a bunch of rolling clouds through the city yesterday. It rained on and off but was also sunny here and there. The film below is one hour of footage shot from my window and sped up 32X.

Camera protection

2011-08-28T13:40:00.000-04:00

I made a quick rain cover for my Nikon this morning before heading out in the weather for some street photos. All you need is a one-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and some electrical tape. First I cut a corner off of the freezer bag, making a hole slightly smaller than the hood on my lens. Then I squeezed the hood through the hole and gave it a few wraps with the electrical tape. Lastly, I applied the same technique to the eye piece area on the back of the body. That's all there is to it. It worked like a charm and was comfortable. Plenty of room in the bag to change camera settings etc. I'll be keeping this bag and a roll of tape with my camera gear.

You call that a hurricane?

2011-08-28T12:59:00.000-04:00

Wow. What a let down. I suppose it's good that Irene didn't completely level and flood the Big Apple but I really was looking forward to fleeing to safety. Who knows what kind of adventures could have ensued. Instead. I awoke to a fairly bright morning sky with light wind and rain. No flying debris. No rooftops peeled back like sardine lids. No upside down cars. I grabbed the camera and set off for a little recon. No major damage. Lots of upside-down trash cans and small fallen limbs here and there.

Hurricane Irene: Bring it on.

2011-08-27T13:19:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm all set for Hurricane Irene. I'm actually really excited about it! Yesterday I packed up some survival/rescue gear and I have a bunch of water stored away in the fridge. Camera batteries are fully charged and I'm just kicking around the apartment reading a new book about modern-westernized Buddhism. I don't plan on going anywhere today. Even if I could, NYCT has shut down all public transportation effective noon today.

I plan on getting out and about with my camera during the course of the day. Below are a few photos from the rooftop of my building; nothing too exciting, just overcast with relatively week winds. These photos were taken at 11:00am this morning.

Riding in Bolivia

2011-08-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Found this while browsing an awesome blog I follow: Dan.Gerous.net. Now I want to go to Bolivia.

Relating to Yehuda Moon comics

2011-08-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

Been following Yehuda Moon for a while now and can definitely relate the piece above. I got a call yesterday from the bike shop saying that my new Lefty (Lefty Speed Carbon XLR) has arrived and they offered me my choice of stem-steerer technology. Apparently the older style System Integration (SI) stem-steerer has quite a long lead time, whereas the new One Piece Integration (OPI) stem is the latest design, lighter, and readily available. I chose the newer OPI unit. Though, their "one piece integration" actually consists of two pieces. We'll see... I just want my damn frame and fork back so I can build it up and ride once again.

Above Left: SI Stem-steerer (Old design) Above Right: OPI Stem Steerer (New design)

Video from the Catskills trip

2011-08-18T07:43:00.001-04:00

I was finally able to get this footage together and uploaded to Vimeo. Below is a video from last weekend's hike at Hunter Mountain in the Catskills. I chose not to add a sound track to this and instead let it serve as a virtual hike right here on the interweb. This footage was taken with my Canon S90 and edited with Windows Live Movie Maker.

The latest from Danny Macaskill...

2011-08-17T18:53:00.000-04:00

Blows me away every time I watch him ride... Talk about skills!

Gear Review: EMS Thunderhead Jacket

2011-08-17T09:50:00.001-04:00

I typically don't post gear reviews on this blog. Gear reviews are something I always think about doing but usually don't because I feel it crosses that thin line between Interesting Bit o' Information and Nerd-dom. But, since I tend to live right on the border of these two great nations; why not?

Today I am reviewing my rain coat. Everyone needs one: Keeps you dry, keeps you warm, and perhaps most important: it enables you to make those midnight outhouse runs in the pouring rain. "Crap, I forgot TP again?!" I'm only giving this jacket a review because it works so well. It's saved me many a time my friends.

I bought this EMS Thunderhead jacket this past winter. I bought it to use both cycling and hiking/camping. So, for the past 8 months or so I've used this jacket on the trails, on the road, and under a backpack. It breathes really well, which is important when you've already invested in a bunch of moisture whicking under-layers. Your rain gear should breathe and release any moisture you create. It also has "pit zips" which sound a bit ridiculous but are extremely effective in cooling off your armpits and getting some airflow in there. One cool thing about this jacket is that it incorporates what EMS calls their "Sync" system. This means it has a snap & loop system for attaching liners to the inside of it. I have a liner and used it mountainbiking this winter; works great!

If I could suggest one improvement to EMS for the 2012 version of the Thunderhead rain jacket it would be: Add at least one chest zipper pocket. This jacket only has two traditionally placed zipper pockets at the bottom in front. When you're hiking with a pack, the hip-belt falls right over these pockets, making it a pain in the butt to retrieve items from them; like a camera for example.

Rainy backpacking in the Catskills

2011-08-16T13:18:00.001-04:00

I spent this past Saturday through Monday backpacking around Hunter Mountain in the Catskills. Hunter Mountain is the second tallest peak in the Catskills measuring in at 4,040' above sea level. My friend Jay and I enjoyed the weekend hiking from shelter to shelter in a relatively small area of the Cats. In three days we hiked a mere 9 miles total; nice & easy.

We got to the trailhead around 7:00pm on Saturday night. Stepping from the car, a fine mist hung in the air, a dampness, which would accompany us for the next two days and nights. Hefting our packs up and synching our hip belts tight, we set off into the damp forest. After entering the dark woods, we hiked only a few minutes before switching our headlamps on. Rain was not falling but branches and nettles obscured the trail and quickly soaked my shorts with their heavy wet leaves. Though the hike from the car to the first shelter was only 3 miles, the trail was, at times, brutally steep and the overgrown brush from either side of the trail made it difficult to find safe footing on the baby-head sized rocks below. Nettles stung the sides of my knees making them itch!

We reached the Devil's Acre Shelter around 8:30pm and met three guys from Boston who were occupying it. They had just finished dinner and washing dishes when Jay and I arrived. We made small talk, killed a ridiculously large and threatening spider, then ended up sharing the shelter with them for the night. Within a few minutes of arriving, the rain finally let loose and down it came in sheets. It rained on and off all night while the clouds rolled right through our campsite limiting our view to only ten or fifteen feet in front of the shelter. We all got to know each other a bit while Jay and I cooked our dinners and talked about hiking in the Catskills, Adirondacks and life in Boston. Without a fire there wasn’t much incentive to stay up all night so we all crashed around 10:30pm or so. A full moon shown brightly between quickly passing clouds reflecting a silvery glow down upon the rocks and plants laid out before us.

I woke up around 6:30am on Sunday morning. The rain had stopped. Large puddles had filled pockets within tree roots and the hollows of rocks and logs. A trench had been beaten into the ground below the roofline of the shelter where water had dripped for the last several hours. Though dampness hung in the air, the five of us in the shelter were warm and dry. I had slept like a rock all night and I felt well rested. I unzipped my bag, pulled on my boots, grabbed my camera and headed out to take in the morning’s scenery. Water droplets hung in spider webs and crystal clear droplets lined the stems and leaves of lush vegetation everywhere. All the while a dense fog floated about our campsite. It was a wet but beautiful morning in the Catskills.

At around 9:30am the three guys we shared the shelter with, set off on their way while Jay and I took our time packing up and watching a new hard rain set in. When the rain broke, we picked up our packs and set off for the John Robb Shelter, just three miles away. On the way to the next shelter we stopped at the fire tower on the summit of Hunter Mountain (Elevation 4,040’). We climbed the tower but the low flying clouds obscured any type of view. Looking down from the tower, I was barely able to make out the picnic table below. A scenic view of the surrounding mountains was definitely out of the question.

Pressing on, we reached the John Robb Shelter sometime in the afternoon. This is one of the nicest shelters I have ever seen. Built in 2009 it was in spectacular shape and kept us quite comfortable. We ate lunch in the shelter and pretty much napped for most of the day. During a break in the rain, we hiked down to a nearby spring to fetch more drinking water. I spent the rest of the day napping, snacking and enjoying the sites and sounds of heavy rain in the Catskills. Though we heard no thunder and saw no lightening, a steady roar of rain fell down upon everything, creating a lullaby that had me asleep by 8:30pm.

Monday morning we woke to even more rain. It had rained through the night in a relentless bombardment of big fat drops. Rain streamed from the roof and down in front of the shelter, blasting a trough into the ground below. This trough had morphed into a mote around the front of shelter, with a trickling path down through the rocks and over the side of the mountain about 20’ away. After spending most of yesterday and all of the previous night in my sleeping bag, I was eager to get hiking. The rain was not showing any signs of letting up so we decided to get moving around 8:30.

The hike out was really enjoyable. I hiked out wearing shorts, gators, a t-shirt and a rain jacket. Though it was raining pretty hard, the forest canopy created a bit of a buffer and I really didn’t get too wet. The hike was mostly downhill along a very smooth fire road. Though the trail was wide and smooth, it had also transformed itself into a river. A steady stream of water filled the trail. It was a sloshy hike out, but we reached the car warm and dry. Looking forward to next time!

The 3 A's of awesome

2011-08-07T19:26:00.000-04:00

A good friend, that I work with posted this on his Facebook wall. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with you guys (you guys being the world wide web). Enjoy.

Peace Doves

2011-08-04T11:18:00.000-04:00

Shepard Fairey will be releasing his latest work, the Obey Dove print set, today at a random time. I love they way these look, although I am a fan of almost all of his work. He is only releasing 325 of these numbered and signed screen prints and is selling them for the modest price of a mere $90.00. Though he has not released a statement describing his intended meaning behind the design of these prints, I can only provide my own uneducated interpretation of them. To me, the doves, a symbol of peace, placed squarely in the center of the concentric rings (bulls eyes?) could be interpreted a lot of ways. The doves may be an objective, goal or target or their placement could illicit a statement of being in harm's way. Perhaps the duality of war and peace? There is also a militant vibe about the prints; with the triangular shape at the bottom of each, liken to that of the USAF rank insignia.

At any rate, I am prepared to purchase these prints which should disappear within minutes of their release today. I have my homepage set to the Obey Giant store and will begin reloading the page around 1:00 eastern time which has proven to be his usual release time. Wish me luck!

Edit: Well, I missed these prints! I was well prepared but just not fast enough to beat the entire world wide web! They sold out in less than 60 seconds!

Update on the Lefty situation

2011-08-03T20:51:00.000-04:00

I stopped into the shop on the way home and spoke to the owner. He was like "we're gonna' make this right for you but here's the thing: There's no special tool to get the stem steerer out of the frame. Something's wrong with it. It should just slide right out. My mechanic just got back from a Cannondale training class and he knows what he's doing."

To which I replied: "Well, here's the thing; there IS a tool called the Ernie (and I pulled the tech manual that I downloaded from Cannondale's website from my back pocket) and its used for installing and removing Lefties. It keeps the stem-steerer straight so that you don't damage it, the bearings or the frame." He just said: "oh really? Can I keep this manual?"

My thoughts on this are:
A) He tried to bullshit me and can't be trusted.
B) He did absolutely no research of his own.
C) His mechanic never went to any training class or he lied about that.
D) I want to pour salt water down his seat tube.

He said that he will definitely pay for a new fork, stem-steerer and headset but cautioned me that he may not be able to get the exact fork (2010 Speed Carbon w/DLR - 110mm of travel). I just said, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I def want the same or equivalent.

I do not feel that great about today's face to face interaction with the owner at all. But I will keep you guys posted. In the mean time I am limited to my only other mountain bike which is my rigid singlespeed. I love it but I miss my Flash!

I could really use a Lefty

2011-08-03T14:11:00.000-04:00

I recently mentioned that while out in Colorado I noticed my Lefty making a clunking noise/feeling and the lock-out was not working. When I stopped to assess the situation I found oil had seeped out of the bottom of the Lefty (all over my disk and caliper!).

I plan on mailing this up to Mendon Cyclesmith for repair but first I need to remove it from the frame. I know that there is a special Cannondale tool called the "Ernie" which is used for lefty installation & removal and I don't have one so I called my local bike shop (LBS) to see if they could remove it for me. They assured me that they could. I told them that it has an System Integration (SI) stem/steerer combo and asked if they were sure they had the tools to properly remove it. They said "yeah, sure our mechanics have the tools". Sweet! So after work I through the frame and fork over my shoulder and rode the fixie down to the shop.

They took it off my hands and immediately started unscrewing the clamps and wiggling the steerer/stem loose. I watched them to see how this special tool is used and what it looks like, but I didn't see any tool... Instead, I see one guy holding my frame upside-down while another guy uses a mallet to smack the shit out of my stem. They were trying to force the stem/steerer out of the head tube! I knew this wasn't right, but thought, well, maybe it just needs a tap or two...

Ten minutes later they're still whacking the shit out of my stem/steerer. Then they come to me and say: "We can't get the steerer out; we're going to have to destroy it to get it out.". I'm like "Woah woah woah!" I go look at what they've done and they had beaten the hell out of everything! The stem has a massive half-dollar size dent on the underside from all the hammering and the threads at the bottom of the steerer are destroyed from them trying to push it up and out of the head tube with some sort of pipe they had.

I was furious! I said: "you know there's a special tool for this right?" To which they replied "Special tool?".

I was so shaking mad... could barely speak. I was ready to punch someone/something! But, I kept my cool and didn't even curse, though I was so tempted to scream "WTF?!".

Surveying the damage here's what I saw:

1) The top clamp is badly twisted. They said: "Oh we'll straighten that out for you". Bullshit; you're replacing that. I'm not riding a fatigued clamp. What really sucks abou this is that the upper clamp is actually part of the upper carbon leg! So, they're going to have to get the whole upper piece from Cannondale.

2) The steerer/stem combo is toast. It's dented in many places and the treads are destroyed at the bottom of it.

They told me they will pay for everything but I will NEVER go back to this shop. I did not hear one apology or admittance of any wrong-doing. The owner was not in yesterday. But I did call him today to tell him what had happened. He rushed me off the phone saying that he'd pay for any damaged parts. I'll be paying him a visit after work today. All I want is for them to get my Lefty off and order the replacement parts no charge. When the parts come in, I'm sending them up to Mendon Cyclesmith and will charge the LBS for all costs.

The bike shop will remain nameless for now. Depending on how they handle this situation I may or may not flame them on Yelp, this blog, and mtbr.com.

Can you believe this crap?

I'm alive.

2011-07-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven't blogged since June 14th. I haven't had a gap open up like this since I was shelled in my very first criterium back in 2006! Nevertheless I'm back. I've been really busy and to be honest, pretty unhappy so I haven't felt much like reporting. I'm going to make this blog entry a quick & dirty overview of the past five weeks. That being said; onward with the quick & dirty:

Work:

I've been traveling a lot lately. Work has taken me to some pretty neat areas in the following states: TX, NC, SC, GA, IL, MD & VA. I really enjoy auditing the systems of different companies. The products and processes I see are extremely interesting to me and I really enjoy getting a close look at the state of the art technology these companies are utilizing. The project is now entering the final design stage and the car is going to look SHARP! At this point, it's a violation of company policy to release an image of the latest design, but as soon as the design is made public, I will be sure to post a few images; it's pretty sleek looking!

Hiking/Camping:

With all of the recent traveling, I haven't had that much time to get out in the woods. Two weekends ago however, my friend Jay and I hiked in to Island Pond at Harriman State Park in NJ. The hike in to the pond is only 1.25 miles of pretty brutal uphill, but the pay off is a refreshing pond. There are plenty of large rocks from which you can jump and there's a nice little island in the middle of the pond where you can lounge about and work on your tan. We had a really great time when we were there, to include cooking up some ribs and mac & cheese for dinner! The picture above was taken when I awoke in my tent at Island Pond.

Riding:

I don't know if I ever reported that the Lefty (suspension fork) on my Cannondale is busted. When I was out in Colorado, I blew the lock-out feature of this unit. It's a shame because I was really loving the Lefty's plush performance and the ability to lock-out the suspension on climbs and road sections. At any rate, my Cannondale is sitting in the living room until I get around to shipping it out to Mendon Cyclesmith (Lefty experts) in upstate NY for failure analysis and repair. In the mean time I have been riding my singlespeed (pictured below) whenever I get the chance. Last weekend my friend Dave and I rode at Sprain Ridge Park in Yonkers and had a truly epic ride! The trail conditions were perfect: dusty dry and practically empty. We didn't see another rider on the trails the whole time (3 hours). I was a bit hesitant to try out my tires (Kenda Small Block Eight's) for fear that a storm would turn the dusty trails to slimy booger-luge. But, the weather held and the riding was superb! I even busted out some trials moves from waaaaay back in the day. I was lazy enough NOT to post it on Vimeo, but you can download the QuickTime file here if you care to see me ride on picnic tables as if I were a 14 year old.

Lately, I've been getting out on the road bike after work. I get home from work around 5:15 which leaves plenty of time to skip across the GW Bridge and into NJ to ride north along the Palisades. Once in NJ, if you head 15 miles, or so, north, the riding gets very hilly. I typically turn around once I'm 12 or 13 miles out, making for a respectable (in my eyes) loop. There once was a time when I actually enjoyed riding hills. Those days are gone! So, these rides are pretty enjoyable! Also, I should mention that the fixed gear is riding like a dream. Ever since I gave the drivetrain an overhaul, it's been a tight and quiet ride. She's tip-top! I spent this past Saturday boppin' around Harlem and just really enjoyed exploring, getting lost and pretty much pedaling for the sake of pedaling (Sometimes I just head out the door without a destination in mind - spontaneity usually gets the best of me).

New biz card

2011-06-14T11:49:00.001-04:00

After playing with this idea for a couple of days, I was able to Photoshop myself a new business card. I like the way it came out. Much more hip than my previous one. The orange, white and black colors stem from my Baltimore roots (Orioles colors). The wings and chainring on the front represent the freedom cycling continues to give me. And the back of the card is framed with the view finder of a Pentax K1000, .35mm camera - the camera I first learned black & white chemical photography with.

Origin8 48T ring

2011-06-09T20:08:00.000-04:00

I put in 20 miles on the fixed gear today and let me just tell you: It was damned hot today! My goal was to find a decent 48 tooth single speed chainring and eighth inch chain. I ended up going with an Origin8 48T track ring and a simple BMX chain. I really like the rugged beefiness of running a robust drivetrain on the fixed gear. I don't trust standard chains under the kind of torque this bike gets. This weekend I'll swap out the rings and put the new chain on. The bike should be running dead silent again; I can't wait!

Fixing my hood

2011-06-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

Last night I took a nice spin around my neck of the jungle on my favorite city bike; my fixed gear. I've been riding my Bianchi Pista since August of 2004. Yesterday evening I wiped all the winter salt from the frame and took it out for a joy ride around my neighborhood and fell in love with the bike all over again. Although it rides great, it's drivetrain is a bit shotty. I'm running a 48 X 16 set up and the teeth on my chainring are completely whooped. There are no flats at the peak of each tooth, instead the flats have worn away to severe points. This also makes the bike a bit noisy. With a proper drivetrain this bike is dead silent. So, I believe I will be replacing the chain and chainring this weekend. The 16T cog on the rear hub is practically new so that's all good.

My major concern with this bike is the frame. During the last bottom bracket replacement, I noticed an considerable amount of rust dust built up in the bottom bracket shell. I really need to spray the inside of my frame with Frame Saver. I suppose some internal rust is to be expected after riding this bike to work through rain and snow over many years.

Picture of the day

2011-06-04T22:16:00.000-04:00

Taken at 2:30 this afternoon on the boardwalk at Coney Island with my Canon S90. 1/1250sec @ f/2.8, ISO 80.

Three days on the West Rim Trail

2011-06-01T12:18:00.000-04:00

What an awesome three days of hiking. Spoiler alert: we didn't complete the whole West Rim Trail. We did however, put in an average of nine miles per day. In order to complete the whole 30 miles of trail, we needed to cover about 13 miles on the first day. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. We all had a good time though, and when I say "all" I mean: Rob (who invited me along), Evan, Kristen, Shaggy, Lucky, Jess and myself. Here's how it played out:

Saturday:

Our plans to compete the West Rim Trail were foiled when all seven of us missed a turn at mile six of the trek. Where the trail just about doubled back on itself, we trudged forward in what seemed to be the right direction. Geographic features matched the contours of topo map providing a false sense of security. A couple hours later, after walking reluctantly along logging roads and not seeing any trail blazes, we knew we were off track. Much to our dismay, the GPS on a friend's iPhone revealed our true location: miles west of where we were supposed to be. Though we got turned around the first day, the views of the canyon, river and wildlife were quite amazing.

After hiking back to the trail we decided to call it a day. We had hiked about ten miles and we were all feeling it. Here's the strange part: while collecting fire wood we discovered that we were camping in, pretty much, the exact spot where we took the wrong trail. We set up camp, got a nice fire going and all sat around cooking dinner, talking and goofing off in general. The bugs weren't bad at all and we all fell asleep to the sound of a babbling creek next to our campsite. At about 4:00am I was woken by the sound of an animal brushing up against my tent. I think it was a raccoon. A loud shout and some hand clapping scared it off. After a few minutes I pulled my boots on and stepped out into the early morning to take a look around. I was expecting to see a raccoon staring down at me from a nearby tree, but no luck. I stood by the creek for a few moments before headed back to my tent.

Sunday:

Since our plans to complete the entire West Rim Trail were out the window, we decided to hike about 5 miles further south, camp for the night, and then take a shortcut back to the cars on Monday morning. Sunday's hike started off with grueling climbs, unforgiving switch-backs and nettles that poked your legs and made you itch! On the plus side, the scenery was excellent. The forest was exceptionally green and lush with vegetation. We hiked through sections where the ground was completely covered in ferns. Several overlooks presented themselves along the rim of the canyon and we all took a few moments to soak in the sights when the bugs weren't too aggressive. At times, the bugs were so terrible that you could hardly stand still long enough to fetch an item from your pack!

We set up camp in a secluded little campsite a little bit off of the trail. Another great creek flowed through the site and made for a great little resting spot. We sat on the banks of the creek dangling our toes in the soothing yet frigid waters. In the evening we ate and sat around the fire. A few rumblings of thunder got our attention and when lightening began to flash we knew we were in for a storm. As I laid in my tent with my head near the screened entrance, I looked up into the tree tops which were illuminated by the flashes of lightening. Inevitably, the patter of rain drops put me to sleep and I was out cold.

Monday:

By 7:00 we were up and at em'. We wanted to carry a fast pace out to the cars so that we could all get home at a reasonable hour. Rain from the night had soaked our campsite and made for a messy clean-up before leaving camp. I flicked slugs from my tent as I rolled it into a heavy wet mess. The sun was shining brightly and sent "God rays" down through the tree tops while mist rose from the creek creating a truly beautiful site as we hiked. I really didn't want to leave. At the same time, my mind was fixed on getting home, taking a shower and ordering a pizza. We cranked out the last 8 miles in about 3 hours.

When we were finished we all stopped into the Smoking Barrel for lunch. Greasy food never tasted so good! I'm sure we were the slinkiest, dirtiest people in the bar but we didn't care. Looking around the table I kind of laughed to myself while I looked at the mud, scratches and bug bites all over our bodies. We were a motley crew. I am looking forward to conquering the West Rim Trail either later this summer or next spring!

West Rim Trail 30-miler

2011-05-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a long week. A long week full of travel misfortunes. Three of my four flights were severely delayed and on three out of my four flights I was seated in the very last seat next to the bathroom. What are the odds? Nevertheless I was unlocking the door to my apartment at 2:00am this morning and crashed hard. After spending the week in South Carolina and Georgia I cannot adequately express how nice it is to be back in the Big Apple. I missed the hustle & bustle while I was in the south.

Though I'm glad to be back, I won't be home during this long weekend either. A coworker invited me on a 3-day trek he and his college buddies are embarking upon this weekend. I'm pretty excited about it and look forward to putting in some miles. We'll be hiking the West Rim Trail in Pennsylvania. Headed north to south we will cover 30 miles known as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. My gear is packed, camera battery charged and food has been picked out. I'll be eating dehydrated meals again on this trip, using my home-made alcohol stove. Minimal is the word on this trip: I'm bringing next to nothing with me this time. Ultra light all the way. I hope it doesn't rain the entire weekend!

Picture of the day

2011-05-22T00:03:00.000-04:00

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago while I was in Shenandoah National Park. Great gnarly
tree out in the middle of the field...

Rainy camping & newts

2011-05-17T12:43:00.001-04:00

Above: My tent; set up and ready for a storm.

This past weekend my friend Jay and I did a quick n' easy overnight on The Timp in Harriman State Park. Instead of taking the typical 3-4 mile route over West Mountain, we decided to take the easy way in and hike about a mile and a half in to The Timp along the 1777 Trail. Ominous weather threatened rain storms during the hike in and while we set up the tents, but it held off until after supper. Dinner for myself was one of Mountain House's dehydrated meals: Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken. It was actually pretty awesome. I used my MSR Isopro stove to boil the 1 1/2 cups of water for my noodle & bird rejuvenation. Hanging the bear bag proved to be quite comical. It took us entirely too long to loop some rope over a bow and hoist our smellables out of reach of bears/racoons.

Above left: the bear bag. Above right: view from my tent Sunday morning.

Above left: flowers growing on the west side of The Timp. Above right: The 1777 Trail.

I have to say, the rain was a big plus on this trip. The past several trips have all been in fair weather. Both Jay and I have the gear for wet conditions and there's nothing quite like riding out a thunderstorm on top of a mountain under a few thin sheets of vinyl. The rain also brought out some of the cooler critters you don't usually see. Namely newts. During Sunday morning's soggy hike out, we passed several bright-orange colored newts.

Above left: Blimey! A newt! Above right: A newt in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Above left: Jay hikes past a withered laurel tree. Above right: green life carpeting the rocks.

Above left: Rain bring out the best in nature. Above right: a rock cairn marks the junction of the 1776 trail and the Timp-Torne Trail.

Until next time...

Shenandoah National Park

2011-05-10T17:27:00.000-04:00

I’m sitting in the Charlottesville Airport as I write this, perhaps the smallest airport I have ever been in. Looking out over the Blue Ridge Mountains I sit in a rocking chair, while I wait for my flight to Dulles Airport in DC. I’m reminded of my short-lived career as an aircraft mechanic as I watch regional jets landing and taking-off every twenty minutes or so. I’ve spent the last two days in Charlottesville, and had a really good time. Luckily for me, I finished early yesterday and today and took advantage of what this area of Virginia had to offer.

Above: I had to pull over a few times on my way to Shenandoah National Park. The mountains just loomed higher and higher over the farm country; beautiful.

Yesterday I drove to Shenandoah National Park and drove north on the infamous Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive spans 105 miles, the entire length of the Park and features over 75 scenic overlooks of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I entered the park about halfway up Skyline Drive and took it north 20 or 30 miles before stopping for dinner at Sky Land. It costs $15 to enter the park, however your receipt will get you in for the entire week, so I held on to that. This afternoon when I finished my work, I entered the park at about the same location and took it south. I stopped many times, got out, took pictures, meditated and even picked up a hiker who needed a ride. In general, I do not pick up hitchhikers, but being a backpacker myself, and seeing this hiker standing in the hot sun thumbing for a ride; I didn’t think twice about pulling over.

Above: A typical overlook along Skyline Drive.

I drove him to the southern end of the Park where he had started his northbound hike, four days earlier. During that 30-minute drive we exchanged several humorous stories of camping, fishing, loosing toenails and exchanged opinions on alcohol stoves and backpacking tents. Though I didn’t quite catch his full name when I dropped him near his car, he did say that he goes by the name of “Excuses”. It was nice meeting him and he left me with an even better opinion of Virginia than I had already gathered during the last two days here.

My flight to Dulles is just a connecting flight. From there, I catch another flight to Chicago. I’ll spend tonight and tomorrow night in the Windy City before flying home to NY on Thursday night. Looking forward to exploring Chicago; I’ve been there a couple of times before and had a good time. This time I plan to rent a bike and get more exploring in. I’ll be visiting a company, which will be supplying the passenger and cab seating for the WMATA Project. It may not be the most exciting facility, but I’ve been surprised before; you never know what to expect when auditing a new company. We shall see.

Colorado rocked my world

2011-04-25T19:06:00.000-04:00

Wheels touched down yesterday afternoon at LaGuardia Airport officially putting an end to my two day dream vacation. I spent two days riding with my good friend Hoffman in the Denver area. He and his girlfriend, April were fantastic hosts and really showed me a great time in the mile high city! The trails we rode were incredible! From the twisty, cactus-strewn, singletrack that dove down through the canyons and skirted the buttes of the desert in Pueblo, to the tight switchbacks and abundant water-bars (sweet launch pads!) in the dense pine forests of Three Sisters Park; it was all top notch, premium grade, deluxe singe track.

Friday at Pueblo:

Hoffman and I grabed breakfast at Chef Zorba's, a sweet little Greek diner around the corner from his place. A big ol' plate of Huevos Rancheros, some OJ, and thick bacon would be our fuel for the day. After that we threw the bikes on the car and headed south to Pueblo. My jaw dropped over and over as glimpses of the snow-capped Rockies came into view. Colorado is shockingly beautiful in every way. I don't know how many times I was smacked across the face with an intensely gorgeous site. POW! BOOM! SMACK!

The riding at Pueblo was insane... cactus and patches of grass were scattered about the desert landscape. Through it, a 12” wide strip of singletrack wove like a sidewinder over gentle grades around big bushes and down through canyons. The canyons were really exciting. I could sense them coming as I reeled in the terrain, but once I hit them it was like “Dayamn!”. Canyons are just filled with loose rocks the size of small dinner plates that clinked and clattered under my tires as I floated across them. Stepped ledges and rocks that jutted from the walls of the canyon at head height, had my full attention while zipping down, down, down... by the time we rolled out of pueblo, my face had formed a permanent grin.

Saturday at Three Sisters:

Saturday's riding was completely different from the day before at Pueblo. The topography is the exact opposite. It's very hilly, has a lot of pine trees, big boulders, TIGHT switchbacks, and lots of super-fun water-bars. The weather was a little cooler as well and I was glad I brought my wool jersey because the flakes were flying for a little while. At the same time, Hoffman and I were flying. Although he, much more so than I. I was really hurting from the altitude and had a hell of a hard time getting any oxygen into my lungs. I felt extremely week! After only 6 miles I could barely go on. That's pretty embarrassing to admit to the entire world wide web but next time (NEXT TIME!) I will be acclimated and I plan to hit these trails up again! (With a vengeance even! I'm serious. I have already packed a bag full of vengeance, exclusively for next time!)

A big thank you hug goes out to Hoffman & April for having me out there; you guys are the best!

Off to Colorado!

2011-04-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

Ever since the age of 14 or so, I've been drooling over magazines and videos that featured riders pedaling through dusty singletrack over the red rock and between cactus in the mountain biking mecca known as Colorado. By this time tomorrow, I will be one of those riders. As cheesy as this sounds: it is a dream come true. I'll be spending two full days riding. One day will be devoted to the famous trails of Fruita, Colorado, where I'll zip down famous trails such as Zippity-Doo-Dah, Chutes & Ladders, Joe's Ridge & Flight of Icarus. The other day will be spent on some local, epic Denver area trails that my buddy Hoffman has in store.

Last week I shipped my cannondale out to Hoffman's bike shop: Wheat Ridge Cyclery in Denver. He received it Tuesday and dialed it in for me. Now I sit in my cube at work, trying to focus on quality assurance documents but my mind keeps wandering towards the Rocky Mountains. My flight leaves from JFK Airport at 8:30 tonight... that's about 10.5 hours from now (if you're counting).

My only concern on this trip is altitude sickness. I live at sea level. Denver, known as The Mile High city sits at exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. In the past year, the highest I have been is 4,180 feet above sea level when I summited Slide Mountain in the Catskills this past summer. I felt fine. I'm just a little concerned. From what I have read, if I do my best to stay thoroughly hydrated, I should have no problems. We shall see!

Time Lapse: Clover Beneath the Bonzai Tree

2011-04-20T09:55:00.000-04:00

Another time lapse video that I made just for kicks. Short & sweet; no frills. 225 frames captured at a rate of one exposure every fifteen seconds and displayed at a rate of fifteen frames/second.

Day by day

2011-04-03T19:56:00.000-04:00

A time lapse video made from 3,446 frames. I used a Nikon D700 to capture all three scenes shooting at a rate of 4 frames per minute. I used QuickTime Pro to create the image sequences at a rate of 30 frames per second and used Windows Movie Maker to create the final video.

Lessons learned:
Next time I will manually set my white balance for more consistent exposures and also shoot at a much lower resolution.

Steeped

2011-03-28T18:13:00.000-04:00

Haven't felt like blogging too much lately. I've been immersed in the real world wide web of life. Immersed is a little light actually, a better term would be saturated or steeped in it. A lot has happened in the last month. I've moved for one. My new apartment provides a somewhat limited yet pleasant southern view of Manhattan. The picture at right was taken this past Saturday morning at around 8:00am.

Work has been hectic. Lots going on with the WMATA (DC Metro) project. Some of you (You = the two people who read this blog) may know that I work for a Japanese company; Kawasaki Rail Car. My heart goes out to the people in Japan who are still suffering through the devastating one-two punch [Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami] their country received on March 11th. It's a horrible thing to imagine, let alone live through. I donated some money to the Red Cross to help them out. I encourage you to do the same. (Oh look, there's a convenient Red Cross Donation link right at the top of this blog!)

I think that's all I have to say for now. Yup.

The Timp

2011-03-21T09:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon I got a call from a hiking friend asking me if I wanted to backpack at Harriman State Park. Having just finished laundry and some other chores around my place, I was stoked to get out of the city. Since we were only staying one night in the woods I was able to pack very light.

By 4:00 we were hiking along the Appalachian Trail. Our plan was to hike in to West Mountain Shelter and crash for the night. A nice 3 miles in and 3 miles out in the morning. When we were approaching the shelter we saw more and more tents which meant that the shelter was most likely already occupied. This turned out to be the case. West Mountain is a great mountain to camp on. It provides views of The Timp, the Hudson River and even the skyline of New York City.

Instead of crashing near the shelter we decided to push on for another mile and camp out on the Timp. We were pretty sure we'd be the only ones there as most people stop when the get to the West Mountain Shelter. Sure enough, we had the Timp all to ourselves. The views were amazing, there was plenty of firewood and we even found a couple of reasonably soft spots on which to pitch the tents. The topography of the Timp is really awesome, in that it's covered with huge boulders and has many little nooks where you can pitch a tent. Lots of different spots to look out over the mountains.

The full moon on Saturday night was quite intense. This particular night, the moon was the closest to the earth that it has been in the last 18 years. I wished that I had brought my DSLR and tripod but was happy to sit in the moonlight and watch the shadow of the timp as the moon rose steadily from the west. I was amazed at just how luminous the full moon was. Holding out my hand in front of me, I could see the details, wrinkles and folds. I sat on the Timp for quite a while enjoying the scene.

Dinner was a dehydrated meal of chilli mac with beef. I used my Pepsi-can alcohol stove for the first time in the woods and it worked flawlessly. I had tested it in my kitchen a couple of times but was eager to put it to use in the wild. I boiled water for my meal in less than 5 minutes and lit it up again for a cup of tea. We sat around the fire talking about all sorts of things, though Star Wars seemed to dominate the conversation. I guess the moon and stars had a significant impact on us.

I slept well in my tent. My 20degree bag kept me warm and I was out-cold (but warm!) for a solid 5 or 6 hours. In the morning I unzipped the front door and let the morning sun fall across the entrance of my tent. I could tell it was going to warm up nicely.

Breakfast was a dehydrated meal of granola with milk & blueberries. I was a little skeptical at first but it had a good flavor, the blueberries were real and I shoveled through it pretty quickly. I made a cup of coffee and sat on the Timp looking out at West Mountain and the Hudson River. Hawks soared through the air and I enjoyed my vantage point overlooking an awakening wilderness.

We broke camp around 11:00 and hiked the 4 miles out to the car. We ran into a lot of people on the way out and exchanged hellos. Everyone seemed to be stopping at West Mountain Shelter and had no interest in the Timp. They don't know what they're missing.

Ebb & flow after work

2011-03-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

Today was the first really warm day of Spring. Temps stretched up into the 70's and all day long I anticipated grabbing my bike and spinning the cranks for a while. As soon as I got home I did exactly that. I tossed my camera in my bag and took off for a little adventure ride. I crossed the George Washington Bridge into NJ, turned around and came back to NY. I love riding across this bridge. I always stop half way and look south over the Hudson River. Seeing Manhattan quiet and still from my vantage point far away and high upon the swaying bridge, fools me into thinking that the city is a solid, unmoving mass. In reality it's as fluid as the rest of this world. Cars and trucks pulse past me in both directions, in and out of NY, like blood pumping through the veins of the city. Each vehicle carrying life, experience, emotion... cause and effect. Myself; carrying the same.

Coming back across the bridge into NY I turned south to grab some groceries at Fairway Market in Harlem. The golden sun was setting over NJ and a warm breeze swept across my bare legs as I locked my bike. Before going into the market I sat on a bench overlooking the Hudson River and soaked up the scene. Kids played on a welded sculpture of a fishing rod's tip. Commuters biked north and south along the Manhattan Greenway. A mother sitting next to me, peeled grapes and fed them to her 1 year old she held on her lap.

Above: Children playing outside of Fairway Market in Harlem.

Above: The Jersey Shore silhouetted against the evening sky.

Above: A pair of sneakers hung in the sunlight next to a park off Broadway in West Harlem.

Above: The George Washington Bridge and myself.