TSI

Santas workshop

2011-12-20T22:26:00.001-06:00

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Another stool before finish

2011-12-18T17:55:00.001-06:00

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It's not cause im short

2011-12-18T17:54:00.000-06:00

Well I am short, but I enjoy the challenge of improving on my stepstool/kids chair made from recycled oak.

Be warned, specialized borough cx...gets a side wall blowout every year for me

2011-12-18T16:06:00.001-06:00

But never a flat at kanza

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The guts

2011-12-18T12:21:00.001-06:00

Biscuit joints and pegs. Used the table saw to cut the notch on the legs this time,.much cleaner than a band saw. Sharpened the jointer blades and readjusted them so the truing of the legs was satisfying.

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From grandpa blakes poolroom...

2011-12-11T11:27:00.001-06:00

...5000watts dedicated on a 240V circuit, this garage is gonna be ready for winter

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240 has entered the building!

2011-12-11T11:21:00.001-06:00

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Finding where stuff goes through, guess this will work

2011-12-11T10:57:00.001-06:00

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So I have a weakness for cordless drills...

2011-12-10T09:39:00.001-06:00

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Simple things that make me smile on a saturday

2011-12-10T08:09:00.001-06:00

One off pcl shirts

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A true "green"house on a 11F day

2011-12-02T07:10:00.000-06:00

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Video on the Flatwater Cross Cat 3/4 Race-Produced by my Brother

2011-11-30T06:22:00.002-06:00

Untitled from Andrew Blake on Vimeo.

Before...

2011-11-27T12:20:00.002-06:00

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Before...

2011-11-27T12:20:00.001-06:00

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Before...

2011-11-27T12:19:00.001-06:00

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2011-11-27T11:34:00.000-06:00

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thanksgiving project

2011-11-27T11:33:00.000-06:00

Demoed wall, installed new walls, hung drywall, install doors, successful!
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Essentials for thanksgiving

2011-11-22T23:08:00.001-06:00

Always come prepared to build some walks when traveling to the in laws for thanksgiving

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Casualties of hooligan hill

2011-11-19T18:42:00.001-06:00

I dove into a mass of bodies the first lap up hooligan hill and felt a chairing to the back of the leg, just had to display it. Finished well out of the top ten on a cold day at pioneers,my 7th.year c doing this race. Ill be back tomorrow in. the 3/4 race chasing the neb state championship in the 3's tip close out the 2011 season.

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Garage nights continue

2011-11-17T05:58:00.001-06:00

Drill press table storage.

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Lots of work with the dado blade tonight

2011-11-16T06:18:00.001-06:00

should be plenty strong

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Even simple can be a dusty challenge

2011-11-15T21:59:00.001-06:00

Hangers for my windsurfer back at mom and dads
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Interesting woods data that came with my new thickness planer

2011-11-13T22:11:00.001-06:00

Black locus must be a beast.

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2011-11-13T20:59:00.001-06:00

Sunday craigslist find!

Monastic

2011-11-05T09:48:00.000-05:00

January 2012 will mark the third continuous year I have ridden my bicycle to work over country roads and city bike paths. I just want to say the satisfaction of putting my bike on the hanger at the end of a work day and realizing a 5000 lb vehicle didn't have to move at all for a work week is exciting to say the least. The experience of emerging onto a gravel road from the city bike path to ride the usual 10 mile gravel section, and just to stop and listen to complete silence with fields on all sides, is uplifting to the soul. I fear the day when this won't be a part of my work week, it has been a great experience.

didn't get lapped in my

2011-10-01T17:19:00.001-05:00

didn't get lapped in my cross debut for season#8, at Swanson, omaha.

YES....

2011-09-28T05:55:00.001-05:00

...I still maintain a road bike. Rode it once in 1.5 years, but want it ready 'just in case'

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I love my commute.

2011-09-23T16:14:00.001-05:00

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2011-09-20T15:42:00.003-05:00

2011-09-20T15:42:00.001-05:00

moved him out of the street...hope he's ok

Big Dig

2011-09-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

A few before and afters for your home improvement enjoyment:

1300 pavers/7000 lbs; we got em in from excavation to laid in 36 hours. Just went over them today with the paver lock. I don't recommend that pace; Rach ended up wearing a brace on her wrist, I didn't ride to work for 3 days (a new record!).

I went with the wood base for my new shed. 7x7 with a big ol storage shelf in there, bringing the total storage sq ft up to 80ish. More room for toys, or more likely, cushions.

My old friend and enemy, the rolloff. A necessary evil when you live in suburbia and there is nowhere on your land for dirt. I believe it is 12 yards, and I filled the sucker.

I didn't elaborate on the real reason for the project. We had a swamp building on the west side of our house that needed drained, so I laid about 40 feet of French drain. I'll post pics when we get that looking better.

I wonder if Menards knows what it is doing to people's organized lives when they put landscape pavers on sale?

26 bucks can make a strong wood shelf! 32 sq feet of storage...mmmm...hmmm

2011-09-11T15:54:00.001-05:00

phase II cleanup

2011-09-06T17:20:00.001-05:00

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labor day

2011-09-05T15:04:00.001-05:00

kinda cycleworks-esque at this point...is that a good thing?

2011-08-28T15:53:00.001-05:00

cool foundry stamp on silo access doors. gotta admit...the hands are a bit shaky

2011-08-28T15:01:00.001-05:00

70 feet of silo...yea.

2011-08-28T14:50:00.001-05:00

silo climbing in prague ne

2011-08-28T14:49:00.001-05:00

Footprints of 114 gravel warriors...left over from GW

2011-08-28T10:01:00.001-05:00

b road just east of valpo onw week later. i'm getting a sick pleasure riding it!

cables done right this time...

2011-08-27T17:57:00.001-05:00

got some tips from clark at south cycleworks

booooooo

2011-08-27T17:06:00.001-05:00

spring broke/ came out of place on DA rear shifter on cross bike so had to cannibalize the road bike to get a temporary fix. sucks...

For now, I'll leave you with this.

2011-08-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit Paul Larsen

7 miles of minimum maintainence road, a lot of it like this. I've now been christened in the wet gravel grinder. I'm still not sure what hit me.

The short story...PCL gravel worlds

2011-08-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

Rode 153 miles today on gravel and minimum maintenance roads post rain storm. Had fun, sort of. About 4-5 miles of it was walking a bike that was picking up so much mud it wouldn't even roll. Finished it in like 13 hours. Went home and barfed. Watched many inspiring stories of people pushing their technical and physical limits...such as (once again mentioned in the blog!) Kevin Burke breaking his drivetrain...doesn't stop him, then breaking his single speed multiple times...still doesn't stop him...the man was on a mission. had fun riding with Paul Chapman for a long long time! Great race

Team LPS

2011-08-15T05:35:00.001-05:00

It took three of us to equal one of Burke...but John (middle) really carried our team on the Xterra. He was 2nd out of the water by 30 seconds; only because he was off on his beach landing by a few feet. He put many minutes into the other competitors and Ryan and I just tried to hang on that that lead the rest of the event. That man can fly! Team events are a blast.

Coach cracks the top 3 at Xterra!

2011-08-13T14:34:00.001-05:00

congrats to kevin burke for 3rd place at today's xterra at branched oak. his dedication to swimming and running in addition to biking, have really paid off! i did the mtb leg for "team lps" and we won the relay competition, finishing 3rd overall (can't compare though...). john neal, former unl swimmer, came out of the lake first! i slipped two spots on the16 mile singletrack/road bike leg. wow! the trails are awesome schmitty! ryan zabawa held our position on the 5 mi run. thanks cycleworks and jim craig for organizing this event!

welcome back party

2011-08-08T16:31:00.001-05:00

low humidity. gentle tailwind. perfect gravel. its as if gravel is throwing me a party to kick off my third year of the gravel grinder commute after 2 months away from it.

foxhole tavern. wilbur ne

2011-08-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

2011-08-06T15:55:00.001-05:00

with the champ!

2011-08-06T13:01:00.001-05:00

wilbur 80 mile gravel race. 50% mmr. dale pinkelman 1st. me 2nd. got to experience 1 hour in the pain cave (out of 5 not bad) and didnt think i would make it the 500 feet to the finish! great ride. thanks jim craig and schmitty!!

what i did this summer

2011-08-05T17:52:00.001-05:00

kitchen for my mom-in-law living downstairs. she sees it for the first time tonight when moving back to take care of the kids

Come do Gravel Worlds..the most fun you can have for...free?

2011-08-04T08:20:00.000-05:00

With 100 in attendance last year from states as far as Florida and Texas, Gravel Worlds is an awesome event put on by the PCL. Get your post card in and maybe you can still do it.

Gravel Worlds 2011 from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

nothin impressive...but record keeping

2011-08-01T04:31:00.002-05:00

keeping with tradition, zeroed the odometer today for another year.

Longs Peak with the "good pics"

2011-07-29T08:42:00.001-05:00

I headed to Rocky Mountain Nat Park for a 4 day weekend with family last week. I knew there would be lots of opportunities out there, but did no research and was just "along for the ride". Luckily my mother-in-law encouraged me to do Longs Peak and did the research for me. I had done a few family hikes and was really enjoying the cool CO weather, but was totally unprepared for the rigors of a 15 mile hike with 5000 foot elevation gain. So the night before the hike, I went and bought hiking shoes and pants and a headlamp. AS I was in town picking up items, I was told by a store owner "not to do it". The police had been though warning people not to attempt Longs due to the excessive snow on the route causing even experience mountaineers to get lost.

I borrowed my wife's teal blue socks and watch cause they were more hiker friendly than what i had brought. I borrowed my mother-in-law's camel back and bear spray. Slept about 3 hours and awoke at 1:15 a.m. to head over to the Longs trailhead, sight unseen! I arrived abot 2 a.m. and read all the snow warnings for adjustments to the route, signed in at the trailhead and followed the string of headlamps already heading out on the trail.

With the adreneline flowing, I was passing everyone. The first couple I passed, I talked to and told them I was "scared", it was their first time too. As we parted, I said I'm sure I'll see you but I won't know you cause it is pitch black. Katie said, I'll look for the red jacket...and I headed off into the dark. Fast forward about 5 hours later I was coming down from the summit and I hear a call of my name from down below in the Trough. I replied, "Katie? Did you see the red jacket?" Yep...it was her. Funny.
I left the treeline within the first hour and was in a high artic environment with a looming dark mountain above that I couldnt' really see and a vast spread of lights from the town of Estes below. It was strikingly beautiful and refreshing. I continuted to pass groups of hikers. Eventually, as I neared the boulder field (now 6 miles in) I met up with a hiker who was moving along at a rapid pace also: Jacob. He would accompany me the rest of the day. We were both teachers, both crazy in many ways with our hobbies (he runs ultra marathons, I like gravel grinders) and both had the lungs to deal with the altitude. We were talking away and all of a sudden, he stops and sais "we are at tthe Boulder Field" which is the start of the scramble/climb portion of the climb. It was 4:30 a.m. and still pitch black. I hadn't expected to be here until sunrise, so we decided to push on in the boulders anyway in the dark aiming for the "Keyhole".

A stunning view of the upper part of the BoulderField looking up at the Keyhole (all photos are from Jacob). Notice the building next to the keyhole for scale. it was about 6 feet tall.

This is what it actually looked like when we were sitting at the Keyhole waiting for it to get light enought to continue on the more exposed backside of the mountain.

After a wait, I decided it was light enough to continue down the backside of the mountain. You can read about it here.

Here are a few more pics from Jacob...

Taking it all in from the summit of Longs. Ele 14200

Signing the summit registry. I think this one gets replaced a lot due to the heavy traffic!

Sitting at the base of the Boulder Field on the decent. The "diamond" is visable in the background, which is the sheer face of Longs; biggest exposed rock face in Colorado I believe.

My climbing partner Jacob and I at the base of the Boulder Field.

View of the "diamond" from further down the mountain (notice it to the far right) Mount Meeker is off to the left.

Pic dump, Longs Peak...more to come when Jacob (last name) emails me the good ones

2011-07-27T10:00:00.003-05:00

Just starting down the backside of the mountain after climbing the boulder field, The Ledges.

My new found climbing buddy, Jacob, and I reached the Boulder Field at 4:30 a.m. and decided to climb it by headlamp. We reached the Keyhole at sunrise. I peaked around the backside (The Ledges) and could see the painted bulls-eyes and decided to push on in excitement of the summit. Others waited for more light. as the backside was pretty exposed.

Peering up as I worked across a narrow ledge on the Ledges.

Painted bulls-eyes lead you to the summit once you pass the Boulder Field. There are many routes, but these provide the best.

View from the summit.

I was the first one up there on the day, but lots of people visit Longs Peak summit each day!

Looking across the summit.

You have to climb a polished granite face "Homestretch" to get up there. Once you reach the top, you actually go from vertical to horizontal. Pretty cool.

Stereotypical summit pose. I was pumped.

I met up with another hiker/climber in the dark on the way up. We were going the same pace and ended up together. He had a great camera and I slacked off on taking photos cause these were with my crappy phone camera. I will post his if he ever emails me.

2011-07-25T14:24:00.001-05:00

climbed longs peak, co. this morning. 4hr up 3.5 down. ele gain 5000 feet. enjoyed my first mountain

more of Matt's shelves. i like em

2011-07-19T20:24:00.002-05:00

1.5 hours from start to finish. Matt and I make a good shelf building team. $50 in materials. Maybe we should go into business?

48 Hour Deck Rebuild for Mom and Dad

2011-07-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

2011-07-14T12:47:00.001-05:00

2011-07-14T12:46:00.003-05:00

deck finish pics

2011-07-14T12:46:00.001-05:00

The Crew

2011-07-13T18:43:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad's deck project. Day 1 Demo

2011-07-12T21:23:00.004-05:00

I ended up raising up the frame as the posts supporting it had settled over the past 15ish years. I replaced the stair supports and some frame pieces that had any sign of rot. The frame part was definately the most work. Once it was set, it was a breeze installing the Florizion (tounge and groove) decking from Timbertech. A product I would definiately recommend as I have installed it on one deck prior to this and lots of family and friends have used it.

would've been easier to go to the store to get longer bolts for owen's toy

2011-06-25T14:30:00.001-05:00

but this was way more fun, drillin out thick steel

2011-06-24T18:52:00.001-05:00

can't...stop...building...added some simple cabinet doors to storage.

2011-06-24T18:51:00.002-05:00

before

2011-06-23T11:04:00.003-05:00

frog-days of summer!

2011-06-23T11:04:00.001-05:00

All charged up

2011-06-18T23:31:00.001-05:00

Hey folks. I just finished watching 127 hours. Definiately a must see for any adventurer. It really hits home to me because since 1998 I've spent a total of one month (over 4 occasions) in the Moab, UT area and it is definitely one of my favorite all time destinations. It is pretty harsh and intense area. I just realized I was in Moab within WEEKs of Aaron Ralston getting stuck in that chockstone on April 27, 2003. Wierd coincidence. I realized it a few years ago when I read his book "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" and was reminded of it tonight when I saw the flick based on his unfortuante series of events.

Also, I had to just chuckle tonight. I remembered mile 130 in Dirty Kanza this year (yep still lingering/savoring that experience). What other race would make you spy a dirty mud puddle and backtrack to crawl through broken limbs and climb in like it was an oasis. Some riders went by when I was squatting in that bramble puddle (nicknamed the muskrat poop hole) and they were concerned about me. That race makes me laugh.

had fun with the new biscuit joiner on the rails and stiles

2011-06-15T09:19:00.001-05:00

After (finally!)

2011-06-15T09:17:00.005-05:00

Before

dust free garage cabinet complete

2011-06-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

mid summer's day build

2011-06-12T14:54:00.001-05:00

planer got a workout today. yep, those are all woodchips. rabbeting out a grove on my garage cabinet doors

Dirty Kanza 2011 Wrapup

2011-06-05T19:52:00.008-05:00

Eric (background), Cornbread (his writeup with sweet photography), and Rafal recovering after reaching the 1/2 way point. From Cycleworks Blog

My heart goes out to those folks who trained all year for this event only to have to abandon at some point. I quote Endurosnob in saying, " Unless you end up in a hospital, you will always be left with questions of what if. It is best to just take what you can from this experience and move on." I was one of those last year, abandoning at mile 160 after a 20 mile slog between Alma and Eskridge. That section was not in the race this year and I didn't miss it.

We were discussing on the way down the type of terrain as you cross the boarder in to Kansas from Nebraska. Cornbread mentioned that trees don't grow here and the land isn't farmed because of the flint rocks that make the flint hills
famous. You can obviously see it on the way down, the road cuts expose about 10 feet of the rocky layer that is just below the iridescent green prairie. Those same rocks that are ready to poke through the road bed and give you a good jar, sometimes tire popping (Cornbread) and spoke destroying (TK) as you descend one of the long rocky roads.

We toed the line with a registered 320 participants, and guessed the number who actually showed to be around 200. I lined up at the front with Cornbread, Troy, Lance Andre and his tandem; knowing that the start doesn't mean anything in a race like this, but as we all admitted later that while we regret our fast starts, it is "fun". Jim Cummings, DK organizer, said with the good road conditions this year, he expected to see Cam Chambers record of a finish over 200 miles to be broken today. He had finished under 12 hours. Last year, Cornbread won by over an hour in 13 hours. It was looking to be a fast day on the course.

We rolled out of town on our way to Checkpoint#1, which was a 60 mile leg though some of the most stunning terrain of the day. Cornbread flatted on the first mile of gravel and his frustration was obvious. The pace was already high and for him to chase back on this leg, he felt he burned all his matches.

Our cue cards warned us of "wild mustangs", not sure if I would recognize one or what I was supposed to do if I ran across one. We did have the usual stands of cattle on the road as we got to whoop it up and charge at them to get them out of the way. I was having too much fun to think about pacing myself yet, and wondered if I was going out too fast to make it the whole distance for the day. After a few good climbs, the field was down to 10 or so riders. Soon it was down to just four of us, with one rider off the front. I worked with the other two and one said "we could run away with this thing". What he didn't know was that my goal was finishing and those kind of comments actually push me away at this point in my DK career, so I didn't take him seriously. It should be noted that Dan Hughes, the eventual winner, wasn't in that front group, so it doesn't mean a whole lot what you do the first 60.

Rolling into checkpoint 1 Photo from Dave Foster

I met up with our faithful companion, ice cream buyer, chip buyer, ice buyer, driver, do it all guy: Matt Olberding. Matt took Friday off to come with Corey, Troy and I and basically spoil us all day with awesome support, not even knowing what a gravel grinder was. He was busy getting us iced, refilled, and quickly back on the course; which is exactly what I did after about a 10 min break. I was back on my own rolling out of CP1 with an icepack melting on my neck and ice in my back pockets. The leg between 60-100 seemed very manageable, little did I know it was almost be my undoing and WAS the undoing of many riders.

I'm not sure when I switched from post CP1 bliss back to suffering, but I know around mile 80 I was off the bike and walking a hill. Not a good sign! I was in a white rock valley that was scorching. The high for the day was predicted to be 94 F, I heard reports as high as 99 F. Some serious life draining heat. I expect highs and lows throughout the day and ways expect my lows to bounce back with a high; but the low I hit around mile 80 held on for about an hour. It was brutal. I found out later that CVO and Brunt both hit this same low and started puking. Skipping to the end, I have to mention Brunt's courageous ride as he bounced back and finished ahead of me with high spirits! That takes guts. I started feeling good by the time I hit CP2 at mile 100 and was again greeted with an oasis of ice, ice towels, chips, pickels, and whatever else I needed. It felt great and I was "human" again ready to head out to CP3, the longest leg of the race left at 60 miles.

The slog to CP3 was a practice in getting tattoos on both feet for hours at a time. Yes, I'm talking about "hot foot" that had set in pretty bad. It takes over your mind with it's intensity. I even stopped and took some Tylenol. I also got lost for about 3 miles because I didn't pay attention to the map at an unmarked intersection. I was lazily just watching for the markers which had either been left off, or more likely had been moved by a local. Cornbread and I met up again at that point, but he dropped off on the disheartening way back to the course after luckily running into Mike Marchand, who was also coming back from making the same mistake we did and saved us an even longer detour. Cornbread dropped off on the charge back to the course. I found out later he had suffered yet ANOTHER flat while heading back with us. It was just not his day.

We passed through a beautiful section of double track with multiple water crossings and lots of shade. I passed up all that opportunity to cool off again, and moved forward. What I did finally decide I needed to dunk in some water, I was in the middle of some pretty dry country with no trees and the unrelenting sun was beating down. I saw a glint next the road and doubled back looking to a waterhole. It was about knee deep, containing brown muddy water. I hopped through some brambles and squatted down, pulling handfuls over my head, face, and (ug) mouth. I started getting paranoid about the cow manure that was probably in that water, but didn't care as I don't think I would make it without a cool down.

I was on my own again, yo-yoing with a rider for what seemed like forever. We discussed my meltdown the previous year and he seemed to become agitated. At this point you can't get comfortable on the bars, one or both feet are on fire, and your butt hurts. So it was understandable when he blurted out, (seemingly) angrily, "Why did you come back?" My reason was obvious when I hit the final CP at mile 160 and reflected on where I was a year ago; sitting in a gas station waiting for a ride back to town after cramping and throwing up. Now I was ready to go; oh, except for the hail storm that was building the last hour and was headed straight to us.

CP3 was at Council Grove and the locals were opening their doors to us. People pulling up offering basements, police rolling up warning us to find cover and we responded "We are going to ride right into it!" Cornbread was back with me at this point and he and I were determined to make the final 43 to the finish regardless of the weather. There was a report coming in that people were stranded in barns waiting out hail and rain. I was feeling fortunate I was back on pavement and not going through the mud which would end it for many on that leg.

At Council Grove, I tried to eat a sandwich thanks to Meghan (RD's wife) who when and bought a loaf of bread and meat per my request. I guess I had cottonmouth because the sandwich tasted like sand and I just let it blow off my lap as the storm blew in, settling for some Fritos and pickles instead. I was feeling the gastric stress of 160 miles of basically junk food; although I did adjust the diet by including more salt and fat to mix it up with all the sugars. At this point in my uneducated opinion my "stomach had shut down". I have some proof that come in a few hours...

The storm rolled in to Council Grove while I tried to get my shoes back on and battled leg cramps. As we got rained on, Matt had me lean against a tree and he pulled my foot to my butt, immediately releasing the cramps, yet another save on the day for our faithful support man. I went from burning up to freezing and my teeth were chattering so bad I even bit my tongue. Steve (2nd singlespeed), Dale Pinkelman, and Cornbread and I rolled out seemingly headed into the mouth of the storm.

I predicted the road surface would be OK because it was a short hard rain. Unfortunately, it was a perfect consistency to rip off a rear derailleur. We rolled up on Joe Fox and Tim Eck and doing a major repair. Before I even saw the specifics up close, I knew the peanut butter road surface had claimed it's first victim. Joe was not going to quit though, and after converting to single speed, he rolled across the line not long after us. Other victims would be claimed, or almost claimed throughout the evening. Matt Gersib lost his rear der and switched to single speed to roll in after midnight. Troy, felt a small sensation in his drive train and stopped miraculously before he ripped his der off finding a tiny rock jammed in there. Anyone who got through that final 40 with a drive train intact was very lucky!

I spent the final hours of DK trying to enjoy the small things, the cool weather, the beautiful sunset (yes, the storm blew over), good company with Eric Brunt, and the fact that I was going to finish. Unfortunately, my stomach had had enough and was taking the enjoyment out of the equation. I would get almost to the point of throwing up and then would bounce back for a charge. I appreciated Eric sticking by me and laughing at/with me when through my lows he would not leave and say "you will just bounce back!". This theory did work a few times.

The final 10 miles into Emporia (now mile 198) the sun would set and we would regroup with Cornbread, Tim Eck, and Brunt. I let them roll away as I was feeling sick again. My first DK finish was in sight, I just had to turn the pedals a few more times. Within 5 miles I could see the lights of Emporia. I reflected on how disappointed I was to catch a ride back to Emporia last year and the fact that I was really going to finish.

I was hurting so bad that I had a hard time lifting my spirits with even realizing I was going to finish. I hit pavement. 3 miles to go. Crossed over the interstate following the painted arrows, 2 miles to go. Turned into the Emporia Campus, less than 1 mile. Hit the edge of the dark campus and heard a loudspeaker from the middle of town announcing, "Rider coming in." As I rolled down Commercial Street, the cheers were incredible, they were really excited for the finishers. A highlight was shaking Jim Cumming's hand, which he congratulates every rider. And yes, I did puke at the finish, luckily off to the side of the busy crowd.

Now I'm taking a few months off to stay home with my kids and ride for "fun" again.

dk

2011-06-04T21:54:00.001-05:00

15.5 hr. 208 mi. met goal with top 20

2011-06-03T18:51:00.001-05:00

Looking like another hot one!

2011-06-02T06:49:00.002-05:00

Let's review last year (in TK fashion): Kanza 2009

OK, with the 94 predicted temps; I'm looking at facing the same situation this year. What will I do different? Use ice bags to cool down at gas stations (in pockets and held to pressure points) and when I enter a dark place, rely on the kindness of strangers. Yep, I'm going to be asking farmers along the way for a hose! That is my plan. See you there!

New...

2011-05-29T07:03:00.003-05:00

...team!

Looking forward to riding with the Rasta Crew!

sneaking in some afternoon gravel. gorgeous out

2011-05-26T16:45:00.001-05:00

broke 5000 on last day.

2011-05-24T06:52:00.001-05:00

5023 milage on the last regular school day. spent with monsignor around greenwood. lots of 13-15 mile rides over 44 weeks!

strange uses for gravel roads boardering major towns

2011-05-23T06:32:00.001-05:00

Midpoint

2011-05-22T11:17:00.002-05:00

2 weeks out from Kanza and knowing my schedule, I knew today would be the last day for a longer ride. With the rain, I had been a bit down about the weekend. Original destination was Malmo to meet up with the family at Aunt Dodie's farm, but Saturday was too wet so we canceled. I wasn't sure how today would be on gravel, so when Corey suggested road bikes, I was interested. It had been over 2 years since the Felt had seen a ride and since then I had put some untested components on it. We met up with Skip and headed to Wilbur. The bike rode like a dream and before I knew it, we had 90 miles in. Thanks guys!

wed night ride er shelf build part duex matt's house

2011-05-18T20:03:00.001-05:00

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gravel sunrise

2011-05-18T06:07:00.001-05:00

final mechanical prep?

2011-05-15T01:27:00.001-05:00

pedals rebuilt, tires, cables, bar tape, brakes, chain. Now1 a.m.. a couple more weeks of testing and hopefully this is the setup that rolls out of emporia KS

my handlebars just gained a layer of phat

2011-05-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

Monsignor Tucker at 4 a.m. (the little light in the middle)

2011-05-10T04:07:00.002-05:00

Met MsrT at 4:15 for 47 miles of gravel goodness. He pushed the pace and I ended up finishing the usual loop 10 min faster than usual, and beat! He is riding strong in preparation for a DK debut. I look forward to our next ride!

that axle isn't going anywhere now. summer bike stroller was rescued from trash.

2011-05-08T16:58:00.001-05:00

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through. aren't drill presses sweet?

2011-05-08T16:51:00.001-05:00

odds?

2011-05-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

2 down 6 to go. 4:30 a.m. weekday greenwood gravel grinders till Kanza.

2011-05-06T06:52:00.001-05:00

morning' dirt!

the rubber cable bumper things...

2011-05-04T17:25:00.001-05:00

provide hours of entertainment to "adjust" for a toddler

ran into a trap on elmwood trail east of the event center at bridge

2011-05-03T16:27:00.002-05:00

Someone took the time to string up multiple fishing lines across the trail to catch an unsuspecing biker/jogger. Luckily, I had enough momentum to pass right through with nothing but a few loud snaps. There was a pickup truck parked in the field facing the bridge, I walked around a bit looking for suspects with the camera out. Ended up calling the cops and letting them know someone was out "snaring" people on the trail, I asked them to check out the pickup too.

For the DK Bound

2011-04-30T20:14:00.002-05:00

Tim Ek's got the knack for writing a good blog. Because I was so out of it before I pulled the plug at last year's DK and I kind of have to piece together those final moments as I feel I wasn't really with it, it is fun to read another's perspective. I come into the story "at the garden hose",

http://timekchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/06/dirty-kaza-200-rising-from-gravel.html

tour of dirt roads IV was a success

2011-04-30T16:55:00.001-05:00

33 in attendance. lots of wind hills and dirt. schmitty made a sweet course...nice work. finished the day standing. thats all i can say

fingers numb from front der adjustment

2011-04-29T23:13:00.001-05:00

sick of chain falling off big ring, spent 1 hour in garage stripping it back to the beginning. reset high low stops, realigned cage' filed a metal burr off big ring...time for a new one maybe? ring? bike? hopefully not....

a really good airport read!

2011-04-23T14:05:00.001-05:00

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gonna wait for a rainy day to build the doors...added two shelves and solid.

2011-04-17T13:39:00.001-05:00

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the beginnings of an 8' tall dustproof cabinet

2011-04-16T23:02:00.001-05:00

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before

2011-04-16T13:35:00.001-05:00

no fun noodles were harmed in the making of this edger

2011-04-10T19:38:00.001-05:00

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