50 Takes Down the 20-Something!!!*

It will be with an asterisk and an explanation but yes, this new member of the AARP world pedaled more miles in 2017 than his 20-something urban riding nephew. As for the asterisk/explanation, the conquest was legit as I secretly told nephew Jackson's parents about mid-year that I was going to have more miles at the end. They wisely gave me the advice of not poking the bear as he can click off 1,000 miles quite easily if prodded enough. In addition, he has been knee deep in the sport of bicycle polo (which sounds like fun by the way) which took away from his totals. In addition to the addition, Jackson hit over 3,000 miles in 2016.  

Regardless, 2017 is mine Millennial Boy!!! And there are no second place ribbons in my world.

My championship belt will last forever as I will be riding off the grid in 2018. I gave the bicycle tracking phone app one full calendar year to try. I like the route tracking process, it gets people off the couch and discovered some new trails but found 'following' other people's workouts odd; especially when some hit the same trail each time. Again, happy that folks are out pedaling but it just didn't do it for me and would rather devote my time to enjoying the scenery in the middle of a ride versus worrying that my tracking app is properly re-starting.
2017 Riding Champion of the Universe, signing off.
Trail Head

Listen to the Little Man

I normally keep content in this space reserved for happy occasions, some corny chuckles and hopefully some cool pictures to share. On occasion, however, I need to call out something that needs to be called out; like a police officer lacking morals (should not be a police officer). Today's lesson is to always listen to the little man and a present day story of a monster who didn't listen to the little man. 

Here is a list I compiled via my melon and the information superhighway where whomever was making the decision, whether it be one or a group, just didn't listen to the little man telling them its not a good idea:

• Thursday night football (thought I would like it but its too much; the product shows it as well)
• Magic Johnson as a talk show host (it was painful to watch)
• Chevy Chase as a talk show host (equally painful)
• new Coke (there are so many versions of Coke these days, I can't keep track) 
• Edsel/Aztek* (*although both considered flops, I am too young for the Edsel and Aztek owners told me they enjoyed their vehicles)
• replacing Ernie Harwell (What the hell were you thinking Bo?)
• Gary Cherone in Van Halen (sounded like a good idea at the time...)
• hiring a broadcaster to be the general manager of a professional football team (also sounded like a good idea at the time...)
• Lou Gramm-less Foreigner (tough voice to mirror)
• Piston teal uniforms (actually did a paper in grad school on said ugly uniforms)
• XFL (heard rumors they might try again)
• TV version of Animal House, Delta House (can't have a PG version of Animal House)
• NFL color rush uniforms (yeah....no)

• hockey in Atlanta (tried to force it in there twice; didn't take - people that want soccer back in Detroit after it failed multiple times should take note)
• Joanie loves Chachi (this was WAY past Fonzie jumping over the shark)
• deciding the Flint River would be an ideal water source to save a few bucks (cannot believe)
• Playboy with clothes on (they lost my subscription)
• have 'The Who' concert with 3/4 of the 18,000+ tickets being general admission/first come-first served (f***ed up)
• sub-prime mortgages (the long-term red numbers don't lie yet greed was unfortunately the word 10 years ago)
• any remakes and Part II, III, IV, V, etc...movies with 'The Godfather' as the exception (is Hollywood really out of ideas?)
• O.J. authoring a book (we believe you Juice)

Which leads us to a present day monster; pictured above as the sender of an e-mail offer. The group    probably has a net worth greater than most banks, however, money cannot buy common sense and  they are lacking it. The monster who makes a 'jillion' dollars from ticket surcharges decided in one of their marketing meetings that they needed more. With that, last week I received the e-mail from them with an offer ("Last Call" as the title) to buy a souvenir Tom Petty (passed in October) ticket copy of the ticket I already paid $80 for back in July. I will put money on it that a majority of the group in said marketing meeting heard about the plan and cringed. The dirt in the ground he is buried in hasn't even settled yet and someone needs that bump in the numbers. Sad.

Listen to the little man.

Trail Head

What can Brown do for you? Quite a bit.

The bike tour headed south this past weekend to the place I called home in the late 90's, Indiana.
More specifically, Brown County State Park in Nashville, Indiana; about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis. Unfortunately, I had already moved back to Michigan by the time they started building these INCREDIBLE trails around 2004. Ranked as some of the best mountain biking in the Midwest, it did not disappoint.

The State of Indiana is pretty much flat in general with farm fields for miles and miles and John Cougar, the Bob Seger of Indiana, singing "Pink Houses" on some station AT ALL TIMES. The Nashville area is the exception to the Indiana stereotype though (well, most of the stereotypes); rolling hills throughout. I am still trying to figure out, however, how half of the area has an accent that came straight from Mayberry R.F.D. and the other sounding like Eddie Murphy's impression of a white guy talking. There is no middle ground yet they all grew up here!
Back to the ride though. Of the six different loops I hit Saturday and Sunday, my favorite (and probably everyone else's) would be the Hobbs Hollow Flow Trail. It's not the Hobbs Hollow "Bust Your Ass" trail, it has two man made flows (followed by two manageable climbs) that have you feeling like you're a kid again just learning how to ride for the first time. Quite a thrill. I added a clip below from Sunday's ride down it. The first song playing in the video pretty much sums up the tone of my speed, or lack there of, but whose in a hurry anyway with such a beautiful landscape!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSbzZ58GO1U

And thank you to all the friendly Hoosier riders I encountered over the weekend who helped this large headed peddler find his way a few times when the signs weren't looking right (good signage overall in the park though).
I'll be back Brown County.
Trail Head 

friendly Hoosiers helped me find my way

bridge over Salt Creek entering the park

rode by a couple of these chimneys
- would be a great evening place to gather by the fire

Hesitation Point

Piling On

Yep, I was one of the couple thousand zombies in attendance this morning to say a last goodbye to the place, good or bad, for professional football, good or bad; the Silverdome. I was in the area and the local police were being cool and allowing people to park right along M-59 for a last look.

My last goodbye will have to wait it appears.

It went boom and then like a Calvin Johnson 'continuation of the catch' being under review, we all waited, and waited, and waited; it did not fall. And now a poor (and probably now unemployed) engineer is trying to put together what went wrong for something he/she had been planning for over a year. 

And then everyone with a social media account jumped on the pile. I can't take credit for these but here goes:

• The Pontiac Silverdome did not implode this morning. I guess the building is not used to implosion on a Sunday until 1 PM.
• City of Pontiac setting up a Go Fund Me page for something stronger than Black Cats & M80s.
• The Lions are aware of the failed demolition of the Silverdome and will have no further comment at this time.
• The Silverdome has been upgraded to probable.
• According to reports, the Silverdome is now in implosion protocol. Probably out two weeks.
• Once again, angry people leave the Silverdome after a disappointing ending.
• Silverdome: 1   Explosions: 0
• They tried to implode the Pontiac Silverdome. It didn't work, like most game plans in there on Sundays.
• The Silverdome still stands after explosives went off. Most Detroit thing ever.
• The explosions went off, and the old girl just stood there, smiled and said "Really?"
• Silverdome plays host to yet another failed performance.

Goodbye old lady; someday I guess.
Trail Head

this picture is POST boom so these two have some guts

fellow zombies waiting for something that isn't coming

and some xmas cheer in the crowd

UPDATE--> More social media piling on the following day: