The tour headed west this past weekend to Denver with the mission to see the one-game winning streak Detroit Lions go for their second; but it was not to be. Bad football aside, the game experience was outstanding with the jets flying over for pre-game and the frisbee catching dogs at halftime. Detroit was well represented in town as the Wings were playing the Avalanche Friday night as well. A whole bunch of Red Wing/Lions shirts in the streets. The Denver fans were not too harsh with the trash talk as we've seen much worse in Buffalo and Cleveland.
Non-football time was spent toasting another friend who we learned had hit the bad side of covid and had passed on Saturday. The news sucked but a good time to be with friends at that time; if that makes sense.
The tour headed a bit past the cereal capital of the world last week, Battle Creek, to ride Fort Custer Recreation Area in the tiny village of Augusta.
The park was originally farmland and was acquired by the federal government to establish Camp Custer, an induction and military training center for the U.S. Army during World War II. The land was deeded to the State of Michigan under President Nixon's Legacy of Parks in 1971. So there is your history lesson for today,
I rode the trail a little over five years ago so don't remember much from that ride as I don't recall any blood or hospital visits but the trail has held up well. One area assisting with that is what I've seen at quite a few trails lately; the alternate trail directions on different days. Makes a big difference.
A short clip is below; a great ride just in time for the rainfall the three days after.
Trail Head
Cell phone users need to click the below link to view the attached video.
The tour headed to Mid-Michigan this past week, specifically Newaygo County, to ride a trail in progress that will be a mammoth when it's completed. Labeled "The Dragon" that will eventually loop completely around Hardy Pond (part of Hardy Dam, a portion of the Muskegon River). Proposed to eventually hit 47 miles around the body of water, there is currently about a quarter of that in place. That quarter, however, is a BEAUTIFUL ride on the southwest side ridges of the water with some outstanding views and fast circuits (video below). My fear for the trail, however, is the two way traffic. My old bones have left "hardcore" status but gravity alone has you cruising some serious speeds along the woods with a blind spot at a handful of turns. The law of averages and hardcore rider is unfortunately going to hit incoming traffic eventually.
Again, a beautiful trail and thank you to the trail creators but riders, enjoy the ride and heads up.
Trail Head
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A friend gathering is good reason for another entry here. As the Bob Seger song goes, "see some old friends, good for the soul...."
With the fun happenings we've had over the last couple of years being bottled up with masks on, it was good to see the return of the Woodstock of Howell, the Bald Mountain Music Festival this past weekend. A collection of seven bands (well, maybe 6 1/2 after Champ's appearance) playing some oldies, but goodies along with some songs I had never heard before (my melon only knows so many Grateful Dead songs). And an apropos way to end the day/evening, Raj played the song that made him famous, "Mitchell Sucks At Fishing." There is a clip of it below at the end of Part 2. The footage is a bit grainy, which is probably best with some of our old mugs, but some great performances.
Thanks to hosts Jill and Roger for putting on another great festival.
Trail Head
Two parts below (cell phone users need to click the links to view the attached videos).
Part 1:
- GOB
- The Jim Croce Band (who didn't play any Jim Croce)
The tour is back for a report from the dental floss capital of the world (according to Frank Zappa), Montana. Specifically Missoula, Montana on the west side of the state. Home of the University of Montana, picturesquely sitting at the base of a mountain in an area just a bit hillier than "Mount" Pleasant, it would have been a great place to study.
The mission for the trip, as always, was to hit the local mountain bike trails. As I have done previously, I rented from the local bicycle shop for a set of wheels. The rented bike is usually better than my home ride, the process of shipping your own seems to be more pain than pleasure and you get the bonus of trail information from the local shop. This rental was a bit different than the others as with the bike, I received the standard spare tube/pump (if necessary); however, I got an extra item for this rental, bear spray. The mascot for the city's university is the grizzly so yes, bear spray is a good item to have. There were portions of the pedal that cut through some very thick forest and I was waiting for smoky to jump out at any moment. No bear sightings to report but definitely had me on high alert.
The pedal, as with the potential for the additional wildlife, was a bear. There was a bit of 'hike-a-bike' involved as I was gasping pretty well walking up as a young-lung-er pedaled by me as I blurted out asking if the top was near. "Two more climbs" he replied as my internal large melon voice yelled "fu**" while I continued my climb. It was worth it as the trips down were a treat.
Besides the biking and meeting with some great local flavor, I took in a Missoula PaddleHead minor league baseball game. The team used to be affiliated with the Arizona pro team (formerly the 'Osprey') but the franchise was an unfortunate casualty of the recent minor league restructuring so are part of an independent league with other northwest towns. A beautiful backdrop with the mountains along with the above-and-beyond customer service experience of minor league baseball and you have an enjoyable evening.
No airport issues but an embarrassing moment by yours truly working my new wireless ear buds on the plane. I forgot to sync my music player so a few passengers got to hear “Join Together" by The Who blaring as I turned up the volume thinking me ear buds weren’t working. "Sir, you’ll need to turn that down…." My bad.
Attached are some views from the pedal.
Trail Head
cell phone users will need to go to the link below to view the attached
Thanks to all who have checked in here from time to time over the last 14 years but think I've told all the stories (about 500 of them if my math is correct). Friends joke that I should make it a 'members only' log-in site so the 'dirt' can be spoken. Sorry friends but unless an individual is doing harm to another and needs to be called out, there is no dirt besides when I fall on my bike.
I'll still post any fish pictures or mountain bike rides that warrant viewing but for the most part, the bike tour has hit the finish line.
The way back machine takes us to the 70's when I believe every family in America had one of these in their "living" room (not to be confused with the "family" room; never understood the difference).
The Reeves were no different as we had one looking very similar to the one pictured. That heavy mother made it through three home moves for us but served a purpose until the very end when the tuner knob wouldn't tune and the turntable went on a speed of it's own.
In its heyday, the behemoth piece of furniture rocked the house but I think the one thing I most remember about it was gathering as a family and listening to comedy albums. Millennials have no idea but we literally sat in a room, put the record on and the five of us laughed our asses off to George Carlin, Steve Martin and some Richard Nixon parody album that I really didn't understand at the time (what 10 year old did?).
Maybe the millennials can get some group headphones and gather around one of their music players and do the same? Not the same.
One of the things I missed most last year was live music as the summer of 2020 was going to be legen...wait for it...dary!!! I had tickets for the Foo Fighters, some comedy with Jim Gaffigan, some Pink Floyd with Roger Waters and classic rock with Steely Dan/Steve Winwood.
Then the shi* hit the fan for everyone. Then the cancellations.
The Foo Fighters held out as long as they could but finally pulled up the stakes for a 2021 re-schedule and cancelled. Gaffigan initially made a push to re-schedule but also pulled up the stakes. There is hope for Roger Waters (if he's still alive when the tour actually starts) as that tour still is in a TBA date status.
As far as Steely Dan/Steve Winwood, they are all systems go (again, if they're still alive) as they initially re-scheduled from June 24, 2020 to June 26, 2021 and this week, the third move to June 18, 2022. Looking at the glass half full, the 2020 show was on a Wednesday (as Detroit always seems to get screwed in that regard); next year will be on a Saturday.
Keep taking those vitamins Roger, Donald and Steve and hope to see you next year!
The bike tour headed south just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia to Roanoke. An internet search brought the city up as a great mountain bike destination. It did not disappoint, all things considered.
Excluding travel days, I was working at three full days, one of which was supposed to be crappy weather so that would be tourist day.
Yet another life lesson learned but when the local bike shop offers to look at your maps and what routes you intend on hitting and maybe offer some advice, you take said advice. I waived off the help as I printed out beforehand of what the stupid internet said would be a good route. With that, rather than starting at maybe the middle portion of Mill Mountain (a mountain) at one of the other trailheads, I started pedaling at ground level, up, up, up.....
I've seen others do it and can't recall if I've ever completed the task on the trails but the hotel's complimentary breakfast came up that first day. No blood left on Mill Mountain but some waffles mixed in with oatmeal were unfortunately. Hurl aside, the view atop the mountain was beautiful.
Day two was out at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, a huge ass trail network. I had my map ready but flagged down some riders just finishing and they gave me a good loop that my old bones could handle. No blood or breakfast left there so a good day. The rented bike performed admirably with no breakdowns. The crushed rock that the trail maintains I'm sure is a flat maker.
Day three was a lunch trip to Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech. A beautiful campus with the mountains surrounding it. No former Heisman trophy winner statues that I could see and no, I'm not going to make any dog kennel jokes in this space.
As far as Roanoke's local scene, they had their share of fancy locations with all of the patrons staring at their phones but my favorite was probably the biker bar just east of downtown. It was a 100+ year old box with an old fire station ceiling. Good, simple bar food. Pool table in the middle. And had ashtrays (more on that in a minute). It reminded me of the Wixom Bar in a way. The television either had Bonanza, Gunsmoke or some old western television show on while the patrons sipped out of those small beer glasses and smoked their Pall Malls. I found out Virginia recently stopped allowing indoor smoking but from what I could gather from the bartender, I believe the higher authorities are currently looking the other way for establishments where the majority are smoking so smoke on!! All good people there and had a great time hearing the stories.
Attached are some non-hurling views from the rides.
Happy riding season!
Trail Head
(cell phone users may need to use this link to view the attached)
The youngest member of the first family of Detroit made the airwaves last night as niece Hannah makes an appearance at about the 1:30 mark of the attached video (apologies ahead of time for the lawyer commercial you have to view prior).
That makes every member of the Robar-dashian (humor insert) family appearing on television in some form. I've stated on here before but I'm happy being the key grip in the background thank you.
The large melon residence recently took in a boarder in the form of a 10 pound senior citizen with gray fur, is a diabetic....and blind. You read that right, he is blind. He can pick up shadows pretty well and can go on walks unattended (loves the smells and leaving pee marks EVERYWHERE) but that is the extent of it. Many a door walls have been head butted.
As recent visitors will attest, he is very territorial at home base when more than one person is present. Boots are highly recommended if visiting with entry access out back via the sun room to offset any blood potential. He is small but has these little fangs that will seriously dig into your feet. Odd as it is, he is Mr. Mellow when it's just he and I hanging or when he heads to the vet/kennel.
The way back machine today takes us to the 1970's when the Reeves' family were in what you would call the salad years, the lean years of a family of five just starting out; yet the three children could drink soda pop like no other children in the neighborhood. As my dad was the king of slicing a penny, he found a way to accommodate the sugar addicted ones that he loved so much without denting his wallet too much. Rather than the pricier Coke or Pepsi, we ventured for a short time into the "Club", Towne Club pop for a roughly $3 a "crate" of 24 and $1.99 for every second case!!! Forty-four flavors to choose from!!!! They even had their own brick and mortar locations dedicated specifically to their product. It was somewhere on Grand River in Farmington as I recall. This was pre-returnable time but drawing a blank of what the deposit was for the crate/bottles, if there was one.
Once we moved out of the area to the country, there were no clubs, the brick and mortar locations disappeared and the Reeves' kids jumped back on the Coke/Pepsi train. Until we got jobs to purchase more sugar on our own to accommodate our addictions, our dad gave us each a ration of pops per week (the 8 pack of large glass bottles - a different taste than the plastic bottles of today; can't explain it but it was better). Once those were gone (which for me was maybe two days), you had to wait until the next week's allocation. My diabetic brother made some side deals for his ration of pops.
A few weeks ago, my wandering ears picked up word that my local gathering location would be closing it's doors at the end of March. I didn't believe it at the time but read it in print this past week so it appears to be a done deal, which is too bad as the place has a steady following, not Wolfgang Puck (fancy chef) quality food but not Waffle House quality either (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v02mT37pm_8); right there in the middle, and overall a great place to gather. The November-present dine-in limitations were just too much even with carry out and a creative outdoor dining area with a sea of tarps used as walls. I thought it had a chance.
So of the stages of change, I am past the initial denial stage when I saw the newspaper pick up the story. The resistance stage is where I'm kind of lingering right now with the place still open for another month and people coming in as they did before the announcement. I feel like Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List when he's chastising himself for not doing more (obviously in WAY different terms). "I could have bought more chicken wings!!!!" I'll eventually move on to the exploration and acceptance stages and find a new location; maybe a hail mary pass will be caught (in the form of $$$) and the present place will stay (doubtful on that one).
It was nice to walk in and have your favorite soda pop poured and ready as you sit down. And these soda pop tenders have been at the place pretty much since it opened last century so there is no 3/4 soda pop and 1/4 foam pours; always a perfect pour.
I will miss watching the tables of U-M football slappies getting muted as the Harbaugh machine lets them down again.
I will miss watching the regulars recreate the golf shot that was "this close" (same story they told from the previous week).
I will miss watching the many, many, many Keno players. I never got into the process but there are a lot of gamblers out there.
I will miss watching the phone-addicted patrons. Why leave the house if you are going to stare at your phone the entire time?
My treadmill of 15 years had it's motor die recently. No worries as a gold star to the treadmill maker for honoring the 25 year motor warranty with a replacement motor in route. While in route, this large melon had to improvise a bit for the 'cold as shi*' day workouts as there is no way I'm going to pay for one of those modern, stationary bikes where you can program someone to yell at you to pedal faster.
Enter a stationary bike from my parent's old neighbor that is from the 1970's with SportsCenter as my motivation/backdrop. Yes, you are reading correctly, the pictured stationary bike is from Voit (a solid 1970's brand). There are no bells and whistles to said bike; and can pretty much guarantee they don't make it anymore. The speedometer/odometer does not work but the bike does what is asked.
No fish stories to report this Super Bowl Sunday morning. The main story is it's cold as shi* (which doesn't make much sense as shi* isn't usually characterized as being cold). My fellow fisherman were wise to sleep in as I gave it a couple hours to no avail.
My second wish for 2021 (first one is obvious) is for a reduction in meetings. Even prior to the pandemic it was happening; there is a love of meetings and it has gotten out of control. I've been involved in many (many, many) work "flavor of the day" projects in trying to better reduce and manage meetings but all seem to end up in the trash after the facilitators see a shiny object, move on to another project and things move back to what they were with the loudest individuals getting their word in.
The latest flavor of the day involves fancy terminology in the meeting titles like retrospective, checkpoint, refinement, stand-up, follow-up, sprint, agile, scrum, biweekly update, elaboration, and last but not least, 'planning'. I have spent up to six hours of the work day logged into video conference calls (audio only - no video for me thank you).
My two cents for fixing it. The meeting host needs to know what he/she is talking about and take charge of the meeting. Get a meeting facilitator like John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOLF_D7JVZM). Too much lollygagging leads to long calls and everyone starts multi-tasking/day dreaming after about 10 minutes of that. Keep it short and simple. Also, don't even think about a call after lunch. Get it done early and let everyone spend the remainder of the work day focused on the tasks at hand. Kind of like the old Hill Street Blues show where the head cop would address the troops on the matters of the day in the morning and leave them off with a, "be careful out there." No refinement, follow-up or retrospective needed.
I'd like to write more but have to get to a meeting...
