Peru - Holy S*** We Are Up High!

When Nancy threw out the invitation last month to go to Peru, I immediately said "Peru, sure, " like I knew all about the Peru scene. After my "yeah" on the RSVP, I went to Google and found out exactly WHERE Peru actually was.

A great place it was. I tried to post various pictures but it will be easier just to say, come on over anytime for a cold beverage and the slide show. If you go, a guided tour covering the Cuzco/Machupiccu area will show you utopia and more. Having the flights, train rides, hostels (new one for me) all set up made it stress free. Be ready for some elevation adjustments though as 12,000 feet had my head thumping pretty well for a few hours there in Cuzco. The guides, Cynthia and Beto (gray coat & red coat pictured below), spoke pretty good English and had some personality to them. The airport in Cuzco is pretty much one runway nestled in the heart of the Andes Mountains. I was having flashes of the movie "Alive" on the flight from Lima. All was well though and the flight into Cuzco was quite a beautiful sight.

Cynthia whisked us away with driver Magno (yes, Magno) and off we went to the Inca world; rocks, rocks, and more rocks! The Incas sure weren't tall as everywhere I went, it was a ducking convention. They had to be some strong people though as seeing these ruins with the rock walls, I can't imagine how they did it. The peak of the tour was Machupicchu, an ancient Inca site rediscovered by an U.S. fella in the early 1900's. Some of the cliffs were 9,000 feet down and it took me a bit to adjust to these incredible views. Nancy on the other hand is fearless and was kicking some backside on the trails. The Inca Bridge Trail has you sign a book to say when you went to the bridge via the trail and sign back in when you return so they know you didn't fall off the cliffs. Serious. I was clutching the wall while Nancy wondered if she could do a handstand on one of the rocks.

The Lima scene was a people watching smorgasbord. Nancy, the travel agent of the year, set us up in a hostel in a very nice section of Lima called Miraflores. The hostel is the way to go if you don't care about hotel fanciness. We paid $90 TOTAL for lodging from Monday-Friday morning. We had a double bed, a shower, and a television with a great location. What else do you need? Having a Spanish speaking girlfriend, as Nancy is a high school Spanish teacher, is a bonus. It was a sight to see with locals seeing us tourists from afar and lighting up when they hear this American blonde rambling off some Spanish, accent included! These old dudes driving the cabs would just get this "no shit" look when she would talk to them. I loved every minute of it. Lima was the culture scene as we checked out a convent and learned more about the Spanish Inquisition. The most I knew about the Spanish Inquisition was from the song on the Mel Brooks movie, History of the World: Part 1. Some serious torture there if you weren't part of the club, eh?

Along with the culture scene, we got to experience Peruvian food. For picky Tim, it was an adventure as always. Having Nancy there to translate helped though when I needed the chicken sandwich without the mayonaise. Nancy enjoyed the Peruvian delicacy of Cuy (pictured), or as it's known here in the U.S., guinea pig. I had a taste. It wasn't too bad. We were on a mission the last day for a breakfast place that actually had maple syrup. They like their honey more than syrup around these parts I guess. We were successful in our mission and the waffles were quite enjoyable.

The traffic in Lima was a bear to say the least. Stop signs? Forget about it. Everybody is driving itty bitty cars and there is no two car cushion. The cabs are everywhere and quite inexpensive. I don't know how they make money. EVERY cab had the low gas and check engine lights on so it was amazing we didn't see a breakdown. We did, however, get to experience a protest in the streets of Lima right in front of our cab (fire picture below). These guys ran out in the street, threw some suitcases down, poured gasoline on them and lit them on fire. I was ready to run once the firecrackers in the suitcases went off. Wild. The driver said the locals aren't too happy with the government.

Fires aside, Peru is a beautiful country.

Island Lake - Odometer turns 100!

In celebration of my bike odometer turning 100 miles for the season, it was grilling night tonight at Island Lake on a beautiful evening. Okay, so we were planning on grilling even before I noticed last year's Christmas present was going to turn 100 but it makes for good press, eh? I was realizing tonight as everyone came back from the trail without any abrasions that we haven't had a good wipe out in some time. We are due! Are we just getting to be better riders or do we suck so bad going grandma speed that it just isn't going to happen? I think the latter with a splash of the former is what we are evolving to; and that is okay.

In attendance tonight was Molson Bike Tour alumnus Darren (aka Hardcore) and a Highland Junior High blast from the past, Scott Walker. Unfortunately, Scott went to Lakeland and that is too bad. He is one of the better folks from that side of the tracks though.

Lastly, would you look at the determination in E's face? It's not about the fancy outfits on the bike tour. There is work involved! What goes up eventually goes down so E will eventually be a very happy rider in about 30 seconds after this picture was taken.

Trail Head

Out Digit-Headed in Philly

Old Coach Stevenson used to always tell us as motivation in sports, "there is always somebody better out there." Well, I met my match in the sports knowledge world this past week.

In Philadelphia for work, I was able to get in some extracurricular activities after the work day. You're pooped but when in Philadelphia, embrace Philadelphia. A pack of us took an evening tour of Valley Forge, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. For someone who has seen his share of historic military areas, this one was up there in magnificence. I never thought I would use the word "magnificence" in a sentence but it fits. The park was very well preserved.

So that leads me to the sports stat addict (or as Rob S. likes to call us, digit-heads) falling off his perch. I'll admit it, I love a good sports section. Heck, I get chills when I see the Street and Smith's college football preview on sale at the pharmacy. Anyway, me and two guys from our Florida office went to the Phillie game on Thursday. On the drive down to the park, the sports talk started up. One of the guys was on his 12th major league park on his mission to see them all. He was throwing out so many players and stats, I was silenced. I was out digit-headed! I was in denial at first thinking he was throwing this stuff out of his rear but he had a wealth of information. It would be too much rehearsal to make up. The game and experience were great. We got standing room only which was fine with us because we were more there to check out the park and see some wacky Phillie fans. They were quite a rambunctious group. To top it off, it was dollar dog night!

We are riding at Island Lake this Thursday. Come on out if you have a bike or not.

Trail Head

Mid-Ohio

Let's go racing, racing, racing, racing..... The bike tour went to witness the motorized bikes this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. We scaled back the activities this year and only watched the Saturday races (races are Saturday and Sunday). As with everything these days, the economy seems to have hit this event as well. What was normally a packed area for vendors and bike manufacturers, it was cut back dramatically this year as some of the major bike producers weren't even in attendance. Chuck and Mark have been coming to this race for years and know quite a bit about the riders and the venue. They both commented that some of the name riders have moved on and that the venue is taking a turn for the worse in recent years. It wasn't all doom and gloom though as it's all about watching the cycles and we did get our fix for that. I am not much for watching a race on television but in person, you really do get an appreciation of how talented these riders are. While it probably doesn't do it justice, I attached a small clip of the cycles going through the "S" curve. We did witness a few wipeouts but nothing too major.

After the races, we took a nice back road ride to the hotel and on the way stopped for a cold beverage at Buck's Place in Nevada, Ohio. There isn't much in Nevada except Buck's and some good local flavor.

The weekend wouldn't be complete without a dinner stop at the Steer Barn restaurant in Upper Sandusky, Ohio (see attached Mail Pouch picture). We eat here every year and it never fails us. The food and service are always outstanding. You get the garlic toast, the relish tray (bogue by me, loved by others), the salad, and an outstanding entree. I was really feeling crazy and got the chicken.

We took the back roads home this morning and saw the real America, away from the freeways. There is a beautiful ride just outside of Toledo along the Maumee River. With my iPod throwing some Seger, Clapton, and Priest tunes in my ears, I had a tear in my eye with the scene.

It was good hanging with the fellas.

Trail Head

Bike Down at Brighton

Well, the law of averages with respect to bikes breaking down had to eventually catch up with us and tonight it did at Brighton. At about the furthest point you could imagine from where the trailhead was, E decided to grind his chain and derailleur to bits. His third derailleur is the word on the street. Easy there big fella.

The bike tour grilling time was kicked up a notch tonight as Mark C. grilled up some fine burgers and dogs after the ride. A warning to those future grilling hosts, as Marty Mornhinweg says, "the bar is high!"

Lastly, in attendance tonight was the cooler that has been through the college wars (actually taken from the college) and is still taking care of business with the cold beverages today. I am guessing Mark has taken it as far west as Venice Beach and as far east as Winslow, Maine. That is a sweet Firm sticker on the cover!

Trail Head

Not that there is anything wrong with it...

If you have ever seen the Saturday Night Live cartoon skit of the Ambiguously Gay Duo, well, we saw the live version tonight at Maybury Recreation Area. While I only captured the one set on film, there were a few pairs out there tonight; and they were proud of their matching outfits! Sad.

A nice evening and ride it was though. Eric and Mark were riding so fast that the camera couldn't capture them (okay, it was actually the picture taker with the problem but I'm sticking with my story).

Have a good one and enjoy these precious summer weekends.

Peter North (aka Trail Head)

Embracing H2O

For someone who used to be afraid of the Boblo Boat in his youth, I have come a long way in my appreciation of water. Yes, I still get a bit antsy in the big water from time to time and even hurled in the Caribbean Sea but this weekend was pretty much spent on the water and that is a-okay in my book.

The Ochs' family were gracious enough to let an east sider take residence in their palace on the lake in Ludington. There is always good eats at the Ochs' compound!

The fish were minimal on Hackert Lake but some good people watching across the way at Crystal Lake campground as I floated by. We hooked up with the Schmitt clan on Saturday afternoon for a float down the Pere Marquette River. The float was swift with no fish production whatsoever. Those Schmitts really can navigate that canoe with the best of them. They don't mess around getting down that river.

The water theme was capped today with a float down the Huron River within Island Lake Recreation Area. The river was packed to say the least. Besides the one loud group with the submerged canoe, it was a peaceful, happy crowd. I'll bet they are still there screaming. Bummer for them.

Trail Head