Senior Bicycling on Shaklee Stuff

BLOG CHANGE to Wordpress

2009-06-26T07:52:00.003-04:00

Since Google does not seem to care about my lost pictures and those of a lot of other people based on the help requests I have seen, I am moving to WordPress. The new link is
http://teamsboss.wordpress.com/

Saturday Morning Ride Info will remain at the same spot for now until I can get it converted.

I will be reposting the BRAG Ride photos during the next few days but will have to let the other posts just set there. I am not going to spend hours and hours reloading photos.

Just for your information, there does not seem to be any way to get to a real human with Google to get information or immediate assistance.

BRAG 2009 or PEDALIN' WITH KAYLA - Not sure where pictures have gone

2009-06-15T20:46:00.031-04:00

BRAG 2009 started in Hiawassee and this is the way I would like to have ridden.

Here we are ready to go on the morning of June 7th.

Luxury accommodations were available. You had a selection of gyms, classrooms in some stops, tents (bring your own) or tents provided by Bubba's Pampered Pedalers. We go the cheap route - sleep in gyms or class rooms. Picture further down shows those deluxe rooms. There are those who stay in motels but I feel they miss part of the ambiance

Highest point on the ride was about 10 miles into the ride at Unicoi Gap

Unicoi Gap is also one of the AT crossings.

Just north of Lula on Highway 52 you will find Edith Ann's Chair

Kayla made a lot of new friends. The following pictures are just a few of them.

Kayla with one of her Bulldawg friends below. She enjoyed seeing all the different Bulldawgs around town in Athens. Now, I am not sure I understand a flower covered dawg but ???

Special recognition for Maggie and Caroline. They were our inspiration for several years to make us want to bring Kayla when she was old enough. These two young ladies are BRAG vets.

More friends - did not matter - young or old.

Kayla met Hannah and Hannah instantly became Hannah Montana for Kayla

Another of the friends on the ride. Hope to see all of them next year or at the Bike Fest in Tifton

Yes, definitely deluxe sleeping quarters. Place would almost be cleared out by 7 AM and the sounds of BRAG include snoring and starting about 4:30 AM, unzipping of sleeping bags and the whoosh of air mattresses being deflated. Try sleeping past that and you have seen a miracle.

The river at Watson Mill State Park through the covered bridge

Talent night was in Elberton and after the talent show, there was DJ music. Kayla was up on the stage dancing.

Hat day for Kayla. She did not like the idea on Sunday but by Friday, she decided she wanted to wear it. Thanks to duct tape, we were able to hold the thing on.

Of course, you have your choice of deluxe bathing facilities. You could take a bath in the gyms, most of which did have warm water, or you could go to the shower truck. Men on the left, women on the right.

Chicken Crossing - Team Road Kill struck and left beads

Wildlife was found on the ride on the last day. Nice cute black snake. Was a chance to give a bit of education about snakes that have fangs that are dangerous and those that are not.

Almost to the finish as we cross into South Carolina east of Lincolnton.

Riding into the finish

Kayla at the finish line at the Savannah River Resort - Grandpa 323 miles, Kayla 209 miles.

Kayla gets presented her BRAG 2009 medal

Oh, did I forget to say that this ride was all about Kayla? Per her father, she has not quit talking about it and has already said she is going next year.

Riding With Kayla May 31, 2009

2009-06-01T20:32:00.005-04:00

We drove up to Cleveland, TN early Sunday to arrive by 10 AM. Got the bike and a half (aka Trail-a-bike) ready to roll and headed out. Kayla wanted to get a picture in front of her school to show the kids who tell her she is not riding like this. So, we started out with uphills for the first 3 miles or so. Got the picture though and now she can show off. She will have even more pictures after next week on BRAG.

Below is doing what we like to do best on BRAG or any other ride - rest in the shade for a few minutes. This was about mile 7 and 3 miles later we had to make a simulated rest stop so she could sort of get the feel for what we would be doing every 10 or so miles - eating and drinking.

In this case, our "rest stop" was a convenience store just about a mile from her house but we rode another 3.5 miles to get home. We made a 13.5 mile loop from her house and had about 1200 feet of climbing which also calls to mind the Theorem de Elevation. For every uphill, there is an equal and sometimes exciting downhill. Or, for every downhill, there is an equal and sometimes killer uphill.

My song for BRAG will be "Don't Think Twice" or at least the last verse with changes. Sorry Bob!

I'm pedalin' down that long, lonesome road, babe

Where I'm bound, I can't tell

But goodbye's too good a word, gal

So I'll just say fare thee well

I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind

You could have pedaled better but I don't mind

You just kinda wasted my precious climb

But don't think twice, it's all right

More on the adventures of Pedalin' Phil and Kayla to follow in the days ahead.

Florida Trip

2009-05-22T07:45:00.007-04:00

Details and descriptions later but no trip or bicycle ride is complete in Florida without a swarm or two of Lovebugs. Based on a rough calculation from ingesting a Lovebug, it would take approximately 1023 Georgia gnats to equal a Lovebug.

One of the start points on the West Orange Bike Trail - Killarney Station

This is about the mid-point on the 39 mile paved trail. Too bad we don't have something like this in NE Georgia. The Silver Comet is about the only paved trail I am aware of. Comments welcome to give more paved bike paths in Georgia - not side of highway with a 2 to 3 foot width.

Phil, Debbie, Anita, Gary with Lake Minneola in the background.

Marian and Debbie - sisters

Athens Twilight Criterium 2009

2009-04-26T19:34:00.008-04:00

Just a few photos from the Crit.

This was my first ever trip to watch the crit. Only place I have been with a bigger crowd was the 4th of July fireworks in Washington, DC or perhaps, a Georgia Bulldog football home game.

Winner of the 9 year old race. I bet I could not keep up with him and at 9 years old, I only had a fat tire, single speed which came from Western Auto.

Part of the crowd

This dog was only 12 weeks old - hope he is there next year for his full grown picture

This is the large and the small of it for the dogs at the event. There were more dogs around but the little one was doing his best to get to the big dog.

Another crowd shot

Not only was it packed but across the street above the Nowhere Bar was this group.

I will be adding some videos if I can get the format right.

BRAG Spring Tune Up - After the Ride Pictures and Thoughts

2009-04-24T21:36:00.010-04:00

BRAG - STU 2009 is over and a good time was had by most everyone as best I can tell. The following pictures are in no particular order. I did keep hearing in my mind the phrase "Eat Mor' Chikn" and finally found the source which you will see as the last photo. Definitely subliminal mind control. I rode 122 miles in 2 days.

A field of yellow flowers - someone identify the type of plant please.

Has anyone ever gotten your goat? There was a large selection here on day 2 57 mile route.

Family on a triple!

Smallest SAG wagon I have ever seen. Limited to one problem at a time.

World's best DOG rider on STU - Marley! He got a lot of attention

Youngest rider - 6 months old a couple of days after STU.

Eat Mor Chikn - Eat Mor Chikn - Eat Mor Chikn

Chestatee Wildlife Preserve Ride

2009-03-24T21:41:00.010-04:00

Today was a ride from Murrayville to the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve. The Preserve is a rescue facility for many animals and the pictures below are some examples of the animals living there. The refuge is seeing decreased funding due to the cutbacks in education with not at many field trips being scheduled. In talking to the staff, they will normally have 5 to 6 field trips a week and this year they have only had about 6 or so. If you feel so led, I am sure a donation to the operations would be appreciated. There web link is:

http://www.chestateewildlife.com/

I have ridden by it may times and it comes as quite a shock the first time to look down the hill from the main highway to see a white tiger watching you go by. You could almost see him lick his chops and thinking what a fine meal that big guy on a bicycle would make.

Kayla did great today and we had some pretty good hills to climb just to get there.
Kayla at the entrance off Old Dahlonega Highway
White Tiger

Buffalo

Peacock in full bloom - he put on quite a show for us

Siberian Tigers - look closely on the left side - that one is snoozing

Grizzly - where is John Wayne when you need him?

Ostrich

Forgot what this one is but he is cute. There are also several monkeys, a lynx, a zebra, burro, and others. Well worth the visit.

Kayla Day 2 Ride - Peach Orchard Special

2009-03-23T19:21:00.005-04:00

This ride took place on Sunday, March 22. Today, the 23rd was a rest day for Kayla. I think we wore her out on Saturday and Sunday. She slept in until 10 AM this morning and I had to wake her up then to get her moving. We are riding tomorrow from Gillsville on one of the famous Jennie's Cafe Loops. Hope to get in close to 20 miles but who knows. All I can say, she is doing a whole lot better on her first 2 rides of any distance than I did. My first ride back about 5 years ago was 9 miles and I thought I was going to die. Kayla, as of today, has ridden about 46 miles, not counting whatever she has done on her bicycle.

Had some help on this ride. Debbie aka Grandee went. We rode from Lula to Alto and returned. Did a short side trip along County Line Road as we got into Lula and got a shot of Kayla at the edge of one of the peach orchards which are in full bloom.

Will definitely be back at Jaemore Farmers Market when the peaches come in.

Kayla Day 1 Ride - Saturday 03-21-2009

2009-03-21T18:00:00.007-04:00

We picked up Kayla last night in Blairsville - the half way BP station as it is now known among the Loveless family. We have to get up and go outside every morning for the last several days to this view of our Camelia bush. Pink, red, white mix on the bush. This is probably the most blooms we have ever had.

We loaded up the truck this morning and went shopping at Joe's aka Habersham Bicycles. Kayla needed some riding shorts. Since the temperature was in the high 40's, it was a good use of the time and allowed us to wait until the temp got into the mid 50's before we started.

We started the ride about 2:30 pm from Quillian's Corner. It was still a bit cool and windy with the temp about 55 when we started and about 57 when we finished an hour later. Kayla pushed me 12.12 miles. Tomorrow we are planning a 16 mile or so excursion from Lula to Alto. Debbie will be going on this one so Kayla will have more entertainment than the big man up front.

Click on the title and you can check out the route we rode today.

Get The Real Dirt On Clean

2009-03-13T20:59:00.003-04:00

Get the Real Dirt on Clean and Rx for Healthy Living
Saturday, March 28th, 10 am-noon
Georgia Mountains Center Theater, Gainesville
Speaker: Cindy Latham, MBA

Sr. VP of Marketing and New Product Development, Shaklee Corporation

This program kicks off the series of community-wide Earth Day events as we strive to reduce the chemical impact on the earth, reduce landfill waste and reduce carbon gas emissions – lighten our footprint. Shaklee is the ONLY Climate Neutral Company in the U.S. and an EPA World Leader.

Cindy will be talking about Shaklee's commitment to being GREEN – a company that was born GREEN...a dark deep green – way back in 1956 when green was just a name for a color. Shaklee was an Earth Day sponsor in 1990 with Basic H (now Basic H2), the only biodegradable cleaning product ever chosen. With many environmental accomplishments, Shaklee "walks their talk." Come meet Cindy Latham and learn about healthy alternatives to toxins found in common household cleaners which are linked to health problems. Cindy will share other benefits to your family, your home, your community.

You can make a real difference with Get Clean – always safe for the environment and always green plus smart for your wallet. Shaklee has done it right for 53 years!!

Cindy will also speak about the "Shaklee Difference" and "Rx For Healthy Living" – how to live a longer and healthier life. A healthy life starts with you and the choices you make everyday, which leads to a better world. This will be a life-changing experience. So, gather up your friends, family (especially your passionate to care for the environment friends) to come with you. Come "Get the Real Dirt on Clean!" and learn how you can be a part of the solution.

Door Prizes.

Weekend Century Ride(s)

2009-03-09T20:13:00.008-04:00

Will also do a bit of catching up. This was sunrise off the back deck a few weeks ago. Have been on the run a bit with the grandkids coming down for a couple of days in mid February. Got in a 10 miler with Kayla on Sunday afternoon before they headed back home. She will be back in March for about a week to work on riding and getting ready for BRAG.

The Redbird trio or for those of you who are proper, Cardinals. Have more Bluejays and Doves than Redbirds. Will have more pictures coming since I broke out the old 35 mm with the 210 telephone lens and have been working through a 24 picture roll of film. I am doing this from a Rear Window but unlike Jimmy Stewart, I don't have a Grace Kelly although Debbie is a good substitute and I can hardly see the neighbors. Nor, am I wheelchair bound. I do have a picture though would remind you of The Birds with the crows perched in one of my backyard trees.

And then, there is the blizzard of 2009. Well, at least 40 miles south of here it sort of looked like a blizzard had gone through. The Athens, GA area got 6 to 9 inches of snow, had a lot of trees down across power lines, and people out of power for almost a week in some locations. As for us 4 miles north of downtown Gainesville, this was about it. Downtown got about an inch and just north of us got absolutely no snow.

Got in 100 miles in the 3 day weekend! I took off early on Friday and rode in the Clermont area. Rode Saturday morning and afternoon with Bernie and Palmer in the morning and then added some more miles in the afternoon solo. Sunday was punishment day with a final 33 miles with much of it against the wind. Reminds me of a Bob Segar song:

Against the wind

I'm still runnin (substitute Ridin) against the wind

Well I'm older now and still

Against the wind

The picture below was taken Sunday, March 8th. This was the windy day of the 3 days of riding. Saw this herd of cows and thought of Texas. Ought to be planning a riding trip for the Tour de Cypress in Mt. Vernon, TX in April but will have to pass this year.

I'm BACK

2009-01-18T16:34:00.009-05:00

Well, I have been out of touch for a while but am getting back into it. Caught some kind of vicious cold/cough after Thanksgiving and have been fighting that since. Did get in 2515 miles for 2008 so am pleased with that. Went out on December 30th after not riding for a month and did 30.6 miles. That seemed to reactivate the cold/cough and am still hacking a little.

The weather has been terrible for most of January so far and since I am more of a fair weather rider (50 degrees and above), I have not been on my road bike although I have set up the hybrid on the fluid trainer inside in front of the TV.

Christmas was interesting. We traveled to Cleveland, TN on Wednesday evening and spent Christmas day with Kyle, Kathy, and the girls. Brooklynn got a new doll among a zillion other things and is pictured below.

Kayla, pictured below, got a new bicycle and, just like Brooklynn, a zillion other things.

The big surprise was the new swing set. Kyle's house had a blackout on the rear windows for several weeks and the girls were not allowed in the backyard. It was not very nice weather so it was not too difficult to keep them in. Each window was covered with gift wrap and the girls thought it was a fun game.

On the Friday after Christmas, we departed and drove to Canton, NC to visit Debbie's sister and her family. Both Ben and Katy. Katy and Matt have two little boys and between Brooklynn, Kayla, and the boys, the afternoon was lively. Left to right below - Brooklynn, Will, J. D., and Kayla.

Here is the whole Loveless family. Front row from the left - Kathy, Kayla, Debbie, Laura. Back row - Kyle, Brooklynn, Phil, Wes, Andra

More to come in 2009 while Phil and his bike travel on many adventures in the quest to hit at least 2009 miles in 2009.

Shaklee's Get Clean Products at the Hemlock Festival

2008-11-27T07:54:00.007-05:00

Debbie and Dodi spent a windy weekend at the Hemlock Festival near Dahlonega. Shaklee's Get Clean products were featured and this was the only booth that was not arts and crafts. Shaklee's commitment to the environment is one of the reasons we were allowed to be there.
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/archive/11035/

There were lots of musical groups performing on Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday. Good music for all tastes except heavy classical unless you mean classical rock. The picture below is a fire barrel of which there were many. Temps were in the 50's with nights getting into the high 40's before closing.

A week or two later, Debbie, Donna, and Dodi (Dodi had the 2nd shfit so missed the picture) participated in America Recycles Day at the Farmers Market in Gainesville. Again, Shaklee's Get Clean products were featured. Interesting that a $150 dollar investment in these products will replace about $3,400 of products you would buy in stores. Not to mention the amount of landfill waste that is reduced by not throwing away (where is away) the store bought products.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/archive/11142/

Six Mile Challenge Ride or Kayla's 6th Birthday

2008-11-04T21:21:00.006-05:00

Debbie and I made it to Tennessee on Sunday afternoon for the celebration of Kayla's 6th Birthday. Part of it involved the Six Mile Challenge which we did in slightly under 36 minutes. Even met and passed, met and passed, and met a horse drawn wagon. We rode back and forth on the road from 64 to Bates Pike about 3 times to get in the 6 miles. Kayla did great and if all goes well, she will be heading out with me several times to get ready for the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia next summer.

No birthday is complete with a cake.

No birthday cake is complete without blowing out the candles with sister Brooklynn looking on. Brooklynn gets to do this routine next month so we will be back to Tennessee for that event also.

And, of course, we had to have a princess show up for the party.

And finally, the grand mothers had to help with decorating and setting up the furniture in the new doll house.

Murrayville to Bolding Mill and Back

2008-11-04T21:07:00.007-05:00

Twas a beautifuly Saturday afternoon for Bernie and me to ride about 20 miles. Wandered down to Lake Lanier aka Pond Lanier. Lake is down about 18 feet as I write and the mussels have not yet recovered although they are evidently thriving downstream in Florida. Thanks to another young man I know named Kyle (not my Kyle) we spotted fish holding up signs saying they would work for water.

As we continued our journey, we came upon this nice fixer upper which I may purchase after the presidential election if all my income is going to be redistributed.

Pedaled past the entrance to Big Oak Estates where we used to live. Trees are still there and as beautiful as ever.

Eventually after a couple of steep hills, we made it back to Murrayville and went home. I loaded up the Trail-a-bike and prepared for the Sunday trip to Tennessee for Kayla's 6th Birthday.

Against The Wind Weekend Rides

2008-10-13T07:51:00.008-04:00

Palmer is on the right and this was his first ride of any distance since having hip replacement surgery. Notice the WW II German Tank Commander helmet - actually this is an 80's bicycle helmet. Bernie, on the left, and I took him from Lula to Gillsville and returned via Hwy 52. He did great and I can tell you that I don't think I would have been out on a bicycle if I had had the same work done on me. Also, Palmer was riding a comfort bike with fat tires which made it even harder plus the wind was blowing 10 to 20 mph during much of the ride back up the hill to Lula.

Bernie and I decided that if he did start having problems, we would inject WD 40 into the new joint and that should cure any problem. Actually, Bernie had a different brand in mind that he says works better but I can't remember the name.

Sunday after church, the urge to ride got the best of me. See this months Bicycling Magazine for a more thorough explanation of my addictive behavior. Anyway, left Quillians Corner and rode up to Clermont and beyond. With the wind blowing 20 and gusting upwards to 30, I thought that I might should stop at Goofy's and have a brain checkup but just kept on pedaling. 10 miles into the wind before getting to turn back south. Got in 28 plus miles for a total of 2301 for the year.

Color is starting to set in along Skitts Mountain Road. This is a favorite spot to watch the change in colors. Skitts Mountain is in the background and is still verdant but should start changing within a couple of weeks. I will post progress photos if I ride that way.

The picture below is from our October 5th hike at Chilhowee Campground. As we were hiking to Benton Falls trail, we came to a sandy spot and spotted a footprint that could only have come from a Big Foot. There were only a couple of prints like something had crossed the trail in front of us. Later, we saw other signs that may well have come from this beast. While we never saw it, one just has to believe that it was there watching us.

Chilhowee Campground Adventures

2008-10-07T21:39:00.013-04:00

Well, I am finally back and updating. It has been a hectic month or more with not enough riding but still had a lot of fun. Last weekend, Oct 4-6 was spent at Chilhowee Campground in Tennessee with our son Kyle and grand daughters Kayla and Brooklynn.

I have seen lots of NFS campgrounds and they don't get any better than this one. Paved roads throughout, camping spots that are spreadout if you go to campgrounds C-F, and excellent pads for tents or campers. Fire ring, table, and lantern post are all provided. Cost is $12 per day unless you need electricity. Also had warm showers, toilet paper provided, and the facility was very clean.

The real reason we went was to see Kayla on the left and Brooklynn on the right. Kayla just lost her first tooth.

Brooklynn and her baby doll that goes everywhere with her, usually dragging along.

No camping trip is complete without a hike somewhere. In this case, we hiked to Benton Falls with Kayla and Brooklynn leading the way.

There was more of an adventure on the return hike. We took a shortcut trail and thought we had run into a hornets nest only to discover that it was a swarm of honey bees. The swarm is in the top center of the picture. We retreated at first and then, after discovering it was honey bees, we slowly made our way past since the swarm does not normally attack. Yellowjackets and hornets would have been another story but then, we would not have been "inching" past.

A view of the lake from the trail around it. There is also a swimming beach, picnic tables, etc. along the sides. We saw several mountain bikes riding around the lake and elsewhere in the campground. There are several good trails for mountain bikes (not motorized) and I may take mine up there if we go again.

Bee on flower - end of story.

Kayla is getting into taking pictures and she took this one of Grandpa and Grandee.

A view to the west from one of the overlooks on the road up to the campground. This was after sunset so it is not really clear.

After we packed up Sunday afternoon, Debbie an I made another excursion to the Cherohala Skyway. We started in Tellico Plains, TN and ended in Robbinsville, NC before following US 129 back home. Check out this link. My one picture does not do it justice - lets just say that you can see a long way when you are over a mile high.

http://www.cherohala.com/

Dang! If I had been composing the picture, I would have had that cloud in the background more visible.

More to come later on the continuing adventures of a man and his bicycle.

The Battle of Apple Pie Ridge

2008-09-06T17:48:00.005-04:00

Today, I finally did it after several years of thinking about it and being somewhat unsure that I could do it. I climbed Apple Pie Ridge and Battle is correct and I must confess that the ridge won. I had to stop 2 times to huff and puff so I guess I will have to try again in a couple of weeks to see if I can go all the way up without stopping.

The picture below is at the end of Apple Pie Ridge where it connects to Old Cornelia Highway.

This is looking up the hill and one must admit, that don't look steep. Optical illusion at its best. In addition, what you see is just the steep part. There is about 2 to 3 miles of climbing over the entire length of the road.

This is looking back over my shoulder from the top of the steep climb - 17% grade for about 1/4 mile or a bit more. Athens, GA is in the distant background but would not be visible even on a very clear day since there are no high rise type buildings.

The link will take you to a map of the ride and you can bring up the elevation chart which shows how steep some of this was. Ride time was 2:06:54 and I averaged abit over 13 miles per hour even with the climb. Overall climbing today was 2,572 feet. The good side of that is there was also almost 2,572 of downhill runs.

Goat Rescue Ride and New Orleans

2008-08-26T21:57:00.007-04:00

Riverwalk goes along the Mississippi River just off the French Quarter. Lots of shopping and tourist stuff. Had a great view of the oil spill clean up work being done. Was about 3 blocks from our plush accommodations at the Marriott New Orleans.

No clue who these folks are but they had neat costumers at the Masquerade Dinner/Ball on Saturday evening.

Mrs. Loveless as Catwoman.

Practicing for the beaches of Hawaii in 2009.

What you have been waiting for - the goat that I rescued on the bicycle ride on the 15th of August. Beware the ides of August would be my advice to the goat. After a brief wrassling match, I was able to tuck his chin under his neck far enough and get the horns back through the fence.

VIII Deer Ride

2008-08-04T18:27:00.008-04:00

Today was quite a deer day. VIII to be exact. For a fee, I'll share where these were spotted since hunting season is coming up in just a few weeks. For now, let's just say they were scattered out in different locations in north Hall and south White counties. Below is a link to some deer poems for the reading club.
http://www.spirituallyfit.com/volume2/issue1/stories/mcnulty.htm

Today, I was able to visit a historic site that I have been by many times on Cooley Woods Road. I think the name of the site is Johnson Creek Mill. It is not really operational but has been restored. There is also a cabin that was brought in from Tennessee that is well over 100 years old.

My cousins and brother will recognize the old wagon - it might have come right off the Kyser place in Macon. Brought back memories of going to Winfield with a load of corn and coming home with ground up cow feed.

Of course, you remember Gulfpride motor oil. Would that now be BP or ???

And, how did one get through the day without a fresh matter sandwich on Merita bread and maybe washing it down with a NuGrape or Grapette. For those from the Pittsburg, TX area, you might want to replace fresh matter sandwich with Pittsburg Hot Links or from our era, Franklin's Hot Links.

Had 42 miles today to put me at approximately 99 left to hit my goal of 2008 in 2008. I may have that by the first of September so should exceed it by a couple of hundred or more miles if the weather holds. Those who would like to ride the last 8 plus miles with me should start making reservations. I think Labor Day Weekend will be the weekend for that to happen since I am only going to get to ride a couple of times between now and then unless I can work some rides in during the week.

Butterflies Are Free - Apologies to Goldie, et al

2008-08-03T20:30:00.010-04:00

Thought you might like to see some of the butterflies and one bee in my front yard bed. While not a Butterfly Bush, it certainly attracts the butterflies.

And, to keep the classical reading group happy, here is a bit of history about the phrase, Butterflies Are Free. Thank you Charles Dickens.

Butterflies Are Free is a play by Leonard Gershe.
Loosely based on the life of attorney Harold Krents, the plot revolves around a Manhattan blind man whose controlling mother disapproves of his relationship with a free-spirited hippie. The title was inspired by a passage in Charles Dickens' Bleak House: "I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies."
After twelve previews, the Broadway production, directed by Milton Katselas, opened on October 21, 1969 at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for 1128 performances. The cast included Keir Dullea, Blythe Danner, and Eileen Heckart, who later in the run was replaced by Gloria Swanson. Stephen Schwartz composed the title song.
Gershe, Katselas, and Heckart reunited for the 1972 screen adaptation (set in San Francisco) with Edward Albert and Goldie Hawn.

Now for the important stuff. Bernie and I rode Saturday from Gillsville. I spotted a surviving relic from the distant past (1960's and early 70's) still exists in Gillsville, GA. This old gas price sign is leaning beside a shed on Bryant Quarter Road just after turning off Highway 52. A bit of math - the price today is 1200% higher than it was way back then. Thanks to our politicos who have helped to make it so.

Another interesting event in Gillsville at high noon on Saturday. The Midway United Methodist Church has bells that play. At noon, there was a beautiful rendition of The Star Spangled Banner - 2 verses were played. Highly recommend being there at noon on Saturday if this is a repeat performance each week.

This reminds me of someone but I just could not place the name. If anyone knows who it is, please let me know. Found this on Unity Church Road outside Gillsville a few miles.

Rode on Sunday from Lula up past Alto and back. Circled the prison and found this Smokey Drive street sign on one of the streets. The prison is just to the right of where I was stopped so I think the street is named in honor of our Georgia State Patrol folks.

Now, I know my memory is failing me sometimes but today, I had on my head cover which is pretty tight. I had laid my helmet on the hood of my pickup to make a detour to commune with nature. Came back, got on the bicycle, and headed out. Kept wondering why the cops that passed looked at me sort of funny and then went on. Got past Alto and went to adjust my helmet and discovered that it was still on the hood of the truck 13 miles back. And, it was still there when I got back. I can no longer bug John Carroll about forgetting a helmet when he comes to ride.

I must admit that the red head cover is stylish and goes well with my bicycle.

Kayla's Graduation and other Ramblings

2008-07-23T19:12:00.008-04:00

The Pre-K Class of 2008 has graduated from La Petite of Cleveland, TN. Our grand daughter, Kayla was one of the 20 or so graduates and goes off the "big" school next year.

They even get a diploma and wear the cap and gown. What will be left for high school?

Of course, she is the one waving to the crowd!

Before the ceremony, we took the girls to the park. This is Brooklyn going down the slide. She wore herself out running back to the steps to go again.

This is a deer outside Debbie's friend's home who lives near Ellijay. The deer would run off when I went out the door but did not go too far. This is just a sample of the wildlife in her subdivision.

Was out riding bicycles on Friday after doing the graduation thing on Thursday and bringing the grand dog home to doggy sit while Kyle and the family went to the beach. Nice field of sunflowers on Highway 52 between Quillian's Corner and Lula.

Rode again Saturday morning and finished up by going through a canopied street at the edge of Gillsville. Who says Tallahassee, FL is the only place with canopy covered streets?

Finally, why I like my yellow jacket trap from Lowe's. It has been a bad yellow jacket season so far with the little rascals all over my front and back yard. Have not spotted the nest but with the helo of raw chicken, I have attraced several hundred into the trap. This is not to cast any dispersion on those who may support a certain college team of the same name. I bet some schools wished they knew how to trap those Yellow Jackets!

There are 107 yellow jackets in this pile plus one red wasp who failed to mind his own business.

Watermelon Shortage Imminent - Viagra Sales Down

2008-07-06T15:37:00.004-04:00

For those of us who love watermelon, I am predicting a watermelon shortage that will make the supply problems with gasoline look like a minor issue. After you read the link, I am sure you will agree. This is a major crisis.

I am predicting that the price of watermelons will be somewhere in the $20 to $40 each range within a year. I am also predicting that the major pharmaceutical companies will take over corporate watermelon farms as a way to further drive up the price and limit availability which means that within 2 to 3 years, a good watermelon may well cost you as much as $100. I do not think that you will be able to have generic watermelons developed. Will Medicare pay for the watermelons? Will they be covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield?

The commodities markets are seeing an increase in the buying and selling of watermelon futures which means the market is now being cornered by speculators which is much like what has happened in oil futures, soybean futures, etc. I am calling for a congressional investigation into watermelon speculation!!

It is time to start growing watermelons in undeveloped areas of the country. At least, a watermelon is somewhat environmentally correct and provides food to animals if just a few are left unharvested.

I fear that a black market will develop in watermelons. Before you know it, it will be illegal to sell watermelons without a prescription. This will lead to the creation of Watermelon Awareness and Resistance programs (WAR). You will have to pry my watermelon from my cold dead fingers one older American has been quoted as saying.

I am already hearing that elder adult retirement communities are seeing a large increase in the disposal of watermelon rinds which is causing a juicy problem for the collectors of refuse or for the sewage treatment system for those with disposalls. This is also leading to the using up of landfills much quicker than anticipated by the local governments which means a large tax increase will be needed to develop more landfill capacity.

I will keep you posted on this growing problem as more information becomes available.

John's New Bike

2008-07-02T22:58:00.006-04:00

John Carroll, a recent transplant from Alabama via Baton Rouge, got his new bike yesterday. It is a Zurich Madone (subject to correction). We rode from Chestatee Middle School for a quick 16 miles. Then, it was off to a Mexican meal up by Kroger where John got the pleasure of meeting Debbie, my bride of 33 years.

John is shameless. He left me on the hills but then, everyone leaves me on the hills. Well, maybe not everybody but I have not met them yet.

We broke up the ride by going into Bolding Mill Park just off Cool Springs Road. Well, there ain't much activity at the park and the Corp of Engineers has closed the campground there. As you can see by the next couple of pictures, the oysters and mussels on the Appalachicola River must be continuing to live well since the water is so low up here in the headwaters area on Lake Lanier.

Just a question that no one has yet answered - what did the folks along the Apalachicola do before the dams were built? Obviously, the oysters did not all die off and the mussels did not either since they are still there. If the dams were not here, there would be no water to release and the rivers would be mostly running dry.

Jeannie's Cafe Loop Ride - Gillsville, GA

2008-06-28T17:17:00.008-04:00

Could have titled this ride "Against the Wind"

Downtown Gillsville, GA - 9 AM Saturday morning. All activity is at the end of the buildings in the little white building that was the post office when I moved here in 1979 and served as a bank before that. The old vault door is still there. More about Jeannie's Cafe at the end.

Someone's old home place on Curtis Segars Road. House is behind the tree and almost overgrown.

Part of that long winding highway, where I'm bound, I don't know. And that was the truth at this point. I altered my route on one of the Wonder Where This Road Comes Out routines. Actually came out somewhere that I recognized unlike last Thursday's ride.

The one lane bridge on Dixon Road. There is enough room for a car and a bicycle if the bicycle is stopped over on the far side of the bridge.

Chicken Condo Development just up the road from the one lane bridge.

Jeannie's Cafe in downtown Gillsville, GA. Open 6 AM to 8 PM during the week and untill 2 PM on Saturday. Good victuals (vittles, grub for you cowboys). Definitely get your money's worth and more. Lunch conversation revolved around gardens and crops in the area. We are taking bets on one gentleman's tomato trees which have only reached about 3 feet tall at this point. No one is betting that it will grow to be a tree as shown in the advertisements.

A parting shot. Sorry for my GA Tech friends but the bottom sentiment was just too much to pass up, what being a Florida State Seminole and all. Also reminded me of my renewal process at work.

Bernie Got A New Bicycle

2008-06-25T21:05:00.006-04:00

Well, things have improved for Bernie with the recent arrival of his new Trek 2100. I think he would tell you that it sure beats riding a mountain bike on the roads. We did a 23 mile ride after lunch last Saturday (after the morning storms and threats of storms had passed). Rode from Murrayville and took it easy although there were a couple of steeeeep hills in the route.

A scenic view of the long road ahead or was it behind? The weather cleared up as we rode and turned out to be a great afternoon!

I rode again on Monday and Wednesday evening after work. The picture below is another view of Waukau Mountain from the intersection of Ransom Free and Kenimer. Nice driveway! Ended up with a nice ride almost into Murrayville if you don't count the portion I had to ride on Highway 60 due to a wrong turn. I know, how could Phil, who rides this area all the time, make a wrong turn. I blame it on Old Timers Disease. For those who remember the Pony Lake Road hill, I did it again while wondering where the heck the hill came from since I thought I was back on Old Dahlonega. Finished with 32 plus miles today and 79 so far this week.

BRAG 2008 - In The Heat of the Night or Day

2008-06-16T14:21:00.025-04:00

We left Saturday about noon for Oxford and Emory College which was the site of the start of BRAG 2008. Temperature was warm but expected to get warmer. Did not get a picture of me at the start but the one below is from Macon as we started toward Dublin.
Here is the link to all the pictures I took.
http://picasaweb.google.com/TeamGetClean/BRAG2008FromShakeleeMan

Picture below shows typical sleeping accommodations in gyms along the way. We were lucky in that we only slept in a gym one night and in class rooms or hallways on other nights. Note to self: do not sleep in the hallway outside the cafeteria. The staff starts work about 3:30 AM to get ready for the first riders to eat about 5:30. If you have never woken up to the sound of trash cans being moved or tables being rolled around, you just ain't had fun waking up.

This dog was voted cutest dog in Covington during the Saturday night concert and car show. The sun glasses were just the touch needed.

This is the courthouse in Covington. I kept expecting to see the General Lee whiz around the square or for someone in the Heat of the Night to show up. We rode by it on Sunday morning on the way from Oxford to Griffin.

I did not get a lot of pictures on the way to Griffin or in Griffin. Griffin put on a great downtown concert for us featuring The Return. We did go by Noah's Ark, an animal rescue operation and I would like to go back when it is not so hot. We saw 94 on a bank sign about 10 AM on Sunday. It got close to or over 100.
http://www.thereturnonline.com/beatles_press_release.html
There was a nice flowing river on the way to Griffin and a lot of folks took advantage of it to cool off. The picture below shows riders in Lake Tobesofkee on the way from Griffin to Macon. The ride to Macon was nice with a lot of shaded roads along the route. We needed the shade because it was another hot day. I would have made the ride much quicker if I did not spend so much time yaking at the rest stops.

Leaving Macon, we headed toward Dublin. Below is one of the obstacles that we waited for. Someone crashed on the tracks later and did a number on their face and other body parts. This crossing was one of the roughest I have ever been over so am not surprised that someone went down.

What else are rolled hay bales for? This was a family riding together who went out into the field and had a bit of fun on the way to Dublin. The route got a bit flatter after we got past the first 20 miles.

A display of Team Toe. My foot is on the bottom center and matches my riding jersey. There is quite a story behind Team Toe which started on a ride a couple of years ago. It can get quite lengthy but needless to say, we have now recruited over 40 members including a member of the Macon Police Department. One cannot be insecure in their masculinity and be a member of Team Toe.

Sunrise over Dublin as we rolled out Thursday morning. I did not know that one could get up at 5:00 AM and get on the road so early. The route got easier and flater on the way to Hazlehurst.

Coolest morning of the ride as I best remember.

Crossing the Oconee River just east of Dublin or just before East Dublin. We headed south after that toward the city of Mt. Vernon.

Riding into the fog Thursday morning. We had a bit cooler temperature and 2 evenings of rain in the area. I skipped riding on Wednesdy to rest up some.

Crossing Cypress Creek. An intersting thing to me since I grew up in Pittsburg and Mt. Vernon, Texas. The two counties, Camp and Franklin, are seperated by the Cypress Creek. I would be willing to bet that folks from this area moved west to settle that area and brought both the town names and creek names with them. How else can one account for Atlanta, Marietta, Douglasville, Macon, Monticello, etc. in Texas

We made it to Mt. Vernon and an excellent rest stop at the courthouse.

I am not sure what type bird this is but he was hanging around the Cafe Campesino area on Friday morning in Hazlehurst. Would not eat anything but did squawk loudly every few seconds. We think he was too young to fly very far and he would not eat a muffin. Go to comments and you can follow the progress of the bird after I left. I think he must be an Iced Mocca adict like the rest of us that hung out at Cafe Campesino.

The youngest single bicycle rider on BRAG 2008. This is Lauren from Hickory, NC. She was riding a TREK road bike that was just her size. This was on the road from Hazlehurst to Jesup. We hope to see her on the ride for several more years and Maggie better watch out - this could be her replacement.

Near the end at St. Simons atop the first bridge. If you blow this picture up, you can see the Sidney Lanier Bridge in the background. Glad we did not have to do it this year but I did go over it the first BRAG I did in 2005.

365 miles later, I am at the finish on St. Simons Island. YES!

A final parting shot of the baggage truck and baggage setting around waiting to be claimed. Thank goodness for being married to a SAG driver and having my own personal baggage car. It makes life much easier.

The BRAG 2009 tenative route is from Rome to Augusta. Early registration is available. Get yours in now and travel with us on another adventure as up to 2000 slightly insane bicyclists pedal their way across Georgia having a great time and turning several towns greener with all the money we spend along the way.

With apolgies to Bob Dylan

I'm pedalin' down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I'm bound, I can't tell
But on your left is too good a word, gal
So I'll just say fare thee well
I ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
You could have pedaled better but I don't mind
You just kinda wasted my precious climb,
But don't think twice, it's all right

BRAG - HERE WE COME

2008-06-06T19:56:00.003-04:00

Finished up BRAG prep yesterday by riding a quick 36 miles after work. Temp was in the 90's. Horse in charge of the harem was out at the fence on Black Road and he posed for a picture and then chased me up the hill as I rode off giving me whinny heck.

Follow my adventures on BRAG here if I can get access to a computer. Otherwise, come back on the 15th or 16th for a complete update.

A Fork In the Road and Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-05-31T21:08:00.006-04:00

Today dawned warm and muggy for the Saturday Morning Leisure Ride. Jim, Lisa, Richard and I rode 36 miles from Clermont circling around to the West. Bernie joined us at North Hall High School with his new TREK 2100 and finished the last section of the ride with us. The wind picked up and was rather brutal for the last 20 miles or so. At least, it did not rain. I would settle for a happy medium of cloudy, no rain, no wind, and 75 degrees.

Here are a couple of our well trained riders making sure no one parks in the "No Parking Anytime" zone at a Murrayville convenience store. In less than 10 days these two will be bicycling in Wisconsin and I don't think they will be complaining about the heat and humidity.

After the ride, Bernie and I made a run looking at a new route around Cleveland that eliminates some of the traffic issues. We were driving along when we came to a Fork In the Road or was that a road bifurcation? We took the road less traveled and that made all the difference.

After getting back home, Debbie was on a roll or shall we say was getting picky. We left almost immediately to go the the strawbery field north of Dahlonega and just a couple of miles north of Lumpkin County High School on the right. I highly recommend it after grazing through the berry patch and picking about 3 gallons of berries. Price is right and they use limited pesticides. There is about this much field to the right also and some across Yahola Creek.

We then decided to make a day of it and drive up through the mountains and came out near Vogel State Park. Mountain Laurel and Flame Azaleas were beautiful.

We came back through Helen and saw the site of the Missing Soles. The picture below are flip flops, etc. that have been recovered from the Chattahoochee River after being lost by tubers.

Bicycle Ride Across Georgia Time Again

2008-05-29T22:02:00.002-04:00

Well, it is about 1 week away and we will be leaving for Bicycle Ride Across Georgia 2008. I have prepared much better this year than last with over 1,000 miles ridden so far and another 100 or more still to ride this coming weekend plus a couple of 20's during the week prior. Last year I might have had 500 miles in before BRAG started.

The picture below proves that I have been bicycling for about 57 years although this picture is of yours truly when I was about 8. By then, the bicycle was at least 2 years old and I had already had a major crash into the middle of Texas State Highway 11 in "downtown" Newsome, TX.

What is more amazing, none of us had helmets and I do not remember any kid bashing in his/her head from a wreck although we sure bashed legs and such. Amazing how far bicycles have come and now, some are going retro. The one you see was a 24 inch Western Auto Western Flyer which proably cost $25 or perhaps less. Here is a link for everything you ever wanted to know about Western Auto. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Auto

Anyway, I will be riding BRAG on my Giant OCR2 which is a bit faster and definitely has more hill climbing capability than the Western Flyer although in east Texas, the hills were not that bad in most of area I rode in. We did have a couple of cow trails that went straight up but we usually arranged our rides (just like today) to go down the steep ones whenever possible.

BRAG will leave Emory at Oxford on Sunday, June 8 and end up at St. Simons Island on June 14th. Intermediate stops are Griffin, Macon, Dublin, Hazlehurst, and Jesup. It is not too late to register and join the throngs who will be on the road that week. I, once again, get to sleep next to a SAG driver and this makes my life on the road much easier.

My Daddy Investigates Billy Thrasher Wreck

2008-05-22T22:29:00.003-04:00

This is a tribute to Billy Thrasher. I received word this week from his sister Willene that he had passed away a few days ago. Billy's father had passed away in early April so this was a double shock to their family.

Willene sent several pictures of Billy and friends from Pittsburg, TX where my Daddy was Sheriff from 1956 to 1968. Billy's father was an outstanding photographer and helped to encourage me to pursue my interest in photography although I never went professional, it has been a lifelong hobby. Billy and I were in Troop 210 together and had many camping experiences with at least one or two years at the scout camp near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Best thing I can say after 45 years is that I don't remember anything bad about Billy and I can't say that about everyone.

The picture below is Billy's first wreck and it looks like it was a doozie. Billy is the one leaning with his arm on the tree. Today, there would probably be 4 highway patrol, an ambulance just in case, possibly a fire truck and who knows what else. Back then, to borrow a phrase from the early history of the Texas Rangers. There was only 1 wreck so they only sent 1 person to investigate. You can google the exact wording and history of that if you are interested. If you are from Texas, you should know what the history was.

I am not sure who the other 2 boys are but the guy with the Badge is Sheriff Loveless aka Good Eye. I doubt if he gave Billy a ticket but I am sure that the lecture was worse than a ticket and I suspect that Mr. Thrasher was not too thrilled either.

My dad passed away in 1969 and I am sure he is keeping check on the boys from Pittsburg as they check in through the Pearly Gates. God blessings upon you Billy and your family.

Squirrel Power Outage or The Effects of Demon Rum

2008-05-18T17:14:00.005-04:00

Sunday morning started out calmly enough. I threw myself out of bed about 6:40 and got ready to ride. Headed off at 7:12 and got 2/10's of a mile and noticed that something seemed strange. No sunglasses! So, back to the house, got the glasses and headed out again. Rode up to Clermont and back for a 30 mile trip. Was back at the house by 9:30 or there about since Debbie had not left for church at the point.

I had suggested that I could just ride on to church as I was leaving but there was something said that made me think that she did not want me going to the service in my bicycling best. Guess I will have to buy that tuxedo riding jersey to be able to do that. Had to come home, clean up, and use gasoline powered pickup truck to get to church.

Came home after church only to discover that the power was out and one of my squirrel sons was laying below the transformer in, what shall we say, a fried state. Now, I had talked to these squirrels many times about staying up late on Saturday night partying, eating too many snacks, and drinking that demon rum or ale as the case may be. I had told them over and over to stay off the power lines after a rough night of partying but alas, it was of no avail.

The pictures below documents what was going on at the party on Saturday but I do not have a photo of the tight wire walk across the front power line nor of the big boom that resulted when Oscar tried to go from the main to the transformer case without letting go of the main.

Services for Osacar will be held late Sunday evening with interment in the backyard. He leaves behind several brothers and sisters who have been holding a reception at the bird feeder all Sunday afternoon. He was preceeded in death by both parents who fell prey to a large hawk. If you desire visitation, I can arrange to have several of the brothers and sisters shipped to your home if you promise not to send them back.

I know there is one more drop in there. Let me at it!!!

Boys, I'm here to tell you that I can drink anyone under the oak tree. Whaz up or Wharz up?

You will notice that the boys really like Flying Dog Tire Bite also. It is their idea of revenge for the neighborhood dogs who chase them back into the trees. I hope they have learned their lesson from the passing of Oscar and will mend their evil ways.

Saturday Morning Leisure Ride

2008-05-17T16:56:00.002-04:00

Jim, Lisa, and I rode 40 miles per my GPS and 41 per Jim and Lisa's computers. Was a nice ride from Clermont out and about up to Cleveland and back. Picture below is a strip of beautiful Poppies on Ransom Free Road which just seemed to jump out at you due to the brilliant color.

When we were on Black Road, a horse (I presume a stallion) seemed to be protecting his harem. He came toward us in a somewhat ticked off manner but had to stop at a creek and did not cross it. He then proceeded to communicate something to us that would make me think he would kick our rear if we came in his pasture. Everything you ever wanted to know about horse communications is next.

How Do Horses Communicate?
Horses make a variety of sounds, including neighing, whinnying, nickering, squealing, and grunting. These sounds can express a range of emotions. A short whinny is usually a warning call, and a long whinny is an expression of contentment.
Horses also use their bodies to communicate their emotions and moods. This is called body language. For example, before a fight, a horse may stamp the ground with a front foot or rear up on its hind legs.
Other forms of body language include the head and tail. When a horse has its ears pinned back and it reaches its head toward you, it’s sending the message, “Stay back or I may bite you.” When it has its ears forward and its head held high, it may be wondering, “What is this object in front of me?” When a horse swishes its tail, it may be communicating that it is irritated or feeling ill. In the stable, pawing the ground with front feet may be the horse’s way of sending the message that “I want to go out.”

After we finished the ride, we made a trip to Ricks in Cleveland for lunch only to discover that it is no longer open on Saturday. So, as might be expected, we ended up at the our old reliable, Creekside Deli, where a nice lunch was had by all.

Wes's Graduation or The Kids Are All Off the Payroll

2008-05-11T20:17:00.005-04:00

Saturday, May 10th, 12:00 noon marked the exit of the last Loveless from college. Wes graduated for University of West Georgia with honors and a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

The proud graduate

Laura, Wes, and Kyle - all 3 graduates

The family picture - Kyle, Kathy, Wes, Debbie, Laura, Phil

We paid how much and all we have to show for it is a blue folder and two pieces of paper!

What else should be on the top of the mortar board for a geology major? Dual meaning though since Wes is also a drummer for a band. Anyone needing a geologist or a band for an event, let me know.

Team Get Clean Jersey Debut

2008-05-09T21:43:00.003-04:00

The long awaited Team Get Clean bicycle jersey was completed today by my friend, Trent Gaites, owner of Sportworx here in the Gainesville area. Get Clean is the Shaklee cleaning product line that has no toxic chemicals in any of the products. Thanks to Roger Barnett, owner of Shaklee, for allowing me to use the Get Clean clip art to create the jersey. Anyone wanting one should contact me and we can arrange with Trent to get your size and shipping address.

I wore it for the first time on the Lula Assembly of Praise 20 mile ride today. This ride was for the pastor, Scotty Poole, to be able to say he rode since he graduates from college tomorrow and would not be able to ride during the LAP Century. I was not going to be there due to Wes graduating from college. Friends Jim and Lisa Hancock also rode and could not be there on Saturday due to a family reunion.

We rode the route that brings us back up Moccasin Gap Road to Old Cornelia Highway and I averaged about 14.3 or so. One point on Moccasin Gap was 14% grade. At the end, for a couple of us, there was the special treat. Daisy had made her world famous chicken salad and I got my after ride meal (at least the sandwich) before leaving for the house. The chicken salad makes the ride worth it.

Matthew from TEAM UCBI was the ride leader. He rode the route on a single speed and did not have to walk up any of Moccasin Gap. I'm impressed!!! He even beat me in a short sprint going into Gillsville. Youth versus Age!

Team Occisus Via Would Be Proud

2008-05-04T19:31:00.003-04:00

I rode an almost Metric Century today - missed it by about half a mile but 'twas close enough for government work. Left from the Clermont Library and made it to Cleveland for lunch at The Creekside Deli. Left there and rode almost to Murrayville before cutting back across to Mt. Vernon and over to Clark's Bridge. You can look at the route - I took too many roads to give a complete description.
http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=149683
I had ridden the route near Murrayville last week and noticed this poor stuffed cow on the side of the road. It was in front of a house so I thought a child had just left it out there. Today, the poor animal was still there so I rescued it. It will, after a bit of cleaning up, be my primary animal on BRAG this year. A true "Rescued Cow" if ever there was one. As you can tell, it is missing one horn and upon closer inspection when I got home, it is missing its tail also. Bandaids will be in order unless someone can create and sew on a horn and tail.
In honor of one of my favorite ice cream brands, I am naming it Blue Bell. I hope Team Occisus Via from Columbia, SC will be proud of one of its ornery members.

Saturday morning (No, it was not raining at the start for those who went the week before), Richard Coggins and I rode from Lula doing the Lula to Yonah Homer Road route and over to Gillsville and back. About 4 miles into the ride, it started to sprinkle a bit but nothing serious. The rain seemed warmer than the weather. Much of the ride had wet roads but we missed the showers that wet them down. Given what the weather looked like early Saturday, the weather turned out to be much ado about nothing by the middle of the afternoon.
Next weekend, May 10th, is the Lula Assembly of Praise Century or shorter. I will be attending the graduation of my son Wesley at the University of West Georgia so won't make the ride. It is not too late to sign up at http://www.habershambicycles.com/. The meal after the ride is worth the fee, especially if my memory serves me right, Kelly makes that chicken salad again.

Tour de Georgia Stages 5 and 6

2008-04-27T18:12:00.007-04:00

Group from Florida at Hogpen Gap. More later when I pick up the film cd's tomorrow.

Tour de Georgia and Other Happenings

2008-04-24T17:35:00.012-04:00

This is a catch up posting. There have been a lot of rides and now, the Tour de Georgia has come to town. Today was Team Time Trials at Road Atlanta near Braselton. 15 teams, 2 at a time, starting about 2 minutes apart (if I remember correctly) did 4 laps or 10 miles. Best time was slightly under 20 minutes.

This young princess is a Tour de Georgia fan and chooses to go to Tour events for her birthday which was Tuesday. She states that it is her birthday month, not just one week or one day anymore. Last year, Tyler Hamilton seranaded her with Happy Birthday and so do we this year wish her a Happy Birthday. She wants to start a bicycle team at her high school and is searching for a college with a bicycle team.

Not sure which team this is but they are on the steep climb at Road Atlanta. The time trial route is reversed from the auto racing so they got to go up the hill, not swoop down and then have to make a fairly hard right turn.

My favorite car on the Tour.

Jelly Belly riders warming up before their time trial.

View from up on top of the hill looking southeast.

That was about it for the Tour pictures for 04/24. More tomorrow and possibly Saturday if the rain does not scare me away. The scene above is a nice view of a lake up on Skitts Mountain Road from my ride last weekend.

This is from West Georgia State University. The drummer is my son Wes and the band he is in was playing for an Earth Day event. Debbie went there to set up a booth to promote recycling and green living and was given the opportunity to display and discuss Shaklee's Get Clean product line of non-toxic cleaners.

Saturday afternoon of last week, I did the Tour de Gainesville - at least, that is my name for the ride. I did about 17 miles in the northern part of the city - interesting climbs on some of those side streets and hit 18% in one spot. The Big City Cafe has my favorite hamburger and is open for lunch during the week.

Downtown Gainesville square. Old Joe is in the middle and is facing north to warn us of approaching Yankees or so the legend goes.

No ride in Gainesville would be complete without a ride to THE ROCK. The rock is a Gainesville High School billboard so to speak and was saved from destruction several years ago when the Corps of Engineers wanted to make some changes in the area. My thought - You can mess with my bicycle but don't mess with THE ROCK.!

Spring Has Sprung In Gainesville, GA - or - Nice Riding Weather is Here Again (mostly)

2008-04-11T19:39:00.008-04:00

Rode 3 times this week after work for about 52 miles total. Did not think this weekend was going to be decent by the 10 AM ride time but it appears that we will now be able to ride.

Did not do a lot of ride pictures although did get a decent shot of a Marine or Army chopper crossing over Highway 52 east of Quillian's Corner.

Spring has sprung here in north Gainesville and the remaining pictures are from yard with the exception of the last one which is another official after ride drink for Team Poke-A-Long. It will need no further explanation.

Like I said, this one needs no explanation for being the official after ride beverage for Team Poke-A-Long.

Maxxis Georgia Cup - Gainesville, GA 2008 Sunday

2008-04-06T21:52:00.005-04:00

Random shots of the afternoon and evening Maxxis Georgia Cup Criterium in downtown Gainesville, GA. Thanks to Sweet Magnolias for remaining open for the entire afternoon and providing lots of food for all the spectators and participants. I highly recommend them and for those that know me, they know that I ride to eat.

And they are off! One of 9 races if I remember correctly. Lots of circles of downtown Gainesville.

Hey, watch your self on the turn. You about hit my rear tire! Brody from Habersham Bicyles is sitting on the planter across the street.

Reflections on a race!

This could have been a nasty wreck! This guy gets 10 points for his gymnastic flips after he was taken out at the finish line. Elbow looked worse than his shoulder. If he had not had his helmet on, it would have been much worse. The course was reversed from previous years and I think that helped to eliminate a lot of the crashes we have seen in the past.

This is my speed coming up with the 5 and unders. They pedaled about 100 yards and had to be chased down to get them to quit. I think they wanted to do a full lap. What was amazing was watching some of the 3 and 4 year olds riding with no training wheels. This is some of the next generation of Maxxis Georgia Cup riders and there may even be a pro or two in the group.

Above is a video of a lap of the Pro-Am showing how far the break away group of 4 riders was ahead of the peloton. The eventually caught the peloton with some 10 to 12 laps to go. Wish I could go that fast up a 1 to 2% grade.

Maxxis Georgia Cup - Gainesville, GA 2008 Saturday

2008-04-05T16:29:00.012-04:00

Saturday, April 5th, dawned wet and rainy. While it deterred me and my Saturday morning Leisure Ride, it did not deter the Maxxis Georgia Cup time trial and road race in Pendergrass. I got there about 10:30 and the time trial was just ending. The event was held at North Jackson Elementary School just north of Pendergrass.
Link is to the race course. http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/pendergrass/863073259

You can tell by the sky that it was not a nice day for racing but ... Rain or shine, the race goes on.

Alvin, the Corgi from Chattanooga (if I remember correctly) was living it up with a nice travel trailer to stay in. I am sure some of the riders would have traded places with him just for a chance to get warm. Almost made me want another dog.

Some of the members of the United Community Bank racing team. Thanks to Jimmy Tallent and the bank for sponsoring this group. They are a great bunch. Would someone please give Matthew a patch for his left knee. Too many crashes have worn out those Levi racing pants.

Matthew getting ready to ride. We will see him again coming up Mabery Hill (9% grade or so). Will also see him in the Crit tomorrow.

Some of the ladies that were racing. I met one who had come here from Boca Raton, FL. She said something about no hills in FL where she lives.

Just before the start. Looks like there were a couple of hundred riders although I did not get an official number. Everything from Pros to Juniors. Based on what I saw out of some of the Juniors, I would still be trying to figure out where they went. The Pros do 3 laps of the course and others do 2 laps or 1 lap depending upon their category. What I don't know about bicycle racing could fill a small book.

Climbing Mabery Hill - not sure which group this is but from the start to here took them about an hour and the hill is about 20 miles in. I will link to the ride map later but wanted to get the pictures up. Based on my average speed, the Pros would have lapped me before I got here.

The ladies attack Mabery. I must mention that the person you can see way in the back was not one of the ladies. I was instructed not to yell "Way to go Ladies" as he got closer.

April Fools Ride - 2008

2008-04-01T21:19:00.003-04:00

Today started off foggy and miserable which was nature's April Food trick on me. By 4:30, the sign at the Georgia Mountains Center just down the street was showing 73 F. That put me in the leave work promptly at 5:00 PM, rush home (all within the speed limit), load the bike and head out to Clermont. Was riding just before 6 PM. The title will link you to the ride. Sorry for lack of pictures for this one.

Last weekend was a wash out on the ride for Saturday. Weather was a bit rainy in the Gainesville area but 20 miles away where the ride was to start at 10 AM, found severe thunderstorms and much cloud to ground lightning. Fortunately, I had already called off the ride.

Easter Bunny Ride - March 22, 2008

2008-03-24T20:54:00.007-04:00

The morning started out a bit cool but by ride time at 11:15 or so, the temp had warmed up and it was quite pleasant. The start and end point was the Hulsey's farm out in the Murrayville area where our church, St. Paul UMC, was doing their annual Easter Egg Hunt in the afternoon.

The entire ride was pleasant temperature wise but I will say that when the cold front went through, this became what may be the hardest ride I have ever had. Going face first into at least 20 mph headwinds for approximately 10 to 15 miles of the ride just about killed me. I'll take either 3 Gap ride without the wind. I did make the 30 miles in time to do my assisgned duties of taking pictures at the egg hunt so all's well that ends well.

The scene below is just before getting to the end of the ride. Turkey, deer, balck bear, and I don't know what all. See end of post for a place with real animals.

Having Kayla and Brooklynn at the hunt was special. Here they are with Grandee aka Debbie, my bride of almost 33 years. Kayla is in the back.

Of course, no egg hunt is complete without a picture with the Easter Bunny. Here I am with Flopsy.

http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=139384

On some of the rides, I pass by the Chestatee Wildlife Refuge. Does make your head turn when you are riding along and see a big tiger through the woods. Thank goodness it is in a cage. There are also zebras and other exotic animals. What is even more interesting is that someone has put a planned subdivision right next door to the refuge. How would you like to wake up in the middle of the night listening to a lion or tiger roar?
http://www.chestateewildlife.com/

Hall County Tornado March 20, 1998 - 10 Years Later - Clermont Memorial Service and Memorial Bicycle Ride

2008-03-20T22:24:00.016-04:00

March 20, 1998 - 6:30 AM - A day we in Hall County will not soon forget. We were living in Price Place about a mile from where the tornado touched down at Lanier Elementary School. We heard one clap of thunder and a few minutes later, the power failed. My initial thought was that someone had hit a power pole. As if to confirm that, a few minutes later, we heard a siren headed north. Then, we heard a multitude of sirens and we tuned a portable radio to WDUN AM 550 to learn that a tornado had struck Lanier Elementary and moved northeast through northern Hall County.

The news got worse as we started hearing about Lanier Elementary and North Hall High School being hit and homes being destroyed near there. Then, we started hearing about the deaths. A tornado is something you never expect to happen to you or those you know - it is always somewhere else.

Today, March 20, 2008, 10 years have passed and the weather is beautiful with no clouds in the sky. Just a few days ago, we were once again reminded that we are not immune to tornados with the area staying under a tornado watch or warning most of the day on Saturday.

Clermont held a memorial service today to remember those whose lives were lost and to help us remember that life moves on and that we will someday, see our loved ones again. One of the ministers told us that the Bible mentions tornados 29 times and in the Bible, they are called whirl winds.

After the service ended, I rode my bicycle on a route that retraced the path of the tornado and took pictures of what it looks like now. 10 years ago, the devastation was hard to describe. After the memorial service pictures and videos, I will start at Lanier Elementary where the twister touched down and follow the path showing what it looks like today.

The memorial in memory of those who lost their lives in the tornado. This is located in downtown Clermont at the city park.

Hall County Fire Deparment Color Guard presents the colors. Notice the polished fire axes instead of rifles.

Video of Amazing Grace played on bagpipes. Sorry about the sound quality - wind was blowing about 15 miles per hour so the mic picks up some of that as background noise.

21 Gun Salute

White balloons were released by surviving family members after Sheriff Steve Cronic read the names of the victims.

Lanier Elementary near Murrayville was where the tornado touched down. The gym was destroyed and one person lost their life when the delivery truck he was driving was thrown into the building. Our 3 children had gone there and were now at the middle or high school.

The tornado then struck just over the hill from the school on Newton Drive. Several homes were damaged or destroyed.

North Hall Middle School took a near miss. The tornado's path was behind the school and messed up the cross country running area as well as did some damage to the football practice field. The one thing I remember most was that it was soccer season and the soccer goals on the practice field were destroyed. Parts of one, complete with net still attached, was found about 1/4 mile away on the other side of the high school.

North Hall High School took the next hit. This is looking at the path of the tornado as it approached the school. The school caretaker lived in a mobile home in what is now a green lot that you can see directly in the center of the picture. He and

After leaving the high school, the twister proceeded to cross Mt. Vernon Highway and caused heavy damage in the Young Road area. The high school is in the background and if memory serves me, there were homes in this view in 1998 before the storm.

From Young Road, the twister took to the woods and did some damage on Brit Whitmire Road. A home at this location near Quillians Corner on Odum Smallwood Road was destroyed. The pond in the background belongs to Charlie Lathem and his house took a glancing hit.

The storm crossed Bethel Road at this location just down the hill from the intersetion with Highway 52. Homes were damaged in this area.

A mobile home was located on the bank on the back left of the pond located on Clermont Highway which connects Highway 52 and downtown Clermont. It was totally destroyed and someone was killed.

The twister left Hall County in this area at Double M Farms just a few hundred yards from the intersection of Highway 129 and Highway 254. Several homes were damaged or destroyed in this area. The storm continued into White County and dissipated.

Bicycle Riding Around Lula

2008-03-20T21:16:00.005-04:00

Did a Sunday and Monday ride from Lula and followed that up on Tuesday with a ride from Clermont. The photos below are of the old wooden railroad overpass and a train going by. Not a whole lot to report except it is much more fun to go downhill on Yonah Homer Road that it would be uphill. It is also much better to come from Gillsville to Lula when the wind is not blowing 15 mph from the north. The Clermont ride was windy and cool with a starting temp about 49 F and 58 or so when I finished 32 miles later.

Bridge approach is a 16% grade. Glad it was short.

Here comes the train!

There goes the train. Off to the right is the Lula Railroad Park.

Gainesville, GA Weather Event March 15, 2008

2008-03-19T09:55:00.008-04:00

It was quite a weekend here in North Georgia. It started on Friday evening with the tornado hitting downtown Atlanta. I was amazed at the coverage and the discussion about the fact that tornadoes have not hit large cities. Guess everyone forgot about Lubbock, Texas in 1970. If the same twister had hit downtown Atlanta at the hour it did, there would have been much more loss of life and damage. Check the link below for a bit of history on the Lubbock event.
http://lubbockonline.com/lubbock_tornado/stories/20Years/022.shtml

The storms started in Gainesville early Saturday morning and kept on coming and coming and coming until late in the afternoon. The next two pictures are at the intersection of McEven and Dawsonville Highway where a micro burst took down several power poles and left that area in the dark for much of the night while the power company crews worked to replace poles and get everything back to normal.

Pictured below is the size hail that hit my house. This is slightly smaller since I waited until it stopped to go out and pick up the samples. I guess I could have put on my bike helmet and gone out. No real damage here at the house.

The photo below came from www.accessnorthga.com and shows a couple of the stones that fell in the Oakwood area and compares them to a penny. These are the type that fell in the Browns Bridge road automobile dealer row and damaged a lot of the new vehicles on the lots. Look for future hail discount sales - there should be some good deals to be had if you don't mind a ding or three in the finish.

Saturday evening, all the mess had passed over and life was somewhat back to normal unless you wanted to eat at one of the many places in the Dawsonville/McEver stretch including Chilis, Texas Roadhouse, Panera Bread, Atlanta Bread, Outback, and several other places that I don't remember all the names. That was a windfall for the Browns Bridge road restaurant row I am sure. As for me, I had a free meal at Ryan's so we eneded up there. Never turn down a free meal.

March Came In Like a Lion - Wish the Lamb Would Hurry

2008-03-08T15:04:00.005-05:00

Early this morning, I woke up several times with the Weather Channel's Desktop severe weather alert sound going off with the loud thunder sound. Well, that brought out the old weatherman in me from back in the 60's when I took 2 college meteorology courses plus served 3 years in the Air Force's Air Weather Service. So, camera in hand, I headed out to record the aftermath of the days events on those of us who bicycle.

My first stop was at Habersham Bicycles and you can review the report from there. The video capability of my digital camera is not too good but you can get the picture so to speak. I was going to set up the camera on the tripod and record from in front of it just like those guys do when the go hurricane chasing or whatever but the tripod kept trying to blow over. Guess I'll have to do like the professionals do and get me a crew. The audio is not great because the wind was blowing so hard into the mini-mike on the camera. Suffice it to say, all bicycle rides from Habersham Bicycles were cancelled today.

Brody, Joe's mechanic, had volunteered to come out and let his hair blow in the wind but I did not want to scare everyone away from shopping with Joe so refused his offer. Hey Brody - just kidding.

After leaving Habersham Bicycles, I decided to make a run up toward Neel's Gap to document the weather in that area. I made it to Turner's Corner and was able to record a bit better since the wind was being blocked by the hills. That report is below.

Ride or Fish - Hard Decision

2008-03-02T20:12:00.002-05:00

Did about 25 miles today and passed by good friend, Charlie Lathem's place up in north Hall. He was out fishing so I decided to take a slight detour and pay him a visit. It is a rough life having a nice size pond, pool, lake (depends on where you are from in the US as to what you call it) just a couple of hundred feet from the front door of your home. Want fish for dinner? Step out the front door, fish for 10 minutes or so, clean them, and cook 'em up. Like I said, Rough Life!

Charlie was just pulling in a good size one when I got there and I did not get a picture of it. He threw out the bait about 3 more times and hauled in this nice sized bass. Claims he has caught most of them multiple times and that the big ones are so smart now that they won't take the bait. His daughter has named most of the fish or so he says.

He offered to go get me a pole and I could sit awhile and fish. But, being the dedicated cyclist that I am, I had to move on. Actually, if I had stayed much longer, my legs would have been so stiff that I could not have gotten back on the bike to go again.

Flying Dog Ale - Tire Bite Golden Ale - Official After Ride Drink of Bicyclists

2008-03-02T08:35:00.005-05:00

I was introduced to this particular beverage in Nashville during the summer and decided to adopt it as my official after ride beverage if I wanted something of this type. It is definitely a tribute to our primary adversaries on any bicycle ride, the Tire Biting Dog. So, after your ride, hoist one to the memories of the ride and the dogs that did not get you! Next ride, this might be your tire in the picture.

Lula Railroad Rumble Ride

2008-03-01T18:05:00.004-05:00

Today turned out to be a beautifule day for a ride in the country south of metropolitan Lula, GA. Temperature was about 50 to start and about 60 when we finished. Visits along the way were to Gillsville and Holly Springs. Pictured below is the one lane bridge on Dixon Road. Richard Scoggins is the rider across the bridge waiting for me to take the picture and get moving.

And, just about the time I was getting ready to move on, a Meow came out of the woods near the bridge and the Cat of the Bridge appeared. It was friendly and I hope was just wandering around from a farm nearby. If not, may whomever threw the cat out, have a 1000 camels dump stuff in their yard.

After finishing the ride, I went to Clermont and happened upon Docskeet and the rest of the riding crew for that group just finishing up. They had done about 25 miles today around the Clermont to Quillian's Corner and Skitt's Mountain area.

No warm Saturday would be complete without my bride of 33 years being out in the yard working. Here she is in all her radiant glory getting the weeds out of the mailbox flower bed. This means that is now time to go buy plants to complete the process of restoring the spring beauty to our yard.

Roger Barnett, Shaklee Owner, in Atlanta

2008-02-26T18:25:00.002-05:00

Roger Barnett, owner of Shaklee Corporation, came to Atlanta on February 23rd, on the Next Generation Tour. This made his 4th city in as many days but you couldn't tell it. He told his story and how he ended up buying Shaklee for $310 million in 2004. He spent $20 million and took 5 years to have various industries and companies analyzed. He had 6 criteria for selecting a company to purchase and was told that he would be lucky to find a company that met 2 of those.

1. Leader in the industry
2. In the forefront of major trends for the next 20 years
3. Company was sustainable and real
4. Company that has deep values
5. Has products that impact people's lives
6. Has a revolutionary business model to create financial success and make the world a better place.

And, as Roger told us, the Shaklee Corporation met all 6 criteria.

Roger speaking to the several hundred members about the Land of And. He said that most people live in the Land of OR.

You can make income or do good.
Something is good for you or good for the planet.
You can have family time or build a career.

He then said that Shaklee people live in the Land of AND

You can make a good income and do good
You can use products that are good for you and good for the planet
You can have family time and build a career

Roger talking with a member before the meeting began.

Dr. Jamie McManus followed Roger to the stage and spoke about our newest products and especially, about the Landmark Study regarding the health of long-term Shaklee food supplement users versus those who used other brands of vitamins or no vitamins. You can view the study information at www.landmarkstudy.com. We also learned that our newest nutrition product, Vitalizer, now has 14 patents with many of those being on the delivery system that works to make sure the right nutrients are delivered to the right spot in the digestive tract for optimal absorbtion.

If you would like to learn more about Prevention rather than Treatment, send me an email.

Saturday Morning Leisurely Bicycle Rides in NE Georgia

2008-02-20T19:22:00.079-05:00

Ride information has been moved to http://bicyclenegeorgia.blogspot.com/ Please check on this link to get updated information

If you have suggested rides, let me know by email at philloveless@bellsouth.net or 770-532-9160.

These rides are planned for folks who want to ride at a leisurely pace of 10 to 14 miles per hour.

Each ride is planned to be about 25 to 50 miles with a point or two that someone can return and shorten the ride to 20 miles or so. Rides will leave promptly at 10 AM in the cooler months and 9 AM when it gets warmer. There will be no ride if it is raining or the high temperature is not expected to be above 50 before the ride ends.

One lane bridge on a recent ride near Maysville, GA and a canopied street in Gillsville, GA

Send me an email along with your phone number and I will add you to the email list to give you the latest updates on Saturday plans and notification of any last minute changes.

Missing In Action for 30 Days

2008-02-16T22:44:00.004-05:00

If you have not experienced the pandemic cold epedimic sweeping across north Georgia, you are not missing a thing. It has taken 3 weeks to get over whatever it was. Thanks to my Shaklee regimen, I did not end up having to go to a doctor or be hospitalized which is what would have happened 12 years ago. I did consider flying down to see Cousin Paul and get a diagnosis but after reading his recent post, I think they are now working on diagnosing the other end.

I got back on the bicycle today after being off for over 30 days and put in about 36 miles. The picture below is an old barn on Mt. Vernon Highway which was, when we moved here in 1979, what appeared to be a fairly modern dairy farm.

Below is a bit of history for the time I was missing. The Jonquils, Buttercups, or whatever you call them started blooming about 2 weeks ago. We have split bulb clusters over the years and now have about 14 different batches growing around the back yeard. Glad deer don't eat them but they are having fun a couple of times per week at the bird feeder. Am going to buy some corn and see if I can get a picture. They work early in the morning before I am up as best I can tell. I have seen 5 plus 3 or 4 fawns in the back woods.

This is an interesting geometric pattern from the last snow fall and has now gone away - global warming I guess since it went from 18 in the previous post to 67 today. Perhaps I should have stayed in instead of riding the 100 yeard bicycle ride to prove that I would ride in the snow. I might not have become a member of whatever pandemic cold outbreak hit this area.

Bicycle Ride in the Snow and other Stuff - Gainesville, Georgia

2008-01-20T09:51:00.000-05:00

Snow started again Saturday morning about 10 AM and continued most of the day. The temperature was in the mid 30's for much of the time so the accumulation was much less than the multitude of TV weather programs predicted. Now they are blaming it on the slow arrival of the weather system caused less snow. They did get it right about the temperature this morning which you can see was 18 degrees. Due to the potential icing on highways, bridges, etc. most events of the morning at local churches were cancelled.

Yesterday, I got dressed in my bicycling outfit and went for a ride in the snow. Even had on short sleeves and no face mask. Just had to do this to prove a point that we folks in Georgia can ride in the snow and cold also. The rest of the story follows: I did about 100 yards out and back, Debbie took the pictures, and we went back in to warm up. Reports have it that I was the only Chicken City Cyclist out on a bicycle yesterday. Given that there was no wind and if I had dressed properly, riding would not have been too bad from about 11 to 2 since it was about 39 degrees then.

I drove up into the north Hall area just to see how the snow fall was there. Picture below is on Highland Drive off Mt. Vernon Road. This would be a nice fixer upper for someone. There did not appear to be any big difference in the amount of snow that fell in that area.

The wintering over saga of the Pink Flamingo continues. As you can tell, there is a lot more snow on his/her wings and more snow on the ground. If anyone has Pink Flamingo pictures, please send them to me. I would like to let this little one know that there is hope that someday he/she will live in a warmer climate.

And, to verify that the Georgia state law requiring all people to gather at their nearest grocery store in case of the possibility of snow or ice was being followed, I visited our local Publix to stock up on coffee and Flying Dog Tire Bite beer. I did not need bread - Debbie is busy downstairs making fresh bread even as I type this. Nothing like taking wheat berriers (seeds to those who don't know what a wheat berry is) and having it come out as fresh baked bread in about 4 to 5 hours. Raisin bread, rolls, regular whole wheat - you name, she can make it. No preservatives or other junk that is not part of the things that are recommended daily allowances.

Pink Flamingo Stranded by Snow Storm in North Georgia

2008-01-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Winter finally arrived in Gainesville this evening with about an inch or so of snow. We went to our Wednesday night church event at St. Paul UMC on Washington Street. If prayers are answered for school age children, there will definitely be no school tomorrow in Hall County and Gainesville.

View of the back deck. The snow gauge is showing just about an inch inside but I don't know how accurate that is. From my old weather man days, I am supposed to take a ruler and make several measurements on a flat surface and average them. I'll go with about an inch and be done with it. Stuff is supposed to turn over to freezing rain later tonight so who knows what tomorrow will bring.

View out the front. I could not get Debbie interested in going out to sit on the bench for a picture.

We have one bloom on our camelia and if you look closely, you will notice the Pink Flamingo in the picture trying to take off but the snow has his/her (how do you tell when they are plastic if they are he/she) wings weighted down so they can't flap in the wind to get the lift needed to head back to Miami for the winter.

May consider going bicycle riding in the morning just to prove to all the wimps that it can be done. Picture to appear later if that happens.

Bicycling Was A Cinch This Saturday

2008-01-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

Shaklee has finally gotten the replacement for my pre-ride meal bar released and delivered. They are delicious and come in 2 flavors. They have much the consistency of a granola bar but are a bit chewier. Lots of protein and carbs. http://www.shaklee.net/nhd/product/MealBar I had one of these and half a Cinch drink for breakfast before leaving to ride. Made 44 miles after starting about 12:30 and finished about 4:00. Used 24 ounces of Performance which is Shaklee's sports drink that was developed for Flight of the Daedalus, the 72 mile human powered airplane flight over the Agean Sea back in the late 1980's. After this ride, I only have 1940 miles to go in 2008.

Progress comes to North Hall. At the intersection of Mt. Vernon Highway and Hubert Stephens, it appears there will soon be a convenience store. Hope they have good ice cream since this is one of my frequent routes on the bicycle. Ride down Hubert Stephens toward Murrayville found me hitting over 40 mph and I was braking. If I could get the road blocked at the bridge so that I could use both lanes, I really think I could hit between 50 and 60. Yes, my life insurance is paid up.

Fitzgerlad, Georgia has nothing on Murrayville except maybe the total number of roosters roaming around. This rooster is the mascot at one of the local convenience stores on Highway 60. Was relatively friendly and given the size of the spurs, I am glad. There was a lady in a truck and she would not get out since she is scared of chickens. Don't understand that but maybe she was attacked when she was young.

View of Wauka Mountain from the west. There is a tower or two on top and years ago when I was active in Amateur Radio, I climbed most of the way to the top of one of those to work on an antenna.

Sunset near Murrayville after I had finished the ride. A good ending to the day.

Hawk Spurs Me On - 1984 to go for 2008 in 2008

2008-01-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

Twas a nice day to be off work in the afternoon and ride a few miles to get the legs working after 10 days off the bike. Made an easy 24 miles - easy if one does not count Westmoreland hill just west of where it crosses U. S. Highway 129 north of Clermont.

Was on the east end of Westmoreland and spotted a nice hawk perched in the top of a tree. As I approached, it began to give me a royal fussing out, left its perch, circled around while continuing to screech, and settled back into the same tree. It continued to screech for several more minutes until I was out of the sound range. I like to think that it was cheering me onward knowing that I still had the west side of Westmoreland to climb. Actually, was probably laughing about the aerodynamically challenged guy on a bicycle. The link below will give you a short rendition of what it sounded like.

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/Song/h3390so.mp3

Laurel Park near Gainesville, Georgia

2008-01-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

My New Year's 2008 long weekend started out nice with the 38 mile bicycle ride around north Hall and south White Counties. On Sunday, I could have ridden but did not have enough time to get in a good ride so passed it up. Was 124 miles short of hitting 2007 in 2007 but will definitely do 2008 in 2008 by starting much earlier on the push to get the distance.

On Monday, I decided to check on the mussels at Laurel Park in north Hall. What I found was a new park area where dogs can build their muscles while romping and playing. There is an area for small dogs (29 pounds or less) and large dogs (30 pounds or more). Not sure what one should do with the 29.5 pound dog but guess you could round up or down as you feel lead.

The above is a view of Lake Lanier from the east side of Laurel Park. The next picture will give some indication of the sediment problem that we have in the lake but which, for the most part, nobody sees since it is on the bottom. I estimate that the sediment here is about 5 to 6 feet deep and this is just a small cove. There is an effort underway to dredge out some coves in Longwood Park near downtown Gainesville but have heard nothing about clearing out this area or others just like it elsewhere around the lake.

Laurel Park has been selected as a site for a mega-ramp for the use of fishing tournaments but I am not sure where it will be built. Currently, the boat ramp is just outside the park entrance and the ramp that was in the park has been closed off.

What may be one of the most interesting facts at Laurel Park is the old grandstand for Looper Raceway, a dirt race track that was in use before the lake was built. The link below takes you to a University of Georgia aerial map collection showing the location in 1951.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=1080089&t=k&om=1
Unfortunately, vandals are breaking up the concrete and taking pieces as keepsakes. Oh, before I forget, there were dead mussels mixed in among the rocks here at the grandstand.

New Year's Day found Debbie and me going to Jefferson to visit the Real Deal store complex, an excellent conversion of the old Jefferson Mills which closed a few years ago. There is a little bit of everything for decorating and outfitting a house from furniture to rugs to floral arrangements, etc. On our trip to Jefferson, we drove out Athens Street. I just had to stop and get a picture of 2 pairs of tennis shoes hanging over a power line crossing the street. It is difficult enough to get one pair to go over but to have 2 pair is an outstanding accomplishment and much harder than the effort to throw the paper roll over the power line in my front yard (see earlier post).

To recap the weekend of what was really important:

Florida lost!

FSU did not get embarrassed by Kentucky even with 36 players missing!

Hawaii got embarrassed by Georgia! They played like they had 36 players missing.

Clemson vs Auburn - who cared except the Tigers?

Florida Mussels Get a Reprieve - It Rained in North Georgia

2007-12-31T10:51:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve started out quite foggy and did not burn off until about 11 AM. Temperature was in the 30's F which is not very inviting to riding my bicycle. I only need another 124.1 miles today to hit my goal so guess I won't quite make it.

Now if I could do the goal on an insurance year, my first ride in 2007 was not until the end of January. If my effective date was 01/28/07 to 01/28/08, I might be able to get in the 124 miles. But, I'll keep it on the 2007 year and start sooner this time to do the 2008 in 2008.

Fog shot off my back deck followed by the best news of the weekend which was 2.5 inches of rain on Friday and Sunday combined. Lake Lanier is up about 6 inches this morning but it is still not enough to rescue the mussels.

This is a view of the mountains from one of the roads in north Hall County. Rough life for the folks who live here to have to look out their back windows and see this view everyday. Or, when it snows in the mountains, see the snow on the peaks.

Shoal Creek was running at a good rate at the crossing on Hwy 52 east of Brookton. Last couple of weeks, it only had a trickle. At the point the creek disappears is a 200 to 300 foot or so drop. Good news for the Florida mussels - this water will end up in Lake Lanier and then most likely be released to keep the river level up south of the Florida state line.

Lake Lanier Mussels No Longer Endangered - They're Dead

2007-12-24T11:40:00.000-05:00

I don't normally get political on my blog but after driving around Lake Lanier on Saturday, I have to weigh in on the overwhelming lack of concern from the Florida environmentalists about the plight of the mussels that are being killed by lack of water in Lake Lanier. Nowhere do I find articles bewailing their plight. Senator Shelby from Alabama is now blocking attempts for the 3 states to reach a water sharing agreement and this may well continue to lead to more Lake Lanier mussels being left high, dry and dying.

While water continues to be released downstream for the sake of the Florida endangered mussels and the Gulf oysters, millions of dollars are being lost by local businesses on Lake Lanier. Boat ramps are closed which is costing the bait and tackle shops along the lake a lot of income. The 1996 Olympic venue is high and dry and may well not have the water level necessary for the spring training trips made by many of our northern colleges to this area.

The pictures below (it was a dreary day as all days are now that the water level is so low) shows the water level at the Clark's Bridge boat ramp and the Olympic scoring tower as well as some of the poor mussels that have been left high and dry.

My real questions is: Prior to the mid-50's and early 60's when Lake Lanier, West Point Lake, and others on the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers were built, what did the Florida mussels do when there was a drought and what did the oysters do when the water flow was so low? Or, did we never have droughts in the southeast and the rivers always ran full? I grew up in Texas and remember droughts there but have to feel that the southeast was never without ample supplies of water based on the reaction from our southern neighbors.

For a bit of history about droughts and the river system feeding the Appalachicola, visit the websites below.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_history.html

http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/op/rec/acf/history.htm

http://www.rivercenter.uga.edu/education/k12resources/basinsofga2.htm

And the moon continues to come up over Lake Lanier as viewed through the trees from my back deck. And, as surely as the moon rises, rain will come again and refill Lake Lanier. But, it will be too late for the mussels of Lake Lanier. Maybe we can import some from Florida to restock when we once again have a full pool.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2007-12-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Well, this morning added to the saga that started with the strange Christmas card we received yesterday. Got a card from a couple who will remain unnamed wishing us a Merry Christmas, telling us they had fun at the party last weekend, wondering what Carl would do with all that cheese, and stating that Jim might know where it went. Interestingly, we were not at any party with a Carl who got a lot of cheese nor a Jim who might know more about it. Called the people in the phone book by that name and they swear to know nothing about the card but indicated that there is another family with the same names as theirs because they used to get debt collectors calling them. We had a similar thing happen with another Loveless that lived here so ???

Anyway, got up this morning, went downstairs, and looked out the window to discover that it had snowed toilet paper during the evening and that icicles were hanging off most of our trees, covered our bushes, and been able to wrap around 0ur cars. Will give whomever credit, they even made a pattern across my camper top which is off the truck right now and had it looking like ribbons had been tied over it.

We do not have a clue who did this and wonder if it was the wrong house since we have a high school teacher living nearby. With no teenagers or college students living at home, it was just a bit weird but exactly like something I would have done or might do again just for fun. Whoever tossed the big roll over the powerline which is about 30 to 40 feet above ground should be recruited by the Falcons since they could use someone with an arm.

Now for the big question. How do you clean this stuff our of the trees? It is simple. Take one each lighter and light the end of a stringer. Stand back and watch it flame like a fuse and disappear. It had rained last night so could not do this immediately but did a few of them tonight and it is almost as much fun as setting off fireworks. There are no leaves left on the trees and the paper burns so quick that it can't catch the bark on fire so there is little to no danger.

We were able to recover the plastic back that the paper was brought to the house in. I have given that to a good friend in the local police department who is going to have it scanned with the new technology using laser and infrared that makes it easy to identify fingerprints on materials that are otherwise difficult to lift prints from.

Debbie's Birthday Weekend - Windy and No Riding

2007-12-17T20:26:00.001-05:00

This was Debbie's Birthday Weekend - age not to be announced in a public forum but she does not look as old as she is in spite of putting up with me for 32 plus years. That Shaklee skin care is amazing.

The day started with a beautiful sunrise as we looked off the back deck. Hard to believe that downtown Gainesville is a short 3.5 mile drive.

She spent Thursday with a good friend from high school eating and shopping in Dahlongega, the Dawsonville Outlet Mall, and locally here in Gainesville. On Friday night, we went to Zanzo's in Clarkesville. This is one of our favorite places to eat and once again, we had a great meal.

There was no bicycle riding this weekend. It was wet, it was cold, it was windy. So I did the sensible thing! I went with Debbie while she got a massage and I got my feet worked on. The reflexology seemed to help so I am willing to do that some more.

On Sunday afternoon just before sunset, I was able to get a picture that will impress some of my friends and cause others to wonder why I would take such a picture. Then, I got really interested in the history of this fine establishment which has provided the Loveless family several emergency meals on our trips to Florida during Christmas holidays or to Texas when it was late at night, we were in Vicksburg, MS and nothing else was open for starving children to find sustenance.

Thanks to Atlanta Magazine for the bit of info below.
W - Waffle House is as Atlanta as Coca-Cola, CNN, and Delta, only more demure.
A - Avondale Estates, the English-inspired planned city founded in 1924 just east of Decatur, is where it all started.
F - From urban strips like Buford Highway to interstate outposts, Waffle House beams right up there with the rest of commercialized America -- with the Exxons and Burger Kings and KFCs -- but with such a stripped-down unpretentiousness as to be almost invisible.
F - Forget about the drinks, though. Let's talk about money. Yours and theirs. You can still eat to the popping point for less than ten bucks.
L - Listen to how they do it. "All our food is cooked up front and right in sight," Tom Forkner said the other day.
E - Employees learn how to flip the burgers and scatter the hash browns, but more than anything else, Waffle Housers learn about customer service.

H - How does a Waffle House get born? How do they decide where to put it? Well, it's got little to do with elaborate studies and talk of paradigm shifts.
O - Other chains remake themselves - modernize. Waffle House recently added biscuits to the menu, and butterscotch waffles, and deli turkey.
U - Ultimately, Waffle House might end up in all fifty states, but for now most of its locations are in the South, and more than 200 of those are in metropolitan Atlanta.
S - Search the Internet and you won't get very far without coming across an international outpouring of Waffle House love.
E - Eggs lead the category of most-served menu items. Since 1955, Waffle House has dished out more than 1.5 billion of them - more than hash browns, more than waffles.

"You never lose a customer who is satisfied!" Don't we wish some of the WaHo competitors understood that.
This is the link for the entire Atlanta Magazine article - http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.aspx?id=17916

This is a history link from the Waffle House website:
http://www.wafflehouse.com/whhistory.asp

Quillians Quickie 25 and the CCG 66 - Clermont - Cornelia - Gainesville

2007-12-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

Ride - Party - Ride - Party

Special Message at the bottom of this post

Saturday started out like most Saturdays when the weather is nice. Decisions had to be made about where one should ride the bicycle that day. The weather was a little misty but that was not going to deter me from my quest to ride 2007 miles in 2007.

Should I ride from Murrayville since I had to go by the bank to get that stuff that stores require when you want snacks, drinks, end of ride food, etc. As I approached Murrayville, the mist got a bit heavier so I made an executive decision to move on toward Clermont. The mist got heavier the closer I got to Clermont. I decided to delay the ride and make a run to my favorite bike shop.

This is the inside of the expanded Habersham Bicycles in famous downtown Smithville off Georgia Highway 365 before you get to Cornelia. And, no trip to HB is complete without seeing the master mechanic Brody pictured below. He and I engineered adding a new flasher light to my bike so now I can be seen from quite a distance away. Still doesn't mean someone will not run me down but they can't say I wasn't lite up.

Finally, the weather cleared up a bit, the mist stopped, and I made my way back to Quillian's Corner for a quick 25 mile ride. It may have been the least traffic I've encountered since I think most everyone in the North Hall school zone was at the Georgia Dome watching the semi-final football game between North Hall and Cairo (Karo for you none learned people). Unfortunately, it was not a successful outing for the Trojans but we are proud of them for going this far. The picture below was just one of many I saw with Trojans painted on the grass in yards .

The scene below was just a nice view of a small pond that is down about 3 to 5 feet versus the level of Lake Lanier which is down about 20 feet now.

And then, it was time for Party #1 at Chateau Elan and compliments of Summit Consulting. A good time was had by all or so I've been told. Beautiful presentation on the chicken, steak, 2 spears of asparagus, 1 baby carrot, mashed potatoes, and a medallion of some kind of squash,

After dinner and an evening of Casino, it was time for the entertainment. We were provided a fantastic band (name unknown at this point - I'll ask). But, we almost lost an underwriter who really stole the show from the paid performer. Ciecily Thornton did a great job of singing Old Time Rock and Roll. The paid performer had to rip the mike out of her hand and we all think it was because she knew when she had met her match and might lose her job.

And then, it was home for the night and an early morning on Sunday to make another decision of where to ride. The weather was much better and I finally decided to do the CCG loop which I have planned for over a year. Note to self - next time do it in reverse since the climbing at the end of this ride was not what I really wanted to do.

Started in Clermont and made it to Cornelia just in time to get caught in the after church traffic at the intersection of old US 441 and GA Hwy 365. Everyone in those powered vehicles were considerate and I made it to downtown to visit the Big Red Apple and take the obligatory picture.

From downtown Cornelia, I took the Old Gainesville Highway (I guess you call it that). We call it the Old Cornelia Highway from the Gainesville side. After climbing a long hill out of the Oconee River valley, I arrived in Rabbittown which is best known for the Rabbittown Cafe and the big rabbit statue. Rode on in to downtown Gainesville and returned to Clermont via Clarks Bridge Road. Nothing of signiicance on that trip except two bicyclists blew past me on the climb up after crossing Lake Lanier. I am sure they were fresh and had not been 54 miles at that point. Otherwise, they would have never caught me - RIGHT!

Back to the party life after the ride. We had our Sunday School class Christmas Party and again, a good time was had by all.

Now, for the special message.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From a home near Rabbittown.

Sunrise Over the Sautee-Nacoochee Indian Mound

2007-12-04T21:52:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Lisa and Jim Hancock for this picture which Lisa took on her way to work at Unicoi State Park. Sometimes, an out of the way trip to a great biscuit place results in fantastic pictures. The legend of Sautee and Nacoochee is below the picture. Visit the link for more info about the area.

The Legend of Sautee and Nacoochee is well documented. The first White settlers, coming up the Unicoi Trail, now known as Georgia Highway 17, heard the story as they stopped to rest in the shade of the giant white oak, still standing adjacent the Old Sautee Store. (Hwy 17 & 255) One among them, George Williams, a young lad at the time, retold this story in his memoirs. The Cherokees considered themselves to be a superior race, as indeed they were. Handsome, tall and intelligent, they even had an alphabet, the first in America. They were not nomads, they built log houses and tilled the soil. They had but one grievous fault. This superiority was allowed to show. Naturally, this did not endear them to the neighboring tribes. One of these, the Chickasaws, was constantly at war with the Cherokee. However, there were moments of relative calm. During one such truce, a band of Chickasaws was allowed to cross over Cherokee land, provided they stay on the Unicoi Trail and rested only at designated spots. One such spot was where two trails crossed at the junction of two lovely valleys, the same place where - a century later, a young George Williams stopped.

As the Chickasaw band rested, in the shade of the giant oak, around them gathered curious Cherokees, trying to get a closer look at the dispised Chickasaws. Soon they were trading insults and obscenities. The Cherokees were hoping to bait the Chicasaws into making an overt act. But, the Chickasaws were too cagey to be trapped by such obvious maneuvers. One of the Chickasaws stand aloof from this bickering. It is Sautee: young, handsome and a chief's son. He dreams of the day when he will be chief. And has the authority to negotiate permanent peace with the Cherokees. Some of this greatness must have shown, for Nacoochee, the Cherokee chief's 16-year-old daughter, is so taken by this handsome stranger that she stares unashamedly. The their eye meet. The magic alchemy of love does the rest. Not one spoke spoken word- and yet a tryst was made. That night Nacoochee steals away from her father's log house to meet with Sautee, under the giant white oak, now known as the Sautee Oak. By this time, they are helplessly and hopelessly in love.

The rest of Sautee's party, counsels against this madness. No good could come of this flagrant violation of their truce. If Wahoo, the girls's father, learned of this meeting, all would be doomed. But, then, as now, teenagers feel they must defy the establishment. "Run, if you must," Sautee tells his followers, "but, I remain here with Nacoochee. Together we will make Wahoo understand. This must be the first step to a lasting peace between our two nations." The young lovers then flee to nearby Yonah Mountain. There, in a secret cave known only to Nacoochee, they spend a few idyllic days. They have their love. They have each other. But, destiny calls to a larger purpose, peace between two great tribes. To this end, out they come to face Wahoo. With such a just and lofty purpose, how could they not succeed? Wahoo is a great chief and has great wisdom to handle all problems. But this time, when compassion and understanding are most needed, he is blinded by hate and chagrin that his beloved Nacoochee would choose Sautee - a Chickasaw- to a Cherokee brave.

He ordered Sautee thrown from the high cliffs of Yonah Mountain, while Nacoochee was forced to look on. Life without her Sautee holds no promise. Nacoochee tears away from the restaining hands of her father and she, too, leaps from the high cliff. There, at the foot of the cliff, the young lovers are joined again. Their bodies broken and dying, they do not surrender to death - - - not just yet. They find fierce strength in their love. They drag their broken bodies together. Then, locked in final embrace, they die. This is how Wahoo finds them. Too late, a flash of understanding comes over him. Too late, he is aware of the greatness of love. Too late, the lost opportunnity for a lasting peace with the Chickasaws. Wahoo is now overcome with remorse. He has the two bodies, still locked in death, laid to rest on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, there to remain for eternity, at a burial mound that still stands at the junction of Georgia Highway 17 and Geotgia Highway 75. So that the lesson to be learned from this tragedy may never be forgotten, he renames the two valleys where first the young lovers met, one for Sautee and the other for Nacoochee.

Quillian's Corner 54 - 254 to Go

2007-12-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day for a ride considering it was in the 50's for much of the ride and there was a bit more wind than my good friends at The Weather Channel predicted. I did not see another bicyclist on the entire ride which is unusual on a good fall day. I did see a couple of parked vehicles with bike racks at the ususal places such as Dewberry #1 on Clark's Bridte Road.

The picture below is one of several nice estates on Ransom Free Road. The cows all looked contented. But, I did not see any Carnation signs.

There was historically significant happenings on Friday night at The Brickyard at North Hall High School. The North Hall Trojans football team qualified for the first time ever to play in the state semi-finals at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game is at 3 pm on December 8th. We hope that the Syrupmakers from Cairo, Georgia will only use their syrup to have sticky feet and waffle on offense and defense. These are a few of the spirit signs that family and students put up at the intersection of Jim Hood Road and Mt. Vernon Highway.

This somewhat huge rocking chair is located near the intersection of Persimmon Tree and Georgia Highway 52. Seeing it for the zillionth time just made me wonder where Edith Ann is now? If you don't remember Edith Ann, you are a youngster. You can Google Edith Ann and find all kinds of info.

Watch Edith Ann tell about making a sandwich

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocBO0fr1Ui4

When Mother Nature Won't Cooperate or How I Still Get in Some Miles

2007-11-27T21:36:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend was brutal when the desire to ride was there but Mother Nature was not willing to give me a break and maintain the global warming in this area.

Friday was nice but very windy and did not get above 50 if I remember correctly. Too much turkey will make the brain forgetful, not to mention sleepy. Saturday was cold, Sunday was cold and wet plus we helped set up the Nativity Scene at our church. Monday was rainy and had heavy fog in the PM. This all adds up to no progress on the needed 308 miles to hit my goal.

Well, when you need to be sure the feet hit the pdeals, you go indoors and ride one of these things pictured below for an hour or so at a fairly intense pace. There is no coasting so to get the miles in - I do about 10 miles per hour - you pedal constantly. I try to maintain an rpm of 70 or above with a fairly strong resistance. This is not the model my gym has but looks similar. We do have TV entertainment during the ride or I can listen to my version of an Ipod - my old little bitty FM radio with earphones. How antique!!!

Thanksgiving 2007 - Part II

2007-11-22T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well, you are saying - Where is Part I. That was Tuesday evening but I failed to get pictures. Wes and Lauren were here for dinner and we did roasted chicken and all the fixings. Wes had to work yesterday and today at the Cracker Barrel in Villa Rica so could not be here for the main event. The picture below is the start of Thanksgiving preparation. Debbie raked the leaves on Sunday and left the big pile for the leaf eater to come by and pick up. The leaf eating crew did not make it so this was part of the Thanksgiving decorations. I told her to wait because the trees dropped more leaves and the yard is once again covered. I just think she likes raking leaves. My preference is to run the lawn mower over them and make mulch.

Rough life we have here having to look out our back windows and see such beauty in the fall. We had a storm and about 1/2 inch of rain early today but by the time I was ready to put the turkey on the grill, the storm had passed through. Warmed up nicely until about 4 pm and then, the temp dropped and is now 42 at 9:45 pm. Enough to make me want to go visit Cousin Paul

The meal is getting closer. If you don't recognize the scene below, you may have been eating at Waffle House or Cracker Barrel. Please make note that the Publix Pilgrims are visiting again. Debbie broke out the finest for the meal. One problem with the finest - you can not, I repeat, can not wash this stuff in the dishwasher. Maybe another reason to go to the Waffle House.

A partial family photo - clockwise - Phil, Debbie, Brooklyn, Kyle, Kathy, Kayla. At the bottom, you can see what everyone was waiting for.

No Thanksgiving should go without some emergency. About 3 hours into cooking this 15 pounder, the propane tank decided to become empty. The BP convenience store about a mile and a half from the house came to the rescue. A quick trip there to pick up a replacement tank got the grill going again and Tommy Turkey made the trip to the table on time. Sorry, I did not get pictures of the traditional afternoon nap taken by all.

Cool 40 Miler - 308 Miles to Go

2007-11-18T22:05:00.001-05:00

Started out from home with the temperature in the low 50's. It warmed up a bit but the new cool weather clothing from REI made it much more comfortable. My riding buddy, the wind, decided to meet me about half way through although he had not been expected and got the wind chill down in the 40's. He was also able to get the clouds to come in and block out the sun so it got rather cool. Pictures are in the first half of the ride which is why there are blue skies.
The picture above is from Mossy Creek Golf Club near Clermont, Georgia. As you can tell from the flag, the wind is blowing a good clip. Only golfers and bicyclist brave the cool weather to do what we like.

The following scenes are just along the ride and before the clouds moved in. I cut the ride a bit short this weekend due to the cooler weather and the wind. Wanted to get 50 in so I would have less than 300 to go for 2007 in 2007. Oh well, there is Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday after Thanksgiving.

Unicoi State Park near Helen, Georgia - Fall 2007

2007-11-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

Friends Jim and Lisa Hancock took these pictures while participating in a Friends of Unicoi workday last weekend. Lisa also works as the horticulturist at the park. Unicoi is nestled in the mountains of northeast Georgia and has lots of outdoor activities. There are hiking and biking trails, camping, cabins, lodge rooms, and lots of other outdoor activities. The colors were at their peak last weekend.

Pictured above is a view of the lake and one of the hiking trails.

Another view of the lake looking toward the mountains. Hard to tell which way is up.

Save the best to last with a view of the colors while looking out across the lake.

For more info: http://gastateparks.org/info/unicoi/

Kayla's Birthday and my 50 Mile Cool Ride

2007-11-10T18:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the weekend of 11/3-4 did not see me getting in any miles toward the 2007 in 2007 goal. But that was OK since we traveled to Tennessee to see the two grand daughters. Kayla turned 5 and what is more appropriate for a birthday picture than one showing the cake with all the candles along side the pile of loot. This followed an outing to Chucky Cheese for pizza and games.

Of course, sister Brooklynn wants to be involved and she will be turning 2 in December. Oh boy, another party!

On Sunday, it was off to see Kayla's last soccer game of the season. She had just taken a goal kick and notice the eye on the ball as she follows it. Her father is an assistant coach. This is justice since I spent several years coaching his team and driving all over creation to games when he made a select team. Ah, the good old days!

End of game medals for all and Kayla with a couple of her teammates. A good time was had by all.

Now, for the serious stuff. Saturday, November 10th. I waited for the weather to warm up a bit before hitting the road for a 50 mile plus ride. Rode all over the place to get in 50. The link is a map of the ride in case you want to vicariously join me. http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=117348

Picture below is another view of Mt. Yonah from the sotheast. I'll eventually ride on the north side and get a view of it from that side. It was a beautiful day but a little windy which brought down the wind chill factor. Must make a trip to REI to get leg and arm warmers if I am going to continue this insanity all winter.

Sign below says it all after I finished the ride. As I finished the ride, I got to meet Docskeet who frequently posts his rides on www.allsportgps.com. Had wanted to meet him since he does some interesting rides also.

Weekend With Limited Riding

2007-10-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

Did not make much progress on the goal to hit 2007 miles in 2007 this last weekend but am over 1600 miles. Debbie was invited to participate in a Kid's 1st Health Fair. It was outdoors and was a bit cool when we set up the display at 7:30 AM. That also meant I was out of bed well before my normal time on Saturday. We had quite a few visitors to our booth and all our children's toys that we took in for the free lead test came up negative. So, I guess I can continue to chew on the wooden blocks, etc.

While she worked the booth, I took the Giant OCR to have new tires and tubes put on. Got the Maxxis Detonator touring tire and my design is on the bottom left. Hey, it matches the color of the bicycle really well and I am now a color coordinated rider. Red jersey, black shorts, red tire treads. What more is there.Went riding on Sunday and got to mile 14 when there was an awful sound - front tube blew out. One of the hazards of putting on new tires until they seat. Tube worked out under the bead and you know the drill. Wheel off the bike, tire off the rim, tube pulled out, check for glass or something else in the tire, tire back on, tube back in, pump like crazy with the little biddie pump to get enough pressure in the tire to keep going. I rode 4 miles back to the start and called it a day since I did not have another spare tube with me. Now have 3 spares.

This is a picture of a cactus plant in Georgia near the start of my ride on Sunday afternoon! This is a cactus! The picture below is a Texas Cactus out west of Austin, Texas and looks like it needed a little help from Georgia to get to be a big boy. Texas shot is from 2003 when I was visiting Liberty Mutual offices in central Texas. We were on our way to Fredericksburg for a tour of a local German restaurant and a bit of Shiner Bock. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Sunday Ride October 21, 2007

2007-10-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

Easy Ride Day - Windy Though It May Have Been

The cows were not bothered by the wind and I did not see a single one tipped over as I looked across the field toward Mt. Yonah in White County, GA. The rock faces have been used by those folks who hook ropes around their bodies and throw themselves off cliffs. You will not catch me doing that.

The cliff at Shoal Creek along GA Hwy 52 near Clermont. Quite a drop off to the valley below. The creek is a bit low on water so the waterfalls were not as exciting as they might be after several inches of rain. This view is looking south. Just a few miles from here, a farmer killed a 13 foot rattlesnake a few years ago. The man's grand daughter usually went to the chicken house to feed the chickens but had a medical appointment that day. He went to feed them and found the rattlesnake coiled up by the bags of chicken feed. A picture was published in the local paper and the snake went from the ground, up around the guys neck, and back to the ground. I have yet to see a rattlesnake on any of my bicycle rides which is just fine with me. We did have a copperhead coiled up by the front door a few weeks ago. He got away - coward would not stay and fight.

This has nothing to do with bike riding but is a view of our recently remodeled house on the outside. Cultured stone on the lower front, simulated vinyl cedar shakes on the top front, and Hardee Plank on the rest of the house. Also, new high efficiency double pane windows. Power bill has gone down significantly and fully expect my usage of natural gas to decline also. Extra money means more goodies for the bicycle so there is a remote connection to remodeling and bicycling.

Ramblings on Spring Break 2007 Trip with Son Wes

2007-10-25T19:09:00.000-04:00

Wes on drums at STAX on Beale Street, Memphis, TN on St. Patty's Day 2007

You have to look really close behind the guitarists in front - he really is there!

Can we say this was his "professional" debut?

A view of Crater of Diamonds State Park

Not much found in the way of diamonds - about 1 per day total for everyone visiting. The odds are not too good for you if you are one of 600 or so people digging and sifting dirt and there is only 1 diamond to be found the whole day. We left there and went quartz mining. Much more productive.

Wes with a large quartz crystal from Coleman's Quartz Mine north of Hot Springs, AR. We returned home with a couple of hundred pounds of crystals and clusters. May go again in 2008.
http://www.colemanquartz.com/

Wes taking a break on the beach at 2500 feet above sea level in OK. OK, the beach is several hundred million years old and used to be on the bottom of what was the Gulf of Mexico. The pattern you see is wave ripples on the sand bar.

Hopewell, Texas Cemetery on FM 21 at Hopewell

Hopewell was a thriving communmity at one time and as you can see from the next picture, had a school. There was also a grocery store and church when I was living with my Aunt and Uncle. I remember going to the old school to listen to my cousin Hose play the fiddle in a country western group. Lots of the Kyser family is buried in the Hopewell Cemetery and my grandfather and grandmother Loveless are both buried there.

Would say that Hopewell School was the victim of school consolidation based on the sign. It closed the year I began school in the first grade. No, they did not have kindergarten back then. We had outdoor play and bicycle riding lessons before we started school. In school, we also had something known as recess in the morning, after lunch, and in the afternoon. Don't remember too many ADD/ADHD kids and there darn sure were not any plethora of drugs to cure the active boys and girls. We just played until we got tired and then rested and played some more or did chores when we got home.

Ah, for the good old days before drugs for everything!

2007-10-23T21:42:00.000-04:00

General Musings

Double Rainbow on the Blairsville side of Neel's Gap

The Granddaughter Duo

This gives new meaning to "Iron Horse"

Even bigger news today!

It rained in Gainesville (maybe 1/2 inch at my rain gauge) so the drought is not broken. Big excitement about the level of Lake Lanier and how all of north Georgia is going to have to shut down. I have seen it lower but there were a few million less people dependent upon it at that time about 20 years ago.

Should have been in San Angelo, TX when the new lake was built back in the 60's. It did not rain enough to fill it up for a few years and we used to ride around on the "lake bottom" while consuming our favorite beverage. The lake bottom burned one time and made national news. There was a proposal at one time to pipe water from the Mississippi River to west Texas. See next paragraph.

From an April 1984 meeting: West Texas Historical Association President J. Conrad Dunagan said two speakers traced the history of the depletion of water resources and steps taken to conserve water. The speakers talked about plans in the 1960s and 1970s to import water from the Mississippi River. The plan was narrowly voted down by Texas voters. The speakers also pointed out that no one has a satisfactory answer to the problem, Dunagan said.

Maybe we can do that for Georgia - I think New Orleans would help build the pipeline.

2007-10-21T19:31:00.000-04:00

Photos From My Excursions

Well, it is not everyday you see an Oreo Cow while riding bicycles or a POS Blazer for that matter if you are Cousin Paul. This Oreo Cow was over in the Charlotte, NC area. BRAG Spring Tuneup has a route in Madison, GA that goes by an Oreo Cow farm. I have not been on that ride so this was a first for me. Check out this link to see a big collection of the Belted Galloway breed on a ranch in Chapel Hill, Texas (where else would a Texas boy lost in Georgia send you). Be sure to have your speakers on for an old country western song that goes with the web site. http://hometown.aol.com/twoblueapache/page1.html

While we are on cows, this big Texas style Longhorn is lost in Clermont, GA next door to where I park to ride. Or, is that Park and Ride? There are several of them but this was the best picture. He seemed friendly but there was an electric fence about 3 feet inside the main fence and he would not get close enough to get a nose rub. My Uncle Homer, aka Knot, owned a rodeo in east Texas when I was much younger. He had some Brahma Bulls that were sort of mean. I can remember going to the rodeo but he closed it down when I was probably 6 or 7. He continued to raise riding stock for some time after that. You can still see the outline of the rodeo arena on Google Earth if you find Texas FM 21 and a hard left turn between Blodget and Macon. The outline is just north of the left turn showing as an oval tree line.

I rode yesterday and today logging in about 85 miles. The wind was in the 10 to 20 mile per hour range on both days which made some of the riding a bit tough, at least for an Old Phodge like me. The picture is a scenic view in north Hall County looking north toward the mountains. Rough life here in northeast Georgia - I may retire and move further north in a year or two. This is the link to the 50 miles ride I did on Saturday. http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=112171

2007-10-20T07:36:00.000-04:00

From a bicycle ride in the mountains. It is amazing how much you can see at 12 miles per hours with no steel cocoon around you.

A view of Lake Winfield Scott near Suches, GA. You can park here and hike up an approach trail to the Appalachian Trail. Maine is only about 2000 miles further north if you choose to do a long trip.

A parade of Mini-Coopers from the Atlanta Mini Cooper club. They had been up Brasstown Bald and were headed back toward Helen. Cars not much larger than my bicycle

Here's the proof. The rock is about the size of the Mini Cooper. I bet I have more trunk space. I also average about 100 miles per gallon of sports drink, maybe less on a hot day. Cost is about $5 per gallon.

Bike Ride Across the Golden Gate

2007-10-18T19:20:00.000-04:00

Several of the following posts will be some of my bicycling history.

August 2006 found us in San Francisco for Shaklee's 50th Anniversary International Convention. After spending 4 days at the convention along with 10,000 other people and having a grand time (entertainment for the Saturday evening gala event was Earth, Wind and Fire), we spent another 4 days touring NAPA, the coast down to Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. The highlight for me was riding a bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge. We left the Fisherman's Wharf area and rode along the bay to the GGB approach trail, crossed the bridge (that is Debbie and me after we made it across) and coasted most of the way to Sausalito. The bridge is relatively flat so is not difficult to ride across.

An interesting feature of the bridge is weekends finds one side reserved for foot traffic and one side for bicycles. We rode into Sausalito where we enjoyed a lunch at a restaurant on the bay, toured the area a bit but did not get to go to the Muir Woods National Monument which is 100 years old in 2008. http://www.nps.gov/muwo/upload/unigrid-muwo.pdf

We returned via ferry which cruised by Alcatraz Island, home of the famous Alcatraz Triathlon each year (Dig, Dash & Dive). The first person to make it to the mainland is the winner if they survive the swim.

I highly recommend the Blazing Saddles Bike Rental operation near Fisherman's Wharf http://www.blazingsaddles.com/. We rented bikes and joined a guided tour with what I felt were reasonable rates and knowledgeable guides. Following that trip, we went to NAPA Valley with friends Bud and Debbie Garrison to spend the night at their time share (that is a whole nuther story). The next day, we all drove the coastal highway to Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz and returned. The Garrisons dropped us off at our motel in San Francisco and we spent the next few days doing walking tours of the city. More to come.

Why I Choose to Bicycle as a Senior

2007-10-17T20:33:00.000-04:00

I started serious bicycling in the fall of 2004. I had lost almost 50 pounds on Shaklee's weight management program and decided I needed some serious exercise. Little did I know how serious exercise becomes when you live in the foothills of the northeast Georgia mountains and ride bicycles. I spent the fall and winter of 2004 training on stationary bikes in a local gym named Uptown Fitness which is owned by a friend. Then, on a warm December day, I decided it was time to take my 40 pound bicycle on a short ride. 9.7 miles later, I began to question my sanity. Well, it got better after that and in March of 2005, I got really serious and started working my way up to 60 to 70 mile rides (still on the 40 pounder).

Eventually, June arrived and I went to Columbus, GA to start my first BRAG - Bicycle Ride Across Georgia. 7 days later, I arrived at Jekyll Island, GA after riding 396 miles. I must admit, I did not ride again for almost 2 months. The picture above is yours truly at the finish in 2005.

Then, along came an offer to purchase a used Giant Cypress (less weight, better gear ratios). I started training for BRAG 2006 on that and knowing that BRAG was going to be a bit hilly, I did a couple of 3 GAP rides. In 2006, we went from Dalton to Augusta which was about 365 miles. At least, on this ride, we came through Gainesville with a layover day. I spent 2 nights in my own bed. I still wanted a better bike and in the fall of 2006, I was able to purchase a Giant OCR2 which only weighs about 20 pounds.

In 2007, BRAG started back in Columbus and we went through Ft. Benning on our first day and ended up in Savannah about 350 miles later. The OCR2 made it much easier. The picture to the right is at the end in Savannah. I continued riding after BRAG and have reached 1500 plus miles as of today. I plan to do 2007 miles in 2007.

I will be keeping you advised of my progress and some of the routes ridden.

3 GAP Ride - Western Side

http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=67713

3 GAP Ride - Eastern Side

http://www.allsportgps.com/Data/ActivityDisplay.aspx?tripId=82944