Red, Red, I Want Red

I'm not sure why birds can't find their way out of a garage.  The biggest source of light is the 25 foot wide, 9 foot high door, and yet they always fly around the back, trying to find a way out of the walls.  This beautiful red Cardinal (can't tell that because I'm a crappy photographer) was having a terrible time the other night trying to get out.  I gave up helping.  Eventually, he got out.

More red on our little getaway down to St. Joe State Park.  No closures there for the bike path.  Well, there is one section that is under construction but we're mountain bikers so we found a way around and still rocked some pretty good average speeds. Very few people there, and the path is a lot of fun with switchbacks, uphills, downhills, and good scenery.

To top off the red theme, I was sporting my newly minted all-around bike.  Previously known as the Shitbike because it's frame had such humble origins, it's now built around a bad ass Rage Red Trek Procaliber carbon frame. Was this responsible for my speedy ride at St. Joe?  We all know how much fun it is to ride a new bike, so maybe so.  Or maybe because my beautiful bride kept telling me to go faster as she drafted me.  :)

Weekend Pictorial - Cute Dog and Chicken Edition

Believe it or not, there are tons of things that are going on in our lives that don't involve Rex.  During this time of the plague, Deanna and I are actually very busy at work.  We are lucky to be working but also anxious about working where we have to be in contact with the public.  Both of our jobs have some pretty strict rules in place for engagement.  It makes for some exhausting days.

Our boys have really confined themselves.  Mostly, they meet up with friends on the computer and Playstation.  Not the way I'd spend my time, but I realize this is a whole new world for them...school cancelled, unable to visit friends in person, even having to be distant from Grandma and Grandpa.  Tough and weird times.

Hanna has been in the same boat as Deanna and I.  She's been working at the Bakery and while she's been taking every precaution she can, she also says that a lot of customers don't take the threat of the plague very seriously.  I sympathize with her and it's worrisome.  But, she still finds time to work out and she still thinks she can crush me in a plank competition.  She's right.

Our mission to have the house painted by Spring has failed miserably.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't for lack of trying.  But our house is kind of like a graffiti wall.  We will finish it sometime in 2020.

I've been getting in some off-roading lately.  I've had to go far and wide to get it, though.  Not only are parks closed, but it's also important to me to ride in places that are very unpopulated.  Deanna and I went to Lost Valley today and tore the place up a bit. It had more people than I've been used to, but we managed to stay clear of almost everyone.  We even parked at a different parking lot than usual and rode over to the trails.  I'm hoping to get out of town again on Tuesday for some mountain bike distancing adventures.

Oh, and the chicken?  It seems that the Lemp Mansion has a restaurant.  I know most people probably already knew that, but I didn't.  Anyway, they have carryout going now and MAN!!  I gotta tell you I made a pig out of myself.  We each got the chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, and bread.  So.  Freaking.  Good!  I recommend it! Get you some!

It's Tuesday, so things must be done

Tuesdays have been my day off for a while now.  It's nice to have a day off in the middle of the week.  Since the plague has come our way, it's been a mixed bag.  What do I need to accomplish and where do I need to go?  And of course, where to ride?  Since St. Charles has not closed it's parks (and they are much more sparsely used) I chose Lost Valley today.  Never my favorite mountain bike trail, and it's a far-ish drive out there.  I was surprised today, though.  It was in good shape, only a few wet spots, and I saw 6 people total on the trail.  The Mound parking lot, under construction by the way, was nearly empty, too.  It was a good ride and I'm really glad I went.

I've been putting off vacuuming out the Focus since...well...since I got it in 2018.  Oh, I'm sure I've vacuumed it once or twice.  Not much, though.  So today was the day.  I went deep.  Not deep enough to get all of the Rex-hairs out of the carpet.  Clean enough, however.

As hard as I tried, I could not hear my boys doing any housework.  Wait....nope.  Couldn't hear a thing....

Rex wasn't doing any housework either.  He was in his familiar spot, on Hanna's bed, looking out the window.  He was waiting on Mom to come home from work.  He's had a good couple of days.  He got all riled up this morning and raced down the steps, barking at the back door.  I let him out and he went crazy in the back yard, his panties in an obvious bunch over something.  It made me happy to see that he's still all jackass.

Staying out of Trouble - Bikes as Therapy

Local trails are closed.  That's a real bummer because I need some relief from the monsters in my brain.  I texted my work mate and told him we were going to St. James today.  Why St. James??  Because that's where a very remote, kick ass mountain bike trail exists.  The beautiful Mrs K and I visited this place last summer for a mountain bike race and I have vowed to return ever since.

Just a straight shot down highway 44 gets you this very well cared for, very remote, and incredibly well designed place.  Never mind the asphalt...it was the dirt we were concerned with.  And people?  We were social distancing to an enormous extent!!

Evan was obviously outgunned.  He brought a plastic spoon to a bazooka fight.  While his super-bright Procaliber may have outshined Blurple on the bike rack, out on the super rough Forest City trails the full-suspension bike reigns supreme!  Man, that place is tough and really interesting.  Lots of fun features, too.  20 miles later, I had my fill of delicious single track and Evan was scouring the classifieds for long-travel full-suspension bikes.....

On our way out of St. James, we spied was was without a doubt a Velociraptor attack on an unsuspecting Chevy Cobalt.  You see the darndest things out on Route 66!

Never to leave well enough alone, the beautiful Mrs K and I coaxed Eli into riding an E-bike with us on the street.  He put the screws to us.  At one point, he was pedaling up a hill with his hand on his hip, taunting me.  Live long enough to see your kids revel in your defeat and you've accomplished something, I always say.

When Bored - Everyday Things Can Seem Interesting

First completely off-the-wall yet incredibly interesting thing:  This Lightning McQueen sandwich box used to be Eli's.  He used to have a matching thermos to go with it, but that's gone.  Now, I use it in my lunch box.  Why?  Because!  I'm incredibly immature and Lightning McQueen spells danger and adventure!

Use a GPS device on your BMX bike?  I do!  Because anything worth doing is worth quantifying.  I have to put it in an odd spot on the top tube because -just no- it won't fit on the bars or stem.  Sometimes I look down to see how fast I'm going and almost run into stuff.

For years I've been using my BMX bike to ride up to the stairs.  And to do sprints with.  It's fun and it absolutely befuddles passers-by because -old guy on a little bike- is just too much for some to wrap their minds around.  Just slightly more adult, I've been painting the doors in the house.  Amazing how beat up they get, and how "BRIGHT TRIM WHITE" is really white.  And bright.

Ending on a serious note.  Our pride and joy.  He is a huge jackass. And the source of so much joy for our family.  He's got cancer.  You can see that lump in the photo, just behind his right front leg. Nothing we can really do about it.  For now, he is the most spoiled dog on the planet.  And we like it that way.

Curious Observations on a Random Monday

At a time when conventional wisdom says that we should not congregate in large numbers, it was curious to see the Arnold Wal-Mart parking lot chock full of cars.  All the way across.  And it's a BIG lot.  This was at 10am.  I did not go in to investigate.

Perhaps as curious as a packed parking lot during a pandemic is my inability to beat my hip problems.  I'm still able to run stairs without much discomfort, but normal running causes me a lot of pain after the fact, like when I'm sitting or lying down.  It's disappointing, as I was starting to really get my speed up this past summer and fall.  I was doing track workouts and was disproportionately and irrationally proud of my 5:45 mile.  I was like a kid who just won a participation trophy.  Since then, I've really battled with this old-man hip thing.  I HATE being unable to do something.

Curious, too, is how this dog is able to mimic my sleeping positions.  I could learn a thing or two from him, though.  Like...how does he sleep so long?  How does he sleep so hard?  How does he snore so loud and not wake himself up?  Curious, indeed.

Birthday Week - Can't Make This Up Edition

There are probably a billion posts circulating today concerning the pandemic and all of it's ramifications.  This won't be one of them.  This one is about more enjoyable things.  Such as the Hershey's bar I found in my sock drawer.  I know of only one person who would do this for me. (With my Jerry Seinfeld impersonation) Hanna!  That was awful sweet.  Literally.

My birthday was rather low key this time around, with good reason.  Not much sense in trying to go out anywhere, big parties certainly weren't in the cards.  The beautiful Mrs K has been having some pretty serious health issues completely unrelated to what's in the news.  Quite a bit of stress at work trying to juggle personal safety and customer service.  So...dinner at home with the kids.  Aya Sophia was our delivered food of choice and it was exquisite as always.  Then we just goofed around at home.

What is a better stress reliever than exercise? And my preferred activity has always been bike riding.  After work Saturday, I hurried and got in a solid ride at Cliff Cave.  The riding was great and the sunset was even better.  I'm 53 years old now, and not nearly ready to fully grow up.

St. Patrick's Day Muddy Massacre at Berryman

I've had pretty good luck with the Berryman trail over the past couple months.  I decided to try again today since I was off work and the trails here were muddy.  It takes 90 minutes from my door until I pull into the Brazil Creek parking lot.  I was met with...nobody.  Notta.  Not a single car or person in the lot.  Ah, the trails all to myself!

What else did I have to myself?  Water.  And mud.  Lots of it.  Seems that it rained a LOT there this morning.  Ug.  Anyone that knows me knows that I hate mud and riding in it.  But I brushed off my concerns because DAMMIT I needed a good day on the bike.

Another thing people might know about me is that I usually forget something when I go riding.  Sometimes it's not important.  Other times?  Kinda important.  Today, it was Gu.  Energy gels.  Berryman takes more than a couple hours of pretty intense effort and this old body needs some kind of get-up-and-go along the way.  I had an epiphany at the Sullivan gas station on the way...Skittles.  I just thought they would be easy to reach in my jersey pocket and gobble up as-needed.  Oh, they were easy to grab.  But harder to eat.  Jesus in a rowboat, those things were chewy and took forever to swallow.  Not to mention that they just flat out don't cut it as a substitute for energy gels.  And now there are a bunch of them stuck in my jersey pocket.

Remember how I said I brushed off my concerns about the wet trails?  About 100 feet into the trail, my concerns were front and center.  Many sections of the trail were flowing like the Meramec river.  And about the counter-clockwise direction...I don't like it much.  Maybe I would have liked it more if I wasn't simultaneously choking on chewy Skittles and getting sprayed in my eyes with water from the trail.  I don't know, it just wasn't a great ride.

I was happy to see that Strava thought this was a "Historic" effort.  It felt historic to me.  I was suffering and may have blurted out some swear words to the squirrels and birds as I closed in on the final miles.  I may go back to riding the other direction, at least I have grown a bit more familiar with that way.  I will definitely go back to Vanilla Bean Gu.

Lemons out of Lemonade - Epidemic Edition

School closings, businesses shutting their doors, event cancellations, and general pandemonium from incredible misinformation...it's been a rough couple weeks.  When you factor in the wet and cold weather, it's enough to make an active person go nuts.  But I had to formulate a plot so I didn't end up in jail or shot.  I figured I could take the one shit bike that is still set up for mountain biking out to Greensfelder and just to laps on a rocky loop to avoid the mud.  And in the car, what greeted me?

That's right, baby.  I knew it was going to be a good ride as soon as I heard Falco on the radio.  It's not my usual rap diet but I came of age in the 80's and what self respecting 80's kid was blown away by this weird ass song?

I had to get a photo of where it all began for me.  Greensfelder is a magical place in my world, so it was worth a bike-selfie (or "photos of my bike leaning against stuff").

Knockin' out teeth, clockin' much dollars on the 1st and 15th!  March 15th!  Beware The Ides of March, or so the saying goes.  It's supposed to be the date for settling of debts, monetary and otherwise.  I settled some debts with Greensfelder today, climbing over 2500ft in just 10 miles of riding.

Berryman Trail, Revisited

When I rode the Berryman Trail in January, I had a great time and wanted to come back right away. Well, life and the weather have not shared my enthusiasm for this.  Upon hearing the forecast for the weekend, I braced myself and just said "Self, we are going to Berryman on Sunday!"  And so it was.  I cranked some love songs on the CD player and headed west on 44 to the promised land.

It doesn't take too long before this guy comes into view.  However, the Bourbon water tower is still 20 miles from the Brazil Creek Trail Head.  It's a fun 20 miles, though.  Twists, turns, and some really cool views. It always has me wishing that I had a racier car.

Oh, and the ride? First off, the trail was in good condition.  The surface of the trail is rocky, so 90% of it is literally unfazed by the rain or the freeze/thaw cycle that plagues the soil in the STL.  Just a few mud holes, never a problem, to deal with.  I was having a great time, flowing really well.  But the 12 mile mark came and Jesus Christ in a rowboat, I got a puncture in my rear tire.  I was devastated. But I pulled up my big boy pants, fixed it, and still ended up more than 10 minutes faster than my January ride!  Yeah!  I was super excited when I rode into the parking lot upon finishing.

It took me a while to rack Blurple onto the Focus and get steered toward home.  After an effort like that, I'm usually pretty knackered.  It seemed like it took forever, but I finally spotted Taco Bell on the main highway.  Lifesaver!

Before I rolled my bike into the garage at home, I spied the big gash in the rear tire.  No hope for the sealant to work on that one.  I must have hit the only sharp thing on the entire Berryman trail

Home Improvement Weekend

After living with 2 of our 3 basement windows being broken for 10+ years, it was quite a sight to see the new glass block windows.  I wish I could say that I put them in myself...but I didn't.  It was a wonderful Christmas gift to our family.  The difference it makes in our basement is amazing. And no drafts!

One improvement I can take partial credit for was this new ceiling.  My in-laws have owned a two-family building close to Francis Park since they lived there 40 year ago.  Even Deanna rented there when I met her.  The ceiling in the second floor back porch was crumbling, so we started working on it a couple months ago.  My super handy brother-in-law and I finally finished it yesterday.  Just simple bead board and trim, but man, it made a huge visual difference. Oh, and nail guns are fun!

Happy Birthday Hanna - The 20's are Funny!

Although Hanna has a real knack for taking awful photos of me (on purpose), I don't really share that affinity.  I was glad this photo of her wearing a sombrero and whipped cream on her nose turned out pretty funny rather than wretched.  I'm guessing it's hard to take a bad pic of her.  She recently had a birthday and we all love Mexican food, hence the fine headwear.  Happy birthday, kid!

Ford Eco Sport - Good thing it's a Rental

So I have been a Ford guy since I was old enough to know the difference.  My parents had them so they were familiar and easy to recognize.  I haven't loved every Ford I have owned but I have at least liked each one.

However, the pudgy, homely, disproportionate car you see in this photo would have to do a helluva lot to gain a place in my heart.  Behold, the Ford Eco Sport. 

My Focus, which I will say has gained my respect if not my love, had a couple of factory recalls outstanding that I have waited years to take care of.  Yesterday, I dropped off the silver hatch back to finally get those taken care of.  The super-nice folks at Sunset Ford offered a rental car while mine was getting the love, and I couldn't refuse a rental car since I still gotta work.

In the cold, dark, misty night, the Enterprise rental guy led me to this off-red (sorta pinkie looking red) lump.  He apologized, perhaps seeing the disappointment on my face.  I took the keys, knowing that there was no reason to be upset because I just needed transportation.

The Eco has 2k miles on it, so it's essentially new.  Yet, that is the most positive thing I can say about it.  I mean, just look at this thing.  I has the most unpleasing shape of any modern SUV (high-car, if you'd like) on the road.  I found out pretty quickly that the only difference when pushing on the gas pedal lightly and pushing on the gas pedal violently was more agricultural, farm equipment-like noise from the front of the car.  No difference in speed, really.  Just more noise. Checking out the sticker price which was still on the window, I was surprised to see that they wanted $24k for this thing, farm noises and all.  Must be because the tractor engine under the hood is a turbo.  A turbo THREE CYLINDER 1.0.  Wow.  One can only wonder what the outcome would be if they DIDN'T have the turbo on this beast.  Seems like a heckuva lot of money for an engine that is missing it's 4th cylinder.  Don't get me started on the auto start/stop feature.

Can't wait to get the Focus back. I will gladly hand the Eco's keys back.  There are some things, however new, that just aren't worth it.

Happy Dog Happy Life

Make no mistake: anytime Rex gets a chance to lay on top of me, he will take it.  Especially if I lay in bed next to the beautiful Mrs K.  He loves TV time.  We don't get to watch much TV, but when we do, so does Rex.  He was so damn happy to get the PERFECT spot between my legs and on a throw pillow.  So happy that he was actually smiling and wagging his tail like crazy.

Yep, look at that smile.  A few moments into the show, and he was snoring.  Snored through the whole show.  Happy dog, happy life.

Return to the Berryman Trail

I can't remember the last time I rode the Berryman Trail.  It's locally famous and has changed a bit since I first rode it with friend and mentor Neil Kopitsky in 1989.  I know I rode it in 1996.  But I can't remember a time after that.  It had been long enough that I had to ask for recommendations on Facebook as to which trail head to start at, and which direction people like.  I totally remember getting off at the Bourbon exit.  That was easy.

And I remember this intersection, in which Highway W (really is an upside down M) would take me to the trail head.  But wow, it was quite a ways on W.  I didn't remember it being that far.  In total, it was 20 miles from Highway 44.

But there it was.  Marked better than it was in 1989, for sure.  The Brazil Creek trail head.  A small, quaint lot with a well-kept all weather bathroom.  I was totally the only person there.

Ah, a trail map!  Not that I thought it would help.   I was always surprised at how poorly the trail was marked with the little silver diamonds nailed to random trees along the Berryman.  Lucky Neil showed me the way the first time around, so each time after that I was diligent when coming to cross roads.

Certainly in the early 90's there wasn't a cool sign designating the Berryman as a cool place to mountain bike.  That was certainly a plus.

The trail was in solid shape, with no mud to speak of.  It was 90% leaf-covered, but trampled down enough that it wasn't a problem.  I climbed over 5 downed trees.  I only had a brief moment of panic when I came to a crossroads and didn't see the NEW Ozark Trail (OT) signs that were now so prevalent.  After a minute, I spotted one and was no worse for wear.  The entire 25.5 miles, I saw two people.  I was virtually alone, which was an awesome feeling.  I wasn't feeling so awesome when I finished.  Anything over 2 hours is long for me, and it took me a shade over 2 1/2.  I was glad to be done, but also pretty happy to be able to ride such a long, storied trail in the dead of winter.  It was 39-40 degrees most of the ride, with some pretty high winds, but weather was never a problem.

....and I stopped at Pizza Hut in Sullivan.  How cool is that?  I continued to eat everything in sight for the rest of the day.