Getting Close

Last Weekend we got close to needed mileage.
70 miles Saturday and 50 Miles Sunday. Very few stops, alone , on the street.
The MS TOUR is 75 miles each day, with plenty stops and food and drink and
other riders. 3 weeks away.
All I have to do now is to hold on to what I have and add a little .
To do list:
1. Put bike in shop for new tires, tubes, brakes, etc.
2. Get new headphones
3. Buy a folded poncho, the unfolded one don't fit into anything.
4. Get a haircut. (less wind resistance)
5. Mount Compass on Handlebars.
6. Watch replays of this years Tour de France.
7. Make sure accident insurance premium is paid up.
8. Clean 5 year old lucky shoes.
9. Stock first aid kit.
10. Start carbo loading now !
11. Practice fixing flat tires.
12. Get extra bottles of Tylenol.
later
gary

Labor Day Weekend

Things don't always work out as planned, even for me.
Left Saturday morning with grand plans, at 10 miles I had my first flat tire,
no problem, at 15 miles I had my second flat tire, no problem, I'm still undaunted.
I only carry 2 spare tubes so I head homeward to restock, 2 blocks from home
I have my 3rd flat tire, had to walk home. I restocked spare tubes and decided to ride to the bike shop and buy more for reserve, on the way to the bike shop I broke a spoke.
At the bike shop I had the spoke fixed and bought some tubes, returned to the ride and
at 40 miles decided to head home, good thing because I had another flat about 3 blocks
from the house . I got home, changed tire and tube and planned for a better tomorrow.
Sunday we had family dinner at mom's house so I didn't get started till about 3:00,
determined to get in some miles I rode and rode and rode, it started getting dark and
and I headed home with only 40 miles. Still there's tomorrow.
Headed out Monday (labor day ) morning, rode my normal route, expecting to do at least 50 miles, I hit the wall at 40 and hung it up.
So I had a 120 mile 3 day weekend, not bad but not good enough.
Next weekend I'll be out for blood. The tour approaches and I must get ready......
later
gary

Neighborhood's a changing.

Changes,,,,,
last week did 60 miles Saturday and 40 miles Sunday, no sweat.... Had to work yesterday, so I only got in 35 today. What a piece of cake.
Passed through the old neighborhood as I do
occasionally but it was different than before, yes the streets were deserted and there's still
garbage about and nobody's home , in the back of my mind was the news I heard recently, that the new Medical Complex will be in the square of
Claiborne to Galvez and Tulane to Canal.
There goes the neighborhood.
I don't know what's to happen to Mc Donough #11 Grade School. I've attached some pictures of the school and the kindergarten Cottage. The Magnolia tree that covered me through many
marble games is leafless and lifeless. I wonder how many street corners still have the inlaid
names like Palmyra and Johnson. In the 50's and 60's many, many kids lived in this small area.
I attached a picture of the Telephone cable that we played cable ball on many times, I was a master at cable ball. It seemed higher at the time or maybe I was smaller, imagine that.
Life goes on, Montelepre Hospital is mud hole, street cars are back, Warren Easton is rebuilding
and I'm sure more and more changes are forthcoming.
I'll be there to keep you posted.
Good ride today, felt good, good speed, 6 weeks left to race time.
later
gary

getting there !

Great Weekend,
55 miles Saturday,25 miles Sunday.
Only 7 weeks till the 150 mile MS tour.
Took a few pics this week.. Caught the Steam boat Natchez just before takeoff.
In City Park the bridge to Goldfish Island is still
there,and it has a new sign.
There's a shot of the Bike Path along the lake and the shelter that saved me in the horrific thunderstorm I survived.
And finally a philosophical shot of the proverbial
"sometimes your the pigeon and sometimes your the statue".
Legs hurt, ass hurts, arms hurt, spirit feels great. The motivation is epic , the roads are laid , the spirit hungers, the body prepares and the bike is ready to roll,........
later,
gary
ps -click on the pic's for a larger view.

A little rain ? yeah right....

Sunday July 2nd
The sweat dripped steadily and burned my eyes ,lips and legs, the heat flogged me as if to whip me forward to find an end to today's ride. The ride out along the lake bike path was uneventful and maybe boring to a small degree. Legs were good, little or no wind, smooth payment, I expected 30 to 45 miles as each Saturday or Sunday of late produced.
On Lakeshore Drive I turned around at 17 miles, the thunder rumbling across the lake and the darkening sky called me home. Across Causeway the first drops pelted me , I stopped and waterproofed my camera, phone, mp3 player, and GPS module. Another 100 yards and the downpour ensued, felt good , cool and wet, except for the mud flying up from the levee construction, my back tire slipped a few times but my balance prevailed.
Suddenly like a shot, a lightening flash forced my eyes shut for a second, the thunder clap
pushed my shoulders back, I laid low on my bike to lessen my profile and sought shelter.
The rain poured harder and harder, another flash and clap of thunder, no shelter in sight.
Kept moving, if lighting is going to slam me down, it'll have to catch me. Another flash,
seemed closer than the last, a loud demanding clap of thunder still no shelter insight.
I'm drenched , teetering on water and mud, surrounded by lightening and thinking this may
be how it'll be, but then , what a dramatic way to go . Suddenly ! as I near the Suburban Canal
I blink enough to focus on an old shelter , the roof is rickety and the mud floor is about 4 inches deep but it takes the lightening target off my back. I pull in and dismount , I sink to my ankles in mud, but it's ok, I'm safe, I stand on the bench and find a spot where the roof is leaking the least. A chill comes over me, but there's no relief, I'm still getting rained on but relieved I'm not getting bolted by lightening strikes. The booms continue, the rain teems down.
I bid my time watching the runoff flow into the small lagoon between myself and the lake,
I keep scanning around but I am alone, alone except for the terror attacking me.
The wind and the rain grow louder, I am pelted with raindrops hurling at me sideways.
The air is instantly cold and biting, I look toward the lake and all I see is white, no lake ,no sky,
no clouds, just white. My bike is slammed onto the muddy ground, the same gust pushes me back about 3 feet, I move toward the corner of the shelter and clutched the metal post, I protected my face by shielding it behind the 8 inch square metal post and once again I felt , this may be it. The next 3 minutes seemed like hours, cold, pelting, driving rain, gusting, treacherous wind,I tried to hide my girth behind the small post but all I could do was protect my face.
The torrent swirled around me for about 3 minutes and eased off at the same pace it came.
The rain down to a drizzle, the lightening stopped, I'm soaked, laced with mud and cold, I re-mounted and continued my ride like nothing had happened. It wasn't just another ride, it was an adventure. Another 35 miles in the bag. What a ride.

Says it all.

Finally, the picture I think says it all.

Flat tire strikes again.

Last weeks ride was not without consequence. Great weather, great sights, some not so
positive.. The good news is it looks like workers are tearing out the inside of Warren Easton
High School, I hope that means their fixing it, the bad news is Montelepre Hospital is being demolished.
When I was 16 or 17 I had a job in Montelepre Hospital buffing floors with the buffing machine.
One of my many astute careers. While I was taking these pictures I think I saw some wax I applied still on one of the floors. It tore at me to see what I considered a monument of my past being hit by the wrecking ball. A very emotional moment.
Every bike rider has to deal with the occasional flat tire, it's an opportunity to stop and let the world go past you for 30 or 40 minutes. Relaxing. I added a picture of the little metal spike that got me. It happened on Canal off Jefferson Davis..I stopped in the shade of a beautiful oak.
All in all a good ride, the weather has been perfect
but we know the heat is coming. MS Tour for Cure is October 7/8. Getting a little better every week. Don't want to peak too soon.
When in the Quarter stop at Esplanade and Decatur and notice the long line of
beautiful balconies. That end of Decatur is a hidden treasure. . Remember you can click on the pictures for a larger view.. .
Later
Gary

Stellaaaaaaaa.....

Great ride today, Saturday, not much wind, perfect temperature, did 35 miles.
The French Quarter was pretty busy , plenty tourist in town for Jazz fest.
Jazz Festival is a Festival featuring music of all kinds, Rock, gospel, Zadeco, Catfish,
Blues, and sometimes they even have some Jazz, not much but sometimes.
Please note the line at Cafe De Monde, long, thier addicted to Coffee or Benets, both delicous,
anyway plenty action for a deserted town. On Bourbon there's a courtyard with a bronze of
Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, recently added Fats Domino and now Chris Owens. WOw...
I'm sure you've heard of the statue of Jesus in the rear Courtyard of St Louis Catheral,
Jesus' left hand has fingers missing from a tree that fell during the storm, all the tourist are taking pictures of it.
As a kid my mother took me shopping downtown, one of the must stop stores was McCorys.
Although the front of the buiding is something new, the back door still has the McCorys sign on it.
And the final picture is a old, old, old, house that caught my eye, it looks like small apartments
on a second floor. All I could think of was Marlon Brando standing outside in a torn
undershirt drunk and sweating screaming Stellaaaaaaa......
It looked like the kinda of place that Williams was inspired by when he imagined "STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE" . .. It just had that feeling when I saw it. Some things just give off an aura like a place with a soul... the tall wall protecting it from the street, the ivy growing all over keeping it warm and safe, and the balcony where it monitors the world.
Anyway, great ride, great feelings, inspirational......
later
gary

RAINY WEEKEND

Although this weekend was filled with rain , we managed to get in 30 miles today (Sunday).
The Quarter was fresh and clean, a lot of the usuals were working the Jazz Fest.
I didn't get down there until about 10:30 so the restaurants were cooking lunch,
boy what great smells did I enjoy.. I took a few pictures of my favorite subject, (me).
One is me in front of the Cabildo, one is me in front of the Steamboat Natchez, and the other is me having a drink at the horse trough. What a great place to live. The weather was perfect and my legs were chugging.
I think I may have been a Pirate in another life and that's what draws me to the quarter.
No doubt I try to "live out the box" even though at this point in life the box walls are higher than I can scale. As I get older the walls get higher .
I just realized last week I can't grow up to be Ernest Hemingway. Why Not ?
I guess we all make those dashes for a lusty adventure and try to grab pieces here and there
and feel pretty good about our trips out the box, PaPa Hemingway lived it every minute, every day, every place, what a guy, what a pirate.
I want to be a character in a Jimmy Buffet book, a line in a Tennesse Wiliams Play, a verse in a Beatles song, a stanza in a Phillip Suza march, and a guy on a bike that thinks he's all that.
Where's my ship?
later,
captain gary

It's spring....

Yes it's Springtime,
The air today, once reeking of catastrophe, now carries the hope of pollen and seed,
the fruitful aroma of flowers, and the freshness of a clear new day. .
Spring does it to me, it washes all my winter sins, troubles and woes.
I rode 50 miles last weekend ,30 miles this weekend and about 30 during this week.
As the sun stays longer I am equally eager to embrace the beauty that's here in spite of our houses , roads, buildings and the tons and tons of cement we've cruelly mixed in an effort to paint gray the green beauty God gave us to smell, roll in and gaze and graze upon.
There's something about raging endorfins that make the natural world slap you around and attack your senses till your senseless. Makes you say, dammmmm, why didn't I see this before.
Don't stop and smell the roses, touch them, smell them, examine them, live them, for tomorrow there may be a piece of cement there instead. .
==========================================

The "Patrol Boat River" you see me next to is about 3 blocks from where is originally was, it moved from the Naval Reserve station to the Seabrook Bridge.
You have to guess who took the picture.
I've been looking for a picture that tell the whole Katrina story in one picture, I haven't found it yet but I found two that are close. One is a statue of Virgin Mary on a Balcony so she don't drown, looking down to the street, and the other is a boathouse apartment, painted on the edge of the floor is, "for sale , needs some work , slight water damage", the fact is there is nothing behind the wall, it's all gone.
keep peddling
later
gary