Adjusting Expectations

Most of the week I try to find times to get out into the country on my bicycle. Weather and work typically dictate when that can happen. Meetings for some volunteer community work I am involved in takes up more time, and then there are those things that pop up unexpectedly. 

Like this past week, I had circled Sunday as being a primo day for a longer ride out of town. Then I had a bit of "not feeling so well" hit on Friday followed by a question on Saturday from my son, Jacob.

"Hey Dad! Do you wanna go with me to go look for a tool box?" 

Jacob is employed full-time at a CNC machine shop and he's just getting settled in. He had mentioned that he needed a rolling tool box and well, Saturday was the day! No big deal. I was glad to help and he'd be good to go. Sunday was still wide open. I'd probably feel better too.

Not!

Jacob decided, and I happened to agree, it would be better to assemble the box at home and not try to do it in the workplace where he'd be in the way and all. Of course, we had to do this on Sunday. 

Now, I have learned to be able to adjust my expectations, which is a good thing. This life is not all about "Me" and helping my son was the right thing to do. Now, it doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed, because I was. But Jacob said I should definitely ride my bike however much I could afterward, and he said this because he knows me and knows I made a sacrifice for him. 

What's all this got to do with cycling and bicycles? Well, everything and nothing at all. It is just a tale that I tell and maybe it will help bring some perspective to someone out there who could use it. 

And I did ride my bicycle afterward. It wasn't far, and it wasn't for very long. As I rode along, I thought perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. It was in the upper 80's with brutal humidity and heat which came along with it all. I wasn't quite feeling my best yet as well. Had I taken the longer ride I had planned for I would have wilted out there anyway. 

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you're gonna find, ya get what ya need." 

Keep ridin' those bikes, y'all!

A Story About A Freedom Machine

Yesterday was Father's Day, and for many it is a wonderful time to remember, to honor, and to share with those that are fathers and have touched other's lives. Not necessarily "biological" fathers either. 

But for some of us, days like yesterday are difficult. Not everyone has a "father", and many of us had bad experiences with their fathers, or had tragedy associated with their father, which brings up a lot of emotions at this time of the year. 

I am one of those that has difficulty with Father's Day.

My relationship with my father was troubled from an early age. It was a situation that worsened to the point that I tried to get away from the house whenever I could if I thought my father might be around. 

My method, my mode of escape, was the bicycle. It was a Holiday Station store 20" cruiser with high rise bars, a tall "sissy bar", slick rear tire, and was lime green with a bass boat black sparkle banana saddle. The model name was "Hugger", as I recall. I rode that thing until I was waaaay too big for it! It took me all over my home town. 

Fortunately for me, I grew up in a time where parents weren't hovering over their offspring, trying to protect them from....well, everything, and really, it probably was too far the other way when I grew up. I could be missing in action for hours upon hours. I just had to be home before the Sun set.

Anyway, the bicycle represented freedom from pain. Freedom from abuse. A chance to forget the realities between the four walls of our home back then and just be. That was what the bike did for me back then. It was what I needed to survive. To stay sane. 

So, I fell in love with the bicycle, and it was my main mode for getting around way up into high school. I did the typical 20's thing, like most folks my age, and ditched the bicycle for four wheels. But I had dalliances with bicycles all along for different reasons, and those old feelings of peace and calmness would come back. 

Eventually I bought my first mountain bike and that happened when I was about 28 years old. Been on those two wheels ever since pretty steadily. And through every bad thing and every day that reminded me of a past I didn't want to remember too much, that bicycle brought me some peace of mind, some mental clarity. 

So, yesterday was a tough day for me, but I am a father now, so that part is what I try to focus on and be better at every day. So, I was okay yesterday.

I hope you were too.
 

A Story About A Freedom Machine

Yesterday was Father's Day, and for many it is a wonderful time to remember, to honor, and to share with those that are fathers and have touched other's lives. Not necessarily "biological" fathers either. 

But for some of us, days like yesterday are difficult. Not everyone has a "father", and many of us had bad experiences with their fathers, or had tragedy associated with their father, which brings up a lot of emotions at this time of the year. 

I am one of those that has difficulty with Father's Day.

My relationship with my father was troubled from an early age. It was a situation that worsened to the point that I tried to get away from the house whenever I could if I thought my father might be around. 

My method, my mode of escape, was the bicycle. It was a Holiday Station store 20" cruiser with high rise bars, a tall "sissy bar", slick rear tire, and was lime green with a bass boat black sparkle banana saddle. The model name was "Hugger", as I recall. I rode that thing until I was waaaay too big for it! It took me all over my home town. 

Fortunately for me, I grew up in a time where parents weren't hovering over their offspring, trying to protect them from....well, everything, and really, it probably was too far the other way when I grew up. I could be missing in action for hours upon hours. I just had to be home before the Sun set.

Anyway, the bicycle represented freedom from pain. Freedom from abuse. A chance to forget the realities between the four walls of our home back then and just be. That was what the bike did for me back then. It was what I needed to survive. To stay sane. 

So, I fell in love with the bicycle, and it was my main mode for getting around way up into high school. I did the typical 20's thing, like most folks my age, and ditched the bicycle for four wheels. But I had dalliances with bicycles all along for different reasons, and those old feelings of peace and calmness would come back. 

Eventually I bought my first mountain bike and that happened when I was about 28 years old. Been on those two wheels ever since pretty steadily. And through every bad thing and every day that reminded me of a past I didn't want to remember too much, that bicycle brought me some peace of mind, some mental clarity. 

So, yesterday was a tough day for me, but I am a father now, so that part is what I try to focus on and be better at every day. So, I was okay yesterday.

I hope you were too.
 

Mending Fences

A challenging day for the family started with this.

Well.....that wasn't what I expected to do on a Friday afternoon!

It all started with a Winter storm that arrived on Thursday here. We were told for a day or two ahead of Thursday that we would get a lot of snow, but by 11:00am on Thursday nothing had fallen from the sky. Now here was my dilemma. 

My son uses the "Truck With No Name" these days as his way to get back and forth to community college classes. He's a new driver, with barely any experience, and he's maybe driven on freshly fallen snow once, maybe twice so far this Winter. Compound that with the truck, which if you know a two wheel drive truck at all, is a handful on slick surfaces. Well, then it could be understandable that a driver with a developing sense of throttle control and senses for what the wheels are doing might be at a disadvantage.  

And I thought we'd escape with a dusting,as the weather forecast was saying the snow would end soon after he left. But it didn't. It got worse and we ended up with a couple of inches, maybe more, of slick snow. Maybe I should have driven him to school.....

But maybe he needed a lesson. Well.....he got one! And he cleared out 16 feet of a woman's fencing made out of solid lumber. He knocked the bumper hard enough to loosen it up, (haven't fully diagnosed that, but it is derivable), so he didn't mess the truck up badly. But he did cause a significant amount of property damage. We had to call a tow truck to pull the vehicle off the fence and out of the ditch. Two wheel drive with no positraction, ya know? 

The end of a hard day.

The landowner was distraught as they have a dog that they like to let loose in the fenced in area, which now was not so fenced in, and they wanted a solution now. So...

Mrs. Guitar Ted, my son, and I had to buy some snow fencing, some wire, zip ties, and a wire cutter and attempt to patch the opening in 25-30mph gusting winds. This all with sub-zero wind chill. 

Now, I'm not complaining, my son had caused this property owner undue concerns and damages, so I was fine with helping out. It was just not what I had expected to have to do on a Thursday afternoon. And let's face it- I am a bicycle mechanic, not so much a fence mender! 

I'm not sure we made any difference in the situation with the fence in the moment, but we did begin to mend another fence. That being the one between two parties that maybe saw each other as adversaries in the beginning. Afterward? I cannot speak to what the landowner was feeling, but we came home and had a good discussion about how to deal with a situation like this, and to have compassion on a stranger. We learned that owning up to your responsibilities is the right thing to do, and that sometimes that can lead to better outcomes. (For one thing, the police did not issue a ticket to my son.) 

There will be consequences to come that must be dealt with. Insurance, fixing the bumper on the truck, and maybe some unforeseen issues. But I am happy and grateful it wasn't worse, and in the end, if there were lessons learned and (hopefully) remembered by my son? 

It was all worth it then.

Mending Fences

A challenging day for the family started with this.

Well.....that wasn't what I expected to do on a Friday afternoon!

It all started with a Winter storm that arrived on Thursday here. We were told for a day or two ahead of Thursday that we would get a lot of snow, but by 11:00am on Thursday nothing had fallen from the sky. Now here was my dilemma. 

My son uses the "Truck With No Name" these days as his way to get back and forth to community college classes. He's a new driver, with barely any experience, and he's maybe driven on freshly fallen snow once, maybe twice so far this Winter. Compound that with the truck, which if you know a two wheel drive truck at all, is a handful on slick surfaces. Well, then it could be understandable that a driver with a developing sense of throttle control and senses for what the wheels are doing might be at a disadvantage.  

And I thought we'd escape with a dusting,as the weather forecast was saying the snow would end soon after he left. But it didn't. It got worse and we ended up with a couple of inches, maybe more, of slick snow. Maybe I should have driven him to school.....

But maybe he needed a lesson. Well.....he got one! And he cleared out 16 feet of a woman's fencing made out of solid lumber. He knocked the bumper hard enough to loosen it up, (haven't fully diagnosed that, but it is derivable), so he didn't mess the truck up badly. But he did cause a significant amount of property damage. We had to call a tow truck to pull the vehicle off the fence and out of the ditch. Two wheel drive with no positraction, ya know? 

The end of a hard day.

The landowner was distraught as they have a dog that they like to let loose in the fenced in area, which now was not so fenced in, and they wanted a solution now. So...

Mrs. Guitar Ted, my son, and I had to buy some snow fencing, some wire, zip ties, and a wire cutter and attempt to patch the opening in 25-30mph gusting winds. This all with sub-zero wind chill. 

Now, I'm not complaining, my son had caused this property owner undue concerns and damages, so I was fine with helping out. It was just not what I had expected to have to do on a Thursday afternoon. And let's face it- I am a bicycle mechanic, not so much a fence mender! 

I'm not sure we made any difference in the situation with the fence in the moment, but we did begin to mend another fence. That being the one between two parties that maybe saw each other as adversaries in the beginning. Afterward? I cannot speak to what the landowner was feeling, but we came home and had a good discussion about how to deal with a situation like this, and to have compassion on a stranger. We learned that owning up to your responsibilities is the right thing to do, and that sometimes that can lead to better outcomes. (For one thing, the police did not issue a ticket to my son.) 

There will be consequences to come that must be dealt with. Insurance, fixing the bumper on the truck, and maybe some unforeseen issues. But I am happy and grateful it wasn't worse, and in the end, if there were lessons learned and (hopefully) remembered by my son? 

It was all worth it then.

Free At Last

Even memories can be taken away.

 Over four years ago I wrote this post concerning my Mom's old bicycle seen again here today. Well, yesterday she took her final 'ride' on outta this world. And it was a good thing.

See, my Mom was suffering from Alzheimer's. Her quality of life had been pretty dismal for well over a year now. But that's over. 

She has been set free. 

I'm glad it's over. The gut wrenching business of dealing with the disease and its affects has been far reaching. It wasn't just my Mom that suffered, but all of us that loved her and knew her did as well. That said, obviously I am most concerned about my Mom's freedom from those chains. It's sad, this death, but it is also good. 

One's mind often goes to memories of the past and what we experienced with the loved one that is now gone. But I find it rather ironic that this evil disease takes even memories away before death. 

Again I wonder: When was her last bike ride? When was the last time she ran? When was the last time she felt loved? 

Cherish every moment. Love over hate. Strive to live a peaceful life. 

Apologies for the heavy subject today, but I felt I had to address this. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Dedicated to Linda Belkin, who died Monday, October 25th, 2021. I'll miss you Mom!

Free At Last

Even memories can be taken away.

 Over four years ago I wrote this post concerning my Mom's old bicycle seen again here today. Well, yesterday she took her final 'ride' on outta this world. And it was a good thing.

See, my Mom was suffering from Alzheimer's. Her quality of life had been pretty dismal for well over a year now. But that's over. 

She has been set free. 

I'm glad it's over. The gut wrenching business of dealing with the disease and its affects has been far reaching. It wasn't just my Mom that suffered, but all of us that loved her and knew her did as well. That said, obviously I am most concerned about my Mom's freedom from those chains. It's sad, this death, but it is also good. 

One's mind often goes to memories of the past and what we experienced with the loved one that is now gone. But I find it rather ironic that this evil disease takes even memories away before death. 

Again I wonder: When was her last bike ride? When was the last time she ran? When was the last time she felt loved? 

Cherish every moment. Love over hate. Strive to live a peaceful life. 

Apologies for the heavy subject today, but I felt I had to address this. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Dedicated to Linda Belkin, who died Monday, October 25th, 2021. I'll miss you Mom!

Visitations

Fall color seen on my walk Sunday.

 This wasn't to be a typical weekend here for me. Andy had taken vacation and I had to tend to the shop all week long. That meant I had to work another Saturday. The week itself went better than expected. I was busier than I had anticipated I would be, which is good for business, obviously, but better for me. I really do not like standing around 'baby-sitting' a shop with nothing to work on. That drives me bonkers. 

So, having a mostly busy week was good, that is, until Friday. That was brutal! I had very few people walk in the door and a LOT of dead time to fill. I had caught up on repairs and had little else to do but clean and organize. 

So, Saturday I feared for the worst. I had worked a Saturday recently and it was pretty much like the Friday I just described. I was thinking I was going to possibly lose my mind, but a couple of surprise visitations happened which saved the day. I guess mentioning here that I would be in the shop Saturday was a good thing, because both folks who came in to see me said it was because I had mentioned I would be working that they made the effort to see me. 

So, the first individual that surprised me with a visit was someone who I hadn't seen in well over a decade. I think the last time I saw this person was at a Frostbike in 2008. So, yeah.... A LONG time had passed since I had seen this guy. I used to make mention of him a lot when this blog first began, and since that was over 15 years ago, most of you folks probably don't know or remember that.

His name is Clay. I've known him since I first was in the bicycle business back in the 90's. I used to refer to him by his nick-name here, which was Dirtram, which was a play on his surname name. Anyway, he worked at the shop where I last worked, and I think our time there overlapped maybe a few months or so, but it wasn't very long before Clay moved on and out of my reckoning. The last time I think I saw him was about five years after I saw him previously, so when he came in and visited me Saturday it was a big surprise and we had a lot of catching up to do. 

Rick Chalfant, third from left here, was the other visitor Saturday.

After a few customers came in, Clay excused himself, and then it was awhile before another surprise visitor stopped by. It was Rick, who had been up last for a GTDRI in 2016. 

He read on the blog that I would be there, and since he was up for a family function, he made some time to swing by and chat for a bit. It was great to catch up with Rick and talk about our families and riding. 

Then some more time went by and I was about an hour out from shutting the door when my wife and son dropped by and so that made the end of my day a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be. The only bummer was that I didn't get to ride my bicycle home from work. 

So, yeah......no ride out in the country. No ride in the woods, like I traditionally try to do at 'peak Fall color time', and there was another reason for that. My family has been battling head colds, with the exception of myself- so far- and so I stuck around the house to lend a hand where I could with chores and taking care of people. 

I likely missed peak Fall colors, but sometimes more important things come along, like seeing old friends and acquaintances and being there for your family when they need you to be. It ain't always all about bicycles.

Visitations

Fall color seen on my walk Sunday.

 This wasn't to be a typical weekend here for me. Andy had taken vacation and I had to tend to the shop all week long. That meant I had to work another Saturday. The week itself went better than expected. I was busier than I had anticipated I would be, which is good for business, obviously, but better for me. I really do not like standing around 'baby-sitting' a shop with nothing to work on. That drives me bonkers. 

So, having a mostly busy week was good, that is, until Friday. That was brutal! I had very few people walk in the door and a LOT of dead time to fill. I had caught up on repairs and had little else to do but clean and organize. 

So, Saturday I feared for the worst. I had worked a Saturday recently and it was pretty much like the Friday I just described. I was thinking I was going to possibly lose my mind, but a couple of surprise visitations happened which saved the day. I guess mentioning here that I would be in the shop Saturday was a good thing, because both folks who came in to see me said it was because I had mentioned I would be working that they made the effort to see me. 

So, the first individual that surprised me with a visit was someone who I hadn't seen in well over a decade. I think the last time I saw this person was at a Frostbike in 2008. So, yeah.... A LONG time had passed since I had seen this guy. I used to make mention of him a lot when this blog first began, and since that was over 15 years ago, most of you folks probably don't know or remember that.

His name is Clay. I've known him since I first was in the bicycle business back in the 90's. I used to refer to him by his nick-name here, which was Dirtram, which was a play on his surname name. Anyway, he worked at the shop where I last worked, and I think our time there overlapped maybe a few months or so, but it wasn't very long before Clay moved on and out of my reckoning. The last time I think I saw him was about five years after I saw him previously, so when he came in and visited me Saturday it was a big surprise and we had a lot of catching up to do. 

Rick Chalfant, third from left here, was the other visitor Saturday.

After a few customers came in, Clay excused himself, and then it was awhile before another surprise visitor stopped by. It was Rick, who had been up last for a GTDRI in 2016. 

He read on the blog that I would be there, and since he was up for a family function, he made some time to swing by and chat for a bit. It was great to catch up with Rick and talk about our families and riding. 

Then some more time went by and I was about an hour out from shutting the door when my wife and son dropped by and so that made the end of my day a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be. The only bummer was that I didn't get to ride my bicycle home from work. 

So, yeah......no ride out in the country. No ride in the woods, like I traditionally try to do at 'peak Fall color time', and there was another reason for that. My family has been battling head colds, with the exception of myself- so far- and so I stuck around the house to lend a hand where I could with chores and taking care of people. 

I likely missed peak Fall colors, but sometimes more important things come along, like seeing old friends and acquaintances and being there for your family when they need you to be. It ain't always all about bicycles.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Prophetic Word

Craig Cooper does it again. His shop opened up before the start of T.I.v9

"Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Continuing on with stories from Trans Iowa v9..... 

Inspiration can come from odd places, as we know. I'm sure you can think about a word, a moment, that had deep meaning for you, that shaped a decision or path for you, that came unexpectedly, or from a surprising source. I know this has been my experience over the years of my life.

And things dealing with Trans Iowa were not exempt from those inspirational, direction changing moments. Take the aftermath of Trans Iowa v3, where Jason Boucher sent me an e-mail that, for all intents and purposes, extended Trans Iowa events onward for eleven more years. That's pretty big! But that message impacted me hard and it still has an effect upon me today. It was certainly unexpected, but as I say, that can happen and we always need to be aware that what we do and say could be that inspirational moment for someone else.

As I said, Trans Iowa v3 wasn't the only time that happened. It happened again previous to Trans Iowa v9, and it came from an unlikely source again- This time it was my step-father, Jim. He had married my Mom when I was in my late 30's- maybe I was 40 already- anyway... He and my Mom still enjoy a deep, great relationship, and I have a fondness for Jim and we get along well. So, what has any of that got to do with Trans Iowa?

How many more Trans Iowa Sunrises would there be? Image of Sunrise during T.I.v9

Well, Jim often took interest in what I had going on in my life. He was aware, of course, that I put on Trans Iowa then. However; a local librarian, who my Mom and Jim knew well, had a significant other in her life that was a Trans Iowa rider. After talking with my Mom, this librarian figured out I was Guitar Ted, and well, you know..... So, that piqued my step-father's interest in the event even more than it might have.

Well, I think it was at an Easter gathering that Jim was asking me about how long I was going to keep doing Trans Iowa. I confessed to him that I had thought about doing ten, then getting out. This would have been early April, before T.I.v8. Well, my step-father Jim, he poked me in the chest with his finger and smiled while he said, "I think you've got five more of these in you, at least."

I rolled back on my heels and I didn't know what to say. It wasn't what I wanted to hear, necessarily, but deep inside I felt thrilled to hear that. It was odd. Very weird at the moment. And in response to Jim I muttered something to the effect of "Well......maybe....I don't know about that...." And Jim retorted, "Well, I believe you do. I think you've got it in you."

He said he 'believed in me'. That's powerful. So, that really hit me. It stuck. It really is important to have people believe in you and in what you are passionate about. I suppose that was it, really. I did not expect Jim to really feel that way about me and what I was passionate about. I was surprised and touched that he did. I don't think it would have meant as much coming from anyone else either. So, in that respect, it was very significant to Trans Iowa and the people who got to ride in the last four versions of this event. Without Jim's prophetic words, those calls for me to keep Trans Iowa going may have fallen on deaf ears.

But at that time I was not changing my original plans. I still intended to stop after ten Trans Iowas. I mean- Jim didn't have to go through the putting on of this event. I did. But something about that moment.......

Next: Rolling into another Trans Iowa.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Prophetic Word

Craig Cooper does it again. His shop opened up before the start of T.I.v9

"Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Continuing on with stories from Trans Iowa v9..... 

Inspiration can come from odd places, as we know. I'm sure you can think about a word, a moment, that had deep meaning for you, that shaped a decision or path for you, that came unexpectedly, or from a surprising source. I know this has been my experience over the years of my life.

And things dealing with Trans Iowa were not exempt from those inspirational, direction changing moments. Take the aftermath of Trans Iowa v3, where Jason Boucher sent me an e-mail that, for all intents and purposes, extended Trans Iowa events onward for eleven more years. That's pretty big! But that message impacted me hard and it still has an effect upon me today. It was certainly unexpected, but as I say, that can happen and we always need to be aware that what we do and say could be that inspirational moment for someone else.

As I said, Trans Iowa v3 wasn't the only time that happened. It happened again previous to Trans Iowa v9, and it came from an unlikely source again- This time it was my step-father, Jim. He had married my Mom when I was in my late 30's- maybe I was 40 already- anyway... He and my Mom still enjoy a deep, great relationship, and I have a fondness for Jim and we get along well. So, what has any of that got to do with Trans Iowa?

How many more Trans Iowa Sunrises would there be? Image of Sunrise during T.I.v9

Well, Jim often took interest in what I had going on in my life. He was aware, of course, that I put on Trans Iowa then. However; a local librarian, who my Mom and Jim knew well, had a significant other in her life that was a Trans Iowa rider. After talking with my Mom, this librarian figured out I was Guitar Ted, and well, you know..... So, that piqued my step-father's interest in the event even more than it might have.

Well, I think it was at an Easter gathering that Jim was asking me about how long I was going to keep doing Trans Iowa. I confessed to him that I had thought about doing ten, then getting out. This would have been early April, before T.I.v8. Well, my step-father Jim, he poked me in the chest with his finger and smiled while he said, "I think you've got five more of these in you, at least."

I rolled back on my heels and I didn't know what to say. It wasn't what I wanted to hear, necessarily, but deep inside I felt thrilled to hear that. It was odd. Very weird at the moment. And in response to Jim I muttered something to the effect of "Well......maybe....I don't know about that...." And Jim retorted, "Well, I believe you do. I think you've got it in you."

He said he 'believed in me'. That's powerful. So, that really hit me. It stuck. It really is important to have people believe in you and in what you are passionate about. I suppose that was it, really. I did not expect Jim to really feel that way about me and what I was passionate about. I was surprised and touched that he did. I don't think it would have meant as much coming from anyone else either. So, in that respect, it was very significant to Trans Iowa and the people who got to ride in the last four versions of this event. Without Jim's prophetic words, those calls for me to keep Trans Iowa going may have fallen on deaf ears.

But at that time I was not changing my original plans. I still intended to stop after ten Trans Iowas. I mean- Jim didn't have to go through the putting on of this event. I did. But something about that moment.......

Next: Rolling into another Trans Iowa.

Shifting Gears

This has been a looooong time coming. So, hang on, because I have to start this tale at the beginning, and that goes back 17 years and three months ago, give or take a few days. It was 2002, and I had a young daughter, only a year and a half old, and I wanted to get out of the car fixing business. That was a great job with an awesome, business savvy boss and fun co-workers, and I made a LOT of money doing that. I had benefits, a 401K, insurance, and the whole nine yards. But......I didn't want to be THAT kind of father. I was working 60+ hours a week, and I would be dead tired at the end of the day. Plus, I had to work six days a week every other week. It was too much, in my mind, for me to be a good Dad. I needed to change jobs to be the father I was wanting to be.

That's me back in 2005 at my bench. Image probably taken by Jeff Kerkove.

And in September of 2002 I did. I started working at the bike shop.  I ended up being a part timer for many years, with little to no benefits, no  retirement, no insurance, and a boss that was the polar opposite of my boss at the auto repair shop. I took a HUGE pay cut. But in return I didn't have to work nights, weekends, and I got Holidays off. I got one week paid vacation, and later on, two weeks. For a while I got paid holidays too. But the biggest benefit of all was that I could, at a moments notice, take care of family matters with no repercussions. I could be there for my kids to take them to school every morning, and pick them up in the afternoons. I got Wednesdays off for years. This helped a ton with my review work. It was low stress and a lot healthier lifestyle, despite the lack of benefits you'd normally associate with a job. I was very fortunate to be able to raise my two kids in this era of my life with this employment situation. I was also very fortunate that I met many of the people I have met because I was in this job. I am well aware of that part.

But then things went bad. I cannot say much about the business here.  (You know what they say- If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.) As far as how things were going personally, about three years ago, with no warning, my paid vacation and holiday pay were yanked. It became increasingly clear that something was deeply wrong at my place of employment. About a year, year and a half ago, I started looking into my options. The kids are grown, I didn't get the same benefit out of working there anymore. The plan was to move on in the Spring of this year, but circumstances didn't pan out.

Meanwhile, things got worse. My hours were cut again and again due to poor business decisions. Repair and maintenance work disappeared due to the appearances that the shop was in trouble. There was a new shop and many good customers went there instead during late 2019. Things got weird at work with management, then they got weirder. On December 1st, I found out via Facebook that the shop was closing its doors for good on December 31st. (Not that I was surprised, mind you, it was the principle of the thing that got to me) Maybe someday I can release details, but for now, all you need to know is that I no longer work for Europa Cycle & Ski. I terminated my relationship with that shop as of last Friday.

My work area during my last days at the shop.

I knew the end was coming for quite some time and I had been moving my things back home piece by piece over the Spring and Summer. The "situation" has been obvious to many, I know, and I wasn't blind to it either. By the time December came I had pared my tools back to a bare minimum to do basic stuff. Not that there was much to do....

Switching gears now will be tough until I can enter whatever will be my next phase in my employment life. I'm excited for that, and I know I will be a LOT better off than I have been for several years. But until then, I have to muddle through for a while. It'll be okay. I've managed to save some money, and I have some odd jobs lined up. It'll be tight, but change is never easy, is it?

Stay tuned.........

Shifting Gears

This has been a looooong time coming. So, hang on, because I have to start this tale at the beginning, and that goes back 17 years and three months ago, give or take a few days. It was 2002, and I had a young daughter, only a year and a half old, and I wanted to get out of the car fixing business. That was a great job with an awesome, business savvy boss and fun co-workers, and I made a LOT of money doing that. I had benefits, a 401K, insurance, and the whole nine yards. But......I didn't want to be THAT kind of father. I was working 60+ hours a week, and I would be dead tired at the end of the day. Plus, I had to work six days a week every other week. It was too much, in my mind, for me to be a good Dad. I needed to change jobs to be the father I was wanting to be.

That's me back in 2005 at my bench. Image probably taken by Jeff Kerkove.

And in September of 2002 I did. I started working at the bike shop.  I ended up being a part timer for many years, with little to no benefits, no  retirement, no insurance, and a boss that was the polar opposite of my boss at the auto repair shop. I took a HUGE pay cut. But in return I didn't have to work nights, weekends, and I got Holidays off. I got one week paid vacation, and later on, two weeks. For a while I got paid holidays too. But the biggest benefit of all was that I could, at a moments notice, take care of family matters with no repercussions. I could be there for my kids to take them to school every morning, and pick them up in the afternoons. I got Wednesdays off for years. This helped a ton with my review work. It was low stress and a lot healthier lifestyle, despite the lack of benefits you'd normally associate with a job. I was very fortunate to be able to raise my two kids in this era of my life with this employment situation. I was also very fortunate that I met many of the people I have met because I was in this job. I am well aware of that part.

But then things went bad. I cannot say much about the business here.  (You know what they say- If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all.) As far as how things were going personally, about three years ago, with no warning, my paid vacation and holiday pay were yanked. It became increasingly clear that something was deeply wrong at my place of employment. About a year, year and a half ago, I started looking into my options. The kids are grown, I didn't get the same benefit out of working there anymore. The plan was to move on in the Spring of this year, but circumstances didn't pan out.

Meanwhile, things got worse. My hours were cut again and again due to poor business decisions. Repair and maintenance work disappeared due to the appearances that the shop was in trouble. There was a new shop and many good customers went there instead during late 2019. Things got weird at work with management, then they got weirder. On December 1st, I found out via Facebook that the shop was closing its doors for good on December 31st. (Not that I was surprised, mind you, it was the principle of the thing that got to me) Maybe someday I can release details, but for now, all you need to know is that I no longer work for Europa Cycle & Ski. I terminated my relationship with that shop as of last Friday.

My work area during my last days at the shop.

I knew the end was coming for quite some time and I had been moving my things back home piece by piece over the Spring and Summer. The "situation" has been obvious to many, I know, and I wasn't blind to it either. By the time December came I had pared my tools back to a bare minimum to do basic stuff. Not that there was much to do....

Switching gears now will be tough until I can enter whatever will be my next phase in my employment life. I'm excited for that, and I know I will be a LOT better off than I have been for several years. But until then, I have to muddle through for a while. It'll be okay. I've managed to save some money, and I have some odd jobs lined up. It'll be tight, but change is never easy, is it?

Stay tuned.........

Family Time

Squeezing in some time to do review work, but that's about it right now.

I am not real stoked on 2019, I'll tell y'all that right now. This year is going to go down as one of the most down years I've had both personally and professionally in a long time. But that will all come out later. I can't even talk about some of the stuff that is going on now.

Anyway, I wanted to say that several of you must be sensing this because I've been getting a decent amount of "Is everything okay?" messages of late. To you who have reached out. Thank you. It means a lot. But again- I am okay- it's just that several situations suck right now, and getting through this will see me doing better and being stronger. That's what I believe.

Anyway, one of the things I've had to deal with is Mrs.Guitar Ted and her knee issue. She developed pain and a "catch" in her right knee over the Summer which got progressively worse and then we decided it was time to get something done about it. Surgery to scope out what was going on was required, I think they cleaned up a tear in a ligament, (we get the full report Tuesday), and she's been laid up since Friday now. This precipitated my missing the unPAved event in Pennsylvania over the weekend, and I've been real busy doing the job of two parents since then.

So, I've had to stick close to help my wife if she needed anything. That meant I spent a lot of time cleaning the shop. Which, by the way, has been neglected for far too long anyway. So, that was a good thing. I also got my drop bar Badger back in the game, re-upped sealant on the "Orange Crush" BMC, and worked on the Noble Bikes GX5, which had developed a creaking noise.

The creaking wasn't that sort that I associate with a bottom bracket. But it was higher pitched in frequency, which lead me to think pedals, chain ring bolts, or something like that. So, I removed the crank set, a SRAM Force 1X, and checked the bolts. two were loose. So.......hopefully I put the thing back together and rode it. Still had the same creak, but quieter. Hmm..... I did clean the cranks up a bit. I don't know if my cleaning solution got into the interface of aluminum spider and carbon arm, quieting down a creak? Maybe.

At least Noble Bikes used the Wheels MFG Thread Together BB

I still do not think it is the bottom bracket since Noble Bikes had the good sense not to use standard Press Fit plastic crap for cups in a carbon frame. Nope! They used the Wheels MFG Thread Together unit, which I have installed in a few bikes at work. They seemed to quiet the bikes I put them in down quite a lot, and I was happy to see Noble using this component.

I still might remove it and clean everything up just because. It certainly wouldn't hurt. Besides......something is happening soon that will require it anyway. Stay tuned....... I am pretty stoked to have this development happening, and sooner than later I can talk about that. (So, 2019 isn't all bad!) 

So, yeah...... No big bicycle outings for me this past weekend, and probably not for several days yet. Mrs. Guitar Ted is dealing with a fair bit of pain, so far, but the hope is she'll be back going again in a couple weeks or so. In the meantime, family is priority number one here and it has been all hands on deck with me and the two kids pitching in. Oh! By the way, pardon me while I go check on the laundry...........I'll be back tomorrow.

Family Time

Squeezing in some time to do review work, but that's about it right now.

I am not real stoked on 2019, I'll tell y'all that right now. This year is going to go down as one of the most down years I've had both personally and professionally in a long time. But that will all come out later. I can't even talk about some of the stuff that is going on now.

Anyway, I wanted to say that several of you must be sensing this because I've been getting a decent amount of "Is everything okay?" messages of late. To you who have reached out. Thank you. It means a lot. But again- I am okay- it's just that several situations suck right now, and getting through this will see me doing better and being stronger. That's what I believe.

Anyway, one of the things I've had to deal with is Mrs.Guitar Ted and her knee issue. She developed pain and a "catch" in her right knee over the Summer which got progressively worse and then we decided it was time to get something done about it. Surgery to scope out what was going on was required, I think they cleaned up a tear in a ligament, (we get the full report Tuesday), and she's been laid up since Friday now. This precipitated my missing the unPAved event in Pennsylvania over the weekend, and I've been real busy doing the job of two parents since then.

So, I've had to stick close to help my wife if she needed anything. That meant I spent a lot of time cleaning the shop. Which, by the way, has been neglected for far too long anyway. So, that was a good thing. I also got my drop bar Badger back in the game, re-upped sealant on the "Orange Crush" BMC, and worked on the Noble Bikes GX5, which had developed a creaking noise.

The creaking wasn't that sort that I associate with a bottom bracket. But it was higher pitched in frequency, which lead me to think pedals, chain ring bolts, or something like that. So, I removed the crank set, a SRAM Force 1X, and checked the bolts. two were loose. So.......hopefully I put the thing back together and rode it. Still had the same creak, but quieter. Hmm..... I did clean the cranks up a bit. I don't know if my cleaning solution got into the interface of aluminum spider and carbon arm, quieting down a creak? Maybe.

At least Noble Bikes used the Wheels MFG Thread Together BB

I still do not think it is the bottom bracket since Noble Bikes had the good sense not to use standard Press Fit plastic crap for cups in a carbon frame. Nope! They used the Wheels MFG Thread Together unit, which I have installed in a few bikes at work. They seemed to quiet the bikes I put them in down quite a lot, and I was happy to see Noble using this component.

I still might remove it and clean everything up just because. It certainly wouldn't hurt. Besides......something is happening soon that will require it anyway. Stay tuned....... I am pretty stoked to have this development happening, and sooner than later I can talk about that. (So, 2019 isn't all bad!) 

So, yeah...... No big bicycle outings for me this past weekend, and probably not for several days yet. Mrs. Guitar Ted is dealing with a fair bit of pain, so far, but the hope is she'll be back going again in a couple weeks or so. In the meantime, family is priority number one here and it has been all hands on deck with me and the two kids pitching in. Oh! By the way, pardon me while I go check on the laundry...........I'll be back tomorrow.

Minus Ten Review - 2009-40

On a "head clearing ride" ten years ago.

Ten years ago here on the blog I wrote about the usual stuff: Trans Iowa, 29"ers, and a bit about Mid-West gravel events coming in the near future. But there was one thing that weighed really heavily on my mind that entire week. The fall-out due to this news I received was tough to deal with as well.

I never really let on what it was that was going on here. But now I can say that back then we had news that my father-in-law had a stroke. He was going to require open heart surgery. It was a time when we thought we might be losing him.

As you can imagine, news of that sort can shake you to your core. My wife's father was a classy, old-school Army veteran of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He could be very gentle and kind, but he had a countenance of a stern sergeant when he was angry. He was wise, and he had great stories about having been an over-the-road truck driver, the career after the Army, that he engaged in until his retirement just a year or so before this health scare.

He made it through this, but in 2017, on Easter morning, he died. He was an amazing father-in-law to me. I guess I must have been looked upon as a good son-in-law, because I recall how Frank, that was his name, would suddenly pipe up and tell me remembrances of the war while we were alone, quietly watching T.V. in his home in El Paso, Texas. According to my wife, he never told anyone else these stories.......

Well, back in 2009, this news of Frank's health scare caused a sudden trip for my wife, and a cancellation of my attendance to the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, which was supposed to happen the following week. I felt awful for backing out, but my brother, MG, well he took over the reins and said not to worry. Anyway..... That helped, for sure, but I still felt badly. So, two major bummers a decade ago.

Next week I'll have more to say about the ill-fated Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Minus Ten Review - 2009-40

On a "head clearing ride" ten years ago.

Ten years ago here on the blog I wrote about the usual stuff: Trans Iowa, 29"ers, and a bit about Mid-West gravel events coming in the near future. But there was one thing that weighed really heavily on my mind that entire week. The fall-out due to this news I received was tough to deal with as well.

I never really let on what it was that was going on here. But now I can say that back then we had news that my father-in-law had a stroke. He was going to require open heart surgery. It was a time when we thought we might be losing him.

As you can imagine, news of that sort can shake you to your core. My wife's father was a classy, old-school Army veteran of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He could be very gentle and kind, but he had a countenance of a stern sergeant when he was angry. He was wise, and he had great stories about having been an over-the-road truck driver, the career after the Army, that he engaged in until his retirement just a year or so before this health scare.

He made it through this, but in 2017, on Easter morning, he died. He was an amazing father-in-law to me. I guess I must have been looked upon as a good son-in-law, because I recall how Frank, that was his name, would suddenly pipe up and tell me remembrances of the war while we were alone, quietly watching T.V. in his home in El Paso, Texas. According to my wife, he never told anyone else these stories.......

Well, back in 2009, this news of Frank's health scare caused a sudden trip for my wife, and a cancellation of my attendance to the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, which was supposed to happen the following week. I felt awful for backing out, but my brother, MG, well he took over the reins and said not to worry. Anyway..... That helped, for sure, but I still felt badly. So, two major bummers a decade ago.

Next week I'll have more to say about the ill-fated Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Minus Ten Review 2009-31

I still have the frame and fork. I should throw this back together again!

Ten years ago this week I was out riding the South Side of Camp Ingawanis, now known as Ingawanis Woodland, or simply by "Ingie" as the locals know it now. Back a decade ago you could count how many people rode out there in a month on one hand.

There was a white board you were supposed to sign in on, and back then weeks would go by before it had to be erased because there were so many names it was full. I bet that would happen in a single day on a nice weekend now. But back then, the locals didn't want anything to do with driving ten miles to get to good single track. Too much bother!

Now it is no biggie, apparently. Times change and all......

Used to be a race out there too. The first one was ten years ago, and I helped volunteer for it. I keep getting reminded of this by my son. This race is a chief memory for him and he recalls being at "that race in the woods" that we counted bikers at. Keep in mind that he was all of six years old, and barely that. I mean, what can you recall vividly from being six years old? I know I cannot remember much. (But what's new, right? Ha!)

I know it was a big deal to him as he will bring up this memory at random times. I guess it was welded into his consciousness as a "big adventure" with his Dad. I don't know, but here's a piece of advice for any Dads out there that may be reading this that have youginz- You never know what will impact your child and be of importance to them in later years. Be wise- Be good. Keep your promises. Never dismiss a memory your child has even if you think it was no big deal. 

Nuff said.

Minus Ten Review 2009-31

I still have the frame and fork. I should throw this back together again!

Ten years ago this week I was out riding the South Side of Camp Ingawanis, now known as Ingawanis Woodland, or simply by "Ingie" as the locals know it now. Back a decade ago you could count how many people rode out there in a month on one hand.

There was a white board you were supposed to sign in on, and back then weeks would go by before it had to be erased because there were so many names it was full. I bet that would happen in a single day on a nice weekend now. But back then, the locals didn't want anything to do with driving ten miles to get to good single track. Too much bother!

Now it is no biggie, apparently. Times change and all......

Used to be a race out there too. The first one was ten years ago, and I helped volunteer for it. I keep getting reminded of this by my son. This race is a chief memory for him and he recalls being at "that race in the woods" that we counted bikers at. Keep in mind that he was all of six years old, and barely that. I mean, what can you recall vividly from being six years old? I know I cannot remember much. (But what's new, right? Ha!)

I know it was a big deal to him as he will bring up this memory at random times. I guess it was welded into his consciousness as a "big adventure" with his Dad. I don't know, but here's a piece of advice for any Dads out there that may be reading this that have youginz- You never know what will impact your child and be of importance to them in later years. Be wise- Be good. Keep your promises. Never dismiss a memory your child has even if you think it was no big deal. 

Nuff said.

Minus Ten Review 2009-23

The start of the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200. From the original start in a motel parking lot.

Ten years ago this week I was telling the story of my 2009 attempt at the Dirty Kanza 200. The year I had a wicked head cold and barely made CP#1.

That year saw, what I reported then as, 85 folks taking the start. Imagine that! The DK200 pre-ride has three times that many riders! It was a much smaller and much more intimate affair back in the day.

This would mark the beginning of the end of those days though. The next year, 2010, marked the year the event started in front of the Granada Theater for the first time and the pre-race was at a different motel than we had used the first four years. 2010 was also the last year I went to the DK until 2015. By 2015 the event was BIG TIME. Nothing at all like the halcyon days of yore that built the foundation of what people think of as the "rootsy, good feeling event" when they think about the DK200 these days.

Anyway, I happened to walk out onto the back patio of the seedy motel the DK200 used to run out of that year in 2009. I saw a man talking to Jim Cummings. He was a local business man and was telling Jim that this deal oughta be held downtown. There could be side events, more hoopla, getting the town involved, and "whatta ya think?". Well, we all know where that went after that conversation.

And I went on a vacation right after that. In fact, I went with my family and we stayed a few days in Bellevue, Nebraska where my wife had a best friend and her family ask us to stay with them. This gave me the opportunity to sample some fine Nebraska single track and have MG as my personal guide to it all. The THOR trails were great then, but I understand they are even better now.

This might be from near the top of Texaco Hill. The '09 route went South that year to start.

I did a bit of Swanson Park myself and with MG again. I also rode Jewell Park, which was short, but steep and demanding. I also got down to Platte River and rode, which was tremendously fun and challenging. All in all it was a big deal to me to have that opportunity and to have ridden with MG so much.

I did a big write up on the experience for "Twenty Nine Inches" and this blog, plus I think I sent my story in to be published in a Nebraska magazine. I don't remember, but I am pretty sure that happened. If I am right, it was one of my first published articles in a print magazine. Pretty good for only having been a blogger for four years!

So, it all ended up becoming a great trip, despite the sting of being snake bitten again in Kansas. I chalked that year up to just the misfortune of being sick, and to the weather. It was in the high 90's, maybe over 100 that year, and the wind was fierce! There hasn't been a year like it in recent memory. So, I figured one more go at it at the least and I could see what I could do with fresher legs and healthier lungs. I immediately gave thought to coming back the next year.