It's Been Swell

Edge arrived in Columbia last Spring with a short list of things to accomplish before the day came when he'd be on his way again and would leave ole South Carolina.

Move into new apartment with screen door.  Check.

Overcome fear of the ubiquitous giant white shark.  Check.

Start drinking a beer in March...

Help baby elephant reclaim its dignity.  Check.

Single-handedly lower the price of gas for the Leprochauns.  Check.

Stick it to the Governor.  Check.

Finally finish beer six months later with pals from work.  Total Check!

Well, that's everything on the list.  Having conquered Columbia, Edge has now surrendered his screen door in favor of a sweet back porch in the mountains of North Carolina.  The only item on his list for the move, was not to forget Miss Kitty.

So long 100 degree Columbia blacktop!  ¡Adios la ciudad de mucho calor!

It's been swell.

More Asheville Awesomeness

Or, the day we couldn't find Kenny.

Well, the weekend began auspiciously enough, with a nice casual ride in the Pisgah National Forest Saturday afternoon, in preparation for a group ride in Dupont the following day. Instead of climbing the usual 45 degree angled service roads, we opted for the more pleasant 60 degree angled root gullies.

The serenity of the mountains made it easy to contemplate important issues, like, what will the ride tomorrow be like? Will it be as easy as today? Will it be as beautiful? Who will bring the beer?

The mountains said nothing.

"Hey Jerm, exactly who is coming, anyway?"

Jerm was extremely busy holding the roof up on a cave so I could get through without getting squashed. But in between breaths, he managed to relay that of course Cane Creek Eric and KB were coming, and as a special treat, so were El Ciclo Mundo and Kenny!

Sunday came, and with it another swell tour of Dupont State Forest. El CM came, as did everyone else on the list. But after hours of waiting, it became clear that something was amiss...where was Kenny?

CC Eric: "I just checked the woods, and Kenny wasn't there."

Edge: "Yeah, and I just checked Big Rock, but all I saw was a drunk guy going like this---I looked, but it wasn't Kenny. "

CC Eric: Hey, do you think we should leave your bike up here so Kenny can find us?"

Edge: "Naw, let's leave a blood trail instead, that way I can still ride my bike down the mountain."

El CM: "I'm getting hungry. Let's head back and go get lunch - maybe Kenny is waiting for us in town somewhere waiting to eat."

We tried, but after three hours of wondering, the group conceded the fact Kenny just wasn't going to make the ride that day, and we were all really bummed about it.

Then something very strange happened!! After I got home and enlarged our group fun photo by 5000x, I saw the very fellow who had been missing from our company all day long...Kenny! Had he been there the entire time?? Does it look like he's trying to say something to us?! Ooo that's creepy...The Ghost of J.R., indeed...

Rivers Edge Mountain Bike Marathon

First Place

So I ran up to Charlotte for the Rivers Edge 50 mile marathon, once again not knowing what was awaiting me!

The course was slippery when wet and fast when dry, with a couple of climbs thrown in for good measure. Right out the gate I saw my opportunity to move to the front and took advantage of it! Escaping the traffic jams, I began to settle in and focus on what lay in front of me.

After a couple of ping pong ventures with some trees and a reminder of how slippery roots can get,

I got a grip on things and set a pace that would only be bested by Andy Applegate and Rick Ryle.

After 4 laps I ended up 3rd overall and 1st in my class. I had a great time at the Whitewater Center and enjoyed some Widmer Brothers post race beer before heading to the awards.

Many thanks to the Hoffenchard support crew, and to Cane Creek Eric and his missus for allowing me to extend my stay in the NC mountains and cool down at Dupont on Sunday. Awesome!