Leaderboard

The short version. It was a tough day, conditions were challenging, I rode approx. 65 miles and dropped out at checkpoint #2. The extended version. We rolled out at 7:00 am on Saturday. Temp was in the low 20sF. The trail was in good shape and conditions were fast. We passed checkpoint #1 at mile 7, then did a 23 mile loop and circled back to it. I was here by 11:00 am. You had to stop and boil a pot of water. This went well. I had some soup, moose, and refilled my bottles. I was out by 11:30. At this pace I thought I could make CP#2 by sunset at 5:00. It had been snowing since the start and the snow started to stack up. Then we saw the snow machines. They were out in full force churning up the fresh snow and making the trail unrideable. We pushed our bikes and rode when we could. I dropped my tire pressure as low as I could go. We pushed to West Yellowstone and I arrived around 8:00 pm. My knees were shot and I knew I did not want to press on so I dropped out and caught a ride back. One of cabin mates set the 200 mile course record at 24 hours. He's a pro rider. The 200 mile event left on Friday and the conditions were pretty good. Another cabin mate finished the 200 miles course in 36 hours on a single speed. All three of us in the 200 km event scratched. All of our 200 mile cabin mates finished. They are all tough as nails. The person who finished 2nd in the 200 mile event had his crank arm fall off. Then he broke his tool repairing it. He had to stop repeatedly and tighten it with just the nub of the tool.

Grilled cheese samich with mater and bacon

Did a 45 miles on riding the river at a extremely fast race pace. My son is older than some of the guys I was riding with today. I still had a blast.

I took the kids up to Washington's Crossing to see the river. Worth the trip, and I can almost feel my face again.

I’m traveling in Dayton Ohio. Going to Texas Roadhouse in a few minutes. It’s right by the hotel. I’m staying in a Holiday Inn Express tonight, so expect some astute posts from me tomorrow.

The cold weather has brought more deer.

Top of the pass, heading home.

2 mile run in the snow with Shila.

After my son-in-law and I got their furnace running again, I noticed every so often it would run/stop/re-ignite/run/stop/re-ignite/run so I kept checking it during the day. Towards evening I noticed a hot electronics smell and saw the case for the burner controller looked deformed from heat. So we shut it down and noticed it was installed upside down - the case even said 'DO NOT INSTALL THIS SIDE UP'. Some goober had installed it the wrong way. Between that and the frequent cycling, I figured that the internal components had overheated, deforming the case. I watched the furnace go through several cycles, and it fired normally. I figured the controller would need to be replaced, but hoped to make it last until Monday. No such luck. Sunday morning I noticed the thermostat was set for 66 and it was 60 in the house. I checked the furnace and the pilot was igniting, but no main burner. It was 10 degrees outside. After calling a number of heating companies with no luck, I suggested to my daughter she call her neighbors who had lived in the area for decades. They recommended a company; we called and the company would send someone over in a few hours. In the meantime I started the water running in all the sinks to keep the pipes from freezing. The tech came around noon, changed out the controller and still the furnace didn't run properly. He noticed (as I had) the burner tubes had gaps in places and located a set replacement tubes. After replacing these, the furnace ran better but still not the way it was supposed to. He pulled apart chimney and found the baffle in the draft hood had fallen down on top of the furnace firebox, restricting air flow. After pulling that out, he saw that the furnace was pretty well clogged with soot. In short, it looked like none of the previous owners had ever serviced the furnace. Eventually, after taking everything apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together he spent about 8 hours at the house. I was working on other stuff in the basement, and he called me over to show me what needed to be done. He was right on every account. The furnace worked very well when he finished, and I felt better because the risk of flames blowing out the firebox and carbon monoxide build up was eliminated. I very much appreciated that the tech didn't just throw in a new controller and walk away, because the furnace needed more work than that. And while all the furnace work was going in, my son-in-law and I finished making the interior storm windows for the first floor. Here's what one looks like installed: Not a great picture with the sun coming in the window, but I guess that shows the contraption doesn't cut down the light. My daughter is quite happy, she says the first floor is more comfortable than it was all last winter and at any time this winter. She says there's no more cold drafts rolling off the windows and across the floors. Now part of that may be due to the temperature being 10 degrees warmer and the wind dying down considerably, but I think even with that my son-in-law and I can claim a measure of success from installing these.

The Tug Toner is WAY BETTER than the Shake Weight.

Not since I left Japan.

After this I think Letterman found a way to work the word "Gillooly" into every show for the next eight months.

My dad would recommend feeding them bird shot at high velocity.

Walleye is popular I would smoke fish..but it is hard to light

No, you are thinking of monogamy.

BAD ASS no matter what

Back before I took up cycling and we would go for family rides in the neighborhood my youngest son used to get bored waiting on mom and dad to catch up on the hills so he would ride back down to the bottom and do the hills a second time. He usually passed us a second time before we reached the top.

Nice of you to have some snackies on the table for the more refined deer!

Pizza, Accumulation IPA, date bar.

Just under a mile on snowshoes, and just over 2 miles on the fattie. The bike miles we're really hard. The trail I had been stomping with my snowshoes got "groomed" or panked by the guy who does it, and he kinda trashed it. I knew I shouldn't have called to ask about it yesterday. F#*! Gave up and got myself to the snowmobile trail to get out. bleh.

From my trek onto the pier yesterday...

I recognized that right away. This is the CX650C I used to have.

28.6 relatively flat miles. Pace was a bit more risk because I didnt get started as soon as I should and I had to get back for church.

It's amazing that of the 40 or so that we feed in the winter, none seem to be around during hunting season. I think they go on vacation.

40 on the roadie with the missus. Riding is coming along pretty good. I finished strong and attacked the main hill if the ride, then turned around and did it again. I had to hold back at the top on the second time up as it would've been bad ju ju to do the hill twice and catch and pass my wife on the second time up the climb when she only did it once.

Oh freddled gruntbuggly, Thy micturations are to me,(with big yawning) As plurdled gabbleblotchits, On a lurgid bee, That mordiously hath blurted out, Its earted jurtles, grumbling Into a rancid festering confectious organ squealer. [drowned out by moaning and screaming] Now the jurpling slayjid agrocrustles, Are slurping hagrilly up the axlegrurts, And living glupules frart and stipulate, Like jowling meated liverslime,

...so I figure it is about time I post a photo or two for the crowd here! He occupies some prime real estate! Tom

Family Christmas at Mom's last Saturday. Same thing every year, we know who brings what food, menu doesn't change. We used to do a Dollar Store Mean Santa exchange, but my family has too many party poopers so no gifts this year. Except from my mother to all her grand and great grandkids, and my wife does all that shopping. And wrapping. And she wrapped little gifts for everyone else anyway. And we do most of the cooking, including the addition of turkey responsibility this year since my sister blew it off and went to Florida. And purchase beer and wine. Haul all that food, drink and gifts to Mom's. And we show up early to clean and set up, leave late after cleaning up. Yeah, pretty much we throw the party at Mom's. So after buying the turkey we find out about extra guests, throw a chicken in a pot because it's going to be 10 degrees and soup would be nice, make chicken salad with the extra meat. Oh, right. This is all about cold Turkey. Mom gets all upset that we brought chicken soup, that wasn't on the menu!!! We had cooked the turkey that morning, it was still warm. So I turn the oven to warm while I start making gravy. "Why is the oven on?!" "NO! the turkey is served COLD!!! And what's this gravy? You don't put gravy on cold turkey!!!". So I turned the oven off but finished the gravy. Niece shows up, sees warm turkey on the counter, turns on the oven. "This is getting cold". Mom freaks out again. "Turkey is COLD". By now, word has gotten out, it's 10 degrees. People want their Turkey hot. Doesn't matter, "turkey is COLD". So mom gets distracted, the chef nephew dumps the gravy in the turkey and throws it all in the oven. Everyone had a good laugh a few minutes later hearing "get that OUT of the oven!!" from the kitchen. By the end of the day she wasn't mad at any of them, since the last major issue was her discovering chicken salad on the menu and I told her I changed the menu this year. Mom's a hoot.

I wonder if Carrie Underwood used one of these with her new dong?

I think you are right, he did really handle his divorce in the best way possible, and marrying Buff Carla was really cool.

He was on the right side of history? Tom

You're not supposed to mention that Tom

The freemasons run the place.

Let them eat cake.

Corn. We used to see them in the fields of harvested corn.

As a vegan, I think he pulls these off rather well.

Three sets of twins were found at midnight, and two ewes that followed the others into the barn have each had a set of twins. It has been a busy night. Hopefully, I can get a quick nap.

good morning. working from home until my appt to get the last of the stitches (the last MOHS procedure) out.

well considering this is the warmest its been in three weeks, it feels good up until yesterday, the hottest its been was 12°

ty. It's 34° out feels like spring...relatively speaking

My fish are all TREMENDOUS!

I think I probably need to ramp up the exercise. All that really bothers me aboot the commute is the expense and lost time for exercise. I'll speed up my dog walks once the temps go over 20 or so and see if Ruby can hack it.

I would rather look at pictures of it on the computer from the comfort of my house.

Shrimp, fake crab, saute'd zucchini and onion mixed with EVOO, garlic and herbs topped with parmesan. Pretty tasty.

Womaxx loves this stuff. I'm just the gopher who lugs the 50lb bags of corn and other stuff around. Youngest son takes most of the pics not that don't come from the infrared "deer cam". I'm just amazed when sometimes I look out and find her in the yard with a bunch of them standing nearby waiting for her to move away from the food. She opens a window sometimes and talks to them.

That bread looks raw.... needs more grilling