Upgrade?

It was hard to do, but now it's done. This one was a surprise find at the time, and a real bargain to boot. Here, it's stripped and cleaned, ready for an easy retirement of logging roads and bike paths with it's future new owner, unless he backs out... in which case it may become a project, rigid fork SS.

In the last 10 years it's...
-carried me through the STP (with slicks of course)
-been ridden all over the GPNF, western WA, and sporadic rides on the dry side
-been ridden in CA, ID, MT, KS, NE
-carried my nephew up a tough local climb to earn his own new bike
-about 5000 miles of crashes, stories, photos and memories
-had most of the parts upgraded at least once

This one was a very good deal, but not AS good. It does have several things I have been wanting however, thus, rationalization + deep sale $$$ = new bike...

In it's first two weeks, it's carried me to Ecola SP in OR (fork locked out), and today, it got baptized in springtime WA mud. I had significantly reduced my time on dirt in the past few years because I had to travel to get to good trails, not an easy thing to do once junior came on-scene. But in the last couple of years there have been some really good local trails built. It feels really good to play in the mud!

...and I've got a lot of ridin' to do to honor the old horse.

Spring getaway

Friday...
Lazy morning, which turned into frenzied packing for a weekend trip. Play date at a "bouncy house" with a friend and fellow Fengcheng family. My how they are growing!


Then on to the beach. Nearly 70 degrees, calm, and clear. Hung out on the deck, walked, relaxed. The evening looked like this, and yes, it really is March...


Saturday...
Slept in. The day dawned beautifully, then proceeded to get WINDY, and foggy/overcast. The kind were everything is wet and soggy even though it isn't actually raining. A walk on the beach was a "put your back into it" affair thanks to the wind. Even the dogs couldn't hack it for long. I took the new ride for a spin to Ecola SP where I met a line of traffic 1/4 mile back from the top, idling and spewing out exhaust while enroute to look at paradise. I turned around and settled for a photo op on the dunes. Elly and Tina enjoyed some quality time playing and hanging out. I came back from my ride to find this...


Sunday...
Another late morning, which is a rarity in our household. I tried Ecola SP again. At the base of the road, I found a young elk standing resolutely in the middle of the road. Then, in the brush about 30 feet off the pavement, about 10 elk, including three bulls. Of course they were on the move by the time I got a camera out...


...then upward to Ecola. This time I found only three cars in the parking lot. Today was supposed to be the day with the bad weather, but it was actually pretty nice. Very little wind, mild temps, overcast. Not complaining. The view from here is one of my favorites, regardless of the weather...


Then, play time, re-pack, the mandatory stop at the Outlet Stores, and home again. Too soon...

Happy Birthdays this month to Aidan, Jo-Jo, DeMarcus and Holden!