I'm alive.

Wow, I haven't blogged since June 14th. I haven't had a gap open up like this since I was shelled in my very first criterium back in 2006! Nevertheless I'm back. I've been really busy and to be honest, pretty unhappy so I haven't felt much like reporting. I'm going to make this blog entry a quick & dirty overview of the past five weeks. That being said; onward with the quick & dirty:

Work:

I've been traveling a lot lately. Work has taken me to some pretty neat areas in the following states: TX, NC, SC, GA, IL, MD & VA. I really enjoy auditing the systems of different companies. The products and processes I see are extremely interesting to me and I really enjoy getting a close look at the state of the art technology these companies are utilizing. The project is now entering the final design stage and the car is going to look SHARP! At this point, it's a violation of company policy to release an image of the latest design, but as soon as the design is made public, I will be sure to post a few images; it's pretty sleek looking!

Hiking/Camping:

With all of the recent traveling, I haven't had that much time to get out in the woods. Two weekends ago however, my friend Jay and I hiked in to Island Pond at Harriman State Park in NJ. The hike in to the pond is only 1.25 miles of pretty brutal uphill, but the pay off is a refreshing pond. There are plenty of large rocks from which you can jump and there's a nice little island in the middle of the pond where you can lounge about and work on your tan. We had a really great time when we were there, to include cooking up some ribs and mac & cheese for dinner! The picture above was taken when I awoke in my tent at Island Pond.

Riding:

I don't know if I ever reported that the Lefty (suspension fork) on my Cannondale is busted. When I was out in Colorado, I blew the lock-out feature of this unit. It's a shame because I was really loving the Lefty's plush performance and the ability to lock-out the suspension on climbs and road sections. At any rate, my Cannondale is sitting in the living room until I get around to shipping it out to Mendon Cyclesmith (Lefty experts) in upstate NY for failure analysis and repair. In the mean time I have been riding my singlespeed (pictured below) whenever I get the chance. Last weekend my friend Dave and I rode at Sprain Ridge Park in Yonkers and had a truly epic ride! The trail conditions were perfect: dusty dry and practically empty. We didn't see another rider on the trails the whole time (3 hours). I was a bit hesitant to try out my tires (Kenda Small Block Eight's) for fear that a storm would turn the dusty trails to slimy booger-luge. But, the weather held and the riding was superb! I even busted out some trials moves from waaaaay back in the day. I was lazy enough NOT to post it on Vimeo, but you can download the QuickTime file here if you care to see me ride on picnic tables as if I were a 14 year old.

Lately, I've been getting out on the road bike after work. I get home from work around 5:15 which leaves plenty of time to skip across the GW Bridge and into NJ to ride north along the Palisades. Once in NJ, if you head 15 miles, or so, north, the riding gets very hilly. I typically turn around once I'm 12 or 13 miles out, making for a respectable (in my eyes) loop. There once was a time when I actually enjoyed riding hills. Those days are gone! So, these rides are pretty enjoyable! Also, I should mention that the fixed gear is riding like a dream. Ever since I gave the drivetrain an overhaul, it's been a tight and quiet ride. She's tip-top! I spent this past Saturday boppin' around Harlem and just really enjoyed exploring, getting lost and pretty much pedaling for the sake of pedaling (Sometimes I just head out the door without a destination in mind - spontaneity usually gets the best of me).