Hustle & Flow Dirt Jumping

Yesterday's Hustle & Flow Race at Highbridge Park was insane! So much fun! I wish I had raced. I did the next best thing though; photographed the action. Here is an image gallery for those of you looking for your pictures from the dirt jumping activities:

• Dirt Jumping Gallery

More riding.

I can't get enough of my new mountain bike. After putting it (and myself) through some serious abuse at Highbridge Park yesterday, I decided to ride it to work today.

I set out at 6:25 this morning which is the time I usually leave my house to catch the bus to the train to Yonkers. I arrived at work a couple of minutes before 7:00; my usual arrival time.

The ride was fantastic. The weather was beautiful; perfect for a commute from upper Manhattan through the Bronx and into Yonkers. I rode at a leisurely pace and enjoyed the sites, sounds and smells of NYC in the morning. Traveling north on Broadway, I crossed the Harlem Canal watching and listening to my knobby tires hum atop the metal grates. Below I watched the canal flowing by while bright morning sunlight pelted me on my entrance to Marble Hill. Continuing up Broadway I rode under the 1 Train. The loud rumble of train cars above me gave cause for some serious introspection about where I am in life and what I'm doing. I love my job, I love my wife, family & friends and I love being able to ride as much as I do. Life is good my friends.

Highbridge... again

What an awesome ride I had at Highbridge Park today. I met a guy who led me down some new trails which were super great. The riding reminded me a lot of the huckle I used to ride at the Watershed in Frederick, MD.

I floundered my way through the first few technical downhill sections but by the end of the ride I was feeling very much in the zone and was able to flow pretty well.

I'm super happy that my wrist is holding up so well. That's my biggest fear in re-entering the mountain biking scene. I don't have the mobility that I used to have and it's been getting quite a work out when I pull on the bars for leverage on those steep climbs. I think I'll tape it up for the next ride.

Life is good, life is good!

Highbridge Park

I rushed home from work today, slapped my spuds on the new GT and spun 7 blocks down to Highbridge Park. I got about 25 minutes of riding in before the rain really came down. The trails were wet but not so wet that I was damaging them so I explored as much as I could. it was fantastic to be rolling through twisty singletrack with a cityscape popping out above the treetops and the sound of the 1 Train and traffic in the background. I think I discovered another hidden gem in this great city.

My skills have definitely degraded during the several years spent away from knobby tired bikes. i had a hell of time hopping up some steep sections and was barely clearing obstacles I jumped. I'm not worried, it'll come.

I can't wait for the Hustle & Flow Race on Saturday. I'll be using the GT and the Nikon.

New wheels

I'm giddy. That's right; Giddy damn it! My new wheels came in the mail today. It's a GT Peace. Most people don't know that my cycling roots are in dirt (pun intended). Though the last 7 years or so I haven't ridden any huckle and have had a diet of strict asphalt and a couple seasons of cyclocross racing. The bike is spec'd out pretty well, although I see a suspension fork in my future. I was stoked to build it up and take it out for a quick first ride in the rapidly fading evening light of upper Manhattan. It's not the lightest bike, but it isn't super heavy either.

I got it out on the street and pulled a wheelie that I was able to ride for a very surprisingly long time, turning the bars and rolling my feet around the sides of the pedals to keep my balance. (shocked to have even that little bit of skill left in me) I pumped north under then 1 Train and cut west into Inwood Park. I spun up into the woods and hung out under the Henry Hudson Bridge catching my breath and grinning at thoughts of a super sweet summer at Highbridge Park. Descending down a small section of singletrack in almost total darkness I shocked myself when I cleared a twisting stair section built into the side of a hill. Getting back behind the saddle and rolling down the steps was a big rush. Then out onto the smooth pavement of the Park I rolled and up the hill I pumped to Broadway.

Wahoooo!

Nostalgia

I'm a very nostalgic person. The truck pictured below is a source of very happy memories for me. In the winter of 1994, my friend and I spent the night in this truck. At that time, we were camping out almost every other day in the small plot of woods behind the grocery store in my home town of Sherrill, NY. In the winter, we often built snow shelters and slept in them. On one particular night we snowshoed back into the woods and decided to pack the truck full of snow and use it as our shelter for the night. Last week, I stopped my home town, while traveling on business. On a whim, I pulled behind the grocery store and took a walk back into the woods. My heart raced when I saw the truck, buried in dense thicket and seemingly untouched since I last saw it.
view the entire set of truck photos here.

Loblaws - Erie, PA

I spent this past week about 1.5 hours south of Buffalo, NY at Lake Chataugua. I was only about 20 minutes away from Lake Erie, so I took a drive down and checked it out. Turns out there isn't a whole lot going on in Erie. I did find a closed down strip mall which was pretty interesting. The entire parking lot was covered with moss. There was an easy way inside of the grocery store, but I opted not to go in - I didn't have my asbestos mask or tripod with me.

Nature Call

I celebrated Passover this past weekend in Stanfordville, NY with my wife and her family. In the woods behind her grandfather's house, there is an old dumping area. I take a walk back and root around every time I visit. Plenty of old cans, glass bottles and car parts. This time, much to my dismay, someone had hauled a lot of it away. There were, however, a few phones scattered about. Kind of funny; I thought to myself: "good day for phones..."

copper

Since I've moved to NY, my 5th floor bedroom window has proven, on several occasions, to be a great vantage point for interesting photos.