JesseParker.com

Went riding at Mount Herman again, this time with some decent tour guides.. There are a lot of trails out there, and some are good while others aren't so good. So all the ones today were on the good list. I need to remember that for next time I ride alone out there after work. Riding flat sandy trails in the blazing sun isn't usually worth it.. I got a new dérailleur and shifters last week, the dérailleur has more clearance for things like rocks and stuff (sits closer to the spokes). It works well, but I still beat it up a bit at palmer last ride. I haven't had a new dérailleur and shifter in a long time, it's pretty sweet to be able to use all my gears again. A bit of information from the late great Sheldon Brown about the funny words above: Traditionally, in U.S. usage, the gear-change mechanism we all know and love has been called a "derailleur." This is actually a French word, but it is commonly pronounced in an anglicized manner, as "de-RAIL-er...

Sure has some cool geology. Excellent trails too..

I wonder if any of the things that were in these bottles would help my throat feel better? Probably not the hair balsam. This must be what it's like in the real world. If I don't feel well, I can just stay home and rest. And not even worry about work. Cool....

From the high point on Captain Jacks, a good ride. A bit of snow on the north facing slopes, but the crushed granite makes it ridable even then. All the other slopes were dry. This poor family was led by mom into the middle of the road, where she proceeded to stand there and watch here 6 kids try and get hit by a car. Being the good Samaritan I am, I chased them off the road and back into the woods. I didn't enjoy chasing stupid little deer at all, not one bit.. really.. Natural selection may not take too long with this family. Rats like to eat.. My original gorrilapod broke, so I picked up this beast yesterday. Can hold my big camera and small camera, and about 4 rats I suppose. And remember:

Is pretty swell..

I was fast when I was a kid. So fast my teeth fell out....

Went for a nice ride after work, and decided to bring the camera along. I'll skip the commentary and use the captions to tell the story. I needed powerfood, so I used the vending machine at work to help me taste the rainbow: I got a sweet altimeter watch from REI for 20 bucks. Someone returned it claiming it was stuck in "demo mode". The watch doesn't even have a demo mode and a 3 dollar battery later, I had a functional (but huge) altimeter for bikes and such. Helps me realize why I can't breathe. The ride starts with some cool trail, then some fire road, then this. This trail is called stupid, and is part of the reason I invested in knee/shin pads. If the rocks don't get you, the sadistic scrub oak will. Looks nice eh? I forgot to mention I forgot my bike shorts so I wore my slacks: More rocks, further down the trail My favorite part, a strange wasteland of dead trees, rocks, and shrubs. I'm not sure why there are no trees here, but I'll figu...