Mark's Cycling & Hiking Blog
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups

Clear Creek Hike

1/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We gathered and we hiked, Steve Oxley, Eva, Flyin Tuna, Mark C, Eve and me.  Clear Creek trails are hilly with some good climbs but to access you have to drive south of Lancaster so it's a long drive for some of us.  I brought a weighted backpack just to burn more calories.  Just after we started....
Picture
...Eva began to wonder if she had locked her car.  I assured her I had seen her hit the remote several times but she ran back and locked it again.  This is ok but if she began to worry about it again, then we have a full fledged serior moment going on.  She did not repeat.  We climbed out of the valley on the trail to the east of Starner Road and.....
Picture
.....ran into Donna, Richard and Jeff F trudging in the opposite direction.  We split into our respective groups and continued.  Closing on the  picnic area, the straps on my pack had begun to grind through flesh and bone so I turned around.  Eventually, I finished with a little over 8 miles while the others had 12.  I guess having to cut it short defeated the purpose of carrying an extra 35 pounds.  On the walk back, I noted the south facing slopes had no snow but snow was forecast to come late Saturday night so probably won't look like that in a day. 
Picture
Saturday morning, January 31st, there will be a group hike from Clear Creek Metro Park, parking at the lot next to Starner Road.  About 9 miles of hiking bliss.  Pace won't be too hard and you need the exercise so meet us at 10:00am.  You don't need hiking boots, just ordinary running shoes should be fine so don't let equipment get in your way.

Below, an AZ hiking buddy sent me this image of a summit register they found during a hike this week.  One looooong month to go before my return.
Picture
0 Comments

PGA Merchandise Show

1/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
If I have to be in Orlando at the PGA Merchandise Show, walking and talking, having a room on the top floor of the Rosen Plaza hotel with a view of the west and a setting sun each night, isn't bad.  When you wear running shoes every day of the year, wearing dress shoes for 3 days is kind of painful.  Wearing T-shirts every day of the year and then going to a collared shirt with jacket, feels odd.  Well, on my way back to Ohio, stopping at a Hampton Inn outside Knoxville and be in the great state of Ohio on Saturday afternoon. 
0 Comments

Still Ridin in Clermont, FL

1/18/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
I parked next to Minneola Lake and on a lovely morning of sun and 70 degrees, shoved off on a day that was also very windy, Sunday, 20mph out of the NW.
Picture
I reached the top of Sugarloaf Mountain and there as usual was the home where a retired air force guy puts out fresh water for cyclists, every day. I'd like to meet him some day and express my gratitude for his service to cyclists and our country.
Picture
After slogging through hills that few of you would believe are possible in Florida, I headed east and eventually got into flat land, stopped at a gas station for the usual stuff and headed back to Clermont, finishing with 57 miles and 2300' of climbing.  My legs were toast after this ride came on the heels of others the previous days.  Well, got to make the short drive to Orlando on Monday and check in to the Rosen Plaza for a few days of hanging out with boring golfer people.
1 Comment

Righting a Wrong

1/16/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Unlikely there has ever been a more glaring oversight by the blog, but I failed my fellow cyclists by not alerting them to the accomplishment of Eve Hush and Andrew Clayton.  In 2014, the pair set a record at the "National 24 Hour Challenge" for Tandem Recumbent, riding 308.7 miles.  There, now everything is right with the world again.
1 Comment

Lori Nedescu to the Rescue

1/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Lori, who has inspired many with her cooking, food choices, nutrition expertise and kicking most of our asses on the bike, has launched a web site.  The site includes a blog which is different from mine, it offers entertaining and insightful comments so check it out too.

http://www.lorinedescu.com/

0 Comments

Leaving Las Ve....errr Ohio

1/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Wow, that drive via #33 through Ohio, but eventually the bridge over the Ohio River is reached and there a van with bikes on the back headed south, just like me.  Odd.  Typically, the weather is cloudy throughout Ohio and then clears soon after reaching WV but today it was sunny in OH and cloudy all the way to FL. 
Picture
Also weird, I usually see far more patrol cars in Ohio then the entirety of the drive from Ohio to FL but not this time.  More just in GA than OH.  I stopped somewhere south of Columbia, SC at a Hampton Inn. It was enjoyable listening to spots talk rave about my Buckeyes all day. Above, frost/ice hit the trees at the high points of the drive through WV.
Picture
I reached Clermont, FL and checked in at yet another Hampton Inn.  Thursday I leapt on the bike and rode north over the hills, including Scrub Jay, above with an orange orchard on the left.  I don't much like FL, too flat and boring for me but in this one area, there are some good climbs on lonely country roads.....
Picture
....including the infamous Sugarloaf Mountain with great views of Apopka Lake in the distance.  Rain moved in around 3:00 so I headed back to the hotel.  I'm pretty sure this is the first day I burned more calories than I consumed since early December.  I am a walking eggroll right now.
0 Comments

Strava

1/12/2015

5 Comments

 
Well, well, well. A friend who wishes to remain anonymous called me today and suggested I check out the Strava account of a number of different cyclists, including Philippe, the French Climbing Machine.  There has been some serious riding going on, if not outdoors then for sure in the dark and dank basements and garages on trainers.  I know, some of you are thinking, "You dumbass, you can't post a stationary trainer result to Strava." but some are downloading Powertap and other device results to Strava and then....then there are the boys riding around southern California in the Encinitas area.  I, for the good of the 2-3 readers on here, feel compelled to do some research and report the results.  Driving to FL on Tuesday.
5 Comments

Catching Up

1/7/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
In honor of Lori Nedescu, the most prolific poster of healthy meal images in the short history of the internet, I repost one of her many good images above and salute her recent stunning accomplishment of finishing first in the "First Day of Winter 50K" race.  50k, yeah, about 30 miles. 
Picture
In honor of a series of books I read during my formative years in grade school, I say, "See Mark Drive. Drive Mark Drive. Drive Away From Ohio."  And so, I am headed to Florida next week for a trade show in Orlando and to again spend a few days riding the hills around Clermont, FL.
Picture
Speaking of travel, Kayla is again headed to So Cal and is permitting me one interview during her visit.  Don't know if she ran into the famous on this trip, as she did on the previous one, but I will find out and report.
2 Comments

Veloscience New Year Ride

1/1/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
With the temp at 30, not too cold for a ride but ouch, winds at 18-20mph, I went trail running instead and finished in time to drive over for the start of the Veloscience ride at 1:00pm.  I passed Tym and Lisa Tyler on the drive in.  They looked cold.
Picture
Actually, I arrived just as the group was rolling out and did not recognize hardly anyone, not because there were not people there I would know but with all the clothing, usually all I viewed of a person was a narrow slit framing their eyes, covered by a pair of glasses.  I heard they rode 30 miles and it appeared there were around 35 people who participated.  Surprising.
3 Comments

    Author

    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

    Categories

    All
    April
    California Riding
    Grand Canyon Backpacking
    March
    The Characters

    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.