That would be me…I’m dyin’ right now- I took off for a sane 7.5 (or 8, if you believe my bikes’ odo) mile ride, just slowly getting into the swing, you know. Did I go 8? You betcha. Did I stop at 8 because I was back home again? Unfortunately, no. I’m paying for it now. I ache, I’m weak and I’m kinda wishing that I went the shorter route (I’m lying- I love pushing myself).

I did the 30.5 mile Ground Hog Mountain route. Didn’t leave with the intention to do it- if I had, I would have brought a full water bottle in addition to the camel bak I carry and I would have filled it with something other than our spring water. Our spring water here has about the same mineral content as distilled water (pretty much nil) as it’s so naturally pure. It’s actually purer coming out of the tap than most bottled water is- seriously- we had a guy come to test the water and he thought his equipment had broken- he’d never seen water register so pure. The lab that tested it verified that his equipment is working fine.

Anyway it’s great for quenching your thirst or making coffee with, but if you are going to decide to make your third ride of the season 4 times as long as your previous two, it needs to have a mineral supply. Gatorade would’ve been nice. A couple of bananas would’ve hit the spot too.

I should have known; that’s ‘how I roll’ as the kitchy saying goes- I tend to go with how I feel and then when I do start to peter out I dig deep and kick myself to continue instead of just turning around and heading back early. The nasty, nasty mean hill (after riding non-stop for 15 miles) at the approach to Ground Hog Mountain took everything I had. Didn’t turn back then though- no, I had to go all the way past Ground Hog’s parking area to the not so scenic anymore overlook after it.

That’s the place I always turn around. Usually though, that is where I take a five minute break and eat something to give me the energy to get back and drink some Gatorade… but I DIDN’T BRING ANY OF THAT!!!

But hey, on the up-side, I did it! It wasn’t the ride that got me; it was the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything at all yet today. If I had put down a little breakfast even, I would’ve been much better off.

From now on, I need to pack for a 50 mile ride even if I’m only going 8.

Still glad I did it though…

I was doing my ride on the parkway today and just glad for the beautiful weather we’ve been blessed with. Spring is always signified by numerous things here at Meadowood; not just the warmer weather or the buds on the trees, but also the spring finds us occasionally in the flight path of fighter jets and other military aircraft. Don’t know why it is mainly in the spring that they fly over, but it is.

There are those in the U.S. that would complain about the sound of a USAF F-16 cutting through the atmosphere at subsonics speeds pushed by an engine capable of producing some 28,000 lbs of thrust, but I know that sound isn’t an annoyance. It is true that the sound generated is the sound of more horsepower than is generated by the entire starting line up at the Indy 500 (now THAT is impressive!), but it is much, more than that to anyone who’s actually served their country instead of just complaining about it while they reaped the benefits of our service member’s sacrifices.

Back when I was assigned to Ft. Dix, NJ as a Military Police patrol, we got a call in the middle of the night from the commanding general asking if someone had called in a noise complaint. We hadn’t, the desk sergeant confirmed and the general related to him that he had just received a call. You see, back then, the C.G. kept a public phone number so that anyone on or around Ft. Dix could have access to him. It was important to keep up public relations. Well, this night, a self described ‘taxpayer’ whose property was right on the line of the Ft. Dix range area decided to call the commanding general and complain about the ‘noise’ coming from Ft. Dix. See, there were National Guard troops in the area doing training on one of the tank ranges and this ‘taxpayer’ could hear the thunder from their shells landing in the impact area a few miles from him. He didn’t like it. The general explained to him that what he was hearing wasn’t noise at all and he asked him to listen carefully. When the general could just barely make out the rumble of an exploding shell he said “you hear that son?” and Mr. Taxpayer replied that he could. The general then explained to him that what he just heard wasn’t noise; “Son, THAT is the sound of freedom.” and then he hung up. We laughed at that one for quite a while and ever since I’ve come to know any sound coming from any piece of military equipment, from the rumble of a HMMWV or the sound of a soldiers voice as the ’sound of freedom’.

As I looked up at the fleeting silhouette of the F-16 and felt the reverberation of that massive engine pushing it through our freedom laden airspace, I got a lump in my throat and pride swelled in my chest. I am a taxpayer, but after 14 years of service, I know that the members of the Army, Marines, Airforce and Navy don’t work for me; they ARE for me.

Keep on flying over, guys and gals; we love to hear the sound of freedom.

One of the worst things about breaking my ankle was the fact that I had just ordered a brand new bike from EastCoasters - a nice new Trek bike with an extra large frame for my extra tall frame. I picked it up the day I got my air cast put on at the orthopedists. As I was crutch bound, I dreamed of the day I could finally get on it and ride it for the first time.

That day actually came last Saturday after I was sure that my ankle could handle the strain. I went from Meadowood to the Mabry Mill and back, a formidable first ride to be sure. The second day, yesterday, I went all the way to highway 58 and back exactly four weeks after I broke my ankle. I am finding that the riding is like a combination pain killer, anti-inflamatory and swelling reducer for the ankle. Everytime I ride the pain of stiffness (the bone break doesn’t hurt) goes away and the swelling decreases much faster.

I went for a short two-mile ride this morning that was a mistake considering that I didn’t look at the temperature before I left and decided to brave the cold. I only went about two and a half miles total, heading North on the Parkway. When I got back I looked at the temperature and it was 38 degrees; not good for riding without gloves! I’ll have to delay my future rides until the thermometer is in the fifties at least.

I ordered a camera mount for my bike yesterday, so I’ll be able to put some photos of my rides in the gallery soon.

Ok, ok; I know it’s been forever since I’ve added to this. Blame it on Christmas, New Years, the depression of cabin fever these last few months or the broken ankle I suffered a month ago today. I procrastinated and I apologize profusely!

With that rambling spewed forth, you pretty much have the past few months in a nutshell, but I will fill in some blanks for you. Over the time passed in silence, we have made some plans and changes to Meadowood!

We are now a completely pet friendly inn, welcoming our four legged friends to enjoy the clean air, water and peaceful surroundings. We are also in the midst of some renovations here- namely the living room which is in progress where I am repainting to prepare for new carpeting and furniture. We’re working on redesigning the layout as well in the relocation of the big screen TV and replacing the woodstove with a fireplace insert for a more visually inviting source of warmth on cold days.

Two other projects are the retaining wall out front that is waiting to be made into a patio and barbecue area as soon as my ankle can stand that much strain; I don’t think it will be long since I just made my second bike ride today. The project next in line after the patio is the chicken moat/garden area where we will be getting all of our eggs fresh daily.

That brings me to another project: the blue ridge biking site that I have been designing. I plan to put a barebones version of the site up soon, but the basic focus of the site will be to offer parkway-centric information to the level of detail that bicyclist need and therefore all the info that anyone traveling the BRP could want. I’ll post the address here when I have the basic shell up, or you can email me at quidotaw@gmail.com if you would like more info. I will also be looking for submissions from Blue Ridge travelers of all types if you would like to place content.

Well, that is all for this day, stay well!