In addition to the fishing packages we offer, we will soon be adding a wine package and we have just added a golf package and we now offer elopement packages.

More fun to come at Meadowood!

I finally decided to get rid of the old logo and move to the new one. Looks pretty good, I think- although the blog somehow screws up anything I put in as a logo– don’t know why that is.

In other news, I will be emcee of the Floyd County 4th of July Celebration again this year. It’s a long day but a lot of fun!

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.

Those three statements have something in common, but not what you think- get your mind out of the gutter!

My butt hurts because I’m saddle sore; I just made my first bike ride of the year! 8 miles from the top of the drive to Hwy 58 and back, or so my bike’s speedo tells me…I thought it was 7.5, but hey, my ego likes the sound of 8 even better.

I do need a shave; the chinstrap on my helmet was pretty annoying against the stubble. I know that is really irrelevant, but it made for a deceptively risque title.

As far as my nubbs still showing, that is relevant; I’ve got new tires on my bike- so new the nubs aren’t worn off. Got a great deal on them at East Coasters Bike Shop in Roanoke. I needed a new set of tubes and thought I would try a thinner tire. I happened to spot a brand new set hanging up that were something like $20 per tire. It appears someone bought a new bike and had even thinner tires put on it before taking it home. Since they had been installed on a bike (even though it was new) they sold them as used!

Let me tell you; thin is in- because of my commute to Roanoke since last June I haven’t ridden, well, since last June, pretty much. I couldn’t believe how little roll resistance there was even though I am way out of condition for riding!!! The hills aren’t even that difficult thanks to the lack of friction.

Anyway, I’m back in the saddle again now that the weather is warming up for us and will be posting info about my rides around the area. I expect to be up to a 30 mile round trip to Groundhog Mountain within a month…I hope. I’ll try to start getting some video uploaded as I make these rides too.