Woody Wood / I'm Gonna Miss You (Like The Devil)

Those who know us, will attest that Black Betty and I thoroughly love rockin' it at the Grey Eagle with Woody Wood!

Friday night I had an Appalachian Trail reunion of sorts while at The Eagle with two of my fellow thru-hikers, Superchunk and Hopper. The three of us departed Springer Mountain on March 21st, 2008 and hiked our way to Maine, arriving at different times as our individual journeys dictated. My trail mates share a common bond with me that I will always appreciate and respect. It was great seeing you guys, let's do it again, soon!

South Walton Beach Trip

I survived my foray into the northwest Florida beaches this weekend. I enjoyed an easy and laid-back weekend of cycling and eating with my brother, Matt. We put in over 108 flat miles of touring the south Walton Beach area, using his house in Santa Rosa Beach as a base camp. The weather co-operated beautifully and despite being out of riding shape, we managed to thoroughly enjoy the three days of riding and sightseeing.




Highlights included a circumnavigation of Choctawhatchee Bay utilizing the Freeport Bridge and the 3.6 mile long Mid-Bay bridge. I must say that the best part of this ride had to be the fried oyster sandwich at Nick's Seafood Restaurant on Hwy. 20.







We also toured Grayton Beach State Park, Camp Helen, and the beautiful antebellum Eden State Park. (I was looking for "the old folks, tied in white robes"...didn't see any). The majestic live oaks were awesome though and I could have used some banjo to take me down-home.




Oh yeah, the bike was great. The new components were perfect, she rolled sweet........

The Winter Blues

I think that I am ready for this winter weather to be over with. Snow seems to be followed by more snow. My bicycle mileage on February 15th is a meager 112 miles for 2010 and I'm getting too fat.

I have over-hauled my touring bike this winter, with hand-built wheels, new crankset, front and rear derailleurs, brakes, shifters, rear cassette, etc. Pretty much I kept the old hybrid frame, seat, fenders, racks, and handlebars. It's always been a comfortable ride and the relaxed geometry handles a touring-load as sure as a Grand Canyon mule.

As you can imagine, I'm ready to give the "troutmobile" a trial run. I'm putting her in the car on Thursday and heading to Florida to meet up with my brother, Matt. We are planning a little weekend bikepacking tour to cure these winter blues.

The Troutmobile