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!
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........
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.
Black Betty and I headed to Asheville after work on Thursday to see Donna the Buffalo at the Orange Peel. It's tough to make the call to go out and boogie after working a twelve hour shift, but we were both ready to see some live music and we do love DtB. (Besides, BB was the one who had to get up and go to work on Friday, not me).
It was a great call and we were not disappointed. The Believers opened the show and they rocked the house. Donna the Buffalo were great as usual and it was Dave McCracken's (keyboards) birthday to add to the fun. Jeb and Tara were smiling, the crowd was intimate and friendly. What's not to love about a Thursday night in Asheville?
I did my "Birthday Ride" today! (My birthday is actually tomorrow, but I'll be at work). It was a beautiful warm day, it must have been around 45 degrees when I left at 10:30 and was hitting 55 by the time I rolled into the yard. I did a Cartoogechaye-Skeenah-Addington Bridge-Clarks Chapel loop of 27 miles. It felt great to be on the road bike after the deep-freeze temps we've been experiencing.
It was a perfect day for a ride, not a cloud in the sky, I saw three deer, lots of squirrels, and rabbits. All of us critters seemed to be enjoying the springtime weather.
As I was cruising through the county-side, Langhorne Slim came on my MP3 player to sing:
You can have all the diamonds, you can have all the gold, But some day you're still gonna get old You've got to learn to get happy, along the way
RISE (Rising Appalachia) is one group that I have had my eye on for a few years. I've caught them on video and have streamed their music. Although I have actually been in the same place at the same time as them (festival-wise) I have managed to miss seeing them.
Sisters Leah and Chloe's state in their Mission Statement: "RISE (Rising Appalachia) is a genre-bending force of sound that uses both lyrical prowess and diverse artistic collaborations to defy cultural cliches and ignite a musical revolution..."
In other words, rootsy, rhythmic, soulful, compelling, beautiful, and real.
Black Betty and I managed to see an unbelievable amount of live music in 2009. Each and everyone of these groups brought joy to my heart and boogie to my hips. We also had the good fortune to attend several festivals, including, Suwanee Springfest, The French Broad River Fest, Music Camp, Bele Chere, (we made a brief foray into Floydfest) Bristol Rhythm and Roots, and MagnoliaFest. Not to even mention that we celebrated Easter Sunday with The Dead at the Greensboro Coliseum!
Here's a list of some of the bands we saw in 2009:
Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Acoustic Syndicate, David Via, Mad Tea Party, Blueground Undergrass, David Bromberg, The Overtakers, The Dead, Emmitt Nershi Band, Mike and Ruthy,The Duhks, Donna the Buffalo, Tornado Rider, The Lee Boys, The Traveling McCourys, Jim Lauderdale, The Gourds, Seth Walker, Roy Bookbinder, Shannon Whitworth, Dread Clampitt, The Infamous Stringdusters, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Rev. Horton Heat, Rosie Ledet, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Belleville Outfit, Casey Driesen, Railroad Earth, Peter Rowan, Mac Arnold, Ras Alan, Spiral, Vince Herman, Eliza Lynn, Cornmeal, Blue Rags, Dickie Betts, Greensky Bluegrass, Town Mountain, Golden Ticket, Ralph Rodenberry, The Hackensaw Boys, Billy and Jeni, Sam Quinn and Japan Ten, The Steel Drivers, Paleface, Scythian, The New Familiars, Songs from the Road Band, Vince Herman, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Trampled by Turtles, Guy Clark, and many others. Wow!
Here's to a great 2010, hope the music never stops.
Keep on dancin' thru the daylight, Greet the mornin' air with song No ones's noticed, but the band's all pack and gone. Was it ever there at all? But they keep on dancin' C'mon children, C'mon children, Come on clap your hands Well the cool breeze came on Tuesday, And the corn's a bumper crop And the fields are full of dancin' Full of singin' and romancin' The music never stopped. -Barlow/Weir
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