It happened so fast, I really don’t know how it happened…. How did I go from a guy who was more than happy to chime in and talk shit on fat bikes and how there was NO way I was going to spend money on bike that weighs nearly 40 pounds just to ride in the snow and cold, to riding a fat bike just being part of my week? How????
Today I wanted to make up for yesterday’s non-ride and at least attempt to get out on the road. The ride’s length would be determined by the conditions of the roads. Ideally, I hoped they would have been plowed of the drifting snow but still left with a wonderful layer of tire gripping snow pack.
Well…
This weekend has not been ideal for much of anything let alone ridin’ bikes. Even bikes with girthy problems like my Surly Pugsley Musk Ox. With that said, here’s a little wrap up of my strange wintry weekend…
I had the chance to ride my bike today, and I have to say, it was pretty freaking awesome. For many people this is no big deal, but for those of us who live in the dark Hoth-like recesses of Jack Frost’s frozen polar vortex of a bung hole it can be a very big deal. A very COLD big deal…
Another coating of snow, ice and slush overnight has made me a bit lonely to get out on the dirt roads. Sadly, a ride on roads free of ice and snow doesn’t look like it will be happening any time soon, so today I wasted some time THINKING about riding and pulling the velo-trigger on making a tire change.
Bell’s beers are brewed here in Michigan, but I wouldn’t say they are exactly local (in the 989) with the brewery located a couple of hours southwest in Kalamazoo County. However they are more local than I had though! It turns out that the 2-row barley used in their Midwestern Pale Ale, Christmas Ale (seen in my fridge drawer above) and Harvest Ale is grown just a few minutes from my house on a farm down in Shepherd, Michigan. A farm that I have no doubt passed at one time or another on my rides. Of course I’ve ridden by so many farms, they all start to look alike.
As you can see, the Shepherd wheat field and farm are both depicted on the labels of the Christmas Ale and the Midwestern Pale Ale. It’s pretty neat to know that beer that I enjoy quite often is made with ingredients grown just minutes from my home. You can see more about the Bell’s Brewery Farm at bellsbeer.com.
By the way, Bells’ Christmas Ale is one of my favorites of the season. It’s unusual in that it doesn’t have all the spices that one comes to expect in a Christmas beer, yet the lack of hops and the malts they use somehow give it a bready, candied toffee/carmel-ish taste that is very Christmasy and reminiscent of a Scottish Ale. I didn’t think I would be into it, since I usually like either BIG hoppy IPAs and Oatmeal and Imperial Stouts, but I am digging it.
I believe I may have watched way too much Fast N’ Loud the past few days, given that the first thing I thought of when I rode past this old F150 on Sunday was “I wonder what the guys from Gas Monkey Garage could do to that?” Later on that day, a little bit of Googling would have me not at all surprised to see that they have indeed worked on an older, badass F100 in Fast N’ Loud, Episode 6. Check out the pics on KC (the paint dude’s) blog.
Still, I found myself rolling along thinking that if I was Richard from Fast N’ Loud, I’d say– “I picked up this old Ford F150 for $1,800 along a dirt road in the middle of Bum-F*ck, Michigan. Now it’s time to get it back to the “bearded wonder,” so he can turn it around by next week and I can get it to auction to make some fat cash and pay the bills. Thinkin’ maybe we’ll drop it, get a new exhaust on, some new wheels from our friends at JagOff Custom Wheelz N’at™ and have KC throw on a killer two-toned black paint job to make it badass and scary rolling down the road.”
But as we all know, I am SO not Richard from Fast N’ Loud, so I would probably just buy it, get it painted back, have it not run, park it in a field and have some chick in a green bikini stand beside it.
I’m thinking it would be unwise to go back and make an offer on it.
Top photo credit: Me.
Bottom photo credit: Hell, I don’t know, it came up when I Googled: Ford F150 truck, black, field, girl, green bikini, Auburn fan. This was the only photo that came up, so I used it.
The past “work” week did not hold much in the way of riding, just a short 15 mile mountain bike ride sandwiched in between 1.5 hour workouts at Maury’s. Thankfully that changed on Saturday, sort of.
I had some time in between a freelance logo I’m working on for an old co-worker friend back in the ‘Burgh and “doing stuff” today, so I jacked around with some textures, backgrounds and an October “file photo” from my Standard Gravel Ride. It’s sort of fun just to fuck around now and again… making shit burgers out of shit. Carry on.
Part I, Friday
With B-Man off of school on Friday I did not expect to be doing any riding until Saturday. It turns out that Wifey decided to take a much-needed vacation day and gave me the go-ahead to go out and get some trail time in. I did not say no. Continue Reading →
