Long before I ever moved to Michigan I was a fan of Michigan brewed beers from Founders and Bell’s. Then once I moved here I found even MORE delicious beverages from breweries like Short’s, Arcadia, Brewery Vivant, Dark Horse, Greenbush, North Peak, Right Brain and many more.
I am also lucky to live stumbling walking distance from pubs like The Brass Cafe and The Bird that aren’t afraid to serve craft beers from all over Michigan and the country.
Blessed be thy FOAM FREAKING ROLLER!!
I have had this torture device for a while now, but never really took the time to use it. Then after suffering with some mild back discomfort (most likely due to my half assed weight lifting technique at the gym) the past few days, I decided to take the time and watch some videos (like the one below) on the proper use and how to really fuck myself over with it.
I made this up in less than 10 minutes after the gym today. Some chicken or beef in it would have been nice, but for a quick lunch it was pretty OK. Then again, after last night’s meatloaf binge and 2 a.m. case of the meat sweats, I was just fine with meatless version. Who knew you could excrete ground beef and pork through your pores???
New Belgium Brewing’s Accumulation White IPA tastes like a glass of air with a hint of hops.
Why even bother? I refuse to believe that it’s 6.2% ABV.
Balls Deep In Deer
Even though Michigan is balls deep into deer season, I took a chance and rode in the woods today anyway. My local trails are on non-hunting land, but they still come close to private land and have a slight reroute to try and keep meaty bike geeks like me from getting capped in the buttocks, but it is still a bit of a risk since I think I read once that a rifle bullet can travel like 32 miles or something ridiculous like that. OK, maybe not that far, but pretty far. I left my fur riding vest and antler helmet at home just in case.
The Pic
The tree in the pic above fell across the trail a year or two ago. I pass it EVERY ride but only today stopped to take a look at its rings (mostly due to having to wiz). Pretty cool to see the rings n’at..
I wouldn’t say that I have anything against Lance Armstrong (except the lying, cheating, megalomania, sociopathy and making me feel like a Goddamn fool for all those years I supported him and his teams as they doped themselves to the gills to win bike races). And I wouldn’t dare to say that Lance does–or ever has–smoked grass, done mescaline, high powered blotter acid, cocaine, or a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers, raw ether or amyls.
But I do think that he obviously got locked into a serious drug collection and had the tendency is to push it as far as he could. Only his drug collection had more to do with EPO and the like rather than Hunter S. Thompson’s laundry list of illegal, mild to hardcore and dangerous, recreational drugs.
In between my days at the gym I have been trying to get out and enjoy the dirt before the snow flies. As you can see from the ground in the pic above, it has been flying here and there but it has a long way to go before it causes any worry or would make me think about maybe regretting not purchasing a fat bike.
I am not much of a cross racer, OK, I am not one at all. It seems I often miss “the point” of cross, along with wanting to avoid all the machismo and fisticuffs that seem so prevalent in the sport of late (at least on ‘merican soil), but I know something that looks painfully fun when I see it… like the Morvélo City Cross in Halifax, England. Check out the video from this year’s race–
Almost every trail system has one or two parts that you can either A. Recover and take in some fluids and/or nutrition or B. Put the hammer down and get all “speeder bike on Endor“. The pic above is of from my local trail system at the Mid Michigan Community College. Most of the 16-ish mile loop is undulating and lumpy with some roots and embedded rock thrown in to make your lower back feel “alive” and glad you have a full suspension (or make you wish for one). However, this particular section is currently wet, packed down dirt and sand, sort of like a dirt highway that you can get you reach speeds of 17 mph or more if you choose, before hanging a right into some slower, new trail with lots of twists and turns. Either way, it’s all good.
Dirt is always good. Singletrack is always better… whether fast and smooth, slow and rocky or twisty and turny.
