January is half over! The days are longer and the air is getting sweeter.

Brian and I are getting on quite well. 29er for the winter - so sweet. Learning to ride in snow,ice, and darkness way nice. Riding out west because I can, is most awesome.

Just back from a field trip out to Vegas. So much fun I wish we could find a way to spend winters out there.

Happy tonight - the Bloated Tick is OPEN again! R. Cabs has landed! Woo to the Hooo! Missing one Ghost but hopefully the whole team will be back soon.

Goal - to MTB in all 50 states and every country on the planet

Time Frame 5 years

Start Date - 1/1/10

First step - need funding

Lets GO!

To my friend's friend. You did her well. Was there for her no matter how hard the terrain,

through thick and thin and then it was time to snap. She's too much for you Lamar - you knew it.

It took her a while to realize the same. I know you'll welcome the new member of the family like the champ you are. Watch out. She's gonna step on a lot of ticks and you'll be proud.

Cause you taught her how. RIP Lamar.

So Long Friend

Yesterday, Lamar died.
It was the end of a slow agonizing death. We went as far as we could go together. He gave out over a little log in the woods. It would have been right to leave him there beside it, but I carried my fallen comrade to the road. For those of you in the know, Lamar is my Trek 3700 - starter MTB. He weighs- waaaay too much, won't shift when asked but will slip in into granny gear at the most inappropriate time, and has more scratches and dents than paint on his frame. We had a lot of fun together. He took the brunt of my learning curve -must have crashed 5 times a day when I first clipped in. He would always be ready to carry on no matter how many rocks, trees and parking lots we fell into.
Any day now, I will be welcoming into our family a brand new Stumpy 29r. The gears will switch the second I ask, the brakes (disk brakes mind you) will work and the ride will be so much lighter and sweeter. I dream about floating thru the woods rolling over any tree and keeping up with the rest of the Ticks. But I secretly wonder if I'll miss him. Will the thrill of the ride be gone - never knowing if your brakes work or if your gear will spontaneously change as you are killing yourself to climb a mole hill? Or the randomness of your chain flying off at the worst time possible. I'm not sure. Will Stumpy (Jerome) carry a funny horn with pride or will he be waay too above that and just fierce? I wonder.
Here's to you Lamar - for all the good times and the bad. You'll make a nice guest bike or an organ donor for our other bikes - either way - you made me love what I do.
Fare well.

Confessions of a burnt out Tick

Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Its been 4 days since I last got sweet air. Tomorrow I shall say five "Hell Yeahs" and ten "Woo Hoos" in the woods. I will be surrounded by beautiful nature and ride whenever and wherever the day takes me.

Instead of day after day doing something that sucks - do something that rocks. Faith in happiness, joy and nature. A belief that when there is joy and peace the rest will be taken care of. Sometimes you have to jump off the cliff and have faith that you will land upright and be propelled forward.

About to jump......

Is that A ROADIE in the WOODS?

Its been a while..... a lot has happened since the onset of the invasion of the chiggers. Wounds have heeled, and decisions have been made. Team Bloated Tick attempted its first race ever! Too much hard training before the race left only 1 tick standing for the race. Unfortunately that tick had no GPS and got lost in the woods, but it was still a great day and lots of fun!

Graduation day is just around the corner and a new 29er stumpJumper is on the way. Christmas comes early this year to 15!

Of major note was a sighting in the woods - almost as rare as the GREAT SASQUATCH ------- A ROAD TICK! Yes! And believe it or not the words "this is fun" actually left the lips of R. Cabs!!!

Rain and wind are swirling around 15 this morning - hoping for a break to get in a run or some woods action! Fall is the best season for Bloated Ticks!

Chiggers

Its ending - I just know it! The light is different, the people are getting antsy, and the chiggers are attacking me. Counting down to fall, the best season of the year for Bloated Ticks! Been out 4 days in a row finished out last night on the Swtichbacks and Farmstand. Finally getting my balance back and feeling comfortable again on the bike - happily slogging thru deep sandy hairpin turns! In love once again!

What?

Are these not our friends?

Sorry, but cannot understand how someone who clearly hurts these innocent creatures is allowed not just back but back to make big money!!!

Is dog fighting not a criminal offense or maybe it should be! Dogs are the best friends man has and deserve nothing but love and kindness. Our world supports this more today than in years past.

It's important to support not bloating big industry cashing in on the most heinous acts of cruelty.

Here's to our friends...

Bow to the wow!!!!!