Zombie post...

...And just like that Banjolife is up and running again. Back from the dead like that zombie in the movies that they guy shoots but jumps back up when you least expect and then you gotta Katana sword his ass but he already bit a secondary character that no one really cares about and adds nothing to the story line of the movie. Then the group has to decide when to kill the bitten person. Now? or wait until they turn?... Shit gets real in the zombie apocalypse..

Headshot with a crossbow... best way to take out the walking dead. Daryl knows whats up.





So its been a good long while since I posted last. Why the hiatus from the blogus? To be honest the latter part of this past winter sucked and I was up to nothing interesting enough to write about. I was also doing my damnedest to get ready for K.O.P which starts in just two short weeks. K.A.W and I were also too busy having fun on our own and sometimes its good to just take a break. No blog, no TV, just hanging out and doing what we want. Its been great.

I have sorta missed the blog though. It was nice putting my adventures on "paper" and doing my best to throw together prose that is halfway readable. And if someone can get a few moments of relief from the daily grind by reading this mess then good for 'em. If nothing else, if your reading this then you aint working and we all know that's a good thing...

Since I last posted there has been a decent amount of shiz going down here in AVLUSA and beyond...

Here goes the recap...

Tour Duh CLT...

I tooled it down the Charlotte, NC a while back to participate in the two wheeled, shit show, drinking contest called the Tour Duh CLT. The format is a mini one day stage race through the mean streets of Charlotte and beyond. A mix of trail, road, and some other surfaces conducive to bikecycling. I was debating on racing but after going sorta hard a few weeks prior to the Tour I felt like I was getting close to burning out on riding so I decided to party pace.... 24oz Modelo pace at least.

Mike Pierce keeping it classy...
photo cred: Weldon Weaver
www.weldonweaver.com

It was a good time for sure and the Faster Mustache guys put on a solid event. Beer flowed freely, bikes were raced, and all was right in the world. The best part was getting to hang out with all my Charlotte folks who I haven't been able to ride with in quite a while. There were even some mountain folk who decided to come down for the event as well. I regret not racing because it looked like a bad ass time and I might have actually enjoyed it... assisted by some liquid encouragement of course. Already looking forward to next year.

Appalachian Trail...

K.A.W is a fan of foot walking...or as yankees call it "hiking". She has slowly been knocking out sections of the Appalachian Trail on her quest to hike the 2100 mile trail in its entirety. A few weeks ago she had a long week free of work and Georgia on her mind. The plan was for her and her friend Emily to start from Hogpen early in the week and south bound it to Springer Mtn. which is the southern terminus of The Trail. I was going to drive down after work on Thursday and north bound it from Amicalola Falls State Park. Hopefully we would meet up around Hawk Mtn. and I'd double back with her to the park. Despite being super late getting down to GA and having to hike in by moonlight a few miles my solo day was awesome. It was nice to see all the stoked up thru hikers starting out on there north bound hike. I met K.A.W just as planned at Hawk Mtn. and we ended up having a really nice time on the GA App. Trail.

It was cool finding out all the different reasons people were on the trail. Getting fired from a job, taking a break from school, and fulfilling a lifetime dream were high on the list. The best was a couple that decided that instead of having a big expensive wedding, they would take the money and hike the trail. I made a promise to myself that the next time I would be hiking GA was at the end of my own south bound thru hike. When this will be a reality is yet to be determined...


Trout Fishing:

A week after hitting the Georgia AT I was on my way to Townsend, TN to meet my bro-in-law and the preacher from our church back home for some Smoky Mountain trout fishing. We usually camp out but we decided that staying in an old motel right outside the park would be better. Good call cause it was nice having a hot shower after standing waist deep in cold mountain trout water all day. The fishing wasn't so hot but it was great being in the park.

The Smoky's are a pretty crazy place and I'm super lucky to live so close. Spring was just starting to show and the Dogwoods and Red bud trees were blooming which made it seem like the whole world was waking up from winter. Townsend was a pretty chill town. Its the anti-Gatlinburg and that suits me just fine. The only excitement was sitting around drinking beer and watching traffic creep by on the highway with the mountains in the background. I'll be back soon to get some redemption on those fish though...

PMBAR training:

Back to the present. This past weekend my PMBAR partner, and Buick owner, Burton was up for a training ride. There was a threat of rain all weekend but Saturday looked clear enough to try to beat the weather and get in some long miles. We started out at the Ranger Station and proceeded to climb up Black Mtn. to Turkey Pen. This is a pretty grueling climb with long sections of hike-a-bike to hurt ya. I was feeling pretty good and the push up Black went by fast. Once on Turkey Pen we had our work cut out for us. No one rides Turkey Pen. Its remote, over grown, steep (both up and down), and primitive as hell.  Needless to say its one of my favorite trails in the forest. About the time we hit the bottom of the first descent the skies opened and Momma Nature gave us a healthy dose of cold rain. This made the rest of Turkey Pen even more crazy. Super sketchy downhill with rain soaked rhodo and laurel slapping you in the face keeps you on your toes.

Soon enough we hit South Mills River and Burton was out. His knee was really giving him trouble so we split up. It wasnt worth risking injury, especially in the rain which complicates things. I was in at this point and we decided that I should finish the rest of the ride solo. He headed out to the highway and back to the Ranger Station. I bombed the short descent on S. Mills and started up Mullinax to Squirrel Gap. The rain was still coming down pretty steady and this made for a slick and sloppy climb up to Squirrel. Once on Squirrel it was OK except the sketchy rock gardens. Every time my front wheel hit an off camber root or rock I damn near fell of the trail. Even the best tires cant handle wet rocks and roots. After what seemed like too long I hit S. Mills. The ride from S. Mills and onto Buckhorn Gap is up there as one of the most miserable rides I've had. Most of the ride was through deep mud and standing water. I had no business being out there but I was in a tight spot. Too deep in Pisgah to bail anywhere and Burton was under instructions to call a rescue squad if I didnt make the Ranger Station by dark. I had no real choice but to keep riding and finish. I felt pretty bad about tearing up the trail and the damage all that wet, mineral rich dirt was doing to my bike's moving parts...

Once I hit the end of Buckhorn/the top of Clawhammer Rd. I wasn't sure what to do. Either ride down the road and hit the highway back to the Ranger Station or go all in and take Black Mtn. all the way down. I thought "F* it" and started the push up Black Mtn. At this point the rain had stopped and it was actually sort of pleasant. I was still soaked through and covered in mud but by the time I hit the Looking Glass overlook the skies parted and the sun was shining on the Pisgah through the fog and clouds. It was pretty cool and reinforces why I do these things. Being deep in the mountains, just you and a bike is a pretty awesome.

I bombed down Black Mtn. back to the Ranger Station and to cold beer and dry clothes. A brief dip in the Davidson River to wash the mud off, a cold Greybeard IPA and all was right with the world. I feel pretty good about PMBAR if not for my fitness then for my mental fortitude. I was soaked through, covered in mud, freezing cold but still having fun on the bike.

That's all the matters really...

Well folks,

Stay tuned for more mediocre bloggage to come. Have a rad week.

Party On.