Oldest Musical Instrument?

Very cool. 35,000 yo flute.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/24/1976108.aspx

The site has an mp3 so you can hear what the flute sounds like.

Done.

Every public, bike legal road in Frederick County, Maryland. 4000+

Ridden.

What will I do with myself now......

2 2 Go

Just two roads left, and I will have ridden all of the roads in Frederick County. Woot!

The abundant rainfall has kept the grass lush and verdant, but isn't letting me push the time between mowing that I usually do. On the other hand, I don't think our yard has ever looked so good. So Saturday was filled with yard tasks, but I got out Sunday for two short rides. The first took me to Walkersville, where I had a great ride in the Monocacy valley. Then home for a bit, followed by a family trip for ice cream. Coincidentally, the last road to get in Mt Airy was near Jimmy Cone, so while the family waited in line, I jumped on the bike for a exhausting 1.5 mile ride to collect it. Of course I had to reward myself with a an ice cream. Wouldn't you?

A Couple of Weddings and a Bike Ride

The second half of the month has been pretty busy. First, my nephew Andrew got married down in VA, so we had guests staying with us as family came in from all over. Next, my sister-in-law Amy got married as well. That brought in the other side of the tribe. Both celebrations were good fun, with time to catch up with everyone. It's just a good thing there was no overlap of house guests.

I got out for a ride on Memorial Day. I finished the last big batch of un-ridden roads in Fixing Frederick! It was a beautiful day for a ride. As I pedaled the neighborhood streets of Lake Linganore, I saw a KLR 650 parked in a driveway. Since someone was out in the driveway I stopped to ask about the cool panniers he had mounted on his bike. Nice aluminum boxes, but not cheap. After talking bikes for a while, he offered me a set of soft saddlebags for my KLR. Wow! How generous! I think the two wheeled community (motored or not) is the best community. Anyway, thanks Todd, we'll have to get together for a ride. Soon after that I passed another cyclist and called out when I noticed he was a single speeder. I met Ben, and we talked a different type of bike for a while. He was just wrapping up some trail exploration in the Linganore area. Soon we parted company, and i finished my ride back at the school where I started.

Look for some info on the LAST! Fixing Frederick ride to be held sometime in June. We're talking a group ride with a party at the end, so keep that in mind.

Bike to Work Day

Better fog than rain. This year was much more dry than the past two, and had a correspondingly higher turnout. Fun was had by all, etc., etc.

Can't believe I haven't posted in weeks. Nothing going on except rain and yardwork. Both pedal- and motor- bikes are ready for some free time.

Shedding

v. the act of exploring the Frederick Watershed.

If you are up there, be advised that the annual(?) road maintenance is underway, and all the normally well packed roads are graveled and graded, with lots of stones and new sharp edges. Hawbottom Rd. is one big series of puddles.

Wonderful!

Leesburg Bakers Dozen - 2009 Impressions

Just a couple of things, most of them obvious:

Failing to train does not do much for performance.

My bike is finally set up the way I like it.

You can say what you want about clipless efficiency, blah, blah, blah. I'm sold on Vans and BMX pinned platforms for anything but fixed gear riding. My feet felt great all weekend.

My friends who were there all rock, but 'All SSOFT' teammates Kevin and Jojo were great! We all had a similar set of goals and a clear idea of placing fun above competitiveness, and we met or exceeded our plans. Let's do it again next year!

Check your lockring. Duh.

99% of riders on the course were really polite when passing me. I really wouldn't know about me passing anyone.

It helps to remember your water when you go out for a lap. Especially if your pump is the the pack with your water..... Fortunately I got through without mishap.

If you gotta crash, the way to do it is so you come down on about 6 inches of soft and dreamy pine needle fluff like I did, not on rocks and boulders like Jason did.

Doubling up the cycling shorts for the last three laps was a good idea. No discomfort at all after that.

Ergon grips and a lighter grip on the bars made the stutter bumps of the farm lane more manageable this year. Only one forearm was jelly this year, compared to both fore and upper arms last year. About the only time I envy riders with suspension.

Rob and Plum Grove Cyclery sure put on a nice event.

*Photo Credit: Mic Dunn