No matter what town I go to I always look for the library. I like libraries. I like being around all the books. I like the sounds of a library. A library is like my church and rest stop. A time to do a little reading and to catch up on things.

I always carry a book with me when I’m on the go. Always nice to stop somewhere and just do a little reading. Especially on a nice warm day with a slight breeze and sitting under a nice tree.

All in all when it is time to relax it is time to relax.

My Top 10 as of Now:

1. High Steppin’ Daddy-Kentucky Headhunters

2. Hoochie Koochie Man-Steppenwolf

3. Hopelessly Devoted to You-Olivia Newton-John

4. I Believe in You-Don Williams

5. Lady Lay Down-John Conlee

6. Last Dance-George Clinton

7. No Fly Zone-Zilatron

8. Older Woman-Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials

9. Pink Elephants on Parade-Lee Press-On and the Nails

10. Seven Year Ache-Rosanne Cash

Now this is a great resting spot. I find one like this it may be an all day rest.

This is my buddy Cookie. I should change it to Corn Chip since she loves her corn chips. I go to the bag and she wants to dive in head first. She does bring me many laughs. Always good to come home and she is excited to see me or she just wants out of her cage.

This is still my favorite cycling jersey. Poseur-Charlatan. Probably what the the road runners think. I probably get in their way or I’m a marker to catch up to. I’m probably a sloth of the biking world. But it is a nice fitting jersey. Really comfortable.

It was a nice Thanksgiving bike ride. It is always nice to get a morning ride before I eat. I always got to keep in mind that I can’t go crazy and do a long ride and not be able to make it back in time. Hard to explain to non-bicyclist.

My Top 10 for the Moment:

1. Born on the Bayou-Creedence Clearwater Revival

2. Boys-Mary Jane Girls

3. Bush Doctor-Peter Tosh

4. Cold, Cold Heart-Hank Williams

5. A Day in the Life of a Fool-Keith Whitley

6. Death is in Love With Us-HIM

7. Fo-Fi-Fo-Pieces of a Dream

8. Have Your Way With Me-Groovie Ghoulies

9. Here Comes the Hotstepper-Ini Kamoze

10. Hit and Run-Bar Kays

It is not always about biking. Sometimes I have to go hiking. There are so many trails in the San Francisco Bay Area. I start on one trail and then I wonder where another trail goes. I end up making a note of it so I can hike it one day. I probably got more trails than time. But it is always good to know they are there.

I always like to have my camera and binoculars with me. Never know what I might run across. There is always some awesome scenery.

Winter hiking can be rough because if it rains the trails are muddy. I know that shouldn’t stop me, but I don’t like hiking through the mud. It isn’t like I’m doing the Appalachian Trail.

My Top 10 For Now:

1. Family Tradition-Hank Williams, Jr.

2. You Never Even Called Me By My Name-David Allan Coe

3. I’m A Ramblin’ Man-Waylon Jennings

4. Lost Highway-Hank Williams

5. Beddie-Biey-Steve Arrington

6. Lady Cab Driver-Prince

7. Du Hast-Rammstein

8. Little Lover-AC/DC

9. Tainted Love-Imelda May

10. Last Good Day Of The Year-Cousteau

The problem with bike riding where I live is the hills. There is no way around it if I want to ride my bike I have to the hills. I hate riding hills. I have tried to find routes around the hills, but there is no way around it.

One thing I have learned about hills. Never judge a climb by the way it looks. Just as there are false flats, may look flat but the grade makes it feel like a climb. There are false hills. I have rode San Pablo Dam Road from Orinda back to El Sobrante and I have rode the climbs just as like they were flats. It is about the grade.

When I come to climb that is rough I just pedal slow and steady. Maybe a rest half way up the climb. If I’m lucky I will make it all the way up.

Maybe the climbs would be easier if I didn’t always have my bike trunk with me. But I like to have a book, extra water, and snacks with me. Never know how far I’m going to ride. The distance of my rides always depend on how my legs feel.

My Top 10 as of Now:

1. Am I Easy To Forget-Englebert Humberdinck

2. Amerika-Rammstein

3.Bad To The Bone-George Thorogood

4, Chantez-Les Bas-Louie Armstrong

5.Cherry Pie-Sade

6. Evening Calm-Malta

7. Fantasy Man-Alice Cooper

8. Harry Hippie-Bobby Womack

9. Have A Drink On Me-AC/DC

10. I Always Get Lucky With You-Merle Haggard

“You haven’t lived until you’ve put on a police uniform and hopped on a mountain bike. My daily commute became four to five minutes faster because drivers fight each other to see who gets to let me into the lane I want. Drivers would sooner cross the yellow line and hit a utility pole than breeze a cop on a bike. I’ve completed centuries and even won races, but this new found respect is the sweetest cycling experience of all.”-Allan Howard.

“The litany begins with the fact that we have very little choice over our existence. Consider that we don’t ask to be born, or at least we don’t remember asking. Futhermore, each of us is born with a powerful survival instinct, which makes us want, more than anything else, to stay alive. So we don’t choose to be born, and we can’t choose to die. It’s as though nature has trapped us in this life.”-Wes “Scoop” Nisker

I keep thinking that there has to be some kind of cosmic justice for people who destroy lives and cause destruction for the almighty dollar. There has to be some kind of punishment on the other side, even if it last for a short period of time.

My Top 10 for the Minute:

1. Shake It-Hardware

2. Morning Has Broken-Pam Tillis

3. Monday, Monday-The Mamas & Papas

4. I Just Want To Make Love To You-Cold Blood

5. One on One-Hall and Oates

6. Burning Down The House-Talking Heads

7. Stop The World and Let Me Off-Waylon Jennings

8. All By Myself-Johnny Burnette

9. A House of Gold-BR5-49

10. Black Cadillac-Joyce Green

It is great to see so many bicyclist on the streets. Car drivers should get use to seeing bicyclist since bike culture is growing and car culture is waning.
It is not bicyclist fault, but I blame Corporate America. As long as they lower wages it just means people won’t be able to afford cars.
Car companies aren’t helping their cause. Cars become more expensive and the cost to maintain them goes up because of all the gadgets they keep coming up with because people want the car to feel like their living room.
Bicycles are fun and healthy so all is good.
My Top 10 for Now:
1. Shaky Girl-Jacob Miller
2. Detroit City-Bobby Bare
3. Bush Doctor-Peter Tosh
4. Black Jack Water Back-Mel Tillis
5. Honky Tonkers Don’t Cry-Dale Watson
6. Mama He’s Crazy-The Judds
7. Where’d You Get Your Cheatin’ From-Highway 101
8. Mississippi Delta-Bobbie Gentry
9. Blitzkrieg Bop-The Ramones
10. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door-Randy Crawford

“In America, bike racing has the veneer of speed and elegance;
mostly educated, bourgeois types are attracted to it. In Europe, cycling is
grittier and more real. The preconception in the States is that the sport is
very Continental, very romantic, but the fact is that the sport’s main nature is
working class. The Tour de France, especially, exemplifies this. The public
loves the event because they know what the riders are going through for them,
and that the sport-a concentrated version of the struggles they endure every
day-adds value and hope to those struggles.”