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The wife and I quit smoking last summer, which was good, but we started putting on weight, a lot of weight. Twenty-some pounds for me and about fifteen for her. Not good! The solution was to increase our daily calorie burn. Jogging was considered, but since neither of us really like running it didn't take long to abandon that thought. But, about 2 or 3 times a week we had noticed some members of a local bike club cycling through our little 'burg.
"Hey, bicycling! That'd burn some calories." So just before Labor Day it was off to the a "real" bicycle shop and $500 later we were proud owners each of a Giant Cypress cross hybrid bicycle.
We were a little rusty at first, but it didn't take long until we built up our stamina and started doing a nice 8 mile round trip along the river to the mid-point site pictured above. Nicer still, was that within a couple months of almost daily riding, we lost some of the excess poundage (me - 10 lbs, her - 6 lbs). Also, even though we lift weights two, sometimes three times a week, I was pleasantly surprised to see my calves popping out more than ever. Amazing! Bicycling builds leg muscle. Who'd have thought it?
Winter showed up here on Thanksgiving Day and showed no sign of leaving. So we put the bikes away UNTIL yesterday and after a quick pre-flight rode off and did our 8 miles along the river. It was a beautiful Spring day, 70 degrees and very little wind. The quadriceps protested a bit, but they'll come around pretty quick. We plan on biking every day that we can until winter shows up again in about 7-8 months from now.
It's a great exercise activity that I wish we'd have discovered sooner - I highly recommend it. But, a suggestion, get a decent bicycle at your local bicycle shop. Don't buy one from your local non-bicycle shop - sure, they have great prices, but those prices get you a heavy, clunky, wear-you-out bicycle. There IS a difference.
And hey people, let's be safe out there.
I've always done most of the work on my vehicles. I've rebuilt several VW Beetles, done lots of tuneups, shocks, brakes, etc. I'm a pretty good mechanic and confident enough in myself to take on most mechanical tasks. So why is it I've always been nervous when applying a wrench to my motorcycles? I've always done all of my bikes' oil & filter changes over the years. But anything much beyond that on a motorcycle and I'm hesitant to dive in.
That all changed last year.
My latest ride, a '98 FXDL (Dyna Low Rider) was taken to the dealer I bought it from every 3,000 miles for service. Then when I moved back to this area, I took it to another Harley dealer for service. It was sort of reassuring having the bike serviced by a Harley professional - it damned sure cost me enough. But that changed when the throttle cable broke on me last year. Luckily I was about 30 miles from the house, and it broke at the bar end and not at the carburetor. It wasn't long before a bro' stopped and whipped out a pair of long needle nose pliers from his trunk and I was able to extract the cable and feed it out the right side of the bike. I threaded it through one of my gloves (summertime, so fingerless) to keep from scratching the fuel tank, wrapped the loose end around my right hand, and away I went. I actually managed to make it home without dropping me and the bike. The one-handed take offs from stoplights were interesting, but I made it.
To be continued....
Yes, I think we do. I only discovered blogs last Fall and found that I enjoyed reading them. I primarily read those that match my political views - hardcore conservative with a slight libertarian slant. If that sounds suspiciously like a Republican, then so be it. But, I have voted for a blue-dog Democrat in the past, twice if I recall correctly.
But, back to why another blog. I read that the POS legislation known as McCain-Feingold might be applied to blogs. No way! So I figured I'll just add my one little voice to the 7 million other blogs out there. I figure there just might be strength in numbers and maybe those numbers will keep McCain-Feingold out of the blog world.
That's why I've got a blog.
