Making a living has pushed cycling aside the last few weeks and I haven't been on a bike for almost 3 weeks now. Fat and slow is how I roll now. Coinciding with this is four items that tend to crush my motivation to ride at all: 1) a late season, "mild" flu bug with a killer headache that took nearly 2 weeks to get over and then, 2) temps turned up 15 degrees, which is typical Georgia weather, in addition to 3) we've been putting in a lot of time after work during the week and every weekend getting the house ready to sale, and 4) I've been teaching 2 consecutive A&P short courses the last 2 weeks that has me getting home after 10pm most nights. Thankfully, the short courses are now over and I have my evenings to once again work on the last few odds and ends with the house - like changing the light switches and wall socket out for newer ones while the power is still on, which results in getting the piss knocked out of me when I slip up. Then, "stupid is as stupid does" I don't turn the power off but certainly go back for more. And hell no, alcohol was NOT involved and no I did NOT eat paint chips as a kid. I don't think, anyways.......'bout the paint chips........
To be quite honest, I've considered giving up on cycling for a while (if not permanently) since I've lost my interest due to the road rides going over the same damn roads week in and week out. B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!! I'm also pretty tired of doing maintenance on trails and have been neglecting Thomson trails both riding and maintaining wise. If anything, we've made the trail less reliant on maintenance, which takes hours to make a difference but some folks think we've "dumbed-down" the trails. Un-hook your brakes and lets see how easy it is smart asses. I may need to squat the next time I pee if I keep bitching like this...........
Whining won't get me motivated so I plan to just do my own thing as I've been wanting to do since the winter road training rides went to pot this past winter when a few riders got pissed at me at how things were going. I really hate that it happened, but I had to move on then just as I'll do now.
Right now the important thing for me to do is relax during my three weeks off from work and really re-charge my batteries. This past quarter I had some of the most involved classes I teach out of the nearly 30 classes in the curriculum: aviation regulations, mathematics, electricity and electronics, and physics. Brain strain for everyone involved when you shove a full college course of physics at the students in 7 days, and at the end of an already intense quarter! "Drinking from a fire hose" is the correct metaphor I guess. But regardless of the student's ability, each one learns in my classroom if they are willing to put forth the effort.
I've got some flying to do this week and next to finish a rating, and I'm looking forward to taking the wife up in the air and cruise the altitudes for a brief period to show her what $6,000 was spent on. It should serve as motivation for us both to pursue the repairs on my own airplane, which is sitting in a hangar begging to "slip the surly bounds" once again. Although flying is one of the most mentally challenging hobbies I've ever pursued, it is also the most exhilarating. The first time I soloed, I got out of the plane sweating with wobbly knees wanting to puke, I had a smile from ear to ear because I felt like I'd just had the best sex of my life, and I was so mentally fatigued I could barely remember my own name. And the damnedest thing is that I couldn't wait to do it again!!
In a few days, we're going to Ft. Mountain with friends to camp for a week, ride a few trails, go over to Hogpen Gap so the wife can conquer her desire to hurt like no other time she'll ever spend on a bike, take a tour of the North Georgia wine country while taking in some of the finest wine these lips have ever tasted, and pass the time as slowly as possible because we may never pass that way again.
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3 comments:
Ignore the whiners, there's nothing wrong with the reroutes at Thomson.
And what's keeping you from finding new routes? Plan a grand adventure, it's about 90 miles to Callaway Gardens. There's a covered bridge north of Roberta, why not go there? Who has the best ice cream? Pack a tent, go find a campground. Not every ride has to be "training".
Sometimes we forget where we're riding when being consumed by why we're riding. Thanks for bringing reality back into view Pops.
I am not sure of the dates yet but I am going to pitch the idea of an Andersonville ride to take place sometime next month starting from the PWC. I am also planning a Forsyth ride sometime later in the year (may start at my house)...if we go through with the Forsyth ride, I may provide refreshments and snacks.
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