Shit it's Wednesday tomorrow, wow. Well the good thing is Jerry's tummy is looking good so fingers crossed he can get his stitches out Monday morning and be ready to be back to normal. Sunday I did get a ride in and it wasn't too bad. It was tacky for the most part with some greasy spots but no crashes so that's always a bonus. Sunday night we went to the hangover 2, man that was some funny shit. Definitely not a let down and if you liked the first one you should definitely see this one! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and I thought I laughed hard at the Bridesmaids movie! After that we had a little fire at our place and drank a few beers and hung out till 2am.
Monday wasn't a lot going on. It was Jerry's 7th day so glad we made it that long. Now we can start weening him back in to walks and doing his normal things. Kelly and I had a little dispute over Jerry and I left to go ride because we both needed sometime alone. Unfortunately the trail was shit. There was a fare amount of people there but I did a lap on the Green trail just to warm up and it was complete greasy and I was sliding everywhere and my bike was caked with mud so I was like F it I'm going home. I stopped by the car shop to get the stuff to change my oil. I went home and washed my bike and changed the oil in my car and then gave that a wash. The wash was pointless. I woke up this morning and it was covered with pollen again and looked like shit.
Today was a pretty good day at work. I got a little help and got completely caught up and should be sitting in a pretty good spot for tomorrow. I'm so ready for this week to be over, not just for me as I don't have much plans but for Jerry it will be bit wait off my shoulder and he will finally be able to rip like he likes to do!
After work I went to Leb to rip it up and it was in stellar shape today. I might even go so far to say it was perfect. There were only a couple wet spots and they were to be expected. The first lap wasn't as good as I would like but I redid a couple sections, I know some people don't like to redo section till they clean them or rip them as well as they would like but unlike hiking where I'm a mile muncher in MTB I like quality I like to practice and it feels really good to me when I rip a section fast and smooth. You know when it's a good section, time almost slows down and its like you are in a tunnel vision where nothing but you and the trail exists! I got that a couple times. It was a great ride! Hope the rest of the week is this good!
Keep it real!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
crash bandacoot
Well yesterday was a wash. I was hoping to get out but you probably read my complaining in the last blog. So this morning I got up and did the normal eat, walk Jerry, shit, watch tv ect ect.... but then after Kelly got up I went for a ride. The trail was dry in some parts, tacky in other and a bit greasy/wet in some. I felt pretty good, a bit out of shape since I hadn't ridden in over a week. I was pretty much the only one out there. I think there was one other car and that person was already on the trail. I went to the jump hit it, came up a bit short. I was a bit too conservative. So with each additional jump I went faster and bigger and then it happened huge flatty and the landing came a little quick or something, but my bike wasn't squared up and I bit it hard. It always seems to be my left side for some damn reason. The left side is either greedy or way more ballsy then the right, haha. It fuckin' hurt too, my left side took the brunt of it and I got a handle bar end to the belly button and first thought was f it I'm done for the day but as I got up and started to walk away it didn't really hurt that much. So I rode back up and hit it again and continued on I was like I know I'll pay for this later but I need to ride. So I kept on ripping. I came up to one of my favorite little down hills, it is a curvy section and one left right got me good. I was carrying some serious speed and had the bike way laid over and the back tire started to drift, no biggie, but then the front started and it was over and this tree was coming quick. I don't know what happened next but the bike hit the tree and then myself and then I was thrown and I ended up with a bump on my shin even though I had shin pads on and a bent front rotor. I didn't know what was making that noise right away so I was adjusting and examining my bike but then I saw it and I didn't know if it could be fixed so I road back to the parking lot and head over to the bike shop.
The guys at Bicycle Chain were able to get it straightened out good enough to ride and not constantly rub! Thanks guys, saved me 45bucks, I couldn't believe how spendy they are, you can get a car rotor for that price! I was thinking of going back but my left hip was starting to stiffen up so it was time to call it a day. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much so I can get a ride in tomorrow!
Keep it real!
The guys at Bicycle Chain were able to get it straightened out good enough to ride and not constantly rub! Thanks guys, saved me 45bucks, I couldn't believe how spendy they are, you can get a car rotor for that price! I was thinking of going back but my left hip was starting to stiffen up so it was time to call it a day. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much so I can get a ride in tomorrow!
Keep it real!
Friday, May 27, 2011
riding? what the F is that?
Dude fuck this weather! I have absolutely had it! I am about to freak out. I'm boarder line depressed or stir crazy, I don't know but if I don't get to feel the dirt under my tires or even better nothing but sweet smelling air as I fly off a jump pretty damn soon I don't know now what I'm going to do! Looks like the only good shot that I have is tomorrow morning before noon. Let's just hope that it doesn't rain too much to make the trail too wet to ride!
Not much plans for the weekend. Jerry having another surgery has put a kibosh to that and this weather forecast isn't helping. I would just love to have a nice few weeks in a row with absolutely no rain and I know I can't be the only one hoping for this. Well June is just around the corner and I hope we are out of the rainy season. I hope you all have more exciting plans then I do. If this rain doesn't stop soon it's going to drive me back to drinking!
Keep it real!
Not much plans for the weekend. Jerry having another surgery has put a kibosh to that and this weather forecast isn't helping. I would just love to have a nice few weeks in a row with absolutely no rain and I know I can't be the only one hoping for this. Well June is just around the corner and I hope we are out of the rainy season. I hope you all have more exciting plans then I do. If this rain doesn't stop soon it's going to drive me back to drinking!
Keep it real!
false alarm
OK here's the update. I called the vet and the bulge is just a reaction to the internal stitches and should go away when they have dissolved. It might take a little while. The said if it is hard and not able to easily push it in its not a hernia. Also if he has been pretty docile he should have a hernia since he was stitched up pretty well. And he has been so good deal. A few more days of just chilling for Jerry and then probably on Tuesday he can start going for walks and then by 6/6 he should be 100% ready to rip. They said we have to wait about two weeks to get his stitches out so we will have to call our vet and see if the we can get them out on 6/3 or if we should wait the extra 3 days and get them out on 6/6.
Keep it real!
Keep it real!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
hmmm...
Well today started off like always Jerry waking me up and me feeding him and then walking him around for his morning deuce, then back to his kennel and time for my morning deuce. Then back to bed, today I had to work a later shift so I didn't have to be at work till 1030 so I thought I'd get a little more sleep and then get up and ride my bike to work. Everything was going as plan until I started my bike ride. I hadn't researched the rout too much but I had a good idea of how to get there. The problem is that I have to get across the MN river and I'm not allowed by MN law to ride on the 77 freeway. So there is this old train bridge that was transformed to a foot bridge. It took me about 20mins longer then it should have to get to the bridge. I missed the turn and went down the wrong way for a bit and when I finally found the bridge it was closed. Not just a sign saying it was closed but a 10 ft tall chain link fence reinforced by a 1/2inch cable running from post to post and these post were solid and looked like they had been there a while. The signs looked old and were spray painted. On top of that they took out 10 feet of planks on the other side of the fence and put another fence on the other side of that. They really didn't want people to cross it. I could see where I needed to be only about 100 meters away but it wasn't going to happen. I had no idea how else to get there so I had to retreat and head home. I went home and showered and got in my car and headed to work.
Work was alright, got a fair amount of stuff done, but had to work till 7pm so not much time to do anything after work.
I came home and Jerry met me at the door and wanted to get rowdy. So he had to go in his kennel to settle down. I did notice a bulge and my heart sunk, I hope to God it is not another hernia. He hasn't done anything, he did jump on the couch once and did get a little rowdy a couple times but nothing like last time, I felt it and it was hard, about the size of a halved walnut or so, not like a hernia or like his last hernia anyways. It was too late to call the vet so I will have to call them tomorrow and see what they say and he might have to go to a vet here to have it checked out. I don't think I can handle this anymore. I've been so stressed ever since this first surgery and I know Kelly is at about wits end. He only had to make it till next Weds and he should be fine. So he better settle the Fuck down I don't know might have to up the meds if needed. I hate to sedate him so much but it's in his best interest. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow and what the vet has to say when I call them. Fingers crossed
Keep it real!
Work was alright, got a fair amount of stuff done, but had to work till 7pm so not much time to do anything after work.
I came home and Jerry met me at the door and wanted to get rowdy. So he had to go in his kennel to settle down. I did notice a bulge and my heart sunk, I hope to God it is not another hernia. He hasn't done anything, he did jump on the couch once and did get a little rowdy a couple times but nothing like last time, I felt it and it was hard, about the size of a halved walnut or so, not like a hernia or like his last hernia anyways. It was too late to call the vet so I will have to call them tomorrow and see what they say and he might have to go to a vet here to have it checked out. I don't think I can handle this anymore. I've been so stressed ever since this first surgery and I know Kelly is at about wits end. He only had to make it till next Weds and he should be fine. So he better settle the Fuck down I don't know might have to up the meds if needed. I hate to sedate him so much but it's in his best interest. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow and what the vet has to say when I call them. Fingers crossed
Keep it real!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Jer Report
Ok so Jerry is home safe and sound. Thanks to my parents for taking care of him on Sunday and taking him to the vet, picking him up, paying the bill and dropping him off! Thank God for nice parents that are willing to help you out even when you "grow up," (haha I'll never grow up!)
Unfortunately we have to take extra special precautions this time so that we don't have any accidents. This means stacking shit on all the furniture so he doesn't jump on it. We have baby gates to keep him from going up and down the stairs. He has sedatives to keep him chilled out and a larger crate so that when we need to keep him confined or settle him down. We hope all this will work and we don't have to deal with it again. The vet said that he had to be as docile as possible for the next 7 days. Jerry isn't allowed to run, jump, swim, climb stairs or even go on prolonged walks. He is to sleep and lay down as much as possible! Damn that is hard to do with a 7month old puppy and he is a rowdy little shit especially in the morning and this morning was no different. I thought he was going to be pretty chill. He started to get a little excited so I gave him some sedatives but it takes a while to kick in and he started to get rowdy again so I was going to put him in the kennel but as I was walking from the kitchen and he jumped over the back of the couch. My heart stopped. I picked him up off the couch and put him in his kennel. I hope that no damage was done there. It looks fine but who knows.
Work has been a bit stressful this week since my mind isn't totally in the game and I'm not quite keeping up this week. On top of that I haven't been able to ride since it's been raining like crazy all weekend and most of this week and on top of that we had to meet my parents half way on Sunday to drop Jerry off. That's about 5hrs in the car, then we went to the Twins game on Monday after work (what a heart breaker!), Tuesday we had to pick Jerry up and tonight is Kelly's golf night so I have to keep an I on Jerry. I am going to sneak out and get a jog in. I haven't ran in a long time but I feel like I'm getting fat and I don't like it. Tomorrow I'm hoping to ride my bike to work since I have to work later, 1030-7pm. I might try to stretch the ride out or ride there early and get a lift in as well. Not sure yet but something I hope! And if there is a God he will stop this damn rain for my sake and the poor farmers and I might be able to get a ride in Friday night and maybe another longer ride this weekend!
I'll keep you posted!
Keep it real!
Unfortunately we have to take extra special precautions this time so that we don't have any accidents. This means stacking shit on all the furniture so he doesn't jump on it. We have baby gates to keep him from going up and down the stairs. He has sedatives to keep him chilled out and a larger crate so that when we need to keep him confined or settle him down. We hope all this will work and we don't have to deal with it again. The vet said that he had to be as docile as possible for the next 7 days. Jerry isn't allowed to run, jump, swim, climb stairs or even go on prolonged walks. He is to sleep and lay down as much as possible! Damn that is hard to do with a 7month old puppy and he is a rowdy little shit especially in the morning and this morning was no different. I thought he was going to be pretty chill. He started to get a little excited so I gave him some sedatives but it takes a while to kick in and he started to get rowdy again so I was going to put him in the kennel but as I was walking from the kitchen and he jumped over the back of the couch. My heart stopped. I picked him up off the couch and put him in his kennel. I hope that no damage was done there. It looks fine but who knows.
Work has been a bit stressful this week since my mind isn't totally in the game and I'm not quite keeping up this week. On top of that I haven't been able to ride since it's been raining like crazy all weekend and most of this week and on top of that we had to meet my parents half way on Sunday to drop Jerry off. That's about 5hrs in the car, then we went to the Twins game on Monday after work (what a heart breaker!), Tuesday we had to pick Jerry up and tonight is Kelly's golf night so I have to keep an I on Jerry. I am going to sneak out and get a jog in. I haven't ran in a long time but I feel like I'm getting fat and I don't like it. Tomorrow I'm hoping to ride my bike to work since I have to work later, 1030-7pm. I might try to stretch the ride out or ride there early and get a lift in as well. Not sure yet but something I hope! And if there is a God he will stop this damn rain for my sake and the poor farmers and I might be able to get a ride in Friday night and maybe another longer ride this weekend!
I'll keep you posted!
Keep it real!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The pooch
Well some more plans that wont be happening as planned. Jerry was to get his stitches out this last Friday and to be given the go for anything he wanted to do. Well the stitches came out but about 4 days before we noticed he had a bulge by the incision. I had a sneaky suspicion it was a hernia but didn't want to alarm Kelly so I didn't say much but when we went to the vet and they took Jerry in the back and then told us to go to a room I knew this wasn't going to be good. The vet, one we hadn't seen before, broke the bad news said he had a couple inch long hernia were the incision was through his abdominal wall. F! He made it seem like it was the worst thing ever but when we called the vet back in A-town they said we should probably take care of it but didn't seem like it was urgent but we figured the best bet was to just take him back to Aberdeen this weekend. After some discussion with my parents we decided it would work best to just meet them half way Sunday afternoon. Then my pops would drop Jerry off Monday morning and then pick him up after he gets off work on Tuesday and we would meet him half way again. So that is what we will do.
But first we thought we would let the little bear have some fun and tear it up today since he really can't do much more damage. We took him down to his favorite park and let him rip through the woods and go swim in the lake/pond right down there for about a half hour. He loved it, I haven't seen him that happy in a couple weeks. His little tail and butt was wagging so fast. I love seeing him so excited. He loves swimming, he's like a little fish.
Unfortunately it's been raining on and off this weekend since about Friday afternoon, so I don't know if there is going to be any MTB going on. It hasn't rained since about 2pm here and I live right by Lebanon so if it doesn't rain anymore, I might be able to sneak in a quick ride other wise I'll be SOL. I am pretty booked this week so I don't know when I'll sneak in a ride.
Monday we are going to the Twins game for a buddies birthday, Tuesday I either have to work till 7pm if I can't get that changed or I'll be driving to meet my dad to pick up Jerry, and Wednesday I'll have to watch Jerry as Kelly has golf league. I guess probably wont get to the trail till probably Thursday, what a bummer! That's life, what can you do!
Keep it real!
But first we thought we would let the little bear have some fun and tear it up today since he really can't do much more damage. We took him down to his favorite park and let him rip through the woods and go swim in the lake/pond right down there for about a half hour. He loved it, I haven't seen him that happy in a couple weeks. His little tail and butt was wagging so fast. I love seeing him so excited. He loves swimming, he's like a little fish.
Unfortunately it's been raining on and off this weekend since about Friday afternoon, so I don't know if there is going to be any MTB going on. It hasn't rained since about 2pm here and I live right by Lebanon so if it doesn't rain anymore, I might be able to sneak in a quick ride other wise I'll be SOL. I am pretty booked this week so I don't know when I'll sneak in a ride.
Monday we are going to the Twins game for a buddies birthday, Tuesday I either have to work till 7pm if I can't get that changed or I'll be driving to meet my dad to pick up Jerry, and Wednesday I'll have to watch Jerry as Kelly has golf league. I guess probably wont get to the trail till probably Thursday, what a bummer! That's life, what can you do!
Keep it real!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
the ghost shifter
Today was a pretty straight forward day nothing crazy at work, just did my work and went on with my day. I couldn't really keep my thoughts on work after about 1 or so. My buddy Stu picked up his new bike today, a sexy looking black and red Giant Anthem X 29er, definitely a sweet ride.
I met Stu at Lebanon at about 530 and we checked out the bike, tried to get his pedals off his other bike. They must have put those things on with lock tight. I even tried penetrating oil, nothing. So we threw on my egg beaters and he wore my shoes. Not like I use them much right now. I might rock them for the cross season, we'll see. So far I haven't even put those pedals on my bike this year and not planning on it right now. After we got that shit sorted we hit the trail. A quick lap around the parking lot to get him use to the clips then a quick run on the green trail and then go to rippin'. Love that first technical section there and I light it up today. I almost bunny hopped clean over the big rock and then launched the first rock garden, right through the next, off the drop jump and I had to do a quick brake check and skied that table! Huge whip, it felt so sick right into another whip of the double. When we got the road we stopped to adjust my seat. I thought I had a huge smile on my face but stu had a bigger one. He was like holy shit you skied that jump! haha I told him to rip it, it's so smooth. Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll break him out of his XC shell. I don't know how well those 29ers jump but I'm sure I could whip it! haha or I'd sure like to give it a try.
The rest of the ride was pretty good. We only did a full lap, including the black and double black section about 9.4 miles total tonight.
I really got to see where those 29ers shine. I would catch him on the DH when he was leading and through the rough stuff. I don't know if that comes down to bike or rider but he we would catch me pretty damn quick when I was leading. Those bikes fly on the flatter stuff and climb pretty damn well. I would like to really get to lay into a 29er one of these days and put it through the ropes.
We did cut it a little short for my normal goes but it was stu's first ride and his low back started to bother him.
Definitely glad to have a riding buddy now. We are pretty equal but have some different talents but that should benefit us in the end, gives us something to improve on!
Keep it real!
I met Stu at Lebanon at about 530 and we checked out the bike, tried to get his pedals off his other bike. They must have put those things on with lock tight. I even tried penetrating oil, nothing. So we threw on my egg beaters and he wore my shoes. Not like I use them much right now. I might rock them for the cross season, we'll see. So far I haven't even put those pedals on my bike this year and not planning on it right now. After we got that shit sorted we hit the trail. A quick lap around the parking lot to get him use to the clips then a quick run on the green trail and then go to rippin'. Love that first technical section there and I light it up today. I almost bunny hopped clean over the big rock and then launched the first rock garden, right through the next, off the drop jump and I had to do a quick brake check and skied that table! Huge whip, it felt so sick right into another whip of the double. When we got the road we stopped to adjust my seat. I thought I had a huge smile on my face but stu had a bigger one. He was like holy shit you skied that jump! haha I told him to rip it, it's so smooth. Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll break him out of his XC shell. I don't know how well those 29ers jump but I'm sure I could whip it! haha or I'd sure like to give it a try.
The rest of the ride was pretty good. We only did a full lap, including the black and double black section about 9.4 miles total tonight.
I really got to see where those 29ers shine. I would catch him on the DH when he was leading and through the rough stuff. I don't know if that comes down to bike or rider but he we would catch me pretty damn quick when I was leading. Those bikes fly on the flatter stuff and climb pretty damn well. I would like to really get to lay into a 29er one of these days and put it through the ropes.
We did cut it a little short for my normal goes but it was stu's first ride and his low back started to bother him.
Definitely glad to have a riding buddy now. We are pretty equal but have some different talents but that should benefit us in the end, gives us something to improve on!
Keep it real!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
average at best, almost frustrating
Not much to say about today's ride but yuck. I didn't crash but I wish I would have. I would have had a reason to ride all timid and Nancy like. Yes I did crash last ride but I would have only expected to be hesitant on my jumps but I was nailing them I even through down a sick whip x-up. I was feeling fresh in the air but as for some reason I felt awkward as soon as I hit the trail. Can't put my finger on it. The legs weren't rubbery or my lungs weren't burning but I just didn't seem to be as smooth as normal. I was hesitating on throwing the bike into the corners and really leaning it into it. I don't know what it was but I just wasn't trusting my bike, my tires or myself. It must have just been an off day. They say that shit happens but it sucks. I couldn't get my vision right, I found my self looking like 5ft in front of my front wheel instead of 15ft and I found it was difficulty to ride behind people it really causes me to loose focus on the trail. This might start to be a problem if I choose to start racing XC. I did start to flow a little bit towards then end but then I got a slow leak pinch flat! Fuck, I hate walking a perfectly good bike! I had tubes but my pump was at my car. I need to get one of those CO2 things, unfortunately I don't have any cash right now.
Other then riding my day was pretty good. I finally got caught up at work with a little help from my team and the day went rather quickly. Had a good dinner with Kelly and now I'm just chilling watching some tv and debating on if I'm going to get up and go work out tomorrow before work since it's Kelly's day to go have some fun, golf league!
I do hope to get out and ride with my buddy stu on Thursday since he is getting his new bike then. A Giant anthem x 29er. Looks like a sweet bike and exactly what he needs. I suggested he looks at the Salsa Spearfish, definitely on my radar for next bike, but he got a killer deal on this bike as it was raced one race.
Well I hope you all had a better ride then me, hopefully I'll be more focused next ride.
Keep it real!
Other then riding my day was pretty good. I finally got caught up at work with a little help from my team and the day went rather quickly. Had a good dinner with Kelly and now I'm just chilling watching some tv and debating on if I'm going to get up and go work out tomorrow before work since it's Kelly's day to go have some fun, golf league!
I do hope to get out and ride with my buddy stu on Thursday since he is getting his new bike then. A Giant anthem x 29er. Looks like a sweet bike and exactly what he needs. I suggested he looks at the Salsa Spearfish, definitely on my radar for next bike, but he got a killer deal on this bike as it was raced one race.
Well I hope you all had a better ride then me, hopefully I'll be more focused next ride.
Keep it real!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
first crash of the year
First before the ride report I want to elaborate on the previous post. I had a buddy email me and ask if everyone should be getting a full suspension and the answer is no. I don't believe that you should start on a full suspension. If you have never rode a mtb or have any other relevant bike experience like BMX I would say you need to start with a hard tail with rim brakes and flats and this is why.
If you jump right on a full suspension bike you will learn bad habits that can be compensated by the suspension with out even knowing. If you start with a hard tail you will learn to handle the bike properly and it will force you to read the trail better, look for the smoother lines. The reason you should start with flats is because it will force you actually learn how to ride your bike and not rely on the clips like a crutch. If you can't ride your bike with out clips you can't really ride your bike, for example if you can't bunny hop, manual or jump with out your clips you don't have skills! Plain and simple, the best riders in the world may use clips but they can ride at least 90-95% as well on flats as they can with clips. Lastly the reason I think you should ride rim brakes simply because you might hurt yourself if you don't know how to use your brakes properly. There is a big difference in stopping power between rim and disc brakes.
So bottom line if you haven't ridden a mtn bike or have bmx experience you should save your money buy a couple hundred dollar hard tail and ride that for the summer save up some extra money so you can buy a sweet full suspension next summer!
Alright the ride was stellar the trail was tacky to begin with and got better as the time went on. Unfortunately I was all stoked for ride and with in 5 mins I had hit the dirt hard! I launched off the table just out of the parking lot came off the lip a little weird but still went for the whip but ended up way too far forward and couldn't bring it back and hit dirt hard! After the dust settled I slowly moved all my body parts slowly and was like ok nothing is broken. I did hit my head but not hard, slightly knocked the wind out of myself, and I did end up with some serious raspberries on my left quad and calf and a small one on my shoulder. Unfortunately I was an idiot and decided not to were my leg protection and I paid for it. I did put them on before the second lap.
Other then that crash the ride was great. I hit my lines and railed most of the corners. The confidence is increasing with each ride.
I did meet some nice people there. I saw a guy on a 29er unicycle, he wasn't riding the trail but was on the bike path and there was this couple on a custom built 29er tandem mtb. It was pretty sweet! I talked to that guy for a bit about 29ers and he had some good incite, maybe changed my opinion a little but he still was one of those guys that really likes to ride ridged single speed 29ers I still don't really get it. Anyways it was a great ride and I can't wait to get back out there. It is getting a little boring riding by myself. Maybe I can find some group rides or something, who knows.
Keep it real!
If you jump right on a full suspension bike you will learn bad habits that can be compensated by the suspension with out even knowing. If you start with a hard tail you will learn to handle the bike properly and it will force you to read the trail better, look for the smoother lines. The reason you should start with flats is because it will force you actually learn how to ride your bike and not rely on the clips like a crutch. If you can't ride your bike with out clips you can't really ride your bike, for example if you can't bunny hop, manual or jump with out your clips you don't have skills! Plain and simple, the best riders in the world may use clips but they can ride at least 90-95% as well on flats as they can with clips. Lastly the reason I think you should ride rim brakes simply because you might hurt yourself if you don't know how to use your brakes properly. There is a big difference in stopping power between rim and disc brakes.
So bottom line if you haven't ridden a mtn bike or have bmx experience you should save your money buy a couple hundred dollar hard tail and ride that for the summer save up some extra money so you can buy a sweet full suspension next summer!
Alright the ride was stellar the trail was tacky to begin with and got better as the time went on. Unfortunately I was all stoked for ride and with in 5 mins I had hit the dirt hard! I launched off the table just out of the parking lot came off the lip a little weird but still went for the whip but ended up way too far forward and couldn't bring it back and hit dirt hard! After the dust settled I slowly moved all my body parts slowly and was like ok nothing is broken. I did hit my head but not hard, slightly knocked the wind out of myself, and I did end up with some serious raspberries on my left quad and calf and a small one on my shoulder. Unfortunately I was an idiot and decided not to were my leg protection and I paid for it. I did put them on before the second lap.
Other then that crash the ride was great. I hit my lines and railed most of the corners. The confidence is increasing with each ride.
I did meet some nice people there. I saw a guy on a 29er unicycle, he wasn't riding the trail but was on the bike path and there was this couple on a custom built 29er tandem mtb. It was pretty sweet! I talked to that guy for a bit about 29ers and he had some good incite, maybe changed my opinion a little but he still was one of those guys that really likes to ride ridged single speed 29ers I still don't really get it. Anyways it was a great ride and I can't wait to get back out there. It is getting a little boring riding by myself. Maybe I can find some group rides or something, who knows.
Keep it real!
Friday, May 13, 2011
good ride
Well no bonk at Lebanon today! The trail was stellar, nice and tacky and it was rippin'! I love that sweet table top right towards the beginning, it is probably my favorite part of the trail. There are some sweet sections with some flowy down hill that I really enjoy as well. The black sections seemed easier today. I only had to try twice at that crazy rock garden turn section to clean it. I feel like my legs are coming back more and more each ride. I was able to do two laps with really only a break in the lot between the two laps. I did have a bit of a rest when I would walk back and redo a couple sections I wanted to snap through a bit quicker. My turns are getting sharper and my jumps are getting smoother with every ride! I can't wait to see where I'm at towards the end of the season!
Tomorrow is the almanzo, unfortunately I had to bail and it's probably a good thing after hearing some bad ass riders talking about how difficult the course is with the hills and all. I wish all the riders the best! Maybe next year I'll get my shit together a little earlier and be able to actually compete but I'll be tryin' my best to get a couple comps this summer. The Buck Hill Thursday comps look promising. I am also looking forward to the weekend in Crosby that should be a blast and of course the dirt bag, I won't bail on that race I know I'll be ready by then. I'll have ridden mtb and cross all summer by then.
My thoughts for the day. I've been helping a couple buddies bike shop the last few days. One is a weekend warrior and wants to get that all around bike that he can rip anywhere and the caveat is that he might be moving west in the next year or so. He has been looking for jobs in Washington and Colorado. The other is more of the XC rider also into adventure racing and he probably will be here in MN for a while. The info/opinion I gave to both them is pretty similar but more or less the break down is:
As for my opinion on hard tail verses full suspension. to be straight up if you aren't running 100mm + travel front and rear you're wasting your time. I personally feel you might as well run 120-160mm but that's my opinion but since it's my opinion as well as many others in the industry I'll give you a little incite into why I feel this way.
1. no one can go down as fast on a hard tail as they can on full suspension = point full suspension
2. if you do ride rough stuff you can't float through them as easily or as quickly on a hard tail = point full suspension
3. here's the catch that the hard tail fanatics try to throw back at me, you can't climb as efficiently, well that is true on smooth climbs, where your rear end is always on the trail and there is more forgiveness for poor form = point hard tail
4. it isn't true on technical climbs as the suspension will keep your rear end on the ground and not jumping around = constant contact, but you do need to be in proper position. = point full suspension
5. second caveat the ht riders claim. you loose efficiency when pedaling due to pedal bob, was more true a few years ago, not as relevant any more. With prior single pivot point rear suspension you had a lot more pedal bob but now with virtual pivot points and multiple point suspension platforms you will barely have any efficiency loss on flat smooth trail but you gain efficiency on tech climbs and descending! = point full suspension
6. third caveat is maintenance, there is quite a bit more maintenance with a full suspension, so if you're lazy then I guess that's a problem. reluctantly = point hard tail
7. final caveat and maybe the biggest for most people is price. There is a pretty big gap here. Decent hard tails start at about 800-1000 bucks and goes up to about 4000 for a full out carbon ripper weighing in at about 17-20lbs and a decent full suspension start at about 1800-2400 bucks and goes up to about 8000! yeah but if you have the cash to spend 2000 the full suspension is worth it, not just my opinion most magazines like Bike agree. As the discuss in the letters to the editor of last months issue. But I'll give this point to the Hard tail.
8. The comfort level of a full suspension bike is miles better then a hard tail bike. So unless you are doing a gravel race or riding the smoothest trails around (road riding on dirt) that comfort allows you to ride longer and on rougher aka cooler terrain! = point full suspension
9. And one more thing, yes a full suspension does weigh a bit more but I know that a couple lbs doesn't make much of a difference on the trail, do a couple more reps in the gym. You're not a roadie so don't think like a roadie and stop pinching the grams! = point full suspension!
Final score = 5 points full suspension and hard tail comes in a close second at 4 points
So overall a 4-6inch travel bike is a way better all around bike then a hard tail. It doesn't matter if you are riding trail, xc or even marathon. If you have the money to drop that kind of cash you should get a bike that can do it all and do it all well. I guess if you can't afford to buy a full suspension and aren't willing to buy a used bike then go with a hard tail other wise spend the extra money and get a full suspension.
There are other things to consider like 26 vs 29. I prefer 26inch but it fits my type of riding better but they are starting to make some bikes that I would be interested in like the Santa Cruz tall boy. I recommend that you can consider a 29er as well if you really want to gain long distance efficiency and high speed efficiency , less rolling resistance and they tend to smooth the tail out a bit, but they look a bit ridiculous to me with those giant wagon wheels and I don't like them for technical and aggressive riding but for xc and marathon they are tough to beat with efficiency, but they tend to be a bit more spendy and a tad bit heavier.
Yes I'm sure that there are some hard core rippers out there that can really thrash a hard tail and even a ridged and yes hard tails are better for pure dirt jump, street and pump track riding but for an all around ride for the average Joe a full suspension is the best fit. This is especially true if you like to ride technical trails and trails that have a fair amount of down hills.
Again it's mostly my opinion but there is a lot of truth, fact and experience in it.
I hope to get out and ride at least a few more hours this weekend, maybe I'll see you out there!
Keep it real!
Tomorrow is the almanzo, unfortunately I had to bail and it's probably a good thing after hearing some bad ass riders talking about how difficult the course is with the hills and all. I wish all the riders the best! Maybe next year I'll get my shit together a little earlier and be able to actually compete but I'll be tryin' my best to get a couple comps this summer. The Buck Hill Thursday comps look promising. I am also looking forward to the weekend in Crosby that should be a blast and of course the dirt bag, I won't bail on that race I know I'll be ready by then. I'll have ridden mtb and cross all summer by then.
My thoughts for the day. I've been helping a couple buddies bike shop the last few days. One is a weekend warrior and wants to get that all around bike that he can rip anywhere and the caveat is that he might be moving west in the next year or so. He has been looking for jobs in Washington and Colorado. The other is more of the XC rider also into adventure racing and he probably will be here in MN for a while. The info/opinion I gave to both them is pretty similar but more or less the break down is:
As for my opinion on hard tail verses full suspension. to be straight up if you aren't running 100mm + travel front and rear you're wasting your time. I personally feel you might as well run 120-160mm but that's my opinion but since it's my opinion as well as many others in the industry I'll give you a little incite into why I feel this way.
1. no one can go down as fast on a hard tail as they can on full suspension = point full suspension
2. if you do ride rough stuff you can't float through them as easily or as quickly on a hard tail = point full suspension
3. here's the catch that the hard tail fanatics try to throw back at me, you can't climb as efficiently, well that is true on smooth climbs, where your rear end is always on the trail and there is more forgiveness for poor form = point hard tail
4. it isn't true on technical climbs as the suspension will keep your rear end on the ground and not jumping around = constant contact, but you do need to be in proper position. = point full suspension
5. second caveat the ht riders claim. you loose efficiency when pedaling due to pedal bob, was more true a few years ago, not as relevant any more. With prior single pivot point rear suspension you had a lot more pedal bob but now with virtual pivot points and multiple point suspension platforms you will barely have any efficiency loss on flat smooth trail but you gain efficiency on tech climbs and descending! = point full suspension
6. third caveat is maintenance, there is quite a bit more maintenance with a full suspension, so if you're lazy then I guess that's a problem. reluctantly = point hard tail
7. final caveat and maybe the biggest for most people is price. There is a pretty big gap here. Decent hard tails start at about 800-1000 bucks and goes up to about 4000 for a full out carbon ripper weighing in at about 17-20lbs and a decent full suspension start at about 1800-2400 bucks and goes up to about 8000! yeah but if you have the cash to spend 2000 the full suspension is worth it, not just my opinion most magazines like Bike agree. As the discuss in the letters to the editor of last months issue. But I'll give this point to the Hard tail.
8. The comfort level of a full suspension bike is miles better then a hard tail bike. So unless you are doing a gravel race or riding the smoothest trails around (road riding on dirt) that comfort allows you to ride longer and on rougher aka cooler terrain! = point full suspension
9. And one more thing, yes a full suspension does weigh a bit more but I know that a couple lbs doesn't make much of a difference on the trail, do a couple more reps in the gym. You're not a roadie so don't think like a roadie and stop pinching the grams! = point full suspension!
Final score = 5 points full suspension and hard tail comes in a close second at 4 points
So overall a 4-6inch travel bike is a way better all around bike then a hard tail. It doesn't matter if you are riding trail, xc or even marathon. If you have the money to drop that kind of cash you should get a bike that can do it all and do it all well. I guess if you can't afford to buy a full suspension and aren't willing to buy a used bike then go with a hard tail other wise spend the extra money and get a full suspension.
There are other things to consider like 26 vs 29. I prefer 26inch but it fits my type of riding better but they are starting to make some bikes that I would be interested in like the Santa Cruz tall boy. I recommend that you can consider a 29er as well if you really want to gain long distance efficiency and high speed efficiency , less rolling resistance and they tend to smooth the tail out a bit, but they look a bit ridiculous to me with those giant wagon wheels and I don't like them for technical and aggressive riding but for xc and marathon they are tough to beat with efficiency, but they tend to be a bit more spendy and a tad bit heavier.
Yes I'm sure that there are some hard core rippers out there that can really thrash a hard tail and even a ridged and yes hard tails are better for pure dirt jump, street and pump track riding but for an all around ride for the average Joe a full suspension is the best fit. This is especially true if you like to ride technical trails and trails that have a fair amount of down hills.
Again it's mostly my opinion but there is a lot of truth, fact and experience in it.
I hope to get out and ride at least a few more hours this weekend, maybe I'll see you out there!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
lazy day
Today was a stressful day at work. I use to have a comfortable case load and was able to get my work done easily and maybe get to take my breaks and didn't have to come in early and stay late but as of last Monday my case load almost double and now I'm struggling to even keep up. It fucking sucks! I don't get the point in over loading people and stressing them out. I know I'm not the only person. They keep telling me that the longer I work there the more efficient I will get and it wont be that bad but right now it sucks and frankly I'm done with coming early or staying late. I don't mind not taking breaks, time just flies anyways.
After work today it was just Jerry and Chance time. Kelly had golf so Jerry and I just hung out went for a couple walks and he slept a bit. He is getting frustrated with this not being able to rip it up. I know I would be if I was told I can't ride for 2 weeks!
On a lighter note, check this dude out! No brakes! what a bad ass, I wish I had this type of bike control!
http://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/History-Lesson-Chris-Akrigg-Brakeless,5629
Keep it real!
After work today it was just Jerry and Chance time. Kelly had golf so Jerry and I just hung out went for a couple walks and he slept a bit. He is getting frustrated with this not being able to rip it up. I know I would be if I was told I can't ride for 2 weeks!
On a lighter note, check this dude out! No brakes! what a bad ass, I wish I had this type of bike control!
http://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/History-Lesson-Chris-Akrigg-Brakeless,5629
Keep it real!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
bonking at lebanon!
Today I got up did my work out before work. Made it through another day at the office and decided to check out Lebanon on the way home. It looked great, so I ran home and grabbed my bike and hit the trail. I was feeling it right away. I had to hit the fat table right towards the beginning a couple times. Love throwing fat whips off that thing. It is just so smooth! Unfortunately I was already starting to bonk by I go to the middle black and double black sections. Very big bummer. I had to try a few of the sections that I've already blasted a couple times to clean them I don't know what it was. Was it because I lifted this morning or my nutrition was off or some combo? I don't know but it sucked. I ended up taking 3 breaks just to be able to ride the tech stuff effectively! Not cool. I was so glad to be back to the parking lot which is never the case for me. I ended up with 9.2miles in just over 1hr and 30mins, not too bad. If it wasn't for my flow on the down hill I would have died. haha well hopefully this week stays dry and I can get a few more rides in a week and start to build up my endurance!
Keep it real!
Keep it real!
Monday, May 9, 2011
the weekend recap
The weekend started for me at 330pm Thursday afternoon. Nothing excited unless you find riding 5 hours in a car partially at night with a restless dog exciting. When we finally go to my parents in Aberdeen the dogs went nuts and that is to be expected. Finally got the dogs settled down about midnight. Woke up at 6am and Jerry hated me pretty much straight aways since he was having surgery at about 1030am so he wasn't to be able to eat since 6pm Thursday night. We took him to the vet at about 730am to get his check up and x-ray, yep rock still in the stomach, and yep the 5th vet said we would have to have it surgically removed. The only difference was that he could get neutered and have the rock removed for about 600 bones, about a grand less then the best offer we could get here in the cities! We are now broke, Kelly a bit more then me and Jerry is fixed. Unfortunately Jerry hates us more now, we had to keep him from eating till 6pm Saturday night and he wasn't allowed to play with Scooby, my parents dog, all weekend. He has to be leash walked for at least 7 days and we are to try to keep a 6month old puppy calm for at least 4 days, no jumping, running or rough housing and no swimming for 2 weeks! WTF! how am I suppose to do that! He hates the least, loves to rough house. I want to pull my hair out at night because I normally run the shit out of him for an hour at night before I want to relax so he will sleep and he has a new found love for swimming! Also since he can't swim we can't go to lake like we had discussed this weekend because there isn't a chance in hell that we can keep him out of the water, if he sees water he runs straight to it. That sucks because I was hoping to get my first go at the Cuyuna trail but that isn't going to happen but it's ok I don't think it's actually going to be open yet.
So the rest of the weekend when we weren't tending to Jerry we went to my younger brother Ethan's college graduation. He graduated from Mitchell Technical Institute with a degree in Electrical Construction Engineering. He graduated with honors and won the spirit of MTI award for his department! I'm pretty proud of him. I've always said he was the smart one, he just was a bit lazy and not motivated when he is younger but seem to have got his shit together in the last couple years and that's good.
Saturday afternoon I went to for nice little ride at the Richmond Lake Mtb course, about 12miles from Aberdeen. Really the only place to mtb near Aberdeen. It's not bad for what they have. I would say it would be upper B level course here in the cities. Better then Salem but not as good as BC or Lebanon. It has a pretty fun little loop by the boy scout camp. It has a lot of short ups and steep downs. It doesn't have much for technical wheel play but it does have a lot of tight technical turns which make some of it tricky and almost all of the sweet dh sections have sharp ass turn at the bottom so hanging loose. Have to keep it under control. You can rip it hard but you have to good wit the brakes. It's a bit of a shame since they have this sweet natural water breaks that are like whoops and there were a couple I would have liked to try to double up but would have had way too much speed to stop or corner. I think the only thing I would add is a couple optional technically sections with some wood stacks, a rock garden and maybe some other feature. I know that they are constantly doing work and adding trail out there all the time. So we'll see.
After the ride my brother had his open house so we headed out there had a couple beers and some BBQs and cake. Chatted with some people I hadn't seen in awhile.
Sunday was mothers day so we just hung out, went to church and had lunch with my parents and then headed back to the cities to spend a couple hours with Kelly's mom and then I blinked and it was Monday morning and back to work! Christ that went fast!
Well this is the one week I hope goes really quick I don't think I can handle the restraining of this crazy pooch for much longer, haha.
Keep it real!
So the rest of the weekend when we weren't tending to Jerry we went to my younger brother Ethan's college graduation. He graduated from Mitchell Technical Institute with a degree in Electrical Construction Engineering. He graduated with honors and won the spirit of MTI award for his department! I'm pretty proud of him. I've always said he was the smart one, he just was a bit lazy and not motivated when he is younger but seem to have got his shit together in the last couple years and that's good.
Saturday afternoon I went to for nice little ride at the Richmond Lake Mtb course, about 12miles from Aberdeen. Really the only place to mtb near Aberdeen. It's not bad for what they have. I would say it would be upper B level course here in the cities. Better then Salem but not as good as BC or Lebanon. It has a pretty fun little loop by the boy scout camp. It has a lot of short ups and steep downs. It doesn't have much for technical wheel play but it does have a lot of tight technical turns which make some of it tricky and almost all of the sweet dh sections have sharp ass turn at the bottom so hanging loose. Have to keep it under control. You can rip it hard but you have to good wit the brakes. It's a bit of a shame since they have this sweet natural water breaks that are like whoops and there were a couple I would have liked to try to double up but would have had way too much speed to stop or corner. I think the only thing I would add is a couple optional technically sections with some wood stacks, a rock garden and maybe some other feature. I know that they are constantly doing work and adding trail out there all the time. So we'll see.
After the ride my brother had his open house so we headed out there had a couple beers and some BBQs and cake. Chatted with some people I hadn't seen in awhile.
Sunday was mothers day so we just hung out, went to church and had lunch with my parents and then headed back to the cities to spend a couple hours with Kelly's mom and then I blinked and it was Monday morning and back to work! Christ that went fast!
Well this is the one week I hope goes really quick I don't think I can handle the restraining of this crazy pooch for much longer, haha.
Keep it real!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
and the saga continues
Well the Jer Bear is still doing alright, no loss of appetite, still rambunctious as ever and has multiple poops a day so no worries yet. If he still doesn't have signs by Friday we will be going to the vet in a-town to have an x-ray to see where the rock is, unless he passes it tomorrow sometime.
Hit up Battle Creek (BC) yesterday. It was a lot of fun. I still haven't rode all the trails there. It just spider webs all over the place. I did a couple laps on the trails I knew and then decided to explore. I ended up ripping this pretty technical down hill that ended up at a half ass road and I was like shit where do I go now so I started to ride back to what I believed to be the parking lot. Then I ran into this guy all decked out in down hill gear, I mean the full boat. Full face helmet, flack jacket, the gloves with the plastic knuckles, bomber shorts and shins, haha a bit of an over kill if you ask me but what ever makes you feel good. He was pretty cool a bit out of shape. He had to stop twice on the way to the top of this down hill he was going to show me. At the top we met this other guy and ripped back down. By the time we made it back to the parking lot my tire was flat! Damn it pinch flat. I had a tube in my car but I had just taken out the pump for some dumb reason. Who knows, so that was the end of my night. We were on our way to rip the luge but I chatted with them for a bit and then loaded up my bike and headed home.
Today work sucked since I didn't go yesterday and stayed home to watch the pup. I had to try to catch up. Thank God a couple people helped me catch up a little bit. After work it was time to hang with Jerry again. Kelly had golf league tonight so I hung out with Jerry. She said she would be back about 730pm and I saw that Lebanon opened up at noon today so I had to try and sneak off for a quick ride. I put Jerry in the kennel from 730-830 and went a did a quick, well as quick as I could, lap. It is definitely a great trail that is very well maintained. There is a lot of trail that I didn't get to ride. The black diamond was pretty cool. I don't know if I would call it a black diamond. It wasn't as intimidating as other people had made it out to be, but definitely a lot of fun and I'm pretty excited to get back there and explore some more of the trail and hit up the double black diamond.
This weekend I'll be back in a-town for my brothers graduation. I'll be taking my bike with me and hope to hit up Richmond trails with some of the locals!
Keep it real!
Hit up Battle Creek (BC) yesterday. It was a lot of fun. I still haven't rode all the trails there. It just spider webs all over the place. I did a couple laps on the trails I knew and then decided to explore. I ended up ripping this pretty technical down hill that ended up at a half ass road and I was like shit where do I go now so I started to ride back to what I believed to be the parking lot. Then I ran into this guy all decked out in down hill gear, I mean the full boat. Full face helmet, flack jacket, the gloves with the plastic knuckles, bomber shorts and shins, haha a bit of an over kill if you ask me but what ever makes you feel good. He was pretty cool a bit out of shape. He had to stop twice on the way to the top of this down hill he was going to show me. At the top we met this other guy and ripped back down. By the time we made it back to the parking lot my tire was flat! Damn it pinch flat. I had a tube in my car but I had just taken out the pump for some dumb reason. Who knows, so that was the end of my night. We were on our way to rip the luge but I chatted with them for a bit and then loaded up my bike and headed home.
Today work sucked since I didn't go yesterday and stayed home to watch the pup. I had to try to catch up. Thank God a couple people helped me catch up a little bit. After work it was time to hang with Jerry again. Kelly had golf league tonight so I hung out with Jerry. She said she would be back about 730pm and I saw that Lebanon opened up at noon today so I had to try and sneak off for a quick ride. I put Jerry in the kennel from 730-830 and went a did a quick, well as quick as I could, lap. It is definitely a great trail that is very well maintained. There is a lot of trail that I didn't get to ride. The black diamond was pretty cool. I don't know if I would call it a black diamond. It wasn't as intimidating as other people had made it out to be, but definitely a lot of fun and I'm pretty excited to get back there and explore some more of the trail and hit up the double black diamond.
This weekend I'll be back in a-town for my brothers graduation. I'll be taking my bike with me and hope to hit up Richmond trails with some of the locals!
Keep it real!
Monday, May 2, 2011
the follow up
Today at work was very stressful. I didn't know what was going to happen. I got up early and headed to the gym at work and got a quick work out in. The vet didn't open till 8am and I knew Jerry was going to have to go to the vet and we were going to find out if he did swallow the rock or not. I was hoping not but my hopes were dashed. The first vet we went to did the x-rays and said that it was in there as well as a small coin. Silly dog! He said that it could be scoped out but would need to be referred to a different vet. After many stressful hours we finally got some answers... first it was the Oakdale Animal hospital and they didn't want to scope, they wanted to go straight at it and they said it would be 3gs! yeah F that! I will take the rest of the week off and drive back to Aberdeen tomorrow to have the operation done! Then we got a call from a vet in Burnsville that said they could probably do the endoscope and if not could do the surgery for $1400, ok so now we are starting to get to the right ballpark. After talking with the vet for a bit they said that they didn't think they could get it with the endo scope because of the odd shape. The rock is like 2inch by 1inch by maybe a 1/2inch, they said that we could just continue to feed him wet food and watch him as he is big enough to possibly pass it and if he started to show symptoms we should go in as soon as we could and have it removed.
After talking with my pops about the weekend, we are planning on going to my brothers college graduation on Friday, we decided to hold off on the surgery and see if it could pass its self. Just to be safe we called the vet in Aberdeen, they do on call emergency procedures at even less then we would pay here. However the vet here said if it hasn't passed by next Monday he would need to have it removed. So I decided to put him on the book at my parents vet to have the surgery there if he didn't pass it by then or get sick and have to have emergency surgery. Surprisingly, actually not, it is going to cost any where from 300-600 dollars! Yeah lets hope Jerry's stomach is strong and will pass it and if not it hold on till Friday, for Kelly and my wallet's sake!
I don't really get it how it can cost so damn much money here to do anything, another reason to move out of the city!
Well I will keep you in the loop. I will not be going to work tomorrow since I thought Jerry was going to have surgery and Kelly couldn't miss another day of work but either way someone has to keep a close watch on him so I said f work I'd rather sit at home and watch TV and get paid for it and then go mountain biking with Kelly gets home, haha what a great day!
Keep it real!
After talking with my pops about the weekend, we are planning on going to my brothers college graduation on Friday, we decided to hold off on the surgery and see if it could pass its self. Just to be safe we called the vet in Aberdeen, they do on call emergency procedures at even less then we would pay here. However the vet here said if it hasn't passed by next Monday he would need to have it removed. So I decided to put him on the book at my parents vet to have the surgery there if he didn't pass it by then or get sick and have to have emergency surgery. Surprisingly, actually not, it is going to cost any where from 300-600 dollars! Yeah lets hope Jerry's stomach is strong and will pass it and if not it hold on till Friday, for Kelly and my wallet's sake!
I don't really get it how it can cost so damn much money here to do anything, another reason to move out of the city!
Well I will keep you in the loop. I will not be going to work tomorrow since I thought Jerry was going to have surgery and Kelly couldn't miss another day of work but either way someone has to keep a close watch on him so I said f work I'd rather sit at home and watch TV and get paid for it and then go mountain biking with Kelly gets home, haha what a great day!
Keep it real!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
crazy weekend!
The weekend started out with Jerry eating part of squirrel and Kelly getting concerned about Jerry getting sick. After some Internet searching and some calls to the vet we found out that the only really serious thing that we need to worry about is heart worm and they said even that probably isn't going to happen. We just needed to watch his stools for worms and excessive itching for fleas and lice. Crisis averted. I got of work and headed home loaded the camping gear and we were off to William O'Brien State Park. It started off great until Kelly realized she didn't pack the tent poles, oops! well good deal that it wasn't that far to go back and get them. Adam and I set up as much of camp as we could and then its started to rain and we played lawn games till the girls got back and it conveniently stopped raining and we made dinner. It started raining, right after we went to bed and it didn't stop till we got back to the cities. It was awesome tearing down camp in the rain, haha jk!
Later that day Jerry and I went for a walk and decided to explore this wooded area not too far from our place. We were having a great time Jerry was off the leash and running all over the place. As we were walking towards this pond I saw this huge hole and was like dang that's a gnarly animal that lives in that, probably a badger or something so I kept Jerry away and we went to the pond. As we were playing by the pond I heard this low growl and bark and was like what is that. I look up and see what I think is a dog and was hmm and then it did it again and I looked closer and was like shit that's a coyote, I guess that hole was it's den. It must be a mother with pups, most times coyotes are really skittish. So I yelled at it and it scampered away and I grabbed Jerry put him on the leash and started up the hill the other direction but the coyote followed and was growling and I yelled again but this time it didn't stop coming but started to pick up speed and I was like F it will kill Jerry like nothing. Earlier I had found this disc golf Frisbee and still had it in my hand and turned and tomahawk threw it at the coyote and almost drilled it in the head and it hauled ass the other way and we high tailed it out of there. Good deal I spent all that time on the disc golf course in college, haha. Second crisis averted for the weekend.
Today was going pretty well, minus the cold weather and wind. I haven't got on my bike all weekend, so my mind is about 90% made up I'm not doing the Almanzo anymore. Weather just didn't play ball and I didn't have time to train. The cool rainy weather just didn't inspire me to train and I guess I just wasn't that into it so oh well. We were discussing what we were going to do the rest of the day and then about 1pm. Jerry was playing with this rock, about 2inches long and 3/4-1inch wide and then he barked at something and I looked over at him and was like where the heck did that rock go. I thought he knocked it down the stairs and that was why he was barking but I didn't see it anywhere. After about 10mins of searching we had to assume that he swallowed it. Then the panic set in. What do we do? Hell I don't know. Vets not open. We call the first ER vet and they were like bring him in asap but before we panic we call the other ER vet and check the Internet and they both said that he might pass it and to watch for symptoms like dry heaving, puking, loss of appetite, constipation, and lethargy and to feed him soft food mixed with canola oil to help him pass it. So that is what we are doing. I went and got soft food and so far no issues. It's been about 3.5hrs but we will keep watching and keeping his poop for a rock. Kelly might take him to the vet tomorrow just to get a x-ray to see if he actually swallowed it since we didn't see him do it! Oh Jerry, you know how to make the weekend interesting! haha
Keep it real!
Later that day Jerry and I went for a walk and decided to explore this wooded area not too far from our place. We were having a great time Jerry was off the leash and running all over the place. As we were walking towards this pond I saw this huge hole and was like dang that's a gnarly animal that lives in that, probably a badger or something so I kept Jerry away and we went to the pond. As we were playing by the pond I heard this low growl and bark and was like what is that. I look up and see what I think is a dog and was hmm and then it did it again and I looked closer and was like shit that's a coyote, I guess that hole was it's den. It must be a mother with pups, most times coyotes are really skittish. So I yelled at it and it scampered away and I grabbed Jerry put him on the leash and started up the hill the other direction but the coyote followed and was growling and I yelled again but this time it didn't stop coming but started to pick up speed and I was like F it will kill Jerry like nothing. Earlier I had found this disc golf Frisbee and still had it in my hand and turned and tomahawk threw it at the coyote and almost drilled it in the head and it hauled ass the other way and we high tailed it out of there. Good deal I spent all that time on the disc golf course in college, haha. Second crisis averted for the weekend.
Today was going pretty well, minus the cold weather and wind. I haven't got on my bike all weekend, so my mind is about 90% made up I'm not doing the Almanzo anymore. Weather just didn't play ball and I didn't have time to train. The cool rainy weather just didn't inspire me to train and I guess I just wasn't that into it so oh well. We were discussing what we were going to do the rest of the day and then about 1pm. Jerry was playing with this rock, about 2inches long and 3/4-1inch wide and then he barked at something and I looked over at him and was like where the heck did that rock go. I thought he knocked it down the stairs and that was why he was barking but I didn't see it anywhere. After about 10mins of searching we had to assume that he swallowed it. Then the panic set in. What do we do? Hell I don't know. Vets not open. We call the first ER vet and they were like bring him in asap but before we panic we call the other ER vet and check the Internet and they both said that he might pass it and to watch for symptoms like dry heaving, puking, loss of appetite, constipation, and lethargy and to feed him soft food mixed with canola oil to help him pass it. So that is what we are doing. I went and got soft food and so far no issues. It's been about 3.5hrs but we will keep watching and keeping his poop for a rock. Kelly might take him to the vet tomorrow just to get a x-ray to see if he actually swallowed it since we didn't see him do it! Oh Jerry, you know how to make the weekend interesting! haha
Keep it real!
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