I started the day with a nice big cup of Kinetic Koffee Breakfast Buzz that I roasted a couple of days ago. Mmmm, smooth... After making breakfast for my lovely wife, Charlie (a regular weekend ritual in our house), I got on the Merlin for a nice semi-easy 28 mile ride past Blue Lake, up the hill to the weigh station on Hwy 299, then down the mountain, back through Blue Lake on 299 and back to Arcata. Average speed was only 15.4mph with the final climb back to the house - not bad for just getting back on the bike again.
The best part of the ride was seeing a doe and her two fawns crossing the road near Blue Lake. As a SoCal born and raised kid, I am constantly amazed at the wildlife that surounds us here on the North Coast. We have had deer, foxes, racoons and opposums in our back yards, while the mountains around us are also home to black bears and mountain lions, both of which occasionally come into town to shake up the neighborhoods. As I finished my ride, I was pleaseantly surprised to come across Charlie and our friend Ellen just finishing a ride of their own through the Arcata Bottoms .
The afternoon was spent working in the "Bike Haus" building up an old Rossin that a friend had traded with me. Late 70's vintage frame, so Campagnolo Nuovo Record components were the only choice possible. It's almost complete - I only need to find some braze-on shifters and glue on some tires to make it ridable. I need to find a longer stem for it, though; the 12cm Nitto needs to be replaced with a 14cm. Cinelli 1A or 3ttt SuperLeggero to make it really "right." It's going to be a sweet ride...
Pack Your Bags, We're Moving!
4 years ago
