October 28, 2007

A BUTTERFLY FOR HALLOWEEN

Momma bought a costume for Ellie's first Halloween, a butterfly of course. After much searching, she found just the right one on Ebay. And of course when she saw the "Hello Kitty" basket we had to have that as well. We took Ellie to the hospital yesterday where they were hosting a Halloween party for young 'uns (easy to walk around, games, etc).


Let's go get some candy!!!!!


The tall and short of the matter!!!! She wasn't to sure about this guy...


Enough of this walkin' around, Let's see what I got...

A LITTLE TRIP THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE

A number of people have expressed interest in how the bike tour went. I plan on doing a full, separate blog about it, sometime, but here's a summary...

Cast of characters:
Dave, Bill and I. Both are co-workers of mine, one current one retired. Both of them have done numerous self-supported tours in the past. The last one they did was also my first, the Natchez Trace Parkway. We hatched the plan for the Blue Ridge shortly after, but it had to go on hold for a couple of years. Among other things, one of them broke his hip (yes, on a bike) and the other had major heart surgery, and of course our wait for Elysa seemed endless at the time.

The trip:
Scheduled for 12 days, plus a couple travel days. No off bike days until the end. Flight to Asheville NC, car shuttle to Cherokee, NC. Ride the entire route of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then Skyline Drive, south to north. We averaged about 50 miles a day, and, we estimate about 55,000 vertical feet climbed (total). We had terrific weather, met some very nice people, saw a swath of beautiful country, and generally had a great, though physically demanding, time. This was the hardest thing I've ever done on a bike. Here are a few pictures...


At the beginning, Cherokee, NC...


Typical morning riding...


The end of our longest day, 75 very long and steep miles. Oh for a beer...


The way riding should be, great pavement, no traffic, warm weather...


...I saw you the other day, standing on a corner, leaning up against a post...


Mayberry Trading Post...


Jean Miller, I could write many a word about her hospitality and cooking...


At the end, waiting for our ride into D.C.

What next? We've got some ideas brewing. And for those who asked about Elysa and how she dealt with my absence. I preplanned a couple of things to try and ease it for her, and they worked. When I got back though, she was a little aloof for about a half day. It's all good now though.