Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Summer Time in Ski Town

photophotophotoEllicottville-20130208-00088photo One of the more interesting things that happens to a ski town is the metamorphasis that occurs after mud season. Mud season is traditionally when spring rolls along and the snow melts and the locals in a ski town head for vacation before they begin the summer festivities that define the area in the “off season.” Large ski areas are great in this transition but there are also smaller towns like Ellicottvile, New York that have lots to offer in the non-ski times of the year. I like to ski at Holimont and Holiday Valley during the winter because they get that great Lake Erie Fluff. Nice snow and maybe not the vertical drop of the west but nonetheless enjoyable. But when the summer comes, the mountain bike trails come alive in the Allegheny National Forest and the endless singletrack under the eastern canopy of a national forest can compete with riding anywhere in the country.

If you go to “EVL” in the summer, you can set up your base of operations at the Inn at Holiday Valley. It is right on the ski slopes of Holiday Valley Resort and the room prices are very reasonable in the summer. If you are a mountain biker like me, you can ride right from the Inn and utilize a very well constructed map of the trails created by the Western New York Mountain Bike Association. http://www.wnymba.com This map is available at all the ski/bike shops in town as well as at the Inn. My favorite loop is to ride from the Inn to the Race Course loop, to the Big Merlin trail, to the Dead Dog Loop(a personal favorite for a number of reasons), to the Sidewinder trail back to the Big Merlin and returning to the Inn via the Race Course loop again. These trails are maintained by the ski area as well as the State of New York and are really well constructed. You can get a lot of riding in this area which encompasses the forest as well as Holiday Valley and Holimont Ski Area trails. It is fabulous eastern singletrack at it’s best and not to be missed by anyone who lives within easy driving distance from EVL.

For those of you who have a significant other who does not ski or ride, the town of Ellicottville offers great shopping at boutique shops and well appointed bike and ski shops. I always say that EVL is like someone dropped a little New England ski town right in the middle of Western New York State. If you refer to my earlier blog post about sibling skiing at Holimont, you can revisit the virtues of this private ski club in the winter. But the trails there are also spectacular in the summer and Holimont comes alive in this season as well. I would also recommend the Elicottville Brewing Company for a cold beer and a meal after a ride. http://www.ellicottvillebrewing.com and an alternate selection with many beers on tap is the John Harvard Brew Pub at the Tamarack Club at the Holiday Valley Ski area. Don’t miss the chicken pot pie. It is the bomb!!!

Most of the time I am visiting EVL on my way to or from Rochester,NY. I do some work up there and I always make it a point to stay in EVL instead of a hotel off the interstate near Rochester. Western New York has a lot to offer and is relatively close to Canada for some alternate visits to Niagra on the Lake. A personal favorite of my wife and me. Lake Chautauqua is close by as well as Lake Erie( the source of all that great snow in the winter.) So, in these times when it may be challenging for us easterners to go out west several times per year, the lively alternative is Ellicottville. The mountain bike riding and hiking is spectacular not only in the summer but in the fall. Those fall colors rival New England and the shopping and dining are worth the trip alone. Hey, hit it now with the upcoming fall upon us, before it is too late to enjoy the “off-season.” Thanks for reading

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The Gentile Moab, Utah

Slideshow_img08slickrock_e-700x466 Moab,Utah has traditionally been the Mecca of mountain biking over the last 20 years. From it’s resurgence as a uranium boom town that went bust, the outdoor sports world has embraced the region and contributed greatly to its current economical success as a tourist destination town. Now some pundits would say that Moab is now cliche’ and that the hard core mountain bike community has moved on to the North Shore of British Columbia, Fruita, Colorado, Sedona, Arizona and other “rad” places. But Moab remains constant in that it continually services the mountain bike community year after year with reliable weather, great trails, and excellent lodging, eating and drinking establishments. So, at the risk of being “cliche'”, I will tell you about my experience in the town of Moab and its surrounding desert trails.

Several years ago, I was in Salt Lake for a week and I got a hall pass from the bride to go to Moab for the weekend before my week in SLC. I get the rental car and pack my bike and my duds, and head out of Salt Lake for the 3+1/2 hour drive. When you go west, as many of you know, it is BIG COUNTRY! I respect the mountains out there because I have skied them many times. But this was the first time I had ventured into the desert and I was amazed that I was looking at the same mesa to my left for what seemed like 3 hours. My first stop was to check out Arches National Monument and National Park. I put on the hiking boots and headed to Delicate Arch which is seen on the Utah license plates. It was pretty cool to see these arch formations and I would say that anyone venturing into this part of Utah should definitely check out Arches and Canyonlands. It is special to Easterners because of the expanse and the beauty of the desert.

After this wondrous experience of a hike, I made my way into the town of Moab. My destination was the Sunflower Hill Inn. http://www.sunflowerhill.com. Now most people who have had the Moab experience have camped, slept in pickup trucks or have taken advantage of a Rim Tours( http://www.rimtours.com) or a Western Spirit( http://www.westernspirit.com) week long excursion with camping and great food. These tours are guided and are an excellent way to experience Moab. But yours truly had only the weekend and I found the Sunflower Hill Inn on line. What a find!!! This place is a wonderful bed and breakfast with nicely appointed rooms and a fabulous breakfast. It has a great garden terrace and is right at the trailhead to the famous Slickrock Trail. The proprietors are friendly and are more than willing to accomodate your schedule and give you suggestions on rides and places to eat dinner in town. If you want to experience Moab and have a great breakfast, sleep like a baby and take a nice hot shower after your ride and relax in the garden patio area, this is the place for you. It is truly the gentile way to experience Moab. These accomdations have nothing to do with the challenge that lays ahead on the trails, but at least it is a nice oasis after you beat youself up on the slickrock of the Moab trails.

The riding here is challenging. I started out early in the morning around 5:45 at first light because when I was there in June it gets HOT fast!!! Did I say it was hot? Wow!! You can begin on the warm up trail of the Slickrock Trail to get used to riding on this most unusual surface. Slickrock is a misnomer. It should be called sticky rock or grabby rock because you can’t believe the traction you can get riding this stuff. The actual Slickrock Trail is a marked trail on this massive rock formation. Steep ups and downs highlight the riding and you can get all you can handle riding this stuff in the exposed outdoor sunny and extremely hot conditions. Holy hell was it hot!! I thought to myself that if I had not loaded up on water and brought some extra bottles besides what was in my pack bladder, I would be in trouble. I thought,” no wonder people have died out here!” No trees, no cover, 100 degrees plus. You could fry an egg on this rock. I thought of Walter Brennan(young people- ignore this, you don’t know Walter Brennan). But for those of you who do,” 30 days on the prarie, no water, indians all around!!!) I thought about all of those old prospectors and pioneers. How did they deal with this? But the surrounding rock formations are gorgeous and the Green River below is impressive.

During my stay I also made use of the other iconic trails in the region which were the Poison Spider and Porcupine Rim trails. There are many, many trails in the region, but these two along with the Slickrock Trail are the most famous. When you see a sign to dismount and walk your bike, they are not kidding. The trails can be tight and the penalty for being careless can be a 1000 foot fall into the canyon with the Green River staring at you. Trust me- I read and obeyed the signs. Being the acrophobic that I am, I was glad to dismount. After killing myself in the heat and draining all of my water each ride, I was happy to make my way back to the air conditioning of the rental vehicle. I was red as a beet and the beer at the Slickrock Cafe http://www.slickrockcafe.com was a welcome relief. It is a nice lunch and dinner spot and the T-shirts are cool as well. Live music too.

One of the must do stops is the Poison Spider Bicycle Shop http://www.poisonspiderbicycles.com . This shop is complete with all the eye candy bicycles that you could ever want. They rent high performance bikes, sell lots of technical clothing and accessories, give great advice, have really good mechanics and even have a shower area for those who want to ride to and from the shop. Don’t miss it.

As I made my way back to Salt Lake, I rode the rest of the week in the mountains around Park City after my work day. A different mountain trails experience but pretty nice all the same. But the desert in the “cliche'” Moab is pretty special and it is still pretty unique today. If you have gone, you know what I am talking about and there is not much more than I can add than all the magazines have printed in the last mumber of years. But for those of you thinking about a western adventure, put the Utah desert on your bucket list. You will be glad you made the trip. Cliche’-I don’t think so. Lots to do for non-riders too!!! Thanks for reading.

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“When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.”

dotd+elevator215px-Dawn_of_the_deadromero-3 How about this for a title for a blog post? This should get a few clicks tonight. This is actually the trailer from George Romero’s classic horror film “The Dawn of the Dead” which was produced in 1978. I am straying from my usual topics for my blog posts and telling you a little story about my experiences as an actor in two of George’s films. Yes, I did have a speaking part in two films but before I get to the gory details of that, I need to tell you of my original association with George Romero. George dated and subsequently married my backyard neighbor Christine Forrest. Early in his film career, he used our neighborhood and lots of the folks who were neighbors and friends as extras in his early movies. I was a young teenager and the kids in the neighborhood all thought that Hollywood had come to the North Hills. It did!!! Every night we watched as the cameras were positioned, lights were set up and we all were told to be very quiet as the action began. George was great with all the neighborhood kids and he introduced me to Stephen King whose movies George directed and produced for many years subesquent to his stint in the old neighborhood. Stephen was a friend of George’s and when he introduced him to me, I was really unaware of his notoriety and I said, ” Hey Steve, nice to meet you.” I then bolted to the food table and scooped some of the cast’s free dinner. Typical teenage rube, but we all were the same, soaking up Hollywood and scamming what we could.

Several years later, George asked me to be in his film “Dawn of the Dead” and he said that I would have a speaking part as a police officer escaping from the zombies. Yee haa! I was very psyched as I was two years out of college and this was a pretty cool gig for a young guy. I had to appear for makeup at the Southside Police docks on the river in Pittsburgh and I was addressed as the “talent” by the production assistants as they asked me if I wanted anything to eat or drink. Me? The schlub from the North Hills addressed as the “talent.” Now that was comical, but I tried to be professional and the assistant director gave me my script and showed me my famous lines. It read,” Hey man, I ain’t going nowhere in nothing I can’t drive myself.” I was to pilot a helicopter as a police officer to escape the impending onslaught of the walking dead. My other line was identifying a police cruiser and I said,”Hey- there’s a black and white!!!” My partner, who was a professional actor, kept blowing his lines but I was proud to say that I remembered my cue and my two lines and was a fairly believble cop. I was amazed at the time it takes to film one scene in a movie and I can respect the costs associated with movie production. The makeup for the zombies was amazing and all of it was choreographed by the highly acclaimed makeup artist, Tom Savini. Tom is a regular guy from Braddock,Pa who has done all the award winning makeup for films like “Halloween” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and many others. Tom likes the ‘burg, and even though he has spent a lot of time in L.A, he still calls Pittsburgh home. We wrapped up my scene and years later I saw my police partner on an airplane to New York with his Burbury trenchcoat and matching scarf draped nattily over his shoulders looking quite the actor part. I introduced myself and he gave me a rather disgruntled look as to why I was bothering him. I wanted to remind him that I always remembered my cue and lines and he blew his lines ten times much to the chagrin of the crew on the police set. But I didn’t go there and wished him luck. Actors!!!

My second movie was “Monkeyshines”. Now by this time, George had many actors of notoriety on his sets. Ed Harris, Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook, to name a few. George always was gracious and introduced us to the stars and we appreciated his kindness and his ability to remain humble despite raging success in Hollywood. Now “Monkeyshines” needed some runners and cyclists in a scene filmed in Schenley Park and George once again called on me because he knew I was an avid cyclist and road racer at the time. I was once again to be at makeup and the scene filming and I rode from my townhouse down to the park adorned in my best racing duds. My line was,” Hi- How are ya doing?” Simple. Ride by the lead actor, say hello right before he gets hit by a truck and becomes a paraplegic. If you ever rent the movie, don’t go get a beer, go to the bathroom or blink in the beginning because you will miss me. I asked George how my inflection should be on my line and he laughed and said,” Pat- just say the line.” I was thinking,” HIIIIIIIIi………..how ya doing?” Or ” Hi, how are youuuuuuuuuuuudoing?” Or perhaps something else but the one production assistant reminded me to just say the damn line and move on. Turns out he hated cyclists and did not know I was a FOG(friend of George). When he finally did find out, he fell over himself trying to be nice, but I was thinking about my former horror film experience and wanted to take a chunk out of his neck like the old zombies that I met and loved. But I kept my angry carniverous tendency in check and remained a person of the living and not the “un-dead.” George thanked me and gave me a check as a speaking actor and I rode off into the sunset on my 3 Rensho bicycle never to act again.

George went on to great success but I am sure he looks back with fondness at his early days in the neighborhood with my parents as extras, my sister as an actress in several of those movies( she is a Carnegie Mellon Music Theatre Grad), and many neighbors as goulish zombies wandering the malls and neighborhoods seen in the early movies. Yes, the 58 year old kid has had many funny and memorable experiences but to be in horror films was a special treat and to see a glimpse of Hollywood was indeed a revealing and “ghoulish” experience. I still don’t go in anything I can’t drive myself- except for airplanes I suppose? Thanks for reading and remember to sleep with one eye open.

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“I’m not going to let a girl beat me!”

2011-04-30 06.33.2317786_10151858587474203_1524945910_nphoto These famous words were uttered by a good friend of mine as we closed in on the last two miles of Pittsburgh’s Great Race 10K a number of years ago. My friend, who shall remain nameless for fear of embarrassment, is an ex-Marine and was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Tough guy, good guy, tough runner. But not quite good enough to catch Eileen Petrone. Eileen is pictured above in the zebra shorts and the Allegheny Nike singlet. Eileen was an elite runner for many years with women’s victories to her name in the Great Race as well as many other 10 Ks in the region. She was also a top finisher in the Pittsburgh Marathon for many years and is still a very good runner to this day. My friend, who was a top 200 seeded runner in the Great Race was ruined when he crossed the finish line behind her. I was happy to keep her in sight. A long way down the road!!!

The second picture is of my friend Eric Durfee’s daughter Kress. Kress is shown here skiing down one of the steepest backcountry chutes in the Tahoe region. Her father tells me that on that particular day, the snow conditions were so sketchy and the terrain so steep that she did not want to make a turn and staight lined the chute to where she could finally make some turns to slow down. Kress was the National Collegiate Free Skiing Champion and a terror in the terrain parks with her twin tipped skis. I have known Kress all of her life and whenever I get a chance to ski with her, she is a pleasure to watch skiing warp speed with fluid turns and all the confidence in the world over some pretty steep and nasty terrain. Her father raced for Cornell back in the day and her older brother Travis was top ten west of the Mississippi for Downhill and Super G for many years as a member of the Far West Team. Travis was a national class ski racer and to this day, he says that Kress is the best skier in the family. That is saying something seeing that her other brother is a fantastic skier in the parks and her mother skis flawlessly down any run, at any area in Lake Tahoe. Kress is a vision on skis regardless of gender.

The last picture is of Sue Haywood at this years Breck Epic Mountain Bike Race in Breckenridge,Colorado. She is shown here leading the GC for women and is also very well placed overall. Sue hails from West Virginia and currently resides in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a mecca for off road cycling. Sue was a member of the Trek Professional Cycling Team for many years and currently races for the Stan’s No Tubes Mountain Bike Team. I first saw Sue race in the NORBA races in West Virginia and Vermont and also at some of the West Virginia series races. She is one strong rider that is for sure, and she has several national championships to her name as well as many top finishes on the domestic and international stage. I got to see her talent first hand when in some of the regional races the women started behind the men. She came riding by me like I was standing still and I have followed her career with interest ever since. I don’t think anyone in the mountain bike community would have the audacity to make a statement like my friend did above, because Sue is a great rider……..period. She, Eileen, and Kress are to be respected as great athletes in their own right regardless of gender.

I have never had any preconceived notions about being competitive with women. I learned a long time ago that there is no place for chauvanism in the sporting world. I hear a lot of garbage from some guys like,” I could be the leading money winner on the women’s golf tour.” Yea right!!! Some of these over the hill golfers who still have a pretty good game can never compete with today’s women who are the consummate professionals. There is a big difference between tournament golf, tennis, ski racing, and the weekend warrior sporting events. These statements crack me up and I have witnessed many guys get their butts handed to them by some amazingly talented and fit women. Just the other night, I ran into a young friend named Beth who rides mountain bikes regularly with her husband Carmine and several other real strong guys. Beth and I rode together and caught up with the small talk but when the first major hill came, she was gone and I told her to keep riding and don’t worry about me. Like Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry) always says, ” A man has got to know his limitations.” Especially the 58 year old kid. I pull out all the tricks in the book to ride with the younger set but sometimes you just have to let nature take its course. Beth is strong and I have no issue with that at all. She is a mountain bike rider. I don’t see her as a female mountain bike rider.

Bottom line is that there are sports where strength plays a factor in the performance of a man versus a woman. Women could not compete as an interior lineman in the NFL. But on a running race course, a trail, or a ski slope there is a lot of equity that comes about especially with the recreational set of folks who are not professional athletes. A lot of us take our sporting achievements and training seriously and many times our avocation can climb to some pretty lofty heights. But we are all athletes to one degree or another and with the current training methods, nutrition, and strength training available, the gender gap is narrowing to say the least. One last thought which I am compelled to share came from Sue Haywood where she says,” Pat, just remember to mention that there would be more women in cycling if guys weren’t raging with testosterone all the time.” I am sure Sue has had her challenges from time to time and believe me, I would bet on Sue. But her flip side point here is that this notion that a guy can’t be beaten by a girl can be taken to the other extreme. How sad it is to see a guy riding ahead of his significant other on a mountain bike or a road ride with the poor woman trying to keep up. Talk about a turn off and how to instantly discourage a fellow rider. Same thing with the guy who takes his gal down some steep ski slope that intimidates her and she never comes back to ski. Come on guys, encourage your lady! If she has the courage to try a sport with you, don’t beat her into the ground to show her what a tough guy you are. Help her!!! Teach her. Be patient with her. If you do that, you will add to Sue’s friends on the trails and you will also have a friend for life to share the sport you love. Eileen, Kress and Sue will take it easy on you. Thanks for reading.

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Technology- Good, Bad, or it Depends?

IMGP1925IMGP0205 I am reading a real interesting autobiography called,” The Outsider” by Jimmy Connors. Now, Connors was a contemporary of mine and I loved to watch him play in the 70s against Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Classic matches and lots of vitriol between Connors and Mac but Borg was the consumate quiet competitor who left the game before his time.He amassed 5 straight Wimbledon titles among other victories. But I really loved to see Connors at the end of a victory, facing the crowd, hunched down, both fists pumped at his sides, and screaming ” Yeah!!!” to the adoring fans. He was a real competitor and honed his game around the fabled Wilson T-2000 racquet. From personal experience, this was a very stiff racquet and it was very hard to control the ball. But Connors used the racquet in his hey day to perfection. It was his weapon of choice and his game was formed around the performance of this particular make from Wilson. As Connors aged, he had to move on to newer technology because Wilson was headed in the direction of all the other racquet makers. That being oversize and composite materials. This led to the statement by Connors in his book which reads: ” A word about technological advances in tennis:I think the racquets players use today make a lot of them look and play better than they actually are. Add to that all the other advantages available now,like the high tech machines to build strength and fitness, scientifically tested diets to increase stamina, slow grass, fast clay, trainers allowed on the court when the players have an itch, permission to disappear to the locker room for a comfort break as many times as they want-man they have everything they need.” Is Connors correct that technology has made better players out of current competitors who perhaps are less than world class in talent? What do you think?

Lets bring it down to us mortals shall we? I have always embraced new technology. When the first Prince oversized racquet came out, I bought it and loved it. I played better, until all the other guys bought new oversized racquets and then we all were on a level playing field. I moved on to other pursuits. When the first shaped skis came out, I embraced that technology and still do to this day. I noticed that improvement right away wth a shorter, more high performance ski that allowed me to turn easier and be less fatigued during a day of hard skiing. There is no doubt that shaped skis make intermediate skiers out of beginners, advanced skiers out of intermediates, and experts out of advanced skiers. These advancing technologies I still embrace and the equipment has definitely made me a better skier. Most people share the same sentiment on the slopes.

When the oversized 29er wheels came out on a mountain bike, I jumped on that technology. The frames were lighter, the wheels rolled better and the oversize allowed me to ride up and over some things that I would never have attempted with a smaller 26 inch wheel. Tubeless rims are lighter and without a tube in the tire, the weight is reduced even further allowing better rolling performance than standard wheels. Again, technology improved my riding. Another good improvement for the 58 year old kid which allows me to “stay in the game.” Am I cheating? I don’t think so. I had a conversation with the 3 time Tour De France champion Greg LeMond about his use of the aero bars in the 87 Tour which he won by 8 seconds. His arch rival Laurent Fignon chose not to use the bars and lost in the final time trial to LeMond who was an innovator in cycling equipment. Lemond stated that Fignon had the opportunity to use the same equipment but chose not to use it. He lost. By 8 seconds. Did LeMond cheat? What do you think?

Golf courses are becoming more tame because of the over sized heads on drivers and the hollowed out irons which allow greater club head speed to send the ball greater distances. The only way, any more, for a quality course to tame the pros in an event like the U.S.Open is to speed up the greens and grow the rough. But for most tournaments, the winner is well below par due to his or talent, for sure, but the technological advantage of the new clubs and golf balls is key. Are they cheating? How far do you take technological advantages until they ruin the game? It is a great debate. But one thing is for sure, for the common weekend warrior, the tech advantage in better turns on the ski slopes and less fatigue is welcomed by most skiers. Over sized racquets on the tennis courts allow longer rallies thus making the weekend tennis match more fun. The average hacker can maybe shoot some better scores allowing him to enjoy the game of golf instead of getting mad and taking it out on his clubs as he hurls them into the closest lake and goes home in defeat.

I think there is some debate as to how far technological advantages can be taken in a game played by professionals. Most often you really cannot go back as in the case of the buoyant swim suits that were allowed in the Olympics 6 years ago but not allowed in the most recent Olympics. Will those records never be broken by not allowing the speed suits to be used again? The sporting world’s governing bodies need to really sort this out because technology is not going away. But it must be a level playing field expecially when it comes to records and money in sport. But again, for us mortals, bring it on. Check out the picture above of my buddy Hutch with our shaped cheater skis- yea baby, I love them. And how about Heff and I with our 29ers in West Virginia on the roots, rocks, and mud? Sure is a lot easier than the old bikes we used to ride. So, weekend warrior, get the best stuff. When you are a 58 year old kid like me, you take every advantage you can. Thanks for reading.

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Mountain Biking can be……..accelerated Hiking.

photo Our friend Lisa asked me the other night what I thought about when I was riding my mountain bike. She knows I ride a lot and wondered what I was thinking as I bounced over the rocks and roots in the woods. I flippantly answered,” Nothing!” This is somewhat true in that if I am riding with friends or a fast group, I usually only can think about what is ahead of me, the person ahead of me, and the person behind me. More concentration than thought. With faster groups, I am trying to keep up as the 58 year old kid so there is not much going on in the gray matter other than concentrating to stay upright and not getting dropped. Racing was kind of like that too in that you were trying to hold your position or move up as well as maneuvering through obstacles. You really don’t think about much you just concentrate on your line.

I usually ride with a group of guys on Saturday morning and we do think a little bit more in that we try to solve the world’s problems on our rides. We have some interesting conversations but when the pace picks up, the conversation ceases and we just ride. But during the week, I mostly ride alone. It is here that I do think a lot more. Riding in the woods by yourself can be an enjoyable time and not necessarily a strenuous workout. I like to hike and mountain biking is a lot like hiking in these situations only you can cover a lot more ground. Whether I am traveling with my bike and seeing new places or riding on my standard trails at North Park or Seven Springs, I try to take the time to see things that I would not ordinarily see if I were riding with a group. In the spring for instance, I can see the new growth in the woods- wildflowers, ferns, etc. You can spot fawns trying to make their way in the world. All kinds of wildlife is visible if you just take the time to look- like hiking, only seeing more trail. The summer is fun in that you can run into friends. Like tonight. I ran into my friend Art walking his dogs. I stopped and chatted and we caught up after his winter teaching skiing in Vail. The fall is really great in that the leaves are starting to turn and the woods come alive with color. The weather is a little cooler and it is really enjoyable to just take your time and enjoy the spectacle of seasonal change in the mountains or your local forest. This is also the time to start to take your lights out and put them on your bike for the winter. Usually in the fall, you have to use your lights to finish your weekly rides afer work and when the time change comes, you definitely need them. Again, if you take your time on these weekly rides and don’t kill yourself on each ride, you can really enjoy the trails as they are illuminated. Riding at night is different but it is very enjoyable and can be done at slightly higher speeds than hiking.

I use mountain biking as a viable form of aerobic exercise. It is also challenging with the rocks, roots, climbs and descents. After a long day at work, sometimes it is good to blow out the cobwebs and ride hard only thinking about how to execute that next turn. But on other nights or evenings, maybe slow it down a little bit and enjoy the fact that there are no cars to deal with, not a lot of people, if any, and the peace in the woods can be enjoyed. Stop for a minute and appreciate the silence. The workplace can be noisy, classic rock can be overbearing, and the general stress of everyday living can be alleviated by a hike or accelerated hiking (mountain biking.) An interesting statistic is that 90 percent of all mountain bikes are never taken off the road. They are comfortable to ride and most people don’t use them in the mountains or the woods. So if you venture out on to your local trails or if you ride on a trip on the available trails, congratulate yourself. You are in the minority in that you ventured out of your comfort zone and hit the trails with a bike. If you are a expert racer or a rider who pushes himself or herself all the time, SLOW DOWN ONCE IN A WHILE! Chances are you are not going to the World Cup or the Olympics so enjoy the trails, the mountain scenery, the wildlife. Life is too short to kill yourself looking at the guy’s shorts in front of you all the time. Do a little hiking- do a little accelerated hiking. You will be toally relaxed when you get home and the problems from the day just vanish. Try it you’ll like it. Thanks for reading

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We’re just different – and that’s ok.

photophoto My dad is gone from this earth 12 years this month and my mom 8 years in April. But the picture you see above is of them in happier times at my sister’s wedding 30 years ago. The second picture is of my dad and the one and only Honus Wagner who was the Hall of Fame shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Honus did a lot of clinics for the neighborhood kids in and around Pittsburgh after his career came to a close and this is a prized picture of mine of my dad as a youth. He is the guy in the middle with the black curly hair. You will notice the other fellows have ball uniforms on and my dad was most likely wearing his dad’s old pants and shoes. You see, my dad was the “accident” and had to live upstairs with his Uncle Charley because my grandparents did not have any more room. My dad worked hard after school and on weekends at his father’s tire shop in Bellevue,Pa and he and his folks, and my mom and her folks, were all part of that “Greatest Generation” that Tom Brokaw refers to in his best selling book of the same name. My dad put himself through Carnegie Tech on the GI Bill and eventually married my mother and became quite successful. My folks were the consumate entertainers and loved to have people around the house. My mom was a fantastic cook and my dad helped her in every way he could. The best part of their marriage was that they put each other first. My sister and I were secondary even though they gave us every opportunity. They got us into skiing, swimming, tennis and golf, all of which have gone by the wayside with the exception of skiing which is still my passion. My dad loved golf and wore yellow pants with bumble bees on them to his club and was a bit taken aback at my baggy shorts and running shoes. But I was interested in other things……and that’s ok. I can clearly remember telling my mother about the harrowing weather and conditions at Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire. The climbing and skiing up there is epic and when I told her about it, she remarked,” Oh that’s nice dear- would you like some more potatoes?” Talk about busting your euphoric bubble! But she really couldn’t relate and that’s ok. I would tell them about running down Commonwealth Ave in Boston at the end of the Marathon to the screams of thousands and my dad would say, ” Gee that sounds terrific, can you help me with this porch furniture now?” They were not uninterested but they just could not relate. As much as I tried to interest them in my outdoor exploits, they would be polite and certainly be supportive but their next party or their next dinner with friends was paramount to any mountain stories I had for them. But……..that’s ok.

Fast forward, I got my son Jack up and skiing when he was 2+1/2. It was probably more for me than for him but Janet and I had him out on the slopes early. We also taught him to ride a bike, a mountain bike, play baseball, swim and all the other activites that correspond to an active young life. He gravitated to basketball which was totally foreign to me but we went along. He is now out of basketball and has other interests which are foreign to me. I am getting better at remembering how it was with my folks and to let him pursue his own interests and not mine. He is the stong willed one and I can clearly remember times when I would explain how I would do things and he would say in a matter of fact confident way that ” I am not like you dad.” My ego didn’t let that sit too well and I thought to myself,” Well maybe he better be a little more like me if he expects to get along in this world.” But as the months and days have gone by in his 18th year, I am realizing that…….he is different than me……and that’s ok. I wanted him to be a competitor and a star athlete like all parents but it was not in the cards. He marches to a different tune. We are in the college search right now and it will be interesting to see where he wants to go and not where Janet and I want him to go. Jack will make his way in life and I am sure he will be just fine. We are different people but I need to respect that just like my folks did with me. I remember my mom standing on the side of the road in the first North Park Triathlon and seeing me suffer on the road bike up Pidgeon Hill. She had that look like the Blessed Mother at the crucifixion but the suffering was not nearly the same and her expression looked as if I was headed for the boneyard. She would have rather seen me on the first tee with some really swank Lily pants. But that was not to be. I wish Jack could have continued with his basketball and been the star of the show at his school and his last year in AAU. But that was not to be. We are different and ……that’s ok. Acceptance is everything and even though you try to steer your children in the direction that you think they should go, it is not always the path that they would choose.

I am 15 months from turning 60. I don’t feel that old but the 58 year old kid still has some things to learn. Parenthood is a challenge especially in the teen years. But my wife is a solid partner and maybe I need to take a page from my parent’s book and concentrate more on Janet and me than be obsessed with the boy. Their marriage and how they got to their stage in life is a great story. We all can have that great story if we put the right things in priority and live and let live. Am I on a soapbox or the old guy on the stoop again? Sorry about that. Have a nice week and thanks for reading.

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The Colorado Relay

for Patphoto

photo A couple of years ago, a group of us from work decided two years in a row to do The Colorado Relay. It is a 150 mile running race over four mountain passes in Colorado and it is traditionally done by a team of about 10 people over 24 hours. Now I have reported in previous blogs about my fun experiences in 24 hour mountain bike races but this was a little different in that it involved running at altitude on roads, paths, and trails. I have never really noticed altitude when I have been skiing. I notice it a little bit when I ride a road bike or a mountain bike out west. But running is exponentially more taxing than any of the previous activities.

The fun part of the relay is the preparation. The beneficiary of the proceeds of the race is Colorado Outward Bound. http://www.outwardbound.org. This organization takes youth, companies, and other folks on team building missions in the wilderness with the express intent of getting people to work together in a challenging environment. It is wonderful for disadvantaged youth, as well as for companies like ours who want to experience team building in an outdoor atmosphere away from the office. We had to get two vans, all of our gear, food, maps etc. and be ready at the start line early in the morning on a Saturday in September. The vans basically leapfrog with the first 5 runners in the first van letting each runner out to do his or her leg, then the runner gets in the van and the next runner is out the door. When the 5 runners have gone, the driver takes the van ahead to the next starting point which is after the legs of the second van. This leapfrogging allows some rest and refueling before any five runners start again. It goes this way all the way from Georgetown,Colorado over four passes into Carbondale, Colorado-150 miles away.

Now aside from running all summer to prepare, and getting used to the altitude, the real challenge was the logistics but it is the most fun. Team meetings in Pittsburgh concentrated on the details of who was running what legs, what we would bring in the vans, who were the volunteer drivers, and getting flights and rides to the start line to meet each other. Once this was all worked out, we all met at the pre race dinner in Golden, Colorado. Some of he funny/interesting stories are as follows:

Our captain Maureen was so nervous at the start line the first year that she threw up before the start but she was a trooper and ran a wilderness 13 mile leg.

I ran my first leg in 8 inches of snow at about 10,000 feet. Now I am used to running in the winter but I don’t mind telling you that altitude is something that definitely is a challenge when running.

Our two studs, JR and the running Rev( Reverend Andrew – a friend from Colorado Springs who filled in for us), ran the tough uphill legs and were quite impressive to all riding in the vans.

JR was also our statistician. He is from our supply chain engineering group at work and after his runs he began to feverishly work on his laptop and decifer lap times, estimated ETAs, and other data. How he did it right after a run was beyond me seeing that after some of my legs,all I wanted to do was sit at the bar and down a cold beer. Our driver Norm said to me after the leg to Breckenridge that I looked like hell. I said,” no kidding Norm, I just ran 8 miles straight up hill at altitude.” I was looking for that cold beer then.

At about 4 AM on Sunday morning Norm wakes us up while we were sleeping on the Edwards,Colorado High School lawn. It was time to start our legs and the running Rev didnt need awakened. The lawn sprinklers did that job nicely for him. Running in the wee hours in September is a bit brisk and I remember chasing these two gazelle like girls who ran for UC-Boulder. It was a metaphor for my life really. The old guy trying to chase youth. These girls just kept talking as they ran and it looked like little effort as I killed myself trying to keep up. Youth is wasted on the young I am afraid.

We had a couple of “strays” that filled in. One girl was from Colorado and got altitude sickness. She was a bit of an odd duck anyhow but being the benevolent soul that I am, I took her to an oxygen bar in Breckenridge. We pumped her full of 02 and before you knew it, she was ready to roll. Interesting establishment that oxygen bar. She also relieved herself on a bush at the side of the road in the freespirit Colorado girl way much to the surprise of the conservative eastern crowd. Colorado folks are really laid back and I like their style.

Although we did not see much wildlife, there are mountain lions in the area and don’t think for a moment that we weren’t thinking about them during the dusk and evening legs. Chances are slim but you never know in the foothills of the Rockies. But there were enough people that the chances of being attacked were slim to none. But on the dark lonely trails or paths where no one was around for a little while and all you had was your light to blaze the trail, thoughts come into your head.

You have to hand it to our volunteer drivers like Norm and Chrissy. They stayed up all night with little rest and kept each of us on our toes with start times and wake up calls. Chrissy is actually running this year with a new group from our office and has been dilligently training running long miles and stadium steps. Some of our other runners are not as dedicated and they are in for a big surprise if they don’t step up their game in this next month.

All in all, the preparation that is required by way of training and the logistics taught us all some valuable lessons and also gave us a real sense of accomplishment as we all crossed that finish line in Carbondale together. The Outward Bound spirit of collaboration and preparation teaches folks that instead of working on your own, and being only concerned for yourself in life, working together is the answer. Teamwork, getting to know people outside their comfortable environment, and pushing your limits together is something that everyone takes with them. It saves disadvantaged youth from a life of crime. It helps company employees bond together outside the workplace. And it shows individuals that you can push yourself outsde your own comfort zone. Check out our team picture above with our Steeler gear. We wore it proudly in Bronco country. Also, my good friend Julie from our Chicago office sent me the other photo which kind of says it all for those of us who want to stretch our limits and grow. No matter how old we are. Thanks for reading.

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“Every Picture Tells a Story”

photophotophoto You have it in your head,right? Rocket Rod singing, “Every Picture Tells a Story,baby” Well maybe if you are a little older, but it rings in my head. Anyhow, check the picture above. This is one of my wife going to her favorite place in all the world…..the beach. I took this actually spontaneously while I was on my way to park the car. ( Yes, we were staying on the bay- had to drive over to the beach for all you beachfront snobs.) But we like the bay………..I digress. Janet loves the beach and this little snapshot in time tells the story of her love for the Jersey Shore. She worked there in high school, college and her aunt and uncle have a place in Ocean City,NJ. Just look at the body language….relaxed, prepared, and leisurely walking down the path. I happened to catch the moment in time on my I-Phone.

Years ago, my dad bought me a little Canon camera to take to Switzerland on my first trip to Europe as a senior in high school. I was wide eyed and couldn’t wait to develop the pictures at the local drug store when I got back home. This little camera was all that I had for years. I liked to take pictures but I never had the money or the inclination to buy better equipment like the big Nikon cameras and the wide angle lenses. I believe my sister has my dad’s Nikon equipment but to this day, the only camera I ever owned was the little clamshell Canon…….until the digital age came into play. When I discovered that I could take pictures on a Blackberry, I was enthralled. I could save them, erase them, send them instantly to my friends via the net. Quite an advanced step for a rube like me. Then I got the I- Phone and the quality became even better. But for me, photography is not about aperture, speed, wide angle lenses, professional quality action shots. Photography for me is capturing the moment. I see things like my wife here and it prompts me to snap. I don’t look at the angle of the sun, or other considerations that real photographers look at……I just snap. I try to get the moment in time.

There are many pictures that I have taken that probably don’t mean much to others. But to me, I know the story. As I get older, these stories bring back cherished memories, laughs, and tears. Life goes by so quickly that to get some of it in digital form is really valuable and important. A smile from your dad that you captured quickly, the baby’s first rollover, the look of bewilderment on the school bus when your child first boarded, the college freshman, the college graduate. If you take the time to really get the light right, the angle right, the right lens, you will miss the moment in time. That is why the digital cameras are so great and if the shot is good, or you think it is good, you share it on social media for instant comments from your friends. I can’t match a Mattias Fredrikson shot on the slopes with his professional lighting and professional models, but I can sure capture a shot of a great smile after one of my friends skis a really steep chute. I take it quickly and their family can see it instantly. The 58 year old kid that I am, is now reveling in this new technology that allows my spontaneity to take form by way of a quick snapshot.

Moments, my friends, are quickly appearing and quickly ending. At the risk of being obnoxious, I always am prepared to snap because it is so easy. Critics will tell us that I-Phone photography is not the quality of a true digital camera, but how often can you take professional equipment with you when you ride a bike, ski, hike? It is so easy with a piece of equipment that you always have with you. Capturing the moment. Take a look at the second picture above. This was taken at 5:45 AM with a full moon in view. The boat would soon be gone and the moment struck me. Snap!!!!!

One last thing from the guy who is not a photographer is to take the time to see the moment. So many of us rush through life and get to the next opportunity. If you look for the snap, it will allow you to savor moments that you might miss. Life flies by and if you can slow it down a little bit by looking and appreciating a moment in time, you can have it forever. I have a lot of mental snaps filed in my head. If I close my eyes, I can envision the Gore Range outside of Vail, Colorado. I can see El Cap at Yosemite. I can see the maple tree in North Park that always turns colors first in the fall. I can see my mom and dad dancing at my sister’s wedding showing me in the moment the most wonderful love story played out in their eyes in a photo that I took. These mental pictures can be captured by remembering a photo or by just taking the time to look at the scenery and enjoying the moment. Snap! Take it with your mind. When you are back in the mundane, or you are having a down day, you can close your eyes and let yourself go to the place of beauty in your mind’s eye.

The last snap above is of my dad and me at my first ball game. The pride of a father and the anticipation of a big event by the son. It shows the love of the father and the receipt of that love by the son who was waiting for the first pitch. How about that sport coat and tie? Who goes to games like that any more? Don’t be afraid to use that I-Phone even if your kid thinks you are a dork. Get the snap, get the mental snap, it slows our life down. Thanks for snapping….er a reading!!

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Nun’s Beach- Surfers Paradise for Good Reason.

photophoto Some of the good zany stories and experiences for the 58 year old kid have come from my background in the Catholic education system. I grew up within walking distance of our church and spend a lot of time serving masses and singing in the choir. I also attended catholic grade school and received my primary education from the Vincentian Sisters of Charity. Now sometimes I questioned their name when they relegated me to the wastebasket facing the corner in the classroom. I had a tendency to talk a lot and crack jokes which didn’t go over real well when one of the sisters was trying to convey a lesson plan to our class. Maybe it was because I made a remark every day when a certain girl who sat in front of me would relieve herself on the slanted floor. Obviously it flowed back towards my chair and I had to raise my feet along with raising my voice. I usually took the butt end of that deal but all part of the learning process. But for the most part, save for a few visits to the wastebasket, the sisters were great teachers including my first grade teacher- Sister Judith who taught me phonix. I must say that class has stuck with me to this day and Sister Judith was undoutedly the best teacher I ever had or so I think. It is my understanding that she still is in a supervisory position at an advanced age. Still very sharp and still leading a productive life. The sisters kept all of us in line and we didn’t cross them very much. They steered a tight ship in St. Sebastian’s Grade School.

So, here I am again at the Jersey Shore with my family and I am enjoying all the sights and scenes of the shore especially from the seat of my road bicycle. As I set sail every morning and head towards Cape May, I see beautiful sunrises, blue heron, egrets, and lots of other birdlife, along with sights of folks crabbing, fishing, and boating. The new craze is SUP( Stand Up Paddleboarding) and I see a lot of these guys and girls out on the bay partaking in this fun looking activity. I see surfers heading out to rather tame looking waves but fun times nonetheless. Most of the time, I take time to stop for a coffee, a sticky bun and relax and enjoy the scenery and the pleasant slow pace of life at the shore. It is a welcome way for me to ride a bike because I usuually end up folowing a bunch of guys trying to beat each others brains out riding up hills and racing along the flats. A lot of the scenery I have seen in my 30 years of riding has been the rear end of some guy in his lycra shorts. As the saying goes, “unless you are the lead dog, the scenery is always the same.” That is the way it usually is in cycling either on a road bike or on a mountain bike with the guys. The shore is always a welcome relief to that unless I meet up with my friend Mike King who still likes to pound the pedals and ride hard every day.

In the years that I have ridden down here at the shore, I have always passed a convent retreat house at the south end of Stone Harbor. I never gave it much attention but this week, I noticed that there was some activity in a garage on the beautiful campus. I rode on by but curiosity was killing me and my wife and I rode our mountain bikes on a little cruise back down to the retreat house and checked out what was happening. It turns out that the sisters were selling some items that referred to “Nun’s Beach.” Nuns Beach T-Shirts, hats that read” Pray for Surf” and other stickers, aprons and various items indigenous to the local area. It turns out that Nun’s Beach is indeed named after the retreat house and it is the local surfer’s beach of choice for the good breaks on the Jersey Shore. In fact, they have had regional surf competitions on Nun’s Beach and the sisters there are actively involved in volunteer activity for the competitions. Janet and I stopped and talked to Sister Rose and Sister Mary who gave us the history of the place and we bought a raffle ticket from them for a surf board with the graphic design that you see above. There is a sister there who creates the graphic every year for the T-Shirts, hats and other items for sale. I only had enough for the raffle tickets so I told the sisters that we would be back.

The next day, I went on a long ride to Cape May with my pals Mike King and Mike Smith and I spent a long time in the saddle that day. It was hot and when I got back, Janet wanted to ride so I said fine and we headed unbeknownst to her to Nun’s Beach. I had told the sisters that we would be back. Janet really didn’t want to ride all the way back down there but when you grow up in guilt ridden hell like I did, you knew you better ride back down there and buy some T-Shirts or somehow the sisters would find out and I would be in trouble again. As it turned out, Sister Rose and Sister Mary were happy to see us again. They were the type of sister who were probably great teachers because they were great conversationalists and had a really great sense of humor. The little sister who sold us the shirts was a sweet helpful soul and yet another example of my memory of the good sisters who taught me in the past. There was of course the sister there helping who couldn’t wait to tell Janet to watch for the rope separating the selling area from the public area and spoke to her as if she was wearing the standard uniform of the grade school girl and would stand at attention to the instructions that she was giving to my wife. These were the types who placed me squarely in the round wastebasket. I wasn’t too fond of those types but for the most part, the hang ten nuns from Nun’s Beach were really cool and friendly. As we walked around the campus we couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the area and I must admit that I felt a little closer to heaven knowing that the nuns were there and we could see God in the beauty of the ocean. As we rode off, I had great memories of my past and felt comforted in a strange way that I got to see the nuns again and that they, for a short time, had another influence in my life. Great T-Shirts too! Hope I win that surf board. Surfs up at Nun’s Beach. Aloha brahs!!!