Intl. Surfing Day ... First Surf in 9 months.

Intl. Surfing Day ... First Surf in 9 months. If I couldn't get out this day ... when could I? Gilgo didn't look exactly like this when I got there. There was a Surfrider booth, a few people, only one I new, but the memorial for Gerry Liebowitz, planned for 5:30 till 7:00 was over by the time I hit the beach at 6:45. Oh well I will have to do my own paddle out, solo. White roses floating back to the beach were the only sign that one of our own had moved on to the next plane. I don't know if I even knew Gerry, but I'd spent enough time in these lineups the last ten to fifteen years to benefit from his and his wife's presence in the surfing community, and probably surfed side-by-side at some point. If Gerry didn't get the perfect conditions for a send off, he got the perfect sunset. If the waves were windblown shorebreak, the people gathered, and sublime end of the day was a reminder of why we all get out there.

Favorite Booties get a Fresh Coat of Goop

Bootie refresh!

Whooee this is a messy smelly job. Put on some rubber gloves and make sure you are in a well-ventilated area.

Good surf booties are 'spensive these days.

These got a ton of use until the soles wore out. Hopefully the shoe goop will keep them going a few more years. Will test them out today at Kalmus.

Summer Solstice Pool Closed WTF?

Cantiague pool closed on a hot Summer Solstice day

Congratulations Nassau County!: All the kids hot and bothered in the Westbury/New Cassel/Hicksville 'hood, while Nassau County spends millions on high-tech replacement ball fields (see below) below that only a few will use.

Hope they did not rip up more real grass for astroturf.

Priorities all messed up in Mangano's mind, but at least it keeps some construction companies raking in the taxpayer cash while the taxpayer sweats it out on the longest day of summer with no pool.

Father's Day — Some Tough MTB Miles — Doesn't Get Any Better

Father's day or not, it was a perfect one for getting out there and doing something outdoors. Hope the other dads had just as much fun, at least as possible. Nothing like riding with your kids.

Wind looked too feeble for much windsurfing fun, the beach probably crazy busy.  And folks were not moving quickly. But a perfect day for biking. 

Gordo was willing and able, and after a detour to the amazing Harbor Freight Tools in Huntington for a tow hitch adapter, we followed Jericho Turnpike a few miles back West, down to the Trailview State Parks trailheads.

Gordo stops for a photo break on the home stretch back to the Jericho Tpke. Trailview S.P. trailhead. Father's Day 2012.

Woooooh, tough one today. Five miles of rocks, roots, more rocks, roots, gravel, gnarly climbs, rooty climbs, gravelly climbs, rocky and gravelly climbs, concrete blocks, wood slat ladders, plank lined sloped, one-foot drop offs, pedal-catching stumps, more technical climbs — and a quick loop with some fast friendly single track.  I skipped a favorite part of the blue to avoid three favorite  heartpounding climbs. Energy conservation to be on the safe side. Next time we do them. 

Two-way trail, a quick loop and back to the two-way trail. First time under the train tracks in many years. The goat trail leading in and out is a challenge. Do it once and you never forget it.

First we went south, it was overgrown jungle down there, downed trees at head height across the trail, poison ivy, thorny rose bush vines.

We got the continuation of Woodbury road but G did not like the  "highway"-like look of the crossing, and decided that was as far south as he was going. The plan was to attack the steepest portion of the greenbelt. So now Plan B: Up to the Stillwell railroad tracks and then … what?

YOu can see some steep sections. They felt almost as vertical as they appear. Many more micro-steeps on the technical two-way trail. We did the easy loop to save time and water.

It was harder then I remembered and easier at the same time. Not as physically tough as last August, but the technical parts were just as challenging as ever. Hundreds of roots and rocks, gravel and more roots and rocks. Trail features that stop you dead in your tracks at the steepest moment.

Gordon was dogged about retrying the most difficult parts.

Decision time at the top of the hill before the tracks: If we go down we have to come back up.

Erm. When you forget to press reset, you get a lunchtime walk added to your MTB tracks...and time. Oops.

Holy crap this part is nuts. I haven;t done it in years, a goat trail with a drop off to the right toward the tracks, hairpin bends and sketchy gravel off-camber, with rocks to steer though in places. Nasty. Fun. 

A bamboo grove awaits at the other side. once through that we took the blue trail to the Stillwell main trailhead and the green for a quick and easy loop around.

I was well over budget for time ( or so I thought) and getting low on water. and we were only halfway done. 

Gordo mocked the green loop, but for me it was a welcome respite — energy conservation mode before we got back to the tracks and the climbing fun began again.

With time running short on my potential expire-ometer, and the day getting late, I opted to short cut the goat track (next time we do that too!) and push the bikes up the hike/freeride slope, to rejoin the bike trail at the summit. It was still a gasser. Once back on, some previously difficult climbs seemed a lot easier, and the main thing was to keep one's attention focused enough not to wipe out on the fast, technical and jaggy Jericho section. The home stretch.

Ahhh. Great ride. Hour and 27 minutes probably with stops for traffic and whatnot.

BIKE RACKOLOGY

With the new hitch on — Dodge installed the wrong one, the 2" inch, I slipped in the new adapter and cranked on the bike rack to test its roadworthiness. Moving it by hand moves the whole van, like the tail wagging the dog. There's a lot of play in the system, and a ton of leverage with the extension now so far out back you can open the back lift gate. The apparatus must weigh 50-60 lbs and with two 30-lb bikes that's 120 lbs. 180 with 4 bikes, all hinging on a 3/8 inch threaded steel pin. Hmmm. May have to get a dedicated 2" rack. The adapter on it's own is 1/4" thick steel and weighs about 6 lbs.

DAMAGE REPORT: BIKE: Seems to have bottomed out the shock a couple of times. Not enough air. Gotta keep the rear shifter cable from tripping the shock lockout. Not funny on a rocky rooty trail when you don't expect it. Cue the electrical tape. ME: Neck was sore for two days but improved. Some triceps burning from the cervical radiculopathy past, but faded quickly by Tuesday. Back T1 area was sore, as was the T1 neck junction area. Real aggravated post-rise asthma-like symptoms came on that night and worse the next day or two. All the pollen got the sinuses raging. PND. Coughing and whatnot.

Dialing the Needle Back to Fun

"Funally."

Did we actually play a round of golf today? Did that happen? It seems like it's been so long.

Really I can't remember the last round, but I think it was with Chuck and Charlie in Glen Cove, N.Y. in the Spring.

With the slow recovery of the neck, and the sheer amount of MTB with Gordy, road bike time and a few windsurf sessions, golf has been on the back burner. A range session here, some putting there. But
What's better than two guys having fun. Four guys having fun. Bob at the flag, as Chuck lines up a lob at the 4th. Christopher Morley County Park

Not such a bad thing, there were things to work on like getting rid of the hook, and adjusting to the new changes Chasmo suggested in Glen Cove.

I also needed an attitude readjustment of the needle back toward the fun and relaxation end of the spectrum. Golf is a game where you can get easily preoccupied with the minutiae and the 1001 things that can go paws up in a swing.

Also on my hit list — not to tangled in a pretzel by slow pace of play, or flubbed swings; they're going to happen. Might as well just go with the flo. I made progress, but the old the sense of humor has rusted a bit — gotta be to much time in the office.

WARMUP
Was a medium bucket at HL and then off to CMCP to see if we could get a round in before any of Accuweather's predicted 3 p.m. thunderstorms arrived. It seemed like a nice enough day, even if cumulus was building. What the heck — we needed to hit balls off grass on a real course — not off damn plastic mats.  Even 4 or 5 holes would be good.

With some help from Saranac IPA and Adirondack Lager, we loosened up, but things were going pretty well from the first tee. How often does that happen. One of the great things about golf is that sometimes the shot you think is bad that really isn't as far off the green as you think. Just a shot lob.

By the second, the course looked a wee bit crowded. But even the couple with a very young child ahead, kept it moving well. The lady in that group left her headcover on 3, so I brought it up to the 4th hole which crosses the ned of the 3rd at it's mid point, and is easy handoff spot.  Small thing, but who likes to loose a headcover?

A good spot for a single to join a small group, too.  And that's what we did.

Targeted practice at Cantiague Park a few weeks ago. Lob Wedge and 6 iron only.

Adding two to our group. The first, a single, carrying, emerged behind us, and I invited him to join us as we passed the end of the fence at 3/4. Teddy a former Navy reservist from New Mexico.

With the wait at 5 backed up Chuck and Teddy went back to replay 4, and picked up another golfer, Bob — so now we had a foursome. Turned out Bob and Teddy had plenty in common, as Bob was a 26 yr vet, and also Navy reservist, yet a still young-looking with a whole career ahead of him.

Bob was a great sport...kind of guy you like to have around to say something ironic when you make a total goof-up stroke. We all had our share. before you knew it the round was over and nary a drop of rain fell. Lost the scorecard somewhere, not that I care. It was all 4s and 5s pretty much and the fun and relaxation was dialed up to a top end of the scale.

An Ever-So Slightly Sad Moment - Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey U.S.#1

Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey U.S.#1

Barrel No. H137-79
Est. 1753 Michter's American Whiskey Co.
Bardstown, Kentucky

As a single malt Scotch whisky aficionado and a Bourbon "liker," I wasn't quite sure what to make of Michter's Straight Rye at first. Rye is kind of new to me.

But after 12 - 9 months I had this bottle in the cabinet, and if it's any measure of a decent rye, I am a convert to its spirited but even-tempered subtleties.

Gradually rationing it out in ever smaller ouncelets as the bottle neared its end, I definitely did not look forward to putting this one in the recycling bin.

I'd buy this anytime. Write it up as an 8.75 on the McPhilly Scale. Comparisons with Scotch or with deeper wide flavored and sweeter bourbons are off-base. best consumed as slowly as possible. It took nearly a year or more to finish it, but taking time over Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye is the way to go. Solid 8.75 on the Philster Scale. My initial impression in the first week was that the taste was a little on the thin side and maybe I should have gotten the Michter's Bourbon instead.

But over the last 12 months of occasional samplings, I have come to savor every ounce in this distillation. The more you get to know it, the better you like it.

It has a lot of qualities I love in a whiskey. First and foremost, fire. If you can't tell you're drinking whiskey because it's too smooth for its own good — i.e. Bushmills Black Bush, Glenfiddich, and Glenlivet — then what's the point. They have their place in the gift giving universe or for an "I-can't-make-my-mind-up -which-one? context, but for serious sipping, they are unfulfilling.

Michter's Single Barrel Straight Rye, is a great little Rye for a scotch drinker: oak, char, fruit, citrus, malt, smoke, leather, wood, maple syrup, brown sugar, all in a delicate mix, with enough bite to qualify as an anytime standard. Definitely an aficionado's treat, though, save for friends who can or want to appreciate.

The flavors come on fast and frenetically. But even if they all compete in the same taste and time space on the palete, they are balanced enough not to get in each other's way, leaving the sipper tantalized and mystified by this enigmatic spirit.

It's a young fresh taste — probably only a few years old — but with the maturity of a 10-12 year old scotch. According to this manufacturer who dates back to pre-revolutionary times, "it's matured to the peak of perfection in fire-charred, new American White Oak barrel. It is then further mellowed by our signature filtration." Bring it on.

My next American whiskey purchase will likely continue the trek around Bourbon territory, or into Sazerac, but I will be back to Michter's soon ... if I can find it, that is.

A Quick Hard Climb (and back near the scene of the Crash)

With an appointment at 11 a.m. This had to be a quickie, with the max exertion.

So I took to the local "hill from hell" — Longview, and put in as much out of the saddle climbing on any of the nearby slopes as possible to work up the HR and generate a sweat quickly.

I planned a little off-road MTB excursion to a small section of MTB-worthy trail, so I took Robby's Kona Blast Hardtail.
He's not riding MTB much and his tires could use an upgrade — so rather than waste what's left of my good Continental Vertical Pros on road — a crime to MTB tires — I tried to add some wear to his Nokian NBTs which are too narrow and not grippy enough for the technical gravel and roots of Stillwell, at least for my liking.
Find more Bike Ride in Port Washington, NY I packed a bike lock in case I rode to the appointment late. Really noticed the extra weight of the lock and the MTB ... the crest of the hill was downright nasty...in other words "great stuff" if you like longish Cat 4-5 climbs.

It's steep enough for higher (lower) categories, but probably not long enough to qualify.