Best Friends

Well, Best friends are great! Sunday morning i went to my best buds (TJ Platt) house to help him move a few things before going for a ride. Upon waking up I sat around the house for a bit drinking some fresh coffee and looking out the window and the glorious colors. After a few cups I drove off to TJs place. He and I have been riding together for most of the 5 years I've been riding. Yes I meet TJ at Dirty Harrys a few months after getting into the bike scene in 2001. We hit it off pretty good and instantly became close. We have trained & ridden together many many miles since then, winning more than a few 24 hour races with other teammates along with a few 6 hour and 100 mile duo races. During the summer race season we don't get the chance to ride together like we do in the off season so I've been looking forward to spending some hours with him. TJ & I are the most consistant training partners in our group of friends. We usually alternate between each other picking the weekend location during the winter and anyone else interested in joining in must meet us. Rule #1 very little time is spent talking on the phone about it. If he calls me and confirms a ride, location and time I know he'll be there and vice versa. Rule #2 never tell the others the real mileage intended, always make it sound shorter! (just kidding)Most sundays start with breakfast @ Eatn Park, drive to the trail then ride for hours and hours. Sometimes a sunday ride will be 5 to 6 hours of riding. If the weather lets us we'll ride trails, some of which are right from my basement door.


TJ recently started a new job and affiliation with Trek of Pittsburgh so for this ride we suited up with their colors and headed out. We talked about the things happening in his life and about the new store he'll be working at in Cranberry Twp soon. Everyone is excited about this store coming to the area. For sometime we really haven't had anything in the way of a major bike shop in the Butler area and alot of guys wouldn't drive the distance to pittsburgh to purchase a one. Soon this won't be a problem. If you're in the Cranberry Area around christmas stop in and check it out on Rt 228. You just may get to see a few of our race bikes on display there.






So I haven't download the data from our ride but I'll guess that it was close to 70 miles in the cool fall weather. The sun came out and went away, it rained lightly for periods yet the day was a great enjoyment for me..... pedaling with a close friend!
Weather never dictates how good or bad the ride is just getting out and feeling the freedom of getting somewhere using your own energy makes it a successful ride.

I'm looking at a long winter of fun rides with TJ and others so if you want to pedal look us up.

I'll Take the Big Mac with the Special Sauce?

Special sauce, What is it really? Nothing yes nothing different. Its just a combination of simplier things. So why do I mention this? Well its basically the same thing when individuals talk about where they live and why one place is better than the other. Is it true that one local is superior to another? No, one place just has a different combination of the basics land, water & air. Some have more land others have more water but they all have air. So just because someone says their location has a "Special Sauce" it really doesn't mean its better.


Case in point.... I went to Bakersfield California this past weekend for

my brothers wedding and while there I was told numerous times how grand CA is. How at any given moment you could drive to the snow or to the beach. Hike, bike, swim, raft, ski and so on every day any time. I was reminded how the sun shines more days than not and rainfall is almost non existant. In fact one person even commented on the Pittsburgh area as "dingy". Well I have to disagree. We may not have sunny days all the time or magnificent mountains on the horizon but what we do have is change. Yes reality is waking up and having mother nature dictate your day with fall colors, cold temps, snow, rain, or wind that all may last hours or days. We don't have the choice for snow today and the beach tomorrow instead, we get stunningly beautiful color changes in the fall (right outside my picture window), snow and frozen ground during the winter, green green green blossoms in the spring and wonderfully sunny filled days during the summer.

I took a bike ride with a family friend Cary Mills during my visit. I must say thanks to him for taking the time to show me the local trails surrounding my brothers house. I regretfully say that they compare closely to our strip mine riding less the trees. It was fun yet I felt something missing like the unknown log around the corner of some singletrack, or the creek crossing that changes monthly with the amount of rainfall we have. We rode somewhere close to 20 miles and it was all fast flowing smooth sand trails. I loved being able to let it all out hammering in the big ring as we railed down the superfast descents. The town of Bakersfield finds itself at around 404' above sea level but offers some nice climbing in these foothills so I'll assume the local riders have some excellent fitness but it would be hard to hone any technical skills on the trails I rode. True they can travel a few hours for a variety but we have these outside our door. It was a nice change riding trails that where open and fast and I'm glad to have experianced them while there.



All in all it caused me to re-evaluate my opinion of western pa and my local trails. I thought long and hard on my return trip to the keystone state and found myself smiling as I mentally rode some of my favorite trails. Suddenly I realized that "home" wasn't ranked a lesser place, it just had a different combination in its "Special Sauce". Monday afternoon I took a ride from my basement door via trails into a local park to smell the fall air that resembles cotton candy and to hear the crunch of the crisp fallen leaves on the trail. The entire time feeling like those that I left in CA could never understand the love we have for our area and what it offers us daily.


The tempurature was barely 50 some degrees but the sun was hanging above and I could smell leaves burning as I passed thru housing areas. The trails where tight and colors where starting to brighten on the remaining leaves. This was the environment I enjoyed and what really keeps me going out.



My real purpose of this post is to help people realize that no matter where you ride its that environment that you consider your "special sauce" but its only special to you, and others may like something different but we should all respect each other and the places we enjoy. I think people overlook the PA area but with a little searching could discover something wonderful!
Happy Trails.

Get Outside, in PA? Chapter 1

A quite place nestled in an area known as The PA Wilds lays an abundance of magnificant views that can be discovered via a mountain bike.

This past tuesday I took a well needed day off work to enjoy what the state is advertising as "Get Outdoors PA". A little known fact... PA is one of only several States that have free usage of the state park systems. I have experiance a few states where it isn't so and I paid a fee just to enter. Why then are there not more people out Hiking Biking camping and fishing? Who knows but I was. The following is a story of my outdoor experiance at Sizerville State Park and Elk State Forest.

5:15 I'm picked up @ home by my cousin Jeremy who is the Park Manager @ Sizerville State Park which is located 6 miles north of Emporium PA. After our drive to the park he proceeds to the office while I suit up for a ride I had layed out with his assistance. Packing up my food & water I headed out into the chilly 42 deg morning. I had made the choice to start up a small logging road called Crooked Run Rd which climbs from 1300' to almost 2400' in a 4 mile distance and takes me out of the actual park property into the Elk State Forest. What a tranquil ride it was up the mountain, all that could be heard was my lonely breathing and leaves blowing in the slight breeze. Now Crooked Run Rd is named after the water way that it parellels, which had captured my attention during the time I pedaled upward in hopes of getting a glimpse of wildlife. Squirrels and chimpmunks where everywhere but I thought of the excitment of seeing something like a blackbear or possibly a fox or porcupine during this ride. As I proceeded toward the top my lungs where stinging from the crisp air that my body was requiring to function but eventually the "air bags" adjusted and I settled in to explore. While continuing I would stop and ride out some of the forestry roads which where marked for riding just to see a little deeper into the wooded mountain. Some would take me in a mile or so to some spectacular open areas and by open I mean larger trees with very little ground growth where one could see for great distances into the pines.

Still no bear but lots of animal tracks in the muddy parts of the trails. Once getting to the top and snapping the above photo @ the Vista I meandored out Ridge road to the north. During this time I passed a vehicle or two parked along the road with hints that they where archery hunters.

Once I made it to the intersection of Ridge Rd and Cowely Rd I only had a 1/4 mile or so before I turned up Fox Fire Tower Rd. This was simply an out & back (up & down) ride that I wanted to do. Once I had climbed to the top I found a clearing with nothing more than an outhouse looking structure standing on the edge of the woodline. I took in the moment but thoughts about how stupid I was for standing in the tall grass waiting to get bit by a snake started to enter my mind so I jumped back on the bike and rocketed down the climb I had just pedaled up.

The rest of this loop was a sceaming down hill on Cowely Rd straight back into the park. I tooled around the park a little until the Park Manager offered to assist me in taking some pictures and suggested we ride a small loop trail which was the Sizerville Nature Trail. I took him up on the offer, changed into some fresh clothes and we took off. Now this turned out to be awesome! First you climb and climb and climb up a grassy forestry road breathing like a whipped horse(1300' to 2040') for the first 1 3/4 miles, then it flattens off but the trail gradually bottlenecks from the forestry road to a singletrack trail littered with rocks and roots! Something that any true mountain biker likes!! Suddenly I found myself railing on the edge of being out of control down the twisting narrow decent to the bottom. Wow was that a goldmine of a trail and almost overlooked by me had it not been for the Park Staffs invitation.

All in all I really enjoyed my day in the outdoors of PA and I would highly suggest that others take some time to visit a state park and make sure you talk with the locals and staff. They really know their areas. In fact I got the opportunity to meet Greg Sassaman who is the Assistant Regional Manager for Parks Region #1 and in that conversation I learned of PA being in the small group of remaining states that do not charge for entry into state parks. His knowledge of the forestry area surrounding the park was impressive and he took the time to explain some of the places I could explore on my next trip. He even admitted to "mountain biking" himself, saying he and his wife ride the Crooked Run Rd on occasion.

You do not need to be an elite mountain biker to handle these trails/forestry roads. The morning loop I rode took me less than 3 hours with several stops to look around. Any level of bike rider could manage although it does have climbing. A State Park such as Sizerville offers many things for mountain bikers. With 23 camping sites, Emporium close by and the Elk State Forest this place would be a perfect location for a weekend of training or recreational riding right from the park.

Take some time and look at the information that can be found all over the web for example:

Pennsylvania Wilds is two million acres of public lands for hiking, biking, fishing, boating, hunting and exploration in northcentral Pennsylvania. Within the twelve-county region are; 27 state parks, eight state forest districts (1.3 million acres), 50 state game lands and Allegheny National Forest (500,000 acres). Highlights of the area are; elk watching, scenic Pennsylvania Route 6, Pine Creek Gorge (PA Grand Canyon), the darkest skies in the east at Cherry Springs State Park, and hundreds of miles of backpacking trails, bike paths and trout fishing streams. Go to VisitPA.com Pennsylvania Wilds

Sizerville State Park 199 E Cowley Run RoadEmporium, PA 15834-9608 Phone:814-486-5605 Manager: Jeremy Rekich E-mail: sizervillesp@state.pa.us



I would like to thank Our Parks System (DCNR), Greg Sassaman, Jeremy Rekich, the Bureau of Forestry, and mother nature all for hosting & contributing to my day.

Trek University

What an excellent day it turned out to be here in western PA. This morning Michelle and I traveled a little south to Bavington to attend a Trek U Class. Bob Myers and the fine people from Trek Of Pittsburgh where kind enough to include me as a guest. Ok you're asking what is Trek U? Well its a highly organized and secret meeting for Trek store employees where they are informed to all the changes and upgrades made to the product lines for the new year. After getting schooled on the changes and modifications you are tested on the info and if you pass they let you test ride some of the awesome rides from their van! Yea, being told that caused me to buckle down, listen and ace the test. Moving on now I picked out a fresh Gary Fisher Race Day 29" full susp. for my first ride. After getting names from the others we took off thru a section of dry twisty single track. I really started to enjoy the plushness of the full suspension and eventually let it rip down a rutted out decent to the roadway! In fact I pushed back up just to do that again. Back to the secret meeting place and on to another bike which was the Top Fuel (Trek). Now this I really liked. It felt fast yet not overly plush..... more like something I would want to race but oops only 26" wheels! Damn but for those out there wanting to stay with that wheel size ,well this bike is born and breed to race. I did a fairly long ride on this with several of the Trek of Pgh employees. We had a blast and returned to try a few other bikes. I gave a quick spin on a Fisher HiFi which is a new radical ride from the Fisher Lab. This bike has an offset fork which makes it handle extremely well at slower speeds. Now before you all start scratching your head wanting me to explain this, well I'll be honest... i wasn't paying attention when the teacher explained this in detail but hey I race'em & ride'em they sell'em so if you really want the full scoop stop by a Fisher/Trek store and get them to show you this. It seems like an excellent full range bike. On my final lap I rode my own bike just to feel the difference but the General manager of ToP (trek of pittsburgh) Chris rode the HiFi, and I constantly heard a laugh and a hoha coming from him as he railed thru the turns.

So I would love to include some pictures but when they saw my camera I was asked to turn over the disc containing all photos taken. They could be to careful.

Seriously I was there to ride and BS and somehow in all the excitement I forgot to get the camera out.

Thanks to Bob Myers, Trek Bob, Don, Chris, Adam, Kasey, Jordan, Paul and the others from Trek Of Pitts for allowing me to infiltrate their study session.

Mudfest @ West Branch

This past sunday I took a short drive (1.5 hour) to West Branch State Park in Ohio for a race in the OMBC series. Since committing to the Mid Atlantic races, Michelle and I havn't been able to make any of these Ohio events except one back in May @ Mohican. I was looking forward to seeing the Ohio guys and gals and also really looking forward to the course @ West Branch. Most of these trails are built & maintained by a club called CAMBA. I must say there are some fabulous trails and I really enjoy racing here. In the past two years this course has proven to be a big ring hammer fest! Yes I would race the gears here because of the lack of climbing and abundance of fast rolling singletrack which doesn't lend well to the single speed. But this weekend Bob Myers (my Trek/Fisher rep) would be attending and he had just asked me why I don't race gears instead of the single speed so I wanted to show him just how well I can do with the handicap of a single speed drivetrain. Lucky for me it rained pretty heavy saturday and when i arrived at the venue I could see by the parking area that the trail would be wet & muddy. This type of trail condition is something I'm very familiar with due to my winter training rides hear in western pa.

Getting ready for the start i get a chance to catch up with everyone and what they've been up to, Chris Skinner, Ross Clark, SteveTwining, Gary Snodgrass, Tiffany Kenny and a few others. At the start I manage to place myself at the front line so I could hang on as we travel thru the open field area. Theres the word....go! I clip into my pedals and start cranking the 18T drive cog on my Gary Fisher Rig. Around the roadway and turning up into the muddy pathway cut thru the field I manage to pull into the lead. Knowing this won't last I try not to push the pace and eventually let a few riders back in front of me. Ben Ortt, Steve Twining, and Dave Walker all pull ahead of me but not by much. As the course rolled up and around to the section of rocky singletrack I found myself closing the small gap that the lead group had on me. Wow I was now riding in the pack with these three guys all with multi geared bikes! Again the course hit an open flat area at which time the leaders pulled away but I didn't get worried because we where about to enter the twisting slippery singletrack that follows the outside edge of the lake. Once again I found myself in the lead group and in fourth place only feet from the race leader.

Coming around for our first lap I crossed the line in the lead group with only tenths of a second difference. Now I had to hold on again thru the pathway in the field so i slid forward on my seat and prepared to raise the cadence (rpm of your pedals) to mantain my speed. Up and around we went tire to tire until Steve (in third) slipped up in the mud and dumped himself in front of me. With only a nanosecond to respond, I simply had no other choice than to unweight my bike and ride up and over Steve and his bike! Across the re axle, over the cranks and front wheel all while Steve is laying under the bike! I to do a semi slide but catch myself. Back up and off we go both laughing yet wanting to catch back up to the guys who took advantage of our mistake. Finally a few hundred yards later I catch the leaders only to watch Steve crank by me and steal the second place spot! Wow that was cool, I just rode over this dude and it never slowed him down! The three leaders Ben, Steve and Dave eventually pulled ahead again until the singletrack at which time I closed the gap back to a tire for tire race. Entering a tight 90 degree turn Dave slide out and I had to slow down at which time the two others pulled ahead. As we worked thru the lakeside trails Dave keep finding himself on the ground and it was slowly giving the others an advantage to build the time difference between us. Finally I worked past Dave but the others already where ahead by a bit. Oh well I'll just tough it out for one more final lap and see if I can hold Dave off and keep the gap between me and the leaders to a respectable time. I never pulled the leaders back into my sights but I did hold Dave and the others behind me off for a nice 3rd place finish. Bob Myers was there cheering us on and I got to show him just why I like to ride the Single Speed.

Two Awesome Guys (Chris Skinner & Bob Myers) along w/myself. Check back later for more information on these two individuals and the things they do for the future of mountain biking! I'm honored to have them as friends.

Walmart & Deans Milk

Well everyone who really knows me understands how much I dislike Walmart! But in this day & age there are times you just can't avoid going into the "freak show". Tonight I found myself sitting in the Walmart Parking lot thinking twice about going in, no actually the thought of running in front of a car rather than going in sounded less painful! For the past two days I have been going into Target looking for my fix of Deans Ultimate Chocolate Milk only to find the cooler empty, so after two days cold turkey I had no other choice than to sell my soul and enter "hell" for a gallon of the good stuff. And by good stuff I mean Ultimate Chocolate and those who have tasted it would agree it is the good stuff! So after pulling my hat down low I trotted down the food isle straight to the coolers but as I got close I became uneasy and nervous, so without any hesitation I grabbed 2 gallons turned and bee lined to the register. Disliking being inside the Walmart so much, I thought it better not to chance running out of milk in a couple of days and needing to repeat this trip, hence the 2 gallon purchase. Now drinking this much won't be a problem since I average 1 1/2 to 2 gallons a week. I use Ultimate Chocolate for everything except coffee. It is a daily staple of my diet but I must ask when will my local supermarket carry it so I will no longer have to go to Walmart?? Yea as I said it's always a "freak show" I don't think I've ever been inside with out hearing someone say "baby, I gatta go thru register 23 cuz I needa getta roll of chew"!

MASS Final

Well this past weekend I found myself driving to Bear Creek Ski Resort in Macungie Pa for the BikeLine Summer Showdown MASS Race #12. Since it overlapped with a cross race and a race @ Michaux Forest the turn out was less than normal but as with any MASS race still stacked with talented and strong riders. The Elite field still had Kyle Hammaker(Trek) who flatted, Rob Lichtenwalner (Cannondale), Ray Adams (VistitPa), and Dylan & Andrew Alesio (Giant) all of whom have the ability to push the pace at any race. As for my Class Vet Expert well we had 17 or so riders which is slightly lower than the avererage 25 to 30. But it too had all the normal heavy hitters with one in particular man named Kevin Cuasak (Wild Blues) who has become my nemesis for this year. The past 3 races Kevin has securely beat me by 3 to 4 min where as the following 6 races I had been the victor. So with this being the last race and impossible for me to win the series because of the mathmatical way they score the races I had plans to try to hang with him as long as possible.

This course turned out to be one of, if not the most, technical course of the series (which would favor me heavily). From the start I followed Kevin for the most of 1 mile until a mis-shift of some sort caused him to stop at which time I continued at the pace he had set. Thinking all along that in a few minutes he would be catching up and I would again let him dictate the pace. Riding riding, running up the hike-a-bike and finally at the highest point where the real rock sections start and no Kevin? Well I love the rocks so off I go, momentum and finesse are to great things to maintain in situations like these. Both are skills I've learned to contol like a Jedi Knight uses the Force. As I descended from the top of the mountain flowing thru the sea of boulders a feeling of comfort came over me. I realized just how much fun this season had been and what a course this was for a final! Slowly I started passing riders from the two classes that started before mine and I began heckeling them in a friendly way as I enjoyed the rocks! By the 3rd and final lap I had caught Ray (VisitPa) currently in 3rd place senior I class, who had clearly taken a yard sale (crash) by the looks of his bleeding arm and scraped elbow. As he and I picked thru the rocks I talked with him. I joked about drafting him around the ending flat but knew there wasn't anyway I would keep up and there really wasn't a need for me to finish in front of him since I started 4 min behind his class I was still ahead of him in regards to finishing time by almost 4 mins. Across the line we go and there it is the last race of the MASS done & over. I took first in my class (vet expert) and had posted the 2nd fastest course time for the day following the overall fastest time by 50 seconds. Michelle & I hung out talking with every one while Kevin and I wondered how I managed to put almost 10 mins on him over the entire course. He and I shared a few laughs about the day and parted ways hoping to battle it out again next year. I threatened him thatI may ride a bike with gears instead of the Single speed.......... that should keep him training, right?
My Friends @ Millennium. The Best Time Keepers!

Where Have I been?

Yesterday i received a call from my brother in CA asking why i haven't updated any posts on the site and wondering what i've been doing? I told him if he would upgrade to a newer pair of glasses he could actually read them. See living in the CA sun& heat has recently started to take its toll on him as you can see. He is really a few years younger than me (although its hard to tell) but the daily exposure to the elements and his job as a firefighter have not been kind to him. His mind is however as sharp if not sharper than ever before but i am concerned with his physical well being. So with that let me update you on the past few weeks.

Well starting on Labor Day weekend I along with TJ Platt, DanWilson & Gerry Pflug raced the 24 hour Champion Challenge @ 7 Springs mountain resort. Rain filled the entire weekend which left all of us no other choice than to race singlespeeds. We hung out with the other Dirty Harrys teams, raced, rested, ate junk food and drank lots of Deans Milk (thanks to Deans Food and Jamie Smith). Yea thats right lots & lots of Deans milk, since Jamie showed up friday evening with 70 odd some Milk Chugs. Everyone came around our camp to "steal" some of the good stuff !
Milk really is a great recovery drink and I practically lived on it during this race. As did Amy & Fitzy (pictured) from one of the seven Bikeline Teams. Following our Victory I headed home w/Michelle (support for me at the race) rested up and then drove of to Queens New York with Michelle and my younger sister lovingly know as "pig" to see some of this years US Open Tennis tournement. This begun well monday evening but tuesday morning after just one match the rain again came to haunt my vacation. Never letting up they cancelled all matches for the day leaving Michelle, pig & I waiting around until wednesday. This really turned out well since the matches we got to see ended up being awesome and all 3 of the remaining americans (Roddick, Davenport and Blake) played in front of us! And for a bonus one of the matches we saw had Maria Sharapova (Russia Goddess) slamming the ball across court right there live and in action!

Anyway they past few weeks have been pretty busy at work leaving me little time to ride. I have been trying to get out but it really feels like the end of the season and I'm looking foward to a few long fall rides with a friends instead of driving hours just to race. This weekend I should be attending another MASS race and will update everyone after.
Enjoy the cool weather!

The Bike

Yes, the Bike! This was bought for Michelles B-day last year and has became the subject for many discussions at gatherings. It seems that everyone notices "the bike". Always the bike but never any mention of my art-like sculpturing of the bushes, or magnificent landscaping lay-outs!Now a little story goes with the purchase of "the bike" so follow along.

Last summer as I sat in the Barbers Chair @ the Point Plaza Barber Shop here in Butler, Daryl (the barber) and I where talking about riding bikes. He expressed the intrest to get something to ride since he recently had hip surgury and the doctor told him riding would be good. As most people, he said he didn't want anything expensive and would really like to find something used. I mentioned Rapps Bike Shop in Butler has lots of used stuff that they fix up for the kids bike rodeo giveaway. Instantly Daryl got excited and asked if I would go with him to check some bike out. Now Daryl didn't have his drivers license due to mistakes he had made so I offered to take him over to the shop if he could leave for lunch. He finished up my "cut" and we drove off.

Pulling into the shop parking lot we could see hundreds of used bikes leaning on each other. Daryl rumaged thru the piles like a bear in a landfill, while I noticed this single bike with fenders, chainguard, and basket. Michelle has always said that she wanted an old bike in the yard with flowers in a basket. Being her b-day in a few days I realized that because of Daryl (the barber) I had just found the golden egg!

I quickly pulled the Owner away from Daryl and explained why I needed this bike. He said it really wasn't for sale but since it was so perfect for my needs he would let it go. I offered him $10 and he said the basket was worth that! Come on, I don't want to spend more than that on a "flower pot"! He agreed and before he could change his mind it was loaded into my car and I was dragging Daryl off.

Now Daryl never did get a bike there although he did buy one at Target a few weeks later and it took Michelle months before she set the bike up in the yard, which ended up being around Christmas. Instead of flowers it got lights, lights and more lights strung all over it. And thats where the conversations started......


Ok you're all wondering "who hangs out with their Barber? Well thats another story, I have known Daryl since I was in High School. The reason for the whole explaination on "the bike" came from Michelle and I going to a friends house last night for an outdoor gathering. These friends, Brian & Jen along with many others there all commented on "the bike" and this caused me to explain the situiation and how the bike came to be. Most of the people there also know Daryl because around the time I was in high school they where all hanging out together in the local car scene which Daryl was also a part of. Its not that I hang out with my barber but in a small town like Butler where you still go to school with almost 1,000 other students (in your class alone) you end up knowing people....... even your barber!

Traveling Companion

This was a common sight at the D & Q Sizzler in New Jersey this past weekend. Most everyone who raced there ended in this position. With unbearable heat and humidity the fast twisting race took everything out of its particapants. Michelle sits here after 3 laps of the 5.5 mile course for a third place finish. I, like her, did the same thing after my 4 lap race but managed to hide from the media and their cameras! Most intellegent folks probably stayed home or went somewhere with central air but a few did show up for this race(D&Q SIZZLER), that I believe was named for the temperatures encountered during it.
Now before and after this event the exciting things happened! If any of you have ever driven around philly you would understand the traffic. I am unable to figure it out. There are 2 ways around (76 &676) Both interstates and both slowww moving. I have never seen an accident, fire, or major mudslide yet traffic never moves steady! Two weeks before this event i traveled thru Lancaster where the Amish horses & buggies are everywhere and yet, the motorist like myself managed to maintain a steady forward motion, free of abrupt stops and lingering moments of stillness. I have asked Michelle (who usually reaches a point of not talking to me during these "traffic situations") how on a roadway littered with one horse power vehicles (buggies) the average speed can be greater than that on an interstate full of cars with horsepower ratings in the mid 100s? Now All who really know Michelle know that she is Public Defender #1 and she will chime in on my moment of asking "what in Gods name would be holding these people up?" to explain that maybe people are looking at the skyline or there is a nervous driver ahead, or even the possibility that a squirrel is crossing the road and someone is avoiding it! At this time we start the discussion of saving the squirrels life in relation to causing the injury to humans who are rear ended because of the screeching stop. Shortly during the debate I usually get the chance to scan the local radio stations as I realize she has chosen to end any conversation with me until I will talk rational with her. This period can last anywhere from 15 mins to 30 mins before she will test me with a subject and possibly continue to talk if we have gotten past the troubled area. Now you're all wondering how much fun could this be for two people? Well, its a blast! All in all I love traveling w/ "Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Law" and have found some of our greatest debates have been over what others do on the road. She is a wonderful girl and always "open" in her judgement and at times I wish I could do the same. But, untill then I'll continue to rant about things in which I have little or no control over at all. In the past two years her and I have spent many hours in a car and I look forward to the driving in our future. Two, Three, four or even 6 hour drives never seem that long with her there. One things for sure... she is my traveling companion.......

Who is Travis......

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and God like harmonica playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook 30 minute brownies in 20 minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of army ants. I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries, and when I am bored, I build large suspension bridges in my back yard. On Wednesdays, after work, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I dont perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number 9 and have won weekend passes.

Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read the Star Wars trilogy, Moby Dick and the Chronicles of Narnia in one day and still had time to rearrange an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I sleep once a week; when I do, I sleep on the couch. While on vacation in Canada I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who seized a small bakery. The Laws of Physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. Years ago I discovered the true meaning of life, but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only the George Foreman grill and a toaster oven. I breed prize winning snails. I have won bull fights on San Juan, cliff diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet won the MASS Series.

Fair Hill July 16th

After a wonderful day of racing at Fair Hill I got a chance to meet up w/ fatmarc who created the vivalasinglespeed blogspot for the defunk Singlespeed class of the Mid atlantic super series. His wife, chunky monkey, was kind enough to snap this shot for us! Marc is just one example of the many great people who attend the MASS races, which is alot of the reason I travel 4+ hours average to these events.

Well here it is....... my first posting on the new blog site. As my webcreator Jesse said, "its pretty easy" and I must agree. SInce the Dirty Harrys site doesnt get updated often enough I felt the need to get moving on something where I can post race reports and results on a regular basis.