MINI MAC!

So I never thought that I would venture to the world of Mac...but here I am...and I am loving it!
I picked up a Mac Mini with the Intel 1.66 and 2 gigs of RAM. The reason I wanted the computer was to edit video, and I honestly had no idea I'd be using it for anything other than that. But once I hooked it up and started messing with it, I was amazed at how fast it boots up, and how fast all the tasks were...not just video editing. So after messing with it for an hour or so, I transferred all my data from my PC to the mini, and now I am using it as my desktop computer.
As you can see by the picture, this computer takes up no room. Everything I need is right next to my computer monitor...and although there's only 120gb on the hard drive, my 500gb backup is perfect for additional data storage. I will eventually go with a terabyte drive with networking capability to upgrade. This thing is awesome.
Over the next few months I will mess with some sideshow and video stuff and post it on up. The only thing I am missing so far is photoshop..but I am working on that...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Christmas Mode

So I put up my tree today in hopes of getting more motivated for the holiday. So far, I am not really feeling any more motivated. I mean, I am still sitting here blogging! I have a few more gifts to grab and very little money to do it with, but I should emerge relatively debt free after the holidays...which is a good thing.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Santos...Nayls and Shangri La section

I have been wanting to ride some of the other Santos sections along the Florida Greenway Trail, and i finally made it out the the 49th street trailhead the other day. We logged a total of about 18 miles, including a ride out to Land Bridge.
I will be posting a review of this trail system later today..but until then, enjoy this video.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Race Across the Sky!

Im heading out tonight to check out the mountain bike race movie "Race Across the Sky". I will post a complete review from a non-competitive rider perspective later on...stay tuned!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

SWAGMAN BIKE RACK REVIEW

After using the Swagman on a couple outings, I can say it is a very good rack for the money. There are a few minor issues with it that would be expected when you buy an inexpensive non-brand name rack.
1) the bike does not work with a standard 2 inch receiver hitch lock pin. You have to use the bolt/cotter pin setup provided with the Swag. I am either taking the rack off and putting it in my truck, or I use a cable lock threaded through the wheel rings and my chain connection points on the hitch. A little inconvenient, but not too bad.
2) when loading up two bikes, you have to make sure you use the proper sized clamp on the proper side. One clamp sits lower than the other to accomodate similar sized bikes on one rack. It takes a few minutes to get right, but again its not a big deal.
Overall, I give the rack a thumbs up. It is sturdy, does the job, and it is compact enough to store anywhere when not in use. We will see how it fairs long term.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

WORKING ON A NEW PURCHASE!

Well, a friend of mine has a bike for sale, and I am currently trying to acquire it. Its a 2008 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert demo model:

It's a pretty amazing deal, and since my credit and finances suck so bad, I feel that buying a new bike is out of the question right now. I am not really a fan of the color, but bikes can be painted relatively easy. I figure I will work on that once I thrash the existing paint off it...hahaha!

hydraulic brakes, Specialized's Brain, and DT Swiss wheels make me think this is going to be a nice bike. Test riding it this upcoming weekend, so we shall see how it compares to my trusty KHS...keep ya posted!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

BEACH DAY

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

HUB OVERHAUL

After my ride at Boyette the other day, I decided to overhaul the front hub on my bike. The thing was making some nasty noises...so much so I was afraid it would seize up or my wheel would fall off!
Furthermore, my tire was flat when I checked it out today..something was definitely amiss.
So I pulled the hub apart, and carefully removed the bearings. There was a lot of brown gunk inside, and a lot of water. All those bike washings were not helping!

I inspected the bearings, which seemed to be in ok shape.

I cleaned all the parts with brake cleaner, and made sure the races on the hubs were good. There was a little wear, mainly because of the lack of lubrication.

I regreased the whole thing, slapped the original bearings back in (I am getting ceramics next time), and tightened it up. A new tube later, and I am proud to say it rides and sounds like new. The rear wheel is next...I hear some grinding back there, so I know it needs some greasing up. I love being able to fix something myself without shelling out money all the time to someone else!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

NEW SWAGMAN 2 BIKE RACK

So for the longest time I have been needing a bike rack that was hitch mounted. I borrowed one from my buddy for my latest vacation, but borrowing shit gets bothersome after a while, and you need to be self-sufficient. I needed to free up bed space when I hauled my bikes, especially now with the new tonneau. Problem is, I hate the standard hitch bike carriers where the bikes float free, and the wheels spin. Other problem? The wheel based carriers are expensive as hell, averaging 300 bucks! After a month of searching, I found the Swagman on Amazon for a stellar 135 bucks, shipped! What a deal...but how would it hold up??
After assembling it today, I can say I am truly impressed. Although not as versatile as the 300 dollar racks, this thing is tough, sturdy, and holds the bikes like a champ!

It took only about 5 minutes to put together, and holds the bikes securely and has added potential for locks and cables to add further security.

I am not going to be able to test it until later this week; I will post up a full review then. The only thing that makes me nervous is the 2 inch receiver section isnt set up for a locking hitch pin...you have to use Swagmans threaded bolt and cotter pin setup..the hole is threaded, so you cannot fit a standard lock pin in there. Hmmm... well, I can always cable lock it to my hitch, so that is an option.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

New android application

After all this time, I finally found an Android app that works well with Blogger! This app uploads pictures as well as text, something I once had to do using MMS. So far, it seems to be easy to use and will definitely make it a lot more convenient to blog while I am out and about.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

Test post using android blogger app

trying photo uploads

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

MUDDY FLATWOODS RIDE

Despite the fact that it hadn't rained in a few days, the conditons out at Flatwoods were pretty wet and muddy. I would say about 40 percent of the trail was mud or saturated ground, which made pedaling difficult. I finished up 12 miles, because I cut the ride short. It was a decent workout regardless.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

We had a really nice, short kayak trip the other day out on Crystal River. I was curious to see a place called "Three Sisters Spring", which is located off the main river and on a residential stretch of intracoastal. It took us about an hour to get to the launch site (Hunter Springs Park). Hunter Springs Park seems like it is a bathing place for every scumbag, parolee and white trash loser in Citrus County, but it's free and it is the closest launch site to Three Sisters you will find (aside from using someone's private property).
We paddled out into the bay, then under a bridge. We knew we were close when we saw a LOAD of boats hanging out in the canal. The entrance to Three Sisters is very small, and crowded with a load of mangroves. The area is not open to motorized boat traffic, since there are metal pylons obstructing anything larger than a kayak from going through. Once you get in, though you are treated to water as clear as a swimming pool, and 72 degree spring-fed refreshing swimming enjoyment.

Make sure you take a life jacket or some swimming noodles, since there aren't many places to hang out that allow you to touch the bottom. The average depth seems to be 6-8 feet, and most of the usable shoreline there is either private property or bound to be taken up by other visitors. It was crowded today, mainly because it was scalloping season, and all the scallopers came in for a look. Otherwise, it's a beautiful spring and it was a short and easy paddle.

CRYSTAL RIVER KAYAK

BACK TO THE GRIND, KAYAK...TAKE TWO!

Well, after my last kayak fiasco, I decided to bite the bullet and give it another shot. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods where I grabbed a Pelican Potomac sit in kayak. The weather has been lousy out here lately, with all the tropical moisture in the Gulf, so I finally managed a day this past weekend in between downpours to try it out.

We took the 'yaks out to Dunedin Causeway, and paddled out to Caladesi Island. I was a bit tippy in it at first, but after getting down the paddling motion and finding my center of gravity, I managed okay. The kayak tracked somewhat poorly at first, but I think this was mainly due to the current and my paddling inexperience.
We are planning a run to Rainbow River or Crystal River this weekend, so I shall get some more "seat time". I plan on bringing the GoPro, so I should also have some cool video as well.
Cheers!

DAY 14...AMARILLO TX TO LAFAYETTE, LA....DAY 15 BACK TO THE ARMPIT.

We slept a bit late, caught a free breakfast at the Travelodge, then loaded up quickly and hit the interstate for the BORING ride through Texas and Louisiana. Almost as if there is some massive dividing line between the south and the west, we wandered into mutant country. The drivers slowly got more stupid, and the people looked even more mutated. I pulled into a gas station outside Shreveport, and saw some low life with a ponytail, shaved sides of his head with tattoos in his scalp, and a bunch of other Louisiana inbreds. I sadly acknowledged our return to the south, and we made it to the Days Inn in Lafayette just as the sun went down.
The hotel was very nice, clean, and the rooms were large. I stayed there last year, and knew I wanted to stay again due to the cleanliness and inexpensiveness of the hotel.
The next day, we were back on US 19 in Florida, driving back into reality. The humidity was back, and Florida's flat, green and boring landscape made us realize that we needed to take another vacation.....soon!

DAY 13....THE ROAD HOME

Parting is such sweet sorrow. We bailed out of Moab very early, knowing we had quite a full day of driving ahead of us. I plotted out a route that took us through Monument Valley and cut through nothing but Navajo Indian land to get us into Amarillo. The scenery was actually pretty nice until we passed Monument Valley...then the roads and the vistas gave way to what you would expect traveling through the hind end of Arizona and New Mexico.

As we entered Monument Valley, I stopped in the middle of the road to snap this shot...just at a random pull-off area. Charmaine told me about a sign on the side of the road I would have never noticed.

We were in the same spot that the film ended Gump's cross country run...no wonder it looked familiar to me! I must have seen that movie about 20 times.

The rest of the ride to Amarillo was uneventful, aside from some nice skies and some shenanigans, it was all good.

We hit Amarillo at a reasonable hour, grabbed some Subway for dinner, Charmaine forced me to take the corny pic above (my beer goggles), and we settled in for the night. Back into the south tomorrow and the next day, back home.

DAY 12...MOAB/HORSES AND RELAXATION

We broke down our camp late, around 11am.  Drove by "penis rock" (above)....lol. From any other angle, it looks like any other rock, but from this angle, well, it clearly looks like a phallus. This was in Arches, NP.

Headed into town and did some laundry and kicked back for a while. I had made a hotel reservation at the Days Inn, and we slipped over there early to relax in/by their pool as we waited for check-in time.
It was nice to take a warm shower and charge up all the batteries to all the electronics. The room was hot, smelled funny, but it would do just fine. We headed out to Red Cliffs Lodge for our horseback adventure.

We saddled up, Charmaine with her horse "White Clay" and mine, "Rojo". We went on an awesome ride amongst the red cliffs seen in western movies. It had been many years since I sat on a horse, so it was a bit intimidating at first. The horse was very sure-footed though. We had a few creek crossings with slippery rocks, and the horse even slipped at one point, but stayed upright and kept me steady. The scenery was beautiful, and it made me feel like a real cowboy...haha!!