Cades Cove by Bike

On vacation recently, I had the opportunity to ride the 11 mile loop around Cades Cove. If you ever find yourself in this area of Tennessee and your considering visiting this park, trust me - riding a bicycle is the ONLY WAY TO GO!!
That is unless you enjoy cruising along at 3 mph - on a one lane road - stuck in a mile long convoy of cars that comes to stop every time one of the passengers spots a "blankety-blank" deer or turkey.On a bike, you can cruise along at your own speed, which is far quicker than the cars, and when the traffic grinds to a halt, you simply pull to the side and go around. On a bike, you can spend less time frustratingly staring at the bumper of the car in front of you and more time focusing on the beauty that surrounds you.

Bike Sign

On a ride recently, I happened upon the most unusual and entertaining bike sign that I've ever seen.
Ignoring the warning - I continued down the road - on my bike.

At the bottom of the "treacherous hill", I concluded that either I am an exceptionally skilled and gifted bike handler or that sign was intended for the non-cyclist.

A Bike Stowaway

My Wife and I recently returned from a 9 day camping trip that took us through North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

This trip was not a cycling holiday. In fact, my wife was opposed to the whole idea of me bringing a bike, so while she wasn't looking, I folded the Bike Friday and stuffed it under the bunk in hopes that she wouldn't notice.

I was too pleased with my resourcefulness to stop and think about the logistics of actually getting it out and taking it for a ride without my wife noticing. However, that was a problem for tomorrow and I don't usually get in the habit of thinking that far ahead. Anyway, I did have a plan in the event she did catch me. I would simply deflect the impending attack by blaming my good friend Steve, who planted the idea in my head in the first place.

I'm Back

Well - have you missed me? I'll bet you didn't even notice I was gone. That hurts.

Well - a week ago I flew down to LA for some business in New Orleans. On Wednesday, I drove from there to my parents home in Southwest LA. I spent the last half of the week with them. I didn't have a bike, nor did I have access to the Internet. So riding, much less blogging were simply out of the question.

I enjoyed spending time with my family, but I am also glad to be back. I have a lot to tell you about, so stay tuned later this week. Two weekends ago, several guys from work and myself spent the weekend riding in the mountains. I'll tell you all about it. However, until then look at the right hand side bar and enjoy the slideshow I posted of the ride.