Biggest Looser second weigh in

This week I weighed in at 219.2 lbs. Three lbs less than last week.

Diet:
not great. Cookies, pies and buffets at work. However, My diet is not terrible. We have a lot of stuff we grow ourselves. Even our own eggs.


Exercise: 
Rode the Outcast four times to work. My commute is doing me some good, it is enjoyable, it's saving me money and it's not bad for the environment.


Road the Moab once on the weekend.

Walked Xena twice a day, but that's just the usual.

 3 pounds loss. Ate all I wanted plus had some fun riding a bike. All in all, I will take it.

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Side story. Years ago I had a friend known to some as 'funky cold Medina'. When we met, she was a slightly overweight young lady working at the Goodwill stores. She had a kid at the tender age of 15 and felt her only way to make good money was to go into stripping.  While I can't say I approved of her choice of employment, I always admired her for the way she could loose weight. She would run for miles and had a lot of will power when it came to watching what she ate.

I lost touch with the funky cold media years ago. Last time I talked to her, she was getting out of stripping and going to get married. Hope life worked out for her, but I always kind of doubted that it would.

I luv gadgets

I love my Kitchen Aid Mixer. It's my favorite Kitchen gadget. So Versatile. Made in the USA; the way we used to make things.  Quality. Sturdy. Strong. Dependable. Powerful. Think of other positive adjectives, they will most probably apply.

I started competing in another Weight Lost contest this past Thursday. I weighed in at 222.2 lbs. That's why I am torn. Want to make some chocolate chip cookies but am afraid I will eat them. Cutting calories is half my strategy.

The other half of my strategy is an increase in my exercise. I started riding the outcast29 to work again. It's been cold, but I enjoy it and it will help. Amit and I are riding Phoenix Mountain preserve today. Mountain biking will burn some calories.

I guess I will post my progress every week until the contest is finished. The contest is will finish about the same time the baby is due to arrive. Oh my. Give me strength.

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update, I made the cookies and I went for a ride. Even though it was raining.

Team: Goomba    Rider: frasiec    Date: 12/13/2009    6 average miles per hour

  

	Hours:	Minutes:   0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59   Seconds:   0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59	Miles ridden:
	Bike:	Motobecane - Outcast 29  Schwinn - Moab 3  Yeti - 575  Schwinn - Mesa GSX	Type:	recreation         training           competition        epic               Research           Patrol             School Field trip  Commute            Travel             Team               Timed Trials	Group Total:
	Trail:	*** Select Trail ***  .123 any street  260 loop - HiLine Trail  50 Year trail (the chutes)  Airport Mesa Loop  Alta trail - Soutn Mountain  Amole Canyon  Anderson truck trail  Apache Trail  Area 52  Arizona Trail  Around the Peaks (cosmic soulstice race loop)  AZ trail to Walnut Canyon  B & A trail  Baby steps  Bad Tom / Cranky Gulch   Badger Trail  Bell Rock Loops  Bill Williams Mountain  Black Canyon Trail System  Blevins Loop - Usery park  Blue Ridge Trail #107  Borrego dessert state park  Boyton Pass  Brown Canyon Loop  BST - Bonneville Shoreline Trail  Bulldog Canyon - Goldfield mtns  Butterfly Trail  Camp Beale Loop  Canfield mtn  Carr Canyon Loop  Casa Grande Mtn  Cathederal Rock Loop  Cave Creek  Chiva Falls  Coast to Coast - South Mountain  Cobre Ridge  CocksCOMB LOOP  Cottonwood Camp  Country Club Trail #632  Country Club/Los Burros Connector Trail #631A  Cranberry Lake  Crazy Jug Point  Crystal Spring Trail  Cunningham and Grant Hill Loops  Cypress Thicket  Deadmans Pass Loop  DESERT CLASSIC - South Mountain  Devils Hole  Doll Baby Ranch  Double Bypass - McDowell mtn preserve  Dry Creek  Dry lake hills loop  Dynamite and Pima  El Oso rd  Elden Loop  Elephant Head  Estrella Mtn Park (race loops)  Fantasy Island  FINS (Fantasy Island North Singletrack)  Fischer Creek Trail  Fisher Point  Flag to Grand Canyon  Flagstaff to Sedona  Florida Canyon  four peaks  French Creek st park  Gabrielino Trail  Galbraith Mtn  Gila Mountain  Gooseberry Mesa  Granite Basin Loops  Greene Haven Slickrock  Greenline #6  Hannigan Meadow  Hawes rd - red mountain  Helipad tt  hombolt mtn  Houston Mesa  Huckaby Loop  Ice Cave Trail #608 ( Blue Ridge Cave Trail)  Japanese Gulch  Javalina Loop - South Mountain  Kaaawa Valley  Kentucky Camp Ghost Town  La Milagrosa  Lake Tahoe Rim Trail - Flume trail section  Lambert park  Lava Cave and Wing Mtn  Little Bear Loop  Little Creek  Little Pine Flat  Llama Trail Loop  Los Burros loop 631  Lost Duchman trail loops  Lost Goldmine Trail  Lower Oldham trails  Lower Rock Creek Trail  Luna Lake Upper Loop  Lynx Lake Loop  Margies Cove  Marsh Creek St park  Martys Ridge to Liberty Bell  Marys Loop  McDowell mts Pemberton Trail  McDowell mts Race Loops  Mickelson Trail  Miners Ridge Trail  Mingus Mountain  Molino Basin  Moon Rock Loop - Usery park  Moss Wash Mines  Mt Haleakala  mt peely road  Munro trail  National Trail - south mountain  new River Headwaters  New River Mesa  New River West  Nordic Center  Observatory Mesa  Page rimview trail  Panorama Trail #635 ( Porter Mountain Trail)  Papago Park  Patagonia Ghost towns loop  Peavine trail  Peppersauce Loop  Phoenix Canals  Phoenix Mtns Secret Trails  Phoenix mtns trail 100  Phoenix Mtns Trail 1A  Phoenix mtns trail 8  Pima Loop - South Mountain  Pinery Canyon Loop  Porcupine Rim  Pt. Sublime  Queen Creek  Rainbow Rim  Ridgeline Loops - South Mountain  Robbers Roost  Rock Creek  Rocky Ridge Trail  Route of Hiawatha - Lookout pass ski resort  Saguaro National Monument East  Samaniego Ridge  San Tan Loops  schnebly hill trails  Secret Trails  Secret Trails  Sheep Bridge  Silly Mtn  Silver Mountain - Jack Ass  Silver Peak Loop  Six Shooter Canyon  Slate Creek Divide  Slaughterhouse Canyon  Slickrock trail  Soldiers Trail Loop  Sonoran Mtn Preserve  South Fork Trail  Sovereign Trail  Springton Manor Farms  Spruce Mtn  Starr Pass - Yetman wash  Strawberry Mtn  Submarine Rock Loop  Sucamore Rim Loop  Sun Devil way  Sunrise ski resort  Sunset Trail Loop  Sweetwater Preserve  Terry Flat Loop  the Tortolitas  Thumb Butte Loops  Thumper Trail Loop (dead horse park)  Thun trail  Thunder mtn  Thunderbird park h1 - h5  Timber Mesa Trail #636  Tiyo Point  Toms Thumb  Trail 4 - cave creek trail - Seven Springs  Tucson Mnts  Union Hills Loop  Upper Glidden Lake   Upper Oldham trails  Usery Pass  Valley Drive  Verde Hot Springs  Waterline Road  Whistle Lake  White Canyon  White Rock loop trails  White Tank Mountains Goat Camp Loop  White Tank Mountains Sonoran Loop  WhiteTail Creek  Willow Springs Lake  Windsor Trail;  Wolf Creek Loop  Woodbury Rd  Yankee Doodle trail			Rate:

              

trail	date	CalsBurned	MyJournal	Make	Model
Phoenix mtns trail 8	Dec 13, 09	753	Amit and I rode up over, the back on zipper. Not too much rain on us. Broke out the the rain jacket.	Schwinn	Moab 3
DESERT CLASSIC - South Mountain	Dec 08, 09	878.5	love this old Moab more and more. Feel a real connection to the thing. Better bike than the old Mesa it replaced. Looks like same frame, but it's better. Too bad Schwinn makes crap nowdays.	Schwinn	Moab 3
Papago Park	Dec 03, 09	502	Rode the Tempe Papagos. Looked over the ruins and such. Got a pretty good workout on the single speed ridged bike. The 29er is like a long pair of skis. More confident going down the steep stuff, but doesn't turn as quickly. I like it.	Motobecane	Outcast 29
rows  1  5  7  10  20  30  31  120  240  365  750

fall colors in the back yard

Winter may have arrived up north and in the high country, but it looks like fall down here. The colors are pretty but only an appetizer when compared to the colors Venu and I experienced in New England. Not even the fall colors of Oak Creek canyon feel as satisfying.

Fall has always been my favorite season. Football, colors, and lack of allergens have contributed my love of the season, but it is even more special for those who live in maple tree country.

Vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and greens intermingling to create a wondrous spectacle for as far as you care to see. The falling leaves float to the earth, then rise and dance as wheels pass by. Sunsets and landscapes become indistinguishable when the pink - orange sky merges to the red - yellow - orange forest.   I wish I could ride a New England trail at dusk and dawn in Fall. Suspended animation. Would be like riding in the heavens.

Believe it or not, I am not from New England. Venu and I spent only three days and two nights in the Fall colors, but it was a fall I will always remember.

There were no rooms vacant anywhere, so we bought a tent and camped for two nights. Rain and falling leaves poured down on the tent both nights. The sounds of the nearby creek, the sound of the falling leaves, sound of dripping rain, the cold,  connected us to the landscape. This was not an experience viewed through a box, this was an experience. This was experiencing something very special, at a special time in the moment.

Photography at it's best shows the ordinary in an extraordinary way or the extraordinary in an extraordinary way.  I have some wonderful photos from the short time I was there, but I'm not posting yet - they are only showing a sample of the extraordinary in an ordinary way.

Photos don't provide the full experience in any case. Not the sounds, not the smells, not the feels nor even the visuals. Just a piece of the visual.

No, I want you to imagine it first. Secondly, I want you to experience the New England Fall firsthand for yourselves. Only then, will I share my photos through this box. Next year, next fall.

Another goal, ride in New England in fall. If anyone can suggest a trail, please comment. I would like to add to my List of trails to ride.

Titus - Tempe Arizona USA

Titus - the bicycle manufacturer based in Tempe Arizona. 

I have never come across a Titus owner who didn't seem thrilled with the product. They ride along with wide smiles. I've read the raving reviews, so I just had to see what the fuss was all about. 

It's kind of heartening to see that we still make things in this country. Great things at that.

My first stop on the Titus tour began across the street at Vyatec sports. Vyatek creates some of the tubing for some of the bikes. They also create golf clubs, tennis rackets etc.

I then came across the street and started the real tour.

My tour guide was a friendly fellow by the name of Jason. He handles the sales for the western United States. They have a small sales force, a couple of engineers and some guys working in the back.

It was great to go back and see bikes with that old MADE IN USA label. Something common in my childhood, but is more and more uncommon.

My old Moab was made in the USA, but Schwinns are now made in China and bear a sticker declaring that they are not meant for off road use. 

One thing I noticed was the there were no road bikes in the factory. I was kind of surprised because I had read the rave reviews. Jason said that they will custom make a road bike for you but all custom bikes are only made out of Titanium. (custom bikes are a bit more pricey). He also said they now focus on the mountain bike industry because there is so much more variation in Mountain bikes. Road bikes are all pretty much the same.

Titus now has two different tours going on at any one time. Keep a lookout at their website as to when you can demo one in your area.

This Jason is a pretty sharp character. At least in the area of bikes and bike history. We talked about the concept store. You know, like the Mac stores and now the Windows stores. Well, Jason said that Schwinn actually pioneered that concept. They are too small a company to start anything like that yet. Specialized is supposed to be starting some soon.

Anyway, I just had to go for a ride after the tour. Got on my old Moab. She's old, but I still love it. Maybe some day I'll have to replace her. Jason would help me find exactly the bike I need. Just tell him the trails I like to ride and how I ride them.

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Tempe Papago park and the Motobecane Outcast 29

Funny thing about Papago is that it is split between three cities. If you google a map, you will only see the trails for the Phoenix portion of the park. I think that this may be one of the reasons the trails have no flow. Roads running through the park, there are museums, a golf course, the zoo, the botanical gardens, the remains of a private residence. Just too many obstacles to allow for a nice long flowing trail. The McDowell competitive tracks are great, and the terrain isn't all that different.

Anyway, I had to test the Outcast out. I just changed the rear tubes to SLIME tubes because I suffered another flat. The tubes were fine Kenda tubes, but normal tubes don't last out here so I always run Slime tubes. No flats.

The Tempe Papagos give me the best workout of the three sections. It's not epic by any means, but for me on a single speed ridged bike, it was fine. Also gave me a chance to try the big 29 inch rims on some slightly technical terrain. Like I have said before, it's like using a longer pair of skis. I had less to worry about on the steep downhill. No worries about an endo. Just rolled down and over big rocks. Felt like I didn't need to get as far back on my seat as I usually do. A full suspension 29er would be great for certain types of terrain. I don't understand why the downhill bikes aren't all 29ers. Geeze, you could get bombing on one.

The Tempe section has a lot of interesting historical features.

Apparently, this site wasn't always valued for it's historical value. These are the remains of some power poles (right next to the 700 year old "Loma Del Rio") from around 1910. I guess they are now part of history as well.






The park allows urban camping with a permit. I came across what looked like a homeless persons camp. The cloths and blankets were clean, so I was sure they would be returning.
Not a bad place to camp. Within walking distance of the lake and downtown Tempe, but it would sure be nice to have a tent to keep the criters out of your hair.

I shot a little video of the section near the freeway (the other side of a big wall). Thought my dad would like to see it.

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Rode on the Phoenix portion of papagos too.

Check out the map of my ride.