Ride 2 Mt. Mitchell

Today was a beautiful day! Got a later start than anticipated, and it was a tad chilly, but still a gorgeous day for riding! I felt pretty good starting out, I'm usually a bit nervous with the longer, farther away from home rides, but still felt compelled to give it a go.

My first encounter was when I caught up with two ladies riding. One was a Trek rider, therefore I felt obligated to compliment her for riding such a fine machine. Couldn't tell what her partner (a more mature lady) was riding, but she didn't seem as thrilled to receive my greeting (hi how are you?), and my not giving her machine props, like I did her younger Trek riding friend,  hahaha! But she wasn't rude by any means.

Listing pics in reverse order, the second pic is from the Three Knobs Overlook. This overlook is not quite the halfway point to Mt. Mitchell, but a pretty view nonetheless. The big arch cloud was the eyebrow of the "Eye in the Sky" that watched over me today. I couldn't resist stopping just long enough to take this picture.

My second encounter came when I passed a couple of Harley riders at an overlook just below Rough Ridge that waved at me, and said, "Aren't you ready for one of these?" pointing at their Harley Davidson motorcycles, and I said in reply, "I had to go with the Wisconsin (Waterloo) carbon, but yeah that Milwaukee steel would be nice on the uphill right about now!" They laughed and gave me a thumbs up and waved as I rode past the overlook. They passed me a few miles later, and waved again as they rode passed me on the way up the mountain.

My third encounter was from another group of riders. One of my favorite people from one of my least favorite place. A place that I have some of my worst memories from! The bright spot in that place was the man in the group that I know as a spiritual brother! Lord let it be far from me to ever have to work in another factory, but if I do, let me work with another man like the one I passed today. He is a great cyclist, husband, and Christian man that I learned a lot about compassion, and Gods' grace and mercy from while I was going through a very difficult time. Love ya Joe!

The fourth encounter was a humbling one! Just because a guy appears to have a little more white hair than the average Joe, and seems a bit more mature, doesn't mean that he can't kick your butt at something! My cousin will appreciate this. The big red S-Works machine and it's tall, slim, very fit rider eased passed me as he greeted me, and we very briefly talked about the weather. Then an oncoming car drove up to us, and I told him that he was clear of my wheel, and he took the line and lead, and steadily climbed the mountain. I stayed with him for a few hundred yards, and then understood, that he was wearing that polka dotted King of the Mountain Jersey for a reason! He was boogying!

The first picture is from my stop at the entrance of the State Park. I paused long enough to think about the four mile climb to the top, get a word in with my family, and have my grandmother (affectionately known as "Grandmama") see me ride to the big mountain, and not see me suffer as badly as I did the last time I made the attempt to ride up. My legs didn't cramp today like my last trip, instead this time I was a bit sick at my stomach, but I made the climb! All in all, a great day for a great ride, and hopefully this mountain will be a stepping stone, albeit a large one, for my training for the Trek 100. Tomorrow I will look to do Grandfather Mountain, or the three county loop to Point Lookout and back home. Until the next time... happy cycling!

Trek 100

The time draws nigh, that Kert and Sivart will journey North, and ride 100 miles for a very worthy cause, "The Trek 100." It is a ride that raises monies for the MACC Fund. The MACC Fund has generated over $42 million dollars for childhood cancer, and related blood disorder research. The Trek 100 site is:

http://www.trek100.org/

You can get answers to FAQ's there, and learn more about the 200+ researchers and physicians that are working hard to combat cancer and related blood disorders for children.

Kert and I will be signing up to register for the Trek 100 at some point this week, or this month, to do our part. I will post a link for donations if anyone is willing and able to help. We are praying for 100 or more friends to donate $10 or more, so that we can raise $1000 for research that will bless these little ones. Any donation size is welcomed, and appreciated, but our goal is at least $1000. 100% of what I take in for the MACC Fund goes to the research for pediatric cancer, and blood related disorders. I receive nothing but the joy and satisfaction of pushing myself to ride 100 miles in the beautiful township of Waterloo, Wisconsin, to help children not only in the great state of Wisconsin, but our great nation, and hopefully one day the world. My reason for riding 100 miles and raising money for such a great cause... I could be that father that is trying to figure out a way to comfort his child while dealing with such a dreaded disease. I don't want that for any child, parent, or family. Thank you for taking time to read the blog, and for any contribution that anyone is able to give. God bless you all.

UNC's Marshall in Shoot Around - Right Hand Man or "A-Team!"

Kendall is testing the hand, more so than resting the hand. Give him an "A" for toughness, but will that prolong his healing, and keep him out of future games, should they get past Kansas today? This is where you (as a team not just a few individuals) have to play error free "A" game basketball. When you can persevere through an injury plagued season and play deep into tournaments you can say you're "a" good team. If you win the tournament you can say you're "a" great team. Therefore, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Zeller, Mr. Henson, Mr. Bullock, and Mr. Underclassman (all of you) had better bring your "'A'-Game" today because when you're "a" great team playing "a" good team it's just "a" game!

Kendall is in the shoot around again, but can he play through the pain, and be productive? I'm praying he doesn't push himself too early, and we have a Carolina victory. Expect a Willis Reed type performance from a gutsy sophomore if the game is close coming down the stretch! My money says he plays limited minutes especially down the stretch if the Heels are close to finishing the Jayhawks or close enough to catch them and finish on top. Either way I just hope Kendall doesn't over do it. Go Heels!

Ugly Is To The Bone!

Was it an intentional (flagrant) foul, and should Creighton's coach, and players get the Sean Payton treatment? You make the call.

If you are Coach Williams, do you play Kendall Marshall on Friday if Kendall says he's ready to go, or do you keep him on the bench? You make the call.

Here's my call...
The cast came off earlier this week according to Kendall Marshall's Twitter update, and he's pretty up tempo about things. On that note, Kobe Bryant played days after having repairs made to his shooting hand, so who's to say that Kendall will not play at least against Kansas/NC State on Sunday barring they continue the path and defeat Ohio? I can say this... if I am Coach Williams (and I am not, and Roy's been winning for years without me!) I bring to the attention of Fridays ref's the UNC - Creighton game and the Syracuse - UNCA game.

A good (clean) hard foul on a drive to the basket means the defensive player does not allow the offensive player (shooter) to extend his arms, and make an attempt at a possible made shot. Anyone that's ever had the ability to dunk a basketball, and has been undercut, knows that a push is not acceptable. Being hacked, or held is one thing, but you don't dump a player on his head with a cheap foul, and push him. The refs can't catch everything, but this year has shown that the striped shirts are very human, and very flawed! Get a grip, bite your lip, and let'em rip! Eject a few dirty players please, and send a message! Henson got his technical, and he deserved it, but it should go both ways. The shove from double nothing on Zeller, and the extending of the right arm that sent Marshall to the floor were deserving of flagrant foul calls, if not ejections! 

Regardless of the then's and that's, this is now, and I, Coach Williams and UNC faithful am a BELIEVER! Two down and four to go! GO HEELS!!!

Marshall's X-Ray Misread, Not Broken!?

OK let's get the ugly out of the way first. Creighton was a very physical team, and were allowed a few too many cheap shots. One could say that's all on the players because at that level they know better, or one could say it's mostly on the refs for missing the calls (especially to double thrust up near the neck and throat area of Carolina's Tyler Zeller delivered by Creighton's big man who with that play characterized his thought processing and age to match his number: double zero), or one could say it's on the coach for encouraging dirty pool, which went above and beyond playing physical, and tough. You can be physical, and even mentally tough, without being dirty. It was a dirty played game at times! OK that's the ugly.

Now onto the bad... the bad is that an injury is an injury. There is no pretty side to that. Not being able to play at 100% is horrible for a competitor, period! Bad is having a crack so tiny, that you can't see it with the naked eye, but it shows up on an enlarged x-ray.

The good... Kendall Marshall doesn't have to score like Kobe Bryant, he only has to be as tough as Kobe! Kobe broke his shooting wrist earlier this season and is still playing, He missed a little time after surgery, but still played. They have Marshall's wrist in a cast, but no ligament damage, so Kendall could still be cleared to play! Football players play in cast all the time. Kendall's presence would be enough to bother a lot of opponents. Plus Kendall only needs to distribute the ball and avoid turnovers, so the wrist may not completely keep him out.

Also on a good note, some hater was just rushed to the hospital psych ward after reading the title to this blog. That same hater that rushed to read the title, then rushed to share with all of his/her hater pals on Google+, and Facebook, and a few more went with him/her. I am not totally morbid! The good in that is that the haters missed their self-diagnosis thinking they were having a coronary, and it was just a panic attack, so they will be fine by the time someone with sense reads the blog through it's entirety, and tells them that the title was a hoax.

To conclude:
The good, Kendall could still play in a few weeks, this is a long tournament. The bad, we have to survive without him, and for even a few minutes without Kendall could prove fatal to the title shot we had hoped for this season. The ugly, got put out in the first round by a school from Bethlehem, PA. Gone now is Lehigh, but thank you for your first round devil removing services, and congrats on a brilliant first tourney win. Go Heels!

March, Why Do I Love Thee So?

1. I get to pass gas and not get in trouble, or freeze my toocus off!

2. The UCI gears up, and I get to watch my favorite Trek riders win races! Fabian won the last stage an ITT (individual time trail not a computer) at the Terrino-Adriatico, and his teammate Daniele Bennati finished in second behind him. American rider and teammate Chris Horner placed second in the overall GC (General Classification), so a decent start so far. Waiting on the Grand Tour and State side races now.

3. March Madness!!! NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament! GO HEELS!!!

4. The Grass is greener in March for me, because of seasoned Grass! IBMA winners, Dove nominees, and hopefully a few winners there also, and don't even get me started if a Grammy comes this way!

5. The Daytona 200!!! Sepang Testing!! And nearing 200hp on a 250lb machine! Exhilarating is an understatement! Bring on the AMA, & Moto GP baby!

The down side of March:

I'm not on any of these lists as a pro, or an artist, and fans also have to deal with the drama of the NBA Trade Deadline (March 15th), and deal with whining politicians. Although, I have to admit it is fun watching the politicians squirm! (At least in NC at this time they are usually campaigning heavy for May elections!) So any players with a mouth big enough to stick their foot in it? I know of at least one!

"I want to go somewhere, where I can win it all! I will exercise my options and see what gives! Oh wait, I am not Kobe Bryant am I!? I do have some leverage, but not like that yet, or do I? Hey wait we have beaten up the so-called 'Bigs' of the Eastern Conference! We took down Miami, and Chicago... hmmm, hey wait Mr. Owner Meign! I know trade deadline is today, but I don't want to be traded until after I see whether or not we can win it all this year!"

Then there is your politician:

So and so, is scum! You can't trust him/her! I will change everything but your name, and social security number to make things better for you, if you will just vote for me! Don't listen to them! That is a liberal/conservative new broadcast, you can't trust them! (A day later and several $100's later) Watch me on this great liberal/conservative broadcast! Oh and don't forget to pick up a copy of that paper (God I hope-because I forgot how to pray, that they don't remember me bashing that paper too!) that I placed that add in this week!

Yes, March is almost as entertaining as watching a ghetto Christmas!

Enjoy the sunshine!

Do You Love Your Children?

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/failing-student-wears-sign-as-punishment-28585171.html

The NCAA didn't suspend Brazilian, 7' footer, Fab Melo, the Cuse did. Do you think his mother cursed out Coach Boeheim, or Syracuse? Or does she feel shamed by Fab's choices that led to his suspension?

You think taking a phone, or grounding your kid from playing basketball until his grades come up is harsh and unusual punishment? Take a look at the video.

It's a shame that a mother will not let her 3rd grader play in any sports, but will allow her 5th grader to do whatever. It is also a shame that she was too busy for one son to take him to practice or to games, but had plenty of time to ask a relative to take the oldest child to wherever the eldest needed to go, and then have the nerve too ask his father where he had been over the years. The father is wondering why volunteering at their son's school in grade school, and getting his transcripts lined up for high school, and helping him with his school work during both accounts, counts for nothing? Wait a minute... is this the same mother that swore that she'd "NEVER" let her son go to school in the same county in which his father lived? Why yes it is. This is also the same mother that told her son in front of his father, and several of her son's friends that it was ok to lessen his standards and fall back and away from achieving greatness academically. How do you think she would react to her son being taught a lesson, like the young man in the video? Apparently this father cares too. I wonder if the father in the video was told that he was being too hard on his son? I am guessing not. What's so sad about the situation with the son, that had the mother that "ENCOURAGED" him publicly to settle for mediocrity, is that her son had been on the A-B Honor Roll for the first time after moving in with his maternal grandmother, with a more than watchful eye from his father. The father encouraged him by means of incentive. Gave him a cell phone, signed for him to play football, and went to "EVERY" game, and school function. He asked then (legitimately), wonder where his mother is?

"Not everyone can be on the A Honor Roll..." Wonder what would happen if someone told the kid in the video that? Wonder what would happen to that valedictorian that was told that? We he/she drop out of school? Would he/she get petty jobs living check to check? Would he/she settle for getting his girlfriend/becoming pregnant in high school, never go to college, and work for a corporation itching to replace him/her, just before he/she could draw a pension? How can anyone live with themselves after pretty much telling their child that it's OK to settle for mediocrity!? Literally telling that child that they are not smart enough to be a good student and make good grades? Especially when that child after moving away from that mother and moving in with his maternal grandmother with the help of his father, had just achieved his first time ever being on the A-B Honor Roll. When you're not a thinker it seems to come very easy! Why would a parent tell their child this in front of anyone, or in private for that matter to their child!? Hmmm maybe because the parent that accused the other of not doing anything wasn't there, or smart enough away from there, to know any better?

To any young man looking to find a life partner, please, please, please take heed... make certain that your partner, and hopefully life long mate (spouse to be) can put legs on a coffee table properly, spell your name properly, and treats you properly even when you're not around. Most importantly, make sure she can treat your child well and take care of him/her if anything ever happens to you! Make sure she is true to what she says she is. If she says she's a Christian, don't settle for hearing that she is a Christian, witness it in every way, or stop and walk away while you still have the choice! I can't emphasize enough important it is that she is a woman that you can trust your child with if you die, because some day she may drive you to your grave, or the Lord may call you home earlier than you or anyone else anticipated. Not being able to help your child maintain a proper course, because of domestic separation, and difference is a horrible, horrible life for you, and your child. Choose wisely! Whom you choose as a partner to pro-create with, could be like mistaking gasoline or leaded paint for the apple juice or milk that was "supposed" to go into his/her bottle. Not everything is a sure shot, but a definite no go, should be just that... a no go! Healthy formula, or deadly poison? You make the call. God bless the father, and son in the above video, hopefully their journey will be one that is cherished, and appreciated by both!

I hope this blog doesn't send a message of "let me correct my child before the Department of Corrections does." I hope instead it sends a message that inspires you to say, "let me raise and inspire my child(ren) to rise to greatness, and be self disciplined enough to avoid needing correction!"