Biking is bliss. Pure, unadulterated, uncomplicated beautiful bliss. I thought I knew this already. Then I rode my new bike today. And I found out what riding a bike that is meant for me...fitted for me...perfect for me...what that feels like physically and mentally. It's amazing. I thought I knew the joy of riding; today I felt it. What a difference a bike makes!
Today was my maiden voyage on my new Salsa Vaya 2. Chris and I decided to take our bikes to Bald Eagle State Park for a ride this afternoon. I packed sandwiches and snacks that we might start our visit to BESP with lunch. We arrived right at noon and thought we'd found a nice bench with a nice view of the lake where we might enjoy our lunch. Unfortunately, as we walked toward the bench, we spotted a deceased groundhog. The poor little chucker showed no signs of foul play or violence. In fact, there was a fallen branch near him that made us wonder if perhaps the branch had fallen on him and killed him.
Those teeth are why you don't mess with groundhogs. Just ask my Oscar!
We opted for a picnic table somewhat away from the dearly departed and enjoyed our sandwiches, string cheeses, and apples.
I had to rock my Pens hat and THE REAL DEAL 18 James Neal t-shirt for the final game of the NHL regular season!
Chris enjoys his noms.
The view from our picnic table.
After lunch, we took the bikes off the back of my car and headed out. We rode just about every piece of paved road at the park today - up to the Nature Inn, around the marina, through the modern campground - as well as a few gravel roads, some dirt, and a wee bit of wet grass!
Flagrant disregard for the law! :)
Chris ran out of road.
Old US 220 now runs into the lake.
The dimples were in full effect today; I was smiling the ENTIRE ride!
There was a little bit of debris to navigate on this trail.
Checking out the boats in storage near the marina.
Photo bomb!
Taking a snack break by the water.
Chris stretches and declares, "Whoa. What a view!"
Chris' view.
We rode for one hour and 40 minutes for a total of 15.01 miles. I'd say that's a pretty decent "break-in" ride! The weather was absolutely perfect - 80 degrees, sunny, and winds 10-15 mph. I suggested to Chris that we ride at BESP more often since it tends to be windy there. Since we're training for the Sea Gull Century on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, we need to be used to riding in a mighty wind! As I said earlier, it's simply amazing what riding the right bike can feel like. I used to get antsy in the saddle of my old bike. I used to have numbness in my hands. I had none of that today. Do you know what I had today? Fun.
And so here we are. On the day that I bought my new bicycle! It's felt like Christmas Day all day; I've been giddy with excitement and anticipation. My new bicycle was coming home today!!! But I should probably back up just a little, eh? I mean...you might be wondering..."why did you need a new bike, Beth?" Let me tell you! As you may or may not know, I purchased a bicycle just over a year ago - a Specialized Ariel. Just a few months into riding it, I began to suspect I needed a different bike. A better bike. A faster bike. A more versatile bike. But I figured I would ride it out for the first year (see what I did there?) and think about a new bike at the start of the 2014 riding season. 2014 hit and I made the decision that I am going to ride in the Sea Gull Century in Salisbury, Maryland at the end of September - that's my big goal for this year. (A "century" is a 100-mile bike ride.) Four weeks ago, I found myself in The Bicycle Shop here in State College checking out my options. I looked at the Cannondale Quick, but its set-up was very similar to my Ariel's. Keeping my preferred type of riding in mind (the Spring Creek Canyon trail and the Lower Trail) but also mindful of my upcoming century, I then looked at cyclocross bikes - particularly the Specialized TriCross. I wasn't in appropriate riding garb, so I opted to wait to do test rides until it was a bit warmer and I had on the right duds. About a week later, I found myself wondering what kind of cross bikes the other local bike shop - Freeze Thaw Cycles - might have. The morning of Tuesday, March 25th, I IM'd my friend Greg and asked him if he had lunch plans. He didn't, so I invited him to meet me at Freeze Thaw to check out the selection of cross bikes. Greg purchased his Surly Orge from Freeze Thaw and has been singing their praises ever since. I went into the shop interested in the Surly Cross Check. Justin - one of the guys at the shop - really listened as I spoke about the kind of riding I typically do, but also the kind of riding (long-distance) I want to train to do. I left sold on the idea of a Salsa Vaya. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't going to cooperate for a timely test ride, so I went into the following weekend test-ride-less. I also happened to be in Baltimore that weekend, so there was that, too! What I did do while I was in Baltimore was check out Joe's Bike Shop in Mt. Washington. There, I checked out the Salsa Warbird. Nate from Joe's got me seated and set-up on the Warbird for "sitting purposes" (it was POURING rain in Baltimore that weekend so no test rides to be had) and I really liked it. A little follow-up research revealed that the Warbird - while pretty amazing - probably wasn't going to be the best bike for me. It's aluminum frame probably wouldn't fair well on some of the more rugged terrain here in Central PA and it was much more race-purposed than I was seeking. Which brought me back to the Vaya and Freeze Thaw. Last Tuesday, April 1st - with the weather fully cooperating for test rides - I headed to Freeze Thaw after work to test ride a Vaya. I worked with Jordan, who took measurements to determine which frame size I would need - which wound up being a 52 cm. As it turned out, the only 52 cm Vaya they had in stock was last year's model of the Vaya 2. As Vayas go, the 3 is the low-end model, the 2 is better, and the Traveler is best. Being last year's model, the '13 Vaya 2 was priced similarly to the '14 Vaya 3. At this point, I'm thinking, "Score! Better model, better price, better color!" (The '13 2 is white...er, "vanilla"; the '14 2 is a light blue that was not appealing.) Jordan plucked the '13 2 off the wall of the stairwell of the shop and brought it down to start setting it up for me. He estimated this would take about 15 minutes, so I hung out upstairs talking to Paul - another of the guys in the shop - and browsing a bit. Before I knew it, Jordan called me downstairs to have a seat on the bike so he could check some measurements. He wasn't happy with my upper body positioning, so he decided to swap out stems. He worked on the bike for another 15 minutes or so before telling me that he just couldn't get the bike set-up the way he wanted it for me with the stems that he had available in the shop. He wanted to order a different stem - which would be arrive in 2-3 days - and then get the bike ready for me for the best test ride possible. He apologized that I'd waited as long as I had only to go home that day without doing a test ride, but I assured him that I understood and that - more importantly - I appreciated his efforts and attention to detail. I walked out of the shop, checked the time, and thought, "Well, there's still time to hit The Bicycle Shop and try the TriCross." So that's exactly what I did. And my experience at TBS could not have been any more different than at FTC if the entire thing had been scripted. Where Jordan was meticulous about measurements and sizing, the kid at TBS plucked the bike down off the rack (after *I* had to tell him which frame size I thought I needed), lowered the seat, aired up the tires, opened the front door, and sent me out on a test ride. I rode away from the store thinking, "Huh. That's different." The TriCross was OK. Just OK. But I really had no way of knowing if it was really the right bike for me - should I fit on it better? There was one way to find out. Buy it and THEN be fitted. Something about that process didn't compute. Not for the kind of coin I was about to drop on a bike. I rode the bike for about 25 minutes all through West Campus and down one of the local gravel bike paths, but my mind was already made up. My next bike was coming from Freeze Thaw Cycles. I got the call on Friday, April 4th that the new stem was in and that Jordan had gotten the bike set up for me. The next day, I stopped into the shop to chat with the guys. I had to play the "girl card" that day - I'd just gotten a pedicure and was wearing flip flops. There weren't going to be any test rides that day. My main concern was that someone else might come in and be interested in the '13 Vaya 2. I'd gone in to BEG them not to sell the bike before I had a chance to ride it - which was going to prove tough since I was headed to Rhode Island Sunday through Tuesday and Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Thursday. Justin assured me that it was in the basement of the shop being held for me. I breathed a huge sigh of relief and promised to be in the shop late Thursday afternoon. Fast forward to yesterday - Thursday afternoon - FINALLY! My friend Phillip and I returned from Pittsburgh at 4 PM. I dropped him off at the office and returned the car to Fleet Services. I took my cycling clothes in with me when I returned the car keys, looked at the guy at the counter, and asked, "Bathroom?!?" He said, "Down the hall on the left." I practically ran to the bathroom, changed quickly, and headed downtown to Freeze Thaw in eager anticipation. I arrived at Freeze Thaw and was cordially greeted by the guys in the shop. Jordan retrieved the bike - my bike - from the basement and had me sit on it while Justin held it so he could check the fit. Despite being two weeks later, I could tell a difference in the riding position and orientation of my upper body. Jordan gave me a quick tutorial on the shifters, which are Sram, not Shimano to which I'm more accustomed. I put on my helmet and gloves, handed over my keys (I joked "for collateral" but really because I didn't want them in my pocket), and headed out the door. I spent the next 25 minutes riding around downtown State College through the neighborhoods that house the fraternities. At one house, all of the guys were shirtless playing volleyball. Flashbacks to Top Gun played in my head. I didn't hate it. Anyhoo, I loved my test ride! I could tell a huge difference in hill climbing. On the Ariel, which has a front suspension, I would lose power on climbs as the suspension would "give." On the Vaya, 100% of my leg power was going into the climbs. It was amazing! The riding position was fantastic. The bike handles like a champ. And the disc brakes are pretty sweet, too. I'm fairly certain that I was rocking a smile from ear to ear when I returned to the shop! I told Justin that I wanted to bring my Ariel in for a trade-in evaluation and that I wanted to buy the Vaya; I said I'd be back Friday after work. I asked Justin to put some basic pedals on the bike for the time being. (The switch to clip-less pedals is coming. SOON! But I want to get used to the shifting and brakes first.) This afternoon, Chris met me in my office once he'd gotten off work and we went downtown together once my day was done. I took my Ariel in and Justin gave it a once over. Unfortunately, given their current used inventory, he wasn't able to make me a trade-in offer but he did help me figure out what I should ask in a private sale. He also pointed out a very minor repair that the bike would need, which I just told him to go ahead and do. I'll list the Ariel on Craigslist, Facebook, and the bulletin boards at work. (Anyone reading this in the market for a medium frame 2012 Specialized Ariel?!? Email me!) Since my purchase of the Vaya wasn't dependent on a trade-in, I told Justin I still wanted to go ahead with that purchase...today! Jordan rang me up and not 10 minutes after I walked in with my Ariel, I walked out with MY VAYA! Without further ado - and to reward you for making it this far through the post - check out some pics of my new 2013 Salsa Vaya 2 from Freeze Thaw Cycles in State College, PA:
Welcome home, pretty girl!
Not gonna lie...love the pepper emblem!
Salsa!
Vaya!
Continental TourRIDE tires with puncture protection.
SRAM shifters.
Thank you Justin, Jordan, and all the guys at Freeze Thaw Cycles! You're the best!!!
Another pepper!
I like the blue accents on the "vanilla" bike.
Like my gears?!?
Head-on shot.
Check out my rear, y'all!
The weather this weekend is supposed to be spectacular. Any guesses what I'll be doing?!?
I spent the first seven days of February in Dallas, TX attending APPA's Leadership Academy at the Omni in downtown Dallas. I traveled to Dallas on Saturday, with classes taking place Sunday through Thursday, and another travel day on Friday. The class schedule includes two half-days to allow attendees the opportunity to a) enjoy a little bit of the weekend (1st half-day is Sunday) and b) explore a little bit of the host city (2nd half-day is Wednesday). Before I could set off on any grand Dallas adventures, I had to get there first! That involved two flights - one from State College to Philadelphia and a second from Philadelphia to Dallas. I spent the duration of both flights and my Philly layover reading "Labor Day" by Joyce Maynard.
Check out the last paragraph of the page on the left. IRONY!
On Monday evening of my week in Dallas, I decided to treat myself to a nice, relaxing Wolfgang Puck dinner at Five Sixty in the Reunion Tower. If you're familiar with the Dallas skyline, it's the tower with the ball on top. The restaurant where I had dinner is in the ball; the restaurant revolves so patrons get a 360-degree view of the city.
Looking up from street level.
Yeah, buddy!
Ready to head up for dinner.
I wonder what Wolfgang has to offer?!?
Let's start with something to wet my whistle...let's open Pandora's Box!
Pandora's Box and lobster fried rice.
Pandora's Box and lobster & shrimp spring rolls.
We rotated past the Omni, so I had to snap a pic of my hotel.
Chocolate bread pudding.
I know some people hate even the IDEA of dining by themselves. Me? I love it! Especially an evening like the one I had at Five Sixty - just enjoying really good food, a spectacular beverage, a stunning view, and eavesdropping/people-watching. Dining at Reunion Tower was #1 of 2 items on my Dallas to-do list. So after Monday evening, #1 = check! I returned to the hotel and decided to snap a picture of the ERAPPA display that I'd set-up for attendees to learn more about our region, our chapters, and our Annual Meeting in Atlantic City this fall.
Tuesday evening, all 10 Penn Staters who made the trip to Dallas for either the Institute for Facilities Management or the Leadership Academy decided to go out to dinner for some Texas-sized steaks.
Clockwise L to R: Dan, Joe, Mark, Ron, Erik, Brooks, Tina, me, Corey, Rich.
On Wednesday - the second half day of the week - I rented a car and drove out to... ...well... ...maybe you should watch this first.
Yup. I went to Southfork!!! If I did nothing else while in Dallas, I was determined to get to Southfork. I grew up watching "Dallas" on Friday nights and I'm also a fan of the new incarnation currently airing on Monday nights at 9 PM on TNT. In fact, that Sunday I was in Dallas, I noticed that Brenda Strong tweeted about being in Dallas filming. I thought, "Whoa. What if they're AT Southfork when I go there Wednesday?!?" but really thought it was unlikely. Yeah. Not so much. Not only were they filming AT Southfork, but I got to see several of the actors up close. While they were filming, visitors were not permitted to interact with the actors. We were told that IF they took a break during filming that we might be able to visit with some of the cast. Unfortunately, they didn't break while we were touring the property. And we weren't permitted to take any pictures of them while they were filming. BUT! It's all in my head and the memories are AWESOME! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we toured the mansion (where they were filming), I had time to visit the museum.
RIP Larry Hagman
Lucy's wedding dress.
The Ewing Family grill.
Bobby's saddle.
Behind-the-scenes footage and photos.
Promotional poster for the reboot. Unfortunately, when I saw Josh Henderson (front left), he was wearing a shirt. Boo.
I probably stood here for five full minutes trying to figure out this tangled web of a family tree!
RIP Jock
Larry Hagman's hand and footprints.
Cast photos from the first iteration of the show...
...and from the reboot.
Finally, it was time to walk over to the mansion. I have to be honest. If the cast hadn't been there filming the show, I may have been slightly disappointed by the Southfork mansion. It's TINY inside. All of the exterior shots of Southfork are legit; they are filmed on the estate. But all of the interiors are shot on a sound stage which make the inside of the house appear much, MUCH bigger than the actual house would allow. Nonetheless, it was interesting to tour the inside of the house, which includes a room that was used as JR's Mexican motel room where he was murdered by Cliff Barnes. (Not really. Bum shot him because he knew he was dying of cancer and framed Cliff.) While we were in the mansion, we saw Patrick Duffy (plays Bobby Ewing). He smiled and waved to us. Jesse Metcalfe (plays Christopher Ewing) walked through the living room and said hello. My goodness, he is gorgeous! Brenda Strong (Ann Ewing) filmed a scene in the living room while we were there. And Jordana Brewster (Elena Ramos) walked through and said hello to us as well. She is stunning! I did see Josh Henderson (John Ross Ewing), but only from a distance. In hindsight, that's probably a good thing. He so stinkin' hot...too much of a hot thing might have resulted in a fit of giddiness!
Lucy's bedroom.
Young John Ross' bedroom.
And here's where JR bit it.
JR & Sue Ellen's bedroom.
JR & Sue Ellen's bathroom.
80s opulence at its best!
Geeking out at Southfork!!!
Sitting in the Ewing living room, under Jock's portrait.
John Ross' Corvette.
JR, Miss Ellie, and Jock's graves.
While photographing the tombstones, I "paparazzied" a picture of the mansion. You can see some people and some equipment from the filming.
When I got back to my car, I walked around to check out some of the actors' trailers.
The visitors' center/museum.
Southfork, y'all!
John and Jesse's trailer.
Brenda and Emma's trailer.
Mitch's trailer. (He waved to me from the Range Rover he was sitting in while filming an "arrival scene.")
After I'd sufficiently geeked out on the grounds of Southfork, I decided to return downtown before rush hour started. A few of us Penn Staters went out to dinner again, this time for Texas BBQ.
Brisket, pit turkey, and jalapeno sausage with mac & cheese and fried okra.
The APPA U programming wrapped up Thursday afternoon and the week concluded with a banquet dinner Thursday evening. Several of us headed down to the sports bar in the hotel for a nightcap or two before we said our goodbyes and retreated to our rooms to pack for our travel the next day.
There's still one thing that remains on my Dallas to-do list - see a Cowboys game! I could have toured their stadium while I was in town, but as much fun as that would be, I think seeing a game there would be the ultimate for a diehard Cowboys fan like me! I can tell you the date - Monday, September 9, 1991. My dad was watching Monday Night Football and Troy Aikman graced the TV screen. I said, "I shall root for HIS team henceforth and hereunto!" And I have! DEFEND THE STAR!!!
