Mountain Biking - Head gasket.

Riding has been very sporadic this winter season for me. Dismay hit me like a brick to the head yesterday morning. Putting on a set of riding togs in prep for the first time on a bike in over two weeks, things were fitting a bit more...snug.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4757a.jpg

Snow. Ice. Great to ride on when cold. But we've had some lovely warm-ish temps that have kept everything a morass of sloppy dirt.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_0230.jpg

Then ***** happens when you really do get out. Five minutes from the car. The ride was bagged. Halfway through, sure, ride it out, stand up the rest of the ride. But I was too pissed off to ride the entire time that way.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4835.jpg

Actual riding pic:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4770.jpg

Warning: helmetless rider dicking around in the parking lot. Helmet squeamish skip this one.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4833.jpg

The trail of the elusive Geax Blade tire.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/137a.jpg

So a little taste of dirt. Headspace freshened up a bit. Crappy work schedules. Crappy work crap happening. Crap. Just tell yourself there is no spoon.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4768.jpg

More actual people on bikes content:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4819.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4903.jpg

A diversional trail run with Mrs. Scrub was fun, but it just isn't the same.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_0237.jpg

We're starting to entertain home buying thoughts. I'm gearing up to transition from doing the travel nurse gig to hiring on local/permanent. Which will mean a move to our own place in short order, rather than the corporate housing that has been nice and convenient.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_0233.jpg

A dreary prospect, but we knew it was to come. We'd planned to transtion into our own home from corporate housing, but not for a while. Working for them is messing with my headspace. Normally I'm a very mellow and easygoing person, but stress right now is making me wiggy. So we're changing things a bit early. It'll mean rent for a bit longer than we'd planned, but mental health is priceless.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4838.jpg

Riding is my normal relief valve. Not being able to ride has been really tough, moreso than in winters past.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4764.jpg

Yesterday and today were blissful, though short. Of course, my now corpulent ass is now sore from pedaling, not using those muscles for what may have well as been three months.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4814.jpg

Another actual person on a bike:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4817.jpg

These guys always seem to have the right idea.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4837.jpg

Mmmmm! Tasty reminders of rides past.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4848.jpg

And new rides to come.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4914.jpg

And doing what ya' gotta do in order to not entirely become a slug.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_0211.jpg

Huck up!
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4781.jpg

Knotted tension.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_0224.jpg

Releasing same.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4852.jpg

Thanks for listening, folks.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20signs/IMG_4839.jpg

(oh yeah, and sneaking in one of the new ride built up very sweet first spin on it this morning.)
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f12/scrublover/bike%20shots/IMG_4927.jpg

Nice!

Excellent shots and nice write up. Much luck finding a house as well.

And be thankful nothing too serious happened to the twig and berries!

Nice. Glad to see you're still rockin' the manpris.

Edit: You really know how to tell a good story. I felt the need to come back and re-read it.

Great post. Thanks for the riding pics.

Maybee you should get down to NJ scrubs, trails are pretty much back to normal here.

i hate broken seatposts, but those pictures look super fun anyways... Good luck with everything! Thanks for the good post!

edit because the tv can be distracting to the tast at hand.

So..... did the new bike ride like a thoroughbred? Or like a pig in a dress? Who are you looking at, to build your custom frame, or have you thought about it yet?