Monday, June 30, 2008

Riders, always secure your bikes and your beer!



Bear Escapes Zoo

Originally published June 29, 2008, 11:28 AM

By Mykelsa Ryder
News-Post Staff



A bold escape bid by a bear from the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo in nearby Thurmont, Maryland has been foiled in a dramatic shoot-out. The North American Black Bear exited his momentarily unlocked enclosure during feeding time and knocked down an unsecured rear door before ultimately heading south along, and parallel to, US 15. After quickly running a number of miles he paddled across a Frederick City Watershed pond using a log for a raft, he then scaled a rocky embankment up and over a Gambrill Park Road home's outer fence.

Finally he attempted to commandeer the home owner's bicycle before DNR personnel showed up with brooms and cornered him. An Animal Control Officer who had been called to the scene eventually was able to subdue him with numerous shots of Steelback Tiverton Bear Honey Brown from a tranquilizer gun!

DNR officials believe the bear was frenzied after hearing the mating calls of other bears in the woods outside of his CWP & Z enclosure. They speculate that the black bear was only attempting to "borrow" the bike to get more quickly to his old "rutting" grounds along the Fishing Creek Road area of the Frederick City Watershed in nearby Frederick County, Maryland.






And we thought it was only the snakes at the "shed" who were treacherous! Remember, lock your bikes and always secure your post-ride refreshments in bear-proof containers! The picture below is yet another terrible example of what can happen! The owner of this bike (sans his case of really good craft beer) learned a valuable lesson!



Sunday, June 29, 2008

Ridin' down the blue at the "shed"!




Brie rockin' the Blue at the "shed"!




Lynne comin' down right behind Brie! Two fine ridin' ladies!






Cleanin & fixin' 'em all up . . . ready for the next ride!




Back home after a great weekend . . . kicked back enjoying a really tasty beer and the latest Dirt Rag!





Watchin' the after-the-game fireworks at Harry Grove Stadium from our own back porch! Perfect close to a perfect weekend!



Saturday, June 28, 2008

Great weekend of campin' & ridin' in Fredrock!




My girl! Not only beautiful; but clymbs lika freakin' goat! Love ya, Baby! Ahh, Deco . . . aka Mr. Peepers . . dogs don't get much better than this one!





Tasty beer #? . . . Damn, so many good ones this weekend!






My woman in-law . . Lynne! Brie's Mom! Awesome lady! Kicks my butt most all the time!




Hmm, # ? . . . sheesh, who bought all these fun brews?




Totally awesome Hawk lands right at the site next to us while we were camping!




Saturday's ride . . . out from Sand Flat! Our ride (up) Super Sweet was intense, to put it mildly; much prefer goin' down that one! Playing around and ridin' a little on Rock Candy was really fun though!









Brie back at camp!




Mic cheating on his Trek Fuel EX 8 with some sleazy, leather-saddled, well-built single speed!


Ridin' some Rock Candy!





Mic comin' down Super Sweet/Rock Candy!



Lynne on Rock Candy!







Kenny D. doin' some Rock Candy (from out of the dirty lens fog)!








Time out for pics on Super Sweet/Rock Candy with Ken-Knee D! My riding buddy and one awesome MTB'er!

Friday, June 27, 2008

surlY auL' s1nGle spEed rYdeR



The Creaky Monkey waitin' on the surlY auL' s1nGle spEed rYdeR to head out for a ride at a very rocky undisclosed location high above beautiful, bucolic Frederick, Maryland!

And, of course, there will be post-ride refreshments lined up which were obtained from a really great, but also undisclosed location in Frederick, MD.



Thursday, June 26, 2008

Urban Obstacle Course



After a bit of prodding, Mic finally convinced me that riding the single speed to Alive @ Five would be fun. My problem is that cars scare me and I kind of scare myself too. I am a victim of that strange phenomenon that occurs when riding in the woods-- the one where the minute I look at an obstacle- tree sticking out into the trail, sharp rock pointed right at you, furry little bunny, etc. I steer directly into it. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy-- I can't avoid it. So one can understand my hesitancy about riding the bike around cars! Well, much to my surprise it was not that scary (we only rode like an 1/8th of a mile ). We made it safely to the Creek and enjoyed some great music and good beer (I'll let Mic tell you about that later) and had the opportunity to catch up with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile.




After a few beers the ride back was a bit more intimidating-- I haven't quite elevated my skills to the level where Market Street didn't terrify me. Good thing is...with Mic's encouragement, I'll have many more opportunities to work on it. Ride on...

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Another "shed" ride ― yeah, I know, so what?



I have given my rigid singlespeed (above) a name: Creaky Monkey! Hey, B.B. King has Lucille, right? Anywho, over the last two days ridin' at the "shed" the noise level has risen to a new high! Now I am no "wrench" so I really have no idea what the source is . . . but, I think it is either the bottom bracket, or somewhere in the headset (or, absent either of those, it could just be my old knees)! Everything seems tight, so it is not because anything is loose ― still, it remains. So, it will just have to be, I suppose!









Brewed for McSorley's Ale House, the oldest continuously operating pub in New York City. McSorley's Ale is brewed with carefully malted barley and European style hops to create a light-bodied, aromatic, Irish-style specialty ale. Craft-brewed with the same care and attention to detail that has made McSorley's a regional favorite since John McSorley's 1854 arrival in the United States.




So, after tonight's ride it felt like a "two" special beers night! I had both the McSorley's Ale and the Black Dog Ale ― both were quite tasty, though I favored the McSorley's (and, as you can see, Sidd[hartha] there fancied the Black Dog more) !



Deep red, clear. Moderate carbonation. Mild-moderate head, fluffy and creamy, stratified lacing. Spicy warm hops. Sweet malt, caramel and a little nut. Medium bodied. Starts smooth and finishes with a nice little carbonation kick. Sweet caramel and nut malt base. Some coffee and mild chocolate notes. Nicely balanced with herbal hops, floral and spicy notes.





Man, I wish our Golden Retriever (Deco, aka Mr. Peepers) could do this! Talk about “man’s best friend,” trust me, if it’s not his orange rubber ball thingie with two legs and the ears chewed off, it ain’t gonna happen (see yesterday's entry and you will see what I mean)!








Ahh, we both remember when our office was really an office; now, however, it is the storage center for the bikes we ride on a regular basis ― my how things can change in such a short period of time! From writing books to riding bikes, all in less than a year ― who woulda thunk it? We love it!



Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Just out ridin' the "shed" ― so what else is new, right?














Mr. Peepers!








Okay, here's our pics . . . more on the ride, the beer, the cookout, our vineyard (okay, our grape vines really don't constitute a vineyard ― so what, there's already a Dunn Vineyards!) and the whole detailed story tomorrow ―

Ha!, Ms.Danielle Marie Ranno! Gotcha!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Greenbrier State Park Ride!