Anrothar's '09 Turas NJ

anrothar

entirely thrilled
never happenned.... not this trip anyway. way too much to do, not nearly enough time, and uncooperative weather. did the unthinkable and ::gasp:: ordered a bike online. a cheap bike. a rigid ss. did i mention a cheap bike. it's intended to be my nj bike for when i'm here. missed the ups guy on monday, and they never showed(as they said they would), today. blame the weather for that.

i was in philly the evening of the 26th into the 27th. visiting family on the 28th thru 30th. panicking about my zune 30gb on the 31st and 1st. packing up stuff i left here on till the 2nd. in nyc on the 3rd/4th, then philly again on the 4th/5th/6th.

and so, here i am now, on the 7th. drinking brooklyn's 08/09 black choco stout, which is harsher than last years, but still tastey, and seems to fill the room, if not just my nostrils with a strong caramel scent. unlike years previous, it tastes stronger than it is, but in a good way. i went to the brewery on the 3rd, and have to warn you ahead of time that it won't get you any free or even cheap beer. tours yeild no tokens, and tokens are 6 for $20. one token fetches you a single beer of whatever they have on hand, in a cup that is somewhere between a pint and a half pint. when all is said and done, you end up standing in a hella long line for beer that costs the equivalent of nyc pub prices.

i had a loaner bike lined up in philly, and it was fantastic to be back on dirt again. i've been riding nothing but snow for the past two months in ak. when i initially got my hands on the bike i was so excited that i didn't notice the 23.5" wide bars... ouch. :D borrowed some monkeylite's and a matching stem and the ride the next morning was infinitely better. big thanks to mtbnj's own(pennsylvanian cousins??) dmz, and chucku for hooking that up, and to ed from wissahickon cycles(home of drew, owner/builder for engin cycles) for hooking me up with the bar/stem.

i'm here tomorrow, but have a bit more packing to do and errands to run, and a family function tomorrow evening. i might be up for some late-night shenannigans though, if anyone's interested in lugging me around. assuming my bike get's here tomorrow, i would also be up for a mahlon ride friday morning. i'll keep you folks posted on that.

i feel bad, as i miss riding in nj, and riding with all my nj copilots, but this visit has just been too hectic. next time, once the packing/shipping and zune bugs(amazing how stressful that was for someone who thought themself to be free from dependence on music) are out of the picture, the riding should be plentiful. if my work schedule allows, i'll swing back on through late summer and ride nearly every day.

if anyone is up for a (very) early saturday ride in philly, respond. it'll probably be tires down between 6:30 and 7:30, belmont plateau, brisk pace in the twisty goodness that park has to offer, and maybe 2-3 hours in duration. after which i will have to make a hasty departure for the airport. :getsome:

alaska has been in a deep freeze while i was gone. this should have been expected, as i'm obviously the light/warmth of their lives.....:rolleyes: temps have been hovering below -20 and as low as -45 in the area i live in. i worry that my truck will be a block of ice when i return.
 

Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
I was wonderin' what happened to you.

I think I made it on the bike once in December...it hasn't been terribly bike friendly up here lately.

Have a safe trip back to AK and we'll see ya' next time around...

Tim
 
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xc62701

Well-Known Member
What no beerfest before jetting out? Friday night's free if you're not in Philly yet.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I expected things would be too hectic this time around to get anything together, but I'm stoked to hear that you'll be back when it's warmer, and we will ride then, for sure.
 

pixychick

JORBA: Ringwood
JORBA.ORG
Great to hear from you Sean. We always like your beer reviews ;)

Friday morning at Mahlon may be possible for me. I am not sure about conditions after the rain and ice. If not, hope to see you in summer!
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
yay, sean! of course AK is cold without you...i mean your beard must keep, what, 15% of the state insulated? :D

good to hear from you. if you do pull a MD ride off on friday i'll try to be there. with nokians on.
 

trener1

Well-Known Member
Great Stout

Hey Sean,

Good to hear from you.
If you can find it anywhere around here, pick yourself up some Trout River Chocolate Stout, that is some truly amazing beer, and brewed right next to the Kingdom Trails, so it even has a riding connection.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
Well, Colin will be disappointed. Me, not so much. I stocked the beer fridge for you, so give me a ring if you feel compelled to drop by, even if it's for quickie.
 

elzoller

El Guac-Oh
Yo, Sean! good to hear from you.
I can relate with the mayhem, every time I go back home to visit, especially during the holiday season, I go crazy trying to juggle all family obligations, parties and what not. Too bad you are here for a short time, I still owe you the MACHACA :eek: I didn't forget, I probably will have to mail it to you...PM ur address...
 

Brian Snyder

JORBA "Roaming Gnome"
JORBA.ORG
Sean, Good to hear from you. Maybe when you come back to the dirty side we can get a group ride together. I hear Allaire is cool, but "too sandy".:D It seems to me you have quite the large group of followers who would be more than happy to ride anyplace you want. See you when you come back to the armpit of the lower 48.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
sniff . sniff

:(:cry:

looks like tomorrow is a nogo. reading a story about arctic animals to my mom's 1st grade class today turned into an all day ordeal. so tomorrow morning will be spent rushing around packaging, shipping, and tidying up loose ends. it's kind of frustrating actually. but yeah, i'm going to shoot for late summer. august. next time nothing will stop me from riding. :getsome:

you folks will all just have to come up to alaska so that i can hang out with all my nj friends. winter airfare is cheap. like $550 round trip. you can even rent fatbikes.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
:(:cry:

looks like tomorrow is a nogo. reading a story about arctic animals to my mom's 1st grade class today turned into an all day ordeal. so tomorrow morning will be spent rushing around packaging, shipping, and tidying up loose ends. it's kind of frustrating actually. but yeah, i'm going to shoot for late summer. august. next time nothing will stop me from riding. :getsome:

you folks will all just have to come up to alaska so that i can hang out with all my nj friends. winter airfare is cheap. like $550 round trip. you can even rent fatbikes.

I would consider that...hmmm
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
doood! come up one week or weekend in february or march. rent a fatty and we'll go ride some sweet trails.
 

xc62701

Well-Known Member
doood! come up one week or weekend in february or march. rent a fatty and we'll go ride some sweet trails.

I've got a 4 day weekend off in Feb - how long's the flight? How about april? Spring Break in AK sounds cool.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
flight is around 12 hrs travel time. cheapest flights tend to be out of philly. i've had the best luck finding fares on kayak.com.

i dunno what the weather is going to be like in april. it could be frozen, could be sloppy. it varries. probably something to ride though.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I betcha I could get Christine to go up there in a heartbeat. Not likely to coordinate the funds and the time off this year, but it's a long-term thought...
 
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