Sugar Daze concert and bike ride

 KT Tunstall was playing a free concert at Okemo, so I decided to drive to VT to hear her on Saturday, then go for a bike ride on Sunday.

Sugar Daze featured 3 bands: Seeking Homer, Chadwick Stokes, and KT Tunstall.

 But first, I stopped by Fitchburg State to watch my nephew Eric play in the sectional finals against Marlboro, the team that eliminated them last year. It was a tense game. Concord Carlisle trailed the whole first half, but finished with a 6-0 run to tie it 15-15 at the halftime buzzer (on a put back by Eric). In the 4th quarter, CC took a 12 point lead, but Marlboro pulled back within 1 point with 6 seconds left in the game. They fouled Eric to get the ball back, but Eric hit both free throws and Marlboro missed the 3-point attempt. CC plays in the state semifinals on Monday!

 The concert started when the lifts closed, outdoors at the Jackson Gore base area. It was 50F so I didn't put on all the extra layers I brought to keep warm. Later I regretted leaving the clothes in the car when the sun went down and it got chilly.

Chadwick Stokes was awesome. He played a collection of new songs and greatest hits from his bands State Radio (Right Me Up) and Dispatch (The General). His friend sang backup vocals and played a variety of percussion instruments, like tambourine and shekere.

 The woman next to me asked if I was a fan, and so I explained that Stokes was in State Radio and Dispatch and his songs got a lot of airplay on the radio. She smiled and said Chad was her brother. Doh!
Later I met Chad's godmother and she took this photo of Chadwick Stokes and me. After the concert he stood around chatting with his fans and signing posters and CDs. People asked how much for the CDs, and he replied whatever you can afford. I commented on his electric guitar body made from a suitcase, and said my son Michael saw him play a guitar made out of a gas can at a State Radio concert.Chad said his guitars were made by a friend of his in San Francisco, then signed the poster "To Michael, Peach and Love" because he thought Michael would appreciate it more than me. Chad grew up in Sherborn, MA and his family still lives there. He seems like a really good guy.

  KT Tunstall played as the sun set and the temp dropped. The entire concert area was full at the start of her concert (maybe 3 times the crowd for Chadwick Stokes) but emptied out before the concert ended. She played her big hits, some of her less familiar songs, and a few covers. She was on the stage alone, employing her trademark record and loop technique for percussion and backup vocals on pretty much every song. For some songs she started by drumming on her acoustic guitar, then switched to her electric guitar after recording the percussion. She told stories before each song (one was about biking as a 4 year old and swallowing a trumpet) and often engaged the audience mid-song. On her cover of Jackson 5's I Want You Back, Tunstall forgot the words so she just made up different lyrics, singing that the chorus was the important part anyhow. 

KT Tunstall was personable, funny, and entertaining and I enjoyed her music, but Chadwick Stokes is a hard act to follow and he was the highlight of the weekend for me.

My favorite song by KT Tunstall is Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. It sounded great live, but she changed it up by adding kazoo and transitioning into White Stripes' Seven Nation Army.

That night, I stayed at Homestyle Hostel right in the center of Ludlow, and I highly recommend this place. The owners, Eliza and Justin, are friendly and run a really clean, comfortable hostel. An unexpected bonus is that they also have an excellent restaurant / pub at the hostel. On Saturday night it was packed with friendly people. My veggie polenta with a poached egg was delicious, and I washed it down with a couple of local VT craft brews.

The next morning, I enjoyed fresh brewed coffee and homemade granola with yogurt (included for hostel guests). Justin suggested a short walk up to the reservoir, which I turned into a longer hike up the steep power line cut and back down to town.

 The reservoir is just past the cemetery at the end of Depot Street. The main lift at Okemo Mountain was running, but there wasn't much snow, or many skiers.

 From the top of the steep power line cut into the woods. To make the climb more challenging, I carried a full mug of coffee in one hand.

 Walking back down a road (or maybe driveway) to the town of Ludlow.

My favorite shot of the day. After my walk, I changed into bike gear and headed out on a 60 mile ride past 2 sugar shacks, Long Trail brewery, and Worthy Kitchen "A Craft Beer and Farm Diner in Woodstock, VT"

In addition to the short, steep climb out of Plymouth Five Corners, this ride featured two 6-mile climbs in the 2nd half, with the two food (i.e., liquid bread) stops in the 1st half; I probably should have ridden CCW instead.

 

 Dang! I just spent beaucoup bucks getting my bike ready to ride again. Then in the first 7 miles out of the shop, I find myself (inadvertently) on muddy dirt roads and my bike looks trashed already. Also, I didn't do a test ride after picking up my bike. When I got to VT I discovered the saddle was about 2 inches too low, and I didn't have the tools to adjust it. So I rode 60 miles with a less than efficient setup.

 Who knew? 

"By 1855 a gold rush was underway. At Plymouth Five Corners, a gold mill and crusher were built."

Now Plymouth has the Five Corners Pub and Brewhouse serving up a different kind of gold, a pale ale.

Plymouth Five Corners is also noteworthy because the road goes up for a half mile at 8% gradient. I gotta say, it seemed much steeper this early in the season. Don't know how I'm going to manage racing up Mt Washington for 8 miles at 12% average in August.

 The beautiful scenery along the VT roads more than made up for the hills and mud. 

My favorite road sign. After climbing the short, steep Plymouth Notch, I enjoyed a 12-mile downhill. 

It was hot on the climbs, chilly on the descents. My Ripper gilet helped me control temperature.

The weather changed from sunny in the morning to overcast in the afternoon. Seemed like there was a stiff headwind most of the time. The only protection from the wind was on narrow dirt roads, where the mud sucked the speed out of my wheels.

So it was a fun weekend of music, hiking, and biking. Of course there was some beer too!

Okemo's Sugar Daze advertised a beer garden, but it was very disappointing, serving only Coors Light and Blue Moon. Vermont has some of the best craft brewers in the world and Okemo serves up this dreck?

At their Sienna restaurant they served Magic Hat, Long Trail, and Switchback; at least local brewers, even if not the best the state has to offer. But you weren't allowed to take the beers outside. I heard a couple songs by the first act Seeking Homer when I got there, and decided I'd rather have a Magic Hat and listen to the sound of silence than listen to Seeking Homer while drinking Coors Light.

 

 Okemo's food and beer was hugely disappointing. The brick oven flatbread tasted like crackers with ketchup on top. The beers were ok--actually I really liked the Magic Hat Snow Roller, a hoppy brown ale--but the service was terrible. Even though they had a big sign outside advertising apres ski food and drink, I had to beg my way in at 4:15 because they "were about to change over." Then as I was finishing up (and leaving a big tip), the waitress told me they would have to "kick me out" because they change over at 5. I was leaving anyhow because Chadwick Stokes came on at 5, but Sienna was not a welcoming environment and I won't be back.

 Seems like most of Okemo's patrons probably think Coors Light and Blue Moon are craft beers. Or at least the patrons that drink beer in the restroom.

After the concert, I warmed up at the Homestyle Hostel.  The polenta was delicious. I also enjoyed a tulip of Light In The Window, a rye IPA from Burlington Beer Co., and a can of Maple Breakfast Stout from 14th Star Brewing Co.

Long Trail Brewing Co. was at mile 18 of my bike ride. I had a bowl of their carrot ginger bisque and it was amazing. One of the best soups I've ever tasted. The bisque was better than their beers. The flagship Long Trail Ale was surprisingly better than I remembered. But the Limbo American IPA wasn't as good as their English style IPA, which they are discontinuing in favor of their new Green Blaze IPA. Their only offering that I really found intriguing was their Smash Project series, but it wasn't available on tap and I didn't want to carry the extra weight of a six-pack of cans on the remaining 43 miles of my ride.

My last stop (only 8 miles past Long Trail Brewing) was at Hungry Kitchen. The truffle fries were disappointing, but they have a great selection of craft beers. I had trouble deciding between Hill Farmstead Edward or Lawson's Sip of Sunshine, finally choosing Hill Farmstead because it is harder to find. The large order of fries was enough for a small family so I stayed and chatted with my neighbor at the bar. He was a diplomatic security agent in VT for a training exercise with the army. Diplomatic security protects people like the Secretary of State. He told me about wiring video cameras at Colin Powell's estate and meeting Hilary Clinton. I ended up lingering at Worthy Kitchen long enough for another beer, so I got to enjoy Sip of Sunshine too!

80 miles on my Dad's 80th birthday

Roy's Ride Celebrating Life

Ten years ago my dad rode 70 miles to celebrate his 70th birthday. Roy rode solo from his home in Indiana on December 30th with temperatures hovering around freezing. I said I ride with him on his 80th, but only if we went somewhere warmer, so last week we met in Inverness, Florida to ride the Withlacoochee State Trail.



Roy planned the 80-mile ride to celebrate the blessings of his own life and to celebrate the lives of those living with the challenges of disabilities. Roy’s Ride to Celebrate Life is his way of kicking off his participation in the 44th Annual ADEC Ride-A-Bike, an event he’s attended for more than 15 years. ADEC's web site has an article about my Dad's ride, including information on how to make a donation.The article also ran in the Elkhart Truth newspaper.

My nephew Micah was the only one to ride all 80 miles with my Dad.


I missed the beginning of the ride because the bike rental shop didn't open until 9 AM and Roy needed to start at sunrise to complete the ride before the trail closed at sunset. My sisters, brother-in-law, niece, and the Aguiar family from Brazil all rode portions of the 80 miles. Eduardo Aguiar lived with us in 1979 as an exchange student. He is living in Austin, Texas for a year, making it possible to join the ride.

The Catrike Expedition

I rented a Catrike Expedition, the exact same bike my Dad has been riding for the last year. Trikes are uncommon in the Northeast, but we saw hundreds of them along the trail in Florida. The Catrike Expedition is very comfortable and really fun to ride on the flat and straight Withlacoochee bike trail.

Hampton's Edge Trailside Bicycles

If you find yourself in Floral City in need of a bike, visit Hampton's Edge Trailside Bicycles and ask for Regis. My bike was perfectly tuned and fully stocked with panniers, spare tires (both sizes), a patch kit and pump. Regis took the group photo above and swapped biking stories with us. When I returned the Catrike the next morning, Regis surprised my Dad with a Catrike t-shirt and a check for $80 for ADEC.

Catrike Q & A

The Rippers, my crew of bike-riding friends, had many questions about the Catrike Expedition, so here you go...

How did you like riding that thing?
The trike was super fun to ride, and very comfortable. It's low to the ground and handles like a go cart. The trike is very stable; balance is not a problem (though my Dad said he went up on two wheels when he took a curve too fast).

Going to get one?
I definitely hope to own a performance trike someday, maybe with a battery assist. :)
Still wracking my brain to come up with a good Ripper name for those of us who switch to trikes in our 80s.

Can we expect to see that bike at the next Diverged ride?
Riding along the path in Florida, I kept wondering how the Catrike would do on a fast dirt road descent. I think it would be a ton of fun. It handled well on the grass next to the trail. With knobby tires, the Catrike would be interesting on fire roads, but is probably too wide for single track.

Is it comfortable?  Back looks happy.  Neck looks sore before you even start.
It is sooo comfortable. Sometimes my neck gets sore on an upright bike, but I didn't suffer this problem on the Catrike. A few times, I leaned back against the headrest which seemed to give better aerodynamics and was even more comfortable, except for looking at the trail out of the bottom of my glasses. Of course, there is no need for padded bike shorts since you are suspended on a mesh seat. However, the recumbent position also means you need panniers because you can't stuff tools, food, and spare clothing in your jersey pockets.

What percentage of speed do you think you get with same perceived level of effort?
82%. It was great cruising along at 12-15 mph, but I tired quickly going 18-24 mph. There wasn't an opportunity to see how it handled on hills or twisty terrain, but I suspect that straight and flat is its sweet spot. The Catrike weighs about twice as much as an upright bike, which doesn't sound fun on hills.

Is it scary being so low to the ground?
No. It's actually quite fun. Sort of like driving a Mini Cooper. However, it is sort of a pain having to look up to chat with people riding upright bikes. I didn't ride in traffic, but suspect it might be hard to see over and around cars.

How is your Dad in a pace line?
We drafted for several miles when we rushed to the turnaround point and back to meet the more casual riders at a trailside lunch spot. My Dad was comfortable about 3-5 feet behind me and said it definitely cut down on the headwind. I drafted about 2 feet behind my Dad for awhile and it was definitely less windy. I didn't get to experience drafting an upright bicycle.

Is it a different muscle set altogether or were your “upright” muscles ready to go and no new aches and pains?
I rode the first 10 miles by myself from the rental shop to meet the group. I went as fast as I could and, at first, I felt some discomfort in my right calf but it stopped bothering me fairly quickly. After a moderate 80 miles on the 30th and a fast 10 miles the next day, I had absolutely no aches or pains. The only side effect I noticed, was that getting up from the very low, seated position required strength and balance that might be in short supply after miles and miles of pedaling.

Might this be a better vehicle for your Micro Breweries Century?

Good idea! The panniers would be a great way to carry my purchases, and the stability of a trike would be an asset after sampling flites at the breweries.

More Photos from Florida

The first morning (12/29) I went for a run in the Citrus Wildlife Management Area.

That afternoon, my Dad and I went for a walk along the Withlacoochee State Trail across the highway from our rented townhouse.

In the evening we went to Inverness and had Margherita pizza and tapas on the patio at Motor City Pasta Company. Mom enjoyed the fried calamari, but only after we told her it was onion rings. Tonja's family spent the day at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium visiting Winter, the star of Dolphin Tale.
(L to R below: Phillip, Roy, Phillies, Roya)

After I picked up my rental in Floral City, I rode back up the trail and met the rest of the riders who rode to the northern terminus and returned to the townhouse.

Roy at mile 40, the turn-around point of the 80-mile ride. We wanted to ride to the end at the 46 mile marker, but didn't think we could complete 92 miles before dark.

Micah and David. David plays goalkeeper in Brazil, but is spending his sophomore year in Austin, wrestling for his high school team.

Phillip and David at the turn around.

We all met up at the 33 mile point for a picnic lunch.

My niece Dinah helped this gopher turtle across the trail.

Outside the Hampton's Edge bike shop in Floral City. This is not one of their rental bikes.

Micah and Dinah with their Grandpa Roy.

After the ride, Jeff and Dinah take a nap.

Rippers Urban Beer Safari #1

RUBS - Rippers Urban Beer Safari #1

On Saturday--10/31/15, i.e., Halloween--I did a solo beer safari in Boston. I rode lots of bike paths and it was lovely! Fresh Pond is an oasis in Cambridge though overrun with dog and their walkers. The Muddy River Bikeway and Jamaicaway Bikepath are beautiful and very few dogs to dodge. Franklin Park was pretty, but my favorite was Boston Harborwalk--through Dorchester and South Boston--which provided some of the best views of Boston Harbor and the city that I have every seen.



Between cruising along nice and easy on bikepaths and waiting in line for brewery tours, the ride took longer than expected, but I still got home in time to hand out all of our Trick or Treat candy. In fact, I resorted to handing out Clif bars to the last couple of goblins.

The tour at Sam Adams was entertaining and informative, but the guide's beer knowledge was minimal if he departed the script. I asked about the relationship between ABV and specifc gravity, but he didn't even know that gravity refers to the sugar content of the beer. The brewery in Boston is their test lab. All the beer brewed here goes to one of three places: 1) competitions, 2) local bars and restaurants that were early supporters, and 3) the tasting room at the end of the tour. Sam Adams has won the most awards of any brewery in the world, but I was disappointed that the tasting included only their standard fare--Sam Adams Lager, Oktoberfest, and Pumpkin Batch--rather than some of their more exotic brews.

The tour at Harpoon was very similar to the one at Sam Adams, but I give it a higher grade because 1) the guide was able to explain the relationship between ABV and gravity, and 2) the tasting at the end of the tour allows you to sample as many of the 12 beers they have on tap as you can in 15 minutes. Harpoon IPA is a classic, and the Leviathon is a nice DIPA. I think their Take 5 is too high in IBU to be a good session IPA. The 3 dark beers were all disappointing today: Harpoon Dark, Stout, and EHOP Collaboration with Deschutes Brewery. All was redeemed in the taproom where I enjoyed an excellent Eis Eis Baby Pilot Beer (Brewed with German bock yeast, this full bodied beer has caramel flavors, slight heat, and a rich malty finish) and their delicious soft pretzels with two dips: garlic butter and ale mustard. Yum! I also had an enjoyable conversation with a young couple from Buffalo visiting Boston for the weekend. They were marathoners, skiers, bikers, and beer lovers--how could we not get along?

Next stop was at Trillium for a growler fill--no tastes allowed--then on to the Back Bay to hang out with my daughter Alexa and her BF Jordan. They were visiting friends in Boston for the weekend and we all have such busy social calendars that all we could do was squeeze in an hour at Solas Irish Pub before they joined their friends for dinner and I hurried home to give candy to the trick or treaters.

 Jamaicaway bikepath.

Sam Adams.

Harborwalk in Dorchester.

The L Street Bathhouse in South Boston - famous for the L Street Brownies and their annual Polar Plunge.

Harpoon and lines go together--whether its waiting for a tour or riding the B2B.

 Sean (L) was Nick's boss at iProspect last summer. The handsome guy in the middle is Jordan, Alexa's beau. On the right is Tom Brady's favorite fan, with my Patriots' good luck beard.

Samuel Morrison was a fellow member of the Phoenix S.K. Club.

Trillium Sinister Kid--an appropriate beer for Halloween.