I'm literally number 2...still

Moraniec climbs to win Burlington native claims victory in Cobble Climb. By GARY HADENFELDTsports@thehawkeye.comAfter falling just 3.2 seconds short of overall victory last year, Burlington native Dominic Moraniec claimed the top prize in this year's running of the Cobble Climb event at Saturday's Snake Alley Criterium.Moraniec pedaled up the two-block stretch of Cobblestone Alley -- the initial block of brick and the final block of rough cobblestones -- in 38.98 seconds, which was 1.98 seconds faster than overall runner-up Matt Brakeville.Moraniec unseated two-time defending champion and three-time winner Dennis Grelk of Donnellson. Grelk's bid for a third straight overall title was dealt a blow by mechanical failure. Grelk had his chain snap just 20 feet from the finish line at the top of the alley.Brian Abbott exhibited the true spirit of the event, his dogged determination carrying him to a third-place finish. Abbott, a last-minute entrant, competed in jeans and a T-shirt and rode his road bike. Finding the going tough on skinny tires, he ended up carrying his mount and running up the final portion of the hill.

Bridge to no where...for now

First, you need to move a ton of dirt by hand to make a 55 degree slope ridable to the gully.

Pick a suitable location for the bridge, in this case a large albeit dead tree (the top is missing since the last storm) but perfectly lined up to the "trail"

Fabricate some HUGE trusses for support (yes I used a level to install them)

Frame it up BABY

Tree Hugger or wood Gnome???

Screw in the decking

35 plus feet of hillbilly superstructure, this new bypass will skirt the mess down by the creek, four wheelers won't fit on it, and it will flow like honey WOO HOO!

Random Kayak photo, I hear Banjo's playing somewhere???

I'm NOT the Lone Ranger afterall...

I've been thinking about this summer alot in terms of racing my bikes, obviously more thinking than riding or racing at this point, and I guess there are more than a few of us out in BLOGLAND that have decided to cut back on racing time this year. Everybody knows the $$$'s are tight, buying gas sucks anyway, and more than a twinge of family time guilt comes into play in regard to where a person spends their time and money. I'm already thinking of summer projects I HAVE TO COMPLETE, like repainting all the trim on my windows, fixing a million little things around the house, hell I think nothing of raking 5 miles of trails in Dehn's but I need to rake my yard once in awhile as well. I'll still get to a couple of races this year but nothing compared to the last 4 or 5 years. I am going to concentrate on the trails too, I'm even entertaining the idea of organizing some Mountain Bike rides for the YMCA, they have access to some of the best trails right behind their back door and don't even realize the potential. Now that school for the Kiddos is winding down I may even get to ride on Tuesdays again, which is going to be tuff cause I've had a secret affair with with CAKE this winter (well PIE too) but I LIKE CAKE, and cake likes me cause I'm still carrying most of what I've eaten. Its like that commercial where the guy lost his expense report so the accountant just looks at the guys butt and exclaims "HO CHEE MOMMA" yeah... Kayaking is fun, NEED WHITEWATER.