Smokin in Gatlinburg

Just like the night before... Rolled into the next vacation spot mightly late in the day... There are actually two Cobbly Knob Resort locations where you can stay in a sweet pad for a good rate. The first is at www.cobblyknob.net and the second is at www.cobblyknob.com .

Stayed at the second....

The house booked was called "inspiration point". Yah.. The name is creepy, but it was a cool place regardless. In the place was a pool table, 2 wood burning fireplaces, hot tub on a deck, indoor jacuzzi tub, and a great open room with windows overlooking the mountains.

Here is a picture of the place:



Sure does beat a hotel.

The rental place actually had a deal at AFTER we reserved that you could rent 2 days and get the third free. I would recommend checking availability, and holding out as long as possible to get good deals... Some bookings are on special at times too!

Here is the view from the hot tub on the deck:

A Mammoth Drive (Mammoth Cave)

Took about 10 hours to drive from home to Cave City, Kentucky. Rolled into town pretty late, hit the sack - then rolled out of bed at 8am Sunday Morning (ok, it was central time - so it was really 9 am at home).

The "tee time" for the Grand Avenue Tour of Mammoth Cave started at 11:15am. Arrived at the entrance early, and tried to move the tour time up to a 10:00 - but it was sold out. Good idea to purchase tickets online early - since both times (and only times) were not available the day of tour.



The Grand Avenue Tour is a 4 1/2 hour tour that covers over 4 miles of Mammoth Cave. The tour begins at Carmichael Entrance:



The Grand Avenue Tour combines many smaller tours into one. From Carmichael Entrance, the group moved through Cleveland Avenue to the Snowball Room (Snowball due to the Gypsum "snowball" effect on the ceiling). The Snowball Room is ~1 mile from the entrance, and is the first stop of the tour. The group gets a restroom break, and grabs a quick lunch. Boxed lunches were available, but we packed a lunch (in Clear Plastic Ziplock) and it was better than waiting in line for a sammich. This 1 mile was easy walking, and fairly wide open.

After chowing on some lunch, the group went through Mary's Vineyard passage to Boone Avenue, ending up at Thorpe's Pit. Next was Alice's Grotto and the Kentucky Avenue Passageway. A big upward trek led to Mount McKinley and the final set of restrooms. This portion of the trip had some good tight areas:


THE HOME STRETCH!!!

The final portion of the tour leads through the Grand Canyon, Kentucky Avenue (including the Aero Bridge section), Grand Central Station, The Frozen Niagra, and then to daylight at the Frozen Niagra Entrance.

The Frozen Niagra Area is a fantastic sight.






Pictures never do justice!

Anywho...

The best tour is the "wild cave tour", but it is not for the faint of heart. The tour is 6 1/2 hours long, and involves crawling through areas <42" in diameter - and being hunched over and getting very dirty and wet. I did this tour a looong time ago - and would love to do it again. Second best is the Grand Avenue tour. The next tour I would like to take would be the Historic Tour. The "Historic Tour" was not available..

Off to Tennessee!

Single and 29 inches

Tax return time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy, that money was just burning a hole in my pocket (oozing of sarcasm)...
I purchase ANOTHER bike.
UGH!
I think it was a good idea...
I have always been fascinated with single speed bikes.
No gears to mess with, no random shifting, no dropping chains, and less items to break.
I have also convinced myself that having a single speed will increase my stamina and endurance for mountain biking in general. I honestly believe(hope) this is true. I did take my most recent purchase on a simple rail trail recently, and it was awesome cardio.

I got a good deal from a LBS on the following Gary Fisher Single Speed:



here is a pic from the front:



The Gary Fisher Single Speed Rig seems like a good bike for the price. The fork is a Reba SL which on its own is not much cheaper than the entire price I spent on the "rig". The part I worry about is that this bike (circa 2006) has had issues with frame cracking (and therefore called Gary Fissure). I have never heard anyone say that it WASN'T ever covered under warranty - but it may take some time for a replacement. The Rig is also a 29er - which means it has 29" tires compared to the typical 26" mountain bike. I love 29ers.... Michigan seems "root and rock" plentiful - and the bigger tire makes a significant difference for my riding.

I also plan on "lightening" up the Gary Fisher Rig (commonly called the Pig due to its weight for being a single speed) and taking the heavier components and building up a 9-speed out of my Rekken frame.

2 Days to a trip to Tennessee and North Carolina for some big time riding!!!

Bay Eye Care Bruisers

Team pics are in....

Here is team for the UP Pond Hockey Tourney that I played on. Sponsored by Bay Eye Care (good to be sponsored by an eye doctor for hockey players!).





Ugly buncha brutes...