Thanks to all for great birthday. It started with a great homemade breakfast. I love breakfast.

A bright sunny day. Sun is good,very good. A light lunch. Then a road ride and a cross workout.

The leg is still being grumpy on the dismounts and remounts,but the technique is there.

A fine dinner at Moxie. I had Ahi tuna, I asked for mine swimming. I love raw tuna.

A Hoegarden, a Chimay and few Ommegangs were enjoyed. No dessert. Amazing.

Now Venus rolled a winner and got me the pink dopers suck socks. These will compiment the pink kit and clash with the Ommegang kit. Thanks honey.

Now onward. Enjoy life and ride your bike. OGQ

I turn 51 tomorrow. If i wake up I'll have beaten the curse for another year. That's six bonus years. I plan on many more. The reminders are all around. Two former students were in motor vehicle accidents recently. So young and so badly hurt. They're both strong willed kids and will bounce back fast. They have goals and dreams. I wish them all the best.

So back to the title. With all the Ale House birthdays. We thought it would be fun to have "Camp" shirts. Tie dye was decided upon. Tish and I picked up kits. It's way different now than when I was a kid. So I prepped everything and ordered the pizza. Other foods were in enroute.

To start the night off rightwe had a lime TILT. Now you may have seen these in the beer cooler at the mini mart. There is also SPARKS and Sparks plus. Basically it's malt liquor with taurine, caffeine,ginseng etc, and some sort of flavoring. 8% alcohol. Trailer park mimosas!!!

Fueled by caffeiene and booze. We somewhat carefully made our designs. The directions had some very cool patterns that any Dead Head would have been proud of. Then they had to soak for twenty minutes. Kind of like not swimming after eating. They were removed and the dye was applied. It then had to sit for 24 hours,be rinsed and washed. I'm afraid they'll come out looking like the kindergarten made them. But there's fun in that too. So we'll all debut them this saturday night. I do like the pic of the wine glass with Ommegang in it.. Nothing like a latex glove for beer drinking. Tish and Mills win the Photo op award for this night.

Kross looms and I practice. I'm even playing tennis trying to get the leg to work. So for a guy who couldn't walk eight months ago. I'm doing pretty good. Like I said Kross is about suffering.

Enjoy life. OGQ

I know I need to post more about the trip and haven't been updating with any regularity.

But as all posts it's a swirling dervish of info for you.

So now Kross has krept into my brain. I did my first Kross workout last saturday. I have a long ways to go with the running part. The leg hurts after about five steps. Technique is good. But the leg lags a bit. Like a slow firing cylinder.

Kross practice starts in September. Will the Four Horsemen dominate like last year?

From what I'm hearing a number of people have bought bikes to join the armada. They will either learn to love or hate Kross. There seems to be no middle ground. Kross is not for the weak of mind.

It teaches you to suffer like no other discipline of cycling. Survive and become a better cyclist.

Thrive on Belgian days. Eat the weak.

I went to the Brewery Ommegang yesterday to check out the lay of the land for the Kross race there. Will have to ride there to really get the lay of the land.

Also they will be sponsoroing the Dave Panella race this year. Very sweet.

I got an advance tasting of the new brew. Ommegedon. Very tasty. The brewer said give it six months of aging and it will be even better. Like I can wait.

Now the young Jedi made a photo album on Shutterfly and presented it to Yoda aka Tom(my MC partner) Even with the force he didn't see it coming. After reading it. He said "That's a book filled with memories, you'll enjoy it foe a long time. " I said " You didn't take any pictures". He tapped his head. I said " Me too, but they mat fade. This book is for you." His mouth fell open.

Catching the master off guard is rare. He didn't know what to say other than thank you. That wa enough.

I've dreamed of a trip like that for years. It happened. Now a reality.

The next epic dream. Get fit enough to repeat as Kross Champion at States for a three peat.

Best get that leg moving.

Busted out the pinstriping brushes and did the helmet. Now how about that hot rod inspired Adirondak chair?

Write it down. Make your dreams real.

Enjoy life. OGQ

Short version of the trip and a few pics.

The trip started two days before the 35th anniversary of my Dad's death.

Ironic, that I'd be starting a journey my Dad nvere would have taken with me.

So here's the highlights. No order of significance.

I got to spend two weeks with my hero. How may people can say that?

The Dragon's Tail is everything they say it is. 318 Turns in 11 miles. Total Focus.

The Wheels through Time Museum is too. Dale fired up some old scoot for a few burnouts.

The roads and scenery of Maggie Valley were amazing. Sensory overload.

All our hosts were amazing. None turned out to be serial killers. Sorry Mom. Well maybe Tim. See photo at the post office. Just kidding.

The Beer Sellar in Nashville is a beer lovers paradise. Friendly too.

The Parthenon replica took longer to construct than the original. How does that work with modern machines?

Hit a number of microbreweries.

Ate way too much the first week. All they eat in the south was MEAT,potatoes and grits. Vegetables and fruit were nonexistent.

We had an epic ride in the rain through the Smoky mountains.

America needs fewer cars and trucks. Way fewer.

All the locals I chatted up were friendly. Except two.

The line of the trip was the On the Go 20 something clerk. "If you could go out to eat tonight. Where would you go?" Her reply " I'm poor. I don't get to go out to eat." Well judging by her size she must have been stealing alot from here employer. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks Tom. A trip of a lifetime.