The Switch to Wordpress

For awhile I was "simul-blogging" with Blogger and Wordpress, but after evaluated both services I will be using Wordpress.

I will still be blogging, just at pinkandgeek.wordpress.com
Make sure to keep reading.

Red, White and Blue

One more reason to ride your bike

The 4th of July celebration began early this morning around 6:30. That's when the many vendors began setting up their booths. There were the obligatory booths that housed those giant wooden dolphin statues, booths with leather belts, booths with woodburned plaques, booths with snow cones and delicious funnel cakes, but most importantly sausage dogs with onions and peppers and a fat line of brown mustard. Although I was too hungry after I purchasing my sausage dog to take a photo of my dog, I assure you it was wonderful and had that nice "snap" to it.

Downtown St. Mary's is a small city that consists of one main street. This means that parking is a bit of an issue when it comes to fiding a parking place for the fireworks display. There isn't really an ideal parking situation. There are simply too many cars on the same road, but there is a solution. Ride your bike.

My solution to most things is the same: Ride your bike.

You are able to get home very quickly, but if you live for than 5 miles or so, you may want to park somewhere on Osborne and ride downtown. However, for those of us that live ~3.5 miles away, riding a bike means that we can be downtown in nearly 20 minutes (less than 15 if you are on a road bike) and your friends that drove cars will only make it a few minutes sooner. After the fireworks, your friends will spend an hour or more and a few gallons of gas waiting and inching forward.

Bike at 4th of July

More Kayak Surfing

Michelle wanted to go to the beach and I wanted to kayak. So, naturally, I loaded up the trusty Sirocco for another surf session. Off to Amelia Island. As you can see, you don't need no stinkin' roof rack to haul boats.

Surfing kayaks is one of those things that when people see you doing it at the beach they naturally turn their heads. And, its tremendously fun. You are able to paddle up and down the beach for miles in hunt of the best breaking waves (which is like searching for the fountain of youth in this East Coast surf) in just a few minutes. No more driving around with binoculars, just hop in the water and start surfing. A sea kayak can ride a 10" wave without hesitation. This makes it a bit easier to dip your toes into the sport because you don't have to hunt for the largest waves to have fun.

As you build some confidence and learn to effectively maneuver your sea kayak in the surf, it is time to find bigger waves. Bigger means a whole new bag of problems, so approach with caution. A 3' can throw you down harder than you might think and rip you from your cozy little cockpit. A bomb-proof Eskimo roll is certainly a prerequisite to avid surf kayaking.

I did manage to find some decent waves.

I also acquired a surf partner. He was a bit shaky in that whitewater boat, and I sensed inexperience when I noticed his paddle was upside-down. Michelle was able to get this sweet picture of us both on the wave, but things went sour from there. More on that to come.

Bicycle Commuting in Camden

Yesterday I needed to get some shock for our pool, which is quickly turning green. Instead of jumping in the car and wasting some gas, I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone: run and errand and exercise.

I grabbed a plastic sandwhich bag for my phone, ID, and credit card and I was off for Wal-Mart. I rode from Shadowlawn to downtown to warm up, and then I headed to the 'Mart. Its nice to have a destination when you are riding for exercise, but in Camden County the journey isn't as fun as it should be. People in cars don't give you enough room, if they even alter their course at all for you.

This may be discouraging to anybody that is hoping to get into a healthy routine and save gas by doing errands on their bike, but the only way to make Camden a safer place to ride.................is to RIDE! People need to see more cyclist on the road.

That's not the end of it either. Once you get to the store you must park your bike somewhere. Even if you where to find a place that wasn't completely in the open where you could lock up your precious bike, it would be hit by some bird excrement or be doused by one of those magically appearing rain showers. So you have to walk your bike through the store. Not that big of a deal, except for the fact that the shoes you are wearing sound like tap shoes on the hard floor. So once you get the items that you need and you have paid for them at the self-check out (to save time, of course) the store employees hawk-eye you as you simply place the items in your jersey pocket, along with the receipt. Saving gas and plastic bags attracts more attention than if I were to use a tractor trailer to run errands.

All of these inconviences could be avoided if more people would ride their bikes, and they would also save some change and lose a bit of poundage.