2010 was a great year spent outdoors!

2010 was another great year to spend time outdoors! The NOA blog had 362 posts. Now has 27 followers and 13,785 unique hits during 2010. And I have 771 facebook friends. I've had a great time sharing my adventures with you and hope you've made an effort to spend more time outdoors.

You've seen our family have a ton of fun outside and watched me mature as a cyclist. I started riding in 2008 and put on 2,000 miles that year. During 2009 I racked up an additional 4,681.78 miles on the bike. This year brought 6,270.43 more miles giving me a total of 12,952.21 for my first 3 years as a cyclist. During 2010 blog readers have followed me on the following outdoor adventures:

129 round trip commutes to work and back (aprox 20 miles)

18 one way work commutes (aprox 10 miles)

We attended the Big Buck Classic in Omaha.

I rode in 6 of Lincoln's Critical Mass rides.

Tried my luck at the KC Sprints.

16 Hustle alley cat style races.

You saw me try and fail at riding an indoor trainer.

Couch sledding with our oldest.

Participated in the following GPBC events: Holiday Dinner, Easter Candy Ride, Spring Fling Ride, Full Moon Ride, Just Do It Ride, Lied Bridge Ride, Ride Of Silence, Wabash Trace Ride, and the Heatstroke 100 Ride.

Riding to Pepe's for the Sunday 'Biker Special'.

The purchase of Trusty Rusty.

Riding gravel with the Adventure Racers to Branched Oak and Beatrice.

Riding gravel in Kansas.

The opening of the Antelope Valley Trail.

18 Tuesday Night Nacho Rides.

Biking to church 7 times.

You saw me Demo the Bike Pedalers Marin Mount Vision 5.9 and Pivot Mach 4 mountain bikes.

I put together and hosted the 1st annual NSFW ride.

Attended the LPD bike auction.

The Cycle Works Tomac open house event.

I was a spectator at the following races: ACA 12 hour MTB race at Wagontrain. Xterra Bolt Branched Oak race. Flatwater cyclocross races at Van Dorn Park. Lincoln Cyclocross races at Pioneers park. And the Capital City Criterium.

You saw me get road rash in the shape of a heart from a tight turn on a downhill section of bike trail during a wet work commute.

We attended the Joyride Specialized demo event.

Spring and fall turkey hunting with our youngest.

Camping, air boating, and catching monster catfish on the Loup River.

I spent 9 nights in a tent and 5 nights in campers during 2010.

I rode single track at: Wagon Train, Branched Oak, Wilderness Park and Bike Pedalers' secret MTB area.

I rode with the BP crew on the Bread & Cup ride and the Yia Yias ride.

Two Fox Hole 100 rides.

Did my 2nd Tour De Nebraska 5-day bike tour.

We did the Taco Ride in Iowa.

Took Gravel to Parkers Smokehouse in Ashland.

Rode day-1 of RAGBRAI and attended the Expo the day before.

Canoed at Holmes Lake a couple of times with the family.

Met Tom Snyders the bicycling comedian on RAGBRAI, saw his show in Omaha and rode to Pepe's with him in Lincoln.

Checked out the Cycle Works Giant ladies bike demo.

Rode in the 2010 GLGA Gravel World Championship.

Bought the wife a Specialized Ruby.

You saw the Felt Z70 frame become fatigued and separated.

I rode a loaner Surly Cross Check from Bike Pedalers.

Then got a new Felt ZA frameset from Felt free on warrantee.

Attended the Monkey Wrench Cycles grand opening.

Found the Austro-Daimler & a cruiser for $30 at the Bicycle Swap Meet.

Rode the Flint Hills Nature Trail in Kansas.

Rode a century going to Nebraska City and back.

I had 6 flat tires during 2010.

We attended the 2010 Ducks Unlimited banquet and the 2010 Quail Forever Banquet.

And, we deer hunted again on the Loup this year.

I'm not bragging, just wanted to see a tally, but it's not about the numbers, it's about the fun I've had. And I'm so thankful for all the great people I've met and spent time and miles with again in 2010.

I'm healthier, happier, greener, more responsible, fun and social than I've ever been. I'm looking forward to building on the time we've spent outdoors and making 2011 another unforgettable year of outdoor adventures.

My big cycling/blog goals for this year were:

10,000 unique hits on the NOA blog during 2010. *CHECK*

25 NOA followers and 500 facebook friends by the end of 2010. *CHECK, CHECK*

Another year with no serious wrecks. *CHECK*

6,000 miles on the bike during 2010. *CHECK*

5 Centuries during 2010. *NOPE, JUST 2*

125 round trip work commutes during 2010. *CHECK*

And another tour during 2010. *CHECK*

I'm not setting any specific goals for 2011 other than to finish Gravel Worlds and maybe get a MTB. Otherwise I just hope to keep doing what I have been.

Hope to see you spending time with friends and family outdoors in the year to come!!!

Have a Happy New Year!!!

Signing up for my 3rd TDN.

June seems like it's a world away, but it's time now to register, and TDN fills up fast.

It's not for a lack of interest.

And it's not even the weather that's keeping me off the bike. The family and work are keeping me hopping and stuck behind the wheel. Yesterday was great biking weather and I had to make an emergency trip to Columbus for work :( This afternoon is the bike derby and I didn't even have a chance to find a bike for it. Maybe I can get done working today in time to go watch it at least.

November ended up with 177.0 miles on the bike.

The Goodbye (but not for long) Shindig.

A family of cyclists is moving out of Lincoln with plans to return. I rode the Felt to the party to wish them well and returned home with 6.8 miles for the day.

This is huge! Holdrege St overpass is open.

After the cyclocross races I rode to the office and discovered that the new Holdrege St overpass is open! This connects the John Dietrich Trail to the Antelope Valley Trail. Taking it will eliminate over 8 blocks of riding on the streets during my work commute because the trails didn't connect until now.

Riding to the races and the office gave me 18.88 miles today on the Austro-Diamler.

Lincoln Cyclocross Weekend day 2.

More fun from hooligan hill.

Lincoln Cyclocross Weekend day 1

Today and tomorrow are the annual CX races at Pioneers Park. Races begin at 10am tomorrow, come out to check out the action. It's free to watch the athletes and witnesses the shenanigans first hand. I rode out there and back logging 14.77 miles today.

The Hustle World Championship.

Tonight was the Hustle World Championship race. We met up at Recycled for the beginning of the race. The first stop was in the 900 block of Twin Ridge. Many of us began by going the wrong way, but I took it to another level! In case your wondering, the first stop wasn't anywhere near 9th and Washington where I ended up before calling home to have it looked up and realizing it was North of A st, between 56th and 70th. Oops! I arrived at the first check point 15th out of 15. There we were told to write a hyco poem. I didn't even know what a hyco was. I was failing miserably.

After that was refreshments at the Holmes Lake dam. The next stop was back at Recycled to ride a minibike. We then rode a lap on the tractor track before ending on S. 11th.

I ended up 9th out of 15 and won a seat cover and tire lever. Sydney took first. (she is FAST, plus she knew where Twin Ridge was) With my bad wrong turn I raced 19.4 miles and got home with a total for the day of 26.8

Leaving the river with only memories to hang on the wall.

This morning I was in the 180 blind before shooting time and stayed till noon. I only saw a few small deer.

Only a true conservationist can appreciate the resource enough to only harvest mature game that are past their prime reproductive stage... That's what guys like me say when we get skunked.

I loaded everything up and went back to Lincoln this afternoon, then took our youngest to check his deer in. I was planning to go watch the cyclocross races in Lincoln this weekend, but now I'm considering going back to the river to try again before the season ends on Sunday. We'll see.

Even though I didn't get a big buck to hang on the wall, or even a fat old doe for the freezer, it's been a great deer season. I love that place, I started hunting deer there when I was 14 with my dad and grandpa, and look forward to deer season all year. It's nice to get out of the city and back to where my oldest deer hunting memories were made. This year I harvested record breaking memories. No taxidermist can make a trophy that would compare.

2010 rifle deer season day 2.

At sun up I was in a tree stand by the river. At 8am our youngest got a nice antlerless deer. By 10am I was back in the 180 blind and our youngest had his shotgun ready for the turkeys.

We saw just one deer and no turkeys from 10-3. He hitched a ride back to Lincoln to get ready for school tomorrow while I stayed to continue to try to fill my permit.

After he left, the turkeys came by, and even walked directly under the blind. 5 smaller whitetails put on a show around sunset that was fun to watch. But left me eager to see something meatier. I headed back to the camper for supper and a little TV before turning in. I'm hopeful about tomorrow morning and am excited to get back out there.

What a wildlife.

The wildlife is thick down at the river this weekend. Today we saw several bunches of turkeys, quite a few deer, raccoons, otters, eagles, squirrels and waterfowl. Our youngest tagged a nice whitetail doe a little after nine this morning. We'll try our luck again tomorrow starting first thing in the morning.

The trees go in at the river.

We rechecked our rifles this morning to be sure they were still sighted in. Then helped my dad with a nice buck he got today with his bow. This afternoon we took time to plant 3 apple, 1 peach, and 2 oak trees. The fruit trees should start producing in 3 years and whatever mom doesn't pick for lunches and pies will fall and be eaten by deer. These trees will be a nice addition to their habitat. Right now we're getting settled in for the night and rested for opening morning tomorrow.

The 2nd Annual Central Ne Quail Forever Banquet.

Tonight was the Quail Forever banquet in Boelus so our youngest and I made our way out for the food and to try our luck on some of the raffles. Every seat was taken and lots of money was raised for upland habitat. We're staying on the Loup River and we'll spend tomorrow getting ready to deer hunt. Rifle season starts Saturday.

Things are changing fast.

Work is progressing fast along the Antelope Valley Trail. And the weather is taking a turn for the worse. This morning was pleasant, but this afternoon's ride home from work was brisk! I ran some errands on the way home and ended up with 21.8 miles for the day.

Don't sit there like a bump on a log, ride your bike!

I made good time going to work this morning on the Felt, then cut through neighborhoods to meet up with the wife at the store after work. These November days with highs in the 70s shouldn't be wasted, just cause summer is over biking season is still in full bloom. Today's miles = 16.1

How do ya like them apples?

Campbell's nursery has a location along the Billy Wolff trail. They had a sign saying all trees were on sale and we've been wanting some apple trees for the food plot at the river. I was able to get three apple and a peach.

Otherwise the Felt made the work commute a pleasure and any day in November with highs in the mid 70s shouldn't be wasted indoors. Today's miles = 20.3

It's back!

The warm temps are back, just in time for the weekend. So is the Mc Mess! My pallet has been waiting all year for this! Besides Mc Donald's I also rode to the office today amounting to 21.5 miles for the day.

Wind ya ever have a better tailwind?

I took the Austro-Diamler to work today. This morning was peaceful, and this afternoon gave me a killer tailwind that pushed me home at top speed. I love these autumn North winds! Today's miles = 20.14

Crap! This screws up biking to work for awhile.

One of my key employees suddenly quit today. This means I'll be working extra hard till I get someone new found and up to speed. I'll be spending a lot of time on the road in the Columbus and Schuyler area.

I rode to work this morning. And I loved my new light and bag and the Austro-Diamler is working like a champ. Then I got the email and jumped in the pick-up and got to work in Columbus as soon as I could. Today's miles = 9.91

A free weekend!

October 2010 had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays! That's a whole extra weekend for biking. This is the first time this has happened since 2006. Not wanting to waste it our youngest and I rode to church, he on his Felt and me on the Austro-Daimler, we had the best parking spot there. That gave me 4.94 miles for the day. And that closes the books on October with 609.02 miles.

Late day errands.

I took the Felt to Bike Pedalers for a new light set, then rode to Menards for a few things for the house and grabbed a gallon of milk before I got back home. I saved a few dollars in gas, got to enjoy some time outdoors and had a lot more fun than if I'd have drove. Tonight's spin added another 18.0 miles to the odometer.

The Haunted Hustle.

Last night was the Haunted Hustle put on by Kat with help from SHECLISMO It was a well orchestrated race, and by far the biggest hustle ever held in Lincoln, it seemed like nearly everyone was there. We met up at Robbers Cave then began by racing to Camp Wilderness where we had to hunt for candy on a haunted bridge in the woods. Racers were then sent to the tunnel at 3rd and F st where we had to search through a kiddie pool filled with ramen noodles to find an eyeball before being allowed to continue to the old State Fair grounds where the No Coast Derby Girls were zombies quizzing us on state capitals. We then hurried into a headwind to the 27th & Capital Parkway tunnel to toss a severed head across the river of blood. Once we'd mastered that we went to the YWCA to be blindfolded and verbally told how to find our way through a maze by youth leadership girls. The last stop was Buzzard Billy's in the Haymarket. I came in 6th out of 50 and won a set of bike lights! This was a fund-raiser for SHECLISMO and they had raffle prizes including a new Globe bike that was won by Maggie! You'll see Amber is thumbs up after coming in first among the girls and Ian won the boys race. Yesterday's work commute and the Hustle totaled up to 41.78 miles for my Friday.

The Austro-Diamler's first commute, new Chrome bag & pot lovers.

The Austro-Diamler worked great on today's commute and felt right at home on the trails going across town. MWC called to say that the Chrome Mini-Metro bag I ordered had come in, so I stopped on the way home to pick it up. It was worth the wait. It is so comfortable, with plenty of room for my stuff. It's awesome! I was surprised to see some pot supporters set up with pamphlets and info encouraging voters to legalize recreational use.

Guess what I'm riding tomorrow?!?!

I've really loved the Austro-Daimler since I found it on the Lincoln Bicycle Swap Meet. Except, I couldn't stand the break levers. The hoods were small and the angle that you had to pull the levers was hard and awkward. I didn't feel safe enough on it to commute on, and that's what I was hoping to use it for.

So late last night I took it into Bike Pedalers to have it tuned up, new cables, bar tape and break levers. They said they'd work on it Friday and try to have it done by the end of the day Friday. They called early this afternoon to say it was ready to be picked up. Wow, that was quick! I rode it around a little and can't believe how smooth it shifts and how predictable the breaks feel now. It's awesome!

I had to work in Leigh today, so I couldn't ride. But I can't wait to take the Austro-Daimler to work tomorrow!

Nonstop.

Riding into work this morning I battled a headwind to downtown, then turned East and sailed to the office. I hit all the lights just right and literally never put a foot down on the ground from my driveway to the office door. When I did have to stop it was just for a moment and was able to balance for a second before taking off again.

By afternoon the wind had become ferocious, and I needed to get my pick-up home anyway since I have to work on the road tomorrow, so I drove without feeling too guilty. Today's miles = 10.1

The 6,000 mile Nacho Ride!

When I first started biking 3 years ago I read an article about a guy who rode 6,000 miles a year. At the time I thought that was amazing. Now I realize it's not, and that many of my readers and cycling friends get 6,000 miles every year.

But for some reason that number has always stuck in my head. 6,000 miles was my goal for 2010, and tonight at the shack 1/2 way to Eagle I rolled over the 6K mark for the year with a bang (Patches!). We stopped to celebrate then continued into Eagle where we ran into a few other biking friends. The guys decided to commemorate the occasion by dressing to the nines. They are always so fun and great to ride with. Tonight's accomplishment felt great, and gave us a chance to remember all the great times we've had riding this year.

There was a killer West wind all day that made riding a challenge. After riding to work and the Nacho Ride I ended up with 48.8 miles for the day.