So, I have this blog that I never write on, and no one knows about it.  So, I guess this will be kind of like my own private memoir until someone stumbles upon it.  Now for the bike stuff.  I love bikes.  I love what they represent.  To me they are freedom, adventure, a challenge, a connection with my surroundings and with other people.  They are my transport.  I was told today that I am extreme.  I guess I am.  I ride a bike. I don't care what the weather is or what time of day it is.  I ride.  I don't ride far.  I don't have to.  I ride to get where I am going.  Once in a long while, I ride for pure enjoyment.  The common thread is, I ride.

It has certainly been a while since I last posted. Not that there are any readers for me to satisfy or be concerned about. I'm looking at getting a new bike. I think it will be either a Kogswell P/R or a Rivendell Bleriot. I'm not sure which to get. I like the P/R a lot, except that it isn't lugged. The Bleriot is lugged, but I think it is ugly. I think I'll get the Kogswell. In other news, I'm thinking of getting another new bike. This one is to be the family minivan. It is a Bakfiets. I'm waiting to move into the new house before I do much of anything. The money is set for the Bakfiets, and started for the Kogswell or Rivendell. I'll write more and even post pictures if and when something happens. I've also been selected to serve on the Orem City Transportation Advisory Commission. With work, moving, renovating, teaching classes, yard work, new bikes, the UBC, Orem City, and maybe school, I'll be busy this year. Wish me luck.

This is shaping up to be a busy year. The bike advocacy stuff is getting into full swing, we'll be moving in the next few months, I hope, and I might be going back to school. This will be fun. In further news, it is still very cold, and there is a really nasty inversion sitting over the area. That means that I haven't been able to ride to work for about two weeks now. I did get to ride over the weekend though. I took my family to St. George to visit Grandma and Grandpa while I taught a class. It was 60 degrees and there was lots of sunshine. Well, I'm back home now. It was fun while it lasted. More to come.

It is a new year and it is cold! I have been back riding for nearly a week now. I am typically fine with riding to work in the morning, but I find myself dreading riding home. This is a bit backwards to how it should be I think. It has been below 0 degrees the last two mornings and warms all the way to the teens by the time I come home. You would think that the warmer temperatures would make me happier to ride home, but I'm not. Go figure.
We might have found a house. I hope it all goes through. It would really be perfect for our family. It has a big yard, with room for a shop and a garden and space for the kids to play too.
Jenni and I went to the car show on Friday of last week. I was really disappointed. I saw nothing that interested me. I knew that going in, but I'm still disappointed. I really dislike the thought of buying a new car. I would be very happy with a Land Rover Series 2a 109 Station Wagon. In diesel. I don't understand how our nations automakers can have stood still for 40 years. The cars are certainly nicer than they were before, but the gas mileage has stayed the same or gone down in most cases. What a sad state of affairs.
I have gotten back into woodworking again. I really do enjoy it. My problem is that I have to many things that I like to do. I like riding a bike, but for me that is a transportation issue, not really a hobby. Then there is woodworking which really helps me to relax. I think that I'll keep that as a hobby. Then there is backpacking, camping, hiking, and photography. I'll have to find time for all of them too, especially as the kids get older. So much to do with so little time and so little money.
I will be in St George the weekend of the 28th teaching another road 1 class. I'm looking forward to it.
That brings us up to date.

It has been a long time since I have written. I had someone ask me tonight what the address of my blog was. I told him, though it was a bit reluctantly. Perhaps embarrassed is a better word. Since I last wrote I have done the following: traveled several times for work, helped rewrite the bylaws of the Utah Bicycle Coalition, started a new advocacy group called the Timpanogas Bicycle transportation Alliance, bought new fenders and tires and a face mask to commute this winter, sold my house, started looking for a new one, traveled some more. Needless to say, I've been busy. I'll think about writing more later. For now I need some sleep. I am headed to a class on woodworking for the rest of the week. Time for some peace and quiet and relaxation.

I taught another class on Saturday. This one was good. I had three students and they all had common sense. Believe it or not, that makes a big difference in whether you can be safe on the road. That makes three more cyclists out there who will be safer and better ambassadors for cycling. Joe Broach made an interesting comment on his most recent post. He said that "Portland is a poster child for the idea that paint and signs are no substitute for lots of cyclers riding well with traffic." The more people take classes and or educate themselves on how to properly and safely use our roads as cyclers, the better off we will all be. Utah will never be Oregon and Salt Lake City will never be Portland. All we can hope for is to educate the cyclers and the motorists.

I haven't done much lately. I've been riding to work as I usually do, but that is about it. My daughter was in the hospital for a few days. Now she is home, but still on the IV, and Jenni and I have to get up with her in the middle of the night to give her the medicine. I hope this is done soon so that I can return to my normal stuff. I will go to the MAG trails meeting this Thursday and hopefully I can begin to focus on the rest soon.