Saturday, February 21, 2009

Carnival! [Day 1]

Hey its Carnival, but we are stuck! Our car is still in the shop awaiting a new head. (Warning to all: Do not let the timing belt break on a modern engine! I recommend changing a KIA's timing belt at 90,000 km [50,000 miles] our's broke at 97,000 km). Not to worry because we live in an area where most Venezuelans come for their holidays. Our condo is 180 meters from the Caribbean. Nice!

I went out for a good ride this morning. At one point we had a group of 15 riders. The ride thinned out at The Rails climb. The Rails combined with The Fausto Trail climbs 100 meters in less than 1 kilometer. There is a 200 m section that is very steep, about 20%. On the second lap, when climbing that steep section, I felt my gums tingling. That is a tell for me that my heart rate is at its maximum. It is was time to slow down. At the parking lot area I had to stop for a few minutes to let my heart rate slow down.

The rest of the day so far has been vegging out with Tania. Very nice!

Photo update: Saw this ratty CJ-5 up on El Morro that morning. Though this one is a beater, its my opinion that they are one of the greatest vehicles ever designed and produced in the USA. I love the look of the classic CJ. The original only had an 81" (207 cm) wheelbase. Later the wheelbase grew by 2" (about 5 cm), to accommodate American Motor's inline-6 engine. This one looks like a short wheelbase version judging on the front fender design (but its hard to tell it could be a weird Venezuelan hybrid). The CJ-5 could go almost anywhere, do almost anything. I know...I had one (1964 model) back-in-the-day.

1 comment:

Small Adventures said...

Man,it doesn't get much better than a ride w/ friends followed by time with a loving wife!!!