Getting Better

I've been sick. So sick that I was thinking about my "bucket list". It was bad.

Well I am getting better, but decided I won't return to work until next Monday.

Here is what I did today.

- I woke up early enough to enjoy the sunrise and catch a quick glimpse of Mercury. The planet was very faint and lasted only a few minutes. It was cool. BTW, it visible in the pic if you open the pic by clicking on it. Look at the "saddle" to the right of the left-most peak and about halfway up to the clouds. There is a faint dot. That is Mercury.

- I was Internet-guy for while and wrote a draft for a friend's writers blog site.

- I went to Lucy's for a full-hour massage. It was great!

- Tania picked me up and we home for lunch after getting Oscar from school. Zenaily (Tania's sister) made killer smoked pork chops!

- Vegged with Tania, and wrote another version of my story.

- Went downtown with Tania and bought an air purifier for the El Tigre apartment. Hopefully it will help keep me from coughing getting more lung problems.

Tomorrow I will see the doctor once again. He wants to evaluate my progress.

Light Fixtures Installed

I hauled these light fixtures down from the USA in August. Ironically, I gave up the Litespeed for these things.
The bedroom lights are nice. They are halogen bulbs hooked into dimmer switches.
The bathroom lights are simple, but elegant. I like them them.
The hanging lamp in the entry way is a bit weird right now, but I think when we get rid of the cheap bookshelf there and paint the entry, it will look good.
I love my little apartment.

Oscar Races and Wins!

This past weekend was a 3-day weekend, so I had an extra day to veg-out with Tania and Oscar. Saturday, Oscar and I rode around. We avoided the mud and rode primarily on pavement. Sunday, we hooked up with some locals we knew and rode offroad a bit and discovered a small local mtn bike race. I had money in my pocket and asked Oscar if he wanted to enter. He did, so we signed him in as a Juvenile (15 - 18). He completed four laps (8 km with 100 m climbing each lap) and won his category. He was happy and totally jazzed. We rode back to the apartment with his trophy.

Normal

Back to the routine of working and relaxing. Spent a great weekend. Did some mountain biking with Monkey Boy, then my wife, MB, and myself went to the new Tony Roma's to have lunch with my former boss, Miss Sally, and her son Daniel (who I went fishing with last week and who I work with). Lunch was good but expensive. Tania nearly had a heart attack when the bill came.

After lunch, I dropped Tania off at home, and MB and I went to the hardware store to buy new voltage surge protectors for the refrigerator and the microwave oven. We've been having a lot of short little power outages and its blown out our old voltage surge protectors. Daniel came over later and installed a wireless Internet card into MB's computer, so now he can be Internet Guy without using my computer. I paid Daniel with scotch. We had a few drinks before he had leave.

I did a solo bike ride on Sunday. Nothing really great. Just rode up El Morro, around, back up, then over to the Amerigo Vespucci marina and back. I rode the Merlin single speed about 13.5 miles.
This might sound like a boring post, but it is how I really like spending my weekends now. Just kind of dinking around on the bike, hanging out with my wife, and friends,

Above is a pic I took of myself yesterday on top of El Morro. I've been wanting to make a stencil of my face so I can tag walls and stuff. I don't know why, but I've always thought it was interesting in Latin America that politicians have their face in stencil form on walls all over the city. This pic is my first attempt at doing a total black & white. I find it interesting.

Fishing

Went fishing on the Orinoco this past weekend. We went to the small town of Mapire. Not much going on there except life on the river.

We left El Tigre early Saturday morning and saw these crazy vultures sunning themselves on the fence posts. Had to stop for a few pics. My camera was set on ISO 1600 (for low-light conditions) so the pics are somewhat grainy. Anyway, it was a trippy sight indeed seeing all these birds posing like they did.

Got to Mapire and the Orinoco is HUGE! It is about 1 mile across at Mapire. A few weeks ago, it was even higher, but the water has receeded some.

We went to several places on Saturday on the Orinoco, but had no luck. On Sunday we motored 1 hour west, up river, about 16.5 miles to the confluence of the Rio Caura. The Caura is a black river, full of tannins from the vegitation upstream.

We started trolling on the Caura. I was trolling a white and purple diving lure and got a hit almost immediately. I landed a "sardinata" in the boat, got it in the cooler, decided it was time for a beer. Even before I was halfway down with my beer, I had another hit.

I decided to give Oscar the purple lure, and I put on a silver lure with red spots. Our guide decided he found a good spot and turned off the motor and we started casting. On my third cast, I got a big hit! I landed a 8 lbs sardinata! Killer!

Total I got 9 fish, Daniel had 2, Oscar 1, and Matthew 1. It was great fun!

Also there is a life on the river like nowhere else. I bought cheese from a river lady. And saw some guys bring in a couple of young bulls by boat. Wild country!

101 Orbits!

Wow! Grandmother has completed 101 orbits of the sun! Happy Birthday Grandmother!

Reading Week

Having reading week this week. The students decorated the doors with their favorite book titles. My secondary students did the "Cat in the Hat". The winning door was "The Giving Tree". My favorite was "Dinosaurs" because it went beyond the door...kind of cool.

The Mini-Tiendas at C.C. Plaza Mayor

Bumper Cars at the "Parque Mechanical"

The "Ranger"

Ranger Danger!!

This weekend our teaching staff participated in a weekend professional development workshop. I gave a presentation on my science teaching ideas, inventions, and techniques that I have made over the years, and received a good reception from all those who attended.

Saturday's session was okay too. I enjoyed the math and the technology sessions I attended in the morning. The afternoon session wasn't as fun. During the "Job Alike" lunch, when I told the other teachers I taught 8 preps, their jaws dropped. They were teaching only 5 or 6 science only classes. I am not complaining. Its a challenge for sure, but I know I can do it. No sweat!

Saturday night, Tania wanted to go to Plaza Mayor for something to do. I had my camera (Canon SD1000) and took a few pics to keep myself entertained.

Arbol para Vivir

C.C. Plaza Mayor

Oscar

C.C. Plaza Mayor

Took some photos today. I love my latest Canon ELPH, the SD1000. Small, easy to carry, but lots of neat options to play with. Today I shot mostly in black and white. Here are my favorite shots taken today.

An Interesting 15 hours

Thursday afternoon/evening into early Friday morning...

3:00 – 4:00 PM: Played a practice volley ball game, teachers vs. students. It rained so it was like swamp ball.

4:00 – 4:50 PM: Go to apt. shower, get ready to go to Lecheria for Grand Opening party at the new Tony Roma’s.

5:00 – 8:15 PM: Epic 200 km drive in rain, dark, a water crossing with water over my axles. The most sever and dangerous driving conditions in Venezuela. Pick up wife for party.

8:30 – 12:00 midnight: Party at the Tony Roma’s. Open bar…scotch or red wine, free ribs, cesar salad, hot wings, and those onion things. The first person I see is Peter, and he tells me about the Chavez announcement of kicking the ambassador out and calling us Americans, “Shitty Yankees.” This is the big topic over whiskys and ribs. Every one is excited. We decide we better head out about 12:00. I drop Tania back home, and we head out because we need to go to work.

12:00 – 1:50 AM: Rocket back 200 km to El Tigre. Very light traffic, road is dry. Hit speeds of more than 140 kph (~90 mph) from time to time, but mostly cruised at 130 kph (~81 mph).

1:50 AM: As I am getting into my apt. I get a cell phone call that my boss, Aaron has a flat tire.

2:30 AM: No new word on Aaron’s status, so I go to bed. Need to be at work at 7:30.

2:31 AM: Cell phone rings, Aaron wants me to bring my spare, his is bad.

2:40 AM: Head out with two other teachers me in my Kia, the others in a Ford Fiesta. We are hoping one of our spares will work on a Chevy Corsa.

3:00 AM: Arrive at Aaron’s car.

3:00 – 4:00 AM: Neither spare, Kia or Ford, will fit the Chevy. We try all sorts of things. Finally getting worried that our odds are increasing for potential danger from bad guys in the night. Aaron is reluctant to leave the car because Corsas are the 2nd most stolen cars in Venezuela. We abandon the car on the side of the road, collect the tires to look for a 24 hour tire repair place. The teachers in the Ford go home.

4:00 – 4:10 AM: Drive back into town looking for a 24 hour tire repair place.

4:10 AM: Pull over at a 24 hour tire repair place, but it is dark. Oscar and Aaron get out to see if anybody is in there. Security gate is closed, but they look through the gate to see if there is a phone number on the wall or anything.

4:10 – 4:30 AM: A pimped out Fiat Uno drives past, then back up. The window comes down and the woman in the passenger seat starts asking Aaron and Oscar where they are from. Oscar tries to explain the situation. The driver starts arguing with Oscar. Aaron and Oscar get back in the car, Oscar says “Let’s go! That guy want to fight us!” The guy cuts me off, so I put it in reverse and pull away. The driver gets out of the car. He has a dark blue police uniform (dirty) on. He pulls a BIG FUCKING nickel-plated revolver (probably a .357), looked like a cannon, from under his tunic. Oscar yells, “Oh shit, he’s got a gun! Let’s go! Let’s go!" The guy points it at the car and stays, “Para! Policia! Para!” Like a deer in the headlights, I stop and freeze. My heart is raising.

The guy is obviously high on something. I think he was smoking crack! He won’t listen to reason. He uses his cell phone and more Police Anzoategui come screaming in sirens wailing.

Those guys take over the situation. Oscar gets us off, but has an interesting conversion with these putas that call themselves police. Oscar let it be known that the driver of the Uno never identified himself as a police officer until he pulled the gun. The guy was a genuine malandro and lunatic.

4:30 – 5:00: We look for another tire repair place, but decide we should wait till daylight. The sky is already getting light.

5:00 AM: I get to my apartment.

6:15 AM: Alarm goes off to wake up.

Paddling and Snorkelling

I am back in Venezuela (arrived Aug 23). I've been working for about two weeks now. I took my Klepper out for a paddle this past Sunday. In the front seat was Matt, the new teacher at school. I figured I would show him another part of Venezuela besides El Tigre.

I like paddling the Klepper. It is a stable, forgiving boat, but still fairly fast across the water. We paddled to the "Hemmingway House" at La Piscina, and paddled around Isla Arapo. Here are a few pics.

The Boston Hill Mining District

Boston Hill is an old mining district on the southwest side of Silver City. It is within the boundaries of the town limit. Now it is an open space area for hikers and mountain biking. Tons of trails, but also tons of potential hazards. Here's a shaft that has been covered with a large cable net. Makes for an interesting bike ride.
Crazy.

The Grey Line, by Brandon Teel

The Grey Line

PB&J and ice-cold water
Chatting, laughing, and pedaling ensue
Early on when the sun is high
Optimism reigns supreme and true

Stars and Bars in a bank that’s now a bar
It’s never too early for that brown liquid sin
There isn’t much going on with these elderly two
A quick frog sketch and a flash of skin

We follow the grey line of dust
Through the tunnel of muggy green
The soul-sucking heat envelopes all
Including our two-wheeled machines

Hiding from the sun’s evil rays
Only to later beg for it to come back
Our tires find washed-out ruts and sand
Possums and webs abound in the black

More frequent the intermittent lights become
I long to lie down and sleep
Only a few more dark miles to go
Gas station food, at least it’s cheap

Morning light brings with it muscles still sore
Pancakes, B’s & G’s, bacon, and hash browns
Opening the first brewhouse in sight
Sampling outweighs riding in this sleepy German town

Almost nothing stays open long enough here
So we climb a hill twice, to swig some wine
Tiger and other strangers are eager to chat
“Enjoy the f*ck out of Hermann,” we did, it was divine

Brandon Teel

Aug 2008

Katy Trail, Day 2

Aug. 2, 2008...We got off to a late start. We rolled out around 9:30 or 10:00. It was already hot.

We rolled along the trail. Kevin and I stopped on a bridged and watched the less muddy water of the creek mix with the muddy water of the Missouri. It provided us several minutes of entertainment.

I was riding ahead and met up with Brandon. We were about 2 miles or so from the Jefferson City terminal. Brandon was pulling a Burley bike trailer. It was like the Grapes of Wrath with all sorts of stuff in it.

I eventually got ahead. There was a section of trail that wasn't so fun. I think it was from Jefferson City to Tebbetts. This section was trail was exposed to the sun and close to a major U.S. Highway. The sound of the traffic just bothered me. The sun didn't bother me so much, but I would have much preferred to be under the canopy of trees.

When I got to Tebbetts, there was no water. I had two more bottles so I wasn't that concerned. I rode over to Jim's Bar and bought a Gatorade out of the vending machine and waited for the other guys. When they showed, we tried to buy water at the little convience store, but it was closed, so it was back to Jim's place.

Jim was a good ole' boy. He let us have water, but Kevin had to draw him a picture. Funny guy.

We continued down the trail, and there was no water in Mokane or Portland. Some where in this part of the trail was the "Mysterious Standing Rock". It was a pretty cool to check out.

After Portland, I went ahead at my own pace. The Univega was just motoring along. I blasted through Rhineland in the fading light. There were a few potholes and washed out sections that I didn't see in the fading light, but the bike kept going with no flats and stable as could be. I decided I ought to put on my helmet for the next 5 mile section to McKittrick. It got really dark and I was just kept riding by following the light colored gravel.

At McKittrick, I had a chance to look at the stars while waiting for the others. When the others showed, we rode over the bridge into Hermann, MO and eventually found the campground...but no food. Everything was closed. Brandon and I bought stuff and sandwiches at the gas station that we took back to camp and ate.

Aug 1, 2008...the Katy Trail.

We woke up early, packed Kevin's car and headed to Clinton, MO to start our Katy Trail tour. First stop was to get his dad so his dad could drive his car back to Lee's Summit.

Bikes packed, we hit the trail. The trail was hardpack gravel; a rails to trail project, therefore the grade were never real great.

Right off the bat Kevin had a blowout...probably had the tube in bad. That fixed we continued on.

The day was hot and humid. At Clifton City we discovered there was no water. Al, the Katy Trail Authority, rescued us with a jug of (questionable looking) water. He was a nice guy who scraped out a living repairing bikes and cutting wood.

At about mile 75, we reached Booneville and the Missouri River. We continued on down the trail a few miles beyond Rocheport to a place called Catfish Katy's. We rode about 95 miles. I had a sever case of monkey butt, but other than that, no other complaints. I was feeling pretty good. The Univega performed flawlessly.

Driving to Kansas City

On July 31...after finally leaving Palo Duro, I needed to drive to Lee's Summit, which is southeast of Kansas City, MO. I had a quick lunch in Amarillo at a Sonic Drive-in, and hopped onto I-40 eastbound. This was where I started questioning my sanity. Why was I driving 1200+ miles to ride bikes with guys I have never met in person? I decided to at least drive beyond the Texas panhandle and get into Oklahoma before making a decision.

The drive across Oklahoma was uneventful. I stopped a couple of times (once before OK City, and once after) at Love's Travel Centers to fill with gas, use the restroom, and to get coffee. Once I got to Oklahoma City and turned north on I-35, I was committed to driving all the way to Lee's Summit.

In Kansas, I continued on I-35 which turns into the "Kansas Turnpike". This interstate goes through Wichita, and the Flint Hill region of Kansas. I was impressed with the Flint Hills. The drive was beautiful and green.

The only stop I made in Kansas was at a travel stop on the turnpike. These unique service stations had a Phillips 66 gas station and a McDonald's/Circle K store. I had some kind of McDonald's hamburger for lunch and afterwards, I went to the Circle K part of the the building and bought a phone card and called Tania.

I made it to Lee's Summit around 12:30 AM...maybe later. I had to call Kevin from downtown Lee's Summit for him to come get me. I was really clueless how to find his house.

Once at the house, I had to prepare my bike for the ride the next morning. I did not get to sleep until 3:00 AM or so. Crazy!

Palo Duro Canyon

Got back from my road trip and now have my computer recharged so now I can update this blog.

July 30/31; Stop #1: Palo Duro Canyon is south of Amarillo, Texas. I driven through Amarillo several times, but never took the time to go look for, and find, Palo Duro canyon. I completed this road trip without the use of a map or GPS, so I just had to follow signs, my nose, and hand drawn maps provided by friends. Its a great way to explore.

Anyway got to Palo Duro Canyon, Texas State Park around sunset. I paid for overnight camping. I found my site and immediately went to bed in the camper.

In the morning, I got up for a morning ride. Using the basic map the ranger had given me, I found the mountain bike trails and poked around a bit.

I met a couple from London who were out for a morning hike. They were driving a rented RV across the USA via Route 66. I gave them a few recommendations of places to eat while in New Mexico on the Mother Road.

While riding, I met "Wild Bill", a local who was riding an Ellsworth Truth (full suspension). He was a good guy who knew Ray Molina. Originally from Rodeo, NM, he also knew Silver City and about Mimbres Man. I felt obliged to give him my last MM T-shirt. He'll enjoy it.

Bill showed me around the trails of the park. By the time we had finished, it was already 11:30 and I still needed to drive to Missouri, so it was adios Bill, took a quick shower at the park rest room, and hit the road.

10 Things about the Univega

I just went for a ride around town on the Univega. This time was wearing Converse low-tops, no gloves, and a baseball cap.
- 1. Oh...I remember this. This little ride brought back a lot of memories of when this bike was my only bike.

- 2. Gearing...big spaces between gears. Takes quite a bike of moving the shift lever to change gears. The old Suntour derailleurs work great.

- 3. Slightly flexy bottom bracket. On the slightest incline where I am putting a little more power to the cranks, the chainring starts rubbing on the front derailleur. I think this is due to the derailleur being very narrow.

- 4. When shift gears in the back, it is necessary to adjust and feather the front derailleur to keep it from rubbing.

- 5. The Mafac cantilevers are stylish, but they take a lot of effort to operate. I am so used to XT V-brakes, where you can stop using one finger.

- 6. Toeclip overlap. I forgot about this funky thing about the bike. Got to be careful when making big turns.

- 7. Need to repair on pannier strap. Working on that right now.

- 8. The Avocet saddle and old school pedals will have to go when doing the Katy. I'll opt to put on my Pure V and the SPD pedals off Mr. Litespeed.

- 9. Stationwagon...This bike is like the Vista Cruiser in "That 70's Show". A sled.

- 10. I still love this bike! Its so styly!

The Univega!

Just picked up my old 1981 Univega from the bike shop. Boy howdy, have bikes changed! They had a heck of a time getting parts for it. 5-speed freewheels are nearly impossible to find.

It is sport'n a new wider handle bar, a new rear hub (the old Japanese Suzue hub was cracked), and a new bottom bracket.

I took it for a spin while wearing my sandals. Not the best shoes for riding but...I have forgotten how fine of ride this bike is. It rides like an old Cadillac. Very smooth. It corners like a race bike. Nice geometry.

I love this old bike. It has a lot of sentimental value for me.

I'll be using front and rear panniers for the Katy Trail ride. It'll be like old times. I am really looking forward to it.

Back in the USA

I am back in the USA for a few weeks. Drove to Silver City this afternoon, sitting in my mom's kitchen at the moment. I'll be posting from time to time about this trip.
So far I've spent about 48 hours in Albuquerque. I hung out with my son Kyle. I bought a few things that I hope I can take back to Venezuela...We will see!
More later!