A Flyover Blog

When The Trails Are Closed, Head to the Lake

Poor Sequiota Park was devasted during last week's flash flood. The damage was so extensive that sections of the trail have been closed (because they were washed away) and many other places are just too treacherous to travel. So, Mitch decided this would be a perfect time to take the kayak out for the first time. If you'll recall, he bought this used little Riot about a year ago... then broke his arm a few days later. So, yesterday we went to Lake Springfield. Of course, I took the camera.

He did great. Me? I hate the water so I stayed on shore. And even if I wanted to kayak I couldn't manage it; I no longer have the strength in my left hand to paddle... which is why I don't bike anymore either. 

Here he comes, paddling back to shore. I was looking for snakes. They like the water, you know. Didn't see any.

There's a lovely walking trail along the shoreline, so I got a good walk in, too.

There's a boat restriction on this lake - 3  horsepower max - so that makes Lake Springfield a perfect place to kayak. I think we'll be here often this summer. 

Settling In

Thought I'd better post a progress report. We've been in the new house a week. The boxes are mostly unpacked, though I still can't find anything. My arm and hand have been killing me, so I'm a bit behind my own (self-imposed) unpacking schedule.

Those of you who know me won't be surprised at this - we were in the house two whole days before I discovered that I failed to pack the eating utensils and the cooking utensils, too. Not high on my priority list. Good thing we haven't sold our old home yet; I went back earlier this week and got them. There are still some odds and ends at our home in Tiny Tourist Town. I hope to get all those packed up and moved this week.

Sam, our Teddy Terrier, is adjusting slowly. We pulled him off the doggy prozac yesterday, but he saw a fly today (he's terrified of flies) so we gave him another pill this evening. Buddy, our Yorkie, loves this house, thinks we should have moved years ago. Other than a bad spell our first night - he lept off the couch, hit the hardwood floor with a thud and bloodied his mouth - he's been a champ.

In the six nights we've been here, 2 of those were spent under tornado warnings - and the tv hadn't been hooked up yet, so there was no live radar. We muddled through with radio storm trackers and frequent phone updates from my brother, David, who lives in Nixa.

We absolutely love this house. I found the camera, so I'll post some pics later this week. You're all invited to stop by on your next trip through Springfield!

Mitch Has An Ebay Store

Mitch has been buying and selling on eBay for years, but last week he opened a brand new ebay store, Finding Your Path to a Bargain. He's stocking the shelves with a little bit of everything, so stop by and check it out. Tell him I sent you.

Happy Monday

So many big things have happened since last Wednesday that I haven't been able to get my head around them yet. Don't worry; they're all good - great actually. I'll give you the skinny after the details are sorted out. I ran on sheer adrenelin for 72 hours last week and totally missed all the signs that I was headed for a little asthma episode - until Saturday night when my chest hurt and I was wheezing like an old pump organ. So, Sunday, I did all my meds, rested a lot and hit the Twining's Earl Grey, which works for me every time. (No, the Twining's people didn't pay me to mention them - I don't do paid posts - I just love their tea. Miracle in a can, that's what it is.)

Oh yeah, I promised you an update. Mitch loves night trail riding. Instead of watching the Super Bowl like the rest of the country, he took his bicycle to the State Park for a twilight ride. Five miles in, he met a Park Ranger, who is also a bicycle enthusitast. He told Mitch the park is open until 10, but the trails close at dusk. Bummer. The guy was very nice about it; he told Mitch he'd never seen anything lit up like he was speeding along the wooded shoreline in the dark. It spooked him; I guess he thought Mitch was a ground-hugging UFO. lol Anyway, the night riding will continue - just on another trail.

I know there's a lot of stuff out their vying for your attention, but my advice for this week is this: Stay focused on YOUR goal and shut out the noise. That's what I'm gonna do.

Night Ride

Okay, the Super Bowl is on - the commercials are better this year I think - I'm cruisin' the net. And where is Mitch? In front of the TV with yummy junk food? No Way! He's at Table Rock Lake State Park with his custom Clark Kent bike, on his first ever night trail ride. The last thing I said as he hurried out the door was, "Don't hit any skunks." That, in my mind, was the worst case scenario, and if you know me at all, you know my mind jumps to W.C.S. mode far too easily. He's been itching to take the Kent out at night since Christmas, but we've had a stretch of rainy icy weather. So tonight, it's 53 and he's hit the trail. Gotta love it. I'll let you know how it went. And now, back to the game.

Sweet Ride

 

A few weeks ago I surprised Mitch with an early Christmas gift - a Motobecane 29er bike frame. He was one happy camper, let me tell you. He wasted no time ordering the additional parts he needed to build the bike. Last week, he finished it.

All of the components are carbon and it has Schwalbe Big Apple tires. It is one impressive bike. We went to the lake one very cold day after Christmas and I snapped a few pictures while he took it out for a spin. The sun was going down, but the pics are still pretty good.

Mitch has become an avid biker in the past year, which thrills me no end. His blood pressure is down, he's lost a lot of weight, and he's found something healthy that he absolutely loves to do. For Christmas, he bought our 3 nephews bikes. I hope they can keep up with him.

Christmas Started Early

A box arrived the other day; we get lots of boxes at our house so I didn't think anything of it. Mitch took it to his office, opened it, then quickly appeared again with a big grin. Many of you will remember he collects and makes custom 12" action figures. Well, he found a custom piece for me. It was going to be a Christmas gift, but he was so excited about it he couldn't wait. I am a big sci-fi fan and one of my favorite series is Dr. Who. My all-time favorite doctor is #9 played by Christopher Eccleston. I do like the current doctor, David Tennant, but he's a bit over-the-top for me. In case you're not familiar with the series, this is Eccleston (pictured above) with his time-traveling companion, Rose, played by Billy Piper.

Here's a close shot of the figure - the head sculpt is custom, as are all the clothes. It came with a phone booth which is very cool, but Mitch is looking for an exact replica from the series to scale. I've gotta tell you this is the finest head sculpt I've ever seen; the artist did a fantastic job. So now, if you come to my house, I can show you my very own action figure collection... I have exactly 2 figures now. Thank you, Mitch!

Tour of Missouri - Part 4

This is my final picture post for last week's Tour of Missouri. These are some of my favorite photos taken in the second half of the race. Sorry I don't know these fabulous cyclists' names, but even if you aren't familiar with the icons of the sport, you can appreciate these amazing athletes.

That's the TV crew again, following another cyclist.

I like this shot. The cyclist and the car passed right in front of my camera.

The Tour is scheduled to return to Missouri for the next 2 years. I plan to be there, with my camera.

Tour of Missouri - Part 3

Welcome to Part 3 of my Tour of Missouri... in photos. Gotta tell ya, I don't know the names of most of these riders. I do know that they are the finest cyclists in the world - 120 of them - but until I get the order roster for the race, most of them will go unidentified. Sorry about that.

This was one of the first cyclists that passed by and I was thrilled to catch him getting a quick drink. It was uncomfortable that day - mid-80's, no wind, blazing sun and high humidity.

I got a big smile from this guy in the Mavic car before the race.

There was nothing between the cyclists and oncoming traffic but these light metal rails. Made me nervous.

I do know who this is - Levi Leipheimer, the world's best Time Trial specialist and the winner of Stage 3. He also won the Tour de France Time Trial this year. Levi rode the 18 mile course that day in 39 minutes, 37 seconds. Awesome ride.

This was very exciting. The cyclists started the race 2 minutes apart. The guy in front reaching for his water bottle didn't see the rider coming up behind him. Although they weren't racing each other, this moment was fun to watch. More photos coming. Stay tuned.

Tour of Missouri - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my Tour of Missouri photos.  These 2 cyclists from the Discovery Channel team passed by before the race; they were scouting the course.

A scouting party from Team Slipstream. Note the front rider checking out the heavy truck coming up behind them. (The road wasn't closed at this point.) On their way back through, I heard one of them say, "If this is the easy grade, I don't even want to see the big one!"

I took this early on in the race. There were 2 mobile TV crews following riders. The TV 2 guys passed by 5 times filming different riders.

This cyclist from the BMC Racing Team was one of the first racers to pass by. Tomorrow, more photos. Stay tuned...