CX Lake Samammish

The race today was rainy, muddy, very challenging and I'm still batting a thousand on my goal to finish in the top 50% this year with a 27th place finish out of 72. But it sure didn't feel like it after coming across the line after 5 laps. 

Greermeister with a little extra weight on board after the race. 

Mario, a fellow Team Double Check member making his way through one of the muddy sections. 

The juniors were awesome! They did three laps on a non-modified course.

Mountain Biking

Our local bike shops supplier was demo'ing bikes at Fort Steilacoom Park today. I rode a Trek Fuel EX, full suspension 29'r. Cross bikes don't have any suspension so this one made it feel like I was floating over the terrain. Pretty sweet ride, but a bit out of my price range. 

Texas Hold'em

The club on Mcchord Field held a poker tournament yesterday afternoon so I thought I would try my luck. Not much at at stake with an $18 dollar entry fee. I held my own for an hour and a half and then was forced "all in" holding a King/Queen against an Ace/Jack. The cards didn't go in my favor, but it was educational and fun. I'll be ready for the next one. 

I didn't see'em, but they sure do look good. 

The Color Run

We woke up early Saturday morning (as did thousands of others) for The Color Run in Tacoma to get plastered with multiple colors of corn starch at various distances throughout the 5K run/walk.

Here we are the start,

and at the end. 

Synchronized corn starch angels. 

Squeeeeeeak!

My truck and Peanut (Jasmines car) have been talking to us for several weeks now, so I decided to do some investigating. I pulled the front tires off the truck and looked at the brakes. Looking at the picture below you can tell the fix is a no brainer. 

Jasmine's issue was a little different. The pads and rotors had plenty of material on them, but if you look closely at the rotor you can see two rings on the face of it. The guy at the parts store said the rings cause the squeaking and I could either have them resurfaced or buy new ones. The cost difference between the two was 15 bucks. Not wanting to wait a few hours, I spent the extra 30 bucks and installed the new hardware on the car.  

For less than a hundred and fifty bucks, I got the two vehicles back on the road and feel very comfortable with the quality of my work. Having the right tools and knowledge have saved us a ton of money over the years and I enjoy doing it. 

Cross Season

The MFG Series kicked off Cross season at Big Finn Hill Park in Kirkland on Sunday. The course was full of bumps and very tight off camber turns that put everyone's technical skills to the challenge. Aside from the normal goals of keeping the bike upright, staying healthy and not getting hurt, my big goal this year is to finish in the top 50% in every race and maybe score a few points. Last week was the Labor Day race and between the two, I'm batting a thousand minus the points.

One of the tighter corners to negotiate. 

Cracking a smile after 5 laps of pain. 

Our busy weekend

Three out of the four of us got to "do the Puyallup" at the Washington State Fair. We mainly went to see the Rodeo and then wander around a bit and see what else grabs our attention. We watched a little riding, roping and clowning around.

Our brick of fries came later.

Flying high for a score of 85. 

I'm supposed to do what? 

Delayed start. 

Several young'ins enjoyed the Mutton Bustin. 

Greernomics

I'm in the process of updating the site, but plan on blogging soon.