Potpourri

It is a rainy, chilly (this early in the season, it feels cold) day in central North Carolina.  At least we are not getting any of the SNOW that the northeastern US is likely to receive today + tomorrow.

One buddy wondered what I'd do today since it is NOT a day for cycling ... maybe this afternoon one could sneak in a ride.  Just for him ... here is something for the day:

Two Excellent Cycling Companions

Each smiles a lot.
Each is "rando crazy" in their own way.

One rides a straight line, does NOT surge nor swerve nor brake suddenly, points out all hazards, tells jokes, laughs at your jokes, has an infectious laugh, but is known for "reverse-dumping" cycling partners near the end of a ride.
The other grabs the wheel of anyone drifting off the front, effusively greets friends and strangers alike, tells jokes, laughs at your jokes, has an infectious laugh, and has been known to "reverse-dump" others near the end of a ride.

One will be looking to R-32 and P-?? in November; the other recently had quite an adventure in France.
One is looking for 6000 RUSA kms this year; the other will likely get 4100+ RUSA kms.

One may have taken "fake rando smile" lessons from "sag";
the other met "sag" only moments before this photo was taken.

(Thanks to "sag" for the photo.) 

Two Brothers, One Phrase with Two Inflections

During Alan's 600 brevet back in May, the subject of the Kerr Lake Loop Permanent came up (don't ask me how), I don't recall the other participants in the conversation, but I asked him/her/them if they had done KLL since Mike had added 'Stovall Mountain'."  A milli-second later, RobD / "Brother Rob" / "Rico Rob" forcefully interjected:  "You mean:  YOU added the moutain!"  It was definitely an accusation.

In late September, MikeH and I arrived at MikeD's (each via bicycle, btw) to exchange some paperwork with MikeD regarding the Showdown in Black Creek Permanent.  Conversation drifted among several subjects including KLL.  One of MikeD's comments included the phrase "after you added the mountain".  I thought, but did not say, "at least that was a conversational tone and not the accusatory one that Rob used."  (obviously, the link in this paragraph is for gratuitous purposes only)


The Ride I'd Like to Be Doing Today

But I'd like to continue "north" past Denny's Store Road up to Polk Huff Rd to Walnut Grove Rd to Goshen and Ben Thorpe roads, and then back on course on Old Roxboro Rd.  Getting to and back from the north-end of the route ought to be good leaf viewing; I know Denny's Store can present nice vistas, but I've never ridden Polk Huff / Walnut Grove nor Ben Thorpe.  The alternative Polk Huff route would likely be good leaf viewing and could present some vistas ... and would be "new roads" ... if only for a few miles.  (Click on the "Bigger Map" link near the bottom of embedded Trimble Map to get, uh, a bigger map, which may allow one to better understand the course-routing discussed above.)

One problem with the route is that it is 80+ miles long ... kitchen-passes for some Irregulars likely wouldn't allow for such a long ride.  (There are short-cut routes that would enable long-routers and short-cutters to start together.)

[Edit, Jan-24-2014:  The above route was eventually morphed into the rando perm-pop 'Denny's Store Sortie,' a 138-km ride great for getting in a few extra RUSA kilometers towards a RUSA or Lone Star distance goal.]