Seasons Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina

Visit Charlotte- Home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Let's Take A Hike!

Hey, a couple of weeks ago my friend Stan called and mentioned that he and Alan were thinking about doing a section hike along the Appalachian Trail between Grayson Highlands and Damascus, VA. and wondered if I could go. A quick check of the schedule book and I was locked in. Five of us would tackle this adventure. You'll meet the rest of the crew later.

The plan was to drive up Thursday after work and stay at Dave's Place- the local hostel, then catch a shuttle up to Massey Gap Friday morning. From there it would be a 30 mile hike back into town. We would take it slow and be back Sunday afternoon.

Enjoy the rest of the report...........

  That's me at Massey Gap, the start of our adventure.

 Mike gets his pack ready

 Stan checking his water supply

 AT Southbound is the way we're headed

 What no horses?

 The new Buff did great this trip! Kept my head warm yet wicked away the sweat. Very important in 20 degree weather!

 Mike taking a break. We're almost there.

 Stan's a map kind of guy. Thank goodness he had one!

The end of the first day takes us on top of White Top Mountain where we'll camp. Temperatures dipped down to between 15-18 degrees with a steady wind! I slept under a tarp in a Marmot Helium 15 degree sleeping bag. The shivering didn't stop until I got out my silk liner. Of course I kept rolling out from under the tarp all night long AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!! The three trips to the bathroom weren't too much fun either.

 (L-R) Suzanne, Stan, Mike, and Alan. Thanks for the firewood Alan and Suzanne!

 While I lay shivering in my sleepingbag a party was going on around the 'ol campfire. Fun times were had by all, so I'm told.

 Suzanne on top of Buzzard Rock- Day 2

 Earshot!

 Just seemed like the right thing to do

 Avast me hearties! There's pirates on this here trail....

 Locals

 Mike and Stan head down the Virginia Creeper Trail. Great day for hiking.

 Happy Hiker

 Suzanne makes it to the trail!

At the end of day 2 we all make it into Saunders Shelter except Mike. WHOA, WHERE'S MIKE? Seems he took off ahead of the rest of us and missed the sign to the shelter. After about an hour he doubled back and finally walked into camp. Lesson for the day- READ THE TRAIL SIGNS CAREFULLY! Glad you made it back Mike!

 Day 3 Getting ready to leave Saunders Shelter

 Follow the White Blaze......

We made it back to Damascus, VA.!

 Packing the van in Damascus,VA

 If you ever pass through Damascus,VA., you have to stop by Dot's Inn. They serve the best darn cheeseburger around. Of course the cold beer isn't that bad either!

 So long...........

Marc

ONE RED PAPERCLIP?

A LOT OF PEOPLE LAUGHED AT KYLE MACDONALD. HOW ABSURD THEY THOUGHT.... REMEMBER YO MAMA TOLD YOU NOT TO LAUGH AT OTHERS....HERE'S WHY:

TOP 10 GHOST PICTURES OF ALL TIME

THIS WEBSITE SCARED THE BEJEEBERS OUTTA ME!
GHOST PICS!

UPDATE! I did it! Rode across the USA on a bicycle! Check out my journal of the adventure here at: Three Spokes and a Mirror

Of Tinfoil Hats, Telsa Coils, and Woodpecker Brains

I'm strangely attracted to stuff like this. Behold- modern eggheads!



BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

Not mentioned in the video was research done to determine if "rectal massage can cure hiccups". This, of course, was conducted by a scientist from the University of Tennessee.

Read more about it here: Why Country Music Singers Don't Get Hiccups

The Path to Becoming a Wal-Mart Doctor

Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.
Anton Chekhov (1860 - 1904)

UPDATE! I did it! Rode across the USA on a bicycle! Check out my journal of the adventure here at: Three Spokes and a Mirror

Sorry about not posting in a while. I've been sidelined with a minor knee injury to my left MCL. It began to hurt after the MS Bike to the Beach ride last month. I noticed it was tender to touch but continued to run on it thinking the pain would go away. It didn't. Progressively, however, the pain got worse so I decided to research the malady further instead of seeking a true medical opinion. Hey who needs a doctor unless you're unconscious, bleeding profusely, or need a mole or two cut off your body- huh?

Discoveries!

The medial collateral ligament (or MCL) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. In older medical journals, it is known as the tibial collateral ligament.
It's role is to prevent the inside of the knee from opening up. Pain directly over the ligament is the most commonly reported symptom and bruising can occur as well. Severe damage causes patients to report their knees "buckle" or "give out". NOT GOOD!!

MCL injuries are typically "graded" based on the level of severity.

Grade I MCL Tear
This may involve micro tears. The symptoms are usually minimal. Patients may be able to return to their sport very quickly. Most athletes miss 1-2 weeks of play.

Grade II MCL Tear
The MCL may have what's termed "incomplete" tears and patients may complain of instability when attempting to perform cut or pivot movements. The pain and swelling is more significant, and usually a period of 3-4 weeks of rest is necessary.

Grade III MCL Tear
The granddaddy of MCL injuries- Grade III injuries are complete tears of the MCL- OUCH! Patients have significant pain and swelling, and often have severely limited range of motion. A knee brace or a knee immobilizer is usually needed for comfort, and healing may take 6 weeks or longer.

My Diagnosis

Duh?? Grade 1 MCL injury.....

Regimen of Treatment

• Eliminate exercise for 2 weeks (but Doc, it’s gonna kill me!!)

• Use of a heating pad directly on the injury site especially at night

• Icebag if swelling occurs

• Take 800 mg of Vitamin I (ibuprofen) as needed for inflammation

• Wear a knee brace to immobilize at night

• Place Nikken Magnets over injury site (Thanks Kim!)

• Take 1 capsule of Turmeric daily

• Take 3 capsules of MSM (dimethylsulfone) daily

• Consider buying a Himalayan Rock Salt Lamp (Thanks Ron!)- Gotta get a new mantra!


Want to know more about MCL injuries, turmeric, or Rock Salt Lamps? Go here:

MCL Injuries on Web MD Website

All about Turmeric

Himalayan Rock Salt Lamps

Later,
Marc

Arabica Coffee Review

I'M IN THE BUFF AGAIN!!!

YIIIPPPPEEEE !!!!!!!!!!! The new Buffs are out! I just picked up two. Check it out.
Skulls for the Skull. New design graphic. Will be great for Halloween or even that next pirate adventure!

This ones the new "Summer Buff". Made of micro-fiber to keep the headbones cool!

Wanna know more? Go to the source:

THE HOUSE OF BUFF

Our Inept Food and Drug Administration

  

Think the recent E. coli spinach scare is new? Well consider this, in the past decade there have been 9 such food borne contamination incidents. All of these centered in the Salinas Valley California area. The so called "Salad Bowl of the Nation" can't seem to clean up their act. Recent news reports blame improper handling techniques, large scale farming operations, and dirty water all as potential causes.

Hey, how many tries does it take the FDA and other California regulatory agencies to get the problem fixed? Kind of makes you wonder how much of the problem has been quietly averted by California Farming Industry Lobbyists prodding California Legislators to look the other way. Toss in a bunch of good old FDA bureaucracy and you begin to understand why the numb nuts can't find a reachable solution.

WHEW! Now pass me the Thousand Island dressing.............

Later,

Marc

Yo Ho, Yo Ho A Pirates Life For Me!

"Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You don't want to bring them down on us, now, do ya?"

-Gibbs (from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean)

The privateers (L-R) Marc, Jack, Chris, Jim, and Barney.

Okay, here's the MS 150 Breakaway to the Beach report I promised. Wow, what a great weekend we had! The weather was perfect and of course our "scream team" support crew did an excellent job making sure we riders had everything we needed for the long haul. Thanks!

The journey began on Friday afternoon. I packed up my stuff and headed to Jim's house for some last minute bike repairs. Jim mentioned his bike chain needed cleaning so I brought my Park Chain Cleaning tool. Little did I know what a big hit this would be. The afternoon turned into a chain cleaning party. Everyone was amazed at how well this little contraption worked with a little Simply Green degreaser. Everyone's chain was sparkly clean!

Friday- Prep Day

Teamwork in action! (Jim H. & Jim W.)

 Barney and his new ship!

 Barney, the true Floridian, rarely wears socks when he rides.

   Team shot!

 Donna's home! Our scream team Captain treated us to a wonderful carb dinner. Thanks!

   (L-R) Jim and Garrett chillin' on the deck.

   (L-R) Barney and Marc.

 Donna gives everyone pre-dinner instructions. Safety first!

  Carbs! Man the food was fantastic!

   Barney explaining the Theory of Relativity- very interesting. (L-R) Bruce, Amy, and Barney)

  Dinners not complete without dessert. We sang the "Go MS Riders" song and enjoyed cake. It had that good whipped cream icing.... YUM!

  Jim H. wondering if he should have another piece(?). (L-R) Bruce, Lori, and Jim.

   Jim passes out team gifts which included Red Bull and BC Powder. I think that combination is illegal in 37 States.

Saturday- Head 'em Up, Move 'em Out

  Early to rise.... Jack has a cup of java to start the day.

  Barney raids the icebox!

   Marc, Jim, and Donna share a hug at the McDonalds just outside of Rockingham,NC our start point for the ride.

  Yeah! We all made it to the start.

  The bets are on, will Jacks tires make it 150 miles? Ante up boys.

   Barney is so proud of his new ride- a Sampson road bike. It's apparently constructed of titanium melted down from post-soviet nuclear weapons. Kewl!

  Nipple rash is a problem on the road. So Jim decides heavy duty 3m tape is the answer to his woes. Just remember, that may leave a mark...

  How did life survive before Porta-Jon's?

   No flats yet! (L-R) Jack, Jim, and Barney check out the tires at one of our first rest stops.

  I don't think that little number will fit you Barney.

  Jack and Chris moving on down the road.

   Barney in the wind.

  We made it to Darlington just after 1300 hrs. SWEET!

  Jim and Barney.

   Barney and Marc. Can you tell we're happy to be done for the day?

  (L-R lower) Tim, Barney, Marc (upper)Chris, Jim, and Jack. Great job today boys!

  What's this? The Corona man enjoying Bud Light? What's up with that?

   Barney makes friends. Actually the guys sunglasses with the built in mp3 player was the attraction.

  Chris trying not to be embarrassed by the antics of Jim and Jim. The water in the pool was COLD!

  Relaxing by the pool after a great day of riding.

Sunday- Avast Me Hearties, The Beach is Calling Us!

   The start comes early on Sunday. We leave in the 20+ mph group and are in the second wave. Not bad.

  Chris, Jim, and Barney at our first rest stop. Lunch is next!

  Enjoying lunch under a huge shade tree. Nice!

   My bike-carbon frame and oh so smooth.

  The group shot at the last rest stop. The headwind wasn't bad along Highway 9 this year which made the paceline scream down the road.

Finish Line Antics

   Donna greets Jim at the finish. We made it!

  Amy greets Barney at the finish.

  Group shot!

  Chris did an excellent job this year. He's strong for a 13 year old! Way to go!(L-R) Bruce, Chris, and Judy.

   le Machine Team- Jim and Lori. They kicked arse this year. Unbelievable!

  Duh, can I have more champagne please?

  Munchies!

   Remnants of the after ride party. You would have thought we were in France by all the flowing champagne.

  Thanks Matt Marshall for another great ride!!

Condo After Party!!

  Donna and Jim on the ocean front balcony at the scream team condo

   Thumbs up!

Well, that's the report from this years MS 150 Bike ride. Everyone had a great time as you can see. I never laughed so hard in all my life. It will definitely be hard to beat next year- but you know we'll try. Thanks for the good time guys.

Special thanks to Donna, Bruce, Judy, Jim H, and Lori for all the support. We could not have done it without you..........

Oh by the way, Jack never had a flat! YIIPPPEEEE!!!!!