.:: DonnieNix.net ::.

I haven’t updated this in a while. Probably won’t ever again.

So, this is just a placeholder…great.

New guitar gear…

Peavey Vypyr 30w amplifier. Sweet tones. It’s a modeling amp, so it can be programmed to sound like a number of other amps, including a Marshall stack, a Krankenstein, and old school Fender dual reverb…it sounds GREAT and is a lot of fun.

Also, the acoustic in the corner was a present from my kids. Isn’t that great!

I love Christmas.

Crappy weather has kept me off the bike for over a week. I’m going today for a lap at Blankets. Hopefully, I won’t have lost too much…

Casey and I swapped my pedals for his yesterday to see if my crappy Shimano pedals were the source of a popping and creaking. They are. Now I need to get some new pedals. Sealed bearing pedals are on my list now. I’m thinking some Crank Bros Candys…

I taught Josh to play the rhythm part of Wish You Were Here last week and I played the lead solo. It was pretty neat. He just started playing guitar a few weeks ago.

With gas prices going down, I’m thinking about a bike trip to North Carolina. And if they continue to go down, I’m thinking a Moab trip in April. Oh yeah.

All I have is the GPS data, which is kind of squirrelly. I think I just need to upgrade….

Wow, this trail is tough with a capital T. It’s 3+ miles of torture. You start out with a brisk little climb that goes through several switchbacks and works it way up the hill. You have a few respites, as the trail teases you with a glimpse of some downhill runs and a few roller-coaster stretches, but mostly it is an uphill struggle. There aren’t any rocks or roots to climb over and for the most part the trail is buttery smooth, but it’s steep. I was passed by a lot of people that weren’t hardly breathing hard, and then again I passed a few guys that looked like they were having heart attacks. I was somewhere between there.

I have to say that I paused only about 4 times. The climbs seemed to go on forever, even though the trail is relatively short when compared to Yargo or Chicopee. So I found myself struggling in granny gear up this hills and then having to take a break to get my heart rate back under the alarm limit. Going the Wednesday direction, you take about 80% of the switchbacks uphill, so I managed to ride almost all of them. There’s a few downhill switchbacks that, if you blow the turn, you’ll end up having to climb back up a 100 ft embankment, or wait for the paramedics to find you. I skipped only two switchbacks because I was so whipped I could hardly see straight and I didn’t feel like having to explain another riding injury to the wife.

It’s indeed a HARD trial, but the downhills are a friggin HOOT. Think Greens Lick at Pisgah on a slightly smaller scale. I need to get back in better shape though so that I can say that the climbs are worth the payoff, because the way I am now, the climbs aren’t worth it. I’m not saying that I’m not going to ride this trail; in fact, I am going to ride it again this afternoon. I think I’ll take the camera this time though. That will at least give me an excuse to pull over and catch my breath.

Here’s a SORBA post from a pretty good photographer that shows some of the trail features. It’s a great trail and I’m looking forward to riding it again…regardless of what I said before.

I got a Thomson Elite Setback seatpost a few weeks ago. It has helped me get a little further back over the rear tire on descents, which was a problem for me with the short cockpit on the heckler and my short legs. I still feel like I am way overbalanced (center of gravity is too high because I’m a fatass), but this helps. It’s also made the whole bike a lot more comfortable. My hands don’t start hurting as fast as they used to, and I feel more in control. It has also helped with knee pain. The best $70 I have spent on this bike if you ask me.

Also, with my recent health issues, I bought a real nice Polar F11 heart rate monitor.
It has a feature to set up your exercise routine and keeps track of all your training and heart-related data. Plus it’s a pretty nifty sports watch too.

I’m riding the Van Michael trail at Blankets Creek this evening. It’ll be only the third time on this trail for me. It’s tough, but only because of the climbing and the sharp switchbacks. The climbs are steep but the descents are really nice. The switchbacks on the Monday direction go mostly uphill, so hopefully I won’t damage myself. It doesn’t have the technical features that the South Loop has but it is just as hard because you spend way more time climbing. And heck,if I can’t ride it, I’ll walk it. My ego is not so huge that I have to prove that I can ride every feature. I didn’t take my Garmin up there the first two times I rode it, so I’m interested in seeing what the real elevation profile looks like. I’ll take some photos tonight and post this stuff as soon as I can.

I’ve always enjoyed the old Tom Johnston-era Doobie Brothers. One of the first songs I learned all the way through was Long Train Running.

I also know about 40% of China Grove. I’m working on this one right now.

One of the more complex songs I’ve learned is Zeppelin’s Over the Hills and Far Away. I know the opening until the overdriven guitar kicks in. I haven’t had a chance to learn that part yet.

I think every guitarist starting out learns Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.

But not many learn the solo from Comfortably Numb. This was a hard one, but worth the effort.

One beast of a song that took me several weeks to learn is Jessica by the Allman Bros. The opening until the piano solo was quite easy, but Dickey Betts’ part after the piano solo was a bear and I still don’t have it down to speed. I stumble alot on the quicker finger work.

I’ve also learned some riffs from Rush, Def Leppard, AC/DC, and a lot of other stuff. I need the get the video camera out. I’m fairly proud of my progress. Jake said he wants to start an AC/DC tribute/cover band, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to wear a get-up like Angus Young.

This is my new toy. It’s an Agile Dauntless SBD Cherry Sunburst Flame. SWEET!

You can get more info here.

This is my Boxer puppy, Roxie.

She is now 6 months old. A few weeks ago she got VERY sick. We took her to the vet and they told us she had Parvo. This usually kills puppies. We made the decision to do whatever it takes to save her regardless of the price. We didn’t even consider the alternative. It cost us a fortune, but it was worth it to us. She’s a great little puppy. She is all better now and back to her rambunctious ways.

On its way!