May 20-Jun 5 - Planes and Automobiles

That X5?  Effectively dead. I don't know how much I've spent on diagnostics yet but they finally put a camera in the cylinder and there's a damaged valve and piston.  The cost of a rebuild is about the same as the book value of the car. Instant depreciation.  Today we head to Buffalo to look at a replacement. The old X5 is posted on the wholesale market. 

The trip to Italy?  Lots of fun; Verona is wonderful. We ate and drank well before and after my ride. 

The Transalp 1200k? Yet another DNF.  I wasn't keeping up with the 13.33 min speed and knew that I wouldn't gain ground from km 600-900, which had some of the toughest climbing, so Sandy picked me up at 600.   At that point, from the night start, I was pushing 3x24 hours with 45 minutes sleep.  Too much fun. 

Beautiful scenery!

Hamid was also a dnf. He finally threw in the towel 100k from the end. I'd been watching his tracker and knew that his chances of finishing were slim to nonexistent.  Mark, Bob, Chris and Chris made it with a couple of hours to spare.  I had pizzza and coke awaiting them at the 100k-to-go-hotel and they rolled on without sleep. 

Korea?  Cancelled. On the day we were flying out, I was having trouble walking. It just didn't make sense to go to Korea. 

We had a good trip back, stayed overnight by the Toronto airport, picked up Cassie on the way back to the cottage. 

The way forward for me, cycling wise, is unclear. Finally on the trainer yesterday, I found that when I sit up, not a normal riding position, a tendon behind my knee moves from side to side. There's clearly a torn ligament that would normally keep it in place.  Sigh.   Like the car, a rebuild I'd in order. Unlike the car, replacement isn't an option … or maybe it is. 

But, life goes on.   

I stripped one of the spruces downslope from the driveway and decided that the other 4 are better handled by Miles. A hoe would make it easy. We will ultimately fill that slope with rock and plantings, is Sandy's vision. To me that's generating a lot of maintenance. We shall see. 

I'm planning on replacing the deck railings out front, and after examining all the options, keeping the posts and glass and buying the brackets and railings in black aluminum from HHBC in town.    There are other options but I'm looking for less maintenance. 

I talked to Steve and then went in to look at, and cost, options.  Believe it or not's not, he remembered the detail of my order from 2006. 17 years. What a guy.  An irreplaceable asset.  

Buffalo here we come.  

--

From my iwdt