Bryan Griffin

2010-07-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

photos of my crashed capo here

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=185343&id=641212258&l=15970d50e2

I fought a Mercury Grand Marquis and lost

2010-07-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted but I have not vanished. I have still been active in cycling. This last Tuesday I was on my way to work and a car pulled out in front of me. He pulled out of one driveway on West Macarthur and crossed the road right in front of me. He was so close I did not even have a chance to grab a brake handle. Probably a good thing since part of the damage was a brake lever shoved around to the side on my bullhorn bars.

Thankfully I was only bruised. my left shoulder and left hip was bruised from hitting the car. My right knee was bruised from hitting the ground. I am merely fortunate from hitting the car instead of the car hitting me.

The accident was also classified as a hit and run. The driver stopped and asked me if I was ok. He then got mad at me for calling 911 and got in his car and drove off as i gave his tag number to the 911 dispatcher. He drove to the laundry mat where he worked and went inside. He then came out and got his newspaper and went back in. The police officer found him inside reading his paper.

I declined an ambulance ride but went to the emergency room for a checkup as soon as I got my bicycle home. Nothing but bruises and an abrasion on my right knee. Hopefully I will be fine in a week or so. Medical expenses including lost wages from work will be covered by my auto insurance who will go after his for reimbursement.

The only thing I will have to fight his insurance over is the cost to repair my bike. That will consist of a new wheel, two new tires, a new seat, helmet and a new front fork. The shop does not know if the fork is damaged or not but since it is carbon fiber they have determined the only way to be safe is to replace it. Carbon fiber forks can have a microscopic crack and it cannot be detected.

Once the police officer brought the man back out of the laundry mat he offered to buy me a new front rim. Offered me $30 right there. He was shocked when I told him just the tire on the rim was $50.

Hudson Chicken Ride

2009-08-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

I rode 54 miles today according to my computer. The ride started and ended in Hudson Kansas. The map for the route claimed it was 60 miles. It was a beautiful ride with the exception of the 10 miles against the stiff north wind. Fortunately the ride started and ended with a tailwind so it was easy to forget about the headwind. To be honest I love riding my fixed gear on rides like this as there are always people who express awe that one would do that.

I will probably ride the ride again next year but wont stay for lunch. I was told that they serve the best fried chicken in Kansas. I beg to differ with that.

I am alive

2009-07-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have been very poor about posting lately. I have actually been bicycling though which I had not done much for a while. I rode over 100 miles this week including a few enjoyable days with little to no wind which is rare in Kansas. I have a 60 mile ride planned for the 1st of August in some remote area right in the middle of Kansas.

I also have taken up a new hobby that I almost enjoy as much as cycling. I have been searching for something to do outside of the gym for my upper body strength. I went on a canoe trip to Oklahoma a few weeks ago and enjoyed it so much I now own a canoe of my own. Although the Arkansas river is not near as pretty as the Illinois river one can still see parts of nature you would never see when flying by in the car.

Last weekend my brother and I canoed from Riverside Park to 18th street and back on the Little Arkansas River. This week one evening I went from Riverside Park to 13th street and back. It wasn't until I rowed alone that I got a real workout. I am eager to try it some more.

The only thing I don't like is that in Oklahoma on the Illinois River we turned the canoe over twice on purpose just to cool off. On the Arkansas I hope to never even accidentally turn it over because of how disgusting the river is. In the Illinois River one can see the bottom of the river except for in a few really deep spots. In the Arkansas even in one spot where my canoe bottom was scraping the bottom of the river I could not see it because of how polluted it is.

No bike riding lately

2009-06-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry John and others, I haven't really had anything to post in the last week. I figure the three days I spent in the house due to my allergies wasn't worth much. If I stepped outside the sunlight hurt so bad I had to close my eyes so I just stayed in. It was only yesterday that I made it out to mow the yard and it was tall enough by then that it took precedence over even bike riding. I do after all have a wife to come home too.

If anyone has a good refrigerator to sell I am looking for a used on. I am laid off till September and am trying not to have to buy a new one.

Exploration trip to LeHunt KS.-bet you can't find that one in the atlas.

2009-06-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did something a little different then bicycling. Although next time I am going to take my mountain bike with me so I don't have to walk quite so far down the gravel roads to get to the old concrete factory.

LeHunt was once a small town supported primarily by the United Kansas Portland Cement Company. Little is left of the town beyond a few old ruins of the cement plant and an old cemetery. Once a thriving community, now the town can only be discerned from overgrown avenues of trees, broken sidewalks and foundations hidden by grass and heavy brush.

In the 1920’s the concrete factory was a thriving business but with the advent of the Great Depression, it shut its doors and the small town died with the plant.

The concrete plant lies about ½ miles to the west of what remains of the old town and can only be reached by hiking through the underbrush. While trees and weeds try to choke out where the town's cement plant once stood, the walls, ovens and giant smokestack of the factory are still remarkably intact.

The old site of the cement plant is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of the workers by the name of Bohr, who died in a tragic accident at the plant. As the story goes, Bohr fell into a vat of concrete and his body was never recovered. After this disastrous event, his co-workers embedded his wheelbarrow, pick and shovel into a wall of concrete that was under construction at the time. His name, as well as his pick axe can still be seen at the factory ruins.

The old factory is just to the northwest of Independence Kansas.

If you would like to see photos of the old concrete factory I posted them to my facebook.

Humid day for riding but still good.

2009-06-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

The good part about being laid off has to be that I can go ride whenever I feel like it. I just got done riding 30 miles. If you get a chance this summer go to Sedgwick County Park and ride the path on the west side of the stream. The trees and brush are a lot fuller then they were a few years ago after the beavers had there run on the place. It is now looking like the beaver population there is once again under control. Also the store there is a lot safer place to park your bike and walk away from it then say a QT.

Today was a perfect day for me to go to there and back on another note as well. The wind is out of the northwest which means I had a tailwind coming home. Overall it was a very good ride except for the man who told me to get out of his way even though he was the one riding on the left side of the path. I couldn't help but come back with a retort since I knew he didn't have a chance of running my Cannondale down with his Next brand mountain bike.

Now if the rain will hold off I will probably ride to the softball field later this evening.

Been slacking lately

2009-06-09T22:16:00.001-07:00

Well, slacking on posting here that is. Last time I posted I was ready to ride the ADA 50 mile route. I had a great time at that ride with the exception of the 10 or so miles to the west that went right into the wind. Other then that it was a beautiful ride and well planned. I will plan on doing the same ride again next year. The cool thing was that except for the 10 or so miles straight into the wind it was to some degree a tailwind ride the rest of the trip. When we left Eldorado the wind was out of the southwest. By the time we left Cassody the wind was straight out of the west which made for the grueling part of the ride. That stretch of road between the headwinds and the hills made me very glad I did not ride my fixed gear for that ride. But then by the time we got back to highway 177 the wind was out of the northwest which made for a tailwind back into Eldorado. Then we had a lunch from Carlos O' Kellys. The ride actually came out to be 55.9 miles.

I am now off of work until September so hopefully I can get some more riding time in this summer.

Finally made it out

2009-05-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful most of this past week. However I have been so busy that I have had no time to go cycling until today. I set out after I got the lawn mowing done and rode 33 miles today. I went to Sedgwick County park and it was quite busy as it normally is on Memorial day. Thankfully the store was still open when I got there so I had a snack and a nutritious Mountain Dew.

I then rode the river bike path until I got to Douglass and then deviated down Douglass to Grove, to Oliver, to Macarthur and then west to the turnoff to come back home. The wind was light and out of the northeast. I saw many cyclists on the bike path and downtown. Many of them out on their classics.

Next weekend I am signed up to ride 50 miles for the ADA from Eldorado to Cassody and back.

Good week so far

2009-05-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

This week is the week of the Wichita River Festival. I take advantage of that by cycling down along the river and stopping downtown to listen to the live band and get me some lunch. Monday I had a 1/2 lb. Brat for lunch while listening to jazz.

Then yesterday I slept in, got a few things done at home and then helped some really good friends prepare to move in the afternoon. Then in the evening I played softball for the opening games of the Mens Christian Softball league for Maranatha Worship Center. We lost the first game by one point and finished the second game early because we obtained a 10 point lead of 15-5.

There is a good side to everything

2009-05-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned yesterday I am laid off for at least 6 weeks, possibly even more. But I find a good side to everything and believe it or not I found a good side to being laid off. Usually when I go more then two days without riding I go into withdrawal. If it has been raining and a nice day comes about I am very tempted to "get sick" so I can go for a ride instead of working. Of course I have a family to support so I never actually call in sick for that reason but I think about it a lot.

Today was a very nice day and I did not have to face that temptation. I was able to sleep in a little bit, get a few things done and left on the bike about noon. I rode from the south end of town where I live out to Ridge road and then up to Sedgwick County Park. There I stopped and chatted to an elderly gentleman feeding the squirrel's and then stopped at the store for a snack and a drink. I then rode on through the park and hooked up to the river bike path and rode home on it.

Surprisingly with all the rain we have had lately none of the path was underwater too much too ride. I expected to have to detour and take the roads. I was able to ride from the north end at 21st all the way to the John Mack Bridge on Broadway where I turned off and went home.

Hope to do lots of pedaling

2009-05-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

I just found out last week that I have the next 6 weeks off of work, possibly even more. Not that I want that much time off but I don't have much choice. With that in mind once I catch up on a few things and the rain lets up I hope to get some bicycle riding in.

Good day for a bike ride.

2009-04-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, my training with the K9 team got canceled this morning so instead of some more practice on my one wheeled adventure I went for a real bicycle ride. I got out my fixed gear and rode 35 miles today. In spite of a good stiff easterly breeze I still enjoyed myself.

I actually saw two other riders out on fixed gears today. One of them had been converted to a fixed gear and the other was a Mercier. I was pretty impressed to see them because up to this point I had only saw one other person in Wichita on a fixed gear.

After riding most of my normal 25 mile loop I tooled around downtown Wichita for a while before I came home. There was a lot of other people downtown riding around just enjoying the weather.

Nice day out- who needs two wheels?

2009-04-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today started out rather cold this morning. I had thought of going for a ride this morning but chickened out when I felt how cold it was with the wind. But then I couldn't go in the afternoon because the wife had to go several places and I had to watch the two younger kids. So I still took advantage of the nice warmer afternoon weather by taking the kids out in the backyard and while they rode their bikes I practiced on my unicycle.

I felt pretty good after today and I now feel like I may be good at riding it someday if I continue to practice. I had considered just giving up because I couldn't go for more then a few feet at a time the first week. But today I was riding all the way from my back garage to my gate and that is about 50 feet. Tomorrow morning I have to go to the park for the K9 search team training so I will probably take it with me as I usually have some spare time there.

Excellent riding conditions

2009-04-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

It is only April but I must say that yesterday was one of the best bike riding days this year. The Kansas wind was only a breeze and the high temperature was 72. I took my fixed gear Cannondale Capo out and rode 43 miles which is just a load of fun without the typical Kansas wind to dread. After 43 miles I was tired but not so tired I couldn't go practice with the softball team. It is much windier today so I believe I will skip the bike riding and maybe practice the unicycle some more.

Back to two wheels for now.

2009-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

A unicycle comes with a very thin crank arm. While trying to learn to ride it I began to bend the crank arm which made the pedal crooked. The more it bent the more difficult it became to ride. I have another set ordered from the local bike shop but it will probably take at least a week to get them.

Who needs 2 wheels anyway?

2009-03-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

I went out on a new venture today. I found a unicycle in very good shape at a garage sale today and snatched it up at $30. I managed to ride it the length of my driveway and that was about it up to this point. I have faith though that I will get better with time. I have never attempted to ride one before but I am always up to a new challenge.

Tired but it was worth it.

2009-03-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

In the past two days I have been working harder then I ever do at work. The timing was good for me to be temporarily layed off from work as a family with a crisis needed some help moving. They had so much stuff we filled up two 26' long full size moving vans and they are still having to leave things behind. I am tired and will recover from that with another nights sleep. And even though I am tired right now I feel really good inside.

Hope I can do this better.

2009-03-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on this blog. I have just tried switching to a new web browser that automatically puts me to all of my blog, facebook, myspace, etc. pages every time I connect to the web. Wit that in mind I hope it makes me think of keeping this updated more often.

New Years

2009-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

I kept an annual tradition that dad and I have been doing for several years now. I went for a bike ride with him on New Years Day. Dad quit after 32 miles and stopped when we got to the park where he left his truck. I rode on and put in a total of 41 miles for the day. I rode my fixed gear Capo so that means I had to pedal all of that 41 miles.

Annual checkup day

2008-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

I went to my epileptologist today for my annual checkup. It was pretty typical of the last several years. I have had no problems so we spend more time talking about almost anything besides epilepsy. Only thing he was concerned about was to caution me not to use generic drugs now that one of my meds can be had in generic mode. Other then that the most excitement in my day was changing the antifreeze in my truck.

Brrrrr

2008-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

It is way to cold to be out doing anything today. I hate winter. Right now it is 23 degrees and the wind is blowing about 40 mph. It was about all I could do to drag myself out of the house for church today. Therefore I am catching up on some website updates I should have done ages ago.

I looked at my bike today, does that count?

2008-12-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Actually I went out in the back garage today to retrieve some mattresses that we got for two of our girls for Christmas. I decided to go ahead and put them on their beds since they are spending the day over at Grandmas. It is a lot easier to do without them being in the way.

The wind is blowing today with gusts up to 50 mph. Not a good day to go riding so one must find other things to occupy time. Sounds like from the week of forecasting that I have at least a week of no bike riding. Highs this next week are in the twenties.

New too me

2008-12-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

I have never blogged before so I am new at this. Bear with me and we will see where it goes. I am an avid bicyclist and I have had epilepsy since 1989. That is where my name comes from. I have been seizure free since 07/31/2003.