So far my transition to California has been pretty awesome. Besides the day to day awesomeness I'd have to say the highlight has been the Amgen Tour of California. I was fortunate enough to catch portions of two of the stages!

On Tuesday May 18th the tour started in San Francisco and ended in San Jose. Dan and I figured out a way to catch the riders atop King's Mountain and at the finish. The drive to King's Mountain had us worried about the overcast weather but after we got out of the valley things cleared up. Forgetting everything I know about mountains I didn't think twice about checking the conditions at our first viewing location. 2200 feet above sea level is drastically different than the beach weather we had been checking all week, oops!

We waited on top of the damp, gray & crowded peak for a little over two hours. There were a ton of cyclists lining both sides of the road, it was really cool to see that many supporters. The last stretch leading up to the official King of the Mountain location was only a 2% grade so the cyclists were flying by. The 5 man break had about a 2 minute gap on the peleton so everyone had a chance to practice taking pics before the main group arrived. We were muscled outta the prime location we scouted by some latecomers so this was the best I could manage:
As soon as the 'End of Caravan' truck drove through there was a mad dash to the next viewing location. Most of the people chased the cyclists down the mountain or tried to beat them to the next KOM location, a few of us also headed to San Jose for the finish.

I am still amazed that we were able drive from the mountain to the beach in less than an hour, California is so awesome! The ride there was awesome because many of the team support vans drove by us on the highway. I got to give the thumbs up to some of my favorite teams at 65+ miles per hour, awesome.

We made it to the finish line in time to scout out a location to stand and check out the lifestyle fair. We hit up many of our favorite team booths, entered raffles for cycling gear and were impressed by the high end bikes & equipment on display. There were also a few big screen TVs with live coverage throughout the fair and booths. I heard that there was a 3-5 man breakaway but didn't know who was involved. We made our way back to the finish line and I started checking Twitter for details. I almost jumped outta my shoes when I learned that Dave Zabriskie was in a break with Levi Leipheimer and Michael Rodgers (the eventual winner). All three of these riders were high on my 'favorites' list but DZ is my favorite rider and rides for my favorite team (Garmin-Transitions) so I was really pulling for a DZNUTS victory.

We were positioned after the finish line, close to where the cyclists would turn to get back to their team buses. Dan & I hung around long enough to catch the first group of finishers come through, we couldn't tell what the order was but we didn't care because we got to see many of our favorites, Lance Armstrong, Chris Horner, Jens Voigt, Rory Sutherland, Tony Martin, Ryder Hesjedal, Janez Brajkovic and many more. At this point we ran down to the end so we could get pictures of the individuals.
Jens Voigt is the man. Total class act, one of the hardest riders in the peleton & autographed a piece of paper for me.

This was the day's podium, DZ in gold, Cav in green. Awesome!


The following day my lovely pre-wife joined me in downtown Livermore. Because DZ was the GC leader Garmin-Transitions was leading the way. They looked awesome pulling everyone through town. It's amazing how fast they were moving. I haven't developed the pictures yet but I'm hoping to have caught the Garmin-Transitions train pulling the peleton through town. I'm also hoping to have caught Steve Cozza's mustache because he was on the front of the train looking strong that day.

Mother's day is gonna be here quicker than we realize



Since so many of my friends are expecting or recently had babies I'm sharing that link. Even though I'm not a mom I found a lot of awesome things on there, sent a suggestion on to my siblings and even purchased something already. The purchase is for my pre-wife so maybe its not quite in the spirit but she'll be a mom someday so hopefully it counts.

And in the interest of full disclosure, by sharing that link I'm entered into a contest to win some method laundry detergent and a gift certificate to an online jeweler. Because I'm still trying to green my parents from across the country I'm excited about the laundry detergent and I'm sure my mom would really appreciate the jewelery so it's a win-win.


Getting back to what I love

"One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener's own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race."
- Wendell Berry

Last weekend I picked up some heirloom/hybrid varieties of tomatoes from a semi-local California farm. Wild Boar Farms is home to the most interesting tomatoes I've ever seen. I loved the Big Beef variety we grew & sold at Cider Hill but now that I'm planting my own garden I decided I wanted to have some fun with it. Hopefully I'm not getting in over my head.

Because the soil I'll be using has been untouched for years it took some conditioning to get it to a somewhat acceptable point. I dug a pit that was 9 feet long, 5 feet wide and about 1.5 feet deep. It was really difficult because the soil is so compacted and clumpy. After digging everything up I added some organic compost, fertilizer and vermiculite at 1.5 feet, 1 foot and 6 inches from ground level. I wanted to jump start the conditioning process so that the plants will have a fighting chance when the summer heat arrives. I really hope the work was worth it, especially since I'll be moving outta here soon.

I'll be planting 6 varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of peppers, basil, cilantro, and pickling cukes. I didn't want to do too much because I'll be moving out before everything is harvested, this is my first attempt at California gardening and I don't trust the dog that lives here to leave anything alone. He has already shown too much interest in my stuff so I'm reluctant to let him anywhere near a planted garden. Hopefully we come up with some sort of fence system soon cause these plants need to get into the ground soon.

I really can't wait to have a home of my own, when all my effort will be for me & my family. I love working in the yard, improving the landscape and seeing what I'm capable of. When its your own property the blisters and various other sores probably don't hurt as bad. Oh well, it will all be worth it when I'm finally able to enjoy some home grown produce!

When you support your local bike shop you support your local bike community

Attempting to actively blog and keep up with the demands of a sustainable MBA program is very difficult. I've been researching so many companies that are doing some really awesome things. I'll get inspired to blog about something I researched but then I realize that 'd be much better off directing my energy into either one of the 1,500 word papers due that week.

Despite all that, I wanted to write this post that was inspired by my recent visit to Livermore Cycles. I was there to pick up my three bikes that were finally shipped here from Massachusetts. I love bikes, they are so simple but so beautiful at the same time. I sometimes lose hours looking at bike catalogs or walking through bike shops.

While I was picking up my bikes I had a conversation with one of the employees about how the shop provides free tubes/tires and tune-ups for some of the unemployed/homeless/disabled residents of our town. Often these residents have no other mode of transportation because they can't afford a car and don't have a driver's license. This is not unique to our town though, this is a worldwide reality. What many people don't realize is that these bikers wouldn't be able to continue biking if it weren't for the charity of the local bike shops.

These bikers often have little or no money to spare and can't afford to pay for parts. Often, the local shops will repair the bikes for free because the problems are minor and can be fixed quickly. When Livermore Cycles repairs a bike for free they sometimes attach a sticker or placard that says some to the effect of 'If you'd like to contribute to the upkeep of this bike please stop by Livermore Cycles and donate to the ____ fund.' All of the regulars have a fund set up and there is also a general fund for the 'once in a blue moon' crowd. Even if no one ever contributes to the funds Livermore Cycles will continue to repair bikes for free.

I've heard similar stories from friends that work in other bike shops. I'm sure there are plenty of shops that turn people away or only repair items if the biker can cover the cost of the parts but it seems that many local bike shops just accept the fact that there will be certain people that can't afford repairs but also can't afford to be without their bikes. This kind of community service is awesome and also why I'm such a fan of supporting local businesses. I'm proud to support Livermore Cycles with my business because I know that they are supporting the local biking community.

This is a picture of one of Boston's most famous bikers, Tricycle Louie. His real name is Louie Evans but people know him by his tricycle and his distinctive warning that he cries out every few yards. He travels about 1,000 miles a month around Boston frequenting a few locations where he has unknowingly formed a fan club. When his tricycle was stolen a while back his fans got together and raised enough funds to purchase a new one and set up a fund for future repairs at his favorite shop, Back Bay Bicycles.

Another Tuesday, another taco

Per tradition, everyone gathered at the pre-wife's parent's house for Taco Tuesday tonight. Taco Tuesdays are my favorite Tuesdays. Tonight's was fun because Ryan shared a phrase that he had just invented... Bomb Dollaz. It means nothing & can be used for everything so its fun to say. Be on the look out for stickers, shirts & snowboards bearing the phase someday. It's gonna be bomb dollaz!

I have many great taco memories:

- My first Taco Bell taco. We stopped here before driving 3 hours from Pensacola to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I was a little concerned for my well being as I had heard many stories about people goin Jackson Pollock all over the place after eating there but I manned up & went for it. I used fire sauce too. I figured might as well fight fire with fire. No Jackson Pollock here so I guess my logic was solid.

- While moving across the country we stopped and got lunch at some sort of mexican-ish restaurant. I asked for some packets of the hottest kind of sauce they offered. At the time this really impressed Dre' and he acted as my hype man telling everyone about the time that I ate a taco with two, TWO, fire sauces on it. I can't remember the location (I'm pretty sure it was St. Louis & maybe Del Taco) but I remember Dre's stories. Dre' rules almost as much as tacos and I'm pretty sure he won't be mad at me for saying that either.

- Speaking of Dre' and tacos, I also remember when I moved to Colorado after being in Pensacola for a semester and Dre' was super pumped about some sort of lime sauce taco at Taco Bell. We went and saw Joe Dirt at the theater & then stopped to get this magic taco that he wouldn't shut up about. I remember it being really good but its not around anymore, WTF Taco Bell?!?!? By this point Dre' had conquered the fire sauce as well & he was proud to tell me that he wasn't sure what all the hub bub was about cause it ain't so bad.

- But nothing will beat the time that I ate 10 stand 'n stuff tacos, passed out in a taco coma & woke up just in time to see Big Papi hit a game winning home run for the Sox. They were crunchy shells completely stuffed with ground beef, refried beans, black beans, corn, lettuce, hot sauce and probably weighed close to a pound each.


Another reason tacos are so great is that the ingredients used to make them so awesome are produced by many different kinds of farmers. Your taco dinner is made possible by many different people working hard to bring such deliciousness as beef/turkey, dairy, veggies, avocados & beans. I'm thankful for all the awesome farmers that contribute to this awesome meal & hope they get to enjoy a Taco Tuesday of their own.

What the blog is this all about?!?

The pre-wife and I have been talking about blogging our adventures so that we can share them with friends and family and just today I thought I'd get things started. Not that anything awesome has happened today but I needed a starting point.

We feel that we, as a couple starting our life together on the West Coast, should have a way to keep our East coast friends and family updated on our adventures. I also want a place to share thoughts on sustainability, corporate social responsibility and my professional endeavors since all those topics will hopefully also be of interest to my audience.

This site will be home to photos, videos & stories of our adventures through California's wine country and beyond. As soon as I figure out how to get pictures off of my camera I'll really get cranking with this blog but for the time being I'm just setting the table.

You can expect lots of hiking, trips to local farms & wineries, Celtics, sustainability and our progression towards becoming a happily married couple to be discussed because all of those topics are awesome.