The Sound of Music

These are some pictures from the Katy Trail. A popular section is at the Rocheport trailhead near Columbia, MO. This is a must do ride. Mid-October is a great time because of the fall foliage, but anytime is great. At the Rocheport trailhead, make sure you check out the tunnel about a half-mile to the West. After that, turn and ride the trail to the East. It is lined with white towering bluffs on one side, and the Missouri River on the other.





Walking out of the doctor's office two-weeks ago I felt like Julia Andrews in the scene from The Sound of Music where she is on the mountain meadow, arms wide spread, singing at the top of her lungs "The Hills are alive with the sound of music!" The prognosis was good. I had some cartilage tears, but with some arthescopic surgery I should be able to resume training as before. He said that other than the tears I had the "normal" wear and tear of an active "middle-aged" man. At that point I thought he must be a quack. I'm only 46 and not middle-aged. I put it down to near-sightedness. I'm sure he'll wear eyeglasses for the surgery.

I was so anxious in the waiting room. I had read the report from the MRI and it sounded dire. You would think that an orthopedic surgeon's waiting room would be filled with athletic people, with athletic injuries. Not exactly. It was filled with old people with walkers and I had a terrible image that this was my future.

I could see myself shuffling down the hallway with my walker, heading for the loo at the end of the hall which seems like a mile away. A decrepit old man, also with a walker, pulls up next to me, and then starts to pull ahead of me. I quicken my pace and edge ahead of him. Agitated, he surges ahead. Now the race is on! Neck and neck we pull through the hallway, the metallic clanging of our walkers echoing through the halls. The pace is frantic now, like a scene from the chariot race in Ben Hur, we are kicking at each others walker. Finally, I dislodge the tennis ball on the end and his walker slides out from under him on the slick tiles. He sprawls helplessly on the floor thrashing about like an overturned turtle. The prize is mine. I'm king of the throne.... Damn! Now I can't go.

Oh, Johnny B. Goode!

I took a little mini-vacation to St. Louis last week. I started on Wednesday morning. I stopeed off at Rocheport and rode on the Katy Trail for a couple of hours. Luckily, there was a break in the heat wave and it wasn't a million degrees. I'll do a seperate posting on the Katy Trail soon.

My main goal for the trip was to see a rock'n roll legend, Chuck Berry. He'll be 80-years old in October. I made the mistake of waiting with Ray Charles, and missed the chance of ever seeing him. I wasn't going to do that with Chuck. He still tours regularly, quite a bit of it in Europe, but, he plays once a month in St. Louis, always on a Wednesday and always in the middle of the month. The bar is called Blueberry Hill and it's a pretty cool place. I was told they had a great hamburger. I'll definitly be back for that.

I didn't expect much from an 80-year old man, but he put on a hell of a show. He dosen't play long instrimentals but does short riffs on the guitar that sound as good as every. What really impressed me was his voice. He still has the same high voice that sounds clear as a bell. He adds a lot of humor and antics to the show. Basically, he entertains. This is a "can't miss show" If you plan it right, you can combine it with a Cardnals game like I did.



The guy in the white is Chuck's son, and the chick is his daughter.












This was the moring view from my room at The Millenium. It was nice to walk across the street and have The Arch almost all to yourself at dawn. There are a lot of runners in St Lou, and the riverfront was a great place for it.


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If you are a baseball lover, then you have to make the pilgrimage to the new Busch Stadium. What a fantastic park! I like the fact that their seats are both roomy and cushioned. Yes, cushioned! What a concept. I always get claustrophobic at Kaufman Stadium.

Rose brooks Triathalon 3

What can be more exciting than a competive triathlon race? How about a women-only triathlon, the Rose Triathlon? Yes, I wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity of watching 200 or so beautiful, athletic women competing with all they had. It was held at Smythville Lake last Saturday morning. They day was overcast and fairly cool for August, perfect triathalon weather.

The chick in the first picture is my good friend Tiffany. She got 2nd in her age division. It looks like she got "nipped" in the end. Well, Tiff, like Ricky Bobby said in the movie Talidaga Nights, "If you ain't first, you last!" Better luck next time. Just kidding, great race. If you switch from the dog-paddle, you might win next year.












































This was the first swimmer out of the water, Ashley Nicol Nolan. She's only 14. God, I feel old. She's a projected Olympian in 2008.