The art of tailgating in a life that’s blogworthy

When we lived in Louisville, you never needed to carry a cooler, since everything was right around the corner. Breweries were connected by singletrack and bustling neighborhoods had a health food grocery store on every corner. The beautiful urban parks had miles of hand crafted singletrack which lay just a few blocks from home.

Leaving from the house, by bike, with the no plans, but to just wander, is liberating. Even when it only comes in 1 to 2 hour blocks of time. The greenways of Knoxville connect my west Knox 'hood to downtown, the riverfront, or the wooded hills surrounding town, and more.

Conversely, traveling to mountain bike destinations has become an art. Knoxville is surrounded by mountains in every direction, and killer trails are a day trip away. So we meet early on the weekends, bring some bike gear and a cooler, and let the good times roll. War-stories back at the car go down smoother around a well iced cooler.
“You should tailgate anywhere you don’t have to work”
Words to live by, -B. Nicholson
Cheers!

Friday evening the power went out in our neighborhood. Apparently someone wrecked into a transformer. Optimus Prime must have been pissed.
The power stayed out for the rest of the night, and it changed our plans slightly. It was nice to slow down and enjoy the kind of calm, normally reserved for a trip to the mountains. We picked up dinner at Qdoba and built a fire on the back porch. Sitting around the fire was like tailgating in the mountains, but at home. I had a few Fat Tire's and put my feet up while Erin, Macie and Hank enjoyed the crackling glow of the fire with me.

The details of my life are surely less than blogworthy, no doubt. Harvest The Ride isn't a bankroll of bragging rights, but rather a source of inspiration to go out and find beautiful moments; take a picture and log it away for the whole Internet to see. Seeing the world through the lens of a camera has motivated me to ride further, with the hopes of capturing a great photo. So I keep doing it.

With a newborn in our life, my calendar is becoming surprisingly full. ORAMM this weekend, Florida next week, Windrock race, Double Dare, 12 hours of the Hill of Truth, and Labor Day Weekend camping trip at Mount Rogers! I should have lots of photos to come, but tommorrow there will be Hell to pay!