Ghouls, Goblins, Grim Reapers & Walking Tacos?

Each year our town hosts a Halloween parade where up to 100 groups organize floats, dance routines, marching bands and more to celebrate the year. Tonight was our annual Halloween Parade. It's hard to describe the "small town" feel we have less than 20 miles from Washington, DC but for a few hours each year we bask in brisk weather and a tradition that goes back many years. You'll find people "reserving" their spaces along the parade route with chairs & blankets as far as 24 hours ahead of time. It's hard to believe that in 2008 the chairs & blankets are left alone.

The local bike shop, Bikes @ Vienna (http://www.bikesatvienna.com/), sponsored an entry. This year's group of riders included multiple trikes, three styles of recumbent tandems, multiple styles of single rider recumbents, at least one "crank forward" upright and a folding bike that the rider stopped periodically to demonstrate to the crowd. We had a trike that literally glowed with lights, riders dressed in Halloween costumes - a ghoul in full make up, the grip reaper with hooded face and a sickle instead of a flag. The ghoul was riding a tandem with a kid's car seat for the front rider position. His "kid" for the night? A friendly skeleton!

While the distance of the parade route was not very far (maybe less than a mile) we rode many times that distance by doing circles & figure eights in our section of the parade. Lots of waves and "high fives" from the spectators. The kids were especially intrigued by these unique rides.

The night ended with the group back at the bike shop sharing stories & "walking tacos". I had never heard of "walking tacos" so I didn't know if this was a joke being played on the newbies or if the ghost of tacos past would be walking by. It was neither.

It turns out to be an interesting way to build a type of taco/taco salad:
Take a small bag of Doritos and crunch them into small pieces
Cut down the side of the bag to form a "bowl"
Layer in taco fixings (tip: put the chili/taco meat in last or the bag gets awfully hot)
Eat with a fork or spoon
When finished toss the bag in the trash, no dishes

My wife and I are already planning variations to use at future parties.

Special thanks to Bikes @ Vienna for sponsoring a spot in the parade and providing the post ride "walking tacos". It was a great way to spend time with new friends and promote cycling at the same time.

Uphill with a wedgie

Since purchasing the trikes we've had several people ask about how well they climb a hill. Like many tools it is often the person using the tool that determines how well it performs. Just owning a Stradivarius violin and taking a few lessons will not make you a concert violinist owning a bike or trike of any make will make you a better hill climber.

Today I got a chance to compare first hand. My wife & son took the trikes and I went along with the mountain bike, a true wedgie. We tackled the two biggest hills on our nearby road/trail circuit. I found that I could out pace them on short hills but on longer climbs they were able to methodically attack the hill at a pace I could not maintain. At the end of our ride my wife pushed the wedgie up the last hill and I road the GT3 trike. I had no problem finishing the climb even though I was pacing her walking speed. I could never have done that on a wedgie. So my totally unscientific conclusion: wedgies win on short burst hills but trikes are better for long steady climbs.

At least with my legs. Your mileage may vary.

Back in the saddle

After several weeks recovering from surgery I was able to hit the trail again. It was a solo short ride, about 18 miles, but a chance to get back in the saddle. This time I went east on the W&OD trail past Falls Church, VA and back. Overall a hot day but a chance to ride & reflect.