"Rap"-ping up 2011

It was another fine year with lots 'o bike ridin'
From all the hard work I surely wasn't hidin'!

Spent 48 days in the Sierras and Cascades
Doin' all 'o that climbin' is why Stella was made.

Grindin' up all those passes goin' 3 miles an hour
Fortunately for me, my legs they got the power!

My night's on the road were mostly spent
Sleepin' nice and cozy in my little 2-person tent.

CouchSurfing and Warmshowers I used them both well
Even spent a night in a sleazy motel.

Spent a couple of days with my cousins in Bend
And in Hood River, Oregon, I did it again.

I had a few detours due to too much snow
From Yosemite over Tioga I just couldn't go.

If it weren't for my heroes, Jessica and John
The schedule I was plannin', I couldn't have stayed on.

Then there was Bruce at Almanor Lake
He showed me a detour around Lassen to take.

He even invited me to stay at his place
I quickly agreed since he had a nice face.

In some state parks I met PCT hikers
But I didn't really see very many other bikers.

Except near Sequoia I met a kid named Sean
We stayed together a day, but then I moved on.

After Hood River I had my third and final detour
I went West instead of East and rode to Vancouver.

I did a little hike to the top of Beacon Rock
Where, with David and his pals I had a nice talk.

In the end I rode over 2000 miles without a single flat
I know you all are thinking, how amazing is that!

I managed to be home for just a few days
Before Christian made it here for a 2 day stay.

We did some sightseeing, in the car we did go
Went up to Mt. St. Helens to the volcano.

Then it was back on the bikes to head out to the Coast
With Christian and his harem it was 75 miles at the most.

Day 2 we got to Raymond and not a restaurant was seen
We ended up eating at a Dairy Queen.

We said goodbye to Christian, it was sad but okay
Because we met two other Germans who were goin' our way!

When we made it back home Nolan didn't have a clue
I'd left with one German, but I came back with two!

Up to Mt. St. Helens I took them and their stuff
The weather wasn't great, but it was good enough.

When August rolled around it was time to go again
I was off to France to see my good friend.

I did some hang gliding from Col de Forclaz
The ride was spectacular and I was totally in awe!

We went to La Baule on the French West Coast
Of our four days there we definitely made the most.

We drove along the coast and saw a lot of scenes
For Maximilien's birthday I had langoustines!

We rented bikes and Pornichet we did reach
Then we spent the afternoon playing on the beach.

Less than 24 hours from France I was back
Lorraine, Annette and I headed to the cabin where I relaxed.

We met up with Christie and floated down the river
The day it was so hot that we didn't even shiver!

After returning home I took Kyle to school
With all the bikey culture I thought Eugene was cool!

In Kyle's small apartment we did stay
Then out to Bike Friday we went the next day

I really wasn't planning on getting a new ride
But my eyes lit up when we walked inside.

We did a short test ride down along the trail
Little did they know they had likely made a sale.

A month or so later, well into the Fall
I looked up the number and gave Bike Friday a call.

I placed my order for pickup in mid November
I racked my brain deciding what to name her.

Then the name "Betsy" popped into my head
It's due to her color which they call "Flag Red".

Well, 2011 and this rap are at an end
2012 will be New Zealand with my very good friend!