Five on Friday: Staying Busy Edition

Franny Fran is off on a business trip until the middle of next week, so I’ve been staying super busy and over-exerting and over-exhausting myself. I will not be surprised if I catch cold at some point, but so far so good (knocks on wood). So… this is what I’ve been up to in the past week packed into 5 points.

1. Small dogs petting session

J and I went to a weekly outing of small dogs (under 20 lbs). Yes. I love dogs. I got a TON of petting in and I was so happy the rest of the day! Plus, it was a gorgeous morning out on the beach and a trip to the ocean is always a good way to start the day.

2. It’s time to rumble

I hung out at the Quake City Rumble, which was pretty damned awesome and fun. It was also really hot. Yeah.

I didn’t race, but I convinced a new friend from the train to come too, so we got to hang out, take photos of the bikes and the boys, and drink beers in the hot hot sun.

3. Road trip north

Franny and I took a little road trip to Ukiah, a completely random spot I saw on the map along 101. The whole plan was to go to the Ukiah Brewery (everything was organic) and drink some beers. Then we were going to stop at Hopland on the way back to visit the Mendocino Brewing Company too. It was a hot day, but a nice drive up. The country views up there are really gorgeous. I don’t know that I would want to do any hiking or anything, but it was a nice trip out of San Francisco.

4. A very buttery crew

I finally got to ride Butterlap on Wednesday and boy was I pleased with it. The route is ridiculous fun and goes up and around all the hills I love in SF. It was the first time I’d ridden my bike up to Sutro Baths though, and that felt like a good accomplishment too. Plus, the group was just so fun to ride with and very friendly. There are lots of regroups and no one gets dropped.

I liked the route a lot, but you definitely cool down a bit too much during the regroups. It was a chilly night and I wanted to keep riding. I may start doing this without the group with minimal stops to challenge myself. Plus, the route is just plain pretty and the views are nice.

(Sorry the photo is so large… I got it from my Tumblr and I can’t figure out how to resize it through email posting.)

5. Basic bike maintenance

My bike has been feeling a bit sluggish, so I decided it was time to service my bottom bracket (that always sounds so dirty!) at the Bike Kitchen. If you don’t know what the Bike Kitchen is, it’s a cooperative, volunteer-run bike maintenance shop. They have a ridiculous amount of tools and volunteer mechanics who can help you maintain your bike. You do all the work yourself, and it’s a great way to learn how to fix your bike yourself. I’m a huge fan of this place.

I’ve taken bottom brackets apart before, and it gets easier and more familiar the more I do it. I took the cranks off and removed the bearings, cleaned the whole system, and then put it all back together. Now it feels like butter and I’m so glad I did this before going on the weekend ride to Fairfax.

It was also a nice bonus to have dinner with my cutiepie afterwards too. I feel fortunate to have a friend like him, not to mention he’s absolutely adorable. I hope we stay friends for a long time.