Today will be the last entry I make before leaving on an opportunistic,
last-minute vacation. I'm heading over to Switzerland and Germany
for 11 days. I have been there before in 2002, so the question is why
go back? Well, there are two main reasons; First, the flight and hotels
bills are covered, so no out of pocket expense on those big items.
Second, I am bringing my carbon fiber baby along...so I can ride in
the Swiss Alps! Or at least try to...lol. To cycle in the Swiss Alps,
and perhaps through the Arden, would be awesome.

So, yesterday I took a 30+ mile jaunt over in Somerset County,
where the riding is SO much better than where I live, in Passiac
County. I rode through Far Hills, Peapack, Mendham, and back,
past Ravine Lake, one of my favorite roads to take.
Here is the profile of the ride, courtesy of mapmyride.com

A few good climbs...including a slight detour...gave me over 900
feet of elevation. One ascent was over 2 miles, so it was just
a slow and steady grind upward. No real drama, no close calls.
What goes up...also comes down...and a couple of the descents
were fast and flowing. Top speed down Old Chester Road was
41 mph. Not super fast...but still moving! I actually passed a car
on the4 way down...I love doing that! The look on the drivers face
is priceless.

I do notice that when I ocassionally accomplish this, some drivers
get mad...and speed away. The other day in Rutherford, I was flying
down Union Ave, doing like 37 - because it descends gradually, you
gain a lot of momentum, anyway, I'm catching and passing cars,
because there are traffic lights, and the cars get slowed down etc...
while I timed the lights just right, and passed a bunch of cars...and
two didn't like it, one yelled something, to which I replied, go fuck
yourself..of course, and the other made sure they sped past me,
close by. I gave him the finger. Oh well. It's always something..
like my grandmother used to say...life is like a fuit cake...When you
look at it, it's rich and sweet with honey and sugar and spice, tastes
delicious, makes your mouth water and everything. But if you look at
it real close, there's these weird little green things in it and all that and
you don't know what it is! Merry Christmas, Roseanne Roseannadanna.