The Hills are Alive, With the Sound of Wheezing

Everybody grew up knowing a kid who lived at the top of a hill. Nobody wanted to go over his house to play, because to get there you had to do this:



Well, I made a new friend yesterday. His name is Mr. Griffith, and he lives here:



We did a ride in Griffith park and it was uphill. Both ways. In the snow. I have to say I feel I did rather well, except for my back. Oye Vey was my back killing me. I used to laugh at the stupid Doan's Back Pill commercials as a kid but man what I wouldn't give for a bucket of them now. I need to get my bike adjusted.

Most of the reason I survived the hill was because my bike has a third front gear, the "Granny Gear". I had read some buying guides that said the 3rd gear wasn't needed and even that REAL triathlon bikes don't have them. Blasphemy! LOVE the Granny Gear. EMBRACE the Granny Gear. In fact, if you can find a bike with a fourth "Great Granny Gear" go for it.

The highlight of the ride of course was seeing Dominic Keating, Lt. Malcolm Reed of Star Trek Enterprise, leaving the golf course heading for his car. How cool would it have been if I had smashed into his car with my bike?! Or better yet, if I had run him over! He was standing in the middle of the road when I was racing downhill, so he was fair game.