As the Wheels Turn

And they’re going to be awesome! Thanks to Bret who worked on the design.

Professor in my business law class told us about Zillow.com today. Type in an address and it estimates the value of it along with some information. The informatoin provided includes:

• Type of Residence
• Rooms
• Bathrooms
• Square Feet
• Year Built
• Houses that were recently sold in the area
• 1 year value change graph
• Estimated worth

Pretty neat if your just browsing or could be very useful if you’re actually looking to buy property.

Yes - I didn’t wear my biking shoes today. Why? Because I hiked today! I hiked up the motorway with Tina.

I like to hike every now and then just to break out of the bike routine and enjoy the same trails from a different perspective.

It’s nice to slow things up a bit and be able to look around you and fully appreciate your surroundings. When we ride, most of our focus is on the trail - on the ruts, the rocks, the gear we’re in, the lines we must take, etc etc. But by hiking, we can better appreciate the surroundings and tranquility.

Sure there were times when I imagined myself on my bike and thought “hm, this would be a good line to take,” or “man, going down this thing would be a lot more exciting on my bike.” But that’s why I ride a whole lot more then I hike!

Moral of the story: Hiking occasionally helps provide a different perspective on the trails we ride. It makes you appreciate riding more and maybe even provides a different or even new kind of enjoyment.

But tomorrow the Yeti will get a workout.

STR members now have a good place to share trail updates with each other. A whole new section in our forums is dedicated to doing just that. The list of trails is incomplete but members have the opportunity to add trails that are important to them. Each trail is represented by special threads, which have general info on the trail. Users can even share GPS files and Google earth routes by attaching them to comments.

Why have this? Riders can inform each other about whether or not a trail is overgrown, muddy, loose, windy, cold, full of hikers - well you get the idea. This will help everybody make informed decisions about where to ride and how to gear up for the ride.

How can YOU help make this resource a helpful resource?

1. Take a minute after a ride and comment about the trail
2. Add a trail if it’s missing from the list