It's been a busy (and stressful) couple weeks, however, I have gotten in a couple fun rides. Two weeks ago a couple software packages didn't want to play nice and that meant increased heat from the firms partners. They couldn't bill clients which meant bills weren't going to get paid unless I figured something out....and fast. About the same time preparations for the MORE summer picnic were in full swing and a major part of the event was not finalized and required additional approval from the park.....which wasn't returning my calls.

By Tuesday I solved the software issue, with the help of a high priced gun slinger, and spent a long night getting our accountant data for billing. On Wednesday afternoon things were looking good and I was able to ride with the guys that night. Phil ripped a derailleur off on the return trip up Das Berg and had to walk it out, but, other than that it was a great night of riding and I was in need of the stress relief. Barb, taking pity on the fact that I was not going to make any of the rides scheduled during the picnic (hard to do as the chief organizer) gave me a pass for Saturday. This was perfect as Darius invited a bunch of people down from PA for a long ride in the shed. I show up at Sandflats at 9am only to find out the start time was moved to 10. No worries as I just kick back finish my coffee and wait for everyone else to show up. RiderX is first to roll up, on his bike, and informs me of the revised start time. DC Tony is next and I didn't know it at the time, but, he had a new frame, a box of parts and was planning to build it up his bike before our ride in the p-lot! Crazy, but, he got it together just about the time Phil rolled in, it was now 10:30. Our epic ride had to be scaled down a little, but, we still had a great time, I met some cool people and made it home BEFORE my pass expired. Major brownie points there.


The rest of the day was spent looking after the wee ones and getting ready for the MORE picnic the next day. RSVP's topped out at 130 on Saturday night which meant I didn't have enough food. I hit the store, load down my SUV with a crap load of stuff and got it mostly loaded in preparation for my early departure the next morning.

Sunday morning sees me driving to Patapsco around 7:30. I had to get a bunch of ice first and I consider myself lucky Barb and the kids are driving seperately. My truck is packed to the gills and I could barely squeeze a water bladder in by the end. At the park people are already there for the morning epic rides and I enlist the help of many to unpack my mule. I enlist a few more to help with setup and start to wonder when my two volunteers will show up to help, they never do. A few riding buddies are willing to skip their rides to help,but, I'm alright at this point and send them out to the singletrack. People are now showing up with food that needs to be kept cold and yet oddly enough they don't have coolers or ice.....WTF??? Now I'm stressed and the next person who asked if I needed help didn't know what hit him. Brad, from the 12 Hours for St. Jude, says he's not planning to ride and asks if I need anything. Ice, lots of freaking ice. I was told people were bringing ice, but, that one 8 pound bag hardly counts as ice for a picnic of this scale. Brad rolls out and returns with enough ice to sink the Titanic all over again. We ice down the perishables and he becomes my defacto right hand guy for the rest of the day. He totally gave up his day to help me out and he isn't even a member of the club. MORE owes this guy a huge thank you. We fire up the grills and get to cooking. The burgers are thick and frozen, so, they take a while to cook. The dogs on the other hand are flying off my little gas grill as fast as we can burn them. One woman actually commented about that and I had to refrain from smacking her with my spatula..........freaking bitch. Trish was another person who helped save my sanity that day. She is one of MORE's old guard and organization is her middle name. She ran a tight ship and I was damn glad to have her. At the end of the day we served up over 130 burgers, 170 hot dogs and a crapload of other things people brought for the potluck. The rides went great, the kids rodeo and ride was a hit and the pavilion we rented was perfect for the picnic. Somewhat shaded and right next to a tire park for the kids to play in. Barb brought extra stuff for the kids to play with as well. All in all I think it was a big success and I have my friends to thank for keeping the rides fast and fun. Next up, the Liberty Jamboree V.