The Bauer Family

Christmas has passed and today is New Year Eve.  A lot has happened this past year and I am excited for the New Year!  Christmas was nice this year.  We were not sure if my mom was even going to come out until our Thursday visit before Christmas.  Jay Jay had to work on the holiday and the eve so I picked mom up at 9:30am on Christmas Eve so she could get to see him.  She ended up spending the entire day with us.  We had a nice brunch before Jay Jay left for work and mom enjoyed her time with us and the kitty's. She was happy to be here! Spending time with Esther. Opening presents. Time with the boys. Hoping to get some homemade chicken noodle soup. We took mom home around 5pm and I went into work for around an hour.  Michelle and Brendan picked me up on their way back.  We stopped at McDonald's and had something to eat and then headed home.  Jay Jay was home before us and we watched Christmas Vacation before ...

I had Global Fat Bike Day on the calendar as soon as it was announced!  The past two years we had went to Sleepy Hollow State Park to enjoy the festivities.  I wanted to do something different so I asked Craig what his plans were.  He informed me that he would be going to Island Lake to join the Son's of Fatarchy riding the Badlands!  I thought this sounded like good idea and a quick message out to the other Fatties in our group made it a consensus.  Don Miller ended up working and could not join us. The ride was starting at 10am and Craig advised that we get there early so we could get a parking spot.  Raymond, Don Stange and myself met in Birch Run and got the bikes loaded up. Bikes loaded and ready to go! We left Birch Run and made it to Island Lake with plenty of time to spare.  Craig arrived shortly after we did. Craig and Raymond starting to prep for the ride. Craig suggested we get ready and role out before the large grou...

The month is almost over and I thought I would cover some of what took place this month.   Our oldest cat passed away.  He was over 20 years old.  I had found Chance on the highway when he was about 6 weeks old.  He hardly had any hair and was covered in fleas.  The vet was not sure he would even make it.  He survived and grew very strong and very sweet.  He would always want to cuddle with everyone.  He will be remembered and missed. Chance and Mom. I have sold a few bikes that have been setting around and not being ridden.  The first was my Giant TCX cross bike.  No one had been on it for over a year.  The next was the Green Machine.  They should both see some use now.  Doesn't make sense to have them setting around.  I also have a couple of wheel sets and a lot of tires up for sale.  Hope to move some of that out and get some extra space back in the shop. Thanksgiving came and went and now w...

About a month ago Michelle and I decided to take a fall color tour and Brendan would be coming with us.  So we did our planning and reserved our rooms.  Brendan had a half day of school so we picked him up at school and headed out. Our first destination was Manistee.  We made a quick stop in Clare and resumed our trip and arrived at our hotel at 3:00pm.  We rested for a while and then headed out to check out the old downtown area. We took a little walk on the river walk and came across this little guy. This river otter was hanging out on the dock! We made our way out toward Lake Michigan and started to head back when we got to the entry to the beach.  There was a great view. Light House at the river channel. We then headed back into town and stopped to eat. TJ's Pub was nice. After dinner we went back down to the beach and walked out on the pier.  It was cold and windy. Glad we brought our winter coats and hats! ...

Fall went back into full swing today.  The high did not even hit 60 degrees!  We were preparing for the family party for Brendan's Birthday.  His Birthday is Monday.  We did some work and then I went out for a short ride.  I had not tested the Vortex since the brake upgrade so I got it ready and took it out. Ready to Roll. I went down to the park and rode around Burt a bit.  I almost hit 8 miles.  It was a nice ride. So then it was back to the house and continued to prepare for the party.  Family started to arrive around 4pm and we had dinner followed by cake and watching football. Pokemon Cake The Birthday Boy! Happy Birthday budy!

The Best Time to Bike! On Saturday I traveled with Raymond to the Bear Claw Epic.  This was the second annual race and the second time up there for Raymond and I.  We got there with plenty of time to spare and got ready to go. Farley ready to go. I registered for Beginner Fat Bike or at least I thought so?  I felt pretty good and knowing that I only had one lap to do I went all out.  I passed several riders through the race and felt I did pretty good.  This course has a lot of climbing and rewards you with some nice downhills. After I finished my race I put on a fresh shirt and went out on the course with the camera and my new lens.  I took over 400 pictures and headed back to the start finish after Raymond finished his race. Raymond on his second lap. And the final climb. The beginner awards were going on and they announced my name as first place for Beginner Men 50-59.  I was surprised, but did not protest.  Aft...

Summer will be officially over in a few days so thought I should bring things up to date. After returning from vacation time just flew by.  We brought mom out the day after we returned and had a nice visit.  That night we slept really well and missed church on Sunday.  Then it was back to work. On Saturday, August 27 we hosted a group ride from the house.  The plan was for a 25 mile ride on the back roads and then a BBQ feast after.  That morning I woke up and everything was wet.  A quick check of the weather showed rain most of the day.  The group started arriving shortly after 1:00pm.  I was starting to do some grilling so things would be ready on our return.  By 2:30pm the rain was very light and we decided to head out at 3:00pm.  The ride ended up being 17 miles and a little sloppy.  The food was excellent and everyone had a good time.  It was great to reconnect with everyone.  Some we had not seen in a few ye...

After a good night sleep, some coffee and a little more review of photos we were packed up and ready to hit the road.  We had close to 5 hours of travel ahead of us.  I knew that meant close to 8 hours after making stops. The roads in Canada were very nice and there was a great deal of road construction (much like Michigan).  It was not to difficult to navigate and we were well on our way to our first stop.  Right away Michelle spied a large body of water that we determined to be Lake Ontario.  The last lake in the chain of the Great Lakes.  So we detoured off the interstate and made a stop.  We had lunch at Subway then went to a Marina to check out the lake. This old ship is by the marina.  It was once a floating restaurant and was going to be revived until someone set it on fire.  It now just sets here abandoned and rusting. Lake Ontario We spent a little time rock hunting.  Michelle managed to fill a medium bevera...