I don’t think it’s the swine flu I have. There were about 11 stories in today’s paper related to the epidemic and my symptoms don’t seem to exactly match.
Nevertheless, I’m laid up with a fever and chicken noodle soup and NyQuil and the whole bit. So as long as I can’t wander anywhere, I might as well wander with my thoughts a bit. (If some of this doesn’t make sense, remember, I’m medicated.)
• On a cool, beautiful Saturday, before my ailments hit, I drove out to Brandy Creek Marina to check out the start and finish of the 22nd annual Lemurian Shasta Classic mountain bike race. It’s kind of bittersweet to go out there and not do the race, but 26 miles and thousands of feet of climbing was simply not in the cards for me this year.
Having done this race several times, I marvel that anyone can complete it in 2 hours and 6 minutes, like winner, Mike Vine of British Columbia, did. My longtime friend, Rich Thurman of Chico, finished third in 2 hours, 12 minutes, and that’s an incredible time as well. Rich has been racing since the days I know him back in Durango, Colo., two decades ago. The Lemurian has long been one of his favorite races.
Who really blows me away is Redding’s Kevin Clair, who finished somewhere around 2 hours, 20 minutes. Kevin has done the race (I’m pretty sure) all 22 years that it’s been held. That’s staggering feat and at some point, I think the race needs to become the Kevin Clair Lemurian Shasta Classic.
Kevin Clair
To me, mountain bike racing is pretty much between the rider and the course. Congrats to everyone who got out there and competed on the classic trails of Whiskeytown.
• Limited to the bed and couch as of late, I did some catching up on CBS’s “Survivor,” which features one-time Redding resident Ben Wade . “Coach,” as he’s called on the show, has become one of “Survivor’s” most memorable characters ever. He portrays himself as a modern-day samurai warrior, tells fantastical stories about his past adventures, claims he’ll never lie to anyone on the show, and sports an ego the size of Brazil (he’s an amazing guy and he’s not afraid to tell you about it).
Ben “Coach” Wade
On the most recent episode, he called himself the “dragon slayer” about 10,000 times (because he orchestrated the ouster of a strong player). Just about every time he makes a statement it elicits an eye roll from one of the other players. Even the show itself is mocking him, playing really dramatic music as he does his morning martial arts poses.
But here’s the flip side: Wade is a pretty excellent player on “Survivor” and he’s still in the hunt for the show’s million dollar prize. He’s one of seven players left from the original 16. I have to admit, sick or not, I’ll be watching.
• Here’s the true survivor — 101-year-old Bill Tapia.
Bill Tapia
I was thoroughly entertained by the Hawaiian ukuelele player’s concert with Redding’s Bernie Baker and Bruce Calin on Friday at Bernie’s Guitar. Tapia is still right in the pocket with his jazz playing and he collaborated so nicely with Baker and Calin, a pair of true pros. It was so much fun to hear Tapia’s (often irreverent) life stories. Here’s a man who remembers playing for troops during World War I.
More than a century of life and the guy’s still out on tour. I especially enjoyed his version of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy.” What an inspiration.
