With the arrival of my new Niner RIP 9 frame, the build began this evening. Fry was quite excited when we brought the box in.
The frame itself is quite frankly a work of art in my humble opinion.
My goal:
You're doing a good job Daddy!
Pressing in the headset:
Next, the bottom bracket:
Isn't it lovely?
Time for the cranks, pedals and temporary chainrings - I'm switching it to either a 1X or a 2X once I decide which I prefer.
Rear derailleur:
Rear disc brake. The front will go on once the fork arrives.
Front derailleur:
All finished for Day One - Many thanks to the Best Husband Ever for working late into the night on this. More to come with the arrival of the fork and wheelset.
It's been a slow process trying to regain years of lost fitness and bike handling skill, but after several months of heading out to the trail almost daily, on albeit slow and short rides, I'm finding that old joy gradually but surely coming back.
With the assistance of course of my constant biking companion, Fry, I'm quickly gaining confidence on sections of trail that had previously always unnerved me.
Even on the hardtail, I'm finding it easier to relax because riding is fun for me again.
It almost feels like floating sometimes...
Or gliding...
And nothing beats having my best buddy at my side. :-)
Our little Fry never ceases to amaze me. When Steve and I arrived back home from our trail run with the little man this evening, we saw that one of our neighbors had gotten a new 9-week-old Boxer puppy named Beanie and had her out to meet everyone. Fry, being the social butterfly that he is, of course wanted to meet her too, so we walked over for a visit. The two of them got along immediately, so we invited Beanie over to our fenced back yard to play. Even though Fry, at 48 pounds, is significantly larger than Beanie, he was the absolute perfect gentleman and played so gently with her.
They ran around the yard, and Fry showed Beanie how to chase a ball, He tried to teach her how to pick the ball up by its handle, but she was still a bit too small to do that yet, so he just patiently waited while she pushed it around.
Beanie jumped and climbed all over Fry and he was perfectly happy to let her use him as a Jungle Gym, rolling around on the ground with her, and then very sweetly guiding her back to her feet with his front paws when she flopped over.
I was amazed at how sweetly Fry played with the little puppy, demonstrating the softest "Lab mouth" I've ever seen. He reminded me so much of the way our precious Zoe used to play so gently with little doggies.
Since Fry is much quicker and stronger than Beanie, when they ran around the yard in a game of chase, he made sure to allow her to "catch" him often and happily let her dictate most of the play, never getting annoyed or irritable, no matter how much she climbed on him, barked or play-growled. This is the first time we've seen Fry interact with a baby puppy this young and I'm so proud of my sweet, gentle, patient boy - he really is a treasure.
Less than a week after the practice camping run, it was time for the real thing. Fry's first big camping trip would be to Beech Mountain, North Carolina for the 2012 USA Cycling Gravity Nationals Mountain Bike Downhill Championship race. This trip, running Thursday through Sunday, July 19-22, would offer our days and three nights of all kinds of new sights, sounds, dogs, people and activities.
Since Steve would be racing on Friday, it would be up to me to manage Fry during Thursday practice and Friday morning's race, and I was glad his first camping experience had been a positive one that would hopefully carry over to this trip as well. Fry did great on the drive up and was an excellent traveler during the ride, the rest stops and even the extremely tight twisty mountain road up to the top of Beech Mountain. On arrival, we found a nice spot in the lot designated for race camping - Parking Lot #3 - got the Rockwood trailer set up and opened the top half of the door so Fry could survey his new "home" for the next few days.
Beech Campsite
I was glad I decided to bring Fry's fleece jacket and rain coat, since the weather was significantly - and pleasantly - cooler than the high 90 to 100 degree temperatures we've been enduring for the past month or so at home. In fact, it wasn't long after we got our campsite set up that a storm began approaching.
Storm Approaching
Within minutes, a few "splats" of huge raindrops turned quickly into a downpour. I must admit, though, our little camper was quite cozy during the storm and I was more than happy to not be in a tent...
Rain
Even Fry seemed to think the camper was cozy in the rain.
Cozy
Likely a result of all the newness and excitement, Fry had a restless night Thursday, but wished his Daddy good luck in his race Friday morning.
Good Luck!
Steve headed out early to catch the ski lift ride to the start line, and Fry and I walked up shortly after, to find a comfortable spot near the last rock drop before the finish line to take some pictures of the amateur riders.
Watching the Amateurs
Steve managed to take seventh place in his class! Looks like the collar bone is doing well, thank goodness.
Steve Taking Seventh Place!
And since Fry was donning his glorious green multi-stripe collar from If It Barks, he naturally had to have his photo taken with "The Green Guy"...
Fry and The Green Guy
After the amateur races were complete, Ryan brought Fry's best girl, Farlow, over for a visit.
Fry and Farlow
And then Fry relished in being the center of attention with lots of petting.
Center of Attention
Finally, after a long day of meeting bunches of new friends and walking all around the race venue, Fry decided it was time for a nice long nap back at the campsite.
Nap Time
After a good rest, Fry was ready to go for a long fun hike with his new friend, Morris. Mark and Steve let Mo and Fry play in the creek after watching a little of the dual slalom.
Fry and Mo at the Creek
Then the five of us walked up a good bit of the Pro course to watch the pro racers practice and to let the pups get some exercise as well.
Fry and Morris
And it was time for another doggy nap.
Resting
Fry had already seemed to start settling in to a happy routine. He was
great meeting new people, even if still a bit hyper excitable on first
seeing other dogs. He was very reliable, though, about staying at his own campsite and seemed to enjoy helping Daddy with the grilling. :-)
At the Campsite
He seemed to very quickly accept the camper as his home-away-from-home and would frequently go inside of his own accord, either to lie down on the bed or just watch the world go by from the doorway.
Watching
Of course, on occasion he also enjoyed hanging out with us under the shade tent, either standing next to us or lying on his cushioned mat.
Fry and Daddy
But he also had no qualms about nabbing an unoccupied camp chair...
Fry in the Camp Chair
We walked up part of the mountain to watch some of the pro qualifying runs, and Fry was my superb photography assistant.
Photographer's Helper
He had a blast watching the riders jump the rocks exiting out of the woods...
Watching the Riders
And always let me know when the next rider was approaching from the upper rock garden.
Rider Up!
All in all, I'd say Fry's first big multi-night camping trip was a success and he's definitely a wonderful vacationing companion.
Straightened and adjusted properly:
Brake and shifter levers and cables went on next:
After the cogset was attached, the rear wheel was put into position:
And the chain added:
Drivetrain:
Adjusting the controls:
Derailleur fine-tuning:
The finished project:
Fry thinks the RIP 9 is awesome:
I think it's pretty awesome too!
Can't wait to get out on the trails.
The frame itself is quite frankly a work of art in my humble opinion. 
My goal:
You're doing a good job Daddy!
Pressing in the headset:
Next, the bottom bracket:
Isn't it lovely?
Time for the cranks, pedals and temporary chainrings - I'm switching it to either a 1X or a 2X once I decide which I prefer.
Rear derailleur:
Rear disc brake. The front will go on once the fork arrives.
All finished for Day One - Many thanks to the Best Husband Ever for working late into the night on this. More to come with the arrival of the fork and wheelset. 
With the assistance of course of my constant biking companion, Fry, I'm quickly gaining confidence on sections of trail that had previously always unnerved me.
Even on the hardtail, I'm finding it easier to relax because riding is fun for me again.
It almost feels like floating sometimes...
Or gliding...
And nothing beats having my best buddy at my side. :-)
They ran around the yard, and Fry showed Beanie how to chase a ball, He tried to teach her how to pick the ball up by its handle, but she was still a bit too small to do that yet, so he just patiently waited while she pushed it around.
I was amazed at how sweetly Fry played with the little puppy, demonstrating the softest "Lab mouth" I've ever seen. He reminded me so much of the way our precious Zoe used to play so gently with little doggies.
Since Fry is much quicker and stronger than Beanie, when they ran around the yard in a game of chase, he made sure to allow her to "catch" him often and happily let her dictate most of the play, never getting annoyed or irritable, no matter how much she climbed on him, barked or play-growled. This is the first time we've seen Fry interact with a baby puppy this young and I'm so proud of my sweet, gentle, patient boy - he really is a treasure. 
