photography – Page 17 – VeggHead BeerCyclist

soloCUBSparade II

Posted on April 15, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Originally today was going to be my 100+ mile day to honor Mike Hall. This has changed due to the chaos from yesterday. My garmin died, so it’s just my word to prove it. My garmin died around 155 km and the sun died shortly after. It’s easy to quit. It’s easy to think negative. It is difficult to overcome obstacles. Yesterday’s obstacles were sunlight, rain, headwind, traffic, dogs, battery life, mud, wet and loose gravel, boulder loose gravel, Apple maps, and thirst. Mike would be proud.

Apple maps saved my ass taking me away from heavy traffic in heavy rain to take a mud/grass road to safety. Apple maps also helped me get lost and waste time. Apple maps did tell me how to get to my destination.

Not a lot of hope remains after your garmin bike computer dying and a sunset almost simultaneous. There is not a lot of hope of being 20ish miles still from your destination.

Something happened that I have never experienced before. I’m not sure if it was survival mode or if I’m finally on a new level. I overcame complete exhaustion and marched on. My saddle sores stopped hurting and I felt absolutely comfortable on my bicycle, in the dark with my light dim to conserve battery life battling vehicle traffic.

Garmin shows 155 km. I rode roughly 185 km in 14 hours. I had many stops and I did walk a few spots to ensure my wellbeing.

My ride could’ve been better, but the challenges overcome like a surviving soldier sprinting into battle, was damn victorious.

I slept in this morning until 8:09 am. I will ride out around 11am. I need battery life for my phone, garmin and light. My goal for today is to find sunscreen!

Happy Saturday!

soloCUBSparade I

Posted on April 14, 2017 by jeffreylatty

I ride to honor the 2016 world champions, the Chicago Cubs. I ride in honor of the tremendously inspiring life of Mike Hall, whom lost his life this March riding his bicycle. I ride to overcome challange. I ride to predetermined destinations without the certainty of an exact route.

The obstacles in my first portion of this soloCUBSparade were sunlight, vehicles, small bugs, suicidal butterfly bombers, one dog (I won the standoff), thirst, dying Garmin and extreme fun.

Food could’ve been more healthy, but the Destihl brews were delicious. I listened to much of the CUBS game with intervals of good music through most of my 126 km ride. The wind was loud, but I’m assuming my legs will be screaming louder than the wind tomorrow. I may be dealing with storms tomorrow. I will also deal with new roads. Gravel is, by far, the safest route and will be utilized as much as possible.

Sent from my iPhone

#RIDEON

Seitanish Ⓥeef & kraut Pi

Posted on March 20, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Happy Sunday, y’all. Yet another spin Ⓥegan spin on “corned beef and cabbage” was on the agenda today. In commemoration of a recent Pi Day, let’s take this Irish cow murder staple and adapt into a plant-based pizza pie. But, first, how’s about a heavily headwind induced mixed surface bike hike with a couple of refreshing Beers.

I am a Potato addict.

A literal Spud Web ever expanding and ever spudful is my life. This adaptation was made oil-free with Veggie Broth, Garlic, Plum, Thyme, Sugar, Sea Salt, Pepper, purple and white baby Potatoes, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Seitan and faux chicken – Cheican? The plant-based protein does start to basically shred after a little while. Ⓥ-Thou Island is simply Vegenaise, Cucumber, Red Pepper, Scallions, Garlic Powder, Pepper and Cayenne mixed together all wonderful like. The pizza pie was Whole Wheat crust, Ⓥ-Thou Island, baby Potatoes, Seitan & Cheican. The Pi was baked, slightly, before adding Daiya and slightly baking more. Sauerkraut garnished this comforting Ⓥegan delight.

Avocado Cucumber Rigate

Posted on March 5, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Spontaneity can make for awesome food and can also make for great rides. Partaking in both in the same day is my continuous goal, day-in and day-out. VeggHead BeerCyclist is all for hydration, but recommends good Beer and cold water to help overcome any muddy paths, colder temperatures or longer rides. And then there’s food. I bought a jar of pesto the other day. Going to prepare Pasta last night, I noticed some ingredients in the pesto that I did not wish to consume. A Mexican-American Pasta masterpiece was discovered instead.

In light Olive Oil, chopped Garlic and Shallots were browned in a pan. Chopped Jalapeños were added with Lime Juice, Lemongrass and Tofurky ‘chorizo’.

Later, Almond Milk was added with (cooked) Beans, Sea Salt and Pepper. Penne Rigate was cooked al dente and strained without rinsing to be added to my sauce. The Noodles finished cooking and absorbed outstanding flavor in the sauce before adding chopped Cucumber, Cilantro, Guacamole and Tofutti’s Better Than Cream Cheese. Basil was my garnishment.

This Pasta truly hit the spot. Now to further contemplate my Gran Fondo today. Have a great day!

Plan B

Posted on February 19, 2017February 19, 2017 by jeffreylatty

Today, the plan was to make a badass meal idea and then blogging it all over your faces.

Illinois has Indian summers, also.

Today was a severely warm February day.

And plan B took place.

I went for a bike ride.

I went for a bike ride like a rock star.

Just More Photos

Posted on December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 by jeffreylatty

Ⓥestern Skillet

Posted on November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I made a badass Ⓥegan western-style skillet last night. This concoction was served in a sorry-tin container that made it even more Westernish. I’ve seen my fair share of Western flicks and how they consume their beans next to the fire before shut-eye, y’all. I went for one of the best rides that I’ve ever ridden today, November 17, 2016, at 60-73℉ in the state of Illinois. The sun was shining and also, the wind was blowing.

I have to try to explain my ride today. Venturing on new roads in this unforgettable mixed surface cycling Gran Fondo, was the goal. I wanted to cross a river that I’ve never crossed before outside of the I&M Canal. That river is the Fox River which starts in Wisconsin and drains into the Illinois River. From the git-go, some drivers were not paying as much attention to the road and me as well as they should. Steering clear of busy roads was another goal. A watery detour was taken to help that goal.

Never will I ever plan my entire ride. There is no fun in that and something always comes up to influence a right instead of a left turn. Choosing to ride into the wind a couple of times instead of taking the easy way out and turning with the wind was extremely beneficial. The results were as if the planets aligned and all luck was on my (drivetrain) side. Being in a new area, yeah-everything was new, but the significance of the new sights were ungodly. I took a few pictures and ultimately am motivated about the next year trek, my #SoloCUBSParade. It is not always about how fast you go, it is about the experience and the journey of doing something great.

#SoloCUBSParade

Go Fund Me

My Ride

Ⓥestern Skillet included boiled and drained Pinto & Northern (Western) Beans, Sweet & Russet Potatoes and Onion. I used Vegetable Oil and sautéed the ingredients in a cast iron skillet. Carrot shreds, Green Peppers, Mushroom, Garlic and PBR were sautéed together first. PBR (Beer) was added with an assortment of seasonings.

The seasonings were SeaSalt/Pepper/ Turmeric/Paprika/ChipotleP/Cayenne/Sugar. Grape Tomatoes, freshly chopped DILL WEED, SmartDog slices, LiquidSmoke & Mustard BBQ sauce were added before baking/broiling a little bit. It pairs well with a cowboy hat and a fire.

I passed a Silica blasting site and took this picture:

To get into a better spot, I jumped over a two-foot fabric fence. While I was standing there, a siren came from a few workers working behind this drop-off. Perhaps, they saw me or they were just jacking around like sometimes we do at my real job. I stepped back and had a snack and then just gave it another look before continuing on my ride when, BOOOOOOOM. A huge explosion erupted and threw dirt/sand/silica high into the air. My heart jumped with a horrifying sense of fright and oddly an engaging adrenaline rush as if I were about to enter battle as the earth rumbled through my feet and through constricting arteries. Basically, I’d feel this same exact way if I were three houses away from an F5 tornado and how I’d feel if I were a deer in the headlights of a 70 mph semi-truck about to be taken off of this Earth. My bicycle helmet would disintegrate.

Have fun, responsibly.

Solo #Cubs Parade

Posted on November 17, 2016 by jeffreylatty

Hey, Hey! Holy Cow! Let’s Go!

The Chicago CUBS did it in my lifetime. They have won it all and beat everyone else. There are many of people I am saddened by that could not witness this championship. I need to do one up on just celebrating. This team/club, the Chicago Cubs, have inspired myself to finally do something I’ve always wanted to do…Upgrade my adventurism.

My Solo Cubs Parade is survival. It is athleticism. It is thinking ahead of the traffic. It is a celebration.

Lack of vacation days and common sense took my original idea and threw it out the window. Starting at home instead of the Wisconsin/Illinois border riding through the Illinois/Kentucky border will not work for me. I have to be smart about planning and also realistic. I guess originally planned, it would be around 1,000 km which would decipher into around 625 miles. That would consist of consecutive century (100+ miles) rides. I can ride a century, but not too sure five in a row is even possible for me.

I currently have roughly 750 km (470ish miles) to go in five days with a six-hour train ride. Also, a safety plan incase I get into a bind. I plan on staying in hotels and experiencing three breweries. I plan on experiencing the land of Illinois and towing the pride of the Chicago Cubs VICTORY with me. I want to push my limits and do something cool. I truly want to celebrate in a unique way that I can forever cherish.

Hopefully this will be happening in April. It depends on when vacation is blacked out with my real job. I have time to think and perfect. I have time to try to save money. I need extra motivation and possibly some funds. Eating Vegan along the way will not be cheap. Gear is gonna have to be purchased, as well.

I’m excited and will blog my way through it with glorious pictures and improper english. If you like my concept, please help my cause and support me with a dollar or two. It would mean a lot!

GoFundMe

Dill ‘Em All

Posted on November 13, 2016November 13, 2016 by jeffreylatty

An idea or concept, for me, usually means multiple attempts at trying something and with food, hopefully the attempts are edible. Which they were in this case. The key ingredients that I was toying with were Potatoes, Pineapple Juice and different types of BBQ sauces. Dill Weed is an amazing herb. Freshly chopped Dill Weed is the greatest thing ever. It basically defies physics and was probably responsible for the construction of the egyptian pyramids.

Sweet Baby Ray’s has a mustard BBQ sauce. The concept of flavors without even tasting has me excited, however, my taste buds are a bit disappointed. What can you do…Make your own.

In our vastly available variety of Craft Beer these days, I’ve been growing bored and almost impatient. It’s been a progressive trend for many months now. I could make my own….:)

I put a few ingredients together and decided to turn them into a salad. And later on, a burrito.

Dill ‘Em All : Potatoes, Carrot, Pineapple, Shallot, Tomato, Tofu, roasted Garlic, Liquid Smoke, Mustard BBQ, DILL WEED, Pineapple Juice, Pepper, SeaSalt, OnionP, ChipotleLime, PoppySeed, Turmeric were infused on a stove top via pan-fry while they were later met with much cooooler Iceburg Lettuce and Daiya. And that is how the Salad was one. I mean…..And that is how the salad was won.

CaⓋun Bean Soup

Posted on November 6, 2016 by jeffreylatty

I have been slacking on a bicycle as of late and mostly just commuting everyday. I took the day off of the bicycle last Sunday, but went for a kickass 80km (50mile) ride last Saturday. Even though my longer rides have dropped, my (usually hard ridden) commutes keep me strong and ready-to-go. I messed with some wind on Saturday, but muscled through it.

#RideOn

My mother bought me a Cajun Bean Soup bean mix and I utilized them wonderfully. This Soup simmered for over five hours.

Truly a tasty (trick or) treat with a little seasoning, no oil and lots of Veggies and Beans. Nothing was purchased by myself just to be included in this Soup. Utilization of on-hand ingredients were my ingredients. I did use remaining Daiya ‘cream cheese’ and Earth Balance ‘butter’. Technically, they probably consist of some oil, but no oil added other than that already in those ingredients.

I used the Cajun seasoning mix that was included with the Beans. It wasn’t much and did not consist of any animal products. I boiled the beans for a bit and rinsed before starting the actual base of the Soup. I heated Veggie Broth with some leftover Salsa and chopped up Onion, Celery, Green Pepper, Mushroom, Jalepenos, Serrano and Potatoes. I utilized a little Pumpernickel Bread, finely chopped. The seasonings were the Cajun seasoning, Sea Salt, Pepper, Chipotle, Garlic & Onion Powder and some Chipotle Lime Powder. Lentils, Beans, (frozen) Corn, Jasmine Rice, Daiya ‘cream cheese’ & Earth Balance ‘butter’ were all thrown in and brought to a boil before simmering for hours. Water was added as needed.

This Cajun Vegan Bean Soup is plentiful and absolutely deliciously edible. I did not figure out the cost of this batch, but I’m sure for the numerous flavorful servings this involves it should be in my LBV (Low Budget Vegan) ‘series’ as it seems fairly inexpensive.

This daylight savings changing ridiculous angers me. It needs to be lighter later, not earlier in the day. I hope a Mars civilization wouldn’t partake in a time change.