Jongo Java and Happy Trails to You

 

 

Nothing says Good Morning! like that first cup of coffee. And no-one blends that perfect brew quite as nicely as Jamie and Dan at Jongo Java.

 

 Jonga Java is the culmination of Labor, Life, Love and Art. Coffees, Conversations, Sweet Confections
and Artistic Inspirations.
Everything is Local, Everything is Fresh, Everything is made with Love and is Downright Delicious!

At the corner of First and Main, Dan and Jamie share a space that helps make Hendersonville a cultural, epicurian delight and destination. Surrounded by the Downtown Flat Rock Theater, the brand new Square Root Restaurant of Brevard, West First Wood Fired Pizza and Never Blue Tapas Bar and Grill.

First and Main is Hendersonville's Welcome Home.

This has been a special week in Hendersonville for Pete and Tess and our out of town family guest. The sun is shining, the air is crisp and clear and my sister Linda visited us for the first time in Hendersonville traveling all this way from New Jersey and giving me the chance to show her just a few of the One Thousand Reasons I Love Hendersonville. So much to do and so little time.... I wanted to show her everything.
Start with Breakfast at Mikes on Main, ride the Oklawaha Greenway and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. I hope she will return some day to ride the much anticipated Ecusta Trail.

 

 

 

Visiting with the animals at Johnsons Farm,

 

 

 

 

dining at Sol Y Luna, West First and Lime Leaf to name a few, ending the evenings ...

viewing beautiful sunsets at Jump Off Rock

 

 

and making silly little dogs feel special.

 

The week was filled with precious memories of people and places and things we shared. Dolce will miss you Linda and your family in Hendersonville too. Enjoy the "Big Apple" but Please come back soon!

To Hike, Bike or Trike... That is the Question???

This has been quite a week. It actually began when I decided it was time to get a summer grade of hiking shoes. I went to Mast General where I found a great pair of Merrell's with the help of the Expert Staff @ Mast.  
Later I brought my bike into Sycamore Cycles at the corner of Third and King for a tune up and long story short I rode home on a new Specialized Hybrid. Monday I rode with the Sycamore Cycles sponsored 20 mile ride and my investment paid off with a much faster street roll than I was able to get on my Trek mountain bike.

I really wanted to get Tess back on her bike so we could share some of these adventures but, after a 30 year hiatus, "it's just like getting back on your bike again" wasn't working out too smoothly. While venturing the bike trail in Brevard someone streamed by on a low slung three wheeled silver bullet, an epiphany emerged... maybe that could be the solution to all that was held in the balance (or lack thereof).
In the days that followed we discovered the world of TerraTrikes. 


A new breed of biking that I believe will soon be taking the world by storm. It certainly stirred up ours. We made an appointment to check out this unusual vehicle just a few miles down highway 25 in Greenville. Tandem, Touring and Recumbent Bikes or TTR to their friends and they have many!



Terra Trike is a company in Grand Rapids Michigan that is putting a new crunch in Bike Crispies. Like playing the dating game they added the third wheel making their Tadpole Trike and its' driver the perfect couple. Tess and I met with owner Nathaniel and Techspert Mark to test drive the Rover. They were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and generous with their time and talents. Nathaniel encouraged us to take the Rover out on the Swamp Rabbit Trail and try her out. Tess and I were "sold" within minutes. All of the anxieties of balance and control were eradicated as soon and she took her seat at the controls and began pedaling. The Rover is nothing but sheer pleasure. The three wheeled "Tadpole" design (Two wheeled front, Single drive wheel behind) is smooth and steady with nothing for the driver to do but sit back, relax, pedal, steer and enjoy the scenery. We rode 7 miles that first day and 10 the next without a hint of anxiety or fatigue. We would have been happy with the Rover but opted for the sportier Tour II with 24 
speeds, disk brakes, linkage steering and a super comfortable adjustable reclining drivers seat. This experience has suddenly and dramatically changed our lives. The daunting and somewhat discouraging task of relearning to ride a two wheeler is over. Now we are excited about our weekend and holiday adventures looking forward to riding all of the Rails to Trails we can find and now, thanks to Terra Trike, we can do it together!