I didn't make it to the Trinity Trails as I had planned, but I did get to ride this afternoon.  Temps were nice, but the wind did get up a bit.
 
My neighbor with the DF called me just as I was getting ready to head out the door.  He had just gotten his bike back from the shop and asked if I wanted to come along with him on a slow easy ride to test out his new carbon crank.  The old one had busted, but was under warranty so they put a new $700 crank on for nada.
 
Anyway, his normal loop is about 11.5 miles, so we did that.  Mostly flat, but 1 hill about 2-3% for 1/2 mile and a couple of other steeper ones that were considerably shorter.  Of course he beat me up the hills, but he did have to stand up and mash to do it.  My lower gearing was a definite advantage going up.  On the downhills, I whipped him pretty soundly.  After he caught up to me the first time, he told me that he was giving it all he had and couldn't keep up.  I was just barely pedaling.  So I guess his $3000 bike just couldn't keep up with nearly 300 lbs of equipment, man, machine and flab.
 
By the time we finished the loop, my cold that I'd been fighting since Thanksgiving was making my chest hurt considerably, so I didn't try to do any more.  Hopefully, later this week I can get out and do 2 or 3 laps.  

I've got almost a 100 miles in the Cafe so far.  It is definitly doing what I bought it for, to get my big but outdoors excercising.
 
The engine still has a long ways to go, but I'm certainly hopeful that I can get most of the way there by summer.

My cold that I've had since Thanksgiving just won't go away, but I got out and rode the same loop again.  Increased my avg speed by  a full 10% over my previous ride on this loop.  Of course thats only 9 tenths of a mph avg increase.  But I'll take what I can get.
 
Still not where I really wanted to be by now, but between the weather and this cold, I just can't seem to get out of the house.  I'm off work till next year, so hopefully the weather will cooperate a few days during that time.  Of course, if I'd just go buy some warmer clothing.  I'm just too tight with the $ to spend what they want on Under Armour.