Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
it hasn't snowed yet
Someone "manned" up and suggested a mountain bike ride on Saturday. After one busted - and fixed - derailleur cable (always carry a leatherman), one lost ride "leader", one bonked college freshman, and 25 miles of singletrack, we finally wander out of the woods. I had to call the boss twice to re-evaluate when I'd arrive home. The day ended with a potluck at the aforementioned ride "leader's" house (with a didgeridoo concert at the Monkey's request). Not a bad way to spend a nice fall day.
Feeling bad for abandoning the family all day yesterday, I bailed on the 'cross racing thing and went for a bike ride with the Monkey instead. We stopped at the park to play soccer, but he only lasted 5 minutes before saying he wanted to ride his bike some more. No complaints from his dad. He suffered one minor crash but immediately jumped back on and kept rolling.
Feeling bad for abandoning the family all day yesterday, I bailed on the 'cross racing thing and went for a bike ride with the Monkey instead. We stopped at the park to play soccer, but he only lasted 5 minutes before saying he wanted to ride his bike some more. No complaints from his dad. He suffered one minor crash but immediately jumped back on and kept rolling.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
There's something wrong with me
Some days I think it would be nice to have a little camera embedded in my eyeballs so I can play back my experiences later. Mostly I'd use this to avoid repeating the same stupid mistakes over and over. Apparently, my brain can't recall stupidity, so despite repeated statements (in the immediate aftermath) that I really don't need to do that again, I inevitably end up doing it again.
Tonight, for example, when I was riding 30 mph uphill with hundreds of little raindrops hovering in front of me, as I pedaled at 140rpm because I was on my singlespeed 'cross bike, I might have thought that the return trip could be somewhat difficult. In the future then, when it's raining and there's a 30+ mph wind out of the West (with gusts to 50 mph), I could replay that moment, remember how insanely cool that part of the ride was, and not have to experience the rest of the ride.
The rest of the ride being when I turned around and was riding back down the hill, except now the rain drops aren't hovering peacefully in front of me, but instead are pelting my face at 30+ mph as I pedal at maybe 20rpm. And of course, I'd have video of that too. And that video would probably suck, because you wouldn't be able to see anything except my wet glasses and occasionally the pavement 2 feet in front of my wheel. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be a soundtrack, because even though my i-Pod was up somewhere past 11, the wind was too loud for me to hear anything.
Besides the utility of the video eyeball, I also thought about railroad rights of way tonight. Primarily how they often make big cuts into hill sides that seem like they would provide some protection from the elements, but instead serve as massive wind tunnels that magnify the already quite absurd effect of the seriously unnecessary wind gusts.
While I am prone to exaggeration on occasion, tonight is not one of those occasions. Below is the wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service at 5:05pm this evening, about 15 minutes before I left on my ride (but which I didn't bother to read):
A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO SAG THROUGH THE INLAND NORTHWEST THIS EVENING... RESULTING IN WINDY CONDITIONS. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCAL GUSTS APPROACHING 45 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL IMPACT MUCH OF THE PALOUSE AS WELL AS THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.
Tonight, for example, when I was riding 30 mph uphill with hundreds of little raindrops hovering in front of me, as I pedaled at 140rpm because I was on my singlespeed 'cross bike, I might have thought that the return trip could be somewhat difficult. In the future then, when it's raining and there's a 30+ mph wind out of the West (with gusts to 50 mph), I could replay that moment, remember how insanely cool that part of the ride was, and not have to experience the rest of the ride.
The rest of the ride being when I turned around and was riding back down the hill, except now the rain drops aren't hovering peacefully in front of me, but instead are pelting my face at 30+ mph as I pedal at maybe 20rpm. And of course, I'd have video of that too. And that video would probably suck, because you wouldn't be able to see anything except my wet glasses and occasionally the pavement 2 feet in front of my wheel. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be a soundtrack, because even though my i-Pod was up somewhere past 11, the wind was too loud for me to hear anything.
Besides the utility of the video eyeball, I also thought about railroad rights of way tonight. Primarily how they often make big cuts into hill sides that seem like they would provide some protection from the elements, but instead serve as massive wind tunnels that magnify the already quite absurd effect of the seriously unnecessary wind gusts.
While I am prone to exaggeration on occasion, tonight is not one of those occasions. Below is the wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service at 5:05pm this evening, about 15 minutes before I left on my ride (but which I didn't bother to read):
A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO SAG THROUGH THE INLAND NORTHWEST THIS EVENING... RESULTING IN WINDY CONDITIONS. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCAL GUSTS APPROACHING 45 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL IMPACT MUCH OF THE PALOUSE AS WELL AS THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Nationals practice
It was mid-40s and pouring rain today, so I figured it was a perfect day for a 3-hour ride. It wasn't quite cold enough to really prepare me for nationals, so I forgot my rear fender and didn't wear enough clothes. I'm still hungry, 8 hours after getting home.
If you know where you are, but where you are is about 5 miles southwest (as the crow flies; 10 miles by road) of where you thought you were going to be, does that count as being lost? If you have to draw a map in the dirt to figure out how the hell you got there and which way you should turn to get not there, and the map helps you figure it out, does that make you more or less lost?
The roads here don't make much sense. Rather than following water courses or ridgelines, they just wander in and out of the hills. Those hills are old wind-blown dunes, and were formed according to the whims of a 10,000 year wind. When it's raining and you can't see the mountains, it's a bit hard to know where you're going and where you've been. Of course, had I remembered to turn on my brain, I would have noticed that I was riding further into the hills rather than gradually finding the trees and mountains where I thought I was headed.
But now I know where that road goes.
If you know where you are, but where you are is about 5 miles southwest (as the crow flies; 10 miles by road) of where you thought you were going to be, does that count as being lost? If you have to draw a map in the dirt to figure out how the hell you got there and which way you should turn to get not there, and the map helps you figure it out, does that make you more or less lost?
The roads here don't make much sense. Rather than following water courses or ridgelines, they just wander in and out of the hills. Those hills are old wind-blown dunes, and were formed according to the whims of a 10,000 year wind. When it's raining and you can't see the mountains, it's a bit hard to know where you're going and where you've been. Of course, had I remembered to turn on my brain, I would have noticed that I was riding further into the hills rather than gradually finding the trees and mountains where I thought I was headed.
But now I know where that road goes.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tell it to the judge...
Would you buy this?: He was running back to the computer after turning off the TV because I said he could watch a video of the "crazy bike race," then he tripped and hit his face on the drawer handle.
Sounds a bit too contrived to me. Especially if anyone paid attention to the "helping mom with the recycling" explanation the last time.
Sounds a bit too contrived to me. Especially if anyone paid attention to the "helping mom with the recycling" explanation the last time.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Cheese curds and 'cross
(photo credit to the goat's wife)
Went back to Wisco to take care of a few things. Got beat by a FIB the first day. Rectified that the second day.
And finished up that school thing too.
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