Wednesday, October 28, 2009

It snowed!

We got our first winter storm, and we got it before Halloween this year! I said snow before scary day, and this counts, even if it was just barely enough to cover the ground, and will be gone by tomorrow afternoon.

So, of course I went out riding in it, just a quick blast out to Fort Tuthill after work, to test the repair of Bi's rear hub:
I love it when the only set of tracks on a path are mine.

Where's the mountains?

28 degrees, a quarter inch of snow, and a stiff breeze the entire ride. Winter's here to remind me how hard it is to pedal in the cold air.
Mileage: 9.5

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Bi's fixed! And fixed as well!

Cosmic Cycles downtown had a replacement axle for Bi's hub which I just finished installing, just in time for the first winter storm of the season over the next few days. We'll see how the commute tomorrow goes.

Mileage: 9.6

Monday, October 26, 2009

Well, that's disappointing.

Wanted to go on a long torturous self-destructive ride on the way home today, but apparently Bi had other plans for me. I felt the rear wheel wibbling a bit, usually a good indication of the wheel bearings being a bit out of adjustment. Got home, and set to adjusting them, and realized I managed to bend the solid axle. Go me. Bi's on vacation until I either replace the axle, the hub, or the whole wheel... whichever's easiest to source.

Bike with the rolling side up is not happy bike. Polarbear is nonplussed.
Mileage: 6

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Well, that was fun.

75 degrees in the middle of October, blue skies, no wind, I'd be insane not to have gone for a ride today. So I went on the Arizona Trail out to Cosnino with the intention of riding back around the base of Mt. Elden. Along the way, I ran into three Search and Rescue teams looking for an elderly couple. I'd seen a couple at the Fisher Point vista, but I'm not sure if it was them. I found out from the third team that they'd found the lady at Fisher Point, and were still looking for the man.. hopefully they've found him.





I like the tree tunnels.



I wound up playing Hide & seek with TC out at Cosnino, and we rode the next segment of the Arizona Trail to Route 66. Daylight was running short, so we were going to cut it short and take 66 back into town and head our separate ways home. We were standing at the trail, discussing where it went from there.

*ssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh. pleh.*

Uh oh.

Figures. The valve stem tore where it joins the tube. Unpatchable, especially with the slime blown all over the hole. However, given the flat happened at the end of the dirt riding, I was not nonplussed.
Guess the B-52 doesn't like pavement. So I called Exegete for a rescue. Time to add a spare inner tube to my trail kit.
Mileage: 30.6

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

I'm fine when I'm on the bike.

That ride back from Meadview seems to have killed my right shoulder. So much so, that I called out dead from work on Monday. I did go to work today, but my shoulder was still incredibly sore.

Except when I'm on a bike.

It's weird. I didn't have a problem riding in to work on Bi, including up the big hill on Woodlands Village. I didn't have a problem taking the long way home this evening, with ten Sobes and a pack of sponges in the panniers. But the entire time between rides, my shoulder was sore. Almost burning.

Even now, it hurts.

I'll feel better tomorrow morning, I'm sure. Nevermind it'll only be for the 13 minutes it takes me to get to work.

On a side note, I like my routes home.


Mileage: 9.1

Monday, October 12, 2009

Meadview weekend 2009

Picture dump! TC and Alex and I went to Meadview this weekend. Much visiting with family, seeing the sights, and motorcycle riding. Much, much motorcycle riding. It was a blast.


We decided to head down to Lake Mead the evening we got there. It was a pretty sunset, and the bats were out skimming the water for bugs.




Last glimpse of sunset over the lake before we headed back to Jack and Norma's house for the night.


Saturday we woke up at the crack of dawn to head up to the cliffs to try to find an overlook over the town. The sunrise over the cliffs we'd be going up seemed a fitting picture to start the day.


The entire group, getting ready to head out after a good breakfast at Grand Canyon West Ranch. Three quads and my KLR, fun fun!

Lake Mead off in the distance from the top of one of the cliffs.

Meadview, and Lake Mead from the overlook... we made it!

Group shot! Left to right: Jaimi, TC, Alex, Autumn, Norma, Jack, and Polarbear.



The last day there, TC and I broke out the mountain bikes and headed for the nearest dirt road. We didn't ride too terribly far, as we didn't bring a lot of water, and I had to ride my motorcycle 200+ miles back home that night. Still, it was nice to get some pedaling in on different terrain and see scenery different from what I'm used to.


TC digging cactus spines out of her shoe.

After that, we skipped rocks off the South Cove boat ramp, then headed home, after I left a surprise for Jack and Norma. In the end, a great little vacation, though it's going to be a long time before I ride the KLR that far on the interstate again.
Mileage: (totaled for the weekend) Motorcycle: 530. Bike: 7.7

Thursday, October 1, 2009

How to tell it is fall?

Is it fall when you start finding icicles hanging from your beard when you get to work?  Nah, that's more winter's thing.  Maybe it is when you have to wear ski gloves on your way to work?  Maybe it is when you find yourself pushing harder to keep blood flow up to your hands and feet?  Maybe it is when you have to go faster to keep your sunglasses from fogging up on your face?  Maybe it is when you get to work and overload your coat rack with all the crap you had to wear to work?  Yeah, I'm going with that last one.
Got to work and looked at the weather, 22.8F.  Holy crapsticks!
Mileage: 30