Sugary nostalgia

August 24, 2015

Well hello.  Fancy that, a time when we are both available!  Well, wait!  Before you go let me just say this – I’ve been thinking about nostalgia. 

Here in the Midwestern part of our USiness I oftimes find it easy to drift back into the days of my early childhood and even further, back into an idealized Leave it to Beaver-esque world I never actually experienced, and will not until I perfect my bye-bye-to-now-cycle (not sure about the name).  This machine will allow me to pedal my way into various other thymes and dimensions and may or may not involve riding rapidly towards a large, solid object and achieving a moderate impact to the cranial capacitor (just a go-to idea if when I can’t come up with anything else).  

Butt I digress.  I think this whole thing started when I began expounding upon the joys of the safety bicycle.

Here is a classic safety bicycle that was made here in the US. 

http://luxlow.com/bicycles/oldbike/1894-antique-sterling-safety-bicycle-built-like-a-watch-2600/

Pretty sweet, eh?  Not your cup of tea?  How about this modern version of a safety bicycle that I encountered at a recent musical event?

http://civiacycles.com/bikes/  I think...

Reminiscing about never-experienced days of yore can take many forms. 

Here is a version of Sixto Rodriguez's classic Sugar Man that I recently enjoyed during our fair city’s Jazz on the Green summer concert series.

Courtesy of Sonny Knight and the Lakers.

It is easy to be nostalgic in late summer, as we consider the fun times we had playing around in water with our friends.  Here is a photo of a friend I made just before we had a fun water fight in the backyard.

He turned the faucet and sprayed me with the hose a few times, but then I realized he wasn't very fast and so I ran over to the hammock and fell asleep.  I woke up dry, so I guess he never made it that far...

Now it is starting to cool down and we can all think about what we did or didn’t do during the fun outsidey-friendly time of year.  This coolness will be a boon for the upcoming Heatstroke 100 ride that I am contemplating participating in, due to my uncle’s contagious enthusiasm.  In addition to my uncle, it may also be due to my friend Rich’s persistent invitations to various bicycling activities which has made me feel more enthusiastic than usual.  As a moderately active person, sometimes I focus more on the moderate part of the equation, but the active part still counts too!  Why just yesterday Rich and I went out on the Jim Johnston Memorial Ride.  It was great.  Jim Johnston was killed by a motorist while bicycling.  His family initiated the ride to raise funds for scholarships for Millard West High School students and to grant Jim’s wish to organize a bicycle ride.  Jim was a science teacher and an athletic trainer at Millard West High School for many years, but also found the time and energy to enjoy plenty of bicycling adventures in his 56 years here on Earth.  

The ride was beautiful.  An impatient pick-up truck driver leaned on the horn while driving through a gauntlet of 4 bicyclers riding along near the shoulders on either side a peaceful and uncrowded highway, which was something I probably could have griped about with Jim were he still with us.  Instead I enjoyed some Chocolate Outrage and kept spinning.

Alright.  Let’s meet up at a cool Heatstroke 100 this Sunday!  We’ll reminisce!  Huzzah!

Good gear pedaling!

August 4, 2015

Hello goodlings and goodwinkers.  Well, the month of July has sailed and ‘tis onwards towards August waves of golden splendour.  It is now national immunization awareness month.  I am celebrating by enjoying some chilled Merlot avec accente, merci boucoup with something gritty, probably playground sand.

Here is an exciting video clip of the most fascinating moments of my last July commute of oh so long ago. 

It was also back in sweet July that I received my last issue of Outside magazine, which was one of 12 issues that I had won by flying on airplanes for enough miles to get a magazine, but not a free flight. 

It is the Encyclopedia of Gear issue.  If I participated in an outdoory activity besides bicycling, I might be enthusiastic.  However, I don’t and I wasn’t.  Gear seems so impersonal.  If I want gear I can look at my Campmor catalogue, through which I recently purchased some delightful mesh briefs, to make sure my package is delivered intact and fully fairly functional.  Or I could talk to a gear-oriented bicycle technology enthusiast.  One who spends many hours reading about new-fangled fancy options like pink slime tyres, one-forked-up suspension forks, compact disc brakes, and wireless shifting.  Well, let me tell you fancy smarty pantsies this – a little less conversation, a little more action!

While you were reading about the new X.0 short shifter, I was out pedaling laboriously up a hill on a heavy bike with a Sette avec accente chain tensioner.  It’s not that I don’t care.  Safety bicycles were pretty damn good when they started out shortly after the invention of the locomotive back in the 1880s and they were perfect by 1990.  The rest of the stuff is just bells and whistles and access to dangerous speeds.  Why some of these machines are hardly worthy of the name safety bicycle!  Harrumph!  John Kemp Starley would roll safely over in his grave if he were to see some of these modern speedy diamond frames of death!

So what else is happening in the modern worlds?  Music and lots of it!  

Hey, let’s all bicycle around and find some music to listen to once we get somewhere where we hear some music!  

  

K9 distemper and your raccoon

July 21, 2015

How are you?  Okay.  Okay.  I hear you.  Breathe.  Good, good. 

Hey, have you noticed any trail/road hazards lately?  What!?  You too!?  Me too!

Here are some trail hazards I have noticed while out with spinny-wheeled forms of transport.

Yes, there are some dangers.  This guy was rabid distempered.  We avoided him and his swarm of insects like the distemper rabies.  After he drove Toddler Snot and myself away from our pedal- and/or push-powered means of conveyance he foamed at the mouth and clawed at the air convincingly.  

Toddler Snot thought it was fascinating and kept moving in the raccoon’s direction, so I had to redirect and distract him.  I kept a watch on our frothy friend out of the corner of my eye.  While there is nothing particularly funny about a rabid distempered raccoon, it was pretty funny when he got aboard our trike after a few unsuccessful attempts and finally succeeded in rolling it into the creek.  Don’t ride rabid distempered.

I have also observed some other recent trail obstacles – mostly auto parts.  

Another event I’ve recently experienced was purchasing a used Strider bicycle. 

Since his trike had been jacked by a raccoon, I figured we’d try something else for him to pedal roll on.  Toddler Snot is bound to love it, and I’ll give you his review and updates on his progress. 

Well what else is happening?

Here is a website I have not noticed before.  It's the Nebraska Cycling Association!  Apparently you can ride bicycles fast in a variety of formats and venues here in Nebraska.  Mostly cyclopcross and a few mountainous bicycling events.  Then there's the top secret, unrelated and possibly entyrely factitious Cyclops Mountains bicycle smack down.  You may pass, be passed, piss, be or get pissed, etc.  Competition brings out the best fluids in/on all of us!  I actually enjoy participating in some racy activities from time to time, so I'll let you know how this budding relationship develops.

In the meantime, let's all meet up in the Cyclops.  I hear a balloon approach to the starting line is quite soothing to the distempered amongst us.

Another owl gives a hoot!

July 15, 2015

Hello to you.  I hope you are doing well.  I had a change in plans and was able to make it out for some owl riding this past weekend.  “How did this happen?” you ask?  You don’t ask?

Well boo-whooo!  Whoooo!

Here is a video of the OWL Ride from a handy side street:

It was a neat vantage point.

I did not initially think I would be able to make it out for the ride because Teen Snot is typically at work on Saturday eves.  This week it turned out she did not have to work, but I didn’t find out until Saturday eve itself!  If there is one thing I have noticed, it is that parents are nearly as oblivious of others and their plans as teenagers.  Thereupon I sounded a quick owlish alert to my OWL-loving friend Rich.  We quickly flew from our perches and eventually alit here at the Crescent Moon – 

a quaint watering hole conveniently located upon the OWL route.  But before I made it that far I stopped to enjoy some nightly views, misinform passers-by, and take a bad photo.

“What’s the ride for?” a curious, gangly fellow inquired.

“For fun!” I responded, nothing else coming readily to mindedly.

“Fun?”

“Yep.” I confirmed, more confidently.

Well, it wasn’t long before I began reflecting upon this unlikelihood.  Fun is something we midwesterners look upon with suspicion and/or disdain.  Furthermore, I do not believe I have ever partaken in a non-competitive group bicycling event that did not support a charitable organization of some sort.  So here is my attempt to rectify the fuck $#%@ out of my blatant untruth.

The OWL Ride raises funds for the Meyers Foundation for Disabilities (MFD).  MFD improves the quality of life for those with disabilities by providing financial and volunteer support to help adults with disabilities engage in fun, social activities at the Munroe-Meyer Institute that they otherwise might not be able to participate in.  Not only does this provide a great opportunity for our disabled friends, but it allows their families a small break in their caregiving routine.  Here is some more information about this wonderful organization.

Our friend Nick joined us on this night flight.  As Nick arrived so too did a fellow in a Gatormobile.  He informed us that the water stops and police presence were being discontinued. 

“You guys’ll be alright, right!?” he queried jocularly. 

“I think so.”  I replied uncertainly.
I had a delicious Belgian beer.

We conversed.  We examined the route map.  We eventually departed.
We stopped at Beer and Loathing.  They also had a New Begium bicycle.  

I once drank several beers to earn some raffle tickets to try to win one of these sweet cruisers.  They raffle them off annually or so.      

We cycled on, occasionally noting some other bicyclers, generally moving in a similar direction.  

Eventually we made it back to the beginning and had a beer at the Storz Trophy Room Brewery and Restaurant. 

Rich and Nick said there weren’t as many people as last year, and, therefore, not quite as festive.  I think everyone had fun.  And Rich told me about this freaky video.

If we can make toast with bicycles, what else can we do?!  Perhaps a microwave?!?  I think there really is hope for the human and/or bicycle race!  Let's toast!
BSO