Steamboating out and aboat

April 4, 2020

Hello friends.  

I hope you are doing well.  I am sitting at home by myself, as is my wont these days.  I am working from home and Mrs. Snot and Snot Jr. are experiencing an extended stay over at the in-laws.  Because I am working from home I have not been doing much bicycling.  However, prior to the rise of the COVID-19-asaurus I was quite fortunate to get out to a place called Steamboat Springs, CO for some lovely skiing.  It was great, as you may or may not be able to tell by perusing this recap video:

Do you know why it is called Steamboat Springs?  Well, I was told it is because the hot springs sometimes make a sound like a steamboat whistle!  Awesome, right!?  In Steamboat Springs I learned a couple things:  I should not be using my telemark skis all day at a mountain resort because it is too much damn work!  Maybe they are too long (179 cm) or maybe telemarking is just naturally more strenuous. I’m not sure.  What I am sure about is that it didn’t help that I hadn’t skied for approximately 1.5 years prior to this expedition.  Anyway, my legs (quads in particular) became quite fatigued on day 1, shortly after lunch time.  So I took the rest of the day off.  I probably would have done better if I had been doing these exercises that I have belatedly been studying intently.  

Then the next day I rented some regular, shorter alpine skis (150 cm).  Oh man!  That was such a relief!  Way easier to keep in control and turn quickly.  Me and my friend Rich were able to elevate our game from all green to greens and blues!  We even made it up to the iconic Buddy’s Run where we patted Buddy’s bust’s head in what we were enthusiastically informed by the local cognizati was an obligatory act of respect and guaranteed good luck.  Here is some background on Buddy Werner.  I didn't know anything about him until me and Rich made it out to Steamboat Springs for our ski trip.

Well, I appreciate it Buddy. I really enjoyed my time out there on the slopes.  Rich and I plan on actually taking a skiing lesson some day, which will hopefully allow us to ski some of the harder routes if/when we make it out to some snowy slopes again in the future.  The town was pretty nice too.  Plenty of great food, beers, and hospitable folks.  We were there on a Thursday (not too busy at all) and a Friday (which was warmer and still not overwhelmingly busy).  I think a lot of resorts are now closed due to the COVID-19-asuarus threat. I also recently became aware that ye olde’ BRAN (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska, 40th edition) has been cancelled!  Woe is me.  Well I guess I’ll have to find something else to do for summer fun.  

Apart from the ski trip.  I also had a brake issue that took way longer to fix than it should have.  

A little tension-bar that helped push the cantilever back away from the rim after braking snapped!  It was a Cane Creek SCX-5 and it was good while it lasted, although I'm a little bummed it broke.  It seems like they're not around much anymore, so I was able to replace with a generic Shimano anti, that isn't quite as easy to adjust but should work alright.  And of course it happened during a rainy spell.  So I was riding my other bike, the one without the back fender, most of the time when it was soggy last month.  Here is how that went:

soggy seat o' the pants!

I eventually had to chop off one of the cantilevers with an oscillating power tool and kind of file and sand down the pivot on that side so that I could put another cantilever on.  It was kind of a minor ordeal.  But now I've got le Bastarde (avec accentes, sil vous plait) back in working condition again and I appreciate him a bit more than hitherto for.  Isn't life like that?  I never used to consider pandemics and their potential effects on us and those we come into contact with, kind of like having a rear fender during the rainy season.  Now I've got to consider whether I want to risk contacting and potentially spreading COVIDinos around, kind of like walking around with a soggy bum and sitting on someone's nice white couch!  Ouch!

So I've been doing some stuff with GarageBand that I'm guessing you will love.  I'll be sure to post it here soon.  Also been contemplating putting a unicycle together.  I'll let you know how all that turns out.  I hope you've been able to spend a bit of extra time doing some things that are out of your usual routine.  Stay safe.  Stay positive.  I will share your load/road.  I just might have a (bike) problem that you'll understand.  Be sure to use me (or someone else) as a lifeline if necessary.

Love, 

BSO