Corporate Cycles Back to Boulder

August 17, 2025

 Hello fellow bicycle enthusiasts and others,

I am here to inform you that I recently completed the always rewarding Corporate Cycling Challenge in the Omaha area.  The last time I can verify completing this event was back in 2012!  Last time I was mounted upon the Old Bastard, but this time I enjoyed the relatively easier pedaling aboard the noble Shifty.  Here is a Wild Man top bar pouch that I added to Shifty for the event:

Although my photo doesn't show it, there is a handy cell phone compartment on top of the pouch.  It was kind of nice, since I didn't have any decent pockets on my person; however, my phone overheated towards the end of the ride and had to shut down to cool off for a while.  I think I will invest in one of those phone holders with no plastic cover that just attach to your handlebar to avoid the likelihood of overheating.

I saw a hops farm on the way out, which was pretty exciting to me as I enjoy an occasional quaff of hoppy beer.  

I also met up with my dad and we shared some of our recent life experiences.  Here we are at the spacious and well-maintained gazebo 

in the Fort Calhoun park known as West Market Square Park.

Here is a rock that Lewis and Clark tried to pick up back when they were exploring the area a bit further upriver of Fort Calhoun:

Although they were not able to pick the rock up, they did have their men pick the rock up and carry it downriver (not with their arms of course! - they just put it on one of their boats for a bit of added ballast and a nice place to lounge around during the abundant free time they enjoyed back in those days) on the way back after they finished exploring some parts of the northwestern U.S. and left it in Fort Calhoun as a marker for future explorers.  Although it was originally much closer to the river, it has since been  moved, the engraving has been updated a bit, and it still serves as a welcome stop for travelers in the area.  There is also a disc golf course in the vicinity.

One recent life experience for me has been doing some SCUBA diving lessons over at a local swimming place called Diventures.  We also have to carry ballast to help us sink to the bottom of the pool where we practice various skills designed to help us feel comfortable and to be able to survive some mishaps in the depths; however, no boulders have been used so far.  It has generally been good; however, I seem to have a eustachian tube dysfunction situation that I am hoping to resolve before I commit to my open water certification diving.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.  Dad also did some SCUBA diving back in his younger days and he said it kind of messed up his ears, so maybe there's an inherited trait that makes us more prone to these types of problems.  Snot Jr., however, is loving it and doesn't seem to have any of these issues.

On the way back from the gazebo, my dad cruised off over the horizon and it got kind of hot with a headwind.  I probably should have stopped for a rest break, but I kind of wanted to get back to meet up with some corporate comrades so I pedaled on and did some minor suffering to cap off the experience.

So that was how I spent my Sunday morning and I do not regret it.  Please join me again in the future and I will regale you with more heavy tails of moderate activity and/or adventure.

Your traveling buddy,

BSO