Yellow glory!

June 7, 2017

Hello again!  Where have you been!?  You (un)lucky bastard!  Well please fill me in and we’ll see what we can do about all that!

Things for me have drastically changed.  Let me express myself.  

1. I won a bunch of stuff at the 2017 Wear Yellow Ride here in Nebraska.  A bunch.  I am not pinching your fancy about this.  Here are the things I won:

1. Most importantly a deep sense of satisfaction…. because I won a bunch of stuff!
2. A hat
3. A gift basket.
4. A screen print(?)
5. A bike!

Yes, I am a lucky middle-aged bastard!  I am enjoying this deep sense of unearned merit that I have embraced as a result of my winning ways.  Now that you have some sense of my puffed uppityness let me take a couple steps back and fill you in on the how now.

Way back in May I was but a humble bicycler with a will to type about bicycles.  Then I registered for the Wear Yellow Nebraska Ride.  I got there early and scoped out the raffle prizes.  There were a ton of sweet prizes and there didn’t seem to be too many entries.  So I grabbed $20 worth of raffle tickets and distributed them as I saw fit (i.e., mostly the baskets with the fewest tickets).  There were more expensive raffle tickets you could buy for a single speed/fixed gear bicycle, but I forewent that option.  Already feeling pleased with myself I met up with my dad and Rich and prepared to get a’ wheelin’.  

The ride itself was very nice.  I spent some time with Mr. Snot Sr. and my best friend Rich.  The route was basically the same as last year, but the weather was much nicer.  

This year I had also embraced a sense of my own limitations and signed up for the 42 miler instead any of the lengthier options.  This, I reckoned, would allow me to return in time to enjoy some satisfying pancakes supplied by the superb Pancake Man himself and his accomplices!  

At Mr. Snot Sr.’s suggestion I liberally applied the cinnamon before gobbling up my 4 or 5 pancakes they had generously piled upon my styrofoam plate.  After socially interacting with Dad’s priest, Dad bought some raffle tickets and then we both waited around for the raffle to begin.  I think I won the gift basket first and I’m sure the bike was last.  In between was a screen print and a hat, in that,(or similar) sequence!

And that was the yellow glory that transformed me into the new, yellowishly glorious me!

I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to the Wear Yellow organization as well as all the individuals and businesses who donated raffle prizes.

How, the attentive among you may ask, did I manage to win a bicycle without purchasing the more expensive $5 raffle tickets for the single speed/fixed gear cycle?  Well, I was informed that you are automatically entered just for registering for the ride!  I suspect my rich uncle may have also bought a few tickets and written my name on them, but I have no evidence to support this conjecture.

There is so much more I would just love to tell you.  However, I will try to restrain myself and fill you in on all of that other stuff later.  Here are some of the items I have on tap:

1. I have been experiencing some comfort jumping Shifty and Rich’s Gnarvester over at Tranquility.  It seems there are some very sweet new jumping opportunities over there these days!
2. Updates on the status of the many Wear Yellow prizes I won.  In all honesty, I feel that perhaps this is a message from my mother who passed away from cancer 13 years ago.  She was a great mom.
3. A question for you - Would you prefer that I send you handwritten letters instead of typing?  I am thinking maybe this would be more personal and maybe you could send me some sweet bicycle stories and/or photos.  If this seems like a good idea, please just send me your address or otherwise inform me of your preference.  We could even be pen pals!  This never worked out in grade school, but I feel that both of us have cove along way since then and maybe now we can make it work.
4. Mode Shift Omaha has some interesting information on a flyer I obtained at the somewhat recent Bike Advocacy Night.
5. Good Life Gravel Gran Fondo is almost here (next Saturday, the 17th of June).
6. Rollin to Colon is on its tyre!  (next Sunday, the 18th of June). 

As you may have noticed, there are many bicycle-related events that are happening these days. Tranquility is funner for mountainous bicycling than ever before.  It’s nice weather for some taco riding.  I hope you have availed/will avail yourself of one or more of these opportunities.  Mr. Snot Sr. is on recently finished BRAN and I have the impression he is enjoying enjoyed it greatly.  Maybe we can do some cool bicycling too!  See you there!  Let’s ride!  

Impending triumphal archness!

June 25, 2016

Hello my bicycling friends!  A sweet, sweet blessing upon your home and bicycle(s).  

I finished a quick lap over at Tranquility Park earlier today.  It was sweet!  I did not approach any of the log rides, nor did I make it up the Big Dipper, but I was satisfied nonetheless.  I also did not take any photos, but that’s fine because you should all get out there for yourselves and check it out if you haven’t recently.  T.H.O.R. continues to do a great job of maintaining and improving this fabulous trail system right in the midst of our fair to middlin’ city.

But you have heard about this before, I reckon.  Were you; however, aware of the following?!:

Item A)  South OmahaTrail has taken another step towards completion.  Final completion date estimated September of this year.  When this trail is complete it will be a milestone in the development of our triumphant city’s trail system.  An east-west trail in a fairly central part of the city will offer a nice commuting/travelling option to bicyclers who prefer to avoid some of the business that can occur along main thoroughfares.  I feel that this completion event will be triumphant enough to warrant a triumphal arch of some sort.  I will be busy preparing a possible design for this arch and I invite you to do likewise.  We’ll invite Mayor Jean over to my place (hmmm, hmmm, hmmm!?) to give her some posterboards, wine, cheese, and hors d’ovoures to convince her of the importance of this monument. 

Item B)  My role model Rich has informed me that he will participate in the upcoming GONG ride, organized by the committed and capable Scott Redd.  As one who is not always afraid to do things just because his friends do them, I plan on signing up too!  It should be great!  It’s at night, it’s on gravel, and you don’t have to ride for 60 miles if you don’t want to!  Let’s get it on!

Item C)  Mrs. Snot told me that July 31 is Family Bicycling Day!  It seems too good to be true (I think she may have made it up).  That's okay though.  You may be able to make this up too and coerce your family into bicycling with you too!  Ah!  I am savoring the joy of this upcoming event even just thinking of it now!  When I repeatedly asked for my family to bicycle with me in the past (most recently on Father's Day) they avoided the subject or scoffed, but I think this might be the real deal!  I will head out into the garage to pump up their tyres just as soon as I finish savoring the thought of this event, drinking more beer, maybe eating some popcorn and watching some tv. 

So that’s all I wanted to say.  Here’s a nice video to enjoy if you like.  Let’s pedal!

Feral Munchkin Fun!

November 18, 2012

It was so nice out today that I made the tough decision to go out for a bicycle ride instead of starting in on bathroom ventilation system installation.  I started my spin out towards Tranquility Park.  Almost immediately I encountered a large critter.  A raccoon.

Ugh.  I think I'm gonna puke.

Based on his slow, unsteady gait, I judged him/her to be either bold, rabid, or drunk.  I rang my bell to no avail.  He stayed put.  Then he slurred at me, "Why don't you get off your high horse."  I did.  Took a photo.  "You call that a shot?" he mocked.  I gave him a wide berth as I continued along on my circuit.  

I finally arrived at the park where I noticed a cheery kite struggling with the moderate breeze.

Upon arriving at the trail, I immediately encountered more mountain bicyclers than I have seen out there all year!

And no wonder.  Great temps.  Fine trail conditions.  And several hundred yards of new trails and recent upgrades.  What a hoot!

Lots of cool stuff.  Also many feral munchkins, some with whacky, barbaric headwear.  They may have been planning a Lord of the Flies-esque coup, as many mini-bicycles were littered here and there.  I did not stop for many photos due to the relatively high volume of bicycle traffic, not because I was skeered of the munchkins.  Honest.  The munchkins were thronging around a new section of the trail with a steep approach and a fairly short, but steep exit.  I didn't make the exit, but there's a handy tree off to the left side of the trail which provided a handy rest stop.   I will now think of that ravine as Feral Munchkins' Revenge.  Pretty catchy, eh?  Femur for short.  Get it?  Short!  Like a munchkin!

But the excitement didn't stop after I walked my bicycle around a mini-bike lying in the middle of the path just after the exit.  A large animal leapt across my path at fairly close range.  A big buck!  Eight points er so, I reckon.  As big as a medium-sized pony!

Atop a hill following my Big Buck sighting, I noticed a clearing which probably served as the Feral Munchkins party zone.  I glanced over both my shoulders, then snapped a quick shot before pedaling rapidly away, completely unafraid.

As I rocketed back homewards, I looked around for the Rabid Coon, but he was nowhere in sight.  My heart rate gradually returned to normal.  I made it back to my humble homestead where, so far, I have not been bullied by any small critters or big bucks.

I hear it's supposed to be pretty good temperatures for the next several days, so you might wanna get out there and enjoy!

The traditional Thanksgiving-eve Taco Ride is rapidly approaching.  Hope to see you there!  Watch out for the wee critters!  Ornery little cusses!