Amalgamation Triad

 June 810, 2025

Hello and many greetings,

What have you been doing lately?  Hell yeah!  I have been working on getting large video files off my phone.  Mrs. Snot's phone crashed and I wouldn't be surprised if mine is soon to follow, as it is approximately 5 years old.  I hope you've been enjoying the warmer spring/unofficially summer weather.  I have been doing some of the moderately active things that I enjoy and use to define myself as a person.  Here are a few specific items:

Back in March I went out to Hitchcock Nature Center on a balmy spring day to enjoy the loess hills of Iowa.  I took a nice walk out around the serene Lotus Loop and the relatively newly-opened-to-the-public trail out to Mount Crescent.  There had just been a prescribed burn and the underbrush was still smoldering.

I meandered around a bit and got off trail for a while, but eventually I achieved some clarity

and made it up to ye olde ski hill

and back again

Then, back in April I went on a nice bike ride on the West Papio Trail, as I often infrequently do.  I stopped at the phenomenal Eagle Ridge Park.   

There I stretched out a bit and went on the Papillion Library-sponsored StoryWalk® where I read about a kid's snow day.  She went out and enjoyed being a graceful snow ballerina of sorts whilst also kicking ass in a snowball fight!  A kid who improvises and has is a versatile heroine - truly inspirational in a whimsical way and (spoiler alert) story ends with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

As you can sense, the life of the snow dancer required balance in more ways than one.  That can be tricky.  And speaking of tricks, here is an amazing slo-mo video that my son shot to try to disprove my ability to switch my fingers from one hand to another!?  Also, as I may have mentioned, I had too many videos on my phone to get updates.

Also, today on Sunday I made it out to an F3 workout.  I refer to it to my family as an "exercise cult" but it was actually pretty fun (but pretty intense for this moderately active guy).  I went with a couple of elementary school friends.  I will note that the above finger exchange can (with caution) be performed with three fingers, which would make it more of an F3 kind of workout.

So that has been a few things I've been up to lately.  The triad is complete!  Hope you are doing well!

Love,

BSO

Hot AF Air Show

 August 25, 2024

Hello fellow humans,

How is the pedaling and/or other activities?

Today I went out for a bicycle ride to see the air show down at Offutt Air Force Base.  There are a lot of good places to watch from near the Keystone Trail so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of getting onto the base.  The Thunderbirds were there!  I tried to take a few photos, but those guys are so damn fast I didn’t get any good ones.  

I got a lot of 'em like this

It was very hot so I took refuge under an overpass.  

Don’t worry, I drank plenty of water, including some from this waystation/splash park.  

The splash park was deserted, likely due to very hot temperatures and lack of shade; however, the water fountains and bathrooms were fully functional and well maintained.

After going to see the air show and getting some water I snapped a couple photos of signs for upcoming activities that might be of interest to some of us.  

I would have liked to obtain more info about these events, but I was starting to feel hot!  And I noticed I wasn't the only one!  Whew!  

Then I beheld a wavering image that I thought (Wait!  Could it be?) might be a local brewing company!  

I gratefully availed myself of the lovely air conditioning and ambiance.  

It was only later that I noticed I hadn’t bothered to dust off my ass (dusty from relaxing under the bridge while waiting for the Thunderbirds to appear) before relaxing on a bar stool.  Note:  For British-type English users our American “ass” is similar to what you might refer to as “arse” - I don’t have the inclination or the resources to purchase a pack animal to haul around more stuff!)  I had a pint of Calamansi Breeze, a refreshing lime lager that really hit the spot.  

Although the name was confusing to me, the wonderfully cool temperature and flavor were both perfect.  Later I looked it up on their website and found this description of the Calamansi Breeze:  “Light lager with Calamanse Lime, a cross between mandarin orange & kumquat, so expect bright, zesty orange notes over a citrus lime backing.”  Although I think this “Calamanse lime” may be a mythical organism, like a satyr, this potentially imaginary life form just added to the exotic/oasis-type experience.  No, I will not just look it up:  I find the mystery nearly as delicious as the beverage itself!  As I glanced around the inside of the establishment I noticed this cool sculpture.

After thus fortifying my constitution, I once again braved the hot trail.  If anything it seemed hotter than before!  Luckily I managed to pedal my arse doggedly back to my precious homestead and enjoy a nice shower (first hot to wash off the sunscreen and grit, then cool to feel refreshed).

So there you have the summary.  I hope it is summery enough for you, but if it’s not, just get out on a hot trail and consider stopping by Pint 9 for a Calamansi Breeze or one of their other delicious options.

Stay cool, summer riders!  Or, failing that, get your arse some shade!

Love,

BSO

Go Forth July!

 July 16, 2023

Dear Fellow Bicycling Enthusiast,

I hope you are enjoying some excellent summer spinning.  Here is a summary of some spinning that I enjoyed on the Fourth of July.  I met up with my friend Rod who has recently relocated to the thriving hamlet of Springfield, NE.  We were excited to get out to the pedestrian bridge (aka the Lied Bridge across the Platte River), and i was curious about the current status of the MOPAC Trail.  I asked him to meet me in the trail parking lot just east of Highway 50 (144th St) and Platteview Road.  It was an appropriately patriotic place to start a 4th of July bike ride.

There was also a nice bike repair/maintenance station:

We started off in some nice cool weather down to the Platte River

and then over to the Lied Bridge

We scooted across the bridge over to the outskirts of South Bend where we found some informative signs.  I found out that there is a gravel road route that connects the following two parts of the trail:

• (northern part) the part that goes from at least the Springfield Cemetery to South Bend
• (southern part) the part that goes from Wabash, NE to Lincoln, NE and from there you can get on a few other trails that 99 miles meandering with mazy motion through hill and dale runs to Marysville, KS

This connecting road is called 334th St. 

This finding leads me to consider the following:  Why do people ride gravel multi-use trails for long distances?  I suppose the answers are as varied as the people that ride them.  So, if this is something you’ve enjoyed, please provide your viewpoint.  The reason I ask is because it seems like it might be similar to the reasons for riding gravel in general:  it’s a bit less trafficky and you get to experience a more peaceful ride and take the path less travelled.  Also, it’s the journey, not the destination.  However, I hope you’re not in a hurry and have a penchant for camping and/or some clever lodging planning.  

If a person wanted to undertake a gravelly bicycle trip from Omaha to Marysville, here is a list of trails (from N to S) as I understand it:

1. MOPAC (OMA to LIN)
2. Jamaica North (LIN to SAL [Saltillo], possibly to include Williamsburg Trail in LIN?)
3. Homestead Trail (SAL to BEA [Beatrice])
4. Chief Standing Bear Trail (BEA to NE/KS line)
5. Blue River Trail (NE/KS line to MRY [Marysville])

I discovered the names of these trails on the TrailLink website, which is also apparently a free app.  I may give that app a try and see if it satisfies my appetite for devouring trails!  Highdy-ho, mofos!  

What I am most curious about are good places to stay along the way.  I’ll probably do a little digging before potentially planning this trip.  My friend Rich has mentioned riding from Omaha to Marysville in a long day, but that doesn’t sound appealing and I am not in that kind of shape right now.  Maybe by Fourth of July 2024? 

Here is what I found out about overnight options for a trip starting on the MOPAC from Lincoln, NE to Maryville, KS.  It seems a person could do a bike packing-type trip with camping at a few places along the way to make a 4 to 6-day trip out of it.

• near Lincoln:  
• Wagon Train State Recreation Area, Hickman Rd, Lincoln, NE 68503,  (402) 471-0641:  this place looks good, but would require a slight departure from the trail 
• Victory Quest, 14401 SW 15th St, Roca, NE 68430, (402) 794-2102 (Not sure if this is a real option since it sounds like it could be a church camp and there's not much info other than address and phone I could find.  If this doesn't work out you may want to just find a college party somewhere and crash the party and fall asleep on someone's couch, what could go wrong?  Or maybe just power through to Beatrice?)

• Beatrice:  Chautauqua Park Campground, (402) 228-5200
• Marysville:  Marysville City Park Campground, 10th & Spring St Marysville, KS 66508, (785) 562-3101

So there are a few ideas about the possibility of taking the gravel trails (where available, which is probably at least around 95% of the time) from Omaha to Marysville, KS.  

Anyway, we made it back to Springfield in warmer weather.  I had begun to feel a bit peckish, probably due to the meager breakfast of a single Clif bar I had eaten.  I blame those intermittent fasting plans I've heard a bit about these days.  

Although that OMA to Marysville trip seems intriguing, for now, I think I’ll just consider signing up for the Middle Loup River Challenge (Sept) and/or the Beer and Bagel Run (late Oct).

Before I got around to finishing up this post, I also had a chance to get out for a nice out and back ride on the West Papio Trail from the downtown Millard area to the Bellevue Berry Farm, with a pleasant stop at the Kros Strain / Pint 9 breweries on my way back.

A couple things I enjoyed seeing along the way:

1. Great blue heron flapping lazily along above the trail
2. A woman in shorts and rubber rain boots gathering some of those flowers that have gone to seed and look like huge dandelions.  At first I thought they were thistles, but now I don't think so because they seemed poofier. 
3. 

There you have some meandering thoughts about the summer experience.  I hope to get back to you eventually with more excitement.  In the meantime, please enjoy the spin.

Bikefully yours,

BSO

Recreational Fun and a Pint!

April 26, 2020

Dear Family,

I hope that you are doing alright and that your health is good.  

I went for another recreation bicycle outing today and it was a blast!  I rode past an olden, hilarious trailer with the Clark Erection Co. moniker, still quite legible but faded, emblazoned gloriously upon its broad side.  It was right across the creek from a large Pink Construction Co. conex storage unit. Ahhh.  All is right with the world.  Sure I could have taken some photos, but then it wouldn’t have felt so intimate.

It was nice and warm so I had a hard time withdrawing, I mean turning around to head back.  I found that a fairly large group of people were out on a memorial/remembrance walk for Payton Lester, a boy who had a very short life.  Due to the COVID-19-asaurus, I did not find out any additional details about the young fellow, although I liked the "Payton is my Hero" t-shirts they were sporting.  As I was out on the Keystone Trail heading south, I found that the trail was closed at Capehart Road, 

so I rambled about for awhile.  I took a neighborhood recreational trail

and 25^thStreet south until I reached Fairview Road, headed east, then headed back north on Fort Crook Road.  The City of Bellevue had fairly recently decided it didn’t want some of its bike lanes, and I found some evidence of this along Fort Crook Road, which had a few parts with not much of a shoulder.  

Ouch.  Why you do me like that?

Be that as it may, at least the signs were still erect.  

I was happy to see a pretty good bike lane on Capehart Road as I headed back west to the Keystone Trail.  

On my way home I noticed a lone bicycler sitting out on a picnic table behind the strip mall that contains both Kros Strain and Pint9 breweries.  He was drinking a tall boy and so I quickly interrogated him and found that I could get some beer to go from either store!  

I quickly availed myself of this option and had a pint whilst chit-chatting with Phil for awhile.  He informed me that in the Des Moines, Iowa area he once rode for 150 miles (in one day!?) just on paved multi-use trails and that he never used the same trail twice!  I was mightily impressed.  While, it turns out the Des Moines area claims 550 miles of bike routes (although about 170 miles are shared with automobiles, hopefully they don't get any ideas from Bellevue!)!  And now that BRAN has been cancelled, maybe I’ll just head out to DesMoines and ride around on some sweet trails for 2 or more days and see what kind of trailside breweries are available.  

Well, that is a brief summary of my day.  I hope yours has been equally or more satisfying.  Many blessings from the middle of (US o’) America.  

Love,

BSO

PS:  Here is an optional bike-related video for your enjoyment and/or bafflement

Maiden West Papio

April 11, 2020

Greetings!  

What have you been up to? Eh?  Must have a bad connection.  Anyway, if you are like me you are deciding which long-term radon monitoring device to purchase and enjoying a refreshing Angry Orchard cider. Please fill me in on your doings at your earliest convenience.

How are you and the COVID-19-asaurus getting along?  I hope you are staying healthy and keeping your distance.  I am fortunate to be working from home now.  It is nice for the most part.  I’ve got a comfortable place in the basement.  Just me, a pinch of radon, and lots of Yerba Mate.  For those of you who may not be familiar with Mate, it’s a South American green tea that Mrs. Snot bought for me awhile back.  I think it’s pronounced like (check)mate, but maybe it’s more like a pirate matey!?  In either case, my sweat pants and shirt are comfy and so are the slippers so the Yerba Mate is probably the only kind of mate that'll be happening around here for awhile, ya know what I mean?  Heh.  Along with this comfort; however, I have not been riding my bike to and from work as usual.  This has been mildly disconcerting.  The vast majority of my bicycling over the years has been commuting.  This has resulted in the following:

·     I’m not usually very interested in epic bike vacations because I get enough riding as part of my usual routine.

·      I also do not do much recreational bicycling unless I am getting ready for some kind of longer charity ride.

·      I don’t want new bikes often because they’re just going to get all trashed from commuting.

So those are my usual values.  But lately things have changed and so I have been out for 2 recreational bike rides in the past 2 weeks!  I might have even been on 3, but I initially could not locate the right way to get onto the West Papio Trail east of downtown Millard (pronounced Me-lard, accento en el lard).  After this minor fiasco, I took some time to check the beautiful online map created by the helpful folks at MAPA.

It showed me the way to the promised land occupied by the WPT.  And now, here is a video recap of how a person can get there (mostly as a reminder for me for the next time I can’t remember how to get there due to my usual lack of recreational bicycling.

It is a great trail! I went past Olympia Cycle, where I purchase the bike eventually known as The Old Bastard.  The trail people left some remnants of ye old railroad and a few informational signs that I enjoyed extensively.  

Hell Creek used to contribute to some hellacious floods!

All that pavement gets the creeks a-flowin' more than in yesteryears!

There was also a nice bench where I sat briefly whilst enjoying my Clif bar.  

This is at the trident-shaped confluence of Hells Creek, the West Papio Creek, and the South Papio Creek.  

Diabolically fascinating, eh?!  There was also a nice memorial.

There were people out there walking, jogging, bicycling, even roller-blading!  

Families picnicking!  

It was glorious and I highly recommend you get out for some recreational bicycling at your earliest convenience.  

I have also been using my formerly valuable time to catch up on important cinematic experiences (e.g., I watched Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci last night).  Previously I watched The Farewell, with Awkwafina, which was also enjoyable, in less of a puerile, B-movie way.  I may also eventually watch Parasite and Can You Ever Forgive Me?.  So those are some of my big plans.  I’m still working on that GarageBand thing. I’ll get back to you soon.  How about you?  Give me a call and let’s catch up!  Hello in there.

Love,

BSO