Thoughts While Commuting

"Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

The native blackberries here are fully ripened; the Himalyans have just
started. We've had thimbleberries for some time now.

The thimbleberries grow along a climb on the trail to work. If I'm going up
the hill, I hate to break my stride to stop to eat them; going down I'm
whizzing by too fast to enjoy them. Only once this year, on the uphill, did
I stop, probably because there were enough ripe to make it worth my while.
Thimbleberries are somewhat sour (which I like) but also small and very
seedy, so you have to have enough of them to justify the stop.

Native blackberries are fairly rare. I was on a club ride last weekend, and
we stopped at the top of a hill for the other riders to catch up. I was
surprised to see several vines of ripe ones right where we were stopped, and
ate five or six.

I have a love/hate thing going with the Himalyans. They grow profusely along
the trail to work, along with nearly any unkempt land in the region. There
have been times when I felt hungry on the way home from work, but couldn't
justify unwrapping a bar and eating it so close to home and dinner. A
handful of blackberries are a fine small energy boost for the way home.

But as I found on our ride on the Fourth -- they grow at such alarming rates
that road maintenance can not keep up with them. When Rose and I rode the
tandem out to Flaming Geyser, much of the Green Valley Road's shoulders were
rendered unride-able because of blackberry vines. Some of the overhanging
vines could be ducked under, but many extended too far out. A few times I
was forced to ride into the vines to avoid fish-tailing boat trailers.
Rose's arm got scratched up several times; I had to pull thorns out of my
flesh. Feh.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:39:05 -0500, Scott <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Tuesday, the daughter turned 12, and she wanted a new bike,
so while at the LBS, I bought a water bottle cage and now have
water on rides and am taking the 15-mile (vs. 15 block)
ride in to work, or home. So observations:

My path takes me over a little creek. Tuesday, as I rounded
the bend and approached the bridge over the creek, I spied
a skunk on the bridge, its tail rapidly rising (the skunk's
not the bridge's). FORTUNATELY, it was near enough to the
end of the bridge that it chose escaping vs. spraying.
Phew. I forevermore will call this bridge Skunk Bridge.

This morning a bird was pacing me for about 10 seconds, right
at eye level about 2 feet off to my right. They really are
remarkable things to watch fly.

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

Blackcaps? Three google returns, a sports team, a rockband, and a bird
in Germany. You planning on eating a bird? Yummmm. I won't ask about
eating a sports team or a rockband.

dgk said:

On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:39:05 -0500, Scott <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Tuesday, the daughter turned 12, and she wanted a new bike,
so while at the LBS, I bought a water bottle cage and now have
water on rides and am taking the 15-mile (vs. 15 block)
ride in to work, or home. So observations:

My path takes me over a little creek. Tuesday, as I rounded
the bend and approached the bridge over the creek, I spied
a skunk on the bridge, its tail rapidly rising (the skunk's
not the bridge's). FORTUNATELY, it was near enough to the
end of the bridge that it chose escaping vs. spraying.
Phew. I forevermore will call this bridge Skunk Bridge.

This morning a bird was pacing me for about 10 seconds, right
at eye level about 2 feet off to my right. They really are
remarkable things to watch fly.

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

Blackcaps? Three google returns, a sports team, a rockband, and a bird
in Germany. You planning on eating a bird? Yummmm. I won't ask about
eating a sports team or a rockband.

Black raspberries. Not blackberries, which are a
different fruit. Black raspberries are smaller than
red raspberries, and more seedy. But just as
tasty!

Scott

Claire Petersky said:

"Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

The native blackberries here are fully ripened; the Himalyans have just
started. We've had thimbleberries for some time now.

The thimbleberries grow along a climb on the trail to work. If I'm going up
the hill, I hate to break my stride to stop to eat them; going down I'm
whizzing by too fast to enjoy them. Only once this year, on the uphill, did
I stop, probably because there were enough ripe to make it worth my while.
Thimbleberries are somewhat sour (which I like) but also small and very
seedy, so you have to have enough of them to justify the stop.

Around here, it's mulberries. Interestingly, it must have been
fashionable to plant mulberry trees back in, oh, the 1950s or so. I
see them only in the older parts of town.

They're easy to spot because the berries are all over the sidewalks and
street. The best are up to an inch long and marvelously sweet! The
trees are always frustratingly tall, making me wish I were twice as
tall. Of course, they stain the soles of my shoes, my hands, my
cycling gloves, and anything else they touch, but mmmm are they worth
it!

They were always a major event back when I was riding with my daughter
on our tandem. Good for a delicious pause. I was happy to introduce a
new riding friend to the joy of mulberries just a week or two ago.

- Frank Krygowski

I am thinking that it refers to some sort of berry. But then again
maybe it was the bird!

Ken

Scott said:

I think I'm left-nostrilled. Expelling liquid from my left
nostril is a breeze, and no matter where I point, it clears
my body (I'm always thinking "Expelliarmus!" as I do this).
In contrast, my right nostril contents invariably land
on my clothes. Temperature and dewpoint were very close
this morning, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe
this oddity.

I thought I was the only one! The exact same thing happens to me
(except for the Harry Potter part). Does it have anything to do with
being right-handed?

jhas said:

Scott said:

I think I'm left-nostrilled. Expelling liquid from my left
nostril is a breeze, and no matter where I point, it clears
my body (I'm always thinking "Expelliarmus!" as I do this).
In contrast, my right nostril contents invariably land
on my clothes. Temperature and dewpoint were very close
this morning, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe
this oddity.

I thought I was the only one! The exact same thing happens to me
(except for the Harry Potter part). Does it have anything to do with
being right-handed?

I am also right-handed. I'm wondering if I
move my head in one direction no matter which
nostil is being cleared. Obviously, this
requires more field data 🙂

scott

In article <[email hidden]>,

Scott said:

. FORTUNATELY, it was near enough to the
end of the bridge that it chose escaping vs. spraying.
Phew. I forevermore will call this bridge Skunk Bridge.

When they show you how well they can handstand -- stop and back away.

:-) There's a cute li'l baby on my way to work who likes to run along
the path with us sometimes. makes you just want to pick him up an
cuddl-- no.

Quoted message said:

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

Ya. Sure. I tried that last week on the Great Western in Il and got
poison ivy all over my shrtless back. :-/

enjoy the rides!
..max

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Around here, it's mulberries. Interestingly, it must have been
fashionable to plant mulberry trees back in, oh, the 1950s or so. I
see them only in the older parts of town.

I love em. I want mullberries, and paw paws in my yard. My gf calls
mullberries "poopberries" based on their interaction with aviform
alimentary processes.

max

"jhas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Scott said:

I think I'm left-nostrilled. Expelling liquid from my left
nostril is a breeze, and no matter where I point, it clears
my body (I'm always thinking "Expelliarmus!" as I do this).
In contrast, my right nostril contents invariably land
on my clothes. Temperature and dewpoint were very close
this morning, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe
this oddity.

I thought I was the only one! The exact same thing happens to me
(except for the Harry Potter part). Does it have anything to do with
being right-handed?

I recall vaguely a medical factoid to the effect that that is how the
nostrils work: one constricts while the other is in operation - sort of like
having two pieces of equipment - one operating, the other down for
maintenance.

....gooooogle....

Nope can't find anything about it. Just a whole bunch of stuff on yoga
breathing.

--
'Rockin' and rollin' in overdrive
My heart's beating like a jackhammer,
It's the midnight ride for the gear jammer'
-george thorogood
http://www.geocities.com/siklelogical/

Scott said:

Tuesday, the daughter turned 12, and she wanted a new bike,
so while at the LBS, I bought a water bottle cage and now have
water on rides and am taking the 15-mile (vs. 15 block)
ride in to work, or home. So observations:

My path takes me over a little creek. Tuesday, as I rounded
the bend and approached the bridge over the creek, I spied
a skunk on the bridge, its tail rapidly rising (the skunk's
not the bridge's). FORTUNATELY, it was near enough to the
end of the bridge that it chose escaping vs. spraying.
Phew. I forevermore will call this bridge Skunk Bridge.

This morning a bird was pacing me for about 10 seconds, right
at eye level about 2 feet off to my right. They really are
remarkable things to watch fly.

The best part about biking in early July in WI: BLACKCAPS!
Yummm. There are about 5 big patches along the Capitol City
Trail. Yummmm.

The turkeys were out in the fields today, so I thought, of
course, of thanksgiving dinner, and how soon that will be
here.

I think I'm left-nostrilled. Expelling liquid from my left
nostril is a breeze, and no matter where I point, it clears
my body (I'm always thinking "Expelliarmus!" as I do this).
In contrast, my right nostril contents invariably land
on my clothes. Temperature and dewpoint were very close
this morning, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe
this oddity.

Five thoughts would've sufficed.

:-D

In article <[email hidden]>,

max said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Around here, it's mulberries. Interestingly, it must have been
fashionable to plant mulberry trees back in, oh, the 1950s or so. I
see them only in the older parts of town.

I love em. I want mullberries, and paw paws in my yard. My gf calls
mullberries "poopberries" based on their interaction with aviform
alimentary processes.

Heh. Reminds me of a time many years ago when my mom took a
notion to see what cascara berry jelly would be like. Most
of the family (except myself) sampled the final product and
thought it was quite delicious.

Then everybody was reminded of what cascara bark is medicinally
used for.

Moral: Sometimes it's best to let other people do the experimenting,
and just be an observer. And a one-bathroom house can be a
serious limitation.

I wonder what mulberry wine would be like? Sounds intriguing ...

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Claire Petersky wrote:

Rose's arm got scratched up several times. I had to pull thorns
out of my flesh. Feh.
-------------------------------------------------------

These invasive blackberries are indeed the bane of Northwest
bikers. There's nothing like having a berryvine drag across your eyes
in the dark. They are actually a mix of "Himalayan" and Armenian
Blackberries. The tastier Evergreen Bbs. are an earlier-arrived and
much less pesky species.

As a member of our local bicycle coalition, a mildly active and much
more talkative group, I have chosen blackberry control as my personal
volunteer duty. I spend at least 4 hours a week, trimming and removing
the most dangerous ones. I carry a pro-quality set of hand clippers in
a holster on my bike. Fortunately, a couple times a year, a squad of
jailbirds goes through and wipes out the berries in many places. They
miss quite a few, however, and the devilish things grow back in 3 days.

This sort of bikepath cleanup would make a good project for any
biking club to undertake. No reason why individuals couldn't do a bit
of it on the paths they ride. It's both a public service and
self-service. I get to ride on thorn-free paths myself, after I trim
the berries. I take out Rose vines and Poisonoak, when they grow out in
the faces of riders. Serviceberry and Hawthorne trees, with their
spiked branches, are also targets. In our area, half the flat bike
tires are caused by berry thorns. Thorn-resistant tubes are a popular
item here and I never go out without them.

Steve McDonald
Oregon

On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 19:05:30 -0700, [email hidden] (Steve

McDonald) said:

Thorn-resistant tubes are a popular
item here and I never go out without them.

recommended brand?

---
"BitwiseBob" - Bob Anderson
Eugene Oregon

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Steve McDonald) said:

Claire Petersky wrote:

Rose's arm got scratched up several times. I had to pull thorns
out of my flesh. Feh.
-------------------------------------------------------

These invasive blackberries are indeed the bane of Northwest
bikers. There's nothing like having a berryvine drag across your eyes
in the dark. They are actually a mix of "Himalayan" and Armenian
Blackberries. The tastier Evergreen Bbs. are an earlier-arrived and
much less pesky species.

As a member of our local bicycle coalition, a mildly active and much
more talkative group, I have chosen blackberry control as my personal
volunteer duty. I spend at least 4 hours a week, trimming and removing
the most dangerous ones. I carry a pro-quality set of hand clippers in
a holster on my bike. Fortunately, a couple times a year, a squad of
jailbirds goes through and wipes out the berries in many places. They
miss quite a few, however, and the devilish things grow back in 3 days.

This sort of bikepath cleanup would make a good project for any
biking club to undertake. No reason why individuals couldn't do a bit
of it on the paths they ride. It's both a public service and
self-service. I get to ride on thorn-free paths myself, after I trim
the berries. I take out Rose vines and Poisonoak, when they grow out in
the faces of riders. Serviceberry and Hawthorne trees, with their
spiked branches, are also targets. In our area, half the flat bike
tires are caused by berry thorns. Thorn-resistant tubes are a popular
item here and I never go out without them.

I'm doing my part up in the Northern part of the PNW. Within the next
month, I will embark on an aggressive campaign to deprive all the local
blackberry bushes of their fruiting bodies, thus disrupting further
invasive propagation. Environmentally-friendly disposal will be by a
method I call Proactive Ingestive Eradication, or "PIE". If there are
more than can be handled by PIE, I may also use a long-term
safely-hold-for-disposal method, which goes by the name Jellification by
Annealment to Masticatability, or "JAM".

Through the process of PIE and JAM, our area no longer has a blackberry
problem.

Need a bloody huge amount of Substance Used to Gelatinize All Rottables,

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 20:59:21 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Steve McDonald) said:

Claire Petersky wrote:

Rose's arm got scratched up several times. I had to pull thorns
out of my flesh. Feh.
-------------------------------------------------------

These invasive blackberries are indeed the bane of Northwest
bikers. There's nothing like having a berryvine drag across your eyes
in the dark. They are actually a mix of "Himalayan" and Armenian
Blackberries. The tastier Evergreen Bbs. are an earlier-arrived and
much less pesky species.

As a member of our local bicycle coalition, a mildly active and much
more talkative group, I have chosen blackberry control as my personal
volunteer duty. I spend at least 4 hours a week, trimming and removing
the most dangerous ones. I carry a pro-quality set of hand clippers in
a holster on my bike. Fortunately, a couple times a year, a squad of
jailbirds goes through and wipes out the berries in many places. They
miss quite a few, however, and the devilish things grow back in 3 days.

This sort of bikepath cleanup would make a good project for any
biking club to undertake. No reason why individuals couldn't do a bit
of it on the paths they ride. It's both a public service and
self-service. I get to ride on thorn-free paths myself, after I trim
the berries. I take out Rose vines and Poisonoak, when they grow out in
the faces of riders. Serviceberry and Hawthorne trees, with their
spiked branches, are also targets. In our area, half the flat bike
tires are caused by berry thorns. Thorn-resistant tubes are a popular
item here and I never go out without them.

I'm doing my part up in the Northern part of the PNW. Within the next
month, I will embark on an aggressive campaign to deprive all the local
blackberry bushes of their fruiting bodies, thus disrupting further
invasive propagation. Environmentally-friendly disposal will be by a
method I call Proactive Ingestive Eradication, or "PIE". If there are
more than can be handled by PIE, I may also use a long-term
safely-hold-for-disposal method, which goes by the name Jellification by
Annealment to Masticatability, or "JAM".

Through the process of PIE and JAM, our area no longer has a blackberry
problem.

Need a bloody huge amount of Substance Used to Gelatinize All Rottables,

Now you've gone and made me hungry.

dgk said:

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 20:59:21 -0700, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>
wrote:

[good laugh regrettably snipped to save bandwidth]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Through the process of PIE and JAM, our area no longer has a blackberry
problem.

Need a bloody huge amount of Substance Used to Gelatinize All Rottables,

Now you've gone and made me hungry.

Should I repost re: nostrils? That'll cure ya! 🙂

Scott

Bob, I get most of my thorn-resistant tubes out at G.I. Joe's.
They have the best selection of them, in various sizes. The ones I have
now are "Inline" brand, distributed by Seattle Bicycle Supply. There's
a couple other brands that I've also used that did the job just fine.
They have the code "TR" or "TP" next to the size, on the box. I average
about two flats a year with these heavy tubes, opposed to about 3 a week
with standard tubes. It's a small sacrifice in weight for the benefit.
I've outftte`d all my bikes and trailers with them.

G.I. Joe's seems to be the only local place that stocks Tioga City
Slicker tires. These are the best smooth-tread mountain bike tires I've
found for road riding. I put 65-lb. of pressure in them and my mountain
bike feels almost as easy to ride fast as one with narrow road wheels.

If you or any other rider around the Eugene area (including that
place just to the East) runs into a special problem or hazard on the
bikepaths or bike lanes, feel free to send me an E-Mail about it. If I
can't take care of it myself, I know other people in the Bicycle
Coalition or government agencies, that will do so. Any suggestions
about additions or improvements to the bikeways are always welcomed and
forwarded to those in charge of planning such things.

Steve McDonald
Eugene