RR: Dirt, Dinner & Misplaced keys...

Thanks for that vivid description. I felt like I was there
... or wished I was, anyway =)

--
monique

<Originally posted by Roger Buchanan
BIG paved loop, except for the one tasty diversion off onto
singletrack.

<snip>
Then I spot them. The keys are still in the door lock...
just hanging there. Been there since we left to ride. This
time it wasn't yours truly who made a big gaff, but my dear
better half. Nothing was touched. We were thankful for the
honesty of strangers, or their lack of observation skills
(whichever). It was sure a close call though.

We found a picnic table in some shade and downed our dinner.
After that, we checked out some wildflowers before heading
home. Not a bad way to unwind after a busy day!
--
- Rog>

I have been bringing either my trials to work to play with during lunch... I am sitting here enjoying your RR when I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat... Opened my messenger bag to make sure I have my car keys.... Whew...
Sitting here for a few more minutes and the cold sweat begins again... Is the alarm on???
run down the 5 flights, out to the parking lot ... Whew the bike is still there!
<BEEP>... finally some peace of mind.

Run back up the 5 flights.... So not only did I get a nice RR but I got a decent workout!!!

Good job!!!
:-)

---Jimbo(san)

Jimbo (san) wrote: <snip>

Quoted message said:

I have been bringing either my trials to work to play with
during lunch... I am sitting here enjoying your RR when I
suddenly broke out in a cold sweat... Opened my messenger
bag to make sure I have my car keys.... Whew... Sitting
here for a few more minutes and the cold sweat begins
again... Is the alarm on??? run down the 5 flights, out to
the parking lot ... Whew the bike is still there!
<BEEP>... finally some peace of mind.

Run back up the 5 flights.... So not only did I get a nice
RR but I got a decent workout!!!

Good job!!!
:-)

---Jimbo(san)

Makes me so glad I live in this little town. Alarms are only
good for one thing here: annoying people and announcing to
the town "I'm new here". I find it irritating when my car is
locked because I'm so used to it just being unlocked (when I
need to drive it somewhere - usually once about every couple
of weeks or so).

We sometimes hear about an auto theft. Every one I've heard
about has been with the keys left in the car. People leave
their cars running at the store when the temp goes below -20
and high school kids sometimes take them joy riding (four
wheeling that often ends when the car no longer functions).
The owners are always surprised, saying things like "I've
been doing this for 20 years."

Unlocked bikes sit around many of the popular eateries
(mostly town bikes with the occasional high-dollar MTB or
nice fixie) without incident. The rule generally is, you can
get away with leaving your bike around during the day if
it's not the time of year that the college students leave.
Sometimes easy target bikes will leave with them. Unlocked
townies at bars sometimes migrate to other parts of town,
and can usually be recovered by riding around and looking.

Life here is pretty good as long as you're not into malls or
high rise buildings.

Matt (last drove the car last Saturday)

<Originally posted by Mattb
Makes me so glad I live in this little town. Alarms are only
good for one thing here: annoying people and announcing to
the town "I'm new here". I find it irritating when my car is
locked because I'm so used to it just being unlocked (when I
need to drive it somewhere - usually once about every couple
of weeks or so).

We sometimes hear about an auto theft. Every one I've heard
about has been with the keys left in the car. People leave
their cars running at the store when the temp goes below -20
and high school kids sometimes take them joy riding (four
wheeling that often ends when the car no longer functions).
The owners are always surprised, saying things like "I've
been doing this for 20 years."

Unlocked bikes sit around many of the popular eateries
(mostly town bikes with the occasional high-dollar MTB or
nice fixie) without incident. The rule generally is, you can
get away with leaving your bike around during the day if
it's not the time of year that the college students leave.
Sometimes easy target bikes will leave with them. Unlocked
townies at bars sometimes migrate to other parts of town,
and can usually be recovered by riding around and looking.

Life here is pretty good as long as you're not into malls or
high rise buildings.

Matt (last drove the car last Saturday)>

Now that sounds exactly how it would be if I died and went to heaven!

The car is mighty here... us and our bikes are very small...
I get paranoid leaving my bike on the rack while I wheel Carla's in from the street... Another very sad thing is the amount of perfectly useful bikes that get tossed here... either because it is simply easier to drive or it is reaaly unsafe to ride your bike anywhere.
There is this old guy in our neighborhood who rescues bikes from the trash and fixes them up.. keeps them all piled up outside... I guess he chains them up.
Up in Toronto if you look up long enough someone will come and steal your fillings :-P
I need a place like Mayberry that has awesome riding!

Jimbo(san)

Roger Buchanan said:

BIG paved loop, except for the one tasty diversion off onto
singletrack.

I've ridden this short section of singletrack more than I
can count, maybe fifty-eleven times even. What makes this
short section great is that it has, or allows for, what I
think of as flow. It's downhill, but not seat of the pants
downhill, just a couple of gears taller than normal
downhill. It's tight, just over one bike wide. Control
means watching your speed at corners and blind spots, and
ALWAYS being able to stop for hikers. Though I rarely
encounter hikers. Most of the time though you can see far
enough ahead to get some speed going.

When you do get going on this section all your cares and
worries just drop away. All you can think about is leaning,
shifting, pedalling, braking, oh yeah, and grinning. Lots
and lots of grinning. The occasional branch sometimes gives
you a tap on the helmet as you rush by, but that's just to
check that you're paying attention to the matter at hand.
(As if your mind would/could wander).

It's certainly not technical, but there are enough rocks,
roots, windy twisty turns, and combinations of the three to
make sure you are focused. 'bout the worst that you'd do if
you got in trouble is go off into the bushes or hit one of
the small Oak trees. I prefer not to though.

Into an S-bend and you're high on the outside to miss a
large root gnarl, then it's on the brakes and tight around
the inside to miss the large roots on the outside of the
last part of the turn. These roots are gnarled, about as
thick as your wrist, and at a 45 degree angle to the trail.
Then it's staying right and down the hill before a quick
left and a cut-out back to the pavement.

Back to the pavement where my front der won't get me to the
big ring. I fuss a bit with the shifter/cable adjuster but
to no avail. Spin spin spin... all the way back to the car.
I've just gotta get better at adjusting front der's.

Back at the car we wait to get to our cooler that's filled
with freshly grilled chicken thighs (Zesty Thai Dressing)
and a pasta salad with green onions, english cucumber,
radishes. Some sliced carrots for roughage. all washed
down with H20. But how to get into the car? The keys
aren't in a bum-bag, nor pockets, nor anywhere else!!!
Where could they be????

Then I spot them. The keys are still in the door lock...
just hanging there. Been there since we left to ride. This
time it wasn't yours truly who made a big gaff, but my dear
better half. Nothing was touched. We were thankful for the
honesty of strangers, or their lack of observation skills
(whichever). It was sure a close call though.

We found a picnic table in some shade and downed our
dinner. After that, we checked out some wildflowers before
heading home. Not a bad way to unwind after a busy day!

Nice ;-)

Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than
as a reflector, that is, the mind should give an immediate
view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]