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.
:-]