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Maybe it's time to Pivot back to bike pics.

Rural ride in Hinton, OK. The wind does sweep across the plain.

Madrone Trail at Canyon Lake

I was there the day before yesterday and as far as I could tell nothing has been lost yet but there is new construction immediately adjacent to some of the loops. I only took a couple (pretty lousy) pics but they capture some of the spirit. Glad to knock it off the bucket list after knowing about it for decades, but it isn't one of my favorite trail systems in the area.

Went there Sunday and had a surprisingly good time. As some of you know, I can be a bit critical of ctx trails but this one was all smiles. Well marked, good flow and great views. Terrain was really diverse and has a little of everything to offer and feels like a mixture of pedernales (minus all the rocks) RHR, Reimers, Bandera and a little RPR thrown in for good measure. Hours are changing after Thanksgiving to open later and stay open a little longer. Heads up, there are no bathrooms and it's $10 a day. IMHO, the builders laid the trails out with enough flow, that it'd be a super fun place for gravel bikes for @Barry & @mack_turtle etc. The single speed dudes would get a kick out of it as well. There's also still enough challenges to keep it interesting for full suspension bike guys. Wife has declared Fredericksburg her new favorite trail now that most of RHR is basically closed. Was surprised how Well she handled 15 miles her first time out. Totally recommend Only picture I took but there is a lot of cool stuff to see.

Just finished a project my daughter and I have been working on. I searched for months for a used bike. Everyone I showed her was the wrong color, so she designed one herself. A purple, pink, teal, and gold mermaid-cat bike were her only requests.

up and down and all around

That was a first. I went to squeeze my bottle to bust up the ice cubes and the whole thing shattered. It was early in my ride and the only water I had. I wonder if Trek will handle the warranty on it.

Visiting Family in Tucson and my wife's cousin insisted that I take his bike for a spin. The trail He recommended was basically Suburban Ninja in Tucson, it was even called "Urban Assault" 😂

As a bonus, NR Luminas can double as a mower light....

went exploring southeast Austin yesterday. found some interesting stuff just south of McKinney Falls.

I see it:

I thought about it, but I didn't.

New Mexico is all over bike packing and bike recreation, so not surprised that they are promoting this as well as a Republican senator from WY. NM Senator Ben Ray Lujan in an IMBA press release: BOLT=Biking on Long-Distance Trails Act. This bipartisan bill has advanced enough that there was a Senate hearing by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Dec. 2. From Bikepacking.com: New Bolt Act Could Fund 20 Long-Distance Bike Trails in the US This article has a link to the full text of the bill. Many states are realizing the economic benefits of cycle specific tourism, especially for out of the way communities with depressed economies. Maybe more bills like this could create better guidelines to expedite the currently cumbersome process of creating new trails on BLM and Forest Service lands.

A local distillery/venue was a client for a few years. Learned some interesting things about the “craft” distillery business. Almost all clear craft spirits start with the same alcohol base provided by 2 US suppliers. The stuff they add like juniper in gin, etc. for their local twist goes in right before bottling. The turn around on clear spirits is a couple of days for even small guys. There’s quite a few whiskeys that have a similar process, but they get some aging. These guys were actually doing some 10 year stuff but they’ve got a few to go. The hoops TABC makes these guys jump thru is insane. Lawyers love setting up the complex structures it takes to do multiple alcohol types and mixed use facilities (production, sales, consumption) to comply with Texas’ Protestant crap they try to disguise as safety.

Giving thanks for family, health, friends and financial stability in these crazy times. Happy T-day everyone! M

360 is actually pretty nice if you hit it early on the weekends before traffic picks up. The worst part about 360 is crossing over the entrance\exit ramps. I'll stop and wait for an opening if needed. I try to avoid two lane roads with no shoulders like Spicewood Springs . That is my least favorite stretch of road on the EB route.

I was in physical therapy about five years ago. A woman was coming in for treatment at the same time as I was seeing my physio. She was a year out from having been hit by a motorist on Parmer who had decided that veering onto the shoulder at speed and hitting two cyclists was preferable to running over a cardboard box in her lane. She was up and walking and superficially looked fairly normal, but the results of the trauma to her body will be forever. Two of the cyclists hit by the coal rolling a**hat are probably in the same situation. Their injuries were severe enough that they were life flighted to a major trauma center. It appears from damage to the truck that the teen driver hit some/all of the riders from behind; he didn't sideswipe the group. I'm interested in the demographics of Waller County. This is the same county where Sandra Bland, who was headed from a job interview at Prairieview A & M, was pulled over for not signaling a lane change. I suspect this is an extremely conservative good ol' boy county with a marginally corrupt police dept, and perhaps a lot of not so conservative people moving in. Felony charges against a white teen-aged boy for harassing and injuring cyclists are a bold step for the DA. I hope s/he survives their next election.

Apparently the body was in several poop bags

After getting stung, did you then Turner round?

The other week while riding Brushy I got stung by something, not sure if it was a wasp orbea. It was no Picnic, it was Mulligan.

Oh geez .... this thread is falling into a Canyon! I'll rejoin after signs of a Rocky Mountain high!

This thread is becoming very intense. I'll see myself out

I know you said you didn't want to send it off, but I will give a plug to these guys - www.traillabs.com They are in Springfield, Missouri, but their turnaround time is amazing because they actually schedule your service appointment before you send them your component. I sent my fork and shock to them last summer and had them back within a week. That might actually rival turnaround time for a local shop. Their prices were very competitive too. Full disclosure: I did have an issue with my shock leaking oil after it was serviced. They were really good about it and fixed it quickly with no extra charge to me, but it did mean I was without my shock for a few more days.

I never knew his middle name was "Fuller". I've only seen it as "F". Nicely done.

New intake of pain meds are keeping me sober, post October. Thanks to @Chief for the heads up on the whitestone hop water. Definitely a new favorite! The other two aren't bad considering they're fake beer.

More detailed explanation posted on facebook: "Sadly, everyone, after a lot of deliberation and hope against hope, we've decided that the best move here is to cancel this year's Cranksgiving. It didn't rain much Thursday, as was predicted, and that would have been fine. But the % for Saturday has remained very steady at around 90%. Weather prediction isn't perfect, but barely more than 24 hours away from the event, it's probably pretty good at this point. All is not lost! We are putting together something in its place here after the first of the year. We have tons of awesome swag and we'll go a 'lite' Cranksgiving in the new year. Hate having to do this...but we all agreed that it's the best move. Stay tuned for more about what we're putting together for January. Refunds for those who registered and paid will be processed in the coming days. If you'd like to contribute your registration fee to ARR, that's most certainly welcome, so let me know if you'd like to do that. If I don't hear from you, we'll process your refund shortly."

Too much turkey.

Things are starting off nicely.

Likewise, I am filled with gratitude for my health, my family, and this Hill Country we live in.

My double E father would be embarrassed by my solder skills, but it is working again!

Eat well everyone, there is a long weekend of biking in front of you.

Got back from my PCP. Didn't seem too alarmed and recommended physical therapy. Luckily, my doctor and rehab is through Baylor Scott and White and is also located at the entrance to my neighborhood making the process pretty darn easy. Living in a pseudo retirement community, I have a lot of neighbors who go there, and they are really pleased with the results. Worst case they recommend I get a shot, so that was really encouraging. IMHO, this is something that's been around for a while (decades) and age has just finally caught up with me. Glad to have some options before it got too bad. Lastly, thanks going out to you guys for the encouragement and advice!

100% I'm not even that old but to stay active I find myself digging up more and more PT/PE exercises to avoid pain, especially from areas that have been previously injured. If someone hated Hondas because there's didn't last very long but they never maintained it you'd blame lack of maintenance. Plus older/ more high strung machines generally require more maintenance.

So good

Well, it does say The Good Stuff on the label.

I bought the Berryman's to try it too, and I have a worn out Maxxis Rambler 40c that will be sacrificed for this purpose. I'll try both Stan's and Berryman's at 50/50 with various size hole making devices. I just need to get the time to do it.

Saturday night bowling. Seemed like the appropriate pairing

They're pretty much like vegans and CrossFit people, rapidly self-identify when not really necessary. I guess singlespeeders fit into that group as well.

This Imperial Red IPA is quite good and packs a punch!

For every gear below 12 you need at least one oil slick accessory/farkle.

Its a Dallas thang...trails are mediocre and all far away from each other. #carlife -CJB

File’ is usually included in most traditional rural gumbos. It’s more Cajun than Creole. Creoles (usually kitchen help in urban areas) use okra vs file’ as the thickening agent. The Cajuns learned about it from the Choctaw I think. It’s just dried and pulverized sassafras leaves. In my family it’s added to your bowl as you serve so the flavor is stronger.

I do that the week after Thanksgiving too.

Man dude I'm so sorry to hear this! I know how debilitating back pain can be. It's also one of the most over operated on conditions we suffer from. Get more than one opinion if you can, and give your body some rest.

Thanks, I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's a 2017 Diamondback Sync'r 24. Everything is pretty much stock except the tires, grips, and pedals. The specs can be found here - https://99spokes.com/bikes/diamondback/2017/syncr-24 The cranks are 165 mm which appear to be the shortest NX crank option. They still look a bit long for her, but I'm sure they will be just fine and fit her in no time. She will pass this bike down to little sister, so the more purple, pink etc, the better. 4fun and RedRider3141 both recommended spray.bike for the paint. It was pretty simple to use and I'm impressed with the finish. Its hard to tell in the pictures, but the last coat of clear has gold flake that looks really nice in the sun.

Finally got this sorted out via NextDoor Gracywoods from someone who lives across the street from the trailhead. The dog-walker died at the Lincolnshire trailhead by the dam. For those that aren't familiar with this entrance, it's right at the "Dr." for Lincolnshire Dr. Insect stings seem to have been involved. He was walking two dogs; one was found and I don't know if the 2nd dog was located. The missing dog is said to be a chiweenie (cross between a dachshund and a chihuahua). I'm wondering if the dogs somehow disturbed a ground nest of yellowjackets/hornets. North Star Greenbelt was referenced upthread. It's a paved neighborhood greenbelt under powerlines and not in any way connected to Walnut Creek Park. Years ago my brother, a teacher at the time, was with a group of middle school students on a field trip near Killeen. One of the students managed to disturb a nest of ground hornets and enough kids were stung that it made national news. I just googled "students stung by hornets on field trip" and it's a more common occurrence than one might think.

Yeah really surreal in a post-apocalyptic sort of way. Had a blast and will definitely return there. Picked up the pace on the second lap which really helped to create some flow. Seemed to me like a cross between LGT and Pedernales. Post-ride refreshments at the marina definitely add to the appeal. One more new trail checked off the list for this year!