June Bug

I went to the library and got to the point where I had to get an admin log on and password to complete the download to update the InReach firmware and I knew that wasn't going to happen. We took the InReach with us on our ride today - the SOS function will work in dire circumstances, so I'll just let that be what it is. Garmin InReach pairs with Earthmate, but I'll save all of that to when we get back to Austin. Yesterday I bought Ride With GPS Basic and it may be the best money I've ever spent. Setting up the route for today's ride was, literally, effortless and Ride With GPS will work without internet or cell service. The web site has a list of all the things to do to extend battery life in that mode. Even with the screen off, it gave voice prompts, so we easily navigated from Hovenweep National Monument to Hatch Trading Post via Black Steer Canyon. We got to Hatch Trading Post in record time (all hard packed dirt and gravel after the first mile) because there's a cumulative loss of just under 800' over 11 miles, mostly from dropping down off Cajon Mesa into Black Steer Canyon; lots of rolling terrain as well. It was brutal on the return with a headwind of 15 to 20 mph and some steep pitches to get back up to the top of Cajon Mesa. Amazing country out there. This was a useful recon to see if it was feasible to bike ride the 43 miles down Montezuma Canyon Rd (gravel) to Hatch Trading Post with an overnight camping, then head east to Hovenweep National Monument on Black Steer Canyon Rd. (Hovenweep would be a safe place to leave a car) As it turns out, we rode about a mile up Montezuma Canyon Rd from Hatch Trading Post and it was total washboard misery, so unless San Juan County, Utah decides to maintain and blade Montezuma Canyon Rd, we'll put this on the back burner. Click here for some info on the amazing Montezuma Canyon.

I checked in with the local LBS and they suggested a phone repair place that also does a little bit of computer stuff, but that doesn't seem like quite the right avenue. I'll head to the library today. Since I have a local address, they gave me a free library card. I use them when I need to print something and to check out Tony Hillerman and Anne Hillerman murder mysteries. Like all librarians they are very helpful, but I don't know how tech savvy they are or if they have one tech savvy person on staff. The computers do have Firefox for the default browser; not sure if they are Windows based. Sadly, they don't have MAC laptops for checkout. I want to do a ride in a few days from Hovenweep National Monument on the Colorado/Utah border, over to Hatch Trading Post (now abandoned) via unpaved Black Steer Canyon Rd. This is a recon of sorts for a longer ride I want to do. This is not wilderness by any means but it's way the heck out there with very little traffic and zero cell service -- an empty quarter of sorts. We're old people on our own (74 and 77) and I don't want to be out there without an InReach or some way to get help if anything should happen.

We're in SW Colorado for another month to six weeks and I got the InReach personal locator beacon out to update the firmware and pair with my cell phone for emergency messaging since we'd like to do a little bikepacking. It's an older InReach, bought just as Garmin bought out DeLorme. Then I remembered I ran into this problem awhile back. Garmin firmware updater and other support works only with Windows and MAC; Garmin still can't be bothered to support Chrome or Linux. We have two Chromebooks and no Windows or MAC here. Mr. June Bug has a new to him Chumba Stella and it came with lots of bike packing gear and an unused (still in the package) SPOT. As it turns out, the SPOT firmware update (the most recent is 2/7/2022) also works only with Windows and MAC, but this SPOT is new enough that it may not need an update and possibly could be paired directly with our Android phones. I'll check and see how this works. Anyway, this pisses me off insanely. These are global companies; can they just not be bothered to sync with Chrome? Ditto with SPOT. We're more than a bit stuck. There is no Discount Electronics store or anything remotely related here where we could pick up an old Windows desktop cheap. Two words that I hate are "work around" but if anyone knows of a work around, please post up. I haven't seen anything online that offers help.

Looooong and sloooooow.

I get the appeal NOW, but winter is long, dark and cold.

A year or two ago cruising down the bike lane on north Guadalupe I was passed by a guy on an electric skate board. He held the controller in his hand, about the size of a small TV remote.

Tensions rise as as Coloradans debate how much trail access to give e-bikes Some say they’re a great tool for accessibility. Others argue they’re bringing chaos to the backcountry Good summary of the issues around eBikes on public lands in the West. We were in the Mountain Bike Specialists store in Durango last week. A 60+ guy was buying an eBike to ride the Aquarius Trail Hut System in Utah, which has a LOT of climbing at high elevations. I think the recharge is provided via generator at each hut location. We did a trip in south central Utah with Western Spirit a few years ago. They carried a generator for anyone wanting to do the trip on an eBike.

Dropper is installed and rode two downhills that I'd been walking. Huge difference.

Probably a big problem for the person cleaning the bathrooms if people were bringing in muddy bikes. Old thread on mtbr: Enough With Sleeping In Toilets Already! It's Silly and Gross! Responses ranged from, "Hell to the no, I'd die of exposure before doing that" to "Hey, dry and clean, great night's sleep" and everything in between.

Turns out the cabling for the KS Dropzone remote creates a loop of cable when the post is compressed so the mechanic does not recommend. KS e20 it is. Should arrive on Tuesday.

Dropper install did not go as planned. The shortest travel PNW is 120mm and it turns out I need a 100. This has to do with being able to adjust the dropper post so that it comes up to exactly the correct seat height. The PNW was a little too high for my set up. Mr June Bug has a new-to-him Chumba titanium hardtail that needed a dropper seat post so the PNW (120mm height + seat post diameter were perfect) is now on the Chumba. The 2013 Salsa Spearfish frame has external routing, so very limited on dropper seat post selection. LBS will order a KS e20 or (hopefully) KS Dropzone Remote. KS Dropzone Remote is lighter and has a "1-way roller clutch bearing" that's not listed for the KS e20 but is listed for their somewhat higher-end droppers.

PNW Cascade dropper (125mm x 31.6) + thumb lever + cabling on the way from REI. 20% off, so everything + tax was right at $180 w/ free shipping for REI members. The REI cycling sale was supposed to end yesterday but their sale prices are still up. The PNW site is 20% off as well. LBS will install for $30.

Where is this? New Mexico?

It's like Blue Man Group but with trees...

This is a relatively close fit for the thread topic: (Video) Following the Black Soldiers who Biked Across America In an excellent video feature from VICE News, journalist Dexter Thomas joins bikepacker Erick Cedeño as he retraces the Buffalo Soldiers’ historic journey from Fort Missoula to St. Louis on the expedition’s 125th anniversary.