June Bug

I saw Devo in concert at the Armadillo. Spot on.

Update: I got a call from Fox this afternoon. They've received my fork and are rebuilding it tomorrow. Should be on my doorstep Wed. of next week, instead of a month or more. It turns out that a lot of people signed up for an RA (Request Authorization) number but weren't able to mail the fork/shock in because of stringent stay-at-home requirements in many areas, so they are way ahead of schedule. Many thanks for offers of assistance; no need to mess around with the commuter bike at the moment, but I'm trying to sort out compatibility issues around hubs, drive trains, skewers and thru axles. However, it's in the future and I'll transition any questions over to the Tech/Maintenance thread.

Big_papa_nuts and Manuels61 the problem is, for some reason, QR to thru axle adapters can't be used/not recommended with this fork. I'll contact MRP tomorrow and check with them for clarification. Their chat box responded to my first question in about 3 minutes.

Had forgotten. Hitting the ignore button now. If you disagree with me, I encourage you to do the same.

See, this is how conspiracy theories get their start. When you visit actual science web sites, with articles and posts by real scientists doing real, peer reviewed science, you know that studies by real scientists have been done that show the virus has a natural origin. Here's a link to an article on ScienceDaily.com, which is an amazing web site that serves as an aggregator for all types of science articles from peer reviewed journals. COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic has a natural origin Source: Scripps Research Institute Summary: An analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered. The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine on March 17, 2020, nearly a month ago. Figuring out the basic aspects of the virus, including the genome, was addressed very early on. I can't believe I've been sucked into this. I need to work on my will, medical powers of attorney and end of life directives, just in case.

It's linked in my post. Also, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck *applies Occam's Razor* it's a duck!

The situation: Fox fork should be arriving in Sparks, NV sometime today for its rebuild with a turnaround of up to a month. Ready to roll: hardtail Motobecane Ti Fly Team with an MRP Rock Solid Rigid Carbon fork, but running narrow (no tread) tires since it's currently doing duty as a commuter. MRP responded to me a few minutes ago that the fork will clear a 3.0 tire. The fork cannot be converted to thru axle, it's quick release only. I'm thinking about getting some wheels with wide internal diameter and trying out wide tires (2.6-2.8). This will allow me to get on some mellow trails with a rigid fork and also see if it will ultimately work for non-technical bike packing in areas that have some sand. Shot in the dark: Does anyone have some high quality light 29er wheels, quick release, wide internal rim for reasonable price? Something around 32-34 mm internal width looks about right, at least based on this chart: Tire Size Chart for Bicycle Rim Front tire will likely be 2.8"; back tire will be limited to 2.6", if that. Also, suggestions for new wheels that are the same?

Le Sigh.

From the WIKI for Epoch Times: "The Epoch Times is a multi-language newspaper. It was founded in 2000 by John Tang and a group of Chinese Americans associated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement. Though the newspaper is known for general interest topics with a focus on news about China and its human rights issues, it has become known for its support of U.S. President Donald Trump and favorable coverage of far-right politicians in Europe; a 2019 report showed it to be the second-largest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising after the Trump campaign...The group's news sites and YouTube channels have spread conspiracy theories such as QAnon and anti-vaccination propaganda." Lots more at the link. Falun Gong is a whole 'nother rabbit hole, as is European far-right populism/nationalism.

Is Walnut rideable? Why, yes, yes it is. Did a little snippy loppy on the flow trail closest to the detention dam yesterday evening and hiked a bit last week. The poison ivy is getting a full head of steam.

That's applicable to so, so many things. *sips tea, contemplates*

I read an exciting article yesterday about mucous! Anyway, the article touched on the concept of super spreaders, with 80% of viral infection caused by only about 20% of infected people, who apparently are inadvertently generous about emitting more virus particles than your average infected person. Utah Researchers Examining Mucous to Pave Way for Corona Virus Treatment

Haven't watched "Tiger Man" and even I get the reference.

Wearing a mask telegraphs to others "I take this seriously. Keep your distance and don't f**k with me." That's what I'd like to think. Twenty somethings are oblivious to it all.

There's never a good excuse to pass on a teachable moment.

More of southern Utah shut: Coronavirus closes canyons of Escalante, campgrounds in Kane County Local officials cite worries over first responders This tells me that people are STILL traveling to recreate, instead of staying home. Also, the park service needs to close everything, just shut it all down.

I belong to a Cycling Over 60 facebook page; it's international. People from all over the world post lovely pictures of whatever ride they have done. Recently, it's just a landscape or a single bike, because sane folks are riding solo in areas with almost no traffic and very few other cyclists. As recently as a few weeks ago (and possibly still), some people (men) were arguing vigorously that group riding was safe, because 1) you were outside and 2) of course fit cyclists had immunity because so very healthy and fit and pooh-poohing the need for solo riding.

There's a national movement going on -- anyone with a sewing machine and some fabric is cranking out masks, with patterns for specific purposes. There are patterns for fitting over N 95 and other masks in use in hospitals and medical settings so the original mask (which should be disposed of after one use) can be used multiple times. My niece works for a children's hospital in the Atlanta area and that hospital put out a call for home sewers to create 3,000 masks. That was a little over a week ago. I think someone on here or facebook noted that you can goose up the efficacy of a home-made mask or a little dust mask with various household items like a vacuum cleaner paper filter. And sanitary pads. And baby wipes. How to make your own face mask to help stop the spread of the coronavirus How to make a no-sew face mask Elastic is now in short supply, but if you cut open a bungee, it's stretch comes from a bazillion long pieces of elastic.

I just did a quick google on vultures. Those look more like black vultures with the white on the wing tips, but turkey vultures more often hang out with their wings spread to dry their wings or regulate body temp. Whichever it is, that is an awesome sight!

Yes, the temps really plummeted in a short period of time. What was your return route? There had to be hills involved, right?

Mr. JB is reading it right now and I'm getting started on Dark Towers. Looking forward to reading it later this week or next. A facebook friend posted that the Brentwood Social Club, a coffee shop/market on Koenig Lane at Arroyo Seco, had storefront pickup, and had eggs in stock, so it seemed like a nice bike errand. We still get a paper newspaper delivered every day in a plastic sleeve, so used those over a pair of smartwool socks, which worked great to keep feet dry and warm. The ride over wasn't terrible, streets were wet but it wasn't raining + traffic was light for the most part. My little bag was waiting on a table by the front door, packed everything on the bike and headed home. Had to try to avoid bumps, because 2 dozen eggs. Raining, north headwind but not bad. Contemplating a curbside pickup by bike at Wheatsville this coming week. Have to balance items with space available (2 panniers, rack top bag), but should be able to do some restocking and get in a ride.

I don't recall ever seeing a road runner on the wing, so that is fascinating. WIKI says that roadrunners will fly to escape predators but prefer to walk or run. They are members of the cuckoo family. I heard an owl hooting at WC last week in the evening near the Lincolnshire trailhead , but didn't see it. There is someone who uses these little disposable plastic devices to floss their teeth and then discards them on the Shady Springs side trail, so that is something I see on that particular trail. I found a mouthpiece for a hydration pack drinking tube this last week. That's it.

In the "this is why we can't have nice things" category From my NextDoor neighborhood listserve: City of Austin Closes Barking Springs on April 3:

I thought this afternoon might be a good time to return a library book (Trump and His Generals), because it's a nice ride on the Northern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Path to the library on Amherst and it had stopped raining. The libraries are all closed but book drop, right? Lots of folks on the path but not crowded. I took a raincoat. The library is closed closed. The book drops are taped shut with signs about NOT trying to open them or push the doors open and for heaven's sake don't leave your damn books by the door or under the book drop. So...closed. Really closed. Shut. Austin Public Library is also forgiving fines and extending checked out books for a month. I was almost to the Metric bridge coming home and it started barely sprinkling, and continued to sprinkle, but really cooling off and looking ominous. Put on the raincoat, same all the way home. Got the garage door closed, went in the house and now it's pouring, dark outside and thunder rumbling in the distance. Cozy. Partly read: Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World On deck: Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Tale of Destruction Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon Kevin Fedarko is an amazing writer so I don't quite understand why it's taken 3.5 years to work my way through his book, but this is a good time to wrap it up.

Using a thong, an everyday thong...