June Bug

Wanted to address a few things in your post -- nothing personal. Measles isn't bad unless it's bad. Please don't ever think it's an innocuous illness; it's one of the most contagious illnesses around. You don't see the potential for damage because who gets measles anymore? By 2000, it was almost eradicated in the US. It's incredibly bad for infants, the immuno-compromised and those who acquire it in adulthood. It's suppresses the immune system for quite a long period of time after the illness has passed (immune amnesia). It can rear it's ugly head much later in life as shingles. Fortunately a recent, 96% effective vaccine (Shingrix 2-shot series) has been developed for shingles. Any person over 60 should be getting it. The vaccine is MMR, Measles, Mumps, Rubella. Rubella can cause devastating birth defects and miscarriages if acquired during early pregnancy. These are all viral illnesses. Unlike bacteria, there is, as far as I know, no virus that is beneficial to its host. Moving on to polio. It, too, is caused by a virus. Polio still exists in various parts of the world and polio vaccination is still recommended and required in some areas of the US before a child begins school. The polio vaccine was introduced in 1955. Every parent in the US was incredibly grateful for this; polio was an utterly terrifying disease when I was a young child and every one of us knew what an iron lung was. Every school-aged child was vaccinated. I've known three people who survived polio as a child with subsequent disabling conditions. Polio is another illness that can re-emerge later in life as post-polio syndrome, which can also be disabling. Anti vaxxers. Gah. Rant off. Going for a mellow bike ride.

According to Ryan Leech, "Can a wheelie save the world? No. But social distancing can, and practicing wheelies can encourage social distancing. That's why we're giving away our 30-Day Wheelie Challenge course." Here ya go: https://learn.ryanleech.com/free-wheelie

From the TPWD Pedernales Falls webpage.

The clothing company? There are a ton of them advertising on facebook. They can't all survive. Or did you mean the tour company Western Spirit? They've been around for quite awhile and I think can survive this. They're based in Moab. They have a covid-19 plan posted on their web site now: westernspirit.com/covid-19/ As of now, they've cancelled all trips with a departure date prior to April 18. Everything after that is still a go, pending whatever the heck happens next. We rescheduled from May 4 start date to October 10.

Update: Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are closing down tomorrow, Saturday, March 38. Moab and Carbon, Emory and Grand counties are shut; all lodging can be rented only to locals and essential visitors. These three counties cover a lot of area. Non locals are also banned from camping on public or private property (see below). That said, current visitors will be allowed to stay until the end of their reservation and then have to leave. They cannot extend a reservation. This will be a massive hit to their tourism-based economy & is coming in the middle of Spring Break week for a lot of people. All Moab hotels, lodgings ordered to close to non local visitors. You can link to a pdf clarifying the nature and extent of the closures here. The part specifying that there is to be no camping on public or private lands, unless you are a primary resident (live there) or an essential visitor, is on page 4, section 3. Moab is an isolated place with a small hospital (17 beds). They can't do critical care and have no resources to respond to serious COVID-19 cases. Grand Junction would be the closest major hospital and that's almost two hours away. The locals may love it because they aren't dealing with the tourist crush.

Sweet Jebus, it really is a thing GRAVEL JOSHUA LADY SHORT SLEEVE JERSEY No idea what "other bags" might refer to.

I'm concerned about how e-bikes affect the time frame for the onset of the post-apocalyptic dystopia, although we might need to factor in corona virus at this point.

Curious about this--was his injury so severe that he required heli medevac? Is helicopter access so available in Austin that it's easier to fly him out than wheel him out on one of those all terrain stretchers with one big wheel?

Thank you! I didn't know I needed that. John Mulaney may be the funniest human alive.

Well, yes and no. Immunity drops to a certain degree with every decade starting at 60. Being active and in good shape helps in all ways, but I do know my immunity isn't what it used to be and it takes a bit longer to bounce back from illness. I do NOT want to get this shit. Interesting article from VOX that discusses the issue of age and vulnerability. Why Covid-19 is so dangerous for older adults. I'm also deeply concerned for us collectively. Were I to be careless and become ill, I'd likely infect a number of other people, including my husband. Were we to require hospitalization or other health care, we'd then endanger health workers and possible care givers and anyone who came into contact with us. My sense is that we are in the calm before the storm at this point. Community acquired infections are popping up in unlikely places. Matagorda County on the coast had it's first case. Someone was diagnosed in Yoakum, Texas (between Cuero and Halletsville). If any of you have seen pictures of (I think) O'Hare, hordes of people returning to the US were packed shoulder to shoulder (think Japanese subway scene during rush hour) with some waiting 4 - 6 hours to get to the baggage carousel, and then another 2 - 4 hours to clear customs. Insane. No fever screening, no screening for those returning from heavily infected areas, no masks provided. Zero. Perfect conditions for the transmission of disease. Testing is either unavailable or a total cluster ****. Honestly, I'd face palm over this BUT I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TOUCH MY FACE WITH MY HANDS! Baylor Scott and White is providing drive-up testing at a site near the Domain. You sign up through their patient portal (requiring confirmation by text and email), then fill out their online patient screening questionnaire, and THEN they (human, algorithm?) decide if you get tested. If you pass the threshold, you drive over to the location and get the test. Your sample is then sent to the state for testing and at some unspecified point in the future, the results are provided. Gah. Anyway, link to the KXAN article: Drive-up Corona Virus Clinic Opens in North Austin Chief, earlier this morning I read about cytokine storms. Not a good way to go. If you survive, a possibility of permanent lung damage. I'll raise my elbow for a distant elbow bump if I see y'all on the trails.

They had Fever Clinics, which helped them identify patients. When someone tested positive, they aggressively tracked down every person they had contact with every place they had been and monitored those people. Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in pfd format. WHO=World Health Organization, as opposed to The Who, who just cancelled their Nottingham show due to corona virus.

We're taking self quarantining seriously since we're both way into the high-risk demographic age wise. Corona virus likes to park and go to work in the the lower respiratory tract of old people. Older people with COVID-19 in northern Italy (heart of the pandemic) were dying from acute bilateral interstitial pneumonia and it's not a good way to go. If you survive that, there's potential for permanent lung damage. Cycling and walking means we're not house bound. Really hoping this new corona virus is like others in the corona virus family and tapers off in warm to hot weather. Nobody knows, though. It's summer in Australia and people are getting sick there. Pedal on, y'all and and stay safe, well and happy.

We do have an unused Reba sitting around somewhere, and haven't moved to Boost yet. I'll evaluate that as an option.

Thanks, AB. I checked the PUSH site; for Fox, they only work on Fox 36's from 2015 and newer. Mine is a 32 and may be older. I'll check in with my go-to guy, Joe at Monkey Wrench.

We had scheduled a mountain bike tour in south central Utah with Western Spirit, starting May 4. I called to change to Fall 2020, due to the unsettled corona virus situation. As I was talking to the rep on the phone, I noted a date on their website for late Sept, and said I'd like to do that, rather than the Oct 12 date. Rep: "That's just for gravel bikes." Me: "Oh."

Yup, that's where I'm at. My fork -- Fox 32/Float 29 -- was assessed by the Fox guys at a mtn bike festival to have no compression OR rebound. Fox rebuilds "like new" for $175. What are your local experiences? Would a local shop just order a rebuild kit and go from there?

Exactly. The people I know who live in Utah and Colorado have fat bikes as a regular bike in the stable, because snow and bikepacking where you're likely to encounter sand. Don't see too many around Austin.

Came across the guys Tuesday evening working away on the first feature. Looking good!

I see lots of these folks out and about, especially in Central Austin, closer to the UT Campus.

Every business from Study Butte to Lajitas benefited from having around 500 people show up for three to four days, spending money on lodging, gas, food. The state park gets entry fees, people like the park and tell other people about it. Win win. Really an awesome thing. It was too bad that so many people showed up to mooch off of everyone's hard work and ended it for everyone. The RV park was full and lodging in Lajitas was probably close to 100% occupancy, so I don't know why they wouldn't be interested in finding sponsors. I think Desert Sports folks are getting old and tired. I've always had the impression that Desert Sports is a shoestring operation and the logistics of putting on the fest are daunting. They've put a huge amount of effort into building up the trail system and the event and I personally don't think they got much financial benefit for all that they put into it. Really do hope they'll bring it back for 2021.

Gosh, thanks y'all!

It varies by day and each day usually has a combination of riding and hiking; max riding option is 35 miles on the longest day; the shortest day is 10 miles. Mr. JB prefers riding to hiking, and they've assured us that he can pedal some extra miles. Itinerary here. It's considered a beginner friendly tour. We'll meet the tour van in Hanksville, rather than Moab. Big Detour Thread Drift and NOT E-BIKE RELATED CONTENT! A few years ago we went to a little bike festival put on by local mountain bikers in the Castle Dale area of Utah; festival central was the Wedge Overlook to the Little Grand Canyon of the San Rafael River, the start of the Goodwater Rim Trail. The MECCA club (Mostly Emory County Cycling Association) is a totally homegrown club that sprang up in the middle of nowhere, Utah, when a few folks in each little community discovered that they all like to mountain bike. The founding member, the late and very jovial Lamar Guymon, was the Castle Dale sheriff for many years. The small but very well organized fest had a subtle wholesome and very friendly vibe; I saw no beer at any time and there was zero carousing. It wasn't prohibited or even mentioned; these folks are, I assume, all Mormons or Mormon adjacent. They are very good at sociable and mellow. Anyway, the MECCA fall festival is at the Wedge Overlook, the spring festival is based in Green River, Utah. The timing is such that we can do the Green River festival on Friday, Sat, Sun, head to Hanksville and maybe ride at Goblin Valley State Park on the way, then meet the tour van on Monday in Hanksville. Win win. Anyway, I thought I'd throw out the MECCA bike fest because it would be a great event for families with kids or just a fun relaxing interlude. bikepacking.com has a route in south central Utah that's a bit north of where we'll be. Stone House Lands Loop Water caches are highly recommended. One thing to consider relative to mileage is that there is elevation (our tour route is 5,000 to 8,000 ft elevation) and lots and LOTS of cumulative elevation on some of these roads.

Old Ore Road?

This scenario was not mentioned in Western Spirit Cycling Adventure's tour description, or, in fact, anywhere on their website. I'm going to practice saying, "I welcome our new robot overlords!" just in case. Mash up of Andes Survivors + Mad Max 2020 pedal edition!

From bikepacking.com Delta Airlines Removes Fees for Bikes and Other Sporting Equipment