June Bug

On 4/24/2023 at 9:12 AM, notyal said:

Just try not to breathe the air there.

Cow funk or oil/gas funk?

Just came across this on facebook.   The dedication for the  7-mile  Chad Alan Foster Memorial Trail System in Borger was yesterday and a TMBRA race is happening today (April 23, 2023).     Singletrack for hike, bike, run!   If you go to Palo Duro Canyon,  a fun side trip to Borger could yield some fun single track.  This being Texas, it's an 8-hour drive from here to there. 

Where the heck is Borger?  It's a bit northeast of Amarillo, at the same latitude as Oklahoma City.   Link to the race page HERE, and if you scroll down a bit there is an over view of the trail system. 

April 21, 2023: Frog strangler at Walnut Creek early last night, some reports are up to 4 inches that came down fast.  The creek was running 4,000 cfs at Dessau Bridge at one point. It's going to take awhile to dry out. 

14 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

 I know it’s a “trash” tree but that thing provided shade to a quarter of our yard.

We have a tall hackberry on the east fence of our yard.  It's not in great shape with some partially dead limbs, but it provides great shade.  While we could hear oak branches cracking under their ice load in the yard next door and just feet away from the hackberry, it did just fine and only dropped one small, already dead limb. 

Right now it has leafed out robustly and looks better than it has in years.   At some point, though, it will have to go. 

TxDOT could put a four-lane road where Austin is building a trail

Looking at the photos and maps embedded in this article, I wondered how much could already be traversed by mountain bikes. 

16 hours ago, hurronnicane said:

Today’s wildflower was Damianita.  Chrysactinia mexicana

I love yellow wildflower season so much!  Blue bonnets and the other ephemeral spring flowers are lovely but the yellows can go all summer and into the fall, esp. coreopsis and the native sunflowers. 

...and just like that! 

NEW MOTOROLA DEFY SATELLITE LINK TURNS YOUR SMARTPHONE INTO A SATELLITE COMMUNICATOR

The new Motorola Defy Satellite Link is about the size of a credit card, weighs just 70 grams, and turns your smartphone into a two-way communication device when traveling outside of cellular service. 

"The new Motorola Defy Satellite Link is a satellite communicator that connects via Bluetooth to your Android or iOS smartphone, providing two-way communication when traveling outside of cellular service. It’s designed to be rugged and waterproof, weighs just 70 grams (2.5 ounces), and has a 600mAh battery that’s good enough for “multiple days of use.” The best part is that the device costs just $99 and subscription plans start at $4.99 per month. It appears to be a simple device, with no LCD screen and just a few functions that include an SOS button and check-in/track option.

The Defy Satellite Link is supposed to be available this April, and you can sign up here to learn more about preorder details."

Just saw an announcement on facebook that there will be a Rogue Trails running event, "The Maze at Walnut Creek", this Sunday from 7:30 am to 12 noon at Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park.

The Austin Ridge Riders Sunday morning ride has been cancelled;  a group ride has been rescheduled to 2 pm. 

On 2/12/2023 at 8:37 AM, mack_turtle said:

There's a generous bike path along the highway here, which essentially connects no-one to no-where. I rode it to where 71 crosses Onion Creek, but the path abruptly ends. I was hoping there would be more paths to explore in the park, but I needed to head back. All this infrastructure with lights ($$), and it just ends here:

I use 130 (Pickle Parkway!) to go visit family in Cuero and was always intrigued by the bike/pedestrian path that goes from Pearce Lane to the  little Travis County park, Barkley Meadows, at Hwy 71 and Hwy 130 intersection.

On your map, Barkley Meadows Park is the green area with a little lake  directly above the "M" in Meadows at Berdoll.  Pearce Lane is the street that crosses that same "M".  The bike path visible from Hwy 130 is on the west side. Googlemaps shows a path that continues from Barkley Meadows and possibly there is a way to navigate under 71 -- google just shows construction --  to access Southeast Metropolitan Park via trail.  Google maps also shows a trailhead for a "primitive trail" on the north side of the park that leads north towards Onion Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. 

However, Google maps also shows Antojitos La Herradura in the middle of a field close by, so there's that. 

I have to make that trip to Cuero on Thursday; I'll check out Moore's Crossing and Barkley Meadows.  Now I'm wondering if that's a dog park or named after a Barkley or maybe named after a dog named Barkley. 

On 2/12/2023 at 8:37 AM, mack_turtle said:

I pedaled to Burleson and away from the city on a relatively safe road to Moore's Crossing. that's a really nice park.

 

 

OK, I wasn't familiar with Moore's Crossing.  Have to check that out.  

You went by Pilot Knob.  It was an important landmark on the Camino Real, which crosses Onion Creek in McKinney Falls State Park. For those familiar with the park, the crossing is at the large expanse of exposed limestone by the shallow crossing on Onion Creek.

22 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

I hate hot weather and  in 15+ years here, it feels worse every year to me. 

That's because it IS worse.  More hot days, and those hot days are hotter.  2011 is still the worst in recent memory, though. 

A friend put together a 20-mile plus route in Pflugerville linking hike 'n bike paths, starting at the NE Metro Park, by the new skatepark.  We rode it yesterday and that paved path follows Gilliland Creek  -- huge branches were down everywhere - pecans, I think.   We pulled what we could off the path. 

One of the paths is adjacent to backyards; houses are close together.  Two big trees that toppled over together fell across the trail, took down the fence and landed in the narrow space BETWEEN these two houses.  Either tree could have caused major damage if it had fallen a few feet either way.  

Also, there was incredibly heavy fog as we were driving to the start of the ride. Googlemaps took us north on Dessau Rd to a right turn on Pecan St. 

What we didn't realize when we turned right is that we were headed into oncoming traffic because that intersection is now a crossover intersection.  Fortunately there was only one car oncoming and there were two lanes, but WHAT. THE. HECK.

We thought we erred because of the incredibly dense fog, but when going home, we saw someone make the same mistake we did -- in broad daylight,  because there's no warning that the actual right hand turn lane is now in the middle of the damned intersection.  I think this is some variation of a displaced left turn intersection.  

I'm assuming this change was made to handle traffic from the huge Amazon ware house by that intersection. 

Austin Ridge Riders Walnut Creek Trail Work Day

• Saturday, Feb. 5, 9am to noon
• Meet at the pool parking lot at Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

I'm assuming this will be TMBRA PayDirt eligible. 

*The City of Austin does not allow volunteers to use power tools of any kind, so it's all hand work*

Sounds like there will be clearing of downed trees, but also possible dirt work while things are damp. 

Tools provided, but bring your own work gloves if you have 'em. 

17 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Well, our block was, a little, um, interesting this morning.

Do you have dense, clayey soil in your 'hood?  That looks a huge tree (cedar elm?) that never put down deep roots to anchor it.  When I lived on Larry Lane in East Austin, we had incredibly dense clay underlying about 6 inches of soil. The next door neighbor's tree did a similar topple during a wind storm - huge cedar elm with no deep roots. 

Not too much damage here at our house. We have no big trees, a few of the smaller trees lost a branch or two, nothing major.  The next door neighbor's live oak has a long horizontal branch that is now lying about a fourth of the way into our front yard.  It will be major cleanup.  It hasn't fallen completely - just split off from the trunk.  If I get nosy I'll peek over the fence. Their back yard is a forest of live oaks and cedar elms.  I  was still hearing "crack, whump" in the wee hours coming from their yard. 

Thanks a lot, guys.  Rain AND an ice storm. 

For some reason, I automatically default to mentally pronouncing it as Man (wild and crazy guy!) - i-ak and not māniac ("a person exhibiting extreme symptoms of wild behavior").  Just watched the first few minutes of a Maniak unboxing video.  It's the latter. 

21 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

It's a coffee/dessert shop called OMG Squee.  It shares a space with Eastside Pedal Pushers, which is right next to a bike path...but that location is not good for the amount of traffic they're getting now.

I saw a pic in the last few days of the parking scene related to an OMG Squee "event".  People were driving across the bike path to park on the grass beside the path. 

On 11/11/2021 at 11:11 AM, June Bug said:

Cycle Progession is a block south of Hyde Park Gym on Guadalupe.  Note that the shop cat is on extended leave until remodeling is completed. 

According to social media, Shop Cat is back in residence. 

51 minutes ago, The Tip said:

But our event is planned for Feb 22-26

Public or private?

If you are planning a trip out to Big Bend, the state park will close for a scheduled hunt, beginning the evening of Jan 29 and reopening the morning of Feb 3, 2023

"Starting Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 8 PM CST the interior of Big Bend Ranch State Park (including Sauceda Ranger Station) will be closed to the public for a drawn hunt and will reopen Friday, February 3, 2023 at 8 AM CST. The River Corridor (FM 170 - River Road) will remain open along with Barton Warnock Visitor Center and Fort Leaton State Historic Site."

On 11/11/2021 at 6:13 PM, June Bug said:

I have a double chain ring on my Salsa Spearfish, and am quite happy with that set up. 

Update: Dropper seat-post lever, added early Fall 2022, doesn't play well with shifting lever for the two chainrings; not enough real estate for both to be used easily.  It's awkward. 

You really gotta have a 1x set up - shifting stuff on the right side of the handle bar, unimpeded easy access to dropper lever on the left. 

On 11/20/2022 at 9:45 PM, Ridenfool said:

I'm not as divisive as some when it comes to my favorite pastime. It seems better to pull together rather than to tear apart. YMMV

I have to laugh at myself, as I'm starting to warm to e-bikes and really the change has been happening the last month of so. Going from, "Hey, they are for slackers!!!! to Hmmmm, there's going to be one in my future. It's all OK" 

I can see they are keeping older riders on the trail, pavement and gravel longer.  The rate of adoption of e-bikes and the evolution of e-bikes is  astounding; there are some road bikes around now that aren't readily identifiable as e-bikes. 

 I'll also venture a guess the number of  riders in the 70+ age bracket with a comfortable retirement income + discretionary cash may be part of what is driving the e-bike adoption curve. 

The downside: I'm a regular at a Tuesday morning ride on the Southern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Path.  Meet between 8 and 10 am (depending on time of year) at Govalle Park on Bolm Rd. Ride at your own pace, regroup at the turn-off to the tennis courts, stop and chat at the very end, turn around, ride back and have coffee. Mostly older folks, retired. 

Recently some riders are showing up with e-bikes. A few people got them for medical reasons (capping heart rate to avoid triggering afib, bad knees).  Now a few more perfectly fit strong riders have showed up who don't really "need" an e-bike, but got one anyway, because...So now the overall speed of the group has increased, and I can't keep up.  The leisurely chats while riding along that kept me sane during Covid aren't happening. 

On 1/10/2023 at 4:53 PM, AntonioGG said:

Next time:

"It's a bit of argy-bargy!" = Phil Liggett's favorite go-to phrase when Mark Cavendish is shoving someone into the barricades on the terminal sprint. 

A drizzly early morning turned into a stellar afternoon, big turn out, laps were ridden, trail work got done, everyone ate, swag was raffled.  

Invested a bit of social capital by making sure the park rangers were fed. 

Altogether a wonderful day. 

If you haven't been on Hamilton Pool Rd in awhile,  the amount of development going on is simply staggering.  A huge shout out to Milton Reimers and family for starting the process that led to Reimers Ranch going into the public domain, and the voters who had the sense to vote in favor of the bond issue that purchased Milton Reimers Ranch.  There were comments at the time that this would be the last chance to transform substantial acreage into a county park, and this has proven to be true. 

After a lengthy hiatus (3 years?) due to Covid and bad weather,  ARR's annual fund raiser is ON. 

• Information and registration link:  Cranksgiving
• This year the event is at Milton Reimers Ranch Park (a Travis County park). Bring $5 cash money per person for the gate entry fee.  They do not accept credit or debit cards, gold, access info for your FTX crypto wallet or (other) sad stories. 
• Registration is on-line only. 
• Cut off time to begin a last lap is 2 pm.  Raffle begins at 3 pm.

Here's how it works.  Ride a lap (GPX route) and get a ticket for each lap completed.  Earn extra tickets by stopping for a wee bit of trail work at work stations along the way.   At the end of the day, all tickets are entered into a raffle with a lot of swag. 

In years past, you could arrive and begin your laps at any time. I'll assume this format remains. 

2 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

Oof!  Did 653ft in 1.1miles, followed by another 400ft in 1.4 to get to the trailhead. Virginia has definitely humbled me when it comes to short punchy climbs. 

I have fam in Asheville now.  Will likely have a similar experience when we visit!