June Bug

Saw two guys on one scooter today. It looked a little dicey and they were having trouble getting going.

Santa last year consulted with Joe at Monkey Wrench, who thought that Stan's Flows with 29 x 2.35 Maxxis Ikons would look great under the XMas tree. I like them a lot and it really does make a positive difference. Ya need to have wheels with a wider rim when you go to wider tires; that's a key element of what makes 'em work.

It was a stupid idea to ever allow unleashed dogs on the trails at Walnut Creek and City of Austin knew that this was a bad idea from Day 1. Scooters on the trail around Lady Bird Lake is a bad idea, and it won't get better. There will be collisions, because on certain days, the trail is packed with walkers, runners, dog walkers and bike riders. The tiny wheels on the scooters will also get bogged down and the scooters won't be very stable in some places where the trail is unpaved and they can go way too fast on areas of the trail that are paved. Oh well. I was at a Bike Texas meeting a few weeks ago and Robin Stallings was falling all over himself about how wonderful e bikes are because he owns one and uses it to commute, so Bike Texas (essentially a lobbying organization with Robin as the lobbyist) will be pushing hard for access for e bikes on paths.

It was indeed awesome in every way! 151 number plates were issued, so great turn out. Took a few minutes very early on to get sorted out with the Parks people that they needed to move barricades at Mud Cove so people could have a place to park. Huge shout out to Jeff who did all things food related. I liked how people could eat from early afternoon on, instead of doing a big feed at the end. Tamales, pork or chicken tacos with fixins, with an option for veggie burgers. The snack table had lots of tasty goodies, the weather was perfect (light cloud cover and very little breeze) and the participants were happy!

It's always the Saturday after Turkey Day! Put it on next year's calendar. Pretty sure I know who you are, WhoAmI! Looking forward to seeing you there.

Hopefully reproduction is now out of the picture for this guy; he doesn't seem like the sanest role model.

Light rain and sprinkles in the vicinity of Walnut Creek RIGHT NOW. You need to be more contrite, or maybe feel bad/not bad. Update: Raining harder now.

That bad boy should have been snoozing in his den by this time of year.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is in south central Utah. From BikepackingRoots.org on facebook: Bikepacking Roots Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) needs your help! Our mission at Bikepacking Roots is to advocate for the bikepacking experience and for the landscapes through which we ride. As such, we are urging bikepackers to submit comments regarding the threats to the future of GSENM. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal agency that manages the monument, is seeking comments between now and November 30, 2018 on a draft management plan and environmental impact statement. For a brief background on this process, instructions for submitting a comment, and Bikepacking Roots' recommended talking points, please visit www.bikepackingroots.org

Weather should be perfect; many days of no rain mean the trail should be as well!

Buck's Bikes has also been around forever; weren't they originally up in Round Rock? Anyway, they carry Giant and I can't remember what else. Giant has a light, inexpensive flat pedal that I like and I got mine there. Also, some of these shops carry inexpensive bikes and are more like neighborhood stores. Buck's is somewhat in the middle of a bike-shop desert.

I was at Harbor Freight last year and the guy at the register asked each customer for their CELL NUMBER and everyone dutifully complied. When he asked me, "Can I get your cell phone number?" I said "No!" and he continued to ring me up without a pause. Just outrageously harvesting personal information! Anyway, the Performance Store on Anderson Lane is closing everything out, including CamelBaks and helmets at 30% off. I have an Ortlieb M size seat pack on hold at the counter, and will zip over and get that today. Ortlieb Seat Pack - Medium 30% off makes it almost $45 cheaper. You can get about the same deal online at REI right now (maybe $5 more), but you get a rebate at REI, so likely it's a wash. Anyway, German, incredibly well made, waterproof and light as a feather. Ortlieb has been in the bike touring game forever, so not a big step for them to develop bike packing bags. On the downside, we have $21 in Performance Points on our acct, but can't use them at the Anderson Lane store because....wait for it....they are going out of business. South Lamar store will not close. Anyway, they aren't pushing bargain basement prices, because whatever inventory they don't off load, I assume will just get added to another store's inventory. That said, this might be a great opportunity to get an entry level mtn bike for slightly better than one of their usual sale prices. (sorry, can't seem to get ride of the bolded text). I've always enjoyed the Anderson Lane store; the store manager is a mountain biker and a few years ago he was bringing his tan lab incredibly mellow puppy to the shop, so it was great for a bit of puppy therapy when I dropped by. In summer it was a great mid-way stop to top off my water bottle, get a little package of SKRATCH if I'd forgotten mine and and a snack (gluten-free chocolate Stinger stroop waffle) and enjoy the ac for about five minutes before heading back into the inferno. RIP Anderson Lane Performance Bike.

Head west, young man.

Yup, looking like a freeze is working its way to the west side of I 35 tonight. Last night I got up out of bed at 11:30 pm and pounded on the neighbor's door. I told them I'd been listening to their dog moaning, crying whimpering -- really, I'd never heard an animal in that kind of distress before --off and on for nearly 3 hours and to let the damned dog inside. It was raining with temps in the 40s. The guys said it was the housemate's dog and he apparently let it inside. I can't believe he couldn't hear it. This has been going on for about two weeks, but I could never place which neighbor's yard the dog was in, then realized it was NEXT DOOR. If I hear even a peep out of that dog tonight, there will be another visit and maybe a call to the police. Where was I? It's terrible weather for Texas. Bring your pets inside.

You're getting the hang of it.

Rode around barricades on the sidewalk and through Narnia! Told the guys working on the railing that it all looked beautiful. So yes, you can ride through. One dark note. I can see areas that have potential to dump a lot of mud on the sidewalk when it rains. This is a chronic problem on sections of both the southern and northern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Paths and it chafes my chaps to think that it might also be a problem on this section, because drainage issues should have been addressed in the planning documents from Day 1.

Aw...Just realized there's no heart emoji!

Are these trails at Camp Eagle in Glorieta (Glorieta Adventure Camps/glorieta.org)?

I've been a good citizen as far as boiling drinking water, not taking a shower or doing laundry. If there is no one around (no cars or pedestrians), I confess to (after looking both ways) sometimes running stop signs while bike commuting to the gym. #badtothebone

It's rather more of a lush oasis than a drainage pond; have you been there recently? The trail was lined with amazingly thick stands of wildflowers this year that changed as spring and summer progressed, until the bulldozers came. I always found it to be a pleasant interlude from pavement and traffic.

The guy we talked to also said that there was plenty of room for the sidewalk between the curb and the railroad track under 183, so no modifications required there. I'm guessing that will be the very last bit. AB, I was impressed that the rain didn't stop forward progress. I wish the same contractor was working on finishing the last two bits on the Southern Walnut Creek Multi-Use Trail. No progress on that for months. I'll be using that today to drop off some overdue books at the library on Amherst. Although the connector to Balcones District Park isn't in yet, one can continue up the canyon and then there's a steep up beside Duval to the sidewalk, then right on Amherst on the sidewalk or in the bike lane. ETA: There have been more sections added to the northern end of the WC Multi-Use Trail, including on the little connector that goes over to Scribe Dr. Amazingly, the dirt sections were quite dry. The canyon had a flooded section near the spring. I saw a person ride through it; they got their feet wet and it was at least bottom bracket deep. Clarify?

Degenerative neck issues mean I can no longer use a CamelBak type pack. The Revelate Mountain Feed bags hold an amazing amount of stuff, including a full liter Nalgene bottle. Mountain Feedbag I also have the little top-tube mounted Revelate Gas Tank (80 cu inches, max), but I can't fit very much in to it. The Mountain Feedbag can gobble up a lot of stuff; it's a much better bang for buck. Besides it's 1 L interior capacity, it has three little elasticized pockets (2 mesh and 1 nylon) around the sides that will hold small items, like Gu or snacks.

We just checked from the south end. Saturday, and a full crew was working today. We talked to a very cheerful guy who thought it would only be two or three weeks more, but who knows. There is one tiny section at the south end still to be framed and poured. I think they are working on a short retaining wall by the parking area along the elbow.

I'm assuming Narnia is the correct name. It's from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis. Four kids hide in a wardrobe and are magically transported to the land of Narnia. Riding under 183 and suddenly being on a bit of single track, surrounded by wildflowers with ducks on a nearby pond always has (had) a bit of being transported to Narnia vibe. Caveat: I have never seen a very large noble lion, other talking animals or a White Witch on this section of trail, but that door could open if one has the correct frame of mind.

Here's the naughty/not naughty, vaguely naughty, possibly slightly suggestive Pickle connector route: from the north end of Narnia, take Neils Thompson north, proceed through the south "Pickle gate (!)," along to Read Granberry Trail, and turn left ON EXPLORATION WAY(!) to the Braker/Domain intersection. Note: the south Pickle gate closes in the evening and on weekends, or when the research campus goes into lock down because of Code Red high alert terrorist danger situation. If the gate is manned, which it usually isn't, a UT ID should get you through. In this case, backtrack a half block, go east on Innovation Blvd to Burnet and ride along the verge on the west side of Burnet, all the way up to Braker. "Pickle connector" does not show up on Urban Dictionary, but there are other pickle-related terms. Chelsea Tractor is trending: "Any expensive 4 x 4 that is driven in an urban environment as a status symbol, typically for a school run, and will never be driven off road. 'Look, that Chelsea Tractor nearly flattened a kid!'" Taint is also trending, which seems adorably quaint, like it was rediscovered in 2017 and made edgy by frat boys. Side rant: When the Domain was first being hyped, it was touted as being the epitome of New Urbanism: high density/live-work/commercial/ped and bike friendly. It is currently a chronic traffic jam and a disaster for cyclists as a through fare. It is not ped or bike friendly because of high traffic load on very narrow streets. And little sharrow symbols on the pavement? I interpret those as pavement icons indicating "cyclists are screwed" because who in their right mind really believes that cars like to share? The only part of New Urbanism at the Domain that is true is high density. The Domain was planned and approved by the city with zero parkland. Zero. ZERO. This pisses me off because of the pressure it puts on WC. Then our city gave away a prime piece of real estate next door for a soccer stadium that could have been an amazing urban park with a dog park, in an area that is increasing in population density via numerous apartment developments already built out or going up in the immediate area, that are considered desirable because of proximity to the Domain. And yes, high income apartment dwellers would pay for a season or annual pass to access a really nice dog park with a water feature(s). And *steam comes out ears* the city is trying to get a bond approved to BUY MORE PARKLAND. I need to get out more. *checks radar*: Time for a walk!