June Bug

Dear Hive Mind, I have a 10-yr-old Salsa Spearfish. I still like it and it's going strong. It's a double chain ring set up that works just fine. Then last fall I got a dropper seat post. There isn't enough room for the shifter levers for the double chain ring and the dropper seat post lever to work together. It's awkward and easy to either miss a shift or miss the dropper seat post activation for up OR down because nothing is in the right position. I was considering going over to a 1 x set up, then came across someone on the facebook Cylists 70 and Over page who had switched over to a grip shift on the left side for some reason. I've had major problems with hand numbness in the past, but could always shift with Grip Shift. Another plus is that one can buy short Ergon grips to work with the shorty grip shift. This would be a potentially economical and practical solution for an old bike that works well. Any down sides or incompatibility issues that come to mind? I think the item would be the SRAM GX 2 speed: MODEL ID: TS-GX-11-A1 https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/ts-gx-11-a1

Heh. Finally getting around to updating the InReach Explorer; I'm loaning it to some friends (3 experienced boaters, ages 65 to 74) who are floating the lower canyons of the Dolores River next week: Bedrock to Gateway, CO and a very remote stretch, Gateway to Dewey Bridge near Moab. This update is possible because Mr. June Bug finally went from an utterly decrepit version of Windows to something recent this spring by going through the usual stages from "I can install this myself, how hard can it be?" to Despair and then Resignation: "Sometimes it DOES pay to consult a professional." And no, Garmin still doesn't support Chrome; it's MAC and Windows. The app required for the update is downloadable to desktop only, so this update can't be done from a phone or tablet. I had to get out the InReach Explorer starter guide again to sort out how to turn it on. I hate the user interface and doubt I'll ever really bond with it.

A fatality was reported this past week at Brushy Creek. AJ Camp posted this on facebook on June 8: "From what I was told by my fireman buddy (just wasn't on shift but it was his station that responded), a man and his child roughly 10 yrs old were riding Picnic when he fell and was struck by a punji stick just below armpit height. He apparently removed the stick/spear from his wound and then later when emergency services tried to help him he was combative - was a big guy so was hard to calm down. He was probably in some type of shock. He passed later - don't know if in transit or at hospital, but I head - at the hospital."

Work on the extension to Manor is underway from the north end of the Southern Walnut Creek Multi-use Path at Daffan Lane. When construction was underway on the now completed Southern Walnut Creek Path, we went with a group of friends on multiple trips to ride mtn bikes through the construction zone on Sundays to explore and chart progress. I made a joking reference on Facebook about an overview of the route and construction corridor (there may be an existing rough two-track) and noted it would be fun to explore on a mtn bike. Pretty quickly, a City of Austin rep posted up, "Please don't do that..."

KXAN news this evening had a brief mention of a bike rider down at Brushy Creek on Friday, so I looked it up online. Around 3 pm wilderness first responders went to 10800-10825 Dodge Cattle Drive "attempting to find the person who was injured". That paved trailhead takes off north from the cul de sac on the image below. It wasn't clear if the bike rider was on the paved path or single track. The person was STAR Flighted to St. David's Round Rock with life-threatening injuries. My first thought was a rider without a helmet going over the handlebars onto his/her head but other scenarios can cause severe injuries.

Fixed it for ya!

A rider reported two cars with broken windows at the Slaughter Creek trail head parking lot this morning. One of the cars was broken into while he was on his ride. The usual reminder -- never leave ANYTHING in sight in your vehicle while parked at a trail head.

Interesting. Is there on-site camping? It appears there are miles of gravel riding from that location. Just found this online: Mellow Johnny's is sponsoring a TMBRA race there in Sept. https://www.bikereg.com/tmbra-the-forrest-creek-ranch-race Here's the URL. They have hunting, so assuming the venue will be closed at times. Also, there's a lodge for any kind of event. https://www.forrestcreek.net/

REI Gateway has a "garage sale" area in the corner of the store. Each item has a little tag with the reason for the return, and sometimes it's trivial. I have to practice discipline by not buying stuff I don't really need, even if it's a killer deal. I don't think the downtown location has this; it's such a small store, I don't think there is room.

Finally made it to Barkley Meadows Park at the intersection of 71 and 130 along Onion Creek. It's an obscure spot that turned out to be quite interesting. There's a small network of concrete paths, some fully shaded and some not, that ultimately lead...nowhere. One path crosses under 130 and parallels a pond and what I think is an immense borrow pit for construction of 130. It just dead ends, although the park map shows a loop. The other path dead ends at Hwy 71, very close to where the highway crosses Onion Creek. Had conditions been drier, we would have gone under the bridge and connected up to SE Metropolitan Park. There is a bulldozed road that goes from the side of 71 down to Onion Creek. But, there are some amazing pecan trees, shaded picnic tables with a shaded playscape, Berdoll pond to fish for catch and release, a bridge along the Old Bastrop highway on a "closed" trail, an interpretive sign for an archaeological site, and a bazillion signs in large lettering that note to watch for SNAKES ON TRAIL. We did see a snowy egret, a caracara and a hawk. The interpretive sign for the Old Bastrop Highway bridge notes that Fort Comanche (1849) was located nearby, but I can find no references to an historic fort or camp by that name, even on this quite extensive list on the Texas Forts website. It would be a great spot to spend an hour or two with small children able to ride a bike on the paths, picnic and play.

They opened that very nice store in Round Rock by IKEA, then closed it a few years ago. It was a great location - incredible volume of traffic goes by everyday and it's by I 35. I'd guess the demographic wasn't right.

Hand-y craft-y thing with bike chain:

Thanks for the offer. I won't be ordering, though, until the sale starts on the 19th. Good to know that the bottom bracket and cranks can still be used and yes, bottom bracket bearings inspection will be good. The dropper post was installed last summer. I made it work by stopping at the top of the drops that were "scary", dropped the post, got into the small chainring and gear to climb up since two of the drops went into drainages with an immediate steep climb out. Now, what about an oval chainring? Anyone want to share an opinion?

REI is having a big Memorial Day sale starting on the 19th. I'm contemplating getting a microSHIFT Advent X setup and use my 20% off and Mr. JB's 20% off to lower the price on the two most expensive parts. I need a 1 x drivetrain to make the dropper seat post work; there is no way to make it work with the shifters for the double chain ring set up I have now and easily access the dropper lever. I still like my 10-year-old Spearfish, so this would be a (relatively) inexpensive way to upgrade. I had planned to order the parts and have REI do it to get their member discount on the install, but now that won't happen. Dear Hive Mind: I'd like to keep my nice carbon cranks, but will need a new chain ring and does the bottom bracket get replaced or no?

A sign on the door at REI Gateway entrance today noted that they won't be doing any bike service or repairs because they don't have any mechanics. REI let go 150+ people at headquarters recently. REI also went from a net income of $97.7 million in 2021 to a $164.7 million loss in 2022 in spite of record sales, accord to a website that tracks such things. The salesman I talked to about a bike part seemed to allude to problems but wasn't specific. A few weeks ago there were several mechanics busy working in the repair bay.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.