GFisher

6 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

no kidding! We need our roof re-done some time in the next year or two. one of the roofers with whom we've spoken will give a quote that's good for 45 days. after that, he says the price of material is so volatile that he'll need to reassess that quote to reflect the new, much higher price of everything.

I got a quote for a fence and it was only good for 2 weeks!

Lost Maples SP has some good back country hiking and camping.

Camp Eagle has one of their Adventure Weekends coming up April 9-11. You won't find a much nicer swimming hole. https://campeagle.org/retreats/adventure-weekends/ -- discretion with the beer required

If you are willing to push it, Guadalupe Mountains NP has some epic hiking. 

And you can drink in State Parks, they mostly just don't allow 'public display or consumption'.

I finally saw some flowering at the very tip of a high branch on my Mexican White Oak yesterday. What a relief. They are pretty vulnerable and I had just had mine trimmed the day before the chit hit so I was afraid I had added a bit too much stress, I had an Electric Jellyfish to celebrate. It still looks like total ass:

I cut one of my Rosemary bushes way back, there was still some green (I think protected slightly from the roof) but I think these really took a hit.

Nothing on my crepe myrtles yet.

On 3/17/2021 at 11:30 AM, chuckt said:

It looks like our Mexican White Oak is showing signs of life.

I'm still not seeing much on mine. They planted 10 or 12 along our neighborhood hike and bike trail that I have been watching. They are recovering at different speeds with a few not yet showing new growth and one well ahead of the rest. It covers my whole small front yard so if I lose it I will be gutted. Another even larger one wasn't doing anything yet either last time I looked, so i am not panicking just yet. 

Here is a writeup and video my buddy made of a trip we did in 2010. Pretty sure we were the first ones to bikepack it. We added the Soliterio Loop for good measure. Getting current water availability info is vital.

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/bikepacking/big-bend-ranch-bikepacking-dec-2010-trip-report/

17 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

 

43cm -ish frame and 31.3lbs. 

 

That saddle looks like it accounts for 3 or 4 of those lbs. 😂

3 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I think he meant while riding.  I personally do not carry sealant with me though I know some people may, but I do carry patches as my last resort.   Boot patches are also a problem, if you slash a tire that had sealant in it, the boot patch will not hold, so you have to figure out a way to make sure the patch stays in place until you can get air in it.

This.

57 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

Just got 70s weird.

 

The plot thickens.

What really sucks is when you get a flat with said gunk covered tube and have to try to clean it well enough on the trail to get a patch to hold.

On 3/12/2021 at 10:57 PM, Rdmtb said:

Is there a correct way down from the top of this trail once you get close to  the dam?

or do you loop back around to the entrance with the climb?

Loop back around, there are 2 lines part of the way. Makes a great loop.

I signed up with Wilco on the 11th for group 1C (50-64). I got an email on Tuesday around 4:30pm, immediately set an appt for 5:45 and was home before 6:30pm. I got the shot at the stadium off Parmer near Brushy. It was a pretty efficient operation. I probably had my shot within 5-10 minutes of pulling the parking lot. The longest wait was when they make you wait in the exit line for 15 minutes to make sure you don't have a serious reaction. They were cranking the Moderna shots out.

I have barely noticed any effects, just a very slight soreness on my arm. I was almost hoping for more just to know it is working.

I provided my insurance. The vaccine is free, but apparently they can charge a fee to administer. I got the sense they would charge your insurance if you had it but not bother if you don't.

Wow, hard to believe it has been a month. My biggest concern is my big Mexican White Oak in the front. These seem to be amongst the more vulnerable of the oaks. I haven''t seen any signs of growth on mine nor any in the neighborhood.

From the below site, which is the most comprehensive I have seen.

Mexican White Oak: Although this tree is rated a Zone 7 tree, it has taken a “hit” in previous cold winters. This is one to “wait and see”, as the ultimate outcome may not be evident for weeks to months. We are hoping the leaves will shed and trees will leaf out in March as usual. Watch the bark for cracks. Longitudinal “frost cracks” can callus over if not too deep. We are crossing our fingers on this one.

https://backbonevalleynursery.com/after-the-freeze-2021/

Yeah, then you also have a floor pump, ice chest, a few extra kolaches from West, TX, etc. Absent the part from Austin to Dallas, it isn't a bad drive. I love the area around Lake Eufalia, and the mountains south of Fayetteville are gorgeous. Of course I35 timing is critical.

42 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

that website is terrible. as someone whose job it is to teach the public about topics like recycling, I find that the COA recycling information is a terrible example. earlier in this discussion, I got something terribly wrong because they don't specify jack about recycling batteries.

Yeah, I am mostly concerned with battery packs like from an old drill or cycling lights. It seems they may take those.

Things need to be easier to recycle in general, getting rid of an old tube tv and (microwave more recently) was an ordeal. Not surprising to see tvs dumped on the side of the road (I would never do that). Being in unincorporated WILCO I had to use CoA for the tv and City of RR for the microwave. Either could have turned me away.

25 minutes ago, gdog-1992 said:

Just noticed this but yes Batteries Plus takes old batteries.  They take all single-use batteries and most rechargeable batteries (apparently some Li-Ion batteries they won't take).  They gave me a discount coupon for my next purchase there as well.

What were the costs (if any)? Their website doesn't have any cost details.

1 hour ago, Albert said:

Well, thanks for the sobering bad news.  Guess I'll enjoy Austin while I can!!

FIFY

5 minutes ago, rugger said:

Ouch. With a new road comes new development.

11 minutes ago, Albert said:

I rode most of Suburban Ninja yesterday, including all the new stuff (which is great!)  I noticed there are a TON of red ribbons along the new trails that weren't there a week ago, usually following the trails but sometimes seemingly in the woods by themselves.  There was also what looked like survey crews by the church and firehouse.  Don't know if there's a relation between the two.  Does anyone know what this is about? 

The church seems to only own a small piece of land. The bulk is owned by 2 corporations, 1 of which (Presidio Parmer Arg Lp - from WCAD, not the attached images) also owns the mixed use area just south of Ranch Trails Rd. Maybe the Church is related to these entities but I can't imagine this area staying undeveloped long.

1 hour ago, Ay Chihuahua said:

I was there shortly after the storm and trees and limbs were down in abundance on Madrone and Juniper Ridge.  The horse trails I rode were mostly out of the trees, so they were good.  It was a bit of pain negotiating the downage, but I got in about 18 miles of dirt.  That was on 2-25.  Not particularly helpful, I know, but that's all I got.

Thanks, at least I know they (unfortunately) got hit pretty hard out there and will avoid the drive/expense until I know things are looking decent.

37 minutes ago, First-Blood said:

Caddyshack cleared now. For those of you who ride that section it would be great if you could keep an eye out for paths like the picture below coming down from trail to bcrt and block or re block them. There can't be any direct intersections from this trail or Snail touching bcrt. I blocked it fairly well up top. Haven't covered the visible path as I didn't have a rake on me.
Thanks

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
 

THANK YOU! I can't count how many times I have blocked that. That and the lesser traveled one that exits at the base of the dam spillway. 

6 minutes ago, June Bug said:

New style vertical bike storage stand.  Good for road/gravel bikes or mtn bikes w/ narrow-ish wheels (2.1"?) 

getbikenook.com

Does this come with little blue pills or something?

Anyone been out here since the ice storm? I don't have a sense of how quickly State Parks might clear trails and don't have much faith in asking the park staff (from some past experiences).

7 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I work for an awesome company and awesome manager.  We have flex time.  If I get my job done they're happy.   That means I'm working right to closing up a few items for the day at 11pm while Paris-Nice stage 4 is on in the background.

 

Nice! Just jacking with you. I am fortunate to have some flexibility as well.

Roglic looks super strong as expected. For the next few nights I will be trying to watch Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adtratico. The racing so far this year has incredible.

39 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

Surprisingly they settled in really well.  3 Birria tacos, the consomé, and a carnitas taco and a 500mL coke and I was able to hammer on the way back.  The tail wind was nice.  The head wind on the way down was brutal.  I definitely earned those tacos.

Weren't you supposed to be working hippie? 😉