The Tip

We had a huge snowball fight on Halloween one year. Once it snowed, the ground stayed covered until spring. Usually after Easter. That is just crazy. Four seasons my ass! Not exactly balanced those seasons. Winter lasts seven months. I'll take our seven month summers over that thank you very much.

Where is the "holy crap!" button on this site? I want to click it twice!

It might not happen over night but I know there are "aha moments" when you suddenly realize that "thing" is because you are old now.

I went to school in Ithaca, NY. SCREW the cold! I would rather sweat my nads off 30 days in a row than have cold toes for an hour. I got a great education there...I learned I would NEVER live up north.

Choices, so many Ninety plus miles to explore C & D playground.

It's understandable that folks get upset when they think other people are trying to kill them and their loved ones.

We had that on the menu at The Bakehouse Restaurant. Does this look good?

Not a bad comeback. But I don't think halving the speed limit equates to wearing masks. Wearing masks=Wearing seat belts. Wearing a seat belt is no guaranty of saving your life but it definitely is going to help. Both things are a small price to pay. But I think the more pertinent analogy is, cutting speed limits = closing the economy. I'm against both and I'm okay with the cost of not doing either. So wear a seat belt at current speeds, and wear a mask and be smart about distancing in places it matters. It doesn't matter at the beach or on a tennis court. Dumb. This is what makes people resent the closures. Closing a tennis court, beach, or bike trail is not required. Is it the reopening of things that is causing the resurgence or is it the no mask wearing? For the sake of ALL the harm the closings have done I'm going with the no mask wearing in the reopened places.

I don't think it's that. I don't think twice about all the yearly traffic fatalities. I DO buckle my seat belt and don't drive the wrong way on one way streets though.

Thought of an argument for the "liberty" anti-mask people. Even if they don't work, they create the illusion of working, which is important to the government decision makers. "Looks like people are complying with the wear a mask edict. Let's open more things and get the economy back to normal."

Survive, sure, but with what long term effects? This seems to be different from other flues. I was semi-okay with getting it because I was pretty sure I wouldn't die. But now I'm scared of getting it and never fully recovering to my previous health levels.

Changed it so that we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I think this is a big problem that the media drives. They try to pigeonhole a certain party along tight ideology. For example, if you believe (know!) that socialism doesn't work then you are obviously a racist/misogynist/religious fanatic. But the muddy trail analogy is very good in regards to selfish mask wearers.

I have a question for the non-mask wearers; why do you hate medical workers? The news is full of health care personnel BEGGING for people to wear masks. They know it will help. And very surprisingly, there is no politically identifying "D" or "R" next to their names.

I've never agreed with the theory. I get the sports team thing. The city is paying to have an amenity. It's like paying to build a Zilker Park. A sports team is a unique thing that thousands of people will enjoy. But I've always contended that the free market would prevail over a government entity stepping in. A team owner is going to have to find somewhere to put his team. If no city paid him to come he would eventually go somewhere on his own dime. The tax breaks for industry and business are given to bring economic activity and jobs. But they also bring more people that the city ends up footing the bill for more schools, roads, police, and other services to handle the increased population while actually bringing in less taxes because that plot of land is now off the tax rolls for years. There was a stink about the tax deal The Domain is getting. Again, that retail developer is going to build somewhere regardless of tax breaks. I said at the time there's no difference in the city helping build that big commercial space as it would be to give a bunch of small businesses tax breaks. Those supposedly desirable highly skilled workers that come with these kind of deals are not moving to Austin to work at Dick's Sporting Goods.

Unfortunately I think that the most infectious thing we have to deal with is "stupid." Definitely a pandemic of that going on.

What a relevant video for me! I love my Trail Boss tool set. Works as good or better than it's designed to. Also enjoyed seeing that particular task they did. Very similar to two projects recently completed in the SATN. I haven't had a chance to see how either Bambi or Poke Eye Man's drainage solutions did with the most recent rain. I think it rained enough to put them to the test.

This is an excellent example of why everything is so messed up. Here this Business Insider magazine article is telling us the virus can live on a mask for seven days. Then it quotes a study from The Lancet as it's source. But now recently the CDC has refuted that published paper because it wasn't a verified study. So all our news and facts we get are basically just from an ever evolving rumor mill. But even if it COULD live on a mask for seven days, how does that justify not wearing one? If the virus is on the inside, great, all the better. It did it's job by preventing the wearer (who is already infected so it can't hurt them in a greater amount) from infecting someone else. And if the virus is on the outside, great, it did it's job not allowing that amount to be breathed in. So now take the mask off, wash it, and wash your hands. Why is this such a hard concept.?

The very small sampling on this thread shows how much things will change in America. It was an easy prediction to say that some companies will change to allow employees to work from home forever. But I think it will be even more than I initially thought. Commercial real estate is going to take a hit. There is going to be a glut of office space available. And retail space will also suffer through a glut with all the businesses going belly up.

The entrance to the trail to the trail loop Lawyer talk: This is at the entrance/exit of the Flow Trail loop: There are high consequences of fail on three of the gap jumps. Take a discovery ride down before you try to send it: The Starting Gate. 135 feet of drop in 2/3 mile on the Flow Trail: The first big feature. Gap on the left into a big berm, drop on the right into a smaller berm: The three features are signed. Even the blue bypasses need care to roll: Milton's Shortcut is designed for those wanting to do multiple runs of Flow Trail. It's all one way so sessioning features is not an option.

Ah! That makes sense. Too bad.

Well poop. It's set to "everyone" can see. Disappointing. I posted a ride yesterday too. Can you see the pictures on that ride? Maybe there are too many pictures on the one I just posted.

I went out to ride it this morning. I took pictures of all the new signage. Some of the old temporary ones are still up too. Also pictures of each feature. I comment on each picture. https://www.strava.com/activities/3634844619 It's interesting that Return trail is pretty beat in. You won't get lost. Interesting that Return looks pretty good because the Flow Trail itself is looking kind of shabby with vegetation growing on it. I'm sure that will change quickly though. I am compelled to give another warning. Please take a slow first run to look at the features. Then take Milton's Shortcut to Return and do a fast run your second time.

Look at Mack Turtle's screen shot. Leave the parking lot and ride the trail that parallels the paved road. I think if you make all right turns you can't miss it. The signed entrance to "The Flow Trails area" is about 75 yards up the jeep road (that you shouldn't ever ride) from the maintenance buildings.

Have they gotten new jobs yet? I hope they don't sue your company! 😉