hurronnicane

I was getting dressed to ride yesterday evening and checked the weather on my phone.  It said the air quality was crappy and I’ve been having a lot of headaches lately that I thought were caused by heat but may be allergies, or dust, or a combination of all three.  So instead of riding I took the dog to the Personal Trail Network for a hike and some trail work.  He was all about it.

I’m pretty sure the rack isn’t supposed to do that.  Just glad the bike didn’t fall off completely!

I’ve been riding in the mornings since the heat intensified, and was curious to try a late afternoon ride to see how that felt.  It was 99 in the shade at Pedernales Falls State Park when I started about 7:00 pm.  I was able to keep moving and though the air was really hot I wasn’t too uncomfortable unless I was in full sun for too long.  Finished just before sunset and did not feel too overheated, and definitely less sweaty than my morning rides.

Town ride today.

My son just blew the rear shock on his old Specialized Stumpjumper S Works (26” wheels).  I rode the bike for five or six years and handed it down to him when I found I couldn’t get the shocks serviced, three or four years ago.  I never expected it to still be running, but he has really been enjoying it and riding it hard.  What do you think the chances are of finding a replacement shock to fit it and where would you start?

For feet issues I recommend reading Katy Bowman, a bio-mechanist.  She has several books about feet including Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief.  She does not seem to be a believer in shoe inserts.

Two recent good reads: 

“A Psalm for the Wild-Built” by Becky Chambers 

and;

“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers

It sounds like you did the opposite of blood doping.

Started our casual ride at noon and finished with a great swim.  More of that please!

7 hours ago, RedRider3141 said:

🤔

What's of interest there? 

Cooler temps.  Boundary Waters jumping off point.  Mountain biking.  

1 hour ago, June Bug said:

Mornings have been lovely, almoooooost on the cool side!  Are y'all doing a long road trip this summer to escape from the heat?

We are though we’re not sure about our destination(s).  We are a bit worried about fire/smoke out West.  And we have to wait for my daughter and her boyfriend  to take the van on their trip first.  They are heading to the PNW to hike the Wonderland trail!  If we don’t go west we are considering the mountains in North Carolina or Ely, Minnesota.  And, there is a slight chance of getting to squeeze into somebody’s Teluride-to-Moab Hut-to-Hut trip…. I feel the need to do that before I age out of that kind of multi-day adventure.

Nice ride this morning at my personal trail network.  Never got too hot.  

Savannah, Ga.  Not much gnar but still fun.  It is amazing how big trees can get with deep soil and plentiful rain!

Here for the color scheme!  (the flowers are Damianita)

Another good day outdoors!

I was riding at Pedernales Falls S.P. on Tuesday afternoon and lost my phone on the Juniper Ridge Trail.  It fell out of the front pocket of my shorts and once I realized it was missing I had to backtrack to look for it.  I found myself scanning the trail corridor intently and much less focused on the many obstacles I was riding through.  It was an interesting sensation to be riding through almost continuous rock gardens but with a totally different focus than just minutes before.  My anxiety had shifted from finding the best line to hoping that I found my phone.  I probably backtracked 30 minutes or more and had my doubts that I would find it.  I did eventually find it and was of course relieved.  It made me think of the often repeated adage about looking where you want to go and not at the obstacles you want to avoid.  Though I have spouted that wisdom to beginner riders more than a few times, it is easier said than done with self-preservation instincts being what they are.  As a technique to take your focus off of the obstacles that could cause you trouble, looking for your lost phone on or near the trail can’t be beat!

And as a bonus I finished the ride with rain dripping off my visor and my glasses completely covered with mist.

Pedernales Falls.

8 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Very cool!  How big was that fuzzy moth?

Probably three inches long.  It looks a little like a hummingbird in flight.  Sphinx moth perhaps…

Madrone and Mountain Laurel.

Good day on my personal trails.

11 hours ago, Ridenfool said:

We had a wonderful day at RHR today. Brian Nash brought out a toy to play with.

This thing eats Yaupon like magic and we transformed a new 0.5 mile section from dense growth to groomed trail in about 5 hours. Incredible.

He had so much fun he plans to bring it back for some future work. We can't wait.

Rocky Hill Ranch loop now stands at 11 miles, measured from the showers out and back.

I've made some significant progress on Litterbox and should bring it into the fold in the next week or two with any luck. Another 1.25 miles of single track expected.

 

We just recently met Brian Nash and his brother Tyler.  Their company, Nash Brothers Land Services, used similar toys to chip a couple of acres of juniper that we cut down.   They did good work and in the process of getting to know them we found out that they are mountain bikers (racers).

2 hours ago, The Tip said:

Sounds like you went down fast. Who knew that gravity was so strong?

Once I slid out and went down on some leaves so fast that it felt like rubber bands had pulled me down.

That’s what it felt like for sure.  Not much time for contemplating exit strategies.