Winter Sucks

[Art Deco]

See, winter doesn't suck so much after all! Love the bike. We expect video.

" Nothing like a big booming thunderstorm to make you feel alive." Teddy Roosevelt once said the same thing about a bullet whizzing by his head. No thanks, I am alive enough already in spite of what Babs might say.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I draw the line at bullets.

 

[PedalUma]

@Jeremy McCreary,
I don't think most people know about the geographic/cultural differences in California. It is highly diverse and I like that. And some identity pride is good. Okay, here is the first video posted. It is about a half-hour before the ride, with more arrivals joining. There were six motorcycle police. Instead of riding through the masses. The would take off route streets to block intersections in advance, leapfrogging each other. Their job was perfectly planned and coordinated. The current estimate is 300 ridders, 15 blocks long, taking 3.3 minutes to completely pass a given point. Video of the actual ride will get posted by tomorrow. Needless to say, it was a blast.
Oh, and that storm did hit Oxnard hard with massive flooding. 8 inches in one hour.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

@Jeremy McCreary,
I don't think most people know about the geographic/cultural differences in California. It is highly diverse and I like that. And some identity pride is good. Okay, here is the first video posted. It is about a half-hour before the ride, with more arrivals joining. There were six motorcycle police. Instead of riding through the masses. The would take off route streets to block intersections in advance, leapfrogging each other. Their job was perfectly planned and coordinated. The current estimate is 300 ridders, 15 blocks long, taking 3.3 minutes to completely pass a given point. Video of the actual ride will get posted by tomorrow. Needless to say, it was a blast.
Oh, and that storm did hit Oxnard hard with massive flooding. 8 inches in one hour.

What a fun event! Impressive how much thought and effort went into the bike decorations. Tell your fellow Petalumans I'm proud of them.

Friendly rivalries can be fun, and that's way I see NorCal-SoCal trash talk — with a wink and a smile.

Lived in NorCal for 20 years before Denver and then here. Back then, we'd meet someone saying they were from SoCal, and the joke was, "Oh, out of state." Now I get to do that to you guys!

 

[Rexlion]

I draw the line at bullets.

That's too bad. They make great "redneck fuses." As an added bonus, they produce an audible alarm when they overload.

 

[tomjasz]

I used to see ice boats on nearby Lake Wallenpaupack back in the 1980's. Every few years, conditions were good and Boaters would come from as far away as the mid west and Canada. Now, ice fishing and snowmobile races are rare.

Truth be told I preferred my 3 dirtboats. BTW the land speed record recently got boosted. To lazy to look and bad memory, but 138.21 MPH sounds about right.

 

[tomjasz]

My father had an ice boat back in the 1950's. He used to haul it great distances to find suitable locations. Large expanses of smooth, snow free ice are required. It's amazing how fast they are. Back then, he was only able to use it 2 or 3 times per Winter. Now, with the warmer Winters we've had, he'd be lucky to use it at all.

A DN, design published in the Detroit News?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Crap my chrome winter pants zipper broke. it's the only winter pants I have besides my work pants. I only wear pants around the house and when I run errands or work. otherwise I am in cycling gear. went to REI outlet and REI nothing my size or just he lightweight stuff. I can have the zipper replaced the pants are on warranty but they dont carry that one anymore so I would get lesser pants. Plus the time it takes to ship both ways with Christmas here.

 

[mclewis1]

Lousy quality zippers or ones that wear/fail permaturely are the bain of my existence. It affects all of my fall/winter/spring activities and makes still very serviceabe coats/fleece tops of all sorts unusable. I haven't had the zipper in a pair of pants fail, yet ... but don't talk to me about worn drawstrings and the plastic buckles on built in belts.

Well other than that curmugeon rant ... I hope everyone has a good holiday season.

 

[PedalUma]

I don't have Winter pants and will be riding in freezing conditions tonight. I might need to buy XL woman's tights as a lower base layer!

 

[Gionnirocket]

I don't have Winter pants and will be riding in freezing conditions tonight. I might need to buy XL woman's tights as a lower base layer!

Buy?
You know that you have them tucked in your panty drawer already

 

[fooferdoggie]

Lousy quality zippers or ones that wear/fail permaturely are the bain of my existence. It affects all of my fall/winter/spring activities and makes still very serviceabe coats/fleece tops of all sorts unusable. I haven't had the zipper in a pair of pants fail, yet ... but don't talk to me about worn drawstrings and the plastic buckles on built in belts.

Well other than that curmugeon rant ... I hope everyone has a good holiday season.

ya this zipper gets stuck often for 140.00 pants it sucks. but I will just ave it replaced.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

A view to the north from our little airport In the Columbia River valley between the Selkirk and Monashee mountai ranges. No snow! I’m just waiting for it to warm up a touch before heading out for a ride on my Rocky Mountain. It’s very unusual to have no snow at Christmas. Almost disorienting.

 

[PedalUma]

panty drawer

I did buy them. If I only use them once as a base layer it is worth it. Queen sized XL and lined with fleece. They were $2.99 at a discount grocery store called Grocery Outlet, Groc-Out for short. I once sent the manager a post card from Alaska with that on the address and he got it. I also picked up a nine inch across wheel of brie there that we will melt later and dip hunks of toasted sweet Italian bread into. It was six bucks. A method Brut California sparkling wine, a 2018 Bordeaux, and a 2007 Port added another $30.

 

[mclewis1]

At 3 bucks you get to completely ignore the snickering about them being "womans". Besides they're a base layer so all comments are pointless. As for the rest, I'm envious.

The combination of time (inflation), USD to CAD exchange rate (~30%), and just generally a bigger market with more competition is a killer. 15 years ago in Colorado at a local liquor mart my fav Scotch was $33 USD, today here in Canada it's well over $100 CAD. That makes the special occasions even more special (rarer ... lol).

A nice Christmas Eve, just sitting around spiking the tea for the family members

 

[Gionnirocket]

At 3 bucks you get to completely ignore the snickering about them being "womans". Besides they're a base layer so all comments are pointless.

That and they really accentuate the chestnuts

 

[PedalUma]

At 3 bucks

If I were to go down the street three blocks and get those same or equivalent bottles, instead it would have been $75-80 at Whole Foods, not $29 something. And a giant 816g wheel of French brie like that would be $25 and not $6. Goc-Out does not always have the exact same stuff each week, but always something similar. And, yes at $3 bucks I could care less about the gender of a fleece base layer. Who knows maybe I get inspired to take up ballet after all? It just means I would need to get a cod piece that fits.

 

[tomjasz]

More really wet snow today and temps will drop to -3F(-19C) in a couple of days. I'm walking... Thank you, Sorel and 800 Fill Goosedown.
Looks like it'll be a new year before it warms to 25F(-4C). Bummer, the trike isn't ready...

Trike is rolling. From eBike to eMobility. The frame seller has bombed and I'm now well aware of the weaknesses. That said the project moves ahead and improves. Successive approximations. Practice the form until you gain the essence.

Darn designer, now questioning whose design, blows smoke and I've found a number of dubious claims. None the less it WILL be all I wanted. Thankfully I've years of parts, motors, controllers, and displays for a great number of options. The simplest fixes may mean it becomes even less of an eBike.

I did clown pedal the 4 miles to therapy and back in 32F and it was a pleasant ride. Funny most folks here call it "gloomy" and "it's so brown" and we call it a nice day without the need for sunglasses. 50 of 50 years married in the sun. Minnesota keeps the riff raff on the left coast. (tongue in cheek for the californicaters taking umbrage.) almost true

2 mile ride @ 30F was quite pleasant and all the news lighting, more to come makes me a standout in traffic. Typically the DUI reports are in the late evening, well after my curfew.

Jeebus I just realized I'm prolly way off topic. Not posted much lately I guess I got the gabs!

 

[fooferdoggie]

man our Christmas ride was 40 degrees and rain. my wife got a new set of earbuds and wanted to test them seeing Christmas lights. but rain and cold are no fun at night

 

[PedalUma]

Jeebus I just realized I'm prolly way off topic

You are all Okay, Tom. You have got it right. On January first I am planning to show the daffodils first bloom here. I know that I live in a weird place and am an idiosyncratic oddball with my bikes, but I can't help it. I can not be rehabilitated. I would rather be void. Ridding is my drug of choice.