Bad Crash

Lately I haven't been writing much. It seems everyday the routine is much the same. My son Benjamin keeps growing and learning new stuff and that's pretty cool. 

Today was May Day - Labor Day and I went out for a bike ride. Did my usual out and back warm-up ride, then was going to head up El Cerro when I recognized a bunch of my bicycling friends hanging out at a Eazy-Up at the base of the hill. Jim Burke was playing the guitar, they had work stands set up to adjust your bike, it was a cool hangout. Darren has been buying bikes off e-bay and getting them shipped down. Today he had a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert full suspension. He offered for me to check it out. I hadn't ridden a geared bike in a while so I decided to go up The Rails and Fausto trails, then across the top of El Morro, then go down on The Babylonia trail.

All went well to a point. The bike handled well and climbed super. It was nice having gears to basically cruise up The Rails. Going up Fausto was about the same as on my single speed rigid Merlin. It went up pretty easy. The bike was light enough to haul up the hike-a-bike section. 

Where  my ride/plan fell apart quickly was on the Babylonia descent. This technical trail is steep, loose, and technical. At the drop-in, I nearly lost it, the fork diving too much and nearly lost control of the bike into a bush. The front end kept doing the same thing; squishing and wallowing. I could not control the bike. At one point halfway down, I laid the bike over (common mistake) but got back on quickly and kept heading down. The next section was the trickiest, the trail is steep with an erosion gully dipping across the trail with some large embedded rocks in the trail at a dogleg turn. I didn't make it. Instead, the front end got crossed up and I kept going down the trail where I did kind of a slow motion Pete Rose-like slide into the ground...unfortunately those large, firmly attached rocks were there to stop my face. I hit with a lot of momentum on with the left side of my face. My sunglasses went flying off and felt my teeth impact the rock through my lip.

The first thing I did was check if my teeth were still there, or loose, or broken. All good. Then my glasses...thought I lost the left lens but instead just gouged them deeply on the upper part of the rim and lens. I sat there for a few seconds, picked myself up and then picked up the bike. It seemed okay. 

Doh!

I got back on, somewhat in shock, and flailed down the trail successfully not crashing. I get to the tent and when everyone saw me, their faces got real grave. Apparently my glasses cut my forehead above my left eyebrow and I had quite a bit of blood on my face. After a minute trying explain what happened, I had to sit down. I was feeling very light headed. Don't know if it was shock or a mild concussion, but I sat there for a while listening to Jim's singing and guitar playing. 

Jim Burke

I think I'll stick to riding my full-rigid Merlin. Love that bike! 

Happy Nigel Tufnel Day 11/11/11

Classic!

Thunderbird or Big Bird?

In the summer of 2008 I was on a short bicycle tour in Missouri with a couple of friends. We were riding the Katy Trail, a railroad bed converted to a bike path with state park status. We rode along the Katy for 2 days and 2 nights, (on the 3^rd day we caught the train in Hermann, MO).   

On day 1, we rode from Clinton, MO to just beyond Rocheport, MO.  (You can look up the route on Google maps by putting in Clinton, MO to Hermann, MO and hitting the bike route option.) By the time we got to Boonville on the Missouri River the sun was setting. We crossed the river at Boonville and pressed on to Rocheport where we had camping reservations.

We were on the north side of the Missouri R., riding along the path. I was riding faster than my friends because I was on my old Univega touring bike and I didn’t have the gear ratios of the other guys. I had to find a gear and just go with it, so eventually I got about a ½ mile or so a head of my buddies.

It was getting to be dusk, light fading, and I saw a large bird perched on a telephone pole about 100 yards ahead. I kept looking at the bird because I think eagles and raptors are cool. Its a rare treat to see an eagle , I hadn't seen one since leaving the Navajo Indian Reservation in 2000, plus this bird appeared  to be very large; bigger than the average golden eagle. I would estimate the bird was at least 4 ft tall, maybe even 5 ft. As I pedaled I kept looking at it because it looked massive from where I was.  I got about 50 yards from it and it took off flying toward the bluffs to the north. The wings were enormous! I’d estimate a wing span of greater than 10 feet. It was a really big bird! I watched it fly north towards the bluffs, where it disappeared into the shadows.  I slowed down and let my friends catch up and told them about the huge eagle I had just seen.

Anyway, I kind of forgot about this encounter until last year. Here on the History Channel, they have a show called “Monster Quest” and there is an episode about the Thunderbird. It seems most recent “sightings” have been in the Ohio valley, central Illinois, and Missouri areas. That surprised me.

The skeptic/science guy in me says it was just a normal eagle and I overestimated its stature. The fantasy part of me wants to believe. 

Once I encountered what I truly believe was a skinwalker (a Navajo shape-shifter) between Crownpoint and Borrego Pass.  I hadn’t thought much about the bird, but to me, it seemed abnormally large for a golden eagle.

Its My Birthday

Guess which one.

The Best Part of One of my Favorite Movies of 2009

Mr. Fox: [in a cellar with many of the other animal characters] Allright, let's start planning. Who knows shorthand?

[Linda raises her hand]

Mr. Fox: Great! Linda! Lutra lutra - you got some dry paper?

[she holds up some paper]

Mr. Fox: Here we go. Mole! Talpa europea! What d'you got?

Mole: I can see in the dark.

Mr. Fox: That's incredible! We can use that! Linda?

Linda Otter: Got it.

Mr. Fox: Rabbit! Oryctolagus cuniculus!

Rabbit: I'm fast.

Mr. Fox: You bet you are. Linda?

Linda Otter: Got it.

Mr. Fox: Beaver! Castor fiber!

Beaver: I can chew through wood.

Mr. Fox: Amazing! Linda!

Linda Otter: Got it.

Mr. Fox: Badger! Meles meles!

Badger: Demolitions expert.

Mr. Fox: What? Since when?

Saturday Skimboarding

Was on the beach in front of my condo on Saturday and watched these boys skimboard. Simple fun.

My Ride with Lance Armstrong

It was February in the Big Bend country of Texas in 1991. (I would be 30 years old then but a racing age of 31.) I was on Merlin #1 with its rigid fork. I was feeling good and having a good race. I had already passed the 1990 World Downhill Champion, Greg Herbold on the start of the climb. He was suffering. After Herbold, there didn't seem to be many riders in front of me. There were a few up ahead, and I'd do my best to reel them in. I was in the zone, mostly riding alone, enjoying the desert and the ride.

As I reached the summit of Tres Cuevas (Three Caves) Hill, I saw Armstrong in his Motorola jersey. He was the buzz all weekend...the new kid...he's really good...some kind of prodigy...When I saw him, I thought to myself, "That's that guy! He's supposed to be really good!" He was just getting back on his bike after fixing a mechanical or flat. I pedaled faster to catch him before he got away.

It was a two track "jeep road" so we rode side-by-side, me left, him right. We exchange greetings, and I asked him if he'd ever gone down Tres Cuevas before. His reply was no. I told him to be careful because it gets really steep.

We did a couple of little stair-steppy drops still side-by-side, and road got steeper still. We soon came up on a guy wearing a Wild Oats team jersey who was obviously a roadie...this guy was flailing...literally. I was still on the left line, Armstrong on the right. We split and passed the guy, going around him on either side.

About a 100 meters ahead was the first switchback. Armstrong told me to take the lead. I lead the way through the hard right-hand turn, popped over a little berm/rock outcropping in the road, and set up for the second switchback coming up, a left-hander. A few meters down from this point is a ranch house on the left with its barn on the right. I knew the road was smoother and improved here so I got into my best aero tuck and took my hands off the brake levers. I maintained this position as long as possible. I couldn't pedal any faster. I must have hit about 40 - 50 mph...fast for a full-rigid XC mountain bike.

The road gets to the desert floor where it is a series of small rolling hills. It was here where I dared to glance behind me and saw Armstrong at least 200 meters behind me. I pedaled like crazy in my biggest gear.

I reached the final check-point at the final major turn of the race. 9 miles to go!

As I went through the check-point I refused water and just wanted to stay ahead of Armstrong. I was hammering hard when Armstrong pulled up next to me. He said, "That was fun! Let's ride in together." I replied, "I can't...my legs are spent...you go ahead." and he did. He dialed it up to the next level and left me in his dust.

The next 7 miles was single-track through the Chihuahua desert. Really beautiful stuff, and all I could do was try and keep Armstrong in my sights, which I did for about two or three miles. The final 2 miles parallels the landing strip and on to the finish line in Lajitas. When I got there, about 2 minutes behind Lance, he was still there talking to someone. I rode through the finish, then coasted over to him, shook his hand and said, "Good race!" He said the same and said thanks for leading him down the hill and that it was fun!

It was one of my better expert category races. I don’t remember my placing…in the top 20 though.

My Bamboo Skewer Box Kite

I haven't built anything creative in quite a while. I used to be famous at my school for my creations. I've built all sorts of stuff from everyday, low-cost materials. Probably the most sophisticated thing I've built is my wind tunnel which really works and is very precise.

Wednesday at school we are having our "Spring Fling" and I am on the kite making team, so I worked with the elementary students on making simple kites.

Back in kite mode got me thinking...

Box kites: Then...I remember my brother having a box kite and I always thought it was cool. I first tried to build one from scratch about 30 years ago, but it didn't work out too well.

Now...On the Fausto Trail on El Morro is a frame to an old box kite that somehow ended up there. Who knows how long its been there, but each time I ride past it, I look at it noting its construction. It is very strong for being around as long as it has, so I've tried to duplicate the design using bamboo skewers used for kabobs.

The prototype...
Yesterday I built a box kite from drinking straws just to see if I could. I built it in about 45 minutes and it worked okay until the drinking straws started bending from the gusts of wind. I decided I could use the same dimensions and build one out of sturdier bamboo skewers. Here's how I did it:

1. I cut off the pointy ends of 12 skewers so each stick is 26 cm.

2. To make the long sticks, I overlapped them about 2 cm for a length of about 50 cm. They were glued and lashed together with cotton string.

3. The cross pieces are also 26 cm, so they cross at 13 cm. I made a little notch at 13 cm then glued and lashed them together with the cotton string, and lathered on more white glue.

4. The long sticks were notched at 6.5 cm from each end and the crossed pieces were glued onto the long pieces. The glue was allow to dry, then reinforced with a paper/white glue gussets.

5. The cross pieces make little triangle with legs each 13 cm long. The string which wraps around the frame for stiffness and strength creates a hypotenuse of 18.5 cm on each side. The perimeter around the frame is about 74 cm. The string should be cut at 1 m in length so you can tie it off.

6. The perimeter coincidentally was the was right sized for the little grocery bag I was using without having to cut and retape together. The width of the plastic is 13 cm. I just slipped the plastic over the frame for a snug fit. I used stick glue to glue the plastic on to the frame and string guys. I just eyeballed the width and it seemed right.

7. The bridal is about 75 cm in length tied to two corners; one top, one bottom.

Total weight is probably about 25 grams. I need to confirm that tomorrow.

Anyway...it flys!

My Wife is an Amazing Person!

My wife is an amazing person. She is Venezuelan, a Guanesa from Ciudad Bolivar on the banks of the mighty Orinoco River. She has lived a full life, but not an easy life. Her life is like many who grow up in a developing country; a life of hardship and heartbreak.

My wife has always been one who was driven to improve herself. To improve her lot in life. Never staying still for very long.

When I met her, she was working in the Venezuelan oil service industry as an office assistant.

Before meeting me, her job afforded her to buy a Fiat Uno, a small compact car. She bought this car even though she could not drive. She wanted the car so she could be more mobile and it would improve her life. Her cousin chauffeured her around, much like Driving Miss Daisy. When she needed to learn English to improve her position in the oil service industry, she sold the car to pay her tuition at an English Institute in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

When I met her 9 1/2 years ago, her English was okay, but not perfect. We got/get along fine. We celebrated out 8th wedding anniversary last December. Her English is much improved...my Spanish is still minimal.

Since being married, she continues her quest to improve herself...First it was getting Microsoft certified to keep her resume' up to date. Then it was going to a local 3-year university and getting a degree in English which she did.

She took a little course on decorative gelatin desserts. Her desserts are popular at family gatherings.

She tried culinary school, but didn't like the chefs yelling at her and the other students, and decided it was too stressful of profession. She did get a good deal on some killer German-made knives.

Lately she has decided to pursue a career in nursing. She is now attending classes to become a nurse's assistant, and perhaps she will continue to become a full-fledged nurse. She seems to enjoy it, and I am very proud of her.

The latest thing she is pursuing is cake making and decorating. She is learning to how to make cakes and icing from scratch and to decorate them professionally. She has the idea of making this a side-business some day. This past week she bought pans, measuring cups, and the various tools needed to make a professional quality cake, and she made her first cake. The assignment was to decorate the cake with a simple illustration worthy of a children's birthday party. She chose Hello Kitty.
We cut the cake on Friday and we nibbled around Hello Kitty's face all weekend. She wanted to save the face to show her sisters. She's a funny woman.

I love my wife...big time!

This is Encouraging

From the TourDivide website:

Divide racers must not only be conditioned to endure weeks of consecutive 16+ hour days in the saddle, they need to bring other skills to the trail. The Route is unmarked and circuitous, requiring navigational acumen. It travels through remote backcountry with Grizzly and Mountain Lion density. Intervals between services are frequently 100+ miles and demand calculated food/water resupply - or else. Riders must also find shelter each night or bivouac trailside. In minutes the Rockies' dynamic mountain weather can wreak havoc on route surfaces, skewing even the most near-term travel projections. Of course, it wouldn't be a grand tour without the geopolitics of negotiating the, albeit lower-security, international border crossing at Port of Roosville, Montana.

Hardcore!

Merlin Titanium: Last of its Type

I took this pic on Sunday after my ride. I was just goofing around with the camera's settings.

I have several bicycles but this one is still my favorite. It is a 1996 Merlin titanium mountain bike. It was given to me as a warranty replacement after I cracked my 1993 Merlin, which was also a warranty replacement to the original 1990 Merlin. The original Merlin had a 3 digit serial number. This one has 5 digits. In 1997, Merlin was sold and Rob Vandermark started his own company, Seven which has taken titanium bicycles to another level.

This bike has been many places; a true adventure bike. I've really enjoyed it.

Road Tripping

Been road tripping in New Mexico. I wanted to go see friends in Arizona, but always get waylaid here. Here are some highlights.

Ranch art on the Continental Divide, near Horse Springs, NM.

The VLA (Very Large Array) radio telescope on the Plains of San Augustine, near Datil, NM.

Scuba diving the Blue Hole at Santa Rosa, NM
Mountain biking on the White Mesa near San Ysidro, NM.
Indian Tacos at the Jemez Pueblo, NM.


The El Rey Inn, Santa Fe, NM

Evangelo's, Santa Fe, NM

Riding the Dale Ball trail system, Santa Fe, NM

Cool sewer cover, Santa Fe, NM

Preview to the 2009 Mousetrap Car Races

Having my physics students build mousetrap powered cars. These are crude, but they work. "Races" tomorrow.

Testing the cars: I liked this photo. I had the camera on the floor on self timer mode. The car is invisible due to the shutter speed. All you can make out is the pencil which is the drive axle on this car.

So...the big "race" is tomorrow and the whole school is invited to watch. Who will win the Big Cheese Trophy?