do not fail to lend a hand and try to help him

Have a smile for him wherever you may meet him.

toy with a toy heart

A change in jay oh bee gives new opportunities. The boys and I will ride to/from school 2 days a week, inshallah. Here is what that can look like.

To school:




Bike Rack minutiae. There are some fancy parking jobs...








Theirs are clearly superior. The only 2 with baskets, anyway.





Homeward bound:
This development allows me to ride over and pick them up after school to shepherd them home. Otherwise, it's a bad idea for the younger to be on the road. He's careless about line choice.








Dirt byroads and sneaky cut throughs are de rigeur.

1/2 told tales

Don't say a word if there is
any doubt,



...you've got to cut it out.



Cuts have been made. Word is bond. Quiet is kept.

impervious to heat and magnetism!

This Full Wolf Moon we been having?



And I mean been having. We began riding this thing's coattails the week before 100%, and finished last night at ~77%waning. All your moons are mine. Seems like usually we get the fog denying us access on the night itself, much less nights surrounding. This go round, it has been clear and temperate and fecking exhausting if you want the truth.


The past 2 nights. 2:30 and 4:00am. There were lots of "complications" last night, including but not limited to M.S. blowing his derailer hanger clean off his cross bike. Late starts, crashes, flats, reroutes, late arrivals, beers, crashes, detours, borrowed bikes and a small fire.



I recommend it.

I would like to welcome all you suckers

...here's some pictures and words having to do with the Sand Crab Invitational. It is so called, because riding in sand makes folks crabby.

Groups make me uncomfortable. If you saw me there (hello!), it's likely I was very quiet. I did enjoy seeing everyone's fancy bicycles. It became apparent to me very quickly that the prevailing expectations of ride length (time wise) were different from my own. I based that on observing the clothing choices. Folks at the start were racered up, not packing a lot of standing around in the moon light drinking beers type gear.

I had started my Sand Crab preparations earlier by replacing the chain ring bolts on my fixed gear bicycle. One had fallen off, so I blue loc-tited the replacements. Examined my tires, replaced the rear (sidewall cut). Packed 2 extra tubes and a patchkit with new glue. Stowed a multi-tool (with chain tool). Tucked away an extra bit of chain, master link, and a couple extra chain ring bolts. Strapped on my frame pump. I know how these things go.


There was riding through Santa Cruz to get on the beach here.


I soon found myself by myself.

I explored the varying ride offered by the varying sand. It could be wet/hardpacked and fast to dry and crumbly at either end, but there were lots of middle grounds so to speak. It was not at all apparent to look at, as to how the quality would be. You had to ride by feel. I became concerned with having untracked sand for my line. There was a lot of time riding (grinding) along with your thoughts. My pace varied as well. Between plodding and middling. The tidal zone is where it's at, but you don't want to get too wet. Or, anyway, I didn't. I wished I'd had fenders. I was thankful there was no real wind. Sometimes I'd remember to appreciate where I was.



We picked up the 2nd tier riders (and oh! how I mean that) and continued. This group was there to party, and had the gear to prove it.



Crossing a small rivulet on route to the Pajaro River. Which is basically a gnarly farm run-off canal.

I opted to remove my shoes and socks for the crossing. It's one thing to race across and get it done, and it's another to stand (and pedal) around in wet gritty shoes for several more hours.







We eventually left the beach and headed to refreshing HWY1 for the turn around at M&L Liquors in Moss Landing.

People ain't skeered to abuse they fancy bikes.
I purchased a 32oz High Life and some sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are my "go to" cycling snack.


B___ tried to ride back across the river, and fell in.



On the other side, people whooped it up some and watched the Full Wolf Moon put up the party light. Then they rode very fast. I found myself caught up in riding very fast for a while. Then I realized I was missing the point and stopped to wait for the other folks who wanted to stand around in the moonlight and drink beers. After all, I had packed for it.




The Sand Crab Invitational took a turn for the sordid when we warshed up at The Windjammer.





If the organizing body of the Sand Crab were seeking input, I would say it was a fine event overall (the dirty trick of riding the beach there as well as back was in character), but the focus should be more on the riding in the moonlight. I suppose I'm biased.

taste the difference

Thinking about February Break. Yes. Yes, as opposed to Spring Break- which is a separate thing.

Considering rambling up and down the South Coast Ridge Road to see if it goes fun places. There's options and campsites. Figuring on leaving the truck at the Nacimiento Station and using it as a water/food/booze depot. No. It will not have anything valuable in it, so you can put that idea out of your head.


Tarp vs. tent...More and more I'm wanting less and less. I think I'll bring the tarp and play with some fancy "configurations" to get some super light shelter action.

Titanium woodburning stove?!! Well.







All this and more:


Training exercises.








Not to worry! Velocache #33 is still in situ, pussies. Though I had to hold these guys back. They wanted it, and felt it was theirs by right.








"Tips." Keep your chin chin and such. We roll straight outta Moab.


BAM! Esbit gets the job done.






The Caprock Bar is open. Serving whatever cheap canned beers happen to have been stashed there, plus byoHansen's Strawberry-Kiwi Soda for the under 21 crowd. OMG, those are deeeeelicious!



It gets chilly.


We forget spoons, but we don't forget our ingenuity.

Tips...here's to you and hoping some rides are happening to you.

are you looking for the mother lode?

There was this old man who spent so much of his life riding around in the moon light that he could see in the dark. He resides near the beach, in a town where I am going to live.



Speeding down the pave with no lights a week before the Full Wolf Moon? Why, yes, thanks. We are at 75% and waxing. What's not to love? Gates. Gates are not to be loved. 8 foot high galvanized linked and locked, is not to love.

For my part, I try to be cautious (as much as that applies to the inherent ridiculousness of hauling ass by moonlight) as I race around tearing ish up. I stick to trails I know (HA! until we get lost), stay out of the trees where it's dark (or worse- dappled moon light/dark shadows), keep things reined in some...but it is what it is. It is exciting!

When you realize you are coming up fast on a gate from nowhere (when did that go up?) it is exciting plus guest. I started hollering "Hey! HEY! Heyheyheyheyheyheyhey-" and we were there. As soon as I realized the gate, I began pitching the bike to the left and braking and skidding for all I was worth. Hey!Patchkitguy was right behind me, PROpeloton style. When I heard the resounding clang I was already off the bike and looking- there's Christopher St. John, upright and unscathed, with his right brake hood shoved up into the links and a slack look on his face.

I had to laugh.

It was terrifying. That could have been so bad. (Remember when Garvin hit the steel pipe gate on the other side and endoed over it? It was miraculous like that, only better.) Mr. St. John had masterfully, luckily, happily, thankfully performed his own flawless pitch to the left and cleverly used the fencing as a backstop. It even caused the half against which he was not lounging to conveniently fall over so we could waltz across and continue our ride.

After that, it was like butter.

smut pictures

I was going to talk about my bike ride and how it was and what that meant to me, but listen to this:




It's apparent why I had to stop.


Well, it was drizzly and I needed some coffee.


The Big Dummy in "HUFFY" livery...to "keep the tweakers away".


Fuji branded saddle from the 70s, with a second layer of leather underlying the main piece in a sneaky hammock manner. Never treated with anything.

I know damn well he polishes those rivets with a special vinegar paste he's concocted.


Conduit epoxied in place to prevent (further) deformation of the boom tube. The kickstand is authorized Surly/Xtracycle parts, but this guy runs a heavy load.


Custom.


This is how he does it.



I went in and got my coffee. This guy was not hard to pick out as the rider,

and was more than happy to talk about his rig. It was a very (long) inneresting conversation. He's been running an 8speed Alfine for the past year and a half. Says it's going strong. The straight chainline alone is convincing me. His load is 362lbs. That's a solid recommendation.

8 years of touring. He started in Boston and headed to Seattle in an attempt to get happy, realized it was the greatest time of his whole life and kept on. He's only a little bit crazier than you, but look at the time he's having.