Shifting Seasons....

My first project with Light Room 2...

Hi All,
Well, an interesting Sunday here in Utah. Here it is, only October 12th and 3-4 inches of snow arrived overnight.

Who knew! This kind of storm is much earlier than the usual arrival of the cold weather. Thank goodness the forecast is for 70 degrees by the end of the week. I am fairly sure the higher altitude mountain bike trails will now be closed for the season.
My neighbor's tree, weighed down almost to the ground!
In other news, I have new photo editing software; Adobe Photoshop Light Room 2, was presented to me as a gift from my friend, Joe. He wanted to thank me for all the photo work for his son Jonathan’s wedding. Honestly, he didn’t have to do this, but it is much appreciated! Think of all the hours I will while away working on images when I am supposed to be getting things done.

Joe, all of the photo work and program work was a labor of love from Kathy and I, and we enjoyed working on the projects. As to the new software, Joe; you are most welcome!

No words necessary.....except gosh darn it!

In the cycling department, the Klein is in the shop. A few weeks back, the engineer on the train got a little heavy handed on the brakes, and the Klein fell over, breaking the housing on the front derailleur bar-end shifter. Suffice to say, uncouth words were spoken when this happened. At the time, it was a fitting end to an all-in-all rotten day.

But, all things work out. My friend Pete from Canberra, Australia had a spare housing and sent it halfway ‘round the world to me. Then, while working overnight on the graveyard shift, through the magic of the Internet and Skype Internet phone, Pete helped me take apart the old housing and install the shifter. It was a lot simpler once I understood how it all worked. Thanks, Pete!

Pete Heal (on the left) and Mike Priestly of Canberra, Australia.

And in case you didn't know, Pete from long distance has been a fine mentor in helping me understand distance cycling, and how to fix all sorts of minor issues on my bikes. He built the orange recumbent you see in the picture. I won't even mention the distance he rides every year!
And in the “I can’t make stuff up like this” department, I was at the bike shop on Friday to have them install new cable housings and calibrate the front derailleur. (I had reached the limit of my expertise). As the tech. put the Klein up on the maintenance rack, I looked on the stand next door, and there was the red Peugeot that I park the Klein next to on the train every week. Amazing. I just laughed out loud at the coincidence.
In any case, tomorrow, the Klein returns to me; new cables, new handlebar tape, new front shifter, new pump, and who knows, maybe a fender! Looks good riding weather later this week.
See you down the road.

Jim

I've Got Rhythm...

An Aspen grove on Guardsman Pass...

This last Tuesday I had the chance to take a friend from the U.K. up Big Cottonwood Canyon to view the fall colors. And this year’s crop of colors did not disappoint. To use my friend, Dorothy’s words, they were “staggering.” The aspen and all the other colors were as intense as I have ever seen, and we had a beautiful day to enjoy them. Please enjoy a set of photographs from a gorgeous morning on Guardsman’s Pass.

Looking west, towards Solitude...
This lovely outing got me to thinking about the rhythms of time. It seems like only yesterday that I was posting photographs of fall colors from a ‘bent ride up Mill Creek canyon, and even a faster blink of the eye from when I posted pictures from the same spot only standing on 5 feet of snow! In our house, we have decorations for almost every month, and sometimes it seems that as I help Kathy with the September, October or even the November decorations, that I can remember just putting them all away! I met a neighbor at a wedding last week, and she was amazed that our kids had all grown up too! She lost track of time!

A lovely single track for Pete...

One cycling season leads to the next, and before you know it, the cycle starts again. In January I am all bundled up for cold weather riding. Soon, I'm riding in cool weather with rain and wind; and once again, riding in hot summer heat... and as the leaves turn, cycling into fall. One can look back at all my archived posts and see a certain tempo or rhythm to the seasons.

I have also noticed a certain rhythm or routine to commuting, too. Over the past few weeks, I have enjoyed having the ability and time to regularly commute to work using the train and the Klein Panzer Bike. I logged 12 train/bike rides to work in September. There is a routine to each morning ride. Up at 4:30 AM, on the bike at 5:15, three Kleenex in the pocket, and a quick spin down the hill to the 5:30 train. I always ride in the same car, with the same three bikes stacked together. An orange Gary Fisher, ridden by an engineer for BMW; A 60 cm or so red Peugeot, with a wire basket on the back, ridden by a gentleman who works at an LDS distribution center, and the Klein Panzer Bike.

Now, the routine doesn’t stop there. The tall Peugeot rider is always dozing in the same spot, near the stack of bikes, and I always park the bike and sit upstairs. When the train passes the Warm Springs Depot, the large neon sign always says: “Welcome to Warms Springs, the time is 6:02.” Not 6:03, nor 6:01, always 6:02. At that point I always head down to the bike, and get my helmet. The three of us are always there, getting our helmets, gloves and whatnot. We exchange our usual greetings about the weather and the day, and scatter to the world when the door opens. Funny thing, I never see any of them on the ride north in the afternoon. The other two riders have noticed the routine too. I missed a few days due to working swing shifts, and when I boarded the train this past Thursday, the taller rider asked me: "Where've you been?"

Amazing Aspens...
The ride west to the ARTCC has had some of the same routines too. As the bike riders and commuters scatter, there is this ethereal sight of the red blinkie lights weaving out of the train area, down 200 South in the dark. Some turn up 10th west, some go straight as we all head to work. On 600 North, I always see the same rider heading east on the other side of the street. He rides an oddly configured mountain bike with aero bars, and he wears a reflective vest. I don’t know where he goes, but I see him every morning. Sometimes I feel a little bit like Bill Murray in the movie "Groundhog Day!"
Do you see rhythms in your day? In your riding? Do you often wonder where all the months and cycling seasons go?
I sure do.
See you next week.
Jim