Hi all,
Before I get on with the current events of cycling and moving, I would like to briefly mention airpower. Yep, as people around here refer to it: “the sound of freedom.” As you can tell by the lead photograph, there was an air show this past weekend at Hill Air Force Base. There were great exhibits; static displays of World War II aircraft, and of course, the headliners, the USAF Thunderbirds.
Much nicer lighting on Saturday!
Now, I didn’t make it up to the base for the show; too much to do at the house packing and fixing things up. But, then again, I didn’t need to! Living only 4 miles from the runway at Hill afforded me my own air show as the aircraft maneuvered around the base. The Thunderbirds seemed to think my house was an excellent place to make their inbound turns to the north! I got some great photos and enjoyed tremendous afterburner sounds echoing through the house.
Four Bits has left to ride the Wasatch...
In other news, the packing and relocating adventure continues. With regret; “Four Bits” the Cannondale mountain bike has found another home. This is actually a good thing as the bike was gathering dust in the garage, and when I did ride it, I spent more time getting X-rays and ice packs than relaxing after a nice ride. The Klein Panzer Tank is also happily off to spend a few years with my friend, Bert, who on riding it for the first time, referred to the bike, as “bombproof!” And he is right. He will have fun working on the bike as a project bike, and promises to let me have visitation sometime when I am back in Utah.
We had real thunder and hail after Sunday's airshow...With the departure of two bikes, the fleet is looking a little thin. I decided I needed a more effective bike to ride the narrow, no shoulder, no bike lane roads of Palmdale. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some bike lanes and bike paths in Palmdale, but the majority of them run north/south, and my commute is of course, east/west. More than likely, I will not even ride the most direct route to work; rather I will favor quieter, safer roads out to the east side.
The new member of the fleet!
With that in mind, this morning, I ordered a
Surly Long Haul Trucker from my friends at Saturday Cycles in Centerville. With luck, the bike will be here in time to get loaded on the truck, or perhaps I will have the bike shipped to Palmdale and wait patiently until we are settled into a routine at home and at work.
Will this plan work for commuting? Hard to say; with the daily afternoon wind, and the fierce August temperatures, I may have to do some adapting to the plan. But, for now, the fleet is stable, and useful. The recumbent for long rides, the Surly for commuting, and the Redline for the neighborhood ride to the grocery etc…
See you down the log…
Jim
