Monday, June 23, 2008

Dogstacle Course and photo ops

It was a nonstop dog-dodging homeward commute. Yikes! It's a miracle I even made it, what with all the canines on half-mile long strands of nearly invisible yarn. Luckily, the XC Wheels I put on Hybridzilla make the brakes squeal something horrid (just ask the June Moon Riders) so I have an improvised "out of my f'n way!" horn, which blasts automagically upon slowing.


The workers were busy continuing their destruction of the grain silo. I calmly rode up and asked a few workers if I could photograph things from where they were standing, which I assumed was a safe distance. They granted me permission.


One cool thing about my cheapo point-n-shoot camera is that between having 4x optical zoom and running 5 megapixels (not really that high res), I can still manage to zoom in and use cropping to get decent zoom shots at web-friendly sizes. This was cropped from the above image:






Meanwhile, back on the MUP, I couldn't resist taking a few photo ops.

Man-made concrete waterfall:




My bike, parked while I hike around.


Thorny vine with cottonwood strands tangled up in it.


A fallen tree.




A spider's web catches cottonwood seeds as well


This firefly landed on my hand


And took off, just as quick as it landed. I can't believe this shot turned out.


Cottonwood.


What a knotty, knotty tree.


This is the kind of tree every kid wishes for in the backyard.



Oh, and I took a lunch break to grab some Lulu's Thai Noodles. I can't stress enough how practical this bike is, whether I'm hammering out 80 miles with padded bike shorts, making my 30-mile round trip to and from work, or just making a two-mile jaunt for lunch in my work clothes -- shoes included.


Well, I'm off to the Monday night recovery ride. I'll see you all tomorrow.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Noah,

What are you using for right pant leg clipping? Do you have different clips for different clothes? Some close up pics might be of interest. At one time I used a metal leg clip but have now found that soft velcro wraps are more comfortable.

Noah said...

In true Fred form, I pulled up my right side black athletic sock (a.k.a. fake dress socks) and tucked my pant leg into it. I usually grab the seam, pull it tight, then fold it flat before pulling my sock up and over the cuff.

Chris said...

NICE WINGTIPS Those remind me of my dad growing up! Your bike is truely utilitarian and worthy of an honorary SUV title in the bike world. Just how good were those noodles?

Noah said...

Oh, the sweet blissful noodles! I get the Chicken Pad Se Eu, which is chicken with wide noodles cooked in a vinegar soy sauce with roasted garlic, steamed red cabbage, stir-fried eggs and a bunch of other veggies. Deeeeeee-Lish!

I can't eat there too often, however. It gives me dragon breath and the garlic literally pours out of me when I sweat. My wife won't get anywhere near me after I've eaten at Lulu's. She's not here to hate me though. ;)

When she reads this, she'll probably laugh.

Anonymous said...

Hey Noah...I enjoyed the picture of your big boy pants and shoes! Too bad you can't just wear your cutoffs and tennis shoes.

On a side note, I ordered panniers like yours. I can hardly wait for them to arrive. Just hope I have adequate foot clearance.

Noah said...

I do Information Security work for the largest mutual fund recordkeeping company in the world, so cut-off jeans and tennis shoes don't go over too well. I can get away with a casual rugby shirt, khaki pants and loafers but since I leave the wingtips at work, I usually dress the part to match when I'm here.

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