Hobo Jungle

[rogruth]

Dirt,

Convey congratulations to all involved in the rescue.

My wife worries about this type of thing happening to her since Alzhiemers [sp] was prevalent on both sides of her family.

You may have be right about the groking of things by me.Probably started in my younger days.First time I saw the word and definition was when I read Stranger in a Strange Land in 1961.I had been a Heinlein fan since the mid 1940s.Your use of grok ,a term I have not heard often since the 1970s,just struck a chord with me.

[webenda]

Pete,

I would like to pat you all on the back and say, "Good rescue!" You all made quite a team.

And to "HELP, I’m STUCK," you have good neighbors and a healthy voice. May you recover from your ordeal with the channel changer quickly.

[The Dirt]

I missed the whole thing. I was at work. Credit to Kim and Terry, and their persistence, laboring in that utter blackness. The old lady was one lucky woman. Even as she insisted that she wasn't confused, far out in that field, she was pointing 180 degrees in the wrong direction as to the location of her house.
And thank God for the emergency workers. There isn't recognition sufficient for those people, who all do it for free.

[Del Mar]

Dirt,

Wayne pretty much covered it. Specialized Roubaix. 17.5 pounds all up. Enough spokes. It is how you tension the wheel that makes it strong. The Roubaix is somewhere between a Buick and a Jeep in roadbike format. Those are 25 mm tires. Relaxed geometry means a lot of comfort over long miles. I use it for moderate speed, long distance rides. The San Dieguito Trailhead was the "turn around" for one my treks. I do ride the Roubaix on hard pack single track, but I would have used a mountain bike to go further from that particular point on that trail. That spot is about 15 miles out from where I live.

The bridge scene is near Witch Creek, between Ramona and Julian. The 2007 fire went under the bridge and blasted down canyons in the Santa Ana winds to burn Rancho Bernardo, and then climb up to Fairbanks Ranch (a little too near to us). It's just about two years ago that we had that experience and had to evacuate. It was a huff and puff to get there and a challenge to head back down through Poway and then home.

There is a zen like state in bike riding. Some call it the "sweet spot". You become one with the bike and have wheels, not legs; the bike feels like nothing beneath you. You could go on forever and only come back when some calling tells you to do that or it gets late in the day. I still get to that point on some rides. I usually ride "in the zone" on training rides. Interestingly, the Garmin shows a much lower max and average heart rate on those "sweet spot" rides.

I would like to say that I am going to spend the weekend hanging out with "Louie". I am, but the fact of the matter is we are crate training and house training him and it takes consistency and patience. Fortunately, he has a pretty nice nature, but, with dogs, leader before lover...

San

PS Wayne. B and L Bikes highly recommended, especially for the fit. Big discount (2009 bike, 2010s coming in), changed out stem, seatpost, and crank arms; no charge. Rose got her first serious road bike (a Dolce) there in Spring and is doing shorter, local rides with me. Nice father and daughter experience.

[AG]

*

[ANG retired]

Wow.
I have seen nearly everything now, but a roadbike discussion on a train forum takes the cake!

I am in total agreement, a ride through the "everything green" (think about the reference) does cleanse the Soul, as well as fortify the Body. My favorite Grok-mobiles are my 1977 STEEL Pinarello (with real Sun Tour Gran-Compe components) that has ridden the entire WM Connellsville Extension (I can't bring myself to call it the Great Allegheny Passage) 700X25 road wheels are viewed as being a bit skinny by the Fat Tire crowd, but screw 'em.

It has a stablemate. A Cannondale R4000 SI a,k,a the Bedford County Beer Can. I always wanted a Dura-Ace eqhipped bike, this one I got from a former Quality Control spec at the factory...

As for the elastomer inserts, I'm not convinced of their worth. Aluminum and Carbon Fiber are natural vibration dampers. To me (my KHS MTB has one, it's the "semi-rigid" rear model) I can't feel a difference between it, and the Cannondale hardtail.

[AG]

Good job Pete!!
god bless the people like you and your family.
service the community is something that no everybody are ready for......
btw does somebody fix her remote control???
Andre.

[The Dirt]

btw does somebody fix her remote control???

Andre, LOL!!

Don't know. but I certainly hope so!! We still haven't heard any updates.

[hev52]

Hey Dirt Man, tell Kim and the Kids good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll put in a good word to the Orangeville Fire Co for her..............................


What cracks me up is all the shit this old lady went through she was still hangin' on to that TV remote ....................

[rogruth]

Now Hev,you know how us old folks are about our remotes.We don't want to get out of the chair unless we have too and sometimes we don't even then.

[hev52]

Well then Roger.....................we need to fix ya up with TMCC...............................

[Del Mar]

ANG,

My love of the '70's (and on into the '80's) was a 1972 Italvega Super Speciale. Reynolds 531 double butted tubing and Campy Record Gruppo from end to end. It lasted through grad school, six years in the Air Force, and my first two houses before a Specialized Stumpjumper caught my eye (about 1986). By the time I returned to road bikes, sew up tires and non-indexed down tube shifters were a lot of trouble and the Italvega gathered dust. Sadly, it got to the point where it was "if you want another bike, one has to go". There are still too many bikes hanging in the garage, but I love every one of them. Each has many stories of fine rides, good companionship, and sights seen.

San

[ANG retired]

ANG,

My love of the '70's (and on into the '80's) was a 1972 Italvega Super Speciale. Reynolds 531 double butted tubing and Campy Record Gruppo from end to end. It lasted through grad school, six years in the Air Force, and my first two houses before a Specialized Stumpjumper caught my eye (about 1986). By the time I returned to road bikes, sew up tires and non-indexed down tube shifters were a lot of trouble and the Italvega gathered dust. Sadly, it got to the point where it was "if you want another bike, one has to go". There are still too many bikes hanging in the garage, but I love every one of them. Each has many stories of fine rides, good companionship, and sights seen.

San

Ahh, those were the days, Steel Bikes and Iron Asses...
I'm just old enough to remember sew ups, I still prefer downtube shifters, non-indexed, thank you very much, and Brooks saddles. (I still prefer a Brooks to anything else. Once you get the respect of the saddle, no techno-wonder is nearly as confortable)

[webenda]

"...respect of the saddle..."

Unfortunately, after I bought a Mongoose Rockadile and discovered the joy of riding mountain trails, the roadbike sat out in the weather for eight years. By the time I went back on the road, the Brooks saddle had shrunk to child size and I replaced it with a modern plastic saddle. You are correct, modern saddles are not as comfortable as a Brooks that has been broken in with the sweat of many rides.

[ANG retired]

You are correct, modern saddles are not as comfortable as a Brooks that has been broken in with the sweat of many rides.

However, once one realizes where that sweat came from, NO ONE else will ride your bike! (another advantage of a Brooks...)

The amazing thing was the first ride on that Cannondale. I was so used to the "feel" of that steel bike, the aluminum and carbon felt "soft" at first. Then I got complacient. That twitchy geometry (compared to the Pinarello) let me know really quick that this was a fast handling jet, compared to oh, say, a Twin Beech