tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540383550313905582024-03-12T18:49:06.931-07:00 Bike TouringsFun, informative blog for folks interested in bike travel including bicycle touring and commuting. Travel photography with bikesJeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-78340455812927980912017-08-03T13:12:00.000-07:002017-08-09T10:44:09.219-07:00Bigger Isn't Always Better, Little Folding Bike Road TripSome photos from our seven day, three thousand miles road trip with the 98 Dahon Mariner. I had considered selling that bike but glad I kept it when we observed how the trunk bike carrier from Saris caused the trunk lid of our little Nissan Versa to flex to much. Plan B was fold the Dahon and shove it in the trunk. We had a lot of fun with opportunity to visit <a href="https://iambicyclenomad.com/" target="_blank">The Bicycle Nomad Cafe</a> and visit with owner Erick Cedeno (scroll down for photo) who rode the the little old Dahon and afterwards said "it rides better than it looks". Another quote from his site is perfectly suited for this blog post title. "It makes you feel big when you are small and small when you are big". <br />
Visit the Bike Tourings' Blog regarding this Bike at <a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/a-folding-bike-that-fits-for-bike-touring-or-commuting" target="_blank">"A Folding Bike that Fits"</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsaeFh_o4FhDMSz1Vqww3ABSlbPrWQg55ghQ4xA1JygdHjGY6y7U6J6R_mWL3XSwMbW_i7iP_OwqYcOWh7M08zZU6A1jCvhl93Knvh4QuIk0SfuQt8W0HNEkNrslhaFTOSHMoBQkb/s1600/20170725014952-Edit-791576.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Dahon Mariner folding bike with complete bikepacking kit for bicycle touring and photography" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144059538907618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsaeFh_o4FhDMSz1Vqww3ABSlbPrWQg55ghQ4xA1JygdHjGY6y7U6J6R_mWL3XSwMbW_i7iP_OwqYcOWh7M08zZU6A1jCvhl93Knvh4QuIk0SfuQt8W0HNEkNrslhaFTOSHMoBQkb/s640/20170725014952-Edit-791576.jpg" title="Bikepacking with a folding bike" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After landing at Madrid, New Mexico I was looking forward to figuring out how I would pack my kit onto the Dahon Mariner. Turned out to be easier than I thought with use of a medium size hydration pack for mountain biking. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVoYCHnEU_KBV_B87U_NaaGhwQwnD_o9IehgcgBhhxR68yAGfehSqweepdsq_J3N4dbbacd07oDIgJJOyEhM8y8EYkjKIu5SZ9lVtoeMvUEzyHNPnV5xnU-dJNaO1DT-K0L1h4zjS/s1600/20170727045328-Edit-793503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Dahon Mariner folding bike with Harley Davidson motorcycle in background" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144060295527682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVoYCHnEU_KBV_B87U_NaaGhwQwnD_o9IehgcgBhhxR68yAGfehSqweepdsq_J3N4dbbacd07oDIgJJOyEhM8y8EYkjKIu5SZ9lVtoeMvUEzyHNPnV5xnU-dJNaO1DT-K0L1h4zjS/s400/20170727045328-Edit-793503.jpg" title="Dahon Folding Bike and Harley Davidson Juxtaposed" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juxtaposed : )</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYQpIVv4andZ4YWCbERKd3n-Kbonn2fzKChOTwaUvoFGQZm7kSVhc8MdNmQ38yiqPGRnxi-Il3uz49kZky-Eo0rNL03Y89Ubc1XzTRHT7jJWnrt1LIU_a9oLcV44jHUKuLqzbEgRS/s1600/20170729073713-Edit-794249.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of author riding Dahon Mariner folding bike on country road." border="0" height="456" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144066041590146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYQpIVv4andZ4YWCbERKd3n-Kbonn2fzKChOTwaUvoFGQZm7kSVhc8MdNmQ38yiqPGRnxi-Il3uz49kZky-Eo0rNL03Y89Ubc1XzTRHT7jJWnrt1LIU_a9oLcV44jHUKuLqzbEgRS/s640/20170729073713-Edit-794249.jpg" title="Riding Dahon Mariner on quiet country roads" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising on pavement was pure fun, trails were a bit challenging and limited some of the riding options but was still fun, yep I was smiling. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://iambicyclenomad.com/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Picture of Bicycle Nomad Cafe owner Erick Cedeno test riding Dahon Mariner folding bike" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144068062320642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElo-SOxLBzbsQfmbzwXiglJ00bjBOAkuQ1xLKa8pa1TB7rZ9QaEo44OAzSkSsaftr5WkzVQxWMAkVl83VzfgNIU8knfxCbSpId3RTS5xnVQ0sLS8469Vp902fgaPiJCvCU4dMc_I1/s400/20170728051024-Edit-795001.jpg" title="At Bicycle Nomad Cafe with owner Erick Cedeno" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://iambicyclenomad.com/" target="_blank">Bicycle Nomad Cafe</a> owner Erick Cedeno after riding the old Dahon Mariner five speed, "it rides better than it looks". </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7LRxD7nmKzW_OBDhbjBr3YfLAMiYaVgHXzx6Kljdhi-blMLieaVcPlyaAvVdMUqFK0U0PjF6cEZqzjAtV3GAW7unwkivvSOg8DgUCf8X5JFXgbXofQhLk_yoyYFst-xKe271E3Ur/s1600/20170729073848-Edit-795675.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of '98 Dahon Mariner steel frame folding bike for travel photography" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144074610704210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7LRxD7nmKzW_OBDhbjBr3YfLAMiYaVgHXzx6Kljdhi-blMLieaVcPlyaAvVdMUqFK0U0PjF6cEZqzjAtV3GAW7unwkivvSOg8DgUCf8X5JFXgbXofQhLk_yoyYFst-xKe271E3Ur/s640/20170729073848-Edit-795675.jpg" title="'98 Dahon Mariner folding bike at tTexas Hill Country" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I try to make it a tradition to get at least one good pic on my way home through Texas Hill Country</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKkuFurS_ln-eWo9jJkT2VO0bxrgNORzehA08Fj2RTXSPt7tx5hYUHDSUqelNZFRLzlm45n78YuTKFFgVTDfXXTwxpagYEXaLMWt3J_z5JaSaavCaDwzeLe6HXf8NHcicDI5kr96-/s1600/20170725035951-Edit-796317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Dahon Folding bike with overnight bikepacking kit for travel photos." border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144075113710274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKkuFurS_ln-eWo9jJkT2VO0bxrgNORzehA08Fj2RTXSPt7tx5hYUHDSUqelNZFRLzlm45n78YuTKFFgVTDfXXTwxpagYEXaLMWt3J_z5JaSaavCaDwzeLe6HXf8NHcicDI5kr96-/s400/20170725035951-Edit-796317.jpg" title="Dahon folding bike with bikepacking kit" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did figure out a good method of packing my tent, poles, air mattress, sleeping bag and pillow, camera, tripod, spare batteries, power pack, basic flat repair kit and enough food and water for an overnighter. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw1a2dE_aTG_uyEm0Clln5L5QoDqwiF2R_pFxxwSHr4LoIarevfXCq0EXszSkW8WL-FiJagoxG18R66_qalEMiPFMhKqVyAh2epboIRzL7M0kZYxugPqkzeKbNIfi70E-1i456-_5/s1600/20170725143945%257E2-Edit-797313.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Dahon Mariner folding bike and astro photo night picture" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6450144079462165170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw1a2dE_aTG_uyEm0Clln5L5QoDqwiF2R_pFxxwSHr4LoIarevfXCq0EXszSkW8WL-FiJagoxG18R66_qalEMiPFMhKqVyAh2epboIRzL7M0kZYxugPqkzeKbNIfi70E-1i456-_5/s640/20170725143945%257E2-Edit-797313.jpg" title="Dahon Mariner at night with Star filled sky" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madrid, New Mexico is so beautiful at night. This was at four am after the clouds had cleared out. </td></tr>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-43098465452096337932017-04-12T15:46:00.001-07:002017-04-20T23:27:37.992-07:00Bike Touring Fund Raiser Ideas<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our store's community co-op garden established five years ago</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I get a bit concerned when I realize that I haven't added any new content to this blog or the Bike Tourings site since October of last year. Sakes, that is almost six months! I require a bit of an explanation from myself : )</span></div>
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Hmm, it all began last August when the owner of the Juice Bar we had partnered with at a new commercial retail location for <a href="http://www.shopnaturalliving.com/" target="_blank">our store</a> decided to abruptly and without notice permanently close her business. Duh, that's it, no explanation required. It has been months of hard work and effort to continue with our store's ability to conduct business as usual while contending with a stressful bout of "how the heck are we going to get that half of the lease paid?" Especially now that we have had to buy out the juice bar business in order to move forward and clear the space for use. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4frVrMTs_gbz4JG_w7kMhKJwXjcLv_O48Z3eVcx8dWDQdPR6QSdZL7pPveV8kffpb74-3gefuyMjMbSYXgHg1s4kr9B5IM6WBqxcS7idvVNjI5AmCg8UNb5JvEXtWjFQQK5bZ8El/s1600/20170322060552%257E2-Edit-712215.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike at local organic garden" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6408251032401582466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4frVrMTs_gbz4JG_w7kMhKJwXjcLv_O48Z3eVcx8dWDQdPR6QSdZL7pPveV8kffpb74-3gefuyMjMbSYXgHg1s4kr9B5IM6WBqxcS7idvVNjI5AmCg8UNb5JvEXtWjFQQK5bZ8El/s400/20170322060552%257E2-Edit-712215.jpg" title="Touring bike ride to local organic garden" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touring bike test ride with new kit to the Store's organic garden</td></tr>
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Fortunately it has for the most part worked out but now that it's spring we are lacking some of the much needed financial support necessary to get the <a href="http://www.shopnaturalliving.com/co--op-garden.html" target="_blank">food co-op garden</a> cranking again. So, we sat down and had a business chat about some of our possible options to recuperate the unplanned large expenditure of purchasing the juice bar and decided it was time for a bike tour for fund raising ride.</div>
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Going for a nice long bike tour, enjoying the sights, meeting new people and feeling that I'm on a healthy vacation is one thing. Conducting a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/shopnaturalliving" target="_blank">fund raising tour</a> is another matter when I consider how much work will be involved tending to providing updated content to social media and a blog. It's the road of a digital nomad and from what I have heard from other bike touring folks who efforted to maintain a blog, let alone a fund raising ride it proved to be quite difficult for them. </div>
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This post is simply meant to be a test run of emailing a post to this blog so that I can keep up with what I'm certain will be some very interesting content. That's all for now and actually feeling glad that there aren't a whole lot of folks reading this blog, for now that is. <br />
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0League City, TX, USA29.5074538 -95.09493029999998729.2863183 -95.417653799999982 29.7285893 -94.772206799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-83442441679641176652016-09-01T16:58:00.001-07:002016-09-02T13:26:53.111-07:00Mountain Bike Photo Tour at Cape Flattery, Furthest Northwest Tip of the U.S.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strait of Juan de Fuca from Cape Flattery with Canada in the distance, circa 1990 with Nikon FM2n and Fuji 50 Slide Film.</td></tr>
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I found all these old photos from my days of mountain biking and camping around the furthest reaches of the Pacific Northwest's Olympic Peninsula. It was during the late eighties before the internet, cell phones and of course digital photography so all the images were originally photographed on Fuji 50 slide film. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that I had at some point scanned these old photos and tucked them away in a folder that I just had to give it a "blog about". <br />
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With my trusty old <a href="http://amzn.to/2bNXedf" target="_blank">Nikon FM2N</a>, old Bogen Tripod and a few versatile lenses crammed into a <a href="http://amzn.to/2bNXQzC" target="_blank">Domke F3 </a>camera bag I was experiencing what is now popularly referred to as "bikepacking". Mountain biking was all the rave with many cycling enthusiasts and I considered my Specialized Hard Rock to be the perfect vehicle for exploring the unmarked dirt gravel roads and trails around Cape Flattery, Washington.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KmQt02oFl5zia_WKcQGdvmyNBiQLnuylbtXI96d0znspkb7YzUwJwRaElabPrmvweN6aYPi9BIGtluchkQJy83UarOYoFTIP6VfCYlLpLPVsAkRg0AjV4EqTaIzJp5rTXXBxam5m/s1600/bearberry+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of trailside Bearberry at Cape Flattery in early spring" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KmQt02oFl5zia_WKcQGdvmyNBiQLnuylbtXI96d0znspkb7YzUwJwRaElabPrmvweN6aYPi9BIGtluchkQJy83UarOYoFTIP6VfCYlLpLPVsAkRg0AjV4EqTaIzJp5rTXXBxam5m/s320/bearberry+.jpg" title="kinnikinnick or Bearberry at Cape Flattery in Spring" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bearberry with grass blade</td></tr>
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While looking over the images names of places, rivers, wilderness beaches all came back to me. Although it has been more than twenty years i can even remember how I felt or what I was wearing while I created some of these images and it was back then that I first realized that I wasn't "taking pictures" but rather "creating photos". Alone in the woods on a remote dirt road or trail with my own individual perspective being expressed by creating a photo of the world around me, so serene.<br />
<br />
These days I often observe a rather "purist" attitude with lots of bike folks, whether it's about components, steel frames, bicycle type, what clothes should or shouldn't be worn, to ride clipless or flats, etc. Ironically, I wouldn't have considered placing my bike I was riding at the time in any of my photos as it would have felt as though my nature photography was intruded upon or somehow contaminated. I get a chuckle out of this now and consider how I rebelled against the advent of digitized and computer manipulated images for awhile as I didn't really consider it to be photography without film, processing and getting a good quality print. <br />
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Anyhow, it's for this reason when I hear bike folks get their panties in a wad over some silly loyalty to what is often nothing more than an opinionated hyped up trend that I refer to my own old stubborn misconceptions of being unduly biased. And besides, I like riding flat pedals with hiking boots as much as anyone but my clipless pedals and sandals are such a smooth and groovy method of efficiency. Incidentally so is digital photography. With a new found appreciation of smaller, lighter weight quality cameras that don't require polluting with toxic chemicals for film processing or print making (always bothered me) which had me feeling like a bit of a hypocrite as a devoted nature photographer. "Hey, let's celebrate Earth Day by going out and creating some nature photography and then ship it for processing to the number one industrial polluter on the planet". There was a time when Kodak held that infamous title. Feels silly to recognize that fact. Fortunately while creating Cibachrome prints in my home darkroom there was a method of sequentially mixing the chemicals for disposal that was supposed to neutralize any and all toxicity. Not exactly sure of the facts about that I'm not a chemist but it smelled much less foul. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9Tr9bpe-qz1iV_BrS21UB9LaZhrKXHOIxoWdV74g-F6lnrnTt03guvk9UaI-TvPSGHfxOkWcU-WOy5Qa9h8koO05a1lViwUokU7Q0QD-JTW_lfAaCSNd6374J0mQ1AmjWkjlchw8/s1600/sooes+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Sooes River at Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9Tr9bpe-qz1iV_BrS21UB9LaZhrKXHOIxoWdV74g-F6lnrnTt03guvk9UaI-TvPSGHfxOkWcU-WOy5Qa9h8koO05a1lViwUokU7Q0QD-JTW_lfAaCSNd6374J0mQ1AmjWkjlchw8/s400/sooes+river.jpg" title="Sooes or "Naked" River of Makah Reservation, Neah Bay, Washington" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sooes or "Naked" River, Makah Reservation </td></tr>
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One of the towns of Cape Flattery is Neah Bay and the Makah Indian Reservation. Every year they celebrate "Makah Days" and the fruits of my photography labor were the local tribal members asking me at my little booth I had set up if the photos were "really from their reservation?" I only sold a single print all weekend but the enthusiastic questions and comments were enough for me to feel good about my hard work helping folks to see their land with a bit more appreciation. That's all it was about and at the time it was surprisingly more than good enough. <br />
It wasn't at all easy being accepted by locals over the few years I lived at Cape Flattery as most folks at the time held a particular disdain for outsiders and some potential conflicts were flat out scary. But this post is about my photography, not the drama. However, as the years past and I minded my own business I was told it was ok for me to photograph out at "Sacred Land" as and I quote "everyone here knows you now and won't bother you". Photo at left of the Sooes River was one of those photos after being given "permission" to photograph the area. <br />
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It's an appropriate acknowledgment to end this post as it sums up most of what I experienced while vulnerably riding my mountain bike around Cape Flattery feeling very guarded and often times camping on the most remote of wilderness beaches in order to hide. I returned to the area a few years later during the mid to late nineties and camped on the beach with a friend who had never visited that part of Washington state. After a day of hiking and photographing I met her back at our campsite very upset that she had seen the "scariest men she had seen in her life". All I could hope was that I knew them and walked out to the road where she had parked her truck and sure enough two very large tribal members stopped their truck prepared to tell me to get the hell out of there. When I giggled and referred to them by their locally known affectionate names they laughed and jeered me so happy and sappy to see me. All the gal I was camping with could say was "I can hardly believe you knew those guys". What a beautiful way to remember that area.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq15GK5-2aInCWq2O_eFuEDagQz6OCh5w_7gIMVlt65oOObDS_9xkf4uW2eSJJKq004n2hMwnTeCgKWvI5aRyX1BRLUtnUH-4m68HXglYWc-TUBelYZXaBTwjyeATU0T8iYVvF9I1x/s1600/cape+flattery+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of steep rock cliffs and lagoon of Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq15GK5-2aInCWq2O_eFuEDagQz6OCh5w_7gIMVlt65oOObDS_9xkf4uW2eSJJKq004n2hMwnTeCgKWvI5aRyX1BRLUtnUH-4m68HXglYWc-TUBelYZXaBTwjyeATU0T8iYVvF9I1x/s640/cape+flattery+%25281%2529.jpg" title="Furthest Northwest Point of United States, Cape Flattery, Washington" width="444" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An easily accessible mountain bike trail off of a dirt road to the furthest Northwest point of the Continental U.S., Cape Flattery, Washington</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyCa7I0otobtD7Qp3tVjmDuEVOFs9DVQ1ec6SDA7hieKCG8Q4qudM3aHBZ9_GkpvYY3rim1HL8H52RoXbPsefVnmkdhWngLV7HCqD5r9MZzxdLG-PPEIfHZupVaIM_Kbe_3Axx00z/s1600/banana+slug+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of trailside Banana Slug and rain drops at Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyCa7I0otobtD7Qp3tVjmDuEVOFs9DVQ1ec6SDA7hieKCG8Q4qudM3aHBZ9_GkpvYY3rim1HL8H52RoXbPsefVnmkdhWngLV7HCqD5r9MZzxdLG-PPEIfHZupVaIM_Kbe_3Axx00z/s640/banana+slug+.jpg" title="Banana Slug and rain drops on twig branches" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Receiving more than a hundred inches of annual rainfall the dark overcast days required the use of a tripod for most any picture. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99MQlbWtOSb5r-vTgkdjraCDW7gkmWQdocje3VxS0K9k4F5ARxYVJm_m7CaPEZ3qXa633gSPqsNy6Btv1i0Sd7CQqynxUDrfLjnIptKh5Xd54tg-Qi53StCixVz8JQDK3yE7fUr0L/s1600/bears+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99MQlbWtOSb5r-vTgkdjraCDW7gkmWQdocje3VxS0K9k4F5ARxYVJm_m7CaPEZ3qXa633gSPqsNy6Btv1i0Sd7CQqynxUDrfLjnIptKh5Xd54tg-Qi53StCixVz8JQDK3yE7fUr0L/s400/bears+bread.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Due to the fact that it's a rain forest, so much interesting stuff grows there including this detailed photo of what brush pickers of the region refer to as "Bear's Bread" or bear bread fungus. I was lucky enough to find this while it was all orange rather than turning a dark brown with orange edges. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZmROHjcLryEfBVOe0uihvZsqYJXseEu0Y6yAl9-a73jMKvolmhw4hR4_oHkqOH2L4xrlUSskWnyiDDDk_F7NU0ABDlqou9lhxglA-pGnSWUNRI9NNd3MGg3xS-NhQhLtNY1LHxdA/s1600/juan+de+fuca+with+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of large moon over water with birds drying wings amidst fog and mist at Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZmROHjcLryEfBVOe0uihvZsqYJXseEu0Y6yAl9-a73jMKvolmhw4hR4_oHkqOH2L4xrlUSskWnyiDDDk_F7NU0ABDlqou9lhxglA-pGnSWUNRI9NNd3MGg3xS-NhQhLtNY1LHxdA/s640/juan+de+fuca+with+moon.jpg" title="Moon over Strait of Juan de Fuca, Cape Flattery, Washington" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical foggy, misty afternoon and Cormorants drying their wings. Photo is while camping at "Warm House Beach" at Cape Flattery. Not photoshopped, old school method of double exposure by creating two photos on one frame by advancing the shutter but not the film. A feature of the Nikon FM2n. Benefit of slow speed film is that it wasn't grossly over exposed with this technique.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUACIEO7ywdtXF8Q2-Owemi1z1ynW6EgA36obR-UrVpS3NQZeUfzEpwbSzRgDLFc9prDPsTDPuN7gJ8MojnLpF73ODV9dPmdn-Zaq2XCJnrHp3Eb9HzStW9MMvlBBdvf-F-nfUNX-/s1600/cloud+eclipse+at+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of cloud eclipse of sun at Hobuck Beach, Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUACIEO7ywdtXF8Q2-Owemi1z1ynW6EgA36obR-UrVpS3NQZeUfzEpwbSzRgDLFc9prDPsTDPuN7gJ8MojnLpF73ODV9dPmdn-Zaq2XCJnrHp3Eb9HzStW9MMvlBBdvf-F-nfUNX-/s400/cloud+eclipse+at+sunset.jpg" title="Cloud Created Eclipse, Hobuck Beach, Cape Flattery, Washington" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's just what it looked like a "cloud created eclipse" at Hobuck Beach with Sigma 400mm and Nikon FM2n on Fuji 50</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno9UUoJaw25NQqTOrnl8rCsMWnAVDNnDWp4dYXOxXBdeaneuRbpRubcoj-JHxv8C96HX27Wx60gDTR0y2IeYLRTDpjIjCglUOhhPEmccBwVQ5n_RvksIjQWX-Otjn5_i34sLcjQ8j/s1600/spider+on+ox+eye+daisy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of spider on ox eye daisy with leaves, Cape Flattery, Washington" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno9UUoJaw25NQqTOrnl8rCsMWnAVDNnDWp4dYXOxXBdeaneuRbpRubcoj-JHxv8C96HX27Wx60gDTR0y2IeYLRTDpjIjCglUOhhPEmccBwVQ5n_RvksIjQWX-Otjn5_i34sLcjQ8j/s640/spider+on+ox+eye+daisy.jpg" title="Spider on Ox eye daisy at Cape Flattery, Washington" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A personal favorite when it was so dark, dreary and overcast it was nice to see this ox eye daisy's cheery bright yellow.</td></tr>
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Times change and perhaps the area is much more receptive to tourists and outsiders visiting for outdoor activities other than recreational fishing.<br />
Fortunately, those old days of carrying 35mm DSLR lenses, camera, tripod, bulk loading rolls of film to save a few bucks, storing film in refrigerator or cooler and hefting a substantially heavier tripod are not necessary to get quality digital images and excellent print results. This makes it so much easier for carrying photography equipment on a bike for bicycle touring or bike packing that my enthusiasm for the potential is unsatiated. : )<br />
<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0Cape Flattery, Washington 98357, USA48.383117899999988 -124.7144109000000222.861083399999988 -166.02300490000002 73.905152399999992 -83.405816900000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-91867169050409508932016-08-18T15:57:00.003-07:002016-08-22T22:00:26.954-07:00Dog Days of Summer, Bike Camping and Photography at New Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAc098BIfYbTbmTTqr15eqJ2NxUEDsK_SJ9mrJhglsihIB0v6Lvbl2_Bvx3W1Lco2BEXnp1q-YLidzvquZm1mavHoYz1J4DJTwPtvoz-11Iq4MbGjOHiKi_spTldFD-DR0iMNm4v-/s1600/quarter+dome+2+carlsbad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of tent for bike camping in New Mexico" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAc098BIfYbTbmTTqr15eqJ2NxUEDsK_SJ9mrJhglsihIB0v6Lvbl2_Bvx3W1Lco2BEXnp1q-YLidzvquZm1mavHoYz1J4DJTwPtvoz-11Iq4MbGjOHiKi_spTldFD-DR0iMNm4v-/s640/quarter+dome+2+carlsbad.jpg" title="REI Quarterdome 2 tent " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Mexico monsoon weather provided rainbows, cooler temps and fun bike camping.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRccfOTJ2KzOu7HvYbPRbyG4iI9OIKl0G-mkvwcdIICbP8roNAfLCT9JOUl3aRJMzdV2qKDG8OBewTOC6dqj81V-LzrUI1sU1NispFcxDsQArkVfg6A2Is7kix2YaNCNRW6D7ZOqUL/s1600/sis+working+in+NewMexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of woman working with chicken wire in New Mexico" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRccfOTJ2KzOu7HvYbPRbyG4iI9OIKl0G-mkvwcdIICbP8roNAfLCT9JOUl3aRJMzdV2qKDG8OBewTOC6dqj81V-LzrUI1sU1NispFcxDsQArkVfg6A2Is7kix2YaNCNRW6D7ZOqUL/s320/sis+working+in+NewMexico.jpg" title="Woman working on fence wire in New Mexico" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sis working at Granny B's in New Mexico</td></tr>
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"Woe be the person who only writes about the bad things that have happened to them". I forget who that quote was from but was in reference to warning folks who like to journal about documenting and focusing on the challenges or troubles in their lives. That having been said I want to run down the list of occurrences during my effort to go bike touring this summer, for posterity of course.<br />
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Going back to early July I had gotten the "green light" to pack my <b><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/quintessential-touring-bike-vs-bike-packing" target="_blank">touring bike</a></b> and pedal out as soon as I was ready. With our family owned business it can sometimes be difficult to schedule a weekend bike camping trip let alone a few weeks long bike tour. So, with bike packed and ready I began to settle into the mindset of stove cooked meals, snacks and sleeping in my tent, which for me is sort of a meditative state of fun, adventurous acceptance. Then came the news that the sixteen year old girl I live with had convinced her mom that it was ok for her long distance eighteen year old boyfriend to come stay the night for three nights. What?!?! Oh no, no with the plan that he would somehow sleep in the house while the sixteen year old slept in bed with her mom. After more than five years of sleeping with Lisa (the mom) I know how soundly she sleeps by drowning out all other noise with her snoring. Nope, that sleeping situation wouldn't do. <br />
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So, the boyfriend was going to get a three to four hour bus ride here when his mom decided that wasn't safe enough. Consequently I was notified at the last minute, just as I was getting ready to leave that Lisa would be driving six to seven hours round trip to go pick up said boyfriend for their little sleep over. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdX6jYFC2KJH5Nd_BUKY2klwtIHfidrcyweHZ2aAeZCJhkhWYU8_i7Iuz-VsvVFBiHuRKZTC6bt3i9tvmTffuiYfsftlgnk3TYizRBaIk60HnWxp53Yt_W6Qe6S75dzC_PzvzOYZi/s1600/dome+workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Pacific Domes solar powered bike repair workshop tent " border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdX6jYFC2KJH5Nd_BUKY2klwtIHfidrcyweHZ2aAeZCJhkhWYU8_i7Iuz-VsvVFBiHuRKZTC6bt3i9tvmTffuiYfsftlgnk3TYizRBaIk60HnWxp53Yt_W6Qe6S75dzC_PzvzOYZi/s320/dome+workshop.jpg" title="Dome Workshop Tent" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid was relegated to the dome</td></tr>
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I immediately set about cleaning up the neglected <b><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/bike-tourings-work-shop-goes-off-grid-with-pacific-domes" target="_blank">dome workshop</a></b> for the kid to sleep in and generously purchased a fifteen dollar fan for the warm humid evenings here. I don't understand how that decision(s) were made, if there was some sort of brainwashing of the gals I live with by the fire juggling stage act of a boyfriend (that's his trip) as I know that if she were dating one of the boys from our cooking campout classes over the past five years the boy would know he'd be sleeping outside in a tent or dome without question. <br />
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Ok, so with the kid's nice cozy converted dog bed in place complete with light and fan after all what else would he need I retreated to my garage shop to keep an eye on things : ) Of course it turned out to be a slumber party as the seventeen year old sister had to have a friend spend the night and that's when all the fun began. Oh sure they were having a good time so me and Lisa (mom) went to bed. Lisa passed out around eleven pm like I figured she would. At around four am I found the romeo and juliet wanna be's making out on the couch in the living room, of course I did and of course they were. Out to the dome with your hormones junior! For two nights that followed I stayed awake in the workshop making sure he was in the dome before two am. The rest of his stay was rather uneventful and I had an opportunity to vent some of my frustrations to Lisa about her decision to allow what I considered to be nonsense as it had radically effected my vacation plans which were all but set in motion. "You didn't have to stay and do all that, you chose to". Hmm, yeah that's a bullshit answer. Next!<br />
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With my window of opportunity for a bike tour narrowing as Lisa was catching a plane to Phoenix to deal with some serious family matters concerning her mother's health and wellbeing we were wondering what we would do about a puppy sitter as there wouldn't be anyone here to look after the dog. Then more interesting news from one of the teenage girls. The seventeen year old decided it would be a good idea for her and her girlfriend to house sit for a week as practice for being potential roommates at college. Oh joy, better keep an eye on them before I go. Day one was basically like this: "Hey Jeff, when are you leaving?" Uh oh. "Oh, I"m just finishing up some packing and making some calls", as I was actually talking on the phone at the moment she asked. "Just pretend I'm not here while I'm busy trying to get stuff together to leave". As I looked around I noticed the dog needed both food and water. "Ok, we're going to the beach" she said. <br />
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And the rest is history. I didn't see her again for a couple days. The house sitting potential room mates didn't return until two am as I observed concerned parents briefly pull into our driveway and leave some time around midnight. Consequently the girls were grounded "indefinitely" and I was home alone with the dog and some lost bike touring plans. Then mom called with the suggestion of packing the car with the dog and coming for a visit to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Anyone who's ever been to Carlsbad, New Mexico knows that it isn't much of a consolation prize. However, I thought I could drive on up to Cloudcroft do some bike packing with the dog and have a good ol' time. Then in a moment of clarity I asked "Mom do you need me to bring some tools to help work on the property there?" She assured me that wasn't the case, so I packed the car with two tents, one for me and Lisa to sleep in <b><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/ever-ponderous-tent-selection-for-bike-touring" target="_blank">(REI Quarterdome 2)</a></b> as she was going to drive her newly acquired car from Arizona back to Texas and planned to stay a night at my mom's place in New Mexico. For me and <b><u><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/dog-breed-for-mountain-biking-by-rideon" target="_blank">the dog</a></u></b> I packed the <b><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/tents-for-bike-touring-alps-mountaineering-lynx-1-person-tent-by-rideon" target="_blank">Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 tent</a></b>. As it turned out I would be very glad I brought two tents. My sister and her two kids are living with mom in New Mexico so there isn't much room in the house for guests which is partly the reason for the tents. <br />
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Then out of nowhere my sciatic nerve pain flared up. Since hurriedly moving a dozen or so fifty pound sacks of compost I was able to keep the pain manageable with stretching exercises but it had become too painful to drive a long distance in this case nine or ten hours drive time. Information regarding how I handled sciatic symptoms can be found <b><u><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/effective-treatment-of-sciatic-pain-for-bike-touring" target="_blank">here</a></u></b>. After a couple days of stretching, pain relievers for inflammation and tens electro therapy I was finally ready to leave. However, when I went to start the van which was parked in our single car width driveway blocking the XB it wouldn't start. After working late into the night and finally jump starting it the jumper cables caught on fire and melted into smoldering lump of foul smelling rubber and plastic. Next thing I knew me and <b><u><a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/dog-breed-for-mountain-biking-by-rideon" target="_blank">the dog</a></u></b> were driving to New Mexico.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8lJV4SHHbifCL08NQzWrsllSjcPPkyGZ8RKv32qZYtcEHxS7i4hdBQKe3JBptpfD_tLcqybakZitf1XfEFsQN3ywTOMk0u4gL3JDRw4j2YZ8DYKttQqzy2KTH3yYPdTvU57ZU1Lr/s1600/boop+riding+in+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of dog getting road wind from car window" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8lJV4SHHbifCL08NQzWrsllSjcPPkyGZ8RKv32qZYtcEHxS7i4hdBQKe3JBptpfD_tLcqybakZitf1XfEFsQN3ywTOMk0u4gL3JDRw4j2YZ8DYKttQqzy2KTH3yYPdTvU57ZU1Lr/s400/boop+riding+in+car.jpg" title="Happy Dog Cruising with Window Open" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the air conditioning quit working he didn't mind at all.<br />
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After a couple hours on the road the fan motor for the air conditioning of the little old '04 Scion XB quit working. Temperatures were a bit over a hundred so I stopped to give puppy water but I think his wind blown cotton mouth is what made him more thirsty than the heat. <br />
<br />
We arrived in Carlsbad, New Mexico just minutes and Lisa and her sixteen year old daughter in their fancy new car. While driving Lisa received a very disturbing phone call from one of her aunts concerning Lisa's mother's care which had Lisa stressed out, angry and upset. Then I was informed that after two months of telling her sixteen year old daughter that no, she could not go to Disney Land with the boyfriend she had somehow convinced her mom to say yes. Of course, on both counts. After everyone settled down me, Lisa and puppy cuddled into the REI Quarterdome tent and puppy jumped up to charge at something smashing into the "no see um" mesh fabric which caused stress tears around the bottom of the tent fabric. I repaired the tears the following day with gorilla tape which actually worked really good but later I would learn that those repairs wouldn't matter. <br />
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After bidding a fond farewell to Lisa and her naughty kid I looked around the property and realized I wouldn't be going to Cloudcroft any time soon. Eight years of neglected pruning of the pecan trees, a collapsed chicken coop with chicken wire strangling a desert willow, mowing, trimming basically all the regular maintenance of having a semi rural horticultural atmosphere. So, yeah there was a lot of work to do.<br />
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I chatted a bit with mom and walked around the property discussing some of what would be nice for me to do while I was there. I was happy to be of assistance, of course, I love my family and they obviously needed some help keeping up with some of the work required to maintain such a large piece of property with a shade house and a couple other out buildings. So as we casually strolled about chatting and giggling at some of the family shenanigans that's when it happened, we smelled gas, called the gas company and sure enough they were at the house shutting off the gas in fifteen minutes or less. It's an old house from the forties and consequently not much of the existing gas lines and fittings were up to current code standards. <br />
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With the yard tore up and workers crawling under the house over the next couple of days the atmosphere was getting stressful. Afterall the more leaks they found the more the bill was adding up, my step dad Fred and mom began bickering about things if simply to vent their own frustrations at each other which I must say they have become experts at. They have a method of not really hurting one another's feelings and seem to truly love each other as much as that can be described. So, if that weren't enough my mom received a phone call that her brother, my uncle was in intensive care. We thought about him all that evening and the next day he had passed. Yep, no shit! At this point I don't remember when exactly me and Fred decided to change out the fan motor in the car but somewhere along the way of all the chaotic profusion of emotional turmoil we decided to work on the fucking car! Whatever, that's about the time we all decided we could all work hard to handle the situation and challenges being hurled at us with a few drinks in between sessions. After all, Jeff, that's me was supposed to be on vacation!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZv48kXuCLSucPvWAXZV_hyphenhyphenf8xfaZRg7-BEE8p27GMLw-YkjmBzKy_Lsrq-hE1o9opgBXPrWtbMFPZNK9JxZ64Zgx8sliuH8kr35SQbPsuorEn5juo_7WgAFQkr4n0K7kGBVRoD3S/s1600/working+at+Granny+B%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike for touring amidst work scene at New Mexico property" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZv48kXuCLSucPvWAXZV_hyphenhyphenf8xfaZRg7-BEE8p27GMLw-YkjmBzKy_Lsrq-hE1o9opgBXPrWtbMFPZNK9JxZ64Zgx8sliuH8kr35SQbPsuorEn5juo_7WgAFQkr4n0K7kGBVRoD3S/s640/working+at+Granny+B%2527s.jpg" title="Work scene while on vacation in New Mexico" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortunately, despite all the negative comments and hooplah, a photographer's perspective always seems to help.</td></tr>
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I began to settle in to a mode of acceptance and went about strategizing a work plan considering what tools were available and what needed attention. We turned the sprinklers on to find that my tent stake had <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAPeZaURsLGDu9bjUbry0LzLq3-9rqKFWgChknOBNItkxIU3NyOQmPVJuI30ax1Re7O4HlZpTN387k_oQSHnHHaNj0jMMdfP5A0Spnx2nH9VIM5CSJB98ArFDxZ5r5f7hu73KJuah/s1600/repaired+sprinkler+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of repaired sprinkler line and tent while bike camping" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAPeZaURsLGDu9bjUbry0LzLq3-9rqKFWgChknOBNItkxIU3NyOQmPVJuI30ax1Re7O4HlZpTN387k_oQSHnHHaNj0jMMdfP5A0Spnx2nH9VIM5CSJB98ArFDxZ5r5f7hu73KJuah/s320/repaired+sprinkler+line.jpg" title="Tent stake with repaired sprinkler line while bike camping" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duct tape and hose clamp repair</td></tr>
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punctured a hole in a sprinkler line, so had that to the repair list. Then Lisa called from home exceedingly upset that her juice bar business partner who shared in the lease at our store's location was quitting! What?!<br />
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Yep, she had an enlightening one week new age mumbo jumbo upheaval that taught her to work less, play more and find more "free time". Hmm, ok while I was supposed to be on vacation! Yay! Wow, what a party, huh? It was actually a bit more dragged out than that, the gal simply quit showing up for work, laid off the staff and wouldn't share with anyone why or what she was doing. Well, later we found out the aforementioned information. A highlight of the time spent working at Granny B's (as mom is affectionately known as) was visiting with my sixteen year old niece and two year old nephew. After lawn mower and weed eater wouldn't start due to having sat with old gas in them thus lacquering the carburetors making them difficult to run I sat down, hot, tired and a wee bit dejected. That's when my sweet niece offered to mow the lawn with a push mower, that a girl. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtElM9KpnICJ2BlU2-ToFqd_S1Lrt0TM38n6oiMs7A2-Mt5AF0sy5BvnxpDHM8pb4OeyZZrvr0_vm2DnjEh877_gtzCIrh1UAZOWuMXCX3n0LkR2-VKML-_gpYG7_lhHgBmrgpTeo/s1600/izzy+mowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of kid helping with chores in New Mexico" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtElM9KpnICJ2BlU2-ToFqd_S1Lrt0TM38n6oiMs7A2-Mt5AF0sy5BvnxpDHM8pb4OeyZZrvr0_vm2DnjEh877_gtzCIrh1UAZOWuMXCX3n0LkR2-VKML-_gpYG7_lhHgBmrgpTeo/s320/izzy+mowing.jpg" title="teenager helping with lawn mowing" width="226" /></a></div>
That's the most real help a teenage girl had offered all summer and I spent a good portion of the summer with plenty of teenage girls mucking about the house. <br />
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During this time when my niece would ride her bike to run their one year old black lab she kept encountering a yellow lab that would follow her home and then wouldn't leave. My sister and niece returned the dog home several times where it was simply tied up and left on the front porch. This futile exercise of returning the dog to its' owner had "Roo" (stray yellow lab dog) sleeping outside my tent even with thunder, rain and lightning I found him curled up outside my little one person tent.<br />
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He's a sweet dog and all but after he tore the side of the three hundred dollar REI Quarterdome 2 person tent beyond repair I began to reconsider how good of a dog he really was. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY0hK1xM5ECn27qwalbhmvPS192p4-uk36jqkJKKiTyKKb6H3M5zdKpLXkEdGJvSfhCvZP7L-EGMVDAyelDOV9ttYqsQ-Ze2ssxB-YmqMq-zgwcJmjxA2RORRJZENCgcL1IKFz1sY/s1600/roo+and+torn+tent+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of stray yellow lab dog with ripped tent in background" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBY0hK1xM5ECn27qwalbhmvPS192p4-uk36jqkJKKiTyKKb6H3M5zdKpLXkEdGJvSfhCvZP7L-EGMVDAyelDOV9ttYqsQ-Ze2ssxB-YmqMq-zgwcJmjxA2RORRJZENCgcL1IKFz1sY/s320/roo+and+torn+tent+%25281%2529.jpg" title="Stray Dog Roo and torn tent" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naughty pup who knows it</td></tr>
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I didn't get too upset about the tent incident as I had mentioned before I brought a second tent as backup. Besides that, I was on a roll with plenty of motivation and good vibes toward getting work done on the property. The gas leak was all but wrapped up and there was a sense of relief that we were on the back side of the turmoil. <br />
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Just about the time we were getting a sigh of relief my sister informs me that our dad and his wife will be arriving in town from North Carolina in a couple days. You gotta be shitting me! is all I could say. Mom was still grieving the loss of her brother and the idea of her having to visit with her ex husband just seemed absurd. But as they say everything happens for a reason and perhaps it was all for the best. Of course that's how it turned out but when you're going through it it doesn't seem that way sometimes. Most importantly though we had each other and it all actually seemed a bit trivial with the passing of our uncle. <br />
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I had considered staying to visit with my dad who I haven't spoken with for a couple years but felt the need to return home to help Lisa with all the changes going on at her store. After getting everything buttoned up and packed I was asked if I would take the dog home with me, since the dog I had arrived with rode home with Lisa and her daughter. I knew my dog would be a bit intolerant of another dog at our house but after a while would relax and accept him as a buddy. So I decided that my dog needed some more socializing and that I would bring the dog home for him. He's been put in charge of disciplining the year old stray pup and so far so good. Besides we could use a bit more "boy energy" (as Lisa calls it) around the house. After driving with my dog "Sachs" on the right to New Mexico I brought "Roo" the other dog back home with me. So, the Dog Days of Summer this hot August in New Mexico has come to an end while back home in Texas more changes are sure to come with Lisa being a hopefully happy owner of a newly designed Juice Bar. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbPkDv_2qdjiQooTo3xH_YZY3XRUlQ8UOCXmlHstiB8m9VuAkauzCXAwgp7gz5z6QzqHgySIQK2W2BJcA8A6VmbTFL1J6oIDQScz8Km2HdRTLla8d8l8QKuVxXUtR48hS8yB7gOSH/s1600/boop+and+roo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of two different dogs riding in car" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbPkDv_2qdjiQooTo3xH_YZY3XRUlQ8UOCXmlHstiB8m9VuAkauzCXAwgp7gz5z6QzqHgySIQK2W2BJcA8A6VmbTFL1J6oIDQScz8Km2HdRTLla8d8l8QKuVxXUtR48hS8yB7gOSH/s320/boop+and+roo.jpg" title="Two dogs riding in car" width="320" /></a></div>
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Considering all the seemingly nonsensical nonsense on the part of certain parties behaviors I didn't really ever lose my temper or burst out in anger. After all I was taught how to get even and I did already, now it's time to plan another cooler weather bike tour. : )</div>
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Hope everyone has or had an awesome summer, kids start school here next week, oh goody.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYInR5FGgAdsHLoVFk7x4wFqPKXiaDtYIXAtfZcg1TNX20p3JqjiX3kPU0_DaFbG7xt3XPNNPsr2l07dZnUb_4FhhNNkHsmPdY-CMBmvfuDU4VE6p8U_vpJlk0jT6njWtXNnJnU7B_/s1600/jeff+with+dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of dog owner holding his two dogs playfully" border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYInR5FGgAdsHLoVFk7x4wFqPKXiaDtYIXAtfZcg1TNX20p3JqjiX3kPU0_DaFbG7xt3XPNNPsr2l07dZnUb_4FhhNNkHsmPdY-CMBmvfuDU4VE6p8U_vpJlk0jT6njWtXNnJnU7B_/s400/jeff+with+dogs.jpg" title="Dog Days of Summer" width="400" /></a></div>
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Adding an update to this post for several reasons. We are joyfully celebrating Lisa's birthday while also honoring her recent acquisition of the juice bar (more about that later). Another update, no we are not buying a juice bar, whatever I'm actually very glad. Of a more serious nature is that I received a call from my mom yesterday afternoon that my sister had gone camping "somewhere" and was to be considered missing if nobody had heard from her for twenty four hours since the time she had said she would be home. As avid campers, backpackers, hikers, bike enthusiasts already know whether expert or novice you always let folks know where you plan to go and some sort of scheduling. It's only the very naive, immature and negligent that fail to communicate with those who care about them, consequently creating what could have otherwise been an easily avoided stress induced worrying. As my niece said her "level of anxiety was over the top". This is the second time one of the gals I care about went missing for awhile without calling or making an effort to check in. If technology provides solutions to anything it offers easy methods to communicate and avoid such needless worry and concern. There's no excuse for paying for a phone and not using it in the most practical manner for which it is designed. <br />
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There, this has been a direct response to a friend who asked if I was adding content to my personal photography blog and felt disappointed when apparently expecting there to be some sort of juicy drama content which I suppose some folks associate with "personal". Stuff happens in everyone's life often contributing to the idea that life is somehow hard. I just hope that everyone touched or effected by some if not all of the events that took place of the past several weeks are realizing how easy it is to make life easier for themselves and those they care about. That's how we move forward. <br />
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Here's my contribution to the bike photography portion of this blog which helped to maintain a positive can do attitude by what I consider to be a method of appreciation for the simple beauty of the place and location. Fortunately the folks responsible for the unfortunate mishap of spreading undo stress and concern are alright.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCUhURR_9EVpKYwEkUOSJ7lGaOMzxt9LPsLYzEAM7S69gNhe3nNvjjz0Qf6HGtVK90ubjlPVlJZB_4GYYbx2fIV4ff3POZyiMl2EiaFw6KN23Fm022igVXvZxTwd_J3y0Oe8RnKsa/s1600/mountain+bike+outside+shed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike and barn doors at New Mexico" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCUhURR_9EVpKYwEkUOSJ7lGaOMzxt9LPsLYzEAM7S69gNhe3nNvjjz0Qf6HGtVK90ubjlPVlJZB_4GYYbx2fIV4ff3POZyiMl2EiaFw6KN23Fm022igVXvZxTwd_J3y0Oe8RnKsa/s400/mountain+bike+outside+shed.jpg" title="Mountain bike and driftwood with weathered barn doors" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before we started working I created some New Mexico desert theme pics for inspiration</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ89bRN-E3buzyz6y3cnaLj8Q2NjL3JUKr4jLhaejM8KkcweKmMIWvoVcCz01-KZZYIW68Kr49IdRPlx_ioM-niJmYqlfiNu10C9cidcsELKziCVgj2dQwRIOE0q8gSFch4ubhiFd/s1600/antique+Hiawatha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of desert weathered antique bike and car in New Mexico" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ89bRN-E3buzyz6y3cnaLj8Q2NjL3JUKr4jLhaejM8KkcweKmMIWvoVcCz01-KZZYIW68Kr49IdRPlx_ioM-niJmYqlfiNu10C9cidcsELKziCVgj2dQwRIOE0q8gSFch4ubhiFd/s400/antique+Hiawatha.jpg" title="Antique Hiawatha Cruiser Bike" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique Hiawatha cruiser, made notes for repairs as the odd shape of frame wouldn't fit on the Saris bike rack.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgnyrrW_3ZsQsVWwcQoRTtU3IgaN_Nzipu7HIVtB5wzVciVIWWWmY-9YXs-eaap1c_p88mkaYIgbysqwaAZ_6b-GiqRm2W0wOpbc3B_I5km4YU2-ygjbDG6UepPuzvd_W01PvN6Tr/s1600/bike+and+outdoor+pallet+table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike next to home made outdoor pallet table" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgnyrrW_3ZsQsVWwcQoRTtU3IgaN_Nzipu7HIVtB5wzVciVIWWWmY-9YXs-eaap1c_p88mkaYIgbysqwaAZ_6b-GiqRm2W0wOpbc3B_I5km4YU2-ygjbDG6UepPuzvd_W01PvN6Tr/s400/bike+and+outdoor+pallet+table.jpg" title="Mountain Bike with Pallet Table" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not some of my best work but the gals sure appreciated the outdoor pallet potting table</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWqdClHZenPEnpe1mge78kYqbIZgDsvuhelsRUBDbrfjauE7nipB8XXEMAMZ777wUQgcrF_owWhP_uZ82N7IUntoEaumXFZKCGWG4BbNIawWdi4WbOy_M1wfpQmfbD-xhoy42jzwQ/s1600/fred+with+his+hudson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Hudson car and owner in New Mexico" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWqdClHZenPEnpe1mge78kYqbIZgDsvuhelsRUBDbrfjauE7nipB8XXEMAMZ777wUQgcrF_owWhP_uZ82N7IUntoEaumXFZKCGWG4BbNIawWdi4WbOy_M1wfpQmfbD-xhoy42jzwQ/s640/fred+with+his+hudson.jpg" title="Old school car guru with his classic Hudson " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fred, "not your average old guy" an old school automotive guru with his classic Hudson sedan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2ztYhafKhnPtmc10k1Frl9QsinAqDzA2klsAG8qWlSKJfZB8YPoLOw4R-urFzVaioTZsklaJRHKP7Z3YRFMIzcBgMiZiqVBz50aFnVXP2XJ_VK5MNxr16QsQwt15VKFuRAugXXpK/s1600/rowan+with+travel+cup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of little boy kicking it at dinner table" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2ztYhafKhnPtmc10k1Frl9QsinAqDzA2klsAG8qWlSKJfZB8YPoLOw4R-urFzVaioTZsklaJRHKP7Z3YRFMIzcBgMiZiqVBz50aFnVXP2XJ_VK5MNxr16QsQwt15VKFuRAugXXpK/s640/rowan+with+travel+cup.jpg" title="Little boy kicking it while drinking from a travel mug" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another highlight of the trip was "kicking it" with my two year old nephew Rowan and his fondness for my Contigo Travel Mug.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PQzRQaGL7PGlZctnOSJ1TJX5mDi-LZSjR-XOlljaJXE3Cy8yZALzf31AWqBnBvhj-O4OXqzSZBY4Ty5yv4ODS0cq36tXjnKnPssxkcKMcof82wkXH_yebSfV7PuUsue1rHPbgSpG/s1600/granny+b+walking+property.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of New Mexico property owner with garden scene" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PQzRQaGL7PGlZctnOSJ1TJX5mDi-LZSjR-XOlljaJXE3Cy8yZALzf31AWqBnBvhj-O4OXqzSZBY4Ty5yv4ODS0cq36tXjnKnPssxkcKMcof82wkXH_yebSfV7PuUsue1rHPbgSpG/s640/granny+b+walking+property.jpg" title="Granny B walking property in New Mexico" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And of course a pic of the one and only Granny B assessing all that occurs on her property. That's how we found the fricken gas leak. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEPM51OVTsGSkdzH2CSZtc04ntfRp6ZSWkojqfe-xuGNU9BSg8Qjz8LSQsBgDTi5vXRd6YY848T15nlGRs_bH9KhyfIpP9R02f9ZIajnboydH1T7ZKjcaP8sYEhwFmOJpwrvvEilo/s1600/agave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of agave texture at New Mexico" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEPM51OVTsGSkdzH2CSZtc04ntfRp6ZSWkojqfe-xuGNU9BSg8Qjz8LSQsBgDTi5vXRd6YY848T15nlGRs_bH9KhyfIpP9R02f9ZIajnboydH1T7ZKjcaP8sYEhwFmOJpwrvvEilo/s400/agave.jpg" title="New Mexico Agave texture" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never noticed the textured pattern of agave until I photographed it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfxyxwxlnvVW5WZsD46dOZtbAPHgS7a8AADDRQVAtakfwIt9Xzptnk-y6xleoLYGHmlltPRiuJeM0epi-zO_DsJxwpHeSwlvS8EjCeRyf_3KYH3WNSG72Mr1-2ioiA6gFTh-7EN65/s1600/biking+past+pecos+flume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike on path with Pecos River Flume, Carlsbad, New Mexico" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfxyxwxlnvVW5WZsD46dOZtbAPHgS7a8AADDRQVAtakfwIt9Xzptnk-y6xleoLYGHmlltPRiuJeM0epi-zO_DsJxwpHeSwlvS8EjCeRyf_3KYH3WNSG72Mr1-2ioiA6gFTh-7EN65/s640/biking+past+pecos+flume.jpg" title="Mountain biking past the Pecos River Flume" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pecos River Flume, hundred twenty years old is oldest structure in Carlsbad, New Mexico</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PVCx8EkxgtGHPoMHQTItK3DYPugCoNtQ0UbxZGxSo3tqJHHrq8K2EKB6xes-MHvwYhToO2URxauH72IimKuXA1wT4GE15vOvAiTxXTNFU_WvgCK7WZfMr28pO-IHa9cjZa1rAvPA/s1600/desert+chair+and+textures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of weathered wall textures and chair in New Mexico" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PVCx8EkxgtGHPoMHQTItK3DYPugCoNtQ0UbxZGxSo3tqJHHrq8K2EKB6xes-MHvwYhToO2URxauH72IimKuXA1wT4GE15vOvAiTxXTNFU_WvgCK7WZfMr28pO-IHa9cjZa1rAvPA/s400/desert+chair+and+textures.jpg" title="Desert weathered buildings and wood chair" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weathered textures of the well pump house..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaU9nZbJA4rS3ZV-s5KMMkd3oN0jaHHDfCqGOz2nC9RvLMDqmfjBb0hLhzs9OTns3-UXYLGUQAnIqdYKxk32uL7C5MMl91em5m9L7pBknNn3AnxdDHkOeAtpCIQHXj_gx9xlAU4cJ/s1600/colorful+chair+and+Shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of southwestern colored style chair in New Mexico" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaU9nZbJA4rS3ZV-s5KMMkd3oN0jaHHDfCqGOz2nC9RvLMDqmfjBb0hLhzs9OTns3-UXYLGUQAnIqdYKxk32uL7C5MMl91em5m9L7pBknNn3AnxdDHkOeAtpCIQHXj_gx9xlAU4cJ/s400/colorful+chair+and+Shadow.jpg" title="Southwestern style colorful chair and shadow" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a cool, colorful chair, such a southwestern feel.</td></tr>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0Carlsbad, NM 88220, USA32.4206736 -104.228837532.2061601 -104.55156099999999 32.6351871 -103.906114tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-90528617704097889382016-07-20T14:19:00.001-07:002016-07-22T11:19:28.219-07:00Travelogue while Bike Touring<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf9O9Lgid69zsT3MP-dYk0szXCXC_MsvXY_gj1Bqm1uLGspurdW3HgvT2kNQ6r5MyEE3tdNVckL39Iwfb_XgI554_Mihgy2GxKhkz92oyjkC3ctnWyla8vmAc2H6_didWAcZxAQn4/s1600/IMG_3454-Edit-Edit-774891.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike and pier at sunset during bike photo tour" border="0" height="475" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309519885019786594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf9O9Lgid69zsT3MP-dYk0szXCXC_MsvXY_gj1Bqm1uLGspurdW3HgvT2kNQ6r5MyEE3tdNVckL39Iwfb_XgI554_Mihgy2GxKhkz92oyjkC3ctnWyla8vmAc2H6_didWAcZxAQn4/s640/IMG_3454-Edit-Edit-774891.jpg" title="Bike and pier at sunset" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While showing Jazel some of the local sights for bike photography</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdljfHdtDuzHdPytshjlolwZg8xEwWi-yO7o6N0FDOER7-BldZEUfXfx4QafiAmh1UNbcgcfIB4HUf6ukJS-imZM92Iws85Pa5EhgMpv6b7IrcFsqojvQRBLNnHWcPI9t2p9Ez9rmv/s1600/jazaelatdock-776631.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike touring photograph enthusiast" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6309519886823559234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdljfHdtDuzHdPytshjlolwZg8xEwWi-yO7o6N0FDOER7-BldZEUfXfx4QafiAmh1UNbcgcfIB4HUf6ukJS-imZM92Iws85Pa5EhgMpv6b7IrcFsqojvQRBLNnHWcPI9t2p9Ez9rmv/s400/jazaelatdock-776631.jpg" title="Bike touring enthusiast on photo tour" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm Showers bike touring guest during a local bike photo tour</td></tr>
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While visiting with <a href="http://www.warmshowers.org/" target="_blank">Warm Showers </a>bike touring guest Jazael Martinez we discussed many of the technical challenges of documenting a bike tour while tent camping and riding most of the day. He was feeling frustrated that he was unable to find the time or means of getting his content and or ideas on to his blog. Another frustration was how to back up and access his many photos. </div>
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After sharing what little I knew that could be of help he commented that he wished he would have thought of those things prior to leaving on his tour. So this post is being created as an effort to help resolve some of those issues. I installed <a href="https://bluemail.me/" target="_blank">bluemail email app</a> onto my seven inch <a href="http://amzn.to/1XuqKXA" target="_blank">RCA Voyager Pro tablet</a> so I could insert photos to accompany this text and emailed it to my blogger posting email address. All the content was created without needing wifi. Photos are resized with the <a href="http://www.photo-mate.com/" target="_blank">PhotoMate app</a> and saved to an SD card. While composing this content I added the resized photos you see here from the SD card in the body of email message with the blog title entered in the subject line of the email. BlueMail also allows you to insert photos from google drive, amazon photos, google photos, pretty much anywhere you might have photos backed up. <br />
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I then installed a free Blogger app called <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ercanduman.bloggeruserpanel" target="_blank">Blogger User Panel</a> onto the same tablet for editing which requires wifi access. Editing consists of adding links to information, editing photo placement and adding caption information. To summarize blog photos resized and placed with text content for posting can be done offline. I can use my phone for wifi access and simply send the email content. Later, with wifi access that doesn't use up phone plan data the content and can be edited for better search results and appearance. Anyhow, I have been pleasantly surprised by the results and looking forward to a much improved ease of use for sharing content while traveling and hope this information is helpful to anyone looking to document their own travelogue in whatever way that means to you. Jazael also asked me if I do any cooking while bike touring but that's for another post. Here's a link to <a href="http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/jazael" target="_blank">Jazael's blog</a> which documents his ride from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Orlando, Florida by way of Mexico : )</div>
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Links related to this topic<br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/yay-its-bike-and-photography-month-yay" target="_blank">Import and Edit RAW Files While Bike Touring</a></div>
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<!-- tmjah_g_1299s -->Sent from <a href="https://bluemail.me/" target="_blank">BlueMail</a><!-- tmjah_g_1299e --><br />
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Here's a couple more photos from our evening ride and photography session with <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">Canon G16</a> and <a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/tripod-favorite-for-bike-touring-and-bike-packing" target="_blank">SLIK Mini Tripod</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAt9VzotmDMGIt6sO_RM17kRrnkfOEg5ou8oLpF2vQ4fw67iqyb52MdL4S7kd_vGYPfyutLrnESjmH-tFCsRiW6utszD43FTk2GegBGgWk_U44E5hTVnmRT9ojaVkxaAmdgz5vOqk/s1600/IMG_3423-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of bike touring with touring bikes and photographer using cell phone" border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAt9VzotmDMGIt6sO_RM17kRrnkfOEg5ou8oLpF2vQ4fw67iqyb52MdL4S7kd_vGYPfyutLrnESjmH-tFCsRiW6utszD43FTk2GegBGgWk_U44E5hTVnmRT9ojaVkxaAmdgz5vOqk/s640/IMG_3423-Edit.jpg" title="Local Photography Bike Tour" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHr8Nt59gDk0gv3GhkFQro9WGKsAGSP5S6v5Yv06C4FqOWXVp-UqRAGpMb6LQZYl7kKmcoIB0Po544ZK_0gZuHjdT7DFekqhDqTNavexesa1EMdkDi7GupZa-3OuNoyjSh0kz1X-Nj/s1600/IMG_3442-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of Bridgestone MB 1 converted to touring bike for photography" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHr8Nt59gDk0gv3GhkFQro9WGKsAGSP5S6v5Yv06C4FqOWXVp-UqRAGpMb6LQZYl7kKmcoIB0Po544ZK_0gZuHjdT7DFekqhDqTNavexesa1EMdkDi7GupZa-3OuNoyjSh0kz1X-Nj/s640/IMG_3442-Edit.jpg" title="Mountain bike conversion for bike touring photography" width="508" /></a></div>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-78657487121800346832016-07-20T13:40:00.000-07:002016-07-22T16:03:42.177-07:00Bike Posing for Bicycle Photo Prints<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Picture of mountain bike with cameras and tripods for bicycle touring photography" border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaxGSIRwYacjsGvwOhmowWutnp8FoIKmeACUgprNDjliMvb9I31mrgai14zkFPeiUhZOkGBfnTiRn5eOyWagZtc-8pb_edXmSRJ_Soiboyd73LN1WeSVGwmLzIIzj_xW01sXzAl6D0i55/s640/bridge+cameras+for+bike+touring.jpg" title="Mountain Bike Touring Photography " width="640" /></div>
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After receiving the <a href="http://biketourings.com/blog/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring" target="_blank">Canon G16</a> at the beginning of the year I decided to purposefully shoot a series of photos that could be printed and put on display to help support the <a href="http://www.shopnaturalliving.com/" target="_blank">Natural Living Country Store </a>and Juice Bar. In order to complete the project required coming to terms with a significant learning curve of befriending digital photography methods and technical methods of adapting to the new technologies. For example importing raw files to an inexpensive tablet for editing and sharing while on the go. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRhMy4R3HySpdUBYuTX4uaFjbcnpuRy5gkSXGRX5aAK6LPBtgTKZqsJAXkcEUeWqLU1NgDR48QLHfe7E7joKn8ZdIsncWbrKY_Moip4PlqmN7s4wZyGrZXRfBWnkROvIAYJtPEHaT9g8e/s1600/bike+and+clouds+Jack+Brooks+Park-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike on hill top cloud scenic" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRhMy4R3HySpdUBYuTX4uaFjbcnpuRy5gkSXGRX5aAK6LPBtgTKZqsJAXkcEUeWqLU1NgDR48QLHfe7E7joKn8ZdIsncWbrKY_Moip4PlqmN7s4wZyGrZXRfBWnkROvIAYJtPEHaT9g8e/s640/bike+and+clouds+Jack+Brooks+Park-001.jpg" title="Mountain bike for bike packing with cloudy sky scenic" width="640" /></a></div>
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Twenty years ago when I would gather up my edited fuji 50 slides and bop over to the old Photo Craft Studio in Portland, Oregon it was a fairly simple process of getting some high quality cibachrome prints made for clients. After creating an account with <a href="http://www.biketourings.photoshelter.com/" target="_blank">Photo Shelter</a> and sorting out the "can's and cant's" of ordering prints I chose to give <a href="http://www.prodpi.com/" target="_blank">Pro DPI</a> based in Englewood, Colorado a try. After downloading their software the process of ordering several prints was a very simple process and I received some very good quality prints very quickly. Not to mention the print prices are excellent.<br />
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Here are a few of the images which were selected for prints and happy to say folks are enjoying them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm_FZ2EAkh24Dc39azlnU-_OMkAAzJShYgQLlQ-bWqibHTEEu0IOY3q6xDokXP_U9ATsb9L3OE7D_u5dFYvwnq4X6b6nF0wjMfvcAHc2MOtbbcl7r0L9InhIvwUvIOATiX53R7bKze5Ux/s1600/bike+and+tall+grass+2_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Picture of vintage mountain bike with tall grass in meadow" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm_FZ2EAkh24Dc39azlnU-_OMkAAzJShYgQLlQ-bWqibHTEEu0IOY3q6xDokXP_U9ATsb9L3OE7D_u5dFYvwnq4X6b6nF0wjMfvcAHc2MOtbbcl7r0L9InhIvwUvIOATiX53R7bKze5Ux/s640/bike+and+tall+grass+2_0001.JPG" title="Vintage Bridgestone MB-1 mountain bike and tall grass" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWfd2FT1m_iXewr9NaxXNvc5Itr0PZ2VJbdybkOsSkIfC8UdqxW2amMfVwIy1KzYpZBZJiX78QDuJRf05baSQNf0J_b5Hdo0_UqIRsbeU2arA-1E2pBJI9t4bZvIaQoKHlG_jWpQ7kIBe/s1600/bike+with+downed+tree+and+wash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike and valley wash with tall grass and trees" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWfd2FT1m_iXewr9NaxXNvc5Itr0PZ2VJbdybkOsSkIfC8UdqxW2amMfVwIy1KzYpZBZJiX78QDuJRf05baSQNf0J_b5Hdo0_UqIRsbeU2arA-1E2pBJI9t4bZvIaQoKHlG_jWpQ7kIBe/s640/bike+with+downed+tree+and+wash.jpg" title="Mountain bike touring along valley wash with downed trees" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7CaKBP3ntKWPQkVYDjPgYmxmFvVz7zsLbXb8a_l8htjXjo1n6k78aZQDdFKJpUCvFbmUjWLaJ8ddXCESSczRLjIoZHAqd1MIIbqCl1mmTRiZhyoNT0l-WptaJm3Oz4igS8ZUURdPutkb/s1600/bridgestone+at+JB+park+with+sepia+foliage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike and trail side foliage" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7CaKBP3ntKWPQkVYDjPgYmxmFvVz7zsLbXb8a_l8htjXjo1n6k78aZQDdFKJpUCvFbmUjWLaJ8ddXCESSczRLjIoZHAqd1MIIbqCl1mmTRiZhyoNT0l-WptaJm3Oz4igS8ZUURdPutkb/s640/bridgestone+at+JB+park+with+sepia+foliage.jpg" title="Sepia photo of mountain bike and trail side foliage" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjndICtDVi59QFYGLfMwkwdsyQpFEYrS4KhyphenhyphenzGaWDQ29V_QWK8O80CcsayVilp-dbwtAxdHnmy27pFEegrGknIPKZpZRPXj2_TRxZvZUi4k2ilHLSZDjX_MojRf5iP-ZG0v25zC9CL5vCA/s1600/Bridgestone+in+tall+grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike and tall grass" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjndICtDVi59QFYGLfMwkwdsyQpFEYrS4KhyphenhyphenzGaWDQ29V_QWK8O80CcsayVilp-dbwtAxdHnmy27pFEegrGknIPKZpZRPXj2_TRxZvZUi4k2ilHLSZDjX_MojRf5iP-ZG0v25zC9CL5vCA/s640/Bridgestone+in+tall+grass.JPG" title="Bike and tall grass" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10924481002299621328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-18780917648736133272015-12-31T18:27:00.002-08:002015-12-31T18:27:46.051-08:00Bike Touring Photography Kit, New Gear for The New YearIt always feels good to finish the year in a way that feels good in a sense of moving forward into the new year. So ending the year by replacing a glitchy old bulky DSLR Canon Rebel with the newest Canon G series camera in the <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">G16</a> has been such a wonderful treat. Not simply due to the compact size and weight of the G16 but that it is has proven to be the best camera I could find and afford without sacrificing image quality.<br />
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After reviewing many of the four thirds cameras which were actually quite expensive considering I would have needed a couple of lenses and then comparing the low light image quality of some of the better quality <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2015/07/bridge-cameras-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">bridge cameras</a> or super zoom cameras not only were the lenses considerably huge but to get a good quality image were cost prohibitive. Also some of both types of cameras mentioned didn't provide an optical view finder which is something I felt would be important to have should the camera screen be difficult to view in bright sunlight.<br />
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Having a good enough quality image to make prints from or list for stock photography was another criteria I was looking for and was willing to accept some limitations for blogging and sharing to social networks. However, that limitation is not the case with the<a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank"> G16</a>. Although some folks have complained about the wifi feature not working very well with their phones, Canon has since improved this with the Camera Connect App rather than the older Camera Window App. This makes sharing to Instagram or uploading to your favorite photo storage system much easier when traveling.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOIRZANvzxQfIoSOojjSDqHZ3QuFkICxtnpGS9jiqduuLTzs3Ol41dTDm1Tj26HK2-2vD8omrJd3_CAcJVMc0wXcCwV8hdWGJFWdN_uupS5v4v3TfVg7ZeCWdddOa0B4TI0CI2ebciagV/s1600/rusty+bike+chain+and+crank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOIRZANvzxQfIoSOojjSDqHZ3QuFkICxtnpGS9jiqduuLTzs3Ol41dTDm1Tj26HK2-2vD8omrJd3_CAcJVMc0wXcCwV8hdWGJFWdN_uupS5v4v3TfVg7ZeCWdddOa0B4TI0CI2ebciagV/s400/rusty+bike+chain+and+crank.JPG" width="327" /></a></div>
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Photo shown above was looking quite good and needed a <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/tripod-favorite-for-bike-touring-and-bike-packing.html" target="_blank">good tripod</a> for slow shutter speed in order to render the image sharp enough for approval with my stock photo agency at dreamstime. For this reason I went about researching some of the most popular travel tripods that offer compact, lightweight designs. One of the greatest hurdles was cost vs. versatility and function. Many of the more popular designs either didn't extend tall enough or if they did they were simply too bulky or heavy. This could be one of the main reasons when I researched the leading bike touring blogs I didn't find the information I was looking for. I was trying to remember what tripod my old friend Harry Boyd used back in the day and it was a Slik. Then I found the <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/tripod-favorite-for-bike-touring-and-bike-packing.html" target="_blank">Slik Mini II</a> and what a pleasant surprise to find a such a lightweight compact design that would in no way adversely effect my <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2015/11/packing-kit-list-for-fun-filled-multi-day-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">bike touring kit</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/6525074_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of professional photographer Harry Boyd" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/6525074_orig.jpg" height="249" title="Long time photographer friend Harry Boyd " width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long time Pro Photographer friend Harry Boyd </td></tr>
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At 1.7 pounds and a closed length of just under fourteen inches, a fully extended height of forty three inches while providing more than stable support for the little <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">Canon G16</a> it has turned out to be a tripod that has met all of my expectations in a nice, quality, durable tripod that I'm certain will last for years to come. Making low light or night photos much easier and without all the noise of lesser quality cameras. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://40.media.tumblr.com/7f1918abe71e491509e57bc69aa1784f/tumblr_nzujm2uWYZ1t5kzgeo1_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike and park lights at night using tripod" border="0" height="600" src="https://40.media.tumblr.com/7f1918abe71e491509e57bc69aa1784f/tumblr_nzujm2uWYZ1t5kzgeo1_540.jpg" title="Night photography with bike and lights" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night photography or low light images are not an issue with the Canon G16 and Slik Mini II tripod.</td></tr>
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As I recently had five out of eight images approved with my stock photo agency I wanted to share this information with fellow bike touring folks who might be looking for a versatile, lightweight, compact photography kit that is affordable and of excellent quality. Visit my blog articles at Bike Tourings by clicking on links provided below. Happy New Year!!!<br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/tripod-favorite-for-bike-touring-and-bike-packing.html" target="_blank">Slik Mini II Tripod</a><br />
<a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/12/camera-favorite-for-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">Canon G16</a></div>
Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10924481002299621328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-19432950250710115382015-11-28T15:38:00.001-08:002015-11-29T21:31:52.189-08:00Surfside, Texas Beach Camping, Bird Watching, Bike Tour<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-fuyy_gfVkFvd9ELzSFJOMoHhkeuDQMoXu-CV2zO5rzkhyTLjJhjMe5X5HrlekzzGHWtCFmbORXWpz_Ob2n9c4m9kYMNaSEy_mNSAUSyws1t6ElBXBDXM3iyMS-w3BBDH7Ae7FSJ/s1600/IMG_20151126_195353-730992.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6222350757572690546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-fuyy_gfVkFvd9ELzSFJOMoHhkeuDQMoXu-CV2zO5rzkhyTLjJhjMe5X5HrlekzzGHWtCFmbORXWpz_Ob2n9c4m9kYMNaSEy_mNSAUSyws1t6ElBXBDXM3iyMS-w3BBDH7Ae7FSJ/s400/IMG_20151126_195353-730992.jpg" title="Bike touring and bird watching photography" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bikes, photography and bird watching, not just a bike geek.</td></tr>
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When I got an opportunity to check out some of the awesome birding opportunities available in south Texas I grabbed my <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/11/packing-kit-list-for-fun-filled-multi-day-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">pack kit</a> and pedaled Southwest...</div>
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Yep, that's right into the wind as currents more than typically blow from the Gulf with such vigor that often times it is nearly impossible to enjoy riding a bike, thank goodness for drop bars. However my fifty mile route to Surfside fortunately winds its' way through the 44,414 acre Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Texas_Coastal_Birding_Trail" target="_blank">Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail</a> which not only offers awesome birding opportunities but provides some much welcomed wind breaks as the road winds through and along the fresh water slough and salt marshes. <br />
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Whether it be dumb luck, good timing or the good graces of the bike gods the winds have turned in my favor providing not only a potential tail wind but cooler temperatures as well. Because my rides are planned around my work schedule and the fact that wind is a factor for bike travel time I have found a nice reference for estimating my travel routes with a <a href="http://hint.fm/wind/" target="_blank">wind map</a> providing current wind conditions throughout the United States.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/11/packing-kit-list-for-fun-filled-multi-day-bike-touring.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Picture of Touring Bike with racks and panniers" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUccr4rzezLvUqd3iNl7oRhgkN-I19rF70eqUA-CBhMe1unM8g_VbovwwP6npQsQIItRsw_QxZktABfpbqCwCiQ1SkJ0g5a6wxkpEarpqhvwJ2zeL7QcOeYYiXY2svyLN9inE-Gem/s400/IMG_20151124_145100746.jpg" title="Touring Bike with Drop Bars " width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2015/11/packing-kit-list-for-fun-filled-multi-day-bike-touring.html" target="_blank">I prefer having my pack kit ready to roll out when opportunity presents itself.</a></td></tr>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0Surfside Beach, TX, USA28.9444142 -95.28882569999996128.8888412 -95.36950669999996 28.9999872 -95.208144699999963tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-91657848018084553692015-06-26T02:28:00.000-07:002015-06-26T03:42:35.046-07:00Fun Mountain Bike Build for Bike Packing, Avid Tourer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagQDQWspyEZLaS_ZcZr8tSKuh6QGXyXDOGiEQv7XJXAQ5ZuvjDlQukSXkNbKUvgdhGBVQNaC76_Xug0Fq8tydTljYS5IEWTu-XVn1o-aKAUvUN0SQce7YxjD7nZZsIEBjqrResO_-/s1600/Old+Fashioned+Barn+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of old barn and mountain bike for touring and commuting" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagQDQWspyEZLaS_ZcZr8tSKuh6QGXyXDOGiEQv7XJXAQ5ZuvjDlQukSXkNbKUvgdhGBVQNaC76_Xug0Fq8tydTljYS5IEWTu-XVn1o-aKAUvUN0SQce7YxjD7nZZsIEBjqrResO_-/s640/Old+Fashioned+Barn+photo.JPG" title="Old Barn and Mountain Bike" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9kMQ_654N1TaxHjsDgqG_u0Ru3F_fbF7n0JLK9bVJBm_IQQj9S4ccFy_frgWkMfZHo2rtVmnlSh2Z7wqkXQu04dlw6TzWu-BC2Rjw8nSAUF0BV4qeKA07vgabjj8EuzWvlmp5KiL/s1600/forest+for+the+trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike with racks and panniers for touring" border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9kMQ_654N1TaxHjsDgqG_u0Ru3F_fbF7n0JLK9bVJBm_IQQj9S4ccFy_frgWkMfZHo2rtVmnlSh2Z7wqkXQu04dlw6TzWu-BC2Rjw8nSAUF0BV4qeKA07vgabjj8EuzWvlmp5KiL/s640/forest+for+the+trees.JPG" title="Mountain Bike for Bike Packing and touring" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgqS_mjTtWd2PP6xmREPe1PPOxiGJoHybZi8V9-pxRcks1XYVhd9bQAapNmDvoe109s122Gl0d32ZDZ1VOlSIF4rQOFWlNIRcbo5dLE8S38BNV70BWZlkLd9ZskuVProad8BXhqT9/s1600/Gravel+and+Tracks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike on gravel road surface" border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgqS_mjTtWd2PP6xmREPe1PPOxiGJoHybZi8V9-pxRcks1XYVhd9bQAapNmDvoe109s122Gl0d32ZDZ1VOlSIF4rQOFWlNIRcbo5dLE8S38BNV70BWZlkLd9ZskuVProad8BXhqT9/s320/Gravel+and+Tracks.JPG" title="Mountain Bike for Photography" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bike rides well on most any terrain</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtoa94cSctpEV42de1mtYvYyitxMN4dSjWmGs_tQiA0EyzzjO86KFsDboLyajMoncBvmQ_t7mLvbV-Pk5xXHPMcbeLKgeC0-hxAsbUQGF7CYE0AKMw4KqTjrKKU2z94utXFPC4j9v/s1600/bike+with+bay+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike with sunset over bay" border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtoa94cSctpEV42de1mtYvYyitxMN4dSjWmGs_tQiA0EyzzjO86KFsDboLyajMoncBvmQ_t7mLvbV-Pk5xXHPMcbeLKgeC0-hxAsbUQGF7CYE0AKMw4KqTjrKKU2z94utXFPC4j9v/s640/bike+with+bay+sunset.JPG" title="Mountain Bike for Touring with Bay Sunset" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKld87BLy_lf3u3gyJiHcZiu3kvVf_m5scVXiaBTo8zFo-XtXYbI-qFWet8e-tNMd27iPCRdxtbpteZEowlh4WIWzE9OecO5o9smiyugVFZXlVwNAiMn-vVRSypd7dBvTMf5RQRVc/s1600/easily+picking+up+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of bike portage" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKld87BLy_lf3u3gyJiHcZiu3kvVf_m5scVXiaBTo8zFo-XtXYbI-qFWet8e-tNMd27iPCRdxtbpteZEowlh4WIWzE9OecO5o9smiyugVFZXlVwNAiMn-vVRSypd7dBvTMf5RQRVc/s400/easily+picking+up+bike.jpg" title="Portaging with Mountain Bike" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER1rIrQvihhCUnR2djTzwsUKdhYERZhH-cBgJjxN6BBbFpdLucsJspgDK2T0pvdw_UJ-8ialB9f1r6CYQjNsSuTl7CQ7XbWDZTgkj6ZlSlypSTikN5tui2BJGCIY4djaeQIwXwEwr/s1600/Bike+and+Dock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike and rider sitting on fishing pier" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER1rIrQvihhCUnR2djTzwsUKdhYERZhH-cBgJjxN6BBbFpdLucsJspgDK2T0pvdw_UJ-8ialB9f1r6CYQjNsSuTl7CQ7XbWDZTgkj6ZlSlypSTikN5tui2BJGCIY4djaeQIwXwEwr/s400/Bike+and+Dock.jpg" title="Sitting on Fishing Pier" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Minoura Front Pannier Rack on Mountain Bike" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAfwH9cuEPP2Xz8Gapy3GTyvRgoSj2w3xz1GEmGfeJXPqYc4yJTwtkEU9WJsk4j6Jt2GxyjMqLlO2KfmsjsnPNEkaPEsvjbiIzAsMu-E1-pBnxFsV035ysdWlDWNjT9-2VXDS15iE/s640/Mumbo-Jumbo+pack+kit.jpg" title="Minoura Front Pannier Rack" width="616" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low rider front rack from Minoura </td></tr>
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<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-32019373142368358762015-06-24T07:28:00.000-07:002015-06-24T09:00:17.450-07:00Bike Touring Around Your Hometown<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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Maybe you don't have the time to get away from it all for a weekend camping trip, let alone a several week long bike tour. Grab your bike and head out to your local sights and simply play tourist for a day or more. Making the time to just get out and ride makes room for appreciation of your local surroundings. If you like photography or some other activity such as fishing or even shopping you can create your own little bicycle tour. <br />
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<span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike and rider with sunset" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgwMG6BNEUx4jxwpALhCpu0Q1Rt7NXISkiqLABrRiLHSX_pn10fZhPZwR9WFZzhMWiH-KSFfekjCdW2yCmj5o9qJEYQBn6Ka6UGazAqbr3y2VPSnu42r5GP-ELVVnKLF3Z7v4jpMQ/s640/jeff+and+his+bike.jpg" title="Bike Touring Around Your Hometown" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreaming of far away places for the "epic" bike tour isn't necessarily a waste of time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike and bridge at dusk" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtGMdHIOXOXz06-KkzPzeFxafbLo2RBXvBAqq33N7oMo-ImQi7BnKL-6ox1m4t-pJKj9eLRmhcqxoQhzOAiKSa6zamqWt-wKjE4OZ4RGDEYOBUU3s9rLGbXio1gfi2eDtT_SygQsr/s640/Bike+and+Bridge+at+night.JPG" title="Bike and Bridge" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discover unique perspectives that come from knowing your area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xHBZpP7gbhAb5oxdLi7kCogIjpBxQlTkU4ob-itXbv5RubrsO7mg39Uk4G24a9-olxB-Ju890LvUlF84sJ6u3rM08_bQZCm7vxS7iARaJqRL4Ztg9eDuGk3J67fdMg55Uiq4Q7Hu/s1600/LC+Barn+Museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike parked outside of local historical landmark" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xHBZpP7gbhAb5oxdLi7kCogIjpBxQlTkU4ob-itXbv5RubrsO7mg39Uk4G24a9-olxB-Ju890LvUlF84sJ6u3rM08_bQZCm7vxS7iARaJqRL4Ztg9eDuGk3J67fdMg55Uiq4Q7Hu/s640/LC+Barn+Museum.JPG" title="Local historical landmark and touring bike" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're lacking creative inspiration check out some of the local landmarks as a tourist might.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1AJ4MOoSd8m1zMkjkQgikySKwejouYVqw-XlPDKyIwzo0Sce52nA6U8d5rUzlQ7bt4A0MqhvzWZj_N84vRxRkFCwNy1WsigGks71fOmsqebXexkGojdBHT1Wmkt3f-kzfC4n9u7t/s1600/I+love+my+bikes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Bridgestone touring bike and love " border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1AJ4MOoSd8m1zMkjkQgikySKwejouYVqw-XlPDKyIwzo0Sce52nA6U8d5rUzlQ7bt4A0MqhvzWZj_N84vRxRkFCwNy1WsigGks71fOmsqebXexkGojdBHT1Wmkt3f-kzfC4n9u7t/s640/I+love+my+bikes.JPG" title="I love you wooden bench and touring bike" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you might just be pleasantly surprised by what you might find</td></tr>
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Have a fun and safe pedal filled summer, wherever your travels might take you.Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0League City, TX, USA29.5074538 -95.09493029999998729.286313800000002 -95.417653799999982 29.7285938 -94.772206799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-89471855862217488762014-12-03T20:32:00.000-08:002015-06-22T05:24:49.892-07:00Mountain Bike for Touring<div dir="ltr">
Good mountain bike frame design for bike touring offered in a classic Diamond Back Ascent EX circa '91. </div>
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If there was ever a good reason for installing dirt drop bars on a mountain bike one designed for touring settled that conflict of adding road style drop bars to a mountain bike. </div>
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For more information regarding the Origin8 Gary2 Bars visit <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2014/12/origin8-gary-2-bar-affordable-dirt-drop-bars-by-rideon.html">Biketourings' Review</a> and build of this rare design. Bike's original stem and flat bar did not complement the long top tube in a way to provide comfortable performance or handling, particularly for the long haul. By replacing the stem and adding the dirt drop bars this is a very nice bike for just about any type of riding. By adding the <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2013/09/mountain-trekking-touring-tire-review-by-rideon.html">Kenda Small Block Eights</a> in 26 x 2.35 the tires provide nice cushion and roll efficiently and effectively over most terrain. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBECOSY5meKscRKqKEvjlMPm65RKcAeGgXbkTkBMUkqqrrB_0uKCgiC8o-jEjImZuOSeh6LVRE6wlhjVmIt8s3XpX0_PrUYAlmY6BGcwHYQ5An3XQlFqzKDaOdypKQcc_QUegQSIJj/s1600/DB+front+angle+viewR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="mountain bike for touring and commuting" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBECOSY5meKscRKqKEvjlMPm65RKcAeGgXbkTkBMUkqqrrB_0uKCgiC8o-jEjImZuOSeh6LVRE6wlhjVmIt8s3XpX0_PrUYAlmY6BGcwHYQ5An3XQlFqzKDaOdypKQcc_QUegQSIJj/s1600/DB+front+angle+viewR.jpg" title="Diamond Back Ascent EX mountain bike for touring" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain bike for touring with dirt drop bars</td></tr>
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Some bikes beckon to ride them and this is one of those that when you're walking past it you want to hop on it and take it for a spin. I have some experience with short and shallow bars but the dirt drop bars flare out a bit and with a 530mm width I was concerned they might be a bit wide. They are very wide but surprisingly comfortable as the brake hoods are not too wide and is where I would place my hands on longer jaunts through the countryside. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIrRQOLuoA1iYDdizcEB26P88NejLYQn9L6gvc3tFWMdEyEEW1TsD76nUDaFP40H5rqnR_5MTBKH_RS8P30ESPoCuar4n967YB40nR0XWwMZC5t81wTcV2SI8ZKplX4ItFHHcxBmC/s1600/Test+Riding+DB+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="test riding mountain bike with dirt drop bars" border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIrRQOLuoA1iYDdizcEB26P88NejLYQn9L6gvc3tFWMdEyEEW1TsD76nUDaFP40H5rqnR_5MTBKH_RS8P30ESPoCuar4n967YB40nR0XWwMZC5t81wTcV2SI8ZKplX4ItFHHcxBmC/s1600/Test+Riding+DB+.jpg" title="Test riding mountain bike for touring" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test rode the build with handlebar bag full of photo equipment and loved the way it handled. </td></tr>
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Components For this Build Included:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037NCDG6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0037NCDG6&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=H5A2HQEBGQ4ELXQK">Origin8 Gary-2 Bars</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U9ROKC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003U9ROKC&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=2FHGHJYVIEWJWY2B">Tekro RL 340 Ergo Brake Levers</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=Sunrace%20bar%20end%20shifters&linkCode=ur2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&url=search-alias%3Dsporting&linkId=LBZU3HE6SYAGBAKP">Sunrace Bar End Shifters</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75GynqM013KJRha6DctGgGXQFfzAgIouSTJn2k9jVB2K2ylx0-t7nqGrnZQUALiDIaZsrUZ8tuJdUjlxW5OOhESuEAvhzTTeXNqXJPew2wVqsPsiU1B65cpNEEX71PJ6p_1wkZwuw/s1600/DB+for+touring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="mountain bike for touring with dirt drop bars" border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75GynqM013KJRha6DctGgGXQFfzAgIouSTJn2k9jVB2K2ylx0-t7nqGrnZQUALiDIaZsrUZ8tuJdUjlxW5OOhESuEAvhzTTeXNqXJPew2wVqsPsiU1B65cpNEEX71PJ6p_1wkZwuw/s1600/DB+for+touring.jpg" title="'91 Diamond Back Ascent EX mountain bike for touring" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'91 Diamond Back Ascent EX mountain bike for touring</td></tr>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-4953738537657199652014-09-22T00:58:00.000-07:002014-09-22T00:58:34.321-07:00A Week Riding a Different Type of Chain and Dodging a Storm<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBILB9cN1-f6Bc_UV7lsDBaoTk6c18XZ1V6YcP9i1K60r4BAb7IbtKzJTIpco3URDE1pdI29XPFLM052WVBWCLxesXNMc9hnhwml8YYyIHUZJ9cLveMD2vzjAX4etA0C8Hhsa4oqn/s1600/Riding+away+from+the+storm+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike commuter with stormy weather in background" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBILB9cN1-f6Bc_UV7lsDBaoTk6c18XZ1V6YcP9i1K60r4BAb7IbtKzJTIpco3URDE1pdI29XPFLM052WVBWCLxesXNMc9hnhwml8YYyIHUZJ9cLveMD2vzjAX4etA0C8Hhsa4oqn/s1600/Riding+away+from+the+storm+(2).JPG" height="360" title="Riding fast enough to stay out of the storm" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staying out ahead of the storm we had fun getting some photos with our bikes.</td></tr>
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It was exactly one week ago when Lisa came to tell me about the neighbor's tree falling onto the power line between our properties. When I went to take a look my little portable bike workshop looked to be in harm's way. There was a large dead tree on the other side which had come down on top of the neighbor's tree and which was the real threat to damaging the dome's fabric cover. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmppUDm3JpA3d2zsoNe473NchT4Fyz0fOE-8VzDri60pdpAINfeZZ5anF5Qui07e_r7018zUK4ipk2LCpmyhr0CrhY7ONV_1_abv6X-OFlytarlCiarEYeMSEf3jMypD8qxG95vjjJ/s1600/neighbors+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of trees down on dome bike workshop" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmppUDm3JpA3d2zsoNe473NchT4Fyz0fOE-8VzDri60pdpAINfeZZ5anF5Qui07e_r7018zUK4ipk2LCpmyhr0CrhY7ONV_1_abv6X-OFlytarlCiarEYeMSEf3jMypD8qxG95vjjJ/s1600/neighbors+tree.jpg" height="358" title="What I "saw" with my little dome bike workshop" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was what I "saw" (no pun intended) when I looked out at my little dome bike workshop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtmBL7WWaXsPRzY2wwheOZgLIvQ_PQBjGp39cb5Ti-7W5LliCknIe2G6sDsv3Tfyl6AHS2PRUb2cuFcEHONax-7zQM82p18amSOW10Pek7Zu6CO5zDvf1HhSw3Pkd3ppqHQndLgVN/s1600/cut+tree+limbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike workshop with pile of tree branches" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtmBL7WWaXsPRzY2wwheOZgLIvQ_PQBjGp39cb5Ti-7W5LliCknIe2G6sDsv3Tfyl6AHS2PRUb2cuFcEHONax-7zQM82p18amSOW10Pek7Zu6CO5zDvf1HhSw3Pkd3ppqHQndLgVN/s1600/cut+tree+limbs.jpg" height="223" title="Slash pile of tree branches that were laying on shop" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After removing most of the downed limbs with a sawzall and a pole pruner</td></tr>
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I decided to keep my distance from the power line and focused on removing anything which seemed to pose a threat to the workshop. Needing to remove several tree limbs before I felt comfortable dropping the larger dead tree without it snagging on other trees. Importance of cleanly dropping a dead tree that was tangled with two other green trees cannot be overstated enough. After a full day and a half of using the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TKJV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00004TKJV&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=7BXKF6GPCPENOIRM" target="_blank">Corona Dual Action Tree Pruner</a> with 13" Razer Saw and cleaning up the huge mess in our yard it was time to get a chainsaw. After much research and learning about the effects of ethanol on small high performance engines I decided on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VYKULY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000VYKULY&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=R3ISFZ2TLI3ZSQ7O" target="_blank">Echo 16" Chainsaw </a>and if it gave me any hassles while cutting the limbs that were cut down then I would return it. There were so many mixed reviews regarding chainsaws it seemed that fuel mixture and storage was more of an issue than anythings else. FYI a recommended mix is a good quality two cycle oil and 91 octane fuel with no more than 10 percent ethanol. Evidently there are gas stations selling E85 gas which contains 85% ethanol and should be avoided. One expert suggested not even purchasing gas for a chainsaw there as there might be a bit of that in the station's hose even if they sell e10 fuel as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVPE0HXP9gZMplFYhH0yiSUG7uX6BewvBTFdj9umA6XTJmr3uyA4xJtnYutKda5aWZlIJimDegCW4viFls3T_js4k9yGfGu5MZ1JlE6pA36ZIdKrmWkx3ZAxDIvnFp0Ew8tpSmDFD/s1600/tree+on+powerline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVPE0HXP9gZMplFYhH0yiSUG7uX6BewvBTFdj9umA6XTJmr3uyA4xJtnYutKda5aWZlIJimDegCW4viFls3T_js4k9yGfGu5MZ1JlE6pA36ZIdKrmWkx3ZAxDIvnFp0Ew8tpSmDFD/s1600/tree+on+powerline.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our neighbor's tree resting on power line between our properties, after a week nobody has come to take care of it. </td></tr>
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Last Saturday we had a scheduled pot luck dinner gathering for the folks who help with the organic food co-op at our store. I missed out on our get together due to the tree resting on the powerline and stayed home as I was told the situation had been reported and someone was going to come take care of it. After our landlord had come by he reported it and so did our neighbor. So, after a couple days it was time for me to get to work on protecting my workshop. Tree removal, cutting firewood and limbing trees is nothing new to me. Coming from the Northwest where I used to have a landscaping business I sold firewood and cut my own firewood for several years. Those skills also came in very handy in Colorado where a wealthy rancher observed my consideration for the natural surroundings while felling trees on his property and wanted to hire me to make snow mobile and atv trails. Anyhow, I had sold my tools for that type of work a few years ago after leaving Colorado and it had been years since I used a pole saw pruner. Though I am in very good shape I wondered how much I would be able to do in time allotted to remove the heavy limbs and dead tree before a forecasted storm rolled in. </div>
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Another thing about this type of work is I was paid a good sum for it. As it requires quality tools, experience and skill so that damage to property is kept at a minimum. To say nothing of personal injury to workers or others. After getting over my initial anger and frustration of having to contend with the situation we decided I should assess tthings and get the required tools. I needed a good quality pole pruning saw first. And I don't care who you are those things are tough to use and cheap ones are dangerous. Seventy bucks later I have a 14 foot Corona which has a 13" saw blade capable of cutting through six to eight inch branches which is what I really needed to get some of the weight off of the powerline without putting myself at risk in any way, shape or form. The trick of course was to cut the heavy limbs so that when they dropped it wouldn't damage my little bike workshop. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRmhtGJnrQMLK0TomPzOMOAcFxQWGZ1Ad52Rv5lfjfGViNcd2-SRQC_dP7fJzwMtaCNfEL42OJgVl_rf-bBWnn9TnqJIKlXBwiXNruhar4Kd7IpdmnPM4F_-1tStGhSTWYchsCg-o/s1600/cutting+tree+on+roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike mechanic running a chainsaw" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRmhtGJnrQMLK0TomPzOMOAcFxQWGZ1Ad52Rv5lfjfGViNcd2-SRQC_dP7fJzwMtaCNfEL42OJgVl_rf-bBWnn9TnqJIKlXBwiXNruhar4Kd7IpdmnPM4F_-1tStGhSTWYchsCg-o/s1600/cutting+tree+on+roof.jpg" height="360" title="Riding a Different type of Chain for a few days" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sure glad we were able to locate a good chainsaw for getting the dead tree off of the roof of our store. Tree was threatening to fall on my bike workshop and dropping it on to roof of store was the safest thing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpfnXp1Zv0H34uQmz9fD4zWNluTEfrwbBIyWhRL1QtZk_eGOGLh64CimQhKbdwUQxuJ5K-ExJR6pwVvAXAy798enlm-7uqO8i0qhgIfhHYdFy9CI0ck6M_fSqF2jEarRW1aP7NCfV/s1600/Saw+and+Tree+on+Roof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Echo 16" chainsaw and tree cut up" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpfnXp1Zv0H34uQmz9fD4zWNluTEfrwbBIyWhRL1QtZk_eGOGLh64CimQhKbdwUQxuJ5K-ExJR6pwVvAXAy798enlm-7uqO8i0qhgIfhHYdFy9CI0ck6M_fSqF2jEarRW1aP7NCfV/s1600/Saw+and+Tree+on+Roof.jpg" height="223" title="Top section of tree on roof of our store" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VYKULY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000VYKULY&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=R3ISFZ2TLI3ZSQ7O" target="_blank">Echo 16" Chainsaw</a> is a good quality chainsaw for what we needed to do. View from roof with bucked round of same tree in background. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Considering I worked hard at this clean up project for three days solid it was of no surprise when I felt as though I had strained a muscle in my back. Actually I really thought I would have a lot more sore stiff muscles particularly from the pole saw pruner. If I walked away with anything from this project it's that I'm in much better physical condition than anticipated and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. Went for a gentle six to seven mile ride as I allow my back to recover and confident I will be returning to work and bike commuting this week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvdRBUzM4hyQ5tOpb2bXF1O6hP6Mpnz7ekZdNRh2Cyd3DMwPHCxUi4OxHlc4gCrIGKBfhy5kcjhKdqvx1eCeNKraUEOfSecGxWsn0MqwZzTx37kL7bO0JTNEYd9ehityFC9-I0dxU/s1600/Heavy+Rain,+flooding+and+Dome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of small portable bike workshop with rain and flooding" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvdRBUzM4hyQ5tOpb2bXF1O6hP6Mpnz7ekZdNRh2Cyd3DMwPHCxUi4OxHlc4gCrIGKBfhy5kcjhKdqvx1eCeNKraUEOfSecGxWsn0MqwZzTx37kL7bO0JTNEYd9ehityFC9-I0dxU/s1600/Heavy+Rain,+flooding+and+Dome.JPG" height="360" title="Portable Bike Workshop with lots of rain and flooding" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As soon as I completed removing and bucking the last of the tree from the roof, severe weather storm hit and we felt very satisfied with keeping our little workshop from taking a hit. </td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">As I mentioned before, it has been a bit over a week now and our neighbor's tree is still laying on the power line. Weather is clear and sunny with no wind, perfect work conditions for removing the tree from the power line. Perhaps the whole "don't mess with Texas" slogan isn't the "power line" they intended it to be, bu rather an excuse for them not to go to work. If that sounds a bit cranky it's because I am. After pulling a muscle in my back and needing a few days to recuperate, including a couple of sleepless nights with back pain I thankfully have taken care of my own and that's good enough. After it's all said and done I'm actually grateful we had an excuse to get a new chainsaw, the smell and sounds brought back some fond memories of living in Washington.</span>Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-81515142467806319682014-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:002014-09-16T10:23:37.746-07:00Success, Building a Bike for Someone to Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have built quite a few bikes over the years. Some for folks who truly appreciate how a bike can enhance their lives and some for people who didn't care about their bike and were riding it because they had to for transportation. Both actually have their qualities of appreciation as the latter holds a rather detached mode of practicality and shrewdness. A common sense perspective holds true with a bike, it is the most affordable means of transportation and contributes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. <br />
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For aesthetically charmed bike aficionados the range of appreciation can seem and often is more of an obsession as<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=photo+of+man+sleeping+with+bike&safe=active&client=gmail&rls=aso&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=DuIVVOTZApK3yAT7lYLwDQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=600#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=4KRS2n-tZVCpgM%253A%3B4vK00VOr0KrUIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcl.jroo.me%252Fz3%252FR%252FA%252FN%252Fd%252Fa.aaa-man-bikefriends-forever.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.jokeroo.com%252Fpictures%252Fother%252F947883.html%3B549%3B399"> popular photos on the internet depict</a>. My reason for pointing this out is in the retail industry (in particular customer service) of bike repair work it is of first and foremost importance to understand what it is that the customer wants. A customer shows up wanting to achieve some element of personal success, whether that be getting a flat repaired, replacing uncomfortable handlebars or some bike bling gadget. In any case part of the real satisfaction of working in the bike industry has been to help people effectively succeed at achieving their desired objective. When the customer is a bike lover of sorts and their enthusiasm for all things bike exudes from their aura it's especially nice to help keep them keeping on. When a pragmatically induced no nonsense commuter is aided in a fast and cost effective manner the pleasant reward of their satisfaction carries a dry enthusiasm much more subtle than a bike lover yet there's a sense of a similar level of satisfaction. Pretty cool.<br />
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When I found someone to love and spend my life with building a bike for her has been the most rewarding experience for me as a long time lover of bikes and the years spent servicing them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFvdKPN2ET6Znvl7jTzKZPPRDXg_-qh79sSvuRcABrmEY9ISz-tmMzqZRkfvWtxHlRTUu-VD27vqCvZHIdvBeqjegNADD0t2hKToHM2b3zVLBbtJaJ7zDscCEDN1oN6dAe4T2g0-T/s1600/Lisa's%2BBike%2Bbeing%2Bbuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike frame being built in workshop" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFvdKPN2ET6Znvl7jTzKZPPRDXg_-qh79sSvuRcABrmEY9ISz-tmMzqZRkfvWtxHlRTUu-VD27vqCvZHIdvBeqjegNADD0t2hKToHM2b3zVLBbtJaJ7zDscCEDN1oN6dAe4T2g0-T/s1600/Lisa's%2BBike%2Bbeing%2Bbuilt.jpg" height="300" title="Building up a mountain bike frame" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found a neat old steel lugged '89 Peugeot Canyon Express mountain bike frame and fork to build for Lisa</td></tr>
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I have a keen knack for finding bikes worthy of refurbishing or building and Lisa is used to seeing a good number of bikes come and go from my<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2013/07/bike-tourings-work-shop-goes-off-grid-with-pacific-domes.html" target="_blank"> little shop in our back yard</a>. So when she saw me bringing this frame home she didn't think much of it. I had been looking to build her a second bike and wanted it to be a surprise. Criteria I had set was a bike that would be a bit more versatile for casual trail riding and bike commuting keeping in mind that she is a bit of a novice rider so something she would feel more confident and comfortable on than her 700c wheeled Trek touring bike. Deciding a 26" mountain bike with appropriate frame size would be ideal I was also looking for something with some "personal touches". Implementing my previous customer descriptions of pragmatism and aesthetically pleasing helped to define a method of moving forward and getting her the proper bike. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsa5YEPrBHHV3dunL4YX1t3qNTHRtVKif_yHMmr4o0y1mzrBJN5KmmHsbuWDRwC5AMANCF7Ceq5rlXpQIGBgdKslTiZmnsoPitxcIyt9Pb753TC9n0gxGKkO0-laREyD32KwQiOU0xMKZ/s1600/Lisa's%2BPeugeot%2BFrame%2BLugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of steel lugs on older mountain bike frame" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsa5YEPrBHHV3dunL4YX1t3qNTHRtVKif_yHMmr4o0y1mzrBJN5KmmHsbuWDRwC5AMANCF7Ceq5rlXpQIGBgdKslTiZmnsoPitxcIyt9Pb753TC9n0gxGKkO0-laREyD32KwQiOU0xMKZ/s1600/Lisa's%2BPeugeot%2BFrame%2BLugs.jpg" height="400" title="'80's Steel Lugged Mountain Bike Frame " width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Lug work of older Steel Mountain Bike Frames</td></tr>
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When I found this '89 Peugeot Canyon Express frame and fork only I jumped on it. Not only was the bike a steal at forty five bucks with nice paint, straight frame, little to no rust, excellent condition but it has been a perfect fit. This was a very fun bike to build as I was also able to find a nice <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/mountain-bikes-for-touring-and-commuting-by-rideon.html">Suntour Alpha 3000</a> component group on ebay lending a touch of retro classy quality for simplicity and trouble free shifting and besides that the components just look so cool on an old steel framed mountain bike. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/1726005_orig.jpg?359" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Vintage Suntour Components" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/1726005_orig.jpg?359" height="320" title="Vintage 3 x 5 Suntour Alpha 3000 Component Group" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suntour Alpha 3000 Component Group 3 x 5</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/8688268.jpg?328" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Suntour Thumbshifters" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/8688268.jpg?328" height="226" title="Suntour 3 x 5 Alpha 3000 Thumbshifters" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quality, dependable thumb shifters from Suntour</td></tr>
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Getting the wheelset together was a different matter. I thought certain I had a wheelset for the bike in my workshop and luckily I did. However, the front spokes were a bit rusty though still solid and the wheel trued just fine and though I had a rear wheel to match it didn't have an axle and was so wonky I wasn't sure it would be able to be trued. After some considerable effort I was pleasantly surprised when the wheel responded to my truing technique, success!</div>
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For all other parts such as saddle, stem, tires and handlebars and especially the rear axle thanks to the guys at <a href="http://www.unitedbicyclesupply.com/index.cgi" target="_blank">Unite Bike Supply</a> who rounded the stuff up and shipped it quick, as always excellent service.</div>
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We all have our ups and downs in life, sometimes it can feel like we are left alone to deal with seemingly horrible challenges without much needed support. Does having a bike in one's life solve all of life's problems simply by going for a nice quiet ride? Maybe, but just knowing there is a bike available to get on and play without playing any games is more often than not enough of a simple pleasure to find our way through life's messiness, like traffic for instance. : )</div>
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Well, that's enough of my bit of gentle bike banter, here's how the bike looked when I first completed the build. It has since had lights and handlebar bag added, <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/02/handlebar-favorites-for-bike-commuter-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">trekking bars with 25 degree sweep</a> and have some fenders to add. When Lisa tells me how much she loves her bike. I believe her.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/4531130_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of vintage mountain bike for commuting" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/4531130_orig.jpg" height="480" title="Vintage Peugeot Mountain Bike for Commuting" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa's '89 Peugeot Canyon Express Steel Lugged 26" mountain bike for commuting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3_Be_27NDCeDIsBCbRFStX36c4uVyAvPE6OWtLeFCt8GYHlAeS2_o49cnzA7RN1SWnEOg3iavrSJAUdG0GhgcSHRKn4RuJYOOM6mmy0Vbacvi6XL2McY4KxpFxQrk1sp1c1GhlvE/s1600/Lisa's%2BHappy%2BBike%2BFit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of smiling woman with new bike" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3_Be_27NDCeDIsBCbRFStX36c4uVyAvPE6OWtLeFCt8GYHlAeS2_o49cnzA7RN1SWnEOg3iavrSJAUdG0GhgcSHRKn4RuJYOOM6mmy0Vbacvi6XL2McY4KxpFxQrk1sp1c1GhlvE/s1600/Lisa's%2BHappy%2BBike%2BFit.JPG" height="298" title="Lisa's Happy New Bike" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success, Built a Bike for Someone to Love.</td></tr>
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Lisa loves her bike and I love her, I call that Success.</div>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-68970342325159305262014-09-11T22:32:00.001-07:002014-09-11T22:32:47.116-07:00To Go Clipless or Not to Go Clipless, Is Not a Real Question<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y1byeL9FLOW4cy3dh7h1dLePwQnPfgy7sKM_itgMRZbvisrQFk1YBpzvbYw4eBZk23-xCVTBltetNnoWDYAtWoLhV3V3_f2G5c2kAzJFY4KfuBbG3mg7c_jpH6kObT834XWMiXss/s1600/spd+dual+pedal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Y1byeL9FLOW4cy3dh7h1dLePwQnPfgy7sKM_itgMRZbvisrQFk1YBpzvbYw4eBZk23-xCVTBltetNnoWDYAtWoLhV3V3_f2G5c2kAzJFY4KfuBbG3mg7c_jpH6kObT834XWMiXss/s1600/spd+dual+pedal.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good ol' Shimano Dual Pedal</td></tr>
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Seems when I go shopping or consider new bike commuting equipment I automatically evaluate two criteria. Versatility and convenience. Quality is a given I don't ride with "junk" though my wife might argue that after I've shopped garage sales but that's not an issue. Anyhow, this idea was inspired by <a href="http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2014/08/clipsplaining-explained.html">Kent's Bike Blog</a> regarding "Clipsplaining". <br />
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I have spent many hours around bike work stands and heard all sorts of opinionated banter from very savvy bike folks including very talented bike techs. Using fenders as an analogy while managing a shop in one of Colorado's mountain bike mecca areas one of the techs like to spew his blatant disdain for fenders, knowing I commuted to work everyday with fenders of course. "Fenders are useless, they just clog with mud". My <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/09/tgif-or-thank-goodness-i-have-fenders-by-rideon.html">convertible fenders </a>have toolless removal when needed. So, with the clipless pedal I have my own silly banter as a form of good humored retaliation. <br />
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My <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NORMU4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000NORMU4&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=JUF6WVKTU7ZNVHYN">dual platform SPD pedals </a>in photo combined with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UMDST4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004UMDST4&linkCode=as2&tag=natulivi0ef-20&linkId=54TTCRZMORP36OH7">Nashbar Ragster II</a> sandals are an excellent combination for me. Sure that provides a clipless option but with the sandals being so comfortable for walking I can also pedal the platform side. When that type of conversation rears its' debate I like to comment "oh ya, I've got the clipless thing, but I don't use them for that, I just like the dork sporty look while kickin' it at the coffee shop". That always gets some quizzical looks, particularly when I add similar comments regarding my Bell Metro Helmet complete with set of bike geek accessories. Most often I would get myself to chuckling so hard the boys knew I was jerking their proverbial "chain". Nonetheless those sorts of exchanges usually ended with someone suggesting I "get the old school chip off my shoulder". Fun stuff, never anything really wicked intended with that bike banter and ultimately nobody really gave a shit as I was the only employee at that shop bike commuting everyday. <br />
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"You know how it is, I enjoy a good clipless pedal as much as the next person, but still, where did the platform pedal come from? Oh, that's just a little something I put together when I got home from work last night. Works really good for kicking the shit out of it".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVP2ebybchHdYMLHir88T1gab5s3WeNVTfKaY1ytbniQ0IjPGqzPriKoreTNFVu2ZeaEYWcG9dfT8mzuQohs6bZ2lZU1Acre0Kg2FSTILwmygc6Mbhr6LqEPBf1_NdF6FLsh6svpc/s1600/Riding+with+Soccer+Player.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike commuter with clipless pedals and sandals" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVP2ebybchHdYMLHir88T1gab5s3WeNVTfKaY1ytbniQ0IjPGqzPriKoreTNFVu2ZeaEYWcG9dfT8mzuQohs6bZ2lZU1Acre0Kg2FSTILwmygc6Mbhr6LqEPBf1_NdF6FLsh6svpc/s1600/Riding+with+Soccer+Player.jpg" height="406" title="Kickin' it with dual SPD Pedals" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kickin' it with dual SPD pedals and sandals. </td></tr>
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<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-57930134064027336342014-09-11T00:45:00.000-07:002014-09-22T02:24:05.792-07:00Convenience of a Good Handlebar Basket.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC04sTD6zGqw6GaqoNKdeeMNg9u-UjeAsZ0L8xVzY7GM1_BGrmUyglFXAnNeqd5mKMQOCO4CwYhHQlqA8y0J42_1eC6HJ_cirh6t3lpb2ofhhxtJ1qKiyh6sw4jlm7s0KiPLQG-VaC/s1600/Three+handlebar+baskets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of three quality handlebar baskets for bike commuting" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC04sTD6zGqw6GaqoNKdeeMNg9u-UjeAsZ0L8xVzY7GM1_BGrmUyglFXAnNeqd5mKMQOCO4CwYhHQlqA8y0J42_1eC6HJ_cirh6t3lpb2ofhhxtJ1qKiyh6sw4jlm7s0KiPLQG-VaC/s1600/Three+handlebar+baskets.jpg" height="216" title="Handlebar Baskets for Bike Commuting" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Quality Handlebar Baskets for performing a variety of bike commuting tasks.</td></tr>
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I like a good handlebar basket as much as the next person particularly that sweet smell of lacquered wicker warming in the morning sun. Handlebar baskets are sort of considered to be the "ugly duckling" of handlebar cargo accessories. Most folks opt for a handlebar bag or go Porteur style. Sure there are some practical considerations that I will blatantly ignore it in defense of the tried and true let's go on a picnic Mary Poppins and don't forget your bike shorts 'cause we gonna haul some shit!</div>
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But seriously there is something uniquely advantageous about a handlebar basket that other handlebar cargo units lack in one of two areas, namely versatility and convenience which might imply it's the lazy person's method. Looks can be deceiving and just because most handlebar baskets don't possess a sporty design lending to a rugged or slick image of a cyclist there are some baskets that are worth their weight in whatever you can cram jam into 'em. That's right, baskets are lightweight and can hold a lot, making them versatile and convenient and if that's not sporty enough for ya then check this out. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/2751092_orig.jpg?372" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Dahon folding bike with handlebar basket for bike travel" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/2751092_orig.jpg?372" height="433" title="Dahon folding bike with handlebar basket" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporty looks and inherent versatility of a Dahon folding bike remain unimpaired by the addition of a large handlebar basket. </td></tr>
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I know, excellent example though the fact the Dahon has a new chain contributes to the bikes' potential to deliver an elegant stride, still where did that handlebar basket come from? Not Dahon, no that's an aftermarket Sunlite Rattan Basket that's been knocked down, bent out of shape, repaired, glued and still hauls ten times its' weight with ease. Perfect complement to a folding bike that needs some cargo toting apparatus and can be easily removed with the quick release gizmo. Pretty nice having a removable basket, stashing your bike goodys and folding a bike like the Dahon for ease of traveling.</div>
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Three of my favorite handlebar baskets are pictured below. First is a home made wicker job I found at a thrift store for two bucks and attached with some velcro. Yes, it's very sturdy while riding is excellent quality wicker. Sprayed with a coat of lacquer and it will last for years. Next, the Sunlite simply because it has earned its' reputation in these parts for dependability. Finally, my personal favorite reminds me of being a kid when I used to speak with a lisp. Yep, that's my "bagsket". Detours delivers some uniqueness with their <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/detours-town-and-country-basket-review-by-rideon.html">Town and Country Grassy Basket</a>. I call it it a bagsket as it has a water resistant storm collar liner like a high quality stuff sack with a drawstring. Complete with carrying handles, quick release and a fricken snap on rain cover it's the handlebar bagsket for bike touring. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/detours-town-and-country-basket-review-by-rideon.html"><img alt="Picture of Detours Town and Country Handlebar Basket with Rain Cover" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/27667.jpg?339" height="255" title="Detours Town and Country Handlebar "Bagsket"" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/detours-town-and-country-basket-review-by-rideon.html">Detours Town and Country Basket with Rain Cover</a></td></tr>
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However, with all the technological advancements applied to a good old fashioned handlebar basket sometimes the simple rustic charm and elegance of a good ol' basket design best suits the character of a bike's inherent style. In the photo above the old steel lugged cruiser needed something different than the fancy flair of the <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/detours-town-and-country-basket-review-by-rideon.html">Detours Basket</a> and so fitting for a rejuvenated retro classic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/2702837.jpg?573" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of old steel lugged bike with handlebar basket" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/2702837.jpg?573" height="296" title="'60's Puch with Classic Handlebar Basket" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'60's Puch with classic style handlebar basket</td></tr>
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Links related to this topic:<br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/09/bike-commuting-the-handlebar-basket-effect-by-rideon.html">The Handlebar Basket Effect</a><br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/08/building-on-success-with-diy-handlebar-basket-for-bike-commuting-by-rideon.html">Building on Success with DIY Handlebar Basket</a><br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/detours-town-and-country-basket-review-by-rideon.html">Detours Town and Country Review</a><br />
<a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2013/06/review-of-origin8-classique-cargo-carrier.html" target="_blank">Review of Origin8 Classique Cargo Carrier</a>Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-90533782219750892082014-09-10T00:28:00.001-07:002014-09-11T19:43:50.250-07:00Beginning of Bike Friendly, Even Though........<div class="mobile-photo">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAre-iD6wQjb987wq_BAKtjI8fvwowOLgzKO-Z-KHZIZcCrfgH1_nnYihm1NQHu8vkEQED5TaweDaCJRnJa89jz4IC_kYCPqS_sTZqkPi7EFwe30bJA3SaK0jn0aGoOeXYaSCs18K/s1600/IMG_20140908_211204485-786152.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of bike improperly parked at bike rack" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAre-iD6wQjb987wq_BAKtjI8fvwowOLgzKO-Z-KHZIZcCrfgH1_nnYihm1NQHu8vkEQED5TaweDaCJRnJa89jz4IC_kYCPqS_sTZqkPi7EFwe30bJA3SaK0jn0aGoOeXYaSCs18K/s400/IMG_20140908_211204485-786152.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6057338777142430914" title="Bike Parking Etiquette" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">One of these bikes is parked properly at the bike rack, do you know which one is right? Hint, it's not the one on the right.</td></tr>
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Hey, I like a good bike parking rack as much as the next person, except possibly the fine folk who hogged the parking rack like a jealous lover. Thought of leaving a note on their bike, " the bike rack is not your bitch (non gender specific) you can't take it home, you have to share it with us other bike folks so it can stay slotty, not slutty". Then I realized the person would most likely have no idea what I was talking about as folks here many have never seen a bike parking rack before. <br />
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And that's basically how my bike commuting night was going under some beautiful moon light. Then I decided to pedal on out to the bookstore for some evening relaxation, smoke my pipe, chat a bit and before I could sit down to relax this happened.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySBf9WokYBDYInTknPplCxP-Ev1Di0zML0zo0LLxaR_R_0nFXSaCnCaJhYNsAm3We_cRbtpIR6FP8DjwQubOLemyaK8n8cIiT9JoRq8-9liKYZA4aqsCJvDYLNc9SvzpJd4ftwwfO/s1600/mosquito+bites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySBf9WokYBDYInTknPplCxP-Ev1Di0zML0zo0LLxaR_R_0nFXSaCnCaJhYNsAm3We_cRbtpIR6FP8DjwQubOLemyaK8n8cIiT9JoRq8-9liKYZA4aqsCJvDYLNc9SvzpJd4ftwwfO/s1600/mosquito+bites.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ankles red and swollen from mosquito bites that swarmed only on my ankles while riding.</td></tr>
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Now I realize the title of this blog is Natural Biking but I gotta tell ya, I felt something very "unnatural" swarming around my ankles while I pedaled. Kind of a warm tingling sensation as I had received dozens upon dozens of bites but only around my ankles. Guess they didn't like my hairy legs much for as I would reach to swat and rub away the nuisance I felt dead mosquitos being brushed off from the hair on my legs. When I finally decided I had enough and turned my bike toward home I saw the explanation for the dead insects.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7P-qot27CJDJU2C196gxczF6yGf0Rl__7mGF9AMy9W5zZdwyv3klpNRWsL-5d-46BYsvOs8d6KwhH2GHU_WT-1dFpspTTmQjtwUSaCHKtttp1GMS3_3U1y_E8q5kkw3xFeRFRdmqC/s1600/mosquito+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mosquito truck spraying insecticide" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7P-qot27CJDJU2C196gxczF6yGf0Rl__7mGF9AMy9W5zZdwyv3klpNRWsL-5d-46BYsvOs8d6KwhH2GHU_WT-1dFpspTTmQjtwUSaCHKtttp1GMS3_3U1y_E8q5kkw3xFeRFRdmqC/s1600/mosquito+truck.jpg" height="378" title="Mosquito truck spraying insecticide" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosquito truck spraying insecticide out the back of the truck, that's what the spew is. </td></tr>
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Well, there was no way I wanted to breathe in that crap so I had to stop and wait for the chemical scent in the air to dissipate. I was none too happy about it and decided my peaceful moonlit night time bike ride was all but ruined. That's when a few beers are called for. Not bad and I don't know if this town will ever be considered "bike friendly" by bike advocacy standards but I still am, bike friendly. <br />
After all, when I got home Lisa took care of it with one of her <a href="https://nettrax.myvoffice.com/doterra/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?CurrPage=FrontPage&NextPage=CategoryDetail&CategoryID=73&pid=29055728376412503">Essential Oils</a> in her kit. I don't know much about the stuff, but man did it help to get the swelling and itching out. Thank you honey, should have read this other <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2014/08/top-four-bike-travel-styles-one-versatile-bike-camping-kit-by-rideon.html">blog article</a> before leaving, how ironic is that? Can hardly believe the first pack item is mosquito repellent!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://nettrax.myvoffice.com/doterra/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?CurrPage=FrontPage&NextPage=CategoryDetail&CategoryID=73&pid=29055728376412503"><img alt="Picture of doterra essential purify oil for insect bites" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkmBaK-vvakUoIOkt8ERZpRqQtqMV4WhofR5x9alBOJqMNpauzcQpySoaXO67ObwxmVUfEp7KFpT_8p6AB-ETJpu0AG22pJ2ja5f9ioyUeM7v8CgIa7wV4KEtJsB9_8iyn3APv4F0/s1600/purify.jpg" title="doterra essential oils" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nettrax.myvoffice.com/doterra/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?CurrPage=FrontPage&NextPage=CategoryDetail&CategoryID=73&pid=29055728376412503">doterra Purify Oil for treating bug bits extracts toxins from bites.</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cmoLwXBFMOCP0qZ_DhhTirJKoWTWDFUwikHCiZDzUsp_8tTsdbMI2LvgzHDtxCXX4zwRho4s-zXmi8sescLMvv-OWRbbUYTx0wE6MsW50SSlar42yfCFDMl-Ne1Zx14Cd1AsRHeF/s1600/moquito+bites+after+doterra+oil2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mosquito bite relief after using doterra essential oil" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cmoLwXBFMOCP0qZ_DhhTirJKoWTWDFUwikHCiZDzUsp_8tTsdbMI2LvgzHDtxCXX4zwRho4s-zXmi8sescLMvv-OWRbbUYTx0wE6MsW50SSlar42yfCFDMl-Ne1Zx14Cd1AsRHeF/s1600/moquito+bites+after+doterra+oil2.jpg" height="640" title="Reduced swelling and itching of mosquito bites" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next day after treating bites with doterra essential oils, stuff works very nicely and I was able to get to sleep that night. </td></tr>
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Before and after photos are beautiful, after all not going to scar these beauties.</div>
Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-74187041732031823472014-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:002014-09-09T17:59:21.819-07:00Fun Lovin' Bike Remodel, a Bike for All Seasons<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/3235053_orig.jpg?1393438870" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="'93 Bridgestone MB 1 mountain bike" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/3235053_orig.jpg?1393438870" height="271" title="'93 Bridgestone MB 1 with Rock Shox suspension fork" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My '93 Bridgestone MB 1 before replacing fork, saddle, handlebars, stem, grips and tires.</td></tr>
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I am so enjoying this old Bridgestone and very pleased with how it came together. Found it on Craigslist in pretty rough condition with a stripped threaded steer tube on the old Rock Shox suspension fork. It would have been nice to get a Ritchey Logic fork to match with the original frame and I will continue to check ebay for one. In the interim I found a very inexpensive solution from <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/04/classic-93-bridgestone-mb-1-and-threaded-fork-reviews-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">Sunlite</a>. I was a bit skeptical at first considering the limited options available in a one inch threaded replacement fork so I was very pleased with to find two options. A fork from Breezer was also available so I went grabbed one while they were still available. Although the Breezer fork cost twice what the Sunlite fork did I went with the Sunlite fork for its' threaded eyelet options thinking I would need them for front rack and fender. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/824964498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Breezer one inch threaded mountain bike replacement fork" border="0" src="http://biketourings.com/uploads/3/1/0/6/3106974/824964498.jpg" height="320" title="Breezer one inch threaded replacement fork " width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breezer one inch threaded replacement fork </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">As it turned out I didn't have to worry about that after all as the folks at United Bike Supply had some very inexpensive <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2014/09/tgif-or-thank-goodness-i-have-fenders-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">convertible fenders</a> that still offer full rear tire coverage. A product I didn't know was available and figured I would need something with fender stays to install to protect the front derailleur. That is really what fenders do for me, protect drivetrain components and reduce maintenance of cleaning and lubing. Particularly because I enjoy having different bikes to ride, most of which have fenders. Besides the inexpensive fenders they also took care of my rear rack needs with a very inexpensive aluminum rack. Although I wouldn't feel comfortable loading it with much weight it has nice top length for carrying a tent and sleeping pad. I really appreciate United Bike Supply for their unique ability to turn up inexpensive accessories when having "the best" is just silly. I don't require bamboo fenders and consider it impractical for commuting and touring. I would rather have something versatile and less expensive but not necessarily disposable. I decided I would try to get a front rack from Old Man Mountain surprised by the money I had saved including the <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/08/best-budget-tires-for-bike-commuting-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">quality budget commuting tires</a> and saddle.<br />
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So, intending to splurge a bit on a front rack for touring I found what I was looking for from Minoura. Think Old Man Mountain and Surly Nice Rack and I have the <a href="http://biketourings.com/3/post/2014/08/versatile-front-touring-rack-minoura-frp-3000-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">Minoura FRP 3000</a>. Beautiful front rack that I was able to mount to the brake bosses and fork drop outs with quick release skewer. I got a really good deal on the rack as it was available at the warehouse without all the hardware for installation including the quick release skewer, which as it turned out a rear skewer works just fine. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kSweruG3FQrkoFSHwTCm0hJxSAwPGrTciKWSj3L9NRo8NiYKo3xeyxb07AVoKH279FRkbAnbOI2fA-H5r59Ggd-GD_oPEN1sievq12EJ9VDyYMuck58PGKNYwVeO-v5ZWM1Msm8/s1600/bridgestone+with+fenders+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike for touring" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0kSweruG3FQrkoFSHwTCm0hJxSAwPGrTciKWSj3L9NRo8NiYKo3xeyxb07AVoKH279FRkbAnbOI2fA-H5r59Ggd-GD_oPEN1sievq12EJ9VDyYMuck58PGKNYwVeO-v5ZWM1Msm8/s1600/bridgestone+with+fenders+resized.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="'93 Bridgestone MB 1 built as touring bike" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My '93 Bridgestone built for bike touring and commuting with Minoura FRP 3000 Front Pannier Rack.</td></tr>
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After replacing the original Ritchey handlebars and stem with a shorter stem and trekking bars my remodeled version of a Bridgestone MB 1 is more fun and comfortable for use as a touring bike and commuting. A friend commented "I know that's an unassuming but powerful bike". I love hearing comments like that especially from someone who wouldn't be considered a "bike person". There's something so accurate about that statement as when I ride this old Bridgestone it mellows my mood, softens me a bit yet doesn't slow me down. Those are some very nice qualities which I feel defines and accurately describes a bike for everyday commuting and when it's that sweet it's even better for taking on a nice meandering bike tour. <br />
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Seems to me I have been happy without even realizing it though not because I have taken happiness for granted. It's more of a definition of terms being contented or happy and there really isn't much difference as it would probably be very difficult to be content without some elements of happiness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7bY3AnzilJLs3ABNljYzm8f0MN7TvhZofAzehB35P1O49n9tCc91kv8Mmpj-5qTWDVVTjqmYJSsP968hC_WPaEjuzUIY7OEv8MoBaVjfapfLet6vOEN-c9IavI-RwotEJGkvIRxW/s1600/bridgestone+and+bay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of mountain bike for touring with racks and panniers" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7bY3AnzilJLs3ABNljYzm8f0MN7TvhZofAzehB35P1O49n9tCc91kv8Mmpj-5qTWDVVTjqmYJSsP968hC_WPaEjuzUIY7OEv8MoBaVjfapfLet6vOEN-c9IavI-RwotEJGkvIRxW/s1600/bridgestone+and+bay2.jpg" height="356" title="Bridgestone MB 1 Touring Bike" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridgestone Touring and Commuting Bike</td></tr>
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<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com2League City, TX, USA29.5074538 -95.09493029999998729.286313800000002 -95.417653799999982 29.7285938 -94.772206799999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-67851273438430682522014-04-06T17:14:00.001-07:002014-09-09T17:59:54.927-07:00Matagorda, Texas Bike Friendly Beach Camping, by Rideon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekiBn12pgLw/U0GoyXvCxeI/AAAAAAAACfc/eiMyjIilE5c/s1600/Matagorda+Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Matagorda Bridge over Colorado River" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ekiBn12pgLw/U0GoyXvCxeI/AAAAAAAACfc/eiMyjIilE5c/s1600/Matagorda+Bridge.jpg" height="320" title="Matagorda Bridge over Colorado River" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matagorda Bridge over the Colorado River</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Matagorda Nature Center on the Texas Gulf Coast provides fun beach camping for the entire family. With most folks heading to Padre Island, Galveston and Surfside (respectively) we opted for a new area. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Approaching Matagorda to get our beach camping permit, which is good for the entire year at a very reasonable ten bucks I took one of our first photos of the trip. A calm cool breeze settled in to the area and for seasoned south Texas campers it is very welcomed weather. During the summer mosquitoes and humidity are reported to provide some of the worst camping conditions of any other outdoor climates. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">So, with a minivan full of excited teenage girls and a trailer full of their stuff to match we trolled about looking for a place to settle in and enjoy both the Colorado River as well as Gulf Coast waters. One of the niceties of Matagorda providing both salt and fresh water for boaters and fishermen as well as beach combers and folks like us who enjoy pedaling our bikes around such diverse and scenic waterways.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">For more information about visiting Matagorda, TX visit </span><a href="http://www.lcra.org/parks/developed-parks/Pages/matagorda-bay-nature-park.aspx" style="background-color: white; color: #33805c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="">their site</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">. Our first night and morning was rather uneventful other than when the wind picked up, which I had expected as it seems to me anywhere along the coast tends to be a bit on the breezy side of things when temperatures are a bit chilly. Lisa would not be deterred by the girls'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-58ECF0DsX2M/U0Gt_d4Wt_I/AAAAAAAAChE/W78bLIrMBQY/s1600/Lisa%2527s+orange+filled+brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-58ECF0DsX2M/U0Gt_d4Wt_I/AAAAAAAAChE/W78bLIrMBQY/s1600/Lisa%2527s+orange+filled+brownies.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa's Organic Orange Brownies baked in Dutch Oven</td></tr>
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insistent pressure to make her ever popular orange filled organic brownies before finding a camp site. But when they insisted she use a grill more exposed to wind than any other grill in the picnic area Lisa began to shift her mood and that's typically when I decide to intervene a bit. After a bit of a pep talk and some help with getting the grill going to cook with she settled in until the cool mellow breeze turned down right cold. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">Finding a pleasant camp site was easy enough and we were able to get a small cozy fire going to chat, cook dinner and Lisa was able to warm herself before turning in for the night. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"> She was so pleasantly surprised to see I had brought my itty bitty portable cookset so that she could be treated to coffee in the tent. That's love.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UnUxIfKUJcA/U0GrhzYIhqI/AAAAAAAAChg/cDHocHZj93Y/s1600/Making+Coffee+for+Lisa+whle+she+slept+in+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="mountain bike touring and beach camping " border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UnUxIfKUJcA/U0GrhzYIhqI/AAAAAAAAChg/cDHocHZj93Y/s1600/Making+Coffee+for+Lisa+whle+she+slept+in+-+Copy.jpg" height="400" title="Bike Friendly beach camping in Matagorda, TX" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making early morning coffee bike friendly beach camping in Matagorda, TX</td></tr>
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As luck would have it, we met a woman who know all about bicycling the area, what parts of the beach to ride, how to get to town without having to ride over the bridge with full narrative of each ride she referenced. So we grabbed our bikes and headed for town and as it turned out the woman never rode her bike to town and had no idea where the rugged access road along the Colorado River went, certainly not to town. Lisa was a bit peeved that the woman would lead us on a wild goose chase like that, luckily our very long detour was covered as I kept snack food, extra water and tools in my pack and on my bike. We appreciate our fenders for commuting and touring, but with the mud so thick I had to remove a rear fender for the tire and mud to clear.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fprExWnzzvU/U0Grho9lPpI/AAAAAAAAChg/n9InuTJsTZ4/s1600/Jeff+removing+muddy+fender+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mountain Bike touring along Colorado River" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fprExWnzzvU/U0Grho9lPpI/AAAAAAAAChg/n9InuTJsTZ4/s1600/Jeff+removing+muddy+fender+-+Copy.jpg" height="248" title="Mountain Bike Touring along Colorado River, Matagorda, TX" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckily I had tools to remove the mud clogged fender</td></tr>
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Fatigued and upset these little micro adventures are much more enjoyable when your with someone who has such a good attitude about it all. My partner Lisa borrowed my bike for parts of the ride where navigating the rutted muddy road wouldn't be at all challenging. On the way back to the campsite I began to get a bit concerned about her enjoying the day as Lisa was obviously tired. But she made it back to the Nature Park area when I decided it was safer for me to pick her up when some very thick fog rolled in creating limited visibility. </div>
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We made a cozy fire to gather round and chat about the day, cooked some good grub and all in all managed to have a very nice time. Even when the 40 mph winds blew in our last night beating our tents around and blowing camp chairs about, my coffee remained untouched on the fender of our trailer and provided a good laugh amidst the chaos of the wind storm. Tents held up fine, no damage to gear or equipment and most importantly nobody was hurt. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecM5EBfBPSQ/U0GrieB7KII/AAAAAAAAChg/K6S4he7w4BU/s1600/Peace+Bike+Trip+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="bicycle touring along Colorado River " border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecM5EBfBPSQ/U0GrieB7KII/AAAAAAAAChg/K6S4he7w4BU/s1600/Peace+Bike+Trip+-+Copy.jpg" height="640" title="Bike Touring along the Colorado River, Matagorda, TX" width="632" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pleasant and scenic ride along the Colorado River in Matagorda, TX</td></tr>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0Matagorda, TX, USA28.691133 -95.96827139999999228.663276 -96.008611899999991 28.71899 -95.927930899999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-79668939598834028162013-12-10T11:26:00.001-08:002014-09-09T18:16:30.278-07:00Natural Living Store, making organic chocolate<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqhB8_v20XTBQ22pTyU55ZOo8k71xtixFUtDklK8vaPOBdZfUvLJVUy1Z47cugG8d8i5E6kXjfXVBnxT_4yNIUchd_A8t5B-9oLA8JFM7akQIn3F8WuO3s7LsDYmgrF1Lq5PQD5sQ/s1600/melting+cacao+butter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqhB8_v20XTBQ22pTyU55ZOo8k71xtixFUtDklK8vaPOBdZfUvLJVUy1Z47cugG8d8i5E6kXjfXVBnxT_4yNIUchd_A8t5B-9oLA8JFM7akQIn3F8WuO3s7LsDYmgrF1Lq5PQD5sQ/s320/melting+cacao+butter.jpg" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6JqapV8KG44XmfNsbl8mu5eb8FS7Zm7lBAv1yEEEZUfi8JJ7oREUTAfTOn9Halc0ltOur0c4lSfzITNPuBnmY8RymXFBdD3IYDsv5qBuLdrO855tGLF1jsNWTI9NXPfIc7BYy0MK/s1600/chocolate+molds.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6JqapV8KG44XmfNsbl8mu5eb8FS7Zm7lBAv1yEEEZUfi8JJ7oREUTAfTOn9Halc0ltOur0c4lSfzITNPuBnmY8RymXFBdD3IYDsv5qBuLdrO855tGLF1jsNWTI9NXPfIc7BYy0MK/s320/chocolate+molds.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-64475670066203625722013-12-01T11:55:00.002-08:002014-09-09T12:06:24.899-07:00Holiday Gift Ideas at Natural Living Country Store<div style="text-align: center;">
'Tis the Season of Creating Gift Ideas at <a href="http://www.shopnaturalliving.com/" target="_blank">Natural Living</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXEuRW7WrOizG1R5Ehhs4YZ2SZlP-BIdd2CPZh8Rt9Z_IIrFpZjRgjcEi4-jcwVdYk2OIIerEyMISLtir7_PuNdpIa5wDN9Y_RTfriBBcYBlAtTtP7J-8Ft2OZBe8LiLGCZi801jV/s1600/Lisa+making+tea+blends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="home made organic tea blends" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXEuRW7WrOizG1R5Ehhs4YZ2SZlP-BIdd2CPZh8Rt9Z_IIrFpZjRgjcEi4-jcwVdYk2OIIerEyMISLtir7_PuNdpIa5wDN9Y_RTfriBBcYBlAtTtP7J-8Ft2OZBe8LiLGCZi801jV/s1600/Lisa+making+tea+blends.jpg" height="400" title="Lisa Piper of Natural Living making organic tea blends" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home of Natural Living's organic tea blends</td></tr>
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Lisa Piper enjoys creating holiday gift ideas for the Natural Living Organic Food Co-op customers as a way of saying thanks after yet another successful year.<br />
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Resonating with the idea that it's not happy people who are thankful, thankful people are happy. And nobody has to tell Lisa that.</div>
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If you're looking for some gift ideas this holiday season check out <a href="http://shopnaturalliving.com/">shopnaturalliving.com</a> for a large selection or organic hand blended teas, essential oil room sprays, organic, gluten free tinctures, and so much more.</div>
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It's a fun filled busy week around here and though we usually don't like to work on Sunday, this time of year seems to have us creating with such enthusiasm we don't mind. </div>
Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-65015133201139839782013-11-30T20:54:00.003-08:002013-11-30T20:54:45.122-08:00Natural Living, Bike Tourings and Simple Seats for Natural Biking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Organic, Healthy Foods Combined with Bike Travel including bicycle touring and commuting is a recipe for a healthy lifestyle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBHJFphWkNNrtzLpFVYV0ev9MVWVWusZHGkGwGvJ-sf8go9lK2sBT4wAFQZQi1Npd5wePawUpHUBADNgFMopsi3D3Frzkj6ppVdEUfJpnGS1TeV5Bi3ytVG7lF0iszVR4qOw8qqcM/s1600/Natural+Living+Products-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBHJFphWkNNrtzLpFVYV0ev9MVWVWusZHGkGwGvJ-sf8go9lK2sBT4wAFQZQi1Npd5wePawUpHUBADNgFMopsi3D3Frzkj6ppVdEUfJpnGS1TeV5Bi3ytVG7lF0iszVR4qOw8qqcM/s1600/Natural+Living+Products-001.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is our new Natural Biking blog where we bring it all together for a fun, interactive way to share with family and friends without feeling so scattered. Bikes, wood working, organic foods and other sustainable products are represented and shared via this platform. We are working hard to keep up with all the things we enjoy doing and still have time to share the joy of those efforts with others.<br />
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I just wanted to update this while Lisa is busy in the kitchen making Christmas gift baskets for our Food Co-op customers. It's almost 11pm and she is still hard at it. I caught a nasty old flu bug and was in bed with a fever over Thanksgiving. This is a very busy time of year for us, working hard to make improvements for ourselves as well as for others. <br />
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Setting the new vibe of the combined elements of <a href="http://www.shopnaturalliving.com/" target="_blank">Natural Living</a>, <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/" target="_blank">Bike Tourings</a> and <a href="http://www.simpleseats.com/" target="_blank">Simple Seats</a> to wish folks a safe and happy holiday season. <br />
<br />Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-90663901000724932502013-10-12T17:15:00.001-07:002014-09-09T18:17:56.822-07:00Photo Collage of Vintage Mountain Bikes restored for Riding, by Rideon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yhkkrrSlIlq3eEHVwY2b9Gg0eRVzIiUDHMypTwREet2CHf3I2IIxtVwjkH6Ocl5mREW_jBnirLYV5xT71GOZvyTf2JQ3gzuxynlgIP7SzZo4EfV2l8k1icGViuqk8yxIFFUsixyr/s1600/Old+Mountain+Bikes+Photo+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yhkkrrSlIlq3eEHVwY2b9Gg0eRVzIiUDHMypTwREet2CHf3I2IIxtVwjkH6Ocl5mREW_jBnirLYV5xT71GOZvyTf2JQ3gzuxynlgIP7SzZo4EfV2l8k1icGViuqk8yxIFFUsixyr/s1600/Old+Mountain+Bikes+Photo+Collage.jpg" height="360" title="Vintage Mountain Bike Photo Collage of restored bikes" width="640" /></a></div>
Some vintage mountain bikes or frames that I have restored over the past few years. I enjoy working on bikes and continue to keep my hobby shop for tinkering on bikes I find which I consider to have some sort of value. I often look for these older steel frame styles as they usually have braze on fittings for attaching racks and fenders for bike touring and commuting.<br />
For more information regarding some of the details of the bikes shown here visit article at <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2013/10/photos-of-restored-vintage-mountain-bikes-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">Bike Tourings</a>.Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-70371936956758068622013-10-02T10:23:00.003-07:002014-09-09T18:18:35.726-07:00My Touring Bike featured at The Loaded Touring Bike Photo Gallery<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zg_TxE0R9_lCkeWkRSMinM99KhtoP4L9FUmxkFemy6t9JLIFBjQjcehQSuK6Trgu9sZgVBO18UjQ7fVQA3NpcLN5NxufFyO9pl850mFnkDVaEh7fhryYCY3QnH1Ixial19DnCIma/s1600/Loaded+Touring+Bikes+Site+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of touring bike featured at The Loaded Touring Bike Photo Gallery" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zg_TxE0R9_lCkeWkRSMinM99KhtoP4L9FUmxkFemy6t9JLIFBjQjcehQSuK6Trgu9sZgVBO18UjQ7fVQA3NpcLN5NxufFyO9pl850mFnkDVaEh7fhryYCY3QnH1Ixial19DnCIma/s1600/Loaded+Touring+Bikes+Site+Photo.jpg" height="358" title="The Loaded Touring Bike " width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo created near Kemah along Texas Gulf Coast and feature at The Loaded Touring Bike Gallery Site</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Photo displayed here was created on a very early evening near Kema along the Texas Gulf Coast. I was hoping to get a good enough photo for </span><a href="http://www.loadedtouringbikes.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #33805c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Loaded Touring Bike</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> site as I have much respect for the folks who travel the world on two wheels and take time to share their photos. What a cool site full of very interesting loaded touring bikes from all over the world. If you would also like to share photos from your own bike travels visit </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoadedTouringBikes" style="background-color: white; color: #33805c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Loaded Touring Bikes Page on Facebook</a>.<br />
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The Loaded Touring Bike Site is one of the most visited bike touring sites and has been providing a place for fellow bike touring folks to share scenic photos of their bikes since 2005. Described as "A Tribute to the bicycle and its ability to take us far away". <br />
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Bike in photo is of an inexpensive Nashbar touring frame I built mostly from parts available from my bike shop after closing the business for good. I was initially very disappointed with having to sell most all the inventory including my '83 Bianchi Steel Lugged Touring Bike complete with original front and rear racks, such a beauty! I had converted the bike to a twenty four speed with integrated aero levers and mountain bike gearing. When I sold that bike on ebay for close to a thousand dollars I promised to build myself a bike that I would like just as well if not better than the Bianchi and still make some money from the sale of the Bianchi. It was a good, if not mandatory financial decision at the time and glad I was able to walk away with at least one bike. <br />
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Some highlights from the build are Velocity Dyad Wheelset, Ultegra bar end shifters, Schwalbe Marathon tires and Selle Anatomica saddle. That was the first year of the Selle Anatomica Titanico and I love that saddle. Avid Shorty cantilever brakes and FSA triple crankset have provided me with years of dependable use and I have been very pleased with the Nashbar touring frame's geometry. It was hard on me to go through the loss of my bike shop and there were a lot of other folks disappointed to see the coffee commuter bike shop close. Yes indeed they were some very difficult times so that what the bike represents for me is new beginnings, moving forward and carrying on. Happy to see it featured at The Loaded Touring Bike Site.<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">For Product Review Information visit <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/" target="_blank">Bike Tourings</a></span></span>Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0Friendswood, TX, USA29.5293998 -95.20104470000001129.4188543 -95.362406200000009 29.6399453 -95.039683200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-29177995221486256392013-09-30T15:01:00.001-07:002014-09-09T12:38:31.226-07:00Fun Mountain Biking Retreat, A Cabin in the Mountains, by Rideon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVBBZITNO_1OhCvJkXOwf6OG9yJWfui2NdaXnuUb0p4Ud5WIoTms3VXeVIvLkq-yGoPy2OK-p3KW_oGCanbHcQtwsah14w-1VdxZnNQP4z29c4_3J08NFTzw_S_7W8vqnyzgz1Tlu/s1600/Mountain+Biking+and+Touring+Property.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cabin in mountains for mountain biking and bike touring travelers" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVBBZITNO_1OhCvJkXOwf6OG9yJWfui2NdaXnuUb0p4Ud5WIoTms3VXeVIvLkq-yGoPy2OK-p3KW_oGCanbHcQtwsah14w-1VdxZnNQP4z29c4_3J08NFTzw_S_7W8vqnyzgz1Tlu/s1600/Mountain+Biking+and+Touring+Property.jpg" height="483" title="Mountain biking retreat cabin property" width="640" /></a></div>
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I had moved from Suquamish, Washington to Pagosa Springs, Colorado in 1997 one year after having been in a car collision. I was told I would require two years of physical therapy and would not be able to work hard physically (I was landscaping at the time) ever again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1t5SoYPFidg3fFvz3bdSYEq6095eXjdHIQRjFQnTER4_ycDznsIgbtkcjs5uQYZDvYCMxo8n3JCeFExKm-MTavVDvxghoNxD3HyDn9NIcOUGKx7-3cK42xuh_PjIeO2ahQCw0BwzV/s1600/Tree+in+roof+of+mud+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Picture of Ponderosa Pine, Pagosa Springs, CO mountain biking getaway" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1t5SoYPFidg3fFvz3bdSYEq6095eXjdHIQRjFQnTER4_ycDznsIgbtkcjs5uQYZDvYCMxo8n3JCeFExKm-MTavVDvxghoNxD3HyDn9NIcOUGKx7-3cK42xuh_PjIeO2ahQCw0BwzV/s1600/Tree+in+roof+of+mud+room.jpg" height="400" title="Ponderosa Pine at Cabin mud room" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree growing inside "mud room" and exits roof.</td></tr>
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During the autumn of 2002 I purchased a small piece of property of 1.8 acres and finished building a cabin on it. Mountain bike and walking trails make for some nice casual after dinner jaunts.<br />
Partly to prove something to myself as I built the majority of it by myself with very little help. As the property is "off grid" that first winter I did not have electricity or running water. A year later I was able to install solar power enough to run lights, laptop and other small devices. Getting water to the cabin was challenging at times as the road leading up to the property is very steep and I would often carry grocery items and drinking water on my bike up to the cabin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mV0iTKi9fY_3MpQ61WjorNSfAYiwkshKO1Jl7dvTmdBbJYwCEc-tghdpqYBQOFRAwbWQR1J_VK-sz_o4v8wknmpDxxEkO7589baWJBx6bqxLdE8LcucoX-4LCmaSO91Zmm5B-8C8/s1600/Walkway+from+driveway+to+cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mV0iTKi9fY_3MpQ61WjorNSfAYiwkshKO1Jl7dvTmdBbJYwCEc-tghdpqYBQOFRAwbWQR1J_VK-sz_o4v8wknmpDxxEkO7589baWJBx6bqxLdE8LcucoX-4LCmaSO91Zmm5B-8C8/s1600/Walkway+from+driveway+to+cabin.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenic walkway from road to cabin</td></tr>
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I worked very hard to get the cabin buttoned up enough to ride out that first winter and had gathered just enough fire wood to stay warm for several months. It was all very hard physical labor that challenged my mind and body on many levels as I felt the need to work through the night at times to get things done on time. I am very grateful to have been able to accomplish such a silly task as this and love the property for what it is, a quaint, natural place still off the grid with propane cooking appliances, two buildings each with its own wood stove, wood storage, enough water storage for weeks of washing dishes, etc. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizD-VBGMXUPdCV1UqQs7acoxg6E2kyg1s743Cd0UiCi7XAxNKAjD4K5x2ABx8TPe8a1uGABksPBjqt_tpl9sNgteETBFr7MUw0q32KJ4xVqN8Hn9wHIo6a2Pu_FEQihJ9GpP3gVuW/s1600/back+side+of+cabin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mountain Bike retreat cabin exterior" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizD-VBGMXUPdCV1UqQs7acoxg6E2kyg1s743Cd0UiCi7XAxNKAjD4K5x2ABx8TPe8a1uGABksPBjqt_tpl9sNgteETBFr7MUw0q32KJ4xVqN8Hn9wHIo6a2Pu_FEQihJ9GpP3gVuW/s1600/back+side+of+cabin.jpg" height="159" title="Rocky Mountain cabin exterior" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several years later finally got some finish work done.</td></tr>
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It wasn't until the spring of 2007 that I was able to get some much needed finish work done to the exterior including trim and stucco work. A project that took so many years to complete should be well cared for and not just allowed to rot away. Property building in harsh climates requires some maintenance particularly after a hard winter. This cabin has held up to such severe winter snow storms that other buildings in the area were flattened. I was concerned about going to visit after the spring melt off, that I might find the place crushed. I was so pleased to see that the work I had done was good enough to still be standing after such a heavy storm. I have since sold the property to a family member who is not taking very good care of the place at all and who doesn't seem to care about it much for anything other than to have a false sense of possession. So, thought I would give my old cabin a blog about with some very nice photos to accompany it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd9k-BV-edPprHHOAHI9jxTsbd2e4pFLdQmpb5lwQMvDJNM1W3BMuPCeZS-cOkfRoBeMvZoDpLivIRtbXelIUGRgAIRNyBPm1GD_AMiCMD12tW1ngXnf2ntk78qSqq1lTqQVUq3QG/s1600/Cabin+exterior+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mountain Bike retreat cabin in the mountains" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd9k-BV-edPprHHOAHI9jxTsbd2e4pFLdQmpb5lwQMvDJNM1W3BMuPCeZS-cOkfRoBeMvZoDpLivIRtbXelIUGRgAIRNyBPm1GD_AMiCMD12tW1ngXnf2ntk78qSqq1lTqQVUq3QG/s1600/Cabin+exterior+(2).jpg" height="480" title="Mountain Cabin exterior with sink and propane lines" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sink drain lines empty to drainage trough and are less likely to freeze in winter, propane line exits wall for easy propane hook up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd1vbMnzzkIdNoNxznq258OmaD_BpqaLJNq12smipbnJo-ijz_luJSVKWd0K6DWPkap-Mb4WRjr8FB_TWnCxwQfGsNpQuA7iELO60Z5jWOCV7zutj0AqdZL1henDmAaclvz2Gaevj/s1600/Cabin+Interior+with+propane+appliances.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mountain cabin retreat for mountain biking" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd1vbMnzzkIdNoNxznq258OmaD_BpqaLJNq12smipbnJo-ijz_luJSVKWd0K6DWPkap-Mb4WRjr8FB_TWnCxwQfGsNpQuA7iELO60Z5jWOCV7zutj0AqdZL1henDmAaclvz2Gaevj/s1600/Cabin+Interior+with+propane+appliances.jpg" height="350" title="Cabin interior with propane refrigerator and stove top with oven" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabin Interior with propane appliances including refrigerator and stove top with oven.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyoVamkvGcP0-eL3scal76zFoFGqG1k3OumNtEeAD3WlsAY8Iv1OwbP18rmZfIaFPLZwMkZKZ7nq-QmFIxgGYHcJ0ZTEefpEjtWgb1AvWA3hlxN9FZxfMiT44Zk8JoEpze81dLFiY/s1600/Gazebo+top+view+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cabin built off grid for mountain biking retreats or getaways" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyoVamkvGcP0-eL3scal76zFoFGqG1k3OumNtEeAD3WlsAY8Iv1OwbP18rmZfIaFPLZwMkZKZ7nq-QmFIxgGYHcJ0ZTEefpEjtWgb1AvWA3hlxN9FZxfMiT44Zk8JoEpze81dLFiY/s1600/Gazebo+top+view+(2).jpg" height="512" title="Mountain cabin built off grid" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composting toilet with PVC pipe vent installed above large south facing glass window.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvD_zNauJ_fwWVn9xsC2pVwy5-cgUN5I3zp9IcXjTaHQruMAGCnpgdxxFKXkS99mZU7yXFW2htSC5uFzrLTZKqnRTdtzf8imBGK-BTfJsxG0m72unro_Of8YBQ-1pGZX4EyqrrzRT/s1600/Broken+off+Point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvD_zNauJ_fwWVn9xsC2pVwy5-cgUN5I3zp9IcXjTaHQruMAGCnpgdxxFKXkS99mZU7yXFW2htSC5uFzrLTZKqnRTdtzf8imBGK-BTfJsxG0m72unro_Of8YBQ-1pGZX4EyqrrzRT/s1600/Broken+off+Point.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenic view of Broken Off Point from property</td></tr>
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Although the property is off grid and seems to be remotely placed some conveniences include eight mile bike ride to town with a nice wide shoulder along highway. A bus stop approximately one quarter mile from property has a bike carrier on the front for winter commutes. At times I really miss the property and reminisce on the three winters I spent there while working at Pedal and Powder Bike Shop. A blog article written in fond memory was hoping to rent out to cyclists interested in staying in a unique area but doesn't look like that will be happening any time soon. For more information about Pagosa Springs, visit this <a href="http://www.biketourings.com/3/post/2013/09/pagosa-springs-co-rustic-cabin-getaway-for-bike-touring-and-mountain-biking-by-rideon.html" target="_blank">informative blog article</a> with links to mountain bike rental shops and other information to make your visit smooth and fun.<br />
Have a nice day.<br />
P.S. Lisa Piper of <a href="http://www.shopnaturallving.com/" target="_blank">Natural Living</a> provided a couple of the very nice photos here. Visit her shop at http://www.shopnaturallving.com<br />
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454038355031390558.post-58778768674848934482013-09-29T14:52:00.001-07:002014-09-09T18:39:17.231-07:00Retro Style Images for Classic Mountain Touring Bike Build, by Rideon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YAraoC_zY9lEGDan-o7KZXrdLyQMDfVEcPdOKh2PL8CVTrXjGkLZrXusuQBODzI8nE4K36SADc8XgzAPfC-FE93NpkstmRyHJdLUxT1qvzkac8v6qYvAGgr3obKBFgNqqNNqXa4T/s1600/Bike+nature+figure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Retro style bike ad " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YAraoC_zY9lEGDan-o7KZXrdLyQMDfVEcPdOKh2PL8CVTrXjGkLZrXusuQBODzI8nE4K36SADc8XgzAPfC-FE93NpkstmRyHJdLUxT1qvzkac8v6qYvAGgr3obKBFgNqqNNqXa4T/s1600/Bike+nature+figure.jpg" height="320" title="Retro bike ad style poster" width="234" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsKNlNv85WLFsOeWqHejwJixIMK6q1VuDAPmnxs6DoqB64hYNk4s5xhjXSJf-O3VUSxQQc_XmMQNTikxBmMHs-z36EHs1OtGxJ2igmObjHAfUXSGu6287og4YAsEte4ziixNyg9sa/s1600/Rigamaroll+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="New mountain bike build with retro style" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsKNlNv85WLFsOeWqHejwJixIMK6q1VuDAPmnxs6DoqB64hYNk4s5xhjXSJf-O3VUSxQQc_XmMQNTikxBmMHs-z36EHs1OtGxJ2igmObjHAfUXSGu6287og4YAsEte4ziixNyg9sa/s1600/Rigamaroll+(2).jpg" height="213" title="Mountain Bike for bike travel, touring and commuting" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing definitive, calling it the "Rigamaroll"</td></tr>
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This has been such a fun project so far I that I simply enjoy creating these images reminiscent of old fashioned risque bike ads from Europe. Some of the risque style which weren't displayed here in the U. S. much. One of the reasons for having this personal blog, not concerned about offending folks, this is my fun, personal blog.<br />
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<a href="http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m_dTs2MFpIMhABzEJ3c7cvA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Retro bike poster advertisement " border="0" src="http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m_dTs2MFpIMhABzEJ3c7cvA.jpg" height="231" title="Cycle Gladiator retro bike poster photo" width="320" /></a></div>
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A fun theme modeling this new bike build after the Rover Safety bike. So many ideas were blended into this new build and it is so fun to ride that I wanted to share some images created along the way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkgoyKEc55UQZjWKrANYFyx9TRuzuqHbMYRqRKHh3PwvRWFGKyGkzhyIN-kvGRBuEl1n8L-WsaKdhC4eRulyThULgfNzUpxv6-cubv6y0BdMW5hGJI1XEDrFDgUlhguemcDY1-qvU/s1600/Rigamaroll+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="mountain bike for touring" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkgoyKEc55UQZjWKrANYFyx9TRuzuqHbMYRqRKHh3PwvRWFGKyGkzhyIN-kvGRBuEl1n8L-WsaKdhC4eRulyThULgfNzUpxv6-cubv6y0BdMW5hGJI1XEDrFDgUlhguemcDY1-qvU/s1600/Rigamaroll+Collage.jpg" height="360" title="Retro style mountain bike build for touring" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jeff S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17772690919416346979noreply@blogger.com0