Stormy Weather and a Giant Revolt

It's the 25th of September and we still have hummingbirds at our feeders. I think they're juvenile offspring from the adults that returned in early May. I've read where the adults fly south in early September while the juveniles will stay around a little longer. I usually use a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water in our feeders but as of a few weeks ago (based on a recommendation I read online), I've been adding just a touch more sugar as a high octane mixture to fuel their flight south. Each day they remain seems like a bonus day especially considering how much cooler our nights have become in the past week since a cold front and an associated line of severe weather came through leaving in its wake a lot of storm damage a half-hour south of us.

The squall line spawned several tornados in addition to straight-line winds ahead of it and wreaked havoc on Northfield and nearby communities. Keith and Tracee lost several trees while many other trees on their property sustained considerable damage. They were fortunate though because it could've been so much worse for them. Their home was spared any damage. Many others couldn't say the same. Here's a photo I took of a farm less than a half-mile north of their home.

I've found my next bike. Tammy and I were bumming around the city of Chaska a couple weeks ago and happened to park on the street in front of the new location of Michael's Cycles. How convenient, I thought. I made a quick stop inside to check their inventory of gravel bikes. (I've been lusting after a gravel bike since last spring.) They didn't have many in stock but Austin was happy to show me what options they had available to them online. One bike in particular stood out. It had the component group I'm desiring and it filled every other square I had on my list of must-haves. It's a Giant Revolt Advanced O, and the charcoal color also works well for me, especially when it's covered with a layer of gravel road dust! The bike won't be available until mid-December but I'm in no hurry. I've always lived my life with the thought that good things in life are worth waiting for.

Here's a review of the bike.

We spent Sunday at the Renaissance Festival. We weren't there 30 minutes before I had a run-in with a knee-high trash can, leaving a nasty mark on my shin. We'd just finished watching this attraction and I was looking back over my shoulder as we walked away. The shortish trash can was out in the open but because I wasn't watching where I was walking, I hit the lip of it hard with my left shin, infecting the wound it made with an assortment of nasty germs. Within a matter of seconds, someone on staff was tending to my bloody gash with a first-aid kit while they summoned a human-powered taxi to take us to their main first-aid station where they did a more thorough job of cleaning and dressing my owie. I'm on blood thinners so I tend to bleed quite a lot before it eventually stops. We were back out among the masses in a matter of minutes.

It's been 8 days since I've been on any of my bikes but I'm not suffering any withdrawal. My golf clubs are taking up the slack. The ride below was the last time I was on my bike. I did a longish (for my fat-bike) loop down to the river bottoms and back. What began as a beautiful sunny morning turned nasty by the time I exited the trails. I worked as hard as I could in the last hour of my ride to stay ahead of the storm. Fun stuff!

That's all I've got.



Comments

steve c said…
I was looking at your new bike. It doesn't have pedals. I think you should get pedals with a bike. just sayin.
September 26, 2018 at 6:32 AM
Kevin Gilmore said…
E-bike. There's a throttle on the right handlebar grip. Varoom varoom!!🕺
September 26, 2018 at 7:24 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

David Crowder Concert, NWA188 and Photo Review

Image
I got up from laying down after the all-night shift Thursday morning and figured I'd better get a ride in while I could because the forecast wasn't looking so good. The temp was just above 40 with a northeast wind steady at 15 mph under overcast skies. 40 degrees is very reasonable cycling weather but the key is to be somewhat chilled when you start out. Being warm and toasty at the beginning leads to being sweaty, cold and clammy before the ride is over. While putting air in my tires before leaving I could tell that I needed a lighter top layer. I'm glad I made the switch. I loved the ride  ( Strava link ) and would like to have gone further but David Crowder was playing at our church and I didn't want to be late getting in line for some good seats as it was general admission. I considered a quick detour by Hosanna on the way home to get a pic of their tour bus but I figured I should really act my age. The concert was worth every penny and better than any of the o...
Read more

Riding, Retirement and a Home Revisited

Image
I skipped out of work a couple hours early today to take advantage of some mild weather. I took the pups for a walk then headed west on my bike putting my heart, lungs, and quads through some paces. It felt so nice to be out there. I'd have stayed out longer but I had to be back to take Rachel to dance class for 5:00. It's possible that today will be the last time I'll have to take her to class if she passes her road test this Thursday. I'd like to have taken some time to hose down my bike. It's full of road salt and that can't be a good thing. Every large vehicle that went past me had a cloud of salt dust trailing in its wake and settling on me. I'll spend some time cleaning it tomorrow and have it ready for a ride on Wednesday after work. Speaking of work—I've been kicking around the idea of bidding on a staff job. Believe me, it's not something I want to do. It's about self-preservation. I want to work another five years to get Rachel thr...
Read more

My Bicycle Ride to Babbitt

Image
Wow, what a trip. In planning for this ride, I figured I’d have only two weekends this summer when our schedules could come together to give it a go. The first of those two times came and went two weeks ago when a steady north wind kept me grounded. There’s no way I could have gone the distance into the wind, and what I was really hoping for was a stiff southwesterly breeze, but that wasn’t in the cards either. After looking at the wind forecast on Wednesday, I told Tammy that it looked as though we were looking at another no-go. I’d been watching the forecast the previous 5 days, and they consistently said to expect a light wind from the southeast. It wouldn’t be a headwind but wouldn’t be much help either. I came home from work on Thursday morning and looked at the forecast again, but it hadn’t changed. I got a couple hours of sleep, then woke up to work in the yard. Then, I decided I wouldn’t let the lack of a tailwind keep me from going…just so long as it wasn’t a headwind. I tol...
Read more