Trail Tales

It was 96 today in Fayetteville. We hat a real hot spell in July with daily temps 100+ two weeks in a row and no rain for almost a month. Typically we get about 2 inches a month June --September. Our wet season really begins in October and ends in June. Average precipitation is about 48 inches a year. We get enough rain even in the summer that very few people put in sprinkler systems. A hot period like last month drys the grass out and impacts the gardening guy who cuts lawns in the summer. Henry, our guy, had a month long lay-off during his busy season, he was real glad to get back to work last week. 

We have had a hot spell since mid-June. Up until last week, we have many more days of 100+ than below. This is not unusual. I think the record for 100+ days in a year for Dallas is about 70 and for days in a row is about 40. That said, I am having the highest electricity bills that I have ever had. 

We have had little ran for a couple of months, but were lucky last week to have some localized precip where I live. I think we got about an inch+ in a couple of hours.   We still need more. 

I got in 20.5 miles today in and around Green Mountain. Even with 7 days rest from the last outing, I felt stiff and anything but 100% on the way out. One of the symptoms of the last 9 months of (let's say) KFF Spike Protein Poisoning was often being unable to bend over naturally and that caused me (in compensation) to strain the muscles in my right leg. And even though I can bend over now without much pain, that muscle was a little tight for some reason.



But at our age, if we waited until we felt good, we'd never get outside and do anything.

Here's an unretouched, straight-out-of-the-camera, panorama. Gold Mountain is the bump on the left and Green Mountain is the bump on the right. This spot I'm in has just a naturally gorgeous panoramic view. I'm afraid the one I captured is a little lacking.



Larger View

Unless you were physically or sexually abused as a child – or are the one in a million who actually has a "thyroid problem" – I consider obesity to be a sin. And I have been a sinner much of my adult life. I was reminded of this when I stopped off at Winco after the ride. There was someone in the passenger's seat in the car next to me when I parked. She looked like an African American and hadn't missed a meal in a while.

On the way back from inside the store and walking to my car, I saw this person (still staring into their phone) from a different angle. It might have been a Mexican...or a mix of black and Mexican. But from this new angle, this quite plump person now looked like a boy. Moral of story: Unless you are consciously "transitioning," if people have trouble telling if you are a girl or a boy, you are too fat.

One of the tortures in hell is a push mower. My father made us cut the grass with a push mower. When it had just been sharpened and the grass was dry and the grass was not too long, it could reasonably do the job. But those three conditions were rarely met.

I love my corded electric mower!

Yesterday, I had a few extra things to do and was tired both physically and mentally.  I visited the doctor and had my blood work done. (I received the results today and they were even better than the last time.) I just didn't have the energy to do much after I had finished my chores, so to speak. Sometimes that is just the way it is and there isn't anything to say, or at least I can't find the energy to say it. 

By the way, have you noticed any difference now that you have been drinking the tart cherry juice for 4-5 days?

I've also been using this the last two months, Mr. Kung: Joint Support Supplement

I can't say whether it's doing any good. It may be voodoo. But it doesn't seem to be doing any harm.

Okay, thanks...to you and Mrs. Flu.

What I've read online is to take them after a meal, otherwise the good ingredients don't get absorbed as well. It may even say that on the bottle. But who reads the bottle?

I did 11.13 miles in and around Newberry Heritage Park this afternoon. It was a milk run. (That's Wildcat Lake in the south on the map.) I just wanted to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. Next weekend's forecast looks good. But this kind of nice weather will likely come to an abrupt end until next late Spring.

There were very few people out. I assume there is a Seahawks game today or something. I forgot to mention that yesterday in Port Gamble I found that in a remote corner they had cut in a lot of trails that are restricted to bikes only. Some of the trails are still under construction. But from the vantage point of what looks like what is supposed to be an observation area at one of the sections, you can see trails that have jumps in them...jumps with gaps between the jumps.

Yikes. These are for experienced (or crazy) riders and the signs at each trail make note of the difficulty. I rode on some of the easy ones. But unless you specifically go to this back corner of the Port Gamble Trails, you're not going to ever see these new trails. I hadn't been in this area since last summer (and I don't think these new trails were there at the time) so they must have constructed them in the last year.

When I was young, I was never coordinated enough to do that kind of stunt biking. And, frankly, my level of self-preservation was high enough that I wouldn't have been easily talked into doing that kind of stunt biking. But for those who can...make sure you have a good medical plan. I'll grab a few photos next time I'm there. I just didn't think of it for some reason.

A few days back, I saw a guy riding on an electric bike something like yours. This was the first time I had seen such a thing in Plano. He was in the middle of the lane, but at least he was moving along at a faster pace than standard cyclists. Most of the flakes riding around here seem to be on 10 speed velos which one must hump over to grab the handle bars. They try to look athletic, even the fat ones. 

I did 11.37 miles in and around the neighborhood. The track describes the general bounds of the extended neighborhood. It's as far as you can go without having to cross a 4-lane highway.



It was an easy ride. It was cold but warmed up a little, if only from doing the work of pedaling. One characteristic that seems to define the modern American is that he owns, on average, about five cars. Just about every place you look, you'll find a house whose driveway and yard is stuffed with cars. I don't know if this is the same hoarding instinct that caused toilet paper to be hoarded during the KFF. But something is going on.

This photo is looking across the highway toward PSNS at the mothball fleet.



Larger View

There was occasionally the nice avenue to ride down where the trees were in their glorious fall colors. I didn't snap any shots of that. You know what it looks like. And it's looking great out there right now.