Bizarre Winter Weather

[George Schick]

It's been a tough Winter in many parts of the country this year, but my sentiments are for the Texans in particular.  I know there are several from that state who post here regularly and I am sorry that you all are having to undergo such extreme temperatures.  Those of us in the Midwest are used to it and our infrastructure is more or less prepared for it, but I realize that yours is not and it's unfortunate that this Polar Vortex is dipping so far South this year.

[Paul Richardson]

nice sentiment george.  sure hope folks are okay.

good thing rivs are built for anything, even weather they've perhaps never encountered in a 'normal' texas winter.

here's hoping paul in dallas comes at us with a snowy ride report!

paul

takoma park, md.

[Philip Barrett]

Thanks for asking, Philip in Dallas managed to get a very short ride in the other day, since there was snow covering the ice it wasn't too treacherous but the wind was 20mph & biting & I quit after about a mile with no feeling left in my fingers, despite gloves! No pictures, sorry. Looking like it will be 45+ this weekend so here's hoping I'll get the Trek out.

We've been luckier than most, lost power pretty much completely for about 3 days (every time it came on we'd rush around frantically charging devices) then our heating went out but now all is back to normal. Being in an old industrial warehouse means it retains its heat pretty well & we had a camping stove for cooking & lots of tasty home made food already prepared (a spicy Posole keeps the chill at bay). 

We have friends who are filling their toilets with snow water, whose pipes have burst in the loft & brought down all the ceiling including totaling the car in the garage, the list goes on & on... Without getting too political, our Texas leadership's philosophy of Privatize the Profits, Socialize the Risk will come to bite all of you who pay insurance premiums in the future. But hey, wouldn't want those evil Feds interfering in our freedoms eh 'Merica?

[Lynn Haas]

That photo of downtown Dallas is beautiful.

I'm in Austin and we're OK. The "rolling blackouts" never really rolled anywhere; they just turned off power for 40% of town. The other 60% never lost power at all. For most of us, it's been more annoying than anything else. Some of our hospitals are without water and that's bad.

If I can hear the fluid trickling around in my trainer at low speed, is that bad? Putting my Atlantis on a trainer is probably a sin, but I'm desperate and it's going to be a few more days before the trail is clear.

Lynn

[True Golden]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the kind sentiments.

Yes, it's been a tough week for Texas as well as many other states.

I consider myself very blessed that our power did not go off or even flicker.

Riding in the snow often occurred to me and if I had studded tires I would have tried it.

I was concerned about going down on the bike and I'm older now and decided to walk instead.

I layered up on 3 different occasions when I had to alleviate the 'cabin fever'

and walked around my area in the northern part of Dallas County.

I did not take many pics but here's one from my back yard.

My area had around 5 inches of snow which is not a huge amount but it was the week of freezing temps that was rough.

The roads were pretty terrible all week and I did not attempt to drive until yesterday.

Some may have heard of the terrible pile up at the beginning of this storm where black ice on a Ft Worth freeway caused 133 cars and trucks to crash together during the morning commute traffic. 

They said 6 lost their lives. 

What a tragedy!

Also a report I read this morning told of other people dying from the extended cold. 

I hate that. 

It's pretty much thawed out now and I hear lots of reports of frozen pipes now leaking.

Plumbers in the area will be really busy.

I sure hope the people in charge get the infrastructure of the power grid hardened up for future occurrences of this nature.

I went over to take my 95 YO good friend to the post office and when I pulled up he was shoveling snow off his side walk.

What a sight!

 I didn't think he should be doing that at his age but I think one of the reasons he has lived so long is he is his determined attitude.

Here's hoping neighbors will pull together and help each other bounce back from still another sore trial.

Paul in Dallas 

About to hop on my Miele mt bike converted to urban cruiser and get in my first ride since the snow.

Streets look great and temps in 50's.

Hooray!

[True Golden]

A pic from one of my walks.

Paul in Dallas

[True Golden]

95 YO snow shoveler!!!

Paul in Dallas 

[Philip Barrett]

Hey Paul!

I rode yesterday & plan to later today too - parts of the Santa Fe Trail & Katy were still pretty slushy & icy where the sun hadn't got too. Aside form that & the vicious little breeze it was quite pleasant (especially with a belly full of Off The Bone 'Q before I left). Made me glad I have full wrap fenders though, roads are wet & messy.

[Patrick Moore]

"The world turn'd upside down."

Did Dallas get less snow than other parts of TX? I thought parts were buried. 

How did you fare for power and water?

We in ABQ were only on the northern edge of the storm and saw temps drop only to ~8*-10*F -- more southern parts had lower temps; we did get one decent and one very small snowfall but with 30* temperature differentials all rideable snow melted within 24 hours**. All gone! I managed some mud riding, though.

To make up for it, rode painfully and ploddingly north to church for ~3-4 miles against a cold, 25-gusts-to-35 NW wind on the Monocog this morning, but fortunately the route turned East and then went into the bosque for the final miles north. Don't tell me that very tall, very wide, and knobby tires don't cause wind drag!

** And majestically radiant sun at 5K feet. Snow was melting off my patio in the sun with the air temp in the teens; it's probably radiant heat even more than highs 30* higher than lows that make the snow disappear so fast.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Philip Barrett]

Welcome to Texas!

[True Golden]

Patrick, 

My area, not for from the northern portion of Dallas County, got around 4 to 5 inches of snow one day and then around another inch 2 days later I think it was.

It's a massive state. 

The Panhandle and northern parts tend to have more snow and colder temps over the typical winters.

The further south you go typically multiple inches of snow is more rare although it does happen.

Our previous record was 11 inches 10 years ago in 2011 also in February.

I distinctly remember that storm.

The reports I saw showed even the Houston area received several inches last week.

My understanding was it wasn't the amount of snow but the week-long frigid temps and loss of power to several million causing so many problems. 

Typically when we get snow a day or two later it's all melted with increasing temps.

It's a running joke about Texas weather as Phillip alluded to that if you don't like it wait a day or two and it will change.

My wife and I rode at 70 degrees yesterday.  I was in short sleeves.

Plus with the rarity of snow and ice many here are terrible drivers on roads with either snow or ice.

There seems to me to be many aggressive drivers not allowing for road conditions.

Also the greater Dallas-Ft Worth area

is growing phenomenally with ever increasing traffic and demands on the power grid and water resources.

Reports indicate the area is nearing 8 million population if it hasn't already surpassed it.

Other cities like Austin, San Antonio and Houston are also experiencing such growth.

I was very blessed to not loose power but know many did including two of my nieces and a good friend. 

Paul in Dallas 

Who perhaps within a couple years may become Paul in rural Texas. 

[Patrick Moore]

I'm glad things are warming up. It's sad to hear of such massive and rapid growth. Albuquerque is fortunately in far less demand as a place for outsiders to move to, but it has still grown tremendously in the last 20 years -- we're almost 45% bigger than when I arrived in 1989. I wonder if Zoom-type work arrangements will mean a reversal of this gravitational trend toward huge urban spraws.

Hope to visit some friends in Ft Worth in May, so I'll be able to see the area for myself.

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[rlti...@gmail.com]

Lots of CA companies are moving to TX to flee the over regulation and high taxes here. My nephew is one of the CA transplants now living there. He’s in Flower Mound just outside of Dallas.

A friend in CO says that lots of Texans are moving into his area outside of Denver. So Texans are on the move too.

Robert Tilley

In San Diego, CA where it’s sunny and warm despite the fact that it’s February

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 22, 2021, at 8:47 AM, Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Philip Barrett]

There's an old saying;

"If God had meant Texans to ski he would have given them snow"

To which the Texans reply

"If God had meant Coloradans to ski he would have given them money"

Those CA transplants got a shock last week! But I'm all for them, together we can turn this state blue.

Riding sucks here though, between a distinct lack of scenery, bubbas in their Tonka Toys & brutal summers it's not exactly SoCal. I always wanted to tell Grant when he was on a lycra rant, dude try riding in Texas in July in cotton!

[George Schick]

... or in the Hotter'n Hell Hundred in August!

George, who rode it in '95 and '96

[Philip Barrett]

I did the race as a Cat-4 in the late-80s. I had a friend who was struggling so I decided to stay with him, he dropped out at about mile 65 & I rode the rest of it on my own. I remember my 1st thought after I crossed the line was "I will never have to do this f***ing thing again." Words I've lived by. 

[Lynn Haas]

I rode the HHH in 2016 on a Surly LHT. I got a lot of second looks, but at the end of the day I was still relatively fresh and free of aches & pains. A steel bike with a relaxed fit is fantastic for a century. I wanted to do it again this year but the pandemic conspired against me.

>
> I always wanted to tell Grant when he was on a lycra rant, dude try riding in Texas in July in cotton!

Speak for yourself. When I had a bike commute I generally saw between 50 to 100 other bike commuters, and only one or two in lycra or bike shorts. If I get to ride the HHH again I plan to wear a regular sleeveless top, partly for comfort and partly just to mess with peoples’ heads.

Lynn (in Austin)

[Philip Barrett]

My favorite HHH story is as follows; An ex-work colleague of my wife's who has became a great family friend decided upon retirement to take up cycling for his health. His wife poo-poohed the whole idea particularly when it came to spending money (and she is not one to be messed with, we'll leave it at that). So he dug out an old 70s Peugeot from the back of the garage, got it tuned up & set about in his shorts & t-shirt to go riding. And riding he did, and a whole lot of it, then some more. Wife was still unconvinced but finally she relented & said if he could finish the HHH he could spend some money on a new bike. So on the Peugeot, in his gym shorts & t-shirt he did exactly that, even posting a respectable time and passing quite a few no-doubt gobsmacked fellow cyclists on the way! This guy is no quitter.

So with his weekend bike buying pass in hand he heads to Richardson Bike Mart & picks out a new bike. But after riding for a couple of days he realizes it's not a good fit & returns to the store to see what he can do. Whereupon he bumps into Jim Hoyt, the founder of Richardson Bike Mart (also the man responsible for discovering Lance Armstrong). They get to chatting and obviously Jim is as impressed as the rest of us with the achievements on the old 10 speed, empathizes with the disappointment around the new bike & tells my friend, that he's considering upgrading his own bike and since they're pretty much identical size & weight it would be perfect for him and he could cut a deal on it too.

Long & the short of it, my friend still puts on a couple of hundred plus miles a week on his "new to him" full Dura-Ace Litespeed Titanium he got for just under $1,000!

[True Golden]

Over the years I rode in the Hotter N' Hell Hundred 14 times.

It's probably been around 10 to 12 years since I've done it.

Several years I rode it on my 1999 Riv custom before not knowing any better and listenening to lighter is better rhetoric and sold it. 

I usually rode the 100K but 4 different times I rode the full 100 miles.

All but two times I camped the night b4 in a tent there at the hosting center.

I always enjoyed the big bike gear show during the event.

Thinking back I must have been a bit crazy to sweat overnight in a tent and then get up and ride that far in late August heat.

I still remember the sound of dozens and dozens of tandem riders passing in a group.  First time I heard those tandems coming I thought a train was about to run over me.

Trying the HHH now I would probably have a heat stroke and cash in my chips.

A 40 to 50 mile ride at a slow pace is about my max these days.

Heck, even back in my early 40's when I first tried it my best was only a 16 mph average.

I recall a couple church buddies that were very fit back then went up and did a flat 5 hours/ 20mph avg. for the 100 and I was in awe of that.

Safe riding in whatever temps...

Paul in Dallas,

who rode 20 miles today on my 

Sam Hillbourne in wonderful 60 degree temps.

[ascpgh]

As a once frequent traveler through the panhandle on highways 385/87, leaving I-40  at Vega on a hypotenuse of it and I-25 en route to Mineral County, Colorado via Raton, NM. The conga line of Texas tagged RVs was always amazing, but so were the delays of travel.

https://goo.gl/maps/ThVi7DCXgmNGqe9g8

My roommate's family has had a cabin in Spar City, CO, outside Creede for over a century and laments the development, proliferation and financial devices propagating sales of the huge class A Greyhound-worthy, RVs. They'd flow out of Texas in late winter when we used that route to avoid heavy weather up on I-70 on their way to park at all the nice campsites and fishing locations for the rest of summer, retreating back to Texas in their car being towed and (partially) holding their headway to 50 MPH. Had to plan when reaching that route since it was at the eight hour mark of the 15 hour drive.

Diaspora always seem to be seen critically, they upset the norm.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Philip Barrett]

Our 2nd home (slowly transitioning to 1st) is the Isle of Skye, part of the Scottish Hebridean islands. Every summer we are invaded by RVs (camper vans & caravans in UK parlance) from all over Europe, many exhibiting some of the worst driving & parking skills and ill considered GPS routing on our largely tiny single track roads. It's a double-edged sword of course as these people also bring huge economic benefits to an area where employment options are limited and traditional crofting (small hold farming) is a picturesque but hard way to make a living. Thankfully it's about 8 weeks of hell then we get our beautiful island back to ourselves where you can ride for hours with just you & the sheep.

[George Schick]

But Philip, how about those fine scotch distilleries on that island of Skye?

[Philip Barrett]

Funny you should mention that as, until last week, Talisker were the only distillery on the Island producing whisky but we just got exciting news on our 2nd operation (took only 190 years to come) who they released their 1st batch on Friday. Luckily I have a friend close by who is picking me up a bottle - https://www.torabhaig.com/

Call me biased (because I am) but Talisker's product is superb, especially their lower cost Storm which is readily available in the former colonies. It will be a post-COVID world before I can taste the new boys in town, something to look forward too at least.

[RichS]

Phillip,

Congratulations on the second distillery. Luckily my trip to Skye didn't include the traffic mess shown in your photo but it did include a visit to the Talisker distillery. Fraoch Heather Ale was a tasty highlight too. Memorable observation from my glamping pod: a sheep dog and its owner relocating a herd of sheep from a pasture on one side of the road to another. Drivers obligingly stopping for the pedestrians:-)

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Eric Floden]

One of my favorite radio comedies, Cabin Pressure, has several references to Talisker...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_Pressure_(radio_series)

https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/cabin_pressure/

Riv-related content: none, sorry

[Philip Barrett]

There's another great brewery on the island - https://skyeale.com/ale/

Started by 2 friends who realized they were spending way too much on other brewer's beer & they should do something about it!

[Philip Barrett]

Today's Dallas' exploit was the unexpected email that I could get a COVID vaccine. Of course I was the only bike in line, some consternation about whether they could allow it but a Dallas Police Officer decided that I was a vehicle in their eyes & could go ahead! Of course, all the staff volunteers wanted to chat about it too.

[Jeremy Till]

Good stuff! I myself was able to get my first shot on Wednesday here in California. I used my car for the drive-through mass vaccination site at our state fairgrounds, but wondered if they would have let me through on a bicycle. 

-Jeremy Till 

Sacramento, CA