December 1, 2022
Different, Demented, Daring, Daffy
Is it December Already?
Hi folks, welcome back to the seventh and final installment of Touring DIFFERENTLY. I am so proud that my epic mini-tour experiment has garnered heaps of praise for its high level of mediocrity by a number of anonymous Cycleblazers (2 is a number, right?), tens of other people who couldn't find anything better to read, and probably a lot of literary critics.
That's not to say there aren't a few detractors out there. I mean, "Doofus" is a word so commonly associated with me that I've actually come to embrace it. "Lame" is another one, but I'm not quite as flattered by the lame-calling as I am with being known for doofiness, goofiness and daffiness. That's especially true when I think of the millions of people who click on this journal for the first time, only to see the ratio of miles ridden to days ridden.
I can only imagine potential readers being flabbergasted by the lameness. "WHAT?!!" they exclaim in my vision. "Only 556 miles in over half a year? Only three miles per day? That's not a bike tour; that's a commute to elementary school. Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, it's not a joke," is my answer. "It's touring DIFFERENTLY. It's touring LOCALLY too. And it's definitely touring FUNLY. And I appreciate that this fine website has allowed me to write my journal this way. It wouldn't be quite the same if I had been asked to divide it into seven separate mini-journals.
Eight Inches of New Snow and 9-degrees(F)--Yup, it's December
I do not yet have a route or a start date for my December mini-tour, but I hope to resolve that in the next few days. In the meantime, I thought I'd premier my latest feature film right here on Cycleblaze. It's an age-old story about the conflict all bike riders have to face from time to time: the choice between completing one's chores, or satisfying one's desire to ride one's bike into danger. I think the following movie shows how I resolved the dilemma.
The next day, I went riding again. It was cold, but not too cold to take a picture of me, my bicycle and my really cool icicle.
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Take care.
2 years ago
Thanks for reminding me that I haven’t shoveled snow in 22 years!
To answer Bill, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices. But winter still sucks, mostly. When I lived in Minnesota I used to put the bikes away and don my cross-country skis in such conditions. Except of course for club rides on New Year’s Day, and occasional bouts of ice biking on the lake with studded tires on the MTB.
As I see it there are two drawbacks to winter riding: the ice and snow conditions on the ground, and the snow and wind conditions in the air. The cold is dealt with by dressing like a snowmobiler and putting wide pedals on the bike so you can fit your Sorels . Oh how I don’t really miss it!
Cheers,
Keith
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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3249928203190&set=t.1116514192&type=3
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So, every bike tourist has his or her own skills. Your high-mileage, ride-through-the-toothache-pain is legendary. My skill is nothing more than pretty good balance on snowy roads and bundling up in ridiculous layers of clothing.
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So did you move from Colorado permanently, or are you just in AZ for the winter?
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