Her Majesty

#130

Wednesday, November 30th
11 miles around Lovely Lake Natoma

The wind was a blowing, I was pompously pontificating, and I had a flat on the left front before I even loaded up the trike for the ride. So Three, count 'em, Three blow(s/hards/outs) for the price of One.
Buy Now.
Eat at Joe's.

I think that the xmas advertising has gotten to me a little bit.

"Parking lot Al" and I went around Lake Natoma. He's offered to sweep the upcoming Casual Bike ride so I wanted to show him my route of choice.

The wind was blowing enough that I was afraid our flags would go around the lake without us. It was thick fog at my house, but by the time I got to our start point (1100 feet lower) the sun was peeking out. We looked like arctic explorers, bundled up the way we were. I don't know what all Al was wearing, but he looked a bit wider than normal, so I'm thinking at least 4 layers. I had 3, and for a wonder, kept them all on.

My favorite fall/winter/spring garment is a wool Buff (tm). Just a long tube of fine Merino wool, it can be worn multiple ways. I use it most often on bike rides as a balaclava or sometimes as an ear warmer. I did both today.

We averaged 9mph (Al did at anyrate, and we stuck together pretty well so I'll borrow his number - I was too confused this morning to reset my odo from last weeks Stupidly Steep Climb). We took several breaks, admiring the new Hazel Bridge interchange (it is just too grand to call it a bike path).

I left the camera in the pouch, since I had my gloves on most of the time and it is a bit awkward to use that way. So please imagine an achingly blue sky, a few clouds barreling along here and there, and about a hundred seagulls circling in the sky, making a big messy scribbly circle, orbiting the Fish Hatchery, hoping desperately for a tasty scrap of salmon.

Leaving the gulls and their fish heads fish head roly poly fish heads ...

Loyal readers will remember I had filled my tires with some anti-leak stuff: True Goo, so I was understandably dismayed to find a flat this morning.
Then I realised that the goo stuff works best on small holes in a moving tire. Neither of which was the case for me.

After I had pried the flat tube out of the tire (they tend to weld themselves together a little bit) I noticed one other spot where the goo had patched a hole for me. It is easy to see since there is some amount of goo ejected through the hole before sealing happens. The goo leaves a white residue on the inside of the tire.

I'll be replacing these tires with more Scorchers, but the kevlar belted ones, soon. Meanwhile, this is HRM, the Queen of Flats, signing off.

CU