Daymaker

Receiving this today from someone I taught in Chile made my whole day. In response to my response to one of her letters, she wrote:


Yesterday before I ever wrote to you or had the idea of writing to you I went into the bathroom and showered and while I was showering I said a prayer to know what to do with what was happening (since in the shower I'm not disturbed). Once I was done my sister Fernanda, out of the nowhere, said "Why don't you write to Tom," and violá! You answered my prayers. :)

Under pressure

So if you aren't totally sick of how many posts about bikes I make, then something is wrong with you, or, you're just as crazy about bikes as I am. But now for something completely different.

This Saturday!

First time up Emigration

When I left home the thermometer read 24 degrees Fahrenheit. I was anxious to try out all of my new winter additions acquired during this Christmas season. It wasn't that cold. I knew my winter-blocking technology was working.

The ride up was nice. Turned up Sunnyside around 2000 E and rode at a constant pace (12-14 mph) all the way to the Pinecrest turnoff. Then about 8-10 mph up the steeper part of the climb. My goal was to summit before my computer read 1:00:00, and lucky for me, I stopped right when it clocked over, so I had to take a picture.

I enjoyed the view from the top, about 1,300 feet above the entrance to the canyon, and 6,300 feet above sea level. A fun and gradual climb. Here are some pictures from the way up and from the summit.

These first two pictures are a little blurry because I took them with one hand, on my phone, while climbing the hardest part of the route at 8 mph.

I was happy and giddy when I got to the top, but I didn't bring anything else to layer for the ride down, which was my downfall. Working to climb while it's cold out is fine because your body is the engine, so it's warms you as you ride. Now, on the way down, it's a different story. There is little to no physical exertion and the wind is coming at you 20 mph more than when you were on your way up.

Now, when I headed down, the temperature had dropped to 19 degrees, which, with a 25 mph headwind creates a nice -18 degree windchill. Yum!! Needless to say, My fingertips were a tad cold.

It took me one hour to get up there, and almost exactly a half hour to get home. 1:31:08 and 22.5 miles. Cool! What a fun ride! Who wants to come when Jessica and I do it again on Wednesday?

A new job

It's official. I passed my drug screen and my ten year background check, and I am pleased to announce that I am now Salt Lake City's Bicycle Network Sign Coordinator. What does one do as a BNSC (a new acronym I invented not five seconds ago)?


In short, it is figuring out where bicycle network signs in Salt Lake City should go, similar to the attached / below photo.

Here's the job description:





BICYCLE NETWORK SIGN COORDINATOR

Salt Lake City Transportation Division - Bicycle/Pedestrian Program


Salt Lake City has an extensive bicycle network comprising 168 lane miles of on-road bicycle facilities and nearly 25 miles of separated paths. In Summer 2011, Salt Lake City will embark on a project to sign these routes with bicycle way finding signs, as are used throughout Europe as well as in some other locations in the United States. The signs will identify key destinations, and assist people traveling by bicycle in finding bicycle-friendly routes.

The Bicycle Network Sign Coordinator will work with the City's Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator to develop the specific text, size, and placement of these signs, and assist in coordinating with the City Streets Division on the implementation of this project. The sign plan will be developed in the City's Geographic Information System (GIS) using ArcMap software. The Bicycle Network Sign Coordinator will also be responsible for field-checking bicycling conditions existing on the streets and possibly identifying specific locations (exact post or placement of new post) for each sign.

This internship would provide excellent experience for someone in an urban planning, geography, or environmental studies program. Those with a career interest or background in other disciplines are welcome to apply. In the end, you will have coordinated the development of this on-the-ground project -- a specific accomplishment to list on your resume.



Qualifications

Excellent computer skills including email, Internet, word processing (MS Word) and spreadsheet (MS Excel) on Windows-platform computer. Experience with GIS software is not required, but is preferred. If not already experienced with GIS software, it will be needed to have the ability to learn new computer software quickly.

Strong sense of geography and map reading ability.

Writing skills, including spelling and grammar.

Attention to detail, including sign text details.

Graphic design sensibility appropriate to simple, clear, directional road signs.

Experience in bicycling on Salt Lake City streets; willingness to ride a bicycle in city traffic.

Knowledge of destinations in Salt Lake City is preferred.

Pleasant and confident office manner.

Well if that's not me, then I don't know what is. So I was officially given the job today and I begin on January 12th. I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions about what our city needs in order to have a successful bicycle network. Feel free to comment or to email me or even talk to me in person.


I am so happy. And did I mention it counts as a 4 credit class too for this semester? Wooooo!


Here are some more pictures from other cities around the nation and in the international sphere too:

Ciclismo

So, I always have great stories that pop into my mind that I'm going to write in my journal about biking or about the day, especially while I am riding my bike. I can't rightly stop on the side of the road and whip out my pen and pad and write all these ideas down. I think I am going to post most of that crap about bikes and revelations about life here. I wrote nearly every day in my journal while on my mission, and since I've been back, I have not written a single day! Maybe this blog will give me some incentive to write a bike more, and maybe I can even transpose what I write here to my journal. So, look out for a lot of blabber about bicycles in the future.

I will leave you with this...

I got famous at 6:25.

Spring 2011 Schedule

Well I'm back

I don't know if anyone reads this. I'm sure I am the only frequenter. I am back from Chile after 2 years and six weeks, and I have to say that life is much better. I like being abnormal, I like that my interests are much different, and I love that I still love cycling. I suppose this will be a place to right down funny thing that happen, fun videos, bicycle trip accounts, and other things. I hope everyone is doing well.

Yesterday, on my ride home from Salt Lake City, I enjoyed mooing at cows, meowing at cats, clicking and neighing at the horses. Only one cow looked up. I guess I wasn't too convincing. The only good thing about the Legacy Parkway Trail is that you can moo, mewo, click and neigh and no one is around to hear you or make fun.

Leaving

Why is it that in the month after I go to the MTC, Against Me!, Mountain Goats, Yelle, Dr. Dog, Fleet Foxes, Lagwagon have shows in Salt Lake City?


...and the Deron Williams Gold Medal party at Harry O's. Oh man!! That one is on the 20th. I can go after all, phew. I'll be content with just that one.

Two weeks to go

I hope missionary work doesn't turn out to be this hard...

Vina Del Mar

I stumbled upon these pictures of the city where at least my mission home will be.









Hopefully I'll have time to enjoy it and/or take pictures of my own.

New Favorite Favorite Favorite Video

Hitchhiker's Guide to Ogden Canyon

I did a ride yesterday from Kaysville up to Pineview Resevoir and Huntsville. Pretty fun, fairly hilly, and a bit of wind near some of the canyons. However, it was on the way home that got a tad hairy. Flat tire right at the top of Odgen Canyon, close to the turnoff to head to Eden and Liberty.

I waited about five minutes with my thumb out, and got a ride with an excavation guy who rode mountain bikes near there every weekend. He dropped me off at the nearest gas station and, not knowing I had a patch kit in my pack, I filled my tire temporarily in order to get to Bingham's. It being 9 o'clock at this point, the shop wasn't open for another hour or so. So! I patched my tube, walked a few blocks, bummed money off two other bums and filled my tire.

Proceeding to the Ogden train station, I boarded the train and shortly thereafter was cited for not having my transit pass on my person. Got off the train in Clearfield and rode the rest of the way home.

Those 55 miles only took my 6 hours! Hooray!

Sparton

Apparently, Chile boasts a custom track frame company, Sparton. Maybe that will be the drain of my $100US emergency fund and most likely quite a bit more. Only 200,000 Chilean pesos!

Dear Elder Millar

60.2

Finally posting the ride from Saturday. My longest yet and I am a little proud about it!

From south Kaysville up north and west to Antelope Island, the 60.2 mile loop took 3:24'20. Fixed gear, no brakes, no glasses, no jersey, boy scout shorts, and one drink of water. Hooray for bicycles!!

Hanging it up

As Logan Clifford so greatly expressed last night, there are several types of people who ride bikes. They include wide varieties of commuters, road racers and trainers, "young guns", fixed gear grown-ups with graphic design jobs, those who have to, and so on. Now, though I whole-heartedly agree with the iffy-ness of some riders, but I really do believe that more people are out on bikes of all kinds because it's fun, it's cheap, it's quiet, and it's very empowering. Now, this may sound like just another bike blog or a cycling-related post (which it is), but I hope to express that I love seeing three and four times more people on their bikes now than I did a year ago. I hope the trend is not. I hope it stays. I really do.


I found this comic from Jim Borgman on UrbanVelo.org and I thought I'd share.

One Theory on Why Nishiki Went Out of Business

I just couldn't pass up passing this along. The following is a post by Jeff at Urban Velo.


Perhaps magazine ads like the one pictured to the left were in part responsible for the Japanese bike brand’s untimely demise…

Alleycat and Film Festival

These are a bit late, but included below are photos from the Alley Kitten alleycat and the 5th Annual Bicycle Film Festival at the Depot that followed. Enjoy!

P.S. Davey won this alleycat, too, which puts him 2-0 for the "season". Congrats.

Frenzy!

A blog frenzy in the last 24 hours, I swear! Phew! Oh well. If only someone read this regularly, then they could be as bored as I am!!!

On this day (21 May) in history...


Happy Birthday, Notorious B.I.G. This is just how I always remember him. And Mr. Combs. And Mase. Ahhh, Mase.

Happy Independence Day, Montenegro! You're home to the Casino Royale (at least in the film)!

Happy Birthday, Al Franken! Rush Limbaugh and Bill O. still don't like you. Tough luck.

Happy Anniversary, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. I'm sorry the wedding gift is 63 years late.


Does anyone wish to see this continue as a regular thing, or should I mix it up everyday? I mean, look at this last week's posts: photography, bicycles, little bicycles, history lessons! Next week could hold untold amounts of surprise. Such as real, embedded photographs (one of these days I'll have the patience), movie trivia, and celebrity gossip news. The latter, of course, will be included. I mean, do you know me at all?

Cynicism aside, I'm going to bed. Good night!