ghotifish.net

Brother H reminds us how nice we have it up here in ‘sota:

“Cars are for roads, fucker!”

This absurd obscenity was hurled at me from an IZOD clad frat boy barreling past in his prized body-lifted Jeep Wrangler with the dorky square headlights. I was riding my bike in Frisco, TX, chain capitol of north Texas and ranked 35th on the list of 10,000 worst places for cycling. I smiled at the unintending comedian and thought about communicating through sign language that I thought of him as number one in my book, but figured he would come to that same sad realization as he replayed his “insult” 20 seconds down the road.

Cars are for roads, fucker? I couldn’t agree more, jackass.

Knock on wood, I have never been yelled at by a driver. Honked at, but never yelled at. Or at least, if I was ever yelled at it didn’t make much of an impression.

Also, I call dibs:

abscenity – noun: an absurd obscenity.

In her history/review of Surly Brewing Company — the “best brewery in the entire U. S. of A.” — Carl Dara Moskowitz gives the loveliest argument for buying local I’ve heard… without arguing at all. Beyond all the concerns, valid but debatable ad nauseam, about carbon footprints, fuel costs, industrial agriculture, etc. …

… there seems to me to be something vague, weighty, and, I know this is indefensible but I mean it anyway, almost spiritually important in dealing with products that lead the same life you do, that drive the same roads, smell the same rain, can’t sleep for the same reasons.

That’s why I’m honestly proud that my bike is also a Surly (no relation).

I’ve added a bunch of new galleries. Cameras are handy for reminding yourself that, yes, you actually do things from time to time.

• Snow, February 2007

  I think we got about a foot of snow that night, and went for a walk after a tasty dinner with K&B. Overall the winter was fairly light on snow, but the times it did start falling it did so with a vengeance.

• Memphis, Spring 2007

  I only saw a small slice of Memphis… it’s an interesting city. The Midtown area is surprisingly similar to Minneapolis’ Uptown, though on a smaller scale. I got the impression that the Great Urban Escape hit Memphis harder than Minneapolis, wiping out whatever healthy density had existed and redefining the entire area around the car. I wish I had been able to explore downtown & the riverfront; I loved the baseball stadium and I’m guessing it had more to offer.

  Rhodes is a gorgeous place surrounded by a not-so-gorgeous fence. Seriously, if you really need this level of security — and I’m willing to allow that it might be necessary — at least make it nice to look at. You can’t hide a fence.

  Overton park — and especially the Old Forest — is one of the most surprisingly impressive urban parks I’ve seen.

• Hill Country Ride for AIDS 2007

  Totally fun — a bike ride organized by a bunch of gay folks! There were showers, and the showers had music, and the music was, seriously, Queen.

  Texas in the spring is a gorgeous place to ride a bike.

• Badlands, July 2007

  Gorgeous scenery, crappy camping — at least in the campground. I’d like to go back some time and camp in the backcountry… though riding out a Great Plains thunderstorm in a tent could be hair-raising.

  I think the most arresting thing about the place is abruptness of the transition between prairie and badlands. It’s seriously as if someone took a hatchet to the plains and then glued on the badlands. Also, hills plus plains is always a recipe for amazing views.

• Black Hills, July 2007

  I think the official motto of the Black Hills area is something like “beyond expectations,” which though it sounds modest is very accurate. I am definitely going back, but when I do I think I’ll stay away from the resort-y Custer State Park and explore the National Forest.

  Mount Rushmore, it turns out, is a mountain. In fact, the whole area is mountains. Which means that if you bike around there, you are going to be biking up and down mountains. Just, you know, keep that in mind.

• Bastrop Bike Trip, July 2007

  My sister is a cycling rockstar! Her first serious bike ride and she put in 120 miles over three days. Of course, she made H and I carry all her stuff, but we’ll let that slide for now and make sure the next bike she borrows has a rack.