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Txzen

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Everything posted by Txzen

  1. Also, while I love Kirkwood I would never drive there from the Olympic Valley area. First, highway 89 will be closed come winter time at Emerald Bay so to drive to Kirkwood you'd have to drive around the lake (clockwise) - Kings Beach, Zephyr, SLT. Then there's a pass you'll have to go through which is often a bit dicey. At the very least you'll need chains and/or 4WD. I would do Northstar (closer), Mt Rose (farther) before even thinking of Kirkwood. Heavenly also will require the same route around the lake. Just enjoy where you're at - I think Palisades probably has the best overall ski terrain at Tahoe. And Kirkwood sucks - no one should go there. No night life, practically no on-mountain dining, slow butt slamming lifts. Stay away. Terrible place.
  2. Alas, no tubing on the Truckee this year. It's complicated - this year, for a change, it's cancelled because there's too much water and they slowed the flow (as opposed to all the years it was closed because of drought). Season cancelled That was at the beginning of the season. The company we normally use still says 'closed' so I'm not sure the situation changed. Great hike/bike path from Olympic Valley down to Tahoe City. In that area the path is separate from the road. It continues south from there along 89, which has some nice stretches but also forces you to cross the (very busy) road a few times. Can be dicey with kids.
  3. Just got off a call with leadership. The press reports and even the note to US parents was all about the heat. But they now say the sanitary conditions were not good (shower and toilets) and at least initially the calories provided were inadequate. They stated concerns also that the on-site medical care was not able to keep up with the demand. That isn’t the story BSA first told us and many think they are trying to avoid any (more) legal issues. So instead of interacting with scouts from around the world, the US contingent will be sleeping on cots in a middle school gym at Humphreys. They have some ‘cultural’ activities on base planned which sound more like arts and crafts, as well as trips into Seoul for some sightseeing, shopping, and a baseball game. Going to legoland also discussed which will not be a lot of fun for any of the older teens. Evenings will be spent watching movies projected on the wall. They will not return to the Jamboree even for closing ceremonies. They will watch a livestream in the gym. Shittastic.
  4. I have a Scout on the ground there. It’s hot. The infrastructure is probably not up to snuff. But his group and their adult leaders are fully prepared and able to care for the scouts. They don’t want to leave - they are having a great time meeting Scouts from 160 other countries. No one asked the Units. Humphreys is 2.5 hr away. They stayed there one night before the Jamboree. They were confined to a gym and ate (sorry but) lousy MREs. It sucked. The conditions are tough. They are scouts. They’ve done worse. This is overblown media coverage. Most have worked hard to raise funds to help pay their way for a once in a lifetime opportunity. Leaving early is dumb.
  5. I've only been once - in Hyderabad for business a few days and then a short excursion to make good use of the jet lag. Traveled a lot in my life - Mexico, behind the Iron Curtain in the early 80s, rural China 20 years ago. Nothing was quite like India. Truly some beautiful places to see, and yes absolutely maddening and simultaneously beautiful chaos. Cattle in the marketplace. Probably my main issue was that unlike any other trip, I really felt preyed upon. Maybe it was because I was a single traveler, and I do like to engage with people. I also like to walk all over with my camera and do as much street photography as I can. I found the Indians to be almost uniformly pleasant. But so many were just using the same script - 'Where are you from? Why are you here? What do you do? Oh, interesting, I teach at such and such school, we are having an art show today to help the students...', all in order to get you to go to a store where they get some sort of finders fee for bringing you in. I don't blame them, and don't hate them for it, so there were just so many of those interactions - 5-10 of them an hour - that I had to routinely shoo people away or be a bid rude to make them quit. It's incessant and it doesn't matter if you are near a tourist area or away from it. Also, the veil of pleasantry drops the minute you say no, and more than a few times the interaction turned somewhat angry. Never felt in any danger (at all) but those constant interactions really got old. That said, saw some amazing things, and had some of the best food I've ever had (and didn't really have any stomach issues). But the abject poverty and the totality of the pollution is something which I've never experienced before. It's not just the poor children, it's the poor children picking through garbage that gets you. Hard to unsee. Since you're down south, maybe try changing geographic areas to explore? Each seems like it's own country. I did a quick stay in Rajasthan - specifically Udaipur, but some of the neighboring towns (Jodhpur, Jaipur) look amazing as well. Udaipur was simply beautiful. I found it pretty easy to take domestic airlines, at the time IndiGo was cheap, clean and modern. Now, getting a taxi once you exit the airport was an exercise in fuckery, though...
  6. I mean, there’s always going to be a question of how clean the peloton is. On the other hand, with all due respect, GTFOH with that weak-ass shit.
  7. Spectators who cause a crash should be put in the race director’s car, and thrown out at 35mph. What a Tour. TP seems to be fading. Race of truth will tell us.
  8. What a ducking stage. Amazing Tour at stage 14. Jonas rode well today, really well. Maybe not the script JV had been taking up - they didn’t drop TP but Jonas limited the damage. Gonna be a great weekend.
  9. Not sure all those days of JV putting riders in the break paid off well today. UAE looking like le train bleu there up the Colombier but TP didn’t seem to have the legs to rip anyone apart. Hell of a burst though and Jonas can’t match it. Keep chipping away, maybe take a flier tomorrow for yellow or just have it be equal going into the TT and he’s got it. Still a great Tour though!
  10. Cav’s a guy I love to hate. As much as a butthead that he is (literally) I might have wanted to see him at least challenge for 35. Hell of a career though. My annual plug for https://pyreneescyclinglodge.com. Stayed here a few times - lovely view across the valley of Hautacam. Ride to Hautacam, Aubisque/Solour out the door, with Luz Ardiden and the Tournalet near. It’s many of the less known climbs that really shine though - Cirque de Gavarnie and Troumouse come to mind. Wake to the sound of church bells and the bells around the sheep grazing on the hills. My favorite area by far.
  11. Not a lot of TT this year which is where Tadej could take time on VG. Could be an interesting race.
  12. Very good documentary from WSJ on the origins and workings of Wagner - apologies if already posted.
  13. This is really quite a development. My mother was from Latvia, as her family fled during WWII as the Russians were closing in. We visited (her first after having left) about 25 years ago and she was disgusted with the fact that anytime she asked a question of someone in Latvian - directions, or casual conversation - the reply was almost always in Russian. It was part of a wholesale eradication of the national history and culture of the country (and has absolutely been a central component of Russian strategy for much of this century). If this report is as real as it sounds, this is a huge cultural shift for Latvia. Truly remarkable. (apologies for bringing this up so many days after it was posted - can't keep up with this thread, and thank you to those who keep it fed with such great information!)
  14. I have a bag fetish - there I said it. Tried so many different style and designs and never really hit on the right one. I think there's a bit of an overall style choices to make - do you want one that is very techy or 'back pack-y' looking, do you want a ton of organization/compartments, or would you prefer versatility in packing it? I could not be happier with the Peak Design Travel Backpack (45L) The straps are quite comfortable when it is loaded to the max (and there's even a hide-away waist belt, though I've never used it). It's fairly minimalist looking on the outside, and basically only two main compartments, one with a few smaller zippered areas. The rest is one big cavity which for me adds to the versatility. There is a dedicated laptop sleeve. I've filled this thing with cameras, lenses and electronics (using their own equally excellent tech and toiletries bags), I've filled it with my cycling helmet, shoes and gear, or with my ski helmet and gear, I've used it for work trips and love that it doesn't look like my hiking bags. Love that there are so many ways to get in the bag with zips on the side and a back clamshell - the latter is great because you lay it down on the outside and open from the portion that is against your back, great for getting your camera gear out and preventing you from getting mud on the part that will touch your body (or digging through it at an airport in nowhere India where whatever on the floor is also questionable). They definitely make a lot of stuff geared for photographers, but this is just a great bag in general. Also love all the grab straps at the top, bottom and back of it as it makes it easy to grab and go without even putting it on your back. Bonus bag trolley sleeve as well. Pricey but seriously well thought out with a high quality of build. Ode to my Peak Design bag...
  15. Alas, it seems like an underwhelming paper, mostly because of the lack of scientific collaboration (which likely stems from lack of trust going both ways on this issue). As noted here, some of the species supposedly identified by samples in the market could not possibly have been there ('killing a Panda carries the death sentence, so there is no way they could be in a market'). This either means the samples were contaminated and/or suffer from inaccurate species assignment. Remember that ad hoc analysis by the data by a French team (and others) came to the conclusion that raccoon dogs were a potential culprit. Unfortunately, the quality of the data is not going to help resolve this question.
  16. On occasion you can also see Mt. Rainier.
  17. Alas, finding out will just get harder. A predictable, but unfortunate, development. WHO abandons plans for crucial second phase of COVID-origins investigation Text:
  18. It was indeed miserably cold and wet. Somewhat ashamed to say I didn’t stay for the end (and the only time I remember ever leaving early) but there was no real reason to stay.
  19. Txzen

    TCU - Baylor

    Yeah yeah yeah. Let’s see if they can do this in the second half. I’m told it’s important to keep scoring in the second half.
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