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sasquatch69

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Everything posted by sasquatch69

  1. @TwiceHorn They all looked like that guy, so if that's a copperhead then yes. 5 was overgrown in the section right along the creek (some erosion there, too) but the rest of it was fine other than the wildlife.
  2. ¡Snek! x3 at RCP tonight. I occasionally run into one, but never three in one ride (all on Loop 5 south of the really cool old train trestle). I only stopped to grab a photo of the last one - the other two I blew past by swerving around them in the grass.
  3. @TwiceHorn wait, so after the bypass, he went up and down the two little climbs along Walnut Hill once you go under the bridge, and then crapped out before the creek crossing to red? Yikes - glad you didn’t take him on the normal start from the trailhead.
  4. @KuЯdt Fantastic videos - thanks. Can't wait to ride this sometime. Two questions: - Do you think these are doable with a hardtail? The first one looks like it would be; not sure about second (Angel's Plunge). - Apologies if you've explained this before, but what gear do you use for these? I'm assuming a GoPro with chest mount?
  5. Been riding a lot lately, and really getting used to the new bike. Got the bluetooth speed sensor and HR monitor up and running, which have really made me more conscious about the fitness aspect of it (especially w/r/t improving resting heart rate and cardio/fat burn rates). We're also doing a scout campout next month focused on mountain biking, which should be really interesting (already got them going on the maintenance and safety aspects of the merit badge). Did 6.5 this morning at Big Cedar - great to ride at sunrise, and had the place pretty much to myself. Still kicked my butt.
  6. I get really tired of the whole "nonprofit employees shouldn't make any money no matter how large they are" narrative. RC is huge, and is competing for the same strong executive leaders that other nonprofits AND for-profits are trying to lure. Big nonprofits need to pay competitive salaries, from the C-level on down. And the RC's Charity Navigator report shows they do a great job of using $ for program. Anyway, that's my only post on this, but I hear that a lot about nonprofits and it drives me nuts. Back to Ida...
  7. One more - Kenton band on Ed Sullivan in 1953 with 22-year-old Maynard Ferguson right after he joined the band.
  8. Happy to discover this thread after it got bumped. I played jazz trombone for years through HS and college, and though I haven't played in years, my love for the form has stayed with me. I haven't seen Brad Mehldau mentioned - I love his trio work. The work he did in late 90s with Larry Grenadier and Jorge Rossy (who also play on Radiohead cover above) is his best, IMHO. Full set: Also a huge fan of Kenton (who I know has been covered here) - but this is among my favorite charts/recordings of all time, featuring a sublimely great trombone solo by Carl Fontana:
  9. “Parents heckled pro-mask students and booed doctors who issued grave warnings about the highly contagious delta variant.” https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2021/08/17/highland-park-community-divided-over-mask-mandates-days-before-school-year-resumes/
  10. Hadn’t seen this posted here yet (unless I missed it). The Musers take on a team from WRR in a trivia faceoff hosted by Brad Sham.
  11. What a freak thing - glad you weren't seriously hurt. That's one of those "I can laugh about it now" stories that could have easily gone the other way.
  12. That's bizarre. On 9/10, did you do the little Glenn's Way extension shortly before you go back under the bridge to 1A? That one nearly caused me to go OTB last time I rode there - there's a sharp right turn right near the end that goes right into a climb up with a bunch of roots. Caught me totally by surprise, and left me humbled after navigating the climbs before that OK.
  13. Also want to say this is a really interesting thread - thanks for sharing your experiences. A question about the above: We had to replace our interior unit last year - it was a Carrier that was only 8 years old but the blower died. The HVAC guys we use (who are honest and have been great to work with) told me that I could get a Payne unit for a lower cost, and that it’s essentially the same product (since it’s part of Carrier corporate family) so it would fit our setup with fewer modifications - they just have fewer bells and whistles than the higher-end Carrier units. He mentioned that the Paynes he had were the older non-variable speed types so there was less that could break down. Since you mentioned variable speed above: Is there better profit margin in selling those, and are they indeed more problematic? I’m curious as to the benefits of them. Thanks.
  14. Thanks - that's all good info. I'm probably going to hold off on any upgrades for now (other than the RaceFace Chesters that are being delivered today) and just enjoy it as is, but fork is likely the very first thing I'll upgrade. It is indeed a straight steerer, which is weird given that it's a 2021 model, but Marin has always been a little idiosyncratic that way. It looks like Suntour has a couple straight options, and that Manitou looks good too; the RockShox Judy Silver TK Solo Air is compatible as well.
  15. Well, you can disregard my request for advice above because today turned into New Bike Day for me. Got a great deal on this Marin 29er, and it meets all my criteria for being incrementally upgradeable. It's got a decent Shimano 2x9, which I'll likely eventually replace with an SRAM 1x12 once budget allows, and already has dropper post routing if I want to add that later. But for now, I'm excited to ride it - and finally be the owner of a more current bike.
  16. On a related note, the 29er I've been borrowing the past few weeks has been great, and I'm ready to take the plunge to buy my own - but the above (500-600) is my price range for now. Locally, there's a guy selling a L 29" Specialized Rockhopper Sport, and another guy selling a L 29" Giant Talon 3, both for the same price. I realize they're considered entry-level, but they both meet a minimum standard of quality I expect. The Giant seems to get slightly better reviews, and it's an 8x2 drivetrain (which I prefer over the 3 up front with the Specialized). Some bike forum folks also say the Giant is more upgradeable. Your thoughts?
  17. Lockwood Distillery in Richardson just announced they're opening a FW location at Magnolia and Fairmount. We're big fans of the original location - the owners are great people, delicious food, pretty solid gin/whiskey - so I hope their expansion west goes well for them.
  18. Did ~30 more miles on the 29er this weekend - at Erwin, Katie Jackson, RCP and Horseshoe - and feeling more and more used to it. I decided to try out Strava to start officially tracking my rides, and for the most part the functionality is exactly what I'm looking for. However, the mileages across the board are lower than both my bike computer and the official distances listed on Trailforks. For example, the total loop at Erwin is just over 9mi, but the Strava app said it was 8; combined loops at Horseshoe total 5mi, but Strava said 3.8. Dug online a bit and it looks like iOS is notorious for GPS shorting distances for tracking apps like this, and they recommend using a Bluetooth cadence tracker and pairing it via the Wahoo Fitness app. Anyone have experience with this? Any advice?
  19. Totally understood. I'm not a big fan of Northshore either - crowded and difficult.
  20. I rode Frisco once, and while OK, it wasn't worth the loooong drive up northwest when I can drive the same distance to the superior Horseshoe or Erwin (or a tiny bit further to Boulder or Big Cedar). Did nearly 11mi at RCP tonight - rode loop 1 to the temp bypass, then 8-12, then back down to 2-5 on the south side (I'd heard 6 was totally overgrown so I skipped it). After my rough first outing on the 29er at Northshore, this was a totally different experience - it gave me plenty of time to get used to the different feel. The last few miles were glorious. Jury is still out on whether the XL frame is the best fit for me (I need to try an L) but now I get the hype about the bigger wheels and modern geometry.
  21. https://tenor.com/view/sasquatch-gif-21839775
  22. My Philmont pack was a 70L Gregory Reality, and it performed well. There is a hole in the bottom of the brain that slowly got bigger over the course of our trek, and I'm waiting to see if Gregory will cover repair (it's an older pack and all their models have changed, so we'll see). The folks in our crew with newer Gregory packs were very pleased with them as well. For tent, I used an Alps Lynx 1 for Philmont (and a dozen camping nights before that) and have been very happy with it. Durable, fully enclosed with mosquito net-type material so I've never had any issues with bugs, and light (4lb total, and you can get it down further if you go with ultralight stakes). Felt roomy given its size, and didn't leak at all in a couple heavy downpours (one with small hail). Only issue I had was a broken zipper on the rain fly, and they are shipping a free replacement with no hassle.
  23. I didn’t really know what to expect. I did notice that it was more difficult to get little bursts of acceleration going up small hills, over big roots, etc. compared to my current 26”-wheel bike. But longer, shallower climbs were definitely easier - and the geometry of the bike (Rockhopper) was much more comfortable than the forward posture of my current older bike. The big question is going to be size. I’m 6’ and have been riding a L frame all these years; the Specialized is an XL. It didn’t feel too big overall, but the larger frame and tires definitely combined to make it more challenging. Northshore was probably not the best first-time-out place to try it, so I’m going to try a few rides at KJ and Rowlett to get a better feel for it.
  24. Difficult, grindy 7mi or so at Northshore this am, my first time on a bike in nearly a month after a long hiking trip away from home. Had to stop 3-4 times - I don’t think I drank enough water beforehand (and I’m probably not fully recovered yet). The good news is that it was my first time riding a 29er - a fairly new Specialized hardtail belonging to a friend - and it didn’t kill me. I’m borrowing it for a while to see if I can get used to it, and if so I may end buying it as a bridge until I can save up for a modern full squish (as he recently did). I think my days of riding the trusty 1990s GT are numbered - it’s lasted a long time but starting to break down more and more often.
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