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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Aug 21, 2020 14:48:16 GMT
I live about 35 miles (downwind) from the site of a large wildfire. The acrid smoke has filled our valley and I have not been able to ride. It is like not being able to move while downwind from a campfire. My eyes water, throat burns, nose runs, rant complete, Jim.
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Post by franco on Aug 21, 2020 14:54:35 GMT
That’s mad. Stunning scenery though Jim.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391
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Post by Jem on Aug 21, 2020 16:15:29 GMT
I feel for you Jim - looks like you have some crystal clear air on a normal day- I imagine that is hard to live with for very long.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Aug 22, 2020 3:35:06 GMT
That’s mad. Stunning scenery though Jim. When you ride up the mountain (seen in the background) you think you will die. When you ride down the mountain, you know you will die. I call it the Bear Mountain Death Ride. I now am too old to climb it and too afraid to descend it.
I think the video ends at 35°11'8.51"N 118°36'32.44"W about 1000 feet short of the mountain top.
Cheers Jim
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Post by franco on Aug 22, 2020 19:23:16 GMT
Great view at the end!
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Post by whippet on Sept 4, 2020 18:18:03 GMT
Looks like a beautiful area.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 4, 2020 20:42:50 GMT
Looks like a beautiful area. I now have smoke (not as bad) from a different fire; nuts.
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Post by brianbutler on Sept 5, 2020 1:30:56 GMT
A downside of nothing rusting in the DRY western US.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 5, 2020 5:02:20 GMT
A downside of nothing rusting in the DRY western US. So true. Thankfully, we don't have hurricanes or tornadoes; we do have Bubonic plague, earthquakes, a lot of wind (which carries smoke) and a song.
Entertainment:
This video is of a drive through the Tehachapi pass from Bakersfield (elev. 600'), through the Tehachapi valley floor (elev. 4000'), passes the wind farms, and down to the Mojave desert (elev. 2700'). The tallest mountain peak is 8000'. I live in an area further into the mountains.
Hey, with Covid going on, someone must entertain you guys.
Cheers Jim
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Post by whippet on Sept 5, 2020 18:00:45 GMT
Closest I’ve been to that area was Ventura, where I foolishly got within a few inches of a reptile to take a photo. It turned out to be a rattle snake. Moved very quickly once it shook its tail.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 5, 2020 22:06:42 GMT
Closest I’ve been to that area was Ventura, where I foolishly got within a few inches of a reptile to take a photo. It turned out to be a rattle snake. Moved very quickly once it shook its tail. I grew up in Ventura County. So nice when I was a boy; too many people today. They have more fires than we do; we mainly get the smoke. We do have more rattle snakes. Snake identification is important.
This picture is of a fire in Ventura county, near where I grew up. It was made a couple of years ago; hot stuff! When I was a teenager I was in a caravan of cars led out of the midst of a fire on that same highway. The fire was on both sides of the road and made the glass in the car too hot to touch. The Highway Patrol led us out at nearly 100 MPH after telling us not to drop back least we be lost. Small cars were wide open all the way. Another patrol car followed to prevent stragglers. If back then, I had been driving my little MG Midget, I might have been cooked!
I suppose our cousins in the UK do not have to worry about wildfires, earthquakes and poisonous snakes. Ah life in the American west!
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Post by franco on Sept 6, 2020 21:06:08 GMT
Closest I’ve been to that area was Ventura, where I foolishly got within a few inches of a reptile to take a photo. It turned out to be a rattle snake. Moved very quickly once it shook its tail. I grew up in Ventura County. So nice when I was a boy; too many people today. They have more fires than we do; we mainly get the smoke. We do have more rattle snakes. Snake identification is important.
This picture is of a fire in Ventura county, near where I grew up. It was made a couple of years ago; hot stuff! When I was a teenager I was in a caravan of cars led out of the midst of a fire on that same highway. The fire was on both sides of the road and made the glass in the car too hot to touch. The Highway Patrol led us out at nearly 100 MPH after telling us not to drop back least we be lost. Small cars were wide open all the way. Another patrol car followed to prevent stragglers. If back then, I had been driving my little MG Midget, I might have been cooked!
I suppose our cousins in the UK do not have to worry about wildfires, earthquakes and poisonous snakes. Ah life in the American west!
That looks crazy. We’ve got our own problems Jim, they just don’t appear as dramatic.
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Post by wheelson on Sept 7, 2020 2:41:31 GMT
I grew up in Ventura County. So nice when I was a boy; too many people today. They have more fires than we do; we mainly get the smoke. We do have more rattle snakes. Snake identification is important.
This picture is of a fire in Ventura county, near where I grew up. It was made a couple of years ago; hot stuff! When I was a teenager I was in a caravan of cars led out of the midst of a fire on that same highway. The fire was on both sides of the road and made the glass in the car too hot to touch. The Highway Patrol led us out at nearly 100 MPH after telling us not to drop back least we be lost. Small cars were wide open all the way. Another patrol car followed to prevent stragglers. If back then, I had been driving my little MG Midget, I might have been cooked!
I suppose our cousins in the UK do not have to worry about wildfires, earthquakes and poisonous snakes. Ah life in the American west!
That looks crazy. We’ve got our own problems Jim, they just don’t appear as dramatic. That is a really scary fire photo. My son, (pregnant) daughter-in-law, wife, and I had a really nice vacation in the Fall of 2017, San Francisco to Seattle up the scenic route, rental car after flying out from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fantastically beautiful. When we crossed over into Oregon, we started smelling smoke. We detoured over to Crater Lake and came dangerously close to being caught up in a huge fire there. Roads closing all around us, we finally found a tiny mountainous gravel road that got us out (no hard maps, no cell phone coverage for GPS, after dark). Not something I'd want to do again. Jim, you be careful out there. Best, John "wheelson"
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 7, 2020 18:22:33 GMT
The last few days the wind has shifted so I have been able to ride. I am phone challenged but managed to take my very first selfie on my Saturday ride. You can still see smoke in the background; but it is manageable. Today heavy smoke is back; no ride. It seems someone set off fireworks (illegal) at a gender reveal party; now the mountains are burning. By the way, the little two day old llama likes to chew on bicycles.
Cheers Jim
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Post by whippet on Sept 10, 2020 17:51:45 GMT
That’s cool: a Reynolds framed Trek. Lama is cute too.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 10, 2020 23:02:13 GMT
That’s cool: a Reynolds framed Trek. Lama is cute too. I just love that bike; one of my first builds and from a neglected frameset. It is from back in the day when Trek handmade steel bicycles. I switched the drive train to a triple with 1980s Shimano Deore XT derailleurs. The llama was made by llamas.
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Post by brianbutler on Sept 11, 2020 12:24:47 GMT
Really like that Trek, Jim. Which tires are you using? They look like something I might want to use when I prep a winter bike or two.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 11, 2020 15:11:59 GMT
Really like that Trek, Jim. Which tires are you using? They look like something I might want to use when I prep a winter bike or two. Brian The tires are 700-35 Kenda Kross Cyclo tires. They also come in 27" sizes. They look period correct, are dirt cheap and work well. I use them when riding dirt roads; not too bad on pavement.
Winter bike! chilling thought. Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Sept 11, 2020 16:41:23 GMT
It seems like the smallest size on the Kenda's in 35mm. I'm not sure I have enough clearance. I am using Michelin Protek 700Cx32 on one bike, which is a very sturdy tire for about $20 each. The main problem is they only come in black with a reflective strip, ruining the vintage look. Yeah, winter. I had words with a guy who reminded me of winter by practicing on roller skis the other day. This year I plan to use a Raleigh Super Grand Prix that will need to be overhauled in the spring anyway. The paint is roached and your nice restorations are encouraging me to give painting another try. Last year I used the Viscount Sebring and road salt did a lot of damage.
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Post by franco on Sept 11, 2020 18:16:21 GMT
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 15, 2020 4:09:44 GMT
I am still sitting in smoke and am getting very tired of it. Pray for rain!
Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Sept 15, 2020 12:01:37 GMT
Looks like it is time for a trip across the Sierra Nevada for you.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Sept 15, 2020 16:03:05 GMT
Looks like it is time for a trip across the Sierra Nevada for you. A good idea, but the western Mojave Desert is also smoky. I must travel a bit farther. About the nearest place for me to escape the smoke is 160 miles away, in Baker California.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 5, 2020 16:59:55 GMT
I am really getting tired of the smoke. The AQI listed below has been the norm since the start of this thread. Sometimes I ride in it and sometimes I don't. They expect the fires to subside by November 1! By then, I surly will be like smoked jerky! When I ride in these conditions, I have throat irritation and watery eyes. Pray for rain.
Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Oct 6, 2020 12:50:36 GMT
The biker with the line through him says it all I guess.
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Post by wheelson on Oct 7, 2020 2:42:11 GMT
Unbelievable. Between the smoke, COVID restrictions, and health issues 2020 is just not a good year for cycling. I guess we have to squeeze it in whenever we can. Need to get in a few good rides before the weather turns nasty here. Best, John "wheelson"
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Post by blackwizard on Oct 7, 2020 4:43:58 GMT
I do pity you guys with this. Having lived in Shanghai most of the last 15 years I know how annoying poor air quality is and now I’m in London (China won’t let me back in still due to COVID restrictions) I really appreciate the cleaner air and laugh when people complain about the AQI here, they simply have no idea what bad air pollution really is like.
BTW my sister in law is in Vancouver and they also had bad AQI from the fire ed up there but she told me at the moment it’s not noticeable and back to clear blue sky so fingers crossed that you may see the end of it soon.
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Oct 11, 2020 20:39:26 GMT
The fires are nearly out and the weather patterns have changed. The air is sweet and clear so I had to celebrate by riding a blue bike, with a blue jersey, while under the clear blue sky.
So what did I ride? Why my bright blue Motobecane Team Champion. When I built it, I painted it a deeper blue than the original and then added a classic Mavic group. This is one of my favorites!
Jim
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Post by whippet on Oct 13, 2020 19:51:45 GMT
Elegant looking bike, I like the triple too.
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Jem
Viscount
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Posts: 3,391
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Post by Jem on Oct 15, 2020 17:52:52 GMT
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