rpenmanparker 

We have moved out of the rented house on the Cote d'Azur and into a boutique hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. I could get business class on the way home through Zurich on Thursday for the low mileage points so we said WTF, let's see a little of Switzerland. We flew over from Nice to Zurich this morning. Beautiful city. Hard to tell it isn't Italy considering the huge number of Italian restaurants here. But we are sticking with Swiss food for at least the first day. Planning on some raclette tonight and maybe a little spaetzle.

My German is much better than my French, but that ain't saying much.

rjones28 

I took the Crux

MoAlpha

Velo Vol 

@Velo Vol's ancestral homeland is a short distance north of Zurich. You could do a bicycle ride up there and see if there are any distant cousins still there in the hamlet.

badger1

A man with good taste.

badger1

Our Thanksgiving was always a moveable feast until some time in the '50s, I believe; date set by govt. proclamation.

However, in the very early 1900s the railways (Canadian Pacific and the several other ones that eventually became CN) lobbied to have the date fixed at least on a Monday to create a 'long weekend'. Leisure time = opportunity for punters to spend their money on rail travel.

Velo Vol 

Are you riding a train this weekend?

Also, do you have beetroot on your holiday table?

badger1

Heh. Not me; last weekend of the year at our place on the Bay of Fundy before heading back to Ontario (by car). Just glad I made it out here at all this year. But yes, beetroot will be on offer.

The view today (sorry for crummy photo).

DougRNS

The slope I fell down was actually slippery. That's why I called it a slippery slope. Pine needles. Don't worry, no residual damage beyond scratches.

Velo Vol 

!!!

Can you see the tides?

indyfabz

I have a serious case of the Mondays.

LesterOfPuppets

Happy Columbus Day, everybody!

badger1

Oh yes. Pictured is roughly low tide; that expanse of light brown is a salt marsh. At high tide it is completely submerged; the water comes up right below the ridgeline in the foreground of the pic.

Down in the harbour the effect is more dramatic; the docked boats rise/fall about 30 feet with the tide.

indyfabz

This thread is going down the tubes.

datlas 

Who knew that chamois cream is too expensive??

WhyFi

I didn't want to contribute to the dumb over there but, since I have no such qualms here, I want to ask: is chamois cream something that you use only if you need it or is it something that makes everybody's experience better? I assume the former, but obviously don't know for sure.

LesterOfPuppets

I did, cuz the little lady got a small tube of ladies' D'z Nuts for $20 last year.

datlas 

I honestly don't know, as I have never used the stuff and don't see any need to.

LAJ

Same. Hygiene is the key, not slathering grease all over a pair of bibs.

indyfabz

Some of us have leftover skin from being larger once upon a time. In hot, humid conditions, that can cause some issues on long rides for someone like me who sweats thinking about riding. It has nothing to do with hygiene. I use it when I think conditions might warrant. I have had the same tube for I don't know how many years. A little in on the right body places can be helpful. Anyone slathering over their pad is doing it wrong.

MoAlpha

Not at all something to use if you don't need it. I have most of a tube purchased sometime in the last decade and I will use it very sparingly and locally during rare times when I get a chafe point in my crotch because of mileage or something about the fit of the bike or the chamois I was using. I find it prevents that from getting worse.

The deal with the stuff I have is that it acts as a lube and doesn't dissolve in sweat, but washes easily off of clothing and skin, unlike real hydrophobic stuff like Bodyglide. I don't remember it being so expensive, but if it is, I assume that's why.

Obviously, hygiene and making sure everything is squared away up in there are key.

WhyFi

Okay, cool. I'll go back to it not being a blip on my radar (unless things should get uncomfortable down under).

Velo Vol 

It's like a temporary Holland, without the windmills.

If you have a fat bike can you ride on land that was reclaimed from the sea only a couple hours earlier?

Velo Vol 

ProTip: By staying on the road I almost never have to walk up a slippery slope.

DougRNS

Oh? You still ride?