A friend of mine back in the aughts had a small collection of MR2s, super fun cars for sure!

I drove a Corolla FX-16 GTS a couple of times, also super fun!

Trees and buildings are fine, but they do block the view. I rode the 40 a couple miles out by A-1 Mountain the other day, but no pics.

Another scorcher here in the big city...

I tried to celebrate, but when I got there I saw a pic of their hot pastrami on marble rye and I couldn't say no.

I might be part Jewish.

I believe it’s broccoli rabe. If you eat a large one from John’s Roast Pork for lunch you should cancel all afternoon plans due to a food coma.

”Large pork with sharp and greens” is all you have to say.

It is the superior food but you don't even have to go as far south as So Cal to get a top quality burrito (though I don't doubt they're fantastic). There's a little hole in the wall taqueria one block from my house which makes some of the best burritos in town, which is saying something because there's a LOT of taquerias and taco trucks in town, most of them good.

My favourite Al Pastor was had WAAAYYYYY out in San Bernardino

Then it doesn't count.

Fact check: Route 66 is not 2,600 miles. SMH

I saw a show on healthy aging and how, outside of the US, it's not uncommon for one to be of relatively sound mind and body until they just don't wake up one morning. I would love that for me.

That, or to be riding my bike and have an quick and painless EOL via Peterbilt.

Where are you, these days? I don't know if I posted about it on a previous drop-in, but the fam and I did a 4k mile road trip out your way in the summer, hitting up some National Parks and whatnot. In your neck of the woods, we stayed in Williams and took the train out to the Grand Canyon. It was a great time.

Another day of significantly warmer than normal today, but at least it was a good 5-6 degrees cooler than last week! I got a PR for the particular route I rode, which years ago was kind of a go-to route for me for riding in the morning before work. 26 miles of plain out-and-back. Mid day turns out to be better than early morning, as far as traffic goes. Not battling SUVs dropping kids off at the 5 or 6 schools I pass in the first 2 miles on the Alameda de las Pulgas before reaching Crystal Springs, and also fewer commuters taking Crystal Springs to avoid 92.

As I was climbing after the dam, some guy passed me and left me for dead, doing most of a half-mile, 6% climb out of the saddle. But I caught him again at the traffic light. I had thought he must be a young guy, but no, he had gray hair curling out from under his helmet. He was, in fact, one of those skinny Old Guys, the ones that pass you when you're feeling great about how well you're doing, especially for your age, and then some Old Guy passes you like you're standing still and disappears into the distance - which he did from the traffic light, even though he bobbled clipping in.

Then another guy passed me and was in the process of dropping me, but I caught him after a mile or so. 5 miles later, he passed me just before about a half mile, 2% hill. I droped a small hamer, and almost caught up to him, but then the wind, which had been a roughly 5-10 mph tailwind totally flipped and became a 5-10 mph HEADwind, within less than 100 yards. It was WEIRD. Anyhow, that was my turnaround point anyway. So I turned and headed back North - into the headwind. I spent some time in the drops and in as close to Aero Hoods as I can get, and it wasn't so bad. The rest of the ride was unremarkable, but when I got home, and looked on Strava, I'd set a new PR for the route, by almost 1:20 over 26 miles. Not bad for an Old Guy.

Ya just never know when a guy that blows by if they are riding an e-road or mtb. A couple of years ago I was busting my aspirin on a shot climb when this old guy blows my doors off. He did slow down and had the decency to tell me that his Specialized was electrified and to not feel bad. He then zipped away.
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As far as aging to 100, seeing the condition of my parents mentally and physically (with a portent of my genetic destiny) I think I will pass. Dad is going strong physically at 95 but his short term memory is completely shot. It’s not unusual to hear the same sentence three times in 20 minutes. Mom at 94 had terrible health and became paranoid about conspiracies against her by everyone. Also believing that people were stealing was constant. I offered to buy her a complete set of silverware several times because the spoons were being stolen by caregivers. Yeesh. I only hope I have the presence of mind to know when it time to check myself out.

Flagstaff, Arizona, about a half hour drive from Williams. That sounds like a killer road trip, well the summer part might have been a little rough in some locations.

If I can find a deal on a place in Williams I might retire there. Ramona and I spent many a weekend there escaping from the Valley heat.

Maybe they're adding the miles from all the alignments?

It's a great book on aging and how we deal with it. Some are stories about people, some are about how cultures handle aging, some are stories about living with life challenges and how to handle themas they relate to EOL. Not a long book, but packed with lots to think about. @datlas can explain it better, I'm sure, as it's been a couple years since I last read it. I need to read it again.

You guys think you have medical problems, "I pee eight times a night, six in the toilet." - Undercover Grandpa on Netflix

Reporting myself.

I've ridden a bike along pieces of this on the Springfield Century. Check this out:

https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explor...al-brick-road/

Nice!

Yeah, it was an awesome trip - we saw a lot but missed a lot, too, so we'll have to get back sometime. Basically drove two days to Denver, and then did a loop from CO, through UT, pit stop in NV to recharge and have some Jollibee, AZ, NM and then back to CO.

All of the charging for our EV was free, too, which was sweet. We're planning on heading the opposite direction, to Maine, this summer, while we still have the free charging.

Here's a pic from Arches -

Having been pretty much bedridden for over 2 months, I know I don’t ever want to spend the remainder of my life waiting to die in that state.

It wasn't an e-bike. I got a good chance to look at his bike at the light. No fat rear hub, no swollen BB area, no sound but tires on the pavement, He's just skinnier and fitter than I am.

It does remind me, though, of one time I had one of those "Cycling God" days. You know, when your fitness just seems WAY higher than normal for you, and every time you ask your legs for more power, they comply? I passed a number of cyclists near the bottom of a ~ 1 mile, 3% gradient, then we all got stopped at the 3 stop lights on that segment. Each time they all took off first because I can't clip in with Keos like I can with Deltas, and each time I caught and dropped them easily. At the last light, some guy on an old Kestrel said, "It's nice when the bike does it for you", which I only later realized meant he thought I was riding an e-bike.

Nope. Just an exceptional day.

Love those days or, I remember those days.

My wife and i did an organized metric a couple years ago on our Domane+ Treks. We didn't know anybody but a group of middle-aged guys offered to let us ride with them. It was ridden at a decent pace and we took our pulls. Towards the end, a couple of the guys were really struggling. After the ride, a guy asked how old I was and that I must be a really good rider. Unsaid, for a portly old guy. So, I told him and I pointed to my BB and told him I had help. He was relieved to find out that an overweight guy in his 70s looked fresh because of the help.

I've got this report that has killer initiative, always jumping on tasks. He's a graduate level scientist. Sometimes, it's to his detriment. Doing menial things that our lab techs could support. Then, he complains about how productive he is and how its hard to manage time and gain ground on his goals. My replies are usually something along the lines of "maybe you should work less" (and think more). His productivity is extremely high. Too high. Duder needs to see the forest from the trees a bit

I suffer from seeing trees.

I have but don’t use Keos after being a devoted Look Delta customer for years. Both pairs, one carbon, one standard, creaked when putting down the power - even when disassembled and relubed. Drove me nukin futz. The other issue is what you mentioned, clipping in. Doing some research, a guy suggested shimming the front of the cleat bolt with a washer or two to provide more clearance (Clarence) and that worked a treat. All the suggestions to stop the creaking were temporary and gave up and moved to Shimano and lived happily ever after. My two sets of Keos, like new, are looking for a new home - best for less anal people or the hearing impaired.

i saw a lot of trees in college