Fall Views: Neeker-Breekers, Grit, & Insects

Things are drying out and turning brown now out in the country.

 Got out Wednesday for a nice test on a few things I have to review for RidingGravel.com. The day was promised ahead of time to be hot, humid, and breezy. It hit on two of the three. Humidity, while at 58%, wasn't bad- for around here. Usually it's around 70% this time of year when it is hot. So, actually, I was thinking it didn't feel too bad. 

I took the Noble GX5 with these crazy Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheels on it, which was part of what I had to review. I also had on these gloves to review, (not ready to post anything quite yet on those), and the Hutchinson Tourareg 700 X 45mm tires. Busy day taking it all in, for sure. Oh....yeah, I almost forgot. I was also wearing those Rudy Project Cutline glasses I'm reviewing. Sheesh! Anything else? Nope..... That's it! Gotta get the work in! 

Anyway, I headed North this time up Burton Avenue for a bit. The wind was out of the South, so I made up my mind to turn East and go a ways that way, then South and back home. Not a big loop. Just a couple hours to get in some test riding. The gravel was exemplary. Really good. Only a few stretches were treacherous with loose, chunky gravel. I was a bit surprised by this. But.....I'll take it! 

It wasn't cloudy, but those wildfires out West are polluting our upper atmosphere in the Mid-West and it was weird outside. The light is diffused and this casts a weird light on everything. You could almost see the haze, it was making things so different to look at. You really notice the issue when the Sun is low in the horizon. The Sun looks reddish-orange and the sky turns a brownish-red/orange. Not a natural look! But while things looked odd, at least we weren't subjected to breathing the smoke down here. Being a 'flat lander' does come with some advantages! 

The roads were fast, dusty, and lacking in deeper chunk. The Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheel shown here.

Moo!

It was very difficult to get a good shot due to the atmospheric conditions. My camera kept wanting to 'blow-out' the highlights, and I'm not a good enough photographer to figure out how to work around the issue I was having. A few shots I got were totally unusable, but I did get what I needed. 

At the crossroads of Bennington Road and Sage Road

Yep! That's some tall corn right there!

I couldn't get a shot to look right if my life depended upon it if I was pointed East. Weird. And even looking other directions, it was a difficult day to shoot. Just really odd out there. Anyway..... Nuff said. 

The nature of the countryside is definitely saying "Fall". The birds are gone. No Red Winged Blackbirds to contend with anymore. No Starlings. No Robins warbling in the distance. The Western Meadowlark has fallen silent. The only sounds I heard were the constant singing chorus of 'neeker-breekers'. You "Lord of The Rings" fans will understand that reference. The crickets and grasshoppers, rubbing their legs together, making that "neeker-breeker" sound. Listen for it, you'll never hear those insects the same again. 

Then there was the gritty sound of tire against gravel. And the wind, of course. That was it. No other sounds to be heard out there for two hours. Sights were not all that noteworthy either. With the obvious lack of birds, only the occasional cow and horse were seen. Insects were flying about though. Grasshoppers, butterflies, and the odd dragonfly were seen. But yeah......this is looking more like the end of the season and the beginning of another. 

Throw-back jersey

I also took this occasion to bust out one of the old Advantage Cyclery race team jerseys that I have. This was the race team that was based out of the shop where I first plied the trade of bicycle mechanic back in the mid-90's. After Advantage Cyclery folded, in very early 1997, I moved on to become an auto mechanic and did not get back into working on bicycles until late 2002. 

In the meantime, I left racing behind, and I had my race jerseys, which I tucked away in a drawer. Now every 'blue moon' I get the urge to dig one out and ride in it. So, that was fun. I will say that in the last 25 years jersey technology has come a long, long way. This thing was like wearing a garbage bag compared to what we have now! But hey! It was for kicks, and I had fun wearing one of these again. 

Last time I posted about this someone that had an old one of these sent theirs to me! Ha! Well, listen- I have plenty. I don't need anymore of these Advantage jerseys! I think I must have about four of them as it is! But the thought is what counts and I still appreciate that I was sent one of these a few years back. 

The testing went well. I learned what I could and rode home. Now it is time to put thoughts to digital letters and images for all to read at some point. I have also decided I need to do some specific wheel testing coming up soon. I have some theories to either debunk or to confirm. Always thinking out there on these test rides.......

The ride was in the morning, before it got beastly out. Still, it was 88°F and with the wind, it was fairly draining. I did have to back off from riding too hard in the heat so I wouldn't get myself in the 'hurt locker' and be down for the count the rest of the day. I had a driving lesson to give! So, I had to be on my game.

The driving went okay. My daughter, who will turn 20 this December, finally decided she needs to know how to drive. I took her out on a gravel road, (natch!), and turned her loose for a couple of very tentative miles. It was fun. She peeled out once, unintentionally, but I had to let out a good "WooHoo!" for the occasion regardless. I mean, you just cannot let a good spewing of gravel go without a yelp of uninhibited joy, now can you? Well, it ain't happening around here! 

Afterward it was time to hit the ice cream store for celebratory treats. She made a good start. Now for some continuing education......