Ken still struggles with the concept of snow in deserts. But not erectile dysfunction. Despite the wind chill…
Ken's Blog
Snowy desert
December 24th, 2011Santa Rita mine
December 24th, 2011There’s gold in them there hills. Actually it’s copper mostly… But still worth a mint..
Above Silver City
December 24th, 2011Ken heads out of Silver City, climbing up towards the Emory Pass
Knobbly knees
December 23rd, 2011Ken waxes lyrical about making mistakes. Pity he’d not done the same to his legs…
Highway 180
December 23rd, 2011Ken’s at a crossroads. Well, sort of. And there’s more snow ahead..
Run for the hills
December 23rd, 2011Fervoured debate. North Sea crude versus West Texas oil. I wasn’t sure what the point of the enthusiastic discussion was. But someone did mention that in the UK gasoline was ten times the cost in the US. Chose to ignore this, resisting the temptation to ask how they spent on health insurance. I was certain I had the better deal.
I’d wandered once more into McDonald’s. Felt a bit embarrassed. I’d seen Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Super Size Me. Even got a copy. But, in truth, it was the draw of the Scrumptious fruit & maple oatmeal and an Egg McMuffin. Less than 600 calories. And a coffee of course. Also do fairly healthy salads, provide you hold the dressing. But not for breakfast.
Comforted my conscience with the knowledge that this was an early morning meeting place for the retired. Tough old boys who’d bettered themselves. They usually bought only coffee. Small. But then one got himself a breakfast sandwich. Sparked a debated on the menu choices, value for money and quality of the food. I think I preferred oil.
My own breakfast finished, packed up my netbook and pocket book I’d been scribbling in, and left. The snows had begun to melt but, much more importantly, the highway was clear. And it had been gritted, perhaps salted as well. Time to run for the hills. Reposition at a campground about thirty miles east, at the base of the Emory Pass. Bit over eight thousand feet. Seven below tonight apparently…
Silver City in the snow – Part two
December 23rd, 2011
Silver City, New Mexico
Silver City in the snow
December 23rd, 2011
Silver City, New Mexico
On air… along the Pacific coast
December 23rd, 2011
Courtesy of friends at my local community radio station in Somerset, England – www.10radio.org– you can catch up with my regular monthly on-air chats with friend and neighbour Jon.
In this latest episode Ken talks about his travels down the west coast of the US. Contains explicit references to serious literature. Click on the link below to download the interview.
Myth of indestructibility
December 22nd, 2011Nothing is indestructible. Kit may be hard-wearing, robust. But eventually everything breaks, whether it be down to accidental damage or just plain usage. Of course, some things fare better than others. And generally you get what you pay for. You’d also be wise to stay away from house rabbits. Trust me on this one.
People are often a bit surprised just how much in shape my trusty steed looks, especially after something in excess of two years on the road. True, I did, quite deliberately, invest in decent kit, the best I could afford. But even that needs quite a bit of looking after. But not too much. As the old adage goes, if it isn’t broken…
So far nothing too serious. Bolt failure on one of my rear panniers easily fixed with a cable tie. A favourite first aid item with more uses than you might imagine. But only if you present a threat… The usual punctures – flats – but only nine of those so far. Little else worthy of mention.
The only real disappointment has been a Kevlar liner I bought in Anchorage, Alaska. Claimed to prevent punctures, it’s designed to sit between the inner tube and the inside tyre wall. And, to be fair, I didn’t get a single one. Instead, began to notice a distinct bulge in the tyre. Eventually discovering that the liner had – as the photo above shows – cut deep into the tyre. Not a cheap one, but a very robust Schwalbe Marathon Extreme off-road tourer. Similar with the rear. Good hundred plus bucks to replace before they blew out.
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