Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Author: garry.c.stewart

  • Glad I was wearing a helmet

    I’ve been cycle commuting for quite a few years now including last year’s first ime ever all through the winter and never had a crash, until yesterday.

    Oh, I’ve crashed off the mountain bike many times on trails, most notably one causing a shoulder separation on the Maah Daah Hey trail in 2005, even a couple of crashes on the road bike, but never while commuting to and from work until now, well except for this, but that really doesn’t count.. It was a cool -3°C and the roads were dry and clear, there was some frost on the car windshields on our street but the riding seemed fine. I’ve just crossed the Norwood bridge and I’m making the turn into The Forks to go under the bridge and ride up the river walk to work. Normally, I go down the road a bit into The Forks and then hop the curb to get onto the path down to the river. On this occasion I made a bit of a last minute decision to turn up onto the sidewalk where there was a nice ramp (no curb hopping required).

    This last minute decision necessitated a sharper and quicker that norman turn and that’s when it happened. In a blink I’m down on the ground, I hear the “clunk” sound as my helmet bounces off the concrete. One second I’m upright and the next I’m down. Zero time to react. It seems that the frost on the road has formed an invisible scating rink! Even after the fall I really can’t see anything on the road but it’s pure ice. The right hip takes the biggest hit and later as I’m changing at work I note the road rash on the hip, elbow, shoulder and lower leg, a full right side impact. Thankfully, no damage to the bike or the nice new jacket.

    Things stiffened up over the course of the day while sitting at the desk, and the ride home was a little tentative, no crazy risk taking manoeuvres for sure. It will likely take a few more days for everything to return to normal but I’m very glad I had the helmet, without it I’m sure it would have been much worse.

  • A breezy fall day

    I’m up early and getting ready for the FOG ride. It’s cloudy and the streets are a bit wet from some overnight rain. The forecast is not promising, with 12° and a 70% change of rain. As I’m finishing up my bacon and egg breakfast and downing a cup of coffee I decide to check the FOG blog to see if there is a ride update. The ride has been canceled and I’m a bit disappointed. I have not been out with the guys for a number of weeks now and I was really looking forward to the ride. What to do? All dressed up and nowhere to go!

    As the day progresses there is no rain just a lot of cloud and wind, a lot of wind! Feeling the need for some physical activity I decide to get the gear together ad tae the cross bike out for a spin.

    The weather reporting says that the gusts are to 33km/h, but it sure feels stronger. I get pushed around quite a bit by some stiff cross winds and when it’s head on I’m working hard to keep a 23 km/hr speed. Somewhere along the ride i start to think about wind chip, my hands are getting cold.

    There is one Strava segment that I take a shot at and even with the wind at my back I only move up to 5th. I really thought I could get that one, maybe another day with the road bike.

    On the way back along Bishop Grandin I meet up with a couple of riders, one of them looks to be on the Provincial team, a young guy with a nice bike. I pace with them for a few Km before parting ways as I turn into Southdale and head for home. After a nice warm shower I’m watching the UCI Men’s World Championship and they are racing all day, 272k m in a heavy rain. I don’t feel so bad now

  • Sidewalk Evangelism

    On my daily cycle commute I travel along a paved path that runs along side Niakwa Park, I nice little area in Winnipeg where I grew up. One day last week I noticed somebody had written something on the asphalt in coloured chalk. Nicely written with good handwritting and there were two sections separated by about 50′. The sections were organized to that you could read one or the other easily depending on which direction you were traveling.

    The writing was organized in short phrases a few feet apart, so that you could read a phrase and think about it briefly before reading the next phrase, sort of like the Burma-Shave roadside sign advertising campaign.

    Don’t take

     a curve  

    at 60 per.

    We hate to lose

    a customer

    Burma-Shave

    And indeed the chalk writer was “advertising” something.

    The first day I flew by the chalk writing and really couldn’t make out what was going on. On day two, my curiosity took over and I looped back for a read of the message. I was intrigued, and impressed by the ingenuity and the message at least until I got to the punch line which totally dampened my enthusiasm.

    A few days later I noticed the chalk messages had been enhanced by another writer, somebody with a different colour of chalk, and a better punch line.

    Chalk-0

     

     

     

    Chalk-1

     

     

     

    Chalk-2

     

     

     

    Chalk-3

     

     
    Chalk-4

     

     

     

    Chalk-5

     

     

     

    Chalk - last

  • Messed Up

    Today’s bike ride just seemed messed up.

    It started with the usual Saturday morning prep routine, and then just as I’m about to get on to the bike I start up the Wahoo Fitness iPhone app to record the ride and deliver data to the RFLKT, but it won’t start. I end up deleting the app, re-installing and paring all the sensors etc. I leave about 45-60 minutes to bike from home to the start of the FOG ride to allow for a leisurely warmup. after all this I’m down to 45 minutes, still lots of time. I start riding and notice I’ve missed a setting and all my ride info is coming up in imperial measurements, oh well, no time to stop and fix that now.

    About 4 miles from home I notice that I don’t have my seat bag on the bike. This is kind of important as it has tubes, tools etc. for road side repairs, should they be required, and  key to get back into the house. A u-turn and I hustle back home to pick it up. This extra distance is not factored in the ride time and now I’ll need to hammer all the way to try and meet the 9am start time. Because of the app re-install I don’t have a time display, just how long I’ve been riding so I really don’t know how close to 9am it is.  Just as I’m coming up Henderson I spot a clock and it’s 9:05, not good. By the time I’m at the Legion the group is gone and it’s probably about 9:10. Thankfully, there is a strong tail wind and now I’m riding hard to close a 10 minute gap.

    I pick up the group shortly after turning on to River Road and casually slip on the back like nothing happened. The ride progresses with the usual sprint to the Selkirk town line and several of the group turn off here and head back while the rest forge on to the “Big Bridge” (Breezy Point Road & Hwy 4). Up the Big Bridge is the usual sprint to the top and I’m 3rd as we’re approaching the top and then two riders immediately in front of me go down and I narrowly avoid piling on with an instinctive swerve around the two downed riders. They are slow to get up and we’re blocking a lane on the bridge for 10-15 minutes. Good to have a doctor on the rides. Both riders are OK, sort of. Some pretty deep cuts and scrapes, helmets cracked in multiple places and seat rails broken. They call for a pickup and the rest of us keep on going. I’m a little shaken, it happened so fast, and I could have been a part of it so easily.

    The group proceeds at a slower that normal pace up St. Peter’s Road & Henderson Hwy to Hwy 44. I think everybody is processing what just happened and being a little extra careful, not to mention a building headwind. More riders pull off at Hwy 44 to head back. I think about it. I”m not feeling too good about this ride and wondering if I should just pack it in. But, at the last, I turn and head towards Birds Hill Park with 5 other riders. we suffer up Hwy 206 into a brisk wind, reminiscent of last weeks ride. Did I mention it’s hot? One guys bike computer is reporting 30°C and the humidity it through the roof. For the first time ever I’d drunk all of my 2 water bottles and I’m out a long way from Birds Hill Park.

    In the Park we stop for water and a faily long break before heading out. A few more sprints at all the usual points and we’re back at the Legion. The heat is really starting to get to me now as I struggle back home. At one point I catch my self shivering, not a good sign, and that’s only happened one other time when I was riding the Maah Daah Hey trail in +100°F. Oh yeah, another messed up thing was that I forgot to engage the extra battery on the iPhone, so the ride recording and my bike computer display go dead at 123.7km. Trying to ride pace single file with no speed/power info, just going on feel was a little challenging.

    Not one of the finer rides, but we got ‘er done.

     

  • Underground Gran Fondo Kenora – Minaki

    I join ed up with about 12 other folks including Doug L. and Dave M. for this inaugural ride out to Minaki and back for just over 100km.  This was my fastest 100km ride ever, thanks to some young guys setting a blazing pace on the way out, and dropping us on the way back. Coming home it was just Doug & I and I struggled to keep up with him, but we kept a pretty good pace going.

    The ride was virtually non-stop. A brief break for about 1-2 minutes at Minaki and another 2 minutes when we got stopped by a train on the way back. Had to fight off cramps in both calves on the way out and some serious leg fatigue and stomach muscle aches on the way back, but still a great ride.

    On a related note, I’ve noticed a difference in distances being reported by Strava and the Wahoo Fitness iPhone app. The app is using the speed/cadence sensor data and Strava is using the GPS data. Not much I can do about the GPS data, but after checking the app configuration for the speed/cadence sensor, I had the wrong wheel size circumference. So, all this time I’m actually riding farther and faster that I though, well at least a little bit.

  • Boating Adventure

    On Thursday after breakfast we headed out on the lake for an adventure to explore a unique aspect of Lake of the Woods. During World War II there were six German prisoner of war camps on the lake, most are close to us so we went over to POW (Prisoner of War) Bay to see what remains of this camp and the logging operation that was on place between 1941-1944.

    POW Bay on Lake of the Woods
    POW Bay

     

    The answer is “not much”! After 70 years the fast growing deciduous trees have reclaimed the shoreline and there is no easily visible evidence that a multi-building camp housing 100-125 men ever existed in this location. The bay is quite shallow and there were lots of weeds as we approached the shore and there was a strong on-shore wind as well. As we got closer it became clear that if might be quite difficult to get the boat out of the weeds if we landed, so with discretion being the better part of valour, we headed back out into open water. It was a hot day and lots of deer flies etc. so an investigation of the camp area will be left for another day.

    Apparently, the foundational outlines of several buildings and other artifacts can be found in the area. Perhaps on a cooler day in the fall we’ll make a return trip.

    Six POW logging camps in Ontario

    German Prisoner of War (POW) Camps

    Little left of POW camps that dotted Northern Ontario

     

     

     

  • Cottage Tip #1

    As with any cottage of a certain age, there are a number of quirks that have developed over the years. In the beginning, everything is well-organized or at least planned out and then over time little changes accumulate and it helps to have insider knowledge on how things work, or why things got to be the way they are. I’ve occasionally thought of putting together a “Cottage Book”, a history of our cottage, startup and shutdown procedures, things that are likely to go wrong from time to time and how to fix them. Not sure if and when this fabulous book might make an appearance on the best sellers list, so instead I’m thinking a series of “Cottage Tips” might be more expeditious in terms of sharing my experiences.

    Tip #1: The water pump is running, but nobody is using the water.

    This is not a good sign, especially if the pump is running frequently and nobody in the cottage is using any water. This is one reason why we turn the pump off when nobody is there. A runaway water pump will burn out sooner or later, and we’re all kind of used to having water on demand, not to mention the cost of replacing the pump. So, what to do? Well, somewhere in the waterline system there is a leak causing he pressure to drop and therefore the pump to kick in. If the leak is inside the cottage, you probably know this already by the water running all over the place. This generally only happens at startup when the lines have not been drained properly and freezing water has burst a pipe. But what if this is mid-summer and things have been fine up to now? Well, if there is no flooding in the cottage, check the area around the pump. Over the years metal pipes have corroded and cracked causing leaks.

    No leaks here either? Hmmm, more investigation required. The next most likely culprit is the intake line and foot valve. I’d check the foot valve 1st. This little brass valve at the end of the intake line has a little spring-loaded plunger that keeps the water from draining out of the intake line when the pump is not running. When the pump runs, the valve opens and allows the water to enter. The part that is not too visible is the rubber O-ring on the plunger. Over time, it can get cracked and worn out and start leaking. In some cases, it can break and just “disappear” as it did this year (2013). There are spare O-rings in the shop and it’s a simple job to take the foot valve apart and replace the ring.

    First close the valve to the house, just to avoid draining the whole system. Unplug the pump, and drain the pressure off using the hose at the pump. Take the foot valve off the line, remove the plunger, replace the O-ring, re-assemble and re-prime the intake line and plug-in the pump to re-pressurize the line. When the pump stops and the line is fully pressurized, have a look at the foot valve and ensure there is no water spraying out and it’s not making any hissing sounds, which would indicate that it’s still leaking. Assuming all is good, replace the foot valve screen, and take the end of the line back out into the deep water straight out from the dock. Easy eh? Oh yeah, don’t forget to open the valve to the house so you can enjoy the fruits of your labour.

    Not the foot valve? Check the rest of the intake line to the pump, and then check the line between the pump and the house, then look around under the house for leaks. Still can’t find the problem? You have a real mystery on your hands. Keep looking, something will turn up sooner or later.

     

     

  • Cooler Day

    First cool (20°) and cloudy day so far this vacation. Up until now it’s been hot & sunny, so a cooler day is welcome. Amazing how you can get lazy and sleep in when it’s not too bright outside. Contemplated a ride this morning, but rolled over for a few more zzzs instead. Caught the last 10km of Stage 8 of the Tour de France over a cup of coffee, followed by some updating of my podcast library, out with the old and in with the new. Always good to have some material on hand for a longer solo bike ride or in the car.

    Yesterday I took care of some miscellaneous maintenance tasks. The water intake line was leaking, so a foot valve repair was in order. Perhaps more on that in a separate post later. The starter button on the  outboard had a “special” way of working, so it got replaced with a new part and now you don’t need to know the secret spot to push it in order to get the thing going. Also, a few more balusters went up on the deck railing. This one will be an ongoing summer project hopefully completed before the fall closeup. Just under 500 to attach to our upper deck. A trip into Kenora for some lumber and miscellaneous stuff, a great dinner & a movie, an evening boat cruise around Scotties and through The Hades rounded out the day.

    This afternoon, if I get out of these PJs any time soon, I’ve been assigned vacuuming duties, and some general cottage tidy-up. I’m likely to work on some more balusters, or perhaps if the intermittent spitting rain seems likely to stop, it’s an afternoon ride as well. Probably all of the above

     

  • Ride of the Day

    A nice sunny warm summer day as we’re into Day 2 of our vacation. The ride got underway at about 8am to beat the heat of the day.

    The route was along some standard roads that I’ve ridden before, but with a twist, a general reverse direction from the normal ride.  Encountered an unusual number of riders out on the road, over a dozen other cyclists, most “roadies” going in the opposite direction. I exchanges a friendly wave, and most responded. In Kenora I took another shot at the Harbour Front Sprint KOM, and came up a couple of seconds short. One day soon, I’m going to nail that one.

    On the way bacd as I came off Jones Road and onto Hwy 17 East, another rider went by in my direction. He was wearing and aero helmut and had aero bars. I also noticed a PowerTap hub, so a serious rider, probably a “Tri-Guy”. I caught up fairly quickly, he was younger (30-40) going fairly quick, but a little slower pace that I wanted to finish of my ride to the Storm Bay raod with, so I passed him and wished him a “Good Morning”.  I fully expected him to jump on my wheel and perhaps pass, but it didn’t happen. I was pulling 275-300 watts and opened up a fair size gap over the next kms. Maybe it was a recovery ride.

    I took it fairly easy on the Storm Bay road to the cottage to cool down, and jumped in the lake for my reward for the 90km ride.

     

  • MTS vs. Rogers

    BugI had an interesting experience getting a new iPhone 5 over the last couple of days.

    My initial inclination was to go with MTS. My iPhone 4s is with MTS and I’ve been satisfied with the plan and their network. I also have all the other MTS services, home phone, TV, Internet and one consolidated bill would be nice. But just to do my due diligence I had a look around at other carriers, well just one actually, Rogers. I really wanted good network coverage and I’d heard some things about Telus, and I really didn’t want to spend the time to figure out who or what Fido is or some of the others, so I just looked at Rogers.

    Plans seemed basically similar for a similar cost. MTS touts unlimited data, Rogers seems to have flexibility and a better web self-serve presence. Phones seem similarly priced on 3 year terms…. whoa, not exactly. MTS iPhone 5 32GB $279 and Rogers only $149.  Surely this is some sort of mistake or MTS will match the price, so I’m off to an MTS retail outlet to get the phone.

    Wild FlowerWell, at the store it’s no deal on the phone, they can’t or won’t price match. They vaguely suggest that if I call MTS directly, somebody might help me with the pricing. Well long story short, after 15-20 minutes and explaining my issue to 3 levels of call handlers, MTS is firm, they won’t match the price. Oh well, say bye bye to a customer.

    I’ll just swing by a Rogers store and pick up the phone and we’re done. 1st store is sold out, no iPhones. No problem, I’ll be walking right by another Rogers on the way back to the office. Store #2, no 32GB phones, just 16GB, but some great advice. The Apple store at Polo Park is also a Rogers dealer and despite having no Rogers signage at the Apple store, they can hook you up! Saturday morning, shortly after the 9am opening we’ re at the Apple store which is already buzzing with activity and after a very short wait we’re getting the phone and an iPad mini set up on the Rogers network.

    Time will tell about the Rogers experience vs. the MTS experience with services and network etc. They do share the same network and towers etc. so the coverage is similar. MTS is hyping LTE, but it’s not up in Manitoba yet, and it seems that Rogers will get in on the LTE action when they get access to the MTS LTE towers, apparently in a month or two.

    The surprising thing about this is that MTS would not budge on the hardware price, couldn’t or would’t offer me any other reason to stay with them, and lost a customer over it. Not only that, but if the Rogers experience is good, my 4S renewal is likely to go their way, which might lead to dropping the MTS home phone and Shaw is always trying to get the TV & Internet business back. Why did they open the door to all that. In fact I made that scenario clear to on of the senior MTS folks I talked to. A big risk to customer satisfaction and loyalty over $130.