Garden Goblin – March. 31, 2025
With Spring setting in, and temps pretty perfect for doing outdoor chores, we revamped the raised bed planters this past weekend: Compost from the past 2 seasons added, a fresh layer of organic soil, and hopes that we enjoy a summer of tasty vegetables and herbs!
Well, yesterday I went to check on things to see how our plant friends had established, and all of our lettuce had been mowed down. When I brought this up to my partner, she notified me via picture that our unwelcome Otospermophilus variegatus tenant was back.
Funny Sign, or Shenanigan Invitation? – March. 24, 2025
A few weeks ago, we were visiting a popular diner spot in northern AZ, and this sign caught my eye when we were cashing out after breakfast. I immediately had to send this to Toby, and his reaction, as expected, was “I gotta visit this place!”
This then got me scheming to conglomerate all of the Tobys I know to all visit simultaneously, and see if that causes some sort of overload, or if everyone would have a good laugh. So, if you’re a Toby, please be aware that you are cordially invited to have breakfast with many other Tobys next time we host a ride event in the White Mountains! I’m confident the effort will be worth it, and they also have great food.
Plane ol’ Bones – March. 17, 2025
I had a wonderful time and a great ride this past weekend for our Colossal Cave Overnighter, and part of the route from downtown has us passing by the Air Force Boneyard, where thousands of planes, helicopters, and other assorted aviation components rest, spanning several square miles of the Tucson Basin.
Riding by always makes me think about all of the aircraft in flight at any given moment, and what things would be like if there was no air travel, I suppose everything would take longer. Anyway, Mt. Wrightson is in the background with snow on it (It was easier to see in person).
PAYDAY PIDAY FRIDAY – March. 10, 2025
If you were reading these Tidbits last year, you may recall that we have a small, biweekly celebration of pizza and being able to pay our bills, affectionately named “Payday Pieday Friday,” and that the convergence of Pi Day (3/14), and this cosmic syzygy occurs only 21 times every 400 years. Well, this year we have reached the zenith, and we will be honoring it with 3.14 pizzas (I consider the garlic knots and sauce to dip 0.14159 of a pizza)!!!
Dream Work Makes the Team Work – March. 03, 2025
Something I’ve always loved about Campfire is that my colleagues are always willing to lend a hand (or two) when needed. Here we find a prime example of this comradery with Jake operating the slide hammer to extract a stubborn bearing, while Ellie dutifully keeps the wheel pinned down. In case you’re wondering, the bearing was freed from the gilded cage of the hub, and a new, fresh bearing was pressed into its place to purvey the rider for thousands of miles.
Dodge the Brown Spot – February. 24, 2025
Last weekend I loaded up the family and dogs and we traveled North again to celebrate the anniversary of my 21st birthday, and typically a trip this time of year means lots of snow and spring conditions. Instead, the mountain park was looking more suited to MTB shenanigans than non-wheeled gravity sports– as a desert rat, it was still great to get some runs in.
I could see all of the enduro lines and jumps ready for the next season– the lack of snow and T-shirt riding conditions made me worry a bit about the upcoming warm weather and lack of precipitated dihydrogen oxide, but I’m still hoping a spring storm brings a bit of much needed moisture to the parched state. J’adore le pluie en printemps!
Life is Burritoful – February. 17, 2025
The team took a few moments on Wednesday morning before the shop opened to celebrate another blue planet orbit made by yours truly, and there were many laughs, interesting anecdotes, and notably delicious breakfast foods snuggled in a tortilla sleeping bag. It was a really great way to usher in the next year, and hopefully it brings good luck, and even more burritos!
จักรยานไม้ไผ่ – February. 10, 2025
Whenever I travel, one of my favorite pastimes is checking out the rigs of locals, and seeing what kind of unique bikes catch my eye. This Bamboo Bicycle (as it is clearly labeled on the downtube) was a gem from Chaing Mai, Thailand, and really fit in well with the jungle, city, and humidity of the area. Just looking at this makes my mouth water thinking of all the delicious Thai street food! The King headset and 3×8 brifters somehow matched up well with the rear dropouts, which were clearly custom made, or cut from another frame. I hope that this bike is still cruising around the peninsula!
Big Moment for a Little Guy – February. 03, 2025
This past weekend I got to take my progeny out for his first bike ride, and I definitely caught the feels. It was an impromptu trip spurred by good weather- I hastily installed the child seat on my Ortlieb Quick Rack, and it worked great (don’t worry, I moved the seat into a further back position after this ride), and we headed to the grandparents house by way of the bicycle boulevard as a family! He fell asleep on the way home, just as my mother said I did when I was his age.
Super excited to get out for more rides!!!
恭喜發財 – January. 27, 2025
The Lunar New Year has changed, and as my grandfather came from a village in the Guangdong province, the Cantonese wishes of good luck and prosperity were one of the first things my cousins and I learned growing up, and it was always a great time! There were Dragon/Lion dances, lots of food and candy, and fireworks, all of which I still enjoy. We are preparing homemade longevity noodles for the family, Lai See (red envelopes) for good luck, and have lots of dumplings in the steamer! I am using a nontraditional method for the noodles (the dough is resting in the picture), but they should hold delicious sauces just fine! I wish you all an auspicious Year of the Snake!
Tree Hugging, Southwest Style – January. 20, 2025
One of the inevitabilities of riding in the desert is the eventual run-in with cholla or “Jumping Cactus,” and in my nature of doing most things to the maximum, I can attest that the cactus will indeed jump. This particular species is the “Hanging Chain Cholla” (Cylindropuntia fulgida), but my favorite is the Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa), as the flower buds can be roasted in a campfire, and has a flavor akin to asparagus. The infamous “Teddy Bear Cholla” (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is a variety that is also prolific, and a very common cause for sailor talk on the trails.
The Floor is Lava – January. 13, 2025
With my spouse out of town for work, I haven’t had much time for cycling in the past week, instead, I have been spending copious amounts of time trying to make the lower 3 feet of our home safer for this guy, who just began crawling like he’s late for an appointment! So far, the favorite things at ground level are: the dog water bowl (anything dog related, actually), a molcajete that lives on the bottom of an open shelf in the kitchen, taking apart the air purifier, and anything with electrical cords. Naturally, I’ve been trying to let him explore the house (without having a panic attack), and I’m excited to see if he can use his balance bike before walking.
Nondem Throwback – January. 6, 2025
With my child growing and gaining mobility, I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of bicycle related methods of carrying more than one or two people, and remembered this nondem bike from Interbike 2008. I may be only searching for a triple or a quad, but it’s nice to know that you can get a custom made ride that can even be packed up using S&S couplers! For now, I’ll settle for a rack mounted baby seat and a trail-a-bike!