Oldest living CamelBak dies

I don't remember the exact date or year when I first got this Camelbak but it's outlasted a number of girlfriends and life changes - I'm sure I had her in '98 - so sixteen years plus or more. Tonight she died. Upon opening her up tonight the membrane around the filling port tore. But this morning she ran up Brown Mountain with me for one last time which is just how I want to go, too. Thank you Camelbak for keeping me hydrated all these years - oh the adventures we've had! 

dream

woke up from a dream about coffee and bicycles…
or was it a dream…

a million cars can ruin your whole day

This has happened to me a number of times lately - and I feel it's just getting worse - I've just come out of the mountains and/or some secret winding, rolling road and/or path under a dark canopy of trees only to emerge into such a steady stream of cars I can hardly believe or understand. My feelings of fatigue induced euphoria are quickly stomped on by the speed and rush and hurry and the cold steel feel of a car unthoughtfully buzzing by. And so sometimes I just pull over and wait. It's a long wait. But I figure it might save my life. And I wonder if car drivers ever do the same - wait - for anyone… I hope I do when I'm behind the wheel but I've got a different perspective - after so much time on bike and foot - so, I try - and I do see other car drivers trying and I greatly appreciate it - but, still, I get confused - a bicycle is not an anomaly - I know cars pass bicycles all the time - but each time a car driver passes me I feel like it's the first time they've ever done it - too much uncertainty - or worse, too much disregard… we are humans, all - traveling humans… 

clean bottle found

I found this Clean Bottle in the gutter - at the bottom of a hill - actually my hill - or, at least, the one I ride down nearly every day - there are some bumps in the road - thank goodness - they slow the cars - so probably some bicyclist hit those downhill bumps just forcefully enough that their bottle popped out of their cage, never to be seen again - I suppose I could have left it there - or propped it up on the sidewalk where it may have been more visible and refindable, but I really had no way of knowing how much time had passed since the bottle popping out incident occurred - although, the water was warm - and so I selfishly and/or riskily grabbed the bottle and made it my own - and, anyway, it's a Clean Bottle so I shouldn't be concerned about being able to wash out a little spittle and foam… And anyway, it reminded me of my friend who has become quite famous on a certain popular afternoon television talk show, I guess you call it. He's like what I would call a sidekick - let's call him Sideshow Andy for now - he often dresses up in costumes and dances around on stage - and if you're interested in cycling - you've no doubt seen the Clean Bottle costumed man trotting alongside the peloton in Tour of Cal and perhaps others… That Clean Bottle muppet always reminded me of Sideshow Andy and so I just had to snatch up that Clean Bottle - and it's insulated!