Housecleaning
Perhaps he could start with his own house…
President Bush implored the United Nations on Tuesday to recommit itself to restoring human decency by liberating oppressed people and ending famine and disease.
…as in, U.S. prisons in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Afghanistan, where people have been imprisoned for years without access to due process or counsel; the rendering of individuals to foreign countries for torture and imprisonment by the CIA; and, by tying up the ever-continuing loose ends of the Katrina debacle, where, as we all remember, citizens were left to their own devices by a government that’s supposed to help them in times of such need.
Now that would be a good beginning.
Unfortunately, it will never happen.
All hat and no cattle*
Why is this no surprise?
Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, derided his political friend as a “windshield cowboy” — a cowboy who prefers to drive…
…Mr Fox offered Mr Bush a ride on a “big palomino” horse. Mr Fox recalled Mr Bush “backing away” from the animal. — from the telegraph.co.uk
I’d post a picture of the cat wearing the hat, but it’s too silly-looking. Besides, Dr. Seuss might take exception.
Link to article here.
*Actually, he owns five on his hat ranch.
Ragtops
Helmets are a great invention. The keep your head warm when it’s cold, dry when it’s raining, and sweaty when it’s hot. Thus was invented the helmet liner, a silk and cotton accoutrement that makes a rider look like a dork when he puts it on, but quickly turns from a fashion nightmare into an item that makes for a more comfortable helmet. Added bonus: the helmet doesn’t stink up as fast.
cyclegadgets.com can’t seem to get it right, though. I bought their helmet liner product because the last two I owned became indispensable to me. They work so well that it’s just plain silly to wear a helmet without one. This time, the liner they sent me shredded on two of the seams after the first washing. So much for ingenuity and marketing.
It’s not worth it to send it back to cyclegadgets for a replacement. The cost of postage will only add to the cost of the item, thus making an already useless item that much more expensive.
It seems one just can’t win any more.
Now that I’m finished with my rant, here’s a tip on helmet sanitation: When the old brain-bucket does begin to get ripe — and it will — put it in the dishwasher, without soap, and run it through a wash cycle. Just remember to take the helmet out before the heat cycle comes on. Let it air dry, and voila! Good as new.
Salem Sue lives!
I had completely forgotten about Salem Sue until once again I had her in my sights from miles away. Proudly she stands, near exit 127 on the 94, west of Bismark. Up close, the horrendous sight of her pendulous and swollen udder is enough to send one running, screaming, back down the hill. I was almost sorry I had stopped and climbed the only hill in the region for a closeup look at this giant fiberglass milk cow.
Just try and imagine the size of the cowpie that little beauty could produce.
I’ll leave it to you to examine the link. I just couldn’t bear to take a picture of a giant plastic cow, because basically, it reminded me of all of those cutsie cow salt and pepper shaker sets with cow creamers that I see in folksie cafes on at least every second bike trip.
Sometimes, it’s best to look away from the wreck on the side of the road.
Getting nailed in Fond du Lac
My gypsy wedding tour has come to a grinding halt in Fond du Lac, where an itinerant nail has found its way into my front tire. What is this affinity that my tires have for nails, I ask. The last time it was in Santa Rosa, thus a free ride to Santa Fe. That was good. I’d never been there before.
All is not lost, however. I missed the cold weather by being holed up in a hotel room waiting for maintenance, since I haven’t been able to find a front Metzler — to match the newly-installed rear — in a timely manner.
The wedding is toast now, since I’m a day’s ride away.
I’ll be heading back home, the fast way.
Circling the wagons
East of Jordan, Montana 200 narrows but travels through mini-badlands for ten miles or so. The early-morning low angle of the sun forces the landscape to stand out in shadowy contrast to the blue sky. Eventually the ground flattens to grain and cattle country once more, and hawks climb high in their search for prey. Pheasants on the side and in the middle of the road like flying up into my path, and I tag a couple. Feathers predominate when I do.
At Circle, I stop for breakfast, but instead discover the Lunchbox, owned and operated by Billie for the past two years. Instead of the eggs I was planning on having, I had a chicken salad wrap and some broccoli soup — much healthier in the long run. Billie says that the place is popular with the locals, and I guess it must be, although Circle is little more than a bump in the road.
Eventually I’m on the boring 94 headed east to Fargo and making good time.
It’s another great riding day, with plenty of sunshine and blue sky.
Places to eat - Circle, Montana
The Lunchbox — Circle, Montana
It’s hard to miss, since it’s the only place on the main drag through town.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. spring/summer; to 5:30 p.m. in the fall/winter
This little gem is tucked away on Montana 200. I was looking for a place to stop for my normal road breakfast after an hour or so of riding, but when I pulled in, I discovered that Billie, the owner, doesn’t have a grill. Instead, she has wraps, subs, soups, smoothies and a tanning salon.
I’m sure I’m much healthier for my effort, since I had broccoli soup and a chicken salad wrap.
Not bad for the middle of nowhere — but don’t tell Billie I wrote that.
Crossing Jordan for 40 bucks
Montana 200 is a desolate little bit of twolane blacktop that runs east from Missoula through Great Falls and Lewistown all the way to Duluth on Lake Superior. A short leg south allows it to hook onto the 94 approximately 200 miles west of Bismark. Outside of those major centers lies not much of anything, and perhaps that makes the leg I traveled today one of the least-traveled roads I’ve ever been on. I don’t think I encountered more than a dozen cars the entire day while riding the more isolated parts of the highway.
The roadside motels all look like they’ve seen better days, but that doesn’t mean that they’re bad. I stopped at a brand new rest area east of Lewistown and encountered another biker who told me about a 40 dollar room in Jordan, so here I am. It’s not too bad — single story, very old, but it appears kept up. The bathroom is small, which means that it was probably built in the 50s or early 60s. When the main air conditioner kicks in, the entire building shakes and buzzes. Entertainment appears to be sitting in the box of the pickup in the parking lot and talking on a cellphone.
But that’s all right. The sheets are clean and should it rain, it looks like the roof won’t leak. And by the forecast, the weather tomorrow will be sunny and warm, just like today.
The road is good to me.
If it suits me
I’ll be hitting the road in a couple of days, headed for Chi-town; the Windy City; Chicagoland. I’m riding out to a wedding — not mine! I hasten to add — but that of a friend. LittleBigGirl and Rick will be doing the deed out in the burbs on Saturday.
So far, I’ve dug out an old suit — the only one I didn’t throw out; suspenders to go with the pants; a shirt (my last dress shirt, or reasonable facsimile thereof). I had to buy a tie, since I threw out my collection of hundreds — my only vanity, and a pair of Converse high-tops. There’s no damned way in hell I’m wearing shoes, since I threw all of those out too and I wholeheartedly refuse to buy more.
It’s a 106 miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes; it’s dark and we’re wearing sun glasses. Hit it! — The Blues Brothers
This really gets my goat
Nepal Airlines has apparently fixed an electrical fault on one of its Boeing 757s by sacrificing two goats… — by Lester Haines, The Register
If that’s true, then there’s a whole bunch of people who will be out of work in the near future, because we all know that airline industry executives are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to cut costs.
I foresee one problem: how will parents explain to their children why there’s a bunch of goats laying around and bleeding all over the tarmac?
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