Earache

Gotta love a free hotel room as well...

Riding moto support for the Ironman race in Boulder, CO tomorrow.

Just got back from our pre-race briefing. Apparently a moto got tangled up with a bicycle in last week's race in Germany. Rider was killed. So they're being super critical of the moto's right now. See video below.

Pretty good gig though - paying us $175 per moto for about 3 hours work.

After Saturday's race, I'll be marshalling a 6 day ride across Colorado beginning on Sunday. Only $150 a day for that but should be fun.

Wifey snagged me a free room in Boulder, too !

4 hours ago, yen_powell said:

Dedication that is, actually modelling one on his face. The 'German Hippy' I think that one is.

I like the brush in his hand.

And those samples look like pieces of shag carpeting from the 1970's.

I didn't even know that "Merkin Salesman" was an actual job!     I'd have applied....

Read all of the classics .... 

Dusted off some of my old childhood books that my Mom saved for me...

On 06/06/2023 at 12:38, boboneleg said:

 

Not quite sure what the dogs role is though

He's the look out.

Hi Limey  -welcome!

Went to the bike shop today to buy some more gear. Not for me though - hope the wife likes it...

4 minutes ago, XTreme said:

Some of the the houses are a lot like Brit ones.....

Probably built by Brits. Remember - 1/2 of the people here at that time period were from Europe.

9 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Why are so many of those great houses unoccupied , is there a lot of unemployment there or are they just too costly to renovate ?

Both. There are no jobs here to speak of and the population has moved away over the years. The town, like many in the Midwest, is a shadow of it's former self.

All of the old factories are along the river, which was the highway back then. Just like in UK ...

And what Midwestern town doesn't have a massive, huge, hulking courthouse in the town center?

The town is also full of old factories that have been out of service for years. Probably dating from the m id 1800's, they're all empty now ....

The Victorian homes have gabled roof lines and are more ornate....

No end to these buildings around town, although a lot fo them are empty....

Even an old school still stands....

Some more Federal style in brick ....

Two main styles of homes in the area; Federal and Victorian - with the Federal style being a bit older, (1780's to 1810-ish).

Cool Federal home made from limestone ... 

So, last day in town and I went for a short cruise to shoot some piccies.

The  East End Tavern - spent many a night here drinking way too much beer in my younger days. It's a dump but the beer was cold and cheap....

2 hours ago, XTreme said:

Houses are pretty cheap there then?

One of the cheapest areas in the USA. Parts of the south (Alabama Mississippi) may be a bit cheaper, but not much,

4 minutes ago, skyrider said:

a bit big for a retirement home , think of all those steps with your groaning knees 

That's about 1/3 of the steps and stairs I have now, but I get what ya mean.

1 hour ago, XTreme said:

Very different scenery there Eric!

Lot of potential with that house at 49K!

Yes - not desert, rolling hills and lots of green. Kinda like England and the supposed Peak District. No crowds or traffic , either.

It;d probably cost around  $100K to finish that house and then you'd have $150K in it. Probably could only sell it for $80K. But to live in and not worry about resale, it'd be good.

2 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

In the UK the weight you’re allowed to haul is dependant on your bike. I can’t remember exactly, something like 50% of the bikes weight I think. 

So that'd be like 300-400 lbs of stuff. Quite a bit. Don't think I'll ever need to carry that much stuff on a bike as I don't camp. Would be nice to have some extra space though.