boy in a kilt
02-13-2010, 09:25 PM
Hey all,
My tour in Iraq is winding down slowly. Definitely on the downhill side now.
Very much looking forward to getting home to Oregon, SGTiger and the kids. They've been holding out well, but by the time I get home, I will have been gone for the better part of 14 months.
Also looking forward to riding bikes again. SGTiger has authorized me to build a Big Dummy. So, Aaron (from ABR in Seattle) and I worked it out and he built it. Last little bit is he's been waiting for Phil Wood to have a production run of rear hubs for disc brakes. That should be waiting for me when I get home, Inshallah.
I have a fixie over here because it's pretty flat where I am. I broke a spoke a couple of weeks ago and since we don't have a bike shop on post anymore (some Iraqis had one for a while, but it closed) so I'm having to scavenge. Problem I'm having is most of the bikes on post here are mountain bikes with 26" wheels. Spokes are too short and the wrong gauge). However, I'm still looking. I know there is one around here somewhere. If I don't scavenge one in another few days, I'm going to take the opposing spoke off along with the ones on the opposite side of the wheel. It's not a strong wheel to begin with but that'll get me through the rest of the time here. Then I'm going to sell it cheap or abandon it here.
I will never again get all worked up about speedbumps. Most of the speedbumps around here are track from old tanks a such. Probably about 6" high and definitely not a smooth transition. Fortunately, they are easy to see at night.
I also have a very different relationship with heat. It was 97 degrees (humidity about the same) when I left Georgia back in July. It was 114 (at 8 am) when I landed in Kuwait but only 4% humidity. Really didn't seem that bad, although the wind does nothing to cool you when it's that hot. It's more like turning the hair dryer on high and pointing it at your face.
I've been assured we've seen days over here in excess of 130 degrees. It's a little worse in the Baghdad area because it's more humid there. It's been in the mid-70's all week and should touch 100 a few times before I left.
What I really want is to ride my bike in the rain. When it rains here, it rains mud and the roads are actually muddier when the rains end.
My tour in Iraq is winding down slowly. Definitely on the downhill side now.
Very much looking forward to getting home to Oregon, SGTiger and the kids. They've been holding out well, but by the time I get home, I will have been gone for the better part of 14 months.
Also looking forward to riding bikes again. SGTiger has authorized me to build a Big Dummy. So, Aaron (from ABR in Seattle) and I worked it out and he built it. Last little bit is he's been waiting for Phil Wood to have a production run of rear hubs for disc brakes. That should be waiting for me when I get home, Inshallah.
I have a fixie over here because it's pretty flat where I am. I broke a spoke a couple of weeks ago and since we don't have a bike shop on post anymore (some Iraqis had one for a while, but it closed) so I'm having to scavenge. Problem I'm having is most of the bikes on post here are mountain bikes with 26" wheels. Spokes are too short and the wrong gauge). However, I'm still looking. I know there is one around here somewhere. If I don't scavenge one in another few days, I'm going to take the opposing spoke off along with the ones on the opposite side of the wheel. It's not a strong wheel to begin with but that'll get me through the rest of the time here. Then I'm going to sell it cheap or abandon it here.
I will never again get all worked up about speedbumps. Most of the speedbumps around here are track from old tanks a such. Probably about 6" high and definitely not a smooth transition. Fortunately, they are easy to see at night.
I also have a very different relationship with heat. It was 97 degrees (humidity about the same) when I left Georgia back in July. It was 114 (at 8 am) when I landed in Kuwait but only 4% humidity. Really didn't seem that bad, although the wind does nothing to cool you when it's that hot. It's more like turning the hair dryer on high and pointing it at your face.
I've been assured we've seen days over here in excess of 130 degrees. It's a little worse in the Baghdad area because it's more humid there. It's been in the mid-70's all week and should touch 100 a few times before I left.
What I really want is to ride my bike in the rain. When it rains here, it rains mud and the roads are actually muddier when the rains end.