Central Texas

Sommar Time, and the Bikin’ Is Sweaty; I Heat It

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 8 Comments

Summer solstice was June 21, but the heat that’s normally in August arrived early to Austin and Central Texas. With multiple days over 100 F even before the official start of the sucky season, we’re sweating to the oldies two months early. Last year was the second hottest summer on record here, so pessimism for pain is high. So much for the slow descent into hell which gives us time to adjust. Mix in the urban heat island effect (thanks to so many people moving here and all the concrete from constructing more roads and houses), the El Nino weather pattern, and of course global warming, and it’s a recipe for hotness. What’s a bikin’ dude, and his trusty Fuji Finest bicycle dubbed Sommar, to do?

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Car-Free Dude Drives Borrowed Automobile, Doesn’t Die

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Yes, you read that correctly: A Dude is driving an infernal combustion pollution-mobile for a while. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but it’s required for a job, so I’m going with the flow. However, my bicycle mileage is suffering greatly. My wallet on the other hand, which has been starved for quite some time while I wrote and now edit my book, is enjoying the influx of filthy lucre. I haven’t planted any trees to offset my carbon footprint, but my time without a car has earned me a fair bit of good karma. (See 14 Years Not a Slave to Cars.) But it’s still a dilemma, one that my little blog isn’t going to solve.

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Summer Is Coming: Surviving Cycling in Sunny Central Texas

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 8 Comments

If I had seen a second of that program about dragons and stuff on the Home Box Office channel, I could continue the allusion. But I haven’t so I can’t. But I can however tell you that the hotter-than-hell-fire breathing dragon that is summer in Central Texas is starting her terrifying approach. Temps are already topping out at the low 90’s in Austin, Texas. People, get ready, a lack of rain is comin’. I share my tips on how to deal. Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor in real life or TV. I’m just telling you how I deal with the heat. If you have or may have a medical condition that makes being outside dangerous, ask a real doctor, not a dude. This goes for everything on my blog. If my experience helps, great. But always use common sense, take responsibility, and you do you.

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