The weather took a seasonal turn yesterday. The gods knew I’d be dropping the Subie at Reincarnation downtown around 8:30, and they didn’t want me to be too comfortable as I cycled home on the Soma Double Cross.
It wasn’t what I’d call wintry. There was a pretty brisk wind, but hey, this is New Mexico. Wind ain’t blowing when you wake up, you may have died during the night. Anyway, it was pushing me along the North Diversion Channel Trail. So, winning, etc.
I was properly attired, with a light jacket over a long-sleeved jersey and an ancient Hind base layer, bibs and tights, wool socks, full-fingered gloves, and a tuque under my helmet. Kept it all on, too, as the wind became a little less friendly on the Osuna-Bear Canyon trail.
When you start your day with a 65-mph sprint down I-40 to University and then cycle from Mountain and 2nd, up Odelia-Indian School, and along the NDCT from Indian School to Osuna, you see the homeless folks getting their mornings on, if you know where to look.
One dude was camping beyond rough, rolled up like a burrito in a red blanket on a concrete slab off on the north side of I-40. I might not have seen him were it not for that blanket. If he had a shopping cart, a bicycle, or even a bindle, it was pretty well concealed.
As I pedaled up the NDCT a small group was shaking itself awake just off the trail below Montgomery. One guy had a bike; we exchanged waves.
Later, after I was home and warm and full of lunch, Reincarnation rang me up to say my 20-year-old rust-bucket would require a deeper dip into the wallet than I had anticipated, imperiling a considerable slice of what I had until that moment considered disposable income.
I felt sorry for myself, briefly, until I remembered that at least I’d have the Subie to sleep in if everything went south on me all at once. There’s even a locking rack up top for the Double Cross.
Mad Blog Media 
Please tell me it’s not the dreaded “Subie head gasket” bomb dropped on you! Been there….done that and parts of me are still stretched out and sore.
Herb, ol’ gasketeer, I managed to dodge that bullet this time around. I’ve heard the tales, though. Yow, wow, ow, zow, etc.
No, this time it’s just the timing belt, serpentine belt, front rotors resurfacing, alignment, and standard 150K service. Which … is enough.
Back in my pre retirement bike to work days, I’d regularly roll by this guy sleeping outside semi sheltered by the wall of one of the local sewage treatment plants. The dude had a rickety bike and trailer that he generally pushed. He was a tough old bird given he was sleeping outside in the Iowa winters. I’d occasionally drop him bread and peanut butter. He wound up getting hit and killed by a distracted driver. Never knew his name other than the Can Man. He got that because he collected cans for the deposit.
Yet another “Invisible Cyclist” story.
Aw, man, that’s a sad story. Good on you for feeding the hungry. Lots of ’em out there and more every day, too.
The official estimate is that there are 5,000-plus homeless in The Duck! City, counting those in shelters and out. That’s a shit-ton of stories. Most will never get told.
See, this is why every time I head to Iowa to visit the fam, I try to spend time working at NewBo Bike Collective. There’s a steady stream of homeless coming through for help with their bikes, and NewBo works with a number of re-entry programs to get released cons on bikes so they can get to their jobs. I like to follow the pro circuit, and I see plenty of hoochy-goochy high end carbon-hydraulic-electronic-disc stuff at the races I work as a racing official, but NewBo is where the action is at. At the low end making it work for the people trying to get up to the bottom rung of the ladder.
The homeless problem is out of control and no one seems to be able to fix it. About a month ago, I ended up doing CPR on a homeless drug OD victim unconscious and unresponsive lying across the Rail Trail bike path until the EMTs got there. I hope she has not done that trick again. A week before that, a homeless guy and I had to pull a guy off the tracks after he crashed on the Railrunner crossing and had trouble getting up. Just as the train was headed his way. January was an interesting month for unusual occurrences.
Sorry about the Furrister. 20 yr old cars start to accumulate things to fix. I hope it wasn’t a big one. As far as Herb’s comment, I imagine a blown head gasket would leave telltales such as steam coming out the exhaust if coolant is entering the combustion chambers, or oil-water mixtures where they shouldn’t be.
We’ve had great luck with the Subies. Some niggling things, but no catastrophes (such as my ill fated experiment with certain German sports cars, which my long suffering spouse called The Financial Black Hole in the Garage). Our 2002 Impreza with the relatively recently introduced 2.5l four went through timing belt tensioners like clockwork but fortunately, I knew the sound (one has to know that sound if one owns Porsche cars) and got them replaced before I ended up using the camshaft as an impact driver against the valves. First time the dealer paid, second time I did. Then the car got caught in one of Los Alamos’ veritable golfball-to-baseball size hailstorms and ended up looking like a gang of crazed people took ball peen hammers to it. We took the insurance check and sold it to a friend for their daughter, who needed a college car that looked like a giant silver golf ball.
Never had a problem with my ’07 WRX but traded that for a Forester after my Year of Multiple Surgeries and Broken Bones made a manual transmission a non-starter. That car had been 100% reliable. Our ’09 Impreza did a lot better than the ’02. Never broke until someone broke it while sailing down our street not paying attention, totalling it. That meant buying another Impreza, a used ’17. Was a great little car but The Spouse hated it. I used it as a commuter as we had moved to the People’s Republic and finally traded it for a small pickup truck given I am no longer commuting to work and we have, of recently, been doing a lot of what one delicately calls home improvements. I really started to miss my old 1996 Tacoma, which always found a use for itself, and purred along famously even with 330,000 miles on the odometer, only burning about a quart of oil between oil changes. Let’s hope the Ford Maverick does half as well.
We’ve had real good luck with Subies. Herself had a Brighton Legacy Wagon (a ’99?) that was just a giggle to drive and long enough for me to sleep in during road trips to Interbike and whatnot.
Then she had an Outback, can’t remember the vintage, and drove the wheels off that until she asked me to take it to Reincarnation for a “checkup” while she was out of town and the process of getting it there scared the mortal shit out of me.
When the wrench says, “Well, sir, Mr. O’Grady, we can fix everything that’s wrong with it, but. …” and just leaves that “but” hanging there, it’s time to shop for a new rig because it’s your butt that’s gonna be hanging there directly, with a big ol’ target on it.
She drives a Honda CR-V now, and says it’s OK, but man, she misses that Outback.
The Forester I’ve had since 2006. It had just 16K on the odometer when I traded the Tacoma for it after that roughly used truck (187K) started to become a monthly payment to various mechanics.
I like the Forester a lot. It’s a clanky old tank, makes more bad noise than a busted chainsaw, but it’s been a reliable all-weather vehicle. I’ve drove the damn’ thing from Maine to Spokane and Bisbee to Bellingham.
Friend of mine down the street has an Impreza with 220k miles on it. Runs just great. Those Subaru people really known how to make great cars.
Yeah, I’m totally a fan. I just don’t want to go into debt at this particular moment in history to collect a newer model. Thus the less expensive fix-it-up option.
Meanwhile, we were out of bread for toast and sammiches so with the Furster on the hoist I broke out a Soma Saga to ride to our friendly neighborhood bakery in a small shopping center at Juan Tabo and Montgomery.
¡Hijo, madre!
Ain’t no easy way to get there from here unless your idea of a good time is cycling on Montgomery (median-divided, infinity lanes in both directions, a 40-mph limit that absolutely no one obeys, and no bike lane). Juan Tabo may be even worse. I knew this from driving both stroads, of course.
I wound up choosing a circuitous route through the spaghetti bowl of suburban streets between here and there, which featured a sprint across Montgomery at Bermuda followed by a second spaghetti-bowl spin to Cairo and Montgomery, where I punched the traffic signal and on the green sprinted across Montgomery in the other direction to the bakery.
Where there were no bike racks. Because of course there weren’t.
On the return leg I said fuck it and rode the sidewalk to Bermuda. Cheeziz H. Keereist.
Delicious bread, though, and an excellent staff of delightful young folks who don’t bat an eyelash at crazy old men in raggedy-ass bike kit with their eyes out on stalks.
Glad you made it home in one piece. Oh, BTW, you see the police have a warrant out for the suspect who sent Chuck Malagodi to the Hereafter. Was in the Journal, and I posted the BOLO on my blog.
http://labikes.blogspot.com/2025/02/albuquerque-issues-warrant-for-suspect.html
Yeah, I saw that, and the Journal story said investigators interviewed the suspect at a house where the vehicle was found … and some song-and-dance ensued about how some rando dumped the truck, switched vehicles, and fled the scene. I’d like to know more about that interview, since the suspect — who maybe could have been collared right then and there — is now in the wind.
From the Journal:
I’ve got a story about raggedy-ass old men in bike kit walking into a high end store in Fanta Se. For another time. But they looked at me like someone who needed to be perp-walked out the door.
Well yes and no. Certain vintage Outbacks like our 2008 would wait until they were just a tad out of warranty and then the defective head gasket would do its damage. Or if not, you knew it was lurking and now 2 to 4k of repairs were waiting too. Subaru knew they had this defect, lied about it, fixed it on future models and went on their way. But without old Herb. Got on the Honda train and never looked back. Yes nothing goes down our 300 foot unplowed drive like the Outback but snow tires on the AWD Honda(s) are close enough. I would buy a used Brat however if I could find one without the Michigan tattoos (rust). Well maybe not as I see the ones in great shape are 20k+.
We’ve a 1990 Toyota 4Runner with 188K on it ….. 15 moves …… two kiddos used it in high school/college ….. all over the world …… hauling people/bikes/snowblowers/lawnmowers/etc. Still running well; heavy and under powered vs. today’s vehicles; and hoping to get another 15 years out of “Bert”.
Hope I didn’t just jinx us! 🙂
I loved my two 1983 Toyota trucks. The 1998 Tacoma was pretty, and comfy, and I didn’t have to get out to lock the hubs if I wanted 4WD … but those older longbeds were my faves. The red 2WD edition I drove anywhere and everywhere at the drop of a hat, and I would drop the hat myself.
Always wanted a 4Runner but never got there somehow. Like a truck with a permanent topper. Keep that rascal rolling, JD!
As you may know JD, that ’90 4Runner with that “few” of miles is only going up in value now. If you may be interested (Hee, Hee), I have a real comfy Ferrari red domesitic minivan (enclosed bike hauler and camping vehicle) with fewer miles that I’d consider trading you for it. It has 4 wheels and drives so in a sense you could kind of say that it has 4wd.
But getting a new or late model 4Runner or if so enriched, a Land Cruiser, one could be assured that until they couldn’t climb up into it, they wouldn’t need to buy another vehicle. Although I see a lot of old CRVs and Elements (the same chassis and engine) running around.
Ah the Honda Element. Had me one but not AwD and squirrelly as hell on slick roads. Wasn’t geared well either. I’d give an EV AwD Element a hard look if available since the layout and rooftop were excellent for toys. Mine had the big, ugly protector panels on the sides which I loved as you could lean bikes, skis and such on the Element with no concern.
2008 Forester bad head gasket 3k to fix then oil change place put 2.5 qts of oil for a 5 qt change motor cooked…. then thermostat then golden retriever tore up the interior preventing a break-in 5k to fix but insurance picked up all but 500 bucks. I just made the last payment on a 2019 Jeep Cherokee 2.4L underpowered but good gas mileage and 42500 miles. I have had three subies and two were great till demo derby assholes got a driver’s license. I have to admit the Jeep goes great in snow and ice In NW Montana winters plus a great heater at -10. Lacks cargo space but my Thule Ascent cargo box makes up for that and costs less than the extra 5 K for Subaru. I am weird but Dodge and Jeep products have been good to us. Ford trucks are like a black hole for money.
My old man always said F.O.R.D. stood for Fix Or Repair Daily; he was Dodge all the way.
Also, and too: Found On Road Dead. I had the 1996 F-150 From Hell, and a wrench told me once that the thing needed an exorcist, not a mechanic.
I had a 1993 Ford Exploder, with its underpowered V-6, 4×4, five on the floor. Was a hoot to drive around Los Alamos and I could put it in 4WD, low range when going off road. Never had any problems with it but finally cashed it in in 2009(?) during the Cash for Clunkers, when my wife needed a new(er) car after the Great Hailstorm Event. Likewise, had the ’96 Tacoma that was as reliable as the sunrise. The only problem was a user error: the previous owner had put in one of those cleanable air filters that you spray oil on. It got oil and crud residue on the hot wire (mass air flow meter) and I had a check engine light. Turns out someone had cracked the air cleaner box, letting dirt get around the filter to marry the oil residue. Took the whole air intake assembly apart and fixed it with two part marine epoxy. Well, then there was the day when a CV joint failed catastrophically and the wheel felt like it was going to fall off. But with over 300k miles, that’s not bad.
Otherwise, both were great vehicles. Wish I had never sold the Tacoma. Underpowered, but did everything a small truck could be asked to do. Plus, when I bought it, the Tacoma had a lift kit on it and could go anywhere in the mountains one had the nerve to drive.
I had a 1987 F-150 with the 300 cubic in in-line 6 cylinder engine and a manual transmission. Reliable as a, well, Toyota. In the last 20 years it’s been all Toyotas except for one Honda Element which was one of the handiest and versatile vehicles I have ever owned. You could fold the back seats up against the side walls and sleep in it. We did it on two quick overnight camping trips. That is when I fell in love with small hatchbacks, and we really like our current 2023 Corolla SE hatchback.