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Full Spectrum Cycling
Chewey’s Salon Chair #12 – 66-cent Beers – Flagstaff via Austin and High School MTB
Nov 3, 2021
Chewey’s Salon Chair #12 – 66-cent Beers – Flagstaff via Austin and High School MTB
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Transcript
0:00
[guitar music] All right.
0:30
Choose Podcast number 12, the mellow version, mostly because, um, in house today with me is just Brad Burry. And basically we're here because [laughs] Hy-Vee did 66 cent beers. Unbelievable.
0:48
Pints of beer for 66 cents from 2:00 until 8:00. Now, we started late, but the, uh, the stories behind, uh, everything that was going on there are somewhat insane.
1:00
Um, uh, I don't know how many people listen to this or how many people have Hy-Vees near them, but it was an anniversary, and they decided to try it. They were so happy with it that, um, they're...
1:11
Hopefully they're gonna do it again, but it was anything they had on tap. Yeah, I never asked you what was the purpose. You just said 66 cent beers, and I couldn't get in the car fast enough.
1:20
[laughs] Well, it started last night. Uh, Becca, one of the, one of our Tuesday night riders, um, had the ad on her phone, and we're like, "This is a joke. There's no fucking way somebody's doing-" No fucking way. Yeah.
1:32
And, um, she texts me, uh, about 6:00 this afternoon, 5:30, 6:00, and her and Aaron were already there. And she goes, "Yes, and there's a seat right next to me for you."
1:43
And the best part was I had to play hockey tonight, so I'm like, "Oh, I really should go, but I really shouldn't, because it'll be way too many beers and try to stand up."
1:53
And at, just at that moment, uh, our other buddy texts us and said, um, "You, are you in town?" I go, "Yeah." I go, "What time do we play tonight?" He goes, "We don't.
2:03
The compressor's not working, the ice is going down, and where do you wanna go have a beer at?" And I'm like, "Well- Well... Hy-Vee has 66 cent [laughs] pints." He goes, "See you there." [laughs] Yeah.
2:15
I couldn't fucking believe it, 'cause I was like... I had text you, [clears throat] and you were like, "Well, we're going to Hy-Vee." And I'm like, "Okay, why on earth are you going to the grocery store?"
2:28
And you're like, "66 cent taps." [laughs] And I'm like, "Say less." Yeah. [laughs] It, it- Like, plans canceled on the way... it was, so- [laughs]
2:36
It, it turned out to be the best thing that has happened to me in the last week. Um, we got there, and
2:44
Becca and Aaron had texted me and said they were already there, and then I told Mueller to meet me there, and I rode my bicycle down there.
2:49
And I got down there, and there's one seat open between those guys, and they don't know each other. So it was like the people I went there to meet were actually sitting together. [laughs] I'm like, "This is fantastic.
3:00
I'm so happy right now." Wow. And then they gave me a 66, 66 cent beer, and it was... Who the hell makes Avalanche? I didn't even look to see who made it, but it was really good. I was- I was gonna ask you.
3:10
Oh, I don't know. It's a fantastic lager, though. Was it an amber or a lager? No, it was a lager. Okay. And it was really good, and it was- I-... 66 cents for- I mean, it was wet, and it was cold- Um-...
3:19
and it was 66 cents... yeah. Let's see. Stats for... [laughs] I think I wrote this down. Stats were something like we drank 23 beers. I was gonna ask you, what did we total? 23 pints for 16 bucks.
3:33
And I don't remember if that included the tip or not. No, I think it was- No, that was- Yeah... that was pre-tip. Yeah. Yeah, so 66 bucks or- Just the tip... $16 for 23 beers.
3:42
So I remember, fuck, years ago we went to St. Cloud College, College Bar. I forget what it was called. But they did like, I wanna say it was like 50 cent tappers, but they gave you, like, the little Dixie cup.
3:59
But this was not that. This was the- No... full- This is a pint... 16 ounce- Yeah... glass pint. Yeah. It was... Yeah. It w- [laughs] And, and anything they had on tap.
4:09
They had Sam Adams, they had Surly Furious, they had- They had a lot of options, but they didn't have shit beer. Well, the only thing I didn't see was...
4:16
And I know they have a decent selection of can beer too, and I didn't see if... Why wouldn't it be? It's a 12 or 16 ounce. I don't know why it wouldn't have been in that, on that deal. But- Well, she said tap only.
4:27
Oh, did she? Mm-hmm. Okay. [smacks lips] So yeah, that, uh, that was a thing. I was shocked. I thought it was a joke. Oh, I, we all, we weren't, we weren't... Last night we were not sure that it was actually real either.
4:42
[laughs] We were like, "Well, maybe this is a thing, but probably not." And I think we all kind of poohooed it, but [laughs] Becca's...
4:50
So Becca's a, actually a teacher in, a, at a, uh, m- middle school or high school, I'm not sure which. Um- High school. Yeah, she, yeah, she's in high school. And she's like, her play was it's ME, it's MEA weekend...
5:04
Oh, you wanna open the door for the dog? [laughs] It's a- Is this my favorite corgi? Yeah, I think so. You have a lap dog. Of course it is. Here he is. Yep, there he is. Clark is here. Hey, buddy. Clarky. Hey, buddy.
5:14
Um, uh, we, uh, um- I just stiff-armed Clarky. That's all right. Uh, the, it was a, uh, um... Crap, I forgot to... Oh, yeah. Uh, Clark, you totally screwed me up. Clarky. You're fucking up the pod. Yeah.
5:30
Don't screw this up, man. Um- Do you get a bath? You smell good. No, he's been rolling in, like, weird shit out in the field. And he smells good. Are you sure you didn't get a bath? No. Um- What do you know?
5:40
Fucking you're gone all the time. I took him for a w- So he's here all down at the fort... I took him for a... No, I took him for a walk today. I walked the dogs today. Yeah.
5:47
I can hear your liver sizzling since you retired. [laughs] Well, since I can't remember what I was talking about- [laughs]... let's just move on to my last weekend.
5:54
Um, we left last Wednesday, and this is, this is a week ago today we left. [laughs] And we flew to Texas, to Austin. Um, our flight was delayed immediately. I had, like, the worst, worst flights ever.
6:08
I spent more time in the last week in airports than anywhere else, I honest to God think. Um, we, we got delayed because of weather going into Chicago before we went down to Austin.
6:18
Um, got to Austin, everything was fun, hang out with the kids. We were down there to babysit the pig. But in the meantime- Do we need to talk about the pig? Huh? Or are we just gonna mull over the- Oh.
6:29
No, no, no, we, we- Are we just gonna mull over the pig? Clark about took my head set off. Well, we'll talk about the pig too because he's an ornery little... Stop it. He was- Clark, he wants on the pod... he wants...
6:37
He was an ornery little shit this weekend. He was n- he's, he, him and I were- You went and hung out with a pig and he's like- Yeah... what the fuck?
6:43
Oh, and I was gonna put it on Greg's podcast and I forgot, so we'll have to make sure I get a picture to Greg so we can put it on s- this podcast.
6:48
So we went down to babysit the pig while Tanner and Nicolette were on their, on their cruise, on their, oh, they're on to a club, uh, motorcycle club rally. Um, but in the meantime, Kerry, who sponsored, ran, um,
7:05
SingleSpeed, uh, USA in Austin, texted me and says, "Hey, do you wanna go to Flagstaff for Skin and even Jesus, Jesus, Pat, um, Mercer," our buddy from Drunk Cyclists. They wanna go there for his birthday.
7:21
A bunch of guys are meeting there. Um, it was, it was some of the guys, we did a podcast a while ago where it was Pat, Scott, um, there were some other guys, Dirty, and some other guys on there.
7:30
But they were gonna go, we were gonna drop them off at the Grand Canyon, and they were gonna ride back to Flagstaff. So she says, "Do you wanna go to Flagstaff and hang out with me for a couple days? Kids are gone.
7:40
Sue can handle the pig." Which that was kind of disgusting sounding, but Sue can handle the pig. [laughs] And, uh- I feel like we need to talk about the pig. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, the pig is- Clark...
7:53
Willie's, Willie's something else. He's not a dog, believe me, he's not a dog. Willie the pig. Willie the pig. He's- This is Tanner's pig? Yeah. But I think, I think they got a pig shortly after they moved to Texas.
8:05
I don't think... They've lived in three different places since they moved down there, 'cause they've been down there five years now, and I think, uh, I think they got the pig immediately.
8:15
So, like, shortly after they moved down there they got this pet pig. Do we have a weight for this pig? I think he's 100 pounds now. That's it? Oh yeah, he's not big. I mean, he's- Is this a rookie pig?
8:24
Well, he's, I don't think he's a pot belly, so he stays little-little, but he's not like- So do they keep him on, like, a feed regimen so he doesn't get massive? He...
8:33
It's n- well, yeah, that does have something to do with it, right. Right. But it, but also it's, um, um, watching him, he's what, he's on pellets. They, they used to buy- Sure...
8:44
you know, they used to change his diet up. They'd do pellets for a bit and then they would do g- leafy greens. They're...
8:49
Be honest with you, to me it seems like a pain in the ass because they can't have anything with sugar, they can't have this, they can't have that. So they're trying to keep Willie lean. Yeah.
8:56
Well, yeah, just I mean, you wanna keep him lean 'cause you ever seen his, if you seen his feet, they're like, they're like legs on a s- on a chair. They're so tiny little. Things are just weird.
9:06
But anyway, he's, he's a cool guy and he, he, [laughs] he had put up with a, a couple of, uh, um, of Tanner's club mates. I don't know what the fuck you call them.
9:17
I don't get into motorcycle clubs, so I don't understand. [laughs] Um, but they're, they all were hanging out together and they were...
9:24
Um, they'd stop by there, so they'd had a week of those guys staying there, and then Sue and I showed up, and I think he's much more willing to tolerate Sue than he is me. Sure. So yeah, so they did that.
9:36
I feel like fucking Cesar Millan. What do you want, dogs? You going in or out? No, they're not going in. They're just hanging out. Clark's being a- No, Clark just- Clark's being a dick...
9:45
so now that I've retired, this is Clark's, like, home away from home. He sits out here with me all day. Well, good. Yeah, he likes it. Seems like a shop dog. Yeah, he is. You gotta stay down. He's very much a shop dog.
9:55
Totally. Um- We're buds... but anyway, we had... So, so let's see. So you went to Flag. So, so we were going to Flag. Kerry and I, Kerry and I were gonna go to Flag and our flight got...
10:07
We literally got on the plane, um, like 7:00, 8:00 in the morning, and got out to the runway and turned around and came back.
10:15
And for whatever reason, American Airline doesn't have any other fucking planes anywhere around. We were delayed until 3:00 in the afternoon. So there's something wrong with the plane.
10:23
Yeah, there was some- there was lights that came on the plane and they- Check engine light... and they stopped and the maintenance guys, I mean, all seriousness, the maintenance guy said, "We're not fixing it out here.
10:30
You've gotta bring the plane in so we can fix it." And they- Sure... and they worked on that plane. And I'm assuming that was the plane we flew out on later in the day.
10:37
Um, so it was, there was obviously something actually wrong with it. It wasn't like they were just- Sure... like when we had a flight out of Rochester- So how long was this delay? Eight hours. Oh, fuck. Oh, yeah.
10:47
It was horrible. Like, we missed, like, a half a day in Flag because we were s- well, [laughs] we started out sitting in, uh, American Airlines Sky Lounge. Um- Mm-hmm... and Kerry's on, Kerry's on a sabbatical.
10:58
She's not- Which isn't bad, but- No... if you're on a sabbatical, it's- She wasn't drinking and so I was drinking for the two of us at times. Um, I grabbed something. Well, you said you wanted to share this.
11:11
Well, you wanna do that now or do you wanna wait? Well, I don't see any glasses anywhere. Oh, just w- okay. We'll wait. Okay, wait. Um, we- So she's... So you're at the Sky Lounge.
11:22
So and, you know, and there's free drinks and free food and stuff, but, you know, Kerry's not drinking, so she's like... And there's only s- you... Ask Spinner. You can only drink so much NA. Oh, sure.
11:33
I mean, it just where you're lying it. Yeah. And to find a good one's really tough. Very tough. It's really hard to, tough finding a good one. So alls they had was Heineken, which... Go ahead.
11:43
[can opening] That sounded wonderful. Um, w- so Heineken tastes like Heineken. Mm-hmm. With or with alcohol, it tastes like ass. Yeah, Heineken's- Right?... garbage. Yeah. So not like what we have.
11:54
So we- I wouldn't give Heineken NA or A to Clark. No. No. But now what you're drinking is... So we'll jump from shitty beer to good beer. This is gonna be all over the place. This is the way the night's gonna go.
12:07
I can see that. After- Well, we shouldn't have had 66 cent beers before Possibly. [laughs] Although, although without 60 cents, 60-cent cent beer, what else would we talk about? Right.
12:16
Um, but we have one from, there's, uh... And you didn't realize this. They're called, um, Crankin' Formers.
12:22
Uh, the, the slogan is something along the line of when you just need a beer, but it's by Fair State Brewing up in Minneapolis, and it's really g- they... Their sours are fantastic. Their beers are all really good.
12:34
They do have a lot of good beers. So I've never had a bad beer from that place. They're- But this is like a hot day or, like, a party beer- Yes... where you know you wanna drink a bunch of them. Yep, yep.
12:45
Although you pay for it like it's a microbrew. That's the o- It's expensive... that's the only thing that pisses me off because, uh, don't get me wrong, this is better than a High Life or a PBR. Yeah, for sure.
12:56
But it's still in that category. So what you pay for it, you know. But that, that being said, it's still a fucking good beer. Yeah. So anyway, back to my story.
13:07
Um, so Carrie and I finally got on a plane, and we showed up to, to Far- uh, to Flagstaff eventually. Um, [laughs] the best part was is Flagstaff, first m- time I've ever been in, actually in town.
13:18
We've rode, um, s- up in the Aspens. We've done some mountain biking in that area, but I've never gone into town town. We've just, like, skirted it and went out b- biking instead.
13:27
And, uh, we're gonna meet all these guys eventually, and, and our original plan was to haul 'em out, and they were gonna ride back. But it was so stinking c- I mean, it was down in the 20s already. Yeah.
13:39
And- Flag gets cold... well, this is early for that though.
13:42
And they were like, "Eh, maybe w- we're gonna go take our stuff and go, like, day camp and then, and then ride around someplace and then just go back to everything being set up rather than trying to bike pack the whole way."
13:53
Clark's being a dick. Oh, he's not. He's just... This is his, this is his thing now. He's, he al- he likes to sit in my lap. But anyway, we- [laughs] So we, um, we got to Flag, and it was, uh,
14:07
uh, North Arizona, Northern Arizona University's, uh, homecoming. So it was cool. I mean, there were some kids walking around. We went to a couple bars, ran into some friends. Everything was cool. It was really fun.
14:17
Carrie and Pat were taking us to all the places when they were in college that they used to hang out, and- Sure... it was, it was a lot of fun.
14:24
And eventually we went to bed, and Carrie got up the next morning, and she's like, "I'm gonna go for a walk." Like, at 6:00 there was, like, noise, and w- it woke us up. And she says, "I'm gonna go for a walk."
14:34
I'm like, "Okay, I've got some hockey stuff to deal with, so go ahead and go, and I'll talk to you after bed." And all of a sudden you hear the, I don't even want to call it the disco music, the...
14:45
See if you can make this sound, the, the, the beat going on. It's like down below us. [drumming] I'm like... Yeah, yeah, there you go. And I'm like, what the hell?
14:52
And there's kids screaming out, like, kids screaming, "I haven't seen you in forever" shit going on outside the window. I'm like, "What the fuck?" So I walk downstairs, and the coffee shop,
15:02
tiny little nice bar, you sit, like you see at an old hotel, was turned into a disco. Oh, boy. And it was a zoo in there, Ed. We don't call them discos anymore. What do you call them? Or it's a, a, a- It's a club.
15:13
It's a nightclub, yeah, or a club. [laughs] So they, they...
15:16
So anyway, the best part was, you know, me being my age, I walked down the steps, then I go in front of the lobby to the desk, and there's a guy sitting there with two tubs of beer for sale, and he just looks at me and goes, "Sorry, sir."
15:26
[laughs] He just- He's like, he's like... He... I wa- I, I wasn't really irritated, but I was kinda caught off guard 'cause I didn't know this was gonna happen.
15:35
I don't- And- Obviously he didn't know you- Oh, no, no, no, no... 'cause if he'd have just fed you a couple beers- [laughs]... you'd have fit right in. Was...
15:42
So he, so we went walking around town, and, like, every bar was like that at 7:30. Well, sure. It's a college town. Well- And it's homecoming... and it's homecoming, but they, but they call it Tequila Sunrise.
15:51
They open at 6:00 in the morning, just- Oh, boy... just for that day. So they're all blasted by noon.
15:55
Oh, by 7:30 when I got up and started walking outside, cops were already pe- uh, were already, like, nailing people for intoxicated walking the streets. Of course. You know? And- Some great people watching.
16:05
Well, it was fantastic. You know, we went and p- [laughs] we went and bought a couple beers and sat in the street with- [laughs]...
16:09
with a couple about my age, and we sat there and watched kids for, like, stumble around for an hour. It was fucking hilarious. Oh, yeah. It was kinda fun. Why wouldn't you? Yeah, yeah. And it's like...
16:19
And I'd, I'd actually texted everyone and said, um,
16:21
"If you're not gonna continue on with your hockey career, why you wouldn't go to this college to just get your degree and whatever I don't understand because, uh, I, I don't know anything about college. I never went."
16:33
Sure. But at the same time, I've been around enough colleges- Right... you know, in Arizona, Colorado. So I, I don't even know this place, but I feel like it's probably, like, ASU rejects.
16:44
[clicks tongue] So, like, ASU- Well-... is known for the scenery and, like, the, the party, you know, the Lake Havasu- Yeah... blah, blah, blah.
16:52
Well, well, true, but I, it- So maybe Flag is a little more of the- [clicks tongue] I didn't go on campus, but my impression was, is that campus is as scenic as everything around it. It's- Sure. It's a beautiful area...
17:04
it's pi- it's pines and, and- It's beautiful... mountains. Yeah, and, and I think my impression is campus is the same. And it's, it's- It's a little more hipster, maybe some actual cyclists in the area.
17:15
Well, there's a lot of cyclists. Sure. I mean, there's a bunch of roadies that come through. The mountain biking up there is fantastic. Oh, I bet. Um, that's all I've ever done.
17:22
I'm not riding a road bike around there anywhere, but it's- You sure? No, no. You don't got a carbon road bike that you pack? Uh, no, no. I don't have one hidden in anybody's backyard or anything. I'm not doing...
17:31
I'm, I, I wore my, uh, there's a company that made a T-shirt that said, "Don't be such a roadie." Oh, nice. And I also had it cross out roadie and put in Drew.
17:41
So a, a friend of ours in town here used to be such a dick about everything, um, and he, and he was a roadie.
17:48
And it w- we basically took his name out, took the roadie off there and put, "Don't be such a Drew" on the shirt instead. [laughs] Just a grape smuggler. Oh, yeah.
17:56
It was like I was gonna print it up myself, and I actually called them to ask for permission to use their design, and they go- Really?... "We'll, we'll just make it for you." [laughs] Nice. Yeah, fuck Drew.
18:05
[laughs] Yeah, yeah. It was, uh, it was hilarious and- No, Flag's beautiful. Like, I, I've been there a couple times, and it's like- Dude, there's gotta be great riding in that area.
18:20
Clark, I'm sorry, you're too long He'll look stupid Clark. Eventually we'll have cameras. I don't, I, I don't think we can avoid it anymore.
18:29
Clark is probably one of the better looking Corgis that I've ever seen, but he's a, he's a needy fella. He likes- I guess... Yeah, he's- He likes the love... he, uh, he...
18:39
When I come in here and, and start just looking on the computer at shit in the morning, he sits down here and whines, and I have to go sit where you're sitting and- So you can put him on your lap...
18:47
just, he's doing just what he was doing. It's like- 'Cause now he's mad at me... I can't accomplish anything with him doing that. It doesn't work... he, he fell off my lap and now it's my fault. Hey, I still have this.
18:55
I'm gonna send this to Greg when he posts this. I have my tab from, um, Hy-Vee. Uh, four beers, 66 cents a beer. My total was 2.85. Yeah, mine was like $2.15. [laughs] That's fantastic.
19:10
And I joined late to, to the party, but if they ever do that again, like I might just take the day off of work and go down. But yeah, I didn't- Well, it started at 7:00.
19:21
I guess, I gu- I gu- I guess it sounded like at 7:00 you couldn't move in the place. No, it sounded like it was, uh- Well, I mean-... about 4:00... right. Yeah.
19:29
2:00 they filled the bar, and then like by 4:00 it was like- And it-... standing room only... it, it, I mean, yeah, but it doesn't hold a ton of people.
19:36
I suppose, I suppose like the one up on the north side, which is much bigger, was probably packed out onto the, out onto the p- patio and stuff. Oh, I didn't even think of that one. Yeah. Well, then- They did it, too...
19:46
oh, the, I, we, we thought it was just the south one, but, uh, Becca found out that it was all of them. So there had been- Oh... four Hy-Vees in Rochester. Yeah, four. Yeah, yeah.
19:56
Four Hy-Vees and they were all doing 66, 66 cent... You can't say that. No. So- Sober or drunk, you can't say- I wish we had the auto c- audio clip of the last call... the last call... it...
20:08
I mean, when she called- Oh, wait, wait. Um, um- There's no way you're gonna figure out how to put that on the podcast right now, unless you dump it right into your mic. [mouth sputtering] No.
20:19
Gi- You have no clue what you're doing... give me time. Give me time. [laughs] Yeah. Give me s- Fire up, fire up- Give me time... YouTube- Uh, yeah... so you can find a tutorial. [laughs] No. [laughs] No.
20:27
I think it's as simple as, as- Like an aux cord... uh, I think I just have to take the... But it was great. We had- Keep talking... to record, uh... I didn't catch her name.
20:37
We had to, we had to- [gasps] I don't, we never asked her name. I, I feel bad... we had to record... Yeah... she was a sweet lady, too. She was... we had to, we had to record the, the barkeep, um,
20:45
'cause she made a, a, a beautiful announcement, "Last call for 66 cent tap beers." And she actually did a, she actually did a second take on it 'cause she didn't like how she said it the first time.
20:54
Well, it's hard to say. It is. It's horrible. I can't believe I just nailed it right there. I can hardly say my name. Uh, when you listen to tomorrow you're gonna find out y- you did not nail it. Well, I mean- Mm...
21:03
I'm a few 66 cent taps deep, so I'm not upset about it. I'm working on this.
21:12
Um, uh, speaking of 66 cent beers, uh, so the best part of this, I don't know if it's a story or not, but I'm gonna make it a story because we really don't have anything to talk about. Um, [laughs]
21:23
so- [laughs] This was just too many beers and turned the podcast [laughs] on... Becca called and said that we're gonna go do this, and we were all...
21:29
Like I said yesterday, we thought it was kind of a joke because it's like, no, that's not really true. That can't be happening type of thing. And, um, yes, it was. And so we, um, started dinking around with it.
21:41
She went there and said, "Yeah, it's open." And then, like I said, Mueller called me and said there was no hockey going on. The stars aligned is what happened. Yeah. Well, yeah.
21:49
And then the fact that people that I don't know are sitting next to each other with a bar stool for me just to go sit on, that's fantastic. Well, and then you and I talked earlier in the day- Yeah...
21:58
that we were gonna meet up. Right. So- So I mean, it just, it just worked out perfectly, and it was fantastic... 'cause I was like, "Wait, you said you wanted to meet up." And then I was like, "You have hockey tonight."
22:09
See, and I forgot about that 'cause I forgot what day it was. 'Cause then I, I called you and you were like, "No, the compressors are down," but 66 cent, 66 cent tap beers. [laughs] Fuck, I fucked it up.
22:20
So I'm like, "I'm canceling other plans to get to this hootenanny that we got going on." [laughs] And, and the best part was, so you have three hockey players and two... Well, okay. So I, I, I was filling the gap.
22:35
I had two hockey players on one side of me and two cyclists on the other side. I'm putting you in the hockey player mode right now. Sure. And two cyclists- It's fair... on the other side of me. And one of them is
22:45
a very nice lady, but- Fantastic... but, um, not used to... well, obviously not used to hanging around us. No, definitely not. And the conversations, um, we... That should...
22:57
Like you were talking earlier, that should have been the podcast. Well, we intereste- we introduced her to noodling- Yes... with catfish. That was second to... Well, it started out with gopher count.
23:07
Oh, so the gopher bounty. Yes. Which, is that like a Midwestern Minnesota thing? Is everybody gonna follow that? Do we need to- I, I don't know.
23:16
It's, it's, it, it's definitely around, so it's Southeast Minnesota for sure. So that's a normal thing in my life. Well- 'Cause I, I mean, I grew up- Yeah... turning in gopher feet. Right. Right.
23:28
And it- And it wasn't $4 a pair like it is today. No, God, I, when they, when, when Mueller said it was $4 a pair, I was thinking the most I ever remember it being was 50 cents a pair.
23:38
Yeah, I remember it being less than a buck. Yeah. But, uh, to kinda dumb it down, so gophers are a problem, um, in agriculture or even anybody that lives in a, on a rural property.
23:53
They'll destroy your yard or your fields or gardens. Um, so certain townships offer a bounty for gophers. And the way that they do it, they don't want you bringing the whole gopher in, they want you to cut its feet off.
24:11
And it's the rear feet, if I'm not mistaken. Yep. Yep.
24:13
But you cut the rear feet off and you bring them into your local township And, uh, Brian, the guy that we were at the bar with today, at the grocery store with today, he works for the township. So it's up to $4 a pair.
24:28
So we had enlightened Becca on, uh [laughs]- [laughs]... the gopher bounty, as she called it. And she was concerned of what we did with the gophers after- No, we-...
24:37
we cut their back feet off, and I just said, "We issuing them crutches." What did she call it? The Gopher Assassin Society? [laughs] Yeah. So, so now there'll be new stickers out there.
24:47
You- if you see a sticker on a bicycle that says GAS, that's where it's from. We acronymed it. Yeah, and we acronymed it, yeah. So it was, and it was, and then it went from there.
24:55
Poor Becca was not used to any of this stuff. I mean, she even brought up that where she was from in Ohio- Yeah... like, only militants wore, wore, uh, camouflage.
25:05
So when she moved to Minnesota, and she's lived up in Northern Minnesota, in Winona, and all around.
25:09
And so [laughs] when she moved here and she went to her first fleet farm, she understood that camouflage is not a bad [laughs] thing necessarily. Camouflage is a fashion statement. E- exactly.
25:20
[laughs] So, so this, this can all fill in with the rest of it.
25:23
It's like, so now you know that we cut off gopher feet and, and that, um, that in, in some places they- Blaze orange is a great accessory color to camouflage...
25:33
they shove their arms down into catfishes' mi- well, off- Well, I mean-... to catch them, you know... so I don't know how that got there, 'cause I mean, we don't noodle in Minnesota.
25:43
No, but I think it was- I don't know... it was falling in line... Oh, no, I remember how it got there. So then I brought up the story about when I was up in Brainerd, uh- We talked about Asian carp... golf course.
25:52
Oh, yeah. Yeah, so we went from, we went from fishing for gophers- Fish. Yep... to a- Oh, that's what it was... yeah, and then we went to Asian carp. Yep. And then from Asian carp, we went to- To noodling... to noodling.
26:03
Yeah, that's right. And she, her mind was blown- Oh, yeah... all, all of these. Yeah.
26:06
She just, uh, the whole thing was just mind-boggling to her, which is fantastic because the best thing you can do to Becca is get her in that state. Yeah. 'Cause she's just, like- Oh, she's fantastic...
26:16
yeah, and she just freaks out. Uh, doesn't freak out. She is so amazed. Her- that her- Well, she's interested. Oh, yeah. The, it, it, so- She becomes, like, Diane Sawyer- [laughs] Yeah...
26:28
and starts, like, the interview process. [laughs] You're absolutely right. [laughs] It's so good. But, uh, b- so it's, I don't know. It's, uh, it's fun to hang out with people like that. Yep.
26:42
And- To, to introduce peop- uh, but, but the best part was our bartender, I don't know if it was because it was the end of the night and it was a little bit quieter and she was just joining in, but she was fantastic.
26:51
She joined in- She was great... yeah, she joined in- Well, and I guess the good part about us talking that is it led us down the path of the, uh, they were gonna go ride in, uh, Sparta on the trails. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
27:03
And they didn't know that the tunnels were closed. Right. That's right. So it was kind of a good, good deal that we kind of went down that path because I think it sounded like they were planning a ride.
27:13
Well, they were gonna go stay at a place in Decorah. So the other cool thing is, and I want to bring this up quick before I forget about it, because I didn't bring it up, and people should know about this. Um,
27:22
kind of falling in line with that, uh, two weekends ago, we had, we had our NICA race here in Rochester. Oh, yeah. Might've been three weekends ago. Yeah.
27:31
And I wanted to bring it up a couple times, and I keep forgetting to. This is awesome to me, and this is- I wish this got more coverage... um, I don't know why- Outside of the cycling world.
27:42
W- well, right, because right now, um, I- I think in the schools themself it does. So anyway, a quick thing is, is NICA is huge in Minnesota, and that's the, that's the, um, high school racing league.
27:53
Um, it's, I think every s- Iowa doesn't have it, Minnesota does, Wisconsin does. You said it's NICA? Yeah. If I challenged you on that acronym, would you be able to- What it is? Yeah. Uh. [laughs] No.
28:06
[laughs] I'm assuming it's an acronym. Yeah. Nor- uh, National Intercollegiate Cycling Association. For high school? Give it a shot. I don't know. [laughs] I feel like you fucked that up. I pr- no, probably.
28:20
[laughs] Um, but it's- [laughs] We had... So in Minnesota it's so big now, um, that we had 1,500 kids here racing. That's what I'm saying. It's, that's incredible.
28:32
And you know, and, and you- That should've been, like, a newsworthy event. Oh, I think so too. And, and I know it got a little bit of local news.
28:37
Because these are high school kids, and they're not fucking around on TikTok and shit. Right. No, no, no. They're out riding their bikes, and they, they have their practice, uh, twice a week, I think. Yeah.
28:47
Depending, depending on what their race day is. Um, our biggest problem right now is, is coaches. Um, you have to have six, you can't have any more than six riders per coach.
28:56
Um, so Rochester had to- Per COVID rules, or what? No, just- Just in general... that's just, that's, that's just an, that's one of the rules, and unfortunately the biggest problem is, is we don't have enough coaches.
29:05
So we, uh, so, um, this is part of our conversation from last night on our Tuesday night ride, is that they have to turn kids away this year because they didn't have enough coaches. Oh, no way. Yeah.
29:14
Which is really sad to me. So it's a six-to-one ratio. Right. Yeah. And, and it, and it sounds like it's- Why? That's just, that's just the rule? Yeah. And you know, I, I can't speak to where they came from on that.
29:26
I think, I think it's- That's brutal... well, I don't f- I think you could, I mean, you and I coach 15 kids by ourselves, but you're on a trail. I- i- it's safety reasons. It probably makes sense to me.
29:38
Well, I get it, but, like, any time you're turning a kid away- Well, that's the problem. Yeah, yeah... from an activity, especially nowadays, like, you know, y-
29:47
I guess coaching hockey, you know, you guys are blessed with a ton of kids this year. But I guarantee you've coached in years where you didn't, you weren't blessed with a ton of kids. Right.
29:57
And to hear that, you know, on, on the g- on the girls' side of hockey, not to flip from the cycling side, but, like,
30:05
we had a, a program go under, and there's five kids in town that were hockey players that, uh, they don't have an opportunity to play.
30:16
And for me as a coach, it just, it grinds my gears, because there's nothing that I want more than these- These kids or anybody to have that opportunity to come out and play, and whether it's cycling or hockey, you know, like- Well, r- exactly.
30:33
We- Why are we, why are we taking these opportunities- Yeah... from these kids to come out and ride and do something physical, healthy and, you know, not drugs or video games or blah, blah, blah.
30:46
That's like, that's where I come from. So I'm like, if there's times to bend the rules, I mean- Right, I agree. I, I don't know- To turn kids away is frustrating... it's, well it is.
30:55
I mean, the frustrating part of it is turning kids away. It's- Right... um, it's, it's one of those- Especially in cycling... it's one of those things, it's a good thing 'cause that means you're doing well.
31:02
But like, so Rochester, this last weekend, uh, and we were talking about this last night, that's why I wanna make sure we brought it up today, is that, um, so the Rochester kids didn't have a race to go to this weekend because you're, there's so many kids racing in Minnesota that they limit how many races you can go to.
31:19
Sure. And how many, how, we had 1,500, that's the max you can have at a race. That's crazy. So, um- It's awesome that it's got there. Well, absolutely. I mean it's- But it's frustrating that kids miss out.
31:28
Yeah, it's a two-day event on a weekend. It's, it kicks ass. I've, I've gone out and watched them a couple times- Mm-hmm...
31:33
out on Rochester here and, and I think I caught one in, um, might have been, might have been over in Wisconsin I saw another one. That's fantastic.
31:42
Um, it's like the great- like, like the coaches are on the course with the kids. They're, it's, it's awesome.
31:48
Um- Well, it's kinda crazy that like some of your mainstream sports are struggling to fill rosters at the high school level. Well, but- But it's refreshing to know that they're gonna come out and ride bikes...
32:00
I think team sports in general are hurting. Sure. And, and rather than kids playing, like you said, kids playing video games or not doing anything at all, they're doing individual sports, you know? And they're- Sure...
32:12
and they're more comfortable with it, and that's fantastic. But, um- Well, and I think COVID probably helps with that too, right? Oh, no, no, no, because this, this blew up. Well- Like this, we suffered ha-
32:22
cycling suffered as much as- Oh, sure... anybody else with COVID because it went from- But you think about, if you think about maybe some of the kids or people that might be,
32:32
you know, intimidated by COVID in a team setting, it's like, do you really wanna go sit in a locker room with a group of kids? Or would you rather go out and be on a bicycle in the great outdoors?
32:45
Like, what a, I can't think of a better way to isolate. Well, that's true. Well- In my opinion. I might be biased. No, no, no, no.
32:51
I- But like, hey, get on the bike, put the headphones on and- You don't wear headphones when you're riding a bike... I ri- I wear headphones- You-... everywhere.
33:00
Yeah, I realize that because, and then we've heard you sing while you're riding and it's fucking horrible. I mean, hey. So- I can't hear myself, so. But, but by the way, you can't do that in racing.
33:10
Well, I get it, but I'm just talking in general with whether it be, you know, some people use these activities as therapeutic reasons. Yes. Well, no, I understand that.
33:22
And, and, and, and COVID did create that thing because look at our trails in Decorah where, I mean, you can't hardly ride a bike out there at times during COVID- Mm-hmm... because there were so many people hiking. Right.
33:31
Awesome. Everybody's outside doing something. Fantastic. But there was also record bike sales- Yeah... during COVID. Well- Because people were able to get out.
33:39
I mean, it's kinda sad to say that that's how it went down, but I, like some of the bike shop guys that I used to work with were, like they can't fix bikes fast enough. They can't order them fast enough.
33:51
And, you know, as a s- you know, internal cyclist, I'm thinking to myself like, "This is f- this is amazing." It is. Uh, especially with the terror side.
33:59
Because I think it's, I think it, well, I think it revives the sport, but- Yeah. Well, I think BMXing has made a comeback. Um, and I don't think mountain biking, this, the, the Nike thing has made it that way.
34:10
I think that's become a, an a- an, a, an animal into itself. Right. Oh, but it w- going back to the story. Um, so the Rochester kids didn't race this weekend. Um, there's 80 kids on the Rochester teams. Wow.
34:22
And, and at least 40 of them and their parents all went up to, um, Cuyuna. And that's three public schools? Yep, yep.
34:30
And they, and, and, uh, so at least 40 of them and their parents went, or at least one parent went up to, um, Cuyuna. So Cuyuna got- Sweet...
34:38
Cuyuna got like 80 people up there just to come up for a weekend of mountain biking- That's great... as a group. I, it's fantastic. You know, it's, it's, it's what you've hoped the sport would ever be. Right.
34:48
I, I actually like the sport that way better than the real racing side of things- Sure...
34:52
where it's f- yeah, it, the, the Olympic racings was much better than it has been 'cause it's, it, even though it's a manufactured course, it was really fucking hard for a change. Mm-hmm.
35:02
Um, so I like that end of it, but it's still, it's, it's the grassroots stuff.
35:06
It's getting people out and riding their bikes and going mountain biking and just- Well, and that's, that's kind of the, you know, the getting off on my tangents, kind of the point that I was getting to is, you know,
35:16
there was a gap there where a lot of young folks weren't, they weren't getting on their bikes, you know? And if they were getting on their bikes, it was to, you know, because somebody couldn't give them a ride.
35:30
But I think it's pretty awesome that, you know, you've got high school kids that, you know, like in the hockey world, it's like we struggle to get them to, to show up to anything off ice, whether it's a workout.
35:44
But like to hear that these younger kids are out, you know, getting on bikes and- Well, because-... getting in these races, like- But now that it's a high school sport, they have the same, um,
35:56
uh, standards so they can letter, 'cause they do letter- Sure... for the sport. I mean, you still have to go to all- Absolutely... you have to go to all the practices. Yep. You have to attend X number of races.
36:03
Doesn't matter how you finished. Mm-hmm. Which I, which I'm glad that isn't involved then. But it does, but it does come to you lettering. And, you know, and the practice part of it- Yep...
36:10
getting out and riding with your teammates two times a week, three times a week- Sure... whatever it is, is, is a big part of your lettering, and I think that's fantastic. I do too.
36:18
I know, I know there's some par- parents that don't like it- Mm-hmm... because they- Well, and that's, that's the helicopter parents. No No.
36:25
It's the, uh, uh, in your standards and my standards, it's the elite hockey player's parents Oh, sure It's exactly the same thing Yep. 100% "You're not good enough for me. I'm not gonna go ride with you." Exactly.
36:35
"How about you fuck off and die," right? Right? I don't like that attitude because nobody gets better if they don't go ride with the better people. Sure.
36:43
So if you're too good to ride with the rest of your teammates, I just... Uh, I shouldn't, I probably shouldn't bring this up, but he's never gonna listen to my podcast anyway, so screw him.
36:51
[laughs] And the kids are back. Yep, Clark's back. Yep. Hey, buddy. Um, yeah, so that, I really wanted to bring that up and I'm really pissed off- Well-...
37:00
that I didn't bring it up last time because, because I, it's, it's amazing Yeah, I'm so amazed you mentioned it... I, it's so amazing.
37:05
It just a m- uh, it's, um- I was taken back when you, when you shot that number to me, 1,500 kids And I don't know how many they turn away.
37:15
That's, that's the number of kids that were allowed to go to this particular race. I- Sure... you know, I don't even know how many there are in the state. I don't- That's pretty crazy It is. I, it's awesome. Yeah.
37:25
I mean, it's, it's, um, it's helped, like Game Haven has turned into a better place to ride. Yeah.
37:30
Every place that runs a race has, has, has improved their courses, just not necessarily, not, they're not making money off these kids to improve their, improve their courses.
37:39
They're making money, they're improving their courses because they want those kids to have that opportunity Yeah, they're putting the money into it Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, for sure.
37:46
And, and it, and that's so fantastic and it's- And then that makes it better for the local cyclists that wanna take advantage of those areas to ride Right. Exactly, yeah.
37:53
I mean, our, our trail systems have improved greatly. I c- well, okay, then we also have slave labor. We can get those kids out there and help build the trails- [laughs]... because you should, you sh- Well, sure.
38:03
I think that'd be a great- I-... volunteer program... well, it is, and I think, I think as a rider you should go work on trails because, um, you l- you learn to look at trails in a, uh, in a different manner.
38:20
You look at them as y- yes, you're looking at a line to ride, but you're also looking at that line as... When you look at it, it's like, "Ooh, that's not a good line.
38:30
That's not a good spot to ride because it was built improperly or it's washed out or whatever" Sure And you understand that now- Yep...
38:35
since you've been working on trails Well, and then you also learn that, like, you put the work in, that you also learn to take care of them, you know? 'Cause I think that's a big part of it, too.
38:46
There's a lot of people that utilize these places and don't, you know, they don't... They're like, "Hey, this is a little washed out," or, "This is a..."
38:54
You know, like, maybe go, like, you rode on it and, uh, you know, you found an area that might be kind of fucky, you know? If you're- Right...
39:04
if you're a true cyclist, you might go in and kinda like d- you know, do your due diligence and kinda clean it up a little bit because you appreciate that you have that opportunity Right, and I, and I think, I think a big part of that is, um,
39:17
you... The appreciation part of it is you, you built the trail, you're gonna ride the trail. Um- Absolutely... you...
39:25
F- there was a time, and I don't think it's as bad anymore, and there's still some people that seem to think the same way, but, um, used to bitch about, "Oh, trails are closed?" What do you mean the trails are closed?
39:34
It'll, it'll be fine. We can go ri- we can go ride anywhere.
39:37
Well, once you work on those trails for a while and you put them in places and you put the, the, the sweat equity, equ- the sweat equity into it- Yeah, right... you, you- You got some blood- Yeah, and y-...
39:47
some sweat, and some tears into it... when, when somebody tells you the trail is closed because we got, we got, we don't wanna work on that again- Absolutely... you kinda get it. So I think it's- Yep...
39:54
I think it's a great... I think it's fantastic actually. No, that's a great idea. And not that I'm necessarily a fan of that way of thinking, but it- Well, it-... it ma-... it helps...
40:03
it, well, in certain places it make total sense. Yep.
40:05
I mean- Well, I remember playing baseball, being younger, and we were the kids dragging the, the drag around to kinda smooth out the infield because you had to play on it, and if it took a nasty hop into your, into your face- That was your fault, right...
40:23
yep, right You, you, you knew how to, you knew how to... Yeah. Yep. And, and, and this is basically the same thing, and I really like it. A- I, um, it's, it's been a joy to watch it grow. [laughs] Um, all right.
40:40
I'm not sure what else you need to babble about.
40:42
We've gone, we went- Yeah, we, we always get- We, we actually did, we actually did way better than I thought we were gonna be Yeah, we could've gone a lot longer This could, this could still really...
40:49
When I listen to it tomorrow, this still could be a really shitty podcast. Well- But, um- I think most of them are, but- True. Um- We just get on here and bullshit... I so much wanted...
40:58
It, it, it was like the last time we did one, I had to tell a story. Alls I wanted to talk about was 66 Cent Beers tonight. That was e- Oh, it was worth it Oh, totally. Totally worth it. All right.
41:07
We're gonna go back to mellow music. We're outta here. Um, oh, we will be doing... Everybody now has their Clunkers. Greg's got his, uh... Oh, his buddy's got his. You've got yours. I've got mine.
41:18
Spinner, Captain, um- Clunker Cast... well, right. And we're, the Clunker Cast is coming. We're, now our biggest problem is getting everybody- That's gonna be a treat...
41:27
oddly, oddly I wouldn't have thought October to be a busy part for everybody, but it is. So- Yeah... we'll get it... One of these days we'll get it worked out there and we'll make it work.
41:35
So thanks for coming by again, man. Yep, absolutely. We'll, uh, talk again. See ya.
41:42
[upbeat music]
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