I rode alone to Lawrence yesterday on gravel. Trudi had taken a few things down to the swap meet held before the Octoginta Tour, which is today. I haven’t ridden much in Northeastern Kansas the last couple months. When I got back early this week, it seemed like summer. Now it seems like fall.
One thing that sets off fall here is the hedge apple trees. We have a ton around here and the hedge balls are laying everywhere. I love it.
Another thing is the congregating of black birds. This time of the year, all the birds get together to go somewhere. I’m not sure where they end up, but know they do like to get together to migrate.
I’ve been out of sorts recently, physically. Lots of small problems, and a few big. I’m just going to take it as it comes and not worry about it. Well, I’m a little worried about it, but that is normal I think.
Fall is the end of the baseball season too. The KC Royals are doing amazingly well. They have won 6 playoff games straight. I have to admit, I am a fair-weather baseball fan. I’ve only been watching the games recently. 4 of the games have gone into extra innings. But even the couple that didn’t, have been over 4 hours. I thought a normal baseball game was supposed to be 3 hours. These are too long. My butt gets sore sitting there that long.
I’m going to ride my bike over to Stull right now, a small town about an hour’s ride from Topeka, to look at a minivan. My diesel van is really hurt. I think there are two problems. The biggest is that the EGR cooler is dead. Lots of water seeping out the exhaust. Plus, I think it might have warped heads, but that isn’t a fact. Whatever the problems, it is going to take a while for me to fix it or super expensive to pay someone else. Either way, it’s not getting done anytime soon, so I’m looking for another car. Have a nice Sunday.
Hedge apples are everywhere around Northeastern Kansas.
Long shadows and harvested fields seem very fall like.
This is my favorite corner around Topeka.
The birds are gathering to migrate.
Water pouring out my exhaust yesterday.
Back to trapping cats again. This one I’d already caught and fixed. It’s ear was clipped. I was relieved since it was Saturday night.
Hedge apples…AKA Osage orange, around here (Oklahoma), I’ve also heard people call them Bodark (bow-dark) apples. My grandparents always tried to keep them out of the pasture b/c they were supposedly poisonous to cattle.
Part of the WPA plan to stop wind errosion in mid west in the creation of shelter belts. Thus hedge apple for what most call an osage orange.
Diesel trucks: Since there isn’t any emmission control regulations for them, take it to a good diesel truck shop that specializes in hotrodding pickups. Have them remove that pesky EGR valve, install a 4″ exhaust, a decent K&N sir filter, and a computer chip to clean up the rest. Horse power goes up 20% and fuel economy will go up 20-25%. I did this to my F350 Dually crew cab along with an oil cooler and now I get 16mpg pulling a 24′ enclosed trailer at 70mph.
i have always heard what you call hedge apples called monkey balls (southeast PA)…
it sure is fun to shout MONKEY BALLS on a ride to alert others to the danger of one in the lane or on the trail (one of them suckers under your wheel will take you out for sure).
Peter,
You ride? For that matter do you consume oxygen?
EGR=exhaust gas recirculation. Small amount of exhaust is reintroduced to intake air to provide more complete combustion.
I suppose it would be ok for the coal fired power plant up wind from you to disable the particulate scrub & belch on you and yours a few more tons of particulate, which is exactly what you diesel truck owners believe is ok for you to do?
You drive a diesel vehicle, deal w it!
In Missouri, we called those thing Osage Oranges.