Thursday, July 5, 2012

Home To Gahanna / The Derecho

Been awhile since I've had a chance to update the blog.  There's been a lot going on.

First, let me get the ride on July 2 out of the way.  I occasionally do some voice over work.  On Monday, July 2, I rode over to see Ron Allan, my voice over instructor.  When I was a student of his, I built his website for him, so he and I still keep in touch regularly.

On Thursday, June 28, I'd been in the area looking at recumbent bicycles.  (More on that in another post.)  I dropped by Ron's studio just to say hello.  He asked if I could come in to do an ad for him on Monday at 2:30.  Told him I'd see him then.

Monday rolled around -- after one hellacious weekend without electric power (more on that a little later on in this post.)  I kicked myself in scheduling an appointment in the middle of the day.  Was going to pretty much screw up any long bicycle ride I had planned.  Then I thought, well, what the hell, just ride the bike over to the recording studio.


Finished Cycle: Jul 2, 2012 4:32:34 PM
Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/fc28/825e/4e37/b4c1/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120702-1216.kml
Ride Time: 1:44:25
Distance: 21.96 miles
Average: 12.62 mph
Fastest Speed: 27.58 mph
Ascent: 283 feet
Descent: 369 feet
Calories: 1705

I left early enough, noon, to take my time getting there.  Turns out that was a good thing as about 6 miles into the trip I wound up with a flat on the back tire.

It took a good 30 minutes to fix that damned flat.  It was hot, I couldn't get the tire off the wheel, and it took three CO2 cartridges to fill it back up.  Then it was a bitch to get it back on the bike because I'm an idiot and I inflated the tire before putting it back on the bike.  (It doesn't want to fit between the brake pads when it's fully inflated.)

By the time I was done, I was filthy.  The grease, sweat, grime had completely destroyed the t-shirt I was wearing.  I rode over to Target, bought a new shirt, some wet-wipes, and a bath towel.  When I got to the studio I went into the bathroom and gave myself a sponge bath. 

It was almost all for naught, though.  On Friday, June 29, right about 5PM, the midwest and eastern seaboard got hit with something called a Derecho.  (I'd never heard the word, either.)  Think "land hurricane."  A very fast moving storm that only lasted 20 minutes, but caused millions of dollars in damage and knocked power out for days all over the country.

The guy who owns this house had spent the last year renovating it:




The wind had simply uprooted the tree and sent it crashing into the roof.  Wiped out the whole 2nd story of his house.

My power was knocked out from the time of the storm, Friday, June 29 until Sunday July 1, at about 6:00PM.  48 hours without power.  I count myself as one of the lucky ones, though.  The guy who lives directly across the street from me didn't get his power back until the evening of the 4th.  I asked him who he pissed off at the power company as it seemed he was the last guy in the neighborhood to get the ice back in his drinks.

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