Moped sold, Pittsburgh trip, Severe weather...

It feels weird only having two bikes again.  After buying that lot of bikes/frames/parts... it kinda feels nice not having a project bike for now... But I am sure I will want to build something soon enough... ;)

I sold the green bike to someone I met via social media.  Mindi follows the blog and called dibs on the bike as I was posting the rebuild pictures.  Should have a great home now.

So the Pittsburgh trip was a LOT of fun.  This is a view of our hotel.  We stayed at the William Omni Penn Hotel and scored a sweet deal thanks to Hotwire.

We heard that Mullen's Bar & Grill was an Ohio State bar, but just before the Pirates game I was the only person wearing scarlet and gray.  

They were giving away free shirts at the Pirates game so we were able to blend in a the game.  GREAT ballpark that reminded me a lot of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

From there, we walked pass Heinz Field along the river to the casino.  I left $20 ahead... Dawn donated her money as normal.

Saturday morning we woke up kinda early to go walk around and explore the city.  She saw a sign to some store called Andy's so she wanted to get my picture.  While we were doing that the Columbus Blue Jackets were coming out of the other door to the hotel.  We had no idea where they were staying.  We actually planned the trip long before the Blue Jackets made the playoffs and as luck would have it... they played the Penguins the same weekend we were there... more on that later.

So we walked over to Station Square and did the Ducky Tours.  It is a road/water tour and a lot of fun.  We highly recommend it.

After Dawn took a quick nap at the hotel(I read my book), we hurried down to the arena.  We didn't have tickets and were not going to pay more than $50 a ticket and that just wasn't going to happen for the playoff game.  We found a couple sports bars.

We had a lot of fun and were VERY reserved about cheering for the Jackets.  But we were still encouraged to leave before the fans got out of the arena.  BUT!!!  We were feet away from the arena when the Jackets won their first game ever!!!  So much fun!

Sunday we took the incline for one last view of the city.  

And traffic was HORRIBLE coming back to Columbus.

I did get to ride with my brother one final ride before he leaves for Ecuador for three months earlier this week.

Wednesday was our Safe From The Storm Severe Weather Special.  I did a lot of testing of the YouTube stream beforehand.

It went great until I opened up our in-house app to monitor the showtime.  CRASH!  Had to reboot with a new link.  Oh well...  Other than that I streamed for 2 hours straight.

Taking a look ahead... Severe storms are possible for Monday and Tuesday.  We will have a cutoff low later this week.

That means rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain....   Keep the umbrella handy for the week ahead, but try to enjoy a dry, mild Sunday before all of that...

But the Blue Jackets are on, so I gotta run!  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Ready for a snowy Tax Day?

The cold front pushed through this afternoon and now the rain is picking up as expected.

Temperatures have fallen some, but will fall very quickly overnight into Tuesday.

The latest RPM shows most of Central Ohio seeing less than 1" of snow, but NW Ohio will see more and SE Ohio will see less.  The ground will be very wet and warm so it will melt on the pavement as it falls.  Grassy and mulchy areas will see the snow stick a little longer, but it will still melt slowly through the day Tuesday.

Sunshine returns for Wednesday and Thursday then more rain Friday night into Saturday.  I dunno about you, but I am hoping this is the final snow of the season.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Snow looking more likely

Great having my brother in town this weekend.  I finished up the green bike this morning and I have a buyer lined up.  Should be going to a good home.

My brother Marcus brought over his motorcycle.  My parents came to town to take Clark back to Wooster since he rode his bike down.  They also were taking up some furniture to Clark's.  Anyway... I was blown away when my dad wanted to ride on Marcus's motorcycle.  I insisted he wore a helmet despite him saying he didn't need one.  We only went a mile up High St to lunch, so it wasn't a long ride.

So yes, snow on the way for Tuesday.  The models ramped up in the cold air and intensity of the snow with today's models.   So I hope you enjoyed the warm, albeit windy, weekend.  Winds will stay brisk overnight into Monday and Tuesday.  Rain showers/storms move in midday Monday and will continue on and off through the day.

Monday night our temperatures fall very quickly and we will transition over to a wintry mix and eventually all snow by daybreak Tuesday.  Light snow showers will continue through the morning Tuesday then some clearing in the afternoon.

Accumulations will be limited due to warm, wet ground.  North and Western Ohio will have the possibilities of seeing up to a couple of inches before it quickly melts, but South and Eastern Ohio will see lesser amounts.  The snow will pretty quickly through the afternoon with highs near 40.

We see sunshine return quickly though for the middle of the week.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Hanging with the bros

My brother Clark was down from Wooster and we had a fun morning.  He worked on his bicycle and I worked on my green Puch Maxi moped.  The time we were waiting on Marcus allowed me to finish putting the bike together and I fired it up today.  Even took it for a little spin up and down the alley and it runs great!  I picked up some bolts for the side-covers and will be putting those on tomorrow and doing some last adjustments to the timing and it will be ready for someone to take home.  I am going to post it on Craigslist for $500, but if you know someone... pass along the word for the friends discount. Super fun, reliable bike.  Anyway, Marcus showed up and we went to grab burritos before I went into work.

The weather today was amazing and we reached the warmest temp of the year so far with a high 78 around 5:30PM.  I bumped our high up to 80 for tomorrow, but if the SW winds keep up then we will easily get to that if not higher.  Enjoy it!!! 

Our temps will drop like a rock Monday PM into Tuesday.  Rain will move in for midday Monday and as our temps fall early Tuesday some of the models are trying to hint at a little snow.  Typically we see dry air move in and just as the temps get cold enough we see dry air and little to no snow.  Right now I am going with that.  We could see some flurries or light snow, but not expecting much in the way of accumulation.  For one thing... the ground will be very warm and wet so snow will have a hard time sticking.  I saw that some unaccredited blogs/sites are saying 3-5"... The chances of that happening are slim to none.  It will definitely be colder Tuesday and early Wednesday.  Wind chills will be in the teens.... sheesh!  I thought we were done with all that. ;)  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Trail run, moped season start, and snow?!?!

So Wednesday I decided to run to the garage to ride my moped home for the season.  I was running along a paved trail then I noticed a dirt trail along the river and changed trails.  No more than fifty yards I tripped over a root that was camouflaged.  And by that point the trail was not dirty, it was mud from the flooding a day before... So I got all muddy and a little bloody.  I kept running along the trail and I took the photo about five minutes later so some of it had dried and was able to flake off.  Fun times!  I love being out in nature and ya can't get upset when ya get a little dirty.

I rode the Puch Maxi home, but the clutch was not coming un-engaged so I rode it back to the garage and the bolts in the superclutch walked loose.  I put in red Loctite and put it back in the following day.  Which means the Magnum is my daily rider for now.  Also the dumb triple-tree nut on the Maxi walked loose AGAIN during the 10 mile ride.  Kinda bummed by that.  I really need to see what the issue is and figure out a way to lock that down... the blue Loctite didn't do the trick.

This weekend is looking fantastic all across Ohio.  There is a slim, slim chance or a pop-up shower or storm Saturday and Sunday, but most of Ohio will see a dry weekend.  More rain returns Monday and Tuesday may even have a little snow...

A strong push of cold air on Tuesday may result in a few snowflakes on Tuesday, but I am not buying into a measurable amount of snow.  The ground will be too warm and wet so anything that would stick would melt very quickly.  But... April snow... not the most uncommon thing since Columbus normally averages 1.0" of snow for April and we have had no snow this month.

Anyway, we dry out then the rest of the week as the temperatures return to normal settings.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Wet start to the workweek

My parents were in town this morning and we got together for lunch.  Always a bunch of jabs and laughs when we all get together.  Wish it happened more often. 

Grab the rain gear!  You will need the rain coat or umbrella tomorrow.  Rain will move in overnight and will bring a wet start to the workweek.  It should arrive to Columbus right around daybreak, which is just after 7AM.  It will remain on and off through most of Monday and even a few rumbles of thunder possible.  Chances of anything turning severe is very, very small.  Mainly just steady rain showers with a few rumbles. 

They will stick around a little for early Tuesday, then a weak trough late Tuesday will bring more clouds and a few sprinkles.  We dry out until Friday when more rain is expected and again with the rain on Sunday.  So the Spring Game at Ohio State is looking pretty decent next Saturday.  Back to the news... Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

The latest in my Monza search

So I continue my search for my dream bike... the Puch Monza.  I have been looking for the "Barcelona" version, which I just found out is not really a model... Below is an email I just received from a contact in Spain:

Hello Andrew!

I looked that there were a lot of people who like spanish Puch Monza in USA, Tora Tora´s Monza is the guilty hehehe

First, you aren´t looking for a Puch Monza "Barcelona". It doesn´t exist, you are looking for a "Puch Monza L" (like Tora Tora), or a "Puch Monza 2" (the same that Monza L, but more basic.

Monza L

 Monza 2

.....in Spain there are a lot of "dreamers".

For make you a idea, Monza isn´t a rare bike, I have one, in my favorite jukyard there are one new per month. There is only one problem, some people is destroying the market. A "good" Monza can cost 150€, a really really good can cost 200€.

There is only one problem "la documentacion", here in Spain matriculate an old moped cost +- 400€, becose there are cheap mopeds. But Monza is a "grano en el culo", there are parts really hard to find, becose that I left "temporally" mi Monza proyect and start with a Derbi FDX hehehe


If you want, I can help you in all I can.
Sorry for my english.

Good luck!

And so my search in information about the Monza continues....

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Puch Monza hunt & Weekend forecast

I continue my search for the Puch Monza Barcelona.  There are only about 4 in the United States currently, but I am determined to make one of those mine, or find my own.  I have been looking at a few in Europe, but finding someone I trust to ship it is where I find it hard...

So all of the storms were JUST below severe criteria the last two days, and as the cold front was pushing out of Ohio there were a few warnings JUST outside of our area.  So other than flooding and a Wind Advisory, there were no warnings for our viewing area.  It was kinda tense with everything getting close to severe, but kinda nice to stay quiet.

The cold front has pushed through and this weekend is looking GREAT!  It will be a little cooler, but more sunshine and staying dry.  It will also be a little windy on Saturday.  Rain returns Monday and Tuesday.  The other good news is the entire week ahead our highs are in the 50's and 60's... I am sure 70's can't be too far off.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Storms on the way: timing & threat

Feel free to click the image above to enlarge it.  The top is the overall outlook.  The bottom left is the Tornado probability with the Wind probability in the middle and the Hail probability to the far right.  Each percentage is for a twenty five mile radius of a single location.  So you can see that in SW Ohio there is a 15% chance of severe criteria hail (1" or larger) and 15% chance of severe winds (58 mph or stronger) within a given location.  I am explaining this in a little more depth since this is our first real chance for severe weather for Spring.  Most of the severe weather today will stay down toward the Mississippi Valley area.  Central Ohio will only see storms near or just below severe criteria.  It will still need to be taken serious.

All of this on the 40th anniversary of the Super Outbreak of 1974, which was when the F5 tornado destroyed Xenia, Ohio.  I know they have a special ceremony held there tonight and I hope they can dodge the worst of the weather for the event.

As far as timing of the rain...  Central Ohio is currently seeing the first wave of rain, which you can see in the radar above.  This is the warm air lifting into the region and no severe weather is expected with that.  This rain is lifting to the northwest currently.  The second wave in Illinois is what I am watching for this afternoon.  This is where some strong winds may be forming, if not even a few cells ahead of that line.  The rain we are currently seeing will take some energy out of the atmosphere, but the break between the two systems will re-energize wave two a little more.

Above is the FutureRadar for Noon.  (I think it is pushing the system along rather fast)  You notice the break in the rain, or re-energizing are is across Southwestern Ohio.  Which is exactly where they have the better chance for severe weather.

FutureRadar also has the entire system out of Ohio by nearly 7PM, which is what is pictured above.  This is only the first two waves of the storm.  Overnight and into early tomorrow the third and final wave of the system will roll through.

Above is for 8AM Friday.  The final wave of storms could also be severe, so keep your guard up early tomorrow as well.  As of right now, the rain may be out of here this evening and for the start of the overnight time frame between waves two and three... Might be a nice evening for a walk... or head to the Columbus Clippers home opener... ;) ;)  Weekend is looking fantastic with highs in the 50's and lots of sun.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael