From time to time, I like to take a bike ride at lunch.
Two years ago this month, in the midst of a death march through the holidays, my buddy Charles Ramsay pointed out to me that there were some decent bike trails out behind a neighborhood nearby our new offices. They weren’t obvious, but he used to live there, so he knew the ins and outs. You are here:
We went out for a few crazy rides taking a a break together between long shifts in the lab, where the team was giving birth to a new machine. I knew that’s what we were doing, because I had been midwife to many other machines before. I was glad to do it, and my many years experience in the business tells me, that just like when a baby is being born, there’s a time to push, and God damn it, when that time comes, someone has to shout “Push!” That was my role at that moment in time. But it never fails to be intense and like I said at the time, I learned a long time ago that getting out and blowing off some steam was the only way I knew how to keep my head screwed on straight.
I have since explored most of these trails many times and feel myself very fortunate to be able to take an occasional long lunch break when time and the weather permit, and get out and test myself against the hills and rock outcroppings of central Texas. When I do, I always return a new man. The world and I are both the better for it, believe me.
So the other day, while Anita was in the hospital, and I struggled through another work day, I decided to take myself out for a ride. She always told me to take my phone, in case of emergency or whatever, but this time, I actually did. She was in the hospital, after all. But that’s another story.
But then I thought, since I have my phone, I might as well try to take a few pictures of some of the interesting features of this ride. Here’s a few shots of the Regent Hills trail:
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For the most part, its just a fun ride and an excuse for a good workout, but some of these features can be pretty challenging.
Later on Charles showed me this map he had drawn (his kid named some of the trails):
Trail biking is a great physical activity. Its exciting and good for you and fun to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors. But like one time I told Anita, trail biking around here is a lot like skiing. Just instead of riding up in the lift, you get a damn good cardio workout on ascent. And you get a thrill similar to skiing on descent, except instead of fluffy white snow, you have jagged rocks to help you keep your concentration.
Overall though, its a really sweet ride. Try it sometime.
January 26, 2011 at 1:18 am
“Death March” refers to a corporate culture at Overwatch to push through a crisis no matter what it takes. There were more ridiculous times in the early days, before my time, that I think may have gone over the line. This particular case, I was covering for another guy who decided to take a vacation to Mexico with his wife. He seems to be kind of pussy-whipped, or at least he sometimes acts as if that would be an excuse for him flaking out. On the other hand, it was the Christmas holidays, and they did have family plans. They were seriously considering firing him if he didn’t come back. The subject was mentioned. I said no, that’s not necessary. I’ll cover it. And I’m glad I did.
January 26, 2011 at 1:19 am
Running at lunch is a good thing.
In our old location, and in my previous three or four job locations, I figured out a way to go running at lunch. Motive had an awesome gym, and a decent crushed gravel running trail through the planned multipurpose community that sat atop the ruins of the old TI site. And so many layers of memories, though I never worked at TI in Austin, I did work at GSI, the original TI organization, back in Dallas, and one time I did have a need to come down to Austin for technical reasons. It was this corporate campus out in the middle of nowhere. Then years later, I came to work at Schlumberger, originally on a little bypass road called Technology Boulevard, that ran behind the soon to be defunct Austin TI campus, before we moved out to the really great custom digs out on Ranch Road 620, which back then really was kind of a podunk country road. I remember when we moved out there, there was literally no place to go out for lunch. But that was cool, because they brought in a real French Chef for the cafeteria, and they offered shit like Chicken Cordon Bleu for lunch.
Oh, I could go on, and someday I will. But today I just wanted to put on the record that when Overwatch consolidated their three separate locations: the original down on Camp Craft in West Lake Hills, the development labs out on Wild Basin and the overflow out on Lost Creek into a nice custom building out on Southwest Parkway, not only did they add fifteen or twenty minutes to my already too long commute, but they deprived me of the ability to go for a run at lunchtime.
Why? Because Southwest Parkway is an abomination, without even a few feet of properly maintained breakdown lane separating the poor runner from heartless exurbanites hurtling downhill into town at speeds of sixty miles an hour or more that is why!
January 27, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Well Andy I see your head is on straight but I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find something to worry about and what I found is in the form of a question. Is it a good idea when you’re under so much stress to be doing heart pounding exercise like biking up a steep, challenging hill?
Photos are really nice and it does look like an interesting bike hike. Be well and remember how much I care about you.
Love,
Mom