Utqiaġvik

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 – Bluebell Shelter

Phase 1: Here we are back in Boulder, on a balmy spring evening, for our annual pilgrimage up the dilapidated road to Bluebell.

C and D2 handicapped themselves by bicycling to Chautauqua. Meanwhile, S, who sat around all day on the computer, and D, who spent the afternoon varathaning a plank, drove up the hill, and found parking immediately.

“I’m assuming we’re doing Blue Bell because it’s written in the BNO charter.”
— C

Plenty of other pilgrims pounded the pavement, with the usual joggers, hikers, and climbers all enjoying the warm weather. We trekked up and down the road amid sordid tales of D’s recent clock-repair mission to Bozeman and Yellowstone. (Okay, not that sordid.)

We had some reverie regarding our previous visits to Bluebell in the rain.

Phase 2: A raucous Pasta Jay’s, where I missed 90% of the conversation due to the din and shrieks from the table behind us. Hurray for complimentary [—WHAT DID SHE SAY??—] garlic bread.

Phase 3: Trident, with many empty seats (because of spring break), and a Backgammon sighting.

 
 

Questions of the Night

  1. What is the elevation gain up Baseline Road from Broadway to Chautauqua?
    According to C’s Strava map, the Δe is about 300 feet.

  2. Assuming a good bike has better performance than a clunker, is the advantage greater on an incline or on a flat surface?
    The Global Cycling Network on YouTube may shed some light on this subject:
    - GCN:     Light Bike vs Heavy Bike
    - GCN:     Cheap Bike vs Super Bike
    - Additional videos left as an exercise for the reader.
    Outside Online:     Will a Lighter Bike Make Me Faster?
    Cyclist Magazine:     Fat vs Skinny on descent.

  3. Um

  4. What?

  5. What’s the new name of Barrow, Alaska?
    Utqiaġvik, following a 2016 referendum to adopt its traditional Iñupiat name.


Addendum

We have adopted the word Utqiaġvik, at least for the evening, as our official Humpday salutation.

Annotation

Regarding the pronunciation of the letter ġ, Wikipedia says “this letter is used in some dialects of Inupiat to represent the voiced uvular fricative /ʁ/.” So there you have it.


❄︎ ❊ ✺

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