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Saturday, November 8, 2008
Never underestimate dogs
Even when you can't know where the trail is, and it has been 20 trees since the last green blaze, trust your dog. She knows where the last 20 hikers went by, even if it has been weeks and the trail is covered with freshly fallen leaves. Her nose knows.
I'm in the forest around Bull Shoals Lake. Yes, I'm blogging from the forest and I get the irony. But at least I'm out here!
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Cycling Siloam Springs
I just got back from a little saunter around Siloam Springs on my bike. I took off down the hill on Mt. Olive towards the middle school. It's all downhill from my house, which is up on the ridge that defines the Sager Creek flood plain to the south, and where the land kind of levels out to the north, before it starts to get all foothilly for the Ozarks.
One of the many reasons I chose Siloam Springs as my hometown is that it is a very bikeable city. A reasonably fit person could ride their bike anywhere they really needed to go to get what they needed to get. It has a compact size which allows fine living in close proximity to schools, parks, health care, city hall, shopping, and dining. I intended to find a place where my youngest child, 10 at the time, could spread his independence in a wider and wider circle, and be relatively safe.
It was me who really took to the cycling, though. I hadn't owned a bike since my eldest, now 26, was an infant. My last ride before 2004 was with him in a backpack when he was just a few months old. Motherhood and work took up the time I would have used for one of my favorite things in the whole world. Such is life. (I wish I still had that old 10-speed bike, though! Such is my old bike obsession.)
I'm fortunate that a childhood favorite is something that can be done well into my dotage. Unless I keep having days like today. As I was riding on the street by the middle school, I could see a car about to leave the parking lot. It was stopped, and the driver was on a cell phone. I approached and tried to make eye contact with her. As I got to within 20 feet to the left of her car, she looked right, put down the cell phone while she looked left, and then proceeded to turn left right in front of me!
Luckily for me, I was paying attention. As I slammed on my brakes and wobbled to a stop, I hollered in her slightly open window, "HEY! You pulled out right in front of me!" and I could hear her say, "YEAH!" sarcasticly mimicking my tone. At that moment, I'm pretty sure she couldn't have cared less that she put my life in danger, and exposed herself to a possibility of paying my medical bills, getting a ticket or being sued. I'm hoping, that once she finished griping to her daughter about cyclists on the road and she calmed down, that in her quieted mind she thought of all those things, and tries to remember to pay more attention in the future. That's what happens to me when I make a driving mistake that causes a near miss (and there have been plenty just in the many miles I drove in September on The Big Trip).
I calmed down quickly (because it does no good to hang on to such things), and I headed up towards JBU on the Bike Lane to Nowhere. Everyone was polite to me as I signaled my intentions and came to full stops at intersections, but I did get a little miffed at Chris Henson as he came down the hill from JBU on foot and turned towards me into the bike lane on his run. (Why don't runners run on the sidewalk?)
At Granite Street I turned and went south on Stateline Road. Unfortunately, the same situation that happened at the middle school was setting itself up to happen AGAIN at the entrance to the casino. Exact same scenario, except this time the window was all the way down, and I was resigned to not being able to stop it, and not getting my blood pressure up over it. So when the woman got right in front of me (I could have slapped her mirror, she was that close) I just said, "You're cutting it a little close aren't you?" I didn't hear her say anything. I knew she had seen me and decided to go anyway.
These are the incidents that make me think, "That's it, I'm writing a letter!" But, I never do. It's a complicated issue. There are so many cyclists (Will calls them bikelists) who do not know the rules of the road and who do no favors to those of us who do. Then there are the real roadies who love to go fast and won't stop for anything, not even a stoplight. (They're taking their lives in their hands, and I'm surprised any of them are still alive.)
The bikelists never wear helmets, usually have their seat too low for healthy knees or effective pedaling, ride on the sidewalk, or worse, ride on the wrong side of the road in traffic, and go through stop signs without even looking for traffic. They are usually riding a bike that squeaks or doesn't shift; one that came from Wal-Mart (the only place you can buy a new bike in Siloam Springs), and was put together by an employee who doesn't know about bikes. I fell into this category when I first started riding again in 2004, but I quickly left it behind and I morphed into an enthusiast.
The real roadies are always dressed in lycra and are often men with shaved legs. Ninety-nine percent of them wear helmets, and they usually have expensive bikes, which they never use for anything but getting out of town on the highway and going as fast as possible. I sometimes fall into this category. I like going fast, too, but I like to coast more. So hammerfests are usually no fun for me. I get my need for speed fulfilled by coasting downhill!
There's a third and maybe a fourth category, too. There are the people who see cycling as a nothing more than a practical matter. They commute to work or go to the store or they ride for pleasure on the trail. They are usually discerning consumers, so they researched their bike options and may only own one bike. They usually always wear a helmet. They might have a flag on their recumbent because they're concerned about being visible.
Related to that third category, there are those who have a bike as a practical necessity. There are several of them that I see often. They are on Wal-Mart bikes, but they are riding to work at the Simmons plant with their rubber chore boots on, or back from IGA with a bag of groceries hanging off the handlebars. An article in Utne Reader I read once called these "invisible cyclists". I see them as problem solvers who are willing to work for a living and live within their means. No shame in that.
There is one thing all these cyclists have in common. They have a need to be safe on the roads. Under the scant Arkansas law that applies to cyclists, cyclists are considered vehicles, just like cars. Therefore, they are required to use the roadways. Indeed, the most oft-given advice to cyclists to remain safe on the road is to behave like a car. It is a right and a privilege for cyclists to use the roads for which they, too, pay taxes to build and maintain. It is also the cyclists responsibility to ride correctly and defensively.
This means that they should obey all traffic control devices. Stop at stop signs. Signal your turns and use the proper lane when turning. Ride with the flow of traffic. Pass other vehicles only when safe to do so, and NEVER pass a car on the right.
By the same token, cyclists should yield the lane to faster traffic when it is safe to do so. This means to stay to the right of the lane. Cyclists are not required to use the shoulder, but using it to allow traffic to pass when there is no debris or rough pavement or other unsafe conditions, is the polite thing to do. When a cyclist deems it unsafe for a vehicle to pass them, it is perfectly all right for the cyclist to claim the center of the lane and stay there until it is safe for passing. Cyclists should signal their intentions to move into the lane by pointing right or left. Making eye contact with drivers is one of the most effective methods of making your presence known. Cyclists should ride far enough out in the lane when passing parked cars to prevent a car door from hitting them if it opens unexpectedly.
For drivers' part, Arkansas law requires vehicles to give at least three feet of clearance on either side when passing a cyclist. Too many cyclists have been clipped by wide mirrors on pick-up trucks. Passing too close can cause the cyclist to wobble unsafely in the swirling draft of a large vehicle. A cyclist falling or being knocked down in traffic is more likely to be run over by a following car, not to mention the injuries that will be sustained on impact with the pavement.
If a cyclist is claiming the center of a lane, driver's should assume there is a good reason for this. There may be no shoulder, or glass or other debris on the shoulder that would cause a flat or an accident for the cyclist. The road may be too narrow for an oncoming car and a following car to pass a bicycle at the same time, and still allow the for the three feet of clearance required in the law. The cyclist may be preparing to move to the left turn or middle lane to make a left turn up ahead.
The important thing is for drivers and cyclists to be safe and courteous for each other, and not to assume the other is making them late on purpose. Are saving a few seconds really worth endangering the life or limb of a stranger?
No one I know would expect a small child to ride their bike on the road instead of the sidewalk. However, I believe parents should be teaching their children the rules of the road and how to operate a bicycle as a vehicle, as the children become developmentally ready. It may be safer for a child with poor judgment to ride on the sidewalk for the short distances that children are allowed to travel alone. But as a general rule, sidewalks are not safe for cyclists. There are too many driveways and intersections where drivers do not expect cyclists to be. A cyclist on the road is much more recognizable to drivers as a vehicle. A cyclist on the sidewalk is not expected by drivers to cross every driveway and every intersection without stopping.
There is no law in Arkansas which requires bicycles to be on the sidewalk, and none that prohibit it. If a cyclist prefers to ride on sidewalks, and is able to safely manage the obstacles of pedestrians, lampposts, etc., AND is willing to stop at every intersection like a pedestrian and look both ways before crossing, then there is nothing wrong with it. But a bicycle's optimal use is as a vehicle, and vehicles belong on the streets. Knowing how to safely ride in the streets with the flow of traffic is a useful skill that adults should learn and children should be taught.
One of the many reasons I chose Siloam Springs as my hometown is that it is a very bikeable city. A reasonably fit person could ride their bike anywhere they really needed to go to get what they needed to get. It has a compact size which allows fine living in close proximity to schools, parks, health care, city hall, shopping, and dining. I intended to find a place where my youngest child, 10 at the time, could spread his independence in a wider and wider circle, and be relatively safe.
It was me who really took to the cycling, though. I hadn't owned a bike since my eldest, now 26, was an infant. My last ride before 2004 was with him in a backpack when he was just a few months old. Motherhood and work took up the time I would have used for one of my favorite things in the whole world. Such is life. (I wish I still had that old 10-speed bike, though! Such is my old bike obsession.)
I'm fortunate that a childhood favorite is something that can be done well into my dotage. Unless I keep having days like today. As I was riding on the street by the middle school, I could see a car about to leave the parking lot. It was stopped, and the driver was on a cell phone. I approached and tried to make eye contact with her. As I got to within 20 feet to the left of her car, she looked right, put down the cell phone while she looked left, and then proceeded to turn left right in front of me!
Luckily for me, I was paying attention. As I slammed on my brakes and wobbled to a stop, I hollered in her slightly open window, "HEY! You pulled out right in front of me!" and I could hear her say, "YEAH!" sarcasticly mimicking my tone. At that moment, I'm pretty sure she couldn't have cared less that she put my life in danger, and exposed herself to a possibility of paying my medical bills, getting a ticket or being sued. I'm hoping, that once she finished griping to her daughter about cyclists on the road and she calmed down, that in her quieted mind she thought of all those things, and tries to remember to pay more attention in the future. That's what happens to me when I make a driving mistake that causes a near miss (and there have been plenty just in the many miles I drove in September on The Big Trip).
I calmed down quickly (because it does no good to hang on to such things), and I headed up towards JBU on the Bike Lane to Nowhere. Everyone was polite to me as I signaled my intentions and came to full stops at intersections, but I did get a little miffed at Chris Henson as he came down the hill from JBU on foot and turned towards me into the bike lane on his run. (Why don't runners run on the sidewalk?)
At Granite Street I turned and went south on Stateline Road. Unfortunately, the same situation that happened at the middle school was setting itself up to happen AGAIN at the entrance to the casino. Exact same scenario, except this time the window was all the way down, and I was resigned to not being able to stop it, and not getting my blood pressure up over it. So when the woman got right in front of me (I could have slapped her mirror, she was that close) I just said, "You're cutting it a little close aren't you?" I didn't hear her say anything. I knew she had seen me and decided to go anyway.
These are the incidents that make me think, "That's it, I'm writing a letter!" But, I never do. It's a complicated issue. There are so many cyclists (Will calls them bikelists) who do not know the rules of the road and who do no favors to those of us who do. Then there are the real roadies who love to go fast and won't stop for anything, not even a stoplight. (They're taking their lives in their hands, and I'm surprised any of them are still alive.)
The bikelists never wear helmets, usually have their seat too low for healthy knees or effective pedaling, ride on the sidewalk, or worse, ride on the wrong side of the road in traffic, and go through stop signs without even looking for traffic. They are usually riding a bike that squeaks or doesn't shift; one that came from Wal-Mart (the only place you can buy a new bike in Siloam Springs), and was put together by an employee who doesn't know about bikes. I fell into this category when I first started riding again in 2004, but I quickly left it behind and I morphed into an enthusiast.
The real roadies are always dressed in lycra and are often men with shaved legs. Ninety-nine percent of them wear helmets, and they usually have expensive bikes, which they never use for anything but getting out of town on the highway and going as fast as possible. I sometimes fall into this category. I like going fast, too, but I like to coast more. So hammerfests are usually no fun for me. I get my need for speed fulfilled by coasting downhill!
There's a third and maybe a fourth category, too. There are the people who see cycling as a nothing more than a practical matter. They commute to work or go to the store or they ride for pleasure on the trail. They are usually discerning consumers, so they researched their bike options and may only own one bike. They usually always wear a helmet. They might have a flag on their recumbent because they're concerned about being visible.
Related to that third category, there are those who have a bike as a practical necessity. There are several of them that I see often. They are on Wal-Mart bikes, but they are riding to work at the Simmons plant with their rubber chore boots on, or back from IGA with a bag of groceries hanging off the handlebars. An article in Utne Reader I read once called these "invisible cyclists". I see them as problem solvers who are willing to work for a living and live within their means. No shame in that.
There is one thing all these cyclists have in common. They have a need to be safe on the roads. Under the scant Arkansas law that applies to cyclists, cyclists are considered vehicles, just like cars. Therefore, they are required to use the roadways. Indeed, the most oft-given advice to cyclists to remain safe on the road is to behave like a car. It is a right and a privilege for cyclists to use the roads for which they, too, pay taxes to build and maintain. It is also the cyclists responsibility to ride correctly and defensively.
This means that they should obey all traffic control devices. Stop at stop signs. Signal your turns and use the proper lane when turning. Ride with the flow of traffic. Pass other vehicles only when safe to do so, and NEVER pass a car on the right.
By the same token, cyclists should yield the lane to faster traffic when it is safe to do so. This means to stay to the right of the lane. Cyclists are not required to use the shoulder, but using it to allow traffic to pass when there is no debris or rough pavement or other unsafe conditions, is the polite thing to do. When a cyclist deems it unsafe for a vehicle to pass them, it is perfectly all right for the cyclist to claim the center of the lane and stay there until it is safe for passing. Cyclists should signal their intentions to move into the lane by pointing right or left. Making eye contact with drivers is one of the most effective methods of making your presence known. Cyclists should ride far enough out in the lane when passing parked cars to prevent a car door from hitting them if it opens unexpectedly.
For drivers' part, Arkansas law requires vehicles to give at least three feet of clearance on either side when passing a cyclist. Too many cyclists have been clipped by wide mirrors on pick-up trucks. Passing too close can cause the cyclist to wobble unsafely in the swirling draft of a large vehicle. A cyclist falling or being knocked down in traffic is more likely to be run over by a following car, not to mention the injuries that will be sustained on impact with the pavement.
If a cyclist is claiming the center of a lane, driver's should assume there is a good reason for this. There may be no shoulder, or glass or other debris on the shoulder that would cause a flat or an accident for the cyclist. The road may be too narrow for an oncoming car and a following car to pass a bicycle at the same time, and still allow the for the three feet of clearance required in the law. The cyclist may be preparing to move to the left turn or middle lane to make a left turn up ahead.
The important thing is for drivers and cyclists to be safe and courteous for each other, and not to assume the other is making them late on purpose. Are saving a few seconds really worth endangering the life or limb of a stranger?
No one I know would expect a small child to ride their bike on the road instead of the sidewalk. However, I believe parents should be teaching their children the rules of the road and how to operate a bicycle as a vehicle, as the children become developmentally ready. It may be safer for a child with poor judgment to ride on the sidewalk for the short distances that children are allowed to travel alone. But as a general rule, sidewalks are not safe for cyclists. There are too many driveways and intersections where drivers do not expect cyclists to be. A cyclist on the road is much more recognizable to drivers as a vehicle. A cyclist on the sidewalk is not expected by drivers to cross every driveway and every intersection without stopping.
There is no law in Arkansas which requires bicycles to be on the sidewalk, and none that prohibit it. If a cyclist prefers to ride on sidewalks, and is able to safely manage the obstacles of pedestrians, lampposts, etc., AND is willing to stop at every intersection like a pedestrian and look both ways before crossing, then there is nothing wrong with it. But a bicycle's optimal use is as a vehicle, and vehicles belong on the streets. Knowing how to safely ride in the streets with the flow of traffic is a useful skill that adults should learn and children should be taught.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Catching up
I'm loving being home from the long trip east. For the last week we have been catching up, unpacking, slowly experiencing re-entry into our lives at home. It was so good to see the dogs and cats. And Charles, too, but we got to see him in Little Rock before we got home
Going back through the pictures, there are some I wanted to post and never got around to, so that's what I'm doing now.
~~~~~~~
On a couple of mornings at the Live & Learn Conference, I managed to get up and exercise. The place has a gymnasium and a work out room, but the gym is mostly a basketball court, and the work out room was locked that early in the morning. It was okay, because there was a lovely porch on the building, with the gigantic Roman columns. I took my yoga mat over and did the Master Your Body routine, along with 100 jumping jacks and extra stretching. The sun was coming up to the east, over the mountain and across the great lawn in front of Lee Hall. Here's a picture of Lee Hall:
While doing ab-dogs, I noticed spider webs on the porch railings, and this really cool double one next to a column. The sun was shining through I just couldn't resist taking a picture of it.
Another instance where I was limited by the screen on my point-n-shoot digital camera. Not the best framing, but I still like the way the web looks.
~~~~~~~~~
A DIFFERENT DAY:
Will and I took a ride down to the ocean from our campsite at Cape Henlopen State Park near Lewes, Delaware. Even the mountain bike couldn't handle the deep sand, eventually.
Here's Will racing the waves. Handsome fella!
Then we saw the Cantonment at Fort Miles, which was placed there after Pearl Harbor. Those guns were nearer the shore up on towers.
Will was feeling poorly so we didn't get to do the cycling we would have liked. It was a cycling friendly place, that's for sure!
Going back through the pictures, there are some I wanted to post and never got around to, so that's what I'm doing now.
~~~~~~~
On a couple of mornings at the Live & Learn Conference, I managed to get up and exercise. The place has a gymnasium and a work out room, but the gym is mostly a basketball court, and the work out room was locked that early in the morning. It was okay, because there was a lovely porch on the building, with the gigantic Roman columns. I took my yoga mat over and did the Master Your Body routine, along with 100 jumping jacks and extra stretching. The sun was coming up to the east, over the mountain and across the great lawn in front of Lee Hall. Here's a picture of Lee Hall:
While doing ab-dogs, I noticed spider webs on the porch railings, and this really cool double one next to a column. The sun was shining through I just couldn't resist taking a picture of it.
Another instance where I was limited by the screen on my point-n-shoot digital camera. Not the best framing, but I still like the way the web looks.
~~~~~~~~~
A DIFFERENT DAY:
Will and I took a ride down to the ocean from our campsite at Cape Henlopen State Park near Lewes, Delaware. Even the mountain bike couldn't handle the deep sand, eventually.
Here's Will racing the waves. Handsome fella!
Then we saw the Cantonment at Fort Miles, which was placed there after Pearl Harbor. Those guns were nearer the shore up on towers.
Will was feeling poorly so we didn't get to do the cycling we would have liked. It was a cycling friendly place, that's for sure!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Big Dam Bridge 2008
Charles, Will and I did the Big Dam Bridge 100 in Little Rock on Saturday. (But we did the 50 miles.) Last year my average was 12, this year 14.5. I shaved about 30 minutes off my time--there is some discrepancy because they have a finish clock but of course it doesn't match up with my computer. It was under 4 hours, which was really great for me.
Charles did the 25 last year, so we were real proud of him for doing the 50. In two weeks at the Tour De Cure, he's planning on upping to the 75 if he still feels good at the turn. Will did the 50 with me last year, but bonked about 35 miles in, because he refused to eat at my urging. This year I was able to convince him to eat. The Carb Boom gels he had available helped, too. He did the last 20 miles by himself and beat us back by about 5-10 minutes!
I had a great speed there for a while. There wasn't much wind, and the terrain was rolling or flat, and I was able to hold around 18-20 all by myself, for at least a couple of miles (there was no one around, but someone did draft off me for a while and then when I slowed up a hill, passed me up and wouldn't pull, but congratulated me on my speed). I was forced to go fast because I was having trouble with the FD--couldn't get from the big to the middle ring unless I went all the way down to granny first. That, of course, cost me momentum which ticked me off, which made me mad enough to stay on the big ring up hill, even though I had to cross chain sometimes to do it.
Riding my heavier steel touring bike in Vermont for a week did make me stronger. I shift less because the barcons are less convenient. The gearing is lower to begin with so I don't go fast which means I ride longer. Getting on the lighter road bike with quicker shifting felt like taking off the ankle weights.
It was a really good ride. Can't wait until next year.
Charles did the 25 last year, so we were real proud of him for doing the 50. In two weeks at the Tour De Cure, he's planning on upping to the 75 if he still feels good at the turn. Will did the 50 with me last year, but bonked about 35 miles in, because he refused to eat at my urging. This year I was able to convince him to eat. The Carb Boom gels he had available helped, too. He did the last 20 miles by himself and beat us back by about 5-10 minutes!
I had a great speed there for a while. There wasn't much wind, and the terrain was rolling or flat, and I was able to hold around 18-20 all by myself, for at least a couple of miles (there was no one around, but someone did draft off me for a while and then when I slowed up a hill, passed me up and wouldn't pull, but congratulated me on my speed). I was forced to go fast because I was having trouble with the FD--couldn't get from the big to the middle ring unless I went all the way down to granny first. That, of course, cost me momentum which ticked me off, which made me mad enough to stay on the big ring up hill, even though I had to cross chain sometimes to do it.
Riding my heavier steel touring bike in Vermont for a week did make me stronger. I shift less because the barcons are less convenient. The gearing is lower to begin with so I don't go fast which means I ride longer. Getting on the lighter road bike with quicker shifting felt like taking off the ankle weights.
It was a really good ride. Can't wait until next year.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
From a Campground near Canada..
Today I drove upstate a little ways, to the Groton State Forest. It contains Lake Groton, and several ponds, and is located sort of between St. Johnsbury and Montpelier.
There is a rail trail that runs through the forest. Rail trails used to be railways. This particular one was decommissioned as a railway a long long time ago, because it was more dangerous than a new one that accomplished the same thing nearby. (That's what I gather from a website called crossvermont.org.)
Even though I had directions from Vermont Magazine that Heather had given me, as soon as I happened on the beginning of the rail trail, I parked and got on it. I could have followed the complicated directions in the magazine and ended up riding partly on highways, etc. But...I wasn't interested in traffic, and I didn't have any.
Although I knew the trail was gravel, I figured it would be pretty hard packed, like the Katy Trail in Missouri. Even though I loaded up both bikes just in case, I really wanted to ride the Centurion. It fits me better, still had the computer on it and the pedals, and it can handle gravel. I was wrong about the trail. It was sometimes soft Redfield-like sand, sometimes big boulders, sometimes lotsa rocks, all of which the mountain bike would have taken in stride. The Centurion did all right, though, thanks to my superior bike handling skills.
Seriously, though, I had no mishaps, but I did have to watch carefully for big boulders. You know the kind--the ones buried half way out of the ground in the middle of path and you don't see them in the dappled shade until you're giving it the death stare. You know the death stare--on a bike, anything you stare at you'll hit, no doubt. Sometimes that can mean certain death! That's why, especially when mountain biking (and on gravel roads) it's a good idea to look far ahead of your wheel and pick your line and DON'T DON'T DON'T look at that knob sticking up off that root, or that giant boulder buried in the path, or the goose-poop lying innocently in the middle of the bike path. The goose-poop will fly up on your leg and gross you to death.
No goose poop on this trip. I did take some pictures, though. Here's a slide show.
I read somewhere this week that it is moose mating season. I really really wanted to see a moose! Not too close, but you know, up there on the trail, passing across while I approach--like deer. I didn't see any, but I did see wild turkeys (they are hard to photograph), and quite a few butterflies, and I think I scared up some quail or something, but I never got a good look.
Apparently I also stumbled upon a vast network of snowmobile trails. (I think they call them snow machines, now, but that makes me think of ski slope grooming equipment, so I'll continue to call them snowmobiles, just like I still call "ATV's" 4-wheelers.) I came across a big sign with a map and the spidery snowmobile trails all over it. I tried to figure out where I was, but it didn't have roads so I couldn't orient myself. Along the trail, there were lots and lots of warnings about upcoming junctions and how to get back to Hwy 302 and speed limit 35. There was no danger of me going close to 35, though. I did get up to 15 at one point, then I realized how sad it would be to lose my teeth on one of those hidden boulders, so I slowed back down to around 10.
It was nice and flat, but gravel, so I had to be careful. I was alone for so long I started singing out loud. That got me to whistling. Whistling helps me get my breath back when I'm exerting myself. I do it when I'm singing and when I'm riding and when I'm at my exercise class. I've never considered whether that bothers anyone in class, but who cares? Some of them don't brush their teeth before they come at 6:00 a.m., and that bothers me!
So all that singing and whistling reminded me of all those hours and miles I spent on my bike in Conway when I lived there in high school. I rode my bike all over the place for hours on end. Singing and whistling and cruising around corners with no hands. The handlebar bag on my Centurion prohibits that--makes it unstable--but I can still ride for hundreds of yards and turn corners with no hands on my road bike and mountain bike like I was 15 again! I told you--superior bike handling skills!
But back to today--singing and whistling and COASTING. The rail trail was a false flat up on the way out. That means it wasn't really flat, but it looked that way. I was slowly climbing at maybe a 1% grade for about 5 miles. Then I crossed some kind of barrier and it was the same grade but in reverse, and I was able to coast and coast and coast. Not really fast, like on a real hill. Just enough gravity to make pedaling unnecessary, so long as you didn't mind going at gravity's pace. I didn't, because I was already whistling and singing. On the way back, I climbed for a few miles on the false flat in the other direction and then coasted part of the way after the barrier, and then I pedaled hard the rest of the way back, with gravity on my side.
Today, I came to know something that will forever be true, and always has been. My favorite part of cycling is coasting. All those miles in Conway when I was a teenager, and all those miles today. If I could just coast along with a whistle on my lips, I'd never get off the bike.
There is a rail trail that runs through the forest. Rail trails used to be railways. This particular one was decommissioned as a railway a long long time ago, because it was more dangerous than a new one that accomplished the same thing nearby. (That's what I gather from a website called crossvermont.org.)
Even though I had directions from Vermont Magazine that Heather had given me, as soon as I happened on the beginning of the rail trail, I parked and got on it. I could have followed the complicated directions in the magazine and ended up riding partly on highways, etc. But...I wasn't interested in traffic, and I didn't have any.
Although I knew the trail was gravel, I figured it would be pretty hard packed, like the Katy Trail in Missouri. Even though I loaded up both bikes just in case, I really wanted to ride the Centurion. It fits me better, still had the computer on it and the pedals, and it can handle gravel. I was wrong about the trail. It was sometimes soft Redfield-like sand, sometimes big boulders, sometimes lotsa rocks, all of which the mountain bike would have taken in stride. The Centurion did all right, though, thanks to my superior bike handling skills.
Seriously, though, I had no mishaps, but I did have to watch carefully for big boulders. You know the kind--the ones buried half way out of the ground in the middle of path and you don't see them in the dappled shade until you're giving it the death stare. You know the death stare--on a bike, anything you stare at you'll hit, no doubt. Sometimes that can mean certain death! That's why, especially when mountain biking (and on gravel roads) it's a good idea to look far ahead of your wheel and pick your line and DON'T DON'T DON'T look at that knob sticking up off that root, or that giant boulder buried in the path, or the goose-poop lying innocently in the middle of the bike path. The goose-poop will fly up on your leg and gross you to death.
No goose poop on this trip. I did take some pictures, though. Here's a slide show.
I read somewhere this week that it is moose mating season. I really really wanted to see a moose! Not too close, but you know, up there on the trail, passing across while I approach--like deer. I didn't see any, but I did see wild turkeys (they are hard to photograph), and quite a few butterflies, and I think I scared up some quail or something, but I never got a good look.
Apparently I also stumbled upon a vast network of snowmobile trails. (I think they call them snow machines, now, but that makes me think of ski slope grooming equipment, so I'll continue to call them snowmobiles, just like I still call "ATV's" 4-wheelers.) I came across a big sign with a map and the spidery snowmobile trails all over it. I tried to figure out where I was, but it didn't have roads so I couldn't orient myself. Along the trail, there were lots and lots of warnings about upcoming junctions and how to get back to Hwy 302 and speed limit 35. There was no danger of me going close to 35, though. I did get up to 15 at one point, then I realized how sad it would be to lose my teeth on one of those hidden boulders, so I slowed back down to around 10.
It was nice and flat, but gravel, so I had to be careful. I was alone for so long I started singing out loud. That got me to whistling. Whistling helps me get my breath back when I'm exerting myself. I do it when I'm singing and when I'm riding and when I'm at my exercise class. I've never considered whether that bothers anyone in class, but who cares? Some of them don't brush their teeth before they come at 6:00 a.m., and that bothers me!
So all that singing and whistling reminded me of all those hours and miles I spent on my bike in Conway when I lived there in high school. I rode my bike all over the place for hours on end. Singing and whistling and cruising around corners with no hands. The handlebar bag on my Centurion prohibits that--makes it unstable--but I can still ride for hundreds of yards and turn corners with no hands on my road bike and mountain bike like I was 15 again! I told you--superior bike handling skills!
But back to today--singing and whistling and COASTING. The rail trail was a false flat up on the way out. That means it wasn't really flat, but it looked that way. I was slowly climbing at maybe a 1% grade for about 5 miles. Then I crossed some kind of barrier and it was the same grade but in reverse, and I was able to coast and coast and coast. Not really fast, like on a real hill. Just enough gravity to make pedaling unnecessary, so long as you didn't mind going at gravity's pace. I didn't, because I was already whistling and singing. On the way back, I climbed for a few miles on the false flat in the other direction and then coasted part of the way after the barrier, and then I pedaled hard the rest of the way back, with gravity on my side.
Today, I came to know something that will forever be true, and always has been. My favorite part of cycling is coasting. All those miles in Conway when I was a teenager, and all those miles today. If I could just coast along with a whistle on my lips, I'd never get off the bike.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Photography
For some reason I bought a Macbook and didn't think about having an SD card reader added. So, for my camera, getting pictures off of it requires a separate little device, a card reader attached to the USB port. Luckily, I've had one of those for about 8 years. It reads many cards. I've used it approximately 5 times before I got the Macbook. Now I have to use it all the time, which is okay. But sometimes I don't remember where it is, or I'm sitting all warm and snugly in bed and it's out in the Element in some piece of luggage while I'm thinking about my blog.
Well, I finally uploaded all the pictures I've taken so far onto the Mac. I take pictures all the time, even if it's not terribly interesting, just to remind me of where I've been and what I've been doing. Or what Will's been doing, seeing, experiencing. This is why I take pictures of Charlie and Sadie when they're at my house; because I can't remember the crazy bread-stealing that Charlie did so I can share the funny story with Heather unless I take a picture!
There were days worth of pictures on the card. A few different events. My Blackberry has a camera on it, so I've been using that for some events (Yankees game), because it's just easier to carry one device and I doubt I'll be printing any pictures I take at a baseball game. So, the small megapixels of my BB are fine for the blog.
Sometimes I like to take extreme close-ups of interesting things. I did this last year in Maine, and I ended up printing a lot of those and putting them up on the wall in the dining room. I really liked the pictures I took. Even though I've taken a few years of photography, and I've been interested in it, I've never really found an "eye" for it. This little technique kind of boils it down for me, and I like the pictures. I don't really care if anyone else does--except maybe Charles, since it's his house, too. He hasn't objected, yet! I don't have to hang them up, though. I can just look at them.
I figured out yesterday when I was trying to take some close ups of apples on a tree, that I want a digital SLR camera. It was a farm, with an apple orchard to the east of the stables, right on the road. The orchard had an electric fence around it! A guy was mowing it. I knew they didn't want people picking apples, and I didn't want to be accused of it, but I wanted pictures of those apples! Fortunately, the yard in front of the stables was also covered up in trees that were covered up in apples! No fence.
I parked my bike and took out the camera and got as close as I could without crossing the property line. I still didn't want to be accused of picking an apple. The thing is, the only way this extreme close up works on a point and shoot digital camera is to get within focusing distance, and then use the zoom to zoom way in. I was too far away from the trees for that. I got as close as I could. But still not good enough. Here's a picture:
After I adjusted the color and cropped it in IPhoto, I think it looks pretty good. But I really just wanted one or two apples in the frame. The other thing about point and shoot cameras is the screen is hard to see in the daylight, so I'm never really sure if I'm getting the whole frame I want.
Here's an example. There is supposed to be a beautiful purple bush
to the right of this picture in the foreground, but I couldn't see it in the view finder, so I missed it. If I were looking through an SLR (single lens reflex) lens, I would be able to see exactly what I was getting, whether it was dark or light outside.
You'd think I'd just use the Minolta film camera I have at home. But that's expensive in the long run, and I'm known for never developing film! I really like my digital camera. I think it's time to graduate to a big girl camera.
Well, I finally uploaded all the pictures I've taken so far onto the Mac. I take pictures all the time, even if it's not terribly interesting, just to remind me of where I've been and what I've been doing. Or what Will's been doing, seeing, experiencing. This is why I take pictures of Charlie and Sadie when they're at my house; because I can't remember the crazy bread-stealing that Charlie did so I can share the funny story with Heather unless I take a picture!
There were days worth of pictures on the card. A few different events. My Blackberry has a camera on it, so I've been using that for some events (Yankees game), because it's just easier to carry one device and I doubt I'll be printing any pictures I take at a baseball game. So, the small megapixels of my BB are fine for the blog.
Sometimes I like to take extreme close-ups of interesting things. I did this last year in Maine, and I ended up printing a lot of those and putting them up on the wall in the dining room. I really liked the pictures I took. Even though I've taken a few years of photography, and I've been interested in it, I've never really found an "eye" for it. This little technique kind of boils it down for me, and I like the pictures. I don't really care if anyone else does--except maybe Charles, since it's his house, too. He hasn't objected, yet! I don't have to hang them up, though. I can just look at them.
I figured out yesterday when I was trying to take some close ups of apples on a tree, that I want a digital SLR camera. It was a farm, with an apple orchard to the east of the stables, right on the road. The orchard had an electric fence around it! A guy was mowing it. I knew they didn't want people picking apples, and I didn't want to be accused of it, but I wanted pictures of those apples! Fortunately, the yard in front of the stables was also covered up in trees that were covered up in apples! No fence.
I parked my bike and took out the camera and got as close as I could without crossing the property line. I still didn't want to be accused of picking an apple. The thing is, the only way this extreme close up works on a point and shoot digital camera is to get within focusing distance, and then use the zoom to zoom way in. I was too far away from the trees for that. I got as close as I could. But still not good enough. Here's a picture:
After I adjusted the color and cropped it in IPhoto, I think it looks pretty good. But I really just wanted one or two apples in the frame. The other thing about point and shoot cameras is the screen is hard to see in the daylight, so I'm never really sure if I'm getting the whole frame I want.
Here's an example. There is supposed to be a beautiful purple bush
to the right of this picture in the foreground, but I couldn't see it in the view finder, so I missed it. If I were looking through an SLR (single lens reflex) lens, I would be able to see exactly what I was getting, whether it was dark or light outside. You'd think I'd just use the Minolta film camera I have at home. But that's expensive in the long run, and I'm known for never developing film! I really like my digital camera. I think it's time to graduate to a big girl camera.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Out with the old
By the way, the same company who built Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, AR, is also building Yankee Stadium. HOK Sport.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Yankee Stadium
So here we are in Yankee Stadium! Nine games left in the place where Ruth, Dimaggio and Mantle played.
The 2008 Yankees are stinking up the place today. They just lost to Tampa Bay, 7-1.
Will did get to see Jeter make one of his spectacular throws, though.
Before the game, there was a moment of silence to remember 9-11-01. It is very different to experience that kind of thing in this city.
At the end they played Sinatra singing "New York, New York", of course.
Even tho the home team lost, we still had a memorable time!
Liberty Bell
I have Ben Franklin's biography at home. Wish I had read it!
Ocean side
Will spent a few hours skimboarding. It is kind of like surfing, but there's no rudder on the board, and it is smaller. You kind of throw it into the shallow waves while running, then you jump on it and ride the wave parellel to shore. It took a while but he got the hang if it.
It was a beautiful day foe the beach. This might not be the picture of tha day, it occurs to me.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I love mobile blogging
In case you're wondering why Will isn't in the pictures, it's because he doesn't want to be. But I take pictures of him anyway.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Home Sweet Home
A nice civilized hotel, with cable TV and wi-fi. We hadn't seen any TV since arriving at the BRA. We knew there was weather acoming, so it was nice to get the whole picture on TWC. Unortunately, it didn't look good for camping.
I looked for a cabin, and found one outside Ocean City. The place looked great--Frontier Town--then I looked at the event calendar.
Delmarva Bike Week starts Thursday! So my choices were a thunderstorm in a tent or a cabin with roaring Harleys outside my window. I decided to at least drive by Frontier town and take a look. My decision was made for me, however, when I saw 5 bikers pull out of the Harley dealer right in front of me, and then proceed to ride ten miles below the speed limit.
We could make do in a tent. Maybe it wouldn't actually rain. Will forgot his swim trunks, so while we were shopping and eating in Ocean City, MD,, the squall line went through and it never rained another drop.
Now its a pleasant 70 degrees, and we've already ridden our bikes a few miles on the paved path this morning. There's a cantonment here, Ft. Miles, that was placed to protect the shore after WWI. The huge guns are still here.
Will is feeling a little under the weather, so we're taking it easy the rest of the day.
I have more pics that will post when I get electricity again..
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I love this picture
This was taken by my friend James Coburn, at the Live & Learn Conference, with a fish-eye lens. He said make a funny face, and this is the funniest face I know. I LOVE this picture! I look like a hobbit.
Thank you, James!
Up the Down Road
If you are on a bike or walking, they ask you to use the Down Road, either up or down. It is way less curvy than Up Road. But on a bike, that means the descent is screaming fast, and at the end there's a speed bump! (Reminds me of an old Bill Cosby routine.)
The road is so steep that you feel compelled to put the car in low gear to avoid burning up the brakes. Imagine that on a bike! FUN!
So this day I rode down with Ben and Bryce, did about 15 miles, during which I drafted behind Bryce, who was on a mountian bike! (He does adventure races, and actually had a tow rope attached to his bike! I knew he could smoke me, up, down, or on the flats, even if he was on a tricycle.)
I let them go up the hill without me so I could go to the drugstore in town. When I got back, I snapped this pic, and then commenced to climbing. One mile up. Slowest noted speed: 2.5 mph. I could have walked faster, but I didn't. I pedaled every inch!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Music City
Finally got all the electronics in the same place so I could upload a few pictures.
We stopped at Opry Mills Mall in Nashville to get out and walk around and have a little lunch. I remember this sign from near the Grand Ol' Opry, when Opryland was still there. Check out the speed limit:
Here we are hoping and hoping that old I-40 ends soon!
We stopped at Opry Mills Mall in Nashville to get out and walk around and have a little lunch. I remember this sign from near the Grand Ol' Opry, when Opryland was still there. Check out the speed limit:
Here we are hoping and hoping that old I-40 ends soon!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Here they come to save the day!!
There were an astounding number of bucket trucks and wood chippers going down I-40 yesterday in Tennessee. Every few miles, there would 10 or 12 more in a row. It took me a few sightings to realize they were heading down south to remove trees from power lines, etc. I took a picture through the bug-sprayed windshield.
I began to speculate that there must be government money involved to have so many--literally hundreds of them--available at a moment's notice. I know for a fact that the Siloam Springs Electric company has standing contracts with tree services for natural disasters, etc. I thought maybe some of those trucks were electric company trucks, but I didn't see any logos that made me think so. I saw lots of tree company logos, though. I suppose FEMA or the local electric companies in Texas and Louisiana already had contracts with many many companies. When the call goes out, I guess they drop everything and head out.
Sure would hate to be a homeowner with a tree down when that call came in.
~~~~~~~~~
The trip from Memphis to Black Mountain seemed very long. Memphis to Nashville seemed like a piece of cake. We stopped at Opry Mills Mall to have lunch and stretch our legs. Will got to go in the Gibson Showcase store and play a few several-thousand dollar guitars.
After you get to Knoxville, and as you approach North Carolina, I-40 gets very winding, the speed limit drops to 55, and the trucks have to stay in the right lane. It's a very good thing. That road is scary. None of the two or three tunnels are straight shot. You don't know when you see the tunnel how long it is and if there is anything happening in the tunnel you need to know about. The tops of big trucks appear to be scraping the ceiling in the arch of the tunnel. I did my best not to be passing any of them while I was in the tunnel.
But...it is OH SO HARD to go slow when you're sooooo close to your destination and you have just driven the long way across two whole states. I admit I did not go slow. I sped. Even though I have a warning ticket from the Johnson, AR, police department stuck in the sun visor to remind me not to. I was still safe, but I can't drive fifty-five!
Walking with my feet 10 feet off of Beale
We left the last regular season Naturals game on Monday in about the 6th inning, so we could get on the road and not be getting into Memphis too late. We picked up Jessica in West Fork about 15 minutes early, and made it to Memphis at about 9:30.
Of course, we can't just roll in and not have a visit, Michele called Mary Jo over, and we had a nice chat. Michele's house looks great. The girls had Silvano dressed up like a fairy with make up and everything. He seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
Poor Freeshow (Michele's elderly dog). She can barely move, and I wonder if she's suffering. That's probably the last time I'll ever see her.
It's so nice to have friends that welcome you in no matter how long it has been. It was like I never left. (I made Will take a picture of Michele and me before we left. I'll try to remember to add it to the blog.)
Some photos just capture perfectly a dog's personality. This is Michele's dog, Hank. He's some kind of one-blue-eyed little darling who smiles a lot and jumps up, but knows to sit if you make him, but not for the camera.
Of course, we can't just roll in and not have a visit, Michele called Mary Jo over, and we had a nice chat. Michele's house looks great. The girls had Silvano dressed up like a fairy with make up and everything. He seemed to enjoy every minute of it.
Poor Freeshow (Michele's elderly dog). She can barely move, and I wonder if she's suffering. That's probably the last time I'll ever see her.
It's so nice to have friends that welcome you in no matter how long it has been. It was like I never left. (I made Will take a picture of Michele and me before we left. I'll try to remember to add it to the blog.)
Some photos just capture perfectly a dog's personality. This is Michele's dog, Hank. He's some kind of one-blue-eyed little darling who smiles a lot and jumps up, but knows to sit if you make him, but not for the camera.
Will's Last Game
On Sunday Will had his last game as a Naturals bat boy for this season. Here's a fuzzy camera phone photo of him with the Sasquatch, Strike, in the home team dugout.
We had a good time at the game, even though the Naturals lost, 9-5, to the Tulsa Drillers. After the game the Northwest Arkansas Symphony played patriotic music and there were fireworks to finish off the night.
Apparently, Will secretly speaks Sasquatchese because I heard them chatting in the dugout before this picture was made. When I caught them, this was the pose they jumped into to cover up that they'd been talking. Will may be the only person who has ever heard Strike speak.
Monday, September 1, 2008
It's almost time!
It's amazing how much you think you need for a month away! But it all seems to fit.
We have two bikes, a skateboard, a skimboard for the ocean, all the helmets and shoes and pedals for the bikes; a tent, air mattresses, chairs, cooking stuff and all kinds of other things for camping; an electric tea kettle. Four suitcases! Two laptops, two ipods, a PSP, a Blackberry, walkie-talkies, CDs, and on and on it goes. Three pairs of shoes each, lots of clothes, swim suits, etc. Craziness.
While I'm packing up the Element, I'll take a few pictures and post them later.
We have two bikes, a skateboard, a skimboard for the ocean, all the helmets and shoes and pedals for the bikes; a tent, air mattresses, chairs, cooking stuff and all kinds of other things for camping; an electric tea kettle. Four suitcases! Two laptops, two ipods, a PSP, a Blackberry, walkie-talkies, CDs, and on and on it goes. Three pairs of shoes each, lots of clothes, swim suits, etc. Craziness.
While I'm packing up the Element, I'll take a few pictures and post them later.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Go away, Gustav!
Three years ago, when Katrina hit New Orleans, Will and I were preparing to drive north to Vermont. By the time we got to St. Louis, the hurricane had swept through New Orleans, had hooked east and was bringing rain all across the midsection of the country. Will, Zeke and I decided, rather than drive in driving rain, that we would spend two nights in St. Louis and let Katrina get out of the way. That was when we took Zeke on his first visit to doggie day care. We hit the free museums in St. Louis and watched it rain from a hotel room.
Fast forward three years. On the third anniversary of Hurrican Katrina, we're getting ready to travel to Vermont again, this time via Memphis and North Carolina for the Live & Learn Conference. Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on New Orleans, for landfall late Monday (9/1) or Tuesday morning!
We should be well on our way across Arkansas by the time it makes landfall, but I wonder if it is going to catch up with us in Tennessee. Remains of it could affect the conference outside of Asheville, too.
So go away, Gustav! Don't ruin my trip!
Fast forward three years. On the third anniversary of Hurrican Katrina, we're getting ready to travel to Vermont again, this time via Memphis and North Carolina for the Live & Learn Conference. Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on New Orleans, for landfall late Monday (9/1) or Tuesday morning!
We should be well on our way across Arkansas by the time it makes landfall, but I wonder if it is going to catch up with us in Tennessee. Remains of it could affect the conference outside of Asheville, too.
So go away, Gustav! Don't ruin my trip!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
T minus 4 days
Just got through watching Obama's acceptance speech. I can't find anything to dislike about him. I know certain people think I should be for Hillary, but you know she's unelectable when still, 8 years later, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette regularly publishes letters to the editor about how much they still hate the Clintons. Obama's a smart guy. We're the same age (I'll be 47 in January, he turned in August). I didn't like Biden during the primaries--same old same old--but I enjoyed his speech at the convention. I softened up a little over the tragedy in his life. He's not a bad choice, I guess. This is the first time I've ever been excited about a candidate, and it started back in the first part of the year. So let me just say it--Obama for President! That's it for the political talk on this blog!
~~~~~~~~~
So there are a little less than 4 days until we leave. I've spent so much time on stuff for other people I haven't had much time to work on the packing, etc. Holly is coming over tomorrow to bring a bag for Dillon. I hope it's not too big!
I'm thinking of putting another box on top of the cargo box, but I don't know how I would attach it.
~~~~~
Oh no, religion! The guy who just did the closing prayer at the convention did something GREAT, especially for a Christian. He asked everyone in the audience to close the prayer in the way their own traditions close prayer. I guess that means the Catholics were crossing and the Jews weren't saying "in Jesus name" (I don't know how they Jews close prayers other than amen). I'm happy to see a prominent pastor do such a thing. So that's it for religion on this blog! It's a twofer--religion and politics in one post!
~~~~~~~
So how would I attach another cargo box to the top of the big cargo box? I thought about a cargo net, but it would still have to be strapped down. I also thought of taking certain things out of the box (chair, tent) and bungying them to the front of the box, between the box and the tailgate. Then maybe I wouldn't need another box. Unfortunately, all the boxes I've found are either too small or two flimsey to withstand driving rain, especially with straps pinching them.
Thought about putting a box on top of the Element, but that's just too much drag. Not gonna do it. I guess I'll wait and see what the load looks like for sure.
I'm planning on riding my bike every day if just for a mile, the whole time I'm gone. Gonna have to lift some weights, do some MYB, or something, too.
Hitting it hard tomorrow: washing the car, vacuuming, cleaning up the house. G'night!
~~~~~~~~~
So there are a little less than 4 days until we leave. I've spent so much time on stuff for other people I haven't had much time to work on the packing, etc. Holly is coming over tomorrow to bring a bag for Dillon. I hope it's not too big!
I'm thinking of putting another box on top of the cargo box, but I don't know how I would attach it.
~~~~~
Oh no, religion! The guy who just did the closing prayer at the convention did something GREAT, especially for a Christian. He asked everyone in the audience to close the prayer in the way their own traditions close prayer. I guess that means the Catholics were crossing and the Jews weren't saying "in Jesus name" (I don't know how they Jews close prayers other than amen). I'm happy to see a prominent pastor do such a thing. So that's it for religion on this blog! It's a twofer--religion and politics in one post!
~~~~~~~
So how would I attach another cargo box to the top of the big cargo box? I thought about a cargo net, but it would still have to be strapped down. I also thought of taking certain things out of the box (chair, tent) and bungying them to the front of the box, between the box and the tailgate. Then maybe I wouldn't need another box. Unfortunately, all the boxes I've found are either too small or two flimsey to withstand driving rain, especially with straps pinching them.
Thought about putting a box on top of the Element, but that's just too much drag. Not gonna do it. I guess I'll wait and see what the load looks like for sure.
I'm planning on riding my bike every day if just for a mile, the whole time I'm gone. Gonna have to lift some weights, do some MYB, or something, too.
Hitting it hard tomorrow: washing the car, vacuuming, cleaning up the house. G'night!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weezer tickets
Turns out Weezer is playing in Lowell, MA, about 35 miles from Manchester, NH, on the day we are picking up at NBTSC. So, since we can't get our rollercoaster fix on this trip, we're going to a Weezer concert. Costs about the same as a theme park! Will is very stoked about it.
All better
We had a good weekend, with nothing to do but hang out. We did go to the ballpark and install the water pipe for the sprinkler to the mound. I helped Charles by bailing and sucking water out of the trench. It was muddy work, but it had to be done so the field can be dried out and ready for sod by the end of the week, hopefully.
My legs don't hurt anymore! I did the run this morning at boot camp but only went half way. I ran the whole way, though.
I manufactured window dressings for the Element on Sunday. It works pretty well, the Reflectix. I can roll them all up, put a bungee around them, and put them up in the cargo net on the ceiling. That cargo net is staying up there forever, that's for sure. Handy as a pocket. Or is it a pocket?
I finally got the Centurion back from Community Bicyclist. It is set up so sweeeeeet, but I wish the interruptor levers were a little farther apart. I think he was leaving room for my handlebar bag, but I'm not sure. I don't think they can be changed without new cable/housing. I will have to get used to the barcons, but I don't think it will take long. The real test will be in Asheville next week. I need to put my shoes on and give it a real work out. I rode it to boot camp this morning, but didn't bother to put my shoes on. Just pushed the Frogs without being attached. That's dangerous for my knees, but I took it easy.
Thinking about changing out the pedals and making it my "porch bike", the one that I just hop on and ride to the post office or whereever I need to go. Since I'm only home a week before I leave for a month, I think I'll put that off--but I'll still keep it on the porch, because I like looking at it so much!
Oh, and it fits on the rig I made for the inside of the Element! Fits perfectly, as if I used it instead of the 1000 to make the rig. It makes the rig darn heavy, though!
My legs don't hurt anymore! I did the run this morning at boot camp but only went half way. I ran the whole way, though.
I manufactured window dressings for the Element on Sunday. It works pretty well, the Reflectix. I can roll them all up, put a bungee around them, and put them up in the cargo net on the ceiling. That cargo net is staying up there forever, that's for sure. Handy as a pocket. Or is it a pocket?
I finally got the Centurion back from Community Bicyclist. It is set up so sweeeeeet, but I wish the interruptor levers were a little farther apart. I think he was leaving room for my handlebar bag, but I'm not sure. I don't think they can be changed without new cable/housing. I will have to get used to the barcons, but I don't think it will take long. The real test will be in Asheville next week. I need to put my shoes on and give it a real work out. I rode it to boot camp this morning, but didn't bother to put my shoes on. Just pushed the Frogs without being attached. That's dangerous for my knees, but I took it easy.
Thinking about changing out the pedals and making it my "porch bike", the one that I just hop on and ride to the post office or whereever I need to go. Since I'm only home a week before I leave for a month, I think I'll put that off--but I'll still keep it on the porch, because I like looking at it so much!
Oh, and it fits on the rig I made for the inside of the Element! Fits perfectly, as if I used it instead of the 1000 to make the rig. It makes the rig darn heavy, though!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Still sore
At 4;17, I woke up, one hour before the alarm was to go off. I turned over and moved my legs to the edge of the bed and OW! More pain in my calves, like it never left. There was no way I could do boot camp this morning; it would be hard just getting there. I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep.
Last night at the Natural game I put my feet up on the seat in front of me, with my knees bent, and at the end of the night I thought my legs felt a little better by the time we left.
This morning, no dice. Not better. Barely walking.
I did get to catch up on Mad Men this morning.
Last night at the Natural game I put my feet up on the seat in front of me, with my knees bent, and at the end of the night I thought my legs felt a little better by the time we left.
This morning, no dice. Not better. Barely walking.
I did get to catch up on Mad Men this morning.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
OUCH!!!
Yesterday at boot camp, we went to climb the JBU stairs. 100 stairs. When you get to the top, there's a huge granite sign that says California. No wonder they're so hard to climb! They take you all the way to California!
Anyway, we went up at our own pace, and down, and as many reps as we could. Noel said the women could probably do 4 and the men 5. I did 3. I could have done four, after a little rest. After all, we were watching Mark try to break the gym record by climbing them 21 times! He did it.
Today, I'm very glad I did not do the 4th set! My legs were all noodly after 3. They were extremely tired all day, as if I had run a marathon. Now, I've never run a marathon, but I've been on my feet all day before. I went to actual boot camp, too. My legs have been tired, but never THIS tired.
I went straight home and did lots of walking around the yard, to keep my legs from stiffening up. I took about 5 wheelbarrow loads of weeks out to the brush pile--that's about 75 yards of walking each way. I did that for about an hour and a half, and walked around Wal-Mart later in the day, but did very little else because of the fatigue. I moaned and groaned all day, every time I moved. I was just tired.
I thought, hmmm, tomorrow I'll hop on a bike and do a few easy miles to loosen up.
This morning, though, I'm SORE. It's my calves. From just below the lower part of the curve, to the bottom of my ankle, they're sore. To the touch, even. I used the rolling pin on my legs last night, thinking it would help. It did. My hams and quads are fine, but still tired. The calves, though, OUCH. I laid in bed an extra two hours because I didn't want to go down the stairs!
So Will asked me to take him to 3DPT (the source of all my pain) to work out this morning. When I walked in, Noel laughingly said, "Oh, Karen Tucker's calves are hurting!!" He KNEW. I don't know if it was his well trained eye watching my gait, or his experience with the JBU stairs. I told him I'd come in to give him a piece of my mind. He said that his were hurting, too. When he starts getting back into it, there is a transition period. He wonders why he ever quits climbing the stairs.
Ibprofen isn't helping. I used Noel's rolling pin, too. It hurts just to touch them. I sure hope they're better by boot camp in the morning! If not, no side-straddle hops for me!
Anyway, we went up at our own pace, and down, and as many reps as we could. Noel said the women could probably do 4 and the men 5. I did 3. I could have done four, after a little rest. After all, we were watching Mark try to break the gym record by climbing them 21 times! He did it.
Today, I'm very glad I did not do the 4th set! My legs were all noodly after 3. They were extremely tired all day, as if I had run a marathon. Now, I've never run a marathon, but I've been on my feet all day before. I went to actual boot camp, too. My legs have been tired, but never THIS tired.
I went straight home and did lots of walking around the yard, to keep my legs from stiffening up. I took about 5 wheelbarrow loads of weeks out to the brush pile--that's about 75 yards of walking each way. I did that for about an hour and a half, and walked around Wal-Mart later in the day, but did very little else because of the fatigue. I moaned and groaned all day, every time I moved. I was just tired.
I thought, hmmm, tomorrow I'll hop on a bike and do a few easy miles to loosen up.
This morning, though, I'm SORE. It's my calves. From just below the lower part of the curve, to the bottom of my ankle, they're sore. To the touch, even. I used the rolling pin on my legs last night, thinking it would help. It did. My hams and quads are fine, but still tired. The calves, though, OUCH. I laid in bed an extra two hours because I didn't want to go down the stairs!
So Will asked me to take him to 3DPT (the source of all my pain) to work out this morning. When I walked in, Noel laughingly said, "Oh, Karen Tucker's calves are hurting!!" He KNEW. I don't know if it was his well trained eye watching my gait, or his experience with the JBU stairs. I told him I'd come in to give him a piece of my mind. He said that his were hurting, too. When he starts getting back into it, there is a transition period. He wonders why he ever quits climbing the stairs.
Ibprofen isn't helping. I used Noel's rolling pin, too. It hurts just to touch them. I sure hope they're better by boot camp in the morning! If not, no side-straddle hops for me!
Monday, August 18, 2008
No window tinting
I looked it up. Since I randomly chose PA in the earlier post, I checked PA's laws. They're more strict than Arkansas. Arkansas has pretty strict laws, too, but the stores are all selling window tint darker than the law allows. I realize there are plenty of different uses for it--we used it in a Halloween thing a few years ago.
So, I signed up on the Element Owner's Club, a place I learned about soon after I got my Element. Like the New Beetle forum I was a part of when I had a Beetle, it's chock-full of excellent information! AND, in a nice touch of serendipity, it is populated with hundreds of cyclists and campers! Even a guy who LIVES in his E. I guess it's natural that campers and cyclists would gravitate to the Element as the vehicle of choice.
Now to go and mine archives for information about covering the windows for privacy.
So, I signed up on the Element Owner's Club, a place I learned about soon after I got my Element. Like the New Beetle forum I was a part of when I had a Beetle, it's chock-full of excellent information! AND, in a nice touch of serendipity, it is populated with hundreds of cyclists and campers! Even a guy who LIVES in his E. I guess it's natural that campers and cyclists would gravitate to the Element as the vehicle of choice.
Now to go and mine archives for information about covering the windows for privacy.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Is it paranoia or...?
Ever since Charles' truck was burgled in Detroit, I've been a little wary of leaving my car anywhere with stuff inside it.
Just last weekend in Little Rock, we stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom. Will stayed in the car, trying to sleep. I left the car unlocked because I thought he might decide to get out and the alarm might go off if he opened the door from the inside if it was locked. So just as we were coming out, we saw these two men get in the car next to us and drive away. Will said that one of the men peered into the driver's window of the Element, and then reached his hand towards the door handle. Will thinks the guy saw his foot, or saw Charles coming out and that's why he didn't open the door. Will was pretty shook up. My wallet was lying there between the seats, but you couldn't see it from the window.
I know for one thing, I'm never not locking the door again.
Still, on this trip, I'll have a couple of bikes in the back, two laptops, cell phones, cameras, a guitar, maybe a ukulele, a pretty expensive skateboard, and lots of other stuff typical of what we take on a month long trip. Arkansas tags far away from home. I won't be parking in downtown Detroit like Charles did, but who knows where I'll be for sure?
I've been thinking of some way to cover the windows of the Element, just in the back, when I'm not in it. Even when I am in it, possibly sleeping while I'm camping by myself, it would be nice to cover the windows to change clothes, etc.
I thought of using the 3M picture hanging strips and some fabric and just drape it up back there. I tried it today, and the strips don't stay on the fabric well enough. The strips can soften up in temps over 105, too. It gets hot inside the car. Also, it seems like drapes would draw attention to the car that it wouldn't otherwise get.
Then I thought of just putting velcro dots on the windows themselves, and cutting up a vinyl tablecloth or some such to match the glass. I looked at vinyl tablecloths in Wal-Mart and they were so hideously ugly, I couldn't bear to buy one. I even looked at the Thanksgiving ones (THANKSGIVING! In AUGUST!)
I thought of window tinting--really dark. I looked at it at AutoZone and it wouldn't be too expensive. I just don't know how I'm going to like it. I don't know if it's legal. And I'll still have to come up with something for the front. It might also call attention to the car--or from cops, even worse! I can't be driving through PA and be stopped for too dark windows all the time! I'm going to look it up, though.
Just last weekend in Little Rock, we stopped at McDonald's to use the bathroom. Will stayed in the car, trying to sleep. I left the car unlocked because I thought he might decide to get out and the alarm might go off if he opened the door from the inside if it was locked. So just as we were coming out, we saw these two men get in the car next to us and drive away. Will said that one of the men peered into the driver's window of the Element, and then reached his hand towards the door handle. Will thinks the guy saw his foot, or saw Charles coming out and that's why he didn't open the door. Will was pretty shook up. My wallet was lying there between the seats, but you couldn't see it from the window.
I know for one thing, I'm never not locking the door again.
Still, on this trip, I'll have a couple of bikes in the back, two laptops, cell phones, cameras, a guitar, maybe a ukulele, a pretty expensive skateboard, and lots of other stuff typical of what we take on a month long trip. Arkansas tags far away from home. I won't be parking in downtown Detroit like Charles did, but who knows where I'll be for sure?
I've been thinking of some way to cover the windows of the Element, just in the back, when I'm not in it. Even when I am in it, possibly sleeping while I'm camping by myself, it would be nice to cover the windows to change clothes, etc.
I thought of using the 3M picture hanging strips and some fabric and just drape it up back there. I tried it today, and the strips don't stay on the fabric well enough. The strips can soften up in temps over 105, too. It gets hot inside the car. Also, it seems like drapes would draw attention to the car that it wouldn't otherwise get.
Then I thought of just putting velcro dots on the windows themselves, and cutting up a vinyl tablecloth or some such to match the glass. I looked at vinyl tablecloths in Wal-Mart and they were so hideously ugly, I couldn't bear to buy one. I even looked at the Thanksgiving ones (THANKSGIVING! In AUGUST!)
I thought of window tinting--really dark. I looked at it at AutoZone and it wouldn't be too expensive. I just don't know how I'm going to like it. I don't know if it's legal. And I'll still have to come up with something for the front. It might also call attention to the car--or from cops, even worse! I can't be driving through PA and be stopped for too dark windows all the time! I'm going to look it up, though.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hafta bring a guitar, too.
But how to keep it safe and out of the way while we're traveling? Unlike Charles, I rarely think of looking up. This time, though...I remembered the cargo net I used on my bike trailer. It might just stretch...yes, it does! It stretches from the baby seat anchors above the rear hatch, to the handles above the back doors! Will the guitar slide in? Yes, it does!
Why We're Not Riding Roller Coasters
On this trip, we only have weekdays to play around. That one Saturday between Camp and Conference is the day we go see the Yankees play in Yankee Stadium (the trip that I hope will cause Will to someday say, "Sonny, when I was your age...").
After Labor Day, everything even remotely summer season closes up during the week. That means Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, VA is only open Friday-Sunday. We'll be far away by then. But I'm thinking that we might could go to Coney Island on Sunday after the Yankees game. I don't know what they have at Coney Island in the way of roller coasters, but I should check.
Oh, I just checked, and Coney Island would be such a let down from Cedar Point. Or even the Tontitown Grape Festival. And twice as expensive! Never mind.
After Labor Day, everything even remotely summer season closes up during the week. That means Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, VA is only open Friday-Sunday. We'll be far away by then. But I'm thinking that we might could go to Coney Island on Sunday after the Yankees game. I don't know what they have at Coney Island in the way of roller coasters, but I should check.
Oh, I just checked, and Coney Island would be such a let down from Cedar Point. Or even the Tontitown Grape Festival. And twice as expensive! Never mind.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Itinerary
Previous posts have listed lots of sites for Philadelphia. We're not doing much in Phlly this time around. I do want to try to get over there and see the Liberty Bell, but if we don't, maybe we can catch it on the way home.
Here's the general itinerary. I hope I don't have any stalkers.
September 2-8: We'll be at the last and final Live and Learn Unschooling Conference, at the Blue Ridge Assembly, in Black Mountain, NC. I hope to get in at least one and maybe two bike rides during our stay.
Things we want to do while in DE:
September 14: Travel day. We'll hang out with Margaret and her kids for a while, and then hit the road north. We have to be in Manchester, NH to pick up Dillon by the afternoon of the 15th, so we will be able to get settled in in Manchester by that evening. I would like to see Boston on the way, too. Need to pick something specific to see. Maybe Will would like to see Fenway?
[There are only a handful of states that Will hasn't been to, yet. One of them is Rhode Island, so maybe we'll direct our route from Greenwich to Providence and then up to Manchester. The great thing about the northeast is everything's relatively close together.]
September 15: Relax and refresh day, and pick up Dillon at the airport.
September 16: Drive up to Farm & Wilderness Camp in Vermont in the late afternoon, and drop off the kids for Not Back to School Camp.
September 16-23: I'll be kicking around Vermont by myself. Nancy is going to be in Vermont at the same time, so I'm hoping Heather will find a way to get up there, too. Still, after I drop off the boys I'm going to go straight up to Burke Mountain and spend the night, and hit the trails the next day.
Lots of fun, miles, and GAS MONEY.
Here's the general itinerary. I hope I don't have any stalkers.
September 2-8: We'll be at the last and final Live and Learn Unschooling Conference, at the Blue Ridge Assembly, in Black Mountain, NC. I hope to get in at least one and maybe two bike rides during our stay.
- 9/2 Driving 800+ miles, carpooling with Jessica
- 9/3 -9/7 Conference heaven
- 9/8 Travel day
Things we want to do while in DE:
- Swim
- Ride bikes
- See Delaware (we've never been there, outside of metro D.C.)
- Sleep
- Comb the beaches
- Learn stuff
- Relax
- Drive to Philly to see the Liberty Bell (maybe we'll do this on a rainy day)
September 14: Travel day. We'll hang out with Margaret and her kids for a while, and then hit the road north. We have to be in Manchester, NH to pick up Dillon by the afternoon of the 15th, so we will be able to get settled in in Manchester by that evening. I would like to see Boston on the way, too. Need to pick something specific to see. Maybe Will would like to see Fenway?
[There are only a handful of states that Will hasn't been to, yet. One of them is Rhode Island, so maybe we'll direct our route from Greenwich to Providence and then up to Manchester. The great thing about the northeast is everything's relatively close together.]
September 15: Relax and refresh day, and pick up Dillon at the airport.
September 16: Drive up to Farm & Wilderness Camp in Vermont in the late afternoon, and drop off the kids for Not Back to School Camp.
September 16-23: I'll be kicking around Vermont by myself. Nancy is going to be in Vermont at the same time, so I'm hoping Heather will find a way to get up there, too. Still, after I drop off the boys I'm going to go straight up to Burke Mountain and spend the night, and hit the trails the next day.
- 9/16: Camp drop-off
- 9/17: Burke Mountain
- 9/18: Move down to the southern part of Vermont
- 9/19: Ride my bike
- 9/20: Ride my bike
- 9/21: Shop
- 9/22: Ride my bike
- 9/23: Pick up the boys at camp (EARLY), take Dillon to the airport.
Lots of fun, miles, and GAS MONEY.
Planning and scheming
UPDATE: Check out the slideshow on the right that shows the bike rack!
I've decided to bring two bikes with me on this trip, and neither of them are Will's.
Heather gave me a copy of Vermonter magazine which had an article listing 10 family rides in Vermont. Lots of them look interesting so I want to ride one or two. Last year in Maine, I accidentally did a 30 mile ride on my mountain bike, in the middle of nowhere, with only a small ice cream shop to tide me over until I got back into familiar territory.
I've learned my lesson, so this year I'm taking the Centurion Elite GT, which is a sweet lugged steel touring bike circa 1983. The guy I bought it from, who happens to be a bike geek like me in Little Rock, says they're pretty rare, and production only lasted a couple of years. What I've read on sheldonbrown.com and in the Classic & Vintage forum seems to bear this out. I do know it's a sweet bike and it fits me perfectly, since I added the new tall Technomic stem. (You can see the 1984 catalog for this bike here. My bike is the opposite color scheme than the bike pictured, a nice champagne color all over, with brownish maroon outlining the lugs and on the head tube.)
I'm also planning on hitting the mountain trails in the area of Vermont they call the Northern Kingdom--specifically Mount Burke. It's a ski area, but when there's no snow, there are developed trails for mountain bikes.
I figure if Will and I want to ride together, maybe in Delaware when we're camping on the ocean, he can suit up on of these bikes. Both of them have some room in the seatpost to go up. Bikes aren't allowed on the grounds of the first place we're going (Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC), and he'll be at camp the last part of the trip.
The Centurion is getting a work over at Sam's bike shop, and he's moving the downtube shifters to the bar ends, like this. He's also removing the "suicide levers", which are the brake levers that cross in front of the flat part of the bars, and that were standard on every 10 speed I ever rode in the '70s. They work fine on the Elite, but some of those from the '70s did not, so I can see why they lost favor. Still, I'd like to have brakes up there, so I don't have to jump to the hoods to brake if I don't wanna (some habits are hard to break). So he's putting interruptor levers on for me, too.
Since there are going to be two bikes, and they do the most to make the inside of the Element crowded, I had to come up with a solution to hauling them. They can't go on the outside, because of risk of theft, and I don't want them hanging out there in the rain. (When I took my mountain bike in for its 90-day post-purchase check up, the mechanic found a tablespoon of water in the bottom bracket--he accused me of leaving it out in the rain! NO WAY! But it did ride on the back of the Beetle in a rain storm. Who knew so much water could get in that way?)
So the bikes have to be inside.
I have this fantasy that we will keep everything organized in the car and Will will remember to put his colored pencils and his PSP games back in the backpack and zip it up every time; that everything we take will fit in neat little packages; everything I need will be accessible from the comfort of the driver's seat and Will's shoes will always be right near his feet. But it's just a fantasy! So, more better ways of securing the bikes is in order.
It'd be nice if I could just take both rear seats out, attach one bike to each side, fully assembled, and put all the gear in between. But last year I did that and ended up having a passenger, with nowhere to sit. Will sat in a lawn chair in the back for a ride from Albany to Plymouth, VT, and I don't want to do that again. That means they go side by side one one side, and one seat stays down, like a regular day.
The last apparatus I fabricated just held two bikes by the forks (wheels off) on a 1' x 1.5' piece of plywood. It slid all over the back of the car, despite the rubbery feet I put on the bottom. The forks would turn and make everything crooked. A new solution was needed. The rear wheels would have to be tied down.
Lots of ideas floated around. To make the package smaller, I could remove the pedals. To keep bike grease off the seats and protect the derailleurs, I could either cover up the drive trains, or position the bikes side by side with the drive trains to the inside. Looking through the shop for an ideas and an appropriate piece of wood, I found a longish 12" wide board leftover from the bathroom renovation. Seemed long enough to hold a bike, so I took it to the bike garage.
Half an hour later, with my Trek 4300 mountain bike and my Trek 1000 standing in for the Elite, I was marking up the board for installation of fork mounts. I managed to get the two bikes lined up pretty well, with no seats touching each other, no bars touching wheels, and no cranks in contact with each other. No pedals can be left on, either!
The next step was to figure out how to attach the rear wheels to the board. Finally found some nylon webbing straps at Wal-Mart, 6 feet long. I thought I would only need enough to go around each rim through the spokes (about 8 inches), but after looking at it, the 6 footers could go all the way up over the top of the tire. That seemed like a good solution, so we drilled holes through the webbing, through the board, and attached washers under the screws to keep the webbing from fraying and pulling out.
The bikes aren't solid on the board--but solid enough. The board and bikes move as a unit and that's what I wanted. Now to keep it from sliding around--we found some kind of rubber treads that you put on utility trailers or something. We cut them to fit and put them all up and down the bottom of the board. I'll be trying it out tomorrow to see how it works.
I've decided to bring two bikes with me on this trip, and neither of them are Will's.
Heather gave me a copy of Vermonter magazine which had an article listing 10 family rides in Vermont. Lots of them look interesting so I want to ride one or two. Last year in Maine, I accidentally did a 30 mile ride on my mountain bike, in the middle of nowhere, with only a small ice cream shop to tide me over until I got back into familiar territory.
I've learned my lesson, so this year I'm taking the Centurion Elite GT, which is a sweet lugged steel touring bike circa 1983. The guy I bought it from, who happens to be a bike geek like me in Little Rock, says they're pretty rare, and production only lasted a couple of years. What I've read on sheldonbrown.com and in the Classic & Vintage forum seems to bear this out. I do know it's a sweet bike and it fits me perfectly, since I added the new tall Technomic stem. (You can see the 1984 catalog for this bike here. My bike is the opposite color scheme than the bike pictured, a nice champagne color all over, with brownish maroon outlining the lugs and on the head tube.)
I'm also planning on hitting the mountain trails in the area of Vermont they call the Northern Kingdom--specifically Mount Burke. It's a ski area, but when there's no snow, there are developed trails for mountain bikes.
I figure if Will and I want to ride together, maybe in Delaware when we're camping on the ocean, he can suit up on of these bikes. Both of them have some room in the seatpost to go up. Bikes aren't allowed on the grounds of the first place we're going (Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC), and he'll be at camp the last part of the trip.
The Centurion is getting a work over at Sam's bike shop, and he's moving the downtube shifters to the bar ends, like this. He's also removing the "suicide levers", which are the brake levers that cross in front of the flat part of the bars, and that were standard on every 10 speed I ever rode in the '70s. They work fine on the Elite, but some of those from the '70s did not, so I can see why they lost favor. Still, I'd like to have brakes up there, so I don't have to jump to the hoods to brake if I don't wanna (some habits are hard to break). So he's putting interruptor levers on for me, too.
Since there are going to be two bikes, and they do the most to make the inside of the Element crowded, I had to come up with a solution to hauling them. They can't go on the outside, because of risk of theft, and I don't want them hanging out there in the rain. (When I took my mountain bike in for its 90-day post-purchase check up, the mechanic found a tablespoon of water in the bottom bracket--he accused me of leaving it out in the rain! NO WAY! But it did ride on the back of the Beetle in a rain storm. Who knew so much water could get in that way?)
So the bikes have to be inside.
I have this fantasy that we will keep everything organized in the car and Will will remember to put his colored pencils and his PSP games back in the backpack and zip it up every time; that everything we take will fit in neat little packages; everything I need will be accessible from the comfort of the driver's seat and Will's shoes will always be right near his feet. But it's just a fantasy! So, more better ways of securing the bikes is in order.
It'd be nice if I could just take both rear seats out, attach one bike to each side, fully assembled, and put all the gear in between. But last year I did that and ended up having a passenger, with nowhere to sit. Will sat in a lawn chair in the back for a ride from Albany to Plymouth, VT, and I don't want to do that again. That means they go side by side one one side, and one seat stays down, like a regular day.
The last apparatus I fabricated just held two bikes by the forks (wheels off) on a 1' x 1.5' piece of plywood. It slid all over the back of the car, despite the rubbery feet I put on the bottom. The forks would turn and make everything crooked. A new solution was needed. The rear wheels would have to be tied down.
Lots of ideas floated around. To make the package smaller, I could remove the pedals. To keep bike grease off the seats and protect the derailleurs, I could either cover up the drive trains, or position the bikes side by side with the drive trains to the inside. Looking through the shop for an ideas and an appropriate piece of wood, I found a longish 12" wide board leftover from the bathroom renovation. Seemed long enough to hold a bike, so I took it to the bike garage.
Half an hour later, with my Trek 4300 mountain bike and my Trek 1000 standing in for the Elite, I was marking up the board for installation of fork mounts. I managed to get the two bikes lined up pretty well, with no seats touching each other, no bars touching wheels, and no cranks in contact with each other. No pedals can be left on, either!
The next step was to figure out how to attach the rear wheels to the board. Finally found some nylon webbing straps at Wal-Mart, 6 feet long. I thought I would only need enough to go around each rim through the spokes (about 8 inches), but after looking at it, the 6 footers could go all the way up over the top of the tire. That seemed like a good solution, so we drilled holes through the webbing, through the board, and attached washers under the screws to keep the webbing from fraying and pulling out.
The bikes aren't solid on the board--but solid enough. The board and bikes move as a unit and that's what I wanted. Now to keep it from sliding around--we found some kind of rubber treads that you put on utility trailers or something. We cut them to fit and put them all up and down the bottom of the board. I'll be trying it out tomorrow to see how it works.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
http://reservations.gophila.com/nexres/search/search_results.cgi?interstitial=done&star_rating=&brand=&ses=e586042db6f9908da7699eee377d9fa5&src=10020632&tab=tab3&avail=Y¤cy_id=USD&search_city_vicinity=1&chk_in=09%2F09%2F2008&doa_mm=09&doa_dd=09&doa_yy=2008&selected_landmark_combo=City%2BHall%7C39.94975662231%7C-75.16384887695&location=City+Hall&chk_out=09%2F11%2F2008&dod_mm=09&dod_dd=11&dod_yy=2008&num_rooms=1&num_adults=1&num_children=1&minorAge1=14&minorAge2=-%3F-&minorAge3=-%3F-&minorAge4=-%3F-&retain=on&search=SEARCH
VIP tickets to Star Wars Exhibit in Philly. Ends May 4th. :(
Also, Liberty Bell Museum. www.libertybellmuseum.com
www.fi.edu Franklin Institute...where the Star Wars exhibit is.
www.mos.org--Museum of Science in Boston--originator of the Star Wars exhibit.
VIP tickets to Star Wars Exhibit in Philly. Ends May 4th. :(
Also, Liberty Bell Museum. www.libertybellmuseum.com
www.fi.edu Franklin Institute...where the Star Wars exhibit is.
www.mos.org--Museum of Science in Boston--originator of the Star Wars exhibit.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
September Trip
How about a trip to Philly? Virginia Beach? Colonial Williamsburg?
Something between Asheville, NC and Plymouth, VT.
I don't feel like doing this right now.
Something between Asheville, NC and Plymouth, VT.
I don't feel like doing this right now.
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