30 June 2011 Ride: Taking Things for Granted

Last night , I prepared mentally for a longer ride this morning.  I laid out my riding gear so that it would be ready to go and I even slept late this morning (5:30), so I felt well rested.  Grabbing a quick snack as I dressed, I was out by 6:00, just in time to catch part of the sunrise.

But, I need to back up to when I was wheeling my bike out of the garage.  The chain wasn't freely rolling backwards and I thought it was just caught up.  But, as I turned the bike forward, there still seemed to be a problem.  I do not take a whole lot for granted with my bike.  I check the brakes regularly for wear, inspect the tires for foreign debris that might cause a flat and I've had the bike in already 2 or 3 times this year for maintenance to keep it in good working order.  I surely do not take drivers for granted as I keep an eye on them in my mirror until they pass.  But the kink this morning caught me by surprise as I had no reason to suspect this service check.  Unlike cars, there are no idiot lights that come on to let the rider know tires are low, the chain needs lubricating or a door is ajar.  Or, that one's axle bolt has worked its way loose.
My brake had been rubbing the past two days and I thought that somehow the entire brake mechanism needed to be readjusted.  But, this morning, when I went to adjust the brake I was surprised to see a distinct wobble in the wheel and it turned out that the clamp-down lever was completely loose.  This seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, especially with the big hills I was going down this morning.
So, now, I have one more item I will be checking a bit more regularly.

I rode with confidence this morning as opposed to yesterday when I felt more unsure of myself and stuck to the neighborhood.  Planning on trying to cover 30 miles, I picked a route that would wind me through various back roads and avoiding the main routes with morning traffic.

I made my way to a hibernating development that has the roads and utilities in place but no houses.  It makes for a nice mile loop and combined with another vacant development nearby I can easily get in a 2 mile loop.  I came across Dave who was walking his three dogs, all very friendly.  He lived nearby and was picking up trash from the area.  We talked a bit and I asked to get his picture with the dogs.  This, of course, was quite the challenge with three dogs and after several attempts this was the best one.

I was enjoying circling in and about the development streets and stayed there for about 10 miles.  Two police cars that came and parked under some trees off to the side had me concocting all sorts of nefarious scenarios, especially since they did not stay in their cars but moved off to parts unseen.  As inconspicuously as possible,  I snapped a couple of pictures as I rode by.  One only captured the trees while this one just barely caught the cars.  I half expected to see a patrol car screeching out of the woods in my mirror chasing me down but nothing that exciting unfolded.

Despite the humidity, an excellent morning ride.

Today's ride:  2hrs. 34mins.  32.04 miles.  76-83 degrees.  Miles YTD:  4,047.26

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29 June Ride

Community Meals was on the schedule today so that meant either getting up early to ride or waiting till afterward and riding in the heat of the day.  Waking at 4:40 solved the problem and seeing that the weather station was showing 66 degrees provided more motivation for an early ride.  By the time I was out at 5:30, the temperature was already on the rise having reached a sizzling 68 degrees. 
Not feeling fully alert, I stuck to the neighborhood this morning. 

 

 

Today's Ride:   76mins.  13.17 miles.   68 degrees   Miles YTD:  4,015.22

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28 June 2011 Ride: 4,000 Miles

Yesterday, knowing that I had a little under 31 miles to go till the 4,000 mile mark, I wasn't sure if I would do it all this morning or not.  When I mentioned to Rachel yesterday how close I was, she said, "I assume you are going to do it all tomorrow."  That was enough of a motivation to get myself going early this morning with the intent of biting off all 31 miles.

I was on the bike just before 6:00 but, with all the clouds, there wasn't a sunrise to witness. There was a chance of rain in the forecast and the clouds were slowly but constantly changing, with veils of thin rain strands hanging down in spots while small patches of blue peeked out in other spots.  Very humid but still on the cool side, relatively speaking, especially compared to riding in the heat of the day yesterday.

 

I decided to stay close to home which meant doing laps through the basically vacant Waterford development and riding the roads around Habberton back and forth several times.  There were plenty of diversions, including a few friendly dogs and a skunk, so the time went by fairly quickly.  I tried to get a good shot of the skunk as it had a gorgeous black and white coat of fur but the two shots I took failed to come out.  

 I think perhaps the best picture for today representing reaching this point in my journey for the year, is the bicycle Rachel gave me for Father's Day.  Measuring only 5 inches long and made from remnants found around the house, this is truly a beautiful piece of art to me and means so much that she created it for me.  I really love it.

Thank you, Rachel.

Today's Ride:  2hrs. 41mins.  32.81 miles.  78 degrees  Miles YTD:  4,002.05

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27 June 2011 Ride: People Powered Mass Transit

A bit sore this morning from playing pool volleyball yesterday and using muscles I haven't used in awhile.  I was waiting to hear about the van that is in the shop as that would be my destination on bike today.  Something incongruously beautiful about riding a bike to go pick up a car that is being fixed.  By the time I did shove off at 11:00 it felt much hotter outside than the 90 degrees the weather station was reporting.  Of course, we know that it is indeed much hotter in the direct sun.


Down off Habbeton Rd, I passed the hawk on the hay bale.  What a shot. Some scraggly trees hid me from view as I passed.  I circled back, dismounted and slowly walked backed until I had a view through the leaves.  I took one quick shot knowing that the hawk would not stay put long once it spotted me.  I had hoped to get another picture but it quickly flew off.  Hard to tell for sure, but it seems as if it has a field mouse in its talons.  Click on the picture to enlarge for a better look.

 

 Right after the hawk, I came across this large dragonfly that kept zipping back and forth over my head.  I dismounted again and, while standing in the middle of the road, I madly twirled in quarter and half circles trying to capture the dragonfly in my viewfinder.  Several shots of empty blue sky and the two captured shots below.

Slightly off focus but I like how it looks like a bad attempt at some sci-fi creature.

I like the angle that the camera happened to capture in this shot.  Again, click to enlarge for a better view.

A crushing smile.

I didn't see it at the time but this old basketball post looks like an odd creature that is holding a captured victim in its clutches and is about to eat it.  Too much heat?

Speaking of heat...I was thinking about horsepower and how more horsepower translates into more power and speed.  So, is the same true for people?  Would 20 people pedaling a bus-like vehicle be able to propel it x times faster than 5 people?  Is there a limit that humans can reach?  Can 20 people reach higher speeds than one person pedaling on a bike?  And, could this idea then be used to create mass transit between towns?  A human-powered human rail system.

A few minutes later I propelled myself into the Auto Park filled with brand new cars.  As I mentioned, a mysterious, undefinable feeling as I rode in, dismounted, and entered the service center dripping wet.

A good ride and I look forward to future rides in the heat and further ruminations brought on by too much sun.

Today's Ride:  1hr 51mins.  22.43 miles.  92 degrees.  17mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,969.24

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26 June 2011 Ride: It was a...

...hot and humid morning.  The starting line of every good Southern Gothic novel.  And, it was humid.
I got off to a late start (7:30) and it was already 83 degrees plus all the moisture was rising.

This is actually sunset on my evening walk last night.

I was surprised how tired I felt this morning but I think it was more from bending over for 6 hours working on the canoes rather than any biking I've done.  I worked my way slowly toward "Shangri La," the stretch of road in Wyman valley that always captures my heart when I ride down there.  It was beginning to feel like one of those rides where there wouldn't be any photo opportunities but, as I crossed the bridge over the White River, the semi-official entry point for Shangri La, I got my first picture followed by many more in the valley.

 Vultures seemed a perfect symbol of the sluggish morning.  Though, by the time I was in the valley, the wind had picked up and the air was much drier.  Vultures and all, I was enjoying my time in the valley immensely. 

 I took several shots trying to capture a vulture in flight but none were worthy of posting.  However, I found the following shot of a completely failed attempt rather intriguing.  Something about the way the two simple lines of the wires run through the frame.


After taking my time in the valley and after taking many, many pictures (most of which ended up in the trash pile), I headed back out.  During the entire time, not a single car passed me in either direction.  At the outskirts of the valley, I passed a stubble sticking up from the road surface.  I circled back for a closer look.   The beauty of this remnant really astounded me; the juxtaposition of the wing to the rest of the completely smashed body; the wonderment that the fragile wing survived so intact and in the position that it was in.  I laid flat on the ground using the macro mode.  Because the wind was blowing, the wing fluttered back and forth as I tried to get a good shot.  In the macro mode, just a slight movement can cause the image to be out of focus.  So, to be sure, I took shot after shot wanting very much to get a good image.  Finally, I stood and just in time as a car was approaching from the valley.  I think that this may just turn out to be one of my favorite photographs. 

On Fox Hunter Rd, two recumbent bicyclists were approaching me from the opposite direction.  Turned out to be Ted, who I did the Texas/OK ride with and his daughter Leslie.  I detoured and rode with them a few miles before heading back home.

Today's Ride:  2hrs. 30mins.  28.25 miles.  83-90 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3,946.81