An Interesting Week of Bicycling

Another ride home in the sunset.  Loaded from Windsor Heights Hy Vee.  Inside wine, beer, new chain for  Fritz, sausages, some canned good and vegetables.   Strapped on top a 15 lb bag of dog food and a 8 lb pork loin.

The first week of February 2015 will be burned into my mind and memory like no other.  Starts off with a foot of snow that brought down a few limbs off a tree in my backyard that smash the fence and land in the neighbor's yard.  Then the trails are completely buried and unusable unless I want to go 4 mph on a fatbike instead of taking the roads.  And the temperature drops to the negatives for added fun.  But soon we see robins and starlings and the sun returns and by the weekend it is much warmer and the snow starts to melt big time.

Good advice.

Oh, yes, I had to detour around a crime scene.  Apparently, there was a stabbing on the trail while I was at work.  When I got to that location I spotted as many as 15 police vehicles on the scene.  An officer of the law was sealing off the area with yellow police tape.  I had to detour around it.  Now I have had many detours for many different reasons in my life before.  Floods, trail sections falling into the river, snow and ice ect.  But never for a stabbing.

Some of the law enforcement parked at Wal Mart due to the stabbing on the trail.  I was motioned off the trail and had to seek an alternative route.  I went to Hy Vee then cut back via the road that DQ is on and rode through Colby Park.

As off now I was able to ride 160 miles for the week.  One day left, Sunday, but I don't think I will get much.  All my friends went on BRR (Bicycle Ride to Rippey) but we opted to stay home to get some things done.  First, we had to removed the tree limbs from out neighbor's back yard before he hired his "crew" to do it and send me the bill.  Dishes needed to be done since nobody did them during the week.  then my oldest sons came over for help in filing taxes.  Did ours Thursday evening.

The trails were clear of snow on Tuesday.  Well, they were rideable.  This was a relatively warm ride home through a beautiful winter wnderland.  I almost forgave winter at this moment.  Stunning in its beauty.

Feeling bummed that we did not do BRR or ride to BRR, I created my own ride just to get out of the house and enjoy the new warmth and fresh air.  I was considering riding to Cumming but the southwest wind eliminated that thought.  Instead I rode around Gray's lake and then headed north to to see how well the clearing of snow from the Neal Smith Trail was.  I can say that they did a good job and the sun is doing the rest.  I took a camera for photos.

The Bianchi enjoying art outside the Botanical Center

One photo I missed was when I stopped at the bicycle fixstation set up by Mullets.  My seat was loose and came off.  Cheap seatpost that needs replacement.  A woman named Nicole was outside Mullets smoking when she noticed my repair methods.  I hammered the seat's mounting bracket down the seatpost.

"Are you fixing it or destroying it," she asked.

Thinking it was someone I knew, "I'm fucking it."

She came over and introduced herself and started a conversation.  "Do you bike a lot?"  "where are you heading?" "Is bicycling good exercise?"

All this time she was messing with an iPhone and smoking and asked if she could take a photo.  Apparently, it was someone else's phone.  Sure, freak your friend out, take my photo.  It was a selfie with both of us.  I can hear the conversation now.  "This freak beating the shit out of a blue bike..."  I need to shave.

Loaded with groceries from Fareway, a Saturday tradition!

Another reason for the ride was to get the 16 miles I needed to reach the 900 mile mark.  This I achieved on what is now a Saturday tradition, namely, attache the Burley trailer to the Bianchi and ride the Des Moines River Trail to the store.  This was after I rode 12 miles by myself.  Mary joined me on her pink single speed Windsor mixte frame bike.

So the week is ending well.  tree cleaned up.  Survived the extremely cold day.  Never questioned or hassled about the stabbing nor was I stabbed.  Groceries gotten.  Tomorrow is the Mug Club Party at Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company.  I look forward to several mugs of delicious goodness.

CAUTION: DO NOT HIT POLE