Sunday, November 26, 2023

Thanksgiving Tire Replacement

 

We knew it was coming yet it always is a shock.  So warm last weekend and now this.

It never fails to amaze me.  Sunday night after Thanksgiving I find myself putting the studded tires on our commuters.  Despite having 4 days off in a row without much to do I wait.  Wait until the end.  Not This year however!  True, I waited until Sunday BUT I changed one set at 530am and the other in the afternoon!  Yes, I can go to bed on time with clean hands.

2023 has been strange.  The weather has been great!  Warm and dry.  But then winter arrived, first flakes falling late Saturday afternoon as I rode to Court Avenue Brewpub.  The weather folks were calling for 1 to 3" of snow.  I thought we would only get a dusting.  Damn, woke up to 2.5".  The temperature dropped, too.  Ice.

Just dump what I need here.  Two 45North studded tires with tubes in them, the levers from the Camelbak, screwdriver to disconnect the light from the gen hub and floor pump.

530am. A bit early, don't you think.  Well yes, but I never sleep in especially if I go to bed at 9 pm.  By 3am my body wants to leave the bed and the dog and cat want fed.  I gave up sleeping longer at 4am.  Also I had to be at church by 7am.  I have a reputation to uphold, riding my bicycle 1/2 mile to church.  Heaven forbid if I would drive. So start coffee at 410am, let the dog out, refill the water bowl and add a cup to his food bowl then answer Nature's call myself.  Put on some good music and get to work.  I was done with my bike in time to shower.

The ride at 640am was strange.  Been quite a long time since I rode a bike in snow and ice.  I am a seasoned veteran at this but I was nervous and cautious.  One more crash on my left side would probably spell the end to my shoulder and hip.  Maybe I should run the minimum air pressure for better traction?  I made it and then some no crashing!

In the afternoon I did Mary's bike.  Then I put a rack on my bike which involved going the Bicycle Graveyard and getting bolts.  Finally, a pannier.  Productive day!

If I was earlier, then I would have had to park this inside or wait for the snow removal guy to finish.  I just finished this spot.


8am and people were out.  Snow texture is crunchy.




Sunday, October 22, 2023

Chicago Revisited: Chinatown


After a 6 year absence I returned to Chicago once again for the punk rock festival known as Riot Fest.  In 2017 I stayed in with a friend in Pilsen.  This time I lodged further east in Chinatown.  Immediately after departing the train I felt the need to bicycle since this part of the city was awash with bicycles and bike lanes.  A soldier without his weapon.  I felt like Jude Law in Enemy at the Gates when he was not issued a rifle.  Planes, trains, buses and walking. Lots of walking.  But the slowest form of transportation allowed for better sightseeing.

Chinatown

We stayed at the aptly named Chinatown Hotel for a few reasons.  Namely, the price and location to the CTA lines needed to get to Douglas Park, home of Riot Fest, and the train back to O'Hare.  Located on Chicago's south side, it derived its name from the people who immigrated here starting in in the 1800s.  Our lodging is on the same street as the Chinese Cultural Center and a statue of Confucius.  The streets are lined with stores and restaurants.  We appreciated the ability to find a place to eat after 11 pm, unlike Minneapolis, our most frequent place to travel for rock & roll shows.

Confucius





Back To Bikes

Bicycle infrastructure was apparent.  Lots of bike lanes in the busy streets and people using them for their intended purpose.  On Sunday, we saw a man on an e-Bike with his child on one such lane riding through the rain.

I noted in my 2017 visit, the average commuter was an older nondescript bicycle that was not flashy but utilitarian enough to make a useful city bike.  Older roadies with wire racks.  In Chinatown it was a step toward less expensive, department store bikes.  Huffy's, Next, Magna ext.  Many step thru frames.  Racks on them, too.  Ride something not tempting to most bike thieves but if stolen its loss is an inconvenience not a financial letdown.

Bikeless, we walked a lot.  An attempt was made to use Chicago's version of B-Cycles but we could not get the ap to work so we just deleted the ap and walked on.  One day we hoofed it to Soldier Field and the lake.  Things are different here.  Bicycles are more expensive the closer one gets to Lake Michigan.  Expensive road bikes, cargo bicycles with children, disc brakes ect!  There Is even a bicycle exclusive bike path!

At Riot Fest, Douglas Park, there were facilities for bicycle parking.  Mostly nondescript 80s-90s roadies and mountain bikes.  A Trek 950 stands out in my mind.  But we took the bus there, 24 stops, and the train back 12 stops.  Having flown in on Peasant Class we did not bring bicycles with us.

Sad.  Someone's ride vandalized.  U-Lock and cable lock.

70s vintage roadie converted to commuter.  Notice both a U-Lock and a cable lock for the wheels?

One of many BMX bikes used in Chinatown.  I even spotted elderly people riding them.

Strange, one sign says pedestrians verboten yet the trail sign shows other users.

Bicycles only on this path!  This far in the city I bet it is a welcome path for cyclists.



Nice old Schwinn frame.  Chain matches the front tire.

Getting closer to Soldier Field.  More expensive bikes!

U-Lock saved the frame!




Sunday, August 13, 2023

Instead-Of-Brai

 

Been a long time since my LeMond has been ridden to the High Trestle

It is July in the State of Iowa and anybody with a bicycle and a reasonable economy know that it is time for Ragbrai (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).  What started out as a joke between two of the Des Moines Register's columnists, ride bicycles across the state, has now turned into a rolling Mardi Gras Circus through Iowa and has inspired many similar bicycle rides across other states.  Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful thing in many ways.

My first experience with the ride was in 1991.  Mary and Katie dropped me off in Winterset, IA, and I through my backpack and tent in one of Europa Cycle's trucks since I was friends with several of the mechanics.  Ended up helping them wrench bikes until they closed and then hit the wildlife of Ragbrai.  Yes, immediately to the 1% side.  I recall us walking past a police car and the cop asked for a description of the suspect.  Rob interjected, "he had a tool this long!" gesturing with both hands that said tool was about two feet in length.  The officers damn near dropped mis radio and started laughing.  Then we found a park where riders were drinking jungle juice out of a cooler.  I think we went to bed at 3 am.

The next day I jumped on my Trek 7000 MTB with slicks and headed out alone.  I have a very vivid memory of merging with the horde, more bicycles than I had ever seen at any one moment and I was going to join them.  Very emotional moment.  I felt like I finally found where I belong.  I had no clue what I was doing but managed to get through the next three days unscathed and supercharged with a love for bicycles.  Somehow, Mary found me in the Amana Colonies where Ragbrai set up that day's HQ in the middle of hayfields.  1991, no cellphones, no Google Maps.

Mary and took our Gary Fisher tandem the next year, and once again we through our luggage in with Europa and camped with them.  That year it started in Glenwood and we discovered what a den a viper like arseleutchers enforce the LAW in Glenwood.  Had to hide our beer.  Saw a journalist being lead away be cops, blood spilling from his forehead, watched a deputy make a group of 4 very professional elderly men dump their beers because it was illegal to consume alcohol in public.  That law is never enforced anywhere else on the Ragbrai.  Also saw the van of Team QuadraBong lurking through that village.

But despite the unfriendly attitude of Glenwood, we always returned to the Ragbrai.  We did it in many forms, used a truck for a few years, used a bus, Team Mystery Machine, for many years and eventually it was just easier to schelp our own gear and not depend on others.  One thing we never did was to have Ragbrai carry our gear.  I think 2005 was the last year we took the bus.  Soon we were making our own routes and avoiding the horde and occasionally intersecting the Ragbrai to see friends.  To meet our need to spend a week on fast bikes, touring bikes are painfully slow at times, we started riding across South Dakota in 2012, the last Tour de Kota.  In 2013 a new ride, RASDak, Ride Across South Dakota, was launched and is much like a very organized Ragbrai with up to 200 riders, guaranteed showers and a/c every night and they haul your gear.

2023 AD

We elected not to participate in RASDak in favor of our son's wedding in Wyoming.  I felt my boss and co-workers would not like me taking most of June off.  Traditionally, we would start our variation of Ragbrai the week before that ride began.  But I noticed that weather usually is quite hot but breaks about mid-week during the Ragbrai.  So, why not take the official week of Ragbrai off?  Last full week of July.  There I go using my brain again.  Mary could not get the time off.  The weather was horrid all week anyway.  So what to do?

Since we did not do RASDak we did not train for that ride.  Our riding was at all-time low.  Still is but was, too.  Mostly just commuting to work via bicycle and a few 40 milers here and there.  Seriously, one of my worst mileage years since I started keeping track.  I had the time off.  I could have done Ragbrai with several other teams if I wanted to.  I could have found a group of baggers and ridden with them.  BTW, it has been 368 days since I last rode my touring bike (instead of Ragbrai we rode from St Cloud, MN, to Fargo, ND, and back, 280 miles of that on a smooth flat paved trail with towns every 5 to 8 miles.  Read about that here St Cloud to Fargo).

Dilemmas.  Brainstorms!!  Why not hit all the trails and routes that we would have visited during a normal biking year??  Juices flowing.  Big adventures on the days Mary has off!  Play Freeze Out in the car on the way home, me Honda is polar cold.  Sleep at home in a/c! Shower at home!! No tents!  No kybos!!  Get in Ragbrai/RASDak shape in one week!!!

Best Laid Plans

The big ride was going to be doing the entire Wabash Trace Trail, Council Bluffs, IA, to Missouri and back in one day.  We have never done this before.  Since it is a crushed limestone surface, we would take our touring tandem the same bike that we took during our first Ragbrai together but now with drop bars and front and rear racks.  Panniers would be necessary since there are no services from Shenandoah, IA,  to Missouri.  Cooler and food, yes.  The day before we were to leave, I pulled that tandem out of storage and cleaned it up, placed a new saddle for the stoker (Mary), grabbed new bar wrap and a different saddle for the captain (me).  But then we were torpedoed.  We agreed to watch Roland Oliver, our daughter's dog, for the weekend.  Now a normal dog such as ours would only require someone to check on them once or twice while we were gone.  But we were going to be gone a LONG time.  4 hour drive time and probably 6 hours of ride time, no stops, on the trail, at best.  No can do, Ghost Rider. Ro is part Rottweiler, part American Bulldog and part Tasmanian Devil.  He'd tear up the house and I did not have the heart to lock him in his kennel for such a long time.  He loves our house and yard.  We he came over Dora and let him out the back door.  "He's in paradise now," she said.  He deserved to have a weekend here, he doesn't have a yard.  Oh well, still had a lot of work to do on the Fisher.

Short rides will have to do.  First, on Saturday we took the commuters to Farmers Market for supplies.  I need coffee beans from Coffalo Brew, my former Director of Operations post-Covid  business.  Then Hy Vee for whatnot. Walking through the crowd gave me that Ragbrai feeling.  Then throughout the day 3 separate 15 mile loops around Easter Lake on different bikes, the last one on our fast tandem, Cannondale no racks no bags skinny tires with a stop at Single Speed Brewery for a pint.  Ran into Kelly and Chuck there. 48 miles total.



The SE corner of Easter Lake.  Purple and yellow flowers. Reminds me of UNI

The sunflowers along the Carlo Voss Trail

Last bike ride of the day, last bike at the rack.  Single Speed Brewery, Des Moines.  Maybe the third time we rode this bicycle in 2023.

Sunday saw me out on the bike twice.  A 15 miler to La Fería Mexican Restaurant for lunch and a night ride to the High Trestle from Slater, 25 miles.

Artwork on the Gay Lea Wilson Trail.  This was from our ride to the Mexican restaurant.




Mary and I on "The High Trestle"

Got a bit of the moon in this one.  I prefer to be here when it is absolutely dark but these photos came out nice.

New to us is the "coal mine experience" in Madrid, IA, along the High Trestle Trail.  I am inside this attraction.  For those not familiar with Iowa, Madrid, Iowa, is pronounced "MAD RID" unlike the capital of Spain.

Monday would be the biggest day.  In the morning I took my Trek Domane and Mary her Liv to Cumming, IA, and back on the Great Western Trail.  Then our granddaughter Zoey came over and we took her to Prairie City to ride the Red Rock Prairie Trail to Monroe.  Mary rode my old Trek 2200 with the Fisher "Freeloader" tag-along bike attached, I on my titanium roadie.  Ironically, not only the second time on that trail but the second time on that bike on that trail.  Zoey seemed to enjoy herself.  In Monroe since the Mexican restaurant was closed we opted for Gatorade and potato chips (salt since it was hot) and Zoey had some blue and red slushy from the Casey's.  We consumed these at the park near the miniature house. The ride back was as smooth as the ride there until a grasshopper landed on Zoey's tummy.  She started screaming and we had to stop and brush the bastard off of her.  No hitchhikers!!!  Grasshoppers, the sign that Summer is ending soon.  We dropped her off at her father's house full of sugar, stories and good memories just as grandparents should.  Later that evening Mary and I did a 15 mile loop around Easter lake.  63 miles, 3 showers, slept in my own bed and enjoyed air-conditioning both at home and in the car.

I wanted a photo of the banner but did not want to get off the bicycle to take the shot.  Was pleasantly surprised to see that the mirror was also included and our reflections. Prairie City, IA



Zoey in front of the Red Rock Replica House in Monroe, IA.  This house serves as a reminder of thew lost town of Red Rock, IA, which was one of 6 towns destroyed by flooding when a dam was created to divert the Des Moines River.


Tuesday was going to be a big day.  Planned ride was to do a complete loop of the Raccoon River Valley trail.  No Jefferson, just the 70+ loop, Waukee to Perry, Redfield, Adel and Waukee along Highway 6.  But doubts even here.  "Strung out and wasted, no good or in shape for the life that I tasted spread out on the table.   We have hope in heart and dreams in our head but most of the time we just stay in our beds."* I did not make it as far as Kinship Brewery when the demotivators hit.  "What am I doing out here?"  "This does not matter."  The couch is much nicer."  You were just here a week ago."  These thoughts were in me melon on the way to Perry.  I forgot to apply Cancer Creme, Sun block.  The Casey's in Dallas Center had none.  The next stretch, Dallas Center to Minburn seems twice as long as posted.  Then the ride to Perry seems worse.  The only thing keeping me pedaling was a chance to visit the Perky Perk err Perry Perk coffee shop.  Perhaps caffeine will help.  It's been a few hours since my morning Joe.  Nope, Jesus Hitler Buddha, I was falling asleep drinking an iced Americano.  I blame my heart doctor for postponing me annual visit by 4 months.  I'm on the same meds that I was on 30 pounds ago.  Exercise opens up the blood vessels and when I stop riding my BP drops to 70/50.  Somehow, I stayed awake long enough to finish the espresso.  Stepping outside the sign read 87°F.  Yeah, time to turn this bike around and head back to the car.  40 miles.  Not motivated for an evening ride either.

Wednesday Mary had the day off so it was time to do something special. I gave consideration to traveling to Dyersville, IA, to ride the 26 miles of the Heritage Trail but its surface is crushed limestone and the bike we would have taken, the Fisher Gemini tandem, was not ready.  It was decided that we visit a city we have only once, briefly, cycled in.  That adventure can be found HERE.  Basically, we started in Cedar Rapids that day and rode to Solon, Big Grove Brewing, Iowa City for Reunion Brewing Co and another 17 miles to Kalona Brewing Co.  Somehow, whenever Ragbrai overnighted in Iowa City or Coralville Mary and I never made it to the former capital of Iowa.  The real reason we picked this town was to see the progress of the trail at Mehaffey Bridge Rd.  That trail was still under construction when we rode next to it back in 2018.

We started at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area at Sand Lake and worked our way north.  After circumnavigating the lake we entered the Iowa River Trail aka the Iowa River Trail Corridor is a bit confusing for first time users but we were there to explore.  For those that live in Des Moines, this trail is not unlike the Jordan Creek Trail in terms of turns and poor signage.  Keep the river to our right.  Don't follow the electric motorcycle, we never saw her pedal, because that leads to a dead end.  Eventually we stopped and consulted Google Maps when we were at the Iowa River Power Restaurant which happened to be closed when we were there.  By now it was getting hot, 96°F was the forecasted high so we sought shade at the restaurant while I played with my phone.  We were soon on the right path of confusing trails of Waterworks Prairie Park but eventually found the sidepath on Dubuque St which led us past the World's Largest Wooden Nickel, the Peace Sign and at the end North Liberty, IA.  From there we took the sidepath to Mehaffey Bridge Rd and turned around at the entrance of Sugar Bottom.  Had we the strength we would have pushed it to Solon and Ely.  However, it was time to cool down and seek hydration.  We stopped at the Depot Express in North Liberty and chugged Powerade.  No Gatorade.  We also refilled our water bottles.  I probably had that bottle gone with in 5 miles of leaving the convenience store.  I found the Depot Express clean, good a/c and appreciated the paper towels in the restroom so I could wash my face.  

The trip back was better since we had a better clue on where we were and the path back.  Did the tourist things such as photograph the Peace Sign and the wooden nickel place the cyclist themed gargoyles at someone's estate.  Once again we kept the river to our right, a different route back, and rode through campus stopping by a statue of Herky in front of Old Main.  And just to pad the miles we circled Sand Lake before returning to our car.  41 miles

Interesting bicycle rack at the Terry Trueblood Rec Area



 Somewhere on a dead-end turn.
I'd like to go back and photograph all the artwork on this trail





A very hot day.

The world's largest wooden nickel.  Look it up on Google Maps for precise location.

Mehaffey Bridge

The Iowa River


The silent sentinel watching the sidepath.


The Peace Sign.  You can find this on Google Maps

I-80

The other side of the bridge over I-80.

Followed someone to this trail.  Guess we visited Coralville, too.

Herky!  I called it Cy, ISU mascot, and was corrected.  Apparently, she did not notice my Hawkeye socks.

A nice stranger took this one for me.  Mary declined to be photographed.  Hawkeye socks visible.

Thursday
was a solo day.  With the Ragbrai blocking our roads I decided to visit the Neal Smith trail.  I found a route to visit the coffee shop, Somewhere In the Middle in Bondurant, IA, but was not quite in the mood for a 50mile day.  normally to get to Bondurant we would take MLK to E 25th then Scott to the Gay Lea Wilson trailhead in Pleasant Hill but because Rabari was leaving Des Moines that morning such route would not be advisable.  So I just headed north on the Principal River Walk which goes underneath the roads that Ragbrai took and headed to the Neal Smith Trail. I do admit that I have not been on the NST much in recent years.  Construction and trail deterioration have been the cause.  I was pleasantly surprised by the improvements made on the trail before Captain Roy's.  Wider and smoother but it is awork in progress and one needs to take the to the street to get around a short closed section.  North of Douglas Ave the trail had been treated/sealed and felt a lot smoother.  Smooth until the wooden bridge is reached then bumpy as hell, the worst stretch is the part that parallels I-80.  I saw a gel saddle seat cover on the trail.  Yes, it is so rough that gel pads fall from bicycle saddles.  On the way back someone picked it up and placed it on a stump for the owner to find.  I wish I would have photographed it.  I would have made a meme out of it "use this gel cushion to get you through this section of the Neal Smith Trail.  Replace on stump when done." I took the turn to Ankeny and rode past Kyle's Bikes before turning around.  Nice ride.  31 miles

The Neal Smith Trail.  If cycling was a video game we would collect these badges for every trail we completed.

Rode the LeMond to Ankeny



Friday
was my annual complete ride of the Great Western Trail.  I truly enjoy the scenery south of Cumming on the GWT and have a long defender of that section of the trail.  But today I can honestly say that I doubt I will ride south of Cumming again until the trail is resurfaced.  Used to be easy to find a clean non-bumpy line but now it is not and much energy is wasted finding the clean smooth line.  It is harsh.  As for north of Cumming, the landrapers and greed heads of west Des Moines and high tech companies have bulldozed almost every tree down in the name of progress.  The canopy is almost totally gone as the urbanization of the area is intensifying.  The least they can do is put a convenience store in Cumming.  Maybe I am a Luddite but the trail was better before it was paved.  It was smoother. So say that the gravel route to Martensdale is nice.  Perhaps that what I'll do next time.  45 miles

Tree down just a shade over a half mile past Martensdale.  Too heavy for me to move.  Someone said that as rough as that trail is that people probably would not notice running over this tree.

The convenience store in Martensdale now has a liquor department.  Licka sto!!


The other side of the trail at Lida.  This used to be clear with a kiosk inside.  There was a donation box that Charles Spain set up that offered neckerchief's. I thought it would make a good place for primitive bike camping.


Not the most miles I have ever ridden during the last full week of July but at least I could sleep in my bed every night and take two or three showers per day.  310 miles for the week.  Now I am in bicycling shape.