Wabash River Ride

The Wabash River Cycle Club held their Wabash River Ride today. (This event was formerly called the Wabash River Century). I was excited about going, since the routes included roads I haven’t ridden before. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as we had hoped.

Ready to Go
Ready to Go!

The neighbor and I, plus his wife and two friends, made plans to start out early. Instead of leaving at 6:30, we waited for the skies to clear and didn’t get on the road until 10:00, and we left the starting point just after 11:00. Somewhere close to noon, the rain started. It was a sprinkle at first, which changed to a light shower, then a little stronger, and finally a downpour for about the last three miles before the SAG. We were soaked!

Soaked!
I Got a Little Wet

The SAG was in a park in Mulberry, and the barn gave everyone nice shelter. We had PB&J sandwiches and cookies while we waiting out the rain. Once the rain stopped, we were back on the road.

There was a decision point about five miles past the SAG. A left turn left five miles to go on the 26 mile route, while a right turn promised 23 more miles on the 43 mile route. The neighbor and I had planned to leave the ladies on the short route while we tackled the longer distance. However, I was feeling less than excited about two more hours of riding with the possibility of additional rain, so I convinced him that we should take the left. It wasn’t tough to bring him around.

We got back to the starting point, and we talked with my neighbor’s grad students, who had just finished the 65 mile trek. They still seemed pretty energetic.

I’m hoping that the weather will be a little better next year.

Miles Ridden: 27.0

(More photos here)

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Salt Lake City

Nifty Bike Rack
Nifty Bike Rack

I spent most of this week in Salt Lake City at a conference. I had no bike with me, which is too bad, because those flat, wide, empty streets were calling me. The morning rides on the world’s most uncomfortable exer-cycles in the hotel health club did not satisfy my cycling jones.

Salt Lake City Transit is Bike Friendly

Looks like the light rail in Salt Lake, UTA TRAX, encourages multi-modal transport. Pretty cool. Had I procured a bike while in Utah, I could have taken the train to a different part of town for variety.

I didn’t have any time to ride anyway, with the conference being an 8am to 8pm kind of thing, yet I’m hoping that sometime I’ll be able to have a bike along again as I did on this trip to Madison a couple of years ago.

I took a quick ride this morning before work so that I could remember what a real bicycle ride was like.

Miles Ridden: 9.9

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I Raced a 10 Year Old, and Almost Lost

The neighbor and I headed NW to Montmorenci on Jackson highway this morning, and we passed almost two dozen garage sales. Must have been some sort of organized neighborhood thing – even though the neighbors are sometimes separated by a quarter mile of bean field.

We came up behind these three boys riding to the next sale, and the neighbor offered to tell one how fast he was going. The first boy spun up and reached 13MPH. I measured boy #2 at 14MPH. The youngest, smallest one then threw his discount store 20-incher into the big chain ring and took off. I had to gear up to catch him, and I clocked him at 20MPH. Not bad!

We continued west to the county line, south to Division Road, and back east to home.

Miles Ridden: 21.0

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Short One

I didn’t feel much like riding this afternoon, so I took the direct route home.

Miles Ridden: 6.8

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Shot Not Taken

As I was riding into work this morning, the sun was a very distinct orange ball through the haze. I thought it would be a neat photo to have the orange sun rising next to the bell tower. However, when I rode over to the Engineering Mall, I saw that the sun wasn’t yet high enough to clear the Engineering Administration building (ENAD). I couldn’t wait around for 20 minutes, so I’ll have to try it another day.

At 5:00, I checked upstairs and noted a little bit of rain – more like spitting rain than actual rainfall. The radar didn’t show anything worse coming from the west, so I chanced it and took off for home on the South Work Route. Luckily, the rain never materialized.

I passed a bunch of stopped cars (two blocks worth) on Williams Street heading down the hill towards River Road. It saved me a couple of minutes, but I felt a little unsafe for doing it. I’ll wait in my place in line next time.

Miles Ridden: 8.7

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Multi-Use Path

I guess I’m pretty undecided when it comes to bike lanes. I’m likely to use one if it’s there, but I don’t avoid streets and roads without marked lanes.

The City of West Lafayette is equally ambivalent. My North Work Route follows several streets with bike lanes, and that’s by design. I wanted to have a non-stressful route to take home on those especially hectic work days. Unfortunately, the city hasn’t setup their bike lanes in a way where riders can rely on them.

I traveled Grant and Salisbury Streets, along with Lindberg Road, and I found trash cans and brush piles in the lane waiting for pickup. This is pretty common, and apparently legal. I think I’ve documented this before.

On Lindberg Road, there is the added obstacle of cars parked in the bike lane. Apparently, this is allowed by law after 4:00pm or on non-school days. Sure, having the lanes clear between 8:00 and 4:00 helps school kids get around, but it’s not much help for the harried manager looking for a little sanctuary. Lucky for me, I have no problem taking the lane when needed.

West Lafayette Bike Lane
Part Time Bike Lane

When I was riding up Salisbury Street, I heard this horrible noise to my right. It turned out to be a discount store bike with an amazingly squeaky chain. The helmet-free rider passed me on the sidewalk, and them jumped back to the bike lane well in front of me.

Miles Ridden: 12.0

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There and Back

Just a quick jaunt to work today in order to get some desk time before the work week hits. Lots of freshmen moving into the dorms today.

Miles Ridden: 7.3

Newman Road Rail Underpass

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S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Ride

With my plaid bib shorts, long late-70s styled hair, and a thick brogue, I left the house at about 8:30 on the Lilly Road Route.*

Deer in the Clearing

I see deer fairly often as I ride around the area, but I never seem to have a camera ready to go. Today however, I happened to already be stopped with the camera powered up when I saw this young lady. She watched me for a while, and only moved about 10 feet when a car came through. I took a few shots and continued along Lilly Road. It was then that I noticed the fawn on my right running along with me. He got a little ahead and turned left to cross the road at an opening in the fence, and he screeched to a halt when I came by.

I’m guessing that the deer on the left side was the mother of the fawn on the right, and they were trying to get together. Hopefully, all was well after I left.

Between the Fields
Not My Kind of Route

Miles Ridden: 17.9

*Those who are old enough (like me) to get the Bay City Rollers reference before reading this footnote get five extra points for just hanging in there.

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Shedding a Little Light on the Subject

I need to get a better headlight, as these early morning rides are getting more difficult. Today I couldn’t really see the road surface, and I was surprised by potholes and cracks in the road. Maybe one of those LED jobs would be nice.

It was a little spooky this morning watching the distant lightning flash in the north. The weather site assured me that the storms were at least two counties away, but I still watched the sky pretty closely.

This is one of the few weeks of the year where campus is pretty empty. Next week, the freshmen (now called ‘first years’) and international students will arrive, and classes start on the 20th. That first day is a killer traffic day. Hopefully, I’ll be able to ride past them all.

Miles Ridden: 10.1

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Wabash Before Dawn

Wabash River Before Dawn
More Fun with Low Light Photography

Miles Ridden: 9.0

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