Dan on Bike

The list of bike related blogs that I read is constantly growing. Whenever I run across a new site, I add it to my Google Reader list, and I now spend way too much time each day trying to read everything.

I put the blame for my situation on the RocBike site. Jason and the rest of the gang put up loads of great posts, and even publish the occasional podcast, but what gets me in trouble are the Links of the Day posts. Along with links to cycling related news articles, I find a new site to follow almost every day.

I may have to start pruning the list.

A little different route today, as I rode to a meeting after lunch, and then after work I pedaled up to the stadium and Cherry Lane before coming home on SR26 and Newman Road.

Horses at Sunrise

Miles Ridden: 12.1

Miles Ridden: 8.2

Old Fashioned United Baptist Church in Independence
The neighbor called Friday night with an interesting proposition. His wife was going to a picnic/gathering type thing in the country north of Kramer today. We could ride out there (about 30 miles), grab some lunch, and then ride back with his wife in the RAV4. I’ve got no plans, so let’s do it!

Kramer is an unincorporated town north of Attica, IN – probably just a gathering of a few houses, but I didn’t actually see it today. So, our ride started on the Independence route to the southwest. (I just noticed that I called last year’s ride the vulture loop. And like last year, we were fortunate enough to pass a flock of vultures devouring a deer carcass. Lovely!) We continued along Independence Road until it met SR55. Taking the highway north, we turned west onto CR250N, which snaked around until it was called 300N. After crossing Big Pine Creek, we found the gravel path back to Warren Piece.

Warren Piece is an interesting deal. A group of ecologically minded folks formed a group that bought this 100 acre piece of land in Warren County (hence the name), and they are now members of whatever the group is – LLP maybe – who can use the land for camping, gardening, etc. Two of the group members live across the road (and probably get the most benefit). The land is nestled in a bend of Big Pine Creek and is mostly wooded. Another part is a wetland area. Overall, it is a nice place to enjoy nature and quiet.

Big Pine Creek in Warren County
We had a great ride, and great food at the end. Plus, I spent 20 minutes talking with the local Obama campaign office manager, who was getting ready to move on to Montana.

I need more days like this.

Catching a Ride Home
Miles Ridden: 30.4

Hey, remember the Purdue unicycle guy I mentioned in my RAGBRAI post? He was wearing a Purdue Cycling Team jersey that day, and I yelled out “Hey! Purdue guy!” startling him to the point where he almost fell over. We talked a little bit about how tough it was to ride a single speed unicycle for 70 miles a day, and I offered to buy him supper than night. However, we never ran across each other again.

Anyway, today I was walking out of my office building when I saw a guy on a single speed with another tied to his back. I made a stupid joke about having a spare, and he said he was on his way to some bike event and he thought someone else may need a bike. Then, he said he was used to having people talk to him since he usually rides a unicycle. That’s when I recognized him. I said “I talked to you in Iowa”, and he answered “Right”. Although, I’m guessing he talked with a lot of people that week, and it’s unlikely he remembered me.

I wonder if it’s him in this photo as well.

I went by the library to vote before work today. With all of the talk about high gas prices, mine was the only bike in the rack.

Miles Ridden: 11.2

After longer rides on Saturday and Sunday, I found my legs to be a little weak today. The ride home, even though I took the direct route, seemed to take for ever.

Since I was driving up to another campus today, I rode to the transportation garage to pick up the University car. Rather than trust my bike to be safe all day on the scroungy rack outside the office, I pulled off the wheels and stuck everything in the trunk. The bike rode quietly in the back all day.

Miles Ridden: 7.2

Tomorrow, I ride to the polls!

The neighbor and I decided on taking an extended ride this AM. We hadn’t really decided where to go until we started rolling, and we made a couple of executive decisions during the ride. With almost no wind, it didn’t really matter which way we went. With starting temps a little below 40, I was glad for the calm.

We ended up heading down to West Point. After a quick chat with the greyhound owner on 700W, we headed south. I remembered the route I took last July, but today I took us down 200S rather than 300S. We met a couple of neat dogs, including a very persistent dachshund, and what may have been a standard poodle/black lab mix. The ‘poodlador’ (didn’t really look like a labradoodle) was barking at first, but he came up to me when I stopped. About a half mile down the road, we were at the intersection of dead end and gravel road, so we turned back. At the correct road, we turned west again and made our way to West Point.

It’s fun being on a bike rather than in a car, since we can see much more. The next couple of dogs we saw looked familiar, and I figured out that I was near a former co-worker’s place. We stopped to make fun of someone’s bumper stickers, and made a quick stop at Keller’s Country Crossing. They serve breakfast six days a week, so we may go back on a Saturday some day.

Coming back home, I noticed that I was getting a sore spot under my right glove. I raised my hand to check underneath when the neighbor yelled “WHOA”! I looked up and saw a large buck about 40 feet ahead. With my rear brake hand away from the lever, I had to move quickly to stop in time. He jumped across the road and continued running to the other side of a large field as his (at least) two friends still in the trees decided not to cross and instead bolt back into the woods. That would have been quite a story to tell if I had hit a deer while on a bike.

Our hearts were beating heavy for the next mile or so. By the time we returned home, the temp had risen to the mid-50s. Not a bad day for a ride.

Miles Ridden: 25.2

I had some errands on the east side of town today, so I hopped on the Trek 820 with a couple of panniers hanging off the rack.

My first stop was at the cable company office to sign up for digital phone service. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy I had hoped, so I left with no service. I also stopped at a shoe store down the street, which didn’t have anything I wanted in my size. The trip was a bust.

Famous Footwear Has No Bike Rack

But, the big story was the drivers. None of the streets in Lafayette have bike lanes, and I don’t really want to use them anyway. However, it would have been nice today to have a refuge. I was on several 4 lane streets, including McCarty Lane and Creasy Lane. Despite having plenty of room, many drivers seemed to want to pass very close, often trying to share the lane when there wasn’t room to do so. It happened too many times.

The best muppet was the guy in the brown Tahoe on Main Street. At the intersection with 9th street, I was stopped in the straight lane, and he pulled up in the left turn lane. As the light turned green, he proceed to go straight instead of turning. We both gave each other looks like the other was an idiot. (Of course, he really is one.)

Things got better as I was able to meet my wife and son at Moe’s for lunch. I ate a too large serving of nachos.

The strong headwind on the way home, along with the gut full of Mexican food, made the last five miles go pretty slow. However, I felt pretty good once I arrived home.

Miles Ridden: 22.8

We’ll Never Know the Rest of the Story
(as seen on Kossuth Street)

The neighbor and I took a morning ride today. Before we left, he was telling me about how he had found his rear tire flat last night and had pumped it up. Then he noticed that it was flat once again. So, he grabbed his daughter’s bike for the ride.

She has a Trek 7.3FX, which seems like a nice commuter/urban bike. However, he had a little trouble using the frame that was purchased to fit a small 14 year old. He was working pretty hard to keep the speed up.

We headed west on Division Road and climbed Indian Creek Hill before reversing the route back home.

Best part: I wore the perfect set of clothes for the conditions.

Miles Ridden: 11.2