Dan on Bike

This Flag Puts the ‘Old’ in ‘Old Glory’
The neighbor and I haven’t ridden together in a couple of weeks, so we headed out this afternoon.

It was 4:30 before we actually hit the road, so the 6:30 sunset would limit our time out. We started off on a short ride north, and ended up taking 400W up to 500N. Then we rode west to US231, and south to Montmorenci. We had planned to take Jackson Highway back towards home, but decided to continue south all the way to Division Road by the Ravines Golf Course.

With strong headwinds during the north and west portions of the route, we really appreciated the push we got going south. The eastern run on Division Road wasn’t quite as effortless, but still easy.

With the wind and cold, it was quite a workout.

Miles Ridden: 21.4

After yesterday’s fun with unsafe passing, I decided to forgo my usual Friday route and instead took the North Route with Extension. With sunny skies, comfortable temps, calm winds, and low traffic, it was a great ride. This route includes the best part of the Cattail Trail between Kalberer Road and Lindberg Road. I saw many walkers, joggers, cyclists, and dog walkers all around town.

I think that when a yard is full of signs for almost every candidate from a particular party, it lessens the value of the endorsement from the owners. They come off as party loyalists, rather than people with an opinion on a candidate. In this shot we see signs for most of the Republicans running in West Lafayette in the foreground, while the Democrats are represented two yards back.

Miles Ridden: 14.9 (estimated)

Noah is breathing down my neck, having just posted his 500th, so I’d better get typing!

I thought this was going to be an uneventful commute today (although riding to a meeting mid-afternoon was fun), until I was almost home.

No Idea What This Means
I was in the bike lane on US231S when I stopped to take the above picture. I was close to the point where the highway heads south, while River Road continues west. (I’m traveling west, which is right to left on the photo.) As you can see below, there is a little jog where I turn right and immediately left. At this time of day, everyone else is apparently doing the same thing.

As I neared the right turn to leave the highway, a car came up next to me and made the turn with me. Since my bike lane abruptly ends just past the turn, I had to slow rather suddenly to avoid bumping the passenger door. I was able to take the lane behind him, but three more cars came up right behind me. As my turn buddy began his left, the third guy back behind me decided he couldn’t wait for all of us to turn, so he gunned it into the left lane and passed us all – much to the chagrin of the driver of the oncoming van. I flashed Mr. Impatient a thumbs up.

Not to be outdone, the muppet behind me revved up and passed as well – this time it was a sedan that had to dive for the shoulder. The last guy behind me waited until it was clear, but he had to excessively accelerate like the rest – just to show them that he wasn’t a pansy.

What’s weird is that as my wife talked with me on the phone before I left my office, she let loose this string of foul language mid sentence. Apparently, an oncoming driver had decided to pass a bike by swerving into her lane, and she let him know that she didn’t approve.

Is it just West Lafayette, or do people do this everywhere?

Miles Ridden: 11.2 (estimated)

BTW, the new LED headlight I ordered from Bike Nashbar came in today. I’ll try it out as soon as I get some batteries.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve written 500 of these little gems. I wonder how far I’ll get before I tire of it. I’m sure that most that have read my little blog have moved on, but I keep going just for me regardless.

Fallen Leaves Hide from the Wind Next To my Wheel

This is the first month since January where I’ve missed my monthly goal, based on percentages of an annual, secret goal (as outlined here). I’m only off by 23 miles, and I’ve actually already passed the secret goal for the year, but I don’t like missing a benchmark. Anyway, November is a new month, so here I go!

October Total: 147.0 miles
October Last Year: 135.3 miles

Total This Year (so far): 1,930.1 miles
Total This Time Last Year: 1,355.8 miles

Wow! Third day in a row commuting to work.

Like yesterday, I did the there and back route, but not all at the same time. It was sunny all day, but got cloudy around half an hour before I left for home. Sustained headwinds of 15MPH with gusts to 25MPH made the ride home an energetic one.

I have to say that it’s so nice finally having my bike fixed. The problem with the cassette hub must have been brewing for several years, but I didn’t recognize the intermittent symptoms. I always thought the chain was jumping. Anyway, the acid test up the hill on Newman Road went great.

Miles Ridden: 7.2 (estimated)

I had just pulled up at the bike rack and was about to unwind the bike lock when my phone rang. It was my daughter, who had just missed the school bus, asking for a ride. So, I refastened my pant leg strap and headed back home.

There was almost no traffic heading away from campus. The neat part was that I rode seven miles at a good clip with no perspiration. It was a little chilly!

Miles Ridden: 7.1 (estimated)

Messy Cupcakes
I took these cupcakes into work today. When I left the house, I had them balanced on a diagonal to minimize the movement of the cakes. However, at arrival, I found the plastic box completely vertical. Most of the cakes had jumped/fallen out of their protective cup holders and smashed together at one end. Check out the one on the right where I had to reapply the frosting that had been stuck to the bottom of his neighbor’s cup. A knife would have been nice, but my right index finger did the trick (don’t tell my co-worker that ate that one).

This was my first ride after retrieving the bike from his third trip to the shop. They replaced the cassette hub using parts from the back – no charge! I just don’t see how these guys make money. It is now working great – no TING sound anymore.

Miles Ridden: 11.8 (estimated)

… I was able to take a quick hour on the bike. I headed onto the as yet undocumented north route* despite a strong NNE wind. Sure, I fought it all the way up to 450N, but it pushed me home on the return trip. Traffic wasn’t too bad except for the stretch of Klondike Road between US52 and Lindberg. Lots of unsafe passing, but I wasn’t too bothered by it. Lucky for me the oncoming drivers were alert and patient.

Interesting Clouds
It’s funny how clouds look so 3D in real life, mainly because they are moving, but a photo instantly flattens them out. In this shot the two different layers were moving in different directions – pretty cool.

So I took my 820 back to the bike shop today. After my problems last week, I had clear symptoms to tell the mechanic. He thought maybe there was something wrong with the rear wheel something-or-other (I can’t remember what he called it). Anyway, a couple of turns of the pedals made it obvious to him. He said it was a fairly rare problem to have, and he said he’d have it done in a day. I’m feeling confident.

Stonehenge Subdivision
Whenever I pass this sign, I have to say the name in the manner of Christopher Guest in This Is Spinal Tap. You know, that heavy fake British accent.

STON-enge
Imagine that it kind of rhymes with the name of that VOIP company – Vonage.

Miles Ridden: 12.1

*Maybe I could call it the Capilano/Klondike Route

Much like this day, I took my son to his high school – this time for his PSAT. So I threw the bike in the back of the van and cycled away after dropping him off.

The thing about this morning is that it was quite cold – low 50s and windy. Sure, I’ll love this kind of weather in January, but the first cold ride of the year is always an eye opener. I warmed up after about 20 minutes, and I got into a nice rhythm as the sun came up.

Sunrise Near Cairo
The ride to Brookston was pretty calm, and the town was pretty quiet. If had thought to bring some cash, I would have stopped for a snack in town.

Mural in Brookston
I didn’t have a definite route planned, other than to maybe ride to Springboro, so I just headed east on SR18. This highway was not busy at all, and the motorized vehicle drivers didn’t seem to mind me too much.

Did They Mean to Write ‘MAIZE’?
When I got to 300E, I was getting worried about the time. I only had an hour or so before the test would be completed, so I turned south to begin a return to the high school.

As I re-read the account from my Brookston ride two years ago (linked above), I laughed at how I basically had the same problems with route planning (or actually lack of planning) today that I did back them. They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and I’m now the poster boy for that observation.

I could see up ahead that my road was ending at a ‘T’ intersection. Just then, I head something running up next to me. It turned out to be a dog. A big dog. However, he seemed happy just to ride along.

I stopped at the ‘T’ and turned to pull my camera out of the seat post bag. My new buddy seemed very interested and posed for a couple of photos. I reached out to pet him, and he leaned in and rubbed against my leg as I scratched his ears. Friends for life!

White County Escort
So at the ‘T’ intersection I look at my clock (it’s late), to the left there is a paved road heading east – away from the high school, and on the right is a gravel road with the Ash Grove grain elevator in the distance. In the interest of time, I chose the gravel road.

The dog and I took off to the east. He was running in front of me, much like a sled dog, as I fought to keep the wheel straight in what appeared to be freshly spread gravel – full of dust and loose rocks. Maybe I could have hooked up the dog to some sort of harness to have him help pull me through. It was almost two miles later when my escort dropped back, and I was on my own. A short ride to the south (more gravel) took me to Ash Grove and 900N.

Now, here’s where the planning would have helped. That left turn on the paved road would have led me to a southbound road to 900N (also paved) in less than half a mile, and I probably would have actually saved time and frustration by not riding on the same stretch of gravel road that I fought last time (but maybe not have had my friend along). Anyway, next time I go to Brookston, I’m going to plan the route a little more carefully.

Heading back to the school from there was easy. I found some route markings from last month’s Tour de CrossRoads, and followed one of their routes back to the school. Even though I arrived about 10 minutes later than planned, the test wasn’t out yet, so I had time to spare.

Miles Ridden: 27.5

Some days, riding a bike can make it the best day ever. This was not one of those days.

My daughter had an after school thing, so I needed to pick her up at 5:30 – no time to ride home and get my car. Instead, I tried the trick from last year where I drive my car to her school, ride the bike from there to work, and then back to school to pick her up for the ride home. Not a bad plan.

I was surprised at the amount of fog today. Sure, I had my lights on, but my reflective vest was accidentally left home. For some reason, I felt very conspicuous today – riding around in my office wear in the fog. The worst part was my bike was not cooperating. Apparently, the bottom bracket problem the mechanic mentioned the other day decided to re-appear this morning. It was constantly slipping, so I must have looked like some sort of idiot – pedaling fast, then slow, then fast. At the intersection of Klondike and Lindberg, I almost fell off the bike!

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it back after work, but I kind of got into a rhythm. If I never pedaled hard, it didn’t slip very much, so I decided that I could probably limp back to the school.

(Unrelated to the bike rides today, I took the bus to get my shirts at the cleaners. About 10 seconds after I sat down, I could feel moisture on my pants. I jumped up and felt the soaked seat. No idea what it was, but at least it didn’t smell. I told myself it was someone’s Sprite and not homeless guy urine. Keep believing!)

At 4:30, I walked by a window between meetings to notice that it was raining. Great! At 5:00, I started changing clothes to head out when my wife called. It didn’t take too much convincing for me to eschew the rain soaked ride on a barely operational bike and instead accept her offer of a ride. I guess I really am a fair weather cyclist.

On a lighter note, I found another walnut on my bike today – this time in the bottle cage. I wonder where the next one will be.

Miles Ridden: 5.6 (estimated)