Dan on Bike

Another Wet, Foggy Morning

Miles Ridden: 14.0

The students are back on campus this week, and that also means the return of the bad example bikers.

They’re speeding down the sidewalks, riding on the wrong side of the street, flying against the flow on one-way streets (with or without a bike lane), and running stop signs and lights.

Kids, you’re not 10 years old tooling around the cul-de-sac anymore. You’re adults now, and you should act like it. A cyclist in Indiana (like most areas) enjoys the privilege of operating as a full-fledged vehicle on public roads, and is trusted with the responsibilities of that operation. Follow traffic laws, including observing traffic controls, yielding to pedestrians, and riding with traffic on the right side. ‘Take the lane’ if necessary. In the cities of West Lafayette and Lafayette (not on campus or in the unincorporated areas) it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk.

Still, I’m amused by the guys (hopefully underclassmen) riding the 20″ trick bikes to class. It’s as if their mommy and daddy haven’t bought them a ‘big boy’ bike yet. Also, I see the young ladies riding their 24″ Huffy with the seat all the way down. It hurts my old man knees just watching them pedal!

(Can you tell I’m in a grumpy mood today?)

I carried a few extra things to work today – folders from the office, lunch – so I used my canvas attache bag in addition to my pannier. My baggage and contents added 12 pounds.

When I got in this morning, one of my co-workers was teasing me about messing up the traffic flow. Apparently, the cars in the right lane were all tapping their brakes and looking to switch to the left to get around me. All I saw was polite, orderly drivers sharing the road.

The 5:00 traffic on Grant Street was pretty thick. So much so that it took four light cycles to get across State Street. (I have to confess that I did a biker thing by riding up on the right side of all of the cars waiting at the Wood Street light. I can rationalize this behavior since they would have passed me had they been rolling.) At North Street, there was this older lady crossing on her bike in front of me who was so intently watching the traffic coming from a block away she didn’t see me until she almost hit me!

The rest of the ride on the North Work Route was uneventful.

Miles Ridden: 11.7

What a difference a small seat adjustment can make! The ride was much more comfortable than yesterday’s. I’m getting used to the new bike already.

Boats on the Wabash
I rode to Lafayette and then up to the Wabash River bridge on North Ninth Street Road. Back the same route.

A Bit of a North Wind
Miles Ridden: 21.8

I’ve been thinking about it and talking about it for a long time, and today was finally the day to buy a road bike. After talking with the guys at Hodson’s Bay Company, I decided on a Trek Pilot 1.0. It’s a good fit for me, and it rolls so easy!

I’ll get a real photo soon
The neighbor was riding out to the Ross Camp for an event, so I accompanied him. We took the long way through Montmorenci and on west to the County Line.

I need to adjust the seat a little and get used to the pedals (I haven’t used clips before, and it feels odd to have the pedal under the ball of my foot rather than the arch). Even with the headwind, our average speed was a couple of MPH higher than we got on the hybrid bikes.

Miles Ridden: 23.1

I rode to work again today, and I came home on a slightly shorter version of the North Work Route – coming south on Klondike Road instead of 400W.

Miles Ridden: 10.7

Horses in the Evening
After supper, my kids and I went on a trip to Granville Bridge with the neighbor family. My daughter gave out about 2 miles from the end, so my wife came out with the van to take her home.

Miles Ridden: 9.8

Horses in the Morning
Rode to work, rode to lunch, rode to a meeting, rode home on the North Work Route.

Miles Ridden: 16.1

Ran some errands today stopping at Menards and Marsh. Neither has a bike rack.

Menards Has No Bike Rack
Miles Ridden: 15.1

I got a 2nd ride in today when the neighbor called me around 7:30. We took a reverse Montmorenci Route.

Freshly Shorn Llama
Miles Ridden: 15.6

Once again, my car needs some work done, so I threw the bike in the back and drove up to the parkway. After I handed over the keys, I jumped on the 2 wheeler and headed north on Yeager Road. Kalberer, Soldiers’ Home, Happy Hollow, and River Roads took me to the Levee area where I saw the newly unveiled fountain at the west end of the Pedestrian Bridge.

Fountain at Wabash Landing
After I quick run over to 9th street and back in Lafayette, I went up State Street hill to watch the new Freshmen moving into the dorms on campus. On the way, I saw this odd pattern painted in the middle of 3rd street.

Urban Crop Circles?
I’m not sure what it means. Could it be a fraternity prank? Or a pagan ritual site? Perhaps alcohol related? If you have any knowledge of what these symbols are meant to indicate, please leave a comment.

Miles Ridden: 13.4

Almost forgot, there were free cookies at Follets Book Store in Purdue West.