Dan on Bike

One problem I have with this journal is that I can’t remember any of the literate and descriptive thoughts I had during the ride. Not a problem for the Cycler. He’s got some great entires discussing the Montana wilderness, biking, and other philosphical subjects.

Monday

I just didn’t get ready in time. I was up quite early, but I spent too much time web surfing and watching the news. At 10 ’till eight without breakfast started, I knew I wouldn’t make it in time. I ended up stopping at McD’s for an Eggamuff – arriving at work 20 minutes late. Oh well, sometimes it’s good to be the boss.

Turns out that it was good that I didn’t ride. My son called me at 10:30 needing an assignment left at home delivered to the school by noon. It’s about 45 minutes round trip by car. It would have been twice that on the bike.

Tuesday

Kelly Green‘s forecast called for rain, so I didn’t ride. The rain didn’t appear until after midnight!

Wednesday

My daughter had an orthodontist appointment in the morning, and my son needed a ride home from band practice at the end of the day.

Maybe tomorrow or Friday, although tomorrow looks cold and windy.

Excuses! Excuses!

Black Rock is a small outcropping on the banks of the Wabash in Warren County. According to my Charlie Meyer map, it looked reachable in the two hours I had this morning before the rain started. Plus, a strong SW wind was forecast for today, and the rock is in that general direction.

Another Senseless Post Halloween Tragedy
It’s an easy route. Division Road west leads across the county line, and a few miles south of Green Hill the gravel road leading back east to Black Rock is found. The wind wasn’t very strong when heading west, but I sure could feel it when I turned south.

Green Hill is apparently a high crime area
At that corner, I came upon a very large llama farm. I could see the herd in the distance, but they were as camera shy as those I’ve been trying to see closer to home.

Calling Warren Co. Road 350N a gravel road is a compliment. It seemed to be mostly packed dirt to me. There were ruts worn into the surface both from vehicles and from water flowing along the edge. I’m glad the ground was basically dry, or I would have been in a real mess!

The road suddenly drops into the river valley, and Black Rock looms on the right side. It isn’t a very dramatic sight, but in an area of mostly flat prairie land turned to farming, any kind of exposed rock is rare. With all of the fallen leaves and the overcast skies, it was a little tough to see the actual rock.

Black Rock
(It’s there – above my bike – look closer)
Some of the land along the river here is owned by the Niches Land Trust, a group that buys land and holds in it reserve. A few years ago, my family drove out for a visit, and we saw a bald eagle and its nest. Another rare sight in Indiana.

Your License Plate Money at Work
I stopped at the Niches pull off point and ate my PBJ sandwich and some snowflake shaped Ritz crackers (which have eight points, while everyone knows that a real snowflake is six sided).

The road returned to pavement as soon as I crossed back into Tippecanoe County, so the rest of the ride was easy going. I didn’t get much of a push back east from the wind, so I think I earned all of the miles I rode.


On the way back, I stopped at the Ross Camp to grab a shot of the chapel there.

Miles Ridden: 23.6

I received a jury summons in the mail last week, and today was the day. I figured, since the weather is nice, why not ride in?

I dropped my biking clothes off at my office on the way in. I didn’t think there would be a safe place to stow my pannier, and I didn’t want to risk leaving it on the bike. Besides, it’s on the way.

The courthouse is only a mile and a half farther down the road, and I arrived early. I was surprised to see another cyclist locking up his ride on the rack, and he ended up also being on the panel. The bailiff at the security station mentioned how rare it was to have two cyclists in line together. What are the odds?

The jury selection process was very interesting. I was too far down the list to be questioned, because they had seated six persons before getting even close to my name. My cycling buddy was questioned and excused. I was out by 10:30 and had some time to kill, so I walked around downtown, and spent some time on a park bench reading a magazine. After lunch with a friend, I rode back up the hill to work for the afternoon.

My training buddy was with me on the ride home on the North Work Route, with sustained winds in the 20s, and gusts in the 30s. The bigger problem was that the sun sinks low pretty early, and it was time for the blinky light before 6pm.

Miles Ridden: 14.7

Total for October: 165.0 Miles

Today was a warm one, so the neighbor and I headed west. We ended up taking the Lilly Road Route counterclockwise. On the east end of the route, we took River Road east into campus, and came home on SR26 and Newman Road.

The trees along the Wabash are looking colorful
These guys have lost their leaves and look pretty spooky
The shadows are getting long these days

Miles Ridden: 19.2

I was driving home through campus tonight around 8:00. State Street is a one-way west through the village and by the Union, and we were in the left lane. In the right lane up a little was a bus followed by a small car. As the bus began to slow for a stop, the car signaled and changed to the left lane. Then, both slammed on the brakes. Between them, riding on the white center line, the Jimmy Johns sandwich delvery boy appeared on his fixed gear.

Riding the wrong way on a one way street!

What an ass! I think he’s been watching those videos of the New York bike couriers in the death defiying races through traffic.

Today, I loaded up the kids and our bikes and drove to Prophetstown State Park in Battleground. Just a $4 entrance fee, and we were in.

I had heard that they had a 2.5 mile bike trail, and I thought it would be a nice way to spend our day off school or work, and a way to get them on the bikes for a little bit.

There is a nice parking area at the trail head. The trail basically parallels the main road through the park – passing through the campground and the picnic areas. There is a similar parking area at the other end. This park has been carved out of farm fields over the past 10 years, so their aren’t many trees. Instead of trying to grow a forest, the DNR is embracing the prairie land motif. There are several fields full of native prairie grass.

We road the trail, explored the campground, and rested at the large playground. (Where were the playgrounds like that when my kids were younger? We were always stuck with the usual Indiana State Park fare – a few timbers stuck into the ground.)

Except for the part where I accidentally pinched my daughter’s neck in the helmet buckle, it was a good time. I will probably be able to get them out there again. Now, if only I could get my wife to come along…

Miles Ridden: 6.2

My new BFF Boz has been writing about me, and I think he’s the best!

For those who don’t know, Boz is a famous blogger. He writes in a stream of consciousness style that seems to be fueled by his insomnia, his love of 50s and 60s music, and his care of his aging mother. He also occasionally includes pictures of half naked young women.

I’m hoping that we can go on a ride together the next time I’m in Michigan. I’ll help him pump up the tires on his Huffy.

What kind of bike do I ride? An orange one.

Dan-O

UPDATE: Also, I’ve seen a 25% increase in page views since Boz linked to me.

Thursday – 3 views
Friday – 4 views