Dan on Bike

The neighbor went out on yet another great morning for a ride. We went by the llama farm owned by a friend of our wives. Let’s call it the ‘Llama Route‘.

Until I make up a separate post – complete with pictures – here’s the route:

Division Road west to 400W
North to Jackson Highway
Northwest to 600W
South (past the llama farm) to SR26
East to 550W
South to Division Road
East to South River Road
East to 350W
North to Division Road
East to Newman Road

Miles Ridden: TBD 13.2
Total This Year: TBD 359

(I know, I need to get a new cyclo-computer soon.)

UPDATE: The official route post is here.

The forecast was for hot, sticky weather today, and we were not disappointed. The neighbor and I went out early this morning to miss the uncomfortable humidity.

We started on the Granville Bridge Route and took the extra jog past the Gourd House. (I’ve got to get a picture of the gourds in the tree!)

Miles Ridden: 9.4
Total This Year: TBD 346

It was a misty, foggy morning, but I got out to ride this morning before work. I thought that I had seen the neighbor’s porch light on (the agreed upon sign for a morning ride), but I was mistaken.

I had a nice solo ride on the River Road/Campus Route.

Miles Ridden: 9.9
Total This Year: TBD 337

It’s getting more difficult to find time for a ride. My son now has summer school every weekday for the next 2 months. He has to be there before 8:00am and be picked up at noon. That kills both the 6am ride and the ride to work for me. Maybe on the days when my wife isn’t working night shift…

Anyway, I solved the problem this time by taking my wife to work the night before. This morning, I tossed the bike in the back of the van, took my son to school, and drove to my wife’s workplace. I left the van for her and took the bike downhill to campus. What a great, easy ride to work!. I’ll try this again tonight.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t record my distance today, since the cyclo-computer seems to have bit the dust. (It may just be a dead battery, but I want to get a new one with more features than my six year old model.) I’ll have to measure the distance later and fill in the blanks.

I started near Salisbury and Cumberland in West Lafayette. The route to the office is Salisbury, Grant, Northwestern, North, Andrew, State, Grant to Wood Street. Coming home, I used the North Work Route.

Miles Ridden: TBD 11.0
Total This Year: 316 + TBD 327

Total Miles in May: 136

I guess being sick for a week and on vacation for a week limited my total. I was hoping to ride to work tomorrow, but I have to take my son to school at 8:00 and pick him up at noon. Maybe after work.

So, I thought I had planned pretty well. I was going to have a great time biking in DC.

However, by Friday night, I was already exhausted from the walking. When one has no car and depends on the Metro line 4 blocks away from the hotel for all transportation to the sites that require more walking, sore feet and legs will result. As I was walking over to the Washington Monument, I decided to skip the whole bike thing. It was going to cost too much anyway. However, while in line for tickets, I saw a family ride up to the line to meet the Dad who was just walking away with his four passes. They had matching mountain bikes, and they pedaled off looking like a commercial for the rental company. When I got back to the hotel, I called Better Bikes.

The voice on the machine said they would call back in five minutes. After 30, I gave my wife the instructions and set off with the kids to climb the monument (at least, climb into the elevator). We also made a quick visit to Lafayette Park and the White House. Returning two hours later, there was still no call. After lunch and a nap, I called back a couple of times, but still got the machine. I left my cell phone number and went out for a walk to Georgetown. I was actually inside one of the competing rental shops when the Better Bikes guy called. I found out later that this was a one man company, and the owner was having a very busy day. He was out of mountain bikes, but had a comfort bike in my size.

A comfort bike is apparently a skinny tired 18 speed with a spongy seat and upright-style handlebars – nothing like the Wright Brothers bike (pictured) on display at the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian. I felt pretty geeky riding it past all of the roadies out that morning, but I guess I would never see them again anyway.

I started out on the Rock Creek Trail, but I ended up heading south from P street instead of north (since the trail was described as being in bad shape). This took me down past some of the monuments and eventually over the Potomac to Arlington National Cemetery. It was still closed, so I headed into the city center. Then, I found a bike trail heading back south and went all the way to the Navy and Marine monument.

It was time for the Cemetery to open, so I headed back north, but I couldn’t find a way to get the entrance on the Memorial Bridge, so I hopped up onto the parallel street when I saw signs directing me to the Cemetery. It wasn’t 30 seconds later that I heard the loudspeaker on the police car ordering me “off the parkway.” Who knew it was a parkway and bikes weren’t allowed? Not me! He had me walk for 10 minutes to the next bike path that crossed the street and took me to the gates. That’s the first time I’ve ever been pulled over on a bicycle.

The Cemetery was already very crowded, so I just took a quick walk to the JFK eternal flame, and then headed back across the river. I found 14th street near the Washington Monument, and headed back to K street, ending at the hotel at 22nd and N streets.

In hindsight, I wish that I would have taken the trail north to see a different part of town, but I am glad I was able to visit Arlington. Next time I vacation, I will try to arrange the bike earlier in the trip so that I can get a good ride.

Miles Ridden: I rode for about 2 hours, not counting stops and walking, so let’s say 24 miles
Total This Year: I’m not going to count this in the total.

I’m trying to get my wife used to riding so that we can do the Indy N.I.T.E. Ride in late July. Today, we took a short ride to the gourd house on River Road and back after the kids got on the school bus. I hope to have her up to 10 miles by the end of June.

Miles Ridden: 3.7
Total This Year: 316

Thomas over at My Bike Blog posts a common complaint. Don’t ride on the sidewalk!

You can imagine that I see all kinds of unsafe riding on campus, but there are three behaviors, sidewalk, wrong way, and wrong side riding, that really get me going. Throw in the ubiquitous iPod earbuds, and we’ve got trouble. I’ve yelled at a few, and they’ve either couldn’t hear me, or look at me like I’m insane. Granted, there are non-automobile areas where sidewalk riding is allowed, but bikes lanes are marked.

(I see bikes on the sidewalk almost daily, but I can’t find a picture of one. I’ll have to go out on a “shooting spree”)

The neighbor and I took the Granville Bridge Route with a run up Indian Creek Hill to the golf course. Even though I spent Saturday helping my brother-in-law move, I was sure that my muscles were back to normal today. Unfortunately, my thighs starting screaming about 2 miles from the end. I made it, but it took some work.

Miles Ridden: 12
Total This Year: 313

It make sense last night. The logistical complications and reasons for riding were clear in my drowsy state, but during the day today, it seemed kind of silly.

I wanted to ride to work today because it would make three in a row and because it was Bike to Work Day in Lafayette. I didn’t even know it was Bike to Work Week until reading Thomas’ post about it. Anyway, I had heard on the TV news that today was the day being observed here. Also, I have seen rain forecasted for Thursday and Friday, and I’ll be out of town on Saturday, so this would be my last day for a while.

The problem was that my son had marching band tryouts today at 4:00, and needed a ride from his middle school to the high school.

So, the plan I concocted while half asleep in my easy chair was to drive my bike to work, ride home, shower for work, ride back (thus riding to work), take the car to chauffeur the boy, and ride after work.

It started out nice. I was able to find a spot right behind the building, and the ride back through campus was calm.

After my shower, I rode back to the office, and I had to hurry to get to another building in the next block for a training class. I walked in a couple of minutes late and was quite hot and a little sweaty.

The shuttling of the teenager was without incident, and I was ready for a good ride after work.

But, I couldn’t just ride home, because then my car would still be at work. I ended up riding all around Lafayette and coming back to the office. I put the bike back in the car and drove home.

So I at least covered some of the benefits of commuting to work: exercise for me, and setting an example for others on Bike to Work Day that it is possible and easy to do. However, I also drove my car to work, which still burned gas, took a parking place, and showed that one can only ride to work if he has no other life.

Oh well!

The Route

The first leg started at Wood and Grant Streets in West Lafayette. I traveled up Grant to Northwestern, up to Stadium, and west to University Street. North on University took me around Ross-Ade Stadium (pictured), and I came down the other side on Beering Drive. A right on Tower Drive led me back to Stadium and on out to McCormick Road. A quick south jaunt to SR26 and a left on Newman took me back to Division Road and home.

Leg two was the direct route back to work.

After work, the wind was coming from the southeast, so I headed south on US231 over the Wabash River, and east on SR25 and Beck Lane over to 9th Street (past Armstrong Park). North on 9th past Central Catholic High School (which just fired its basketball coach), down to the Lafayette Country Club, up to the Highland Park area, and down through the Ninth Street Hill Neighborhood®. At Main Street I headed west downtown to the John Myers Bridge. Tapawingo, Brown, and Roebuck is the route around Wabash Landing. Finally, I headed up State Street Hill back to Grant Street and my car.

Miles Ridden: 17.2
Total This Year: 301