31 October 2012

Your sign here

#198 / #27

Friday, October 20-something.

Himself and I went out for a ride before a long weekend of playing renaissance music.
I was thinking so hard about the music that I forgot to ever write the post!

I remember seeing a couple pushing two strollers, a double and a triple.

We saw two delta trikes, and a pair of tadpole trikes twice.

Several of the same 'normal' bikes zipping back and forth.

My average from Sunrise to Wm. Pond was 15.2 mph. I love cool weather!

Lots of squirrels. A flock of turkeys.

That is all.

24 October 2012

I spy with my little eye...

#197

Rain rain, go away.

I managed to start my ride just after one rain shower and finish just before the next. Today was poodles, puddles, fish and fishermen, and rocks.



I went around Lake Natoma: it was different being all by myself, no riders to herd, no sweetheart to keep up with. It was relaxing. The fellow walking the gorgeous standard poodle was wearing those nifty individual-toe foot gloves things. I tried them but my toes are too twisted up from the 1980s and several pair of very high Italian high heels. Hey, I had the high pony, crop top, and parachute pants.

Oh dear, TMI.

I have not put my fenders back on so I was lightly covered with little flecks of muck tossed up by my tires from the damp pavement. The fish were jumping again near the Hatchery, and I saw several fishermen out in the water: one fighting a nice big fish, and another along the bike trail with two enormous fish stacked up at his feet.

Yesterday's rain destabilized the cliff face on the north side of the river. The gap in the rocks was just wide enough for my trike.


It was nice riding by myself but I'm looking forward to (hopefully) a Friday ride with Himself.

20 October 2012

The Valve-stem Volta

#196 / #26

I think this was probably the loveliest Saturday for a bike ride of the whole year. A day early in Spring with flowers and green grass might win, but I'm not sure.

I started off the day checking my tires before leaving this house and discovered a soft left front tire. When I touched the valve cap prior to letting the rest of the air out, the tire started hissing! Oh no - a leak I cannot patch (around the stem).
So I pried off the tire, got a tube from the bag, stuffed it in, pumped it up. While removing the pump head from the freshly inflated tube, I ripped the stem right out of the tube.

Sigh.

So much for getting a bit of Yoga in before the ride.

Pried off the tire again, inspected the hole in the rim where the stem sticks through, filed off some burrs, and did it all again, stopping short of ripping out another stem.

We had an uneventful ride, although I did lose one person. She reported later that she did make it all the way around the lake and had a good time. I SWEAR I did not see her pass me. Really, I did not. One of the other folks on the ride even went back and looked for her.

Ms. B took lovely photos of our ride. I'll include one here. I'm hiding behind the women in the white jacket. The tall fellow in blue in the middle of the shot is Himself.



15 October 2012

Double-dip Sundae

#194 & #195 / #25

Sunday, I went on two bike rides: my easy peasy lemon squeezy 7 mile absolute beginner ride in the morning and then a longer ride with Himself in the afternoon!

Bliss.

"Parking lot" Al and his charming wife came along on the morning ride and some other returning riders as well. It was beautiful weather for both rides, in the high 70s and sunny. A perfect Northern California fall day.

Between the rides I lubed my chain and also inspected a lubed my rear derailler. It was shifting funny on the morning ride. Not that there was much shifting going on. Or pedaling for that matter.

I don't know that it made a difference, but I had no trouble shifting on the second ride.

The theme for both rides was "Nuts". It is fall which stands for things falling. Generally the falling things are tree-parts, the the parts which fall the most are tree-fruit. In Northern California, that means Nuts. We have a lot of Oaks. Equals a lot of nuts.

Nuts pop out sideways or in unexpected directions when you ride over them. The zing through the spokes and rattle in the undercarriage. Today I even saw a nut in the process of falling out of a tree. It bounced off the pavement. Maybe a squirrel tossed it.

Nuts also mean happy frantic squirrels gathering them up. I almost ran over one squirrel and spend a few minutes thinking of what a mess that would have been.

No squirrel was harmed writing this post. I suppose a nut or two might have been, but we have plenty of them, so who cares?
Not I.

07 October 2012

The New Pavement Polka

#193 / #24

Went for about 13 miles yesterday afternoon. Beautiful weather, mid 70s with a light breeze. Lots of scampering squirrels.

Himself commented that this was the best weather he'd ever ridden in. I told him that's what he gets for buying a trike in May (I bought mine in September).

I had recently strained some tendons in my ankle from causes unknown so I'd stayed off the bike for a while. No problems from yesterday's ride. Himself decided to not go the full 20 miles, since his knees were a bit sore after the last 20 mile ride. I have still been unable to convince him of the benefits of stretching.

There is about a mile of brand new asphalt, decorated only with those temporary yellow reflective sticking up things. I do not like new pavement. My trike handles funny. So I dropped my speed from 15 mph to 12.5 mph and was much happier. I did notice that peddling was easier on the new pavement, so I expect it is a friction thing.