Wood-chuck

#126

Tuesday, November 15th
About 10 miles or so

Today I had a physical therapy appointment (complete strangers mashing on my poor right shoulder) so, since it is very close to my house and it is a beautiful sunny day, I rode my bike.

I had also planned to pick up 15lbs of dogfood at the pet store, so I loaded all the usual top-bag stuff into my panniers to clear the top of the rack for dog food toting, and threw in a random assortment of bungie cords and cargo nets.

Physical therapy out of the way, I made an exciting left turn to continue on past the airport to the shopping center.

The orange plane is in the middle of 'touch and goes'

I saw some signs indicating construction ahead. Then I got to sit in traffic just like a real vehicle!
Yes, there is a shoulder there, but I make it a practice to take the lane when traffic speeds allow me to do so. That way, I'm right in front of the guy behind me and I won't suddenly 'appear' out of nowhere.

There was a crew trimming trees and turning them into wood chips. The guys on the crew cheered me on when the line of traffic got moving and I was cruising along trying not to hold up the truck behind me.

It turned out the pet store did not have the right dogfood. I could have ridden 3 miles more and gone to the feed store in the next town, but that would have meant two trips through a horrible intersection.

So I left my bungie cords in the bag, stopped at Subway for a sandwich, chatted to a fellow about tadpole trikes for a minute, then pedaled back to the house. I'll pick up dog food tomorrow with the car. Then I can get the 30# bag instead of the 15.

El Dorado has gutter pans intruding into the few bike lanes in the county. One might think that it would be reasonable to ride on the concrete section of the bike 'lane' but that would be a Bad Thing.

It is impossible to see in this photo, but the outlined green triangle is a sudden drop-off to direct water into the sewer system. If you dropped a wheel anywhere in that area you'd probably go down. I suspect that it would be quite easy to flip a trike on one of those.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day to ride, wood chippers, SUVs, and gutter pans notwithstanding.

Up, up and Away!

Ride #81
Wednesday, June 8th

9 miles around town

I finally decided it is past time to conquer the hill that starts at the bottom of our driveway. So I threw the beast in granny gear and huffed and puffed my way up and out of the subdivision.

Then I made my way over to the public library for a couple of books, turned around and came home. I'm still chicken down the big hill. Even the little hill I reach 20mph easily from a dead stop, just coasting. If only our road did not end at an intimidating orange and white stripped barrier. I might be willing to not brake all the way down.

So, today's rant is about the budget. First off, will California even have a budget by the June deadline? Then, there is the impact of the economy and so on on local services.

A wheel-killing pothole. No, I did not kill a wheel today, but not for lack of trying. I really do not remember seeing so many cracks and fissures in the road last year. More weeds, less maintenance .


However, I did get to ride in a construction zone. A first for me.

Then there's the public library hours. What was I doing coming home at noon from the library? Because it opens at 10am only a few days a week. Other days it is open at 1pm, even warmer. Bah.
Damn kids, get off my lawn! Ok. I'm done now.

A few more rides this week - maybe even a ride in the dark?! I'm still considering that one.

Library bike parking.

erranding, again

Ride #78
Thursday, May 26th
6 miles in scenic Cameron Park

Had to get some lab work done, with fasting! Since I did not want to ride 6 miles before eating, I caught a ride to my sweetheart's workplace, unloaded and unfolded the trike, and pedaled away.

I'd done this before, several months ago, and the hill up to the medical offices had nearly worn me out. I stopped three times to catch my breath. Today, I cruised right up it, nonstop. I was still winded at the top, but that was OK.

Bicycling beforehand means the phlebotomist (there's your 10 dollar word for the day) had an easier time than usual with me and I was out of there in no time.

I had parked my trike near the entrance, chained to the sign for the lab. No bike racks. Sigh.

I had a couple of people waiting to pounce on me and ask questions when I emerged from the building, so I obliged and made a slight show of wheeling away.

I had meant to eat a banana and some snacks before leaving, but I was caught up in the questions. I snarfed down a banana while exiting the parking lot and made most of the ride home with the peel tucked down my shirt collar (no pockets).

Normally, I make this ride home using quiet residential streets, but I was feeling spunky today, so I took the main drag across town. No bike lane on 99% but fairly wide shoulders. Of course, there are basically no bike lanes in El Dorado County, so why am I complaining? I was buzzed closely by one motorhome with a towed car behind, but no other close passes.

As was true of the ride detailed in the previous post, the little bit of bike lane was 1/2 asphalt road surface and 1/2 concrete curb apron. What are they thinking?

I managed the turn into the driveway with out stalling out or having to go down hill past to get a good angle.

Today was just a GREAT day!

A couple more rides on the books for May, and then time for a new month!

Running around loose

Ride #71
Tuesday, May 10th
9 miles of errands around town

I'm still chicken about the BIIIIIG hill in front of our house (up or down, does not matter - just give me a set of yellow feathers!) so I caught a ride across town with my sweetie and then rode back through town, erranding along the way.

Rolling small town street

The bank for a new PIN, the jewelers, coffee to kill time until my order was ready, back to the jewelers, back to the bank to double check the PIN, to the library to return some books and books on CD, to the pharmacy to pick up a 'scrip, then home. Whew!

Huge beautiful oak at the library.

I have got to figure out some high-viz clothing that does not feel like wearing plastic wrap. I shed my yellow jacket once I was in a less congested area, leaving me in a bright pink long sleeved light cotton shirt. I hate polyester and nylon and other unnatural fibers, but finding cotton or light wool in true high-viz yellow has so far proved impossible.

I, as usual, behaved like a vehicle, using left turn lanes and all that. I was pleasantly surprised how many of the automated signals in left turn lanes were bicycle-aware.
I got a congratulatory rebel yell from a passing motorcycle: probably because my ride is just plain cool and I was pedaling along at about 25mph at the time. I returned the compliment with a big Power to the People gesture.

Not all city lots have houses on them.

As usual, passing cars gave me plenty of room, and I tried to stay in the shoulder (what there is of it) where it was not full of dubious looking debris. My tires took a beating from my trip through Placerville: lots of little slices. I'm loath to get replacement kevlar banded tires while my original ones are still in reasonable shape but I often wonder how a blow-out will feel. I just keep an eye on all three tires, pick gravel out when I find it, and cross my fingers!

Another ride later this week (assuming no rain) and then some weekend riding fun!

Geeking

Ride #50
5.6 miles in Cameron Park, CA
Friday, March 4th

Got a lift to the other end of town, picked up my lovely new photochromatic glasses (bifocals make it a LOT easier to see the little tiny letters on my Cateye bike computer) and zipped home on mostly quiet residential streets. This is almost the same ride I took back in November, and this time was easier.

I got to geek three, count 'em, three times about recumbent cycles. One of the fellows at the optometrists has, I think he said, a V-Rex - which is a two wheel bent, so he was geeking about my lovely orange ride. And as I was leaving a couple of people who work in the same area stopped and pointed excitedly to the trike. Turns out she has both a Recycled Recumbent by a guy in WI, and a trike. I can't remember what the quiet guy had, but they've both been on rides with the Recumbent Riders of Sacramento before, so I might see them again tomorrow on the 30 mile ride with the 'bent riders.

And THEN, while stopping on the side of the road to shed my bright yellow jacket (too warm for the jacket today but my bright pink shirt was probably equally visible) I chatted for a while with a woman whose husband used to ride a long wheel base recumbent - I guess he toured all over on it, but now he has too many health issues to ride anymore. I hope he gets a kick out of her story of the orange trike.

So, a lovely day on a lovely machine, meeting lovely people. It don't get more lover-ly than that!

CU

OMG! May I please borrow a lung?

Ride # 16
Tuesday, November 16th. A shade over 6 miles. In traffic. Ooooh yeah!

I love riding for fun, but I also plan to use my trike (as I used my bike) for running local errands. So today I did.

My doc changed hospital affiliations, so I needed to sign a form allowing the old lab to send my records over to the new lab. My sweetheart works at the 'business' end of town, near the old lab, so I took the opportunity to get a lift to that end of town and cycle back to the house on this beautiful sunny day.

For those out you who worry about cyclists on the roads I was dressed for visibility: wearing a screaming yellow windbreaker, both tail lights blinking, the very bright headlight on, and two flags flapping merrily away.

I scooted from one end of Cameron Park to the other, using a route made mostly of residential streets. When I am a stronger cyclist, I'll run errands via a round trip from home. All kinds of interesting things are just a short ride away: a good hardware store, the library, grocery stores, my dentist, my doctor, the pet store (but I'm not planning on hauling 30 lbs of dog food home), multiple places for coffee, even haircuts!

For the first part of the ride, I slogged up the hill on the way to the lab (not a big hill, but bigger than I'm really ready for) in the granny gear, huffing and puffing. I took advantage of my trike's stability and low gearing to simply stop and catch my breath at two spots on the hill. The second time I stopped was because of two dogs who had to come over and see what I was.

Uncontrolled off leash dogs worry me quite a bit, not because I'm afraid of them, but because I am afraid for them. These two dogs were on the other side of the road, and charged heedlessly across two lanes to have a visit.

In about 5 minutes, a pair of dogs will come over the hill.

A car in each direction had to stop to avoid the dogs. I stopped (I needed to anyway) and let the owners get their dogs back. A stationary trike is less interesting to the dogs, especially since I had spoken in a cheery voice, identifying myself as human.

Although my route home followed the valley that is Cameron Park, there are still little hills. Down hill is fun (that hill I slogged up at the beginning gave me 30mph on the way down!) but uphill is boooooooring. I am so out of shape I had to stop and just breathe in certain carefully selected shady spots. I suppose I need to do this some more?

Nice and quiet road, horrible chipseal!

I wore my usual cotton capris (since I can't seem to find my non-padded bike shorts) and a very lightweight wool short sleeved t-shirt. The wool shirt is MUCH preferable to a cotton shirt. I was about ready to shed my high-viz windbreaker, since I was getting rather warm, but I treasure the visibility it gives me so I just pedaled slower. Yeah, that's why I was so slow. The windbreaker. Wanna buy a nice bridge? Oceanfront property?

I averaged 7.7 mph, top speed 30mph, slowest about 3 mph. My cleats stayed put on the shoes, my trike shifted well (but I still need to check the limit screws for the rear) and I had no flats, despite riding on the shoulder for most of the ride.

The trike is fine, the 'engine' needs some serious rehabilitation.

I'm still hoping for a picnic on Sunday! If it is cancelled, I'll slap the fenders on and go for a ride anyway.