I went out at 7:30 this morning (38°) and rode, hoping for a longer ride. But once more my plans were waylaid by swirling thoughts ... this time not related to music composition, but rather, to family history.
I am friends with a Battle Creek woman, Jan Corey Arnett, who is known as "The Barn Lady" owing to her expertise on the subject. (Her 2013 book American Barns [Shire Publications] is a real classic.) This morning as we exchanged email, I mentioned to her my fondness for barns relating to one specific connection. Dad was born and raised on a farm in northern Fulton County, Ohio (just south of the Michigan state line), and the barn was roofed on the side facing the road with contrasting-colored shingles spelling out the name of his father, my namesake: "ALLEN BORTON." I told Jan of the immense pride I had as a boy whenever we drove by it; but I believe the barn came down 30 or more years ago, and sadly I have no pictures.
Jan suggested that I write to the newspaper in the area and see if any of their old files and records might contain such an image. So I'm eager to turn my attention to that project. (And, truth to tell, I was not overly distraught to keep the cold ride today fairly short.)
Anyway, in the end I settled for a single (brisk) round trip to Marsh Park, in 70 minutes. This brought to a close my riding for April, giving me a dismal total mileage of 218.4 miles in a month plagued by both mechanical troubles (again!) and ill health. It brings me, in conjunction with January (104.4), February (132.7), and March (283.7) to a total of 730.2 miles for the year so far. This is not good, on a monthly average basis—but, on the other hand, it's decidedly better than 2015, when I didn't even get the trike until May 2.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
61st ride of 2016 - Friday, 4/29/2016
This week I have endured the heaviest cold I have experienced in many years. As a result, though I was delighted to be able to ride again this afternoon, I decided (lazily) that it would be prudent to break back in easily, so I did a relaxed single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10 miles in 65 minutes.
When I went, at about 1:30, it was a comfortable 52° which felt cooler, however, due to the mostly cloudy skies. I could tell the sun was up there, somewhere, but its peeks through the clouds were mighty rare.
When I went, at about 1:30, it was a comfortable 52° which felt cooler, however, due to the mostly cloudy skies. I could tell the sun was up there, somewhere, but its peeks through the clouds were mighty rare.
Monday, April 25, 2016
60th ride of 2016 - Monday, 4/25/2016
In total, today ended up being a much more adventurous day than I either expected or sensed was happening at any individual point along the way.
It started off with a trip to Jack's Bicycle in Dearborn this morning, to address the problem with the center pin, which I was unable to move yesterday. Richard, the man there with whom I have interacted regularly for over a year now, took a look at it, and was surprised by my description of the problem, as he had worked extensively on it a week ago today, and had it moving freely, as he
showed me. After a few minutes of working with it, though, he came and got me to show me that it was now working well. He said it was misaligned slightly, and he had removed it, fixed the problem, and reinserted it. When he described the problem, I asked, "WHY?" and he shrugged and turned his palms up, adding, "TerraTrike needs to redesign it." I said, "You need to tell them that." Richard smiled and added, "I have."
When I got home it was still early enough that I was hopeful of having time to do a long ride—perhaps three round trips to Marsh Park. However, as I began to assemble the trike, although the pin was now moving just fine, when I removed the seat from the trunk so that I could reattach it, I noticed that some of the hardware (which I had stupidly left loose in the trunk) was missing. I underwent the challenge of opening the well where the spare tire is kept, and found down there the most critical component of missing hardware—the large bolt for the seat clamp. But I ended up having to make a trip to Lowe's to pick up a missing nut for one of the seat braces.
When I got home, after having lunch, I was able to get the trike mostly assembled. However, I now found additional missing hardware—a bolt and nut used to fasten of the braces between the seat and rear rack. I was able to cobble it together well enough from some spare hardware I had, though, to permit me to do a short ride, so I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10 miles in 65 minutes. Before the ride, though, two other minor adventures occurred: (1) I knocked my ratchet wrench off the wall of the garage, and it fell deep into an upended cement block, from which I could not retrieve it. This did not make assembly impossible, but with a crescent wrench it was significantly more challenging. (2) While assembling the trike, I broke a pin on the band of my watch, so I stuffed it into my pocket for the ride.
During the ride, one notable occurrence was my sighting of a gentleman I have seen before. This is an older (I'd say eightyish), patrician-looking (he reminds me of an authoritarian-looking sea captain) tall fellow with gray hair and a mustache, and today, like when I've seen him in the past, he was roller blading smoothly and blithely down the trail. I thought, "Better you than me, man!"
After the ride I went first to Sears to get my watch repaired, and then to Lowe's to pick up the correct hardware that I needed. So, in sum, I'm glad to have the trike back in good condition again, and look forward—I hope—to a longer ride tomorrow. (At least two round trips, and I hope three.)
It started off with a trip to Jack's Bicycle in Dearborn this morning, to address the problem with the center pin, which I was unable to move yesterday. Richard, the man there with whom I have interacted regularly for over a year now, took a look at it, and was surprised by my description of the problem, as he had worked extensively on it a week ago today, and had it moving freely, as he
When I got home it was still early enough that I was hopeful of having time to do a long ride—perhaps three round trips to Marsh Park. However, as I began to assemble the trike, although the pin was now moving just fine, when I removed the seat from the trunk so that I could reattach it, I noticed that some of the hardware (which I had stupidly left loose in the trunk) was missing. I underwent the challenge of opening the well where the spare tire is kept, and found down there the most critical component of missing hardware—the large bolt for the seat clamp. But I ended up having to make a trip to Lowe's to pick up a missing nut for one of the seat braces.
When I got home, after having lunch, I was able to get the trike mostly assembled. However, I now found additional missing hardware—a bolt and nut used to fasten of the braces between the seat and rear rack. I was able to cobble it together well enough from some spare hardware I had, though, to permit me to do a short ride, so I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10 miles in 65 minutes. Before the ride, though, two other minor adventures occurred: (1) I knocked my ratchet wrench off the wall of the garage, and it fell deep into an upended cement block, from which I could not retrieve it. This did not make assembly impossible, but with a crescent wrench it was significantly more challenging. (2) While assembling the trike, I broke a pin on the band of my watch, so I stuffed it into my pocket for the ride.
During the ride, one notable occurrence was my sighting of a gentleman I have seen before. This is an older (I'd say eightyish), patrician-looking (he reminds me of an authoritarian-looking sea captain) tall fellow with gray hair and a mustache, and today, like when I've seen him in the past, he was roller blading smoothly and blithely down the trail. I thought, "Better you than me, man!"
After the ride I went first to Sears to get my watch repaired, and then to Lowe's to pick up the correct hardware that I needed. So, in sum, I'm glad to have the trike back in good condition again, and look forward—I hope—to a longer ride tomorrow. (At least two round trips, and I hope three.)
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sunday, 4/24/2016 - The Ride that Wasn't
I am both mortified and disgusted that I was unable to do the Ride for Recovery this morning, the fundraiser for Ypsilanti's nonprofit organization Dawn Farm. Our 25-mile ride was at 9:00, so I got up plenty early (a little before 6:15) in order to prepare unhurriedly and leave myself an abundance of time to get there and assemble the trike. I was there, in fact, by 8:20—but was then flummoxed by my inability to get that center pin to move, so that I could lock the frame in the open position for riding.
Michelle and I had experienced difficulty with it yesterday afternoon as well, when folding it to load into the car, but eventually were able to free it up. I never imagined it would hang up on consecutive days—but that's precisely what happened. I tried everything I could think of to get it to move—soaking it thoroughly with WD-40, trying to get to the pin and surrounding components with a wrench, and, most importantly, saturating the situation in prayer—but nothing worked.
I had planned to do this ride for quite some time now, having registered for it several weeks ago, and also having collected a number of donations. It's a shame to waste the glorious morning for riding, as well—when I left home, it was 32° but brightly sunny, and I should have been riding until almost noon, at which time the temperature is forecast to be 58°. (Now, at 9:30, it's 49°.) Oh well!
Michelle and I had experienced difficulty with it yesterday afternoon as well, when folding it to load into the car, but eventually were able to free it up. I never imagined it would hang up on consecutive days—but that's precisely what happened. I tried everything I could think of to get it to move—soaking it thoroughly with WD-40, trying to get to the pin and surrounding components with a wrench, and, most importantly, saturating the situation in prayer—but nothing worked.
I had planned to do this ride for quite some time now, having registered for it several weeks ago, and also having collected a number of donations. It's a shame to waste the glorious morning for riding, as well—when I left home, it was 32° but brightly sunny, and I should have been riding until almost noon, at which time the temperature is forecast to be 58°. (Now, at 9:30, it's 49°.) Oh well!
Saturday, April 23, 2016
59th ride of 2016 - Saturday, 4/23/2016
In preparation for the fundraiser I'm riding tomorrow for Dawn Farms (the Ride for Recovery), I went out this morning at 9:30 and rode consecutive round trips to Marsh Park, completing the 18 miles in a relatively slow time of 2:04. Tomorrow will be a sterner test, however, as I've chosen to ride the 25-mile route. (Other options are a 40-mile ride, and a Metric Century, or 100 kilometers, which is a little over 62 miles).
Today's conditions are gorgeous—brilliant sunshine that was 43° when I began, and had climbed to 53° by the end. And a notable feature of today's ride was that it put me over 700 miles for the year—a plateau I didn't reach last year until late July.
Today's conditions are gorgeous—brilliant sunshine that was 43° when I began, and had climbed to 53° by the end. And a notable feature of today's ride was that it put me over 700 miles for the year—a plateau I didn't reach last year until late July.
Friday, April 22, 2016
58th ride of 2016 - Friday, 4/22/2016
After being unable to ride yesterday because of the rain, and having to go work out at LA Fitness, it was great to get outside again today. I wanted to ride 3 round trips to Marsh Park (in preparation for Sunday's fundraiser in which I'm riding), but in the second half of the second one, my left knee began feeling tender again. I thought, "I'm willing to risk hurting my knee some on Sunday if it comes to that. But I sure don't want to push myself today and jeopardize my ability to do Sunday's ride!" So, in the end, I decided to settle for 2 round trips again today, finishing the 18 miles in 1:50 (and 20 seconds).
Sunday's fundraiser is for Ann Arbor's Dawn Farm, a nonprofit organization that speaks of "our continuum of services to assist addicts and alcoholics in achieving long term recovery." I have chosen to ride 25 miles (which should take me roughly 2 and a half hours, or just over it), although other available routes are 10K, 40 miles, and 100 kilometers (over 62 miles).
Sunday's fundraiser is for Ann Arbor's Dawn Farm, a nonprofit organization that speaks of "our continuum of services to assist addicts and alcoholics in achieving long term recovery." I have chosen to ride 25 miles (which should take me roughly 2 and a half hours, or just over it), although other available routes are 10K, 40 miles, and 100 kilometers (over 62 miles).
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
57th ride of 2015 - Wednesday, 4/20/2016
Today, feeling an atypical desire for variety in my route, on the way back from Marsh Park I turned left (south) along Wilson Rd. and took it, Bicentennial Pkwy., and Community Dr. (all on walks, of course) to my loop down behind Saline High School. Back in the subdivision, I experienced mild misdirection and took a couple of wrong turns, but I muddled through, to complete a relaxed ride of 13.5 miles in 1:32 under 57° mostly cloudy skies.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
56th ride of 2016 - Tuesday, 4/19/2016
For my ride this morning, I was struck by how dramatic the change in weather was from yesterday's 80° sunshine! Today was cloudy and cool, at 53°. On the other hand, it is very nice to be at the time of year when a dramatic falloff in weather quality still leaves it above 50°!
Riding in a very high sprinkle, my hoodie felt great, and I allowed myself to settle for a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing this 10 miles in 69 minutes.
I also took this brief video of a portion of my ride ... heading west on the trail, on the north side of Textile Rd., coming up to the intersection with Lohr Rd., and then turning it. From here on, just under 3 miles remains to reach our home. Thankfully, this portion of my ride was completely unadventurous and non-dramatic.
Riding in a very high sprinkle, my hoodie felt great, and I allowed myself to settle for a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing this 10 miles in 69 minutes.
I also took this brief video of a portion of my ride ... heading west on the trail, on the north side of Textile Rd., coming up to the intersection with Lohr Rd., and then turning it. From here on, just under 3 miles remains to reach our home. Thankfully, this portion of my ride was completely unadventurous and non-dramatic.
Monday, April 18, 2016
55th ride of 2016 - Monday, 4/18/2016
This morning I took my trike back to Jack's, where it had just been on Saturday, and with it I took a clearly worded note asking them to please clean up the center pin so that it would move freely. I had asked this on Saturday, but they neglected to do it, and as a result I could not fold the trike for transport in our car, and so had to rent a cargo van today to take it to Dearborn. Richard read my note carefully, and then did good work, spending a lot of time on it and demonstrating to me how well it worked before I left. He also cautioned me to apply a little WD-40 to it periodically.
When I rode late afternoon, I had hoped to do 3 round trips to Marsh Park, but when I turned back after the midway point in the second, my left knee was tender (or "barking at me," as Tigers telecasters Rod and Mario like to say), so I judged it more prudent to limit myself to two. I completed this 18-mile ride in 1:53, on the warmest day we have experienced since last September—80° and sunny.
When I rode late afternoon, I had hoped to do 3 round trips to Marsh Park, but when I turned back after the midway point in the second, my left knee was tender (or "barking at me," as Tigers telecasters Rod and Mario like to say), so I judged it more prudent to limit myself to two. I completed this 18-mile ride in 1:53, on the warmest day we have experienced since last September—80° and sunny.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
54th ride of 2016 - Sunday, 4/17/2016
With absolutely gorgeous riding conditions—74° bright sunshine—I really wanted to do a longer ride this afternoon. But, by the time we got home from late church, and I made it out there, it was 1:20, and I found myself fighting a double pull ... the 2:00 game between the Tigers and the Astros, and the desire to compose on a new praise song that had begun working itself into my head this morning.
For the first 5 miles or so, I stuck to my guns ... but then, adventure struck! A few days ago, my water bottle cage had popped loose from the frame of the trike. I went to Lowe's last night and picked up some hardware in hopes of reattaching it, but my efforts in this direction were unsuccessful today. Hoping to do a longer ride on a warm afternoon, I figured I'd want water, so I rigged up a system where I attached my water bottle to the top of the rear rack, strapping it down with a bungee cord. For the first part of the ride, this worked well. However, coming back from the park, on the way across one of the boardwalks, it worked its way out, and I heard it hit the wood.
I stopped immediately and went back for it, but it had rolled to the side, under the bottom side board, and dropped down to the ground beneath. In retrospect, I probably should have written it off as a loss, since the bottle is less than a $10 item. But since I could clearly see it, I wanted to retrieve it. So I climbed the substantial wooden fencing, swung my leg over, and dropped down the 9 feet or so to the ground. I was totally uninjured ... but the boardwalk spans a weedy, mucky wetland, and I plopped into the mud, rolling onto my back. Then, to make matters worse, I was unable to climb back up onto the boardwalk, though I made a valiant and extended attempt at it. Eventually, though, I had to release my hold and drop back down into the muck so I could slog down through it to the eastern end of the boardwalk and walk back down to retrieve my precious water bottle, which I had placed up onto the boardwalk, and my trike.
About this time a young couple came along and, quite concerned, asked me, "Sir? Are you OK?" With some difficulty I managed to convey what had happened, and that I was OK. I'm sure they had to have wondered if this old fellow, dirty, wet, and stinky from the wetlands muck, was really OK.
Just before losing the water bottle, I had pretty much made up my mind to go with a single round trip today, so that I could watch baseball and compose. But this adventure really sealed my decision. I was ever so glad to complete the 10-mile ride in 65 minutes and come home to shower and launder my muddy clothes. Note to self: next time, let it go!
For the first 5 miles or so, I stuck to my guns ... but then, adventure struck! A few days ago, my water bottle cage had popped loose from the frame of the trike. I went to Lowe's last night and picked up some hardware in hopes of reattaching it, but my efforts in this direction were unsuccessful today. Hoping to do a longer ride on a warm afternoon, I figured I'd want water, so I rigged up a system where I attached my water bottle to the top of the rear rack, strapping it down with a bungee cord. For the first part of the ride, this worked well. However, coming back from the park, on the way across one of the boardwalks, it worked its way out, and I heard it hit the wood.
I stopped immediately and went back for it, but it had rolled to the side, under the bottom side board, and dropped down to the ground beneath. In retrospect, I probably should have written it off as a loss, since the bottle is less than a $10 item. But since I could clearly see it, I wanted to retrieve it. So I climbed the substantial wooden fencing, swung my leg over, and dropped down the 9 feet or so to the ground. I was totally uninjured ... but the boardwalk spans a weedy, mucky wetland, and I plopped into the mud, rolling onto my back. Then, to make matters worse, I was unable to climb back up onto the boardwalk, though I made a valiant and extended attempt at it. Eventually, though, I had to release my hold and drop back down into the muck so I could slog down through it to the eastern end of the boardwalk and walk back down to retrieve my precious water bottle, which I had placed up onto the boardwalk, and my trike.
About this time a young couple came along and, quite concerned, asked me, "Sir? Are you OK?" With some difficulty I managed to convey what had happened, and that I was OK. I'm sure they had to have wondered if this old fellow, dirty, wet, and stinky from the wetlands muck, was really OK.
Just before losing the water bottle, I had pretty much made up my mind to go with a single round trip today, so that I could watch baseball and compose. But this adventure really sealed my decision. I was ever so glad to complete the 10-mile ride in 65 minutes and come home to shower and launder my muddy clothes. Note to self: next time, let it go!
Saturday, April 16, 2016
53rd ride of 2016 - Saturday, 4/16/2016
Today I rode in the nicest conditions I have all year. Accordingly, I had hoped to ride all afternoon and do 4 round trips to Marsh Park. But this plan was altered by a curious circumstance.
It was challenging to get going. I spent the entire morning at Jack's, getting my new tires and the new chain they determined I needed. Also, I had taken with me a note specifically asking for them to free up that center pin so that it would slide freely. However, this did not happen—I watched Richard apply WD-40 and then simply force the pin with brute strength (which I lack).
Once I got home, I ate lunch and then headed out about 1:00. But I was unable to get that pin to move and thus to lock the center joint in the open position. I had to call Michelle for help, and together we were eventually able to get it into usable condition—but it was about 1:40 before I could actually set out.
The curious circumstance was that, riding in the brilliant, unbroken warm sunshine (69° when I started, 73° when I finished), I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in 2016. However, the cables that run from the right handgrip down to the front brake and gear rubbed against my right bare leg, leaving it quite sore. So I guess I need to build up my summer hide!
At least today's 18-mile ride (in 1 hour and 51 minutes) did put me over 600 miles for the year—a plateau I didn't reach until mid-July last year, with my later start (having gotten the trike on May 2).
It was challenging to get going. I spent the entire morning at Jack's, getting my new tires and the new chain they determined I needed. Also, I had taken with me a note specifically asking for them to free up that center pin so that it would slide freely. However, this did not happen—I watched Richard apply WD-40 and then simply force the pin with brute strength (which I lack).
Once I got home, I ate lunch and then headed out about 1:00. But I was unable to get that pin to move and thus to lock the center joint in the open position. I had to call Michelle for help, and together we were eventually able to get it into usable condition—but it was about 1:40 before I could actually set out.
The curious circumstance was that, riding in the brilliant, unbroken warm sunshine (69° when I started, 73° when I finished), I was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in 2016. However, the cables that run from the right handgrip down to the front brake and gear rubbed against my right bare leg, leaving it quite sore. So I guess I need to build up my summer hide!
At least today's 18-mile ride (in 1 hour and 51 minutes) did put me over 600 miles for the year—a plateau I didn't reach until mid-July last year, with my later start (having gotten the trike on May 2).
Friday, April 15, 2016
52nd ride of 2016 - Friday, 4/15/2016
Went out at 8:30 this morning to ride in brilliantly sunny conditions—it's supposed to remain sunny all weekend. And it was 35° when I started, but warmed up nicely, to 49° when I finished. I intended to ride 3 round trips to Marsh Park, and was sailing along encouragingly, but near the end of the first, as I checked my time, though I had been trying for time, I was quite slow, and thought, "Man, I must be getting weak!"
Then, however, as I neared my turnaround point at Ellsworth Rd., I thought I could hear a noise coming from one of the tires. I stopped, unclipped from the pedals, got up and checked the tires, but all three seemed to be OK in firmness and in appearance. So, puzzled, I got back on the trike and began to ride again. But this time, I had only gone about 10 feet when I could both feel and see that the right front tire was going flat.
The most dismaying part of the whole experience was walking the .8 mile home in my cycling shoes, with the metal clips protruding from the bottom of them and grinding on the cement sidewalk. But I took my time, and made it fine; now I'll take the car back down, disassemble the trike, load it into the back seat, and plan a trip to Dearborn tomorrow. I can't go today, as we have workmen coming this afternoon for whom I need to be here, and when I go tomorrow, I'll just have them replace all three tires and tubes so I'm in good shape for the Ride for Recovery fundraiser I'm riding next weekend. I'm doing the 25-mile ride, and I don't want to get out in the middle of it and have a problem.
Anyway, it made for a ride today of 8.7 miles in a slow time of 68 minutes. If I had been able to do even two round trips today, it would have put me over 600 miles for the year. But instead, I remain just shy of that milestone.
When I drove back down to pick up the trike, it was in a place that allowed me to drive up onto the trail so that I wouldn't have to leave the car on the shoulder of the road. I set the flashers going, and began disassembling the trike. I got the bolts holding the rear rack off OK (in order to permit the trike to fold), and got the seat removed. But then, after I folded the outriggers, and loaded it into the rear seat, and went to fold the middle joint (the final step) in order to let the doors close, the pin would not slide back as it should. After trying for several minutes, I finally decided to back it out so I could stand it up on end and be able to work the joint more easily.
Several more minutes of work, however, were leading nowhere, and I was just beginning to conclude that I might have to chain it back up to the pole and go borrow a van from someone, when my angel appeared. A bearded young man (early thirties, I would say) with a ball cap and a big grin pulled up behind me and asked, "You need some help?" I managed to convey to him what the problem was, that I needed to get the pin to slide back but it wouldn't move, and he said, "Hold on -- I just bought a new can of WD-40 this morning!" So he jogged back to his truck and got that, but it still failed to do the trick. Then he said, "Wait a minute -- let's try a screwdriver on it." Jogging back to his truck once more, he got the screwdriver ... but that didn't do the trick either.
Finally, he said, "Let's try one more tool." So he jogged back to the truck a third time, and got a small awl that he could use to try to punch the pin back the way it was supposed to go ... and this time, we were met with success! Once we got the joint to fold, he must have thought this old man he was helping needed further assistance, so he asked, "Need me to help you put it in the car?" I said, "That would be great!" So he picked it up and slid it in, while I went around to the other side of the car to help pull it in and be sure everything was copacetic.
Then he grinned again and shook my hand, and said, "You have a good day now, OK?" I went to reach for my wallet so I could show him my explanatory card of why I couldn't speak, and that I didn't mean to be unfriendly -- but misunderstanding my intent, he held his hands up and said, "No, no—I can't take your money. All I ask is that you pay it forward and help someone else when you have the chance." I finally got the card out and showed him, though, eliciting yet another grin and a handshake, and a hug, and I thanked him again and we both went on our way.
Now, when I go to Jack's Bicycle tomorrow, in addition to having them replace the tires and tubes, I'll take a note explaining today's situation, and asking if they can work on that pin so that it will slide freely once more. And, regarding the original problem of the tire, it was not a blowout, but I suspect it may have been related to an issue Doug told me about (the need to check my tire pressure). I hadn't checked them recently, and think low pressure may have contributed to the problem. But while loading the trike in the car, I noticed that the tires are getting to the point where they need to be replaced anyway, and those front tires had almost 1500 miles on them, plus the rear one had that hold in it a couple of weeks ago, so I think replacement of them now is timely.
Then, however, as I neared my turnaround point at Ellsworth Rd., I thought I could hear a noise coming from one of the tires. I stopped, unclipped from the pedals, got up and checked the tires, but all three seemed to be OK in firmness and in appearance. So, puzzled, I got back on the trike and began to ride again. But this time, I had only gone about 10 feet when I could both feel and see that the right front tire was going flat.
The most dismaying part of the whole experience was walking the .8 mile home in my cycling shoes, with the metal clips protruding from the bottom of them and grinding on the cement sidewalk. But I took my time, and made it fine; now I'll take the car back down, disassemble the trike, load it into the back seat, and plan a trip to Dearborn tomorrow. I can't go today, as we have workmen coming this afternoon for whom I need to be here, and when I go tomorrow, I'll just have them replace all three tires and tubes so I'm in good shape for the Ride for Recovery fundraiser I'm riding next weekend. I'm doing the 25-mile ride, and I don't want to get out in the middle of it and have a problem.
Anyway, it made for a ride today of 8.7 miles in a slow time of 68 minutes. If I had been able to do even two round trips today, it would have put me over 600 miles for the year. But instead, I remain just shy of that milestone.
LATE MORNING
When I drove back down to pick up the trike, it was in a place that allowed me to drive up onto the trail so that I wouldn't have to leave the car on the shoulder of the road. I set the flashers going, and began disassembling the trike. I got the bolts holding the rear rack off OK (in order to permit the trike to fold), and got the seat removed. But then, after I folded the outriggers, and loaded it into the rear seat, and went to fold the middle joint (the final step) in order to let the doors close, the pin would not slide back as it should. After trying for several minutes, I finally decided to back it out so I could stand it up on end and be able to work the joint more easily.
Several more minutes of work, however, were leading nowhere, and I was just beginning to conclude that I might have to chain it back up to the pole and go borrow a van from someone, when my angel appeared. A bearded young man (early thirties, I would say) with a ball cap and a big grin pulled up behind me and asked, "You need some help?" I managed to convey to him what the problem was, that I needed to get the pin to slide back but it wouldn't move, and he said, "Hold on -- I just bought a new can of WD-40 this morning!" So he jogged back to his truck and got that, but it still failed to do the trick. Then he said, "Wait a minute -- let's try a screwdriver on it." Jogging back to his truck once more, he got the screwdriver ... but that didn't do the trick either.
Finally, he said, "Let's try one more tool." So he jogged back to the truck a third time, and got a small awl that he could use to try to punch the pin back the way it was supposed to go ... and this time, we were met with success! Once we got the joint to fold, he must have thought this old man he was helping needed further assistance, so he asked, "Need me to help you put it in the car?" I said, "That would be great!" So he picked it up and slid it in, while I went around to the other side of the car to help pull it in and be sure everything was copacetic.
Then he grinned again and shook my hand, and said, "You have a good day now, OK?" I went to reach for my wallet so I could show him my explanatory card of why I couldn't speak, and that I didn't mean to be unfriendly -- but misunderstanding my intent, he held his hands up and said, "No, no—I can't take your money. All I ask is that you pay it forward and help someone else when you have the chance." I finally got the card out and showed him, though, eliciting yet another grin and a handshake, and a hug, and I thanked him again and we both went on our way.
Now, when I go to Jack's Bicycle tomorrow, in addition to having them replace the tires and tubes, I'll take a note explaining today's situation, and asking if they can work on that pin so that it will slide freely once more. And, regarding the original problem of the tire, it was not a blowout, but I suspect it may have been related to an issue Doug told me about (the need to check my tire pressure). I hadn't checked them recently, and think low pressure may have contributed to the problem. But while loading the trike in the car, I noticed that the tires are getting to the point where they need to be replaced anyway, and those front tires had almost 1500 miles on them, plus the rear one had that hold in it a couple of weeks ago, so I think replacement of them now is timely.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
51st ride of 2016 - Wednesday, 4/13/2016
I had wanted to ride three round trips to Marsh Park today. However, due to an incident that occurred during the ride, I scaled back my plans, and settled for consecutive round trips, riding quite slowly, as I completed the 18 miles in 2:10. (My record for that ride, set on March 29, is 1:45:30.)
I went at 11:40, and was OK with riding slowly, on a cool day (43° when I started, 48° when I finished, in partly sunny conditions). On the way back from the park the second time, however, there was an older man (seventy-ish) coming toward me, riding a big bike with oversized tires and his headlight on. I am not age prejudiced ... particularly as I am aware that may own age continues to inch higher ... but he was riding down the center of the trail, blithely pedaling away while looking, not ahead of him, but straight down at the ground. This continued for some time, and though I was on the far right of the trail, he began drifting right into my path, completely unaware. At the last minute (when we were about 15 to 20 feet apart), he looked up, saw me, cried, "WHOA!" as if he felt it were my fault, and jerked quickly to his right.
Anyway, though we were both unscathed, this cooled my ardor for riding today. My decision was furthered by a subsequent minor incident, when a few minutes later the rubber band around my right pants leg broke. I was afraid of catching it in the chain, as I have ruined more than one pair of pants that way in the past. so I tucked the pants leg into my sock as carefully as I could, and decided to head carefully for home at that point.
I went at 11:40, and was OK with riding slowly, on a cool day (43° when I started, 48° when I finished, in partly sunny conditions). On the way back from the park the second time, however, there was an older man (seventy-ish) coming toward me, riding a big bike with oversized tires and his headlight on. I am not age prejudiced ... particularly as I am aware that may own age continues to inch higher ... but he was riding down the center of the trail, blithely pedaling away while looking, not ahead of him, but straight down at the ground. This continued for some time, and though I was on the far right of the trail, he began drifting right into my path, completely unaware. At the last minute (when we were about 15 to 20 feet apart), he looked up, saw me, cried, "WHOA!" as if he felt it were my fault, and jerked quickly to his right.
Anyway, though we were both unscathed, this cooled my ardor for riding today. My decision was furthered by a subsequent minor incident, when a few minutes later the rubber band around my right pants leg broke. I was afraid of catching it in the chain, as I have ruined more than one pair of pants that way in the past. so I tucked the pants leg into my sock as carefully as I could, and decided to head carefully for home at that point.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
50th ride of 2016 - Tuesday, 4/12/2016
Due to various commitments today, I was unable to ride until 5:30. With the extended spring daylight, to say nothing of my lights and the fact that my route is entirely off-road, I could have ridden longer. But I judged it unwise to push myself in this way today, and so reined in my enthusiasm, and settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10 miles in a desultory 1:13.
However, I got to ride in stunning beautiful conditions, under a clear, calm sky with a temperature of 47°. It reminded me of the lyrics of an anthem that Mom sang with the church choir back in my teens—a similar memory to one I had on April 22, 2013, when I was riding a two-wheeler:
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road.
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road;
All in an April evening
I thought on the Lamb of God.
The lambs were weary, and crying
With a weak human cry;
I thought on the Lamb of God
Going meekly to die.
Up in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy pastures are sweet:
Rest for the little bodies,
Rest for the little feet.
Rest for the Lamb of God
Up on the hill-top green;
Only a cross of shame
Two stark crosses between.
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.
The light riding I have done this month has almost certainly cost me my hoped-for goal of making 1000 miles by May 2, the date I got my trike last spring. I have only ridden 56 miles so far in April, for a total of 568 miles this year, and that means I would need to average about 22.7 miles per day between now and then, or 3 round trips to Marsh Park almost every day for the next three weeks. While not a mathematical impossibility, this is highly unlikely, given the fact that I have only done three round trips on three days so far this year.
However, I got to ride in stunning beautiful conditions, under a clear, calm sky with a temperature of 47°. It reminded me of the lyrics of an anthem that Mom sang with the church choir back in my teens—a similar memory to one I had on April 22, 2013, when I was riding a two-wheeler:
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road.
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road;
All in an April evening
I thought on the Lamb of God.
The lambs were weary, and crying
With a weak human cry;
I thought on the Lamb of God
Going meekly to die.
Up in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy pastures are sweet:
Rest for the little bodies,
Rest for the little feet.
Rest for the Lamb of God
Up on the hill-top green;
Only a cross of shame
Two stark crosses between.
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.
The light riding I have done this month has almost certainly cost me my hoped-for goal of making 1000 miles by May 2, the date I got my trike last spring. I have only ridden 56 miles so far in April, for a total of 568 miles this year, and that means I would need to average about 22.7 miles per day between now and then, or 3 round trips to Marsh Park almost every day for the next three weeks. While not a mathematical impossibility, this is highly unlikely, given the fact that I have only done three round trips on three days so far this year.
Monday, April 11, 2016
49th ride of 2016 - Monday, 4/11/2016
Saturday I couldn't ride because I spent so large a chunk of the day at the Apple Store (two separate trips); and yesterday I couldn't due to the lousy weather. So I was especially pleased to be able to ride today. The Tigers played at 1:00 (unfortunately dropping a 7-4 interleague contest to the Pittsburgh Pirates, as our ace pitcher, Justin Verlander, was roughed up), so I decided to wait till after the game, and ride after getting Michelle home from school.
Atypically, today I felt the need for variety in my route, so rather than riding to Marsh Park as I almost always do, I rode an old running route I used to do (all on walks) that I call the Church 10K, because it goes past my former church, Westminster Presbyterian, and measures out to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), a common distance for running events. I rode very slowly today, doing the 6.2 miles in 51 minutes, but it was trouble-free, and that's what counts.
The adventure-meter reading today was low, but nevertheless existent. When I went across a bump, one of the two screws holding the cage for my water bottle popped out, and the cage was flopping from the other single screw. Rather than risk losing the water bottle, I extricated it and, having nowhere else to carry it that I could think of, I popped it behind me, between my back and the seat. But I soon found out this was quite uncomfortable, so after a couple of minutes I pulled it out and slipped it into my coat—this provided a much more satisfactory result for the second half of my ride.
Atypically, today I felt the need for variety in my route, so rather than riding to Marsh Park as I almost always do, I rode an old running route I used to do (all on walks) that I call the Church 10K, because it goes past my former church, Westminster Presbyterian, and measures out to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), a common distance for running events. I rode very slowly today, doing the 6.2 miles in 51 minutes, but it was trouble-free, and that's what counts.
The adventure-meter reading today was low, but nevertheless existent. When I went across a bump, one of the two screws holding the cage for my water bottle popped out, and the cage was flopping from the other single screw. Rather than risk losing the water bottle, I extricated it and, having nowhere else to carry it that I could think of, I popped it behind me, between my back and the seat. But I soon found out this was quite uncomfortable, so after a couple of minutes I pulled it out and slipped it into my coat—this provided a much more satisfactory result for the second half of my ride.
Friday, April 8, 2016
48th ride of 2016 - Friday, 4/8/2016
After not being able to ride since Sunday, I was awfully glad to be able to get back to it today, even though the conditions (36°, partly sunny) held me down to a single round trip to Marsh Park, I slipped this in before the 1:00 Tigers game today, completing the 10 miles in 68 minutes.
It is the home opener in Detroit, an annual event widely regarded as a civic holiday. And the team is 2-0, after sweeping their opening two-game series in Miami. So, even though it's not quite "baseball weather," spirits are high!
It is the home opener in Detroit, an annual event widely regarded as a civic holiday. And the team is 2-0, after sweeping their opening two-game series in Miami. So, even though it's not quite "baseball weather," spirits are high!
Sunday, April 3, 2016
47th ride of 2015 - Sunday, 4/3/2016
I wanted to do a longer ride today, since I won't be able to ride again until Friday, as Michelle and I are doing a little getaway during her spring break this week. And fortunately, the abundant sunshine warmed it up a bit more than either of the two previous days, so that it was 42° when I went out to ride just before 4:00 p.m. But I was buffeted by an intermittent wind which was at times quite robust, so accordingly I scaled back my ambitions and contented myself with a single round trip to Marsh Park, completing the 10 miles in 68 minutes.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
46th ride of 2016 - Saturday, 4/2/2016
Like yesterday, today was a cold ride—only colder. So once more I wimped out and settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park, in a slow, cold time of 1 hour and 10 minutes. I also wimped up in that I rose early, as always, but waited until 9:30 to ride, using my early hours instead to work on composition.
Friday, April 1, 2016
45th ride of 2016 - Friday, 4/1/2015
Here is is April Fools Day, and Mother Nature has evidently decided to prank us! The temperature is once more at an unseasonable level—unlike this 'winter,' when it was almost always warmer than average, today it is cold (41° when I rode at 9:00 a.m.), with some snow projected for both tomorrow and Monday! So I allowed myself to be content with a single Marsh Park round trip, completing the 10 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes. And I must say how good my new gloves (acquired at the recommendation of my friend Doug Tidd) felt!
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