Monday, February 18, 2013

Another Mail Run

Limited Tracking Today for Some Reason
I'm getting tired of missing so many days riding the bike or trike so I'm tentatively committing to riding as many days as I can even if it's only a short "Mail Run" like today.  This mail run is actually pretty intense since it's a long slow pull uphill to the post office, and deep breathing (aka Huffing and Puffing) is always the order of the day.
Today was cold and windy/gusty and I was tempted to skip it but recalled when I was gainfully employed, only ice, blowing rain, or zero temperatures (which almost never happen in Albuquerque) prevented me from riding, so I sucked it up and went.
THEN, when I arrived at the Post Office, and opened my box, it was empty.  No wonder the parking lot was so empty.  Today is Presidents Day, meaning my trip for the mail was all in vain.
Which was a lucky thing for me..... Had I realized it was a holiday I would not have had the final motivation to ride the short ride today.  A little exercise is better than none, right?
My bike trackers have not been performing well recently and I'm not at all sure why.  Today it only worked about a mile from home, coming and going.  APRS coverage is pretty scant out here in the East Mountains, so it may be I have an antenna problem at my Igate here at home.  Need to check it out.....
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  5.58
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  5.1 MPH                                 7.5 MPH                    26.6 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  1 hour 6 mins                       44 mins 33 secs         21 minutes 27 seconds

Friday, February 15, 2013

Cold and Wind, Shortened Ride

Limited Tracking Today via APRS and Ham Radio
We did our usual Friday thing today, hauling food and cooking materials to the LDS Institute at UNM for their Friday Forum & Feed.
The forecast was for "Breezes" later this afternoon but when we stuck our heads out about 1:00 PM it was VERY gusty.
We decided to ride anyway, but drove first down to the Albuquerque Bio Park to start the ride from, since it is quite level from there no matter which way you go on the adjacent Bosque Trail.  That way if we wimped out it wouldn't be a disaster to get back to the car, as compared to the long stiff uphill climb if we tried to start from UNM, which is downhill all the way to Old Town and the Bosque Trail but bad news going back the same way... we've tried it and didn't like it.
We think our decision to start from the Bio Park turned out fortunate for us.  After rolling north only about 4 miles I got so chilled and tired from fighting the south-bound headwinds that I talked my ever eager  back seat stroker into turning around and making a shorter trip over to Old Town instead.  This was a much more enjoyable short-trip since the houses and trees blocked the wind quite a bit and made for much easier pedaling.
We goofed around Old Town Plaza for at least a half hour and finally went back to the dino-powered vehicle and enjoyed getting out of the wind and basking in the gasoline-powered heat radiating inside the Ford.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.5        Ending Voltage: 12.3
Lowest Temp  45 F      Highest Temp:  49 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  9.40
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  4.9 MPH                                 6.7 MPH                    13.2 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  1 hour 55 mins                     1 hour 24 mins         30 minutes 37 seconds

Friday, February 8, 2013

Brr, February Weather in February

Track of Today's Loop

What a difference a Day makes!  Yesterday was sunny and balmy, with only the mildest gentle breeze.  Today, emboldened by yesterday, we anticipated another comfortable ride around our "normal" Friday 20-mile loop from UNM to Old Town, north on the Bosque Trail, east along the Paseo Del Norte trail, and then south on the Pino and North Diversion Trail back south to UNM again where we parked.  The forecasters had predicted cold weather and winds but when we finished serving lunch to the LDS UNM Institute students, it was seemingly mild and cloudy, no problemo.  When we rode through the downtown plaza, though, we were assaulted by gusting, stiff, and cold winds - bouncing off the walls of the high rise buildings all around.  This wind died down after we exited downtown and headed for Old Town, so we hoped the rest of the ride would be as nice.  Alas.
With these short winter days, we realize we don't have all day to roam around and take our time, or we will ride the last half hour or more in the dark.  Although we are well illuminated, we are not comfortable with city streets and traffic after dark, especially the fearsome 3-way intersection at Lomas and Yale.  So we chugged straight through, without enjoyable detours to Old Town Plaza and such like.  We normally get through with the Friday Forum Feeding at 1:00 and get started on our trike-trek about 1:30.  Since it gets dark just after 5 PM we have to hustle to make 20 miles of stop-'n-go riding to accomplish it.  Last Friday we made it in jig time, at 3 1/2 hours.  Today, with our cold headwinds, it was definitely another story.
We realized early on as we headed north on the Bosque Trail that the wind was at our backs.  This, of course, was much appreciated, but we mightily hoped the wind would either calm down a bit or change direction  before WE changed direction.  It didn't.
 Here's Jacque suiting up with her hoodie and windbreaker - see the flags whipping in the "breeze".

As a matter of fact, it seemed to get even colder when we turned south, and we were already deeply chilled after dealing with the cold crosswinds and gusts.  My feet already get numb riding long distances leaning back on a recumbent, and with the howling wind it not only made the feet colder but slowed us down, increasing our exposure time to the chill.  We had to stop several times to stand up and walk around to restore circulation in the feets, and I checked my blood glucose each time to make sure I wasn't getting any more spaced-out than usual.  This afternoon's ride burned 3 Fiber One bars at 29 carbs each.  That comes out to a little over 4 carbs per mile..... pretty lousy mileage, huh.
When we finally got back to the SUV, I just had to ask Jacque:  "If you knew in advance the ride would be this windy and cold, would you have ridden anyway?"  She sez, "YES!".  That's my gal.....
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.7        Ending Voltage: 11.4
Lowest Temp  44 F      Highest Temp:  56 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  20.55
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  5.3 MPH                                 6.7 MPH                    23.3 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  3 hours 53 mins                    3 hours 4 mins           48 minutes

Thursday, February 7, 2013

April Weather in February

Tracking via APRS, GPS, and Ham Radio
Jacque and I had several errands to run in Albuquerque today so we loaded up the trike for another afternoon ride.  We started from a different spot, just a couple blocks away from the Bosque Trail, and decided to ride south instead of our usual northbound route.  It turned out to be a fabulous ride, mostly because this southern part of the trail has just been widened and paved anew.  For the last couple of years this part of the trail had been neglected, with tree roots undermining the pavement and buckling it, potholes everywhere, and generally deteriorated pavement.  NOW it's just beautiful and it seemed to increase our average speed and certainly our enjoyment, not having to dodge huge cracks and buckles along the way.
As usual, our trike and our doggie in the rumble seat generated many smiles and comments and questions.  There is only one other tandem recumbent trike in our area we know of but there are likely at least a couple others.  At any rate, the trike is still a very unusual sight when we're out and about and we get lots of supportive feedback and smiles from almost everyone we meet.
We didn't put in lots of miles today but it was certainly fun and invigorating.  We always feel like a million  bucks after riding even a few miles;  it just really gets our circulation going and is fun while we're at it. 
When we got as far south as Rio Bravo we found the trail blocked off with construction signs.  As long as they're improving it to this degree we don't mind the construction detours.  We turned and rode parallel to Rio Bravo almost to 2nd Street until 4:00 PM, at which point we turned around and returned, wanting to make it back to the Explorer before dark.  It was just after 5 PM and getting dark when we arrived and loaded the trike back on the roof rack. 
Jacque's "trick" knee seems to be getting stronger the more we ride as well, which is truly a "Wonderful Thing".  We hope to do our "normal" Friday 20-mile loop tomorrow, weather permitting.  Forecasts call for wind and cold but we're counting on another jus-cool-enough afternoon tomorrow!

Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.7        Ending Voltage: 12.2
Lowest Temp  49 F      Highest Temp:  59 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  13.98
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  5.6 MPH                                 7.9 MPH                    14.7 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  2 hours 30 mins                     1 hour 46 mins        43 minutes36 seconds

Monday, February 4, 2013

Monday on the Trike

Short but Sweet APRS/GPS Tracking
Just got back from a short but strenuous  "Mail Run" trike ride.
Jacque is anxious to get her trick knee whipped back into shape and today's ride seemed to do the trick, even though it is much more strenuous than riding the Bosque Trail or pretty much any of the relatively flat Albuquerque trails we frequent.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0        Ending Voltage: 12.5
Lowest Temp  41 F      Highest Temp:  63 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  4.28
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.2 MPH                                 5.6 MPH                    27.1 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  1 hour 20 mins                     46 mins  24 secs       34 minutes

Friday, February 1, 2013

Loving Our Global Warming

Not Bad Tracking Today With Inferior Antenna
Jacque and I did NOT get a ride in last week because I was Sick, Sick, SICK with the crud:  Don't know if it was the flu, but it started out as a nasty sore throat and progressed to a full blown weepy-eyes runny-nose misery.  I laid in bed for SIX days with this stuff.  Not fun.  Not nearly so much fun as riding a people powered vehicle with my sexy wife on a cool but sunny afternoon, such as TODAY.
We certainly aren't riding enough recently, since the last few times we HAVE ridden, I've left behind important things that enhance my riding pleasure:
Today I left BOTH our fiberglass bike flag / radio antennas home.  I made do with a couple of short "rubber duck" antennas that worked, but not wonderfully.
Last time we rode on a Friday, I left my GPS/ham radio cluster home.  So I was unable to listen to ham conversations along the way nor talk to anyone other than my sweet wifey in the back seat - and she likes to read her Kindle while pedaling and doesn't always hear me when I make comments to her, wrapped up in her literary pursuits.  We pass a cute kid or an ugly adult along the bike trail and she never notices them, and doesn't get it if I try to explain why I thought they were interesting.

You can hardly blame her.  She enjoys riding and the fresh air and all that but while I see all the scenery and oncoming cyclists, pedestrians, bums,  beasts, eye candy, etc, all she can see is my back - unless she turns her head sideways to view stuff at that angle.  She has handles to hold to, but no steering or brakes or shifter, so all she can do is lean back and provide pedal power.... so she reads.  She would also knit or crochet along the way but she worries about the yarn and thread fluttering into the chain or the wheels, which IS a concern when you're knitting something special, like a pair of custom warm BigFoot socks for me, and don't enjoy pulling out missed and ruined spots and doing it over again.
We started riding from UNM again today and did our normal 20-something loop across Old Town to the Bosque Trail, up to Paseo Del Norte, east to the North Diversion Trail, then south again all the way back to UNM.  The weather was a bit cool but not too much so.  As usual I got overheated and chilled at the same time as we went along, and had to peel off a layer and button and unbutton my shirt front to allow cool air to vent my armpits and then try to cover up and get warmer again without generating too much perspiration to start the cooling/heating problem all over again.  The fellow travelers we met along the way were about 50/50 today:  Half were friendly and commented on the pretty pup and/or the trike and about half were too busy or important to exchange greetings with us lesser mortals.
When you ride underneath I-40 near the end of our loop here, it's always sort of a treat to view all the hustling and bustling traffic from the safety of the bike trail:  It's a great view of all the cagers (people trapped inside steel cages, i.e. cars) with the benefit that the trail is at least several hundred yards away up a VERY steep embankment, making it highly unlikely any of the 70-MPH behemoths could reach us intentionally or accidentally.
                          Here's eastbound I-40 in full roar over our shoulder
      Here's the "Big Eye":  I-25 and I-40 intersecting from a safe distance

Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.7        Ending Voltage: 12.1
Lowest Temp  49 F      Highest Temp:  63 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  19.19
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  6.0 MPH                                 7.4 MPH                    18.8 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  3 hours 11 mins                     2 hours 35 mins        36 minutes 1 second