We have been riding the Terratrike Tandem the last 2 days in a row and wishing we had time for longer rides - so today we finally renewed our Friday Riding Habit.
We cook the noon meal for the Friday Forum at the LDS Institute of Religion at UNM each week during school terms. Since the trike was already loaded on top of the Explorer from the last 2 days, we left it up there and took it to the Institute, where, about 1:30 PM, after feeding the college kids, we changed clothes and unracked the Terratrike and took off for Downtown, Old Town, the Bosque Trail, Tingley Beach, then north to the Paseo Del Norte parallel bike trail, then back south on the North Diversion Trail to UNM again where we complete the "Loop" and get back in the dino powered vehicle and go home again.
Here's an over-my-skull shot with Jacque reading her Kindle and Tink keeping a sharp eye out for squirrels:
The weather forecast had called for high winds and we hesitated a bit because of that, but, recalling inaccurate weather forecasts being the norm and not the exception, rode anyway. It was cloudy when we rode away from UNM, turned sky blue and sunny by the time we got to Old Town, then turned cloudy again as we pedaled north away from Tingley Beach.
Today was a weird day for my metabolism: My blood sugar measured low all morning, was not very high when we started the trike ride, and tested low all during the ride in spite of having to stop every 15 minutes for pee breaks - which normally are associated with high blood glucose, not low. Not the first time this has happened but I'm always feeling more secure when things work the way they're "Supposed To".
Tinkerbell, as usual, drew her usual multiple squeals of "OOoohhh, Look at the Puppieeeeeee..." delight from almost all passersby. Our unusual tandem trike also draws a lot of attention - whether all 3 of us are riding it or it happens to be up on the roof rack of the Explorer. People and passing motorists invariably stare at us, slow down when passing us, and otherwise seem to be amazed at the contraption on our roof. We commented to each other today that we must be providing free entertainment to a lot of people. Oh Well.
We again noticed the weird variations in fellow cyclists' attitudes. We often make the mistake of thinking because we encounter another human on a bike we must have something in common with them. We invariably say "Hi" or wave at passing cyclists. Less than half offer any greeting in return. There are likely as many different personalities on bikes as there are people on bikes, but the basic types we encounter are:
-Speed Cyclist: Hunched low over the handlebars, cannot be bothered to even look at us, and certainly cannot spare the breath to say Hi or wave. Approx. 20% of cyclists encountered.
-Properly Equipped Cyclist: Bright, expensive colors, carbon fiber bike, pro-bike correct cycling shoes - a nanosecond glance at us and our BIKE FLAGS, me in long pants and "Redneck Spandex" (Pants rolled up to the knees to keep the pant legs out of the chain) - we evidently again are not worthy of a greeting or notice. Approx. 20% of cyclists encountered.
Fairly Ordinary People Cyclist: Friendly, outgoing, big wave, comments "Cute Dog!", "Nice Tandem", sometimes even pulling over to stop and talk. Maybe almost half the cyclists encountered.
Odd and Weird Cyclist: Riders with recumbents, trikes, homebuilt bikes, trailers carrying dogs or kids, invariably friendly and curious: A lot like ourselves, actually. Maybe 2% of cyclists encountered.
The winds eventually did kick up. We didn't notice them much as we rode north, since they were providing gentle tailwinds. Turning south, we of course REALLY noticed the winds buffeting our faces and slowing us down, trying to push us backwards, or at least felt like it. This pic shows the wind blowing face into my pants legs, making them look like... they're puffed up with air:
You might also note the weeds to the left all bent over.
We took a long time today, what with the multiple snack and potty breaks. It was still great fun and we continue to encourage others to ignore the dire weather warnings.
Beginning Battery Voltage: 12.8 Ending Voltage: 12.0
Lowest Temp 62 F Highest Temp: 89 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 24.42
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.7 MPH 6.9 MPH 25.0 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
5 hours 11 mins 3 hours 32 mins 1 hour 39 minutes
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