Okay. Today's excursion is called a Desperation Ride since I was DESPERATE to actually squeeze in a ride somewhere, somehow, NOW.
Tax Time sucked up a couple or 3 full days trying to file the dern tax baloney. I hated to miss those days riding but time was running out toward April 15.
My SUV also had a bad front axle bearing, requiring time and labor to reduce the projected cost of 400 bucks for our favorite mechanic to do the job. The part cost me $118 and a couple days lost time. On Ford Exploder AWD (All-Wheel-Drive) vehicles the bearings are part of the larger hub assembly and thus cost a lot more to replace. Since I'd never done this hub replacement before it meant it took a lot more time than a simple wheel bearing might have involved.
That, plus the infinite amount of time required for all the sorts of diversions and time-sinks faced by most humans, has kept me off the bike, even though I always feel better, eat better, sleep better, and have better control of my metabolism (in my case, mostly blood glucose).
Today was the second full day devoted to putting the Exploder back together. I got done and cleaned up about 1:30 PM or so and decided I was going to get in at least a short ride on the recumbent 2-wheeler.
By the time I got loaded up and a couple of minor honey-doo's done, it was after 2:00 PM..... and I had to be back in time to clean up and leave with Jacque for a meeting at 5:00 PM, meaning ideally a return time no later than 4:30 or so.
The weather today was a bit cool and cloudy, with gusting breeze and wind. I thankfully encountered little in the way of wind.
My tracker did not work today, only reporting one position as I approached home climbing the goat-path road to the house. Gotta spend some time figuring out what's wrong with that....
I stopped atop a hill at about the 3-mile mark along Frost Road to check the APRS/GPS beacon system, and as I fussed with the electronics, a cyclist approaching from the other direction hailed me and acted very friendly. He was so outgoing and friendly he actually crossed the road, turned around, and came up to visit with me. It took a minute or so to recognize him: Spencer, a young teen friend of ours from church who lives nearby. He had ridden his bike from his house to the mailboxes along Frost Road to pick up the mail for his family, had spotted me parked about a quarter mile away, and ridden over to say Hello. What a great guy. He rode down to his mailbox, and we turned back on Frost Road together and rode down the lane toward his home. He pulled in at his house and I thought that was the last I'd see of him for the day. About 2 miles from his house, at the junction of Entranosa and Mountain Valley, I stopped for a blood glucose check, water break, and as a result of the low glucose reading, a cookie break. I turned my back to watch some water tanker trucks loading water from a fire hydrant, and when I turned back around there was Spencer again. He had dropped off the mail to his Mom and took off after me again. We enjoyed yakking and riding around the loop back to Frost Road and when we got to the road leading to his house he thanked me for "riding with him" and turned off to go home. A 12 or 13 - year old thanking a 67 - year - old for riding with him. What a nice guy. His older brother just achieved Eagle Scout rank and Spencer will doubtless be next in line for this achievement.
I was by now running a bit short on time (story of my life) and tried to hustle to make it home in time. I made it back about 4:38 and barely had time to wash my face and smelly pits and change clothes, but we made it to our meeting on time. Thankfully.
Trip Started: 2:13 PM Trip Ended: 4:38 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.1
Lowest Temp 57 F Highest Temp: 63 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 10.42
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
7.6 MPH 9.3 MPH 25.4 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins 1 hour 7 mins 14 mins 58 secs
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