Tandem Ride With No Stoker

Today's Tracking Courtesy of Ham Radio and GPS

We awoke to a BEAUTIFUL day this morning, with clear cool sunny skies with only faint traces of clouds from yesterday's heavy rains.
The weather - guessers forecast more rain later for today so I determined to get out and get going while the sun shone.  I got the tandem trike out, wanting to try it out solo since Jacque was working the early primary election polls and unavailable for fun.  I've ridden it by myself before and it's a fun ride even without the stoker in the back seat.  The only caution I have to observe is to never allow the rear drive wheel to touch rocks or gravel on the roadside while climbing hills, because without the weight of the stoker in the back seat, it will spin hopelessly.  Stay on dry pavement and it runs fine.
Everything was loaded up and all I had to do was don my day-glo yellow tee shirt and get the radio cluster and water bottles and....
ALAS... when I opened the door to depart it had suddenly gotten totally dark and overcast .... I was thrilled for the impending rain but disappointed I had lost my sunny morning window for riding.  I had to dismount the trike from the  rooftop rack on the Explorer and put it back under the deck to get it out of the rain.
Since it was not yet raining, and I could quit and come inside any time I wanted, I fired up the tractor and spread wood chips over some of our persistent weeds and did a bit of yard work.
Within a few minutes it was raining steadily, and much appreciated, but I had to park the tractor and come inside.  I had plenty of inside jobs I could do, too, so I stayed busy.
Late in the afternoon, about 4 PM, I was surprised to see the rain had stopped and the sun had come out again to almost clear skies.  I took quick advantage of the sunny break, and dragged out the trike and again put it on the roof rack and the doggies and I set off.  we got going and had a good but tiring ride.  This trike is all steel and heavy, more than twice as heavy as my steel 2-seat 2-wheel recumbent.  However, it has another couple of gears on  the rear cassette, providing 27 theoretically possible gear combinations, and the shifters work on both front and rear, unlike the worn units on my 2-wheeler that need replacing.  So even with the added weight and 2 dogs and lack of a stoker, it was a good ride.  We rode to the Post Office and laughed at all the rubber-neckers who normally do double-takes as they pass by.  One fellow on a motorcycle did such a double-take, looking back at us over his shoulder after he passed, I worried he was going to go off the road, but he managed to straighten it out.

The Post Office sign doesn't forbide trikes!

After the Post Office run we (the dogs and I) decided to ride on east a ways and run up a bit more distance.  I had hoped to do at least 10 miles today but ran out of steam too soon.  BAH
Trip Started:  4:11 PM    Trip Ended:  6:16 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.2        Ending Voltage: 12.9 
Lowest Temp  57 F      Highest Temp:  67 F
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  7.94
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.9 MPH                                6.3 MPH                    25.1 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
2 hours 1 min                        1 hour 15 mins          45 mins 56 secs