Rock Around the Block

Today's Fractured Track

Today was a busy day, and I almost ran out of daylight within which to sneak a bicycle ride.
First I hitched up the ever-handy flatbed trailer and jacked up my Ford 2000 tractor with my one and a half-ton floor jack, which I worried would not have the guts to do the job.  It worked nicely, even though I had to put a couple 2 X 6 planks under the jack to keep it from sinking into the dirt:

Then I was surprised I could rassle the wheel off the tractor, but had to use a chain and a come-along to get it up on the trailer.

I'd called a local mobile tire service - twice - but they never showed up nor returned my call.  So I was forced to assume they didn't want my business or were too busy to bother with me, thus the effort to do it my dernself.  The trailer delivered it nicely to  Cedar Crest Tire & Auto , who unloaded it for me lickety-split and promised to get to work on it.
Then - since the trailer was already saddled up - I drove out to Edgewood to retrieve the dead 460 Ford engine recently removed from our money-sucking RV.  The core exchange for the engine was 1100 bucks so it was well worth the trip to Albuquerque to drop off the defunct engine at Rich Ford.
Then, about an hour after I got home, Cedar Crest Tire called and said sure enough, they had my tractor tire repaired and ready to go, and at a reasonable price too.
Jacque had spent much of HER day fabricating a new shade structure for her CaTrike , and by the time I got back with the repaired tractor tire, she was ready for a test ride.  She took off and I said I'd saddle up MY bike and catch up to her.  Well, it took me another half hour or more to get going, which I could still have overcome and caught up with her, but our cutest-but-most-mischievous doggie Jazzie had eaten half a large chocolate bar she had somehow stolen off the kitchen table a couple hours earlier.  She acted innocently and showed no exterior signs of guilt, although she is the only critter that ever does such mercenary deeds.  About 4 miles down the road with Jacque, her guilt overcame her, as she began puking chocolate barf all over her basket, the chain and derailleur on Jacque's trike, and everything within range.  So Jacque had to turn around early and beat a hasty retreat back towards the house, meeting me before I had gotten the first mile from home.  We visited for a few minutes across the busy roadway, and she continued her retreat to the house and I continued a basic 10-mile loop just to get in a few miles myself.
It was late in the afternoon but the breezes were refreshingly cool enough to make it pleasant.
I was a bit low on blood glucose by the time I pushed the bike up the last couple of hills on our goat-path toward our house but all in all very glad to have done a few miles.

Ride Started: 5:19 PM    Ride Ended:  6:44 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.6       Ending Voltage: 13.1
Lowest Temp  71 F      Highest Temp:  84 F 
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  10.59
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  5.3 MPH                              6.6 MPH                    26.7 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hour 36 mins                      1 hour 16 mins           17 minutes