First rides since we got back from Quartzsite Wednesday.
I've been "planning" to ride every day since getting home - but each day so far I've waffled around until after the 3 PM hour, which results in way too many commuter cars for comfort riding along the road shoulder.
Today BOTH Jacque and I decided to go a-riding our wee tricycles, and we got going early enough to avoid the hurry-home rush hours.
We were both much braver about riding our goat-path non paved mile of private road, since we both had bounced around so successfully among the rocks & ruts around Quartzsite. So instead of trailering the trikes down to the pavement, we rode them all the way from our front step.
Of course, going DOWN to the pavement was not too consequential, but coming UP those steep grades was another set of stories. Jacque was packing both Tink and Lilly in her side baskets and was thus heavier loaded than I. More later on THAT situation.
It was a beautiful warm day today (Mid-60's), more like early May than February, though the forecasters are promising freezing temps again soon, as like tomorrow and over the weekend. We'll see.
I am again amazed how well my early-model Catrike Road with the thin "racing tires" works on non-paved surfaces. I've ridden this thing for several months now and I had never even CONSIDERED riding it on rocks, dirts, or gravel until I was almost forced to out in the rocks of Quartzsite AZ, rocks that CRIPPLED the Army's camels back in the 1800's that were tried for desert operations. If you hadn't heard the "story", Quartzsite was the area where the U.S. Army brought in camels for tryouts, hoping since they were "Ships of the Desert" in the Arabian deserts and the Sahara. If they could go that long without water, carry heavy loads, etc, the Army hoped they would be of some service in the Southwest campaigns to capture or control Apache leaders like Geronimo, Cochise, and others. The trouble with camels was that they are soft hooved. They do great in sandy terrain but their hooves literally fell apart in the rough rocks and terrain of the Desert Southwest. So after a few months the camels were sold at auction, given away, and a few actually just turned loose to fend for themselves, and after a few years the Camel faded into the faint recesses of largely forgotten history in the American Southwest.
I had driven our RV to Quartzsite with no towed vehicle, and "commuting around" in a 35 foot RV is NOT something anyone wants to do frequently, especially after finding a quasi decent parking spot. The only way I could get around the huge area of the Quartzfest hamfest was to either walk or ride the only other vehicle I had with me: The Catrike. Thus it was to my great surprise that, though the rocks and ruts were rough, my small tires did not disintegrate or shred or even develop leaks or flats as I gained confidence and rode the trike further and further and more often. When we started out today I tested the tires and they were still firm and hard; even after no added air pressure since the day I BOUGHT the trike, several weeks and then almost a month bouncing around the Arizona desert.
At any rate, today's ride was fairly short: Just to the Post Office and back, but it was more intense than usual having to deal with the mile of goat-path largely-unimproved road we have leading to our house from the pavement of Frost Road. Jacque was so tired by the time we got to the Post Office that she wasn't interested in the usual last quarter mile leg up the hill to the Shell Station with its lovely draft Diet Sodas and Non Diet candy bars and ice cream treats we like so well.
We pushed and pulled her Catrike, loaded wth 2 not-at-all-helpful lapdoggies, up the steepest parts of the road, er, goat-path, home. I was again surprised to be able to pedal MY ride ALL the way up the same hills, with only a few catch-my-breath stops and a few feet of "Three Wheel Drive": Pedaling while helping the left and right front tires through the gravelly spots with both hands.
So - Another First. I've always had to get off all other bikes to walk and push them up the steeper parts of our hilly road approach. Not sure I'll repeat this performance very often - I prefer "distance" to "difficulty" - But at least I know I did it once, Har Har.
Ride Started: 2:45 PM Ride Ended: 4:49 PM
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 5.62
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
2.7 MPH 5.3MPH 27.9 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 6 mins 1 hour 5 mins 1 hour 1 minutes
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