Riding Between Storms

Today's Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio

Greetings, Earthlings, from Soggy Sandia Park.  We have received over 2 inches of rain in the last several days.  Several nights have awakened us with tremendous roaring rainfall and crashing thunderclaps.  Then during the days when the sun normally shines it has been cold, clammy, soggy, and dark with fog and clouds.
Living in New Mexico leaves me unfamiliar with such lengthy spells of stormy weather, and our goat-path road from the main roadway to our house is muddy and sloppy, and thus I have been unable to ride for 4 straight days.  We actually have been building fires each morning in the wood stove for the last week to take the damp chill out of the house.
This Saturday morning the sun actually came up on time and provided some warmth for the day and motivation to get out and ride around the neighborhood again.  It was still too cool do do without a fire in the wood stove, but by noon the sun was still shining sufficiently enough to ride.
Today is the first day of LDS General Conference for Fall 2017, so we watched the first session on Roku TV from home.  There was a 2 hour gap between the morning and afternoon sessions so I figured I could squeeze in my normal 9+ mile loop ride.  I barely made it back in time, but it was worth it to get out and get the blood warmed up again.
Nothing of note occurred except another wonderful ride.  There were several spots where driveway gravel and mud blocked the road shoulder / bike lane but the traffic was light and it was easy to ride out in the main roadway for a few feet to get around them.

Ride Started: 12:33 PM    Ride Ended:  1:52 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.7  Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest:  13.0 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  248   Ending BG Reading: 67 
Lowest Temp  64F      Highest Temp:  71F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  9.32 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
7.2 MPH                                8.6 MPH                  28.3 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 17 mins                      1 hour  3 mins          12 minutes

Bicycle Exploring

Today's Variegated Tracking

As usual, it has been several days since I've made time to get out and get some enjoyable exercise riding the Catrike.
On Friday last, I actually saddled up and rode .......   Maybe a hundred feet.  As soon as I got up on the pavement out of the parking spot, I noticed an unfamiliar grumble noise coming from the rear.  As I slowed down to see if I could find anything amiss, I realized the rear tire was almost completely flat.  BAH.
I loaded it back up into the trailer and took it home to repair the flat, where the big Craftsman compressor awaits such duties.  Upon disassembly of the tire I found a tiny pinhole in the tube, but no corresponding nail or thorn to blame the puncture on.  I patched the tube but hung it up in the storage shed for emergency use only, since I have new unpatched tubes on hand.  Since this tire was almost bald, (though still intact with no cracks or rips or flaking) I opted to install a new tire along with the tube.  Got it all put back together and then was out of time for riding, and today I finally got to try out the system.
The weather was not at all promising this morning.  It was cold and damp and socked in with fog and mist, and walking around outside resulted in getting at least mildly wet since the fog was "splishing" as I walked around in it.  Around noonish the soggy mist had mostly burned off and the clouds opened enough to allow some blue sky and sunshine to penetrate.  As I piddled around loading things up, I worried the weather would cut loose with rain, but it held off and I was finally able to get rolling.a little after noonish.
I planned to do a twenty-miler roundabout but the weather looked so unpredictable I stayed closer to home instead.  I did take some twists and turns I had not done before, so that added a bit to the mileage and a lot to the enjoyment factor.
The chain has been getting noisier recently and even more so today, so when I got home I spent another half hour oiling and wiping the chain and idlers and gears.  We'll see if the next ride comes with less chain rattle.
One of the unexplored streets led to a steep downhill which I chose to turn around from rather than coast down and have to fight my way back uphill.
As I passed the halfway point of the route I was struck with a sudden blast of cold damp air and realized a large mass of blackish clouds was gathering not far distant.  Thus re-motivated, I pedaled with renewed effort in order to hopefully get back to the Ford Exploder before it started to rain.
By the time I got back and loaded the trike back into the trailer it had actually cleared up a bit more, so I made it home in fine style.  In about 15 minutes it really started to rain, so life is good.

Ride Started: 12:39 PM    Ride Ended:  2:48 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.1  Ending Voltage: 12.9  Lowest:  12.3 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  129   Ending BG Reading: 88 
Lowest Temp  52F      Highest Temp:  75F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  12.08 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.6 MPH                                7.4 MPH                  29.0 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
2 hours 9 mins                      1 hour  38 mins          30 minutes

Easy Rider (To Coin a Phrase)

Today's tracking via APRS, GPS, and Ham Radio

I wanted to do a slightly longer ride this morning but I have to be ready to leave for Albuquerque early in the afternoon so I stuck to my favorite 10-mile loop.  I actually road an additional couple hundred yards east on Entranosa's unpaved stretch but it didn't add much to the total mileage.
Fall weather today was just about perfect, leading to today's title of Easy Riding.  No strain, no pain, no close encounters of any kind.... fantastic riding weather.
About the only negative thing I noticed was a couple of bolts holding one of my pannier brackets was a bit loose, and when I got back and broke out the tools, it was obvious that the vibration of bouncing around on the rocks and roads had loosened them.  They're now tightened, and hopefully will last another hundred miles or so.
My blood sugar was a bit higher than expected today.  The huge meal we ate last night celebrating Jacque's 39th birthday was still rattling around inside me evidently.

Ride Started: 9:36 AM    Ride Ended:  11:06 AM PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.8  Ending Voltage: 12.9  Lowest:  12.9 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  249   Ending BG Reading: 133 
Lowest Temp  67F      Highest Temp:  78F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  9.63 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
6.7 MPH                                7.3 MPH                  26.8 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 26 mins                      1 hour  16 mins           10 minutes

Riding after Dark-Thirty

Today's Surprisingly Poor Tracking via APRS and Ham Radio

I decided to ride late this evening.  I thought I had time to get around my favorite loop before it got completely dark, but of course this is mid-September and the days are getting ever shorter..... and the sun set about 7 PM, just about the halfway point of my ride.  There was still plenty of light.... for a little while.
I have a good headlamp on my helmet and bright blinkies on my behind-side, but it is worrisome encountering cars coming up behind me, hoping they will give me sufficient clearance even though all they can see is my red blinkies flashing.
Thankfully, and surprisingly, the going-home traffic had dropped off noticeably, so that was a small comfort.  The road has fair shoulders, but they are encroached upon  by weeds and detritus, so I actually pulled over once or twice to allow cars to pass before I resumed riding.
Made it home OK, but I must be more careful of the time.  I don't mind so much riding in the dark, but dealing with car traffic in the dark..... those days are behind me.

Ride Started: 6:22 PM    Ride Ended:  7:41 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.8  Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest:  13.0 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  162   Ending BG Reading: 51 
Lowest Temp  67F      Highest Temp:  71F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  9.33 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
7.1 MPH                                8.5 MPH                  30.9 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 18 mins                      1 hour  6 mins           12 minutes

Building Appetite; Or, Riding Bike to Lunch

Today's One-Way Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio

(Dateline Monday, 18 September 2017)
Today wasn't much of a trip.  I had a lunch appointment with my dear friend Paul N5DBB up at Los Cuates Restaurant and decided to ride the Catrike up there to meet him.  I was running a bit late so I just rode straight down the goat-path from the house and up to North-14 and then about half a mile north to the restaurant.
Jacque had been in a physical therapy session that ended about the time Paul and I met for lunch so she showed up a few minutes later.  We enjoyed a great Mexican lunch and we all left.
Jacque took off first and Paul and I stood around and swapped lies for a bit longer.  Just as I was unlocking the cable tying the trike to the rail in front of the restaurant, Jacque called excitedly to tell me she was at the Post Office and we had just received a substantial check from the VA.  So we decided to deposit it immediately since we were both low in our bank accounts.. She drove back and picked me up at the restaurant after I stowed the trike in an out-of-view place behind the cafe.  All of which resulted in me trailering the trike home instead of riding it;   a minor disappointment.  I hadn't been looking forward to struggling back up our steep goat-path last mile to the house.

Ride Started: 11:02 AM    Ride Ended:  12:40 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.5  Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest:  12.7 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  80   Ending BG Reading: 144 
Lowest Temp  71F      Highest Temp:  78F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  3.34 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.0 MPH                                5.9 MPH                  28.5 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 52 mins                       33 minutes              1 hour 19 minutes

Taking Longer than Expected

Today's surprisingly detailed tracking

I decided to ride the other direction around the "neighborhood" that was similar to what I rode last week.
It was only a dozen or so miles, so I assumed I had plenty of time to complete the ride, get some chores done, and go to Albuquerque to meet Jacque for dinner.
Howsomever, I got rolling a bit later than expected, and the ride took a bit longer than expected.
It was after 1 PM when I started and I foolishly thought I would take only a couple of hours.
It can't be that I'm really starting to get older and slower, but it took longer today and I had to take a few more breaks than usual.
The trip through Gutierrez Canyon Road is always enjoyable, even though it has some long climbs.  The traffic count is low and slow and the drivers are used to seeing cyclists and tolerant of us.
I don't know if I mentioned before that I replaced the 2 front tires on the Catrike, since some wear and cracks were beginning to show on the previous ones.  I haven't noticed any difference in the ride with them so I cannot blame slowness on newer tires.  Shucks.
Getting across I-40 to Old Route 66 showed the nice wide shoulders 66 has for this stretch, but there was all kinds of sticks and rocks and assorted small obstacles in the shoulder.  I made it a point to slow down and throw or flick most of it off the roadway, which obviously was a factor in slower progress.  I even spotted a large piece of 2 X 12 lumber about 18" long in the driving lane of the roadway, and I parked and walked out there to throw that one out of the road too.  I may not ride this way for a long time in the future, but if I do, it will be easier riding and other cyclists can ride less stressfully in the meantime.
Eventually I topped the hill at the Sedillo overpass, and needed to use the bathroom, so I patronized the ever-expensive "66 gas station" there and bought an ice cream treat as well.  Gas costs more there than likely anywhere else in the state, and the selection of snacks and food is always limited and today was no exception.  I was able to find an acceptable ice cream snack on a stick, after a bit of poking around in the almost-empty freezer.
From that point on towards completing the  loop  toward home, much of it was downhill and the remaining hills were not objectionable.  I got home in time to get a much needed shower.
I still made it to Albuquerque on time do dine with my sweetie, but I had to hustle a bit to do it.

Ride Started: 1:05 PM    Ride Ended:  4:05 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.4  Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest:  12.5 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  80   Ending BG Reading: 144 
Lowest Temp  71F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  15.25 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.2 MPH                                7.1 MPH                  35.3 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
3 hours 1 min                        2 hours  17 mins       49 minutes

Excuses for Riding

Today's Tracking via GPS, APRS, and Ham Radio

Yesterday Jacque and I went to the New Mexico State Fair, one of our favorite annual activities.  We were short on cash, but we managed a couple of $2.50 sodas that cost less than half that outside in the real world.
We also shared a Real Life Navajo Taco, made by Navajos with basic ingredients (Red Chili, Beans, chopped lettuce, Onions, Cheese, Tomatos, Ground Beef, on a large slab of Fry Bread) that for some reason always taste better than the imitations provided by area restaurants.  Even sharing the one between us meant we both ate more than we should, but boy, it's hard to stop when it's THAT good.  We finished our dietary madness with ice cream from the Dairy Barn where you eat your ice cream in the midst of cows and sheep and pigs and associated barnyard smells that are only pleasant because it takes us back to younger days.  Of course, in younger days, the State Fair was an unaffordable excursion that we rarely enjoyed.  We just stayed home and enjoyed our own barnyard smells instead of someone else's.  
We watched some new shows we hadn't seen before:  Pig races, a Mule and Donkey Show in the horse barn, a kind of mini-Circus Soliel with very talented horse mounted acrobats, and a Sea Lion show.
An act we've seen every time they show up:  Duck Races put on by our old Grants buddy Robert Duck himself.
A good and tiring day.
This morning I had several errands lined up and Jacque handed me a document to deliver to one of our friends just down the road "To deliver while on the way".  Since it was on one of my favorite biking routes,
I saddled up and rode over to deliver it, thus taking almost 2 hours instead o 15 minutes.  But I need the exercise and this presented a good excuse.  Now to drive the Subie over to the shop for a smog test to get it re-registered.  I see the price has almost doubled over the last several years, and if the Guvmint keeps it up, we'll sell off a car or two and ride bikes even more than we do now.

Ride Started: 10:58 AM    Ride Ended:  12:21 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.8  Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest:  12.4 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  177   Ending BG Reading: 104 
Lowest Temp  71F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  9.41 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
6.8 MPH                                7.9 MPH                  27.8 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 23 mins                      1 hour  11 mins          12 minutes

Found: Thoroughly Wonderful New Route

Today's Off Trail Track

Jacque had to go to Albuquerque for a training session for the upcoming Women of Light convention early this Saturday morning.  We wondered what the weather  would be ~ but it was not too hot by the noon-time the training was over so I loaded up the Tandem Trike in the junk trailer and met her downtown and we parked over at the Bio Park and started our usual Bosque Trail ride.  We first rode over to Old Town and found a Knights of Columbus Fiesta in full blast on the Plaza, complete with Salsa tasting contests surrounding the plaza, hundreds of people crowding about, and a Mariachi Band with Flamenco Dancers strutting their stuff from  the Old Town gazebo.  Great fun.
As we rolled in on the tandem trike, the road was abruptly blocked for vehicular traffic, but we saw a couple of other cyclists within the no-car zone and rode around the barriers and pedaled on into the heart of the celebration unhindered.  No parking spots were available so we parked up on the curb.  Secured the trike with a locking cable to mildly increase the difficulty of stealing it.  We walked around the entire Plaza, admiring the dozens of family and commercial salsa recipes in the making, and finally found something we could purchase to eat:  The Knights of Columbus had a booth set up right in front of the old historic Catholic Church selling custom cheeseburgers at your request, and for 14 bucks we enjoyed the best burgers we've ever eaten.  The fact we were pretty hungry had little to do with it, har har.

There was an elderly  Navajo Code Talker holding court, selling books about the Code Talkers, one with his picture on the cover as a skinny young GI working his radio in the Pacific Theater, late 1940's.  He little resembled the portly gentleman now seated behind the table, but it was an honor and a privilege to shake hands with him and exchange Yah-Tah-Hay's with him.  I was astounded to learn he was from Grants, NM, of all places.  What a great guy and a sad thing to realize how few of the Code Talkers (and other WWII vets) are still alive.

After satiating ourselves wit Honest-to-God cheeseburgers, we hit the road again and ventured north on the famed Bosque Trail.  By now it was getting quite warm and we weren't finding much shade for relief.
We had ridden a short while on some of the new gravel trails leading off into the trees, awy from the paved trail but offering much more shade.  I thought we should try that portion of the Bosque again to get more into the shade but I missed the first entry.  I watched closely for the next opportunity and we took it.
These well-packed trails do not allow for much speed, but we are slowpokes anyway.  We enjoyed the relative coolness and increased shade so much that we twisted and turned off onto unknown directions just to stay on the trail and in the shade.  We had gotten so overheated earlier we thought we would turn around sooner, but this shady venue kept us motivated and cooled and we dawdled around much longer because of it.

Not only are these back trails cooler, but they are less traveled and quieter, and we met only a couple of walkers and maybe 2 or 3 other cyclists back in the trees.  The shady gravel trail led us to the sandy banks of the  Rio Grande itself, and we parked and walked the doggies the 100 yards or so across the beach-sand to the river and let Jacque and the dogs wade around a bit.  Me, I stayed dry but enjoyed the closeness of the Rio anyway.
Shortly later, we were back on the paved part of the Bosque Trail and within 20 minutes or so  back to our air conditioned Ford Exploder, er, Explorer.  We always enjoy pedaling around, but today was especially great.

Ride Started: 12:47 PM    Ride Ended:  3:56 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   12.9  Ending Voltage: 13.1(?)  Lowest:  12.4 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  164   Ending BG Reading: 69 
Lowest Temp  78F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  10.46 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.1 MPH                                7.0 MPH                  14.6 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
2 hours 3 mins                      1 hour  29 mins           33 minutes

Building Character, No Doubt

Today's Impressive Track, Har Har

Yesterday, Wednesday, I did a rather short but intensive ride to the Post Office and back, total almost 4 miles.  I've been trailering the trike down to Frost Road and it helps the sore bones and muscles and average speed but cuts the total miles.  So What.
I caught a crazy-lad aggressive driver on camera but the video fails to transfer to Youtube, so no joy there.  She was also no danger to me but my jaw dropped as I saw her cross the double yellow line about 1/4 mile ahead of me and pass 4 or 5 cars that were obviously going too slow.  She was driving what appeared to be a silver Mercedes so undoubtedly she was important enough to get away with stupid driving.

Today I rode another familiar but less traveled route, east on Frost to Vallecitos, thence to Sedillo Hill Road, across the way across I-40 to Old Route 66 and then back up Guiterrez Canyon Road toward home.
A fair amount of traffic today, but all gave me lots of room and clearance and a couple of cage-drivers even honked and waved friendly-like.
Weather was much cooler since I got going earlier, and September Fall weather is nothing to complain about anyway.  I seem to be getting my legs back, since my breaks are fewer and farther between.
I met several other road-cyclists this morning, all seemingly in good cheer.
This route involves a bit more hill climbing, but as Dad says in the Calvin & Hobbes comic, "It builds Character."
Attentive Readers may note my highest speed today was 36 MPH, which was achieved downhill, past a "35 MPH Speed Limit" sign.  Perhaps the only time I've been able to exceed a speed limit, and it was due to gravity and good bearings, since I was not pedaling then but hanging on for dear life.

Ride Started: 8:44 AM    Ride Ended:  10:44 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.8  Ending Voltage: 12.9  Lowest:  12.9 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  94   Ending BG Reading: 57 
Lowest Temp  67F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  12.16 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.9 MPH                                7.5 MPH                  36.3 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
2 hours 3 mins                      1 hour  32 mins           31 minutes

Labor Day Holiday Riding !

Today's Rio Grande Track

Today is Labor Day 2017 and Jacque and I had planned to ride the chairlift up to Sandia Crest, stomp around the top of the mountain for a bit, eat a snack or a meal at the Crest Restaurant, and ride back down.
Nothing doing, of course.  Thankfully Jacque checked their website before we drove up the mountain:
The entire mountain is shut down due to destruction/construction, bear scares, and fire danger.
So, we had to come up with a new activity.  Thankfully we both enjoy cycling so what the heck, we decided to trailer the Tandem Terratrike into Albuquerque and again ride the enjoyable Bosque Trail.
The poor Terratrike has been neglected the last few months, parked under the deck without any riders to keep it in trim.  I had to take it down to the tool shed and top off the tires with air and dust off the GPS and radio screens.
It was a pleasant morning but by the time we got rolling on the trail it was getting very warm.  The Bosque Trail was well  populated with folks exercising the same idea we were... cyclists, walkers, baby strollers, old folks, young folks, everybody came..... it was fun.
It's always fun to encounter kiddos younger than 20 or so.  They almost always express delight in meeting us and especially the dogs in the rear basket on the back of the tandem trike.
It's always a curiosity to encounter the speed racers on trails.  At least half of the other cyclists wave or say HI or both, but almost never the speed racers.   Swooshing along, bent furiously over the dropped handlebars, tightly clad in racing clothes emblazoned with brand names... no time to even grimace or look sideways as they zip around and away into the horizon.
We cruised along quite well, in spite of not being in the best of condition.  The farther we went, of course, the warmer it got, and on the northern leg of the trail the tree-shade is often spotty or totally lacking.
When we occasionally found shade, we took advantage of it with water and rest breaks.  The heat eventually got bothersome enough that we decided to turn around, short of our goal (Paseo Del Norte underpass).
Still, we feel we achieved some respectable miles and enjoyed some interactions with fellow travelers on the trail and -as usual- at Tingley Beach.
No pictures or video today, since the main thing we forgot was the GoPro camera.

Ride Started: 11:35 AM    Ride Ended:  2:07 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.2  Ending Voltage: 12.7  Lowest:  12.7 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  159   Ending BG Reading: 71 
Lowest Temp  82F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  15.21 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
5.7 MPH                                7.5 MPH                  19.9 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
2 hours 38 mins                     2 hours  1 min           37 minutes

Pedaling Better Now, Thanks

The Usual Tracking - Path

I took Friday off from riding, and the short rest must have helped my outa-shape legs, since the Saturday ride went without complaint from me.   Skipping the last mile of uphill goat-path rocks and gravel didn't hurt either, of course.
Thanks to those who worried about me and my flabby legs of the last couple days, but nothing out of the ordinary was evident. I just have to keep regularly exercising, and cycling is the funnest way for me to get 'er done.
Thankfully this time the tires were all happily inflated and all I had to do was slather on the sunscreen, load up the trike in the junk trailer, and take it down to the pavement of Frost Road and ride.
Vehicular Traffic was a bit heavy - even though it was Saturday - but no problems occurred.  Not even rubber legs or numb feet this time.
This time of year is obviously the very best for outdoor activities such as bike riding.  The temperatures are mild and even when the sun is high it hasn't been uncomfortably hot.  Mild breezes and winds, what more could I ask for?
Maybe now I can get back to more variety in the rides, instead of the same old (but enjoyable) loop.
Again I note that my metabolism changes for the better the same days I ride the trike  or bike for any distance.  I have lower blood glucose and have to adjust my insulin pump to lower levels, a good thing.

Ride Started: 4:00 PM    Ride Ended:  5:15 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.8  Ending Voltage: 12.9  Lowest:  12.5 
Beginning Blood Glucose:  164   Ending BG Reading: 159 
Lowest Temp  75F      Highest Temp:  84F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  9.32 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
7.5 MPH                                    8.2 MPH                        31.5 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 14 mins                       1 hour  8 mins             6 minutes