Monday's Very Short Tracking
I was getting sleepy this afternoon, so even though it was getting too late, I determined to go for a short ride at least. Hopefully it would get my blood circulating and wake me up.
Wake me up it did, indeed. It was quite cold and windy all day today, so I wore my long sleeve windbreaker and tucked my pants legs into the tops of my wool socks to keep the pants out of the sprocket and chain grease, thus not needing sun-block.
I was Shocked, Shocked, by the stiffness of the wind. Not only was it cold but it was coming FROM the East, when normally winds blow from the West.
I only made it a couple miles before I decided I'd had enough cold exercise for the day. Not only that, but the steady stream of home-bound traffic was a bit much.
Ride Started: 3:59 PM Ride Ended: 4:14 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 129 Ending BG: 121
Lowest Temp 46F Highest Temp: 50F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 2.54
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
7.0 MPH 8.4 MPH 23.2 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
21 minutes 18 minutes 3 minutes
Monday, October 30, 2017
It's Bosque Friday
Bosque Tracking
We started our usual Friday Bosque ride a bit late. We parked the Exploder and trailer and started rolling after 2 PM.
The weather has been cooling since the onset of fall and it was noticeable today. Normally, riding this part of the afternoon would result in a very warm or overheated ride. Not so this time. It was a bit on the cool side but just enough so that made for comfortable riding.
We again quickly dropped off the paved road and cruised around the packed gravel trails winding close to the Rio Grande and largely in the shade and shelter of the cottonwoods of the Bosque.
We tried following some of the foot-paths but soon found ourselves unable to make some of the sharp turns between stumps, rocks, and trees. We crab-backed the trike and turned around and got back on the wider and smoother red-gravel trail and enjoyed the rest of the ride more better.
We ran out of time and did not want to be riding after dark, so we missed out on our usual detour down Mountain Road to Old Town for a break and a treat.
The fall colors were spectacular as well amongst the varieties of trees in the area.
Our doggies seem to be getting slightly more accustomed to encountering other people and their dogs, at least in the Bosque. They got less excited with several strange-dog encounters and didn't bark at all during several other encounters. We'll see how this pans out....
Ride Started: 2:11 PM Ride Ended: 4:50 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.1 Lowest: 12.8
Beginning Blood Glucose: 165 Lowest BG mid-ride: 67 Ending BG: 36 (Ouch)
Lowest Temp 63F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 10.6
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.0 MPH 5.8 MPH 14.9 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 40 mins 1 hour 49 mins 50 minutes
We started our usual Friday Bosque ride a bit late. We parked the Exploder and trailer and started rolling after 2 PM.
The weather has been cooling since the onset of fall and it was noticeable today. Normally, riding this part of the afternoon would result in a very warm or overheated ride. Not so this time. It was a bit on the cool side but just enough so that made for comfortable riding.
We again quickly dropped off the paved road and cruised around the packed gravel trails winding close to the Rio Grande and largely in the shade and shelter of the cottonwoods of the Bosque.
We tried following some of the foot-paths but soon found ourselves unable to make some of the sharp turns between stumps, rocks, and trees. We crab-backed the trike and turned around and got back on the wider and smoother red-gravel trail and enjoyed the rest of the ride more better.
We ran out of time and did not want to be riding after dark, so we missed out on our usual detour down Mountain Road to Old Town for a break and a treat.
The fall colors were spectacular as well amongst the varieties of trees in the area.
Our doggies seem to be getting slightly more accustomed to encountering other people and their dogs, at least in the Bosque. They got less excited with several strange-dog encounters and didn't bark at all during several other encounters. We'll see how this pans out....
Ride Started: 2:11 PM Ride Ended: 4:50 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.1 Lowest: 12.8
Beginning Blood Glucose: 165 Lowest BG mid-ride: 67 Ending BG: 36 (Ouch)
Lowest Temp 63F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 10.6
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.0 MPH 5.8 MPH 14.9 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 40 mins 1 hour 49 mins 50 minutes
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Downhill in a Headwind
Tracking via GPS, APRS, and Ham Radio
Jacque and I have Temple duties in Albuquerque today, but I wanted to get in a few miles beforehand.
The day was bright and sunny but it got rather windy in short order.
No real problem, but even on the recumbent with the windscreen, it slows me down. Once or twice, the wind was so stiff I had to pedal to maintain speed going down my normally-high-speed hills.
But Hey, that's cycling, right?
Jacque and I have Temple duties in Albuquerque today, but I wanted to get in a few miles beforehand.
The day was bright and sunny but it got rather windy in short order.
No real problem, but even on the recumbent with the windscreen, it slows me down. Once or twice, the wind was so stiff I had to pedal to maintain speed going down my normally-high-speed hills.
But Hey, that's cycling, right?
Ride Started: 10:37 AM Ride Ended: 12:01 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 125 Lowest BG mid-ride: 67 Ending BG: 77
Lowest Temp 61F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.31
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.7 MPH 8.0 MPH 33.6 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins 1 hour 10 mins 12 minutes
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 125 Lowest BG mid-ride: 67 Ending BG: 77
Lowest Temp 61F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.31
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.7 MPH 8.0 MPH 33.6 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins 1 hour 10 mins 12 minutes
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Been Riding Regularly... Once a Week or So
Today's Round-the-Canyon Tracking
I haven't gotten off my butt and ridden since last Tuesday, I see. I've been busy, the weather has messed up a couple days, we had a funeral to attend on Saturday, and other weak excuses.
I was all riled up to ride yesterday, Monday, but wound up hauling a load of electronics junk to Albuquerque, afterwards we went to a movie for Family Home Evening, and I ran outa time.
But, Today, with Jacque's encouragement, I saddled up and rode around while she drove to town to pick up sewing machines.
It was close to noon when I got going, but it was still nippy outside and it made for good riding weather.
It was 33 degrees when we awoke this morning, and even though it was a sunny day, it has been cool all day. It won't be long before I dig out the serious cold weather gear: Insulated gloves, polar fleece skull cap, fade mask, etc. The only outer garments I ever wear in even freezing weather in the years I've been riding are lightweight shirts and windbreakers. Anything with real insulation quickly overheats me and causes sweating, which wets the clothing and then REALLY gets cold. Thus the cyclists habit of adding and peeling layers as we approach hills etc: Zipping on the windbreaker when topping a hill to stay warm while zooming downhill, and peeling it off when climbing such hills.
I like to use errands for cycling excuses, and I recently found a users manual for a drill press I'd sold a couple months ago to a neighbor and Church friend. She and her hubby live about 8 miles from our home, so I decided to hand deliver the manual ... on the Catrike .
It's always frustrating to navigate terrible stretches of pavement, and Mountain Valley Road filled that bill this time. Cracks that barely register in a car with more weight and larger wheels make a severe stress and pounding on a bike or trike. But hey, I survived, and after only a couple miles of that nonsense, I was on Old Route 66 which, for the section I ride regularly, has new pavement and a lovely wide shoulder without too much shoulder garbage scattered along it.
Riding a recumbent trike, situated so close to the ground, it is easy to spot debris and also to slow down or even stop to pick up detritus and throw it out of the road. Just a few hundred yards past the Mountain Valley / Route 66 junction, there were several large pieces of lumber lying in my way on the shoulder, and I picked them up and heaved them completely off the roadway. If I had been in my regular dinosaur-powered vehicle, I would likely have taken such wood pieces home to put through the wood stove. Then again, I may never have spotted them at 60 MPH.
After a few miles I was getting woozy and found my blood glucose (BG) was 120 and falling, so I ate one of my emergency cookies and rode onward. Another few miles and I distinctly heard the telltale bleep-bleep of my insulin pump complaining it had run out of insulin. This had a deleterious effect on my BG since it was over 200 when I got home. So at present, after refilling the pump and plugging it into a new section of my belly fat, it's Diet Root Beer until the blood glucose gets down where it belongs.
Ride Started: 11:15 AM Ride Ended: 2:52 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 225 Lowest BG mid-ride: 120 Ending BG Reading: 218
Lowest Temp 53F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 19.41
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
5.5 MPH 7.1 MPH 32.3 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
3 hours 32 mins 2 hours 43 mins 48 minutes
I haven't gotten off my butt and ridden since last Tuesday, I see. I've been busy, the weather has messed up a couple days, we had a funeral to attend on Saturday, and other weak excuses.
I was all riled up to ride yesterday, Monday, but wound up hauling a load of electronics junk to Albuquerque, afterwards we went to a movie for Family Home Evening, and I ran outa time.
But, Today, with Jacque's encouragement, I saddled up and rode around while she drove to town to pick up sewing machines.
It was close to noon when I got going, but it was still nippy outside and it made for good riding weather.
It was 33 degrees when we awoke this morning, and even though it was a sunny day, it has been cool all day. It won't be long before I dig out the serious cold weather gear: Insulated gloves, polar fleece skull cap, fade mask, etc. The only outer garments I ever wear in even freezing weather in the years I've been riding are lightweight shirts and windbreakers. Anything with real insulation quickly overheats me and causes sweating, which wets the clothing and then REALLY gets cold. Thus the cyclists habit of adding and peeling layers as we approach hills etc: Zipping on the windbreaker when topping a hill to stay warm while zooming downhill, and peeling it off when climbing such hills.
I like to use errands for cycling excuses, and I recently found a users manual for a drill press I'd sold a couple months ago to a neighbor and Church friend. She and her hubby live about 8 miles from our home, so I decided to hand deliver the manual ... on the Catrike .
It's always frustrating to navigate terrible stretches of pavement, and Mountain Valley Road filled that bill this time. Cracks that barely register in a car with more weight and larger wheels make a severe stress and pounding on a bike or trike. But hey, I survived, and after only a couple miles of that nonsense, I was on Old Route 66 which, for the section I ride regularly, has new pavement and a lovely wide shoulder without too much shoulder garbage scattered along it.
Riding a recumbent trike, situated so close to the ground, it is easy to spot debris and also to slow down or even stop to pick up detritus and throw it out of the road. Just a few hundred yards past the Mountain Valley / Route 66 junction, there were several large pieces of lumber lying in my way on the shoulder, and I picked them up and heaved them completely off the roadway. If I had been in my regular dinosaur-powered vehicle, I would likely have taken such wood pieces home to put through the wood stove. Then again, I may never have spotted them at 60 MPH.
After a few miles I was getting woozy and found my blood glucose (BG) was 120 and falling, so I ate one of my emergency cookies and rode onward. Another few miles and I distinctly heard the telltale bleep-bleep of my insulin pump complaining it had run out of insulin. This had a deleterious effect on my BG since it was over 200 when I got home. So at present, after refilling the pump and plugging it into a new section of my belly fat, it's Diet Root Beer until the blood glucose gets down where it belongs.
Ride Started: 11:15 AM Ride Ended: 2:52 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 225 Lowest BG mid-ride: 120 Ending BG Reading: 218
Lowest Temp 53F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 19.41
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
5.5 MPH 7.1 MPH 32.3 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
3 hours 32 mins 2 hours 43 mins 48 minutes
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Look, Ma, Only Two Wheels
Today's Postal Tracking
Yesterday, Monday, I decided to drag out my old 2-wheel recumbent, from the storage shed. It has been literally months since I rode it and I've been wondering if I want to keep it or sell it to someone cheap.
I pulled it out ~ the front tire was a bit soft ~ so I aired both tires up to 55 PSI.
I rode it directly from home down to the pavement and thenceforth, since with its big 26 X 1.95 tires it rolls over the rocks and rough places not too badly.
I quickly realized why I ride it so seldom nowadays. With 21 speeds, 3 in front and 7 in the rear, it not only lacks a good low "granny" gear for climbing hills, but also lacks a high enough gear on the other end of the gear spectrum for cruising at speed on straight and level or, better yet, downhill roads.
I was, as usual, a bit late in getting going, so I only rode to the Post Office and back. The ride was fairly enjoyable except for the relative difficulty of motivating this machine since it is almost twice as heavy as my little lightweight Catrike Road .
The PO had a couple of envelopes for me, so I tucked them into my rear pannier and took off for home.
After I exited the pavement and began struggling up the goat-path hill towards home, the rear chain popped off the existing granny gear and locked up between the cassette and the wheel. Thus I was forced to stop, park the bike, and work on the chain. I also took the opportunity of adjusting the shift stops in hopes it would not be able to jump off the highest or lowest cassette gear in the immediate future. After getting good and greasy, I resumed huffing and puffing up the hill. I noticed my neighbor, in her black pickup truck, had stopped on the road behind me about the same spot where I'd just left. Thinnking nothing of it, I continued on to the house. When I arrived home, Jacque enquired if there had been any mail, and I said "Sure", and went to retrieve it from my pannier. It was nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out of my pannier somehow. We drove down the hill, retracing my route and peering closely at the sides of the road watching for the missing mail, all the way to the PO and back, to no avail.
Remembering my neighbor who had stopped behind me so close where I'd been working on the bike, we drove over to their place to see if perhaps she might have picked up my lost mail, and sure enough, she had.
Thank goodness for good neighbors. Not only had she found my 2 pieces of mail, she had picked up my bright yellow windbreaker which somehow had fallen out as well. I have NO idea how so much junk came loose, unnoticed, from my pannier. Sigh.
I'm seriously thinking of trading off the old 2-wheel recumbent. I need a spare ride, in case something serious goes wrong with the trike, but I'm losing interest in 2-wheelers.
Ride Started: 2:23 PM Ride Ended: 3:33 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 14.0 Ending Voltage: 13.2 Lowest: 13.0
Beginning Blood Glucose: 154 Ending BG Reading: 100
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 84F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 5.50
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.6 MPH 7.3 MPH 26.4 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 12 mins 45 minutes 26 minutes
Yesterday, Monday, I decided to drag out my old 2-wheel recumbent, from the storage shed. It has been literally months since I rode it and I've been wondering if I want to keep it or sell it to someone cheap.
I pulled it out ~ the front tire was a bit soft ~ so I aired both tires up to 55 PSI.
I rode it directly from home down to the pavement and thenceforth, since with its big 26 X 1.95 tires it rolls over the rocks and rough places not too badly.
I quickly realized why I ride it so seldom nowadays. With 21 speeds, 3 in front and 7 in the rear, it not only lacks a good low "granny" gear for climbing hills, but also lacks a high enough gear on the other end of the gear spectrum for cruising at speed on straight and level or, better yet, downhill roads.
I was, as usual, a bit late in getting going, so I only rode to the Post Office and back. The ride was fairly enjoyable except for the relative difficulty of motivating this machine since it is almost twice as heavy as my little lightweight Catrike Road .
The PO had a couple of envelopes for me, so I tucked them into my rear pannier and took off for home.
After I exited the pavement and began struggling up the goat-path hill towards home, the rear chain popped off the existing granny gear and locked up between the cassette and the wheel. Thus I was forced to stop, park the bike, and work on the chain. I also took the opportunity of adjusting the shift stops in hopes it would not be able to jump off the highest or lowest cassette gear in the immediate future. After getting good and greasy, I resumed huffing and puffing up the hill. I noticed my neighbor, in her black pickup truck, had stopped on the road behind me about the same spot where I'd just left. Thinnking nothing of it, I continued on to the house. When I arrived home, Jacque enquired if there had been any mail, and I said "Sure", and went to retrieve it from my pannier. It was nowhere to be found. It must have fallen out of my pannier somehow. We drove down the hill, retracing my route and peering closely at the sides of the road watching for the missing mail, all the way to the PO and back, to no avail.
Remembering my neighbor who had stopped behind me so close where I'd been working on the bike, we drove over to their place to see if perhaps she might have picked up my lost mail, and sure enough, she had.
Thank goodness for good neighbors. Not only had she found my 2 pieces of mail, she had picked up my bright yellow windbreaker which somehow had fallen out as well. I have NO idea how so much junk came loose, unnoticed, from my pannier. Sigh.
I'm seriously thinking of trading off the old 2-wheel recumbent. I need a spare ride, in case something serious goes wrong with the trike, but I'm losing interest in 2-wheelers.
Ride Started: 2:23 PM Ride Ended: 3:33 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 14.0 Ending Voltage: 13.2 Lowest: 13.0
Beginning Blood Glucose: 154 Ending BG Reading: 100
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 84F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 5.50
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.6 MPH 7.3 MPH 26.4 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 12 mins 45 minutes 26 minutes
Friday, October 13, 2017
Back Roads, Beaches, Broken Chains
Today's Tracking Along the Rio Grande
Fridays have recently become a togetherness day for us to ride together. Since it's supposed to be our weekly date night too, it's a great way to spend part of the day together.
Last week's Friday ride ended with a chain that gave up the ghost just before we arrived back at our vehicle & trailer combination, requiring only a short walk tugging the now non-operable trike.
I replaced the broken link the next day, and today the patched chain worked fine. MOSTLY.
We again immediately entered the non-paved packed gravel paths that wind in and out of the shady trees, sometimes adjacent to the Rio Grande with the river water flowing only a few feet away, sometimes deep into the cottonwoods. We rode around until we got good and hungry, then turned around and rode back towards the trail intersection with Mountain Road, which when followed, takes us to Old Town and Steve's Ice Cream Shoppe.
We enjoyed a very nice snack, visits with touristas from all over the country in town for Balloon Fiesta, and even bumped into some dear Church friends on the plaza while listening to the Mariachi band playing on the bandstand.
On the way back to the vehicle, our chain AGAIN locked up: This time it was my front chain; it had jumped its idler pulley and jammed.
After gently rearranging the chain back in its rightful channel, we made it back with no further incident.
However, after returning home and examining the chain and idlers, I found the chains were all so worn that they allowed too much slack, allowing such things as chain breakage and jumping since the idler pulleys are no longer able to keep the chain tight in its winding travel through all the pulleys and gears.
Thus, another order to Ebay for new chains: On these recumbents it requires THREE new chains to get enough length to thread the entire chain circuitry. More greasy hands and busted knuckles coming up soon.
Ride Started: 11:22 AM Ride Ended: 2:59 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9Beginning Blood Glucose: 157 Ending BG Reading: 159 (after ice cream) Lowest Temp 71F Highest Temp: 91F Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 13.89 Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed 4.7 MPH 6.0 MPH 15.2 MPH Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time 2 hours 59 mins 2 hours 20 mins 39 minutes
Fridays have recently become a togetherness day for us to ride together. Since it's supposed to be our weekly date night too, it's a great way to spend part of the day together.
Last week's Friday ride ended with a chain that gave up the ghost just before we arrived back at our vehicle & trailer combination, requiring only a short walk tugging the now non-operable trike.
I replaced the broken link the next day, and today the patched chain worked fine. MOSTLY.
We again immediately entered the non-paved packed gravel paths that wind in and out of the shady trees, sometimes adjacent to the Rio Grande with the river water flowing only a few feet away, sometimes deep into the cottonwoods. We rode around until we got good and hungry, then turned around and rode back towards the trail intersection with Mountain Road, which when followed, takes us to Old Town and Steve's Ice Cream Shoppe.
We enjoyed a very nice snack, visits with touristas from all over the country in town for Balloon Fiesta, and even bumped into some dear Church friends on the plaza while listening to the Mariachi band playing on the bandstand.
On the way back to the vehicle, our chain AGAIN locked up: This time it was my front chain; it had jumped its idler pulley and jammed.
After gently rearranging the chain back in its rightful channel, we made it back with no further incident.
However, after returning home and examining the chain and idlers, I found the chains were all so worn that they allowed too much slack, allowing such things as chain breakage and jumping since the idler pulleys are no longer able to keep the chain tight in its winding travel through all the pulleys and gears.
Thus, another order to Ebay for new chains: On these recumbents it requires THREE new chains to get enough length to thread the entire chain circuitry. More greasy hands and busted knuckles coming up soon.
Ride Started: 11:22 AM Ride Ended: 2:59 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9Beginning Blood Glucose: 157 Ending BG Reading: 159 (after ice cream) Lowest Temp 71F Highest Temp: 91F Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 13.89 Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed 4.7 MPH 6.0 MPH 15.2 MPH Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time 2 hours 59 mins 2 hours 20 mins 39 minutes
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
A Fabulous Day for Riding Indeed
Today's impressive tracking
Today's ride wound around the same 15 mile loop I rode a few days ago. I was impressed with the radio coverage with my newly elevated antennas but upon comparison with the route from last Monday I see the coverage is no better, and perhaps a bit lacking in comparison. The higher flags on top of the antennas help motorists to spot me earlier but evidently I'm getting no increase in radio range. Sigh. Oh Well.
Gutierrez Canyon is a lovely place to ride with the scenic area and low traffic. It does have some steep climbs but it's a fun route.
This is Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta week and thousands of folks are here to participate and attend. Lots of visitors heard on the ham radio today. I enjoyed talking to several and hearing them talking to others.
It is definitely getting pretty nippy now. I wore my windbreaker until about the halfway point and it was a bit chilly without it.
My insulin pump ran out of insulin also about halfway through the ride. I continued riding anyway and checked my blood glucose to make sure it didn't get too high. It actually got down to 59 - this after running out of insulin - and I "forced" myself to eat a cookie to continue climbing the hills. Yum.
Ride Started: 11:47 AM Ride Ended: 2:21 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 207 Ending BG Reading: 135
Lowest Temp 50F Highest Temp: 67F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 15.64
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.1 MPH 8.1 MPH 37.5 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 33 mins 1 hour 55 mins 37 minutes
Today's ride wound around the same 15 mile loop I rode a few days ago. I was impressed with the radio coverage with my newly elevated antennas but upon comparison with the route from last Monday I see the coverage is no better, and perhaps a bit lacking in comparison. The higher flags on top of the antennas help motorists to spot me earlier but evidently I'm getting no increase in radio range. Sigh. Oh Well.
Gutierrez Canyon is a lovely place to ride with the scenic area and low traffic. It does have some steep climbs but it's a fun route.
This is Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta week and thousands of folks are here to participate and attend. Lots of visitors heard on the ham radio today. I enjoyed talking to several and hearing them talking to others.
It is definitely getting pretty nippy now. I wore my windbreaker until about the halfway point and it was a bit chilly without it.
My insulin pump ran out of insulin also about halfway through the ride. I continued riding anyway and checked my blood glucose to make sure it didn't get too high. It actually got down to 59 - this after running out of insulin - and I "forced" myself to eat a cookie to continue climbing the hills. Yum.
Ride Started: 11:47 AM Ride Ended: 2:21 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.2 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 207 Ending BG Reading: 135
Lowest Temp 50F Highest Temp: 67F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 15.64
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.1 MPH 8.1 MPH 37.5 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 33 mins 1 hour 55 mins 37 minutes
Monday, October 9, 2017
Experimental Riding Around
Today's Maybe Improved Tracking
My radio tracking range has lots of holes in it, what with the low transmitter power (~5 watts) and low altitude antenna. The top of my antennas is normally about 7 feet in the air, and when I go behind hills or down into low spots, the coverage is often very limited.
I decided to try adding about 30" in height to the antennas, but inserting a couple of pieces of aluminum tubing into the existing mounts, as seen here:
So today the antennas were both about 8 or 9 feet to the tippy tops. That's not much of a height gain but sometimes small changes help out. Today's ride was a familiar route with taller antennas to see if any advantage was gained with the additional antenna height.
Normal Tracking with Lower Antenna Height
Today's Taller Tracking
A bit more coverage was seen today, but on some days the coverage shows up better even with the lower antennas. The aluminum extensions were small, about 3/8", and the wind was stiff today (Balloon Launches were cancelled due to wind today), but nothing bent or broke. If I was riding in town or along the Bosque I would have to contend with low hanging tree branches.
I actually had to stop and pull on my windbreaker today, as it actually got colder when I got to my halfway turnaround point and realized the breeze was COLD facing into the headwind. I left it on the rest of the ride.
It won't be long before I have to start wearing more layers, with gloves and face mask, etc, to keep warm while riding.
I have to remind myself that even if my rides get boring they help keep my metabolism up and my blood glucose down. So I need to ride whether I'm in the mood or not, or "whether I have time" or not.
Ride Started: 9:52 AM Ride Ended: 11:07 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 170 Ending BG Reading: 66
Lowest Temp 57F Highest Temp: 64F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.33
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
7.6 MPH 8.8 MPH 28.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 13 mins 1 hour 3 mins 9 minutes
My radio tracking range has lots of holes in it, what with the low transmitter power (~5 watts) and low altitude antenna. The top of my antennas is normally about 7 feet in the air, and when I go behind hills or down into low spots, the coverage is often very limited.
I decided to try adding about 30" in height to the antennas, but inserting a couple of pieces of aluminum tubing into the existing mounts, as seen here:
Normal Tracking with Lower Antenna Height
Today's Taller Tracking
A bit more coverage was seen today, but on some days the coverage shows up better even with the lower antennas. The aluminum extensions were small, about 3/8", and the wind was stiff today (Balloon Launches were cancelled due to wind today), but nothing bent or broke. If I was riding in town or along the Bosque I would have to contend with low hanging tree branches.
I actually had to stop and pull on my windbreaker today, as it actually got colder when I got to my halfway turnaround point and realized the breeze was COLD facing into the headwind. I left it on the rest of the ride.
It won't be long before I have to start wearing more layers, with gloves and face mask, etc, to keep warm while riding.
I have to remind myself that even if my rides get boring they help keep my metabolism up and my blood glucose down. So I need to ride whether I'm in the mood or not, or "whether I have time" or not.
Ride Started: 9:52 AM Ride Ended: 11:07 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 170 Ending BG Reading: 66
Lowest Temp 57F Highest Temp: 64F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.33
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
7.6 MPH 8.8 MPH 28.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 13 mins 1 hour 3 mins 9 minutes
Friday, October 6, 2017
BREAKING: Tandem Riders Unchained
Today's Friday Tandem Tracking
Friday seems to usually be the only day Jacque and I can ride together, so today we rode together.
Since the Tandem Terratrike hadn't been ridden for a while, I topped off the air pressure in each tire.
The tires, I noticed, are getting a bit on the worn side, and should soon be replaced.
We started after noon, and since neither of us had eaten lunch, we decided to ride first to Old Town and dine there. We've eaten before at the Quesadilla Grill on the Old Town Plaza, and there are outside tables where they allow our doggies to sit with us, so we again feasted there. They've changed to a buffet dining methodology and we really enjoyed it, though it was a tad pricey. This is entirely understandable since Balloon Fiesta just began, seemingly driving up prices all over town for everything from food to gasoline.
As we exited the Old Town Plaza and rode west on Mountain Road, we were followed closely by a white car hanging right behind us for a half mile or more. Even though this "bicycle boulevard" has a speed limit of 18 MPH favoring bicycles, most cars zoom around us in such situations. This car stayed behind us in spite of several opportunities to pass, and when she finally passed us, this was the result:
Evidently she had been admiring our cute puppies riding in the back behind Jacque's head in the basket.
The forecast called for high winds, and it was gusting quite heavily by the time we left, but as noted before, riding low and slow and close to the ground on recumbents lessens the effect of wind. It did buffet us a bit and slow us down somewhat at times, but not terribly so.
We have learned the fun of getting off the paved straight-north-and-south multiuse path in favor of the twisting and turning of the backwoods gravel trails between there and the Rio Grande, and most of our ride today was in such pleasant paths:
We rattled around and totally enjoyed ourselves. We were surprised how high the water was in the Rio Grande. A few weeks ago we had parked and walked across a sandbar maybe 100 yards wide to reach the river, and today the sandbar was under water, with a narrow spit of it showing out in the middle of the river.
The heavy shade and foliage of all the trees in this section of the Bosque both provided shade and protection from the howling winds overhead. Very nice riding.
I was a bit more tired than usual today and considered shortening our trike time but was surprised to see we had exceeded 10 miles.
As we approached the last 100 yards before getting back to our parked gas-burning vehicle, the slight grade caused me to downshift so we could pull the grade with tired legs, and POW! The rear chain separated, leaving us unable to pedal the last bit of distance. We had to dismount, unload, and hand-push the trike to its destination.
We were AMAZED the chain "chose" to break so close to the end of our ride. What if it had come unglued out in the middle of the bosque?? God is Good !
Ride Started: 1:29 PM Ride Ended: 4:50 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 239 Ending BG Reading: 145
Lowest Temp 75F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 11.29
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.6 MPH 6.2 MPH 13.6 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 26 mins 1 hour 48 mins 38 minutes
Friday seems to usually be the only day Jacque and I can ride together, so today we rode together.
Since the Tandem Terratrike hadn't been ridden for a while, I topped off the air pressure in each tire.
The tires, I noticed, are getting a bit on the worn side, and should soon be replaced.
We started after noon, and since neither of us had eaten lunch, we decided to ride first to Old Town and dine there. We've eaten before at the Quesadilla Grill on the Old Town Plaza, and there are outside tables where they allow our doggies to sit with us, so we again feasted there. They've changed to a buffet dining methodology and we really enjoyed it, though it was a tad pricey. This is entirely understandable since Balloon Fiesta just began, seemingly driving up prices all over town for everything from food to gasoline.
As we exited the Old Town Plaza and rode west on Mountain Road, we were followed closely by a white car hanging right behind us for a half mile or more. Even though this "bicycle boulevard" has a speed limit of 18 MPH favoring bicycles, most cars zoom around us in such situations. This car stayed behind us in spite of several opportunities to pass, and when she finally passed us, this was the result:
The forecast called for high winds, and it was gusting quite heavily by the time we left, but as noted before, riding low and slow and close to the ground on recumbents lessens the effect of wind. It did buffet us a bit and slow us down somewhat at times, but not terribly so.
We have learned the fun of getting off the paved straight-north-and-south multiuse path in favor of the twisting and turning of the backwoods gravel trails between there and the Rio Grande, and most of our ride today was in such pleasant paths:
We rattled around and totally enjoyed ourselves. We were surprised how high the water was in the Rio Grande. A few weeks ago we had parked and walked across a sandbar maybe 100 yards wide to reach the river, and today the sandbar was under water, with a narrow spit of it showing out in the middle of the river.
The heavy shade and foliage of all the trees in this section of the Bosque both provided shade and protection from the howling winds overhead. Very nice riding.
I was a bit more tired than usual today and considered shortening our trike time but was surprised to see we had exceeded 10 miles.
As we approached the last 100 yards before getting back to our parked gas-burning vehicle, the slight grade caused me to downshift so we could pull the grade with tired legs, and POW! The rear chain separated, leaving us unable to pedal the last bit of distance. We had to dismount, unload, and hand-push the trike to its destination.
We were AMAZED the chain "chose" to break so close to the end of our ride. What if it had come unglued out in the middle of the bosque?? God is Good !
Ride Started: 1:29 PM Ride Ended: 4:50 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 239 Ending BG Reading: 145
Lowest Temp 75F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 11.29
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
4.6 MPH 6.2 MPH 13.6 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 26 mins 1 hour 48 mins 38 minutes
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Wow, Long Distance
Spotty Tracking Today
We awoke again, this morning, to thundering rain showers pounding the roof. It startle me awake but I promptly went back to sleep while Jacque could not get back to sleep because of the racket. So she got up before the alarm went off and I slept blissfully until about 6:30 AM, by which time the storm had stopped pounding.
All well and good, but it was soaked and soggy outside, with heavy fog. I looked several times at the live weather radar on the internet and could see nothing storm-wise except for cloud cover.
I stepped outside several times early in the morning, and though it wasn't raining, the mist and fog was so thick it "splished" on the face while walking around and promised to soak me if I dared to saddle up the pedal-powered trike.
By noon, the sun still was in hiding but the sloshy fog had thinned out to the point it felt almost dry outside, so I loaded the trike into the trailer to ferry it through the mud down to the paved road.
By the time I got to the parking spot alongside the pavement of Frost Road, there was a wee speck of sunshine in evidence, but threatening clouds in almost every direction. Desperate to get in at least a short ride, I decided to ride my usual shortie 9-10 mile loop and turn around early if I go hit by rain.
All this because the weather forecasts for the next few days indicate frequent showers.
At first it certainly looked like I might hit rain and have to retreat:
Interestingly, the threatening clouds seemed to drift to the north and away from me as I rode east. I did actually get a little rain on my head... as I was riding along in the clear, with NO clouds overhead!
Evidently a few drops had blown quite a ways sideways from surrounding clouds, allowing me to feel a few of them. As I noticed the raindrops hitting me, I looked overhead to see where they were coming from, and could see no nearby clouds. Only in New Mexico??
I usually talk on my ham radio while riding, to two or three hams who might answer me when they hear me on the trike. Today I heard a weak signal on 146.52 MHz, the national simplex 2 meter calling frequency. I tried calling back but got no response, so I remotely switched the remote base station at home over to 146.52 and tried again, talking through the remote radio. This time I got a response, from a ham who was working on his antenna in Santa Fe. As I finished talking to him, I heard a call from KG5LRB George, who was ON HIS BIKE somewhere up in Santa Fe. This happened at 1:36 in the afternoon and I record it since it's so unusual to actually talk to another ham radio nut on a bicycle. It's happened less than a dozen times for me during the last 20 years of riding bikes with ham radios a-squawking.
The I exchanged greetings and salutations with 2 or 3 other hams on the same frequency, so 146.52 was more fun than usual today.
As I cruised along, I became convinced that I might actually make my full 9-something-mile route without getting rained on. The closer I got to home, the more the dark clouds seemed to be coming at me over the Sandias. I thought this time I might get wet before I got back to the Exploder-and-trailer combination.
Amazingly enough, I made it back and got the trike back into the trailer just as a few sprinkles started coming down. It still did not actually rain, though storm clouds continued to gather and threaten.
A few moments ago, as I was typing this, KOB radio issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Sandoval and Bernalillo counties.
Ride Started: 1:10 PM Ride Ended: 2:35 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.9 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.4
Beginning Blood Glucose: 95 Ending BG Reading: 67
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.32
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.3 MPH 8.2 MPH 30.5 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins 1 hour 8 mins 14 minutes
We awoke again, this morning, to thundering rain showers pounding the roof. It startle me awake but I promptly went back to sleep while Jacque could not get back to sleep because of the racket. So she got up before the alarm went off and I slept blissfully until about 6:30 AM, by which time the storm had stopped pounding.
All well and good, but it was soaked and soggy outside, with heavy fog. I looked several times at the live weather radar on the internet and could see nothing storm-wise except for cloud cover.
I stepped outside several times early in the morning, and though it wasn't raining, the mist and fog was so thick it "splished" on the face while walking around and promised to soak me if I dared to saddle up the pedal-powered trike.
By noon, the sun still was in hiding but the sloshy fog had thinned out to the point it felt almost dry outside, so I loaded the trike into the trailer to ferry it through the mud down to the paved road.
By the time I got to the parking spot alongside the pavement of Frost Road, there was a wee speck of sunshine in evidence, but threatening clouds in almost every direction. Desperate to get in at least a short ride, I decided to ride my usual shortie 9-10 mile loop and turn around early if I go hit by rain.
All this because the weather forecasts for the next few days indicate frequent showers.
At first it certainly looked like I might hit rain and have to retreat:
Interestingly, the threatening clouds seemed to drift to the north and away from me as I rode east. I did actually get a little rain on my head... as I was riding along in the clear, with NO clouds overhead!
Evidently a few drops had blown quite a ways sideways from surrounding clouds, allowing me to feel a few of them. As I noticed the raindrops hitting me, I looked overhead to see where they were coming from, and could see no nearby clouds. Only in New Mexico??
I usually talk on my ham radio while riding, to two or three hams who might answer me when they hear me on the trike. Today I heard a weak signal on 146.52 MHz, the national simplex 2 meter calling frequency. I tried calling back but got no response, so I remotely switched the remote base station at home over to 146.52 and tried again, talking through the remote radio. This time I got a response, from a ham who was working on his antenna in Santa Fe. As I finished talking to him, I heard a call from KG5LRB George, who was ON HIS BIKE somewhere up in Santa Fe. This happened at 1:36 in the afternoon and I record it since it's so unusual to actually talk to another ham radio nut on a bicycle. It's happened less than a dozen times for me during the last 20 years of riding bikes with ham radios a-squawking.
The I exchanged greetings and salutations with 2 or 3 other hams on the same frequency, so 146.52 was more fun than usual today.
As I cruised along, I became convinced that I might actually make my full 9-something-mile route without getting rained on. The closer I got to home, the more the dark clouds seemed to be coming at me over the Sandias. I thought this time I might get wet before I got back to the Exploder-and-trailer combination.
Amazingly enough, I made it back and got the trike back into the trailer just as a few sprinkles started coming down. It still did not actually rain, though storm clouds continued to gather and threaten.
A few moments ago, as I was typing this, KOB radio issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Sandoval and Bernalillo counties.
Ride Started: 1:10 PM Ride Ended: 2:35 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.9 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.4
Beginning Blood Glucose: 95 Ending BG Reading: 67
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 9.32
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.3 MPH 8.2 MPH 30.5 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins 1 hour 8 mins 14 minutes
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Sunny Monday, WhooHoo
Monday's Surprisingly Good Tracking
Well, yesterday was another of New Mexico's 300-Plus days of sunshine, in spite of the recent monsoonal rains several days (and inches) in a row. Thus, another great day for a ride.
It was so great I rode about 5 miles farther than I normally do.
The wind was again a bit gusty, but on recumbents wind presents less of a problem than when sitting upright in higher profile on the "normal" upright DF (Diamond Frame) bike.
My three new tires have been doing well, thank you for asking, and not requiring added air since first installing them. Air leaks slowly no matter what, given sufficient time, but so far so good.
It's always great to be out with the wind in my face, under my own steam, with sufficient snacks and water on board to satisfy the occasional bursts of thirst or hunger. Since it was so late in the morning (and early in the afternoon) there wasn't very much shade to take breaks under, but I did find a few shallow shady spots along the way.
The extra five miles cost me an extra half hour in total riding time, but the only bad thing about spending extra time on the bikes is the time lost doing productive work elsewhere, leading to (at least) faint guilt pangs.
With the sunny weather starting to dry out the mud in the road, I need to get out there with shovel and wheelbarrow to fill in some of the new cuts and pot-holes therein.
Ride Started: 12:05 PM Ride Ended: 2:34 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 222 Ending BG Reading: 74
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 15.67
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.3 MPH 7.4 MPH 33.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 28 mins 2 hours 7 mins 21 minutes
Well, yesterday was another of New Mexico's 300-Plus days of sunshine, in spite of the recent monsoonal rains several days (and inches) in a row. Thus, another great day for a ride.
It was so great I rode about 5 miles farther than I normally do.
The wind was again a bit gusty, but on recumbents wind presents less of a problem than when sitting upright in higher profile on the "normal" upright DF (Diamond Frame) bike.
My three new tires have been doing well, thank you for asking, and not requiring added air since first installing them. Air leaks slowly no matter what, given sufficient time, but so far so good.
It's always great to be out with the wind in my face, under my own steam, with sufficient snacks and water on board to satisfy the occasional bursts of thirst or hunger. Since it was so late in the morning (and early in the afternoon) there wasn't very much shade to take breaks under, but I did find a few shallow shady spots along the way.
The extra five miles cost me an extra half hour in total riding time, but the only bad thing about spending extra time on the bikes is the time lost doing productive work elsewhere, leading to (at least) faint guilt pangs.
With the sunny weather starting to dry out the mud in the road, I need to get out there with shovel and wheelbarrow to fill in some of the new cuts and pot-holes therein.
Ride Started: 12:05 PM Ride Ended: 2:34 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.8 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 222 Ending BG Reading: 74
Lowest Temp 67F Highest Temp: 78F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 15.67
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
6.3 MPH 7.4 MPH 33.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
2 hours 28 mins 2 hours 7 mins 21 minutes
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Sunday Rider
Today's Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio
The soggy weather recently has made me a bit desperate for riding time. Since today was sunny (After the unusual morning fog burned off) I again took a quick ride between LDS General Conference sessions right after the first session ended at noon. Amazingly the weather was still sunny - though a bit windy - but that was small sacrifice.
Since it rained AGAIN last night, enough to endanger the arroyo crossing we must pass through to get up to the house, everything was again soggy with many puddles, including my normal parking spot down by the pavement. I gingerly parked in sufficient gravel so that I could walk without too much mud pickup and ride the trike out to the relatively dry pavement.
I didn't want to run short on time, and I thought at first I'd just ride up to the Post Office to retrieve 2 days' worth of mail, but that is around 3 miles total round trip and I wanted to get in at least 10 miles somehow.
Thus I first rode east on Frost Road, watching the GPS to see when I reached the 3 mile mark. 3 miled out plus 3 miles back and then 2 miles west to the Post Office and back and Presto, 10 miles more or less.
The weather and sun were perfect, traffic was not too heavy, and the breeze was occasionally stiff but not terrible. Trouble is, by the time I got back to the vehicle at the 6 mile (or so) mark, I only had 20 minutes left and no way of making it to the Post Office and back in time. So I terminated the ride early and DROVE the short hop to the P.O. and back home.
Whatever. Didn't get in a marathon ride, but at least got the blood pumping and the blood glucose lowered.....
Ride Started: 12:17 PM Ride Ended: 1:24 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 245 Ending BG Reading: 57
Lowest Temp 64F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 6.06
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
5.7 MPH 7.5 MPH 28.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 4 mins 48 minutes 16 minutes
The soggy weather recently has made me a bit desperate for riding time. Since today was sunny (After the unusual morning fog burned off) I again took a quick ride between LDS General Conference sessions right after the first session ended at noon. Amazingly the weather was still sunny - though a bit windy - but that was small sacrifice.
Since it rained AGAIN last night, enough to endanger the arroyo crossing we must pass through to get up to the house, everything was again soggy with many puddles, including my normal parking spot down by the pavement. I gingerly parked in sufficient gravel so that I could walk without too much mud pickup and ride the trike out to the relatively dry pavement.
I didn't want to run short on time, and I thought at first I'd just ride up to the Post Office to retrieve 2 days' worth of mail, but that is around 3 miles total round trip and I wanted to get in at least 10 miles somehow.
Thus I first rode east on Frost Road, watching the GPS to see when I reached the 3 mile mark. 3 miled out plus 3 miles back and then 2 miles west to the Post Office and back and Presto, 10 miles more or less.
The weather and sun were perfect, traffic was not too heavy, and the breeze was occasionally stiff but not terrible. Trouble is, by the time I got back to the vehicle at the 6 mile (or so) mark, I only had 20 minutes left and no way of making it to the Post Office and back in time. So I terminated the ride early and DROVE the short hop to the P.O. and back home.
Whatever. Didn't get in a marathon ride, but at least got the blood pumping and the blood glucose lowered.....
Ride Started: 12:17 PM Ride Ended: 1:24 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose: 245 Ending BG Reading: 57
Lowest Temp 64F Highest Temp: 71F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 6.06
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
5.7 MPH 7.5 MPH 28.1 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
1 hour 4 mins 48 minutes 16 minutes
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