Since we arrived in Mountain Grove, my trike trips have lacked the ability to be tracked on the internet. Since ham radio is a bit of a fetish for me, I finally took time to investigate to see what the problem with my radio tracking equipment was.
I found that the GPS line going to the Argentdata TNC device had only noise, no data, coming out. The entire assembly had been sitting outside at our friend's house on Sedillo Hill with only a plastic baggie over it to keep moisture out. I took the package inside the house to disassemble the pieces and repair or replace whatever was not functioning. When I pulled the connectors apart I noticed a faint dusty coating on the pins and wondered if that was the problem... a bit of corrosion. I had other new GPS and adapter units for replacing but I carefully reassembled everything as is just to see if it would now work..... and it did. Hurrah.
I then saddled up for an "Extra Long" ride today: Clear on the North side of Mountain Grove to Walmart. The farthest trike trip I've ridden so far.
This involves riding pretty much the entire height of the limits of Mountain Grove... We live almost on the outer edge of the south side and Walmart is almost the northern city limit of the town.
My route took me along the zigzag course of I-95 through town, with the assorted traffic. This involves semi trucks and cars and pickups..... the lot of common road traffic. Fortunately, there really isn't that much traffic in spite of the status as a highway, and all vehicles encountered gave me wide berth as they passed by.
Temperatures were on the cool side, but it was a sunny day again and it had warmed up from the overnight low 30's of late.
When I arrived at Walmart, I checked the GPS mileage: Almost exactly 2 whopping miles. Big Deal. But what the Hey. It's progress, and eventually I'll accumulate some more realistic mileages.
By now my feet were really throbbing and I wished I had taken another nerve pill just before taking off. Walking around Walmart was quite agonizing and when I got a text from my daughter Sherry in Oklahoma I found an unopened carton of paper towels and pulled it off the shelf to use as a stool to sit on while I was texting Sherry back, taking a load off my feet.
On the way home, I encountered some admirers: A couple of carloads of women and girls shrieking with laughter at the sight of me. What's so funny about an old geezer cranking along on a laid-back tricycle with long flagpole antennas, funny helmet with a microphone, and a Walmart bag bungeed on the backside? I don't get it.....
Riding back home was actually easier on the feets than walking around, and when I got back we immediately went out for a bite to eat, which also involved sitting and thus taking a load off.
So I'm Happy Tonight, No Snow in Sight, not Riding in a Winter Wonderland.
Ride Started: 3:14 PM Ride Ended: 4:05 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0 Ending Voltage: 13.0 Lowest: 13.0
Beginning Blood Glucose: 187 Ending BG: 76
Lowest Temp 57 F Highest Temp: 74 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles: 3.98
Distance Walked: .25 miles
Overall average speed Moving Avg Max Speed
8.4 MPH 8.9 MPH 25.3 MPH
Total Trip time Moving Time Stopped Time
30 minutes 26 minutes 2 minutes
Those girls weren't 'heckling' you, they were 'oooh'ing and 'aah'ing at the sight of a REAL man!
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