Seniors at the Senior Center

Today's Tandem Terratrike Tracking

This Ain't MO, It's the Grand Canyon years ago..

Today Jacque expressed interest in going to our local Senior Center for lunch.  Being the take-charge chick that she is, she readily agreed to my suggestion of riding the Tandem Terratrike over .
The local railroad seems to be running trains separated by 5 minutes or so, but we were able to cross both ways before the trains tripped the crossarms.
We arrived in time to get fed, but noticed there were only a few cars in the lot;  very unusual. Normally this is a popular place at lunchtime.  When we got in line to get our $3.50 lunch plates, we realized why the crowd was small:  Hot dogs and sauerkraut and soggy flavorless tater tots.  We ate most of it anyway.  After all, at that high price we had to TRY to eat it.
The Senior Center usually produces much tastier fare, and is right at 1.03 miles from our house according to the GPS.  Hardly a long ride, but it made us huff and puff anyway.

Ride Started:  11:24 AM        Ride Ended:  12:20 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.5  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.7
Beginning Blood Glucose:  177     Ending BG: 117
Lowest Temp:  67 F    Highest Temp:  75 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  2.07
Distance Walked: 1/4 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.9   MPH                           5.2  MPH            15.5 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 36 minutes                          23 minutes            15 minutes

Turning Around Early

Today's Straight-Line GPS Tracking

My aged painful feet have been doing slightly better recently - So I saddled up the Catrike to go for a hopefully longer than usual trip.
Jacque had driven with her buddy Bobbi out to another friend's house to participate in a show and tell about John Hass's mushroom growing and greenhouse methods.
Since that abode is only about 3 miles away, I thought I'd simply ride out that-a-way and get acquainted with a few mushrooms myself.
At first things were smooth sailing... That is, until I got past the ONE mile mark.  The tinkle-toes began complaining, mildly at first but then increasingly painfull.  I stopped in a church parking lot to remove the shoes and massage the feet and legs.  That helped me make almost another mile, by which time I was ready to throw in the towel.
Coming back I had to stop one more time to rub the footsies.  I got back to the house safe and sound AFTER out-running an unrestrained  weiner dog.  Thankfully he was more noise than speed - with his stubby legs, my sore legs were able to stay comfortably ahead of him.

Ride Started:  1:41 PM        Ride Ended:  2:16 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  205     Ending BG: 97
Lowest Temp:  71 F    Highest Temp:  75 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  3.39
Distance Walked: 1/4 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   5.6   MPH                           6.6  MPH            14.6 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 36 minutes                          31 minutes            5 minutes

Pooped Out. Short Ride

A Sneezy Short GPS Track

Jacque agreed to ride the Tandem Terratrike to WalMart with me, with a quick stop to mail another letter at the Post Office.
That was a short easy ride, but my feet were already starting to gripe at me, so we rode around the adjacent town square, as usual, and back home.
We had made it across the train tracks on the way out, but  this few short minutes later, we had to slowly roll to a packed line of vehicles waiting for the train to pass.
We only had to wait several minutes before we all, gas pedals and bike pedals included, got rolling again.  We were surprised to find two cyclists on "normal" bikes on the opposite side also crossing the tracks.  We encounter cyclists very occasionally, mostly and old man (other than ME) and the occasional kiddo,  but have yet to encounter any other recumbent riders of any ilk.

Ride Started:  3:55 PM        Ride Ended:  4:10 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0 Lowest Voltage:  12.8
Beginning Blood Glucose:  124     Ending BG: 132
Lowest Temp:  75 F    Highest Temp:  78 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.06
Distance Walked: 1/4 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.1   MPH                           5.3   MPH            15.2 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 16 minutes                          12 minutes            4 minutes

Sunday Driving Triple Threat

Short-Hop GPS Tracking

Today was a very Happy Easter.  Praise Jesus!  He Lives, and so can you and I.

I had a couple letters to mail. After morning Easter worship services, I wanted an excuse to go for at least another short ride, so dropping the envelopes off sufficed.  We decided the doggies would enjoy a short jaunt in the BOB trailer, so they willingly came on board as well.

The trains again seem to be ganging up sequentially, even on Easter Sunday.  We had to wait for the train to get through the crossing and again on the way back, only a few minutes apart.
No big deal, as we weren't in much of a hurry.
As we got back to the home driveway, we met a white car with a couple of wide-eyed smiling faces:
Our local missionaries.  They had never seen such an odd sight before - a recumbent trike loaded with antennas and dogs...

They annoounced "We'd like to try riding something like THAT!"
And so they did.

Elders Packard and Tew

Ride Started:  3:47 PM        Ride Ended:  4:12 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0 Lowest Voltage:  13.0
Beginning Blood Glucose:  104     Ending BG: 119
Lowest Temp:  75 F    Highest Temp:  82 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.85
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.1   MPH                           5.4   MPH            19.6 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 29 minutes                        20 minutes            9 minutes

Fine Dining by Trike

Tonight's Trail to and From our Cantina

Jacque wasn't in the mood for a Tandem Ride this evening until I suggested stopping at our newly favorite Mexican Restaurant here in Mountain Grove, a short distance for a nice evening ride.
This is one of the rare Mexican kitchens where there are Hispanic-looking personnel waiting tables and cooking in the back, the food is as close to actual Mexican food as you can find east of the Oklahoma border, AND they speak Spanish to each other.  Very Nice, !Que Bueno!
Of course we have to dig deep into the menu to find something with some actual chili-heat flavor.  I spotted the Nachos Locos claiming to have Jalapenos in it, and enjoyed it immensely even though the jalapenos were the pickled variety from a can.  That's about as close to hot chili that we've been able to find.
On the way home  I was fresh out of folding money so we detoured over to the nearest ATM to use their tricycle-friendly ATM pedestal.  Normally in this small town there is no one behind us to shoo us on our way, but tonight a friendly fellow patiently awaited his turn.  After this we were feeling so spunky we rode the extra 1/8 mile around the adjacent town square before getting back across the tracks toward home.
We got back en casa  about a half hour before sundown so we didn't have to run any lights except the blinky red tail light.

Ride Started:  5:05 PM        Ride Ended:  6:12 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.8 Lowest Voltage:  12.7
Beginning Blood Glucose:  90     Ending BG: 59
Lowest Temp:  67 F    Highest Temp:  75 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.87
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.1   MPH                           5.4   MPH            19.6 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 1 hour 7 mins                        22 minutes           45 minutes

Carrying the Mail

Follow the Trike's Track Around the Town Square

Yesterday was dark, wet, cold, and miserable.  Too sloppy to ride the trike, dernit.
Today was sunny but very breezy and unseasonably cold and I almost failed to drag the trike out.
However, we had a couple of Ebay return packages to mail, so I used that as a last minute excuse to go for at least a shortie ride.
I wore a polar fleece jacket to try to keep the cold wind off the old bod, and I did NOT get overheated.
It was brisk, to say the least.  The wind was so stiff it actually produced noticeable pushback as I rode, in spite of the lowness of the trike and the bubble windshield up front that supposedly deflects air around and to the sides when I encounter such breezes.  I never pedal fast enough to generate much resistance on my own, but it seems to help when I'm facing a headwind.
Since the Post Office is just across the tracks and around the corner, maybe a third of a mile at best, it didn't take long to make the trip out.  When I exited the :Post Office, I decided to go on around the town square, just a few hundred feet away, and get a haircut.  My hair was beginning to brush my ears and ever since I got forcefully close-cropped in the Army some 50 - odd years ago, I haven't been able to tolerate longish hair. 
It didn't take long for the barber to get to me, since he was sitting in his own barber chair reading a magazine when I entered.
So I rode on around the rest of the square, with my helmet a bit looser and cooler, and made it home before any of our dozens of daily trains blocked the crossing.
Here in Southern Missouri, we haven't experienced the flooding so prevalent up St. Louis way, and as a result the train routes seem to have been re routed through here instead, leading to a pronounced increase in the daily noise level and number of trains coming through.  They seem to be less than 15 minutes apart at times.

Ride Started:  4:01 PM        Ride Ended:  4:39 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.2  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  90     Ending BG: 59
Lowest Temp:  53 F    Highest Temp:  60 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.14
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   1.8   MPH                           5.5   MPH            16.8 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 39 minutes                        12 minutes           26 minutes

Playing in Traffic

GPS Tracking via APRS (Ham Radio linking)

Today's trike ride wasn't complicated.  I just rode my usual route..... backward.  Not facing backward, of course, but going the reverse to my usual pattern.  The "playing in traffic" title comes from the timing of the ride..... right around 5:00-ish, when even sleepy Mountain Grove experiences a lot of going-home traffic.  We're learning that many if not most of the gainfully employed commute to Springfield and other areas with more job availability.  That, plus my usual crossing spot for getting across Highway 95 is right at the exit leading into McDonald's parking lot.
It always seems like a long wait, even though it was probably only 5 minutes or so  before a large enough opening occurred for me to get safely across.
I had to stop several times, as usual, to rest the feet and massage them.  I hate to say it out loud, but my feet seem to be slowly getting better and less painful.  Maybe there's hope yet for this old geezer.
On the return leg, as I approached the railroad crossing on Wall Street (Yes, Mountain Grove has a "Wall'' street), the bells started ringing and the barrier arms started down and I had to wait for the oncoming train to pass.

First in Line Waiting for the Train

End of Train- No Caboose!

Thankfully this particular choo-choo was not a mile long and only had us waiting a few minutes before passing and allowing the cross-arms to elevate and open up the road again.  In a few more minutes I was home soaking my feet again.

Ride Started:  4:48 PM        Ride Ended:  6:17 PMBeginning Battery Voltage:  14.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0 Lowest Voltage:  12.3
Beginning Blood Glucose:  206     Ending BG:  91
Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  72 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.08
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   3.8   MPH                           5.9   MPH            25.5 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 19 mins                     51 minutes           28 minutes

Sunday Rider

Today's GPS Tracking

This morning we awoke to near-freezing temperatures, falling snow, and assorted freezing drizzles.
It stayed dark, windy, cold, and wet, all morning and early afternoon as we drove to and from church meetings.
Later in the afternoon, the sun actually burned through the clouds and the weather turned positively decent, with just a bit of coolness remaining with the blue sky and sunshine.
Since my feet had been feeling better than usual all day, I queried Jacque about a tandem ride around the village square, but her tummy was a bit off key and she declined.  So I dragged out the Catrike and rode off all by my lonesome.
As I rode northward, I was greeted by a familiar but unwelcome sight:

Choo-Choo Blocking the Road

I could have turned around and crossed the tracks at the Highway 95 crossing, but just in case the train chose to block that intersection as well, I rode a south-of-town route that I had not ridden before, and enjoyed a nice ride on another country road.  After about a mile the pavement deteriorated into a relatively bumpy ride, but it wasn't bad enough to make me turn around for another detour.
This road had no shoulders, but it was relatively free of vehicular traffic.
That is, until a sedan passed me doing about 50 miles an hour, which struck me as rather excessive, and THEN a small black pickup roared past me doing at least SEVENTY MPH.  They both gave me a wide berth as they passed, but ya have to wonder what the big hurry was all about.
Since this road was unfamiliar to me, I watched the GPS and saw an intersection ahead that should have led me back to town.... but as I pedaled onward I realized it was a lot farther away than I reckoned, and since it was already past 6:00 PM I didn't want to let the sun go down before I got home.  So I turned around, after a rest stop to massage my now-complaining feets.
Not a super long ride, but what the hey... a very enjoyable finish to a day that had started out with little potential for enjoyment.

Ride Started:  6:19 PM        Ride Ended:  6:56 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  198     Ending BG:  93
Lowest Temp:  53 F    Highest Temp:  57 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  3.43
Distance Walked: 1/4 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   5.5   MPH                           6.4   MPH            18.2 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
37 minutes                            32 minutes           5 minutes

Have Trike. Will Travel

Today's Around Town GPS Tracking

Our spring weather suddenly took a turn for nippy the last couple of days.  This morning was even colder, with cloudy overcast with no sun peeping through.  The outside thermometer claimed 46 degrees.  I decided to take a ride anyway.  The fact that Jacque had a small sewing class going in the house had a lot to do with the decision too.
I actually layered up with a felt jacket inside and the day-glow windbreaker on the outer-side, along with my polar fleece skull cap on top.  I did NOT get overheated.

Here I Come...

I stopped several times during this rather short 6-mile ride to massage my feet, and it helped.
Lots of kids and adults at the county fairgrounds and other gathering places stopped and stared as I rolled by, as usual.
I was shocked when I arrived home and checked my blood glucose (BG).  It was HIGHER than before I took the 6-mile ride which usually dramatically lowers the glucose level.  This, in spite of the fact I had nothing to eat since last night.....
My insulin pump infusion sets have been malfunctioning recently, and this time it's really bad.  The infusion needle is lined with a plastic tube sleeve, which is supposed to remain under the skin when the insertion pin is pulled out.  I've used these for years with very few failures, and the last two boxes of infusion sets have had some kind of quality control problem:  When the needle set is inserted into the skin, the sleeve under the skin "sticks" to the metal needle and either collapses or bends into a kinked elbow that prevents insulin from flowing through.  Thus the pump continues to pump fruitlessly without getting to the fatty tissue's blood vessels.  The manufacturer is Medtronic, and I have sent them a complaint about the previous box of infusion sets and have received no response yet.  That failure rate was almost 1 out of 3, and now this newest box has 100 percent failures. Out of 4 units tried, none have worked.  We had to make an emergency run to WalMart to get a box of hypodermic needles so I can dose myself manually, which I have not done in over 10 years.  Had to do a bit of research to try proper dosages of both fast acting and slow acting insulins.  I've gotten spoiled relying on the pump and its convenience, but the needles don't bother me.  Just hoping to get my BG back under control again.
I'm really glad I did the trike today for two reasons:  (1)My BG would have been even worse without it, and (2) it started to rain 30 minutes after I got home high and dry.

And There I go....

Ride Started:  11:33 AM        Ride Ended:  1:05 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  58(!)     Ending BG:  84
Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  64 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  6.09
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.3   MPH                           6.7   MPH            15.9 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
15 minutes                            10 minutes           5 minutes

...And Around the Square

Today's Square Route Tracking

My excuse for riding today was a letter I had to mail that wasn't picked up by our post-lady.
(She came by the house too early).
Just as I approached our close-by train crossing, the cross-arms came down and I bravely stopped and did not try to run under the arms to beat the train.  (Autos routinely try it and rarely make it.)
It's a good thing I wasn't in a hurry, since this load of freight cars seemed at least a mile long.
When the end finally came screaming through the crossing, instead of a caboose there were FIVE engines pushing.  I didn't notice how many were up front pulling.  Tons of coal come through here daily, and no doubt even more engines might be required to get this line rolling when fully loaded.
Most drivers around here are courteous and curious, but occasionally a driver will fail to notice me when approaching an intersection in front of me, in spite of my weird clothing, blinky lights, and twin bike flags seven feet in the air.  Like today, for instance.  No really close calls occurred, as I always ride the  brakes and give up the right o' way when necessary to save my ancient buttocks.
Our internet recently has  been spotty, but today it worked long enough to record most of my tiny ride around the village square, around the corner from the Post Office.
Our climate here has warmed noticeably, leading to switching the central forced-air system in the house from heater to cooling mode.  It's also been about a week since our last rain, actually allowing the ground soil to dry up a bit.
Thus so far - while in motion the passing air keeps me cool enough, but when I stop and go inside, I immediately either sit close to a cooling vent or take off a shirt or two.

Ride Started:  3:34 PM        Ride Ended:  3:58 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  58(!)     Ending BG:  84
Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  64 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.03
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.3   MPH                           6.7   MPH            15.9 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
15 minutes                            10 minutes           5 minutes

Across the Tracks

Just a short dash across the railroad tracks today to the closest hardware & lumber store.  Purchased a couple of wax rings in preparation for remodeling the floors in both bathrooms which will require removing the toilets and replacing them.  We'll see what the waterworks look like when we take them out.... we may well replace the both of them.  They flush  slowly and they are pretty well aged.
I can hardly wait.  Oh Boy.....
Stay tuned.

Ride Started:  2:24 PM        Rides Ended:  2:44 PM
Beginning Blood Glucose:  75    Ending BG:  83
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  0.77
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   2.4   MPH                           5.8   MPH            16.7 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
20 minutes                            8 minutes            11 minutes

Small Town, Short Trike Trips

Typical Tracking Plot

I had a chiropractor appointment today at 1:30, and it 'twas a beautiful day so I pedaled my way to his office and back.
We used to have two vehicles so Jacque and I didn't have to share vehicles so much.  We sold her Subaru in Albuquerque before we left and towed the Ford Exploder behind the RV.
Now the Exploder is our only about-town vehicle, not counting the huge RV which isn't much fun to commute around town with.
Mountain Grove is quite the small town, and few if any businesses we've patronized so far are more than 2 or 3 miles away..... So they're perfectly reachable via pedal-power.  Barring nasty weather that is.
The chiropractor's office is almost exactly 2 miles away.  I've ridden the trike there before, and today was no exception.
After a severe prodding and pounding, I walked out feeling somewhat less pain in the feet, even though they were painful throughout the chiropractor visit.  The VA neurologist told us part of my foot problems pointed to 2 separate injuries in my back, one quite old and one more recent (Overloading my back hauling furniture and appliances back and forth during the household move?).
The VA doc gave me a worksheet showing stretching exercises that are supposed to strengthen the back and help with pain, and they do SOME good.  So I do a twice-a-month visit to the chiropractor and it seems to help too, even if short term.
The trike ride turned into almost twice what I'd planned for since I forgot to go to the ATM for the cash needed for the procedure.  When I checked out I told the gal sheepishly that I could only pay half right now, and please - I'll run to the bank and bring you the rest??
Thankfully she didn't call the cops but smilingly allowed me to retrieve the necessary cash.
So I was getting  a tad bit tired by the time I got home.  I usually detour around a few city blocks to lengthen the ride but I felt I had already detoured enough.
After cooling off a bit, I realized I had not yet filled out an important gov't document that we received in the mail 2 days ago:  Our Missouri personal and real estate property tax declaration, requiring listing of cars, boats, RVs, tractors, implements, house, etc, etc.  Missouri has the strange (to me) policy of charging a fee for registering your vehicles and THEN requiring property tax to be paid on the same items.  I detest property taxes anyway, since it slowly drains value from whatever you own, in effect the state charging rent on things you've already paid for.  AND they keep charging you every year, in spite of the fact that non-business property is NOT gaining in value or generating income for the taxpayer.
Maybe that's one of the reasons land is relatively cheaper here....
So I painstakingly filled out the form, put a stamp on it, and took it post haste to the Post Office.
The P.O. is only just across the tracks and around the corner, 42/100ths of a mile, so that was an easy additional ride, and I got back just in time for Jacque's homemade General Tso's spicy chicken and rice.  YUM.

Ride 1 Started:  12:45 PM        Rides Ended:  6:33 PM
Beginning Blood Glucose:  284(!)    Ending BG:  60
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  4.85
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   5.51   MPH                           6.8   MPH            18.7 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
54 minutes                            42 minutes            10 minutes

Monday Madness

Today's Round-the-Block GPS Track

We spent the day in Springfield today attending to doctor visits which sucked half the day, and then the Sociable Security Office, which used up most of the rest of the day.  I didn't realize that Social Security offices are federal installations, nor that armed guards prevent entry without going through a security check and a pass-through metal detector just like at an airport.  I had to return to the vehicle outside to deposit my Gerber Multi-tool (AKA "KNIFE") and then pull all my other stuff out of my pockets for inspection before going through the metal detector.  I had just found a rare empty seat to wait after obtaining my "Number", when Jacque appeared with a federal officer hot on her tail, telling her she could not enter without a security check.  I guess we were all lucky she wasn't armed with a submachine gun and ill intent, since she made it all the way inside before being escorted back to the entry.  My number wasn't called until more than an hours' wait.  Thankfully the official who called my number made short work of my problem (replacement Card), and we were back on the road after about 15 minutes of processing.  Jacque thankfully was able to drive across town and retrieve one of her Serger machines from the repair shop with plenty of time whilst I was sitting waiting for my number to come up.
It was well after 4 PM when we got home.  The weather was warm and sunny and I was hot to trot out the trike and get in at least a short ride, which is what I got done...
I deliberately tried to keep it short since my feet had been hurting during the Springfield trip.  I did the cool-water soak treatment until the pain had subsided a bit and took off for the ride.
At the intersection of Wall and Third Street, I was stopped waiting for a break in traffic when a local police cat turned in front of me.  Both officers were staring at me and my contraption big-eyed, as if I had just landed from Mars.  Cool.
So I guess I haven't been riding 'round town enough....

Ride Started:  6:25 PM        Ride Ended:  6:36 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0 Lowest Voltage:  13.0
Beginning Blood Glucose:  124     Ending BG:  84
Lowest Temp:  72 F    Highest Temp:  72 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  2.36
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   6.2   MPH                           7.0   MPH            18.0 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
23 minutes                            20 minutes            3 minutes

Tandem Riding. Double Trouble

Today's Tracking of possibly the only one in Town

Jacque was in the mood for a trike ride today so we took the Tandem Terratrike for a spin.
Another nice day free from rain, although a bit cloudy.  Clouds protected us from sunburn and overheating....
Neither of us are up to long trips as of yet, so we rode around the town square and then around the city park.

Which are relatively short loops but fun to ride around and gawk and answer bystander questions.
Nothing like riding along in  the open air with a sexy lady right behind me.....

Ride Started:  12:09 PM        Ride Ended:  12:41 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.7
Beginning Blood Glucose:  132     Ending BG:  114
Lowest Temp:  57 F    Highest Temp:  61 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  2.54
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   2.9   MPH                           4.5   MPH            15.8 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
53 minutes                            34 minutes            18 minutes

AND..... Another Zip

Just a quick post to record yesterday's short ride.  I needed to send a FAX - so I rode the Catrike across town to the closest UPS/ postal service store.
I can't remember what the FAX was for, but it MUST have been important.
This was an extra-sore-feet ride for some reason.  My feet were tired most of the day and they got worse when I mounted the trike.  OH Well, I still love to ride, even if it fails to solve or remediate all my problems.

Ride Started:  3:58 PM        Ride Ended:  4:26 PM
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  2.44
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   5.1   MPH                          6.4   MPH            17.8 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 28 minutes                        22 minutes             5 minutes

Zipping Across Town

My Igate at home is going intermittent on me, so no GPS tracking info this time.  Bah-

I had to send a FAX this afternoon to my retirement fund agency.  The closest such facility I could find was just south of the Route 60/Highway 95 intersection.  Jaccque offered to drive me but I needed an excuse for a trike ride so I rode.
I was a bit sore and tired before I left, and it got worse during the ride.  Not Terrible bad, but not enjoyable.  The outbound ride was OK, but by the time I arrived I was in pain.
Coming back after spending $2 on a FAX, I rode a lot slower in lower gears.  The hills are not that steep  but I tend to gravitate into the lower gears, yea, even Grandma Gear, much of the way.
Usually I benefit from lowered Blood Glucose (BG) during and after a ride but it didn't happen today.
Not sure what to blame.  Maybe I was riding so slow I failed to burn that many carbs.

Ride Started:  3:37 PM        Ride Ended:  4:42 PM
Beginning Blood Glucose:  221      Ending BG:  217
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  3.34
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   3.7   MPH                           5.9   MPH            25.1 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
 55 minutes                        34 minutes           20 minutes

AND.. a Run to the Bank

Today's Track via GPS and Ham Radio

I'm trying to get all situated here in Misery, er that is, Missouri. 
(NO, thankfully we are NOT being flooded, we're on the other side of the state from the rapidly-flooding Missouri River.)
Last week I took the '97 Exploder to an inspection station to fulfill the requirements for registering here.  They failed it because of a small crack across the upper left corner of the windshield.  This windshield had ALREADY been replaced around 2 years ago in Albuquerque, and this crack appeared a few weeks later, while still under warranty.  I dragged my feet getting the windshield replaced again, and managed to wait long enough for the warranty to expire.  SO I'm scheduled for a mobile windshield installer to appear sometime tomorrow, and to make sure I could pay him no matter what type of payment he requires, I rode across the tracks and around the block to our local cash-dispenser pedestal.  The bank tellers at the nearby window always get  a chuckle when I roll up on the trike and dismount to work the keypad.
I had to struggle with the password, and I finally realized it was either MOYB or ICYMI.
Hopefully the greenbacks I got using one of those passwords are legit.  Then, since the day was still beautiful and the sun was out and the temp was above 50 degrees, I rode my loop around Mountain Grove.... backwards.
This late in the day, I of course had to wait a while to get across I-95, but it gave my tired feet a bit of a break.  Which perhaps forestalled at least one of the several stops to massage the footsies.
I turned into one intersection too sharply, and my left fender rubbed against the frame, causing too much pressure against the tire, causing the fender's mount to pop out.  These Catrike fenders are held in by a rather floppy method:  A rubber grommet crushed with a single bolt/nut combination mounted in the upper kingpin hole:

I shouldn't complain, since they've lasted without such an incident for almost a years worth of riding up hill and around dale.
I didn't have the proper 1/2" wrench in my bike-pannier-tool-bag, so I had to make do with my Gerber  multitool, which took  a while.  Finally I got it re-mounted and was again on my way.
It didn't rain on me, and it didn't get too hot or too cold, so I'm the happy triker.

Ride Started:  3:17 PM        Ride Ended:  4:30 PM
Beginning Blood Glucose:  94 Ending BG:  107
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.40
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.5   MPH                           6.3   MPH            24.1 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 11 mins                    52 minutes           20 minutes