Road Hazards

Jim's Tracker Path via Ham Radio

Yesterday I only got to enjoy a quite short ride - after 5 PM - to the Post Office to deposit an outgoing letter.  We had spent most of the day in Springfield at the podiatrist's office.  Total Mileage to the P.O. and back:  1.01 miles.  WHOOPEE
We thought we were gonna freeze this morning when we woke up at 5 AM sharp:  It was only 64 degrees.  Not REALLY.  But it WAS an enjoyably cool morning.  Fall and winter must be coming on.
When we got home from our Seminary class, about 8 AM or so, I thought an early morning trike ride might be in order.  After futzing around for too long, it was 10:00 AM by the time I got rolling, and the sun was up and chasing away any coolness available.
Irregardless, it was a nice day for a ride.  By The Way, astute readers will notice my using the questionable word "irregardless", which really should be "regardless" unless one wishes to cancel the word's meaning accidentally or otherwise.  Irregardless or regardless, School is now out; back to cycling and other nonsense.
As I neared the end of our driveway to enter the street, a utility truck pulled up and actually drove over the curb to park in front of our house.  A couple of working dudes stepped out with tools in their hands, and when Dude #1 noticed me, he asked "Do you live here??"  When I answered affirmatively
(See, I could have written just "YES", but whatever...) he said "We're here to change your electric meter.  Your power will be off for just a few minutes."
I shrugged and told them to go ahead, and rode away without waiting to see what the momentary power outage might disrupt.  It often means loss of internet, since power outages usually lock up the WIFI and cable modem - at least for a while.  I felt I was already running a bit late for my ride and wanted to get going.
The day warmed rapidly but conditions were pretty much optimal for riding around in the sunshine.
I again rolled up to the main highway around here with good shoulders:  Highway 60.  I hadn't gone too far before again noticing all the junk in "my" shoulder lane:  Squashed squirrels, possum, armadillos ("Possum On the Half Shell", as my cousin Jerry calls them, turtles and frogs.  Poor critters that don't seem to realize how dangerous it is to try crossing such roadways.
And of course there's the man-made junk:  Bolts, chunks of tire treads, hoses, headlights, FENDERS, and ......

A FORK in the ROAD??

I only realized what this object was as I sailed past it, and for a couple hundred yards I thought "Mercy, if I ever hit THAT it would cause a BLOWOUT!!"

Then,  of  course, it occurred to me that it likely would  cause ANYONE a blowout, and shouldn't I go back and throw it out of the road?  Yes, it was on the shoulder, but only maybe a foot or so away from the high-speed pavement.  I stopped and thought I was going to walk back, but there were no oncoming vehicles on  my side of the highway so I just turned the trike around and rode back, wrong way, on the shoulder.  A few cars passed me head-on but I stopped each time to avoid scaring them by their noticing I was going the WRONG WAY.

It was a hay fork of some kind, with the long handle broken and gone, with only the steel of the fork head left.  I heaved it off the roadway as far as I could throw it, at least several yards into the weeds.

When I got another break in the oncoming cars, I again turned around the RIGHT way and continued onward.

When I got to the westernmost exit to my lovely town of Mountain Grove, I took the curve around to Bell Crossing road and rode the freshly tarred-and-graveled pavement.... Not Very Far.  My feet were killing me, I was hot and thirsty, and I was looking for shade.  A large metal building on the left side of the Bell Crossing intersection offered shade, and I gladly veered over there to rest a bit.

A few slugs of water and a few minutes with my feet elevated without shoes and I was ready to go again.  In about 3/4 mile I stopped again at a favorite shady spot:  The seldom-used Mountain Grove Airport.  There are a couple of crop duster planes frequently parked outside there but I've never seen one in action or any other activity.  But the shade there right at the entrance is great.
As I was sitting there relaxing, I noticed another head-strap had separated inside my helmet.  Much as I hate it, I'm gonna have to throw this one away so I won't be tempted to use it again and start using my other helmet which has only a "few" miles on it, unlike this one which has quasi protected me for thousands of miles and several years.

Another few minutes of shade and rest and I was off again.  I started to go further south on Bell Crossing but could not spot a certified paved road leading me back to town from there so I turned around and went back to Wheeler Arch Road which took me back very close to home.

Back Home Safe and Sound.  Now back to work rebuilding the master bathroom....

Ride Started:  10:00 AM      Ride Ended:  12:01 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  12.7

Beginning Blood Glucose:  253      Ending BG: 94

Lowest Temp:  71 F    Highest Temp:  78  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  8.98
Distance Walked: 1/2 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.5 MPH                              7.3 MPH              21.2 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 2 hours                              1 hour 14 mins        46 minutes