Made it Home Before Dark

Today's Straight-Line Route Almost Plot

Jacque fed me one of her hot-chocolate pecan-whipped cream ice cream Sunday Sundaes late this afternoon.  It was, as usual, SO yummy that I decided I'd better take advantage of the limited daylight left to go for a ride to help my insulin pump deal with the carbs consumed.
This morning had dawned with some of the heaviest fog we've seen since moving here, which means it was THICK.  We couldn't even see our Walmart as we drove past on the way to Church, and it's maybe 100 yards off the road.
By the time we left Church around 1-ish PM, the skies were clear and blue and the sun was bright.
This was all still evident when I dragged the trike out of the garage, but the sun was getting low.  Looking at my Iphone mapping, I saw I could make it to a friend's house out past Bell Crossing and back just before the sun set.  So I took off.
Not only was the sun pretty much in my eyes for a few miles heading west, but it was setting faster than I had bargained for.  By the time I arrived at the intersection at our sleepy Mountain Grove Airport, I had decided I was going to cut the trip short and return home in hopes of getting there before dark.  I had 15 minutes of dusk left when I arrived.
An uneventful but enjoyable jaunt, and successful at that.... after the Sunday Sundae feast, my Blood Glucose was only 111.  And again, my mood was noticeably elevated.

Ride Started:    5:38 PM      Ride Ended:  6:18 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  249      Ending BG: 111

Lowest Temp:  56 F    Highest Temp:  59  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   5.15
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  7.8 MPH                             8.4 MPH               17.3 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 40 minutes                         37 minutes            3 minutes

Several Miles Without Really Going Anywhere

GPS was spotty so this plot shows the route

Today was again rainy, dank, and cold.  The enthusiasm for riding in such weather can be difficult to muster.
As usual, though, the clouds cleared a bit and the rains stopped later in the day, so I again chose to burn down the blood sugar at least a little and boost the morale by dragging the trike out again.
It was sufficiently cold that I not only wore 3 layers of shirts, but also enclosed shoes with socks and FULL fingered gloves.  I dug through my almost - forgotten stash of cold weather cycling gear and found ONE of my flap-open mittens that I prefer to wear, so I had to wear the fingered gloves which helped a bit but my fingers don't like being isolated when in cold weather - they prefer to lounge together inside mittens.  Ah Well.  Hopefully I'll discover missing items soon.
Just riding same routes over and over can get a bit dull, so I decided to just randomly zig-zag around Mountain Grove to get in some miles without taking my well-known outer routes on the outskirts around the area.  Not only less boring, but I got to see some more streets and neighborhoods I'm unfamiliar with.
Today was the usual mix of reactions from motorists and pedestrians I encountered, from big waves and flashing headlights to weird looks and - in the case of a female walker I passed close to - pretending I was invisible.  Which was hopefully not the case since I was running the headlamp on the front of the helmet as well as the flashing red tail light - since full sunshine was not in abundance.

Ride Started:    3:19 PM      Ride Ended:  4:22 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.7  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  253      Ending BG: 163

Lowest Temp:  44 F    Highest Temp:  46  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   6.31
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  6.6 MPH                             6.9 MPH               22.3 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 57 minutes                         55 minutes          2 minutes

Ride When it's Rainy

Today's Short but Soggy Tracking

Today we awoke to drizzling rain, which threatened to last all day long.  Consulting the weather forecast was no source of encouragement.  So we lounged around the house with cabin fever most of the day.  Late in the PM the rain seemed to be stopping and the skies were lighting up a bit.  I had to stretch for an excuse to go for a ride, but I needed some copper tubing and fittings for work under the house.  The local electric and plumbing supply stores were  not sufficiently far away for satisfaction, but with the spotty weather I figured it was far enough.
I use the B.O.B. trailer for hauling such "freight", so I had to drag it out of the garage as well.  Fortunately it's not a difficult hook-up, and I was soon on my way.
The outside temperature was not quite 50 degrees, and the humidity was above 80%, so I again added a couple more layers on the outside of my shirt.  I did NOT get overheated, and didn't remove any layers until I got back home.
I also wore real shoes, that completely covered my feet, with real SOCKS today.  I haven't done that while riding in a month or more.  I certainly didn't regret it today, as the normally overly hot feet enjoyed the protection from the coolness.
Of course the first shoppe did not have all the parts I needed so I had to ride another quarter mile or so to Miller Electric & Plumbing which had a great selection of everything I needed.  That is, except for MONEY.  Copper tubing at 6 bucks a FOOT?  And I needed 12 feet of the stuff?  Over a hundred and a quarter for a few bits of copper and brass.....  You people think Trump is the problem?
The world will END if such prices keep climbing.  I shudder to contemplate what having a professional installer would cost including parts and labor.  ACK
For some odd reason, the rain did not resume during the entirety of this short excursion.
There IS a God, after all, and He is certainly good to me....

Ride Started:    4:15 PM      Ride Ended:  5:01 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  188      Ending BG: 113

Lowest Temp:  50 F    Highest Temp:  50  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   1.96
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  2.3 MPH                             5.9 MPH               18.8 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 51 minutes                         20 (!) minutes        30 minutes

To Save the Sanity

Today's Shortened Route Tracked

Today I was again a bit lacking in motivation, but again, realizing getting out in the wind improves such motivation, I dragged the Catrike out of the garage and went for a windy-day ride.

Jacque had been out of town most of the day helping a neighbor take her elderly brother to the  Texas County Hospital in Houston, MO.  He had taken a tumble and broke his head open, bleeding quite badly.  We learned this when they pulled into our driveway madly honking their horn.  Jacque drove their car hurriedly to the med facility while I stayed home with the dogs.  

Jacque was thus gone a while, and she walked up to the house just as I was hooking up the power to the electronics on the trike.  She is SO kind and understanding of my trike habit and gracefully allowed me to take off again.

Not only does riding help reduce my Blood Sugar readings for diabetes, and improve my moods, provide fun, etc, but I recently saw a few announcements that exercise actually wards off mental illness and dementia.  In my case, I find that motivating to say the least.  Stay tuned;  I'll try to let y'all know how it works out.

Today being Wednesday, we have  seminary classes at 5:00 PM, so I decided to cut the ride a bit short to make sure I got home in time.  As a result, I rode a few streets I'm not that familiar with, lessening the boredom factor.  Great stuff.

Ride Started:    2:25 PM      Ride Ended:  3:14 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.2  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  12.9

Beginning Blood Glucose:  171      Ending BG: 104

Lowest Temp:  68 F    Highest Temp:  71  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   4.06
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  5.1 MPH                             6.8 MPH               19.2 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 48 minutes                         36 minutes           12 minutes

Shallow Soil and Tall Trees?

Today's Partial Track (via APRS)
A More Accurate Track via PlotaRoute

The last couple days I haven't really looked forward to a trike ride but it's kind of a tradition and even when my mood is lacking I always feel better when pedaling roundabout.
Today was no exception.  It was quite cold all day, with a HIGH of around 51 degrees and stiff COLD wind.  I wore 3 layers of shirt:  A "normal" short sleeve shirt underneath,  one of Jacque's homemade flannel shirts on top of that, and my nylon yellow visibility jacket on the outside.  I did NOT get overheated, and barely stayed warm enough on most of the ride.
I wanted to get in a few more miles than my too-usual 5-ish mile runs.  So I took off toward the airport and south on Bell Crossing Road from there.  I faintly remember riding this area before and finding a paved return route somewhere out there, but the closest cross road I came to was Sunshine, and that immediately turned to gravel, which I detest.  So I turned around and retraced my route all the way back.
Along the way, I again noticed the really TALL trees lining the roadway.  The soil around here is not deep at all;  a couple feet of soil shows in the road cuts, atop layers of limestone.  Yet most of the trees get super tall.

Many of such trees are over 100 feet high... It's a wonder they all don't blow over when the winds get high.  Some do.  Maybe they have taproots that penetrate the shallow soil and through the layers of limestone to some depth.
One slight problem cropped up on this ride.  I turned the brakes loose going down a long hill (thus the 29+ MPH reading), I bounced over several large pavement ruts and bumps, and suddenly the GPS bleeped and said something about needing external power.  I looked at the radio/GPS cluster closer and realized the Kenwood walkie-talkie was dead, without power, and thus the GPS had complained because it was now running on it internal battery.  I checked and re-checked the various DC connection leading from the Lithium-Ion battery in the saddlebag and the radios and could find nothing wrong.  Starting to ride again, I thought suddenly about the actual connectors ON the battery inside the saddlebag.  It took a bit of digging to get it out, but sure enough, one of the spade connectors had popped loose during all the road-bouncing.  I don't think I've ever seen that happen before... But it's always something.

Ride Started:    3:44 PM      Ride Ended:  5:01 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  111      Ending BG: 89

Lowest Temp:  57 F    Highest Temp:  64  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   7.64
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  5.9 MPH                             6.8 MPH               29.3 MPH (Downhill w/Tailwind!)

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 17 mins                  1 hour 7 mins         10 minutes

Trike Trash Hauling

Today's Travel Tracking

We got only a couple hours of real sleep last night.  The weather forecast had called for hail and thunderstorms about midnight.  All was calm and quiet when we went to bed, thinking amongst ourselves that the TV weather dudes and dudettes were smoking something strange.  Around 1:30 AM our much-hated weather radio blasted us awake, warning Wright County to take cover, amongst other counties of course.
Since we dwell in Wright County this alarm alarmed us, though at first we still heard no sound of rain and only faint breezes blowing outside.  As we watched the radar progress across the TV screen, the storm fronts seemed to be moving east sorta towards us at speeds between 45 and 70 MPH.
Around the wonderful hour of 2:30 AM, the TV screen showed red and yellow slashes right next to dear old Mountain Grove, but the tornado warning had been downgraded to "Severe Thunderstorm Warnings".  This was not a whole lot of comfort since severe thunderstorms often spawn tornadoes.
High winds and heavy rain pummeled us for a while, and the lightning flashes, though miles distant, lit up the sky and rocked the neighborhood with very vocal thunder, but no tornadoes nor further alarms resulted and we finally got to bed close to 3 AM.  Since we get up at 5 AM sharp, the night's rest was lacking.
So today I took a later morning nap from around 8 AM to 9:30 and it felt great. Jacque and I worked on more kitchen painting and by four-ish I was ready to try a ride, though still fatigued.
Happy I was to finally get outside and saddle up.  I more motivated myself for the ride by "running an errand" by loading up the trike trailer, normally used for doggie rides, with a stack of collapsed cardboard boxes we continue to accumulate as we unpack from moving as well as flatten boxes received in the mail with various supplies.

The load looked heavy but I doubt it was much more than 20 pounds.
The cardboard recycler, who seemingly is never staffed, but has trailers full of cardboard whence more can be added, was not far away, about eight-tenths of a mile.  So, with trailer now empty, I rode the long way around our burg to get a few more miles under my belt.
Riding around, as usual, improved my grumpy sleep mood greatly.
Again I encountered an un-leashed dog of medium size, but he merely followed me a hundred feet or so without aggression or even barking.  No problem.
My feet were a bit more sore than usual, but not in any extreme.
Hopefully the unusual fall weather will fade a bit and allow us a few nights of deep sleep.
Jacque may be a Spring Chicken, but I, sadly, am not.

Ride Started:   4:10 PM      Ride Ended:  5:24 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Lowest Temp:  61 F    Highest Temp:  75  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.82
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  5.3 MPH                             6.8 MPH               18.2 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 5 mins                       52 minutes          14 minutes

Sunday Rider

Sunday Evening Tracking

I didn't get a trike ride yesterday, Saturday, so I was able to get in  a few miles this evening just before sundown.
My recently patched tires seem to be holding pressure just fine, so no additional air was needed for today's ride.
I need to pressure-clean and re-roof the RV, so I took a few photos of places for sale or rent that looked like they had a garage big enough to get the RV into.  We'll see.

The weather was just perfect temperature wise, and all drivers encountered were courteous, as usual.
I passed this fellow relaxing next to the fence as I went by and couldn't resist taking his photo.

On the other side of town, I was suddenly accosted by a couple of large, loose, and noisy dogs.  I failed to get THEIR photo, but thankfully they were all bark and no bite.

Ride Started:   4:42 PM      Ride Ended:  5:47 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  145      Ending BG: 86

Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  68  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  6.92
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  6.8 MPH                             7.3 MPH               21.5 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 1 min                       56 minutes            5minutes

Then TWO FLATS? BAH

Just a Round-the-Neighborhood Test Ride

Yesterday, Friday, I checked my trike's right front tire and rolled the trike out to the front of the garage so I could have better sunlight with which to take the tube out and find the slow leak that's been bothering me the last several days.  The tire would be just soft enough to MAYBE get through a successful few miles, so I aired it up daily for several days;  each day noticing it being low again.
Thus I decided to find and fix the problem once and for all.  As I fiddled the trike around I was surprised to see the REAR tire absolutely FLAT.  The right front tire was still inflated, though as usual a bit soft.  I carry a new tube as a spare in my ditty bag on the trike, so I was well prepared to just put a new tube into the tire, since new tubes offer more confidence that no sudden leaks should occur (after checking the tire for sharp stuff that originally punctured the tube).
Removing tubes from the rear tire is more complex than on the front, since the rear wheel is bracketed on both sides AND has the drive cassette attached to the axle.
When I finally got grease all over myself and the wheel removed, I couldn't immediately see any puncture hole in the tube.  I over-inflated it and spun it around my head, expecting to feel the usual hiss of escaping air on my aged yet sensitive cheek.  No such luck.  Filling a 5 gallon bucket with water and dipping the tube in that soon exposed the leak.... a super tiny pin-hole.  Rubbing the inside of the offending tire revealed the cyclist's bane:  A tiny wire, the source of which usually is shrapnel from shredded truck tires along the highways and streets.  Such shredded tires get flung or pushed off to the shoulder of the roads, which is where we hapless cyclists must normally ride.
I usually purchase my 20 X 1.25-1.50 Presta-valve tubes from Amazon, but that takes several days, and I didn't want to miss riding for such a delay while waiting for delivery.  SO, methinks, I should try a local bike-parts source.  Unfortunately, in this small burg where few cyclists thrive, that leaves only Walmart, which has several sizes of bike tubes and tires.... but no Prestas and of course nothing in the exact size I needed.  Googling for "local bike shops" revealed a shop we had never noticed nor seen, and after driving to Walmart for the wasted search, we wasted another half hour or so driving to the Google-spotted so-called local bike shop.  Of course there was no such thing at the stated address;  only an auto repair shop.  It would be nice if Google could keep up with such disappearances, especially since it's been more than a year since such a bike shop could have existed here.  Ah Well.
By now it was getting late in the day and I still wanted to get at least temporary tires up and running so I wouldn't be "grounded".  So I dragged out the little-used patch kit.  I had several good patches left in the kit but when I opened the tube of contact cement for the patch.... nothing came out.  Totally dry from too much expired time riding around in my little used emergency kit.  So now another trip to Walmart to see if they had such a thing as tire-patch-grade contact cement.  It took a lot of searching but we finally found some, even small tubes that fit into my fix-it kit, 4 to a pack.
The slow leak in the right front tire turned out to be the same trouble:  Almost invisible tiny hole, no wire found, but obviously caused by a poke from a tiny piece of wire from a truck's shattered radial tire carcass.  By the time I got the tires inflated and back on the trike it was almost dark and I was only able to take it for a ride for a few blocks around the back of our house.  The patched tires seemed to be holding OK.
Today we drove to Saint Louis for our Ward Temple Day, and it was almost dark by the time we got home to Mountain Grove.  After around 24 hours of sitting in the garage, the patched tires seem to be holding.  Maybe I can sneak in a ride sometime tomorrow after Church to see if everything is still copacetic.

Ride Started:   5:34 PM      Ride Ended:  5:51 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  210      Ending BG: 157

Lowest Temp:  61 F    Highest Temp:  65  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.23
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  3.9 MPH                             7.1 MPH               15.5 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 19 minutes                         11 minutes            8 minutes

ONE Hour Job Takes All DAY (Almost)

This Trip Ridden THREE TIMES Thursday

When we drove home from VIR (Virginia International Raceway) a few days ago the right front brake was growling, so as soon as we got home I jacked up the Exploder, took off the wheel and rotor, and of course found the brake pads worn down to almost nothing.  I rode the trike to the parts store, back to the house, and with a bit of a struggle, replaced the pads.
Feeling somewhat satisfied with myself, only later did it niggle my mind that the pads had only been worn down on ONE pad, that the other pad and brake pads on the other side had thousands of miles left on them.  The offending rotor had been a bit worn but in my laziness I'd thought I'd just live with the short impending life of the new pad(s).  The more I thought about it the more I thought I'd better take it back apart and replace the ragged rotor before it started eating away my new brake pads too much.  Thus yesterday I did the process over again, and again rode the trike the couple miles to pick up a new rotor.  In process of putting this option into place, I noticed the rubber seal on the upper ball joint was shredded and leaking, realizing I should replace THAT as well, while I had the vehicle up on jacks already ready.
So, I saddled up the trike again and went to purchase upper ball joints.  Arriving back home, I dug around my various tool boxes and found my "Pickle Fork", a heavy duty hammer-driven steel fork  used to pry ball joints apart.  When I tried to use it, it turned out to be not large enough to fit THIS ball joint.  So I rode the trike again to the parts store (Potter Parts and AG Supply - They have noticeably cheaper prices than the Big Chain O'Reilly's here) and picked out a larger "Pickle Fork".
Even with this new wonderful tool it took a lot of banging and prying to get the joint out of its receptacle.  The YouTube video showing one man's progress on such operations looked ridiculously long time-wise, but I wound up taking at least as much time prying the mess apart.
Then, after a half hour or more of carefully cleaning away crud and grease to expose the snap ring holding it all together, I found there was NO snap ring:  The ball joint was physically part of the upper control arm and could not be removed for repair.  A call again to the parts store revealed the parts man saying "Yeah, most Exploders have one-piece upper arm/ball joints.."  To which I was tempted to say "And why is this the first time you mentioned this detail?"  - But I didn't;  I happily rode the trike again to the store where they refunded the money for the wrong parts and provided me with the proper part, which after all this trouble, went in pretty uneventfully and correctly.
THREE TRIKE TRIPS in one day.  Thankfully the distance was not far... and thankfully I enjoy any excuse for riding the trike.
Savings:  A Couple Hundred Bucks
Losses:  Time and a Couple Fingernails

Ride(s) Started:   11:27 AM      Ride(s) Ended:  4:36 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  125      Ending BG: 112

Lowest Temp:  57 F    Highest Temp:  71  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  7.69
Distance Walked: 1 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.1 MPH                             6.5 MPH               23.8 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 46 mins                  1 hour  7 mins        37 minutes

Swallowed Another BUG

Today's Around Town Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio

We got home yesterday, Monday, from our trip to Virginia International Raceway to watch our favorite racer Chris Schaafsma run his hopped-up VW Golf (a Golf shell with a zoom-zoom motor and a seat for the driver).
We enjoyed our visit but realized as soon as we got there that we needed to bring along our trikes in the future.  The raceway was populated with scooters and a few people-powered bicycles and all kinds of ATV's.  Getting back and forth between bathrooms and snack counters etc. would have been a lot more pleasant on trikes instead of on foot.  Ah Well.  Maybe Next Time.
Our right front brake had been making grumbly noises for most of the 2-day trip home, and as soon as we got home and rested just a bit, I jacked up the Ford Exploder and checked the brake.  Sure enough, one of the disc pads was worn paper-thin and badly needing replacement.  Leaving the vehicle up on the jack, I dragged out my Catrike and rode the mile or so over to our closest auto parts store.
Since when did everything get so expensive??  Itty Bitty brake pads cost THIRTY bucks before tax??
And a new Rotor goes for $50-Plus?   Seems like just a few months ago such things were about half or less of such prices.
Paid for the new front pads, rode back home, and finished installing the new brakes.
Total miles for the parts run:  2.37 -  Brakes are again smooth and silent.
Today, Tuesday, I was anxious to get in a fairly decent ride.  The forecast was for cloudy and possible rain showers.  It was cloudy and cool but not threatening by the time I got my tires aired up on the trike, so I thought I'd have time to get out and back and rack up a few miles.
The local weather is cooling and turning to fall.  I hadn't ridden more than a couple miles when my smiling face realized... I had a BUG in my mouth.  I guess that's what comes from being a mouth-breather while trike riding... and possibly elsewhere.  It was only a short sensation.  I realized I'd ingested a foreign critter of some sort, hacked it up, and spit it out.  Didn't stop to see what it was;  didn't roll him around in my mouth to see what he tasted like.  PTOOEY and gone.
We had used up our spare quart of oil during the trip to VA and back, so I took the long route around town to visit Walmart and pick up a quart.  As well as a good old Diet Soda.....
Leaving Walmart, I noticed some heavy black clouds building up towards town, so I gave some extra goosh to get home before it started.
Of course, by the time I got home, the clouds had cleared to only light cloudiness again.
Glad I didn't get wet, at any rate.
I noticed with some dismay that my insulin doses didn't seem to be having much effect while we were traveling.  Musta been too much sitting around while traveling under gasoline power, as my BG readings have dropped dramatically since we got home and I got back on my triking....

Ride Started:   1:06 PM      Ride Ended:  3:02 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  98      Ending BG: 96

Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  71  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  7.39
Distance Walked: .5 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.7 MPH                             7.3 MPH               20.8 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 34 mins                    1 hour                  33 minutes

And Another Excuse To Ride

Tracking via APRS, GPS, and Ham Radio

Lost sleep.  Silly Lilly woke me whining a couple times during the wee hours.  She shushed for a couple hours after a sleepy rebuke from us, but started in for earnest at 4:40 AM, exactly 20 minutes before the alarm was to go off.  I drearily got up, put my night-coat on, and walked the dog until she did her business, then went inside with her and proceeded to do MY morning business, since there was little use trying to get any sleep for 5 or 10 minutes.
When we got to the church building for early morning seminary, starting at 6:30 sharp, our young piano player discovered the piano didn't work.  So we sang our song with vocal music (?) only.
When we got hone I was so bushed I went back under the covers (the local weather has cooled noticeably) and took at least a couple hours of nappy time.  Felt great.  Getting up so early seems to really tire us both out.  Especially me.
When I lazily and finally got out of bed it was almost noon.  I had decided I wanted to take a voltmeter back to the seminary piano and check to see what was wrong.  We'd had a huge lightning storm over the weekend and I thought perhaps it might be only a circuit breaker needing resetting.
This desire morphed into a great excuse for taking a trike ride, especially since my cheapie voltmeters are small and light, thanks to the blessings of modern electronics.
So I saddled up and went. 
The local weather again is cooler than usual so it was quite a pleasant ride, even though I was wearing SOCKS this time.  I didn't stop for my usual Walmart soda.  I figured I could do that on the way home.
It was only when I pulled into the church parking lot that I remembered I had NOT brought the necessary keys.  I had to call Jacque and be nice to her,  so she would drive over and bring me the keys.

Waiting for Jacque to bring me the Keys

Sadly, the problem inside was not simply a circuit breaker.  Full 120 Volts AC was present at the desired outlet, but nothing was coming out of the inline power supply.
It didn't take long to pry the little plastic box apart with my Gerber knife/tool, and sure enough, there was a huge blackened area on the little circuit board where copper traces used to be.  I took all the burnt pars home to see if I had an old power supply that could be adapted. 
No such luck, so I borrowed the battery out of my bike pack.  By the time I had piddled around with all this, it was bedtime. (YAWN)

Ride Started:   11:55 AM      Ride Ended:  3:10 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  12.9

Beginning Blood Glucose:  142      Ending BG: 113

Lowest Temp:  64 F    Highest Temp:  75  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  6.59
Distance Walked: .5 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  3.2 MPH                             5.6 MPH              19.5 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 2 hours 4 mins                    57 minutes           1 hour 7 mins

Knocking Around Town

Today's APRS/GPS Tracking

Jacque and I attended an auction around the corner from our house today.
It was the contents of a deceased Grandpa's woodworking shop, and I was shocked at how cheap most things went for, in spite of the abundance of bidders on site.
I purchased a used table saw from an ad on Facebook Marketplace a week ago for $50, thinking it a bargain, and still thinking so.  This auction had 6 or 7 table saws in newer condition than mine, and the highest bids for any was $50, with most selling in thee $30-$40 range.  We only picked up a couple of vibrating sanders, for a total of $17 and change.  I handed the cashier $20 and asked her to keep the change.
This was a tough crowd today, with lots of interest but few and low bids.  Probably tens of thousands of dollars' worth of hardware brought in maybe 3 or 4 thousand in sale cash.
If I had been younger I would have driven up that revenue quite a bit to set up a rather complete workshop.  As it is I'm committed to only adding a few needed items for our remodeling, though I do regret selling so many of the tools I USED to have before we moved from New Mexico.
After getting home and watching the morning session of General Conference, Jacque and our dear neighbor/friend Dianne drove to Walmart and I saddled up for a trike ride.
I rode out by the now-fading auction, just in case something valuable had remained unbidden, but all was done and being loaded into various trucks.
Jacque had said they were going for some missing ingredients for chocolate brownies so I didn't want to be late for those delights, so I did not try to do a frog-strangler distance.
Jacque somewhere found a "new recipe" for brownies - and - they did not disappoint.
I rode a bit over 5 miles on my loop today and enjoyed the cooler weather a LOT.  The temperature comparison between here and Yuma flip-flopped these last 2 days, with 82 for a high here and 96 in Yuma, which is the more normal course of life.  Whatever that is.

Ride Started:   1:17 PM      Ride Ended:  2:07 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  290      Ending BG: 76

Lowest Temp:  75 F    Highest Temp:  78  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.51
Distance Walked: 1 mile +-
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.5 MPH                             5.6 MPH              19.5 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 50 minutes                         47 minutes           3 minutes

Tandem Terrorizing Trip

Today's mapped route - Radio/GPS only recorded one leg

We got home late from West Plains last night.  We had to get up at 5 AM, as usual this morning, and though I slept fairly well, Jacque had a rough night.
After doing our Seminary class this morning, Jacque took off garage sale-ing while I stayed home - intending to sneak a nap.  Didn't happen.
I sanded and painted a couple of kitchen cabinet doors out in the garage, then dragged out my Catrike to install a new control cable for the front ring-gear shifter.  This booger has been very tight and difficult to shift for months now.  Lubing and rearranging the cable routing resulted in some improvement, but the new cables I ordered from Amazon arrived last evening and I installed one of them today. 
The old cable, when I removed it, showed previously unseen rust and corrosion on the middle of the cable. MAN, what a difference now.  A very short test ride up the street and back showed the shifting is smooth, easy, and accurate.  I was ready for  a ride.
I was taking a break when Jacque came home and we decided we wanted to go to Walmart to get our yearly flu shots.  We agreed it would be a good excuse to ride our trikes.  As I was headed to the garage to drag them out and saddle up for the ride I decided we should take the tandem Terratrike instead of our individual Catrikes .
The tandem is larger, heavy, and slow to chug along the streets with, but it's actually more fun than following each other with varying speeds with separate trikes. 
Thus, we took the slow but laborious ride up to Walmart.  This monster is always a hit with sightseers and passing motorists, especially when we have Tink and Lilly in the back basket adding to the spectacle.
We rode to the far side of Walmart, which had a shaded rest area next to their garden displays for employees, which we partook of joyfully.
Since we had the doggies with us, Jacque went into the Pharmacy first for her shot while I waited outside and drank my usual cool-off cola.  The only unpleasantness was one of the employees on break was enjoying his smoke while I was trying to enjoy my coke.  He finally went back to work and the air cleared considerably.
Jacque came back out - newly punctured - and I went in for mine.
The waiting around for our names to be called consumed almost as much time as the riding did.
Riding both directions on the east side of Hiway 95 involves less hill climbing than my normal single-trike routing, so that's the way we rode.
Today was quite cool by recent Missouri standards, but it was in the low 80's when we rode.  Still a lot cooler than normal.  I hadn't worn my shocking shorts for today's ride and did not regret it.

Ride Started:   2:14 PM      Ride Ended:  4:03 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.7  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9   Lowest Voltage:  13.2

Beginning Blood Glucose:  93      Ending BG: 156

Lowest Temp:  68 F    Highest Temp:  79  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  6.08
Distance Walked: 1 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  3.4 MPH                             5.4 MPH              17.0 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hours 46 mins                1 hour 7 mins       39 minutes

Old Fart on the Highway

Today's Road Rambling

As usual, today I thought I'd get an earlier start in the morning for my quasi-daily ride, but goofed off so long - as usual - until the sun was already high and hot.  I again noted, with disgust, that Yuma AZ was TEN DEGREES COOLER than Mountain Grove. 
My riding goal for today was to drop in on a church buddy of mine in Cabool, which is only about 8 miles away.  It was so warm and my feet so hot I had to stop and rest several times, one of which was the Subway sandwich shoppe just off the middle US-60 Mountain Grove on/off ramp.  I wanted a fizzy drink, so I ordered a small cup.  A DOLLAR and NINETY-FIVE CENTS for a SMALL drink?
Sorry, Subway..... Never Again.  The soda was nice and fizzy and cool, and after stewing about my extravagrant purchase, I rode the short distance to the on-ramp and proceeded east on US 60.

I had done some maintenance and repair on the trike last evening, and they worked out well:
- Aired up all 3 tires
- Added a 11 inch extension to the black plastic tubing chain guard
- Realigned and lubricated my front gear shifter cable and guides

All items gave noticeable improvement. 
The inflated tires rolled stiffer but easier with less friction.
The extension to the chain REALLY worked well, since in the years ever since I purchased this Catrike , my right leg always gets striped with black grease from occasional brushes with the chain.  The extension appears to be long enough to forestall such encounters, at least THIS time.
The shifter repair and alignment allowed me, for the first time in weeks, to shift into my largest and highest-speed gear ring on the front gearset.  Thus I was able to increase my speed a little, especially on level and downhill runs.  I see my average speed actually showed up on the GPS data.
Even with all these wonderful improvements, I get tired pedaling down (and especially UP) the road.
Shade was at a premium since it was close to high noon, so my rest breaks occurred mostly in the bright sunshine.  But it's always great to rest - and occasionally massage - the feet.
Speaking of which, my lovely doggie Tinkerbell has recently  begun the wonderful habit:

When she first started this delightful habit, it tickled my feet so much I couldn't stand it for long.
Now, I eagerly allow her to lick and massage my feet just as long as her little heart can stand it.  It's a WONDERFUL therapy for old worn out feet!

By the time I got to the easternmost exit into Mountain Grove, I checked my map and realized:
- I still had more than 2 miles to go for my intended destination
-I was at the 6 mile mark and thus I would accumulate at least a dozen bragging miles, just by turning around.
I turned around.
For the return trip, I stopped at Walmart, now on my side of the freeway, and found a shady spot behind some of their outside displays where I could rest and cool off and drink my relatively affordable 50 cent soda.  A lady approached me and enquired "Did you build that thing?"  - Meaning my trike, of course.  I reassured her they were factory-made in Florida, even though some intrepid do-it-your-selfers DO build similar machines.  She said, of course, she'd never seen one before.
A common enough statement around these parts.....
Again made it back home safe and sound, though a bit late with the additional miles and lazy stops.

Ride Started:   11:13 AM      Ride Ended:  2:05 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.7  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  121      Ending BG: 104

Lowest Temp:  75 F    Highest Temp:  82  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  13.10
Distance Walked: 1 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.6 MPH                             6.9 MPH              22.9 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 3 hours 52 mins                1 hour 54 mins       58 minutes

Them Dang Dogs can RUN!

Today's Roundabout Tracking via APRS and Ham Radio

Jacque and I had appointments with our local chiropractor this morning, so after our early morning seminary class, we rested a bit, changed to more casual clothes, and saddled up our trikes for the "trip".
I list it as "trip" since the doc's office is maybe 1/2 mile away, and an easy ride.
Unfortunately, as we pedaled over to the railroad crossing at Wall Street (Yas, Mountain Grove actually has a Wall Street, with no millionaires or office buildings along it), we encountered big sawhorses and warnings with signs indicating the street crossing was closed for maintenance.  I even rode around the barricades to see if we could sneak the trikes across somehow, but it looked pretty dicey.  Thus we turned around to go back up to the Route 95 crossing closer to our home, which added maybe another half mile to the trip.  No Matter.
We slogged up to the doc's parking lot right at 9 AM, about 10 minutes later than we'd planned for, but they let us in and worked on us anyway.
After getting my neck popped and my joints re-aligned, Jacque rode for home and I, wanting to do more miles, of course, took off for La-La Land.
The weather here in Missouri has been quite warm recently, with some saying it's the warmest fall on record for the area.  The last couple of days I've been comparing the temperatures in Yuma AZ with our temps here and Yuma has repeatedly been several degrees COOLER than here.  How unfair.  Yuma is farther south and even lower in altitude than anywhere in MO, so it's kinda funny to see them desert rats enjoying cooler temperatures.  We spent the winter in Yuma a couple years ago and enjoyed the WARMER temperatures and milder weather than we were used to in NM.  I'm interested to see how the comparisons progress as fall turns into winter.  Yuma is supposed to be unlivable in the summertime with temps well above 100.  I just had no prior notion that their fall weather could be milder than Missouri, for crying out loud.
Back to Mountain Grove.  In spite of the rapidly elevating temperature here, it was a breezy and sunny day, with the breeze providing some cooling effect.  I detoured around town a bit, to add miles as well as peek at neighborhoods not yet seen.  I eventually got thirsty and decided to go across Route 60 at the middle on/off ramp into Mountain Grove and guzzle one of WalMart's cheap 50 cent machine sodas.  As I sat in the shade and enjoyed resting my feets, snacking and drinking my fizzy soda, I got several comments from passers - by, including one fellow who wanted to know "Where can I get one of those trikes?"  I told him they were great machines, but not at all cheap when new or even used, normally.  I paid $800 for my Catrike a few years ago when a ham radio guy in Albuquerque was clearing out his garage as he was getting ready for a nursing home.  Since the model I got from him cost a bit over $2000 new, I considered it a screaming bargain.  I've certainly gotten my $800 worth of enjoyment out of it years ago.  I told THIS fellow to do searches on the internet in such places as Ebay and Facebook Marketplace, and he walked away saying he was going to do just that.  I wish him well, and hope we bump into each other again.... on recumbent trikes, heh.
My rest break there at Wally World lasted a lot longer than I planned, since it was in the shade and my feet were tired and sore already.  I finally got going again, deciding to take Hiway 60 westbound the couple of miles to the westernmost on/off ramp into Mountain Grove.
I love Route 60 with it's wide and smooth shoulders I and the horse-drawn Amish use for commuting.
(Speaking of Horse Drawn Amish, they seem to be a fading breed hereabouts.  Occasionally we see some riding in horse drawn rigs, but most ride in trailers of various sizes and shapes pulled by the family gas or diesel powered farm tractor.  Evidently the local customs allow mechanized farm equipment, and many families ride en masse in the trailer behind the tractor driven by Pa all the way to Walmart as well as other facilities.)
Anyway, back to trike travel.  The shoulders are great but they tend to accumulate lots of debris, including dead animal road kill, here and there and everywhere.  I neglected to take pictures of the dead raccoons, squirrels, armadillos, and even a big black SNAKE.  The snake was in a parking lot which I refuse to name for fear Jacque, with her  phobia about snakes, would never patronize that particular business again.  I often have to veer a wide berth around these unfortunate flattened critters to minimize the smell I must breathe through.
At one rest stop, a black flying critter resembling a wasp kept dive-bombing me, even after I swatted him 2 or 3 times.  I finally crippled him enough I could take his mug shot, though still partially mobile.

Wasp or Not, Very Irritating!

I arrived at the desired intersection without incident, and was again hot, tired, and sore-footed.  So I looked for a shady spot to take a break in.  I found a nice spot just off the Bell Crossing road in a long driveway leading to a house back in the woods.  I rested for maybe 10 minutes before realizing I was hearing a dog barking near the driveway's house.  The dawg sounded a lot like our dogs do when strangers are noticed nearby, and it wasn't running toward me or getting closer.  I finally put away the water bottle, reattached the helmet and gear, and rode away.  I don't know what all transpired, but suddenly the barks were getting closer and I could see this pit bull rapidly approaching in my rear view mirror, howling for all he was worth.  I've never been bitten or even attacked by a dog, but I didn't know this mutt and wasn't all that crazy about GETTING to know him, so I poured on the coal and quickly shifted into my higher gears, adrenaline providing some additional "juice".
On came Doggy-Poo, still gaining on me.  I was level or slightly downhill, and not lacking acceleration, but the faster I pedaled, the more excited the dog ran and HIS adrenaline seemed to be helping him too.  I was just barely ahead of him as I neared 20 MPH, and stayed that way for an unknown distance.  He finally dropped back, but only after being right at my back fender for an uncomfortable time.  I'm thinking if he'd really wanted me, he'd have gotten me.
As usual, the rest of the ride was enjoyable except for the heat in the feet.  It was great to get home and sit back in the recliner and get the sore feet elevated and rested.

Ride Started:   8:40 AM      Ride Ended:  12:24 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.0  Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0   Lowest Voltage:  13.0

Beginning Blood Glucose:  122      Ending BG: 82

Lowest Temp:  75 F    Highest Temp:  84  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  11.31
Distance Walked: 1 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  3.1 MPH                             6.5 MPH              21.1 MPH

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 3 hours 39 mins                1 hour 45 mins       1 hour 54 mins