Sadly Triking All Alone

Today's Almost 8-mile GPS / Ham Radio Tracking

The Enthusiastic Grandson left for his New Mexico home early Monday and it likely will be a while before he gets another ride with Grandpa.  Snif...
The day after Christmas, Sunday 26 Dec turned out to be another spring-like almost balmy End-of-December day. 
On Monday, Possible weather forecasts had called for ugly, but it also was rather nice.  We had a serving dish left behind by one of our Christmas Dinner guests so I used that for an excuse to take a ride.  She only lives a few blocks away, but it's uphill to that house, thus a "breathtaking" ride even if that's the  only destination.
But I was still feeling energized after that short delivery, so I roamed around again.
While the ride was enjoyable, as usual, I noticed again that my rear derailleur control lever was sagging in spots,  It rarely would shift into the highest gear without messing around with it.  Usually I could fiddle and wiggle the lever and back-crank the pedals a bit and get it to lunge into high gear, but I made a note to myself to look it over, hopefully only needing adjustment or lube or both, after I got home.
I went to my usual northern destination, the local Big Box Store, and found most of the list I had on my dumb/smartphone.  I needed another item they didn't have. so after that I rode up another 1/8 mile or so to the local Ace Hardware (Non Big Box, so I list its actual name) and sure enough, after some wandering around, I found the necessary $4.00 item.
The homeward bound trip was a shorter route  than I usually take, but it was getting late and I'd been gone longer than usual, plus the icky shifter situation.
Jump forward to Today Tuesday and it was raining when we got up and started to pour rather serious and then cleared up and the sun  came out.  So I wanted to ride again, but decided I'd better follow up on my "good intention" of getting the consarned shifter to work more better.
Of course THAT turned into a major project involving vise, Vise-GRIPS, and busted knuckles.
The shifter cable itself turned out to be worn and frayed, and taking it apart for replacement was a MESS.  I promptly ran out of daylight, patience, and parts.  More later

Ride Started: 1:32 PM           Ride Ended:  3:37 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.6   Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9
Lowest Temp: 57 F Highest Temp: 57 F (!!)
Beginning Blood Glucose:  188   Ending BG: 98
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  7.9
Overall Average Speed      Moving Avg          Max Speed
  3.8 MPH                              6.9 MPH            26.3  MPH
Total Trip(s) Time              Moving Time        Stopped Time
 2 hours 3 minutes             1 hour 8  mins        55  minutes 

Grand Triking with GRANDSON

 Christmas Eve GPS Trike Tracking

We have LOTS of grandchildren, some old enough to start making us into Greats.  Our YOUNGest grandson came to visit us for this Christmas Holiday, and brought his parents as well.
Only 6 years of age, he was a perfect holiday brightener, smiling, telling jokes, helping read scripture Christmas verses in the evenings, and almost continually humming Christmas Carols.  What a guy.
AND, in spite of the odds, he JUMPED at the chance to take a ride with Grandpa in the B.O.B. trike trailer.  Squealed with delight as we zoomed around, commenting at all the bumpy spots and potholes in the pavement, he did.  What a guy.
On Christmas Eve, our so called Winter Weather had us at sunny skies and record breaking balmy temperatures reaching a tad over 70.  Wonderful weather for zooming around on the trike.
Before their arrival I had worried that he might not fit the trailer "safety seat" without modification, which I was more than willing to do if necessary.  But his skinny butt fit perfectly.  No Problem.

We first took a short round - the - block to see how he liked the trailer ride, and his enthusiasm led to a few more miles.  Grandma and his parents had driven to our local Big Box Store on the north end of town.  A common destination for many of my trike trips as well.  So we took the long way around to get there too, avoiding the worst of the last minute Holiday traffic.  We arrived at the front of the store just as the fam was leaving.  We enjoyed a short reunion and instead of entering the crowded Big Box, we returned to our cruising.  We had to stop at least a couple of times for Grandpa to juice up his blood sugar.  I was a bit more bushed than usual the rest of the day but it was WELL worth the effort.
We later took a couple extra short rides for this & that.reasons....
He bragged to his parents that "We went on THREE trike rides today!!"
That was Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day we spent oohing and ahh-ing over various presents, goodies, and Grandma's Christmas Feast.  No Triking, though of course it would have helped Grandpa's blood sugar.
Today, the day after Christmas, was a bit cloudy and cooler but still good enough weather for another ride after Church - before they leave early in the morning trying to beat forecasts of incoming rainy weather.
No heroic riding this time, but still smiley and helping Grandparents enjoy life.
Now he can brag about FOUR rides with Goofy Grandpa. 

Christmas Eve:
Ride Started: 9:06 AM           Ride Ended:  5:02 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0   Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9
Lowest Temp: 57 F Highest Temp: 67 F
Beginning Blood Glucose:  218   Ending BG: 88
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  7.46
Overall Average Speed      Moving Avg          Max Speed
  2.8 MPH                              5.3 MPH            22.3  MPH
Total Trip(s) Time              Moving Time        Stopped Time
 2 hours 38 minutes           1 hour 24  mins     1 hour 14  mins 

Warm Triking in December ??

Windy Wednesday Wandering GPS Track 

My sore feet had an appointment with Wally at our local California Nail Salon this morning.
Of course I wanted to use it for an excuse to ride the Catrike, but the weather was looking a tad ugly, with high wind warnings for the entire day supposedly.
AND, in spite of it being Middle December, temperatures are almost spring-like.  Warm air meeting Cold Air can produce those nasty things called Shelf Clouds and Tornadoes.  BAH.  Nothing yet, thankfully.
When I walked the doggies this morning, it was sopping wet outside even though it was NOT raining, and in spite of heavy cloud cover.  I waited another half hour before leaving, but still no rain appeared, so I took off on the trike.
Wally is of Vietnamese extraction, and is a master manipulator of feet and toes.  As I think I have mentioned before, he has transformed my warped and discolored feet and toenails into presentable condition, and has radically transformed my rotting toenails.  Jacque had to hound me into trying out this "nail salon", and in spite of my redneck attitudes about "Such Things", I am no a Believer.  His foot treatments have far better results than my Podiatrist, who is a certified Medical Doctor.  Truth.  Believe it.
While being worked on by this talented young fellow, a little red headed girl who was not-so-patiently accompanying her Auntie who was getting her fingernails primped across the room started making noises that impatient youngsters often exhibit.  Her Auntie tried to shush her, but she wasn't really bothering the rest of us.  She started peeking around from her chair and turned out to be a super-cutie 3-year old redhead.  I couldn't resist making funny faces at her.  It wasn't long  before she started calling me "Paw Paw" every time she turned around to look at me.  That of course is REALLY hard to take, being called "Paw Paw" by cute kiddos.  Made my day.
Speaking of which, the clouds never seemed to go away, but continued to look threatening without producing raindrops.   Thankfully.  But the forecast wind fulfilled predictions and was at times unpleasant to deal with, especially when hitting it head-on.
My homemade extended visor on my bike helmet is fabricated from wonderful material:  Plastic Yellow Oil Can.  Which normally works fine but is a bit too flexible in high winds. and when it flops Down in my face in high gusts it partially blocks my vision.  So I need to exercise my engineering skills and find some better junk material to fashion it from.
About halfway home, a fellow passed me in his pickup and, stopping at the intersection in front of us, got out and started telling me about his Dad or Grand-Dad  who is also a recumbent cyclist who is actually one of those around-the-world travelers.  His name is Bird or Byrd, but so far I haven't been able to find him  in so-called Social Media.
More Good Folks.....

Ride Started: 9:05 AM           Ride Ended:  11:04 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.0   Ending Battery Voltage:  12.8
Lowest Temp: 60 F Highest Temp: 67 F
Beginning Blood Glucose:  118   Ending BG: 138
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  5.27
Overall Average Speed      Moving Avg       Max Speed
  2.7 MPH                              7.0 MPH            22.9  MPH
Total Trip(s) Time                Moving Time      Stopped Time
 1 hour 58 minutes                 45  minutes         1 hour 12  mins

Good Folks

 Yesterday's GPS tracking

My buddy Jack-Jack came over to the house yesterday.  He came expecting a  Trike & Trailer ride, but it was pretty cool and unfavorable for such an endeavor.  His Momma was sewing with Jacque in that new fangled Sewing Room, so Jack was occupied for a while watching cartoons.
When the cartoon ended, the sun had come out, and it was quite a bit warmer in spite of a bit of gusty wind.  His Momma agreed it was an acceptable time for a trike ride, since she was still in the middle of a sewing project.
After dragging the trike and trailer outside, we bundled up and took off.  

 

After pedaling around fairly aimlessly, we decided to do a loop around the Town Square.  There is lots of construction and de-struction going on there, what with the tearing down 2 or 3 fire-damaged buildings ongoing. 
As I admired the worker and machine activity, Jack got bored.  He turned around looking for something interesting and immediately spotted the Mountain Grove Pharmacy and Soda Fountain.  He has been there before, and evidently had fond memories of the previous treat he'd encountered there.  Jack is a young man of few words, but he exclaimed loudly:  "ICE CREAM!  ICE CREAM !"  So we went.
My blood sugar was a bit too high so I drank a glass of ice water, slowly, as Jack struggled to gulp down the rather oversized bowl of ice cream he'd been served.  
There were several old duffers (maybe almost as old as ME) already at various tables, and several tried to make conversation with my overly cute buddy.  Being, again, of few words, and with a mouth full of ice cream, he didn't pay too much attention to them.
About halfway through his ice cream, one of the couples arose to leave.  I was surprised when the nice gray haired lady bent over to Jack's side of the table and asked me "Would it be Okay if I did something?"
I assumed she was going to flirt with Jack, but instead she pressed a handful of dollar bills in my hand and said "I want to pay for his Ice Cream".  I started to protest that we didn't "need" any help that way.
I also remembered a few times that "I" tried to be generous to someone and was rebuffed.
So I swallowed my pride and told her Thank You and Merry Christmas.
Folks around here seem to be more generous than some places we've experienced, even though this does not seem to be an overly prosperous area.  I was struck again at the generosity of so many of the people we meet.  There are certainly more Good People around than there are Bad ones.
Anyway, I sure wish I knew this lady's name so I could brag on her a little better.

Ride Started: 10:23 AM           Ride Ended:  11:35 AM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.7   Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9
Lowest Temp: 53 F Highest Temp: 64 F
Beginning Blood Glucose:  185   Ending BG: 165
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  0.89
Overall Average Speed      Moving Avg       Max Speed
  5.5 MPH                              8.4 MPH            13.4  MPH
Total Trip(s) Time                Moving Time      Stopped Time
 9 minutes 41 secs                6  mins 21 secs    3  mins 21 seconds

Playing Catch-Up

 I was mildly shocked to realize how long it's been since I recorded anything in this dingie bloggie thingie.
Almost a month, weird.  We've been busy, so maybe I could use that for an excuse for laxity.
I still ride around on my trike, usually every other day or so.  A poor showing for my "goal" of riding - at least a mile or two - every day.  OH Well.
Here are a few mileage reports from the GPS on the Catrike :

2.18 miles
3.23 miles
1.25 miles
1.89 miles
5.37 miles
6.23 miles
1.13 miles
1.01 miles

We've had wonderfully mild warm weather up until about 5 December.   We confess if this is global warming, we LIKE it.
Trouble is, winter temps strike intermittently and often without warning.  Our last 2 days have been freezing, and uncomfortable.
We went to NC to pick up a 3-year old Air Conditioner/Heat Pump system from Jacque's cousing and then to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, our first out of town trips in quite a while.  Our Ford heater had died, and the temperatures were COLD, and driving long distances with quilts on our laps was not all that enjoyable, though we surely enjoyed the visits.
We got home safe and sound in spite of ourselves, so we give thanks to Heavenly Father for preserving us in our old age - so far.
Sunday last, 5 December, 'twas sunny but cool, so in the afternoon after Church we dragged out our trikes for a short ride around our town square.  We didn't get very far before I noticed an unnatural rumble/Pop/Thump, so I finally pulled over to see if I had something stuck on one of my wheels.
Nothing found on the tires, BUT the rear tire was almost totally FLAT, causing the noise as the almost airless rubber met the road unevenly.  I tried to ride slowly and carefully back to the house, but had to give up and lift the rear of the trike and drag it home with the rear tire held above the ground.
I spent Monday removing the cumbersome tire with the greasy gears in the way, painfully removing the tube with  the hole in it, and installing a new tube.  I normally prefer putting in a new tube rather than trying to successfully patch a wounded tube.
I was able to do the check-ride thing with it shortly afterward, and it passed inspection.
It was cold enough to require a quick grab of winter riding accessories.

GPS Track: 

Ride Started: 4:26 PM           Ride Ended:  4:36 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage: 13.7   Ending Battery Voltage:  13.0
Lowest Temp: 35 F Highest Temp: 39 F
Beginning Blood Glucose:  158   Ending BG: 65
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  0.89
Overall Average Speed      Moving Avg       Max Speed
  5.5 MPH                              8.4 MPH            13.4  MPH
Total Trip(s) Time                Moving Time      Stopped Time
 9 minutes 41 secs                6  mins 21 secs    3  mins 21 seconds