Saturday, March 30, 2019

Ridin' in Rain

Saturday Path GPS Tracking

The last couple of days have been rather soggy in our neighborhood.  Today was overcast and drippy but the drizzle stopped around noonish so I wanted to get in a mile or so at least.
I rode the third-mile or so marathon to our closest building and supply to purchase a few dozen wood screws.  We had thousands of these things back in NM before we moved, but they didn't make the cut to get packed and traverse the distance to our new casita in Missouri.  (That, or I just can't find them in the stuff we've unpacked.) 
The screws are needed for some sawhorses I'm slapping together for Jacque to use when she sands and paints and works on our beat-up kitchen cabinet doors.  As well as other wood-butchering projects such as general house maintenance etc.
As I arrived at the building supply store, I thought I felt a tiny drop or two of moisture as I unsaddled to go inside.  The weather had cooled markedly from the last couple of weeks, and I had a wool liner, a windbreaker outer layer for a jacket, fingered mittens, and one of Jacque's famous homemade polar fleece skull caps inside the bike helmet.  I did NOT get overheated.  The temperature was in the low 40's overnight and had slowly gotten COLDER as the sun came up and the day wore on.
I spent perhaps 20 minutes finding and counting and sorting the screws I wanted.  When I came out my polar fleece cap, left on the seat of the trike, was noticeably damp.  As I rode away I could feel the mist lightly hitting me in the face.  It was not enough to make me go directly home, so I "took the long way home" by circling a few blocks.  Once on the trike, it's hard to just give it up, don'tcha know.

Ride Started:  1:46 PM        Ride Ended:  2:14 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14.3  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  240 Ending BG:  184
Lowest Temp:  39 F    Highest Temp:  42 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  1.53
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   3.2   MPH                           5.8   MPH            
17.6 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
28 minutes                           15
 minutes              13 minutes

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Running Around Town

Today's Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio

So, I was working on the Tandem Recumbent Terratrike today.  The front chain has an idler pulley that hasn't been working properly and repeatedly jumps the chain loose.  I am replacing the small idler cog wheel with a rimmed spool idler wheel that hopefully will keep the chain contained and avoid all the grinding and rattling.
Of course, the new idler has a different spindle size as well as a different outer diameter.  The outer diameter is no problem  but I need a different bolt and sleeve to mount the idler on.
I first rode over to our closest hardware store - which didn't have the stuff I needed.  So I rode back home for a short rest break before riding the 3 miles across the big US-60 highway to our local Ace Hardware store.  The only thing I could think of for a spindle spacer was to use a piece of copper tubing cut to size.  Sure enough, Ace had what I needed, as well as a shouldered screw to use as a new spindle.
Youngest Grandson Jonathan Photo No Extra Charge

My feet, as usual, were complaining through most of the ride.  The pain waxes and wanes but I seem to be able to tolerate it better the more I ride.  Several rest stops and foot-rubbings helped me - as usual.
Per the tracker problem with the Tandem Terratrike I replaced the GPS unit and now it seems to work.  We'll see how well the next time Jacque and I take it for a ride.

Ride Started:  10:42 AM        Ride Ended:  1:53 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  250 Ending BG:  174
Lowest Temp:  50 F    Highest Temp:  71 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  6.12
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   3.2   MPH                           5.8   MPH            
17.6 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 55 mins                     1 hour 3
 mins          52 minutes

Post Script:
I rode AGAIN, this time for an around-the-block test ride on the Tandem Terratrike.  Test riding to see if the new GPS works properly allowing for successful Position Beaconing and if the new idler pulley works.  Both successful.  
Jacque had left for her Eastern Star meeting in Mansfield so the stoker seat was empty, but Tink and Lilly gladly rode in the rear basket.
Next Tandem ride will be more fun for all.... guaranteed.
Less-Than-a-Mile Tandem Track

Friday, March 22, 2019

Double Whammy: Tandem Ride

Jacque had a great idea today:  She suddenly had a prescription filled at our local WalMart.  She suggested we take the tandem together to pick up her meds.
We've ridden the tandem a couple times since we moved to Missouri, and it had issues.  The left brake was sticky and hard to activate and release.  So I worked on it a couple hours in order to have a safer less problematic ride.
I tried the usual WD-40 injection cure-all treatment for the left brake cable and disc caliper pivot points, but got only little improvement.  I decided to really dig deep enough to figure out what was hanging things up by completely taking the cable assembly apart.  I turned out to be the cable and sleeve itself.  It was corroded and the friction sleeve on one end was bent and thus binding the cable inside from free movement.  I dug out my new-bike-parts stash from the RV and - though I had 3 spare cable assemblies on hand - none were short enough to suit this job.  Luckily I invested in a couple of cable cutters 2 years ago when I was repairing missionary bikes for the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  My old cable seemed too short for the turning radius of the steering on the trike, stretching the cable to max tautness and kinking it.  Of course, sitting out  in the weather for a year at the kids' place near Edgewood didn't help any either.
The replacement cables have a different termination on each end so it can be used with either a shifter or brake assembly.  Of course I cut the wrong end off on my first attempt and had to cut and assemble another one in correct fashion to get it going.  Finally I got it all back together again and turned my attention to the non-working APRS tracker assembly that sends my GPS data to the Internet so I and others can view the trip either live or afterwards.  Including You, Dear Reader.
I checked the radio and interface for 12 Volt power and that seemed to be where it was supposed to.
After powering it up and waiting to see if it would transmit any beacons or positions, and seeing nothing, I gave up.  Decided to ride without it, but a last minute peek revealed a broken tiny black wire pulled loose and hanging.  So that needs soldering and rearranging, but maybe later.  We decided to complete a ride today and worry about electronic repairs later.
Riding the tandem Tandem Terratrike is more labor-intensive - for both of us - than either of us riding solo on our single seaters.  But it's fun, and a way to stay together - literally - while riding, and so it goes.  Or Went. 
With several stops for rest and foot rubbing, we made it both directions.  Ours seem to be the only recumbent trikes in the area, and the tandem is especially eye-catching.  Lots of waves and "Oooh, Look at the Dog!"  and "Whoa, there's TWO doggies in back!"
Again, no one crowded or bothered us in any way.  Great riding, and tiring.  Resulting again in lower blood sugar.

Ride Started:  12:28 PM        Ride Ended:  2:17 PM
Beginning Blood Glucose:  158 Ending BG:  62
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.45
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   2.7   MPH                           4.6
   MPH            16.9 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 59 mins                    1 hour 11 mins      48 minutes

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Road Warrior's Paradise: WalMart

Today's Fab Tracking via Ham Radio

I'm out of one of my prescriptions so I had the VA direct the prescription to our local Wal Mart.  You know, the megastore everyone claims to hate but buy most of their "stuff" there.
Since the sun again showed its face today and the distance is around TWO miles, of course I rode my trike over there.
Missouri drivers are so far very tolerant of my slow-rolling-roadblock operations, but I hate to get on really busy stretches if I can avoid it.
So instead of riding the main drag (US 95) through town, I rode side streets.
I overtook an old cyclist  (Maybe as old as ME)  and was pleasantly surprised to be able to catch up to him and pass him.  He seemed to be going the same general direction as I, and I wondered if he was also Walmart-bound.  As I rounded a corner several blocks past this encounter, I spotted him AHEAD of me, and lengthening the distance between us.  He was walking his bike when I first passed him, and somewhere in between he evidently decided to cheat by getting up on his 2-wheeler and pedaling instead of walking.  SIGH.  Getting to where I can't even keep up with cripples or old ladies...
Sam Walton's Finest had my prescription ready - and for only 4 bucks.  Such a deal.
The only high traffic area I had to ride was across the overpass where 95 crosses over Route 60 just before arriving at Walmart.  The Walmart parking lot. of course, is almost always a high traffic area, but no close encounters were encountered.
I'm surprised at how many mutts are allowed to run loose in this burg, even itty bitty dogs like the one who squealed across the street at me on the way home.  He didn't try to attack me, just yapping and chasing for a few feet, and I didn't even try to outrun him.  Not that I could have anyway....

Ride Started:  12:18 PM        Ride Ended:  1:33 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.9  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9 Lowest Voltage:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  211 Ending BG:  74
Lowest Temp:  50 F    Highest Temp:  64 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  5.21
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   3.8   MPH                           6.3   MPH            
18.0 MPH
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 22 mins                      49 minutes            32 minutes

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Out to the Sticks and Back

Today's Partial Tracking via GPS and Ham Radio

Today was NOT sunny and clear.  We awoke to wet streets and grounds from rain last night.  Had the soggy weather continued, I would not have had the chance to get out and ride.
The rain must not have lasted much beyond daybreak since none fell once we got up and around.
The morning passed without further moisture so I saddled up and took off for a ride.
I wanted to try - again - the route I'd started but gave up early yesterday.
My feet hardly bothered me at all today, except the last couple of miles as I returned home.  I attribute it to the much cooler temperatures today - my feet like it cold when they start throbbing and burning - and they stayed pretty cool today, as did the rest of my wrinkled bod, in spite of several layers of clothing.
The main road for this ride was Whetstone Road, winding up hill and down dale, through the woods to Gramma's house and beyond.  I worried about some of the deeper downhills knowing full well on a trike that "what goes down must come back up".   Thankfully, the Ozarks ain't the Rockies - even at my age and condition the climbs back out of the "hollers" were not bad at all.
The local humans seem to think the sight of the trike is unusual.  Evidently so do the livestock...
You may have to enlarge to see all faces looking at me...
I was talking on the ham radio to a couple of fellows west of us at Norwood, who warned me it was starting to rain and I was likely to get wet on the trike.  I told them I was only a mile from home so hopefully I would make it home safe and dry.  It started to sprinkle in my face just before I arrived in our driveway and it was raining steadily as I opened the garage door to get the trike inside.
No harm, no Foul....

Ride Started:  1:19 PM        Ride Ended:  3:16 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.1  Lowest Voltage:  12.1
Beginning Blood Glucose:  231 Ending BG:  63
Lowest Temp:  39 F    Highest Temp:  60 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  9.2
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   4.4                                         5.8                          19.0
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
1 hour 57 mins                      1 hour 45 mins      12 minutes

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

"Long" Ride to the Doctor's Office

Today's Two-Trip Tracking

I had a 9:00 AM appointment with our local chiropractor this morning, and Jacque had a 10:00 appointment with HER doctor.  So I used it for an excuse to do an early morning trike ride so Jacque could take the Exploder.
We drove to West Plains yesterday and my sciatica was killing me throughout the trip.  I was able to get in the short trike trip in the evening after we got home but the sciatica/back pain convinced me it was time for another adjustment.
It was sunny again this morning, with temperatures around 39 degrees or so, so it was a cool but not uncomfortable ride to the Chiropractor.  Such a distance:  About 1.4 miles.  HAH.  I felt quite a bit better after the treatments and returned home, thinking I was probably done riding for the day.
Howsomever, Jacque called me on the phone after getting out of HER appointment and wondered if we might make a lunch date at the Senior Center here in town.  I dragged the trike back out of the garage and met her there.  We chowed down on some rice & pork stuff that tasted pretty good. Often there are 2 or 3 old timer musicians providing live music during these affairs, 2 or 3 times a week, and today they were playing some lively tunes so Jacque and I danced a couple rounds before leaving.
In Albuquerque, all the live dancing places like Caravan East and Cowboys have closed.  Very difficult to find anywhere to go dancing except at the Square Dancing club.  What do young and middle age folks do that like to dance?  We find it a bit strange that, where Old Farts abound, there are more dance and music options than where the young folks congregate.  In Quartzsite and Yuma, multiple places hold live dances several times a week.  Here in Mountain Grove, I know of no other place where dancing occurs than at the Senior Center.  Go figure.
Riding back toward home afterward, I wanted to get a bit more fresh air so I took the long way home and racked up a whopping few more miles.
I confess by then the feets were complaining again so I soaked them for an hour or so and feel much refreshed now.

Ride Started:  8:39 AM        Ride Ended:  12:29 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  14:3  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9  Lowest Voltage:  12.8
Beginning Blood Glucose:  199 Ending BG:  101
Lowest Temp:  42 F    Highest Temp:  60 F
Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:  4.83
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
   6.0                                         6.4                          17.4
Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped Time
46 minutes                              43 minutes              3 minutes

Monday, March 18, 2019

Welcome - Keep Moving

Monday GPS / Ham Radio Tracking

After my recent multi-mile escapade I thought I ought to keep it up and not get any softer than I already am.
Not wanting to over-do it again, I plotted out a route south of town that should come close to my "ideal" ride length of almost 10 miles.
The weather was certainly helping.... Another sunny and warmer day with temperatures in the 60's.
My spirit was strong but the feet were complaining.  I'd ridden only about 3 - something of my planned 5 miles-each-way and decided I was going to wuss out early.
On my way back, I spotted a sign at a farm entrance that made me laugh.  I had to back up a few feet to take the picture:

This reminded me of the sign back in NM on a gate entry saying: "Don't Worry about the Dog.  Watch out for the Master!"
Again, Adios from the Easy Chair with my Feet in the Bubble Machine...

Ride Started:  3:53 PM    Ride Ended:  5:11 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   14.0 Ending Voltage: 12.9 Lowest:  12.9
Beginning Blood Glucose:  58  (Solution: PB Sandwich)  Ending BG:  75
Lowest Temp  53 F     Highest Temp: 71 F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles: 5.77
Distance Walked: 1 mile
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
 4.6 MPH                                   6.1 MPH                    15.4 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
1 hour 14 mins                       57  minutes                18  minutes