SpokEasy

October 2020

Misadventure

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Misadventure can occur to anyone, anytime. A miscalculation of distance can do it. Forgetting to look both ways before entering an intersection can also result in disaster, even in the case of a one-way street. There\’s always the possibility of a driver going the wrong way; and often enough, I see cyclists riding against one-way signs. That is a no-no for cyclists as much for motor vehicle operators. I wonder whether the rider of the bicycle shown above was wearing reflective clothing. Or was using lights. Either one might have prevented this crash. This morning I nearly had my own misadventure. Coming back from Wal-Mart, I had to take to a main road for a short stretch. I neither saw nor heard anything coming when I got to that road. But before I got to the place where I can leave the road, I heard a big truck coming up behind me; and another vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction! I got off the road as soon as I could, but I heard the truck\’s brakes hissing. My \”escape hatch\” was the dirt-and-gravel access ramp to a mini-industry. I use it when I ride toWal-Mart; and today it was a big struggle getting up that ramp! I had a heavy load to begin with. The surface was loose and skid-y. My feet couldn\’t get any purchase, and neither could my bicycle\’s tires. The load was poorly distributed between my two panniers, and it was nearly impossible to keep the bicycle upright. I had to wrestle that bike off the access road and get into the grass. But I ultimately got home in one piece, and that\’s the important thing. I\’m just glad I won\’t need to go to Wal-Mart again soon.

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Plotting and Planning

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Plotting and planning sounds to me like planning where to plant everything in a garden plot. At present I can\’t have a garden. Even if I could, I\’m not so sure I really want to do the work involved in raising my own vegetables; and am I physically up to it? In my garden, I want tomatoes. I want broccoli and cauliflower. Kale and spinach, too, and maybe romaine lettuce. I want red onions and scallions. Don\’t forget garlic! I want herbs, too: chives, basil, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley. And maybe a dwarf lemon tree. But that\’s a dream garden. I\’m better off plotting and planning about things that I know I can do, such as this weekend\’s activities. Temperature-wise, tomorrow and Sunday will be perfect for riding. Clear, too. The wind will get strong enough to be bothersome, but at least there\’s no rain in the forecast. This morning I rode very short and easy with the road bike; and then did a Whole Foods run with the hybrid. And I got sticker shock! I always do whenever I buy groceries anywhere but the salvage store. Tomorrow I think I\’ll go to Wal-Mart. I need some new bed sheets; and there are a few groceries that I didn\’t pick up at Whole Foods today. For one thing, I was in such a hurry that I forgot to get bread. I need to do some more cooking, too. It\’s time I concocted another garbage soup, and maybe I\’ll hunt for a new recipe to try. Plan for Sunday: a long ride, of course. I\’ll aim for 35 miles this time. For ride food, I\’m thinking of Stroopwafels and Lara Bars. Yes, I know — that stuff is loaded with carbs. Let\’s hope I burn them off during my ride.

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Oktober UNfest?

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Oktober UNfest? That\’s what it looks like this year. Months ago I read in a news article that Oktoberfest was to be postponed, or perhaps even cancelled. I guess that there are a lot of disappointed people who think that it isn\’t Fall without that famed celebration. For the time being, it actually feels like Autumn here! Yesterday morning\’s low was 58 degrees. That was cool enough for leg warmers for my morning ride, so now I know that Fall is here. Using leg warmers isn\’t all beer and skittles. The pair I wore this morning is brand new; but not the shorts. The gripper bands at the bottoms of the shorts\’ legs didn\’t grip so very well. As I pedaled along, I became aware of something rubbing against the inside of my left thigh. I really should have stopped to see what was up; but I seemed to be doing unusually well, and didn\’t want to interrupt it. Back home, I saw that the left leg of the shorts had pulled up, leaving a patch of bare skin. It took several hours for most of the chafing to wear off, and one small spot is a brushburn! OK, enough about my ills and cycling wardrobe problems. I saw the most gorgeous full moon this morning. The Harvest Moon! It was quite low, and cast a beautiful light path on the river. It\’s worth it to get up at 4:15 am to see that. The wind was calm, too; a big relief after the previous evening\’s ride. I hope the weather is clear for October 31: blue moon time! Meanwhile, I — and many others — will have to put up with Oktober UNfest.

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