CAL, Author at SpokEasy - Page 22 of 130

Dreams

Dreams 💭 Dreams are weird, as most of us know. Sometimes I wake up and wonder, What on earth made me dream that? I must be more eager to get back on the bicycle than I know. Last night I dreamed about being on some kind of bike, but the reach to the handlebars was too long! That’s the kind of thing that makes me say, dreams are weird. I hope it’s not too long before I can ride to the salvage store. Several times I’m begged a ride from some friends that I see there regularly; but I’d rather be able to get there under my own power. But today’s visit was worth it. Some freezer cases had a special: any size ice cream for $0.99! I didn’t dare buy a half-gallon; but I found two pint boxes of Halo Top®. I’ve put one pint away for Thanksgiving; and am going through the other pint much too rapidly!🙄 Ice cream, however, is great when the weather continues to be warm; it gives me a chill in the heat. Chill in the Heat 🧊 It also feels like a chill in the heat when our afternoon temperatures reach as high as 81 degrees; and ICE is coming to town. As a born citizen, I shouldn’t have to worry about it; but all the same, it makes me uneasy. The news reports I’ve read about ICE are enough to make anybody nervous. Today I took off from pedaling on an exercise bike; but tomorrow I need to get back to it. The recreation center will be closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday; so I need to get in what pedaling I can, while I can; even though it might trigger more weird dreams! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Keep My Cool

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment / CAL

Keep My Cool 🆒 I need a way to keep my cool while pedaling an indoor bike; and the Arctic Air fan does a good job. This wearable fan has three speeds; and is lightweight and portable. One charge provides up to six hours’ operation. Yesterday I forgot to take the Arctic Air with me; and I got hot while exercising, sitting down and not moving forward. Between that, and problems with the left pedal, I stopped the ride early; but today I did 35 minutes. It’s hard to keep my cool when the temperatures outdoors still don’t feel like Fall! It’s 80 degrees as I type this; and it’s going to stay warm for at least a few more days. Rain chances are increasing, though; and even in hot weather, that can mean not-so-warm showers. That’s one way to cool off! Not-so-warm Showers?🌧️ Not meaning to make fun of Warm Showers; but we can get not-so-warm showers on the hottest days. In fact, the rain in a T-storm can feel very cold. That’s one way to keep my cool; but I don’t enjoy getting caught in a T-storm on my bike. I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow while I’m between home and physical therapy. Oh, well. Even if I get caught in some not-so-warm showers, I won’t be wet at work all day! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Footloose?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Footloose 🦶🏻 Footloose doesn’t always mean fancy free. Today, in fact, it was quite annoying. I was using a recumbent exercise bike; and couldn’t get the toe strap for the left foot properly adjusted. My foot kept coming out; and I couldn’t figure out why. I tried to pay attention to ankle angle; but that didn’t solve the problem. It was such a nuisance that I gave up after only 23 minutes. I hope I have better success tomorrow. And if this was such a pain in the neck, just think what an “ouch” a footloose skate would be! I remember using roller skates as a kid, back when nobody though of helmets or other protective gear. If you fell, you got skinned knees and elbows; and it was part of the game. I wonder how many kids back then sustained head injuries into the bargain. Bargain 📦 Speaking of bargain, it’s time for me to look for a few. Thanksgiving is almost here; and Christmas will arrive before I know it. I’ve ordered my holiday candy; and I keep an eye peeled for gift possibilities all year round. It’s easier than frantic, last-minute shopping. And don’t forget, I have to allow time for shipping, too! I hope I can be back on the bike by Christmas. The hybrid has toe clips — those cup-like pedal attachments that keep your feet in place and let you pedal witb your quads. When I’m upright on a saddle once more, I don’t think I’ll be footloose any more. This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Bent?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Training / CAL

Bent? ↪️ I’m not bent out of shape, am I? At the recreation center, I’m using a recumbent style exercise bike. There are only two upright exercise bikes; and I saw no instructions as to how to adjust them. One had recently been used by someone whose legs are far longer than mine. The other one’s saddle was barely low enough; and whoever had last used the bike left the pedals on high tension. Six minutes were enough; it’s possible to develop knee problems if you pedal too much in too hard a gear. So I moved to a bent-style bike. Another reason to keep using the “bent” is, on an upright bike, I automatically reach for the handlebars. My left elbow quickly began to ache; and I still need to avoid straining it. Therapy 🫱🏼 When I went to physical therapy this morning, I asked about the exercise bikes. They agree that the bent is better until my elbow is fully healed. My usual therapist was out today; but I was able to work with someone else. Now that I have access to the recreation center, I can get in an early “ride” on days when I have physical therapy. Other days I can go a little later; but I’d better use sunblock for the walk home! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Pedaling Again

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Pedaling Again! 😊 I’m pedaling again! To be sure, it’s an indoor exercise bike; but my legs really need to get going again. Especially if I have ideas of participating in a cross-state ride next July! As planned, I began with a 30-minute session. I intend to do it again tomorrow, or maybe 35 minutes. I can easily fit it in before my physical therapy appointment. Sure, it’s boring — I’d far rather be outdoors on a real bicycle — but getting pedaling again is great! But not too much, too soon! Bit by bit is the way. Bit by Bit 🧩 I have to do this bit by bit. Sort of like playing Bananagrams; lay down one tile at a time. I read something somewhere about how long you need to get back up to scratch when you begin pedaling again after time off the bike. I don’t remember the source (maybe The Cyclist’s Training Bible); but you need to be especially careful if you had to miss riding due to illness or injury. The longer you were away from riding, of course, the more time you need to allow for regaining fitness. Your muscles will be weak; and your stamina will be diminished. You’ll also need to readjust to riding outdoors in the weather. Summer here hasn’t released its grip yet; but someday it will get cold! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Fermata

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Fermata 𝄐 Eager though I am to plunge into RAGBRAI 2026, I’m calling a fermata. Things can wait a bit. Early registration lasts through December 31; and Pork Belly registration doesn’t open until January 1, 2026. I’d better see how things go with my recovery over the next month. By Christmas, I should have a better idea of whether I can build up to RAGBRAI; and maybe I’ll even have my new road bike by then. I plan to start working out on an exercise bike tomorrow. At first, I think I’ll “just ride” for 30 minutes. After two months off the bike, it won’t be wise to ride long; or to include hard efforts. If that goes well, I’ll start adding 10 more minutes every few days. After a few weeks, I can step up the intensity. Maybe getting to an exercise bike means that tomorrow is my lucky day? Lucky Day? But maybe today should be my lucky day. In my experience, four-leaf clovers aren’t rare; but all the same, this is the first one I’ve found in quite a while. I was out for a walk; looked down at a patch of clover; and there it was! So, how am I lucky today? My arm seems better. The weather was nice this morning, albeit the afternoon is warm for November. That’s become quite the norm, though; and as long as the tropics stay quiet, I guess we’ll just ride it out. We might get some rain by Thursday; so if I were doing real rides, that might put a fermata on my pedaling. It will take a while to readjust to riding outdoors in real weather; especially when it gets cold. We’ll see how it goes! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Self-Healing Roads?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Self-Healing Roads? 💊 Self-healing roads? Oh, I wish! I bet the ancient Romans could have built them. Check out this video between about 9:47 and 11:24. Even if we could get the volcanic ash, though, would it work? Maybe the ash available to the builders of the Colosseum happened to have the chemical composition that let it work the way that it did. Perhaps there’s no guarantee that ash from any old volcano will serve; and if all the world tried to build self-healing roads using volcanic ash, said ash might go the way of the dodo within a rather short time. Then we’d have to wait for more eruptions to get the ash; and what disruption that would wreak! Same Old Bumps 🙄 Since self-healing roads seem to be a pipe dream these days, I’ll to just ride over the same old bumps. Street surfaces in this neighborhood have been terrible for decades! I’ve been approved for Emeritus membership at the recreation center I mentioned; and I used my cell phone to take a pic of the email notification. I don’t think I’ll try to go there before Monday, though; this is Parents’ Weekend at the university; and it will probably be pretty crazy through tomorrow. But it’s great to feel like I’m getting my normal energy back. It took at least six weeks! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Hope for RAGBRAI?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Hope for RAGBRAI? 🤞 Is there hope for RAGBRAI 2026? I have my physical therapy sessions at a facility that’s on the university campus where I used to work. It’s in the same complex as the student recreation center; and I thought there might be a way I can get in there to use an exercise bike until I can get back on a real bike. There is! As someone who worked for the university for at least 25 consecutive years, I can apply for Emeritus membership! So that’s what I did. I guess I’ll hear from them next week. I understand that I pay for that membership month by month; and I might not need it past January — maybe February. So there’s hope for RAGBRAI. Better Get Going 🏃🏼‍♀️‍➡️ I’d better get going, though. I’ve lost two months already; and it’s lucky I don’t have to go to work any more. Thus I’m not time-crunched like some riders are. I don’t have to go out at 5 am to be sure I get a ride; and if it’s cold, I can wait for it to warm up a little. I hope I can get my new road bike by February. I’ve got hope for RAGBRAI; but even so, I’ll need time to adjust to the new bicycle; and I’ll want to get a proper fitting. But when I can start pedaling, I’d better keep the pace casual for a week. Yes, I’d better get going; but if I go at it too hard right away, I might do more harm than good! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER

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Should I?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Should I? 🤔 Should I go for RAGBRAI 2026? Registration opens day after tomorrow; and if I am going to do the ride, the earlier I sign up, the better. The same goes for getting a Pork Belly tent. But should I commit myself to the ride right now? That’s taking a major chance: I’ll probably be unable to ride for at least another month; and when I can ride again, I’ll have a long way to go before I can regain decent fitness. I’m not sure I can build up the necessary strength and stamina quickly; my body doesn’t seem to work that way. There’s the financial angle, too. For a fact, RAGBRAI is expensive; and I have other big expenses coming up! Financial Angle 📐 The financial angle is important any time I start to think about a bicycle trip. There will be the plane trip up to Omaha; and lodging there before and after the bus ride to Iowa. Then, another plane flight back home. I have the sleeping bag and pad from last year, so I’d be spared that expense; but I have to buy a new road bike. Add to that upcoming oral surgery; and no wonder I’m asking, should I sign up for the ride. I might not, after those expenses, want to splurge on RAGBRAI. Oh, yeah, if I do shoot for RAGBRAI 2026, I’ll want a sixty-liter duffle bag. A pair of 40-liter bags this past RAGBRAI was barely enough! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Boomerang?

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Boomerang? 🪃 Does Summer think it’s a boomerang? After just two chilly nights, it’s warming up again! Summer apparently is coming back. Or have the seasons confused the USA and Australia? I associate cold weather with the auroras, and they usually don’t come this far South; but they were visible last night in parts of Louisiana! I don’t know whether anyone here in New Orleans saw them; nor at what time. I do wonder, though, whether that’s why the modem for my WiFi connection was down this morning. Or was it just a garden-variety power outage? I’m starting to feel like a boomerang when it comes to physical therapy. I have to go back to that place twice a week; but at least it looks like my elbow is improving. Drying Up 🌵 Now that we’ve had some cold weather, my skin is drying up. It’s partly the cold; and partly lower-than-usual humidity levels for a day or two. We might keep drying up; no rain is expected for at least five days. I go walking most days; but I still can’t ride. My muscles are getting weaker and weaker. With goodies-laden holidays coming up, I need exercise more than ever! This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional. FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Author name: CAL