Outdoors Archives

Forty Below?

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Forty Below? 🥶 Forty below? I hope the temperature doesn’t plunge that low! Maybe “forty down” is a better phrase. I got in forty miles today! I’m thinking more and more of consecutive long-mileage days, as mentioned in this video at about 6:57 minutes. It’s already May; and I don’t have time to waste. I’m glad it’s not expected to rain tomorrow; I want to shoot for at least 30 miles. Consecutive 20-mile days didn’t seem to cause much of a problem for me; so it’s time to go for longer days. Say, get 40 below the belt? Plodding 🐌 For the time being, at least, longer rides feel like plodding along. Today’s miles — 40.70 to be exact — took over four hours to complete. If that’s not plodding, what is? Riding 30-40 miles might mean another long day tomorrow. I plan to make Tuesday’s ride short and easy; but the next day, I want to work on force. I hope the weather cooperates; but the forecast, unfortunately, is for rain. Not the best conditions for exercises that might get me up to 18 mph. You need to see where you’re going to do speed work! During RAGBRAI I’ll have all day to complete each day’s mileage; except for Day 7. But the more often I can get 40 below my tires in one day, the better. As time goes on, I can increase the 40-milers to three a week. I can save pace improvement work for shorter rides. A mix of long and casual, and short and hard, is supposed to be a good way to work up to a big event. And RAGBRAI is big! 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 Forty Below? May 4, 2025 Weather Window May 3, 2025 A-riding I Will Go May 2, 2025 Vesti la Giubba? May 1, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Weather Window

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Personal Care / CAL

Weather Window? 🪟 I got a weather window today! 😊 Last night’s forecast had me expecting a downpour with lightning for this morning; but overnight the forecast changed. That’s happened quite often; and I was able to ride to the store. I guess the bad weather got itself out of the way overnight. I heard that one nearby location had had a tornado; or possible tornado. And there’s still the chance of rain and T-storms over the next few hours. I’m glad I don’t need to worry about a weather window for the rest of the day. And here comes the sun for tomorrow. Good thing; I want to get in some real miles. Here Comes the Sun ☀️ Here comes the sun again; and with it, the need for sunblock. Sometimes I wonder exactly how much of the stuff I need. Do I need to apply so much that my skin is white from it? Is it necessary in foggy conditions? If it’s actually raining, can I skip the sunblock? The rain is apt to wash it off, after all. Sunblock gets messy; but some years ago, I made the gratuitous discovery that sunblock is good for getting off grease! If I don’t want to slather sunblock all over myself, there are sun sleeves and leg sleeves. Yes, here comes the sun; but a sunny weather window means taking precautions. Especially when I want to do a long ride! 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 A-riding I Will Go May 2, 2025 Vesti la Giubba? May 1, 2025 Lapping It Up April 30, 2025 Vested Interest April 29, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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A-riding I Will Go

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors / CAL

A-riding I Will Go 🚴‍♂️ A-riding I will go! Or maybe not; the weather outlook for tomorrow isn’t so great; and heading out into a T-storm isn’t the best idea. Of course I want to ride to the salvage store; but I don’t want to get struck by lightning. It looks like the stormy weather will persist all day; so a-riding I will go might mean a session in the. trainer. I hope we’re past the rain after tomorrow. So far it looks like Sunday and Monday will be OK; and maybe Tuesday morning. The forecast might well change overnight, though. Past the Rain 🌧️ When I get caught in a downpour while far from home, it’s always a relief to get past the rain. Rain makes visibility difficult; but maybe ARCHXX lens wipes would help. Getting caught in the rain when the weather is cold, of course, just makes me feel colder; but I shouldn’t have to worry about that for a while! A-riding I will go is getting more important, now that RAGBRAI is less than three months away. I might have to get past the rain, and get used to wearing a poncho to ride. After all, that might be the case during RAGBRAI! 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 A-riding I Will Go May 2, 2025 Vesti la Giubba? May 1, 2025 Lapping It Up April 30, 2025 Vested Interest April 29, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Vested Interest

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, equipment, Outdoors, Personal Care / CAL

Vested Interest? 🦺 Could you say that I have a vested interest in RAGBRAI? Maybe; I don’t expect to earn any money that way. But I’m weighing the possibility of getting an Ergodyne Chill Cooling Vest for the ride. This morning I was checking a news site; and it included an article about a hot, dry Summer coming up. Does that include Iowa? I read some of the comments about the Ergodyne Chill Cooling Vest; and one of them pointed out that this vest cools only as long as it stays damp. No surprise, really; the same is true of a cool rag. But this vest can keep cooling for up to five hours; and I should have ample opportunities to “recharge” this vested interest if I decide to take that option. I can re-wet the vest every time I stop in a town and refill my water bottles. Our weather is heating up fast, too; so it’s time for me to start at getting acclimated. And see how well a cooling vest works for me. Heating Up ♨️ By this time of year, it’s usually heating up; and on the one hand, it’s a relief to not need full-fingered gloves and other cold-weather gear. The flip side of that coin is, I have to be much more on guard against sunburn. It’s rather a bother to have to reapply sunblock every 80 minutes. Maybe I should work up a vested interest in the manufacturer, and buy stock in the company? Or invest in leg sleeves? Yes, it’s heating up; but I expect leg sleeves are like sun sleeves for the arms: once you get active; and they start to get sweaty; they have a cooling effect! 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 ✍🏻 Vested Interest April 29, 2025 Murky Waters April 28, 2025 At Ease! April 27, 2025 Why? April 26, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Murky Waters

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Murky Waters 🏊🏻 We’ve got some murky waters around here. In the past two weeks, the Mississippi River has risen a lot; and the backwater at the foot of the levee is some very murky waters. I’ve been watching for signs of alligators; but haven’t seen any yet. If I went for a pre-dawn ride, though, I’m sure I’d see their eyes gleaming in my headlight’s beam. Mornings are in the low 70s now; a bit too cool for me to omit a vest at the start of a ride. But by 9:00 am or so, it’s quite warm; and soon I’ll want the cool rag. I wish hot weather came on more gradually; but many a year it’s a very rapid crescendo! Crescendo 𝆒 I expect we’ll experience a steady crescendo in both heat and humidity now; and an Ergodyne Chill Cooling Vest sounds like a good thing to have. If, that is, the smallest size available isn’t too big for me! I was looking for the measurements, and didn’t find them. I bet this vest would be great if it gets very hot on RAGBRAI. Nobody wants it to get as hot as it did for RAGBRAI L; but we can’t predict the weather this far ahead. Long-range forecasting is murky waters. It’s time for a crescendo in my prep for the big ride in July. Yesterday I finally got up to 40 miles; but I think it’s time I took a day off. Today my legs felt tired; and I managed only 20.25 miles. I’m still keeping ahead of the recommended training schedule’s mileage; but I mustn’t get complacent! 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 Murky Waters April 28, 2025 At Ease! April 27, 2025 Why? April 26, 2025 Or Leave It? April 25, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Longer and Longer

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

Longer and Longer 📏 My weekday rides are getting longer and longer. Today I pushed it to 30 miles; but I sure wasn’t fast! Yesterday I put in intense efforts; so today I rode at a more leisurely pace. For the time being, I’m riding the hybrid. The road bike is in the shop for a tuneup; and it’s also due for new tires and tubes. I’d rather get that done now; and not leave it until too close to RAGBRAI! The weekend long ride also needs to get longer and longer. It’s time to aim for 40-45 miles; after all, there are only three months left to train. It’s also getting warmer and warmer; a good “warm-up” for the conditions I’ll meet dudring RAGBRAI. Warmer and Warmer ♨️ Right when I’m working to make my rides longer and longer, the weather is getting warmer and warmer. I might as well say, “hotter”. Afternoon temperatures are climbing well into the 80s! Soon I’ll need that cool rag! It’s time to start doing rides later in the day, so I can get used to riding in the heat. In fact, I did one such ride last week. It’s getting warmer and warmer, so before long it won’t be difficult to pick a hot time of day. For now I can do short and easy hot rides, maybe 10 miles; and start making such treks longer and longer. It’s time to pull out the sun sleeves; and now that it’s warm enough for bare legs, I need a lot more sunblock! 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 Longer and Longer April 23, 2025 Dress Rehearsal April 22, 2025 In a Flash April 21, 2025 Down the Bunny Trail April 20, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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In a Flash

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training / CAL

In a Flash ⚡️ Things can change in a flash; too often, when we aren’t expecting it. Take the weather — it can go from sunny to torrential rain in a hurry! We got some heavy rain today; fortunately, not while I was riding. We’re still under flash flood warning; and we might get more rain tomorrow. Rain is a good reason to keep lights on your bike. You need to be able to see; and perhaps even more important, you need to be seen. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to ride on a bike path almost entirely free of motor traffic; and that means staying extra alert in bad weather. Trouble can happen in a flash! Getting back to rain, it’s amazing how much grit and muck get kicked up by the wheels after a rain; the rear wheel in particular. I guess many cyclists would be glad of a spare bike to ride; one that has fenders. Glad of a Spare 🚲 I expect the ground will still be wet tomorrow morning, even if it isn’t raining. That’s when I’m glad of a “spare” bicycle; namely, my hybrid. It has fenders, so the bike and I stay a bit cleaner. This wet weather isn’t great for this week’s riding plans. I want to start doing some shorter rides, with bursts of much greater intensity. If it’s pouring, visibility of course is poorer; and that’s not the best time to be blasting down the path! An unexpected obstacle can come up in a flash; and you need to be able to see it in time. Hard efforts, though, are what I need to get ready for RAGBRAI. I don’t expect that each day’s maximum gradient means I’ll be facing such climbs the whole day; but I’m sure there will be more than one such hill. It’s repeated hill efforts that I’m thinking about. I might be glad of a spare pair of legs! 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 In a Flash April 21, 2025 Down the Bunny Trail April 20, 2025 Serenade April 19, 2025 Pack It In April 18, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Serenade

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors / CAL

Serenade 🎶 How about a serenade for Easter? Just don’t look at me; I’ve been very self-conscious about singing since I was a young child; and my unexercised voice has trouble carrying a tune! Would the song about Peter Cottontail suffice as a serenade? Or, if you’re feelilng goofy, there’s the parody I knew as kid: Little Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ down the Bunny Trail, happened to find some carrots 🥕 on his way. Something told him it was wrong; Farmer Jones🧑‍🌾 might come along, and what an awful price he’d have to pay. But he knew his legs were faster, so he nibbled three or four; and he almost met disaster when he heard that shotgun roar. Oh! That’s how Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ down the Bunny Trail, lost his tail; but still he got away! I have no idea who came up with it; but it was always more fun than the original song. If you’re the singing type, you can sing it on the bike! In between jelly beans and bites of RX Bars, that is. What about the Weather? 🌧️ But what about the weather? I, for one, can’t carry a barometer along on my rides; so I can’t keep track of the meteorological moods any too well. And they can change very quickly! Your serenade can go from sun-drenched to just plain drenched in a minute. It looks like tomorrow will be overcast; with rain sometime during Sunday night. That’s good news for tomorrow’s local egg hunts; and for bicycle rides, too. But what about the weather beyond tomorrow? It looks wet; and that’s a nuisance. My poor road bike gets all mucked up! 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 Serenade April 19, 2025 Pack It In April 18, 2025 Egg Hunt April 17, 2025 Morning Machine? April 16, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Egg Hunt

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors / CAL

Egg Hunt 🐣 “Don’t rain on my egg hunt!” is probably on many local kids’ lips. The forecast for upcoming Easter Sunday is, mostly cloudy. If I were a little kid, I think I’d be worried about that! Oh, to find eggs made of chocolate; and jelly beans; and, if you were part of the Imperial family in Russia — Fabergé eggs! I don’t expect to participate in an egg hunt; but I don’t want it to rain on the kids’ Easter fun. I also don’t want it to rain on my bicycle ride. Speaking of rain, while I was out on my hybrid this morning, I heard a rain crow. Uh-oh. Does that mean we’ve got rain on the way? Gosh, talk about weather weary! Sometimes I get tired of watching the forecasts; and I’m sure I’m not alone. But I need to know what kind of conditions I might face during a ride. Weather Weary 😮‍💨 I think I’m weather weary already, whether we’re talking about an egg hunt or not; and it’s some time before hurricane season is due to begin. Weather weary isn’t only about rain, it’s also about wind; and tomorrow it could be blowing at 15 mph. With a headwind on the way back home, of course! This week I’ve been taking it pretty easy; after last week’s mileage, I realized that I needed to rein myself in a little. Since I wasn’t concentrating on force-development exercises, pace improvement, etc.; I decided to make a few mini side-trips to look for places where I might make restroom stops. The results aren’t encouraging; and I think it might be better to google “filling stations” along my route. That might be the lazy way; but it sure saves time! 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 Egg Hunt April 17, 2025 Morning Machine? April 16, 2025 Rearview April 15, 2025 Dead Heat April 14, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Morning Machine?

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors / CAL

Morning Machine? 🌅 Is my bicycle a morning machine? Or maybe this is a word association matter. Most of my rides do take place early in the day; and I get used to greeting people that I pass with, “Good morning.” Then, when I ride later in the day, I automatically say the same thing; even if it’s past noon! Morning rides have advantages: in hot weather, it’s a little cooler then; and if the moon is full, I like to ride before dawn to see the moonlight on the river. Sometimes I hear an owl; and if the river is high, sometimes I see the gleam of alligator eyes. So yes, my bicycle is a morning machine — even if it doesn’t run on coffee! I like to see the various critters, such as rabbits. But rabbits seem to vanish into the underbrush by mid-morning; so if I want to see them, my bike needs to be a morning machine. Critters 🐊 🦈 Speaking of critters, I was astonished enough to learn that there are alligators in the Mississippi River. I was even more surprised to read that sharks get into the river, too! I wonder how long they’ve been there; and whether it might be possible to spot a shark’s fin from the top of the levee. Probably not; but now I have an even better reason to not try to go swimming in that river. Even reaching the edge of the water means risking whatever critters are lurking in all the trees and undergrowth. Whether my bicycle is a morning machine or not, I don’t want to take it in there! By the way, a bike is a morning machine during RAGBRAI. Many riders start very early, especially if the day is expected to get very hot. And it will be interesting to see what critters are in Iowa! 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 Morning Machine? April 16, 2025 Rearview April 15, 2025 Dead Heat April 14, 2025 Stacks April 13, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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