Friday Sunshine

Beautiful riding weather today.  Sunny and in the 50's. a light NW wind.  We were happy to get out and ride, seems like we had  rain, rain, and more rain.  Creeks and rivers are flooded,  have to go check on the row boat and paddle boat l down by the lake, later on,  need to make sure they aren't in the water.   Rose Lake is a spring fed lake, so it doesn't get as high as some creek fed lakes in the area, but this is the highest we've seen it in the 15 years we've lived here. 

We rode to church, on the way there got chased by a boxer for about 1/4 of a mile.  He didn't seems to want to bite us, or i think he would have.  He was braking and carrying on.  Came up on us out of nowhere, several times we thought he was done,  and then here he would come again.  Blew the air horn, scared him, but less than 30 seconds later, he was on our tail again.  I finally stopped, figuring he would give up if he had nothing to chase.  Just then a car came by, and since it was moving and we weren't, it became his new game.  Glad he wasn't mean, as quick as he came up on us, he would have nailed one of us before we even had time to react. It didn't help matters any, that we were going up a hill.  Slower than a slug on hills, that's us for sure.  We have ridden this route many times, saw him once last year out with his owner. he chased us then too, but the owner called him back.

Took a break at church, then headed to 17 mile road, before going home.  On the corner of 140th and 19 mile there is a good sized hunk of pavement gone. A few other roads in the area have places washed out too. Once we turned on 17 mile we saw some cows and horses.  For some reason horses  quite often seem to be interested in us, but of course they weren't looking when I took the picture.  They don't usually get to interested until we are riding right past them.  It was so nice to see some green grass today.  Many trees have buds on them, so hopefully we will have lear living 90 miles south of here in Grand Rapids for so many years,  where spring arrives 2 weeks earlier,  we are impatient for the arrival of warm air, green grass, leaves and flowers.  Rode by the goose, but she didn't hiss at us today.  Across the road, the cows mooed at us, and the rooster crowed.  A country serenade, just for us.

We rode by a country church on 17 mile Rd, there is an old school house across the street from it.  Not sure if it is used for community events, or if someone down state owns it, we never see anyone there, but it has obviously had some work done on it, and there are curtains on the windows.  Maybe some day we'll ride by there and someone will actually be there.

Pedaled by a couple barns.  I love old barns, but it saddens me to see one unused and falling down.  Both that we passed today were in use.  One had a big quilters square painted on it, which is an indicator that a member of the local quilt guild lives there.  We see them on various barns, garage doors and house.  Each square is unique, just as it is on a quilt.

Tomorrow we'll be getting our camping trailer ready to head to WI.  We'll be glad o get the mountain drive done on the trike and to get the gearing squared away.  We're tired of the same routes, but don't want to tackle bigger hills until our trike is working right.   Rode 25 miles today.ves in the next few weeks.  After the trike is in tip top shape we can tackle any hill in the area, without our knees paying for it. 

Sunday afternoon ride

Went to the Easter communion service at church, had a fellowship breakfast downstairs, then back up stairs for the Easter Celebration Service. Nothing quite like being in our own church with our church family on Easter. Wonderful to celebrate a risen Savior with those we love.

Came home from church, ate, and got ready to go for a ride. We need to do 2 long rides a week, so decided to do one on our hilly roads in the area and the other on the mostly flat, paved portion of the White Pine Trail that goes from LeRoy to Cadillac. We figure the PALM course will be a mix of hills and flat land, so training on both will help us be prepared. With hills we have to work hard to get up, but get to rest on the way down. On flat stretches, we just pedal and pedal, coasting once in awhile to give our legs a rest. We knew we would be to tired to deal with 4 miles of hills from our LeRoy to our house when we were done riding, so we loaded the trike up on the trailer and drove to the trail in LeRoy. They have a nice parking area to leave the car and trailer. We put a padlock on the hitch coupler clamp lock on the trailer, to help dishonest people resist the urge to try and make our trailer, their very own.

It was partly cloudy and in the mid 50's, winds were about 5-10 MPH, a nice day to ride. We thought we would see more people on the trail than we did, but I think many were having Easter dinner with family. We rode by a house in Tustin where an Easter egg hunt was in full swing. Even as we were riding away we heard, "I found one", another one said, "I found 2. Later on we saw 1 lone, orange jelly bean on the trail. Probably some kid was riding with their Easter treats dropped it. Further down the trail, someone had written, "Happy Easter" in bright yellow chalk.

Button was sad that he didn't get to go along today. His new carrier won't go on with the panniers, so until I figure out how to do that he will have to stay home. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, hoping to work on getting it modified then. I'll pick up the parts I need when I go into town to get groceries.

Saw a little turtle crossing the trail. I was hoping to spot one of the beavers by the beaver pond, when we took our first break, but we didn't see any. Maybe next time. It's such a pretty place to stop, but seems odd to have the freeway so close to the pond. I can see it as I drive over the overpass on my way into Cadillac, but no time to stop and look then, so it's a nice treat to hang out there for a bit, hoping to see one of the beavers in action. We saw one swimming last summer on one one of our rides and another time there was one crossing from the pond on one side of the trail to the pond on the other side.

Saw quite a large flock of Canadian geese by another pond, but couldn't get close enough to get a good picture. We were serenaded by spring peepers quite a few times, sometimes from both sides of the trail, peeper in stereo. For those of you who haven't heard spring peepers in awhile, here is a link. Many of the ares we rode past today, looked similar to this. We also heard frogs croaking and saw some ducks in a pond.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5GyKoVWehI

As we got closer we got to Cadillac we saw more action on the trail, people out walking their dogs, riding bike , taking a baby for a walk or out running. Someone asked if they could take a picture of us on our trike, of course we said yes. Heard quite a few comments on how cool our trike was, and someone asked us how fast it went. Our answer, "really fast down hill, slower than a slug, going up." It's not real common to see a trike in our area, much less, a tandem trike. We did meet 2 other trike riders on the trail, stopped and chatted a few minutes. They have as much fun on their trikes as we have on ours.

Fortunately, we did NOT have a bear encounter.  Found out later, that there have been quite a few bears hanging out around the area where M115 goes over the trail , which is just before this tunnel.  Bird feeder have been destroyed.

 There is one bathroom stop on the trail, it is about 1 mile and a half form Cadillac, near a staging area for snowmobiles.  We were glad to see it.  seems like  necessity stops are few and far between.  It's much worse when we are road riding.

By the time we were at 30 mile mark, by butt hurt, my ankles hurt, my thighs and calves hurt. I can see, we will need more training and the Lord's help to make it through PALM 30. We stopped, got up and walked around some, had a snack, and felt better. It was only 4 more miles back to the car.

 We rode 34 miles today, putting our total mileage for the week at 78 miles. Tony, who is in charge of the training schedule was happy with that, and so was I. I must say I am glad we will have tomorrow off from riding. It will be good to have a rest.

Pictures from our April 23, 2011 ride

Trying out the new carrier for the dog.

Button didn't seem to like his homemade bike carrier, a wire basket with a nice cushy pillow to ride on. It even had pipe foam covering on the edges, so it was cushy there too. Bought a little harness to strap him in with..just in case he decided to jump out. He must have thought it was an invitation, the first time we went riding with him in it, we hadn't even gone a mile before he bailed. I was glad the leash was short, I stopped the trike, got off and hurried to the back, sure enough, there he dangled. I picked him up, and put him back in the basket. He cried, squeaked really, that's his version of crying. He is very persistent at it, and it is irritating. He is glad to be along, his problem is: he wants to be by his Mama...me. Not possible, our trike has OSS steering, which means "over the seat steering." quite a misleading term, since the steering is actually next to each side of the seat. Anyway, there is no handlebar to fasten the carrier to, so he has to ride in back, on the rear carrier. He loves his little travel crate, but it won't fit on the bike. After doing some research I found one that comes with a base that zip ties to the rear carrier and has latches that the dog crate attaches too. The carrier can be enclosed, by zipping it up and zipping mesh panels in the head opening, or Button can stick his head (and 1 foot) out of the front or rear opening. Half way through the ride, we stopped and I zipped the mesh into the openings. Button was then unable to get next to Tony's ear and squeak, and squeak, and squeak. He could also stop putting one foot out, a move that made Tony very nervous, even though Button is fasten inside the carrier by a short leash. I think having the carrier enclosed makes Button feel more secure, he doesn't squeak as much when he is zipped in, snug as a bug in a rug.

I took the panniers, which hold my supplies and tools off to mount the new dog carrier. Once I got the carrier mounted (of course) I saw that the panniers would not fit on. Didn't want to figure out how to remount the whole thing, so we rode without the panniers, trusting the Lord to keep us free of flat tires or any other problems that might require the tools. Tony carried the thermos of hot chocolate and only dropped it once. Oh well, at least it's been initiated with a dent now. I'll stop by the bike shop tomorrow to see if I can get some brackets and figure out how to have the panniers and the dog carrier on the trike.
It was a misty rain when we started our 16 mile ride, about 5 miles later, the mist let up and the sun snuck out from behind the clouds every now and then. We rode to church, stopped and chatted with our Pastor and a friend that works part-time at the church, had our hot chocolate, let Button entertain Lori and Pastor for a bit, and then headed back home. Decided it would be good for Button to walk along side the bike for a bit. He didn't really care for that idea much, and put his brakes on several times, by simply refusing to move his feet forward, kind of like water sking...only on the pavement, and without skis. Not the best for the pads of his feet, so we stopped and loaded him back in the carrier. He was much quieter now that he knew what the alternative to riding in the carrier was.(he is such a smart dog.) A few squeaks on the way home and a bit of barking when we met someone who was walking and rode by some kids that were out in their yard playing. Other than that he settled right in and seemed to enjoy the views from his little carriage.
I babied low gear along and got it to work without slipping, but still can't use the lowest ring on my right shifter without the chain slipping. We will be glad to get the trike to WI for the work that needs doing. Got the camping trailer out of storage on Thursday, so will be getting that ready to go this week. Mountain drive, here we come.
Saw a beaver by the edge of a pond on the way home, and heard the peacock "meow". That is what it sounds like. A very loud "meow." Other times when we ride by, it sounds like a child crying out, but today was the "cat call." The seagulls were flying over a farmers field, and we heard the cows mooing. Things are still pretty brown around here, hopefully we'll be seeing some green on our rides soon. It was very windy today, head winds of 25 MPH much of the way home. Didn't set any speed records, but we got our 16 miles in. Planning a longer ride tomorrow after church. Total miles for the week so far, 44 miles. If we can do 30 tomorrow we will have 74 in. Our riding week goes from Sunday to Sunday. It was a blessing to be out, enjoying the country side.

Spring Training

Spring Training

Spring Training has begun, I use the word "spring" lightly, today may be April 20, 2011, but we were under a winter storm watch last night.  Woke up to a slushy mess this morning.  The only riding we have done this week was 3 days ago.  Highs were in the low 40's, with a cold wind, but we rode  28 miles anyway, after all we are training for PALM  30 ( Pedal Across Lower Michigan)   a 6 day bike tour across the lower peninsula of MIchigan.  It is June 18-24, 6 days and 283 miles, with  over 700 riders. We wil be riding our 10 foot long tandem, tadpole trike.  It's called a tadpole, because it has 2 wheels in the front and one in the back.  PALM 30  is a supported tour with a SAG truck to carry the gear of the riders.  Sleeping accommodations will be a 3 person tent,  ( I don't know how to put it up yet,)  Our luxury item is a battery operated blow up bed.  We will be camping at school, where we will eat supper and breakfast.  We will be on our own for lunch.  
The tour begins in picturesque Ludington MI, home port for the Lake Michigan ferry, the Badger.  From Ludington we will ride to Hesperia, from Hesperia to Big Rapids, then onto Clare, next stops will be Bay City, and Bad Axe, ending on the shores of Lake Huron in a little town called Harbor Beach.  The ride will end with a parade.  Our longest day will be 62 miles, and the shortest will be 28 miles.  Most days average around 46 or 47 miles.  Being a former marathon runner, Tony has a training schedule made up for us, only problem is, that the weather isn't cooperating very much.  This week we are supposed to ride 60 miles, hoping to split that into 2 days if possible.
Why are we doing this ride?  We enjoy riding together and seeing God's creation up close and personal.   We see things we would miss if we were riding in a car, like a Mama beaver moving one of her kits, 2 fawns drinking from a pond, bicycles of the amish kids parked at the country school house where they are doing their lessons, horses watching us as we ride by, big red barns, and blue skies.  We also look at this tour as an opportunity to let others see Christ in our lives.  To see how we lean on him for our strength, even as we train.  I have never taken on any type of a physical challenge, and all though Tony has completed 3 marathons, and many River bank Runs,  this is a horse of a different color for both of us.  Thank you for joining us on this journey.
In addition to training we had quite a bit of gear to get together.  A 3 person tent, a borrowed blow up bed, flash light, sleeping bags, an army surplus, waterproof laundry bag, 2 water proof bags for clothing, JR Liggets bar shampoo, which will double as soap, rain gear, swim suits and towels, bags for our shower stuff, clothing,  2 water bottles, panniers for the trike, garbage bags to cover the seats at night, and to cover the panniers if it rains, a camera, and a dog carrier for our 8 lb toy poodle, Button, and other personal items.  I probably left somethings out, but I'm sure you get the drift of it all.  Whew, makes me glad we don't have to haul it all on the trike.  This will be a good way for us to try out touring.
I took an bicycle repair and maintenance class at our local bike shop.  So I know how to change a tire, fix a flat and some other basic things.  I'll try and post pictures as I post, but not taking the Mac along on PALM, so I'll have to play catch up from my written notes when we get back home.