New tires.

After our tire problems last weekend, we ordered 3 new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.  They are supposed to be a very good tire, people who use them typically, don't get many flats.  Yep, those are the ones we need for sure.  I was excited when we came home form work Thursday and found that they had arrived.

I had read that they fit very tight on the rim and can be challenging to put on, but  on Friday, I decided to give it a try.  Tony helped me put the trike up on the trailer, so the tire would be at a good height to work with.

 Button was nearby, ready to help, if called upon.

I had watched a You Tube video that showed a guy using a toe strap to hold  the tire on the rim, while he slowly worked the bead on the tire onto the rim.  I didn't have a toe strap, so decided I would use some rope.

It did keep the part I put on from coming off, but didn't make the last 6 inches any easier to get on, they were taut against the tire, behind and in front of the rim.   I tried using the tire lever to ease it on bit by bit, but had no success, it might have worked for the guy on You tube, but it sure didn't work for me.  Tony tried to muscle it one, but couldn't get it on either.  He called the local bike shop, they suggested letting some air out of the tube, said it would go on easy then.  Easy by whose definition?  Not by ours.  They  said if we couldn't get it on ,we could bring it in, and that is exactly what we decided to do.

 Of course the guy who did it made it look easy, but basically, he still had to muscle it on.  This all leaves me a bit concerned about how I will ever get these new tires off or on, if we do have a flat.  I think there is a special tool I can buy that makes the whole process easier, so I think I'll check into that.

The trip to the  bike shop made our day pretty hectic, we had a 90 minute drive to a surprise birthday party for our daughter later in the day.  We got home, unloaded the trike, got cleaned up and were on our way by 4:30.  The party started at 6:30, so we got there with 10 minutes to spare.  We came back home afterwards.

Sunny skies this morning, so we were eager to get out and try out the new tires.  Our local bike shop is knowledgeable about bikes, but they don't know much about trikes.  Typically, bike tires are inflated to about 45 pounds.  Our old tires called for 90 PSI, our local bike shop told us the new tires needed about 45 pounds of air.  That is about half of what we have been riding with, when I questioned them, they told me that 45 was what that tire called for.   I didn't understand how that could work. so I posted on BROL (Bent Rider Online) which is a forum for recumbent riders.  Most responders felt that the tires needed more pressure than 45 PSI, so before we went riding we called Terra Trike in Grand Rapids and asked them how much air to put in.  They checked with their bike mechanics and told us to use 95 PSI, so that is what we did.  The tires did fine and the pressure seemed about right.   I was glad we didn't ride with only 45 PSI, we would have been working way to hard to get going and  to keep the trike moving.

We wanted to try the tires on both hills and on the trail, so we headed to LeRoy.  On our way in  we were riding up a medium sized hill, when I heard a noise from behind us, I asked Tony what he was doing, "Just pedaling," came the reply.  Then an Amish fellow on a recumbent bike pulled up next to us, he was the noise i had been hearing.   He rode next to us for awhile, but it was in spurts, since he had to drop behind us when cars passed, and we would pull ahead of him going down hill.  He would catch back up when we went uphill.  He was quite curious about our trike and we had many questions about a nifty little trailer he was pulling.  He told us it was made in Napanee IN.  It could hold up to 125 lbs, but was pretty light and easy to pull.  It was made of aluminum.   We rode together for several miles, then he turned off and headed to the store, we went onto the White Pine Trail.  WE have quite a few Amish i our area and see them out on bikes or in buggies when we are out riding, but this is the first chance we had to ride with one.  It was a neat experience. It was interesting to talk to him.  Wish I could have taken a picture, but Amish folks don't like to have their picture taken, so I didn't ask.  Here is a link to the trailer he was pulling.  It was pretty cool.
 http://www.bicyclecart.com/
 On the trail, we could see that the fall color season is starting.  Rode through a pretty section where the sumac was bright red.  It was so pretty.  Soon the woods  all around us will be lit up with color.  Looking forward to getting some pictures then.

We rode past one of the apple trees I had taken a picture of when it was in bloom, it has many apples now, quite a few were on the ground already.

As we rode on big clouds started to roll in.  The sky was so blue, the clouds were so big, it was quite a contrast.  I could hear the wind rustling the dried corn stalks as we rode past the cornfields.   I love the sounds and smells of fall.  I love the crispness of the air, it seems to magnify the fall smells.

When we were coming up the hill we saw 2 turkeys come out of the trees and cross the
 road.  I was kind of far away to take a picture, but here are my attempts.  In the first picture one turkey is starting across the road.

  In the next one, if you look closely you can see the 2 turkeys heading into the grass.

Some color in the trees on 155th Ave., which is where we saw the turkey's.  Once we get up the big hill there, we know we have just one more  big hill  to climb before home.

The clouds turned kind of dark just before we got home, we thought we might get rained on, but we didn't.  Shortly after we got home, the sun was shining again.

When we were in the bike shop the guy who put the tires on,  commented on how dirty our bike chains were ,which is true, they are terrible.

 I switched to Boeshield T-9 early in the summer and really like it a lot.    It is a wax rather than an oil based lubricant, and needs to be applied about every 300 miles.

 The instructions say to spray the Boesheild on,, let it dry and then wipe it off, so that is what I have been doing.  I didn't know I was supposed to clean my chains  too, well I knew chains needed to be cleaned but had no idea how to do it, or how often.   In fact, I didn't even know how to clean a chain.  I admit I haven't done it because I thought I would have to take the chains off  and when I put them back on, I might not route them properly.   As always, the bike shop was very helpful and told me what I needed to clean the chain.  There is a kit that can be used without taking the chains off.  It's called a  Chain Bright kit, which is a little box with a sponge and brushes inside that line up with the chain on the bike, or in our case, the trike.

The box is filled with chain cleaner,  and clamped onto the chain, and the chain is  rotated around about 10 times.  I had hardly started to turn the chain in this picture, but already you can see how dirty the cleaner is getting.

Our trike has a total of 10 feet of chain, so it took quite awhile to get 10 revolutions done.  Then I took a cloth and held the chain, while turning the pedals, cleaning the chain even more. After about 30 minutes, I had the back chain done.  One down, one to go.

I had a hard time knowing where to put the chain cleaning box on the front chain.  Our trike has a short boom on it, if I clamped the box on the front part of the chain, the pedal hit it when it came around, stopping the whole process.  I finally decided to clamp the box on the chain where it was behind my seta.  it was still a tight space, but it got the job done.  I was amazed at how well the chain cleaning box worked.  The chain was visibly cleaner, and the cleaner inside the box was filthy.   I was going to take a picture of it, but my hand were so dirty, I didn't want to touch the camera, so you'll have to take my word  on it.

You can see by the picture, that the chains were much cleaner when I was done.

Once the chain was clean, it had to be lubed, so out came the Boeshield.  I use the spray, which does a good job, but I have yet to find a way to do it, without ending up with quite a bit of Boesheild on the frame of the trike.  Today was no exception.  Once the trike was lubed, I waited the required time, then wiped the chain off again.  When I was done, I had 2 sparkly clean chains, and one very dirty trike.

Got the bucket ready and gave the trike a good washing.  Now it's all ready to go on a new adventure, new tires, clean chains and all.

Big Mac Shoreline Bike Tour Part 2

Here is part 2 of our Big Mac Shoreline ride.

After lunch in Cross Village, we were on our way.  Had some nice views of Lake Michigan.

 Rode past an interesting "Duck Crossing " sign and stop light.  The stop light wasn't on, the sign was  behind a fence, no ducks in sight, but it made a cute picture.

The terrain became hiller after Cross Village.  There was quite a stretch of uneven road surface, with some new sections and some rough sections.  I almost lost control when we came around a curve and down a hill and unexpectedly hit an especially rough area.  We were going about 22 MPH,  and  were pulled toward the center line.  When I put the brake on lightly, and tried to steer back towards the side of the road, the trike began to fishtail.  I managed to keep it under control, but it was kind of scary.  In talking with our riding partners later, we found out they had experienced problems with their single trikes on that section of road as well.  Wish there had been some warning that it was coming up, at least we could have been prepared for it.  Couldn't help but wonder how others felt about it.

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know by now, that a barn picture will likely appear.  Your wait is over, here is the barn we saw.  On the side of it the words "  Plain Old Farm" appeared.

A bit further on we cam across an interesting stone house.  There was a stone out building as well.  The property is for sale.  Any takers?

The road looked level, but we found ourselves using a lower gear and going slower, so it must have been a very slight uphill grade.  Our friends later told us that they had a long stretch of riding in lower gears in this area as well.  In spite of using  our lower gears, we kept going slower and slower.  I stopped to check and see if there was a problem, and found we had a flat tire. 

 It was the same tube that I had changed before we left home.  Got the trike flipped over and realized that when we had our rims drilled for Schrader valves, I had forgotten to switch the portable air pump on the trike to one that had a Schrader head.  Somehow I had lost my  course map and didn't have the SAG phone number, (support and aid group) number.  Fortunately, 2 riders came by who had it, so I called Sag for help. 

 On the whole course we had only seen a SAG  twice.  They seemed to be as scarce as the route markings on the road.  We called and after about 15 minutes, Greg appeared.  I had my tire part way off, he finished taking it off.  I had the new tube out and ready to go.  As he worked, I explained my dilemma about having the wrong pump.

  He got the tube out an started to put the new tube in.  In my bike maintenance class I learned that when changing a tire, to always check the inside of the tire and the rim for any sharp objects or protrusions that may have caused the flat.   I could see that Greg wasn't going to do that, so I casually mentioned that I usually do a quick check to see what might have caused the flat, so I don't get another, a few miles down the road.  By this time Greg was putting air in the tire with his portable compressor.  His reply was, "Well, it must be OK, I don't hear any air hissing out."  I was quite concerned by his response and said, "Hope we don't have another flat, a few miles down the road.   Greg must have taken my remark seriously, he followed us for about 5 miles.  We were riding at around 18 MPH most of that time.  Finally,  Greg pulled around us and went on his way.  A few minutes after that, we began to slow down.  I knew without checking what the problem was...another flat.

  We were 2 and 1/4 miles from the finish, I had no more spares, so once again, I called SAG.     I also called our friends, jeff and Kiersten,  to let them know what was going on.  After a 25 minute wait, Dawn, driving the SAG truck came. On the ride back, I told her I wasn't surprised by the second flat, because Greg hadn't checked the tire and rim for sharp objects.  I mentioned that I didn't think he did too much cycling.  She told me that he was a farmer, used to changing tractor tires, and that in fact, none of the people who put the tour together were cyclist.  

 Tony stayed with the trike and she gave me a ride back to the complex to get the car and trailer, taking a different route then the bikes were on.

  Jeff helped me get the trailer hooked up and followed me back to the trike.  I don't have  great sense of direction and I was kind of  turned around because Dawn had taken a different route back.  I missed a turn.   I realized Jeff and Kiersten were no longer behind me, but had to keep going until I could find a place to turn around with the trailer.  I called Jeff and he told me what turn I had missed.  On the way back, I met Dawn, who assured me I was going the right way.  I finally made it back to Tony and the trike.  Jeff and Kiersten were already there.  We got the trike loaded up and headed back to the motel.  

After a shower and a little bit of rest, we headed out for supper.  None of us had any problem putting away plenty of Pizza.

The next day, Kiersten and Jeff , along with other riders, were signed up to ride  across the Mackinaw  bridge.  

The Mighty Mac,  or Big Mac, as we Michiganders like to refer to it, is the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  It was surpassed by the Akashi Kalkyo Bridge in Japan in 1998, however at 5 miles long, it is still the largest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, surpassing even the famous Golden Gate Bridge.    The bridge was completed in 1957, making it possible for for the people of Michigan and those visiting our  state to go across the straits of Mackinaw, that divide the upper and lower peninsulas, without taking a ferry.  It is a sight to behold and something that has greatly contributed to the tourism of the area.  

The day we arrived in Mackinaw City, the antique tractor show had taken place.  It ended with a crossing of the bridge by the antique tractors.  The evening the  Big Mac Shoreline tour ended,  the bridge  was crossed by a huge number of semi trucks that had come from the Big Truck show in St Ignace, in the Upper Peninsula.   Many people were lined up in Mackinaw city to see the trucks come through. 

I don't even like to drive the bridge.  The open grates in the center of the bridge kind of freak me out when I am driving across it.  I can't imagine riding over them and seeing the water below.  Needless to say we didn't sign up to ride the bridge. 

Jeff and Kiersten had to be at the meeting point for the ride across as 6:30 AM the next day, so we made an early night of it, and headed to our rooms.  Tony and I were going to go in the hot tub, but once we got in the room and relaxed on the bed,  we found ourselves lacking the motivation to walk to the other building to do it.

Talked to our friends after they crossed the bridge, and they said there was nothing to it.  The grates were covered up with mats from DelMac Bike tour. which also includes a ride across the bridge Most likely because the grating causes problems for bicycles going across, so they couldn't even see the water.  The trikes were down low enough, that all they really saw was the railing.  If I had known that was the situation, I may have been brave enough to ride the bridge.

In summing the weekend up, I would say that over all, it was a great ride. We had good riding weather, an interesting course, some challenging terrain, and good time spent with friends.  

In looking back, I can see that the event was not put together by any cycling group.  The registration folks weren't too excited about the ride, the course markings were only at the turns, with miles of isolation in between that had us and other cyclist asking of we were on the right route.  Sag presence was very low and not done by folks who were  very knowledgeable about cycling.  The course was beautiful, with many picturesque views.  I would say that the main purpose of this tour is to bring tourist dollars into the community and it does do that. Not sure if we would do this tour again.  There was a total of 300 riders for the tour.  I think most of them did the 25 mile loop.  The tour is done in the spring as well. 

Several lessons learned by Tony and I in this experience as well.  First and foremost I will be checking the rim and the tries for any protrusions  or rough spots.   3 flats in 2 days on the same side tells us that something is going on, and I need to get to the bottom of it.  I am tired of flat tires.  Secondly, I am changing the air pump on the trike out to one that does Scrhader valves.  I have also decided to carry a can of CO2, which will make it easier to pump up a flat tire. Although we use  Schwalbe Marathon tires, we aren't happy with the way they have been wearing.  We have under 2000 miles on the set we have, and they need replacing.   I have already ordered a new set of Marathon Plus tires for the trike.  Cyclist say they get far less flats with them and they last longer.  They should be here by Thursday, so I can get them on and we can ride this weekend.  

Big Mac Shoreline ride 2011

Got up to a chilly morning, pretty sunrise over lake Michigan.

  Temps were in the 40's, but the weatherman had promised warmer temps and some sunshine later in the day, so we put on our layers, loaded up the gear in the car and headed out to breakfast with our riding friends, Kiersten and Jeff..  Had a good breakfast, a bit overpriced, but hey, what can we expect in a tourist town?

Got to the starting place plenty early to check tires, unload the trikes,  take a few pics, and get set to ride.  I think it was about 9AM when we started. We were glad we had gloves and hats.  another cyclist took a picture of the 4 of us before we started riding.  From left to right, Tony,Pam, Kiersten and Jeff, ready to roll. Trikes are in the background.

Much of the first few hours were spent riding  in the shade, which made it seem colder than it was.  Then, we came upon this tall giraffe in a yard.  It was early,  looked like no one was stirring in the house, no dog, so I went and took a picture of the giraffe.  There was a smaller giraffe nearby, he was closer to the house, didn't get a picture of him,   I sure wondered what the story was behind the giraffes in the yard. Did a sculptor live here and this is his or her work?   It is not something one expects to find, when riding down a country road.

We were glad when we got to ride in some unshaded spots, gave us a chance be warmed by the sun.  Here is a pic of Jeff and Kiersten riding in front of us.

The course started out with, was flat terrain, we rode past some forests, swampy areas, and this old school house, that someone had remodeled and made their home, complete with  double, satellite TV.  The set up seemed so contradictory, I stopped to take a picture.

Further along, there was an old log cabin that was falling down.  The remains of the chimney and fireplace were still, proudly standing.

The weather was a nice mix of sun and clouds, with a light breeze.  We were glad there wasn't a cold wind, that can make riding pretty miserable.  Stopped and took a little break with Jeff and Kiersten, lamenting the problems that recumbent riders can sometimes have with numb feet.  I didn't have that issue today, because we didn't have a lot of steep hills.  There are many theories out there as to the causes of numb feet.  A big contributer, can be shoes that are too tight, which is why I wear biking sandals.  I have wide feet, and find I can get a looser fit with sandals. I prefer Lake sandals.  The ones I like best are no longer made, so I'm not sure what I'll do when they wear out.  When the weather turns cold, I wear smart wool socks with my sandals, and sometimes a pair of my homemade wool socks on top of the smart wools.  Today was only a one layer sock day for Tony and I.

 Clipless pedals can also have an impact on the riders  feet.   I found I got some relief when I switched from Shimano clipless, to egg beaters pedals.  I'm not sure who came up with the name clipless pedals, the pedals have a recessed place where the clip or cleat on the biking shoe locks on.   It seems to me that since the rider is clipping in, that they should be called "clip pedals," but no one asked me before they named them.  It's probably just as well, that they didn't.

We stopped in Cross village at the Leggs Inn for lunch.  The Legs Inn is a restaurant run by a Polish family, so they offer quite a few polish items on the menu.   Tony and I both had a tasty vegetable crepe, that had a name we couldn't pronounce very well.

Stanley Smolak, a native of Poland,  who immigrated in 1887, created the unique atmosphere of Leggs Inn.  He spent a lot of time roaming the woods and forests of the area, and delighted in what he saw, especially the wind and rain worn roots of trees, and remainders of trees washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan..  He carved them into furniture, saying that "Mother Nature was his inspiration."  Here is a picture of our friend Kiersten sitting behind a desk, made from part of a big log.  Some of Smolak's art stands on each side of the entrance to the dining area.  There are far to many pieces of it to take pictures of.

Behind the Inn, on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, are beautiful gardens, as well as an outdoor dining area.

This 90 year old family business, is now owned and operated by the 3rd generation of the Smolak family



Cross Village was once a thriving lumber and fishing town.  It is located on the NW tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.  It has a history with strong ties to the Ottawa Indians.  Early historical records show that  before his death in 1675, Father Marquette, who was loved by the native Indian population of the area, planted a huge white cross on a bluff, overlooking Lake Michigan.  There is a replica of the cross that stands in that same spot today,  it is said to be visible far out into the lake.  this is how the name "Cross Village" was given to this settlement.

As we headed out of Cross Village we rode past this stone church, I didn't write the name of it down, and could not locate any history of it.

I'll conclude this blog entry with Cross Village, and add more about our Big Mac Shoreline Tour in my next blog entry.  Stay tuned, for more. 

Pre tour flat.

I think there must be a new rule in my life that says each bike tour must be precedented by a flat tire on something.  We rode the trike on Tuesday and all was well, went to load it on the trailer today, and it had a flat tire.  I didn't really have time to patch it, so I was glad I had a spare.  Changing a bike tire when the bike is on the trailer seemed easier.  Note sure why, I was standing on the trailer, so the trike was at the same height it usually is when I change a tire, maybe I just needed to tell myself it was easier.  After all this is at least the 4th flat I have changed this summer. (might even be the 5th or sixth, I've lost count.)  When I went into our local bike shop to pick up another spare, I asked my friend at the bike shop why I am getting so many flats.  His reply was, "because you need practice changing them. "  Personally, I feel like I have had enough practice for the season.

Needless to say, we got off to a later start then we planned.  Had hoped to be in Mackinaw City by 1 or 2PM, never left home until 12:30, and we still had to drop Button off at the dog sitters.  Took awhile to walk him around and get him acclimated.  We finally got to Mackinaw City around 4:30 PM.  decided to pick up our tour packets first, then check in at the Motel. Our room is small, but clean.  We decided that we will think of it as a cruise ship cabin, them we won't feel as claustrophobic.  The shower is smaller than the one in our camper.

 Had to park the bike and the trailer by the front of the Motel,  took this picture at night, when I went to check on it.

 right by busy US 23.  I'm a little concerned about leaving it there, Locked the bike onto the trailer and locked the hitch for security, went back to our room.

 Trusting in the Lord to keep all safe.

Once we unhooked the trailer, and checked in,  we called our friends that are riding with us and they came to the Motel, (their room is next to ours,) and we went out to supper together.  Had a nice visit, made plans for morning, and then headed to our rooms.   The Mackinaw Shoreline tour offers a 25 mile ride, a 50 mile ride, a75 mile ride and a century ride.  We are doing the 50 miler.  Will go to breakfast at 7AM, hope to start riding by 9AM.

Forgot to bring garbage bags  to cover the trike seats with, so had to go to the Motel office to get some.  The girl behind the desk wasn't very willing to help, but after a bit of explaining from me about how it is no fun to start riding in the morning with a wet bike seat, and telling her (nicely) that "Could I please have  a larger size bag, because our bike is recumbent, so the seats are bigger." and telling her that I was surprised that a Motel would be out of garbage bags" because it is likely something they need each day,"  she gave a big sigh, was gone for 5 minutes,  then came back with 4 bags that were the size I needed.  I thanked her and told her my butt thanked her as well.  Don't think she appreciated that much.  I think she had other things she would rather have been doing ,  working the desk at the family motel was not high on her Friday night list..  Anyway, the trike and our butts will hopefully be dry and happy in the morning.

Covered the trike seats, tried, unsuccsesfully,  to get a picture of the moon over lake Michigan before the cloud cover moved in,  then headed for bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Wow,  it  has been 15 days since we rode last.    We just returned from visiting our daughter and her family in Bellingham WA.  We flew out and the trike is a bit big to have shipped, so we had to make do without it.  It was hard, our daughter lives less than a half block away from a great trail system.  We walked many miles on the trails while we were there visiting, and many times wished that we had the trike there, so we could ride.  The weather was beautiful during our visit.  Not one single day of rain, and sunny everyday.  It was so great to see everyone again.  Wish we all lived closer to one another.  It's hard to only see all of them, only once a year.

By the time we drove  the 90 miles home from the airport in Grand Rapids, it was 3 AM, which was midnight Pacific time, at least our bodies had mostly adjusted to the time change by the time we returned home,  that made it a little easier.  We got on the airport shuttle a little after 9 AM, yesterday morning, so it still made for a long traveling day.  We were glad to see our own bed.

 Got up around 9AM, by the time we had  coffee and breakfast,   unpacked and went through the phone messages and mail, it was past lunch time, so we didn't get started on our ride until after 2PM. After spending all of yesterday traveling, it felt so good to get out and ride.   Since Button had spent so much time in his crate while traveling, we didn't take him along.  He wasn't very happy when he saw us getting our gear together for a ride.

Temps today were in the mid 60's, quite cloudy when we started riding, but getting sunnier as the ride progressed.  We have the Shoreline ride coming up this weekend.  It is a 50 mile group ride, that starts in Mackinaw city.  We are riding it with some friends we made through our PALM ride.  Tony wanted to ride the trail today, but we ended up doing hills, as we felt it would help us be more prepared for the 50 miler on Saturday.

We rode into LeRoy and rode past the Library and Post Office heading out west of town.  We took 200 Rd to 18 mile road and headed home that way.

 The sumac is bright red and some trees are just starting to turn color.

The apple trees are full of apples,  many grow wild along side the road, planted by the birds, or by a discarded  apple core. we stopped and picked some.  We each ate one as we rode along, I hope to make an apple crisp before we head to Mackinaw City for our ride this weekend. Such a pretty sight to see the trees loaded down with apples. all of it displayed, with a beautiful sky as the back drop.

 Apple trees growing wild makes me thing of Johnny Appleseed.  His given name was John Chapman.  As the pioneers began to move west, John would try and figure out what route they night go.  Then he would go to that area and plant some stands of apple trees, planning on selling the your trees to settlers. He would settle for bartered goods as well.  He lived a simple life.  Once he planted the trees, he would try and find a nearby settler and make arrangements for the settler to look after the newly planted trees.  He may have built barriers of deadfall branches and stumps to keep the wild life from devouring the young trees.  He was an eccentric fellow, a vegetarian and he traveled barefoot, both were unusual for the times he lived in.  Johnny showed kindness o both people and animals, and was loved by many.  He was a rugged individualist and a gentle humanitarian.  He thought of himself as a missionary, carrying  a message of God and nature, to many.  Guess my teacher must have done a good job teaching about Johnny Appleseed, because he's what I think of when I see an apple tree growing along the road. 

We rode past house and barns, heard a sheep bleating, but couldn't see where it was to get a picture.  The houses surrounded by yards and trees, and topped off by the blue skies, with white clouds drifting about seemed to be begging for me to take some pictures.  I was happy to oblige.

It was such a pleasant day for a ride, we were still jet lagged,  so we took our time.  Not sure if it was because we were worm out from traveling, or because it's been 13 days since our last ride, but, we found ourselves using the mountain drive more than we usually do.  Somehow, the hills seemed bigger today.

We "zeroed" out on several.  Zeroing out is when the trike is still moving, but the speedometer reads zero.  Plenty of time to take pictures when we are "zeroing" out.  Heres's one of my new SmartWool socks.

Rode past an old tractor that was for sale.  I bet it would have plenty of stories to tell if it could talk.

Looks like the self milking barn is framed in.  Thought I better try and get a picture before it is finished. for a month or so it sat with just the cement slab ther, but now things seem to be moving along quickly.

We reached the corner of 18 Mile Rd and started on the last of the loop to our house,  each of us commenting on how thankful we were to be able to get out and ride today, enjoying the beauty around us.  We rode just a little over 19 miles.