It started out innocently enough, a little irritating cough. The next morning, I woke up, feeling like my throat had been rheamed out with a thin, red hot pipe. Strep was my first thought. My naturopath wasn't available. I rescheduled my clients and started on oregon grape and colloidal silver right away, rubbing tea tree oil on the throat every few hours My evening my throat felt better, but the cough was worse. Made it through the night. Had to reschedule clients again. Tony came home with some suggestions from our naturopath on things I should take. I started on them right away. No appetite. Fever visited that night, and dragged my body over some rocks.
Fast forward 2 more days, to the weekend. There was a breakfast that I needed to attend. In spite of taking cough syrup, I coughed through most of it, was glad when it was done and I was back home. It was an important weekend, I had many obligations at church, and there was a surprise birthday party for Tony's Mom on Sunday. I was unable to attend any of it. Coughing, being cold, and running a fever, set up camp all around me, and forced me to participate.
On Day 8, I realized I hadn't cooked any meals in over a week. Apparently, Tony was feeding himself. Most likely eating lots of oatmeal, PBJ sandwich's and bagels with peanut butter. Time to make an appointment to see the doctor. Once she got over her shock at how sick I looked, doc said I had bronchitis that was on the verge on pneumonia. My first bout ever with bronchitis, and it was clearly winning. For the first time in over 6 years, I took an anti-biotic. She also called in a cough syrup with codeine....sleepy time syrup. She said I would start to feel better in 24 hours, and I did..briefly. Then things went downhill again. My doctor had the day off and the on call doctor, couldn't fit me in, so he called out 5 Z-pak, which is something strong that is used to treat pneumonia.
Once again, clients for the week, are shuffled around like a deck of cards. Yes they can come next week. Many get well wishes conveyed from them, with a reminder, that they need me to get well.
So grateful for the blessing of friends. A good friend picked up the new meds, bringing supper with her. Sleepy time syrup got me through the night. Next day, same friend came and made supper for us. Later our Pastor called to let us know that people would be bringing in meals for a few days, a gesture we gratefully accepted and appreciated. Especially, Tony. Me, I still had no appetite or taste.
2 days later, life is getting better, fevers are gone, still coughing, but the mucus making factory in my head, seems to have shut down. Appetite and taste are slowly returning. I can taste chocolate and smell coffee, life is improving.
Over 2 weeks have passed, I still have 2 packets of pills to take. I feel quite a bit stronger, but certainly not ready for a bike ride. Which reminds me, we are now 2 weeks behind on our training. I'm hoping to start cleaning Rosie up and to try and get the mountain drive easier for Tony to kick out, but right now, I'm going to take a little nap. Hopefully, I can have a little cycling adventure in my dreams.
Miles ridden today, zero.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Here is Rollin.
We are happy to introduce Rollin, the GTT that recently joined our family.
The bright yellow seat will make us noteworthy on the road, even for those that have no idea what a GreenSpeed is. We want folks to know we are there.
In light of, the last rain event we experienced, we are happy that Rollin came with Ortelieb, waterproof, panniers. After our last wet riding foray on Rosie, I took everything out the non waterproof, panniers, and spread them out on the retaining wall. It looked like we were having a garage sale, but gave me a chance to inventory what was in there. I even took somethings out, but not my trusty duct tape. And yes, I found my gloves.
Years of long distance running enable Tony to help us out run dogs and deer flies. He is my "super stoker." If I say, "deer fly alert," or dog alert." he knows he needs to put the metal to the pedal, NOW. Deer fly season isn't here yet, but I know the little buggers are already plotting ways to ambush us. They especially like it when we are on an incline. We're easy pickings then.
The bright yellow seat will make us noteworthy on the road, even for those that have no idea what a GreenSpeed is. We want folks to know we are there.
It may not be the SS Enterprise, going where no man has gone before, but
as the captain, this is where I get to sit. From here I can boldly choose the proper gearing, turn the trike, and decide when to stop for ice cream.
In light of, the last rain event we experienced, we are happy that Rollin came with Ortelieb, waterproof, panniers. After our last wet riding foray on Rosie, I took everything out the non waterproof, panniers, and spread them out on the retaining wall. It looked like we were having a garage sale, but gave me a chance to inventory what was in there. I even took somethings out, but not my trusty duct tape. And yes, I found my gloves.
Tony's stoking power and the mountain drive, take place here.
On gargantuan hills, Tony kicks the mountain drive in with a flick of his heel, and we spin up the hills like a pair of senior citizen's waltzing up the stairs. We might be slow, but we are graceful, and eventually get to the top, without breaking a sweat. (unless it's a brutally hot day with no shade. In those conditions, Superman might even sweat.)
Rollin's chain was very clean, so we decided to continue using White Lightening Wax lube on it. Boeshield T-9 , is what we have used in the past, but it seems to be leave Rosie's chain dirtier, This wax lube comes in a blue carrier oil. I shake the bottle well, and then apply it the chains, and let it dry , overnight. I will need repeat this ritual about every 300 miles.
Riding has been elusive for us, this week. Tuesday morning we had about 1/2 inch of snow and strong winds. When the weather became more agreeable, our job schedule interfered, and I came down with a whopper of a cold, even missing work because of it. This weekend doesn't look much better, and our schedule is quite full. Hope the climate and my health, will be more cooperative next week.
The rain jacket I ordered came, but they sent the wrong size, and didn't have the right one for an exchange. I couldn't find anything I really liked. Finally ended up ordering from a different company. Got a Bellweather Stormchaser. It is both waterproof and windproof, 1 jacket, for double duty, so the panniers will be less crowded. I am one of those people that read reviews, and this rain gear got good ones. They only make it in Men's sizes, I ordered a small, hope it fits.
Happy to finally share some pictures of Rollin on here. Sad that we won't be able to ride until nest week. Stay tuned for more adventures. (dramatic music, plays in the background.)
South on the White Pine Trail
I spent part of the day getting some bling On Rollin. Bling is a water bottle holder, a bell, an air horn, a small portable air pump, and of course, panniers that are packed for the basics of a ride. our little dog, Button was happy to go along today, his traveling condo, now secure, on Rollin's rear rack.
Wanting to give our legs a break from the hills, we loaded Rollin up on the trailer and drove to the White Pine Trail in Reed City. It is called The Crossroads, and is where the Pere Marquette trail intersects with the White Pine, and is available for year round use, with restrictions of at least 4 inches of snow on the trail before it can be used by snowmobiles.
Reed City is the cross roads of MI where 2 major highways, US 10 , east and west, and US 131, north and south, intersect, but it was also where the Pere Marquette Pennsylvania Central Railroad went from Ludington to Midland, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad ran from Rockford to Cadillac. These railroads transported vital supplies to the logging industry that once thrived in our area. vital to life in the north country of MI.
Reed City's legacy continues, with the Fred Meijer White Pine State Trail and the Pere Marquette State Trail intersecting at the reconstructed replica of the historic, downtown, Reed City, railroad depot. It is a beautiful building, with a community room, as well as restrooms, a covered pavilion and an outdoor fireplace. The town's pride is evident, in the building's care and use. Everytime we have been there, the community has some type of family gathering taking place. Today, bright yellow and blue balloons framed a 'Happy Birthday,' banner.
The White Pine trail system is the largest in our state, running 92 miles between Grand Rapids and Cadillac, MI. The Pere Marquette is 55 miles in length, crossing through Clare, Lake and Osceola counties. The trails are well used, year round, with a minimum 4 inch snow restriction in place, for snowmobiles.
It didn't take long to get the trike off the trailer, and we were riding in no time. The sun warmed our faces. We headed towards Big Rapids, expecting to see many other riders. To our surprise there were no Mom's and Dad's, followed by children, in blue or pink helmets, spreading across the trail. No cyclist's in matching jersey's and shorts, speeding by, and no roller blades, singing along the asphalt.
We stopped in the park at Paris, MI for a break. Paris has a fish hatchery that opened in 1881.
The area was selected as a site because of the abundant sources of water and the railroad connections. The hatchery was a major supplier of salmon and brown trout fingerlings. Fish in distinctive red cans were shipped in railroad baggage cars, throughout the state. In the mid 1930'a the WPA renovated and expanded the facility. It continued to operate until 1964, when the Department of Natural Resources closed it. The site was acquired by Mecosta County Park Commission in 1973, refurbished as a park, and reopened in 1976.
The work of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp,) and the WPA (Works Progress Administration,) and it's impact on our country is a fascination to me. Our country was at it's lowest point, financially, when the WPA was introduced as part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. These programs were designed to put America back on it's feet, and get the economy moving again. It's original propose was to build and improve America's infrastructure, but it also funded arts history and culture in America. Out of work Americans, both men and women, found jobs through the WPA.
Sometimes the workers had to go far from home to live in camps to work. The initial appropriation for the WPA was 4.88 billion dollars from the Emergency Relief Fund. Over the years the WPA would employ 8.5 million Americans and spend 11 billion dollars. Although I tend to see what the they did for small town America and our parks system across the US, half of the workers were employed in New York City.
Wages varied from region to region and state to state. In the state of TN, a man working with a pick and shovel earned 18 cents an hour and was limited to an income of 26 dollars per month. While a similar man in PN had to work 30 hours to earn 94 dollars per month. Strong complaints about these practices, brought about adjustments in wages to better match the living costs in each state.
Nearly 9000 miles of sewer lines or storm drains were laid, by 1938 280,000 miles of streets and roads were repaired or paved. As of 1940, 4383 schools were built and repairs and additions done to over 30,000 others. More than 130 hospitals were constructed, with improvements made to 1670.
Our country would not be what it is today without the hard work of those who participated in WPA. The WPA , born in 1935, had a lifespan of 8 years, and a legacy that continues, to this day.
In addition to the fish ponds the area has a few buildings. I'm not sure what there purpose was.
Just beyond the fish hatchery, there are some camping places for both RV's and tents. In the summertime, smoke from campfires drifts across the park, and the sounds of children playing, fill the air. Across the street from that, is one of our favorite antique shops, filled gleaming wooden furniture, old enamel tea pots, silver ware, china, and other bric-brac, some of which now, resides, in our home.
Button was glad to get out of his condo carrier and had to sniff many blades of grass, before he found just the right spot to do his business. He wanted to explore a bit, but was sure he might miss crumbs from our granola bars, if he did.
Refreshed and ready to roll, we progressed south, the ride was blissfully uneventful. After riding next to it for quite some time, we crossed the Muskegon River. The sun sparkled on the water, than flowed around a sand bar island, and under the bridge.
It seemed like a good place to take a break. So peaceful to look out over the water, I missed seeing the green leaves add some trim to the scene.
Saw a pretty church in Roger's Heights. The steeple looked like a mix of Greek and Russian influence, to me. Churches, barns and old houses, they keep showing up in my blog....
The first sign of excitement was when we reached the end of the paved section of trail, and stopped at a convenience store. A cop had someone pulled over. There was an Arby's there, so we had a fish sandwich before turning back towards Reed City. The guys in Arby's were full of questions about"that thing," we were riding. I saw the officer, looking it over too.
Fueled up, we were ready to roll. On each ride, God gives us little gifts of his creation to enjoy. Today, it was ssmall white flowers blooming along the trail.
Pedaling on to Reed City, we were greeted by a headwind. Now, later in the day, cloudy skies made the wind feel colder. I stopped and added a layer, and my gloves, before riding on.
Soon Rollin went back on the trailer, Button in the car, and we all went home, tired, but happy.
We rode 27 miles today.
Wanting to give our legs a break from the hills, we loaded Rollin up on the trailer and drove to the White Pine Trail in Reed City. It is called The Crossroads, and is where the Pere Marquette trail intersects with the White Pine, and is available for year round use, with restrictions of at least 4 inches of snow on the trail before it can be used by snowmobiles.
Reed City is the cross roads of MI where 2 major highways, US 10 , east and west, and US 131, north and south, intersect, but it was also where the Pere Marquette Pennsylvania Central Railroad went from Ludington to Midland, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad ran from Rockford to Cadillac. These railroads transported vital supplies to the logging industry that once thrived in our area. vital to life in the north country of MI.
Reed City's legacy continues, with the Fred Meijer White Pine State Trail and the Pere Marquette State Trail intersecting at the reconstructed replica of the historic, downtown, Reed City, railroad depot. It is a beautiful building, with a community room, as well as restrooms, a covered pavilion and an outdoor fireplace. The town's pride is evident, in the building's care and use. Everytime we have been there, the community has some type of family gathering taking place. Today, bright yellow and blue balloons framed a 'Happy Birthday,' banner.
The White Pine trail system is the largest in our state, running 92 miles between Grand Rapids and Cadillac, MI. The Pere Marquette is 55 miles in length, crossing through Clare, Lake and Osceola counties. The trails are well used, year round, with a minimum 4 inch snow restriction in place, for snowmobiles.
It didn't take long to get the trike off the trailer, and we were riding in no time. The sun warmed our faces. We headed towards Big Rapids, expecting to see many other riders. To our surprise there were no Mom's and Dad's, followed by children, in blue or pink helmets, spreading across the trail. No cyclist's in matching jersey's and shorts, speeding by, and no roller blades, singing along the asphalt.
We stopped in the park at Paris, MI for a break. Paris has a fish hatchery that opened in 1881.
The area was selected as a site because of the abundant sources of water and the railroad connections. The hatchery was a major supplier of salmon and brown trout fingerlings. Fish in distinctive red cans were shipped in railroad baggage cars, throughout the state. In the mid 1930'a the WPA renovated and expanded the facility. It continued to operate until 1964, when the Department of Natural Resources closed it. The site was acquired by Mecosta County Park Commission in 1973, refurbished as a park, and reopened in 1976.
The work of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp,) and the WPA (Works Progress Administration,) and it's impact on our country is a fascination to me. Our country was at it's lowest point, financially, when the WPA was introduced as part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. These programs were designed to put America back on it's feet, and get the economy moving again. It's original propose was to build and improve America's infrastructure, but it also funded arts history and culture in America. Out of work Americans, both men and women, found jobs through the WPA.
Sometimes the workers had to go far from home to live in camps to work. The initial appropriation for the WPA was 4.88 billion dollars from the Emergency Relief Fund. Over the years the WPA would employ 8.5 million Americans and spend 11 billion dollars. Although I tend to see what the they did for small town America and our parks system across the US, half of the workers were employed in New York City.
Wages varied from region to region and state to state. In the state of TN, a man working with a pick and shovel earned 18 cents an hour and was limited to an income of 26 dollars per month. While a similar man in PN had to work 30 hours to earn 94 dollars per month. Strong complaints about these practices, brought about adjustments in wages to better match the living costs in each state.
Nearly 9000 miles of sewer lines or storm drains were laid, by 1938 280,000 miles of streets and roads were repaired or paved. As of 1940, 4383 schools were built and repairs and additions done to over 30,000 others. More than 130 hospitals were constructed, with improvements made to 1670.
Our country would not be what it is today without the hard work of those who participated in WPA. The WPA , born in 1935, had a lifespan of 8 years, and a legacy that continues, to this day.
In addition to the fish ponds the area has a few buildings. I'm not sure what there purpose was.
Just beyond the fish hatchery, there are some camping places for both RV's and tents. In the summertime, smoke from campfires drifts across the park, and the sounds of children playing, fill the air. Across the street from that, is one of our favorite antique shops, filled gleaming wooden furniture, old enamel tea pots, silver ware, china, and other bric-brac, some of which now, resides, in our home.
Button was glad to get out of his condo carrier and had to sniff many blades of grass, before he found just the right spot to do his business. He wanted to explore a bit, but was sure he might miss crumbs from our granola bars, if he did.
Refreshed and ready to roll, we progressed south, the ride was blissfully uneventful. After riding next to it for quite some time, we crossed the Muskegon River. The sun sparkled on the water, than flowed around a sand bar island, and under the bridge.
It seemed like a good place to take a break. So peaceful to look out over the water, I missed seeing the green leaves add some trim to the scene.
Saw a pretty church in Roger's Heights. The steeple looked like a mix of Greek and Russian influence, to me. Churches, barns and old houses, they keep showing up in my blog....
The first sign of excitement was when we reached the end of the paved section of trail, and stopped at a convenience store. A cop had someone pulled over. There was an Arby's there, so we had a fish sandwich before turning back towards Reed City. The guys in Arby's were full of questions about"that thing," we were riding. I saw the officer, looking it over too.
Fueled up, we were ready to roll. On each ride, God gives us little gifts of his creation to enjoy. Today, it was ssmall white flowers blooming along the trail.
Pedaling on to Reed City, we were greeted by a headwind. Now, later in the day, cloudy skies made the wind feel colder. I stopped and added a layer, and my gloves, before riding on.
Soon Rollin went back on the trailer, Button in the car, and we all went home, tired, but happy.
We rode 27 miles today.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Some rides don't go as planned.
Today's ride was going to be a short, 16 mile ride, to church and back. It's one of our easier courses, although it too has it's share of hills, they are what we consider, "mild hills." And just in case the ride is too easy, we have the "Hill trio," to greet us in the last miles, before home.
Winds this morning were about 10 -15 MPH, temps in the mid 40's and it was sunny. 30 MPH winds dancing around this afternoon, but we would be home by then. I am far behind on my household duties, and need some time to be domestic. Too much time spent riding and blogging, lately. Tomorrow is a big errand and appointment day, and the weather forecast is for possible sleet. Not a good riding day, and as good of a reason, as any, to ride today. Not that we ever need a reason to do that.
Tony continues to struggle with getting the mountain drive kicked out. When we changed pedals, we moved the trouser guards from the mountain drive on Rosie, to Rollin, and I'm thinking that they don't line up with the magical little button that kicks the gearing out of mountain drive. I am going to try and take them off on Friday. I think it will make it easier for Tony to hit the button with his heel.
Rode past a cow and her calf. He looked pretty young, tawny brown coloring, a few shades brighter than the contented cow that walked ahead. The little one wasn't far behind, and was completely focused on his Mama. They were to far away to get a good picture. I have been looking for the sheep and lambs, but haven't seen them. The song of the rooster greeted us in a few places. Sometimes I think of how efficient it would be to live in town and ride Rollin, to the grocery store, library, and work, but I would sure miss the open country roads we ride. I prefer peaceful peddling, past fields, farmhouses, cattle, horses, chickens and geese. A deer, turkey or some other wildlife, can come strolling across the road or a field. A tom turkey, gave us a full display of his tail feathers today.
The gulls were all revved up over something or another, a cement mixer and several construction workers were at the self milking barn. Maybe the gulls were ticked because there was so many people around. Not as many trucks parked along the road as there was last time we rode by, but it is is a mess from all the field dirt.
Our new wireless computer isn't working properly. It recorded our miles to church as 10 , and we know that it is 8 miles. Kind of odd, as we know it was accurate on our last 2 rides. From what I've read wireless computers can be affected by many things, but it is more common for them to be off around stop lights, alarm systems etc. None of those between our house and church. Wanting credit for every mile we ride, we will be switching back to a wired computer. I'll probably go back to a Cat Eye.
Arriving at church meant time for a bathroom break and a snack.
A car pulled in the driveway, just as we were leaving. 4 elderly, strangers got out and went over to the bell tower that holds the old bell from the school house. Thinking that perhaps they might want their picture taken by the tower, we stopped to chat. One couple was from CA, the other from western MI. Their parents had grown up in the area and had gone to the Dighton School. They heard there was a lot of historical pictures , on display, in the church, and were disappointed that it wasn't open. With a key to the church in my pannier, I offered to open the church for them, so they could take a little look around. Tony waited outside with Rollin.
Once we got in the church, I could see that this wasn't going to be a quick tour. Many pictures evoked a memory story for them, or something their parents had shared. There are pictures on each of the hall way walls downstairs, and pictures in the foyer of the church as well. They took pictures of the pictures, and gratitude at being able to get into the church to see them, flowed abundantly. I was glad I had offered to let them in.
Meanwhile, I could see dark clouds rolling in. Setting those thoughts aside, I let them take as much time as they needed. Who knows it could be the last time one of them ever sees this piece of their history. By the time they signed the guest register, nearly an hour had passed. The 4 of them stood in front of the bell tower and I took a few pictures. Of course it wasn't fall, as in this picture, but it was the only one I had of the tower.
With happy hearts, they got in the car and drove away, and yes, it was still spring.
Tony was pretty cold by then, and we had an 8 mile ride, with strong headwinds ahead of us. I wondered if we might get wet before we made it home. Asking the Lord to look upon our good deed with favor, and to hold back the rains, we pedaled out of the driveway.
The wind beat a chill against our faces as we headed south, making me wish I had my balaclava on instead of my skull cap. My gloves kept my fingers toasty, and biking tights warmed our legs. The sky was dark and overcast, continuing to threaten rain.
We pushed it going home, not wanting to have a repeat of our last rain scenario. Last year the farmer that owns the land on the corner of 155th, plowed the meadow over and planted corn. This spring they cut down what we refer to as , the "rock tree." It is a tree that had a big pile of rocks under it.
Years ago we took our trailer and hauled several loads of rocks to put on the side of our hill. Being a tree hugger, I am sad to see the tree come down. I wish they would come and haul it away, taking the sadness I feel when seeing the toppled skeleton too. I think Tony is getting tired of me talking about it, and what a shame that mere cornstalks could determine the fate of this majestic tree.
Upon arriving at the driveway our odometer said we had ridden 20 miles, but we knew we had only logged 16.
Winds this morning were about 10 -15 MPH, temps in the mid 40's and it was sunny. 30 MPH winds dancing around this afternoon, but we would be home by then. I am far behind on my household duties, and need some time to be domestic. Too much time spent riding and blogging, lately. Tomorrow is a big errand and appointment day, and the weather forecast is for possible sleet. Not a good riding day, and as good of a reason, as any, to ride today. Not that we ever need a reason to do that.
Tony continues to struggle with getting the mountain drive kicked out. When we changed pedals, we moved the trouser guards from the mountain drive on Rosie, to Rollin, and I'm thinking that they don't line up with the magical little button that kicks the gearing out of mountain drive. I am going to try and take them off on Friday. I think it will make it easier for Tony to hit the button with his heel.
Rode past a cow and her calf. He looked pretty young, tawny brown coloring, a few shades brighter than the contented cow that walked ahead. The little one wasn't far behind, and was completely focused on his Mama. They were to far away to get a good picture. I have been looking for the sheep and lambs, but haven't seen them. The song of the rooster greeted us in a few places. Sometimes I think of how efficient it would be to live in town and ride Rollin, to the grocery store, library, and work, but I would sure miss the open country roads we ride. I prefer peaceful peddling, past fields, farmhouses, cattle, horses, chickens and geese. A deer, turkey or some other wildlife, can come strolling across the road or a field. A tom turkey, gave us a full display of his tail feathers today.
The gulls were all revved up over something or another, a cement mixer and several construction workers were at the self milking barn. Maybe the gulls were ticked because there was so many people around. Not as many trucks parked along the road as there was last time we rode by, but it is is a mess from all the field dirt.
Our new wireless computer isn't working properly. It recorded our miles to church as 10 , and we know that it is 8 miles. Kind of odd, as we know it was accurate on our last 2 rides. From what I've read wireless computers can be affected by many things, but it is more common for them to be off around stop lights, alarm systems etc. None of those between our house and church. Wanting credit for every mile we ride, we will be switching back to a wired computer. I'll probably go back to a Cat Eye.
Arriving at church meant time for a bathroom break and a snack.
Once we got in the church, I could see that this wasn't going to be a quick tour. Many pictures evoked a memory story for them, or something their parents had shared. There are pictures on each of the hall way walls downstairs, and pictures in the foyer of the church as well. They took pictures of the pictures, and gratitude at being able to get into the church to see them, flowed abundantly. I was glad I had offered to let them in.
Meanwhile, I could see dark clouds rolling in. Setting those thoughts aside, I let them take as much time as they needed. Who knows it could be the last time one of them ever sees this piece of their history. By the time they signed the guest register, nearly an hour had passed. The 4 of them stood in front of the bell tower and I took a few pictures. Of course it wasn't fall, as in this picture, but it was the only one I had of the tower.
With happy hearts, they got in the car and drove away, and yes, it was still spring.
Tony was pretty cold by then, and we had an 8 mile ride, with strong headwinds ahead of us. I wondered if we might get wet before we made it home. Asking the Lord to look upon our good deed with favor, and to hold back the rains, we pedaled out of the driveway.
The wind beat a chill against our faces as we headed south, making me wish I had my balaclava on instead of my skull cap. My gloves kept my fingers toasty, and biking tights warmed our legs. The sky was dark and overcast, continuing to threaten rain.
We pushed it going home, not wanting to have a repeat of our last rain scenario. Last year the farmer that owns the land on the corner of 155th, plowed the meadow over and planted corn. This spring they cut down what we refer to as , the "rock tree." It is a tree that had a big pile of rocks under it.
Years ago we took our trailer and hauled several loads of rocks to put on the side of our hill. Being a tree hugger, I am sad to see the tree come down. I wish they would come and haul it away, taking the sadness I feel when seeing the toppled skeleton too. I think Tony is getting tired of me talking about it, and what a shame that mere cornstalks could determine the fate of this majestic tree.
Upon arriving at the driveway our odometer said we had ridden 20 miles, but we knew we had only logged 16.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Putting Rollin through his paces
April 06, 2012
After getting only 5 hours of sleep in the past 2 days, we are still pretty tired, but eager to take Rollin out for a ride on our home terrain to see how he does. How will he like our hills, and can he really open up on the flat trails? GreenSpeeds are noted for how fast they go. Tandem trikes are slower than other trikes and bikes, but GreenSpeeds (GTT's) are the fastest tandem trike made. Last year in PALM, we usually saw a GTT briefly in the morning, and maybe at a few early water stops, but after that, it left us, and many others, in the dust.
I got the ratchet straps loose and the pieces of foam we had taped on Rollin came off easily.
Upon examination it looks like he took the trip well, even with all the bouncing around on those WI roads. The tires all needed some air, so Tony took care of that.
By the time we got going, it was mid afternoon. Temps was 55, with winds around 10 MPH. We wanted to see how Rollin did on hills and flats, so we opted to ride into town and spin the White Pine Trail. When heading home, we would take 18 mile Road, which is awash with hills, and go around the rest of lake on 140th.
You have all been good sports, (or at least I think you have.) about listening to me go on about our Schlumpf Mountain Drive and how much easier it makes our life, when riding hills. Some of you might be wondering what the big "hoo ra" is about this mountain drive.
In 1992 Florian Schlumpf, who lives in the mountains of Switzerland, invented the mountain drive, which adds lower gearing to bikes and trikes, making it easier to climb steep grades. Florian is an avid unicyclist, and has a put a mountain drive on the hub of his unicycle. This allows him to ride up steep alpine passes with it. I can't imagine riding a unicycle in a parking lot, much less, up a mountain. Florian has been making the Schlumpf mountain drive in a small shop, behind his alpine home. In 2012, the manufacturing was turned over to a factory in Germany, so he would have more time to come up with new and better innovations. Unfortunately, this has caused the price of this wonderful device to increase by $200.00.
I am not very good at explaining things of this nature, so I copied most of the following explanation from a website that explains the Schlumpf Mountain Drive, much better than I. Hopefully, you can understand it. I won't be of much help, if you can't. This might get a little technical, so feel free to skip over it if this kind of explanation drives you nuts.
The Schlumpf Mountain Drive is a planetary geared crankset spider that acts like 2 chainrings on the front of your bike. (on a tandem, it is on the back.) In high gear, it uses a 1:1 ratio and gives you a gear of whatever chainring size you have installed. In low gear mode, it bumps the chainring size down by a factor of 2.5 for a 2.5:1 gearing ratio.
The mountain drive gives any bike or trike an ultimate granny gear by gearing down the exisiting drivetrain. Without a front deraileur, the mountain drive, in conjunction with a conventional rear cassette, gives the rider a huge gear range with almost no gear overlap. With a front deraileur, the gear overlap helps ease transitions between higher and lower gear sets. Our trike has a front and rear deraileur.
With a 20 inch rear wheel, which is what we use, using an 11-34T rear cassette, and 2 front chainring sizes of 53T and 39T (which means the gear ring has either 53 or 39 teeth.) you can expect a gear range of approximately 8.6 - 90 inches, with a fair bit of overlap. (that is NOT a typo.)
Please don't ask me to explain all of that. I can tell you this, with Schlumpf Mountain Drive on our trike, our gearing is low enough that we could probably ride up a tree, if we had too. Granted, we don't race up a hill fast, but one of the advantages of riding a trike is we can go as slow as we want, and we won't tip over, we can also look at the scenery as we go. However, it would not be a good time to meet up with a skunk or a bear.
With our mountain drive engaged, we don't have to push hard, (called mashing) on our pedals to get to the top, but can slowly spin our way up. On some hills, we go so slow that the wheel won't register the speed on the computer, yet we are still moving forward. We call it "zeroing out." Someone walking, could easily pass us, but the point is to get to the top, and with our trusty mountain drive, we get it done, and that is what counts.
So it was imperative to us, that Rollin have Schlumpf Mountain Drive. Since we have a Mountain Drive, on Rosie, we already knew he would do well on the hills. So no surprises there. Our biggest question was how he would do on the "flats."
Our best speed on Rosie had been about 18 MPH, and that was when we were racing a thunderstorm in PALM. Yes, we won, and the prize was staying dry.) With Rollin, we can achieve that speed without working nearly as hard. When we did our test ride, I had him up to 20 MPH, without too much huffing and puffing. I expect to improve once I master the gearing combinations. Tony also needs to practice getting the feel of the new Mountain Drive. He is having some trouble getting it out of Mountain drive, once we are done with a hill. It will come, just takes miles of practice.
We stopped at the bank, where I asked a guy to please take our picture. It didn't turn out , so you will have to imagine us in our biking tights and jackets, red helmets gleaming in the sun, smiling like 2 little kids, next to their new wagon. Only in our case we were next to Rollin, wearing the "trikers grin."
Our turning ratio with Rollin is smaller than with Rosie, but bear in mind that we are still nearly 10 foot long, and don't turn on a dime. Rollin is also 5 pounds lighter, weighing in at 63 pounds, of course that is without any of our gear on the trike.
Once we got on the trail I had a chance to practice my speed gearing. It seemed different to not know the sweet spots to coax the most from Rollin, like I do on Rosie. I know the exact combinations I need to make her sing. Rollin and I, we're still learning the scale. We still managed to get him up to 21 MPH without extreme pedaling. I have a feeling this boy, can really fly!
Green grass is abundant now, we saw evidence that some folks had already put their lawn mowers to work.
The new side mirrors are round and earth like instead of the oval I am used too, framing what is behind us into what I call, "my world view."
Rollin seemed to handle the gravel section of our road fine. I would say he passed todays tests with flying colors. The only concern we have is that the seat might be just a tad to close for Tony's stoker position. He is right on the borderline of needing the next size frame. The seats aren't adjustable. If it makes problems for him, but we might be able to move his cleats back a bit, or go with longer cranks. Riding to close to the pedals can cause serious knee problems. We are hoping this will not be an issue for him. Time will tell. We'll be watching Tony's knees closely on our next few rides. Won't be selling Rosie, until we know Rollin will work for Tony.
We rode 28 miles wonderful today. Welcome to our world, Rollin, we're glad your here.
After getting only 5 hours of sleep in the past 2 days, we are still pretty tired, but eager to take Rollin out for a ride on our home terrain to see how he does. How will he like our hills, and can he really open up on the flat trails? GreenSpeeds are noted for how fast they go. Tandem trikes are slower than other trikes and bikes, but GreenSpeeds (GTT's) are the fastest tandem trike made. Last year in PALM, we usually saw a GTT briefly in the morning, and maybe at a few early water stops, but after that, it left us, and many others, in the dust.
I got the ratchet straps loose and the pieces of foam we had taped on Rollin came off easily.
Upon examination it looks like he took the trip well, even with all the bouncing around on those WI roads. The tires all needed some air, so Tony took care of that.
By the time we got going, it was mid afternoon. Temps was 55, with winds around 10 MPH. We wanted to see how Rollin did on hills and flats, so we opted to ride into town and spin the White Pine Trail. When heading home, we would take 18 mile Road, which is awash with hills, and go around the rest of lake on 140th.
You have all been good sports, (or at least I think you have.) about listening to me go on about our Schlumpf Mountain Drive and how much easier it makes our life, when riding hills. Some of you might be wondering what the big "hoo ra" is about this mountain drive.
In 1992 Florian Schlumpf, who lives in the mountains of Switzerland, invented the mountain drive, which adds lower gearing to bikes and trikes, making it easier to climb steep grades. Florian is an avid unicyclist, and has a put a mountain drive on the hub of his unicycle. This allows him to ride up steep alpine passes with it. I can't imagine riding a unicycle in a parking lot, much less, up a mountain. Florian has been making the Schlumpf mountain drive in a small shop, behind his alpine home. In 2012, the manufacturing was turned over to a factory in Germany, so he would have more time to come up with new and better innovations. Unfortunately, this has caused the price of this wonderful device to increase by $200.00.
I am not very good at explaining things of this nature, so I copied most of the following explanation from a website that explains the Schlumpf Mountain Drive, much better than I. Hopefully, you can understand it. I won't be of much help, if you can't. This might get a little technical, so feel free to skip over it if this kind of explanation drives you nuts.
The Schlumpf Mountain Drive is a planetary geared crankset spider that acts like 2 chainrings on the front of your bike. (on a tandem, it is on the back.) In high gear, it uses a 1:1 ratio and gives you a gear of whatever chainring size you have installed. In low gear mode, it bumps the chainring size down by a factor of 2.5 for a 2.5:1 gearing ratio.
The mountain drive gives any bike or trike an ultimate granny gear by gearing down the exisiting drivetrain. Without a front deraileur, the mountain drive, in conjunction with a conventional rear cassette, gives the rider a huge gear range with almost no gear overlap. With a front deraileur, the gear overlap helps ease transitions between higher and lower gear sets. Our trike has a front and rear deraileur.
With a 20 inch rear wheel, which is what we use, using an 11-34T rear cassette, and 2 front chainring sizes of 53T and 39T (which means the gear ring has either 53 or 39 teeth.) you can expect a gear range of approximately 8.6 - 90 inches, with a fair bit of overlap. (that is NOT a typo.)
Please don't ask me to explain all of that. I can tell you this, with Schlumpf Mountain Drive on our trike, our gearing is low enough that we could probably ride up a tree, if we had too. Granted, we don't race up a hill fast, but one of the advantages of riding a trike is we can go as slow as we want, and we won't tip over, we can also look at the scenery as we go. However, it would not be a good time to meet up with a skunk or a bear.
With our mountain drive engaged, we don't have to push hard, (called mashing) on our pedals to get to the top, but can slowly spin our way up. On some hills, we go so slow that the wheel won't register the speed on the computer, yet we are still moving forward. We call it "zeroing out." Someone walking, could easily pass us, but the point is to get to the top, and with our trusty mountain drive, we get it done, and that is what counts.
So it was imperative to us, that Rollin have Schlumpf Mountain Drive. Since we have a Mountain Drive, on Rosie, we already knew he would do well on the hills. So no surprises there. Our biggest question was how he would do on the "flats."
Our best speed on Rosie had been about 18 MPH, and that was when we were racing a thunderstorm in PALM. Yes, we won, and the prize was staying dry.) With Rollin, we can achieve that speed without working nearly as hard. When we did our test ride, I had him up to 20 MPH, without too much huffing and puffing. I expect to improve once I master the gearing combinations. Tony also needs to practice getting the feel of the new Mountain Drive. He is having some trouble getting it out of Mountain drive, once we are done with a hill. It will come, just takes miles of practice.
We stopped at the bank, where I asked a guy to please take our picture. It didn't turn out , so you will have to imagine us in our biking tights and jackets, red helmets gleaming in the sun, smiling like 2 little kids, next to their new wagon. Only in our case we were next to Rollin, wearing the "trikers grin."
Our turning ratio with Rollin is smaller than with Rosie, but bear in mind that we are still nearly 10 foot long, and don't turn on a dime. Rollin is also 5 pounds lighter, weighing in at 63 pounds, of course that is without any of our gear on the trike.
Once we got on the trail I had a chance to practice my speed gearing. It seemed different to not know the sweet spots to coax the most from Rollin, like I do on Rosie. I know the exact combinations I need to make her sing. Rollin and I, we're still learning the scale. We still managed to get him up to 21 MPH without extreme pedaling. I have a feeling this boy, can really fly!
Green grass is abundant now, we saw evidence that some folks had already put their lawn mowers to work.
The new side mirrors are round and earth like instead of the oval I am used too, framing what is behind us into what I call, "my world view."
Rollin seemed to handle the gravel section of our road fine. I would say he passed todays tests with flying colors. The only concern we have is that the seat might be just a tad to close for Tony's stoker position. He is right on the borderline of needing the next size frame. The seats aren't adjustable. If it makes problems for him, but we might be able to move his cleats back a bit, or go with longer cranks. Riding to close to the pedals can cause serious knee problems. We are hoping this will not be an issue for him. Time will tell. We'll be watching Tony's knees closely on our next few rides. Won't be selling Rosie, until we know Rollin will work for Tony.
We rode 28 miles wonderful today. Welcome to our world, Rollin, we're glad your here.
When we least expect it, God blesses and provides.
Here we are in Manitowoc WI. Today we will be picking up a "new to us," GreenSpeed tandem trike. We are still pinching ourselves to make sure this is real. Just a few blogs ago, I shared our goal of riding from MI to WA in a few years, mentioning that in order to do that ride ,we would need to upgrade to a GreenSpeed tandem trike. We prayed about it but figured this dream was in the distant future. Today is the day, but the Lord has been putting things in place for all of this, for awhile.
There are a lot of pieces that the Lord put into place to bring this blessing our way. Pieces we knew nothing about. About 6 weeks ago I got a call from a life insurance company telling me that while doing an audit, they had come across a small life insurance policy on my step Dad, who died 20 years ago, that had never been collected on. My sister and I were the beneficiaries on the policy, the company would send us the necessary paperwork, and after we filled it out, we would each get a check. I took some notes, and later went online to verify the companies, name address and phone. Sure enough, it matched. It was legit. What a shock. I felt like I was playing monopoly and landed on free parking. A few days later the paperwork came. I filled it out and sent it onto my sister. What a blessing from the Lord!! Now Tony and I had enough money to start a savings account for a new trike. We figured it would take us years to save and find the right trike., boy were we wrong. When the Lord blesses and answers prayer, he doesn't mess around.
We don't have a GreenSpeed dealer in our state, so a while ago, (before the insurance call,) I emailed the company and told them we would eventually be buying a used GreenSpeed tandem trike, also known as a GTT. What we should be looking for, what could be modified etc.? I got a reply from the CEO of GreenSpeed, Ian Sims. He wanted to set up a time to have a skype conversation. After doing some figuring out of time and day differences, things were arranged. The visit was a wonderful learning experience, complete with Ian's Aussie accent and a reference to "lovely shifters." He answered our questions and gave us a little tutorial on GreenSpeed tandems. Now we knew exactly what to look for on a used trike. Again, we figured a trike like this, at a price we could afford, was years away for us. We put it in the Lord's hands and got on with life.
Fast forward one more week. We received an unexpected phone call from an online friend that has also been looking for used GreenSpeed Tandem trike.
Our friend's requirements were pretty much the same as ours, but he needed a taller captain position and a shorter stoker. We both desired the GTT that had 5 couplers, which means the trike can be broken down into 5 pieces for transport. Normally the GTT comes with 2 couplers. There is even a hard cover case for the 5 pieces to go into that would make it possible to do international touring with it. Tony and I had agreed that if we found the right trike, and it only had 2 couplers, we could live with that. Our friend however, has family in Europe, and plans to ride there, plus some back issues, so 5 couplers are a must for him. To make a long story short, he had come across a very nice, 2 coupler, GTT that he had put a 10 day "buying hold," on. After giving it more thought he decided he couldn't compromise on the coupler issue. He was going to be calling the seller to let him know, but then he thought of us, and what a good fit the trike was. He told us all about the trike and said, that if we were interested, he would tell the seller that that some friends in MI, that might want to buy the GreenSpeed. Tony and I asked questions and said we would like 24 hours to think about it and would get back to him.
Here is a link to the pictures the seller had posted of the trike. With the British racing green color and the black fenders, we could see that this trike was a boy. If we bought him, he would need a boy name.
http://www.timswoboda.com/misc/tandem/tandem.html
That night we looked at the online pictures of the tandem, several times, evaluated finances, talked and prayed about the decision facing us. The price on the trike was exceptional, it met most of our requirements, could be modified and tweaked a bit for our tour. and the trike had only 1500 miles on it. It had never been ridden in the rain and looked like it came right out of a showroom. A deal like this wasn't likely to come along again. We hadn't expected one to come along so soon. Once we sold Rosie, we would be upgrading to this trike for about, an additional $1000.00. We bounced the pros and cons around like a volley of ping pong balls, and after praying, decided to sleep on it and talk more in the morning.
When I got up, Tony was in the kitchen eating breakfast. Between his bites of oatmeal he was grinning, that told me , he felt this was the one for us. I was in agreement with that, and by evening, we bought the trike. We were soon going to have a GreenSpeed, tandem trike! Later that day we discussed names. The trike had dignity, so the name had to as well. Since our Terra Trike was named Rosie, it would be nice if the name started with an R. Rambler wouldn't do, nor would Robert. Tony suggested Rollin, because we would need to keep him rolling.The name fit, and so "Rollin", he shall be.
The day after we bought Rollin, the life insurance check came. An affirmation from the Lord that he brought this trike and the money to buy it, to us. None of it came from our own efforts.
Then we had to arrange a time to drive to WI and pick the trike up. That turned out to be a challenge, as we found out the same day, that the tie rods in our car needed replacing, no trips for us until they were. Parts had to be ordered, but finally the car was fixed, a pickup date was set, and we were off.
We picked the trike up and headed for the Hostel Shoppe, a recumbent bike and trike shop in Steven's Point WI.(about 2 hours from where we bought the trike. ) There we had the boom adjusted for me, pedals and cranks swapped out and a new wireless computer put on. Took the trike for a test ride to make sure all was working well, and headed back to MI.
Interstate 41 is not a road I would recommend when hauling a trailer with a light load on it, unfortunately, it was the road we needed to take. The road made the trailer bounce like a rock, ricocheting across the water, so much, that I couldn't go over 45 MPH. This went on for miles and miles. Occasionally there would be a stretch of road that was better, but it didn't last for long, and we would be back to 45 MPH. It made for a long trip to the MI border.
We got home about 4:30 AM on Friday morning. We were too tired to unload Rollin, and it wasn't raining, so he had to stay on the trailer a bit longer. We headed for bed and some much needed sleep. Happy to be home at last.
Miles driven to bring Rollin into the family were 1102. Miles ahead in this relationship... innumerable.
There are a lot of pieces that the Lord put into place to bring this blessing our way. Pieces we knew nothing about. About 6 weeks ago I got a call from a life insurance company telling me that while doing an audit, they had come across a small life insurance policy on my step Dad, who died 20 years ago, that had never been collected on. My sister and I were the beneficiaries on the policy, the company would send us the necessary paperwork, and after we filled it out, we would each get a check. I took some notes, and later went online to verify the companies, name address and phone. Sure enough, it matched. It was legit. What a shock. I felt like I was playing monopoly and landed on free parking. A few days later the paperwork came. I filled it out and sent it onto my sister. What a blessing from the Lord!! Now Tony and I had enough money to start a savings account for a new trike. We figured it would take us years to save and find the right trike., boy were we wrong. When the Lord blesses and answers prayer, he doesn't mess around.
We don't have a GreenSpeed dealer in our state, so a while ago, (before the insurance call,) I emailed the company and told them we would eventually be buying a used GreenSpeed tandem trike, also known as a GTT. What we should be looking for, what could be modified etc.? I got a reply from the CEO of GreenSpeed, Ian Sims. He wanted to set up a time to have a skype conversation. After doing some figuring out of time and day differences, things were arranged. The visit was a wonderful learning experience, complete with Ian's Aussie accent and a reference to "lovely shifters." He answered our questions and gave us a little tutorial on GreenSpeed tandems. Now we knew exactly what to look for on a used trike. Again, we figured a trike like this, at a price we could afford, was years away for us. We put it in the Lord's hands and got on with life.
Fast forward one more week. We received an unexpected phone call from an online friend that has also been looking for used GreenSpeed Tandem trike.
Our friend's requirements were pretty much the same as ours, but he needed a taller captain position and a shorter stoker. We both desired the GTT that had 5 couplers, which means the trike can be broken down into 5 pieces for transport. Normally the GTT comes with 2 couplers. There is even a hard cover case for the 5 pieces to go into that would make it possible to do international touring with it. Tony and I had agreed that if we found the right trike, and it only had 2 couplers, we could live with that. Our friend however, has family in Europe, and plans to ride there, plus some back issues, so 5 couplers are a must for him. To make a long story short, he had come across a very nice, 2 coupler, GTT that he had put a 10 day "buying hold," on. After giving it more thought he decided he couldn't compromise on the coupler issue. He was going to be calling the seller to let him know, but then he thought of us, and what a good fit the trike was. He told us all about the trike and said, that if we were interested, he would tell the seller that that some friends in MI, that might want to buy the GreenSpeed. Tony and I asked questions and said we would like 24 hours to think about it and would get back to him.
Here is a link to the pictures the seller had posted of the trike. With the British racing green color and the black fenders, we could see that this trike was a boy. If we bought him, he would need a boy name.
http://www.timswoboda.com/misc/tandem/tandem.html
That night we looked at the online pictures of the tandem, several times, evaluated finances, talked and prayed about the decision facing us. The price on the trike was exceptional, it met most of our requirements, could be modified and tweaked a bit for our tour. and the trike had only 1500 miles on it. It had never been ridden in the rain and looked like it came right out of a showroom. A deal like this wasn't likely to come along again. We hadn't expected one to come along so soon. Once we sold Rosie, we would be upgrading to this trike for about, an additional $1000.00. We bounced the pros and cons around like a volley of ping pong balls, and after praying, decided to sleep on it and talk more in the morning.
When I got up, Tony was in the kitchen eating breakfast. Between his bites of oatmeal he was grinning, that told me , he felt this was the one for us. I was in agreement with that, and by evening, we bought the trike. We were soon going to have a GreenSpeed, tandem trike! Later that day we discussed names. The trike had dignity, so the name had to as well. Since our Terra Trike was named Rosie, it would be nice if the name started with an R. Rambler wouldn't do, nor would Robert. Tony suggested Rollin, because we would need to keep him rolling.The name fit, and so "Rollin", he shall be.
The day after we bought Rollin, the life insurance check came. An affirmation from the Lord that he brought this trike and the money to buy it, to us. None of it came from our own efforts.
Then we had to arrange a time to drive to WI and pick the trike up. That turned out to be a challenge, as we found out the same day, that the tie rods in our car needed replacing, no trips for us until they were. Parts had to be ordered, but finally the car was fixed, a pickup date was set, and we were off.
We picked the trike up and headed for the Hostel Shoppe, a recumbent bike and trike shop in Steven's Point WI.(about 2 hours from where we bought the trike. ) There we had the boom adjusted for me, pedals and cranks swapped out and a new wireless computer put on. Took the trike for a test ride to make sure all was working well, and headed back to MI.
Interstate 41 is not a road I would recommend when hauling a trailer with a light load on it, unfortunately, it was the road we needed to take. The road made the trailer bounce like a rock, ricocheting across the water, so much, that I couldn't go over 45 MPH. This went on for miles and miles. Occasionally there would be a stretch of road that was better, but it didn't last for long, and we would be back to 45 MPH. It made for a long trip to the MI border.
We got home about 4:30 AM on Friday morning. We were too tired to unload Rollin, and it wasn't raining, so he had to stay on the trailer a bit longer. We headed for bed and some much needed sleep. Happy to be home at last.
Miles driven to bring Rollin into the family were 1102. Miles ahead in this relationship... innumerable.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Wind, wind, go away.
March 26, 2012
Some welcome sunshine today, but the wind is still blowing about. Great kite flying weather, but not without mitts to keep the hands warm. It was 44 degrees today, N/NE winds of 30 MPH. Hoping to get some shelter, we decided to ride to the trail, into Tustin, double back to 18 mile Rd. and home. No danger of rain today, but we did wear our balaclava's, and gloves. I couldn't find my toasty ones, so had to settle for a thinner pair. By the time we got to town, my fingers felt colder than a snowflake on a January day. Tony offered to switch gloves with me, even though his are too big for my hands, they were better than what I had been wearing. Finding the gloves I usually wear when cycling, just got moved up my priority list.
We stopped at the bank, where we encountered a "looky-loo" Our trike attracts them like magnets, and they are usually full of questions. We don't mind, it's a nice way to start a conversation and get to know people a bit. The thing we hear most of often is, " Is that thing hard to pedal?" It makes us smile, pedaling is what we like to do. Today's looky-lou, was no exception. How did our trike do on hills? Was it hard to pedal? Did we think people could see us OK when we are riding? How long is that thing? How far do we ride? How fast do we go? Looky-loo, was happy to have a chance to sit on Rosie and see how it felt to have his "feet way up, like that." He decided he might have to look into those trikes, but a single one, instead of a double.
From the bank, we went to the bike trail. Once we started riding straight north, we could really feel it blowing. Oh how we were longing for warm breezes, and to be rid of the blasts of March . Normally the sun will warm us while we ride, but today, the wind, determined our levels of discomfort. So much for our hopes of being sheltered by the trees.
We had a bit of a scare when we rode by a place where 2 good sized dogs live. They are always tied up, and always bark at us. We often comment on how glad we are, that they aren't loose. Well, today, one was. He came charging at us, big and black, barking like crazy. We weren't sure what he was going to do. Fortunately, he was a barker who wanted us away from his property and not a biter. After a few loud, firm, "GO HOME!" commands, he left us alone. However, it took our hearts awhile to return to normal, partly from the burst of speed we put on and the rest from the scare of the situation. Encountering dogs is a completely different experience when on a trike. For one thing, we are down at their level. If they want to bite, it won't likely be our ankles they go after. We carry pepper spray and a loud horn called an Air Zound. We were riding into the wind, so pepper spray would have been pretty useless today. Fortunately, this dog just wanted us to go away. I have been considering getting a rubber tipped, spring loaded baton. They extend out to 23 inches, are rubber tipped, and I think, would effectively repel a dog. My desired weapon of choice, comes with a holster, so it would be easy to get out. Who knows, I could become , "The fastest baton in the north." I would, however, have to be careful to not whap Tony with it. I can picture that scene.
Whap! ""Ouch, what was that??"
To which I would reply, "Sorry Honey, I'm just learning to use this thing. Are you alright?"
"Not sure yet, but I think you should practice when I'm not on the trike."
"Did that dog get you?"
"No, but you did."
Leaving the dog behind, we rode on down the trail. I have mentioned Tustin in my blog often, but never told you much about it. Tustin MI, is known as the headwaters of the Pine River, which is located in the NW portion of MI lower peninsula. The Pine is formed in Tustin, where the North branch and East branch of the river come together. The watershed goes through 4 counties, Wexford, Osceola, Lake and Mainistee, with a drainage area of 265 square miles, and ultimately discharges into the Tippy Dam water basin. The Pine is well known for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. In places it is fast flowing, and in others, it meanders along slowly. It is a gem in the crown of northern lower Michigan.
The “Fred Meijer White Pine Trail” passes through the business district of Tustin.
Some welcome sunshine today, but the wind is still blowing about. Great kite flying weather, but not without mitts to keep the hands warm. It was 44 degrees today, N/NE winds of 30 MPH. Hoping to get some shelter, we decided to ride to the trail, into Tustin, double back to 18 mile Rd. and home. No danger of rain today, but we did wear our balaclava's, and gloves. I couldn't find my toasty ones, so had to settle for a thinner pair. By the time we got to town, my fingers felt colder than a snowflake on a January day. Tony offered to switch gloves with me, even though his are too big for my hands, they were better than what I had been wearing. Finding the gloves I usually wear when cycling, just got moved up my priority list.
We stopped at the bank, where we encountered a "looky-loo" Our trike attracts them like magnets, and they are usually full of questions. We don't mind, it's a nice way to start a conversation and get to know people a bit. The thing we hear most of often is, " Is that thing hard to pedal?" It makes us smile, pedaling is what we like to do. Today's looky-lou, was no exception. How did our trike do on hills? Was it hard to pedal? Did we think people could see us OK when we are riding? How long is that thing? How far do we ride? How fast do we go? Looky-loo, was happy to have a chance to sit on Rosie and see how it felt to have his "feet way up, like that." He decided he might have to look into those trikes, but a single one, instead of a double.
From the bank, we went to the bike trail. Once we started riding straight north, we could really feel it blowing. Oh how we were longing for warm breezes, and to be rid of the blasts of March . Normally the sun will warm us while we ride, but today, the wind, determined our levels of discomfort. So much for our hopes of being sheltered by the trees.
We had a bit of a scare when we rode by a place where 2 good sized dogs live. They are always tied up, and always bark at us. We often comment on how glad we are, that they aren't loose. Well, today, one was. He came charging at us, big and black, barking like crazy. We weren't sure what he was going to do. Fortunately, he was a barker who wanted us away from his property and not a biter. After a few loud, firm, "GO HOME!" commands, he left us alone. However, it took our hearts awhile to return to normal, partly from the burst of speed we put on and the rest from the scare of the situation. Encountering dogs is a completely different experience when on a trike. For one thing, we are down at their level. If they want to bite, it won't likely be our ankles they go after. We carry pepper spray and a loud horn called an Air Zound. We were riding into the wind, so pepper spray would have been pretty useless today. Fortunately, this dog just wanted us to go away. I have been considering getting a rubber tipped, spring loaded baton. They extend out to 23 inches, are rubber tipped, and I think, would effectively repel a dog. My desired weapon of choice, comes with a holster, so it would be easy to get out. Who knows, I could become , "The fastest baton in the north." I would, however, have to be careful to not whap Tony with it. I can picture that scene.
Whap! ""Ouch, what was that??"
To which I would reply, "Sorry Honey, I'm just learning to use this thing. Are you alright?"
"Not sure yet, but I think you should practice when I'm not on the trike."
"Did that dog get you?"
"No, but you did."
Leaving the dog behind, we rode on down the trail. I have mentioned Tustin in my blog often, but never told you much about it. Tustin MI, is known as the headwaters of the Pine River, which is located in the NW portion of MI lower peninsula. The Pine is formed in Tustin, where the North branch and East branch of the river come together. The watershed goes through 4 counties, Wexford, Osceola, Lake and Mainistee, with a drainage area of 265 square miles, and ultimately discharges into the Tippy Dam water basin. The Pine is well known for fishing, canoeing and kayaking. In places it is fast flowing, and in others, it meanders along slowly. It is a gem in the crown of northern lower Michigan.
The “Fred Meijer White Pine Trail” passes through the business district of Tustin.
Immediately adjoining the trail is the “Pine River Museum” there visitors can view a great collection of items from the past along with many very old photos. Locals, many with ancestors, that were original settlers to the area, staff the museum and expound upon the history of the area
Tustin is located in the North West corner of Osceola County in Burdell Township. William J. Townsend was the first settler in 1872. Dr. J.P. Tustin, a medical missionary, recruited 300 Swedish laborers for the Grand Rapids & Indiana (later the Pennsylvania) Railroad. The town's name was changed from New Bleking to Tustin in his honor. Mr. Townsend was the first Postmaster. Incorporated as a village in 1893, Tustin retains its small village atmosphere with a number of small business', churches. The population of Tustin, according to a 2000 census was 297 people.
This little slice of small town America, really makes an effort to make cyclist welcome in their community. A well maintained and pretty landscaped, area welcomes, all who live and pass through this little berg. It boasts of many beautiful flowers in the summer, but today we had to settle for some chilled daffodils.
Soon the port-a potty, will be set up, by the trail. Not as pretty as the flowers, but a sight that riders, will be glad to see
We stopped , and angled Rosie, out of the wind a bit, ready for a break.
Our noses took in the smell of the hot chocolate as I opened our little thermos, and the cup brought welcome warmth to our hands. The stiff breeze was still biting, but the sun brought some warmth to our faces. Our break was soon over an changing direction, we headed towards home.
Riding south helped some, but there was no denying the cold as it made it's way through our gloves and slashed at our faces. When we got to 18 MIle Rd, we turned East, and the air felt colder still. It seemed like it was surely working against us as we battled through the many hills. Neither of us did much talking.
We were glad when we finally reached 140th and turned south again. At least the next 2 miles, were mostly downhill, then we would go through rolling terrain, and inch our way up the 2 big ones. When we hit those, we are within a mile of our driveway, and usually tired out. After turning south, it took us another 45 minutes to reach home. Ending the ride today was more a feeling of relief, than satisfaction, relief that the ride was finally done and we had a warm house to go to.
We rode 20 miles.
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