City employee makes image of riders on June 8 Ride the Districts event. One is missing, because he's behind her making an image.
As you may suspect, if you’ve read this blog, I’m not exactly Mr. Fix-It. Tools and me don’t always get along. Unlike Kaylee in Firefly, mechanical things do not speak to me and let me know what’s wrong. A bicycle mechanic, I am not.
Still, there has been some tool use along my early summer rides, as inevitably there is.
And seats seem to have been the theme of this month’s tool use.
I had signed up for the city-sponsored “Ride the Districts” ride which took place June 8. Cedar Rapids is divided into four quadrants, and each June, the city likes to display the biking infrastructure in a different part of the city. This year’s ride was to show off trails, including the Sac and Fox trail, one of the most prominent nonpaved Cedar Rapids trails. It’s a place I like to ride, and I was looking forward to experiencing at this event.
Ashley Vanorney, city council member, speaks at start of Ride the Districts ride.
My bike parked at Prairie Park Fishery June 8, ready for ride.
June 8--I'm a bit worn at the end of the ride, Now, time for ride home.
I chose my mountain bike for the ride, given the trail we would be on. But as the day approached, rain encroached into the weather forecast, with a decent chance the night before and morning of the ride.
Still, there was a free shirt at stake, so when it was merely cloudy and threatening to rain, I decided to chance it. I left home about 8, giving myself plenty of time to bike to the Prairie Park Fishery, the start (and end) of the ride. And less than a mile from home, at the corner of C Avenue and Blairs Ferry Road, a light sprinkle turned to more serious rain. I was a little concerned, as I was carrying rather expensive digital cameras in a water resistant, but not waterproof, bag.
Fortunately, good fortune and the rain gods were in a good mood. I wasn’t really soaked, only slightly dampened, when the rain turned back to light drizzle and then to mere damp cloudiness well before I made it downtown.
At the ride site, I got my shirt and had some time to relax before the group set off. Despite the weather, there were around 50 of us on the ride. The planned route was to take the Sac and Fox Trail from the fishery, but part of the trail was flooded, so we headed down Otis Road to the Indian Creek Nature Center.
June 14--Before ride to Mount Trashmore, I change seats on The Fancy Beast.
While there, a woman who had borrowed her son’s bicycle was complaining about the seat. It was adjusted so it was tilted too far back, and needed to be straightened. One of the ride helpers asked if anybody had a wrench, and I do carry a bike took that has a wrench built in. He took it an tried to loosen the seat, but gave up when he couldn’t get enough leverage. I asked if anybody had a regular wrench rather than a bike tool wrench, and another woman was carrying one. (In a group of not-young bikers, tools are likely to be found—even those of us who aren’t tool people know they can be handy to have on a ride).
By then, the ride helper had moved on, so I used the wrench, loosened the nut securing the seat and readjusted it for the rider. It felt a little weird, a joke played by the universe, that I was the one doing the tool use, but it seemed to work out.
The ride then did proceed along a not-flooded section of the trail, and then took a route I’d never been on before to go from the north end of the trial to Bever Park for another presentation (this ride always features presentations about bike trails) and snacks.
The seat of the Fancy Beast, my mountain bike, is kind of worn, and the cracks in the cushioning were bothering me a bit on this ride. I have a seat I saved from a previous bike, and so a few days later I replaced the seat. Doing so took some time and experimentation, but I managed the job (although I still have to tighten the new seat, it got a bit wobbly on its first ride).
Summer rides have been fairly nice this first half of June. Besides the Ride the Districts ride, I rode out out past Center Point to the Interstate 380 tunnel one day. I also planned to go to the end of the Grant Wood Trail, since they’ve added a limestone section where there was a grass trail, but an unexpected trail closure foiled that plan.
Some images of the unexpected experienced on rides. On a June 2 ride, noticed a hunting spider had taken up residence on my handle bars. I didn't bother it, but one ride must have been enough to persuade it to move on, have not seen it since this day. First in a series of June surprise images.
My June 13 plans quickly change. Some project has Grant Wood Trail closed.
June 5--Last ride for a while on mountain bike trails off of Boyson Trail--they've stopped mowing the mountain bike trails here and they are almost impassible due to tall vegetation. Saw a fawn hiding in the tall grass just a few feet from me. This whole set of images are of June biking surprises.
June 11--Stopped at MMU campus during a ride, as I am trying to leave, back wheel suddenly seems uncooperative. Bolt holding on back rack has broken--I remove rack and stow if in my office, and am still able to ride home. Another unexpected adventure. (My wife kindly bought me a replacement for Fathers Day.)
And this week, I did my annual pilgrimage to Mount Trashmore. Mount Trashmore is an artificial hill on the south side of town, built from decades of refuse. It’s still located on a site controlled by the regional solid waste agency, but they don’t add trash to Mount Trashmore anymore, and have put in place several trails. There is a gravel road that you can bike or walk to the top one. There is also a pedestrian-only trail (it’s better to walk there than the rode). And there is a one-way dirt trail that goes from the top down. That trail is strictly for Fat Tire or Mountain bikes.
It was my first ride with the new seat. The forecast said it would get the the upper 80s the day of my ride, so I anticipated it being nice. It was, but it was also just a touch hotter, with the temperature instead getting stuck at 90.
Some nature images from June rides--June 14, view from Mount Trashmore on warm afternoon.
June 5--Thistle flower.
June 2--Late day ride, features rainbow.
June 13--Interesting sky reflected in pond at Noelridge Park.
Bike at Noelridge Park June 13.
June 7--On ride north, fence just looks pretty by trail in Lafayette.
I was thus a bit tired and worn by the time I rode my slowest (not counting the old tandem) bike on a very warm afternoon down to Mount Trashmore. After checking in (you have to register with the agency to use the trails), I took a restroom break and refilled my water bottle, then headed up the mountain.
And I was so focused on doing the hard work of not only climbing, but climbing on a sometimes loose gravel surface, that I didn’t focus on the few people around me, much to my embarrassment. Because later, I found out that my wife, knowing I was planning to ride up Mount Trahshmore, had driven there and walked to the top. She was on her way down the gravel road when I was going up, and vocalized a greeting to me, which I neither heard nor acknowledged.
Well. That wasn’t the smoothest move of my biking career.
June 7--Resting in Center Point Depot on longest ride north so far this year.
Despite that, I enjoyed the challenge. I had brought a snack, knowing I would want a rest for the tougher part of the ride. Ascending to the top of Mount Trashmore is one feat. Riding the mountain bike trial down—it’s less work, but way, way more fear.
I did slide to an inelegant stop at one curve where I nearly lost control—but “nearly” is an important modifier. In the end, I made it to the end, and I enjoyed the journey.
As of June 16, I have 221.88 miles for the month—not quite as many as I got in all of February, but I have a fortnight of June riding still to do. The longest June ride was the day before the district ride when I went north—41.73 miles on June 7. For the years so far, 1,295.65 miles.
And, to finish off the post, two deer seen on trail behind Linn-Mar High School June 15.
