In Which a Memorial Ride Caps January

Sign another biker had on her bicycle for Jan. 31 ride.

Well, January 2026 is over. Last year, due to my heart surgery on Jan. 10, I rode no miles at all in the first month of the year. This year, weather was definitely an issue, as I managed only eight rides for the entire month.

Well, that’s about two rides a week. In the dead of a cold winter, perhaps that’s not bad. And I did roll for more than 100 miles in January.

Most of my rides were typical of my style of riding. I usually roll alone. I do not mind company, but I don’t always plan rides well in advance. And, while I enjoy a ride with others, I am also a bit of an introvert and don’t abhor some alone time.

The most memorable ride was the final one on Jan. 31. A local bike shop, Goldfinch Cyclery, joined with a national movement by planning a “We in Unity (For All for Alex)” ride to remember Alex Pretti and other victims of ICE violence.

Bikes parked at Ellis Park Harbor, west end of the ride, Jan. 31.

I did not know the route in detail, but from notes on Facebook I knew that it would be a short ride. I was toying with the idea of riding my trike—it’s my main cycling vehicle these days. But it is a very cold January, and I did not know how it would feel to wear my uninsulated biking shoes for this ride.

So, I did a test ride on Jan. 29. I put on three pairs of socks—a thin inner pair, regular exercise socks and a top layer of fluffy winter socks. I had on long underwear, an insulated shirt, long-sleeved T and sweatshirt under my biking jacket. In other words, pretty much the full winter regalia.

The temperature was in the teens Thursday, and there was a bit of a breeze. I headed up C Avenue to the Lindale Trail. There, I got a nasty surprise—the city has been doing good work clearing local trails, but hadn’t cleared the latest light snowfall, so the trail featured a thin, bumpy packed layer of snow.

Jan. 29 ride on Lindale Trail to practice for Jan. 31 memorial ride. Headed east on trail--you can see exactly where Cedar Rapids (no snow from latest fall removed) ends and Marion (snow cleared) begins. I hope Cedar Rapids will do better in the future.

I rode for about an hour, and was suffering a bit by the end. The verdict: Even with three pairs of socks, the bike shoes are not adequate a cold winter ride. Even my legs were cold by the end of the practice ride, which surprised me because in the past long underwear under my pants had been enough to keep my legs comfortable. Well, every day I grow older, and I know that my sensitivity to cold is more of an issue as I age than it was in the past.

That was Thursday the 29th. What to do for Saturday the 31st? On the one hand, a bicycle would allow me to wear warm winter boots. On the other hand, if I were to encounter a snow-covered section on the ride route, I would prefer three wheels to two. In the end, I decided that the downtown bike routes would be more likely to be clear than my neighborhood trail, and for the sake of comfort, I would wear the warm boots.

I made other adjustments, too. I again wore insulated long underwear but also a thin pair of pajama pants under my regular trousers. I added a regular T shirt under the three other torso covers, and chose a zip fleecy rather than a sweatshirt for the top under-coat layer. I felt a little bit like I was the younger brother in “A Christmas Story,” yet I was warmer.

Normally, if I were to ride downtown, I would cycle there, but this day, unsure of my cold endurance, I loaded the bicycle into my van and drove to the start of the ride. I got there a bit early, and by the advertised arrival time of 1 p.m., only seven of us waited in the cold. But it was half an hour before the ride was set to start, and in that time a steady stream of bikers arrived. I counted at least 70 people in a quick look at the crowd before the ride, and I think there were a few more than that.

Before the ride, Logan from the bike shop said a few words. He spoke well. Biking means freedom, and recent tragedies have been an attack on freedom (my words, not his). I won’t get more into my feelings on this biking blog, but I did write a post on this to topic on another of my blogs.

Speaker from bike shop talks before ride Jan. 31.

After the short speech, we started out from Plaza Park where the big red Cedar Rapids sign is, headed down to First Street and headed west, aiming after several blocks on a bike lane to a bike tail which would take us to Ellis Boulevard, and then to Ellis Park.

The wind was cold and my face was in slight discomfort. But it was not quite as cold as the day of my practice ride—and I had more layers on. That strategy seemed to work. When I arrived at Ellis Park Harbor, near the end of the line of bikers (no surprise, I am a slow rider), I was doing fine.

Well, I do not know if the right word was “fine,” given the reason for the ride. I mean I was doing physically well. We milled about for a few minutes, in quiet conversation or alone with our thoughts, and then headed back to the starting point.

Custom flag on another bike seen before Jan. 31 ride.

I think the choice to ride the bike was a good one. There were a few spots with snow and ice, and I was on my road bike, but I just rolled across them. Overall, the pavement was clear, much clearer here than on the Lindale Trail. I was glad to be on the bike for several reasons. The main one was the warm boots. Also, the ride was at times on a narrow walkway or bike lane, and the bike was better for those places just because it takes less space than my trike. And while I was near the end of the ride both coming and going, I am sure I did a better job keeping up with the pack riding my fastest bicycle than I would have on the tricycle.

As noted, I do enjoy a ride by myself. But a memorial ride like this is meant for a group. It helps to know that there are others who mourn the unexpected loss of a biker and a nurse and others—that decent people will gather publicly on this winter day in remembrance.

In January, I rode 108.8 miles, 14.66 on bicycles and 94.14 miles on my trike. The final six are the ones that will stick with me the most. Thanks, Goldfinch Cyclery, for this event.

Image from Jan. 9 trike ride. A new bike-pedestrian bridge across the Cedar River is taking shape, built on the foundations of an old railroad bridge.

In Which I Contrast Two Winter Rides

Jan. 27--Grey sky at Waldo's Rock Park.

Six days separate my latest two bike rides.

It’s been a bit of bummer this January, to be so seldom being out on two wheels. I’ve make a halfhearted effort to ride an indoor bike for exercise during dreary ride-hostile days, but it’s honestly not the same.

It seems actually being outside is a huge part of my biking experience. Without the wind, the trees, the trail, the people, the deer, the birds, the walkers, joggers and things to see and experience, biking is just not as enjoyable.

And lately, outdoor riding hasn’t happened much. The theme for January this winter in Iowa has been arctic cold followed by a weird winter wet and warm interlude, with daily rains.

Jan. 21--On Lindale Trail bride. It's better than it looks. the snow is so thin riding on it wasn't bad.

Jan. 21--Trail behind Amoco and Popeye's has not been cleared of snow, so I have to navigate a short city block. The street has been plowed for cars, but the deep salty slush is show going on a bicycle. In contrast, trail pavement is pretty clear.

So, it was nice, in the past week, to be out twice. I rode 7.11 miles on Sunday, Jan. 21, and 11.7 miles today, Saturday, Jan. 27. I guess 7 and 11 must be my lucky numbers this week.

They were contrasting rides, although both were late afternoon rides. My life seems to be filled with busy days—either I’m putting in lots of hours at work during the week or I have family events on the weekend. To be honest, while I do look forward to a more relaxing schedule this summer, I enjoy both the work and the fam, so it’s not bad to be busy the way that I am. But it does cut into rolling time.

So last Sunday, at the end of the arctic blast, I rode a few miles on the Boyson Trail. Snow on the road was a challenge. The trails had been cleared, but not all of the sidewalks or streets I used to get there—the Sunday ride convinced me that Monday would a be a driving day, and cold rain the rest of the workweek did the same trick.

Jan. 21--Deer  seen near north end of Boyson Trail, just as I am deciding it's time to head back home. "Hey pinky," I imagine them thinking. "We don't have warm houses to go to. What's your excuse for being out here?"

Despite being “warm,” it was darn cold. It was about 18 degrees with a stiff wind—my phone weather app put the wind chill at about zero Fahrenheit. I was toying with maybe aiming for 10 miles, but after a short ride into the wind, determined that I would just be happy with what I got and I headed home.

Today was different. For one thing, I was not going to ride the Boyson Trail—part of it is limestone, and days this week have been both wet and above freezing, which means that part of the trail would be mushy and sloppy. I knew from ruts on the Jan. 21 ride that not all bikers share my philosophy, but I just don’t enjoy furrowing a trail like a plow and would rather not, thank you.

But the sidewalks and little piece of street I would use to get to the Lindale Trail are clearer now, thanks to a week of melting. Even where they have not been shoveled well, pavement is showing on the sidewalks.

So, today I got the Fancy Beast out and mounted it at about 4:30. I was planning a quick sojourn, maybe another 7-mile ride before darkness set in.

I headed east. There were a few places, at intersections, where I was glad to be mounted on my trusty winter beater mountain bicycle, where snow speed bumps from street plows were still in place, but by and large the trail was clear. My one concession to the winter was that I didn’t ride on bike lanes, which I usually use when crossing Marion on the Grant Wood Trail. Today, the little pavement interfaces that lead from the sidewalk portion of the trail to the street trail part of the route were still blocked with sone.

Never mind. I didn’t think traffic would be heavy on the wide walkway along the trail route, and I was right. While I did encounter one other biker on the trail and saw several walkers and joggers, the trail traffic was decidedly light.

And I just kept rolling. I wasn’t as dressed—no long johns, no scarf. It was in the 30s and not terribly breezy, a grey, damp, but decidedly warmer day.

I expected to get to Highway 13 and then turn around. I know the city of Marion clears its trails, but I am also aware that Linn County does not. (And I don’t want that to sound like a complaint—I understand traffic and walking and other considerations means it makes sense for the cities to clear their trails, while the many more miles and many fewer trail users makes the opposite decision by the county pretty clearly understandable).

Anyway, the Highway 13 tunnel is marked as the interface between city and county, so I expected that to be the end of snow clearance and the outer limits of my ride. I was pleasantly surprised that the city carried on, clearing the trail all the way to Waldo’s Rock City Park on the east edge of Marion.

Beyond that, trail seems snowbound, so I stopped, made a selfie where the snow clearing ended, and then mounted up, circled the pond at Waldo’s Rock and headed back for home.

It was getting full dark, but it was cloudy and I was not out in the county. If you have a low cloudy evening in the city, the clouds act like a giant reflector and the “dark” areas of the trail have far more ambient light than you might expect.

Jan. 21--Very cold late afternoon ride, me near north end of Boyson Trail, when I turned back towards home.

On Jan. 21, I was glad to put in over 7 miles but also very glad to return to a warm house and relieve the deep chill in my old bones Today, I kind of wished I had started earlier. The day was very grey, but from a biking point of view, much more rider friendly.

In any case, in two rides of 1’s and 7’s, I had contrasting experiences, but enjoyed them both. That’s the thing about the outside, even if you go to some of the same places and ride the same trails, it’s different from day to day, and I love that difference.

This next week may be different. It will continue to be in the 30s, but is not forecast to include daily rain showers. Perhaps there are more miles coming soon! So far in 2024, 94.18 miles.

Jan. 27--A much warmer bike ride, me with bike parked where the snow clearing ends, where trail meets Waldo's Rock Park.

In Which Friday the 13th Isn’t Unlucky

Late afternoon ride on Jan. 1 on trail behind Linn-Mar High School.

Pretty late afternoon light on bike trail, Jan. 1.

The first almost fortnight of January 2023 has been pretty good, from a biking point of view. California has been socked with rain, the South is dealing with tornadoes, but in Iowa, the weather has been sometimes grey and damp, sometimes sunny, sometimes cold—but never as harsh as Iowa in January can be.

There has been snow on the ground, but no blizzard. There’s ice covering the C Avenue Pond, but it’s melted and frozen again several times. It’s been windy and chilly, and most (but not all) of my rides have involved insulated long underwear, yet we’re been in positive degrees above zero Fahrenheit pretty much for the whole first two weeks of the year.

Jan. 6--I take a slightly indirect route via Boyson and Lindale Trail as I head to campus. Seen from bridge over Dry Creek on Boyson Trail, some ducks in the glistening sunlight.

Jan. 6--Boyson Trail. Marion does a good job with snow removal, but it's the nature of a limestone trail to still have some snow. Riding my mountain bike, however, so it wasn't really an issue.

Another view of Dry Creek from Boyson Trail bridge Jan. 6.

My goal is to ride 3,300 miles this year, but last year I fell about 300 miles south of a 3,000 mile goal. I have a flat tire on my hybrid bike, and because of sometimes wet or slick on pavement, have been mostly riding The Fancy Beast, my oldest and slowest bike.

Still, the weather, while mixed, has been kind. At this time last year, by Jan. 13, 2022, my total mileage was 47.51 miles. I’m well ahead of that, now.

I’ve ridden 85.02 miles as of Friday the 13th. On Friday, I rode 7.99 miles on my road bike, one of two days I was able to ride that bike.

My longest ride, Jan. 1, made the best map image. Sideways view of bird?

Jan. 10--Morning light as I ride to work. Days are slowly getting longer, but it's a bit dark on morning rides still.

Jan. 11--Road bike awaits ride home. Bikers get the best parking spots!

Jan. 13--Image of bike bag as I park on campus--mostly for the few flakes of snow in the air. Can you see the dusting on the bag?

Jan. 13--Another view of winter bike dandruff--little flakes of snow. Rode road bike, but it was OK, snow was extremely light and didn't coat pavement at all.

My biggest mile total was 14.39 on Jan. 1. Two rides on Jan. 6 totaled 11.40 miles. I haven’t really taken any longer rides so far this year—over 40 miles—but it’s January, it’s cold, and I’m still getting some miles in.

That makes it, as of Friday the 13th, a pretty lucky biking year. More images:

Jan. 6--The Fancy Beast ready to ride home at Warde Hall.

Jan. 6--Morning snow cover and light at C Avenue Pond.

Jan. 11--Argent, my road bike, near Warde Hall as I leave work. One of two days this month when pavement was clear enough for road bike.

As I ride to work in the morning Jan. 11, I see this eagle perched in a tree at Kenwood Park. It flew off after I made a few images, second one below. I looked for it because I thought I heard an eagle's cry--for such large birds, they have a surprisingly pretty chirpy call (why in movies they usually use louder hawk cries to stand in for eagles).

Jan. 11-Second look at eagle.

In Which I Chase Shadows Of Spring

First time out of the garage in 2016. A fast ride on the road bike today.

It felt warm today. Not spring warm, mind you—it maybe flirted with 40 on this final day of January in 2016, and we are bracing for a big Iowa snowstorm that is expected to arrive right after the caucuses Monday might.

I had not planned a ride, but could not find a couple of books I needed to write quizzes. Still, it looked so nice and sunny, that despite dampness left over from a cold morning drizzle, I got out the road bike. Today was Argent’s first ride of 2016.

And it was nice. After I got to the office, I answered some emails and got a text from home. My daughter had found my books.

Well, time to bike back. It was close to 5—but on this final day of January, 5 is no longer dark night, but rather just as the late afternoon light fades to sunset.

My shadow was long, and I was, for some reason, wanting to photograph it, so I tried a lot. Biking and making pictures are not exactly the most compatible activities, but it all worked out.

Street near MMU, my shadow is pretty big!

My shadow on brown winter grass at Rockwell-Collins. Snow cover is receding, but it will be freshened soon enough!

Shadow straight in front as I ride on parking lot.

And at the C Avenue bridge, I was taken with the comeliness of the soft and muddy looking creek valley. It’s not yet spring in Iowa, but today was at least a foretaste. As I pointed my camera to try to record the pretty, fading light in the valley, suddenly a small herd of deer shot out from under the bridge.

I wasn’t the only creature hurrying through the late afternoon, but still enjoying a minor foretaste of warmer weather to come.

Deer running across grassy area next to Dry Creek. I shot this jut after crossing C Avenue bridge.

In Which a Bird and Biker Enjoy Sunshine

This morning, MMU plaza. rising sun and shadows of The Beast.

 

It was in the teens this morning, cold but not windy, so the bike ride in was actually quite nice.

When I finished biking up the hill to campus, I celebrated by pausing at the Rohde Family Plaza to photograph some shadows—the Peace Pole and my bike.

By afternoon, the day was even prettier—cool but not cold any longer. And as I walked across campus to my office for the bike ride home, I spied it.

In the morning, a hawk had landed at the corner of Warde Hall and stared down at me, but departed as I tried to get my camera out. I think it’s the same bird that I saw walking to my office before the ride home--the same bird, acting as a sentinel on the cupola of Warde Hall and enjoying the fine afternoon sunshine.

So it’s a great afternoon for bikers and birds, although perhaps not for small prey animals ….

Watcher on the top of Warde Hall, MMU.

In Which the Lighter Later Sky Turns Into A Sea Shell

Open water at north end of Cedar Lake. Sky with clouds just starting to break up. I guess if I had been a bit later, I would have caught even better light at the lake, but I enjoyed the pink sky on my ride home.

It snowed Monday, but by Tuesday it was OK to bike. I worked late that day, and the ride home was a bit dicey—some icy spots that were not easy to see at night. Still, most of the streets were clear, and The Beast did all right. I’m enjoying riding the winter beater biker.

Today was cool and cloudy, with a temperature in the 20s for the morning ride. That was OK, and I feel like I’m getting used to The Beast and actually moved along pretty well.

I was done with work a bit after 4 this afternoon—unusually early for me. It had actually gotten a bit sunny for a while today, but the clouds had rolled back in. Still, there were some breaks, and so I decided to take the longer trail route home. And when I got to the trail, I headed down to Cedar Lake.

There’s a nice patch of open water at the lake’s north end, but still no eagles around it. I know they are in the area, but there must be too much open water on the river and too many fish to catch there—just ducks and geese on Cedar Lake today. Still, as I rounded the lake, the clouds started to break up a bit. It was a bit grey, but the day promised to end on a lighter note.

And as I rode north on the trail, the breaks in the cloud cover and the setting sun turned the sky a pretty pink, like in the inside of a conch shell. It was getting close to 5:30 and the sky is staying light later in the day, which is always nice to see.

I rode just 62 miles in January of 2014, which was a very harsh January. This month, which isn’t yet over, I reckon I’ve ridden already around 133 miles. My accounting for miles is a bit vaguer—the computer on Francis doesn’t work reliably and The Beast has no computer. Well, it wouldn’t.

Still, it’s been a nice biking January, a good start to 2015. Snow coming this weekend, but I hope it turns out like many of our snows this year—not long on the ground. Sadly, it sounds like we may get more than we’ve had in a while.

But, I’ll be waiting for the streets to be mostly clear. And I’ll be back as soon as I think it’s possible, hoping to catch a few more sea shell sunsets.

Not really the end of my ride--a bit later. The sky was starting to turn pink, but has gotten really pretty as the sun sinks. I'm in my back yard, having just filled the bird feeders. Nice glow to the sky.

In Which Lady Cardinal In The Snow Bodes Ill For Biking

Magnolia bud in my back yard as snow falls Jan. 5, 2015.

“Lady Cardinal” sounds like a character from Downtown Abbey, doesn’t she? Come to think of it “Lady Cardinal in the Snow” would be a good fictional village name.

I watched the opening episode of DA season 5 last night, and, spoiler alert, it begins with Lady Edith riding a bicycle to a see a marigold. Actually, to see Marigold, her illegitimate daughter.

And that tells you enough that you either A) Would never want to see the show or B) Are kicking yourself if you missed episode 1. It was everything Downton Abbey is expected to be: an engrossing period soap opera that both immerses you in a faux 1920s England and occasionally sets your teeth on edge with dialogue that almost makes you weep for all the wrong reasons. Despite it all, I’m already hooked on season 5. Let’s hope Bates ends up pushing Barrow in front of a Lorry in London.

Screen shot of opening of episode 1, season 5, Downtown Abbey, viewed at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/

Still, I have to get my biking fix from watching Lady Edith. There won’t be much bicycling in Iowa for some time. We’re getting multiple inches of snow on this Monday, and the week ahead is forecast to be windy and bitterly cold. Under the right conditions, I’m often back on two wheels within 48 hours of snow—but it doesn’t seem that this week will feature the right conditions.

Anyway, of course I drove to work today, and I left a bit early due to the heavy snowfall. When I got home and looked out the back window, a pretty boy cardinal was hanging about in the fading afternoon light, so I grabbed my camera. As soon as I did, he rapidly retreated.

His girlfriend was a bit braver and stuck around, sneaking seeds from the ground beneath the bird feeders I have in the back garden.

I think Lady Cardinal looks a bit pissed off as she collects seeds in the snow beneath a bird feeder. Honestly, if you look at them up close, cardinals usually look a bit maniacal and robotic, so maybe "pissed off" is her default mood.

You’re welcome to the food, Lady Cardinal. Tell Master Cardinal it would be OK for him to eat and be photographed, too. What is the point of his ridiculous scarlet coloring if he’s too shy for the camera?

And Lady Edith, spend more time on your bicycle, it may lift your mood and prevent you from moping about and burning down the abbey. Opps. Spoiler alert number two, too late!

In Which The Snow Brings A Safety Pause

I was playing bells at a Mount Mercy evening concert last week, and had ridden Francis to campus. One of the other people there noted my bike, and, as it turned out, is also a bicycle commuter.

We chatted, and this other commuter commented that he has learned to ride on ice and snow, and thus rides during the winter. I, on the other hand, will tackle cold, but not ice or snow. So my biking time is on hiatus until the Cedar Rapids streets and a few key sidewalks (along C Avenue and Blair’s Ferry) are clear.

It might be a while. We didn’t have much snow Sunday—maybe 2 to 3 inches—but it’s been very cold since, and we’re to get another dusting tonight. In a “normal” weather pattern, snow is often followed by cold nights, but within a few days there will be highs in the 20s. That’s below the freezing point of water, but if sun shines on shoveled pavement and the air temperature is above the mid 20s, that’s enough for much of the residual white stuff and ice to start to melt from the streets and be scooped away by the dry winter air.

It has not happened this time, however. Highs have not made it out of the low teens, the snow that’s around remains persistent, and more is on the way.

I don’t ride on the white stuff. It’s a personal rule I learned the hard way.

So, some thoughts on safety as I await a thaw. I noted today that, a new video is being promoted on social media.

I think the video is fine, although I doubt dangerous drivers will take the time to watch it. It’s actually fairly balanced, noting that bikers are responsible for road safety along with car and truck drivers. But it’s a reality of physics that a one-ton tiny car will trump even a 250-poind (290 or so with bike and bags factored in) biker guy, who is also not protected by a plastic, aluminum and steel frame.

I have more lights to add to Francis before my riding resumes. While I’m afraid fall semester rides are shot, I hope to hop back on the bike early in 2014.

Maybe, since we are having dead of January weather now, we’ll have our warmer December weather then. And may both bikers and drivers remain safe when the snow relents and bicycling can begin again!

For Once, It Was Just Too Cold

Worn looking bench where I took a short break before heading home.

Quoth the Raven: Get off my trail!

Well, on Monday, I did it for the first time this January.

I drove a car to work because it was too cold to ride. We’ve had a dry January, and even on fairly chilly days, I’ve been riding my bike. But not Monday, when the morning wind chills in Cedar Rapids were two digits below zero and the actual temperature struggled to get much above a goose egg all day.

I will bike when it’s zero and not windy. But this was around zero and very windy. No thanks.

Today, Tuesday, is between semesters, and I almost rode my bike to campus on this chilly afternoon—but I decided to drive at the last minute to save time (which I’m now wasting writing a blog post), and I drove because I may take a stack of spring books home to work on syllabi.

So, it’s nice to think back on Saturday, a slightly cool, windy day that was the final unseasonably warm day for a while.  It flirted with 50 that day, and despite cooling off a lot during my afternoon ride, it was still a good use of the day to get out on the trail.

I was not the only one to think that way. While much quieter than it would be during summer, the Cedar River Trail in Cedar Rapids nonetheless had quite a few bundled up bikers on Saturday.

I started out at 2 p.m. and headed south. I rode on the Cedar River Trail until almost 3:30, and made it just south of 73 Avenue Drive Southeast. It was pushing 3:30, and I assumed (correctly, as it turned out) that Audrey might want to go to Mass that night so we could Skype with Amanda on her 28th birthday.

I was looking for a turnaround spot—and a place to eat the granola bar I had brought along—when I spotted an old bench beside the trail. I wonder about its worn appearance, since the trail itself is not very old—but there it was and I was happy to sit on not-my-bike for a few minutes before heading home.

I had seen birds in abundance on the ride.  There was an odd moment on the trip home that happened just south of  the river in the Mount Trashmore area. A crowd of ravens were chattering and squawking in the brown, winter sleeping trees. I don’t know why.  They didn’t seem happy with either each other or a passing biker.

Then, a minutes later, after I had crossed the river, I met a group of geese ambling across the street by the new federal courthouse. Geese are not friendly, but I weaved my way through the crowd with barely a halfhearted hiss. You understand, I hope, that it was the geese hissing. I don’t hiss when I ride, although a tire of mine might when punctured—anyway, the geese didn’t bother to hiss much or threaten as they might have if goslings were around.

All in all, it was a pleasant ride despite the Hitchcock moments. Spring semester gets underway Thursday, but snow is possible, too. We’ll see if the new term brings as much biking as the old one did.

I like to bike, but I hope not. Rain will keep me from two wheels, and this spring, we desperately need rain.

Still, three hours of Saturday were well spent in a windy ride. And I did make it home, just in time to join Audrey at church.

Why did the goose cross the road? To get his picture in my blog, of course!

Two Sunshine Rides During Weird Warm Weather

Jan. 17--goose on rail track near Cedar Lake.

Sun sinks and reflects on ice and water of Cedar Lake, Jan. 17, 2013.

Image of bird who objected to my presence on the Cedar River Trail.

Setting sun at Cedar Lake, with geese clustered around some open water.

To be honest, I would not mind a bigger, more persistent, snow pack. We’re still in a drought in Iowa, and need water however we can get it.

But, on the other hand, Thursday and today were grand biking days. I managed to get away a bit after 4 Thursday—and the late afternoon was just starting to end. I rode over to the Cedar River Trail and headed south, circling Cedar Lake before turning north to go home. At the lake, geese were abundant and flying and honking, and it was pleasant to hear and see them.

The later afternoon was brisk—probably just shy of 30—but for January, it was warm. The sound of rush hour traffic whirred beside me as I finally turned north, but I was in for at least one more encounter of the bird kind. As I approached the point where the trail goes under Collins Road, a large bird squealed at me , flow low over head, and the landed about 50 yards away on a street light. I caught one blurry image of what I think was a hawk before he or she sped off again.

Well, I have seen several hawks on rides at various times, but they’ve never vocalized at me before. Perhaps I was scaring the field mice, and this hawk did not appreciate it.

I had lights on for the later half of my ride, and I used the Harding Middle School-Noelridge Park route home, but it was a nice ride.

Today was even nicer. I didn’t go south, despite being out earlier with more sunshine, because I wanted to get home sooner—the Iowa grandkids were visiting today. As it turned out, they were all napping when I got home, but that’s OK. I took the trail north to the “Go Daddy” bypass, and headed through Hiawatha, under the bridge on Council Street and home via the behind Super Target route.

Two days, and two glorious afternoon rides—today in full sunshine with the temperature around 40. I wore neither hood nor gloves this afternoon, and after a while had to unzip my jacket to avoid being too warm.

It felt like an early March ride. Next week winter should be back in full force—I might even have to drive Monday due to extreme cold.

We’ll see. But as you can see, this has been a January of extraordinarily good biking weather.

50 on the Final Day of January

It was a nice March day in Iowa today—just odd that it was last day of January.

Then again, the warm temps were even stranger at the start of the month. At least it’s almost February, a month that traditionally is warmer than January.

But not this warm. Not 50s.

It was weird how wet the pavement was this morning. It was wet everywhere. Not just where snow was melting and water running across it. It did not get below freezing last night, and there must have been a lot of moisture in the air. And the relatively cool pavement gave the moisture a nice place to form a heavy, heavy dew.

Well, blog fans, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to note that CR Biker waited until afternoon before heading to the office today. It was still very damp in places, but not damp everywhere. My cool yellow vest is being washed tonight due to the tossed mud of this damp day. Lubing my chain is a daily chore due to the wet.

But heck, can’t complain. Sunshine? 50? Heck yes I’m back on the bike again.

The Curious Case of the Computer On An Odd Warm Day

The bike computer springs to life. Don't know how or why.

I was scheduled to stay on campus for a bell rehearsal, starting at 5, just when the sun was going down.

But, I had been at bells yesterday. And it was sunny outside. The straw the broke the bell ringers resolve was when Audrey reported that my 2-year-old grandson Tristan would be thrilled to get in a bike ride on such a warm day.

Well, warm days in January are not to be squandered by CR Biker. So at around 3:30 I hopped on my bike to head home.

I absentmindedly touched my non-functioning wireless computer, and voila, it sprang suddenly to life. I average more than 10 mph on the way home, it said. Why did the computer suddenly start to work? Why did the magnet detector on the front fork of my bike suddenly start transmitting to the handlebar receiver?

Well, it was an odd day. Weird things happen, I guess.

I peddled home, and indeed the grandkids were waiting. I put Tristan’s helmet on, placed him in the trailer of my wife’s bike and rode to the C Avenue park north of our neighborhood. The girls—Audrey, Katy, Nikayla and Amelia—walked and arrived a bit later. Nikayla joined Tristan and me for the bike ride home.

I hope the coming cold snap doesn’t give way to too much warm weather. Insects are stirring and some plants are starting to sprout—and it’s way too early in the upper Midwest, tender shoots. Patience, patience. The equinox and spring are a ways away.

But then again, what can a biker say? It was a glorious day to be a bike commuter, and a great day to tow some grandkids.