In Which CR Biker Plans RAGBRAI 2013

They run a contest over at the RAGBRAI web site each year, in which contestants get to list what they think will be overnight towns in the next RAGBRAI.  The prize is a gift card to buy RAGBRAI stuff.

I don’t suppose I stand a chance, but here goes.  I decided to plan a RAGBRAI route and enter my fantasy towns.  Since the 2011 route was mostly middle of the state, and 2012 was a bit more northern, I decided to emphasize the south.  For no particularly good reason, I also decided that in 2013, RAGBRAI would end in Keokuk, just because it’s there in the extreme corner of Iowa.

Come Keokukians, join the fray.  Bring RAGBRAI to the soul patch of Iowa.

Anyway, if I had really been contrary, I would have started in Carter Lake, but even I’m not that crazy.  So, here is my proposed route for RAGBRAI 2013:

• Sunday, Day 1-Missouri Valley to Atlantic.
• Monday, Day 2-Atlantic to Winterset.
• Tuesday, Day3-Winterset to Knoxville.
• Wednesday, Day 4-Knoxville to Ottumwa.
• Thursday, Day 5-Ottumwa to Fairfield.
• Friday, Day 6-Fairfield to Keosaqua.
• Saturday, Day 7-Keosaqua to Keokuk.

I’ve been to most, but not all, of those towns.  It involves some rather small overnight towns—Winterset and Keosaqua, for instance, and Missouri Valley is a pretty small beginning space, but if the towns go all out, a small place can be very nice.  The route would not really got through any Iowa “cities” at all, with Ottumwa being the “big” town.  Still, that would give it an interesting, rural flavor.  And Audrey is from north of Fairfield, so maybe the route would pass within a stone's throw of the old farm.

Why not?

1/27/12 update: They did choose a south route, I wasn't so very far off.

In Which CR Biker Sees the Edge

I came close to regretting the morning commute, today.  The temperature was in the single digits, the first time this season that it has been that cold in Cedar Rapids.

It was cold.  There was a light breeze, which, when I faced the wrong direction, made it psycho cold.

But, I was prepared.  I had on the long underwear, two pairs of socks, a long-sleeved cotton shirt under a warm sweathshirt under my biking jacket.  I even had on a scarf, the final bit of bling that marks the edge of my winter gear.

And it was still cold.  My toes got a bit numb on the way in this morning.  The extremes of my body—my face and my toes—were not on board with the whole “let’s bike in insanely chilly weather” thing.

Still, the commute is only 30 minutes.  You can chill down a lot in that time when it’s that cold, but honestly, if you’re covered well you don’t really risk any true adversity.  When I got to campus, despite the bitching from my toes, by body overall was warm—I was even slightly sweaty.

And, yes, it’s another morning sky photo.  But why bike at all when it’s so cold?  Because I can.  Because I need the exercise.  Because it get to savor the morning sun that most car drivers barely notice as they barrel by.

Nov. 27 sunrise at intersection of Blair's Ferry Road and C Avenue at about 7:10 a.m. in the morning.  It was cold, but the sky was also cool.

New Tyres And Some New Lights

Worn front tyre.  Brought bike into laundry room to change tyres.

Day before Thanksgiving, I went on a ride with my sister Cate.  She glanced at this tyre and noted it was worn looking.  Indeed.

The new tyres on the wheels, waiting for me to put the wheels back on the bike.  Hooray for easy release hubs!  they are leaning against the now-removed old back tyre.

Winter may feel like it’s here, for part of this week, although I understand there may be thunderstorms by the week’s end.

Yesterday afternoon, while my sweetie took a short pre-Mass nap, I spent about ½ hour putting new tires on my bike.  As you can see, both the front and back were well worn.  I didn’t get the cheapest new tires, but one step up, which were available with reflective white sidewalls.  The bike shop man also said the tread was better and would wear longer.

Anyway, I don’t enjoy changing tires and kind of dreaded this chore, and I was not sure I would finish in the half hour provided.  But, when I got to it, it wasn’t as bad as I expected—there were really no glitches, just a bit of grunting and pushing and messy jeans and hands to clean up afterwards.  It settled the issue of whether I needed a quick shower before Saturday night Mass.  I did.  And so often in life the chore we dread turns out not to be as bad as expected, although it's rare that such an easier than expected job involves tools, a least in my case.

Anyway, I have a minor regret about tires.   Rubber inflated tires were invented for bikes before they were used on cars (just as urban streets were built for bicycles and horses before autos arrived on the scene), and were first used in Britain.  Where, in the 19th century and today, they were spelled “tyres.”

Tyres—what an elegant little word.  It makes tires look tired.  Indeed, changing tires is a tiring process, but I still say that by the late 19th century we didn’t have any reason to mess up the spelling of newly coined words for new inventions.  Of course, the word “tire” or “tyre” probably long predates the pressurized rubber tires that are now used on bikes—but if the then newfangled pneumatic rubber tires were first spelled “tyre” by their inventor, that’s good enough for me.

So join the tyre revolution with me.  I don’t like the pretentious spelling of theater with an “re,” which is a British snobbish abomination that is way too popular on our side of the pond, and they can keep that extra “u” in color, thank you very much.  But tyre?

I don’t tire of that y.  It’s just funky and cool.

Tyre, tyre, tyre.  Dig it.  From now on, if it's for a bike, it's a tyre, OK?

Meanwhile, I further winter prepped Old Blackie with some new batteries in slightly fading lights.  Just in time for the Christmas season, I have 3 rear and 4 front lights, so I’m ready for dusky rides, like the one I had to campus tonight.

Where there were some new Christmas lights on the U plaza.  Tis the season when night bike rides will be more illuminated with the glow of colored lights, which is an aid to me in this, the darkest month of the biking year!

End of the ride around 5 p.m. Sunday--getting dark and Christmas lights shine on the U plaza at Mount Mercy University.

Thankful for Two Wheels and a Trail

Sunset over Blair's Ferry Road on Nov. 21.  End of a satisfying biking day on the eve of Thanksgiving.

On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, I did a fair amount of biking.

I had a meeting with a student at MMU at 10 a.m., so I rode to campus.  It was promising to be a fine day—a day  not shrouded by fog, and though I like fog, that’s a pleasant change.

The student had to leave for work by 11 a.m., so I took off towards home.  On the way, I got a text from Audrey saying that she and Ben and the Sebers grandchildren (who had stayed overnight) were going to the Bowman Woods School playground.  What with one thing and another (three small children to prep), I intercepted them enroute.

They had brought the tot seat for my bike.  As the kids played, I attached it, and before lunch, Mr. T and I inspected the Boyson Trail, the side trail with the long K name and headed back to my house on the Lindale Trail.

My sister Cate texted me in the morning, asking if I wanted an afternoon ride.  After lunch and the Sebers kids all headed home with their mom, I took off for Cate’s, arriving there about 2:30.  We headed over to the Cedar River Trail south through downtown.  We toyed with the idea of taking in the Prairie Parks Fishery, but the shadows were getting long, the traffic downtown was unusually heavy, so we decided to stick to the trail and keep heading south.  We turned around at the park with the ball diamonds that’s by the power plan—Tate Cummins?  Don’t know if I’ve got it spelled correctly.

The light turned golden and pretty, and I thought of stopping to photograph the river, but we kept going.  By 42^nd street on the return journey, we both switched on lights while waiting for the cross walk light.

I bade her so long as we head east into Cedar Rapids along North something, Northwood, Northlane, whatever that north street is.

Between the campus ride, trail ride and afternoon journey, I suppose I rode 35 miles or so.  I’m definitely not in RAGBRAI shape, as I had to pop some Advil for a sore back after I got home.

But, today is Thanksgiving.  As a biker, I’m thankful for this odd warm weather, for family to ride with, for excellent trails in Cedar Rapids that are getting better all the time.  And for my bike, which, as Cate notes, desperately needs new tires.

I’m against the whole concept of Black Friday, but I probably will be stopping at the bike shop—not for gift items, but just for some tires and chain lube.  I’m thankful for having worn out those tires—it was honestly done, and may I wear out the new set with more late fall and winter biking!

The World Emerges Slowly

Looking down MMU hill after I've locked my bike to a damp rack this morning.  Lights disappear in the mist.

A bicycle ride on a cool foggy morning:  The world is more acoustic than visual.  The lights of the street and cars are smears in yellows and whites, and shapes of trees, signs, houses emerge as if they were being extruded from some world-making machine.  Did I remember my towel?  Can I come up with the question for which the answer is 42?

Because the world is so visually muted, you almost expect sounds to be also muted, too, but it is not so.  There is a strange quiet to the morning commute, but it’s because most cars crawl along a bit, drivers straining to see beyond the grey barrier.  All except for that one jerk in the ugly black SUV who zooms across lanes and careens around the corner of Blairs Ferry and C Avenue.  I hope he emerges from the fog in the neighborhood of a police cruiser, and they stop his sorry butt.

A poet once said that fog comes in on little cat feet.  Carl Sandburg was wrong, of course.  Little cats are rambunctious and their feet go “thump, thump, thump.”  Fog comes on old cat feet, sneaking round like the old Tom who doesn’t want to arouse interest from those darn youngsters, and say away from my food bowl or you’ll find out my clawless front feet can still cuff you pretty hard.

I was a bit concerned about the commute this morning.  Of course, I ran with lights on and didn’t need sunglasses.  I have to cross several busy streets.  But, while the mist shrouded the world, it was a veil, not pea soup.  I could see well enough and the cars were going slow enough that it was actually one of the easiest rides I’ve had.

The misty air settled on me a bit, and I felt damp.  But I’ve had days where I had to stop to wipe my glasses.  This morning wasn’t like that.  The fog just added a bit of mystery to the ride, and the cool air felt pleasant, despite the damp.

The Pleasure of Partly Unplanned Routes

New sign at Lindale Trail before the ride I didn't take on Sunday.  No more from this trail!

On Sunday, on the way home from the gym, I decided to ride along the Lindale Trail and photograph some new signs that mark the distances.  I texted Audrey, and it turned out she was at the C Avenue Park with Katy and her kids.  So I make a quick change and headed up to the park.

I picked up the child seat on my way to the park, and gave Tristan a ride to our house.  We then headed out to lunch.

I didn’t do the trail on Sunday, but that’s OK, it will still be there when I get there.  The unexpected route feature a nice interlude with grandkids, and that’s a welcome destination.

This morning, I headed out a little after 7—and had a class at 9:30.  It was a bit damp, since it had sprinkled overnight, but I found the siren call of the trail to be too loud, so, since I had time, I rode the Cedar River Trail.

As usual, the November morning sky put on a show.  The clouds were just starting to break as the sun was low in the southeast.  The sun shining through some gaps created a great nice spotlight effect.

Well, the route I didn’t expect turned out to be very pleasant.  For some reason, on this cool damp Monday before Thanksgiving, there was absolutely no other traffic on the trail.  Which is OK with me!

The spotlight sky this morning, seen on the Cedar River Trail in Hiawatha.

I’ll Have a Blue Christmas

The house of blue Christmas, seen Nov. 16, 2012.

Friday we picked up Ben in Ames, and then drove back to MMU so I could ride my bike home.  It was dark, but a fair, nice evening.

More Christmas lights are slowly appearing on the route, and I snapped this image of a house behind Kenwood School all decked out in blue.  I like the color, and the waxing moon that you can also see.

Christmas may be coming, but at least the biking weather it still good!