In Which I Play Catch-Up During Spring-Summer

April 21--The Fancy Beast on the Rohde Family Plaza as I arrive on campus after a sunny, pleasant morning commute.

Iowa in late April, early May: We had frost last night. A week ago we had several days where the sunny temperature flirted with 90. It’s been a dry spring, and on my biking commute to campus, I note that the grass is starting to shift from it’s fresh, lush green spring hue to the more dull look of high summer.

August is in the air, even if we’re not even there. Rather than our usual spring, we’re having a spring-summer season.

May 7--On Friday ride home, I stop not far from campus to enjoy the spring blooms beside someone's walkway.

I’ve not been chronicling many recent bicycle adventures, due to the regular spring semester sprint to May. I have maybe four years left in my working life, and, if God and health are willing, I look forward to some springs where I can roll around the planet taking in the springtime sights at a more leisurely pace on longer bicycle rides.

But a dry spring is a good one for riding a bike to work. And for others rides. Last weekend, I hitched up the Tag-A-Long seat and took a 5-year-old grandson to a playground while his mom and his grandmother went furniture shopping. It was a second or third tube on that bike’s back wheel in just a couple of weeks, but it had held air for several ride, so I had hopes that this dry spring of excess flat tyres was a mere memory.

Sadly, no. We rode to a nearby school, played there, were met there by mom and grandma, and then grandson was sad when it was time to go. I suggested he ride on the bike home, which perked him up, and so we did.

May 2--We arrive at Bowman Woods School on bicycle. Not sure why 5-year-old grandson thought a victory dance was appropriate for a 1-mile ride. Tyre not flat yet.

Just as I pulled into his driveway, the familiar noise and wobble hit. Flat tyre. Again. I’m thinking it’s time to take the hybrid bike to a shop and let the pros have a crack at that back wheel. Maybe it’s the wrong type of tyre. Maybe there is a flaw in the rim or tyre that I keep looking for and not seeing. I don’t know, but I am tired of the new tyre that won’t stay inflated.

Well, the road bike still has to got to the shop, too. Thank goodness for the trusty old mountain bike, oldest (besides a much older tandem) and slowest of my bikes. It had a flat earlier this spring, too—but since then, the new tyre and tube on the Fancy Beast have been just fine, thank you.

Well, it’s been a while since I wrote about my biking adventures. I’ll probably post a bit more regularly this summer—after the semester ends. Here is a gallery of the not-chronicled rides:

April 21: Some images from daily commute, pond on C Avenue and closing of C Avenue bridge for a few days for some utility project:

 April 22--Some road work, mostly images from quick ride to Lowe Park in Marion.

 

April 28--Late work on campus leads to view of full moon:

Not sure of Date: Going on group bike ride (with grandson, wife and daughter, not all bikes shown--an earlier ride to Bowman Woods School to play)