In Which I Contemplate Triple Digits, Deer, RAGBRAI

Lindale Trail late in the ride--light growing dim, rode today with all of the lights on The Fancy Beast shining.

I plan to ride to work on Monday, the final day of January, but squeezed in a quick late afternoon ride today just as insurance.

Because I wanted to top 100 miles this January, and was very close. I rode 6.79 miles on the nearby Boyson and Lindale trails with the mountain bike. It was cloudy today, and I didn’t start until after 4:30 p.m. Thus, I rode with lights in on a gradually darkening trail.

But I finished in about an hour, and although it was getting dim, never was full dark on this ride. I encountered groups of deer twice, so we interrupt this fascinating biking saga for a rather long interlude of many, may deer images:

Deer, part of a group of eight or so,south part of ride. More:

 

Deer me! Thanks if you're still with me. Got a bit carried away there, enjoyed watching the deer and making there images. Anyway, besides lots of pictures of Bambi, I reached my goal for January. The loop I rode totaled 6.79 miles, giving me, as of today, 105.83 miles—almost 6 miles over my goal for the month. That leaves a bit less than 2,900 miles to go for the year.

OK, it's another deer, group of four on Lindale Trail. Lucky for you, patient blog reader, the light was too dim to make many images.

Dim evening light on Lindale Trail. Grey, cool time, but starkly pretty, too.

Will any of those miles be on RAGBRAI? That would be nice, although I still don’t know what my personal or the pandemic situation will be by that time. My wife and I are hoping that we can travel this summer, and we sort of have two years of pent up traveling to make up for. Between that, and the potential for kids and grandkids to finally be able to travel to meet us, squeezing RAGBRAI into the schedule may be difficult.

But I like the route, which was announced Saturday. It’s a northern ride—northern Iowa is hillier than most of the state, and pretty. The ride usually has a 100-mile optional day, although this year it’s just a “regular” day. I don’t know for sure if I’m up to 100 miles in one day this summer, but I’ve ridden centuries before, so it’s possible.

2022 route, from RAGBRAI.com.

Mostly, I’m interested in the last few days. The last time RAGBRAI ventured this far north and ended in Lansing, I got an eye infection mid-week and had to drop out. By all accounts, the ride into Lansing was extremely challenging—steep hills—but also gorgeous.

Well, hills I can usually handle. I would like to see the scenery in far northeast Iowa—rougher than most of this gently rolling state because the last round of glaciers tens of thousands of years ago didn’t grind down the hills there.

Family has to take priority, and I’m iffy on attempting the whole week. Yet, I would like to be there, if possible. And a few RAGBRAI day would sure contribute to making the 3,000-mile 2022 goal.

In Which Two Kids in Tow Make 99

Bike parked at Dry Creek bridge on Boyson Trail during first ride.

It turned cloudy late in the day, but this was the sky as we head west on the Lindale Trail on the first ride.

I’ve been exclusively riding The Fancy Beast, my old mountain bike, this January. Not a surprise, I think of that bike as my “winter beater,” and ride it whenever there might be a bit of snow or ice on the route. However, today I made an exception.

My wife and I had four grandchildren, siblings, staying with us overnight, and the two youngest, 10-year-old and 8-year-old girls, liked the idea of bicycle rides with grandpa on this fine, sunny, cool winter Saturday.

So, I got Clarence, my hybrid bike, out of the garage. It has been a month or so since I was on this bike, and the weather has been cold, so I was anticipating low tyres. Well, I did pump a bit of air in to them and lubed the chain, but I was surprised at how aired the tyres already were. Then, I got the Tag-A-Long seat down, lubed its chain and aired its tyre. This had been stored even longer than the bike, and needed a bit more air, but again, was surprisingly ready to ride.

It was about midday and the first granddaughter was waiting patiently for grandpa to be ready. I wasn’t in full winter ride gear—I skipped the thermal underwear. My thought was twofold—one, the temperature was in the 20s, cool, but little wind. Not really cold. And if I didn’t dress too warmly, I would be better able to judge if the ride was going on too long for a young person.

Then again, both granddaughters who went on rides with me today wore warm coats, boots and snow pants, so they weren’t exactly at great risk of expiring from exposure.

The 10-year-old and I headed north on a quiet street, then rode through the neighborhood east to the Boyson Road Trail. We did a quick loop on the trail, pausing at a trail bridge to watch ducks swimming in some open water in a rapid, turbulent area of Dry Creek.

10-year-old and I ready to ride.

Young biker.

Kicking some ice on trail bridge.

The granddaughter idly kicked some ice into the creek, watched the ducks for a few minutes, and then we were ready to ride again. We continued on the trail to the turnoff to go west on the Lindale Trail. There were a few icy spots on the ride where I went slowly, but the trails and streets we rode today were mostly clear.

We got back to the house. My wife was warming up leftover chili. There is a Midwestern dish called “chili five ways,” which is chili (1) with meat (2) on spaghetti (3) sprinkled with cheddar cheese (4) and fresh onion (5). My grandchildren call this dish “grandpa’s special” because of who in the family is most likely to suggest it. I took over cooking and made the pasta, while my wife was soundly thrashed in a chess game by a grandson. Then, the family enjoyed a hearty afternoon lunch of either C5W or GS, depending on your point of view.

Afterwards, the 8-year-old noted that she hadn’t yet had a bike ride. So once again, I got out the bike (I had left the seat attached, so was quicker this time) and we retraced exactly the same route, going slowly over the same icy spots and pausing at the same bridge. We again saw ducks, although I don’t for sure that they were the same birds, but probably.

Younger granddaughter ready for her ride.

Second granddaughter on bridge.

8-year-old with bike before ride.

The one new part of the adventure was watching a small herd of deer cross the trail 20 yards in front of us and trot off into the woods.

Interestingly, the second ride was slower. Perhaps the 10-year-old in the morning was a slightly better auxiliary motor. The older girl is also very thin—I may have had more weight when the 8-year-old was being towed (she’s not at all chubby, just normal size, but she has a small older sister). It’s also true that I was feeling a bit sluggish on the second ride—a bunch of tasty pasta and chili may have weighed me down.

Ducks on Dry Creek. I'm amazed they seem so comfortable on cold water.

Dry Creek looking pretty in winter. The creek is pretty much never dry, but that's its name.

The second ride felt colder, too. The actual air temperature was warmer, but a breeze had picked up, and moving air in winter always makes things feel colder. Not too cold—it was still a fine ride and the younger granddaughter didn’t complain of getting chilled.

The rides totaled just over 8 miles. And with those two rides, I’m just a smidge above 99 miles for January. When I set the 3,000-mile goal for the year, I figured my January miles would be way under average (250) that I would need each month to gain the goal, but I also figured that if I could top 100 miles in this cold first month, I would have made a good start.

Well, I didn’t plan to ride the hybrid bicycle in January at all. Then again, I didn’t plan rides with the granddaughters until the day was fine and they both liked the idea.

Sometimes the unexpected journey on the underused bicycle turns out just fine.

In Which I Ride a Cold Day in Denim

About 8 a.m., looking east as I cross the C Avenue Bridge. It's 3, very cold, but very pretty, and I'm dressed warmly, so I'm enjoying the cool morning.

So, as I speculated in my latest post, Thursday was warmer than the days  before, and I rode my bike.

I wasn’t as sure about Friday. The temperature this morning was 3 above zero Fahrenheit, pretty close to my “don’t ride” temperature of zero. And there was a windchill-not much of a wind, but it doesn’t take much wind to make it feel like teens below zero when the temperature is so low.

But the wind was from the northwest. I do have to cycle west a bit, but most of the miles from my house to campus are facing south. Wind chill at my back is not really that much of a factor, and the wind was light enough that, when I rode with it, there really wasn’t any wind. So, I rode.

C Avenue Pond (above and below) on a cold winter morning.

And it worked out. I almost got an ice-cream style sinus headache headed west down the 33rd Street hill, but it was only for a few blocks and I got better once I turned south again.

In fact, I was feeling so good when I got to campus that I headed for the far end and rode up the hill by the convent. I do that fairly often when riding my hybrid bike, but only rarely on the winter mountain bike, because the front derailleur of The Fancy Beast rubs on the back tyre when I’m in granny gear, and the hill by the convent is a granny gear hill for this old biker. It just felt too pretty of a morning to not take in a little extra distance on the ride.

I paused for a second to make some images of the pretty sparkly snow on the hill before turning onto campus. Because, why not?

Riding beside Mount Mercy University campus in the morning.

Snow blows off of passing car as I ride by campus.

Entering campus on Mercy Drive.

I was warm this morning partly due to the magic of denim. Fridays are “casual days” on my campus, and I had on blue jeans over my long, insulated winter underwear. I know denim is not supposed to be warm, but if there is a good under layer, for me it works as an outer layer. I’m warmer in very cold weather on jean days than most dress pants days—it’s even better than canvass, although canvass is better than other materials. I was in full winter regalia, long-sleeved undershirt, dress shirt, warm sweatshirt, two leg layers, three pairs of socks, warm winter boots, winter biking cap under hood under helmet, warm mittens, wind-cutting thin coat. I was OK. I regretted forgetting a scarf I usually wear on colder rides, but the beard helped with that.

So, here’s to a cold winter day when the sunshine is pretty and it’s not too cold. And here’s to denim as the outer layer on a winter bike ride.

I know RAGBRAI announced its route tonight, and I haven’t checked it yet. But bike season is coming. And I’ve passed 90 miles—maybe I’ll get 100 before January is over.

Shadow of a biker on Rohde Family Plaza, MMU.

Morning sun at Mount Mercy.

My bike on loading dock at MMU as I finish morning ride.

The winter biker (me).

In Which a Lake Ride Punctuates a Break

Jan. 22--Afternoon light at Cedar Lake.

Last Saturday was, like many recent days, a bit chilly. But not as bone-freezing chilly as this week has been.

My personal biking limit is somewhere around zero Fahrenheit. I might cycle with a wind chill a bit below zero, if, say the temperature is around 10 or so—the wind direction makes a big difference, and if I’m not headed into it for much of the ride, a short trek is a doable option.

This week has not been filled with doable daily ride options. Today, the actual temperature this morning was in double digits below zero, and if minus 13 or so was not bad enough, the windchill was way, way down there. Today was the coldest day of this cold week, but wind chill way below my threshold on both Monday and Tuesday means that spring semester, so far, has been a dull, car-commuting interlude, and any time I have to drive a route I would rather bicycle, it feels a little sad.

Well, buck up, buttercup. All day today was getting warmer. By the time I came home, it was double digits above zero, breaking that 10 barrier. Still quite cold, just more normal January cold and not freakish where-are-the-penguins cold.

Knock on wood, the weather tomorrow looks like this biker may be rolling again. It will be in the teens by morning (the temperature will slowly rise over night). So I hope to get some bike miles in tomorrow.

 

Sidewalk on Council Street Saturday--time to stop rolling and put the feet down.

My final riding day, Saturday of last week, was at least a pleasant one. It was cold in the afternoon and I had to go to campus to do some prep work for spring semester. I left home early n the afternoon, and instead of going straight to my office, headed west over to the Cedar River Trail, and cycled down to Cedar Lake.

Most of the streets and sidewalks were in good shape, although there were some spots, such as some areas along Council Street, where I had to put the landing gear down and shuffle across the ice. I never walk my bike on a hill, but there is some ice I won’t try to cycle across, even on my winter bike.

Geese seen at Cedar Lake Jan. 22.

 

 

 

The sky was a bit grey, but I felt it was a, for winter, pretty day. It being cold in winter, I had the trail mostly to myself. I enjoyed the quite, the start beauty of the bare trees against the snowy ground. As I got to campus, I saw the university president, out for a stroll, heading off of The Hill (Mount Mercy people tend to call our main campus “The Hill” because it’s built on one of the highest hills in our town—perfect for biking, right?). He was out in the cold air, enjoying the outdoors, as sane old men should do, in my opinion.

Well, there you have it. The lake ride was the penultimate one for a while (the final ride was the evening cycle home after my afternoon of work). Saturday was the unofficial end of biking season as the severe cold snap settled in.

But now we are back to our regularly scheduled winter. Back to biking, I hope!

 

Quiet residential streets on my bike ride Jan. 22 are largely snow free. The street is on the route to the Cedar River Trail.

 

 

Jan. 22--Winter scene on Cedar River Trail.

A bit of snow on trail by Cedar Lake--but I was able to ride there.

In Which I’m Closing in on 60

Bike on Boyson Trail Jan. 21 on late afternoon ride. Lights came in handy on this ride!

In my previous post, I set a 3,000-mile goal for 2022. Which means I have to be more careful to use my bike computer to record miles.

This was not a great week for biking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It had snowed from Friday into Saturday of last week, but I wondered if Monday, well over a day after the snow, I wondered if the roads would be clear enough to ride.

It was very cold, but I bundled up and headed out. The answer to the question “are the roads clear enough for a safe ride,” by the way, was clearly “no.” I have trouble judging because the street I live on is busy enough to have some priority, whereas I ride on much quieter residential streets.

Street on the ride to work Monday--a sane man might not have been there to make this image.

With fewer passes by snow plows and less traffic to wear the snow away. Snow gets compressed into an icy, slick layer on those streets—after Monday’s ride, I decided not to ride Tuesday. By Wednesday, an arctic front had moved in, and the wind chill flirted with 20 below as the actual temperature failed to get to zero (reminder, this is Fahrenheit, 0 Celsius is plenty warm enough for a ride). Zero (Fahrenheit) is my biking threshold, if either the temperature or the wind chill is below that, my bikes stay in the garage.

Today, it was 13 in the afternoon. I had been grading all day, but decided late in that afternoon chill to take a short bike ride.

It was, in a word, cold. But I was only planning a short loop on the Lindale and Boyson Trails, which had been cleared fairly well by Cedar Rapids and Marion crews—and the pavement in general was in better shape by now, a week after the snowfall.

With today’s ride, I’ve up to almost 60 miles for the year. Only 2,940 to go for the year’s goal!

Seen from bridge on Boyson Trail. Some open water on creek for ducks.

Seeing bike from bridge where I shot a duck. With my camera.

Bike at sunset on Boyson Trail ride.

I had the trail mostly to myself--so plenty of time to make images of The Fancy Beast.

In Which a Slow Ride Starts 2022

Heading up C Avenue to trail. Going slow, but riding through the snow.

Fancy Beast ready to ride.

Me, ready to go (after I put my gloves on).

What is your biking goal for 2022? I’m not big on goals—my main point is just to ride and enjoy myself. But in a normal week (during the school year) I would ride about 40 miles just going to and from work. So riding 50 miles a week is pretty normal.

50 times 52 is 2,600. Of course, some weeks I would ride less—the first week of 2022 was zero miles, due to winter making things ugly on Cedar Rapids streets. Still, is 3,000 miles a good annual goal? We’ll say it is, and see if I remember to keep the tally. Anyway, whether I ride all those miles (or more), I’m hoping to enjoy the journey this year.

Today in Iowa, we had a chance of freezing rain, but as of mid-day, it was cool, 18 degrees or so, and grey—but not icy.

And in 2022, so far, 18 is pretty warm. (For any UK or European pals, my temperatures are Fahrenheit—in your world’s more rational scale, it was well below zero today—still warmer than it has been lately). And I own a mountain bike, partly with the intention of using it as a winter beater bike. Wide tyres, slow bike, ready for winter use.

So, I checked the tyres—a bit low, cold temps, don’t you know? I aired them up a bit (on the low end of normal is better anyway on a day like this). My plan was simple—ride up the C Avenue sidewalk to Lindale Trail, head over to the Boyson Trail and come back on quiet streets.

Border between Cedar Rapids and Marion, headed east from Cedar Rapids. Looks like CR wins for trail snow removal, but, honestly, Marion did fine for most of the trail. And the worst part of my ride was returning home on quiet CR streets. Sussex needs another snowplow pass.

I was a bit worried about how unpaved part of trail would be. Well, it was fine, at least as clear and maybe clearer than paved parts.

View of Boyson Trail as I slowly cycle south. I fully stopped to make images today--no messing around trying to shoot and ride.

Start of trail ride, most of it was more cleared than this. The curvy track is one I've just made.

Looking  towards Milwaukee Road bridge. I ride down Lindale Trail to Boyson Trail.

It went well. A few years ago, on a day not unlike today, I fell on the Boyson Trail, but not today. Then, I was riding a hybrid bike, not so great for a winter ride. Today the Fancy Beast behaved well. I kept it slow and just enjoyed the opportunity to roll across part of the planet.

I should have bundled up more. For winter rides, I often wear several pairs of socks and long underwear—today, I thought it was warm enough not to bother. I should have bothered; I was a bit uncomfortably cool by the time I got home.

Still, all in all, I was happy to begin my rides. 6.7 miles down. 2,993.3 to go!

Water bottle at end of ride--can you see the ice?

Seen from one bridge on the Boyson Trail.

Bridge on the trail near Menards. Despite the grey winter day, it's pretty, I think.

Headed north towards home, creek and bridge.

Gap in map is because I rode a bit before computer started.