In Which We Have Early Spring, Followed by Snow

Biking to the gym last Sunday, I think. Or Saturday. Anyway, went over the Bowman Woods hill and used trail--which was a bit mushy, to be honest. Still, Dry Creek looks quite pretty in a sort of somber, late-February way.

March 1--snow! Glad I parked my bike inside.

March in Iowa: It rained yesterday, and so I rode in with my wife. Today, Ash Wednesday, it was damp in the morning and misty, but not too wet to ride, so I did.

And in mid-morning, I happened to glance out my window to see the lion of March was coming in with a wave of snow. For a few minutes, it looked pretty intense—but the warm ground would yield nothing, an when it cleared this afternoon, despite being windy and cold, there was no snow around anymore.

Biking was slightly a challenge due to said wind, and I almost wished for long underwear. Still, after driving yesterday, it was nice to be on the bike!

On the way home, along C Avenue, about 5:30 p.m. Clouds starting to break up, and sun peaks out.

In Which, Despite More Health Woes, Biking Continues

Cedar Lake earlier this week. Spring temps sadly are leaving us for a while, but before the Thursday rain and Friday chill, it was a good week to be a biker.

The knee is a bit better this week—still sore, but not really painful.

I’ll still have to start PT and see how things develop, but I’m feeling better and more hopeful about RAGBRAI.

Still, my slow deterioration into the physical problems that bedevil my younger sisters continues. I am becoming Cate. I had a nerve test on my left arm this week at Mercy Medical Center, a test that involved electric shocks and then needles.

It was probably not as unpleasant as that makes it sound, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant, either.

Anyway, where does the left arm pain and numbness come from? The nerve doctor said it’s carpal tunnel syndrome.

Cool, misty Wednesday morning. Sun coming up on C Avenue at Dry Creek (above) and at Collins Road along F Avenue (below).

Oh well. I’m clearly not young anymore. Unless I plan to live to 116, I suppose calling myself middle-aged is a bit of a stretch. I am not exactly old yet—but what is a biker at age 58? If one between childhood and teen years is a tween, am I, between the middle and the end game, a twenior?

Whatever. Didn’t bike today—cold rain in the afternoon. But I have been biking this week.

Related to that—an old B52 song. I misheard the lyrics (surprise, surprise) for many years, and though it could be a biking song because I thought the chorus was “roll if you want to.” Well, I suppose roaming is something bikers do, too. Happy biking and roam if you want to—maybe on two wheels! 

In Which We Meet My New Biking Buddy Arthur

Cedar Lake on a pretty warm February morning--first day since Monday that I rode a bike.

I’ll start by quoting Casablanca: “Fate, it seems, has decided to take a hand.”

I haven’t registered for RAGBRAI yet, and I hope to soon, but first I have to figure out my new relationship with my biking frenemy Arthur. As in, arthritis.

Monday, I rode Clarence to work. The morning was normal, except that shortly after I got to campus, I started to feel very intense pain in my left knee. The knee has been sore for some time—in fact, I had already called my doctor last week to make an appointment this week to get it checked out, but this wasn’t “sore.” This was “pain.”

I had a faculty meeting that day, and resorted to using Clarence as the poor-man’s wheelchair—sitting on the bike and wheeling around was less painful than standing or walking. Walking sucked. Mine was the only bike parked in the midst of Betty Cherry Hall at MMU.

Well, by Tuesday things were slightly better, and improved a bit more Wednesday. Thursday was the doctor’s appointment, and after checking me out, the doctor recommended an x-ray.

And Friday, shortly before class and I did not have time to ask many questions, I got a call from the doctor’s office. I have arthritis in my left knee, I require physical therapy and if that doesn’t ease the problem, an orthopedic medical referral will be necessary. Honestly, I don’t know more than that at this point. I don’t know what kind of arthritis I have nor anything about the prognosis.

After Monday, I was off the bike all week, and it was a terrible week to be off the bike—spring-like sunshine Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with record highs for February.

Well, Saturday I just couldn’t take it anymore. I rode Argent to campus to print papers I have to grade. I took the longer trail route to Cedar Lake, so rode about 12 miles in total Saturday. The knee was tender after that—but no more so than it had been on days when I had not ridden my bike.

But a RAGBRAI distance, 60 miles or more in a day … well, I don’t know, yet. We’ll have to see what develops between me and Arthur.

In Which We Consider 50-Mile Bookish Rides

Early February--Feb. 2, I think. Cool mornings with pretty sunrises, at Rockwell-Collins pond (above) and MMU (below).

An acquaintance from the neighborhood just “friended” me on Facebook, partly so he can invited me to his group there. He is planning an interesting bicycle ride—from the Marion Public Library to the Iowa City Public Library, a journey that would travel mostly on bike trails, with some streets near the start and in the final third of the journey.

He says the rout would be about 50 miles, which makes it a doable ride by May, I think. It will have some hills along roads beyond Ely, but since most of the miles of the ride are on bike trails, most of the miles are also fairly flat. Besides, I do need some hill climb practice, too.

Well, I’m happy to have been invited to the Facebook group. The plans aren’t final—no date has been set—but I assume at some point others would be welcome to join this Reader’s Ride, the Biking Bookworms, the Page Peddlers. (I think the B idea is closer to his title).

I’ll let you know when I know more.

Anyway, it’s been almost a fortnight since I last updated the world on my biking life, and I’m almost certain you’ve bene clamoring for an update. Clamor no more, here it is.

Feb. 9--Faux Spring no  more--winter is back, baby! Morning of my winter-coat ride.

 The past two weeks have certainly ben a study in contrasts. In Iowa, the first half of February has featured some warm days that foreshadow spring, and some bone-chilling cold mornings, too. Snow this past week, kept me off my back for a grand total of one day, as it wasn’t much snow, and I was able to wear enough clothes to brave the sub-zero wind chills the next morning.

Speaking of sub-zero wind chills, I made a happy accidental discovery. Last year, my wife got me a new winter coat. I don’t usually wear it to bike—it’s rather heavier than I usually need, and I like the thin hood of a windbreaker that I normally wear. But on one super cold morning this week, I just wanted more warmth, and reached for the winter coat. But I wanted head protection, too, so I put on the winter coat hood and mashed on my helmet—and, well, even the winter coat’s hood came be made to fit under my helmet.

So I was way more comfortable than usual on the coldest morning this week. The week ended with rides that were far from cold—in the same week that I discovered I can wear my heavy winter coat to bicycle, I also rode home (Friday) for the first time sans coat, because it was too warm for anything more than a sweatshirt as my outer layer.

Today, a granddaughter is coming over to celebrate her 4th birthday—she insisted that grandma host the party, and the child’s parents certainly weren’t against that plan. Anyway, with any luck, she may come over a bit early, and if the rain stays north, as it should, I may hitch the Tagalong seat to Clarence and take her for a birthday spin.

That would be fun And springlike.

Turkeys at top of Bowman Woods Hill--did the hill climb on my way home from the gym Feb. 11.

In Which There May Have Been Eagles

Some snow and ice on sidewalk along Council Street. Not too hard to avoid, and the pavement was actually in good shape for a bike ride this afternoon.

I thought about it, but decided not to.

This afternoon, the air temperature was in the mid-20s Fahrenheit, with a brisk west wind making it feel in the lower teens. The day, as most have been lately, was grey and cold, with morning flurries.

But, as I finished grading a final exam around noon, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a nearby star shining brightly in the sky—my old pal Sol. It’s be a while, sunny.

So I decided this afternoon, in lieu of my first choice (a nap) or my second choice (tackle the mountain of school work) to take my first longish training ride of 2017.

Because it rained and snowed this week and flurried this morning, I decided the hybrid bike Clarence was a more appropriate choice than the road bike Argent. In fact, if one had been ride-able, I probably would have chosen a mountain bike.

Anyway, about 1:30 or so in the afternoon, I started out. I dressed in full winter regalia, including long underwear, clumpy boots and mittens, and it was a good thing. The wind was indeed brisk.

I headed up Devonshire, intending to take the north route along 74th Street to Council Street, and then head by sidewalk to the street that would take me to the Cedar River Trail in Hiawatha.

As it turned out, despite the snow and ice everywhere, the streets were in reasonably good shape. I could have ridden Argent after all. But when I got to Council Street, the sidewalk was a little icy in spots, so maybe having my trusty hybrid was not a terrible deal.

Cedar Lake this afternoon. Some open water at the north end attracts many birds, while a bit to the south, a goose (below) walks on the ice.

 The trail, when I go there, was in fine shape. A lady was on the bridge at the north end of Cedar Lake taking pictures there, and I paused to snap a few, too. Then I headed downtown, aiming for the Bridge of Lions.

I was not sure if I would go farther than that—but when I got there, I was still in a riding mood. The trial is closed by Sokol Park by a big, raw earthen dike, so I rode through Czech Village to C Street and turned towards Kirkwood.

I wondered how far I would have to go, but did not see any trail access until I got to Tait Cummins Memorial Park.

There I turned back onto the trail, and headed west again, thinking I would probably have to double back when I got near the dike, but also figuring I wanted to ride along the river, just in case there were eagles.

Well, although not entirely deserted—I saw one old man jogger and another old man biker (is it only mad dogs, Englishmen and old man bikers who will go out on the midday sun when what was their water bottles are slowly becoming slush bottles?). Mostly, however, I had the trial to myself, and despite the chill wind, it was kind of pretty.

View of Cedar River from bridge over creek that flows into the river between Mt. Trashmore and Tait Cummins Park. If you look carefully, you'll see CR Biker's shadow. The trail, below, felt quit and isolated, which is pretty nice, to be honest.

 And when I got past Mt. Trashmore and headed around the bend to where I could, in the distance, again see the Bridge of Lions, the dike lay in my path. But, at the far east end of the dike, there were muddy bike prints leading to the street. I took those, and it turned out I need not have gone so far down C Street—there is about a two-block detour that leads back to Czech Village.

As I cycle west on Cedar River Trail, I meet the east end of the new dike built for Czech Village. But, as you can se by the "Road Closed" sign, there are bike tyre track to the street. As I get on the street, some old guy (below) passes me. What is it about cold winter days that draws crazy old men bikers?

I took it, and again biked across the Bridge of Lions. As I got to the north end of the bridge, movement in the sky to my right caught my eye.

There were a pair of birds, wheeling about well above the water. They were not terribly far away, maybe halfway between me and Mt. Trashmore, but they were wheeling away from me.

I quickly reversed course and rode on the sidewalk of the bridge, hoping to get to a place where I could try a shot with my point-and-shoot camera.

Looking east from Bridge of Lions at the sky where, seconds before, two large birds were circling. They could have been turkey vultures or hawks, but I thought I saw a white head and tail on one--and that would mean eagle. Could not be sure due to distance. Oh well, I move on, but pause again to look back at bridge (below).

 No dice. In just a few seconds, they were gone. At the distance I was, I wasn’t 100 percent sure—but they sure looked like eagles to me. One in particular, I think, had the characteristic white head and tail. The other was all dark, which would make it a younger bird.

Well, I didn’t get their picture, but it sure didn’t spoil my nice bike ride. I turned back to the trail.

I thought about heading out to the Prairie Park Fishery, but it was getting a bit late, so I just headed back along the Cedar River Trail. That is what I thought about and decided not to.

Minor bit of biking drama by Federal Courthouse. I did not notice right boot was becoming untied, and lace snagged in chain. The potentially dramatic story has a happy ending mostly because the person riding the bike is a very slow biker, and so had plenty of time to react before said lace got too enmeshed. I just had to stop, pull the lace and tie by boot. My fingers did get greasy, though.

Two scenes from afternoon ride--The east side of Cedar Lake looking west at sky growing cloudy (above) and a view of a factory across the Cedar River from the north shore on my ride back.

On the way home, I stopped at Mount Mercy to check my email and pick up some of my spring text books.

It was just past 5 by the time I left campus, and the sky was looking very pretty. More clouds were coming in, but at least there was a pretty sunset, which has been rare, lately.

I don’t know exactly how far I biked today because I was riding the bike that does not have a computer. I was away from home for 4 hours, but at least one of those hours was in my office. Still, I’m thinking I probably did more than 20 miles, which isn’t bad for a first long ride of the year on a raw January Friday.

Clarence, above, had bike rack at Warde Hall all to himself. Pretty sunset (below) as I leave campus.

 

In Which Maybe The Urban Ride Is Next Year?

RAGBRAI's logo this year, from RAGBRAI.com

North! I was thinking RAGBRAI would go through the center of the state, but they are going way north.

So maybe next year they can use my other idea and include Iowa’s 5 largest cities in the same route. RAGBRAI, how about it?

RAGBRAI 2017, whose overnight towns were announced Jan. 21,  apparently will be a pretty easy route this year, third least hilly and third leas in miles. That’s OK with me. I’ll try to maximize my miles somehow, but Team Joe will require some driving shifts.

Nalena—your first RAGBRAI won’t be too bad. Jon—no Pizza Ranch in Carroll, but also no World’s Least Prepared Mexican Restaurant in Grinnell. Susan, does the route go close to your home?

And, anyway, the route does through the far north of Iowa that I’m not very familiar with. I have not seen the Surf Ballroom yet. Been to Spencer many a time, but otherwise many of the towns will be new to me.

Lansing? That’s a place in Iowa? It’s not isolated like Guttenberg, I hope …

Anyway, it wasn’t the greatest biking week. I think Friday was the only day I commuted, and it was a pretty damp commute. Too much rain and ice this week. Here’s hoping for a bit more riding next week!

Photo I took of Busse Library on Monday Jan. 16. I was waiting for a pizza to be delivered for newspaper staff. We had an ice storm that day and classes were cancelled. So was bicycling.

In Which I announce RAGBRAI 2017—Middle Earth

OK, I mean my route guess for RAGBRAI 2017. Don’t y’all submit the same cities to the RAGBRAI contest, because that would not be kosher.

I toyed with the idea of the “urban tour,” and trying to fit Iowa’s largest cities into one route, which would be something You might be able to include Iowa’s 5 largest cities on one RAGBRAI. You could start in Sioux City (bigger than Council Bluffs) and hit Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Davenport all in the same week. You need stops between Sioux City and Des Moines, and between Des Moines and Waterloo, so I’m not sure it works.

I just think it’s a cool idea. Not the 2017 theme, however, which instead I’m calling “middle route,” because I think it’s going to be a middle route so we can cross Middle Earth and toss the ring of power in into the Mississippi were it was forged, and “why not stop in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids?” just because I can.

Here is my unlikely-to-win guess:

• Sunday: Missouri Valley to Harlan
• Monday: Harlan to Carroll
• Tuesday: Carroll to Des Moines
• Wednesday: Des Moines to Marshalltown
• Thursday: Marshalltown to Cedar Rapids
• Friday: Cedar Rapids to Tipton
• Saturday: Tipton to Clinton

That’s my route. Maybe they can plan the “Urban Iowa Tour” in 2018. Anyway, we shall see soon where RAGBRAI 2017 will actually go! Iowa, I’m thinking.