5.31.2011 Ride: The Beginning of Time

Another early morning wake up call, another opportunity to do a sunrise ride.  I had really hoped to sleep late (5:30 or 6:00) but it was not to be.  It was a dark and stormy looking morning when I made it on the road at 5:30 with just enough light to ride without supplemental lighting.

I ventured out, taking Hwy 45, which was very quiet that early, and wound my way through various quieter roads.  The sky, with its variations of grey boiling clouds, had me constantly looking upward.  But, it didn't seem to promise a sunrise of any note.  Some nice shades of pinks were forming on the horizon and I expected them to quickly fade into greys.  At least I have one decent sunrise picture, I thought.

Old Wire Rd. near Rom Orchard Rd.

Very quickly, though, things changed dramatically.  It's one of the other reasons I love riding in the morning.  Within one hour, the sky can go through enormous transformations.  Often, I feel as if I am at the beginning of the creation of the Universe.  Today was one of those experiences.

I took the above picture, again expecting the colors to quickly fade as the sun moved higher up into the clouds.  I was turning my bike around, a bit eager to get back before the traffic became too heavy on Hwy 45.  I'm beginning to pedal away when the sun takes me completely by surprise as it peeks up above the horizon.  I thought for sure it had already risen several minutes ago.

 The sky had me in its clutches and there was no way I was leaving.  I calculated that I would still get back to 45  by 6:30, not too bad especially since I would be going away from town with most of the traffic coming from the opposite direction.  One more glorious picture and I was on my way.

The traffic continued to be light on Old Wire and I zipped along almost effortlessly, the colors in the sky now definitely fading and the light show giving way to blues and greys.  I did have to stop to take the photo below.  I feel for these folks.  They had just finished repairing their fence from a car failing to navigate the sharp curve when, two days later, deja vu.

 

Maybe an iron wall is in order.

The fiery beginnings of the Universe finally settled down and gave way to calmer skies.

All of the above in probably a 20 minute span of time.  It was great. 

Today's Ride:  1hr 27mins.  17.21 miles.  73 degrees.  15mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,370.28

5.30.2011 Ride: Memorial Day - Part Two

Thanks to Kris, Rachel's soccer coach, I had a very pleasant second ride today.  Since she lives up in the Bella Vista/Bentonville area she was able to guide me to some good routes.  It always amazes me that there are these quiet country roads right off main thoroughfares.  It's as if I stepped through a secret door in a very busy room and into another world that very few know about.

The road was right next to Lowe's, which was perfect as I needed to make a stop there before heading out for the ride. I was looking for a new mailbox post and two other men were in the aisle with the same purpose.  We chatted a few moments and then I asked what Memorial Day meant to them.  They became solemn and said for some people it might mean grilling out but that the true purpose was to remember the troops that died.  We talked a few minutes more and then I asked if I could take their picture.

Danny & Matt

Thanks guys for the answer I was hoping for and thanks for helping me pick out a mailbox post.

Within a mile I came across a great looking barn.  I took a couple of pictures but the sun was behind it and, as I feared, the picture was fairly washed out.  Ideally, I need to go back in the morning.  One of these days I'll get it.

 

I may have missed out on the barn but I came across this fine looking tree house with good lighting.

At one point in the road there was a dead skunk.  Nothing unusual about that but this skunk had its head sticking through the bottom of a small clear plastic cup.  I couldn't imagine that someone would think to approach the skunk, which smelled really foul, and place the cup on its head for a joke.  I'm thinking it tore through the bottom, stuck its head through and got its head stuck. 

 

Today's second ride:  67mins.  13.08 miles.  85 degrees.  20mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,357.07

5.30.2011 Ride: Memorial Day - Part One

I was not happy when I awoke at 4:15 as I desperately needed a longer night of sleep.  Closing my eyes, the trick was pretending that I didn't care if I fell back asleep or not but, rather, I would act as if I wanted to just lie in bed for a few minutes longer.  It worked and the next thing I knew it was 5:30.  Now I was eager to get out of bed as I've become hooked on the sunrise rides.  Quickly gearing up, I was out on the road with about 10 minutes to spare. 
I headed west this time on Hwy 45, towards town with the eastern sky behind me quickly turning into a bright golden glow.  There is a special anticipation waiting for the sun to first show itself: where will it pop up, where will I be, what will the sunrise look like that day.  It's a huge giant gift box that I'm eagerly unwrapping with the lifting of the final box-flap revealing my sunrise present of the day. 

I was keenly aware that it is Memorial Day today.  I was very saddened to read on a posting this morning that someone mentioned they had no idea what Memorial Day was about.  This was an adult.  It seems incomprehensible to me that a person wouldn't at least know what this day represents.

Back in the mid 1960s, I remember mys sister coming home and relating a story of trying to do the right thing and politely letting someone know that his headlights were on.  The man's response, "I know."  This was back when headlights did not come on automatically and no one drove with their headlights on during the daytime.  It took my sister, who was 16 or 17 at the time, a moment to grasp the meaning of the man's response; it was Memorial Day and the tradition was to drive with one's lights on in remembrance.

 It's a wonderful tradition though, unfortunately, driving with one's headlights on now becomes meaningless.  Ironically, I find many cars driving in the low light of dawn without their headlights.

 So, for all those have died, for all those have served, I have my lights on for you today.

Bike riding in the morning can present a problem when heading east into the sun.  There are spots where the road, the incline and the sun all align for a very blinding display.  It is almost impossible to see what is up ahead.  I try to avoid these situations but sometimes it's inevitable.  The bigger concern is any cars coming up from behind.  Fortunately, this morning, when I hit this perfectly blinding light, no cars passed me. 

Getting back to the neighborhood just before 7:00, I expected to get back home before anyone was awake.  I did a loop to finish off my hour and came across a jogger.  It turned out to be my son David. 

I take Rachel up to Bella Vista for soccer practice again today, as I will do two more times this week.  I plan to do another ride while she is practicing.  

This morning's ride:  62mins.  11.97 miles.  71-75 degrees. 20mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,339.99

5.29.2011 Ride: Renewed Excitement

I didn't realize just how wiped out I was yesterday until I woke up this morning feeling much more rested, despite again waking up at 4:30.  I lumbered out of bed around 5:00 and felt eager to get on the bike and take advantage of the cool of the morning and the low traffic of an early Sunday morning.  I took a quick walk and was greeted by a thin crescent moon on the eastern horizon with Venus just down below to the moon's right.  I've always thought that the configuration would make for a great brooch.
I made several attempts to take a picture of both the moon and Venus by steadying the camera on a post.  But with the low light and the wind blowing hard, I was not able to capture a crisp image.  I did manage to get one of just the moon.

 

 The sky was not this dark as dawn was breaking and the moon certainly looked brighter but I still like the way this came out.

Back to the house where I quickly geared up and grabbed a quick bite.  It felt good to feel so enthused about hopping on the bike.  Getting out by 5:45, the road seemed especially quiet.  I had the big hill down Highway 45 all to myself, a rarity.  Just before Goshen, the sun peeked up between a grove of trees.

I will never tire of sunrises even if they aren't that spectacular.  If I do, it will be time to take me out and shoot me.


I rode about 10 miles east on Hwy 45 and only 3 cars passed me going in the same direction.  I was very vigilante when they passed making sure they crossed over the center line away from me.  The thought of one of the drivers being drunk was very fresh in my mind as Patrick Pilkington and I came across just such a situation the other day when we were headed up to Joplin.  A car sat parked just off Hwy 45 on our road.  In the car was a young man who was passed out.  We got out to see if he was all right, finally arousing him by banging on the window.  He attempted to start his car but was unable to.  We thought something was wrong with the car but once he rolled down the window and we smelled his breath we could see that he was so drunk he wasn't even able to start the car.  We were hoping to get him to pull the car out of harm's way and eventually he did get the car started but continued on up our road.  We had to leave and I called the Sheriff's Department to make sure he did not end up back on the main highway.  How he got as far as he did was beyond us.  When we arrived home that evening, the car was gone and I have no idea what the end result was.


But riding this morning, the road was basically my own and it was nice not to have to worry about cars. 

In the past, I have thought of stopping and taking a picture of this house.  The outside intrigues me about what is inside.  Looking closely, a light can be seen in the window.  That light has been on every other time I have passed.  For some reason, that seems to add a bit more intrigue about what is going on inside.

Probably if this feather was lying flat on the ground I would have continued on without giving it much thought.  But standing up as it was grabbed my attention.  After taking the photo I did take the feather.  I'm not sure if it's a crow or vulture feather.

Today's Ride:  1hr 46mins.  22.06 miles.  71-76 degrees.  14-25mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,328.02

2.28.2011 Ride: Recalibrating

I hooked up with Pat Murray yesterday to ride together this morning.  I was feeling rather run down after the second ride of the day yesterday, I think as a result of getting dehydrated.  I felt better this morning but still dragging.  We had a good ride, getting on the bikes by 7:00, which was good since the day was quickly heating up.  I was feeling pretty run down again by the end of our 40 mile ride which I managed to put aside as we rode.  Though, I believe, being tired led me to not focusing on getting pictures.  It is amazing to me how my body has gotten conditioned to riding even when tired.

This car first passed us earlier on our ride.  I was hoping to get a picture of its rear as it went by but we ended up on a downhill and the situation became too unstable  to get a picture.  We came across the car again about 10 miles later just outside of West Fork.  I think why I like this picture is that I don't feel as if I've taken a picture of a car from long ago but rather I just happened to take a picture of a car from our current time period.  Riding along quiet country roads often feels as if I've been transported back in time to when there was a slower pace of living.

 

Only one other picture but I love it.  Pat is stretching but I feel as if he is spreading his wings ready to take flight.  I think this picture captures the free spirit of bicycling that we all experience out there on the road.

Pat and I were comparing odometer readings and his was reading higher than mine.  I started to see a pattern here as Ted's read higher as well on our Texas trip.  Getting back home, I did some research and found that my computer is indeed set wrong and I have been covering more mileage than I've been reporting.  Compared to Pat's odometer, which he said matched up with other riders, it seems as if I've been 5% off.  Given the 3,148 miles I've ridden this year, that would mean I'm short by 157 miles! 

Today's Ride:  3hrs 9mins.  39.02 miles 70-80 degrees.  18mph winds.  Miles YTD:  3,148.53 plus recalculating for lost miles, new Miles YTD:  3,305.96

2.27.2011 Ride: Stage One & Stage Two Rides

Carol and David were on their way home from being out-of-town for several days and Rachel was away at a school activity so I was on my own for yesterday’s evening walk.  This meant that when I came upon some fern grass (for lack of knowing what it is really called) on the side of the road, I could stop and take pictures without holding up the walk. 

The fern portion is about 5-6 inches in length

The interesting thing about the stop is that I became absorbed in this tiny piece of environment just off the road that I pass every day.  Nothing overtly spectacular yet I became fully absorbed, eventually, sitting down to get a better picture and then lying down flat on the ground to get an angle that had the sky for a backdrop.  Fortunately, no one drove by while I was prone for I’m sure they would have thought I was injured.  Why else would a grown man be lying on the side of the road? 

Close up

When I was done focusing on this 5-6 inch display of grass, I looked up and the combination of the trees, clouds and sky took me by surprise as if they had materialized out of the blue.  There was something very surreal about their appearance.

This morning when I awoke, I hadn't planned on a sunrise ride but it was such a beautiful morning that I didn't need much convincing to quickly gear up and hop on the bike.  A bit cooler than it has been, 52 degrees, but very little wind and low humidity.  I was out about ten minutes before sunrise, in time to see the sky transform through many shades of color.

I have had my eye on this dead branch that extends over the road from a live oak tree.  I think I may have included a picture of it in an earlier posting.  It's spidery branches against the sky keeps captivating me.  I especially liked it this morning with the moon behind.

There is a young painted horse in the pasture that has a personality that stands out.  He is very alpha with the other two horses in the pasture.  The other day was the first time that he would come close enough to the fence to smell my hand but no further.  He was close to the fence this morning and they were just standing around, digesting I believe, so I was able to get a couple of good shots of him.

I labeled today's ride "Stage One?" because I am driving Rachel up to soccer practice up in Bella Vista this afternoon.  While she is practicing, I am hoping to ride the bike trails up there.  If so, I will update today's post this evening.

Today's Morning Ride:  61mins.  10.7 miles.  52 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3,094.32
Today's Afternoon Ride: Bella Vista/Bentonville. 80mins.  15.19 miles.  75 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3,109.51

5.26.2011 Ride: Honeysuckle Road

Minimum daily requirement ride and very short post after the very long day yesterday.

One photo of a honeysuckle.  They seemed to have been very abundant this past month as I have passed their heavenly scent in many places.  It is one of my favorite aromas and always gives me a lift when I ride through the fragrant air.

Today's Ride:  62mins.  11.17 miles.  62 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3,083.61

5.25.2011 Ride: Joplin Tornado Relief

For several years, I have been meaning to take a Red Cross course to be certified so that I could provide assistance after a disaster.  I got as far as calling about when a class would be held but never made it any further.  After the tornado hit Joplin this past Sunday, basically just up the road,  St Paul’s Episcopal Church, where I cook for the Community Meals, organized a relief trip up to the area.   I jumped at the opportunity to go along,  yet, I found myself becoming very anxious yesterday, going back and forth over whether to go or not. 

I believe I was afraid of the strong emotional reaction I might have to actually seeing the devastation up close.   Horror and fear are in my blood, though, not exactly experienced directly but passed down, invisibly transferred, one quiet intravenous drop after another and noxiously released into the air I breathed day in and day out by two people in my home who suffered through the devastation known as the Holocaust.  Seeing the pictures on TV of the homes flattened by the tornado was gut-wrenching and seemed to touch on old wounds that related to pain that was beyond belief.  

By early Tuesday evening, I decided to definitely go.  The rest of the evening I was a nervous wreck.  Before going to bed, I took an Ambien, but sleep did not come easily and I ended up with about four and a half hours of shut-eye.

Yesterday, I discussed with Rachel when I would try to squeeze in my ride.  We were to meet at the church by 6:20 in the morning and we possibly would not be back until 8:00 at night.  The weather in the morning looked good but meant getting up very early.  More storms were in the forecast for the next afternoon and evening.   I opted for getting up early so I set the alarm for 4:15, but that wasn’t necessary as I was up on my own by 3:45. 

It was a beautiful morning with a quarter moon lightly lighting up the sky.  I took the camera along not expecting at all to stop and take any pictures as I had very little time to spare.  But after passing the toad for a third time in the road, I had to stop.  Even with the small amount of sleep, I was feeling much better about the day.

Toad in the Road.  5:00 AM

It turned out that my neighbor Patrick Pilkington was also going up and we managed to connect this morning to go in together.  There were about 20 of us at the church parking lot with a few more familiar faces which helped put me even more at ease.  Bruce Wilkens, who I know through his wife Laura who heads the Community Meals, joined Patrick and me for the ride up.  I still did not know what it would be like when we got to Joplin, but I felt much more prepared to confront what I would see.
There must have been about 200 volunteers waiting to process themselves through when we arrived at the staging area. Though, these went remarkably smoothly and fairly quickly.  We gathered outside for a group photo before loading onto the bus that would take us to the clean up areas.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Fayetteville, AR, Relief Group

From the staging area, we drove to another staging area where we would walk to the neighborhoods that were hit.  Some damage could be seen from where we were but we knew it was minimal compared to what we knew was just a few blocks away.

On the bus we befriended Tracey, who was on her own.  She adopted us, or we her, and our threesome became a happy foursome.  She is from Mt. Vernon, MO.

For a while now, I've been meaning to start a photo collection of people with tattoos; today seemed to be a good day to start as I had lots of prospects.  This is Joe.

We began walking and within a couple of blocks we saw considerably more damage.  When I first saw this van, I thought it had plowed into the wall but then realized it was the other way around.

The thing that was striking about this garage door is that I don't know if it sustained damage from the tornado or it was already in this condition.  I suspect the former.  I really like the individuality of each of the damaged panels.

There is something very striking about the simplicity of this stump.  As if its a quiet and unpretentious monument to the destruction all around: symbolizing the splintered remains of the community.

I strongly suspect that this chair was just as it is in the picture before the tornado hit.  It seemed rather poignant, sitting there in front of the house in its stripped down condition.  If it did land there as a result of the tornado, how curious that it seems so at home.

I had thought about bringing my chainsaw but it has been a while since I have used it and I wasn't sure what condition the chain was in.  How embarrassing it would be to try and cut through a thick tree trunk with 20 people looking on and smoke bellowing from my dull chain.  We were very fortunate to have a crew of Mennonites who not only had very well-sharpened chains but were also very adept at what they were doing.  They sometimes reminded me of mountain goats the way they effortlessly climbed all over the trees.

A Cowboy Mennonite?

The area we were working was in relatively good shape compared to what we have seen on TV.  The houses were standing with only a few patches of roof missing.  The most extensive damage was from the many very mature trees that were down.  Much of our task was to remove the limbs and trunk parts that were cut by the sawers to the curbside.  There was still plenty of small structural damage with sheds flattened, utility poles and transformers down and many damaged cars.  A few blocks down the road we could catch a peek of the more extensive damage of total destruction.  I know we were all eager to have a closer look.

This flower was in the back yard of one of the houses we were cleaning up.  Very petite and delicate, one could not helped but be awed at the juxtaposition of this blossom that is perhaps 1-2 cm surviving while all around is so much destruction. 

I found the way that the siding peeled away from the house rather amusing.  A perhaps cruel smile peeking out from behind the bushes.

Behind the house above was a large shed with lots of family belongings.  It wasn't completely flattened but rather squashed and mostly still upright.  The wall had fallen away and revealed the contents.  At the edge lay this cigar box with cards, neatly stacked and still dry.

We kept working houses down the road, making our way closer to where the devastation was so great that our services would have been useless.  Rather than dragging branches to the curbside, bulldozers would be needed to plow under what remained of houses.  We finally got a closer look and we knew this still wasn't the worst as there were still walls standing.  Still, we were all in a bit of shock, the scene being very surreal.

Kelly Ewing and his tattooed arms.

After lunch, we ended up at a house with some rather extensive damage.  Paul, the owner, allowed me to go in and take some pictures.

He rode out the tornado in this closet.  When the storm was over, he knew his roof had blown off but the ceiling seemed to be intact.  He stayed in the living room for about 30 minutes and decided to go down the hallway.  Just as he did, the ceiling collapsed.

Above the living room, the sky was clearly visible through the ceiling joists.

It was truly amazing to see how well our large group worked.  By the end of the day, on our final house, we very quickly cleared a back yard of a massive tree that the cutters worked on.  I decided to catch Suzanne, the assistant Rector, as she carried out a log from the backyard.  Never did I think I would capture her with such a searching look to the heavens.

John and Betty, the owners of the last house we worked on.

 

 

 This flower was in a boxed garden bed just at the base of a tree that had extensive damage.  Again, the contrast of the untouched boxed garden caught all of our attention.

On the ride back to the original staging area, we passed this flag.

In memory to the people who died and to the community of Joplin, we wish you the best in your recovery and healing process.

Today's Ride:  60mins.  11.07 miles.  65 degrees.  Miles YTD:  3.072.44