4.30.11 Ride: Sunrise Ride

With a very busy day ahead as well as the chance of rain later in the day, going out a bit before sunrise seemed ideal.  Though the wind was blowing, the temperature was relatively mild and riding in the early morning as the sun is coming up is one of my favorite times.

 

From the house, I headed down the hill on Hwy 45 and then left on Habberton Rd.  It would be easy to get in a good loop ride which would beat the monotony of riding for an hour back and forth in the neighborhood.

For the most part, there was no evidence of the heavy rains from a few days ago.  Not until I was headed down a long hill and I spied something in the road closer to the bottom.  At first I thought it might be the dogs that live in the neighboring house.  But then I could see it was a couple of cones as well as a barrier.  It turned out that a section of road, about 10 feet across and a couple of feet wide, had collapsed. 

Given that rain was in the forecast, I was surprised at how clear the sky was this morning.  The sun first peeked out through the haze on the horizon while I was on the upper portion of Habberton.  I got to see a second sunrise of sorts after dropping into the valley and witnessing the sun come up again a second time.

 

There was definitely evidence of all the rain on the lower portion of Habbeton.  The small inlet from Beaver Lake which has been very low and muddy was full of water.  Debris was on the side of the road including a very large log.

I headed back via Guy Terry Rd and then Sassafras Rd.  A collie I have seen at a house before was in the road, so, naturally, I had to stop.  He was shy at first but then ate up the attention.

 

While I was petting him, out of the corner of my eye I saw another pit-bullish dog coming into view.  The first instinct was to raise my guard but I hoped it was a companion of the collie and all would be well, which it was.  Look closely in the upper right-hand corner of the picture and the other dog can be seen.  I did not see it when I was taking the picture.  She was just as friendly as its mate. 

Sassafras Rd provides a very good challenging hill climb, especially for so early in the morning.  Up until about a year or so ago the lower portion was dirt.  I was glad when the county paved it as it made a great loop for me.  However, it is chip and seal and very rough and I do not like going down it.  Even though the road is fairly new, it did not do well in the rains as there were lots of holes forming. 

Since the beginning of the week, I keep eyeing the fact that I am very close to 2,500 miles (Colene has pointed this out as well).  But it seems as if that little milestone is taking it's time getting here with the small daily rides I have had this week.  And, tomorrow more rain is in the forecast so who knows how much riding I will be able to get in.  It will come.

Today's ride:  1hr 10mins.  12.08 miles.  62 degrees. 17mph wind.  Miles YTD:  2,449.90

4.29.11 Ride: Let the Cooking Begin

An interesting photo to start of the day (and blog).

 

No trickery, Photo Shopping or any other sort of manipulation was used to capture this shot. 

Since today was devoted almost entirely to preparing food for tomorrow night's Passover Seder, and my ride was devoted to riding down to the store for last minute groceries for the Seder, I thought pictures of the prep work was appropriate.  And, after all, my username for this site is BikeChef.

There are certain foods which are very traditional, such as matzo ball soup.  It took me several years to stumble upon a recipe for light and fluffy matzo balls which I actually found in the Joy of Cooking cookbook.  But, before the matzo balls, there needs to be a good homemade chicken soup.

I am storing the soup overnight and will make the matzo balls shortly before dinner tomorrow.

A not-so-traditional item is mashed cauliflower, a substitute of sorts for mashed potatoes.  I made this for the first time a few years back and Rachel really liked it.  No one else in the family was that crazy about it but a couple of months back, I modified the recipe and it has become a hit.

To save time, I cooked the cauliflower today and I stored it in a vacuum sealed bag.  Tomorrow, I will mix in the other ingredients (if I can remember them!) and bake it before dinner.

A VERY traditional part of the Passover Seder is what is called haroseth, a mixture of apples and nuts, seasoned with wine, cinnamon and a little sugar.  I save making this only for Passover so that it remains special.  It's part of the Seder plate and it is supposed to be a reminder of the mud that the Jews used to make bricks when they were slaves in Egypt.  But, it is also one of the best tasting foods of the night.

 

Haroseth is one item that actually taste better made the day before since that allows for the apples to absorb the flavors of the wine.

Another very traditional food item is called maror, which is horseradish.  Every year I have made it from scratch, buying the horseradish root and putting it through a food processor.  It is STRONG!  I will make a weaker version for the more timid ones at the table by mixing in the pure stuff with beets.  Alas, this year, I was not able to find fresh horseradish root and I had to settle for buying it in a jar, which stills has some kick to it.  The maror is eaten to remind us of the bitter time that the Jews had as slaves in.  (We also eat the maror BEFORE we eat the haroseth!)  I like to give our Seder a bit of a modern twist and make it a time of remembering all people who are not free.

I still needed to get my daily ride in and there were quite a few items I needed from the grocery store for tomorrow, so, with both panniers and my rear rack bag, off I went.

Along Hwy 45, something very interesting caught my eye in the grass just off the road.

This must have been the most intricate Easter egg I have ever seen.  The design reminded me of a Greek vase.

Even with the three bags, cramming in all the groceries was a challenge.  I was really pushing the envelope in terms of weight limit.  The bike felt very unsteady and, at one time, the rear wheel seemed to wobble uncontrollably.  The 20mph crosswind certainly didn't help.  When I got home, I weighed my cargo; no wonder I was unstable:  43lbs!  That was about what I carried going to Georgia and that was distributed in the rear and the front.  8lbs of that load were ice packs that I brought along to keep my perishables fresh.

The Matzo Mobile

Getting home, there was still dinner for tonight to prepare.  I do have one more food prep item from today.  Not a traditional food but definitely a favorite.

Salmon being marinated in preparation for being smoked tomorrow.

Plenty of cooking still ahead tomorrow.

Today's Ride: 1hr 20mins.  12.62 miles.  76 degrees.  20+mph winds.  Miles YTD:  2,437.82

4.28.2011 Ride: People (and a dog) on the Trail.

It took some getting use to greeting the sun this morning.  We have been hit for over a week with thunderous weather that it was hard not seeing the sun with a suspicious eye, as if it would quickly give way to dark clouds.  The news from Alabama and other parts of the South added to that ominous feeling.  Many, many years ago we would have thought the storm had passed and that was the end of it not knowing for days, weeks or maybe even months about the destruction to our east.  Of course, many many things have changed since years past.

I had errands to run near town and I thought getting my ride in on the trail would be good.  I was interested to see what condition the trail was in, especially the tunnel.  I didn't get far before I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep my sort-of promise of not many photos for today.  I was still in our neighborhood driving out when I couldn't resist the way the light was casting shadows on the barn. 

Though the morning started on the chilly side, it was warming up quickly into the upper 50s, lower 60s.  Very quickly, I was struck by the amount of people on the trail for a Thursday morning.  People were eager to get out after the deluge of the past week and I was glad to see them.  I knew that the day would be filled with photos of people. 

Take note of the leaves on the chain-link fence which shows how high the creek rose.

As I passed through Gordon Long Park off of Gregg, a woman and a very young child were on the swing set. I would have loved to stop and ask to take a picture of them but I am very hesitant to request to take pictures of children as I'm afraid people will take it the wrong way.  As luck would have it, the woman, Stacey, called out to me and asked if I would take their picture with her cell phone.  It turned out that this was Josey's first time on a swing.  This allowed me the opportunity to ask if I could take a picture.  Turned out to be a great one.

Besides passing all the people, what struck me was the wonderful job the Parks Department had done of already getting the trail so cleared of mud and debris.  Even the tunnel, which had been blocked by logs and trees high enough to build a large dam, was more than just passable.  My hat is off to them. 

I did have a very scary episode.  I rode up to Maple Street and then turned back.  A couple of minutes later, I looked down at the small frame sack I have mounted on the crossbar of the bike that holds my phone and camera.  The camera was missing.  I looked again, thinking I must be mistaken but it definitely was not there.  I thought back to where I had just ridden remembering the uneven railroad crossing.  Quickly, I retraced my steps but thought that there was no way the camera would still be on the trail given the number of people traveling on it.  I approached the tracks and, there, lying right by the tracks in the middle of the road was my camera sitting upright.  It was a picture I would have loved to have taken. 

On my way back, as I was going through the tunnel, I saw two people at the other end coming in.  It turned out to be two friends from the many years of our daughters playing soccer together.

David & Teresa Fender

They had rented bikes at Phat Tire and were off for a short outing to Dickson Street and back.  Seeing them lifted my spirits even more and I was in a very good mood when I came across a gentleman walking toward me a bit further down the trail.  He seemed a perfect subject for today's entry and he was very happy to oblige me.

Bob Roberts

  Bob asked me if he should remove his cigar or sunglasses but I liked the way he looked just as I saw him on the trail.  Thank you, Bob.

I was approaching Phat Tire and I was in need of a restroom break.  I've appreciated their open back-door policy in the past and I certainly appreciated it today.  It gave me the opportunity to say hello to the folks in there, Scott, Colleen and Nickel and to meet their dog, Berkeley.  Be sure to stop by and say hello.

I could have easily stayed out all day on the trail going back and forth and encountering people; it really felt wonderful being out there today.  And, I should have known that there was no way I could keep my photo taking to a bare minimum; it's as if asking me not to breathe.

One last parting shot.

Even after all our days of clouds, how beautiful small, wispy white clouds still are against a big field of blue.

Today's Ride: 1hr 24mins.  15.19 miles.  59-64 degrees. 15mph wind.  Miles YTD:  2,425.20

4.27.2011 Ride: Cool, Grey & Windy

Another wet day here in Fayetteville.  As it turned out, I was cooking for Community Meals in the morning while it rained.  After running errands and getting home, the rain had stopped, replaced by very cool temperatures and a pretty good wind.

I rode in the neighborhood and I didn't even stop once to take a picture.  Between now and Sunday, the rides will probably be short as well as the updates as I will be very busy getting ready for our Passover Seder this Saturday.  Yes, Passover was a week ago but I was on a bike ride.  In our family, it's the tradition of having the Seder rather than having it at the right time that rules.

Though I didn't take any pictures on the ride, I did take some pictures of the clouds yesterday evening when Rachel and I went for a walk.  It was one of those skies where the clouds were constantly changing and every part of the sky was different.

 

 

 

Update: My German to California biking friend, Jeff, crossed into Utah today.

And, a very special THANK YOU to Robin Willis for the pledge to Biking for Food!

Today's Ride:  1hr 27mins.  15.21 miles.  49 degrees.  15mph winds.  Miles YTD: 2,410.01

4.26.2011 Ride: A Melancholy Day in Wyman Valley

It's odd how an hour, a minute can make such a difference.  I set out on my ride late this morning feeling very melancholy with low energy.  It was good to be outside but I moved along slowly, stopping frequently, as if searching for something.

I started in Barrington Park and headed for Wyman Valley.  There was some gravel on the road from yesterday's storm but not too bad.  The storm was definitely on my mind.  Ann Marie mentioned to me that she drove by the tunnel at 2:00 PM where I photographed the worker, just two hours after I had been there, and it was totally under water again from the new storm that flooded the area.  Though I was never even close to being in danger, there was an unsettling feeling knowing that an area I was in just a short time earlier was six feet under water.

I thought about the headline in the paper from this morning a lot on my bike ride.  A woman's Honda Odyssey van stalled as she tried to pass through some water.  She left the vehicle, presumably to go get help, and ended  up being swept away by the water and drowning.  The fact that this happened in south Fayetteville brought it very close to home.  That we also own a Honda Odyssey brought it even more close to home.  But most disturbing was that her 11 year old son was in the van when she left.

 

I ran through my head the conversation that must have ensued before she made the decision to leave.  Did her son want to go as well?  Did he beg her not to go?  Once she left, did he see her being swept away?  I do hope it's not a burden that he ends up carrying for the rest of his life.

When I was more than half way into what I thought would be my ride for the day, I was still plodding along with the valley feeling like a very sad place.  I did see a beautiful white egret take flight and fly away from me.  I was tempted to pull out the camera and try to capture a shot but it would have been long gone and I would have missed watching it gracefully wing across the pasture.

At another point, I saw a flycatcher sitting on a wire and stopped with camera in hand waiting for it to take flight.  I knew my chances were slim of getting a good shot as they dart about so quickly but I was willing to give it a try.  However, he (or she) seemed content with preening itself and I finally gave up waiting.

Leaving the valley, I came across the sign post below.

It's emptiness really struck me today.  It's as if the single bullet hole in the sign, drained the lettering from its face and caused the post to bend over in despair. 

A curious thing happened as I made the steep climb up back to the top.  Often, I will do a lap or so around the Barrington neighborhood but I will miss the spirit of the valley down below.  Today, the reverse seemed true.  I seemed to get re-energized by doing "hamster laps" (as Paula calls them) around the neighborhood, picking up my speed and moving quickly to add another five miles to my trip.  When that was accomplished, I saw I only had 7 minutes more to make it a full 2 hour ride, so I did another long lap around the neighborhood and ending on a very good note.

Today's ride:  2hrs.  21.52 miles.  59 degrees.  Miles YTD:  2,394.8

4.25.2011 Ride: Scenes From a Wet Trail

The window of opportunity today was at 9:00 this morning.  However, I decided to ride on the bike trail and by the time I packed up and made it out there, it was 9:45.  I started from the Botanical Garden and just as I was putting on my biking gloves it began to rain.  No problem.  The rain only lasted about 10 minutes which allowed me to get in some shots. Going under College Avenue I almost lost control in the thick mud left from the flooding of the creek.  And, looking at the debris field, it looked as if the trail had been under at least 6 feet of water.

Approaching the tunnel that runs underneath the I-540 extension, I came across a DETOUR sign, which didn't surprise me.  But, of course, I had to check it out.  A worker was there poking in a large deposit of mud at the entrance.  He poked around in other places as well.  I wasn't sure what his original purpose was for being there but while I was there he worked on rescuing the fish that were trapped in the trail portion of the tunnel.  He did a good job of catching several with his gloved hands and tossing them into the creek off to the right.

I headed back toward the Botanical Garden, stopping along the way to photograph some muddy shots.

 

These were all taken on the trail under bridges at various points where the creek rose and left a muddy deposit.  The last one is really striking to me as it seems to be a sonar image captured through miles of ocean or atmosphere.

A storm moved back in for the last several miles of my ride with lightening crashing down all about as I rode through heavy rain.  It was great!  And, as you can tell by the fact that I'm updating the blog, I made it through safely. 

Today's Ride: Miles  1hr 30mins.  15 miles.  59 degrees.  Heavy rain at times, lightening.  YTD:  2,373.28

4.24.2011 Ride: A Wet One

The National Weather Service has certainly been calling it correctly the past couple of days.  The storm predicted for the middle of the night came through as forecast.  Oddly, it never fully woke me up but I kept incorporating the storm into my dreams which had to do with bike riding with Ted and Cliff.  I don't recall the exact details.  The storm subsided and when I woke later to a darkened room without the familiar glow of my clock, I was confused at first, thinking that I must still be on the bike trip in a hotel room.  The power clicked on just as I got out of bed at 6:15.  Checking the weather, it looked as if the sooner I could hop on the bike the better as the chance of rain and storms only increased during the day.

I didn't have to ride far to see affects of the night's storm.  Remember our apple trees that were full of blossoms?  Alas, after 15 or so years, one succumbed to the winds.  The only consolation is that apple wood is great in the smoker when I do salmon.

I didn't get out until 7:00 and the next storm was scheduled for 7:30.  There was heavy fog and that seemed to be a good sign as I don't recall it ever storming in those conditions.

 

Even though I was only riding in the neighborhood, I rode with flashing lights on front and rear.   Riding in the fog was really beautiful.  And, sure enough, like clockwork, at 7:30 it began to lightly rain and, yes, through the fog, I saw flashes of light followed by thunder.  As the fog thinned out some, the intensity of the lightening increased.  Logic would dictate to think about taking cover.  But who ever said this was a sane journey?  Maybe if I rode faster, the lightening wouldn't get me.  Right.  Even reaching 20mph on a downhill I'm sure is very intimidating to a bolt of energy traveling 186,000 miles per second.  Maybe my rubber tires will negate the fact that I'm sitting on a piece of metal.  Wishful thinking.  And there I was, basically on top of a mountain sticking out like a very sore thumb, one of the most prominent lightening attracters around.  I headed for the Big Hill where I wouldn't be so exposed.  Wouldn't you know it; as soon as I got down there, the lightening subsided.  Must have been the 100 foot drop that got me out of the storm.

I stopped to take a picture of a box turtle but Lupe came along and the turtle closed up very quickly.  After a bit of time down below, I headed back up to the top and, what do you know; the thunder was back though not with the same intensity.

The fog was increasing as well (so much for my theory) and I was really hoping to get a picture of a horse standing out in the pasture in the fog.  But, I guess they had more sense than me as they had gathered in a group around the small barn.  All this time it was raining sometimes heavily for brief moments but never torrential.  I had hoped that it might hail for a bit so that I could add that to the conditions that I have ridden in.  That will have to wait for another time.

Yesterday was definitely a good "day of rest" as I felt re-energized today and ready to take on a long day if I had to.  Though, it did feel good to get back home and take a hot shower.

One more picture.  Carol and I have a tradition of positioning a stuffed bear and moose on our bed in varying ways, many times reflecting what may be going on in our lives.  After I came out of the shower, I thought the scene Carol created was very appropriate.

 

To my friends, followers, readers of the Christian faith, a very Happy Easter to you.

Today's Ride: 64mins. 8.5 miles.  55 degrees.  Rain. Lightening.  Miles YTD: 2,358.28

4.23.2011 Ride: Day of Rest (sort of).

A very tired body after our 7 day trek.  Depending on whose odometer one goes by, we either did 425 miles (mine) or 438 miles (Ted's).  Either way, it was a good chunk of miles and a great trip.  The highlight was indeed the Wichita Wildlife Refuge just outside Medicine Park, OK.  Though, we had plenty of high times and good laughs at various points along the trip.  It is easy to take for granted the good dynamics of a group when everything is going smoothly.  We really worked and rode well together.  I also immensely enjoyed meeting Ted's in-laws, Mike & JoAnn, with whom we stayed.  To me, the best memories of a trip are the people I end up meeting.

A high of 64 when I woke up but it quickly dropped to 57 within an hour.  Around noon, a window of no-rain opened up and I took advantage of it to get my daily ride in.  I chugged along on the mountain bike and, even though I was tired, I found myself going down the Big HIll for a look to see what this wet weather might have to offer. Nothing spectacular, just the sound of heavy streams running through the woods.

Honeysuckle 

The fog increased during my ride but the rain held.  As eager as I was to get back and rest, I couldn't resist stopping and capturing a few pictures.  So, I leave you with that.

 

 

Cedar Rust.  Swells up when it rains.

Today's Ride:  62mins. 8.5 miles.  57 degrees.  Damp but no rain. Miles YTD:  2,349.78

4.22.2011 Ride: Gainesville, TX - Denton TX

Back in Fayetteville after a great 7 days of riding.  This entry will be very short due to the hour and the fact that I didn't take many pictures today.  There was a chance of rain and the wind was supposed to pick up, so we were eager to reach our final destination.  Leaving Gainesville, we detoured through a street that was supposed to have some nice old homes.  I liked the one below in particular.

The wind wasn't too bad when we left, about 15mph, but it was supposed to get up to between 20-30mph.  I was hoping we could make it 20 miles before it really kicked in.  That wasn't to be the case.  Within an hour, it was easily reaching 20-25 but it was mostly at our side and for a time behind us.  But, at mile 22, we turned into the wind and for the next 20 miles we faced a headwind of 25-30mph.  It was grueling.  At one point, I was making a determined effort to maintain 9mph when a strong gust reared up and slowed me immediately to 6mph.  Cliff, on his slightly less wind resistant passed me and I just hung my head.  Later, he told me that it seemed as if I had pulled hard on the brakes.

I know there is such a thing as a wind chill factor, but this seemed a bit too drastic.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of this malfunctioning bank time & temp sign.  It was closer to 82 degrees.

We decided to stop for lunch in Aubrey, TX, population 1,500, even though we had only 10 miles left.  Riding in the wind had exhausted us.  Eating out this past week has really been hit or miss with a lot of misses, so we were a bit wary when we walked into Mom's on Main.  It turned out to be one of the best meals we had on our entire trip and thus earning a picture on the blog.  If you ever happen to be in the Denton, Texas area, be sure to check them out.

A detail of the building next door to Mom's.

After lunch, it seemed as if the winds had calmed down some but they were just toying with us.  They quickly whipped back up and I felt as if they were getting the best of me.  The good news was that the road we needed to turn down came up quicker than we anticipated.  

This view of the street was a most welcome sight.  It was only another mile or so more with the wind rather than against it.

A very successful trip with no one having any break downs (mechanical or emotional) or flats.  More details tomorrow.

Today's Ride:  4hrs 33mins.  42.91 miles.  72-82 degrees. 25-30mph winds.  Miles YTD:  2,241.28