Noah's Midnight Cave Ride

A huge tip of the helmet to Noah for putting together a great midnight ride after Lenexa decided to change their annual Midnight ride. Noah sought out and found another cave that we could ride through and set up a great route to the site. Peter and I rode the Lenexa ride the last two years and were SO glad that Noah set this up. Anyway, here are some rather blurry shots from early this morning.


Peter and Noah before the ride.


The group mingles at the Merriam Marketplace before the ride.


Noah explains the rules of the ride.


We pass the Irene B. French Community Center.


I was followed by some sort of alien. Made it easier to look out for man hole covers...


Continuing down Merriam Drive.


Peter to my right with the glow of several other rider's headlights off to the side.


We wait for Noah to take a picture and open the gates. He warned the group that it would be slick and to take your time and be mindful...


We wait at the bottom of the hill just inside the caves for the people who didn't take Noah's message to heart. Mark Rainey in the yellow shirt on the right.


Riding in the caves. I was more concerned with staying upright than with having clear photos.




Mark on his well accessorized Trucker.


Having made it out of the caves, we stop to make sure everyone made it.


Getting ready to head back.


My one attempt at a panda portrait turned out so bad I decided to make it worse.

What color is the "old guy" jersey?

Curtis and I rode our bikes to scouts last night and talked Tour de France all the way. As we were riding along, I thought I heard my name being called and, sure enough, Mark R (who has been accepted as a Course Marshal for the 2009 Tour of Missouri) was working on a bike in his garage. We got the chance to chat a bit before I had to take off. Good to see you Mark.

As we wrapped up the meeting I took the opportunity to step in to do the Scout Master's Minute. I explained to the scouts how the TdF that day had a huge peloton that was suddenly split into two groups by a cross wind. The group out front took the opportunity to take and keep a solid lead. This set up the possibility for Lance Armstrong to earn the yellow jersey if his team won the Team Time Trail the next day*. I said that there are a lot of times that people just go along with the group and that something may come along to shake things up; when it does be prepared to step up and be a leader. I thought it fit.

Curtis then decided we were in a race home. We talked about the different jerseys that are awarded and with one block to go he decided he was a sprinter. I've NEVER had to work to keep up with guy before. He won.

*Note: it almost happened today! Lance now trails Cancellara by about a tenth of a second. Ben Stiller did NOT look happy to be on the podium presenting Cancellara with the yellow jersey.

Gearing up

...for the Tour de France. I'm hoping I can get at least one of my kids to buy into watching it with me. Curtis did two years ago and I enjoyed our bike rides during that time when he'd claim to be his favorite rider.

I jumped the gun and rode a couple miles to the grocery store yesterday and paid for it with some serious foot pain the rest of the day.

I guess I'll have to rest up a couple more days before I try again. Bummer. I've got to get into shape for Noah's Midnight Ride. (I still wish he'd call it the Anti- or Un-Lenexa Midnight Bike Ride...

Enjoy the 4th and stay safe.

Back from Camp

I am back from a week of Boy Scout Camp and trying to get caught up with everything I left (briefly) behind. The heat last week was unbelievable and there were a few times I didn't think I'd be able to make it through. I didn't really have a choice though, being the camp Scout Master. Glad we all made it and wouldn't have missed the experience for the world. We had a great group of scouts and adult leaders this year.

Curtis and I were awarded Brotherhood membership in the Order of the Arrow. The only down part to that experience was our first attempt at the Brotherhood Walk on Wednesday night. We'd hiked a little over a half mile when a thunderstorm chased us under a picnic shelter. The scouts in charge of the event were radioed to have us head back to the dining hall as part of the camp emergency preparedness guidelines. They tried to get the group to head back together, but the driving rain and very close lightning got the group running for all they were worth. A couple of the scouts that were leading us started falling behind so I slowed down to keep them in sight. At some point in the half mile run, I must have stepped on a sharp rock. The result was a pretty sore foot that wasn't helped by the workday Thursday and all the hiking during the rest of camp. The last few days have been painful, but today I seem to be on the mend. Should be back on the bike in a couple of days.

We made it home Saturday morning and even though I was having some trouble getting around, my lovely bride wanted to go to the Art of Cars show at the KC Art Institute that afternoon. I went just to spend some time with her but had a blast looking at all the vintage cars. They had some old bikes on hand as well. CAT said, "If I loose track of you, I'll know where to find you." Sure enough, I wandered off and she found me by the bikes.



This Mitchell Bicycle (c.1896) - Golden Eagle, Girl's Bike was found in a barn in the Ozarks and hasn't been restored.

Frame: 1 1/8" seamless steel tubing
Finish: Carmine, four coats, hand rubbed and baked, gold striping
Saddle: Leather and horsehair with springs
Handle Bars: Chicago adjustable
Grips: Cork
Pedals: Rat-trap
Wheel Base: 44 inches
Rear Fender: Wooden, with skirt-guard lacing
Spokes: Best quality #2, 15-17 guage
Rims: Tucker, maple, V-shaped: finished to match frame
Sprockets: Nickel-plated
Chain: Skip tooth
Tools: Leather tool bag, wrench, oiler, pump, etc.
Original Price: $40.00, plus optional Morrow Coaster Brake, $5.00











This 1919 Harley-Davidson bike has obviously had some restoration work done on it. Beautiful.

Lunch Hour Excuses to Ride

Temperature at departure 91°F (33°C) with the heat index making it feel like 100°F (38°C)

My daily routine has changed dramatically. I'm no longer riding to the office, since my office is now in my basement. Since starting the podcast, I've not been taking any recreational rides in the morning. I've figured out that the only way I can get out on the bike is while I'm running errands. Hence today's lunch hour ride to Penzey's Spices on Sante Fe in downtown Overland Park.


It was a 3.3 mile ride to the store, where I grabbed some taco seasoning for the walking tacos I plan on making at Boy Scout Camp.


Most of the ride is on Lowell, an arterial street half way between two major roads. Like Lamar, this is a pretty good road to ride a bike on. Fairly wide, lower speed limits and less traffic.


Several shady patches don't hurt, either.


Really only one busy intersection to deal with.


I grabbed some fresh herbs for a snack on the way in the door.


...and had ten minutes to relax before returning to my regularly scheduled programming.

Happy Donut Day!

It's National Doughnut Day and my wife told me that Krispy Kreme was giving away a free donut. My youngest woke up early so we saddled up and rode over to take advantage of the offer.



Rather than stand around in a parking lot, we rode over to a nearby park. The glazed goodness was still nice and warm.



Here comes the science:

225 calories burned riding to Krispy Kreme. According to their website, an original glazed donught only has 200 calories. So, the way I see it, we had a doughnut and lost 25 calories. Bonus.

Exactly

From a wonderful blog called Indexed.