Should A Detour Need A Detour: Part II

Temperature at departure this morning = 53° F (12° C)

Here is another installment of "Should A Detour Need A Detour?"

Last month I mentioned that the Indian Creek Bike Trail detour at Metcalf could, at times, be dicey. So it was this morning.



The workers seem bound and determined to force pedestrians and cyclists out into traffic. Not a big issue, but I wish they'd keep it clear.

Workers Say Nuts To You

Following a dispute yesterday between the workers of Local Squirrel Union 913 and the Parks and Recreation Department of Overland Park - the squirrels cut off talks and walked off their job. The resulting increase in the number of walnuts on the Indian Creek Bike Trail has created several dangerous patches of unprocessed product from the plants located next to the trail.

Talks resumed today and it is hoped that negotiators will be able to find a solution favorable to all concerned.

KATY Trail Ride

Temperature at departure this morning = 73° F (23° C)

Curtis and I headed out on a Boy Scout bicycle campout Friday night. Got to KATY Roundhouse campground around 9 p.m. and got the tents up before the rain started (you can't have a Boy Scout campout without rain). Saturday morning was nice and sunny and perfect weather to ride the KATY Trail.



We got all the tires pumped up and off we went on the first of two 25 mile rides.



The KATY Trail is America's longest "rails-to-trail" project, formerly the MKT rail line, and runs 255 miles across most of Missouri.



We rode past Rocheport on part of the Lewis and Clark trail next to some impressive bluffs by the Missouri River.



Plenty of cool scenery like the MKT Tunnel seen above.

There were two of us adults and four of the boys (including Curtis) who elected to ride another 25 miles. A good time was had by all and I slept better on this campout than I have in two weeks. These pictures and a few more can be seen HERE.

Paparazzi

Temperature at departure this morning = 67° F (19° C)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder -- I hope. Haven't had time to post lately as I've been spending a lot of time at the hospital first and now at the rehabilitation hospital after my dad took a spill and broke some stuff. He has some work ahead of him to get healed up, but after a shaky couple of weeks I'm happy to say I think he is doing fine now. One of my favorite moments from the hospital was after the attractive young nurse asked him if he wanted a bath in bed; he turned to me and said "How can I say no..."

The rehab hospital is just 0.3 miles off the path I used to ride to work before they got the detour for the bike path in place. I've been stopping by before and after work -- locking my bike to a tree out front. Pretty much every day I'm asked by some of the staff if I rode my bike. I answer 'yes' as I stand directly in front of them with my backpack on one shoulder and holding my helmet in gloved hands...

So, this morning I'm on part of the path that runs next to my kid's high school when I notice the first hour photography class walking towards me taking pictures of the surrounding flora and fauna. They notice me and suddenly I've got twenty or so people on each side of the path snapping my picture as I ride by. 30 yards later I exit the path and ride into traffic on Lamar when it hits me: I was just mobbed by paparazzi while on my way to rehab!

Oh great! Now Paris is text messaging me. Like I've got time for that right now.

Harnessing My Inner Gordon Ramsay

Temperature at departure this morning = 73° F (23° C)

I enjoyed Hell's Kitchen, my wife did not. She didn't like the way he goaded the contestants. I had the feeling that a lot of it was just for show, but that Gordon Ramsay is, in fact, a tough motivator. In searching for listings featuring Ramsay, I noticed that Monday had a bit of a mini marathon of Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America. I set up a tape. (Remember VCR's? Yep, still using one.) I love this show and can't wait for the American version coming out on Fox sometime in the next week or two.

Why do I like Ramsay's approach? Sometimes I need a kick in the seat of the pants like Chef Ramsay dishes out on a regular basis. He gets in people's faces, doesn't take excuses and makes them shape up and get focused and passionate about what they're doing. He yells and curses and insults many -- but you'll notice that he is kind and encouraging to those who show that they're willing to make an effort.

I kept Ramsay in mind a few times over the last few days when my motivation to tackle some of the important things that needed to be done started to flag. So, whether you like him or not, if you start to get off course today -- harness your inner Gordon Ramsay.


Oops, he's telling me to get to work -- donkey!

Dog Days

Temperature at departure this morning = 73° F (23° C)

It was a truly beautiful morning today. I had to take a few minutes to sit on the back porch with my mocha latte and just enjoy the sunrise while the dogs stretched their legs (Maggie is pictured below). On the way in this morning I saw at least 6 other cyclists -- that may not seem like many but it is twice as many as I normally see.


Labor Day was spent laboring away at home; but we got so much done that it didn't feel like a chore. Saturday night CAT and I got to see a bunch of my family at a party thrown in honor of one of my cousin's son's recent wedding. Man, it was nice to see everyone, I only regret not getting to spend more time with each of them.

Two nice rides this weekend: Saturday, Peter and I rode the route we tried, and failed to ride back in July due to the construction mess mentioned a few posts ago. 23 miles including the ride to and from the route. Just as we were approaching the tunnel under Nall at 125th, a young mom crossed our path with two kids on little bikes with training wheels riding ahead of her and two dogs (one on leash and one off leash). The dog running free went after my front tire for some reason. I stopped just short of running the thing over. "Sorry." Yeah, me too. Weird, I can't remember another encounter like that since I was a kid. I told Peter later that I was getting ready to hop off the bike and get my rear wheel between me and the dog, but it didn't come to that.

Sunday, on the way home from my dad's, I'm riding along, minding my own business, when a rather large dog jumps up and comes barking my way. He was on a chain which stopped him short about 5 feet from the curb, but it did shake me out of my uphill, plodding trance. All in all, a wonderful weekend. Hope yours was too.

Stop

Temperature at departure this morning = 72° F (22° C)

How many times have you heard someone complain that cyclists never stop at stop signs?



Yep, that is a stop sign. This was 8:30 this morning at a point where the bike trail has to cross the road. My phone only records 20 seconds of video so you missed the next 4 vehicles (including a FedEx truck) that rolled right on through. 11 drivers and not one stopped. I stopped, and I had the right of way... I was ready for this today because the same thing happened yesterday. I also wanted to try out the new Blogger video option...

First!

Temperature at departure this morning = 78° F (26° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 98° F (37° C)


How can you tell that you're the first one to ride on the trail during the end of August, first of September?


Spider webs. I know it's not a great shot, but it was a quick one with the camera phone... I rode through so many spider webs strung across the path that I felt like I must have looked like that guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark...


I've just got to remember not to step out into that beam of light.

Ramming Speed

Temperature at departure this morning = 74° F (23° C)

My average MPH went up 1.5 MPH this morning without my thinking about it. I wrote about this back in April, but today I was listening to the end credits from Sky Captain and Kingdom of Heaven (one of my examples in April) and I must have automatically kicked into my body's high gear.

Ironic side note: on one of my weekend rides the Sky Captain soundtrack came up just as I was overflown by a Stealth Bomber that was making a run on the air show downtown. Words can't express how cool that moment was. I love seeing the Stealths fly.

Bike Path Follow-up

Here is a follow up to last weeks post about the Indian & Tomahawk Creek Trails. Since the note I got mentioned that they still needed to put up some fencing and do some seeding, I figured I'd check out the actual status of the path. Here you'll see one of the areas that I assume they'll seed.



There is a sign, going one direction, with this warning:



There are only a few spots where dirt and gravel cover the path; wasn't really a problem. I encountered a number of cyclists out for a ride on this section of the path.



They've got posts up for the fencing and for good reason as the side of the path drops abruptly.



Now, the Metcalf detour. Heading west you'll see the section of pavement that joins the path to the sidewalk on the left and the part of the path that is closed on the right.



Here is the challenging part.



The crosswalk signs are covered so you just cross with the green light. I encountered a couple problems here on a couple different rides this weekend:

1. The people that want to turn right are not going to be looking for you.
2. Sunday, a guy heading south pulled up about even with the bumper of the gray car pictured above, completely blocking the crosswalk and forcing me out around the cones and into traffic. I gave him my best passive-aggressive eye roll so he, hopefully, will be a little more careful next time...

Indian Creek & Tomahawk Creek Trails

Temperature at departure this morning = 76° F (24° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 94° F (34° C)

The recent construction project on Metcalf at 103rd street has made another Indian Creek bike/hike path detour necessary.

This one is a bit dicer than the one still in place at Antioch and I-435; you'll be routed up to the crosswalk on the North side of Metcalf. They have added some pavement just to the east of Metcalf to get you back off the sidewalk and onto the path. I would recommend taking the few extra seconds it takes to dismount and walk the bike across. As you can see, this is a busy intersection any way and they've funneled three lane into two, both directions. The detour is the crosswalk seen in the middle of this shot from the traffic cam.

Actually, I should say this is a HORRIBLE intersection to try to navigate as a pedestrian or cyclist. Most of the drivers here are going to be more apt to be looking for gaps in the traffic that they can shoot through and guess what? -- You are most likely to be in the gap, unseen by the motorist. It isn't a matter of who is right and who is wrong, cross with extreme caution!

Next, although the maps of Johnson county trails shows this stretch of the Tomahawk Creek trail open, I noticed on a ride a month or so ago that some work being done around Alt-69 between 135th and going north east to Metcalf. The path was just gravel in the section circled here:

I sent another note to the guy mentioned yesterday and got a quick response saying:

"We are close to completing that project and should have it officially open in the next couple of weeks. We still have some fencing and seeding to do there. This will complete the last major gap on the Tomahawk Creek Trail that runs from Leawood to Olathe (Pflumm Road). We still have a minor gap on 127th St. between Nall and the bridge near Deer Creek, but with the street and sidewalk, it is at least passable. That stretch will be completed with the road improvement in 2010."

He also gave me a heads up on some possible future work on the Indian Creek trail:

"While we are on the subject of closures and a heads up. In 2008, we may have a closure/detour of the Indian Creek trail in our Foxhill South & North park areas. This is the stretch between Mission and Roe. There is a major flood control and bridge construction project planned for this area. No timeline has been created but it will likely occur in mid 2008 and continue into 2009. The last time we had to close this stretch, we detoured users over I-435 via the pedestrian bridge that parallels the Roe street bridge."

I may ride the Tomahawk Creek trail this weekend to see how much work is left. Thought those of you who occasionally ride these paths might like the info as well.

Virtual Dinner?

...that's what the kids call the stuff I cook. [Bah dum bump]


Seriously, Virtual Dinner? I can't even get the people that live in my house all together at the same time...

Spouting Off Again

Temperature at departure this morning = 80° F (27° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 96° F (36° C)

Once again, the fine folk in the City of OP office come through in a flash. I have got to believe that this one guy rolls his eyes whenever he sees my name in his In Box. Granted, I don't e-mail him that often -- last time was 3 or 4 months ago. I had to send a note this morning though as the new Ed Eilert Fountain seemed to be the source of a new tributary for Indian Creek. You can see part of the fountain in the upper left corner and the photo doesn't really give you a true picture of just how much water is flowing down the sidewalk and path...


This shot is looking down towards the bridge for 109th. The water picks up again just past the tree in the upper, center of the shot and covers 3/5ths of the path with an inch or two of running water.


I sent the above mentioned contact an e-mail with these shots and got a reply back within an hour saying that they'd had a problem a week earlier with a stuck solenoid and he'd have someone check it out right away. Service with a smile... By the way, if you're riding the path and need a quick cool down, the sidewalk meets up with the path in two places and allows you to get right up next to the fountain. I took advantage of the spray this morning.

Birdman or Birds?

Temperature at departure this morning = 81° F (27° C)
Temperature at departure yesterday evening = 100° F (38° C)

So I was going to go with this one...


I'd just turned right off 103rd when I noticed a robin on the curb to my right, eating a bug. The thing must be part squirrel as it started to fly away from me, changed its mind and flew under me somehow shooting the gap between my pedals and back wheel. Nothing like a little shot of adrenalin to start the morning.

Flash forward 5 minutes and 1 mile. I rode through the tunnel under Antioch at my normal 12 MPH preparing for the sharp right turn at the end of the tunnel. As I exit the tunnel I enter a flock of what must have been close to 100 sparrows. They scattered and I rode in the middle of the frightened flock for a few seconds. I said that there was nothing like a LITTLE shot of adrenalin... So, I've decided the picture of the day should be:


...although I prefer the "Birds" sceen from Mel Brooks' High Anxiety...

Once Around the Campfire, James

Temperature at departure = 75° F (24° C)

On one hand, this is just wrong. On the other hand, if I had the money to burn...

Behold, Glamping! (glamorous camping)

$595 a night -- plus an additional $110 per person per day for food.

"The perks include a camp butler to build their fire, a maid to crank up the heated down comforter at nightfall and a cook to whip up bison rib-eye for dinner and French toast topped with huckleberries for breakfast."

I wonder if they have someone to walk around and round up all the chiggers... Hmmm, that would be SO worth it.

Baiku

It has been a while since I've seen a baiku on Fritz's site. Fritz, here you go...


This heat's oppressive.
Where'd my water bottle go?
Found it, now I'll ride.

Just Do It

Temperature at departure this morning= 76° F (24° C)
Temperature at departure last night = 98° F (37° C)

Pardon the interruption, but if you are someone who commutes by bike, please go read Fritz's post over at CommuteByBike and take a minute or two to send an e-mail to Ms. Peters via the link provided. Thanks.

We now return you to our regular programming.


When I initially saw this, after arriving at work yesterday morning, I was going to say that my kids must have come to the office for ice because they always seem to empty the trays at home without taking the 15 seconds it takes to fill them and put them back in the freezer. That's right, I've timed it. My kids roll their eyes every time I mention the 15 seconds to them -- you'd think that they'd fill them up just to avoid the schpeel they know will ensue as a result; but, no, they do it anyway... But here I was at work and someone had emptied trays and put them back without filling them.

I filled the trays and decided not to comment because standing in front of the freezer I realized that I've been doing something similar for months. There have been several receipts which I've been carrying around in my backpack, transferred to my laptop bag, back to my backpack, to the top of a pile on my desk at home and back into the backpack. I simply needed to fill out a form, attach a copy and mail them to get a check back from my medical reimbursement plan. It would be interesting to know how much time I've blown moving the stack, carrying forward the task in my planner, etc. So, the empty ice cube trays chidded me into sitting down and getting this task (originally put on my list in February) done. 29 minutes and, yes, I timed it.

Generation Gap

Temperature at departure = 81° F (27° C)

Ahhhhhhh. The first day of school. Apologizes to The Old Bag, but it will be nice to get back into the routine and away from all the phone calls regarding what people can have for breakfast, lunch, snack -- all the calls of people wanting to "tell on" their siblings.

So, I rode along with Curtis to his school and turned to head off to work when I caught up and passed another cyclist. I got stopped at the signal I love so well and he caught back up with me. "Man, what happened to your ankles?" I had a few seconds to explain the chiggers at the last campout and he was amazed that the bites would still be as prevalent as they are. Our light turned green and we headed out into traffic and chatted a little bit before I took a right turn and got back up to speed.

And now, from our "You know you're getting old when..." department:

Me: "I don't want to sound like a broken record, but..."
14 year-old: "What?!?!?"

Thus began a 5 minute explanation of the ancient technology of phonograph records. [Sigh]

Happy YMTYTSDFW Day

Temperature at departure = 78° F (26° C)

Some of the weather folk are saying that this will be our hottest day of the year with the temperature probably topping out ~ 103°. Still, it could be worse -- I could be back down in Texas where playgrounds are spontaneously combusting.

I can't find it on any calendars, but today must be Young Mothers Take Your Toddler and Small Dog For a Walk Day. I decided to stretch out my morning ride and met 4 of the above combinations within a 1.5 mile area. I must say, we all behaved very well with me slowing way down and dinging my bell and the moms moving to the side a bit making sure neither of their charges were in danger. "Good morning" shouts were shared all around and it was a very pleasant ride.

Here is a shot from the path just before I met up with the first group.

This Time Last Year

Temperature at departure = 77° F (25° C)

It was nice getting back on the bike yesterday. When I got into the office I did my normal hot weather routine of filling my water bottle most of the way and putting it in the freezer. Last year, when the temperatures for my afternoon departure were in the low 100's for several weeks, I'd stop for a drink around half way home and the water would be cool but the ice would have already melted. When I left the office yesterday the temperature was 93° F (34° C) and the bottle was still mostly filled with ice when I got home.

There are a few differences that might explain why I'm only filling the water bottle half way before freezing today:

• A 10 degree difference in temperatures.
• Last year my route was mostly in traffic -- this year it is primarily on the bike path which runs next to a creek and provides lots of shade.
• My route home is only 2/3 what it was last year.

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, it was still oppressively hot and breathing seemed a bit labored at times. So, for now, I'm not going to worry about my average MPH. I'll slow down a bit and stay on the lookout for misaimed sprinklers that are misting over into the road.