Carving out time

With temperatures in the 40's this afternoon, I had 30 minutes during my lunch hour to sneak in a ride. Mapped out a 5 mile ride, mostly on 99th/99th Terr. A little traffic sure helps bump up the average MPH.

Glad I got it in. Looks like more snow and ice are just about here. Back to the gym tomorrow.

Yesterday it wasn't quite as warm, but I had a few more minutes to use so I headed to the library to pick up some more of those videos I complained about recently... My bike was a bit lonely in the rack. The camera phone made everything a little blue (perhaps because of all the snow?).

Howdy Neighbor!

Temperature at departure = 26° F (-3° C)

What a weird encounter! With three hours sleep last night and the threat of freezing drizzle and snow on the way, I decided that I needed to get out this morning and jump start my day. It was a nice ride on mostly side streets -- until I was just shy of one mile from home.

I was riding on a two lane, minor arterial street. A car was approaching from the other direction and slowly crossed the yellow line into my lane. It was a neighbor of mine from a few houses down and they had a really angry, determined look on their face and were muttering something to themselves as they traveled head on my direction. I pulled down my balaclava, exposing my face, smiled and waved. The look on my neighbor's face was, as they say, priceless.

Now, there are many ways I could handle this. I've decided, for the most part, to just act as though it never happened ... with this one exception:

With five kids, I've never really encouraged them to go door to door for the various fund-raisers that they participate in for school, sports, church, scouts, etc.. I just didn't want to be a pest. Now, however, this neighbor of mine will be visited for each and every fund raiser my kids have. Within the next month they'll be encouraged to buy trash bags, cookie dough, entertainment books and flowers. Why not have fun with it?

Library Rant

Sunshine and 33° F

Nice weather for a ride to the library to pick up some DVD's that they had on hold for me. Yes. Videos. You see, I'm cheap. I don't rent videos often (two trips to Red Box last year) and I don't belong to NetFlix. Why should I, when I can put a hold on videos when they come out and check them out for free? Thank you taxpayers of Johnson County. I'm not really happy that the library had to resort to competing with Blockbuster in an attempt to get people in the doors. I'm sure it was a rational decision, so I can rationalize my using the service. I would imagine that the majority of the items checked out from the library now are DVD's and video games. Sad. But, like I said, I'm cheap. If I think about it, is checking a movie or music CD out any different from checking out a book? It is still a tax subsidized way to circumvent paying an author for their work. Last year I read 20 books, 17 of which I borrowed from the library.

But I digress. Using my trip to the library to pick up the videos on hold for me as an excuse to get out on the bike, I saddled up and away I went. I locked my bike up to the otherwise empty bike rack and headed to the self-checkout section. I had four items on hold and only one item (a music CD) was there. I went to the desk to ask if they could check in back for the three DVD's and was told that a bunch of DVD's were stolen the day before and the ones I had on hold were among the missing. The librarian made a comment about $15,000 dollars worth being stolen. I don't know if that is a yearly total or if it was this last weekend's loss. I said I was sorry to hear it and she said "I'm sorry. It's your tax dollars." And it is. But should we be spending this much money on providing free DVD rentals which also appear to be so easily stolen? Do we spend more tax dollars on security systems or personnel to protect the DVD's? Do we stop libraries from buying DVD's and have them gradually revert back being a source for reference books and books that we want to read but don't want to own? I don't think there's a good answer for any of these questions.

We're Back

Temperature at departure = 26° F (-3° C)

As I suspected, fall's bumper crop of acorns has produced a bumper crop of squirrels. Tons of rodent toddlers on the path this morning. Looks like the deer are back as well. There haven't been as many out the last two years. Perhaps the herds in Shawnee Mission Park are tired of being shot at and decided to migrate south a few miles. Whatever the reason, I welcome their return like the bike path seems to have welcomed mine.

38 Days

On Sunday, the streets had finally dried out for more than an hour or two. It had been 38 days since I'd been on my bike. My excuse, snow Packed streets for close to a month with temperatures well below freezing and the resulting melt off keeping the air and streets wet and foggy for another couple of weeks. So when I finally got a day with dry pavement and at least a little sunshine, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride to the library. I could tell I'd been away...

Yesterday was a bit better. I had time after dropping kids off at school to take a quick ride. The temperature was 28° F so I layered up and took off on the Indian Creek Trail.

I was amazed at how quickly I'd made it to Leawood Park. I was averaging a little over 17 MPH with ease and felt great. I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy winter riding. Yeah, that should have registered a bit of a warning, but I decided to extend the ride to State Line. When I turned around to head home I realized why I'd made such good time on the first half of the ride: tailwind of 21 MPH with gusts to 29 MPH.

The ride home was a lot of work. I don't know what the wind chill was and don't want to know. I pedaled for all I was worth and by the time I'd gotten home, my average speed was down to 13.5. I was tired and sweaty and (according to my wife) my eyes were as bloodshot as all get out. I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy winter riding.

It's colder today and I've already got my lunch-time ride planned. It is good to be back.

Christmas Igloo 2009

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We had a bit of a blizzard here in Overland Park ... but family made it up from Wichita and in from Topeka and we had a blast.

I gave my wife a bike for Christmas so we can finally enjoy riding together (once the snow melts off). I'm pretty excited about that.

And, I thought I'd share a quick video of the igloo that Trevor and Peter (my two oldest) made on Christmas Eve. Enjoy.

Abby Someone

Winter came quickly here in Overland Park. And cyclists in and around Kansas City (like Noah and I) have once again become "hard core."

Of course, it doesn't have to be winter. Anything under 50° F seems to inspire awe in those that don't ride.

The temperature was 30°F when I rode to the grocery store yesterday during my lunch hour. I got some strange looks and one, "Isn't it too cold to ride a bike?"

Last weekend, my son Peter and I took a 24 mile ride that we'd been meaning to take since this last summer. It was 63° out, warm enough for shorts, although I still went with a long sleeved tee shirt. Not bad for late November.



As warm as it was, I expected to see more people out on bikes. Wasn't the case, and we got a couple "what the heck are they doing?" looks as we sat outside and enjoyed a mid-ride smoothie.



Nearly two months earlier it was ten degrees cooler when Peter and I rode ten miles out to Spin Pizza. As we were locking up our bikes, a couple walked by and we heard the guy say to his wife "Oh, it's normal to see people riding bikes here when it's warmer..."

Fredrick: Abby Someone. Abby Who?
Igor: Abby ... Normal.
Fredrick: Abby Normal?
Igor: I'm almost sure that was the name.

Fitness

You think to yourself: "I'm fit. I ride my bike; I get up early with my wife and hit the gym a couple times a week. Yeah, I'm fit."

Then, you play dodge ball with the scouts at the lock-in.

Where's that heating pad?

Flashback Ride

We finally had a nice, ridable day again today. I took to the streets during my lunch hour and made a point of staying off the bike path. I did this for a couple of reasons; the path is most likely strewn with soggy leaves - and - I didn't want another ride like the one I experienced on Friday the 6th.

I can't fully describe the odd experience I had that day when I used my lunch hour to ride the path I used to take to work. I wanted to get out and ride, but it was so windy that I figured I'd be better off riding through the woods than on the street. The first half mile of the ten that I rode was fine and uneventful. The next 40 minutes was bizarre and unsettling.

How do I describe it? It started as I pedaled past the Christmas display on Metcalf just north of 103rd. I remembered riding home the previous year and having to half walk the bike through all the employees of the business there who were gathered on the path to formally light things up. From that point on, the entire length of the ride, memories of past rides flooded in. It was kind of spooky. I remembered minute details like the time three years before that as I rounded a particular corner I thought to myself that I should get my brake pads checked. I remembered the faces of pedestrians and other riders I'd encountered. I remembered words from a podcast that I was listening to during a ride two years ago. As I came to some sections of the trail, I remembered encounters with various wildlife. There were ideas for blog posts that were never written. Vibrant, exacting, mundane details.

As I rode past the office where I spent perhaps the best 3 or 4 years of my career, I realized how much I miss hanging out with the guys and just how good we had it for a while. I remembered random conversations and specific games of Call of Duty. The memories kept coming and coming and just wouldn't quit. This must be what it is like to have your life flash before your eyes. It is overwhelming and disturbing.

Putting the bike away in the garage and heading back down to the corner of my basement where I now spend my working hours, I sat there stunned for a bit, mentally exhausted. I miss many things -- including the daily commute on my bike. I didn't realize what a big part of my life it had been.

For 45 minutes or so, I biked around aimlessly on side streets within a couple miles of my house today. It was a good ride. It was a safe ride.

Bumper Panda

It was a beautiful day and the jazz band was playing at the middle school during the lunch hour. I hopped on the bike and headed out.



Waiting for the light on the way home.

I've been taking advantage of every opportunity to ride as I can come up with lately so when I needed to make a run to the credit union today I figured that I could make the 12 mile round trip within the alloted hour for lunch.

I pulled up to the drive-thru and was greeted by a message that I should consider a loan for a new car.

No thanks, I'm good.

Tour de BBQ

I'm torn. There is a lot going on this weekend, but I might talk to Peter (who's birthday is today) to see if he might be interested. I haven't read through all the information, but perhaps the 15 mile ride with stops at 5 BBQ places might be a fun ride...

In conjunction with the American Royal’s annual barbeque competition, the LIVESTRONG Army of Kansas City is hosting the first annual Tour de BBQ to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. Proceeds benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation and The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Rock Star Parking

Parent/Teacher conferences where being held at the Middle School last night and I didn't feel like fighting the parking hassles. The lot is always full, as are both sides of all the streets within a block or two. I decided to ride.


My suspicions about the lot being full are confirmed as I pull in on my bike.

Once again, I score Rock Star Parking with my bike.

My hope is that some of the other parents that live within a mile or two will catch on to the advantages of biking.

2:00 p.m. = Magic Hour

Temperature at departure = 70° F (21° C)

I was just not motivated to get out to ride this morning. I've been off the bike since the 19th due to a scout campout, rain and general lethargy. I figured I'd get out during my lunch hour which didn't happen until 2:00 p.m. today. It was glorious.

I rode the 10 miler which is normally moderately busy during the 7am and 1pm hours and was only passed by 31 cars. I passed one car myself, so let's call it a round 30 cars.

Milage 10.857
Average MPH 14.3
Maximum MPH 26.8

So, I wasn't even burning it up and still didn't have to deal with much traffic. In fact, at 4.6 miles I'd only been passed by 6 cars. Less than 3 cars per mile? I can deal with that.

Here's to 2 o'clock rides!

Tried the trail again...

I'm starting to get some more time back in front of the computer again. New Podcast is updated HERE.

Last weekend I was home from a trip to Dallas where I'd picked up a sinus thing that really knocked me out. I went for a 15 mile ride on Saturday and spent Sunday in bed. Monday was Labor Day and I took a 5 mile ride that knocked me out for the rest of the day. Tuesday morning I decided to try for 10 miles. Even though I've been harping recently about staying of the Indian Creek Trail bike path, I just didn't want to face the hills I encounter out on the road -- so, I headed out on the trail.

Closing on 435 & Roe, I reached the Fox Hill detour seen here.


Here is a better shot of the sign which shows the proposed finish date for the project as July 2009.


And here is the detour...


So I headed back out on the road to finish the 10 miles.

Things I don't miss about the trail:

Walnuts, spider webs, leaf covered slick spots, puddles, poodles (any dog, really), groups of joggers and novice cyclists.

Things I don't like about riding on the street:

Have a good weekend and get out and ride.

Not a good way to start the day

Noooooooooooooo

Routine, continued

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been spending some time with Veloroutes.org and Google Maps - Street View trying to come up with some new routes. The 10 and 15 mile routes turned out to be just the change I'd been looking for. Fairly light on traffic, nice roads and some challenging hills. Next on the agenda was a 20 or 25 mile ride that could replace the whole Indian Creek and Tomahawk Creek Trails loop.

A couple weeks ago, before he headed back to school, my son Peter and I were discussing my flagging enthusiasm for riding on the bike path and I told him I was going to start looking for some good streets to ride on. He suggested we try a ride on Kenneth road. He'd worked with the city's civil engineering department surveying roads over the summer and said a portion had been resurfaced and might be nice to try. So, I thought I'd encorporate Kenneth road into my longer ride. This last Sunday, I saddled up and headed out.

I present: The 21 Miler



My timing could have been better. There was quite a bit of traffic out on some of the major roads. I also saw quite a few other cyclists. When I rode over the bike path on Mission road it looked REALLY busy. I was happy to be on the road (even if I was passed by a young lady on a really nice road bike).

Something to consider: even though maps say that Kenneth road begins its southern journey at 133rd street ... it doesn't. I had to hop over to State Line road which was busy as all get out and then use 135th to get to Kenneth. It turns out that Kenneth is a rather popular road for automobile traffic. It didn't matter that much as the road was wide enough for people to get by me, until Kenneth curves to the west and becomes 159th street. There the road narrows, adds guard rails and becomes a moderately steep climb.


View Larger Map

I wouldn't have minded the climb, but I was getting passed by cars and trucks every 15 to 20 seconds on the way up to Mission Road. Almost without exception the people passing my crossed over the double yellow line to give me plenty of room, but there were a couple times that cars were coming from the other direction and we were all a little too cosey.

So, three sections that I would avoid during Sunday afternoon rides:
119th between Tomahawk and Mission
159th between Kenneth and Mission
Roe between Tomahawk and 117th

Other than that, it was an enjoyable ride. I'll probably ride it again, hopefully with Peter in tow, but on a Saturday afternoon when traffic might be a little lighter. I will be looking for a different 20 to 25 mile route in the mean time.

Routine

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

I realize that I've been somewhat disconnected from all things social on the web for a couple weeks now. Don't worry, everything is alright; I suffer from nothing more than a general sense of ennui. I'm starting to snap out of it though.

Shortly before this break, I realized that I've ridden the Indian Creek Trail for several years and now that I no longer commute on it, the trail has become mundane. I'd go on a ten mile ride and come back without any sense of enjoyment at all. I might as well ride a stationery bike and replay the path in my mind. Truth be told, I am also tired of dodging all the pedestrians, dog-walkers and other cyclists. I started allowing myself to skip a day or two and recognized that I wasn't missing it.

I KNOW!

So, it was time to get off the path and take to the streets. Once the decision was made, I started to get excited about looking for new routes. I harnessed the power of Veloroutes.org and Google Maps - Street View to plan a few possibilities of varying lengths. I picked streets that I've ridden before for the first couple of rides and am happy with them; traffic is present, but even though I've ridden these in morning rush hour traffic -- they're not major arteries and traffic is light. I also see several others out on their bikes.

The 10 miler


The 15 miler


Both of these are nice rides for weekdays when I want to get a ride in that is less than an hour long. Then I tried the 21 miler, but that really needs to have a post of its own.

...to be continued.

Library Rack Almost Full

I rode to the library during lunch today and was surprised to see this many bikes out front. The most I've seen there before is 3 or 4. Hopefully, the trend will continue.

Oh, shameless self-promotion time. I posted 3 podcasts this week. If you are a bike commuter or know someone who is, please let them know that the podcast is available at limitedwarrent.com.

Anchored

Temperature at departure = 68° F (20° C)



I was feeling very cosmopolitan this morning, so I executed a Copenhagen Lean while waiting for the light. It was another beautiful morning for riding the bike getting drivers used to the idea that other modes of transportation exist in Overland Park.