Friday, May 16, 2008

Bike to Work Week-Day #4 & Day #5

Thursday morning I got a few bonus miles in when my route was closed so they could replace a culvert. It seems we just can't quite let go of the cool weather this year and today was no exception. I was actually hoping to use a work vehicle to get to the detention center where I facilitate a group every Thursday afternoon but there was no vehicle available. I walked the 1-1/2 miles to the detention center and back. Lucky for me it was dry. I wore my new Cascadia 3 Trail Running Shoes for the first time (I didn't get the red version!). They were great! The evening ride was overcast but dry. My mind always wanders more during the ride home, maybe because when it's dark there's not as much scenery to look at. I've composed some wonderful blog entries riding home only to have them dissolve away as soon as I park the bike in the garage. I guess it's only for the moment-kinda like one of those sand paintings.

Friday! Bike to Work Day! It was my turn to bring donuts at work so I rigged a flat base to my rear rack so I could Velcro the donut box there. Sorry, no pictures. I also stopped for some coffee at the "coffee hut" in Valparaiso. I bought a thermos awhile back that keeps a big cup of coffee hot for several hours. It won't quite fit into a water bottle cage so I just stick it into my pannier. It was a nice sunny morning and a great morning for a ride. Too bad I had to work.

So I did it-I went all week without a moment in a car. The price of gas hit a peak of $4.05 for a gallon midweek and slid slightly lower by today ($3.89/gallon). I rode 139.8 miles to commute to work five days. Assuming I get about 27 miles/gallon (I think I can actually get a little more than this), I saved 5 gallons and about $20.00!

For Your Late Night Viewing Enjoyment

This is for my buddy Joe.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Bike to Work Week-Day #3

The morning commute is a misty foggy blur. It's a comfortable 58 degrees. I've developed a sort of kinship with the landmarks on my route-especially the animals. There's a guy with his dog on the bike path I see many mornings-big guy, little dog. There are the three horses at the small farm just south of town. There's the Dalmatian who runs up to the edge of the road to bark at me but always stops before actually getting to me. There are two big white guard dogs that used to run along the fence barking at me, especially on my evening ride home. I think I've become so familiar to them that they no longer waste their energy on me. I've seen them looking blankly at me as I'm riding by. There are four turkey vultures who seem to have taken up residence in the abandoned barn that marks my halfway point to work from home. I usually see them at the peak of the barn warming up in the morning. Two more dogs that I used to see up on the roof of a house aren't there any more. I figure the owners finally figured out how they were doing it and put a stop to it. Of course riding to work and home allows me to see and hear all kinds of birds, raccoons, rabbits,squirrels,possums, and occasional coyotes, deer, and foxes. I've had near misses in the dark with a few of them.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Bike to Work Week-Day #2

Well, I made it to the end of the driveway before I noticed that my front tire was flat (again)! Lucky for me I have some old tubes hanging up in the garage. The strong south winds are bringing warm temperatures with them. Today is supposed to be the warmest day of the week. Just my blue nylon vest and a light Patagonia long sleeve today. The wind gusts rocked me from side to side. I'll be looking for them to help me rocket home tonight.

As it got closer to time to ride home, I watched nervously as a red blob crawled across the weather radar. Would I get home before the blob arrived? Nope. As soon as I clicked into my pedals for the ride home, the rain began. I'd packed my Red Ledge rain coat in case of rain so I stayed dry for the most part. The temperatures were fairly mild. There was one huge flash of lightning but then only rain. All in all a tolerable ride home. I stared down at my tire periodically to make sure it was still inflated. When I got home I checked the tube I'd removed in the morning. One of the three patches on the tube was leaking. Time to retire (a pun) this tube!

Bike to Work Week-Day #1

I made a goal to ride to work every day this week. Day one started out unseasonably cool. My hands were on the edge of going numb. I had the wind at my back (off the chilly lake) on the way to work.

The ride home was excellent. The temperature wasn't much warmer but without the wind, I was comfortable. The clear night sky still showed a warm glowin the west, suggesting the sun had just set. The moon was already high in the sky. There's something magical about a bike ride in the dark!