2022 mileage: 3318.7
Today's ride began in very nice conditions just past 1:00 -- partly sunny and 78°. However, substantial winds soon persuaded me to abbreviate the ride, just doing a round trip to Marsh Park -- 10.6 miles in 1:16.
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Monday, August 29, 2022
71st outdoor ride of 2022 - Monday, August 29. 2022
2022 mileage: 3308.6
There are days when my energy is high and I am eager to ride ... and other days when it just isn't in me, and I really have to push myself to be disciplined and go out there and do it. Today was definitely one of the latter; nevertheless, I went out at noon and rode fhe Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in 1:45. The unbroken cloudy skies doubtless didn't help my motivation any; the temperature went up from 76° to 79° during the ride.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
70th outdoor ride of 2022 - Saturday, 8/27/2022
2022 mileage: 3295.0
Today's ride was fairly straightforward—a circuit of the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles) in 1:43, beginning just a few minutes before noon in sunny 76° conditions (that climbed to 78° during the ride).;
Friday, August 26, 2022
69th outdoor ride of 2022 - Friday, 8/26/2022
2022 mileage: 3281.6
Today I round a round trip to Baker Rd., though a slightly shorter route than I usually do (so I fell short of my usual 20 mies, racking up 18.1 miles in 2:14. Additionally, I realized how much I'd grown to love the brilliant sunshine that has predominated in recent weeks. Today, Michigan's more typical gloomy gray had returned, and it weighed heavily on my heart.
It was dismaying, also, that I could get no Wi-fi signal at Baker today, since when I turn around there I usually text to family to let them know how it's going and I couldn't do that this time.
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
2022 mileage: 3261.3
This morning I set off just before 8:00, to do my long ride (20 miles) to Baier Rd. (Dexter). I was just getting started (about a mile and a quarter into it) when I went to cross Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. in front of stopped traffic at a light, when something entirely new happened to me. Suddenly, the pedals began spinning with no resistance whatsoever ... and when I looked down, I could see that the reason was that the chain had entirely broken in two.
I stopped, unclipped from the pedals, rose, turned the trike around, and walked it back to the car (all as quickly as I could because of the waiting traffic. Then I texted Michelle, and walked the trike (awkwardly, because of my cleated riding shoes) to Applebees so it would be easier for her to pick me up.
Once she arrived, we returned home and I put the rack on the car and went back to get the trike, while she got ready for the day (I had gotten her out of bed with my text). Then I dropped her at Emerson, and took the trike to the dealer (Jack's) in Dearborn.
At Jack's, I was fortunate. I thought perhaps I would need a whole new chain, but instead, they were able to repair the old one by insertion of a "quick link." (I round this online, which helps but still doesn't completely clarify it for such a mechanical dummy as myself -- "One of the best technical developments recently has been that most chain companies are now providing special connecting links. They’ve become known as “quick links.” That’s because they can be connected by hand. Which makes them quick and easy compared to the days of old when the only way to install or repair a chain was by pushing out and driving back in a tight-fitting pin with a chain tool.")
Haing gotten started early, I finally returned home from Jack's a bit past noon, and though this would still allow me time to enable a ride today, I now feel that I've devoted enough of this day to my trike, so I'm going to turn to other uses of my time instead.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
68th outdoor ride of 2022 - Wednesday, 8/24/2022
2022 mileage: 3260.0
After watching a heartening 6-1 Detroit Tigers victory this afternoon over the San Francisco Giants, I went out and did a limited ride in which, for the first time in ages, the temperature actually FELL during my ride—from 84° when I began at 4:30, to 83° when I finished!
I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park today, for 9.9 miles in 1:12.
Monday, August 22, 2022
67th outdoor ride of 2022 - Monday, 8/22/2022
2022 mileage: 3252.1
After taking the whole weekend off, I was glad to get back to it today. (Saturday, I realized that with the summer fast vanishing, I wanted to spend a good chunk of the day at the pool. That was the morning, and then in the afternoon the rain arrived. And yesterday I played a piano solo in church in the morning, and then spent much of the afternoon making the video of it into an iMovie, uploading it to YouTube, and sharing it.)
Today I left about 2:00 (77° and partly sunny, up to 79° when I finished) and rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in 1:39.
Friday, August 19, 2022
66th outdoor ride of 2022 - Friday, 8/19/2022
2022 mileage: 3238.5
Today, on another magnificent day for riding (brightly sunny, and 79° when I began at 11:20, up to 82° when I finished), I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.5 miles) in 1:41.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
65th outdoor ride of 2022 - Wednesday, 8/17/2022
2022 mileage: 3225.0
I need to clean and lube my chain periodically in order to help preserve it and prolong its life, and it's a moderately time-consuming procedure. I did that yesterday, so I gave myself the day off from riding. But today, I got back to it, riding the Packard/:Platt Square (13.5 miles) in 1:39.
Today, like on August 9, I encountered a person very unhappy with me not using the bike lane. On that day, I wrote in my blog:
Almost 6 miles into the ride, as I was going east on the trail beaide Textile Rd., shortly before reaching Platt, I met a woman walking toward me on the trail, so I threw up my hand in greeting as I always do. But even though the paved trail was broad at that point (10-12 feet wide), and both of us were on the right side of our respective parts of the trail and thus nowhere near one another, she scowled, stopped, pointed down at the bike lane painted on the road, and growled, angrily, "WHAT'S THAT?" Of course I could not engage her in discussion (and for that matter, could not even say clearly, "My wife asks me to keep my riding off the road"), so I merely shrugged, and, playing dumb, tried to say, "I don't know."
Today, the person wasn't even using the path. But as I rode eastward alongside Eisehowever Blvd. (just a bit past Wolverine Tower), a woman driving a van pulled up beside and yelled sharply out her window, "USE THE BIKE LANE!"
Monday, August 15, 2022
64th outdoor ride of 2022 - Monday, 8/15/2022om
2022 mileage: 3211.5
I hadn't ridden since Friday, as Saturday I went hiking instead with my friends Tom Clark and Tom Brown, and yesterday I took the day off, having a very full day with other activities. So today, though I was glad to get back to it, I felt a bit decrepit. Nevertheless, I pushed myself to do the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles) in a sluggish 1:50.
Friday, August 12, 2022
63rd outdoor ride of 2022 - Friday, 8/12/2022
2022 mileage: 3197.9
For now, we are stuck in a MAGNIFICENT weather pattern. Today I rode again in bright unbroken sunshine, calm skies, and pleasant temperatures (72 when I started at 11:00, up to 78° at the end). I took advantage of these conditions to ride again a round trip to Baker Rd., for the third consecutive day. This is the first time I've done that ride three days in a row since June 24-26, 2020. However, earlier that month (June 7-12) I did it on SIX consecutive days, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to challenge that record now.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
62nd outdoor ride of 2022 - Thursday, 8/11/2022
2022 mileage: 3167.6
On another magnificent day to ride (68° and sunny when I began at 9:00, up to 75° and still sunny when I finished shortly before noon, and fairly calm throughout), I rode a round trip to Baker Rd. to give me my first consecutive days of that ride since May 10-11. Will tomorrow be three? We'll see.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
61st outdoor ride of 2022 - Wednesday, 8/10/2022
2022 mileage: 3147.4
Today I got kind of a late start, not beginning until about 11:30 -- but then I made up for it by riding a round trip to Baker Rd. (Dexter) (19.6 miles in 1:47) for the first time since July 8. (Between then and now, we've done some traveling—to Switzerland and the Upper Peninsula—and I endured a July 16 fall in Switzerland that injured a rib quite badly and kept me from riding for about two weeks.
Lovely conditions today, too—sunny throughout, and 76° when I began, up to 81° at the end.
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
60th outdoor ride of 2022 - Tuesday, 8/9/2022
2022 mileage: 3127.8
This morning, we caught a BIG break in the weather. Yesterday it was rainy, hot and tremendously humid, so I rode inside. But during the night a cold front passed through, and this morning's riding conditions were just lovely—mostly sunny, with MUCH less humidity, and a 65° temperature when I began at 8:00, and then up to 69° by the time I finished.)
So I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles) in 1:47. However, an unfortunate incident occurred. Almost 6 miles into the ride, as I was going east on the trail beaide Textile Rd., shortly before reaching Platt, I met a woman walking toward me on the trail, so I threw up my hand in greeting as I always do. But even though the paved trail was broad at that point (10-12 feet wide), and both of us were on the right side of our respective parts of the trail and thus nowhere near one another, she scowled, stopped, pointed down at the bike lane painted on the road, and growled, angrily, "WHAT'S THAT?" Of course I could not engage her in discussion (and for that matter, could not even say clearly, "My wife asks me to keep my riding off the road"), so I merely shrugged, and, playing dumb, tried to say, "I don't know."
Monday, August 8, 2022
Monday, 8/8/22
2022 mileage: 3114.5
After taking yesterday off, I was eager to get back to it today—but the weather conditions conspired against me riding outside. (Rain much of the day, and hot and humid conditions this afternoon, with a high of over 80°). So I rode on the stationary bike in our Blue Room, but as I haven't done that in quite some time, I find that I need to rebuild my stamina for it. Today, I watched the first half of The Sound of Music, up to intermission, for a ride of 25.0 miles in 1:42.
Saturday, August 6, 2022
59th outdoor ride of 2022 - Saturday, August 6. 2022
2022 mileage: 3089.5
Today, on a VERY summery morning (75° and sunny when I began at 9:00, and up to 85° when I finished), I did my longest ride since resuming following our trips to Switzerland and the Upper Peninsula, and my fall and rib injury on July 16.
I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.5 miles), and though I could not do it very fast (1:45), I was glad to be able to ride at all.
Friday, August 5, 2022
58th outdoor ride of 2022 - Friday, August 5, 2022
2022 mileage: 3076.0
I did quite a modest ride today (a single round trip to Marsh Park, for 10.2 miles in 1:24) ... yet still, I was grateful to be able to do it, as it is my first ride since the morning of July 12. Later that day, Michelle and I left on our 9-day trip to Switzerland; and while there, on July 16 I took a nasty fall in Zermatt that badly bruised one of my ribs. It is still uncomfortable, and kept me from riding throughout the rest of July after we got home from our trip. However, in more recent days the pain has abated somewhat—but I couldn't have ridden this week anyway, as we were on a camping trip with my daughter and our grandchildren at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula from this past Sunday until we returned last evening.
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Saturday, 12/31/2022
2022 mileage: 4651.2 On this final day of 2022, I rode 27.6 virtual miles in 2 hours even early this afternoon, while watching Star Wars: ...
