Mighty Proud

Wendell "The Mayor" Watterson
1923 - 2008
The Mayor and Buford
Wendell (left) and Jimmy Atkins

He created a comedy-bluegrass music show that would delight people everywhere and everywhere he went he'd make a point of telling his audiences, "We're mighty proud to be here, neighbors, mighty proud." I'll miss him, but I know his new neighbors are mighty proud to have him. Mighty proud.

If I ever figure out how to post an audio file, I'll put up Wendell and Jimmy doing WIldwood Flower. Oh my goodness! And yes, Jimmy is related to Chet ~ a cousin.

Two of Wendell's "grandbabies," our daughters, have tributes to their Granddaddy in their own blogs as well.

Wrapping it All Up

What do you call an epilog to an epilog? I don’t know, but here it is, the final chapter in the travel saga that started in yesterday’s Where’s a Bike When You Need One? posting. The late flight from Chicago to La Crosse, the first option we had been “offered” after our plan for returning home began falling apart, did make it, but not until nearly midnight. It was REALLY good to have gotten on the earlier flight.

Was it a mistake to have re-scheduled my trip to Tyler today (by flying back through Chicago and Dallas)? You tell me: all flights from La Crosse to Chicago were cancelled today as were about 75% of all of American’s flights in Chicago. I wasn’t going anywhere today. Glad that’s the way I had planned it. Gave me a chance for the last of the post-trip chores -- getting unpacked (see below) and the laundry done. It'll soon look like we haven't gone anywhere.

I got back on the bike that really does go nowhere, recalling recent flights that made only slightly better progress. The 17.5 “miles” I put in brought my 2008 total to just over 400. At least on this trip, I was certain I would end up in La Crosse.

Our luggage finally arrived today. I do not know where it had been and it's not talking. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, I guess.

Where's a Bike When You Need One?

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.

Shirley and I are, in theory, flying from Palm Springs to Chicago to La Crosse on Monday, leaving California at 1:10 p.m. and arriving home at 9:10 p.m. In practice, we are flying from Palm Springs to Chicago three hours later than planned; then being booked on Tuesday’s 9:15 a.m. flight to La Crosse; seeing this flight cancelled at 9:00 p.m. Monday, even before our plane arrives in Chicago; finding out that, not to worry, we are being conveniently re-booked on the 8:00 p.m. flight on Tuesday (hey, only 24 hours late); being told that the reservation I had made at the O'Hare airport Hilton for just this situation is nowhere to be found, this calling forth visions of spending the night on one of the many basic green cots that had been set up in Terminal 3; but finally getting the whole hotel thing sorted out after a call to Hotels.com (where I had been directed by American Airlines to make the booking in the first place); discovering that the hotel's mantra is “spare no expense” (as long as it's YOUR expense); finally getting a little good news in the morning: we are now booked on the 4:40 p.m. flight; having lunch at 10:10 a.m. because breakfast is served until 10:00. Sharp; getting a bit more good news as our standby status on the 1:25 flight is changed to confirmed by the very helpful and efficient (really) Admirals Club agent.

That brings us to the present. I am sitting in the Admirals club hoping that our flight leaves somewhere in reasonable proximity to its planned 1:25 departure. That’s the theory. But, in practice…

Epilog
After 26 hours in transit, only 4 1/2 of which were actually in the air, we arrive at the La Crosse airport at 2:29 p.m. Our luggage is off on an adventure of its own, we discover. I hope to hear from it sometime this week.

After all of this, it is time to get back into the swing of things. This means I get in the mail and newspapers, shovel the driveway and sidewalk, run to the store for basic provisions, crash for 40 minutes then take off for a mission trip meeting. I welcome this more laid back pace.

A quick check of the flights from Chicago shows that the 4:40 flight was cancelled and the 8:00 p.m. flight is delayed at least 30 minutes. I'm guessing that will change and not in a good way for the waiting passengers. Think green cots. We got out of O'Hare just in time. I decided early this morning, when we were looking at staying in Chicago until 8:00 p.m. (giving the weather time to turn nasty again which, in fact, it did. With a vengance.), to re-schedule my business trip to Tyler, Texas from tomorrow until a week from next Monday. Maybe my luggage will get tired of life on the road and come back before then.

I know I could not have made the trip any faster on a bike, but it would have been more enjoyable, I'm sure.

Simple Green Freezes

I suppose you are thinking, “What are we doing talking about icy summer treats when it’s 10 degrees outside?” Well, maybe we’re not. Talking about lime slushies, that is. Think verb. Simple Green Freezes is an observation, not a couple of frozen fruit-flavored drinks. What it is, is... well, just read on.

I set up the Bianchi in the garage for a long overdue cleaning, as it had been a couple of weeks since I rode it in the rain and sleet. It was 20 degrees outside, warmer in the garage, although I did have the door open. With the bike on the stand and materials at the ready, it was time to clean.

Now Simple Green is, according to the manufacturer, an “effective, non-toxic, non-flammable, biodegradable, non-abrasive, environmentally safer all purpose cleanser.” Say THAT fast three times. As you might have already guessed, all of these features are delivered in a bright green liquid. Except when you use the lemon scented Simple Green, which is, in fact, yellow. Go figure.


I spray some right from the bottle on the running gear, and mix some with water to put in the chain cleaner and to generally wash down the bike. The first problem on this day was that my Simple Green, which I kept in the garage, was frozen solid in the bottle. No problem, just bring it into the kitchen, let it sit in a sink half full of hot water for a few minutes and voila! Liquid. Yes, I put it in the kitchen sink. You might be a redneck if your wife says,

“Honey, would you move that transmission Simple Green? I need to take a bath wash the dishes.”

You get the picture.

It was during the process of cleaning the chain that I noticed that the water/Simple Green mixture had quickly turned into a slushy semi-solid. Who could have seen that coming? There was no way I was going to get that off with the shop wipes. Soooo…. the bike, the stand, and aforementioned materials (including my Simple Green), were laboriously carted into the basement where I could finish the process.

The Bianchi is now clean and back in its spot hanging on the garage wall, waiting for riding season to start. In the meantime, I’ll store the cleaner in the basement. Simple Green freezes, after all.

Oh, for a Warm Spring Day...

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
Anne Bradstreet (1612?-1672) US poet

With the trainer as succedaneum*, I’ve pedaled my way to 316.8 miles so far this year. No hills, no wind and not nearly as much fun as a long ride on the open road. But, it is riding. Sort of; certainly more than I am able to get on the snow-covered real roads around La Crosse.

Things are shaping up for 2008. A national park ride in the western US is in the running, as is, according to Bill, a ride in Switzerland. Talk about needing to get some vertical work in. It isn’t going to happen with only the trainer though, its wheels being nailed to the floor, so to speak.

Come on spring!

* Dictionary.com, if you need it. Some won’t :-)

Why am I not riding the real roads...

X's and O's

The new trainer certainly provides the ultimate ride-and-get-nowhere experience, a faux ride as it were. Faux. Now there’s a puzzler. It looks like “fawks,” but sounds like “foh.” What is that all about? Were there surplus x’s floating around in the bayous of southern Louisiana, looking for a place to light? If so, why did they choose to attach to the “oh” words? Whatever, this French dipthong has gotten some press. For example, the LSU and New Orleans Saints football teams showcase this phonetic anomaly in their “Geaux Tigers!” and “Geaux Saints!” banners.

Where is this geauxing? X’s and O’s are football shorthand for game plans and I am in the processes of planning my 2008 riding. I didn’t quite make it to 5,000 miles in 2007, but that doesn’t mean I won’t aim higher this year. And, drum reauxll, here is the target...

2008 Geauxl :: 6,500 miles

And I will include the faux miles. With 172.7 miles already out of the way, I eauxnly have to get in 6,327.3 more in the next 352 days. Neaux sweat. Well, maybe that’s not exactly the case. There isn’t any wind with the stationary trainer meaning you can say goodbye to the cooling evaporation provided by the combination of perspiration, breeze and fancy jersey materials. But you can ride the trainer in any weather and the road conditions are always perfect. Let it sneaux, let it sneaux, let it sneaux!

The Trek on the CycleOps Trainer

Breaking the Rules

There are a number of rules for biking safely and effectively. And I broke most of them on my ride tonight. Yep. Tonight. It was 8:30 p.m. and fully dark when I got on the bike. For an hour and a half I pedaled on with no lights. I don't even own a headlight and my flashing tail light rested then, as it does now, on my shop-on-wheels in the garage.

No lights. Not such a big deal when you consider I rode without a helmet*. I was also sans riding glasses and rear view mirror. If you are going to be reckless, you might as well do it up right. Just to round things out, I went without gloves and wore only shorts and a light weight jersey, in spite of the cool, damp weather.

Being unencumbered by what had previously been required equipment, I made really good time on the ride: 26.6 miles at almost 19 mph. I think I'm going to have to ride like this more often.

There is one more thing I might mention. Tonight was my first ride using the indoor trainer that was FedEx'ed in this morning. The Trek is securely mounted at the rear axle, the front wheel supported in the climbing block. It was a surprisingly taxing ride, given the fact that there was absolutely no wind with exactly zero elevation change.

One real ride and one fake one so far this year and I am 63.1 miles into my 2008 goal. More about that later!

* Disclaimer: this was a simulated ride carried out by trained professionals in a controlled environment. Never, ever get on an un-tethered bike without a helmet.

Searching

Often the search proves more profitable than the goal.
E. L. Konigsburg

What were they searching for, I wonder? The StatCounter service I use to count visits to the blog also provides information about how visitors made their way to the site. Sometimes it is because they Googled something and were led here. I browsed the statistics the other day and found 18 of the last 100 visitors got here via a Google event. In this post, I'll tell you about what they were looking for and why, I think, they were directed here. All references to other posts are also links to the post mentioned, just in case you are inclined to look.

The most recent Google-sent visitor to be brought here was looking for Skykomish coffee stand. I looked for one of these when the tour was in Skykomish to no avail. I wonder how the searcher fared in his or her virtual hunt? The June 27 post Bigfoot Country described my visit to an espresso stand on the way up into the Cascades and the subsequent overnight in Skykomish, hence the connection to this visitor's search.

Then there was the search for fourteen girls. Landing here was a result of the fourteen as in fourteen percent ride and the posting Girls’ Night Out (June 7). But I wonder what... no, I guess it's best that we just move on.

Lark toys brought three visitors to the blog. I saw the real thing as noted in the October 9 It Was a Lark! post.

Laying out all of my biking gear (Fashion Sense, October 23), introduced readers to my bicycling ear covers triangles as they were called by one seeker of cool weather cycling gear. Another cold-eared rider found this site by looking for Seattle bicycle store ear cover fleece.

A combo of posts, May 18's The Last Word on Wind and It’s Hard to Stop a Train(ing Program) from June 13 proved enough to attract one visitor who had Googled train aerodynamic streamlining.

You might not expect someone looking for horseradish encrusted grouper calories to have ended up here, but recall the Squid Ink Risotto post of May 4. I described a dish I had at a local restaurant: horseradish encrusted grouper. What are the odds?

One hit came as a result of the search for nautical themes for cycling jerseys. "Cycling" and "jersey" appear often enough in the blog, of course. But nautical? Well just call me Captain Jack -- "nautical" appears twice, first in the May 10 post entitled Back in the Saddle Again (you'll just have to go read that post to see how I get to nautical from saddles.) Then there was the reference to nautical twilight in the July 1 Miles to go Before I Sleep post. By the way, who knows what "nautical twilight" is? If you know me, you’ll realize that having "nautical" come up only twice in the entire blog (to date) is a sign of great restraint. Hey, I was even told once that I looked like Johnny Depp. OK, I was actually told I look like how Johnny Depp is going to look 30 years from now. Oh well, close enough.

My penchant for the comic strip Frazz and my special affinity for a particular strip where one of the elementary school’s young students discusses Horace's philosophy with Frazz, the school's custodian, are shared by at least three others who stopped by during their searches for Frazz Horace, Frazz bicycle and Horace guy says possessions don't make you happy. This last search target is actually the subject of the May 13 Moments posting.

My Paradise post of July 5 pulled in a searcher who Googled rode to paradise. It can be done, just check out the pictures in the post.

And then there were the poets... looking for rhymes with orange, wonders rhymes with and what rhymes with percent. I hope the August 20 Rhymes with Orange... posting provided them some inspiration.

Finally, there is my favorite. A search for happy moments with bike. This is just what I've tried to convey throughout the blog. I have had many "happy moments with bike."

I hope the Googlers find what they are looking for. Me, I stepped away from the computer and searched for biking experiences in 2007. And I found the time of my life with the ride from Seattle to Missoula. I also sought a 5,000 mile year. Did I make it? No. I rolled out of 2007 with 4,843 miles.

Am I disappointed? Not really. As our friend Mr. Konigsburg pointed out at the begining of this posting...

Often the search proves more profitable than the goal.

Thanks to daughter #1 who provided the idea for using the Google generated hits as the basis of a posting by doing one in her blog a few weeks ago.

Chocolate Milk and Doughnuts

On Saturday I stopped wondering if I was ever going to ride again this year and just got on the bike and took off. Conditions were perfect for a quick run down to Stoddard ~ cold drizzle with the promise of a transition to sleet then snow. The roads were wet, but actually clear of ice and snow all the way to the guardrails. In spite of the conditions, it felt good riding along the river again, although the fog kept the Minnesota side vistas from prying Wisconsin eyes. Being obstreperous because the Packers are having a better year than the Vikings, I suppose. Boldly pedaling right through Stoddard, I headed out on Highway 162. About five miles out I turned around and came back, now riding in a pretty steady rain.

Upon getting off the bike at the Stoddard Kwik Trip, I saw that the back end of my saddle was buried in mud. Not dirty. Not covered with mud. Buried. As for my own personal backside, I couldn’t see it, but I was pretty sure what was going on. But I did not let this stop me from going in and getting my riding reward – a small bottle of chocolate milk and a doughnut. Being so fortified, I headed back towards La Crosse. It was only about a mile into this last leg when I noticed just how very cold it had become. The ride so far had been more comfortable than I had any right to expect, but that quickly became but a memory. I was wet, riding into the wind and now getting pelted alternately by rain and sleet…that pink band on the weather maps that they sometimes call a "wintry mix."

I returned and deposited my clothes directly into the washing machine, started it up and took a long hot shower. A wet, dirty, cold, rainy, sleety ride of 30.8 miles. All of that, just for chocolate milk and a doughnut? You bet! Was it worth it? Yes it was!

4,843 miles of highway have now rolled under my seat in 2007. My 5,000 mile goal only 157 miles away. So near. Yet so far…the promise of six to ten inches of snow tonight not boding well for the next few days at least.

THWUMP

THWUMP!!!!! That’s the sound of nature throwing down the gauntlet, saying, “Let’s see you make your 5,000 mile goal now.” At about 3 a.m. a significant amount of snow packed up and left the roof, sliding down the steep slope for the short trip to the driveway where it made its sudden and noisy stop. When I officially got up a few hours later, I found, to no one’s surprise, that the snow did not limit itself to falling only on, then from, rooftops. Streets and sidewalks were also targeted. After the cycle of snow, warming, rain and sleet, cooling, and a little more snow, the streets have become pretty unfriendly to bicycles.

Now according to Frazz, there is no such thing as weather too bad for a ride, only a poor choice of clothing. But warm clothing won’t help keep your wheels below the handlebars on an icy road. So the Trek is, for the moment, a bicycle-in-waiting. There is still time. If the weather cooperates. But this is Wisconsin. And it is December.

It isn’t just snowing here, either. Remember the reason for this blog? The Seattle to Missoula ride. I checked in at the Washington state DOT web site after reading headlines about Stevens Pass and portions of US 2 being closed. I found an interesting picture from the Tumwater Canyon area, just west of Leavenworth. This is where we had a wonderful lunch stop site with the opportunity to observe the nesting ospreys. Below are two pictures…one that I took in June and the other from the DOT site showing, I think, very nearly the same stretch of road just a couple of days ago:


Tumwater Canyon, June


Tumwater Canyon, December

What a difference six months makes!

So here I sit, frozen as it were, at 4,812.2 miles, wondering how I’ll get the 187.8 needed to reach 5,000.

Thankful

For as long as I can remember, one of Atlanta's Thanksgiving traditions has been sportswriter Furman Bisher’s column on things he is thankful for. As he notes, there is “a bit of whimsy” in his list, but in the end, he succeeds in showing you that you can be thankful for just about anything. His 2007 column can be found here for a while. After reading it, I thought I’d give list-making a try. As it is with Mr. Bisher’s, the list not complete, just representative.

I’m thankful for our family's visit to Atlanta. And, that I did not spill the beans to Shirley, who was truly surprised at their appearance.

I’m thankful that I got to see the Georgia Tech basketball team beat Notre Dame. But not so thrilled at the Falcons’ miserable showing against the Colts. And how 'bout them Packers?!

I'm thankful that my sore throat isn't any worse than it is. I needed to be in top form to keep up with my grandsons at the zoo.

I'm thankful that I'll able to watch Saturday’s Georgia – Georgia Tech game with Dan and Wendell although I doubt it will have a good outcome for Jackets' fans. Update: It didn't. Have a good outcome. 31-17 Georgia.

I’m thankful that those who couldn't be in Atlanta made it to Illinois for Thanksgiving with their family; and, a little sad at the same time, that they are not here.

I’m thankful for Shirley and for the time we have had in Cincinnati and Atlanta.

I’m thankful for Atlanta’s November weather with breezes to rustle the pine straw that is everywhere around here.

I’m thankful for bicycles. And Bag Balm.

I’m thankful for good friends.

I’m thankful for the big family gathering at Ann’s. I miss Glenora’s rolls, but I am thankful that Shirley discovered the Kings Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls as a replacement.

I am thankful for the challenge of missions trips. For being able to make a difference.

I am thankful for being able to sit in a Waffle House where the waitress calls you sweetheart and you can get real grits. And thankful too that the local Dunkin' Donuts has a drive-through.

And I’m usually just thankful that I’m here. Wherever here is.

New Bike

I had entertained the idea of shipping or carrying my Trek here to Atlanta for the Thanksgiving holidays. Spending 4 days at the Missionary Convention in Cincinnati was a complicating factor as was the fact that we are staying in a hotel near Shirley's parents' home. So, I opted out. But, this is not to say I didn't have a plan for riding. I would just get a bike for the stay in Georgia. Here it is:



Nice, huh? Some time ago, I wrote about how I rode and rode and, after thousands of miles in the seat, still found myself at home in La Crosse. Well, this is a whole new level of getting nowhere on a bike. Then there is the scenery. While at home, I can ride along the Mississippi River, the stretch from La Crosse to Stoddard being as scenic as it gets. Here, I have water too look at too:



Oh well, I suppose it is better than not riding at all.

Eschewing

My mission now is to ride 5,000 miles this year. It will take some extra effort. And good planning. I know, for example, that there are 48 days left this year. Taking into account planned trips and holidays, I think I have at most 28 days of riding left. Needing 263.8 miles to reach my goal, I figure that’s 9.5 miles per day. Doable, but not a slam dunk. Or whatever the bicycling equivalent of a sure thing is.

Part of the plan for chewing up the miles is eschewing the hills*. Riding down the river to Stoddard gives me 20 miles in a bit over an hour. Riding up Bliss road or County K and I can only count on 14 or 15 miles in the same amount of time. So, I’ve taken several tours downriver (and back) these last two weeks. This includes a 57 mile ride down past Victory, Wisconsin last weekend.

Eschewing to chew.

Total for the year is 4,736.2 miles.

* Just to show the hills I haven’t forgotten them, I have ridden up Bliss Road twice this week.

Soaring

Did I mention that I love to travel? And to fly? Even these days when air travel has become so much of a hassle, I enjoy the sum of the experiences that make up the journey. So it was on this trip to Palm Springs. Because of the near last-minute decision to come, my routing was through Chicago AND San Francisco. Without being able to tell you exactly why, I appreciated the chance to go through SFO. I had been here before, but in the time before children. That was a long time ago. Changing from the American Airlines flight to the Alaska Airlines service to PSP took me through the vacant Terminal 2 building. It was eerie -- a long curving passage past maybe one hundred identical empty ticket counters and large, open spaces where people once (and would again, after the renovation) funneled into the departure gate area. I was on a trek that not too many people need to make, it seems. In the ten minute transit from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, I met only two people going the other way and saw one family using the big empty space for their young children to de-energize as they took long laps.

As interesting as this was, it was not the part of the journey out here that was most memorable. That distinction belongs to the short flight from La Crosse to Chicago. We took off on an overcast morning and were quickly into the clouds. It wasn't long, however, before we broke through the first layer and were skimming along the gray-white cotton balls of the cloud tops with the slate gray underside of the layer above us. The sun came up and shone through the opening between the layers, lighting up the top of the lower layer like a bed of glowing coals. The light in the cloud gap to the east then turned from a dim gray haze to a brilliant display of orange and pink. It is an amazing thing to fly. Just amazing. Do I love it? Yes I Do!

Biking? Well,being here in Palm Springs offers no opportunity for riding so I might as well write about the trip, don't you think? But there was that ride in Washington state. Up Stephens Pass. Into the clouds. Soaring of a different ilk, but soaring just the same. So, we have a theme at least.

I did get in 54.1 miles since last Tuesday and now am looking at 493.6 miles to go to reach my goal of 5,000 in 2007.

Fashion Sense

Recently I noted that Fashion for Engineers was in the top ten list of shortest books ever written. I'm guessing that Fashion for Year 'Round Riding in Wisconsin is one of the longest. How do you dress for success in the upper midwest? Glad you asked. The slide show running below illustrates some of the principles.

Warm Weather Wear
Here we see the basics - shorts, lightweight jersey, short socks, and cool fingerless gloves. Shoes of course. And the helmet. There is always a helmet. Rain or shine, hot or cold. I repeat. There is ALWAYS a helmet.

Cool Weather Wear
It starts to get complicated now. Shorts, jersey, shoes and helmet are the base. Some cool weather additions to the well dressed rider's wardrobe are a lightweight, windproof jacket, heavier gloves with thin glove liners for even cooler days. The socks are a little heavier and go over the ankle. Leg warmers that are held up by the shorts are easy to remove and stash in a jersey pocket. The cap is more important to those of us who lack the natural insulation. Also shown are toe covers for the regular biking shoes and ear covers (the triangles) that velcro on to the helmet straps. It is not unusual to wear most of what you see in the picture at the start of the ride, with outer layers shed as you and the weather warm up.

Cold Weather Wear
Getting enough clothing between you and the wind is the issue when Wisconsin winter kicks in. We now have a base layer under the jersey. The one shown in the picture has a hood and sleeves that extend down to the knuckles with a hole for the thumb to keep the sleeve from walking up your arm. The jersey goes on next then a much heavier jacket. Tights, regular or fleece, go over the shorts and smart wool socks (not shown). Shoes are replaced with high-top riding boots and chemical foot warmers are a must. Full finger gloves over the liners for cold days or the "lobster" glove-mitten for COLD days. I usually wear the black cap under my helmet which now is also fitted with a cover ( the black and yellow piece at the right shoulder in the picture). Ear muffs round out the outfit.

As the weather gets cooler, you really don't need to ride as much - I'm sure that getting dressed and undressed through all of the layers burns the equivalent of a few miles worth of calories. And I think you see from this display why the spare no expense directive is not hard to follow.

Four rides last week netted me 103.6 miles. Total for the year is 4,452.3 miles.

Breaking News

Interrupting the pattern of Tuesday posts and posts about (more or less) biking, this very special announcement. Shirley and I now have our fourth grandchild and first granddaughter. She was born on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 6:38 p.m. Baby and proud parents are doing fine. Her arrival creates a few more family connections, of course - a new sister for two grandsons and a new cousin for another. Quite an accomplishment for a 7 pound, 5 ounce 18 1/2 inch baby, wouldn't you say? Tomorrow we drive up for a visit. I'll come home in the evening and Shirley will stay for a few days to help out.

Mystery, Reprise

Let's go back to London for a look at something totally unrelated to riding. Except that I found another Mystery Spot. You might recall the May 31 posting entitled Mystery, discussing the fascinating subject of Mystery Spots in the U.S. and, in particular, a few encountered during rides around the Coulee Region. Unlike the highway anomalies cited in the aforementioned post, I have video evidence of this English mystery...

Art at the British Library in London
How did the artist do this??? Answer next week. If you think you know, leave a comment.

I did ride this week, by the way; 116.4 miles, sitting now at a mere 651.3 miles shy of 5,000.

It Was a Lark!

There's nothing like a relaxing ride with which to start a nice Saturday morning. And it was nothing at all like a relaxing ride that we took last Saturday. More like an 83 mile sprint, in my estimation. Riding with Bill - sort of - it was a 4 hour 30 minute dash to Pepin, Wisconsin. We started off crossing the Mississippi River at La Crosse then climbing Apple Blossom Drive in La Crescent, Minnesota. Our first stop was Winona, 26 miles to the north, which is, of course, why we spent the next hour riding west. We did not go to Rochester, but I could sense it just over the next rise. If you look at a map, you'll see that the Mississippi River follows a northwesterly track as it separates Minnesota and Wisconsin so riding west is a necessary condition of arriving in Winona.

Leaving Winona we set our sights on Wabasha, Minnesota. Now we were riding the shoulder of the four-lane Highway 61 with a pretty good breeze pushing us along. About five miles from Wabasha, I caught up with Bill who was sitting on his bike, waiting. He pointed to a building across the highway, asked if I'd ever been there. What I noticed was a sign promising Ice Cream and Road Food (I did not ask). No, I'd not been here so we crossed the highway (carefully, of course), me thinking we were going in for something unique in the way of ice cream or that I would learn something about road food. I was to find out, however, that the cafe was just part of Lark Toys, a marvelous store featuring handmade wooden toys, a toy museum of sorts and a magnificent, working carousel. The owner of the shop had carved all of the animals on the ride and they were wonderful. Intricate, colorful, fanciful and part of a working carousel. I brought Shirley here on Sunday and we watched a group of excited youngsters riding the aniamls and their imaginations around and around to the tune of On Wisconsin. Click on the link to check out Lark Toys.

Leaving Lark, we crossed back into Wisconsin at Wabasha, rode through Nelson, Wisconsin and were sooner than I had expected at our destination: Pepin, Wisconsin. The plan was to meet Shirley and Eileen, who were driving up, for lunch at the Harbor View Cafe. We had a chance to unwind from the ride while waiting for them to arrive, after which we enjoyed an excellent lunch. We know the halibut was good, as three of us ordered the same meal. We'll just have to go back to sample more of the menu, which is written on a blackboard and changes daily.

The bikes were packed into the back of the car for the drive home. Eighty three miles in four and a half hours. A Lark.

Several rides this week bring my 2007 total to 4252.8 miles. Now, only 747.2 to go!

Observations Along the River Road

Okay, it isn’t Tuesday but here’s a Tuesday post. Live with it! The frequency of posting to the Blog is looking a lot like my riding frequency since just before the London / Salt Lake City trips – infrequent. But things are getting better; I’ve put in 245 miles in the last 7 days of riding.

The last few rides have taken me along the river, south to Stoddard. This for the first time since the flooding (see the August 28, 2007 posting, “Forty Days and Forty Nights?”). The highway is in great shape, but there are several mudslide scars on the hillside. It is quite impressive, the clean sweep made by the cascading mud. Swaths carved out of the otherwise tree-lined slopes, extending from the highway all the way to the top of the bluffs.

You can ride the same roads over and over but you’ll still get to see something different if you keep your eyes open. In addition to the remnants of the flood damage, there have been, once again, snakes. All over the road south of Goose Island. All but one gone to that place snakes go after they have been flattened on the roadway.

How am I doing on my 2007 goal of 5,000 miles? Well, as of today, I have 4,115 miles and a plan to do about 90 on Saturday. I just might make it. And then again, maybe I won’t.

A London Tale

On the list of the ten shortest books ever written is Fashion for Engineers. So I guess that qualifies me as much as anyone to provide fashion commentaries. With that pre-disclaimer, let’s get on with it.

Walking around London this afternoon, I noticed quite a few bikes, more so, I think, than in previous visits to this rather amazing city. A few years ago, a Congestion Charge was instituted for any car driving in central London. One benefit of this is that us foreigners now know precisely when we are passing into central London since EVERY street is marked with a sign having a distinctive white C on a red background at the point where it crosses this heretofore invisible boundary. The standard daily charge is 8 Pounds or about $16. That’s EVERY DAY. Right there you have 80 good reasons per week to ride your bike here. There are, of course, the million or so other reasons to not ride here: all of the cars, taxis and buses that pack the streets.


Another thing I've noticed in my travels around town is that the concept of London fashion is clearly an oxymoron*. It looks like grab-your-clothes-in-the-dark is the rule of the day. Casual doesn’t begin to describe it. This spills over to bikers. They wear everything. T-shirts, baggy shorts, flip-flops. But not helmets. My non-scientific study puts the number of helmet wearers at less than 10%.

As for the bikes, there is quite the variety of these, too. Mostly sturdy ones as befits the rough roads around town. And there are a few road bikes, some of the small city cycles and even a track bike or two. See the slide show at the end of this post for pictures of just a few of the bikes and bikers.

I know I’d never ride around here. It is bad enough as a pedestrian from the keep-to-the-right school, trying to avoid being run down from behind by the keep-lefters. As you might guess, there has been no riding at all since last Tuesday. And there will be none between now and next Tuesday, either. There will be a lot to catch up on when the traveling is done.

Cheerio!

* Don't think that I am down on London. Shirley and I were here on THE September 11 and spent an extra 5 days waiting for our flight back home. We were treated wonderfully and have nothing but good memories of the people we have met here, before, during and after our September 11 experience. This September 11 was no exception.

Bikes in London...