Sunday, 1/31/2021

2021 mileage: 674.0

This was another split day. I rode for a brisk hour this morning, while watching a splendid production of the musical Godspell (which I thought appropriate for a Sunday morning). This was a splendid production, and it absolutely cracked me up when, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man was portrayed as one Donald Trump (with references to Trump Tower, Trump-owned golf courses, etc.). This was, of course, before his emergence onto the national political stage.

Godspell

Then this afternoon, I did 49 minutes, finishing off the part of Godspell that I didn't get to this morning, and then a brief virtual ride on the Great Wall of China.

Great Wall of China

This gave me a total day's ride of 28.3 miles in 1:49. Topping off my month of January at 674 miles, I smashed my old monthly best (January 2019), which was 533.2.

Saturday, 1/30/2021

 2021 mileage: 646.7

Yesterday I had my first day of 2021 when I was unable to ride. This was because Michelle and I spent the day traveling to, and in, Grand Rapids. She had been told by a colleague about the opportunity to get a COVID vaccine there, since she is a teacher, and she asked me to join her in hopes they could squeeze me in at the end of the day, in case there were any vaccine doses left—and this, in fact, happened.

So, having missed yesterday, and since I never sleep soundly anyway, I went in and rode our stationary bike for 75 minutes this morning, between 1:15 and 2:30 a.m. While riding, I watched the movie Dear John, a treatment of the novel by Nicholas Sparks. I've been reading the book the last 2 days—or actually, rereading it, as it was the first novel by Sparks that I ever read (in February 2007). I was drawn to it when browsing in the library, and when I saw it on the shelf, its title reminded me of the weekly letters I write to my son.😎 However, it led to my becoming a huge fan of his writings—I have read 20 of his books now.

Anyway, I didn't quite finish the movie this morning. Then this afternoon, when I decided to do another ride, I finished up the 25 minutes or so that remained of it, and then watched the 1965 movie production for television of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Cinderella. When I was a boy, this was broadcast annually (like The Wizard of Oz), and I came to love it. But I hadn't seen it over a half century, and was pleased to find how much of the music and how many of the lyrics I still remembered perfectly.

"Ten Minutes Ago" from Cinderella

I was also struck by the way my viewings of Cinderella have bookended a life of amazingly wonderful musical experiences. As a composer and rehabilitating pianist now; as a music educator at Olivet College in the late eighties and early nineties; before that, as a doctoral student at Michigan State University in the mid eighties; before that, as a master's student at University of Michigan in the early eighties; before that, as an undergraduate at St. Olaf College in the late seventies; and before that, as a high school student at the Interlochen Arts Academy in the mid seventies. Before that, as a young boy, I was entranced by this movie, starring Leslie Ann Warren (b. 1946) as Cinderella, Stuart Damon (b. 1937) as the Prince, and Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984) and Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) as the King and Queen.

My split day gave me a total of 40.6 miles in 2 hours 18 minutes of riding.

I 

IWizard\\\\\\\\\

Thursday, January 28, 2021

2021 mileage: 606.9

With Michigan in the grip of its colder stretch in quite some time, I did another good, solid virtual ride this morning, visiting a continent on which I had never been before. I rode for 3 hours along the coast near Cape Town, South Africa.

https://youtu.be/fa9WV0Ieidw

I am happy that this put me over 600 miles for the year so far, too—I'm so grateful to Michelle for the stationary bike she got us, to make this possible. My previous best was January 2019, when heavy use of LA Fitness enabled me to make 533.2 miles. While I do not want to say that I couldn't possibly do a longer stretch than I did today, I will confess that I feel no need, or strong desire, to do so.

By diligent use of the bike so far this year, I've brought the average daily miles needed to reach my goal of 5000 miles for the year down from 13.74 on New Year's Day to 13.03 as of tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

 2021 mileage: 563.2

Today I did another good, substantial 150-minute ride on our stationary bike, the odometer of which shows that we have now ridden it over 525 miles since our first ride on New Year's Day.

For the first hour and 45 minutes, I watched my all-time favorite movie, On Golden Pond, which is on YouTube in its entirety.

Then to finish up the ride, I found an enjoyable 45-minute virtual ride under blue skies whose location was unidentified. For a while I thought it was in the Midwest, as it was on largely flat terrain, lightly wooded farmland, with the ride occurring mostly on sparsely travelled paved roads and some paths, too. But I later came to think it was probably in Germany somewhere, as some of the stats at the bottom of the screen were labeled with German words (such as Distanz), and I thought I saw some German on a sign in one of the small towns we passed through. Later still, I thought I saw some Chinese characters on still another sign, but could not be at all sure of this.

Virtual Cycling 45-minute workout

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

2021 mileage: 529.1

We got snow overnight, turning into a mixture of snow and rain that persisted into today, leaving me absolutely delighted to be able to work out on our new stationary bike. I did a solid 2-hour ride.

For the first hour, as I am a huge John Denver fan, I watched and listened to him on YouTube (mostly clips from concerts, with occasional TV appearances sprinkled in, such as the Tonight show).

John Denver - Rocky Mountain High

Then for the second half, I went to Minnesota and did an hour riding virtually on the Mississippi River Trail. The trail runs along the west side of the river as it runs from its headwaters in northern Minnesota southward through Minneapolis, and on to its eventual southern terminus in Louisiana, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico,. This part of the ride was something less than I had hoped for, as the video was taken on a mostly cloudy fall day, with only rare peeks of sun to illuminate the many downed leaves blowing across the path in front of me. Still, though, it was nice to be in the Gopher State.

Mississippi River Trail in Minnesota

Being in Minnesota brought to mind my best friend, David Lenz. He is a pastor in suburban Minneapolis, and a fellow alumnus of St. Olaf College. We have in common being big men who carry on a never-ending quest for fitness and weight control; we self-deprecatingly call ourselves the Marshmallow Men. 😎This picture of us was taken in the late nineties, when he was the senior Pastor at our church, Westminster Presbyterian in Ann Arbor.

Monday, January 25, 2021

 2021 mileage: 503.0

Well, today I went back to a 150-minute ride, as this allowed me to surpass 500 miles for the year ... an achievement I've done only once previously, in January 2019.  Then, heavy use of LA Fitness allowed me to do 533.2 miles, but this year our cycle at home should allow me easily to set a new high mark for a month ... perhaps even tomorrow.

I did the first half of my ride today watching St. Olaf Choir on YouTube. As a high school junior (age 16) at the Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan, I formed the goal of devoting my life to choral music, and spent the next two decades pursuing this, until my life-changing car accident in May 1993 terminated my career as a professor of choral music at Olivet College in Michigan (age 36). After Interlochen, however, I earned my Bachelor's degree at St. Olaf College, where I spent three years in the bass section of the St. Olaf Choir, which is arguably the most influential (and best) college choir in this country (if not in the world). I know that is a lofty claim, but it is one I make not only from within the tradition but also with a strong professional knowledge of the field.

This performance by them is of a composition I love dearly, by a young (40) Norwegian composer.

St. Olaf Choir - Even When He Is Silent

Then I did the latter part of my ride virtually, watching video of a ride along the bike trail from Canmore to Banff (Alberta, Canada). Banff itself is incredibly scenic (though I have never been there), but this trail definitely was not. However, it gave me a good opportunity to think.

Canmore to Banff ride

Sunday, January 24, 2021

2021 mileage: 468.4

Today I cut back from yesterday's 150 minutes. But I still did a good, solid two-hour ride on our stationary bike.

The first hour I listened to the YouTube channel of my favorite instrumental music ensemble—a husband and wife (Joe Scott and Hannah Alkire) duet out of Colorado, called Acoustic Eidolon.

Acoustic Eidolon

For the second hour, keeping the same geographic theme, I did a virtual ride starting from Telluride, Colorado (in the southwestern portion of the state, over 6 hours from Denver), and involving a lot of climbing.

Virtual ride, Colorado

Saturday, January 23, 2021

 2021 mileage: 442.9

Today I did another good, solid 150-minute ride on our stationary bike. Like yesterday, I began  by listening to the YouTube channel of Marianne Kim, my favorite piano arranger. I did this for about an hour and 20 minutes, beginning with this arrangement of "Away in a Manger," which I intend to work up for next Christmas.

Marianne Kim - "Away in a Manger"

After this I went to California and did almost an hour on the path at Venice Beach in Santa Monica.

Link to virtual bike ride, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, California

Finally I finished up with a brief stint in Paris. I've never been to Paris, but it was very easy to know where I was, with the Eiffel Tower frequently looming up in view.

Link to virtual run in Paris

Also, the odometer on the bike shows that, since the first ride on New Year's Day, Michelle and I have now put over 500 miles on the bike.

Friday, January 22, 2021

2021 mileage: 411.2

Though I fell shy today of yesterday's 150 minutes, I still did a good, substantial ride, putting in a solid 2 hours this morning on our stationary cycle. And this time, rather than doing a virtual ride in some distant locale, I watched the YouTube channel of Marianne King, my favorite piano arranger. This arrangement by her of the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is the one I am working on now that I hope to have ready for video fairly soon.

Marianne King - Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Yesterday ended up being nicer weather than I had expected, so I kicked myself for not riding outside. But today more seasonal wintry weather has returned—the weatherman spoke this morning of "whipping winds" and "swirling snowflakes"—so I was delighted to have the indoor option.

Thursday, January 21, 2021

2021 mileage: 385.5

Today's virtual ride was two and a half hours, beginning with a Circle Tour of Lake Michigan by a married couple, ridden last summer, and beginning in Chicago, going up through Wisconsin, eastward across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, then down along the Lake Michigan coastline along the west side of the Lower Peninsula, cutting across Indiana, and finishing back in Chicago. 1040 miles in 19 days (compressed very significantly, of course, for the video) ... and I have to admit that I envied them!

Link to virtual bike ride of Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 (the last full day of the Trump presidency)

 2021 mileage: 325.5

Today I did a virtual ride in California, doing 77 minutes on a highway that largely follows the Pacific Ocean coastline (though it cuts through trees at a few points which leave the water out of sight). While the 30°, windy, cloudy conditions here in Michigan would not have been wholly impossible, it was nice to have this option instead.

Link to California scenic virtual bike ride

Saturday, January 16, 2021

  2021 mileage: 265.9

For a second straight day, I did a good solid 2 hours on the stationary bike in our home, today riding to the YouTube virtual cycling video of a loop in the Italian Alps. 

The bike has an odometer on it showing our cumulative mileage, and so far, since the beginning of the year, we've done 313.5 miles.

It's funny, but I've noticed that riding in these exotic locales (today the Italian Alps; yesterday Norway, Alaska, and the rim of the Grand Canyon; a few days ago Maui (Hawaii), etc., I get to enjoy much less cloud cover than the nearly permanent layer which seems to hang over Michigan. 😎

Link to cycling ride through Italian Alps

Friday, January 15. 2021

 2021 mileage: 249.2

Even though I've only been able to ride outside one time so far this year, I've been able to begin to lay down a base of mileage, and am so tremendously grateful to my dear Michelle for the idea she had to get a stationary exercise bike for our home that we could both use. I've been enjoying using it in combination with one of my Christmas gifts to her—a stand for one's phone with a fold-up magnifying screen that allows you to view video display much more easily. I set in on a stand in front of me, and am able thus to enjoy a wide variety of YouTube virtual cycling videos. Today I rode for an hour on Trollstigen, Norway ("Norway's famous serpentine road—You will be ascending 946 meters on your way up Trollstigen").  Then, after that, I did a half hour in Alaska, and a final half hour along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Link to YouTube virtual cycling video in Norway

1st outdoor ride of 2021 -- Tuesday, 1/12/2021

2021 mileage: 177.5

On a thoroughly overcast, gray and gloomy day, I went out today about 12:20 and did my first outdoor ride of the year. Because of considerable ice that we had received in the first couple of days of the year, I was concerned that it was unsafe to ride. But last night, my friend and fellow triker, Jim Alvey, told me the riding surfaces were now clear, and a drive-by observation I performed this morning seemed to bear that out.

II was attempting to ride the Packard/Platt Square, and was able to complete the majority of this 13.7-mile route. But a little over 10 miles into it, I got a flat -- the same wheel that had gone flat several times in December. However, all went well in the end -- I was successfully able to get home by means of Uber, put the rack on our car, and go back down to get the trike and bring it home.

Thanks to the patient help and teaching of my friend Dan Cogan, I now feel ready to try to do my first solo tube change. But given the 30° conditions, I didn't want to try this outside today, and figured our garage tomorrow morning would provide a much better environment for this attempt.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

Monday, January 11, 2021

 2021 mileage: 167.1

I am dismayed to have been unable to ride outside yet this year; but so grateful to be able to ride indoors on our new stationary cycle. In this way, I've been able to build a small base of mileage for the year so far.

Our temperatures most of this year have hovered in the low thirties, occasionally dipping into the twenties. I could bear the temperature, but do not feel it is safe to ride on the ice that we got in the first few days off the year, as they warn that the trail I ride is not maintained in the winter.

Our new stationary bike is set up in the "Blue Room" in our home, right beside our digital piano. Friends have commented that it's too bad they can't be placed so I could ride and play simultaneously, but that would be WAY too much multitasking for me!

First ride on new indoor cycle

2021 mileage: 15.1

I just did my first ride on the new indoor exercise cycle we got, and found that I heated right up—my biggest takeaway from it is, next time, be sure to wear a t-shirt rather than a hoodie! 😎

Like most instruction manuals, I found this one to be not written very well (lacking in both clarity and thoroughness). However, by trial and error, I was able eventually to figure out most things I needed (except how to reset the tension dial).

I had hoped at one point to squeeze in a ride outside today, but as it's turned out, it's been a day of pretty miserable "wintry mix," and I'm awfully glad to have had the option of staying inside.

New year, new blog, new exercise option

 Friday morning, Jan. 1, 2021

Michelle decided to get a new stationary recumbent exercise cycle for us to use here in our home as a Christmas gift to us. It was slightly delayed, but arrived on Wednesday, and yesterday it was assembled and placed in our Blue Room ... I look forward to inaugurating it this morning.

The new exercise cycle, in our Blue Room, beside the digital piano