105th outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, July 31, 2021

2021 mileage: 3712.2

This morning's ride could easily be captured by the word "problematic." I went out about 7:15 to air up my tires, as I always do on Saturday morning, but with the third and final one (the rear wheel), the valve would not screw shut after I had filled it with the air. I figured the valve must have developed some sort of issue, but I did the best I could with it, and reapplied the cap, hoping it would get me through the ride OK.

That hope was in vain. I set off to ride the Packard/Platt Square, and got almost 3 miles into the ride, by Briarwood Mall, when the back end began to weave. I stopped and checked, and sure enough, the back tire was way, way down in air pressure.

Assessing my options, I knew I could get an Uber, go home and get the car, put the rack on it, and come back for the trike. Another possibility was to text Michelle, but I hated to disturb her before 8:00 on a Saturday, when I knew she'd still be sound asleep for some time yet.

Finally I figured I'd haul out my little portable pump and see if I could pump the tire up. Amazingly, this worked! And evidently in the process of attaching and detaching the pump, something must have fixed itself in the valve, because now it closed OK.

Feeling pretty good about the state of things at that point, I was tempted to keep going with my original plan. But upon further reflection, I decided it would be more prudent to see if I could muster up some atypical (for me) conservatism and cut the ride short rather than seeing if I could do the additional 10+ miles. So I rode the loop around Briarwood, and then headed home, finishing with 5.5 miles in 44 minutes. I had wanted to try and spend more time on music today anyway (both piano practice for an upcoming performance at church on August 29, and also on composition), so this will enable that.

Relive video of today's ride

104th outdoor ride of 2021 - Friday, July 30, 2021

2021 mileage: 3706.7

Today's ride was, for a change, refreshingly cool, and took me over another yearly mileage milestone (3700). When I began, just before 7:00, it was 62° and mostly sunny, but during the ride cloudiness became increasingly thicker, until the last few minutes, when it began to clear again.

I rode the Platt/Packard Square, 13.6 miles, in a deliberate time of 1:51.

Relive video of today's ride

103rd outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, 7/29/2021

2021 mileage: 3693.1

I rode at midday again today, and, like yesterday, it was a very summery day—76° when I began at 10:30, and 82° when I finished. I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in a time of 1:42.

Recently I was soundly berated by a pedestrian for not having an audible warning device. So, following the good recommendation of my friend Jim Alvey, I procured a bell—and best of all, before today's ride, this mechanical dunce was able to attach it to the trike!

Relive video of today's ride

102nd outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, July 28, 2021

2021 mileage: 3679.5

Today, I needed to go to FedEx (formerly Kinko's) to make some copies. Michelle was gone with our car when I wanted to go (late morning), so I decided I could ride over there. This went fine, though as it's only a little over 2 miles away, the round trip of 5.2 miles (40 minutes) was a baby ride by my usual standards. But it was warm enough by then (76° when I started at 10:30, and 82° when I finished) that I certainly wouldn't have wanted to go farther. (I considered a longer route home to add distance, but quickly rejected that notion.)

Relive video of today;'s ride

101st outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, July 27, 2021

2021 mileage: 3674.3

This morning, I slipped out of bed a little before 5:00, hoping to begin early and ride my 30+ mile route to Matthei Botanical Gardens before it heated up too much. With a sunrise time today of 6:23, I set off at 6:15 (in 71° conditions), thus achieving the first part of my goal.

However, by a couple miles into the ride, it was clear that something was wrong. Pedaling as hard as I could, I still could not reach even the minimal average speed that I usually shoot for (8 mph). Pondering it, the only answer I could come up with was that the tire pressure must be low, so I decided that I would turn around at Marsh Park and settle for a short (10-mile) ride today.

After a short pause at the park, I set for home, and just a few seconds later I made a dismaying discovery. There are two buttons (one on each side) that lock my brakes down—and when I started off from home, the one on the left failed to release. By that point, though, I was so discouraged from the frustrating start, and had already made up my mind to accept the shorter ride, that I just stayed with it.

Relive video of today's ride

100th outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, July 26, 2021

 2021 mileage: 3664.2

Once again today, I rode on a quintessentially summer day. When I began, just before 1:00 p.m., it was sunny and 86°. I would actually infinitely prefer a temperature of 45° or 40° (or even 35°) for riding, but it certainly made for a good workout.

I got the above picture at Marsh Park, when I stopped for a brief break 5 miles into the ride. In total, I rode the Platt/Packard Square again -- 13.7 miles in 1:46.

Relive video of today's ride

99th outdoor ride of 2021 - Sunday, July 25, 2021

2021 mileage: 3650.5

Riding conditions this morning were very summery—I began at 7:15 in sunshine and warm temperature (71°), but tremendously humid. Accordingly, my overall ride ended up being one of my slowest ever. I did the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in 1:54.

Relive video of today's ride

98th outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, July 24, 2021

2021 mileage: 3636.9

I wanted to do a long ride this morning (to Matthei Botanical Gardens for the first time since July 6), but on the way there it seemed so long that I was sorely tempted to shorten it. However, I managed to stick it out all the way there (though I shortened the route home slightly, for a total ride of 27.0 miles in 3:36).

In the very early part of the ride, a dismaying incident occurred. I rode up (very slowly) behind a woman (I'm tempted to say "ten to twenty years older than I," although in reality she was probably about my age) walking her dog. She didn't notice me, but the dog did, and started yipping at me—whereupon the woman whirled about, shook her finger fiercely at me, and told me energetically, with a severe frown, "We need a horn!"

On my former trike I had an AirZound, which bills itself as "the world's loudest air horn." But it died about three years ago, and though I procured a replacement, I never got it put on (being miserably unable mechanically). But it remains in the box, in brand new condition, and I feel as if I should give it a go this afternoon. But the ride taxed me sufficiently that I think I'll wait and try it tomorrow instead.

On the way home, I came through Gallup Park, and got this selfie beside the Huron River

Relive video of today's ride

97th outdoor ride of 2021 - Friday, July 23, 2021

2021 mileage: 3609.9

This morning, a light rain caused me to reduce my plans and just settle for a single round trip to Marsh Park -- 10.1 miles in 1:17. Still, though, it did help me to reach a new mileage milestone for the year, exceeding 3600.

Relive video of today's ride

96th outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, July 22, 2021

2021 mileage: 3599.8

Though conditions were spectacular (sunny and 71°), today's ride was frustrating early on. Inexplicably, the MapMyRide app kept slipping out of Active mode -- fortunately, the Vocal Feedback was working fine, and every couple of minutes, I'd hear, "Workout paused," and have to dig my phone out and restart it. (The app seems to be in kind of a funky stretch right now, as it was having issues yesterday, too.) I was able to do this without completely stopping, but as a result it cost me somewhat on the measurement of my ride. However, I rode the Platt/Packard Square, a ride I've done many times before, and so know that it was about 13.6 miles in roughly 1:40.

It was dismaying when I finished my ride, and was figuring up my stats at home, to see that I finished at just 2/10 miles shy of 3600 for the year. Had I known I was that close, I'd have done the half-mile lap in our complex and broken the milestone. However, it should be very easy to achieve tomorrow!

When I rode by Lillie Park, I chuckled and had to take a picture of the sign. My friends Tim and Stephanie Matthews, on a ride yesterday afternoon for which I gave them the route, mentioned going by Lillie Park, and not long after that they became unsure of their way. But they told the story to us, and then the park cropped up in a game we played last night, when the category was, "Places the Matthews family has visited in Michigan," and Michelle responded, "Lillie Park."😆

Relive video of today's ride

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

2021 mileage: 3579.0

A brief review of facts for readers who may be fairly new to my acquaintance or not aware of these circumstances.

In May 1993 I was critically injured in an automobile accident. Thrown from the car, I landed on my head and incurred a Traumatic Brain Injury that left me in coma for 2 months and in the hospital for 6.

In 2013 and 2014 I tried some riding of a regular bicycle, but balance issues resulting from the TBI caused numerous falls and resultant injuries (including a broken rib and broken collarbone). Finally conceding to the wisdom of a recommendation by a friend, I procured a recumbent tricycle in the spring of 2015, and that has made all the difference, as I average over 4000 miles/year with it, and enjoy the experience very much.

Here is a picture of me on the trike, which my wife Michelle took in August 2017.

This morning I enjoyed a special ride. My daughter Christy is good friends with Stephanie Matthews from Ft. Collins, CO (where Christy used to live), and Michelle and I have become friends with Stephanie, too. She and her family are currently visiting  Christy here in Michigan, and she contacted me to ask if I'd like to ride together this morning. So she came over early, and we rode a round trip to Marsh Park together. At the park, she had a woman take a picture of us and our bikes.

I also had her give my trike a try, so she could see how it feels, and just before she set off I snapped this shot of her.

For some reason, the MapMyRide shut off early today and did not record my entire ride (though I know from many times riding it in the past that it's about 10.2 miles in 1:15).

Relive video of today's ride

95th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, July 20, 2021

2021 mileage: 3579.0

This morning I left a few minutes before 9:00 and rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (for the first time since July 5) -- 20.1 miles in 2:42.

Relive video of today's ride

94th outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, July 19, 2021

2021 mileage: 3558.9

Lovely conditions for riding again today—I began at 11:45 in 77° sunshine, and that climbed to 81° during the ride. I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in a languid time of 1:41.

Relive video of today's ride

93rd outdoor ride of 2021 - Sunday, July 18, 2021

2021 mileage: 3545.3

This morning, conditions were beautiful for riding—sunny, calm, and 63° when I started, climbing to 73° during the ride. Despite this, though, I was unable to achieve a good speed, and simply plodded along dutifully (but gratefully).

I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles) in 1:50, happy to have solved the battery issue that plagued me yesterday as in some other recent days.

Relive video of today's ride

92nd outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, July 17, 2021

2021 mileage: 3531.7

Issues with both the MapMyRide app and with my battery plagued me again today. (However, I was able to solve the power issue by swapping out a new cord to connect battery and phone, which I had procured a while ago just for such an event.)

Consequently, I needed to do a shorter ride than I wanted to, and settle for just a single round trip to Marsh Park (10.2 miles, 1:20) in relatively cool (64°-68°) and very cloudy weather. After being kept inside my rain all day yesterday, though, I was grateful to be able to ride at all today.

Relive video of today's ride

Friday,, July 16, 2021

2021 mileage: 3521.5

Today we are "enjoying" a daylong steady rain. So this afternoon I climbed on our stationary bike and rode 27.7 miles. in 1:48, while watching a movie I greatly admire, The American President, with Michael Douglas playing the title role of President Andrew Shephard.

Trailer for "The American President"

91st outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, July 15, 2021

 2021 mileage: 3493.2

Today, like Monday, was a terribly slow ride. I'm not sure why this is happening, but for now I'm just glad to be able to get out and ride, regardless of the speed (or lack thereof).

Also, like on Monday, I rode the Packard/Platt Square, which measured at 13.2 miles in 1:51. (The distance is a bit shorter than usual due to a malfunction in the MapMyRide app late in the ride, but I'm just gonna go with it and not worry about it.)

Relive video of today's ride

90th outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, July 14, 2021

 2021 mileage: 3480.1

Got out at 8:00 this morning and rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.6 miles), but a little less sluggishly than yesterday (though still not fast), in 1:41.

When I began it was 68°, and that rose to 73° during the ride.

Relive video of today's ride

89th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, July 13, 2021

2021 mileage: 3466.5

Wanted to get my ride done fairly early today, so although didn't bust it out the door at sunrise as I like to do, I did leave at 7:30 (70°) and rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.5 miles), quite slowly (1:50).

Relive video of today's ride

88th outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, July 12, 2021

2021 mileage: 3453.0

Today I was confronted with a condition I've never before experienced. As far back as I can remember, I've been intensely goal-oriented and driven. This quality no doubt helped me to join the faculty of Olivet College as Assistant Professor of Music at the age of 30, and to receive my earned doctorate at the age of 31.

However, today all the drivenness had utterly vanished. This morning I could find within me no motivation whatsoever to ride or to practice piano, and only very little to compose.

However, this afternoon, after Michelle and I watched the 2021 movie Land (which we also watched last night, and liked very much), I managed to make myself do a short and slow ride -- a round trip to Marsh Park (10 miles) in 1:15.

Relive video of today's ride

Sunday, July 11, 2021

2021 mileage: 3417.9

Today is supposed to feature rain pretty much all day long. Whether or not that actually happens, I decided the only to be sure of getting a ride in was to climb on the stationary bike, so I did that at 8:00 a.m., riding 25.1 miles in 1:35 while watching The Greatest Showman.

A Million Dreams: The Greatest Showman

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87th outdoor ride of 2101 - Saturday, July 10, 2021

2021 mileage: 3417.9

This morning, MapMyRide was acting up, and I had to restart if 6 miles into the ride. That means I have two separate videos for today.

Also, my battery was acting strange. So, though I set off at 6:15 (in cool weather — 56°, rising to 62° by the time I finished), intending to ride to Matthei, by 5 miles in I rethought this and decided to go for a shorter ride. After all, the last thing I'd need would be to ride the 15+ miles there, and then have a mechanical issue with my battery run down so that I was unable to contact either Michelle or Uber.

In the end, then, I settled for doing the Platt/Packard Square—not as long as I had intended, but not inconsiderable, either. And this gave me 13.6 miles in 1:39.

Relive video of the first part of today's ride

Relive video of second part of today's ride

86th outdoor ride of 2021 - Friday, July 9, 2021

2021 mileage: 3404.3

Today it had cooled off dramatically, and it made for a delightful ride. When I began, just before 6:00 a.m., it was 59° and cloudy, and that temperature rose to 63° during my ride.

I rode a loop around St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (my "home away from home" for so much of 1993—177 days, from June to December, while I recovered after my severe, near-fatal  car accident).  Even though much of this route is the same as when I ride my round trips to Matthei Botanical Gardens, it is significantly shorter. Nevertheless, I felt it was still a substantial ride (26.1 miles, in 3:25), and it put me over a new mileage milestone (3400 for the year).

I also saw my friend and fellow triker Jim Alvey (saw him twice today), as I did two or three days ago.

Alas! What had been overall a pretty good, successful, and significant ride was troubled near the very end. With only about a quarter mile left, shortly before crossing Oak Valley, the sidewalk takes a nasty curve around a big tree. A very large woman was lumbering down the sidewalk away from me, and as I came up behind her, I called out, but she seemed not to have heard me (I believe she was listening to earbuds) as she made no effort to move, and I had to veer off the sidewalk to avoid her. In that spot the terrain was rough and quite uneven, and I ended up taking a tumble and ending up face down, with my feet still caught in my trike.

The woman who caused all this had to have seen me, but she just kept on going heedlessly. However, as I was struggling to bring some equilibrium back into my world, another person stopped by—a fellow resident of our complex (Heatherwood) who was out walking, a kind woman who introduced herself as Elana. She was quite concerned, wondering at first if I wanted her to call 911, and asking how she could help. I somehow managed to convey to her wordlessly that if she could just help get the trike off me, I could then get up, and that happened and I was soon on my way for the short remaining portion of the ride (albeit with a freshly bloodied knee).

Relive video of today's ride

Thursday, July 8, 2021

 2021 mileage: 3388.2

Today's weather forecast has called for a strong chance of thundershowers all day. As I write this at 1:15 p.m., I think that perhaps I could have snuck in an outdoor ride, as I've heard no  thunder or rain so far today.

However, I chose to be safe, and rode on the stationary bike in our Blue Room, while watching my beloved The Sound of Music. I didn't watch the entire movie, as I need to rebuild my stamina for the stationary bike, but I did watch the first 100 minutes of it, riding 23.1 miles.

85th outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, July 7, 2021

 2021 mileage: 3365.1

Today I was lazy, as opposed to the early starts I much prefer in this summer heat. (Yesterday, for example, I rode 26.6 miles beginning at 5:45.) This morning I spent some early morning time composing, and didn't get started with my ride until 9:00, at which point it was already 78° (and climbed to 83° by the time I finished).

I rode the Packard/Platt Square—13.6 miles, in a sluggish time of 1:44.

Relive video of today's ride

84th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, July 6, 2021

2021 mileage: 3351.5

Again today I was eager to get my ride done early in order to beat the heat. I set off at 5:45 (already 75°) and rode a round trip to Matthei Botanical Gardens (26.6 miles in a slow time of 3:37). It was a few miles shorter than my usual ride there, because on the way home I came west along Packard and Eisenhower rather than going all the way south back to Textile.

At the halfway point, when I turned around at Matthei, I texted a picture and note to my wife, daughter, and sister as I always do, and Christy answered quickly, "Good for you - too hot! Hope you brought water." I answered, "Nope," but then as I headed toward home, I thought about it and this seemed like a prudent reminder. So I stopped at a gas station a little more than 21 miles into the ride, and picked up some orange juice and water. I sat and drank them before starting off, and then, well hydrated, pushed on for the remainder of the ride.

Relive video of today's ride

83rd outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, July 5, 2021

2021 mileage: 3324.9

Wanting to get in a substantial ride today before it heated up too much, I left at 7:00 and rode a round trip to Baker Rd. (20.3 miles in 2:36).

It went well, but I'm glad I didn't wait any later: 69° when I began, and already up to 79° when I finished, with noticeable humidity.

Relive video of today's ride

82nd outdoor ride of 2021 - Sunday, July 4, 2021 (Independence Day [Dad's 114th birthday])

2021 mileage: 3304.6

I reached a couple of milestones today, exceeding 3300 miles for the year, and also over 300 hours of elapsed riding time.

I waited until after the Tigers' victory, and began my ride just before 5:00, in sunny 88° conditions. I hear from many people who profess to love summer, but I can't understand it. Give me spring or fall any day, or even winter much of the time, rather than this inferno! Still, I can tolerate it, and am glad I did today.

I rode a round trip to Marsh Park, keeping it short and simple -- 9.9 miles in 1:12.

Relive video of today's ride

81st outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday - July 3, 2021

2021 mileage: 3294.7

My grandson, Danny, gave me a Dairy Queen gift card in 2018, and I had never used it yet. Today felt like it would be a good day to do so, and thus I rode down to Saline and stopped by DQ on the way home, enjoying a Thin Mints blizzard on his largesse.

Here is a picture of the two of us on my sister's deck, when we made a family trip down to her home in Georgia in the summer of 2016.

My ride today was 15.8 miles, in 1:51, in decidedly cooler weather than any we have had lately—62° when I began (just before 8:00), and up to 66° by the end.

Relive video of today's ride

80th outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, July 1, 2021

2021 mileage: 3278.9

Today I had a library book that was due to be returned - so I did a relatively short ride (12.6 miles, in 1:36) that took me by the library, first putting the book in my pannier (the carrying bag on the back of my trike). It was a gorgeous sunny morning - 68° when I began at 7:45, climbing to 74° by the time I finished.

I just rode slowly, with an especially abysmal start (dropping to an average speed of 6.9 mph at one point), though I pushed myself more in the latter part of the ride, and was able to raise that average to 8.2 mph a couple of miles before the end. But several notable uphill stretches in those final miles made me finish up at 7.9.

Relive video of today's ride