154th outdoor ride of 2021 - Sunday, October 31, 2021

 2021 mileage: 4779.1

On this brisk fall morning, I waited till just past 8:00, as sunrise was at 8:07, and set off at that time, riding the Platt/Packard Square (plus an extra lap in our complex when I got home)—13.9 miles in 1:47.

Since my pumpkin daughter Christy was born on Halloween, I paused at Lillie Park (about 8 miles into the ride) to call and sing to her. I didn't reach her, though, so I sang a message anyway. Perhaps she was still asleep ... but at 9:15, I'm doubtful of that.

Also, on the way home, about 3 miles before finishing, I saw this glorious example of fall color. At first I rode on by, admiring it ... but then, I circled back and snapped a picture.

Saw my friend Doug Franklin in the very early part of the ride, too, happily striding along the Lohr/Textile Greenway.

Relive video of today's ride

Saturday, October 30, 2021

2021 mileage: 4765.2

Today is the big game between Michigan and Michigan State (at noon), so I wanted to get my ride done early, and thus climbed on the stationary bike and began pedaling about 7:15, I rode 24.3 miles in 1:57, and after having been disappointed by yesterday's baseball movie, I veered away from that list today and watched a movie based on an early novel by one of my favorite authors, Nicholas Sparks—The Notebook—the one that really propelled him to fame.

Trailer for The Notebook

Friday, October 29, 2021

2021 mileage: 4740.9

I took yesterday as a relatively rare day off, being quite exhausted, and devoted the time to music instead. Today is another day of cold rain, so I climbed back aboard the stationary bike, and rode 22.7 miles in 1:50 while watching another movie from my list of Best Baseball Movies—Everybody Wants Some (2016). I was disappointed in the movie, however. Though purportedly about baseball, there was in fact very little baseball in it ... only a small amount in the second half of the movie. Its subject was a college baseball team in Texas in the 1980s, and what was really depicted was an overly heavy dose of alcohol- and testosterone-field profanity and poor choices. I'd be tempted to speak of the young men, except that the immaturity they displayed left them short of men, in my opinion. One review I saw afterwards called it a teen comedy, and I wish I had known that going in.

153rd outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, 10/27/2021

2021 mileage: 4718.2

Despite the fact that it was a chilly (47°), misty, gloomy morning when I began at 10:30. I challenged myself to do a longer ride, and ended up with my 20-mile round trip to Baker Rd. (in 2:37). It went OK, and it was nice to break another mileage milestone for the year (4700), but I was ever so glad to finish up, come inside, and get dry and warm.

Relive video of today's ride

152nd outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, October 26, 2021

2021 mileage: 4698.2

Today was a challenging day (again). I wanted to get my ride done before too much of the day was gone, so I went out at 9:30. I air up my tires every weekend, but hadn't had the chance to do it this past weekend, so I began with that. However, when I took the cap off the front right tire's valve stem, the stem also came out, deflating the tire. I thought, "OK - well, I know how to change a tube now." I didn't want to, but knew I had to, so I dug in. However, not very far into the process, I got stuck, and when I texted my friend Dan Cogan, he told me he could come over at 10:30.

When Dan arrived, he dug right in and soon had the change accomplished. (He found the valve on the garage floor by the trike, and asked if this was what had come out -- he was then able to screw it back in.) But when he was airing up the tube with his electric pump, shortly before he was done, the tube exploded, as I had begun to remove the tire in the process of changing the tube before he came over, and he didn't realize that. So that set us back a bit, as now the tube had to be changed. But that didn't take long, and soon, with a hearty thanks to Dan, I sent him on his way, and set off on my ride.

I had originally thought of doing a somewhat longer ride, but by this time (11:00), my drive and gumption had all emptied out of me, so I settled for a single round trip to Marsh Park (9.9 miles, in 1:11), in cool (44°), windy (13 mph out of the NNW) conditions. This picture shows a view eastward, toward Marsh Park, along the trail a bit east of State Rd.

I also saw my friends Jim Alvey (early in the ride, stopped on the trail, and talking to a pedestrian), as well as Doug Franklin (on his daily walk, sauntering southward on the Lohr-Textile Greenway just a couple of miles before I finished—when we exchanged greetings, he commented on the challenge of the wind).

Relive video of today's ride

Monday, October 25, 2021

2021 mileage: 4688.3

I chose to take yesterday as a rest day (a not-uncommon practice for me on Sundays), and so was eager to get back to it today. We are, however, experiencing a steady daylong cold rain, leaving me extremely happy to be able to climb onto our stationary bike.

While riding, I watched another selection from my researched list of "Best Baseball Movies" -- this one, the 1989 film Major League, about which the list says, "This is absolutely the movie that every baseball player you know probably puts at No. 1." This allowed me to ride 20.7 miles in 1:43.

Trailer for Major League

151st outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, 10/23/2921

2021 mileage: 4667.6

I had to drop Michelle off early this morning (we left at 7:10) for a work-related assignment. I planned to ride my usual 14-mile route when I got home (in pale, cool [42°] early morning light). But as I got underway, I started thinking about a relatively busy day ahead, with numerous things that I want to do (even though most aren't complete necessities), so I scaled back and settled for a single round trip to Marsh View Park — 9.7 miles in 1:17.

On Saturdays, I frequently listen to my Country playlist on Spotify, and today, when the song Waiting on a Woman came on, I couldn't help but smile in knowing recognition.

Brad Paisley - Waiting on a Woman

Relive video of today's ride

150th outdoor ride 2021 - Friday, October 22, 2021

2021 mileage: 4657.9

Enjoyed this morning's ride! I set off at 10:00 and rode the Pacikard/Platt Square, 13.6 miles in 1:41. (I altered my route just slightly, going past Pheasant Run, the apartments where Michelle and I lived in the early years (1993-2004) of our marriage before buying our condo, as a substantial chunk of the sidewalk along my regular route—Packard, west of Platt, is torn up being rebuilt.) In the middle of the ride, while enjoying a brief pause at Marsh View Park, I received a text message from my cousin Jim(bo) Harris, asking if we could move up our lunch plans from 1:00. At that point, I had to hustle, but was glad to do it, and only ended up being a minute or two tardy,

My Harris cousins have a tradition of meeting up each fall for a Michigan football game ... they make the pilgrimage to Ann Arbor from their homes scattered across the land (Phoenix, North Carolina, etc.). We had a wonderful time together, and it was a great joy to see them. Now (as I'm sure they agree), Michigan better win tomorrow when they plan Northwestern!

THat 40° start called for my gloves, which I wore for the first time since March.

Relive video of today's ride

Thursday, October 21, 2021

2021 mileage: 4644.3

Early this morning, heavy thunderstorms raked our area. While this was fun to hear while lying in bed, it made me dubious about riding outside today. Though the rain let up, the possibility of its return existed, and a brisk wind persisted. I decided to allow myself a midday nap to offset my (typical) early rising, and then upon getting up from that, I decided to hit the stationary bike.

I got in a good ride (26.1 miles in 1:57) while watching Eight Men Out. This 1988 film about the Chicago White Sox and their fixing of the 1919 World Series, was one I had never seen before, but learned of through my (Googled) list of Best Baseball Movies. In the list, it says that, "Writer-director John Sayles' story of the Black Sox takes a literary, smart look at what remains the worst scandal in baseball's history."

Trailer for Eight Men Out

149th outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, 10/20/2021

2021 mileage: 4618.2

What a GLORIOUS day for a ride! This morning I left at 9:00 in brisk, crisp, clear sunshine (51°), which climbed to 64° by the time I finished, and rode a round trip to Baker Rd.—20.1 miles, in 2:38.

Relive video of today's ride

148th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, October 19. 2021

2021 mileage: 4598.1

Today I had lunch with Doug Tidd, and when we were done, I confessed to him, "Despite the (gorgeous) weather, I'm awfully tempted to take the afternoon off and work on music stuff—but I know that it's a slippery slope." One day can easily grow to more. So, even though I didn't want to, I came home from lunch and pushed myself to get out there, riding the Platt/Packard Square (13.5 miles) in 1:32. When I started at 1:00, sunny skies and a temperature of 70° greeted me, and that climbed to 72° during the ride. So, yeah - I'm tired, but I'm glad I rode.

Relive video of today's ride

147th outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, October 18, 2021

2021 mileage: 4584.6

TI am mildly disappointed with myself (though I am not beating myself up or anything). After taking yesterday off in order to clean and lube my trike's chain, I had hoped to get back to it today with a longer ride—and indeed, the conditions were HIGHLY favorable. When I began at 1:00, it was under an unbroken blue sky, and I rode very comfortably in a t-shirt.

However, for some reason I could not discern, once I got out there I was really whipped, so I settled about half the mileage I had originally intended, going down to Stonebridge and doing 3 laps in there for a total ride of 10.1 miles in 1:11.

Relive video of today's ride

146th outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, 10/16/2021

2021 mileage: 4574.5

Today was definitely feeling like fall! I began at 9:00 a.m., and while it was nicely sunny throughout my ride, it was 49° when I started and 54° when I finished. I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in a sluggish time of 1:54, and was happy to see Jim Alvey on the Lohr/Textile Greenway, near the end of my ride.

Relive video of today''s ride

Friday, October 15, 2021

2021 mileage: 4560.9

Yesterday I was pretty wiped out, and ended up taking the day off. Today I was eager to get back to it, but we experienced a pretty much daylong strong chance of rain. So I hit the stationary bike this afternoon, and rode 20.1 miles in 1:37, while watching another selection from my list of "Great Baseball Movies"—this one, the 1973 film Bang the Drum Slowly, featuring a young ("then-unknown") Robert DeNiro. The list calls it "One of the best baseball weepies out there." DeNiro, now 78, was 30 at the time the movie was made.

Noted film critic Roger Ebert says of it,"It's not so much a sports movie as a movie about those elusive subjects, male bonding and work in America. That the males play baseball and that sport is their work is what makes this the ultimate baseball movie; never before has a movie considered the game from the inside out."

Scene from Bang the Drum Slowly

145th outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, 10/13/2021

2021 mileage: 4540.8

I took my time getting going on today's ride, as I wanted to watch TV coverage of this morning private space flight carrying 90-year-old William Shatner (the actor who played Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek) and 3 other colleagues into space. By this, Shatner became the oldest person ever to go into space.

When I left, at 11:30, it was 67° (a reading that climbed to 73° during the ride). I did a round trip to Baker Rd. (for the first time since September 28). However, when i stopped there to turn around and send off a text, I inadvertently stopped the MapMyRide app rather than pausing it, so I end up with two separate videos today (first half of the ride, to Baker Rd., and then second half, returning home).

Anyway, combining the two halves, I had a total ride of 19.3 miles in 2:25.

Relive video of the first half of today's ride

Relive video of the second half of today's ride

144th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, October 12. 2021

2021 mileage: 4521.5

It's beginning to cool down to more seasonally appropriate weather. i began at 11:00 this morning in 68° breezy weather that cooled off to 67° during the ride, and I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.5 miles) in 1:41.

When I ride the portion of this route that goes between our home and Marsh View Park, the trail goes over several stretches of boardwalk, one of which is pictured below. Because these cause significant vibration as you pass over, on the several occasions when Christy and I have ridden together, she jokes about it being a butt massage. 😄

Today's ride was replete with a significant component of adventure, too! On the way home, about 3.5 miles before I finished, I was riding west on the sidewalk paralleling the north side of Eisenhower Blvd. As I came to King George Blvd., I began to pull out into the intersection. Fortunately I had just prayed, committing my ride to the Lord, and asking God to give me good perception and judgment, and to protect me. As I pulled into the intersection, I saw a card approaching very rapidly—exceeding the speed limit—from the right (north). The driver had to stop at Eisenhower anyway, and I figured there was no way he or she could fail to see me, but nevertheless I threw my hand up in greeting and watched carefully.

The driver plowed ahead, screeching to a stop just past me. Because I had been watching carefully, I was able to turn left so that the car could miss me, and just barely avoid squishing me flat. I don't mean to sound either misogynistic or age-discriminatory, but as it approached and passed me, I could see that the driver was an older woman, hunched over the wheel and paying absolutely zero attention to anything except what was squarely in front of her.

Relive video of today's ride

143rd outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, October 11, 2021

2021 mileage: 4507.8

Today was a gorgeous day for a ride—much nicer than yesterday. Temperature in the mid-seventies (I began at 11:00), and MUCH less humid today, under partly sunny skies. I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.5 miles) in 1:41 ... not a good time, but I just kept trying to plow ahead.

Riding on my trike is considerably slower than a bike. I have always blamed it on the fact that the trike is quite heavy (as is its rider 😄), and its gearing doesn't really allow for speed. I still feel those are primary factors, but when we rode together on Saturday, Christy pointed out another contributory factor—that is, that my wheels are significantly smaller in diameter (than hers, for example), so it takes me more revolutions to travel an equal distance.

Finally, today put me over another mileage milestone for the year: 4500.

Relive video of today's ride

142nd outdoor ride of 2021 - Sunday, October 10, 2021

2021 mileage: 4494.3

Today is a day that feels much more like July or August here in Ann Arbor rather than October. I decided to wait and ride after church—when I began, about 12:30, it was 74° and EXTREMELY humid (the temperature climbed to 76° during my ride). I intended to do my 20-mile ride to Baker Rd. and back, but by the time I had ridden a couple of miles I was fully persuaded to alter my plans. So, all on sidewalks and paths, of course, going north from the Ice Cube on Maple Rd., I took Pauline Blvd. east to the Big House (Michigan Stadium), and then Stadium Blvd. east to Packard Rd., southeast along Packard to Stone School, south to Eisenhower, and then west back to Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. This gave me a sleepy slow ride of 10.8 miles in 1:31.

I was rewarded with this burst of late season floral beauty along Pauline:

and then, not much later, got this shot of the Big House from the sidewalk.

Relive video of today's ride

141st outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, 10/9/2021

2021 mileage: 4483.7

Today was another towering high point, as I got to ride again with my daughter Christy. She brought her bike over early, and we started riding about 7:30. This was a few minutes before sunrise, but it was light enough to ride safely. However, we were visited by an extremely heavy fog, and the moist air and cool temperature (58°) made our jackets feel just right!

Keeping the ride on the shorter side, we rode a round trip to Marsh Park. At the park, we got this selfie together.

Then on the way back, as we rode the trail alongside Textile Rd., Christy got this selfie of us riding.

And when we got back, flush with the successful completion of our ride, she got this one more selfie of us.

We agreed that the longer rides we'd like to do (20 miles, to Baker Rd., or 30 to Matthei) will need to wait until next spring, when we begin building up our stamina again.

Relive video of today's ride

Friday, October 8, 2021

2021 mileage: 4474.0

The forecast today was for pretty much all-day rain, so I went in and climbed on our stationary bike late this morning. From a list I got via Google of "best baseball movies," I chose 61: the list said of this 2001 film (which was partially filmed in Tiger Stadium, made up to stand in for Yankee Stadium), "Billy Crystal's ode to the home run chase between Mickey Mantla and Roger Maris is basically Baby Boomer catnip." Its title is a double reference ... Babe Ruth's old record, which was broken, was 60 home runs, and it happened in the 1961 season. This gave me a ride of 25.5 miles in 2:04.

Trailer for 61

140th outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, October 7, 2021

2021 mileage: 4448.5

Today's ride was challenging, but I'm still glad I did it. I was absolutely exhausted yesterday, and thus took the day off. Today, therefore, I was eager to get out there again, and began just a bit past 10:00 a.m. in extraordinarily foggy conditions. It was still, however, mild enough to ride comfortably in shorts and t-shirt: 65° when I began, up to 67° when I finished. I rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.5 miles) in 1:55.

The fog acted almost as a sticky substance, as I got off to a much slower start than usual. The air was so moist that my glasses were soon fogged and water-spotted. I listened to The Carpenters, and found that I could resonate with the song Rainy Days and Mondays, even though it wasn't raining. In the second quarter of the ride, I was beginning to make up time.

When I got to Lillie Park (about 40% of the way through the ride), I stopped for what I thought would be a brief pause. An older woman (I would say mid-eighties) named Dawn came tottering over to me, and said, "Oh! You look just like my friend Eric!" I pulled out my card and showed it to her, and we ended up 'chatting' as well as possible for a few minutes. She pointed to a camper in the parking lot, and said, "That's where I live," and proceeded to tell me about its features (refrigerator,, two burner stove, toilet, etc.). Then finally, when I got ready to set off, she wanted to walk with me for a short time.

I puttered along with her for a few minutes at a speed of about 2 miles per hour, and finally told her I was going to pull on ahead, but it was nice to meet her. When I finished, I found I had done my slowest ride ever, but felt it was justifiable.

Relive video of today's ride

139th outdoor ride of 2021 - Tuesday, October 5, 2021

2021 mileage: 4435.0

After a few days away from riding outside, I was glad to get back to it today. (Saturday was exceptionally busy, and I did not ride at all; and each of the last days had rain forecast pretty much all day, so I just rode inside on the stationary bike.)

I began at 11:10 in definitely fallish conditions—64° and extremely moist air. (It had rained a considerable amount overnight and earlier in the morning, and was still spitting light drops intermittently.) I was still, however, able to ride comfortably in shorts and t-shirt. I rode the Platt/Packard Square—13.6 miles, in a slightly better time than I usually do (1:36 today).

Relive video of today's ride

Monday, October 4, 2021

2021 mileage: 4421.4

Today rain was again projected pretty much all day here, so I decided to climb on the stationary bike again. Frustratingly, when I finished (about 2 p.m.) no rain was in evidence and I probably could have done an outside ride.

At any rate, having Googled a list of "best baseball movies," I watched one I had never seen before, from 1994—Cobb, starring Tommy Lee Jones, and about the longtime Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb—arguably the game's greatest player (indisputably, he holds the all-time record for highest lifetime batting average). However, without argument, he was a highly prejudiced and unlikeable man whose company NO ONE enjoyed. This made for an unsavory movie—but I guess I'm still glad to have seen it. And it gave me 26.5 miles in 2:03, to put me over a new mileage milestone for the year (4400).

Trailer for Cobb

Sunday, October 3, 2021

2021 mileage: 4394.9

Having had an extremely busy day yesterday (including some early morning errands, Danny's flag football game in Dexter at 10 a.m., watching Michigan's big football game with Wisconsin at noon, and Michelle and I meeting Christy and the kids at the Plymouth Orchard at 3:00), I opted not to ride yesterday. And since today is projected to have a strong chance of rain all day, I went into the Blue Room this morning and hopped on the stationary bike. Sticking with my recent theme of baseball movies, I watched Pride of the Yankees (1942), about the life of Lou Gehrig, while doing a ride of 2:12 (28.3 miles).

Trailer for Pride of the Yankees

138th outdoor ride of 2021 - Friday, October 1, 2021

2021 mileage: 4366.6

We are stuck in a magnificent stretch of weather—I began today just a bit past 12:30 and rode the Packard/Platt Square (13.7 miles) in 1:52, doing a slow, leisurely ride. Calm, unbroken sunshine throughout (as it has been all week), 70° when I began, up to 77° when I finished. And this again gave me the opportunity to return to summer wardrobe, and ride wearing shorts and t-shirt.

For some reason unknown to me, Relive has not yet offered to let me create a video of today's ride.