2021 mileage: 6002.0
I am seeing the old year out with a day off -- something I hate to do. But a combination of factors brings it about: (1) Rejoicing in my having achieved the high bar of 6000 miles for the year yesterday; and (2) oral pain which kept me awake nearly all night last night. I had Michelle call for me today, but was unable to make an appointment to be seen by a dentist until Monday.
Here is also a summary I've compiled of my (outside) riding in 2021:
2021 mileage: 6002.0
This afternoon I rode while watchingmost of my beloved The Sound of Music, for a ride of 35,0 miles in 2:23, to put me over a milestone that I once thought unattainable ... 6000 miles for the year. This was only made even remotely possible by the acquisition of our stationary bike, which Michelle got for us last Christmas, and which allows me to rack up high mileage during the winter months.
2021 mileage: 5967.0
I had considered trying to do a longer ride today, but in the end, realizing I was in good shape for my goal of 6000 miles for the year, I cut back and rode to my all-time favorite movie On Golden Pond (1981) for a ride of 24,6 miles in 1:47.
2021 mileage: 5942.4
This afternoon, I rode on the stationary bike while watching the 1961 original cinematic production of the movie West Side Story. I had watched it once early this year (on February 16), but as Michelle and I saw the current new production of it on its opening day (December 10, our anniversary), I was inspired to revisit the original. Totally entranced by Leonard Bernstein's magnificent, masterful score, I did the 2:30 ride (36.0 miles) fairly easily and without tiring. And it also, of course, helped me to make good progress toward the goal of 6000 miles for the year that I'm now hoping to reach.
2021 mileage: 5906.4
After taking yesterday off because of a very busy schedule on the holiday, I was happy to get back to it today. I've been riding with one on the possible goal of 6000 miles for the year for some time now, but didn't want to admit to it and pressure (and perhaps jinx) myself. I entered Christmas with about 130 miles to go, and wasn't sure I could make it. I'm still not sure, but as I lay in bed, unable to sleep, around 1:30 this morning, I decided to commit myself to the attempt.
I got off to a good start this morning, beginning my ride just before 6:30, and watching the 1971 movie production of the outstanding musical Fiddler on the Roof. This gave me a ride of 39.5 miles (in just a few seconds over 3 hours even), and brought my average miles per day needed for the remainder of the year down to 18.72, so I'm encouraged. If I can do another big ride tomorrow, that'll really bring the average down to something quite reasonable.
2021 mileage: 5866.9
This morning I rode early (knowing a busy day lay ahead), while watching It's a Wonderful Life. Oddly enough, I had never seen this classic until just a few years ago. That gave me a ride of 27.6 miles in 2:09.
2021 mileage: 5839.3
Late this morning into early this afternoon, I rode on our stationary bike, while watching the 1954 classic White Christmas, which I had never before seen. This gave me 26.0 miles in 1:59.
2021 mileage: 5813.3
Today I got in a good brisk ride of 27.0 miles (in 1:59) on the stationary bike, while watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. This sequel was released in 1992 (2 years after the original).
2021 mileage: 5786.3
This morning I got started at a good hour (a little before 9:00), and rode 24.6 miles on the stationary bike in 1:50, while watching the 1994 film Miracle on 34th Street.
2021 mileage: 5761.7
This afternoon during my ride on the stationary bike, I watched the holiday classic Home Alone (1990).
This gave me a ride of 23.2 miles in 1:41.
2021 mileage: 5738.5
Yesterday, I took the extremely rate step of giving myself a Saturday off—it was a dreary day, and I napped in the afternoon and devoted most of the day to music (both piano practice and composition). So today, I was glad to get back to it, and climbed on the stationary bike late this afternoon, and rode 30.1 miles in 2:12. While I rode, I watched a Christmas romantic comedy to which Michelle introduced me a few years ago—The Holiday.
2021 mileage: 5708.4
Since my chain locked up two days ago, I've remained unable to figure it out and disentangle it (or even see where the problem was), so today I called in some big-time help—my friend Dan Cogan, who is an experienced cyclist and who has helped me numerous times previously. He shook his head at the mess I had, with chain wound around the front gear wheel, but near miraculously (according to him) he was able to straighten me out fairly quickly.
That was this afternoon, This morning I did another brisk ride on the stationary bike (19.9 miles in 1:31) while watching the 2003 Christmas classic Elf.
2021 mileage: 5688.5
Today high winds are revisiting us—not as severe as they were on Saturday, but still quite ferocious. So even thoughthe temperature remains mild (currently 59° at 1:20), I gladly returned to the stationary bike, and rode 24.1 miles in 1:55 while watching The Piano. This 1993 film (which I missed, having been rather busy that year) concerns a mute who is strongly attached to the piano, and even 'communicates' through it to some degree. This is something to which I could obviously relate very strongly, even though this character is a woman.
2021 mileage: 5664.4
Today's ride left me with decidedly mixed feelings.
First, I was delighted to be able to do my first outdoor ride since November 19! It's been mild all week, but schedule considerations kept me from riding outside. Today, though, I was finally able to get it done, leaving just past 8:30 a.m.
However, it was a day on which the word "raw" is a perfect descriptor. Cool (43° when I started), gray with a bit of wind, and both atmosphere and the ground being heavily moist, from last night's substantial rains which are also supposed to return this afternoon. I wore my (Michigan) gloves, but finished the ride with them soaked and muddy, in need of laundering.
Then to cap it off, after riding almost all of the Packard/Platt Square the chain locked up on me at the intersection of Lohr and Oak Valley, just before I started up the hill, and with about 3/10 mile to go. I got off and looked, but couldn't see anything obvious, and considering the weather and the fact that I was tiring by that point, I just locked it up and walked home, and will go back down and pick it up with our car after Michelle gets home so that I can work on it in the garage. Walking with my cycling shoes and their metal cleats is a pain in the backside, but I shuffled along slowly and made it OK without falling.
All this gave me a ride of 13.3 miles in 1:47.
2021 mileage: 5651.1
This morning I climbed on the stationary bike and rode a good, brisk 31.1 miles (in 2:16) while watching the 1996 classic Mr. Holland's Opus (starring Richard Dreyfuss). I had seen it in the theater when it was first out, but it deals with a music teacher, and as music is so extremely central to my life, it is highly pertinent, and I decided that I wanted to see it again.
Trailer for Mr. Holland's Opus
2021 mileage: 5619.6
I really wanted to ride outside today, as this afternoon had brightly sunny conditions and a high in the mid forties—practically swimsuit weather compared to recent weeks! But alas, with shopping and cooking our dinner for tonight, I was just too busy to squeeze one in, and so hopped on the stationary bike again and rode 22.1 miles (in 1:33), while watching the second half of The Return of the King, the third and final movie in the series based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
2021 mileage: 5597.5
It was already 57° at 9:30 this morning, and I hated to waste such a nice day in mid December. However we were in a High Wind Warning, with a steady 17 mph wind and much higher gusts. Not wanting to battle that wind, I climbed onto the stationary bike, and while watching the first half of The Return of the King (the third and final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy), rode 22.1 miles in 1:39.
2021 mileage: 5575.4
Today is the 28th wedding anniversary for Michelle and me.
This afternoon, I watched the ending of the middle movie from The Lord of the Rings (The Two Towers), giving me a ride of 18.4 miles in 1:19. Tomorrow I'll begin third and final movie of the series—The Return of the King.
2021 mileage: 5557.0
Having finished yesterday during my ride the first movie of the trilogy that covers J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring), today I began the second (The Two Towers). And once again, because of its length I decided to split the movie into two days' viewing. Today I rode for 1:32 while riding 21.8 miles, and I'll look forward to finishing it up tomorrow, and then pressing on to the concluding movie (The Return of the King) over the weekend.
2021 mileage: 5512.5
Diuring this morning's ride, I watched the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring, which is the movie corresponding to the first book of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy (the extended version). This got me just through the council at the house of the Elves in Rivendell, where Frodo was selected as the ring bearer. It gave me a ride of 23.2 miles, in 1:45.
2021 mileage: 5489.3
Today I was so happy to be able to ride inside! At 1:00 p.m., we felt a raw 34° with a 22-mph wind howling at us out of the west, and snowflakes swirling. Climing onto the stationary bike, I had at one point considered beginning the film series on the Lord of the Rings today. But then at the men's devotional group I attend on Monday mornings, one of the guys today was talking about his plans to participate on the camino pilgrimage walk in Spain next year. As this is the subject of the 2010 movie The Way, I changed my plans and decided to watch that movie. But I was unsuccessful in a quick attempt to find it.
It was, however, a HUGE football weekend here in southeast Michigan, with the University of Michigan beating Iowa to win the Big Ten championship on Saturday night, so I settled for listening to sports talk radio on my phone, while I rode for an hour (actually 61 minutes), covering 13.8 miles.
2021 mileage: 5475.5
This morning I rode with my heart soaring, as Michigan defeated Iowa 42-3 in last night night's Big Ten Championship game, to earn their first undisputed Big Ten title since 2003! I climbed on the stationary bike and began riding about 7:40, and rode 29.1 miles in 2:12 while watching the third (The Battle of the Five Armies) and final of the movies covering The Hobbit.
2021 mileage: 5446.4
Today, rather than riding in the morning according to my usual preference, Michelle and I went to the soccer game of our grandson, Danny. (They won 2-1, and he scored both goals. 💗
Riding after getting home, I watched the second part (The Desolation of Smaug) of the three movies covering Tolkien's book The Hobbit, and tomorrow I'll finish it up. Today gave me a ride of 32.0 miles in 2:50.
2021 mileage: 5414.4
The book The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, has been made into a series of three movies, and today I watched the first (An Unexpected Journey, released in 2012) during my ride. This gave me a good ride of 32.6 miles (2:35). By taking this step, I've committed myself to the three Hobbit movies, and then the three Lord of the Rings movies following. (Our church handbell choir, to which I belong, has punned in naming ourselves "Rings of the Lord.")
2021 mileage: 5381.8
Mother day of riding on the stationary bike today. After watching the movie versions of the first two books of The Chronicles of Narnia while riding the past two days, I had hoped to continue and complete the series. However, I was disappointed to learn yesterday that they stalled out in the making of the series, and only completed three of the seven. So I watched the third today (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), giving me a ride of 23.1 miles in 1:46. Tomorrow, for somewhat similar fantasy, I'll begin the movie versions of The Lord of the Rings (the first one being The Fellowship of the Ring, followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King.) These three movies were released in 2001-2003. I may, however, begin with the prequel to these, The Hobbit, the movie version of which was released in three films between 2012-2014.
I found on YouTube a tremendously moving clip of the final goodbyes between Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, Caspian, and Aslan.
2021 mileage: 5358.7
I rode another big ride on the stationary bike today, inexpressibly grateful for that option. While yesterday I watched the 2005 American film adaptation of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (book 1 of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis), today I watched the 2008 film of book 2, Prince Caspian, giving me a ride of 29.5 miles in 2:20.
2021 mileage: 6002.0 I am seeing the old year out with a day off -- something I hate to do. But a combination of factors brings it about: (1...
