79th outdoor ride of 2021

2021 mileage: 3266.3

This morning I went out to ride early (though not as early as I like), but first was met with a challenge. Monday, my mirror fell off the trike; yesterday I went to Wheels in Motion and bought a new one. When I went out at 7:30 this morning, I planned to attach it first, before riding.

However, upon opening the box (which appeared to have been already opened), I was dismayed to find the (severely wrinkled) instructions wrapped around the mounting hardware ... but no mirror! In desperation, I reexamined the old mirror (which I still had), and found a way to attach it. So I was able to ride today, but some of today's agenda will include a return trip to Wheels in Motion.

I rode the Platt/Packard Square (13.7 miles) in 1:35, beginning at 7:50 in 82° conditions. A light rain was falling during most of the rain ... nothing bothersome, but kind of refreshing actually. It put me in mind of the song A Little Fall of Rain from the musical Les Miz:

Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius

I don't feel any pain

A little fall of rain

Can hardly hurt me now

You're here, that's all I need to know

And you will keep me safe

And you will keep me close

And rain will make the flowers grow

But you will live, 'Ponine - dear God above

If I could close your wounds with words of love

Just hold me now, and let it be

Shelter me, comfort me

So don't you fret, M'sieur Marius

I don't feel any pain

A little fall of rain

Can hardly hurt me now

I'm here

That's all I need to know

And you will keep me safe (And I will stay with you)

('TIl you are sleeping) And you will keep me close

And rain (And rain)

Will make the flowers

Will make the flowers grow

Les Miz - A Little Fall of Rain

Relive video of today's ride

78th outdoor ride of 2021 - Monday, June 28, 2021

2021 mileage: 3252.6

It was a great joy to be able to ride my own (recumbent) trike again today. Saturday we were traveling home, and I did not ride; yesterday I also took off, as I had to travel the hour to my brother's house to pick up my bike lock which he had driven home from Florida.

When I set off today, at 1:30, it was 84° and sunny, but much less humid than it was in Florida. It was a warm ride, but not disturbing, and I did the Packard/Platt Square (13.6 miles) in 1:37.

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77th outdoor ride of 2021 - Friday, June 25, 2021

2021 mileage: 3239.0

Coastal Wheels came again last evening and fixed the problem with the seat, so I launched off hopefully at 5:45 this morning (in 75° conditions), intending to ride 10 miles. But the excessive humidity combined with the difficulty of perching on a regular bike seat (as opposed to my recumbent 'recliner' style) and a blister developing on my foot due to my Crocs all combined to induce me to settle for a shorter ride.

I began by turning left (west) on Santa Rosa Blvd. (the 'main drag' here on Okaloosa Island), pleased to see once again today virtually no traffic at that hour, so that it was comfortable and safe to ride in the bike lane. I rode down to Eglin Air Force Base, and then, wheeling about to head east, went back past our condo and down to Highway 98, before turning and going back down to Eglin again and then returning 'home.' This gave me a ride of 5.7 miles in 44 minutes, which, as I say, was shorter than I had intended to do (and really paltry in light of my 20- or 30-mile rides at home) -- but in light of everything, including the equipment problems I've endured this week, it felt significant.

Relive video of today's ride

76th outdoor ride of 2021 - Thursday, June 24, 2021

2021 mileage: 3233.3

This new day brought a new problem. I began at 5:30 in 80° air already thick with humidity. The visit by Coastal Wheels last evening brought substantial improvement to the steering (even though it was not perfect—I still drifted off the sidewalk and into a pole once).

HOWEVER. About half a mile into the ride, the seat emitted a loud, groaning metallic SCREECH, and canted backwards to come to rest at this charming angle.

Having no tools with me, I could do nothing, and so after a couple of minutes spent fruitlessly trying to see if I could adapt somehow, I turned around and made my way slowly back, being unable to ride comfortably (of course) or safely. This left me with a paltry ride of 1.4 miles in 17 minutes.

I tell myself, all I can do is keep trying my best—results are certainly not guaranteed.

Relive video of today's ride

75th outdoor ride of 2021 - Wednesday, June 23, 2021

2021 mileage: 3231.9

Today, my first ride in Florida, presented a challenge. My rental trike, from Coastal Wheels, was delivered last evening ... and it has several issues. (1) The steering is very "loose" and wobbly. (2) The trike leans notably to the left. (3) The steering, in addition to the problematic wobbliness mentioned above, also pulls consistently to the left.

Learning by experience, I was able largely to overcome issues 2 and 3 by leaning off to the right, and steering consistently to the right of where I wanted to go (much as one allows for break in a putt while golfing). Issue 1 was more difficult to address, and in the early going it caused me to bump into several objects such as poles -- but this was not a big deal, as I kept my speed very low. (At home I try to adhere [usually successfully] to a minimum average speed of 8 mph. This morning my average for the whole ride was about 5 mph, and under 4 for much of the first mile, while I learned what I was doing.)

Sunrise here today was at 5:45, and I began my ride at 5:35. I took this picture (looking north) from just outside the elevator on our 7th floor, before I headed down to get the trike.

I rode a total of 4.1 miles in about 50 minutes. First I went west as far as the perimeter of Eglin Air Force Base, but it was blocked off with a sign prohibiting further advance. 

So then I turned around and headed back, but I had failed to take sufficient care in noting my starting environment, and overshot it. This problem was solved by stopping, looking it up on my phone, and relying on Google Maps.

Relive video of today's ride

Sunday, June 20, 2021 - Father's Day

2021 mileage: 3227.8

In advance of our departure tomorrow for a few days' vacation, I had hoped to ride both today and tomorrow. But schedule has forced me to change my plans.

Today, Michelle and I are making the drive of just over an hour to the house of her brother and family for the birthday celebration of our nephew Grant, who just turned 15 on Friday. That, coupled with last minute preparations for our trip, and packing, rules today out.

This picture shows Grant, with his Dad (Michelle's brother, Chip), and Michelle just after Grant's ninth birthday, in the summer of 2015.

Tomorrow, a 9:30 flight and the need to get to the airport very early due to TSA backups in getting through security, means that we'll be leaving home before 7:00 a.m. But I'm OK with the brief hiatus in riding. We're going to Florida, and I'm renting a trike (upright, not recumbent) through Coastal Wheels. It is being delivered early Tuesday, so I plan to do a ride that day as well as each of the next few days, before our return to Michigan next Saturday.

74th outdoor ride of 2021 - Saturday, June 19, 2021

2021 mileage: 3227.8

I didn't ride yesterday, having had a trying day. Since I rode my bike lock down to my brother's on Thursday for him to drive it to Florida for our trip next week, I didn't feel I should ride when Michelle was not home, in case I had problems somewhere. I'd hate to leave an expensive trike sitting unlocked somewhere.

So, I was going to wait for her to get home from her last school day of the year, and then ride later in the day. While she was gone, I took Uber to the Saline Great Clips, to get my hair cut in preparation for the trip. It went fine ... until I was done and ready to come home, and contacted Uber for my ride home, only to receive a message: "Sorry, Uber is currently unavailable in your area."

Not to be deterred, I figured I could get a taxi. But in this day, they seem to have passed largely into history. As contacting Michelle was not an option, and I was out of other options, I began walking toward home, going through a neighborhood I ride sometimes in order to be able to stay on sidewalks. I was wearing Crocs, a type of sandal that is certainly not designed for distance walking. I kept checking Uber, but kept receiving the same message, until I had walked 2 miles (and had only about 3 left to go to get home), by which point I was finally able to get an Uber.

By the time I got home (I had left at 8:30, and didn't make it home until almost 11:30), I was all in, and decided to let the walk suffice for the day, without riding.

Anyway, I was glad to be able to get back to riding today, and left at 6:45, in 69° cloud cover (it climbed to 71° during my ride),  and rode the Platt/Packard Square with an extra loop in our complex at the end, for 13.9 miles in 1:33.

Relive video of today's ride