Awareness Test

For your attention.

Rode about 8 miles yesterday commuting and doing chores.

Slug

I have not ridden as much this week. Hardly rode Monday or Tuesday. Did ride yesterday to work and after work to pick up the kids. Got the correct mileage now: it is 5 miles round trip for my work commute. Round trip to grandma's, childcare, and home is 3 miles. So, I rode 8 miles for usual riding plus one mile round trip to the Electric Brew and back to talk about some bicycle safety class planning for later in June. Check out SafeCycling, John Yoder's website, for a sense of the content he'll be presenting.

Didn't ride today and it's a good thing. Grandma (mother-in-law) fell over the lunch hour and is in the hospital with a broken knee cap, broken ankle, and a big contusion over her left eye. Hopefully, the eye socket is intact, but there is some bleeding below and behind the eye. I was able to drive home quickly and care for Alta while Carol went to the hospital to helpe her mother.  Prayers please for her well being as physicians attend to her needs and make decisions about how/when to proceed with interventions.

Catching up

Friday: Rode to work - 2.5 miles. Rode to Bag Factory from work, then home - 3.9 miles. Rode to the Chief and back with Benjamin on board - 2.5 miles. Total for the day: 8.9 miles.

Spent time on the Bongo board in the evening. Attempted juggling while on the board. Needs more work...

Saturday: Rode to church house and back - about .5 miles - BUT, rode with an extension ladder strapped to the X - Fun! Rode to Farmer's Market and back - about 1.75 miles. Rode to pick up dinner for the family at El Camino Real - 2.5 to 3 miles round trip. Total miles: 4.75.

Saturday was incredible weather - 72 degrees, light winds, clear skies... glorious!

Tail Wind

Yesterday I had the luxury of tail winds on the way in to work and on the way home from work. The morning ride was very humid, cool, and windy. I couldn't believe how the tail wind helped on my ride to work. While the big climb was still big, it was easier. I usually stick to sidewalk along the last section of major roadway, but chose to ride in the street instead. Acceleration was very quick and I wound up accelerating in my top gear while going ascending the last rise. I could almost keep pace with traffic for the last 100 yards or so.

Riding home was not so wild, but was a very nice change, since I've often had head winds and lose the benefit of descending into town. I later picked up the kids and took both home. That was more challenging as I was carrying/pulling both while heading into the wind.

Mileage: 5 miles commuting. 1.25 to pick up the kids. 1.25 with the kids. Total of about 7.5.

Ask for the sky

Yesterday I asked if someone in housekeeping could sweep out the bike shed or point me to a broom I could use to do the task. This afternoon I found the shed well swept out. Wow... that's a great response time. I'm glad to be working in such a place. I also asked if someone could put in a plexiglass window to allow for more light into the space, thus leaving the bikes less vulnerable to someone pilfering/stealing from property in the shed. I'll be astounded if that actually happens. 

Rode to and from work today with a small side detour to pick up son at afterschool childcare. Total riding, maybe 3.25 miles.

Of Bikes and Balloons

Did absolutely no riding yesterday - felt strange. It was a very wet and chilly day.

Chose not to bike commute this morning due to a variety of afternoon errands. Did bike to pick up my daughter from childcare and took her to Monday night at Grandma's. My wife also rode over. Going home, we swapped the trailer from the X to the "red bike" and my son rode home on the back of the X. Earlier, we bought and delivered balloons for a birthday gathering, not thinking that my wife would also be biking. So, we simply put the balloon weight in the trailer and had the balloons bounce around behind. So, we had a small, two person bike parade on the way home. :-)

Total riding today: maybe 3 miles.

Off to bed!

Social biking

I hitched up the child trailer to the back of the X this morning and took both kids to the birthday party for a now 3 year old friend. It's a nice feeling to not feel winded or overly hot after about a mile. I did not bring enough layers for after I arrived - the party was outside - and was getting a bit chilly until I put on my biking vest and a borrowed hat.

Another discovery, I can flatten our child trailer quite easily while still leaving it very roadworthy. This makes it a lot easier to pull when our daughter is not riding in the back. When she is in the trailer, her weight adds momentum which helps push the trailer through headwind. When she's not in it, it sometimes feels like I'm pulling a parachute. I guess that could be useful for strength training, but it's really not helpful when I'm simply going to pick her up or after I drop her off. I did this trick for the second time this afternoon after my wife took our daughter home by car after she returned from a bird count this morning.

Last, my wife and I went out for dinner after dropping off our kids. It was really quite pleasant to bike together on a date without the kids literally in tow. 

Total riding today: about 3 to 4 miles.