I implore you, lube your bicycle chain right now!
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https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/prickly-pear/cows-tongue-prickly-pear.htm#:~:text=Native%20to%20central%20Texas%20where,by%20Native%20Americans%20for%20centuries.
3 years ago
Kelly
3 years ago
Harmless looking beavertails are the worst... They have little wart-like tufts of orangish looking glochids that look totally benign. When I was a kid and learned the hard way at 10 years old, I pulled out my microscope and looked at them. Nasty barbs!
3 years ago
3 years ago
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I'm surprised at how many riders pass me with squeaky chains. Even the people with fancy bikes and fancy kits go past, squeak, squeak, squeak. Please! Stop right now and show your bike some love. Your pocketbook will appreciate it later when you don't need to buy that new chain because you've been taking care of this one.
I really am trying, folks. Jacinto asked me last night, after 35 years of marriage, if I really didn't know which way to turn out of the room, or if I was pretending. I really, truly get turned around that easily. All I can say in my defense is that I keep trying!
Yesterday I got lost several times. I lean on Bertha (ridewithgps) heavily and she just wasn't on her game. Today I purposefully rode part of my route over again, hoping that I could cement it in my mind and not get lost.
I made it past the first obstacle, Bertha wants to turn onto 1st Street instead of staying on the path. I got that. Next up was Camino de la Tierra. If you zoom in on the map at mile 6.4, you can see my confusion. I was not doing that for entertainment . . . I was lost. It's quite frustrating. Jacinto excels at traveling a place one time and even years later can remember which direction to travel. Perhaps I've spent too many years depending on his excellent sense of direction and thus I have none. None. I rode an extra two miles, happily, without Bertha warning me I was going the wrong direction. My only clue was the bike path running out so I can to consult my phone and back track to the aforementioned Camino.
As I backtracked a man walking a dog stopped me and said a dog looked like he had been hit by a truck and had a broken leg, he didn't have a phone with him, but would like to call 911. I offered my phone. After than man placed his call and gave the information, I rode on. The dog in question was laying in the shade of a pick up truck and didn't appear to be in distress . . . it was looking around alertly. An officer called me back shortly asking for more information, but I wasn't too helpful on the location, just the description of the truck and the dog. I was excellent on the truck, being from a dedicated Ford driving family. It was a late 70's model long bed, cab and a half, two tone, cream and white paint. There's not many of those left around.
I left by 9:30 this morning. It was chilly and overcast. I used my face mask pulled up as a face warmer. There were few people on the path as a result. I did see the lady walking her dog in the stroller.
After my escapade getting lost on the Camino de la Tierra, I wasn't very happy with myself. I just rode that yesterday. How could I get so very lost again? Grrrr. Next up was passing under the interstate. I knew what I was doing there. Or did I? Can you believe I went the wrong direction again? I least I was prepared that I might make an error there and looked at the map and turned right around.
There's bike path construction and road construction in the area of mile 9-10 on my map. The road intersections/crossings are being improved and the mapping services aren't updated. I figured that part out with less trouble than the Camino piece.
My mood wasn't great at that point. I picked an all bike path ride today because I wanted to ride without a lot of navigation. A big piece of bicycling enjoyment for me is disconnecting my brain and letting my legs go round and round while I chill mentally. I haven't done much chilling this trip!
But my time was coming, as I headed south on Santa Cruz, there were very few intersections and more long stretches of easy riding. I saw very few riders on this path. There were a handful of homeless camps in the wash. It seemed to me there weren't as many as 2017 and definitely not as many homeless on the bike trail. Hank said he didn't like to ride the Julian Wash area because there were so many homeless he felt uncomfortable. I remember feeling that way in 2017.
I could see parts of the path had been moved/redirected. To my memory, in 2017, I did a lot more riding along the interstate over in this area. This time, it was only a short stretch of ~1-2 miles. I just got sidetracked trying to see if I could find future plans for The Loop's extensions. But I am not familiar enough with the areas to determine just where the planned extensions are. I hope they are going to take the path past Valencia and loop around to the east. That would eliminate the need to go through the downtown area.
I rode to the exact end of the path on Valencia. I'm sure the woman I passed both directions walking thought I was nuts. I had been waiting and waiting to turn around as that's when I promised myself I could eat my apple. It's the small things in life!
Jacinto had a good looking route figured out today that went clear to Catalina. Let's see how he likes it.
It felt as if I were going downhill after I turned around. Indeed, looking at the elevation profile, it was the most gradual of downhills. I thought it was because I got to eat my apple and felt more energetic. I was determined not to get lost on the return. I made it through one spot out of two. I still went the wrong way on the Camino de la Tierra. I went once again toward the dead end, but at least figured that out quickly this time. Do you think if I ride there again tomorrow I can do it correctly? It's so silly, I should laugh. But I can't.
Yesterday I went past the motel to where the bike path was blocked off for construction. That gave me an extra two miles. I tried to talk myself into doing it again today. Nah - I'd get in the room and eat! That should be a priority for all cyclists at the end of a five hour ride.
I raced through my getting to town chores to eat. I had decided on Chinese food leftovers. Which would have been a great idea except Jacinto ate my Chinese left overs, and not his. What's with that? In retaliation, I ate his Mexican food leftovers. I almost burned my mouth off from the spiciness, but I ate them. I wasn't too hungry after that, but Jacinto had been admiring my meatloaf leftovers and wasn't happy with his pasta leftovers. I knew when he gets back, he would go for mine rather than his own. So I ate the meatloaf also . . . Those who don't know us yet are probably a little confused about all of this food stuff. Those who do know us will just laugh at the food collection we have going on. At least being stationary at night means our leftovers have been refrigerated the entire time!
I don't know where we are eating tonight. We have two gift cards to Texas Roadhouse to use. But we want to go before 5 PM for their early dinner special and we can't seem to get ready in time . . . last night we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. My choice. I hadn't been there in at least ten years. My mother and I used to go whenever we were in Denver and we would both order meatloaf. I had to order it again in her honor. It was still delicious.
I'm enjoying the baby's butt smooth pavement on the loop. I saw 3-4 golf cart driving park employees monitoring the path during the day today. The Loop is certainly an asset to the community and much appreciate by us snowbirds wanting some winter riding miles!
Today I saw two short wheel base recumbents. One with under seat steering. Those are quite rare. a number of trikes - four of them together. I did not see a single Bike Friday, after having seen multiples each day. I saw a handful of tandems. In general, there weren't as many people out today. I think because of the cooler, overcast weather. It was supposed to be into the 70's, but I think only made it to the 60's. It was still a fine day compared to cold Colorado.
Jacinto had a good ride. He said that Canada Road was a good ride with a nice shoulder. Sue Schrag was correct when she said the area to the west of Oracle and north of Tangerine was good riding. He said the only part of his ride that wasn't fun was riding down Oracle on the way back at rush hour. I will post a photo of his map, just in case anyone wants to follow.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 192 miles (309 km)
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3 years ago
When we moved to Dayton, OH, I would drive downtown for something and if it was cloudy (keeping me from figuring directions using the sun), with wrong way streets that intersect at all angles and railroads with limited crossings, and no good landmarks and rivers with limited crossings that intersect, it would often take me an hour to find my way back home... It is less than 2 miles to downtown...
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Looking at the mountains has been my excuse for years. In Colorado, I can look at the mountains and at least have an idea of which direction to go. There are also mountains here. Maybe I'm leaning on Bertha too much, instead of looking around . . . I'm trying to decide if I need to ride that intersection AGAIN tomorrow or go for something new . . . .
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