Home from the Bike Surgeon

 August 25, 2021

As most of you know we had an incident earlier this month. We were on our way to meet some friends for a mini vacation which included some bike riding among other things. We were about an hour from home traveling 70 miles an hour on interstate 64 in Illinois. All of a sudden our bike and bike rack came off the top of our car. It was truly a miracle that no cars were by us at the time. And, the strangest thing is, as it slid off our car, it hit the back bike tire and fell upright and slid across the traffic lanes staying upright the whole time. It came to a halt in the passing lane of the interstate. Clay was able to jump out of our car and get to the bike before it was hit by other cars. We really feel that God's hand of protection was on us that day!

(This was taken in June but you can see how we transport our bike)

After the accident, taking everything apart to fit in the trunk.

You can see how bent the back wheel is.

Now we had the problem of how would we transport the damaged bike and bike rack to a place for repairs. We had to unload the trunk of our Honda Civic, lay down the back seat, take both tires off the bike, shove it in the trunk as far as it would go. Pile the tires, rack and our luggage in on top and around the bike. Of course the bike didn't fit all the way in so we had to bungee cord the trunk lid down. Luckily the bike store we use for service was between us and our house, so we didn't have to go all the way back home. We left the bike with the Bike Surgeon and continued on our vacation, which now looked a lot different since we didn't have our bike. 

We had to cut out one bike ride in Kentucky but we were able to rent single bikes (their tandem rentals we broken and they are having trouble getting parts to fix them) on our planned ride in Ohio.

 

Little Miami Bike Trail, Ohio

As it turns out, there wasn't much damage to our bike. We had to replace the back wheel and tire and the handlebar tape on my my handlebars. (We figure we did that damage when we were shoving it in the trunk) Ironically those are the two things we had done earlier this summer. We feel really blessed that we still have our trusty tandem bike! Ready for more adventures but nervous about transporting it now. We'll have to use our truck as the bike rack is toast!

KATY Trail 2021

May 16-21, 2021

KATY Trail 6-day fully supported Tour

Clinton, Missouri to St. Charles, Missouri

235 miles

Happy 20th birthday to our bike! Before our bicycling vacation we took our bike in for a complete go over to make sure it was trail worthy. Several items needed to be fixed and we have gotten to the magic age that many parts are no longer available. Had to have some things custom built. It's sad to say but we may be looking at replacing our bike sooner rather than later.

Before leaving, the 6 day weather forecast was not looking good. High percentage of rain forecasted every day of the trip. Since I am a fair weather rider, this had me concerned. 

We met our group at the KATY Trail parking lot in St. Charles, Missouri. Including the 2 tour guides we had 4 men and 4 women on this trip. Three of the women are named Kathy/Cathy. It makes it very easy for everyone to remember the womens' names but it is very confusing when someone asks a question to one of the Kathys.

The first day was the hardest because of the weather. And, as stated above, since I am a fair weather rider I can confidently say it was the worst weather day I have ever bicycled in! We got over 4 inches of rain and we were drenched and covered with mud by the time we arrived at the hotel for the evening. The hotel had a water hose on the side of the building to wash everything down. There was quite a line as we weren't the only tour group staying there that night. For the rest of the trip most days we had some sprinkles or light rain but it never lasted long. We were very fortunate for that!

By the way, when we arrived at the Clinton trailhead to start the trip, Clay found a painted rock. We picked it up and kept it. Look what it says...... So guess who we are blaming for the rain!

This is the fourth time for us to ride the complete trail and it was the first time that we are staying in Jefferson City and Hermann because both are on the South side of the Missouri River and we have never crossed on our bike. Both now have very nice protected bike lanes over the river. In Jefferson City three of our grandkids were waiting in the hotel parking lot for us to arrive. We had a great visit with them!

Crossroads Bike Tours did a fantastic job, we were very spoiled all trip long. All the lodgings were fantastic and the food was superb! Already want to ride the KATY Trail again!

2020 Ohio Bike Trip

August 10-13, 2020

Stayed in Xenia, Ohio

• Little Miami Scenic Trail (North from Xenia) 20 miles
• Creekside Trail 29 miles
• Little Miami Scenic Trail (South from Xenia) 33.2 miles
• Ohio to Erie Trail 62 miles

One lane covered bridge that went over the Little Miami Scenic Trail

We decided to stay in a VRBO because we felt it was safer in regards to the Corona Virus. We could do our own meals and do laundry as needed. It was a perfect solution for this vacation. Xenia is basically a hub for five main bike trails and we could easily access all of them from the house.

We were able to ride parts of three trails and the complete Creekside Trail while we were there. We rode three days and two consecutive days we rode metric centuries (100k or 62.14 miles). That was a new record for us. 

The weather was perfect. In the 70's and 80's with light wind. Some days were pretty cloudy which gave us some sun protection. The trails did have many sections of tree coverage but there were also some that were along farm lands that were more out in the open. We went through some quaint towns along the trails. Would have liked to do some more exploring but because of COVID-19 there wasn't much to explore and some places weren't even open. This reminded me a lot of the KATY trail in Missouri but these trails were paved and not limestone. These trails rank up in my top 5 Trails that we have ridden. What a gem this area was. Thank you Ohio for some great biking!

Mandatory to wear masks inYellow Springs, OH

Sunset over the Little Miami River

Barn along the Little Miami Scenic Trail

911 Memorial in Beavercreek, OH, Creekside Trail

House and Grain Elevator along the Creekside Trail, Alpha, OH

Found a trail side Ice Cream Parlor in Corwin, OH

I had a Buckeye Sundae since we were in the Buckeye State!

Xenia, OH station

We packed a lunch and ate at South Charleston's old Train Depot

Ohio to Erie Trail

Cedar Cliff Falls, Cedarville, OH

Ohio to Erie Trail

Old Church seen from the Ohio to Erie Trail, Selma, OH

My Thoughts on Cycling Bibs

July 26, 2020

Clay and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary in June but unfortunately we were in different states at the time. Clay found an online virtual bike tour to participate in. With this sponsor you could purchase a patriotic jersey and, if you wanted, could get matching cycling bibs to complete your outfit. I was unsure about the bibs but Clay really wanted them and he wanted us to match. Therefore, he talked me into it and we decided that it would be our anniversary gift to each other.

How the virtual ride worked was sometime before the end of July you would wear your patriotic biking clothes and post a picture of yourself and a picture of the stats from your ride. Depending on the length of your ride it would determine the amount of a discount you'd get on future purchases. Now, I just needed to get home so we could ride and post the required information.

I arrived home in the middle of July so we started planning what day we would do our ride. That day came and our outfits looked great! We even looked professional, if I say so myself . But, there were a few problems!

Problem #1

You have to take off the jersey to pull the bib straps off your shoulders. Yes, that means you have to undress to pee!

Problem #2

Due to the Corona Virus public bathrooms on the bike trail are closed. So, what's a girl to do???

Yep, you guessed it! Find a secluded bushy area along the trail and pretend that I'm on Discovery Channel's show Naked and Afraid because I definitely was naked and afraid!!!

Going forward I'm unsure how often I'll wear the professional looking cycling bibs. If I do it'll be only for short rides so that I can make it home before having to go potty. Maybe I should use my discount to buy regular cycling shorts. Sorry honey, no more matching bibs!

Disclaimer: The event described above did not actually happen even though it very likely could have!

Biking in the time of COVID

July 23, 2020
41 miles
Madison County Trails

What a new world we live in! We only have 1 state left to bike in and that is Hawaii. I am so relieved that we didn't have a trip to Hawaii planned this summer because I think we would have had to cancel. We have been even more appreciative that we live in a county that has over 130 miles of bike trails. Even in this crazy time of COVID it is so easy to get out and enjoy biking and still being able to distance ourselves from others. 

One new adventure we had this summer was to enroll in the All American Freedom Ride - National Virtual Ride. You signed up and received a jersey, a race number and medal. You pick the length of ride you want to do and post a picture and your ride stats from your preferred device. We had a great ride with our new jerseys and cycling bibs (In a few days I'll write a different blog about the bibs). We rode to Staunton Illinois, ate lunch at Subway and then rode back home. Round trip was 41 miles. 

We know many people who have cancelled vacations this summer because of the COVID situation. Since we can ride a bike and still feel safe we are actually going to take a mini vacation before the Fall Semester starts and Clay goes back to teaching. We have changed a few things in the way we travel and vacation. We are staying in a VRBO, so we can do our own cooking, instead of a hotel. We will also take a cooler with food in it on travel days and picnic either at rest areas or town parks. Life is an Adventure! Make wise choices and stay healthy!!!

Cardinal Greenway, Jonesboro, Indiana to north of Marion, Indiana

August 15, 2019
35 miles
including:
Sweetser Switch Trail
Converse Junction Trail

Started out in the Gas City Trailhead parking lot. It was 69 degrees and overcast so again I'm wearing my jacket. It's August and I'm cold, it doesn't make sense!

 Street signs in Gas City, Indiana

First thing I noticed this morning was this northern section of the Cardinal Greenway has been smoothed out where the roots had bumped up the trail. It's a rough surface but so much better than the bumps! You can see from the picture below how bumpy that would have been if it hadn't been ground down. It gives you an idea of what we have been riding over the past few days. Another nice feature of this section is that there are a succession of 9 bridges that go over roads, streams and railroad tracks. It was much more pleasant not having to watch for traffic and slow down at every road crossing. 

 Smoothing out the tree roots

 Trail bridges through Marion, Indiana

At the end of Cardinal Greenway north of Marion the Sweetser Switch Trail begins almost seamlessly. It is a short trail (4 miles) but very beautiful and interesting. It also has an actual toilet and not a porta potty! In downtown Sweetser is an old train with a fiberglass Garfield standing at the back of the train. Jim Davis, creator of the comic strip Garfield is from Marion, Indiana. A local leader in the area came up with the idea to place a Garfield in every community in the county hoping to bring in some tourism.

 Entrance to Sweetser Switch Trail

 College bound Garfield, Sweetser, Indiana

 Bikes Peak, Sweetser, Indiana

As a bonus we discovered that another short trail (3 miles), Converse Junction Trail, connected to the end of Sweetser Switch Trail. Somehow we missed this trail on TrailLink so it was a surprise to us. We've come this far, why not add this on to our ride today. Once in the town of Converse we found a great BBQ restaurant and immediately made it our lunch spot. On the way back to our car the sun finally decided to come out, I actually took off my jacket and by the time we finished it was 76 degrees, perfect riding weather in my opinion. We've had a great three days of cycling in Indiana!

Cardinal Greenway, Muncie, Indiana south to Economy, Indiana

August 14, 2019
57 miles
including:
White River Greenway

We left this morning around 10am. Once we left the city of Muncie we discovered why there was a fog advisory this morning. There was lingering fog in the fields and it was very overcast. The temperature was in the 70s but I had to wear a jacket because without the bright sun I was cold. Again, we went through sections where the trail was extremely bumpy. Also, along this trail you have many road crossings which mean you are constantly slowing down and/or stopping.

The trail goes through some very small towns and there aren't many places to stop for refreshments or potty breaks. Most trailheads have porta potties which I guess should help with the bathroom breaks but..... I looked in one porta potty and immediately decided I could wait. It looked like someone had a blowout all over and in front of the potty!! 

On the way back to Muncie we stopped in Losantville and ate lunch at the Pizza Barn. I think this was the only restaurant we passed on the trail today. It was very good. I've come to the realization that while long distance cycling all food tastes really good!!

Back in Muncie we stopped at the Wysor Street Depot (built in 1901) where they have bicycles to "rent" and it is also a gift shop. I put rent in quotations because it actually doesn't cost anything, you just have to leave your license with them while using the bikes. What a nice service that is! We also learned that the Cardinal Greenway is part of the Great American Rail Trail. Using current trails and connecting them to make a coast to coast trail from Washington DC to Seattle, Washington. I wish it was completed right now so we could ride coast to coast without being on the road!

 Wysor Street Depot, Muncie, Indiana 

We decide that we would bike another trail that was connected to the Cardinal Greenway. It is called White River Greenway and goes along the White River in Muncie and through a section of Ball State University. 

 E.B. Ball Mansion

White River

Today's ride was our longest this year. Tomorrow we will drive to the section of trail that is disconnected and start from a trailhead in Gas City, Indiana, thereby avoiding bicycling on the road.