riding into June and the beginning of summer

[rebeccaC]

I ended last month riding in the napa valley. Got a little over 90 relaxing miles in during the long weekend. Warm days in the 80’s but that didn’t bother me at all since I was riding in the napa valley and was with good friends….and cuz we found cheesecake ice cream sandwiches at Dean and Deluca in St Helena. :)

Silverado Trail Rd ftw!!!.....lots of interesting winery architecture and good restaurants for lunch by going back and forth on the side roads between Silverado and State Route 29…..

looking forward to what June brings in riding area's, challenges and delights!



“O come sweet June, my lovely June

The month when first the roses bloom
-
A wondrous, colorful display

By sunlight kissed throughout the day, 

So chasing all my cares away.”…Valerie Dohren

[north woods gal]

June is a very nice month for us with highs typically in the 70s. Lots of folks out and about doing all our sumner outdoor things and some tourists, too. Roads are never crowded, though, and traffic never an issue. Mostly just me, the bike and our north woods. Will shoot for 500 miles, this month.

Have a great month, everyone!

[Geonz]

It can get hot here in the midwest but it's not yet :)
Last year I made 1000 miles because June is when I go to GITAP and ride on the Illinois Trails (Grand Illinois Trails and Parks ride), but I might be doing more volunteering and a little less riding this year. Still, I got in 40 miles yesterday with my commute andour "Pedaling for Pleasure" ride... so we'll see!

[north woods gal]

Good for you. I managed 32 miles, yesterday, but very windy, up over 20 mph at times. Just like old times, though, back when I lived on the prairies. :)

[rebeccaC]

Ellie, Jennifer, who is on my work team, and I rode into downtown L.A. today for a day of 3 work meetings. Uneventful ride which is a good one when riding downtown. A pleasant ride home especially the last miles on bike paths. 8 pm sunsets ftw! The three of us went to dinner when we got back to santa monica to go over the day’s meetings.
The early afternoon meeting was just a couple of blocks from the moca museum so we went to see an emotionally charged and complex exhibit of art works that investigate the culture of violence perpetrated on black citizens. Had a good lunch and a conversation about how we were processing the exhibit.
48 total riding miles during a good day of work, intellectual art stimulation, easy riding and good food. Perfect day for me!

[ny biker]

I am loving the later sunsets. Still can't get through my post-work rides without lights because I start so late, but at least I can get away with just one light now. When the sun sets earlier I use two headlights because they both have relatively short battery life (~1.5 hrs) on the brightest setting which leaves no margin for error. Anyway. I had a good ride after work two days ago. Another day of feeling lazy but I pushed myself not to take shortcuts. Instead I altered the route a bit in a couple of neighborhoods and used roads I'd never been on before. I think I need to do more of this to keep things fresh and interesting.

Last weekend (technically May, not June) I led a really good club ride. It was supposed to be 47 miles but we took a short cut at the end because it was very hot and we were very much not acclimated. Seriously it was 30 degrees hotter than it had been a week earlier. I was really feeling the heat because everyone else was much faster than me and just trying to stay within sight of them was more work than I should have done in the hot sun. Fortunately there was a lot of shade in the middle of the route, as we explored a four-mile trail that connects two parks on the Patuxent River. Half of it was a dirt trail which was manageable on road bikes but there were some loose dirt areas that required me to remember my mountain biking days. It was fun. Then of course the bike had to be cleaned afterwards.

[Crankin]

Well, the bike rally is over, and I had my first ride of June, since I was sick on Tuesday-Thursday, and yesterday I decided to hike locally, to test how I felt.
Weather was warm (83 and slightly humid), but thankfully, it got overcast as the ride went on. We had a big group. So, we gave our talk and explained how we split this ride into 2 groups, with 2 speeds.. If people are lagging, they can just stop and wait for the next group, since it's the same route. Within 2 minutes, one woman stopped to wait, and there were 2 others who should have. I asked them several times to please pull over and wait for Lamar, but they said no, they would go at their own speed. One was particularly nasty. There was a big enough group in the back, with me sweeping, but those 2 were outliers. We regrouped at 2 stops and at the top of a climb, so the 2 caught up.
I'd say, it was OK, there was a couple at the end, who was lagging, and the woman had mentioned she was really sweaty, so I asked her if she was OK, and she got mad! I was really trying to be nice, so I said I was just concerned she might be overheating, and she told me rudely she was sweaty because she was working hard. Near the end, on a small hill, they told me to go ahead, but then i had to stop to check out a guy who had crashed, and was with the bike committee leader, who is a nurse. He was fine, thankfully, but they missed the turn I very explicitly told them about, and then I saw them just cut right across the street and kind of ride the wrong way, while I was stopped. Oy.
DH also told me about the antics of a couple of guys up front, too. No matter how explicitly we talk about turning, trouble spots, model it, it seems like a lot of people just don't think. There is only one spot where we have to make a left across a very busy 2 lane road. We reviewed this twice. Still, I found myself screaming "Get in the lane," and finally, "Move left" when they were hugging the right curb.
Still, I am not ready to give it up. We did not stay for the happy hour and dinner this year, have other plans. And now, we live close enough to ride there,

[rebeccaC]

Nice adventure on the metro train system and then riding through the east los angeles industrial and warehouse districts to take photographs today. Very few people working/driving in those areas on Sunday so it’s a good day to ride and photograph there…..well unless you ride through an open gate and find it closed/locked when you come back….thankfully just once a few months ago so far.

First time I’ve used the metro trains with a bike. rode to the station in santa monica and then the train to east l.a. There are spaces for 12 bikes on either end of the rail cars. One hour with a few stops vs shorter in a car outside of rush hours and over two on a bike. They are building out the rail system even larger during the next 5 years too.
Only rode for 23 flat miles total with a lot of stopping and walking to take photos. Good day and enjoyed just being with me.

[Sky King]

We celebrated National Bike Travel Weekend in the Owyhee Wilderness. Small group but we had the campground to ourselves - well except for the two rattlesnakes - one by the bathroom and one in my GF's camp. Also bunnies and chipmonks galore. We think the rattler by the bathroom killed a chimpmonk and he was toasting on the sidewalk yesterday - yuck. It was certainly warm (temp. sign in Jordan Valley said 98 as we drove thru on the way home.)
My gf's are both fighting back issues so Saturday we all started together and they turned around first - after a lovely 7 mile climb... I rode a few hours longer with the boys and then returned to camp to hang with my friends. The "boys" were riding with camping gear and spent the night out. We "girls" had a great evening soaking in the creek and drinking beer. Sunday's ride was a little short - only ten miles but we explored another new road until we came to a gate. Even though it wasn't posted we opted to turn around and I will check with the Owyhee Wilderness Ranger to see if we need to get rancher permission to travel through. These photos are from two years ago but same friends and the hill coming out of camp.1804818049

[north woods gal]

Thanks for the great post, Sky. Way back in the 70s, we lived in Boise for a time and did some traveling in that area. That is some rough country, for sure. Beautiful in its own way, though.

[Crankin]

So DH and I started out on a 38 mile group ride, which started very near our house. There was the regular/a bit fast speed group, a slow group, and then a fast group. We went out with the regular group, and there was so much bad riding behavior, DH was not happy. We split from the group at mile 6 or 7 and then got onto the route we led last Saturday. It's a beautiful day right now, but severe thunderstorms are predicted and at the rate the group was stopping, we were concerned about getting caught in a storm. We stopped to use a prta potty at the Stow Golf Course driving range and all of a sudden a large group of cyclists came by. It was the fast group! We got in what we though was behind them, but there were more, so we rode with them for like 2 miles, when they stopped for a break and we went on, a slightly different way back, as we did not want to get caught up with them. I could hang on at the back, but I'd be wrecked afterwards! We ended up doing 28.5 miles, which was fine.
Feeling much better, but I can tell i am about 85%. I am glad I am going away this weekend, so I will have a little break from riding. If the weather is OK, I'll be home in time to ride Sunday.

[emily_in_nc]

Finally got out on a short ride today (we've been doing lots of hiking lately since we've been by great trails, not so much cycling). I debated going as I woke up with a sore throat this morning, and DH has had a bad cold the past few days (so I know what's coming for me). But this was my last and only chance to ride in this beautiful state park where we are only until tomorrow morning, so I got out for an hour rather than miss out completely. Rolling, swoopy hills, beautiful views. generous bike lanes, almost no traffic mid-week, sunshine, breeze, and temperature around 70. Except for the way I felt, nearly perfect cycling!

We are in Mount Magazine State Park in the Ozarks of Arkansas, and I can highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in this part of the US. The mountain is the highest peak in AR, not high by many state's standards (2753'), but being up at even this altitude means that it's a lot cooler here than in the valley, so a nice summer destination. The views are astonishing, and the cycling and hiking are primo as well. There's a gorgeous lodge, beautiful cabins, and a very nice campground (where we are). We will definitely return when we can stay longer.

A couple pics of this gem:

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[rebeccaC]

that sounds and looks like a perfect ride!!!! nice that you got it in before leaving!

[emily_in_nc]

that sounds and looks like a perfect ride!!!! nice that you got it in before leaving!

Thanks, Rebecca! I am too. I felt so much ickier today that if I hadn't gotten that ride in yesterday, it wouldn't have happened, even if we'd extended our stay. So it was meant to be!

[emily_in_nc]

I just put up a blog post about some of our rides during our two-week stay in the Lake Ouachita area of Arkansas in late May. Yes, our blog is about 2 weeks behind!

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/two-wheeled-explorations-near-charlton-campground

[Helene2013]

I had my 110km (60km and 50km loops) on Saturday. It was very cold (11c), windy and last few kms rainy. I only did the 60km loop. It was 10km of hills in the middle and since I had not been able to train properly with my tibial plateau fracture in January, then the other issues that rose up because of this, my training started only mid-May and it was minimal vs the 5-6hours a week pre-fracture. Some hills I finished walking up to preserve the other knee as it has a baker's cyst and I do not want it to rupture (going to call ortho so he can take a look at it at some point). It felt great, I had no problem, did good speed on flat surfaces and hills...are hills. Last year I was able to climb them all but the biggest one which I ended up walking (because of knees again). But this year, I had to stop and walk 3-4 of them. But that's ok. I finished the 60km with a smile, and the last 2km were in the rain. We opted out of the 50km loop at that one is following the Champlain lake, and lots of opened fields. No need to push my knees or risk a fall at this point in my life. We did the 110km last year and the 50km loop, although mostly flat I think is a bigger (but boring) challenge due to winds. I think I prefer the hills. :)

I will register next year and hoping to do this time all the hills...on the bike. But hey! There are worst things in life than walking up a hill (saw a few women finishing on feet) and I count myself lucky to even be able to cycle right now.

[azfiddle]

Helene,
Glad to hear you took care of yourself and finished your rides.

We've been traveling since a week ago Friday. The route so far included rides Saturday June 4 in Silver City, New Mexico (30 miles, with friends and the hubby, and lots of climbing). In Albuquerque, on Monday June I road solo from the motel up the Tramway road and across town to meet up with the husband at the Bio Park, the long way, so about 25 miles. Part of the ride was on the path along the Rio Grande, so that was nice.

Thursday we camped at about 9400 feet in the mountains outside of Colorado Springs, and did about 20 miles of down and up and then back again. Highlight of the ride was seeing two bighorn sheep ewes cross the road and hang out on the hill for a few minutes. Yesterday (Sunday) we did a beautiful ride outside of Boulder, Colorado. We drove from my friend's house, which is above Jamestown, to a nicely paved road that runs north south through the mountains. We started about 9600 feet, rode downhill on the highway to about 8500 feet, then climbed back up mostly on a small road along the creek. The only time the altitude was a real problem was when the grade crept up over 7%...(not much of the time). Today, we hiked instead.

I'll post some pictures after I upload them to Flickr

[Crankin]

I was away for 3 days, and while I had the goal of riding Sunday when I got home, the winds were gusting up to 40 mph and it was cool. Much nicer than the 90 degrees and humid in Philadelphia. Clear, dry, and sunny. This is why I moved back here. Just 60 miles south of here, triple H weather.
I commuted today. It was cool this morning, around 56 and perfect when I rode home at 6 PM, about 77. Next week, is my last week of the 3 mile commute. When my office moves it will be 2.5. Not sure if it's worth it.
Going on a club ride tomorrow. Not long, but with riding to the start it will be about 40 miles.

[emily_in_nc]

We are in Missouri, and today I got to ride a segment of the Katy Trail I've not had the pleasure of riding before. Actually over to the trail from the RV park in Hermann (about 3 miles), over the mighty Missouri River, and then west to Mokane. I was ready to turn around in Portland, 10 miles earlier, but there was NO water at that trailhead, and it was 90+ degrees, so more water was a necessity. (I wasn't out but would not have made it back without getting more). Mokane had a cool hand pump, so I got to quench my thirst and refill my big bottle before we headed back east. At our last rest stop, there turned out to be a soda machine, so I got a Sundrop. That tasted sooooo good. I was absolutely drenched in sweat.

Final tally, including riding back into town: over 55 miles and 4 hours, 38 minutes in the saddle. Since the Katy is unpaved, it's fairly slow going by normal standards, so it was the saddle time more than the mileage that got me. It was an hour longer than any other ride I've done this year.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, emily. I have several loops of gravel road on my daily routes and it is nice to go off pavement, now and then, and explore some of the true backroads. I go with one of my bigger tire bikes when I do, like my Salsa Warbird with 700x35 tires. Does a very good job as long as I don't hit too large a gravel pile.

[emily_in_nc]

Good for you, emily. I have several loops of gravel road on my daily routes and it is nice to go off pavement, now and then, and explore some of the true backroads. I go with one of my bigger tire bikes when I do, like my Salsa Warbird with 700x35 tires. Does a very good job as long as I don't hit too large a gravel pile.

Fortunately the "gravel" on the Katy is actually very finely crushed/packed limestone so much easier riding than most gravel roads (though not as silky as asphalt, of course). We rode our Bike Fridays, which have 1.35" tires, but we saw other riders on skinny tired roadies, and a few on MTBs. When my DH did the entire length of the Katy, he rode his MTB, but after riding yesterday on our Fridays, he now wishes he'd done it on that, since the MTB was actually overkill for the conditions. For true gravel, the MTBs are a necessity, though. Gotta have that suspension and the wider tires!

[north woods gal]

Yup, there is gravel and there is gravel. Makes a huge difference as to the size of the particles, how much gravel is on the surface and what the surface underneath is. Some of our dedicated "unpaved" bike trails with very fine gravel and hard under-surfaces are actually very easy to do with a standard road bike. On the other hand, our true gravel backroads designed for vehicle traffic are often MTB, only, and even then, the MTB makes a difference. Since our woods are basically built on a huge pile of sand, some of our backroads that are not graveled over are fat bike country, only. The deep sand just swallows anything else. In fact, a lot of us, up here, use fat bikes for all of our MTB riding. We use fat bikes all year long.

[Crankin]

Had a pretty good 27 mile group ride, with just under 5 miles each way to the start and back from home. After about 4 miles, our group split in 2. DH was with me and went ahead of the leader, because he saw a guy with the same jersey! But, a bunch of other people did, too. They waited, after I spent considerable energy sprinting up a hill to catch them. The leader the reigned everyone in. Last year at this time, this guy (he is about 75-80 years old) was on death's door from cancer and now, I would say he rides like me, just slower on the climbs. A role model for sure. All familiar, local roads, with about 500 feet on a bike path. We had lunch at one of the member's house, just outside of Concord Center, overlooking the river. Nice, but we ate and ran, since I didn't want to be caught up in the traffic from the high school dismissal. The proceeds at the lunch went to the PMC.
It's bordering what I consider to be hot, about 80-82, dry, with enough puffy clouds and shade that there was a lot of respite from the sun. Going to relax now.

[north woods gal]

Speaking of gravel roads, we had a heavy rain, last night, and after a rain is a good time to hit our gravel roads. The rain tends to firm up the gravel and smooth things up a bit. Did a 25 mile loop, 5 miles of which was some really primitive back country gravel roads. Was ready to add another loop for the day, but noticed the clouds building up, so headed back for home. Got two miles from home and it started to sprinkle and at one mile out, started to thunder. Just beat the nasty stuff as I made it home. Glad I took the rain jacket.

[emily_in_nc]

Yup, there is gravel and there is gravel. Makes a huge difference as to the size of the particles, how much gravel is on the surface and what the surface underneath is. Some of our dedicated "unpaved" bike trails with very fine gravel and hard under-surfaces are actually very easy to do with a standard road bike. On the other hand, our true gravel backroads designed for vehicle traffic are often MTB, only, and even then, the MTB makes a difference. Since our woods are basically built on a huge pile of sand, some of our backroads that are not graveled over are fat bike country, only. The deep sand just swallows anything else. In fact, a lot of us, up here, use fat bikes for all of our MTB riding. We use fat bikes all year long.

That makes sense to me after some of the gravel roads and trails we've encountered lately. Some were hairy even for MTBs with the deep pockets of gravel and/or sand. Would LOVE to have a fattie too, but three bikes apiece is all we can manage since we're traveling full-time in our motorhome. :-)

[north woods gal]

Fat bikes do take up a lot of room, too. :)

[Sky King]

The Katy trail is on my list of places to go, hopefully sooner rather than later! We have a fun trip planned in July- going to Montana and doing the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. The DH is going to ride from Boise and I will drive over to meet him (somebody has to stay and work ;0) ) Our DD is going to meet us as well, looking forward to having her join us. With that we've been working on pavement miles instead of desert miles. 44 miles last Sunday but weekdays we are limited to taking turns doing a small loop from the shop but it has good hills. If anyone has ridden the Pioneer's let me know!

[Crankin]

I think I mentioned that there was a woman who was very snippy with me when we led a ride for our club's rally. Well, she sent an apology email to me and DH. Very unusual in this day and age!
I think she was dehydrated, so I gave her some info about how to deal with that and heat.

[Crankin]

Had a lovely 25 mile ride over to do one of our regular loops in Concord and Carlisle. It is absolutely gorgeous out! The downside was there is horrible, I mean horrible street construction going into Concord Center, with traffic backed up really far, as Main St. is closed. This necessitated riding between cars and then getting up on the sidewalk. DH has great handling skills and I do not; or at least I have to do stuff like that slowly. But, we made it through and came back an alternate way, to eat lunch at an Italian café that has some shady outdoor seating. As we left, traffic was busy, with people pulling out of a shopping area. DH looked back for me and ran into the curb. He wasn't going fast, but he couldn't get unclipped and fell on the grassy area of a sidewalk. There were tons of people around and a guy in a truck in the parking lot next to the sidewalk got out and asked if he was OK, when I was screaming, "What the hell?" He does stuff like this fairly often, despite his excellent focus in traffic, but usually he catches it! Anyway, we stopped at our local farm on the way back and bought local strawberries, which are now in season for about 2 weeks. Then we went home on a partial dirt road and "secret" path between our condo neighborhood and the next street, The dirt road was fine, but the beginning of the path was a bit rooty, so I did put my foot down a little.
It was certainly a different and fun ride.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, I hope your DH is okay. I hate those kinds of falls!

Today we did a somewhat unusual utilitarian ride on our Bike Fridays: we took our laundry into the nearest coin laundromat from our campground and washed clothes! First time we've ever done that as we usually stop along the way in our motorhome and do laundry, or stay in campgrounds that have machines.

DH did all the "heavy lifting", meaning he had all the dirty clothes in two rear panniers plus a plastic basket strapped onto his rear rack. I had my Tailrider and just carried our extra stuff (wallets, etc.) The route was fairly hilly and along a minor highway with a moderate amount of traffic but a decent shoulder. There was no shade, and it was HOT. At least upper 80s-90 on the way back. But we got 'er done, the laundromat was very nice, and we treated ourselves to some yummy donuts at a shop right next door to the laundromat. :cool:

As a extra bonus, we stopped at a grocery store on the way back and ran into a pair of touring cyclists -- young men with full panniers doing a cross-country tour. They had come from Erie, PA and were on their way to Oregon, following the Trans-America route. They were eating stuff they'd bought in the grocery, and we had a great conversation with them about touring, etc. They were both wearing Katy Trail jerseys as they'd just ridden the Katy, and since we'd done a section of it just a few days before, we had plenty to talk about there, as well as previous tours we'd done, etc. It was so nice to talk to a couple of bike tourists, and I love how bicycles can bridge the generations, as they were probably in their 20s, yet we felt an immediate kinship with them.

On the way back, there was a long, tough hill to climb (I hit 35 mph on the way to town on it descending), so we were glad we had our Fridays with their mountain gearing.

All in all, a successful and fun ride of 22 miles with two loads of clean laundry to show for it. :D

[rebeccaC]

As a extra bonus, we stopped at a grocery store on the way back and ran into a pair of touring cyclists -- young men with full panniers doing a cross-country tour. They had come from Erie, PA and were on their way to Oregon, following the Trans-America route. They were eating stuff they'd bought in the grocery, and we had a great conversation with them about touring, etc. They were both wearing Katy Trail jerseys as they'd just ridden the Katy, and since we'd done a section of it just a few days before, we had plenty to talk about there, as well as previous tours we'd done, etc. It was so nice to talk to a couple of bike tourists, and I love how bicycles can bridge the generations, as they were probably in their 20s, yet we felt an immediate kinship with them.

you're making me want to go ride the northern ca. and southern or. coastlines

kinship feelings ftw!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Here are a couple photos from our laundromat ride! DH carrying the laundry in panniers and rear rack basket and me at the laundromat, plus a bike path we found in town -- sweet. Wish we'd gotten a shot of the young touring cyclists!

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[Crankin]

Did a hard, but good ride today. We took the route from a metric we did a couple of years ago and changed it, to start at our house, go over to my new office building, where we got a tour, and then head out. So, it was 47 miles, with 2,600 ft. of climbing. I rode the Guru for the first time since maybe last October? I figured I'd better, since next weekend we are going to Portland (Maine) and are doing a guided 25 mile tour on an island and are taking these bikes.
Today's ride was good because it was all local, with several bail out points, none of which I took. There were 4 hard climbs, 2 of which I usually avoid, but have done several times. Good thing was, we got to go down Oak Hill, which is not usually the case. However, I thought we were done with the more difficult climbs after this, and then saw we had to go up Nagog Hill in Acton. There is a cut off point, (this is the part of the ride that was leading us home), but DH stuck to the original route until we had to turn off in a different direction. By this time I was starting to feel a bit out of it, probably should have stopped to eat more, but since we only had like 6 miles left, I soldiered on.
We did this ride at "touring pace," which you can guess at. We took one longer rest stop at mile 20 before most of the climbing, and then split a panini at the Harvard General Store, where we sat outside in the shade and rested.
The most exciting and disturbing thing about this ride is no more than one mile from our house, at the start, we were riding down Main St, when a car was stopped to turn left. The guy then procedded to turn just as DH entered the intersection (a small street). I yelled out and DH had to take evasive action and skid his bike out. He rode after the guy, screaming and swearing, banged on the window, after he saw the guy was about 90 years old. This is exactly what happened to DH when he broke his collarbone, a woman stopped completely, and then went with DH going straight and having the right of way.

[north woods gal]

Glad he wasn't hurt. Does help to have more than one set of eyes when riding. Since I ride solo, I tend to be uber alert in traffic, always thinking two moves, ahead. Even so, have had my share of close calls. Definitely more risky to ride alone in nasty traffic.

My nasty traffic riding days are behind me, now. Pretty much me, my north woods and very quiet open roads. Already over 500 miles for June and lots of month left to go. Life is good in my north woods.

[rebeccaC]

As the sun rose this morning I was on a peaceful slower paced ride with Alex and two friends. We rode from our friends’ house next to the golden gate park through the park then along the pacific ocean to fort funston. Rode back around lake merced and through city neighborhoods. A little under three hours and we didn’t keep track of the miles…..we just enjoyed being together.

We came to san francisco to walk with hundreds of others this afternoon from the harvey milk plaza through the castro district then through the mission district to a gathering in the streets around the galaria de la raza to honor our brothers and sisters who lost their lives in orlando. The feelings of a quiet beautiful morning ride along the ocean started the day in a way that helped us to see that actively working for peace in our own lives and especially our communities is such a strong and needed paradigm shift from hate, fear and negativity. The benefits of bicycling can be so much more than mere exercise or transportation.

amor y solidaridad

[Crankin]

North Woods, I wouldn't have called this a heavy traffic situation at all. Main St. is a 2 lane road, and purely residential at the place this occurred. Yes, cars were going by (speed limit is 35), but not as many as during rush hour, as it was Saturday morning. DH commuted, for years, in heavy traffic, so he is uber alert. I sort of had a feeling something funny was going to happen here, and I slowed a teeny bit, so I was not right behind him. We've had a few weird things happen this week, but it will die down next week, as school is out in Concord on Monday and is already out in surrounding towns. There is a noticeable drop in traffic during the summer, and we see this even on the weekends, because people tend to use the precious summer weekends to go to the beach or mountains. The worst summer thing around here (and it basically starts in March) are the huge number of people training for the PMC out on the roads on bikes on Saturday mornings. I live in a very popular area for cyclists; tons of people come out here from the city to ride, have lunch, ride the hills, and go home. It is annoying, even to me, when they are clogging up narrow country roads to the point that before I moved, I had to alter my route if I was going to the grocery store on Saturday morning. I love seeing how popular riding is, but a lot of these people just have poor riding etiquette.

[north woods gal]

I get that. I lived in the Chicago area for about seven years, so I know about heavy bicycle traffic. The Chicago area actually has some very good paved and unpaved bike trails, but these are also shared by pedestrians, often with kids. I'd see guys flying by these pedestrians, weaving in and out, no warnings, doing 20 plus mph on their bikes or the usual bicyclist and jogger plugged into an iPod, listening to music and so on, totally tuned out to the environment. Also, being a multicultural area, my usual, "On your left" as I passed didn't always register since English was definitely a second language for a lot of folks. Interesting place to live, for sure and I enjoyed the diversity.

It's all mostly a matter of educating, of course, as to proper etiquette and safety. As for the bicycle traffic, I worked around it as best I could, often riding during the heat of the day when traffic was the lightest. By August, had the trails to myself in the afternoon.

Up here, the biggest danger is some of the older retired folks in their cars who really don't know how to pass a bicyclist, not seeing us, passing too close, honking their horn and so on. By and large, though, I have the roads to myself and that's a good thing, of course. Might see another biker or two in a 20 mile loop, maybe half dozen cars. Still, there are times when I miss my Chicago days and having folks all around. Okay, just miss it a little. :)

[Crankin]

Did a little 10.2 mile to the Acton Boxborough Farmer's Market in West Acton, mostly so I could reach 1,000 miles today. I only needed 7 miles to do this, but we go back a different way, that is pleasantly almost all downhill, and a little longer. It is not a huge farmer's market, but very nice. Nice to see how my former community is doing something to bring people out; so many walking and riding there from a 2-5 mile radius. Although I've lived in Concord for almost 11 years, I still don't feel very connected to the community, but it's not a big deal, since it's all close by.
It's definitely hotter and more humid today, so this was fine, since we were out at noon. All we bought were some bagels, as we did not bring an ice pack or the big panniers, just a trunk rack.

[emily_in_nc]

I love riding to farmer's markets! There is one nearby (10-11) miles to our current campground, but we didn't want to brave the heavier Saturday traffic to ride there, as there's only one main road that way, and it gets busy. We did ride into town today, though, to visit a Little Free Library so I could exchange a few books (left five and took two; good for keeping the motorhome weight down :D). Oh, and also to ALDI for groceries, which DH carried back in his panniers and rack basket. We have finally figured out that if he carries 40 lbs., we are well-matched in cycling strength. LOL!

Traffic was light on the way there and pretty heavy on the way back. Hot (80s) and sunny but not too humid, for Missouri in the summertime, anyway!

Ended up 27.6 miles at a slow pace -- lots of hills there and back. But a fun and productive ride.

[Sky King]

We live in a mixed use neighborhood and the owner of the complex has a food truck rally 4 times a year. I don't mind food truck rally's but really needed a people break so on a "lark" we decided to do an S24O Friday night. Left the shop at 6pm and rode 14 miles. Now 14 miles isn't that far unless it involves over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on a loaded bike! I was experimenting with load so went with heavy in the front and light in the back, I didn't like that for climbing. Notice we stopped at the brewery at the bottom of the climb to grab a growler (which I carried) so once we found a wonderful, isolated spot to hang the hammocks we enjoyed our beer and pre-cooked dinner. Had a beautiful view of Boise as well. Saturday morning we were up with the birds, drank some coffee and then a quick descent back to town. We were home by 9am. Quite a satisfying little "stay-cation" 18058180591806018061

[north woods gal]

Love the view. As I mentioned, before, we lived in Boise for a short time own the late 70s. Loved that dry air and the way the temp would drop in the evening, even on the hottest days. Ah, those wide open spaces. Do miss them.

[emily_in_nc]

That sounds like a blast, Sky King -- everything except the 3000' elevation gain, at least! But what a view.

When we did our self-supported tour in upstate NY way back in 2004, we carried more weight in our front panniers, as recommended on various websites. This was a very hilly tour, and I thought the bikes handled much better this way than with more weight on the rear, especially downhill. Heavier in the rear (as we'd tried before) resulted in squirrelier handling in the front end and more shimmy on descents. These were our Bike Fridays with light front ends and 20" tires, so that might have made some difference.

[rebeccaC]

I was experimenting with load so went with heavy in the front and light in the back, I didn't like that for climbing.
Sky....thinking low trail front loading randonneuring has been around for awhile….my older than me 650 rene herse at home in france handles well with front loading.
For me when touring on my Waterford, when climbing or when descending on a dirt road I actually like more front loading. I mostly rear load on it though for overall quicker steering adjustments when needed on pavement and because of the geometry of the bike....thinking there is a certain amount of just adjusting our riding technique to loads too though.

…..and hammocks ftw :)….have you seen Tentsile (http://www.tentsile.com)?

Emily…yeah certain geometries and tire size can make front loading much better.


Did my favorite oxnard climb on my way home today. The wild geraniums have faded and now wild flowers are filling the other side of the road (lots of cosmos and california poppies) and lemons are ripening on the trees. I talked to the owner of the land when I first found the road to get permission to occasionally ride it. She is a very kind older woman who has also told me wonderful stories about her life growing up in the area. She also gave me permission to take some lemons when they were ready to pick.

Lemon bars tonight ftw!!!!!....:)

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7475/27196819873_9dbeebf54a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HrhP2t)


https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7414/27773616796_101df3b907_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jjg3E1)


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https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7440/27196827883_0977986476_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HrhRpz)

[north woods gal]

We don't have lemon trees, up here, but I've been carefully watching some wild blueberry and strawberry patches along a couple my bike routes, waiting for them to ripen. Will trade you some berries for some lemons. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Glorious photos, rebecca! And one of my very fave desserts ever. Lucky, lucky you!

[north woods gal]

Did a 42 mile loop, today. Saw a Ruffed Grouse sitting by the road, right on the side of the road, so circled back for a better look. Got very close and saw it was a hen with chicks, so I carefully backed away and just enjoyed the view.

Half mile down the road from that very spot, saw something big and black moving though the brush making its way out onto the road. Sure enough, big black bear. It crossed the road about 50 yards in front of me and went on its way. Don't think it even saw me. Nevertheless, I waited a bit than pedaled VERY quickly past the spot.

No camera, of course. Still, made a great ride all that much better. Life is good in my north woods.

[Skierchickie2]

Sweet! I love seeing bears when I ride!

[emily_in_nc]

Cool wildlife sightings, NWG! I have never seen a bear in the flesh before. I would have pedaled fast too!

Today we rode from the state park campground where we're staying into the charming little town of Weston, MO. We then did some riding on a rolling county road before heading back into town for a tasting at the local distillery. They give two tastes (max per day) for a quarter each! Of course, it's good business as they know most people will buy something, and we did, of course. :D Nothing like a shot of liquor before heading three miles in strong headwinds and high heat up big hills requiring tacking -- oy!

16 miles at a very slow pace but a lovely, hilly ride.

[rebeccaC]

NWG thankfully it wasn’t like (this) (https://www.instagram.com/p/BGpt2a-H3wp/) encounter last week in the Sierra Nevada’s captured on a go pro. It came out in a shady spot.
Come out for a insect free ride and we'll load you up with lemons to take back :)

I’ve seen black bears on the road in the San Gabriel mountains here on a couple of rides. A ranger told me all the bears in the S.G.’s are descendants of some bears sent to the region decades ago (eta 1933) after getting kicked out of Yosemite for being trouble makers. :) I also see it as a good excuse for a threshold sprint interval !!....i did come across a cougar going across the road in the santa monica mountains once. THAT made me nervous enough that i immediately turned around and did my fastest descent ever on that section of road.


Nothing like a shot of liquor before heading three miles in strong headwinds and high heat up big hills requiring tacking -- oy!

:eek::eek::eek:!!!!!.....there's some inspiration in there some where :)

[Crankin]

I have not seen a bear, but the last time I went mountain biking, up in the north woods of Maine, a moose jumped across the gravel road I was on....

[north woods gal]

We do have moose and also wolves in the area, but have yet to see those while biking. Also some reports of cougars in the state, now, too. A lot of folks, up here, carry guns in the woods for protection against animals, but even though we do have guns (we are target shooters, only, not hunters.), I just wont can't carry a gun while biking or hiking. Just seems to ruin the whole spirit of the thing and, besides, the odds of having any issues are less than getting hit by lightning. Doubt I could kill anything, anyway. Do have some bear spray, though. That might be an option. No offense to anyone who does choose to carry a gun, though. Very much a personal choice. Hope I don't upset anyone with this comment. What does everyone else do on this issue?

On a more positive note, my husband accompanied me for a few miles on my ride, today. He is very much a newbie and has some disabilities - back and foot problems - but it was great having company. I do get lonely sometimes, riding for hours on these remote roads.

By the way, I always carry a cell phone and we do have cell phone service in our remote areas.

[rebeccaC]

i always carry a satellite gps messenger when I do rides alone in the desert or mountains. It’s worth it for my peace of mind in sending location info and a message if I should need help or to emergency responders if needed for me or others. I also always have pepper spray gel hanging on the side or in my handlebar bag. what i use is even more potent for animals but like with people it subsides with no damaging harm done.

[Crankin]

I ditched the group ride yesterday; just was feeling off when I got up. Actually had my cycling shorts on, when I decided. Instead, I walked to the gym, did a power class, and then walked home.
This morning, I got up at 4:50 and got out for a glorious 10 mile ride, starting at 5:15. It's funny, before I moved to the condo, I would see tons of riders on my early morning rides, including large groups in Concord center, at 5:30 or 6 AM. Today, was the first time I saw other riders, 2 to be specific. It was 52 out :eek:, but I was dressed correctly, except maybe I should have had a light head cover on. Ad perhaps, long fingered gloves.

[emily_in_nc]

I ditched the group ride yesterday; just was feeling off when I got up. Actually had my cycling shorts on, when I decided. Instead, I walked to the gym, did a power class, and then walked home.
This morning, I got up at 4:50 and got out for a glorious 10 mile ride, starting at 5:15. It's funny, before I moved to the condo, I would see tons of riders on my early morning rides, including large groups in Concord center, at 5:30 or 6 AM. Today, was the first time I saw other riders, 2 to be specific. It was 52 out :eek:, but I was dressed correctly, except maybe I should have had a light head cover on. Ad perhaps, long fingered gloves.

Brrrrrr! I can't imagine. We are riding in the 80s now, which I enjoy until I stop and the sweat rains down my face. I am such a wimp about chilly-weather rides, but good for you! I can imagine that riding so early when very few are out and about would be very peaceful, but I'll never find out. We're lucky to get going by 9 am. :rolleyes:

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Rebecca. I like the idea of the pepper spray and the GPS, too. I do get a little spooked being myself, out in the middle of nowhere, sometimes. Been meaning to add the GPS, anyway, since I have a terrible sense of direction. :)

Good for you Crankin. Riding in cold weather is very doable. Just a matter of having the right clothing and knowing how to dress. If I limited myself to riding in warm, summer-like weather, I'd be lucky to get two months a year of riding. Even in the middle of the summer, we get days where it only gets into the 50s or 60s. Fortunately, I have all the bike specific winter clothing that I've accumulated from years of riding in cold weather. Very expensive, but it really helps. I also use the same clothing for my cross country skiing, so well worth the cost.

[Crankin]

Well 50-60 is my favorite riding temperature! What I call fall type riding, definitely not winter clothing. I had on knee warmers, thermal arm warmers and a vest. I do have heavy duty winter riding clothing, though. Today was more like, wow, I haven't ridden in these temperatures in about 5-6 weeks. It's about 75 now.
Emily, early morning riding is extremely peaceful. I get up early anyway, and it's much preferred than trying to ride after work.

[emily_in_nc]

Well 50-60 is my favorite riding temperature! What I call fall type riding, definitely not winter clothing. I had on knee warmers, thermal arm warmers and a vest. I do have heavy duty winter riding clothing, though.

Heheh, that's my winter riding get-up. :-) I don't mind those temps too much if it's sunny and not windy, but if it's overcast and windy, I won't ride in temps below about 60. I just hate having my nose run and then starting to overheat and having to peel off layers. It's so much simpler to leave in shorts and a short- or no-sleeve jersey. I just feel a lot freer than when I am wearing more clothing for rides. I guess I learned that from DH, who has always much preferred summer riding. He likes it a bit hotter than me, though!

[Crankin]

Yes, it does take awhile to get ready for a cooler ride. But I don't mind stopping to peel off things. I can push down my arm warmers while riding, and sometimes I leave them that way! In early spring/late winter, I tend to leave my vest on, just because I like it for the safety part; drivers may not be used to seeing riders in March or April. And yes, at cooler temperatures, wind and/or couds make a huge difference in how you need to dress. I agree with you, though, I don't like riding in hot weather, either. I have built up to it, but mostly I can plan shady rides on those days. But, sometimes you have no control. Last year, we led our 50 mile, hilly ride up to Hollis, NH on a 95 degree and slightly humid day. Though it is mostly shady, the heat, plus 3K feet of climbing just about killed everyone. Praying that this year, when we lead this on 7/16, it's 75 degrees and sunny!

[north woods gal]

Wish I had a pic of me riding in sub zero weather in the snow with not an inch of exposed skin, goggles, face mask, the works. Pretty frightening pic for some of you folks that ride in the tropics. :) Up here, when the weather gets really rough, I do usually ride indoors on the trainer, but I HATE doing trainer miles, so the weather has to get really bad to keep me cooped up inside.

June is really a lovely riding month, up here. The typical high is in the 70s. Have had a few days in the 80s and a few in the 60s, but mostly 70s. Our summers are just so short, though, so I ride as much as I can. I know very well how soon winter comes knocking on our door.

[emily_in_nc]

Sub-zero weather riding....shiver! You are a beast, NWG! :eek:

Crankin, I agree that a ride like that in 95 degrees would be miserable. 75 degrees = cycling nirvana for me. My DH likes 80+. I prefer 65-80. But, we make do. Most days, one of us is a little happier than the other on our rides. Often they start out oat my ideal temp but rise to his by the end. Today was like that: somewhere in the 70s starting out and mid-80s by the end, but overcast, so it didn't feel too bad.

Today's rides: 16.53 miles total of utility rides on two different bikes (MTB and Bike Friday). One ride to a produce stand mostly on an unpaved trail, and the second ride into a grocery store in town. Two short rides but both hilly and fun. The reason for two rides is that we could only carry so much stuff at once. We're essentially living a car-free life since we refuse to take our motorhome out of a campground once it's parked, until we leave for the next place. As long as we have three bikes each, we're set! :D

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Emily. Why drive when you can ride? :)

[Crankin]

We are in Portland, Maine and I must say there are as many craft breweries, coffee shops, and restaurants as in the better known Portland. I haven't been here in 12 years. Yesterday, we got here at noon and basically ate, walked and shopped, had coffee, wine, and beer. Today we went on a guided bike tour of the islands in Casco Bay. It was just us and the owner of the company, as most people wanting day tours don't want to 25 miles. We met the guy at the ferry, which was a 4 minute ride from our hotel. We were on the ferry for about an hour and 15 minutes, very pleasant and historical. There are tons of islands. We arrived at our first destination and rode about 10 miles. Just beautiful, with almost no cars. But some of the roads he took is on were dirt; the first was fine, but the next 2 were progressively rutted, sandy, and rocky, and I said no more. Fine for a hybrid, but not for my 25s. Then we rode to the one inn where we had lunch, overlooking the bay. On to a short 20 minute ferry ride, to an island connected to the mainland by a causeway. This was really cool. Then we rode back to Portland, on a combo of rural, urban, and bike path roads. The rural was fine, as was the urban, but the path sucked. Tight turns, clueless walkers, and all the things I hate about paths. From there, we rode back to our hotel, a different way, avoiding some cobbles and then promptly rewarded ourselves with gelato.

[emily_in_nc]

Good for you, Emily. Why drive when you can ride? :)

PERZACTLY. :rolleyes:

[emily_in_nc]

Not sure where my post disappeared to, but I will try again (thankfully it was a short one):

Crankin, that sounds like my kind of fun! My mother and step-dad talked for years about retiring to Portland (ME), but he had aging parents in NC in poor health, and after they both died, inertia had just set in, I think. Plus they had friends and lots to do in their community. So, the move to Maine never happened. I kinda wish they had done it as I would have loved to have visited them there!

[north woods gal]

Sounds lovely, Crankin. I do love my rural life and it really is me, but I do miss some of my urban cycling, now and then.

[north woods gal]

Interesting ride, today. Decided to do some exploring on roads I've never biked, so grabbed the map and made a route. When exploring new areas, I automatically opt for my Salsa Fargo. It's actually a drop bar mountain bike with MTB like gearing, but best of all, it runs on big 29er 2.2" tires. Believe it or not, it's only slightly slower than my standard road bikes in terms of average speed on pavement, but it's when we go off pavement that this bike just shines. Turns out, I needed it, today.
http://i65.tinypic.com/fnyf5x.jpg

The maps I have don't distinguish between paved and unpaved roads, so I never know for sure what I will encounter. Got half way through my 30 mile loop and, sure enough, when I made it to the intersection, the road I needed to complete the loop was gravel, but how far? What kind of shape? Off I went.

Turns out it was 8 miles, sometimes gravel, but sometimes more sand and rather treacherous in spots. Even with the Fargo's big tires, I hit a lot of sand traps, causing me to fishtail like crazy. In some spots it was so bad, I walked the bike. The road was marked with ATB route signs and they meant it. Whew! To make things even more exciting, not a single home along the road for 8 miles. Just me and deep north woods on both sides. A fat bike would have been a better choice, but not too crazy about riding a fat bike 15 miles on pavement to get there.

Would I do it, again? Yup. Would feel safer having some company, though. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Would I do it, again? Yup. Would feel safer having some company, though. :)

Yes, being alone in a desolate area like that would be intimidating to me. Glad you had fun (basically!) and were safe. I do know what you mean about the fishtailing and gravel...been having some issues with that ourselves lately. Just published a blog about a rail-trail we rode (or attempted to ride) a couple of weeks ago that ended up being a mess with deep gravel in spots and practically non-existent in spots. The website makes it look like this is such a premiere trail, but I beg to differ:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/riding-the-frisco-highline-rail-trail-in-bolivar-mo

Today's ride was a hilly monster. We started out by riding about 10 miles on a nice valley road, flat, to warm up. Then we headed north and east into the hills, and it was just one roller after another. I have never shifted in the front so much on a ride, from the big chain, to the granny, to the middle, back to the big, and on and on. I spent more time in the granny ring than I think I've ever done, and I bottomed out my 30x25 gear (riding my Trek Pilot) many, many times. "Sit and spin" is what they say, but this was more like "sit and grind". I stood as often as I could, but I tired frequently so had to do most of the longer climbs seated.

I would have taken my Bike Friday with lower gears except that DH was doing maintenance on it, and the chain was not on it. I surely could have used those mountain gears because these hills sure felt like mountains to me!

Ended up with 34 miles and just felt beat up. DH said it was as hard as the Crater Lake circle ride, which he had trained extensively for. Neither of us were prepared for this many hills, but at least he is an excellent climber. Not me -- I had to stop and rest several times partway up climbs just so I could get my breath and continue on. Temp was in the 80s, sunny, and fairly humid, which didn't help matters any.

BUT, we did it. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?!?!? :eek:

Tomorrow we move on to Iowa, where I am happily anticipating some flatter terrain, though I expect the issue there will be the wind!

[north woods gal]

Sounds like a workout, but also a good day's work. Fortunately, I have several choices as to loops on local roads. One is mostly flat, but the others are rolling hills with a few flat stretches. I ride compact double chainrings on all my bikes, but I usually don't have to drop to the small ring except on the steepest hills, but those hills do bottom me out.

Iowa is a lovely state with nice folks. The northeast is actually quite hilly as is the country adjacent to some of he rivers. Having lived in neighboring Nebraska much of my life, oh yeah, wind is a big factor. I'm sure you'll love it, though.

[rebeccaC]

Spent sat. night in los olivos and rode yesterday and today. figueroa mountain road yesterday and today just wandering (the joy of randomness) for 6 hours on the side roads in the santa ynez valley. It was HOT with both rides ending in the high 90’s but mornings were in the low 70’s. I planned this trip a while ago so hot yoga the last couple of weeks helped prepare me for the heat predicted.
For quiet roads the s.y. valley is an excellent place to ride in…one of my favorites, especially figueroa mt.
I saw just a few cars and probably 15+ bicyclists….. and the windblown oak trees are a beautiful feature in the valley floor landscape. Lots of places for water, my favorite being a small isolated chapel on foxen canyon rd. for shade to stretch, relax and eat in and a bottle filling refrigerated cooling water fountain for bicyclists. A good weekend of riding……



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[pinsonp2]

Read your blog on this trail. My mom lives in Springfield, Mo at the southern end of the Frisco Highline. I've always wanted to try it when we are visiting. Based on your info, I think I'll take a pass.

P2

[north woods gal]

What wonderful country! I do miss those wide open vistas. Only get those, up here, when I bicycle past a potato farm. :)

[Crankin]

Did a very tiny 30 minute ride this morning, not early enough, as the humidity is finally arriving and it's hot, too. Glad I went, but glad I didn't plan a day long ride. I am off from work since my office moved over the weekend. Spent a couple of hours setting up/unpacking my stuff over there, and now going to head to the farm, get my produce, and generally recover from a 3 day vacation where there was plenty of eating and drinking, along with a day on the bike and tons of walking.

[north woods gal]

Only 63 at midday, here, with light rain and, worst of all, a 25 mph + north wind, so grabbed the bike jacket, put on the leggings and headed out. Called it quits after 5 miles and headed back home. The cool temps and even the showers I could take, but after fighting that kind of wind, yesterday, just wasn't in me to fight it, again, today. Put in 20 more miles on the bike trainer, indoors, where it was nice and warm, NO wind and called it good. Wimpy old me. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Read your blog on this trail. My mom lives in Springfield, Mo at the southern end of the Frisco Highline. I've always wanted to try it when we are visiting. Based on your info, I think I'll take a pass.

P2

From other reviews I've read, the southern end near Springfield is in much better shape. I believe it's paved, at least for awhile. So I wouldn't rule out riding it, since you have family there. I just wouldn't make a special trip!

[emily_in_nc]

Iowa is a lovely state with nice folks. The northeast is actually quite hilly as is the country adjacent to some of he rivers. Having lived in neighboring Nebraska much of my life, oh yeah, wind is a big factor. I'm sure you'll love it, though.

We are here, and it is HILLY. I was shocked! I guess I do recall reading reports of RAGBRAI that Iowa isn't flat, but I had temporary amnesia. We are going for our first ride today, so we'll see how it goes. The state park we're staying in, Prairie Rose, is quite hilly, as were the roads to get here. So, it's probably a good thing that I did that tough ride in Missouri a couple days ago.

It sounds like you are a lot stronger than me on hills -- but then again, I suppose most cyclists are. I've been riding since 2003 and have never been good on climbs, though the more I ride 'em, the better I get, of course.

I think I'll ride my Bike Friday today today for the gears!

[north woods gal]

Emily, yes, it is reassuring to tackle hills knowing you have a lot of bottom gears available. I don't consider myself to be the strongest rider, but I don't avoid hills, either. It's all in the gearing and matching it up with what you can handle as far as strength. I can get by with doubles in this country, rather than having to go with triple road bikes. Even on my double road bikes, though, there are differences as to their gearing.

My Domane is a 700x25 wheeled bike with standard 50/34 compact on the front and 12/30 on the back. On a good day, it is just low enough for me on our worst hills, but if I'm tired or have to deal with a strong headwind, it's a bit iffy.

My Salsa Warbird is a 700x35 bike with more of a cyclocross double. It has a 46/34 front and in the back, I changed the cassette to a 12-32. I still bottom out on our worst hills, but it's a little better. The 700x35 tires, though, make it a much more versatile bike. It's a very good gravel bike when the gravel isn't too deep or soft.

My Salsa Fargo is my go to bike for exploring. It's still a drop bar bike that runs well on pavement, but it's actually a 29er in wheel size with its big 2.2" tires. It has the lowest gearing of the three with a 42/28 up front and an 11-36 on the back. I suspect it will handle any road in our state, though if I was headed to the rockies I might try something even lower geared.

[azfiddle]

I just read through about 3 pages of ride posts. Sounds like some fun and interesting rides have been happening while I was away.

My husband and I just got back from our three week driving vacation, which took us from SE Arizona through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Utah. We took the bikes, but didn't ride everyday. During the three weeks we had rides in Silver City NM, Albuquerque NM, outside of Colorado Springs on the road to Cripple Creek, above Boulder Colorado (near Jamestown / Ward / Raymond), Billings Montana, Grand Teton NP and Bryce NP. A little over 200 miles on the bikes, plus about 40 miles of walking and hiking. I will post a few pictures after I upload them to Flickr.

We're glad to be back but today all I could manage after returning to the heat and higher humidity (now that the summer monsoon season is here) was about 13 miles, mostly on the bike path. Of course, if I was a little less lazy and got out the door at 6 am instead of 7:30, I might have gotten more miles in.

[emily_in_nc]

azfiddle, that sounds like a great trip. We have ridden in Albuquerque (twice) and Billings and hiked in Bryce NP, of the places you visited. The other places you went are still on our bucket lists!

Had a good ride today. We took the Bike Fridays and rode from the campground to the closest town. It was rolling hills but not as steep as those we suffered through in our last spot (Weston, MO). I love my Bike Friday because of the smaller tires, all the gears are easier than they would be on a larger-wheeled bike. So I was able to stay in my middle chainring for the entire ride. On this bike with 20" wheels, my 42-tooth middle chainring, coupled with 11-32 (or 34, I can never remember) in the back, gives me a tons of range. I did shift into the large front ring (52t) on occasion but mostly I was in the middle and did not have to utilize the super low 30t granny. The worst hills were actually in the campground!

Wow, though, there aren't a lot of paved roads in this part of Iowa! DH had drawn a great map of all the backroads we might try to get to the closest town, Harlan. Every single one of them ended up being gravel, and since we'd just cleaned and detailed the Fridays, we were NOT gonna take them! So, we ended up on the highway (not an interstate, of course), and the rumble strips were just awful. There was a wide unpaved shoulder, then a skinny paved one with just enough room for the rumble strips and about 6" for us to ride in. I guess the good thing was it does help your handling skills to try to stick to a 6" width of pavement!

I will say, drivers are so incredibly courteous here, same in Missouri. Whenever they could, they would give us the entire lane, or as much of it as they could. If someone was coming the other way, they'd often hold up until after the other driver passed to let us through. Very unexpected and nice! You don't get that down south much.

Ended up with 25 miles and a few nice groceries to bring home from town. We got sprinkled on a few times, but the temp in the 70s was most unexpected and appreciated!

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[north woods gal]

Emily, I should have mentioned the gravel roads. Yes, the farm states from Iowa on west - Nebraska, the Dakotas, Kansas and so on tend to have mostly gravel rural roads. You typically have to go to roads labeled as highways to find paved.

Our state of Wisconsin has mostly paved rural roads, though. Did 63 miles of gorgeous north woods lake country on those paved rural roads, today. Not unusual to go half an hour or more without seeing a car. Just you, your bike, forests and lakes and wildlife. Super day for biking, too. High of 73, all sunshine and no wind. Doesn't get any better for road biking. Come on up for a visit.

[emily_in_nc]

We actually lived in Wisconsin for a time, NWG! But not nearly as far north, down near Richland Center. Lovely roads indeed. We also lived in Kansas but in the KC metro, so plenty of roads (and bike paths) there. :)

We've visited most of the states you mention but did more paved and unpaved bike paths there, not so much on the roads. This includes our trip to Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas in 2014. We're heading that way again so good thing we have our mountain bikes with us. :)

Wisconsin is not on the agenda this year but definitely in the future. My DH has cousins there, and we love the state.

[north woods gal]

Yes, that SW corner along the Mississippi is truly lovely country, though quite different from our north woods. Nice folks just about anywhere in Wisconsin, though. Come for a visit.

[north woods gal]

I broke 900 miles for the month of June, today. That's on a par with my best years and I'm pleased, of course, that I can still manage it at my age of 66. Wasn't sure I had it in me. Now I know. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it's taken its toll. I can feel that it's past the point of what I can maintain and still be healthy. Have been here, before, and know the feeling. Does take longer, now, for my body to catch up to a lot of strenuous miles and I do worry about bringing on an injury that would keep me from biking. That would kill me. Will probably cut back to a more moderate 600 or 700 miles for next month and see how that goes. I also plan more mountain bike miles for the remainder of the summer riding season, too. I do like MTB biking, even though that is not my strong suit. Doing more gravel roads and trails might be a good compromise, rather than attempting a lot of gnarly, strenuous single track.

[rebeccaC]

Nwg…..yeah even though mileage goals can be motivating sometimes it should just be keeping it interesting and doing what your body is comfortable with.

I only really keep track of miles when it’s part of a training plan to peak on a particular ride. The rest of my rides are just personal challenges, commutes or just wanting to ride….just keeping it interesting

eta...for me a slow moving cool down spin of 15 or so minutes at the end of a hard ride helps my muscles and my tiredness.......and a good recovery massage ftw :)

[Crankin]

NW, I hit 1,000 miles about 2 weeks ago, almost a month earlier than I usually do. Mostly because of riding through the mild winter, not riding more, per se. But, since then, I have been exhausted, and gave myself a self imposed rest week. Not total rest, of course, just doing stuff at the gym more, instead of riding, a 3 day vacation that included a 25 mile "tour," and more days of just doing nothing. The tiredness started after I had a +125 mile week. I know for most people here, that's nothing, but if I do the miles over a short time frame, like 3 days, I know what will happen.
I do take recovery seriously and at our age, it is necessary. I always feel stronger when I get good rest.

ETA:
So, I was going to ride to work today, first ride to new office site. Unless I do a go-around, it's shorter, but in rush hour traffic on main roads, coming out of the village center. I ride through here all of the time, but not usually at rush hour. I decided not to ride and do a group ride tonight. I got here when the door was still locked, and I don't have my key yet. So, I went back to the village to get some coffee. There were tons of cyclists, both recreational and commuter, including large numbers of teens riding to a summer program. As I was waiting to pull out of the coffee place, 2 cyclists went by. As I was then waiting at a light, I saw police lights and had a bad feeling. This is all in a short distance, but with lots of cars. It's in front of a Dunkin Donuts (extremely popular here with a certain set of old timers) and a fire station. As I got by, sure enough, there was a road bike lying on the ground. It really shook me up. The bike was not mangled, but I was almost hit here once, by someone trying to turn into the DD, when I was on a ride with another TEer. I definitely would have been in the lane here, as I have to turn at the next light, but I now know I will do the go-around. It's a half mile longer and at least I won't be sitting in traffic.
Oy. The counselor needs counseling.

[emily_in_nc]

That is a lot of miles in a month at any age, NWG, congratulations! I didn't ride half that, and I am "only" 55. But yes, riding that many miles will take its toll, especially as we get older, so be kind to yourself. As Crankin says, recovery is important. You actually get stronger during recovery time.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. :D

[north woods gal]

Thanks, all.

Has always been my personality to go whole hog when it's something I love and, of course, that has its downside, too. Yup, will give myself a bit of a rest.

[Sky King]

My riding the last 10 days has been pathetic. High 90's and into the triple digit heat always kills my riding - Ha. The DH is leaving tonight (well tomorrow actually as it will be 3am) to start his two week tour. I will meet him and our DD in Dillon, Mt on Tuesday and the 3 of us are riding the Pioneer Mountains scenic byway. We will take 3 days for that. Then it's off to Bozeman via car to celebrate some 60th birthdays. I have graciously volunteered (HA) to return to Boise to work while he continues on to Missoula for the Adventure Cycling 40th anniversary of Bike Centennial. Once again, I will get behind the wheel and drive to meet him. So I expect I will have record driving miles, not riding miles in July!

[ny biker]

Catching up... I had record driving miles in the last half of June. From northern VA up to NY, overnight at my parents' house, then through CT and RI to the vacation house in Plymouth MA. Nine days of back and forth between Plymouth and various towns on Cape Cod, with some detours south to Wareham and finally up to the historic section of Plymouth on our way back to NY. Spent a couple of nights there, then returned to NoVa by way of JFK airport to pick up a friend and take her to her home in central NJ. After 9 years and 113,000 miles I remain pleased with my Prius.

As for cycling... there was no room in the car for my bike and not enough time to get in all the sightseeing we wanted to do, so never a thought to renting a bike while I was there. We did see a few cyclists battling headwinds on the paths on either side of the Cape Code canal from our tour boat. Also we saw a handful of cyclists on the roads riding flat-bar bikes, way more when we visited Martha's Vineyard for an afternoon, and I saw one lone roadie in the neighborhood where we stayed. I did think that was a good area for cycling, with low speed limits and roads winding around small ponds. But not many others seemed to agree. On the other hand I was not impressed with the conditions I saw on Martha's Vineyard, with buses passing wobbly tourists on bikes with little room to spare.

Now that I'm back home, I went out for a ride after work two days ago, my first since June 11. I didn't leave the office until after 7, started riding around 8 and finished around 10. I'm glad the sun is setting late these days because I do prefer to ride when it's still light out, even if darkness falls before I finish. I did a version of my usual ride with fewer of the steep hills because my legs felt like spaghetti. Otherwise it was uneventful. The weather was near perfect, in the 70s with low humidity.

For most of the ride I was listening to a baseball game on my phone. My nephew is studying broadcast journalism and is spending his summer calling games for a college league. I had my phone in my pocket with the volume turned up rather than using earbuds. I wouldn't do that while riding with others because it would no doubt be annoying, but since I was alone it was a nice diversion, one that I hope to enjoy for the rest of the summer on my post-work rides.