March Rides: In Like a Lion or a Lamb?

[emily_in_nc]

March definitely came in like a lamb today in the Orlando area -- a very hot and sticky lamb, and less windy than the past few days. We finally broke down and turned on the A/C for the first time this year. Supposed to be cooler by Friday and for the weekend, which is fine with me. I'm not ready for hot and humid 80s just yet.

Didn't ride today after 35-milers both Mon-Tues, it was time for laundry, shopping, and chores. Tomorrow we'll get back out there!

[Pax]

Definitely in like a lion here in Illinois, big storms with high winds and rain, and a few tornadoes thrown in for good measure. We'll try to get in a ride over the weekend if the wind subsides.

[north woods gal]

After one of the warmest Februarys ever, March comes in more normal for us - couple of inches of snow and down into the single digits, tonight. 50s, though, by Sunday, so the not normal roller coaster continues.

Did a combo of road work on snow packed roads and some trail work, since the temps were cold enough to keep the crust under the fat bike from collapsing. Still well below freezing, tomorrow, so should be good for more trail work with one of the fat bikes.

The strange February weather actually was much more an issue for my cross country skiing. One of the worst ever winters for that, so far. Good snow, when it has fallen, has deteriorated, quickly, with the constant bouncing back and forth between thawing and freezing. On the other hand, the fat bikes are so versatile as to where they can ride, finding a place to ride them has been possible no matter what the conditions. Actually been a great fat bike winter for me. More than ready for some actual spring dirt and dry pavement spring riding, though. The weather has been weird, but me getting cabin fever in March is very normal. :)

[Geonz]

It wasn't exactly lamblike but yesterday the storms dissipated for my commute home... today the headwind meant it took longer to get into work but it blew me home. 28 mph but -- at least for my window -- it didn't seem gusty. There are advantages to a heavy bike and I think the crosswind was slightly with me so that I could tack with the big bags and still get moved forward... I charged back into it to go to Ash Wednesday services except I must hae gotten the time wrong so nobody else was there, so I rode out to the next church but everybody was leaving... so I rode a little more... so I got in 17.2 miles and didn't wish I'd taken the bus...

[emily_in_nc]

This morning we headed out into a pretty good headwind with overcast conditions and were actually a bit cool starting out, but the sky eventually became partly cloudy, and the headwind on the way west and north turned into a glorious tailwind all the way back. That's exactly why we chose to ride the direction we did. Got in 35 miles, our usual distance.

The next three days are supposed to be blustery and chilly (for Florida!), so I plan to do some RV projects and will just work out indoors, plus walk. It's just not fun to ride when the wind is blowing hard.

[north woods gal]

Back to riding snow pack out on the roads, but the fresh 2" of snow that caused it is fun to ride, back on my frozen trails where it hasn't been packed. Not a lot of miles, but fun on this blustery, still very much winter, day.

Just saw that we had the second warmest February on record. My best February for miles since my commuting days while in Chicago, mostly because for two February months, there, my bike was my only means of transportation.

[ny biker]

Agree on both counts, Emily -- if I have to ride on a windy day, I try to get the headwind over with in the beginning and maximize the tailwind at the end. And I don't like riding on windy days...

[Crankin]

So, last Thursday we had a weather alert for high winds, up to 65 mph. A man got killed when a tree fell on his moving car, about 30 miles from here. Several clients told me they could barely keep their cars on the road while driving to see me.
So, yesterday I got an email from the invite-only group of cyclists I rode with once. I stay on the list because occasionally I learn some news I wouldn't elsewhere. Most of these people ride with my Wednesday group and I occasionally see one on an AMC ride. A bunch of them also ride with another group, based right in my area, which has a similar, slightly slower type of group like my Wednesday group on Thursdays. Six people came for a ride in those windy conditions. Three ditched it quite quickly. The other 3 went on, when one of the men apparently ran over a twig that got caught in his spoke, which was just part of all the debris in the road from the wind. He did an endo on the road. He needed a spinal fusion in 2 vertebra and a few other cervical things. He fractured a couple of ribs. While he is recovering nicely, he still has not regained all feeling in one of his legs (he had none in the beginning). I know this man in a casual way; he is very friendly and a good ride leader. All I can think of was what was the ride leader thinking when he didn't cancel this ride? There were serious weather alerts being issued. This is why I lead for AMC, where risk assessment is emphasized in the training. It comes from the hiking part of the club, but I am very happy for this. Yes, there's been a couple of times I cancelled and could have gone, but overall, I feel responsible for safety. I know the leader of the ride; he's a strange dude who often rides alongside of me and then gets mad when I drop him on a hill. He seems to ride all of the time, so he's now a little better rider than me, but I've spent a lot of time talking to him.
I just feel really badly for the guy who got hurt, all because of wind.

[north woods gal]

So sorry to hear about anyone who gets hurt while biking, but especially that one. Have done an endo, only once, but fortunately no injuries because it was a case of the front wheel burying itself in soft sand at the bottom of a hill and I was too far forward in my stance. Landed in a pile of sand, so no harm done. That one I could have avoided, though. Totally my fault. Absolutely frightening, though.

Speaking of endos. Read the report, this morning, about the mountain biker that got killed by the grizzly, last year. It was not a case of the bear attacking, as such. The guy was racing to beat his best time, came down a hill at an estimated 20-25 mph, came around a blind curve and actually collided a grizzly that just happened to be on the trail. Did an endo either into the bear or over it, broke both wrists trying to stop his fall, plus one shoulder blade. His companion, traveling behind him, heard the collision and the bear make a noise that sounded like it was hurt. Neither he or his companion, had bear spray or a gun. His companion went for help. The guy was dead when help arrived. His helmet had puncture marks from the bears teeth. By examine DNA from some of the bear hair at the scene, authorities found that the bear had been collared, once, but had no history of attacking humans and had not tried to eat the corpse, so the hunt was called off.

The article also cited other studies that show that mountain bikers have a higher rate of bear encounters than hikers, probably as a result of their faster speed and lack of noise on the trail. Trust me, this article hit home, because I bike in bear country, black bear country, not grizzly, but I can see it happening on some of our local trails which are very hilly and twisty. Not that I would ever do 20 mph on a trail, but I still worry about biking, alone. For sure, I will make it a habit of making more noise, at least. My two Norco fat bikes actually came with a bell, which I thought was cute, but worthless, but now I think I will be adding one to all my trail bikes.

[ny biker]

So, last Thursday we had a weather alert for high winds, up to 65 mph. A man got killed when a tree fell on his moving car, about 30 miles from here. Several clients told me they could barely keep their cars on the road while driving to see me.
So, yesterday I got an email from the invite-only group of cyclists I rode with once. I stay on the list because occasionally I learn some news I wouldn't elsewhere. Most of these people ride with my Wednesday group and I occasionally see one on an AMC ride. A bunch of them also ride with another group, based right in my area, which has a similar, slightly slower type of group like my Wednesday group on Thursdays. Six people came for a ride in those windy conditions. Three ditched it quite quickly. The other 3 went on, when one of the men apparently ran over a twig that got caught in his spoke, which was just part of all the debris in the road from the wind. He did an endo on the road. He needed a spinal fusion in 2 vertebra and a few other cervical things. He fractured a couple of ribs. While he is recovering nicely, he still has not regained all feeling in one of his legs (he had none in the beginning). I know this man in a casual way; he is very friendly and a good ride leader. All I can think of was what was the ride leader thinking when he didn't cancel this ride? There were serious weather alerts being issued. This is why I lead for AMC, where risk assessment is emphasized in the training. It comes from the hiking part of the club, but I am very happy for this. Yes, there's been a couple of times I cancelled and could have gone, but overall, I feel responsible for safety. I know the leader of the ride; he's a strange dude who often rides alongside of me and then gets mad when I drop him on a hill. He seems to ride all of the time, so he's now a little better rider than me, but I've spent a lot of time talking to him.
I just feel really badly for the guy who got hurt, all because of wind.

This is a big thing for me. We have folks in our club who talks about safety a lot but always in the context of motor vehicle collisions. I strongly believe that there are some weather conditions that are not safe for club rides, because by leading the ride you are implying that you consider the conditions to be safe. It's okay if you personally are willing to take the risk, but in that case you should cancel the group ride and ride on your own, rather than leading others who may not fully understand the risk or how to mitigate it. When it's very windy, very hot, there's a risk of thunderstorms, the roads are wet, etc., a ride leader has an obligation to say no, not today.

I hope the injured man recovers well.

North woods, one of my friends once encountered a bear on a road ride in the mountains in SW Virginia. But she was far enough away that she could stop and watch it go back into the woods without incident.

[north woods gal]

N.Y., the two bears that I did see, last summer, were while road biking and were far enough way that they presented no danger. That's one plus for road biking - you can see for a long distance. On the other hand, while mountain biking, this last summer, I didn't see any bears, but on a couple of occasions I did hear a large animal go crashing off into the brush alongside the trail and it did not sound like a deer. This summer, I will be using a bell - a lot. :)

Speaking of bears, I did take down the bird feeders, this week, and cleaned cup underneath them, as I do every spring before the bears come out.

As for those high winds, we are under a high wind warning today and tomorrow, with gusts over 40 mph. We did a little road riding around the area on the paved roads with our fat bikes, this afternoon, so no issues with getting blown around. Did have a lot of branches and a small tree down on my trails around the house, though.

Yup, spring is on its way.

[emily_in_nc]

That's really sad about the cyclist who did the endo, Crankin. Wind is nothing to mess around with when it gets high enough to cause safety issues. Yesterday there was a lot of debris blowing around on the path, and I did pick up a couple small sticks, but just noisemakers. Still, it does give you pause. My DH doesn't mind riding in wind and thinks I'm wimpy when I complain about it, but after reading your story, I am not going to worry about what he says!

Thanks for the details of the MTBer killed when he collided with a grizzly, NWG. I read about it when it happened, but not to that level of detail. I heard he came upon a grizzly on the trail but not that he was going that fast or collided with the bear. :eek: That must have been so terrifying -- for him and probably the bear as well! I remember being freaked out about it because we were traveling towards Montana at the time. It is something that gives you pause when you're riding or hiking in bear country. One of my biggest fears, really. Of course, I am scared of cougars and other wildlife as well. Spending time in North Dakota and Wyoming last summer/fall kind of cured me of much fear of bison, though. They were so tranquil, at least the ones we encountered, but we never approached them. Just had to ride through them on either side of the road occasionally, or watch them walk across our campsite! Was glad to have a motorhome and not a tent.

Rode 36 miles yesterday and 40 today -- my first 40-miler since we've been here in Florida. Windy yesterday, breezy today, but nice -- low humidity. My nose has been running like crazy on rides, though, so I know there is pollen in the air.

[north woods gal]

Emily, fortunately, the odds of an animal attacking you, either when hiking or biking, are very, very remote. I know that, of course, but I still get nervous. Just my nature, I guess. This year, I do plan to take more precautions, such as using a bell to make noise back in the heavy brush. Also have educated myself on recent studies about black bear attacks, specifically, which, believe it or not, are quite different than grizzly attacks.

Enough of the scary stuff. Nice going on the 40 miler. If the wind would die down a bit and we don't get any snow, this week, I might be able to get out and do some road miles on my Warbird 700x40 bike. Roads are dry and clean, right now, but this is March and still a winter month for us, so we typically go back and forth on road conditions. Our resident pair of Canadas are back, though, getting ready to make a nest. Spring is coming. :)

[azfiddle]

My rides have all been commutes. Saturday was taken up with a professional development meeting and Sunday I flew to California and back in one day to attend a funeral for my 94 year old aunt- mainly to connect with family members I had never met before. Crazy and exhausting.

Commuting again today...

[Crankin]

Discouraged. It is 8:45 am and already 54 degrees, but raining, on my day off. It is supposed to clear by 10. I hate riding on wet roads. Later, I have a haircut/color, scheduled at 2. Usually do this later in the day, so I can ride, but I couldn't get in later. Of course, it will be 60 degrees and sunny when I am there. I could ride there, which might end up being 10 miles at the most, and not worth the trouble.
If I go to yoga now, I know I won't ride, so I am going to try a wait and see attitude and get at least a short ride in around 11.

[Geonz]

So, last Thursday we had a weather alert for high winds, up to 65 mph. A man got killed when a tree fell on his moving car, about 30 miles from here. Several clients told me they could barely keep their cars on the road while driving to see me.
So, yesterday I got an email from the invite-only group of cyclists I rode with once. I stay on the list because occasionally I learn some news I wouldn't elsewhere. Most of these people ride with my Wednesday group and I occasionally see one on an AMC ride. A bunch of them also ride with another group, based right in my area, which has a similar, slightly slower type of group like my Wednesday group on Thursdays. Six people came for a ride in those windy conditions. Three ditched it quite quickly. The other 3 went on, when one of the men apparently ran over a twig that got caught in his spoke, which was just part of all the debris in the road from the wind. He did an endo on the road. He needed a spinal fusion in 2 vertebra and a few other cervical things. He fractured a couple of ribs. While he is recovering nicely, he still has not regained all feeling in one of his legs (he had none in the beginning). I know this man in a casual way; he is very friendly and a good ride leader. All I can think of was what was the ride leader thinking when he didn't cancel this ride? There were serious weather alerts being issued. This is why I lead for AMC, where risk assessment is emphasized in the training. It comes from the hiking part of the club, but I am very happy for this. Yes, there's been a couple of times I cancelled and could have gone, but overall, I feel responsible for safety. I know the leader of the ride; he's a strange dude who often rides alongside of me and then gets mad when I drop him on a hill. He seems to ride all of the time, so he's now a little better rider than me, but I've spent a lot of time talking to him.
I just feel really badly for the guy who got hurt, all because of wind.


The leader sounds like he could use a little training in leadership at several levels :( I wonder if/hope he learns from this. Hoping for full recovery for the rider!

When I find myself really wanting to ride... in questionable weather... I ask myself how stupid I would feel in the ER for *any* reason, with people saying "why were you out riding in this????" and justified. Now, reading this helps me nudge towards taking the bus if our winds are as predicted and gusting to 45 for the commute home...

[Pax]

Be careful, Sue, I've out behind Meijer in Urbana and it's already gusting big time.

[Crankin]

Sue, the leader is, ah, a bit socially challenged. His whole life is going on group rides, and not in a good way. He shows up in very weird garb, with a bike that is classic, but not maintained. I love old bikes, but his has broken things that look almost dangerous. The groups he leads for (as opposed to the group I lead for) do not provide any training. He looks decidedly unhealthy, in many ways. I know this sounds horrible, but, I don't have a lot of faith in someone who doesn't maintain his/her bike, wears clothing inappropriate for the conditions, and is gasping so loudly on climbs, I have asked more than once if he was OK. I am sure the club he was leading for that day will review this. The president is actually the dad of one of my former students and he is a very upstanding person in the local cycling community.

[emily_in_nc]

Took yesterday off to do chores and errands, but had a nice solo ride today. DH was in the middle of a project so sent me off on my own. I always enjoy my rare solo rides because I do a lot more photo stops than he likes to do. Great bird life along the trail today, a couple of Monarch butterflies, lots of flowers, and I stopped at a park by the lake to check out more birds. I would upload some photos, but our internet cnx is being super slow today, so I am not going to push it.

31 miles in warm (74-82 degree) sunshine with light winds.

[north woods gal]

Sounds sooo nice, Emily. What a contrast we are in weather, given our huge north and south spread. We're headed down below zero, again, tonight. Only teens, tomorrow. Crazy me, though, still riding. Our trails are back to being well frozen, so the fat bikes roll over the base instead of sinking into it. Only trails I can't do, even with studded tires, are some of the hilly stuff. The icy sections on the flats are doable, but you know its bad when studded tires start slipping on an icy climb. Tomorrow, though, will probably just play it safe and do some pavement riding, since our local paved roads are currently snow free. The bruised ribs, courtesy of my last spill on black ice, took forever to heal.

[emily_in_nc]

I would just die in that climate, NWG. I could take it for maybe two weeks on a trip, but not all winter long. I (as always) salute you for being able to ride in it -- and for tolerating it in general. Are your ancestors from the far north, just out of interest? (Mine are Scottish/English, mostly, so you'd think I'd tolerate cold better than I do...)

Another lovely ride today. Upper 60s to upper 70s, low low humidity, sunshine, winds not too bad (and in our favor on the way back). We did the western hilly route to Lake Minneola and beyond. SO nice.

We're supposed to get a cold front starting with rain Sun/Mon, then much cooler Tues-Thurs. Not sure how much riding I'll be doing for awhile as we also have to take our motorhome in for service and have to do some prep for that as well. At least we timed it during the less good time for riding!

[Crankin]

It's 12 degrees with howling winds. We had snow showers yesterday and I awoke to the street being dusted with snow.
I am going to the gym!
Nor'easter predicted for Tuesday. At least I may get to ski one more time.

[north woods gal]

Emily, I'm half Norwegian and, yes, most of that side of the family has roots in the north woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin and our ancestral home in Norway is up near the Arctic Circle. My other half is Slovak and in case you are not familiar with Slovakia, it is actually a very mountainous country. That side of my family is from the mountains of NE Pennsylvania. Not sure if it's a genetic connection or conditioning as the result of my having never lived south of Nebraska or Pennsylvania, but the cold is simply not a factor for me. Don't give it much thought at all. Ride all winter long, no matter how cold.

Heat, though, is something I am not used to to, as I learned from my visit to Florida, last fall. Have to be much more careful. I've also experienced more issues with heat rashes and skin burns from that more tropical southern sun. Can go all summer, hp here, and hardly use sun block, but one day in Florida without it and I burned, badly.

So, temps in the teens, the last few days and, yes, been riding at least an hour every day and loving it. My trails are hard and crusty from snow and ice and have been riding the fat bike. Challenging, but of course, fun. :)

[emily_in_nc]

Interesting, NW! I do think there's some genetic tolerance for different climates that occurs. But no matter who you are and who your ancestors are, if you're not used to the southern sun, you'll burn in 20 minutes or so here during the warmer months of the year. Even during the winter if you don't watch it. Just being this much closer to the equator makes a huge difference.

I'm as intolerant of the cold as you are when you come to Florida. A lot of it too is just what you're used to. It certainly takes time to adapt to something really different!

[Geonz]

Be careful, Sue, I've out behind Meijer in Urbana and it's already gusting big time.

I got there :) Can't remember if Wednesday was "okay, if it's any nastier than this tomorrow, I"m on the bus!" or ... the tomorrow part where it was down to 13 by the time I left.

SO today I rode out to work even though it's Saturday because my phone is AWOL. SO Monday a.m. I will send an email to that company I've sent my resume to with my work phone since I forgot to add it to my resume... and figure out getting a new one which is long overdue... because no, I couldn't find it.

Except I'd had to swap bikes because I had topped off the tires on the Transport, then headed to friend's house... then headed back and had a flat tire. Oh, well, I wanted to swap out anyway since the Xtra's an easier ride... but this is two flats in two successive Saturdays and A: I don't get flats! and B: they happend right after topping off the tire, as if inflation had caused the flat ??@?

Oh, and yea, I wanted to swap out bikes so I had tried to get that car thing out of the garage and... nope. No juice. It hasn't been that cold and the thing started right up earlier in the week when I drove it the 20 feet from driveway to garage in case of hail...

So AWOL phone, flat tire, dead car... but it's a "first world problem" and on the weekend so ... found a friend to jump the car (okay, that was actually a little tough because ... the person who would have been my go-to died suddenly in December; that's why I'm at friend's - his wife's - house so much...) ... and I could take my cute credit card and go down and buy a new battery (I adopted this 2008 Avalon car January and don't know its battery history) ... and yes, the Xtracycle is still rolling and I can pay the credit card off right now and actually entertain getting another bicycle since gosh! I was down to one since the 7500 FX had a flat last week and I haven't fixed it yet...

[Pax]

Good lord Sue! Hope you catch a break soon, that sounds exhausting.

[azfiddle]

All you folks getting the brunt of the storms- stay safe and warm.
Out here in AZ it's getting HOT! Predicted to be 95 on Friday- which is about 15-20 degrees above normal. But then again, normal was calculated based on pre-global warming averages.

Saturday: quick ride up to Saguaro NP and back to meet up with a friend. We met up about 2 miles from the park, rode the "picnic loop" (just 3 miles) and I had to go back. Had a funeral and a wedding to play for on the same day.

Sunday- my husband and I drove south of Tucson to the town of Tubac and rode around looking at birds. The annual hawk watch was on and we stopped for 20 minutes. I saw several Common Black Hawks, new for the "bird by bike" list, and then we took our road bikes on a dirt path- maybe not the best choice but it was mostly flat, hard packed and not rocky, stopping to look and listen periodically. We got off the path and onto pavement for a couple miles, then headed back north on the road. We ended up seeing 13 Common Black Hawks and one Zone-tailed Hawk, but missed the Golden Eagles sighted by the group at the hawk watch site.

Today I rode around the east side of Tucson - mostly suburban desert & a couple of ponds- saw 42 species of birds, none particularly notable but wound up with 28 miles. Ouch- fell over at a stoplight because I was trying to maneuver my bike with one foot still clipped in. Dumb, but not really serious. A little bit of a skinned knee and a bruise.

[north woods gal]

AZ, we're kind of in between on our birding, now that I took the feeders down and cleaned up under them. (It's standard operating procedure to get your feeders down before the bears are out in the spring.) Other than the Northern Shrike that stayed around for a couple of months, pretty much a so so feeder season for me. Definitely not as much variety as usual. The mild winter could have something to do with that.

Looking forward to birding by ear, via the bikes, soon, though. Have also had a flock of Tundra Swans use our lake during spring migration the last couple years. Can't wait to see what the migration brings.

Since this is the March rides thread, I have been riding the fat bikes, every day, some road work, but mostly trail work on my icy trails, only doable with those studded fat bike tires. Even then, have to be careful in the hilly areas. Definitely a big high when I get through a tricky section, successfully. Only an hour a day working out on the fat bikes, but that's enough to keep me in good trim and my skills up to par.

[Crankin]

Here we go, 12-24 inches of snow predicted for tomorrow. I am thrilled to be able to get more x country skiing in (at least 1-3 more times), but I need to start training for my trip to Spain!
Despite the predicted sow and the frigid temperatures over the weekend, there was a robin chirping on our lawn thins morning....

[emily_in_nc]

Well, it doesn't look like I'll be doing much cycling in the near-term. We just received word today that my father-in-law passed away today. :-(

It was not unexpected, as he was less than a month from his 88th birthday and in progressively failing health, but his doctors didn't expect this to happen quite so quickly. We thought we had ample time to get up to Ohio for one last visit in April or May, once the danger of snow/ice passed. But it was not to be. He's been in declining health for a long time, so my DH is doing pretty well with it, but you're still never ready to lose a parent.

So, looks like we'll be renting a car and driving up from Florida to Ohio on Saturday/Sunday and staying up there for several days for family time and the funeral/burial, then taking another couple days to get back down here. We are not taking the motorhome up as that is a slower drive and more difficult to find good places to stay. It would take us at least 3-4 days each way instead of two.

We won't be able to take bikes and wouldn't have time to ride anyway, plus it will be too cold for us. So, at least a week off the bikes for that, coupled with the cold, windy weather we've had here looks like two weeks off in total. Blech. But it is what it is...a necessary, if unpleasant, part of life....

[Crankin]

Condolences, Emily.
You might be able to get away with some walks. Just bring your hat, gloves, and a scarf.

[Catrin]

Condolences indeed, sorry to read of your loss.
I agree with Crankin, perhaps you will be able to do some walking. The weather is becoming wintry for the first time in quite some time, but it won't last.

[Pax]

Sorry for your loss, Emily. Hope you have a safe trip back up north.

[north woods gal]

As the others have said, very sorry for your loss. You're absolutely right about it being an unpleasant but necessary part of life. Your bikes and that warm Florida weather will be there when you get back and do what you need to do.

As for me, 2" of new snow, this morning. May try skiing, but more likely will just fat bike in the stuff. My snow base under this fresh snow is too hit and miss for skiing, now. As of yesterday, a good percentage of my trails were down to the dirt. Pretty much the story all winter long for me. Very iffy for the skiing, but almost always a go and doable for the fat bike. If these mild winters are a product of global warming, as I suspect they are and the data suggests, looks like more fat biking and less skiing in winters to come for this gal.

[ny biker]

Condolences to you and your husband, Emily. +1 on trying to get in some walks during your trip; the activity could be helpful in clearing your minds and processing the emotions. I hope you have a safe trip.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks, friends.

Walking is definitely in order. Interestingly, we're both doing quite well about this loss. He'd been declining for so long I think the grief was spread out over several years, so while the actual death came as a shock and left us both shaky for awhile, it isn't like a death by accident or other means that is sudden and unexpected. It was really more a matter of when, and he was so miserable, depressed, and unable to do anything (blind, nearly deaf, incontinent, and very frail), he was ready to go. And although we'll miss him dearly, he hadn't had the quality of life that everyone deserves of late, and we feel a sense of relief that there will be no more suffering.

My MIL has severe dementia, so if she grieves at all, it will be very short-lived, I suspect. That at least is a blessing.

[Crankin]

I was the same way when both of my parents died. Despite the fact my mom was not much older than I am now, she had known she had an illness for about 10 years. She had a liver transplant that just didn't go well afterwards. I had prepared myself mentally and actually rehearsed it in my head. I felt a little numb when it actually happened, but I was fine after about a day. The funeral and ensuing shiva was fine and I actually reconnected with some people I hadn't seen in 30+ years. I occasionally miss her and wish that she had seen my kids grow into good adults, but I just never have felt overwrought, like some people describe. My dad was almost 90 when he died. He was sick for about 4 months before this, and I saw him twice in that time, the last being about 3 weeks before he died. We cremated him, so there was no service or anything. My brother and I made this decision, and we both are good with it. His friends all came and visited with him while he was in hospice and said their goodbyes. I know I have a couple of friends here who think I am very cold, but I actually was close with my parents; I just left home at not quite 18, and except for 3 years when we were both in Phoenix, it was a long distance relationship since then. I did see them quite a bit when they moved to San Diego and i was still in AZ, but it was not the day to day thing.
The most grieving I did was when my first baby died after birth, with a genetic condition. But still, I felt I conducted myself well, talked about it, and moved on. My granddaughter here looks just like her, so I have reminders, but with the perspective of almost 36 years, I can smile and imagine what a great person she would have been.

[ny biker]

Years ago I worked with a woman whose brother and father had died a few years earlier. She often talked about the different ways that her other siblings reacted, especially in the immediate aftermath. I've noticed more than once since then how everyone has a different way of grieving, and in recent years have noticed how my own reactions and feeling differ when someone dies. For example I was very emotional after the death of a friend who I hadn't seen in years, not really emotional but very sad/depressed for months after losing another friend who lived near me. And I think it's not uncommon to feel a sense of relief when someone has been very ill for a long time.

This thread is drifting... guess I'll mention it was the sadness after my friend's death that prompted me to do the Tour de Cure last year. I had considered volunteering to be a ride marshal for them this year, but I guess it's good that I decided not to.

[north woods gal]

March is not going out like a lamb and, in fact, winter seems to be stubbornly hanging around. First day of spring and some snow showers with temps in the low 30s and gusty NW winds. Did it stop me from riding my fat bike on our half dirt and half ice/snow trails? Naw! :)

Actually, riding the trails when the temp is at freezing or below, this time of year, is a good thing. Much faster than riding though slush and mud. Also, 30s is plenty warm for this kind of bicycling because it is so physical. I warm up pretty quick, biking on the trails, but it seems like it takes much longer to warm up when biking out on the road, possibly because I am more exposed to the wind and also because my speed is greater.

[ny biker]

Some of my polar bear friends prefer to ride slower when it's cold because they say it's more comfortable with less of a wind chill. But I find that if I go too slowly, I don't get my blood circulating enough and end up cold for the entire ride. So perhaps you've found the happy medium -- slower riding on trails which requires more work than road riding and also has less wind exposure.

We are on a weather roller coaster here. Today has been warm but for the next few days we'll have the cold that is now in Michigan. I know a bunch of people who have been down at Bike Florida for a week or so, and from the photos I've seen they are quite happy with the weather there.

[north woods gal]

Still riding, almost every day, even though the weather has been VERY gloomy. Have had four straight days of temps in the 30s to almost 40, with rain, drizzle, freezing rain and some snow. Right about now I would pay big bucks for a little sunshine. :)

As to where I can ride, it's been good news and bad news. Our paved local roads are now mostly clean pavement with a little slush and ice, here and there. Could actually ride one of the road bikes, safely, being careful to avoid all the sand still on the road (fortunately, we treat our rural roads with sand in the winter, not salt) and the seasonal outbreak of potholes, but am riding the Pugsley, which is immune to those hazards and, besides, just enjoy the Pugs, anyway. What a pal that bike has been for me! That's the good news.

The bad news is that the MTB trails in the area are mucho treacherous. What was packed snow has gone through the thaw and freeze cycle enough to convert to super slick ice. Can't even walk on the stuff. Could actually ride on the stuff with the studded fat bike tires, but even those can slip on turns and hills (ask me how I know). The one good thing I'm seeing is that more and more of the trails are now down to dirt and completely free of snow and ice. All in all, as much as I love trail work with the fat bike, I'm going to play it safe and stay with road work, for now. No need to risk breaking my neck. Just need to be patient. Winter won't last forever.

Did 15 miles on the road with the Pugs, today, despite the gloom. Someone please send some sunshine my way before I go nuts.

[emily_in_nc]

Wish I could send some sunshine to you, Northwoods!

We got back from Ohio late yesterday. It was very chilly there. The day of my FIL's funeral, the high temp was in the low 30s with windchill far below that, but bright sunshine. The following morning, we woke up to 18F. After spending the entire winter in Florida, that was tough! But we got in the car and started heading south, and by the time we got to Columbia, SC, it was 64! Yesterday we drove from Columbia to Orlando and ended up at 77 when we got "home" to the campground. Low humidity too, so it felt so nice!

Today we had too much to do to ride, plus we hate riding on Saturday because the bike path is a zoo, so we did chores, and we will ride tomorrow. Weather is perfect now but supposed to get gradually warmer as the week wears on, and I suspect humidity will come back too. They're predicting 90F by Thurs., and I am not ready for that! Wish it could stay in the 70s. Ah well, it is what it is, and at least I don't have to worry about slush, snow, or ice like some of you. And I am much happier here than in Ohio!

[Pax]

Glad you're home safe and sound, Emily. I'm so glad this will be our last winter in Illinois, the cold makes me ache and I limp so much more here. Might not like a lot of things about Florida, but if I can keep my head in a positive place, my carcass will be happier.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Emily. It's the sunshine I miss the most with our north woods winters. Still no break in the gloom. Raining, today, still in the 30s. Crazy me will ride, anyway.

90 degrees, already, down there! Can't imagine that. Some summers, up here, we never break 90 degrees.

Pax, I may sound like some kind of cold freak, but I'm really not. I do understand and commiserate about the cold. It does make me uncomfortable unless I attack it on a daily basis with heavy aerobic activities like skiing and my fat biking. if I couldn't do those things, I'd have a hard time surviving, up here. Best wishes to you on finding a warmer place.

[Pax]

NWG - I'd have chosen the UP in a heartbeat when I was younger and more fit. To this day I am hot all the time, I mean like existing in a permanent hot flash hot. But after 10 surgeries, my joints are just done with this game, I barely go outside the entire winter, and when I do I resemble quasimodo... so, for me, I'll weather the heat and humidity but do it upright, by golly! :p

[Geonz]

18287This morning I was up earlyl... so I went to Mass... then to pick up bagels... and was wondering how I was going to work in riding the extra 20 minutes or so I had. Then I saw hi-viz jackets and .... a drone! (circled in pink) I was greeted because I'm on the Bike/Ped Advisory Commission and the one guy had presented to us about this huge major big deal construction project that will take this stretch of road and make it so it can actually handle buses. This pic is of very recently re-done concrete; this whole stretch gets patched up and then broken apart by the buses so parts of it have oh, inch-deep gaps where concrete breaks apart at the cracks... The drone is getting data for the construction planning (so it'll include me :)) ...

As I decided to turn around because ... I couldn't take a picture because I didn't have my phone and ... it would take about 20 minutes to go back and get it... I saw the drone come crashing to the ground. I wondered whether their day was pretty much ruined.

On the return trip I got this picture -- they say they're pretty good at fixing the thing ;)

[north woods gal]

If anyone saw one of those things floating above our woods, the switchboards would be flooded with UFO sightings. :)

[emily_in_nc]

I can't handle cold weather at all, but since I am post-menopausal now, I also can't handle it as hot as I used to be able to. It is just so much more uncomfortable to me now. I do best in spring and fall now. Fortunately, the winter in Florida is kinda like spring most other places, so it's been very good overall. Only a few too hot or too cold days for me. This week is hot, but the mornings are still pleasantly cool. After a week in chilly Ohio, though, the heat is bothering me more than usual.

35 miles Sunday and today, same route.

[north woods gal]

Now that I'm in my late 60s, I am more sensitive to cold and drafts in the house, so I usually bundle up in the house more than I used to do. Going out in the cold requires me to be very active, as in bicycling or skiing. That's the key. Still very doable for me to do really bitter cold as long as I am moving and working. Soon as I stop, though ...

As for my current biking status, I'm right in the middle of mud season on the trail work. Most of the snow is gone, except for short isolated stretches of trails, but the rest is gooey mud. Once, again, I am so thankful for fat bikes. Ordinary mountain bikes, even my 29+ with 3" tires, are still not doable, not to mention they cut up the trail too much. Thinking of going with fat bikes for all my trail riding, 365 days a year. They truly are 4 season trail bikes.

[north woods gal]

Took a sledge hammer from hubby's shop and actually used it to break up the ice patches on my hilly sections of trail, so now the most dangerous parts of the trail are ice free. Lots of work, but won't have to wait for another couple of weeks for the ice to melt. Nice to feel soil under the fat bike tires, for a change, instead of snow and ice. :)

We do have open water on part of our lake, so for the sake of the record, I will paddle the canoe out so I will be able to say that I paddled, up here, in March. Doesn't happen very often.

The open water has attracted some migrating waterfowl. Spotted Common Mergansers, a Hooded Merganser pair and lots of Ring-necked Ducks, which we see a lot on our smaller north woods lakes. No Wood Ducks, yet, but they are more of a fair weather species, so will be here, later, when the weather warms a bit. Have lots of them nest here on our little lake. Such beautiful birds.
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