The View is Worth the Climb

If I look tired it's because I had just climbed about 800 feet up a snowy gravel road on a bike that has only one gear, and that gear is a little "tall." I am on the back side of the hill that is Bittersweet Ski Area. The whitish hill way off in the distance is Timber Ridge ski area.

Sure felt good to get outside though, and the today was a lot less windy than yesterday. Today's ride wraps up January at 412 miles. Not really where I wanted to be, but the weather was a factor-I hate riding indoors on my trainer.

100 Miles in One Beautiful Day

Yesterday I rode 100 miles with the Shut Up and Ride Club and we all agreed that there was no better way to spend the one sunny day we get in West Michigan in November.

The hub of our ride was The Good Earth bagel shop in Holland, where we stopped for comestibles and warmth in between loops.

The first loop was 30 miles south to Saugatuck and back, which is done weekly by this group and called "The Bagel Ride." As you can see from the photo below, we move along in a double paceline at an easy speed. 

After a quick bite at the bagel shop, most of us headed north to Grand Haven for the next 45 miles. We found the wind and got a little more serious about drafting. 

As you can see, the sun was shining. After passing by the lakeshore,

 we stopped at a coffee shop that had a very cool sign:

Then yet another loop to complete our 100 miles. No better way to spend a day.

Need...More...Oxygen

Cycling in the Colorado Rockies. A popular 30 mile loop from Boulder to Jamestown and back. The mountain roads had as many bicycles as motorized vehicles. The climb up was an easy 6% grade most of the way.

Here's photographic evidence of my climbing accomplishment. Jamestown is at 7200 feet, so a climb of about 2000 feet. I don't know if you can see the lack of oxygen in my face, but cycling at this altitude only two days into our visit was not easy.

There were many interesting sights in Jamestown. A sign warning motorists to slow down in order to avoid hitting bear families. Or maybe this sign is meant for us cyclists to motivate us to go faster because we may be chased by bears?

There was also a cyclist oriented drive-in library.

And, most conveniently, water.

Jamestown is a nice place to ride a bike to and then turn around and fly down the mountain at a high rate of speed. These vistas are something you see out of the corner of your eye as you are mainly setting up for the next curve in the road.

After another steep climb up Old Stage Road I was rewarded with this view of North Boulder.

Here's the map and profile:

Posted with Blogsy

Just another old barn

Cut my ride short and went past this.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Creatures along the side of the road, real or imagined

Here's a sea serpent that is sporting a new pink color. I call him Cecil. Not really sure about the new color scheme, but that is a personal thing.

Wherein I Recount Today's Ride to South Haven

Today I rode 55 miles to South Haven and back. Here's the data:

Most of the way is through blueberry fields like this one.

Actually kind of boring- it's like riding through cornfields but instead of corn you see blueberry bushes. Another drawback of monoculture.

My rear tire flatted as I entered the South Haven trailhead so that was as good a time as any to stop for lunch and repair the flat. I found a very small stone chip that had imbedded itself into the rubber and worked its way through the casing. Could have been there for weeks. I do inspect the tires for such things, but this was too small to be noticed.

After lunch I rode to the lake. A strong west wind was kicking up swells in the channel and no swimming was allowed. The sign said "Avoid Contact With Water." I wondered if monoculture could be the culprit here too.

So, homeward bound. I passed this old schoolhouse on the way home. I remember first seeing this years ago and thinking it would be a nice project to restore and convert to a home.

Every year the project increases in scope. At least someone loved it enough to place a wreath on the front door.

That's all folks. Ride lots!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sea to Sea-final day for me!

The last post was submitted prior to dinner with Ruth Friday evening, which was at her favorite place-The Curragh Irish Pub. When I returned to my dorm room I could see that dorm living seems to have brought out the sophmoric prankster in someone:

Turns out the signs were correct because there were both women and men in the rest room. Crazy fun!

 

Saturday's ride was sort-under 50 miles. A ride from Hope college to Calvin College stopping at Calvin CRC in Grand Rapids for lunch. There was an open invitation for anyone to ride along so the number of people riding was at least twice as many as usual. Here is what most of the ride looked like:

Many new riders who were not experienced in riding in a group. There is a set of behaviors that those of us who are experienced look for in others who want to ride with us. Things like keeping a constant speed, not crossing wheels, not swerving, calling out or signaling obstacles, etc. so this ride made me nervous. The last few miles were done all in one mass of riders. Here we are queuing for departure from Calvin CRC:

I felt this was the most dangerous part of the week, but everyone made it to Calvin College without incident.

 

So, now that I have completed my week, a couple of thoughts.

The most valuable lesson of doing this didn't have anything to do with bicycling or anything related to that. It was that I can sometimes completely loose control of the situation and still have a positive experience. I rode in weather that I wouldn't choose to ride in. I camped in conditions I wouldn't choose to camp in. We took routes I wouldn't choose to take. I have been very fortunate to adjust my lifestyle so as to be in control of most of it. But spending a week out of my control was a good thing for me. Because when it really comes down to it, I'm not in control of anything.

 

Would I do this again? Yes! Probably a different part of the country, maybe more than one week. Not the full ride unless we somehow retire from innkeeping entirely. But if Sea to Sea rides again, I will be participating.

 

Posted with Blogsy