Bike to Work day

Once again I set out on Bike to Work day to lead a rag tag group of cyclists through the mean streets of Minneapolis. Our goal: The downtown Bike to Work day celebration. I arrived at the park on time (last year I was the last one there) and waited. I snapped a few pictures while I waited.

Pretty soon, Kevin showed up. After that, nobody else showed up. This was the smallest group I've ever led. Which is ironic, because I think there are more bikes out on the streets this spring than there have been in the last several springs. After we realized nobody else was coming, we headed out. Made a pit stop at The Reuse Center where they had quite an impressive breakfast buffet going on.

We saw M.A. Rosko outside, but not while she was interviewing the Mayor. After our brief stop we headed to the Greenway to battle the fierce headwinds all the way to the Government Center. Once there, I availed myself of some free coffee and inadvertently got nabbed on film (pixels?) while doing so.

The crowd at the downtown celebration was thinner than in past years too. I think the chilly temp and blustery wind kept a lot of folks away. I managed to snag a new Civia water bottle with some Park Tire Irons inside and also a Bängo Brothers pocket messenger bag in addition to the previously mentioned coffee. A pretty good way to start the work day. Too bad I can't convince my boss to let me hang out, drink coffee and schmooze with other bikers for an hour and a half every time I bike to work.

Bike to work, dammit!

Once again, it is bike to work week here in MN.  And once again, I'll be leading a group of cyclists from Minnehaha Park to Downtown Minneapolis on Bike to Work day.  This is my fifth year leading this group, and it might be on it's fourth name.  Commuter Convoy is the only old one I can remember, but I'm sure there were more.  This year they're calling it a "Bike Bus" which is a silly name, but that's just my opinion.  The details are pretty much the same, with some minor variations:

The biggest difference this year is the organizers want us to do a "bus stop" where we stop, midroute, and pick up additional bikers.  I decided to keep this minimal, since I don't think we'll pick many, if any, people up.  The last few years there have been less than 7 people on this route, and often several of them aren't biking to work but just joined to have an excuse to ride (Hi Jim and Kevin!).  So my idea was to stop at the Green Institute.  Last year, they were rumored to have the best food of all the Bike to Work celebrations, and I've always meant to stop and check them out.

So with that in mind, we'll convene at Minnehaha Park between the Falls and the Sea Salt restauraunt/shelter. I plan to be there around 6:30-6:40. Leaving at 6:45 should put us at the Green Institute around 7:15 or so.  We'll take a temperature check with the riders to see if we want to make it a quick stop or linger a bit.  If we don't linger we should be downtown around 7:30 or so, depending on red lights and the overall speed of the group.  If we do stop, it could be closer to 8.

A couple of quick points:

• If you haven't already, register:  www.bikewalkweek.org  It sounds as if you will need a printed copy of your registration to be eligible for certain prizes.  So if you're into that kind of thing, register.
• If you forget to register, they will have forms to fill out downtown.  But it's a hassle, and everything's more fun to do on the web.  And, as of this writing, my picture is still on the website.
• Um, I can't think of anything else.  Oh, wait, the date!  It's this Thursday, May 14!  See you then!
  

Quite a weekend

We had a lovely spring weekend here in Eagan.  Friday night was rainy and we hunkered down in the basement with the girls, watching "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."  I thought it held up very well over the years, and enjoyed it as did the kids.  Nancy was a little disgruntled by the ending.  But, you can't please everybody and in our house 3 out of 4 isn't bad.  Saturday morning was coffee, computer and futzing around the house until I was sufficiently caffinated and then housecleaning began.  As I cleaned I kept a weather eye out the window because it looked like rain.  When the house was presentable I decided to risk it and mow the lawn.  Normally decisions like that cause the rain to hit right when the half mowed lawn is at it's weirdest stage, but I was lucky and actually finished mowing with more sun than I'd began.

 

I cleaned myself up and cooked some bacon and sausage for an egg back for Sunday brunch.  Then after dinner we headed over to the neighbors' house for a little backyard fire.  We've lived there for 5 years and have always gotten along fine with the neighbors across the street.  A couple of times a summer one of us will say "We should get together for cocktails" but nothing ever comes of it.  So last week when that phrase rolled around I took decisive action and said, "Let's do it this weekend!"  We did, and had a good time.  Marshmallows were roasted, s'mores were eaten, adult beverages were consumed.  They put their kids down to bed, and I walked back to our house with ours.  While our kids got into jammies I popped them some popcorn and they picked out a DVD.  I told them that when the movie was over they should go to bed if we weren't home.  And a good thing too, since we weren't.  We were all shocked and horrified to realize it was 2am and we were still around the fire.

 

Sunday morning the dogs woke me around 7am.  I let them out, fed them and went back to bed until 9.  Nancy looked at me and the first thing out of her mouth was "The neighbors are dangerous."  We staggered out of bed and got brunch items started.  I ran to Byerly's for croissants, but they were out.  Horrors!  Instead, Nancy made some yummy cranberry scones.  Mom, Dad and Grandma came over for Mother's Day brunch and took off about 12:30.  I rototilled the garden and then spent the rest of the afternoon dusting off the 3 speeds in prep for next weekend's 3 Speed Tour.  While up to my elbows in 3 speed schmutz, Emma told me she needed cookies for school on Monday.  Which means we have to make them today, Dad.  I finished up and helped her with a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.  After the kids went to bed I collapsed on the couch.  Done, exhausted.

Huh?

I don't follow basketball at all, so when I heard that Renardo Sidney was going to Mississippi State I had no context for why this was considered headline news.  I still don't, and don't really care to find out.  Sounds like there are some unresolved money issues, whatever.  What did catch my eye was the following:

 

...stepfather Renardo Sr. directed a club basketball team with financial backing that was unclear beyond a relatively modest shoe company sponsorship.

 

 

Stepfather Renardo Sr.  Other news stories list the son as Renardo Sidney Jr.  So, how the hell does a stepfather end up with a same name Jr./Sr. arrangement??  If he's a stepfather, he's not the kid's biological father and therefore theoretically wasn't around when Jr. was born and named.  Did the son change his name?  Did the stepfather change his name?  Does mom just really really like the name Renardo?  I could keep coming up with scenarios, but they just get stranger.  If anybody can answer this, please do.  I'm dying to know the story.

 

story

 

Rains, pours

Nothing for several weeks, then two posts in one day?  It's Friday afternoon, what can I say?  I had to quickly toot my own horn because my "commuter profile" is currently on the BikeWalkWeek website.  There doesn't seem to be a direct link, it's just on the main page, so I have no idea how long it will be up there.  But take a look, you can see me doing my best impression of Ambrose Burnside. 

 

And while you're there, register for Bike/Walk to Work Day, which is coming up in a couple weeks, May 14th to be precise.  I'll be leading a commuter convoy from Minnehaha Park again this year.  Details are pretty much the same as the last 4 years, but I'll put a little more about it on the blog next week in case you've misplaced last year's memo.

Bursitis? I got your bursitis right here!

I'm well on my way to being fully recovered from the bursitis that kept me off my bike for the majority of April.  Hell, it kept me from doing much of anything in April, other than sitting on the couch.  But I'd say I'm 95% bursitis free these days, which is good.  This week I managed to get 3 consecutive rides to work, which is the first time since I got hurt.  It was nice to be back.  I worked from home yesterday and today I overslept, but no sense rushing back into it.  After the first ride I took I was really amazed at how sore my butt and thighs were after just a couple weeks off.  But the soreness was temporary, and didn't last nearly as long as it would have if I didn't have the base so I haven't completely lost my fitness.  Good thing I don't generally worry about stuff like that.

 

My plans are to keep commuting, but take it easy at the same time.  The 3 Speed Tour is coming up in just a few weeks and I want to be in tip top shape for that.  Nancy's ridden her bike a bunch more this year than last year, plus she's feeling tons healthier, so we may even be able to attempt some pass storming!  Which reminds me, I need to get the trusty Robin Hood out and spiffed up so it's ready to roll.  Same for Nancy's bike.  There's always something keeping me busy and away from the internets!

Life'll kill ya

Let's see, where were we last time I wrote to the internet? Oh yes, I'd hurt my knee. Blah blah, still riding, brakes are out on the car, daughter made me a lovely card. OK, so we're caught up on that.

The new update is it's now two weeks later, and I've been to the doctor because the knee wasn't getting better. He diagnosed me with bursitis. Which I've always thought of as something that happens to old people, like lumbago. And bunions. But, since I'm not old this clearly isn't the case. I've been taking it easy, driving to the bus station like an ordinary joe and popping Aleve. It's getting better, but the doc said it will probably take a good month to be back to normal. Great. My 5k event is this Friday, and since my knee still gets sore walking from my cube to the bathroom there's still no way I'm participating.

But my woes all pale compared to the daughter. Yesterday I get a call from my wife saying Morgan slammed her finger in the car door and they're heading to the ER. I met them there in time to see the x-rays get taken and find out that she broke her pinkey finger. Plus, while she was panicked and trying to pull her finger out of the car door (yes, it was stuck) she managed to cut herself deep enough to require two stitches. So we've got her on antibiotics and codine and her hand is splinted up to her elbow. Pretty awful experience all around. The only bright point was going to dinner with my folks (who were at the hospital as well) after it was all over and having two huge slices of pizza at Cossettas.

And to top it off, I'm listening to iTunes on shuffle and I have a duet of Julio Iglesias and Ricky Martin singing a medley of "Light My Fire" by The Doors and "Oye Como Va" by Santana. God help me, but I have no idea how that got there.

Not to end things on a down note (or a completely bizarre note, as in the Julio/Ricky thing), I did manage to get the brakes fixed on the car this past weekend. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Exciting week

So, internets, I believe I haven't been keeping you up to date with my general goings on. Mostly because my general goings ons are mostly the same day in and day out, and you've read about them before. But I did have a couple of newsworthy items of late.

1. I signed up to do a 5k. Yes, I know that's a run, not a bike ride. But, what the heck. My wife is a runner, and as she points out she rides her bike with me. Not often, but certainly more often than I run with her. And it's probably good cross training. After running for about a week I could feel a difference in my inner thigh muscles. It makes me wonder if too much cycle training has left those muscles weak and prone to injury, as I did last spring.

The down side to running is, well, I injured myself. The training was going well, I got a new pair of shoes, and I was starting to find my stride. But on Sunday after about 1/2 a mile my knee started to hurt. And it hurt more with every step. I stopped running and walked back home. The knee felt better on Monday, but hasn't improved since. I'm starting to wonder exactly what I've done to it. Fortunately it feels fine when I bike (which is fortunate, see below). But since I procrastinated starting my running regimen, I don't have the slack in my schedule to be able to take time off and still get up to a full 5k by April 17.

Tonight I went out to see how things would go if I tried running. I walked for about 1/3 of a mile and the knee felt OK. No worse than it has been for the last few days. I started running and quit after about 30 seconds and then limped my way back home. I have a feeling this 5k will be a complete FAIL.

2. Because of the previously mentioned injury, I drove to work Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday night on the way home, my brakes decided to stop functioning. I realized this when the light turned yellow and I was approaching it on a downhill while going approximately 50mph. As the light turned red and I wasn't slowing, I cranked the wheel over hard right (screeeeech!) and careened onto a lesser travelled and more level road. The combination of the turn and the flattening allowed me to coast to a stop on the shoulder while I tried not to have a complete panic attack. I managed to get turned around and make it the remaining 1/2 mile home (fortunately I live on a hill and I could approach from downhill). I eased the car into the garage and haven't touched it since.

3. The best of all is that tonight, I was making dinner and tidying up the house and my daughter, Morgan, came up and gave me a hand made card that said I was the best dad ever. And she even put a funny joke inside. She wrote "You're like a father to me. Ha ha." Which, for a fourth grader, is hilarious. Often fourth grader jokes are, um, not. Totally out of the blue, and totally made my day.

Happy April to you

This was my favorite thing I read all day yesterday:

 

Scientists worldwide admit global warming is a hoax

 

The Associated Press quotes an anonymous marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who says she knew all along that "this climate change stuff was completely bogus."

"But I played along," she said. "The opportunities for securing global-warming-related grant money were just too great for me to resist."

"Sweet, sweet grant money," she added.

 

Read the entire article about Mr. Gore's fraud.  Living as close to Canada as I do, I'll be watching for a massive infestation of polar bears.

Flood!

Plenty of news today about the Red River flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area.  Including some dumbass CNN reporters who got arrested for standing on the dikes.  But it's still amazing to me that the house I used to live in during The College Years was evacuated this morning.  When we lived there we never felt like we were in close proximity to the river.  The Red is about 10 blocks from the house.  Moorhead is a town of about 43,000 and it's a lot taller than it is long, so 10 blocks is about one third the width of town, at least the core section.  It wanders further east much farther than that, but you know what I mean.  Both MSUM and Concordia have closed their campuses and the river is expected to crest at records that may never have been recorded.  Unbelievable.

9 years old, tough as nails

Nothing like a little snow in the morning at the end of March to liven up the morning commute.  When heading directly into that West wind the snow felt like tiny knives being stabbed into my eyeballs.  But when I got to work I had an email from my lovely wife, as follows:

 

Subject:  36 & snowing, and Morgan's biking to school
 
That's your girl!
 
She *really* wanted to bike to school yesterday, but the forecast was so dire, I wouldn't let her. Boy, was she mad at me when she came home (because it wasn't raining, lightning, or thundering at that exact moment). So today, there was no stopping her.

So if you didn't ride in today because it was a little snowy, you've been pwned by a 9 year old girl and her purple, sparkly bike.

March Madness?

Everybody's so excited about this silly game with a round orange ball these days.  But according to a Star Trib Hockey Blogger, the WCHA Final Five outdrew the basketball games hosted at the Dome this past weekend:

 

At the Metrodome, eight men's basketball teams played first - and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament, the Big Dance.

 

Crowds for six games, split into three sessions were 14,279, 15,794, and 12,814.  Add those numbers up, the grand total was 42,887.

 

In the Mill City's sister sister [sic], St. Paul, there was the WCHA Final Five.  It had five teams, hence the name and five games, all sold as separate sessions.

 

Those one-game crowds were 17,611 (for the Gophers-UMD), 14,744, 17,779, 15,254 and 16,749.  That's a grand total of 82,137.

 

To be fair, many of those fans going to the Final Five expected the Gophers to be around for more than one game.  So maybe they both [sic] an all-sessions pass.

 

Also there were five separate gates for hockey.  But pick the lowest three, and hockey still outdraws college basketball.

 

I love this town.

Super power!

The Fat Cyclist often writes about his self declared superpowers.  One that sticks out in my head is his ability to eat while exercising.  It's a power, to be sure, but how super is questionable.  I think if I had to name a superpower for myself, it would be the ability to do the same thing over and over.  Commuting is a good example of this.  According to Jill, commuting makes me a Labrador Retriever:

 

Commuters are the Labrador retrievers of the pack. Throw them a good bicycle route, and they'll keep coming back. They love a good game of "catch" — that is, they race to catch green lights. They're highly sociable, largely domesticated and don't mind being leashed to the same roads day after day.

 

This superpower also extends to lunch.  I'm a cheapskate, so I bring my lunch from home.  I pack the same old lunch, with minor variations, every day.  It consists of:

a sandwich (lunchmeat of some flavor or another)

fruit (usually an apple)

grain (peanuts, soy nuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.)

 

I have eaten a variation of this lunch nearly every weekday for the last 10 1/2 years.  However, this was thrown into somewhat of an uproar a few weeks ago when my non-Catholic wife decided our family should give up meat for Lent.  Lent?  I've never given anything up for Lent.  For one, I wasn't raised Catholic.  For two, I never saw the point.  "Let's give up our worst vices with the understanding that in about a month we'll indulge them with twice the fervor."  Lent.  But the kids and I half-heartedly agreed that we would honor a custom of a religion none of us had any stake in and give up meat.  We didn't eat a ton of meat to begin with, and the transition has been mostly painless (The kids wailed mightily when they realized that chicken nuggets are meat).

 

The meat free zone known as Lent has had an impact on my lunches.  Making a sandwich was the default.  Bread, mayo on one side, mustard on the other, grab whatever lunchmeat was in the drawer, done!  Now, not so much.  I've made sandwiches with hummus, with cheese, and with avacado.  And sometimes a combination of these.  I've also, gasp, brought other things.  Leftovers, usually.  This week I brought leftover lentil soup on Monday and leftover tomato basil soup on Thursday.  And in both cases, they leaked all over in my bag.  Soup is not a bike commute friendly food.  A pox on you, foul soup.  I shall not be bringing you along to work again.  Fie, I say.  Fie!

 

Cycling fee

In 2005, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was stuck with a budget shortfall.  He refused DFL entreaties for a general tax increase and instead went with a 75 cents-a-pack hike in cigarettes.  He insisted the increase be called a "health impact fee" so he could maintain his no-tax pledge.  To boost funding for cycling programs I am proposing that we add a new fee, which I am titling the Cyclist Annoyance Fee.  Here's how the program will work:

 

Any time a coworker, friend or acquaintance asks a known cycle commuter "Did you ride your bike to work today?" and the temperature is below 32 degrees Farenheit, a fee of $1 will be assessed to the questioner.  If it is raining, a fee of $2 will be assessed.  Questions asked during a snowstorm or a thunderstorm will be assessed a $3 fee (double if lightning is present).  Questions asked when the temperature is below 0 degrees Farenheit will be assessed a $4 fee.  If the temperature is below 0 and it is snowing, a $5 fee will be assessed.  If the question is asked with a smug "I'll bet you didn't ride." expression on the questioning party's face, the fees will be double.

 

To be fair, bicycle commuters will also be assessed fees.  Any time a bicycle commuter is asked by a coworker, friend or acquaintance "Did you ride your bike to work today?" and the temperature is between 65 and 80 degrees Farenheit and the skies are clear, a fee of $1 will be assessed to the cyclist.  If the questioner adds "Looks like a great day to ride." with a wistful/jealous expression on his or her face, the cyclist's fee will be waived.

The Dow

There has been lots of talk over the last few months about The Dow, and how every time we cross a certain number it's a "psychological barrier" or some other such drivel.  But yesterday The Dow closed at a number that I actually did find interesting.  The close yesterday was 6594.44.  Nothing much in and of itself.  But if you look at the 52 week range, that's when things get interesting.  The 52 week high was 13,191.50, and half of that number is 6595.75.  Which means that, by a margin of 1.31 The Dow has lost a full 50% of it's value in the last year.  I'm not sure this is unprecedented, and I'm frankly not interested enough to research it.  But it's something.

Snowed under the weather

Last Thursday we got a good 5-6 inches of fresh snowfall here in the metro area. I rode to work, since it was lovely and dry in the morning and my attitude of the last year or so has been "if it doesn't completely suck in the morning, I'll deal with the afternoon when it gets here." And it didn't suck in the morning. But the snow came down heavy and fast and by the time I left work there was 4-5 inches on the streets. And everywhere I went there was no sign of a plow. I took the train from downtown to the 50th Street station and headed into Minnehaha Park. Those trails were not plowed either. And while the fresh powder of the trail was easier to navigate than the mashed potato snow of downtown, both took a tremendous amount of energy. I was surprised at how rideable everything was, it was just hard work. Even my nemesis, the Mendota Bridge, was rideable. But after 6 miles, I was covered in sweat and plenty pooped. But pleasantly so. I found the whole experience to be enjoyable, even when I had to push the bike. It was like a mini Arrowhead 135. Only 129 more miles to cover. I realized that if I ever attempted that race, I would need to actually train instead of just relying on my base commuting miles to carry me through. I'm definitely not in that kind of shape.

I drove in on Friday and spent an uneventful weekend taking care of some household tasks. I got my minor wiring project done, and now we can turn the bar lights on from both the top and the bottom of the stairs. Pulling romex is thankless work, but I'm happy I was able to complete the project. Monday in the small hours of the morning I came down with some sort of plague that caused me to leave work early and stay home Tuesday. An actual sick day. I can't remember the last time I took an actual sick day. Back to work again today, feeling more or less back to 100%. I plan to ride again tomorrow, one week to the day since the snowstorm and the last time I was on a bike.

Traffic was terrible

marriedtothesea.com

What I'll be doing on June 4 this year

Camp Coldwater Spring update

I recently received an email about an upcoming open house for the proposed Camp Coldwater Spring restoration.

Dear Interested Party,
In our letter of December 3, 2008, we told you public meetings would be conducted in
the winter and spring of 2009 to help determine some of the details for restoration of the
site.
An informational open house has been scheduled to give the public an opportunity to
provide comment on planning for the reuse and restoration of federal property formally
occupied by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
The open house will be held Monday February 23, 2009 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the
auditorium on the first floor of the VA Hospital, located at One Veterans Drive in
Minneapolis.
National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff will be available to
provide information concerning the DEIS preferred alternative, historical preservation
and interpretation, and to gather input to guide planning for the future reuse and
restoration of the site.

If you are interested in this site (and if you cycle in the Twin Cities, you should be), attend the meeting.

Beer == Good

Soon enough, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will make more than just tasty beer--it will also manufacture high-grade ethanol fuel from leftover beer yeast. The company announced today that it is partnering with E-Fuel--the inventor of the world's first home ethanol machine--to test portable ethanol refineries at its Chico, California brewery.
Sierra Nevada generates an average of 1.6 million gallons of unusable beer yeast waste each year, which it currently sells to farmers as dairy feed. The brewer's beer dregs contain only 5 to 7% alcohol, but E-Fuel's MicroFueler can raise the alcohol content to 15%, resulting in a higher ethanol yield. The MicroFueler also removes water from the mix for increased quality.
Testing of Sierra Nevada's waste-to-ethanol system will begin in the second quarter of this year, with full-scale production expected soon after. The company plans on using the ethanol in its own vehicles initially, but may eventually supply employees with fuel and distribute extra fuel through E-Fuel's network.
Enterprising small business owners who want to create their own ethanol blend can purchase E-Fuel's MicroFueler for the low price of $9,995.

Arrowhead 135

The wife and I watched the weather on TV last night and it's looking like we've got nearly a week of mid-30s headed our way.  I casually mentioned to her that the weather was going to break just as the Arrowhead 135 was wrapping up.  She wasn't familiar with the event, so I gave her the quick overview.  135 miles by bike, ski or foot, your choice.  Late January or early February in northern Minnesota.  Cold, brutal conditions.  She asked if I had any interest in doing this event, and I did admit that I do.  I admit, it's one of those desires that is strongly tempered by reality and will most likely never happen.  But there is a part of me that wonders, Could I do it?

 

I haven't seen much for detailed race reports yet, though following the race on their blog it looks like the majority of the bikers are in and the runners are starting to come in this morning.  Doug didn't race this year due to a horrific injury, and my other perennial favorite Dave Gray dropped out sometime during the night.  I'm kind of rooting for Charlie Farrow, just because over the last several years he's given it his all and pretty much every race report mentions how nice of a guy he is.

 

As we continued our talk about the race last night, I casually mentioned that I would probably need a new snow bike to do the race.  Though I didn't mention it by name, I was thinking of the Surly Pugsley.  When asked how much such a bike would cost, I gave a middle of the road guess of around $1500.  And that's when I got the '$1500 for a snow bike?' and a thump on the head.  Maybe I can get Jimmy Buffett to sponsor me!

Winter warmer

We had a lovely weekend here in the Twin Cities metro area.  The highs were in the 40s on Saturday and in the 30s on Sunday.  I didn't take much advantage of the weather, but it put me in mind of warmer times ahead.  Saturday afternoon I managed to reassemble my chainsaw.  One of the bolts that secures the chain/bar had stripped, and I'd taken it apart to see if it could be replaced.  Turns out they just use a square headed bolt that fits into a molded recess in the plastic housing.  The plastic had stripped, not the bolt, so there would be no replacing.  I used some JB Weld and fixed the bolt in place.  This was back in December, and somehow during the JB Weld's approved curing time, other household projects took priority.  It's kind of interesting to reassemble something that you took apart, but don't really remember the details of how.  But after a few minor missteps I took it into the garage and it fired up.  I tried cutting something, but the blade is woefully dull so I gave up and split some wood by hand.

 

Sunday I spent most of the day cleaning out the office in our basement while scanning some old photos.  This batch was from a summer camping trip back in high school.  It's a hoot to see some of these pictures after all this time.  And I'm surprised by how much I don't remember.  These pictures were in an album and had captions, so that helped lots.  But most of the captions refer to people by first name only and I found that I didn't remember the last name of many.  Looks familiar, but...  I plugged a bunch onto Facebook in hopes that some of the other folks from the day can help with identification and also enjoy a trip through our intersection of memory lane.

 

Throughout the weekend I kept thinking that there was a task I should be doing in the warm weather, but I never came up with a good one.  This morning I realized what it should have been:  wash the bike.  As I headed to work this morning the chain was pretty stiff and I looked over the bike and was shocked by the amount of salt on it.  Looking back at last year's stat sheet, I didn't get off the winter bike until April 2, so I've still got a couple months to go.  I hear the new Freewheel station on the Greenway has bike washing facilities.  I may give them a shot, or I may wait for some warmer weather.  Rumor has it we'll be back in the 30s again later this week, even though Phil saw his shadow this morning.  We'll see.

Hiawatha Pub Crawl

I got out of work and I headed for the neighborhood beer joint
I sat around and had a beer with the boys like I always do
Well I didn't have nothin' to say anyway there ain't no point
There's just something 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue


Well it was well after dark so I knew my wife and kids were waitin'
And I guess I took a left where I generally take a right
Well I filled her up with gas, checked the oil at the Texaco station
I threw the car seat in the dumpster and headed off into the night


Woo-ohh-ooh-ooh-ooh
There's somethin' 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue


Well I headed south on 35 hell bent for vinyl
I hadn't never had her up past 55 before
Well somethin' 'bout that little red line always looked so final
Buddy you'd be surprised how fast a Chevrolet truck can go


Now, down in Mexico they've got a little place called Boystown
Where a man's still a man if you know what I'm talkin' about
Well, I walked into the Cadillac bar and I laid my cash down
I said "there's plenty more where that came from" and the lights went out


Well I woke up in a county jail 'cross the line in Laredo
With a headache and a deputy staring at me through the door
Well he said "Now how you got across that river alive, I don't know
But your wife just made your bail so now you're really dead for sure"

Now my wife, she called my boss and cried so I got my job back
And the boys down at the plant, they whisper and stare at me
Yea well my wife can find a lot of little jobs to keep me on the right track
Well, but that's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

Yeah-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-wee
That's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

Little Help?

Yesterday afternoon was the Hiawatha Cyclery Pub Crawl. If you attended and happened to find a digital camera at The Blue Nile, I would be incredibly pleased if you would contact me. As coincidence would have it, I seem to be short one digital camera. You'll be able to identify it easily because it has all of our vacation photos on it. Thanks in advance.

U.S. Royal Bike Tires

I found a pretty neat ad for U.S. Royal bike tires on James Lileks' comics website the other day. Pretty neat stuff. Try the original link if these don't appear very large on blogger.



In other news, the wife and I head to Miami on Saturday morning for a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean. You now have permission to be jealous.

Upcoming Bike Events

Straight from the mouth of the horse:

The City of Minneapolis is hosting three upcoming events for bicyclists. The first is a slide presentation about bicycling in Northern Europe. Jane Shey, a PhD student in Leuven, Belgium, will share photos showing how bike accommodations have been made in cities such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam. She will also discuss information on policy changes, safety measures, and funding for bicyclists. The presentation will take place this Wednesday, January 14th at 4:30 pm, at Minneapolis City Hall in Room 319. View the presentation flyer (pdf) for more details.

The second event is an open house for the River Lake Greenway, a new bicycle project in South Minneapolis which when complete, will run between Lake Harriet and the Mississippi River via 40th and 42nd Streets. The purpose of the meeting is to present design ideas for the greenway and gain feedback from neighborhood residents. This open house will take place on Wednesday, February 4th at 6:30 pm in the Roosevelt High School Auditorium. View the open house flyer (pdf) or project website for further information.

The third event is a series of public meetings in February on a proposal to establish Public Bicycle Sharing in Minneapolis. The City of Minneapolis and City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation will present a draft plan that describes how bike sharing (similar to the Paris Vélib) could work in the heart of Minneapolis for short trips. The meetings will take place on Wednesday, February 4th at 7:00 pm in the Calhoun Square Atrium; Tuesday, February 10th at 7:00 pm at Coffman Memorial Union; and Thursday, February 12th at 5:30 pm at the Minneapolis Central Library. For more information, visit the Twin Cities Bike Share website or view the public meetings flyer (pdf).

Additionally, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is hosting six meetings in February on the Bike, Walk, & Roll Plan. The plan will set programming and infrastructure guidelines for biking in Minneapolis parks.

Whew. Now, if you made it this far, do yourself a favor and go the the City's website and put your email in so you can get these updates in your very own email box. Because you and I both know I'm lazy and won't get around to posting every one.

Portrait of the artist as a young man

Let it snow

Even though I gave myself permission to skip the bike when the Mendota Bridge hasn't been cleared, I found myself riding yesterday and today. And I found myself walking the bridge yesterday and today. That's right, I was that schlub. But for some reason, I didn't mind walking. In previous years I found myself to be very frustrated not being able to ride the bridge. But yesterday and today I had more of an "oh well" attitude. And it really doesn't take that much longer to walk 1 mile than it does to ride. At least not at the speeds I ride in the winter. And then, this afternoon on my way home I was treated to the unexpected surprise of the bridge being clear! Attitude is everything.

Those of you who have seen me in the last few months are aware that the goatee had gotten a little out of control. And now that the cold is here, my balaclava has been icing up and freezing into some sort of hybrid balabeardcicleclava thing. Some mornings I've had to thaw it out before I could take the balaclava off. So in the name of expediency, I've shaved.

Problem solved.

A winter affliction

Many cold weather cyclists are familiar with the beardcicle. However, there is a lesser known winter cycling affliction. While beardcicles normally appear when the weather is at 0 or below, this newly documented affliction normally appears as the temperature approaches freezing (32 F). I have dubbed this new disease "Mitten Mouth."

Mitten Mouth occurs when a cyclists needs to increase his or her manual dexterity and the weather is warm enough to actually remove one's mitten while riding. One hand remains on the handlebars, the other is performing whatever task requires manual dexterity (taking panda pictures, for example) and the mouth is the only remaining place where one's mitten can remain secure.

2008 wrap up

Last January I posted a summary of my 2007 mileage. For my 2008 summary, I'm basically going to copy that exact same post. But this year, I'm not making a graph. Apologies to graph fans.

Miles per bike, from greatest to least: Net Change
Kuwahara 2008: 2785 2007: 0 (not owned) +2785
Raleigh Triumph 2008: 1015 2007: 143 +872
Trek Fixie: 97 2007: 0 (not owned) +97
Raleigh Robin Hood 2008: 87 2007: 66 +21
Schwinn Suburban 2008: 62 2007: 151 -89
Schwinn Premis: 0 2007: 2010 -2010
Jamis Satellite: 0 2007: 960 -960
Raleigh Eclipse: 0 2007: 317 -317
Sun EZ-Tad Trike: 0 2007: 159 -159
Miyata Shredder: 0 2007: 30 -30
Total: 4046 2007: 3836 +210

Number of rides per bike, from greatest to least: Net Change
Kuwahara: 117 2007: 0 (not owned) +117
Raleigh Triumph: 63 2007: 9 +54
Trek Fixie: 8 2007: 0 (not owned) +8
Schwinn Suburban: 5 2007: 7 -2
Raleigh Robin Hood: 2 2007: 4 -2
Schwinn Premis: 0 2007: 85 -85
Jamis Satellite: 0 2007: 35 -35
Raleigh Eclipse: 0 2007: 16 -16
Sun EZ-Tad Trike: 0 2007: 6 -6
Miyata Shredder: 0 2007: 1 -1
Total: 195 2007: 163 +32

There are some pretty seismic shifts here. The variety of bikes I rode really went down dramatically, with two newly acquired bikes (the Kuwahara and the Trek) really jumping over several others. And the number of bikes that didn't get a single mile went up as well. That's a somewhat disheartening shift.

I also broke my riding down by the types of ride I did. Those were fairly predictable results, at least in the commuting department:
Commute: 3584 2007: 3263 +321
Hiawatha: 291 2007: 420 -129
3 Speed Tour: 85 2007: 0 +85
Camping: 56 2007: 0 +56
Family ride: 20 2007: 30 -10
Errands: 10 2007: 10 0
Ironman: 0 2007: 104 -104
Exploring: 0 2007: 9 -9
Total: 4046 2007: 3836 +210

I also broke this down by number of rides:
Commute: 173 2007: 142 +31
Hiawatha: 12 2007: 15 -3
Family ride: 5 2007: 3 +2
Errands: 2 2007: 1 +1
Camping: 1 2007: 0 +1
3 Speed Tour: 1 2007: 0 +1
Ironman: 0 2007: 1 -1
Exploring: 0 2007: 1 -1
Total: 194 2007: 163 +31

I had hoped to increase the number of family oriented rides this year. And while I did have a nominal increase (5 vs. 3) it's not much in the grand scheme. I suppose I could count the 3 Speed Tour as a family ride, since I did it with the lovely wife. That would increase the mileage, but the number of rides is virtually unchanged. I have two ways of looking at this. One is that biking, for me, is normally a solitary pursuit. Should I feel guilty about having an activity that I enjoy doing by myself or with other adults outside the family? No, that's part of being a well rounded adult. But the flip side is that I have a desire to share my love of cycling with the family. I don't realistically think any of them will become bike commuters or any of the other "extreme" types of cyclists. But I would be pleased if they enjoy the activity. And they do. The girls biked on their own much more in 2008 than they ever did in 2007, so that's progress of a different sort. I'm going to have to ponder this more.

The last statistic I had last year is my month over month mileage. This one's pretty self explanatory:
January: 309 2007: 309 0
February: 239 2007: 282 -43
March: 331 2007: 308 +23
April: 445 2007: 379 +66
May: 219 2007: 332 -113
June: 412 2007: 265 +147
July: 473 2007: 472 +1
August: 402 2007: 389 +13
September: 422 2007: 395 +27
October: 471 2007: 386 +85
November: 229 2007: 176 +53
December: 94 2007: 143 -49

Sun Dogs

I took the dogs for a walk today over in the National Wildlife Refuge. It's somewhat of an unofficial off leash dog park for folks in the know who go in on the eastern side, far away from the Refuge proper. I've never met anybody over there other than fishermen or other people who have their dogs off leash.




The walk there, from front door to the lake and back, is probably about 2 1/2 miles. But we were gone for nearly two hours. Such is a walk where the dogs are in charge of the pace. We stop and sniff everything. And wander in the rushes. And perhaps eat some rushes. But we're not rushed.

Dogs are good for reminding you to stop and smell the roses. And the dead squirrels. It's all a tapestry.

Happy Holidays

I just wanted to say Happy Holidays to everybody out there in the bicycling community. The VelociPete family is scheduled to begin a Festive Family Overload in T-minus 7 hours and 41 minutes. This will involve both hosting and traveling to visit others, and we won't have a rest until Sunday. I look forward to this time of year, and all the family togetherness. Even so, I imagine I'll be ready to crawl into my solitary cave by Sunday. I hope all your travels are safe and your celebrations, no matter what you're celebrating, are merry.

I'll leave you with a link to a collection of cocktail napkins from Shakespeare himself. Though probably not exactly what the Bard had in mind when he wrote these lines...

Thanks for reading, cheers!

Edit:
I just received a link to an MPR video about a local bike commuter who rides in the winter. Take a look:
MPR News: Winter Bike Commuting
Thanks Alana!

Slacker?

I haven't ridding for almost two weeks now, due to a combination of various post-work commitments and some brutal weather. Plus, I gave myself permission earlier in the fall to not ride when the bridge is covered in ice and snow and unrideable. Add that to the fact that I've already exceeded my mileage goal for the year, and I'm going to slack off. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. Though I did mess up and forgot to renew the tabs on the wagon. They expired at the end of November, and I got a not so friendly reminder left under my windshield yesterday when I parked at the Ft. Snelling park-n-ride. That plus temperatures without a negative sign, and the fact that I saw MN/Dot plowing the Mendota Bridge sidepath as I was driving home tonight might be enough to get me back on two wheels tomorrow.

In bloggy-type news, I changed the layout of ye olde blog from what I had before. It's much cleaner and simpler. You might want to pop outside your feedreader and take a look. I also added a new blogger gadget that shows who "followers" of the blog are. Interesting concept, but I'm not sure what purpose it serves. But, nothing ventured nothing gained. Feel free to follow me. Shouldn't be hard at this pace. ;-)

Bike plans

The last couple of posts I've made were quickly dashed off, but there's actually a more coherent theme I've wanted to put together. The first post was about my wanting to ride the Mississippi River Trail. And the other referred to the plowing of the Mendota Bridge. I think they may end up being connected, but I'm not sure how just yet. Most of it is speculation on my part.

A few weeks ago I saw a story on mpr.org about plans for the National Park Service to take over a little used section of land that is part of my current commute. The land in question is near Fort Snelling and was formerly home to Camp Coldwater. It's also home to half a dozen abandoned Bureau of Mines buildings. Many local cyclists are familiar with this area as it contains a trail that connects the southern end of Minnehaha Park to Fort Snelling. The mpr article was pretty light on the details, but said that "the land will be cleared of abandoned buildings and restored to its natural conditions." What of the bike trail, I wondered. Removing that could be a major thorn in my side and anybody else who wants to get from Minneapolis to points south without a motor vehicle. The article listed Paul Labovitz as the project supervisor, so I did a little sleuthing and found his email address. I sent him the following email:

Dear Mr. Labovitz,
I read of the National Park Service's plans to restore land near Ft. Snelling to its natural conditions. I was particularly interested in this project because I travel through this area nearly every day. I'm glad that the National Park Service is going to be doing something about the abandoned Bureau of Mines buildings, as I consider them to be an eyesore.

My main concern with the upcoming project surrounds the bike/walking path that runs adjacent to the Bureau of Mines buildings. This path is a critical link between Minneapolis and one of the few viable river crossings, the Mendota Bridge, that is available for non-motorized traffic in the area. The path is used by hundreds of cyclists on a daily basis and would leave many with no other options if it were closed for any length of time. Are there any details available about the upcoming project and its plans to continue to allow non-motorized traffic to pass through the area?

Thank you for your time.

Pete

Not expecting much, I went back to whatever I'd been doing before. But Mr. Labovitz surprised me with his quick response that same day:

Thanks for your note......

One of the primary reasons the National Park Service is stepping in to play
a more active role is to maintain the continuous open space along the river
between Minneapolis and St. Paul. An equally as significant reason for our
intervention is to maintain the existing recreational trail connections you
mentioned. One of this parks highest priorities is to see a class one bike
trail along both sides of the river and we play a role in promoting a
larger trail project called the Mississippi River Trail that will someday
connect the headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks for your interest and
I hope when the public involvement process gears up you participate and
voice your opinion. I'll add your contact info to our growing interest
list.

Paul

Well, I'll be dipped. Not only will the trail continue to exist, it sounds as though it will become some sort of uber-trail. I hadn't heard about the Mississippi River Trail, but I did some googling and liked what I saw. I've had thoughts about following the Mississippi before, by bike and by canoe. With such a trail running literally within a mile of my house, it seems too good to pass by.

Here's how it ties in to the Mendota Bridge, at least in my mind. One would guess that if the park service plans to add "a class one bike trail along both sides of the river" this would have to be good news for plowing. Don't get me wrong, MN/Dot does a decent job of clearing the bridge. They are fairly predictable and will normally clear the side path 3 days after any snowfall greater than 3 inches. I would think that the National Park Service would have standards at least this high, if not higher. If nothing else having the Park Service involved could make it more difficult for MN/Dot to decide to stop plowing the path, in light of recent budget issues.

I'm looking forward to watching this project from a unique perspective of somebody who is going to be riding through the project site on a (nearly) daily basis. I may head over there and snap some before pictures of the area before anything begins.

Winter is here

I saw some poor schlub pushing his bike along the unplowed Mendota Bridge bikepath today. It's apparently unrideable, yet again. I was sure glad I decided to drive today. Apologies to you if you're the poor schlub in question.

The perfect cycling gift

I emailed my lovely wife yesterday with what I thought was the perfect christmas gift:  The WinePod.  In these troubling economic times, who wouldn't want to spend $8,999.00 on a stainless steel machine that will make your own wine?  It just makes good financial sense.

 

But then I found something from the good folks at Hammacher Schlemmer that is perfect for the cyclist on your list:  The Only Complete Swiss Army Knife.  

 

It has seven blades, three types of pliers, three golf tools (club face cleaner, shoe spike wrench, and divot repair tool), 25 flat- and Phillips-head screwdrivers and bits, saws, wrenches, and more. It also has a bicycle chain rivet setter, signal whistle, 12/20-gauge shotgun choke tube tool, combination fish scaler, hook disgorger, and line guide tool, cigar-cutting scissors, laser pointer, tire-tread gauge, toothpick, tweezers, and key ring.

 

That's 87 different functions for only $1400.  When you break it down, it's just over $16 per function.  They're practically giving this stuff away!  I'll probably need a custom built saddle bag to haul this thing. 

 

Long term goal

I would like to cycle the Mississippi River Trail.  Target:  10 years from now, give or take.

First fixie

It's been a few weeks, I know. What have I been doing? Enjoying the election results, sleeping in on Saturday mornings, and riding to work. What's that, a new bike? Say, it is a new bike! New to me, anyway.

The story is that back in July my brother sent me the following email:

The same guy that forwarded me the email about the naked biking says he's got a bike frame he doesn't want anymore. Any interest? This guy rides a regular weekend ride with his local bike shop, kind of like you do and he's in his late 50's or maybe 60 years old. He's giving this away if you're interested.

From what I remember:

-trek steel frame - 60" (this guy is about 6'2")
-has some components on it, but not all of them. I think he mentioned Campio(?) components for some things, but I can't remember for sure.
-He's keeping the wheels he had on it, but he thinks he still has the factory 26" wheels that he would give with it
-he said the saddle is pretty nice
-brakes are included
-no rust on the frame

Don't know if you have room for more bike stuff at your place or not, but I thought I'd run it by you anyway.
Matt

Of course, I said yes immediately. I picked the frame up from my brother sometime in August and hauled it home. After taking stock, I found the following:

-trek steel frame - 60". Nice, something in the 83-84 vintage. I tried looking up the serial number on vintage trek, but there was some light corrosion and the numbers I wrote down don't quite match what the site says.
-Campy cranks, chainrings and most likely bottom bracket. Campy front derailleur, no rear. Seatpost, bars, stem.
-The factory wheels were actually 27", and to be honest I have no idea if I got them or not
-Ditto the saddle, no recollection of what was on there.
-brakes are included. Dia-compe with fairly new pads.
-a couple of minor rust spots on the frame, nothing serious
-a nice Zefal frame pump
-a bag full of odds and ends

Around the same time I found a killer deal on a wheelset from a Redline 925 on craigslist. I'm telling you, good bike karma all around.

I pulled the front derailleur, downtube cable stops, and all the shifter cables from the bike. I replaced the front brake cable, swapped out the drop bars for a set of moustache bars I had in the parts bin. I also switched to my old Specialized Body Geometry saddle, but after one Hiawatha ride my nethers were killing me and I mounted the Brooks from my sadly neglected Jamis.

I rode the bike a few times as a single speed, and then a few weeks ago I took the plunge and got a 17 tooth fixed cog from Hiawatha. I flopped the hub and have been cleverly disguised as a fixie punk ever since. I'm starting to see the allure.

I voted

Politics

I don't get too political on this here blog, but I'll make an exception in this year's election cycle. Plus, it's got something to do with cycling.



Don't let up!

Take me to the River

Apparently David Byrne was in town .  Who knew?

Belt Tightening

For you south of the river workers and dwellers:

 

The City of Eagan's going to be cutting back. According to their Nov/Dec newsletter, funds aren't available to hire contractors to clear the Eagan trails, so they're going to make the City crews do it. Street clearing will remain top priority; winter trail and sidewalk clearing will be done between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Mon - Friday. The new service delivery time will likely be 2-5 days after snowfall. During significant storm events or back-to-back storms, winter trail and sidewalk maintenance may not occur until conditions and operations return to normal.

 

It won't effect me much since I roll straight to Highway 13 and normally take the shoulder all the way to the Mendota Bridge, but I know several locals who commute into and out of Eagan year round and this could throw a potential wrench into their lives.  Except perhaps Karl, whose Pugsley can conquer all.

 

I would anticipate that my biggest obstacle will remain the Mendota Bridge.  And the plowing scheduled that Eagan is proposing sounds extremely similar to my experience on the bridge over the last few years.  As I look back and look forward (neat trick!) I'm thinking I will concede and allow the bridge to win this year.  Meaning that my plan going in to this winter is that I won't be cycling when the bridge isn't plowed.  I may make exceptions to this if it's a light snowfall, or I may take a risk of getting caught at work and having to make my way home over an unplowed sidepath, but once I know that the bridge is more snowy than I consider passable I'll be avoiding the bridge.  Which, by nature of it being the only reasonable river crossing between me and work, means avoiding the bike.  But the risk/reward ratio has been getting skewed further and further away from reward the last few years and I'm just not that interested in fighting that battle any more.  Perhaps I'm getting soft in my old age.  So what.

Fall has fallen

Riding to and from work today was like a slap upside the head from Old Man Winter. "I'm coming for you, boy." It was as if all the trees had made a suicide pact and decided to start dropping their leaves all at the same time. Sunday, it was beautiful and 70 degrees. This morning when I left home it was still almost 70. I was too warm in a short sleeve shirt and shpants. On the way home I was pulling on my long sleeved shirt, vest and gloves. Slap. Supposed to get down to the mid-30s tonight. Fortunately I have parent/teacher conferences to attend at the elementary Tuesday night and have an excuse not to brave these kind of temps just yet.

Mmmmm, free burrito

In honor of the reopening of the West River Parkway, Longfellow Grill will give away free breakfast burritos to travelers commuting along the important Twin Cities route Thursday morning, October 9th, 2008. Twin Cities' residents can show their support for the reopening of West River Parkway and fuel up with a breakfast burrito at the same time. The Longfellow Grill booth will be positioned near the exit to East Lake Street off West River Parkway.

Burritos will be distributed between 6-9am.  Found via Roadguy.