Another software push, another Saturday morning Pete's at work at 8am doing checkout. Take heart, fair reader, all is not lost. I got a nice ride in to and from work. I'm doing some of the Bike to Work coordination for my company, and got a question the other day about the best route to use coming in from Uptown. I've never ridden from uptown, but it looked like taking the Greenway to the Kenilworth trail was the most car-free route. The woman who asked was looking for something like that so I recommended it with the caveat that I'd never ridden it myself. I decided to change that this morning.
I rolled up Minnehaha Ave and then cut across to the Greenway. The ride on the Greenway was pretty uneventful, not too much activity prior to 8am. I turned onto the Kenilworth and was amazed at how nice it was. The trail is lined with wooded ares and/or backyards and doesn't feel like it's in the city at all. At least for the first few miles. As you get closer to downtown it starts to look more like, well, downtown. And though it's not too scenic, it was interesting to ride by the Minneapolis recycling center. I recognized some of the blue metal benches that used to be on Nicollet Mall, along with those ugly signs that gave directions to various landmarks. In all, the detour added about 5 miles to my ride. The Kenilworth unceremoniously spit me out on the edge of downtown with no bike lanes heading into downtown (good job, city planners!) so I rode in to Hennepin going the wrong way in the bike lane. Downtown was even quieter than the Greenway, so I figured it was no biggie.
You may just want to move on to the next blog now. Trust me. No? OK. Don't say I didn't warn you. Got to work, did some checkout and then I started to feel weird. To put it as nicely as I can, something I ate decided it wanted out and in a hurry. Lather, rinse, repeat. Let's just say the rest of today has involved me drinking the pink stuff and going through a lot of reading materiel. Ooog.
Date: April 21
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 311
Year to date mileage: 1015
Date: April 22
Mileage: 30
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 341
Year to date mileage: 1045
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Scandia
No ride today. But I had a good excuse. Probably the best excuse ever. Free beer. My brother got invited to the Summit Brewing release party for their new beer, Scandia Ale. Belgian beers are not my favorite. They're different and interesting, and I enjoy trying them, but it's rare that I would drink more than one. Summit's version is blander than most I've tried, but I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. It fits with their stated style of a Scandinavian interpretation of a Belgian ale. Scandinavians are known for their bland cooking. The standard joke is that all Scandinavian food is white (lefse, lutefisk, potatoes). I come from a long line of Norwegians and have eaten my fair share of bland, white food. 
The beer was definitely drinkable. I had my allotted three mini glasses and wasn't sick of it by the time I finished my third. But at the same time, I wasn't lining up to use my extra token that was given to me by a friendly stranger. I decided I'd rather keep the token as a souvenir than have another. I think my brother's fiance-in-law summed it up best when he said, "It tastes like Blue Moon."
The event itself was strange. It was a lot of people standing around in the great hall at the brewery drinking beer. Not that that's bad, but I wasn't sure what I expected. The even was publicized as being between 6-8pm, but when I got there at 5:40 it was packed. By the time the rest of the guys showed up at 6 and we got our first beer, the buffet table was picked over and never replenished. There was a drawing for doorprizes at 5:45 when I first got there too, but after 6 there was never any official talk or anything. It was like being at a bar. A really great bar with free beer, but not quite what I had envisioned. Don't get me wrong, if I had it to do over again I would do it again. But all in all, the beer, the evening, the everything? Meh. Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Gas Buddy
www.twincitiesgasprices.com is a weird little site where people go and post the price of gas they see. It's kind of interesting, but some people get really into it. But they've got a new feature called the Gas Buddy, seen here:
It's fun because it shows the highest and lowest reported gas prices in the twin cities metro. I put it in the sidebar so I can see how much I'm not paying for gas these days.
It's fun because it shows the highest and lowest reported gas prices in the twin cities metro. I put it in the sidebar so I can see how much I'm not paying for gas these days.
Minneapolis Bike To Work Day
One month from today, Friday May 19th, is the Official Bike to Work Day! So mark your calendar now and plan to join up! The 2006 Bike-to-Work event will be bigger than ever! The event is being sponsored by Ameriprise Financial, Birchwood Cafe, Caribou Coffee, Peace Coffee, Penn Cycle,Trailhead Bike and Fitness, and a number of others......
Recruit your friends & co-workers, your boss & your boss's boss!
Win Prizes! Get free stuff!
The 6 official Minneapolis routes and their starting points are listed below:
Bike Routes
1 North Minneapolis
Starts at Webber Park
2 NorthEast Minneapolis
Starts at The Quarry Mall
3 Midtown/Cedar Lake
Starts at the Midtown Greenway Trailhead
4 South Minneapolis
Starts at Bryant Ave S & Minnehaha Pkwy
5 Southeast Minneapolis
Starts at the Minnehaha Park pavilion
6 Park Ave Bike Route
Starts at Park Ave S & Minnehaha Pkwy
7 Make your own route!
Starts wherever you want!
If these routes do not run near you, you can still participate. Just bike into downtown taking whichever route you choose and make your way to the Government Center Plaza. Once there you can mingle with other cyclists, enjoy complimentary coffee and snacks and maybe even get some free schwag.
The routes will leave their designated starting points at 7:00am and should converge at the Government Center Plaza (6th Street South between 3rd and 4th Avenues) around 7:30am. The celebration at the Government Center Plaza will be from 7:00-8:30 and include freebies and prizes from the sponsors.
Each ride will meet at the designated starting point at 6:45am. The rides should all leave their starting point by 7:00am and be at the Government Plaza at approximately 7:30. Stay for the entire program, or just as long as you wish (you may want to let your boss know you're going to be a bike slacker in advance).
There will be several prize giveaways at the Government Center between 7:30 and 8:30am, so if you can plan some time to hang out and catch the drawings. I know that there are several nice gift certificates from the sponsors available, in addition to various other items. Many of the sponsors will have tents set up. Expect complimentary coffee, snacks, water and sports drinks. In addition, last year I ended up with a water bottle, t-shirt, and a really cool Park Tools multi-tool. Expect similar goodies again this year.
And, if all that wasn't enough, this won't help. I'll be leading the Southeast Minneapolis route for the second year in a row. Consider riding in with us. I promise we won't ride like this guy:
If you have questions about any ride specifics, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
Date: April 19
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 288
Year to date mileage: 992
Recruit your friends & co-workers, your boss & your boss's boss!
Win Prizes! Get free stuff!
The 6 official Minneapolis routes and their starting points are listed below:
Bike Routes
1 North Minneapolis
Starts at Webber Park
2 NorthEast Minneapolis
Starts at The Quarry Mall
3 Midtown/Cedar Lake
Starts at the Midtown Greenway Trailhead
4 South Minneapolis
Starts at Bryant Ave S & Minnehaha Pkwy
5 Southeast Minneapolis
Starts at the Minnehaha Park pavilion
6 Park Ave Bike Route
Starts at Park Ave S & Minnehaha Pkwy
7 Make your own route!
Starts wherever you want!
If these routes do not run near you, you can still participate. Just bike into downtown taking whichever route you choose and make your way to the Government Center Plaza. Once there you can mingle with other cyclists, enjoy complimentary coffee and snacks and maybe even get some free schwag.
The routes will leave their designated starting points at 7:00am and should converge at the Government Center Plaza (6th Street South between 3rd and 4th Avenues) around 7:30am. The celebration at the Government Center Plaza will be from 7:00-8:30 and include freebies and prizes from the sponsors.
Each ride will meet at the designated starting point at 6:45am. The rides should all leave their starting point by 7:00am and be at the Government Plaza at approximately 7:30. Stay for the entire program, or just as long as you wish (you may want to let your boss know you're going to be a bike slacker in advance).
There will be several prize giveaways at the Government Center between 7:30 and 8:30am, so if you can plan some time to hang out and catch the drawings. I know that there are several nice gift certificates from the sponsors available, in addition to various other items. Many of the sponsors will have tents set up. Expect complimentary coffee, snacks, water and sports drinks. In addition, last year I ended up with a water bottle, t-shirt, and a really cool Park Tools multi-tool. Expect similar goodies again this year.
And, if all that wasn't enough, this won't help. I'll be leading the Southeast Minneapolis route for the second year in a row. Consider riding in with us. I promise we won't ride like this guy:
If you have questions about any ride specifics, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
Date: April 19
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 288
Year to date mileage: 992
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Verve of some people
I was cruising the blogroll tonight and found a nice article on The Minus Car Project from the great state of South Dakota. Kerry Hacecky (Kerry.Hacecky@usd.edu), assistant Editor of VolanteOnline.com ("The Official Voice of the University of South Dakota since 1887") wrote a lovely article about sharing the planet with her fellow human beings. Here's an excerpt:
I may be wrong, but I don't think I'm the only one who wants to run over the fellow on the bike riding in front of my car down Clark Street. See that sidewalk to your right buddy? Yeah, that's where you belong.
On my way to class the other day I got stuck behind one biker peddling away, hand signals and all. It got ugly. That biker who was too fast to bike on the sidewalk rolls right through the stop sign. It was then that I had had it. Buddy, if you're going to ride in the street (which you shouldn't) you have to stop at that sign too. Red means stop. Wait, maybe you didn't take driver's ed either.
Next time I see one of those guys go through a stop sign, I'm going to follow them and run them over. I'll even give them a hand signal. You know which one I mean.
The Complete "story" can be found here.
Wow. I have so many things to say. But the one that comes to mind immediately is that she might want to consider not relying on spell check quite so much. While spell check accepts peddling as a perfectly valid word, it makes no sense in this context. Peddling is to sell wares, as in something a travelling salesman would do. I believe the word she was looking for is pedaling. An assistant editor should know better. Or perhaps I'm wrong. The cyclist may have been peddling wares as they were pedaling down the street. It is South Dakota, after all.
Date: April 18
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 265
Year to date mileage: 969
I may be wrong, but I don't think I'm the only one who wants to run over the fellow on the bike riding in front of my car down Clark Street. See that sidewalk to your right buddy? Yeah, that's where you belong.
On my way to class the other day I got stuck behind one biker peddling away, hand signals and all. It got ugly. That biker who was too fast to bike on the sidewalk rolls right through the stop sign. It was then that I had had it. Buddy, if you're going to ride in the street (which you shouldn't) you have to stop at that sign too. Red means stop. Wait, maybe you didn't take driver's ed either.
Next time I see one of those guys go through a stop sign, I'm going to follow them and run them over. I'll even give them a hand signal. You know which one I mean.
The Complete "story" can be found here.
Wow. I have so many things to say. But the one that comes to mind immediately is that she might want to consider not relying on spell check quite so much. While spell check accepts peddling as a perfectly valid word, it makes no sense in this context. Peddling is to sell wares, as in something a travelling salesman would do. I believe the word she was looking for is pedaling. An assistant editor should know better. Or perhaps I'm wrong. The cyclist may have been peddling wares as they were pedaling down the street. It is South Dakota, after all.
Date: April 18
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 265
Year to date mileage: 969
Friday, April 14, 2006
It's a Sunshine Day
A week of beautiful days has improved everybody's attitude. When I left work today, somebody held the elevator for me. Then a different person held the door for the restroom. After I changed into my bike clothes, a third person held the elevator to the parking garage. And a fourth person (a fellow bike commuter) held open the door and allowed me to go into the garage first. Common courtesy was bustin' out all over.
The ride home was beautiful. I think I saw more bikes today than I did the entire month of January and February combined. Everybody had to get out and get some of those rays. I hope y'all did too.
Date: April 14
Mileage: 26
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 240
Year to date mileage: 946
The ride home was beautiful. I think I saw more bikes today than I did the entire month of January and February combined. Everybody had to get out and get some of those rays. I hope y'all did too.
Date: April 14
Mileage: 26
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 240
Year to date mileage: 946
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Blow, wind, blow
The Wind is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
She maketh me to ride fast;
She bloweth me across the waters.
She restoreth my soul:
She pusheth me with tailwinds for Her name' sake.
Yea, though I ride through the valley,
I will fear no headwind: For thou art with me;
Thy bluster and thy breeze, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my chain with oil; My waterbottle runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Wind forever.
Date: April 13
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 214
Year to date mileage: 920
She maketh me to ride fast;
She bloweth me across the waters.
She restoreth my soul:
She pusheth me with tailwinds for Her name' sake.
Yea, though I ride through the valley,
I will fear no headwind: For thou art with me;
Thy bluster and thy breeze, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my chain with oil; My waterbottle runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Wind forever.
Date: April 13
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 214
Year to date mileage: 920
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Lucky
Just when I think the whole biking thing is smooth as butter, I get kicked in the shin by the Universe. Quite literally, in this instance. On the ride in to work this morning I rolled past a truck with a for sale sign in the back window. It was a 94 Dodge Dakota for $1100. Now, I'm not really in the market for a new vehicle. The one I've got doesn't get driven enough to make it worthwhile. But this seemed like a fair swap. Probably gets about the same mileage as my Mitsubishi, a little newer, and only $200 more than I paid for the Montero. So I decided to cruise back around and have a closer look.
The initial reverse was fine. I checked for traffic over my shoulder and turned a 180 into the southbound bike lane on Minnehaha. But a car had turned onto Minnehaha a block away and it prevented me from completing the 360. So I stopped. And I waited. And the cars went by. And I waited. I saw my break in traffic and started across. But, I didn't have the pedals lined up just right and somehow got all discombobulated. I nearly made the rookie mistake of crashing from a standstill because I couldn't get going and I couldn't unclip.
Just as I felt the bike start to lean left and I knew that I was for sure going down, my right foot unclipped. There must have been a part of my brain still frantically trying to send the Unclip! signal to my foot after the rational part of my brain had given up on staying upright. Once I realized I was free I made an awkward lunge to keep from going over. I stayed up, but managed to put a decent scrape on my shin in the process. I've been riding clipless for over 2 years now. I kinda thought I'd put this behind me. Oh yeah. The truck, upon closer inspection, was a piece of crap.
Date: April 11
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 166
Year to date mileage: 872
Date: April 12
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 191
Year to date mileage: 897
The initial reverse was fine. I checked for traffic over my shoulder and turned a 180 into the southbound bike lane on Minnehaha. But a car had turned onto Minnehaha a block away and it prevented me from completing the 360. So I stopped. And I waited. And the cars went by. And I waited. I saw my break in traffic and started across. But, I didn't have the pedals lined up just right and somehow got all discombobulated. I nearly made the rookie mistake of crashing from a standstill because I couldn't get going and I couldn't unclip.
Just as I felt the bike start to lean left and I knew that I was for sure going down, my right foot unclipped. There must have been a part of my brain still frantically trying to send the Unclip! signal to my foot after the rational part of my brain had given up on staying upright. Once I realized I was free I made an awkward lunge to keep from going over. I stayed up, but managed to put a decent scrape on my shin in the process. I've been riding clipless for over 2 years now. I kinda thought I'd put this behind me. Oh yeah. The truck, upon closer inspection, was a piece of crap.
Date: April 11
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 166
Year to date mileage: 872
Date: April 12
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 191
Year to date mileage: 897
Saturday, April 08, 2006
An American Revolution
Chevy has a new contest called Chevy Tahoe: The Apprentice (The Apprentice. Original, no?) in which you, humble internet user, can create your own Chevy Tahoe commercial from stock footage. But somehow, I don't think this is quite what they had in mind. Or this, or this one with the curse word at the end.
Mmmmm, donuts...
Date: April 8
Mileage: 44
Ride type: Social/Solo
April mileage: 141
Year to date mileage: 847
A beautiful Saturday and a beautiful ride with the crew from Hiawatha. And this time, since it wasn't raining we actually rode longer than we drank coffee! Don't get into a panic, there was still coffee involved. And donuts. And croissants. After a looping 20 mile ride from the shop to downtown Saint Paul and back we stopped by Minnehaha Coffee and enjoyed the day as it was (finally) warming up. Sidewalk seating in the sun, even.
After my turtle mocha and donut, whose combined caloric content I don't even want to think about, I decided it would be best for my waistline to ride more. I headed north into Minneapolis along the West River Road and crossed over at Franklin to the East River Road. I followed that down to Lilydale and then headed home. By my gmaps pedometer reckoning I logged just over 44 miles for the day. I got home, showered and ran a few errands and now I'm trying not to eat everything in the house before dinner time. One of my errands included a stop at Byerly's for 2 pounds of dry aged sirloin, so I want to have an appetite. The way my stomach is growling I don't think it will be an issue. 44 miles will do that to a guy.
Mileage: 44
Ride type: Social/Solo
April mileage: 141
Year to date mileage: 847
A beautiful Saturday and a beautiful ride with the crew from Hiawatha. And this time, since it wasn't raining we actually rode longer than we drank coffee! Don't get into a panic, there was still coffee involved. And donuts. And croissants. After a looping 20 mile ride from the shop to downtown Saint Paul and back we stopped by Minnehaha Coffee and enjoyed the day as it was (finally) warming up. Sidewalk seating in the sun, even.
After my turtle mocha and donut, whose combined caloric content I don't even want to think about, I decided it would be best for my waistline to ride more. I headed north into Minneapolis along the West River Road and crossed over at Franklin to the East River Road. I followed that down to Lilydale and then headed home. By my gmaps pedometer reckoning I logged just over 44 miles for the day. I got home, showered and ran a few errands and now I'm trying not to eat everything in the house before dinner time. One of my errands included a stop at Byerly's for 2 pounds of dry aged sirloin, so I want to have an appetite. The way my stomach is growling I don't think it will be an issue. 44 miles will do that to a guy.
Friday, April 07, 2006
My plans took a skid
Date: April 5
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 72
Year to date mileage: 778
Date: April 7
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 97
Year to date mileage: 803
The plan for today:
Jump out of bed right when the alarm goes off at 6:00am, excited about the ride. Quickly dress in bike clothes, eat breakfast and be on the road by 6:30am. Get to the downtown Y by 7:30, shower and be to work by 8.
The reality:
Crawl out of bed close to 6:30am after the third snooze. Slowly got dressed, ate breakfast and went to the garage to get the bike. Flat tire on the Schwinn. I ran over something Wednesday and I heard it make a crunching sound, but never saw what it was. Apparantly it was sharp. Looked at the bike with the flat, looked at the truck. Thought about how it would be a pain in the ass to go back inside, shower, change clothes and drive. Called an audible. I took just the essentials out of my pannier and put them in my messenger bag. Grabbed the Jamis and headed in. Battled a fierce headwind (23mph according to Paul Douglas) and got to the downtown Y a little after 8. Showered. Realized that my half awake transfer of essentials to the messenger bag failed to include socks or underwear. Freeballed it over to Target. Bought socks (merino wool blend on sale for $2.49, so I bought 5 pair), underwear (Fruit of the Loom boxer brief 4-pack, on sale for $8.49) and an exercise shirt (something high-tech from Champion, a steal at $10) and headed to work. Got there at 8:45, 15 minutes earlier than "normal." Decided to keep one new pair of undies and one new pair of socks in the desk drawer to head of any future forgetfulness.
Loved the ride on the Jamis. I think I'm going to like this bike.
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 72
Year to date mileage: 778
Date: April 7
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 97
Year to date mileage: 803
The plan for today:
Jump out of bed right when the alarm goes off at 6:00am, excited about the ride. Quickly dress in bike clothes, eat breakfast and be on the road by 6:30am. Get to the downtown Y by 7:30, shower and be to work by 8.
The reality:
Crawl out of bed close to 6:30am after the third snooze. Slowly got dressed, ate breakfast and went to the garage to get the bike. Flat tire on the Schwinn. I ran over something Wednesday and I heard it make a crunching sound, but never saw what it was. Apparantly it was sharp. Looked at the bike with the flat, looked at the truck. Thought about how it would be a pain in the ass to go back inside, shower, change clothes and drive. Called an audible. I took just the essentials out of my pannier and put them in my messenger bag. Grabbed the Jamis and headed in. Battled a fierce headwind (23mph according to Paul Douglas) and got to the downtown Y a little after 8. Showered. Realized that my half awake transfer of essentials to the messenger bag failed to include socks or underwear. Freeballed it over to Target. Bought socks (merino wool blend on sale for $2.49, so I bought 5 pair), underwear (Fruit of the Loom boxer brief 4-pack, on sale for $8.49) and an exercise shirt (something high-tech from Champion, a steal at $10) and headed to work. Got there at 8:45, 15 minutes earlier than "normal." Decided to keep one new pair of undies and one new pair of socks in the desk drawer to head of any future forgetfulness.
Loved the ride on the Jamis. I think I'm going to like this bike.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
It's sprung
Date: April 4
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 47
Year to date mileage: 753
I rode all the way in this morning in street clothes, and was it cold. I was only planning on going to the Minnehaha LRT station so I was wearing a vest with a short sleeved shirt underneath. Bare arms, brrrr. But when I got there, the train was just pulling away. I didn't have the patience to sit and wait for the next one so in I went. I'm not normally a type A impatient person like that. Honest.
This afternoon was a big change. It was beautiful. It's really spring. There were several signs today.
Most welcome sign of spring - the handle is back on the pump I stopped and emptied my water bottle and refilled it with this magic elixer drawn from the ground. Mmmm, minerally goodness.
Least welcome sign of spring - Rollerbladers! I saw two of them, teenaged girls, skating along in some state of semi-control. It seems there's two types of rollerbladers. The first and more numerous are the ones who look like they're about to fall down every second. These folks are so concerned with staying upright and not breaking open their kneecap that they loose all track of where they are and who is riding or walking around them. The second type is the type that looks like they were born with rollerblades on their feet. They roll down the path effortlessly, pushing with incredibly long strides. The problem for cyclists is that these incredibly long strides are also incredibly wide. It's like their legs go out three feet to the side in both directions. I always get nervous passing either type of 'blader because I know I'm just a moment away from a violent collision.
Other signs of spring I'm too lazy to categorize -
Shorts. I wish I would have worn them like most of the runners and other bikers. I regretted putting on my tights.
Tuffy - Apparantly I was spotted by Tuffy while riding down the river road this afternoon. From what I've seen, Tuffy's not a winter riding kind of guy. Must be spring.
Sunshine! Today was my first post-DST change commute. The sun was wonderful.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, so if you're riding on the river road around 5-5:30, expect to see me on my multicolored Schwinn. Though you may be distracted by the glaring whiteness of my uncovered legs. Don't be afraid. At least they're not shaved.
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
April mileage: 47
Year to date mileage: 753
I rode all the way in this morning in street clothes, and was it cold. I was only planning on going to the Minnehaha LRT station so I was wearing a vest with a short sleeved shirt underneath. Bare arms, brrrr. But when I got there, the train was just pulling away. I didn't have the patience to sit and wait for the next one so in I went. I'm not normally a type A impatient person like that. Honest.
This afternoon was a big change. It was beautiful. It's really spring. There were several signs today.
Most welcome sign of spring - the handle is back on the pump I stopped and emptied my water bottle and refilled it with this magic elixer drawn from the ground. Mmmm, minerally goodness.
Least welcome sign of spring - Rollerbladers! I saw two of them, teenaged girls, skating along in some state of semi-control. It seems there's two types of rollerbladers. The first and more numerous are the ones who look like they're about to fall down every second. These folks are so concerned with staying upright and not breaking open their kneecap that they loose all track of where they are and who is riding or walking around them. The second type is the type that looks like they were born with rollerblades on their feet. They roll down the path effortlessly, pushing with incredibly long strides. The problem for cyclists is that these incredibly long strides are also incredibly wide. It's like their legs go out three feet to the side in both directions. I always get nervous passing either type of 'blader because I know I'm just a moment away from a violent collision.
Other signs of spring I'm too lazy to categorize -
Shorts. I wish I would have worn them like most of the runners and other bikers. I regretted putting on my tights.
Tuffy - Apparantly I was spotted by Tuffy while riding down the river road this afternoon. From what I've seen, Tuffy's not a winter riding kind of guy. Must be spring.
Sunshine! Today was my first post-DST change commute. The sun was wonderful.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, so if you're riding on the river road around 5-5:30, expect to see me on my multicolored Schwinn. Though you may be distracted by the glaring whiteness of my uncovered legs. Don't be afraid. At least they're not shaved.
Bike Commuter Knowledge needed
Calling all commuters! There is a semi-impromptu lunch meeting tomorrow in downtown Minneapolis to discuss/brainstorm how businesses can make themselves more bike and pedestrian friendly for their employees and customers.
Here is the task: In the effort to offer businesses and new developments information on how to make their operations bike and ped friendly and oriented to customer service: 1) build a list of "need to have" accommodations and facilities needed at a commercial/retail establishment to serve their biking and walking customers and/or employees (and if time allows, a list of "nice to have"). 2) And then generate a list of examples in the Twin Cities and elsewhere of businesses that you feel have successfully implemented some level of bike/ped accommodations into their transportation plans and building design.
The details are kind of sketchy (from what I know today, it's 11:30 at Eddington's in the Pillsbury center, subject to verification). I'm planning to attend, and I would be interested in hearing good or bad from any readers that I can share with the group. I know what my employer offers, but I'd especially like to know if anybody local has an employer or business who is doing "all the right things" for bikers and walkers. Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail (frosti AT gmail DOT com). If you're interested in attending the lunch (pay your own way) let me know and I'll make sure to update you on the final time/location.
Here is the task: In the effort to offer businesses and new developments information on how to make their operations bike and ped friendly and oriented to customer service: 1) build a list of "need to have" accommodations and facilities needed at a commercial/retail establishment to serve their biking and walking customers and/or employees (and if time allows, a list of "nice to have"). 2) And then generate a list of examples in the Twin Cities and elsewhere of businesses that you feel have successfully implemented some level of bike/ped accommodations into their transportation plans and building design.
The details are kind of sketchy (from what I know today, it's 11:30 at Eddington's in the Pillsbury center, subject to verification). I'm planning to attend, and I would be interested in hearing good or bad from any readers that I can share with the group. I know what my employer offers, but I'd especially like to know if anybody local has an employer or business who is doing "all the right things" for bikers and walkers. Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail (frosti AT gmail DOT com). If you're interested in attending the lunch (pay your own way) let me know and I'll make sure to update you on the final time/location.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
And the rain rain rain came down down down
Date: March 31
Mileage: 22
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 257
Year to date mileage: 706
Date: April 2
Mileage: 24
Ride type: Social
April mileage: 24
Year to date mileage: 730
This morning when I woke up it was raining. Not too hard, but quite steadily. I checked the online radar and it looked like the rain was just about to move out of the area. So I decided to make the best of it and go to the inaugural Hiawatha Cyclery group ride. I'm glad I did. I think there were 7 riders all told, but I might have missed somebody. Pretty good turnout for a cold and rainy Sunday morning in early April.
I'm not sure how far we rode, but it was an abbreviated route. We went from the shop down to Lake Nokomis and then to Nokomis Beach Coffee (I think) for a quick warm up. Coffee was drank, muffins eaten and the shit was shot. It was nice to put some faces with a few local bloggers and it was nice to meet everybody. By getting 90 percent of my riding mileage in by commuting I'm pretty isolated on the bike. Which is probably why I started the blog in the first place. But there's no substitute for getting out and riding with your fellow bike minded human beings. I'd been missing that, but I hadn't realized how much until today. I might have to make this a regular gig. You should too. We averaged about 10 miles an hour and rode two abreast so people could talk. Very low key and very friendly.
After coffee we headed back to the shop so Jim and Kevin could open the place up and do some business. A few folks hung around for while, but I think most everybody wanted to get home and into dry clothes. I did too. But I also wanted to get a few more miles in so I took the long way home. I rode north into Minnehaha Park and crossed the river on Ford Parkway. Then I followed East River Road to Shepard to 35E. While heading east on Shepard the wind was blowing straight at me and I was sort of regretting the decision to tack on the extra miles. Pedaling harder helped, but I was soaked. In Lilydale I met up with the Big River Regional Trail and then it was straight home.
When I got into the garage I had a hard time untying my shoes because my fingers were starting to go numb. I took a nice long, hot shower and put on some warm fuzzy clothes and ate. I think it will be an early bedtime tonight. I don't even want to talk about the fact that it stopped raining almost immediately after I got home.
Mileage: 22
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 257
Year to date mileage: 706
Date: April 2
Mileage: 24
Ride type: Social
April mileage: 24
Year to date mileage: 730
This morning when I woke up it was raining. Not too hard, but quite steadily. I checked the online radar and it looked like the rain was just about to move out of the area. So I decided to make the best of it and go to the inaugural Hiawatha Cyclery group ride. I'm glad I did. I think there were 7 riders all told, but I might have missed somebody. Pretty good turnout for a cold and rainy Sunday morning in early April.
I'm not sure how far we rode, but it was an abbreviated route. We went from the shop down to Lake Nokomis and then to Nokomis Beach Coffee (I think) for a quick warm up. Coffee was drank, muffins eaten and the shit was shot. It was nice to put some faces with a few local bloggers and it was nice to meet everybody. By getting 90 percent of my riding mileage in by commuting I'm pretty isolated on the bike. Which is probably why I started the blog in the first place. But there's no substitute for getting out and riding with your fellow bike minded human beings. I'd been missing that, but I hadn't realized how much until today. I might have to make this a regular gig. You should too. We averaged about 10 miles an hour and rode two abreast so people could talk. Very low key and very friendly.
After coffee we headed back to the shop so Jim and Kevin could open the place up and do some business. A few folks hung around for while, but I think most everybody wanted to get home and into dry clothes. I did too. But I also wanted to get a few more miles in so I took the long way home. I rode north into Minnehaha Park and crossed the river on Ford Parkway. Then I followed East River Road to Shepard to 35E. While heading east on Shepard the wind was blowing straight at me and I was sort of regretting the decision to tack on the extra miles. Pedaling harder helped, but I was soaked. In Lilydale I met up with the Big River Regional Trail and then it was straight home.
When I got into the garage I had a hard time untying my shoes because my fingers were starting to go numb. I took a nice long, hot shower and put on some warm fuzzy clothes and ate. I think it will be an early bedtime tonight. I don't even want to talk about the fact that it stopped raining almost immediately after I got home.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
True Grit
Date: March 29
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 210
Year to date mileage: 659
Date: March 30
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 235
Year to date mileage: 684
Yesterday morning I got all amped up for some reason and rode the entire way in to work instead of taking the train. Call it spring fever, call it temporary insanity, I don't know. I rode in on Minnehaha Ave and clocked about 12 miles. I ended up staying later at work than I wanted to and so I was in a hurry to get home and took Minnehaha again that night. I got home and checked the odometer. 23 point something. Huh. That's only 3 miles more than my usual day where I take the train.
So today, by way of an experiment, I rode in again. I took Minnehaha and clocked the same 12 or so miles. I didn't get rained on, much, but I was covered from the knees down with a fine layer of grit. When I got to work I doused the entire drivetrain with the contents of my water bottle to get the gunk out before the ride home. I think I need to get some fenders on this bike or get the studs off the Raleigh so I can ride it in the rain. On the way home I took my normal river road route. Got home, 25 miles. Huh. That's only 5 miles more than my usual. For some reason I'm amazed that taking the train from Ft Snelling to Franklin only saves me 5 miles of riding. And the weirdest part is that both mornings I got in about 5 minutes earlier than I usually do when I take the train. Go figure.
Mileage: 23
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 210
Year to date mileage: 659
Date: March 30
Mileage: 25
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 235
Year to date mileage: 684
Yesterday morning I got all amped up for some reason and rode the entire way in to work instead of taking the train. Call it spring fever, call it temporary insanity, I don't know. I rode in on Minnehaha Ave and clocked about 12 miles. I ended up staying later at work than I wanted to and so I was in a hurry to get home and took Minnehaha again that night. I got home and checked the odometer. 23 point something. Huh. That's only 3 miles more than my usual day where I take the train.
So today, by way of an experiment, I rode in again. I took Minnehaha and clocked the same 12 or so miles. I didn't get rained on, much, but I was covered from the knees down with a fine layer of grit. When I got to work I doused the entire drivetrain with the contents of my water bottle to get the gunk out before the ride home. I think I need to get some fenders on this bike or get the studs off the Raleigh so I can ride it in the rain. On the way home I took my normal river road route. Got home, 25 miles. Huh. That's only 5 miles more than my usual. For some reason I'm amazed that taking the train from Ft Snelling to Franklin only saves me 5 miles of riding. And the weirdest part is that both mornings I got in about 5 minutes earlier than I usually do when I take the train. Go figure.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Best Ever
Date: March 28
Mileage: 20
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 187
Year to date mileage: 636
I did some laundry over the weekend and took my neckwarmer, headband and wool socks out of my pannier for good. They're washed up and put away in the winter clothing bin. Next is the green Canari jacket. I switched to my vest instead of the jacket, but I'm not ready to move greenie to the basement closet just yet. Just like I'm not ready to take the studded tires off of the Raleigh just yet. I'm still waiting for that last gasp of old man winter, I guess.
This is pretty much the best bike riding time of year for me. I love riding in the spring. When it's just cool enough that you need some kind of shell and a long sleeved something underneath it on top, and tights on the bottom, but you can still wear just your short-fingered cycling gloves and regular shoes. It's such a great contrast to winter. And it's not so blasted hot that I break a sweat just pedaling out of the driveway like it is in July. I could deal with these temps year round.
The bike cleaning on Sunday was totally worth it, by the way. Even though I pedaled through a few puddles on the way home today and splashed some fresh gunk back on it was still nice to look down and see that shiny front hub spinning all the way home.
Mileage: 20
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 187
Year to date mileage: 636
I did some laundry over the weekend and took my neckwarmer, headband and wool socks out of my pannier for good. They're washed up and put away in the winter clothing bin. Next is the green Canari jacket. I switched to my vest instead of the jacket, but I'm not ready to move greenie to the basement closet just yet. Just like I'm not ready to take the studded tires off of the Raleigh just yet. I'm still waiting for that last gasp of old man winter, I guess.
This is pretty much the best bike riding time of year for me. I love riding in the spring. When it's just cool enough that you need some kind of shell and a long sleeved something underneath it on top, and tights on the bottom, but you can still wear just your short-fingered cycling gloves and regular shoes. It's such a great contrast to winter. And it's not so blasted hot that I break a sweat just pedaling out of the driveway like it is in July. I could deal with these temps year round.
The bike cleaning on Sunday was totally worth it, by the way. Even though I pedaled through a few puddles on the way home today and splashed some fresh gunk back on it was still nice to look down and see that shiny front hub spinning all the way home.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Look, up in the air! It's a bird...
In case anybody thought I was kidding about my daughter nearly falling out of the tree from nearly 20 feet up, my wife got a pretty good picture of the kid.
You can see, near the bottom right, Morgan standing near Nancy's dad. He's probably 5'9" and Emma's way above him. Nancy has a couple more pictures on her blog too, including a close up. Even more impressive is that she's doing this in mittens and snow boots.
You can see, near the bottom right, Morgan standing near Nancy's dad. He's probably 5'9" and Emma's way above him. Nancy has a couple more pictures on her blog too, including a close up. Even more impressive is that she's doing this in mittens and snow boots.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Weekend Update
I had a nice, mostly bike free, weekend. Friday night we went over to my brother and his wife's house to celebrate Christmas. Christmas in March? Yes, Virginia. A few years ago the four of us stopped exchanging gifts and started going out for a nice dinner and then drinks. This year we were going to extend the custom to include Nancy's brother and his wife. But then the scheduling got so crazy that it ended up being March. We still will need to go out with them sometime too (Christmas in July?). It's nice because it's 4 less people we need to shop for, and it's a great excuse to get together and have a good time.
This year instead of eating out we went shopping at Kowalski's and cooked. Matt and Mandy each got a new york strip steak, and I got a top sirloin. All three of us used a Swiss steak rub called Pride of Szegeo. The guy at the meat counter had nothing but good things to say about this stuff, and was he right. It was great. I tried googling it and couldn't find a website, but you can get it at Kowalski's in the spices section. Totally worth the $1.79 they're charging for it. Nancy had a cajun marinaded catfish which was also very good. We broke the seal on the summer grilling season and cooked everything on the grill in the backyard. We also had twice-baked potatoes, cous cous, cheese, stuffed mushrooms and dessert. The only bad part of the meal was this bread we bought. It was supposed to be seasoned with herbs and olive oil, but it tasted like fish. So we skipped most of the fishy bread, but nobody went hungry. Yum.
Yesterday we went to retrieve the kidlets from their grandparents. We spent the night in Lamberton and had a great spaghetti dinner courtesy of my MIL. After watching my daughter nearly fall 20 feet out of a tree she'd climbed we all hunkered down and watched Chicken Little Saturday night (which I found vaguely annoying) and then watched Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (which I found highly amusing). We had great french toast for breakfast with sausages and bacon. Fast food was eaten on the trip there and back. I'm gonna start waddling soon if I keep this up.
When we got home it was a beautiful evening. I hauled all the crap from our trip out of the van and cleaned it out. I nearly vacuumed it too, but the shop vac was buried in a corner of the garage and I didn't feel like digging it out. So instead, I showed my two wheeled vehicles a little love. I spent an hour and a half or so cleaning up the Raleigh and the Schwinn with a washcloth and a bucket of soapy water. The Raleigh deserved it after being encrusted all winter. It's not in showroom condition, but all the moving parts are crud free and it looks clean upon casual inspection. The Schwinn wasn't too dirty, but I decided to start the season out on the right foot. So now it's sparkly and shiny. I'd forgotten what a headache it is to clean white parts on a bike. I'd like to know whose bright idea was it to put white cranks, bar tape and brake hoods on a bike. OK, so I have some blame for the bar tape since I retaped them. But come on, they needed to match the hoods!
Do yourself a favor. Go clean your bike. It'll make you feel good. I promise.
This year instead of eating out we went shopping at Kowalski's and cooked. Matt and Mandy each got a new york strip steak, and I got a top sirloin. All three of us used a Swiss steak rub called Pride of Szegeo. The guy at the meat counter had nothing but good things to say about this stuff, and was he right. It was great. I tried googling it and couldn't find a website, but you can get it at Kowalski's in the spices section. Totally worth the $1.79 they're charging for it. Nancy had a cajun marinaded catfish which was also very good. We broke the seal on the summer grilling season and cooked everything on the grill in the backyard. We also had twice-baked potatoes, cous cous, cheese, stuffed mushrooms and dessert. The only bad part of the meal was this bread we bought. It was supposed to be seasoned with herbs and olive oil, but it tasted like fish. So we skipped most of the fishy bread, but nobody went hungry. Yum.
Yesterday we went to retrieve the kidlets from their grandparents. We spent the night in Lamberton and had a great spaghetti dinner courtesy of my MIL. After watching my daughter nearly fall 20 feet out of a tree she'd climbed we all hunkered down and watched Chicken Little Saturday night (which I found vaguely annoying) and then watched Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (which I found highly amusing). We had great french toast for breakfast with sausages and bacon. Fast food was eaten on the trip there and back. I'm gonna start waddling soon if I keep this up.
When we got home it was a beautiful evening. I hauled all the crap from our trip out of the van and cleaned it out. I nearly vacuumed it too, but the shop vac was buried in a corner of the garage and I didn't feel like digging it out. So instead, I showed my two wheeled vehicles a little love. I spent an hour and a half or so cleaning up the Raleigh and the Schwinn with a washcloth and a bucket of soapy water. The Raleigh deserved it after being encrusted all winter. It's not in showroom condition, but all the moving parts are crud free and it looks clean upon casual inspection. The Schwinn wasn't too dirty, but I decided to start the season out on the right foot. So now it's sparkly and shiny. I'd forgotten what a headache it is to clean white parts on a bike. I'd like to know whose bright idea was it to put white cranks, bar tape and brake hoods on a bike. OK, so I have some blame for the bar tape since I retaped them. But come on, they needed to match the hoods!
Do yourself a favor. Go clean your bike. It'll make you feel good. I promise.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
The week that wasn't
Grand plans, I tell you. I had them. My kids have been at Nana and Poppa's house all week, meaning that I can get up whenever I want to and go to work whenever I want to and ride my bike whenever I want to. Big Mileage, here I come! Or, not.
Monday: I didn't ride because I have school. No problem, planned that one out. I'm not riding to school until the Big River Regional Trail is snow free.
Tuesday: I rode in the morning, first step of my Big Mileage week is a success! But, being at work 12 hours later took the fight out of me and I trained it most of the way home (remind me not to blog when I'm tired and cranky. See previous entry as to why).
Wednesday: I offered to help a friend move a chair after work, so I drove the van. Minor setback, but no biggie, right?
Thursday: Due to continuing work headaches I went in at 6:00am. Totally wussed out and drove. I can't come up with an excuse or rationalization for this one. Sorry.
Friday: Dinner plans with my brother and his wife, so I drove again so I could meet the Mrs. and be ready to go.
Now today we're heading out of town to retrieve the kids. 21 Big Miles is the official tally for the week. Grumble. Insert pithy quote about the best laid plans of mice and men here. See you next week.
Monday: I didn't ride because I have school. No problem, planned that one out. I'm not riding to school until the Big River Regional Trail is snow free.
Tuesday: I rode in the morning, first step of my Big Mileage week is a success! But, being at work 12 hours later took the fight out of me and I trained it most of the way home (remind me not to blog when I'm tired and cranky. See previous entry as to why).
Wednesday: I offered to help a friend move a chair after work, so I drove the van. Minor setback, but no biggie, right?
Thursday: Due to continuing work headaches I went in at 6:00am. Totally wussed out and drove. I can't come up with an excuse or rationalization for this one. Sorry.
Friday: Dinner plans with my brother and his wife, so I drove again so I could meet the Mrs. and be ready to go.
Now today we're heading out of town to retrieve the kids. 21 Big Miles is the official tally for the week. Grumble. Insert pithy quote about the best laid plans of mice and men here. See you next week.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Crosstown Traffic
Date: March 21
Mileage: 21
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 167
Year to date mileage: 616
Man, traffic was horrible today. And I don't get to say that very often. The truck pictured above was driving down the river road bike path this morning. The truck was weaving from side to side plowing back what little snow there was that didn't get plowed from the edge of the path last week. And every time he'd hit a patch of snow he'd slow down and I would be right on top of him. There was no quick pull over and let me by manuver like KM experienced with the sweeper. I followed him from just north of Minnehaha Park to about 28th where he finally pulled over to the side. Which was right after I got my camera out, so I couldn't get a better shot of me tailgating him.
It's a good thing I rode all the way in this morning. I did it because the kids are away on spring break and I can leave whenever I want to. So I woke up, put my cycling gear on and headed out. Once I reached downtown I stopped at the YMCA for a quick shower and then on to work. I ended up getting in about 8:30, which is a little earlier than my usual. Blah blah, I did work stuff until about 3:30, when I got a call. A project (that I wasn't working on) was having a post install problem and the project manager was out of the office. So I get on the bridge call. Fast forward to 7:30 PM and I'm just getting ready to leave. So by the time I take care of stuff, it's quarter to 8. After that I would have gladly gotten into my car, turned the radio up loud and driven home. But I didn't have that option.
Instead of my original plan of riding home I decided to take the train. I just wasn't in the mood to ride. I got on at the Warehouse District stop and rode until I started to get restless, around 38th. I finally got off the train at the 50th Street/Minnehaha Park station and rode home from there. My computer (yes, I rode the Schwinn again) said 14.5 miles in the morning so that route is about 7 miles, including the downtown piece to get to LRT. It's not a bad option for when I want to tack on another mile or two.
I got home and started working on my homework, which is due tomorrow. I got as far as I could get, and now I'm throwing in the towel. It works, but it's not complete. I'm going to lose some points, but at this point I'm not really concerned about it. I'm just ready for bed.
Mileage: 21
Ride type: Commute
March mileage: 167
Year to date mileage: 616
Man, traffic was horrible today. And I don't get to say that very often. The truck pictured above was driving down the river road bike path this morning. The truck was weaving from side to side plowing back what little snow there was that didn't get plowed from the edge of the path last week. And every time he'd hit a patch of snow he'd slow down and I would be right on top of him. There was no quick pull over and let me by manuver like KM experienced with the sweeper. I followed him from just north of Minnehaha Park to about 28th where he finally pulled over to the side. Which was right after I got my camera out, so I couldn't get a better shot of me tailgating him.
It's a good thing I rode all the way in this morning. I did it because the kids are away on spring break and I can leave whenever I want to. So I woke up, put my cycling gear on and headed out. Once I reached downtown I stopped at the YMCA for a quick shower and then on to work. I ended up getting in about 8:30, which is a little earlier than my usual. Blah blah, I did work stuff until about 3:30, when I got a call. A project (that I wasn't working on) was having a post install problem and the project manager was out of the office. So I get on the bridge call. Fast forward to 7:30 PM and I'm just getting ready to leave. So by the time I take care of stuff, it's quarter to 8. After that I would have gladly gotten into my car, turned the radio up loud and driven home. But I didn't have that option.
Instead of my original plan of riding home I decided to take the train. I just wasn't in the mood to ride. I got on at the Warehouse District stop and rode until I started to get restless, around 38th. I finally got off the train at the 50th Street/Minnehaha Park station and rode home from there. My computer (yes, I rode the Schwinn again) said 14.5 miles in the morning so that route is about 7 miles, including the downtown piece to get to LRT. It's not a bad option for when I want to tack on another mile or two.
I got home and started working on my homework, which is due tomorrow. I got as far as I could get, and now I'm throwing in the towel. It works, but it's not complete. I'm going to lose some points, but at this point I'm not really concerned about it. I'm just ready for bed.
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