Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

A beautiful day more like mid-March than February. The pictures I took were not without their dangers. The charolais cattle ones came with an angry woman running out of her house. "Are you from the county?" "No ma'am, I just like your cows" She came closer. "What do you know about them?" "Not much...but I get some feeders every spring." Then I played my ace in the hole dropping a name she must know. "Yeah, Ray P. from Charlottesville brings me down Angus." "Ray...?" "Did you know his mama died lat week?" "Oh lord" she exclaimed, and was so upset she had to light a long cigarette which I got the benefit of? for a long three minutes of family problems. At the Cosby Orchard stop a little yapper of a dog came barking followed by a more sedate giant. And I alone returned to tell the tale.
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Gorgeous, sunny day, but baby it was COLD outside! I should have bought that dang balaclava - my face was numb halfway through the ride. And, though I didn't quite have popsicle toes by the end, I was close! Around town, my neoprene-lined plastic garden shoes have been keeping my feet warm:

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Today I should have paired them with my electric socks 😜.

Cold aside, it was a FABulously beautiful ride, though!

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See those little white points out in the water? That's a SAILING class! Hope they were all wearing wet suits!

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Here's the ride:

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Normally we'd ride out past Joseph Whidbey Park Beach before looping back to town, but the headwind was brutal, and, as mentioned, face was numb. So, we took a shortcut dirt and gravel trail that, halfway through, has a "No Bikes" posting. It was just so cold we decided to ride slowly through, and were caught by the farmer on a 4-wheeler at the end (the trail goes through his property). He was not happy, but we explained that at the trailhead at the road, there was no signage prohibiting bikes, and we promised never to ride there again! He was mollified... Kind of. We really will NEVER ride through again, because I'm buying that damn balaclava!!!

Stats:

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Stefan Mikes said:
A funny story from my latest (Sunday) ride!

When I passed the church on the river Utrata and was riding around a cemetery, something strange happened to my e-bike. I stopped immediately and supported myself on my left leg. The bootlace of my right boot got entangled between the chainring and the chain, and it wrapped around between the crank and the chainring!

Fancy how stupid I felt. There was no imaginable way to dismount the Vado as my right foot was literally bound to the crank, some distance from the ground! Even a controlled fall would not let me leave the bike! :D With both brakes on for greater stability, I started working with my right leg. And, to my delight, the boot slipped off the foot! I was saved!

A lesson for me for the future: Tie bootlaces properly! :D
Click to expand...
Or carry a pocket knife.

EDIT: Most people tie their shoes wrong. After making the first bow or loop don't take the opposing string over the top to create the second loop. This creates what is known as a 'granny knot' and is unstable. Instead take the opposing string UNDER and thru to create the second loop. This creates a 'square knot' and is stable and seldom comes undone. Sailors know this as our shoe bows are also known as double reef knots and sailers know a lot about reef knots.

www.ted.com

How to tie your shoes

Terry Moore found out he'd been tying his shoes the wrong way his whole life. In the spirit of TED, he takes the stage to share a better way.
www.ted.com www.ted.com
 
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The Art of Riding on Autopilot

It may be February here in northern Virginia, but the temps today were 100% April. So this was my afternoon:
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I would have taken pictures but before I even reached the end of my driveway my phone announced a call from my sister. She had been spending the weekend with friends in upstate Florida and was headed back south on her way back home. She was still an hour and a half away from walking in her front door, driving on a boring stretch of scenic ocean highway with tourist traffic clogging up the lanes at well below the speed limit, so I'm guessing she was in the mood for some sibling chit-chat to tell me tell about her visit and the new car she just purchased and was driving home.

Which meant I spent my entire ride being entertained by my sister to the point where ... I can't even remember my own ride. I know it was relaxed and on the verge of being classified as downright lazy, that it was on my favorite gravel roads, that I was on autopilot the entire trip, and that a few cyclists passed me going the opposite direction. But that's all I remember.

So I have virtually nothing to say about the ride except: a. It was warm out with no wind but lots of sun, b. The gravel roads were in perfect condition, c. My bike was flawless, d. I made it down the roads for almost 15 miles and back with no recollection of the event at all. Zero. Nada. Zip. I seriously can not remember the ride. Oh, and e. My sister has a new car.

And I'll add f. My bike got a nice bath after I returned home. Apparently the gravel roads had tossed up enough dirt to accumulate on the bike frame. Don't remember it happening, but the proof was there in a blanket of copious gray grit clinging to the undercarriage that was not there when I started out.

I'll take pictures on my next ride and pay attention ...as long as I don't have my sister chatting away in my ear again.

For those who have to have a picture, here is one at mile 5: the same road, same month, almost the same day but taken 2 years ago (2020). Strange, but I do remember that ride...
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PatriciaK said:
Today I should have paired them with my electric socks 😜.
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Funny that you mention that! I ignored the Winter on my two recent (shorter) rides and didn't wear heated socks but cycling or casual shoes instead. Big, big mistake. My feet (and especially toes) are very vulnerable to cold. Now, I swore to myself to always protect my feet until the temperature goes significantly up!

reed scott said:
Most people tie their shoes wrong. After making the first bow or loop don't take the opposing string over the top to create the second loop. This creates what is known as a 'granny knot' and is unstable. Instead take the opposing string UNDER and thru to create the second loop. This creates a 'square knot' and is stable and seldom comes undone. Sailors know this as our shoe bows are also known as double reef knots and sailers know a lot about reef knots.
Click to expand...
This is a very good comment. I did not know how to tie shoes properly until the beginning of the last decade (that is, until early 2010s). One day, I bought a pair of new formal shoes, and watched a tutorial video on YT. I felt ashamed! Was I tying shoes the wrong way for several decades? And I've been applying the "square knot" since.

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The hiking boots I'm using for my Winter rides offer a stable system of bootlaces, especially protecting ankles against getting broken. And normally, I tie them carefully. Do that carelessly once, and the whole ride may end up badly!

reed scott said:
Or carry a pocket knife.
Click to expand...
There's at least one country I know of where carrying any knife on you is a criminal offence :) (Not Poland!)
 
Chargeride said:
Break in the rain, nipped out with the missus towing the little one in the trailer.
We nearly had a fallout because I constantly had to stop her from banging it into trees
Its wider than you!!!!
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Back when I rode 'adventure' bikes I did some touring with fairly large rear boxes. I was constantly pulling up to talk to a fellow rider and banging my boxes into his boxes. Took many whacks to get the habit of NOT doing that worked into my grey matter.

Edit: Figures CR would take his family running around rough rooted twisty tree festooned trails pulling a kiddie trailer ... with toddler. 🤣
 
reed scott said:
Back when I rode 'adventure' bikes I did some touring with fairly large rear boxes. I was constantly pulling up to talk to a fellow rider and banging my boxes into his boxes. Took many whacks to get the habit of NOT doing that worked into my grey matter.

Edit: Figures CR would take his family running around rough rooted twisty tree festooned trails pulling a kiddie trailer ... with toddler. 🤣
Click to expand...
He was travling light b/c of all the recent storms ...
 
reed scott said:
Back when I rode 'adventure' bikes I did some touring with fairly large rear boxes. I was constantly pulling up to talk to a fellow rider and banging my boxes into his boxes. Took many whacks to get the habit of NOT doing that worked into my grey matter.

Edit: Figures CR would take his family running around rough rooted twisty tree festooned trails pulling a kiddie trailer ... with toddler. 🤣
Click to expand...
Even I was at my limit...the wife, who I hope isnt reading this...seems to have zero awareness of physics , she thought avoiding the trees and bumps was sufficient.
I had to point out the trailer wheels are in a different place to hers and all those broken branches had every chance of flipping up and hitting him in the face or worse.
She got the message but sulked because she hates me being right
 
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Good thing we rode yesterday! Snowing and only a high of 36° forecast for today! We don't usually get snow here on the island, but it does happen on occasion. This is nothing (so far) compared to what we had the days after Christmas - and should be gone in a couple of days. In the meantime, staying inside by the fire 🔥🔥🔥.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
Cannot understand how the left-hand traffic could ever be "right" :D Yes, I know, that was to confuse Bonaparte in case of possible invasion... :D
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You don't have to draw your sword while riding lately ?

Never mind answering... I know what's ahead, but couldn't resist throwing things even further /offtopic ...
 
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