Biking Journal 45

I just have to face the fact that biking is never going to be a painless experience for me. I just returned from a 26 mile ride to Buchanan with my new seat. Trying to make adjustments as I rode to get the perfect position for a comfortable ride but it didn't happen. I have just exchanged front pressure for back pressure. If I ride where it is most comfortable, I feel like I am falling off the seat and it makes my legs and arms work a lot harder, but if I sit back farther I sit right on the "sit bones" and it becomes very uncomfortable after a short time. But I did ride the first 13 miles without stopping which I could never do with my last seat so I guess that is a little improvement. I am a bit discouraged but pain or no I will be riding in the CANDISC a week from today!

Biking Journal 44 (The New Seat)

The instructions on the package for the new bike seat said that it might take a little tweeking before you get the seat adjusted right, and they weren't lying. I have put my seat down, tipped it forward, back, put the seat back up and I think I am going to get it right soon. Craig was right about using your arms more to help balance but I think it is going to be alright. I rode out to the cabin today because Curt went out to mow. Thank goodness he had to stop for gas before he left because when I started out I didn't know what was wrong with the bike. I was working so hard to peddle, it felt like the brake was on or something. I was riding into a head wind, but it was never that hard before and I didn't think the new seat would make that much difference. So I stopped and noticed that the tire had been rubbing on the frame and was setting crooked. Somehow when we put the tire back on we must not have everything quite right. But Curt came along and got it fixed for me and I went on my merry way. I have to say it is a big relief not to have the front pressure but the way I had the seat adjusted I was riding on my seat bones which isn't all that comfortable either but I realized if I moved up a little farther on the seat it was a whole lot more comfortable so I'm going to try moving the seat back farther so I can sit more forward on the seat and see how that works.

After I got out to the cabin and Curt got done mowing we went for a nice swim in the lake. It was much clearer today and no scum! The water was a little chilly because the outside temp was only 75 but it was fun anyway.

Biking 101

Thursday, I went to Fargo by myself and instead of taking the whole bike with me I only took the seat. It had a 30 day return garrantee if you didn't love it. And I really wanted to love it because it had good reviews but it really wasn't any better than my old seat as far as the pressure on the front. Craig at Paramount Sports didn't really have much more to recommend and I said what I really need is a seat without a nose on it. And we are wandering over to the wall of seats and there it was! A seat without a nose! I picked it up and said, "They actually make one!". Craig however was not as excited as I was. He tried to talk me out of it, saying that you really have to use your arms for balance because the nose part of the seat is what helps you keep your balance on the bike. But I'll tell you at this point I'm ready to try anything. After all the CANDISC is only a little over a week away.
I also bought some new tubes and a new tire for the bike. But when I got home I tried the old tube that Curt had patched and the old tire but the patch didn't hold so we just put on a new tube and tire. And Craig was so great a Paramount Sports, I had made the comment that what I really should have had was a course in Biking 101 because I don't even know how to change my own tire and so he showed my how and then had me demonstrate back and when I got home I actually put the new tube and tire on myself. Now I just have to learn how to get the back tire on and off with all the derailer and stuff. All I know is that you get your hands really greasy.

The Downpour

On Wednesday, I was invited to go out to lunch with a couple friends of mine. She planned to pick me up at 1:30 pm and about 15 minutes before she came what had been a nice gentle rain turned into a deluge. By the time she picked me up you couldn't even see the curb on most of the streets. Going through the low spots was pretty scary. Even driving I thought was a little brave. But we made it to the Bistro without any stalls and by the time we were done eating the streets were back to normal. Curt picked me up from there and we went to "Dark Knight". We had planned on going to Fargo that day and exchange my bike seat but it would have been late getting home and Curt had to work in the morning. It was a good day.

Biking Journal 43 (The Flat Tire)

I have to say I was not real motivated to go for a bike ride today, even though it's 82 degrees with barely a breeze, but I knew I should so I checked the tire pressure and headed out going east. I had only gone about a mile and a half when I started to hear a faint noise and I thought I had maybe picked up a weed or something that was stuck in the spokes but then I heard a flump, flump and looked back and sure enough the back tire was flat. Thankfully, I had only gone 1.8 miles so it wasn't too bad a walk back into town. I could have tried to fix it since I do have a patch kit and CO2 inflater in my pack but I figured I could walk back faster than I could fix the tire (if I could have even done it!) But I got my exercise none the less and am headed for the shower.

Biking Journal 42

Well, I just returned from a very enjoyable 30.72 mile ride. The day was sunny, 80 degrees, with a north wind @ 9-12 mph. It only took me 2 hr. 11 minutes, and that is including 4 water breaks. I rode up to Buchannan and then took the rode going east. It is a beautiful rolling stretch of road with little traffic. Then it hooks up with Hwy. 20 which brings me home. Other than having problems with my bottom going numb it was great!

Sabbath Joys

I got to church today and as usual, forgot there was potluck and found out they were going to the park again. So I decided I would just take the strawberries that I had cut up for breakfast, some vegetarian beans and a bag of chips and go anyway. I have to say it was probably the smallest amount of food I have seen at a potluck in a long time but there was enough for all and I had taken extra plates and plastic silverware and just had enough for all the visitors. At 2:30 we put on a short program at Hi-Acres Manor and the residents really seemed to enjoy it. I practiced some songs on the guitar and then planned on doing some reading but ended up sleeping instead. My plan was to ride my bike out to the dam to watch the sunset but I started listening to a marriage counseling CD and didn't realize how late it was getting. I took off anyway and had just set myself down on the bench when out of nowhere it started raining. I thought at first it was just going to be a little sprinkle so I sat a little longer but no it continued to get stronger so I decided I best get home. It seems that the little shower took more than me by surprise because there were alot of others out getting wet too. It was an enjoyable Sabbath!

Biking Journal 41

Friday morning was taken up by paying bills and buying groceries but finally by 11:30 a.m. I was ready to head out to the lake to spend the rest of the day with Mom and Cindy. My leg had healed amazingly fast. The healing power that God built into our bodies always boggles my mind! Anyway, I rode 17.3 miles out to the cabin expecting to go swimming only to find that the thick scum had come back after the rain. So we spent some time weeding and planting wildflower seeds and then had some snacks and lemonade. We worked on making some more butterflies out of plastic bottles and prayed that the scum would move out so we could go swimming. Finally we bit the bullet and went in anyway. The further out we went the less green it was but green none the less. But the water was just the perfect temperature and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of the algae. I made sure I washed and dried off well because my biggest fear was getting swimmer's itch. Something I pray I never get again. Then I rode back to town with Cindy and had to say our good-byes. It was great being able to spent time with my sister!

Crampin' my style

In my last blog I said that Mom, Cindy and I were going to have a Ladies Day Out on Wednesday. Well, Mom and Cindy had a day out but I never made it. On Tuesday night my left calf began to swell up. It was the leg I had the really bad leg cramp in when i was trying to ski so the first thing I thought of was a blood clot. It was very painful to walk too. So I called and got an appointment that morning and she scheduled me to have an ultrasound of my leg in the afternoon. Well, it turned out I didn't have a clot, for which I am very thankful, so I guess I just had some muscle damage which resulted in the swelling. I worked last night so my leg is still swollen but not as bad as yesterday and even though it is still sore I can walk on it pretty well. Mom and Cindy are coming in again today and we are going out to lunch with Warren since he was coming up for a dentist appointment. Afterwards we are going to a quilt shop and maybe even take in a pond tour going on today, since we missed the garden tour yesterday. We'll see what the day brings.

Biking Journal 40

Yesterday, July 14, I rode out to the lake like I said I would. It was 89 degrees and only a 10 mph breeze from the SW so it pushed me all the way. I did feel a little dehydrated when I got there even though I had stopped along the way to drink water. Curt had driven out there and picked me up on the gravel. We went out on the boat and Cindy and I rode on the tube and then I tried to ski but after the 4th try, I got a really bad cramp in my left calf and so that ended my attempts at skiing. Even today my leg is very sore so I used that as an excuse not to ride out to the cabin today, that and that I am very tired. This is my eighth night of work and I just feel wiped out. I did go out to the cabin and was going to go swimming because it was beautiful and the water was so still but it looked like split-pea soup with a thick layer of slime on top. We couldn't bring ourselves to jump in. We even went over to the public access and even though it wasn't as green we decided not to go in. I helped Cindy and Mom work on a jigsaw puzzle and we ate supper and now I am at home getting ready to go to work. Tomorrow we are having our Ladies Day Out. I'll blog about it later.

Biking Journal 39

This afternoon, Curt and I went to the 4 o'clock matinee and saw "Hancock". It was pretty good but some of the language bothered me and I didn't think it was real appropriate for some of the smaller kids or older ones for that matter. Anyway, I decided to go for a bike ride after I got home since I've slacked off for the last couple days. But since it was getting late and I had to work tonight I only went 11.4 miles. I really need to find some new exciting places to bike because I am getting tired of my same old routes. Cindy is here this week and her and Mom will be spending the whole week out at the cabin so I suppose I will be making all my rides out there this week. Have to get to work now.

The Elusive Tomato Cage

Amy supplied me with 5 wonderful tomato plants this spring. All different and growing wonderfully, in fact two of them already have small tomatoes on them. Last year I only had two tomato plants so only had two tomato cages and since the plants are starting to get quite tall and it has been a little windy lately I thought I would go buy some more cages. Well, I wanted to support the smaller businesses instead of WalMart so I went first to TruValu, all out but I did find vermiculite which I had searched all over for to use in my square foot garden, so I bought 2 bags for next year. Then I went to Big R, all out. Home of Economy, all out. So I ended up at WalMart once again and they only had really big ones, so I improvised and got some plant supports and I think they will be OK.
Since the wind is blowing at 23 mph with gusts up to 33, I decided I did't want to ride bike and was going to go on a walk instead but then I got busy with laundry, dishes and cleaning. And then for some reason decided to get out the guitar and started trying to play some songs out of the Pathfinder songbook. It's funny how the kids in Sabbath School don't want to sing but when the Pastor brings out his guitar they are all excited about singing. So I thought maybe I should start playing again. And the Pastor also wants to start having a Praise Sabbath and sing some praise songs with guitar and has been encouraging me to play with him. So anyway, that's what has prompted me to get it out again. I sometimes wonder who I'm trying to fool, I don't even know how to tune it. But I have clipped my nails and I'm going to practice and maybe when Ben comes up he can help refresh my memory on a few things.
Now it's almost time to get showered and get ready for work so I think I'll just relax, play quitar, read and welcome in the Sabbath.

Biking Journal 38

81 degrees with 68% humidity and a breeze at 12 mph. I rode on the bike paths around the dam to get my 10 miles in because there were some dark clouds coming in from the west and I didn't want to get caught out in a thunderstorm somewhere. It was an uneventful but good ride and I think I am learning some tricks to keep me riding more comfortably. Right now I am dripping with sweat and trying not to get the keyboard wet, so into the shower I go!

Biking Journal 37

This was a big day for me, I biked out to the cabin and even rode on the gravel, painted some trim on the cabin, which involved climbing up a ladder on uneven ground but Mom helped hold the ladder after we got it leveled with some pieces of cement. Then we watched "Girl Crazy" with Mikey Rooney and Judy Garland and then I rode back home. I left about 9:45 am and it is now 5:20 pm. It was windier that usual, 18 mph this morning and of course it was from the NW so I was riding into it going out but coming back it wasn't quite as breezy and it was behind me so I made better time. The new seat on my bike is still not giving me a pleasant riding experience so I am thinking of taking it back. I just don't know where to go from here. If anyone has some suggestions I'm all for them! I am going to take a bath and then a nap before I have to go to work.

Biking Journal 36

Sorry, I forgot to blog yesterday so this is 2 days in one. Anyway, yesterday after the kids left I went on the marathon ride to Buchanan and back. I forgot to look at the temp, but it was suppose to be around 90 degrees but there was a nice breeze so it didn't feel hot. It took me almost 2 hours because the wind was from the NW and I don't know how strong it was but I couldn't seem to maintain much more than 10 mph going there but coming back was definately faster. In fact, Curt thought I was taking so long he went out looking for me because he thought something must have happened to me, but we just missed each other so he ended up going all the way to Buchanan looking for me and I was already home. It was my first ride with my new seat and unfortunatly I did not find it to be very comfortable. But the saleman said to give it at least 100 mile trial, it has a 30 day trial so I can return if it doesn't work out.
Curt and I both had today off so we went down to Aberdeen to see his family. I took my bike along since they have some nice bike paths at Wiley Park. After we had lunch, Curt, Hannah and Tim drove to Wiley Park and I rode my bike there. After I circled the lake and the campground I rode to Storybook Land and found them and we spent some time feeding the goats and then Curt took them to the Twist Cone and I rode back to the house. Later we went and bought a bike rack for the car so we don't always have to try and get it in the back. It was quite warm today but the breeze was nice when I was riding so it didn't feel that hot.

More fun at the lake

Yesterday, July 5, the kids came home and we all went to church and then back out to the cabin for lunch. After a little nap, Curt and I took the paddle boat out but it was pretty choppy and we started taking in water so we cut our outing short. Later on we all took a dip in the lake. It was a bit chilly but felt good. Warren and Carol came out around 8 pm for the family fireworks show so we had some pizza and snacks and when the sun went down we shot off the fireworks and I have to say I thought they were great!! So sad I have to wait another year for more fun.
Amy, Tim and Marlin went out skiiing this morning while the water was still. And they had a perfect morning for it. When I called Mom they were just packing up to come to town so they can head home. It was really great having them here for so long!

Biking Journal 35

I biked out to the lake on the 4th of July and I was pretty consistant, it took me 58 minutes to go 16 miles. I was walking on the gravel when Curt came to my rescue. I guess they were sitting around and Amy said to Curt, "Maybe you should go rescue Mom from the gravel", and so he did. It was perfect timing. We had a great meal with hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixin's and then I spent most of the afternoon playing with Cole and riding in the boat. Did some paddle boating with Cole and tubed with Amy. Kaila came out to the lake and spent the week-end with us, which was really nice getting to visit with her.
We came into town to see the fireworks at the fairgrounds. They were really good this year! It was a perfect 4th!

Biking Journal 34

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I blogged. Amy, Tim and Marlin flew in on Wed. evening around 8:15 pm. And we had a nice visit while eating pizza before I had to go to work. When I got home from work Thurs. I began getting everything ready to take to the lake for the 4th. So I made potato salad, scotcheroos and a flag cake and got all the groceries packed up that I needed to take out to make taco salad. It all took longer than expected so it was 1 pm before I even had time to take a nap. I napped for about 45 minutes and then got up and when Curt came home we had errands to run and bills to pay. So by the time we got done it was already 4 pm. Tim and Marlin had gone out to the lake with Mom on Weds. night so they could get an early start on skiing. It was only 48 degrees Thurs AM but they were out there anyway. So Amy had stayed here at home and she left around 9 or 10 to go to the lake. My plan was to bike out there and so I did. And had a really great ride. It took me an hour to ride 16 miles. Everyone was out on the boat when I got there and when they came in right away they wanted me to go tubing. Tim and Amy bought a really nice 2 man tube to share with everyone. I didn't think I had my swimsuit out there but I did so I went on the tube with Amy and had a really good time. Of course I fell off twice but Amy stuck like glue. Then Amy went knee-boarding and did a 180 and a 360!! She is so amazing! I didn't know she knew how to knee-board so well.
And now I am heading out on my bike again to go to the lake. Brandon and Christine and the kids are coming out to eat at noon and the boat parade is at 2pm. So I must get going but thought I didn't want to get too far behind on the blogs