105th ride of 2018 - Friday, 10/19/2018

2018 mileage: 2701.1

Left at 8:00 a.m. today and rode again to Baker Rd. (Dexter), and then on the way back home I  stopped by our church to practice piano, since Michelle is away with the car. This gave me a total ride of 20.5 miles in a somewhat slow 2:47. It was a brisk 38° when I started, but up to 52° at the end.

I'm playing in church on Dec. 23 an absolutely gorgeous Meditation on Silent Night (that has long been my favorite carol, and this year it has special significance since it was first heard Christmas Eve 1818—200 years ago). It is my hope and belief that I can play it from memory, so I'm trying hard not to miss a day of practice.

I hit another mileage milestone for the year, too (2700).

And best of all, I connected with a friend! While riding the sidewalk alongside Jackson Rd. (between Wagner and Zeeb) on the outbound leg (to Dexter), I encountered Paul Smith! Fortunately he looked carefully at me and then spoke my name, because I would not have recognized him. He became friends several years ago when we were fellow team members on a Mission Trip from Westminster Presbyterian Church (my former church) to Mexico in 2009.  Paul is the man on the right end of the top row in this picture of our team (it also shows some of the local children).

 I had not seen him since then, although we have exchanged some greetings over the Internet. (It was funny—when we met on the trip, I asked if he was any relation to Paul W. Smith, a well known Detroit radio personality. Paul laughed, having heard that question before, and corrected me—"No, I'm Paul H. Smith!"

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

104th ride of 2018 - Thursday, 10/18/2018

2018 mileage: 2680.6

After getting my flu shot yesterday morning, I decided to take the day off from riding. So I was glad to get back to it today, riding a round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.), for 20.1 miles in 2:34. It was, however, a ride in which I didn't have to worry about overheating—when I began at 8:15, it was 27° (10 degrees above my all-time coldest ride), but by the time I finished it was up to 42°. And the sky was a brilliant (crisp) blue throughout.

I wore my bright yellow winter coat for the first time this fall. My visibility vest would not fit over it, but I quickly decided that with this bright garment on, I was plenty visiblee anyway!

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

103rd ride of 2018 - Tuesday, 10/16/2018

2018 mileage: 2660.5

Today was a gorgeous day for a ride—in appearance. When I began at 10:15, the sky was a bright, unbroken blue, and that continued throughout my ride. It was cool, however—39° when I began (but up to 52° when I finished). And the wind was a decided factor, too—early on it didn't seem so bad, but I checked it at the midpoint, and weather.com said that it was 15-25 mph, blowing out of the west. So I must have made my earlier judgment at a time when it was lower. Going out, though, right into the teeth of this wind out of the west, was all the challenge I needed for today.

I rode to Baker Rd. (Dexter), completing 18.9 miles in 2:27. And as I was finishing up, the song Fall came on my John Denver playlist on Spotify, and its lyrics really resonated with me:

Reflections on the water, like shadows in my mind,

speak to me of passing days and nights and passing time.

The falling leaves are whispering, winter's on its way.

I close my eyes remembering the warmth of yesterday.

It seems a shame to see September swallowed by the wind.

And more than that, it's oh, so sad to see the summer end.

And though the changing colors are a lovely thing to see,

if it were mine to make the change I think I'd let it be.

But I don't remember hearing anybody asking me.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

102nd ride of 2018 - Monday, 10/15/2018

2018 mileage:2641.6

Riding conditions today were very far from optimal. I'd probably stop short of calling them abominable—but only by a little bit. A thick, unbroken cloud cover had moved, rendering the sky a gloomy gray. (This was beginning to break up a small amount in the last 5 minutes of my ride, and I actually saw a few patches of blue.) The temperature was cool, but not cold, and falling—40° when I began about quarter to noon, and 48° when I finished.

Of greatest concern, however, was the wind, blowing steadily and strongly, whipping out of the west-northwest at nearly 20 mph. Fortunately, I discovered this when I checked the conditions just before beginning, so I was able to alter my plans, and instead of going to Baker Rd., I contented myself with a trip to Marsh Park instead. Oh, there were still stretches where I had to fight it—but nothing like the severe struggle I would have had riding west into the teeth of it, as I did on THursday.

With this, I allowed myself to settle for a single trip to Marsh Park, riding the 10.2 miles in 1:17.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

101st ride of 2018 - Saturday, 10/13/2018

2018 mileage:2631.

I left this morning at 7:55 (sunrise was at 7:45) and rode another round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.)—20.2 miles in 2:30. As I rode up on the sidewalk alongside Ann Arbor-Saline Rd./S. Main toward Michigan Stadium, I was amused to see parking lot attendants already trying to wave people in, and early birds beginning to filter in to Pioneer High School when I rode by about 8:15, even though the game against Wisconsin isn't until 7:30 p.m. When I cam back by it on the way home, about 10:15, it was still look pretty sleepy, but I knew that would very soon begin to change.

At 40° when I left, I was sure glad to have my gloves on! And even though it heated up to 42° by the time I finished (a little before 11:00), I kept the gloves on.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

100th ride of 2018 - Friday, 10/12/2018

2018 mileage: 2611.2

The big cool down continues! It's hard to believe that so recently, I was still riding in shorts and in temperatures exceeding 80°! Just on Sunday, it was 82* when I finished. But this morning, when I began a few minutes before 9:00, it was 41°, and I was exceedingly glad for my gloves, and felt that my apparel of a hoodie over a t-shirt was nearly insufficient.

I'm a bit embarrassed to only be reaching my 100th outdoor ride of the year so deep into 2018 ... this is 285th day of the year. Oh well!

At any rate, I allowed myself another lazy day. Like on Wednesday, I only rode a single round trip to Marsh Park, but today only supplemented it with two additional loops—on Interfirst Dr., and then on WIlson Rd./Bicentennial Pkwy. This gave me a ride of 12.6 miles, covered in 1:30. This allowed me to hit another mileage milestone.

A calamity of the day was my water bottle. As the cage for it sits along the main horizontal "boom" of the bike, it all too easily slides out—the is no gravity to assist holding it on place as with the diagonally mounted cage on my former road bike. This is the 8th or 9th one I've lost in the three and a half years I've been triking. The bottle has slid out countless additional times, but I usually hear and am able to retrieve it. But not today—I never knew it was gone until about a mile left in the ride. Later I took the car and drove back, looking as carefully for it as I could, but my search was fruitless.

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride

99th ride of 2018 - Thursday, 10/11/2018

2018 mileage: 2598.6

Rode another round trip to Dexter (Baker Rd.) today. But WOW -- has the weather ever changed! When I left, at 9:35, it was 53° (up to a dizzying 54°, though, when I finished at about12:30. And this cooler temperature was augmented by a steady, strong (nearly 20 mph) cooling 'breeze.'

Riding into the wind, which cam from the west, on the way to Dexter presented an extremely stiff challenge. At least if was partially balanced by my trip back home, with the wind at my back most of the way. I had forgotten that I wanted to try to tack on a little extra so that I'd cross another mileage threshold ... but I should make short work of that tomorrow.

A decade or so ago, my son got me interested in the music of virtuoso banjo player Bela Fleck, and on the second half of my ride today, I listen to a Bela Fleck playlist on Spotify that I created last night. Following is a sample of his playing:

Bela Fleck (Sinister Minister)

Link to (Relive) video of today's ride