#$@%

Well we finally had beautiful weather for a bike ride. Temps in the 70s and sunny. Too bad I was at work until it was almost dark!

Spinning is not nearly as much fun as riding. And the miles don't count. Per the Folks on Spokes ("FOS") mileage club rules "Total miles include any distance you ride for any reason at any time. No stationary miles are ever counted in the mileage club. Sorry, you have to be going somewhere; anywhere."

Well I didn't go anywhere today on a bicycle. @$#%.

Cruisin' with the Cranes and Other Things

Yesterday, I went to Medaryville, IN and rode a fifty mile bike ride called the "Crane Cruise".




The purpose of the ride (besides the obvious chance to ride) is that the sandhill cranes gather at a wildlife preservation near there. Most years, one would be able to see the cranes hanging out in fields in the afternoon during the ride. However there was a high wind advisory and we didn't see any cranes during the ride. Unlike us, they were smart enough to hunker down out of the wind. But the real show was at sunset, when thousands of cranes started flying in from all directions to spend the night in the nature preserve. The first picture was a freeze frame of constant waves of cranes coming to the preserve. The second pic is a close up of the cranes in the field. (click on the picture for a better view).










Sorry for the poor quality.

With wind gusts as high as 40 mph, the ride was challenging. Though the SAG stops were manned by some very nice people who took good care of us. At the scond stop you can see our food being prepared. Hot dogs always taste good cooked over an open fire.


And here, you can see a really cool bridge made out of one of the wheels from the original Ferris Wheel from the Chicago World's Fair.



I ended my day with a hot shower and a cold beer.

Today turned out to be much nicer day for a bike ride. There were light(er) winds out of the southwest and temps pushing 60. We rode out to Manhattan (the city in Illinois, not the drink). I didn't come home today feeling quite as beat up as yesterday.

Over the weekend, I had 118 miles. I have 136 for the week and 5,678 for the year.

I know it was just the 49ers, but how 'bout dem Bears!

Whoever Stole October, Please Return It! Thanks.

It was 25 degrees this morning when I went to work. I was thrilled that it was sunny and in the mid-40s this afternoon. This isn't October weather people. Average temps at this time of year in NE Illinois should be around 60. (And I was happy to have the mid-40s today, what does that tell you!)

Yesterday, I was talking to my friend who works in our LA office and she was telling me its been in the mid 80s out there. Now, I'm not asking for that kind of weather, but I wouldn't refuse it either. I would just like some AVERAGE SEASONAL WEATHER!. //end rant//

I did bundle up and go for an 18 mile ride tonight. I would have ridden longer but sunset is at 5:56. Which is why I am so frustrated. This is the last week that I can ride in the evenings, as we change the clocks this coming Saturday and it's too friggin' cold!

I should get a nice ride in on Saturday. I am driving out to Medaryville, IN for the Crane Cruise. It's a bike ride whose route is along the migratory path of sandhill cranes. I will miss the Frankfort Breakfast Club ride, but this is supposed to be a really cool (groovy) and not cool (chilly) ride.

This Wasn't Even a Nice December Day

But did that stop me? No. Did I ride alone? No. So there are at least two other people as crazy as I am. The wind chills this morning were hovering in the upper 20s. Temps were in the upper 30s and never improved. We had stiff NW winds all day.

We rode out Old Plank Road Trail to New Lenox (into the wind) until we decided we were too cold and turned back towards Frankfort (tail wind) and stopped for breakfast. My total miles for the day 32. I have 146 for the week and 5,542 for the year.

How are you doing with your miles Pete? Are you thirstier than me?

Hey, and how 'bout them Stillers? Lost again. I guess there will be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth in Western PA again this week, heh, heh, heh.

Finally, October Weather!

After grousing for weeks about the crappy weather, we finally had a beautiful October like day - partly sunny and temps around 60 degrees. The Frankfort Breakfast Club (minus the wusses) rode out to Manhattan (IL) for breakfast. It was a nice, uneventful ride. Our friend, Bill, who isn't well enough to ride, drove out to Mahattan to eat with us.

Between the 46 miles I rode this morning to Manhattan and the three I rode this afternoon to the library and the grocery store, I have 5,500 miles. Pete, I think you may have a few miles on me right now, but I'm still thirsty!

Tomorrow doesn't look promising, but I suspect I'll at least get a few miles in going to breakfast.

Seizing Any Opportunity

Well I sacrificed several rides, either by shortening or cancelling all together this week because of work. The dust is starting to settle at work so I decided to take part of the day off today and ride. It was a beautiful November day, but a so-so October one. But any day that boasts south winds and sunshine is a day to ride. (we just won't talk about the fact the temps barely hit 50 degrees, oh wait...)

I am going to have to start finding an alternative excercise program. My legs are NOT supposed to be barking at me after a 46 mile ride. I think once we change the clocks next weekend I will be forced to do something about it. They are predicting rain tomorrow afternoon, I wonder if my wussy friends will show up for the Frankfort Breakfast Club ride.

Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light

Sunset 6:06 PM CDT. Yikes! It was 57 degrees and cloudy this afternoon. I actually got off work on time and rode out to Frankfort. It's sad that Frankfort is as far as I can go and get home before it gets dark. Not the Frankfort is a bad destination or anything like that, but on Saturdays, I ride out there to START a ride.

So, I post my 19 miles for the day, and so far that's my total for the week. I do have 5,415 for the year. I believe that even though it has been a very cold autumn so far, I should easily pass the 6,000 miles mark before the end of the year.

Don't worry Pete, I'll be out there when it's 20 below cranking out those last few miles on New Years Eve. I'm still thirsty.

Hey how about dem Bears!

Another Beautiful December Day

D'oh! It's still Novemebr, er October. Well, my best laid plans for a longer ride fell by the wayside when some of my deadlines for work got moved up. I did get to ride with my friends out to Peotone for breakfast. But alas, I had to part ways with them and come home and bill some hours. Supposedly, they continued riding out to Manteno.

I had all of 39 miles today. grumble, grumble, grumble......

A Beautiful December Day

Oh wait, it's only October. It just FEELS like December. It was aound 30 degrees this morning when I started out for Frankfort and the Breakfast Club. We had 8 riders with us today. We rode to Joliet for breakfast. I couldn't do a long ride. Work has been crazy, a lot of cases got real hot at the same time. So after breakfast, we split up and half of us went back to Frankfort. I still had to stop at the coffee, er bike shop for my Jittery Joe's fix.

So today, I had 46 miles. If I get a lot of work done today, I might be able to do a longer ride tomorrow. It might even get to 60 degrees!

Squeezing Out a Few More Miles

Sunset was at 6:19 last night. There was a steady NE wind blowing. These are the ingredients of a couch potato night. But, then I thought, "In December, will I regret missing out on a evening of riding?". So I donned the biking clothes, pumped up the tires and three of us headed out for a 20 mile ride. I got home at 6:10, maybe I could have squeezed out one more mile.......

Confidential to all my relatives who are Stiller fans (which by the way, is a modest percentage of the population of Western Pennsylvania): Quit mourning and go back to work (hee hee hee).

Maximizing the Weather

The nice weather continued today. Today's destination was Beecher/Monee. The total ride was supposed to be 46 miles. Days like this, 70s and sunny with SW winds, are going to become more rare. So I decided that I needed to maximize the weather and extend my ride.

We started off with 8 riders in Matteson. We rode out to Beecher and had breakfast at a new restaurant. It was good food, good service. Beecher used to have a really good breakfast spot but the owners moved away last year. There wasn't really anyplace else to eat except at the golf course until this new place opened up. This is a good thing because Beecher is a great winter destination. After breakfast, we started out towards Monee. Different riders started breaking off due to other commitments. So there were just two of us who maximized the weather and rode out to Frankfort. (And the other guy rode out there because that's where he lives).

My total for the day was 61 miles. Total for the week - 156. Total for the year - 5,289.

There is less and less daylight in the evenings. So any evening ride now is going to be pretty short. This week they are predicting snow on Thursday. There shouldn't be any accumulations, but that still puts a damper on outdoor plans. And in three weeks we change back to Standard Time, so evening rides will become non-existant, unless I take time off from work.

So, for the winter, I may have to start blogging about other things. I swim at Governor's State a couple of evenings a week. Swimming a mile doesn't seem as impressive as riding 50, 60 or 90 miles, though. At there certainly isn't much to observe, such as road kill. Once there is snow on the group, I will cross-country ski. There should be some tales to tell from those adventures.

I'm sure I'll think of something.

Go Bears!

Observations on the Weather

The weather in October is being a lot more cooperative than the weather in September. In September, the weather was nice during the week and crappy on the weekends. In October, we have had really nice weather on the weekends (minus a stray t-storm here or there) and crappy weather during the week.

Last Sunday, we had beautiful weather and I did a long ride [see 10/1/06 Such a Nice Day for a Bike Ride]. But alas, the weather turned crappy on Monday. I rode Tuesday and Wednesday, but only amassed an additional 38 miles. Today it started out quite chilly. It was 39 when I started out for Frankfort for the Breakfast Club ride. But it warmed up nicely and I ended up with 57 miles total. The wind was SSE so we rode to Crete and ate with Cretons. No wait, I didn't mean it like that. We had breakfast at Agee's, one of the better breakfast spots within riding distance. Afterwards, we rode back to Frankfort. I stopped at the coffee, er, beer, er bike shop for a visit before riding home.

Tonight, it is not supposed to get as cold as last night. The lows are supposed to be in the upper 40s. This means I can start out with less outerwear than I did today, so there will be less to carry home tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow will be another mileage filled Sunday.

Confidential to Pete: I need to post miles tomorrow. I'm going to have just under 5,300. But I am getting a little thirsty.....

Such a Nice Day for a Bike Ride

I decided to do a little 6 hour 91 mile ride today with my friends. The FOS had a paltry 48 mile ride scheduled for today, but how do you pass up 70s, sunny and light winds? We decided to go south towards Momence and Aroma Park. We rode home through Peotone, yes, same as yesterday's destination. But today, it was just a Gatorade stop.

I have 213 miles for the week and 5,133 for the year.

As of the publishing of this entry, Da Bears are leading the Seahawks 20-6. I hope I can stay awake for the end of the game, but my alarm is still set to go off at 4:15 tomorrow morning, so we'll see. For the first time in three weeks, there should be more people going to work than calling in sick in the (cough, cough) good city of Pittsburgh. The Stillers didn't lose! Good thing they didn't play.

And I know, it was just the Devil Rays, but how's that for a four game sweep! Kudos to my boys.