Dance of the Seven Wails

My Girlfriend is Back!

Just when I thought that the wind could be no worse, it was.  Ah, well.

My girlfriend is back.  Yea!  We sprinted out of the house, made it 158 feet, and had to stop to adjust her seat.  The learning continues.  I don’t have a screwdriver on the hex set that I am carrying, so that will have to be included.  At least I didn’t have to stop later to take a layer off.  It warmed up while I was messing with the angle of her seat.  (No chiropractic was involved.)

Lynette opted to do the short loop, and I went ahead and did the full, twenty-two mile loop.  All good.

I guess it is repetitive to whine about the wind (wail about the wind?).  But, it sure changes the nature of a ride.  This has been three or four days of it, and although I am handling it, I am having a hard time determining whether I am improving or coasting. Certainly, a lot of aches and pains have subsided into vague identity, and I am not so intimidated by the hills, but it would be nice to hear music over the wind again.  Plus, particularly today, a couple gusts caught me unexpectedly, and my mind flashed to that first ride I had on my new bike when the chain jumped, I couldn’t get my feet out, and I did the slow topple reminiscent of Arte Johnson on the Laugh In!

It is one downright beautiful ride, though.  And, I find myself familiar with the character of the road, and surprised by the new things I see.  Today, just as I crossed 395 and started down the six mile or so “coast” to the Cain Ranch, I saw an old VW van with Samba windows, brightly colored, and a solar panel on top, coming up the grade on the far side of 395.  It was cool looking, and I stood on the pedals and watched, and as it came abreast of me, a guy leaned out the window, half a shoulder and head out, to give me a hearty wave.  He must have known that I was admiring his ride.  Fun.

Lynette and I have a long mechanical history with VW vans.

When I got back to the cabin I decided to weigh the bicycle.  I took off all the panniers and handlebar rack and water bottles, and the basic rig comes in at 32.5 pounds.  My friend Mike Suding is doing a ride even as I type, and I know he posted the weight he is carrying.  I will go back and compare, just out of curiosity.  Mike has a “belt” drive on his bike.  We saw it when we ran into him on a Costco run.  Interesting, but I think he loses some gears with that rig.  If anyone is interested, here is Mike’s blog.

Here is another interesting site.  This is a link to bicycle touring in the Czech Republic.  Recently we had our Czech relatives visit for a week or so.  If this turns out to be fun (and I think it will be), we would consider some trip in Europe doing this stuff.  Hey, exercising and eating go together like cream and coffee, turtles and rocks, reliable psychological counseling and my long list of inadequacies.  Stuff like that.

Finally, Lynette is not excited about the $10 gossamer, Tyvek overalls that can be made into rain gear.  She wants something expensive.  I have messaged an appeal to Khara (whose video on packing we admire very much), to get a second opinion.  We shall see.

Final photo for today….yes.  It is my bike again.  Since my girlfriend/bride/confidant took the short loop, I am left with just my pretty young bike.  Here, she poses with the Mono Craters sign (a seductive stop if one needs to exercise biological need), and she is outlined by the craters themselves, 24 domes of explosive rhyolite that have erupted over the last 40,000 years, as recently as 700 years ago.

Wish you were here, wailing in the wind with me.

Sexy Bike; Sizzling Hot! Volcanic