#14) Back Home/ Go West Young Man/ Redemption

I've been home from my Florida vacation for a little more than a week and because of the weather and logistical issues I have  managed to go for only three rides.

 I went to the Arboretum for my first ride and what a rude awakening that was. The hills of the Arboretum were a challenge after my flat rides along the Gulf shore. I had forgotten where the optimal spots to shift gears were so ascending some of the hills was more difficult than need be. The combination of those two factors resulted in a slower average speed than what I had been doing in Florida, so I was a tad disappointed with myself




For my next ride I decided to head west along the Prairie Path toward Wheaton. Being that it was Sunday and Wheaton has more churches per capita than any other town in America I felt that the Prairie Path through Wheaton would not be very busy. When we first moved to this area, about ten years ago, I used to bicycle out this direction before my MS symptoms made it too difficult for me to ride a bike. I had forgotten how quickly the setting changed from suburban to rural. The magnet on my odometer had shifted out of place so I was getting some very wacky distance and speed readings so I decided not to push it too much.

This morning was my ride of redemption at the Arboretum.  I got to the park at 9 o'clock in the morning to beat the heat/humidity and thunderstorms. The pavement was still damp from overnight rains, so the spray thrown off by tires helped keep me cool.

Despite pausing to take a couple of photos, I managed to better my time for my Arboretum circuit.
I did the entire main loop and then rode  to the 1st exit point on that route before returning to the parking lot.

On my next ride I might attempt to do two complete laps of the main loop at the Arboretum .
I make that attempt Friday morning if the weather cooperates.

This weekend I may try a longer ride on the IPP.
I purchased a spare inner-tube, a small air pump and an emergency tool kit so I won't get stranded with a flat tire. That happened to me once a long time ago when I was young and foolish. I don't want it to happen again

Music

Tom Waits-Going Out West

Thin Lizzy: The Boys are Back in Town

Entry #13) Handcycling the Timpoochee Trail

Timpoochee Trail Map (Red Dotted Line)

I am sorry for not updating you on my handcycling adventures last week. Somehow vacationing got in the way of my blogging.

The Beach

Eastern Lake (as seen from the trail)

We decided to take our summer vacation as soon as our two youngest children finished up their finals. Both of them will be working and taking classes this summer which would make coordinating a vacation around multiple work schedules impossible.

Once again we headed down to the  "Emerald Coast" of the Florida panhandle. It's not Nantucket or the Down East coastline of Maine but the beaches are sandy and the sun is warm.








This year we stayed in the Seagrove Beach area.
Looking at the map above, the house was south of the trail and just to the west of Eastern Lake.
In the past we have rented in Grayton Beach  & Blue Mountain Beach

The town of Seaside is probably the most desirable (as in, expensive) area on the panhandle. There is a very family friendly village green that hosts concerts and outdoor movies. Various shops and eateries surround this area.

The movie "THe Truman Show" starring Jim Carey and Ed Harris was filmed in Seaside. 

As for my riding,  because of the popularity of Seaside, traffic to the west of us was a little heavier so I road to the east along the trail. 

Riding the hills of the Arboretum made the sea-level course seem fairly easy. 

I managed to pry myself off the beach to go on 4 or 5 rides. On each ride I went at little further and/or faster.

On my final ride I rode for 12 miles in a little over an hour.

Now back to the Arboretum once the rain stops.

Crazy Contrails

#12) Thursday Morning Ride

Redbuds

 The forecast was calling for thundershowers beginning mid afternoon, so I decided to go over to the Arboretum as soon as I finished feeding and walking the dogs.

Bluebells

The park is open from 7am until sunset which is perfect for me. It will allow me to avoid going out in the heat of the day, once summer weather gets here. (Extreme heat causes MS symptoms to worsen for many) . I am curious about how they enforce the sunset closing, because there is sure to be many great sunset photo-opportunities,

                                                                                                                                             

David Rogers' Big Bugs

  Aside from a few hikers and runners the roads were empty. ~<;-)

Imagine, if you will, you’re driving through the Black Forest on a roadway full of twists and turns. You’re in a sports car. The top is down. The breeze is flowing through your hair. That’s what I felt like today.

??? growing in the parking lot

I am getting to “know” the layout of the course better. One of the inclines is deceivingly long. From a distance, what appears to be the crest of the hill is actually a temporary plateau where the road bends to the right before it continues higher for 200 more yards. Whoever laid out the roadway wasn’t thinking about trying to make things easier for cyclists. If they had been thinking along those lines they would not have put sharp turns at the base of the hills. These turns tend to break any momentum you have built up.

I finished my Main Route circuit of 4.89 miles in 28:49 averaging 10.9mph and posting a top speed of 22mph. 

Entry #11) Sunday in The Park With George (Monday, too)

Photo by Dustin Ramsey

 I think I’m hooked on the Arboretum…

For starters, the paved roadways of the Arboretum offer less resistance than the hard-packed crushed limestone of the IPP. Except for some minor detours, the portion of the IPP I have been riding on is a straight flat path running parallel to the train tracks.

You can see from the map of the Arboretum there are all of the twists and turns in the roadway as it winds its way around the park. What isn’t visible are the hills.

The park is a little bit further away than the IPP. (15 mins vs. 5 mins) Parking for the IPP is a commuter train station so it is sometimes difficult to find a parking spot. The Arboretum offers snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter month, which my wife and children enjoy, so we bought an annual membership to the park. The pass covers an entrance fee and parking, so parking at the Arboretum has not been an issue.

Photo by Dustin Ramsey

The clincher is the scenery, especially now with the trees and flowers being in to blossom. (I’m sure fall will be spectacular, too.) 

I saw a deer feeding at the edge of the forest on Sunday and I hear all sorts of birds singing in the woods when cars aren't present.

On my 2^nd and 3^rd visits to the Arboretum I rode a 4.9 mile loop around the east side of the park. The 1^st of these 2 rides was on Sunday afternoon. The weather was beautiful so traffic (car, sight-seeing tram, bikers & runners) was a bit of a hassle. I don’t recall the exact statistics of the ride, but it took me a little more than 30 minutes.

The following day, with no traffic interference or photo stops to slow my pace I did that 4.9mile circuit in 28 minutes, averaging 10.8mph and hitting a top speed of 23 mph (This was the day following my weekly Avonex injection so I was quite pleased WHHEEE….)

On my next ride I might add on a shorter loop at the end. The  only one problem with that plan is that the first opportunity to exit the main route comes after the longest hill of the ride…UGH. As I described in an earlier posting, the arm movement required to power the HC is akin to bench press/rowing exercises. Climbing hills is similar to doing pyramid workouts, where it gets harder and harder as you go up. But, unlike the weight machine, you CAN”T QUIT until you are the summit. (Unless you want to roll backwards down the hill)

Anyway, bye for now.

Music

Forest Sounds

Standing in the Shadow of Motown: Shotgun

#10 Mayday in the Park w/ Additional Note to Self

Prior to May 1^st there wasn’t much new to report on… The weather has been spotty with rainfall generally occurring in the overnight hours, but with enough rainfall to render the Prairie Path out of the question on most days.  I did manage to go out for a spin this last weekend. Each time I ride I feel a little more confident about my riding skills. The handcycle is certainly not as nimble as a two-wheeler. 

Three Point Turn
aka K-Turn

Tight turns are difficult and sometimes an old fashioned three point k-turn is required. A simple enough maneuver with power-steering and reverse gear, but with the HC (from now on HC = handcycle) it’s a more cumbersome process. When scooting backwards your legs are out of their normal position so they get in the way handcrank steering. It is slow and sloppy.

After riding on the IPP (IPP= Illinois Prairie Path) a few times I am now familiar with its twists, turns and most importantly, its hills. I know when to try to build up speed for an approaching incline and when to shift to a lower gear during the climb. There are a couple of things that bother me about the IPP though. The crossing roadways interrupts your momentum and although the crushed limestone is relatively firm it still offers up more resistance than pavement.

I increased the distance of my rides, but I have to remind myself that the further you travel on the outward leg means that the return leg is now longer.

On May 1st I tried something new and different. Instead of riding the IPP, I took to the roadways inside the Morton Arboretum (Morton as in “When it rains it pours”)

Morton Arboretum Map

There are over nine miles of roadway that wind through the +1,700 acre park.

What the map doesn't show are the hills… They aren't particularly steep just longer than the hills along the IPP. 

  As you can see from the pictures it’s a bit more scenic than the IPP as well.

Add caption

 On my first visit to the Arboretum I road 3.9 miles in 30 minutes. I paused for some photo ops and rehydration.

*Note To Self: release parking brake completely before resuming your ride. I stopped for a drink on a flat stretch of the road . I thought I had completely released the brake, but I hadn’t. The next hill was so “steep” that my arms and chest were beginning to feel a burn as I climbed further up the incline.  Then I noticed the cause of the problem. As with an automobile, the HC moves down the road better with the parking brake disengaged.

Tulips

 The Arboretum is 10 mintues away by car and the park is open from 7am until sundown so I will be able to squeeze in rides before or after the heat of the day.
Normally the road is shared with motorized vehicles and top speed limit is 20mph. (My max speed was 23mph Ssshhh Don’t tell)  From 7am til 9am Saturdays and Sundays the roadways are closed to cars during certain time slots, but the car traffic wasn’t an issue, even on a sunny May 1^st.

Twig Ant Sculpture

The scenery is wonderful and the road surface is much more accomadating than the IPP. I will explore the western IPP once I can begin logging longer rides. I would have to travel 5 or 6 miles before I escape the suburbs...(I guess I could drive there and park, but for nowI think I will stick with the Arboretum.)

 One thing is for sure, I need to hit the gym more and turn my "buggy whip" arms into full blown "beach guns". Just kidding, I won't go overboard, but circular arm motion used to propel the HC forward is akin to a benchpress on the extention of your arm and a rowing machine when you pull the handbar towards you. 

April showers are bringing more May shower and with rain and thunderstorms predicted for the next 5 to 7 days it looks like I will be hitting the weights...UGH

Music

Bob Marley: War

The Ventures: Pipeline (Instrumental)

The Band: The Weight (Woodstock 1969)