Well It SEEMED Like A Good Idea

Oh those ideas in life that seem really good and really fun on the surface. Those things that come into your life and you go,

WOW, that looks like it is going to be a boat load of fun

And then they aren’t.

Yes those ideas.

This was one of those ideas…..

A bunch of years ago HHBL and I looked at each other and thought,

You know, a TANDEM bike that we can ride TOGETHER would be such a boat load of fun that we won’t ever want to come home and feed the kids. Lets buy one!

And so we did. And you can see that we have a lovely and in really good shape tandem bike. It isn’t top of the line by any means but it isn’t a bottom feeder either. And we paid good, solid money for it.

And then we rode it a total of four times.

Four. Times.

And that might even be a generous count now that I think about it. It might actually be three times. And I don’t think we ever left the neighborhood. This bad baby has maybe 25 miles on her. She is like the car that was driven to church and back by a little old lady from Pasedena.

Ignore the flat tire, that is immaterial to the discussion.

STOP looking at that flat tire!!!

Now back to our story. So, why did HHBL and I stop riding the tandem? Or to be more precise why did we never actually start riding the tandem.

There were a number of reasons that I can think of but the biggest factor is that when I am occupying the “second seat” I just can’t see where we are going. Call me crazy but I really like to see where I am going when I am pedaling down the road.

Silly I know, but there it is.

I have no control over anything when I am back there and I like to have control of my world. I like to see what is ahead of me. It doesn’t make for a great ride when you have to lean to the right or to the left to see the path ahead.

It tends to make your tandem partner mutter at you and tell you just to stop that and pedal!

Of course there is one good thing about the tandem. I can have this in front of me.

Well hello there!!!

But then I can also have that view when I am riding on Hi Ho Silver. And if I am on Hi Ho Silver then I can also ride beside HHBL and talk to him and enjoy his scintillating witticisms and not just ride behind him with no power to say GO LEFT! GO RIGHT! Can I draft behind you because I am tired.

And sometimes I can ride WAY behind him because my biking mojo has just given up and gone to get a beer and some pretzels, leaving me panting and retching by the side of the road.

Not that that has ever actually happened. No, nothing to see there. Move along.

So, the tandem has been listed on Craigs List to see if we can sell her. She needs to go to a good home where people will love her and ride her rather than perpetually languishing in the shed, taking up space that the mice need to build their new condo.

Anyone want to buy a tandem bike with 25 miles on it?

28 Miles Ain’t Nothin’

Last weekend here in the Frozen Northeast Ohio was…..

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

We just do not get a ton of days where the sky is totally cloudless, there is little to no wind and the temp is 78F. They are just so rare. And we had an entire string of them. That frightens me. Is it our calm before the winter blast?

But I digress.

So HHBL and I finally got to do our little bike jaunt down The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. There was no way we were going to hang around home and do things like mow the lawn or cut back bushes!! So we loaded up the bikes in the car and away we went. We were too lazy or too eager to put the bike rack on Coco so we just shoved everything into the back and raced down the road. We parked in our usual spot, under the overpass in Valley View, hopped on the bikes and off we went.

We were so incredibly daring that we left our helmets in the car. Take THAT head injuries. You don’t scare me. I craved the feel of the wind in my hair and the freedom of the open road.

I am ready to go! In fact by the time this picture was taken I had already ridden several miles. I was filled with bikerly joy.

Hi Ho Silver and The Sissy Bike had a slight rest while the facilities were used and the map was consulted. Not that we didn’t know where we were going but it is always good to have a map along.

A picture perfect day for a bike ride.

But don’t let this picture fool you. There were very few times during the course of the ride where we had the path all to ourselves. There were others. Many others. In groups. In pairs. In packs. Singletons.

People walking their dogs on leashes.
People walking their children leashes.
People running with their children in those little runner strollers.
People riding bikes that they have rented. Slow and steady.
Boy scouts, heavily ladened with camping gear.

A word about the boy scouts. The Scout masters were striding along. The Scouts were dragging. And as I zipped past the last scout in the line he gave me a beseeching look and rolled his eyes as if to say…

Help Me. I don’t want to be here. I want to be home eating chips and playing video games. Take me with you!

I deduced all of that as I raced by at 12 mph. I am good with those kinds of deductions.

The path runs beside the Ohio and Erie canal. Parts of it still have water in it. Parts are sort of stagnant. And parts, like this lock, are dry. Really The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath is one of the best parts about outdoor activities in the Cleveland area. A wonderful resource, along with the Cleveland Metroparks for all things outdoor.

Often times you will have the canal on one side and the Cuyahoga River on the other. There are Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, beavers (I wrote Biebers at first. I don’t think so), and various rodents.

Of course we had to stop at our favorite place for lunch.

They have seriously good wings. But I didn’t think that a plate of 911 wings would help me ride the rest of the path. In fact, I have never been able to eat more than one 911 wing. It is an experience that is not to be missed. I had numb lips for hours.

Instead I had this. Oh and they were so good. So, so good. So, so filling. So, so heavy…….

When we went in for lunch this place had a few bikes but it definitely wasn’t full. When we came out 45 minutes later it was a mad house. There was pushing and pulling and jockeying for position and bike placement.

OK, not quite that bad. But it was like the Wally Mart parking lot on a Saturday afternoon with people circling and circling waiting for just the right parking spot. Some people just gave up and parked wherever they wanted.

So after lunch it was back on Hi Ho Silver for the last 10 miles or so…..

And I was doing fine…..

Until about mile 25. When I hit a wall.

And I wanted to crawl.

And I fell behind a bit.

And I whimpered a lot.

And I cried for my momma.

But I finally made it to the North Akron station where I knew that salvation, in the form of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, would be waiting for me. For a mere $3/person HHBL and I could ride the train almost all the way back to our car. It is one of the best deals around. You wait at the station, they load your bike onto the “bike car”, you get in the “bikers car”, you hand the attendant $3, you find a seat and ride until you get to your station. Sweet!

Or it would have been if the train had been on time.

The train is an hour late thankyouverymuch.

It was a gorgeous day and we were not the only ones who had the idea to bike the Towpath or ride on the train. The station was overflowing with bikes and riders and families and Red Hat ladies and tour groups.

Hey Honey? While we are waiting let’s let the children play on the tracks.

And as the minutes ticked by HHBL came to the realization that he could get on his bike and ride the 27 miles back and probably get to the Rockside Rd. station before the train.

HHBL: Do you think that sounds like a good plan oh Love of My Life (that would be me).

Me: So you mean that you would get on your bike and ride back north and leave me to ride the train alone.

HHBL: Yes…..

Me: That would make me very unhappy.

HHBL: Ahhhhhh. So I shouldn’t do that?

Me: No. It would make me VERY unhappy.

HHBL: Ummmmm. Well I guess I won’t then.

Finally, when all hope had almost been lost, the train arrived.

We got on. We paid our money. We found a seat. We sat down. We fell asleep. We rode the train….very…..slowly…..back…..North…..stopping….at…..every……station…..where……there…..were….many…..people.

Yes, HHBL would definitely have made it back to Rockside Rd. long before the train.

But it still would have made me very unhappy.

And I didn’t want to be unhappy after such a wonderful ride.

Oh, we stopped for ice cream on the way home. But I didn’t take a picture of that because I was too busy eating.

Musings on Biking

I am in a mood.

I am without major pithy things to say.

All I can come up with is a list of things that I like and don’t like about bike riding. That thing that seems to occupy more than it’s fair share of space in my brain at the moment.

Check back tomorrow and I might have actually come up with something a bit more exciting…..

Maybe.

But I can’t promise anything.

1. I think that there are not too many things better than a bike ride through our rural landscape early on a Saturday morning. Peaceful, quiet, misty, hot, humid. The sound of the wind whistling in my ears and the gasping for breath as I labor up a hill.

I was sort of exaggerating about that last part.

Not the gasping part because I certainly seem to do a lot of that but the fact that I might enjoy that sound.

2. I do not like the fact that I actually have to work at this. No I do not like that at all. I have had way too many things that have come easily in my life.

School? No problemo.

Gardening? Ace in the hole.

Having babies? I popped them out.

Organizing things? I am your girl.

But exercise? Oh for the love of all that is holy it is hard. I was born to be a couch potato with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

But I suppose that is why it is good for me.

3. The best thing about a bike ride? The last downhill to the house. I pedal as fast as I can. I am like a horse that knows the barn is nearby. Home I go.

4. Sometimes the hill in front of you isn’t as bad as you think it is…..and sometimes it is much, much worse.

5. The more miles I put on the bike…..

The more calories that I burn…..

The more that I can eat during the day.

I like this aspect of biking a whole lot.

I am counting my calories these days, not specifically to lose weight but to break some eating habits that had gotten out of hand. If I know in my mind that I have to write down everything that I eat then I am MUCH more mindful of what I am eating. I can lie to others but I can’t lie to myself.

OK, I can lie to myself but I am trying not to.

And please do not in any way EVER think that I am dieting. That word, to me, is worse that the F--- word (name that movie!). I will never diet again as long as I live.

Thankyouverymuch.

6. When on a bike ride, especially early in the morning smells are greatly exaggerated. I have to say that I like this. I can tell that someone is doing laundry or baking or cooking.

I can smell the damp earth and the flowers that are blooming. The farms that we ride by are especially fragrant.

And that raccoon that has been sitting by the side of the road for two days?

Oh momma.

7. Often times I get to ride behind this……

I like that a lot.

8. I am not all that fond  of the diaper bike shorts look. But today I took the second bike ride in as many days without my diaper shorts and I can tell you that there are certain parts of my nether regions that are very unhappy with me at the moment.

TMI?

I only have one pair of diaper shorts at the moment and I haven’t finished the laundry. Sorry.

9. When I ride The ‘Hood that means that I am riding by myself and I need some extra help getting myself going. This is then the only time that I ride and listen to a playlist at the same time. I like to be able to be aware of my surroundings the rest of the time. But not in the hood.

And as usual the list is rather….

um…..

eclectic.

But you really shouldn’t be surprised at that.

I mean who wouldn’t get revved up by listening to Pink.

Was It Too Much To Ask?

So we all know that I am “in training” to hopefully, maybe, if the planets align just right and my bahookie isn’t too chapped, ride the MS Pedal to the Point bike ride.

That just means that I riding my bike every day, rain or shine, up hill and down, with HHBL and without.

But I like to have HHBL along most of the time because, well, because I can look at this when I ride.

Yes sireeeeee! We all have to have some sort of motivation you know.

But I digress.

So when I am out on the bike, because I am a nervous nelly, I like to have my phone along….and kleenex….and gum. LOTS of gum…and the house key. And since the weather has quickly risen to be in the rather hot range that means that I am no longer wearing my little fleece vest in the morning. And no vest mean no pockets.

And so I decided that I needed one of those little bike catchall bag things that attaches to the underside of your seat. For all those little incidentals that a girl needs. How hard could it be to find one?

Famous last words.

All I wanted was this…..

That wasn’t too much to ask I thought. But finding this little thing turned into a driving here and driving there and driving everywhere sort of thing on a day when it was 93F by 11:45a.

Now I have a Wally Mart about 10 minutes from Chez Knit. But today I decided to go to Wally Mart #2 which is about 20 minutes from the homestead because I needed to go to the office supply store as well and there is one in that area.

I should have known that it wasn’t going to be a good day when they were all out of the specific thing that I needed at the office store. Fine. Back in Coco and off to Wally Mart #2 where I will get the other things on my list.

Or not.

Loads of stuff for the bike but the little place where the small “wedge” bags should have been was as empty as my brain after 9p. RATS!

So back in the car and drive 5 minutes back down the road to Target. Surely THEY will have it.

Or not.

The little place where the small “wedge” bags should have been hanging was empty. COME ON! What, did everyone in the area need one of these?

So back in Coco AGAIN. I figured that I would just cut to the chase and go to the local sports store which sits right next to my usual Wally Mart, you know, the one that is 10 minutes from Chez Knit but is now 25 minutes from where I am currently sitting in the parking lot grumbling and trying to remember what Pastor Joe said about patience last Sunday.

Over to the sports store I go. Stop in the bathroom first. Over to the bike area. YES! They have tons of these…but they are a tad more expensive than I was thinking to spend. Hmmmmmm. I know, I will walk next door to Wally Mart #1 and see what I can find.

So back out into the Sahara like heat to walk the 100 feet to Wally Mart where the cool WHOOOOSH of refrigerated air will overcome my rising annoyance. Walk to the back to the bike section and…

YES!!!! They have one. They actually have many styles. In fact they have the cool little one like my friend Sue has on her bike. But it is, inexplicably, $2 more than the bigger “wedge” shaped one so of course I go with the bigger yet cheaper one.

Purchase the bag. Drive home. Drop everything on the counter to go and put my new biking accessory onto Hi Ho Silver……..

And it doesn’t fit.

Oh for the love of all that’s HOLY!

Really?

Seriously?

So, tomorrow I will be going back to Wally Mart to get the smaller one.

Darn it.

P2P Update (Vol….The Beginning)

Lets talk biking shall we.

You know you want to. And because I share everything with all three readers who wander over here I thought I might start an occasional update of my training for…..

Bike MS Pedal to the Point 2011

Because I am a crazy 51 year old nut case who has decided to challenge herself.

I don’t like challenges.

I don’t like sweat.

But I just haven’t been able to get it out of my head that I need to do something a bit more challenging in the exercise department. At first I contemplated training to run a marathon….

After I had finished laughing at that thought I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and talked myself out of that one. No thank you. I don’t like running.

And….

Ummmmm…..

I am built a bit sturdier on top (please don’t make me explain that) and so running threatens to give me a black eye……

Let’s just say I will never fall flat on my face.

TMI?

But I digress.

And then I was chatting with HHBL, the man who clocks 1200 miles a year on his bike, about maybe taking nice, leisurely bike rides around the neighborhood in the evening as the sun is slowly setting and all is right with the world.

And he casually mentioned what we will now be referring to as P2P.

And I knew immediately that was it.

And I asked him if he thought that I would be able to train enough to do the ride.

And being the supportive husband that he is he said, SURE! And I can be your trainer.

Oh momma.

Meet my trusty steed Hi Ho Silver. Her swiftness is unmatched. Her sleek lines are such that sonnets are written about her. Or at least the occasional Haiku.

Please ignore some of her flaws. She cannot help it. Perhaps she spent a winter in the shed. I have apologized to her and asked her forgiveness and have sworn on my padded bike shorts that it won’t ever happen again.

We are all about the safety here at Chez Knit. We don’t run with scissors…much. We wear our bike helmets even when riding around the neighborhood.

It is always important to have your water bottle filled and at the ready. HHBL can ride at blinding speeds and drink from his water bottle at the same time and then put it back in it’s holder without difficulty.

I tried that on Saturday during the 10 mile ride that he pushed guided me on.

I won’t be doing that again for a while I can tell you. Oh I reached down and pulled the thing out and took a drink all while zooming down the road without too much difficulty. In fact I spent a brief time mentally patting myself on the back for my Lance Armstrong like qualities. But then I realized that what comes out must go back in and that little maneuver requires me to ride with one hand, grip the bottle firmly and put it back….all without taking my eyes off the road. There was much swerving and bad words and I managed it but it was so sweat and nerves producing that I am not trying it again.

And then there is the coolness factor. You have to have gloves. And you have to have cool glasses.

No really you do need gloves, or at least I do. When I did this ride I didn’t have any gloves and my palms were barking at me for days afterwards. Really barking.

And the glasses, even with all the cool factor are really necessary. Because of bugs.

Rider on bike at fast speed + bug minding it’s own business at lower speed = bug splatter in eyes.

And I already snorted a small gnat up my nose last night as I was laying in bed so I would like not to have any in my eyes. Don’t ask how the whole bug up the nose thing happaned. I have no clue. I just know that all of a sudden he was taking a swift ride up my nasal passages and I could feel him up there so there was much blowing of my nose and trying not to panic.

Now back to our story.

I had to take this picture. You know I did.

So, the only other thing is to decide whether I should keep a running “miles ridden” tally on the blog in the side roll. What do you think? Should I? I have ridden a whopping 22.91 miles so far.

Try to contain the excitement.

Like I said….

I am crazycrazycrazycrazy.