2 liter pontoon boat and first bicycle trip

So last week while riding to work, I couldn't help but see a bunch of 2 liter bottles (it was recycle day... not trash in the streets). The bottles jogged memory from way back. I was part of the creation of a small boat whose pontoons consisted of 2 liter bottles. One bottle encircled on the sides by more bottles (sides touching) with a pontoon length of about 5 feet.

Yes, the boat worked. It handled slow in the steering, but it worked.

So, anyway, the leader of this boat creation crew was also responsible for my first bicycle trip. From somewhere just South of Omaha, NE, we journyed to Platte River State Park and back. I remember having a buffalo burger and being towed part of the way back via a bike lock cable. My steed... my first 'road' bike, purchased from a hardware store. I remember it was blue and heavy. I also remember riding to work a few times or more. That was 1990 or so. I was in high school and worked at Hy-Vee grocery.

Order Up for Night Owls and Noodle Salad

After time off for illness and radiator repairs on a four wheel object, the Tuesday Nite Owl Noodle Salad mountain night ride returns.

Meeting Tuesday nights at 8 pm at James Glass Saab, 1501 Cleveland Ave, the Whale and the Leprichaun will head out for a little local nite trail riding action. We're usually back by 10 pm.

new heights

I fit inside the mop bucket box today. Nuff said.

6 Volts - 3 Watts

That's right! Today is the inaugural ride of the generator hub!

Kicking a raw 2.4 watts of headlamp action in the front and a massive 0.6 watts lighting up the back! (it's actually pretty effective.)

Every time the front wheel spins.... Ohhhh yeah.

Generator Hub Wheel Update

Sigh. I thought the lacing looked a little not quite right. Although all the spokes are in laced in the correct holes and the wheel is correctly true and tensioned, the lace pattern is a little off. Seems I went over-under-over rather than over-over-under. Sigh. The good news is that for the most part, the wheel is still good to use. However, the extra strain on the spokes and spoke heads will shorten the life of the spokes. Good thing I'm light weight. The wheel should hold for a little while at least, but will need to be entirely relaced when the first spoke goes. Sigh. It's good practice for me, though, and good lesson to learn as I develop my skills.

I've installed the rear light and have started on the wiring. Hopefully, I'll be riding generator hub style by the end of the week!

No Noodle Salad :-(

Sorry to say, the Tuesday Nite Owl - Noodle Salad ride was relegated to a trip to the coffee shop. Seems that schedules were packed, and we decided to give the trails a chance to clear.

We're looking forward to next Tuesday night, though.

The need for the ride...

It was a long week.

I thought a lot about riding. The temperature kept dropping and then the snow.

Sunday arrives. I wake up. I wake up again. My bicycles look longingly from their corner.

I listen to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" and some "Car Talk" while eating breakfast. Sipping coffee, I see the wheels sticking out from around the corner.

Finally, the big fluffy snowflakes are swirling outside, and I can't take it anymore. I find myself topping off tyre pressure with the floor pump.

It's cold, but I'm staying warm. Spinning along. People in cars look at me funny. Yeah, I guess the ear muffs don't really match. The snow picks up, more of the big fluffy flakes. I'm glad I brought my lights as I wipe the snow off my legs and glasses.

I keep riding. I'm not alone in my persuit to relax. Two guys are fly fishing in the Roanoke River. Snow swirling in the air around me; water swirling in the river around them.

The snow lets up. The sun comes out... somewhat. I'm feeling good, even if it is the tailwind.

I make it back home. Two hours have passed... a good two hours.

Time for a hot shower, eat, and clean my bicycle.

Somehow, the week no longer seems as long as it was.

I'm tired, but refreshed. I needed that ride. It had been too long without.

Townie Update

I finished lacing the generator wheel this week! Now on to installation and wiring up the lights!

Snowy Saturday

That's exactly what it was today.. snowy. Hello to Paul and Robin from my morning stop for coffee. (MoJoe's Coffee on Brambleton is awesome!) Sad to say, I wasn't commuting on a bicycle today. I wish I had.

Tuesday Nite Owl - Noodle Salad Mountain Nite Ride # 02

Brrrrrr. It was just cold. Around 30 degrees I think. That didn't stop The Whale and The Leprichaun from bundling up and riding, though. I had to keep the ear muffs on the whole ride. Not to mention, I broke down and layered up the glove liners.

Did some more exploring of trails along Murry Run Greenway and Fishburn Park. Pretty cool stuff. Always exciting to roll 'new to me' single track by the grace of my light system. Just over an hour of riding :-)

No aliens spotted this time, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

Good times... Noodle Salad

townie ride to work

How could I not ride the townie today?! Well, okay, I brought the rain pants anticipating the 70 - 80 percent chance of rain this evening. It's worth the ride in the sunshine this morning, though.

One less car... and one more bike ride!

btw.. my townie is a an old steel road frame / fork retro fitted with 26 in wheels, single speed 39 x 16, coaster brake, fenders, rack, up right old school cruiser bars, and generator light. Currently the old school bottle style generator is down, but I'm working on a new generator hub front wheel.

Tuesday Nite Owl - Noodle Salad Mountain Nite Ride

Brrrrr. It was chilly last nite for the ride. Pretty close to freezing temps. None the less, the Whale and the Leprichaun layered up and rode. We decided to mix it up a bit and headed for some different trails. Rather than the normal Mill Mountain trail mix, we headed for Murray Run Greenway and Fishburn Park. It took some route planning and connecting, but we still got plenty of single track riding without leaving town! Thanks to Bill Gordge and his trail building crew in Pathfinders for Greenways!

Watch out for other trail users, though. Despite leaving a skosh later than the usual 8 pm start time, we still saw at two different runners. We were happy to yield the right of way and exchanged cheery hello's.

We also spied what we think might have been a pair of owl eyes spying us from high up in a tree. It was probably the alien assigned to track me, though.

Good times... Noodle Salad.