tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12096557277382605662024-03-14T01:06:18.926-04:008-bit Billwnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-91993913231832967132016-07-24T21:57:00.002-04:002016-07-24T21:57:57.229-04:00Day 1: Glenwood to Shenandoah<span style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I hit the road at 6:30 and headed out of Glenwood under mostly sunny skies. It was great to be back on ragbrai. We had the road to ourselves for the first 10 miles but then we got put on to a state highway with a fair amount of car traffic. This was a bit of a surprise, especially in southwestern Iowa. It was only a 2 lane road so when the cars started backing up from the bike traffic, the bikes behind the cars spread out to the left lane. That worked great until the oncoming traffic arrived. Then we all tried to squeeze between the two lanes. Cyclists that would normally take up more than one lane width tried to fit in to a space that barely allowed one bike across. It was kinda scary going for awhile.</span><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
We eventually turned off that road and headed towards our first pass-thru town, Malvern. We had to walk downhill to the main part of town (understandable) then enjoyed their hospitality. I met one little girl who was not riding, but was there awed to see so many cyclists. She seemed like she wanted to ask me something so i said "do you want to ask me a question?" She continued to look at me dumbstruck and her mother said "its so funny because she had a ton of questions a minute ago." I finally coaxed a question out of her and that seemed to break the ice. Then she got talkative!</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
On the next section of road, ragbrai designated a section as the "mile of silence" to pay tribute to all the cyclists who have died this year in accidents with automobiles. Everyone rode quietly through the stretch. It was a very nice touch and a good way to honor those victims. There were signs during the mile with various facts and other information.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
In the next town, Tabor, i met a woman (not riding) who was waiting for her family to show up. Her young daughter was on the back of a tandem with dad, while her older son was on his own bike. The mom said she figured her daughter would be "done" by that point (25 miles in to the ride). I didn't stay long enough to see the family arrive, so I don't know the outcome. From there I moved on to the town square to grab a bite to eat. They featured an inflatable waterslide as well as "chicken poop bingo." Yes that is pretty much what it sounds like: wait for a chicken to drop something on your number. While eating lunch i overheard a family conversation with a dad and his two daughters, the older was probably 14 or so. They were discussing today's "gravel loop" which was an optional section of the route that was partly on gravel roads. The dad and the younger daughter wanted to ride it, but the older daughter clearly did not. As a way to encourage her to get on board the dad said "but if you don't go you will miss the town of Imogen. Her response was "DAD, they don't put towns on gravel roads!"</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
I didn't spend much time in the third town, Randolph, but quickly started the last stretch of 17 miles in to Shenandoah. It was nearly noon and was getting hot! I couldn't do the whole section in one stretch like i had hoped, and I had to take a break partway due to the heat. Finally arrived in Shenandoah and found the campsite. It was a successful 50 mile day.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Tomorrow's ride is much longer and a bit more challenging.</div>
wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-8452425824436303042016-07-22T16:02:00.001-04:002016-07-22T16:02:21.246-04:00Headed to RAGBRAIAfter a few years away from the blog, I am back. And I am getting ready to ride <a href="http://ragbrai.com">RAGBRAI</a> once again. Look for daily posts here as I ride the roads across southern Iowa and soak in the hospitality of the midwest. You will also be able to track me on my ride by visiting my personal tracking site: <a href="http://followbill.org">http://followbill.org</a>.
We start early Sunday morning in Glenwood. See you there!
wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-59221869485376781652012-04-28T21:49:00.000-04:002012-04-28T21:49:39.624-04:00Flirting with a Nor'easterLast weekend we wanted to visit someone in Lexington, KY. This was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the freedom and flexibility that personal airplane travel offers. Rather than spend 5½ hours in a car, we fly for 1:45 and spend a little more time driving to and from airports.
<p>
As the week last week progressed, the weather got cloudy. Disappointing to some, this can be very exciting for an instrument rated pilot ("oh boy we get to fly in the clouds!"). Saturday dawned with a great deal of promise. Low ceilings and lots of clouds dominated the area along our route. I might get a whole bunch of cloud time. I checked the weather and saw that a cold front was draped across our route, but it didn't look like it was generating any severe weather. What I didn't see was the early stages of a Nor'easter.
<a name='more'></a><p>
As for taking advantage of those beautiful overcast skies, well one thing led to another and we left for the airport much later than we had originally planned. One of the advantages of personal air travel is that there is no set schedule. One of the disadvantages of personal air travel is that there is no set schedule.
<p>
By the time we were ready to start up the plane and taxi out, the low overcast skies had given way to some cumulus clouds with lots of blue between them. Sadly, not as much "cloud time" as I was hoping for. Since I still don't have IFR GPS in the plane I filed for the airways: NELLO V311 HCH V333 HYK direct KLEX. We launched from PDK and climbed up to our cruise altitude of 8000 feet. As soon as I got handed off to Atlanta center they gave me "cleared direct Lexington VOR", side stepping alot of the twists and turns in my original route. Who am I to argue?
<p>
As we got closer to the cold front we started plowing through the cumulus clouds. They were bumpy, and a few gave us a bit of a jolt, but it was nothing beyond what we normally experience. Our daughter, buckled in to the back seat, enjoyed the roller coaster ride and kept asking for more. Once we made it through the front we broke out between layers with a solid overcast below us and above us. Beautiful smooth flying conditions and a beautiful view. Of course we didn't see much of the ground, but the cloud watching was great!
<p>
Eventually we lost the upper layer, but we still had a blanket of solid white below us. LEX was reporting 1100 foot ceilings so I was confident that I would still get some quality instrument time in on this flight. We were vectored for the ILS 4 approach and entered the clouds at around 4000 feet in our descent. A few turns from the controller and he expertly placed us on the final approach course with plenty of room to spare. Still in the clouds we could catch glimpses of the ground here and there if we looked straight down. On final, we eventually met up with the glideslope and the navigation radios guided us directly to the runway. We broke out underneath the clouds right where we were supposed to, and ended the leg with an uneventful landing. It was a pleasant flight with no surprises and just enough weather to keep it interesting. But that was the front side of the nor'easter. It's the back side that bites hard.
<p>
Except for the hibachi dinner (with burnt rice) we enjoyed our brief stay in Lexington. Sunday afternoon it was time to start the return journey. I wasn't in front of a computer so I called flight service to get a briefing. Imagine my surprise when I heard an Airmet for moderate icing from 4000 to 12000 feet! It's late April in Kentucky and there's icing at 4000 feet? Wow, this Nor'easter can really pack a punch!
<p>
We headed somewhere with a network connection and I used my favorite online tools to analyze the weather situation. My favorite tool for evaluation icing potential is the Forecast Icing Product at aviationweather.com. It is considered supplementary information (does not substitute for an official weather briefing), but it provides a great picture of where the ice is likely to be. With that tool I could see broad stretches of ice potential throughout eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, all the way down to 5000 but not at 3000 feet. If I flew IFR I would be required to maintain minimum altitudes along my route, and because of the mountainous terrain in the area that was 5000 feet or higher. That would not do.
<p>
So I took another look at the cloud ceilings between Lexington and Atlanta. Current and forecast conditions were mostly 4000 feet and higher. Those areas with lower ceilings were easy to avoid. So it looked like the best chance for success would be to go VFR and stay below the clouds where there is no ice. So around 4 in the afternoon we launched and turned south.
<p>
Not only does a Nor'easter bring cold weather and moisture, it also brings windy conditions and turbulence. We had a bumpy ride all the way home, but my passengers took it well. Once we crossed the Smokies and got in to Georgia, the thick clouds gave way to mostly blue sky, but the turbulence did not let up. I tuned in to ATIS at PDK airport and got another shock. Winds were 310 at 22 knots with gusts up to 39! I listened to the recording three times to make sure I heard it right. Yes, she said gusts to 39.
<p>
I requested runway 34 because it was mostly lined up with the wind. We had an interesting approach and a roller coaster ride down final. But just above the runway things settled out a bit. As I muscled through the flare I muttered "c'mon baby" a few times and finally got the wheels to kiss the pavement. It was an exciting trip with a few surprises, and some important lessons about weather.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-48161865277175787592012-03-27T17:46:00.002-04:002012-03-27T17:47:05.533-04:00Back in the SaddleThis year my riding season started late. Through a combination of weather and life factors I was unable to get the bicycle back on the road until the 16th of March. My original intent was to restart my Monday evening <a href="http://www.silvercometga.com">Silver Comet</a> rides the day after we changed back to daylight savings time (the 12th) but the weather had other plans. After an initial Friday morning ride on the 16th I got out again on the 17th and was able to do my first Monday evening ride on the 19th. 3 out of 4 days riding was a good way to jumpstart the season.
<a name='more'></a><p>
Yesterday I hit the Silver Comet again after work, but this time with a riding buddy. Rather than start at the top of the hill (mile marker -1) we took the extra time to drive down to Mavell Road and began at the official starting point. It was a beautiful day to ride and we had a great workout. We rode nonstop for 15 miles, just past the Hiram trailhead to a gazebo next to an empty parking lot in a disused park. There we rested for a bit and ate orange wedges while catching up on hydration.
<p>
For the first half of our ride we were side-by-side so that we could converse. We rode an easy pace so that we could enjoy the conversations. After the halfway point we continued side-by-side. 5 miles later I saw someone riding up behind us and decided that the polite thing to do would be to get behind my buddy to give some room to the passing cyclist. But she never did pass. And we kept riding in a 2-man paceline. My buddy went down in to "<a href="http://www.analyticcycling.com/RiderAeroStudy.html#Drops">the drops</a>", kicked it up a notch and we started riding a faster pace. After one of the road crossings I took over and kept the speed up. It's amazing how much faster you can go in a line than side-by-side. Our original intent was to make room for someone to pass but we ended up having so much fun that we just stayed that way for the rest of the ride. When I peeled off to let my buddy take over I discovered that another rider had latched on to us: we were now a paceline of three. Soon our surprise guest took over and we fell in behind him. As we got closer to the end, the trail became more crowded with joggers, walkers, and other types of users so we had to slow down. But for awhile we were cruising at 22 mph. Our average over 30 miles was 16.3.
<p>
These Monday night rides will become a regular part of my schedule, and now I actually look forward to Mondays.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-30266902616348681742012-03-03T21:07:00.000-05:002012-03-15T01:00:39.222-04:00Weekend Trip to FloridaI probably fly to Clearwater, Florida more often than anywhere else. It helps to have relatives in the area, and it helps that I can fly in to a small airport just 20 minutes from their house. Last week my daughter had some time off school so it was a good time to make the trip and spend a few days in sunny Florida with the family.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<i>In order to keep this entry interesting for pilots without completely confusing everyone else, I have marked some paragraphs as "pilot stuff". You can safely skip those if you desire.</i><br />
<br />
My daughter loves flying in “the little plane”. She usually takes over the entire back seat, gets out her iPod, her books, sketchpad, markers, and other things to keep her busy for the 2½ hour flight. We always bring snacks and drinks with us on this trip, because we always get the munchies. My favorite thing to bring with in the plane is nuts & chocolate trail mix. It has the right balance of sweet and salt to keep me going.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihBt2OJc-0s/T08PnasFXHI/AAAAAAAAARY/-YdU4b3OCiU/s1600/atl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihBt2OJc-0s/T08PnasFXHI/AAAAAAAAARY/-YdU4b3OCiU/s320/atl.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
Both legs of this trip were interesting. I filed for my usual southern route: over the top of Atlanta-Hartsfield, Albany, Cross City, then direct to Clearwater. Atlanta approach is good about putting me at 5000 or 6000 feet right over the top of Hartsfield. I am out of the way of ATL traffic, I get a direct route to Albany, and I have a great view. On this trip they made me climb pretty quick to get to altitude, and it made me wish I had a turbocharged engine! Soon we were past ATL and on our way.<br />
<br />
<i>Pilot stuff</i>. The winds at altitude were pretty stiff. My on-board GPS doesn't do wind estimation (my dearly-missed <a href="http://wnl256.blogspot.com/2010/02/goodbye-loran.html">LORAN</a> did) but by my estimates they were out of the west at around 50 knots. On our heading they were a bit of a hindrance and I had to maintain a very healthy crab angle. South of ATL I was cleared on a heading to intercept V-95. After about 5 minutes it became pretty clear that we would never reach the airway on that heading. After poking at the GPS a bit I told Atlanta the heading wasn't working and asked for direct Cross City (CTY). And that's what we did. That saved us a little bit of time but we still took a little longer than the usual 2.5 hours.<br />
<br />
<i>Pilot stuff.</i> As we got close to Clearwater I checked the weather at St. Petersburg (PIE) and found out that the ceiling was broken at 1400 feet. This concerned me a bit. Clearwater airpark (CLW) doesn't have any instrument approaches, and Tampa approach usually can't vector me that low. At 30 miles out all I saw below me was a solid layer of cloud. Tampa approach had encouraging news for me: another plane (a Cirrus) had just gotten in to CLW. But I didn't take any chances and developed “plan B”. It's always good to have a plan B. I got out the plate for the ILS 17 approach to St. Pete and studied it. I even dialed in the frequencies. If the overcast didn't break up, plan B was to request the ILS and fly it to get under the clouds and, if conditions permitted, break off the approach and fly to Clearwater VFR. Fortunately I didn't need that plan. The overcast broke up closer to Clearwater and I was able to descend and fly directly there. Winds for our landing on runway 16 were 220 at 16 with some gusts.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqHRr_F5n_g/T08Qlf9i-CI/AAAAAAAAARg/ftG4kALOWb0/s1600/anhinga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cqHRr_F5n_g/T08Qlf9i-CI/AAAAAAAAARg/ftG4kALOWb0/s320/anhinga.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The first two days in Florida were very warm, especially for February. My daughter was able to partake in her favorite Florida pastime: swimming. Saturday afternoon we went for a stroll in nearby Brooker Creek Preserve. We saw an American Anhinga (snakebird) drying his wings. We almost stepped on a pigmy rattler: good thing we spotted him in time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxSWHC66Ixk/T08S6WPOHuI/AAAAAAAAARw/31bxna2n0TU/s1600/winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxSWHC66Ixk/T08S6WPOHuI/AAAAAAAAARw/31bxna2n0TU/s320/winter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On Sunday morning we went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter, the dolphin without a tail. For those unfamiliar with Winter, I refer you to the recent movie Dolphin Tale. The movie's storyline is completely fictitious, but Winter is very real. She was rescued in 2006 near Cape Canaveral after she became entangled in a crab trap line. Unfortunately the line was tightly wrapped around her tail for so long that it had cut off circulation, and her tail eventually fell off. Most dolphins don't survive an injury so serious, but Winter did and she is now a permanent resident of the aquarium. To compensate for her missing tail, she taught herself to swim like a fish. Soon Hangar Prosthetics volunteered to take on the challenge of constructing a prosthetic tail for Winter. She doesn't wear it all the time, but she uses it to help build up muscle mass that has been lost through lack of use. In our visit to the aquarium, we saw Winter and her companion Panama.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g7zVg0JnHYw/T08S3rQVJgI/AAAAAAAAARo/W6HdQpgASkE/s1600/imc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g7zVg0JnHYw/T08S3rQVJgI/AAAAAAAAARo/W6HdQpgASkE/s320/imc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After finishing up at the aquarium, it was time to head to the airport and fly home. With rain falling throughout the northern part of Florida, it was another interesting day to fly. We entered the clouds at 4000 feet shortly after takeoff. And we didn't see anything but grey for the next hour and a half, We flew through a few rain showers, but we didn't encounter much turbulence. Somewhere between Tifton and Macon we finally broke out of the clouds.<br />
<br />
You would think that once we landed, our adventure would be over. But I decided to make one extra stop before putting the plane to bed. I taxied over to the self-serve pumps to get fuel. And there I encountered .... <i>the slowest pilot known to man</i>. Now I am reluctant to criticize a pilot for being cautious. Pilots should be cautious, and should do things with deliberate care. But there is a difference between being reasonably careful and just being slow. This guy spent countless minutes fiddling with his credit card. He agonized over pumping the fuel. He took great and interminable care replacing the hose. He backtracked to get the right tool for closing up his fuel caps. He sauntered over to the machine to retrieve his receipt. He spent æons rearranging things in his luggage compartment. Only then did he realize that he would need to push his plane away from the pumps before he could start and safely taxi away. You'd think that noticing another plane patiently waiting to move up to the pump he would be eager to push (or pull) his plane out of the way to make room. But I suppose one cannot discern the thought processes of the excruciatingly careful pilot. Once he pushed the plane away from the fence (but still entirely in front of the pump) and carefully stowed the tow bar back in the luggage compartment, he cautiously secured the compartment door. Then he eased himself up in to the cabin, taking great care to place his headset on in exactly the correct position. Finally, with much fanfare, he fired up that mighty engine and inched his plane forward. But not too far forward! With all due care he stopped well short of the taxiway (and still most decidedly in front of the pumps) to ensure he got a proper clearance from the tower before proceeding. I think I aged an entire year just watching his glacial pace. I was tempted to declare a low fuel emergency while I sat there idling (well, no, I wouldn't really do that...but it was tempting). So, after a delay that would have made <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_Godot">Godot</a> proud, I finally was able to fill my tanks.<br />
<br />
With the unexpected delay behind us and the plane safely returned to its tiedown spot, we were on our way home, ending another wonderful trip to Florida.<br />
<br />wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-75009742855158285162011-11-20T16:30:00.001-05:002011-11-21T10:53:24.603-05:00Theater ConnectionsIt didn't take long after we first opened the theater before one of our children asked if she could connect her game console to it. This was such a great idea that I immediately came up with a plan to make it happen. The cabinets at the front of the theater have three compartments. One is used by the subwoofer and another by the center speaker. That left one position open for a game console, and the obvious choice for adding external connections to the theater.<br /><a name='more'></a>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieZlTN1diIQ/TsneKNj4VUI/AAAAAAAAAPw/3Kxqfq7cNzk/s1600/video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieZlTN1diIQ/TsneKNj4VUI/AAAAAAAAAPw/3Kxqfq7cNzk/s200/video.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
In order to accommodate a variety of devices, I added two wall
panels. One panel has
connections for component video (YPbPr) and 2-channel audio, along with
an HDMI jack. This is good enough for modern game consoles, such as the PS3 and the Wii. The other panel provides the necessary connections for a computer: a DE-15 connector (for VGA through SXGA) and an
ethernet jack. We use this connection for showing movies and slide shows from a laptop, reminiscent of the "slide show evenings" our family had when I was a child.<br />
<br />
I used black panels and inserts to fit in with the room decor. I opted to use the keystone system to build the panels exactly as I wanted. Keystone panels provide 2, 4, or 6 holes and a large collection of jacks to fill those holes. With this system it was easy to create what I needed. Since the DE-15 connector is too large to fit in a keystone hole, I searched and found a plate that has this connector pre-mounted with two keystone holes underneath (in black).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT5_ELKU5Hg/TsneLjhxm3I/AAAAAAAAAP4/fNFw-yseLSY/s1600/de15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT5_ELKU5Hg/TsneLjhxm3I/AAAAAAAAAP4/fNFw-yseLSY/s200/de15.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
The automation system provides selections for each of
these connectors. When selected, the system powers on the projector and
the receiver, then sets the appropriate input on the receiver. The DE-15
connector bypasses the receiver entirely and is connected directly to
the PC input on the projector. The automation system sets the
projector's input accordingly but also selects the component input on
the receiver so that the 2-channel audio jacks can be used for sound when this input is used.<br />
<br />
Some time after I finished this project I turned my attention to the subwoofer. Unlike a conventional speaker, a subwoofer is a powered device,
so its input is line-level via an RCA style jack. Subwoofers typically
power on automatically when they sense something on the input, then
power themselves off after a period of no signal. But powering on is not
instantaneous: it can take up to a second before the subwoofer is ready
to make noise. For most movies this arrangement is not a problem.<br />
<br />
One night I was watching <i>Breaker Morant</i> and I noticed that the subwoofer turned itself off in the middle of the movie. <i>Breaker Morant</i> only has a 2.0 soundtrack and the subwoofer is used very little. The period of time between uses was enough for the subwoofer to shut off. But that meant a lag between when it received a signal and when it was ready, so some of the low level effect was lost. This simply would not do. <br />
<br />
The Integra
receiver provides three 12-volt triggers. A trigger is an output that
can be used to tell another device when to power on. So I connected one
of the triggers to the subwoofer. When the receiver turns on, it sends a signal on the trigger, the subwoofer turns on and stays on until the receiver shuts off.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1_ri1xwu7KY/TsneMWvJE8I/AAAAAAAAAQA/X6X-MObwDqw/s1600/subwoofer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1_ri1xwu7KY/TsneMWvJE8I/AAAAAAAAAQA/X6X-MObwDqw/s200/subwoofer.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Initially I ran this trigger wire the same way as the subwoofer wire: through a hole in the wall. But this seemed awfully untidy. I decided to clean this up a bit and added a 2-hole Keystone wall plate to hold one RCA jack (for the subwoofer signal) and one 3.5mm
jack (for the trigger), all in black. It was easy to find the parts for
this wall plate in white, but I had to do some serious Internet digging
to find them all in black. This panel is so obviously useful that it really ought to be sold as a complete unit.<br />
<br />
Today I have a clean front wall in my theater. Connecting a game console to the theater is easy, and the results are just as impressive as any movie.<br />
<br />wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-86595994457067800932011-10-31T00:57:00.000-04:002011-10-31T01:00:21.116-04:00Theater Thoughts: Making it BetterI haven't posted an update about the theater in quite some time. We have been enjoying our home theater with both new and old titles. The Roku has provided us with access to the Netflix streaming library, and we have been watching TV shows as well as movies. But I still feel like the room is only about 90% done. There are a handful of nagging little things that can make the space even better, and I obsess about these changes constantly<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
One item that has been on my list since we first started using the theater is automated lighting. I already know exactly what equipment I will buy and how I want it to operate. It is just a matter of making the purchases, installing the hardware, and enhancing the automation system. The remote will have a "start" or "warm up" button which will bring the lights up and turn on the disc changer (since it takes a terribly long time to start up). Once someone selects a movie and presses "play" the lights will be dimmed down very low as the other pieces of equipment are turned on and the appropriate disc is loaded. This will give a chance for the audience to settle in. The automation system can sense when the disc starts playing, and it will be set to turn the lights off completely when that happens. Originally I wanted the system to detect when the last chapter begins playing (in nearly every movie this is where the credits start) and bring the lights up to low. Although the automation knows what chapter is currently playing, it doesn't know how many chapter are in the current title. So unfortunately I won't be able to implement this last step unless I manually put chapter counts in the movie database. Still, having the lights automatically dim and turn off at the beginning of the movie will add a nice touch.<br />
<br />
With the old DVD player I relied on a video processor in my receiver to upscale the 480 lines of resolution to the 1080 lines expected by the projector. One of the reasons I bought the Integra receiver was the reputation of its video processing, which is handled by a Reon chip. Now that I have a blu-ray changer, DVDs still need upscaling but blu-rays don't. Unfortunately, the changer itself is very ambitious about doing its own upscaling. By the time the signal reaches the receiver it is already 1080 lines. I have found no way to turn this feature off without ruining the quality of blu-rays at the same time. I have given this problem a great deal of thought, and gone through a number of possibilities, but I still have not found a solution with my existing equipment.<br />
<br />
Another problem with the video quality is the limitations of the projector, a Panasonic AE-3000. Since I use a cinemascope screen, the system must project movies with a 1.78:1 ratio differently than those with a 2.35:1 (or 2.40:1) ratio. For the latter, the image must be wide enough to fill the width of the screen. But if I used the same settings for taller movies (1.78:1) then the image would spill over the top and bottom of the screen. The AE-3000 is capable of remembering multiple zoom and focus settings and it can automatically change between these two formats, provided that the projector is mounted low enough. Unfortunately in my theater if I mounted the projector low enough it would be directly over the heads of the second row. So it is too high to take full advantage of the projector's automatic zoom capabilities. When it rezooms part of the image literally moves off the screen. So I have had to compromise for 1.78:1 movies by changing the aspect ratio on the projector to a setting that electronically shrinks the image. The automation system takes care of this, but an aspect ratio change cannot always be done reliably, and sometimes the projector ends up with the wrong setting. I could attempt to solve this problem by replacing my projector mount with a longer one. This may impact the experience in the second row, but we rarely use that row anyway. I have also considered building a shelf on the back wall for the projector. This would help with the second row experience, but it would also require that I run new power and HDMI lines.<br />
<br />
I believe that both of these problems<span class="st">—</span>the changer's overzealous upscaling and the projector's unfortunate placement<span class="st">—</span>can be overcome with an external video processor. So now I am considering my options. I don't want to spend a large sum of money, but these processors tend to be expensive. I am currently looking at used Lumagen processors. They have the ability to trick the changer in to using a lower resolution. They can zoom and crop to arbitrary sizes. Best of all, they can be controlled remotely by my automation system. It would know if it is about to play a DVD or a blu-ray, and it would be able to tell the Lumagen to set the input size accordingly. The changer would see the setting and match its output to it, so I'm pretty certain that I can get the changer to stop using its internal scaler on DVDs. For the 1.78:1 problem I still won't be able to use the full resolution of the projector, but I will be able to use more of it, the automation system would be able to make the change reliably, and the Lumagen would do a far better job of rescaling than the projector can.<br />
<br />
There are always new idea to incorporate in to the theater. During the winter months we keep the thermostat in the basement set low to conserve energy. I recently found a reasonably priced thermostat with a wireless ethernet interface that can be controlled by my automation system. Imagine if the "warm up" button also changed the thermostat setting (giving the phrase a much more literal meaning). It would be great to go downstairs to a warm theater. The system would also remember to set the temperature lower when the theater is turned "off", which is something that we usually seem to forget.<br />
<br />wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-86195307421753967802011-10-11T23:58:00.000-04:002011-10-11T23:59:00.212-04:00Sosebee Cycling Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az2FbhhYlzk/TpULI6K2VFI/AAAAAAAAAO0/0zBO-HoTWDU/s1600/sosebee1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Az2FbhhYlzk/TpULI6K2VFI/AAAAAAAAAO0/0zBO-HoTWDU/s320/sosebee1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Last Saturday I went riding one of my favorite routes, the Beautiful Backroads Century (or BBC). I've <a href="http://wnl256.blogspot.com/2011/07/beautiful-ride-in-country.html">been on this route</a> many times before. The scenery is wonderful and there are very few cars. The route is used for the annual ride of the same name: a ride that I was able to participate in last year but was unable to do this year.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
For this ride, however, rather than begin at the traditional Anheuser-Busch brewery starting point, I decided to check out a new feature in the area called the <a href="http://www.sosebeecyclingpark.com/">Sosebee Cycling Park</a>. What is a cycling park? It is a place specifically designed to be the starting point of a bicycle ride. There is room for parking, there are facilities, water, a picnic area, and lots of shade. The park is also conveniently placed right along the BBC route and provides easy access to all the wonderful roads in the area. The park isn't as close to the freeway as the brewery, but it is still easy to reach. It is located at 465 Simpson Road in White, GA, at the corner of Simpson and Cassville Pine Logging Roads.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2W9hgrkXG8/TpULL-zPEjI/AAAAAAAAAO8/pm1UIFl_vCY/s1600/sosebee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2W9hgrkXG8/TpULL-zPEjI/AAAAAAAAAO8/pm1UIFl_vCY/s320/sosebee2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My original plan was to join a group of other riders who were leaving the park at 9. But family obligations made that impossible. I pulled in to the parking lot around 9:40 and saw that there was already a good turnout. Word spreads fast and this park is quite popular. I was the only one arriving so late, but was able to get myself and my cycle ready fairly quickly. I brought both sets of riding gloves, anticipating that I would have to start with the winter gloves and switch mid-ride. But by the time I was ready to start, the weather was warm enough that I just pocketed the thicker gloves. The starting ramp was a short walk from my car, and soon I was pedaling down the road in the crisp morning air.<br />
<br />
It was great to be riding, and the weather was perfect. Beautiful scenery, empty roads, sunshine, and lots of wind on my face. Wait a minute. Wind? Who ordered up all this wind. This wasn't part of the plan. As the first big gusts hit my face I exclaimed:
<br />
<blockquote style="border-bottom: 1px solid grey; border-top: 1px solid grey; padding: 5px;">
"This is just like RAGBRAI, and not in a good way!"
</blockquote>
Not too far in to the ride I caught a glimpse of riders ahead, so I hurried to catch up. It was a group of 4 riders who had started at the brewery and were doing the same route. Since we were all going the same way I tagged along for the company. At one of the stops we talked a bit and I discovered that at least one of them is a fan of this blog! So a big <i>hello</i> and <i>thank you</i> to Tom, Ron, Bill, and David. I sure hope I got your names right.<br />
<br />
I stuck with Ron for the rest of the trip. He and I seem to have about the same pace. I like to think of it as "stately". It's the kind of pace where you can enjoy the scenery and take the opportunity to spend more time on the bike. Yes we were a bit behind the rest of the group, but that just means we had more fun.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ay6-Py912s0/TpULODjnvKI/AAAAAAAAAPE/U53jIO89g-U/s1600/trail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ay6-Py912s0/TpULODjnvKI/AAAAAAAAAPE/U53jIO89g-U/s320/trail1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The name "beautiful" is no exaggeration. The route is surrounded by open fields with ponds and great vistas. Trees provide shade along many of the roads. Riders pass by quiet neighborhoods and quaint churches, farms and farm animals, small towns and roadside stands. I really love the BBC route.<br />
<br />
After 41 miles we returned to Sosebee Park. Ron stopped with me to get some water. He still had a few miles to go, but I was done. What a wonderful park. Thank you to the folks that made it happen, and I left you a little something in the donation box!<br />
<br />
<br />wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-89597975027204183032011-09-28T13:15:00.004-04:002011-09-28T14:06:38.027-04:00The Bike LaneI love riding in Florida. I occasionally get the opportunity to visit the Palm Harbor area and I usually arrange to rent or borrow a bike while I'm there. Last weekend was such a visit. A friend of mine who lives in the area has inherited my <a href="http://wnl256.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-road-bike.html">old Cannondale</a>, but before he took possession of it I used it to get in a few days of riding.<br /><br />I love the area for riding because the Pinellas Trail is nearby and because many of the roads have bike lanes. Having flat terrain helps, too. Some of my riding buddies don't like bike lanes, but I prefer them to mixing up with traffic in the regular lanes.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />But riding in a bike lane is far from care free. There are still plenty of things in a bike lane that can hurt you. Being hit from behind is far less likely, but a cyclist isn't as visible when traveling outside of the regular traffic lanes. So there's still no room for relaxation.<br /><br />I don't spend as much time looking behind me, but I spend much more time looking ahead and to the side. In fact, my only near death experience on a bicycle happened <a href="http://wnl256.blogspot.com/2010/10/florida-riding.html">while I was riding in a bike lane</a> and on the same route that I took this past weekend.<br /><br />Why is a bike lane hazardous? The primary reason is most drivers aren't expecting anything to be there and tend not to look. So my strategy is to make myself as visible as possible. Granted the very loud and obnoxious colors of most of my riding jerseys contributes, but I don't rely on that alone. I am constantly on the lookout for cars that are poised to cross my path. This include opposite direction traffic that is waiting to turn left, cars waiting on side roads to the right, and especially cars waiting to cross from the left.<br /><br />When I see a vehicle in one of these positions I slow down, prepare to brake, raise my right hand as if to wave, then attempt to make eye contact. Usually (but, sadly, not always) if I can get the driver to look at me then he or she won't pull out in front of me. If I don't make eye contact then I assume the worst. In the limited times I have used bike lanes this strategy has proved very effective. Indeed the one time I failed to do this I was nearly hit.<br /><br />Last weekend had a close call, but nothing as close as the one referenced above. I was approaching the entrance to a neighborhood that was on my right. I saw a car waiting at the intersection to turn left. I made sure the driver saw me. As I approached the intersection another car sped up alongside the first and prepared to turn right on to the main road. In an instant I realized that if this driver saw cars behind me she might attempt to rush through the turn to get in front of them, and run me over in the process. Without waiting to see what would happen I started to brake and also yell ("HEY!"). I don't know if she saw me all along or if my yelling made a difference, but she waited until I went by. I do know that I succeeded in startling the bejeebers out of the dog walker that was on the sidewalk! Even in a bike lane vigilance is required to stay out of harm's way.<br /><br />There was one other noteworthy item from my weekend rides. In the bike lane I am not as worried about what goes on behind me. So I don't look back very often. Suddenly and without warning a paceline of 4 triathletes whizzed passed me. I had no idea they were coming up behind me. They made no noise and gave no warning. C'mon guys, would it have killed your concentration to say something?wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-48459256266909053062011-08-13T12:35:00.004-04:002011-08-13T14:21:33.256-04:00LindaA friend of mine from Chicago, who also happens to be well connected with the dog rescue community in the southeast, reached out to me yesterday afternoon with a request. A german shepherd mix had been rescued and saved from euthanasia, and a family had gladly offered to adopted her. Only problem was, the dog was in Decatur and the family was in Canton and unable to drive to Decatur to get her. My friend asked me if I was willing to transport the dog. As it turns out I work not too far from Decatur and I live not too far from Canton. So this seemed like a really good fit. I gladly volunteered.
<br /><a name='more'></a>
<br />The only difficulty I could forsee was the size of my car. It isn't exactly large. In fact, it is one of the smallest cars on the road. Not <span style="font-style:italic;">the</span> smallest, but pretty far down on the list. It doesn't have a back seat, so the dog would have to ride shotgun. For a smaller dog this would not be a problem, but I was a bit concerned that a german shepherd might have difficulty. "Well," I reasoned, "they did say she's a mix so maybe she isn't all that big."
<br />
<br />I left work early and hoped that I would be on the road with the dog before the Friday afternoon rush became full blown. I arrived at the vet in Decatur around 3:30. The nice folks there gathered together her paperwork and her medicine, then brought Linda out to me. She is mostly german shepherd and let's just say she is not a small dog. Her hair had been cut short and she was shedding like most shepherds do in the summer. She was also on the skinny side, a look that hinted at the hardship she has had to endure.
<br />
<br />We spent a few minutes in the lobby getting to know one another before heading outside. The first challenge was in the parking lot: she did not want to get in my car. Perhaps she wasn't ready for a road trip, but most likely she was looking at the tight confines of my front seat and saying to herself "Are you kidding me? No way!" I finally had to get in the passenger side first, straddle the two seats and then coax her in. After she jumped in I was able to close the door and slip in to the driver's seat. Moments later we were off.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRcTmNYu0_A/Tka2BXMuDTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/rFUOficC7jg/s1600/2011-08-12_16-46-00_973.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRcTmNYu0_A/Tka2BXMuDTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/rFUOficC7jg/s320/2011-08-12_16-46-00_973.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640395717851614514" /></a>We hit the freeway before 4, and I thought I had a chance to avoid the worst of the traffic. Sadly I was mistaken. An accident on the north side of I-285 caused a large backup and made me wish I had taken an alternate route. I changed to another freeway when it made sense and had to resort to back roads to get to Canton. In all it took over 90 minutes to make the drive.
<br />
<br />Linda was a great passenger. She was restless at first, no doubt trying to find a way to get comfortable. She eventually settled on lying down in the seat in a curled position. But that would only last 5 minutes before she was up again. She cried a few times, but was otherwise very calm and inquisitive. Occasionally her head would end up behind mine, giving me a sort of living, drooling headrest.
<br />
<br />We finally arrived at the vet's office in Canton and she was very happy to get out of the car. I handed over all the paperwork, explained the medicine, then said goodbye to my temporary companion. She was ready for her next adventure and eager to move ahead. I understand that her new family will pick her up on Monday.
<br />
<br />wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-23385837576090617352011-08-05T23:30:00.002-04:002011-08-14T11:27:44.046-04:00RAGBRAI: The Untold StoriesDuring the week of RAGBRAI I did my best to write a blog entry every day. But typing on a droid micro-keyboard in the heat of the afternoon while surrounded by a dozen other riders and thinking about where I can get dinner is not an environment that is very conducive to thorough writing. Now that I am comfortably seated at my desk and I have all the time I need, I can go back and write up all the stories that I didn't have time to tell before.
<br /><a name='more'></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Camping</span>
<br />
<br />When 30,000 people descend on a town with a population of only 6,000 you can expect that overnight accommodations will be a little scarce. Consequently, most of the participants on RAGBRAI camp in tents or stay in an RV. Campsites are set up anywhere there is an open field: a park, a school, a library, etc.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxFzLHQDcik/Tjm7ThfX3gI/AAAAAAAAANQ/BYV5v2CbW1A/s1600/2011-07-23_b_07.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxFzLHQDcik/Tjm7ThfX3gI/AAAAAAAAANQ/BYV5v2CbW1A/s320/2011-07-23_b_07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636742352712752642" border="0" /></a> Many people pitch their own tents but I used a charter service that did tent setup and teardown for me. The service also moved my baggage from town to town each day. I have high praise for this company: their team consisted of a dozen college age kids that set up around 80 tents and airmattresses every day in the heat, then tore them down again the next morning. They worked hard and were very good to us. But the experience of camping out in the heat and humidity after a long day's ride was, for me, not very pleasant. If I had a chance to do this over, I would make other arrangements.
<br />
<br />On a typical day people would start waking up around 5 am. Tent flaps would zip open, and the porta-potty doors would slam. Our helpers would start brewing coffee and set out water and Gatorade powder. Riders would dress and pack up their bags, deflate their mattress and fill their water bottles. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-csOiUPXJ-Pc/Tjm-zK0_pwI/AAAAAAAAANY/MHlSvBC8gcQ/s1600/2011-07-24_b_08.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-csOiUPXJ-Pc/Tjm-zK0_pwI/AAAAAAAAANY/MHlSvBC8gcQ/s320/2011-07-24_b_08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636746194920122114" /></a> Some riders would hit the road as early as 6, while others would linger and wait until after 7. Eventually we would all join the 10,000 other riders on the road (although by some estimates it was as high as 20,000). Words cannot describe the experience of riding in a group so large. Bikes spread out across the entire width of the road and are visible as far as the eye can see in front and behind. You can stop at a roadside stand for over an hour and still see a constant stream of bikes on the road.
<br />
<br />Riders would start rolling in to the next town by around noon. The first challenge they faced was finding the new campsite. The overnight towns set up campsites anywhere they could find room, and the sites were quite spread out. Sometimes arriving in the town still meant another 3 mile ride to get to the right campsite. Once the site was located we would roll up to the shady lounge, peel ourselves off the seat, grab a soft drink and a handful of chips, then collapse in a lounge chair. The conversations would start as we all told our individual stories of the day's ride. Later riders would arrive to the sound of applause: "Congratulations, you made it." Soon it was time to find dinner. By 9:30 the sun was down and the tents were bearable, so many folks would retire to get a good night's sleep before repeating the experience the next day.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tributes and Causes</span>
<br />
<br />Some folks were riding as a tribute to a cause or in memory of someone else. I saw several cancer survivors, proudly proclaiming their status.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lvIH3NB0U/Tjm4HfGXgyI/AAAAAAAAAMw/12xNVvX0I14/s1600/2011-07-25_b_03.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6lvIH3NB0U/Tjm4HfGXgyI/AAAAAAAAAMw/12xNVvX0I14/s320/2011-07-25_b_03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636738847377687330" border="0" /></a> I also saw some folks riding in memory of loved ones lost to cancer. In a previous note I mentioned the schnauzer rescued from a shelter in Chicago. Suzy would pose for pictures but only if you donated to the shelter.
<br />
<br />Some of the roadside stands were raising money for a cause. One was raising money to help with a child's cancer treatments. Another was raising money for a college fund. There was even a roadside stand set up to raise money for a new pool. But one that really captured my heart was a stop that I made entirely at random. After I accepted their free water I was also handed a card that read, in part:
<br /><blockquote>On 5/10/11 Kadyn Halverson (7 years old), was hit & killed by a careless driver who failed to stop as she crossed the road to her school bus. Her family, friends & community were devastated by the loss. While no law could ever bring Kadyn back, it can help to protect others.
<br /></blockquote>The cause is called "<a href="http://www.kadynslaw.com/">Kadyns Law</a>" and is intended to make school bus stops safer. This cause hits particularly close to home as we had something very similar happen in nearby Cobb county. A driver lost control of her car while trying to stop for a school bus, veered off the road and struck and killed a 5-year-old child who was getting off the bus.
<br />
<br />I shared a shady spot with <a href="http://dreamteamdsm.org/">The Dream Team</a> one morning. This is an organization that takes disadvantaged youth and challenges them with the goal of completing RAGBRAI, then provides them with what they need to meet that goal. It offers the kids comraderie and a sense of setting and achieving an ambitious goal. As the mission statement puts it: "To assist youth in developing a healthy spirit, mind and body by developing a productive, positive approach to life’s challenges".
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Children</span>
<br />
<br />It's hard to be away from my family for an entire week. Every time I saw a young child riding I'd think of my own. Some kids were on the back of a tandem. Some younger kids were on a tagalong with its own coaster pedals. I suggested to one of these yound riders that she should take a break and make her dad work harder. Other children were riding their own bikes alongside their parents. Some of the young teens would race on ahead and say to their parents "meet you in the next town". One family that I came across several times was a father and daughter team on a tandem, and a son riding his own bicycle. On the last day I passed a father/son team that I had seen on previous days. However, this time the young man was slumped over in his seat nearly asleep, but he was still pedaling! At the very end of the ride I was traveling along the Mississippi bike path between Davenport and Bettendorf. I came up behind a mom and her young daughter (probably 5 to 8) also riding on their bikes. The child was a bit erratic (as they tend to be at that age) and was weaving across the path. The mom saw me coming and said something to her daughter, who straightened up and then actually started pedaling faster. So I pulled up alongside her and asked "do you wanna race?" She said "NO! You'll win."
<br />
<br />A team that was hard to miss was a three-seat tandem family: mother and two children. I saw them most every day. Then one day I saw another three-seat tandem dressed in identical gear: father and two children. So what at first I thought was a family of three on the road really turned out to be a full family of six. This family was riding as part of Pedaling for Parkinsons.
<br />
<br />But the one that gets very special mention is Jake and Jake's mom. At the age of 6 Jake has completed his first full day of RAGBRAI on his own bicycle. I knew it was Jake because the large sign on his back said so. Right behind him with a proud but watchful eye was a woman with her own sign on her back that read "Jake's Mom". This is actually the third RAGBRAI that Jake has participated in. Two years ago, when he was 4, he rode 27 miles. Last year he rode 40. This year he rode the entire 57.5 mile day.
<br />It took him 12 hours to finish (from 6 am to 6 pm) but he finished. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwK6_boyZGs">You can watch a video</a> of him starting and ending his day.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Bicycles</span>
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73Hp-kzhOwY/Tjm5MKR4iyI/AAAAAAAAANI/kh4Y3zPcekc/s1600/2011-07-25_b_01.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73Hp-kzhOwY/Tjm5MKR4iyI/AAAAAAAAANI/kh4Y3zPcekc/s320/2011-07-25_b_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636740027199818530" border="0" /></a>
<br />I saw a fair number of unusual bikes on the road, but the one that impressed me the most was the unicyclist. I saw him on the road every day so I'm pretty sure he did the entire route on his unicycle. You can't coast on a unicycle so he got no rest on the roads: he had to seek his rest when he stopped. The most surprising participant wasn't even riding a bicycle or tricycle. He was on a skateboard! And I do believe he did the entire route.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HzLS8qiTnnA/Tjm4w1UpnwI/AAAAAAAAANA/uJ78OFYGbKE/s1600/2011-07-25_b_08.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HzLS8qiTnnA/Tjm4w1UpnwI/AAAAAAAAANA/uJ78OFYGbKE/s320/2011-07-25_b_08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636739557717810946" border="0" /></a>There were several days when I saw someone riding a pennyfarthing bicycle, and one day when he had a companion riding alongside him. These are also "fixies", so no coasting. I watched him get off and on the bike and it is quite involved. At one point as we were riding up to an intersection the police officer stopped the bicycle traffic to let a few cars go through. As we all yelled "stopping" back along the pack I heard the pennyfarthing rider groan. Yeah, I imagine it's a bit of a hassle stopping and starting on that beast. Fortunately we got rolling again before he had to stop.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ4T2ttsSt4/Tjm4UzF3pPI/AAAAAAAAAM4/1OAeQvuluGA/s1600/2011-07-27_b_13.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ4T2ttsSt4/Tjm4UzF3pPI/AAAAAAAAAM4/1OAeQvuluGA/s320/2011-07-27_b_13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636739076082607346" border="0" /></a>
<br />At one point I saw The Bananaman riding in his Bananabike, grooving to his music. Later in the week I saw another Bananabike. I understand there are several of these on the ride: Bananaman and his Bananafans. But I never saw all of them together.
<br />
<br />In an earlier posting I mentioned the tandem bicycle that has a recumbent seat up front. I have since learned that this is called a "semi-recumbent tandem" and it is a model called <a href="http://www.bilenky.com/viewpnt.html">The Viewpoint</a> made by Bilenky.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Towns</span>
<br />
<br />Each day we started in one Iowa town and ended in another. Between these two towns we passed through several more towns. Every town we visited was holding a festival. Music, food, drink, and beer too. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a02V_fRPJGg/Tjyw9IDVgPI/AAAAAAAAANo/wJMRB_xsslc/s1600/2011-07-27_b_04.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a02V_fRPJGg/Tjyw9IDVgPI/AAAAAAAAANo/wJMRB_xsslc/s320/2011-07-27_b_04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637575397741002994" /></a>Each town had its own sites to see, and its own theme. The local residents were out in full force welcoming the riders with Iowa hospitality, and many were enjoying the fun along with the riders. The roads through these towns were so packed with cycles that it was impossible to keep riding. I had no choice but to walk the bike. But this wasn't entirely bad: it gave me a chance to rest and stretch my legs out.
<br />
<br />Every town had plenty of food and sweets. Many churches were selling pies along with lunch food and drink. Sometimes the lines would get long, too. I usually selected my food based on the length of the line, and sometimes it was better to grab a bite just outside of a town where there were fewer crowds.
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6Kdn4mkxSw/TjyydIqu66I/AAAAAAAAANw/s4QCvkbTxC4/s1600/2011-07-24_b_15.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6Kdn4mkxSw/TjyydIqu66I/AAAAAAAAANw/s4QCvkbTxC4/s320/2011-07-24_b_15.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637577047173688226" /></a>
<br />Some towns had attractions to tempt us. Lewis boasted the world's largest bicycle. I don't think it's very ridable, but it certainly made for a good photo opportunity. Elk Horn showed off its authentic Danish Windmill, originally from Norre Snede. Templeton opened its brewery so that riders could sample its famous Templeton Rye.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lance</span>
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TaBg9KRYdMo/Tjy4K-jXGOI/AAAAAAAAAN4/OM4CV8wU-Tg/s1600/nolance.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TaBg9KRYdMo/Tjy4K-jXGOI/AAAAAAAAAN4/OM4CV8wU-Tg/s320/nolance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637583332290533602" /></a>Lance Armstrong rode on Tuesday. I didn't see him, but I understand he had a large group of people around him jockeying for good photo opportunities.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Maintenance</span>
<br />
<br />There was a wide variety of bikes on the road. But what really struck me was the number of bikes that weren't very well maintained. I heard a lot of chain grinding when downshifting for hills. I lost count of the number of dropped chains (although that could be as much due to poor technique as poor maintenance). I also heard squeaky brakes (and I don't mean a tiny little annoying squeak, I mean an outright howl), and quite a few creaky cranks. Sometimes I'd hear some squeak or creak and I'd have to stop pedaling to make sure that it wasn't me making the noise. But each time I'd confirm that my bike was just fine, then I'd once again thank the fine folks at my local bike shop who keep my bike running so smoothly. I now have much more appreciation for the work they do.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The End</span>
<br />
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmIny6Fhmpc/TkfpP3JLnyI/AAAAAAAAAOY/FYFW0jE97UI/s1600/finish2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmIny6Fhmpc/TkfpP3JLnyI/AAAAAAAAAOY/FYFW0jE97UI/s320/finish2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5640733517014605602" /></a>The ride on the bike path to Bettendorf was quite a bit longer than I expected. The week was enjoyable, but it was a long time to spend away from home and I was anxious to see the end of the trail. As I came up the last hill and around the final bend, I saw the best site I had seen on the entire ride: my family.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-69604555822609603362011-07-30T18:21:00.002-04:002011-08-03T23:06:45.506-04:00Day 7: Wilton to Davenport<div><p>Finished!</p><p>I took the shuttle to the town of Wilton so that I could ensure my arrival in to Davenport at noon. That still left 35 miles of biking to accomplish in under 3 hours. That meant my stops had to be short.</p><p>The passthrough towns were not as busy today as they have been the rest of the week. Like me, most riders are in a hurry to finish so they can catch their charter buses home. I did stop briefly for water and for pie, but otherwise kept the pace up. The route was pretty flat, but the headwinds were back, which slowed me a bit.</p><p>We were greeted in Davenport by residents lining the streets and applauding us as we went past. It seemed like everyone was out cheering us on and yelling congratulations. We felt like we were finishing the Tour de France.</p><p>Much of the route from the border of the town to the river was downhill. This made for a fast and fun ride. But there was still one more big hill in our way: Fairmount Street. When the final route was announced earlier this year there was some grumbling on the RAGBRAI forums about the inclusion of Fairmount Street on the route. Those who live in Davenport said there were better ways to get 10,000 bicyclists to the riverfront that didn't involve such a steep hill. But the city insisted that this route would be the safest and would minimize the impact on automobile traffic. So up the hill we went. And yeah, it was a doozy. Not the worst one we have done all week, but still pretty challenging to throw at us in the last 5 miles of a week long ride. </p><p>After the hill we soon turned on to River Drive and got our first glimpse of the mighty Mississippi. Just a few more miles and we were at the riverfront park and the end of the ride. I took a moment to stand along the railing and get my picture. But my day still wasn't done. I had to ride 4 more miles along the riverfront to get to the parking lot where my bags and my family were waiting. Then, finally, I was finished.</p><p>This has been a fantastic experience and I am glad that I was able to share it here. I did a total of 362 miles in 7 days, and saw America's heartland along the way. It was short of my goal, but I still feel good about what I have accomplished.</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QFCKLcSC8g/TjoMnCE_DFI/AAAAAAAAANg/-ZJLH2viKNI/s1600/victory.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2QFCKLcSC8g/TjoMnCE_DFI/AAAAAAAAANg/-ZJLH2viKNI/s320/victory.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636831748319808594" /></a></div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-52340454965660056382011-07-29T20:30:00.002-04:002011-07-30T23:44:08.603-04:00Day 6; Grinnell to CoralvilleToday we rode through all sorts of towns. After leaving Grinnell we had about an hour's riding before entering Brooklyn (the one in Iowa, that is). After that it was a succesion of rural Iowa towns: Victor, Ladora, Marengo, South Amana, Homestead, and Oxford. Each one welcomed us with lots of hospitality, food, and entertainment. It is impossible to ride through any of these towns as there are so many riders and other people packed on to the roads. And really, the whole point of RAGBRAI is that you don't ride through: you stop and enjoy the town, see the sights, talk to the locals, and enjoy the food. I did more of that today than any other day. The weather stayed cool enough that I didn't feel like I had to rush to beat the heat. This helped me to enjoy more of the stops along the way. It is amazing how many local residents come out for this ride. There are people parked along the roadside just to watch and wave at the riders. Many of the passthough towns were holding festivals in the town square, which the local residents were enjoying right along with the riders.<br /><br />If you have been watching me on the tracker then you may have seen that from time to time I appear to stop in the middle of nowhere and stay there for awhile, sometimes more than 30 minutes. I'm not napping under a tree. Farmhouses along the route set up booths to sell food and drink. Some vendors are well known to RAGBRAI regulars and set up a new trailer every day of the ride in a different farmhouse yard. The longer stops I make are to eat food and take a rest. The shorter stops are to refill on water and gatorade (or to grab a muffin for breakfast). Today I stopped at a trailer that I have been wanting to try since Sunday. It is called "Pastafari" and it sells some very good pasta. Customers then relax in the shade and listen to reggae music. I spent quite some time there today and was so relaxed that I didn't want to leave.<br /><br />I rode almost 78 miles today. The first 58 were very enjoyable. The last 20 not so much. The weather was excellent this morning with some cloud cover. Even once the clouds broke the day didn't heat up too badly. We stayed in the 80s with a bit of a wind. The roads were mostly flat, which added to the enjoyment. But in the last 20 miles the rollers started again and the hills turned steep. I couldn't make the stretch without stopping once, catching my breath, and drinking an entire gatorade.<br /><br />The final ride in to Coralville was wonderful. We were on a smooth divided highway with only one hill. Since this is "college spirit day" the road was lined with college logos from all the riders. As I went flying down the hills I anxiously looked for mine. Yes, it was there!<br /><br />Tomorrow is the last day of RAGBRAI. There were times when I never thought I would make it to the end. Now I nearly have. However, family obligations are putting some time pressure on our return to Atlanta. So I have decided to start the last day in the town of Wilton, which is the middle of the day's ride. This will ensure that I get to Davenport in a timely fashion and we will be able to return home to Atlanta by late Saturday. It will reduce the day's 65 mile ride to about 30 miles.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-56526579232685199132011-07-28T18:01:00.002-04:002011-07-28T21:19:09.854-04:00Day 5: Altoona to Grinnell<div><p>I got out early again this morning to beat the heat. I was on the road by 6:15. As I was leaving camp so were two other riders, so we rode out of town together, and one of them (Mike from chicago) wanted to do about the same pace as me. We rode the entire route together. It was great to have company and the conversation made the miles go by faster. We had a good pace and got the first half of the ride done quickly. As we departed Colfax we had to climb a monster hill. Some folks walked it but I still had enough energy in the legs to make it. At the top, unfortunately, someone fell over which caused quite a bit of confusion. On the plus side a group was giving out free water as a reward for making it up the hill. Then the ride got tough. The road was a never ending procession of rolling hills, some of them steep. </p><p>We stopped for "lunch" just outside Baxter at about 10 am. While we were resting a few rain showers came through, but by the time we were ready to leave the rain was gone. The weather was otherwise improved today, as cloud cover kept the heat down.</p><p>To make it more interesting we started hitting headwinds after we left Baxter. I even had to peddle on the downhills to keep from slowing down. This road also had some vehicle traffic, including a few tractor-trailers. The wind and the hills were so bad that one cyclist sought relief by hanging on to the side of a tractor-trailer as it slowly made it's way through the traffic.</p><p>It was a relief to climb the last hill and ride in to Grinnell. Tomorrow we hope for less wind (or at least wind on our backs), fewer hills, and no rain.</p></div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-56358888774446783542011-07-27T15:50:00.003-04:002011-07-28T19:16:38.396-04:00Day 4: Boone to AltoonaIt is hot in Iowa this week. Really hot. Very very hot. Almost as hot as Atlanta. Maybe even hotter. Did I mention it is hot?<br /><br />At the beginning of the week I would get up and get moving at my leisure, usually getting on the road between 7 and 7:30. But this kept putting me out on the road in the heat of the day, struggling to finish. So last night I set everything out, woke up this morning at 5:15 and got out on the road by 6. This made a huge difference, and my ride was very enjoyable.<br /><br />Today was flat and short, making it easy to get to Altoona before noon and the worst of the heat. We also had good cloud cover until about 10:30 and by then I was close to the end. It's a shame that I have to rush through the route to beat the heat, as there are plenty of interesting things to see in the towns along the way. But I minimized my stopping time to be done early.<br /><br />Still, I saw an alpaca, a lady playing an electric piano outside (with a large fan keeping her cool), a Cessna airplane for sale, children throwing buckets of water on the riders, and a large model airplane flying over the route.<br /><br />One thing that fascinates me as a bicyclist is the variety of cycles I have seen on the road. There are many recumbents, quite a few tandems, some recumbent tandems, some recumbent tricycles (usually called trikes to distinguish them from the child's toy), a triple tandem (3 seats), and even a 2-seater surrey. There was also a rider with two prosthetic legs on a recumbent that is powered with hands.<br /><br />I even saw a bike that was a tandem with a recumbent seat up front and a regular seat in the back. I talked with the riders of this last bike for awhile. They tried a regular tandem and the wife hated it. The heavier rider has to be up front to improve stability, and life can get pretty boring for the woman stuck in back. But this tandem puts the lighter rider up front in a reclined position with the head in front of and below the other rider. This couple love the arrangement because she has a great view and they can easily talk to each other. I understand this is only made in one place in the world, and it takes a year to build one.<br /><br />Tomorrow will be a bit longer and a bit hillier, and probably just as hot.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-81372981090111898692011-07-26T19:42:00.001-04:002011-07-26T21:03:25.199-04:00Evening 2: Carroll<div><p>I wanted to make a special mention of last night's experience. I had to leave my tent briefly to adjust a flap. When I stepped outside I was awestruck by the beautiful night sky. The night was crystal clear and there wasn't much ambient light so the stars were out in full force. I went over to the lounge area that our outfitters provide and sat in one of the recliners to gaze at the sky, and was rewarded with several shooting stars. It was a very peaceful end to the day.</p>
</div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-78061674704422010682011-07-26T17:02:00.001-04:002011-07-26T17:06:18.234-04:00Day 3: Carroll to Boone<div><p>First, let me apologize for the tracker not working today. There were technical issues which should now be resolved.</p>
<p>I have talked with several RAGBRAI veterans and they all agree that this is the hottest ride in memory. Temperatures have been in the 90s with heat indices over 100. There have been very few clouds to shade the sun. Lots of riders have been getting dehydrated. If temperatures were 10 degrees cooler this ride would be much more enjoyable. Tomorrow wont be any better, except there is a possibility of rain and storms. I am planning to get on the road by 6 to beat the heat.</p>
<p>So let me tell you about three things: hills, music, and watertowers.</p>
<p>When the details of the route came out I was concerned about the hills. Everything I read claimed that this was a very hilly route. But I had no idea how they compared to what I am used to. Now that I have ridden the hilliest days I can say that, with a very few exceptions, the hills are gentler than what I ride in the Atlanta area. But, there are a lot of them. Getting up the first 10 hills was not difficult, but towards the end of the ride the sheer number of climbs takes its toll. The last few hills are always the hardest.</p>
<p>You can't go long on this ride without hearing music. I regularly come across riders with loudspeakers playing music, some were large enough that they were pulled in a trailer behind the bike and powered with a large battery. I have heard a wide variety of music, rock (everything from Elvis to Evanescence), pop, country, jazz, and even some classical. Some are quite loud, others I didn't hear until I was right behind the rider. It adds some interest to the ride and keeps me moving.</p>
<p>The watertower is the most welcome sight on the RAGBRAI route. After cresting hill after hill when we finally see a watertower in the distance we know we are almost at the next town and about to have a break. It is a very encouraging sight.</p>
</div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-33303992296739441792011-07-25T22:58:00.001-04:002011-07-25T23:20:29.654-04:00Day 2: Atlantic to Carroll<div><p>What a day. We started out with overcast skies, which was a good thing. Temperatures this morning were actually reasonable. Then around noon the clouds broke up and the mean sun came out and temperatures rose back in to the 90's. Some of the RAGBRAI veterans that I have talked to have told me that this is one if the hottest rides they can remember. It has certainly been pretty wicked so far.</p>
<p>In the early part of the day we heard something that we all dread: someone yelling "rider down". We all moved to the left side of the road and slowed to a stop to make room for the ambulance. Still not sure what happened but at least two riders were involved. I heard a rumor later that one was taken to the hospital with a broken leg.</p>
<p>With the accident behind us we rolled on to Elk Horn, where I had a breakfast pizza: scrambled egg, sausage, and cheese. It was surprisingly good. I also saw a rather unusual RAGBRAI rider: a schnauzer that was rescued from a shelter in Chicago. On the way through Elk Horn we passed by a nursing home, and the large windows were completely lined with its residents, watching and waving at us. The next town, Kimbalton, has a replica of The Little Mermaid statue in its central park. There was also a real live mermaid and merman posing for pictures along the main road.</p>
<p>In Wikey, the final passthrough town, as I was resting in the shade two nuns walked up to me carrying a cooler and selling freezy pops for $2. I bought one and it was delicious. It is fun to roll through these small towns and see all the effort that the local community puts in to welcoming us.</p>
</div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-50950321967642098422011-07-24T20:00:00.001-04:002011-07-24T20:00:18.116-04:00Day 1: Glenwood to Atlantic<div><p>63 miles and it was supposed to be 60. It was also hot and humid. Very sunny with few clouds. Lots of folks I talked to had difficulty dealing with the heat. And we get to do it all over again tomorrow.</p>
<p>It is impossible to comprehend 10,000 bicycle riders on the road until you actually see it. It is a non-stop stream of bikes covering both sides of the road. I would stop at a food stand for an hour and the stream of bikes didn't change. Then when it was time to get back on the road I had to wait for a break in bike traffic, sometimes several minutes. Every town we passed through was throwing a festival for the riders. A beer garden and a dj and lots of food and drink. Things got so packed in the towns that it was impossible to ride through. I had to get off the bike and walk it.</p>
<p>The biggest problem I am having is eating. There are so many good things to eat that I find I am trying to eat even when I am not hungry. Then I can't finish the food.</p>
<p>I stopped at the Pancake Man, got three large pancakes, and could barely manage a few bites. I saw the Pork Chop Man but wasn't hungry and saw that the line was crazy long anyway. I saw the Banana Bike, but couldn't get a picture. It is a recmbent tandem with a cloth cover that looks like a huge banana. I saw a couple riding a tandem with a sign on the back that said "just married". I saw a guy on a unicycle and a guy on a pennyfarthing. If I see them again I must try to get a picture. I stopped in a town that boasts the largest bicycle in the world. And yes it looks huge.</p>
<p>I have met so many interesting people on this ride, its hard to remember them all. I have seen quite a few children, probably 10 and up. One girl looked particularly unhappy about the ride. I hope she has a better day tomorrow.</p>
<p>The last 5 miles was flat with a headwind, so no coasting. Then I arrived in Atlantic, very ready to be done for the day. But getting to Atlantic wasn't the end. I had to ride another 3 miles up more hills to find the campsite. Fortunately the high school where we are camped held a spaghetti dinner tonight. It was close, convenient, delicious, in the air conditioning, and (the best part) we sat down and they served us. Awesome way to end the day. Now I am relaxing in the shade with a nice breeze. I should sleep well tonight.</p>
</div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-91921112106985873382011-07-23T19:19:00.004-04:002011-07-23T19:30:46.763-04:00Day 0: UpdateWe have arrived in Glenwood after a bit of a delay on I-80 near a town called Menlo. Seems that a few tractor trailers ended up on their sides this morning, blown over by high winds. Even at 2 pm one lane was still closed in each direction as they were working to clear away the carnage.<br /><br />When we arrived at the campsite we stepped off the bus to the feel of ..... opressive humidity. I felt like I was walking in a sauna. When the weather gets this bad in Atlanta we all go hide indoors. But there was no hiding from it here. Tent located, luggage moved, a quick change in to shorts, bike fetched off the truck, and I was ready to explore the RAGBRAI Expo. It was only a mile walk away from the campsite. But believe me after being cooped up in a car and a bus for two days, the walk felt good.<br /><br />Five minutes down the road as I was talking to my wife on the phone, the tornado sirens started sounding. Really? Now in some parts of the country they use those for severe weather too. And a look to the southwest showed that there indeed was some unpleasant weather headed our way. But the closest shelter was actually the high school where I was headed, so I kept walking. And I got there before the downpour. I haven't even started riding yet and this is already an unforgettable adventure.<br /><br />I have also discovered that my phone has no data service in Glenwood. No data service mean I can't update the blog from my phone. So I am sending this update from the Windstream Internet trailer. This also means that my live tracker will probably not be working tomorrow morning. I believe that once I reach Atlantic I will have data service and the updates will start working. Sorry about that.<br /><br />The storm seems to have passed so now I must go in search of some food.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-51948442383001138972011-07-23T09:03:00.001-04:002011-07-23T09:03:19.072-04:00Day 0: Niles to Glenwood<div><p>I spent the night in a hotel near O'Hare airport. The organizers were adamant that the bus would leave Niles at 6 am and not wait for latecomers. I set two alarms just to make sure I woke up on time, and went to bed at a reasonable hour.</p>
<p>At 12:30 I awoke to the sound of thunder and stayed that way as the entire region was pummeled with storms for over 2 hours. I finally got back to sleep but the alarm still woke me before 5. I got ready and called the front desk for a cab. But when I got to the front they told me the cab was not there yet due to flooding. I waited 20 minutes before one was finally able to get through. My cabbie was an interesting fellow with some very colorful language, but he got me to the bus with 5 minutes to spare. As it turned out, the organizers did wait for latecomers as some folks were having difficulty getting there. Some roads were completely flooded out.</p>
<p>We are on our way now, somewhere in western Illinois. I see another thunderstorm in front of us and I sincerely hope they all stay away from Iowa. I am sitting next to a sheet metal worker who retired in May and has ridden 2000 miles since. He is ready for RAGBRAI. With my 600 miles I feel inadequate.</p>
</div>wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-16253354575525936182011-07-21T08:06:00.004-04:002011-07-21T08:14:55.236-04:00Live Tracking for RAGBRAII will be leaving home soon to head to Iowa for the Great Ride. The bike is ready and most everything is packed. I've spent the last few weeks putting together a website that will track my progress. I have an app on my phone that uploads my position at regular intervals, and the website updates its map from that. It will show my route each day during the ride. The success of this tracking will depend on the availability of cell data service along the route, so there may be stretches where the updates won't succeed. I've used this before for rides and had great success, but never in the midst of 10,000 other riders and never in the middle of Iowa. According to my service provider's maps, Sunday may have spotty coverage but the other days look pretty good. Keeping my fingers crossed.<br /><br />The website is <a href="http://www.followbill.org">http://www.followbill.org</a>.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-42830418846344872092011-07-18T20:33:00.004-04:002011-07-18T20:52:29.739-04:006 Days and CountingIn less than 6 days I will begin my big adventure. I will join 10,000 other bicyclists in a 1-week ride across Iowa called <a href="http://ragbrai.com">RAGBRAI</a>. Right now I am making a list and checking it twice, writing down all the things I think I will need for a week in the cornfields, and getting everything ready to pack in my duffel bag.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n558LfKrjMc/TiTT7lh6VQI/AAAAAAAAAMU/cKS43PMD8mU/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n558LfKrjMc/TiTT7lh6VQI/AAAAAAAAAMU/cKS43PMD8mU/s320/IMG_1631.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630858454760051970" /></a>Last week my participants package arrived in the mail. It contained the booklet with all the official information about the ride, my wrist band, my bike's "wrist band", tag for the bike, baggage tag, coupon for my patch, and a few other important items. Opening this packet was a reality check: I'm really doing this ride.<br /><br />We start Sunday July 24 in the town of Glenwood, and we end on Saturday July 30 in Davenport. The 7 day ride will cover 450 miles and visit all sorts of small Iowa towns along the way.<br /><br />I am currently planning on updating this blog every evening from the ride, provided I can get 3G service and assuming I haven't expired from exhaustion. I will also have a live tracking website running so that you can follow my progress across the state. More news about that later this week.<br /><br />I am both excited and apprehensive. Now, back to packing.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-22289662916494276712011-07-04T16:51:00.008-04:002011-07-04T20:16:01.717-04:00Beautiful Ride in the CountryI have three weeks left to get ready for RAGBRAI, and I feel woefully unprepared. I am far away from my goal and don't feel as if I have built up the strength and stamina that I wanted. Nonetheless, I am moving ahead with plans and am prepared to tackle whatever I may face.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Yesterday I went out on one of my favorite rides. This is a 52 mile route that is very popular with the local cyclists and is one of the routes for the "Beautiful Backroads Century" ride in the fall. Anheuser Busch has a plant in Cartersville, GA and has graciously allowed riders to use their parking lot on the weekends as the starting point for this route. The route includes rural Georgia towns like White, Sonoraville, and Cash. Chances are you've never heard of these towns, and that's kind of the point. Auto traffic on the route is very low, and it isn't uncommon to see more bicycles than cars on a Saturday or Sunday morning.<br /><br />I arrived at the parking lot a bit later than I wanted. My plan was to avoid the heat of the day, but I didn't get moving early enough and had to settle for an 8:30 start. As I was getting the bike and myself ready, I picked up my sunglasses only to have the nose bridge fall off. Close inspection revealed that the bridge is held in place with a screw that's about 5 angstroms wide (if you don't know what an angstrom is ... well, it's really really small). I tried putting things back together but since my fingers were about 100 times larger than the screw, the endeavor was quite hopeless. Fortunately several of my fellow cyclists were also getting ready, and one happened to have a set of tiny screwdrivers and was quite happy to share.<br /><br />With the sunglasses crisis out of the way I set out on my ride. These backroads really are beautiful, with pleasant countryside and even some wildlife. At various points along the ride I met up with a rabbit along the side of the road, and watched deer cross the road in front of me. As I was toiling along in the hot sun I saw cows resting in the shade, and considered that perhaps they were a bit wiser than me.<br /><br />I also met some great fellow riders. 17 miles in to the route is the Glade Baptist Church. It is a great stopping point and is also a decision point. Turn left to ride 15 miles back to the parking lot (for a total of 32 miles) or go straight to keep riding on the 52 mile route. I pulled over to take a breather and to contemplate these options. Along came a very friendly group of three riders, all from my hometown. We chatted for awhile and one of them mentioned a Tuesday evening ride near my house which I will have to consider joining occasionally. The group was eager to press on and they departed for the longer route. I decided that I really needed the miles, so I followed.<br /><br />At the midway point in a town called Cash there's a little convenience store. It is a great place to take a "nature break" and to refuel on water and sports drink. Given my generally slow pace I was surprised to pull in to the parking lot and meet up with the group of three again. We chatted some more, shared a large jug of cold water, and then off they went. While I was still replenishing, another couple rolled in. They were probably in their late 60s or early 70s. In my conversation with them I learned that they had just finished 60 of their planned 105 mile route. Amazing! I guess there is hope for me yet.<br /><br />We parted company and I began the long ride back to the car. The second half of the ride always seems harder. Eventually even the wonderful views didn't seem like enough to make up for the heat and the pain. But on I went, dreaming of air conditioning and a nice long shower. What a relief it was to crest the last big hill and enjoy the long downhill ride. 2 miles later, and around 1:30 in the afternoon, I was finally pulling up to my car.<br /><br />As I was loading up to go, another cyclist walked over to me and said "you're Bill, right?" Turned out we had met before on a different ride and he recognized my car. He, too, was from my hometown. Cyclists are a great bunch of folks, eager to help each other, to encourage each other, and just to have a friendly chat.wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1209655727738260566.post-836559481533275842011-06-26T20:02:00.008-04:002011-06-26T21:02:04.581-04:00Cartersville CenturyYesterday I rode 50 miles (well, more like 48) in Cartersville, as part of a charity ride for the Boys and Girls Club. I'm rather partial to this ride as it was the very first group ride I ever did, <a href="http://wnl256.blogspot.com/2009/06/cartersville-century-bike-ride.html">two years ago</a>. I've learned a great deal about riding in those two years, but I really enjoyed going on this route again and finishing it with ease.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kZKNEYPrLOM/TgfPgyayi2I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/di7aA8Lp7AE/s1600/2011-06-25_b_03.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kZKNEYPrLOM/TgfPgyayi2I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/di7aA8Lp7AE/s320/2011-06-25_b_03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622690821992254306" /></a> The morning was foggy, which was a welcome change from the normal June scorcher. The group started at 8 am with several hundred riders waiting at the entrance to Dellinger Park. Police blocked the road to allow all of us to roll out together. It wasn't until the first traffic light about a mile away that we began breaking up in to smaller groups. Once away from Cartersville we rolled by fields and farms, and along tree lined country roads.<br /><br />The 50-mile route is mostly flat with some rolling hills and very few significant climbs. It's a wonderful ride through some very pretty country. At the first rest stop I met up with a nice couple: he was riding a Roubaix and she was on a Ruby, both made by Specialized. So we stuck together for the rest of the ride. The second stretch saw the most significant hills, with two good climbs and one short climb up to a stop sign and a right hand turn. It was on this last hill that the Ruby rider dropped her chain as she downshifted. I was just behind her and to the right getting ready to downshift myself. Unfortunately I let her troubles distract me, didn't get down in to the right gear and got stuck uphill going too slow next to a disabled rider. I tried to pedal through but gravity was against me. Too late, I started to clip out but I met the pavement first. So now I have some ugly road rash on knee and elbow. It will heal soon enough, but my bruised ego will take longer. Chalk it up to experience. Still, I should know better than to get myself stuck in a position like that.<br /><br />The next rest stop was at the Barnsley United Methodist Church. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS4SVKyvdTI/TgfVGVLU9eI/AAAAAAAAAKU/ROTS0bFKBfs/s1600/2011-06-25_b_08.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS4SVKyvdTI/TgfVGVLU9eI/AAAAAAAAAKU/ROTS0bFKBfs/s320/2011-06-25_b_08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622696964535940578" /></a>With the help of the volunteers I patched myself up and loaded up on candy bars. and we replenished our supplies, then set off for the second half of the ride. The skies were still overcast and the temperature was still pleasant. The sun didn't peek out until around 10:30, and didn't really come out in force until after 11. At some point a guy on an S-Works (also made by Specialized) came cranking by and complimented each of us on our bikes: "nice bike!" I, of course, returned the compliment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QH-ZCxhyC-A/TgfQPg9sMII/AAAAAAAAAKM/fUO7peQoukA/s1600/2011-06-25_b_10.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QH-ZCxhyC-A/TgfQPg9sMII/AAAAAAAAAKM/fUO7peQoukA/s320/2011-06-25_b_10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622691624760651906" /></a>After a brief respite at the third rest stop we set out once again for the final 15-mile stretch, doing the outbound route in reverse. The cows were still grazing in their fields, and one looked at us with a curious expression. Coming back in to Cartersville the traffic began to pick up. Riders stopped bothering with the warning "car back" because there was always a car back. The drivers seemed mostly tolerant of us, but they're probably glad this ride only happens once a year.<br /><br />Two years ago I struggled to finish the 48 miles. This time I felt good at the end, like I could have gone on for longer. At the end of the ride we were treated to hamburgers and pizza. And after a morning of riding, they tasted wonderful!wnl256http://www.blogger.com/profile/01657656663976299037noreply@blogger.com0