Don't piss the monkey off

I'd rather be biking.

I would love to try that bike. Dude you rock. I have been working working working, 10 hour days, 7 days a week. I am involved with installing a DCS (Distributed control system) for a electric generator. 150 miles of wire, 7000 connections, 700 points. It's purpose is to control the generation of a turbine boiler megawatt production. My purpose is to see that everything and everybody do their part. But enough of that. I will have about 4 weeks more of this, and then I plan on some serious biking. One of my plans is to do 24 "dirty centuries" among other biking pleasures.

THIS IS MAKING ME DIZZZZZY

ON THE ROAD AGAIN................................

Fortunately I got today off work, last day off in awhile I suspect. So after getting done with typical house chores that build up when you work long hours, I headed out to Heritage Trail.

Doing about 5 mph here, but was glad I didn't have to walk the bike. Lot of rear tire spinning and front tire sliding around. Snow as packed enough I could get some bite with the Nokkian Studs, I think the Endomorph fat tire would have rode well in this today. Never hit the ground once today which is a nice thing to avoid, did slide out a few times but was able to catch myself before smacking down and biffing.

The bridges were slippery due to the rubber mats underneath for snow mobile protection. Some I had to walk.

Turned off the trail here and rode this gravel road. Was hard packed ice, my tires bit good. Going about 13 mph, I have forgotten what it is like to coast, enjoyed, got chilled with the increase in speed and reduced labor.

Weee, getting spoiled now on pavement, going 18 mph, and it's been well over a month that I've gone that fast, feel like a speed demon. Riding snow covered trail has been a good work out. You have to push yourself all the way, tires bury in and takes extra work to keep em moving. There is no coasting, you stop pedaling you stop moving. I've learned to enjoy all four Iowa seasons for bicycling, each one has it's own pleasures.

Peace and happy rides.

Dave

Watch the Video

Check out Dave Wiens, watch the video. Impressive.

Put a little extra kick in your pedal

Been work, work, working all week. I will be working 7 days a week 10 hour days for the next 5 weeks. Would rather be bike, bike, biking. However that is not an option. Installing and programing a DCS system. Million dollars plus project. Well I will "get er" done and get back to some serious biking.
Enjoy your ride.
Dave

Broken Bridges

Crossing broken bridges

Check this place out

I would like to try this bike out, full body work out.

Check this place out Indoor biking.

Drunken Snakes

I turned around and looked at my tire tracks in the snow. They looked like a couple of drunken snakes were weaving around in the snow. My tires were reluctant to bite at all. I was sliding and weaving all over the place. 6 to 8 inches of soft snow on top of glare ice. My tires would spin on the soft snow, but my studs couldn't bite down on the ice with all the loose snow between the studs and the hard ice. I couldn't keep my front tire in a straight path. It was a very hard pedal, I found it necessary to push my bike quite often. A ball busting workout. I was looking forward to seeing a lot of Triple D tracks, but with the fresh snow and all the snowmobiles there was very little evidence left of all the hard work laid down by all the biking brothers and sisters the day before.

This bridge crossing.


I stopped and watched the Snow Boarders at Sundown for awhile. My son Josh was over there, somewhere.
I pulled over several times for lots of snowmobiles. I waved, and they waved back. Somehow I felt connected to them in some way. I am not sure why. Not the same kind of connection you feel with other bikers. Like when it's 5 degrees out and you run into someone else biking. Or it's pouring down rain, your wearing your rain gear and enjoying the ride and you run into another biker doing the same.

Sign sign everywhere a sign,

Peace and happy rides.

My plans tomorrow

Worked a long day at work today. Picture shows my plans tomorrow. Hope to spend most the day light hours on a bicycle tomorrow.

Here is a nice set of....................................

bicycle tires. What did you think I meant????? HUH...!!!

I want one of these............see bottom picture

Now this indoor trainer would rock. I want one. But I will settle for the rollers and weights tonight in the corner of my basement. This looks great but it doesn't compare to flying down some gravel road, like the top picture, or out on some county road and you have all day, and your on your bike.

I just want to ride my bicycle.......

Did the typical indoor thing after work, spin and weights. I enjoy all seasons of outdoor biking. Winter has it's challenges, but you learn and adapt and get out as much as you can. I'm working extra hours up through Saturday, so Sunday will be the first day I can get out. I hope to spend most the daylight Sunday with my ass on a bike. I would have liked to have been a volunteer for Triple D, if your free this Saturday contact Lance LanceAndre@hotmail.com and find out where he can use you, it's worth the cause, he and others dedicate a lot of time and effort for a well run winter race, bike/ski/run.

Camouflaged

Camouflaged My Trek XO2 great dirt trail bike. Not enough tire for deeper snows.

Indoor spin and weights tonight after work.

SunDays Ride

WOW the final product. Great job on building the bridge. BILL FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

Ran into Karl skiing when I started out we both said this was nuts. But we couldn't help ourself

Sun setting starting to get dark fast.

Beautiful late afternoon for a ride. Ice was hard packed. Studs bit good, was able to ride on the ice 15 mph, no sharp turns, got thrown off the bike once.


Headed home.

All done, 14 degrees F and would have rode somemore if I had lights.

Call it madness, call it what you like.

Well my first intent was to ride outdoors today. Stepped out on my sidewalk, feet slipped out in front of me. My street was solid ice. So thought, well........I'll ride indoors push the pace to end the guilt and ride with endorphins. So rode a hard pace for 40 minutes, afterwards took a look outside and thought........I gotta ride outdoors today. So I am waiting for my honey to get home from work so I can tell her I'm leaving and shall be back. She is starting to call my bikes, "my girlfriends" now what is up with that? Oh this is a picture of one my bikes watching TV with me. :-)~

BridgeBuilder

I see snowboarders over there this is Sundown Ski across the creek.

On the road again.

Look ma no hands


I fell down go boom. I caught a rut, threw me to the left, I saw soft snow and rolled towards it. Beautiful day for a ride, the ice ruts kept you on your toes or on your ass was the other option. That made for fun riding.

Bill the bridge Builder. If you see Bill thank him, and nominate him for sainthood. He is making a way to get across the section where both him and I got wet feet New Years Day when we broke through the ice and into the creek. Now with this section navigable it opens up the other half of the trail without having to ride pavement.

ColdFoot

Headed out of town on the edge of town.

After enjoying a ride of frozen trail, almost losing it a couple of times when front tire would catch a rut, there is this broken bridge, If I can get bike and me across it will give me about 30 more miles out and back of trail to ride. So I climbed to the bottom without bike to check it out. I stepped on what I thought was a small puddle and my foot broke through and went knee deep into creek water. My foot, sock, shoe, and shoe cover was totally soaked and I was a hour at least from home, at 20 F degrees and windy.

So I pour the water out of my shoe, wring my sock out, find a large sandwich baggie in my bike pack to put my foot in, put sock, shoe and shoe cover on and head home to see if I can keep from a getting a frozen toesicle. NO I said T-O-E sicle

Well made it home with no problem except a good ride cut short.



I've seen this owl in this area a couple of times. I hope Mr Owl died of natural causes and somebody didn't shoot him just to be shooting at something. R.I.P.
I'm thinking about a "snow century" this weekend, coffee cup material if ya know what I mean.