Biking the Hoosier Uplands, Summer 2008

Here is my Fall 07 blog post for the IU Newsletter, “Fit for Life”.

May 27, 2007

We spent quite a while messing with my bike before leaving, it had a back tire flat, and I had buy new rubber and put it on with Jojo’s help. But I got the tire a little too wide, and had to take it back, and we finally got it changed out at the Bike Garage, they rock for sure, to get it done at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon. We got back and in place, including the complex connection for the internal hub. Then it rained like crazy for a while, it was not looking good, all the signs were against a good ride. As it turned out to be one of the best of the year, I have to say that perserverance and working through problems in a relaxed yett persistant manner can lead to amazing results.

So it was a late start, and when we got to Jackson Creek School we heard rain coming in, then felt it, and we sprinted for the school, where we hid under the overhang by the nearest door. There were about 8 guys down in the field playing softball, the rain did not bother them, they kept playing…for a while. After about 5 minutes of downpour, the lightening picked up, and a blast of wind and water came right at us, pushing us against the doorway, it must have be at least 40mph when it came in. Then it was tropical downpour for another 5 minutes, then sunshine.

We took off, rode up the hill and headed to Harrell, we ate up some miles till Stipp Rd, and were a bit cautious coming down the hill as it was wet. We got to the lake, dipped our bikes into the water and gazed out yonder over the water. We saw something out in the water, maybe someone in a small inflatable, but they he stood up and started paddling towards us. We stood there amazed as Bill (see Feb 11 ride), who we had seen on his surfboard last year, but did not get to talk to him till we met him on this year’s ice trip.

So when Bill asked if we wanted to try it out, what do you think we said?

Jojo took the board out one more time while Bill got his truck and dog Rosa, the most amazing swimmer I have ever seen, what an amazingly well trained dog. Bill got his board loaded just as another storm came tearing through, we hid under a couple of cedars, but after a while there was no hiding, it was just plain wet. So as so as it let up enough to see we headed out, and up the hill to 446. We felt fine, certainly no problems with heat, so we kept going to Pine Grove, which was incredibley beautiful with the fog hanging over distant ridges. We waited out a final storm in the woods, then headed home, not tired, but exilerated by our wettest ride of the year.

Weather: Sun, clouds, rain, wind and calm. Several serious storms, we needed the rain! Temp: 65-80 degrees.

Flora/Fauna: High-backed box turtles crossing the road, they do this every time it rains in summer. We scared a buzzard along the roadside who flew up along with us for a while, then winged off into the woods, barely making it between two trees, the yelling at us as we went by. I remembered a recent new article about a cyclist being attacked by a buzzard in England and kept pedaling. There were so many smells, we just could not identify all the various scents, but with sweet earthy smell of new rain, the flowers’ aromas hung in pockets all along the road.

Route: Bike route to Rhorer Rd at Sare Rd., east to Harrell, south to Moffett, east again past Handy and down Stipp Rd. to the lake. Up Schwartz Ridge to 446, south to Pine Grove Rd, which we rode to th end. Back up Pine Grove and 446 to town.

Distance: 35 miles

Hope I don’t get into some self-referencing loop, but here I goes: I wrote a blog post for IU that went out in the email newsletter, Active for Life. In the intro to the post, Tracy James, the editor, describes me a “canoodling Mother Nature” on my rides. I looked it up, and it ain’t bad! That blog post references this blog, so round it goes:
Mitch’s 1st IU blog post

When I started working for the Bloomington Voice in the late 90’s I was thoroughly tired of driving the streets of Bloomington as I had for the last 15 years as a building contractor. A day with only one trip the lumberyard was rare, and jobs were scattered in every direction.

While we live just south of the campus, the Voice office was on S. Old 37, just north of Rhorer Rd., so I bought an old 3 speed Raleigh like I had as a kid in the early 60’s. I rode that every day for about a year till we moved downtown. It got in much better shape, and started doing short rides like riding out to Griffey and up the hill to Bethel lane, and back across to Cascades and into town. I kept expanding, but needed a better bike, and so bought a Trek hybrid. This was great for commuting, but I also started riding 2-3 times a week for 25-45 miles, I averaged about 200 mi/week for several months. That winter I not only felt all that riding in my wrists, but also in my neck, which was unbearable for several weeks. I related this to my posture while riding coupled with new work on a computer while using my bifocals, I was holding my head back to use the bifocals in just the same way as I held my head while riding.

So I tried out Kevin Atkin’s recumbents that spring, and I was sold. You don’t understand how uncomfortable bike riding is till you try a recumbent. No wrist pain or numbness, no neck pain, and no pressure and numbness in the crotch. I’ve been riding it ever since, both in town and for long rides. People ask if it is harder to ride, and the answer is yes and no. There are definately different skills needed, everything is done with the legs, no help from your weight (you can’s stand up to pump), and you can’t pull on the handlebars. You need skill in shifting, and balance can be a problem, but only in the beginning.

So to answer the question at the top, why ride? I got tired of driving, I realized how much fun riding can be, it was cheaper, and I got to spend more time outside now that I worked in an office. Plus I lost some weight and lowered my blood pressure and increased my aerobic capacity.

Underneath all this was the connection I see between our energy needs and war and environmental degradation. I see a non-car life style as both possible and desirable. We moved from our country home on the premise that we could afford to pay more in the city if we were eliminating 175 miles/week, which also freed up 3-4 hours time. I am not paying the increasing price for gas, and I get so hear the cranes migrate and see a fox running through the grass just outside town. My life and lifestyle are enhanced by my bike riding, if you want to try any of my many routes, just let me know.

This is my bike journal to track routes, mileage, wildlife, plantsweather, etc during my rides in the Bloomington, Indiana region, aka the Hoosier Uplands. I often ride with my pal Jojo, we are both over 50 and no longer racing through life. But we are still traveling, at about 12 mph on most weekends, up and down the ridges and valleys of Monroe and our surrounding counties, in all types of weather conditions.