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It was warmer and much windier today. I went riding once I had my lawns mowed. The wind had the sidewalk traffic to a minimum. I saw two ladies walking and talking and that was it. I rode into the South wind with assist 3. I considered assist level 4 going up the two hills against the wind but toughed it out. Going North on my return leg of the loop gave my legs a chance to recover. It was a good workout today. I rode forty miles.

I thought I'd share some of the scenery. The first pic is a field of soybeans. It has to be close to harvest. There are fields of soy all along my side of the four lane.
Soy.jpg


Across the four lane are fields of freshly picked cotton. My dad picked cotton as a kid. If he was living, he would freak out to see it bailed.
Cotton .jpg
 
It was almost hot this afternoon. There is a chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. The front moving across the area will change the weather pattern rain or no rain. Cooler weather to almost cold weather is in the ten day forecast. Considering the chance of rain, my schedule, and the colder weather, I rode as much as time permitted today.
I mowed my lawns and then rode 37 miles. Though it was warm, it was windy. I didn't ride that hard. The battery drain was battling the wind. I came home and grilled out some burgers. After dinner, I was out riding again. This time I was riding hard. Knowing my time was limited before it got dark, I rode hard in an attempt to get in another two loops. I was back in town with daylight to spare. I rode two cool down loops in town for another 30 miles to log.

I didn't see any riders today. I saw a couple of joggers my early ride and the guy that runs so hard my second ride. Being a week day, I wasn't expecting a lot of traffic on the sidewalk. Area schools were out today and will be out tomorrow for parent - teachers conferences. I thought I might see some younger riders out enjoying the day but I was wrong.
 
I barely got in a ride this afternoon. My sister was late coming over to go to the Verizon store to remove a phone from our plan and to merge her phone into her late husband's phone. That took far longer to accomplish than I would have guessed. By the time we had that done and she saw the kitten she is adopting it was getting late in the afternoon. My son was coming over after he got off work for some beers and conversation so it left little time for riding. I managed one loop and had to call it a day. It was a shame that's all the time I had. Today was likely the last comfortable day to ride. The weather is to turn colder next week. I have no clue when another day in the seventies might happen. I despise winter.
 
The weather is stuck on sixty three degrees and the overnight rain is still sitting where it fell. I am thinking about going riding in spite of it being wet and cooler. I don't anticipate any traffic lol. It is all my fault. I stepped outside to determine the amount of clothing I needed to ride and it started sprinkling. .... sheesh!

I never got the chance to ride. It stayed cool and boggy all day. Bummer
 
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It was a bit cold late this morning when I decided I would ride. The humidity was in the 90's and the road was still wet from yesterday. I was riding a bit before noon and drained a battery before calling it. I rode hard. I was wanting to get home to watch some football and I needed to get home to get my dinner on the smoker. I did see one middle aged woman walking on the sidewalk. I saw her all three loops that I rode. She was the lone traffic besides myself. It wasn't a fun day to be outside so I get it. I only logged 37 miles today. Between riding hard and it being colder, it drained the battery in short order.

Even though I didn't ride yesterday, I replaced the brake pads on the front caliper. They weren't completely worn out but getting close. I thought I might as well put the last set of pads on the bike to match the back that I very recently replaced. I don't like the pads and I don't like the rotors. I will wear these brakes out and go with something that I hope will be better. These brakes not only wear quickly, they sound like a squealing pig.

It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow. The low seventies is predicted. However, there is a 70% chance of rain to spoil the day. The chance of rain is all day long according to my hourly forecast and is accompanied with winds up around the 20 mph range. Riding tomorrow doesn't look favorable but tomorrow the forecast will be different. :)
 
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They pretty much had the wind and rain correct in today's forecast. It rained late morning and then has been raining this evening. Even though we were included in a tornado watch this afternoon, it looked pretty safe and plenty of room between the rains for a ride. I rode three loops and rode a loop in town. I rode by two of my Tuesday lawns to see if they need mowing. This time of year, it's difficult to tell without driving by and giving them the once over. I logged 35 miles and was only wet from the water the front tire flipped up on me.

I don't believe that I've mentioned seeing this woman. I would guess that I see her a bit less than once a month. She is always on one or the other sidewalk just before or just after they cross over the bridge going into the town South. Sometimes she is on my side, the South bound side. Most of the time on the other side of the four lane. I would guess her to be in her later thirties or early forties. She is always under dressed... or scantly dressed.... but not indecent. Today was in the mid sixties and she was wearing shorts and a tight fitting sweater. She is always dancing... yep.. dancing. I can't decide if she is crazy or soliciting. I waved at her the first time I saw her, perhaps a couple of years ago. Waving seemed to step up the dance so I've refrained from the interaction since. Her dance is not provocative and yet it is somewhat. Definitely out of place and eye catching. She has one arm raised above her head and the other around her waist as she turns a slow circle like she has an imaginary hula-hoop around her waist or is a native on a sandy beach in Hawaii. The only other weirdo on the sidewalk besides myself this afternoon.
 
It was misty and cold with a stiff North wind today. I had four lawns to mow and didn't try to mow until it was close to noon. The rain that fell yesterday had the grass wet and the mist wasn't helping matters. I finally just gave up and started mowing the lawns. I was home just before school let out. I changed into my warm riding clothes and was off. It was so miserable riding that I gave it up after two loops. There is something about riding twenty plus miles an hour into a twenty plus mile per hour wind that just isn't fun. It is extra unpleasant when it's misting and only fifty five degrees. I was glad that I got to ride but I was glad when I got back home.
 
It began rather cold but the day turned out very nice. I mowed and put up my Halloween decorations and then enjoyed a three loop ride. It was in the mid sixties and lots of sunshine. I saw four riders on the sidewalk today. Three on traditional bikes and one on a low profile trike.

It seemed a bit odd when I saw a tractor with a three point mower parked on the side of the state highway this past weekend. By the time I was riding today, my side of the highway had been mowed between the two towns. It was way past due to be mowed when it was finally last mowed and didn't need mowed at all today. State money.
 
I mowed my lawns and went riding. It was cold and the air was wet. I only rode two loops and came home. Between sneezing and my nose dripping and my fingers aching and.. it was sprinkling and.. and.. that was enough riding for me today. I saw nobody while riding my brief ride today. I did see one cyclist and a couple of pedestrians in town this morning while I was mowing. It wasn't a good day to be outside.
 
It was cold today. I spent the late morning and early afternoon gathering the materials and building a screen door that I hung on my office entrance. The idea behind the door is to allow the new mother cat and the long time resident cat to hate on one another without fighting. The hope is they might find some some common ground and put up with one another. I'm not up on my cat psychology, I figured they would fight and figure it out. I guess not.

After I finished that honey do, I went riding. It really didn't seem that cold when I was working on the patio. It seemed very cold when I was riding. I have some warmer riding gear that I'll press into service. At 50°, two loops is all I can handle. There wasn't anyone out riding but me. Go figure...
 
It was just above freezing this morning so I enjoyed my coffee before riding. It warmed into the mid fifties and I was out riding. I did see the young lady rider that I've seen a few times. She stopped once thinking I needed assistance. She was on the sidewalk heading North as I was heading South. We acknowledged each other with a wave as we passed. She was the lone traffic besides myself. Mid fifties at riding speed is chilling.

As I mentioned, I have some warmer riding gear. I pressed some into service today. I dressed the same as yesterday but I put my bike pogies on. Some call them mitts. They attach to the handlebars and are open so you can put your hand into them to operate the brakes and gears. They are windproof so they keep the wind off of the hands. They fit loosely so the rider can operate the bike. I suppose a person could put a hand warmer in each. Just choking the wind off of the hands is vast improvement over just wearing the best warm gloves. A combination of the two is as good as it gets riding in the winter.
 
It warmed up so that it was a fantastic day to be outside. I counted eleven cars at the doggie park. I saw at least 16 people on the sidewalk. Walker, joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists were out enjoying the warm weather. It got into the low seventies today and there wasn't diddly for wind. I loved it. I rode three loops after watching the Chiefs game and put the bike up. I would have loved to ride more but I needed the remaining daylight to grill out our dinner. My morning was dedicated to getting my kittens to town for their shots. I rode what I could and will regret watching football today when it is too cold to ride.
 
Another great day of weather today. I actually broke a sweat while trimming the last two yards of the day. They are side by side and have a sidewalk running parallel with the street. There is a lot of trimming and it was in the low seventies. It felt great. I came home, had a bite of lunch and a brew and then went riding. I rode three and a half loops and one cool down loop in town for 39 miles. There was some wind from the South but not a putt off. For a week day, there were a few cyclists on the sidewalk and one on the state highway. There were a couple of ladies walking together and a lone lady walking as well. It was a great day to spend some time outside. Riding was more fun than mowing but it was a great day for both.
 
It was nice today but not as nice as yesterday. It was a few degrees cooler but there was less wind. It seemed about the same as yesterday so I was surprised at the lack of traffic on the sidewalk. I saw nobody today which I thought was odd. I guess they got all of the exercise in the sun they needed yesterday. In any event, I had a great time riding. I rode 39 miles and loved it. Tomorrow is to be cooler and and continue to get cooler daily through the weekend. I plan to get as much riding as possible before it turns super cold again.
 
It just barely got over the seventy degree mark like a kid getting that last chin up. It looked beautiful out but it was super windy. My house is pretty much in the valley of the town. I'm confident the next street East was originally a creek running South. In any event, though it is low here, I logged a 25mph wind gust. Out of town, while riding, the wind was terrible. I was the lone cyclist while I rode seven loops. I hated not to ride, with the temps forecasted to fall as the week progresses. I had nothing to mow today so I rode up two batteries.

There was a sad sight on the sidewalk South today. A buck was struck by a smaller car sometime yesterday evening, or at least after I was through riding. The auto was parked along the road with a tow sticker attached and the Buck is dead on the sidewalk. I'm guessing the deer must have been airborne for around thirty feet before landing there. The speed limit is 60mph, and by the looks of the car, there wasn't much braking before impact. I am guessing the car will be totaled. On one of my many loops, a lady and a younger female were cleaning personal items out of the car. It is sad to see such a beautiful creature dead. I'm sure that the occupants of the car suffered as well. Both airbags had deployed. The worst part for everyone using the sidewalk is the deer is likely to rot where it lays until the foraging wildlife pull it off into the fields to eat. Seeing dead deer along the road and state highway is somewhat gross. They typically bloat as they rot and then they excrete the liquid build up and it is then that they are dragged off to a safe place to eat. For a couple of weeks or so the sidewalk will be impossible to walk or jog. Riding my bike I will be holding my breath.
Sidewalk Buck.jpg
 
Today, it barely got into the sixties. There was less wind but it was chilly. It was in the mid fifties when I went riding. I rode three loops and put the bike up. I didn't see anyone while I was riding. The deer and wrecked car were just as they were yesterday. I expected the car to be towed somewhere by this afternoon. My batteries just don't last as long in the cold. I only rode 31 miles. I wasn't out of battery but I doubt I left five miles assistance in my best battery. I think it's partly do to me riding a bit harder. With no traffic on the sidewalk and a desire to keep warm, I find myself pushing it a little. I'm sure there is also some negative effect with the batteries being cold. Between the two, I'm around ten miles shy of what I was riding when it was hot.

I've been net shopping as well as checking local vendors for some warmer riding bibs. Last winter I rode with some long johns under my riding bibs and jeans over them. I stayed half warm into the forties but low forties was painful. Layers are a great way to fight the cold but none of my leg gear is designed to cut the wind. I can layer my torso and have items that shield me from the wind. I have been shopping for my legs. I finally settled on less product than I wanted but I just can't make myself pay five hundred bucks for a pair of riding pants. I ordered a middle of the line bibs from Pearl Izumi. I went with their AmFib cyclist bib tights. It is unreal what they ask for specialized sports wear. I know they are to not restrict and to keep you warm with minimal weight. I understand that all that comes at an expense. I can't help but think they also know that people that are on the edge of their sport will pay whatever it takes to stay in the game. Skiing and cycling are both sports that come at a cost. Expensive clothing is just part of it.
 
I may not get to ride today. We have a dinner date with my son and his wife. They want to go out super early. They must have something else on their dance card for this evening. It's been cold this morning and now that it is approaching fifty degrees, I'm running out of time. There is an outside chance that I will get home in time to ride before dark but I'm not counting on it. I can only hope.

My fears were realized when my son announced that we were going to shoot some pool after dinner. We took our time eating and enjoying each others company. We then came back to town and went to the local bowling alley and played a few games.
I bet it's been fifteen years or more when I last shot pool. It was fun and man I sucked. I was never great but I was so much better than I shot tonight. That was way back in my bar hopping days. Before my wife domesticated me. In any event, though I had a great time, I didn't get to ride today. I hope to fix that tomorrow.
 
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