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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 291 responses total. |
jep
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response 200 of 291:
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Aug 17 23:29 UTC 2002 |
I shouldn't be in the Washtenaw County phone book, as Tecumseh is in
Lenawee County. (-:
This trip of yours sounds very interesting to me.
Jim, why don't you join us in Tecumseh? I live in Conklin Estates,
just off M-50 on the east side of town. Jim and Sindi will be here on
Saturday.
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keesan
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response 201 of 291:
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Aug 18 01:05 UTC 2002 |
We should be there if we don't break down or get rained out, anyway. (We have
biked in solid rain before, though.) I know you are in Lenawee County as I
went to the library and copied some maps from there. Sounds like an
interesting place to visit and I hope the four of us can do some biking
together on Sunday, maybe to Adrian.
A few things I forgot - patch kit for the camping mats (we used up our glue
last summer and the store is closed tonight), a lid for the small wok (Jim
came up with stainless bowl but it is a bit small - stove fits inside both
of them), old washcloth for bathing with (we packed shampoo to wash with).
Still have to attach the front pannier holders and Jim suspects he left the
bolts and U's on the bike he sold while removing the pannier racks themselves
so will have to make some. Also hope to change his stem to add 3" length as
he is riding a small open-frame bike same size as mine and mine is a bit small
for me. Nobody makes large (men's size) open-frame bikes, unfortunately.
He got the two for which we had longer seatposts, I got the others.
Our friends near Chelsea were expecting us for lunch today ;(. I hope to be
packed tonight but there is a long way to go. At least all the cooking stuff
but the wok lid was in a box. Jim decided to take pepper spray for vicious
dogs but I will have to go first so he can spray behind him and have it not
go in our own eyes and noses. He has taken it before but we always outraced
the attackers. There are no vicious dogs on our route to Independence Lake
but there was one coming back from Bell Road Bridge. Last three times he took
it and never used it.
Have to come up with some bedding suitable for 57-83 degrees and humid. Down
does not work well east of the Mississipi. Polyester is bulky. We may take
light bags and warm clothing to sleep in. Long-sleeve jersey, wool shirt,
hooded sweatshirt, wool socks, long underwear. We stayed warmer in a windy
snowstorm than in 50 degrees and calm due to condensation, in Paw Paw.
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omni
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response 202 of 291:
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Aug 18 04:26 UTC 2002 |
This coming Saturday?? If so, I'll try, no promises. Sat is one of the best
nights, but I may just take that night off since I work so much anyway. Mail
w/ address. I'll email you as to weather or not I will be coming.
omni18@juno.com
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russ
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response 203 of 291:
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Aug 18 13:27 UTC 2002 |
Have I mentioned here how much a wind, even a breeze, slows one down
on a bicycle? I really took a speed hit on my ride today.
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keesan
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response 204 of 291:
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Aug 18 18:27 UTC 2002 |
Try biking in a wind with 40 pounds of bulky gear on the bike.
Hope to see you, omni. We had a couple of nice visits with your sister and
her 'new' computer this week. We are nearly packed. Jim attached the front
pannier racks somehow and is done choosing and packing tents, mats,
groundcloths, bedding, cooking stuff, etc., and currently working on
flashlights. The friend who we are visiting 'this weekend' cancelled Monday
plans so she could spend time with us. Getting ready is half the fun but I
wish it were not half the trip as well. I hope we can make it there for
supper (about a 3 hour trip to near Island Lake). 50 degree lows predicted
which makes for much nicer biking weather.
We will both be highly visible. Jim gets the heavy stuff in a large orange
bag on the back of his bike, and I get the light stuff in an old external
frame orange backpack minus the skeleton, which we were about to get rid of
when Jim started looking for something that would be visible in rain. Rain
possible Monday and Thursday.
Looking forward to visiting with both Johns and maybe seeing the annual
Tecumseh corn festival parade and the llama ranch and gravel pit swimming hole
and the fishes in their tank.
Do any grexers have small lightweight tents that they no longer want?
Something without strings, please, but need not be terribly modern.
And does anyone want a very large blue dome tent without a fly, good for kids
to camp in the yard?
Anyone have unwanted used bike panniers? Ours are getting harder to mend.
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russ
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response 205 of 291:
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Aug 19 22:02 UTC 2002 |
Re #204: The bulk would slow me more than the weight, unless I was
climbing hills; given how little I slow down with even a large reduction
of effort, I'm running at the limits of air drag, not weight or rolling
resistance.
Cooling probably scales proportional to speed, but power expended
against air drag scales as speed cubed. No wonder it's such hot work,
pushing at maximum speed!
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keesan
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response 206 of 291:
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Aug 19 22:40 UTC 2002 |
We arrived just at sunset. I was in lowest gear on the last hill and walked
the last half of it. Jim proved he could bike it.
There are at least three ways for a tent to get wet during a rainstorm:
Rains in the screen door (at an angle).
The groundcloth acts like a bathtub if a bit of it pokes out.
When you zip up the door over the screening then your breath condenses on the
underside of the fly, which since it is contacting the screen roof, then rains
down more puddles from above to join the ones from below.
Down sleeping bags make excellent sponges.
My handlebar stem puts the handlebar at a slight angle with the result that
I have to bike a bit tilted so the seat hits one leg. We will improvise a
fix.
Before leaving my sandal strap broke. Just as I was getting on the bike.
Perfect timing. Jim's toilet also started leaking but he put a bucket under
the tank.
We have discovered two probable bugs in Kermit and Jim just fixed the printer.
Our friend cannot think of any reason to get a faster computer (she has a 486)
or modem (the phone lines only go to 14.4). She is happy rewinding old
typewriter ribbons onto the proper spools for her 9-pin printer. They are
free, paper is $1/box. 256 colors is plenty. We almost feel guilty for
offering her a pentium.
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jmsaul
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response 207 of 291:
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Aug 20 01:10 UTC 2002 |
Unless she has really bad phone lines, they should go faster than that. I
live in the semi-boonies, and I get 23 or 24 using a 56K modem.
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russ
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response 208 of 291:
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Aug 27 00:42 UTC 2002 |
As I predicted, my speed took a big jump on today's ride. (Last time
I didn't sit long enough to drink a full bottle of water before the
return leg, so it wasn't comparable to my usual ride.) I set a new
personal-best record and averaged over 16 MPH.
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jep
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response 209 of 291:
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Aug 27 13:02 UTC 2002 |
How far do you ride at 16 mph, Russ?
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scott
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response 210 of 291:
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Aug 27 13:14 UTC 2002 |
I'm more curious about how flat/hilly Russ rides. My own rides typically have
me varying between ~5 and ~30 mph, due to the local topology.
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bhelliom
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response 211 of 291:
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Aug 27 14:00 UTC 2002 |
Regardless of the topography, keep up the good work, Russ.
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tod
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response 212 of 291:
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Aug 27 15:55 UTC 2002 |
This response has been erased.
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bhelliom
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response 213 of 291:
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Aug 27 16:16 UTC 2002 |
Huron Valley is a very hilly area.
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scott
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response 214 of 291:
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Aug 27 16:49 UTC 2002 |
Yeah, Ann Arbor is not only in the Huron River valley, but glacial terrain
as well.
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bhelliom
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response 215 of 291:
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Aug 27 17:33 UTC 2002 |
We're on the so-called "Ft. Wayne Morraine," I think.
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tod
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response 216 of 291:
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Aug 27 20:59 UTC 2002 |
This response has been erased.
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bhelliom
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response 217 of 291:
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Aug 27 21:15 UTC 2002 |
No, I live in Ann Arbor. The Ft. Wayne Morraine stretches from
somewhere north of A2 all the way to Ft. Wayne, hence the name.
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tod
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response 218 of 291:
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Aug 27 21:21 UTC 2002 |
This response has been erased.
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scott
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response 219 of 291:
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Aug 28 00:00 UTC 2002 |
Yes, I live on top of it, about 1/2 mile from the end.
Gee, I wonder I could organize a big Fort Wayne Morraine convention for next
summer? We could hold it at Hunt Park and have skateboard races down Sunset
where the morraine ends. ;)
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russ
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response 220 of 291:
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Aug 28 03:35 UTC 2002 |
Re #209: About 17 miles or thereabouts. I have no accurate measurement.
I went out for a ride again tonight, because I had the time. I came
back with more kamikaze gnats on my face. It's getting pretty comical.
I'm not willing to tell people where I ride (it's crowded enough
as it is, thanks) but it's fairly flat with the far end somewhat
higher than the one near home; that accounts for part of the
speed difference. I keep forgetting to take my altimeter on a
ride and write down the readings. I have no idea how fast I climb
hills, but I'll bet that I averaged less than 3 MPH going up the
canyon switchbacks. I need to install the bike computer I bought
(and grease all the bearings, and un-bend the chainwheel... <sigh> ).
The last time I rode up Old 23 it took me about 50 minutes to get
to the road which goes to Independence Lake park, and I considered
that to be a picnic, difficulty-wise. The climb out of the valley
is slow but then you have some pretty easy sailing.
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mcnally
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response 221 of 291:
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Aug 28 04:04 UTC 2002 |
"canyon switchbacks"?
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scg
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response 222 of 291:
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Aug 28 05:57 UTC 2002 |
I think Russ must be riding in Cedar Bend Park, since those are the only
switchbacks I can think of on roads in the Ann Arbor area. I'm trying to
remember if there are any switchbacks in Barton Hills, but I don't think there
are.
Hilly is, of course, a relative term. Before I'd spent much time in hilly
areas, I used to think parts of Ann Arbor were hilly. I've had to conclude
since that Ann Arbor is decidedly flat.
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bhelliom
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response 223 of 291:
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Aug 28 12:53 UTC 2002 |
Hmm, so not *quite* north of A2. Learn something new all hte time.
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gull
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response 224 of 291:
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Aug 28 13:37 UTC 2002 |
Ann Arbor is hilly compared to anywhere in the Saginaw Valley. It's not
hilly compared to Houghton. And Houghton is only moderately hilly compared
to San Francisco. (Well, the steepness is about the same, but San
Francisco's hills go on longer.)
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