Country Views: Gravel Home From Work

 It was a very warm and humid day Saturday

 Saturday was a scheduled day of work in the morning at Andy's Bike Shop since the shop was supporting a ride connected with the Iowa Irish Festival. So, I spent the morning at the shop and waited on a few customers. My plan was to take the more gravelly path home from work once Andy arrived back to the shop from doing the ride support. 

Normally I do not take the long way home from work, but I had two really good reasons to do so on this occasion. One- I have a product on the bike which is under 'embargo' until August 17th, so I cannot talk about that just yet. I also have one of the tool rolls on this bike which is another thing getting reviewed. Secondly- I have to get in as much hot, humid weather riding as I can before Gravel Worlds so I am acclimated to that as best as I can be. I don't think it's a big problem, but- you know - just covering my bases here. 

You don't see too many farm houses like this in Iowa. Located on Leversee Road North of Cedar Falls.

I ended up getting off work a little after noon and headed out North of Cedar Falls on bicycle path and chip seal roads until I got across Dunkerton Road on Leversee Road where it turns to gravel. A bit further North I passed by an unusual farm house made of hewn blocks of stone. I am fairly familiar with this property as I almost bought it way back in the early 1990's!

It was up for public auction at the time and so I went as far as going to inspect it and everything. The home was in desperate need of updating back then, but oh what a specimen! It's walls are solid stone about two feet thick and the interior is all polished wood- or it was that that time. Anyway, I got outbid on it, so it belongs to someone else these days. Still- a beautiful farm house and I still really like it. 

Augers sitting in a row at a rural auger sales lot on Mount Vernon Road and Streeter Road

You can see a long ways off from the hill at Streeter Road on Mount Vernon Road looking East.

I'm not 100% sure what I did, but I think in my zealousness to test the Ti Muk with that new Answer handle bar I tweaked my right knee a bit. Could have been the wider stance of the cranks, bad foot positioning on the flat pedals, or.....something. But when I woke up for work Saturday my right knee was not happy! Now I haven't ridden that fat bike in a week, so maybe this was something else, but I cannot find another reason why.

Anyway, it was an issue going home unless I rolled my right foot inward a bit, then it was perfect. No pain. But if I let my knee drift outward and if I allowed my foot to sit flat inside my shoe? Pain. Not good! 

A quick stop at Mt. Vernon Cemetery. (Note- you cannot see the secret in this shot, so don't bother looking!)

The new solar farm on Burton Avenue looks close to completion.

Well, I had to consciously force my right leg over to the left all the way home, but it worked and there was no pain in the knee. I'll have to watch this issue and maybe tweak my cleat position on the right foot a bit to accommodate this.In the meantime, I think I'll be spending a lot more time on the Black Mountain Cycles bike until Gravel Worlds comes up, or my knee gives out! Whichever comes first!