Country Views: Up Against It- Back With It

Escape Route: 2nd Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.

Man! Tuesday was brutal! Humidity up the wazoo and hot to boot. One of those 'your sweating just standing still' kind of days. My son's graduation saw me get all gussied up in a suit and I tell ya....it wasn't comfortable! But regarding the occasion I wore it for, it was totally worth it. 

Overnight the air swapped out to a Canadian source and with that, a much lower humidity and temperature. Wednesday dawned bright, clear, and comfortable with a strong breeze from the Northwest. I knew I had an errand to run in the morning and I wanted to stay and eat lunch with my two children who weren't in school anymore. So, I did that and at 2:00pm I was finally ready to roll out from G-Ted Headquarters for a short ride up North first. Go into the wind, roll home with it. That was the plan. 

The breeze was coming at what the weather people claimed was a 22mph steady stream with higher gusts. Honestly, I felt no gusting. Just a blast from the Northwest that was loud in the ears. Oh well! At least it wasn't beastly humid and the temperature was in the upper 70's, so really nice.

Burton Avenue- Clean lines and fast, despite the headwind.

Rolling up Burton to the intersection with Mt Vernon Road here.

I decided to dust off the ol' Raleigh Tamland Two. It is a red, white, and blue scheme in terms of its looks, and with Memorial Day weekend coming, why not use it? Seemed like the proper thing to do. 

I had to re-up the sealant, since I have not used this bike since last Fall when I was still on 'The Quest'. Once that was done it was ready to go, and it worked flawlessly for my ride. I always forget how touchy and powerful those Tektro hydraulic brakes on this bike are. I mean, I can stop using my pinky off the hoods position, if I wanted to! It took a few stops before I adjusted my pulling power on my hands! 

The fields are slowly turning greener.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to hold a good pace up most of the climb up out of the Cedar Valley. There was a few downshifts, but considering the resistance put up by the wind, I was happy with how I was going. 

When I reached St. Paul's at the corner of Gresham Road and Burton Avenue, I'd had enough of going North!

I guess the 'new trend' is "big tires and drop bars". Hmm.... Meet my 2014 Raleigh Tamland!

By the time I had reached St. Paul's Church on Burton Avenue I had decided that I had had enough of headwinds. It was time for some relief and a right turn downhill on Gresham Road. Man! That white noise of the wind rushing by my ears was gone and I could finally hear the crunch of gravel underneath my poofy sized Vee Tire Rocketman tires. 

I must have just missed the dump truck! Freshies on Moline Road North of C-57 here.

Someone is erecting a ginormous machine shed on Moline Road and C-57 here.

I decided I only wanted to do a two to three hour ride, especially after working hard into that big wind. So, I turned back South on Moline Road and even with fresh gravel, I was flying. It was almost too easy! I was reminded of that time in Kansas when I did a ride up North into a stiff wind and came back on a mighty tailwind. I coasted a full country mile that day! I didn't quite pull that off Wednesday, but I was coasting far more than pedaling there for a bit until I got into the rollers South of Dunkerton Road. 

Back to clean tracks and loads of speed running with the wind.

Looking back the way I came at Moline Road's namesake- The Moline-Anderson Farm.

It didn't take long to roll out of the fresh gravel and I found myself on speedy, clean tracks which raised my speeds even more. The Vee Tire Rocketman tires were humming like bias ply truck tires! I made a short stop for a few images I needed to get but then it was back on the bike and my ride on gravel was soon over.

I still had to get back home, so I snaked my way through the North parts of Waterloo, crossed the Cedar River, and was back home shortly after 4:00pm. Not quite as long as I had hoped for, but later on, my legs were barking and I was tired. I knew that the heat, wind, and hills had given me a lot in those two hours of riding. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was grateful for the time regardless.

Country Views: Up Against It- Back With It

Escape Route: 2nd Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.

Man! Tuesday was brutal! Humidity up the wazoo and hot to boot. One of those 'your sweating just standing still' kind of days. My son's graduation saw me get all gussied up in a suit and I tell ya....it wasn't comfortable! But regarding the occasion I wore it for, it was totally worth it. 

Overnight the air swapped out to a Canadian source and with that, a much lower humidity and temperature. Wednesday dawned bright, clear, and comfortable with a strong breeze from the Northwest. I knew I had an errand to run in the morning and I wanted to stay and eat lunch with my two children who weren't in school anymore. So, I did that and at 2:00pm I was finally ready to roll out from G-Ted Headquarters for a short ride up North first. Go into the wind, roll home with it. That was the plan. 

The breeze was coming at what the weather people claimed was a 22mph steady stream with higher gusts. Honestly, I felt no gusting. Just a blast from the Northwest that was loud in the ears. Oh well! At least it wasn't beastly humid and the temperature was in the upper 70's, so really nice.

Burton Avenue- Clean lines and fast, despite the headwind.

Rolling up Burton to the intersection with Mt Vernon Road here.

I decided to dust off the ol' Raleigh Tamland Two. It is a red, white, and blue scheme in terms of its looks, and with Memorial Day weekend coming, why not use it? Seemed like the proper thing to do. 

I had to re-up the sealant, since I have not used this bike since last Fall when I was still on 'The Quest'. Once that was done it was ready to go, and it worked flawlessly for my ride. I always forget how touchy and powerful those Tektro hydraulic brakes on this bike are. I mean, I can stop using my pinky off the hoods position, if I wanted to! It took a few stops before I adjusted my pulling power on my hands! 

The fields are slowly turning greener.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to hold a good pace up most of the climb up out of the Cedar Valley. There was a few downshifts, but considering the resistance put up by the wind, I was happy with how I was going. 

When I reached St. Paul's at the corner of Gresham Road and Burton Avenue, I'd had enough of going North!

I guess the 'new trend' is "big tires and drop bars". Hmm.... Meet my 2014 Raleigh Tamland!

By the time I had reached St. Paul's Church on Burton Avenue I had decided that I had had enough of headwinds. It was time for some relief and a right turn downhill on Gresham Road. Man! That white noise of the wind rushing by my ears was gone and I could finally hear the crunch of gravel underneath my poofy sized Vee Tire Rocketman tires. 

I must have just missed the dump truck! Freshies on Moline Road North of C-57 here.

Someone is erecting a ginormous machine shed on Moline Road and C-57 here.

I decided I only wanted to do a two to three hour ride, especially after working hard into that big wind. So, I turned back South on Moline Road and even with fresh gravel, I was flying. It was almost too easy! I was reminded of that time in Kansas when I did a ride up North into a stiff wind and came back on a mighty tailwind. I coasted a full country mile that day! I didn't quite pull that off Wednesday, but I was coasting far more than pedaling there for a bit until I got into the rollers South of Dunkerton Road. 

Back to clean tracks and loads of speed running with the wind.

Looking back the way I came at Moline Road's namesake- The Moline-Anderson Farm.

It didn't take long to roll out of the fresh gravel and I found myself on speedy, clean tracks which raised my speeds even more. The Vee Tire Rocketman tires were humming like bias ply truck tires! I made a short stop for a few images I needed to get but then it was back on the bike and my ride on gravel was soon over.

I still had to get back home, so I snaked my way through the North parts of Waterloo, crossed the Cedar River, and was back home shortly after 4:00pm. Not quite as long as I had hoped for, but later on, my legs were barking and I was tired. I knew that the heat, wind, and hills had given me a lot in those two hours of riding. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was grateful for the time regardless.

Just Passing Through

Wesley and his Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike.

 On Monday when I arrived at work at Andy's Bike Shop I was running the show alone for the morning hours. It was a good thing that I have had almost 45 years of working with customers at a retail level under my belt because things started off with a bang. The phone was going nuts and I had multiple people on the sales floor several times throughout the morning. One of the calls I fielded was a bit unusual. 

The caller was obviously outside, judging by the wind noise I could discern during our conversation. It turned out I was correct because the caller was on the road near Denver, Iowa on a self-supported bicycle tour. He needed assistance with a poorly behaving rear derailleur and a wheel that was wiggly. I gave him the thumbs up to make an appearance at the shop whenever he could get there that afternoon. 

Eventually, after a couple of hiccups finding the place, a young man with an orange bicycle, laden with baggage, and sporting an American flag slid in through the front door. His name was Wesley, and he had a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross, just like mine! Right down to the same size and everything. Pretty amazing right there. Wesley marveled at the fact that I had an identical frame and fork to his and then I got the heavily laden rig up into the stand to have a look. 

We got him sorted- a loose rear cable and a broken spoke turned out to be his issues with the bike, and then we had time to chat a bit. Andy had showed up by this time, and Wesley got our photograph for his You Tube video channel documenting his journey. Eventually he is to hook up with a companion traveler and together they are going to go to California via bicycle. Wesley thought the trip should consume about two months time. 

I told Wesley that if we were part of his story, he had to be part of mine, so he graciously posed for a photograph, and well, here is the story. I was pretty interested in his situation, having done a similar trip by bicycle twice in my life, (See "The Touring Series" link below the header above for those stories), but nothing cross country to California. That is a big adventure! I wish Wesley and his companion well! Hopefully they have some awesome, life altering-in-a-good-way type experiences along their way.

Just Passing Through

Wesley and his Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike.

 On Monday when I arrived at work at Andy's Bike Shop I was running the show alone for the morning hours. It was a good thing that I have had almost 45 years of working with customers at a retail level under my belt because things started off with a bang. The phone was going nuts and I had multiple people on the sales floor several times throughout the morning. One of the calls I fielded was a bit unusual. 

The caller was obviously outside, judging by the wind noise I could discern during our conversation. It turned out I was correct because the caller was on the road near Denver, Iowa on a self-supported bicycle tour. He needed assistance with a poorly behaving rear derailleur and a wheel that was wiggly. I gave him the thumbs up to make an appearance at the shop whenever he could get there that afternoon. 

Eventually, after a couple of hiccups finding the place, a young man with an orange bicycle, laden with baggage, and sporting an American flag slid in through the front door. His name was Wesley, and he had a Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross, just like mine! Right down to the same size and everything. Pretty amazing right there. Wesley marveled at the fact that I had an identical frame and fork to his and then I got the heavily laden rig up into the stand to have a look. 

We got him sorted- a loose rear cable and a broken spoke turned out to be his issues with the bike, and then we had time to chat a bit. Andy had showed up by this time, and Wesley got our photograph for his You Tube video channel documenting his journey. Eventually he is to hook up with a companion traveler and together they are going to go to California via bicycle. Wesley thought the trip should consume about two months time. 

I told Wesley that if we were part of his story, he had to be part of mine, so he graciously posed for a photograph, and well, here is the story. I was pretty interested in his situation, having done a similar trip by bicycle twice in my life, (See "The Touring Series" link below the header above for those stories), but nothing cross country to California. That is a big adventure! I wish Wesley and his companion well! Hopefully they have some awesome, life altering-in-a-good-way type experiences along their way.

Riding Off Into The Sunset

My son and my wife walking off after his last vocal concert.

Sunsets. They can be beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, and memorable. They also can signify endings, since it marks the end of a day for us. Well, myself and my family have reached a pretty memorable 'ending' today. 

It's the graduation from high school for my son. The last child of mine to make that walk across a stage to get a diploma from public school. That's a pretty big deal for us here.

But while it is the end of one thing it marks the beginning of other things as well. What exactly those things might be, we all are not sure. Only thing I know is that my son is excited to go to a tech program at a local community college this Fall. 

This is one of the big reasons I stepped back from promoting and doing events. To be 'there' for my kids and wife at this time of their lives means a lot to them, and obviously it does to me as well. I've stated this as a reason I 'retired' from putting on events several times, and well, as I walked off behind my wife and my son last night after his final vocal performance in his high school career, I knew I had done the right thing.  

I get the whole sentiment attached to my old event called "Trans Iowa". All I have to do is mildly hint at maybe, possibly doing it again and someone hops on and comments something to the effect of "Do it!", and whatnot. But I also understand that they are just being selfish. It has nothing to do with the reasons why I stopped doing that stuff. The sun set on that era of my life, and like my son now, I am looking forward to whatever is down the road for me. 

Sure, like my son might do later on, I look back and wonder what it might be like to be doing those things again, but really, that's a big waste of time, and I hope he, nor myself, ever get caught up in that way of thinking. The past means never going back again. I'm okay with that.......because I have a future to be excited about.  So does my son. 

Sunsets. Enjoy them while they are happening. But get a move on in the morning. Time is not going backward. 

Riding Off Into The Sunset

My son and my wife walking off after his last vocal concert.

Sunsets. They can be beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, and memorable. They also can signify endings, since it marks the end of a day for us. Well, myself and my family have reached a pretty memorable 'ending' today. 

It's the graduation from high school for my son. The last child of mine to make that walk across a stage to get a diploma from public school. That's a pretty big deal for us here.

But while it is the end of one thing it marks the beginning of other things as well. What exactly those things might be, we all are not sure. Only thing I know is that my son is excited to go to a tech program at a local community college this Fall. 

This is one of the big reasons I stepped back from promoting and doing events. To be 'there' for my kids and wife at this time of their lives means a lot to them, and obviously it does to me as well. I've stated this as a reason I 'retired' from putting on events several times, and well, as I walked off behind my wife and my son last night after his final vocal performance in his high school career, I knew I had done the right thing.  

I get the whole sentiment attached to my old event called "Trans Iowa". All I have to do is mildly hint at maybe, possibly doing it again and someone hops on and comments something to the effect of "Do it!", and whatnot. But I also understand that they are just being selfish. It has nothing to do with the reasons why I stopped doing that stuff. The sun set on that era of my life, and like my son now, I am looking forward to whatever is down the road for me. 

Sure, like my son might do later on, I look back and wonder what it might be like to be doing those things again, but really, that's a big waste of time, and I hope he, nor myself, ever get caught up in that way of thinking. The past means never going back again. I'm okay with that.......because I have a future to be excited about.  So does my son. 

Sunsets. Enjoy them while they are happening. But get a move on in the morning. Time is not going backward. 

Country Views: Flower Power

Escape Route: The view across from Prairie Grove Park.

 What a week here in the world where "Guitar Ted Productions" is. Rain, rain, and more rain all week with skies so gloomy that I would have thought it was November but for the greenery. When the Sun finally popped out late Friday afternoon it was.....odd! Welcomed, for sure, but oddly bright and blinding. 

So, Saturday was originally going to be partly cloudy and pretty nice, but, you know.....we're talking about weather. How it really happens sometimes is not at all what we're told to expect. So, by Friday I learn that it is going to be cloudy and that there was a chance for rain. Okay......what about Sunday? Well, cloudy, but no rain, so I'm good with that. Saturday ended up becoming beautiful by mid-afternoon, (of course) and instead of a bicycle ride I mowed the lawn, because it rained all last week! 

So, Sunday rolls around and now it might rain by noon? Sheesh! I scramble and get out there for a relatively decent ride, short, but decent, by 9:00am. The bike was my Twin Six Standard Rando and the gear I wore was your typical Summertime kit, finally! No more nods to cold weather again for a while, I hope. This time the escape route was from Prairie Grove Park, and I was heading South since the wind was out of the Southwest. 

The roads were pretty smooth and fast since all the gravel was smoothed out during the week by rain.

The barns near the corner of Aker and Griffith Road are slowly decaying away with the years.

Heading South wasn't actually too bad since the wind was more Westerly than Southerly. I made good time on super-smooth roads which were smoothed out by traffic pushing the stones down into the base, which would have been pretty softened up by the rains last week. Now all that had dried and hardened into a smooth, almost 'soft-cement' kind of surface which is what we call 'hero-gravel' around here. 

Flowers near an old farmstead. I'm sure these were planted by former residents who once lived on this spot.

These wild little yellow blossoms on tall, bare stems were seen fluttering in the breeze Sunday.

If you've been around here long, you may remember that I love the wild flowers in the ditches and alongside trails here in Iowa. Well, the mighty, pesky dandelion is always the leader in the fields here, but they fade away soon enough and the real show begins soon after. I noted several patches of color on this ride, some of which I documented for the post today. 

One of my favorite 'rest stops' near the corner of Quarry Road and Aker Road.

These iris flowers probably were from a planting- not native.

It occurred to me that many of the flowers I am seeing now may actually mark the spots where old homesteads once were. It is no secret that farms were much more numerous in the early 20th Century in Iowa. I do know of one farm home that used to be occupied on Aker Road. It had a family with children and was fairly active. Then one day riding South I noted the house had been damaged by fire. It wasn't long before the place was abandoned, the house razed to the ground, and now nothing but a few out buildings mark the spot. Well, that and the flowers near the old drive way in the ditch. 

It made me wonder. Will there come a day when nothing will be out here but warehouses holding drones and robotic farm implements which are remotely controlled? Will the rural areas devolve into a faceless, empty agricultural landscape where people are rarely seen anymore? Will there be nothing to mark their passing but a few random flower patches and an old decaying barn or two? 

Will this culture, like that of the Native Americans before it, become a mere shadow of the past? Memories written down somewhere will document the decline and fading away. Digital files will exist somewhere that hardly anyone will bother to dig up. All will pass eventually....

A little flash of lavender in a field of green

A flash of soft pink amongst some decaying plant matter

Hmm....." ...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Yeah. No need to answer those questions. Just getting through this time is hard enough without thinking about all of that 'future' stuff! So, I pedaled onward.......

The planting all done, these implements are at rest while the corn grows.

The skies got a little heavier as I approached the end of my ride.

 

So, eventually I reached the end of my ride after passing a random single woman pushing a child in a stroller right up the middle of Hoff Road. Weird. She was pleasant and returned my greeting, so that was nice. As I approached the more civilized edges of Waterloo, I felt rain drops. "Gee....I hope she and that kid don't get caught in the rain!"

But there was nothing to fear. That few drops of precipitation was all the "rain by noon" amounted to. Why do I listen to the weather reports again? Then as things wound up I saw an approaching cyclist. As the biker came closer I realized it was "Tomcat" who posts comments here from time to time. (Hello again, by the way!) 

So, a quick little ride. Nice that my right knee felt perfect. That's a first for 2021.

Country Views: Flower Power

Escape Route: The view across from Prairie Grove Park.

 What a week here in the world where "Guitar Ted Productions" is. Rain, rain, and more rain all week with skies so gloomy that I would have thought it was November but for the greenery. When the Sun finally popped out late Friday afternoon it was.....odd! Welcomed, for sure, but oddly bright and blinding. 

So, Saturday was originally going to be partly cloudy and pretty nice, but, you know.....we're talking about weather. How it really happens sometimes is not at all what we're told to expect. So, by Friday I learn that it is going to be cloudy and that there was a chance for rain. Okay......what about Sunday? Well, cloudy, but no rain, so I'm good with that. Saturday ended up becoming beautiful by mid-afternoon, (of course) and instead of a bicycle ride I mowed the lawn, because it rained all last week! 

So, Sunday rolls around and now it might rain by noon? Sheesh! I scramble and get out there for a relatively decent ride, short, but decent, by 9:00am. The bike was my Twin Six Standard Rando and the gear I wore was your typical Summertime kit, finally! No more nods to cold weather again for a while, I hope. This time the escape route was from Prairie Grove Park, and I was heading South since the wind was out of the Southwest. 

The roads were pretty smooth and fast since all the gravel was smoothed out during the week by rain.

The barns near the corner of Aker and Griffith Road are slowly decaying away with the years.

Heading South wasn't actually too bad since the wind was more Westerly than Southerly. I made good time on super-smooth roads which were smoothed out by traffic pushing the stones down into the base, which would have been pretty softened up by the rains last week. Now all that had dried and hardened into a smooth, almost 'soft-cement' kind of surface which is what we call 'hero-gravel' around here. 

Flowers near an old farmstead. I'm sure these were planted by former residents who once lived on this spot.

These wild little yellow blossoms on tall, bare stems were seen fluttering in the breeze Sunday.

If you've been around here long, you may remember that I love the wild flowers in the ditches and alongside trails here in Iowa. Well, the mighty, pesky dandelion is always the leader in the fields here, but they fade away soon enough and the real show begins soon after. I noted several patches of color on this ride, some of which I documented for the post today. 

One of my favorite 'rest stops' near the corner of Quarry Road and Aker Road.

These iris flowers probably were from a planting- not native.

It occurred to me that many of the flowers I am seeing now may actually mark the spots where old homesteads once were. It is no secret that farms were much more numerous in the early 20th Century in Iowa. I do know of one farm home that used to be occupied on Aker Road. It had a family with children and was fairly active. Then one day riding South I noted the house had been damaged by fire. It wasn't long before the place was abandoned, the house razed to the ground, and now nothing but a few out buildings mark the spot. Well, that and the flowers near the old drive way in the ditch. 

It made me wonder. Will there come a day when nothing will be out here but warehouses holding drones and robotic farm implements which are remotely controlled? Will the rural areas devolve into a faceless, empty agricultural landscape where people are rarely seen anymore? Will there be nothing to mark their passing but a few random flower patches and an old decaying barn or two? 

Will this culture, like that of the Native Americans before it, become a mere shadow of the past? Memories written down somewhere will document the decline and fading away. Digital files will exist somewhere that hardly anyone will bother to dig up. All will pass eventually....

A little flash of lavender in a field of green

A flash of soft pink amongst some decaying plant matter

Hmm....." ...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Yeah. No need to answer those questions. Just getting through this time is hard enough without thinking about all of that 'future' stuff! So, I pedaled onward.......

The planting all done, these implements are at rest while the corn grows.

The skies got a little heavier as I approached the end of my ride.

 

So, eventually I reached the end of my ride after passing a random single woman pushing a child in a stroller right up the middle of Hoff Road. Weird. She was pleasant and returned my greeting, so that was nice. As I approached the more civilized edges of Waterloo, I felt rain drops. "Gee....I hope she and that kid don't get caught in the rain!"

But there was nothing to fear. That few drops of precipitation was all the "rain by noon" amounted to. Why do I listen to the weather reports again? Then as things wound up I saw an approaching cyclist. As the biker came closer I realized it was "Tomcat" who posts comments here from time to time. (Hello again, by the way!) 

So, a quick little ride. Nice that my right knee felt perfect. That's a first for 2021.