21st outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 5/31/2023

2023 Mileage: 2311.2

After bedbug very subpar in my riding during recent days, I was glad to get back to it today. Sunday I played a piano solo at church, and then took the rest of the day off as I frequently do on Sunday. Monday (Memorial Day), Michelle and I made the hour and a quarter drive to the cemetery in Morenci (where my parents are buried), and then went to the cemetery in Hudson (where Mom's family is buried), before stopping at Christy's in Dexter on our way back east for a welcome gathering and celebration.

Yesterday was hot, and I gave myself permission for a third straight day off. Today was hotter, but I got out there anyway, leaving a bit past 10:00 in 79° sunshine, and rode first to Marsh Park, and then the loop around Saline High School.

This gave me a ride of 12.6 miles in 1:48.

Relive video of today's ride

20th outdoor ride of 2023 - Saturday, 5/27/2023

2023 Mileage: 2298.6

This morning I rode the round trip to Marsh Park in beautiful sunshine (68° when I began, just past 11:00, and 71° when I finished).

The ride included a crossing of a boardwalk across wetlands along Textile Rd. that my daughter calls the "butt massage" because of the way the rider is vigorously shaken while rumbling across the planks.

This gave me a ride of 10.2 miles in 1:22.

Relive video of today's ride

19th outdoor ride of 2023 - Friday, May 26, 2023

 2023 Mileage: 2288.4

Yesterday I chose not to ride, because a large chunk of the day was taken up by a trip to Lansing to have lunch with my son, John.

Today, then it was good to get back to it -- and on a perfect day, too, that had about the nicest weather we've had all year. Sunny, and calm, 63° when I began just past 11:00, and up  to 65° when I finished.

Today I took a pretty easy route, going down to Stonebridge (a development a mile south of us that has a golf course woven through it, as well as a scenic pond), and just riding two loops in there.

This gave me a ride of 7.6 miles in 1:02

Relive video of today's ride

18th outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 5/24/2023

 2023 Mileage: 2280.8

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day for a ride—67° and sunny. I rode at a bit past 1:00, and kept it to a brief ride, since I've been making steady and encouraging progress all day today on a Finale project that I'm doing (for pay) for a friend. So I just did the 10-mile round trip to Marsh Park.

A 13 mph wind from the NNE was refreshing, and it took me to a great speed on the first (outward) half of my ride ... but coming home, fighting the wind, was like riding through quicksand.

This gave me a ride of 10.2 miles in 1:27.

Relive video of today's ride

17th outdoor ride of 2023 - Tuesday, 5/23/23

2023 Mileage: 2270.6

Today, I had to go to FedEx/Kinko's to make some copies, so I rode the round trip there this afternoon.

This gave me a ride of 5.2 miles in 45 minutes.

Relive video of today's ride

16th outdoor ride of 2023 - Sunday, 5/21/2023

2023 Mileage: 2265.4

I frequently give myself Sunday off. However, since I did not ride yesterday, I wanted to begin today with a (brief) ride, and so chose to ride a route near our home, that I call the Arcadia Loop, twice. It contains some significant, challenging, healthy hills. The brisk 47° temperature when I began at about 7:30 felt more like March than May, but it climbed all the way to a dizzying 49° during my ride.

This gave me a ride of 4.3 miles in 37 minutes.

Relive video of today;'s ride

15th outdoor ride of 2023 - Friday, 5/19/2023

2023 Mileage: 2261.1

This afternoon, I did a relatively modest ride, to the center of Saline. While I didn't feel great about this accomplishment, I was glad that I was able to make myself get out there at all, as I was tempted to take the day off.

This gave me a ride of 12.8 miles in 1:45.

Relive video of today's ride

14th outdoor ride of 2023 - 5/18/2023

2023 Mileage: 2248.3

This morning I happened to drive past Lillie Park, and this was fortunate, as it reminded me that the Platt Greenway trail remains all torn up, so I couldn't have ridden my frequent square route of almost 14 miles. I could have chosen another route to give me a substantial ride, but instead I opted to settle for a round trip to Marsh Park, and this was probably a good thing, as both my feet and knees were hurting.

This gave me a ride of 10.2 miles in 1:24 .

Relive video of today's ride

13th outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, 5/17/2023

2023 Mileage: 2238.1

Beautiful day for a ride today—brilliant sunshine, and cooled off just a touch, so that when I rode at 9:45 it wqs 50 degrees, and that climbed to 54° during the ride. I rode the Packard/Platt Square, stopping for a selfie at Lillie Park, as I always do.

About a mile after being at Lillie Park, I met with another of my periodic adventures. Along the Platt Greenway, there was a sign blocking the way, saying "Sidewalk closed." I couldn't see anything wrong with it, and could see no workers, so I merely went around the sign ... and soon dropped into loose dirt, as the paved trail had been ripped up. So, though I hated to do this (as it breaks my commitment to Michelle to avoid riding on the road, in accordance with her wishes), I rode for about half a mile on the road, till I got back to where I could rejoin the trail. I really had no choice.

This gave me a ride of 13.6 miles in 1:47.

Relive video of today's ride

12th outdoor ride of 2023 - Tuesday, 5/16/2023

2023 Mileage: 2224.5

Today I did a decent ride, although it was scaled back from what I had originally planned to do. When I got out to my trike, I found out that I had forgotten to bring my supplemental battery. Knowing that I would not make it through the ride I had planned without losing power, I scaled back and rode the Packard/Platt/Ellsworth Rectangle, in sunny, warm (69° when I started at 12:45, climbing to 75° during the ride) weather.

This gave me a ride of 9.1 miles in 1:17.

Relive video of today's ride

11th outdoor ride of 2023 - Monday, 5/15/2023

2023 Mileage: 2215.4

After not being able to ride since Thursday, as Michelle and I were traveling for the last three days, I had hoped to do a better ride today to get back in the  swing.

However—far from that, I settled for about the shortest ride I have ever done. Over the weekend, I finished writing my autobiography (Sienced!), and am now deep into the hunt for a publisher. I chose to be able to spend more time on that project today, rather than pedaling—so I allowed myself merely to do the Silo Ridge loop.

This gave me a ride of only 6.5 miles in 51 minutes.

Relive video of today's ride

10th outdoor ride of 2023 - Thursday, 5/11/2023

2023 Mileage: 2209.1

Today was another glorious day for a ride -- when I began about 2:15, it was 78° and sunny, and that temperature climbed to 80° during my ride.   

It was glorious that is, until the very end of the ride, when I experienced one of the periodic "adventures" that beset me. With less than a mile to go, I came upon a spot in the sidewalk where it was ripped up, but not marked, and I didn't see it in time, and rode into a hole and tipped over. The three people who stopped and helped me were furious that the spot was not coned off. "We were watching you ride and cheering you on," they said, "but then you just disappeared!" When I fell I skinned up my knee pretty well (as my helpers pointed out), but most seriously, I broke off one bow of my glasses. Since Pearl Vision told me last June that now, at my age, I should have annual exams, I have scheduled one for as soon as I could get in (Monday).

This gave me a ride of 13.7 miles in 1:52.

For those who are relatively new readers of my blog, I should explain something I have mentioned before. My wife Michelle requests that I keep my riding off the road, and fortunately this is fairly easy to do, as Ann Arbor has quite an extensive network of walks and trails. I am very happy to honor her request, which seems to be completely understandable in light of the troubled medical history I have faced, and the plague of distracted driving that confronts our society. Even Ann Arbor's frequently found separated bike lanes, while better than nothing, are suboptimal for safety.

Relive video of today's ride

9th outdoor ride of 2023 - Wednesday, May 10, 2023

 2023 Mileage: 2195.4

What a magnificent, gorgeous day for a ride today! I'm somewhat embarrassed to confess that yesterday's unseasonable warmth persuaded me to skip riding and spend my time on indoor projects.

Today, however, I made up my mind and dug out a pair of shirts and my lime green and orange Michigan Recumbent Trikes t-shirt. (Ironically, this is the exact same color combination that my brother and I chose to paint our bedroom, when our parents allowed us — perhaps unwisely — as teens to select the colors.) I rode a round trip to the center of Saline in beautiful sunshine that began at 67° when I began just past 11:00, and climbed to 73° during the ride.

I got a selfie at the midpoint in Saline, when I turned around to come home, and then a picture of some of the flowering trees along the drive into our complex when I got home.

This gave me a ride of 12.9 miles in 1:43.

Relive video of today's ride

8th outdoor ride of 2023 - Monday, 5/8/2023

2023 Mileage: 2182.5

After taking the busy weekend off (Saturday I watched the several hours of coverage of the coronation of King Charles, having risen at 4:30, and then went to Danny's soccer game in the afternoon; yesterday I went to a music performance in the afternoon, and I took my Sunday off day, a frequent [though not invariable] practice), I was glad to get back to it today. I rode the Packard/Platt Square about as slowly as I ever have; however, experiencing significant pain and discomfort in my left foot and in both knees, but especially the right, I was just glad to be able to ride at all, never mind the time. It was 61° and cloudy with a bit of a breeze.

This gave me a ride of 13.5 miles in 1:54.

Relive video of today's ride

7th outdoor ride of 2023 - Friday, 5/5/2023

2023 Mileage: 2169.0

Today's ride was odd, despite it being the nicest weather of the year so far. (Bright sunshine and 66° when I began at 12:30, up to 69° at the end.) I had wanted to do a longer ride (my route of about 13.6 miles, that takes me past Lillie Park, where I usually get a selfie.) However, my auxiliary battery pack didn't seem to turn on, and without that I knew I'd never make that longer ride, so I settled for a shorter one (a loop around Saline High School.

Then partway through the ride, however, when I rode through a patch of shade, I checked, and the battery was on and the phone was fully charged.  So it must be that what happened was that, when I started out,  I couldn't see the indicator light in the bright sunshine, but it actually was on.

This gave me a ride of 10.2 miles in 1:24.

Relive video of today's ride

6th outdoor ride of 2023 - Thursday, 5/4/2023

2023 Mileage: 2158.8

The issues I'm having with my lower spine—pain and weakness—still concern me. I have held off from riding outside because of concern that something would happen to me when I am miles away from home, and I wouldn't be able to deal with it.

However, today's weather was simply too glorious for me to stay inside. When I began my ride at 10:30, the temperature was 54° (which rose to 59° during the ride), and the mostly sunny sky contained only a few small, scattered, puffy clouds. On this Star Wars Day ("May the Fourth be with you"), for my first outdoor ride since April 13, I kept it short, and did a round trip to Marsh Park.

I was happy to see my good friend Doug Franklin again, as I have numerous times in the past, on his daily walk up from his home in Saline. My ride gave me 9.9 miles in 1:21.

Relive video of today's ride

Wednesday, 5/3/2023

2023 Mileage: 2148.9

This afternoon during my ride, I watched the the first half of the movie The Hurt Locker, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2010. 

This gave me 14.5 virtual miles in 1:07.

Trailer for The Hurt Locker

Tuesday, 5/2/2023

 2023 Mileage: 2133.6

This afternoon during my ride, I watched the movie Argo, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2013. 

This gave me 27.5 virtual miles in 1:52.

Trailer for Argo

Monday, 5/1/2013

2023 Mileage: 2105.9

This afternoon during my ride, I watched the movie Birdman, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2015. 

This gave me 26.5 virtual miles in 1:52.

Trailer for Birdman