Up the Mountain

It was a beautiful, winding drive up the mountain to the Ridge that even included a tunnel. (Jan's head in the mirror.) There were wonderful vistas off in the distance each time we went around another bend in the road, that we would stop and look at. There were trees everywhere, sometimes obscuring the views. We even saw a mama deer and her fawn. The fawn is in this shot with a moutain behind it.

On the Run

Southwest Rock Art

Along the first leg of our journey back to Minnesota we made a couple of short side trips from I-70 to some rock art sites. The first of these was the "Head of Sinbad" rock art site. This is some of the best preserved rock art in the southwest. According to local literature these pictographs are at least 3,000 years old.



































































The second site we checked out was Sego Canyon. Unlike the Head of Sinbad panel, some of the Sego Canyon pictographs have experienced a lot of vandalism. There was one panel, however, that was high enough on the canyon wall that it was relatively untouched by vandals. According to the BLM, Sego Canyon contains 3 culturally distinct styles of rock art: Fremont, Ute and Barrier-style. After these quick stops we got back on the Interstate and continued our journey home.

Harris Hill in Elmira New York

Aric and I went with Nathan to help him work today, so I was able to see more of this area. It is just beautiful here. Here is a waterfall on the side of the road:

And Aric getting close to the action:

We drove all around the area, finishing up with stopping at a park. Nathan was looking for something on the GPS, so I got out to look around at the Rails to Trails bike path there. There was a gentlemen standing there looking at the lake. He seemed so sad, with the kind of heavy grief that is normally from losing a loved one. I told Nathan I wanted to go and just hug him and when I said that, he looked over and waved like he felt our love. It was so neat.



After that, we headed to Harris Hill, in Elmira. We had a client there, so we visited him first. Then we went up the hill to the Soaring Center Museum which was closed. There was an overlook there that was really wonderful. We sat in one of the swings there and watched the sunset.

Living the life in New York!

The Bike Aquatic

Our latest trip along the coast was of the epically off-road variety.



Behold the single speed aquatic tandem recumbent, a.k.a. pedal boat!Isn't she a beauty?When I was growing up, we used to pedal these things around small lakes, but I had no idea they could be taken out into the ocean. Turns out there is a whole culture out there of self-propelled ocean travel, including transatlantic voyages. The boats used for those are a tad more sophisticated, but this one is just fine for pedaling leisurely along the coast.



The local rental place assured us that these boats are marvelously stable and virtually impossible to flip over.We experimented, and are pleased to confirm this. Very safe and reliable, even in turbulent water.



Operating the pedal boat was much more effortful than we expected! Ocean water is rougher than lake water, and pedaling this thing felt like riding a single speed bicycle that is geared way too high.



Feeling as if we were treading through thick mud as we rode the waves and tried to stay on course, we soon longed for gears and foot retention. At least the adjustable seats allowed for full leg extension.



Despite our slow progress along the coast, the whole thing was ridiculously fun. It took me some time just to calm down from the excitement of being out in the ocean on a pedal boat.



We went as far out as we dared, pedaling among the sailboats and lobster boats and imagining what it would be like to cross the Atlantic on one of these things.



We pedaled into some of the tiny harbors and beaches that line this part of the coast and took photos from angles that would have been impossible from the shore. We docked outside a cafe and I jumped out to buy us some coffee - just for the fun of having done this. And for the first time in maybe 10 years I wore boat shoes on an actual boat.



We are both pretty comfortable in the water, and at some point we took turns swimming next to the boat. I wish I had the nerve to do this way out in the ocean - but after having seen sharks on Cape Cod for the past two summers I am cautious about that stuff, so this was fairly close to shore.



After three hours we returned the boat, utterly exhausted. Pedaling it felt very much like cycling - though so strenuous that you'd have to be in pretty good shape to do any serious touring along the coast. I cannot help now but wonder what the "serious" pedal boats feel like to operate - I imagine not very different from a recumbent bicycle, not that I have any experience with those either. I am happy to have found a way to combine my love of the ocean with cycling. Pedal boat, we will meet again!

Clermont From My Window

Since I haven't done this in a bit, I snapped some shots while we were out this weekend. The weather has been much warmer and we are enjoying it!

Non-Clipless Cycling Shoes: What Do You Look For?

For those of us who don't use clipless pedals on our roadbikes, it would seem that the issue of cycling shoes is simple: Just ride in whatever shoes you like. However, at least for me it doesn't really work that way. The shoe has to feel right to cycle in, or I am miserable on a long ride.

The most obvious factor I look for is sole stiffness: My feet must be able to push the pedals without the soles of the shoes bending over the edge; otherwise it feels weird and tiring over the course of a strenuous ride. This is why most types of sneakers and casual slip-ons don't work; they are too flexible.The shoe must also be made of a breathable, yet waterproof material. It is uncomfortable to cycle in soaked cloth shoes in the rain. It is also uncomfortable to cycle in leather dress shoes, because my feet get too hot.Finally, the shoes should not be bulky, so as to fit into my Power Grips and generally not take up more space than necessary on the pedals.

I've been wearingAdidas running shoes on the bike, which have considerably stiffer soles than other sneakers and are also less bulky. They've been working well, except for one thing: the shoelaces. I tie the laces as securely as I can, then tuck them in under the "vamp" of the shoe to keep them away from the drivetrain. Mostly they stay there, but once in a while they come out and then I have to either stop the bike to fix them or risk getting them caught. And I have gotten the laces caught on the crankset a couple of times, so I am paranoid about it. Particularly on my fixed gear, the cranks are very narrowly placed and my feet are close to the drivetrain. I really do not want to get anything caught in there, and having to constantly watch for my shoelaces coming loose is annoying. So I reverted to childhood and bought velcro shoes. I've actually managed to find a pair of Adidas Originals, a special edition made with velcro instead of laces. Same stiff sole and breathability only nothing seems in danger of getting caught in the drivetrain. They look kind of silly, but as long as they work for me I don't care.

What shoes do you wear on the bike if you don't ride clipless?