Schooled by the snow

When it comes to snow biking, I am a complete novice. My snow biking efforts this winter have been great fun. I love getting out on 2 wheels in the cold and snow, sure beats going to the mall or watching re-runs of Walker Texas Ranger. So I was really looking forward to gearing up today and toughing it through the 6 inches of snow that we got three days ago. I headed down the field lane and cut left into the untouched snow covered trail. But the 45 ° temps we had today had turned the snow into mostly slush and my forward progress stopped like I was on roller skates at the beach. I guess my 2.1 inch wide tires are not well suited for snow any deeper than about 4 inches and definitely not slush. In Alaska, they ride on bike tires that are 4 inches wide, the biking equivalent of a Monster Truck. So I settled for a mud ride and took off up and down the lane, hitting every puddle and mud hole like an 8 year old that had been told to keep his Sunday best clean.

Nothing completes a Sunday like getting dirty on a bike.

Winter commute

I took this pic of the US Capitol as I walked to work today from the Metro. The commute late yesterday was a mess. The government closed 2 hours early, just when the storm hit, so everyone got dumped out on the streets at the same time. There were abandoned cars everywhere this morning. It's amazing what 6 - 8 inches of snow can do in this part of the country. In New England or the mid-west, it would be just another winter day. I got up at 4:30 this morning and left in good time to get to work. I'm all for driving safely in the snow, but I always seem to get behind someone going ridiculously slow, like 20 mph when you could do 45. I'm looking forward to a good snowy bike ride this weekend.

Road Ride!

I enjoy winter in Maryland. Unlike summer where the bugs out number everything else in the universe, there are no bugs in winter. Except that crazy new immortal stinkbug that must have been designed by a rogue nation. So I wanted to get a good road ride in before more snow and ice arrives. It was 27 ºF (-3 ºC) with 20 mile winds. I layered up and covered every bit of exposed skin that I could and headed down Truslow Road towards Rt 213 looking like a ninja that decided a large bike helmet and Columbia jacket was extra intimidating. I took a left on Fey Road where I traveled for about 3 miles along the frozen Chester River. The road turned right into a long uphill grade for about a mile. I put it in high gear and stood on the pedals until I got to the top. By then, I was sweating and sucking cold air into my lungs that immediately condensed on exhale and fogged my glasses up. I turned around, mainly because my feet were getting pretty cold and I still had to return home. Road riding in winter is a lot colder than mountain bike riding because you can go a lot faster. I can really get overheated picking my way through the woods at 10 mph. But yesterday, going all out downhill at about 25 mph with a head wind after sweating uphill, well that's a wakeup call that you want to avoid if at all possible. Even my best ninja gear didn't keep that cold out. I need to do a lot more of these shakedown runs before I attempt any 50 milers in winter.

Happy 90th to my Mom!

We all got together to celebrate my Mom's milestone birthday yesterday. I hope I am that amazing at 90!

We missed my Dad but but know that he was there with us in spirit.

L - R: Cathy, Morgan, Tyler, Clare, Me and Irma.

They like to ride

Snow Ride

There are some people that can rock a bike helmet. I am not one of them. My helmet announces "Man with Coleman cooler on head". Seriously, how many people look cool in these things? But the alternate is less cool by far, cracking my head open on a frozen tree root. 

On Monday I did a snow ride through Sam's Woods.

The distance was about 5 miles on frozen trail with partial snow and ice. It was about 28 degrees out.

This is the first winter that I have started mountain biking in the snow, and I have to say, it's pretty cool. I didn't know what I was missing. The main thing is not to make sharp turns and if you get in a snow covered rut, don't try to turn out of it. There are people in Alaska that do this stuff all the time. They have to if they want to ride between October and April. My adventure is somewhat tame compared to theirs. So far.

Dogs

If you do something fun with your dogs too many times, it becomes an expectation for them. Such are weekend mornings. There is no sleeping in with dogs, unless you have the ability to sleep through whining, pacing and deep sighs of canine disappointment. I do not. It's a good thing I'm a morning person. So Saturday and Sunday, I drag myself out of bed between 6:30 and 7:00 and take them outside for a walk or a good dose of "chuckering".

The "chucker" has got Reilly's attention. She knows that in a minute I will throw it over the house.

But Patton, being the genius that he is, has already slipped to the front yard and is waiting for the highly valued toy to fall to the ground so he can grab it before the speedy Shepherd arrives. Then the tug of war ensues.

Later in the afternoon, wanting to further drain the limitless energy that Reilly has, I took them to Cliffs City. It's not really a city, actually about 6 expensive houses on a remote section of the lower Chester River, with a public boat landing and water access. Even with it being January, it was warm out, about 45 degrees, and I was hoping that the ice would be melted by the landing so they could swim.

When your dogs need a bath in January, you have to use what ever means are available.

It really is beautiful out here.

After a good swim and a run in the sand, and another swim, we headed back to the "dog car" (my corolla, sorry Cathy). In they go in their dripping wet glory and settle for the ride home, noses to the cracked windows so they can sample the county air as we pass the fields and woods of Kent County.

Quaker funeral

Quakers seem to be very practical, peace loving, and TOUGH! Irma and I went to a funeral at a Friends Meeting today. Some close friends of ours, his mother passed away and she was Quaker. It was held at the original meeting house in Easton, Maryland. Built in 1684 and never updated. No heat, no electricity, no plumbing. Many of the window panes are still the old ones that look like glass that was poured in a basement somewhere. I didn't see a single nail, all the beams were joined with wood pegs. If it was 40 degrees outside, it was 38 inside. The congregation still meets there to this day. We sat in silence for about 30 minutes and then went outside to the gravesite. The deceased obviously loved her meeting and the quaker family. She was burried behind the meeting house. I gazed out at the various tombstones that were obviously hundreds of years old. Some broken in half, many covered with moss, most unreadable. As one of the sons gave a very warm and loving eulogy, he mentioned that one of his mother's loves was birds. Right at that point, a large flock of Canada Geese flew over, honking their call of flight as they went. I couldn't help but wonder, how many of those laid to rest there were ushered on in the same way, hundreds of years ago. God uses what he will.

Jared and Lisa - Married 12/30/2010

My son, Jared and new daughter-in-law Lisa just got married. I don't have any "good" wedding pictures yet. Here is one from their honeymoon in Europe. They went to London, Edinboro, and Munich. Here they are at Zugspitz, the highest point in Germany. 2950 meters (almost 10,000 ft for us Americans). Well done Jared and Lisa!