Road ID

For the most part I ride alone and the only information I carry about myself is an expired drivers license. So if the worst happens and I have a serious accident, all the EMS folks would have is my name and address.

I had heard about Road ID some time ago and finally decided to buy one and it arrived today. I got the Road ID Interactive. The Road ID Interactive allows you to build a fully updateable, secure Emergency Response Profile (ERP) that is available to first responders via telephone and internet. You can also personalize the first 2 lines of text.

I think this is a great item to have on when you're out on your bike.

I'll be wearing it for the first time on a ride in Rochester, NY, on Friday.

Let's hope I never really need it!

I have $1.00 off coupons that are good until 12/31/2008 if anyone wants one.

La Vaca

Well, I've named my touring bicycle. And it's la Vaca, Spanish for the cow. When I lived in California I played up being from the Dairy State, Wisconsin. I even had some people believing that I was raised on a diary farm. So my friends at the bike store started calling me la Vaca. So I decided that it would be a great name for my bike since I'm living back in Wisconsin and it rides like a cow; slow and plodding.

The top photo shows (left) a cow finger puppet someone in California gave me that I've attached to my seat post and (right) a cow pin I acquired somewhere along the way that I put on my handlebar bag. I even have a jersey with cows on it, bottom photo.

Perhaps I should have the frame repainted white with black spots!

Check Please

I first put myself in the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. I thought it turned out pretty well and it made a few friends laugh. So just recently I decided to try The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. So here it is. "Check please."

Click-Stand

Got this cool device the other day and tried it out for the first time on today's ride. It's a folding portable bicycle stand. It's made from aluminum tubing and weighs only 75 grams. You use the included elastic bands to secure the brakes and then place the cradle of the stand under the top tube. Seems to work fine so far.

Gratuitous High Water Cliche Photograph

Couldn't resist getting the cliche of the week. An easy thing to do with the rising Rock River.

Got Corn?

After all the rain we've had and the recent sunshine, the corn has started to shoot up. No problem with it being knee high by the 4th of July.

It's A Good Day To Ride

Actually, any day is a good day to ride, but today was spectacular! First was the weather; sunny and warm with light winds. Second was the rural Wisconsin roads with hardly any traffic. Third was the latte and killer brownie I had at Books and Brew in Milton. And finally it was the 51 miles on the road with no aches or pains. So that's why I have a big grin on my face. Can't wait to do it again.

A Clean Shave

I shaved my beard off a couple of days ago and no one noticed. Although I had been keeping it very short so maybe that's why. But yesterday I shaved off my mustache. It's the first time in well over 30 years that I have no facial hair. And at a meeting last night and a trip downtown this morning, no one noticed!

What's amazing to me is that when I look into a mirror, there's a stranger looking back at me.

It's Nice to be Young

My nephew Aaron was in town today so we went out for a ride. We rode together a couple of times last year when he was in town. It's amazing how fast he can ride away from me on the flats and going uphill. But then there is the 34 year age difference.

The Way Clouds Do

When I was in Rochester at the end of May visiting a friend, we went to Image City Photo Gallery to see the new exhibit. We had been there once before in April. This latest offering featured an exhibit of photographs of clouds. I didn't think much of it at the time. It seemed a bit of a stretch and many of the images seemed repetitive and over Photoshoped. The images were on paper, canvas, or silk. As another friend would say, "What a gimmick."

This past week I read a review of the exhibit on City Newspaper's web site. The reviewer loved the images and the concept. Guess it was all over my head or I'm not "with it" when it comes to "art."

So, I thought, hey, I can do that. So here's my first image in what will become a series of cloud images that will be taken from the comfort of my living room looking out the back patio doors. I have included the original image and a Photoshopped version. I hope to have a major exhibit of my cloud images some day.

Rising Rock River

With all the rain we've had, the Rock River is approaching flood stage and is expected to crest on Sunday. Downtown businesses along the river have started sandbagging. Here's a blocked off and sandbagged entrance to the First National Bank and Trust Company.

The Lull Before another Storm

I got tired of pushing the pedals on my touring bike for the last three days so I got out my road bike and did one of my usual routes. And since I thought you all are getting as tired as I am of seeing my photo, I offer this shot of two silos that I pass by on this road.

Looks like more rain again tomorrow!

Rain, rain go away

After heavy rains over the weekend and a dismal day yesterday, today was perfect for riding. Cool temperatures and bright blue skies.

So I hopped on the Surly and went first to Pleasant Street Coffee then to The Villager where I dropped of some large prints of my tulip photographs.

I decided to take the long way home so I rode north through Afton then to the bike trail that ends near Reed Road. Took Reed Road south and ended up on Creek Road to home. It was a really nice ride. Although the brisk winds blew me about a bit and slowed me down when they became headwinds.

After I got home I switched bikes and rode to the bank, the bakery outlet and to Badger Spirits.

A car free day today!

Farmers Market

Today was the start of the Farmers Market in downtown Beloit. It keeps getting bigger every year. I ran into my mother's cousin, a high school friend, Betsy and Tim, and saw the Gundersons.

I bought some salad greens, asparagus, some radishes, and a loaf of wheat bread from Kaufmans. YUM.

I wore my t-shirt with the Kiss My Gass on the back. Walked around both with the bike and without the bike. Stopped to talk to a couple of people and no one said anything to me about it. A couple of people asked about the bike and the panniers, but not one word about the back of the t-shirt. I guess it hits too close to home?

So the bike is loaded and it's time to take the long way home.

Photos by my high school friend Tom Plunkett.

The Northern Tier Route...

Here's the map showing the route I'll be taking next year on my cross country bike ride. I'll deviate from the Adventure Cycling route when I enter Wisconsin as I head to Manitowoc to get the ferry over to Michigan.

Got Gas?...

Here's the back of a t-shirt I wore to the grocery store this past Sunday. And no one said a thing. I wonder if anyone even saw it. The next test will be at this Saturday's Farmer's Market downtown. I'll let you know what happens.

June 1st, 2008 (2009)

A year from today I'll be starting my cross country bike trip from Anacortes, Washington, to Bar Harbor, Maine. I've been thinking about doing this trip for 12 years and decided finally to do it the year I turn 65. I'll be taking the Northern Tier route mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association. I'll cross Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontairo Canada, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

I plan to stay mostly in motels but will be taking along a tent and sleeping bag just in case. If anyone wants to join me for all of the trip or part of it you're more than welcome.

Just thinking about it now scares me. But it's now or never. Here's a photo of my Surly Long Haul Trucker with Arkel panniers, handle bar bag, and Tail Rider. I've got to load it up one day soon and start riding it as well as doing some weekend overnight trips.

I post the route map later this week and continue to add more details.