Cool!

This morning the grass in the park was covered with frost. This afternoon I noticed the new bike bridge has been installed on the John Dietrich at Holders Street to connect to the Antelope Valley Trail. They were installing rear today so the concrete can be poured for the bridge surface. Having these trails connect is going to be so cool!

A St. construction sends cyclist on a detour around the zoo.

Trail users are now being directed around the zoo and through Antelope park as they start to tear out and rebuild A St. Get your bike out and take a spin down there to see the work for yourself. Today's miles on the work commute = 19.7

The next must have bike was spotted on the path today!

Post your fixie on Craigslist. You heard it here first. The next big trend in urban cycling is dawning!

Are you ready for this? It's the Stationary bike!!! Go through grandmothers basement, hit the garage sales, do what you have to and get yourself some street cred by being the first on your block to be rocking a stationary bike.

Mark my word, it's the next big thing!

A lazy Sunday ride.

I over slept and was suddenly awoken by my wife who knew I was to meet for a ride at 7am at the zoo, it was 6:26! I quickly saddled up and rode like mad arriving at the zoo at 7:01 feeling shelled after the sprint. It looked like I still beat my riding partner. As I caught my breath and had my morning Mountain Dew I checked facebook to find that he'd wrote me at 12:30 this morning to say 'it looks like rain and that he wouldn't ride this morning afterall'.

I should have logged on first and saved my legs, but oh well, I headed out to the airport and circled back by Kawasaki where they were out doing a little motorcycle riding in the plant parking lot. On the way back I ran across a big RC car racing event near Oak Lake. It was free to get in and fun to watch. Most of the racers seemed to be from out of state. This Sunday morning spin added up to 30.3 miles

Slippery When Wet.

Ha, ha! Chicks dig scars, right? And this one is even heart shaped! Lovely huh? Bikers - laugh all you want. Just remember to take the corners slow and wide when the trails are wet and slick like they were this morning. Besides the road rash, I also bruised my thigh and ego. I hope there is no swelling. Because my thighs and ego are already plenty big! Ha! Today's miles = 19.6 biking + 10 feet skidding.

If you lost your virgin...

I found it on the John Dietrich Bike Path this morning. It's had the memory card taken and it looks like it was thrown on the path, but maybe you could get the numbers or pictures off it.

The 100 mile Nacho Ride!

Had the day off so I took the long route to Eagle for the Nacho Ride.

I made up some sandwiches and headed into a stiff S.E. wind across Holmes Lake and down the Antelope Creek Trail to Hwy. 2 then East to the Bennet exit.

I went South through Bennet, but needed some water.

Low and behold, about two miles outside of town this hydrant was ready to fill my water bottle and I was good to go.

I pulled into Panama feeling tired of the wind and ready to eat.

Their park was a good place to catch my breath and rest a little.

Downtown Panama.

Got to turn West and cruse into Holland with the wind, lots of nice new homes and acreages.

I needed water again, and sure enough a hydrant at the cemetery outside of Holland was at my beckon call.

I then continued North West into Hickman to find this bait shop on the South side of town.

I was surprised to find that Hickman had a really nice trail system.

I took some time to explore their trails. Their really neat and Hickman should be real proud of them.

An overgrown windmill along the road.

After Hickman I continued West till I got to the Homestead Trail and jumped on it going North back into Lincoln. I took it to the Jamaica North Trail then on the Rock Island Trail to the Zoo, then took the Billy Wolff East. By this point I had about 50 miles, the Nacho Ride from my house is almost 30, so I figured I'd ride a bit more and see if I could get a century in today.

I continued East down the Antelope Creek Trail to Hwy. 2 again, then turned around and took it back toward the house, I threw in a lap around Holmes Lake and then home for about a 1/2 hour break before leaving for the Nacho Ride.

On the Nacho Ride I saw lots of regulars and some 1st timers too. Even several Taco Ride regulars came out of Omaha to Nacho Ride tonight. I met up with my personal trainer / blog photographer as well as my pit crewman. By now, I knew that if I went strait home I'd be about 5 miles short of a century, so my personal trainer / blog photographer suggested we ride the Mopac another 2 1/2 miles East of Eagle after supper at the One Eye'd Dog Saloon to tack on the 5 miles I needed. My pit crewman offered to join us. Lucky for me! Because when we walked out of the OED my front tire was flat. We headed for the aircompress0r at Casey's, patched the tube and were good to go.

By the time I got home it was dark and we were using our lights, but by golly, I did it. This is my 3rd (and FINAL!) century this year. It was a fun, albeit tiring, day.

Today's miles = 100.23

No "Bike Rest Stop"?

I ride by this piece of art every day on my commute to and from work, I noticed today that it was missing, hope it'll be back soon.

Today's miles to work and back = 19.85.

Dush? I think it's spelled "Douche"

This Douche Bag spray painted in at least 5 different spots along the trail on the N.E. Side of the Zoo. This is new in the last couple of days. I saw it on the ride into work this morning.

Nice to have cooler weather. It was an awesome commute. I gained 1 1/2 pounds this week, many thanks Mamasitas.

Scouted out a ride to Bennet from Lincoln.

The wife and I have been talking about taking a ride to Bennet for supper at Mamasitas Resturante, well if the weather is good tonight we're planning on going.

I wanted to scout it out first and see how far it was. I took the day off work to ride and mow the yard and maybe sneak in a nap.

I left this morning across the Holmes Lake Dam Trail then took the Billy Wolff Trail to the back side of Wal-Mart on Hwy 2, then went East down the shoulder of Hwy. 2 to the Bennet exit. I turned South there and continued 2 miles into town, the roads have nice wide shoulders all the way.

On the North side of Bennet you'll find the cemetery with an inviting bench in the shade just 6.85 miles from Wal-Mart. Many of the markers date back over a century, and makes for a good stop to catch your breath.

In Bennet I spotted this charming wood work / clock shop with a regal looking cruiser parked in the shade near a split-rail fence.

I figured it was around 7.25 miles from the Wal-Mart to Mamasitas. But, from home to Bennet and back I rode 29.22 miles this morning and got back to Lincoln just before a heavy rain set in. Guess mowing will have to wait (yes!) time for a nap.

Kansas Prarie Spirit Trail Garnett to Iola

Came to Ks. to visit family and took some time for a great adventure riding the Prairie Spirit Trail from Garnett to Iola. It's a converted railway line, Kansas' first North to South line, dating back to the 1860's.

Garnett has this awesome depot/trail head. It was locked when I started at 7am, so I rode to the city pool and found water at the RV dump station. By the time I got back at 3pm the depot was unlocked with nice clean restrooms and water as well as trail info and historic pictures on the walls.

The baggage room has picnic tables set up and would be a nice cool spot to eat & rest while on the trail.

"Can you hear me now?" "Call me back on another vine."

A forgotten utility pole and wires are taken over by volunteer vines along the trail near Welda.

Neat old building in Colony.

I stopped off to eat breakfast at The Country Diner in downtown Colony, very friendly and the food was so good that I stopped again on the way back for a burger. I highly recommend it.

There is a underpass (tunnel) between Colony and Carlyle covered with graffiti. I was getting hot and tired and thought the following was very fitting:

"To Persevere, is to Suffer, first."

Along the way I crossed paths with these cattle cooling off in the creek. They looked at me like I was crazy to ride in this heat & humidity, I hate to admit that I'm dumber than a cow... but I think they had the right idea today!

Just South of Carlyle is a low water crossing with the bike path high above it. Looking east is a beautiful creek that comes to a head and rushes under the concrete. It was very picturesque.

The area right behind where I stood to take this picture was littered with beer cans, fireworks, bottles and empty cases under a graffiti filled bridge. It was a neat contrast. Obviously it's the place to be on hot weekend nights if your not old enough for the bars.

Coming into the North end of Iola the trail turns from crushed limestone to blacktop. That blacktop covered trail going in to town was the smoothest trail I've ever been on. I Really liked it.

Then, right on the edge of town I picked up a monster thorn. I don't mean a 'sticker' 'sanber' or 'goats head' I mean a thorn. (think Jesus' crown!) If I pulled it out air would escape. So I left it and looked for a bike shop.

A roadside vegetable salesman said he didn't think Iola has one, but that I should try Western Auto, that they've got allot of stuff like that. So I head over there. They had some bike parts, but not the tube I needed. Now, if you need a rear hub off a 1985 Wal-Mart kids bike, or frog and pig schrader valve caps, you'd be set... but if your looking for a common sized tube, your out of luck.

Well, I decide to head toward Wal-Mart to get a tube. I didn't want to get one there since they have universal tubes that don't really fit well. When I spot a cyclist coming toward me on the trail. I see she's wearing a helmet (a sure sign of a good cyclist) and is clipped in to a sweet Cannondale. Surly she'd know for sure if there was a bike shop in Iola. I stop her and ask. She says no, but quickly pulls her phone out and tells me she's got a "guy that works on everone's bikes around here".

She calls her friend and fellow cycling aficionado Dave and he says he'll be right there. (talk about small town hospitality!) As we wait for Dave we visit, she's very humble, but I get her to tell me she's done allot of touring and also rides area roads nearly everyday. Later Dave speculates that she has 30,000 miles on her bike! Later I picked up a Prairie Spirit Trail map at the depot in Garnett and found her picture on the cover. And also realized that the Iola Register had done this story on her. She'd probably never tell you what a distinguished cyclist she is, and probably didn't tell anyone about helping me out. But she truly was an angel! I couldn't believe my good fortune to have a brush with such an accomplished biker. Thanks Terri for hooking me up with Dave, it was great to meet you!

Now, keep in mind, I was just hoping to find a bike shop and grab a tube. Well, not in Iola, they take service one step farther!

Dave rolled up and while he didn't have a new spare tube to sell me on hand, he got right to work patching my tube, he was done in no time flat (yea, pun intended) then we sat there on the side of the trail and visited and swapped bike stories for most of the next hour. Dave had some awesome single track experiences to share as well as road stories and we talked allot about bikes he and his wife have and other people's that he has worked on. He's an excellent bike mechanic that works in the oil fields by day and when he's not turning wrenches on bikes evenings and weekends he's riding or riding motorcycles.

He was a fascinating guy to visit with. And as the conversation wound down and I pulled my wallet out, he flat (there it is again) refused to take any money for the patch job and wouldn't even let me buy him dinner. He wouldn't hear of it.

I can't get over how cool it was to meet Terri & Dave!

Back on the trail and headed North I am feeling great about Iola's hospitality and wanting to spread some good karma of my own when I run across this parched cyclist on the side of the hot humid trail. I stop to give him a drink... but realize I'm too late.

All in all it was a great ride on a trail I really love. It's always an adventure on the Prairie Spirit Trail, click here to check out my ride on the North part from a few weeks ago.

Spun a total of 57.86 miles. It was my 3rd ride on this trail and first time on the South end of it. I love this trail!