What I Did on My Summer Vacation

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

Every year my employer graciously requires that I use five days of my vacation (almost a quarter of my allotment) at said employer’s convenience. While I would (much) rather choose when I use my vacation, the fourth of July is not so bad a time to not be working. Since my wonderful wife does not have an unlimited supply of time off, I often have much of this time for myself. I then use this time for household chores...and of course, some biking. I’ll regale you with my cycling adventures from this most recent time away from work. (As always, I'll try to keep it brief, but no guarantee.) This might seem a bit tedious, but this is my blog, and you chose to read this, so if you dislike it, you have no one to blame but yourself. Enjoy, if you can.

Day 1, June 26

My annual “vacation” began at 1:45pm on Thursday, June 26. Coincidentally, this was to be the day of a very good friend’s celebration of her birthday by riding her age in miles. I got home from work, changed into my biking gear, pumped up my tires, and rode off to join in the celebration. Destination: El Paso. We rode north, dodging (for the most part) the small patches of rain that attempted to dampen our spirits. 38 miles later (36 of those dry), we wished her a happy birthday.

39.22 miles on the fixed gear.

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 2, June 27

My first whole day off, and I decided to take the TT rig for a spin. A bit of a SE breeze so I roll toward eastern McLean county. Zigging my way I cross over the interstate at Towanda and settle into what I hoped would be a straight shot east. Oops, gravel. Not a fan of that. A quick u-turn and I jog north and continue. (You can see on the map below where I turned back, that short line that stops in the middle of nowhere.) Heading toward the Mackinaw river, and crossing it to ride along its north side I see Cooksville's elevator looming to my south. A short stop at The Long Branch for refreshment, and I'm back on my way. I meander my way to Merna (not open yet) and up back to Towanda for a burger at Kicks, and head for home.

50.66 miles on the TT bike.

********************************************************************************************************

Day 3, June 28

Saturday morning, and it's time for the annual Pedaling for Kicks ride.

Registered? √

Coffee? √

Repair a flat for a friend? √

It's a lovely morning, and I roll out with four lovely friends and my brother from Flagstaff. This course is on roads with which I'm quite familiar. Mostly flat, but a few miles in the third leg present something of a vertical challenge. I had a little fun playing in the hills, and then finished up with a spirited ride to the finish. Thanks for the company, Anne, Martha, Melissa, Meghan, and Steve. Thanks also to Kelly and Dennis for the post ride refreshments.

62.50 miles on the road bike.

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 4, June 29

Sunday morning. Looking to log some time on the TT bike. Another windy day. No particular destination, just relaxing on the road. Lake Bloomington, Comlara, Carlock, Hudson, and home. As you may be able to see on the map, I looped around my subdivision to get my 50 miles in.

50.03 miles on TT bike

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 5, June 30

A good day for a leisurely ride to lunch, or as leisurely as can be with that damned wind. Headed to one of my favorite lunch places, Kemp's Upper Tap in Lexington. Had a short race with a storm the last seven miles before lunch. Good times. The storm never materialized, and had a relaxing ride home after a couple beers and a chicken wrap. My mileage was a bit short but I'm not one to chase goals.

43.08 miles on the road bike.

********************************************************************************************************

Day 6, July 1

"How about some hills?" I ask my riding partner. I took his groan as acceptance of my proposal. I can't really hit any hills without riding over ten miles, so we headed west of Danvers to play. We hit the usual; Spin Lake, Myers Hill, The Wall, and a few others. Good, strenuous times, and back to the flatlands for a tailwind home, with a brief stop in Danvers for food/water.

52.31 on the road bike

******************************************************************************************************

Day 7a, July 2

Wednesday morning, and time for my annual "Wildflower Ride" with the Spokeswomen. They ride this weekly, but I can only join them when I'm not working, so this is my once-a-year midweek ride with this fun bunch. Short ride, as they all had to go to work. Fun ride, as these ladies are just fun to be around.

20.23 miles on the fixed gear

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 7b, July 2

Ride number two for the day. I met up with my riding companion for the week, Dennis, near Lake Bloomington, and then we joined Becky and Adam (a fellow fixie rider) for a cruise to El Paso. I wish it had been dryer, but surprisingly, I have no control over the weather. We rode for a couple miles in a light rain, but that went away and we enjoyed a cool (for July) ride.

41.68 miles on the fixed gear.

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 8, July 3

Woke up with no plans or destination, a beautiful day for some exploration. To paraphrase, "Go north, young men!" We did. I don't often ride north past Route 24, and thought this would be a good day to do just that. I met up with Dennis near the lake again and pointed my trusty steed toward the north star, heading to parts previously unseen by mankind. (At least I think unseen, can't figure from where these roads, houses, and windmills came, though.) Today we discovered "windmill miles", which are about 50% longer than statute miles. We also discovered that there are some amazingly nice, car-free roads up in Woodford and Livingston counties. We rode due north until our goal for the day was assured, and then meandered back to Lake Bloomington with a short stop in Gridley for flooid (food + fluid).

55.20 miles on the TT bike.

********************************************************************************************************

Day 9, July 4

Fourth of July. Tour de Tap. Traditional celebration. For a bit of a change, I volunteered to kayak for a group of swimmers at the lake before riding. I'd never before done this and was a little apprehensive, since I'm inexperienced at swimming. I strapped on a life preserver, climbed into the kayak, and had a blast! Just might have to do this again. Swim is over, time for one of my favorite annual rides, Tour de Tap. The tour normally starts in town and heads out to small country taverns for food and drinks, but our group of twelve riders would be heading to the first tavern from the lake. First stop: Merna Tap in...yes, Merna. We arrived at 10:10 to find out that it didn't open until 11:00! After milling about a few minutes, I decided to head toward town to meet up with the "official" Tour de Tap group. I announced this to the group to see if any like-minded would also be interested. One. Only one would rather ride a bike than stand in front of a closed Merna Tap. Oh well. Dennis and I headed to town and met the gang headed out within about six miles. A quick u-turn and we were Merna-bound again. Six miles back and we roll back into the Tap. The first group is still standing there looking lost as we arrive, and by divine providence (or maybe the proprietors felt sorry for us looking so pitiful out there) the door opened at 10:45! A beer or two later and we're back on the road, on our way to Kicks in Towanda. July fourth in Towanda, normally a village of 500 but probably triple that for the holiday, is busy so we carefully pick our way through the masses. Kicks is packed, so it's one beer for me, and on the road again, heading to the final Tour stop at Lake Road Inn. Burger, beer(s) and then back on the bike. Happily, since I'd begun my day at the lake, my car was just two miles away so I was soon finished with my ride and bound for home.

41.34 miles on the road bike.

*******************************************************************************************************

Day 10, July 5

Day 10. Saturday. Meeting at the lake at 9:00, so I roll from home at 8:00, ambitiously hoping to get a couple extra miles in before. I misjudged how far I could get in an hour, and arrived seven minutes late. Fortunately, one of the other riders is noted for lack of punctuality, and they had not yet left. We shared the road for about 25-30 miles and they dropped me off near town and I wrapped up my ride while they still needed another 25 miles.

52.78 miles on the TT bike.

********************************************************************************************************

Day 11, July 6

It's Sunday morning, and my week+ away from work is almost at an end. I drove to the lake to meet with two good friends for a relaxing ride. Oops, I brought a knife to a gun fight. Both of them had their race bikes and I was fixed... ah well, builds character, no? We roll north a few miles and then do a long pull west, into the wind. South past a landmark (pink snowmobile on a twelve foot pedestal), over the river, and then Hudson-bound for a stop at Geno's Bar and Grill for some refreshments. That hit the spot! Still needing a few more miles we take a longer route back to the lake, and ride the inner loop (twice!) before finishing our day in the saddle.

50.93 miles on the fixed gear.

********************************************************************************************************

Day 12, July 7

Monday, July 7. My last day off work. Sigh. I'm on a schedule for the first time this week. 10:00 appointment to have blood drawn. New washer/dryer being delivered between 1:00-5:00. A three hour window of opportunity to get my ride in. A quick call to Dennis and I'm back in the saddle again. I had a route planned that should get me home near 1:00, on some roads I'd not yet ridden this week. "The best laid plans of mice and men..." Can you see the little broken red line on the following map, near Lexington? Road construction, and a detour that would have been just an inconvenience in a car now added over twenty minutes to our ride. Oh well, pedal on, Garth! A quick stop for sustenance in Lexington and it's time trial mode to get home as quickly as possible, cursed southwest winds. Long story short (too late for that?), I got home at 1:30, and the appliances didn't arrive until 3:30. Story of my life.

47.88 Miles on the road bike.

********************************************************************************************************

So, with eleven days off of work I manage to get thirteen rides in! (I count the ride after work on the last working day, and I rode twice one day.) 610 total miles for an average of almost 51 miles per day. (Maybe I should have logged my beers as well as my miles, I'm sure it was equally impressive.) Most of these rides were in the company of good friends, in fact Dennis rode with me on ten of them. (Yes, Dennis is crossing away from the dark side and becoming a cyclist.) I thoroughly enjoyed my time away from the factory, got my batteries recharged, and have a more positive outlook on things. It really is the small things in life, like a bike ride with good friends, and relaxing at the Wite Trash Patio, that bring a smile to my face.